Selah Saturday | Get's Tickled

Addicted to New Life

I am addicted to new life.  The birth and life of Selah and Aliyah are definitely the two greatest events in my life.  I love the excitement, the adventure, the beauty, the pain, the knowledge, and the mystery of it. I love that it takes a team, it takes a family, it takes someone with experience.

I am also addicted to the spiritual rebirth we know as the eternal life.  That's why God has called me into ministry, into church planting, into his presence.

I will be posting different new life observation in the weeks to come. Both physical and spiritual.

Selah Introduces Aliyah!

I love new life! I love my family!

Sister Saturday | Selah meets Aliyah via iChat

Since Selah could not go to the hospital to meet her little sister because of the H1N1 stuff, we brought Aliyah to Selah via webcam.

What an awesome moment!

Funny Friday | Conan vs. Leno Japanese Super Heros

This is weird. A funny kind of weird.

Aliyah Michelle Rush | Meet our newest blessing!

Aliyah Michelle Rush was born yesterday, 1.20.2010, at 1:41pm. How cool is that! She was 6 pounds 12 ounces, and 20 and 3/4 inches long.  We call her Little Aliyah. Aliyah means ascending or ascending one in Hebrew.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? She who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up her soul to what is false. She will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of salvation. - Psalms 24:3-6

Sondra is amazing, just like our newest addition! Selah is pumped to be a big sister and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my God. The Wonderful Creator!

I am blessed to hold and care for his creation, a wonderful little soul, we call Aliyah!

[My friends on facebook can watch extended footage of the delivery]

Co:Mission with New Hope Loudonville

After I preached New Hope honored me by commissioning me as a church planter. There was a time of prayer, commitment, and covenat from both the church body and myself.

New Hope Loudonville has been a huge part of my ministry. Your heart for the lost is unmatched. I am grateful for all the ways I've been able to serve. The experience has been invaluable. It shaped my character tremendously as a minister and as a person. Thank you pouring into me and sending me out.  Thank you for letting me lead, and for leading and teaching me.

We are on a Co:Mission together! Keep reaching, keep loving, keep growing, and above all give God all the praise.  This isn't the last you've heard of me, it's only the beginning as we continue God's Kingdom work together.

The Cry, the Call at New Hope Loudonville

Last Sunday [1.17.10] I taught on hearing God's cry and answering his call on your life at New Hope Community Church in Loudonville.  The Church I just left. You can watch the teaching here.

The Cry, The Call from Kevin Rush on Vimeo.

The whole service consisted of worship and teaching along with my commissioning to go plant a church in Cleveland, and a plead to support the Haitian people in their time of need. Yesterday, I recieved this email from the Lead Pastor at New Hope...

Hi Kevin, I just had a most interesting conversation with a lady who attended New Hope on Sunday. She was moved by the need in Haiti and your message. So, after praying and seeking God's guidance (calling) she came in and just gave over $1000 to Haiti Relief. Thanks again for sharing this past Sunday. Certainly - as you shared - God is in control and it was no mistake that you were here this weekend.

I am amazed how God is using his people to impact the Kingdom through calling and obedience.  Are you listening for the cries of humanity?  Are you hearing God's call to do something about it?

Church Words (Worse than Curse Words?)

I just started my church planting apprenticeship two weeks ago and I cannot tell you how excited I am. On my first day I got acclamted with the staff, interns, policies, and values.

As I sat in on some planning meetings it was very clear that they took their church motto, "a church for people who don't like going to church" very seriously. Multiple times they talked about staying away from churchy words. They desire to clearly comminicate the good news to those who don't know Jesus as Savior and churchinese can get in the way.

"Today salvation has come... For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." - Luke 19:9-10

I talk a lot, as you man know, and I can easily forget that I am using "church words" among those who aren't from or don't like going to church. Apprentice Lesson #1 - if my language is going to error on one side or another it's going to be towards those who do not know Jesus.

And no I don't think it's worse than cursing... it's pretty much the same.

Sound | Touch at a Distance

Have you ever been moved by something you heard? A song, spoken word, a musical interlude, a quote from a poet or scholar?  Has your heart broken as you heard someone weep, or have you been moved to laughter by giggle of your children. Watch this video...



Have you ever thought that maybe they were touching you at a distance? That they were literally moving you, your heart, your very being?  How have you been touched at a distance?

Selah Saturday | Wants to be a Big Sister

We all want to meet our new addition ASAP!

Funny Friday | Community

I've started to watch Community and I'm starting to like it a lot.  Here is 60 seconds why...

Follow As God Leads, A Call for Haiti

Over the summer I had a tough decision to make concerning my calling. My calling to be a Church Planter to be specific. In the middle of this tough decision was my 10year class reunion. I am the Class President and I get stuck with it year after year.

To my supprise one of my classmates name Cheryl, who's family relocated during high school to Haiti to do missions work, showed up.

As we were catching up I explained the decision I had to make and she offered me this wisdom. Go were God is leading you. If you make the decision for any other reason you are making the wrong decision. Then she went on to tell the story of their family's calling to leave the life they knew and move to Haiti.

The next few days were spent in intense prayer and God clearly gave Sondra and I a clear direction.

Several days later Cheryl sent me a card thanking me for organizing the reunion and an encouragement to follow God's leading.

I never told her how much that meant to me, so I will now...

"Cheyrl, our conversations and the card was nothing short of a divine appointment for me. Thank you for your gentle spirit and for encouraging me to following God as he leads."

Upon hearing the news about Haiti's earthquake my mind immediately went to Cheyrl and her family. I went to her facebook page and found out that her and her family was safe.

Since I know their is a huge need in Haiti right now and will continue to be so well after the media buzz wears off, I asked Cheryl the best organizations to give to. She said...

"To support the relief effort immediately, I would suggest using the Red Cross or World Vision since they have bigger operations and can organize massive relief missions. My parent's organization, Christian Service International is collecting money for relief work as well but will probably have more difficulty actually getting supplies in immediately because they are a small operation compared to the grand scale of what is needed. 

For long-term support, I would suggest a specific mission or organization. The website for my parents ministry is www.csiministries.org.  We have a guest house and orphanage that are standing but unsafe. The clinic is operational and people are pouring into that. So money now could be used to purchase medical supplies for them. We have a church and another house that are still usable as well, so my parents are operating out of them as much as possible."

Please support Haiti as God calls you...

[Psalms 22:24]
For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.

Selah Saturday | Falls Asleep At Dinner

On Christmas Eve Selah was so tired that she feel asleep at the dinner table. At first I tried to put her to bed, but she got mad at me. So I did the next best thing, I filmed it...

Funny Friday | How to Make A Baby

Since we are expecting (due the 23rd of this month) I thought this video might be appropriate. Don't worry, it's clean.

How to Make a Baby from Cassidy Curtis on Vimeo.

I'm glad that its was not how we did it.  Not as fun. ;)

Selah Saturday | Blowing Bubbles

Selah learned to blow bubbles, before she just drank the water.