This past week Payette, Idaho has been a hoppin place full of fun and adventure.  Every year they have the "Apple Blossom Festival".   Friday night we went to the Lawn Mower Drag Races. That was hilarious.  Never seen such a thing.  Doug and Tyler thought it was the best thing ever and now they want a mower to modify.  Uh….  No.   Meanwhile, on the other side of town (the whole 10 blocks or so) there was a mud volleyball tournament going on.  What a mess!  There were several other things going on all week, but we didn’t make it to any of it.  Pancake breakfasts, live bands in the park, ice cream social, museum tours, and more.   Saturday was the parade and boy was it hot…  94 degrees – but it’s a dry heat.  LOL  After the parade, we sat under a tree in the park and had a picnic then walked around the vendor booths.  (I miss the Plaza Arts Fair… this was just plain sad).  Saturday evening we headed for the carnival.  The kids had a ball and Tyler found a friend to ride with.  The carnival was pretty good.  But the best part (by a landslide) was people watching.  You name it… we saw it.  My favorites were the bearded lady (for real, not a side show act!) and the girl in the fur lined sweater and long pants (remember, it was 94 degrees)  Ding dong!  After the carnival we headed down the street to the high school parking lot to enjoy the fireworks display.  It was really a pretty good show.  But I think the most amazing thing about the fireworks is that it only took us 5 minutes to get out of the parking lot.   I’m used to Olathe… 2 hours minimum to get home only 2 miles away.  Oh, and that people didn’t swarm the parking lots to stake out their places 6 hours before the show.  5 minutes would do.  (Do you think I’ll ever get used to this small town stuff?)

The parade was fun!  We’ve never been in a parade, so that was an experience.  We didn’t collect as much food as we had hoped, but for the first time we figure it wasn’t too bad.  I’m guessing we collected about one to one and a half FULL grocery carts of food. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, our church decided to ask the people to bring canned food to the parade and we collected it for the local food banks.  We think after one or two more parades, the people will learn to expect it.  If you have a parade coming up in your town, give it a try.  We passed out flyers to all the schools and businesses and got a grocery store to sponsor us with carts and an agreement to match whatever we collected).  Anyway, it was really kind of strange to walk down the middle of the street while people watch you and wave.  Weird.  Rachel marched with the color guard for her first time.  She did such a good job!   She just joined the team for next year, but they let the new recruits in if they’d learn everything in time.  She worked really hard these last two weeks to learn their two routines.    

This morning Origins Faith Community had our first baptism service.  We met at the Ontario pool and had a great service.  People said it was too humid in there for them, but we said it felt like Kansas in July!  13 people publicly professed their faith in Jesus and were baptized!  Doug and I had the great pleasure of baptizing Tyler.  He is a boy after God's heart for sure!  Rachel decided to rededicate her life and asked Kristi Wherry to do the honors.  That was really cool.  Kristi had been an intern at Indian Creek a few years ago and met Rachel there.  Little did we know then that we'd be in her neck of the woods some day.  Several of the adults who were baptized have incredible stories and will have great testimonies to what God has done and is doing in their lives.  I think it so cool that I get to walk next to these wonderful people and be a part of their journey!  How lucky am I!?!?!?   I couldn't help but cry a bit looking around at our Origins family.  I love us!!   After the service we all went across the parking lot to the park and had a pot luck picnic.  So much fun!!!   I didn't get an exact count today, but I think we had between 65 and 75 people singing and worshiping in the city pool!  Yay God!  Oh, and by the way, we had record attendance last week of 117!!!!!!!!!!!!  Woot woot!  Now we look forward to June 1st for our first "serve day".  Pray that God will do great things in the lives of everyone who participates and all who are helped.  It's shaping up to become an amazing and powerful day in so many ways.

Well, the ordination interviews went... that's about it.  They went.  I suppose I could add "good", but I won't!  It was tough which I expected.  But I wasn't expecting to be plopped on the grill.  And then have a fork stuck in me to see if I was done.  It was just painful all around and I'm glad it's over!  At least for this year.

 I had to bite my tongue through much of the session so as to not get on my soap box and start preaching.  Did you know that ministers are not human?  Did you know that ministers don't have a past (or a present or future) that includes "sin." (oooh, but not all sins, just the ugly ones like sex, drugs and rock and roll!  Apparently pride and lying aren't sins, and apparently the sex, drugs and rock and roll aren't sins if you cover them up with a good excuse like "it's for my health." - long story).  So, I guess Doug and I will be the rebellious sinner ministers!   I wanted to tell them I could have lied on the application and made myself look as pure as a newborn baby... but I just spent my half hour doing the Madagascar thing "Smile and wave, boys... just smile and wave."

