Kids are back in school. Teachers are back to work. Evenings are becoming cool. Leaves are starting to fall. -- But these are all changes that happen every year and we grow to expect them. Although these present challenges, we have learned to deal with them.
But what about those changes that are not "usual" or "expected." We are dealing with new people coming into the church family and others leaving the family. We are dealing with the deaths and accidents of those in our church family. We are thinking of building a new building. We are interviewing potential new staff members from different states. What do we do with these changes?
It seems trite to simply say, "embrace them" especially when some of them had some level of control associated with them. So, what then do we do with change?
My immediate family is going through even more change than what the church family is going through -- my wife has a different job, my role at one of my jobs changed, all three kids are going to different buildings for school. In the midst of changing circumstances, I lean on my core beliefs and vision like never before. I ask if the changes are impacting my foundational beliefs and passions or if they are merely impacting the circumstances in which I go after my foundational passions aligned iwth my foundational beliefts. My core value is to make transformational impact and my beliefs include "all means all" and "the term 'we' is universal". I can expand if you really want.
The purpose of New Hope is to make passionate followers of Christ. Our core value is transformation. We do ministry going after the captives, lost, poor, and broken-hearted as described in Isaiah 61:1-3. Every thing we do desires to be done in alignment with these passions and values in mind. I am so encouraged by those in the church family who have persevered through the transition - I believe simply because they (you) are so passionate about seeing lost people get found, seeing found people become passionate, and seeing passionate people reproduce their passion in others. God is on the move in tremendous ways at New Hope and it fires me up every week to see how the people of New Hope avail themselves to partnership with God as He redeems indivdiuals and the community.
May God richly bless you today. May God have mercy on us and bless this ministry to live to its full redemptive potential even during this state of flux. I'm proud to serve along side of each of you - you all inspire me to become a better man and follower.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
What Would We Do For Our Children?
I can't believe it has been a month since the last blog entry... ugh. Anyway, this entry relates back to about a week or 10 days ago when my eldest son (OK, he's eldest by 20 minutes) and I went and fished off the landing to a small lake (it's a secret). We were catching a ton of sunnies and several bass and then it happened... he laid in to something huge... we could see it swirling in the water. My son had never been trying to reel up something this big. I was coaching him, "Rod tip up, rod tip up, keep the line taut, etc" - he was yelling, "It hurts" as he tried to hang on to the rod while turning the reel. When the fish got to within 10 feet of us, I could see it... a large northern. Of course we didn't have a net with us so I was just trying to get him to back up and get it close enough so I could grab it and throw it on shore. Then, in a flash of light, I could see his body curl, straighten, and snap the line. Without thinking, I ran in after it in hopes I could grab the broken line and pull it in by hand... but it was gone leaving just a slip bobber in its wake. I was so disappointed for my son; he handled it well but we were both bummed. It would have been so awesome to have landed that beast.
Shortly after that, the mosquitos came out and we headed home. On the 10 minute drive home (clue to where the lake is), we were reflecting on what happened. My son had asked me what I would have done if I could have grabbed the fish... I said I would have grabbed whatever I could of and pulled it out of the water where we could handle it. He said, "but I thought northern have sharp teeth". I said, "They do... very sharp. But I would have put my hand in its mouth and let him clamp down on my arm if that's what it took to get you that fish!" He didn't believe me...but it was true. I may have sacrificed a finger to get him that fish and put it on his wall.
It sounds ludicrous now... sacrificing a finger or a deep cut to get a kid a fish? But I think there is truth that we are created in the image of God and, with that, we would do just about anything for our kids. The Bible says that the Father's love for His children (us) is so great and lavish that He sent Jesus to live as a mortal and die in our place as the sacrifice for all we have done wrong. God was willing to send His Son to die and His Son was willing to bear that burden. My willingness to sacrifice for my son does not seem all that amazing any more.
Shortly after that, the mosquitos came out and we headed home. On the 10 minute drive home (clue to where the lake is), we were reflecting on what happened. My son had asked me what I would have done if I could have grabbed the fish... I said I would have grabbed whatever I could of and pulled it out of the water where we could handle it. He said, "but I thought northern have sharp teeth". I said, "They do... very sharp. But I would have put my hand in its mouth and let him clamp down on my arm if that's what it took to get you that fish!" He didn't believe me...but it was true. I may have sacrificed a finger to get him that fish and put it on his wall.
It sounds ludicrous now... sacrificing a finger or a deep cut to get a kid a fish? But I think there is truth that we are created in the image of God and, with that, we would do just about anything for our kids. The Bible says that the Father's love for His children (us) is so great and lavish that He sent Jesus to live as a mortal and die in our place as the sacrifice for all we have done wrong. God was willing to send His Son to die and His Son was willing to bear that burden. My willingness to sacrifice for my son does not seem all that amazing any more.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Aaah, flying (or not)...
