justin j mack

the new small group guide is available

the 2008 spring small group guide is now available at www.rivervalleychurch.org.

i am amazed at the number and quality of our small group leaders.  i was hoping and praying for about 85 leaders but over 120 stepped up to lead over 65 different small groups.

the numbers may not mean much to you but when you realize that the purpose of every one of these groups and the main priority of all these leaders is to help lead people to an authentic, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ...that is pretty exciting!!

i'm so excited

i have some really good small group news i'm going to share sometime this week, so stop back in the next couple of days to check it out...

home sweet home

for the over-achieving bloggers out there, this is going to seem like old news, but i just want to say how much i enjoyed the holidays.

tara and i got to spend a week with my side of the family in sunny arizona.  it was great to have my sister and her family as well as my brother and his family all together.  we visited sedona for a couple days, went to a really good dinner-theater, played lots of games, hungout with some old friends, did a little shopping, took family pictures, and went to my all-time favorite restaurant for new years eve...pf changs.

oh, and ate lots and lots of really good food.  my mom is a crazy good cook and i would've gained about 7 or 8 lbs if we hadn't hiked the mini-mountain behind my parent house almost daily.

the older i get the more i realize what a gift being with family is.

video. family mexico mission

here is a link to a short picture video of the family mexico mission...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1321372083

thanks to scott raymond for putting this together

rvc family mexico mission

saturday morning 43 brave individuals started one long road trip for one great cause. 

for the next 7 days this incredible group of moms, dads and kids will be providing spiritual, financial, and physical support for the youth with a mission base in monterrey mexico.

please keep them in your prayers!!

50/50

my two primary responsibilities as a pastor at river valley church is to oversee both small groups and missions.  i really enjoy splitting my time 50/50 between these two areas of responsibility.

small groups.  the year is quickly coming to an end and our new leaders and new small groups are starting to make plans for 2008.  for all those that are interested in becoming a new small group leader, there is a small group leaders orientation on december 1st.  for those that have gone through the orientation, the new small group profiles are due december 14th.  you can get more information from the small group page on the rvc website. (www.rivervalleychruch.org)

missions.  i've had a lot of questions about the upcoming missions trips but all i can say right now is that there are going to be a lot of them.  there will also be many other missions opportunities you can be involved with besides trips.  i am working hard at developing the rvc missions plan and the 2008/2009 mission trip opportunities.  i'm hoping to present more information within the first couple months of 2008.      

happy birthday mack daddy

yesterday i called and wished my dad a happy 58th birthday.  for those that do not know my dad, he is truly a remarkable man.  he is an incredible pastor and an even better father.

thank you for you consistency and generosity dad, i love you!!

the man in the middle is daddy mack

for the love of the game?

a non-spiritual passion of mine is sports.  all of them.  i love playing, watching or just talking sports.  i guess i don't really know why but i just always have.

tennis is hands down my favorite sport.  the skill, the strategy, and the fitness are so challenging.  my dad taught me how to play when i was just a little fella.  many nights after family dinner he and i would grab our rackets and go play a couple sets. i really miss playing competitive tennis.  does anyone know some good tennis players? 

last night tara and i went to the t-wolves home opener with some great new friends from our small group, shawn and ashleigh leege.  we had a great time talking about life even though the wolves lost.

this morning i got up and played a couple hours of flag football with another good friend i met through the mens basketball small group.

tomorrow after church we will probably get together with the in-laws and watch a little nfl football.

sports sound non-spiritual on the surface but when i think about it, sports have a unique unifying effect that gives friends and family a reason to come together.  i guess food has the same kind of affect on people but i don't like food as much, unless you are talking about pf changs and that is a whole other blog.

international justice mission

when i was 16 i experienced my first mission trip to lima and iquitos peru.  that experience changed my worldview and sparked a passion that has taken me all over 5 continents and to 30+ countries.

from austria to israel and from kenya to china, i have seen and experienced a lot of pain and suffering, poverty and corruption as well as a lot of beauty and kindness, sacrifice and courage.

there are a lot of good people doing a lot of good works but one of the most incredible missions works i am aware of is international justice mission.

if you want to read about this incredible mission check out www.ijm.org

those little tricksters

we had a bunch of little tricker-treaters ring the door-bell and say the standard, "trick or treat" and then we gave them some fruit snacks and candy.  but occasionally i would ask if i could do a trick, instead of giving them a treat, and i quickly learned that really the only option was the treat.

here is a picture of two of those cute little tricksters.  my nephews, jack and noah and my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and tara.  in case you where wondering, no the ladies did not dressed up for the occasion. that is how they always look.