I am sure most of you that follow www.dustinwilson.org have been wondering what I have been up too. Let’s just say “life has been crazy” is an under statement. Crazy in a good way. The Wilson family is growing. The girls are keeping my life busy. Church is picking up for summer with planning for summer camps and preparing for new service.
I do have a way you can follow me. I keep my twitter account updated regularly. Check me out at www.twitter.com/dustinbwilson. You can find out what makes me tick, what God is up too in my life, what makes me mad, where I am eating, what I am eating, etc.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Since Valentines Day is coming up this week, I thought I would list some books that may be good reads for couples.
I Do Again:
With their professional success and adorable twin daughters, Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs looked like the perfect couple. But their polished facade concealed a widening chasm between two people unable to connect on an intimate, soul-deep level.
After years of frustration, Cheryl’s desire for emotional fulfillment led to an affair and, finally, divorce. Yet, incredibly, seven years later, Jeff and Cheryl once again stood at the altar, promising to “love, honor, and cherish” one another. A new and vibrant love had risen out of the ashes of this family’s pain.
I Do Again details the fascinating real-life story of a couple whose relationship seemed shattered beyond all hope until a spiritual awakening led them to reconsider their definitions of “happily ever after.” A riveting account of the power of prayer and redemption, this remarkable book offers renewed hope for even the most troubled marriages—and reveals why the rewards of restoration are well worth the wait.
I Do Again: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074452 <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074452>
Love As a Way of Life:
In his book Love As a Way of Life, best-selling author Gary Chapman shows readers how to cultivate a new lifestyle built around the seven characteristics of authentic love. Now in a companion devotional, he provides ninety inspirational readings to help Christians consistently live out the characteristics of love in every relationship.
Each devotional entry showcases biblical truths that guide a life of love, offering fresh insight and practical guidance in how to make love a lasting habit. Over the course of three months, readers will learn to follow God’s lead as they practice the characteristics of a loving person: kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity, and honesty.
The Love As a Way of Life Devotional makes an ideal gift for the holidays or for any special occasion. Couples, parents, new graduates, and anyone celebrating a milestone in life will welcome this inspiring daily guide to richer, more satisfying relationships.
Love As A Way Of Life Devo: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307444694 <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307444694>
For Couples Only Box Set:
Since their debut, these revolutionary guides have sold well over a million copies, been translated into fifteen languages, and sparked much fascinating water-cooler conversation around the country. Now together in the For Couples Only boxed set, these books provide the perfect resource to help you understand what you never knew about the woman or man in your life.
Each volume is based on input from more than a thousand members of the opposite sex—including an unprecedented nationwide survey and hundreds of personal interviews. This innovative approach yields candid and surprising answers about everything you don’t “get” about your significant other—even what that person deeply wishes you knew. It also produces simple but groundbreaking awareness of how you can best love and support the one who is most important to you. [Part of me wanted to make this paragraph past tense—yielded and produced—because of the first paragraph, but that took away some of the immediacy of what the books offer. I’ll leave that up to you.]
So whether you are newly dating or have been married fifty years, get ready to know each other in a whole new way. The adventure is just beginning!
For Couples Only: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1601422482 <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1601422482>
Filed under: Devotional
That song is one that I can remember singing as a child in church and at home. I loved that song. I still think it is one of the best song even though it is a little childish 
. It is so Biblical. Jesus love us all! He proved himself to me when he showed me what he had to do for me because of my wrong doings. I wasn’t worthy of that but he did it out of his love for me and everyone else. Oh how he loves you and me…
Do you know that he loves you?
Are you showing that love to others?
Jesus loves us and we are to love others.
This past Saturday, Warehouse Student Ministries went to feed the homeless in downtown Seneca. We had over 20+ people with us (which included parents and students.) We feed 59 people that day. Josh Dawalt opened us up with a few songs. Then I brought the word. I shared a sermon on God’s love for us all. Everyone responded well. 5 that I know of made some kind of a decision to follow God!
My favorite time that day was when I was speaking when an africian american gangsta home dawg named Nate was saying “Dawg! Me and my family will do it right now!” He was talking about accepting Christ! After I spoke he came forward and some others and we prayed with them to recieve Chirst. I found out later Nate has several different problems going on in his life and they have been working on him for weeks but he has been pushing them away. This past Saturday was the first time he has ever responded to God! That is awesome! God showed up in amazing ways Saturday.
