tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81655959286585289892024-03-19T05:28:47.910-07:00Jesus is for LosersThe blog of Kirk Dice at Celebration Christian ChurchKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-1428648329602439002010-02-28T14:19:00.000-08:002010-02-28T16:10:25.555-08:00Answering Some Questions from the Message today (2.28.10)Today's message was a 3rd out of 4 messages in a series of sermons entitled, <em>Experiencing God When It Hurts.</em> The point of today's message was to persevere with purpose. I stated in the message that every hurt has a purpose so we must persevere.<br />
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So this brought up a great discussion I had after church about some theological issues; and I thought I would continue that discussion on the blog. So this might be a long blog.<br />
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First of all, the purpose the sermons are to bring you into a position, in the midst of your hurt, to experience God's glory. Therefore, I cannot cover everything! I guess that's why God created blogs.<br />
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One issue our discussion centered around was God's will. We were pondering the issue of God's sovereignty. We asked: If God has a purpose for our hurt, does that mean God would have caused the pain so his purpose will come true?<br />
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Well, yes and no. For example, the Bible says it was God's pleasure that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Paul writes to Timothy that all who follow God will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12). Jesus stated in John 11:4 that Lazarus's sickness and death were for God's glory.<br />
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But, on the flip side, a lot of our pain is the result of us breaking the laws of God. There are consequnces for breaking God's law, and he has written the consequences right into the very fabric of our everyday lives. In Galatians 5 Paul writes that we reap what we sow. This is a principle that God has laid down for everyone. For example, if you sow deception, then deception will come back to hurt you. You will reap it.<br />
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Now to God's will. As I understand the subject, I see God's will in two/three phases. The first phase of God's will is His revealed will. The Bible reveals God's will for your life. Does God want me to move in with him/her? God says no. Should I go into debt? The Bible says to be a cautious debtor. Should I steal? No. God said in the Bible that He does not want you to steal. So God has His revealed will. You don't have to think about it. God has already laid down the law, so to speak.<br />
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Secondly, God has a plan for this earth and the people of this earth. Psalms speaks of how God's plans evolve over generations. (Psalm 33:11) This plan ultimately is complete when Jesus returns to earth. The details of how this plan comes together from generation to generation are not completely revealed in scripture. Revelation speaks of the great day when this plan comes together and all people groups are gathered in heaven. So, in this case, we know the general plan, and we know how the plan ends, but we don't know the details of how the plan comes together.<br />
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Then, there is God's personal purpose for your life and your hurt. I said in the sermon that God has a purpose for your hurt. So does that mean God orchestrated your hurt? Yes and No. "Yes" in the sense that God knows everything and "no" in the sense that God never causes anyone to sin. This is a mystery that I cannot answer- where does God's sovereignty and my freedom to choose start and end? To be honest, I don't know.<br />
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God did not will sin in your life. God did not will your divorce, or abuse, or your loss. We live under the curse of sin. We live in a broken world that hurts. <br />
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God though, can use that hurt or pain for his purposes. This is why I say that God has a purpose for your hurt, but that doesn't mean God orchestrated that hurt. <br />
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Now, with that being said, God is in control and in the Old Testament we can see how God Himself brought hard times on people to bring them back to Him. For example, God brought the storm on Jonah when he ran away. God had Babylon invade Jerusalem when they quit following Him. In the New Testament God executed Ananias and Saphira (?) for withholding their offering. So God is sovereign, and he can choose to bring pain in your life, not to get you back, but to bring you back! Also, God can make the pain so severe that you will never want to go back!<br />
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What does this mean? Well, God is dynamic and to place him in a "God is like this" box is wrong. He is wild and unpredictable. You cannot define him precisely. We cannot comprehend the fullness of His glory. So with any theology discussion we must keep this in mind. God can bring hurt in your life for a purpose, or he can use a hurt in your for his purposes. Either way, God has a purpose for your hurt.<br />
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One more issue: What about Satan? What role does he play in all of this? Simple, he plays whatever role God allows him to play. Satan is under God's dominion. He can only do what God allows him to do. So, yes, God can use Satan to bring hardship into your life. He can tempt and entice you and your friends to do some really stupid stuff, like believing you're just fine without God. Plus, like with Job, God can allow Satan to bring death and sickness into your life.<br />
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I was asked if we had dominion over Satan and I don't know, but I know who does! I have to admit I am unclear about this theology. I need to do some more studying in this area. I do know this, that whenever I am tempted, that is a cue for me to stay strong in God. The best offense you can have with Satan is to seek to be holy and to follow God with all your heart, mind, and soul. You do that no matter what happens in your life and God will be honored and you will share in God's holiness. (Hebrews 12:7-11)<br />
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I probably raised more questions than answered, but I hope I was helpful!Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-26290261624129024202010-02-27T17:58:00.000-08:002010-02-27T17:58:57.713-08:00Items You Will Not Find in the Bible (But will in church!) Part 3Uniforms.<br />
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Well.. you will not find uniforms in the New Testament Church, unless you count the Roman Soldiers. You will find uniforms in the Pharisees and Saduccees. They have uniforms that are based in the Old Testament though.<br />
