I want to be like these guys when I grow up!
12.18.2008
12.16.2008
Crazy Week
Wow. It's been a while since the last post. Sorry about that. I don't know what your week was like but mine was jammed full. It usually happens at least once this time of year but I had something every night for eight days in a row!
However, there was some great stuff going on. On Wednesday I got to sit in on Chris spilling the vision for Student Ministries for the next year. It was awesome! I can definitely see Chris leading our students to do some amazing things for Jesus in our community and around the world. Better hold onto your hat!
Friday night was the Angel Tree party. What a time! We had seven families show up and we got to bless them with a bunch of free stuff, good food, and great conversations. One family was here for almost two hours and another showed up in church on Sunday.
God is doing some amazing things here! So my question is, "Do you want in on it?"
It's not too late to join what God is doing here at FBC... volunteer, get in a connection group, give to the budget, pray for all of us, start something new, invite friends to Christmas Eve... there are tons of things you can do to join in on Gods party!
So what's it gonna be?
Do you want to play?
Are you willing to step out?
Just so you know the financial series coming in January is going to be off the hook!
Do you feel the excitement yet?
Will you trust God to do what He is capable of?
I recommend finding a way to get in on the action while the gettin's good!
However, there was some great stuff going on. On Wednesday I got to sit in on Chris spilling the vision for Student Ministries for the next year. It was awesome! I can definitely see Chris leading our students to do some amazing things for Jesus in our community and around the world. Better hold onto your hat!
Friday night was the Angel Tree party. What a time! We had seven families show up and we got to bless them with a bunch of free stuff, good food, and great conversations. One family was here for almost two hours and another showed up in church on Sunday.
God is doing some amazing things here! So my question is, "Do you want in on it?"
It's not too late to join what God is doing here at FBC... volunteer, get in a connection group, give to the budget, pray for all of us, start something new, invite friends to Christmas Eve... there are tons of things you can do to join in on Gods party!
So what's it gonna be?
Do you want to play?
Are you willing to step out?
Just so you know the financial series coming in January is going to be off the hook!
Do you feel the excitement yet?
Will you trust God to do what He is capable of?
I recommend finding a way to get in on the action while the gettin's good!
12.02.2008
Things I know (and don't know)
Wow, December already! Time has flown by so quickly, I don't really know how it goes so fast. So the real question is "Are you sick of Christmas music yet?" I can take a few days of nonstop carols and classics but that's about it. Sometimes I'm really thankful that I only have a AM radio in my truck.
It looks like it is going to be an interesting season this year. The economy is in a weird place and I know that most of the news for the next few weeks is going to be about how retailers haven't met their Christmas season numbers. I also know that we will continue to hear all about President-elect Obama's transition into the White House (even though it doesn't actually happen for two more months).
Another thing I know is that this season has a different feel about it. It feels like people are much more in the "looking for answers" kind of place than usual.
I was really encouraged by the number of you who caught me on Sunday and told me about what God said to you through the message. Even though is was designed to really speak to people who don't know Jesus yet it seems as if He used it to get to those of us who were trying to hide just as hard. I know that I had to go through some *stuff* in order to be able to say some of those things.
Keep pressing into God this Christmas season. I know that He is waiting for you (and me) to let Him work in our lives and produce the most fruit possible!
It looks like it is going to be an interesting season this year. The economy is in a weird place and I know that most of the news for the next few weeks is going to be about how retailers haven't met their Christmas season numbers. I also know that we will continue to hear all about President-elect Obama's transition into the White House (even though it doesn't actually happen for two more months).
Another thing I know is that this season has a different feel about it. It feels like people are much more in the "looking for answers" kind of place than usual.
I was really encouraged by the number of you who caught me on Sunday and told me about what God said to you through the message. Even though is was designed to really speak to people who don't know Jesus yet it seems as if He used it to get to those of us who were trying to hide just as hard. I know that I had to go through some *stuff* in order to be able to say some of those things.
Keep pressing into God this Christmas season. I know that He is waiting for you (and me) to let Him work in our lives and produce the most fruit possible!
11.24.2008
Exited!
I am really excited about Sunday. I know that many of you will be out of town but a lot of us are going to have relatives here also. What a great chance to invite someone to church. Now before you get all weird about it Sunday is going to be awesome. The gospel is going to be preached like no other, you will definitely learn something and I think that God wants to use this opportunity to speak profoundly into our lives.
