Hey - Canada

Get a load of this!!! This big girl is a 27" - 8 pound walleye.

I love fishing! Secrets out. And a trip to Canada is exactly what I needed. If there is anything that can get my juices flowing - this is it. God created fish for that reason. I had an amazing few days with a great group of guys from Willowbrook in a place called, Canada (yes - they let me over the border). And get a load of this walleye I caught! And this wasn't the biggest one. My friend, Chad, caught a 31" walley that weighed close to 12 pounds! In fact, we didn't catch a walleye smaller than 4 pounds during the three days we fished. And we caught a lot of walleys. It's a God thing. The weather was amazing. The sunsets were amazing. The fellowship was remarkable. I could get use to this.

I love Willowbrook and I want to thank this amazing church for allowing me the opportunity to get away and to refuel. Jesus said that we are to be "fisher's of men and women." My prayer is that God will allow us to catch a huge "stringer" of new Christ followers in the weeks and months ahead!

What a Great Day

I must say, I was in my prime today! I had the privilege to hang out for a couple hours with "the man" who has truly inspired me more than any other man in my life (next to my own dad), Pastor Steve Anderson. Pastor Steve was the Pastor who married me and my lovely bride of 21 years. Pastor Steve was the man who led my own parents into a deeper walk with Christ for over 20 years. Pastor Steve was the man who was there when my nephew died at six months of age. He rallied the entire church around my family with prayer. Pastor Steve was the man who made multiple trips up to the cities to encourage my walk with Christ years ago while I was attending Seminary (Bethel). And today, after a number of years, I got the rare privilege to have a meal with "the man." You talk about passion and wisdom. I was in my prime.

Do you have anyone like this in your life? I sure hope you do. A person who does nothing but points the needle of their compass toward their Savior.

It's my hope to have Pastor Steve share the stage with me at Willowbrook in the upcoming months ahead. I can't wait to show him off. He's Da man.

R&R 4 Reis Fam

It's hard for me to believe but our family is gearing up for an important time of refueling over the next four weeks. After finishing my Sunday's message (June 15th) I will be heading home to plan out a number of little family trips until the middle part of July. The Church Council has been so awesome in allowing our family this important opportunity to spend much-needed quality time together. After eight years of Sundays and over 400 Life Talk Messages, the time has come to gear up for the next important stretch in the life of Willowbrook. This break is just what the doctor ordered! While I'm away we have a terrific line up of speakers who you won't want to miss. In fact, the greatest gift you could give our family while we are away is the support of this great community called, Willowbrook. I'll be returning back to Willowbrook on Sunday, July 20th, to conclude our Fusion Series. I'm loving this series - because it truly hits the target of our pain and what God can do through our brokeness. I hope that you are enjoying it as well.

As always, I'll be doing some writing on my blog while away and sharing some family photos to bore you! :-)

Looking forward to a great Father's Day at the Brook!

See you on Sunday.

Brad

The Twilight Zone Returns

Okay - If you're not familiar with the Twilight Zone, you won't get this funny and clever video called, "The Tightwad Zone." If you're a pastor you're probably always looking for creative ways to challenge your church to give to the ministries that truly touch lives. Well, this might be the ticket. The Bible says that when we give we should do it "hilariously." I think this will help. Yes, the young guy in this movie is thee "William Shatner" (Star Trek).

Tell me what you think?

Give it to me straight up!

It's been sometime since I had the chance to visit my own blog and to narrow in on what God has been teaching me this past week. Well, if you're like me, you have those dry times in life in which the rain just doesn't fall as much on the ole noggin. But, just the other day I was taking a moment to read some awesome and inspiring stuff from Pastor Perry Noble when pow - storm cells developed and the rain came down. Now, I know that it may not reach the depth of your heart like it does mine because Perry's words are intended for pastors and church leaders. But this stuff is what I want to inspire to:

Be who God called you to be…take risks…pray “stupid” prayers…ask people for commitment…believe in those no one else dared to believe in…PREACH JESUS…listen to the Holy Spirit…give everything your best…spend time BEGGING God to change lives…understand that God wants your church to grow more than you do…stop trying to make people happy…take some time for yourself…hire the people God tells you to hire…LEARN DAILY…spend whatever amount of money you need to spend to grow…develop your strengths, delegate your weaknesses…ignore your critics…STOP trying to be someone else…HONOR GOD’S GIFTING AND CALLING ON YOUR LIFE!!!

It's pouring...