TL;DR: I added Disqus, Google CSE overlay, and a new Twitter button.I love to tinker with my blog and change this and that and this thing over here and try that over there. There’s nothing quite as personal as one’s blog, you know? You’re baring your very being, your very soul to the world and you want to make sure that you’re presenting yourself well. No, the goal is not to present just the good stuff and not just the bad either – it’s to simply present who you are, where you are, as realistically and as authentically as possible. And you change, you…
Christian Church
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Most Topular Stories
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3 Light, Easy, and Effective Blog Customizations
Human3rror18 Jun 2013 | 3:52 am -
Multisite Evolution
EdStetzer.com18 Jun 2013 | 8:31 amWhat Should Be The New Normal For Multisite Churches? Whatever your opinion of multisite may be, there can be no doubt it is the new normal. No longer just a trend, they now number more than 5,000 churches. Multisite churches have even grown faster than megachurches. In fact, last year, 62 of the 100 fastest growing churches in America are multisite. Though I've been occasionally cast in that light by the uninformed, I am not “anti-multisite.” Yet, my expereince is that if you are not filled with breathless enthusiasm for every innovation, you must be against it. Such is… -
New Thoughts About Leadership Development
tonymorganlive.com17 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://tonymorganlive.com/feed/atom/ Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
A Radically Ancient Way to Plant Churches
Jesus Dust13 Jun 2013 | 5:23 pmI've begun my dissertation research on new Seattle churches, and was delighted to discover this uniquely simple, beautiful, and compelling approach by the Christ-followers behind www.communitydinners.com. This Pentecostal church asked themselves "what would Jesus be doing in our neighborhood" and has begun taking steps toward offering free community meals in all of the 27 walking villages of -
Handling the “It’s too loud” complaint
Proclaim Blog18 Jun 2013 | 8:05 amAt some point, every pastor will face criticism about music volume. A few preemptive steps will go a long way to prepare you for the inevitable noise complaint. Use a dB meter to collect data Noise complaints are usually subjective, made on feeling or impression. It’s important to measure the sound in the auditorium for both frequency and overall volume so you can respond with a scientific measurement. The metric used to measure volume is called a decibel (dB). Some common benchmarks are: 0 dB: rustling leaves 60 dB: conversation 85 dB: city traffic 100 dB: stock earphones at maximum…
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Church Marketing Sucks
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Church Signs: Tips for Secondary Exterior Signs
19 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amSo someone has driven by your primary sign, been intrigued and impressed, and they’re coming to your church. What do you tell them now? Once you have people actually on your campus, your next job is to keep them there. What we’ll call “secondary signs” do that. Signs that show people where to park, how to get in the building, whether or not you have a shuttle and/or multiple buildings, where they can take their children, what events are going on, maybe a sermon series that’s coming up… you know, the nuts and bolts of what you actually do. Some churches are larger than others… -
Start: Punch Fear in the Face… by Jon Acuff
18 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amJon Acuff’s new book, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters, has the longest subtitle of any book published in the last 32 years. But even with all those words on the cover, I was skeptical. Jon’s a youngish guy and pretty well known as a satirist. (No that’s not a typo for Satanist, although some who’ve been ridiculed by his web series and book, Stuff Christians Like, might not agree) There are so many self-help books out there. We don’t need pep-talks, and people in your church don’t need more pats on the back. Are we tracking? But there are two… -
Getting Started: David Hansen
17 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amDavid Hansen is the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill, an ELCA congregation located six miles outside the small town of Brenham, Texas. We’re talking rural church. They’re a mid-size, inter-generational congregation. This is David’s first church and he’s been there for seven years. Born and raised a pastor’s kid in the Lutheran church, David handles communication for his congregation as well as pitching in for the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. He helps other pastors with digital media, teaches workshops and participates in the weekly Church… -
Church Marketing Lab Round Up
14 Jun 2013 | 6:37 amI believe it was Ken Blanchard that said, “feedback is the breakfast of champions.” I happen to agree. The collective wisdom in the Church Marketing Lab is a very helpful way to grow in your design skills. Below are a few recent posts in the Lab: Be sure to jump over to the Lab and post your work, or stop by and leave some feedback for others. -
Church Signs: Tips for Your Primary Exterior Sign
12 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amIf you’ve ever driven by a church with a clever saying on its marquee, you know how important a sign can be. “Call 911: This Church is On Fire!” “Exercise Daily: Walk with the Lord.” “Exposure to the Son May Prevent Burning.” All of these signs say different things about their church: “We’re charismatic.” “We’re devoted.” “We believe in hell.” Or “We like cheesy slogans!” (for more on this rich vein, check out Temptation Bangs Forever: The Worst Church Signs You’ve Ever Seen). Of course, that’s not nearly everything there is to know, but for…
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Greg Atkinson
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Church Signs: A Follow Up to Yesterday’s Post
18 Jun 2013 | 2:53 amI posted the crazy sign yesterday and am blogging about this subject today because it’s one of my pet peeves. I can’t stand cheesy church signs. I know my friend, Ed Stetzer, posts funny and outrageous church signs each week and I enjoy laughing at them, but this hit too close to home when one of my church members asked me to use our road sign like this. She sent me an email with a bunch of cheesy church sign sayings and asked me to consider using our church sign in this way. I politely said, “No.” and that we were going in a different direction with our sign. We… -
This is Why I Stay Away From the King James Version
17 Jun 2013 | 2:32 amThanks to my friend Phil Cooke for showing me this. Sometimes you just got to laugh. -
Father’s Day Resources
12 Jun 2013 | 1:12 amWe’re showing a video this Sunday at my church (like we did on Mother’s Day). On Mother’s Day, we showed the video from Skit Guys. I love the Father’s Day video from Skit Guys, but we thought it was too similar to the Mother’s Day one. So, we’re going to show Hard to Say by my friends at Igniter Media. It’s a great video featuring my friend, Trent. Take a look: What are you doing at your church? -
Apple Introducing iOS 7 – Official Video
11 Jun 2013 | 1:12 am -
Have You Heard of CREATIONSWAP?
7 Jun 2013 | 7:29 amRecently I came across a resource website called CREATIONSWAP. I forwarded it on to my worship pastor and didn’t think much more about it. I went into his office one day as he was working on our pre and post-service slides (they’re really sharp) and he was using the free graphics and artwork on this website. He said it was a tremendous resource and he highly recommended it. So, I thought I share it with you if you haven’t heard of it. Check them out!
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churchrelevance.com
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I am going to live in an RV.
8 Jun 2013 | 4:43 pmMy family and I are going to live in an RV full-time. We expected this would happen eventually, but we have been prayerfully waiting for when we’ve felt God’s permission to transition to such a lifestyle. Living in an RV will allow me to travel and form relationships that will be key to the next phase of Open Church. A foundation for Open Church. My work with Open Church has definitely been long, tedious, and humbling. There have been many times it’s felt like God has hit the brakes on it and forced me to take baby steps. It is hard to put the last 3 years into words, but… -
7 Critical Areas for Church Security (free ebook)
22 May 2013 | 4:12 amWe hear stories of shootings, child abusers, and natural disasters, but what should we do when they come to church? ACTIVE Faith has a free ebook exploring some practical steps. We need to approach this with biblical wisdom. We cannot and should not ever underestimate the power of prayer. We must pray against opposition from both spiritual warfare and mankind’s sinfulness. I believe prayer thwarts harm more often than we realize. We agree on prayer for safety, but what is our responsibility to prepare for safety? The story of Nehemiah is one of prayer, pragmatism, and faith. In Nehemiah… -
The Matthew Henry KJV Study Bible by Hendrickson Publishers
20 May 2013 | 2:00 pmHendrickson Publishers has merged the King James Bible with my favorite commentary to create The Matthew Henry KJV Study Bible. Completed in 1611, the King James Version has been the translation of choice among many Christians over the past 400 years. However, today’s KJV Bibles are almost exclusively the edited text of the 1769 edition of the KJV. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the… -
What global Church app should top developers create?
17 May 2013 | 11:33 amOn June 28-30, 2013 in Silicon Valley, the Code for the Kingdom hackathon will take place with technologists from companies from Silicon Valley and beyond working together to create the next big tech tools for God’s Kingdom. But the questions is… If you had access to over 100 of the best technologists in the country, what Kingdom challenge would you ask them to address? You can submit your challnge via the Code for the Kingdom survey. And if you are a technologist wanting to take part, visit CodeForTheKingdom.com for more information. -
Church Website Headers & Navigation Guide + 30 Examples
15 May 2013 | 3:45 amThe backbone of a church website is its navigation. A poor navigation obscures the content and loses visitors, but a well-designed navigation will streamline the user experience by giving what they need when they need it. Here are the latest trends in good church website navigation and headers. Logo: Horizontal orientation. On the Left. Links to Home. Most websites place their logo in the top left corner. The center (with navigation on either side) is also a viable option, such as in the case of Terra Nova. Tips include: Link logo to home page: Even if you choose to have “Home” as…
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djchuang.com
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Where to Build a Free Church Website
15 Jun 2013 | 6:22 pmThere are a few options for churches to get a basic church website built via self-serve without having to installing software or use a credit card. Here is a list of online website builder platforms that specifically serve churches and ministries: Churchuna - ”a WordPress-powered web publishing platform, created especially for the church” - free level has 50 MB storage space; paid level starts at £8.33/month *invitation only* City Gates “beautiful website that’s simple to manage. City Gates combines powerful web tools, ease of use, and great design” -… -
Why doing a multisite church is challenging
5 Jun 2013 | 2:37 pmNo models are perfect. Some are helpful. The multisite church model — one church in multiple locations — was an innovation that’s become the new normal for American churches and other countries around the world in recent years. And a recent conversation sparked this epiphany – that using a multisite strategy is not easy. Yes, there are a number of advantages to doing multisite, like bringing ministry closer to where people lived, reaching people across a broader geography, leveraging what’s already successful to breed more success, to name a few. And there are… -
Dashboard to keep track of frequent flyer miles
23 May 2013 | 6:34 pmSo much information to keep track of, and that’s just how it is in the 21st century digital age, and all the more for travelers and road warriors on the go. Each airline has their own frequent flyer miles program and some of them share miles or points across their own network. And I was just wondering, how to keep track of all of those, sorta like the way Mint.com and PersonalCapital.com tracks personal finances across multiple accounts, like how LastPass.com keeps track of multiple logins and passwords. Here’s what I found for viewing all your airline frequent flyer miles in one… -
How to be effective by having no agenda
8 May 2013 | 3:11 pmI enjoy meeting all kinds of people and it’s easy for me to talk with people without an agenda. I love to get to know people by sharing our stories with each other, talking about what we’re working on, and explore how to help one another in life. But, I have to confess, I get easily confused about these “networking” opportunities, when I read tweets like these: “The best way to convince people you don’t have an agenda is to not have an agenda.” — Kip Jacob via @Qideas “It’s great to have good friends who truly love me and don’t… -
difference between Western and Chinese educational approaches
17 Apr 2013 | 5:55 pmAre there different approaches to learning? Of course. Here in the US of A, that’d be most obviously public vs private schools, and then there are homeschoolers and Montessori schools. Plus, there’s different ways of learning in different cultures, as aptly outlined in this op-ed by David Brooks The Learning Virtues – In the Western understanding, students come to school with levels of innate intelligence and curiosity. Teachers try to further arouse that curiosity in specific subjects. There’s a lot of active learning — going on field trips, building things. There’s…
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RHETT SMITH
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The Marital Tension of Come Close, Get Away
17 Jun 2013 | 5:35 amOver the last few weeks I have found myself reading this passage out loud in premarital counseling to several different couples. This passage has always resonated with me as I think this struggle between dependence and independence is at the core of many marital difficulties…and is central to the possibility of major growth in the marriage as well. “It seems to me that the conflict which marriage uncovers is always essentially this same one: it is always some version of this tension between the needs for dependence and for independence, between the urge toward loving cooperation… -
The Journey of Forgiveness
13 Jun 2013 | 9:20 amThe issue of forgiveness is a huge issue in every marriage. Whether the issue seems small (hurt feelings), or really large (an affair), forgiveness is something that is part of every marriage. How does one seek forgiveness? How does one grant forgiveness? Though I know this journey does not follow simple steps, I do like the model that Prepare Enrich lays out for couples. (Thanks to Rodney Hunt for posting this over at his blog, Marriage Monday — Forgiveness prevents resentment in your marriage.) Six Steps for Seeking Forgiveness: 1. Admit what you did was wrong or hurtful. 2. Try to… -
Fathers: How Much Time Do You Spend With Your Kids?
10 Jun 2013 | 5:04 amFathers…how much time to you spend with your kids? I was intrigued by the article in the New York Times this last week, The Triumph of the Working Mother. Though there are parts of the article I would want to know more about and may dispute, what I found most intriguing was the following statement: “What about the kids? As more wives took jobs between 1965 and 1985, the time mothers spent with children decreased. But since 1985, both mothers and fathers have increased their time with children. Employed moms spend fewer hours per week with their children than stay-at-home mothers,… -
The Meaning of a Word is “Embedded in the Story”?
6 Jun 2013 | 5:38 am“Dictionaries are wonderful tools and we would be the poorer without them, but in Gospel matters they are among the lesser helps. The reason is that everything in the Gospel is personal, relational, and embodied in particulars. There are no generalities. Every word is embedded in the Story and, in the most comprehensive sense, incarnate in Jesus, “the word made flesh.” Isolated in a dictionary a word has no context and therefore no relationship, no “flesh.” For those of us who are interested in living the truth and not just acquiring information, it is necessary to discover the… -
Video: “What it Means to be a Man” — Chapter 1: The Making of Men
4 Jun 2013 | 12:25 pmSeveral weeks ago I started a video series on my new book, What it Means to be a Man: God’s Design for Us in a World Full of Extremes. I began with an introduction to the book, and today I talk about Chapter 1: Archetypes — The Making of Men. In this video I talk about the four male archetypes most often talked about in literature and seen in our culture. They are the: King Warrior Sage Lover It didn’t matter if the source was Christian or secular, these four archetypes emerged time and time again. Which male archetype do you most try and define your life by? What if God…
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Jesus Dust
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A Radically Ancient Way to Plant Churches
13 Jun 2013 | 5:23 pmI've begun my dissertation research on new Seattle churches, and was delighted to discover this uniquely simple, beautiful, and compelling approach by the Christ-followers behind www.communitydinners.com. This Pentecostal church asked themselves "what would Jesus be doing in our neighborhood" and has begun taking steps toward offering free community meals in all of the 27 walking villages of -
A Tribute to Dallas Willard: "God doesn't mumble"
8 May 2013 | 7:41 pmIn the wake of Dallas Willard's passing into the fullness of the Kingdom of God he proclaimed as available now, I offer this tribute, highlighting one of the many lessons I learned from him. As twenty-somethings are wont to do, I was contemplating my future. I had recently discerned that it was time for me to leave my role as a small groups pastor to head back to school and pursue a PhD. -
Is Missional Good for Us? or Is Missional Life Abundant Life?
15 Mar 2013 | 3:21 pmI’ve been a Christian as long as I can remember, but one of the important moments in my faith life was when I was in ninth grade… I had always been a good kid, but that year it came to my attention that being a Christian wasn’t like being white or Korean, it wasn’t something that you were just born with, but something more like being a soccer player—something that you actually do. And the first -
Identity and Practice in New Churches: My Dissertation Proposal in Brief
6 Mar 2013 | 6:40 amI'm officially ABD (all but dissertation) which means I'm being asked regularly what my dissertation is on. Here's a shortened version of the "statement of the problem" from my prospectus. At the beginning of the 21st century in the U.S., despite historically low confidence in organized religion and the rise of the “Nones,” new churches and new forms of church are springing up across the -
John Wesley's Doctrine of Salvation (and Perfection)
11 Feb 2013 | 6:34 amI. Introduction “At the same time, justified and sinner.” This is Luther’s appraisal of the Christian condition. Wesley, who owed much to Luther for his doctrine of justification by faith, stressed that the Christian must be not only justified, but sanctified. In the following post I show how Wesley defines salvation as the entire process which begins at conversion and is completed after
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Eric Bryant - Blog
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Overcome the Past to Create a Better Future (6/19 Opportunities)
18 Jun 2013 | 8:10 pmAre you ready to overcome the past to create a better future? Is it time to become who you were created to be? Tired of going in circles? Frustrated with a life of mediocrity? If so, join us in the journey to become fruitful – being transformed and helping others experience transformation. Jesus gives us insight on this path in Matthew 13 in the parable of the soils. Here are some opportunities to help you move forward: Coffee Talk at 10am Wed (6/19) live at www.gatewaychurch.com/coffeetalk Third Wednesday (6/19) at 7pm at Gateway’s McNeil Campus - join us for a powerful… -
Becoming Tenacious (The Dirty Truth Part Two)
16 Jun 2013 | 5:17 amThis month at Gateway in Austin, we are walking through a process to become who we are created to be in a series called: “The Dirty Truth.” Join us at 10am on Wednesday for a follow up conversation on this topic at http://live.gatewaychurch.com. Below you will find the following: the message I shared at the McNeil campus an overview of becoming who we were created to be the steps needed to become someone who does not give up The Dirty Truth – Tenacity | June 16, 2013 from Gateway Church on Vimeo. Today we are discussing overcoming trials. Often the challenges we face can… -
How Do We Know God Cares? (re-post)
15 Jun 2013 | 5:46 amIn light of the tragedy we see all around us, how do we know God cares? I shared a message at Gateway Community Church in Austin called “How Do You Know God Cares?” You can watch here: Here is some of what I shared: We all face trials and challenges. When we suffer, we cannot help but wonder if God even cares about us. Some have rejected God completely because of the suffering they have experienced or the suffering they see others endure. After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011, Martin Bashir interviewed a well-known Christian author and speaker. The earthquake had… -
Strengths Finder Workshop @G8wayAustin (June 23)
14 Jun 2013 | 8:25 amJoin us for a great opportunity to connect and discover your uniqueness! The StrengthsFinder Workshop is for anyone – no matter where you are in their spiritual journey. WHEN: June 23, 2013 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm WHERE: McNeil Campus COST: cost of the assessment or the book which includes an assessment code Discover your strengths and how to maximize your relationships with them. These five themes will provide clarity around how you were uniquely designed, will help focus your future choices, and help you know how to serve others more effectively. The workshop is free except for the cost… -
Career Exploration Workshop
13 Jun 2013 | 7:45 pmAs part of our efforts to help you become who you are created to be, one of our Gatewayers who is a counselor is offering a fantastic opportunity! CAREER EXPLORATION GROUP | Tuesdays, 7pm @ MonkeyNest Coffee Shop, Private Room (5353 Burnet Road 78756) Starts June 18th Whether you are unhappy with your current job, in between jobs, graduating and starting your career, or just want to learn more about yourself, you could benefit from this 6-week group. The workshop includes a variety of activities and assessments to help you better understand values, personality, spiritual gifts, and…
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Kindle Prayers
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Pray with me for the salvation of my marriage
18 Jun 2013 | 8:10 pmPlease pray with me to the Lord, for the protection, salvation, and restoration of my marriage with my spouse so that in His time we may be able to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. Please pray with me that my spouse will be protected by Jesus' Most Precious Blood, against all evil, against all harm, that the Lord will turn my spouse's heart of stone into a loving heart that will seek the Lord and will seek for the reconciliation of our marriage, that no annulment case may prosper, that we may forgive all those who have added hurt into our broken relationship, that no person, thing, or… -
Worldly Conversion of Atheists
13 Jun 2013 | 10:19 pmI pray for: Worldly Conversion of Atheists, World Leaders, Rebellious sinners, Children, Adolescents and all other religious followers. So that they may believe in God/Jesus and repent for their sins. Through God's divine intervention and influence, amen. -
HEALTH AND HEALING
13 Jun 2013 | 1:21 pmPray for my grand mother who is paralysed from last 10 months, and now suffering with cough and breathing problems. she is almost 90 years old. Keep her in your prayers for healing and touching! -
Need my husband
13 Jun 2013 | 1:18 pmLord I ask that my husband decides to choose me over his mistress And that he realizes I make him happier than she does Lord please I beg you to reunite us I miss him so desperately and,he keeps playing all these games he always acts as if were a couple but at night returns to her Lord let him kick her out so he only has me to return to at night. And Lord I ask you to give me strength to help me to stop the self-mutilation let me br strong enough to endure the mental,pain instead of trying to numb with physical and bring,me back from theedge of,suicide Lord because I don't know what else more… -
HEART BROKEN
13 Jun 2013 | 1:17 pmPraise the Lord! Dear Brothers and sisters,please pray for me,Im heart broken after 2 years relation broken because of sins,deceive,lies from other side ,but he wants me still and my parents not willing. I'm following God , obeying him and his commands. Im trying so much to follow him and keep myself pure and not fall into bad decisions . Please pray for my life , I don't know where it will go ,but i trust in Lord. I'm in so much pain,my life is very complicated and hard to express. I need your prayers.
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ChuckWarnock.com
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Sermon: Re-digging Our Fathers’ Wells
15 Jun 2013 | 6:24 pmI am preaching this sermon on Father’s Day, June 16, 2013. I hope your Father’s Day celebration is wonderful. Re-digging Our Fathers’ Wells Genesis 26:18 NIV 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them […] -
Father’s Day Sermon Idea
13 Jun 2013 | 7:03 amThis is my dad speaking to his Sunday School class at his 90th birthday party. On this Fathers’ Day I am departing from the revised common lectionary reading for this Sunday. Instead, I’m preaching from Genesis 26:18 NIV – 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the […] -
Sermon: Knocking Down Barriers To the Presence of God
1 Jun 2013 | 4:46 pmTomorrow, Sunday, June 2, 2013, our church will dedicate a new handicapped lift that we recently installed. The lift eliminates the need to climb 7 steps to get into our sanctuary from the educational building. Although we have a wheelchair ramp at the front doors of the church, those 7 stairs were the last barrier […] -
Sermon: What Is The Trinity and Why Should We Care?
25 May 2013 | 5:00 pmTomorrow is Trinity Sunday. This is a great opportunity to help one another experience the uniqueness and importance of the doctrine of the Trinity, and the Triune work of God. I hope your Sunday will be wonderful! What is the Trinity and Why Should We Care? John 16:12-15 NIV 12 “I have much more to […] -
Sermon: Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice
20 Apr 2013 | 6:16 pmIf you have ever been captivated by the stories of those who heard the voice of God, then today’s lectionary reading will appeal to you. This is the sermon I’m preaching on how those of us who aren’t mystics can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd today. I hope your congregation will hear the […]
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Prodigal Magazine
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Facing Death Has Renewed My Mind
19 Jun 2013 | 2:00 amMy first memory of encountering death in my life was when I was 6 years old. I remember my mom explaining to me that I wouldn’t be seeing my Nanny anymore because she died. Not understanding what that meant, I remember being mad at my mom for not letting me see her anymore. But then I remember crying myself to sleep that night saying, “I don’t want to die.” Ever since then I have experienced many family members and friends pass away, leaving me more afraid of the day it would be my turn. When a good friend of mine passed away in a car accident on my 15th birthday, I remember being… -
My Hurt Turned To Anger
18 Jun 2013 | 2:00 amI was in the eighth grade when it happened, and I’ve barely thought about it since then. That is, until the other day when I got a look from my husband. It was stupid, really. He didn’t mean anything by it. I made a comment that was a little off-hand (probably not the brightest thing I had ever said) and by the time I caught myself it was too late. He looked at me and laughed, playfully. Suddenly, I was back in the eighth grade, back to a memory I thought I had long since forgotten, where I pushed my way through the heavy, swinging doors of the library and found a small crowd of peers… -
When You Can’t See Jesus in 3D
17 Jun 2013 | 2:00 am“I can’t see it,” I sigh, slowly pulling the card away from my face, my eyes trained on the blurred image. “It’s there,” says my husband, “you just have to look beyond the actual picture.” I’m attempting to see Jesus buried in the 3-D Magic Eye postcard my kids brought home from Sunday school. I’ve tried eight times, and so far, I see nothing but a kaleidoscope of colors. “Hold the front of this postcard right up to your nose,” the directions state. “Then very slowly move it away from your face. Try not to blink. A 3D hidden image will magically appear.” I try… -
I Quit When It Gets Hard
14 Jun 2013 | 2:00 amIn seventh grade I decided to try out for track. It seemed easier than the various other sports which required coordination. All I had to do was run, right? So I walked up to the starting line in my “blue’s and grays,” colors representing my commitment to school spirit, and along along with fifty other thirteen year olds, sized up my competition. I wasn’t the chubbiest, or even the least athletic. Surely sprinting one hundred yards would be simple. Surely, I would be good at this. I pictured myself taking off as the whistle blew, lunging forward with unexpected power, while all my… -
The Call From My Dad That Changed Everything
13 Jun 2013 | 2:00 amThe phone rang, and it was him, my dad, whom I haven’t talked to in over 2 years. To be quite honest, I didn’t know quite what to say. I wasn’t expecting his call. So I just listened, without trying to fix him. I was glad that he called after so many years, and thankful that I was finally emotionally prepared to receive the call from him. My Dad is a man of passion, creativity, entertainment, compassion, sensitivity and amazing talent, but inside of him you’ll also find addiction, rage, anger, insecurity, bitterness, un-forgiveness and the inability to express his feelings.
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FredMcKinnon.ComFredMcKinnon.Com | Christian, Husband & Dad, Leader, Musician, Entrepreneur
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Worship Recap: Home, Horns, and Accordion
11 Jun 2013 | 4:08 amHey gang, Here’s a quick recap of the setlist from this past Sunday at SSCC. I’m posting our songs in participation with the “Sunday Setlists” event hosted by TheWorshipCommunity.Com each week. We had a really fun Sunday and had lots of comments about the music. I’m enjoying the ability to use some other musicians and singers during these first few months of summer that typically would be serving back in the children’s areas. They are taking a few weeks off before vamping into their summer series so it’s great to have new faces. We opened with a… -
That Kid in the Pew (God of Grace and God of Glory)
8 Jun 2013 | 6:37 amI grew up in church. United Methodist, actually. We sang hymns. We had an organ and piano. (see my tribute to our organist and my piano teacher for twelve years, Cue Herndon) Sometimes we had trumpet. (Still think of Clark Jensen and hope he’s playing trumpet in heaven). Eventually we even got handbells. I even played them a few times, despite nearly shattering the big “G” bell. I got ejected from that rehearsal, actually. One would think I didn’t pay much attention. One would think that I was too young to be in “big church” but in those… -
Parents: 2 Secret Advantages for Your Kids
29 May 2013 | 3:49 amIn an earlier post I mentioned how proud I was that our kid made the Honor’s Program at his school. On top of that, I was proud that all of the boys in my little discipleship group (called a 707) were also in the program. I told Joy (my wife) that we had an advantage because all of these kids had one thing in common: parents who were involved and cared. Not all of the kids have Mom & Dad married and living in the same home, but they do all have parents who love them and care. We realized that in today’s society, especially in public schools, this can be a huge advantage. … -
Worship Recap (Sunday May 26)
26 May 2013 | 8:50 amHowdy Gang, It’s been a few weeks since I posted our weekly recap from our worship services at SSCC. I am posting this week in connection with the Sunday Setlists event hosted by TheWorshipCommunity.Com where worship leaders share their musical sets from all over the country. We just had a great worship service and enjoyed a powerful time of musical praise and worship. Sometimes I think I take for granted how amazing our team of musicians and singers are. This was one of the easiest weeks in quite some time. Our rehearsal went very smoothly and the blend of instruments and… -
Leadership: Widening the Circle
23 May 2013 | 8:32 am707 Groups A local ministry here called The Gathering Place started these “707 Groups” years ago. Originally called 707 because they start around 7:07 in the morning before school. It’s a way for middle and high school kids to be in small discipleship groups. When my oldest son entered middle school I decided to step up and co-lead one of these groups. Little did I realize I’d have a dozen 6th grade boys. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get even FIVE short minutes of serious talk with a dozen 6th grade boys in the morning? Nevertheless, I love…
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Worship Ministry Catalyst
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David Crowder – All This For A King – Giveaway
22 May 2013 | 8:13 amIf you didn’t read the review of the album, you might want to go check that out. If you’re worried that this is just a way to make more money off of David Crowder now that he’s done, I want you to know that there is a new song on there that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Besides, even if you have all the songs, you’ll want to listen to them again. If you don’t have them, this is your chance to get all the best songs that you probably didn’t realize were his songs! So, join in the giveaway and spread the word! Giveaway details a Rafflecopter giveaway -
David Crowder – All This For A King – Essential Collection
21 May 2013 | 8:00 amThe worship world was devastated when David Crowder let us all know that this would be the last album. But there is good news, he is not completely done. Today the “Essential Collection” is being released, which you can purchase on iTunes. Of course, on this album, you have all the favorites that many of us know and love. The songs we have led our congregations in for years and years now. Songs like: O Praise Him (All this for a King – the name of the album), Our Love is Loud, How He Loves, You Alone and Here is our King (which we just did on Sunday at our church). But,… -
We’re still around! (And a giveaway…)
20 May 2013 | 11:01 pmWe haven’t been super active online in a few months. And I wanted to let you know why. First, we want to let you know that we’re still around! You can’t get away from us that easily! Second, there is a reason for the break. I (David) took a position at a church as a Lead Pastor as well as Worship. I started just after the latest post before this one. So, I’ve been working hard trying to figure out how to do all that and worship at the same time. Third, all my recording stuff is at home (as regular listeners know), which is a good half hour drive away from church. But,… -
Acts 2 to U2 – What is the Purpose of the Church and How Do We Get Back?
29 Jan 2013 | 7:30 am(Yes I realize U2 isn’t the chart-topping machine they used to be, but I like the alliteration and what not…) In episode 0124 of the podcast, we talked about the purpose of the church and how it affects our worship ministry. I wanted to follow up that episode in hopes to get some conversation going about how we should be doing church as opposed to how we are doing church. What is the Purpose of Church? When we look at the Bible what do we see as the purpose of the church? The Great Commission The Great Commandment/Worship The Second Greatest Commandment Authentic Community/Love… -
WMC – 0124 – What is the Whole Point of Church (And your Worship Ministry?)
28 Jan 2013 | 8:00 amWhat is the reason we bother with church? And why does the way we do church affect how we do worship ministry? These are some of the questions we begin to deal with in this episode of the podcast. Why don’t you chime in? TWITTER: @wmcatalyst FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/worshipministrycatalyst VOICEMAIL: 360 818 – 4339 Email: david@worshipministrycatalyst.com or kevin@worshipministrycatalyst.com Don’t forget you can subscribe to our podcast through iTunes as well. Show Notes & Links: - If you would like more information on having someone give you this outside…
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Christian Web Trends Blog
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Is Government Spying Impacting Search?