It is going to be different but what else is new. Make sure you bring someone with you.
It is going to be different but what else is new. Make sure you bring someone with you.
11.17.2008
Back from Seattle
Hey all,
Well we're back. It was a great trip, although I am still completely drained. Late nights followed by early mornings will do that. The concerts were awesome. Lincoln didn't even get on stage until 11 p.m. One of the highlights was during the concert Saturday night. One portion was called "Songwriters in the Round." They brought couches out on stage and had a group of songwriters just take turns sharing their songs. We got to hear: Andy Park - In the Secret, Kelly Carpenter - Draw Me Close to You, - Katherin Scott, Hungry - Brian Doerksen, Come, Now is the Time to Worship, - Brenton Brown, Everlasting God - and Karen Lafferty, Seek Ye First. It was amazing to see and hear these worshipers sing the songs that we use and have used for so long.
They closed the session with video of Roby Duke, who passed away last Christmas. He is by far one of the most creative and emotive people I have ever seen. It was quite and experience to see him on the screens and not see him on the stage. Even though the recording is two years old and Roby has been with Jesus for almost a year it was still a powerful moment of worship.
This is Roby at his best, passionately pursuing Jesus. I hope you feel the presence of God as much as I do when I watch this.
That's enough for now. I will tell you more about what we saw and learned later.
Well we're back. It was a great trip, although I am still completely drained. Late nights followed by early mornings will do that. The concerts were awesome. Lincoln didn't even get on stage until 11 p.m. One of the highlights was during the concert Saturday night. One portion was called "Songwriters in the Round." They brought couches out on stage and had a group of songwriters just take turns sharing their songs. We got to hear: Andy Park - In the Secret, Kelly Carpenter - Draw Me Close to You, - Katherin Scott, Hungry - Brian Doerksen, Come, Now is the Time to Worship, - Brenton Brown, Everlasting God - and Karen Lafferty, Seek Ye First. It was amazing to see and hear these worshipers sing the songs that we use and have used for so long.
They closed the session with video of Roby Duke, who passed away last Christmas. He is by far one of the most creative and emotive people I have ever seen. It was quite and experience to see him on the screens and not see him on the stage. Even though the recording is two years old and Roby has been with Jesus for almost a year it was still a powerful moment of worship.
This is Roby at his best, passionately pursuing Jesus. I hope you feel the presence of God as much as I do when I watch this.
That's enough for now. I will tell you more about what we saw and learned later.
11.13.2008
11.05.2008
11.04.2008
Election Day
Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
1 Chronicles 16:30-31
This Spoke to me today as I was thinking about the election. A lot of times we focused on ourselves and kind of forget that there is a bigger picture in place.
Despite how we feel sometimes the world is not going to come to an end just because someone does or doesn't get elected. Look at the first verse there. "the world is firmly established; it cannot be moved."
But what really gets me is the last part. Why are the heavens rejoicing and why is the earth glad? Because "the Lord Reigns!" Not because we are pursuing green technology, not because one party gained more than another, not because of anything that we can do. It is because the LORD REIGNS!
I have to remind myself of that a lot. I can find myself in places where it doesn't look like I'm going to get out. It's in those places that I have to remember that THE LORD REIGNS.
So as we move forward into whatever the future holds we must remember that Jesus is in control and has the final say on everything.
10.31.2008
Creativity on a Friday morning!
So its been a while since we've had some creativity here. I found one for you though...
10.29.2008
Heads Up
Hey,
Just wanted to remind you guys that Daylight Savings ends Saturday night. Don't forget to chang your clocks otherwise you'll end up watching our warm-up for the first service. (It's ok if you want to come and watch!) So enjoy an extra hour of sleep this weekend and get pumped up for what God wants to do on Sunday. It's gonna be awesome!
Just wanted to remind you guys that Daylight Savings ends Saturday night. Don't forget to chang your clocks otherwise you'll end up watching our warm-up for the first service. (It's ok if you want to come and watch!) So enjoy an extra hour of sleep this weekend and get pumped up for what God wants to do on Sunday. It's gonna be awesome!
