About Our Leader Lee would rather you call him "Chaplain" instead of pastor, but regardless of what you call him he brings to the Family Dispatch Church a wide variety of interests, all of which are centered around better understanding how God works in the life of individuals who want a closer walk with Him. He enjoys painting and creative writing as a way to relieve stress and to better understand God's role in his life.Other interests include reading anything written by Francine Rivers. Lee encourages people to use the gifts that God has given them to express themselves and to offer it as a form of worship. Feel free to respond to any of the posts listed below. He would love to hear your comments. Lee has another blog located at: http://holygroundscafe.blogspot.com

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving
Well here it is Thanksgiving and 2008 is nearly over. What is lies ahead of us only God knows. We praise God as we have grown quite a bit since last January. This upcoming January brings with it challanges of how do we handle continued growth. Remember to be thankful for all those things God has given you and those things he waiting to give.
posted at 04:28PM	comments

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Going to the Next Level
For the past year my time and allegiance has been devided between Family Dispatch Church and another church where I was serving as the Imterim Pastor. Today September 7th that all changed. The other church called a full time pastor and I am now free to devote my attention to the dear people of Family Dispatch. I am excited about this because it's time that we move up to the next level as a church. But don't panic, I'll never take you anywhere God doesn't want us to go. Going to the next level simply means that we look again at what we are doing and how do we do it better. Here are some "possibililties" of what might happen. 1. We might ad a Sunday Morning service which might have bible study time before it. 2. We might ad some ministry staff to help with reaching people, teaching classes, co-preaching,additional music personnel, someone to specifically work with children. 3. We might expand our facilities by leasing additional space next door to us in the mall. 4. We might officially constitute as a church. You notice I said "we might" in all of the above cases. All of this needs to be a strong matter of prayer and then patiently wait on the Lord's direction. 5. The timing for any and all of this is either now, soon, or in January. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, continue to attend and be blessed and be a blessing to others who join you. I'm really looking forward to what God has in store. I can hardly wait until Tueasday to see what God is going to do and who he is going to use.
posted at 03:19PM	comments

Thursday, July 24, 2008

God's Bad Boys
For the next few weeks we'll be looking at what I call "God's Bad Boys" It will be some biblical characters,some famous people, some dead and still living and we'll even have some people from this area to come and share with us. God has always taken some of the most surprizing people and used in the most amazing ways. You'll enjoy hearing about what God has done and what He is doing in the hearts and lives of people.
posted at 08:45PM	comments

Saturday, June 21, 2008

One More thing about 7 Million in 7 Years
Just yesterday I received confirmation that I have successfully passed to another step toward being 1 of the 7 people selected to be in training to learn how to make 7 million dollars in 7 years. You can read a blog I had to write for this and you can find out other information at http://7m7y.com
posted at 04:20PM	comments

Monday, June 16, 2008

7 Million in 7 Years
Did you know that "7" in the bible is "complete"?6 is the number for man and it's considered incomplete. God is "7" and complete. Remember the world was created in "6" days and the God rested on the 7th? I have been selected as a possible candidate to be one of 7 people who will be trained in how to make 7 million dollars in 7 years. Now that would certainly complete me. Anyway go to the following web site and check it out.http://7m7y.com/page/2/
posted at 09:04PM	comments

Monday, May 26, 2008

Stay Focused - Stay Fresh
I have come to realize that the greatest need I have is to stay focused on my relationship with God and more specifically focused on God himself. I don't need to be all upset about the fact that I must meet certain rules that people in church have set for me. I need most of all to satisfy God and Him only. I also have figured out that one of the reasons I get frustrated with church is that things become stale. We fall into a routine that says this is how we are supposed to do, say and be. So my prayer is that I learn how to stay fresh each week. I want all that I do to honor God and give hope to his people.
posted at 03:30PM	comments

Thursday, May 22, 2008

My Tribute
Several years ago I purchased a camera. It wasn't an expensive one and it wasn't difficult to use. Just point and shoot. So I found a beautiful Kansas day and a deputy willing to be my jubject. The tribute of course isn't to the deputy but to those officers who have given thier lives in the line of duty. I sent the photo into a contect and guess what? I won. Well I wasn't the grand prize winner but I was a winner anyway. When I think of the sacrifice the offi ders gave for thier communities I think about trhe sacrifice that Jesus gave for us all. He gave his all so that we could live.
posted at 08:21PM	comments

