Just to clarify a simple personal philosophy in communication with Leavener. This blog was established as a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a few of the things the Lord is doing in my life. Blogs often reflect the personality of the author. I have chosen (at this time) to allow comments about the specific entries. Most of these have been a real encouragement to me through this process. I have removed a few that have crossed personal lines in my opinion.

An Internet forum is a website developed for the discussion of questions of public interest. At this time, I have not developed this site for that purpose. I love to discuss these issues and do quite regularly with many people. I just choose to do that communication through face to face meetings, phone calls, meals, instant messaging, e-mails, etc. That way I can know who the specific person is I am communicating to.

A community is a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists. The way a community develops is by communicating effectively and personally. There is nothing personal about communicating anonymously.

If you look to the right of this blog entry, I have listed several different ways to discuss issues with me. If you have specific questions about Leavener I would be happy to answer them other than through this blog. The best way to get your answers would be to come hang out with us this Saturday Night as mentioned in the previous entry. You'll be safe there and have the opportunity to hang out with people that absolutely love Jesus and other people.

Let's talk,

Rusty

Here are the details for Saturday, September 29th: Leavener Community is gathering at Joe and Tammy Hilfiker's in Sheridan. Click here for a map. It all starts at 5:00 PM and ends when you're done having fun. The pitch-in: Leavener will provide meat and drinks. (This won't be just any meat... we're talking the real deal here!!!) We are asking that you bring two additional items (sides, desserts, etc...surprise us). Bring enough to share! Also, bring your lawn chairs or blankets.

Now for the fun part..the lip sync..just think, you might be invited to sing at next year's MTV awards! You don't have to be able to sing, you just need to be willing to have a little fun with the rest of us (costumes would be great!) Rusty, has plenty of suggestions for songs as well! Of course, you can also sit back and enjoy the performances, if that seems more fun.

Rusty will be sharing the central truth of Leavener that is the foundation of the three aspects of ministry as shared in previous blogs entries.

Please RSVP by noon on Wednesday, September 26th, to rusty@leavener.com with the number attending (so we can purchase enough meat) ALSO give us your lip sync entry. Didn't get your RSVP in by the 26th? No problem, we still want you to come. Just let us know you want to attend.

Please share this information with anyone you think would be interested as the blog entries are always an "open invitation" to everyone.

We look forward to seeing you on the 29th!

Michelle

For the last 12 weeks our family has visited several area churches. These churches have ranged in size from 75 to 400 to 3,000. It has been an interesting journey for us as we try to redefine the term "church" for our family. We know what it has been for the past many years and we see that it is currently very similar around our community.

We keep hearing and reading about the terms "transformation" and "community". It is what the people want and they are trying multitudes of ways to grasp and claim these experiences for themselves and their families. Some are looking for formulas, "silver bullets", programs, curriculums, retreats, pastors or truth that will lead them to this oasis. When they "hit a wall", they pick up their ball and move on to the next playing field. I can say that, because that is exactly what God has lead me and my family to do. I am absolutely OK with that change as long as it is a God-move rather than a selfish-move (that is another whole issue in itself).

Today was a huge eye-opener for Michelle and me. We attended one of the largest churches in our community and they were celebrating with a baptismal service. At one point they asked each of the attenders to participate. Around the room, they formed a river like mural by placing hundreds of pieces of paper with one word on them. The words they used were "peace", "joy", "awe", "surrender", etc. multiple times. As the worship continued they encouraged each attender to get up and go get one word off the wall that best described the experience of their baptism and faith walk. When the song had ended and virtually everyone had returned to their seat, Michelle and I were devastated as we looked at the remains on the wall. My opinion is this church is representative of the majority of churches across our country. It was apparent today the church had been indicted. During the whole service, the end of this song was the one moment that God spoke to me (and Michelle) the loudest. As we scanned the room and especially the front walls, it was apparent that all the words were chosen by the people except one. In fact, it was the only word left posted on the front walls. Can you imagine which word it was? I would have never imagined.

"AWE" was left on the wall.It was absolutely apparent that "awe" had very little impact on the church. Without "awe", the church is doing stuff in their own strength. They may be getting a lot accomplished but imagine if "awe" was part of the experience. Then the whole world would be talking about it. Immediately I began to see the difference between today's church and the church we read about in Acts 2.

38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

You know what stands out to me in that passage besides "awe"? "Transformation" and "community". Pretty simple... The Holy Spirit showed up, lives were transformed, there was a sense of awe and they chose to hang out in community because of these things.

