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What Are You Willing To Do?

2011-02-05T11:42:00.002-05:00

Last week we started the brand new message series "What We Believe" by talking about John Wesley. Wesley rode 250,00 miles on horseback and preached 40,000 sermons in his lifetime so that others might come to know the love of God through Christ and follow Jesus.

What are we willing to do? While not necessarily called to ride 250,000 miles on horseback or preach 40,000 sermons are we willing:

To give up having to know everybody in worship and allow our churches to grow?

To give up "our" pew?

To give up our wants, desires and preferences in terms of worship style so that our worship style might change and resonate with those who are not yet following Jesus?

To move the location of our church in order to reach more people?

To gain all we can, save all we can, and give all we can in order to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?

To let someone else lead?

Jesus said those who want to gain their life must first lose it.

Lynchburg District Training

2011-02-05T11:34:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday I had the great opportunity to be with the fine people of the Lynchburg District of the Virginia Annual Conference to present at the their District Leadership Training. Their Superintendent, Larry Davies, gave a great opening message to the day- How Big is Your Dream- How Good is Your Team. The class I taught was Evangelism- It Is All About Relationships. You can find the PowerPoint here.

This Sunday At New Season

2011-01-28T20:38:00.002-05:00

This Sunday at New Season we are starting a brand new series of messages where we will be getting down to the basics of our roots and talking about "What We Believe." This Sunday we will be talking about the founder of Methodism John Wesley.

Starting at 10:30AM at our Four Mile Fork location in Spotsylvania.

Life, Money, Hope Recap

2010-06-10T05:12:00.002-05:00

We finished the Life, Money, Hope message series a couple of weeks ago at New Season Church. You will find the messages from the series below. For those wishing to explore these topics further I encourage you to take advantage of the Financial Peace University class we will be offering at New Season beginning next Wednesday June 16th. You can sign up here.

The Basics of Biblical Finance

Breaking the Bondage of Debt

The #1 Myth About Money

Free HTML Newsletter Resource

2010-06-03T05:52:00.002-05:00

I stumbled across this free HTML Newsletter resource via the good folks over at the 8 Bit Network. I have already begun using it and it seems to do the job if you have a list under 500 people. I would recommend you try MailChimp for your e-news or event announcement needs.

I have previously used Constant Contact which did the trick as well but of course was a fee based system though I am sure they too have a free or trial component but perhaps not as generous as MailChimp.

You can sign up to start using MailChimp for free here.

Total US Churches No Longer in Decline

2010-06-02T05:48:00.002-05:00

According to research by Ed Stetzer from Lifeway Research and Warren Bird more churches were started than closed last year. This is good news though there is more to be done according to this article here to see church planting move from fad to multiplication movement.

I would be interested in the numbers for United Methodism and for the Virginia Conference as to the number of churches started this year versus the number closed.

Here are some highlights from the article:

"[C]hurch planting is on the mind of North American Christians at unprecedented levels," they (Stetzer and Bird) write.

That means, church planting must move from being a fad or "the next big thing" to a "passionate pursuit of the lost."

Another obstacle is getting past the "don't we already have enough churches?" mentality. There may be a hesitancy to having a church planting emphasis because "the thinking seems to be [that] there's a church on every corner and most of them are empty," state the authors, who have led and studied church plants.

But research shows that new churches fare better when it comes to drawing new people and they have a higher ratio of conversions and baptisms compared to more established churches, according to Viral Churches.

Ultimately, Stetzer and Bird are hoping to see a multiplication movement, similar to what occurred between 1795 and 1810 among Methodist and Baptist churches. Within that time span, some 3,000 churches were started.

"If church multiplication like that happened again today, it would be characterized by a 50 percent conversion rate (new believers) and a 50 percent reproduction rate (new churches) sustained for at least three generations of churches," they explain.

Read the full article here.

New Message Series- How Could God Allow Suffering and Evil?

2010-05-29T09:30:00.002-05:00

We are beginning brand new series of messages tomorrow at New Season.

