For just a minute I want you to think of someone you know who is solid. Someone from the time you met them until today they are just solid.
 
The Apostle John was a solid guy. John came from a good family. He was the son of Zebedee who owned a fishing business. John’s family were active Jews and John’s father was friends with the high priest. His mother Salome was Mary (the Mother of Jesus) sister. John’s family had money, so he had a taste of affluence, but when Jesus said to them come and follow me and I will make you fishers of men, John, James, Peter, and Andrew all left the fishing business becoming full time disciples.
 
So what lessons can we learn for the life of John that apply to use here and now? John knew the depth of Jesus love for him. In the Book of John, he refers to himself five times as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ John got it that God loved him. It so fired him up that he was fearless entering the courts of Caiaphas during Jesus’s trail and spoke without fear to everyone, including the Sanhedrin. This is recorded in Acts 3:1-4, 4:1-31.
 
In the same way, you are loved by Jesus. He has chosen you. You are his. He wants to walk with you and talk with you and hold you and encourage you. He wants to celebrate with you. God is not some distance unknowable force. He is personable, and we can see this in Jesus.
   
John was also loyal to Jesus. John was the only one of the 12 apostles present at the cross. After Pentecost, John teamed up with Peter to fearlessly preach the gospel in Jerusalem and suffered beatings and imprisonment for it. John underwent a remarkable transformation as a disciple, from the quick-tempered Son of Thunder to the compassionate apostle of love.
 
When you are loyal to Jesus it reveals your new life in Christ. When you are loyal to Christ, it translates into living a different kind of life. A life with hope. A life with joy. A life where forgiveness is given and received.
 
Last week I was in Washington DC. I had the chance to meet several congress people and talk to other legislators. I was there with International Ministerial Fellowship at a chaplain’s conference.
 
While I was there, a friend from the military reached out to me on social media and we set up dinner. Dave was the guy that took me under his wing the first night we got shot at by insurgents. He was the guy that recommended me for the job I took as an undercover narcotics agent with the Office of Special Investigation. Dave was my supervisor and my friend. And after laughing with him at all the stupid things we did 25 years ago, Dave reminded me that I am not who I was, I am a new creation in Christ.
 
John loved people because of Jesus. Because John experienced the unconditional love of Jesus firsthand and grew in it, he preached that love in his gospel. On one occasion John was flogged by the religious leaders, but John didn’t hate those who abused him. Instead he chose to glorify God through the pain. He didn’t lose his faith because things didn’t go right, he stayed strong in his faith because he knew Jesus loved him and he was committed to being loyal to him.
 
When you love people like Jesus, it makes a difference.
 
 “34A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-36
 
I want to love others like Jesus influencing them to know God’s love and share God’s love. I want to be loyal to God because he so loves me. I challenge you to do the same. Love God, love people. 

​When our church was small I chose to work as a mechanic out of my garage to earn a few bucks on the side. Sometimes I would have to fight a car part that just refused to cooperate. Whenever a bolt refused to come off or a part refused to go on I would exchange a few words with it. I’d call it names and threaten it. One day I was working on a car and Josh decided to work on his trike. He wanted to tighten the wheels or something and the bolt was a little rusty so he went to town on it. He hit the bolt with the wrench and started to yell at it like it was a person. All I could think of was what in the world was my wife teaching this boy?  
 
It was a lesson I will never forget. Parents, you have huge influence in your kids’ lives. Live out your faith at home and be a great example for your kids to follow. They have plenty of bad examples already, you be a good one.
 
James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. James was influenced by his Jewish father for sure. But after listening to Jesus and seeing the miracle that he did by causing all the fish to swim into his nets he made Jesus the number one influence in his life.  James chose to follow Jesus instead of following in his family tradition. As far as we know his father never followed Jesus and probably died a devout Jew. James didn’t let his father’s religion dictate his faith.
 
