QUICK NOTE!

Hi all!

Just wanted to let you know that if you go to the Shoreline website (click the link on this page) you can see some funny video announcements. They are posted weekly. They always give me a giggle, so check them out!

Thanks Robin & Mike you are doing a great job!

Men's retreat from Pete's view point!

Well time flies! Our 4th Annual Men's Camping Retreat was Friday September 25th through Sunday the 27th. Our vision for the retreat was to build up the guys of our fellowship in the Lord and in deep, meaningful, and lasting relationships with other guys. We've kept it simple: time in the Word, in fellowship, and with the Lord. Add in some great food, and the guys had a great time.

We were very much blessed by the Lord with an originally unplanned location. We found out about a camp run by Boy Scouts of America called Camp French behind Lopez about 10 or 15 minutes. The location was great--except for maybe the flies! Our retreat just happened to land on a weekend when the flies were swarming--I would say "think plagues" but they were manageable. We did have all of our sessions indoors though because of them. The Lord brought a wind up Saturday and Sunday which helped a lot.Other than the flies, the site was great. We had a full commercial kitchen, serving room, and dining/fellowship hall to ourselves. In fact, we had the entire camp to ourselves--we're talking probably a couple dozen acres all added up including hot showers and a big, open meadow.

Through the weekend, we went through the book of Ephesians in our main sessions. Mike Markovich, Pete Maskal, David Jansen, and Bruce Terrell taught through the book and the guys were given guided observation and application questions (written by the Bible College) to have some time alone with the Lord going through the third chapter themselves.
Another blessing of the weekend was having a number of older men in the Lord join us. We had been praying for more older guys to join the group because we desired to have their fellowship and to glean from their years of walking with the Lord. We also want to see the Lord bring about discipleship relationships.

Altogether the weekend was great. We pray for lasting fruit--not just weekend highs or introductions and acquiantances, but to be closer as men in our fellowship to the Lord and one another.

Amanda's Russia Trip

A few months late, but I asked Amanda to tell me a little bit about her trip to Russia and here are her answers...

1. Tell us about how the Lord moved in YOU during your trip? He moved in me, by challenging myself to step outside of my comfort zone, and with anyone and everyone I came into contact with, I made it a point to show them God's love and share the gospel with those on the otherside of the world.

2. Tell us the first story that comes to your mind when you hear the phrase "the Lord worked in great ways!" There was a young women in Smolensk who was friends with some of our translators. They had been bringing her to church and praying for her salvation for 3 years! While were there, we made it a point to really connect with this girl, who in the middle of the trip at one of the Bible studies gave her life to the Lord. It was the coolest thing ever. To see someone that had been being prayed for, for so long finally surreneder to the Lord, "the Lord truly does work in great ways"

3. What was a typical day like on the trip? We were up at 7 am. Breakfast was at 8, devotions were at 9. After awesome devotions, during the first week we would go out onto the streets of Smolensk and basically share the gospel and hand out invitaions for WAS concerts. The second week, we did an outreach through Music, photography and video. At 4 pm we would have lunch/dinner at "Yum-yum fun land." It was a very fun and colorful atmosphere. On week days around 7 pm PT would do a bible study for a small group of people. It was neat because some of the days the bible study was done out in a big beautiful field. On weekends WAS would do incredible concerts where we saw so many lives saved. When 10 pm hit we were usually hungry again, so we would go out for a late dinner, 15 or more people would follow us just to sit and talk and have fellowship. I loved this, what a perfect way to end ever night by having fellowship and building lasting relationships with these awesome people.

4. Tell us about your favorite ministry you were involved with? The best ministry was the most spontaneous. Those unexpected moments when someone was crying in the corner or just needed you to wrap your arms around them and show God's love. For me there were countless opportunitys for this. I was so blessed.


5. What was the weirdest thing you ate on the trip? Pancakes filled with bacon and cheese, chicken or chocolate sauce. Double layered pizza with shrimp and fish pie....

6. Did you learn any new phrases in other languages on your trip? Slava boga! (praise the Lord)

Men's retreat from Brandon's view point!

The Men's retreat was filled with my three favorite "F's" - Food, Fellowship, Fun...great teaching, sleeping under the stars, and frisbee golf (I'm pretty sure that was more than three words and one or two of those don't actually "start" with F's, but who's asking?). I was a little bit nervous going to a Men's retreat - seeing that I'm barely a young man (16 years old) who is currently lacking in the facial hair department. But after that first night all the older (30 year olds on average...SO old) guys made me feel like I was at home...well...I felt as much at home as one could feel while camping and sleeping on the ground without a bed, protection from bears, my teddy bear, and lights that are able to switch on and off to quickly illuminate the wilderness. But like I said, all the guys were very welcoming which was awesome. I feel like by the end of the trip I knew almost everyone's name and could have a conversation with them no problem. The teaching was fantastic, Mark Mikeovich, Petey Ryan Maskal, and David Jansen did an amazing job. I left on Sunday morning way earlier than any man, woman, or child should be forced to wake up, so I didn't get to hear the last of the teaching which was the following morning...I'm sure it was excellent, though! The food was fantastic! Big thanks to Pete, Mike, Xiane, George, and all the others who helped in the kitchen! I also would like to send out a special thanks to Oroweat and Costco for producing amazing products! I was blessed and encouraged so much by the trip and I can't wait for the next T-Party. T for testosterone, obviously.

More to come from other participants!

Exciting!

Hello Blog-Followers!

We are in the process of uploading last Sunday's message, titled "What if We Didn't Go?" in video form on the blog but have hit a few different road blocks. Bear with us as we seek to be smarter than our computers...

In the meantime, the message is available in audio form here.

We are so excited for what the Lord is doing here and in the world around us. His BIG picture is so much more amazing than the small portions of it that we see. What an amazing God we serve...

"Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him..." Genesis 12:1-4a (NKJV)

Worship 10-04-09

Hey there!

Here is the worship. We had another Sunday (third in a row) where we had quite a bit of our worship team helping out. Strings, singers, drums, guitar, piano... the works.

Lord bless you guys.


Worship 10-04-09

• files.me.com/jack274/v4xi2c.mov