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	<title>West Salem Foursquare Church &#124; Salem, Oregon &#124; 503.391.4346</title>
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	<itunes:summary>The weekly podcast of West Salem Foursquare Church.</itunes:summary>
	<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
	<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
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		<itunes:name>John Fehlen</itunes:name>
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	<copyright>West Salem Foursquare Church</copyright>
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	<itunes:keywords>West, Salem, Oregon, Church, Foursquare, John, Fehlen,</itunes:keywords>
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		<title>West Salem Foursquare Church | Salem, Oregon | 503.391.4346</title>
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		<rawvoice:location>Salem, OR</rawvoice:location>
		<rawvoice:frequency>Weekly</rawvoice:frequency>
		<item>
		<title>Hello Friends: 2.2.12- Staff Perspective</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-2-2-12-staff-perspective/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-2-2-12-staff-perspective/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:07:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=5116</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John gives a glimpse into our staff's perspective of our church. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<div>Once a month our WSFC staff and key leaders have an extended time together for what we call a Leadership Lunch. We pray, share God&#8217;s stories, vision-cast and equip our core leadership (and then we do something really biblical: eat together).</p>
<div></div>
<div>Yesterday we had a special guest share at our Leadership Lunch. He is a friend of mine that was up from California speaking at another church in the area. I grabbed him while he was in town.  His name is Jason Graves and his a new author of a book called &#8220;Anchored Man.&#8221; You can find it at <a href="http://www.anchoredman.com/">www.anchoredman.com</a>. Before he communicated a leadership lesson about the care of our souls, Jason asked each person in the room to share their name, their ministry role and what they see as a strength of West Salem Foursquare. He wanted to know what we were most proud of at our church.</p>
<div></div>
<div><strong>I took notes.</strong></p>
<div>
<div>Here are direct quotes from our key leaders regarding our congregation:</p>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div><em>• It&#8217;s a place for prodigals.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• You can come as you are.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• It&#8217;s a fun place that you WANT to be at.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We have a positive reputation; people know about us.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We are given permission to wrestle with tough questions.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We work together as a team.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We adapt to change.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We have attached ourselves to the community and are making an impact.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• Our church has &#8220;huge arms.&#8221;</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We experience the miraculous on a regular basis in the lives of people.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• We are family.</em></div>
<div><em><br />
</em></div>
<div><em>• One word: joy.</em></p>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div>Thought you might like to &#8220;eavesdrop&#8221; in on our gathering!</p>
<div>I love our church:  it&#8217;s <strong>simple</strong>, <strong>caring</strong>, <strong>positive</strong> and <strong>real</strong>.</p>
<div>
Blessings,</p>
<div>Pastor John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Hello Friends: 1.26.12-Persistence</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-26-12-persistence/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-26-12-persistence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:19:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=5090</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John gives his thoughts about the parable of the widow and the judge in Luke 18.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<p>A few days ago I was reading Luke 18 in my daily devotions. Jesus told a parable about a widow that wouldn&#8217;t leave a judge alone. He taught this parable to show his disciples (that&#8217;s us, by the way) that they always pray and not give up.</p>
<div>
<p>If you have your Bible nearby I encourage you to read Luke 18:1-8 and notice a few things along with me.</p>
<div>
<p><strong>1.  The Plea</strong><br />
This widow had a particular plea: &#8220;Give me justice against my adversary.&#8221; In other words, &#8220;HELP ME!&#8221; How many of you have prayed that kind of prayer? I know I have. &#8220;Help&#8221; prayers are very common &#8211; perhaps the most common of all prayers on this planet. And I don&#8217;t think God minds it. He asks us to bring him our concerns, worries, and fears. He&#8217;s big enough to handle our stuff.</p>
<div><strong>2.  The Passion</strong></div>
<div><strong></strong>I&#8217;m always impressed with this woman&#8217;s passionate approach to getting justice. She was a real &#8220;go-getter!&#8221;</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>What are you passionate about? What makes your heart beat and your voice sing? Perhaps it&#8217;s your family, physical fitness, a hobby or upcoming event. Those are all wonderful things, but I ask you this question:  Are you passionate about Jesus?</p>
<div><strong>3. The Persistence</strong></div>
<div><strong></strong>The Judge said some pretty wonderful things about the woman: &#8220;This widow keeps bothering me&#8230;she will <em>eventually</em> wear me out with her coming!&#8221; One might think that these comments are less-than-flattering, but I see them as a badge of honor. She was a persistent person and got the results to show for it.</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>Notice the word &#8220;eventually&#8221; in the Judge&#8217;s statements. Eventually means possibly, someday, not now but perhaps soon. We tend to think of &#8220;eventually&#8221; like a child thinks about &#8220;maybe&#8221; from the mouth of a parent. Parents toss the word &#8220;maybe&#8221; around all the time in answer to our persistent children. Frankly, we know how frustrating that word is our to kids, but it&#8217;s SUCH A GOOD WORD (am I right?)!</p>
<div>
<p>Do you ever hear a &#8220;Maybe&#8221; from the Lord? Rather than quit, perhaps it&#8217;s an invitation to persistently and passionately keep praying.</p>
<div>
<p>Do give up. Keep knocking.  Jesus encourages us in Matthew 7:7 to:</p>
<div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>&#8220;Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.&#8221;</strong></em></p>
<div>
<div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<div>Pastor John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-26-12-persistence/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello Friends: 1.19.21- Dig Down Deep</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-19-21-dig-down-deep/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-19-21-dig-down-deep/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:16:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=5031</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John encourages us to dig down deep. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>Take a good look at this verse in the Old Testament.</p>
<div></div>
<div>
<p><em>&#8220;For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.&#8221;</em> Ezra 7:10</p>
<div></div>
<div>
<p>Go ahead and read it again.</p>
<div></div>
<div>
<p>Did you see the progression? Did you notice the obvious steps?</p>
<div></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Study.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Do.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Teach.</strong></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div>
<div>
<p>Ezra first devoted himself to the study of the Word. Then the actual doing of it (which is called <em>observance </em>in certain versions of the Bible). After that, with confidence, he taught it to others.</p>
<div></div>
<div>
<p>This is such an important concept for us to capture. The Word of God must get into our souls and affect the way we live <em>before</em> we run around trying to get others to believe it.</p>
<div></div>
<div>
<p>This reminds me of the word of Jesus in Luke 6 when he said that those <em>&#8220;who hear my words and put them into practice is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.&#8221;</em></p>
<div></div>
<div>
<p>Church: let&#8217;s dig down deep!</p>
<div></div>
</div>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<div>Pastor John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-19-21-dig-down-deep/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Walk Worthy</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/walk-worthy/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/walk-worthy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:37:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Making More and Maturing Disciples]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=5066</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor Dan begins our new series with a look at Ephesians 4:1 and an encouragement to Walk Worthy.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor Dan begins our new series with a look at Ephesians 4:1 and an encouragement to Walk Worthy.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/walk-worthy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20120115MMMDwalkworthy.mp3" length="16165908" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Making More and Maturing Disciples</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor Dan begins our new series with a look at Ephesians 4:1 and an encouragement to Walk Worthy.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor Dan begins our new series with a look at Ephesians 4:1 and an encouragement to Walk Worthy.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Dan Durbin</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>42:21</itunes:duration>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello Friends: 1.12.12- Imagine</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-12-12-imagine/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-12-12-imagine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:17:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=5006</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John shares his vision for our church. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>IMAGINE WITH ME&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> people focused on the person and purposes of Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> a commitment to the reading of, interaction with, and the application of God’s Word.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> God-inspired passions that are limited only by the voice and direction of the Holy Spirit.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine </strong>a widespread influence upon the region in which we have been sovereignly and strategically placed.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine </strong>a place where those who are lonely, hurting, or frustrated can find love, acceptance, and forgiveness.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> being a force that reaches tens of thousands with the Good News of God’s love, and makes room in our family and facility for those who come to Jesus.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> connecting believers into healthy Christian community to love, learn, and live in unity and with purpose.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> developing every believer into a maturing disciple who is alive in worship, faithful in stewardship, empowered by prayer, filled with God’s Spirit, and obedient to God’s Word.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> releasing disciples to become servants in significant Kingdom ministry that is matched by his or her gifts, talents, passion, personality and experience.</p>
<p>• <strong>Imagine</strong> one day hearing the voice of the Lord say: “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant!&#8221;</p>
<p>This is how I imagine West Salem Foursquare Church.</p>
<p>Do you?</p>
<p>Blessings in 2012,</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<div></div>
<div>Pastor John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-12-12-imagine/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Imagine</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/imagine/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/imagine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Imagine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=5011</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John discusses God in relation to our imagination.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John discusses God in relation to our imagination.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/imagine/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20120108imagine.mp3" length="12420189" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Imagine</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John discusses God in relation to our imagination.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John discusses God in relation to our imagination.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>33:38</itunes:duration>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello Friends: 1.5.12- 20/20/20 Groups</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-5-12-202020-groups/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-1-5-12-202020-groups/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:47:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4959</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John explains the 20/20/20 groups in more detail and encourages us to make our apointment with the Lord. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>This month we are dedicating ourselves to the reading of and interaction with the WORD OF GOD. For 31 days let&#8217;s read the Bible together. Visit our website at <a href="http://www.wsfc.org/">www.wsfc.org</a> for the daily reading portions of Scripture. Every weekday in January the WSFC Ministry Center is open THREE-TIMES A DAY for 20/20/20 Groups:</p>
<div>20 Minutes of reading the daily portion of Scripture<br />