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Here is a picture of a priest in uniform during Jesus day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPbHOsrKVOI8Wn_-j2ZZJzUh1b4Kw0VZZp1PSwdlJmHlF_E-R3m0cEUotLxafHbVLsgruh1v92V3wSbm1yG018FJJGBDHWYdhWv7Q3q5Im2vqVA8smpLyHrFkmYatkbOaxFnqXJJdhMc/s1600-h/Jewish+High+Priest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPbHOsrKVOI8Wn_-j2ZZJzUh1b4Kw0VZZp1PSwdlJmHlF_E-R3m0cEUotLxafHbVLsgruh1v92V3wSbm1yG018FJJGBDHWYdhWv7Q3q5Im2vqVA8smpLyHrFkmYatkbOaxFnqXJJdhMc/s320/Jewish+High+Priest.jpg" /></a></div>The dress of many clergy today, with the collars and hats and the like, do not have its roots in the Old Testament. Rather, its roots inthe Greco-Roman world. In a great little book called Pagan Christianity, the authors write Clement of Alexandria argued that the clergy should wear better garments than the church members. He said the clothes should be simple and white. This was the color of clergy for centuries. Contrast that with the dark blue suit and tie of many ministers today.<br />
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Then under Constantine differences between, bishop, priest, and deacon started. In AD 330, the clergy dress began to match the dress of their secular counterparts in the Roman government. But, as we know, fashion is never stable. It always changes with the whims of man. Later on, the flowing garments of the Romans gave way to the short tunics of the Goths, but the Romans refused to change their style! Kinda like how parachute pants of the 80's gave way to ripped jeans in the 90's!<br />
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The clergy continued to wear these outdated garments and began to believe this was the "holy" style. They believed this so much so that when laymen adopted a new style of dress the clergy said it was "worldly" and "barbarian."<br />
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In the protestant era, black became the color of clergy symbolizing his spiritual authority (Did they forget about the white?). I guess preachers can go goth! When this started black was the color of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals; just like the dark suit today is the choice of politicians and professionals. The clerical collar goes back to 1865. It is not a Catholic invention. The Anglicans started this fashion trend. It was invented so ministers could slip it on at anytime so that people could recognize them as "men of God." <br />
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With all this talk about style I can't help but think what Paul wrote in Colossians, "As God's chosen people, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (3:12 NIV)<br />
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Good advice.Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-84000563986472310052010-02-24T17:23:00.000-08:002010-02-24T17:23:59.241-08:00Do you love God?If you do then do you love others? It says in first John that if we love God we will have fellowship with one another.<br />
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That's funny, because when I hear most people talk about being close to God I hear people say they have some kind of great insight or they had an inspiring experience. They would be feeling really good about themselves. Is that the result of being with God? Feeling good for a little while?<br />
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John, though, says the result of having fellowship with God is loving others. It means loving broken people, hurt people, frustrating people, ugly people, and not just the people that are convenient to us. The Bible tells us to accept others as Christ has accepted you. Think about it. Christ accepted you as a sinner. You were someone who offended God, but he accepted you.<br />
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John says that if we have fellowship with God we will love others. I have to admit that I after a while I'll write people off. I grow tired of dealing with them. For me then that's a gut check (compassion in the Bible refers to your gut). I have to ask myself in that situation if I really have fellowship with God, because if did, I would love you no matter what.<br />
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Love is a verb.Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-4350537099060571652010-02-20T13:02:00.000-08:002010-02-20T13:02:18.123-08:00A Thought about Tiger's SpeechIn case you haven't heard, Tiger made a speech Friday about his infedilities and how he is trying to get his life back together. He apologized profusely and took full responsibility for his actions. I commend him for those words. I'm pretty sure that was a very hard moment for him to do.<br />
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For me, Tiger looked like a man in bondage. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He was staying sequestered in a rehab facility. All of a sudden the freedom he thought was so awesome has entrapped him in a lot of stress, pain, and shame.<br />
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Isn't that the way sin works? At first, it's great. You even convince yourself you deserve the sin you are involved in. You get a little too confident in yourself. Then, the sin is brought to light and all the pain and shame that goes with it, and now you are in bondage. The freedom you thought you had was a sham. it didn't last. By the way, sin never affects just the sinner. Like a bomb's shrapnel, sin always has innocent casualites, unintended consequences.<br />
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I found it interesting how Tiger said he was going to get out of his bandage. I'm going to bring balance into my life. I'm going to prove my words with my behavior to my wife and the others I have hurt. He refered to his Buddhist faith (Religionis always convient in these situation) but he didn't refer on how his faith will bring him out of the bondage, just how he needs to get back to living by it's commands to live in restraint.<br />
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I found that interesting because my faith says I am not able to restrain myself. It teaches me that even if I try to get away from sin and restrain myself, I still have to live with myself. My faith teaches that I need something greater than myself in me if I have any chance at all. <br />
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As a man in bondage Tiger needs to be set free. He needs to know forgiveness. He needs to embrace grace. He can have his slate cleaned free of any guilt. His Buddhist faith will not give that to him.<br />
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The good news is that's why Jesus Christ died on the cross. He died to set us free from the bondage of sin. We can be free in Christ.<br />