We really do get to pick to a large degree who we let influence us. Before I let someone influence me I ask myself two questions:   
 
1. Does this person influence me in a positive way or serve as a bad example?
2. Does this person help me grow closer to Christ or are they leading me further from him?  
 
You have the freedom to choose your own life path. You may come from a family of atheists or new agers, but that doesn’t mean you need to adopt their lack of faith. You might have been raised by an alcoholic or abuse parent, but that doesn’t mean you will automatically become one. Pick your path and the people you allow to influence you based on the will of God.
 
On the flip side, there are others who you can choose to have a positive influence on. Start to build a relationship with them by inviting them out for coffee or ask them over for dinner. As Christians we are called to help others and one way we can do that is by letting the love of Christ shine through us.
 
We influence others on three levels: the logical level, the emotional level, and the serving level. The logical level means we influence others with our mind. This is why the Bible tells us that we need to always be prepared to give and answer for the hope we have in Christ. The emotional level is influencing others by sharing your passion about Jesus and what he has done in your life. Serving means people will be influenced by your actions.
    
Who influences you? Do they draw you closer to Christ or lead you further from him?
Are you brave enough to choose your own path and let Jesus be your number one influence in how you live?
And who will you intentionally influence? Who can you influence on an intellectual level, emotional level and by choosing to serve others?
 
“15But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,..” 1 Peter 3:15
 
If we want to raise the spiritual climate of our community, we need more people to be influenced by Jesus who are unashamed to live for his glory.

​Matthew was an average kid who came from good stock. His father Alphaeus gave his son the birthname Levi because he came from the tribe of Levi. They were the priestly line who were supposed to live holy lives and live in the temple.
 
Why Matthew chose to work for the Romans as a tax collector we will never know, but instead of being joined with the Lord, Matthew chose to join with the Romans and collect taxes.
 
Matthew’s call to follow Jesus came in the middle of a workday. The tax collector outcast was called by Christ himself to a better occupation, to better wealth than what silver and gold could buy, and to serve a better king than Caesar.       
 
This is the only detail we are given: Jesus invited him to follow, and Matthew followed. He gave up his occupation, his reputation, and his income to follow a more worthy king. He did it without reservation or excuse. Matthew felt the tug on his heart and he was moved to action.
 
The calling of Matthew demonstrates that when God extends an invitation, we should accept it. Have you ever felt God tugging on your heart? Did you respond with action or did you just shrug it off? It might not be clear yet what exactly God is calling you to do, but his invitation to live a better life is always on your calendar. He is always inviting you to live a holy life, a life of love, grace, and forgiveness.
 
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:18 
 
Very shortly after Matthew’s invitation to follow Christ he threw a party. He wanted everybody to know that he was a new creation in Christ, as Paul would later say the old has gone and the new has come. 
 
Matthew invited a ton of his old friends who he knew as a tax collector and some of his new friends who he knew because of Jesus. The people who came would never show up in the local synagogue because they would have been judged, labeled, and ostracized. They would have felt shame and rejection all before they even would have heard the word of God read to them. But they were willing to come to Matthew’s house for a free dinner, they didn’t really care what it was about, Matthew was their friend.
 
We also learn from Matthew, never let your past get in the way of your future. It doesn’t matter if you have a criminal past, a troubled upbringing, lack of confidence, lack of experience, or were the star of the team. Everyone has something in their closet that likes to pop up at the worst times. There is no such thing as a perfect family and a perfect upbringing, we all need to work out our own salvation. Paul writes:  
 
“12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13
 
We are not saved by works, we are saved by faith. These verses refer to wrestling out your own faith. Getting past your past, getting past what was and trusting God with your future.
 
Matthew’s intention was to introduce his friends to Jesus. He wanted them to meet the man who changed his life from depression to intention. From broken to blessed. He wanted them to meet Jesus for themselves and hear his words of life because he loved them, these were his people. What’s fascinating is that Matthew used his influence with his old crowd to introduce them to his new crowd. He wanted to leverage his influence to help others connect with Christ.
 