19 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amIn this month’s SEO update, we’ll look at how the government program, Prism, is impacting search. In addition, we’ll see what the past month has revealed about Google’s Penguin 2.0 update and review some other updates that have happened in the search engines, including an important update regarding mobile search. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBH2RvaA7nY “Hi, I’m Kurt Steinbrueck, director of marketing services with OurChurch.Com, and I’m here with this month’s SEO update…” Click here for a full transcript. Summary: Google Penguin Update not… -
Why Every Church Should Have a Blog
18 Jun 2013 | 8:53 amThere was a time when blogs were considered the domain of the uber-geeky and ultra-tech-savvy. But thanks to platforms like Hubpages and WordPress, blogging has become as intuitive as tying your shoes. As a result, this amazing social medium is now available to everyone who wishes to put it to good use. Churches should be using every possible method to reach people for Christ. Unfortunately, it seems as though many churches are falling behind when it comes to their web-presence. God has allowed some amazing technology to enter our world, it is our responsibility to be good stewards of… -
7 Ways Facebook and Social Media can Strengthen Your Spiritual Life
14 Jun 2013 | 6:57 amThere’s no shortage of people bashing Facebook specifically and social media in general as contributors to narcissism, time-wasting, gossip, inappropriate relationships and more. So, it’s nice to see posts such as the one posted by Josh Riley on worship.com earlier this week that speak to the positive impact social media can have on ones spiritual life. Josh highlights 5 specific benefits: Accountability Heart Analysis Encouragement Evangelism Discernment You can read more about each of these in Josh’s full post. I would add at least 2 others to the list: Learning/Ideas –… -
Communications Strategy Survey Results Show Struggles & Opportunities
13 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amThe results from the Communications Strategy Survey are in. And while they indicate many organizations are struggling to develop a communications strategy, they also indicate many people within those organizations see the value of a communications strategy and are motivated to improve or develop theirs. No Strategy The most notable finding is that only 25% of respondents indicated their organization has a written communications strategy. That means 75% of organizations are sailing their communications ship without a map. No wonder so many communicators are feeling confused and overwhelmed by… -
Spotlight: All People’s Church, Brampton ON
7 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amGod is the God of all people. Jesus died for all people, no matter their race, cultural background, language, economic situation, or any other distinction. So, the church’s work is to reach out to all people, but this is not an easy task. How do you connect to the people of an area when their cultural perspective and even their language may differ? It’s not easy, but some church’s are taking on the challenge. All People’s Church: As their name suggests, All People’s Church in Brampton, Ontario, Canada is one of those churches who have taken on the…
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Ron Edmondson
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12 Leadership Principles of Jesus That Inspire Me
19 Jun 2013 | 3:55 amThere are many leaders I admire who have influenced my own leadership. I admire the teachings on leadership by guys like John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, and Patrick Lencioni. There are leaders from my personal life such as a former pastor, a former boss, a high school principal and leaders in my own community who have influenced me as I have watched their leadership. I also love to learn from a great athletic coach. I have been known to choose the teams I support by the coach that leads them. I love leadership. It is so needed these days; especially in our churches. The principles, however, that… -
7 Things that Keep a Pastor from Leading Well
18 Jun 2013 | 3:40 amIn my talks with pastors and ministry leaders, I hear some repeated themes. One common theme is that they have a story of a failed leadership experience. Their first church. The church experience that went bad. Or, many times their current ministry and that’s the reason for our conversation. They grew (or are growing) from the time, but looking back, they wish they had known then what they know now. You’ve probably got some of those learning experiences too. It may have been an incident or the entire time in that ministry, but there were critical errors that kept you and the… -
The 7 Best Excuses We Make
17 Jun 2013 | 3:50 amThere’s always an excuse if we’re looking for one. I’ve made so many. Even when we are certain God has called us to something, we will stall because an excuse is always near. Most excuses seem reasonable at first glance. Common sense even. But, following a dream, especially a God-inspired, God-sized dream, always requires a certain level of risk. Walking by faith. Stepping into the unknown. Overcoming excuses. Are you stalling? Maybe you’re even running out of another good excuse. If an opportunity is still staring you in the face, let me help. Here are 7 of the best… -
A Dad Loves Uniquely From Any Other Love…
16 Jun 2013 | 3:55 amA dad loves uniquely from any other love. A dad often shares a quieter love, marveling at his children on the inside, yet expressing it differently than mom. A dad may act silly. Wear funny clothes. And never change his hairstyle, use the same corny jokes or actions, inaudibly enjoying the teasing it brings from his kids and because he loves the sound of his children laughing. A dad will often stand back, watching as mom dotes, often even pretending he thinks she dotes too much, but so glad that mom dotes on his children. A dad may pretend to be tough, when really, he’s only a big puppy… -
It’s Not About The Nail…
15 Jun 2013 | 7:05 pmI’ve seen this shared a dozen times or more now…all my friends have posted it by now… But, in case you missed it… Classic The post It’s Not About The Nail… appeared first on Ron Edmondson. Related posts: Focus on the Family, John 3:16 Commercial Witnessing to Family and Friends I Missed the Party, Because I’m an Introvert The 5th Type of Mentor
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EdStetzer.com
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Morning Roundup 06/19/13
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amWestboro Baptist Protests Limited; Crystal Cathedral Fire Sale; Christian Persecution; Church Membership Westboro Baptist Church, which is neither Baptist not a church, is being limited in its right to disrupt funerals. I'm a big defender of religious rights, but I am glad to hear that families will be protected from such protests. Westboro Baptist Church, protesters can't go within 300 feet of funerals — Washington Times I've been praying for Bobby Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral. I hope you are as well. Crystal Cathedral Ministries Holds Moving Sale — Christian… -
Multisite Evolution
18 Jun 2013 | 8:31 amWhat Should Be The New Normal For Multisite Churches? Whatever your opinion of multisite may be, there can be no doubt it is the new normal. No longer just a trend, they now number more than 5,000 churches. Multisite churches have even grown faster than megachurches. In fact, last year, 62 of the 100 fastest growing churches in America are multisite. Though I've been occasionally cast in that light by the uninformed, I am not “anti-multisite.” Yet, my expereince is that if you are not filled with breathless enthusiasm for every innovation, you must be against it. Such is… -
Morning Roundup 06/18/13
18 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amCompassion International; Wycliffe; Church Planting My family has sponsored two different children with Compassion and we were encouraged to see research that showed its impact. If you are so inclined, you might also sponsor a child: find out more here. Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child — Bruce Wydick I'm encouraged to see the willingness of Wycliffe to undergo a process of review, their response, and now the response of the Assemblies of God. Wycliffe No Longer Faces Boycott by 12,700 Churches — Christianity Today Recently on The Exchange, I joined Bob Coy to discuss… -
Christ-Centered Hermeneutics
17 Jun 2013 | 9:00 amDaniel Block on Christ-Centered Preaching This is the first installment in a series of posts examining Christ-Centered hermeneutics. I have asked several leading theologians to examine and discuss Christ-Centered preaching over the next few weeks. Dr. Daniel Block (Wheaton College) Dr. David Murray (Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) Dr. Walt Kaiser (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) Dr. Bryan Chapell (Grace Presbyterian in Peoria, IL) We will also post sections of a discussion panel between me, Trevin Wax, Dr. Eric Hankins, and Dr. Jon Akin that was hosted by The Gospel Project. This… -
Morning Roundup 06/17/13
17 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amHate Mail; Liberal Media; Church Culture; The Role of the Evangelist David Murray, who I've had the privilege of getting to know around mental health issues [link], has a great article on dealing with critics. Haters Gonna Hate: How to Deal with 3 Kinds of Hate Mail — David Murray Sandra Glahn of Dallas Seminary drops a well-needed truth bomb. I wonder if most evangelicals will heed her advice. How to Influence “The Liberal Media” — Sandra Glahn TWax once again brings the truth. 4 Questions to Check Your Church Culture — Trevin Wax Recently on The Exchange,…
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tonymorganlive.com
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“7 Deadly Sins of Leadership” and Other Articles to Get You Unstuck
18 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://tonymorganlive.com/feed/atom/ Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
New Thoughts About Leadership Development
17 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://tonymorganlive.com/feed/atom/ Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
The Strategy Book: An Interview with Max McKeown
13 Jun 2013 | 2:49 pmWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://tonymorganlive.com/feed/atom/ Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
Are You Preparing For Growth?
12 Jun 2013 | 9:19 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://tonymorganlive.com/feed/atom/ Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
Learn How To Play And Win The Numbers Game In Church
11 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://tonymorganlive.com/feed/atom/ Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us.
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Anne Jackson Writes
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And, We’re Off to the Philippines!
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amAs you read this, Tim and I are off to the Philippines. We’ll arrive around 10pm on Thursday, Philippines time, which is around 9am Thursday morning, CST. We’d like to thank you for your support with this little video and ask for your prayers as we get adjusted. We’ll update as soon as we can! Much love, Anne Click here to view the embedded video. -
The Fury of My Heart
18 Jun 2013 | 11:14 amThere is at least one spot in each of our hearts that lights up as fast as gasoline whenever that one thing happens. For you, it may be when your spouse has that look on his or her face and as soon as you see it, the torch flares inside you. It could be seeing someone else’s highlight reel in this virtual world where we peer through each others’ windows and expose ourselves without shame – either the Photoshopped good or the sensationalized bad. But the comparison we make as Peeping Toms yells at us and reminds us that our life is not nearly as special or bright or dark or… -
ANNOUNCEMENT: The Revised and Updated Re-Release of Mad Church Disease (+ more!)
17 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amBackstory: In 2005, because of the decisions she made to overwork herself and stay busy “doing” things for God and not “being” with Him, in combination with being in a toxic church environment, a girl named Anne found herself in the hospital for a week, a battery of tests tried to determine why there was so much inflammation in her digestive system. It wasn’t just that. She gained forty pounds in the two years she was serving in the church full time. She was having panic attacks and acid reflux and was on a diet of espresso and sleeping pills just so she could…
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Ragamuffin Soul
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So while I was in Vegas this weekend… This happened…
18 Jun 2013 | 2:44 pm“I think we can relate this back to education and how we are continuing to try to strive to (pause) figure out how to create jobs right now. That is the biggest problem and I think, especially the men, are um, seen as the leaders of this and so we need to try and figure out how to create education better so we can solve this problem.” She got a second chance to answer the question with 36 hours of prep here… What do you think? Stage Fright Or Spotlight Pointing At IQ? You’re Welcome… Los -
Stop Trying To Fill Your Hole
18 Jun 2013 | 8:29 amThere is a gaping hole in the middle of all of our Sunday services. We try to fill it with cool videos. We try and fill it with social justice. We try and fill it with tree hugging Christianity. We try and fill it with God is love. We try and fill it with unreal production. We try and fill it with life application. We try and fill it with smiles and winks. We try and fill it with hands raised and hearts seated. We try and fill it with Martin guitars and Orange amps. We try and fill it with “Go after the heart of God”‘s and “Lift up your voice”‘s We try and fill it with singing… -
We’re Not All That
17 Jun 2013 | 8:56 amHere’s the deal. After standing in a room last week with a hundred or so AMAZING people who all are “somebody” in Christendom, I realized again… It’s not who you know…It’s Who you serve. At the end of the day it is not about getting “the deal” At the end of the day it’s not about writing “the song” At the end of the day it’s not about meeting “the man” At the end of the day it’s not about your church hitting “that number” At the end of the day it’s not about speaking at “the conference” At the end of the day it’s not about writing “the book” At… -
If your husband beats you, and you leave him, I WANT you teaching my kids… But this woman got fired…
14 Jun 2013 | 12:55 pmI’ve got kids. 3. We homeschool them. Keds. Denim Jumpers. The whole shabang. But if they did go to a public school. It would be whatever public school this lady was teaching at. Why? Because I want teachers who don’t just say what the right thing to do is… But DO the right thing. And this lady, Carie Charlesworth, was beaten by her husband, so she left him. That’s who I want to teach my kids. But the school fired her because they are scared he may do something cray to her at the school. Um… This is ridiculous. I have an idea!!! How about keeping everyone with… -
Are We Relevant Enough? Screw Relevant…
13 Jun 2013 | 6:11 amI think we are asking the wrong question when we ask if the church is “relevant”. Screw relevant. People are done with relevant. Seriously. We are in a time a place where the world is waiting for an answer of Hope. And I can promise you this. Hope is not being sought after in relevance. Hope is being sought after in real relationships. So when you sit down in your next creative meeting, elder meeting, sermon planning meeting… Do you’re community a favor and don’t ask how you can make your next series or concept relevant. Instead ask how you can make your members and staff relational…
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Pomomusings
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1,500 Quotations for Preachers: A New Resource from Logos
10 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amOkay. Admit it. How many of you have been trying to find a quote that would go well in your sermon…or perhaps some of you have bulletins that often require a pithy quote that’s printed toward the beginning of the bulletin…hoping to give people a little something to think about while they wait for worship to begin…? I’ve been there before, and have ran straight to Google and typed in some lame search like “sermon justice quote really good.” It doesn’t really take you to the most relevant search results. A few weeks ago, I was given the chance to… -
The Sketchnote Typeface by Mike Rohde
4 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amSo I’ve continued to practice my sketchnoting, something I picked up a few months ago, thanks to Mike Rohde’s book “The Sketchnote Handbook.” It’s been fun and a great way to make the notes I take something I actually want to look at again sometime. Mike’s book was a super great entry point into the world of sketchnoting, and he’s a super supportive coach as well (he even linked to my post here on his Sketchnote Army site). So, I’m a fan of his. And then I just found out that he had recently released a typeface: The Sketchnote Typeface. Done… -
Animate: Kickstart Your Adult Discussion Groups
29 May 2013 | 6:00 amThis title of this post is misleading, but misleading in a good way. It’s misleading because I have used the seven-session Animate Faith education series for adults, college students and youth. Of course, I’ve tailored it for each group, but the DVDs and leader materials are so multipurpose that I’ve found really cool uses of this curriculum with many different groups that I work with. Animate Faith came out last summer, and our church used it as we kicked off our Adult Education class. We had a great turnout, and people really loved the curriculum. The videos were engaging… -
The Things That are Yet to Come…
27 May 2013 | 10:00 amThis sermon was preached on May 26, 2013 at the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland. My primary text was John 16:12-15. We are going to talk for just a bit today about truth. Congregational Discussion Question: First, what are some things that you know to be true…that you can say, without a shadow of doubt, are statements of “truth”? And how do you know those things to be true? Truth. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “truth” as “That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.” In accordance with fact or reality. So, how did our… -
Burning CDs and the Journey of Faith
27 May 2013 | 6:00 amYesterday when I preached at church, I talked about faith journeys. We are all certainly on our own unique journeys…and we can all look back at certain moments on our journey and just shake our heads a bit. I’ve had quite a few of those moments, but one of those happened the summer after I graduated high school. During July of 1998, a group of friends and I went off to Creation ’98, a giant Christian music festival at the Gorge at George. We went around headbanging at various concerts, heard speakers like Joshua Harris talk about how he “kissed dating goodbye” and…
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Tall Skinny Kiwi
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New Blog at tallskinnykiwi.com
3 Jun 2013 | 4:47 amThanks everyone for reading my old blog and walking with me for so long. It was an awsome and rewarding season. Come over to my new blog HQ at tallskinnykiwi.com and watch it grow into something. And please let me know where you are so I can follow your blogs also. -
Ten Years: Wordpress and me
27 May 2013 | 5:13 pmHave I really not blogged for a month . . . . . OOOPPPSSSS!!! Sorry everyone. I have been so busy building blogs for others that this blog has gone by the wayside. Actually, I intend to STOP this particular blog in a week's time, June 3, in fact. Tallskinnykiwi has been existing for ten years on the Typepad platform which happened when i switched from Blogger in 2003. Ten years is a long time and this blog is a large well containing thousands of posts and thousands of comments that I hope will act as a historical momento for future generations as well as a memory jogger for myself. But I… -
5 Events at Kirchentag you dont wanna miss
1 May 2013 | 2:31 amKirchentag Festival is off with a bang. Not sure how many people came out last night for the Opening Ceremony but estimates have been as high as 300,000. Who knows? Counting church people is a tricky affair, as I have blogged about before, so I will leave it to the experts. Here are my Best Bets for Internationals at Kirchentag 2013 1. Germany's Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel and Helen Clark, New Zealand's ex-PM and now spicing up the UN Development Programme with some kiwi ingenuity, discuss the value of creation in a globalised world with "And God saw that it was Good". If you cant get… -
In Los Angeles to see blood
26 Apr 2013 | 8:16 pmThis Sunday I will be at the Brewery Art Walk in Los Angeles to see my friend Kevin do a live art installation based on the Book of Judges. He tells me there will be blood. I told him I will bring my diving mask. It all happens at 3pm at Studio 624. If you see me, please say hello and take me out for an In-and-Out Burger. Posted with Blogsy -
Enough for All - My Bible Study
24 Apr 2013 | 4:57 pmIf you are in Germany then you might be joining the 100,000+ people in Hamburg for Kirchentag 2013 (Church Day) on May 1-5. If you make it to my session, please say hello afterwards. The Kirchentag folk do an absolutely incredible job of organizing and hosting a massive scale festival - the best organized I have ever seen - and they invited me to teach over a year ago. Here is the info they sent me. Information about your Bible study at the 34th German Protestant Kirchentag from 1st to 5th May 2013 in Hamburg Dear Mr. Jones, "As much as you need” – is the theme for the 34th German…
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Pete Wilson
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Challenging, Yet So Rewarding
17 Jun 2013 | 4:42 amAlmost twelve years ago I became a father for the first time. It’s amazing how I still feel completely inadequate at this monumental task. Fathering these three boys has been one of the most challenging and rewarding tasks of my life. Yesterday, I was full of joy as I reflected on the incredible memories God is allowing me to create with these guys. However, I also spent quite a bit of time yesterday praying for those of you who had a difficult day. There were two groups that came to my mind. 1) Those of you whose father has already passed away. I’m sure yesterday was difficult.
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Perry Noble | Senior Pastor, NewSpring Church
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Unleash Your Children’s and Student Ministry
6 Jun 2013 | 2:13 pmAre you willing to do whatever it takes to teach the next generation about Jesus on their level? If so…then you need to come to “Unleash Your Children’s and Student Ministry” being held at NewSpring Church on October 24th, 2013. (Here is the website where you can register.) This conference is designed to challenge, encourage and equip church leaders to take action in reaching the next generation for Jesus Christ. One of my passions for the church has always been a vibrant youth and children's ministry. I will be sharing my thoughts about why this is so… -
Every Number Has A Name…
22 Apr 2013 | 6:00 amOne of the things we say around here at NewSpring Church is that "Every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God." And this past Thursday I was reminded how true this is as I was given a card to read that had been sent in to our care team at the church. After reading it I thanked Jesus that He has allowed me to be a part of a church that cares about people far from God. I have included the note from the card below... "Dear NewSpring, Thank you so much for your prayers and support for our family in the recent loss of our father, Wilson. -
Conference Information Update
11 Apr 2013 | 11:52 amBack in November I did this post about us hosting an "Unleash Your Volunteers" conference... and several of you have been asking about it, so I thought I had better put out an update. Due to our church being laser focused on our Summer and Fall schedule we were unable to have this conference in May; however, there are plans to do it in the future! However, we DO have an "Unleash Your Student & Children's Ministry"coming up this fall that is going to be AWESOME!!! We do not have the dates for this yet; however, we will make them known ASAP as well as… -
Hey NewSpring Church, Let’s CELEBRATE!
1 Apr 2013 | 11:26 amI wanted to take the time to say "thank you" to everyone at NewSpring Church and to celebrate... Because you understand that Found People Find People (and dug ditches/tore holes in roofs!) Because you demonstrate that Saved People Serve People Because you embrace that Growing People Change Because you believe that We Can't Do Life Alone Because you model that We Can't Out Give God We were able to see 1,334 people receive Christ into their lives this weekend!!! And we had 49,335 people in attendance!!! (We're halfway to 100K!!!) To put that into… -
Don’t Say “No” For Them
27 Mar 2013 | 5:33 amWell NewSpring Church, here we are...the week of our Easter services. The ANTICIPATION level around all of our campuses is at an all time high and the buzz in regards to bringing someone to an Easter service is more exciting than it has ever been. I wanted to share two things in regards to bringing someone with you to a service... #1 - If you have someone on your mind, a person that you cannot stop thinking about ANYTIME someone mentions inviting someone to church--then that is God speaking to your heart! (The devil is NOT leading you to share Christ with them and/or invite…
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MoreThanDodgeball.com
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POLL: What Types of Tweets Matter Most to You?
18 Jun 2013 | 9:50 amView Poll I’ve been on Twitter for years now – my friend Tony turned me back onto it when it was first breaking onto the scene. I didn’t understand it at first, but love how you can quickly send out a burst of information to your followers. Would love you to follow me on Twitter – click here to do it right now - but most importantly wondered what types of Tweets you like to see? Thought this poll question would be interesting today – vote up to 2x! JG -
Marriage, Children and Ministry
17 Jun 2013 | 9:17 amYesterday we talked about the single life in ministry, so it seems fair we would share some insights with the married segment of youth workers, too. We both fall into this category ourselves—Kurt with one kid left in the house and Josh in the throes of four in elementary school. Talk about a crazy house! Here’s what we’ve learned serving with families over the past 20 years. Aim for health—not balance. Speakers for years have said that you have to keep a balance in your ministry and your family, and to be honest…it just isn’t possible. You can strive for balance and keep the… -
GUEST POST: Need Some Encouragement?
16 Jun 2013 | 9:29 amYou are slammed with things that need to get done, there is a parent that just won’t get off your case, or perhaps you just have heard more negative than positive lately. It sounds like you could use some encouragement. I know a lot of youth workers right now who are going through a season of needing encouragement. For some it is because of the season; going into summer you are tired; for others its situational. No matter what the reason you deserve some encouragement. I just want to encourage all my fellow youth workers volunteer or paid: You are doing good work. You are doing what God has… -
GUEST POST: When Everything Is Going Well
15 Jun 2013 | 1:24 pmLet’s say you’ve got it going on. You’ve just been promoted within your company, your home life is peaceful with a warming and loving family, you have great friends who you can count on, and your ministry is running smoothly. You are living the good life. Or are you? Too often, it is in this circumstance that we find ourselves forgetting about others and forgetting that we need God. It is also in this circumstance that we experience stunt in our growth. There are people in this world who are hurting. There are people who have no one. These people get overlooked and forgotten everyday by… -
Graduating Seniors to Summer Camp!
14 Jun 2013 | 11:07 amWe’re taking our just-graduated seniors with the HSM Summer Camp this year (2nd year we’ve done it) and Parker made this little video to play at youth group and help get the word out online. Fun! JG
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Eugene Cho
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Imagine a singular decision of courage and faith that will bless the generations to come.
18 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amIt’s been a very long time since I’ve blogged. For various reasons, I’ve chosen to take a little sabbatical from blogging. It was meant to be life giving but somehow, it grew to become a chore, a job, a metric, a regular statistics checking habit…and to be honest, it was attracting more than its share […] -
This is a hero you’ll never read about so let me share his story.
22 Apr 2013 | 8:39 pmAll around us are people of great courage. All around us are people that are true heroes. We often miss them because we’re conditioned to look for the mighty, famous, and glamorous. I was reminded of this again through a very tragic event. Last Sunday (April 14, 2013), one of our church staff’s father tragically […] -
What would we do if we only had one week to live? Jesus borrowed a donkey, washed dirty feet, and got crucified.
25 Mar 2013 | 5:00 amImagine if you had only one week to live, or one month, or one year. Seriously, take a few minutes to imagine the mental and emotional anguish. Imagine if you knew that you were going to only live until you were 33 years old and that your death would come in the most horrific manner imaginable. […] -
Remembering Trayvon Martin: The singular story of the suspicious, dangerous black man.
26 Feb 2013 | 5:05 pmRemembering Trayvon Martin. Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the death of Trayvon – the then 17-year-old unarmed young black man. As the debates get renewed on this one-year anniversary and most likely to be intensified when the trials for George Zimmerman begin in June, I’m reminded of the ongoing healing and reconciliation that […] -
Abortion? To whom it may concern: Imagine the possibilities. Imagine the story that can be lived…
22 Jan 2013 | 4:48 pmThe “a” word: Abortion. Is there a more emotional conversation in the current landscape of America? Probably not. Go ahead. Throw stones. Scream and shout. Put labels on each other. Picket. Protest. Make posters. Conceive rhyming & non-rhyming phrases. Hurl insults and judgments. Murder. Murderous. Murdering. Murderers. Use bible verses, statistics, graphic photos. Do what you’ll […]
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9Marks Blog: Building Healthy Churches
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The Sufficiency of Scripture
10 Jun 2013 | 9:01 pmThe doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture lies at the heart of what it means to be a Protestant. Protestantism and Roman Catholicism share much in common in terms of basic theology, such as a commitment to the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. When it comes to matters of authority, however, there are major divergences. One of these is on the matter of Scripture: is Scripture sufficient as an authority for the church or not? Scriptural sufficiency is, of course, a doctrine that stands in positive connection to a number of other theological convictions, such as inerrancy, the… -
Five Reasons We Don’t Disciple (Part 3)
9 Jun 2013 | 9:01 pmIn my lasttwo posts, I offered three reasons Christians and churches don’t disciple. Bearing in mind that I develop programs for a career, this next one is a bit awkward to say: our churches are program-dependent. Here’s a modern day parable, told to me by a friend at seminary. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is (possibly) true. A young man walked into a Christian bookstore in Chicago and asked where the bumper stickers were. The assistant said, what kind are you looking for? The man said, I’d like to buy a fish sticker. The assistant said, oh… -
Favorite Books on Evangelism
7 Jun 2013 | 12:58 pmHey guys, what are your favorite few books on evangelism? Kevin DeYoung Evangelism in the Early Church, Michael Green Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity, Richard Fletcher Questioning Evangelism, Randy Newman The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, Mark Dever A Narrative of Surprising Conversions, Jonathan Edwards J. D. Greear To Tell the Truth, Will Metzger Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels The two must be read side by side. Hybel's book assumes the gospel too much, but it is second to none on developing awareness and "technique" in sharing… -
Ten Questions to Ask of a Song’s Lyrics
7 Jun 2013 | 7:05 amChoosing songs to sing in corporate worship is tricky business. Everyone in the church seems to have an opinion. How then should a pastor or team of elders select music that glorifies God and serves the body? The style and quality of the music matters, of course. (For some helpful thoughts on church music that touch more on music, see Ed Stetzer’s post here.) Yet I’d suggest that the lyrics are a primary concern—so here are ten questions to ask about the words of any song that you’re considering including in corporate worship. 1. Are the lyrics true? Each song… -
Is She Up for This? Questions for a Potential Pastor’s Wife
6 Jun 2013 | 9:01 pmBefore you pursue the office of pastor, you know that you need to be ready. But have you asked whether your wife is ready? Formally, I don’t believe there should be extra expectations placed on a pastor’s wife. There is no office of “pastor’s wife” in the Bible. But practically, being married to a pastor is a tough role. Does your wife have what it takes? Is she up for it? Those are the questions I want to help you ask in this article. It is critical for you to ask such questions. Men preparing for the ministry can easily become blindly ambitious, even…
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Human3rror
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Mental Loyalty
19 Jun 2013 | 2:57 amEntrepreneurs and startup founders have something magical called mental loyalty that allows them to continue to execute day-in and day-out. This tolerance training, if you will, gives them the right mix of stubbornness and resolve that helps them to continue to push on through the good and the bad which both can be very difficult to manage. Mental loyalty is easy to understand when times are tough – you stick with it, don’t quit, stick to the plan because you know this is part of what life is like; it’s what you’ve committed yourself to. It’s much, much more… -
3 Light, Easy, and Effective Blog Customizations
18 Jun 2013 | 3:52 amTL;DR: I added Disqus, Google CSE overlay, and a new Twitter button.I love to tinker with my blog and change this and that and this thing over here and try that over there. There’s nothing quite as personal as one’s blog, you know? You’re baring your very being, your very soul to the world and you want to make sure that you’re presenting yourself well. No, the goal is not to present just the good stuff and not just the bad either – it’s to simply present who you are, where you are, as realistically and as authentically as possible. And you change, you… -
Impact
17 Jun 2013 | 6:58 amDilbert’s thoughts on impact was curiously poignant this morning. It made me wonder if many of us (myself included) are doing more than just rearranging things so as to make them appear new and important while making us look important at the same time. Perhaps everything is truly a remix. Time to reevaluate what you’re doing and if it’s the absolute best use of your time. Perhaps you’ll really like the coming answer, perhaps not. Perhaps you’d rather avoid that question entirely and go about tweeting posts, liking viral videos, and pinning images of inspiration… -
A Lesson from My First Partner Company
16 Jun 2013 | 9:13 amTL;DR: Money changes people.We built flash-based websites. My brother visited our last remaining grandparent this past week while he was working with a large fortune client with Action & Influence, Inc., a venture I started with him earlier last year but have since exited so I could fully concentrate on the acceleration of 8BIT and this little monster called Pressgram. He’s doing a great job of building the business in a lot of ways having hired another FT employee 6 or 7 weeks ago. He seems to be doubling his revenue every quarter or something insane; it’s most certainly not… -
Blogging and Mobile App Workshops
15 Jun 2013 | 6:01 amI’ll be helping to teach two courses later next month that I’d love for you to consider signing up for! The first is a Blogging Bootcamp where my team will essentially teach you exactly what we do to create and maintain WordPress blogs that kick butt. The second is a course on How to Build that Mobile App you’ve always wanted to build. I’m very excited to share my notes, my strategy, and all the tools that I use to come up with an idea, compile heuristics, and begin moving forward on development. Hope to see you there! Let me know if you have any questions!The post…
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TerraceCrawford.com
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The Top 100 Articles on ChurchLeaders.com
13 Jun 2013 | 10:06 amI was recently informed that 2 of my articles published at ChurchLeaders.com have made it into the 2013 edition of the Top 100 Featured Articles! The book featuring many of today’s Top Christian Leaders (including Francis Chan, Andy Stanley, … Continue reading → -
Free Webinar: Parent’s Guide to Social Media
21 May 2013 | 7:50 amSince I’ve written Going Social, a practical guide on Social Media, there have been several other really great resources released. One of those is a great book by my friend, Adam McLane on helping parents (and teens, really) navigate life online. … Continue reading → -
Live from the Orange Conference!
24 Apr 2013 | 8:42 pmI always enjoy being a part of the Orange Conference. The last couple of years I’ve participated as a LIVE blogger. This year I’m speaking also. I’m looking forward to connecting with other church leaders and I hope to see … Continue reading → -
A Defining Moment in Youth Group
22 Apr 2013 | 5:27 pmI’ve had some proud moments as a leader over the years. Some defining moments too. Yesterday I shared a moment on twitter that was not only a defining moment for our youth ministry but a proud moment for me. -
Do You Need a #YouthMin Coach?
15 Mar 2013 | 8:04 amI’m launching my next round of Coaching for youth workers\pastors who have only been in the field for 5 years or less and I’m wondering if YOU or someone you know might need a coach? [Apply now] Here’s a video that’ll … Continue reading →
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TheWorshipCommunity.Com - Worship Leader Resources, Articles, Forums
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Are you a Pre-planner? or Spontaneous? Or Both?
17 Jun 2013 | 7:44 amGreat video from Bethel Music featuring Brian Johnson who says: “The perfect worship set is like the perfect vacation: a balance of preparation and spontaneity.” Thoughts? Related posts: Too practiced? Self-Serving Leadership: The Platform is Not Your Throne Review: The Loft Sessions by Bethel Music -
Sunday Setlists #256
16 Jun 2013 | 9:02 amShare your worship confessionals, recaps, and setlists for the week of: Sunday, June 16, 2013!! Happy Father’s Day! Welcome to the 256th consecutive week of “Sunday Setlists!” Share your experiences from your worship gatherings. How’d it go this weekend? What songs did you sing? What creative elements did you incorporate into your service? Any special readings, videos, or songs? Join others from all over as we share our Sunday Setlists! Click here to receive an email reminder each week to participate. Click here to view the archives of “Sunday Setlists”… -
Love Hymns? Giveaway: In Christ Alone: 25 of Today’s Most Powerful Hymns
14 Jun 2013 | 8:59 amThanks to Integrity Music we’re giving 2 winners this great 2-disc collection! See giveaway below! Related posts: Brian Doerkson’s “Welcome To The Place of Level Ground” Video Premier & TWC Giveaway Review + Giveaway: Brandon Gilliam’s A Love Better Than Life The Great Worship Resource Giveaway – $25,000 in Prizes to More Than 100 Winners -
The Symbol of My Journey by Carman
11 Jun 2013 | 10:43 amMy trainer asked me if I wanted to go to a local park and see a flight of stairs that professional UFC fighters train on. Of course I said, “Yes,” but I knew there was more to it. So when we arrived, this is what I saw (see image above). It looked like the road ahead of me. All uphill, intimidating and way over my head. So I tried to run up it and got about halfway before my lungs felt like they were going to burst. You see with Multiple Myeloma Cancer, it deprives your bloodstream of vital oxygen and you lose your breath fairly quickly. The doctor said, “You can’t push beyond it… -
Worship Music News: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
11 Jun 2013 | 8:40 amNew music today from: Ocean’s Edge School of Worship Hezekiah Walker Rebekah Maddux El-Hakam 1) Let Hope Arise by Ocean’s Edge School of Worship: The latest recording from Ocean’s Edge. This School of Worship was founded with a specific purpose to provide training and education for the next generation of worship leaders, Christian musicians and artists. Based out of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, they provide an environment combining personal mentoring and discipleship with modern music, technology and leadership training in an approach that will equip students for a…
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brandedwithlove.com
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The Day You Wish Never Happened: Lessons On Love, Grace, & Justice
28 May 2013 | 8:31 amThe debate to discuss a situation like this will wreck a person. It’s hard knowing that many loved ones, churches impacted, Bible colleges, ministries, and people in general have been processing the events that have unravelled over the last year. It’s painful to think about a fallen brother/friend and the friends hurt in the wake of hidden sin that rocked a community. Prayers have been overflowing to all those impacted by what has happened. As people have been processing the mess, I’ve had to run back to my Bible and some simple but profound definitions: grace, noun… -
A Forefront Summer, Gel Groups, and Being Face To Face
21 May 2013 | 6:58 amAs a pastor here at Forefront Church, one of my deepest passions is not only seeing people come to know Jesus, but to watch their lives richly transformed by living out their faith. We see Sunday mornings as the first step to moving towards God. From their a second step is to begin to be engaged in Gel Group and learning from the Bible, one another, and encourage each other in our spiritual disciplines. As that continues as a daily part of life, our prayer is that each member of Forefront will serve God out of the overflow of their life through the local church and abroad. This is the ideal. -
Can We Do Like We Did? Like Before?
