LEGACY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

BLOG WAS MOVED!

2009-12-21T12:41:00.004-05:00

SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY IN POSTING THIS, BUT WE HAVE A NEW BLOG AT:
www.lvlegacy.wordpress.com

Hope to see you on there.

Of course if you want to stay current on Legacy Church, just go to: www.lvlegacy.org

I will also be launching a new personal blog called:
www.treesoflifedude.com

See ya on the rebound!

IHL,

Richie

Money, Money, Money...., Money!

2009-10-22T10:30:00.003-04:00

Many of our friends and family have asked about on-line giving. We have now enabled on-line giving via Pay-Pal both on this blog and on the website (www.lvlegacy.org).

You will note that there are two donate buttons on the top right of this blog. One is to give directly to Legacy Church; and one button is for our fundraising efforts to send 3-4 folks to Uganda in December for LEAD Uganda.

PayPal is safe and secure, but if you feel safer sending a check, mail it to: Legacy Church, PO Box 250, Macungie, PA 18049. In the memo either put "Legacy" for church fund or "Uganda" for the mission trip.

As always, if you cannot contribute, your prayers are most important too! Thanks for considering us!

Peace and One Love!

In His Love,

The Legacy Team

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ON VISION SUNDAY!

2009-10-21T09:59:00.004-04:00

This Sunday as part of Vision Sunday, in addition to our 1st Baptism Service at 4:30pm @ The Carpenter's Community Church, 4609 Newburg Road, Nazareth, PA 18064; we will be making a BIG announcement about our 1st steps towards our global initiative.

Although the majority of our compassion work and efforts will be local for the people of the Lehigh Valley, we also want to live out Acts 1:8 by taking the 1st steps in beginning our "Ends of the Earth" effort.

On 28 December 09 through 08 January 10, Nicole (Our Family Life Leader), a church community member to be named, and myself will be flying to Uganda to see first hand the work that is being done with an organization called LEAD Uganda! This organization is doing some amazing work with Orphans of Aids and former Child Soldiers. To see what they are doing, we provided the links below.

If you are part of Legacy, we want YOU to start praying about being THE person that accompanies Nicole and I. We thought it would be great for a non-staff person to accompany us and to help us determine if this is where God wants us to be. We are making the trip to ensure we are spending our compassion (time and money) wisely. We need to identify this person pretty quickly however because of passport, immunization, and fundraising efforts.

Speaking of fundraising - NO church funds will be used for this trip. Each person will be responsible for raising their own trip money. The cost of the trip is approx. $3,000. We have created a PayPal link on both our website and our blog to donate specifically to this trip. If you do not want to use PayPal, then mail your donation to: Legacy Church, PO Box 250, Macungie, PA 18062 and put Uganda in the memo. Here are the links to the websites to donate online:
www.lvlegacy.org
www.lehighvalleyproject.blogspot.com

If you cannot contribute financially, then please pray for us with respect to this trip and for the children we will meet.

Here are the links for LEAD Uganda:
http://www.leaduganda.org/
https://twitter.com/LEADUganda
They also have a group on Facebook, just search for LEAD Uganda or click here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=82483290952&ref=ts

Thanks so much!

Peace and One Love!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

2009-10-10T09:40:00.004-04:00

So.., I'm on my date day with my bride yesterday, (which by the way has been made a major priority in my life given the nature of the beast called church planting) and a friend sends me an email which I did not read until this morning about our blog. No updates since launch?

Pretty lame yes..., but, we are actually in the process of having our blog revamped and updated. Each of the staff will be running their own blog and our hope is to have at least one update a week about our journey on those blogs. So.., until that time, I will give weekly (or more) updates on here.

We are headed into our 4th week as an active church plant. It has been interesting, challenging, exciting, and a ton of other adjectives, but also very busy. Some upcoming events are:

#1 - Sunday the 18th of October - We are going to be the church! On this day, we have chosen 3 service projects in the community to be part of.

- We have adopted approx. 20 families in a rundown motel that is about 1/2 mile from the facility where we meet.

- We will be working with New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem (A family shelter) and do some painting and cleanup for them.

- We will be hoping a local homeowner in low income housing to do some work and cleanup in their home.

#2 - Sunday the 25th of October - We will be holding our very 1st baptism service! Party time!!

#3 - Sunday the 8th of November - Surprise guests from Virginia Beach! Can't wait - this should be a cool day!

#4 - Sunday the 15th of November - Surprise guests from the Lead Uganda project!

So..., lots of good stuff happening. Stories are starting to be shared and folks are now allowing God to jump into those stories, and we just happen to be part of making that happen. It is such an honor to work amongst the folks of the Lehigh Valley; and we know that we know, that God has put us here for such a time as this!

Thanks for following along! Peace and One Love!

GOOD NIGHT GOD!

2009-09-19T22:55:00.002-04:00

Father - I'm not sure why or how I/we were chosen for this task and I know all of our team feels the same way; but "Thank You"! We Love You Pops and we know you have our back!

Help us all to get a good night's rest and be fresh to meet the adventure you have placed us in!

10 hours and 35 minutes for the ride of a lifetime! God - never let us forget that lives/souls are in the balance and never ever let us underestimate the importance of this task. Amen.

Good Night God!

SURREAL AND HUMBLING

2009-09-16T09:31:00.002-04:00

It was in February 2006 when God planted the seed into my heart to return to the Lehigh Valley. I laughed then and 2 weeks later when I told Karen my wife, she did the same thing. LOL!

3 years later in February 2009 we landed back in the Valley after a 30 year hiatus. In April of 2009, the rest of our team showed up and we began a labor of Love!

3 years quite honestly seems like 3 minutes ago. The time has just zipped on by and here we are, 4 days away from officially launching a new church into the Lehigh Valley.

We are meeting @ Rascals Fun and Food, 6616 Ruppsville Road, Allentown, PA 18106, 9:30am every Sunday. The children K-5 grade meet in the restaurant; the infants and toddlers meet in the Party Rooms; the middle school crew meets in the Laser Tag area; and the adult worship is in the bar and balcony area. Why this setting? Is church about the building/meeting place or about the people? We like to think it is about the people and we really DO NOT think that not having our own personal meeting place gives us legitimacy or not. What gives us legitimacy is that Jesus and the Cross is the centerpiece of our community and it is our attitude of Loving People as He did that give us legitimacy.

That being said, it certainly does seem very surreal and very humbling that we are on the precipice of starting this new adventure! God has placed a very talented and energetic team together for this ride and our initial group of volunteers and friends is amazing! So.., "Thank YOU" God.

If you follow this blog, please pray for our team; but more importantly, pray for the people of the Lehigh Valley!

Peace and One Love!

CALL TO ACTION FOR LEGACY VOLUNTEERS!

2009-09-08T21:21:00.003-04:00

Call to Action for Legacy Peeps! Click here to view video!

If you've been hangin with us and you're not serving yet; it is time to step up to the plate and get involved! We need help in children's/youth ministry; set-up/tear-down; audio and visual; video and photoshop editing; musicians; and folks with friendly smiles! :-)

Gordon (otherwise known as "Po" from Kung Fu Panda by his friends) our young intern produced this video! He did an Awesome Job! He picked up and learned Final Cut Pro for Mac on his own and that is no easy task at all! I am proud of him.

In addition to having some really cool music by Ben Harper, this an excellent production for the young fella! Give him mad props!

So.., if your pondering where you might fit in with Legacy, just start by stepping up to the plate and serving - we need the help! :-) Thanks for considering us!

THE FUTURE PATH?

2009-09-07T12:39:00.004-04:00

First off, just want to say that we have had two pre-launch preview services the last two weeks and our team is pulling together BIG time. They are efficient and hard working! Love those peeps. Follow along the adventure with us @ www.lvlegacy.org.

Started doing some research for upcoming sermons and ran across two blog posts by Todd Wilson who has been instrumental in starting several non-profit organizations and he is also an instrumental of the church planting movement in America today. He is a great thinker! Anyway..., if your interested in the potential Future Path of the Church, check these two posts out:

#1 - Todd post 1

#2 - Todd post 2

These are a bit lengthy, but loaded with tons of good data! Enjoy!

Thanks for following along with the Legacy Team. Please pray for us this month - Launch day is 20 Sep 09!

Time with Pops!

2009-08-18T09:01:00.005-04:00

So.., I am hanging with Pops this morning and I read this one particular line in the Gospel of John Chapter 2, verses 24-25 and it kind of stopped me in my tracks? So.., I started digging into some commentaries, one of which led me to the book of Jeremiah, Chapter 17, verses 9-10. Check these two verses out: 9-"The heart is deceitful above ALL things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10-I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." Whoa! Do you think about that at all? I mean do you ponder the fact that God is searching your heart and examining your mind daily? Yikes! I am in trouble! You may be too! LOL!

But on a serious note, this is what separated Jesus from man. In His humanity, He was God and he could search the hearts and minds of mankind and know what they were all about. If you read The Gospel of John, chapters 2, 3, & 4, you can see the clear connection here of what John is trying to tell us about Jesus; in fact, Chapter 3 begins with the words - "There was a man", and then it goes on to tell the story of that man. Repeatedly throughout these chapters, there are stories of Jesus knowing the heart and mind of the person before they even speak.

So..., this is just another thing that shows us "What's So Amazing about Grace"! God knows our deceitful hearts, yet when you look upon the scarred body of God in the flesh (top right) and realize what He did for us despite our flawed humanity - it just breaks me down. I then find myself asking Him to forgive me and praying that He would cleanse my heart and my mind.

Repentance and Grace - it's a beautiful thing!

NUGGETS OF WISDOM

2009-08-06T09:59:00.005-04:00

I was looking over some notes from a one day pastor's luncheon at a church in Royersford, PA (www.moviechurch. com) called Christ Church of the Valley. Brian their lead pastor hosts a quarterly luncheon where they bring someone in to speak to us as leaders and teams. At this particular one, we had the privilege to hear from Dr. E. LeRoy Lawson. Here are some nuggets he shared with us on what he has learned and relearned while doing ministry for 50 or so years:

#1 - We really are in the business of changing lives! (mmm..., that sounds familiar?)

- Ensure you have a people intensive ministry - pay attention to relationships!

- Be in/Be the community!

#2 - No escape from administration or infra-structure!

Too bad! :-)

#3 - Best system - an organization who truly utilizes the gifts of the spirit!

- Don't start with a chart; start with a person!

- Let people do and be who they are & let them play!

- Don't look to the left or the right - follow who you wanna be; know your place!

**"I am the only gift I have for God!"**

#4 - Effecting change is no harder than it's ever been, but YOU must change!

- All of us have a different point of reference.

- We are change facilitators as lead pastors and leaders!

- Carefully calculate the cost of change.

- Learn from EVERYONE!

#5 - The building is not important; but.., it is not unimportant either.

- It does serve as a point of permanence.

#6 - Some of the church's more spiritual leaders are not in the Pulpit!

- He has walked with giants in his words and many were his elders.

#7 - Age is not the handicap I thought it could be? (This resonated with me! LOL!)

- "God doesn't have a problem running the universe - I can probably relax!" (Love it!!)

- Most of us expect too much in the short run; we tend to allow ourselves to not look at the long haul!

- We must hang on to each other to get through the tough times!

#8 - Every team is a small church or community!

#9 - Linguistic competence!

- Huh? LOL! Know the language and know how to use it.

ADVERTISING MADNESS!!

2009-07-30T17:04:00.004-04:00

Never in our wildest dreams did we think

know how frustrating it can be when dealing

with

marketing, branding, advertising, etc.....

The

Picture/Jpeg above is the draft

the billboard we will be displaying

both sides of I-78 east and west!

We would really like to know

your

thoughts and ideas on the concept.

So..,

please share and encourage!

Thanks!

Peace and One Love!

p.s. The best way to view it well is to right click the picture and go to "open link in new tab"! Peace!

Monday "ONE LOVE" Group

2009-07-28T08:52:00.002-04:00

Launched our 2nd One Love Group last night in Emmaus. Great turnout and great conversation. Talked about a line in the movie "Dejavu" with Denzell Washington which goes something like this: "If you had the greatest thing in the world to tell someone, but you knew they would not believe you. Would you tell them anyway?" The response in the movie was: "I'd have to try!".

I used this line as the centerpiece of discussing a couple of verses in the Gospel of John, chapter 17, verses 20-26. The centerpiece of the discussion was about Unity and God's Love for us. Unity referring to unity between God and us; between all of us as individuals; and unity in the church of Jesus (the body) as a whole. The second part of the discussion was around the question - "Do you believe that God loves us as much as He loves His own Son Jesus?" and how that question meshes with the old quote of "The Love of God is folly!"

If you read the verses mentioned above, Jesus is praying for all present and future followers of Him. He clearly states in that prayer that the Love the Father has for Him is the same Love the Father has for us! Let that sink in! Why is that Love folly? Because we (meaning all of us) are jacked up! Yet.., He loves us unconditionally despite our messed up/jacked up lives. Those of us that think we are unlovable - Loved!; The drunk/drug addict on the street - Loved!; the adulter - Loved!; the meanest employer in the world - Loved!; the murder on death row - Loved!; etc....

I don't know about you, but that to me is quite possiby the greatest thing I could share with someone! You may not believe it - but I have to try and tell you anyway! God's story of Love for humanity is one that needs to be told and the cool thing is - we get to jump right into that story! That then, is when life begins to get risky and full of adventure - because your story and His story are then intertwined; and man..., what a story it can be!

So...., go ahead and Jump!

Peace and One Love!

BIG PRAYER PUSH!

2009-07-25T17:14:00.003-04:00

Since September of 2008, we have had someone praying & fasting each day of the month for the project/church plant.

Now we want to step it up in a big way, and have as many people as possible praying and fasting (if they choose to) on each day of the month up through the official launch date of 20 September 2009! If you are interested in signing up for a day of the month, just let us know what day and we will plug you in. Drop us a line at rich@lvlegacy.org. The more the merrier!

Additionally, starting on 14 September 2009, we will begin 168 hours (1 week) of prayer up through the 20th. We are asking for folks to pick an hour or hours in the day to pray for the launch! If you are interested in joining us in this, just drop a line at rich@lvlegacy.org and let us know what days and hour of the day you want to take. We will set up a calendar and prayer reminder.

Here are the things we are praying for:

- First and foremost, the people of the Lehigh Valley we are trying to reach out to;
- Fundraising (still need funds for much of the equipment, facilities, etc..). Despite some generous gifts in this area, we still require all of our sound and lighting for adult worship; middle/high school items; office space rental and repair/cleanup; office equipment; and advertising costs;
- That our current worship facility issues remain stable;
- For team unity and effectiveness;
- For our launch team that is growing at a rapid pace and our small groups (One Love groups).

Thanks! Peace and One Love!

REMINDER! 2ND PREVIEW GATHERING TOMORROW - 19 JUL 09!

2009-07-18T12:13:00.003-04:00

Just a friendly reminder about tomorrow!

For folks in the Lehigh Valley, we will be meeting tomorrow morning, 19 Jul 2009 at Rascals Fun and Food (http://www.rascalsfoodandfun.com/) , Time: 9:30am. We should be done by 10:45am.

Hope to see all of you there!

For folks not in the Valley, please pray for tomorrow's event! Thanks!

In His Love,

The Legacy Team
www.lvlegacy.org

SO..., DID YA HEAR THE ONE...?

2009-07-17T11:30:00.005-04:00

...about the Pastor who was jailed for littering? Ok...., well he really didn't land in jail, but he did receive a call yesterday from a local township code enforcement officer. Why? Well.., we handed out approximately 2,000 postcards announcing our upcoming preview service this coming weekend.

It appears some folks were not too thrilled about having a very nice postcard on their vehicles and proceeded to just throw them in the air, leaving them on the ground. So.., some friendly gentleman called the local township in which we were distributing these postcards, complaining about our hard work and efforts. :-)

Apparently unbeknownst to us, we were in violation of some local ordnance for that particular township with respect to circulars and their distribution. Here is essentially what the ordinance states: "If you place something on a vehicle, and it is tossed to the ground; the originator of the flyer/circular is in violation and littering." Now if we handed the postcards to them personally and they threw them on the ground, that would okay?

Oh well.., lesson learned. This is all part of the learning curve with respect to planting a new church; but it certainly does make the rollercoaster ride exciting. The lesson for future church planters - check with your local authorities on what you can or cannot do with respect to advertising. We don't want to see you on America's Most Wanted list! LOL!

Hope to see you folks that kept the postcards on Sunday the 19th of July! For those offended, we sincerely do apologize if we offended you in any way.

Peace and One Love!

THE BLOG IS GENTLY WEEPING!

2009-07-16T09:31:00.005-04:00

Ok.., I have to admit that this blog has been neglected somewhat and only utilized for the most important of announcements, but we do in fact want it to be more than that. It has been crying out for some attention. So.., we will make an honest attempt to do so in the future.

That being said, I am still reading the Brennan Manning book called "The Furious Longing of God" (this is link to a small video about the book). At the end of each chapter he asks two thoughts or questions for you to ponder. Here are the two at the end of chapter 1:

#1 - "There is the "you" that people see and then there is the "rest of you." Take some time and craft a picture of the "rest of you". This could be a drawing, in words, even a song. Just remember that the chances are good it will be full of paradox and contradictions."

#2 - On page 37 of the book, he listed some fictitious gods presented to him in the past: "the splenetic god, the prejudiced god, the irritated god. Come up with one more, from your history, to help round out the list."