I flew to Chicago on Wednesday... my flight was delayed 45 minutes and then we had to wait on the plane 45 minutes before we took off. It was a bit frustrating, but I would find only 2 days later that it was no big deal! Today my flight was delayed 30 minutes before we boarded.... we were locked on the plane, in our seatbelts for over 4 hours before we took off! Not in the airport... on the airplane! Planes were not allowed to depart for Minneapolis and by the time they were, planes weren't allowed to depart to the north from Chicago. It was a back and forth journey of "pretty soon", "oops not yet", "OK, pretty soon."
I rarely fly to Chicago because I figure driving takes about as long. Its 6.5 hours from my house... when I fly, it's 1.5 hours to the airport, get there 1 hour early, 1 hour to fly, then 30-60 minutes to leave the airport and get where I'm going. Plus, when I drive I'm in control of the radio, bathroom, leg room, etc. But this time I chose to fly.... I chose poorly.
In life we all choose poorly from time to time. Sometimes its more obvious and we knew we were choosing poorly at the beginning. Sometimes the choice seems OK at the time, but only in hindsight becomes the wrong choice. As we go through life, we are promised that we have the Holy Spirit to help lead and guide us - we all need to figure that out a bit more for those decisions where there is no clearcut answer. What I want to make sure I don't mess up is those choices where the decision is obvious and I still choose poorly. How can I worry about the unobvious decisions when I'm still struggling with making the right obvious choices?
May we be bold enough to make the right choices when we know what they are and diligent enough to seek the Holy Spirit for those decisions that aren't so obvious.
I rarely fly to Chicago because I figure driving takes about as long. Its 6.5 hours from my house... when I fly, it's 1.5 hours to the airport, get there 1 hour early, 1 hour to fly, then 30-60 minutes to leave the airport and get where I'm going. Plus, when I drive I'm in control of the radio, bathroom, leg room, etc. But this time I chose to fly.... I chose poorly.
In life we all choose poorly from time to time. Sometimes its more obvious and we knew we were choosing poorly at the beginning. Sometimes the choice seems OK at the time, but only in hindsight becomes the wrong choice. As we go through life, we are promised that we have the Holy Spirit to help lead and guide us - we all need to figure that out a bit more for those decisions where there is no clearcut answer. What I want to make sure I don't mess up is those choices where the decision is obvious and I still choose poorly. How can I worry about the unobvious decisions when I'm still struggling with making the right obvious choices?
May we be bold enough to make the right choices when we know what they are and diligent enough to seek the Holy Spirit for those decisions that aren't so obvious.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Shedding from the Son
About a week and a half ago, I went fishing (big surprise) for about 3 hours. Since I was in the back channels, it was safe to go shirtless and not scare anyone. I didn't realize I was burning until I got home and my kids made some comments. A few days later I started molting like a snake; I thought it was kind of cool; my kids thought it was gross although enjoyed pulling skin off me; my wife was angry I let it happen.
What came to mind is how our sinful nature is crucified with Christ. Through the glory of the Son, our junk gets burned and removed like the skin off my body. Peeling the skin or watching it fall off of me gave me a picture of how we become transformed through the renewing of our mind to the things of God (Hebrews 12). As we are exposed to the power of the Son, we are forced to change. Sometimes the end result is painful (sunburn, etc) and sometimes the result is the beauty of bronze. Sometimes there is visible evidence of exposure to the Son (peeling, burn, tan) while sometimes there is just a warming of the heart and a lifting of the spirits.
I'm not sure sure the analogy is holding together, but anything that reminds me of how good it is to take the time to be exposed to the Son is worth getting excited about. God bless you all in great and might ways. May we all take the time to let the Son soak in and renew our minds, transform our hearts, and get passionate about sharing His glory with others. Be strong & courageous you adopted children of God!
What came to mind is how our sinful nature is crucified with Christ. Through the glory of the Son, our junk gets burned and removed like the skin off my body. Peeling the skin or watching it fall off of me gave me a picture of how we become transformed through the renewing of our mind to the things of God (Hebrews 12). As we are exposed to the power of the Son, we are forced to change. Sometimes the end result is painful (sunburn, etc) and sometimes the result is the beauty of bronze. Sometimes there is visible evidence of exposure to the Son (peeling, burn, tan) while sometimes there is just a warming of the heart and a lifting of the spirits.
I'm not sure sure the analogy is holding together, but anything that reminds me of how good it is to take the time to be exposed to the Son is worth getting excited about. God bless you all in great and might ways. May we all take the time to let the Son soak in and renew our minds, transform our hearts, and get passionate about sharing His glory with others. Be strong & courageous you adopted children of God!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
What do my keys & a northern pike have in common?
They both spent about 6 hours in my trunk this afternoon!
I'm not sure why all my great stories revolve around fishing; perhaps it is because I relax my mind when I'm fishing to the point of losing it! I am up in Brainerd for my MBA residency weekend (every 6-7 weeks). We had an extended lunch break so I thought I would quick run and wet a line (since today is the fishing opener). I had found out this week that there is a dam on the Gull river where I could fish from shore so I ran up there to do just that, even though it was raining pretty good. I had about 30 minutes to spend and about 10 minutes into it I nailed a nice northern (about 28 inches). When time was up I headed back to the car with my rod, tackle box, & fish. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and opened the trunk and then set the stuff in and shut the trunk.