Well, even with our shady pasts and our admitance that we still enjoy alcoholic beverages, they approved us to move on.  Of course that was after the lecture on the evil effects of a glass of wine or a beer.  And after the lecture on how "believers" are to appear sinless to the "non-believer" (part of the long story mentioned above) which is where my tongue biting almost made me bleed.  (Dang Christians... I'm sticking to being a Christ Follower instead.) 

So now we wait for our assignments to be given.  I believe the first is a paper on each of the 17 or so theological points of the Church of God.  Oooh, fun.  Can't wait.

Last weekend, a few of the 20-somethings ladies from Origins took Tyler and the Vogt girls to a farm to see some baby goats.  Tyler was so excited and apparently took his wallet along with him. 

Once they got there Tyler took a dollar and some quarters out of his wallet and proclaimed to everyone around that he had his money to feed the goats!  Now, for us city folk, that is completely normal.  Anytime we've been to see goats (or other livestock type creatures) there are these handy little gumball-type machines filled with the snacky goodness those goats can't seem to get enough of.   Put your quarter in... get mauled by a goat.  Put another quarter in... get mauled by a goat.  That's the routine.  The ritual.  That's what we know!

These gals laughed and laughed about it.  They had never heard of such of thing.  They thought that was the funniest thing they'd ever heard of.  They said it gave them a little glimpse into what "city life" must be like for a kid. 

This week, they took him to another farm to see the cows and their babies.  They reminded me to remind him that no quarters were necessary to feed the cows!   He came home having bottle fed a calf and carting an egg carton complete with fresh eggs he gathered from the chickens.

Did you know you can just eat those eggs?  There aren't chickens inside them and you don't have to do anything to them.  I never knew...  So if that's the case why do we have to refrigerate them?  The chickens tend to be warm, and like their eggs to be warm too.  I don't get it.

Bright and early tomorrow (Monday) morning, we set out on a road trip headed north about 4 hours to Richland, Washington.  Doug, Tammy and I are all scheduled for our first interviews with the ordination committee.  James is driving so the three of us can worry and wonder what all they'll ask us.  It's scary, but I'm sure we'll live through it.

I think I'm going to wear one of my punjabi's from India to the interview.  It should make a statement... not sure what kind of statement they'll hear, but I'm hoping it is good and helps show where my heart is! 

So, please pray for us.  Pray for a safe journey.  Pray that we will speak clearly and answer from the heart.  Pray that our nerves will be calm.  Oh, and pray that they won't be too disappointed with the bible quiz scores that Tammy and I both got!  Doug has an edge on us there, he's been through all those classes recently - unfair advantage! 

Jen

Spring Fest!  Origins helped the city of Ontario improve their annual Easter Egg hunt this year and we renamed it “Spring Fest”.  We estimated around 750 people from the community participated in the event.  It was really fun and we were blessed to have perfect weather for it!   We’re hoping to make it even bigger and better next year. 

Spring break this year was so much fun!  It started out with Tyler participating in a baseball clinic for three mornings.  He enjoyed that so much!  It was held by the high school baseball team and he just loves being around teens and learns so well from them.  Now he’s excited for his parks and rec baseball league to start around the end of the month. 

We also spent one evening bowling. That was fun even though I’m a terrible bowler.  I just can’t ever seem to throw the ball straight because I can’t turn my wrist far enough to be flat.  But, I learned something on accident!  Rachel dared me to bowl left handed and low and behold… I’m a lefty bowler!  I can’t do the approach and make it look it good, but I can walk up to the line and throw the ball perfectly straight.  Strike!  I actually broke 100 once I started bowling left handed.  (My average tends to be about 70).

On Friday of break, we took off for Boise for the weekend.  We shopped all day Friday and then spent the evening swimming at the hotel pool.  On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early and headed the 16 miles out of town to the ski resort and tubing hill.  The road up there is not fun!  It’s narrow, steep (nearly 5,000 feet in about 12 miles) and covered with black ice in those early morning hours.  45 minutes later, we reached the resort and had an incredible view of the entire Treasure Valley. 

