This is the Nobrega family, Eric and Becky, Paige and Chelsea. They are a part of the church planting team here in Madison and have been traveling from La Crosse to join us for our introductory gatherings for the past several months. During this time, they have been in transition. They have begun saying their good-byes to the community at Cornerstone Church and their home-town. They have secured jobs in Madison, put their house on the market, begun the transition from public school to home school for both girls. So, you can imagine that as they facing much change they also are growing in their dependence on God - and the people of God to be holding them in prayer.

So, would you pray? Would you pray for the Nobrega family, that as they say yes to the call to be missionaries in Madison they would know the SHALOM of their God. The peace that only comes from Him who makes everything right and beautiful. They are bravely setting out on an adventure, trusting their God to lead them every step of the way. Let's pray!

Their house in La Crosse has not sold yet and this is a huge matter of prayer. If you are praying and want to send a word of encouragement you may send a note via email by clicking here.

What do you have in your cupboard for those times when you are needing to make something for dinner and haven't been to the grocery store in a while?

Gene has been sick all week and we haven't been to the grocery store. Last time I went was before our vacation to Cincinnati over Spring Break. On my way out the door to shop for "travel food", Gene who was making fun of my mission to cut down on our food budget for this vacation by threatening PB&J for every meal says, "Hey, you might want to get some SPAM!" I got peanuts and candy for the ball game, other various snacks and yes, bread and PB&J (the generic goober stuff with the peanut butter and jelly together). Of course, I got a can of SPAM. We went on our trip, enjoyed our snacks and saved money by not eating out...and came home with a can of SPAM.

So tonight, too sick and tired to do anything else...we had SPAM! (Really sad is that it wasn't even the "real" thing.)



Sam loved it!

there is something new under the sun...you just have to be looking in the right places...

"There is nothing new under the sun" is a quote from the book of Ecclesiastes. Like many other quotes isolated and lifted from a Biblical text, I don't think it can be treated as if it were a true statement. When things are right with me, I have my hope set on something new every day.

Today, was a day that I need to know that God's mercies are new every morning. That God is always creating something new. That new life is possible, new creation is possible. After a not so great week full of doctor's appointments, work, illness, rain... I was feeling discouraged and a bit lonely. In a reflective, self-examining state I headed out into an amazingly beautiful sunny Spring day. The boys had soccer games, both at the same time and different places. So, Spencer and I headed off to one soccer game, Sam and Gene to another.

Now, I'm fairly new at the "soccer mom" thing. At this age level the Madison league is not set up to be aggressive and competitive. Skill and drills are not the focus, the focus is fun. Yet, apart from being taught positions, for 7 year olds, soccer becomes a moving huddle of competitors running up and down a field trying to steal and kick a ball. (At the end of the game, although not a single goal has been recorded, these kids know the score, they know who won!) I've been thinking about this all day and I have yet to see any way that this is not going to become a contact sport.

Today, the teams were doing a bit of trash talking on the field (also discouraged). "Hey dumb-head!" is what Spencer tells me the kid said right before he pushed him down. The coach on the other team removed Spencer from the game - as it should be. Unsportsmanlike conduct should be disciplined. That, however, was not the end of it...I sat in my lawn chair, Spencer on my lap, stunned as a small group of parents formed a semi-circle in front of us and proceeded to launch their attack. A mom, that I had never met, who did not even know Spencer's name, shook her finger in my face and waved her arms around in the air to declare that it was because of "him" that their team members were crying on the sidelines. I was, while it may seem unlikely, speechless at this somewhat ironic outburst. I'm learning now that the sidelines of a soccer field may be just as dangerous of a place as on the field!

Conflict is not something I usually shy away from, but on the soccer field - well, that's different. I do know better than to enter into a battle with parents who are defending their young. I honestly am at a loss for what to do in these situations. I can't defend the actions of my child, he was wrong. Yet, I feel the need to protect him from attack that is uncalled for, by people who are unauthorized to do so. So, I said very little. I allowed Spencer to play again at his coach's request and I waited until we got to the car to talk to Spencer. I must be getting better over the years at this because I did not cry all the way home!