The plan was to go buy a cheap styrofoam cooler & ice for the northern (which was still alive and flopping around the back of the trunk), then grab some lunch to go, and head back to class. Well, that turned out to be more difficult as I couldn't find the keys - the only explanation could be that I locked them in the trunk. Ugh! Since one of our windows doesn't stay up (it is held there by duct tape) this made it easy to break into the car, but there is no trunk release inside the car either. OK, so at this point let me recap: 1) raining so I'm soaking wet in my jeans & t-shirt, 2) live flopping northern in the trunk, 3) soon-to-be dead northern rotting in my trunk, 4) keys locked in the trunk with the northern, 5) need to get back to where class is, 6) no way to get into trunk.
Longer story less long: I hitched a ride back to where class was, got the name of a locksmith (who went above and beyond to help me out), after class got a ride back to my car, and then fished another 2 hours in 40 degree pouring rain. It's good to be warm and dry.
When I called Tracy about the whole ordeal, she said... "That'll preach" -- we'll see.
I'm not sure why all my great stories revolve around fishing; perhaps it is because I relax my mind when I'm fishing to the point of losing it! I am up in Brainerd for my MBA residency weekend (every 6-7 weeks). We had an extended lunch break so I thought I would quick run and wet a line (since today is the fishing opener). I had found out this week that there is a dam on the Gull river where I could fish from shore so I ran up there to do just that, even though it was raining pretty good. I had about 30 minutes to spend and about 10 minutes into it I nailed a nice northern (about 28 inches). When time was up I headed back to the car with my rod, tackle box, & fish. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and opened the trunk and then set the stuff in and shut the trunk.
The plan was to go buy a cheap styrofoam cooler & ice for the northern (which was still alive and flopping around the back of the trunk), then grab some lunch to go, and head back to class. Well, that turned out to be more difficult as I couldn't find the keys - the only explanation could be that I locked them in the trunk. Ugh! Since one of our windows doesn't stay up (it is held there by duct tape) this made it easy to break into the car, but there is no trunk release inside the car either. OK, so at this point let me recap: 1) raining so I'm soaking wet in my jeans & t-shirt, 2) live flopping northern in the trunk, 3) soon-to-be dead northern rotting in my trunk, 4) keys locked in the trunk with the northern, 5) need to get back to where class is, 6) no way to get into trunk.
Longer story less long: I hitched a ride back to where class was, got the name of a locksmith (who went above and beyond to help me out), after class got a ride back to my car, and then fished another 2 hours in 40 degree pouring rain. It's good to be warm and dry.
When I called Tracy about the whole ordeal, she said... "That'll preach" -- we'll see.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Loving our enemies
What a wonderful message Pastor Bill delivered this morning; and what a challenge to love our enemies... we are able to love those who love us; but can we love those who don't love us? We are supposed to.
Later in the morning, we had our Biblical Growth Class where we were discussing the epistles (letters) of Paul to the churches that we starting throughout the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea. There was a lot of info to cover, but some of that involved Paul's charge to the churches in the region of Galatia (NE corner of Mediterranean) to be "crucified with Christ" - that our sinful ways / our sinful being was nailed to the cross and was crucified with Christ. The life that we live is no longer the sinful, law-code guilt life that we were subject to before Christ - but freedom! Because we shared in the crucifixion / death of Christ, we also share in His resurrection - in new life!!!! Paul summarized this by stating that we are new creatures; the old has gone the new is come!
If we are to live lives of loving our enemies, we must be crucified with Christ and live life by the spirit (which Paul also talked about). It all comes back to the cross. Loving our enemies is not about trying harder, or reading books, or holding each other accountable - those might help as we try self-improvement -- but the answer to loving our enemies lies not in self-improvement, but in Christ-improvement -- the answer to loving our enemies is death; death of ourself; sharing in the death of Christ so that we might also share in His life. "For I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live!"
God bless you richly, abundantly, and extravagantly with the fruit of the Spirit that is living inside of those who are adopted as his children.
Later in the morning, we had our Biblical Growth Class where we were discussing the epistles (letters) of Paul to the churches that we starting throughout the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea. There was a lot of info to cover, but some of that involved Paul's charge to the churches in the region of Galatia (NE corner of Mediterranean) to be "crucified with Christ" - that our sinful ways / our sinful being was nailed to the cross and was crucified with Christ. The life that we live is no longer the sinful, law-code guilt life that we were subject to before Christ - but freedom! Because we shared in the crucifixion / death of Christ, we also share in His resurrection - in new life!!!! Paul summarized this by stating that we are new creatures; the old has gone the new is come!