That is what it is all about! Serving the “least of these” is serving Jesus! To God be the glory for it all!
Here is some pictures…
Some people just plain out make me mad. Angry! Ticked!
Who in the world would ever think this is right? Some just don’t get what Jesus is all about and they mess up the image of the Body of Christ (The Church). God wouldn’t want this.
I better stop typing before I say to much.
That is a saying that I heard a lot growing up. My grandma used to say that from time to time. That is a statement I am using a lot right now. Here is a run down on what is going on.
- Hannah is sick. She has mononucleosis plus a cold. She has not been able to go to work and Church (which is her work) in 2 weeks now. When I took the vow to love her in sickness and in health this is what I sign on for. I am learning a lot about love through this. This is what is called unconditional love. It is hard at times because I am having to get both her and our 7 year old what they need. I did not realize how much Hannah does until now. She is a blessing to me and a lot of people. I love her so much. Please lift her up in your prayers.
- Christmas Time. Busy Busy Busy. Somewhere a long the way in our history people thought it would be great to make Christmas all about gifts and stress everyone out with all the stopping. I love Christmas. I love the giving. I love celebrating the Birth of OUR Savior! but Christmas time is a busy time of the year. We are throwing a big event to feed the needy in our community on Dec. 20 and I know the next 2 weeks are going to get even busier.
- Our washer broke! Our washer and dryer was given to us by Hannah’s aunt and uncle. They had the washer and dryer for several years . It has washed a lot of clothes. It has been a great washer but it’s life has come to an end. RIP. We had to buy another washer so we went ahead and bought a dryer with it. My uncle works for Lowes and he hooked us up with a great deal on a front loader washers and dryer. Even though it was a great deal, it still cost money. The washer choice the wrong time to stop working. It’s Christmas! We have to spend a lot of money already!
Please pray for us. We don’t need anymore sickness. We need Hannah to get to feeling better. We don’t need to have to spend anymore money on things braking down. I know it is life but it would be great if it picked a better time period to hit, not during the Christmas season.
Know that We (my family) find our joy in knowing that we have a Father up in heaven who loves us and is looking over us! We are celebrating what our Savior did for us!
Hope everyone in blog land is doing great!
Filed under: Church, Master's Class, Youth Ministry | Tags: Bob Whitesel, church growth, IWU, Master's Class
Church leaders talk about numbers a lot. When ever someone comes up to me wonder about how the youth ministry is doing they normally ask how many do you have in your ministry? Of course, I tell them the numbers but numbers isn’t the only thing that needs to be measured.
Most of you know that I have been in my master’s class now for 4 weeks. I am learning a lot in how to lead a Church. One thing that I am learning is how to evaluate growth in the Church. I would like to share with you.
Bob Whitesel, my professor is an incredible person and knows his stuff. He is a Church consultant and if your Church is looking for someone that will challenge you and your Church then use him. In his book, Growth by Accident Death by Planning, he shows a way to measure growth. Not just in numbers.
4 ways to measure Growth in a Church
Maturation Growth: ”They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
- Are the ministries producing disciples?
- How is small groups/Sunday School/Bible studies going?
- How many of the congregation is involved in some for of discipleship?
Growth in Unity: ”All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2:44
- Is community being built?
- How is the unity in the Church?
- Does the people understand the vision and the mission of the Church?
- Do they church come and sit in the Church or they involved?
Growth in Favor: “enjoying the favor of all the people” Acts 2:47b
- Is the Church meeting the needs in the community?
- What does the community think about the Church?
- Are the people in the Church connecting with the community?
Growth in Numbers: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Act 2:47c
- Are people showing up at the Church?
- Are we reaching people?
All 4 of these need to be measured. The sad part is that most Churches only measure the numbers. Numbers are important but it isn’t the only important growth in the Church.
This is just a few things that I am learning so far. I love this class!
