Who wudda thunkit?

Some things are just beyond the imagination:

• On our first full day here in Alaska, during our wilderness hike, I learned that a certain kind of frog here in Alaska actually freezes every Winter – heart stops, eyes freeze, brain activity ceases…….and then thaws out every Spring, and resumes normal activity again!  Did you know that?  Amazing!

• On our second full day here, standing in a buffet line for some Alaskan baked Salmon, I saw a guy who looked familiar.  When he made eye contact with me, I said, “I know you”.  He was Darryl Carnley, who pastors a growing church in North Pole, AK and belongs to a ministerial fellowship that I’m a part of – so that wasn’t so amazing (he lives just 15 miles away) – but then he said, “Joe Parker” is with me – and I’ve known Pastor Joe Parker for almost 40 years!  (He was the founder of a great church in Seattle now pastored by Gordon Banks, and now is planting again in Boise, ID!) What are the odds of us being in ALASKA at the same time, and bumping into each other in a restaurant???

• Finally, THIS SUNDAY at every campus of CLC we’ll kick-off one of the most timely and important series that we’ve ever done: “ONE”! I’m not sure what the odds are that we’d start such a strategic series while the senior pastors are thousands of miles away in Alaska, but I can tell you for sure that you don’t want to miss this Sunday at CLC!

P.S.  I was THRILLED to get the report up here about Wednesday night in Tinley Park, where Terrell Wilson led a wonderful time of worship before Pastor Eric Stone preached and two young ladies were baptized in water and at least one was filled with the Holy Spirit!  Midweek revival in the summertime – gotta love it!