Chuck Colson,

In their 1985 book Habits of the Heart, Robert Bellah and Richard Madsen introduced the world to “Sheila Larson.” Sheila described her belief system this way: “I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little voice. ... It’s just trying to love yourself and be gentle with yourself ...”

Bellah and Madsen called “Sheilaism” a “perfectly natural expression of current American religious life.”

A quarter-century later, there’s another word that those seeking to understand American religious life should add to their lexicon: “liminals.” That’s the phrase used by Robert Putnam and David Campbell in their recent book, American Grace.

Putnam is best known for his 2000 book Bowling Alone, which described the decline of civic and social engagement in American life. The title came from the observation that while the numbers of bowlers had risen, the number of people participating in bowling leagues had declined. Putnam saw this as a metaphor for how Americans were increasingly going their separate ways.

This individualistic approach to American life depleted what he called “social capital” — the trust and willingness to cooperate that makes strong communities possible.

In American Grace, Putnam and Campbell examine the increasing reluctance of younger Americans to identify with a particular church or religious tradition. Contrary to what you may have heard, these people are not atheists nor agnostics: many claim to believe in a “higher power” and even a personal God. A quarter of them want a religious funeral!

What’s more, many of them have belonged to churches in the past, and may belong to one again. Putnam and Campbell call these people “liminals,” from the Latin word for “threshold.”

“Liminals,” in their words, “seem to stand at the edge of some religious tradition, unsure whether to identify with that tradition or not.” As Putnam and Madsen told the Hedgehog Review, if you ask liminals one day what they are, they will say Catholic or Methodist. If you ask another time, they will say, well, they’re really nothing.

What we are seeing is not so much a march towards secularism as it is yet another example of Americans’ increasing preference to “bowl alone.” Liminals want the benefits of a tradition or community without putting in the work, including the willingness to subordinate your desires to a larger whole, which is what makes community possible.

This may be American as apple pie, but as I explain today in my “Two-Minute Warning,” which I urge you to go see at Colson Center.org, there’s nothing Christian about it.

Christ cannot be known apart from His Body, the church. As Martin Luther said, “He who would find Christ must first find the church.”

From Jesus’ analogy of the vine and branches to Paul’s discourse on the parts of the body in 1 Corinthians, it is clear that we belong to something much bigger than ourselves. We cannot answer the question “How now shall we live?” on our own.

Again, go to Colson Center.org and watch today’s “Two-Minute Warning.” I’ll have more to say on the dangerous and yet increasingly popular idea that you can be a Christian apart from the church.

Wisconsin District Assembly Returns to the Green Lake Conference Center in 2012

Sunday Evening July 29th - Wednesday August 1st

Green Lake Conference Center (GLCC) has much to offer us with its beautiful facilities, excellent food, Christian atmosphere and lovely woods and lakefront scenery. We are not required to buy any meal plan with the accom-modation for this year’s assembly, however we recommend taking advantage of the convenience of the excellent meals in the Bauer Dining Room - See details in the meal box at the bottom of the page.

Reservation deadline is June 15th.

Make reservations by that time directly with the GLCC reservation staff at (920) 294-3323. If you plan on dining in the Bauer Dining Room during your stay, these meals should be reserved in advance. Please be prepared to tell them when you make reservations which meals you want.

Accommodations available are:

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Rooms in the Roger Williams Inn at $78/night

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Rooms in Kern Lodge at $88/night

Room rates are for up to two adults. Children under 21 stay free. Additional adults are $15/adult/night.

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Campsites with electricity, water and sewer at $48/night

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Campsites with electricity at $43/night

Tickets for meals in the Bauer Dining Room are:

Ages 12 and up: Breakfast $9.00 - Lunch $10.50 - Dinner $12.50

Ages 6-11: Breakfast $7.00 - Lunch $7.00 - Dinner $8.00

Children 5 and under eat free.

Visit the GLCC website at GLCC.org

Meals are all-you-can-eat and include all beverages and lunch and dinner include a large selection of desserts and ice creams. These are all-inclusive prices - no tipping, please

Pastor Phil

When: Monday July 9th-Friday July 13th 2012.

Where: Toronto, ON, Canada

Cost: $720/person plus district travel. (travel costs are yet to be determined)

Who: Anyone who has finished 7th grade by 7/9/12, unless accompanied by a parent.

What: We are partnering with Ephraim's Place in Toronto to help families in need with work projects around their house. Check out the photos of Refresh 2010 at www.ephraimsplace.com to get a feel for what we will be doing.

Passport: You will need a passport. Please do not wait to get these; they are necessary for leaving the country.