This is the church in its most true form. Can we really strip away all the other stuff we have made it to be over the many years? That is my prayer as the Leavener Community gathers.

See you Friday,

Rusty

Here it is... the big reveal... Come hang out for the first time with the Leavener community. Find out what the heartbeat of Leavener is all about. Let us know if you are interested by e-mailing to rusty@leavener.com. We'll be happy to make all the arrangements for you so you can be included in the group tickets and camp in the same area. The number of confirmations we receive will determine how we handle meal arrangements.

September 7-9, 2007
Good friends... Good fun... Good eats... Good hang time!!!!

Friday, September 7th
- 4:00 Depart from Indy (Carpool or drive individually)
- Change clocks one hour back - Central Time Zone
- 6:30 PM Arrive at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort
(199 miles from Kennedy's House)
- Cost = $30 Tent Site; $35-40 RV Site each night
-Jasper Inn (Double Room) - Cost = $75 each night

Saturday, September 8th
- 9:00 AM - Breakfast at Lake Rudolph!!!
- 10:00 AM - Holiday World opens
- Group Tickets = $25 each
- FREE Unlimited drinks all day!!!!
- 11:00 AM - Splashin Safari opens
- 5:00 PM - Splashin Safari closes
- 6:00 PM - Holiday World closes
- 7:30 PM - Food Fest at Lake Rudolph!!!
- 8:30 PM - Gathering at Lake Rudolph

Sunday, September 9th
- 9:00 AM - Breakfast at Lake Rudolph!!!
- 10:00 AM - Gathering at Lake Rudolph
- Noon - Check out time for Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort
LET US KNOW IF YOU WANNA COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE!!!!

A couple of people in the Leavener Community have inquired about the posting time of my blog entries. If you notice at the bottom of each entry, they have all been posted at 11:59 PM. That is quite a detailed observance from you... maybe you have more free time than I do!

So what is the significance of 11:59 PM? I can't say that it is reference to a specific verse in a particular book of the Bible (although I did research that).

11:59 PM

One minute until tomorrow. A new day is coming! It is just around the corner and I can't wait.

Michelle and I would greatly appreciate your prayers these next two weeks. I have enlisted some men to be on the Leavener Board with me and we are meeting a couple times so we can get the plan out the door and on the road. (Proverbs 15:22 - Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.) (Proverbs 16:9 - A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.)

It is coming... My prayer is that it is fresh and full of Truth which translates into Good News. The Good News is really Good News!!!

I can't wait to tell you... but I will for now.

Rusty

Tonight... 11:59 PM was 8 minutes after Barry Bonds hit #756!

Pressure comes in many forms...

- Electronically = through comments left on blog sites and instant messaging
- Verbally = through investigating questions and sharing personal opinions
- Doing nothing = build up of reaction due to no action
- Expectations = Again this refers to opinions and assumptions of people
- Responsibility to provide = Given to people at the fall of man
- Physical = the force per unit area applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular to that surface.

The Leavener blog has been delayed due to an RV trip around Michigan with the Tyner Family. We had an incredible relaxing trip to Grand Haven, Traverse City (The Cherry Festival), Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island and Monroe. Our families have vacationed together for the last three years in various spots around the country but Keith wanted us to have a taste of the RV life they experienced last summer when traveling Route 66. We had a blast. We just got back yesterday.

But there is pressure to get this site updated. There is pressure to communicate what is happening in our life. There is pressure to communicate truth. But don't misinterpret... the pressure from this blog is not that great. It's just something else I have to get done.

You want to know what real pressure is? The physical kind of pressure? Well, on an RV, you have a toilet that fills into a black tank. When that black tank gets full of refuse from two families' bodies, you have to empty it. So you attach a hose to the black tube of the tank and put the other end in a ground drain. When you pull the black handle to let the refuse dump it begins flowing through the tube. At times you have to pick up the tube so gravity will help the process of relieving pressure from the tank. Who knew that when I picked up that tube to release some pressure that it would fall apart at the neck of the tube and body refuse would spew all over the parking lot? Now that is pressure!!!! What do you do now? "Honey, get the broom and dust pan!"... "I'll buy you a new one!!!" Thanks to Connie who literally "stepped in" and helped relieve some pressure by sweeping that #@*% up.

Oh, there is more pressure. How and when does this new church begin? There is stuff happening that I never expected... it wasn't suppose to happen this way. Over the next 10 days we are going to be meeting with family and friends in Oklahoma and Texas. The drive time is typically an incredible experience for me. These drives to Oklahoma have generated many ministry ideas and plans over the years (i.e, Union and Good Friday Service with my Dad). I am looking forward to what the Lord might reveal to me during this time away.