I am using this book as kind of devotional and journaling experience time with Abba/Father/God. Do you journal? Do you spend some quiet moments with Him and do some inner searching about yourself; about life, your history, and your future? If you do, how do you do that? What does it look like for you? What things have you been learning about yourself? Share if you like, we would love to hear it!

If not, you may want to consider this time well spent - it has been extremely helpful in my walk through this life and on this path. The real key and point we are stressing here, is find your path to meeting Him one on one? That may look different for you than for me. What does it look like for you?

Peace and One Love!

2ND PREVIEW GATHERING!

2009-07-13T14:06:00.003-04:00

COME CHECK US OUT!

SEE...., WE'RE FUNNY PEOPLE TOO!

SELAH and UPDATE!

2009-07-11T12:20:00.002-04:00

A pause; a time to refresh - much needed; yet it seems as if the world is zipping by as you do so. It just seems so difficult to just relax these days. However, I had a great day with my best friend Karen yesterday and it was a nice refreshing pause. :-)

Quick update:

- Mike and Nicole have safely returned from San Diego where they had Mike's father's memorial service. It has been a long exhausting 10 days especially for Mike. Please pray for his family and he as they process through this grieving season.

- We are making final preps for our 2nd preview gathering as a community. Please mark your calendars for 19 July at 9:30am. We will be meeting at Rascals Food and Fun on 6616 Ruppsville Road, Allentown, PA 18106, just about a minute south of Tilghman street. (http://www.rascalsfoodandfun.com/). Be there or be square - No.., I mean really you will be square; no.., I am not kidding!

- We sent our man "Po" (church intern) on a scouting expedition to both Muhlenberg College and Lehigh University this past week. The purpose of this two day expedition was to learn the lay of the land, and to also dream big about ways we could potentially serve and reach out to the students and campuses. It should be interesting to see what comes from Master Po's travels.

- We are also gearing up for a few more community service and outreach events. We will be finalizing details this week and announce them before the end of the week.

This is a really exciting time for us all! I think the most rewarding thing thus far, has been the new relationships and friendships that we are developing as we meet new people and learn their story.

As usual, thanks for following along! Peace and One Love!

WEEKEND HAPPENINGS UPDATE!!

2009-06-29T11:57:00.010-04:00

This was a crazy busy weekend for Team Legacy! Here is an update on what God allowed to happen:

27 June -
We conducted a food bank drive at the Super Wal-Mart in Trexlertown, PA. In five hours the team collected nearly 3,500 pounds of food and household items for the needy of the Lehigh Valley. I originally thought the amount was like in the 500 pound range, but when they came to pick it up, the guy was like "Bro, this is a lot of stuff, no way this is just 500 lbs! I've been doing this a long time and this is more like 3,000 to 3,500lbs." I was stunned to be quite honest. So.., we filled their van to capacity and sent them off to deliver the food and items to those in need.

Big shout out to all the customers at Super Wal-Mart on Saturday; thank you so much for contributing!

In addition to the food donations, we had thousands of conversations and touches with the folks of the Lehigh Valley. The cool thing about that Super Wal-Mart, is that every nation and community seems to shop there; it is a very diverse crowd - which is right up our alley! :-)

27 June -
Mikie played at Conway's Barbecue and Pub and did an Outstanding job! I may be biased, but I think we have a very talented and awesome worship leader!

28 June -
Our first preview service went off without any real hitches. It was well attended, and most everyone with the exception of a couple people were all new faces. Everyone was thankful for the service and appeared to be sold on the vision that we are casting for the Lehigh Valley. Many showed up from the cards we handed out the day before, and some showed up from internet activity such as Craig's List and our website.

Nicole did an outstanding job with the kids! We had about 10 of them show up in various age categories, but they were excited by what they did and learned that morning.

Here are some pictures from the weekends events , just click this: Weekend Preview Service.

Overall, a very successful weekend! We are humbled by what God is beginning to do through us, but we are also pumped about what lies ahead!

Thanks for following along!

Peace and One Love.

FOOD BANK DRIVE/DONATIONS!

2009-06-27T23:39:00.006-04:00

Today was a huge success! Thanks to all the volunteers and to the people that donated! We are so appreciative.

We had thousands of conversations and handed out thousands of flyers/postcards. More importantly however, we received approx. 500 lbs of food donation and $200.00 in cash donations (which we bought more items with).

The re-usable grocery bags were a big hit as a giveaway!

Big "THANKS" to Super Wal-Mart for allowing us to run the drive at their store!

We have our first preview service tomorrow at Upper Macungie Park, Rt. 100 in Foglesville at 11:00am tomorrow (28 June).

We will give you an update tomorrow night to let you know how that event went.

Thanks for all the prayers and support!

BIG HAPPENINGS THIS WEEKEND! (27/28 JUNE 09)

2009-06-26T16:54:00.003-04:00

COME HANG OUT WITH US THIS WEEKEND!

THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE HAPPENING:

27 June -

Food Bank Drive at Super Wal-mart in Trexlertown, from 10am to 2pm. If your reading this and you think you might want to help out, give me a ring! 610-928-7224.

27 June -

Mike our worship leader is playing at a local pub/restaurant called Conway's Barbecue on Tilghman Street and will be playing from 9pm-12am. Come on out and support a great establishment and Mike as he rocks the place!

28 June -

Another gathering at the Upper Macungie Park on Rt. 100 in Fogelsville. Start time is 11:00am for the very 1st Preview Service of Legacy and food to follow. If you think you can help we will begin set up at 8:30am. Same thing, if you think you can help on Sunday, call me and let me know and we will discuss the details.

Thanks soooo much for following along with Legacy, and we hope to see you at both events! One Love and Peace!

IHL,

Richie "Rich" Merritt

website: www.lvlegacy.org

Divine Sweet Divine...

2009-06-22T08:10:00.003-04:00

You are Mighty Father God, Lord over all things - Divine sweet divine.

My friend, my guide, my king; I will follow you.

I seek out your will, your calling for me.

I praise you for all that is yet to be done.

I thank you for all that you have shared with me & I ask for more of the same blessings upon my family, my friends, those in need, and those who don't know you.

I thank you for your provision - food, shelter, clothing.

I thank you most for Love, faith, hope & grace.

You have given me direction, meaning & purpose.

I pray that I honor you & you kingdom with the gifts you have given me.

Help me to find my way & my place in your kingdom here on Earth.

Lord, keep me humble hearted.

Help my heart to be tender and forgiving - just as you have already forgiven me, let me share that grace with others.

Lord, help walk this prayer out every day.

- This is Your kingdom.

- This is Your Love.

- You are God & I will follow you.

Hey there Legacy Church peeps! This is mikeyd and I kinda hijacked the blog this morning... don't tell Richie, he might expect me to do this more often. ;) I felt like I was supposed to share with yous guys a little something from my quiet time this morning, so I hope that it reaches the intended target.

This is a very exciting time for us here at Legacy; the launch team is coming together, we are starting to get into the community, and our first gathering is scheduled for THIS SUNDAY!!! We are very excited for all these things, especially for where God is taking us on this journey. All that said, I think it is easy to get lost in the day to day as we gear up towards these events and eventual launch.

"Details, details, details. It is easy to focus on the task at hand and lose focus on the reason we are here... that is Jesus." That was the message I heard yesterday in church... don't lose focus on the reason we are here, and I think it is a message worth repeating, every morning. So this morning this was my prayer, to shift focus away from me and give my attention to Him.

Something to chew on this morning... Enjoy!

mikeyd

UPCOMING EVENT!

2009-06-18T20:03:00.005-04:00

I will be posting a project/church plant update in the next day or two. However, we wanted to post the attached to let all of you who are in the Lehigh Valley know about a local event we are conducting. We are running a Food Bank drive on the 27th of June 2009 at the Super Wal-Mart in Trexlertown at the corner of Hamilton and Mill Creek Road.

Come on out and support those in need and help to get the word out. Print this flyer out and pass it around or save it as picture/jpg and forward it to all your friends and family in the area!

Thanks from the Local Food banks and Thank You from Legacy Church!

One Love and Peace!

"the furious longing of God"

2009-06-12T08:10:00.003-04:00

So.., for my reading time with Pops in the morning and evenings, I have been blending a bit of scripture along with reading a newer book of Brennan Manning's called "the furious longing for God". I am only in the second chapter and this book is rockin my world. Here are a few quotes to wet your whistle:

"Employing adjectives such as furious, passionate, vehement, and aching to describe the longing of God are my mumbling and fumbling to express the Inexpressible. Both theology, which is faith seeking understanding, and spirituality, which is the faith-experience of what we understand intellectually, offer a glimpse in the mystery" (pg. 30). This was his paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:12. Love it!

Two quotes on one page (pg. 32) - "Elsewhere I've written that Jesus came not only for those who skip morning meditations, but also for the real sinners, thieves, adulterers, and terrorists, for those caught up in teh squalid choices of failed dreams"; and adding on to this similar vain - "The men and women who are truly filled with light are those who have gazed deeply into the darkness of their own imperfect existence." Wow! (Matthew 9:13)

Last one (pg. 37-38) - "The closer I come to death, the less inclinced I am to limit the wisdom and infinity of God. The confession of John the apostle that "God is Love" is the fundamental meaning of the holy and adorable Trinity. Put bluntly, God is sheer Being-in-Love and there was never a time when God was not Love. The foundation of the furious longing of God is the Father who is the originating Lover, the Son who is the full self-expression of that Love, and the Spirit who is the original and inexhaustible activity of that Love, drawing the created universe into itself."

This book is both tender and raw - much like the furious Love of God for us. I would highly recommend it for the bookshelf of your heart.

Prayer for all People.

2009-06-10T11:07:00.007-04:00

I was reading through Ephesians this morning and some of the prayers Paul wrote were both beautiful and profound. As I read through Ch. 3 - This was Paul's prayer for the Ephesians:

"14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family[h] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

This is such a rich and heartfelt prayer that not only exemplify Paul's understanding and Love for Christ; but also his Love for those God has enabled him to reach out to. I thank God that he included us in that prayer too! (verse 21) I prayed this prayer for all who read this, for all those fellow church planters out there, and for all the folks that God enables Legacy Church to reach out to. I pray that you all "may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Amen.

PICNIC ON 7 JUNE 09!

2009-06-06T10:49:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, we are having a completely free picnic - no strings attached at the Upper Macungie Park, on Rte. 100 in Fogelsville, PA. It is really easy to get to; take the Rt. 100 exit off of I-78 and at the bottom of the exit, turn towards Fogelsville, and the park is about 3/4 mile on your right just over the top of the hill. We will have signs out for you to see! The picnic starts at 11:00am and will end at 2:00pm.

There will be free food; a clown with face painting and balloon tricks; a bounce house for kids; kickball; horseshoes; sand volleyball; popcorn; birch beer (free BEER!); rockin music; and a raffle for the following items: Ipod Shuffle; $50.00 gift card to the Iron Pigs; Gas Card; and various other cool items! Come and join the fun! It should be a blast!

On a closing and sad note, our worship leader Mike DeSelm was suddenly called away to San Diego because his father's health has taken a turn for the worse and he may not have long to live. Please pray for Mike and his family and for safe travel.

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE PICNIC!

One Love to all! Peace.

PROJECT/CHURCH PLANT UPDATE

2009-05-26T11:46:00.004-04:00

A lot of good things have been happening, and we are very busy! The picture to the right is symbolic is what we are praying to be as a community of faith, and the key word being community! We are praying to be multi-ethnic/multi-cultural and our vision is to be united in our Love for the community of the Lehigh Valley in general. Given that prayer, here is what we have been doing to help that along:

** Began conducting Community Needs Assessment interviews with local leaders and non-profits in the area. The reason for this is to identify the crisis needs of the community and to gain a better understanding of how we can help.

** We attended a local meeting for Allentown, in which about 50-60 folks were present from the Mayor’s office, local business leaders, non-profits, and churches. This meeting is part of the Mayor’s faith-based initiative program in helping the faith community collaborate with the city in helping out the city and inner city churches with the crisis needs of the community. This was a great meeting!

** We will be doing some outreach work as a staff as part of our workdays beginning either this week or next. We have connected with a couple local non-profits that need our help; so.., we are going to jump in and serve the community where they need us!

** We are having our first small group community meeting tonight! Excited about this and very thankful for the folks that will be attending! 7:00pm tonight at the DeSelm household. If you need directions, just drop me a line @ rich@lvlegacy.org.

** Ordered T-Shirts; Bounce House; Pop-Corn maker and working on banners and signage for our upcoming picnic on the 7^th of June at Upper Macungie Park in Fogelsville at 11:00am. Will be handing out flyers some this week and most next week.

** Ordered and received our reusable grocery bags (they look awesome!) for our upcoming food bank drive. We are doing this at the Super Wal-Mart in Trexlertown, PA on the 27^th of June. We chose this spot because of the diversity of folks that shop there.

** The very next day, we will be holding our first preview service at the same Upper Macungie Park in Fogelsville, PA at 11:00am. We will have a picnic right after that too!

** Working on our future events to be announced later!

Please, Please, Please continue to pray about our facility issue. We still have not identified a meeting place yet.

Thanks for following along! Much Love to you all!

IHL,

The Legacy Team

JUST A BEAUTIFUL LETTER!

2009-05-14T09:43:00.004-04:00

As I have read 1 Thessalonians 1-3 the last three days, I am just struck by the beauty of this letter and the sincere Love that Paul is expressing for these people. Four things truly ring out:

#1 – Paul loved those far from God – most of the people from this church he is writing a letter to, were for the most part former pagan worshippers. Love it! Do our churches reflect that? How are we doing in reaching out to those far from God? Do we consistently reach out and help the already convinced? These are questions that deserve good answers.

#2 – His heartfelt Love for those whom he encountered, lived with, and modeled Christ-like living with. Paul’s sense of urgency in ensuring that they have remained on track is refreshing and humbling to me. I have actually had a pastor say to me in conversation – “ya know I really don’t like my people that much. In fact, there are days when I just want to run away!” Then what Paul writes to these folks whom he personally feels responsible for, and repeatedly apologizes over and over about not being able to be there with them. He states about being away from them -“So, when we could no longer stand it”, and in turn sends Timothy to them because they could not go. This is a great model for a shepherd’s heart!

#3 – These first 3 chapters are excellent models for relational leadership. Paul, stresses several times that they lived among them and modeled Christ for them while they preached the Gospel. They lived out “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in Heaven”; and because they did so, the results were astounding. The report that Paul receives back from Timothy was encouraging to Paul in that the efforts that they originally put into the city were not in vain. It is not just preaching and teaching – it is living it out, so that others can see you and I being the hands, legs, hearts, minds, and mouths of Jesus in the world.

#4 – Hard work pays off with respect to relational leadership! The date most scholars believe this letter was written was about 51 AD; and the impact that this letter and the follow-on letter he wrote to the Thessalonians must have had a truly amazing impact on them. For over the next 250 years or so, the Church of Thessalonica would suffer persecution in major proportions. This city was the Macedonian capitol of Rome, and beginning with Nero in 64 AD, Christians were slaughtered regularly up until the time of Constantine. However, the church remained strong and grew despite the persecution. Why? Because Paul and his team, did the hard work of relational shepherding early on, and ensured that the initial group had a solid foundational understanding of the gospel and how to live it out. Additionally, he modeled the gift of encouragement to them as a group. These key components ensured the survivability of the church during this very difficult time. Could the same be said of us today?

Paul left a “Legacy” to the people of Thessalonica! I pray that our team models in the Lehigh Valley what Paul and his crew did in Thessalonica! Go Team!

Building Bridges

2009-05-06T15:33:00.002-04:00

A wee bit of an update from the last week on our efforts here in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania:

- Mike our creative arts guy with a lil help from his friends did an awesome job in putting together our website.

Check it out: www.lvlegacy.org

- Most of our efforts in the last week have been centered on building bridges to the community. We have started our process of interviewing community leaders, non-profit organizations, and anyone who will sit with us to talk. These interviews are geared around two things: #1 - What are the crisis needs of the community, and #2 - To let them know that Legacy and our team care about the community and want to be involved. Pray for the team as they go out the next few weeks to build these bridges to the community!

- Two posts ago, we listed our upcoming events. The team is gearing up for those by working on flyers; we purchased a bounce house and a popcorn machine; reserved the park for the events on the 7th and 28th at Upper Macungie Park; and more stuff on the way. We want to make these events both fun and memorable for those that show up!

- The key to those events will be the selling of the Vision to the people that show up. So., pray that they will be receptive!

- We have a meeting with an engineer from CDF (Church Development Fund) on Monday the 11th at a facility we are considering. He will give us a general idea on whether on not the costs will be something we can handle or not. Please pray for that. If we decide to move forward with that facility, it may require us to raise some additional support for the buildout of the facility. Maybe you could start praying about that too; and if God lays it on your heart to help us with that we would so appreciate that!

Things are starting to rock-n-roll and it is an exciting and nerve-wracking time too. Please continue to pray for the team and our cohesiveness and focus, but more importantly for our spouses and family.

Thanks for following along! Much appreciated!

WEBSITE IS OFFICIALLY LIVE!

2009-05-05T21:17:00.003-04:00

Update on the project tomorrow, but until then, check out our new web home!

www.lvlegacy.org

Provide us some feedback on the site. What you like or don't like, etc...? Either leave a comment here or drop us a line at info@lvlegacy.org.

Peace!

In His Love,

Richie

PROJECT UPDATE!

2009-04-28T10:17:00.004-04:00

Good things come in small packages is the old adage, and we are celebrating the small gifts! We are getting some traction and movement, and we are gearing up for some outreach events that will both help the community but also get our name out.