I pray that I did the right thing and I pray that I honored God in my response. (It would have gotten ugly I'm sure if I hadn't immediately began pleading with my Counselor to help me respond.) Nevertheless, I was in need of a "reset". On days like these, I pray for mercy. I pray for perspective, I pray that God will bring me word of His unfailing love. Then I watch. I listen for a word from Him. I open myself up for something new under the sun.

And here it is....my day was reset, refreshed by an impromptu party with the neighborhood kids. They opened a worm orphanage in our back yard. When they were done caring for all the worms, we took a trip to Culvers for ice cream. God showed His love in a new way - speaking through kids, worms and ice cream mustaches!

Bonus: While looking for a place to plant my lavender, I also discovered that the chocolate mint I planted last year too close to the pool, is back! (I closed out last season thinking that even the mint was gone forever.)

this made us smile this week...

...our friend Sabastian sent us a smile and we decided to share it with you!

"dot-to-dot" church

some of the faces that represent this new community...

I have mentioned before that one of our most FAQ is understanably, "How's the church going?" We have many friends and family members investing their resources of time and funds in supporting us as we plant this new church in Madison. We appreciate it more than you know. It has been slow going, frustrating at times. We know from experience that if we are patient we will begin to understand what God is doing. We also know that God is almost never on the same time line as we are - or perhaps I should say that the other way around. Anyway...we are in a process of "drawing the dots" that we are hopeful to one day see connecting to form a more complete picture.

Below is an article containing some of the thoughts that are shaping the way we are doing things here in Madison. As we seek to discern what this community, this church, is to "look like", we are drawn to a more simple way. We know and love many who order their lives around churches that are highly organized, defined, programmed and strive for growth in numbers in an effort to impact their community for Jesus. We don't doubt that God uses these churches, these leaders, to change lives. We have lived in that world for the first 15 years of our "vocational ministry". We, for some time now, have experienced God giving us a different view of our world and how the church lives in the midst of it all - dot. We see a very real shift in our culture and the relationship between those who go to church and those who don't. As we interact with mostly those who do not -dot- we sense that it is not God that they cannot accept or trust, it is the institution of church that they don't trust. (That's what they tell us.) We have lived in Madison long enough to meet many wonderful, amazing people who love their community, love their children, care for their environment...but have given up on the church being worth their time. We think that God, who loves this city more than we do, wants to introduce them to life in the Kingdom - outside of "organized religion". We don't have all the answers. We do know that this weekend -dot- we had a great time with our friends and neighbors, and it felt that we were "on track" with our focus on moving toward a growing network of "neighborhood" or "house" churches. Dot to dot.

LEADING THE MISSIONAL CHURCH: The Shape Of The Church
by INAGRACE T. DIETTERICH

We live in times of great social and ecclesial change. Our world is marked...with a radical plurality and ambiguity. These are turbulent times that affect us all as we witness the old breaking down and the new breaking through. This is not a time to foreclose experimentation, risk, alternative possibilities. Rather, we need to allow community to evoke a wide range of ecclesial expressions. I have a hope that the commitment, skill, and art required for people to create new beginnings and new communal bonds will release significant social energy and imagination.[1]

Being faithful to a living and dynamic God who is actively present in the midst of changing historical situations—“Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isa. 43:19)—requires that the church itself must be adventurous and open to change. Just as new wine bursts old wineskins (Lk. 5:37-38), so the ever new gospel of Jesus Christ will continually disrupt the established shape—traditions, structures, patterns—of church life and ministry. Thus within different historical and cultural contexts, the unchanging truth of God’s grace and mercy will be expressed through different and provisional organizational arrangements.

While there is no one right or final way to shape the church, this does not mean that shape is incidental or irrelevant. Form and content are intimately bound together—the medium is the message. The structure of the church is a visible and tangible expression of its faith and witness. As God’s redeeming love is “enfleshed” or incarnated in Jesus Christ, so the proclamation of the gospel is incarnated (faithfully or unfaithfully) within the organizational life and practice of the church—the body of Christ within the world.