As a church our vision is to raise the spiritual climate of the community. If something awesome and amazing in your life is happening, you want to tell others like Matthew did.  Accept his invitation, don’t let your past stop you from stepping into your future. There are people near you that need to be near Jesus. God has placed them in your life for you to help them to connect to Jesus. This week will you use your influence to help people find Christ? 

​Every believer has a God given dream and a God given destiny. The vast majority of people believe that God has a purpose for them but very few actually understand what it means to fulfill it. We get side tracked, we get confused, we take a few hits and fail a couple times and eventually we give up shelving the very dream that God placed on our heart. God wants you to fulfill your purpose and destiny and it’s going to take strong character in order for you to do it.
 
Genesis 39 records a situation where Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife’s advances. She tried to seduce him and he ran but was still accused of rape and put into prison. Joseph had no idea why God allowed him to be put into prison for doing the right thing but it was in prison that Joseph learned to persevere and it is also where his character was strengthened.
 
God will develop your character through trials and tribulation. Jesus said “33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
 
In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus told a parable about two houses that were built. One was built on the sand and the other was built on the rock. Both houses were hit by the storm but only one survived. The point is that storms and trouble come and wise people have strong character that can endure them.
 
How can God use tribulations to strengthen your character? First, tribulation produces perseverance. When you go through long periods of testing you learn to trust God and not expect immediate answers. Perseverance involves fighting the battle while you are waiting with contentment.
 
We learn patience at the DMV. We learn patience going through TSA at the airport. But we learn to persevere when we endure long periods of testing. When the trial you are in goes on for months and months or even year after year and you stand in faith you are persevering. There is a difference between learning patience and persevering. James writes: “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3
 
Second, while tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character. In deep trials our character is pressed. Our worst often gets squeezed out under pressure. But if you let the Holy Spirit work in you, your faith can actually come out when you are being squeezed. Why? Because character produces hope and hope will strengthen your character.     
 
Hope is believing that God is working everything for our good right now. Hope is believing that God loves us and is going to take care of us right now. Hope is believing we are in the center of God’s will even if we are in the center of a dozen problems. This is Biblical hope.              
 
And guess what hope produces? Hope produces divine appointments. Romans 5:5 tells us that hope does not disappoint. To disappoint is the opposite of appoint. So hope appoints, lack of hope disappoints. Hope produces divine appointments.
 
Joseph did not have a pity party when he was thrown into prison. He continued to serve God and look for opportunities to bless others even when he was incarcerated. The king had imprisoned his cupbearer and baker. One day Joseph noticed they were sad so he asked them what was going on. They had dreams and wanted them to be interpreted and that’s what Joseph did. He was interested in them because he didn’t let his own problems consume him. He still saw an opportunity to minister to someone else.
 
When you go through a difficult trial allow it to produce perseverance in you. And as you persevere, let God strengthen your character. And as your character gets stronger, you will be better able to see things from a different perspective and that will give you hope. And when you have hope you will look for divine appointments to minister to others and take one step closer to fulfilling your destiny. God can use trials and tribulations to strengthen your character if you let him, the choice is up to you.  

​I want to warn you about a blind spot and it could get a little uncomfortable. What blind spot are we talking about? Sexual impurity. Sexual impurity is any sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage. It also includes pornography and lusting after other people for the purposes of fulfilling some sexual desire or fantasy. According to the statistics, this is a big issue.   
 
72% of men and 28% of women view internet pornography on a monthly basis.
30% of men are considered to have an addiction to pornography.
47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home.
(https://fightthenewdrug.org/10-porn-stats-that-will-blow-your-mind/, accessed 19 June 2018)
 
God created people sexual beings and in the right context sex is wonderful and meant to be enjoyed. God created men and women to want to have sexual relations and join together in marriage, but just like every other gift that God gives us he wants us to steward it.
 
