Mark Beeson

Baptism / 360 Degree Photo / Ground Breaking

Most of us know what it's like hear someone say, "You should have been there. It was awesome!" So, if for some reason you were unable to participate in the faith-building events of the weekend, you should prepare yourself to hear your friends gushing about their recent tremendous experiences with the gathered church.

I've included a few little pictures that will help you see what your friends are trying to describe as they talk with you.

Every weekend service wrapped with a move outside to the baptismal pools. We cheered and celebrated as 427 people professed their faith in Christ, made vows to the church and passed through the waters of baptism.

 

My good friend Jeff Petersen (Director/Producer MindStorm Digital) climbed up on the scaffolding and took a 360 degree photograph of every person attending the ground breaking ceremony. All the while, Aaron Johnson flew overhead with Adam Tarwacki and Ben Sanders hanging out the plane's windows, taking aerial photos and video of the crowd.

 

Shovels, trowels and spoons were deployed for the ground breaking, but before we started digging we knelt down on the ground and prayed. We consecrated the space to God and then started turning dirt.

 

- Photo by Chuck Zook, new brilliant and creative staffer and "Creative/Capturing ARTS Director" GKM -

Josh Walk brought his Bobcat so I could give it a try. In only a few short seconds I added a remarkable level of excited (as mothers warned their children to flee) and totally destroyed GCC's sprinkler system by digging in the exact spot where the water lines were buried. I heard a sigh of relief when I dismounted.

 

Great men helping new believers through the waters of baptism - left to right: Sam Rose, Dr. Bob Laurent, Rob Wegner, DC Curry, Jason Miller and John Keim.

 

Romans 6:3-4  -  That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus.

A Paragon of Loving Faithfulness

I know this looks like a picture of some young people in the waters of baptism. It is that, but it's more than that. 

If you look past the kids, past the pastors, past the pool and into the crowd of the "gathered church" (the ekklesia), you'll see a cheering blond woman dressed in shades of red. She is my wife. She's watching over the youngsters in the pool just as she has watched over thousands of them across the years. She is their encourager, their trusted confidant and their faithful example. 

I'm sure there are many others pouring themselves out for the children of our community. We notice some of them; the children know all of them. They are the teachers and leaders our children follow in The Jesus Way, and that woman standing by the baptism pool is numbered among them.

I'm blessed to be her husband.

She's served the children of Michiana for 25 years (as of this December when we mark a quarter century of ministry with GCC). When I saw this picture, I was overwhelmed with appreciation for her indefatigable witness.  For two-and-a-half decades, her steady hand of guidance and faithful support of GCC's kids has been unwavering.

She is a marvel to me.

She is a blessing to GCC's families.

She is a helpful witness and encouraging support to the children in her care.

She is a paragon of loving faithfulness, and I thank God for the difference HE has made in all of our lives through her. 
 

Proverbs 31:26, 28-31

She speaks with wisdom, 
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 
Her children arise and call her blessed; 
   her husband also, and he praises her: 
“Many women do noble things, 
   but you surpass them all.” 
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 
Give her the reward she has earned, 
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Something To Clap About

The baptisms at GCC have begun and we're celebrating at each campus and every service. This is a weekend to remember.

Romans 6:1-6a  -  So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country. Could it be any clearer?

He Rescued Me

Psalm 18:16-17a

GOD reached down from on high and took hold of me; 
he drew me out of deep waters.  
He rescued me.

How Can I Stay Out Of The Picture?

When you look at this picture, don't you want to run out on the pier, get into the boat and head out on the lake? 

I do!

There are moments in my life when I look out and see interesting, engaging and inviting opportunities. The scene calls me. I imagine the adventures I'll have, moments I'll enjoy and memories I'll make as I stand on the edge of the scene and feel God inviting me to step into it.

There is a way for me to get in the picture.

All I need to do is take my next step. 

Knowing I'm invited, why wouldn't I?

God is painting a Masterpiece and when God invites me into the scene to join HIM in HIS work, how can i choose anything less?
 

Matthew 4:19  -  Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

You Can Be Baptized This Weekend

 

Why Baptism? from Granger Community Church on Vimeo.