The church is an intentionally formed social entity engaged in particular practices to accomplish certain goals. As such, the shape of the church will always be influenced by the assumptions, commitments, and demands of the culture within which it engages in ministry. Yet as a people empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the church must always seek the organizational form that is “worthy of its calling” (Eph. 4:1). As the missional church organizes its common life and shared ministry within a context of radical plurality and ambiguity, it must say “goodbye” to old and outdated structures and say “hello” to the social energy and imagination that will enable it to take the risk to experiment with alternative ways to shape the church.

To read full article:
LEADING THE MISSIONAL CHURCH: The Shape Of The Church
by INAGRACE T. DIETTERICH

its' almost time to get your easter lily.

our church plant

In the early days of planting the church in La Crosse, I purchased a houseplant and named him Phil. He grew slow and steady - with care. One day I remember looking at him and wondering how he got so big, arms stretching out every where. I remember transplanting, pruning, relocating, sometimes problem solving to bring about the optimal health and growth that was desired.

Recently I was at the store and the small starter houseplants caught my eye. Perhaps, we need a church plant for our Madison adventure as well. So, here is Ivy:



Ivy (Hedera species) is a versatile houseplant that can be grown in many different situations. Ivies can be grown in hanging baskets, at the base of other houseplants and in pots of their own. Ivy is often trained on trellis frames or wire topiary forms into various formal or whimsical shapes,
-my personal favorite.

HEIGHT/SPREAD

While most ivies are virtually unlimited in their spread, you can easily keep them pruned to almost any size that you want when grown as houseplants. Small-leafed, slow-growing types are easier to maintain in a small pot. Large leafed, rapid growers such as Algerian ivy are ideal for hanging baskets, where its vigorous growth is an advantage. (Sounds like the Church.)

ORNAMENTAL FEATURES

Ornamental ivies have an amazing range of different foliage types. The leaves of some ivies are as large as a saucer while others have leaves smaller than a dime. Many ivies have leaves edged, splashed or centered with silver, gray-green, white, cream, yellow, chartreuse or gold.

PROBLEMS

In the home, plant diseases are very rarely a problem. Too much or too little water plus insects and mites are the main problems. Root rot usually results from a soil mix that does not drain quickly or overly frequent watering. Mealybugs, mites, aphids, whiteflies and scales are the most common insect pests of ivies grown as houseplants. If the area infested is limited you can prune out those parts of the plant. Periodic washing can help prevent many pest problems. Wash plants by dunking the foliage upside down in a gallon of water to which insecticidal soap has been added. Hold the soil in the pot with a cover of foil or plastic. Maintaining cooler temperatures and high humidity will help prevent some of the most common insect pests, but the plant will grow more slowly. Some people develop a skin rash as a result of contact with the plant sap. (I know people who develop rashes when in contact with the church - well, at least they seem to think that's what will happen.) Wear gloves (respect the response, be a bit more careful and nurturing) when pruning ivies if you know that you have this reaction.

CULTURE

Most cultivars of ivy grow best in THE bright light...don't we all!

tell us what you think...

...this site or ReynoldsFam? Which do you prefer?

I am a member of the Jodi Picoult fan club.

This is the second fan club I have joined this week. (This may be a topic on it's own for another day...) Much of my reading had been spent in the "nonfiction world". That is until one day in Pre-Op at the Madison Surgery Center the nurses had some time to discuss what they have been reading. It was then that Marlene handed me My Sister's Keeper. Next thing I know I'm sitting in my car in the middle of winter, unaware that I was going to be late for the conference I was attending, completely absorbed in the final pages of my first experience with Jodi Picoult. Just as promised by others who have read this book, the ending was unbelievable.

This week, Jodi happened to be passing through Madison. So, a few of her friends and a few of mine got together over at Barnes and Noble. Becky, who was driving from La Crosse to be there that night, is someone who will drive for 3-4 hours to see one of her favorite authors. She is the one who made me aware that Jodi was going to be in town... it was great to catch some of her enthusiasm for literature and the artists who bring us these works. (if you want to see some of the pictures she took...Becky's slide show.)

This week I read Nineteen Minutes and The Tenth Circle. I am enjoying exploring the topics that Jodi explores in her novels - there is mystery and romance, life and death, suffering and joy, a wrestling with ethics, a searching for redemption, and all that is common to the human story. I love that because Jodi writes, we talk about things that just may not come up otherwise. It's fabulous!

