Life2gether

A wake-up call to remember that our days are numbered in this world.

The story of Saul’s conversion is such a powerful reminder that the gospel is “not about trying, it’s about trusting; it’s not about rules, it’s about grace – God’s free gift that cost him everything.”

A New Way To See from Jonathan Michael on Vimeo.

(HT: Tony Kummer)

I’d like to think I wooed Jaime with my smooth moves, but I’m really not that great of a dancer! … It was fun to watch my son, Luke (the ring bearer) dance with his lil’ friend Emma (the flower girl) in Aaron and Amanda’s wedding.

Please consider connecting your VBS to Gallery Church in NYC!  My friend, Freddy T. Wyatt, is the lead pastor and he is the real deal! Check out more at www.NYCmission.com!

VBS Missions Offering from Freddy T. Wyatt on Vimeo.

My great friend, Lisle Drury, recently accepted the position as Sojourn’s J-Town Campus Pastor. Take a look at these great pics and recent interview here.  It’s bittersweet for me as I love this man and will miss him much, but I know that God has great plans for him and his family at Sojourn.

We had a great time on our little vacation to West Virginia!  It was refreshing to just relax and take in the beauty of God’s creation together.  There’s something about being out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by “glory” that brings you to a place of peace.  We had a fun time with our friends (the Reaochs) hiking, canoeing, talking, and sitting around the campfire singing and making s’mores!

My twin brother, Mark Wolter, on his 10th anniversary of serving in Japan:

September marks ten years since I first came to Japan. It is amazing to think about all the Lord has done since I first came here as a naive 24 year-old foreigner.  Though we may not see all of what God has done in those ten years, it is enough to know that He continually has given me a heart and a love for the precious people of Japan, and that it is a pleasure to give my life away for them every day.

More than 99% of Japanese are like sheep without a shepherd, going about life trying to find the best way, and yet lost, and starving, and dying. Every day more and more are suffering and dying. They do not know the wonderful food – the love, peace, and joy of God that surpasses all understanding, both in greatness and in duration. It is my longing for my dear brothers and sisters in Japan to know that, and to know Him personally. Please pray with me that they would; that their eyes would be open and that they would seek and find God through Christ Jesus.

Thanks to all of you who support my brother prayerfully and financially.  If you’d like to learn more about how you can partner with Mark and Maki and/or receive their email updates, email me at dwolterATlagrangebaptist.com.

Ten years ago I taught 6th graders at Grace Christian School in Deephaven, Minnesota.  I loved it.  Pouring my life into young people was (and still is) a passion of mine.  After all those years, I recently heard from one of my former students.  It was so encouraging to hear about what God is doing in her life and how she remembers 6th grade as the year she started making a habit of reading the Bible on her own.  She is now a junior at Bethel University in Minnesota with a burden to share her faith in Christ.  I was so blessed to read this article and to be a small part of the story God is writing in her life.

So, if you’re a teacher, be encouraged.  You’re making a difference.  Many times you won’t get to see the fruit of your labor, but God is at work!  BTW … if you’re a former 6th grade student of mine, I’d love to hear from you!

Yesterday my car started over-heating on the highway.  I was with a good friend of mine and we quickly pulled over at the nearest exit and prayed for a place to stop.  God led us to a Valvoline where I found out that my car had to be towed.  Little did I know God was ready to teach me about community from a most unlikely source.  

He was a scruffy, cigarette-smoking, 48 year-old country boy with a deep Kentucky drawal.  As we got into his tow truck, we started asking him questions.  It wasn’t long before he told us about how he was a member of the “Vannin Club.”  Yep, you heard it right.  The Vannin Club.  We told him we had never heard of such a thing.  And he was more than excited to tell us all about it.  In fact, he gave me the offical Vannin’ website and here’s what it says:

For those of you new to vanning, or who have somehow stumbled across us, vanning is a culture unlike anything else you may have ever dealt with.  Vanners are like a big family, they will travel for hours, even days to see each other on a regular basis. They watch out for each other, they celebrate together, and sometimes… they mourn together. Vanners are a diverse bunch brought together by their common love for the sport of vanning. Some people like to just camp out of their vans, while other prefer to make their van into something more them. Sometimes that is just curtains and a bed, for others its something they put their all into, chopping, gull wings, tubbing,..It’s amazing what you can do with a van. Whatever level of vanning you may enjoy, you do it because you want to. Vanning is also a very social event, we do some wild and crazy things, and consume more than our fair share of alcohol.   

There you have it.  Vanners are “like a big family … they watch out for each other, celebrate together, and sometimes even mourn together… a diverse group brought together by their common love for the sport of vanning.”  Wow.  Makes you want to be a vanner!  So as we thumped along in the front of his tow truck, this guy kept jabbering about his Vannin’ Club and the community he experienced there.  He rambled on and on about how much he loved it.  We just sat and listened.

Finally it was time to get out.  We shook his greasy hand, told him thanks, and said good-bye.  But he wasn’t done.   He actually turned to us, looked at us in the eye, and asked us to come to his next “Vanning Club” get-together.  We laughed out loud … but he was totally serious.  And as he rode off, I turned to my friend and said, “Weird.  He just invited us to his church, didn’t he?!”

You see, for this 48 year-old, buck-toothed, cigarette-smoking Kentucky hick, vannin club is where he’s found community.  He couldn’t help but talk about it, and in the end, invite us to be a part of it.

Everyone is looking for community.  Some find it in the strangest of places.  But I learned something from this simple tow truck driver.  He found community and was eager to talk about it and invite others into it.   Am I?  After all, I’m part of a community too.  A community centered on something that will last forever.  A community centered on a Savior who bled and died on my behalf.  All other kinds of community are only faint pictures of the real thing our hearts were made for.

And to think God used a tow truck driver to teach me all of that.

Found this old college picture of Kyle Fever, me, Justin Taylor and Dustin Shramek (click to enlarge).  Who do you think has changed the most?  This picture was taken right before us four guys took our future wives (all roommates – Laura Rohwedder-Fever, Jaime Friesenborg-Wolter, Lea Ostapoff-Taylor and Kellie Montag-Shramek) out for a fun night in downtown Waterloo, IA. 

If you were along for the ride, do you remember what we did?  I have this faint recollection of going to some rodeo in some convention center!?  And why am I the only one sportin’ the tie?