20 Minutes of journaling on a passage</div>
<p>20 Minutes of sharing gems you&#8217;ve gleaned</p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>The following is a good and helpful explanation of how to Journal your discoveries in Scripture.</p>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<p><em>&#8220;All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, </em><em>so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” </em><em>2 Timothy 3:16</em></p>
<div>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">As we read God&#8217;s words, we begin to see how God responds to things. Doing regular devotions re-patterns our  mind and transforms our spirit. Then when we face situations like Jesus did, we begin to respond in the same way. We begin to understand that His words always build, strengthen, affirm, and give life.</p>
<div>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Journaling is an excellent way to both record and process what God has spoken to us. It&#8217;s also a useful tool to use at a later time, to reflect on and review some of the &#8216;gems&#8217; that you have received. Without writing them down, you may forget those blessings and some very important lessons! And while journaling is a very personal time with the Lord, you may want to share some of your daily journaling with your small group. Through discussion, you may be able to look deeper into what God is speaking to you, gain new insight and even encourage others.</p>
<div>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">You&#8217;ll need three items: a Bible, a pen/pencil and a journal. There are many journals you can purchase at a bookstore or a plain notebook will do. The <em>Life Journal</em> is handy because it offers &#8220;how to&#8221; instructions to help you get the most out of your scripture readings and devotions. There&#8217;s a section for special prayer requests where you can record the day you began praying and the day God answered your prayer. It also has a Through-the-Bible Reading Plan, using daily scripture readings from the Old and New Testaments to guide you through the entire Bible in just one year. Life Journals may be purchased from Welcome Center or you can also use our online daily devotional at <a href="http://www.wsfc.org/">www.wsfc.org</a>.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Next, set aside a certain time in your schedule each day and find a quite place where you&#8217;re not likely to be distracted. Many find peaceful meditation sites in nature, by the beach, in the back yard, or in a favorite lawn chair. It&#8217;s not important when you do your devotions, but that you make it a very important part of your day.  Give God the best part of our day, whatever time that is. For morning people, it&#8217;s a great way to start your day. For others, it&#8217;s 20-minute lunchtime appointments with Jesus. For the night owls, it&#8217;s the final act of the day, the time to quiet their hearts and hear God&#8217;s voice.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Now what? One way to do your devotions is to follow the simple acronym, S.O.A.P. which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application &amp; Prayer.</p>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>S for Scripture</strong></div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Open your Bible to the reading found under today&#8217;s date. Take time reading and allow God to speak to you. Highlight, underline or place a mark in the margin of your Bible, next to the scriptures that stand out. When you are done, reread the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>passage</strong></span> you marked, look for one that particularly spoke to you that day, and write it in your journal.</p>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>O for Observation</strong></div>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">What do you think God is saying to you in this scripture? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Paraphrase</strong> </span>and write this scripture down in your own words, in your journal.</p>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>A for Application</strong></div>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Personalize</strong> </span>what you have read, by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, revelation of a new promise, or corrections for a particular area of your life. Write out how this scripture can apply to you today.</p>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>P for Prayer</strong></div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Remember,<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <strong>prayer</strong></span> is a two-way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">If this seems a little overwhelming, take it slow and keep it simple. No matter how you decide to do your devotions, the important thing is to show up for the appointment, because God is always waiting for you!</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Blessings,</p>
<div style="text-align: left;"></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">Pastor John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
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		<title>Deep</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/deep/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/deep/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LOVE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4944</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Guest speaker Pastor Tim Clark discusses the depth of God&#8217;s love and the depth of our relationship with Him.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Guest speaker Pastor Tim Clark discusses the depth of God&#8217;s love and the depth of our relationship with Him.</p>
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			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/deep/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20120101lovepart4.mp3" length="5242880" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>LOVE</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Guest speaker Pastor Tim Clark discusses the depth of God&#039;s love and the depth of our relationship with Him.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Guest speaker Pastor Tim Clark discusses the depth of God&#039;s love and the depth of our relationship with Him.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Tim Clark	</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
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		<title>High</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/high/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/high/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LOVE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4941</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our Christmas Eve services]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Our Christmas Eve services</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111224lovepart3.mp3" length="5242880" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>LOVE</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Our Christmas Eve services</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Our Christmas Eve services</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 12.21.11- Merry Christmas</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-21-11-merry-christmas/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-21-11-merry-christmas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:19:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-21-11-merry-christmas/screen-shot-2011-12-20-at-11-35-09-am/" rel="attachment wp-att-4902"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4902" title="Screen Shot 2011-12-20 at 11.35.09 AM" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2011-12-20-at-11.35.09-AM-580x307.png" alt="" width="580" height="307" /></a></p>
<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>On behalf of all our WSFC staff, key leaders, elders and council, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas to you and yours. We are so blessed. The words captured on the wall of our lobby say it so well:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>&#8220;We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.</em><br />
<em> The Lord has done great things for us,</em><br />
<em> and we are one happy people.&#8221;</em><br />
Psalm 126:2</p>
<p>Denise and I are so happy to serve as your Lead Pastors. We are simply following the model of our Senior Pastor Jesus Christ. He is the one that came as the Ultimate Servant. The Incarnation (God with us) is affirmed in Philippians 2 when it says:</p>
<p><em>&#8220;Christ Jesus&#8230;Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>In coming to earth in human likeness, Jesus displayed how WIDE, LONG, HIGH and DEEP is his love for us. Join us this Christmas as we celebrate the vast dimensions of his LOVE. Our celebration services are Friday, December 23 at 6:00 &amp; 7:30 PM and Saturday, December 24 at 4:30 &amp; 6:00 PM. All are invited and welcomed!</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>Pastors John &amp; Denise</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Long</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/long/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/long/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:39:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LOVE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4907</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John shares some insights into the incarnation and the length of God&#8217;s Love.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John shares some insights into the incarnation and the length of God&#8217;s Love.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111218lovepart2.mp3" length="7682169" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>LOVE</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John shares some insights into the incarnation and the length of God&#039;s Love.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John shares some insights into the incarnation and the length of God&#039;s Love.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>31:06</itunes:duration>
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		<title>A Gift From Us to You!</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/a-gift-from-us-to-you/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/a-gift-from-us-to-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:48:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4860</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Please enjoy some FRESH and FREE new tunes from our worship artists at West Salem Foursquare. Pass them on. Tell a friend. Wake a neighbor. Be blessed this Christmas season! &#8220;One and Only&#8221; by Curtis Crittenden (Right Click to Save) &#8220;Your Glorious Grace&#8221; by Cory Knowland (Right Click to Save) &#8220;I Heard The Bells&#8221; by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Please enjoy some FRESH and FREE new tunes from our worship artists at West Salem Foursquare. </p>
<p>Pass them on. Tell a friend. Wake a neighbor. </p>
<p>Be blessed this Christmas season!</p>
<p><a href='http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/One-And-Only.mp3'>&#8220;One and Only&#8221; by Curtis Crittenden</a> (Right Click to Save)</p>
<p><a href='http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Your-Glorious-Grace.mp3'>&#8220;Your Glorious Grace&#8221; by Cory Knowland</a> (Right Click to Save)</p>
<p><a href='http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/03-I-Heard-The-Bells.mp3'>&#8220;I Heard The Bells&#8221; by Cory &#038; Cathy Knowland</a> (Right Click to Save)</p>
<p><img src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/merryxmas-580x176.png" alt="" title="merryxmas" width="580" height="176" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-4892" /></p>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-text="Free Music from WSFC" data-count="none" data-via="WSFChurch" data-lang="en">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 12.15.11- Just the Beginning</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-15-11-just-the-beginning/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-15-11-just-the-beginning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:51:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4839</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John reminds us that the Birth of Jesus is only the beginning, he came for the Cross. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-8-11-the-red-cup/screen-shot-2011-12-06-at-2-23-51-pm/" rel="attachment wp-att-4781"><img title="Screen Shot 2011-12-06 at 2.23.51 PM" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2011-12-06-at-2.23.51-PM-580x305.png" alt="" width="580" height="305" /></a></p>
<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<p><em>“When the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci went to China in the sixteenth century, he brought along samples of religious art to illustrate the Christian story for people who had never heard it. The Chinese readily adopted portraits of the Virgin Mary holding her child, but when he produced paintings of the crucifixion and tried to explain that the God-child had grown up only to be executed, the audience reacted with revulsion and horror. They much preferred the Virgin and insisted on worshipping her rather than the crucified God. As I thumb once more through my stack of Christmas cards, I realize that we in Christian countries do much the same thing. We observe a mellow, domesticated holiday purged of any hint of scandal.  Above all, we purge from it any reminder of how the story that began at Bethlehem turned out at Calvary.”</em> (Taken from <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Jesus I Never Knew </span>by Phillip Yancey)</p>
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<p>How true this is? How quickly we tend to forget that the birth of Jesus was really the beginning of the end. And the beginning of the end for Jesus was most certainly the <strong>starting point </strong>for those that would come to believe in the Son of God.  The miracle of his Birth has everything to do with our salvation, restoration and Kingdom welcome.</p>
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<div>
<p>The facts of Christmas, rhymed in carols, recited by children in church plays, and illustrated on cards, have become so familiar that it is easy to miss the message of the <strong>cross</strong>.</p>
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<p>That is the purpose of his coming.</p>
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<div>
<p>That’s why we call him Emmanuel: God with us.</p>