Lodging/ meals:  We will cook most of our meals on site, with the excemption of a few meals out. Participants will be responsible for meals on travel days. We will stay in local hotels.

Payment Plan:

October 9th: $150 non-refundable deposit.

November 9th:  $150

February 9th:  $150

April 9th:  $150

June 9th:  $120

For our church give all payements to Pastor Steve Larrabee.

Make checks out to the church.

We are also in need of some adults to help with this event.

Need more information please see Pastor Steve Larrabee or Pastor Phil Stein.

Read 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 103:11-12.

Years ago I worked for a financial services company that dealt with retirement accounts. Much of the work involved moving money from one investment to another. An issue that required special care was that accounts be protected from tax liability in the transfer.

I remember a particularly painful incident when I was young and in a hurry. Fred, a medical doctor, made his first (very large) investment with me. That’s the good news. The bad news is that in the transfer I made a mistake and Fred got a tax bill. When the company received notice of what had happened, my boss made it very clear that I was to immediately notify Fred of the mistake and make it right.

I drove to Fred’s house that night wondering how I was ever going to make it right. What had my boss meant by that? Even if the law allowed it, I certainly didn’t have the money to pay the bill. I was in major trouble.

I parked my car and walked up to his house. Fred greeted me at the door. We sat down and I got right to the point. I don’t remember everything I said, but I remember closing with the words, “I am very, very sorry, sir.”

Fred shuffled the papers a bit, laid them on the table, and sat back in his chair. He then began to share his life story. He related how hard his life had been but how God had always provided. Fred concluded by saying, “Since God has been so good to me, Brian, I try not to focus on the mistakes of others. The mistake is forgiven. Let’s move on.” With that he stood and asked, “Have I ever shown you my piano?”

It would be several years after my encounter with Fred before I would became a Christian. As my pastor began to explain how God forgives us when we ask Him, I thought about my experience with Fred. God loves you, my friend, and you have been forgiven. Enjoy.


What do I want to say to God today?


 What is God saying to me today?

A U.S.-based human rights group says it has received news of an execution order issued for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, the Christian pastor who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2009. A 34-year-old father of two, Nadarkhani remains behind bars in Iran’s Lakan Prison, awaiting news of his fate.

On Monday Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), announced that his organization had received word from their contacts in Iran of an “extremely dangerous turn of events for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani,” stating that “there is an increased likelihood that the Iranian regime will execute Pastor Youcef for his faith.”

A council member from Nadarkhani’s church in Iran, Firouz Khandjani, says that the pastor was "allowed yesterday to speak with his wife from prison." He said that Nadarkhani “did not speak with her about the court order,” but that he “urges his church to stay firmly in Christ."

Risks of a Secret Execution

Jordan Sekulow says that “it is unclear whether Pastor Youcef would have a right of appeal from the execution order.” The organization has confirmed that Nadarkhani was alive as of Wednesday night, February 22, but Sekulow says that the risk of a secret execution is imminent. “The head of Iran’s Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, must approve publicly held executions, but only a small percentage of executions are held public — most executions in Iran are conducted in secret.”

The American Center for Law and Justice has been leading a campaign for Nadarkhani’s release since 2009. The organization says that he has been illegally imprisoned for 864 days.

Sekulow adds that “There has been a disturbing increase in the number of executions conducted by the Iranian regime in the last month,” and that “Iran is actively violating its human rights obligations by sentencing and detaining Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.”

Charged with Apostasy

Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 in Iran’s northern city of Rasht in 2009. He had protested the teaching of Islam in the public school that his children attended. Although Youcef was originally arrested for protesting, the charges later changed to apostasy, the crime of leaving Islam for another religion. Nadarkhani has maintained that he has not been a practicing Muslim since becoming an adult, but Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court determined that since he had Muslim ancestry, he must recant his Christian faith. According to Nadarkhani’s attorney, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, he has been given three chances to recant his faith. Nadarkhani has refused.

According to the American Center for Law & Justice, Pastor Youcef’s case “had been stalled due to increased international pressure,” but now, “because Pastor Youcef has continually refused to give into the regime’s demands that he renounce his Christian faith, the likelihood that the Iranian regime will execute him increases by the day.”

'More Critical Than Ever'

Jordan Sekulow of ACLJ states that “Iran has demonstrated its resolve to ignore its international obligations, whether by its continued attempt to gain nuclear power or its continued disregard for human rights.” He says that “it is more critical than ever to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime to overturn Pastor Youcef’s death sentence and release him immediately,” and that “if Iran executes Pastor Youcef, it could be the catalyst for the extinction of Christianity in Iran.”

