Ministry: Make Disciples, Not Converts.

One of the greatest experiences a person will ever have while on this earth is to personally witness a person make a life changing decision. The greatest of life changing decisions is when a person becomes a disciple of Christ. In the Bible, Jesus commisioned His disciples to "Go and make disciples..". The word Jesus uses here is not passive, meaning, "if you feel like going and making disciples" but it was emphatic, GO, do it. I desire to be a doer. I want to make disciples, not a bunch of converts. My prayer is that this is the message I send in the ministry I am a part of. I want people to sence the urgency of disciple making in my life. This is why I believe I am on this planet. To make disciples and communicate this with urgency.

Entertainment: More of Wilma 2.

Here is a the last of Wilma. I promise. Check out this video of the ferociuos "back side" of Wilma. I bet you didnt knoww that Wilma has some serious junk in the trunk!!

Entertainment: More of Wilma.

Wilma was quite a hurricane. Much more than I excpected. The pictures on this post are sequential. The first picture I took during the second half of the storm. It was pretty nasty. Then you can see the eye wall as it passed by.

That was eerie! You know how on the Weather Channel they talk about the eye wall and how it will pass and so on and so forth? Well, its true! We saw it!!! Its the real deal! Nice picture, huh? We had no damage but alot of mess in the yard. It only took about an hour for us to clean up our yard. The next picture you will see is about 2 miles down the street form us. I dont know, I guess about 9-10 electric poles were broken like twigs. Kinda crazy!I have been through many hurricanes (most were really sissy storms) but this one will sit in my mind as the strongest storm.

We still have no electricity. So, we have to depend on others for wash, oven all of the stuff you take for granted. My parents house suffered some minor damage, while Bethany & David (my sis and bro-in-law) had some damage too. It seems like life is on hold. Gas lines are literally hours long, and Starbucks doesnt even have pasteries available!!! Speaking of Starbucks, I must give them props! I am writing this post from our local franchise. Its a beautiful thing wireless net!! Enjoy the pics. I will have more video available soon.

Entertainment: Well, kinda.

We are sitting in our living room with the howling of 90 mile per hour winds in the background. Click on the photo to the left to see what we are experiencing. Wilma, you sure are a strong girl!!

Family.

For the past week I all I've heard about was Wilma. "They" have been telling us shes coming. Kinda like Santa Claus, but a woman, unpredictable. I was not going to buy into the hype. No way. Tonight we went to a Hurricane Party at my sisters house. It was the gathering place for all of the family and friends after hanging shutters, bringing in patio furniture and the like. Well, Penny and I pulled in furniture, but we did not hang shutters. I was not going to buy into the hype. After playing games and eyeing the news for Wilma updates, Penny and I decided it was time to go home. It was around 10:30 pm. When we got home I was all about chillin' on the sectional and getting caught up on todays NFL games. The tv was on The Weather Channel. My mind was made up, it was just more hype. There was a guy, dont ask his name, he was old and bald. One thing that caught my attention was his calming, collected way of communicating to his audience. His message was convincing enough for me to get up off of the sectional, and get busy. It wasnt ten minutes later (11:30 pm) that I was outside hanging shutters on my house. It wasnt the hype that convinced me. It was the gentleman that calmly communicated the urgency of the situation. We are now ready for Wilma to visit. Thank you old, bald, calming guy.

Ministry.

Each and every Sunday I get up and go to church, "my church", it's just what I do. Today was a little different than each and every Sunday. Because of our friend Wilma (I need not expound) my church was forced from of its meeting place, therefore we had a choice to make, where will we be going to church today? I havent had to ask that question for years! The answer was a no brainer for Penny and I. We knew where we would worship today. You see, around a year and a half ago a good friend and coworker of mine, Mike Wiggins was called to start a church. That church is where we worshiped today. One of the coolest things is watching a friend go and do what is so difficult, start from scratch. Since beginning the church, it has like quintupled or septupled in the number of congregants. Pretty cool. It is obvious that the Lord is doing a great work in this church. I didnt go to "my church" today. It was church, God's kids, hanging out, studying from the Word, worshiping Him. Thank you Lord that You are doing a work in Your church, not just "my church".