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<div>
<p>Take time during this Christmas season to rediscover Christ in Christmas and may the journey lead you to a point of confession that HE IS LORD!</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>Pastors John &amp; Denise</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Wide</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/wide/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/wide/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:09:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LOVE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4826</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John explores the width of the Love of God.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John explores the width of the Love of God.</p>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111211lovept1wide.mp3" length="10605635" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>LOVE</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John explores the width of the Love of God.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John explores the width of the Love of God.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>42:52</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 12.8.11 The Red Cup</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-8-11-the-red-cup/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-8-11-the-red-cup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:08:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4780</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John encourages us to go beyond "The Red Cup" in our excitement for Christmas. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-8-11-the-red-cup/screen-shot-2011-12-06-at-2-23-51-pm/" rel="attachment wp-att-4781"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-4781" title="Screen Shot 2011-12-06 at 2.23.51 PM" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2011-12-06-at-2.23.51-PM-580x305.png" alt="" width="580" height="305" /></a></p>
<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>Ah&#8230;</p>
<p>The Red Cup.</p>
<p>You know what Red Cup I&#8217;m talking about, don&#8217;t you?</p>
<p>Not the Red Solo Cup that you find at parties, ala Toby Keith.</p>
<p>Instead, I&#8217;m referring to the Red Cup at Starbucks. Many folks have come to believe IT is the official beginning of the Christmas season.</p>
<p>More than Christmas music, frosty sidewalks, Black Friday sales, or precariously hanging lights from the eves. I&#8217;m here to declare that the new official start to Christmas has become the Red Cup&#8230;.or so I&#8217;ve been told (don&#8217;t shoot the messenger).</p>
<p>And if that is indeed true then we&#8217;ve placed a lot of symbolic weight upon a circular piece of graphically enhanced cardboard with a plastic lid and overpriced java within. Don&#8217;t get me wrong:  I&#8217;m a fan. I&#8217;ve dropped quite a bit of cash for that designer caffeine fix. The baristas know me by name and often have my drink ready when I walk in. I have a Starbucks Gold Card for crying out loud.</p>
<p>So, I too have waited with bated breath for the Red Cup to usher in the days of Christmas.</p>
<p>But hopefully Christmas doesn&#8217;t begin and end with a Red Cup. Hopefully there is more to this season than that. More than a cup. More than lights. More than gifts. More than shopping. More than church services. More than family meals. More than white elephant exchanges, office parties, fruitcake and figgy pudding (what IS that stuff anyway?!?).</p>
<p>Hopefully JESUS is in the mix.</p>
<p>He is the whole point of Christmas. Everything else is&#8230;well&#8230;a Red Cup.  The point is, plain and simple: JESUS.</p>
<p>Be excited about JESUS. Anticipate JESUS. Talk about JESUS. Put down the Red Cup and LIFT UP JESUS!!</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>Pastors John &amp; Denise</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 8: I Love a Good Mystery</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/i-love-a-good-mystery/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/i-love-a-good-mystery/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:27:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4759</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John ends our Building Solid Lives series with a discussion on The Church.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John ends our Building Solid Lives series with a discussion on The Church.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/201112040buildingsolidlivespart89.mp3" length="5242880" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John ends our Building Solid Lives series with a discussion on The Church.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John ends our Building Solid Lives series with a discussion on The Church.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 12.1.11- Grasping the Ungraspable</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-1-11-grasping-the-ungraspable/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-12-1-11-grasping-the-ungraspable/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:21:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4746</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John discusses some of the mystery of our Majestic God coming down in a little baby form. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>Christmas is crazy. I’m not necessarily referring to the hustle and bustle of the season. Not to mention the overspending. Who can understand the frenzy at Wal-Mart to get a cruddy DVD player? Why all the hype? Does the holiday music really have to start filling the stores around the end of October?</p>
<p>The first and foremost one is that God would become a baby. Please don’t miss the magnitude of this:</p>
<p>God and Baby.<br />
Big and Little.<br />
Powerful and Weak.</p>
<p>Go figure. How is it possible to have the fullness of the Godhead reduced down into an 8 pound 10 ounce bundle of energy? It’s similar to the task of putting a nuclear power plant into a thimble! In the end we are grasping the ungraspable and that might be just how God wants it. In Ephesians 3:19 the reader can find two tension-filled concepts that emphasize the absurdity of the Gospel. In Paul’s prayer he asks <em>&#8220;that Christ might dwell in our hearts and that we might be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.&#8221;</em> This prayer seems simple enough. It’s the desire of earnest, growing believers to have Jesus be at home within our hearts. And we most certainly want to have the love of Christ flowing in and through us.</p>
<p>But then it gets weird. Paul goes postal and the Bible gets bizarre. It’s says, catch this: “<em>and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”</em></p>
<p>How does one know what can’t be known? The love of God surpasses knowledge according to this passage. So how can we know it then? It’s like roping the wind or catching a sunbeam or defying gravity. Doesn’t this sound absurd? But wait, there’s more…</p>
<p>Try comprehending how we as humans can be filled with all the fullness of God. Finite simply cannot contain the infinite. Right? That goes back to the whole nuclear power plant/thimble scenario! I can understand how we could have a part or portion of God fill us up. In Exodus 33, Moses was allowed to see only God’s back side because if he saw the magnitude of God’s being then he would not live. The fullness of God’s presence is simply more than we can handle. And yet Paul has the audacity to pray for us to be filled with the full measure of God! Can we really handle it?</p>
<p>I’m convinced that God thrives on this craziness. He loves the tension and the absurdity because it fuels the mystery and feeds our faith (or lack thereof). Just when we think we’ve got God all figured out we unwrap another layer of his complexity. That’s what makes Christmas so ‘wonder full’ – the knowing what can’t be known – the being filled with someone so much bigger than ourselves.</p>
<p>This is<strong> grasping the ungraspable</strong> and that might be just how God wants it to be.</p>
<p>Join us at our services over the next few weekends and at one of our <strong>Special Christmas Services on Friday, Dec 23 at 6:00 &amp; 7:30pm and Saturday, Dec 24 at 4:30 &amp; 6:00pm</strong> as we try to grasp the ungraspable LOVE OF GOD together!</p>
<p>Merry Christmas you and yours.</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>Pastors John &amp; Denise</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 7: Built to Last</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/built-to-last/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/built-to-last/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:26:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4757</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John talks to us from the temple of Artemis and the Great Theater in Ephesus.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John talks to us from the temple of Artemis and the Great Theater in Ephesus.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111127buildingsolidlivespart7.mp3" length="24134236" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John talks to us from the temple of Artemis and the Great Theater in Ephesus.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John talks to us from the temple of Artemis and the Great Theater in Ephesus.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>16:46</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 11.24.11- A Heart of Thankfulness</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-24-11-a-heart-of-thankfulness/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-24-11-a-heart-of-thankfulness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:40:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4721</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor Rich Marshall reminds us to keep a heart of thankfulness while we enjoy our feast this week. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>May I recommend a few basic things for your Thanksgiving Day? It’s a day for the most basic things. The basics are always best.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving Day may be the best of all our holidays. There is no confusion about the purpose of this wonderful, uniquely American day. It’s all about a few basic things, shared by family, friends, and guests.</p>
<p>Here’s the basic picture: Our family’s good china and silverware, passed down two or three generations. Turkey with stuffing. Mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, butter, salt and pepper. Sweet potatoes with marshmallow and molasses sauce. Green beans. Cranberry sauce slid whole from the can onto a small garnish dish to be sliced and served on the table. Golden brown crescent rolls by the dozens. Three kinds of olives. Two kinds of pickles. A variety of six or seven cut vegetables on a sectioned relish platter. And of course, pumpkin pie with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Sparkling cider in crystal stemware during dinner and coffee after. Turkey sandwiches later on in the evening. It’s a wonderful life…</p>
<p>Add to this scene one more basic thing, not just for this one day of course. Nurture this one basic thing, whether or not you gather with family, or have the big overflowing feast. Add this one basic thing to your lifestyle and your character…</p>
<p>A heart of thankfulness.</p>
<p><em>“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”</em> Philippians 4:6 – 7</p>
<p><em>“Give thanks for all things, for this is the will of God concerning you.”</em> 1 Thessalonians 5:17</p>
<p>A heart of thankfulness will settle your focus. If you set your heart to be thankful, putting sarcasm and harsh opinion aside, then you’ll more easily focus on the Lord Jesus and give Him thanks.</p>
<p>A heart of thankfulness will settle your differences. If you set your heart to be thankful, putting your family and relationships up to the Lord Jesus in prayer, then you’ll more easily love and serve those with whom you’ve had differences up to now.</p>
<p>And, well… basically, a heart of thankfulness will settle your dinner. If you set your heart to be thankful, then you’ll rest when you would have been worrying and your Thanksgiving dinner will just sit better.</p>
<p>The basics are always best. Stick to the basics. Seek to grow in a heart of thankfulness.</p>
<p>Blessings to you and your family, especially that you would have a thankful heart.</p>
<p>Pastor Rich and Sandy Marshall</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 6: Tear down the walls</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/tear-down-the-walls/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/tear-down-the-walls/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:21:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4755</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What walls do you have in your life? Jesus has taken care of them.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What walls do you have in your life? Jesus has taken care of them.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111120buildingsolidlivespart6.mp3" length="5242880" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>What walls do you have in your life? Jesus has taken care of them.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>What walls do you have in your life? Jesus has taken care of them.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 11.17.11- Splits Happen</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-17-11-splits-happen/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-17-11-splits-happen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:25:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4691</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John closes his discussion of Barnabus by highlighting his ability for reconciliation.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>This week I want to finish up my extended study of the New Testament character Barnabas. Over the last nine weeks I have been expounding upon nearly every mention of his name in the Book of Acts. You can find a running commentary at http://wsfc.org/connect/blog/.</p>
<p>I sincerely like this guy. I have modeled much of my life after him &#8211; he is called the Son of Encouragement (4:36) &#8211; and throughout the Book of Acts we find him going from place to place doing just that!</p>
<p>I want the same to be said of my life: <em>&#8220;That John Fehlen, he&#8217;s a real Son of Encouragement.&#8221;</em> (I guess it beats the alternative!).</p>
<p>In Acts 15:36-41 we find the last mention of Barnabas, but this time the context is not so positive.</p>
<p>Or is it? Let&#8217;s look&#8230;</p>