Following has recently happened:

- #1 - We had our first home informational meetings last week. We had 14 folks show up and 6 kids. This number included ourselves, family, and folks we connected with via the Internet and word of mouth. There are several other folks who wanted to be there but could not because the night did not work with their schedules. This was kind of amazing to me, because have not done any advertising or events yet and still attracted 20 or so folks! We are pretty stoked about the first meetings.

#2 - We intend to have several other meetups in the next few weeks, so…, if your reading this and your interested in knowing what we are up to, drop me a line at rich@lvlegacy.org.

#3 - We will be having a 2^nd meeting with the peeps from the first meet. The intent of the 2^nd meet will be to get a feel for their level of commitment to what we hope to accomplish, and then get them plugged into small groups.

#4 - We have the following events officially on our calendar now:

- 16 May – Block Party

- 07 Jun – Outreach Picnic

- 27 Jun – Food Bank Outreach event

- 28 Jun – Outdoor preview service/picnic

- 12 Jul – Preview Service

There will be more scheduled within the next week or so, i.e., Movie night at the park; Community Service Projects, etc…

Additionally, Mike will be doing open mike nights at local venues to build and develop relationships. We are also working on putting together our own open mike night, targeting the local college artists.

Please continue to pray for our facility search. The local school boards in the area we are targeting shot down our requests and subsequent waiver requests for use of their facilities. So.., the search continues. Thanks for the prayers!

Viva la Vida (Death and all his friends)

2009-04-16T09:09:00.007-04:00

"Those who are dead are not dead

They're just living in my head

and since I fell for that spell

I am living there as well

Time is so short and I'm sure

there must be something mooorrre"

By: COLDPLAY; Album: Viva la Vida; Song: 42

Those who know me, tend to know that I at times wear my emotions on my sleeve. However, for like 98.5% of the time, I am very positive and upbeat. Does that mean I don’t have pain, grief, or experiences that temporarily sap my energy and spirit? No way! I just know that I know, that I know, that “there must be something moooorrre!

Additionally, those of you who also know me well; know that yesterday marked the 8^th anniversary of our daughter Megan’s death in this world. The above Coldplay song caught my attention the other day, and it resonated with me for a variety of reasons.

#1 – Memories and glimpses of those that have passed are all we have once they have moved on. So from that point on, they tend to live in our head and our hearts.

#2 – We can tend to dwell in those memories during different phases of the grief process or the pain that we may be experiencing from some trauma or event in our lives. Fortunately for me, I have been able to jump in an out of this “spell” without living there and letting it rule my life. If you’re stuck in a moment or a “spell”, then there is no growth, movement forward or forward thinking; and that is not a good thing.

#3 – Time is short and because of both my life experience and my walk with God, I am sure that there IS something more – period!

Megan died on Easter Sunday morning which to me is/was profound. The event (the resurrection of The Christ) that happened on that day some 2000 years ago, IS the “something more” that Coldplay is trying to convey. That event, if tried in a court of law, could not be disproved even by the best of trial lawyers. It has been tried in the court of public opinion during these 2000 plus years and it still resonates as THE most significant event in human history.

You may ask – “So what Richie, what’s the BIG deal?” The big deal is that there IS something more, and that is what gives us Hope and that is what helps get us out of the “dwelling in” phase of pain and grief. The apostle Paul in the book of Philippians talked very clearly about this “something more” in the following passage (Philippians 3:7-14):

“7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing on Toward the Goal

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

So.., the “something more” is the goal to win the prize, BUT and it is a big BUT (not butt) if you notice in verses 7-9, it is all about living in the here and now. Meaning that there is a significant importance to letting people see the risen Christ in and through your life and actions. This includes the bad times (grief, pain, suffering) and the good times! Not an easy thing I know, but it is something we are encouraged to do.

Ok.., nuff said! Until the next time – press on peeps! One Love to you all!

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-11T10:55:00.002-04:00

The events that transpired over 2000 years ago are the most significant in history! The death and resurrection of God in the flesh have left the world forever changed.

From the Legacy team we want to wish you very Happy Resurrection Day weekend!

------------------------------------------------------------

QUICK UPDATE from the past week:

- Attended training with a group called Compassion by Design in Northern Virginia. The training is designed to help us get in touch with key community leaders and interviews with people in the community. These interviews and surveys are done in order to help us identify key or crisis needs in the community that our faith community can in turn become involved in. The entire idea is taking crisis needs and then being the Hands of Jesus through our action - changing the world!

- Had our very 1st staff team meeting! Great to be finally working with these talented and fun people!

- The search for a facility is ongoing - please pray for this.

- Advertised on Craig's list for some creative arts help. That has created some interesting dialog with folks who are now interested in what we are planning on doing.

- Mike and I went to an Open Mike night at a local club called Crocodile Rocks. It was fun, and next week he plans on participating.

- I personally have connected with several peeps via a web network called at www.meetup.com. It is a site that connects people with like interests. I joined a writers group; Eagles and Phillies groups and a community service group. All the groups are located in the Lehigh Valley.

- Met a young lady named Jess who cut my hair at Great Clips. She is tattooed and pierced - and was stoked about the church as I shared the vision. She will be my go to for hair cuts from now on. Why? Cuz 2000+ years ago, a man named Jesus died and rose from the dead for her!

Please pray for her and all those we encounter in the Valley!

Blessings to you all this Easter weekend!

MAKING A VOW!

2009-04-03T08:30:00.002-04:00

During my reading time today, I was reading Judges 11 and the story of Jephthah and his vow to the Lord (Judges 11:29-40). In a nutshell, here is what happened, Jephthah prayed to God and made a vow to God, that whatever comes out of the door of his house to greet him upon the return of his victory that the Lord would give, he would sacrifice to the Lord.

First off, kind of a dumb vow - I mean he had to at least think it would be one of his family members - no? That being said though, he still made the vow. He returns and his only daughter greets him. ummmph! Punch to the gut! He keeps his promise to the Lord and after she has a period of mourning and weeping - as a Virgin she is sacrified unto the Lord.

Now.., these kinds of stories do make me scratch my head. Could he have been wiser in choosing a better vow? Sure. Could he have pleaded with the Lord and said, oops my bad. Sure. So...., I'm left scratching my head and asking why allow this to be put into the scriptures? My only real answer is the fact that God takes a vow or a covenant with Him very, very serious. I find it interesting that both Jephthah and his daughter also have this understanding sealed in their hearts. Her reaction is astounding to me. Her reply is "My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me as you have promised" - wow!

Have you made a vow with God at all? Have you kept your promise? Did it cost you? If not, do you think there have been consequences for not doing so? These are just some thoughts that run through my head? Ponder your vow or vows with God or vows you made to others using God's name, for example marriage? Have you kept your promise?

Funny thing for me is, when I was 12 years old I made a vow to God. I did not keep it; and in many ways..., my life at times was a living hell because I allowed myself to be deterred. So.., here I am 36 years later - fulfilling the vow God laid on my heart at the tender age of 12.

It is never too late to make good on a promise to God while you yet still have time! Peace!

Update for the week!

2009-03-27T09:45:00.002-04:00

So..., my new office space is located in the picture to the right. In order to meet folks and develop some relationships we are going to find places in the culture that we are calling missionary routes. We are doing this in order to meet folks, and it is also saving money for us with respect to office space. I have located all the Panera Breads, Starbucks stores, and local coffee shops and diners that I will frequent on a regular basis. This area of the country is "Diner Heaven"! Some of the best diner food in the country! Seriously!

So.., quick update for the week:

- Continued work on Philosphy of Ministry; Core Values; and our assimilation process (in other words, how do we get folks plugged in.)

- Looked at a couple of areas and facilities this week. Some strong possibilities. Please continue to pray for this part of what we are doing.

- Mike and Nicole and family move up here today! Yea! We will have our entire team up here finally!

- Some really cool things have happened with local churches and pastors. A local church called "Carpenter Church" is running a project called the Love Project in which they do local service projects for people who have needs. Well, they caught wind of Mike and Nicole's move and they went in and painted and assisted in putting carpet in their home at a great price. In addition, when we arrived, another local church called "Riverbend Community Church" (which launches a week before we do), had 10 folks show up and help move us into our new home. Now how cool is this unity! Good stuff! Please pray for those churches!

- Met with a local pastor who planted within the last year in Emmaus. Had a great conversation and we hope to do some outreach together. God is doing something in the Lehigh Valley!

- Creating a network list of folks who are key members of the community. Pray for the opening of doors for us to connect with local community leaders.

Let me close with a scripture I read today:

1 Corinthian 10:31-33 - "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved." In other words - Engage the Culture!! :-)

Much Love to you all. Until the next time - scream out our name in public and cause a Love Riot! Yea that's right baby - Legacy!! Legacy!! Peace!

CORE VALUES FOR LEGACY

2009-03-19T20:45:00.009-04:00

I promised I would provide the Core Values in a day or two, and here they are. This is currently our final draft (not totally smooth yet.., maybe?). Would appreciate your thoughts, ideas, concerns, feedback? Here they are as seen on the sight. They are an acronym of the one core value of "ONE LOVE"! So..., critique away, here they are as currently reflected on our draft website:

The Legacy Core Value - "ONE LOVE" - One Love for God and One Love for His People.

Openly love God and honor Him in all that we do!
No one stands alone!
Everyone is welcome!

Love is the answer!
Overtly irreligious!
Vibe-alicious!
Expect positive Life Change!

For more info about the meaning of each line and ONE LOVE, check this link out:

LEGACY CORE VALUES

When you click that link, the following information is opened up as a word document:

LEGACY CORE VALUE - ONE LOVE

Openly love God and honor Him in all that we do!

- We do this through prayer, integrity, excellence, humility; and an authentic Love for God and People.

No one stands alone!

- Relationship, Community, and Disciple-making will be the DNA of Legacy. We do this by fostering a loving, relational, and safe place for all to explore the issues of faith while asking the hard questions.

Everyone is welcome!

- Through our authentic Love for people, Legacy will be known as a "come as you are" faith community. We are all bent and broken and in need of Love. Every age, color, nationality, and background are welcome to hear and then choose to join the Legacy Story!

Love is the answer!

- Our Love for God will drive us to Love all His people. We will do this by loving them, serving them, and sharing with them the Epic Story of Gods Love for mankind. We don't do or go to church - WE are the Church; The Hands of Jesus in this World as we serve the community and His People!

Overtly Irreligious!

- Relationship with God and relationships with all His people will be the catalyst of all that we do at Legacy - NOT religion.

(The only thing we are religious about is brushing our teeth regularly!)

Vibe-alicious!

- We are NOT about the show, but..., we will strive for excellence in the use of the creative elements of music, video, and the arts to create an attractive VIBE in how God's story and our stories are shared. Not just during our large group gatherings, but in everything we do. We are created in the image of a creating God - so..., let's be creative!

Expect Positive Life Change!

- We are all messed up people in need of God. Legacy is a place to "come as you are", but once conected to the Story, God will show up; so.., expect positive reproducible life change while drawing closer to God!

LOGO for Legacy Church

2009-03-18T23:14:00.006-04:00

So..., after long deliberation and patience from our designer, here is what we have ended up with. Hope you like it! If not, that's ok too! The idea is that a Legacy is something that lasts forever, and as we pondered and prayed, we came across the infinity symbol. The crimson red is symbolic of Christ's blood, and also symbolic of Christ's Legacy and love for humanity from the beginning of time (John 1).

The look is both ancient in look/texture, but also modern in art form.

Thanks Irene for all your hard work!

VISION/MISSION/PURPOSE

2009-03-17T15:21:00.006-04:00

One of the things I have been working on the past week or so is what we call Vision/Mission/Purpose Statements. So.., this is kind of what God has laid on our hearts. These are statements that let folks know in a quick look, what we are about. Tomorrow we will throw out our core values for you to throw some mud at too! Provide some feedback if you would. Thanks! Here ya go:

LEGACY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Changed Lives - Changing the World!

The Vision:

"To inspire positive life change by connecting to God's love story"

The Mission:

“To be a catalyst for positive change while developing World Changers (disciples) in a relational and safe environment.”

Purpose:

Connecting folks with:

The Ancient Past (God’s Love Story-The Gospel);
In the Present (“On Earth as it is in Heaven”) to;
Take back the Future! (As God's Story and your life are grafted together, you become a role player in the Epic Love Story! The result is "Changed LIves" that are "Changing the World". – (World Changers/Disciple-makers/Legacy-makers!)

Ok..., It's Official - I am the lamest blogging Church Planter in America!

2009-03-16T20:14:00.011-04:00

LOL!! Well.., long time no hear folks! How are you? I have been in Pennsylvania for a little over a month now and things are finally, yes.., finally settling down to a semi-sane schedule. As you can see my friend and I have literally been on the run for the last month! (LOL!!)

Pardon our absence! Here is a quick update, which you will be seeing on a much more frequent basis now.

This past week:

- Final touches were put on our Logo and official stationary was ordered!

- Phone line for the church is up and running - 610-928-7224; give us a ring!

- Official mailing address for the church is: Legacy Christian Church, PO Box 250, Macugie, Pa. 18062.

- Purchased our website from www.cloversites.com, should be up and running by the end of the month. Website address is: www.lvlegacy.org.

- Started mapping out what we will be calling missionary routes for the area. These are places we will visit on a weekly basis. We will do this in order to establish and build relationships. Joined a local gym as part of that plan, and met a potential singer and drummer at Starbucks next to the gym the same day this past week.

- Have had some awesome phone calls with my coach from Passion4Planting - Doug Foltz, and my personal coach - Dave Smith. They seem to think we are doing great thus far; I think I should be doing more.....?

- Have completed 180+ items on the monster 500+ item check list to get ready for launch day.

- Have a couple of irons in the fire for potential worship places! Could use some prayer for that!

- Mike and Nicole - the other two members of the team are scheduled to arrive and hit the ground running on 31 March 09!

- We have officially accepted an intern for the Summer. His name is Gordon Armour and he is coming to us from Ozark Christian University out of Joplin, MO., and is from Indiana. Need a volunteer to house the fella for 6 months? Pray for that! :-)

- Completed a ton of admin in the last two weeks, e.g., Core Values and Beliefs; Philosophy of Ministry; and more. However, much more to do and "many miles to go before I sleep".

That is the quick and dirty from the Lehigh Valley! Talk to ya in a couple of days! Thanks for praying for us and Thanks for following along on this wild adventure!

So..., you know your from the Lehigh Valley, if....

2009-02-26T08:09:00.009-05:00

I do not take credit for the following nor am I responsible for all the content; but..., this is a small glimpse of what the Lehigh Valley is all about. I snagged this off of a Lehigh Valley Facebook group. Pretty funny stuff! Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

this is awesome...

You know you're from the Lehigh Valley, if.....

-You thought everyone in the world had 2 or 3 different choices for ABC NBC CBS and FOX (this reception is getting fuzzy, there must be a storm in Philly, I'll just switch to the New York Channel).

-You've never had to explain that you are really from Pennsylvania, not someplace in the middle east (Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth, Emmaus).

-You think Industrial Parks are better uses of the land than Farms.

-You have a relation to the land for residential, commercial, or industrial reasons.

-You actually can show people the dairy where your milk comes from.

-If it takes less than ten minutes to get to a mall but more than 10 minutes to park and get inside.

-If you can go to a church bazaar every night all summer and not go to the same one twice (and not win at bingo either).

-If you lived somewhere between Mario Andretti's place and Larry Holmes' place and yet never watched a Race or a Prize Fight.

-If you have rooted for either side in a Lehigh - Lafayette game.

-If you prefer Yocco's over Pott's or vice versa.

-If you think Quakertown is far away (25 minutes by car) but you think nothing of driving 15 minutes one way to pick up a friend and then backtrack another 25 to get your girlfriend and then another 10 to get your friend's girlfriend and then another 20 to go to the movies on a Friday night.

-If you've ever been to a 'platz.

-If you've ever said to yourself "Damn, I need two more tickets" while attending a platz.

-If you or any of your relatives have ever "worked the beer tent."

-When you and your co-workers discuss the "game last weekend" on Monday morning, you're referring to high school football.

-You think the PPL Building and Martin's Tower are skyscrapers.

-You can get pierogies in every restaurant.

-You think the Morning Call has a great sports section.

-You've been stuck in traffic on Rt 22.

-You know that 7th Street, MacArthur Road and Rt 145 are the same stretch of road.

----------------------------------------------

...below are all added from what you say, i don't change them, so there you go...

-You know what a tasty cake is, and when you go out of town you take boxes and boxes with you.

-You've been to Dorney Park millions of times and can recite, "thank you and enjoy your stay here at dorney park...and wild water kingdom." in the same voice as the woman who says it.

-A-Treat Soda, nuff said.

-If you know at least 10 or more people that have attendend or are attending a community college (LCCC, NACC).

-You call it a hoagie, not a sub, and deffinitly not a hero.

-You know what quoits are, and play it at just about every picnic, party, and place you go.

-You call it soda, not pop.

-You know what Turkey Hill Tea is, and drink it regularly.

-You think Martin Towers IS the Empire State building! (aparently some people do?)

-It is illegal for a man to have an erection in public (Allentown). haha

-You know what a porkroll is, and actually like them.

-You hate anything and everything about Parkland High School, except maybe a couple of people, unless of course you went there.

-Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there.

-"Vacation" means going anywhere south of Philadelphia for the weekend.

-You measure distance in hours.

-You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

-You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.

-You know that Billy Joel's song is about Bethlehem and not Allentown.

-You tell people The Rock graduated from your high school (Freedom) and no one believes you.