10.27.2008
Crazy Weekend Rewind
Hey all,
OK, so the last time I posted I said that I was back and then it's taken me a week to post again. Oh well. A lot of things happen in a week. This last Friday and Saturday the staff spent in Boise at the Intermountain Area Convention. Bill talked a little bit about it on Sunday. It was a great time. We got up early on Fri. and spent the morning in the car, the afternoon at the mall and the church and the hotel. Saturday was the main part of the convention. John Jackson is a great speaker.
Some cool things happened and I wanted to tell you guys about two of them. After the first session we were talking with John and invited him to have lunch with us. As we sat down at the table to eat he started asking questions about Pocatello and our church to get a feel for where we were at. He asked about some of the things that we are doing as a church and we got to brag about you guys a bit! Kathy told him about the FriendZone and how it made enough of an impact that the State asked us to be in charge of the kid activities at Recovery Fest this year. John loved the story of what God did through you so much that he asked if he could tell it when he talks to other churches. (Kathy said yes) So I wanted to give you all some props for letting God use you to make His name famous in places we will probably not get to.
Second, we were talking about the I Saw The Lord campaign that we are going through. We shared how since the campaign started we have gone from 14 to 20 small groups and have close to 200 people participating! Now, a moment of honesty, I have heard those numbers many times over the last two weeks, but when John heard about your commitment to God it sent him reeling. He leaned back in his chair, threw his hands up and said WOW! We can get so close to what God is doing that we sometimes don't see it. That's where I was. When I saw John's reaction I almost lost it right there at the table. Tears were welling up and it was all I could do not to breakdown right there.
The bottom line is that God is doing some amazing things here. Things that we might not even see for what they are yet. It's not because of the staff. It's because we as a church family have taken the call of God to see Him seriously and He is starting to reveal Himself.
I have to tell you that it is going to get crazy around here. As we chase after what God has for us we are going to find ourselves in places we didn't think were possible.
So keep on keepin' on!
OK, so the last time I posted I said that I was back and then it's taken me a week to post again. Oh well. A lot of things happen in a week. This last Friday and Saturday the staff spent in Boise at the Intermountain Area Convention. Bill talked a little bit about it on Sunday. It was a great time. We got up early on Fri. and spent the morning in the car, the afternoon at the mall and the church and the hotel. Saturday was the main part of the convention. John Jackson is a great speaker.
Some cool things happened and I wanted to tell you guys about two of them. After the first session we were talking with John and invited him to have lunch with us. As we sat down at the table to eat he started asking questions about Pocatello and our church to get a feel for where we were at. He asked about some of the things that we are doing as a church and we got to brag about you guys a bit! Kathy told him about the FriendZone and how it made enough of an impact that the State asked us to be in charge of the kid activities at Recovery Fest this year. John loved the story of what God did through you so much that he asked if he could tell it when he talks to other churches. (Kathy said yes) So I wanted to give you all some props for letting God use you to make His name famous in places we will probably not get to.
Second, we were talking about the I Saw The Lord campaign that we are going through. We shared how since the campaign started we have gone from 14 to 20 small groups and have close to 200 people participating! Now, a moment of honesty, I have heard those numbers many times over the last two weeks, but when John heard about your commitment to God it sent him reeling. He leaned back in his chair, threw his hands up and said WOW! We can get so close to what God is doing that we sometimes don't see it. That's where I was. When I saw John's reaction I almost lost it right there at the table. Tears were welling up and it was all I could do not to breakdown right there.
The bottom line is that God is doing some amazing things here. Things that we might not even see for what they are yet. It's not because of the staff. It's because we as a church family have taken the call of God to see Him seriously and He is starting to reveal Himself.
I have to tell you that it is going to get crazy around here. As we chase after what God has for us we are going to find ourselves in places we didn't think were possible.
So keep on keepin' on!
10.16.2008
I'm Back
WOW. It's been way to long since my last post. I've been trying decide what to post about over the last couple of days and have not been able to think of anything. If fact, my whole week has kind of been like that. It feels like I have just been wandering around in a fog. Anyone else ever felt like that?
It's really hard to figure out why that is. I think I get into these positions when I am spending too much time trying to be profound, or successful, or something. Yesterday I listened to a sermon by by Matthew Barnett, pastor of The Dream Center in Los Angeles. At one point he told a story about how God showed him that he was more committed to his dream of success than he was to the dream that God had given him.
It's kind of funny (funny hmmm, not funny HAHA) that when we unplug from God we can't really connect to anything else. I find that I can be disconnected from God even when I am doing all of the things that I am supposed to be doing as a Christian.
