Run the Race to Get the Prize!

You may wonder how Broom Tree ministries is connected to the Pewaukee Triathelon held this past July 11th.
Pictured on the left are James Boylan, Robert Hanon (Dwayne and Rita's grandson) Glenn Hanon (Their son) and Jake Andrus who all did a magnificent job of swimming, biking and running on that spectacular day.

Though we run the race to get the prize, just finishing well in one of these grueling events is quite a prize!!!

We are very proud of them.

To visit Glenn's blog press here.

Birthday Observation #3

THE CAMOUFLAGE CAKE

Clever cake for the person who is a hunter or in the army.  Or if you want to hide someone's cake in the woods and not see it.   However, there is another observation we share with you.

WE HAVE AN ENEMY - WE ARE IN A BATTLE

As a church we may not be aware of this but when pastors come away from the fray long enough to observe themselves and their flock through God's eyes, they often can see and recognize the Enemy better, his strategy to render the church impotent with petty quarrels and discontent.

This is why we ask prayer partners to hold up each pastor couple in prayer while they are on retreat.  So they can return armed with whatever God gave them to FINISH STRONG, KEEP THE FAITH AND HELP HIS FLOCK GET HOME SAFELY BEFORE DARK.

Birthday Observation #2

2.  PASTORS ARE CALLED
Number 2 in our observations of who pastors are comes from listening to conversations around the dinner table during retreats.

Tuesday discussions over dinner are so wonderful because we hear how God has called each one into ministry and to Himself.

A man from the rural hills of Tennessee received his pastoral position because the people of his town recognized that he loved Jesus so they wanted him to teach them how to do the same.  Powerful.

A man looked out of his 10th story window over his city all morning.  He had a wonderful six figure salary with benefits and perks but this morning he couldn't do anything but weap for the lost in his city.  God was calling and he was finally ready to leave it all behind and follow Jesus - no turning back.

There is no other way to survive leading the church except if one is certain, beyond doubt, that the Maker of heaven and earth has called and will guide.

To be continued.

Happy Birthday Broom Tree!!!

In August of 2002, Broom Tree began which means it is now 8 years old!
But prior to that Dwayne and Rita were in this same kind of ministry for 5 years.  This makes 13 years of experience in my humble calculation.

What have we learned in the past 13 years?

1.  PASTORS ARE UNIQUE.  We have met pastor couples from 93 denominations, 33 states, 4 Canadian provinces and 9 countries.
They are all colors, backgrounds, nationalities, creeds, ilks, and isms but all Christians!  And they get along!!! What a testimony.

The flocks they shepherd vary as much as the pastors.  Some folks want to learn and grow spiritually, some want everything to stay the same and some want to hear only what their itching ears demand and most churches have all three kinds.

But the best thing a pastor can do is preach the Word and love the people.  Sounds simple?  No Way.

To be continued.

The Strategy of Retreat

Dwayne reconnected with Gary Muchka at a prayer meeting and as they were talking discovered that Gary had past experience and expertise in prevention of burnout techniques for business executives.   This perked Dwayne's interest as that is exactly what Broom Tree tries to do for pastors, to keep them strong and prevent burnout.  Gary explained that his research led him to recommend a week of renewal every 90 days.  

Amazing.  

That is sort of what Jesus did too.  He took his disciples away to a quiet place about 4 times a year during his 3 year ministry.  

Monsoon Miracle

Mark said, "We do not often see miracles in the physical world, but I saw this with my own eyes."

Mark and D.J. Crossman were at the Broom Tree Retreat in July.  (2010)  They told us this powerful testimony and we wanted to share it with you:

"While on a mission trip to Brazil with Campus Crusade showing the "Jesus" film I saw God's power over nature.  After setting up all the expensive equipment in a field near a remote village, a fierce Amazon thunderstorm started bearing down on us.  The villagers ran to their homes.  We had no time to pack the equipment so just circled it and began praying.  The storm continued it's rapid path toward us but when it hit the edge of the field, it split and went around us.  At one point it was raining all around the field but we were dry.  The storm continued to move until it passes us and we watched it retreat.  Not one drop fell in the field where we were.  The villagers returned and many committed their lives to Christ after viewing the "Jesus" film!"