Have you ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen? If God is so loving then why doesn’t he just make things good all the time? Come and explore biblical answers to these questions at New Season Church during the upcoming message series “How Could God Allow Suffering and Evil.”

Please join us for worship at 10:30AM on Sundays at the Four Mile Fork Shopping Center (next to Hard Times). Come as you are to discover why there is suffering and evil in our world.

Invite a friend, relative, co-worker or neighbor to this message series by clicking here.

Church Planting and Revitalization Breakfast

2010-05-26T05:49:00.002-05:00

I am working on putting together the Church Planting and Revitalization Breakfast at Annual Conference this year. The breakfast is coming together and we are lining up some great speakers again this year. Please find he details below. You can register here.

The Church Planting and Revitalization Breakfast at Annual Conference sponsored by the Church Development Team and Office of Church Development will be Tuesday, June 15, 7 a.m., at the Marriott Waterside. The cost this year is $15.45 and is inclusive. The Church Planting and Revitalization Breakfast is an annual event held at Annual Conference. The breakfast is held to celebrate the ministry of church planting and revitalization across the Virginia Conference. There will be speakers who will talk briefly about works they are currently engaged in by either planting or revitalizing churches. The breakfast is open to all clergy and laity and children are welcome. If you want to hear some dynamic speakers and be inspired by how Christ is working in the Virginia Conference as we seek to begin new faith communities and revitalize existing faith communities, then this breakfast is for you.

The breakfast will include scrambled eggs, skillet potatoes, country bacon, breakfast breads, orange juice, and coffee or tea.

Registration and payment this year is being handled online through the Conference website. Please follow this link.

Plastectomy UPDATE!

2010-05-25T05:52:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday a number of people took their credit cards and credit card solicitations and we enjoyed some plastic surgery in the midst of our worship time as we held our plastectomy as part of the Life, Money Hope message series. Each credit card cut and each solicitation shred was a statement of faith that:

All we have comes from God.
God is our provider.
We will have one Lord- and it is not debt.
We will trust God!

So good bye American Distress, Master Fraud, and Discover Bondage and all the other store cards and hello to freedom in Christ as we begin and continue this journey. I am so proud of the people of New Season Church!! Way to Go!!!

Financial Peace University Coming to New Season Church

2010-05-20T05:54:00.002-05:00

I am excited to announce that New Season Church will be hosting Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Class beginning June 16th at 7PM at New Season Church.

If you...

are sick and tired of being sick and tired when it comes to your finances
have had a student loan so long you have given it a name like a pet
want to be done with Master Fraud, Discover Bondage and American Distress
want to learn biblical principles for managing God's resources
want to learn how you can do the most fun thing of all with money- give it away

Then...

Sign up for Financial Peace University today. It will change your life. You can sign up here.

100 Holes of Golf- Oh My!

2010-05-18T05:53:00.002-05:00

On Monday May 24th I will be playing 100 holes of golf to raise funds for Westview on the James, a camp ministry sponsored by the Ashland District of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. That's right 100 holes!! For those who have been with me to play 18 holes you know this will be an adventure. I bought a bunch of X out balls the other day for all the balls I will lose because I won't have time to go look for them.

If you desire, you can sponsor me per hole. Example: if you sponsor me 25 cents per hole you would give $25 if I finished all 100 holes. Please use this form to make a pledge. Collection will take place after the golf is played.

You can learn more about Westview on the James here and the awesome things that go on there.

Thanks!

When Can a Miracle be a Miracle?

2010-05-13T05:45:00.002-05:00

Some time ago I was at a meeting and someone mentioned the feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus where he multiplied loaves and fishes and there were still a bunch of leftovers. This follower of Jesus mentioned that they preferred to view this event as miraculous because what probably happened was that the people just shared their food. Implicitly, I guess this person was saying that Jesus did not multiply the loaves and fishes.

