Hi Mike, I\'m on retreat today so will be praying for you.

so neat to see the video... keep \'em coming!

The Dome is an amazing place to say the least. I find it kind of interesting and almost oddly coincidental that in the exact same area that so many Christian activities central to the faith of not only Jews, but Christians as well that a man who founded a faith that claims that the Bible is authoritative or at least parts of it, also claims to have been visited by an angel who apparently made substantial & contradictory changes to the previous two testaments, and just so happened to go up into the sky at the Dome (story sounds a little too familiar) in the same way Jesus had and now all of a sudden Jesus is just a prophet and teacher and this man\'s teachings supercede all others including those of God Himself. It reminds me of Mormonism, etc. Jihad being the downside of radical Islam.

So I want to get it straight. Israel\'s land was taken and they were dispersed throughout other lands. The people\'s descendants who occupied Israel until the Jews were allowed to return after the Holocaust have a legitimate debate. Even though the land was stolen from them through war, the Jews should still feel blessed to have even half of the territory with both sides having access to waterports, and inland territories. It\'s just odd how their temples and stuff were just covered over with another religion. Not next to it or a few miles away. It had to be right over everything the Jews held important. If they only knew that Christianity gives room to everyone to be God\'s chosen so they don\'t have to be jealous and make up religions to feel special too. Muhammed could have used a little discernment maybe. It\'s obvious it was not of God. The hatred is at a demonically-inspired level. I\'m sure peace isn\'t the goal for many or even a desire.

Michaiah, I\'m glad you mentioned the hatred that radical Islam espouses, and that you feel it cannot be of God. I have felt that way for a very long time.
I want to know where the Koran says it is permissible to kill innocents. This cannot be of the God I know; the God I have living in my heart.

wow 30 Years.....awesome

Mike, congratulations to you and Carolyn on 30 years of amazing ministry at Ginghamsburg! It is a privilege to serve the mission of Jesus together with both of you!

Mike, congratulations on 30 years. Thanks for your faithfulness, challenge and encouragement, not only to your congregation, but also to those of us who are your colleagues in ministry. You have been an inspiration to a lot of us. Blessings.

Mike and Carolyn, thanks so much for your messages of hope, irritation, and vision. You have spurred us both on to new levels of faith in Jesus that have not always been comfortable but have always been challenging and rewarding. Congrats on 30 years.

Mike and Carolyn,
Congratulations on 30 years at Ginghamsburg. Your vision and leadership has created an amazing community and I feel blessed to be a part of this caring and rewarding group focused on Jesus\'s mission in the world.

All too often we tend to focus on, or even fixate on, the mistakes we’ve made, the times we didn’t speak out, because we were too timid ... I\'m praising God the you were not one of them! Thanks for 30 years! Blessing to you both!

What a beautiful story! It is still day praise God! I don\'t know about an entire decade, but blessings to the day as long as it is here, and to all of you. May you continue serve the Lord\'s purpose & passion.

Congratulations Pastor Mike. You have taught us to get out of our comfort zone, as you love to be our pastor of IRRITATION to your Jesus followers. You are a true servant of the Lord.

Congrats, Mike and Carolyn! You have been an inspiration to us by living your faith and providing both spiritual and practical direction in this chaotic world. Thank you for sharing your vision and encouraging (prodding?) us to become immersed in God’s mission on earth. The awesome blessings we’ve received in return have enriched our lives.

Mike & Carolyn-Congrats on reaching this milestone! Your faithful leadership has changed the direction of my life as well as my family\'s life. God is good, all the time!

Mike and Carolyn, we both feel so blessed to have been influenced by both of you. Your journey, your faith, and your radical love of Jesus teach us and touch us. Congratulations.

Thank you Mike and Carolyn for being who God needs you to be and for teaching us to do the same. You have influenced the lives of our family in a huge way and we love you for it. God bless you both!

mike and carolyn - congrats on the big 30. thank you both for your leadership - this church has changed my life. i\'m so happy this is the picture of \"church\" my kids will grow up seeing.

Mike - I remember the time well - the drive up in the pick-up to deliver your books to your office....and the culture shock. Thanks for your 30 years of faithful service and leadership

If you had made a list of all you wanted to see happen at GUM 30 years ago, I can\'t help but wonder if it might have seemed overwhelming or if you could have fathomed all who would be touched, but you stepped out in faith and look at all that has happened in the last 30 years, at Gum, in missions all over the world and in your own lives. Congrats on making it 30 years, it\'s a lesson in perseverance, in faith and a living example of the walk you spoke about Easter Weekend, Not in fear but in faith! I\'m happy for you and Carolyn, I\'m happier for those of us at GUM who needed someone to help us in this journey. Thanks Mike and Carolyn and Thank you God for the gifts of those you bring in to our lives that make us better.

Congratulations Mike and Carolyn...with the ups and downs of leading sheep, you\'ve demonstrated true \"convenant\" to me. Thanks for saying yes to Jesus..thanks for loving us. Sorry we made your hair fall out Mike.

Mike,

I really appreciate your heart and ministry at Ginghamsburg Church. I was a youth pastor at a church in Columbus (about 120 youth and an established leadership team of 14 college kids). I left that church to go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I do not know where to begin. What were the first things you did as a leader of the church when you got there?

Jacob, Check out my book Spiritual Entrepreneurs. I talk about the first years and priorities in that book.