This is how you can avoid sexual impurity. First, impurity begins in the eye. Jesus says: “28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 Make the decision to not to look at women lustfully before you are tempted to look. Job writes: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” Job 31:1. Job made a covenant with his eyes (himself) to not look lustfully. 
 
Second, think about how impurity affects your family. If you struggle with porn and are a married man you’re probably deceiving your wife to cover it up because you feel ashamed of it. It also affects your ability to give and receive real love because porn isn’t based on love, it’s based on lust. Fifty percent of men who struggle with porn also struggle with sexual intimacy with their spouse. If this is an area of struggle for you it will impact your family in more ways than you can possibly comprehend.
 
Third, think about how impurity affects your faith. God doesn’t overlook sin. He doesn’t turn a blind eye. The reality is that once you cross the line and commit sexual immorality it gets easier and easier until you may not even feel much conviction. But God still sees it and it does impact your prayers and God’s direction in your life.      
 
Fourth, think about how impurity affects your future. It takes strong character to fulfill the plans and purpose that God has for you. If this is a character weakness for you, you will never be able to fulfill your full destiny until you deal with it. Isaiah writes: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
 
We serve a gracious and loving God and when we turn 180 degrees and go a different direction, God can restore us. This is called repentance, actually repenting of our sins. Ask God to help you because without the power of the Holy Spirit in your life you are going to lose this battle over and over. So if you want to win the fight against sexual immorality, here is where to start:
 

1. Pray daily for strength in this area. Ask God to help you control your eyes and your thoughts. If you do have lustful thoughts, confess them to God. Satan likes to work in the darkness so if you keep this area of your life hidden from God it’s where Satan can really do some damage.
2. Get an accountability partner. You need to connect with someone who is not impressed with you and isn’t afraid to ask you hard questions. Then be honest with them. You might even want to come to one of our support groups, or participate in Celebrate Recovery. A Christian counselor who specializes in sex addiction may even be necessary. There is help and there is hope for you.
3. Keep your house clean. Get rid of the stuff that causes sin. And in reality, you might even have to clean up a few relationships. If your spouse is addicted to porn, get good counseling from a Christian counselor.  

 
Keep trying no matter what. You might slip a few times, but don’t quit. Give this area over to God and become a good steward of your sexuality so that it doesn’t become an anchor in your life tying you to the wrong thing. No matter how bad your past is or how many times you have messed up, because you are not dead, God is not done with you.
    

​Do you believe that God wants to prosper you or punish you? Sometimes we believe that God is out to get us and punish us for all that we do wrong. Like an overbearing parent who yells at their child for everything they do. And once this gets in our head our perception of God changes and no matter how many times we read that God is loving and kind all we see is this judge who is out to sentence us with misfortune every chance he gets. This is bad theology. The reality is that life is tough and we do have hard times but God is with us through them. In fact, God wants us to prosper.
 
In Genesis 39 we learn about how Joseph prospered even after Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph to have an affair with her. After Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife’s advances, she had him thrown into prison and he continued to prosper.  I call this the Palace test, and if you pass it, you will prosper. You can prosper in difficulty, you can prosper even though you are under stress, you can prosper when times are tough.
 
What the Bible teaches very clearly is that the key to prospering is the presence of the LORD. If we walk with God we will prosper. Why? Because God is perfect. And if you go where God goes you will prosper, it’s that simple. One of the best lessons I ever learned came from the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. What he says in the book is simple, find out where God is at work and go there.
 
The key to the presence of the Lord is obedience. We don’t like the word obedience. If someone tells you to be obedient you might tense up. Interestingly we want others to be obedient, but we don’t really want to. Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives. If we don’t obey God, he won’t walk with us. God only walks with those who obey him. This is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing.
 
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
 
When we walk with God in obedience, we are blessed.
When we walk away from God, we walk away from his blessing. 
 
