Rev. Andy Shanholtz to speak at Christ Community Church
Sunday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m.

Rev. Andy Shanholtz, ThD; originally from High View, West Virginia moved to Sheboygan, WI in1980 after attending UW-Oshkosh. He married the former Jean Oskey in July, 1981 and has a daughter Courtney who graduated from Lutheran High School and currently attends Lakeland College majoring in Business.

Andy was called into the ministry in 1976, after graduating from Hampshire High School, Romney, WV; but was not released by God to function in the Office of Pastor-Teacher full time until April 2003. While preparing for ministry he worked full time in Sales and Project Management. He served on staff at Word of Grace Community Church for seven years as Director of Discipleship Training in which he authored most of the curriculum. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Eagles Nest Church in Menomonee Falls, WI and ACT XII Counseling Ministries, Sheboygan, WI; to provide Biblical Counseling and Life Changing seminars to the Body of Christ. Andy earned his Bachelor of Theology Degree from Christian Life School of Theology in Columbus, GA; his Masters of Theology and recently earned his Doctorate of Theology from Grace Christian College and Theological Seminary.

Andy currently serves Praise Fellowship Church as the Senior Associate Pastor; overseeing Small Groups, Discipleship, Evangelism and Family counseling. Andy has authored nine study manuals used to conduct teaching seminars on Life Management, Faith for Living, Relationship building from the Song of Solomon, Biblical Foundations for Growth, currently being used by other churches as a tool for discipleship, and his most recent manual called, Answering Life’s Toughest Questions, a study from Ecclesiastes.

His Life mission statement is: “To motivate and educate believers to maximizing their full potential and gifting in Christ.”

This Tuesday, Nov. 10 and this Wednesday, Nov. 11, is our 24-hour Pray-n-Go event. We’ll have people manning the tent for a complete 24-hours, praying with those who stop by. We’ll be serving free coffee for the event, and would love to have others come and join us. What a great time to cross denominational lines and have all of us come together for one purpose – to minister to those who have a need and need to know that there are people who care.

If you would like to volunteer to help with the Pray-n-Go event, you can pray at home during that period, come to the church and pray during the 24 hours, or sign up for a time period to help man the prayer tent. Just Call me at 304-822-0442. We’d love to see the family of God come together and pray “one for another.”

I’ve been asked why we don’t have a Sunday evening service. The answer is simple – we have so much going on that, with people working so much, I think it’s nice for families to have a Sunday afternoon and evening to spend time with family, rest, relax and get ready for the week.

We do our best to help our congregation to get fed and full

on Sunday morning with S.S. and the morning worship service. And NO, we’re not always out right at 12:00 noon, but no one seems to mind. Pictured ABOVE, are a couple of photos of our recent Fall Fest, planned by Myra Kesner and with the assistance of a number of our church people.

I’ve had countless comments about how some thought my back surgeries in 2008 were going to make everything better and from many who are wondering why I’m still having problems walking and standing up straight.
The one big question that I get often — “Would you do it again if you knew then what you know now?”

Yes, definitely. Would I do it again now, after having been through it three times? That’s another story. I’m not sure.

So a quick recap – Mar. 1, 2008, a near 14-hour surgery to rebuild 12 vertebra. Surgery taking too long so doctors stop, wait two days, then finish the surgery with another five-plus hours on the table. I was used to pain. Lots of pain, in fact. But I had never felt pain like I did when I first woke up and they asked me to sit up in the bed. Then, within 24 hours after the second surgery, they had me get up and try to walk. I made it eight steps, but not before horrendous pain caused from trying to stand on my own.

I did well after surgery. I felt good, I stood straight and I was pretty much pain-free. Then, six moths later, in September 2008, one of the titanium rods broke and that meant, it all had to be redone again. And so, Oct 1, ‘08, it was back onto the table to replace both rods (as a precaution). Things haven’t been the same since. The muscles in my hips and upper legs feel as if they are cramped up. I can walk but not long distances. I’ve tried water therapy, and still the muscles lock up.

