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Lola May once said, “There are three things to remember teaching school. Number one, know your stuff. Number two, know whom you are stuffing. And number three, stuff them elegantly.”
Tonight is going to be blast! I start training our small group leaders and I have a horrible runny nose and a head cold. I’m going to sound like a moose with whooping cough.
In a few weeks we’ll be starting LifeBuilders and enlisting people to come and Do Life Together! I can’t wait!
“You CAN NOT say you are a fully functioning disciple of Christ if your “spiritual gift” is sitting on your rear end. In order for people to develop…they must be involved in ministry. Look at the disciples in Scripture–they were all EMPOWERED and ENABLED NOT to sit in a room and discuss the tribulation…but rather to do ministry!”—Perry Noble
I got back really late last night from Michigan. I took several of the school staff and some from the church up to Sara Derscheid’s mothers viewing. Sara is our school secretary who does an outstanding job and keeps me on my toes. She’s also a good proofreader. She’s saved my bacon more than once proofreading my school newsletters. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sara and her family.
As I write this, I’m sitting in my office trying not to nod off. Our school is doing the Stanford Achievement Test this week. We have to do each grade separately. I have the 4th graders in my office and I think 8:00 AM is a little too early for my humor. They haven’t cracked a smile yet! Tough crowd! Oh well, I got a few knock knock jokes left in me.
I was able to go to IHC this year and had a great time. I was asked to do a “crowdbreaker” at the Time of Discovery service for the teens. I threw candy at them, gave a top ten (Top 10 signs you need to go on a diet), and we played a big group game. It was a blast! I love being a youth pastor! I saw several old friends and even did some school principal hunting. I even talked to an old friend from Pilgrim Camp I hadn’t seen since 1989, Tim Orcutt. Or was it Tom? Tim and Tom are twins and I know I saw one of them; I’m just not sure which one. That’s one nice thing about having a twin sister; I was never confused for her. Except once. That story will remain untold.
Something very exciting is happening at our church. For some time, as a growing church, we have sensed that there is no longer the close-knit connectiveness (does that word make sense?) that there used to be among our people when we were a smaller congregation. I have been praying about this for some time and I have sensed God’s direction in starting a Small Group Ministry at my church.
I had my first meeting last night with my small group leaders to organize and outline some things. It was very exciting! A week from Wednesday we will go trough some training and hopefully kick it off some time in May.
I met with my leaders last night and asked the question, “Why do you think we need this ministry?” We put our heads together and this is what we came up with:
1. Small groups provide another entry point into the church.
2. Small groups are an effective evangelism tool.
3. Small groups are an effective means to nurture people.
4. Small groups will accelerate spiritual growth within the people.
5. Small groups will shift the work of the church to the people.
Ephesians 4:12 talks about “equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.”
6 Small groups will help people to connect one with another.
7. Small groups will help people to feel like they belong who are intimidated by a larger group.
8. Small groups will promote community and unity among us.
9. Small groups will foster a spirit of accountability.
10. Within a Small group spiritual gifts are more fully discovered.
Of course, there are many other reasons, but the main one would be our small group mission statement: Connecting with God and with one another.
The ministry’s name will be called Lifebuilders and our motto is Doing Life Together.
Help us pray for this new ministry endeavor.
Ten Things You Will Never Regret
1. Showing kindness to an older person.
2. Destroying a letter written in anger.
3. Offering an apology that will save a friendship.
4. Stopping a scandal that was ruining a reputation.
5. Actually listening a little boy or girl as they talk to you.
6. Taking time to show consideration to everyone you meet.
7. Refraining from gossip when others around you delight in it.
8. Refusing to do a thing which is wrong, although others do it.
9. Living according to your convictions.
10. Accepting the judgment of God on any question.
We had an awesome Sunday! We had a total of 405 in our morning worship service yesterday! The place was packed! I had Teen Church the whole time & we had a blast! All of our staff & volunteers are awesome to work with & what a pastor we have! I absolutely love my job!
We also had two people get saved last night! I wish I could say it was because of my message, but they came to the front and prayed during the song service. God’s presence was so real last night! I went ahead and preached anyway. I’m not sure if I should have, but all in all God helped us.