The key to obedience is faith, we must believe that God prospers us for being obedient. We work hard and God will prosper us. No matter who Joseph worked for he prospered because the presence of the LORD was with him. The presence of the LORD was with him because he was obedient. He was obedient because he had faith.
 
You get to choose whether or not you want to prosper. So the question is, how do I get more faith? Obedience does not produce faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The key to faith is hearing the Word. Get into the Word of God. This is where you get to know God. Hearing the Word builds faith in you. The Word of God is living and active. The Word of God is what builds faith in us. We obey because we have heard the Word.
 
“17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17
 
Hear, Believe, Obey. That is the formula. Hear, believe, obey. And when we obey we will prosper because the LORD’s presence is with us. 
 
Faithfulness to God’s principles found in God’s Word is what causes us to prosper. The best news is that God’s favor is available to anyone and everyone who hears God’s Word, believes God’s Word, and obeys God’s Word. The more faith you have, the more obedient you will want to be. And the more obedient you are God will honor you with His presence. Then his favor and blessings will rest on your life and like Joseph, you will prosper in all you do. And you will know that you have passed the palace test. 

​In January of 2017 we launched an ambitious five year vision to “Raise the spiritual climate of the community.” This is a God-sized vision because it takes the Holy Spirit to “raise the spiritual climate” in any way, shape, or form. That is what makes it so exciting! This vision will make a significant impact in our community because it affects thousands of people. This is why I am all in.
 
When the vision was launched, we wanted to be able to test it against actual data to determine whether or not we were making any progress. We began by establishing baseline metrics collected from community and congregational data. Since establishing a baseline, we have been able to track progress toward our goals in multiple areas. I want to show you what has been done so far and share what you can continue to do.        
 
Goals:
1. Lower the divorce rate by 5% in five years.
What do we know?  
61.4% of adults in our areas are married.
13.7% have experienced a divorce
There are about 30,000 people in our immediate area. Based on the data, around 4,000 people and 8,000 children have felt the direct impact of a divorce. An untold number of others have felt the pain of dysfunctional family life.
Our vision is to reduce the divorce rate by 5% in five years. This translates into Freshwater helping 200 couples and over 400 children over a five year period. This is an ambitious goal! We believe that families matter whether you are single, married, currently in a relationship, or involved in a struggling one. We don’t shame those who have experienced the pain of divorce, instead we show grace and love to everyone and offer help and support.   
What have we done so far? As of May 2018 we have formally helped over 22 couples with a combined total of 40 children. Our marriage mentoring ministry is doing well and is recruiting new mentor couples. We have also established a counseling referral network for family and marriage counseling.  
What else are we doing? On July 28th we are offering a free wedding weekend for couples who want to get married but could never find the time or money. We are also adding marriage mentors to the team to help even more people.  
 
2. Lower personal debt by 50% in five years.
What do we know? In September of 2017 we did a survey to get a baseline on the debt load of Freshwater attenders. This is what we found out:
25% of people had unsecured debt of over $5000.
This averages out to be about 200 individuals that we are directly trying to help.
 
What have we done so far?  
Financial Peace University classes
Personal counseling
We talk about lowering debt and are helping people to reprioritize their lives around biblical values. We will not know how many people we have helped until we take a second survey this fall.   
 
What else are we doing?
Providing debt reduction resources.
Providing more financial mentoring.
Encouraging people to live within their means and reduce their debt.
 
3. Positively impact and assist over 300 people struggling with substance abuse and mental health challenges.
What do we know? We know that mental health issues are on the rise.
7% of the population battle depression on a regular basis.
18% suffer with anxiety.
1 in 10 people struggle with substance abuse.  
 
What has been done so far?
Freshwater has established a counseling network.
We are talking about mental health issues and have sent several staff members to a mental health seminar.
We have launched a Celebrate Recovery ministry.
We offer peer counseling and mentoring.
 
