August Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I love going on a journey! Denise and I have had the good fortune to travel to many different places and explore amazing sites. Some trips have been better than others, but each journey has been special and leaves us with many wonderful memories (not to mention many, many photographs!)

There is a journey that all of us are on once we accept Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior. It’s the journey of faith, and it takes us to many places – some joyous, some troublesome – but all provide an opportunity to grow as children of God and followers of Jesus. This journey is exciting and challenging, and I am so glad that you and I are on it together!

This journey of faith we are on is continuous. The journey takes us deeper into knowing and understanding God, as well as discovering who we are as children of God and what that means as we live here on planet earth. This journey doesn’t end at a certain age, or after we have achieved certain goals in life. Rather our journey is a life-long experience of enjoying God’s grace and taking advantage of opportunities to mature and grow as Christians.

Each of our journeys is different. We may share similar paths, but God takes each of us to different places along the journey. My personal journey is taking me on a new path beginning this month. I am enrolled in an eight-week course (over the next two years) at the Academy for Spiritual Formation. The Academy (which is held in Sinsinawa, WI, - on the border with Iowa,) will provide me opportunities to study about Spiritual Formation from a variety of perspectives such as: Spirituality in the Hebrew community (a study of the Psalms,) Traditions of Christian Spirituality, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Leadership, and so forth. Over the course of this program I will be required to read twenty-eight books! (As much as I enjoy reading, this will be a challenge.)

I look forward to learning more about myself in relationship to God, and to see the ways in which God wants to work in me to further His purposes. I am also looking forward to how my participation in the Academy will impact my ministry at our church. I will better understand how this will happen towards the end of the Academy as I will need to ask and answer these two questions: “Where is Christ leading me with all that I have come to learn and know through the Academy? What new ways may I be invited to risk and offer leadership to others?” My prayer is that the Academy will be a great benefit to not only my own personal journey, but for our journey and ministry together as God’s people at Whiting Community Baptist Church.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

P.S. Should you need to contact me during this week, you can call me at 920-450-7680. Please leave a message and I will get back to you.