Friday, May 16, 2008

Experiencing God
God is always at work around us. He is always wanting to involve us in His work. He loves us beyond anything we can imagine and He is always seeking to demonstrate to us His love for us. In order for us to better understand God's will for our life we must learn how He speaks to us. He speaks to us through the bible, through preaching, through circumstances, through prayer. When was the last time you realized God was speaking to you. Once you determine where God is at work and that you are going to join Him, you will come across some tough decisions. You'll have to make some decisions that require you to make adjustments. Maybe even "major" adjustments. The bottom line is simply this, you come to know god or experience HIm when you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you. This is what we aer studying on Tuesday evenings at Family Dispatch Church, come join us.
posted at 10:56PM	comments

Saturday, March 29, 2008

In God We Trust
Have you ever noticed that society is all about not offending someone. I wish it was because we really care about one anothers feelings but I'm afraid it's more about not being taken to court. We aren't supposed to pray in "Jesus name" because someone will be offended, southerners can't display the confiderate flag for the same reason. Our children aren't allowed to pray at sporting events or lunch because someone will be offended. Now if someone does these things with an "in your face" attitude I can understand, but most of the time that's just the way I practice my faith. I saw an ad in the paper the other day for the new "presidential dollars". You know the gold ones? Well anyway I noticed that the phrase "In God we Trust" is on the edge now. Youhave to really look for it, it is no longer on stamped on the front of trhe coin. Strange isn't it? I guess it just another way to keep from "offending" someone.
posted at 03:35PM	comments

Friday, February 29, 2008

Being Responsible
Starting a new church requires us to do some things that we normally might not do. Making a commitment to being faithful and a willingness to think outside the box are just a few. What lies ahead of us only God can imagine. I'm beginning to understand that when God gives direction, He expects us to follow. Being a part of something new isn't at all like being part of something that has been around for awhile. You have nothing to live up to, nothing to try to maintain. You set your own standards and dream your own dreams. Of course you also stumble over your own faults and mistakes. The greatest thing needed is willingness to be responsible for your actions and thoughts. But be careful that they are just "your" thoughts God needs to be the director of your dreams and the designer of your plans.
posted at 05:30PM	comments

Saturday, February 16, 2008

More Than Just a Little Poem
Four years ago I was serving as an interim pastor for this really great church. We decided to go through the "40 Days of Purpose" study that Rick Warren had written. The very first chapter in his book, "Purpose Driven Life" started with the words, "It's not about you". I couldn't get those words out of my mind. As I continued to serve as the fill in pastor I found that I couldn't stay focused. My thoughts kept going back and forth from where I was spiritually to where I thought God wanted me to be. I was quite confused. My ego kept getting in the way. One Saturday night as I did some last minute preparation for the Sunday sermon I wrote this poem: It's not about me, It's all about God and how He wants me to live. I'll read my bible, pray, witness and give. cause it's not about me, It's all about God and How He wants me to live. For the following months of ministry I would have this congregation repeat this poem. I would always explain it to them this way; "When we read our bible that's God talking to us, when pray that us talking to God, when we witness that's talking about God and when we give that's us giving to God." Over the years I have tried to remember that poem in everything I do. for indeed it's "Not About Me".
posted at 01:11AM	comments

Saturday, February 9, 2008

My Latest Book
HA! Gotcha! You thought I had written a book didn't you? Well Actually I did try my hand at writing a short devotional guide but that's been several years ago. What I'm talking about now is my latest book that I am reading. The title is "the Connecting Church" by Randy Frazee. He deals with going beyond small groups and going to authentic community. He tackles the idea that starting small groups just you can say you have small groups is missing the point. The point being to create a community where people can relate to others who are on the same spiritual journey. If you haven't read this bok but you are intersted in better understanding "community", then I recommend you go to your local book store and get a copy of it. I promise you, it'll be worth the money and time.
posted at 04:26PM	comments

Saturday, February 2, 2008

I'm Guilty
I have this really big desire. I want to be out of debt. I want to be able to go from one month to another without worrying about how I'm going to pay my bills. Shoot I don't want to have any bills, period. For years I have struggled with the problem of never having enough month at the end of my money. I have failed to be a good steward. Recently I have made a commitment to God to get out of dept and to be faithful to obeying Him in how I handle my finances. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this, but with Gods help I will. How about you are you doing something about the debt in your life?
posted at 02:36PM	comments