If we are to live lives of loving our enemies, we must be crucified with Christ and live life by the spirit (which Paul also talked about). It all comes back to the cross. Loving our enemies is not about trying harder, or reading books, or holding each other accountable - those might help as we try self-improvement -- but the answer to loving our enemies lies not in self-improvement, but in Christ-improvement -- the answer to loving our enemies is death; death of ourself; sharing in the death of Christ so that we might also share in His life. "For I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live!"
God bless you richly, abundantly, and extravagantly with the fruit of the Spirit that is living inside of those who are adopted as his children.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Reproducing Transformation
I just finished day 2 of a 4 day conference in Orlando centered around reproducing churches. It has been a whirlwind of great information and great networking. I'm hanging out right now with 3 other church planters and have met a ton of people over the past couple of days. There are about 3,000 people from across the world attending this Exponential Church conference.
Over the past few years we have refined the purpose of New Hope, "To honor God by making passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit" and our core value as "Transformation through Grace, Growth, and Generosity." This has really allowed us to focus what we are about and how we make ministry decisions. However, as we have been challenged to refine our vision to the point of making it portable, Andy Stanley challenged us. He asked, what is the vision of the "One" campaign that Bono is leading -- "To make poverty history" - sure, there are more details with that, but it is memorable and everyone knows what it is about. He asked, what the vision of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barak Obama were... the only one people knew was Obama's "Change" - everyone shouted it out. The point is that vision must be simple to remember and portable.
As Pastor Bill and I have chatted about our already refined purpose and vision, we started dialoguing about a perhaps even more refined vision. We toyed with "Reproducing Transformation". The idea here is that we want to be transformed and to reproduce that transformation in other individuals (through mentoring), through small groups, and churches. We are about transformation and we are about reproducing that transformation in others. Perhaps this does not discuss all of the theological elements of it, but we need to be able to clearly articulate what we are about. "Hey, what is New Hope all about?"... "Reproducing Transformation."
What is small groups about? Reproducing transformation
What is mentoring about? Reproducing transformation
What is children's ministry about? Reproducing transformation
What is Sunday morning services about? Reproducing transformation
Why do we have adult sunday school? Reproducing transformation
What is mens, womens, seniors, young adults about? Reproducing transformation
Why do we plant churches? Reproducing transformation
What d'ya think?
Over the past few years we have refined the purpose of New Hope, "To honor God by making passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit" and our core value as "Transformation through Grace, Growth, and Generosity." This has really allowed us to focus what we are about and how we make ministry decisions. However, as we have been challenged to refine our vision to the point of making it portable, Andy Stanley challenged us. He asked, what is the vision of the "One" campaign that Bono is leading -- "To make poverty history" - sure, there are more details with that, but it is memorable and everyone knows what it is about. He asked, what the vision of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barak Obama were... the only one people knew was Obama's "Change" - everyone shouted it out. The point is that vision must be simple to remember and portable.
As Pastor Bill and I have chatted about our already refined purpose and vision, we started dialoguing about a perhaps even more refined vision. We toyed with "Reproducing Transformation". The idea here is that we want to be transformed and to reproduce that transformation in other individuals (through mentoring), through small groups, and churches. We are about transformation and we are about reproducing that transformation in others. Perhaps this does not discuss all of the theological elements of it, but we need to be able to clearly articulate what we are about. "Hey, what is New Hope all about?"... "Reproducing Transformation."
What is small groups about? Reproducing transformation
What is mentoring about? Reproducing transformation
What is children's ministry about? Reproducing transformation
What is Sunday morning services about? Reproducing transformation
Why do we have adult sunday school? Reproducing transformation
What is mens, womens, seniors, young adults about? Reproducing transformation
Why do we plant churches? Reproducing transformation
What d'ya think?
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Body
This morning, pastor Bill dug into the issue of the different parts of the body working together for the good of the entire body. As we were doing the drama and being interviewed, it occurred to me how much of my past willingness to serve was related to my own sense of self-worth. I do not want to serve when I am not feeling good about myself or I'm lacking confidence. But as I thought more about this I realized how closely this is tied to having our identity in Christ. The more I am assured in my identity as an adopted child of God, the more I am willing to put myself out there. Like any relationship, starting to serve is sort of like going on a first date: what if they don't like me? what if they think I'm weird? what if I don't like them? how could I end it if I know its not working?
Any time we step out into something new, it is a risk. But as each one of us are transformed, we start to understand that growth comes from risk. Risk to serve in an area with no expertise. Risk to ask a question about God that no one else dares ask. Risk to say we don't have it all together. Risk or being transparent. Risk of seeing the transparency of others.
But we are the body. We are brothers and sisters. Perhaps there exists a truly functional family and, in that hypothetical family, I think there is transparency and trust. Conversely, it seems one of the traits of the "most" dysfunctional families is there lacks the ability to be real. I strongly desire the family of New Hope to be healthy; we may not be fully functional (although that's the goal), but we must be healthy. This means we share what is on our mind, including the truth in love. It means we need to accept hearing the truth in love. It means we are patient with each other and realize each person is uniquely wired by God.
