Please keep Amanda Meyer and Brent Meyer’s daughter Brielle in your prayers. Amanda posted the following update on her page today. Brielle was left with moderate-severe mitral valve leakage or regurgatation after a attempt to repair her valve in her first OHS. They have controlled the leakage as best as possible with medicine. Due to the rareness and complications of a mitral valve repalacmemt in children they wait to do the surgery until Brielles heart starts to enlarge( from all the leakage building inside it) or she herself starts showing signs of heart failure, which at the last appt she was starting to show signs. At her March 13 th appt they will do another echo of her heart and evalute her overall and if she has not made an improvement since her last appt in December, they will represent her case to the surgeons to figure out the best time for replacement. Eventually Brielle will need her valve replaced to be able to live, but the surgery is very complicated and could actually make things worse, causing heart block. We want prayers for Brielle to be able to live with the leakage for as long as possible, the older she gets, the easier the surgery.

Sunday we had 25 signed up to attend Winter Jam at the MAC in Council Bluffs tonight. Today we have 47. Transportation will be tricky, but we now have seats for everyone. Pray for tonight to be a time of transformation, not simply entertainment. Students remember: 1. Your permission slip is your ticket to ride, without it you don’t go. 2. $10 cash is your ticket in the door, without it you don’t go. 3. Extra $ is up to you, but without it you will not buy t-shirts, CD’s and more importantly, supper and without supper you go hungry! See you at the church. Be there by 4:00, because at 4:01 we are gone without you!

Paul Rhoads Locker Room Speech after squeaking out a 9-7 victory.

“Listen to me, listen to me,” Coach Paul Rhoads said in a hoarse voice, struggling to be heard above the clamor of victory. “I am so proud to be your football coach.”
That statement is just what Iowa State players and fans across the country wanted to hear.  CBS would call it one of college football’s top moments of the decade. The clip has been viewed more than 373,000 times on YouTube Paul Rhoads Locker Room Speech after squeaking out a 9-7 victory.
So why did my stomach turn sour as I watched the video?  Iowa State beat the Cornhuskers that day by two points thanks to eight turnovers and the Cyclone coach gave the speech in our visitor’s locker room.  Am I simply a poor loser?  Last season when the Cyclones embarrassed the Longhorns Coach Rhoads gave the same speech and once again I felt an element of disgust building within me.  How could this be?  My two favorite football teams have always been the Cornhuskers and any team beating Texas.  Maybe the disgust came because I was a poor winner?  Then I realized neither winning nor losing triggered my disgust, I didn’t think the game deserved the intensity of the speech.  Those types of speeches seem like they should be reserved for national title games not regular season games, or should they?

At the time Iowa State recruited Rhoads to coach they were ranked 112 out of 120 teams.  Having lost their previous 10 games, their record stood at 8 wins and 27 losses during the previous three years.  In 2009, his first year of coaching, Rhoads led the Cyclones to their first seven win season since 1907 and their first winning season since 1931.  Why shouldn’t he be proud of his team?

Perhaps these words should flow more freely from a leader’s mouth.  Maybe small everyday victories should be recognized more, especially in the church.  Perhaps when someone says how grateful they are when the nursery worker caring for their child smiled and told them what a joy their child was, those words should flow freely.  When I sit next to a widow at Good Sam and a resident shows me the birthday card she received from our Keeping in Touch ladies, I am proud.  When a couple tells me their family came back to our church simply because a couple brought them a loaf of bread after their first visit, I am proud.  When a teacher comes at the invitation of a student, or an employee comes at the invitation of her boss, I am proud.  When a Sunday School teacher talks to me during the first half of worship because he can’t help but be excited about the hunger his students have for the Bible, I am proud.  When I visit a person in the hospital and they share the names of several people who have called or come by, I am proud.   When the church encourages the next generation to not simply participate, but actually entrusts and empowers young people to provide leadership in the church, I am proud.  When leaders absorb criticism, encounter skepticism and continue to lead in a direction and at a pace the Spirit of God and the Word of God directs, I am proud.

These words may be long overdue, but I am so proud of you.  I am SO proud of you!  I am so proud of YOU Auburn Christian Church.  I am proud to be your preacher.  Still feels a little awkward to say, perhaps because I know you don’t strive for my approval, but God’s.  So, let me ask you this, has your life met God’s approval lately?  Can you imagine hearing these words from Him one day?  I think if you listen closely he might whisper them to you today.