29 Apr 2013 | 9:06 pmI spent a good majority of my evening playing a game with my daughters. We sat across the room from each other forming a triangle. Taking turns we rolled the ball across to the next person. Around the triangle this Penguins of Madagascar ball whipped across the room. Laughter infused Casa de Bedell. Before too long, the game escilated. Rolling the ball at break neck speeds wasn’t enough. It started off with slight bouncing, then slamming the ball off living room objects. The couch. The ottoman. The Vietnam missions trip keepsakes. The wedding photos. Sorry dear. The pew. Yes, the pew. -
5 for 5 “We struggle… but God supplies our needs”
23 Apr 2013 | 6:12 amIt’s day two of the 6:5 Project. But, yesterday I received an email about day one. It brought me to tears. In a good way. It wrecked me. Take a listen to this family’s story: “Hey there! My family and I picked up 3 containers to fill for the 6:5 project this past Sunday. After we left I felt moved to fill 5, not 3. We have 5 kids, and even though we struggle – God supplies our needs and feeds my 5 kids all year. So its only right that we give back to thank God for what he provides for our family and feed 5 other kids… I signed up for containers xxx, xxx, and… -
The 6:5 Project
21 Apr 2013 | 8:00 amOh man! Service this morning was ah-mazing! Today we launched something I’m really excited about! It’s called “The 6:5 Project.” It was a result of your responses we’ve heard from the last couple of series. We love hearing your calls, getting your emails, FB messages, etc. It’s encouraging. Through your responses to the series, we realized what needed to happen in your life, my life, in the life of every Forefronter- is to have some concrete steps to engage our faith. We targeted four different areas: - God and You - Others and You - The Church and You -…
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LeadingSmart
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A Youth Guy Worth Considering
6 Jun 2013 | 7:32 amI don’t use my blog to refer people very often. In fact, I think I’ve only done it one other time–and it resulted in Adam getting a fabulous job. But I want you to know about Chuck Zook. Chuck is a great man of God who loves Jesus and his wife dearly. He served on our staff team for a year in Children’s Ministry and a year in Youth Ministry. Chuck has relational gifts that are towering, and he wants to help students meet Jesus and grow closer to Him. I’ve personally benefitted from Chuck’s ministry as he has poured time and energy and counsel into the lives… -
I Walked Away from Fox News
30 May 2013 | 8:02 amSix months ago I gave up Fox News. I quit, cold turkey. For me, that was significant. Even though I had long before stopped watching Sean Hannity or Glen Beck, a typical night included at least an hour of watching Bill O’Reilly, Shepard Smith or Bret Baier. And during the election season (which I LOVE!), it was often two or three hours a night. I ate it up. I also flipped the channel over to CNN occasionally, but to be completely honest–it was on the Fox News Channel 80% of the time. But I didn’t like what it was doing inside me. On November 7th, the morning after the… -
A Decision to Learn
24 May 2013 | 9:43 amIt’s your decision. You are either going to learn a lot in the next season–or you won’t. You are either going to connect with a tremendous group of men and women who are peers and can become an amazing resource–or you’ll continue to figure out things on your own. Decide in advance. Before summer. If you wait to make this decision until the end of summer, you life will be too busy and you will have missed an opportunity. That’s why you need to decide now. I’m talking about the Executive Pastors’ Coaching Network. In the past five years, more than 80 men and… -
Book by Patrick McGoldrick Just Released
24 Apr 2013 | 7:53 amEverywhere I go, I am told that the life and death of Patrick McGoldrick was a challenge and motivation. The eyes of people (whom I’ve never even met) fill with tears as they tell me how meaningful it was to read of Patrick’s final days and watch his faith all the way to the end. For those who may not know, on December 5, 2011, in the prime of his life, Patrick (my sister’s husband) was diagnosed with ALS–a disease that typically takes your life within three years. For Patrick, it was much shorter. Barely one year later, on December 26, 2012, he breathed his last… -
Book List: Loving God and Loving Others
17 Apr 2013 | 5:21 amI’ve been studying the commands of Jesus to “love God and love others” for a book project I’m working on. I did an informal survey in the worlds of Twitter and Facebook, and got the following results: What is the best book you’ve read on loving God and loving others? Crazy Love – by Francis Chan The Dangerous Act of Worship – by Mark Labberton Love Does – by Bob Goff The Jesus Creed – by Scot McKnight Love Beyond Reason – by John Ortberg Redeeming Love – by Francine Rivers Resident Aliens – by Will Willimon Prayer –…
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Rich Kirkpatrick's Blog
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Modern Worship Keyboards: Laptop/Controller vs. Traditional Synth
17 Jun 2013 | 2:58 pmThere are so many choices these days when addressing your keyboard needs for modern worship. Shell out say $3,000 for a synth by Nord, Yamaha, or Roland. Or, use your laptop and a controller like Axiom Pro or Studio Logic. I get a lot of questions about this topic, so I thought I would give you my thinking in hopes that it will aid you in deciding your best option. When an acoustic guitarist can spend $3,000 simply on a nice professional Taylor or Martin to lead worship with, the range in price is such that $500 might sound terrible while $5,000 terrific when you talk about wood,… -
10 Laws of Social Networking Etiquette: Save yourself some pain!
9 Jun 2013 | 9:55 pmI know in the title it says this will save you some pain. To be honest, I am in pain. Often, I read status updates or tweets that cause hives or indigestion. Those of us who are Christian’s at times tend to spiritualize banal activity online. How can some of us be so naive to use our social media immaturely, expressing our thoughts like ill-timed flatulence? I cannot answer that, but hope these ten guidelines save pain–for all of our sakes! I liken the new media to a digital town square or a virtual water cooler. In this new place, the idea of living in a glass house is amplified. We… -
Developing Volunteers: Spiritual Boss vs. Spiritual Casting Director
29 May 2013 | 11:46 amYou have a seminary degree, been given the title “pastor” or “minister” or your the youth or worship director. Spiritually, you are responsible for God’s presence being felt in the room if a worship leader or the word being rightly divided if the preacher. This affords appropriate honor, even pay for some. But, this does not mean you know how to put together a spread sheet, coach people to their potential, or even develop strategic plans. Bible school does not even mention what to do when successful in reaching people or how to get there.Many of us are trained to think of the alpha… -
Memorial Day: My visit to Gettysburg, PA
27 May 2013 | 7:14 amLast week in middle Pennsylvania, I spent a day with my nephew Kyle, a college music student. It was an honor, since its not often I get time with my family out on the other coast. Part of our day included a drive to Gettysburg, a 30 minute jaunt from where were at the time. I am a sucker for history, so this addition on the itinerary was a no-brainer. We could have watched a movie like “Hangover Part 3” but wiser thinking ruled the day. The perfect weather also proved an outside activity a logical choice. (Yes, I did see Star Trek twice on this very trip.).I think the best choice… -
Local Worship Leaders: Connections can save your life
23 Apr 2013 | 10:00 amSo let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. - Galatians 6:9 (NLT)Last night a bunch of our local area worship leaders met at a restaurant for encouragement and connection. The ten of us represent thousands of worshippers collectively, but only a small portion of those that lead worship in our area. (Over 40 worship leaders connect on our Facebook group page.) Some lead worship as a full-time employee, others are either part-time workers or volunteer entirely at their churches. Some lead at large…
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Ministry Best Practices
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5 Ways To Discern A Call To Overseas Ministry
7 Jun 2013 | 7:50 pmfrom Jenny Manley: 1. Opportunity (Acts 16:6-10; 20:22)2. Need (Matt. 9:37)3. Desire (Ps. 40:8)4. Godly Counsel (Prov. 15:22)5. Willingness (Acts 20:24, Ps. 37:4) Click through to read her explanations for each of these points. (ht: Vitamin Z) -
7 Alternatives To Sunday Morning Announcements
6 Jun 2013 | 6:33 amfrom unseminary: Ministry leaders think if they just get their event or program “promoted from the stage” people will flood into it. Church communications people are peppered with requests all the time for people wanting to get “their deal” in the announcements. The urgency from those leaders leans towards desperate. However, the more you talk about on a Sunday morning the less effective the messaging for everything is. You need some solid ways to say “no” to other ministry leaders by providing alternative communication channels. Direct Emails: Each of your ministry areas needs to… -
Top 11 Signs You May Not Be A Good Leader
5 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amfrom Scott Williams:The reason I attribute these signs to not being a ”Good Leader” is because a leader has to at least reach the mantle of being a “Good Leader” before they can be a ”Great Leader” Here are 11 Signs They Are Not A Good Leader… Remember ”They”could be you! 1. they are not willing to fail. 2. they only talk and never listen. 3. they don’t develop and produce other leaders. 4. they micro-manage; that’s management not leadership. 5. they are insecure or threatened by someone that they lead. 6. they are not willing to follow and learn from those that… -
Do You Have A 90-Day Plan To Leave Your Church?
5 Jun 2013 | 6:52 amOne of our most read and commented posts on this site is How To Leave Your Church - And Do It Well! It has struck a chord with so many people because many have felt trapped in unhealthy or spiritually abusive churches. They know they've needed to move on, but the church hasn't provided that freedom (i.e. spiritual abuse, heavy handed leadership, control). At Ministry Best Practices, we've tried to provide advise that will honor God and His church, at the same time give people the freedom to find a spiritually healthy place to worship and serve. Recently I received a comment from a… -
Even More (Honest) Church Postcards
5 Jun 2013 | 6:40 amA continuation from my previous post, here are even more honest church postcards, that you'll never see in your mailbox, from Echo Hub
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Klampert | Rambling from a klampert
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Reorient your sight
5 Jun 2013 | 7:24 am2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Luke 24:31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Matthew 20:32-34 Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ He asked. ‘Lord,’ they answered, ‘we want our sight.’ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. We have the tendency to have tunnel vision in our walk. We like to stare straight ahead. We look… -
Brothers McClurg: You Shine Through
7 May 2013 | 4:56 amMy friends from Brothers McClurg just debuted an awesome new video. They want to hit 5000 views this month. I dare you to try to watch this video only once! -
ONE EVENT: The Cross that Binds
4 May 2013 | 8:40 pmTonight I had the privilege of attending a service in Providence, RI called “ONE EVENT”. I heard about this event through a few brothers in christ that I know on Facebook, but have never met in person and they were both spearheading this with their churches. Andrew Mook from Sanctuary church and Jason Lee from Renaissance church along with pastors from a few other providence churches came together to meet, pray, and worship. They came together in unity to seek the face of God and to fight for their city. If you have ever read my blog this heart should sound familiar. Not only… -
Iron Man 3: a review from a comic book nerd & dad
4 May 2013 | 7:12 amIron Man 3: a review from a comic book nerd dad - TIRADE ALERT Last night I took my awesome wife out to see iron man 3. I have been crazy excited about this movie for ages. We bought tickets hours ahead of time and showed up 30 min early, greeted by a nice long long of fanboys and 4 year olds. 4 year olds? Let me segway here for a moment. I have many friends that let their kids see movies like this and ones that are PG-13 when the kids are clearly 6 years away from ever meeting that restriction age. I am fully aware that some PG movies play like PG-13 and some PG-13 movies really could pass… -
Dangerous Faith: 1Day Conference
9 Mar 2013 | 1:18 pmI am Going to be doing a FREE 1day Conference at Gospel Light Community Church in CT with Adam Fagan-Kela based on the Dangerous Faith curriculum we have created. The material we are teaching is strictly the word and testimony taking attendees on a journey to ignite revival in their hearts and make us all zealous for the heart of God. April 20th 9am – 5pm with a lunch break Night of worship 7-9pm with special Guests: my wife Kelly and Adam’s wife Heather - ITS GONNA BE AWESOME!!!
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Shaun In The City
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Me, You, The Future of HopeMob :: RFP’s
9 Jun 2013 | 4:24 pmI love HopeMob! Since we launched last year, we’ve helped people all over the world in ways big and small. Our work has been covered in every press outlet available and last month was our most successful month in the history of our platform. We are telling more stories and funding more stories (which means we are helping more people) than we ever have. I so love (yeah I meant to say it that way) what we’ve built and what we’ve accomplished. @hope is roaring on Twitter, we don’t have any debt, we are incredibly lean, our brand is strong, our technology is… -
(VIDEO) Upfront – The New Tech Start-Up We’re Launching Here in NYC
1 Apr 2013 | 5:30 pmUnder the radar I started working, 7 months ago, full-time to help launch a tech start-up here in the heart of New York City. I can’t say much about it until we launch, but I can give you a few hints. We’ve already launched our product privately and we are aiming to launch publicly on April 17th. We are launching with an iPhone app, an Android app, and a full web platform. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever worked on and I’ve worked on some big stuff. We just hired this amazing guy. Including all of our amazing contractors, we are employing 12 people already. -
Me, Instagram Boobies, Happy Wife
31 Mar 2013 | 4:46 pm(This post has not been edited for errors. These are my raw thoughts. I apologize in advance if the word “boobies” offends you. If it does, lighten up.) UPDATE :: This is the first blog post in FOUR YEARS that I’ve enabled comments on. Hoping to have a lively discussion. —- If you noticed in the title, “Instagram Boobies” was sandwiched right between “Me” and “Happy Wife”. That was on purpose. Last week, I handed my wife my iPhone to show her a hilarious picture of Kevin Hart on Instagram. After she saw it, she decided to… -
The Outside View of a Former Church Insider :: 10 Honest Observations
30 Mar 2013 | 5:57 pm(This post has not been edited for errors. These are my raw, honest thoughts. In a hurry? Scroll down for my 10 observations.) I didn’t grow up in church. It wasn’t until I was assaulted in high school and required several spinal surgeries that I even knew I needed God. But from 1996-2011, from the time I was 16 until I was 31, church was CENTRAL to my life personally and professionally. I became a church insider almost instantly. Here is a bit of my church history… At the age of 16 I was baptized @ Antioch Baptist Church in Lexington, KY by my best friends dad,… -
3 Very Personal Prayer Requests
8 Jan 2013 | 11:00 amI don’t post prayer requests often, but I really need your prayers right now. If you never pray, can you try this time any way? If you have a small group, can you include these requests? If your church takes prayer requests, can you include these? If you have prayer circles or prayer chains, can you include these? Can you share this post and ask your friends and family to include us? Here are my prayer requests… 1. Our 10 year old daughter, Kendi, was recently diagnosed with scoliosis and has been in more pain recently than normal. She’s the sweetest girl ever and it is…
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Christian Personal Finance
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Should You Pay Tithe With a Credit Card?
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amMy wife and I use a credit card to pay for our tithe and I’d like to address the issue of churches accepting tithe from credit cards. Is it something they should be doing? Also, should you pay your tithe with a credit card? Here are a few points to consider. Should You Tithe With a Credit Card? Some churches only allow online tithing through debit cards, not credit cards. Having a credit card option can be a good thing for those who want to tithe online, but consider this if you choose to use a credit card for your tithe. The church pays a higher fee for credit cards compared to debit… -
The Benefits of Having a Patient Advocate
18 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amMost of us only have a vague understanding of the healthcare system. It’s not just the incredible number of therapies, treatments, and procedures that are within the realm of possibilities, but also the financial entanglements it can create. Fortunately, there’s a calling known a patient advocate who can help us sort through it all. What is a Patient Advocate? In the most general sense, a patient advocate is a person or organization that acts as a liaison between the patient and healthcare providers. They are case workers, typically having a background in healthcare – such as registered… -
Dwolla: A Comprehensive Review
17 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amSeveral months ago a friend brought to my attention that PayPal’s policy changes included keeping 3% of everything deposited to my account — not just from my eBook sales. As a freelance writer, I’m paid from some publications via PayPal.com; so this was disconcerting news. PayPal was playing with my paycheck and I didn’t like it. Let’s suppose I make $1,000 a month on my freelance writing (hypothetically speaking). Three percent of $1,000 is $30. With this policy change, PayPal was making $30 per month (or $360 per year) off my income. My brick and mortal bank only charges $7.00 per… -
The ChristianPF ‘Say No to Loans’ Scholarship
14 Jun 2013 | 8:00 amI am excited to announce that we are launching the ChristianPF ‘Say No To Loans’ College Scholarship. Student loans in America are just out of control. For too long we have been told that college debt is “good debt”. And while there are instances where students’ yield a nice benefit from that “good debt”, I find that most often graduates are heavily burdened by the debt and it greatly hinders their financial progress. Who it’s for For this scholarship, we are looking for students who have found some creative ways to pay for college without… -
What Does the Bible Say about Gambling?
14 Jun 2013 | 5:00 am$37.3 billion dollars. That staggering figure represents the gross revenue for the year 2012 from what is often called “gaming” in the United States. That was up nearly 5% over the 2011 number, according to Time magazine. What Does the Bible Say? Obviously, Americans spend an enormous amount of money gambling, yet the issue is always controversial. Whenever a new jurisdiction seeks to add gambling, there is always a controversy. Christians are often the most vocal opponents of these measures, which usually pass anyway. It is interesting that the Bible does not speak directly to…
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brent(inWorship)
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It seems like my blog has become a holding place for messages....
26 May 2013 | 4:52 pmIt seems like my blog has become a holding place for messages. But, thats ok with me! The Campus Pastors at Cross Point had a chance to finish our series “5 Lies We Believe” this weekend. I had a great time sharing with Cross Point Franklin as we discussed whether or not Franklin needs another church. Cross Point Franklin has the privilege of being a church that God desires us to be. A church that Impacts the Franklin community with the love of Christ. I was able to share some thoughts about this today. -
I had the chance to share with Cross Point Franklin this...
17 Mar 2013 | 6:10 pmI had the chance to share with Cross Point Franklin this weekend. We are in a series called “I Am Second”. Take a second and watch this video. It shares the story of a young man named Baron Batch. http://youtu.be/Y1XD0Ozj03Y Then, click on the link above and you can hear the entire message. Enjoy! -
The #Hodgelodge is on the move... Again...
6 Aug 2012 | 6:24 pmThis has been quite the Summer… When my family and I moved to Hendersonville Tennessee last year, we moved in anticipation of what God was going to do in the Cross Point Hendersonville Campus. We never expected that this campus may not be here one day. We always knew that the campus had some challenges. But, the people of Hendersonville are amazing! Over the last year we moved locations, dug in to a new community, built new teams of volunteers and poured into it, everything we had. But, at the end of it all, we had come to realize that though our efforts were not in vain, they needed to… -
I am so blown away by this young lady. My girl Kassidi....
17 Apr 2012 | 7:32 pmI am so blown away by this young lady. My girl Kassidi. Wednesday is her 18th Birthday! She is my daughter. Sometimes I dont understand this. I dont feel old enough to have an 18 year old. I often feel like she has raised herself, more than we have raised her. I mean… She has always lived bigger than she is… She has always achieved more than she was expected to… She has always responded with more grace and poise than most adults I know… She has always been considered older than she is… She continues to surprise everyone she knows with her ability to learn and adapt… Id like to… -
Happy New Year! I cannot believe it is 2012. And last year at...
2 Jan 2012 | 10:14 amHappy New Year! I cannot believe it is 2012. And last year at this time I was sitting in an emergency room while they shocked my heart because I was in A-Fib. It has been one crazy year! It has been an amazing journey to Tennessee. And I am filled with gratitude to be here and to be serving with Cross Point. Yesterday was an opportunity at Cross Point, to share my heart for 2012. All the campus Pastors had a chance to share at each of our campuses. What an awesome way to start the year together. Looking to our future as a church and as a campus and committing to pray together. It has…
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Echo Hub » Posts
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Moody Collective
18 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amTons of great sponsors help Echo happen each year. They allow us to keep registration prices down and provide valuable resources for our attendees. Today I want to introduce you to Moody Collective. They’re basically the branch of Moody Publishers that house some of our favorite writers: Scott McClellan, Jeff Goins, Allison Vesterfelt, and Sarah Cunningham. Be sure to check out their lineup of books and fill the gaps in your library. There’s good stuff here. You can also subscribe to their monthly newsletter for updates on their authors as well as the chance to win their monthly… -
Why We’re Afraid to Tell Stories
17 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amWhile feverishly working on preparations for Echo Conference this year, we have a secret project brewing. It’s the branding and preparation for Echo Conference 2014. Besides just working on themes, main session speakers, venue options, and worship choices, we’re crafting a story. It has both a history and a future. It has characters and conflict. Yes, it’s an actual story. But the 2014 attendees will never get the full thing. They’ll never experience the full story. They’re coming for a three day event with specific goals in mind. To them, our story will seem… -
Videos of the Week — 6.14.13
14 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amWelcome to Friday! We’ve hand selected some great videos to help you make it through the day and get inspired. Enjoy! First up, a video using perspective to make the moon part of everyday objects. I love this creative animation. IBM’s brilliant marketing campaign. Turning ads into good ideas. The Force is closer than we think – we can now control flying machines with our minds. And finally, your cinemagraph of the week. -
Animating Text in After Effects
13 Jun 2013 | 11:00 amWant to learn a bit about animated text in After Effects? (If you have Abobe’s Creative Cloud, you should really check out After Effects.) Our own Trent Armstrong put together a helpful tutorial video. Check it out! -
Church Community Builder
13 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amWe wanted to introduce you to another of our great sponsors. These companies help us keep the cost of tickets down and let us jam Echo full of surprises and fun. Today’s sponsor: Church Community Builder. Church Community Builder is a fully web-based (the first ever) Church Management System. All your church’s data is stored in the Cloud ready to be accessed from anywhere you need it. That’s a really great thing for portable churches or church staffs that like to work at Starbucks. They founded the company in 1999 and hit the market in 2002. Since then they’ve…
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My Blog
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Hello world!
11 Jun 2013 | 1:50 pmWelcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
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JoshuaReich.org
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The Most Important Minutes to a Guest on a Sunday Morning
19 Jun 2013 | 4:54 amGuests at Revolution Church matter a great deal. We care about the environment for them, how they feel, and helping them take their next step with Jesus and Revolution. To this end, we have thought through the most important moments to a guest: The first seven minutes they are on the church campus. The last 10 minutes they are on the church campus. I’m not saying these are the most important moments of a church, a service or what we think matter the most. They are the minutes that matter the most to an unchurched guest. In the first 7 minutes a guest is deciding if they will come back. -
Tuesday Morning Book Review || Sensing Jesus
18 Jun 2013 | 4:57 amEvery Tuesday morning, I review a book that I read recently. If you missed any, you can read past reviews here. This week’s book is Sensing Jesus: Life & Ministry as a Human Being (kindle version)by Zach Eswine. This is the second book I’ve read by Eswine. You can read my review of his book Preaching to a Post-Everything world here. Here is my one criticism about Eswine and his writing. His stuff is great. It is challenging, soul stirring, makes you think. He just takes a long time to say it. What he says in 5 pages I feel could be said in one. Outside of that, his books are… -
Links I Like
17 Jun 2013 | 4:27 pmLinks I Like is a collection of blogs, articles and books I’ve come across recently and thought they were worth sharing. Click here for past Links I Like. Kevin DeYoung on Common fault lines in the homosexuality conversation. Philip Holmes on How we make marriage the ultimate and worship it. Good slant on this topic. Bold, daring preachers vs. Pretty boy preachers. This is a great line, “The problem with preachers today is no one wants to kill them.” Gloria Furman on How much God rules and cares about the mundane in our lives. 5 people we should pray for but don’t want… -
Monday Morning Mind Dump…
17 Jun 2013 | 9:00 amYesterday was simply awesome We baptized 3 guys yesterday Always love hearing the stories of God’s grace and redemption It was cool to see a father baptize his son What a gift on Father’s Day My sermon yesterday was on John 5:18 – 47 and looked at Jesus’ relationship to His Father and what it means to be a man and leave a legacy If you missed it, you can listen to it here Also, one of the next steps was to write a personal or family mission statement Here’s something I put together that walks you through the process that Katie and I went through as we did that… -
Creating a Personal/Family Mission Statement
17 Jun 2013 | 7:47 amYesterday, I talked about how to create a lasting, worthwhile legacy as a man and family. Many people took the next step of “creating a personal/family mission statement.” This can be a daunting, overwhelming task. Katie and I went through this practice last year. To help us, we each reach through Patrick Lencioni’s book Three Questions for a Frantic Family. You can read my review of the book here. You need to know this up front: This process is incredibly freeing. There is no right or wrong mission statement. It is your life, your family, you get to define it. So…
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Mister Nifty
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What does iWork for iCloud mean for your church?
11 Jun 2013 | 10:25 amIf you’re an Apple fan, then you know that yesterday Apple had it’s Keynote address at their World Wide Developer’s Conference. Now, although, I’m excited about the Mac Pro and the changes that are finally being made to iOS7, the thing that will probably help our churches the most is the announcement of iWork coming to iCloud. So, what does it mean for church world? Well, if you’re like our church. You don’t have Macs for every department. So, currently our Media team is running on a PC. Our Pastor, however, creates his Keynote from his Macbook. So,… -
Backup your iOS photos and videos to Flickr
5 Jun 2013 | 1:50 pmAre you tired of running out of space on your iPhone because of all of your photos and vidoes? Flickr just announced that they are gifting everyone a terabyte of space. This means that you now have a place to backup all of your photos in the cloud. Until now, all cloud solutions charge a lot of money for the amount of space needed to backup photos and videos. Now, you can rest peacefully knowing your photos are in good hands and you have the freedom to take more photos without painful desktop backups. Here’s how to backup your photos from any iOS device to Flickr: Get a Flickr account… -
Church Management Solutions – Free Alternatives!
4 Jun 2013 | 1:24 pmLast week I did a review on church management software. One thing about church management solutions is that they charge based on the size of your church, which is cool for church plants. Still, some people don’t have it in their budget to pay monthly for software. Since this is MisterNifty, and we try to provide tons of free resources and tools, this week I wanted to present some free alternatives for church management software. Yes, MisterNifty has spotlighted some of these before, but we want to make sure we cover the best options. One great thing about church management software is… -
Church Management Solutions – A Review
30 May 2013 | 4:31 pmChurch management software has been around for a while, but recently a few companies have stepped into the spot light. With the ability to take attendance from a tablet, who wouldn’t get excited! Now, I will warn you, none of these options are free, but they’re definitely worth taking a look at. When looking at church management software/solutions, the first thing you need to do is make a list of what you need. My church’s looked like this: Church Management Needs: 1. Efficient for keeping attendance. 2. Centralized church schedule. 3. Efficient reporting. 4. Software in the… -
Transpose Chord Charts for Free
20 May 2013 | 10:45 pmSite: www.transposechords.com Price: Free Every worship leader has had that moment where they realize the song is too high or too low for the service. Now, you have to go back and change all of the chords for the praise team. Now, it’s going to be a piece of cake. Tranposechords.com is a very easy way to transpose your chords from one key to another. It may not be the greatest looking site, but it definitely makes up for it in ease of use. 3 reasons MisterNifty loves it: 1. Free – Most tab/chord websites charge for this service. 2. Your Chord Charts – Transposechords.com…
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The Resurgence
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We are a Kanye
19 Jun 2013 | 12:02 amYesterday, Kanye West’s latest album Yeezus dropped with the third track titled, “I Am A God (Feat. God).” The song has already sparked reaction and has been likened to John Lennon’s remarks about the Beatles’ being “more popular than Jesus.” But maybe Kanye’s song is something we identify with more than we’d like to admit? There are times when our culture presents to us controversial statements and issues which cause us to respond with a sense of urgency. We instinctively know that what is being communicated is wrong and therefore we… -
Does the bible contain errors?
18 Jun 2013 | 12:00 amIf God is real, and if the Bible is “God’s word,” there’s a lot at stake when it comes to its reliability. So is the Bible riddled with errors or is it a reliable revelation of God? I’m a nervous flyer. Airplanes just freak me out. But fly I must from time to time, and so I place my trust in a hunk of brilliantly engineered metal, several computers, and pilots I’ve never met. But let’s say I had reason to believe that the aircraft I’m supposed to board is faulty. Guess who’s feet are staying on the ground? If God is real, and if the Bible… -
Introducing: “Know the Bible” series
17 Jun 2013 | 11:56 amRecently, we started rolling out themed content on the blog and just wrapped up our first, Becoming a Better Leader. The big idea with this series was to look at different leadership questions and perspectives from a biblical worldview. We really enjoyed providing this material, working with some familiar names, and introducing some new ones, like Guy Mason, Stephen Um, Shandel Slaten, and Hugh Whelchel. In case you missed it, here are some of our most popular and favorite posts from the series: “The habits and character of leaders,” by Justin Holcomb “Raising arrow… -
What is Scripture?
17 Jun 2013 | 12:00 amIs Scripture divine or human? Authoritative? Is Scripture inspired by God? How should it be used? What is Scripture? All religious traditions that ground themselves in texts must grapple with certain questions. In worship services and public and private readings, Christians often turn to Scripture for guidance: to the stories of Abraham or Moses, to the Psalms, to the prophecies of Isaiah, to the life of Jesus, to the letters of Paul, to the vision of John. How should Scripture be used? Therefore, Christians must confront their own set of questions. What is Scripture? Is it divine? Human? -
21 simple ways to be an exceptional dad
16 Jun 2013 | 12:00 am. . . from the heart of a grateful son. I don’t want to be a good dad—I want to be a great dad. But the longer I live and more ministry I do, the more I have come to realize there are precious few examples of grace in action when it comes to fatherhood. So on this Father’s Day, I wanted to take a moment, heed Paul’s exhortation (Eph. 6:1), and honor my own father, Greg. Was he perfect? Nope.Did he make mistakes? Sure.Does he wish he could do things differently? I have no idea. But in a land where few men finish well when it comes to the daunting task of…
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KemMeyer.com
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nevver: Infographic about why you like Infographics,...
17 Jun 2013 | 6:30 pmnevver: Infographic about why you like Infographics, [more] All about it. -
Creative Review - Keep on the grass: National Trust's new campaign
3 Jun 2013 | 7:31 pmCreative Review - Keep on the grass: National Trust's new campaign: Encourage life and participation. -
"Done! Just finished the final mix last night. In two weeks Arrested Development will be yours to do..."
16 May 2013 | 9:15 am“Done! Just finished the final mix last night. In two weeks Arrested Development will be yours to do with as you please.” - Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz via shortformblog (Can Netflix handle the bandwidth that’s coming their way? I sure hope so. Planning my binge watching now.) -
"Funny thing about wearing your struggle on the outside: it makes you stronger. It teaches you how to..."
16 May 2013 | 9:06 am“Funny thing about wearing your struggle on the outside: it makes you stronger. It teaches you how to adapt. It forces you to dig deep and do more. And while people like you are sitting at the cool kids table intent on holding others down, the ragtag team of not-so-cool kids is busy pulling others up…and we’ve become an unstoppable force driving the world forward.” - 31-yr old Amy Taylor (@nomeatballs) on WriteHuman.com -
Have you picked up this month’s...
8 May 2013 | 7:42 amHave you picked up this month’s copy? http://ministrytodaymag.com/ It was fun to collaborate on this issue. All about communications.
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ChurchCentral.com News
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The secret to good customer service
18 Jun 2013 | 9:58 amLeadership Principle #39: Great service begins in the hearts of the servants, not in their processes or tools."'You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept …Read more... -
When it's time to step aside
18 Jun 2013 | 6:04 amAs the years passed and King David grew older, his followers bickered over who would be his successor. Haggith, the mother of Adonijah and General Joab, maneuvered to gain control for Adonijah …Read more... -
Book Summary: Be Our Guest
17 Jun 2013 | 5:00 pmTo the Disney Cast Members who deliver the show, it’s really a practical process made up of a series of meticulously planned, well-rehearsed steps designed to delight the audience. Be Our Guest explores how Disney has been able to set a world-class benchmark for magical service, the main ingredients of its magic reality, and most importantly, how you can create your own brand of magic in your organization. Be Our Guest wins over even skeptical leaders who don’t see how Disney’s magic can have a place in their organization by showing how all organizations need customer-friendly… -
Book review: Just Lead! A No Whining, No Complaining, No Nonsense Practical Guide for Women Leaders in the Church
15 Jun 2013 | 9:35 amSherry Surratt and Jenni Catron in Just Lead! A No Whining, No Complaining, No Nonsense Practical Guide for Women Leaders in the Church have written a frank and down-to-earth guide for women leaders …Read more... -
Church Unique Snapshot: The Inside Reveal on Willow Creek Community Church's Return to the 5 Gs
11 Jun 2013 | 8:03 amDuring the booming days of Willow Creek's influence, the church hosted conferences for thousands of church leaders across the country, teaching and spreading their model of ministry. The hallmark of …Read more...
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ChurchCrunch
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The Parables Film Series
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amI love this concept. Taking parables told by Jesus and re-telling them as modern day stories with the art of filmmaking. That’s exactly what the American Bible Society is aiming to do with this film project that tells the story of The Prodigal Son: The Return Can't see the video in your RSS reader or email? Click Here! From the Parables website: “The parables of Jesus don’t demand; they inspire. They inspire his listeners and readers toward the greatest heights of human potential: generosity, patience, love, forgiveness, wisdom, eternal hope and so much more. We’d like to bring… -
Echo Conference 2013: Creative Inspiration
18 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmAs you can clearly see in the screenshot above, Echo is a Church conference for artists, geeks, and storytellers. Each year they explore creativity in leadership, visuals, communications, branding, technology, and worship. If this years conference–Echo Conference 2013, July 24-26 in Dallas, TX–is as awesome as their website and promotional video, you’re going to be in for a real treat! You can’t see it too well in the screenshot above, but if you jump over to the Echo 2013 website you’ll see they’ve gone totally pixelated and 8-bit. They thought of… -
Beatles Mashup: ‘Band on the Run’ with ‘Imagine’
18 Jun 2013 | 2:00 pmI truly enjoy music mashups; they are the definition of creativity. Check out this one by Go Home Productions that reunites some of The Beatles by melding together John Lennon’s Imagine instrumental underneath Paul McCartney & Wings’ Band on the Run vocals to create an eerily cool song–check out this cool Beatles mashup: Can't see the video in your RSS reader or email? Click Here! The partial side-by-side video is phenomenal as well. What’s one of your favorite music mashups? You just finished reading "Beatles Mashup: ‘Band on the Run’ with ‘Imagine’" on… -
Mobile App Stores Head-to-Head [Infographic]
18 Jun 2013 | 10:30 amI used to work at a video game store. When customers were trying to decide which system to purchase, this is what I would tell them: “Focus on the game library.” I think the same can be said for smartphones and tablets. There are many apps that can be used on multiple devices–sometimes better and sometimes worse–but what can really separate the different OS’ are the exclusive apps. If you find that your favorite apps can only be found on a particular platform, that’s the direction you should probably go. Take a look at how the number of apps compare from app… -
How-To Manage Your Privacy with Google+ Photo Albums
18 Jun 2013 | 9:30 amGoogle+ is quickly becoming one of my favorite social networks and part of it is because of the ability to share photos with specific groups of people. Recently, I took photos at my daughters kindergarten graduation, but I didn’t want to post the photos publicly and I didn’t want to put them on my Dropbox. I decided to post them on Gooogle+ and share with all of the parents. Here’s how I did it: Photo Privacy with Google+ Photo Albums Google+ has many features, but photos are one of the often overlooked features. How do you use photos on Google+? You just finished…
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Brian Barela's Blog: Catalyze Change
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Inbound Marketing Certified
26 May 2013 | 8:41 am -
Have You Thought About the Donor’s Experience?
8 May 2013 | 6:35 amPhilanthropy is alive and well, it’s fundraising that needs to evolve. With the amount of charitable giving options multiplying it’s easier than ever to see your fundraising efforts become lost in the pile. Donors expect more than an anonymous communication every once in a while, or the same information shared on Facebook, Twitter, email, direct mail, etc. The Donor Experience Newsletter will feature interviews, case studies, and insights to help fundraisers provide a better experience to the people that invest in them, and to help impact investors find causes that will allow… -
How Does Facebook Mobile Make You Feel When You Use it?
25 Apr 2013 | 3:47 pm“We started looking at how people would understand the interactions if we changed the gestures. Certain gestures were preferable to others, because they were easier to understand, or because they were more effective in navigating the content. Our focus is not necessarily on the performance of the gestures, but more on the experience they provide whether they’re clear or not–whether people felt comfortable using them, whether they conveyed the right action or whether they were associated to the right action, and whether words were used in general or not.”–via… -
Facebook Moves Beyond an App
23 Apr 2013 | 5:12 amA recent NY Times article described and reacted to Facebook Home: For example, for most people, the entire purpose of a Home screen is displaying app icons. But there are no icons on Facebook’s Home screens; Facebook thinks you’d rather use that space for reading Facebook updates. The only icon that appears is your own profile photo. You can drag it to the left to open the Facebook Messaging app, to the right to open the last open app — or upward to open a grid of app icons on a gray background. Ah, here are the apps. But it’s awfully sparse; where are the rest? In removing the… -
Your Increasingly Social Smartphone
12 Apr 2013 | 7:20 amSocial media is no longer restricted to an application. Facebook Home and Google Now demonstrate the socialization of information. Facebook Home “Puts Your Friends at the Heart of Your Phone” Google Now “Gets You Just the Right Information at the Right Time”
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Zak White
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REV VOW: Amy Rogers
13 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amThis weeks REV VOW is Amy Rogers. Amy has been serving in Revolution Kids for seven months. She “brangs” it every week by teaching our kids how to Love God and Love People! She also takes care of her three younger siblings. Amy, It is an honor to serve God with you every week at Revolution Church. You are our REV VOW! -
This Week at Revolution: Greg Rohlinger
12 Jun 2013 | 6:08 amThis week for our “These Preachers Like to Dance” series we will be hearing from Pastor Greg Rohlinger. I am fired up about having him join us. Its also Father’s Day and we will be giving every Dad a man gift and a chance to win a BIG GREEN EGG GRILL. Greg was recently diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, a terminal disease with no treatment or cure. Back in February I was at a conference and I heard Greg give THE BEST message I have ever heard. I am not hyping this at all. I mean it. The best message I’ve ever heard. Period. This Sunday, he will be sharing that… -
New Shirts
11 Jun 2013 | 12:27 pmCheck it out Revolution…two new summer shirts available this Sunday!!! Just $12 each. They’ll go FAST so come ready to snag yours! Click for a bigger image… -
Sermon Slice: 1+1=One
10 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amIn this Sermon Slice, from our White Picket Fences series Pastor Zak talks about God’s plan for marriage. Can’t see the video? Click here to watch:1+1=ONE from Revolution Church on Vimeo. -
REV VOW: Shelly Warren
6 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amThis weeks REV VOW is Shelly Warren. Shelly serves in Rev Creative specifically with our video team. She edits videos like a master pro while homeschooling her kids! She took the REV Creative Video Team to a whole ‘nother level! You probably had no idea that you see her work every week on the screen!!! Shelly, thank you for your humility to serve behind the scenes. It is an honor to serve with you! You are our REV VOW!!!!!!