My friend Jason Miller (one of our teaching pastors at GCC) offers help for those wondering if this weekend is "their weekend" for baptism. Check it out, and if this is your time, come to any of our weekend services ready to go through the waters of baptism.

Matthew 28:18-20  -  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Another Lesson Learned From Hybels...

I drove to Chicago and spent a couple of days with Bill Hybels and the leaders of the  2011 Leadership Summit for a thorough debrief of this year's experience. As always, I watched Hybels like a hawk. It seems I learn a lesson on leadership every time I'm with him.

Bill spent some time talking with me about the energy he invested in preparing his explanation of Howard Schultz's decision to withdraw from the Summit (which, by the way, was a towering example of great leadership demonstrated right before the eyes of a couple hundred thousand leaders). Bill then asked if I'd read AND THE SEA WILL TELL by Vincent Bugliosi. I told him I hadn't, but would upon his recommendation. He said there's a chapter in that book where a legal defense is being prepared in a life-or-death trial. With the fate of the defendant hanging in the balance, a very thorough argument is fashioned. Reflecting on that chapter in the book, Bill said, "If that's the work that goes into a legal defense when a life is hanging in the balance, imagine the preparation we do for our presentations when heaven and hell hang in the balance. Preparation matters."

Like I said, I learn something valuable every time I'm with Bill.

This time was no different.
 

Job 13:17-18  -  Listen carefully to what I say; let my words ring in your ears. Now that I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated. 

A New Day Is Dawning at GCC

I rose before dawn and shot this sunrise last week. A beautiful day was beginning. As I looked through the camera lens I thought about the new day dawning at GCC.

It's sunrise. It's time to get up and get with it.

This new season brings wonderful new opportunities.

• Hundreds have registered to be baptized this weekend. We'll celebrate baptisms after each service at each campus. Plan to stick around for a while. It'll take some time to baptize so many. 
• Registrations will open this weekend for our 12-week-journey toward "Experiencing God." I'm explaining the process in each service and I'm asking you to commit to the 12-week adventure with me. 
• Everyone is meeting at the Granger campus for the 6:00 PM "Ground-Breaking Ceremony" and "360-degree-All-Church-Photo." B.Y.O.S. (Bring your Own Shovel) and B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Smile). 

It's a new day. We've been given an opportunity that is precious; we've been given a sacred trust. Let's be faithful and honor God with what we've been given.

This is our time.  Let's make the most of it.

1 Corinthians 9:17c  -   God has given me this sacred trust.

Common Loon / Gavia immer

These wild birds are wary and difficult to approach, so in all my adventures across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Upper Michigan and Canada, I've never gotten a good picture of a Loon....until now.

I was thrilled when I got close enough to capture this remarkable bird with its dark red eye that helps it see underwater.

Perseverance finally paid off.

I feel blessed.

James 5:11  -  As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. 

Believe This?

This little mushroom is only a half inch tall. That's it. It looks big, but I took this picture with a macro-lens. Whether you believe it or not, it's a tiny little fungus. That's the truth.

We're often skeptical of the things we're told. Why don't we trust that we're getting the whole truth? Why do we fear everything is being "spun" for one reason or another?

I think it's because we know the people telling us their tales are often able to spin their story to gain an advantage. Like the man who told me of a two-man-race when he said:

An American athlete raced a Soviet athlete. The American won. The report the Soviets took back to their countrymen declared, "Soviets take second place in the great race. Americans finish next to last."

Everything you hear isn't the whole truth; it may be only a portion of the truth, presented with a slant that allows it to masquerade as the whole truth. When part of the truth is spun to look like the whole truth, it's dangerous.

Believe it.

Proverbs 14:25  -  Souls are saved by truthful witness and betrayed by the spread of lies.  

Busy Kits

 

If you've ever seen puppies chase each other, my photo won't surprise you. There were six or seven kits in this litter. Though I crept close enough to get this picture, I couldn't count them with precision, for reasons quite obvious to all of us. 

As I watched them run and bite and tumble all over each other I felt the curious need to pray for all the "mothers" in our church. 

So I did.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8  -   We cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. 

Quick Glimpse...

Some things you see every once in a while. Some things you'll see only once in your entire lifetime. You'll see some things, then they'll disappear and you'll never see them again. No matter how long you live, you'll never see them again. So pay attention. Scarcity and value are intrinsically tied together, so what you see just once is precious indeed.