I wonder why some of us as followers of Jesus just have a hard time accepting that Jesus (God with us), the one through whom all things were created, the one raised from the dead, the only Son of God, the Messiah, the leper cleanser, blind man healer of Galilee can perform miracles? Why is it so hard? Good grief!

Call me a rube, or maybe I did not go to seminary long enough and become sophisticated enough, but if Jesus was who he said he was, if the Bible can be taken with any certainty, then why can't we say that Jesus took some bread and fish and multiplied it to feed five thousand plus? Or, that God parted the Red Sea or any other miracle.

I for one am glad that we can move from the "modern" skepticism of the power of the divine and accept the mystery of God's power and resulting grace.

Plastectomy at New Season Church

2010-05-12T05:49:00.003-05:00

On Sunday May 23rd we will be having a plastectomy at New Season Church. No- no one will have any work done on their nose and there won't be any bodily enhancements but what we will do is perform plastic surgery of another kind.

As an affirmation of faith in a God who provides and whose word says "the borrower is slave to the lender" we will be cutting up credit cards during our worship celebration experience. As we cut the card we will be saying that we only want to serve one Master and it is not Master Card but our Master, Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ.
Also, bring your credit card solicitations too and we will put them through the shredder!

I am excited for some plastic surgery at New Season on May 23rd!! We'll provide the scissors.

I Have a Friend Who...Message Series Recap

2010-05-11T05:51:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we finished the I Have a Friend Who... message series. You can find the audio below.

I Have a Friend Who... Isn't Sure About this Whole Resurrection Thing

I Have a Friend Who... Struggles with Doubt

I Have a Friend Who... Struggles with Worry

I Have a Friend Who... Struggles with Guilt and Shame

Subscribe to receive messages at New Season Church via Apple ITunes here.

Saturday of Service

2010-03-19T05:46:00.002-05:00

This Saturday is the Saturday of Service at New Season Church. In this season of sacrifice and preparation known as Lent we are preparing for new life in Christ through prayer, fasting, worship and SERVICE at New Season Church. While we strive to demonstrate a lifestyle of service we will be having a time of focused service this Saturday, March 20th. There are a variety of projects to get involved in. If you haven't signed up yet, then go here and do so.

The projects include:

Helping to plant a summer garden at the Thurman Brisbane Homeless Shelter.
Assisting Eastland UMC with their Angel Food Ministry.
SPCA Un Birthday Party (Youth and Children's project).
Volunteer at the New Season Thrift Store

Wild Goose Wrap- Up

2010-03-18T10:30:00.002-05:00

A couple of Sundays ago we finished the Wild Goose Chase Series here at New Season Church. Here is the audio for most of the messages. Remember you can always access the audio and text of messages from the "Message" page of our website and you can subscribe to receive the audio via Apple ITunes here.

Cage of Responsibility

Cage of Failure

Cage of Assumptions

Craig Groeschel- Suggestions for my United Methodist Friends

2010-03-11T06:55:00.002-05:00

Craig Groeschel, a former United Methodist pastor, and lead pastor at Life Church in Oklahoma was recently asked by a United Methodist leader to give some suggestions for the United Methodist Church. He has done so on his blog. You can find links to the posts below.

In addition to being a dynamic, effective, and thriving church, Life Church, is in my opinion one of the most generous churches in Christendom. Here are Craig's suggestions:

Part 1 On Rethink Church
Part 2 On the Itinerant System
Part 3 On Young Leaders and the Ordination Process
Part 4 On Apportionments
Part 5 On Merging Churches
Part 6 On Parting Ways

You can agree or disagree with Craig's suggestions but they are food for thought! Enjoy!

Sinner Friendly Churches

2010-02-11T06:44:00.002-05:00

I am re-reading Sally Morgenthaler's book "Worship Evangelism." I read it pretty early on as we started New Season Church and it helped to form the vision and direction for worship for us. Sally will be coming to Virginia to speak in a couple of weeks and thus why I wanted to brush up on what she wrote.

