It is not easy to even type the words, "We are moving," let alone say them aloud. However, on Sunday July 15, I shall begin working at the Shasta Way Christian Church in Klamath Falls. We ask for your continued prayer for our family as we make this huge transition, and certainly be in prayer for the next person God has in mind for ministry in our congregation. The church does not stand or fall on any one person, except for the Person of Jesus Christ, and I have it on good authority that He has chosen to continue His ministry here in our church for many years to come.

The decision was a difficult one for our family, and actually moving shall be even more difficult, but we believe this is the right thing to do. Ministry is unlike any other work when it comes to transition because it is more than just a job. When it is done correctly, ministry is a relationship. And relationships are not changed easily.

There is much time to say goodbye, but I have always been grateful for the role that you all have played in our family. You have been very loving and attentive to our children. Some of you have been their faithful teachers, sharing the most important messages in the world from the most important Book in the world. All of you have been examples of faith in action. As they have grown up, they have learned from you all what it means to be a Christian, and I am grateful to say they have learned from some of the best teachers I know.

I know that ours is not the only family in this church preparing for major transitions. Just as God will take care of all those families, so God will take care of the church we love, because "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful" (1Cor 1:9).

One day there will be a church where we do not have to say goodbye. Nor will we need to worship in separate buildings from our Christian friends who attend other churches, because there shall be one church and one very large and very joyous worship service. It will indeed be a beautiful occasion when we are all together to worship on one place, and to do so as we all gaze face to face upon the Lord we now worship.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful . And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb 10:23-25).

Yours in Christ's service,

Don

The fifth-graders marched into our fourth grade class and sat among us for a special presentation at school. Steve sat by me. He was my neighbor and we often played together.

It was my chance to impress my fellow classmates by showing them I was pals with one of the "big kids." It was also a chance to show-off my rebellious side to Steve.

"Hey, Steve. Look at this." I brought out a drawing I did with a caption that said, "Mrs. Horse-fleas." It was a nickname that so cleverly rhymed with the name of our teacher, Mrs. Voorhees. And my drawing depicted her in a zombie-like trance following an alien out the door.

I knew Steve would like my artwork and love my sense of humor. He knitted his brows and squinted as I proudly smiled. Tilting his head to one side, Steve asked, "Why’d you draw this?"

"It’s funny," I said, thinking his question was silly.

Rick was on the other side of Steve and added, "No one likes Mrs. Horse-fleas, so we all pick on her."

"Why?" asked Steve. "I had her last year, and she’s a nice teacher."

I didn’t know what to say to Steve, but Rick could not have said more plainly. "The bigger boys tease her, so we all do, too. We don’t want to get pounded."

I knew Rick was right. The truth was, just like Steve, I also thought she was nice and she never deserved the hard time we all gave her.

Steve shook his head and gave my picture back to me. Ashamed, I stuck it back in my desk, only to tear it up after school.

It’s not just kids. Even mature adults kick themselves for laughing at inappropriate jokes, or nodding in agreement to cruel gossip or racist comments. And when we’re among certain people such things may even come out of our own mouths.

Why rock the boat? Why open a can of worms? Why criticize somebody for gossiping when it won’t do any good anyway? After all, I’m not the judge. I can’t be the conscience for everyone else.

Perhaps we cannot be someone else’s conscience, but we are told to be their light. And being a light means we will have to be noticeable -- even if it makes us uncomfortable. "You are the light of the world," Jesus said, "A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house" (Matthew 5:14-15).

Our fourth-grade teacher retired after that year. Because of our class, I know that many of the memories of her last year of teaching were not fond ones. Fortunately for her there were a few other kids like Steve.

Yours in Christ’s service, Don

It's hard to believe that it was ten years ago this month that Marshall Applewhite took thirtyeight others with him to their death in a mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate cult. He was somehow able to convince his followers that their death would free them to join a spaceship hidden within the tail of the Hale-Bopp comet. SanDiego unwittingly joined Waco, Texas and Guyana in South America as places known for the tragedy of false belief.

We wonder how people can allow themselves to be duped into such disaster. Perhaps the more important question is what can Christians do about it. We can't prevent false Messiahs from cropping up, but we can help keep others from following their deadly paths.

Christians must continue to seek those who search for truth. People often get involved in cults because of a sincere hunger for truth. This is especially true with young people, among whom the cults constantly seek recruits. And if Christians are not there to provide them truth, falsehood has an open door to their hearts.

The church needs a strong sense of mission. We must speak of it often, and let it drive us. The radical sense of purpose among the cults is enticing to many who search for meaning. If Christians give themselves to a strong sense of godly mission, then they can attract others who also seek a life purpose.

It should go without saying that we ought to let the world see a difference in the church. Many who join cults do so because they see a lifestyle radically different from the world. And cult members often bypass traditional churches because, tragically, far from being "aliens and strangers in the world" (1Pet 2:11), we too often blend in with the rest of society.

Real enthusiasm must feel at home in our churches. There should be a place in our spiritual lives for mountaintop experiences, especially for young people. Those experiences become watershed events providing a spiritual momentum for a lifetime. If Christians can get this in their church experience, they'll have no reason to look for it among religious cults.

Perhaps most crucial, churches should capitalize on Christian love and caring relationships. Outside the family, the church should be the place where such needs as love, friendship and encouragement are satisfied. Those who hurt need our special attention. One of the main reasons people join cults is that those groups seem to meet the legitimate need for love that we all have. So we, as Jesus' disciples, must show love all the more so the world can see the difference between genuine love that only comes from God, and love that is put on as a mask, hiding the deception beneath.

Yours in Christ's service, Don

"Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." What a biography! Not even enough to be a footnote, yet it says all we need to know about our friend and example – Enoch. Let's find his footprints and see how far we can follow them before we ourselves get to the end.