-All the kids you know from New York and Jersey think you're amish.

-You can buy Yuengling from the plant it's brewed at.

-You or someone you know have gotten a citation for goin' to the quarry.

-You have at least 10 friends with the last names Cruz, Sanchez, Rivera, or Rodriguez.

-You spell/say it Bethlum not Bethlehem.

-You remember when Beca was still a good football team.

-You know the words to the Service Electric Song.

-You know that South Whitehall Township and Allentown are different, even though mail is sent to Allentown (and probably the same with other townships).

-You know that there are covered bridges all over the place, and contemplated following those random little covered bridge tour signs.

-you know what the 'coop-d' is and you're sad that it isn't 24 hours a day anymore.

-you know where linkies is and remeber free pretzel stix from your childhood.

-you know the Qmart shuffle, and why the shuffle is necessary.

-you know where the best cheesesteaks in the lehigh valley are... CROSSROADS.

-you know how to drive 309 North as to not screw up the suspension on your car.

-you know the multiple ways to get to and from the lehigh valley mall.

-you know what bootgirl is, and what tatoo place it's located above.

-You knew what the "smile" spas were long before they were ever busted.;)

-Wing Night at your local pub was the highlight of your week.

-You have "Trick or Treated" at the house of the family that makes Mike 'n Ike's and marshmellow Peeps...

-You can pronounce 'Hokendauqua' or 'Catasauqua' without consulting the dictionary but still insist on calling it 'Hoky' and "Catty'.

-You have eaten the Grand Champion Jaindl Turkey that the President of the United States has ate every year straight since 1966.

-You are sad that Ken Matthews no longer hosts the Morning Show on B104.

-you ever tried to throw a penny on the back of the JC Penney eagle to make a wish.

-you remember seeing the old Bethlehem Steel buildings growing up and are sad to see them go.

-you remember when their was no fast food place in bethlehem.

-you remember lehigh pizza was in an old metal diner in the parking lot to where wendys is.

-You know that "indian statue" on 378 thats looking over bethlehem.

The EAGLE has landed!

2009-02-17T15:26:00.004-05:00

We are on the ground in the Lehigh Valley in a permanent way now - Wooohoo! It does not get any more real than this now. A totally exciting and kind of nerve-wracking time.

Life is a box strewn mess right now; and my legs and back are tired from unpacking and shopping for curtains, etc; but.., overall - life is good!

Cool story about the move - We arrived around 1:30pm on Saturday the 14th (Valentine's Day) and there were 8 folks from a local church which is officially launching a week before we are. Really nice folks and they worked hard in unpacking us quickly. Mad props to the peeps of Riverbend Community Church. We now have new friends in the valley to do some local outreach with!

We had several family members of course and my son Chad and his fiance Heather rode up with us to help with the movement of vehicles. The move overall was very smooth, so Thank You so much for praying for us!

Anyway.., just wanted to drop a line to say that the first phase of our team has landed. Mike and Nicole will arrive the end of March and then the really fun stuff begins!

Keep us in prayer - Karen is a bit emotional (bless her heart!), and it is a wee bit colder up here for sure! :-)

Until the next time pray for the people of the Valley!

HELLO FROM LOVELY POST FALLS, IDAHO!

2009-02-04T01:16:00.004-05:00

First off, I humbly apologize for not posting on here in a wee while. Life is spinning on like 7 plates right now. No excuse, just the truth and nutting but the truth - so help me God! :-)

Here is a quick update on the happening with the project:

- My last day at work in the secular world was Friday the 30th.

- Mike and Nicole DeSelm closed on their house last Friday in the Lehigh Valley and they are set to move to the Valley at the end of March!

- I am currently in Post Falls, Idaho attending Church Planters Bootcamp. I have been guzzling from a fire hose the last two days and I do not see that slowing down much over the next 8 days. I return to Virginia Beach on the 11th.

- The 12th and 13th we pack out and pack up the truck for the big move; and we drive away from Virginia Beach on the 14th of Feb., and move into our new home the same day.

The beginning of a new life is within reach and it is exciting and a bit nerve-wracking! However, the exciting thing is that a new life is on the horizon for many folks in the Lehigh Valley. Please pray for all the above, but especially please pray for the people we will meet and reach in the Lehigh Valley.

Over the next few days and weeks, I will begin to share how and what we are going to do during the first few weeks and months we are on the ground in the Valley! Thanks for reading and following us! We are sooooo pumped right now! Woooohooo!!

Mad Love to you all,

Richie and the Legacy Team

HOPE – and its origin!

2009-01-20T08:25:00.003-05:00

Today is an exciting day in America, and no matter what your political persuasion, this day is what makes America so different than any other country in the world. The people have chosen a person to lead them; and in one single moment in time and in a peaceful manner (no coup, violence, or war), the exchange of power happens. This is a beautiful thing from a political perspective.

The other thing that is refreshing, is that Martin Luther King’s dream is finally being realized on a national level, and despite the small factions of hate that still permeate our landscape – this is a day to celebrate! Color is and should never have been a distinguisher of people – but the integrity and character of a person should be the benchmark of how we look at each individual.

However, one thing that is somewhat disturbing to me is that even Martin Luther King understood that neither he nor any man were the makers of change in this country or the world for that matter. As a pastor, Martin knew that true change and true “HOPE” came from God the Father, His Son, and The Holy Spirit. I find it interesting and again somewhat disturbing that even folks who are followers of Jesus think that today should be different from any other day with respect to future “HOPE” and change. God/Son/Spirit are the true orchestrators of change – no man! The spirit led writers of the original story of mankind – the Epic Love Story of God and Man reveal to us over and over again that man left to his own will falter, but with God all things are possible. Martin Luther understood that; and it is about time that all who profess faith as he did, understand that too.

Nehemiah was a man in the Old Testament who was called by God to restore the city of Jerusalem. He had a vision that was placed in his heart by God and he knew that it was not his power that would make this restoration possible. There is this scene where Nehemiah instructs the priest to read the Law of Moses to the people and explain it to them. As they do – the people begin to weep and grieve because they see how they have fallen short(Nehemiah chapter 8). Well.., there is a line in verse 10 that states – “the Joy of the Lord is our strength”; which clearly states as Martin Luther King understood that our Hope and our Joy is in God – not man.

I am thankful for a father who taught me as a young man to be a person who did not see color; and I am very hopeful and thankful for today! However, as a follower of Jesus, I am thankful and hopeful every day! Everyday is an opportunity to show Love in a big or small way to those around you – quite honestly, why should today be any different?

I pray for President Obama and the direction of this country, but I also pray that we as a nation and as a world would look to God and not man for our direction and hope.

Until the next time – Just go and show some Love to someone (random acts of Kindness and Love) - just because you can! :-)

A WEEK OF LAST TIMES

2009-01-12T15:23:00.003-05:00

This is a weird week:

#1 - Vince Antonucci's LAST day at Forefront was Sunday.
#2 - This upcoming Sunday will be my LAST official Sunday at Forefront.
#3 - This upcoming Sunday will be my LAST Sunday preaching and hanging with the people of PIN Ministry (http://www.pinministry.org/)

Each is a bittersweet LAST. I Love Vince. I Love the peeps at Forefront (they are and have been my family since 1997!). I Love the peeps that I work with at PIN Ministry and the people we serve (they may be homeless but most have BIG Hearts and lots of Love to share!).

I will miss them all very, very much and I am tearing up even as I type this.

but.....,

God has something brewing in the Lehigh Valley, and it ain't just beer! I was just telling Mike our worship leader on Sunday, that I have a good feeling about what lies ahead. There is a sense uncertainty and anxiety, but also excitement and joy in knowing that we are going where we are called to go! My prayer is for humility and humbleness to go before our staff and that our expectations are His expectations; and our wants/needs are His wants/needs; and that our Love for His People is reflected and revealed through our service to Him.

There are at least 2 other plants launching in this upcoming year in the Valley around the same time we are. This leads me to believe that there is something afoot up there; and I for one am totally stoked to be on the leading edge of that happening!

Into the Future - Remembering the Past - In the here and now! LEGACY!

THE START OF A RACE

2009-01-08T09:19:00.007-05:00

I was a track athlete in my younger years. I was a hurdler (110 meters & 300 meters); sprinter (100, 200, AND 400); and a mile relay guy (400 meters). Well there is this moment just before race time that the butterflies are kicking in and you're just kinda pacing a bit; all the while running through the race in your mind. Some would call this "in The Zone” – A time where all else in the world has kind of come to a stop and it is just you, your thoughts, the track before you and the race to run. You shake loose your legs a bit, roll your neck and head to loosen up as your swinging your arms in anticipation of this explosive series of events that you are about to put your body through.

Well…, that is kind of how I feel right now! This past month as you all can tell I have been relatively quiet both in emails to the prayer team and blog posts. I want to apologize, but to be quite honest I just have been so busy in just walking through the beginning of this race that I was quite simply too focused on a few major hurdles for race preparation.

That being said, here is a quick update on race preps:
- Our house in Virginia Beach is under contract!
- We signed a lease for a beautiful place in Emmaus, PA.
- Opened our official mail box for the church. The address is: Legacy Christian Church, P.O. Box 250, Macungie, PA. 18062
- Mike and Nicole on our team have an approved contract on their new home in the Valley and the close in February on that home. Their anticipated move date is in April 2009.
- Karen and I will be moving on 14 Feb 2009, packing out on 12-13 FEB 2009.

So.., as you can see, a lot has been happening in just a short period. The pace and frequency of correspondence from me will be picking up quite rapidly; and blog posts to this site will be much more frequent. Thanks for joining us in this adventure and race! Oh Yeah..., and we have added a Prayer Team sign up on this blog for all of you that want to join us! Just fill in the box to the left of this post! Thanks!

Unlike my early days however, this will be a Marathon and not a Sprint!

“P.S. I LOVE YOU”

2008-12-19T15:08:00.003-05:00

Did you know this was originally written by God? As I sat and watched one of the ultimate chick flicks of all time last night – it hit me; “Hey.., God wrote that line!”

If you haven’t seen the movie “P.S. I Love You” yet, well.., I’m about to ruin a portion of it for you. :-) Hillary Swank is the lead and some ruggedly handsome Irish fella plays her husband. He dies of a brain tumor at the age of 35 and this is where the movie begins. Prior to his death apparently during his last few weeks, he orchestrated this scheme to send her letters after he was dead and gone; and each letter had a purpose, but his overall purpose and hope was to help her through the grieving process. Each letter ended with the line – “P.S. I Love You”. It was really grand if I say so myself and something I think I would scheme up; because as Karen will attest to, I am a hopeless romantic. One side note, Harry Connick Jr. plays a really odd character in this movie - really quirky, but funny. Oh..., and if you love Irish rock and folk, you'll LOVE the soundtrack, i.e., The Pogues, Flogging Molly, etc...

Anyway…, the movie really got me thinking about Jesus and how He was God’s “P.S. I Love You” to the world. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:1-5(NIV) and “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14(NIV)

From the beginning of time as the annals of history were beginning to unfold, God the ultimate Hope-filled and Loving Romantic was writing His Love Story for mankind. He, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and the written HIS-story (The Word or Bible) have been Love letters left behind to help us through the grief and trials of this Life and to help us live out His Kingdom here on earth. “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” – Yes people we have a role to play. Our deeds and our actions for Him are our Love Letters or “P.S. I Love You” to the world and back to Him. Our Stories have and do intersect with the ultimate Love Story.

What role will you play?

What better time of the year to remember the Ultimate Love Story and what role God wants us to play in it.

Until the next time, remember – “P.S. I Love You” (Well..., most of the time! LOL!!)

ONE STEP AT A TIME

2008-12-16T08:59:00.002-05:00

A few years back I went through this very frustrating period of my life where I was just trying to figure out what God wanted me to do. I thought it was one thing (Orphans of Aids), but it never came to fruition the way “I” thought it should. When that came to a screeching halt, I admittedly became a bit grumpy and cantankerous. I sought counsel, and that counsel recommended I take one step at a time, and first consider going to school and wait on God to help me or move me to the next step. I pondered and prayed, and then I acted on the advice and headed to the Londen Institute – not really knowing or understanding where it would lead.

While sitting in a class one morning, I was listening to the sultry tones of Mr. Paul Williams of the Orchard Church Planting Group and he was teaching us about church planting. It seemed interesting enough, but I was not really thinking to myself – “this is what I want to do”. During a break between sessions, I was praying and God spoke into my heart that this was what He wanted me to do. I laughed to myself and said, “ok…, where?” As soon as those words proceeded from my heart/lips, imagery of the Lehigh Valley flooded my heart and mind? I waited two weeks from that moment to mention it to anyone (which was very, very hard for me), and even then it was in the form of an email to Paul Williams my teacher that day (because he was the expert). In that email, I shared what had happened, and I had not the foggiest idea where to begin? So.., Paul set up a meet with some folks in May of 2006 for me, and from that point on, it has been One Step after another after another. Waiting, prompting, moving forward; waiting, prompting, and moving forward – this experience has been a training ground of sorts on humility and patience.

I say all this for one reason – I am an impetuous person. I have in the past acted rashly and quickly and on my own. These last 2+ years have been a lesson in patience, but more importantly a lesson in God’s faithfulness. The bittersweet receipt of a contract on our home yesterday in less than 30 days is just another sign of His providence and another sign of the fact that we are going to and when He wants us to.

A little friendly advice – Wait! Listen! Take One Step at a time! It is actually less stressful and each step is just another brick in the wall of faith that God continues to build in our lives.

Until the next time – Bake up a batch of Snickerdoodles and eat’em while their warm! Yummmmy!

CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANGES!!

2008-12-05T13:03:00.005-05:00

I can almost hear David Bowie singing it as I type this! So…, I’m driving home last night from work and I was pondering all the changes in my life; both current changes and future changes. I get home and I open up the MacBook and hit up Facebook, and my buddy from school posted a note about changes. Coincidence? I think not.

My life seems to be surrounded with change. For instance:
- Change in leadership at Forefront Church at almost every level (the church I currently attend).
- Change in my oldest son’s status – he is now engaged to be married to a beautifully sweet young lady next year. We couldn’t be happier for him.
- Change in the future for my youngest son. I have a feeling that his life will change drastically for the very good in the upcoming year, and that is my prayer.
- Change in our housing status. The home we bought brand spanking new is now up “For Sale” and almost 17 years of memories go with it.
- Change in our future living environment. Moving from the balmy Southeast to the seasonal Northeast or from the Beach to the Mountains? Ever wish you could have both like Cali but without the earthquakes! :-)
- Change in relationships with folks for a myriad of reasons, i.e., distance, growth, or some just falling away :-( . Regardless of status – We LOVE them all immensely regardless of the change!
- Change of employment. Still working for God (because we always are right?), but now as a shepherd and this will be quite a change for both Karen and I.
- Change of co-workers. We have put together a team that I know will do some wild and crazy and outstanding things together. Their lives will be changing drastically too, with a move; school change for the kids; new home; new environment. Cha-Cha-Cha-Change!

So much change, but yet…, I am so at peace. We are experiencing a real calm in the midst of all this change and I know that calm can only come from God and His Spirit residing in us. I quote Romans 8 a lot to people, almost to the point of being monotonous; but those passages within that little chapter have gotten Karen and I through so much change, pain/sorrow, and Joy!

I am of the mind that change is very good, and the optimist in me always thinks and prays that God has something bigger and better right around the corner for us to “Thank” Him for and to give Him Glory for! Thank God for Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!

Until the next time – Be sure to Change your socks and drawers! :-) (It’s just the healthy thing to do ya know!)

MUSIC AND CULTURE

2008-12-01T12:01:00.004-05:00

One of my true loves in life is music. Mr. Marley said – “One good thing about music is when it hits you feel no pain!” Music is so diverse in what it can accomplish –no? It brings about joy, sadness, memories, dancing, and the list goes on and on. Another thing music does very well, is that you can gain a perspective (although at times limited) on a culture, and era, or even a group of people based on the lyrical content and style of music, e.g., Flamenco – Passion and flair; Reggae – Relaxed and fun; Alternative – Loud, hard, and fast; Hip-Hop – Spoken word with a statement and reflection on the culture; Country – Romance and hard luck; Goth – Great sound but weird dress. Now obviously there is more to each of these genres of music, but that is a first impression or thought when you hear the words right? Well…, at least for me anyway?

That being said, I think we can find so many good topics of discussion in the music of our past, present, and future. What does the music say? What is the artist saying about the culture of his or her day? What resounding issues of that day are important to look at and discuss openly? There is a great book out that I wish would be updated that you can get from Relevant Magazine and their store called, “Their music cries out!” This is a book about modern artists, their lyrics and music, and what are they saying from a personal and cultural perspective. A very interesting read, so check it out!

From the church start up perspective our intent is to look at Music from a couple of angles. What music/style will work in our cultural context? Secondly, what is that music/style saying, and how can we use it to reach those far from God?

I recently purchased a new download CD of Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama called “There will be a light”. If you love Blues, gospel, and great guitar work, you will love this production; but more importantly, this work of art is an excellent example of what I am talking about. Ben bellows out a line in one of the songs that goes like this: “They say that Freedom is just another place to hide”. Wow! What a line, and how much can one get out of that line with respect to teaching and life application? Right off the top of my head, I thought of a two week 4th of July series idea – Week #1 - Land of the Free and Week #2 - Home of the Brave. Week #1 discussion will be centered on the idea of freedom in making good choices and bad choices, and how we have the freedom to hide in those choices; and Week #2 discussion will be about those who have put their life on the line for Christ by choice and the Freedom that comes with that!