Hosea 13:3  -  Like the morning mist, they will disappear like the morning dew. 

Can You Find The Fawn?

Peeking over the grass is a newborn fawn. You can tell she's less than a day old; her ears are still drooping on the ends. This tiny baby was hiding but she couldn't resist the urge to watch as I approached. 

Kinda makes you wonder if the old adage is true: Sometimes it's best to keep your head down. 

Proverbs 1:26b  -  No matter how hard you look, you won't find me.

Can You See It In Her Eyes? She's Leaving....

-  Photo by Jeff Petersen - 

-  Photo by Jeff Petersen - 

My brother called and told me his daughter was going to get married. I've met Taylor, the young man who asked for her hand. He's awesome. He's loves Jesus and he loves Lauren. He'll honor her and stay faithful to her all the days of his life. I like him, which is a good thing because I absolutely love my niece - woman he is going to marry.

I saw this coming. I saw it in Lauren's eyes, just as I'd seen "that look" in the eyes of my own daughters.

"That look" is impossible to miss. 

It's radiant. It's hopeful. It's the "look" that assures you of your daughter's love, even as it pierces your heart. It says, "I love you Daddy. I love you with all my heart."  It says, "I'm going now. I'm leaving. I'm going to live the life you raised me to live." 

How remarkable. 

It's a "look" only a daughter can give. It's a "look" that fills you with pride and wrenches you free of all selfishness and sorrow. "That look" makes you want to be a better man.

I've gotten "that look" from my daughters, and now my brother is getting it from his daughter. It's a "look" to die for; it's a "look" to live for.

Let's hear it for every little girl who loves her Daddy enough to give him "that look." It's a precious gift only she can give.

 Song of Solomon 1:15  -  How beautiful you are; how your eyes shine with love!

Good Stuff from the Leadership Summit at GCC

Break time at the Leadership Summit means conversation and coffee.  After I talked with a couple dozen folks I glanced over my notes to see what "gems" I wanted to mine from my notes and give to you. Here's what I've got.

Bill Hybels:

"If you don’t deal with challenging people in your organization, you discourage and de-motivate your best people.  Fantastic people do not want to be dragged down by whiners and under-performers."

 "Nothing 'BOOMS' forever."   

Len Schlesinger:

"Warning: Historical results do not necessarily predict the future. The future is not a mere extrapolation of the past." 

"You know exactly how to get out of a dark hole. Those same rules help you take action. In the face of unknowability, what would rational action look like?  You can think or you can act. 

1. Take small steps with what you’ve got in hand.
2. You have capacity to take a small step with what you’ve got in hand.
3. Limit risk for each step.
4. Step on firm ground. (reality)
5. Build off of what you find by taking that step.
6. Rely on friends around you to help you."

 

Cory Booker:

"In every moment of your life: accept circumstances are they are, or take responsibility for changing them. Decide." 

 

Brenda Salter McNeil:

"Catalytic leaders must be willing and ready to interpret events….not through the eyes of fear, but through the eyes of faith!"

"Ever been in a prayer meeting and you look to the left or right and see that your brother has caught on fire - literally?"

"I wish somebody’s soul would catch on fire with the power of the Holy Ghost!"

 

Seth Godin:

"We want what everyone wants: to be in sync."

"Quit bowling.  Bowling is not a popular spectator sport."

"If failure is not an option, then neither is success."

"The person who owns the means of production is the person who gets to make the decisions. They get to be in charge. Now the means of production is the laptop. It's the thing that lets you find resources, raise money or give money…and guess who owns it?  The worker!"

 

Steven Furtick:

"We teach our children to say, 'Please' and 'Thank You.' God teaches us to first say, 'Thank You' and then say, 'Please.'"

Job 12:13  -  True wisdom and real power belong to God; from him we learn how to live, and also what to live for.

 

Instincts or Choices: Muskrat / Ondatra zibethicus

I watched this muskrat swim back and forth as it carried vegetation from the shoreline. With each trip, a bit of sustenance was added to its hut (which they tend to snack on throughout the harsh winter). When the water freezes, muskrats continue to follow their trails under the ice, foraging for submerged plants and roots. They don't store food for the winter, so they must get food each day. Staying active each day increases the odds of survival when food supplies are limited.