Check out some of her work: Jodi Picoult

The first fan club I joined this week may also be one that you would be interested in: gene reynolds Really, he has a fan club!

Vote today for your favorite artist!

Want to be part of something big? Gene's song, Wholly Yours is a finalist in a faith-based song contest. You can be part of taking Wholly Yours to the top!

To vote, go to: American Idol Underground You will need to create a user account before you are allowed to vote. Once that is complete (it only takes a minute) go to competitions, search for "Faith Based" competitions...find Gene and vote!


Another thing to know - YOU CAN VOTE EVERY DAY! Yes, that's right - every day! Let's get Gene this win!

Gene celebrates his 41st birthday!

(Spencer is trying to claim that we should be having a party for him too. It is his 1/2 birthday!)

A friend from work and I are in dialogue about this, among other evidences -or lack of- for the claims of Christianity. Archaeological findings, while fascinating, are not always conclusive. They provide evidence of existence, pieces of cultural clues. They do not tell us of the life. Dinosaurs for example, while my kids would not believe it if I told them -their books tell them differently- we are still using our imaginations to fill in the blanks. So, does all this matter to you? to your faith? or is it just fun to think if we keep going we may put the whole puzzle together? What do you think?

Has the tomb of Jesus Christ been found?

Since the 1970s, hundreds of tombs and thousands of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) have been discovered in the Jerusalem area. These ossuaries served as coffins in first-century Jerusalem.

One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. Six of the ossuaries in this tomb have inscriptions on them. As it turns out, every inscription in this particular tomb relates to the Gospels.

Premieres Sun, March 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT- Discovery Channel

This is one of the statements taken from an interview with James Cameron:

Now in respect with the resurrection, and Simcha can speak to this as well, neither one of us are theologians, but certainly we’ve been dealing with biblical scholars, biblical archaeologists, and so on, so we have a passing knowledge in that area. The resurrection itself is not challenged. Jesus may well have risen. And having risen, according to the scriptures, walked the earth, for an additional 40 days, appeared in corporeal form and spiritual manifestations, including a child, and including someone that his disciples didn’t recognize at first and things like that. And then ultimately ascended to heaven.Where you get stuck is the physical ascension to heaven, taking his bones and body with him to heaven, instead of leaving them behind on earth. Many Christians don’t take that literally, some do. -James Cameron

So, what about you? What do you do with this?

for full interview click here: Cameron: Jesus tomb film is a ‘detective story’

and if you really want to dig in before seeing the documentary:

Claims about Jesus’ ‘lost tomb’ stir up tempest

Ancient tomb may contain Jesus’ family

Filmmaker resurrects Jesus tomb debate

Quarantine or Snowed-In...depend on how you look at it.

Winter Storm is right! Spencer has been sick all week, missing a whole week of school. Gene stayed home with him as he was ill as well. Yesterday, after 3 days of fever I thought I should go get chest xrays and a throat culture. By the time I was seen - everyone else in Madison had the same idea - the snow had started again. I had already taken a hard hit sliding into a median on the way to the clinic and I had hoped to make it home before the storm started again. Walgreen's was the only pharmacy open - so everyone was there. I waited so long that I ended up shopping - I came home with pneumonia, vitamins, fish oil, antibiotics and an O Magazine.

Then Sam woke up this a.m with a fever... So while these snow days are meant for playing in the snow and just hanging out with the family - no responsibilities. Play games, eat chili... for us this one has been spent indoors, sleeping, coughing, searching for the kleenex, refilling water bottles.... and Gene shoveling - A LOT!

So, back to the waiting room. As I sat in the waiting room I had a lot of time to read, catch up on a podcast message - one from Erwin McManus and one from Rob Bell. As I "devoted myself to the apostles teaching", I stared at the fish tank. Tropical fish are amazing. Whoever thought that fish tanks in waiting rooms was a good idea, was very right. These fish remind me of the blessings of God and how the blessings I am surrounded with have outnumbered any of the trials.

