kent chevalier

480 campers + 140 student volunteer leaders + 120 adult volunteer leaders = Kidz GiG at North Way’s Wexford Campus.  I’m so proud of our church during this week every year!

I’m so encouraged to see the 260+ volunteers serving the 480+ pre-school and elementary campers for the week.  A very dedicated group of volunteers works so hard during the winter/spring to train and equip the mass of willing volunteers to make this the best week of a kid’s life.  I can tell you that it is a highlight of my three daughters’ summers!

I walked around the church facility today and saw a massive sea of blue shirts all connected to faces of giggling smiles.  Kids are having a blast with the songs, games and water stations, and they’re learning great truths from the Bible.  Today I watched as Adam and Eve were portrayed by a “puppet show” of Mr. Potato Head and Barbie.  It was hilarious and serious all at once.

I love watching the Wexford Family Matters Team in action!  The staff and interns are so incredibly gifted, it’s almost ridiculous!  Their passion for serving these kids is unmatched.  These kids and parents are blessed to be served by this team.  They’re truly coming alongside parents this week to raise spiritual champions!

This week will have eternal impact!  Thank you to the most amazing staff, interns and volunteers that are helping these campers Grow in God!  This will be a kid’s favorite week of the summer and maybe even their whole year.  You make it possible, and I can’t thank you enough for serving this week!

North Way kicked off the ‘BLINDSPOT’ series this past weekend, and Scott Stevens taught on “intimacy” as the first of four blind spots we may have in our lives.

He covered issues of narcissism and the relationships we have with friends, spouses, children and God.  He covered a lot of ground, and he went after the men in a few areas being that it was Father’s Day.  One line directed towards dads caught my attention, and it’s still lingering in my mind today.

Scott said, “Dads, there will be nothing more precious to your kids than seeing you with your Bible open and reading it.”  I know this to be true because this is a solid memory I have of my dad as I grew up.  I would wake up early for school, and I’d see the lamp on in the living room.  My dad was in the recliner with his Bible open, and he was either reading it or praying.

I know my dad saw this modeled in his home by his mom, my Grandma Chevalier.  She had this painting entitled “Grace” by Eric Enstrom hanging in their home, and it was also in our family cottage at Hollow Rock Camp.  It pictures what’s been important in my family for multiple generations.

This is a memory I want my daughters to have of me.  When they see me reading my Bible and praying at our kitchen table, I know that it’s sparking their minds that they should do the same.  I would love for my daughters to model this one day for their kids.

Scott, thanks for the encouraging reminder.

Dad, thanks for modeling the importance of reading God’s Word as my daily bread.

Pink Life, I hope this is something I model well for you!

The Church is called by the Apostle Peter to “love each other deeply” (1 Peter 4:8). He learned this from Jesus who said that we should love others and do to others what we have have them do to us.  Over the last two weeks, I’ve been fascinated with people’s reactions to this.

People don’t know how to respond!  I’m finding that this has become such a foreign concept in our culture today…even within the Church!  Maybe it’s just the circles I find myself in, but when people see this kind of love in action, their reactions are somewhat surprising.

Some have a hard time believing that another person would choose to “love each other deeply” by asking to specifically pray for them. They say, “Wow! You would do that for me?” Then, when that someone follows up to see how they’re doing in that specific situation, they don’t have much of a category for that kind of love.  They’re surprised!

Some have a hard time seeing one local church “love each other deeply” by cheering on and celebrating a different local church.  Recently, a church opened up a new worship sanctuary because of their growth, and another church stopped in their service to celebrate and pray for them, only to be met by opposition after their service for doing so…as if these two churches were in competition with each other.

Some have a hard time trusting an elder and his wife simply because they are not single.  The single person assumes there’s no way that an elder married couple knows how “love each other deeply” within the single person’s context.  How can you assume that?  They were single at one time, right?  They are trusted leaders in the church for a reason.  This is sensitive, I know, but I would encourage that person to give it a try.

Not everyone will react positively to the church that chooses to “love each other deeply.” This should not stop us though!  Continue to pray for each other.  Continue to lift up the body of Christ, no matter the local church’s denomination. This builds up the Church!  Choose to trust the church leadership, and you may find precious people giving you the encouragement you need at just the right moment.

It’s interesting to see how people (even within the Church) reacts to these four words!

I’m struggling today to finish something that I’ve started. I feel like it’s a hoop that I have to jump through, but in actuality…it’s going to be very good for me in the long run.

I really don’t want to do it, but I have to finish well.  Not only do I need to be a man of my word, but this is something I’ve been asked to do by those in authority.  If anything, I need to do it because they’ve asked me.

Some of the good things in life are not going to be fun, desirable and rewarding in the moment, but those laborious, monotonous and sometimes boring things will pay off in the future.

I have to finish well.  I will finish well.  Now I need some accountability for this renewed attitude of long run thinking.

While at The Orange Conference, I had the privilege of sitting in a breakout session taught by Carey  Nieuwhof.  He is a Lead Pastor and Church Planter with North Point Ministries.

I read this blog from him this morning, and I think every parent and/or leader needs to read this!

LEADERSHIP AND LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM REGGIE JOINER

I’m headed to The Orange Conference on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to learning from some great leaders in the Church. It will also be fun to see a bunch of friends from all over the country!

I’m also excited to spend some time with North Way’s Family Matters team. As I’m still getting my footing in my new role as the Wexford Campus Pastor, it will be good to get some time away with the members of my team.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a memorable trip.

I have the overwhelming task of preaching on God’s Omniscience this weekend.  I have 35 minutes to unpack an attribute of God that our finite minds cannot fully comprehend.  Paul explains in 1 Corinthians that we can only know in part on this side of heaven, and that’s absolutely true about this attribute of God…along with the other two Omni’s of God…Omnipotence and Omnipresence.

In North Way’s teaching series, “Note to Self,” we have defined the Omni’s of God this way:

• Omnipresence = God is “all-present” in all places and at all times with no spatial limits.  
• Omnipotence = God is “all-powerful” to do whatever His will inclines Him to do. 
• Omniscience = God is “all-knowing” of all things actual, possible and eternal.

As I studied this and defined Omniscience for North Way, I was blown away by this concept of God knowing even possibilities of our lives. There’s not enough room here to describe it here, but I will try.

God knows even the possibilities of our future and our past. He knows all the possible outcomes of each of the decisions that we didn’t make. God knows all the decisions that we could make in our future before we even make them. This blows my mind!

This concept is known as God’s foreknowledge. We have to be careful here because some might say that God has wired us like robots to do whatever He commands. God’s foreknowledge doesn’t force us into being robots. God still allows us the free will to make decisions that are contrary to His truth. He’s not a puppeteer that makes us do He wants to have happen in the future. No, we can make whatever decision we will, but the amazing thing is that He knows all the different possibilities of every single scenario that we will face. So, before we even get there, God knows your future and mine.

If that’s not amazing enough, check this out! God will be there amidst whatever decision we make even if it is His will for us or not. I don’t know about you, but God’s ability to know our future and already be there is absolutely mind boggling yet comforting.

Even if we get it wrong, He’s still there to see us through. Even if we mess up, He’s fully aware of it and will walk with us through to bring the good out of that situation. Even though God’s Omniscience cannot be fully grasped, this one concept of “possibilities” alone has blown my mind and also rested my soul.