Family.

As we await Wilma or the possibility that this hurricane may come towards Florida, my family will be getting together tomorrow to watch the latest Smallville episodes (props to Jeff T) and eat alot of food. Its amazing that a storm 600+ miles away can effect a whole region. I mean Home Depot is out of plywood for crying out loud. The gas station down the block is out of gas!! Well, as I prepare for a weekend of no responsibility (oh yeah, Wilma shut down our school district!! Therefore we have no church!).....anyway, no responsibility, and getting caught up on family-time and sleep. I have one word for Wilma.....yabadabadoo!

Entertainment.

Please indulge me. I love tv. There are a few shows in particular that I really enjoy. Smallville, Lost, Sportscenter. But last night Penny and I watched a VH1 special called "40 Greatest Pranks". The number one prank was so unreal!! It was from the show "Scare Tactics". The name of the episode was "Attack of the Rat Monster". The scenario, a lab assistant is terrorized by a genetically altered mutant. This guy was a PETA member and was totally freaked out (heck, I would have been too!!). If you click on the photo you can watch it. You'll crack up!!

Adoption.

Over the past two days Penny & I have been interveiwed by our social worker. In order to adopt our children from Russia, we must be approved by a state approved social worker. I guess they want to make sure we aren't dirt bags. Anyway, Pam (our social worker - see picture with Penny) was very nice. She asked the basic questions about our family lives growing up. It was nice telling her about my experiences with my family. I shared with her my times camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with my parents and sister. She asked how I was disciplined, and what I envisioned my role as a father will be like.
It was a benchmark for us in this whole adoption process. We feel like we have passed through the first of many tests that lie ahead. Please pray for us as we move forward. Pray that God provides funds, patience and a great experience. Please see our Russian Adoption Blog at goeppneradoption.blogspot.com

Family.

On Saturday my parents celebrated their 39 anniverary. Penny called my mom and asked her what she was going to do with my dad that evening. She said she was going to make dinner and have the family over. Mom said she just wanted to spend time with us. Pretty cool. Id say thats the key to longevity - selflessness. Pouring into others.
we went to my parents house, ate and played PIT. This PIT game is amazing. There is nothing like 10+ people shouting "two" "three" "two"......fun stuff. I thank the Lord for my parents and thier example for Penny & I. We observe and apply.

Ministry.

Every Sunday morning I wake up to the sound of an anoying alarm clock (like there isnt an anoying alarm clock out there). Every Sunday is game day. This is one of the few times I can actually relate to an NFL player. Instead of going to the stadium on Sunday for game day I go to Jupiter High School where my church holds its Sunday service. We are not like most churches in America, we have to set up every element of each environment. From the nursery to the auditorium to the Welcome Center, you name it, we set it up. We call ourselves the "portable church", or the "church in a box". Sometimes we're the "set up and tear down church", or the "church without a facility". Call it whatever. One thing I do know, the Bible says in Matthew 18:20 "where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them", and there are like three or six hundred people there. The Lord is there. Its amazing that we set up all the environments, have a sound check, get donoughts delivered (yes, DD's delivers to us!), put up lots of signs and stuff bulletins. There are a bunch of other things that I havent mentioned, but I think you get the point, there is alot that happens pregame. As a matter of fact, we start at 7:45am and by 9 am, we are finished with the setup. By this time its all about pregame festivities. We have a Prayer Team, Welcome Team, KidZone (Childrens Ministry), Book Store, Hospitality Center, etc. At 10 am the game begins. Our band leads us in a musical encounter with God and Pastor Dan teaches from the Word. People come to our campus and are served. Just like most churches in America.

Entertainment.