So, this weekend is redeemed by tropical fish, a fantastic family, a creative Spencer, a very sweet- despite -his-illness Sam, a wonderful husband who is taking care of all of us, talking to my mom til my phone goes dead, watching the neighborhood snowball fights as they try to shovel, and chatting with friends on gmail! God is good!

now, we'll watch the Oscars together (Ellen is hilarious!) ... how did you spend the weekend?

what a weekend!

This Saturday our team was joined by the youth group from Bethel Baptist in Janesville and our friends from Bible Baptist in Mauston in prayer walking the Northside neighborhoods of Madison. It was fantastic! Thanks to these friends who joined us - working together we cover much more territory than we would have been able to do alone!Gene preps the group before going out.

Sam and Chelsea

Becky, Paige, Spencer and KateThis was the picture taken when Jenn, Kate and Juli returned at 3p.m. after being out in the subzero temps, trudging through the snow, up and down hills -well, actually those driveways seem more like mountains after awhile. Door to door, house to house - legs cramping, blisters forming - all for Jesus! Anyone want to sign up for next time?!

Seriously, it was a great day. We had great weather (for February in WI). It is fun imagining what God is doing in the lives of our neighbors. It was really fun to get to pray blessings on them, many of whom we may never get to meet, and know that God was there with us -forming us, softening hearts, loving His children, advancing His kingdom.

and the next day...

"Now, that's my kind of church!"

That's one of the comment that we received when we shared with someone that we are meeting monthly right now as we continue to build our team. It was a great morning, making coffee, setting up the room, the tech. stuff... just like old times!

Everyone, young and old pitched in. The kids did a great job of setting up the "centerpieces" and making signs . Our kids - Sam and Spencer, Chelsea and Paige- have really been fabulous. They have participated all along the way and they continue to contribute in our worship times and in prayers. It's fun to watch them grow in love for God and His church. It is amazing to see them actively serving and discovering the spiritual gifts and grow in understanding of how they can make a difference in the Kingdom!

behind the computer...just like old times
( A big thanks to Andrew, a student at YWAM, for his assistance with the tech. stuff - he made the process simple, quick and fun - a true blessing to this technical arts department!
Thanks Andrew!)

...anticipation....hospitality...teamwork...

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us. The service went very well. We were again joined by a group from Janesville as well as the team from a new church plant in Stoughton, Watershed. What makes setting up chairs in the morning fun is imagining who may sit in them, whose life may be altered by Jesus today...and this morning, just about every chair was full.

We have had a great time this weekend. As we close this day we as a team are encouraged and excited about what's in store for the new community that God is birthing on the Northside of Madison. It's only the beginning!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week is Valentine's Day and this - as it is for many - is a big deal. Spencer's project this week was making Valentine bookmarks for all of his friends (all 19 of them)!
The artwork below was inspired by the art of Eric Carle, Spencer's (and Juli's now too) favorite illustrator. Here are some of the masterpieces that will be distributed at the
"100th Day of School / Friendship Day Party"!

We made one for you too...Happy Valentine's day from theReynoldsFam!

Yes, Spencer is the artist here. He has a very good assistant who enjoys setting up the work space, cleaning up the paint and getting her fingers in the glue.
(The fun of peeling glue off the fingers...love that!)

if it will take a miracle, then a miracle it will be.

I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:21,22)

For the past 18 months "theReynoldsFam" has been settling into a new city, a new neighborhood, a new school, new job... We said when we moved to Madison that we would be patient and take the first year simply to live here and get to know the community. (We hit the ground running in La Crosse and have learned much about missions since then.) Madison is a city that is broken up into smaller neighborhoods, sectioned off by an isthmus there are 5 areas that are marked by very different characteristics. Much like any city, there is the "East side" the "West Side", the "North side" the "South side" and the "Downtown". These areas, while part of the same city, are very different. In Madison the biggest variance is between the East and West side. We live on the North side. We chose this area because after interviewing Madison natives, we learned that this is probably the place where the boundaries between the various ethnic and socio-economic background are the most blurred.

"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

We dream of seeing a community of faith that is made up of rich and poor, black, brown and white all living the Kingdom life together. We felt we were positioning ourselves in a neighborhood that would be receptive to that. That is where the "mountain moving" comes in, I suppose. It has been suggested to us that it cannot be done or at least that it will take a miracle.