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I understand Kenny Perry is a strong Christian on the PGa tour. I pray that Kenny will have a chance to share the good news with Tiger, and give him the ability to be set free.Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-64462208307192850912010-02-17T12:51:00.000-08:002010-02-19T15:18:56.612-08:0010 Choices a Church Member Can About His/Her Church Family#1- Choose to believe the best about the people in your church as opposed to assuming the worst about them.<br />
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#2- Choose to trust them to make decisions that matter.<br />
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#3- Choose to believe that when they are asking questions they are growing in their faith and seeking clarification.<br />
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#4- Choose to believe they really love the church (that means you!) and want to see it (you) thrive.<br />
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#5- Choose to be inspired by your fellow brother and sisters in Christ as opposed to comparing your faith with them and feeling like a failure.<br />
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#6- Choose to listen to them before making a decision about them.<br />
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#7- Choose to value them as a human being and not just another person at church.<br />
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#8- Choose to empower others by encouraging them in Christ.<br />
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#9- Choose to let them present a solution to the problem they might be telling you about.<br />
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#10- Choose to focus on all the things the church is doing well instead of just focusing on where we're messing up.Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-63584899075700443892010-02-14T17:44:00.000-08:002010-02-14T17:44:36.468-08:00It was great to be together and looking to the future.Wow! It was great to be back togehter again! It was great to worship God together and it was awesome to share God's word with you too. It was almost like a great family reunion!<br />
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I wanted to share with you some thoughts on what we are facing when it comes to reaching the families of Suffolk. If we are going to reach Suffolk for Christ it means we will have to reach out to young families. Suffolk's average age is 36. 75% of our population lives in hoouseholds. Most of Suffolk's population is between the ages of 18-45. That means if we are going to reach families we are going to have to be sensitive to their needs.<br />
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So this raises a big issue for our church. Our children's space is crowded. We have talked to several consultant's and the simple truth is this, unless we do something about our children's space, (simply put, find more room)our church will no longer continue to reach out to new families.<br />
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The problem is to move into a new building (We've looked at building after building) is simply too expensice for a congregation our size. The only way for that dream to become a reality is to find a place in between for us to continue growing so that dream can become a reality.<br />
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Here are some of our options the elders are looking at:<br />
1. We get a modular place at the Y and/or convert the blue closet into a classroom.<br />
2. The miracle of finding a place actually happens.<br />
3. We find a school we can rent.<br />
4. Bring in a mobile classroom, like in a conveted RV.<br />
5. We do nothing and let the people of Suffolk go to hell.<br />
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Our leadership need wisdom, and your input. Please call one of the elders or me with any thoughts that you have. And please, please, pray as we take these new steps to expand God's kingdom her in Suffolk.Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-24249362024942871322010-02-09T17:03:00.000-08:002010-02-14T17:45:40.955-08:00Highlights from the Next Level Leadership ConferenceLast week I attended the Next level Leadership Conference at Savannah Christian Church in Savannah, GA. This was the first time for me to visit this fair city and it was beautiful. Every city thinks they are attractive, but Savannah truly is with it's squares and tythes and park vistas witht he Georgia Oaks towering above with the spanish moss drifting in the wind. Indeed, it was eye catching.<br />
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I was able to tour three of the oldest churches I have ever been in. They are beautiful and historical. I posted the pictures of them on my facebook page. I also went down by myself. It was a retreat for me as well to get away for a while and just let me and god be together. I really enjoyed that.<br />
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I thought I would share some of the best quotes and highlights from my time at this church. Just to let you know Savannah Christian church in the mid 90's was around 200-300 people. They decided to double their ministry every five years. Once they had that vision they started getting real specific in their planning and strategy in reaching Savannah. They didn't double in five years. They did it in three. They started this onference to share the lessons they have learned in the process. Here are some of those lessons and quotes:<br />
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<ol><li>The simplest definition of a leader is they know what to do next.</li>
<li>If you are a leader you have to master the art of self-leadership.</li>
<li> When you take care of God's business... he takes care of your business. - Tommy Barnnett</li>
<li>God blesses the church after his own heart.</li>
<li>God blesses a church that loves what he loves.</li>
<li>We only accept half the gospel. we are to love God AND love people.</li>
<li>There is only one King inthe kingdom.</li>
<li>At church we shoot the wounded becasue we don't really know them. you don't shoot you're friends.</li>
<li>The Christians in our church are hard charging, lost seeking, disciple making, hill taking, sacrafacial follwers of Jesus!</li>
<li>When you're through changing.. you're through!</li>
<li>If you want something different then you have to do something different.</li>
<li>Your church needs to align four different areas: Doctrine/Theology; Directional/Methodology; Systematic; and Relational.</li>
<li>The dress code of your church will tell men if they belong or not.</li>
<li>In order to figure out the man code in your church men... look at the leaders (Are they strong?)... They listen to the music (can they sing it?)... want to hear about other men (Am I part of something real?)... listen to the ministers (Does he challenge me directly?)... are extremely sensitive to quality (Is this cheesy?)... listen for vision (Can I dream a something great happening here?).</li>