It's exciting to be part of a larger body. I'm so honored to be part of the family of God and even more specifically of the family of New Hope. Like brothers and sisters, we'll walk through disagreements and conflict, but at the end of the day, like Sister Sledge sang, "We are family!"
Any time we step out into something new, it is a risk. But as each one of us are transformed, we start to understand that growth comes from risk. Risk to serve in an area with no expertise. Risk to ask a question about God that no one else dares ask. Risk to say we don't have it all together. Risk or being transparent. Risk of seeing the transparency of others.
But we are the body. We are brothers and sisters. Perhaps there exists a truly functional family and, in that hypothetical family, I think there is transparency and trust. Conversely, it seems one of the traits of the "most" dysfunctional families is there lacks the ability to be real. I strongly desire the family of New Hope to be healthy; we may not be fully functional (although that's the goal), but we must be healthy. This means we share what is on our mind, including the truth in love. It means we need to accept hearing the truth in love. It means we are patient with each other and realize each person is uniquely wired by God.
It's exciting to be part of a larger body. I'm so honored to be part of the family of God and even more specifically of the family of New Hope. Like brothers and sisters, we'll walk through disagreements and conflict, but at the end of the day, like Sister Sledge sang, "We are family!"
Monday, March 31, 2008
Merry Christmas
I was sitting in my recliner working on my laptop while Tracy was grading papers on the couch and it felt like the middle of winter. The snow was coming down; the trees were thick with the fluffy stuff. Lucky for us we never took down our Christmas lights. I found the extension cord and plugged them in and it took our evening to a new level of coziness. Funny how little things like that can boost the spirit. Here's to wishing our hearts are covered white as snow and the Christmas lights are always turned on.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Greetings from Brainerd
Greetings from Brainerd, Minnesota. Every 6-7 weeks I am up here as I work through my MBA program at Bethel. Today we ran class from 8:30am - 9:30pm and I'm just now back at my hotel room. Long days, but great learning. Just thought I'd send out a quick note to let you all know that I miss you all. Every week, month, and day that goes by I seem to fall more in love with the church and the church family. I'm saddened every time I need to be away for schooling or any other reason. I'm still working off the buzz from last Sunday with 21 people making either first time decisions to surrender their lives to Christ or to recommit to a decision they had made earlier. I'm praying and believing for great things to happen again this weekend as God keeps showing up and doing His thing. Want an honor to have a front row seat to the power of His grace and the activity of His Holy Spirit.
I'd best go.. just wanted to say hey. Hey.
I'd best go.. just wanted to say hey. Hey.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter
What a blast on Easter Sunday! To see so many people going forward to ask God to pick up the broken pieces of their life and start putting the masterpiece back together. What a picture of the grace and love of God for each of us. As I hang out here at the airport waiting for a east-bound plane, I was just reminded of the picture of what happened yesterday. As I told a few people after the service, "We had us some church!" Man that was fun to be in the house of the Lord.
Well, I better keep rollin' on other stuff; I'm paying for internet time, but I thought it was worth it to throw a shout out to my family at New Hope. Love ya...
Well, I better keep rollin' on other stuff; I'm paying for internet time, but I thought it was worth it to throw a shout out to my family at New Hope. Love ya...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Chameleon
"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible (I Corinthians 9:19)." - Paul was clear on his mission, "To win as many as possible" and he determined that one way he would do that would be be to consider himself a slave, a servant, to everyone even though he was free and not required to do so.
"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I becamse like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some (I Corinthians 9:19-22)." - Paul was a chameleon, changing as he felt he needed to change. But unlike the chameleon, he did not change to hide (for some would say that is the purpose of the chameleon), but instead he changed to accomplish his mission, "To win as many as possible."
What is our individual mission or purpose? Is everything we do consistent with that mission or purpose? How about New Hope Community Church? Our purpose is "To honor God by making passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit." Our purpose lies in making passionate followers... is everything we do aligned with that purpose. Are we what we need to be to those following Christ to make them passionate? For those brand new to their faith are we helping them become followers of Christ? For those starting to seek are we there to answer their questions and help them see who Christ is? For those far from God are we being Christ?
God has given a tremendous purpose and calling to New Hope Community Church. There is a broad spectrum of people that we engage with. There may be times where we must become all things to all people for the sake of winning as many as possible. The danger is the appearance of inconsistency... but the inconsistencies are in the strategies, but there is tremendous consistency in the purpose. We must never confuse strategy for purpose. God bless you....
"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I becamse like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some (I Corinthians 9:19-22)." - Paul was a chameleon, changing as he felt he needed to change. But unlike the chameleon, he did not change to hide (for some would say that is the purpose of the chameleon), but instead he changed to accomplish his mission, "To win as many as possible."
What is our individual mission or purpose? Is everything we do consistent with that mission or purpose? How about New Hope Community Church? Our purpose is "To honor God by making passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit." Our purpose lies in making passionate followers... is everything we do aligned with that purpose. Are we what we need to be to those following Christ to make them passionate? For those brand new to their faith are we helping them become followers of Christ? For those starting to seek are we there to answer their questions and help them see who Christ is? For those far from God are we being Christ?