She talks in one part of her book about "sinner friendly churches." She asks, "How has the church typically responded to people's mistakes, hurt, and pain? Judgment. Guilt. Yet I do not know anyone who wants or needs more of either."

She then goes on I believe right on target to say, "...what most of us desire is truth in the context of God's unconditional love in Christ." She cites the woman caught in adultery in John 8 where Jesus famously told the women he did not condemn her (THE GOSPEL) but go and sin no more (THE LAW). To use Morgenthaler's phrase this was "God's standard in the package of grace."

And that to me is a sinner friendly church- God's standard in the package of grace. It is a place where I and all of my sinner friends can go that is not overly permissive, overly condemning, but instead offers the Gospel (forgiveness, Christ's love) along with God's standard (a call to repentance and holy living). It reminds me of the idea that God accepts us where we are but never leaves us where we are or Martin Luther's rubric for preaching to balance "law and Gospel."

I'LL FIGHT

2010-02-03T06:46:00.002-05:00

Here are some words from William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, and former Methodist. I have used these words as part of my devotional life. Maybe you will find them helpful as well. It helps to shake your fist at the devil as you say them, give the devil the middle finger (the Christian kind of course- the raised index finger!), or imagine you are kicking him in the teeth. :)

WHILE WOMEN WEEP, AS THEY DO NOW, I'LL FIGHT;
WHILE LITTLE CHILDREN GO HUNGRY, AS THEY DO NOW, I'LL FIGHT;
WHILE MEN GO TO PRISON, IN AND OUT, IN AND OUT, AS THEY DO NOW, I'LL FIGHT;
WHILE THERE IS A DRUNKARD LEFT, WHILE THERE IS A POOR LOST GIRL ON THE STREETS,
WHILE THERE REMAINS ONE DARK SOUL WITHOUT THE LIGHT OF GOD,
I'LL FIGHT- I'LL FIGHT TO THE EVERY END!
---General William Booth

Wild Goose Chase this Sunday

2010-01-23T05:45:00.004-05:00

This Sunday 10:30AM at New Season Church we will be starting a new message series called Wild Goose Chase. You seriously won't want to miss this series if you are interested in becoming all God has wired you to be.

Invite someone to come here.
Watch the series trailer here.
Directions to New Season here.

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.

—Introduction to Wild Goose Chase. Mark Batterson

Haiti- How You Can Help

2010-01-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

This note uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

Dear New Season Friends,

All of us have witnessed the television images of the destruction in Haiti after the devastating earthquake this week. In these times it is necessary for the church to be the church and step up to be Christ’s hands and feet to a suffering people. Many have asked, “How can I help?” At New Season Church we will be responding to what has happened in Haiti in the following ways:
• Through prayer.
• Through giving.
• Through collecting items for and assembling health kits.
• Through soliciting volunteers to be on work teams that will go to Haiti when it is safe and needed.

You can find information on each of these actions below.

1. Prayer. Please be in prayer for the people of Haiti. Pray for those who have survived, those who mourn, for rescue workers and all affected in any way by this earthquake.

2. Give. Obviously the rescue, clean up and rebuilding will be huge and take human and monetary resources. We will have special offering envelopes in the worship program for Sunday January 17th and January 24th. You may make checks out to the church and put in the envelope so they can be properly designated. You can also give online directly to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) by going to www.umcorhaiti.org. 100% of your giving will go directly to relief efforts- none toward administrative costs.

3. Health Kits. The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s two relief supply warehouses are asking persons to make health kits that will be sent to Haiti. We will begin collecting kits immediately and will coordinate getting them to where they need to go. Simply bring them to church with you. Here is what goes in a Health Kit and how to put one together. It is best is you can put the whole kit together but we will also receive just the items if you are unable to do that. Alternatively, you can also write a check for $12 which is the approximate cost of one health kit.

Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.
1 hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27", No kitchen towels)
1 washcloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

Important Kit Assembly Information
All items included in kits must be NEW items.
All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items-nothing more.
Do NOT include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.