Sports: Football season is up and running! Its all about the Canes and Dolphins. This makes for an interesting and exciting weekend every week through December!! I have been dissapointed in the Canes (losing to the (Womenoles) and being tested by lesser opponents. The Dolphins on the other hand have been briliant (look I'm comparing them to last year's miserable season!). One thing Im looking forward to is basketball season. The Miami Heat (my team) should be a good team and possibly bring a championship to South Florida. Speaking of the Heat, we saw Shaq's house last Friday. He has a bobblehead of himself on his boat dock. Anyway, I look forward to seeing Dwayne Wade slash and dash through the lanes.
TV: Fall means all new episodes of my favorite shows. Lets start with Smallville. Everyone loves Superman, so this show rocks! It looks as if Clark and Lex are beginning to become arch enemies! Crazy stuff. I can't wait till Clark...um Superman begins to fly. Should make for good tv. Lost returns for season two. If you haven't followed this show yet, you have to get caught up. Go ahead and download Season one from iTunes and watch the whole season on your new video iPod. Its absolutley worth it. A few other shows worth mentioning are Surface, CSI Miami and Invasion. Check your local listings.

Ministry.

Church and serving has been really nuts.Calvary Chapel Jupiter is the ministry I work for. I love my church to the core. Our Pastor (Pastor Dan Plourde) is a good leader and really encourages me in my ministry. The rest of the staff is amazing as well. I can honestly say that I enjoy working with everyone on staff. I consider each co-worker a friend. Not many can say that about thier job! My title is Student Pastor. It really is the greatest job on earth. I get paid to hang out with teenagers and impact thier lives for eternity!!! My favorite part of being a Student Pastor is being on middle and high chool campuses (or campi, whichever you prefer :) Through my experiences on school campuses, I have been incredibly challeged to be VISIBLE & AVAILABLE. I have had many opportunities to pray with students on campus, chat about deep spiritual things and have become the chaplain for Jupiter High School's varsity football team. We have 2 Student Ministry environments a week. One for Middle School students (Fusion) and one for High School students (Crave). There is so much into the planning and excecuting of a service. I have a Ministry Assistant named Roger. He does a great job. I wish I had the opportunity he has had at such a young age (hes only 21!). In September we hired a new Student Ministry worship Intern. His name is Bryan Moore. He's a great guy and God is using him to lead our students into His presence through music.
Check out the church site at www.calvaryjupiter.org

Family.

I have the privelege of having the greatest wife on earth. We recently attended a "Family Life" marriage conference. It was so cool being able to spend some time with Penny in a learning envirnoment, especially learning about each other. I would encourage all couples to attend one of these conferences. Check out thier website at www.familylife.org. Penny and I have a day off together every week. That day is Monday. Don't try to get a hold of either of us. We don't answer phones or emails!! It's one of those beautiful things when you just "hang out" and go out on a date. We like to hit the beach (which is only 2.4 miles away!), go to my parents house, do nothing at home, do some chores, etc..
My family (mom, dad, sis and her fam) is amazing. We have the privelege of living within 20 miles of each other. Mom and Dad are doing great. He works the same the job (Lightning Electric), enjoys LeMans Racing (because of the Corvette), and loves the WB tv show "Smallville". Mom is still keeping their house immaculate, cooking up a storm and she races around town in a Chevy Tahoe. Bethany (my sister) and her husband Dave are doing great too. We get to hang with them every once and a while. Their kids are growing up quickly. All of my family is very active in their church.

Adoption.

In August my life became a little crazy. My wife (Penny) and I decided to adopt 2 children from Russia. If you are not familiar with International adoption, it is a very long process. It could take up to two years for us to actually get our kids. We know that there is alot of paperwork (SERIOUSY!!), patience and prayer!!
You may ask, "Why Russia?". Well, we believe we have been called by the God of this Universe to go and rescue our children from Russia. A little info on Russian orphans: if children aren't adopted by the age of 16 they are put on the streets and left to fend for themselves. Typically, children turn to alcoholism and prostitution. We believe the Lord has two children specifically born for us to raise in a family enviroment with an eternal purpose. Please pray for Penny and I and our children to be. Exiting stuff!!
For frequent updates please check our adoption blog www.goeppneradoption.blogspot.com