We have helped almost 110 people struggling with substance abuse in the past year and a half. As we continue to grow and spread the word, we will continue to help more people. There are currently about 15-25 people who attend Celebrate Recovery every week.   
What else are we doing? We are hosting a three session mental health seminar this summer. We have also been very open discussing mental health issues so that people feel comfortable talking about it and seeking the help they need.   
 
4. See 1,000 people make the decision to follow Christ in the next five years.  
What do we know? People need Jesus.
What has been done so far? Since launching our vision in January of 2017 there have been 259 people who have said yes to a relationship with Jesus Christ. We believe there are more, but we have connected with 259 people to follow up with them.
What else are we doing? More opportunity to make faith decisions have been given. IN July we have a big baptism party planned and are encouraging all new believers to take the next step by getting baptized by immersion.
 
5. See 80% of Freshwater people connected with others in a group.
What do we know? We believe that you connect better with others in circles rather than in rows. Small groups provide people with a place to get relationally connected for support, encouragement, accountability, prayer, and fun. 
What has been done so far? About 50% of Freshwater adults are currently connected with a group of some sort. We currently have over 30 groups that meet on a regular basis for prayer, bible study, and relationship building. We have launched a new 50+ group that will help connect people in that stage of life. We have also hired a Next Gen pastor (Zach Frietas) to connect with 19-35+ year olds. This is one of the largest segments of our community and also one of the least reached people groups.     
 
6. Plant five new churches in five years.
What do we know? Church planting is the most effective way to reach more people for Christ. We need a life giving church in every city in our area.
What have we done so far? We launched Freshwater bilingual church in 2017 and helped launch Williston Alliance in Williston ND in 2017. Freshwater is also part of the Association of Related Churches. We support them financially because they are planting one new life giving church every four days around the country, 
Freshwater is currently in the process of working with a church planter in a nearby city that will be announced in the near future.  
 
7. Celebrate with over 2,000 people at all of our worship services in five years.
What do we know? Average weekly attendance is around 912 combined between two campuses. Online views average over 100 per week and the April 2018 average attendance was 1351. This number does not include online views or people who come every once in a while. Over 2,000 people already call Freshwater their church home, but they don’t attend every week. Our goal is to have over 2,000 people in attendance every week.  
 
What has been done so far? We have improved the weekend experience. We improved the sound system, added staff, are doing more volunteer staff equipping and empowering. We are also committed to ensuring everyone has a great worship experience so that they can connect with God without being distracted by a technical or sound issue.      
What else are we doing? We have added a Thursday night service to minister to people who have weekend commitments, vacations, and summer homes.
   
8. Build and move into a new facility within five years that meets our needs and leverages our existing facilities.
What do we know? We know that both of our facilities work, but one facility designed around our needs would be best.
What has been done so far? We have discussed plans and even drawn up a blue print. We have connected with fundraisers to help us raise the funds to build the church.
What else has been done? We are launching a capitol campaign in the fall even though we don’t have any land yet. Because a new facility is in our vision, we need to make plans now to be able to pay for it. 
A generous donor has provided 100k in matching funds to be used specifically for the land/building fund. The congregation will be challenged to match this amount by December 2018 bringing our building fund which is currently at zero to 200k or more. This will empower Freshwater to buy land in the near future.  
 
What can I do? This is the real question we need to ask. If we are going to fulfill our vision, each of us needs to do our part. I am asking you to take action four ways. Here is what you can do:
 