I'm sure this muskrat's actions are prompted more by instinct than intellect, but humans don't have reliable animal instincts (as is evidenced by the choices we often make that are contrary to our own long-term self interests) so we must choose from among several options and make decisions.

Then, we must act.

On the one hand, almost nothing gets done until there is a decision to act. On the other hand, decisions don't matter if no action is taken. There are two sides to this coin: the courage to make a good decision and the personal discipline to persevere and make the dream a reality. 

 Who hasn't made a decision and bailed on it when the going got tough?

• Ever decide to lose weight and find yourself eating cookies within 48 hours?
• Ever decide to get an "A" in a class and fail to study until the night before the final exam?
• Ever decide to save some money and sign up for another credit card a week later?
• Ever decide to live closer to Jesus and wake up one day realizing you haven't prayed, read the Bible or gone to a worship service for more than a month?

Decisions aren't enough. It's what we do after we "decide" that matters.

So, what have you done today that will make tomorrow more like you want it to be? What actions have you taken to improve yourself? What have you read, studied, learned, accomplished or given to make your life better? How have you disciplined yourself today so your can live differently tomorrow? 

Are you learning, growing, gaining faith, experiencing more, giving more, offering ideas, beauty and goodness? Did you discipline yourself today? Or are you going to stay just as you are for the rest of you life, having no more to contribute tomorrow than you have today?

I would say the choice is yours, but the truth is far deeper. Sure, the choice is yours. You get to decide, but if you don't discipline your life to do the next right thing, your choice hardly matters. If you don't change your behavior over time you won't change your life. The choice is yours, and so is the responsibility to act.

Want help? Are you hoping to live better tomorrow than you did today? 

Join Sheila and me for 12-weeks of "Experiencing God" this fall. Details are coming this weekend. It's a journey we're making together...and we're always better when we help each other along the way.

Decide. Then discipline yourself, as we discipline ourselves, to take the actions that will make the last days of 2011 a foundation for real living in 2012.

Proverbs 5:11-14

You don't want to end your life full of regrets, 
   nothing but sin and bones,
Saying, "Oh, why didn't I do what they told me? 
   Why did I reject a disciplined life?
Why didn't I listen to my mentors, 
   or take my teachers seriously?
My life is ruined! 
   I haven't one blessed thing to show for my life!"

I'm Looking Forward to the Fall Season

I don't want to wish away a single moment of my brief life, but I've got to say I'm really looking forward to spending time with my family this fall. A lot of our adventures are outside (like this memorable moment hunting pheasants with Sheila and Amber...and everyone else in the family). If I live to 80 I've only got 23 more fall seasons to enjoy with my loved ones. I'm resolved to cherish each one.

Psalm 90:10  -  We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty).

Katie's Story

Our teams captured Katie's story and shared it with our congregations this weekend. I want you to see it too.

Katie's Story from Granger Community Church on Vimeo.

Many and varied are the sources of help available to the hurting and desperate among us. The civic groups, governmental programs and community organizations offering beneficent assistance are a phone call away, albeit most of their phones are automated and you'll need to stay on the line a while before you're connected with a real person giving real assistance, but temporary, limited and marginal help is closer than most people think. 

It's real help that's hard to come by. Real help isn't temporary. Real help isn't limited to the margins of our lives. Real help is more than sufficient. And real help addresses the root of the problem, not the symptoms. 

Real help is what Jesus offers. Real help is what God gave Katie, so Katie told us about it. She told us her story. She testified to the real help God gave her and the peace she received - lasting, sufficient and limitless.

I introduced her this weekend, and after the services Kim Volheim took our picture with his iPhone. I'm holding the rock she choose for me; it says, "WITNESS."

 

Revelation 12:10b-11

The accuser of our brothers and sisters, 
   who accuses them before our God day and night, 
   has been hurled down. 
They triumphed over him 
   by the blood of the Lamb 
   and by the word of their testimony; 
they did not love their lives so much 
   as to shrink from death. 

God Has Done Great Things

 

Joel 2:21  

Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! 
   God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals! 
   The fields and meadows are greening up.

