I am going to try something new today. I want to learn from you. My question is "What do you love about your church?" You don't have to be a member of GracePointe Church (the church I pastor) to reply. I want to know what people think about their church.
When you are pastor a church you can sometimes be so far into the organization that you can't see what other people see. Imagine the church as a fruit tree. The Pastors, staff and leadership are like the root system leading up to and thru the trunk. The rest of the tree is made up of branches, limbs, and leaves. They are where the fruit is actually being produced. It's hard to have an accurate perspective when your down on the bottom supporting the top sometime.
So, what I want to know is what do you love about your church? Can you comment back with three things that you absolutely keep promoting if you were the Pastor?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Inherent Distrust
One of the difficulties of leading today is an inherent distrust of authority that plagues our culture. It seems like every day there is new story about some pastor, politician, business leader, teacher or coach getting busted for some kind of immoral or illegal behavior. I think this fuels this fiery distrust in our culture.
The real challenge is today is for leaders to restore the dignity of trust to the people by being people of character and integrity. In other words, if you are a leader you must work hard to have credibility.
The real challenge is today is for leaders to restore the dignity of trust to the people by being people of character and integrity. In other words, if you are a leader you must work hard to have credibility.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Little Distance
Peter had been walking with Jesus for over two years. He had seen Him do miraculous things. But on the night before the crucifixion, Peter fell. He did the unthinkable. He did what he swore he would never do. He denied his relationship to Jesus not just once, but three times. All of the gospels record his denials to one degree or another. (If I am Peter, this stinks. There are only a few things repeated in all the gospel accounts and I get my mistake recorded four times.)
What got Peter in trouble was the same thing that gets us in trouble. In Luke's gospel, we are given a small detail that gives us big insight to what got Peter to go astray. It seems minor on the surface. But it is the root cause of Peter's fall. Luke 22:54 says after Jesus was arrested and led away that "Peter followed at a distance." This is what got him in trouble. It is what gets me into trouble. I sometimes start following Jesus from a distance. I am like a middle schooler who wants to look independent so I walk a good deal behind my parents at the mall so all my friends might think I am on my own. My parent's cramped my style like Jesus does sometimes. What we fail to realize is that we are dependent on Jesus like a child is with his parents. If we try to make it on our own we usually end up falling into some sin we thought we would never commit. We get ourselves in jams that we can't get out of on our own.
I think it's a principle like this...a little distance can go a long ways. James tells us to draw near to God. That's part of what it means to follow. If you create a little distance by neglecting to stay close to Jesus through disciplines of the faith then it won't be long before you find yourself a long way from Jesus. And that's not good.
So, let's close the gap this week and hang close to Jesus.
What got Peter in trouble was the same thing that gets us in trouble. In Luke's gospel, we are given a small detail that gives us big insight to what got Peter to go astray. It seems minor on the surface. But it is the root cause of Peter's fall. Luke 22:54 says after Jesus was arrested and led away that "Peter followed at a distance." This is what got him in trouble. It is what gets me into trouble. I sometimes start following Jesus from a distance. I am like a middle schooler who wants to look independent so I walk a good deal behind my parents at the mall so all my friends might think I am on my own. My parent's cramped my style like Jesus does sometimes. What we fail to realize is that we are dependent on Jesus like a child is with his parents. If we try to make it on our own we usually end up falling into some sin we thought we would never commit. We get ourselves in jams that we can't get out of on our own.
I think it's a principle like this...a little distance can go a long ways. James tells us to draw near to God. That's part of what it means to follow. If you create a little distance by neglecting to stay close to Jesus through disciplines of the faith then it won't be long before you find yourself a long way from Jesus. And that's not good.
So, let's close the gap this week and hang close to Jesus.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Spiritual Birthday
Today is a special day for me. It is my spiritual birthday. I first placed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord on April 9, 1978. I am happy to be 30 years old in the Lord.