God has given a tremendous purpose and calling to New Hope Community Church. There is a broad spectrum of people that we engage with. There may be times where we must become all things to all people for the sake of winning as many as possible. The danger is the appearance of inconsistency... but the inconsistencies are in the strategies, but there is tremendous consistency in the purpose. We must never confuse strategy for purpose. God bless you....
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Psalm 27
"The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" - Psalm 27:1
As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside each of us. That same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead! This Easter, may we recognize again the power that it took to raise a man 3-days dead from the grave... how massive that power must be... and this it lives inside each of us. How could we not be bubbling out the light of God? How could we not love our neighbors? How could be be in fear? Why should be be afraid?
Because we are human.
But may we also be reminded that what is impossible for us, is possible with God. Allow God's power to reign in our lives.... let's tap into that power, die to ourself, and LIVE LARGE. Easter blessings to you all.
As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside each of us. That same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead! This Easter, may we recognize again the power that it took to raise a man 3-days dead from the grave... how massive that power must be... and this it lives inside each of us. How could we not be bubbling out the light of God? How could we not love our neighbors? How could be be in fear? Why should be be afraid?
Because we are human.
But may we also be reminded that what is impossible for us, is possible with God. Allow God's power to reign in our lives.... let's tap into that power, die to ourself, and LIVE LARGE. Easter blessings to you all.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Love & Rejection
Our small group is working through a video series by Beth Moore called "Living Beyond Yourself" which focuses on the fruit of the spirit. This past week, the topic was Love. I found it interesting that the focus of the week's study, however, was on rejection. For about 40 of the 60 minutes, she talked about rejection. She discussed three pictures of rejection from the different definitions from the original Greek and Hebrew: 1) To disapprove or refuce, 2) Vacant, and 3) To be spit out. She discussed the wounds of rejection and how we typically look to repair the rejection in one of two erroneous ways: 1) To get back what was rejected or 2) To seek revenge.
As we moved past the realities of our rejection, we studied how the Lord receives us regardless of whoever rejects us, but we tend to focus more on the rejection of others than the acceptance of Christ. Through accepting God's acceptance, we start the process of divine healing. I Peter 2:4-10 talks directly about how we are rejected by men, but chosen by God; that we are precious to him. We often lose sign of the two main sources of divine healing the SOVEREIGNTY of God and the SUPREMACY of God.
As each of us struggles from the wounds of rejection, may we each grab firmly to the truth that Jesus offers us "True" love and that "True love never fails (I Corinthians 13:8)." God's love for us will never fail us and the love that we offer others in the name of Christ will never drop away or fall. The "greatest of these is love" and that comes from the ability to allow God's love to fill the vacancy of rejection that many of us carry.
Although different, I felt God connecting some dots for me this week between this and the Sunday service where Pastor Bill spoke on a life of peace. He many clear that peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. Like the fruit of the Spirit and like love, our peace is dependent on our ability to allow the presence of God to pervade our hearts. Life in the Spirit is about battling for our heart.... let's fight the battle and actively guard our hearts for it is the well-spring of life.
May the Lord bless you with His Love that overcomes rejection. Have a great week!
As we moved past the realities of our rejection, we studied how the Lord receives us regardless of whoever rejects us, but we tend to focus more on the rejection of others than the acceptance of Christ. Through accepting God's acceptance, we start the process of divine healing. I Peter 2:4-10 talks directly about how we are rejected by men, but chosen by God; that we are precious to him. We often lose sign of the two main sources of divine healing the SOVEREIGNTY of God and the SUPREMACY of God.
As each of us struggles from the wounds of rejection, may we each grab firmly to the truth that Jesus offers us "True" love and that "True love never fails (I Corinthians 13:8)." God's love for us will never fail us and the love that we offer others in the name of Christ will never drop away or fall. The "greatest of these is love" and that comes from the ability to allow God's love to fill the vacancy of rejection that many of us carry.
Although different, I felt God connecting some dots for me this week between this and the Sunday service where Pastor Bill spoke on a life of peace. He many clear that peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. Like the fruit of the Spirit and like love, our peace is dependent on our ability to allow the presence of God to pervade our hearts. Life in the Spirit is about battling for our heart.... let's fight the battle and actively guard our hearts for it is the well-spring of life.
May the Lord bless you with His Love that overcomes rejection. Have a great week!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Men's Retreat
Wow, what a fantastic weekend of being challenged to live with Reckless Abandon to the things of God and to live life in Reckless Obedience to the one who makes life possible. After each large group worship & teaching we would break into small groups. These groups were pre-arranged by Roby and the first few comments after getting into the groups were things like, "What was Roby on when he made this group?" or "What, did Roby think we needed a baby-sitter?". But after, I know I was so grateful that I had time to get to know these guys, their hearts, and their passion on a level I probably never would have been able to without being locked in a room together for hours at a time. My experience with Mr. Johnson, Mr. Pasch, Mr. Zortman, Mr. Fritchie, and Mr. McFarlane was life-changing. As I shared with the large group on Saturday night, I was inspired by these men... inspired to take me own passion for lost people to an even greater level; inspirted to let my past by part of my story but my present & future be my testimony - that my testimony is what it is today, but my final testimony will be how I choose to live my future. If you know these guys and see them around, thank them again as they have helped me in ways they will never fully appreciate.