Garden\'s Alive is a company that we buy a natural corn-derivative weed killer from twice a year. We don\'t worry about the dogs or the kids. It\'s healthier for the environment. We are also purchasing a water purifier rather than buying bottles & jugs of water. We\'ve got a leaky tub faucet we\'re fixing as well as a toilet that runs a bit. We keep up with the healthcare of our animals too. I even let the smallest one (Tucker) take a nap in my arms once a day which actually does quite a bit for me as well. I\'m setting up an area in the kitchen for recyclables to be sorted & set out for pick up. We want to have a home that uses alternate sources of energy to provide needs. There is an amazing variety of things a person can do to conserve energy & keep the environment clean which definitely helps the animals. One problem though is that many protected species exceed carrying capacity, and then there are problems from that. Deer are now overpopulated to the point were people are getting Lime Disease from ticks they carry. There aren\'t as many hunters as there used to be either. The overpopulation of geese cause many plane crashes a year. There is a definite need for balance when it comes to conservation as well. We tend to kill of all predatory animals and protect the others until there is an imbalance which creates serious problems.

Thanks for the insight Mike!
Some of the things my husband and I do to help clean up our world, is when we take our dog for a walk, we\'ll pick up the trash in our neighborhood that is on the side of the road and either recycle the bottles or place the trash in appropriate recepticles. Among other things besides turning the heat down in the winter, recycling paper, plastics, glass and tin, we also allow time in between mowing for clover to be able to grow so that the simple animals like bees can receive their pollen to pollentate other flowers and continue their life cycle. Something that always strikes me is that God is a creator and as beings of his creation, we as humans should care for what has been created for us. By not doing so we\'re being disrepectful of what God has so freely given us!!!

Remember the PSA featuring the Native American in the litter campaign? That was an impactful message that continues to inspire me after all these years. I too remember the first earth day. At school, we were given a sapling to take home and plant. What a great memory.
We’ve replaced traditional bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs that last longer and use 75% less energy. We are also considering a geothermal system for our home which will save 50 – 70% on energy usage and cost. Our grass clippings are mulch cut and left to go back into our environment.

At present, polar bear populations are robust and, according to native peoples living in the Arctic, are considerably larger than they were in previous decades.
I guess I view the \'global warming\' data with sincere skepticism, and since it is the sole foundation on which polar bears are considered endangered, I view that judgment with skepticism also.
I\'m trying to be a good steward to planet earth, recycling where possible, and being quite conservative in other aspects.

Nice video. I finally got the bathroom floor tiled, and now everyone has a clean floor to walk on when they use the bathroom. It also makes it easier to clean my Mom up. I did a ton of odd jobs around the house and am prepping my son for state testing at the end of the month. My husband has been having back problems and I\'ve been able to help him because I had disc problems for so long. My two brothers balk because I don\'t spend more time on them, but I told them that the immediate needs here come first. There stuff is usually not something they can\'t deal with on their own anyway. So, while I\'m not doing anything for the neighborhood, I am doing a lot for those in my life, and it\'s great. Laziness is always trying to stop me though. It\'s a good thing I enjoy being productive or forget it.

I hope a lot of people benefit from your book. I\'m probably going to title mine, \"Dayton, the decline of a gem.\" It\'s taking a whole lot of research though \'cause it involves so much economic info etc. It\'s going to be told from the perspectives of a few people who have lived here all their lives though so it has a personal quality about it. It will have statistics, economic info, and other more boring stuff dispersed throughout, but the stories of the people will be what are probably the most interesting especially to those who like that type of book. And hey, it\'s for geeks, and nerds too.

I\'m probably going to visit the thrift store in Tipp. I\'ve always loved that place. Ginghamsburg has some creative people.

Football seems to be another activity that reaches a god status for people and the sacrifice to it is great. It\'s interesting to me how the appearance of idolatry changes, and in the age of enlightenment it doesn\'t look as it did in the days of Molech. Quite an effective strategy I\'d say. I justify stuff once in a while and I bet the more money I had the pricier the oversight would be. I have to tell myself daily to focus on the priorities. It\'s not so easy sometimes. I may not spend $2200 on a baseball ticket, but I might be tempted to spend that much a season at a day spa. I guess the difference is that I don\'t actually do it, and for so many people, it\'s a regular occurence. People tend to keep up their giving during recession, I just wish people would spend more wisely.

MLB – the dream is alive on faces across the country - from tee ball to high school and especially at the college level. A similar dream can be found in classrooms to become the best in a chosen field. Perfection in industry leads to financial reward.

Money as well as the brand MLB is inanimate and provides a means to an end. In private industry, pricing is set by supply and demand. Baseball players, doctors and lawyers do well economically. Their services are expensive due to the limited supply of talent and the consumer’s willingness to pay for services or to get a close-up look. Ex... Courtside seats at last nights NCAA final game in economically challenged Detroit demanded price. I don’t like the fact that a running back makes $50K every time he touches the ball or that a successful surgeon donates hundreds of millions of dollars for a performing arts center but that is our economic system. I remember booking a hotel room in Omaha a few years ago and the price was twice the normal rate. The reason being – College Baseball World Series was in town. The supply/demand phenomenon enters into every (private) transaction we make from buying gum balls to purchasing automobiles to building homes to installing irrigation systems.

The challenge is creating the same enthusiasm that exists for material wants and transforming that demand to help others and enforce God’s will. Romans 12:2 (NIV) comes to mind…

I really appreciate you putting the conference on your blog. I wasn’t able to attend or serve and tried viewing several different ways. Thanks for thinking of us and congratulations on what I thought was an excellent presentation on the current state of the mission and how to help.