4. Volunteer in Mission Teams. After the initial rescue efforts have been completed and the long process of clean up and rebuilding happens volunteer teams will be needed to go to Haiti. Persons from New Season interested in serving in this capacity in the future will be connected with teams from other churches and from the region. Please let Pastor Robb know if you are interested in serving in this capacity.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

2010-01-13T06:49:00.004-05:00

Here are the first two messages of the Crazy Little Thing Called Love series that we have been doing at New Season Church.

Crazy Cycle

Crazy Respect

You can watch the message trailer below.

Fearless

2010-01-12T06:49:00.002-05:00

This note uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare ups in the Middle East, downturns in the housing market and on and on and on. All these things bring fear to the surface and it can take up a long term lease in our lives. Fear, though, can herd us into prisons and binds us from being who God designed us to be and doing what God calls us to do. Wouldn't it be great to break the chains of fear in our lives?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by unhealthy angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day where you could trust more and fear less.

Can you imagine a life without fear that binds?

I will be leading one of the Men's Journey Group this semester at New Season Church and we will be studying "Fearless" by Max Lucado. 7 weeks, every other Thursday night at 7PM. If you are ready to replace crippling fear with life giving faith through Jesus Christ then you will want to be here. All men welcome. Sign up here.

Know Your Rhythm

2010-01-08T06:49:00.002-05:00

I have been sharing some ways to be good stewards of time in 2010 that I have learned along the way and am working to put into practice.

I have the worst rhythm in the world. I can't clap to a song to save my life. Well, I can if I watch somebody else clap, but then don't ask me to clap and sing at the same time. You get the picture.

But all of us have natural body rhythms that affect how we use our time. For example, some people are morning people (larks), others are evening people (owls). Larks do their best work and are most creative in the morning. Owls do their best work in the evening.

I am a lark. I like to get up early and get the day going before anybody else is up and spend time with God. But when 2PM or 3PM rolls around I am largely useless. I am dragging. This is my body rhythm. In light of this I made a change. Like many, I used to work out in the morning then go to the office. Inevitably, every afternoon I would hit the wall and be less effective. Noticing this I switched my routine and most times go to physically exercise in the afternoon. This allows me to use my best time in the morning and early afternoon before I hit the wall so that I can be most effective and creative.

Don't let your body rhythms control you. You exploit the rhythm.

Delegate

2010-01-07T06:49:00.002-05:00

I have been sharing some ways to save time and to be good stewards of our time this new year that I have learned along the way. Like everybody else, I have not arrived but am working to not only to know such principles but put them into practice!

One way to be good stewards of our time is to delegate. This is a huge one and the hardest one for many of us (especially type A personalities). But delegation is a spiritual issue in many ways- remember Moses and his Father in Law Jethro who taught Moses how to delegate lest he burn himself out. Theologically, when we delegate we are admitting we cannot do it all and we are not God! The question when it comes to delegating is "can someone or should someone be doing what I am doing?"

Many of us don't want to let things go because we are afraid it won't get done up to our standard. But, if someone can do it 70% as good as you let it go. When we delegate and give away authority with such delegation we actually free people to use their God given gifts and talents.

I believe leaders always need to be ready to do anything they ask anybody else to do. However, I am learning more and more that the best leadership isn't the leadership that does everything but is leadership that creates opportunities for others to serve so you can focus on your strengths.

The "Not" To Do List

2010-01-06T06:48:00.002-05:00

This note was uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

Yesterday I began sharing some things I have picked up along the way as time savers and ways to be a good steward over the time God gives and to be organized. I am no expert and have a long way to go but have picked up some of these things a long the way.

Yesterday I shared about the importance of the "to do" list. Some would argue that just as or more important is the "not" to do list. Just like its name suggests these are the things we need to stop doing. These are the things we need to delegate (more on delegating in a later post). These are the things that are time wasters. They might be simple things we are doing at our jobs that somebody else can do or they might be something more serious such as an addiction that needs to be broken.