I am thankful to my parents who wrote the date of my salvation in my 1611 KJV Bible. So, I am personally celebrating my second birthday by evaluating and reflecting on what God has done for me, in me and through me for the last 30 years. He has been faithful even when I have not been faithful to Him. He has patiently endured seasons of rebellion and much whining over the years. He has been steadfast in His love toward me. He has taught me in His Word. He has prospered my life. He has allowed me to serve Him. Praise God who through Christ Jesus has given me spiritual life. May He be glorified in me.
I am thankful to my parents who wrote the date of my salvation in my 1611 KJV Bible. So, I am personally celebrating my second birthday by evaluating and reflecting on what God has done for me, in me and through me for the last 30 years. He has been faithful even when I have not been faithful to Him. He has patiently endured seasons of rebellion and much whining over the years. He has been steadfast in His love toward me. He has taught me in His Word. He has prospered my life. He has allowed me to serve Him. Praise God who through Christ Jesus has given me spiritual life. May He be glorified in me.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Project M3
This past Sunday I introduced our new "Project M3". It is based on Micah 6:8. It is an attempt to help GracePointe Church to "do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our Lord." The project will consist of a monthly mission of mercy. We will partner with other ministries to build the Kingdom of God. We want to involve the whole congregation in worship that goes beyond the doors of our worship center.
So, this month we are giving food items to the Mary Hayes Center for Social Change. The work that they do at the Mary Hayes Center is to provide tutoring and Bible Study for at risk children from Pre-K through high school. They currently work with 50 to 60 children four days a week. They need help in providing snacks and meals for these kids after school. We committed to provide one month of food or more for the center. This will help take some of the burden off the shoulders of the workers and volunteers who reach out to the students. MHC has very little funding.
All you have to do is bring your items to worship with you to church as an offering to the Lord. There is a corner designated for these food products in the worship center. There is a list of items you can bring on the sign up table in the foyer. I am excited to see God work through the "Project M3".
Remember...We can't do everything, but we can do something!
So, this month we are giving food items to the Mary Hayes Center for Social Change. The work that they do at the Mary Hayes Center is to provide tutoring and Bible Study for at risk children from Pre-K through high school. They currently work with 50 to 60 children four days a week. They need help in providing snacks and meals for these kids after school. We committed to provide one month of food or more for the center. This will help take some of the burden off the shoulders of the workers and volunteers who reach out to the students. MHC has very little funding.
All you have to do is bring your items to worship with you to church as an offering to the Lord. There is a corner designated for these food products in the worship center. There is a list of items you can bring on the sign up table in the foyer. I am excited to see God work through the "Project M3".
Remember...We can't do everything, but we can do something!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Apologetics
I stepped out the my normal preaching box on Easter. I gave a defense for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I actually got a good deal of feedback and it was all positive. I always love the positive feedback:) ...It's not always helpful, but it feels good. I think a lot of our congregation is just really nice. And I like when people are kind to me:)
Anyway, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should be ready to give a defense of our hope in Christ Jesus. I think in general he means that we shouldn't just be believing with our minds disengaged. If something is true it should be reasonable. But I think I grew up for many years just believing some things because I was supposed to or because my Mama said so. Other people fall into the same category as Christian and non-Christians. They believe something cause a prof said it, they heard it on the news or read it some book.
I went to college with the idea that I could learn how to answer the questions about my beliefs and to defend my faith. I don't have all "the" answers, but for most of what I hold I do have a reasonable answer for why I believe the things I believe. There are still some subjects I wading through and studying. There will always be some areas to delve into, which means I am still growing and that's a good thing.
Anyway, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should be ready to give a defense of our hope in Christ Jesus. I think in general he means that we shouldn't just be believing with our minds disengaged. If something is true it should be reasonable. But I think I grew up for many years just believing some things because I was supposed to or because my Mama said so. Other people fall into the same category as Christian and non-Christians. They believe something cause a prof said it, they heard it on the news or read it some book.
I went to college with the idea that I could learn how to answer the questions about my beliefs and to defend my faith. I don't have all "the" answers, but for most of what I hold I do have a reasonable answer for why I believe the things I believe. There are still some subjects I wading through and studying. There will always be some areas to delve into, which means I am still growing and that's a good thing.
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