I don't think that it is an accident that this weeks study in I Saw the Lord is called Wake Up! I know that I need to do that. I have been sleeping the last week and it has influenced everything I haven't gotten done this week. I think that the first part of waking up is realizing you're asleep.
So as I wake up today I would ask that you pray for me and I will pray for you. We all need to wake up from something, so lets let God wake us up.
I promise that I will get back to regular posting in the next couple of days!
It's really hard to figure out why that is. I think I get into these positions when I am spending too much time trying to be profound, or successful, or something. Yesterday I listened to a sermon by by Matthew Barnett, pastor of The Dream Center in Los Angeles. At one point he told a story about how God showed him that he was more committed to his dream of success than he was to the dream that God had given him.
It's kind of funny (funny hmmm, not funny HAHA) that when we unplug from God we can't really connect to anything else. I find that I can be disconnected from God even when I am doing all of the things that I am supposed to be doing as a Christian.
I don't think that it is an accident that this weeks study in I Saw the Lord is called Wake Up! I know that I need to do that. I have been sleeping the last week and it has influenced everything I haven't gotten done this week. I think that the first part of waking up is realizing you're asleep.
So as I wake up today I would ask that you pray for me and I will pray for you. We all need to wake up from something, so lets let God wake us up.
I promise that I will get back to regular posting in the next couple of days!
9.30.2008
Liveblogging the Ministers Retreat
Time for the last session.
David Putman: Breaking the Discipleship Code
What does it look like to be a missional follower of Jesus Christ?
Generally we don't really want to go "deeper" or have more "meat."
"I love technology!"
Rev. 3:20: it Jesus' church why isn't he inside?
Is it Jesus knocking on the door of my heart?
What does it mean to break the code? We must loose our religion and rediscover the centrality of Jesus and the simplicity of His ways!!!
If we can get back to Jesus and His purpose for our lives that is the answer to the problems in the world.
Follower= live like Jesus, love like Jesus, leave what Jesus left behind (people who live like him and love like him)
We are going to become like Jesus!
Apostle Paul: "Come follow me as I follow HIM!"
David Putman: Breaking the Discipleship Code
What does it look like to be a missional follower of Jesus Christ?
Generally we don't really want to go "deeper" or have more "meat."
"I love technology!"
Rev. 3:20: it Jesus' church why isn't he inside?
Is it Jesus knocking on the door of my heart?
What does it mean to break the code? We must loose our religion and rediscover the centrality of Jesus and the simplicity of His ways!!!
If we can get back to Jesus and His purpose for our lives that is the answer to the problems in the world.
Follower= live like Jesus, love like Jesus, leave what Jesus left behind (people who live like him and love like him)
- LIVE LIKE JESUS
- LOVE LIKE JESUS LOVED
- LEAVE WHAT JESUS LEFT BEHIND
We are going to become like Jesus!
Apostle Paul: "Come follow me as I follow HIM!"
9.29.2008
Live Blogging the Ministers Retreat Pt. 2
Clay Ford Pt. 2
Will the next ten years be a decade of destiny or a decade of defeat?
Jesus is more interested in His people reflecting Him in hard times that He is in us being happy, affluent and comfortable.
We can't jump ship just because it hurts.
When we know who we are in Christ we are not under the circumstances but are above them.
Because we are seated with Christ we have full rights and privileges as sons and daughters of the the living God.
Will the next ten years be a decade of destiny or a decade of defeat?
Jesus is more interested in His people reflecting Him in hard times that He is in us being happy, affluent and comfortable.
We can't jump ship just because it hurts.
When we know who we are in Christ we are not under the circumstances but are above them.
Because we are seated with Christ we have full rights and privileges as sons and daughters of the the living God.
Live Blogging the Ministers Retreat
Hey all,
I thought that I might try something new...
So here is the first session from Clay Ford
You can't fight the prayers of a Mother!
If Jesus really is who he said he is, and if he died for your sins, would you want to know it?
If we only have enough of the Holy Spirit to work with middle-class youth we need MORE!
Don't you think that God wants His church to be escalating in the presence of the Holy Spirit?
Baptism of the Holy Spirit = Gifts of the Holy Spirit = Promise of the Father
When we receive Jesus...
Born Again
Fruit of the Spirit
Spiritual Gifts
Praise and Worship
Fellowship
Guidance/Revelation/Intercession
Power
All the gifts are nothing without Jesus!