Pressure in the Bible... all the time. I can't imagine what Gideon was thinking. Read this story in Judges 7. Gideon started with 32,000 men to defeat the Midianites. The Lord instructed Gideon that he had too many men to defeat the Midianites. With that many men, it would be obvious by whose power they won. God whittled Gideon's army down to 300 men. Think for a moment... you started with 32,000 to go into battle and now you only have 300. I think Gideon experienced a little of my black tank incident! The Good News is God delivered just as He promised. God handed over the Midianites to Gideon and his army of 300 men. The Midianites knew God was on Gideon's side and it was because of Him that Gideon prevailed. Pressure? Not with God's promises behind you.

This whole new church thing... no pressure... just rest in His promises.

Rusty

People keep asking me about what I am going to be doing. I've said from the beginning of this adventure (December '06) that we know God is calling us to lead a ministry/church. To do that, we had to end our 18 years of service at Northside. Then I know that we are to separate ourselves from Northside. That is the season that we are in the midst of right now. If you think that is confusing for you, it definitely is for us. It is not easy to put space between your church family that you have committed almost half your life to. And of course... everyone has an opinion of what that should look like.

But as we move toward our next step, the questions come flying at us. One question that I really struggle with is "What model of church planting are you going to use?". I'm just not there. Why would I want to model a plan? Why do I have to do it like someone else? Can't I make my own mistakes? Can't you just speak the Truth and let it be? Do I have to market the Truth to plant a church?

Billboards, web sites, yellow pages ads, newspaper promos, CDs, brochures, yadda yadda... Marketing plans? What are we marketing? Jesus or the church? My lunch partner today reminded me that the church is not a business... it is something that is orchestrated by God. Or at least it should be. I'm not against these things (obviously you are reading my website). There is a difference between communicating and teaching Truth versus marketing Jesus and the church.

The church talked about in the New Testament didn't promote itself. Peter told the people to repent, be baptized (placed into Christ) for the forgiveness of their sins and they would receive the Holy Spirit. In one day, 3,000 people received those words and were baptized. They continued listening to the Truth, hanging out, eating and praying together. There was a sense of awe in the community. Amazing things began to happen. They had all things in common and shared all their possessions with each other. They consistently ate together while praising God and everyone liked them. Click on the above link and read it for yourself!

Sounds like a plan for me... speak Truth, people repent, the Spirit changes their lives, rejoice, pray, hang out and eat! How can we mess up that plan? Sound a little "idealistic"? Nah... just another unexplainable adventure!

Jesus isn't for sale. He came to give salvation for free and it cost Him His life!

Rusty

Labels...
"Heard you weren't going to be 'Southern Baptist' anymore?"
"Are you going to start one of those 'emergent' churches?
"Are you a person of 'grace' or 'legalism'?"
"I'm not 'unemployed'."
"Do they 'get it'?"

Business meetings...
Do you know why churches have business meetings? Because of the IRS. To be "legally" (according to US government) designated a church or nonprofit organization, you must have at least one business meeting a year with specific results (i.e. budget, ministry plan, etc.) I sat in 5 business meetings at camp last week. We actually had fun and got a lot accomplished (without Robert there).

Bagel Holes...
I heard it is to ensure the bagel bakes and boils evenly.

Sunday Bests...
Where did that come from? Who are we dressing up for? This one is a real doosey! How does one square up this thought pattern? That is like asking, "What's a Hoosier?". You'll get some real educated responses and some quick answers... but the truth is... no one knows for sure! If you said, "We need to look our best for God.", does that mean God only sees you on Sunday Mornings?...

It is at this point in my posting of this blog that a gentleman at Panera approaches me and asks me if I am from Northside. I do not recognize him at all. We reintroduced ourselves again. I'm going through my mental Rolodex of names and faces and coming up totally blank. Then he said, "You baptized me!". Mentally, I am doing everything I can to process this name and face through the small talk.

Finally, I let him know that I was no longer a staff member at Northside and the conversation turned from casual to personal. It was if I had popped the cork and this man went on to say what all God had done in his life since that baptism. The change was done outside of the traditional church routine. He explained that his salvation was very real to him and that God is doing amazing things through his life and family. He knows the Spirit has restored his life.

As I am sitting there, processing all I am able to, I still did not know this man. But he absolutely was speaking to me very specifically about my recent decisions and even mentioned the issues I started rambling about in this very blog entry. The man was speaking to my soul with all sincerity.