The American Center for Law and Justice is just one of many organizations and individuals protesting the pastor’s imprisonment. Calls for his release have come from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 89 members of Congress.

The White House Speaks Out

In September of 2011, the White House released a statement on Pastor Nadarkhani, saying that his arrest “crosses all bounds of decency and breaches Iran’s own internal obligations.” In the statement, the White House condemns the conviction of the pastor, stating that “Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people,” adding that “a decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities' utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens.”

The statement concludes by calling on the Iranian authorities “to release Pastor Nadarkhani, and demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion.”

Congressional Resolution Calls for Nadarkhani’s Release

On February 17, 2012, Rep. Joe Pitts introduced a Congressional Resolution calling for the pastor’s release. The resolution centers on “Condemning the Government of Iran for its continued persecution, imprisonment, and sentencing of Youcef Nadarkhani on the charge of apostasy,” and calls for Nadarkhani’s immediate release.

In the statement, the House of Representatives “condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran and its continued violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and calls for the Government of Iran to exonerate and immediately release Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of their religion.”

Campaign for Nadarkhani’s Release Continues

American Center for Law & Justice generated a Twitter campaign for the pastor’s release, a campaign reaching over 400,000 Twitter users daily, who are re-tweeting updates about the imprisoned pastor.

The Christian Post says that Nadarkhani's wife, Fatema Pasindedih, and their two sons, Daniel, 9, and Yoel, 7, are waiting for news on the pastor’s fate. According to Firouz Khandjani, a spokesman from Nadarkhani’s church, the pastor was recently asked by the court to acknowledge that the Prophet Mohammad was a messenger from God. “But he refused because he did not want to recant his faith in Christ. That's why the execution order came.”

Get Involved

Readers can join the campaign to free Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani at the American Center for Law and Justice website, where visitors can sign a petition for the pastor’s release, as well as join the Twitter campaign.

Enhancing the devotional guide are additional resources for worship services and small-group meetings or Sunday School classes. The total Ashes to Fire experience encourages entire congregations- children, youth, and adults- to engage in the same passages of Scripture in Christian proclamation, education, and faith formation. This spiritual adventure has already inspired thousands of Christians in hundreds of congregations in a quest for personal and corporate renewal.

Thankful? Haven’t we passed that holiday? I know, Thanksgiving was seven or eight weeks ago…the leftovers have vanished along with the attitude of gratitude that was quickly lost in the flurry of Christmas. Now, here we are at the start of a new year. The presents have been returned, the wrapping has been recycled, and the tree is tucked away in the basement for another year.

Many people make resolutions beginning January 1st to improve themselves and their lives. Lots of us make promises to eat less and exercise more, or to pray and read the bible more and watch TV less. All good things…and they would be even better if we could actually stick to them beyond Valentine’s Day! But here is an idea for a resolution: Be thankful.

Let’s start by looking at an example from scripture of what being thankful actually looks like. In Luke 17 we find the account of Jesus healing the ten lepers. As most people are well aware, leprosy was a horrible disease at the time. It was incurable and caused people to be completely separated and isolated from everyone…including their own spouse, family and friends. Therefore, when these ten guys heard this man was healing people, they wanted in on the deal and made their way to see him crying out loudly for Jesus to have mercy upon them.

And Jesus did…although I’m sure they were quite surprised when he told them to go show themselves to the priests. Jesus didn’t pray for them, touch them, spit on them, or anything like he had in some of the other miracles he performed. I bet that wasn’t exactly what these guys expected. By the way, it’s a great lesson for us on how God often shows up in ways we least expect or understand. Don’t get discouraged and give up just because it’s not exactly what you want. Scripture says if you seek, you will find him…but it’s usually not when or how we think it should be.

So all ten guys went to see the priests and the bible tells us “as they went, they were cleansed” yet, only one of the men came back to Jesus when he saw he was healed. Only one praised God in a loud voice and fell at Jesus’ feet with thankfulness. Were all ten thankful for their healing? Undoubtedly, they were! They had just been given their lives back. Their death sentence had been pardoned and they must have felt extraordinarily grateful. Yet, Jesus commended the one who actually acted thankful by expressively showing the gratitude he felt. Jesus measured who was thankful by what they did, not by what they felt.