If we don't venture out in Faith we are abdicating the place God has for us.
We don't want something fake! We want to step out and see God move.
We need a momentous break-through!
More To Come!
I thought that I might try something new...
So here is the first session from Clay Ford
You can't fight the prayers of a Mother!
If Jesus really is who he said he is, and if he died for your sins, would you want to know it?
If we only have enough of the Holy Spirit to work with middle-class youth we need MORE!
Don't you think that God wants His church to be escalating in the presence of the Holy Spirit?
Baptism of the Holy Spirit = Gifts of the Holy Spirit = Promise of the Father
When we receive Jesus...
Born Again
Fruit of the Spirit
Spiritual Gifts
Praise and Worship
Fellowship
Guidance/Revelation/Intercession
Power
All the gifts are nothing without Jesus!
If we don't venture out in Faith we are abdicating the place God has for us.
We don't want something fake! We want to step out and see God move.
We need a momentous break-through!
More To Come!
9.22.2008
Three Questions (Part 1)
I just got done listening to Perry Noble (Newspring Church) talk about three questions that we need to ask ourselves. It was really good. So I thought that I would put it out there for us to think about and hopefully to do. Most of this is Perry's, I'm not this smart, but I have sort of paraphrased.
Question 1.
This can happen to us (me) and it does often. We get caught so caught up in doing the work that we don't stop to ask if this is what God wants us to be doing.
There are two things that we need to do in order to answer this question.
Now, we may be tempted to think that this is a job for the church leadership, and it is. However, God is not going to keep His vision for our church a secret, only to be revealed to those with special privilege. We all need to pursue TIME and EFFORT. This is a group thing. No one can do it on their own. So I would encourage you to find a way to get some passionate, uninterrupted time with God and ask, "What is it you want to do in our church?" And then start making an effort to see it get done.
If God tells you something and you want to share it, please email me or write a comment. Find me or one of the other staff members, or drop Pastor Bill a line.
I'll post the other two questions later, but take some time to work on this one, I know I will.
Question 1.
- What is it that God wants to do in our church?
This can happen to us (me) and it does often. We get caught so caught up in doing the work that we don't stop to ask if this is what God wants us to be doing.
There are two things that we need to do in order to answer this question.
- Time.
- Effort.
Now, we may be tempted to think that this is a job for the church leadership, and it is. However, God is not going to keep His vision for our church a secret, only to be revealed to those with special privilege. We all need to pursue TIME and EFFORT. This is a group thing. No one can do it on their own. So I would encourage you to find a way to get some passionate, uninterrupted time with God and ask, "What is it you want to do in our church?" And then start making an effort to see it get done.
If God tells you something and you want to share it, please email me or write a comment. Find me or one of the other staff members, or drop Pastor Bill a line.
I'll post the other two questions later, but take some time to work on this one, I know I will.
9.16.2008
Goin' Out
One of the cool things that I get to do in this job is to help other churches get better at what they are doing. It is actually one of the things I am most passionate about. Karl and I get to go to New Plymouth, Idaho (just this side of Oregon) tomorrow to help them with some sound and band needs. It's going to be awesome. When we do this we don't charge the churches anything, in fact, when we can we cover all of the expense for the trip we do. Because of your faithful giving we are able to extend what we have to other followers of Christ in the area and in the Northwest. I am really looking forward to this trip and hope that God will use the time to do some cool things. Feel free to pray for Karl and I as we drive and pray for First Baptist of New Plymouth!
9.15.2008
Sunday Rewind
- Karl's day off was good for him... it can be a different world being in front every week.
- I'm always blown away by the way you enter God's presence... it's awesome to see so many of you enter into the presence of God.
- It can be draining to be up front... I feel like when I lead if I don't expend all of my energy in worship I haven't worshiped enough!
- We need to make room for the new folks... I think it's very cool that y'all want to hang and chat, but we need to make sure that guests can get to Guest Services. Let's not stand in their way.
- Lastly, as promised, the one, the only, Bobby McFerrin...
9.09.2008
Places to find truth
You never really know where God is going to speak to you. I really like comics, and have made it a habit of mine to read the comics in the newspaper when I get the chance. I also, over the last couple years, have taken to reading the rest of the page on which they appear.
In today's "Dear Abby" column there was something that spoke to me...