The tubing tickets are for 2 hour time blocks.  Two hours may not seem like a lot of time, but it is!  We were exhausted and sore by the end of our time but had the best time!  It wasn’t crowded because they limit the number of tickets sold in each of the time blocks (somewhere around 75 to 100 I think).  The weather was perfect!  Sunny, calm and around 20 degrees.  We were actually getting a bit warm by the end of our time. 

Rachel is all excited because she can take drivers ed next fall, so she’s been driving slow in the driveway.  HA!  Actually, she’s been practicing in the parking lot of the cultural center after church every week.  I let her park the car in the farthest lot before church and pull it around to the front when we’re done. 

Hope you all had a great spring break and Easter too. 

Jen

PS - I put more pictures on a slideshow!  http://www.connect4him.com/jenblog/slideshow.cfm/Spring%20Break%20and%20Other%20Stuff

For more Spring Fest and Origins pictures, visit our group on walmart.com http://photos.walmart.com/groups/originsfaithcommunity

I just had to go find a Picture Pages clip...
Too funny!

Picture pages!
Picture pages!
Time to get your picture pages!
Time to get your crayons and your pencils...

Oh, I miss Captain Kangaroo!  Does anyone else remember that little song?  Bill Cosby was the picture page man.

ANYWHOOOOO....

It's time for a few more pictures on the site.  You can find them in the slideshow area to the side of the screen.  Titled Thanksgiving/Christmas 2007.

Christmas was fun.  We were excited to be able to return to Kansas for a week and spend time with our families.  Tyler was thrilled that Santa thought he was good enough to deserve a Wii even though Santa had told mom that he wasn't sure he could make any more before Christmas.  It is a pretty fun game.  We've had a blast with it and can't wait to get a few more games to play on it.  Cow Jumping... it's my favorite! 

We've been getting incredible snow here.  And snow removal is just one more thing I have to learn about small towns.  They bring in the plows and front loaders and pile up the snow about 10 ft high in the middle of the road.  A giant mound about every block or so.  We've received probably a foot of snow and still have 5-6 inches on the ground.  It's just beautiful.  The kids actually had a snow day last week.  The people around here said they couldn't remember the last time the schools closed for snow.  Many said it was 5-8 years ago. 

Well, time to go.  Enjoy the pictures!

...You can play with Picture Pages,
FIll your day with Picture Pages,
'Till Bill Cosby Jennifer does another Picture Page with you!

Following is an article that I received in a newsletter yesterday.  I found it interesting and thought I'd share it and see if anyone has any comments to make!

Jen

Free Jesus
By Jim Henderson

In 1543 Nicolas Copernicus published his treatise De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (The Revolution of Celestial Spheres) and ushered into popular discourse the phrase “Copernican Revolution.” This Copernican Revolution pitted one powerful paradigm – it’s all about us, against another – it’s all about something outside of us.

When paradigms collide it can make for lots of excitement and provoke tons of resistance from those holding a vested interest in maintaining the status quo… As Tom Friedman the Pulitzer winning journalist once commented “those with power never think about it but those without power think about it all the time”. The unfortunate truth about history (thus far) is that when it comes to powerful paradigm change, the church has often been on the side of the resisters.

Peter Drucker said, “Every few hundred years in Western society there occurs a sharp transformation. Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself… We are currently living through such a transformation.” Apparently, Drucker believed that we’re currently living through a cultural transformation unlike anything that has happened since the 18th Century. That would include the American Revolution, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the atomic bomb and even the Beatles! What if there’s a Copernican Revolution going on and we don’t “see” it, what if we’re on the wrong side again?

Exploiting Discontinuity
Napoleon made a name for himself by doing two things, (1) He chose to sneak up on his enemies instead fighting them head on and (2) he actually killed people. Prior to this, warfare in Europe was more like a professional sport. Generals were like attorneys. Feudal lords would hire the best Generals to lead their private armies into a battle where no one actually fought very similar to our judicial system where most cases are negotiated rather than litigated. Each General would attempt to gain an advantageous position on his opponent in anticipation that the loser would “sue” for an end to the war/game. No one wanted to waste their resources so once it became clear who would most likely win – they would break out the wine glasses, sit down and negotiate an agreement. By choosing to kill people Napoleon exploited the discontinuity and became the ruler of France (for awhile).

How can we exploit the discontinuity in our world and use it to advance this opportunity to free Jesus from the stranglehold religion has placed on him and once again take him public?