Saturday, January 19, 2008

A Lot of Little Things
I never really thought about all the "details" required in starting a church. Oh sure I figured on what I would need to do if I rented a building and went in each week just for services. I understood that I would have to pack up everything we would need and take it to the site and then pack it up and take it home at the close of trhe services. You can imagine my excitement when we got our own place. No more packing and setting up and taking down. But I didn't plan on what it took to maintain your own place. Toilet paper, cleaning supplies, furniture for the building, paint for the walls and the list go on. It's easy to think that being in ministry means trusting God for things like who will attend, what you will speak on next week and where will leadersahip come from. But there are alot of other things that need to also be considered. A lot of "little" things that when all added up make a really big list. Trusting God means understanding that He wants you to depend on Him for "everything", big and small.
posted at 03:29PM	comments

Monday, December 31, 2007

New Day & New Opportunity
Well here it is the last day of the year and I'm thinking about the future. I do a lot of that. I don't think too much about the past for I can do nothing to change it. According to scripture in Matthew 6:34 we aren't supposed to be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. It goes ahead to say that "each day has enough trouble of it own." Now that's an understatement. Every day by itself has more trouble than we can deal with. But I have a way to deal with the trouble that comes my way. It sounds almost too simple but it works. I turn things over to God and let Him deal with them. The God I serve is bigger than any of my troubles. He is bigger than anyone who causes the trouble. He's just bigger than anything I can think of. .... He God. I have learned to wake up in the morning and say "Good Morning Lord" instead of "Good Lord, Morning." I hope you have come to that same point.
posted at 10:27PM	comments

Monday, November 5, 2007

A Church Without A Home
I have been asked many times, "Where do you preach"? I've always wanted to answer at the risk of being thought of as some wise guy, "anywhere people will listen." The truth is they were asking the wrong question. What they wanted to know was "where is your church"? Which by the way is still the wrong question. What I think most people believe is that "church" is at a specific location. As I ponder this, I am aware that the real issue is the description of "church". Is church a building? Is church an address? Is church a specific location? Is church a certain group of people? For me the answer to all these questions is NO! Church is not a building or an address, it's not even a specific location or group of people. Church is what happens when people collectively connect with God. Now let's go a little further with this topic. The right question is "Where does THE church meet"? More specifically "where does YOUR church meet"? Churches are springing up all over the world. Some in homes, movie houses, coffee shops, shopping malls and of course many have their own buildings. FAMILY DISPATCH CHURCH is presently meeting in a bed & breakfast, which in and of itself is rather odd since neither do we spend the night nor are we there in the morning. It's a great place to meet. We have the entire dinning room to ourselves. We set around the tables use the kitchen area and just enjoy the fun of being together. But we are almost crowded. No yet, but mooving in that direction. It won't be long before we'll need to find another place to meet. We could very well become "nomads", moving from place to place. The question is this, "will that make us any less of a church"? You tell me? Click on Comments and tell me what you think?
posted at 01:36PM	comments

Monday, October 22, 2007

What Makes A Church ?
Some people would say that it's the preacher, while others would insist that it's the fantastic music. I guess there might even be people who would believe it's the implimentation of great plans. I personally believe that the greatness of a church is directly related to the prayer life of those who attend. The preacher and music people must also saturate what they do with prayer. If you don't believe in and practice prayer your church will never be great. How about you, do you have an comments regarding prayer? Click on comments and tell me what you think.
posted at 09:48PM	comments

Friday, October 5, 2007

I Dare you
Have you ever in you life had someone "dare" you to do something? Usually taking a dare isn't a good thing, but sometimes it is. Over a month ago we started this new church with the idea in mind that we would "focus" on police and fire personnel and their families. (but everyone is welcome) We are trying not to be traditional. Out time is different we meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30p.m. Our location is different, we are located at an old bed & breakfast at 3535 SW 6th in Topeka, KS Our approach is different, we use Andy Griffith & Barney Fife DVD's to start the discussion. Our relationship building is different, we enjoy refreshments as we meet. Our support is different, we don't take up an offering or even mention it. If someone wants to make a donation we just quietly take it and go on. Is this something you think you might be intersted in? Come on and check us our "I DARE YOU". How about some comments on the idea, write back and tell me what you think. "I DARE YOU".
posted at 05:57PM	comments