<p><em>And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, &#8220;Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.&#8221; Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.</em></p>
<p>This passage of Scripture gives us a helpful response to personal failures and fractured relationships. These things happen. That can&#8217;t be avoided. But they can be properly handled.</p>
<p>Quick history lesson:<br />
• John Mark is Barnabas&#8217; cousin (Colossians 4:10).<br />
• John Mark was a part of the 1st Missionary Journey but didn&#8217;t want to continue on for some reason. The Bible doesn&#8217;t say why. We do know that in Acts 13:13 John Mark hopped off the Holy Ghost Tour bus and returned to Jerusalem.<br />
• At the start of the 2nd Missionary Journey, Barnabas asked if John Mark could rejoin them, and Paul had distinct misgivings. He opted to bring Silas with him, whereas Barnabas partnered up with John Mark (Acts 15:39,40). The remainder of the Book of Acts (as well as the majority of the New Testament) chronicles the activities of Paul and Silas, but very little is said about Barnabas or John Mark.</p>
<p>So, what do we make of all this?</p>
<p>I want to make two points of application:</p>
<p><strong>1. Split Happens.</strong><br />
I know this is a play on words, and I certainly am not wanting to be offensive, but rather, make a memorable point as to the reality of fractured relationships. Splits are a part of life. Not everyone is going to get along all the time. We are not a utopian society in which we all tip-toe through the tulips singing Kum-ba-yah. That&#8217;s simply not reality. We are fallen, sinful, and broken. As the saying goes: &#8220;Hurt people, hurt people.&#8221;</p>
<p>But, having said that, hear me clearly: we CAN be civil and kind. Relationships don&#8217;t have to end in anger, gossip, and venomous Facebook posts! We can biblically and rationally handle our issues one to another. This is what I see in Acts 15:36-41.</p>
<p>Paul felt like John Mark had abandoned them at a very important time. In verse 39 we read that Paul and Barnabas had a &#8220;sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.&#8221; This was unfortunate, but it&#8217;s reality. Split happens. Notice though that it wasn&#8217;t mean-spirited or cruel. They didn&#8217;t see eye-to-eye on things and they decided to part ways, but we never read about them disparaging one another, speaking out lies or bemoaning their heart, motives or salvation.</p>
<p>Church, why is it that we, within the Body of Christ, have yet to learn this very well? We tend to shoot our wounded. We often push individuals or groups down in order to make ourselves look better? Admittedly, some of the meanest people I&#8217;ve ever encountered have been Christians. This ought not be.</p>
<p><strong>2. Seasons Change.</strong><br />
The second observation that I find in the saga of Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark is that after a stretch of time there was a restoration of relationship. Seasons change. Not everything stays the same way forever. Perhaps you had a split happen in a particular relationship, and now is the time for healing and reconnection.</p>
<p>Two passages in the New Testament give us an indication that the seasons of ministry indeed did change for those involved:</p>
<p>Colossians 4:10 &#8211; Paul commends the church in Colossea to receive and welcome John Mark.</p>
<p>2 Timothy 4:11 &#8211; Paul tells Timothy to send John Mark to him because &#8220;he is very useful to me for ministry.&#8221;</p>
<p>Did you catch that? There was once a split but now we read of a commendation and reconnection. Paul continued to speak kindly regarding John Mark and as well, discovered that he was helpful and actually useful. In other words: seasons changed. With the changing of seasons we see things clearer and differently. Someone who hurt us in the past may now be an asset OR&#8230;.wait for it&#8230;perhaps a&#8230;friend!</p>
<p>Blessings,<br />
John</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 5: The Last Best Word</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/building-solid-lives-part-5-the-last-best-word/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/building-solid-lives-part-5-the-last-best-word/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:37:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4698</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John takes us on a study of grace.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John takes us on a study of grace. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111113buildingsolidlivesweek5.mp3" length="7627049" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John takes us on a study of grace.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John takes us on a study of grace.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>31:21</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 11.10.11- Servants of the Kingdom</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-10-11-servants-of-the-kingdom/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-10-11-servants-of-the-kingdom/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:56:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4643</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John highlights Paul and Barnabus as servants who were the first to arrive and last to leave. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>Over the last few months I have been tripping through the Book of Acts with the goal of spotlighting a man named Barnabas. It&#8217;s natural to think of Paul or Peter in association with the Acts of the Apostles because they&#8217;re larger than life and left a huge fingerprint upon the New Testament. But I like to draw attention to an Underdog: Barnabas. He often gets overlooked and/or minimized, but his investment is so impacting. I&#8217;ve said it before, but it&#8217;s worth repeating: &#8220;Without Barnabas, we would not have a Paul.&#8221;</p>
<p>Barnabas worked behind the scenes.<br />
Barnabas took a backseat.<br />
Barnabas deferred attention to others.<br />
Barnabas served diligently without applause.</p>
<p>Barnabas is representative of our West Salem Foursquare SERVANTS. We have a wonderful group of people that serve the Kingdom of God wholeheartedly and selflessly. These are the folks that give, pray, build, teach, smile, cook, clean, sing, play, reach, wave and worship with their passions and gifts.</p>
<p><strong>I LOVE our SERVANTS.</strong></p>
<p>Too often a local church is only known by its facility, senior pastor, worship leader, or a particular program or event. These are important and should not be negated; however, I want our church community to be known not for the few, but for the many &#8211; those that lay themselves down in big and small ways each and every day.</p>
<p>I see a couple of characteristics of Barnabas in Acts 15 that apply so well to our WSFC Servants:</p>
<p><strong>1. First to Arrive</strong></p>
<p>In chapter 15 we read about a situation in which newly converted Gentiles in Antioch were being required by the religious leaders to perform certain customs, or else put their salvation into jeopardy. This was certainly NOT the heart of the Lord, and Paul and Barnabas were the first to confront it. They were appointed to go to Jerusalem to meet with the council in order to sort the matter out. After an agreement was reached by Peter and others on the council, Barnabas and Paul were then the first to be sent back to Antioch with the verdict.</p>
<p>I love the initiative of these two. They didn&#8217;t wait around for &#8220;someone else&#8221; to do something. Waiting to see if someone else will do it is an easy posture to take in today&#8217;s overcommitted culture. Someone else will clean up that mess. Someone else will reach out to the &#8220;urban campers.&#8221; Someone else will pray for that single mom. Someone else will hold a baby or play with a preschooler. The problem with a &#8220;someone else&#8221; mentality is that it is alway deferring personal responsibility.</p>
<p>Servants reject a &#8220;someone else&#8221; mentality. They are the first to arrive, first to say yes (with reasonable balance, of course) and the first to jump in; lending a hand.</p>
<p>They are also the:</p>
<p><strong>2. Last to Leave</strong></p>
<p>After Paul and Barnabas delivered the letter from the Jerusalem Council, and their work was technically done, they &#8220;remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord&#8230;(vs. 35).&#8221; It&#8217;s this kind of commitment to the Kingdom that sets them apart. The were the &#8220;last to leave.&#8221;</p>
<p>Denise and I have always been &#8220;last to leave&#8221; people. It&#8217;s a mentality that we&#8217;ve held for as long as we can remember.</p>
<p>I blame it on Pastor Tom.</p>
<p>Tom was my youth pastor growing up in Osceola, Wisconsin. I loved being mentored by him and found any opportunity I could for us to hang out. That often meant staying at the church until he left, and he was always the &#8220;last to leave.&#8221; Together we would put away chairs, take down posters, wrap up microphone cables, and throw away wrappers and pop cans. During these &#8220;last to leave&#8221; moments I was unknowingly being discipled into Kingdom ways and means.</p>
<p>First to arrive. Last to leave. Servants with a Barnabas Spirit.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why I LOVE our SERVANTS.</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>John</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 4:  That You May Know Him Better</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/building-solid-lives-part-4-that-you-may-know-him-better/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/building-solid-lives-part-4-that-you-may-know-him-better/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:36:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4696</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John shows us the importance of knowing God.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John shows us the importance of knowing God.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111106buildingsolidlivesweek4.mp3" length="8473583" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John shows us the importance of knowing God.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John shows us the importance of knowing God.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>35:00</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 11.3.11- Ministry of the Minister</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-3-11-ministry-of-the-minister/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-11-3-11-ministry-of-the-minister/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:40:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4631</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John gives us a gimps of a pastor's role according to Acts 14:19-23. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>Today I am sitting at a local coffee shop and around me are a number of pastors and leaders &#8220;doing their work&#8221; (as well as sipping their favorite coffee drinks).</p>
<p>The phrase &#8220;doing their work&#8221; is an interesting one. The questions I hear from folks (sometimes jokingly) are:</p>
<p>&#8220;What does a pastor do?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Do they only work a couple of hours on the weekend?&#8221;</p>
<p>I giggle when I hear these questions, not only due to the sheer volume of hours I work each week, but also because the pastoral office indeed operates with a level of mystery as it deals with matters of the heart and soul.</p>
<p>&#8220;Doing their work&#8221; could very well mean a number of things to a number of people. For some, it&#8217;s pastoral counseling with a parishioner or preparation for a sermon. For others it could be thoughtful mediation or reflective study. For me today, my &#8220;work&#8221; involves reading my Bible, writing, brainstorming for upcoming teachings, and vision-casting for our leadership team (not to mention all the nods and greetings to folks from around our fair city)!</p>
<p>I think often about my pastoral role. I am consistently musing on what &#8220;doing my work&#8221; means. I write whitepapers and blog about it often, but much of what I write is rarely shared with our congregation. Pastoring can be like making sausage. We like sausage but not everyone wants to see how it&#8217;s made!</p>
<p>However, based upon my reading of Acts 14:19-23 (and it&#8217;s focus upon Barnabas), I want to expound a bit upon the &#8220;Ministry of the Minister.&#8221;</p>
<p>Over the last few months I have been spotlighting the New Testament character of Barnabas. He is an underdog. He is lesser known than his buddy Paul, which is why I like him so much. I am focusing upon Barnabas for this week&#8217;s study of the &#8220;Ministry of the Minister.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Acts 14:19-23 (ESV)</strong> But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had <strong>preached the gospel</strong> to that city and had <strong>made many disciples</strong>, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, <strong>strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith</strong>, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had <strong>appointed elders</strong> for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.</p>
<p>Go back and reread the passage and notice the<strong> bolded</strong> phrases. These phrases constitute a very clear, and progressive mission of pastoral leadership: <strong>the ministry of the minister.</strong></p>
<p>1. Preach the Gospel</p>
<p>2. Make many disciples</p>
<p>3. Strengthen the souls of the disciples</p>
<p>4. Encourage disciples to continue in the faith</p>
<p>5. Prayerfully appoint leadership</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, pastors do so much more than these five things&#8230;I know I do! Sadly, I often liken myself to a cruise director, like Julie McCoy on The Love Boat, running around trying to keep everybody happy and smiling. But the problem with the &#8216;cruise director&#8217; concept is that it turns The Church into a pleasure craft complete with every creature comfort; a spiritual smorgasbord or hedonistic hideaway of sorts.</p>
<p>That, however, is NOT the purpose of The Church.</p>
<p>Instead, we are to be a lifeboat or a battleship. We have a huge and honorable mission. The pastoral calling is to serve The Church in this clear and compelling mission:</p>
<p>•<strong> To preach the Gospel:</strong> The Apostle Paul told the church in Galatia that he was &#8220;entrusted with the Gospel&#8221; (Gal. 2:7) and then to the church in Corinth, &#8220;Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!&#8221; (1 Cor. 9:16). Pastoral leaders must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again. That is our mandate.</p>