I was then excited to be able to return late Saturday night and re-join my family and be at New Hope for an incredible time of worship led by our interim worship director Caitlyn. What a fabulous weekend of inspiration, worship, and greater death of myself to the heart of God. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, victory, and power!
I was then excited to be able to return late Saturday night and re-join my family and be at New Hope for an incredible time of worship led by our interim worship director Caitlyn. What a fabulous weekend of inspiration, worship, and greater death of myself to the heart of God. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, victory, and power!
Monday, February 18, 2008
OK, fine... Dentist
About a week ago I fainted at the dentist office... OK, fine, there it is. I made the mistake of telling a couple of people and now I'm getting sent pictures of needles & dental work. Thank you for your support.
Last week I took my son to get two wisdom teeth pulled. When the first novicaine (sp?) shots were given to him (with the 80" needle), I felt a little light headed. After they were done with that round, I went to the lobby to sit down and had some water. OK, things were cool... I went back in while he waited for the novicaine to settle in.
When doc came back, he said he would do more shots and then wait a bit until starting the tooth removal. He gave the shots and that part went fine; but then, unexpectedly, he started digging the teeth out. Oh, oh.... trouble in river city. I start sweating big time and let them know I gotta go sit down... so I start walking down the hallway to the lobby and the world starts closing in on me. In my mind I'm saying, "10 more steps.... 9 more steps... 8 more steps" -- and I made it to the chairs! Praise God I didn't faint!
Then the receptionist & the hygenist come out to help me (now I'm really embarassed!). They throw a cold towel on the back of my neck - that's better. Then they say, "you are sweating right through your shirt." OK, now that's lovely! True, but not exactly what I'm looking to hear at that point. I tip my head back to enjoy the towel on the back of my neck... and then I'm out. I think it was just a brief time, but I came to when a cold towel was put on my forehead. Then I was fine. It was like throwing up -- you just do it and then you are fine.
It was a very humbling experience. My 11 year old is getting two teeth "extracated" and dear-old-dad can't even stay on his feet. Well, it's good to be humbled from time to time I guess... and it's fun to have stories. I'm not looking forward to my next visit to the dentist; before I went out the second time the dentist told me only two people had fainted - and both were women. Again, confidence & joy!
Oh well... just a fun story that maybe someday will preach.
Last week I took my son to get two wisdom teeth pulled. When the first novicaine (sp?) shots were given to him (with the 80" needle), I felt a little light headed. After they were done with that round, I went to the lobby to sit down and had some water. OK, things were cool... I went back in while he waited for the novicaine to settle in.
When doc came back, he said he would do more shots and then wait a bit until starting the tooth removal. He gave the shots and that part went fine; but then, unexpectedly, he started digging the teeth out. Oh, oh.... trouble in river city. I start sweating big time and let them know I gotta go sit down... so I start walking down the hallway to the lobby and the world starts closing in on me. In my mind I'm saying, "10 more steps.... 9 more steps... 8 more steps" -- and I made it to the chairs! Praise God I didn't faint!
Then the receptionist & the hygenist come out to help me (now I'm really embarassed!). They throw a cold towel on the back of my neck - that's better. Then they say, "you are sweating right through your shirt." OK, now that's lovely! True, but not exactly what I'm looking to hear at that point. I tip my head back to enjoy the towel on the back of my neck... and then I'm out. I think it was just a brief time, but I came to when a cold towel was put on my forehead. Then I was fine. It was like throwing up -- you just do it and then you are fine.
It was a very humbling experience. My 11 year old is getting two teeth "extracated" and dear-old-dad can't even stay on his feet. Well, it's good to be humbled from time to time I guess... and it's fun to have stories. I'm not looking forward to my next visit to the dentist; before I went out the second time the dentist told me only two people had fainted - and both were women. Again, confidence & joy!
Oh well... just a fun story that maybe someday will preach.
Monday, February 4, 2008
White as snow
Prior to today's snowfall, I had been thinking about how the snowpiles around town and our house had become pretty ugly. You know what I mean... snow gets plowed a few times and the piles turn dirty. But then the new snow came today and whitened everything up again.
My thoughts moved to my heart and my need for constant snow to make me clean. As we confess our junk, ask God for forgiveness, and commit to turning from our ways, we are forgiven and our sins become as far as the East is from the West and are sent to the ocean floor. The blood of Christ becomes the snow in our lives, making us white as snow... glorious grace! But our repentance can give way to the pressures of life and the wiles of an enemy that prowls around like a roaring lion. Like Paul, we find two laws at work within us - the law that wants to do good and the law that does evil. Over time, our sinful nature, leads to our snowpiles becoming dirtied once again. Praise God for fresh snow.