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between realities
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Churches doing more
6 Jun 2013 | 8:00 amSome cool stuff from Kevin D Hendricks at Church Marketing Sucks that underscores how great it is to see churches help other churches. From the blog post: All of those things are great, but I love seeing churches giving back to other churches. We’re not in competition. We’ve all got the same goal. Why not help each other out? Exactly. We all act sometimes like getting to heaven entails climbing on the prone bodies of vanquished brethren. No LOL. As one who benefited from free youth ministry from Lifechurch.tv as a cash-strapped youth pastor, I have a special place in my heart for… -
Living a “Miguo” Life
5 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amThe Urhobos are a proud people that inhabit the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. Compared to other ethnic groups, it would not be considered one of the biggest. I’m a little biased, but few peoples come close to matching the Urhobo propensity for hard work and resourcefulness. Some of my happiest memories was splitting time between Warri and Ethiope areas. remembering the palm fruit bushels, green forest and rubber plantations still warms my heart. Fresh fish for DAYS. Starch and ogwho soup. Ukhodo. Pepper soup. Oh my… As with just about every tribal group in Africa, the Urhobos have… -
People I dislike: Andrew Pawelczyk
4 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amThe funny thing about preparation is that even when we do all that we are supposed to do, the unexpected can still happen. It’s why we have safety nets in circuses, guard rails on the highway and expensive insurance premiums. And even then, things can still go wrong. Check out Illinois Eisenhower Junior High’s Andrew Pawelczyk. He’s playing cymbals, an is able to get a couple strokes in prior to an equipment malfunction. The strap came off, causing a funny extra and off-beat clash with the floor. I’m no saint, I literally hollered with mirth at seeing the shock and… -
Church diversity is becoming the new normal
3 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amWatch out… being diverse and more welcoming to all people in US churches is seemingly becoming the norm — whether we like it or not. DJ Chuang, who is about as attuned to matters such as these as anyone in the church, does a quick blurb to highlight this based on information posted by Dr Scott Thumma on HuffPo. Cool stuff. Numbers are not everything, but on the optimistic side, I do believe attitudes are changing. We attend a church that is fairly multiracial, but one thing I do appreciate is that it feels natural. I am always cynical of forced behavior. Church diversity is a… -
Why?
16 Apr 2013 | 7:00 amSometimes, I don’t know what to say. Praying for all those affected by the events in Boston. You just finished reading Why?! Consider leaving a comment!Thanks for reading between realities and sharing my dream of living for God in EVERY way.
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CJ Alvarado
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Intention by Apple
11 Jun 2013 | 12:04 pm -
Snippet
4 Apr 2013 | 8:55 pmLast week we launched our app Snippet. It was a crazy day. It got even crazier when Snippet jumped to #6 on iTunes Top Grossing apps in the books category. There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as shipping something. A year ago, it was just an idea, today it’s a real product with real customers. Go - Read More - -
Think Long. Write Short.
10 Mar 2013 | 12:42 pm“I’m sorry I could not have written a shorter letter but I didn’t have the time.” Abraham Lincoln As we have been working on our product Snippet we’re coming very close to our launch. As that day draws near, I revisit a great piece I’ve read from George Lois on the benefit of short powerful - Read More - -
Jack Quote
9 Mar 2013 | 11:38 am“Make every detail perfect, and limit the number of details to perfect.” Jack Dorsey -
Antibodies Against Great Ideas
5 Mar 2013 | 10:58 pm“It’s the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you’re mad, then there’s a pause and then you can’t find anyone who disagrees with you. “ Tony Benn In 1975 a Kodak engineer invented the first digital camera, which captured low resolution black and white images and transferred them to - Read More -
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Revitalize Your Church
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6 Things I Learned from Dad
15 Jun 2013 | 4:25 pmWe buried my father twelve hours before Father's Day. Over two decades have since passed, but sometimes it seems like yesterday. Grief has a funny way of popping up in unexpected places. While working on last Sunday's Father's Day sermon, I suddenly missed my dad, with an overwhelmed longing and a sadness that my children did not have the privilege of knowing him (except through my stories.)Earlier this year, I ran into one of dad's old friends. He said, "You're Andy Wilson's boy, aren't you? You look so much like him!" When I was young, I don't believe I would have… -
You Live in a World, and a World Lives in You
13 Jun 2013 | 7:54 am“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” ― Frederick Buechner -
Pay Now or Pay Later
10 Jun 2013 | 8:38 amIf you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.Life comes with a price tag. The choice of WHEN to pay the price is entirely up to you.You can pay the bill up front and invest your effort and energy into planning, intentional decision making and thinking ahead. Or, you can wait and pay the piper at the end.Yes, you have to pay for it, on one side or the other -- and you get to make the choice. But here's the difference:If you pay up front, you will receive a great return in life with compound interest!If you pay at the end, you will have to pay much, much more -- with compound interest!There's… -
Marriage ABC's
1 Jun 2013 | 6:45 amTo have a happy, thriving marriage that lasts, follow these A,B.C's: A - Accept your partner as he/she is - no strings attached.B - Be attentive, thoughtful and considerate.C - Commit yourself and your marriage to God.D - Date each other regularly and often.E - Endure the difficult times with a good spirit.F - Forgive any grievances you may have against each other.G - Give affection generously.H - Have fun together. Make wonderful memories!I - Involve your partner totally in your life. Don't shut him/her out.J - Journey through life together, looking forward to what's around the bend.K - Keep… -
Great Lesson in Racial Insensitivity
30 May 2013 | 6:55 am
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Challies Dot Com - Informing the Reforming
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Praying With Children
19 Jun 2013 | 5:15 amOne of the great privileges of being a pastor is always having a good reason to speak to the children of the church. I love getting down to their level (i.e. sitting on the floor), talking to them, and hearing about their lives. A question I love to ask them is this: How can I pray for you? We ask this same question on Wednesday evenings when our church gathers for our mid-week service. The children go off to classes to learn about Jesus while adults go and spend an hour in prayer. But before we dismiss the kids we ask them the question: How can we pray for you tonight?The answers are as… -
A La Carte (6/19)
19 Jun 2013 | 2:50 amHow to Read a Book - “Reading a book seems like a pretty straightforward task, doesn't it? And in some cases, it is. If you're reading purely for entertainment or leisure, it certainly can be that easy. There's another kind of reading, though, in which we at least attempt to glean something of value from the book in our hands (whether in paper or tablet form). In that instance, you might be surprised to learn that it's not as simple as opening the book and reading the words.” Coming Clean - Coming Clean is a new, free e-book from Covenant Eyes that may be helpful to… -
New & Notable Book Reviews
18 Jun 2013 | 12:49 pmI love reading books, but I also love reading reviews of books. Reviews allow me to discover books I haven't heard of, they teach me to think wisely, they allow me to better prioritize the books I am considering reading, and they sometimes provide a helpful second opinion on books I have already read. For all of those reasons I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I’ve collected recently:Saving Eutychus: How To Preach God's Word And Keep People Awake by Gary Millar and Phil Campbell. Reviewed by Mez McConnell. -
Not By Sight
18 Jun 2013 | 5:15 amSometimes I read a book and can later point to a page or a chapter and a specific idea I drew from it. When I later write a review of these books I can usually point to that idea and say, “Here is what I learned; here is what the author taught me.” I love those books and in many ways can chart my spiritual growth through them. But these are not the only books that are valuable to me. There are also the books that that evoke wonder or worship even when I cannot later go back and point to that specific truth that resonated in my mind and heart. Such is the case with Jon… -
A La Carte (6/18)
18 Jun 2013 | 3:49 amThere are a few Kindle deals that may interest you. Nancy Pearcey’s Total Truth ($4.99); John MacArthur’s The Second Coming ($4.99); Norman Geisler’s I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist ($4.99); Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church ($4.99); Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters ($4.99); ESV Study Bible ($4.99); The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis: Volume 1 ($0.99), Volume 3 ($0.99).The Incredible Disappearing Evangelist - Smithsonian magazine tells an interesting story from days gone by. “Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist,…
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Desiring God Blog
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In and Out, In a Blaise of Glory
18 Jun 2013 | 10:00 pmFew have written with such passion and economy of expression. Rarely does one turn such manifest angst to articulation and channel such blood-earnestness into precise words. Blaise Pascal burned with the kind of intensity and aggression uncharacteristic of those who have long, peaceful lives. He was a fierce flame with a short wick. It was June 19, 1623 — 390 years ago today — that Pascal was born in Clermont, France, to a mother who would die when he was only a toddler. He himself would live a sickly and painful life and wouldn’t even see his fortieth birthday — though he left an… -
Love Is More Than a Choice
18 Jun 2013 | 2:51 pmThis is a gentle pushback on a popular slogan. There is truth in saying, “love is a choice” or “love is a decision.” It is true that if you don’t feel like doing good to your neighbor love will incline you to “choose” to do it anyway. If you feel like getting a divorce, love will incline you to “choose” to stay married and work it out. If you shrink back from the pain of nails being driven through your hands, love will incline you to say, “Not my will but yours be done.” That’s the truth I hear in the statements: “Love is a choice,” or “Love is a decision.” But… -
Our Choices Matter
18 Jun 2013 | 9:54 amMax McLean, the lead actor and director of the theatrical adaptation of The Screwtape Letters, has performed the role of Screwtape hundreds of times since the play debuted in 2010. This means that beyond reading C.S. Lewis, McLean has absorbed his thought. We recently had the chance to ask him about any enduring lessons he’s learned from so much attention to Lewis’s work. He explains in this three-minute video: Learn more about our upcoming conference, “The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, & Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis,” and download our ebook from John Piper on C.S. -
Is There a Key to Godliness?
17 Jun 2013 | 10:00 pmWhether you are in your twenties or sixties, you probably have some long-standing heart-responses you don’t like. These are like reflexes. You don’t choose them. They spring up unintentionally from your heart, usually in response to the people around you. It may be anger, anxiety, envy, resentment, self-pity, disgust, frustration, discouragement, lust, irritability, impatience, hard-heartedness, brusqueness, unkindness, withdrawnness. When any one of these attitudes springs up unbidden, you hate it. You have fought it for years with gospel-faithfulness, trusting in the blood of Christ and… -
14 Free eBooks for You
17 Jun 2013 | 8:30 amTwenty percent of all the books sold last year were electronic, says the latest report from Bookstats. This simply means that ebooks are still on the rise. More and more users like to carry their libraries in their hands. And this matters for the mission of Desiring God. Though it won’t replace good old-fashioned books, the upward trend of ebooks has created a new platform for us to spread our message — that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Over the past year we’ve created 14 new titles exclusively released as ebooks, all free, available in three different…
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ToddRhoades.com
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Culture Watch: Teen birth rates, Homosexuality, and Views on the Bible
14 Jun 2013 | 5:44 amAs a church leader, it’s vitally important to keep up on what’s happening in our ever-changing culture. Each month in Ministry Briefing, we highlight the cultural news items that you really need to know as a church leader. Here is just a sampling from this month’s Briefing in the area of culture. You can download and read the whole issue here. Teen Birth Rates Decline Dramatically The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that between 2007 and 2011, teen birth rates dropped dramatically in America, with Hispanic girls falling an impressive 34%. -
Crystal Cathedral, Westboro, Millenials and Harold Camping
13 Jun 2013 | 5:44 amHere are five current events items that you should know about from the last 30 days. Each month, we compile a list of about 200 stories that you should digest and know about as a church leader. We call it Ministry Briefing. Here are five stories from this month’s issue. Get the full issue here. Moving Sale at the Crystal Cathedral In preparation for its relocation from the Crystal Cathedral, Crystal Cathedral Ministries (CCM) hosted a moving sale where it sold office equipment, books, and other collectibles from the large California ministry that was founded by Robert Schuller. -
Are Twitter and Facebook narcissistic?
13 Jun 2013 | 5:31 amFrom Mashable.com: Researchers found that young adult college students who posted more often on Twitter scored higher in a measure of certain types of narcissism, whose traits include exhibitionism, exploitativeness, and superiority. “Young people may over-evaluate the importance of their own opinions,” communication studies doctorate and researcher Panek said in the statement. “Through Twitter, they’re trying to broaden their social circles and broadcast their views about a wide range of topics and issues.” As far as middle-aged adult narcissists; the study… -
Tim Keller on Character Flaws
13 Jun 2013 | 5:16 amTim Keller suggests that your worst character flaws are the ones that you can see the least. Tim writes: By definition the sins to which you are most blind, that you make the most excuses for, and that you usually minimize—are the ones that most have you in their grip. One way we hide our blemishes is that we look at places that our natural temperament resembles spiritual fruit. For example, a natural aptitude for control and self-discipline can be read as faithfulness, and a natural desire for personal approval could look like gentleness or love. Or we mistake a bubbly, sanguine… -
A word from Craig, Perry, Brad, and Brady…
12 Jun 2013 | 11:13 amRead what church leaders are saying about Ministry Briefing! CRAIG GROESCHEL Senior Pastor – LifeChurch.tv – Edmond, OK As a ministry leader, timely news and targeted information is incredibly important to me to plan for the future and respond quickly to opportunities in the present. But like most leaders, I don’t have a lot of extra time to dig for all of the information I need. That’s why I’m so thankful for Todd and Matt’s Ministry Briefing. Each month, they compile the latest church and ministry news, culture trends and best practices for leaders all in one…
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Pastor Steven Furtick
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Elevation Creative: The Rope
19 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amWe all play different roles in the body of Christ. But each calling is significant. We each were designed for a specific part. And when we begin to not focus on our differences as Christians and unite together under one banner, we become the unstoppable force Christ envisioned for His Church, moving forward together with the same mission. In this video from our series Unstoppable, our Creative team uses a rope to show how strong we really truly become when we unify as one body of believers. -
The Right Way to Handle Dysfunctional People
18 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amWe all know them. We’re probably even related to some of them. We de all we can to avoid them – and yet, they’re still there. The people who suck the life out of us. Why are they like this? And what are we supposed to do with them? In this clip from our series How To Hug a Vampire, Pastor Steven teaches us how to respond to the dysfunctional relationships in our lives in the same way Jesus did. -
Finding Purpose In Our Storms
17 Jun 2013 | 9:14 amTrusting God during the storms of our lives is one of the easiest things to say – but hardest things to do. Storms are ominous and intimidating, and bring raging doubt and fear with them. But as Christians, we’re on a better boat. There’s someone aboard who has power over the wind and the waves. In this clip from the sermon “Sinkers & Savers,” Pastor Steven shows us who Jesus is and what He is able to do when we’re in the midst of our storms. -
Cheering for failure
14 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amIt’s a sad day when you’re more excited to see the team you hate lose rather than the team you love win. I’ve experienced this recently. I used to simply cheer for the Clemson Tigers and against the USC Gamecocks. But I recently crossed the line and became more interested in seeing SC lose than Clemson win. Partly because Clemson had a bad season this year, but also because I’ve just grown to hate SC so much that I’d rather see them fail than see my own team succeed. Often many churches and individuals fall in to this same mindset. They almost rejoice more when they see bad things… -
Elevation Creative: The Messenger
13 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amJesus tells us to follow Him because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But that doesn’t mean the Christian life is going to be a carefree stroll through the Promised Land. Sometimes in fact, it will be quite the opposite. The writer of Hebrews tells us that there will be hardship. There will be sin that entangles us. We will get distracted, complacent, and worn down. But there is hope. We have a Savior. And we serve a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Our Creative team made this video during our series Hebrews 12 to remind us of these powerful truths. Download this video, and other…
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Adrian Warnock
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Responding to Mental Illness: the narrow path
18 Jun 2013 | 2:49 amI am in the middle of one of my long blog series. Today there is a significant change in what I am addressing, however. So far, I have essentially been saying “mental illnesses are real, you should not be afraid to seek medical help,” from today I will be arguing for the other side of [...] The rest of this article is available by following the link above -
A Father’s Day Sermon Idea
15 Jun 2013 | 2:14 amAs a free gift to my hardworking pastor readers, here is a draft sermon outline that I hope will prompt an idea for any of you still preparing your sermon for tomorrow. Romans 8:14-19 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back [...] The rest of this article is available by following the link above -
Should a Christian go to counseling with a secular therapist?
6 Jun 2013 | 10:30 amThis is a question that I know troubles many Christians. Some believe that secular counseling has no place, and that Bible-based pastoral care is all that is needed to bring about change in people, whatever their problems. Others believe that a Christian counsellor should be used, and that such a counselor should integrate both Biblical [...] The rest of this article is available by following the link above -
The four pillars of mental health and wellbeing
5 Jun 2013 | 2:01 pmThe following are steps that we can all take to promote our mental wellbeing. It is not just those that have a recognised mental illness that should practice steps to protect and improve our well-being. Many today complain of non-descript “stress” and “overwork” that can be early warning signs of future problems. These steps will [...] The rest of this article is available by following the link above -
Are Mental Disorders real illnesses? What of the DSMV controversy?
4 Jun 2013 | 10:32 amAs I have been writing on most of the main types of mental illness a media controversy has raged. The release of the DSMV was seen by many as an opportunity to throw the spotlight on the validity of psychiatric diagnostic systems. In particular, the announcement of a new highly experimental approach the RDC was [...] The rest of this article is available by following the link above
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Reformissionary
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New Music Tuesday 6.18.13
18 Jun 2013 | 8:24 amSigur Ros: Kveikur | A band that is doing their own thing and doing it extremely well. This album is meant to fill your room. It's darker. "Close your eyes and feel the terrible greatness of nature swallow you up." And it's on sale this week! -
Lots-o-Links 6.12.13
12 Jun 2013 | 9:17 am10 Reasons To Get Married & Have Kids Young My list would look a little different than this, but Molly and I got married young, had kids young, and we love to encourage others to do the same. Tim Keller On How To Get Into Gospel Conversations A video, but more importantly a nice outline of what Keller says. Justin Taylor - On Writing Well Go read more on Justin's four points: Read Slowly Read a lot Write to think Write and rewrite -
$5 Albums | June 2013
3 Jun 2013 | 9:43 amAnother month of good, cheap music. Here are the albums I recommend from Amazon's $5 albums for June. Kurt Vile: Wakin On A Pretty Daze Broken Bells: Broken Bells Mikal Cronin: MCII Frank Turner: Tape Deck Heart Waxahatchee: Cerulean Salt Eluvium: Copia Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds The Avett Brothers: The Second Gleam -
Stephen King on God
30 May 2013 | 8:16 amStephen King wrote one of my favorite books on writing called On Writing. His take on adverbs clearly has stuck with me. He has also written a popular book here or there. Terry Gross' interview of King on Fresh Air yesterday was really good, including a bunch of quotes worth checking out. Here's a great example. You should go listen to the whole thing. I choose to believe it. ... I mean, there's no downside to that. If you say, 'Well, OK, I don't believe in God. There's no evidence of God,' then you're missing the stars in the sky and you're… -
Pope: Atheists Are Saved
24 May 2013 | 8:50 amPope Francis said, The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, what about the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us first class children of God! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, with everyone doing his own part; if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by…
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Worship Matters
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Raising Gospel-Centered Children – An Interview with Marty Machowski
11 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amTraining children to put their hope and trust in Christ is one of the greatest privileges we have. Marty Machowski has devoted decades to helping churches and families do just that. Although my kids were grown before he wrote his materials, I read The Gospel Story Bible to my grandkids and can’t recommended his children’s ministry curriculum highly enough. I’m excited that Marty will be teaching seminars at both WorshipGod West and WorshipGod East this year. He graciously took the time to answer a few questions about his life and seminar. 1. Briefly share your testimony of… -
Interview with Darius Fong
10 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amWorshipGod West 2013: Called to be Faithful is only a few weeks away, and on-line registration ends June 14. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring the conference to the West for the first time. One of the seminar speakers will be Darius Fong, a Grammy-award winning audio engineer whose passion is the Church. He wrote Debtcibel and also founded Audio Must Preach, an independent consultation company that helps churches focus on ministry and stewardship by removing audio related obstacles. In his seminar he’ll be addressing questions to ask before you spend money on sound… -
And the Winners Are…
24 May 2013 | 12:35 pmEarlier this week I offered the opportunity to win a free registration to WorshipGod West: Called to be Faithful. Thanks to everyone who took time to comment on why you or someone you know should get a free registration. Got some great responses. Although I wanted to give a comp registration to everyone, I picked two based on the situation and two using a random number generator. #1) Brian Ehline gets a free registration thanks to his friend, Jeff Seavey. Jeff wrote: I would LOVE to send our worship leader, Brian Ehline. Brian has served us at LW for nearly 10 years without ever receiving a… -
Four People Are Going to WorshipGod West for Free
20 May 2013 | 11:40 amWorshipGod2013 West: Called to Be Faithful is a little over five weeks away (June 27-29) and some of the seminars are beginning to fill up. We have a great list of teachers lined up this year, both in the main sessions and the breakouts. Kevin DeYoung, Craig Cabaniss, Jon Payne, Donald Whitney, John Martin, Steve & Vikki Cook, Sherri Gould, and more. In addition, Enfield will be leading us in song for a session, and Matt Papa will be joining us to share a few songs. As always, there will be a few surprises, a lot of laughter, and rich times of worshiping God through song, preaching, and… -
Worship Without Words
15 May 2013 | 6:18 amRecently I posted on Twitter: The fact that Psalms doesn’t include a soundtrack or notation clues us in to what God values most in our worship songs. I find it fascinating that God gave us a “songbook” with numerous musical references, but no actual music. It’s not that music is unimportant. Badly played or written music can make great theology sound obscure or unappealing. Great music can make shallow lyrics sound profound and incredibly moving. Which is why when we’re deciding what to sing congregationally, we want to give the greatest attention to the lyrics…
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Deep Thoughts by Gman
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Parable of the Fence
14 Jun 2013 | 11:10 amRead the Following parable from "Leading the Comeback Church -David Nixon pg.143) Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's… -
A Perfect Pastor
14 Jun 2013 | 10:58 amA Perfect Pastor (pg 102 Leading the Comeback church -David Nixon shares the following from In Holly Humor Cal and Rose Samra the profile of a perfect pastor) A Perfect Pastor... Results of a computerized survey show that the perfect pastor... Preaches exactly 15 minutes, condemns sin, but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also the janitor. He makes $60 per week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car... and gives about $50 per week to the poor. He is twenty-eight years old and has been preaching for thirty years. He is wonderfully gentle and… -
Man in the Water
7 Jun 2013 | 10:22 amJust used this true story as a sermon illustration this past Sunday.http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO -
Why I'm Going to Camp this Summer.
3 Jun 2013 | 8:37 amSo I'm going to Oak Hill Christian Service Camp this summer and here are some reasons why: I. I love Camp. Its that simple. It is a great ministry and ministry tool. II. I love the church staff and board. They spend lots of hours and time planning and wanting to teach students about Jesus. III. I love my kids and the other kids going too. I really do. My wife and I are sending our children to camp because we believe in it. There is nothing to it. Seeing kids being transformed for Jesus. IV. It will be fun. Even in the dullest of days it will be fun. From mud pies to swimming to singing silly… -
Why Church Camp Matters!!
3 Jun 2013 | 8:26 amIn a few weeks camp season will start. So why Church Camp? Why does it matter at all? I. Camp can be and is an extension of the church and its ministry. It is a vital mission and equipping of the leaders today and the future. II. It is life changing. It helps kids have that "Light bulb" turn on and the transforming power of Christ. (Romans 12:1-2) III. It is equipping. Teaches people to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others daily. IV. Exposes students to other cultures and ministries. Nothing like those mission moments and the Call to "Go." V. Supports other ministries. The Funds raised…
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markartrip.wordpress.com
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CELEBRITY LOOK-A-LIKES THAT I KNOW PART 4
30 May 2013 | 9:45 pmIf you hang out with me for more than one hour I will probably tell you that you or someone close by remind me of someone. It might be someone famous, or it might just be another friend of mine. Through the years this has lead me to do a few different “people I know who look like celebrities” (or not so famous people too) posts on the ole blog here. So here goes the fourth edition. Check out these links to the first, second, and third edition. Don’t be offended, just humor me. -
MOVEMENT GRAND OPENING WEEKEND/EGG DROP/EASTER SUNDAY RECAP
1 Apr 2013 | 2:23 pmMany people have asked via text, email, and Facebook, so I thought I would give a recap of all that God did on our opening weekend. Saturday at 830am we got to Spindler Park and began setting up for our Easter Egg Drop. We had a team of around 50 people very organized by our outreach coach Ashton Rank so the work went quick and we were ready to go by 10am. All we really did was set up sound, have an information table, mark 3 soccer fields with stakes and caution tape, and spread 37,000 eggs out evenly. We didn’t know how many people would show up but we took around 12,000 flyers door to… -
MARCH 11TH, 2013 MIND DUMP
10 Mar 2013 | 9:02 pmWhat is one to do when there is just too much to say in a post that would stay on topic, be cohesive, or make sense in any way?…You write a mind dump of course. I have been waiting since high school to be a church planter….I love it. Often when people describe a phase of life to you it isn’t true. We all got marriage or parenting suggestions from someone we were convinced had no idea what they are talking about. Most people told me that in the church planters the highs would be higher and the lows would be lower…..that is exactly true. Today was our 9th Sunday since we started… -
2013 GRAMMY RECAP/MIND DUMP
11 Feb 2013 | 7:17 amI tried to stay away and not tweet or blog abut the Grammy’s. I figured there were enough experts out there offering their opinion. I tried, you gotta believe my I really did. I just couldn’t’ take it, when I saw people saying things like this…… “What ever happened to Nirvana?” (This guy wasn’t joking) “I didn’t know Adele was British.” “What band does Travis Barker drum for?” At some point I got worked up and started keeping mental notes knowing that I had a good ole fashioned Grammy recap brewing inside of me for the markartrip.com audience. Its feels like 2005… -
THE HARDEST PART OF PLANTING A CHURCH SO FAR: MAKING YOUR OWN WAKE
23 Jan 2013 | 11:52 amEver since we started planting a church, people always ask me a question. Usually the questions are something like “How’s it going?”, “What’s it like?” or “What’s been the hardest part?” I think the last question is the one I get asked the most. I thought today I would elaborate on that a little more and tell you what the hardest part has been thus far in our experience. (This answer could change, but for now this is what I thought of.) The hardest part of planting a church has been making our own wake. If you don’t know what a wake is than you obviously have never been…
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Gabe Taviano
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Logo design – Watermelon World Publishing
18 Jun 2013 | 12:39 pmWorking on a quick second round of updates to the Watermelon World Publishing logo. Most people on Facebook gave thumbs up to number two. I think it’s got potential, but I see at least two more rounds of edits with some thoughts I have (combined with some feedback). Thanks for checking it out, and feel free to comment. -
Best FREE Christian rap albums to download
4 Apr 2013 | 9:32 amI have been sending out some links to friends, letting them know of the rise in quality and popularity of Christian rap music. So I decided to just publish a post with my top 5 free albums I have downloaded this past year, along with another 12 free albums that are available. Feel free to chime in, letting me know of your favorites – if you have them. Enjoy! TOP 5 FREE CHRISTIAN RAP ALBUMS: Joint Heirs and Andale (Hypocrite) = DOWNLOAD Young Noah (Mixtape Vol. 2) = DOWNLOAD Dre Murray (Stranger) = DOWNLOAD Reconcile (Abandoned Hope) = DOWNLOAD DJ Official (I Didn’t Invent The… -
Rob Bell and America’s new Civil War
28 Mar 2013 | 9:32 amFreedom. A very strong word that many have died and are dying for. What do I know about it? I’ve visited southeast Asia twice in the past three years, holding children who are or have been enslaved to human trafficking in my arms. Last month I visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati with a group from our church, and last night I finished watching Lincoln (a great film that shares just how hard it was for our government to grant freedom to African Americans). I have moved my family to attend an intentionally multi-ethnic church plant these past two years. -
The challenge of diversity in the church
18 Feb 2013 | 12:09 pmSanctuary Columbus Church was launched as an intentionally multi-ethnic church plant in the Northland area of Columbus, Ohio. Our pastor (Rich Johnson) and Chad Brennan (director of Renew Partnerships – an organization he started to assist universities and other organizations in how they handle and pursue diversity) joined together yesterday for some co-teaching at our church (you may listen to the sermon audio here). Here are a few notes I took that I thought you might want to review, especially if you agree that the diversity of heaven should not be put off on earth. Enjoy! PRINCIPLES… -
Stuck in 1 Samuel
16 Jan 2013 | 7:38 amThanks to you Facebook friends for jumping over here! While studying God’s Word this week, and dealing with another dose of fear/anxiety, I came across something that really spoke to me. I’m sure some of you have read this scripture before, and hopefully some of you can help me better understand it. Most of you know I had a heart attack back on 10/29/11, 100% blocked left anterior descending artery (AKA “the widow maker”). 2012 was the worst year of my life. Went to the ER three times (once while on vacation) because I thought I was having another heart attack. Those…
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Thinking Out Loud
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Wednesday Link List
19 Jun 2013 | 3:18 amHas it been a week already? The above graphic is from Happy Monday at The Master’s Table. We’re very much opposed to sensationalism. In theory, at least. But how can we not include Pastor Indicted for Plot to Poison Wife on Missions Trip? Opinions please? Some say this is appropriate but Chaplain Mike says this particular sermon illustration is going to terrorize small children. Music Discovery of the Week: Tim Timmons.Maybe most of you already know about him. Here’s his story, and the video for the song Cast My Cares. Pope Francis offers more quotable quotes than you can… -
The Dynamics of Unfriending
18 Jun 2013 | 4:21 amSocial media has changed the landscape and added dozens, if not hundreds of new words to our vocabulary. Friend has become a verb along with its opposite, unfriend. But many of us have understood the dynamics of unfriending long before we owned a computer. We were talking about that last night, though the story here involves today’s technology. There’s a guy that was on my business mailing list who out of the blue asked to have his name removed. I’m a little sensitive about these things, but I tried not to let it get to me. We were doing one newsletter every three weeks, and… -
We’re All Afraid
17 Jun 2013 | 4:38 amWe’re weather obsessed: Websites like Intellicast.com track active storm systems, while Wind Map (pictured above) shows active wind patterns at hint.fm/wind I think we’re all afraid. Different reasons in each case, but I know that my American friends — who comprise the majority of readers here — are wondering quite literally which way the wind is going to blow. Communities not devastated by hurricanes and tornadoes have been shattered by gun violence. It makes you want to build a shelter in the basement and then just stay there. I base some of this on a monitoring of… -
We Don’t…
16 Jun 2013 | 7:16 amAs someone who has spent a lifetime in and around Christian music, whenever I visit a church I often make my way to the front after the service and converse with the worship team, especially when I know one or two of the musicians. A few weeks ago I did just that, and we started talking about songs that have the possibility of two parts being sung at the same time. Then we talked about ‘call and response’ songs where the worship leader sings a line and then the congregation repeats it. Then we talked about songs that parts for men and women. At that point someone on the team said,… -
The Homogenization of Ideas
15 Jun 2013 | 4:19 amMany years ago, when my life was more about music than about books, I met a girl — name truly forgotten — who had written a children’s musical that she hoped I could help her get published. Despite the fact that I worked in the broadest sectors of the Christian music industry, my interest lay more in breaking new territory for contemporary Christian music, not in the choral music product market. But then I listened to the tape she gave me. Without any formal musical training, this girl had conceived an entire cantata for children — theme unfortunately forgotten also…
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MINISTRY-TO-CHILDREN
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Bible Lesson: The defeat of Ai (Joshua 8)
18 Jun 2013 | 10:07 amOur church recently began The Gospel Project for adults and children. The following lesson was inspired by curriculum and their approach of showing how every story relates back to Jesus. The students discover that God blesses those who obey Him by faith. This lesson was adapted for an older elementary class. Bible Passage: Joshua 8 Bible Story Title: The defeat of Ai Target Age Group: Ages 9-11 (3rd-5th Grade U.S.A.) Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes Original Teaching Context: Sunday School Credits: Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing and Distant Shores Media Supply List: Bibles, copies… -
“New Testament Gospels” Review Worksheets for Children
18 Jun 2013 | 9:54 amThis is part of a series of worksheets based on the divisions of the Bible. The purpose is to help children who are already familiar with many of the Bible stories to understand how they fit together to make the whole story of the Bible. Click here to download This worksheet focuses on the New Testament gospels. It has two pages that can be printed back to back. Pencils are needed; crayons may also be helpful, especially if you need to use these with younger children. Related posts: “Old Testament – Minor Prophets” Review Worksheets for Children “Old Testament – Major… -
“1 Kings” Bible Coloring Page
18 Jun 2013 | 9:48 amClick above to download We created this free printable as a tool to help children learn about the second book of Samuel. You can also search our website and find lesson plans another ideas related to the story of Solomon and King David. We are in the early stages of creating a coloring sheet for each book in the Bible. The project is just beginning and may take most of 2013 before they are posted online. Click on the image to download a print-friendly PDF version. You can also download the JPEG image if you would like to customize the coloring sheet. We will add a series index one we… -
“Names for God” Bingo Review Game
12 Jun 2013 | 5:15 amThis game focuses on the attributes of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It could be used for Father’s Day or any time you want to emphasize the characteristics of God. The game includes 18 bingo cards and 18 calling cards. Print the bingo cards and the bingo calling cards on card stock or heavy paper, and cut them apart. Cut colored paper or cardboard into 1-inch squares to make markers (or choose to use other markers). Give each player a bingo card and a handful of markers. (Picture 1) The leader draws a calling card, reads the statement, and holds the card up for everyone to… -
Ministering to the Fatherless: Practical Tips for Kids’ Leaders
11 Jun 2013 | 5:32 amAccording to the book of James, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) At no time during the year does this call to minister to the fatherless seem so important than Father’s Day. I don’t need to preach to children’s ministry leaders about the crumbling family unit, you see it each week. As good leaders, we must celebrate the fathers who lead their children, at the same time remaining sensitive to the kids who live in…
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Man of Depravity
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He Knows the Plans, But They Aren’t Good
18 Jun 2013 | 6:45 amEver heard someone quote Jeremiah 29:11 when trying to help a friend get a boost of confidence about the future? Me too. On the surface this reads like a perfect Bible story. The people around Jeremiah are groaning—wanting something better from God than what they’ve gotten. And God says through Jeremiah, “I’ve got this taken care of. You’re going to be just fine. So chill out.” But here’s the thing. Everything falls apart after this. Completely. Falls. Apart. Shortly after giving this word from God to the people the city they have called home for their… -
A Guide to Changing How You Read Online
13 Jun 2013 | 6:45 amIn case you didn’t know, people read differently online than they do offline, me included. And more than likely you as well. People have shorter attention spans reading online. Online readers scan, and a small percentage of them end up reading the entirety of any article they begin. So you know the drill by now, “experts” in social media recommend adapting online articles so that they have shorter sentences, use bold and italic font type, never have paragraphs of more than two sentences, use bullet points, and of course, all the experts say to use lists. Writers have taken… -
Tweet it and You’ve Got it
11 Jun 2013 | 6:45 amFrom Tyler: Today’s post is from a friend of mine, Chris Nye. I had the chance to interact with Chris a few months ago at a conference and can assure you he is the real deal. I’ve been trying to get a chance to feature Chris’ writing on here for a while, and I’m excited to share this post with you. “What’s on your mind?” -Facebook Most of our time on Facebook is spent trying to understand what people are saying to us, but we forget how much Facebook is saying to us. For as much as I try to ignore that dastardly right hand side of my Facebook feed, I can’t. -
Asking God New Questions
5 Jun 2013 | 6:45 am“God, which calling is more difficult, courage or contentment?” This is the question I find myself asking God, because I used to think having courage through change and struggle is the most difficult calling God can give, but now I’m beginning to wonder. The last two years of my life only one thing has been consistent: BIG changes. In the summer of 2011 I was lining up my first book project. As I was busy writing the book, I was working full time and attending seminary. Then I finished the book and found out my wife was pregnant. Within a month of the book releasing I took a… -
The Problem With The Sticky Pages
30 May 2013 | 6:45 amFrom Tyler: Today’s post is from CM Logan, a writer and pastor. While most posts here are written by me, I love getting the chance to share other writers with you. If you’re interested in posting read more here. I was in college, and the pastor said we were starting a sermon series in Nehemiah. He told us, “For those who aren’t familiar, it’s in the sticky pages of your Bible.” Those words lied dormant for years in the dark recesses of my little brain until I realized I hadn’t heard a single message from the book of Nehemiah since. Certain books get…
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STEVANSHEETS.COMSTEVANSHEETS.COM | CHRIST-FOLLOWER, HUSBAND, FATHER, SON, BROTHER, PASTOR & FRIEND
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Last Day of First Grade!