<p>•<strong> Make many disciples:</strong> The result of the preaching of the Gospel is not just that people would have heard, but that they would believe and obey. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 is that we would &#8220;make disciples of all nations, baptizing them&#8230;teaching them to observe all that I [Jesus] have commanded you.&#8221; Our clear and compelling mission at West Salem Foursquare is aligned to the Great Commission: Making More and Maturing Disciples.</p>
<p>• <strong>Strengthen the souls of the disciples:</strong> I have a wonderful friend and spiritual mentor that would often ask me: &#8220;How is it with your soul?&#8221; This is a good question that gets right to the heart of the matter: our souls. Pastoral leaders concern themselves with the soul and seek to see it strengthened in the Lord.</p>
<p>• <strong>Encourage disciples to continue in the faith:</strong> Life is hard. God is good. The task of pastoral leadership is to connect the two: Life and God. We serve as a Barnabas, whose name means &#8216;Son of Encouragement&#8217;, to disciples that are sojourning together in Christ. The ministry of the minister is to encourage (which means to put courage into) believers to continue in the faith. In other words: don&#8217;t give up. Finish well!</p>
<p>• <strong>Prayerfully appoint leadership:</strong> Paul and Barnabas were going from city to city appointing elders in the churches. The word elder is interchangeable with overseer, bishop and pastor. With prayer and fasting, they would recognize and release key people to lead and govern the ministry of the local church. This is the role of modern day pastors as well. We still are to recognize and release people into leadership ministry. Ephesians 4:12,13 tells us that we are to &#8220;prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.&#8221;</p>
<p>There it is again. Our clear and compelling mission: <strong>Making More and Maturing Disciples.</strong></p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>Pastor John</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 3: Wanted: YOU</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/wanted/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/wanted/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:31:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4625</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[God chose you&#8230;first. You&#8230; are&#8230; WANTED.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>God chose you&#8230;first. You&#8230; are&#8230; WANTED. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://wsfc.org/wanted/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111030buildingsolidlivesweek3.mp3" length="11065315" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>God chose you...first. You... are... WANTED.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>God chose you...first. You... are... WANTED.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>45:27</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 10.28.11- Crave</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-28-11-crave/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-28-11-crave/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:42:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[John reminds us that we all crave something to worship, but only the one true God can fill that void. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>Recently I co-lead a group of students and pastors on a tour of the Footsteps of Paul in Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Patmos, Crete and Rome. It was an amazing time with much to learn and see. It&#8217;s powerful to walk in the places which the New Testament Scriptures were originated and to visit the cities in which the Apostle Paul planted churches and established the work of the Lord.</p>
<p>Simply put: The Bible comes alive.</p>
<p>But there is also a sad element to it as well. Everywhere you look there are statues, auditoriums, idols and places of worship established for Greek gods and goddesses. Zeus, Apollos, and Dionysus, to name a few. The City of Ephesus, for example, was dedicated to the worship of the goddess of fertility, Artemis.</p>
<p>Here is what I concluded: People crave something to worship.</p>
<p>We see this happening in Acts 14:8-15. This portion of Scripture is the next in a series of texts that spotlights Barnabas. Barnabas was a linchpin. He was a catalyst. I have been devoting a handful of these email devotionals to Barnabas &#8211; a guy that is peppered throughout the Book of Acts, and had a considerable impact on the trajectory of the church.</p>
<p>Take a moment to read Acts 14:8-15.  Do you see what happens?  Paul and Barnabas were involved in the healing of a man that was crippled since birth. Undoubtedly, the Lord is the Healer, but he used two willing vessels to extend that healing to the hurting. When the crowds witnessed the healing they shouted: &#8220;The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!&#8221; They gave Barnabas the name Zeus. Paul they called Hermes. Temple priests we&#8217;re poised to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.  It was getting pretty crazy.</p>
<p>How did they get to this point?</p>
<p>Well&#8230;the answer is that people crave something to worship.</p>
<p>As you walk the Footsteps of Paul you&#8217;ll note something interesting. The worship of Greek gods and goddesses is obviously not as pervasive as it once was but now you see in their place other statues, religious icons, of folks such as Peter, Paul and Mary (sorry, I had to do it). One focal point of worship has been replaced with another. Visit Rome and you&#8217;ll see what I&#8217;m talking about.</p>
<p>Bottom line: People crave something to worship.</p>
<p>Denise and I watched a powerful movie yesterday. It&#8217;s called &#8220;The Way&#8221; starring Martin Sheen. It&#8217;s about pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. It was a deeply impacting film with a number of spiritual implications. It had us pondering and talking long after leaving the theater. Our common synopsis was that people are longing to worship&#8230;something&#8230;anything.  Unfortunately, folks all too often miss the mark. They worship wrongly. They venerate people and things. They elevate human accomplishment and honor good deeds. They seek out experiential and relational connection and call it spiritual.</p>
<p>To combat this, Paul and Barnabas ran into the crowd and tore their garments, and in essence said: &#8220;Why are you doing this? Don&#8217;t worship us! Worship the Living God!&#8221;</p>
<p>What I observe about Paul and Barnabas is that they were good &#8220;Deflectors of Glory.&#8221; Rather than receiving honor (as wonderful as that would be) they deflected it to the one who made the heavens and the earth. That&#8217;s where our worship should be directed.</p>
<p>Question:  Are you a good deflector of glory? Do you point people to Jesus?</p>
<p>People all over the world are craving something to worship.  There is a God-shaped hole in everyone&#8217;s heart. Will you point people to the ONLY ONE that can properly fill that void?</p>
<p>Blessings!</p>
<p>John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 10.20.11- Speak Up</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-20-11-speak-up/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-20-11-speak-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:20:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4540</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John encourages us to speak up in such a way that many hear and believe in Jesus. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>How are you? Good? Bad? Ugly?</p>
<p>Feel free to shout it out right now. I&#8217;m listening&#8230;</p>
<p>Go ahead. Yell it out&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8230;I can&#8217;t hear you. You gotta speak up&#8230;</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>This week in my &#8220;Hello Friends&#8221; I want to write about &#8220;Speaking Up&#8221; from the perspective of Barnabas. For a number of weeks we have been spotlighting an aspect of the life of Barnabas (one of my favorite characters in the Bible). This week&#8217;s focus is upon Acts 14.</p>
<p>Acts 14:1-3 &#8220;At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke in such a way that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.&#8221;</p>
<p>Paul and Barnabas spoke &#8220;in such a way&#8221; that people believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don&#8217;t you want to speak in such a way? The remainder of this passage gives us some clues as to the way they spoke.</p>
<p><strong>1.  With Strength.</strong></p>
<p>The Scripture tells us that they spoke boldly for the Lord. There was a weight to their words. The last sentence in the Book of Acts tells us that Paul finished his life in a Roman prison &#8220;proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.&#8221;  And a number of New Testament passages refer to Jesus as someone who spoke with authority (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22, 27; Luke 4:32, 36).</p>
<p>Barnabas. Paul. Jesus. Three examples of people that spoke with strength. I want to be on this list. Don&#8217;t you?</p>
<p><strong>2. With Signs</strong></p>
<p>Not only was the word spoken boldly but it was accompanied by miraculous signs and wonders of the Lord. Now that&#8217;s a one/two punch!</p>
<p>Not only is Missouri the Show-Me State. I think people all over the world want to see the Gospel in action and not just hear it spoken. So many Christians would do well to not only speak about the Lord, but to accompany those words with Spirit-infused signs and wonders. Imagine non-believers hearing AND seeing the grace of God in action.</p>
<p>The Great Commission in Mark 16:20 says &#8220;they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.&#8221; Another one/two punch.</p>
<p>This reminds me of Ephesians 4:15 that challenges us to &#8220;speak the truth in love.&#8221; Words (truth) are to be paired up with actions (love). Again, another great one/two punch.</p>
<p>Strength.<br />
Signs.<br />
Truth.<br />
Love.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s speak up&#8230;in such a way&#8230;that a great number of people will believe! Amen? Amen.</p>
<div>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>John</p>
<div>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
</div>
</div>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 2: Oh, When the Saints</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/oh-when-the-saints/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/oh-when-the-saints/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:40:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4580</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We begin our Fall Small group 2 go Series, Building Solid Lives our journey through the book of Ephesians.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We begin our Fall Small group 2 go Series, Building Solid Lives our journey through the book of Ephesians.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111016buildingsolidlivesweek1.mp3" length="13033099" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>We begin our Fall Small group 2 go Series, Building Solid Lives our journey through the book of Ephesians.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>We begin our Fall Small group 2 go Series, Building Solid Lives our journey through the book of Ephesians.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>53:40</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Building Solid Lives / Part 1: Membership has it&#8217;s Privileges</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/building-solid-lives-membership-has-its-privileges/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/building-solid-lives-membership-has-its-privileges/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:47:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Building Solid Lives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4582</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John takes us through the longest sentence in the Bible and two very important ideas; Adoption and Redemption.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John takes us through the longest sentence in the Bible and two very important ideas; Adoption and Redemption.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111016buildingsolidlivesweek2.mp3" length="12685479" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Building Solid Lives</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John takes us through the longest sentence in the Bible and two very important ideas; Adoption and Redemption.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John takes us through the longest sentence in the Bible and two very important ideas; Adoption and Redemption.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>48:30</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 10.13.11- Bold</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-13-11-bold/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-13-11-bold/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:42:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4505</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John highlights the power of the Word of God. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<p>If you have a few moments right now, will you grab your Bible and read this short passage:  <strong>Acts 13:42-52.</strong></p>
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<div>
<p>Have you done it yet?</p>
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<p>I&#8217;ll wait.</p>
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<p>OK. Here we go. Let&#8217;s talk about this passage.</p>
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<div>
<p>This is the next place that highlights a great guy named <strong>Barnabas</strong>. I&#8217;ve been spending a number of weeks spotlighting him in my &#8220;Hello Friends&#8221; email series.</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>I really like Barnabas. I like how he always finds himself right in the middle of the action. First, he and Paul were teaching in the synagogue and the Jews and new converts wanted to hear more about the Word of God. Then, the next day the &#8220;whole city&#8221; gathered to hear the Word of God and it stirred up anger and jealously in the religious leaders. This culminated with intense persecution of Paul and Barnabas &#8211; so much so that they shook off the dust from their feet and moved onto another city to  minister.</p>
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<p>Bold.</p>
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<p>One could easily focus upon the individuals of Paul or Barnabas, but the real star of this story is <strong>The Word of God. </strong></p>