A woman, who signed her letter "Ministers Daughter" was saying that she didn't like the "forced" time of greeting that she experiences at many churches. She stated that her purpose in attending church was to "meditate and worship with my family. I do not go to shake hands with strangers and give them a greeting dictated by the pastor." She says that all of her friends feel the same way also, and suggested that church leadership take a poll to find out if they should continue the practice.
Now, sometimes I agree with what Abby has to say and sometimes I don't, so I was very interested to read her reply. Here it is.
This applies to more than just greeting each other during a service. Pastor Bill recently asked us to consider changing when we attend Sunday services. Specifically, moving from the 11 a.m. to the 9 a.m. to help make room for new people. This might sound harsh, but I think that God is calling forward in this area, if you can come to the nine a.m. but you are more comfortable in the 11, and you claim to be follower of Jesus, YOU are more concerned with YOUr comfort than YOU are with the need of others to hear about and meet Jesus.
Any time that I put my comfort above the ability of others to get in touch with the Savior I am standing in opposition to Jesus Christ. Catch that. Standing in opposition to Jesus Christ because we want to be comfortable is not a good thing! It's time to lay down what we want and really pursue the things that God wants. Jesus wants to see the entire valley changed for Him and he wants us to be a part of it. Jesus wants to see lives changed, people rescued, hurts healed, families restored and so much more, and He wants us to be a part of it! But we have to get out of the way.
So, please consider joining me as I push myself to give up the things that make me comfortable in order to be a road sign that points to Jesus.
In today's "Dear Abby" column there was something that spoke to me...
A woman, who signed her letter "Ministers Daughter" was saying that she didn't like the "forced" time of greeting that she experiences at many churches. She stated that her purpose in attending church was to "meditate and worship with my family. I do not go to shake hands with strangers and give them a greeting dictated by the pastor." She says that all of her friends feel the same way also, and suggested that church leadership take a poll to find out if they should continue the practice.
Now, sometimes I agree with what Abby has to say and sometimes I don't, so I was very interested to read her reply. Here it is.
"Something is wrong with our fragmented society if, for one moment in a house of God, people cannot find it in their hearts to reach out and make sure that everyone feels included and welcome. And for those who fear it is unsanitary - bring small bottles of hand sanitizer."That is right on! Something is wrong with our hearts. It comes from the place where each of us, myself included, is more concerned about our own comfort than about the need of of other people to meet Jesus. They can't shake Jesus physical hand, but they can shake YOURS! They can't see the smile on the face of Jesus because they are searching for Him, but they can see YOURS!
This applies to more than just greeting each other during a service. Pastor Bill recently asked us to consider changing when we attend Sunday services. Specifically, moving from the 11 a.m. to the 9 a.m. to help make room for new people. This might sound harsh, but I think that God is calling forward in this area, if you can come to the nine a.m. but you are more comfortable in the 11, and you claim to be follower of Jesus, YOU are more concerned with YOUr comfort than YOU are with the need of others to hear about and meet Jesus.
Any time that I put my comfort above the ability of others to get in touch with the Savior I am standing in opposition to Jesus Christ. Catch that. Standing in opposition to Jesus Christ because we want to be comfortable is not a good thing! It's time to lay down what we want and really pursue the things that God wants. Jesus wants to see the entire valley changed for Him and he wants us to be a part of it. Jesus wants to see lives changed, people rescued, hurts healed, families restored and so much more, and He wants us to be a part of it! But we have to get out of the way.
So, please consider joining me as I push myself to give up the things that make me comfortable in order to be a road sign that points to Jesus.
9.08.2008
Sunday Rewind
- Bill's message was great... we all could use some disturbance.
- It was awesome to see fire and passion from the stage.
- Jon's singing to Jesus with his guitar was great... I love it when he opens up with his "voice."
- As a church I think we need to find what disturbs us... there is a huge hunger for God in our community and we need to be the ones feeding it!
- Just a reminder, mostly for me, to keep checking with Jesus about the state of your heart. I know that I can get far away without even trying.
- We should be looking ahead to see what God has for us this week... Let's try not to only listen to Him on Sunday.
9.06.2008
Creativity on a Saturday Night
Well... I don't quite know what to say... ummmm...
ZZZZZzzzzzzaaaaaaapppppPPPP!
ZZZZZzzzzzzaaaaaaapppppPPPP!
