I am going on a bike trip tomorrow to southern Oregon. This will be my first long trip on the bike. It is going to be a 950 miles, five days, three stops, two saddle bags, and one back pack journey. There is truly something about the road that calls you.

I purchased my Kawasaki Vulcan last November and have had the opportunity to observe and learn a lot from the seat of my bike. So I thought this would be a great time to share some of the lessons and thoughts I have had from Vulcan. I will also be making regular twitter/facebook status updates and sending in pictures of the things I observe along the way (this is so my wife knows I am safe).

I will be headed out Tuesday and be stopping in Salem to be with my brother and his family. Wednesday morning I will be on my way south to Medford, hanging with my good friend Ryan and his wife and new daughter. On the way back home I will be stopping off in downtown Vancouver, WA to attend Mort’s wedding. Hopefully see some of you there. I sure hope they have motorcycle parking at the park.

See you on the highway (that is the internet highway).

Thirty-five hundred years ago Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with a short list of rules that has shaped the values of men and nations for centuries. We know them as the Ten Commandments, but do we really know them? Some would argue that it is the Ten Commandments that set the stage for mankind to feel as if we must perform our way into God’s good graces, but was that the reason they were given?
God desires to have a relationship with us and that trumps the rules.  This is as concept that when I heard it several years ago changed the way I view God and how he desires to interact with me. I know that I don’t live in Egypt anymore but learning how to live in freedom was always hard.

I would love to spend five weeks with you as we look at common misconceptions about the 10 commandments and explain their purpose in our lives today. Join me on Sundays starting April 19th.

Joseph Fehlen – On His Way from the Cross – April 12th, 2009

From the two part series “The Way of the Cross”

So as I mentioned yesterday I got to help Casino Road Ministries start a new homework club at the Bluff’s apartment complex. We are two weeks into it and we have had a total of one student show up. This week there were zero kids inside and at least hundred kids outside.

The problem as I saw it was that they (the kids) were not where we (the adults) were. The solution to get them to us seemed a hard one to crack. Should we send more flyers, make more calls, talk to teachers, or maybe have an “open house”.

The problem was easy to figure out, but the solution is so much harder.

But after further review we thought of a harder question. Why weren’t we (the adults) not where they (the kids) were.

This problem was harder to figure out but much easier to solve. Answere: we need to bring ourselves to them and that is easily done in four easy steps…get off the chair, open the door, walk outside and say hi. So this last week we did what only seemed obvious to do. We left the office and went to the play ground.  And presto we had kids everywhere.

But alas most community groups, business, churches, neighbors and would be friends would rather wait until someone comes to them. We sit around and wonder why no one calls, writes, or comes by. We ponder how we can get someone in our building to sell them our goods and great product that will change their lives. These are easy questions but have harder answers.

I am lately preferring to spend my time thinking about the hard questions with easier answers. For the church we usually ask (especially since it is the Easter season), “how can we get people to our church?” Easy question..hard answers.

I think the harder question to ask (because it goes against the establishment and traditions), “how can we get the church to the people?” I think this has an easier answer. Get off your chair, open the door, walk outside, and say hi.

We are now where they are. This is why really good companies are at the festivals and the city wide gatherings. There are a lot people there, so they go to them. While the less productive organizations sit behind closed doors and wonder why the door isn’t swinging.

Now for the Christian it is not really an options. Jesus said as one of his last words, “Go into all the world”. We are asked by the one we say we are following to get off our chairs, open the door, walk outside, and say hi. He modeled this by always being on the move to where the people were. He never sat up shop and invited the people to come to his building.

Let’s stop asking “how do we get people to come”? and start going to them and engage in what is already happening. So the next time no one shows up for your homework club (or what ever that might be)…go play basketball.
Start asking yourself the harder questions, there just might be an easy answer.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “everybody matters” or “it just takes one”? Lots of people are talking about the value of each individual and how they are important. Last week I had the opportunity to experience this first hand.

I got to help start a new homework club at one of the large apartment complexes next to the church. The management company asked Casino Road Ministries if they could start helping kids with their homework. So with great anticipation we kicked it off last Tuesday at the apartment office. The 250 plus apartment units were invited and we had three adults ready to help. And one 2nd grade girl got dropped off by her older brother. One kid.

Now I don’t care what you say about how every one matters and each kid has value (those are true statements), only having one child show up is demoralizing. I got to help her for an hour and gave her as many goldfish as she wanted.

So calls went out and more were expected this week. We even added another volunteer leader so that we could better help those that would come. It is kind of hard to go down from where we were, but all things are possible…that’s right zero.

So we did what we should have done earlier…we went to the play ground.

Easily there were 100 kids outside that night throughout the complex. As we walk to the basketball court I noticed a little girl kicking a ball around. You guessed it, the little second grader that I helped with your math, spelling and reading. She greeted me with a smile and began to happily tell her friends that if you get help with your homework you can get goldfish to eat.

And I was schooled again on my way to the court that it is worth it if there is just one. Her smile and cheerfulness in seeing me as well as her sincere gratefulness will last me some time. And I will be that one guy who gave her goldfish and helped her with her homework.

It only takes one and I think I just met her.