<li>Our church does three things, evangelize, send people out, and disciple.</li>
<li>If you want commitment you have to ask for it.</li>
<li>Do you know the difference between a college coach and a high school coach? A high school has to develop talent. A college coach receruit developed players.</li>
<li>Ministers are often like college coaches and not high school coaches.</li>
<li>Everyone is supposed to be a disciple maker.</li>
<li>God wants to supply what you need- sometimes we don't look.</li>
<li>Developing leaders require proximity to potential leaders.</li>
<li>You know where a person is at spiritually by listening to them.</li>
<li>Christians grow just humans do. They are born again, then they are an infant, then a child, then a young adult, then a parent.</li>
<li>"A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." Proverbs 22:3 & 27:12</li>
<li>"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17</li>
</ol>That's plenty for now! It was a great trip and I learned a lot. I must confess I always come back meloncholy from these evetns. I come back with all kinds of ideas and dreams but I also realize that we have a long way to go!Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-15105792662765137152010-01-30T15:30:00.000-08:002010-01-30T15:30:58.917-08:00Cancelling Church and a Preachers HeartYou might think that if church is cancelled due to weather the preacher rejoices because he gets a suprise week off.<br />
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Not so with me. I'll tell you why.<br />
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The messages that I bring to my congregation are no small matter for me. In many cases i have been praying over the message and it's content for close to a year. I've spent many hours in prayer and thoughtful study of the Bible in preperation. I have sought to pay attention to the flock God has given me so i can bring a message that will challenge as well as confront with the truth and love of God.<br />
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By the time Sunday rolls around it's gameday for me. I'm psyched! I'm amped up! I'm ready to go! I have some fire burning in my bones! I'm not juist doing my job. I'm bring ing you life, real life, through God's Word!<br />
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So when church is cancelled I'm bummed!<br />
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But I'll be ready for next week.<br />
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KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-20385977850331683302010-01-25T13:35:00.000-08:002010-01-25T13:35:36.831-08:00Things You Won't Find in the Bible, Part 2The Cross as a Peice of Art<br />
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Many churches are decorated with crosses. There are paintings of Jesus hanging on a cross, or statues of Mary holding Jesus after Jesus was taken down from the cross, along with the familiar cross on the stage of the church. Many people today decorate their bodies with a cross with tattoos, neckalces, t-shirts, and the like. The cross has been morphed into some many different shapes that we have the lost the horror and the degrading humiliation that was the cross in Jesus day.<br />
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In Jesus day the cross was something that you covered your eyes from seeing. It was outrageously bloody. Bone and organs would be exposed after the beating most criminals took before being nailed on the beams. Only the filthiest and worse people would hang on the cross. It was shameful to be associated with someone on the cross. <br />
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Mark Driscoll writes of the horror of the cross, "...victims labored to breathe, as they went into shock. Naked and embarrassed, the victims would often use their remaing strength to seek revenge on the crowd of mockers who gathered to jeer them. <em>In a turn of events, the Gospels say the mockers spat on Jesus.</em> (italics mine) They would curse on their tormenters while urinating and spitting on them. Some victims would be so overwhelmed with pain that they would become incontinent and a pool of sweat, blood, urine, and feces would gather at the base of the cross."<br />
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The cross was a grotesque scene. The word excruciating finds it's roots in the pain experienced while one was nailed to a cross. Who could turn that into a peice of art? Something pleasent to look at? They didn't at first.<br />
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Churches using the cross as art didn't appear until 2-300 years after the cross fell out of use. By that time, the horror, the shame, the grotesgue memories of the cross had faded. <br />
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And then we have progrssed to the cross in our culture where Madonna has said that the cross was sexy.<br />
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Really?Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-15006562237395065222010-01-11T12:43:00.000-08:002010-01-11T12:45:00.050-08:00Change.. here it comes...I believe if Celebration is going to continue to grow and to reach out to others we are going to have to change... dramatically. We are going to have to things that might be uncomfortable for us, but on the other hand, maybe not.<br />
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Have you considered how much we embrace change? We'll remodel our hose, move, have children, change jobs, even change churches, all voluntarily.<br />
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So I believe we all can change. The question is why do we resist some changes and accept others?<br />
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Think about that... because I believe God is going to really change Celebration this year.. no more the same ol same ol....<br />
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Just a thought... do you realize that if we kept up the current rate of growth we will not reach 300 people until 2023? Chew on that too... ;)<br />
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KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-21061239217696876692010-01-11T12:40:00.000-08:002010-01-11T12:40:01.792-08:00Getting Old...Has anyone ever asked you on your birthday what it felt like to be a year older?<br />
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I have. I generally reply that I don't feel one way or the other.<br />
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Then this week came, excepts it's not my birthday. This week I saw two markers of getting older. One was I started liking coffee. Now, I know Starbucks made coffee cool to drink and all but when i was a kid, coffee was just something old people drank.<br />