9.03.2008
What are you settling for?
So it's been a little while since last I was here. That's ok. It's not like God wasn't working on me in the time that I haven't posted. In fact I wanted to share something that He showed me...
Last week we were dealing with some conflict, which happens pretty often around here, I was not quite directly involved so I was trying to help by listening and offering an outside perspective. While I was doing this God showed me something in very clear way. I saw myself sitting at the end of along dinner table, think 30ft. At the other end of the table was a beautiful spread of food. Turkey, all the trimmings, potatoes, dressing, etc. And right in front of me was a huge platter of poop! God then told me that too often I am willing to settle for the poop because it's right there. I don't want to press in to get to the really great things that he has for me. I don't want to let him take me to the other end of the table and eat the turkey. I'm happy where I'm at and I'm fine eating the poop.
Now and gross as that sounds it really is what we do. SO I have been trying to ask myself "what am I settling for that God doesn't want me to?"
It's a hard question, but I can't get away from it.
Maybe you need to ask that question of yourself? Where are you settling? In what ways are you content to eat poop ust because it's there?
I know that I really don't want to eat anymore poop! I know that what God has at the other end of the table is so much better. So let's stop eating the poop, and let God take us where he want's us to go. It might be scary, or hard or dangerous, but here's the cool thing...
When we are really following JESUS, HE gets everywhere first!
Last week we were dealing with some conflict, which happens pretty often around here, I was not quite directly involved so I was trying to help by listening and offering an outside perspective. While I was doing this God showed me something in very clear way. I saw myself sitting at the end of along dinner table, think 30ft. At the other end of the table was a beautiful spread of food. Turkey, all the trimmings, potatoes, dressing, etc. And right in front of me was a huge platter of poop! God then told me that too often I am willing to settle for the poop because it's right there. I don't want to press in to get to the really great things that he has for me. I don't want to let him take me to the other end of the table and eat the turkey. I'm happy where I'm at and I'm fine eating the poop.
Now and gross as that sounds it really is what we do. SO I have been trying to ask myself "what am I settling for that God doesn't want me to?"
It's a hard question, but I can't get away from it.
Maybe you need to ask that question of yourself? Where are you settling? In what ways are you content to eat poop ust because it's there?
I know that I really don't want to eat anymore poop! I know that what God has at the other end of the table is so much better. So let's stop eating the poop, and let God take us where he want's us to go. It might be scary, or hard or dangerous, but here's the cool thing...
When we are really following JESUS, HE gets everywhere first!
8.28.2008
8.26.2008
Ideas and Thoughts
So in the positions that I serve I have a lot of ideas and thoughts float my way. Some of them are on purpose and others just kind of pop up in one way or another. I can have a hard time figuring out which are things worth pusuing and which are ones that I should just leave alone. Ideas don't always make me a popular guy. When I took the position of Communications Director I had to make several desicions that didn't make some people happy. We (as a church) had very poor communications. It was a huge, convoluted mess and we needed to get it worked out. What I had to decide was how. We started by chopping away things until we were opperating with the absolute minimum. This made some upset because we didn't (and still don't) have a regular newsletter. Unfortunatly there aren't many ways for you to see what goes into putting something like that together. I'm hoping that this blog can provide some insight.
I need to ask you to trust us a little bit more. We have several ideas that we are pursuing to continue to help the communications get better around here. You may have noticed that the weekly bulletin is mostly for people who are new. We did that on purpose! We want you who are regulars and members to be able to get info too, but we hope that you will use the website, the blogs, and the fastblast in order to get it. We are currently working on a monthly publication that in conjunction with the blogs will help to replace the newsletter.
I would love it if you have thoughts, ideas, suggestions, likes, dislikes that you would let me know. You can email me (aaron@fbcpoky.com) or post it here in the comments. Without your input and observations we can't really tell if something is working or not. I am here to serve Jesus and you, so please let me know how we can do this better!
I need to ask you to trust us a little bit more. We have several ideas that we are pursuing to continue to help the communications get better around here. You may have noticed that the weekly bulletin is mostly for people who are new. We did that on purpose! We want you who are regulars and members to be able to get info too, but we hope that you will use the website, the blogs, and the fastblast in order to get it. We are currently working on a monthly publication that in conjunction with the blogs will help to replace the newsletter.