If you listen closely, you can get a pulse of the culture and then you can create your own stories and parables from that pulse. I vaguely remember someone else doing that a couple thousand years ago – could it be – JESUS? :-)

Until the next time - sing "Jingle Bell Rock" until your co-workers throw things at ya!

VISION AND PURPOSE

2008-11-21T12:56:00.007-05:00

The ideas of Vision and Purpose have been rolling around in my noggin as of late. I am reading Andy Stanley’s book called “Making VISION Stick” and recently a friend of mine also posted a blog entry about Vision and Purpose that got me to thinking even more on this subject. So.., what is the Purpose of us going to the Lehigh Valley and what is the Vision we have?

#1 – Purpose – First off, we are called there – period. Meaning that through a variety of methods and ways, God has led our hearts and minds to be there for His peeps!

The primary purpose however, is to start and launch (no catapult) a community of faith into the very fabric and culture of the Lehigh Valley. Not just a church that is in the community, but a church that is part of and woven into the culture and community where we are located. Additionally, it is our desire, purpose, and even our vision to be a church for folks who do not like church or who have left the church a long time ago because they got burned or wronged in some form or fashion, and to reach those who are far from God in general.

#2 – Vision – Our team has this vision in our minds heart about the impact that God will have on the lives that are changed because of His presence through us in the community. We also envision that those changed lives will have an impact on their community, their country, and the world! Hence the name – Legacy and the tag line – “Changed Lives – Changing the World”. That is the big picture vision.

However, the nuts and bolts of what that means, and what changes will be made specifically in folk’s lives is not quite clear yet. Andy Stanley talks a bit about Nehemiah in this great little book, and if you read the story of Nehemiah, you will see that it was not until he saw the wall and city of Jerusalem that he knew what the need was. What Andy shows us in the chapter titled “Casting the Vision Convincingly”, is that once Nehemiah got a firm grasp of the situation he was able to lay out a vision for his people by - #1- Defining the Problem; #2 – Developing a Solution; and #3 – Sharing and convincing the people on - Why do it now?

A good part of our Vision for Legacy and the Valley is driven by our purpose. Until we become part of and understand the culture context of the community in the Lehigh Valley, we cannot necessarily identify the specific needs. Once there, we can then narrow the scope of the vision to specific need/problem solving, solution finding, and doing it now in order to accomplish the bigger Vision and Purpose. Make sense? I hope so..., if not, drop me a line!

Out of this discussion comes a prayer request – Please pray that God opens our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to the needs of the Lehigh Valley to better serve His children for His Glory!

Until the next time – Catch snowflakes on your tongue!
p.s. Stay away from the yellow ones! :-) (ya know acid rain and all…!)

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

2008-11-06T14:45:00.003-05:00

The question I have been asked is why “LEGACY”? To make a long story short, I’ll tell you how first. I was at work one day and my boss said, “Hey.., check out what my wife bought me for my birthday.” It was a picture of his grandfather who raised him and had died just a few weeks prior to his birthday; a picture of him; and a picture of his toddler son. Each picture in its own in-frame and across the top was the slogan - “A Legacy of Love”. He commented on how it brought him to tears, and I was stunned by the profound simplicity of it. I started chewing on that phrase and before I knew it, in my heart God had sealed the idea of this church plant being “A Legacy of Love”.

Now the why? The other thing about Legacy is the idea of the Past, the Present, and the Future and how they are all linked together. Our past can dictate our present and future for good or for bad; the choice is ours – and our team is choosing the goodness of Love! The one thing that must be made very clear however, is that this is God’s Legacy – not ours. We just happen to be the servants He has chosen to deliver His message of Love and Hope to the Lehigh Valley of PA.

Lastly.., our DNA and our calling will be to reach out and help folks to understand that a God, who is head over heels in love with them, wants to help them take back their future in the present through the ancient past!

Maybe it is not too flashy, trendy, or cool for a name; but…, I do think it is very cool that God’s Legacy of Hope and Love can be directly projected and seen through the portraits of our lives if we choose to live for Him.

That - my friends is very cool if you ask me!

Until the next post – boogie down in your zoobas! :-)

ISSUES TO DEAL WITH!

2008-10-28T14:38:00.001-04:00

Three things that I have found are proving to be extremely difficult:

#1 – LOGO & Branding. What a pain…, and because of the importance of it, I suppose it should be; but it is really proving to be more difficult than I had anticipated.

#2- Finding “THE” location. We know we are going to the Lehigh Valley, but where? East, West, North, South? I am going back there this upcoming weekend. Pray God leads me to the BIG RED “X” marks the spot!

#3 – Leaving our home. Packing up is making this a huge reality. Moving will be difficult. Many, many memories in this house; a home where we have done life for close to 20 years. Finding a house will be predicated on where God leads us to serve. So…, please pray about both of those issues too – please. J

So.., did we think this was gonna be easy or what? Nope…, but going through it make it no less fun or a pain either. Thanks for letting me whine for a bit.

Mike our worship guy will be posting a bit on here too and activity on the blog should be picking up quite steadily from here on out!

So.., standby – the train is leaving the station – Woohoo!!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY?

2008-10-17T12:42:00.004-04:00

I have had several folks ask me, "What do you mean by "Plant a Church"?"

Planting a church is just another way of saying launch or start. So.., we are launching or starting a new church in the Lehigh Valley of PA. The next question that usually follows is: "What kind of Church?" Rather than ramble on, I will provide you an excerpt from our Launch plan for Legacy Church. I will follow up with a more detailed description of how the Past, Present, and Future will be the driving forces for what you will read in the following:

LEGACY CHURCH
Mission
Legacy Church will exist to engage and connect the people of Allentown to God; and through that, lead them to life change. The goal is to build a multi-ethnic/cultural community rooted and growing in God’s love. We do this by reaching those far from God and getting them grafted into His Story as new disciples! The result is passionate/ sold out followers of Jesus, whose legacy is to change the world through their relationship with God.
The idea is to connect folks with the Past in the Present to take back the Future!

MOTTO/TAG LINE
Changed Lives Changing the World!

VALUES
TRUTH
We will do everything with character and wisdom, in accordance with what the Bible teaches. This resonates with the idea of reaching back to the Ancient Past. The ancient past with respect to God’s story, the church’s history/story, and our past being transparently and truthfully shared.

RELEVANCE
Through the creative elements of music, video, and the arts we intend to share God’s story and our story in a way that people will be attracted to God. We are created in the image of a creating God, so we will seek to be creative in everything we do. This core value factors in the ancient past, the present, and the future and how we creatively connect folks to His story in all three of those areas.

EXCELLENCE
In whatever we do to share God’s story and connecting folks to that story, we will strive to do it with excellence. Whatever the outcome, we will work very hard in pursuing the best for God and His people in both living out and sharing His story.

REPRODUCTION
Legacy Church will produce disciples, artists, leaders, groups, campuses, and new churches to effectively carry out the great commission in both the short and long term. This core value factors in the ancient past (we are directed to reproduce); the present in creating present day environments that facilitate this production; and the Future with respect to leaving folks who are people and world changers!

GROWTH
We are all messed up people in need of God. Legacy is a place to come as you are and leave a little closer to God. In the present we will help them grow closer to the past for their future.

RELATIONSHIPS
God designed us to live in community. Legacy is a church where we laugh together, cry together and live life together. As our logo reflects, we are of one heart both in our Love for God and our Love for His people. One in a desire to change the world in the present for the future through changed lives who understand the story of the ancient past!

JAM PACKED FEW WEEKS!

2008-10-15T09:24:00.002-04:00

Posting will be picking up significantly from here on out! I have just been going in about 15 directions in the past few weeks. I still work full time, and between that and the church planting, travel, meetings, weddings, birthdays, etc....., life has just been plain hectic!

QUICK UPDATES:
- Flew to Louisville, KY on Wed the 8th for an early meeting on the 9th for fundraising. My gut instinct is that it was a good meeting; but we will not hear for a week or two about the funding. Please keep that in prayer.
- Need prayer for the fundraising effort overall. Mike and Nicole will be sending out their first letters in November. Pray for those letters and the response to them.
- Attended a one day seminar at Church Planting Solutions/Passion 4 Planting folks in D.C. yesterday. It was a great day hanging with some brilliant folks! Highly recommend these folks for your church planting efforts!
- Selling furniture and trying to rent our house out. Pray for that.
- Made reservations for Church Planter's bootcamp in Feb 09 in Post Falls, Idaho! Who travels to Post Falls, Idaho in February! That should prep me for the cold weather in the NorthEast! (LOL!!)
- Had a great weekend over the 12th. Performed a wedding; Penn State crushed Wisconsin and is now ranked #3 in the nation; my son's 28th birthday was on Sunday; the Eagles and Phillies both won on Sunday! Life is good! :-)

Hey go figure, we are gonna actually start putting some spiritual matters on this church blog in the next few weeks! We will be publishing bits and pieces of our launch plan on the blog to give you an idea of what we are going to be about as a church. So..., stand by!

ORCHARD GROUP RETREAT - FALL 2008!

2008-10-03T10:05:00.005-04:00

Wow! What a great weekend and subsequent 2+ days at Lake Champion in Glen Spey, NY this past week. Spent the weekend hanging with family, and Mike (our Worship Guy) had the pleasure of meeting most of Karen’s family. We all watched in anguish as the Eagles let a game slip away against the Monsters of the Midway (Da Bears!). Lots of good food, fun, and laughter were present the entire weekend. We were able to mix a bit of business in with the pleasure, by looking at some of the Valley and actually looking at a possible venue for the plant.

On Monday (29 Sep) we departed for Glen Spey, NY to attend an Orchard Group Church Planter’s retreat at Lake Champion Young Life Camp. For those of you that are not familiar with the Orchard Group, they are an organization that plants churches mainly in the Northeastern part of the US, and pushing hard in NYC. They are also one of our main sponsors for the Lehigh Valley Project/Legacy Church.

These retreats which are held each year are a gathering of all of their church planters, to include past, present, and future planters. The 2 days of actual retreat time were jammed packed with lots of great fellowship, teaching, fun & games, and some eating of course. The discussions were centered on and around two themes: #1 – “I don’t know a whole lot, but one thing I do know…” and #2 – Redemptive themes in Music, Movies, and Literature. Both themes were well presented, real life, and packed a punch for great thought and future discussion. The one other theme that seemed to ring loud and clear was the idea of “dying to self”, and allowing God to permeate all aspects of your life, decision making, and direction.

This is my 3rd retreat and it was Mike’s 1st, and I think that I can speak for him in saying that it was both inspiring and humbling all wrapped into one! It is refreshing to see World Changers that God has used to do great things that have been or are being shaped, bent, burned, molded, and broken; and share it openly and transparently! It was just another affirmation for both Mike and I about the trek that God has us on!

We thank Him (God) for this time in fellowship, love, and teaching! Big “THANKS” to Paul Williams, Brent Storms, Dave Smith and the Orchard Crew for a great 2 days! Mucho Gracias!

THIS TRAIN IS A MOVIN ALONG!

2008-09-16T19:42:00.006-04:00

It has been awhile since our last post or as they say in today’s vernacular, “it has been a hot minute since our last post!” That does not mean however, that things have not been steaming along! Here are a few outstanding things that have come to pass in the last week or so:

Track #1 – Our home church – Forefront Church in Va. Beach, VA (http://www.forefront.org/) finished up a series called “World Changers” on 7 Sep 08. On that date, our pastor called Mike and Nicole DeSelm and Karen and I up on stage, and introduced us in public for the first time as future homegrown church planters and World Changers from the congregation of Forefront! It afforded us the opportunity to share a little bit of the vision and to ask for prayer, support, and a call to anyone in the audience to pray about going with us! Pretty cool stuff and the response to our announcement was Great!

Track #2 – We received a call from a church in Philadelphia, PA who was at one time a portable church, but now in a building of their own. Their old portable church equipment is collecting dust and they are offering it to us for free and shipping it for free too! That is my favorite four letter word – “FREE”! How cool is that though!

Track #3 – Fundraising is in full swing! We are starting to get more pro-active in the church asking area. This is difficult for us, because many of us do not have the connections many seminary and big church folk have. So.., please keep us in prayer about the fundraising efforts.

Track #4 – We put together a prayer team that is praying everyday of the month each month over the next year! Those of you that have signed up “THANK YOU” so much. We would love to be able do double up and triple up the prayer team! So.., if you're interested in taking a day/date of the month over the next year and pray on that day each month over the next year, we would LOVE for you to join the Team!!

Track #5 – Some cool things have been happening already with people in the Valley! An old friend of mine from about 35 years ago called me out of the blue. I lived in a Catholic Children’s Home when I was a child for approximately 7.5 years. That friend was from the home, and they had a 40 year reunion of the Homey’s. Come to find many of those folks (many of whom were or are broken) are still in the area and I will be meeting with a bunch of them on 27 Sep 08 in Allentown. I told the guy who called me I was moving back and why and he said, “Wow man, I don’t go to church, but I believe in God – I’ll help ya!” How cool is that. My friend is someone God is already working on and I am not even in the Valley yet!! Wow!

So.., the train is movin – and we are about 120 days out until we leave Virginia Beach! More to follow!

CONSECRATION TO OUR TRIUNE GOD (Author unknown)

2008-09-09T12:46:00.001-04:00

Picked up this prayer off of a blog that I frequent and I loved it! Can you tell I Love good prayer? :-) Some prayers just make your heart kinda skip a beat and this is one of them for me. This comes from the Dream Awakener blog at: http://www.jrwoodward.net/ . Enjoy!

"O everlasting and Triune God,
I consecrate myself wholly to you today.
Let all my days offer you ceaseless praise,
My hands move to the rhythm of your impulses,
My feet be swift in your service,
My voice sing constantly of you,
My lips proclaim your message,
My eyes perceive you everywhere,
And my ears be attuned to your inspirations.
May my intellect be filled with your wisdom,
My will be moved by your beauty,
My heart be enraptured with your love,
And my soul be flooded with your grace.
Grant that every action of mine be done
For your greater glory and your kingdom.
Amen."
(Author Unknown)

Wow! and Amen!

A PRAYER FOR GOD'S MERCY by Thomas Merton

2008-08-28T09:54:00.002-04:00

If your not familiar with Thomas Merton, you should check out some of his writings. The below comes from a book called "A Year with Thomas Merton - Meditations". Good stuff! This was the meditation for 25 August, enjoy.

A Prayer for God's Mercy

Lord, have mercy, Have mercy on my darkness, my weakness, my confusion.

Have mercy on my infidelity, my cowardice, my turning about in circles, my wandering, my evasions.

I don't ask for anything but such mercy, always, in everthing, mercy.

My Life here-a little solidity and very much ashes.

Almost everything is ashes. What I have prized most is ashes. What I have attended to least is, perhaps, a little solid.

Lord, have mercy. Guide me, make me want again to be holy, to be a man of God, even though in desperateness and confusion.

I do not necessarily ask for clarity, a plain way, but only to go according to your love, to follow your mercy, to trust in your mercy.

I want to seek nothing at all, if this is possible. But only to be led without looking and without seeking. For thus to seek is to find.

Thomas Merton, August 2, 1960, IV.28

INTRODUCING THE DESELM FAMILY!!

2008-08-18T20:09:00.012-04:00

I'd like to introduce you all to our worship leader Mike Deselm and our family life ministry leader Nicole Deselm. This husband and wife team have been integral members and leaders at Forefront Church in Virginia Beach (www.forefront.org). After completing Church Planting Assessment this past week, we can now officially announce them as member's of the team!

Mike has been part of the Forefront Worship team both as a musician/singer and leader for about 3+ years. He is an energetic California guy from San Diego (Padres and Chargers fan - Booo!) and he will be departing the U.S. Navy after serving 13 years as a Hospital Corpsman. He is a gifted worship leader who brings a ton of talent to the table. In addition, he is passionate about discipleship and just hangin with those far from God.

Nicole is also a prior Hospital Corpsman who is a stay at home mom and student. She will be completing her health and human developmental degree in the very near future and is just a bundle of energy! Her passion for children is evident all that she does. Her work with Forefront Church at various levels in the children's ministry has given her an outstanding foundation for her future work in the Lehigh Valley.

They have three beautiful children - Briana; Gabriella (Gabi); and Xander; and all are just a joy to be around. We are totally stoked to have them as members of our team and we can't wait to see what God has in store for the team as we get ready to move into the Valley!

They are a fun and crazy family as you can see by the pic to the left! Just the kind of people I wanna do life with! Please pray for them and for their fundraising efforts in being part of this project!

CHURCH PLANTING ASSESSMENT

2008-08-12T17:15:00.004-04:00

We arrived at The Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, TN today. It is beautiful country out here for sure, and the small little campus which is across the street from Milligan College is quiet and scenic. The pic in the corner is from their website, but it gives you a small glimpse of the serenity.

So.., why am I here? Our future worship leader and children's ministry leader are here for assessment. Assessment is 3 days of analysis and pressure to stretch the candidates and to assess both their strengths and their weaknesses. This is a huge event for us, because there is an outbrief that gives the candidates a green light or a red light as part of the process. I am asking you to pray for them both over the next 3 days. They are both wonderful candidates in my humble opinion, but these three days can test the best. Thanks for the prayer and I will give you and update as soon as we know! Mad Love to you all and thanks for your prayers!

PRAYER TEAM SUPPORT, PART DEUX!!