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Well, this week, out of the blue, I started liking coffee! Albeit with plenty of chocolate creamer. I really like that mocha taste. Have you ever had a Tiramusu dessert. I like my coffee to taste like that. Anyway, that's one marker of age for me.<br />
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Then the other is I started needing reading glasses. Can you believe it. I look so oold with the glasses on the tip of my nose. Ughh!<br />
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But onthe other hand I can see things so clear up close now! I was starting to read my books almost two feet away. That's not good. In case you didn't know, I use a large print Bible to preach from so I could see the words easier.<br />
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Getting older is interesting. I just keep on changing. So far it hasn't hurt too much, but my Dad says growing old hurts. <br />
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I sure hope he is wrong!<br />
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Have yourself Committed!<br />
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kirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-39097550316920064552009-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-18T09:02:05.265-08:00Christmas Music Doesn't Appeal to MeYou probably hat me for writing that, but it's true. I really don't like Christmas music. I don't have a strong reason why except that it's a little too mushy and sentimental for me. I don't have any deep theological reasons for it other than that. <br />
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I do have one exception though. I absolutely love Michael W. Smith's first Christmas CD. That peice of work is awesome! It's the only one for me that captures the majesty of the moment without being so sentimental. It rests on the glory of the incarnation and not that "look at the cute little baby Jesus" syndrome like you see in the movie Talledaga Nights.<br />
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I guess writing this out I stumbled on something meaningful though. I think Christians miss the glory of the moment that we call incarnation. We fail to see the majesty of babe. Many of us celebrate it but few of us are like the wise men and bend our knee to him.<br />
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That would be my Christmas present to you. May you see the majesty of Jesus in the manger this Christmas.<br />
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If Christmas music helps you do that, more power to ya!Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-71263845158029324332009-12-14T12:04:00.000-08:002009-12-14T12:15:19.392-08:00Items You Will Not Find in the Bible, Part 1Item #1: The Sinners Prayer<br />
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Nowhere in the Bible will you find the prayer that many people are taught to say to intiate their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter didn't do it in Acts 2 when the people asked how to place their faith in Jesus. He didn't ask the crowd to bow their head and raise their hand and say a prayer stating that "I'm a sinner, that I need God, and I invite him into my heart." Instead he said, "Repent and be baptized." In Acts 22 when Paul shares what Annaias said to him to initiate his faith in Christ. Ananais didn't have Paul repeat the sinners prayer after him. Instead, Annais said to Paul, "What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." For that matter, no one was asked to come down to the front of the church either and announce their faith to all. That's an invention of early American revivalism.<br />
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How did, the "Sinners Prayer" come about then? It really is an American invention. Somehow, it came to replace the role of baptism in the New Testament. D.L. Moody was the first to employ it back in the 1800's. It was not popularized though until the 1950's with Billiy Graham and the Campus Crusade for Christ. The phrase personal Savior is a late invention as well. It's not in the Bible either. This phrase was made popular by Charles Fuller during the 19th century revivalism. This phrase has led to a intensely individualized expression of faith. The New Testament doesn't teach just a me and Jesus routine. Christianity is a life lived out among believers who know Christ together as Lord and Savior.<br />
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In the early church baptism was part of the initiation of faith. Certainly, God responds to prayers of faith, but just as circumcision initaited Abrahams faith in God so does baptism initiate our faith in God (Colossians 2:11-12). In the New Testament, as soon as someone said they believed in Jesus they were baptized.<br />
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Is their something wrong with the sinners prayer? No, not of itself. It is a prayer of faith, but it certainly does not replace the role baptism was intended to have in the New Testament. Baptism and faith belong together. Those who believed and repented were baptized. This is the pattern of scripture. It is how someone came to faith.<br />
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You may ask, isn't baptism a work? How can it initate faith? Doesn't Paul say we are saved by faith and not by works? Yes, he does, and rightly so. The New Testament though doesn't see baptism as a work. That came later. In the early second century influential teachers said that before someone could get baptized the person had to go through a period of instruction, prayer, and fasting. In the 3rd century converts had to wait three years before they were baptized! Suddenly, baptism became something you had to work in order to experience. It was no longer perceived as part of grace, but as a work.<br />
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Okay, are we not saved by the blood of Jesus, and not baptism? Emphatically yes! This doesn't negate the role of baptism though. The two are actually linked together. Romans 6:3-4 shows how. Listen, "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized ino Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we to omay live a new life." (NIV)<br />
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What about the thief on the cross? He wasn't baptized and Jesus said he would see him in paradise. The thief wasn't baptized. Well, did the thief say a sinners prayer? Did he repent even? Did he say he was sorry for his sins? Understand, Jesus often forgave sins in his ministry on earth. He did it to the man who came through the ceiling too. He didn't come to ask Jesus to forgive his sins. He wanted to walk again, but Jesus forgave him anyway. Jesus can forgive anyone he wants to any way he wants too. He's God. He is the perfect judge over all.<br />