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<div>
<p>The Word of God is what stirred up such intense feelings. Acts 13:49 tells us that the &#8220;word of the Lord spread through the whole region.&#8221; It caught fire and was blazing through the synagogue, city center, and ultimately throughout the entire region of Asia Minor.</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>The Word of God.</p>
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<p>It&#8217;s Bold.</p>
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<p>There is something very powerful about God&#8217;s Word when spoken and ministered in truth and spirit.</p>
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<div>
<p>Are you allowing the Word of God to spread throughout your heart?  What is it stirring up in you?</p>
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<div>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>John</p>
<div>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FPicture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fvimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Ficon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FWSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>There&#8217;s an App for that</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/theres-an-app-for-that/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/theres-an-app-for-that/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4577</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John discusses the idea of everyone&#8217;s appointed time.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John discusses the idea of everyone&#8217;s appointed time. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111009theresanappforthat.mp3" length="9757151" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John discusses the idea of everyone&#039;s appointed time.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John discusses the idea of everyone&#039;s appointed time.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>35:05</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 10.7.11- We Go Together</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-7-11-we-go-together/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-10-7-11-we-go-together/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:06:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4488</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John continues to highlight Barnabas, this week he highlights our need for each other. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Hello Friends,</span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Let&#8217;s keep looking at Barnabas.  I really dig this guy and have had a blast writing to you each week about an aspect of his life as found in the Book of Acts.  I just returned from a journey in the Footsteps of Paul &#8211; including his missionary stops in Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. I can say with a great level of certainly that there wouldn&#8217;t have been an Apostle Paul without a Barnabas!</span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">In chapter 13 of the Acts of the Apostles (should be called Acts of the Holy Spirit though), we come to the church of Antioch. One of the primary teachers there was Barnabas. Another one was an upstart leader named Saul.  We also know him as Paul. Barnabas and Saul did some tag team ministry in Antioch. Barnabas was sent there by the church in Jerusalem &#8211; we read of this in Acts 11:22.  This life-giving, sacrificial church sent one of their best leaders to Antioch. When Barnabas got to Antioch he &#8220;saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose&#8221; (vs. 23).  It goes on to describe Barnabas as &#8220;a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith&#8221; (vs. 24).  The result of Barnabas&#8217; ministry in Antioch was that &#8220;a great many people were added to the Lord.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">It was there that people were first called&#8230;wait for it&#8230;<strong>Christians</strong>.</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">So much spiritual growth was happening that Barnabas sent for Saul to come help him. They were able to a great deal together.</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Together</em>.</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">Everybody needs a wingman (that&#8217;s a quote from Top Gun, in case you missed it).</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">Barnabas and Saul. The dynamic duo.</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">Not only did they do the work of the Lord <em>together</em> in Antioch, but they were also <em>SENT OUT TOGETHER</em> from Antioch to minister in other areas. Acts 13:2 says, &#8220;Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them. then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went&#8230;.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">Sent out together.</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">This makes me think of the church we are planting in Dallas, Oregon under the leadership of Darrin &amp; Stacy Hausler. At West Salem Foursquare we are like the Jerusalem church &#8211; the sending church &#8211; giving our best to see the work of the Lord flourish in an other area.</span></p>
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<div>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">In the coming months we will be laying our hands upon them and their core planting team and sending them out together. What a joy-filled time that will be!</span></p>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Jerusalem and Antioch.</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Barnabas and Saul.</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>West Salem and Dallas.</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>You and I.</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Together.</em></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"><em><br />
</em></span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;">It&#8217;s so great doing life together.  Denise and I are blessed to be growing together with you.  You are deeply loved.</span></p>
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<div><span style="color: #000000;">Blessings,</span></div>
<div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;">Pastor John</span></div>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><span style="color: #000000;"><img title="Picture 2" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FPicture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></span></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><span style="color: #000000;"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fvimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></span></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><span style="color: #000000;"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Ficon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></span></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><span style="color: #000000;"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FWSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></span></a></span></p>
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]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>It&#8217;s not about us</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/its-not-about-us/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/its-not-about-us/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:50:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4574</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our founding pastor, Robert Flores, shares the importance of serving others and its impact on us and those around us.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Our founding pastor, Robert Flores, shares the importance of serving others and its impact on us and those around us. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20111002itsnotaboutus.mp3" length="10812751" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:subtitle>Our founding pastor, Robert Flores, shares the importance of serving others and its impact on us and those around us.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Our founding pastor, Robert Flores, shares the importance of serving others and its impact on us and those around us.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Pastor Robert Flores</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>42:40</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 9.29.11- Barnabas the Uniter</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-29-11-barnabas-the-uniter/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-29-11-barnabas-the-uniter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:59:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4453</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[John continues to highlight Barnabas and points out his unifying gifts.  ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hello Friends,</span></p>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Hopefully you&#8217;ve been following along in my weekly emails as I&#8217;ve been spotlighting a gentleman in Scripture named Barnabas. We don&#8217;t know a ton about him except from the Book of Acts. At the time you will be reading this Denise and I will be touring the land of the Acts of the Apostles &#8211; Athens, Ephesus, Rome, Crete, Patmos, etc. This is an exciting trip for five of us from West Salem Foursquare, as we join with twenty others from around the United States.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">This tour of the Footsteps of Paul wouldn&#8217;t have happened without a <strong>Barnabas</strong>. Sure, God would have accomplished his purposes another way, but I do wonder how many things the Lord simply won&#8217;t do without our partnership and obedience. </span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Barnabas was an obedient partner.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">His primary ministry buddy was Paul, but occasional he would pick up others.  </span></div>
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</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Case in point:  <strong>John Mark.</strong></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Acts 12:25 says <em>&#8220;When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.&#8221;</em></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Who is John Mark?  Colossians 4:10 indicates that he is the cousin to Barnabas. Luke 13:13 tells us that Paul and his companions (which would have included Barnabas and John Mark) put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphilia, but John [Mark] left them and returned to Jerusalem.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Why did John Mark leave?  The text is unclear, but many speculate that he was uncomfortable about the mission to evangelize the Gentiles. John Mark, a resident of Jerusalem, perhaps bailed because of the focus upon &#8220;non-Jews.&#8221; Some have called him the &#8220;New Testament Jonah.&#8221;</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">Acts 15:36-41 points out how Paul didn&#8217;t want John Mark to be with them on their upcoming trip because of how he abandoned them during the first missionary journey. There was a sharp disagreement to the point of Paul and Barnabas parting company. This is something certainly worthy of study, however, I want to focus our attention to who Barnabas took with him: <strong> John Mark.</strong></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">I love this about Barnabas. He is a UNITER. </span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">You may say, &#8220;Well, if he was such a UNITER then why did he part company with Paul and take sides with John Mark?&#8221;  That&#8217;s a valid point, but one must dig deeper into Scripture to get the full story. The Book of Acts does not give us any further detail but other New Testament writings of Paul do.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><strong>2 Timothy 4:11</strong><em> (Words of Paul) &#8211; &#8220;Only Luke is with me. Get [John] Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful [useful] to me in my ministry.&#8221;</em></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><em><br />
</em></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><strong>Colossians 4:10</strong><em> (Words of Paul) &#8211; &#8220;My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does [John] Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instruction about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.&#8221;</em></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><em><br />
</em></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><strong>Philemon 24</strong><em> (Words of Paul) &#8211; &#8220;Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do [John] Mark&#8230;my fellow workers.&#8221;  </em></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">It would appear as if Paul and John Mark got the band back together again!  Not only that, but Paul now finds John Mark to be a great asset to his ministry.</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">We don&#8217;t know this explicitly from the biblical text, but I have to wonder if <strong>Barnabas</strong> had anything to do with this change of heart. After all, he&#8217;s a UNITER.</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>
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<p><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">Do you bring people together?</span></p>
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<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">Blessings, </span></div>
<div>
