Ladies and gentlemen (and web-bots that feverishly visit this site driving up my bandwidth!), Jessica and I have accepted the position as Student Ministries Pastor at Our Savior’s Wesleyan Church in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. We are “terrifiededly excited” about this next-step in our ministry and look forward to getting moved and settled into our new role there!

We already feel welcomed and loved by the Pastor and his family as well as the numerous people we met during our visit there last weekend. We are excited about getting to know the church family and finding our place in ministry there! We know that God’s will for us at this time is to be used of him at Our Savior’s Wesleyan and through their student ministry – Cross Road Ministries.

Those of you who have been at this point in your ministry-lives know what lies ahead for this Sheets family and your prayers are welcomed! We anticipate an early July move-date and if you’re interested in buying some of our junk, check out our eBay yardsale!

Tonight we discussed 9 of Luther’s 95 Theses in theBOX. We finished watching the film last week and had some good discussion tonight. Here are the nine we read through:

21.
Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;

28.
It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.

32.
They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.

36.
Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.

75.
To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God — this is madness.

79.
To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.

82.
To wit: — “Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial.”

86.
Again: — “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?”

We arrived in Warsaw sometime after 10:30PM. Ella is currently bouncing up a storm in her jumper that we didn’t take along with us on this trip. She is glad to be back where things are “normal”, I’m sure!

Jess and I had some amazing conversations on the way home from Mukwonago. We are seeking the Lord’s face in this possible ministry transition as is the church in Mukwonago. We would love for our faithful readership to join us in praying for God’s will to be done!

Thank goodness for free wi-fi at the Krupp’s house! I’m sitting in bed right now ready to pass-out from a weekend-long interview that has drained my family emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It has been an incredible time of getting to know this church, the area, and tonight especially – the Crossroads youth group. Tonight, over 50 teens gathered together for a time of fellowship, teaching, and worship. It was an awesome gathering of like-minded Christian men and women and I was honored to have been a part of it. We are continuing to pray for the Lord’s will to be done in this situation as the leadership of this church gathers to discuss possibilities after this weekend. We want only what God wants!

Tomorrow we will attempt to sleep in. (anything past 7:30 will be incredible!) We will get on the road sometime around Noon and head back to Warsaw. Jess and I are looking forward to the drive-time to talk openly together about the weekend’s events and opportunities.

I just received word via e-mail from my Grandmother that our former interim Sr. Pastor, Rev. Bill Kinnan had a stroke sometime in the last couple of days. Please keep him and his beautiful wife, June in your prayers as they deal with this situation. I’m sure I will have more information when I get back to Warsaw, but as of now I only know that he had a stroke and is back at his home in Port Huron, MI.

So we’re here in Mukwonago, WI. This is a unique time in our lives, and a unique situation to be in. We’ve met some great people in the last few hours of our time here. Tonight I went to a “Christian Skate Night” at the roller-rink in the next town over and was introduced to a great group of students. Tomorrow we have a board meeting breakfast. In the afternoon we’ll enjoy some sight-seeing, and then in the evening – a cook-out with the adult “Life Coaches”. Sunday night I’ll have the opportunity to share with the students at their service.

I probably shouldn’t have had that Grande Mocha at 11:30 tonight…

Ella is happy-as-ever.

We’re staying at Pastor Gerry & Wenda Krupp’s home this weekend. It’s brand-new and beautiful!

We’ll be heading back towards Warsaw on Monday morning.