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It doesn't negate the pattern that was set down by Jesus to the apostles before he ascended into heaven. He told them to go into all the nations and to baptize people in the name of the Trinity. He didn't tell them to say a sinners prayer. That's why Peter said what he said in Acts 2, repent and be baptized. Jesus instituted it, and the early church practiced it as the intitiation of faith. <br />
Can we do the same?<br />
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So if you are person that has said the sinners prayer but have not been baptized then you need to complete the initiation of your conversion (and be baptized)!Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-25584229526751728282009-12-07T12:36:00.000-08:002009-12-07T12:36:00.704-08:00Stuck in GrowthCan I share something with you? I feel stuck!<br />
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Our church is really maxing out the Y facility, so it would be good to go to a bigger facility with better classrooms for our children. The problem the building in Suffolk are so limited and the price range to build on some land is way out there.<br />
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We need room to grow but we do not have the resources to take the next step.<br />
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I hear a big word calling... FAITH! I think our congregation this next year is going to have to take a huge step of faith to go to the next level. The question I have is this, Am I willing to do it? Is the church I serve willing to do it?<br />
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We have some options before us though. All require faith...<br />
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1. The downtown jazz building, $539,000. Will it fit our church? Will it be good for growth? Can we afford the payments? What about the heat bill and the renovations that will have to be made?<br />
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2.Buy land and build... but land prices are steep with new businesses coming into town.<br />
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3. Go to two services at the Y. This looks like the suicide option to me. It would require coming in at 6:30 AM and not getting done until 12:30 PM. Plus I've never heard a church of about 125 going to two services. That seems a little CRAZY to me!<br />
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Whatever the case... we're going to have FAITH this year. I think when i came here we started out on hope, and we developed a community of love, and now for the final piece- FAITH.<br />
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God, help me see what I don't see!<br />
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KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-28730708880544825812009-12-07T12:22:00.000-08:002009-12-07T12:24:07.955-08:00A Thought About Christian Leadership and Tiger WoodsI've heard a lot of talk about how Tiger Woods as a role model has let so many people down, especially the kids that look up to him. What kind of role model is he playing out before them? The whole debate arises again on the idea that role models should be people we emulate. We know Charles Barkley answer to that question.<br />
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I also found it interesting about how Tiger wanted to be so private. I can understand that as a mega world star. I think I would be fighting for my privacy as well.<br />
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But in the midst of the argument I was hearing on the ESPN radio I had this thought.<br />
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Christian leaders do not have the luxury of privacy. As my grandmother said being a christian leader is like living in a fishbowl. Why is that?<br />
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Simple. Paul gave us the model of leadership when he said to his followers, "Follow me as I follow Christ."<br />
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When someone is following you you kinda lose that privacy virtue. It requires you to be open and authentic not just with your faith, but your life. Jesus said himself a student is not above his teacher.<br />
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That's my thought on Tiger Woods, I wish I could argue for his luxury sometimes, but I have a higher calling than a golf pro.Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-62992129354944199392009-11-26T07:47:00.001-08:002009-11-26T07:47:38.823-08:00Christians forgiving ChristiansIt has been my experience that many times Chritians have the hardest time forgiving other Christians. We're quick to forgive the sins of non-Christians, but Christians? That's another story.<br />
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Wonder why?<br />
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You who have been foriven much, forgive much.<br />
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KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-81065357381683733642009-11-26T07:08:00.000-08:002009-11-26T07:48:52.995-08:00Erring on the Side of GraceCelebration has a value that I want to communicate to you.<br />
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If we err, and we will, we will seek to err on the side of grace.<br />
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I hear all the time of such horror stories of churches who treated people with such rigidity. <br />
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Here is my value stustem. If I err I will seek to err on the side of grace, faith, hope, and love.<br />
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After all ever hear of church that had too much grace, too much faith, too much love, too much hope.<br />
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I'd love being part of a church that makes these kind or errors.<br />
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KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-73184415516484128642009-11-23T06:01:00.000-08:002009-11-23T06:05:59.939-08:00Forgiving the ChurchYesterday I spoke on forgiveness. My hope was to get you to move from your perspective on forgiveness to God's perspective on forgiveness. God's perspective on forgiveness is this: You have been forgiven much, so you forgive much.<br />
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Not long ago I was introduced to a great guy. As our conversation progressed he proceeded to tell me that he was not interested in attending church. He said he believed in God, Jesus, and was a faithful follower. The church though, was not part of his faith. He said that he had been been hung out to dry too many times. He and his wife had been deeply wounded by this experience. So he was through with church. He wasn't going to do that again.<br />
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He loved Jesus. He just didn't love the church Jesus died for. Well, I take that back. It's not that he didn't love the church as an institution, but the people in it, that's another story.<br />