11 Jun 2013 | 8:32 amFirst day of Kindergarten inside a picture of the last day of Kindergarten inside a picture of the last day of First Grade! -
Indiana Wesleyan’s New Promotional Videos
5 Jun 2013 | 1:37 pmMy alma mater, Indiana Wesleyan University just released some incredible, well-produced promotional videos featuring students in different areas of education. As a graduate, I’m quite proud of the education I personally received from this great institution AND the level of excellence they continue to promote from the education they continue to provide to hundreds of graduates each year! The videos are worth watching to get a personal glimpse into what a student in each of the highlighted divisions experiences and receives as a student at IWU. EDUCATION: MUSIC: THEATER: COMPUTER SCIENCE:… -
Seven Minute Seminary: Predestination, Holiness, and Science
5 Jun 2013 | 7:33 amToday’s Seven Minute (it’s actually 10-minutes this time) Seminary from Asbury Theological Seminary is, in a word, FANTASTIC! Listen to Dr. Laurence Wood discuss the relationship between predestination, holiness, and science. My favorite quote from Dr. Wood that helps explain the Armenian understanding of predestination, God’s Omniscience, and our own free will (I tried to fix it a bit for sake of writing it out): “. . . God knows everything – but what causes God’s knowledge is what WILL BE and what WILL BE is not determined by God’s knowledge . . -
Just Turning Around | Handcrafted Pen Giveaway
16 May 2013 | 6:59 amI recently launched a brand-new Facebook page to support my day-off hobby and Etsy store featuring my handcrafted pens and other items. The page, “Just Turning Around” has been gaining some attention from friends and family and I look forward to keeping people apprised of my latest creations and for-sale offers there on the Facebook page. In an attempt to drum up even more attention to the new page, I want to offer a giveaway of one of my pens to say “Thanks!” for the overwhelming support in just the first couple of days of self-promotion. I am offering one of my… -
Robinsons “Pals” Commercial
15 May 2013 | 8:24 amUhm. Wow. This one left me speechless and emotional. This video is going viral, rightfully. Thank you to my sister for sharing it with me just moments ago. Thank you, Robertsons Drinks for getting it right!
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ChurchForFamily Sermons
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10 Ways to Make this the Best Summer Ever!
12 Jun 2013 | 9:21 pmPastor Paul shares ten things he’s committing to to make this the best summer ever! Why not join him? -
Relationship Toolbox 6 – The Toolbox
21 May 2013 | 12:37 pmWe conclude this series by sharing the glue that holds every relationship together. Show us the strengh of your commitment and we will show you the strength of your relationship. -
Relationship Toolbox 5 – The Toolbox
13 May 2013 | 11:45 pmGuest Speaker Terrie Newell shares the powerful story of a proud man who discovered that honor is the highest virtue in any relationship and the most effective way to show honor is to serve, but you will never be fully free to serve until you understand true humility. -
Relationship Toolbox 4 – 3-in-1 Oil
6 May 2013 | 7:49 pm -
Relationship Toolbox 3 – The Hatchet
30 Apr 2013 | 9:46 am
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West Coast CM
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Allowing Silence: a call to listen
30 May 2013 | 8:05 pmAllowing Silence A Call to Listen We have a tradition in our home that, at dinner, our children get the chance to decide who is going to pray and say a word of thanksgiving for our family, friends, food and other blessings in our lives. Recently, our three year old daughter has insisted on praying first in order to thank Jesus for dying for our sins. It’s an adorable reminder that the rest of what we’re thankful for doesn’t mean a whole lot without the cross. Funny how preschoolers can take such a matter-of-fact approach to the profound. Tonight, during the week after… -
More than a “Good Example”
1 Mar 2013 | 3:41 pmMore than a “Good Example” You cannot earn your child’s place in Heaven Growing up in a small town, I loved driving past the local car wash on Main Street for one reason: they had a sign with changeable letters. The sign owners would change the display often – switching from riddles, to knock-knock jokes, to [in]famous quotes, to sales… but, one thing stayed the same. We all paid attention to that sign. Fast-forward 20 years and you’d often find me driving past a similar sign that sits in front of a local church that I live near. If you saw me drive… -
Loving with a Broken Heart
14 Feb 2013 | 10:21 amLoving with a Broken Heart Living with the echoes of a miscarriage This post will go live on Valentine’s Day, but it could be written on any random day over the last few months. I sat this morning, looking at my children, and my heart ached for the baby who’ll never sit in a Bumbo, a child who’ll never have chocolate smeared on her face, a little girl who will never have the chance to forget her Disney Princess lunch bag at school. Our family of five has a sixth member who we’ll never meet and, on mornings like this, the feelings of loss that have slowly faded to the… -
Honor Your Parents: A Commandment
6 Feb 2013 | 7:21 amHonor Your Parents A Commandment, not simply a “Good Idea” I spend a lot of my life thinking about parenting and how families can best glorify their Creator with the lives they live. So, because of that, I was recently asked to speak to our congregation about how the fifth commandment, to honor thy father and mother, should play out in our lives. Now that the sermon is online (link posted below), I thought I’d recap here with some practical thoughts on honoring parents. A Commandment It’s good for us to consider that this command, to honor our parents, is included… -
Partnering with Parents: Workshop Prezi
4 Feb 2013 | 10:05 am(pictured above, Westwood United Methodist Church) Partnering with Parents Workshop Prezi and LINKS This weekend, I was asked to present a workshop on Partnering with Parents at a West Coast gathering for ministry leaders in the United Methodist Church. Here’s the Prezi I used for the weekend’s presentation… which should look familiar because the content was very similar to what I presented in Chicago last Fall. PREZI LINK: Orange-ology: Turning Parents into Partners (you’ll notice a shout-out to Orange in this workshop, because I wanted to pitch the Orange strategy…
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Worlds of Wow Blog
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Make a "Wow" First Impression With Your Check-in (aka Why Kids Ministry Themes Work!)
14 Jun 2013 | 6:39 amHere's the check in locations from just one church. They have an exclusive "New Families" location for all first time guests. They then have self check-in kiosks for all member families spread around in different spots for convenience, each themed differently. Who doesn't want to check in here? -
Video Testimony from Life Church
15 May 2013 | 4:59 amThank you to Aaron, Ryan and the whole team at Life Church for partnering with us on your new kids ministry design. Pictures to come soon! -
Children's Church Theme at Parkway Fellowship
24 Apr 2013 | 3:51 amShout out to Pastor Jenny for partnering with Worlds of Wow on their updated kids space. This was such a fun kids church design with their beach theme coming to life! The sand castle kiosks are some of our favorite ever! -
Kids Ministry Design & Indoor Playground
11 Apr 2013 | 7:27 pmWorlds of Wow just completed installation at Northside Christian Church in Spring, Texas. We partnered with them to bring their vision of Tonkawa Park to life in their new kids building. This is one of the favorite children's ministry themes that we've done. Check out the fun kid-sized doors in the hallway too! Thank you to Julie and the awesome team there! Contact us today or see more info at www.worldsofwow.com. -
Kids Ministry Theme - Cottonwood Creek
19 Mar 2013 | 5:00 pmWe just loved partnering with Cottonwood to transform their existing space into a nature themed wonderland that brought "Creek Kids" to life every Sunday. This children's ministry theme is sure to be a timeless attraction and draw. We pray it's a huge blessing!
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Digital Evangelism Issues
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‘Jesus Myths’ video series released
18 Jun 2013 | 7:25 am[Please Share] The latest series of video shorts from UK apologetics ministry Focus is now available online and on DVD. Titled Jesus Myths, “it unpacks the modern world’s myths about Jesus, and gets at the facts behind the fictions,” says Focus founder Dave Couchman. Our contemporary world is awash with myths about Jesus: We can’t be sure that he ever lived We don’t know what the Gospel authors originally wrote The Gospel stories were distorted through many years as they were passed on by word of mouth The Gospels are full of contradictions Jesus never claimed he was… -
How people become leaders and followers – TED talk
16 Jun 2013 | 10:13 am[Please Share] Memorable short 4-minute TED presentation by Ted Sivers on how people become leaders and followers. Note also his excellent communication skills: it’s short, clear, transferable, and based on a visual story. Many a talk or sermon is forgotten by lunchtime because it is none of these things. What do you take from this video? Add your comments. Watch on YouTube: -
Some of the best church digital strategy advice. Anywhere
13 Jun 2013 | 7:15 am[Please Share] Internet Toolbox for Churches is exactly what it says on the tin. If you are a church leader or webmaster, Dave Hake’s newsletter, podcast and short articles are essential reading. View his latest posts, and sign up, at InternetToolboxforChurches.com, and follow him on Twitter: The significance of his vision is that he understands and explains how to make church digital strategy (website and social media presence) outsider-friendly, and not just a noticeboard for church members or believers looking for a new or holiday church. Please share this resource widely – why… -
Free mission promoter’s ebook: Bringing the World to Your Church
11 Jun 2013 | 7:24 am[Please Share] Does your church have a missions advocate (by whatever name) – someone who is the go-to resource person to link the fellowship with news, resources and people connected with world missions, and to coordinate support for any who have been sent out from your church to serve elsewhere. Or are you considering appointing such a person? Please share this resource with them and your church leadership team. Bringing the World to Your Church is a valuable handbook to help mission advocates. Previously published as a paperback (and still available secondhand), it is now published… -
50 things we don’t do any more
9 Jun 2013 | 10:42 amMaybe a few of these activities still survive. Sometimes! What changes digital has wrought! Infographic from Mozy.com
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Brad Lomenick
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Catalyst team Harlem Shake
18 Jun 2013 | 8:38 amSometimes the best thing to do in a creative meeting is to act like goofballs. And then create a video. That’s what we did….. Click here to view the embedded video. -
A Challenge to Young Leaders
14 Jun 2013 | 4:54 amI Love Young Leaders. Catalyst exists to help equip young leaders, especially those under 40. I’ve invested a significant part of my life into connecting, gathering, inspiring and equipping young leaders. But this is a tribute to the leaders over 40 who so many of us under 40 too often think “don’t really understand what’s going on anymore.” So to all of my young, passionate, ready to change the world peers who are under 40: SIT down, SHUT UP, and LISTEN! SHUT UP, and LISTEN. To the sages and wise mentors in our lives, in our companies, in our organizations, in… -
52 Quotes to inspire you to be a Better Leader
10 Jun 2013 | 4:15 pmHere is an exhaustive list of 52 Quotes on Leadership from me over the past several years. These quotes and points are taken from my blog, as well as my twitter, facebook, speaking and other outlets. Thanks to Toni Ridgaway from Sermon Central for aggregating this list of quotes. You can see the original article here. Most of these leadership quotes and principles also appear in The Catalyst Leader book. Enjoy! ABOUT YOUNG LEADERS Today’s 20- and 30-somethings are more willing to collaborate than any other generation before. They trust each other. Really. And they see collaboration as the… -
11 Keys for Building a Great Team
6 Jun 2013 | 5:31 amJohn Maxwell has famously said “teamwork makes the dream work.” Teams are incredibly important in accomplishing a vision. And as the leader of organizations, projects, initiatives and churches, maybe the most important thing you do is select, equip and release leaders. We talked a few posts ago about being a great employee, so here are a few thoughts on building a team. Several of these points have been constructed and edited based on thoughts that Brian Houston from Hillsong Church shared with a few of us in a retreat setting a few years ago. 1. Live and lead so that your team… -
Our system for Making Ideas Actually Happen
3 Jun 2013 | 6:04 pmWe get asked all the time about how we come up with new and fresh ideas for Catalyst. It’s a pretty simple process that has proven to be pretty effective over the years. This can be useful in any organization or scenario, whether you are launching ideas, or just looking to make sound decisions. Here you go: 1. Create- we spend a ton of time just brainstorming, which is obviously a very important part of the process. The more ideas on the board, the more opportunities for one of those to make it through the process. For example, we have probably 300-350 programming ideas every year for our…
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TeamRCIA
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Episode 27: RCIA as the model for all catechesis
15 Jun 2013 | 1:53 pmDo you think the catechumenate can be the model for all forms of faith formation? Diana and Nick apply the six principles of the RCIA to wedding preparation. Also, find out why the RCIA seems to differ from Canon Law regarding parents as sponsors of their own children. Resources discussed in the podcast Click here for a summary of TeamRCIA meeting with diocesan directors Click here for more information about the Summer RCIA Institute -
TeamRCIA Meets with Diocesan Directors
12 Jun 2013 | 11:21 amTeamRCIA hosted a meeting online with diocesan directors yesterday to talk about the formation needs of those who minister in Christian Initiation. We discussed how best to meet those needs now that the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, the premier organization for RCIA institutes for more than 30 years, is closing its doors on June 30. Out of our contact list of about 80 diocesan personnel, 45 signed up to join us for this discussion. Several more who could not be present asked to be kept informed of our plans and progress. The energy for working together is high! The team at… -
Evangelization in the News
10 Jun 2013 | 4:19 amThe Washington Post has published a feature article on a local campaign for “the new evangelization” in Washington DC. Targeting strategies for face-to-face witness and invitation, the Archdiocese is seeking especially to mobilize young Catholics to share their faith. The campaign seeks to overhaul the concept of evangelization to something built for 2013, more subtle invitation then pushy dogma. In new church-created classes, lectures, conferences and iPhone apps, Catholics are asked to think of evangelization in terms of generous gestures, small comments and overcoming the fear… -
Episode 26: Issues with year-round RCIA
8 Jun 2013 | 8:03 amAs you move from a school-year program to a year-round process, what do you do with inquirers who show up in the summer? And what about baptized, catechized inquirers? Nick and Diana explore these and other issues that arise when you start a year-round process. Also, discover which rituals are okay for lay people to lead in the RCIA. Resources discussed in the podcast Download a free copy of my alternative Rite of Welcome for baptized catechized candidates. Simply type in your email address in the form below. When you click “submit” you’ll be able to download the Word file… -
It’s the community that initiates
7 Jun 2013 | 1:26 pmSometimes, when we are pressured to provide a religion of absolutes straight out of the Catechism; sometimes, when candor, actual experience, and the importance of involving ordinary people in the RCIA is pooh-poohed; sometimes, when the community is not taken seriously as the most basic agent of evangelization; sometimes, when the catechumenate is seen as a vehicle for the teacher rather than a common project of the whole parish… the witness of people like Anja Habekost Oliveira is enough to make me want to stand up and cheer. Writing in the Catholic Herald, UK, her story is entitled: I…
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Brandon A. Cox
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Spiritual Maturity Is a Pathway We Walk Together
10 Jun 2013 | 4:03 amSpiritual Maturity Is a Pathway We Walk Together is a post from Brandon A. Cox.God created you to be like His Son, Jesus Christ, and He has a pathway for you to walk on the way to spiritual maturity. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus formed a community of people who could walk this pathway together and He called it a church. Today, spotting the globe are hundreds of thousands of churches walking the pathway to spiritual maturity together. Why? Because God never intended you to walk the pathway to being like Jesus alone. Far too many people consider Christianity a mere ticket to heaven, a… -
When It Comes to Worship, Don’t Hold Back!
5 Jun 2013 | 2:02 pmWhen It Comes to Worship, Don’t Hold Back! is a post from Brandon A. Cox.Photo via Haxton Road Studios. Christians like to talk about church music and call it worship. Church music usually is a means by which Christians worship. But worship is much more than music. We even have our own “worship wars” in which we decide what “style” of worship is right, wrong, or most biblical. I still see the phrases “contemporary worship” and “traditional worship” plastered on church signs, as though worship can be defined by such descriptors. In our… -
When the Church Is Crazy About Broken People
23 May 2013 | 12:47 pmWhen the Church Is Crazy About Broken People is a post from Brandon A. Cox.Broken people will flock to the church. We can debate all day long about whether the church should be attractional or not. What we should really be talking about is howthe church should be attractional. Ultimately, if all we’re doing is putting on a good show, playing good music, and preaching good sermons, we’ve probably missed it. But if we are attracting people with an uncompromising truth, an unconditional love, and an unlimited grace, we’re on target. The fifth core value of Grace Hills Church… -
Andrew Alan Cox (“Drew”) Is Here
21 May 2013 | 11:33 amAndrew Alan Cox (“Drew”) Is Here is a post from Brandon A. Cox. Drew is here whether the world is ready for him or not. He was a big surprise when we found out we were pregnant in light of our long struggle with secondary infertility before having Drew’s older brother, Sam. The doctor explained that he was more of a miracle than we’d realized. Angie only has one tube and it was damaged and unhealthy. We’re therefore believing God has some particularly special reason for sending him into our lives. The c-section didn’t go quite according to plan. I was ready… -
5 Ways to Encourage People Into God’s Family
16 May 2013 | 5:39 pm5 Ways to Encourage People Into God’s Family is a post from Brandon A. Cox.I’ve heard plenty of sermons about how our evangelistic ineffectiveness is directly attributable to our lack of love for lost people. Usually somewhere in those sermons is the phrase, “We just don’t care enough.” While I’m sure that’s true to one degree or another at any given time, I have a different assumption about the people who sit in the theater seats at Grace Hills each week. I assume that they docare. Why? Because Grace Hills cares, and we talk about caring and we show…
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Biblical Preaching
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Losing our Youth by Dangerous Superficiality
18 Jun 2013 | 11:21 pmLast night I was chatting with my eldest about her maths homework. As I looked at her workbook I recognized that eventually she will be doing things I can no longer do. For a child there is a progression from basic numeracy, through addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, long division, etc. I expect most parents can cope with these (except long division!) But once the child is working through algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus, there is typically the crossing of a threshold in respect to what the parent can readily understand. So what should the parent do at that… -
Unity
18 Jun 2013 | 3:35 amI wonder if we may be selling our churches short. That is, by buying into the idea that Christian unity is built around assent to a statement of fundamental truths and then pouring energy into not falling out over non-essentials. Perhaps there is something more, someone better, that we are missing out on through this kind of thinking. Click here to go to my post on the Cor Deo site. -
Listener Levels: 7 Ways to Add Steak to the Diet
13 Jun 2013 | 12:18 amWhat if your biblical explanation is typically at a level lower than many of your listeners? What are some suggestions for adding steak to the diet of listeners that are needing it? 1. Pray – Nobody cares about your listeners as much as God, so ask for His coaching. 2. Get feedback – It would be better to know what people think than assume they are needing weightier content. For instance, just because there are seminary professors in your congregation doesn’t mean they want to be “stretched” by your preaching. Good, solid, biblical and faithful preaching that is clear and… -
Listener Levels: 7 Suggestions to Improve Accessibility
12 Jun 2013 | 12:08 amHow can we improve at offering explanation that will help people at the lower range of understanding? Perhaps your preaching goes over peoples’ heads, but you want to explain the Bible in a way that is accessible to younger Christians or less biblically literate folk? Some suggestions: 1. Pray about it – Nobody cares about your listeners as much as God, so ask for His coaching. 2. Get feedback – Try to find out from people what is lacking. It could be that your vocabulary is obfuscatory, or your content is too dense, or your delivery is unengaging, or your words are indistinct and… -
Listener Levels
10 Jun 2013 | 11:49 pmPreaching involves explanation. That is, when we preach, we need to offer some explanation of the passage’s meaning. But it needs to be more than that. We need to offer explanation of the passage’s meaning at a level appropriate to those who are listening. Imagine a scale of zero to one hundred representing the level of complexity. A class of three-year olds might need an explanation in the zero to five range, and would not do well with a doctoral seminar in the 80’s and 90’s. This range difference may seem obvious. However, it seems that sometimes we forget the range…
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samluce.com
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The 10 best iPad apps
18 Jun 2013 | 12:04 pmHere are the 10 iPad I can’t live without. They are the first apps I install on any new iPad or IPhone I buy. Feedly – I was a google reader fan and used Mr. Reader on my iPad with google closing the doors on google reader I have made the switch to Feedly the transition was seamless. I love the layout options and experience Feedly provides. I blogged about the switch to feedly here. Downcast – Love how this app makes the listening subscribing and function of podcast infinitely easier than apple does. It allows you to stream content saving space on my device. I can also… -
Branding your ministry 101.
13 Jun 2013 | 8:36 amWe rebranded thankfully in 2008 my primary concern was the elimination of all a.c.r.o.n.y.m.s. I hope you are not offended by this but I hate all things acronym. I know that that is risky to put on a blog since the NSA will read this and they themselves are an acronym. It seems that the debate of rebranding is centered around functional vs. fun. We tried to accomplish both. Here was my thought process in our rebranding. 1. What is the direction of our church – Our church was about to rebrand and so we couldn’t name our kids church after our big church. Plus some churches should… -
Get Matt Chandler’s Explicit Gospel for free.
11 Jun 2013 | 4:30 amMatt Chandler’s latest book “Explicit Gospel” I just downloaded this book and have not had the chance to listen to it. I have listened to many of Chandler’s messages and his gospel centered, direct, humor infuse messages always force me examine my heart. I am looking forward to diving into this book and thought I would pass on the freeness you as well. I hope you download it. DOWNLOAD HERE -
Yancy’s new CD has a very cool app
10 Jun 2013 | 4:46 amYancy just came out with a brand new CD and now she has an amazing app that accompanies it. When Yancy recorded her newest album Roots for the Journey she knew these songs were special. The music, organic, unplugged and simple was something that adults of all ages would be eager to listen to again and again. The message in the songs timeless because each song is centered on scriptures from God’s Word. Yancy spends most of her time doing family concerts and making music and worship resources that play in minivans and churches worldwide. So, how could she mix her audience that ranges… -
The pastoral obsession with CEO’s
4 Jun 2013 | 4:53 amLet me start with this disclaimer. I love Harvard Business Review and have read many books on business and leadership. I also believe that pastors should be good leaders they should strengthen that muscle because leadership matters. How you lead matters. Here is where I get frustrated. I have talked to many pastors and the lion share of books they read are leadership/business books. I think there is a danger here. I know because I have seen it in myself far more often than I wish. The problem is our goal is not a bottom line that has to be maintained no matter what. The goal of pastoral…
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Godvertiser.com | Digital Engagement Strategies That WorkGodvertiser.com | Digital Engagement Strategies That Work | Marketing Communications Ideas, Best Practices and Pitfalls For Right Now (yes, now!) and the Future.
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Are You Avoiding Or Embracing Your First #EPICFAIL?
9 Jun 2013 | 7:09 amPart of having an entrepreneurial spirit in your work is to constantly look at the edge and figuring out where you can experiment and try out new things. But this comes with a price that frankly is the limiting factor for a lot of ministries. This stops all innovating at any level. Are you leading your teams in a way that instills fear of failure? Seth Godin reminds us well: Just about anything worth doing is worth doing better, which means, of course, that (at least at first) there will be failure. That’s not a problem (in the long run), it’s merely a step along the way. -
5 Ways Your Church Can Use Google+ Hangouts This Week
28 May 2013 | 7:37 amI was at a Digital Church & Theology Conference recently and it turned out to be an intimate setting because of bad weather that day, but also because it was a small gathering to begin with at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. One odd thing about a conference on digital church was that there was no video stream or other mechanism to let people in other cities to participate or follow along. So I quickly lit up a Google+ Hangout session and tweeted out a couple of times with a link to the Hangout. Sure enough, a bunch of people jumped in immediately and we had a great… -
Heaven vs. Hell: WiFi Edition
24 Mar 2013 | 6:35 am -
Using QR Codes In Your Church Communications
23 Mar 2013 | 7:48 pmQR Codes are a lot like Duke basketball. . . Either you love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s nothing in between. And if you consider QR Codes in the church — that only ups the level of passion for either side too. There are a bunch of ways churches can use QR codes in their church communictions. But here’s one great example of a church using QR codes for good that I spotted recently. This ministry posts one at the entrances so that people coming in can quickly scan and access the bulletin on their smartphone by the time they sit down. That’s… -
Are You Explicitly Thanking Your Community Online?
22 Mar 2013 | 1:00 pmOnce in awhile you come upon communications execution that just hits the mark dead center. Check out the fan celebration video published to this group’s YouTube channel: So, who are these girls? Sonia and Janice are Australian-born Korean twins who sing and post their cover performances on YouTube. Their musical vids have gotten decent traction on YouTube. Here’s an obligatory / I’m-lovin’-it example of their work: And boy can they sing — over 1,000,000 people have subscribed to their channel that has only 38 videos so far. Many of those videos have…
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Children's Ministry Online
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Cultivating Curiosity: The cure to pseudo-teaching
22 May 2013 | 8:38 amI absolutely love teaching. Teaching is one of my top spiritual gifts. Unfortunately I don’t get to do it nearly enough. There have been times though where I have received criticism from my teaching that I simply didn’t agree with. I’ve had people tell me that they thought I taught over the kids heads, teaching information that was too complicated. Yes, I probably push the boundaries a little, but as passionate as I am about teaching, I’m absolutely disgusted by our ability to bore kids at church. I push the limits of teaching over their heads only because the… -
App of the Week: Mailbox
12 May 2013 | 11:21 amAbout a month ago, I started seeing tweets and facebook updates about people waiting in virtual lines for the new Mailbox App for iPhone. I was intrigued, so I jumped in line. It took almost 2 weeks before I got access. Within minutes I was saying, “Wow, this is a pretty cool app.” However, or the past several weeks, I’ve simply been “playing” with Mailbox. I use it as my primary email client, but I didn’t really use it the way it is intended to be used. You see, the creators of Mailbox realized that mobile email is kind of broken. People read their… -
Tagging in Instagram
3 May 2013 | 8:10 amI love instagram… and it just got better. Now you can tag people and places for better organizing photos that you took and photos that people took of you. Check out the video below or read more in this WIRED article. -
Parenting meets business strategy
2 May 2013 | 3:34 pmSeveral years ago, I read a pretty amazing book by Patrick Lencioni, Three Big Questions for the Frantic Family. Lencioni writes amazing books for business leaders about overcoming dysfunction within teams, having better meetings, clarifying core values and other important business objectives. However, he dipped into sacred family territory with Three Big Questions and I must admit, it made quite the splash in my family. Within a couple of weeks, we had a chalk board in our kitchen and several of our friends moved chalk and dry erase boards into their kitchens. Was the book helpful? Yes! Are… -
Five years at Gateway
2 May 2013 | 9:45 amYesterday I celebrated my 5th year anniversary at Gateway Church here in Austin, Texas! Wow, hard to believe it’s been five years. What an amazing ride. This is an interesting milestone for me for many reasons. This is the longest I’ve been on staff at any church. My first church was for four years, which coincided with going to school. It was a part-time gig that ended when I was hired for my first full time role as a Children’s Pastor. After this, I ended up in Southern Indiana in a larger Southern Baptist church. It was an incredible four years that taught me a lot…
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RELEVANT Magazine
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CDC: Half of All Americans Will Develop a Mental Illness
18 Jun 2013 | 2:51 pmThe Center for Disease Control is saying they believe a quarter of all Americans have a mental illness and about half of all Americans will develop at least one mental illness at some point in their lives. Among these mental disorders are things like anxiety or mood disorders and anything that effects "sustained abnormal alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distress and impaired functioning." The CDC also says mental illness can be associated with "cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, epilepsy, and cancer"—and that such chronic diseases are on the rise… -
And Now James Franco With a Kickstarter
18 Jun 2013 | 1:57 pmVeronica Mars and Zach Braff have proved that the public has an appetite for funding unfathomably wealthy celebrity's pet projects, so it was only a matter of time before more stars start bringing their film ideas to the public. Leading the charge is James Franco, who's looking to film a $500,000 trilogy about his high school years. Sure. Sounds great. To his credit, Franco is promising to donate any profit his films make to charity, so at least he's paying it all forward ... -
Cap'n Crunch Sails on a Cereal Bowl of Lies [Updated]
18 Jun 2013 | 12:30 pmFood-lover blog Foodbeast has shaken the breakfast cereal industry to its very core with their tell-all revelation regarding Cap'n Crunch. After years of posing as a high-ranking captain in the breakfast cereal industry, Foodbeast uncovered the sickening truth that this seemingly jovial, innocent "captain" is a scheming impostor, as evidenced by the number of stripes on his sleeve. Unless the costume is lying, this fraud is merely a commander. As of press, there has been no statement from Quaker Oats regarding this controversy. Stay tuned ... [Update] Cap'n Crunch reached out to us regarding… -
Kanye West 'Yeezus'
18 Jun 2013 | 11:00 amThe music is as good as it's ever been. But the message is worse than it ever was. Here’s something often overlooked in the whole Kanye/Taylor Swift dust-up that remains a cultural talking point some four years after it happened: Kanye was right. What he did wasn’t right. How he’s discussed it since hasn’t been right. But his opinion—that Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies” deserved the award that Swift won—was on the money. And so, the moment serves as a nice microcosm of West’s career. He’s a blazingly intelligent artist who is unafraid to speak his opinion—but… -
The Myth of the Political Fix
18 Jun 2013 | 9:30 amSpiritual problems need more than just political solutions. At the beginning of this year, I spent a few months helping at an orphanage in South Africa. Seeing South Africa nearly 20 years after the end of apartheid was a real eye-opening experience. Despite the formal end of apartheid, its spirit still lingers, spurred on by people’s mistrust, entitlements and prejudices. As the orphanage’s director, Pastor Mike, told me. “Apartheid may have ended, but it still lingers on in the way people live. South African life is still very divided among blacks, whites, Indians and coloreds.”
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Managing Your Church
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Four Poor Responses to Church Money Problems
18 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amAvoid these traps when times get tight. -
Should Churches Reject Tax Exemption, As Huckabee Suggests?
12 Jun 2013 | 2:32 pmSuch a move might trade one set of potential problems for another. -
Q&A: Which House Qualifies for the Housing Allowance?
11 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amHow clergy should handle multiple residences after the Driscoll decision. -
Thom Rainer's Top 10 Rules of Thumb for Healthy Churches
6 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amThese diagnostics can help gauge a church's effectiveness. -
Addressing Transportation Risks with Youth Groups
4 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amThe dangers of distracted driving and inexperienced drivers.
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brandedwithlove.com
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The Day You Wish Never Happened: Lessons On Love, Grace, & Justice
28 May 2013 | 8:31 amThe debate to discuss a situation like this will wreck a person. It’s hard knowing that many loved ones, churches impacted, Bible colleges, ministries, and people in general have been processing the events that have unravelled over the last year. It’s painful to think about a fallen brother/friend and the friends hurt in the wake of hidden sin that rocked a community. Prayers have been overflowing to all those impacted by what has happened. As people have been processing the mess, I’ve had to run back to my Bible and some simple but profound definitions: grace, noun… -
A Forefront Summer, Gel Groups, and Being Face To Face
21 May 2013 | 6:58 amAs a pastor here at Forefront Church, one of my deepest passions is not only seeing people come to know Jesus, but to watch their lives richly transformed by living out their faith. We see Sunday mornings as the first step to moving towards God. From their a second step is to begin to be engaged in Gel Group and learning from the Bible, one another, and encourage each other in our spiritual disciplines. As that continues as a daily part of life, our prayer is that each member of Forefront will serve God out of the overflow of their life through the local church and abroad. This is the ideal. -
Can We Do Like We Did? Like Before?
