The Orchard Blog

I made a quick trip down to Bloomington and back today for some church meetings with a bunch of other pastors from our fellowship.  And I just have to say – there are a lot of great churches in this area, but I am SO SO SO SO glad that I am a part of The Orchard.  It’s really beyond words how honored I am to not only lead but also just be a part of our church community.

It’s a good place, isn’t it?

(Sounds like a new tagline: “The Orchard: It’s a good place, isn’t it?”)  LOL….

So anywho…  Just needed to get that off my mind.  Thanks for listening.

Now it’s upstairs to tuck the girls in bed and then a little reading before crashing out.

G’nite friends.

Posted by Scott Hodge

Kids with televisions in their room watch 286 more hours per year than kids who don't. (Parents magazine)

Posted by Kathryn Egly

Every once in a while, winter can be described as beautiful. Most of the time, however, the words that I associate with winter are words like: Death. Ice. Hypothermia. Frostbite.

Ok, I think you get my point…

This weekend at The Orchard, I am going to be continuing our new series, "Seasons" by looking at the winter season of our lives. We're going to discuss the painful seasons of loss and grief that we will all experience at certain points in our life's journey. We're also going to find out what kind of hope the Scriptures have to offer us during these difficult times.

So I hope you plan on joining us. I really believe that this weekend will be one of the most significant times we will spend together all summer. In fact, if you know of someone who is suffering or going through a "winter" season in their lives, bring them with you on Sunday. I promise you that it could be one of the best things you've ever done for them.

And don't forget – this Sunday if FATHER'S DAY! We have some fun things planned, so you won't want to miss it.

Hope your weekend ahead is a great one! Back to weekend prep for me! See you Sunday!

Posted by Scott Hodge

I read a story recently about a family who had a valuable antique vase that had been in their family for several generations. One day the daughter came to her mom and dad and said, "You know that antique vase that you told us has been passed down from generation to generation? Well…our generation just dropped it."

We so often here about the bad things that are happening in the world around us. It's easy for us to point our fingers at the younger generation and shake our heads in disbelief. But this generation didn't "drop it." Our world became "broken" when Adam and Eve took a bite of that forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Sin has been passed down from generation to generation.

What are you doing to invest in the next generation? Are you showing them how to make a difference in the world or just shaking your head in disappointment?

Instead of feeling hopeless about what is happening in the world, why don't you work with me to invest in our children. We can work together to make a difference in our world!!

Posted by Kathryn Egly

…a sweet potato fry, that is.

In celebration of Kathryn Egly's birthday we ate.  And ate.  And ate.  Shrimp.  Calamari.  Crab Cakes.  Sweet Potato Fries.  And of course, we had some of those round vegetable thingees – Hush puppies.

Anyway…  Happy Birthday to our favorite children's director, Kathryn Egly!  

Thank you for all you do!  We love and appreciate you so, so, so much!!

Posted by The Orchard Staff 

What is your favorite time of the year?

Winter, right? Ha! Hardly…. I know very few people who claim winter as their favorite.

For me, it's the fall! I love the beautiful colors and cool crisp air. It's the best!

I'm thinking seasons like crazy because that is what our new series which begins this Sunday is all about. It's called "Seasons" and already I am pretty certain that this will be one of the most impacting series we've ever done.

We're going to take four weekends to journey through the different seasons of our lives. Because the fact is, just like we experience real, physical seasons during the course of a year, we also experience different seasons during the course of our lives. And we're going to talk about those seasons and learn everything we can about how to handle the fun, fresh seasons and even the dry, challenging ones.

It all begins this coming Sunday, June 11th. And let me also add that this is going to be a great series to invite a friend or neighbor to. The stuff we will be talking about will be relevant for people – regardless of where they might be at in their spiritual journey.
Here's a link you can pass on.

Have a great Friday… See you this weekend!

Posted by Scott Hodge

Here is the Jesus Creed confession that we used this past Sunday.  It was written by Brian McLaren and originally used at the Emergent Convention, Nashville, May 2004.  

We have confidence in Jesus Who healed the sick, the blind, and the paralyzed.
And even raised the dead.

He cast out evil powers and
Confronted corrupt leaders.
He cleansed the temple.
He favored the poor.
He turned water into wine,
Walked on water, calmed storms.

He died for the sins of the world,
Rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father,
Sent the Holy Spirit.

We have confidence in Jesus
Who taught in word and example,
Sign and wonder.
He preached parables of the kingdom of God
On hillsides, from boats, in the temple, in homes,
At banquets and parties, along the road, on beaches, in towns,
By day and by night.

He taught the way of love for God and neighbor,
For stranger and enemy, for outcast and alien.

We have confidence in Jesus,
Who called disciples, led them,
Gave them new names and new purpose
And sent them out to preach good news.
He washed their feet as a servant.
He walked with them, ate with them,
Called them friends,
Rebuked them, encouraged them,
Promised to leave and then return,
And promised to be with them always.

He taught them to pray.
He rose early to pray, stole away to desolate places,
Fasted and faced agonizing temptations,
Wept in a garden,
And prayed, “Not my will but your will be done.”
He rejoiced, he sang, he feasted, he wept.

We have confidence in Jesus,
So we follow him, learn his ways,
Seek to obey his teaching and live by his example.
We walk with him, walk in him, abide in him,
As a branch in a vine.

We have not seen him, but we love him.
His words are to us words of life eternal,
And to know him is to know the true and living God.
We do not see him now, but we have confidence in Jesus.

Amen.

Today we celebrated Wally's 83'rd birthday with a little Portillo's action (and their incredible chocolate cake…)!  Wally is the guy behind making our campus look great every week with his excellent custodial talent! 

We all love this guy and appreciate all the smiles he puts on our faces!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALLY LOAGUE!   

1. Ask God to open your eyes and heart before you begin reading.

2. Read whole chapters and books for an overview of Scripture.

3. Read and re-read smaller passages for more depth.

4. Pick a verse to memorize this week.

5. Make notes on what a passage reveals about God.

6. Underline and circle meaningful verses.

7. Use colored pencils or markers to highlight different themes.

–Becoming: The Wisdom Books of the Old Testament (Thomas Nelson)

Posted by Kathryn