We are in a process of discerning what God is doing to draw people, how we can follow the Holy Spirit in His desire to bring abundant life to our friends here. We have personal preferences, we have ideals, we think we know how it should look. Ultimately we want to look a bit like the church in Acts 2, who had all things in common and devoted themselves to the Word of God, who prayed and were in awe of God. We want to be a community simply discovering together how to love God more and love each other better. We desire to be free of the barriers that seem to distract people outside the church, things that weigh down the church - money, bureaucracy, hierarchy for example. (Another dream of ours about which we here it will take a miracle.)

So, since it will take a miracle to get this thing off the ground...we are counting on a miracle. As we do all the stuff we do to prepare - designing newspaper ads, mail pieces, door hangers, preparing a message, music, food, personally inviting everyone we know, one on one discipleship - we are praying! This weekend we will be joined by friends, our team, and some folks from a couple GLBC churces to distribute 1000 door hangers and Prayer Walk our neighborhoods. On Sunday we will be holding our 2nd "Preview". This is a gathering of which our goal is to worship together and welcome a couple new families into this new adventure. Honestly, having done 2 prior public meetings here in Madison, having planted a church before, we know it will take a miracle, and by definition we would have it no other way.

So we are praying for a miracle.


If you would like to pray "on site" with us you could experiment with a "virtual prayer walk". Google maps satellite offers the opportunity to actually view the houses represented in the neighborhood we will be walking on Saturday. It's probably warmer this way. Let us know if you are able to take a few minutes and pray blessings on these neighborhoods, homes, families, individuals. Just click here on the Map and off you go!

fate or coincedence?

Is it true that there are only a few degrees of separation between us all? You can bet that theReynoldsFam will be watching! (well, 1/2 of the fam will be watching, the other 1/2 will be in bed sleeping!) We have made this a community event - all of the Northview team will be watching - discovering together how profoundly connected we all are to one another.

Find out how the LOST survivors were connected before they ended up on the Island. For those who may not have watched....check out this site and video, it's not too late to get in on the adventure.... LOST! - a matter of geography, or is it metaphor?

It's Super Bowl Sunday

It's February and although we see very few comments at this site, I am starting to get emails about our infrequent updates. We have been working, celebrating...and most of my time has been in correspondence with Outreach Marketing - getting an advertising piece together and the Northside News developing an ad (thanks Tim for the help on that one).

We are very excited about the Bears going to the Super Bowl. We are living in Packer Country. Sam was heckled in the mall for wearing his Bears - Grossman - Jersey. He continued on, walking tall. The boys are going all out Bears - very much with Gene's approval. So, the boys are learning how to stand up even when they stand alone. The boys are learning to go against the flow and be better for it. Now, if the Packers were going to the Super Bowl, they may be all out Packer fans...but they aren't. GO BEARS.

We are busy too starting a church in Madison - another endeavor that may make one feel as if they are standing alone. But we stand tall. Why? Because we know that the church - the Kingdom of God incarnate - is hope. It's the restoring of all things. It is that which we all search for - whether acknowledged or not. It is love and peace, it is all people no matter what their background, social status, ethnicity...can live together, eat together, be together. Jesus showed us a Kingdom that knew no preference or prejudice. All are welcome at the table of the Kingdom. Abundant life is offered to all. So, we stand tall, walk on...anticipating victory.

they did it!

Hitting a 49-yard field goal in OT to win a playoff game? Pretty impressive. Doing it at windy Soldier Field? Impressive doesn't begin to describe it. But that's what Robbie Gould did to send the Bears to the NFC title game with a 27-24 win.

- time for victory party pictures!

GO BEARS! GO FANS!

If a winter storm had to deter us from our trip back to the QCA, what makes it worth it is getting to watch the Bears game as a family. Gene is shouting and jumping up and down, Spencer recreating every play, every football move with a nerf football, Sam inventing never-seen-before victory dances.... I am writing before the end of the game, I hope this is a win, I look forward to the victory phone calls after the game. If not, it sure is fun "calling for" the BEARS!