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This conversation, plus preaching about forgiveness Sunday, brought this thought to mind. First, why do church people hurt other church people? Then second, why do Christians have such a hard time forgiving other Christians?<br />
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First, why do Christians hurt each other? Well, the answer in front of our nose is we have a mission we are very passionate about and those passions can lead to confrontations. Those confrontations can lead to power plays, turf wars, and personal insults. It just ends up that people hurt each other.<br />
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I think another factor the equation is spiritual immaturity. When people have issues of pride, immorality, do not speak the truth in love, and are self-centered problems can easitly arise.<br />
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You see this other relational based organizations too, such as sports teams. It seems though for a sports team we will allow coaches and other players to taunt and humiliate in the name of the game. If I treated my church family like a lot of coaches treated their teams I would be fired.<br />
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I always wondered about that. I always thought eternity was more critical than a game. You would think we would invite criticism and push each other harder so we can see faith, hope, and love triumph over all. Sorry, gotta little diverted there.<br />
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Secondly, why do Christians have such a hard time forgiving each other? I thought to myself, after talking to my new friend, that he will never get over the hurt he had at church unless he learns to forgive those people. He will carry that pain around all his life until he does so. He probably knows that. He just isn't practicing it.<br />
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I don't have an answer for that. We are to be the ones that demonstrate Christ's forgiveness to the world by our forgiveness towards each other. We have been forgiven much, so why don't we forgive much?<br />
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Here is my conclusion (After I said I don't have an answer, ha!): most Christians are not all that close to Jesus. I heard the wonderful Timothy Keller speak about this in August. He spoke on the parable of the prodigal son. In it he said Jesus gives out two paths to God. The son who left home and the son who stayed home. <br />
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Both were rebellious. The youngest son was rebellious outwardly. The older son rebelled at home.<br />
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Mr. Keller made the point that most Christians are like the older brother. Why did he rebel? He rebelled because he thought he deserved the big party and not the the younger brother. After all, he earned it. Because of this attitude the older brother never had a relationship with his father at all. Therefore he wasn't able to show grace to his younger brother. He never knew the grace of his father.<br />
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That is why I believe Christians have a hard time with forgiveness. They really don't know their heavenly Father, who has forgiven them so much!!!!<br />
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Like I said yesterday, if you're going to have the ability to forgive, you gotta know the Forgiver! I just hope churches are the place where people practiced forgiveness in incredibly gracious ways.<br />
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KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-12330663158594016222009-11-13T12:31:00.000-08:002009-11-13T12:32:28.833-08:00The Drudgery and Excitement of Church BudgetsFor many people church budgets are a boring bunch of numbers that people came up with, but for those that came up with the budget numbers it represents so much more. It represents hope, opportunity, ministry, and life change.<br />
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For example, the internet team's budget will totally revemp our website and make it more user friendly for all who contact it. I'm excited about the overhaul.<br />
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For the youth it represents the resources needed to make a difference in teen's lives, like a place to meet.<br />
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For marketing it represents the ability to get out in our community and share the love of Jesus.<br />
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In benelovence it means changing people's lives who need a little help.<br />
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The budget is so much more than numbers, it's people. Those numbers represent people. Let's never forget that!Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-57554553844992101662009-11-12T11:28:00.001-08:002009-11-12T11:29:09.972-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGp-aGpIJ2SWeJvbGv8O1R_A4-MdvRNY8AF3G5MEEmmPf4zMVMupa5C62qCvuFa7pi85esYVgSlxwjmu0a_u3-szh58vs5Vp1fYlVHUxDpXv7TX_5Q2eYA5rIV67mQMnsJevI2VjGKPrU/s1600-h/laptop+bible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGp-aGpIJ2SWeJvbGv8O1R_A4-MdvRNY8AF3G5MEEmmPf4zMVMupa5C62qCvuFa7pi85esYVgSlxwjmu0a_u3-szh58vs5Vp1fYlVHUxDpXv7TX_5Q2eYA5rIV67mQMnsJevI2VjGKPrU/s320/laptop+bible.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Check out this ad from sacredsandwich.com!<br />
</div>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-63338520315109220282009-11-04T17:58:00.000-08:002009-11-04T17:59:43.812-08:00Wesley's DiscipleshipHeather Zempel had this post on her blog about discipleship. I liked some of the thoughts...<br /><br />John Wesley had a pretty hard-hitting approach to discipleship. In many small groups today, structuring the meeting time around the following questions would be frightening to many members. But if you want to challenge your people to deeper community and more focused discipleship, try these questions:<br />Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am a better person than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?<br />Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?<br />Do I confidentially pass on what was told to me in confidence?<br />Can I be trusted?<br />Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habit?<br />Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?<br />Did the Bible live in me today?<br />Do I give God time to speak to me everyday?<br />Am I enjoying prayer?<br />When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?<br />Do I pray about the money I spend?<br />Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?<br />Do I disobey God in anything?<br />Do I insist on doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?<br />Am I defeated in any part of my life?<br />Am I jealous, impure, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?