Why Do We Follow Culture
Where did the Jesus movement lose its edge?
How did we get in bed with power?
Where did we learn to follow rather than lead culture?
Where is Jesus in this thing we call Christianity?
How did we get into the religion business anyway?
Where could you take Jesus to church and not feel like you had to explain it to him?

In Transforming Mission, David Bosch writes “Jesus had no intention of founding a new religion”

Somewhere along the line the Jesus Movement got into the religion business.

This is so commonly accepted that I rarely hear it questioned and yet Jesus never said one thing about his movement adopting the world religions business model. What he did do was talk obsessively about advancing his movement (a.k.a. kingdom)

How did it happen that we went into the business of church and religion?
What happened to the Jesus Movement?
How did Jesus the Savior subsume Jesus the Servant?
Why do we Christians typically react to changes in culture rather than lead them?

Free Jesus 
Sounds arrogant doesn’t it? But if Drucker and Bosch are correct then this is a great time to attempt such a rescue.

In case you didn’t get the memo…Jesus is not part of the public dialog on spirituality – We’ve ceded that ground to the Dali Lama, Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins and Oprah.

What if Jesus was once again public property?
What if following in the way of Jesus involved more than right beliefs?
What if followers of Jesus led this movement and took the spirituality of serving public?
What if Jesus was seen as the founder of a movement that serves others – instead of one that judges others?
What if the Jesus movement got out of the beliefs business and back into the serving business where it all started?

Free Jesus!

WOW!  It's been a while since I updated this thing.  Did y'all think I forgot about you?

It's nearly 1am and I decided this is the best (and only) time I have this week to update, so here we go.  Fast and to the point!  (I hope) 

• Good News - Our house in Olathe sold and closed the day before Thanksgiving!  That was a huge weight lifted from our shoulders.
• Bad News - Doug's employer (Bushnell) decided that December 1st would be his last day as an offical employee.
• Good News - Doug was offered a contract job with Treasure Valley Community College for 20 hours per week for 6 months beginning the second week of January.  After the 6 months is over, they'll discuss full time employment or a continued contract job.
• Good News - We leave for Wichita on Sunday to spend Christmas with our families.
• Bad News - I'm not done shopping! 

So everything here is hunky dory and we're counting the days until Origins officially launches.  We're all loaded with long task lists that seem to be growing rather than shrinking.  I've taken the lead role for the "hospitality" team.  I'll be smiling and handing out coffee each week!  HA!  I'm also the Administrator for Origins which means I keep everything running and everyone on task.  Or at least that's what I'm supposed to do!   Doug has taken the lead role for the small group ministry (called Threads - there's a song called Threads by Geoff Moore, look it up to find out why).  He is also taking the lead role on the tech team until someone else is found who can take it over.

Tyler and Rachel are fantastic.  School is going well for both of them.  Rachel likes going to the high school basketball games.  Tyler is just finishing a basketball skills clinic and will start with a league in January.  He's doing really good, I'm so proud of him.  Rachel had her choir concert last night and they did such a beautiful job.  I'm so proud of her too!

I think that's all for now.  I think! 

The comments received on my Facebook note (mostly by students) have been interesting to say the least.  It appears that adults can see the movie and the author for what they are and are choosing to stay away from it.  But the students seem to believe that Christians have no place boycotting or "bashing" movies, books or music because that is what gives us Christians the bad names.  (Avoid confrontation)  They also tend to believe that they cannot and will not be swayed in their faith nor have any unwanted encounters with demons.  They seem to believe that "silly" books and movies don't and will not have an effect on their beliefs.  Unfortunately, as adults, we are quite aware of the effect of poluion on our minds and the effect of having to deal with the demons we unknowingly invited into our lives when we were young.  Oh, to be young is to be 10 foot tall and bulletproof!  (unfortunately we shrink and the bullet-proof layer proves to be a "time release" convertor intstead). 

I wanted to post here what my response was to their responses.

I still stand by my beliefs in this movie. I stand by the fact that the enemy, Satan, will do ANYTHING to get us and right now it is by attracting children and youth to this movie.

I must correct my statement that the author considers himself an athiest. He has stated that he considers himself agnostic (which means he doesn't know if there is a God or not). However, the following quote directly from the author, Philip Pullman, seems to categorize him as an anti-christ above all. "I am of the Devil's party and know it."

I urge each of you to read a review of the book series at http://www.pluggedinonline.com/thisweekonly/a0003516.cfm  It's very interesting and enlightning.