1. Pray for a movement of God. Add Freshwater to your prayers asking God to move in powerful ways in our community. Pray for one specific person, that they come to faith in Christ and attend Freshwater with you. Prayer moves the heart of God so we pray expecting God to hear our prayers and act on them. This is not arrogance, its obedience. We are told to pray in faith so we do.   
2. Give Generously. One of our core-values is to be people who give generously of our time, talent and treasure. Giving generously starts with us. If you currently support Freshwater financially, thank you. If you give a little or only once in a while, I encourage you to start giving regularly. The Bible instructs believers to tithe. That means they are to give the first 10% of their income back to Him in faith. If you don’t currently tithe, start giving something and increase it every month until you are biblically tithing. God promises to bless us when we trust him with our finances. One way to be more consistent in giving is to set up an online recurring giving schedule (http://freshwater.church/give/). You can also give specifically to the building fund.
3. Be an authentic Christian. This doesn’t take much explanation. Honor God with your life every day and if you mess up don’t give up, just keep pressing on. People need to see Christians like you live out your faith every day.         
4. Mentor one person. Relationships are so important. Find someone that you can pour your life into and connect with them on a regular basis. Get together to build your friendship, pray for one another, study the Bible, and hold each other accountable as disciples.    
 
Our vision to raise the spiritual climate of the community is going to take a united effort. This vision is too big to be done alone and apart from a work of the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that this is the vision God has set before us and is calling us to accomplish. So why put so much effort into this? Because people matter to God and they matter to us. The greatest investment we can make with our life is to use it for the glory of God to accomplish His purposes for us. This is also where we will find the most fulfillment and the most satisfaction each and every day. Thank you for being on the team, I look forward to serving side by side with you for the glory of God.      
 
In Christ,
Pastor John

Midwest Center for Trauma and Emotional Healing
Minnetonka
952-934-2555
http://www.mwtraumacenter.com/
Specializes in: Trauma, emotional healing, abuse.
 
Dan Miller (attends FW)
Storyline Counseling
St Boni campus or at his office
612-309-4265
Specializes in: General counseling
 
Christina McGraw (Attends FW)
St. Boni campus
Marriage and individual counseling
612-750-7054
Specializes in: General counseling
 
Rebecca J. McBride, M.A., L.P.C. (Attends FW)
Lighthouse Counseling, LTD
219 Frontage Rd. Suite 120
Waconia, MN, 55387
AND
121 1st ave. SE
Hutchinson, MN, 55350
www.lighthousecounseling.com
beccam@lighthousecounseling.com
Direct:   855-454-2463 (type in "Reb" when prompted)
Fax:  1-855-454-2463
Specializes in:
Kids ages 6+, adolescents, family units, and adults
-trauma
-co-dependency
-grief (including individual counseling while navigating marital reconciliation, separation, or divorce. If reconciliation is the goal, I work in collaboration with another therapist inn order to provide individual and couples counseling.)
-depression, anxiety, bipolar
-personality disorders
-self-harm and suicide risk reduction
-Acculturation issues
-Counseling in Spanish
 
Connected Families
Chaska
952-448-3625
http://connectedfamilies.com/
Specializes in: Various counseling
 
Christian Heart Counseling
Minnetonka
651-439-2059
http://christianheartcounseling.com/
Specializes in: Marriage therapy
 
 
Books
His Needs, Her Needs, Building and Affair Proof Marriage by William Hartley
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Love and Respect by Eggerichs
 

​According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) “a mental illness is a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling or mood. Such conditions may affect someone's ability to relate to others and function each day. Each person will have different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis. Recovery, including meaningful roles in social life, school and work, is possible, especially when you start treatment early and play a strong role in your own recovery process. A mental health condition isn’t the result of one event. Research suggests multiple, linking causes. Genetics, environment and lifestyle influence whether someone develops a mental health condition. A stressful job or home life makes some people more susceptible, as do traumatic life events like being the victim of a crime. Biochemical processes and circuits and basic brain structure may play a role, too.” (https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers, accessed 5/9/18)
 
For years mental health issues were shoved into the back room and never dealt with. But today that is changing and at Freshwater we are committed to supporting those who struggle with mental illness.
One of our five year goals is to “Positively impact and assist over 300 people struggling with substance abuse and mental health challenges.” Substance abuse and mental health are not the same. This must be made clear but sometimes they do overlap. We are committed to helping those who struggle with either one with love and support.
 
