"Can't We All Just Get Along!" or "We Are The World"

Many years ago, a group of musicians all got together and recorded a single of which the sales were to go to the starving kids of Africa. Everyone alive during that time knew the song and could recite it with ease. The concept of the lyrics were considered to be idealistic and probably unsustainable in world with hate and strife. Even still, it gave everyone hope that maybe, just maybe, the world could unite for this one moment, and perhaps carry it on to others avenues as well. Of course this never materialized, but the sentiment was admirable.

A couple years ago, God was speaking to me about the need for the churches in the area I am serving in to unite and worship together. Little did I know, God had placed this same desire in 2 other men as well. Through a series of unlikely events, we all met and decided to hold a Creative Arts worship service for any church who wanted to be involved. I had heard this was impossible. I had heard we would go strong for 6 months then it would fizzle out. But God had a different plan.

When we started, we laid out a few ground rules.

1st, no sermons. We wanted to focus on those things which would unite us, not divide us. When you have a sermon, it is very likely a lot of people will disagree with the interpretation of the Word of God and thus they would not return.

2nd, Unity would be achieved through accepting those things which were different, but not wrong. We have African-American Churches, Rural churches, and white city churches all in the same service. So in this same service, you would have urban Gospel dancing one moment followed by a quartet of southern Gospel, followed by Skits and dramas. You just never knew what to expect! But we made should to celebrate our diversity. They aren't wrong, just different!

3rd, We would emphasize the fact that Jesus is the head of the church. And We, all of us,are the church! Different styles, One Savior! Different Locations, One Church! Different Look, Same Family! The World will know you are mine if you love one another!

As a result, we have grown and grown and grown! So much, the places we normally have the services are too small! Henderson County churches are coming together in record numbers, 2 years later!!! Now, we have churches partnering together in ministry that have never even spoken together before! They are even performing at the services together. God is doing a cool thing, and we seeing God use this thing He created to reach people who would have never heard before!

So let's continue to get along! Let's continue to serve with each other! Let's continue to realize we are not in competition, but rather we are on the same team!!!! All for the Glory of Jesus!!!!!

"A Proud Daddy!" or "Learning the Hard Way"

O.k. I have to admit I have been a bit excited over the past couple weeks. My daughter Mykaela (Mysha) is now on the Cross Country Team at Henderson County High School. I am so proud because she is continuing a tradition of running on the Shouse family. My Dad ran for Daviess County High School. I ran for Apollo High School. And now here she is, taking the baton of legacy and running as well. It has sparked a unexpected feeling of pride and elation in my heart. She has taken something of mine and Dad's and now is making it her own. The other day we went out and ran more than 2 miles. When we got finished, (more accurately when I was finished) she went out and ran another one.
This is quite different than her initial reaction to the sport just a week ago. It was hard, difficult and tiring. She wanted to quit. I didn't understand why because I had warned her how tough it was. In fact, my exact words was that it was going to be torture for 2 weeks, then it gets easier. I told her it would never be easy but it would get easier. I also told her if it ever got really easy, she probably wasn't doing it right. (Runners know what I am talking about.) I told her of the amazing team she would apart of. There is just something about being apart of a group of people who share blood, sweat, and tears together. I told her that when she got to the meets, she would be so excited and they were thrilling. I told her about the sense of accomplishment of finished a feat of endurance. I told her of the energy she would have with other things. I told her the good and the bad of running, and in spite of all my instruction, encouragement, and truth telling, she still wanted to quit.
I was upset, mad, and a little perturbed that she did not want to finish the 2 weeks I warned her about. But she did finish them and now she loves it!!! She's hooked on it. We now have a bond which others can never understand until they go through the rights of torture we have experienced.
This experience is not an unusual one in life. I read about Isaac not long ago. In the beginning of Isaac's journey in life, he would always talk about the God of Abraham or the God of my Father. Then somewhere along the way it became "my God". Eventually it became the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But it did not start that way. Isaac had to find and discover God on his own. I know Abraham encouraged, instructed, and told the truth about God to his son but until Isaac found God himself, he never quite got it.
After he got it, though, he and Abraham had something no one could understand until they, too, found the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for themselves.
What about you? Have you found Him? Let me tell, it isn't easy. At times it will feel like torture. But as your faith grows it will get easier, but never easy. In fact, if it is ever easy, you probably not doing it right. But you have to commit yourself to doing it.
Why do those words seem so familiar????