2008-08-04T18:43:00.004-04:00

Listen, we posted a request on fasting and prayer via the below link, but if you cannot fast for an entire day, that's cool; just give us a meal and a day of prayer. Better yet, if fasting is just too foreign to you or difficult, just pick a day to remember to pray for the project, and let us know that. Post a comment here or email me at lvp2009@gmail.com. The point is we want to have every day of every month covered in prayer for a year and we would love for you to join us this way!

So...., you would like to sign up to be on our prayer team and would like to select one day out of the month for the next year beginning on 01 Sep 08 through 30 Sep 09, let me know a date that will work for you!

I will send you a monthly reminder from that day on. Thanks for joining the rEVOLution! Love Youz Galz and Guyz!

Blog post: http://lehighvalleyproject.blogspot.com/2008/07/call-to-prayer-and-fasting.html

A CALL TO PRAYER AND FASTING!

2008-07-22T18:13:00.009-04:00

Yes! Cheese Steaks are in fact the most glorious of all foods...that's right, fresh cut beef with the cheese oooozing out and a great marinara sauce on or on the side – man…, you just can’t beat it!! If you're like me, you're a sucker for these, and maybe some perogies and fries on the side! It does not matter what diet I am on, whenever I get to Penna., I just have to get me one of those stuffed cheese steaks with hot peppers, onions and sauce. It is a must every time I am in the area!

Fasting is a spiritual discipline practiced by many people in the bible, Jesus' forty day fast while being tempted in the desert being the most memorable. Fasting has been practiced by Christ followers throughout history, and it is used today most often to show God the earnestness of our prayers. If you have ever fasted, you know that by simply removing food from your day you pray with a focus that is often lacking in our daily prayer times.

Prayer is essential to this project becoming a sustaining force for the Kingdom of God here on earth in the Lehigh Valley. We expect that when we arrive we will build relationships, reach people through serving them, and attract others through advertising. As good as our resources hope to be, I do not believe we alone are slick enough to attract a crowd and turn them into passionate followers of Jesus. We will be asking God to bless what we are doing in order to be successful in the Valley. So we are going to ask God to do just that. The bible says in James 5.16 (nlt): the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. If we earnestly ask God to help us do His Kingdom work in the Lehigh Valley, we seriously believe He will answer our prayers.

So.., we are asking you to join us in prayer and fasting for The Lehigh Valley Project (Church). We want someone fasting for this project from September 1 of this year until the day the project has its first open service in September of 2009. We are asking you to choose one day per month that you could fast on for the entire year leading up to our launch, and for the 24 hours of that calendar day abstain completely from all food and drink besides water. Then, when the hunger pangs strike, call on God to bless our work.

If you are interested in helping in this way, choose a day of the month by leaving a comment or emailing me at lvp2009@gmail.com. We want to have someone praying and fasting each and everyday of the month for an entire year! If you agree to this, it won't be easy, but I am confident that in heaven one day people you have never met will “Thank You” for giving up some lovely Cheese Steaks (or YOUR favorite food). Because of your fasting and prayers their lives were changed/transformed, and they were able to live for Him then, and now with Him forever! That will be a great day!

So…, I want to “Thank You” for coming alongside us like this!

Abram/Abraham Cries Out!

2008-07-21T11:12:00.005-04:00

So..., I am sitting in the Forefront Church Service (http://www.forefront.org/) yesterday morning and for the 3rd time in 4 weeks, I hear a sermon about the call of Abram/Abraham. Each was unique in the manner it was preached and yesterday's sermon was the culmination of the three sermons in that I was afforded the opportunity to see my friend and my pastor talk about living these passages of scripture out again, just like he had done 10 years prior.

The thought of going somewhere and not knowing where, but yet having some sort of plan (A dream) for what to do and what you hope to accomplish once you get there is a scary, scary venture. Yesterday, Vince Antonnucci the lead church planter of Forefront Church in Virginia Beach since 1998 voiced the fear and the hope of that call with a stunning announcement. http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/07/big-announcement.html .

I have a ton of gratitude in my heart for this man! Not only for what he has done through Forefront Church, but also for what he has done for my family and I personally. I believe God put him in my family's lives for a variety of reasons and we are blessed beyond words because of it. His passion for evangelism has been as contagious as his Love for God is! He has helped me get to this point in my life where both he and I are now venturing out on this church planting adventure at the same time (although for him it is the 2nd time around! Yes he is nutz'd!) .

Vince and I are leaving Forefront at the same time and he is going to a place he has never lived (Las Vegas) and I back to my childhood area, but we both go to a culture and a people we do not know. The places may be different, but the goal is the same; and one thing we do know however, is that just like Abram/Abraham we are called to go there! As he puts it, we are no biblical heroes - but one thing we do have in common, we Love God and we Love the People who are far from Him! We both go for the same reason - to find those far from God and to share His Love with them! Then it is our hope to get them grafted into the Story and the Dream of the Greatest Author of the Greatest Love Story ever, and the Greatest Dreamer of the Greatest Dream of all time (The Great Commission) - Jesus!

Thanks Vince for leading Forefront; for being an Awesome friend and mentor; and most importantly for being an awesome example in both the listening to and the obeying of God!

HAPPENINGS WITH THE PROJECT!

2008-07-08T14:06:00.000-04:00

Here are the latest happenings with the project:

#1 - We signed on with Passion-4-Planting! A church planting & coaching organization. They will assist with a myriad of issues dealing with basic admin; honing of Vision & Core Values; checklists for equipment, funding, and admin. They come alongside the team and I to ensure we are tracking and don't lose focus of the small things that will bite you later. It is money well worth spending!

#2 - Purchased a MacBook Pro! Wow! What a sweet machine. I was like a little kid the day it arrived. Having been a PC guy my entire life, this should be quite the learning experience.

#3 - I am working on some presentation packages for churches I hope to visit in the near future. Please be praying about this for me, in that my creativity skills are stretched and the data is both pertinent and high impact!

#4 - Fundraising is in full swing - please continue to pray for that! Speaking of, I was offered a spot for a booth at the upcoming Virginia Christian Church conference in August. I need to create an ad and some material to hand out. The object of this is to meet some folks and hopefully get some interest in the project, and then to hopefully speak at their churches for support and prayer! Please also be praying about that!

#5 - **BIG NEWS!!!** In August we will have a HUGE announcement concerning some staffing issues! I am so stoked I can hardly contain myself - but I must wait until the folks complete Church Planting Assessment prior to announcement of our Worship Pastor and Family Life Pastor! Please pray for our trip to Johnson City, TN in August and for these two folks!

As you can see, we have tons going on! Please continue to keep us in prayer and for those of you supporting us financially - We cannot THANK YOU enough!! Mad Love to U!

PUSHING THROUGH DOUBT TO FAITH!

2008-06-30T14:18:00.003-04:00

The picture on the right reminds me so much of a park that I visit whenever I go home to the Valley. The park is a place of silent retreat for me; and I usually spend a 2-3 hours each day I go there just conversing with Dad (God) in prayer, journaling, and reading the scriptures. I leave refreshed and renewed every time.

I am brought back to this place of rest this week in my heart and mind; because quite frankly, it has been a terribly difficult week. A couple in my small group had what I would consider a “miracle baby” on 29 May, but on 27 June, the baby went home to be with Jesus. It is in these difficult times, that something I recently heard rings so loud and true. The truth was that in times of doubt – you must push on through to “faith”. I am praying this and Romans 8:28 over this family, could you please do the same. The funeral is on 5 July, so keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

I can remember 7 years ago like it was yesterday, where Karen and I had nothing else to hold onto but the Hope of tomorrow and eternity. In fact, as I write this, a song that helped me through that time is playing on my IpoD now. It is kind of a Goth Opera band called Savior Machine and the song is “Carnival of Souls”. The song is a kind of tribute to the souls who have found their way back to the Lord; and it is a song picture of the Huge Party or Carnival that Heaven one day will be! Both Grace and Megan and all those we have known will be there!

Living with an eternal perspective is the key to most any crisis – you realize this life is just a blip on the radar and eternity with Him will be forever! Living with that perspective also helps you Push through doubt to Faith!

LEAVING A LEGACY!

2008-06-11T12:20:00.000-04:00

I recently read on another blog about a pastor who had a guest speaker (Gene Appel), and he spoke a bit on legacy and he had the congregation take a moment to pray and ponder what they want their legacy to be and then write it down. Legacy essentially is, “What are people going to remember you for when you’re gone?”

So.., what would you right down?

Here is what I wrote:

“I want to leave a legacy of a never-ending search for intimacy with my Creator, His Son, and His Spirit; and an undying Love and Grace to all his children, by living that out with my wife, my children, my family, the church, the community, the world!”

Funny thing is, "Legacy" is a name we are considering for this project. Again, what would you write down?

POETRY for the MASTER from his servant Pastor - #2

2008-06-10T13:02:00.005-04:00

Shades of You

Morning light engulfs the night;
sunshine stirs my mind.
You hidden neatly there too,
travel to my heart in the form of a smile.

The first signs of life.., the day;
begin fresh and anew with Shades of You.

Meandering early motions of the day,
I am suddenly changed.
It’s Your Words; Your Spirit; Your Love,
taken aback by the sheer beauty they possess.

The first words of choice.., the day;
begin fresh and anew with Shades of You.

Your words travel like the marksman’s arrow,
penetrating to my core.
On my knees unable to speak,
by the mere presence of You.

The first of actions.., the day;
begin fresh and anew with Shades of You.

Out the door with a prayer on my lips, may…,
My words be your words,
My deeds be your deeds
Your light shine in the shadows.

The first signs - there at the end.., the day
finishes as it began - fresh and anew with wondrous Shades of You.

DEAR CHURCH PLANTER

2008-06-06T12:51:00.001-04:00

Hey folks,

So.., I was browsing some blogs today and over the last few days; and I have encountered several rants (good rants by the way) about bickering amongst pastors, churches, and blog-masters; and folks just generally calling each other out. One of those was a fella named Perry Noble who pastors a church in South Carolina. Apparently some folks did not like some of the speakers at a recent 1 day conference that I attended, and lashed out like loving "Christians" are supposed to do - NOT!!

Anyway....., both he and my Pastor addressed this issue on their blogs in the following posts. Check'em out! Good stuff!
Perry - http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/06/05/god-up-in-my-grill/
Vince - http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/06/my-rant-and-plea.html

In closing, Perry wrote something today that I just happened to discuss with someone else today. The end result of both this post and my morning discussion will lead to a series of posts and a new Header on the blog about Vision for this project and where we are going and where we are not going. Enjoy! http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/06/06/dear-church-planter/

Until the next time, pray for us and for the Vision that God has laid on our hearts. Additionally, please keep our fundraising efforts in your prayers. Love Youz Guyz!

In His Love,

The Project Team!

POETRY for the MASTER from his Servant pastor #1

2008-06-05T12:04:00.006-04:00

INNER DEPTHS

Diving deeper into You,
I find myself wanting more and more.
Like a journey to the bottom of the sea,
exciting and new with each fathom of You.

Deeper and deeper I go,
seeking new discoveries;
through the peaks, valleys,
caverns of Your Word, Your Spirit, Your Heart.

Sonar rebounds with Word & Spirit,
as I traverse this journey…, this life.
Eagerly I await each response, as...,
each signal returns with a love-filled glimpse of You,

I want to know You more..., to the inner depths,
You respond in kind;
as a new current guides me,
filling me with Your unconditional Love.

Deeper and deeper we go, until...,
the inner sanctums of my soul are naked & exposed.
Total freedom found….,
In the inner depths of You!

I savor it all...,
as we journey on & on & on….

By: Richie Merritt
07 May 2008
By-product of time spent with Pops in the woods at Jacobsburg Park, Belfast, PA.

BLOGGER ABSENTEEISM

2008-06-03T08:27:00.002-04:00

No excuses here, but I have been just overly swamped and busy and have had no time to post. I will be doing a series of posts over the next couple of days however! I work full time, have family obligations of course, in addition to church related things I/we do; and finally and very important is this church planting adventure that God has seen fit to put me into. Anyway.....,

It should prove to be getting even busier over the next few weeks and months - but I'm prepared for that; but I could use some prayer in this area of my life. So.., I am back after a little hiatus in the blogger world. Those of you that are on my mailing lists, should be receiving a letter in the mail from Karen and I in the next week or so. Give it a good read, and pray about how you might be able to come alongside us in this project. Gotta run and get to work, see ya later. Until then - sing really loud in the shower! :-)

CELTIC PRAYER - LORD OF MY HEART

2008-05-19T13:53:00.005-04:00

I know, I have been MIA, but I ran across this simply awesome prayer on another blog (http://www.jrwoodward.net/) today, and I had to share it:

Lord of my heart, give me vision to inspire me, that, working or resting, I may always think of you.

Lord of my heart, give me light to guide me, that, at home or abroad, I may always walk in your way.

Lord of my heart, give me wisdom to direct me, that, thinking or acting, I may always discern right and wrong.

Lord of my heart, give me courage to strengthen me, that, among friends or enemies, I may always proclaim your justice.

Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me, that, hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.

Lord of my heart, save me from empty praise, that, I may always boast of you.

Lord of my heart, save me from worldly wealth, that I may always look to the riches of heaven.

Lord of my heart, save me from military prowess, that I may always seek your protection.

Lord of my heart, save me from vain knowledge, that I may always study our word.

Lord of my heart, save me from unnatural pleasures, that I may always find joy in your wonderful creation.

Heart of my own heart, whatever may befall me, rule over my thoughts and feelings, my words, my actions.

BLOOMSBURG CHRISTIAN CHURCH

2008-05-05T14:44:00.002-04:00

We had the distinct pleasure of meeting and fellowshipping with a great group of people this weekend. Karen and I drove up to Pennsylvania to spend a brief time with family and then we left for Bloomsburg which is about 1 ½ hours NW from the Lehigh Valley. Their senior Pastor Eric Miller is a friend of mine whom I met while attending the Londen Institute.

Their church has agreed to come alongside of us financially via their support to both The Orchard Group and Keystone (CEA) church planting organizations. They have a beautiful facility with a pond and pavilion on the grounds; it is really quite nice. More importantly however, the people were beautiful and gracious hosts and welcomed us with open arms.

I was able to preach two services to a group of about 400 folks, with the topic being “Rocky Balboa” the movie. The general discussion was about having a faith that enables you to never quit and never stop believing. We talked a bit about Hebrews 12 and Hebrews 11:1. It was a fun time and we really enjoyed meeting everyone there. Their Love for People and for God was evident in all we saw there. Mad kudos to Eric and the folks of BCC! Thanks for having us! Check them out at: http://www.bloomsburgchristianchurch.org/.

Some Exponential Stuff and more!

2008-04-30T08:13:00.001-04:00

Hey folks,

I have been swamped since I returned from Orlando and the conference with both work and home stuff. My written notes are still being put to type and I am adding some of my own thoughts to them. Until I get them together, I thought I would share my current pastor’s notes from the conference since they are similar to my written notes. Enjoy!

http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/04/darren-patrick.html

http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/04/larry-osbourne-living-kingdom-life.html

http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/04/tim-keller.html - This was quite possibly some of the best theological discussion I have heard in quite awhile.

http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/04/andy-stanley-apostolic-mission.html - Quite possibly one of the best communicators of our day; Vince Antonucci is a close second! (LOL!)

http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/04/steve-andrews-radical-disciples.html

http://www.vinceantonucci.com/2008/04/alan-hirsh-missional-movements.html - This was my favorite session at the conference. It was humorous, challenging, and deep material.

I am preaching at Bloomsburg Christian Church in Bloomsburg, Penna. this coming Sunday, May 4th. Pray for that time and that Jesus speaks through me. I am actually teaching on “Rocky Balboa – A Study on Endurance and Never Stop Believing”! Should be fun!

Until the next time – look both ways before you cross the chicken!

EXPONENTIAL CHURCH PLANTING CONFERENCE, DAY 1

2008-04-22T10:10:00.004-04:00

Arrived in Orlando, Fl. for the 2008 Exponential Church Planting conference late Sunday night. I signed for two different events for this conference. The pre-conference intensive I signed up for was Multi-Ethnic Church Planting and the Pre-Launch Church Planting Track.

The pre-conference intensive began at 1:00pm on Monday afternoon and finished up in the morning of Tuesday. The featured speakers were Mont Mitchell; Mark DeMayz; Dr. George Yancey; and Jim Spoonts (www. mosaix.info).

Mont and Mark kicked things off, but Mark did an overview of Ephesians 4 and Revelation 2 in which he made a very STRONG argument that multi-ethnic churches are in fact mandated by Paul and in fact even Jesus in John 17:20-23. To be quite honest, this teaching blew me away and pierced my heart. What that means and how that will play out in the field, God has not revealed to me as of yet, but I am waiting.

Dr. Yancey is a professor of Sociology who shared the fact/stats of the current state of the church and the potential reasons why, i.e., systematic racism; fear; etc.... This was great data. The current state of the church statistically reveals that approximately 97% of the churches are mono-ethnic and 3% multi-ethnic. The stats show that America however, is changing rapidly and the future of the church must change to meet the ever-changing demographics.

Together all of these fellas are part of a group called The Mosaix Network which I have not fully been able to investigate as of yet, but this group seems to be on the Forefront of a huge movement. Their 7 Core Values are:
#1 - Embrace Dependency - not a system, but God!
#2 - Understand the Biblical Mandate
#3 - Take intentional steps
#4 - Develop Cross Cultural relationships
#5 - Pursue Cross Cultural Competence
#6 - Staff for Diversity
#7 - Mobilize for Impact

There are explanations of all, but too long to put in the blog. This was a great 2 day session and I am thankful to have had a seat at the table.

