Mike's Musings

Ready…

Mike — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:09:13 +0000

Our launch date is set for September 26th! God is doing BIG things and we’re so excited to see how He’s answering prayers and providing for our needs!

Currently, we are looking at a building that’s 20,000 square feet! It’s a big building… for a very big vision… to reach the MANY people far from God in Detroit Lakes, MN.

And so, we’ve come to a point where we are asking God to provide through others for this very large mission He’s called us to…

Please help us launch eXperience church by giving how ever you can… it all adds up and is GREATLY appreciated!

For more information on the church, check out our website at www.eXperiencethechurch.com (which also links lead pastor, Mike, as well as his wife, Amy (aka “Dandelion Seeds”) blogs…

Thanks so much for your support! Please share with anyone who may be interested in helping us get this thing started!

Those People

Mike — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:07:28 +0000

I’m once again reminded why it is that we do what we do. We are those people, you know the ones… the people who seem to be a little different than everyone around them. The ones who seem to be unable or unwilling to conform. The people that others will say, “you don’t want to be like those people”.

It’s funny, at one time I wanted to be like everyone else, cool, popular, handsome and all together. I wanted to be happy and in my search for happiness all I found were dreams and ambitions that never seemed to be realized or never quite seemed to be enough. What I needed was love, acceptance and forgiveness and I found it with someone who loves “those people”. Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Jesus didn’t turn away those who didn’t look like him, those who had a past, he shunned those who thought they had it all going on. Those who thought they were already good enough.

If you think that you are too far gone, that you’ve done too much or been to bad, if you are one of “those people” I invite you to come and hang out with some more of us, Real people with real lives… eXperience church is coming to Detroit Lakes. Join us as we experience life together and explore what it means to live like Jesus.

Love All Over The World by Richard Andrew

More Richard Andrew music on iLike

Anastasia

Mike — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:50:54 +0000

My new baby girl arrived on 12/17. Here’s a little video of the festivities.

Little Drummer Boy

Mike — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:41:51 +0000

I found this last year and loved it, I had to share it… from Buckhead Church. Thank you http://joewiggleston.blogspot.com/

Being helpful isn’t always doing what we want to do…

Mike — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:44:42 +0000

Some times I think I don’t have time or it’s not convenient… Being helpful, loving others isn’t always on our terms. Being helpful is doing what is needed, not necessarily what you want to do. This short clip was a great reminder.

Jim’s Bike Pump from Recycle Your Faith on Vimeo.

Dope, soap & hope

Mike — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:40:24 +0000

I was looking for a little something inspirational to blog about and found a great piece by a blogger/photographer I follow, Zack Arias. The young man in this video provided it.

We are preparing to move to Detroit Lakes, MN to plant a church where people can where people can gather together and be inspired to find hope, where we can experience God…

Experience healing…

Experience restoration…

Experience forgiveness…

Experience love…

Experience change…

Experience real life in community….

We hope that you will join us in experiencing living life and experiencing God and being a part of something that is bigger than we are.

How do you see yourself?

Mike — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:05:59 +0000

I found these videos today on one of my favorite sites, iamsecond.com and had to repost. As I watched the evolution video I was amazed a how we are constantly duped into this false impression of what beauty really is. Not only do we have the media pumping ad that set in motion this false sense of external beauty, but in most cases we don’t even bother to look at what’s on the inside. God sees us as His children, each uniquely and wonderfully made in His image.

This is an amazing glimpse into the world of marketing.

Here is the story of one woman who lived a good portion of her life buying into the lie.

It seemed so far away

Mike — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:44:46 +0000

The last 18 months I have spent as the church planting pastor in residence at The Journey North Community Church in Brainerd, MN have been some of the most difficult and rewarding months of my life. There has been shaping and molding that I never would have dreamed of.

I knew going into this period that it would have a beginning and an end. I even knew about when that end would be, but I didn’t have any idea what it would look like. Now the end is here. On Sept. 1st we move to Detroit Lakes, MN, on Sept. 1st we leave The Journey North, on Sept. 1st we start something new. It seemed so far away even a few weeks ago, it seemed as if it would never happen and now it seems like there is so much left to do and I really don’t see how it will all get done. We have less than 30 days to pack up a home that I have been in for nearly 20 years, a home that has the belongings of 8 children, 1 dog and 2 adults, less than 30 days to transition my assimilation position at the church to a new person, less than 30 days to set some foundational things in motion for eXperience church so I can begin a new ministry in a new town.

I think we all have a tendency to think that we have time, that there will be tomorrow to take care of things, there’s plenty of time and one day without any warning,tomorrow is here and there is no more time…

I think about the past year and a half and realize how much I am going to miss the wonderful friends I have at The Journey North, while I can stay in contact, it’s not the same as being there. I’m looking forward to the new relationships that will be created in DL and I know that it will be amazing as we will experience so many “firsts” within our new community.

I wish words could express how thankful I am for the friends I have now, who have shared many firsts with me and have made this whole new season a reality.

Thank you!

Some times all we need is a second chance…

Mike — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:40:01 +0000

I am so thankful to have received a second chance… How about you?

CLEAN SLATE: PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE from Deadly Viper on Vimeo.

Going to Detroit Lakes, MN

Mike — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:15:09 +0000

How to start a movement

It doesn’t take an army to start a movement, just someone with a little vision and persistence. In the video:

One guy starts a dance…

One guy is persistent when everyone is looking at him like he’s crazy…

One guy hangs in there when some of the first to join slow down and leave…

One guy is still there when the group is so large that those late to the dance don’t even know how or why it began.

My family’s greatest desire is to be the catalyst of a movement where people can gather together and experience God…

Experience healing…

Experience restoration…

Experience forgiveness…

Experience love…

Experience change…

Experience real life in community….

We want to Experience life with a group that may not be the best looking…

may not wear the right clothes…

may not have the right up bringing…

may have taken many wrong steps…

and may still be stumbling and looking for some solid ground.

We hope that you will join us in experiencing living life and experiencing God, being a part of something that is bigger than we are.