<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">Pastor John</span></div>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FPicture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fvimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Ficon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FWSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Following Jesus</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/following-jesus/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/following-jesus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:48:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4571</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor Darrin discusses what it looks like to follow Jesus.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor Darrin discusses what it looks like to follow Jesus.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20110925followingjesus.mp3" length="10452729" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:subtitle>Pastor Darrin discusses what it looks like to follow Jesus.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor Darrin discusses what it looks like to follow Jesus.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Pastor Darrin Hausler</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>42:24</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 9.22.11- Eyes Wide Open</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-22-11-eyes-wide-open/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-22-11-eyes-wide-open/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:07:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4425</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John asks us, "Are your eyes open? Are you a "looker"?" ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;This week&#8217;s Hello Friends comes to you while John &amp; Denise are leading a tour of the Footsteps of Paul throughout Greece, Rome and Ephesus. Be praying for them as they travel, teach, film and prepare for our Fall teaching series &amp; small groups.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<p>Barnabas. What a guy.</p>
<p>The Book of Acts would have been much smaller without him. During this season I want to highlight in my weekly correspondence this unsung hero of the New Testament. Acts 11 has Barnabas&#8217; fingerprints all over it. Read about him in verses 22-26.</p>
<p>22 News reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.</p>
<p>25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.</p>
<p>Two keys phrases jump out to me in these verses:</p>
<p>1. &#8220;Saw the evidence of the grace of God&#8230;&#8221; (vs. 23)</p>
<p>2. &#8220;Went to Tarsus to look for Saul&#8230;&#8221; (vs. 25)</p>
<p>Barnabas was a looker.</p>
<p>By this I don&#8217;t mean he was attractive. Of course, I really don&#8217;t know if was UNattractive. Ah, I digress.</p>
<p>When I think of Barnabas as &#8220;a looker&#8221; I mean he was an INITIATOR. He had an eye for good things. He SAW the evidence of God&#8217;s grace in Antioch. He LOOKED for Saul in Tarsus in order to bring him to Antioch. Both Paul and Barnabas spent a year in this city, sharing the Gospel and growing the church. It was here that they first began to call followers of Jesus &#8220;Christians.&#8221; There he goes initiating again!</p>
<p>Are you a looker?</p>
<p>What good things are you initiating?</p>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<p>Pastor John</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FPicture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fvimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Ficon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FWSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>What Do You Want?</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/all-in-part-3/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/all-in-part-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:28:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4435</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Guest Speaker Pastor Larry Powers tells us the story of Bartimaeus a blind man on the road to Jericho]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Guest Speaker Pastor Larry Powers tells us the story of Bartimaeus a blind man on the road to Jericho</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20110918allinpt3final.mp3" length="10628021" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:subtitle>Guest Speaker Pastor Larry Powers tells us the story of Bartimaeus a blind man on the road to Jericho</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Guest Speaker Pastor Larry Powers tells us the story of Bartimaeus a blind man on the road to Jericho</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Larry Powers</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>39:16</itunes:duration>
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		<title>All In: Part 2</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/all-in-part-2/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/all-in-part-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:19:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[All In]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4433</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John takes us deeper into an all in world.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John takes us deeper into an all in world.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20110911allinpt2final.mp3" length="12354915" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>All In</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John takes us deeper into an all in world.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John takes us deeper into an all in world.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>46:48</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 9.8.2011- It&#8217;s all about the Heart</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-8-2011-its-all-about-the-heart/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-8-2011-its-all-about-the-heart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:53:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4370</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John reminds us that giving is all about the heart. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>
<div>Check out this Scripture:</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>&#8220;Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet.&#8221; Acts 4:36,37</em></p>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">Joseph.</p>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">Barnabas.</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div>Son of Encouragement.</p>
<div>Wow, this guy sure had A LOT of nicknames&#8230;</p>
<div>I would add to the list this one:<strong> Giver.</strong></p>
<div>I really dig Barnabas. I love reading about him. He is one of my favorite characters in the New Testament. Throughout the Book of Acts we find multiple examples of Barnabas’ giving and encouraging spirit.</p>
<div>Barnabas is the reason a radical named Saul got his start. We know him now as Paul the Apostle, but I often wonder if Saul would have ever became Paul if it wasn’t for Barnabas and the interest that he took in the “long-shot” with the dicey reputation.</p>
<div>Barnabas was always about others. We see this most clearly in Acts 4:36,37 when he sold his field and gave the proceeds to the apostles to be used for the needs of a growing faith community.</p>
<div>Barnabas went ALL IN. In contrast, the next chapter of the Book of Acts tells us about Ananias and Sapphira who knowingly withheld from the sale of a piece of property. Now, to be fair, I don&#8217;t think the main point of these stories is about money.</p>
<div>It&#8217;s about HEART.</p>
<div>One had an ALL IN heart and the others did not. Again, it wasn&#8217;t about the money. Verse 4 affirms this when Peter said to them: &#8220;Didn&#8217;t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn&#8217;t the money at your disposal?&#8221; In other words, they didn&#8217;t HAVE to give it. They could have rightfully kept it, but they chose to lie about &#8211; making it a matter of the heart.</p>
<div>I love Barnabas&#8217; heart. I want one like his. He is an encourager. He is a giver.</p>
<div>What are some nicknames people would give you? How are you known?</p>
<div>Blessings,</p>
<div>
<p>Pastor John</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;" title="Picture 2" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FPicture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;" title="vimeo_icon" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fvimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;" title="icon_flickr128" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Ficon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;" title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/_ssl/proxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwsfc.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FWSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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</div>
</div>
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		<title>All In: Part 1</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/all-in-part-1/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/all-in-part-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:47:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[All In]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4365</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John challenges us to put ourselves all in for God.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John challenges us to put ourselves all in for God. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20110903allinpt1final.mp3" length="9317595" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>All In</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John challenges us to put ourselves all in for God.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John challenges us to put ourselves all in for God.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>37:06</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 9.1.2011- The Gift of Giving</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-1-2011-the-gift-of-giving/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-9-1-2011-the-gift-of-giving/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:17:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4337</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John shares an experience of giving. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
<div>It was his 32nd birthday and, frankly, it might have been his best one <strong>ever</strong>.</p>
<div>A week or two ago, me and three of my kids stood on the corner of Wallace &amp; Glen Greek and we sang Happy Birthday to a homeless man named Daniel. Along with a well-sung song, we gave him a Starbucks pastry, a bottle of water and five bucks. You would have thought he had been given a million dollars.</p>
<div>How did I know it was Daniel&#8217;s birthday?</p>
<div>Well, Christi told me.</p>
<div>Christi is a wonderful member of West Salem Foursquare. She has been actively extending kindness to Daniel for some time now and found out the date of his birth. Recently when we both discovered that we had been reaching out to the same &#8220;address challenged&#8221; individual, we worked together to celebrate his birthday. Christi knew she would be out of town that day, so she asked me to give him some birthday money (normally she only gives food and smiles). My kids and I pitched for the pastry and water.</p>
<div>After celebrating on the street corner, we walked back to our car with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts. My youngest son said, &#8220;Dad, that was awesome!&#8221;</p>
<div>It <strong>was</strong> awesome. It was awesome on a number of levels:</p>
<div>1.  It was a simple yet powerful demonstration of the kindness and love of the Lord to a person who is struggling.</p>
<div>2.  It was an act of giving with an amazing return on investment, not only in Daniel, but in me, my children and in Christi.</p>
<div>3.  It was a partnership between various individuals, all working <strong>together</strong> to minister grace and hope.</p>
<div>4.  It felt like something Jesus would do: singing Happy Birthday on a street corner to a homeless man.</p>
<div>I tell you this story because it illustrates the power of partnership and giving. Over the next few months at West Salem Foursquare we will have a number of opportunities to partner in our giving. I encourage you to prayerfully pour your heart into these opportunities&#8230;go ALL IN. Don&#8217;t hold back, knowing that if we all work together, each contributing faithfully, then <strong>it will be awesome</strong>.</p>
<div>Look forward with me to these upcoming opportunities:</p>
<div><strong>1.  ALL IN // September &#8211; November</strong>. Last year at this time, I sensed the Lord say to my heart: &#8220;Ask the Church to go ALL IN.&#8221; So many from our congregation responded cheerfully to the biblical pattern of tithing &amp; generous giving. We heard story after story of God&#8217;s faithfulness. So we&#8217;re going ALL IN again! This September through November we are calling WSFC to a <strong>Three-Month Giving Challenge</strong>. If you go ALL IN and the Lord doesn&#8217;t honor His Word in your life THEN your church will give you 100% of your donation back. No questions asked. Go for it. Trust the Lord. Try giving your full tithe for three months. Then tell the stories of God&#8217;s faithfulness in your life!</p>
<div><strong>2.  Outreach Offering // September 24/25.</strong>  This last June we received an offering for our youth camps scholarships. WSFC was so faithful to invest into our young people. Our next quarterly special offering will be the weekend of September 24 &amp; 25 and it will be received specifically for the various outreaches of WSFC, including the Salem Dream Center, City Vibe, A New Leaf, and Mexico Missions. Begin to pray and plan now regarding an offering, which is over and above your regular tithe.</p>
<div>Be challenged AND encouraged by Luke 6:38:  &#8220;Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full&#8230;pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. For with the measure you give, it will be measured back to you.&#8221;</p>
<div>Blessings,</p>
<div>Pastor John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
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		<title>Pause: Part 3</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/pause-part-3/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/pause-part-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Aug 2011 05:16:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pause]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4330</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor Jonathan challenges us to dig deep wells in our community.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor Jonathan challenges us to dig deep wells in our community.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20110828pausept3final.mp3" length="10334611" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Pause</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor Jonathan challenges us to dig deep wells in our community.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor Jonathan challenges us to dig deep wells in our community.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Jon Lewellyn</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>40:22</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 8.25.2011- Slow Down</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-8-25-2011-slow-down/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-8-25-2011-slow-down/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:57:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4318</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John shares with us some wisdom from the journals of Richard Proenneke called "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey."]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<div><strong>Hello Friends,<br />