I love being on HIS team!
Some ask the question: How in the world can something that took place 2,000 years ago have any relevance on my life today? What does an empty tomb have to do with diapers, debt, & deadlines?
1. Because He Lives…I Can Face Life.
2. Because He Lives…I Can Face Death.
3. Because He Lives…I Can Face Eternity.
Right now we live in a Good Friday world. Pain, rejection, suffering, persecution, and the list goes on and on. But remember the words of Tony Campolo: “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s a comin’”. Thank God we’re not Good Friday Christians, but we’re Easter people. So the reason why we can rejoice on Good Friday is because of “Gooder” Sunday!
On vacation we visited a church on Sunday morning. We just picked the closest one to our cabin. When we arrived we found out that it was an Independent Fundamental KJV Only Baptist Church and they weren’t afraid to let you know that. It certainly made me appreciate my church!
Anyway, while we were there I thought I would jot down some things I liked about the church and some things I didn’t like. I pretended like I was “shopping” for a church.
Likes:
* They had special parking spots reserved for visitors. I’m sure part of the reason was because it’s a vacation spot, but I still love the idea. It’s something I’m going to pass on to my senior pastor and make him think it’s his idea.
* After the first congregational song their choir sang a song and then we did one more congregational song. I love choirs! They weren’t great, but I love how it added to the service and broke the monotony of a typical song service.
* They had a special time for fellowship and greeting visitors. No, it wasn’t a dorky welcome song either.
* The special song was done very well.
* The associate pastor was very, very friendly and had tons of personality (unlike the senior pastor). Of course I have a soft spot in my heart for associate pastors!
* We put our 20 month old boy in a nursery and they provided us with a beeper in case he cried.
Dislikes:
* When we walked into the church we walked into a large foyer and there was not a greeter in sight.
* We thought the service started at 10:30, but it actually started at 11:00 so we arrived in the middle of Sunday School and the senior pastor was teaching it. This is a church of 100+ with an associate pastor. I don’t see why those people have to suffer twice on a Sunday morning.
* After Sunday school was over, several people walked by us before anyone actually welcomed us to their church.
* During Sunday School our baby was making a little noise. A lady halfway up turned around and gave us a dirty look. After Sunday School she made a beeline for my wife and told her she would show her where the nursery was. She wasn’t too friendly when she said it either.
* There was no prelude music. They just started the service abruptly.
* They sang “Happy Birthday” during the worship service to someone. I can’t tell you how much I hate that.
* While the pastor was giving his announcements, he was joking and talking back and forth to someone in the choir behind him. I despise pulpit/pew banter. When it happens at my church I want to find a pew and crawl under it.
* The pastor’s announcements were 12 minutes.
* During the announcements we heard a KJV only mini-sermon. “The NIV stands for the Non-Inspirational Version.” By this time I was starting to hide the ESV Bible I had brought with me.
* There was a guy in our pew passing out gum to everyone within arm’s reach.
* The pastor asked if there were any visiting preachers in the service. After I raised my hand, I had to introduce myself and tell everyone where I was from.
* Too much politics in the sermon.
* While the pastor preached, he teased a teenager about his long hair.
* He read his text and never got back to it.
* When we picked up our baby he had been crying hard. They said they didn’t let us know because they didn’t want to bother us. So much for the beeper! I mean what’s the point of giving it to us?
If I were a newcomer to that community, I would not choose that church. This makes me realize that I need to do everything in my power to make my church visitor-friendly.
Hey, it’s good to be back! We had an awesome time on vacation. We enjoyed hanging out at the cabin & relaxing. I ate at my favorite Gatlinburg area restaurant, Huck Finn’s Catfish. I promise I could eat catfish everyday for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.
I must confess that I am ready for another vacation. I’ve spent the last two days doing parent teacher conferences at our school. It wears me out! Seriously, we have some awesome parents at our school! I’m blessed to be a part of the ministry of Frankfort Covenant Academy.
Now for some great news! We interviewed someone for the job of principal. I see a light at the end of the tunnel! It has been a tremendous burden doing this extra job the last two years, but it has also been a tremendous blessing. But I am looking forward to getting back to the church side of ministry for a while.