A recent visit to my surgeon showed that there is a disk being compressed now at the lower part of the spine, where he didn’t touch before. Another concern. Just how much of a concern remains a mystery for now. And so, for all who ask the question, would I do it again, I may have to decide at some point, according to my surgeon. We do have a couple of things we’re going to try first to avoid having to do it again anytime soon. But, he said, it will have to be done at some point again in the future. When? We’ll see. We’re going to try to prolong it as much as possible.

My concern is, that once he goes in to do the lower part of the spine, he wants to also put in new rods again, only these are supposedly stronger than titanium. But that means opening up the entire incision again, as well as extending it to do the lower back. The cut is already about two-foot long. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!

I’m not quitting. My faith is not shaken. I’m not discouraged and I’m not beaten. I still have too many things I want to do, too many places I want to see and too many plans that my wife and I have made and want to see through. For now, we’ll take it a it comes. The God I serve today is the same God I’ll serve tomorrow. He has my best interest in mind. The way it is currently, there are good days and bad days. But more good than bad. So we’ll wait, pray and see what God has in store down the road. But for now, the future looks like nothing but good, whichever way it goes, because God has a plan that I can trust.

And for all of those who have asked – thanks for the care and concern.

I love the picture above – at the top of the page. I shot it in 2007 when we were in Venice Beach, Fla. It was late in the evening, obviously, just as the sun was about to go down beyond the Gulf. Some things you just never forget.

I’m sad to report that I have a brother who has been sick in Morgantown Hospital for the past week. He’s been dealing with cancer and all that seems to go along with it. For the past week the doctors have been telling him he can go home tomorrow.

“It’s been five tomorrows already,” he said to me tonight from his hospital bed in Morgantown (Tuesday, Nov. 3). “But I’m still here.”

It was great to see him, but not to see that he looks so tired and worn out. My prayers are with him frequently.

But tonight, a couple of my brothers and I decided we’d go out and see him. I know he’s getting discouraged, so we figured a couple of us could maybe cheer him up, although only two were allowed in his room at one time.

Anyway, it ended up that I took our van, and four of my brothers and one of my sisters went along with me. I honestly can’t tell you when we’ve had that kind of time together. My sister even said that when we have reunions, because our family is sooooo big, one spends their time trying to get to everyone and really don’t get to talk to anyone.

Tonight, six of us – a captive audience – in a van for over three hours. A disaster in the making???? Not at all. My family has always gotten along. We don’t always agree on all things but we do all get along well and would stand up for each other through thick or thin – all 13 of us who are left.

You’d have to know my family to have appreciated the moments. My family is full of brothers and sisters who are quick-witted and can be funny without even trying. We had great conversation, drove through Burger King on the way out for a “hold me over” snack and then stopped at Bob Evans for a meal on the way back. I enjoyed the evening. Every minute of it. The time spent with my family, visiting our brother, was a Norman Rockwell moment I shall not forget anytime soon. I want our brother to get well and get out of the hospital. But I hope we all have opportunities for more adventures like the one tonight – only for a more pleasant reason, like going on vacation together or something of that sort.

You hear about it everywhere. News sources are reporting on it on a 24-hour basis. It seems that wherever you turn, someone is talking about it. Even some businesses are already preparing for a pandemic flu by wearing gloves and face masks.

I sat in a hospital in another state recently, waiting in the waiting room while our grandson was being checked. I wished I had my camera. The sight was definitely a Kodak moment. Probably at least half, if not more, of the people in the waiting rooms were all wearing masks. I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone movie. I actually felt like I had just stepped into the middle of a plague.

I must admit that I felt a sense of uneasiness come over me as my wife and I sat there in the midst of all the sickness. I wanted to run to the restroom, wash my hands, get a couple of paper towels for opening doors and then I wanted to run to the van and wait until our grandson and his mother were finished.

While sitting there, I had to literally check out my spiritual verses the not-so-spiritual. My natural man was trying to convince my spiritual man to run, telling me that if I didn’t get out of that waiting room fast, I was going to catch the Swine Flu and be deathly sick for days. By the time my natural man was finished, I was almost convinced that I was going to miss days of work and pass the flu onto my family, where it would spread like wildfire.