An African proverb was quoted today that was totally appropriate for this session:
"If you want to travel fast, travel alone; if you want to travel far, travel together."

If you read this blog, please pray that wisdom is imparted into me over the next 2+ days, and continue to pray for the project and the people of the Lehigh Valley!

TRIP TO THE VALLEY THIS PAST SUNDAY!

2008-04-10T11:02:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, I drove to the Valley to meet up with some folks from The Keystone Church Planting Group (formerly CEA) and The Orchard Group.

However, Sunday night I was able to hang with some of the family for bit; and we played Rock Band on XBOX for like 2 ½ hours. It was a blast! From the Rock Band perspective, I am decent singer! I can sing me some Ramones fer sure! :-) Watch out Joey Heilman!(www.unsed.com)

The meeting with the two groups on Monday was very productive. We nailed down some figures with respect to support and talked a bit about the fundraising effort. Secondly, we nailed down the beginning structure of the Lehigh Valley Project management team. Please pray for those folks – they are going to have their hands full with me!(LOL!)

Finally, we pretty much determined a potential area; however, that is still being tossed around in prayer. Please continue to keep us in prayer and we “Thank” you all for our Love and Support!

MY LIFE SERIES

2008-04-04T23:30:00.006-04:00

Finished the series today, they can all be accessed by clicking the Pt. 1 thru Pt. 6 in April and March archive to the right. Read all six and provide some feedback if ya like!

Who let the Dogs out? Woof, woof, woof! Go for it man! :-)

MY LIFE – PT. 6 (Going Back Home)

2008-04-04T13:42:00.000-04:00

This post will be shorter than the others. Thanks for your patience in this set – both with my untimely submission and the length of a few of them.

So when we last talked, I mentioned that I had hooked up with The Orchard Group who is a Church Planting group that is specifically targeting the North East. After emailing Paul, he in turn connected me with some folks who interviewed me in Gaithersburg, Maryland and we ate at a Sandwich shop that I kid you not has like 150 different kinds of sandwiches. It was unbelievable – I had never seen anything like it. Oh yeah.., and the samwiches were Awesome too! Anyway…, I convinced them that I was insane and they bought into the dream and decided to send Karen and me to church planting assessment.

Assessment for most folks is like getting teeth pulled; but I am kind of whacky and I actually enjoyed the experience. I thrive in such environments and relish the opportunity to stumble and fall; it has always been when I’ve grown the most – what can I say? :-) We left there with a thumbs-up, but we had some work to do to prepare; and they gave us a little bit more of an extended period to get ready. Pretty much since that time, it has been a bunch of reading; trying to preach when and where I can; finishing my degree; attending as many conferences as time and money will allow; and then finally, finding a great coach and listening to his advice. In actuality, I have 3 folks who are kind of mentoring me all at once – which is a total blessing in and of itself.

So.., here we are, it is April 2008 and in less then one year in March 2009, Karen and I will be “Going Back Home” to live for the first time in 31 years. Crazy? Maybe.., but I like the way Erwin McManus the pastor and author puts it best in his book The Barbarian Way – “NO REASONABLE PERSON WOULD EVER FULLY FOLLOW GOD EVERYWHERE HE CALLS. GOD IS SIMPLY UNREASONABLE.” Ready or not Lehigh Valley here we come and you will never, ever be the same! :-)

For those of you that read this blog and share with others: Please continue to pray for our preparations, our future move, and for the people of the Valley that we will eventually be reaching out to. Pray that God is already planting seeds that we can water and pray that the ground is fertile for good planting! Thanks to you all for your Love and Support!

Until the next post – Run up and down your street singing loudly “Who Let the Dogs Out! Woof! Woof! Woof!” Your neighbors will Love it and it is close enough the NFL Draft, that they'll get it - maybe?

MY LIFE – PT. 5 (The “Church” Years)

2008-03-28T09:49:00.000-04:00

It is the summer of 1989 in Newport, RI and Jesus jumps back into my life in a real and relevant way for the first time in my adult life; and in many ways I changed immediately. My Philly/Sailor’s foul mouth went away almost instantly. My social behaviors overall changed drastically and my home life began to dramatically change.

Unfortunately, for the first few years of my walk, I was Ned Flanders like, but I really did not know any different. Despite that, it was a tremendous period of growth with respect to biblical reading, knowledge and desire for truth and understanding. I did have the privilege of being under the tutelage of a fine pastor at my first real church home. He was a phenomenal exegetical preacher (Pastor Mike Hurt, now residing in Missouri), and it was during this time I gained a real respect and beginning grasp of the scriptures. It was at this church I was hired as the part time youth pastor for a group that started with about 5 kids, but by the time I left 5 years later, were running about 35 or so. One other really strong piece of advice from Mike was the following: “The methods are up for grabs as long as you do not compromise the Gospel”. This quote resonates loud and clear in my heart, in my current church setting, and it will continue to be a driving force in how the gospel is presented by our staff with the Lehigh Valley Project in the future.

Towards the end of my time at that church it was also a period where the issues of my past started to arise and I fell into a pretty dark place for quite awhile. In addition to that, during this dark period, Pastor Mike left to take another position. So.., I floundered for a bit; and then I received a funny post card in the mail for Forefront Church (www.forefront.org). Our family attended the very first service for Forefront and we have been there ever since. Forefront is unique in many ways, but in my entire life, I have never been surrounded by so much Love, Transparency, and Community. Our departure from Virginia Beach will be that much harder because of the “family” we have at Forefront.

This leads me to Vince Antonucci and how God has used him to directly affect me and my future. Vince is the senior pastor at Forefront Church, and when we met, quite honestly I was not in the best place in the world spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. This young pastor however, took me under his wing and showed me an enormous amount of Grace and Mercy over the last 10 years. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Vince’s tutelage I have morphed into a potentially effective leader who is now on his way to becoming a Lead Church Planter. Not in my wildest dreams would I have envisioned this path; but God does have a great sense of humor. :-)

Vince convinced me to check out Londen Institute in Corona, Ca. for schooling. I investigated the school and its potential usefulness for my future and enrolled in the fall of 2004. It is during this schooling period during one of the on-site residencies, which God spoke into my heart about church planting. This is when I met Paul Williams and eventually the staff from The Orchard Group; which is a church planting organization in Mass.. This group is specifically targeting the North Eastern part of the United States; which according the statistics, has the 2nd highest unchurch/dechurched population in the United States.

Tomorrow I’ll complete this series with the adventure God has put us on since the beginning of 2006. Until then – Do take wooden nickels – they actually might be worth more than the dollar now! :-)

MY LIFE – PT. 4 (HONEY - I SHRUNK THE KIDS!)

2008-03-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

I know, I know I was supposed to talk about my Ned Flanders years and then my transformation at Forefront; but…, change of plans! It dawned on me that I had not given our children adequate air time and I would be remiss in not mentioning them! Hence, “Honey – I Shrunk the Kids!”

While stationed in Philadelphia, Pa. in the shipyard, my wife Karen was pregnant. We initially lived in Delran, NJ while stationed there and then moved into base housing about 3 months later. We had already started seeing a doctor in Willingboro, NJ and decided to stick with him for the birth of our first child.

Chad Ryan Merritt was born on the 12th of October 1980, ironically the same day the Phillies won the pennant and later went on to win the World Series that year! Guess which team he currently roots for? (LOL!) A couple of years later while stationed with the Navy in Patuxent River, MD., Karen gave birth to our son Sean W. Merritt on the 5th of June 1983. A little more than a year later she gave birth to Megan Elaine Merritt on the 28th of August 1984.

These three gems have been the bearers of some of the most memorable days of my life and unfortunately some of the worst. As in each family, every child has a unique personality that adds to the blend and mix of family life. The one challenge I had personally as a father, was that I had no real role model to follow. So.., for the first 10 years I literally did things from my gut and instinct. Things changed drastically when God entered the scene, but that created a whole other set of problems from a parenting perspective.

The other challenge was this – I wanted to break “The Merritt Legacy”. This was one of the goals in my life and thus far, it has panned out. Our marriage is the ONLY marriage to last in my entire blood line for as far back as I can go. Our son’s, and now myself are the first in our bloodline ever to hold a Bachelors Degree. So, although I made quite a few mistakes along the way – I can look back on some of this with a sense of pride but also humility; because, I know I could have never done it without God and Karen by my side.

Each of the kids was gifted with athletic ability and good smarts. All three excelled in sports beyond my wildest dreams. Chad and Sean were both phenoms in Football and Megan excelled in Softball and basketball. Chad was also gifted in baseball and Sean was a great wrestler. Those were some fun years running around from game to game, and coaching many of them too!

I mentioned the worst day of my life, and I am speaking of our daughter Megan. She went home to be with the Lord on Easter Sunday morning the 15th of April 2001. Thank God she knew Jesus as Lord and we know that we will see her “Back at the House” again one day; but next time it will be forever. Lot’s of cool/funny stories about how we have remembered her in the last 7 years.

Both boys are doing very well for themselves and are graduates of James Madison University (Go Dukes!) and settling in very nicely to their adult lives. We are very proud of them both and are “thankful” to God everyday for the gift of them.

Ok.., tomorrow I’ll fill ya in on the “Christian” years and my journey at Forefront Church in Virginia Beach. Until then – Yo! Get your hands off of them Krispy Kremes man!

MY LIFE – PT. 3 (THE NAVY YEARS AND YOUNG ADULT LIFE)

2008-03-18T16:02:00.001-04:00

I joined the Navy at 17 years old. I knew I was going to join the Navy in 1976, but I wanted to be a Naval Academy guy. My stupid decisions and grade point average took care of that dream, and I signed 3 days after my 17th birthday. I left for enlisted boot camp 3 weeks after high school graduation. At boot camp at the age of 17 I was put in charge of my entire company, when there were older men and probably better suited; but I excelled and learned a lot about myself and my potential leadership abilities.

Over the next 9 years I was promoted in rank every time the first time I took the test; up until my Chief Petty Officer selection which took me two times. The following year I also reapplied for an Officer Program for the 2nd time and was selected as a Limited Duty Officer and was commissioned as a Naval Officer in December 1989.

Ironically enough, that August while stationed in Boston, Mass., I was reintroduced to the man named Jesus and on the 23rd of August I was spiritually reborn while visiting a friend in Newport, R.I.. My friend Miguel was instrumental in getting me to that point in the first place and he was the vessel God used to get me back on track. Just prior to that to be quite honest, I had hit rock bottom on a variety of levels in my personal life. I knew I had no where else to go but back to Him who first called me – God.

The next few years were awesome! I grew a ton in a myriad of ways – however, I had a weak link that I was not aware of and the enemy took advantage of that weakness. I had carried a ton of baggage (as previously shared) into both my marriage and my relationship with Jesus. That baggage was the direct source of that weakness. I went through two very tough periods where my faith, my marriage, and really my life were severely challenged. I nearly made a mess of my entire life, but “Thank God” He had other plans.

This is the point in my life where I had to dig in and start doing the dirty work of dealing with my past. A combination of counseling, discipleship, and the Holy Spirit started to guide me and lead me into a season of forgiveness and growth that I cannot adequately put into words. I became to get a clearer understanding and a grip on the meaning of Grace and Mercy, and the real love that my true Father (Abba/Papa) had for me.

I retired from the Navy in December 1993 under an early retirement program. I thoroughly enjoyed my Navy time and was wildly successful; despite my flaws. The first few years out of the Navy were very tough from a professional perspective, but God continued to provide and I began serving actively in the church we were affiliated with. During this period I was a paid part-time youth pastor and served in that capacity for 3 years. This is where God started to work on my heart a bit with respect to full time ministry; but I had some house cleaning to do yet and that took a few more years.

Next we’ll discuss the “Christian” years and my journey at Forefront Church in Virginia Beach. Until then, watch where ya walk – there might be a dog next door!

TRANSPARENCY?

2008-03-15T09:31:00.003-04:00

So..., I was talking to a friend yesterday and I asked him if he had read my latest series on the blog? He was like, "Dude you have had one jacked up life, but...., do you think it's a good idea to bare all to the world? There is some pretty personal stuff in there." I was like - "Well I am just trying to be as transparent as possible and show people how good God really is and has been in my life." Response - "But everyone in the world can see that stuff on the internet."

"Uh..., yeah and so?" is my response. Listen two things resonate very loudly for me.

#1 - God is awesome and He has and continues to do a miracle in my life! No doubt!

#2 - Transparency is the key to accountability! Do you think that Elliott Spitzer if he had been transparent with both his wife and his friends or close confidant about the fact that he was struggling with some issues early on, that it would have gotten as far as it did? I don't think so! He would have people come alongside him and hold his feet to the fire in areas in which he struggled.

This is the problem with many "christians" - they want their lives all neatly packaged and perfect! Guess what life isn't neat and we ain't perfect! So.., we need help. The way we do that is to bring our stuff out into the light (tell people); that way, they can help us along, pray for us, and yes hold us accountable.

So.., I know that some of this stuff I have written is raw, but I think it merely points out the awesomely raw power of God! That's my story and I'm stickin to it! :-)

Richie

YOU MAY BE WONDERING?

2008-03-13T09:42:00.002-04:00

What is up with this "MY LIFE" series? I wanted to give you a glimpse of what and how God has worked in my life from the beginning until now. What led me to become a middle-aged church planter? Is it insanity or inspired? It is my hope that at the end of the series you will see that God has had His hand in the mix from day one in preparing me for the task ahead! Let me know what ya think!

IHL,

Richie

MY LIFE – PT. 2 – (THE TEEN YEARS)

2008-03-12T11:21:00.002-04:00

When we last left off, I was discussing my first drunken experience. Weirdly enough, I really did not dabble in anything else or get drunk again until my freshman year in high school. That is where I met a new friend named Mary-Jane (marijuana), and started to drink again as often as I was able. Up until my sophomore year in High School, I was an “A” student in the College Preparatory curriculum; in that year, my grades started to decline drastically.

I was actually quite lucky to graduate from high school for a myriad of reasons, partying was just one of those issues. My home life was fraught with dysfunction and tension due to addictive behaviors, sexual issues, and the blending of a mix of families. When I was 10, we found out that my father had produced a daughter, who then moved in with us around the time I turned 13; and that just added to the mix of what we called home.

By the time I was 15, I had enough of the dysfunction and felt like I could do life on my own, so I ran away and moved into my buddy’s attic. That lasted about six months and then I returned; only to leave again six months later. I moved in with another friend of mine, and finally moved back home about a month prior to my graduation from high school. Somehow in the midst of this living on my own, and working two jobs, I was able to finish school.

During this time, I had met my future wife. Karen and I met when I was sixteen and a junior in high school; she was a senior at the time. We fell in love and to be quite honest I knew that first year that she was going to be my wife as long as I didn't mess things up too bad. Poor thing did not realize the baggage I was carrying into this relationship and the implications it would have on us years down the road. It is my opinion however; that God knew just the right person I needed to help me through this life, and Karen was His gift to me. She was never given a middle name as a child; so I provided her one, and that name is “Grace”. Folks say you cannot see, touch, or hear God, but I have the pleasure of waking up every day next to the perfect picture of God’s Love, Mercy & Grace. Thus allowing me to see, touch, and hear Him in a significant way every day. If I told you the entire story, you would certainly agree with me!

I consider it a real miracle that I survived my teenage years. Additionally, the completion of high school was another miracle in my life. In fact, I had graduated well enough and had enough smarts to do quite well on the Armed Forces entry test (ASVAB) and that qualified me for the Advanced Electronics Program in the U.S. Navy. I signed my contract with the Navy, three days after my 17th birthday and left for boot camp two weeks after my graduation.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about my Navy years and my introduction to adult life and fatherhood. Until then, Jam out to some Bob Marley! Much Love and One Love!

Richie

MY LIFE - PT. 1 (THE EARLY YEARS)

2008-03-11T12:43:00.001-04:00

My father was 15 when I was conceived and 16 when I was born. My mother was 16 when I was born and 17 when my brother was born. My father when he was a young boy lived in a Catholic Children’s Home called Sacred Heart Home for Children. Ironically, the earliest memories of my childhood were when my brother and I were put into the same Children’s Home around the age of 3. We stayed there for about a year, and then we were tossed around in foster homes for the next couple of years. We returned home for about a year, and then my brother and I were returned to the same Children’s Home when I was 6 years old and we remained there until I was the age of 12.

Some good things happened in those early years, and some bad things happened in those years too. I’ll start with the bad.

Those early years were laced with several experiences that would linger in my closet for many years, and as you will see, they had a profound impact on me as a teenager and young adult. Both my brother and I were sexually abused, and I personally was sexually assaulted by a 13 year old boy at the age of 7 (and not just once). Additionally, my home life was obviously a mess; but the one memory of my father telling me one day that “my mother hated us and that she never wanted anything to do with us” stuck with me for years in the form of hidden anger due to that abandonment. The other thing my father allowed me to see at an early age was go-go dancers that were for the most part nude. He was a bartender at the club and whenever we would go home to visit, we would be taken to work with him on most occasions. Now, as you can imagine, my heart, mind, soul and life were all affected by the above in a myriad of ways.

Now the good! My connection with God started in the Children’s Home. I was a regular altar boy for daily services and many times twice on Friday and twice on Sunday. I started reading the scriptures as a lector during services at the age of 10, and just genuinely loved being in church. Along with that, during one particular event where I was trying to plant a Christmas tree in a frozen field in the middle of winter (another story for another time); I had my first real verbal encounter with God. I let Him have it with both barrels, and you know what? He did respond, but it was not until later that year in the spring. Like I said, another story for another time – but it is a great one!