</strong></p>
<div>
<p>During the month of August at WSFC we&#8217;ve been in our <strong>PAUSE</strong> teaching series from Genesis 26:25. Week one was about &#8220;Building Altars&#8221; and it focused upon our spiritual lives. Week two was about &#8220;Pitching Tents&#8221; and together we considered our personal lives and how it should integrate together with the spiritual.</p>
<div>
<p><strong>Reminder:</strong> Our altars should be permanent and our tents should be temporary. Sadly, we often reverse these.</p>
<div>
<p>This morning I finished reading the journals of Richard Proenneke called &#8220;One Man&#8217;s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey.&#8221; This best-selling book became the basis for the enormously popular documentary &#8220;Alone in the Wilderness.&#8221; It chronicles the day-to-day explorations and activities that Proenneke carried out alone, including the clearing of land, cutting of trees, and building of a log cabin. He lived a simple life off of the land for an extended period of time and continued to visit his handiwork until his death at the age of 87.</p>
<div>
<p>I want to give you a few random quotes from him journals in light of the teaching this last weekend about our temporary personal lives. I used the concept of a Tent, and I know that Proenneke built a home (not a tent), but there are principles about simplicity, detachment from stuff and contentment that I believe is valuable for us to grab onto.</p>
<div>
<p>From Richard Proenneke&#8217;s journals:</p>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<p><em>&#8220;What a man never has, he never misses.&#8221;</em></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<p><em>&#8220;In time man gets used to almost anything, but the problem seems to be that technology is advancing faster than he can adjust to it. I think it&#8217;s time we started applying the brakes, slowing down our greed and slowing down the world.&#8221;</em></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<p><em>&#8220;I realize that men working together can perform miracles such as sending men to walk on the surface of the moon. There is definitely a need and a place for teamwork, but there is also a need for an individual sometime in his life to forget the world of parts and pieces and put something together on his own&#8211;complete something. He&#8217;s got to create.&#8221;</em></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<p><em>&#8220;I have learned patience, learned to take my time and try to do a job right by first figuring it out. No sense to rushing and going off half cocked; there plenty of time out here.&#8221;</em></p>
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<p><em>&#8220;Needs? I guess that is what bothers so many folks. They keep expanding their needs until they are dependent on too many things and too many other people. I don&#8217;t understand economics, and I suppose the country would be in a real mess if people suddenly cut out a lot of things they don&#8217;t need. I wonder how many things in the average American home could be eliminated if the question were asked, &#8216;Must I really have this?&#8217; I guess most of the extras are chalked up to comfort or saving time. Funny thing about comfort: one man&#8217;s comfort is another man&#8217;s misery.&#8221;</em></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Blessings,</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">John<br />
Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></div>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Pause: Part 2</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/pause-part-2/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/pause-part-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:48:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pause]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4322</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John discusses the idea of pitching your tent.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John discusses the idea of pitching your tent.</p>
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<enclosure url="http://wsfc.org/podcast/20110821pausept2final.mp3" length="12010051" type="audio/mpeg" />
			<itunes:keywords>Pause</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John discusses the idea of pitching your tent.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John discusses the idea of pitching your tent.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>49:27</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Hello Friends: 8.18.2011- How Flexible Are You?</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-8-18-2011-how-flexible-are-you/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/hello-friends-8-18-2011-how-flexible-are-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:58:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Fehlen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hello From John]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4228</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John encourages us to check our flexibility to make sure we are not becoming rusty old springs. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello Friends,</p>
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<p>First a <strong>question</strong> and then a <strong>story</strong>:</p>
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<p><strong>Question</strong>:  How flexible are you?</p>
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<p><strong>Story</strong>:  A few nights ago, after Denise and I got back from serving at our regional middle school camp, I went out to the backyard and began jumping on the trampoline in order to burn off some excess energy. Normally after a week of camp I have little to no energy left, but I had just had my 3rd cup of coffee and even downed one of those nasty energy drinks that you turn to in times of desperation. So&#8230;I was&#8230;<strong>amped</strong>. And also, most importantly, we had experienced such an amazing time in the Presence of the Lord that I was hard pressed to settle down any time soon.</p>
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<p>Thus&#8230;the trampoline.</p>
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<p>As I bounced up and down, I rejoicingly remembered the handiwork of the Lord in students lives, and was so deeply aware of the beauty of the blue skies, the cool dusk air and thoughts of my family. I was thinking about our oldest son leaving for college. I was thinking about turning 40. I was thinking about the last three years of life in Salem.  I was thinking about how grateful I was for Jesus, my wife, kids and church family.</p>
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<p>All this was rolling through my heart and mind as I went up and down on the trampoline.</p>
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<p>Then it happened.</p>
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<p>Without warning.</p>
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<p>Like a bullet in the blue sky, one of the metal trampoline springs broke and shot through the air directly towards me.  I was in mid-air descent when the shrapnel honed in on me. With a whizzing sound much like that of a gunshot, the spring sliced the air and then grazed the side of my right bare foot. Thankfully it was &#8220;only a flesh wound.&#8221; There indeed was blood, but nothing a bandaid couldn&#8217;t handle. As I, with dramatic flare, replayed the events to my family, I was keenly aware that the whole situation could have been much worse.  In other words, I do not have a gaping hole in my chest or one less eye.</p>
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<div>
<p>That&#8217;s my story.</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>Now back to my question:  How flexible are you?</p>
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<div>
<p>Over the years we have had to replace various springs on our trampoline. Over time the springs become brittle, rusty and eventually break. The intended purpose of the spring is to give flexibility to the trampoline, but time has a way of compromising that effectiveness. Occasionally the springs need to be replaced.</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>What &#8220;springs&#8221; need to be addressed in your life?  Are there areas of your heart that have gotten rigid, rusty and brittle? How spiritually flexible are you? When is the last time you have made a significant change?  Are you making new friends, sitting in different seats, worshipping in fresh ways or learning new skills? Consider reading a different version of the Bible. Try new foods or coffee blends. Serve in a different ministry for a short season to see how it fits.</p>
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<div>
<p>How flexible are you?</p>
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<p>My prayer today is that God would replace hard and brittle &#8220;springs&#8221; in us so that we are increasingly effective for seasons to come.</p>
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<div>
<p>Consider Ezekiel 11:19-20 <em>&#8220;And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone </em><em>out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.&#8221; </em></p>
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<div>
<p>Blessings,</p>
<div>
<div>
<p>Pastor John</p>
<p>Connect Online with West Salem Foursquare <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WestSalemFoursquareChurch?ref=ts"><img title="Picture 2" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/Picture-21-150x150.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://vimeo.com/9046902" class="lightbox"><img title="vimeo_icon" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/vimeo_icon1.png" alt="" width="32" height="32" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/westsalemfoursquare/"><img title="icon_flickr128" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/icon_flickr1281.png" alt="" width="33" height="33" /></a> <a href="http://wsfc.org/"><img title="WSFC Color Icon Only Transparent" src="http://wsfc.org/wp-content/uploads/WSFC-Color-Icon-Only-Transparent1-150x150.png" alt="" width="28" height="28" /></a></p>
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		<title>Pause Part 1</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/pause-part-1/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/pause-part-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:20:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pause]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4314</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John takes a look at Abraham and Isaac and the altars they built.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John takes a look at Abraham and Isaac and the altars they built.</p>
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			<itunes:keywords>Pause</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John takes a look at Abraham and Isaac and the altars they built.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John takes a look at Abraham and Isaac and the altars they built.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>49:22</itunes:duration>
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		<title>Jesus: Part 4</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/jesus-part-4/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/jesus-part-4/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:29:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4286</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John discusses Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Marketplace.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John discusses Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Marketplace.</p>
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			<itunes:keywords>Jesus</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John discusses Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Marketplace.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John discusses Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Marketplace.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>47:47</itunes:duration>
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		<item>
		<title>Jesus: Part 2</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/jesus-part-2/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/jesus-part-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:41:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4278</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor john talks about our relationship with the Holy Spirit.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor john talks about our relationship with the Holy Spirit.</p>
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			<itunes:keywords>Jesus</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor john talks about our relationship with the Holy Spirit.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor john talks about our relationship with the Holy Spirit.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>44:36</itunes:duration>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Jesus: Part 1</title>
		<link>http://wsfc.org/jesus-part-1/</link>
		<comments>http://wsfc.org/jesus-part-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:39:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>West Salem Foursquare</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://wsfc.org/?p=4275</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pastor John discusses Jesus and specifically the events of His baptism and the power]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pastor John discusses Jesus and specifically the events of His baptism and the power </p>
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			<itunes:keywords>Jesus</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Pastor John discusses Jesus and specifically the events of His baptism and the power</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Pastor John discusses Jesus and specifically the events of His baptism and the power</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>John Fehlen</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>clean</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:duration>36:44</itunes:duration>
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