DLmail 1/13/2009 Side Effects

Side effects are something my family has learned a lot about in the past several years. I am not talking about the bad ones either. I am talking about the side effects of serving. Pam and I have experienced our church (Northwoods, the largest downstate church in IL) on a small scale, simply by serving in Discoveryland. Let's investigate some wicked good side effects. We connected with Stephanie Elder through DL. Besides being one of Pam's most cherished friends, she is also Pam's "front(wo)man" in her current cancer battle. Stephanie was put into place last year as a physican's assistant (nurse practioner) at Peoria Surgical, the office that houses three of Pam's surgeons. That is so reassuring.

Another side effect, Randy Wilcoxen. I first met Randy in DL as we prepared a little graduation program many years ago for the outgoing 5th graders. It was a love connection of the brotherly kind. Randy is a physician's assistant at Midwest ENT. Our Erin has a shotty history in the ear arena and when her doctor retired several years ago, my new DL friend Randy was there to take over. He has checked on Erin at church and in his home. She had a horrible night last night with a raging infection in her right ear and a quick email and a cell phone call got her in and wha-la, she is feeling better already. Cool side effect of serving. (And yes, this is the only pic I could find of Randy today...sorry)

I don't know if any of you have ever heard of a side effect called Dr. Kathy Arkwell or not. She has only fixed the teeth of about half of the population of Peoria under the age of 35. She has also been a faithful DL servent since forever. We first met Kathy when she spoke to our DLer's about her dad. The timing was interesting as it was 2004, our bad year. When concerns arose regarding Josh's orthodontic work a couple years ago, Kathy stepped in and took such good care of him (and his sister and their parents), we were humbled beyond humble.

The list of side effects are numerous. DL fellow leader Kevin Stewart has become my personal counselor. DL team leader Susan Rychener prays for Pam like none other and is always in touch with her, encouraging her. DL staffer Rachel White has been with us the whole time, from feeding us breakfast in the hospital in 05, to watching our kids...you name it. Another fellow DL leader (Dr.) Monica Stewart gave Pam some much needed input regarding the rehab of her left arm just Saturday evening. DL leader and teacher (& attorney) Kevin Elder is practically on retainer, totally watching Pam's back and letting her know it. DL staffer Keith Lindgren was waiting by the phone to help when Pam was last in the hospital. The captain of DL, Gary, and his first mate Jeannine are always there for us. I could go on and on. I could list side effects from years past. I could list for a long, long time. But you get my drift.

Serving in DL has produced a return for us (and may I add that in review of what I am writing I am feeling a wee bit guilty that we take so much without giving...maybe someday). I/we have seen firsthand the blessing of service in Discoveryland at Northwoods (notice I didn't even go into the blessing of the kids and the relationships and the witnessing of changed lives there, that is a whole other post). My point here was, uh, I forgot...too wordy.

We were three leaders vs. 33 kids last Saturday. Too few, but Kevin and Monica are so good that it went smashingly well. Were we tested? Yes. Are we learning from the kids as we try to serve them appropriately? Definitely. Keith juggled the teaching and worship singlehandedly and all went well. But we do need more help. Connecting with kids in small groups is awesome as long as the small groups are small. That only happens when enough adults step up to serve. Pray for that. We will continue our study of Resourcefulness this coming Saturday. The small group leader info can be found by clicking here. The Bible story is: Hezekiah and the wall, 2 Kings 18:1-2, 5-8; and 2 Chronicles 32:1-23. The bottom line is: Do your best, and trust God to do His part. Our memory verse remains Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." For Cal's mainstage message from last week, click here.

Now...

My camera had a coniption during DL last weekend. The photos I took weren't actually recorded and at one point the thing froze like the battery was dead. Josh and I took the camera apart with my Swiss Army knife and actually fixed it, but the only surviving image from the night was this short video clip. Enjoy.

Finally, I get so many responses when I ask you all to name that tune. Last weeks winner was Emi Ragan, (Be My Lover by Le Bouche). She wins a free subscription to DLmail and an open invitation to serve as the 4th grade girls small group leader any time she wants and as often as she wants, even though she is already a small group leader on Sunday. She also wins the admiration of many of us. Lucky Emi.

So...below is a parting gift for all the rest of you guessers.

Here is a little ditty from my audio archives for your entertainment. Thank you all for all you do.