D.A.R.E.

Last night I attended my daughter fifth grade D.A.R.E. graduation. The elementary schools in Little Falls were represented and Alyssa was chosen as the Lindbergh Elem. student to share her D.A.R.E. essay. I was so proud of her, not just for the great job she did, but for the fact that she was able to give her speech with a crowd of several hundred people. I would have been scared to death to do that at her age. Even though I'm a pastor now and speak in front of people all the time, it wasn't until I had to take a speech class in the 8th grade that I overcame some of my fears. Did you know that speaking in front of people is the number one fear that people have. I still get a little nervous. I've learned that it's good to be that way because it helps us to rely upon the Lord.



I have enclosed in this blog my daughter's essay. I hope you enjoy it and if you happen to have problems with drugs and/or alcohol, perhaps it will make you think a little.







D.A.R.E. Essay
By Alyssa Thompson


D.A.R.E. stands for drug, abuse, resistance, education. I like D.A.R.E. because it teaches kids how bad smoking and drugs are. I really like D.A.R.E. because it also gives you a chance to talk with other people about how we will say no to people that ask us if we want to do drugs. I think other people should know D.A.R.E. does help and it is a great program. I think we should have D.A.R.E. every year.

I learned a lot in D.A.R.E. Some things I learned are ways to say no to drugs. I also learned how to handle peer pressure. Some of the ways Alcohol can hurt you are you lose self-control, you have slurred speech, poor judgment, memory lapses, slowed reflexes, and loss of coordination. Alcohol is also illegal for anyone under 21.

Marijuana causes breathing problems, short-term memory loss, and slows reflexes. There also is tar in Marijuana. Marijuana is also extremely addictive.

Tobacco will cause breathing problems and it causes heart disease. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in this country. Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Also there are not very many teenagers that smoke. Less than half of teenagers do smoke. Tobacco also has nicotine, which makes it addictive.

Peer pressure can make you do something bad or something good. There are a couple different types of peer pressure. Some of them are demanding, unsure, and confident.

In the future, if someone tells me to smoke or do drugs, I’ll say no. My plan is to give them facts about smoking and why I shouldn’t do it. If they say, “It will make you look cool.” I can say, “No, it doesn’t make you cool. It only makes you smell and your breath stink, really bad.” After that I’ll walk away.

Celebration Sunday!

Last Sunday we had a party in church! Living Hope is a multi-site church meeting in Little Falls and as of six months ago, Rice. On Sunday, March 25 we had both campuses come together for one service. We had just completed the series "40 Days of Community, Better Together" and celebrated what God did in and through the Life Group ministries of our church. It was so exciting to hear stories of people whose lives were changed by small group ministry. We certainly learned the importance of coming together in a smaller number to minister to one another.

Happy Birthday Darla!

Happy Birthday Darla! I love you.

Present with the Lord

Today I officiated the funeral of a very special lady. She had been attending the church I pastor for many years when I started in 1991. As a Pastor, a funeral is one of the most rewarding things I do and yet one of the saddest. I get attached to the people I am called to care for. They mean the world to me. I was there at the funeral of her husband in 1993. Since that time we have been able to have countless conversations together. We've been able to share joys and sorrows. I miss her and yet I am so excited as I think about where she is now.

I know that she was rejoicing along with the angels of heaven when 10 people attending her funeral raised their hands to give their life to Christ.

Funerals are a time of reflection for all of us. Priorities come into focus, relationships are renewed and hearts are recommitted to God. Let me encourage you right now to reflect upon your life. Don't wait for the next funeral or tragedy in your life. Refocus now and live life without any regrets.

Wild Game Dinner

Last night we had our 5th Annual Wild Game Dinner. It was a great night with 100 men and boys gathering for some great road kill! Missionary Andy Raatz did a fantastic job sharing some exciting hunting stories with us. I loved the fact that he tied these stories into a spiritual application in his life. It's so true how we can learn about God and godly things from the hobbies that we all enjoy.
Out of the 100 people in attendance, at least half were not attenders of Living Hope. About 1/4 of them responded to Andy's message by indicating their need to invite Jesus in their hearts. If you would like to view some of the pictures you can go to www.ourgreathope.org and click on "photo gallery" then "Wild Game Dinner".

I am blogging from my cell to see how this works.

Never Give Up!

Tonight I went to my Daughter's Jazz band concert. The concert consisted of three different bands; 6th grade, 7-8th grade and high school. As I sat there listening to the incredible talent of these young people, I was transported back in time to when I was in the fifth grade. I use to play the trumpet. To be honest, I only lasted about a year and then I quit. I was afraid of the Band director. I know, pretty lame. Of course I sat there tonight thinking, "If only I would have kept it up. If only I would have never given up".

Most of us have regrets in life, things we wish we would have done different. Times we quit, and now we dream of an invention that would turn back the clock and give us another opportunity. Some times we get another opportunity to correct some of our bad decisions, but other times we must simply learn from them and be more determined than ever to NEVER GIVE UP!