The day that we left the Children’s Home for good, I told my father and then 3rd mother that “I was going back there to be a priest to teach God’s word.” At the age of 12 God was calling me into the ministry; but the enemy had other plans, because an hour later at the age of 12 I was tasting my first alcohol and proceeded to get hammered for the 1st of many times to come in my young life. It seemed to ease the pain a lot, but many of us know about that deception – don’t we? This is where I’ll leave off; and will discuss the teenage years and young adult life tomorrow.

Until then – Don’t fall asleep in the tub with your hair dryer on! :-) Yikes!!

In His Love,

Richie

WoW! Talk about Blogger Lameness!

2008-03-10T12:25:00.004-04:00

Ok.., Okay.., so I haven't written a thing since 1 February, pretty lame I'd say too? Several reasons for that to be quite honest, some lame and some not! So here we go:

#1 - Work has been crazy busy (still tent making for the Govt). Spent a week in Pensacola, Fl. on business, and I very rarely travel with work. That kinda threw me for a loop.
#2 - Immediately upon my return, both my wife and I were sick for like two weeks straight. I have an elephant rifle my dad willed me - but I couldn't kill this Rhino Virus! What is up with that?
#3 - Life has just been crazy busy; however, my two sons and the dog moved out of the house. We are now officially empty-nesters! Call before you come over! :-)
#4 - In the midst of all that, I mailed out another 300 fundraising letters. Hope you received them this time and didn't toss them as junk mail. Or maybe you saw my name and address, and tossed them anyway! (LOL!)
#5 - My name is Juan on Welcome Back Kotter and I have about 15 written excuses from my Mommy as to why I did not write more!

Anyway.., here is the deal.., I promise to be better. Tomorrow or the next day I will be starting a series on ME. It will be a 4 or 5 part series on my life and how I got to where I am today as a church planter. So.., standby for heavy rolls! :-)

Thanks for missing me (if you did of course); if you didn't well..., I know somebody! Love youz guyz!

Richie

TIDBITS OF NEWS!

2008-02-01T13:57:00.000-05:00

Some news from the project:

#1 - My pastor Vince Antonucci has a book that was released today. The title is hilarious - "I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt!"
He is doing a series on the book now and your church can find out how to get the materials and books to do a series via this site: http://www.lousytshirtbook.com/ . The book itself is available on Amazon and local book stores.

#2 - Thank you letters to those of you who have sent funds in already, and a new version of the original support letter is being sent out in early February. Apparently when many of you saw "The Orchard Group" return address, you tossed the letters as junk mail. I will have a personal return address label on all letters this time. So if you toss them this time, then I'll know the real deal! :-)

#3 - I wrote a letter to the Mayor of Allentown, Pa., who in turn called me personally. I thought that was simply awesome, and we had a great conversation. He is a former pastor and graduate of Moody Bible College. He in turn set me up with his point man for the Faith Based initiative program that Allentown is pushing very hard. Luckily I was able to be in town that weekend and met him for breakfast. He and I have a lot in common and have some mutual friends, and this was the first meeting of what I feel will be a long lasting relationship and team effort in Loving the People of Allentown in a Christ-like/missional way.

That's about it! Thanks for your prayers. Please continue to pray for our fundraising efforts and that I remained focused and on point!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

2008-01-24T08:17:00.001-05:00

As many of you know by now our fundraising has started and is in the very early stages. However, the fruits of our relationships and our labor are beginning to shine through. I just wanted to take a brief moment to "Thank" all of you that have decided to come alongside of us financially. I cannot express in words how grateful I am to you all. You and your families are in our prayers and the people of the Lehigh Valley will reap what you have sown.

For those of you not able to assist financially at this time, the biggest thing you can do for us and for the people of the Valley we will be eventually serving, is pray.

"Thank You" again and blessings to you all!

Update on Project!

2008-01-24T07:51:00.000-05:00

This is kind of a weird time in this process. I am in a sort of hold pattern, but I am educating myself as much as possible. Reading several books, and visiting blogs, and various websites for resources. Some of the following are what I have been reading or checking out:

Books:
In the Name of Jesus-Reflections on Christian Leadership - Henri Nouwen
Communicating for a Change - Andy Stanley and Lange Jones
Career Crossover-Leaving the Marketplace for Ministry - Thom Harper

Blogs:
1. http://boydbettis.typepad.com/ - Boyd is a creative dude who is currently doing a great series on his blog about Ideas for-Creative Worship and other cool stuff.
2. http://www.vinceantonucci.com/ - Vince happens to be my pastor, but this blog is full of great data for church planters and leaders.
3. http://www.benarment.com/ - Ben is a pastor in Reston, Va. Just a creative dude, and has a great 1 day conference coming up in May. Check it out!
4. http://paulurban.blogs.com/ - Just a cool cat up in the cold north who is doing some good stuff with his church. His name sounds like is some Rap Star! Maybe he is?
5. http://www.gregnettle.com/ - I just like the way this guy thinks, and he is genuinely just a nice guy. His only fault is that he is Buckeye and Browns fan! :-)
6. http://www.brianjones.com/ - Brian is the senior pastor of CCV church in Philly. Anyone who serves in Philly is just cool! Unfortunately, he is also a Buckeye fan. :-(

Resource Sites:
1. http://www.church-planting.net/ - Great resource site with lots of free stuff. They do great free demographic reports.
2. http://www.newchurches.com/ - Another great resource site. Lots of links to great blogs and lots of free documents to download.
3. http://www.executivepastoronline.com/ - Kevin Stone is the Executive Pastor for Christ Church in the Valley in Philly. This is a great site for Executive Pastors and for churches who do not have executive pastors. For a small fee, this site will be a great resource!
4. http://www.churchmarketingstinks.com/ - Funny name, and a source of some creative ways to get your name out there.

There are of course a ton more, but these are the few that I have been visiting as of late. There is much to learn, and time waits for no one. Spring of 2009 will be here before we know it; so now is the season of learning and data gathering. Please continue to pray for us! :-)

COOL FUNDRAISING STORY!! :-)

2008-01-07T08:12:00.000-05:00

In the middle of last year, I started helping a friend of mine with a ministry called PIN (People in Need - http://www.pinministry.org/). It is a local Virginia Beach homeless ministry that feeds, clothes, and provides limited health care to the homeless and needy of the Beach. We have approximately 150 people who show up each week for a hot meal and some love. We also put on a full church service for them with videos, worship, and a sermon. That way they get to both see the gospel in action and hear the gospel with their ears.

In September, my friend told me that he was going to start asking for an offering from them, which I thought was kind of odd to be quite honest. However, he preached it and shared with them that 30% of their offering would be going to other ministries globally, nationally, and locally. The split was to be as follows: 10% for bibles in a communist country; 10% to a local ministry; and 10% to the Lehigh Valley Project church plant in Pennsylvania. First off, I was amazed and humbled at the reaction of these folks who really did not have much in the first place. They responded favorably and were excited about the fact that they could make a difference half a world away, 400 miles away, and locally.

So.., get this, my friend announced at the service yesterday that $400.00 had been raised by the homeless and needy of Virginia Beach for a church plant in Pennsylvania. How cool is that!

It is very humbling to be part of what Jesus talked about in Mark 12:41-44: “41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

Please pray for the homeless and needy of Virginia Beach, your area, and in the world; because they are an integral part of God’s plan too. Their assistance will lead others to Him, and their reward will be great!

Church Plant Name - Take the Poll! :-)

2007-12-31T09:39:00.001-05:00

I think I have come up with a name for the plant. The name is "Legacy" - Legacy Christian Church. subtitle - "Creating a Legacy of Love and Hope".

It speaks of both a history (the story of God), the present (our Story with God), and the future (What will our Legacy be in the story - what lines in the story will be written about this community of faith and how will it affect the future Generation's story with God). So.., you can do a ton with all of that me thinks. Some other thoughts that came to mind were the following:

Being World Changers by:
Creating a Legacy of Love
Creating a Legacy of Hope
Creating a Legacy of Community
Creating a Legacy of Mission to the World Creating a Legacy of Epic Stories Etc...., etc...., etc......

Whaddya think? Let me know by filling out the poll above. Thanks for helping out!

Christmas and Holiday Message from LVP!

2007-12-26T08:24:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

from

The Merritt Family

E-GIVING/Automatic Monthly Donation!

2007-12-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

This is a follow on to the previous post. If your interested in giving financially via the web and starting a monthly contribution, please follow these directions:

It is not too complicated, but you must include our name if you want it to go towards our specific project. So, here is how to e-give to the Lehigh Valley Project, in 7 easy steps:

1. Navigate to www.orchardgroup.org .
2. On the bottom left click "e-giving", and a new window will open.
3. Here you have a choice on how to give. You can pay by Check or Credit Card and you can make a one time payment or a recurring monthly payment. I'll show you the recurring "pay by check" on the right hand ("recurring donation") section.
4. Fill in the amount you want to give. it will be deducted from your checking account the 1st of every month.
5. Where it says "Company Name/Fullname" type "Rich "Richie" Merritt". This will ensure your donation goes to our project, and not to other projects of the orchard group.
6. Fill out the rest of the page with your information.
7. Click "submit your information" and you're finished!

Again.., if you decide to join our team financially - Thank YOU; Thank YOU; Thank YOU!!

FUNDRAISING FOR PROJECT BEGINS!

2007-12-19T17:50:00.001-05:00

The last two weeks have been very humbling for me. I hadn't even sent one letter out yet, and I received a call from a new friend and he mentioned that he and his wife were going to contribute $100.00 a month for the next three years. I was just stunned to be quite honest, and then I felt a burden I had not felt before. It was the burden of knowing that folks are sending their hard earned monies (that God provided yes) to a project that ultimately I am responsible for. God provides, but I am accountable. That was a feeling that for one reason or another I had not anticipated.

We pray and ask for your prayers that the team God assembles for this project and I, are wise stewards of His funds and the fruits of hard labor from many that love Him. Those of you that make a choice to join us financially in raising funds for this project - Thank YOU, Thank YOU, Thank YOU!!!

A VISIT TO THE VALLEY

2007-11-26T12:49:00.000-05:00

Our family traveled to the Lehigh Valley for Thanksgiving, and it was great to be home. We went to the annual rival football game on Thanksgiving Day, which is now going on its 102nd consecutive game - the Easton & Phillipsburg game has been on ESPN for the 100th and the 75th game. It is a lot of fun, with about 15,000 crazed fans; and this is an event my boys and I have attended for about 12 years in a row. Hanging with the family and friends on Thanksgiving Day was a blast, and plenty of food was to be had by all!

On Friday the 23rd (Black Friday) I bought a map of the area, and my brother in law and I took a day to scope out the area. I think we have narrowed it down to two areas that are on the outskirts of Allentown. Both areas have a ton of growth potential and already have a good mix of folks at various levels of income. Additionally, both are within 5-10 minutes of inner-city ministry work in Allentown or Bethlehem.

Both Saturday and Sunday morning I prayed over both areas and for inner city Allentown and Bethlehem. I am asking that you would also pray for those areas, and also pray that God gives me clear direction on what area of the two to choose from.

Please pray for those in the Lehigh Valley who do not yet know the story of the Creator and of Jesus, and how the script of their story can be re-written once they know Him!

God has a sense of humor.....

2007-11-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

Doesn't he? He for some crazy reason saw fit to allow my graduation and ordination to be completed on 27 October 2007. Talk about some real grace and mercy! (LOL!!) Pics are part of the ceremony. Thanks to all of you who know me - for your support, love, and prayers!

I have as my dean stated, "now earned the black belt; and thus the real training now truly begins!"

Schools Out!

2007-10-18T10:30:00.000-04:00

So..,

I head to Louisville, KY for my final week of school tomorrow (Friday the 19th of October). Graduation day is on 27 October and I will be officially ordained that day also. Please pray for safe travel; for our instructors this week; safe travel for my family; and for all the graduates! Thanks!

The pictures above are of the Campus in Corona, California. We will be doing the residency in Louisville, KY. this time around.

This is not the end, but just the beginning of a new adventure!

Thank you all for your support and prayers over the last couple of years.

High Ropes Course!

2007-10-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

My wife and I went on a church planting retreat during the 1st week of October and I decided to have some fun and ventured out onto the high ropes course.

Suspended way on high about 40 or 50 feet above the ground, with just cables and hooks to support my hefty frame; in that situation, it is quite easy to ponder your certain vulnerability. Although it is a very safe environment with great safety equipment and qualified folks to ensure you don’t make a dumb move – there is a certain element of fear in the mix.

I have come to the conclusion that being a Church Planter is very similar. As I survey the course before me, and I ponder the diverse obstacles that lie ahead of me, an element of both excitement and nervous fear enter the mix. There is safety in the leaders I have surrounded myself with and the training tools that are readily available. However, actually stepping out and onto that first high-line is always the most difficult step; and the same applies with every new obstacle thereafter.

That being said, two words kept ringing loud and clear during this past weekend’s retreat, and they are the words – humility and humbleness. As I sat and listened to the speakers and the group discussions we had, I realized that much like the tools and equipment I had to use in order to complete that ropes course; I cannot accomplish one single step of this church planting process faithfully without Him.

The enemy has many ways of attacking us and throwing obstacles in our path. Whether it is family related issues; church related successes and failures; or our own pride and egos, we are vulnerable to attack from myriad of positions. It is unfathomable to me that anyone could think that they could accomplish such an endeavor without total reliance on Him delivering us through each and every obstacle and success. Much like that High Ropes Course – I/we need the safety net of the Holy Spirit and guidance from above to get to the other side.

Simple advice - use your equipment wisely and listen to your instructor for potential hazards! So.., enjoy the course and wild ride!

SPECIAL TEAMS and ATTENTION TO DETAIL!

2007-09-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

As we begin this journey down the path of church planting, my wife has some concerns – as well she should. However men, you know how we sometimes tend to minimize what we perceive minor concerns with comments such as, “Oh God will take care of that, don’t you worry honey!” or “If God wants it to be, it will be!” :-)

This past Sunday was the 1st day of the NFL Season; so.., as I watched in anguish as my beloved Philadelphia Eagles gave a game away because of Special Teams and a lack of attention to detail; it got me to thinking about the ramifications of this idea/concept with respect to Church Planting.

Who are my Special Teams? What punt could cost me the game or even worse turn someone away from a life with Jesus? Who are the role players, who we “MAY” forget are many times the most significant part of the team?

Which brings me back to my wife’s concerns - One of her major concerns is service related volunteers or should I say the community of believers that choose to hang with us in the future. Her concern is a lack of service participation and commitment. Anyone who has been in and around the church for any length of time, you know how difficult this part of the game truly can be. It can sometimes ruin the greatest game plan in the world.

It is my prayer that from the very start, we create collectively an Ethos of being on mission and service-mindedness. To me everyone is a Special Team Player!
- If you have a staff, are they any more significant than the volunteers? No!
- Are the details involved around their area of service any less significant than what happens on the day of your big group gathering – No!

The Ethos of the Team/of our community from the very beginning should be, that no matter how small/minute or large your input or service – it is all special and significant to the overall game (although, this is no game!). We are all on the same Special Team and the mission is important for each and every member of the team/community; but more importantly the people we are trying to reach. I use the Eagles/Green Bay game as an example, for if those players had understood that their role was no less important than the coaching staff, the offense, or the defense – maybe the outcome would have been different? One Body - One Team!

I do not go into this adventure blindly, and I pray it will be fun and rewarding; but I know there will be tough times and fumbles and mistakes. Just like the Eagles on last Sunday, you can prepare and get ready; but it is nothing like the real game. The speed of the actual game is much faster and the consequences are much more measurable and have greater consequences.

Please pray for our future Special Team and our attention to detail. Amen.

Leadership 101

2007-09-04T08:39:00.000-04:00

So.., for my final school residency in October, Mr. Ken Blanchard is one of the featured speakers. He is the author of “The One Minute Manager” and more importantly for this residency he is the author of - “Lead like Jesus - Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of all time”.

I started reading this book as a requirement for the residency and started chewing on a few issues. What would you say about the following questions?

#1 – Who is the greatest leader you have worked with to date?

#2 – What made them a great leader?

#3 – What areas do you/I need to improve in?

#4 – Where does Jesus fit into the mix for them and ourselves as leaders?

#5 – What are some of the dangerous pitfalls of leadership both in ministry and in the marketplace?

Entry #3 - So.., Why?

2007-08-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

Good question? I remember my 8th grade teacher Mr. Shuster had a contest, and the contest was - "What is the answer to the question, WHY?" The winning answer according to the teacher was "Why Not!" I was like, "Huh?" I don't get it, and I really still do not.... :-)

So..., Why? Why plant a new church or a new community of faith? Because as my friend Vince puts it - "We Suck". When I first saw that, I was like - "uh-oh, Vince has stepped in it again." However, as I read his very first blog entry on a blog site for new church planters (http://www.vinceantonucci.com/); I realized my answer to the question why? The answer is, I am tired of being part of a world-wide church that really for the most part is plain ole lousy at reaching the World; and just plain sucks at living out the Story that the Author has placed in their hearts from the beginning of Time!

We are getting a little better - but I think that is because God is really working this Church Planting effort, despite man's best laid plains at messing some of it up. So.., there ya have it! Acts 1:8 promises we can do it - whaddya waitin for? Get off your lazy duff and become a wild and crazy Lion Chaser!; or join a group of wild crazy Lion Chasers!

I ain't waitin for ya, so..., your gonna have to catch up! Ya better get to steppin people!