For the last two months of this year, as we approach 2012, we are challenging every member of ACC to take time each week to fast and pray for the future of the church.  Click the link below to read a good article on Prayer and Fasting, and be thinking about how you can be involved in supporting our leaders in prayer.

The Role of Fasting as an Accompaniment to Prayer

by Nate Powell

Take this challenge:  Look over your activity on Facebook (or other website on which you socialize) and ask yourself the following questions:

Uno:  Have my statuses reflected that I have a faith in Christ?

Just take a look at your statuses …. Do they reflect that you had a living and growing faith in Jesus?  I’m not talking about the “I believe in God” chain postings that you simply had to copy and paste (because you were threatened with 7 years of bad luck if you didn’t repost).  I’m talking about the fact that you posted Bible verses that mean something to you, quotes from your pastor or a book you read that impacted your life, things God is doing in your life.  (Matthew 10:32)

Dos:  Are my Apps reflecting that my trust is in God?

What apps do you just love to check everyday?  I know that I have several friends on Facebook that are into horoscopes, fortunes and other similar apps that have to do with trying to predict the future.  They also follow or like people, bands and groups that are seeking to steer your future away from God.  God wants to guide and direct your future.  He wants you to trust in him and fine your hope in future in Him (Jeremiah 29:11).

Tres:  Do my pics and videos show people that I’m honoring God with my body?

I had a conversation with a friend in Christian ministry a few months back.  As a youth leader, parents were looking to her to set an example for their teens.  Instead, what they saw on Facebook were photos of what they perceived to be her making out with her boyfriend.  She later took the pics down because she realized that those pictures did not reflect her relationship with her boyfriend, or her relationship with God.  I know plenty of students that will say something about God in one status, then I will see them with a can of beer at an underage party at college.  Are you committed to keeping your body and mind pure for Christ?  Then let your photos be a reflection of that.  (Galatians 5:19-23)

Quatro:  Is my profile consistent in my daily walk with Christ?

I have a Facebook friend who I have seen on several extremes.  She will pass on the “I Believe in God” chain statuses, she will even on occasion say something about her faith in God.  Two days later, I will see her have a status that drops 5 F-bombs and call another girl horrible names.  I know many students who have fallen into this trap.  I’m glad they are so honest, but it also shows that they are not living a consistent life of glorifying God and loving others.  James said that God’s praises and curses of men should not come from the same mouth. (James 3:10)

Cinco:  Do I have a life outside the internet?  AKA Do I talk to other people about Jesus even when I’m not online?

This doesn’t mean you need to go tell everyone they are going to hell.  But Jesus should not be a name we simply type with our fingers.  The Bible says we need to confess with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord”!  Praise Jesus with your mouth at school, work, home, on Facebook …. Wherever you are, let your words and actions bring glory to him!  (Psalm 19:14)

by Corey Miller

Ever heard of General William Winder? I doubt it. But every leader should know and remember this man? I doubt it. But every leader should know and remember this man. In the War of 1812,  American Brigadier General William Winder held a 4 to 1 advantage in an attack, but still managed to lose the battle and was captured. In a stroke of genius, the British decided this incompetent leader was actually more of an advantage to them free than if he was in prison, so they let him go.

Thirteen months later, the British surrounded the Americans in Washington, D.C. and captured our nation’s capital. Our own enemy occupied our own capitol building. The British Union Jack flew in place of Old Glory.  Who led in the failed attempt to protect our capital? General William Winder.  After the war, some attempted to court martial Winder, however, his only real crime was inept leadership, which can be difficult to prove and remains legal to this day.

In his book, Organic Leadership, Neil Cole concludes from Winder’s life that “there really are fates worse than failure.” Cole notes “He did far worse than fail. He became more of an asset to the enemy’s cause than to his own.” Nice legacy Billy.

As we move forward into God’s preferred future for us, may God continue to provide Godly leaders committed to pursuing God’s vision for this church. May God continue providing ACC leaders who care deeply for the Church and serve wholeheartedly. May our leader’s continue to not only value input from God’s people, but faithfully follow God’s Word. May our leaders never seek God’s approval for their own plans, but rather pursue to find God’s plans and tenaciously pursue to meet His approval. I thank God for our leadership and I hope you do too. Keep them in your prayers.

Hi friends of ACC!  Welcome to the new site!  We’re glad you stopped by.  One of the neat features of this site is that occasionally Corey or I (Nate) will post a blog here.  Our posts on this page could be a simple devotional thought, an expansion of our thoughts on some of the things we have taught or spoke on, an in-depth look at theological issues we are studying or wrestling with, or just other announcements or random thoughts we may have.