People may be asking “What is Dustin been up too?” Here is the run down of what I have been doing…
1. Started my master’s in ministeral leadership last week. It is going to be a fun 2 years. It is all online. The class I am in right now is called “Non-Profit Management”. It is very interesting stuff. I am learning right now how to implement change in a church, how to give options, and how your church prayer life should be. Did I mention I am really excited about this. I don’t care much for the degree. That isn’t why I am doing it. I want to learn. I am a student of God for life!
2. Working with the district youth to make this year rock. Camp is going to be so much fun! The theme is LiveLoud. I think it will be one of the greatest camps. I am really looking forward to it.
3. I have been enjoying youth ministry. (Not all pastors can say that!) I love my teens. They are really cool to work with. (Side note: I threw a stole last week during my message and broke it. Sorry Matt.) We are in a series now called Wild Goose Chase. It is going to be a great 6 week series. We are talking about following after the Holy Spirits and going after your God ordain passions (I threw the stole when I was talking about God ordain passions.)
4. Learning how to be a parent. It isn’t easy. It is some times fun. It isn’t fun when they tell you that they hate you and that you are mean because you have to punish them for not behaving. I love her to much not to punish. I call it tough love. We do love each other and I would not trade this. I love being with my two girls!
5. Doing another book review. This time it is more of a reference book. The Greatest Words Ever Spoken. It is a really good reference book. I am enjoying using it.
6. Going to CRAVE conference at SWU this weekend.
Welp that is just a quick update. I will post something worth reading soon.
Me Myself and I Am Created by Matthew Peters in partnership with Elisa Stanford
This is a different kind of book. It is more like a journal but not your normal journal either. It is a question and answer book. It ask things about yourself going up, who you are now, and what you want to do. It also ask questions about your relationship with God. I am excited about this book because it is something that years from now I will be able to look at and see where God has brought me from. I think it will be something really cool to show my kids and grand kids. It will help them better understand me.
If you are looking for a different book that will make you think about yourself, life, and your relationship with God then this book is for you.
Here is a summary of the book:
A new experience of God comes one question at a time in this fun and provocative journal. Made up entirely of insightful, profound, and occasionally ridiculous questions, Me, Myself, and I AM invites you to open to any page, open yourself to God, and be the author of yourown story.
Questions range from spiritually intriguing—
You overhear God talking about you. What do hear him saying?
to thought-provoking—
You are on a long car trip with a close friend who is not a Christian and the conversation turns to faith. What is your biggest fear about what your friend will ask or say?
to challenging—
Do you believe that all of Jesus’s followers have a responsibility to tell others about him?
to just plain fun—
If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be:
Animal House
As Good as It Gets
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
It’s a Wonderful Life
Me, Myself, and I AM will entertain, inspire, and get you thinking about your spiritual life from brand new angles. Whether you use Me, Myself, and I AM as a reflective tool, a way to start conversations with friends and family, or as a spiritual time capsule to look back on years later, their own words will create a powerful journey of self-discovery.
You can buy this book here www.amazon.com.
My review of the book For Young Men Only: Wow. I wish I had this book when I was young and was trying to learn about girls. I am 23 years old and I have been married for about a year and a half now and I learnt a lot from this book. What I love about it is that it is from girls. The content came from girls not guys! The authors interviewed girls and in the book they say what they want most in a guy. I think if you are a young man then you should read this book. If you are a youth pastor, parent or teacher, you need to have your guys read this. The great thing is that there is one out there for girls too. It is called For Young Women Only. I am planning on using these two books for a series that I plan on doing in February. Check out the book for yourself www.foryoungmenonly.com
Book Summary:
The best-selling ONLY series returns with a one-of-a-kind guide for teen guys on how to figure out girls
Drawing on a fresh national survey of 600 teen girls, as well as hundreds of personal interviews, For Young Men Only reveals the real truth about what teenage girls think, what they want, and how average teen guys can build healthy friendships with high quality girls. Full of surprising revelations and practical advice, For Young Men Only delivers help straight from the girls themselves in a fun, easy-to-read, easy-to-talk about format.
Warm, witty, and honest, authors Jeff Feldhahn and Eric Rice tell plenty of personal stories and draw on solid biblical principles to guide young guys through the often daunting world of the opposite sex. Their goal is to help teen guys build self-confidence and understanding, and show them how to pursue a relationship with a girl while giving her the respect and protection she deserves.
Where you can buy it…