The simple truth is this: We aren’t judged on what we feel, rather we are judged by what we do. American’s have a hard time with this and we deceive ourselves into thinking as long as we have good intentions, good thoughts, good feelings, then it’s all that matters. As people of faith we must break out of this crazy thinking that says what you feel is more important that what you do. (Read the following posts for more on not living by feelings:
Jesus Was Not a Hypocrite, Learning to Say No, It’s Dangerous for Men to Follow Their Feelings.)

So as we head into 2012, really examine yourself. Do you show your thankfulness by what you do? If you are so grateful, let me ask you, do you attend church regularly? Do you give? Do you serve? If you are truly thankful, then show it by what you do. I hear from many people who watch our Sunday morning services on TV from Celebration Church. When I ask them why they don’t come to church the most common response is I don’t feel like getting dressed. Seriously!? Do you think that God is going to buy the “jammie defense”? Imagine standing before The Almighty and explaining to him that you were too comfortable to get out of your flannel PJs and get off the couch. Remember, on judgment day God will measure what you have done, not what you felt.

Demonstrate your thankfulness by attending, getting involved in areas of service, by giving of your time and money. Too many people live by the line of thinking, “I don’t have to go to church, or give or serve because God knows I feel thankful.” Do you want to be like the nine guys who didn’t come back to show their gratitude to Jesus or do you want to be like the one guy who did? All felt it, but only one acted on it.

In the second chapter of the book of James, he asks the question: What good is it if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds. Can such a faith save him? In America today, most people would answer “yes”, all that matters is that you feel it or believe it. But their answer would be wrong. James implies that it’s not enough. He said it’s more than just believing—even the devil believes—and it’s not just about feeling. It’s about acting on those beliefs and feelings. We need to live out our thankfulness in our actions.

Some of us never say it and need to simply start there. Thank God. Thank the people around you. It won’t kill you to look at your spouse and say, “Thank you for all that you do.” But then we need to go beyond saying it and actually do things to show our thankfulness…to God and to our spouses and families. We need to be the kind of people who show it and constantly demonstrate it by what we do. John 3:16 says God showed his love for us by giving his son. It wasn’t just about his feelings or what he said, but also by what he did. Jesus didn’t stop at feelings of love for us, or saying he loved us, he demonstrated that love.

In 2012, let’s follow that example. Let’s not just feel or say we are thankful. Resolve to be thankful.

Community Church of the Nazarene

1831 George St, La Crosse, WI 54603 Map
Class Contact: Phil Stein - Request Info

Mark Gungor

by Mark Gungor on July 5th, 2011

Enjoy the 4^th of July Weekend with you family we will resume our study next week. 

The teens are hosting a Spaghettu dinner to raise money to go to Regional Celebrate Life.  The Dinner will be Saturday May 7th. The teens will be cooking and serving the food. Come invite your family it is a great way to celebrate Mother's Day.  Teens will begin serving the food at 5:00pm. We would like teens to be at the church at 2:00pm to begin setting up and preparing the food.  The cost for the ticket is $5.00 and that will cover the meal.  If you are interested in desert the church stewards will be selling slices of pie for $1.00.

If you interested see Pastor Steve or Denae for tickets. 

We are happy as a pastoral staff and church to have this opportunity to mentor and help the education of young men and women called by God to serve the church.

This year we will be having Brandon Metzger.  Please welcome him with loving and gracious arms. 

In Christ,

The Pastoral Staff

Just a reminder that the registration forms are due by this Sunday April 3rd.  The cost is $95.00 per teen this covers, the event, lodging and food.  The teens will want some extra spending money for food on the way down and back as it is a six hour drive.  They may also want money for snacks, or olivet t-shirts and collectibles. We will be doing a fundraiser on Sunday May 1st.

In Christ,

Pastor Steve

I would like to invite you to come to be apart of this study.  This is a video and discussion study.  The video is lead by author Dan Kimball.

The study outline is as follows:

1wk - Why emerging culture is changing.

2wk - The church is an "organized religion" with a political agenda; The church is judgemental and negative.

3wk - The church is male dominated and oppresses females.

4wk - The church is homophobic.

5wk - The church feels Christianity is right and all other religions are wrong.

6wk - The church is full of fundamentalists who take the Bible.

This study helps Pastor Steve Larrabee with His graduate studies on Missional Leadership.  Please come be apart, learn God's truth, and help Pastor Steve with his project.

I would like to say thank you to everyone who attended the ordination service in Madison.  It was a pleasure to have so many friends and family present for one of  the biggest milestones in my life and ministry. The service was a wonderful spirit-filled service. 

I would also like to say thank you to everyone who sent cards and gifts. It is great to serve such a wonderful, loving church and family.  I am truly blessed.

In Christ's love,

Pastor Steve