29 Apr 2013 | 9:06 pmI spent a good majority of my evening playing a game with my daughters. We sat across the room from each other forming a triangle. Taking turns we rolled the ball across to the next person. Around the triangle this Penguins of Madagascar ball whipped across the room. Laughter infused Casa de Bedell. Before too long, the game escilated. Rolling the ball at break neck speeds wasn’t enough. It started off with slight bouncing, then slamming the ball off living room objects. The couch. The ottoman. The Vietnam missions trip keepsakes. The wedding photos. Sorry dear. The pew. Yes, the pew. -
5 for 5 “We struggle… but God supplies our needs”
23 Apr 2013 | 6:12 amIt’s day two of the 6:5 Project. But, yesterday I received an email about day one. It brought me to tears. In a good way. It wrecked me. Take a listen to this family’s story: “Hey there! My family and I picked up 3 containers to fill for the 6:5 project this past Sunday. After we left I felt moved to fill 5, not 3. We have 5 kids, and even though we struggle – God supplies our needs and feeds my 5 kids all year. So its only right that we give back to thank God for what he provides for our family and feed 5 other kids… I signed up for containers xxx, xxx, and… -
The 6:5 Project
21 Apr 2013 | 8:00 amOh man! Service this morning was ah-mazing! Today we launched something I’m really excited about! It’s called “The 6:5 Project.” It was a result of your responses we’ve heard from the last couple of series. We love hearing your calls, getting your emails, FB messages, etc. It’s encouraging. Through your responses to the series, we realized what needed to happen in your life, my life, in the life of every Forefronter- is to have some concrete steps to engage our faith. We targeted four different areas: - God and You - Others and You - The Church and You -…
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david kenney
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Clean: A Proven Plan For Men
18 Jun 2013 | 7:15 amDouglas Weiss, Ph.D., is an international lecturer and the author of 20 books. He is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has appeared regularly in the print and broadcast media, including Oprah, Good Morning American, 20/20, and many other national shows as a clinical expert. Dr Weiss’ book, Clean: A Proven Plan for Men Committed to Sexual Integrity is a guide towards full recovery in the area of sex related addictions. As the title implies, this is a man’s book. I have read other books on this same topic and several of… -
Connectedness leads to Love
18 Jun 2013 | 5:48 amphoto credit: jacilluch Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone–except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. There is an old saying, “You gotta fake it until you make it.” And if you are the kind of person where love doesn’t come easy – then you gotta fake it until you do, your connectedness with another person will lead to love. I don’t know what it is, but people have trouble saying “I love you” for many reasons—perhaps they were raised in homes with emotionally… -
Glimpses of Grace
17 Jun 2013 | 8:29 amGloria Furman lives in Dubai with her husband Dave, a pastor. Together, they are raising three young kids. Gloria is an author and she blogs regularly at Desiring God & Domestic Kingdom Her new book Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in Your Home (Crossway 2013) is a look at finding God in the day in day out life of housework and caring for the family. Any stay at home Mom will tell you that sweeping, mopping, ironing and taking care of the kids can feel routine and perhaps even pointless, so is it possible to discover God amidst all of this? Or what about those Mothers who are in… -
Connectedness Cultivates Commitment
17 Jun 2013 | 5:42 amphoto credit: Keoni Cabral Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Paul says, “don’t give up meeting together” and he implies that other groups are dwindling doesn’t he? Listen, we need connectedness with others because these are the cheers and the encouragement that keep us going. Every life needs a cheering section. every person needs a shoulder, and each person needs a voice that says “don’t give up.” And we commit to it, as the proverb says because one person sharpens another. The attitude we bring as friends should… -
Connectedness solidifies through Service
14 Jun 2013 | 8:31 amphoto credit: Craig Sunter We flourish and we become the people God wants us to be when we are connected with God and people. So, I wanted to spend some looking at the people you are connected with the most, your true friends. How does true connectedness work? What can we do to solidify those friendships and draw people on the outside – in? Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. You know I think the people who give life to us, are the people who continue to serve…
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Serving Strong
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Serving Strong Content Is Out
16 Jun 2013 | 3:33 amA collection of posts from last week on Serving Strong Your Greatest Frame Of Reference Have you ever seen a picture of a closeup of an orange? Looks like the landscape of Mars. Orange. Mars. Two totally different surfaces. What makes the difference? Your Frame Of Reference. As a ministry leader, you face all sorts [...] -
Your Greatest Frame Of Reference
13 Jun 2013 | 12:23 pmHave you ever seen a picture of a closeup of an orange? Looks like the landscape of Mars. Orange. Mars. Two totally different surfaces. What makes the difference? Your Frame Of Reference. As a ministry leader, you face all sorts of issues all the time. Some are exhilarating. Others are painful. When you travel through [...] -
A Leader’s Hope
12 Jun 2013 | 2:32 amHope is a curious thing. It is always forward oriented. It is a sense of expectation – anticipation. Something that has as its object a good result or outcome yet to be experienced. False hope is baseless – useless. It has no substance. It provides a temporary satisfaction that soon dissipates once reality is finally [...] -
Serving Strong Content Is Out
9 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amA collection of posts from last week on Serving Strong The Pain Is Too Deep So you help other people, right? Well, who helps you when you need help? There are moments in a leader’s life when personal pain is too deep to ignore. If you try to lead when you are struggling with something [...] -
The Pain Is Too Deep
7 Jun 2013 | 7:10 amSo you help other people, right? Well, who helps you when you need help? There are moments in a leader’s life when personal pain is too deep to ignore. If you try to lead when you are struggling with something that needs special attention, perhaps it’s time to pull away and get the help you [...]
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HalMayer.com
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Church at the Bay Drills a Well in Burkina Faso!
18 Jun 2013 | 6:49 amJoseph is on the left, Michel (our well pastor) is on the right. This is a letter about our well in Burkina Faso… (Last Christmas we raised $7,500 to drill a well). You must read this story. Pastor Hal, I’m giving you a longer story on purpose so that you can share as much as you want. In February of 2012 I was in Burkina meeting with well drillers and with the Pastors who ensure quality control of the well. Over the years these African meetings have taken on a certain formula. They are normally 6+ hours long. They start with greetings and introductions, including from those you… -
Church at the Bay Update…
10 Jun 2013 | 2:40 amChurch at the Bay is an unselfish group of men and women. Over the last 7.5 years you have done “Whatever it Takes” to reach people for Jesus Christ. I say unselfish because you have been willing to: Do set-up and tear down in 4 different locations to impact people for Christ. Give to not only reach Tampa but start churches, care for orphans and drill a well in Africa. Finally, change your name (to Grace Family Church- Citrus Park). You have been willing to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God. Thank you! Things have been moving at a record pace over the past couple of weeks. On Sunday…
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ChurchTechToday
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10 Ways to Bolster Your Outreach With QR Codes
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amNow is the time to take advantage of smartphone and Quick response codes (QR codes). QR codes are a simple yet powerful tool to revolutionize communication and enhance connections within your community. Scan the QR codes with your smartphone and turn a simple technology into a powerful marketing tool for ministry. Think of a QR code as a paper-based hyperlink that connects the physical world with the online world. The ability to connect printed materials and the mobile web adds a whole new dimension to your outreach efforts. Here are 10 ways to use QR codes to enhance connectivity and to… -
7 Church Tech Podcasts to Listen to
17 Jun 2013 | 11:18 amToday, we’re sharing with you seven great church technology podcasts from around the web to take note of. Podcasts are a great way to get new ideas while you’re: 1) running 2) driving 3) doing mundane computer work 4) gardening . . . . it’s so easy to subscribe via iTunes and have the latest podcasts automatically downloaded and ready to listen to. Because we love teamwork, ChurchTechToday loves to highlight other folks around the web who are doing awesome work for the Kingdom by helping church leaders better use and understand the role of technology in the Church. Here are… -
How are Mobile Phones Changing Social Media? [Infographic]
14 Jun 2013 | 3:47 amIt’s happening in Africa, in Europe, and here in the United States: People are replying more on their mobile phones and other digital devices to access the internet. Soon, more people will use their mobile phones for internet use than laptops and desktops computers. Here are a few more stats from the infographic below: Over 30% of people access social media sites from their mobile phones There are more than 100 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices. People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice more active on Facebook than… -
3 Mobile Technology “Helps” for Missionaries
12 Jun 2013 | 3:04 amBrian was absent from our small group one night this past February. He was in Nepal, 7,700 miles away, helping a leprosy clinic with some technology needs. But he still showed up at our meeting halfway through. Using FaceTime on his iPad, Brian called our small-group leader’s iPhone. As the leader held up his phone so we could all see the screen, we had a face-to-face, real-time conversation with Brian. This kind of event has quickly become commonplace. Missionaries who are traveling can now maintain connection as their trip unfolds with their stateside church family through their… -
6 Awesome Church Communication Resources
10 Jun 2013 | 3:32 amCommunication techniques are constantly changing, especially as technology and social media dictate change on a near-daily basis. Since we often field reader comments and questions asking for more info on church communication, we thought it would be helpful to put together a list of online resources for church communicators: 1) Center for Church Communication The Center for Church Communication (CFCC) is a nonprofit organized by communications professionals who have been serving the church and mainstream clients since 1998. 2) Church Marketing Sucks Our mission is to frustrate, educate and…
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artiedavis.com » Blog
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Don’t Be A “Was Gonna” Friend
19 Jun 2013 | 5:20 amI was gonna ______ but I _______. That’s the way we say it in the south anyway. The interpretation of that is simple. “I thought about doing something that would help or encourage you but I didn’t. So…I’m telling you that I at leastthought about you.” That’s not what a good friend does. When someone says that, they are trying to make themselves feel better about missing an opportunity. Don’t be a ‘was gonna’ friend. Proverbs talks a lot about what it is to be a real friend. Proverbs says that friends stick closer than a brother, it… -
3 Answers to the Question, “How Do I Become A Better leader”
17 Jun 2013 | 5:08 am1. Trust God from the bottom of your heart. I know that seems like a ‘nah duh’ kind of statement especially for those of us that are called to lead Christ’s Church. The truth is, though, that it can be tough as a leader to REALLY trust at times. When it feels like it’s all on us and we’re waiting for God to show up and do what we know we heard him say He’d do, it can be tough to trust. Trust anyway. He’s trustworthy for sure! 2. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go Are you desperate to hear from God? If not,… -
2 Things Every Effective Leader Must Have
13 Jun 2013 | 6:12 amEvery effective leader in the Kingdom simply must have these (2) Qualities: Humility & the Fear of God… The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord is wealth, honor, and life. Pr 22.6 What MUST a humble leader do? Promote Others Give away the credit Admit when they got it wrong Share the platform or pulpit Love those they lead unconditionally What MUST a leader who fears God do? Spend time seeking him Spend time begging to hear him speak Not back down from what God calls him to do Search his heart for where it’s wrong Make time for the things that matter to God Every… -
3 Essentials for Growing Influence
5 Jun 2013 | 6:24 amSaul was made king 3 times! But only after proving himself was he truly embraced as their leader. Here are 3 things that happened to Saul that helped him grow in influence and be embraced as the leader… 1 – Anointed of God This may seem like a no brainier, but many try to put themselves in a place of influence because they are gifted or asked to stand in such a place. When it comes down to it, though, I’ve seen “leaders” that can draw a crowd and work a group, but can’t lead. The thing that they are missing is the anointing of God. Don’t… -
4 Things Your Church Can’t Afford
21 May 2013 | 5:03 amAll of us who lead in a church undertand the cost of doing ministry, the financial cost that is. We know our budgets and the limits of what we can afford or not afford. However, many pastors and leaders are allowing some intangible costs to rob them now, and the net result will be devistating if these “costs” are not cut. 1- The complaining culture We all know what this means. It’s that thing that says, ‘It’s not my way, so I’m going to complain about it.’ Your church can’t afford that. You have to teach your people and get it into your DNA that…
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Brandon A. Cox
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Spiritual Maturity Is a Pathway We Walk Together
10 Jun 2013 | 4:03 amSpiritual Maturity Is a Pathway We Walk Together is a post from Brandon A. Cox.God created you to be like His Son, Jesus Christ, and He has a pathway for you to walk on the way to spiritual maturity. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus formed a community of people who could walk this pathway together and He called it a church. Today, spotting the globe are hundreds of thousands of churches walking the pathway to spiritual maturity together. Why? Because God never intended you to walk the pathway to being like Jesus alone. Far too many people consider Christianity a mere ticket to heaven, a… -
When It Comes to Worship, Don’t Hold Back!
5 Jun 2013 | 2:02 pmWhen It Comes to Worship, Don’t Hold Back! is a post from Brandon A. Cox.Photo via Haxton Road Studios. Christians like to talk about church music and call it worship. Church music usually is a means by which Christians worship. But worship is much more than music. We even have our own “worship wars” in which we decide what “style” of worship is right, wrong, or most biblical. I still see the phrases “contemporary worship” and “traditional worship” plastered on church signs, as though worship can be defined by such descriptors. In our… -
When the Church Is Crazy About Broken People
23 May 2013 | 12:47 pmWhen the Church Is Crazy About Broken People is a post from Brandon A. Cox.Broken people will flock to the church. We can debate all day long about whether the church should be attractional or not. What we should really be talking about is howthe church should be attractional. Ultimately, if all we’re doing is putting on a good show, playing good music, and preaching good sermons, we’ve probably missed it. But if we are attracting people with an uncompromising truth, an unconditional love, and an unlimited grace, we’re on target. The fifth core value of Grace Hills Church… -
Andrew Alan Cox (“Drew”) Is Here
21 May 2013 | 11:33 amAndrew Alan Cox (“Drew”) Is Here is a post from Brandon A. Cox. Drew is here whether the world is ready for him or not. He was a big surprise when we found out we were pregnant in light of our long struggle with secondary infertility before having Drew’s older brother, Sam. The doctor explained that he was more of a miracle than we’d realized. Angie only has one tube and it was damaged and unhealthy. We’re therefore believing God has some particularly special reason for sending him into our lives. The c-section didn’t go quite according to plan. I was ready… -
5 Ways to Encourage People Into God’s Family
16 May 2013 | 5:39 pm5 Ways to Encourage People Into God’s Family is a post from Brandon A. Cox.I’ve heard plenty of sermons about how our evangelistic ineffectiveness is directly attributable to our lack of love for lost people. Usually somewhere in those sermons is the phrase, “We just don’t care enough.” While I’m sure that’s true to one degree or another at any given time, I have a different assumption about the people who sit in the theater seats at Grace Hills each week. I assume that they docare. Why? Because Grace Hills cares, and we talk about caring and we show…
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The Navy Christian
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Fort2Base Race: Getting Back to Running
17 Jun 2013 | 10:30 amIt's getting to be that time. August 25 is the race date this year, and as you can see, I have a rather vested interested in the Fort2Base race, having run it's inaugural year and it's sophomore year. I've felt pretty close to this race. I don't know how many people can claim to have run in it's first three years, but I plan to be one of them. Why do I want to run this year? Honestly one of the -
Visit to Brookfield Zoo
12 Jun 2013 | 10:00 amI've been hitting it pretty heavy lately on The Navy Christian, so I think it's time to step back for a minute and do something that's a little lighter. Thankfully, my daughter's school (Learn Charter 6 in North Chicago), provided that opportunity via a school field trip. I followed a few other parents as they followed the bus with the kids and some parent chaperones. Just before getting -
Continuing Strategy of TNC
10 Jun 2013 | 8:00 amI've already made a point to suggest that my ministry is centered on writing. I've written an article for Evangelical Missions Quarterly that is slated for January 2014 issue and I'm under assignment with Enrichment Magazine for an article on starting military ministries in local churches. And, thanks to a hospital stay for my daughter, I've been able to get back into blogging, mostly by -
Sometimes it's about Doubt
6 Jun 2013 | 4:25 pmThanks to Sam's recent hospitalization, I've had ample opportunities to think about her mortality. Of course, in my head, I know we all are mortal; part of the fallen world. We wait on perfection and wish it were already here. If I'm not too careful, moments like this cause me to become frustrated and doubt. In the end, though, I believe God is sovereign. I'm just trying to do his bidding. A -
The Reality of Arguing versus Debating
3 Jun 2013 | 4:50 pmWhen I was in high school, I was an avid debater. Not quite as good as my little brother Nathan, but I could stand on my own two feet. I loved debating and even got offered a very small scholarship to do it at a local college. Nathan, as an aside, is a high school teacher and debate coach with a degree in communications. I don't feel bad playing second fiddle to him in the world of debate.
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Mark Batterson
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The Circle Maker for Kids
12 Jun 2013 | 5:56 amI may be more excited about this book than any book I’ve ever written! Some of my earliest memories are the bedtime books my parents read to me. I love the fact that kids are going to download pictures of prayer that will begin shaping their holy imagination. May God raise up a generation of Circle Makers! For what it’s worth, I wrote this book in thirty minutes on a flight from DC to Grand Rapids. It then took about a year to illustrate! A huge thanks to the incredibly talented illustrator, Antonia Javier Caparo. Here’s the bottom line: if all you do is pray for your… -
Parenting Best Practices
11 Jun 2013 | 3:53 amI’m going to add 10,000 words to Praying Circles Around Your Children and create an expanded version. I’d love to include your best ideas, best stories, and best practices as a praying parent. You can email them to circle@theatherchurch.com. We need as much help as we can get as parents. This is a great way to steward a lesson learned and help other parents. Thanks for sharing! -
City Fathers
29 May 2013 | 7:23 amCity Fathers is right around the corner! June 6 will be a benchmark day for the church-at-large in Washington, DC. If you haven’t registered yet, click on cityfathers.org. And don’t come by yourself. Bring a friend. Bring your staff. It’s high time that we give honor where honor is due. So for one day we’ll sit at the feet of our city fathers. We’ll glean from their wisdom and we’ll believe for a generational blessing. I know that most conferences are all about the latest and greatest. This is not that. This is about learning from those who have… -
Summer Challenge
20 May 2013 | 5:18 pmNearly 100,000 people have taken the 40-Day Prayer Challenge. So encouraged by the testimonies I’m hearing. Some amazing miracles! And I love that people are forming prayer circles with others! I think the summer months are a great time to do a 40-Day Challenge with family, friends, small group or a church-wide campaign. We’ve got a bulk discount on Draw the Circle: The 40-Day Prayer Challenge at www.thecirclemaker.com. We also have a bulk discount The Circle Maker plus tons of free resources. -
5 Ways to Jump Start Creativity
15 May 2013 | 5:07 amChange of PACE + Change of PLACE = Change of Perspective. That is my formula for fresh ideas. It’s so easy to get into a mental rut isn’t it? Once we’ve been in an environment for a while we stop noticing things. Psychologists call it inattentional blindness. We lose our ability to see things from the vantage point of a guest. And when that happens, we lose our creative edge. So how do we get it back? One of the simplest ways is changing pace or changing place. Sometimes all it takes is a mental vacation. Edison used to get some of his best ideas after a nap. …
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Liberty Church NYC | New York City
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“The Father’s Heart” Steve Trayner, Bob Green, and Brian Harper – Podcast
18 Jun 2013 | 8:58 amSteve Trayner, Bob Green, and Brian Harper preached this tag team message called “The Father’s Heart” at our services in Lower Manhattan and Union Square on Father’s Day, June 16, 2013. Subscribe in iTunes to the LibertyChurchNYC podcast to receive new teaching automatically. Sunday Services- Lower Manhattan – Scholastic Auditorium 11am Union Square – New York [...] Related posts: “For Freedom” Bob and Mavis Green- Podcast “Distracted On Purpose” Parker Green – Podcast “Now Faith” Paul Andrew- Podcast -
Matt Keller – June 23rd
13 Jun 2013 | 2:53 pmMatt Keller will be joining us in all services onSunday June 23rd. He, along with his wife Sarah, are the lead pastors of Next Level Church in Fort Myers, Florida. Matt is the author of The ‘Up The Middle’ Church and the forthcoming book God of The Underdogs, which is set to be published by Thomas Nelson publishing. His experiences [...] Related posts: Liberty Church – June Happenings Why “Community”? Liberty Sisterhood Girls Night In – May 23rd -
“To Do Good Works” Paul Andrew – Podcast
11 Jun 2013 | 8:59 amPaul Andrew preached this message called “To Do Good Works” at our services in Lower Manhattan and Union Square on June 9, 2013. Subscribe in iTunes to the LibertyChurchNYC podcast to receive new teaching automatically. Sunday Services- Lower Manhattan – Scholastic Auditorium 11am Union Square – New York Film Academy 7pm Related posts: “Now Faith” Paul Andrew- Podcast “You’re Pregnant” Paul Andrew- Podcast “More Than Words” Paul Andrew – Podcast -
Father’s Day – Sunday, June 16th
10 Jun 2013 | 3:52 pmThis Sunday, we’ll be celebrating dads, both naturally and spiritually. In anticipation of this day, we asked long-standing member, Heath Kirkendoll, who is a father of two young boys to talk about what he has learned about a Father’s love: When I became a parent, I instantly knew my own son’s cry apart from anyone [...] Related posts: Liberty Church – June Happenings How God Answers Prayer “Vision Sunday” Paul Andrew – Podcast -
Liberty Church – June Happenings
4 Jun 2013 | 12:20 pmCommunity Groups | Kick off this week It’s not too late to sign up for a Community Group, the discipleship community of our church. They’re a great way to build relationships and get plugged in. We have a group for everyone at every stage of life. Sign up online or in the Guest Lounge on [...] Related posts: Liberty Church March Happenings Liberty Church May Happenings Liberty Church April Happenings
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MarkHowellLive.com
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Skill Training: 6 Keys to Keeping Your New Group Going
19 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amSo you started a new group. You’ve overcome your fears. You’ve gone where you’ve never gone before. And now–believe it or not–you’re enjoying your new friends and looking forward to your next meeting. Who knew that could really happen! The question is, what do you need to do right now to keep your new group going? And beyond going, how can you make it even better? Here are 6 key steps you can take right now: Ask your church (your pastor or coach) for a recommended follow-up study. Be sure and choose a study to do next that is similar in format… -
Seven-Mile Miracle
18 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amHad an opportunity over the weekend to review Seven-Mile Miracle, a new study from Steven Furtick, founder and lead pastor of Elevation, one of the fastest growing churches in America. A dynamic speaker, Furtick provides a characteristically powerful message in this study. DVD-driven, Seven-Mile Miracle: Experience the Last Words of Christ as Never Before is a 7 session study explores the last words of Christ recorded in the gospels. Filmed on location where they were spoken (the Emmaus Road, Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, and more), the setting adds to the experience. I loved… -
My Top Three Learnings about Small Group Ministry This Year
17 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amI’m an experimenter by nature, so I’m always on the lookout for what’s next. Here are the top three things I’ve learned this year. First, joining a small group that meets in a stranger’s living room is not easy. In many instances it’s even harder and requires more courage or desperation than attending a weekend service for the first time. It may be true that only the most extroverted people will be willing to use an online finder. This is why I remain enthused about the connection potential of on-campus events like Saddleback’s small group… -
Here’s a Video for Your Next Leader Training: Awkward Prayer
14 Jun 2013 | 5:38 amNeed a funny video to lighten the mood in a leader training? I think you’ll like this one! Testing the limits of awkwardness… Can’t see the video? You can watch it right here. Looking for training ideas on prayer? See also, Skill Training: Top 10 Ways to Learn to Pray Together and The Simplest Way to Help Your Members Pray Out Loud. Top 10 Posts for May, 2013 2012's Most Popular Articles Here Are My Favorite Posts Related StoriesDilbert on Building TrustSkill Training: 5 Keys to Becoming a More Caring GroupDilbert on… -
Was Jesus’ Mission Different Than Ours?
13 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amMaybe this is just the ramblings of a sleep deprived traveler…but here’s what I’m wondering: Do you think Jesus’ mission was different than ours? So many of our current conversations find their biblical basis in Matthew 28:18-20 (the Great Commission). It does seem to be our assignment or at least one of our assignments. After all, it’s also very clear that the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) is more than a suggestion…don’t you think? What about everything Jesus said about coming to seek and save the lost? What about His teaching in Luke…
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the mayward blog
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Remembering High School Grad
18 Jun 2013 | 7:40 amNLCC Grads 2013 My 10-year high school reunion is coming up this summer, and it has me feeling all sorts of nostalgic. A decade ago, I sat in the pavilion of the Tacoma Dome, waiting for my name to be called from a list of about 200 students graduating from Bellarmine Prep. If I close my eyes and think back to those times, I have all sorts of memories from high school, images conjured up from the past: High School Joel Playing drums at football games and assemblies, alongside Pete, an incredibly talented and rigidly disciplined percussionist who had a snarky sense of humour before that was… -
Man of Steel
17 Jun 2013 | 8:07 amThe movies are getting darker this days. From bleak revenge plots in Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness, to the onslaught of post-apocalyptic Earth-is-a-wasteland films coming out this summer--Oblivion, After Earth, Elysium, and World War Z, to name a few. Even the comedies are getting darker; This Is the End and The World's End are both raunchy summer comedies about...well...the end of the world. Hilarious premise, I know. So I was hoping for a glimmer of hope dressed up in the red-and-blue of the most pure and upright of the comic book superheroes--Superman. While Zack Snyder's Man of… -
Film Fest 2013
14 Jun 2013 | 2:34 pmI love youth ministry. I also love movies. When those two loves meet, it's a beautiful thing. Tonight, I'll host the third Film Fest I've led in a youth ministry. The idea started two years ago in Arizona, and has evolved to include red carpet, interviews with the press, Oscar trophies, and some pretty amazing student-created films. The YouTube generation--and particularly for teens in the Canadian film capital of Vancouver--are all about making awesome movies to show to their friends. So we made an award show out of it. Here's a two-minute movie explaining Film Fest: Movies + youth… -
Being Good News for Schools
13 Jun 2013 | 7:19 amTGIS Nearly a year ago, I shared six practices for doing youth ministry on a high school campus. I learned those practices while living and ministering in Arizona. I'm now in Canada, and the same principles and practices still apply! One week ago, a group of youth workers spanning a range of denominations, churches, ages, and backgrounds all partnered together to do something together we couldn't do alone: throw a huge end-of-school-year barbecue for the local high school. We called it TGIS: Thank God It's Summer. We had hotdogs, juice, a DJ, inflatables, a dunk tank, foosball tables, a photo… -
Refuge in the Wilderness
12 Jun 2013 | 7:53 amIn the expanse of the flat and thorny savanna, a lone acacia tree in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya attracts wildlife to find rest and comfort in its shade and greenery, causing a spidery web of trails cut into the desert earth. It's been appropriately named the "tree of life." “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and…
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The Discipleship Diary
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Exodus-The LORD is the Lifeblood and Source
16 Jun 2013 | 2:50 amMoses and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh to request the freedom of the people of Israel, as the LORD had commanded them. They performed the initial sign that should have been proof enough to Pharaoh that the LORD had sent them to deliver Israel. However Pharaoh hardened his heart, just as God had predicted, and he refused to let Israel leave Egypt.It was the LORD’s intention that Egypt, as well as His chosen people Israel, would know that He alone reigned supreme over creation and every god conceived by the heart of mankind. The LORD clearly identified Himself with His chosen people even… -
Exodus-Pharaoh's sovereignty challenged
9 Jun 2013 | 7:28 amCan you imagine standing before an arrogant king with just a staff in your hand? The LORD has tasked you with the awesome mission of being His agent to deliver His people out of slavery. In case the king demands a sign to prove you are sent by God, He has shown you that when you throw down your staff, it will turn into a serpent. The king, angry at your intrusion into his royal chamber, demands that you prove that God sent you to him. You throw down your rod and it turns into a serpent. You feel vindicated! God is at last showing up to deliver His people. Then, horror of horrors, the king’s… -
Earnestly I'll Seek Your Face
4 May 2013 | 11:48 pmMy Saviour, My RedeemerEarnestly, I’ll seek Your FaceLeaning on Your perfect Grace...Strong forever,Failing never;You’ll lead me to the Promised Land,Guiding with Your mighty Hand…Strong Deliverer;Break the pride of my powerAnd make me completely Yours, Yours forever…My Shepherd, My TeacherTune my heart to ever be Your ardent seeker…I want to serve You;I want to know You;I want to love YouAll the days of my life…Champion of Heaven, Light in the darkness;Earnestly, I’ll seek Your Face,Your glory never fades...My Saviour, My RedeemerEarnestly, I’ll seek Your FaceLeaning on… -
Exodus-The Question of Pharaoh's Hard Heart
4 May 2013 | 11:47 pmReading through the book of Exodus, have you ever wondered about God’s role in hardening the heart of Pharaoh? In Ex 4:21 the LORD, in commissioning Moses, stated that He would harden the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not grant Moses’ request to let the people of Israel leave Egypt. This statement about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart is repeated in Ex 7:3-4 and practically demonstrated in his taking no heed of God’s power evidenced by the first miracles performed through Moses and Aaron i.e. Aaron’s rod turning into a serpent and the Nile turning into blood. However, by… -
Reverence-what is it, really?
3 Apr 2013 | 2:15 pmReverence-we often hear the word in church circles. The youth, often incorrectly, associate it with older people and church tradition. What is reverence, really? This series seeks to explore the concept of reverence for the Lord, putting aside previously established notions of what reverence is , but rather examining it by the light of the Scriptures. The dictionary defines “reverence” as a “feeling or attitude of deep respect, tinged with awe, the outward manifestation of this feeling, to venerate.’ It can therefore be established that reverence comes from within, and results in an…
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Kevin Beers' Blog
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2 of 7 Deadly Sins of Leading Volunteers
17 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amSin #2: Not Having Fun Volunteering in the church should be life giving, but too many times, it’s life draining. Joy, passion and energy become monotonous repetition of tasks. People show up because they are supposed to, not because they want to. Why can’t volunteering be fun? Why can’t people enjoy coming to church and serving with their fellow teammates? Why can’t people have a good time AND meet needs? We believe it’s possible. Get creative and make volunteering fun again. Inject… -
7 Deadly Sins of Leading Volunteers
5 Jun 2013 | 8:19 amWe all have been warned about the 7 Deadly Sins or vices of wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. If you work with a team of volunteers like I do, did you know there are 7 other deadly sins that kill ministry? Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting on these 7 Deadly Sins of Leading Volunteers. Sin #1 – Not saying thanks Just because someone’s reward is in heaven doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear thank you here on earth. Appreciation is FUEL for volunteers. When their hard work is appreciated, it provides energy to keep going. The fact that you… -
Searches in 2012
12 Dec 2012 | 12:50 pmLiving in the 21st century, it is so easy to search out any topic or fact we desire to know more about in an instant with the help of Google. So, what did the world search for in 2012? The video below is a recap of the most popular searches over this past year. With so many people searching for Truth… Jesus said, “I am the way, the Truth and the Life.” – John 14:6 It is during this season, on that first Christmas, that access to Truth and Life was given to all men and women - “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son. That whoever… -
ADVENT 2012
11 Dec 2012 | 6:46 amADVENT means, “the arrival“… As we celebrate ADVENT this December, let us reflect on the significance of the amazing event that took place 2000 years ago. Mary was a teenage girl engaged to marry a poor carpenter named Joseph. She lived on a dusty fringe of the might Roman Empire, just another powerless peasant in another insignificant town. Yet she was the young woman to whom God extended the invitation to be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus. In Luke’s account, Gabriel, God’s archangel, announces to Mary that she has found favor with God – she will… -
Lead Yourself Well – Part 1
24 Oct 2012 | 1:07 pmTo lead yourself well, you have to be intentional—you have to do something. All self-leaders do five things: 1. Begin with the end in mind. Self-leaders have a vision for the kind of people they want to be and they pursue that vision. 2. Actively learn. Self-leaders recognize that they’re responsible for their spiritual development. They explore and discover. They’re curious. 3. Practice rest. Self-leaders make time to reflect and recharge. They maintain a sustainable pace. 4. Pursue health. Self-leaders take the necessary steps to become or remain physically, emotionally, and…
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artiedavis.com » Blog
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Don’t Be A “Was Gonna” Friend
19 Jun 2013 | 5:20 amI was gonna ______ but I _______. That’s the way we say it in the south anyway. The interpretation of that is simple. “I thought about doing something that would help or encourage you but I didn’t. So…I’m telling you that I at leastthought about you.” That’s not what a good friend does. When someone says that, they are trying to make themselves feel better about missing an opportunity. Don’t be a ‘was gonna’ friend. Proverbs talks a lot about what it is to be a real friend. Proverbs says that friends stick closer than a brother, it… -
3 Answers to the Question, “How Do I Become A Better leader”
17 Jun 2013 | 5:08 am1. Trust God from the bottom of your heart. I know that seems like a ‘nah duh’ kind of statement especially for those of us that are called to lead Christ’s Church. The truth is, though, that it can be tough as a leader to REALLY trust at times. When it feels like it’s all on us and we’re waiting for God to show up and do what we know we heard him say He’d do, it can be tough to trust. Trust anyway. He’s trustworthy for sure! 2. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go Are you desperate to hear from God? If not,… -
2 Things Every Effective Leader Must Have
13 Jun 2013 | 6:12 amEvery effective leader in the Kingdom simply must have these (2) Qualities: Humility & the Fear of God… The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord is wealth, honor, and life. Pr 22.6 What MUST a humble leader do? Promote Others Give away the credit Admit when they got it wrong Share the platform or pulpit Love those they lead unconditionally What MUST a leader who fears God do? Spend time seeking him Spend time begging to hear him speak Not back down from what God calls him to do Search his heart for where it’s wrong Make time for the things that matter to God Every… -
3 Essentials for Growing Influence
5 Jun 2013 | 6:24 amSaul was made king 3 times! But only after proving himself was he truly embraced as their leader. Here are 3 things that happened to Saul that helped him grow in influence and be embraced as the leader… 1 – Anointed of God This may seem like a no brainier, but many try to put themselves in a place of influence because they are gifted or asked to stand in such a place. When it comes down to it, though, I’ve seen “leaders” that can draw a crowd and work a group, but can’t lead. The thing that they are missing is the anointing of God. Don’t… -
4 Things Your Church Can’t Afford
21 May 2013 | 5:03 amAll of us who lead in a church undertand the cost of doing ministry, the financial cost that is. We know our budgets and the limits of what we can afford or not afford. However, many pastors and leaders are allowing some intangible costs to rob them now, and the net result will be devistating if these “costs” are not cut. 1- The complaining culture We all know what this means. It’s that thing that says, ‘It’s not my way, so I’m going to complain about it.’ Your church can’t afford that. You have to teach your people and get it into your DNA that…
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Blog
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Pictures from Joyful Noise Fest
12 Jun 2013 | 4:25 pmThis past weekend was absolutely mind blowing being a part of 98.5 KTIS' Joyful Noise Family Fest at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. 21,000 people gathered - 4,000 on Friday evening and 17,000 on Saturday all day for incredible music and lots of fun. I shared the gospel five times throughout the weekend, including before the final acts of each evening. Hundreds of people responded to follow Christ, and the stories I have been hearing have been stirring my heart ever since. Our team has already followed up with these new believers, and we are passing their info on… -
What Does It Mean To Look Like Jesus?