Fear is a compelling force. It’s also a lying force. I’m firmly convinced that common sense and wisdom go along way when it comes to being safe and healthy. There are some things that are a given: look all directions and proceed cautiously when at a four-way stop sign; don’t touch a hot stove and don’t play in traffic. But fear can also be dehabilitating. It can stop us in our tracks if we let it.

Wash your hands often, cover your mouth when you cough, if you are sick – don’t go into public places and spread the germs around. That is all good, but it’s not foolproof. So how should Christians feel about the possiblity of a pandemic flu?

First of all, keep in mind that, the same God who cares for you when you are well, also cares for you when you are sick. Unfortunately life makes no promises, other than the fact that death is a part of living. Being a Christian doesn’t automatically mean that the Swine Flu won’t jump on you or I at some point. But we have to keep our confidence and our faith in the One who saved us. We must believe that He is God, whether we are well or if we have Swine Flu.

Faith in God should not be waivering. However, too many people think that being a Christian is a ticket to health, wealth and prosperity, but it’s not. We’re not guaranteed a problem-free life. But being a Christian gives us someone to walk with when the problems come our way.

We can’t hide out in our homes, put plastic over the doors and windows, spray Lysol on a consistent basis an refuse to let anyone in or out. Our lives are not to be run by fear, but by faith.

Did fear confront me in that waiting room the other night? Yes, it certainly did.
Did I want to go outside away from the sick and afflicted? Yes, I certainly did.
But Jesus didn’t run from the sick. He approached the ones in pain.

I read something recently that has stuck with me. It talked about the fact that faith is not a life without fear, but a life in which one realizes that there are things more compelling and important than fear. We have two grandsons and they are my buddies. Being in that waiting room with my little step-daughter and grandson was far more important to me than any fear. So what if he had been diagnosed with the Swine Flu? (Thank God he wasn’t.) And what if he wanted his “Pap” to hold him. Would I have put on a mask and gloves? Not at all. I can speak for his “Grammy” as well as myself when I say that we would pick him up, lay his little head on our shoulders and love him.

Actually, he was pretty lethargic before going in to see the doctor at around 11 p.m. When he came back out, apparently his fever had broken and he came running toward the waiting room area where his Pap and Grammy were, hit the handicap button which automatically opened the door and ran – now get this – right to his Grammy with his arms outstretched. Grammy didn’t know the diagnosis. She didn’t know if he had Swine Flu and she didn’t care. She stretched out her arms like always, anticipating his affection and picked him up in her arms.

That’s the way God is with us. Whether we are sick, or hurting, or even if we have taken on the role of the prodigal, the Father still waits with open arms for us to come.

All of the sudden, our once lethargic three-year-old grandson was now alert and “hungry.” And so it was, we all went to IHOP at 11:30 for a pancake and egg. (Grammy and I had coffee too, needed the caffeine.) From the words of our heavenly Father; “Fear not, for I am with thee.”

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear,too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice,but for those who love, time is eternity.”
Henry Van Dyke

Tis’ the upcoming season to be jolly, but it’s also the season where it seems as if everyone, everywhere wants to tug on your emotions and tap into your generous wallet for a wide variety of worthy causes. There’s always the pull on the heart strings that makes a person feel either obligated to give, or guilty for not giving. I’ve come up with a workable way to decide on answering the question of “to give or not to give.”

I really think that, if we follow a simple guideline, we’ll be able to get through the holidays unscathed by the bulk of solicitors who want us to empty our pockets.

1. Don’t give what you can’t afford. Too many individuals go into debt, or spend beyond their means during the upcoming holidays. For some reason, we are of the opinion that the more gifts we give, the more highly people will think of us. That’s simply not the case. So whether it’s giving gifts or giving to various charities, don’t put yourself over the limit of what you can afford. You’ll just end up worrying yourself sick over it later.

2. Set a limit. Budgeting your holiday spending is one way to control the guilt feelings of not being able to give. Know ahead of time what you will allow yourself to spend on gifts, and what you will give to charities.