 

Everyone Should Buy This Book

My awesome sister just completed her most recent book. She co-authored the book with all three of her daughters-in-law. It's filled with practical wisdom and sound advice. The book's structure and purpose is brilliant. I'll let her explain in her own words:

Three years ago, while on a vacation with extended family, my three daughters-in-law and I were talking about the relationship difficulties so many mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have. We figured at least part of the reason for that could be attributed to the fact that a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law love the same man-one tends to see him as someone she should help protect, and the other perceives him as her protector. Such very different viewpoints are a set up for relationship issues. So, we wondered out loud, "Why do we all get along so well?" The four of us are Christians and that certainly lays a wonderful groundwork for the potential for good relationships, but we are not similar in personality or passions. And to say our tastes in music, literature, fashion, politics, or childrearing are varied would be an understatement-but get along, we do! In fact, we truly love each other. So, we did what in hindsight seems impossible-we four women wrote a book! Well, to be more exact, we wrote two books in one! Lisa, Rhonda, and Lizzy's side of the book is entitled "Why Her? You, Your Mother-In-Law, And The Big Picture." My side of the book is entitled "Why Her? You, Your Daughter-In-Law, And The Big Picture." Our book isn't a "how to" book, but a "why to" book. We chose that emphasis because we think that if a woman knows why a good relationship matters, she is better equipped to design her role in her relationships in a way that can make those relationships better. We hope you will find the book to be helpful and an entertaining read. -- Becky Hunter, co-author of "Why Her?"

You should buy this book for every woman in your family....and buy another for yourself. Get it in hard cover or as an e-book; your choice.

Proverbs 15:22  -  Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed. 

You Should Know...

Whatever you're doing today, you should know you are a part of a worldwide ministry effort. Your giving, your sacrifice and your generosity with the tithes and offerings you've given at GCC, have launched more ministry than any of us might imagine.

Let me give you two examples.

John Keim (pictured above) is one of the leaders of our GSM Nicaragua mission trip. Dozens of our students, and their leaders, are reporting on their blog (which you can jump to by clicking this link). You can pray better if you know more about their daily work.

In addition, a team of GCC's artists is in India right now. Their blog delivers continual updates and reports on their ministry. Click this link and you can follow their progress and pray for their success. 

Your prayers matter, and with two mission teams out-of-the-country and representing us right now, I knew you'd want to know more. Check out their blogs. You can add your prayers to the weekly tithes and offerings you've been contributing, and you'll add great value to all involved.

Matthew 28:18-19a  -  Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations."

Snippets and Images from GCC Gone Country this Weekend

 

This weekend we remembered the faithfulness of God, as God has instructed us: "Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them" (Deuteronomy 9:9).

 

                  

The “means of grace” are “outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby he might convey to men, preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace” (John Wesley, Sermon 16, Means of Grace).  

 

Three primary “means of grace” God has given us include: Prayer (private or public), Scripture (reading or listening), and The Lord’s Supper.  

 

                
 

We are to wait in the means of grace, not outside them. John Wesley wrote, “All who desire the grace of God are to wait for it in the means which he hath ordained; in using, not in laying them aside.” 

 

The sacrament of Holy Communion will no longer be offered each month in a mid-week service. In The New Normal, we're moving the Lord's Supper to our weekend services. So our last 1st Wednesday Worship will be this Wednesday, August 3rd at 6:30 PM. Come early. Get a seat.

 

Everyone is gathering on Sunday, August 28th at 6:00 PM for two great events: our 360 degree panoramic "All Church Photo," and ground breaking for the new Commons. (Bring a spoon. You'll need it for ground breaking.)

 

                

“The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is FREE IN ALL, and FREE FOR ALL.... It is free in all to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in anywise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not on anything he has done, or anything he is. It does not depend on his endeavors. It does not depend on his good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God; they are the streams only, not the fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root. They are not the cause, but the effects of it.”
(John Wesley, Sermon 128, Free Grace)

 

And I won't let you fall
Don’t be afraid to fall
I’m right here to catch you
I won't let you down
It won't get you down
Your gonna make it
Yea I know you can make it

Cause I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you’ve done all you can do
And you can’t cope
And I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
Oh I’m gonna hold you
And I won't let go
Won't let you go
No I won't

Rascal Flatts – I Won’t Let Go Lyrics

 

Deuteronomy 7:9  -  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.