5 Jun 2013 | 7:16 amThe ultimate goal of every Christian is to look like Jesus. What I mean by "look like Jesus," is not in physical appearance, but to follow Jesus in both the big and small areas of their lives, in order to be the blessing that He was on earth, and to recieve the blessings of obedience to and pursuit of God. This is what we all want, but so few of us feel we are progressing at the pace we'd prefer. One the biggest challenges in striving to look like Jesus is starting with the wrong picture of what it means to look like Jesus. For many years I personally thought that being "radical" for… -
Why Live Underprivileged?
28 May 2013 | 1:25 pmA few weeks ago, I posted a blog sharing about the Bible's repetion of "In Him" and what it means to be in connection with Christ. We don't experience the benefits of the Bible simply by calling ourselves "Christian," or by being a good person, but as we entrust our lives to Jesus Christ. As we do this, we can be certain that the blessings of the Bible are ours. Once we are "in," there are countless benefits to trusting in Jesus. This is the clear reason why billions of people around the world have put their trust in Him, and have chosen to trust in His ways. Wayne Hilsden, Pastor of… -
The Right Side of Eternity
18 May 2013 | 1:37 pmThere's so much talk lately in the news media and from liberal political groups about "being on the right side of history." They are saying: one day we will all regret standing for Scriptural values, because everyone else in the nation will agree we were wrong for not agreeing with them. As my pastor friend Barry Phipps stated: "Don't try to be on the right side of history. Be on the right side of eternity." 1 Corinthians 7:31 reminds us "This world as you see it is on it's way out." I don't say "be on the right side of eternity" to be right. I'm not trying to prove a point, or win an… -
Our Real Goal
16 May 2013 | 5:18 pmA few months ago, I was sitting down with a buddy for coffee. Let's call him Scott. I ordered a fresh french press for us both, and we spent time talking about the Lord and our hearts for ministry. During our time together, I shared how over the past few years God has been really burning through my motives for ministry, and all that's left is a singular passion to do whatever God wants me to do. Scott tends to be a bit bodacious, and looked at me and brashly said, "well yea, that's what all of us want. Every Christian in the world would say that exact same thing." But he didn't get…
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RobShep.com
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I’m Currently In Mother Russia
17 Jun 2013 | 2:45 amThanks for visiting robshep.com. I’m currently in Russia and taking the week off from blogging. New posts will magically appear here starting on Monday, June 24. In the mean time if you just need a fix check out some of these older posts that you might have missed. Click here to read my very first post from April 21, 2008. This is embarrassing for me to look back at. Click here to read a time where a Wal-Mart employee called me Brad Pitt. It was glorious. Click here to read my first official movie review on the blog. Click here to see a post called Video Monday. It was a series of posts… -
Men…
14 Jun 2013 | 2:55 amFather’s Day is this Sunday. Not only that but I started my Men’s Only group at Next Level Church this week. Add to that the fact that I’m a guy and you get a post about men. Men are good for… Killing spiders Killing ants Killing roaches Killing bugs Fixing things Mowing lawns Eating bacon Finding solutions to problems Men are known for… Being really wimpy when they are sick Loving sex Eating lots of food Loving bacon! Farting. All people fart but let’s be honest women don’t have the same stereotype about flatulence as the men do. Having nips but not… -
What I Know About Mother Russia
13 Jun 2013 | 2:28 amI know a little bit about Mother Russia. I know we won the Cold War I know it snows every day I know that every Russian is incredibly strong and has hairy shins I know that every single Russian knows how to do this ridiculously difficult dance move I know that their favorite color is red I know that they don’t believe in miracles I know that they found a way to ruin some of my favorite movie franchises I know their military walks in 90 degree angles I know their action figures all fit inside one another I know they love McDonald’s like Americans do but their drive… -
Point Counter Point
12 Jun 2013 | 2:45 amPCP is a new series where I debate with myself a topic. No matter what I will win…and lose. People are awesome vs. People are awful Awesome Rob: Rob, I’ll let you go first. Awful Rob: That’s very kind of you but can we note that I do not appreciate being called “Awful Rob.” Awesome Rob: Point taken, but if it makes you feel better you are also being called Awesome Rob. Awful Rob: It doesn’t. At all. Awful Rob: People have good in them but… No one has to teach us how to lie No one has to teach us how to cheat No one has to teach us how to hurt others We… -
The 90′s From My Eyes
11 Jun 2013 | 2:45 amLast week I did a post dedicated to the glorious 80′s. It got me thinking of other decades that I was a part of. I was a teen in the 90′s. It was a great decade to go through puberty in. Here’s the 90′s the way that I saw it. You might could relate if… You felt like this group of teens were your classmates You loved and still know the words to the theme song for this show And this one And this one You remember that people treated these as more valuable than gold This movie blew your mind And you saw this 3 times in the theater And this movie made you cry hard but…
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News and prayer information from Richard and Pinuccia Wilson
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Lots of things
17 Jun 2013 | 1:10 amA lot has happened in the last week, so much that I did not even get time to write on last week’s events. So going back to the beginning, last Sunday there was the end of year presentation of the Sunday School. We farewelled three children who will be moving on to the youth group after the summer break, two of whom have grown up in the church, and who I have taught for 4 years. I had fun putting together a highlights video of 10 years of their Sunday School career, although I did not manage to embarrass them as much as I hoped! Scuola domenicale Then yesterday afternoon there was a… -
Finishing with a bang
2 Jun 2013 | 1:13 pmThis is the month of the activities for end of the church year, with most groups having a break in July and August. So in quick succession we will have - the end of year Sunday School recital next Sunday - a baptismal service for 7 people the following Sunday - the five day children’s camp starting on the 19th Pinuccia and I are doing a lot of work (together with the rest of the team) organizing the recital and the camp, where there is still a lot to do. So we would appreciate your prayers for that. -
Sign of the Times
12 May 2013 | 10:31 amFor today’s Sunday School lesson (for 11 and 12 year olds), I pulled out my phone so as to read. (I rarely bring my printed Bible since the letters in it keep getting smaller and smaller.) Then one of the children pulled out her phone, and then another. So three out of four of us were reading the Bible from our phones. While this is getting fairly common in Bible study groups now, I had not experienced it before at Sunday School. Naturally, all three of us were using the program that I had written to read the Bible in Italian, so my work to distribute the Bible has now been extended… -
End of year
5 May 2013 | 2:11 pmWe have arrived at the end of year rush already, with Stefania’s gymnastic recital last night. For the next month there will be the usual round of extra activities for the three schools (of Pinuccia and the children) and church. Pinuccia and I will be particularly busy finishing up the Sunday School, helping to organise the end of year presentation and the camp in June. There is a lot to do still for both. In the meantime, I have finished preparing the Bible studies I have to give until the summer break. This will give me a bit more time, at least for the next couple of weeks, after… -
Teenage training
21 Apr 2013 | 11:53 amNext weekend is another of the monthly training seminars that the young adults are organising, for themselves and for the church. This time it is more orientated towards younger people, with a couple of people from Youth for Christ coming for the training. In the morning it will be for parents and the church leaders, on how to serve them. Then in the afternoon there will be a meeting about how to run evangelistic events in schools, a training time for the teenagers, and then a meeting that the teenagers have organised for their friends. Then it all finishes with a worship time in the evening.
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Will Mancini
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5 Ways that Plug-n-Playing Another Church’s Ministry Model Will Cost You Ministry Progress
14 Jun 2013 | 12:53 pm#1 Secondary Passion Every ministry model was originally designed to bring a deeply desired result or solve an emotionally disconcerting problem. The key dynamic here is the passion at the point of origination that “fuels” the model. If you utilize a model that you don’t develop, the enthusiasm behind it is often less. The passion is derivative and a generation removed from the model itself. Whoever is running Andy Stanley or Mike Breen’s model will not likely embody their passion. #2 Underutilized Strengths Every ministry model has strengths and limitations. So does… -
4 Free Book Summaries for Church Leaders
11 Jun 2013 | 3:44 pmIf you’ve not yet heard of our free book summaries, I want to introduce you to SUMS. These are FREE book summaries from authors like Thom Rainer, Eric Geiger, Andy Stanley, Matt Chandler, and Reggie McNeal. Not only are these book summaries – SUMS – short and complete, they also include Go Ahead actions from our Auxano Navigators for practical, you-can-do-this application in your church! Click below to download these 4 SUMS immediately. And, inside each SUMS, you’ll find Sharing buttons so you can send them to your friends on Twitter and Facebook. I love serving the Kingdom… -
Church Unique Snapshot: The Inside Reveal on Willow Creek Community Church’s Return to the 5Gs.
7 Jun 2013 | 1:28 pmDuring the booming days of Willow Creek’s influence, the church hosted conferences for thousands of church leaders across the country, teaching and spreading their model of ministry. The hallmark of these events was an inspiring and contagious use of crystal clear language and rich imagery that planted the Willow’s Vision Frame in the hearts and minds of church leaders. What did that content include? WILLOW’S 1990s VISION FRAME MISSION – To turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ. (the term “fully devoted follower” is most photocopied… -
5 Incredible Takeaways from Behind the Scenes with Carl George, a Master Church Consultant
25 May 2013 | 10:40 amIf you have been reading about church leadership for a while, you are no doubt familiar with the name Carl George. Carl is still around, living in Greenville, South Carolina, and continuing to consult on a select basis. He is best known for his two books, Prepare Your Church for the Future which introduced what is referred to as the “meta-church” model, and Nine Keys to Effective Small Group Leadership: How Lay Leaders Can Establish Dynamic and Healthy Cells, Classes, or Teams. Most small group works are in some way derivative of Carl’s thinking. He is a hero of sorts to me… -
3 Kinds of Weak Vision that Entice Church Leaders
3 May 2013 | 7:02 amWarning: This post will challenge some of your assumptions about vision in the church. Across the North American church landscape this year, many pastors will articulate a vision and compel people toward a preferred future that is weak. It’s very nature will be lacking in biblically rugged, God-saturated, deeply compelling content. Note that I said the vision will be weak; not bad and not wrong. What do I mean by this comment? The three kinds of weak vision I want to clarify are lacking potency because they are more of a means to an end that we often realize. Therefore they are missing…
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Alastair Vance | Irish worship leader and software developer living in Durham, NC.
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STORYCHURCH Set List – 09 Jun 2013 #sundaysetlists
14 Jun 2013 | 4:00 pmI Will Follow – Chris Tomlin (B) The Same Love – Paul Baloche (B) Our God – Chris Tomlin (B) God Of The Redeemed – Jeremy Riddle (G) 10,000 Reasons – Matt Redman (G) Thanks to Josh, Brandon, Andrew and Tammy for playing this week. Thanks to Bob for helping us with sound – excellent job as always. I Will Follow has fitted into our rotation now very seamlessly. I love playing it. I selected God Of The Redeemed this week because it talks about being part of God’s family (“we belong to you Father, love has come we’re orphans no… -
16 Years
10 Jun 2013 | 9:39 amToday marks Liz and I’s 16th Wedding Anniversary. We married on June 10th, 1997 when I was slim and had hair, complete with sideburns. I am so blessed and fortunate to have her in my life. 16 Years 16 years of happiness 16 years with no regrets 16 years of “I love you”s 16 years of “Love you too”s 16 years of knowing you 16 years of holding you 16 years of favorite days 16 years blessed I’ll say 16 years of love and laughter 16 years of growing fonder 16 years of great adventure 16 years with my life partner You just finished reading 16 Years! -
STORYCHURCH Set List – 02 Jun 2013 #sundaysetlists
3 Jun 2013 | 9:24 pmI Will Follow – Chris Tomlin (B) Here For You – Matt Redman (B) Like A Lion – Daniel Bashta (B) God With Us – Mercy Me (B) How He Loves – John Mark McMillan (B) Last Sunday was easily one of my most favorite mornings at STORYCHURCH. We introduced I Will Follow for the first time this Sunday and everyone picked it right up. It felt like the congregation was in top gear from the get-go. Thanks to Bruce, Darrell and Wahba for playing on Sunday. Darrell was recognized at this week’s dream team awards. I always find it so difficult to select one person… -
Protected: Worship Matters Week 7 // Chapters 14-17
29 May 2013 | 3:30 pmThis post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: You just finished reading Worship Matters Week 7 // Chapters 14-17! Consider leaving a comment! Related posts: Quote from Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters, pg. 45 Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters, Page 28 Bob Kauflin talking about skill, Worship Matters, pg.38 -
STORYCHURCH Set List – 26 May 2013 #sundaysetlists
29 May 2013 | 3:00 pmForever – Chris Tomlin (A) God Is Able – Hillsong (A) Your Love Never Fails – Chris McClarney (A) You Alone Can Rescue – Matt Redman (B) You Never Let Go – Matt Redman (B) You just finished reading STORYCHURCH Set List - 26 May 2013 #sundaysetlists! Consider leaving a comment! Related posts: STORYCHURCH Set List – 03 Feb 2013 #sundaysetlists #worshipset STORYCHURCH Set List – 20 Jan 2013 #sundaysetlists #worshipset STORYCHURCH Set List – 21 Apr 2013 #sundaysetlists #forgive
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What I Learned Teaching Sunday School
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The Lifestyle of a Prophet
13 Jun 2013 | 6:51 pmI just finished reading The Lifestyle of a Prophet by James W. Goll and wanted to share his list of how to grow in the prophetic: Go to church – be around GodLove mercy. Micah 6:8 says to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.Pray in the spiritAsk God! Listen! Seek!Don’t share everything God tells you. Sometimes it’s God’s secret. Ask permission.Love the anointing. The presence of the Holy Spirit. “Some things are better ‘caught’ then ‘taught’”.Risk! Move out of your comfort zone. Step out in faith. Keep taking progressive steps and you’ll grow. Climb… -
Jesus and Pilot
10 Jun 2013 | 1:48 pmMark 15:1-15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,”Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people… -
Mark 14:66-72 The Rooster Crows
2 Jun 2013 | 2:17 pmMark 14:66-72 66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it.After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a… -
It Is Finished - Finding Lasting Victory Over Sin
22 May 2013 | 4:01 pmI just finished reading David Wilkerson's book 'It is Finished - Finding Lasting Victory Over Sin'. His message is basic Christianity, but it’s a message that so many people just don't get. We can never hear this truth too often. Salvation is not by works. It is through faith alone. Yet Christians try and try and try to be good enough. Pastor Wilkerson points out that the new covenant was made between God and Jesus. That Jesus would save mankind from their sins. He did this by living a sinless life and dying as a sacrifice for us on the cross and then 3 days later walking out of the… -
Ephesus
17 May 2013 | 1:50 pmMy husband, John, and I were just in Ephesus. What a treat to stand in the theater where Paul preached!
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Mobile Ministry Magazine
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CLA Mobile Ministry Class Cancelled
17 Jun 2013 | 9:21 amSorry for not getting this out sooner, but between ICCM activities and some site issues, this really needed not to linger (it didn’t if you are following via Twitter). The aforementioned Mobile Ministry Class with the CLA and Azusa State has been cancelled due to insufficient registrants. I’ll have an update as soon as I’m able to give notification. In the meantime, do take a look at the Mobile Ministry Training Course offered through Cybermissions and the Mobile Ministry Forum. That class is similar in parts to what we were doing with the CLA. Mobile is the present… -
Work in 2020, Worship in 2020
10 Jun 2013 | 4:00 amIts been a good bit since we’ve taken a swing at looking at things a bit further out than a copule years, and so I found it pretty refreshing to come across an article in which several mobile, web, and tech thought leaders took at asking the question what will work look like in 2020? Its a neat question and one where I think we both over-estimate what could happen and under-estimate what does happen. Here’s a piece of one of the views from Helen Keegan from Heros of Mobile: …It’s hard to predict the future of work, and seven years is not that far away. Seven years ago… -
Upcoming Mobile Ministry Forums Webinars
5 Jun 2013 | 6:24 amJust got off the phone with one of the members of the Mobile Ministry Forum steering committee and he reminded me that there are some upcoming webinars that should interest many of you who are looking to get into more about mobile ministry. June 27: Steps to Get Started in Mobile Ministry – Strategy, Social Media, and Apps July 18: Toward a Theology of New Media I’m not sure who will be leading these webinars, but am sure that more information such that will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information about the Mobile Ministry Forum, check out their website or follow @mobmin… -
Register for my online class on Mobile Ministry – June 10 Deadline!
30 May 2013 | 10:11 pmStraight from the folks at the Christian Leadership Alliance, this is something (else) that I’ve got on deck in the coming weeks: Do you have a mobile strategy? If you aren’t maximizing the use of today’s technology, you could be missing one of the key ways to fulfill the kingdom mission God has given to you as a leader. That’s why I want to invite you to register to attend the 10-week online class I’ll be teaching this Summer in the Christian Leadership Alliance Online Academy. This module, powered by Azusa Pacific Online University, will help you to establish a successful… -
Moonshots
24 May 2013 | 4:00 amA series of articles that sit near my reading pane have me thinking a bit. I want to knit them into a question that I feel mobile and internet ministry need to solve that’s more important than spreading the Gospel. “Shape the digital world or robots will do it for you” That sounds like something out of science fiction novel, or a futurists’ website. Its really from the latter, because the former is no longer fiction. The abiltiy to build and program machines to do transitional tasks isn’t reserved for a particular person or people group. Its something that anyone…
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the mayward blog
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Remembering High School Grad
18 Jun 2013 | 7:40 amNLCC Grads 2013 My 10-year high school reunion is coming up this summer, and it has me feeling all sorts of nostalgic. A decade ago, I sat in the pavilion of the Tacoma Dome, waiting for my name to be called from a list of about 200 students graduating from Bellarmine Prep. If I close my eyes and think back to those times, I have all sorts of memories from high school, images conjured up from the past: High School Joel Playing drums at football games and assemblies, alongside Pete, an incredibly talented and rigidly disciplined percussionist who had a snarky sense of humour before that was… -
Man of Steel
17 Jun 2013 | 8:07 amThe movies are getting darker this days. From bleak revenge plots in Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness, to the onslaught of post-apocalyptic Earth-is-a-wasteland films coming out this summer--Oblivion, After Earth, Elysium, and World War Z, to name a few. Even the comedies are getting darker; This Is the End and The World's End are both raunchy summer comedies about...well...the end of the world. Hilarious premise, I know. So I was hoping for a glimmer of hope dressed up in the red-and-blue of the most pure and upright of the comic book superheroes--Superman. While Zack Snyder's Man of… -
Film Fest 2013
14 Jun 2013 | 2:34 pmI love youth ministry. I also love movies. When those two loves meet, it's a beautiful thing. Tonight, I'll host the third Film Fest I've led in a youth ministry. The idea started two years ago in Arizona, and has evolved to include red carpet, interviews with the press, Oscar trophies, and some pretty amazing student-created films. The YouTube generation--and particularly for teens in the Canadian film capital of Vancouver--are all about making awesome movies to show to their friends. So we made an award show out of it. Here's a two-minute movie explaining Film Fest: Movies + youth… -
Being Good News for Schools
13 Jun 2013 | 7:19 amTGIS Nearly a year ago, I shared six practices for doing youth ministry on a high school campus. I learned those practices while living and ministering in Arizona. I'm now in Canada, and the same principles and practices still apply! One week ago, a group of youth workers spanning a range of denominations, churches, ages, and backgrounds all partnered together to do something together we couldn't do alone: throw a huge end-of-school-year barbecue for the local high school. We called it TGIS: Thank God It's Summer. We had hotdogs, juice, a DJ, inflatables, a dunk tank, foosball tables, a photo… -
Refuge in the Wilderness
12 Jun 2013 | 7:53 amIn the expanse of the flat and thorny savanna, a lone acacia tree in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya attracts wildlife to find rest and comfort in its shade and greenery, causing a spidery web of trails cut into the desert earth. It's been appropriately named the "tree of life." “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and…
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Don't Eat The Fruit
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Texas Bible (plugin): Fixing the Second Person Plural Problem One Website at a Time
24 May 2013 | 8:40 amDownload Google Chrome Extension Try Now in BibleWebApp Texas Has What English Lacks As a preteen on my first visit out of the South, I remember hearing giggles from some people on the New York Subway whenever I spoke. Since I grew up in a large city, I knew that I didn’t have a traditional Texas twang, so it took me a while to realize what was so funny – my use of the word “Y’all” to refer to a group of friends. Fast forward 20 years, and just about any time I teach from the Scriptures I have to point out a place where the English Bible says “you,”… -
Seminary Chapels on Technology, Theology, Culture, and Ministry
21 May 2013 | 6:00 amA few months ago, I had the distinct privilege of speaking for Dallas Theological Seminary‘s “Issues in Educational Ministry” chapel series. In the first talk, I attempted to layout a biblical and historical perspective on technology, and in the second I addressed 9 issues that future seminary graduates will likely face. The first video is embedded below, but the links below will take you to pages with the slides included. Thinking Theological about Technology and Culture - video with slides 9 Issues in Technology and Ministry - video with slides Hope you find these… -
Interview with BigBible.org.uk
15 May 2013 | 6:40 amFollowing the interview with DJ Chuang, I wanted to post a text interview I did with BigBible.uk.org, and also point you to their website as a great resource. Interview with BigBible.uk.org If you haven’t checked out the “BigBible” website, you’re definitely missing out. They are doing some great work on how to help Christians think about “bible engagement” in the digital age. I’m hoping to being doctoral work in this area soon, and I really value the research and blogging they are doing. Andrew Byers (a Ph.D. student in New Testament) put together a… -
Beautiful Collection of Ancient Bibles on Display in Dallas, TX
10 May 2013 | 8:29 amLast night, I had the opportunity to attend the opening of a fantastic new collection of Bibles on display at the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, TX. Charles Ryrie with John Dyer Charles Ryrie, a former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary probably best known for the Ryrie Study Bible, has been collecting rare Bibles for around 50 years. To me, he is known as the man whose writings (such as Basic Theology) got me interested in studying the Bible and the theology of the church. Meeting him for the first time was a pleasure, and the exhibit was far more extensive than I imagined. -
DJ Chuang on Social Media Church
6 May 2013 | 6:56 amDJ Chuang is one of those rare individuals who is able to be helpful to the church in many areas. He’s a fellow DTS grad who writes and speaks on a variety of topics from issues in the Asian-American church to leadership and ministry through social media. One of his projects is Social Media Church where he as a weekly podcast. This week, we Skyped together and had a great conversation on technology, church, Google Glass, and more. Episode 44 - How Technology Will Affect Your Ministry Episode 45 - John Dyer – From The Garden to the City
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Christian Droid | Combining Christianity and Technology to enhance your life.
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Taking Out The Trash
18 Jun 2013 | 12:42 amIt is time once again to clear my mind of all the clutter that has been building up over the past couple of weeks. These thoughts and ideas are not actually trash. Rather, they are a collection of thoughts and ideas that I wanted to pass along that aren’t long enough to deserve their own post. Who knows, you might just find some geeky gems hidden among the mindless babble. Photo Credit: shok via Compfight cc This past weekend my wife and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. To help celebrate my wife and son purchased a Cheesecake to share with me on this special day. If you fail… -
Jesus Loves Me
17 Jun 2013 | 12:55 amPhoto Credit: victor_nuno via Compfight cc Yesterday was not only Father’s Day, it was also Nursing Home Sunday for my Sunday school class. Each month a different church in our town takes turns going to the local nursing home and has a short devotion for the residents. June is the month that my church takes it turn. During the month, we split up the month with a different adult Sunday school class taking turns each week. Yesterday was the Sunday that had been assigned to my class. Since this week was a holiday I had a small number of people in my class. Most of our members were either… -
Thanks Dad
16 Jun 2013 | 1:44 amHappy Father’s Day! As I was preparing a devotion to deliver today at the local nursing home in honor of Father’s Day, I decided to go back and read again my post from last year on Father’s Day. After reading it, I decided that it said all I really wanted to say about Father’s Day. So I wanted to share this same post with you again this year. So here is my tribute to my father in honor of all of the fathers celebrating today. Photo © ShutterSparks via Flickr I don’t usually post anything on Sundays, however, as I sit here Saturday night working on my lesson for… -
A Vision From The Stage
15 Jun 2013 | 12:33 amPhoto Credit: OZinOH via Compfight cc It was hot and muggy as I stood on the stage staring up at the theater lights watching the crowd filling up the outdoor theater. However, this year was different from those before. The stage was the same, the costumes were the same, the characters were familiar and the mosquitoes were ever present, but as I watched the crowd, I could not help but notice that there was a young lady ushering in the patrons and showing them to their seats that I had not seen before. Instantly I knew that I wanted to find out more. Each night as the play went through the… -
Hitting the Comedy Club
14 Jun 2013 | 12:42 amThis week’s Video of the Week is a little longer than most, however, it is well worth it. Watch as one of our favorite comedians, Michael Jr., tests out some new material at the comedy club. I hope you have a great weekend and Happy Father’s Day to everyone!
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The BIGBible Project
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[PUBLICATION] Digital Communication, The Church and Mission
19 Jun 2013 | 4:30 amLed by Pete Phillips, CODEC has a piece in the latest Resourcing Mission Bulletin: Digital Communication, The Church and Mission (PDF). -
Spiritual Disciplines: The Holy Habit of Submission. (@longingtobeholy)
18 Jun 2013 | 10:00 pmI think maybe I’m cheating a bit this month. BigBible is looking at Joshua, as you’re probably aware. And the Spiritual Discipline we’ll be looking at was inspired by Joshua. But not by that Joshua. Let me explain. Our firstborn is called Joshua. The name means ‘God is my Salvation’, and was a very deliberate choice, but you can read that story elsewhere. As I say, it was he who inspired this month’s Holy Habit. Sunday was Fathers’ Day here in the UK. In the morning, as I was sat on the sofa, having had cards and presents, Joshua came… -
The Rise of the @Pastor (#medialit13)
18 Jun 2013 | 4:30 amA fascinating piece online, tweeted as part of #medialit13 (HT @rdweseman) It seems not a month goes by without a social media brouhaha involving a high-profile Christian leader. Such was the case when a prominent pastor tweeted about the recent Oklahoma tornado in a manner that seemed to connect the deadly storm to an act of God’s judgment. In between such controversies, insightful blog posts or “retweetable” phrases also go viral. Social media is creating a new class of religious influencers. If you want to watch the modern Christian conversation unfold, just log onto Twitter or check… -
Storify #FoggChats
18 Jun 2013 | 1:24 amThe other week we had our event with Steve Fogg, Communications Pastor from Crossway Church in Melbourne: [View the story "#FoggChats" on Storify] -
#MediaLit13 Has Commenced
17 Jun 2013 | 2:06 amAs advertised: MediaLit offers an opportunity for first class training and resources in media for ministry for those engaged in formal pre-ordination training, those already engaged in local or national ministry and anyone concerned to connect Christian faith with communication in a digital age. We will explore communications media, an overview of the workings of the media – both broadcast media and the press, as well as offer some key skills training in how to create material for the media and how to handle various media opportunities. We will be reflecting theologically on the…
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Children's Ministry Online
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Cultivating Curiosity: The cure to pseudo-teaching
22 May 2013 | 8:38 amI absolutely love teaching. Teaching is one of my top spiritual gifts. Unfortunately I don’t get to do it nearly enough. There have been times though where I have received criticism from my teaching that I simply didn’t agree with. I’ve had people tell me that they thought I taught over the kids heads, teaching information that was too complicated. Yes, I probably push the boundaries a little, but as passionate as I am about teaching, I’m absolutely disgusted by our ability to bore kids at church. I push the limits of teaching over their heads only because the… -
App of the Week: Mailbox
12 May 2013 | 11:21 amAbout a month ago, I started seeing tweets and facebook updates about people waiting in virtual lines for the new Mailbox App for iPhone. I was intrigued, so I jumped in line. It took almost 2 weeks before I got access. Within minutes I was saying, “Wow, this is a pretty cool app.” However, or the past several weeks, I’ve simply been “playing” with Mailbox. I use it as my primary email client, but I didn’t really use it the way it is intended to be used. You see, the creators of Mailbox realized that mobile email is kind of broken. People read their… -
Tagging in Instagram
3 May 2013 | 8:10 amI love instagram… and it just got better. Now you can tag people and places for better organizing photos that you took and photos that people took of you. Check out the video below or read more in this WIRED article. -
Parenting meets business strategy
2 May 2013 | 3:34 pmSeveral years ago, I read a pretty amazing book by Patrick Lencioni, Three Big Questions for the Frantic Family. Lencioni writes amazing books for business leaders about overcoming dysfunction within teams, having better meetings, clarifying core values and other important business objectives. However, he dipped into sacred family territory with Three Big Questions and I must admit, it made quite the splash in my family. Within a couple of weeks, we had a chalk board in our kitchen and several of our friends moved chalk and dry erase boards into their kitchens. Was the book helpful? Yes! Are… -
Five years at Gateway
2 May 2013 | 9:45 amYesterday I celebrated my 5th year anniversary at Gateway Church here in Austin, Texas! Wow, hard to believe it’s been five years. What an amazing ride. This is an interesting milestone for me for many reasons. This is the longest I’ve been on staff at any church. My first church was for four years, which coincided with going to school. It was a part-time gig that ended when I was hired for my first full time role as a Children’s Pastor. After this, I ended up in Southern Indiana in a larger Southern Baptist church. It was an incredible four years that taught me a lot…
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Art Lessons From God
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Audio Version: 3 Ways to Make REAL Money From Your Talent
17 Jun 2013 | 10:34 pmThis episode includes the audio details on the 3 methods artists, writers, musicians…anyone can use to create revenue streams using their talent. Be sure to check out the infographic I created for this concept>> And here is the link to the website mentioned in today’s podcast: http://www.easel.ly/ Related posts: 3 Ways to Make REAL Money From Your Talent (Infographic) This was not only my method of sharing this insight... How to Find Time to Launch Your Creative Idea (Audio) How do you take action on your creative calling while... 3 Basic Survival Tools of… -
Character Designer Rob Joseph: Find Time to Create (Audio)
6 Jun 2013 | 1:36 amIn this episode, Character Designer Rob Joseph shares with us his secrets on: Finding Time to Create New Work How to Keep from Getting Discouraged How Movies and Video Games Impact His Work Guessing Versus Reference Material More! [View as slideshow] Listen to our extensive interview with Rob. I guarantee you will learn something you’ll apply to your creative process! Play it here now or download and take us with you in the car, to the gym, in the studio…ANYWHERE! Rob is a big supporter of our ART SLAM LIVE™ events, and his craftsmanship and expertise is the reason why we… -
3 Ways to Make REAL Money From Your Talent (Infographic)
3 Jun 2013 | 5:23 pmThis was not only my method of sharing this insight with you, but it is also my first true infographic! Take a quick peek: Related posts: Audio Version: 3 Ways to Make REAL Money From Your Talent This episode includes the audio details on the 3 methods... How to Make Money from Your Book…Without Selling a Single Copy The question came up: Can you really make money by... MUST SEE: ‘What Would You Do If Money Were No Object?’ Video Clip What were you BORN to do? What would you do... -
How to Find Time to Launch Your Creative Idea (Audio)
28 May 2013 | 9:30 pmHow do you take action on your creative calling while juggling the many other demanding roles in your life? Listen to this special audio podcast to see my four proven methods that help you take action. So, feel free to listen now, or just download the audio below and take me with you on the go! (Graphic created by Patro Ulmer) Related posts: From Artist to Creative Entrepreneur: The Patro Ulmer Interview (audio) NOTE: Download this podcast to play in your car, at... Download: “How To Identify Your Creative Calling” Your creative CALLING, Your CAREER, Your JOB…What’s… -
Dream Big Even If They Say Something’s Wrong With It
25 May 2013 | 11:59 am“Mrs. Snipes, we just can’t let his imagination run off with him.” -Mrs. Wheatley, 3rd Grade Teacher to my Mom. “Dream Big”- Click to see full image. Related posts: Quick Sketch: What Happens When I Mix a Sketchpad with Music One of the things you MUST have on your list... Happy ‘Write the Vision’ Month! Those of you that have been hanging with us for... Did Dark Dreams Really Inspire Twilight Saga? Now, I’ll be the first to admit I enjoy a...
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samluce.com
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The 10 best iPad apps
18 Jun 2013 | 12:04 pmHere are the 10 iPad I can’t live without. They are the first apps I install on any new iPad or IPhone I buy. Feedly – I was a google reader fan and used Mr. Reader on my iPad with google closing the doors on google reader I have made the switch to Feedly the transition was seamless. I love the layout options and experience Feedly provides. I blogged about the switch to feedly here. Downcast – Love how this app makes the listening subscribing and function of podcast infinitely easier than apple does. It allows you to stream content saving space on my device. I can also… -
Branding your ministry 101.
13 Jun 2013 | 8:36 amWe rebranded thankfully in 2008 my primary concern was the elimination of all a.c.r.o.n.y.m.s. I hope you are not offended by this but I hate all things acronym. I know that that is risky to put on a blog since the NSA will read this and they themselves are an acronym. It seems that the debate of rebranding is centered around functional vs. fun. We tried to accomplish both. Here was my thought process in our rebranding. 1. What is the direction of our church – Our church was about to rebrand and so we couldn’t name our kids church after our big church. Plus some churches should… -
Get Matt Chandler’s Explicit Gospel for free.