3. Pick your charities carefully. There are countless numbers of worthy causes to which we could give, and most of them will be knocking at your door, sneaking in through your e-mail account or sending you tear-jerking information by way of snail mail. Along with knowing your limit of giving, know the charities and causes you feel good about buying into. Then, know when to say “No.”

4. Give with all your heart, but don’t give your heart. In other words, know all the facts about the cause you’re supporting and give because you are convinced that it’s a cause worth giving to. Know where the money you’re giving is going. With many organizations, your gift gets eaten up in administrative costs, which is often a waste of money. Give with your whole heart, but don’t give your heart means simply, don’t get so emotionally involved that you take on the weight of problem. You can’t solve all the world’s problems, or feed all the world’s children. You can’t take in every homeless person or buy toys for every needy child. Getting too close to a cause often distorts our ability to think rationally. Feel the need, but keep in mind that you are not a white knight. You can’t make it better for everyone.

5. Be compassionate, but don’t be foolish. Don’t become hard and calloused because you’ve been taken by causes in the past. Don’t hold grudges over money misused by charities you’ve given to. There are still plenty of good causes out there, and plenty of accountable organizations. Don’t lose your compassion. But don’t be foolish either. Don’t give hap-hazardously. Be wise when it comes to making donations to causes.

6. Ask yourself the question – Is the organization doing what it says it’s doing, and will my money go to where I’m told it will go?

7. Allow yourself to feel good about what you’ve done, and don’t feel bad about what you couldn’t do.

The holidays are given to us to enjoy. Keep the stress off, the purchases and donations within your means and don’t feel guilty because you can’t keep up “with the Joneses.” You may find that “the Joneses are way over their head in debt. Thanksgiving is for just that – taking time to give thanks for what we’ve been blessed with. Not worrying about things we want but can’t afford.

Christmas isn’t about what we give to others, but have we given ourselves to the One who came as a baby to redeem up back to the Father. Happy Holidays. Take time to enjoy them.

It’s a tongue twister. Actually, that’s all it is. The question has no value at all, other than to give someone a good laugh. But there is a question that’s similar but different.

How much time should a person spend on a person who doesn’t respond? Every pastor and church has them. I mean, there are those “fringe” parishioners who have always been, and unless God does something miraculous in their lives, will always be a hit and miss type person.

You can’t depend on fringe people for much. They’re just there, on the outer perimeters, not willing to make a commitment to church because they haven’t made one to God. They are the ones that you have to keep up with and stroke on occasion to keep them coming because the slightest little thing can be an excuse for them to quit all together.

But, at least they respond. Often times, a phone call or visit will bring them back. They’re worth salvaging. They’re worth the effort.

What about those who come once in a blue moon, tell you how much they’ve missed church, have all kinds of excuses as to why they haven’t been there and even promise to be faithful from now on? Then it’s at least another six months before you see them back again, if then.

How much time is a pastor supposed to spend on this type of individual? They aren’t even on the fringe. They just show up once or twice a year for whatever reason. I’m convinced, and I’m willing to be proven wrong, that Satan doesn’t care how much time we spend on those we’ll likely never reach, because it’s taking time away from those who we might reach or bring in from the fringes. Sometimes, with some individuals and families, most pastors feel at times as if they are spinning their wheels and getting nowhere.

I know the value of a soul. I know that every soul is vitally important. But doesn’t there come a time when people have to take some responsibility for his, or her self? Aren’t most of these people old enough to decide whether or not they need to be in church? Isn’t there a time when we can feel okay with just stepping back and making ourselves available, rather than always chasing someone who doesn’t seem to want to be caught?

I don’t take my phone off the hook at night. If someone legitimately needs me enough to call me in the middle of the night, then I make myself available. But chasing someone who is running faster than me because they don’t want to get caught, seems to be to no avail. Do I continue to pray for them? Of course. I pray that God will send someone along who can reach them. That if I can’t reap the harvest, that I might at least have planted a seed. For some plant, others water, but it’s God who ultimately gives the increase.

So how much time should a person spend on a person who don’t respond? You decide, and let me know with your comment.