My thoughts moved to my heart and my need for constant snow to make me clean. As we confess our junk, ask God for forgiveness, and commit to turning from our ways, we are forgiven and our sins become as far as the East is from the West and are sent to the ocean floor. The blood of Christ becomes the snow in our lives, making us white as snow... glorious grace! But our repentance can give way to the pressures of life and the wiles of an enemy that prowls around like a roaring lion. Like Paul, we find two laws at work within us - the law that wants to do good and the law that does evil. Over time, our sinful nature, leads to our snowpiles becoming dirtied once again. Praise God for fresh snow.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Financial Freedom
Over the past four years, we have been teaching through a series on Financial Freedom. This is such a difficult subject to talk about in church because the knock on church is that "they are always asking for our money." Let me take this opportunity to be clear... I believe that Jesus taught a lot about giving; about how finances are tied so closely to our heart. I believe that Jesus commanded his followers (us) in how to treat finances; how to make monetary decisions; what to do with those in need; how to be generous.
When the church instructs on giving, it is not to somehow manipulate people into giving for the sake of the church. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He said to "make disciples of all nations" but He also said to "teach them to obey everything I have commanded you to." The church has the responsibility to teach what Jesus taught -- including finances. When the church teaches on financies, it is out of a heart of being obedient to Jesus teaching to His disciples.
If anyone decided to give financially to New Hope, our desire is that they be motivated by Jesus instructions, God's principles, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. There should not be compulsion from man -- only instruction on what Jesus had to say.
As funds are received, the church (like each of us individually) carries the responsibility to steward its resources well. New Hope has a purpose, "To honor God by making passionate follwers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit." Everything the church does must move individuals toward that purpose... hardened hearts become softened, hopeless find hope, prisoners be set free, doubters become seekers, seekers become followers, and followers become passionate. Whether New Hope received $10,000/year or $10,000,000/year, the responsibility and commitment of the leadership is to pray, seek the leading of the Holy Spirit, and make decisions that can best advance that purpose.
Our job as individuals: read the Bible, listend to Jesus teaching, be obedient to God's instructions, and lean into the Holy Spirit on what we should give and where we should give it.
Our job as a church: pass on the teaching of Jesus and steward whatever resources come in based on the purpose of the church, Biblical instruction, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
When the church instructs on giving, it is not to somehow manipulate people into giving for the sake of the church. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He said to "make disciples of all nations" but He also said to "teach them to obey everything I have commanded you to." The church has the responsibility to teach what Jesus taught -- including finances. When the church teaches on financies, it is out of a heart of being obedient to Jesus teaching to His disciples.
If anyone decided to give financially to New Hope, our desire is that they be motivated by Jesus instructions, God's principles, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. There should not be compulsion from man -- only instruction on what Jesus had to say.
As funds are received, the church (like each of us individually) carries the responsibility to steward its resources well. New Hope has a purpose, "To honor God by making passionate follwers of Jesus Christ through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit." Everything the church does must move individuals toward that purpose... hardened hearts become softened, hopeless find hope, prisoners be set free, doubters become seekers, seekers become followers, and followers become passionate. Whether New Hope received $10,000/year or $10,000,000/year, the responsibility and commitment of the leadership is to pray, seek the leading of the Holy Spirit, and make decisions that can best advance that purpose.
Our job as individuals: read the Bible, listend to Jesus teaching, be obedient to God's instructions, and lean into the Holy Spirit on what we should give and where we should give it.
Our job as a church: pass on the teaching of Jesus and steward whatever resources come in based on the purpose of the church, Biblical instruction, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Monday, January 14, 2008
HIV/AIDS
There are several area pastors that are interested in joining forces together to make a significant impact in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Some churches have already taken some steps while others are waiting for the right opportunity. My desire is to see the churches lead a community-wide effort; to see Isanti County as an expanded community partner with a region in an area affected by HIV/AIDS to help turn the tide of poverty and lack of education which are underpinnings of the AIDS issue. To that end there I have attended a seminar at Bethel University attended by pastors from First Baptist and River of Life as well as other lay leaders from the area; this led to a discussion and presentation by World Vision at the ministerial meeting last week; this led to another one-on-one meeting with a lay leader from Cambridge Lutheran (who is already taken leadership on this issue). Over the next few months, my desire is that church leaders will meet to articulate a unified vision for what this could look like and then, over time, gain momentum by getting other community leaders on board ultimately resulting in the creation, announcement, and execution of a transformational impact program in the area of HIV/AIDS. Jesus calls us to care for the widows and orphans. The widows & orphans created by the greatest global medical crisis in history is absolutely staggering. Jesus calls us to the utter ends of the world to share the gospel. If you have a passion around this issue, I would love to hear from you as we start to move forward on this. May the Lord bless you in great & mighty ways. Your servant.... Steve
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