11 Jun 2013 | 4:30 amMatt Chandler’s latest book “Explicit Gospel” I just downloaded this book and have not had the chance to listen to it. I have listened to many of Chandler’s messages and his gospel centered, direct, humor infuse messages always force me examine my heart. I am looking forward to diving into this book and thought I would pass on the freeness you as well. I hope you download it. DOWNLOAD HERE -
Yancy’s new CD has a very cool app
10 Jun 2013 | 4:46 amYancy just came out with a brand new CD and now she has an amazing app that accompanies it. When Yancy recorded her newest album Roots for the Journey she knew these songs were special. The music, organic, unplugged and simple was something that adults of all ages would be eager to listen to again and again. The message in the songs timeless because each song is centered on scriptures from God’s Word. Yancy spends most of her time doing family concerts and making music and worship resources that play in minivans and churches worldwide. So, how could she mix her audience that ranges… -
The pastoral obsession with CEO’s
4 Jun 2013 | 4:53 amLet me start with this disclaimer. I love Harvard Business Review and have read many books on business and leadership. I also believe that pastors should be good leaders they should strengthen that muscle because leadership matters. How you lead matters. Here is where I get frustrated. I have talked to many pastors and the lion share of books they read are leadership/business books. I think there is a danger here. I know because I have seen it in myself far more often than I wish. The problem is our goal is not a bottom line that has to be maintained no matter what. The goal of pastoral…
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jeff mikels
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To Tithe or Not to Tithe
22 May 2013 | 2:39 pmIn a recent conversation I had with a church planting friend of mine, the topic of the tithe came up, and I thought it might be interesting for me to put down in this forum what I am teaching my church regarding giving. Having been heavily influenced by the likes of Andy Stanley, Randy Alcorn, and my own Dad, I have become convinced that teaching percentage-based giving is not only the number one kind of giving to encourage in our people, but I have also become convinced that the church organization should structure its budget based on the tithes of the people without regard to special… -
How should Christians live out God’s ideal of justice?
1 May 2013 | 8:02 amOccasionally, I get really deep questions turned in on our Sunday Connect Cards, and this past Sunday, I received this one: I noticed that two of the songs played in service this morning mentioned justice as something God has and uses to demonstrate his goodness. If one of the classic arguments against belief in a personal God is perceived injustice in the Bible – God plays favorites, the wholesale slaughter of thousands of men, women, children by the Hebrews, the concept of Hell, etc. – how should we answer that change? On a less philosophical level, how should Christians… -
Why do we say “Amen” at the end of prayers?
12 Feb 2013 | 7:44 amRecently, a note came to me from someone in our church with an interesting question. It said this: Why is it that sometimes your prayers do not end with “Amen”? Is there a biblical reason why we do or do not say amen after prayers? I responded personally, but I also felt my answer might benefit others, so here it is in blog form. The Meaning of “Amen” First, the word Amen is a Hebrew word that comes from the Hebrew root AMN which means faith/faithfulness. Strangely enough, this same root word shows up in a variety of other Hebrew words including words for the firm… -
LCC Weekly :: November 4 & 11, 2012
13 Nov 2012 | 7:01 amThis is part of a series of posts aimed at supporting and encouraging the volunteers of Lafayette Community Church. Sunday Review Our past two Sunday gatherings have been truly refreshing to me. For one thing, Jake Steffes has been selecting our music, and he has done a great job of not only picking songs that resonate with the theme but also ordering them in a way that encourages us on Sundays to release ourselves into God’s presence. His work has taken a load off of my mind and has given our band more time to prepare! Additionally, the past two messages I gave were really the reason I… -
LCC Weekly :: October 28, 2012
2 Nov 2012 | 11:32 amThis is part of a series of posts aimed at supporting and encouraging the volunteers of Lafayette Community Church. Sunday Review What an incredible Sunday we experienced last week! Not only did we get the weekend started right with our Volunteer Refresh event on Saturday evening, but the whole weekend we were blessed to have Brian Fraaza and his band with us. It was also a great blessing to have Greg Shackleford, a great friend of mine and a founding member of this church, joining us this weekend as a part of Brian’s band. I also want to recognize Kelsey and Ben who drove down from…
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What Christians Want To Know
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What Is Pentecost? A Bible Study
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amWhat is Pentecost? What significance does it hold for today? What does Pentecost have to do with the church today? Is it a holy day and if so, should it be observed by the church today? The... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
What Does The Bible Say About Giving Thanks? A Christian Study
18 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amGiving thanks is an attitude that shows maturity in our walk with the Lord.The Psalmist wrote: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.” (Psalm 9:1a) We can choose to grumble or we can... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
What is the Emergent Church? What Do They Believe?
17 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amWhat is the emergent church and why do they call it this? What danger is there in being in an emergent church? What are signs that your church is becoming an emergent church? What Does Emergent... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Joshua in the Bible: Character Profile, Story and Lessons
16 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amWhat does every successful leader have in common? The ability to focus on the task at hand and execute with thoughtful precision. A strong military leader in battle can’t have success if he or she... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Missionaries in the Bible: 10 To Emulate
15 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amWhen we first think of missionaries we often think of people working in remote jungles trying to learn a tribal language and communicate the good news of the Gospel. There is certainly a need for... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Practical Youth Ministry
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MAP Makers
13 Jun 2013 | 1:49 pmParents need help! I know it about myself, and we know it about each other. When it comes to raising our young ones up in faith, there is only so much that comes to us naturally. At a time when I was thinking about how to help parents be intentional about spiritual direction, I crossed paths with Keith Rogers, the youth and family minister at Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas. Keith has developed an aid to help parents to be intentional in the process of spiritual direction. He called it MAP Makers. MAP stands for Ministry Annual Plan. The method is to set three or more long range… -
Discipleship Without the Guilt Trip
5 Jun 2013 | 2:13 pmA youth worker once told me this story: “Once there was a little boy who was very lonely. The little boy was given a puppy one Christmas.The puppy and the boy became instant companions and from that point on did everything together. Their favorite activity was going out on the lake behind their house and fishing together. The boy had heard a story about lake monsters so he always brought his ax with him in case they came across a monster. The puppy loved to jump out of the boat and catch turtles and fish. One morning the puppy jumped out and got tangled in some seaweed. The boy was… -
Instagram for Parents
8 May 2013 | 7:05 amThis is an excellent article for parents about Instagram: Parents: A Word about Instagram by Sarah Brooks One of the volunteers at my church who works with our middle and high school girls sent me an article by her friend Sarah Brooks about Instagram. It is a well-written, insightful piece highlighting the spiritual, psychological and social dynamics at work in the lives of teenagers. Parents: A Word about Instagram by Sarah Brooks Share the link with your parents and teenagers. Related Posts Keeping Kids Safe Online Prescription Drugs and Teens Parent Resources Category -
Intern Taxes
20 Feb 2013 | 7:55 amDo you pay taxes on the interns you hire for the summer or do you pay them as contract labor? One year I spent nearly $700 in taxes for one summer intern. The same amount we would pay an intern for two weeks of work is sent to the federal government simply because our interns are employees and not contract labor. It is attractive to treat interns as contract labor, but it is unlikely that you can do so legally. Ignorance of the legal distinctions may be bliss, but that bliss will only last until you get an IRS audit. The difference between an employee and an independent contractor is largely… -
Protecting Kids Online
5 Feb 2013 | 6:15 amMy local police department is overwhelmed with predator cases involving minors. Predators are setting up dummy Facebook accounts, gaining access to hundreds of teens, luring them into chat rooms, scaring them into sharing videos and pictures and threatening them into silence. Children are victimized while parents and guardians are only feet away, under the same roof. Today is Internet Safety Day and Google has produced a number of videos for parents on their Tips from Parents at Google page. Here is the first video by Google Engineer, Vic Gundotra. We partnered with our local police…
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The Long View
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Transportation hubs key to the flow of the Gospel
14 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amIn his study of the early church, Rodney Stark noted that there was a strong correlation between cities that had transportation hubs and cities that received the Gospel early on. This makes sense, because the Gospel flows by people through daily life. It seems obvious that cities that are transportation hubs today would also be strategic for early church planting. They are easier to reach, and from them the Gospel can flow to nearby connected cities in the course of “normal daily life.” These have sometimes been called “Gateway Cities.” So, it follows that developing a… -
An urbanization index
13 Jun 2013 | 8:09 amWhen doing a large and comprehensive list of provinces (and districts, or sub-provinces) in the world, it’s not always possible to know the precise level of urbanization in a given region. While it doesn’t necessarily help with computing the growth of urbanization, one way to address this is to at least describe the area with an urbanization index. Here’s the index I’m fiddling with right now: 0 = P<10K. Very rural, pop. on farms and small villages 1 = U<10K, P>10k. Mostly rural, but some larger townships. 2 = %<50, U>10K, P>10K. Over half rural,… -
How big is a square kilometer?
7 Jun 2013 | 9:46 amI know, it’s the question uppermost on your mind: when you see that Almaty Province in Kazakhstan 224,000 square kilometers, you immediately wonder – exactly how big is a square kilometer? Well, I’m here to answer your question. The area highlighted in green below represents one square kilometer (a park in Dallas, TX). And, just so you get a sense of scale, here it is zoomed: I know. More data, right? Okay, I zoomed the Square Kilometer patch in Google Maps, then found a comparable segment in the residential area directly above it. Here’s what it looks… -
Single Men in Missions 4: Will short term have a higher % single male?
7 Jun 2013 | 8:00 amI theorize that the percentage of people participating in short-term missions who are single and male would be higher than the % single male in long-term missions. This seems to make sense as single males would likely be more interested in doing a “gap year” of missions (e.g. YWAM DTS) as a precursor to ministry in the States; it’s a “resume booster” (sorry for the cynicism); there are opportunities for short-term during college; etc. But I also theorize that the % single male in missions will not be higher than % single female. An initial data point from… -
Single Men in Missions, 3
6 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amA few problems I’m thinking about, when it comes to recruiting single men into missions: Problem no. 1: the numbers a) are there more women than men in society? About the same number of men and women are born each year. However, women outnumber men by a small margin in teens, simply because men are more likely to die in teens than women. Further, over the course of their lifespans, women will outnumber men by an increasing margin, because women live longer. b) are there more women than men in church? Candace Watters wrote an article entitled “Plenty of men to go around, part…
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The Inclusive Church
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Little Kids Big Armor
5 Jun 2013 | 5:30 amI follow Tahni Cullen on Facebook.. Tahni is a longtime ministry leader in Minnesota who is also mother to an exceptional young man who happens to have autism. Through Facebook, Tahni frequently shares insights of life through her son’s eyes, and more specifically through what Josiah communicates on his iPad. Personally, Josiah has been a significant source of inspiration to me. Many days, Josiah is my reminder that children who do not communicate in traditional means (verbally) are often absorbing and processing far more than we can imagine. Kids like Josiah aren’t just… -
Statistics of Children with Special Needs (Updated for 2013)
3 Jun 2013 | 5:30 amThree years ago I spent several days researching to find as many statistics as I could related to children with special needs. After reading through countless webpages of official government studies and data, I wrote this post to show church leaders that the number of families impacted by disability was growing and more prevalent than our church attendance reflected. That post turned out to be incredibly popular. And thanks to a increasing number of influential voices in special needs and ministry circles, churches are getting the message. Because the older post with statistics remains… -
Leading a Special Needs Ministry – Book Update
7 May 2013 | 5:30 amIn the coming days, I will continue posting more notes, pictures, and handouts from the special needs workshops at the recent Orange Conference. But I wanted to take a break and address a few questions I’m receiving right now about the new book: Leading a Special Needs Ministry: A Practical Guide to Including Children and Loving Families FAQ: Did anyone with related credentials help with the book? Answer: Yes. If you’ve ever heard me teach a workshop you know the very first thing I address is my lack of credentials. I have two degrees in accounting and a CPA certificate… -
Helping the Marriage of Parents of Kids with Special Needs (From #OC13)
6 May 2013 | 8:27 amIn the Orange Conference workshop Encouragement Events for Special Needs Ministry, Katie Garvert shared how her church is using MarriedPeople.org’s Can’t Wait Date Challenge as a tool to help parents to reconnect with each other and build a stronger marriage. For several years, Woodmen Valley Chapel’s Access Ministry (Colorado Springs, Colorado) has offered regular respite events for its participating families. Katie has led the Access Ministry with the mindset that special needs ministry is a whole family ministry. And logically, as the special needs ministry grew… -
#OC13 Workshop: Including Teens & Pre-Teens with Special Needs
3 May 2013 | 10:07 amOne of the most practical (and needed) workshops covered at last week’s Orange Conference was a breakout on including teens and pre-teens with special needs. Workshop Speakers: Meaghan Wall of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas Wendi Akers of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas Stacy Hodge of Joni & Friends in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (Previously on staff at Hunters Glen Baptist in Plano, Texas) The workshop began with each speaker sharing about how their church’s special needs ministry is set up. Each ministry offers different classes and environments, depending…
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RevTrev.com
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What’s Up with Nail Polish?
6 Jun 2013 | 10:09 amJust a quick video announcement this week. I have a lot to get done. I’ve taken on the Social Media Pastor role at HCCOnline.ca so some exciting things are in the works. I have a quick question for RevTrev Readers… how would you like to automatically get more people to your website? I know many of you are writing incredible blogs and have amazing ministries online. I’m considering a complete re-tooling of RevTrev.com. It will become more of an online magazine/social sharing site where you can share your own content and the things you think will encourage others to live the… -
Don’t turn your back on God!
18 May 2013 | 10:07 amThis is a guest blog post by Yaw Ansong of loverealm.org. Check out loverealm on Facebook. Check out their new website as well…it launches TODAY! It was a bright Saturday morning. My local Christian fellowship had organized two busses. I was however late and thus had to join one of my university mates in his car. The day had finally arrived: It was evangelism day. We sat in his car and off we left. As we drove towards the local college to evangelize, we were stopped at a police barrier. “Produce your driver’s license,” He said. My mate had left his license. The policeman asked… -
Take good care of the Gift God has entrusted to you…
13 May 2013 | 10:47 amThis is a guest blog post by Yaw Ansong of loverealm.org. Check out loverealm on Facebook. Check out their new website as well. …Because you will be accountable to him someday. As humans, we all have our unique skills and abilities. We all have our areas of expertise as well as weaknesses. Though we may share certain similarity in traits, we all have our unique ways of doing things. I therefore appreciate the gaps in our abilities and have a strong conviction that God gave each of us different abilities to help in producing a strong and whole church. Romans 12:6 (NLT) says that: “God… -
7 Ways to Live a Stress-free Christian Life
6 May 2013 | 10:43 amThis is a guest blog post from Gracezyl Blanco. She gives some amazing advice we all need to implement in our lives. Don’t leave it as platitudes. Make sure you figure out how it can work in your life…. Yes, we all admit that our daily modern lives are very fast-paced and are both mentally and physically draining. In other words, it can get really STRESSFUL. Nowadays, we do everything in a hurry- we just grab breakfast with instant or ready-made pancakes/waffles and coffee, get inside the car with breakfast still at hand and drive on towards the work place. After work,… -
What to do when you feel alone?
2 May 2013 | 8:52 amIn this episode of RevTrev TV I try to give advice to someone asking for prayer because he feels rejected and alone. I told him there was more to it than just prayer. I wanted to use this video to get across our responsibility. Prayer never is enough when God tells us to do certain things. He’s told us to keep meeting together. It’s for our encouragement. He’s told us to think on the good not the bad. He’s told us to stop thinking like the world and renew our minds. When we take responsibility for our thoughts and actions, God does amazing things. Why not check out…
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Media Outreach
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Is Your Information Architecture Logical?
13 Jun 2013 | 5:17 amPart of making useful information easy to find is setting up a logical structure to your navigation and page content. “Your site’s menu is the key to getting people around your site. Make it... For the full article, please visit: www.mediaoutreach.com -
Make Information Easy to Find
6 Jun 2013 | 8:36 amIf you’ve been reading our Marketing Blog, then you know we started a series on keys to a site that gets results. We will also be covering that topic here by covering some of the best practices... For the full article, please visit: www.mediaoutreach.com -
What is new with WordPress 3.5.1
30 May 2013 | 11:00 pmI get a lot of question regarding the new update for WordPress. So I decide that I would create this blog to highlight some of the new features that I like and use on the site. New Workflow for... For the full article, please visit: www.mediaoutreach.com -
13 Issues Churches are Facing in 2013 – Part 2
29 May 2013 | 11:00 pmThis is a continuation of last month’s article about the 13 Issues churches are facing in 2013. The first 6 can be found here. 7. Innovative use of space: use the space you have more efficiently,... For the full article, please visit: www.mediaoutreach.com -
Should I use hover drop down menus in my navigation?
23 May 2013 | 11:00 pmNo; drop-down, fly-out and other crazy menu layouts can easily be a turn off on your website. I find them distracting, awkward and a compromise in design. I am sure you’re asking this question... For the full article, please visit: www.mediaoutreach.com
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Ramblings on the Way
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The preaching stool
17 Jun 2013 | 5:51 amWhen I changed the structure of the youth ministry at my home church, and my first ministry position, we went to a "normal" Friday night youth group from a school-year-based, midweek, small group structure.And then it began. I then had to start doing youth group talks alongside the, then, occasional preaching in church.So one Friday night I got my first.It was solid, wooden and tri-legged.Then as I travelled though a few more churches, doing further preaching and getting more comfortable unshackling myself from the lectern and my notes, I went without a regular… -
Perceptioin + Time = Reality
15 Jun 2013 | 4:58 amI've been told, wisely, that one of the most important things a youth minister can do is turn up on a Sunday morning, even if you're not scheduled to "do anything."The reason? Face time with those who not only hold the church's purse strings but influence the perceptions of the church.For if you don't clock in face time then it's more difficult to get an accurate read of the perceptions of the church-folk.And, unchecked by time, perceptions slowly become reality.Even if they are off the mark. -
The art of the cancel
12 Jun 2013 | 6:05 amOccasionally you'll need to cancel events.It happens.We've all been there.At times it'll be your fault.Other times it won't be.Kids don't respond like you expected/hoped...You're advertising/promotional material was ill timed/targeted...You're the victim of a double-booking...The weather makes the event impossible...So... WHEN you need to cancel something... How is the best way to go about it?Do you post a public announcement OR do you cancel quietly?As a rule, I'm in favor of the last option.Tell those who did commit, not just apologetically but making it up to them, and those… -
As we heard from the sermon...
10 Jun 2013 | 4:49 amIt's not uncommon that after you preach (like I did twice on Sunday), either directly after the service or later in the week, that you'll hear someone utter the sentence... As we heard in the sermon.Whenever I hear that statement I do what, I hope, most preachers do.I hold my breath.Why? Because it's over the next few seconds that you'll find out how effective you were at getting your point across.And sometimes... Success. The person carefully articulates your point and shows a way for it to be applied.Other times? You'll find out a) that you didn't make your point well enough,… -
Everyone is on you side
8 Jun 2013 | 5:58 amI've been a part of some hostile scripture classes, youth groups, kid's clubs, chapel services and seminars.I've stood in front of teens who have been rude.I've spoken to high-schoolers who haven't a care for what I'm talking about.But I've never been heckled during church. At least not openly.And I'm up the front every week facing people who should expect that I know what I'm doing.It's undeniable that no one wants someone to give a boring sermon.Or lead a lifeless service.Or play bad music.For no one turns up to be disappointed.So whenever someone gets up…
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ryanguard.net
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How Long Should a Sermon Be?
23 May 2013 | 11:24 am“Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.” – Acts 20:9 How long should a sermon be? If you ask a preteen pastor, they’ll probably say 15-20 minutes. If you as a junior high pastor, they’ll probably say 20-25. If you ask a high school pastor, they’ll probably say 25-30. If you as a lead pastor, they’ll probably say 30-35. That sound about right? Let’s talk about those first three. When… -
Dash Cam Kindness
11 May 2013 | 7:30 amHt: @donaldmiller -
The Truth About Mormonism
12 Mar 2013 | 1:07 pmI’m preparing a two-week teaching series called “The Truth About Mormonism”. This will be my first time teaching about the Mormon Church from the stage in my 11 years as a youth pastor. I’ve considered doing it in the past, but have been reluctant to do so. A handful of fellow Christians have even discouraged me from talking about it from the platform. The Mormon Church is prominent here in AZ. I often hear things like, “Everyone at my school is LDS”. While that obviously isn’t true, my students feel like they are swimming in Mormon seas in their… -
Shout Out to the Moms
19 Feb 2013 | 8:44 amMy boys have been waking up at ungodly hours the past few weeks. Our 9-month-old Gavin woke up at 4am yesterday. 4am… If the Starbucks baristas are still sleeping, everyone else should be too. Our 2-year-old Griffin was up an hour later, and they were both ready to party. Gavin is a mama’s boy as much as any boy has ever been one. He absolutely adores his mom. It’s so intense that I haven’t been able to feed him a bottle in 7 months because I’m not mom. So… when he woke up 6 times the other night, so did mom. When he refuses to go to sleep, it’s… -
I Like Adoption
6 Feb 2013 | 3:22 pmA friend sent me this incredible video about the Dennehy family. They’ve adopted 9 kids from all over the world. They are proof that He loves us. Here comes some goosebumps:
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Fr. Peter Michael Preble
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Sermon ~ Communion with God
17 Jun 2013 | 6:42 amWe talk a lot about Communion; after all, communion is central to what we do as Orthodox. At each Divine Liturgy we come into communion with the living God when we approach the chalice and receive communion. This is not some mere symbol or reenactment of an event that happened thousands of years ago, we Orthodox believe that when we come forward we are approaching the “real presence” of Jesus Christ. We believe that Christ is truly present in the chalice not just a memory of Him, but him, actually present. We have spoken of this before. Our entire Christian journey is one of… -
We Need to Rethink Our Approach to Poverty in America
14 Jun 2013 | 6:13 amRecently, St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the Acton Institute teamed up to offer a conference on Poverty in the United States. The recordings of the sessions are available on Ancient Faith Radio and I am presently working my way through them. I have not listened to all of them yet so I am sure I will be posting more as time rolls on. In the Key note, Dr. Jay Richards, who I met last year at Acton University in Grand Rapids, laid out the plan for the conference. What I have been able to glean thus far is we need a new way of thinking about poverty because the old one is just not working. … -
Sermon ~ This Little Light of Mine
10 Jun 2013 | 5:52 amOne characteristic of our Byzantine Spirituality is that of light. Light is all around us. We have candles on the altar, candles that illumine the faces on the icons in the Church. We light candles for those who have died and for the living. Light is all around us. I told you on Easter night, that the light that we hold in our hands, that was lit from the light that never goes out, is the light that we have to take into the darkened world, the light of the Resurrection of Christ, and that we have to let that light shine, especially in the world around us today that tries very hard… -
Storm Season Serves As Reminder To Prepare For Emergencies
6 Jun 2013 | 5:27 pmIOCC Frontliners, Fr. Jon-Stephen Hedges (l) and Fr. David Hostetler (r) in Moore, Oklahoma, with tornado survivors. (Photo: Dan Christopulos/IOCC) Recent weather-related tragedies across the U.S. including floods triggered by tornadoes and violent storms in the Midwest, wildfires in California, and the onset of the Atlantic hurricane season are grave reminders of the threat of natural disasters and the need for disaster preparedness. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), which has been delivering emergency relief to disaster survivors around the world since 1992, offers a… -
The Role of Fathers
5 Jun 2013 | 6:14 pmI count myself as very lucky, I had a dad who was, and is, a great role model of what it means to be a man but also a dad. My brothers and I grew up in a house with two parents that loved us and taught us the difference between right and wrong and also taught us about faith, faith in God and faith in family. Not every kid in America is that lucky. More and more kids today are growing up without fathers. Ultimately, the traditional family is the way to go. One mom and one dad living under the same roof. But that is not always possible but the role of the dad is still extremely…
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Iyasostuff
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Praying for your future spouse: Inlaws
16 Jun 2013 | 9:26 pmInlaws: A friend of mine always used to tell me that she wanted to marry a man who was an orphan because she didn’t want to deal with mother-in-law issues. I can’t say that I ever felt that way, but I think I always wanted a mother-in-law that we were relatively similar and that the two of us could get along well. But life doesn’t always work out the way you plan it. And although most people think about mother-in-laws, there are so many other types of in laws to think about. Sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, father-in-laws, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, etc…. -
Praying for your future spouse: Getting Advice
12 Jun 2013 | 11:58 pmGetting advice: There are some people that are miserable in their marriages, and then there are some people that are just so ecstatically happy in their marriages. There are some people that have had horrible relationships and expect all their relationships to be happy, and there are some people that have had great relationships, and have only good things to say about the relationships they have been in. Daniel Go via Compfight When getting advice from people about getting married or making your relationship better, be careful to whom you speak with. I have had people tell me about how hard… -
Praying for your future spouse: Sacrifice
10 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmMy super smart cousin once told me that there is a reward for every sacrifice. That really stood out to me, because sometimes when you need to sacrifice you wonder if it is worth it. You wonder if you will ever get a benefit from the sacrifice, you wonder if you will always be suffering… But the truth is that there is a reward for every sacrifice. When in a relationship (especially marriage) there will be lots of sacrifices. You sacrifice being with multiple men, by deciding to commit to one. You sacrifice time that could be spent advancing your career, for time spene with your man. You… -
Praying for your future spouse: Trust
7 Jun 2013 | 11:30 pmTrust: It’s not easy to trust people, in fact it’s really hard to trust people. Because many people conditionally accept you, so if they see who you really are, they may just dump you like hot akara. And then there are the people that you tell them your innermost secrets and the next thing you see it on CNN… [CNN Breaking news: it has just been reported that Osayi likes to pick her nose...] [what??? how did they find that out? Who told them... sigh***] And so that’s why thinking of your future spouse and trying to spend the rest of your life with them, and trusting… -
Praying for your future spouse: Best friends
3 Jun 2013 | 9:15 pmA lot of times when I attend weddings, the brides talk about how thrilled they are that they are marrying their best friend. I love that, the idea that you are marrying someone that you couldn’t imagine life without. What I have also observed is that often times after they get married, things change. It’s like all the work spent on becoming best friends… well it’s like they no longer put the effort, after all, the guy will always be there. I love the idea of marrying my best friend, but I want my husband to even become my “bester” friend after we get…
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Follow Jon
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The School of Kicking Butt for Jesus Leadership Academy
18 Jun 2013 | 6:18 amOur church start-up just turned three months old and already has been attracting a number of young men who want to learn the ropes of church leadership in hopes of one day entering full-time ministry. Adam and I love pouring into these young bucks and throwing them into the furnace (because its in the heat of serving on Sunday mornings that fine metals are formed and Jesus is experienced most intensely!). One of the themes I'm trying to model and bang into their heads is the idea of being completely and sacrificially sold-out to the cause of Christ. Half-hearted, wimpy applicants need not… -
Erasing Clark Kent
14 Jun 2013 | 9:26 amI am having a BLAST teaching our current series, Erasing Clark Kent. You can grab the messages on iTunes here. Two videos to share here. First, I was laughing SO HARD when we filmed this: Second, our Band is off-the-wall tremendous. They covered 'Kryptonite' and rocked our collective faces off: -
Flip This Facebook
11 Jun 2013 | 5:10 amEver see those shows on HGTV where they take an unkept house overcome with weeds and flip it into something more beautiful and useful? That's what I just did with my Facebook. I flipped it. Don't get me wrong, Facebook is awesome. It's a tremendous tool for connecting and communicating. Heck, a large part of our church start-up's success has been on the back of Facebook. My problem hasn't been with Facebook; my problem has been with me. I've had a flimsy Facebook Friend policy of acceptingeveryFriend Request.This resulted in: Tons of Extra Noise: I am not interested in seeing pictures… -
Three Leadership Tips from the Miami Heat
4 Jun 2013 | 5:10 amThe 2013 Eastern Conference Finals were INTENSE as the Indiana Pacers forced things all the way to Game 7... and the Heat won! At the end of the day, here are a number of Leadership Tips from this Finals series: All great leaders play injured. Bosh hurting? So what. Wade's knee? Suck it up. Nursing wounds? No time for that. Whatever it is, stop focusing on the pain and refocus on Christ! Everybody needs a Bird Man. Chris Anderson may have been suspended for Game 6, but his emotion and passion in Game 5 was contagious! Sometimes we all need to tap our inner Bird Man to… -
Life at Life Church: Erasing Clark Kent, week one
3 Jun 2013 | 8:57 amOur June message series kick off was killer. No kid grows up hoping and dreaming of becoming Clark Kent. This series - Erasing Clark Kent - is the difference between maintaining a miniscule existence or unleashing one's God-given potential! The Man of Steel is remarkable for his sense of HONOR. Honor is about HOW you carry yourself and WHO you represent! "The man who walks with INTEGRITY walks SECURELY" - Proverbs 10:9 Righteousness guards the man of integrity! Integrity comes from the root word integer which is a whole number. A number with no fraction is a whole number.A life with no…
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Bible Reflections
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The Street Children of Brazil
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amThrough a series of remarkable events, Sarah de Carvalho left her glittering career in film promotion and TV production to join a missionary organisation in Brazil. -
Growing In The Grace Gifts
18 Jun 2013 | 8:00 amWhat comes to mind when you hear the term ‘spiritual gifts’? Perhaps you think of your own gifting as a teacher or leader; maybe you envi... -
A Child's View on Heaven Days Before Dying
17 Jun 2013 | 7:00 am'...unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven' (Matt 18:3). Days before dyin... -
Making a Difference
15 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amGod wants to use you to make a difference in this world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation... -
Family Breakdown Causing Rise in Lone Parents
14 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amIt seems that in the UK getting married younger than 30 makes you a bit of an exception; outside the church, anyway! More and more couples are cohabit...
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Tru Ministry
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Managing Ministry Transitions
18 Jun 2013 | 7:21 amA friend who is rather bad at math told me this week “you’ve been at 100 churches.” I know this is not true and that he is bad at math because if this count were true, I would also have 99 children – which I obviously don’t or I would be known for my reality TV show rather than for my witty and intellectually challenging blogs. That said, we have experienced a few church transfers in our ministry life. We have lead through transitions for a specific time and purpose, we have been lead into new educational pursuits, and we have experienced one unpleasant… -
4 Ways to Nurture Faith in Toddlers
17 Jun 2013 | 7:19 amI have been in children’s ministry for 7 years but it wasn’t until I had my own little one in March 2011 that I began truly asking the question, “How can I nurture faith in my toddler?” It was a question I was required to ask in order to see effective spiritual parenting in my home, but I have also applied my findings to our children’s ministry in an effort to enhance the environments we create on Sundays. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your… -
Helping Children Grow their Faith Through Serving
13 Jun 2013 | 7:06 amCreating positive and fulfilling opportunities for our kids is normal to virtually every parent. Making experiences that really challenge our children’s faith and push them out of their comfort zone is somewhat different. As parents, our natural inclination is to do all we can to provide for our kids, keep them safe and, as much as possible, provide for their needs and satisfy their wants. Our protective nature is God-given, beginning the moment we hold our infant child in our arms. In her book Spiritual Parenting, Michelle Anthony makes this statement about stretching and growing the… -
Creating Space for the Holy Spirit in Children’s Ministry
12 Jun 2013 | 7:17 amRecently my church began a teaching series on the Holy Spirit. The response from many members of our congregation was positive, since the topic has not come up in their respective church backgrounds. Through my church’s teaching series, I’ve been challenged to begin talking about and introducing the Holy Spirit into our children’s ministry teaching. After all, the Spirit is the one who empowers our witness and ministry (Acts 1-5). So how we can best teach our students to hear the Spirit’s voice? Here are a few ways you can help your students engage with the Holy Spirit. Talk about… -
5 Critical Cues to Prevent Behavioral Challenges
11 Jun 2013 | 7:04 amShe hesitantly entered the Sunday school space with her shoulders slumped making her appear smaller than 6 years old. Her arms were tightly wrapped across her chest. Her eyes were downcast to the floor and her lips drawn tightly across her mouth made it known she had nothing to say, for now. As the opening activity unfolded she was encouraged to join the others at the table and engage with the small blocks and characters. Her hands still tightly wrapped around her gave the clear signal she didn’t want to participate today. The rest of the group reached across her space building…
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Currents
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Video
5 Jun 2013 | 11:32 am -
Alberta 2013
27 May 2013 | 9:46 amAlberta 2013 is an initiative we have been invited to participate in.From the website: ... -
Provoke One Another?
27 May 2013 | 9:31 amStir one another up to good works. This statement comes from Hebrews 10:24. Some translations say... -
The Problem With Grace
29 Apr 2013 | 9:58 amThe word Gospel is usually translated as “The Good News”. The Gospel message is definitely good... -
Build Up One Another
29 Apr 2013 | 9:54 amTherefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.-1 Thessalonians...
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Proclaim Blog
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Handling the “It’s too loud” complaint
18 Jun 2013 | 8:05 amAt some point, every pastor will face criticism about music volume. A few preemptive steps will go a long way to prepare you for the inevitable noise complaint. Use a dB meter to collect data Noise complaints are usually subjective, made on feeling or impression. It’s important to measure the sound in the auditorium for both frequency and overall volume so you can respond with a scientific measurement. The metric used to measure volume is called a decibel (dB). Some common benchmarks are: 0 dB: rustling leaves 60 dB: conversation 85 dB: city traffic 100 dB: stock earphones at maximum… -
Last chance: win a songwriting session with Paul Baloche
14 Jun 2013 | 9:05 amDo you have a notebook full of half-finished song lyrics? If so, what if you could finish one of those songs with legendary songwriter Paul Baloche, and then record a demo version at the Integrity Music studios in Colorado Springs? You can, but you’ll have to act fast. This offer goes away tomorrow! Enter to win this giveaway of a lifetime—and if you know another aspiring songwriter, be a good friend and share this link with them! -
Becoming a Proclaim ninja: lightning-fast design
12 Jun 2013 | 9:05 amWe already know how Proclaim makes creating a song slide easy with its CCLI integration. Even better, it helps you choose the perfect background for your slide—fast. Let’s say we’re going to sing “God of This City” by Chris Tomlin. You can pull up the song just as fast as you can type: Here comes the cool part. Select “Background” and type “city”; Proclaim will look for slides and videos tagged with the word “city.” In seconds, you can find a background that matches your song choice. Find the perfect background for every song by using the powerful… -
J. D. Greear on worship
10 Jun 2013 | 9:05 amJ. D. Greear is the lead pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and the author of several books, including Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart. We had a few minutes to chat with him about how they approach worship at The Summit Church. Worship artist Matt Papa also calls The Summit Church home, and given how much we value leadership-team collaboration, we were curious to hear about how the team works together. The multisite approach The Summit has embraced carries its own set of challenges, like keeping eight different campus pastors and eight different worship leaders on the same… -
15 Minutes That Can Change Your Worship Team
6 Jun 2013 | 11:14 amToday we welcome guest blogger Wisdom Moon. He is the founder of AllAboutWorship.com, a resource dedicated to equipping, encouraging, and inspiring worship leaders and teams. Most of us know the importance of having a worship-team rehearsal during the week to go through the setlist together, go over transitions, etc. But how much time and attention do you allocate for the spiritual development of your worship team? No matter your official title, we as worship leaders have the responsibility of shepherding and pastoring those involved in the church’s worship ministry. What if we took…