The very thought crossed my mind, "This man was sent to me directly today to encourage me. This is another unexplainable event. Thank you Jesus."

We shook hands and said "Goodbye". I got up and collected my stuff and he was literally gone. I know exactly what happened today... I got the point!

Rusty

Simon Birch asks the question... "What do donuts have to do with God?" The Lord revealed that answer to me in a real way.

My second day of being employed by Leavener (May 22nd), I took an impulse trip with a friend. He inquired about my "nut". I said, "What are you talking about?" He went on to explain that a "nut" is how much money you absolutely need to survive each month. Over the next 24 hours, I scrutinized my monthly budget to figure out how much of a "nut" would allow me to survive. (For those of you who know me... that means a detailed Excel file with fancy formulas... woohoo!!!)

Then on Friday, Michelle and I did our normal routine of brunch at Cracker Barrel. It was an emotional low for both of us. Tears were flowing (mostly from uncertainty). The food came and the routine prayer became more than that. It was a plea to God for wisdom and peace. I truly believe that before the meal ended, God had answered our prayer. We discussed our busy June/July family schedule and know that we are to rest for two months and trust Him. We hope to have oars in the water by August 1st for whatever adventure God has in store for us. There has been peace and joy since then. The two of us have had a great 10 days since. Thank you Jesus!

Which brings us to yesterday, June 2nd. Right before leaving for open houses and a wedding, I quickly reconciled my bank accounts for the end of the month. I opened the lovely Excel file and looked at that amount referred to as my "nut". Being the first month away from Northside, that nut was looking pretty overwhelming. I honestly said, "Lord, I have no idea how this is going to happen!"

Two minutes later, we climbed into the car to leave... Oh wait, here comes the mailman. Michelle says, "Chloe, would you get the mail, please?" Chloe comes skipping back to the car and hands the mail to Michelle. She hands me an envelope from some friends who have been tracking what God is doing in our lives. There was a check inside the envelope... oh my... that was quick Lord but it doesn't cover the "nut". Michelle hands me a second envelope. Another check... "You've got to be kidding me!!!". Within 15 minutes of questioning God, the Lord handed us two checks totaling 98% of the "nut" I had just reviewed. I turned to Michelle and said, "This is not happenstance." This is the exact situation that I referred to in my March 13th blog entitled "Unexplainable Adventure."

I have been told more than once... "You're going to have to do something... this is not going to just fall in your lap." I just can't buy that train of thought anymore. I am hanging out with my family and doing just as much ministry as I was before I quit as a staff member at Northside. I still hang out with people. I still pray with people. I still serve people. I still cry with people. I still encourage people. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PEOPLE. But truly, it is God that does it all. That may be semantics or a nice spiritual thought for you. But it is truly my way of life.

So what do donuts have to do with God? He gave Leavener all the "dough" I need for my "nut" this month! WOOHOO!!!

Rusty

A perfect ending... to eighteen years on staff at Northside. First of all, my Mom (Dixie), my sister (Heidi) and niece (Emily) drove all the way from Tulsa, OK to be here for this celebration.

My last official act as a Northside staffer was to baptize my friend Andy Deo. What an incredible testimony this man shares. We quickly reminisced over the last 18 months about him coming to understand his own identity in Christ. Having his boys, Ben and Nick, looking over the glass into the baptistery was a special moment.

My friends at Northside planned the perfect party for my exit. It was all about baseball! It started with the National Anthem and my mom throwing out the first pitch. There was plenty of food (brats, sausage & dogs, cotton candy, nachos and of course Cracker Jacks). We split up teams and played some good ole boy softball.

One of the cool things they did was produce a set of "Rusty Kennedy" baseball cards and t-shirts. So the whole field was full of fun, food and memories. It was great to hang out with friends and family (some that I hadn't seen for quite some time). What had been forecasted as a chance of thunderstorms turned out to be a perfect day of weather with bright sunshine and a cool 75 degrees.

Perfect... That is a word that drives many. For others, it is unfathomable. It is an adjective that can be good or bad depending on the noun. It is a description that I have come to embrace about myself. It is not my opinion. It is clearly stated in the Word of God. Have you ever considered yourself perfect? If you know Jesus as your Savior... God views you as perfect! Oh my! That is greater news than any perfect party!

Coming to the understanding of perfection in Jesus could cause others to view that as an arrogant claim. Absolutely NOT! It is because of my weakness that Jesus' grace makes me perfect. Once again, it is nothing that I have done but everything God did.

It was perfect... It is perfect... It is finished.

Rusty