We do know that mental health issues are on the rise. For example:
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.1
Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million, or 4.0%—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.2
Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.
6.9% of adults in the U.S.—16 million—had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.6
18.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced an anxiety disorder such as posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and specific phobias.7
Among the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a substance use disorder, 50.5%—10.2 million adults—had a co-occurring mental illness.
(https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers, accessed 5/9/18)
 
In the past year Freshwater has started to talk publically about mental health issues. We have sent several staff to NAMI seminars that speak into how to help those who suffer. We have also established a counseling network to provide the best care possible. We also offer peer counseling and mentoring depending on the need.
Since January 2017 we have helped almost 100 people struggling with substance abuse. We have also helped dozens of people who battle mental illness. This problem is not going away and that is why we are committed to helping people for the long haul. We have also been very open discussing mental health issues so that people feel comfortable talking about it and seeking the help they need.   
 
This fall Freshwater is hosting a mental health seminar. This seminar is being put on by a local counseling center and backed by NAMI. If you or someone close to you is struggling with a mental health issue, you don’t need to be silent and you are not alone. We are here to help and will do whatever we can to support you on your recovery journey. You matter to God and you matter to us. Together, we can get support and give support for the glory of God. There is hope.      

​This series is called Stranger Things because we are covering stranger things, like the resurrection, angels, demon, hell, and heaven. We need to take a closer look at heaven because heaven is ultimately the eternal home of everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
                                                              
Here are three facts we know about heaven. First, heaven is a place. John 14:1-4 records Jesus telling us that he had to leave the earth to go and prepare a place for us in heaven. The book of Revelation describes heaven as being lined with streets of God and full of precious stones, in other ways similar to earth, but perfect.
 
Randy Alcorn in his book “Heaven” believes that heaven will be filled with many of the same activities that we enjoy doing right now.  People will still be able to create new things and work on new projects and enjoy travel and food and work. Heaven will be a place of wonderful experiences without all the negative elements that we have grown accustomed to now because of sin.
 
Second, we know that heaven is where we will fully know God. Because we live in a sin infested world, we cannot fully know our perfect heavenly Father. Sin has tainted everything and when we do get to heaven we will see everything as it really is. In heaven we will have complete knowledge of God.
 
Third, we know that heaven will be void of all evil. The very source of evil, Satan, will be gone. The presence of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit means that there is only good and therefore no evil whatsoever. Revelation 21:4 tells us:       
 
“4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
 
So what will we do in heaven? The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about what we will do, but we do know that there are three things believers will enjoy for sure. We will rest, worship, and serve. Rest is not just the cessation of activities, but the experience of reaching a goal of crucial importance. One day we will receive all that we have hoped for. We get to look at God and he will look at us. We will finally have rest from all of our struggles.
 
Another thing believers will enjoy in heaven is worship. Because God is present, believers will be able to worship him in all his glory. Believers will also serve in heaven. Matthew 19:28 records Jesus telling his disciples that they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. So it seems apparent that believers will still get to enjoy serving God and one another in heaven. I am not sure exactly what this looks like, but it seems that believers will serve in some fashion.   
 
In conclusion, the best news of all is that heaven is home for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Heaven isn’t some exclusive place that only wealthy or educated or royal families can go. It’s home for anyone and everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. You cannot enter heaven apart from Christ. The Apostle Peter writes:  
   
“3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV
 
The Bible says that in order for you and me to be saved and go to heaven we need to profess that we believe that Jesus Christ did in fact die and come back to life so that we may have a relationship with him in this life and spend eternity with him in the next.   
            
If you are ready begin a relationship with Jesus great, don’t wait another minute. Take a moment right now to pray to him and tell him that you do believe. If you already have done that great, keep building your relationship with Christ now by reading His words in the Bible and partnering with him to give others the same hope that you have. Heaven is so cool you need to tell others about it so that they can put their faith and trust in Jesus too. What are you waiting for?