I would love it if you have thoughts, ideas, suggestions, likes, dislikes that you would let me know. You can email me (aaron@fbcpoky.com) or post it here in the comments. Without your input and observations we can't really tell if something is working or not. I am here to serve Jesus and you, so please let me know how we can do this better!
8.20.2008
Dealing with Technology
One of the things that I get to do in my job is help other churches with their technology problems. I found this little gem on YouTube. Thought you guys might like it. I think that we, as churches, sometimes treat technology like this. "various overkill to ensure eventual deafness speakers."
8.18.2008
Sunday Rewind
- I think that God is preparing us for something really big
- The message was like a prelude, it just kind of gets us warmed up, now we're ready for the main theme
- God showed me that in some ways we don't really value people who don't know him yet
- We have some things to work on but the good news is that they can get better
- Chris made a choice experiment for dinner... zucchini parmesan!
- I started a new book by Erwin McManus, I'll keep you updated
8.11.2008
Sunday Rewind
Here it is...
- Turns out that the message was a hard one to give
- I was really nervous about how people would respond
- One of the things God told me before I got up was that I shouldn't expect what I want to happen, I should look for what He wants to happen
- I really believe that if we as a church would start abiding in Jesus that we would have to so creative to give away all of the fruit he would grow in in us
- I hope that you heard the point about our situation not being a money problem
- Our heart issues are always the things that trip us up
- God is up to something around here
- I don't want to miss it and I don't want any of you to miss it either
7.30.2008
Hello From Vacation
Hey all,
So I'm on vacation this week. I know, I know, I shouldn't rub it in. It is exciting and encouraging to read Bill and Karl's blogs and know what is going on with you while I am out of town. You may be asking yourself why I would post while on vacation? Well the simple answer is that since this is a fairly new thing I need to train myself to do it consistently. Like everything we learn to do repetition is the best way to establish the habit So this is going to be short and sweet. Mostly to let you know that I still think about you guys while I'm gone.
The view from the deck.
Looking back at the house
The beach.
7.21.2008
Monday Rewind
Hey all,
I just wanted to take a few minutes to rewind yesterday for you....
I just wanted to take a few minutes to rewind yesterday for you....
- The message from God was great... endurance really is something we all could do better.
- The Dark Knight was a great movie... I don't think I want to see any movie twice in 12 hours again though.
- I was totally blown away by the thanks that you guys gave to our musical volunteers... it makes me happy to know that you appreciate them that much!
- Turns out that Bill can write a message in one day... way to go big guy!
- Janaye and I walked 5 miles on Saturday... last night I was paying for it, got to keep going though if I'm going to get into a shape other than round.
- The guest choir was great... it continues to make me want to help other churches get better at what we are supposed to be doing.
- Bill's study leave starts today... pray for him while he is gone the next three weeks.
7.07.2008
Mark Beeson messes with my head.
So I've been watch Mark speak here. He said a lot of good things but I wanted to talk about one thing that he said in particular. He said the he has never had a desire for people to accept Jesus into their lives. Now before you freak out let me tell you what he said next. He said that his desire was for people to give their lives to Jesus! Do you see the difference? If we accept Jesus into OUR lives it really is still about us. We can pull Jesus out of our pocket when we need him and we can put him back when he starts getting in the way. It's still our life. We get to run the show. But, if we have given our lives to Jesus then it isn't about us anymore. We aren't in charge anymore. We have GIVEN ourselves TO Jesus. Now what messed with me is that I have to ask myself if I have really given my life to Jesus. I know that I accepted him into my life, but have I ever given myself to him? We should all ask this question. I hope that you will take some time this week to ask this question and let Jesus show you the answer. I know that I am going to have to work harder to give myself to him.
7.02.2008
1st time in the new blog
Hey all,
I hope you all can get something out of this place. I want it to be a place where we can discuss and come up with new ideas relating to ministry both here at FBC Poky and wherever you might be. IF you are part of the FBC family than thanks for dropping by. If you have any comments or concerns about things that are happening at church this is a great place to bring them up. I will be posting at least twice a week so look for new info often.
I hope you all can get something out of this place. I want it to be a place where we can discuss and come up with new ideas relating to ministry both here at FBC Poky and wherever you might be. IF you are part of the FBC family than thanks for dropping by. If you have any comments or concerns about things that are happening at church this is a great place to bring them up. I will be posting at least twice a week so look for new info often.
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