Spiritual Gift Test

In our teaching series "Aiming Points", Pastor Chris shared about discovering our roles in the greater context of the church.  As we worked through 1 Corinthians 12, we find that every follower of Jesus has at least one spiritual gift that is to be used to glorify, serve and bring honor to God.  The context of using those gifts is the church.

The journey of discovering our spiritual gifts is just that - a journey.  One test is not final verdict but simply a tool to open up our minds and hearts to the kind of person God is growing us into.  We offer this test as simply an opportunity to help you in your journey of connecting to purpose.  There are no right or wrong answers, don't answer the way you think you should answer, simply give an honest response.

Take the test here: (fill in your answers and hit "show me results" for a personalized report)




We would love to hear about your results and hope you'll join us as we live, work and serve together!

Coming Soon --- Rockout Campout

This summer is our second annual Promiseland Camp for all kids in 1st-5th grades ('11-'12 school year).  Last summer was a great success and this year's camp promises to be even bigger, better and more rockin'!  The kids will be at Epworth Forest in North Webster which is a great camp with a lot of activities and a brand new lodge.  Here are some pictures of where the kids will be staying this summer:

Dates of Rockout Campout are July 24-26.  More information and registration is on our website - check under the "calendar" tab.  The first 30 kids to register are guaranteed a spot - we've already had a lot sign up so make sure to get your kids registered soon!

Also - if you would like to volunteer to help with some aspect of camp - email Brian Harshman.

Conflict in Church?

It's inevitable - a church is people.  People of different backgrounds, opinions, personalities, likes, dislikes.  Conflict is a natural part of life - it can make us stronger.  It helps us grow stronger relationships if handled well.  But, conflict isn't usually handled well - we hold on, we keep score, we explode, we go "in".  It's an issue we talk a lot about around here because we see it all the time - at work, in our marriages, our small groups, our church - its the result of living in a broken world of imperfect people.

Read a very encouraging piece on "God's Battle Plan for Church Conflict" (you can read it here).  How often I don't operate according to God's battle plan.  I operate out of my fatigue, my perspective, my view of truth.  I wonder how different we would look if we operated more in His plan?

Any time God's people move forward, conflict is going to happen (read about Moses leading the people in Exodus sometime).  Change upsets the status quo - it forces us into uncomfortable places. 

I'm so appreciative of those who call the Creek "home" and our leaders who are trying to learn how to live out Real Life with me.  It isn't always easy and we don't always get it right but thanks for working hard and let's keep God's Battle Plan in front of ours!

In Honor of Dads

Saw some video on a Utah dad who dressed up everyday in a new costume this past school year to wave good bye at his teenage son's bus.  Hilarious!  You can check out the blog here and see each costume.  Really fun, especially since teenagers love their parents embarrassing them like that.

Great spirit.  I wonder what our kids would be like if we were willing to take a more laid-back approach to life and issues like this?  Not that we don't care about stuff, but maybe just loosen up just a tiny bit.  I think that would help me and our kids.  Hope this gives you a good laugh and maybe encourages you a little bit today.

Happy Father's Day!

Some good music

I love music - I'm not any good at playing music or singing but I can play my iPod pretty good.  A band and its music that we were exposed to while at the Drive Conference in Atlanta was Gungor (formerly known as the Michael Gungor Band).  Really like their new album - one song in particular that we sang at the conference "Beautiful Things" has an incredible message.  Check them out sometime - think you might like the "different" sound (hint, hint - not churchy music).

Website/Blog Updates

Now that the BRAND NEW www.thecreekonline.net is up and running, we would love your feedback.  What do you like, what needs some tweaking, what do you want to see, where could we do better?  We still have some tweaks we want to make, including how we do our Prayer Link, so keep checking back.  We really hope the website can be a simple hub of information for regular Creekers and great launching point for people checking out Mill Creek.

Also, hope this new blog will be a great source of information as well as encouragement. You can find some of our partner blogs to the right - including our friends from Juarez Mexico.  There will be some upcoming information on how we can show them some "Love Wins" in the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

Parents - make sure to get your kids registered for this summer's Rockout Campout at Epworth Forest on July 24-26.  You can find the registration at the calendar on the website.  The first 30 kids are guaranteed spots and there already sign ups coming in.  Cost will be $25 and more information will be coming in the next few weeks.  Going to be a great time and a great way to close out the summer!

Youth Activities

Students (6th-12th grades) - don't forget that every Tuesday - Thursday during summer break, there is something happening for you at Mill Creek with Brian and all your closest amigos.  Make sure to check out the website calendar for more information on what takes place each day and times.

Welcome to the new Real Life Blog!

With the brand new www.thecreekonline.net we are also launching a brand new blog.  Feel free to favorite us and check back often in the next few weeks as we work out any kinks and get this up and running.  The blog will continue to be a great spot to check out what's happening around The Creek!