<br />How do I spend my spare time?<br />Am I proud?<br />Do I thank God I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?<br />Is there anyone I fear, or dislike, or criticize, or resent? If so, what am I doing about it?<br />Do I grumble and complain constantly?<br />Is Christ real to me?Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-61584657413930115682009-11-04T12:52:00.000-08:002009-11-04T13:01:11.585-08:00Virginia Vision Meeting TodayToday I went to Richmond for the quaterly Virginia Vision meeting. In case you don't know VV is the organization that planted our church.<br /><br />At the meeting I met and talked with people who are busy planting churches all over VA. This is a vital ministry. Did you know that the majority of church goers 25 years from now will be going to church that started today? That's why it is so important to start new churches!<br /><br />Many of the churches are actively involved in the community and I learned something from them. The community will not think we are here for them unles we keep at it for at least 3-4 years. Now, you might say our church is 7 years old so this is good. We are on course.<br /><br />But the question is have we been involved IN the community that long doing ministry? The answer to that is no. Just last year we started being involved with 4 Kids and Meals on Wheels. This year we are partnering with Oakland Elementry School. They will not see us as part of the school until 3-4 years from now. Neither will 4 Kids or Meals on Wheels.<br /><br />So what I learned is that if we are going to seriously minister in this community then we need to be committed for the long run, not just hit and runs.<br /><br />KirkKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-37799674075991168192009-11-02T05:50:00.000-08:002009-11-02T06:00:26.609-08:00There are some things that are right about HalloweenReggie Joiner, in his excellent book on family called, <em>Think Orange,</em> gives some interesting thoughts about the church and Halloween. He writes,<br /><br />"Have you ever considered that the problem with Halloween may be that we (the church) have thought so much about what is wrong about it instead of thinking what is right about it? This isn't a statement about whether Halloween is right or wrong. I want to make a point about family.<br /><br />Consider these stats:<br /><ul><li>An estimated 47% of households decorate for Halloween</li><li>Halloween is second only to Christmas in terms of decorations sold</li><li>Over 790 million jack-o-laterns and pumpkin pies will be bought.</li><li>Candy sales will exceed $2 billion</li><li>More than 93 percent of children go trick or treating every year. ( I wonder how many of those families go to your church?)</li></ul><p>Most families love Halloween. Watch your neighborhood this fall (or this past weekend).</p><ul><li>Listen to the laughter</li><li>Take a look at the generosity</li><li>Taste the sugar</li><li>Feel the energy</li><li>See the glow in the children's eyes</li><li>Notice the parents walking with thier kids</li><li>And observe how families connect with other families</li><li>It seems kind of ... magical</li></ul><p>Why can't church be more like that?"</p><p></p><p>Good Question, Reggie!</p><p></p><p></p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-84204045874744463112009-10-28T08:16:00.000-07:002009-10-28T08:26:54.816-07:00An interesting day off this past SundayLast week I took a Sunday off and actually attended another church. This was a first experience for me. Generally speaking, when i take a Sunday off, I'm taveling to see my parents, something like that. I've never taken a Sunday off and just stayed at home before.<br /><br />I decided to go to another church for a number of reasons:<br /><ol><li>I am always told this is good to do for rest and relaxation.</li><li>It was interesting to be a regular guy in a church. I don't get to experience that too often.</li><li>Get some new ideas for our church, maybe... cause we do everyting right, right?</li></ol><p>Saturday night I was stressed by this whole gogoing to another church thing. one, my kids didn't want to go. So we decided to have our kids dropped off at our church. That was a weird position to be in. Then, all week I kept thinking I was preaching Sunday, thenI would have to remind myself I wasn't. That was stressing me for some reason. Out of routine I guess. Then I felt guilty for not going to my church. </p><p>Well, we went to Forefront church in Virginia Beach and once I went there it was really relaxing. It was nice to go and not have to worry about anything. It was a great experience.</p><p> </p><p>What did i get from this church that might help our church? We could do a lot better and making sure our service is open to new people who don't know anything about church. We also could do a lot better at tailoring our service to reaching to people who know vary little about church.</p><p>Why? Well think about it. Non-churched people don't miss going to church. if I missed a Sunday i would miss going to church. Non-churched people don't miss it. They are very happy to do what they are doing now, golfing, sleeping, hunting, whatever.</p><p>We've got amake our service so good that if a non-churched person came to our service they would not want to miss out what's going to happen next week.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8165595928658528989.post-22028759901701571062009-10-23T05:59:00.000-07:002009-10-23T06:09:58.363-07:00SPARK EvaluationLast night we had our monthly staff meeting and we spent the time evaluating the SPARK series we just finished. Everyone said they liked it and they wanted to do it next year, but as always there is room for improvement. here is what we found, see if you agree....<br /><br />1. What needs to be repeated?<br /> * The extended worship at the end of the service<br /> * Having eveyone, adults, youth, and children looking at the same topic each week<br /> * The prayer chairs<br /> * The Generosity buckets<br /><br />2. What are some things we liked, but don't neccesarily need to be repeated?<br /> * Might not do it for six weeks, maybe four<br /> * We don't have to start it in September, maybe October<br /><br />3. What can be improved?<br /> * Need to be more collabrative in the next session across ministries<br /> * Have specific Life group Leader training for the series<br /> * Suspend traditional Life groups for SPARK groups during the six weeks<br /> * The generosity bucket could use something more novel next time (Possibly themed with <br /> whoever we are helping<br /><br />4. What doesn't need to be repeated?<br /> * There was some confusion between what was in the Life Group lessins and what was said<br /> in the messages.<br /> * Starting it in September<br /> * The Life Group Lessons could take the topic of the messge a little deeper<br /><br />There you go!<br /><br />What did you think?Kirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09789100934927259363noreply@blogger.com0