I find it helpful to keep a running list of "not" to dos that I am actually doing so I can look for ways to stop doing those things. This serves as a reminder. Then from time to time I pray about those things that God would help me to stop or bring someone alongside me who can do what I need to stop better for example.

New Year Time Savers and Strategies

2010-01-05T06:48:00.002-05:00

This note was uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

In the new year many of us will focus on ways to save time and make better use of our time. How we manage our time is actually an issue of stewardship and is so very important in our fast paced world. Mr. Wesley certainly had some things to say about time management for the people called Methodists and especially for clergy. What I offer is nothing new, nothing earth shattering, just some things I have picked up on along the way that have helped me.

One strategy to make better use of our time is to use the "to do" list. This is a simple list of tasks that need to be done that day, that week, that month. I actually keep two "to do" lists- one long term and one that is daily.

The thing about "to do" lists is if you are not careful they can become overwhelming. You look at all you have to do and say "ugh!" and become paralyzed into inaction. I have found it most helpful to prioritize the "to do" list into the things that absolutely must get done, those things I would like to get done, and those things that I will do if I have extra time. Inevitable, there will be divine interruptions but one way to honor God and make use of the precious time he gives to us is to be organized about our time. One way to do that is through the "to do" list. After all, God is a God of order, not chaos.

Advent Prayer and Fasting Challenge

2009-12-10T06:51:00.003-05:00

This note was uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

During the season of Advent New Season Church will be having a season of corporate prayer and fasting. We are challenging regular attendees at New Season to fast once a week and pray every day during Advent. This is obviously all voluntary but we hope you will participate if you are able.

The idea behind fasting is to simply take our focus off of our physical wants, needs, and desires in order to better focus on our spiritual wants, needs, and desires. It is an intentional way for us to worship God and proclaim our need for Him. Though there are several relevant variations of fasting practiced in our current culture, we are inviting you to participate in a fast where we abstain from food in order to have heightened awareness of our craving for God.
(But please note, if you have any type of eating disorder, do not attempt to fast. If you have any kind of medical condition, please talk to your doctor before participating in this fast.)

Why are we doing this?
Scripture regards several instances where God calls his people to cooperate in a fast. As God prompted then, we believe we are responding to the Holy Spirit’s prompting now. We know God desires our church to move deeper in our intimacy and in our relationship with Him. This fast is our obedient response.

Second, we want to seek and ask God to continue to move each of us to the place where the love of God is the consistent foundation for everything we do. As quickly as each of us can move back to a place of dependency on so many other things, this fast is a statement of our desire to be dependent solely on the love of God.

Check out the whole Advent Prayer and Fasting Challenge here.

Service Precedes Proclamation

2009-12-09T06:03:00.003-05:00

In a very real sense service must precede proclamation.

Here is what I mean. Sometimes, in order to gain an audience with someone or some persons, in order to gain street cred, in order for someone to giving a flyin' flip what you have to say about Jesus, your faith, or his power to change lives, you first must serve.

Serving someone or some people has the power to unfold arms, to smash stereotypes like here comes those whacked out religious zealots, and to gain a hearing. Whether an act of service is big or small it can help make a way in the desert for proclamation to be effective. And while Christ certainly does not need our preparatory handiwork in order for him to work, he calls us to serve. It is in our serving we move people closer to him because when we serve we are like him. Think of the many times Jesus served before saying anything.

Follow the Light

2009-12-08T06:46:00.002-05:00

You hear many people who have near death experiences talk about being drawn to a light. During this season of waiting and anticipation in the church called Advent we are drawn to the light of the world, made known to us in Jesus Christ.

It is so very easy for that light to be diminished for us in all the busyness leading up to Christmas. I used a resource last year and am using a resource this year to help me to focus on the "Light of the World." It is called Following the Star and is a short devotional for each day of Advent. I use it to start my day. Maybe it could be helpful to you as you remember the "reason for the season" and you follow the light. Wisemen and wise women still seek him.

You can find the devotional here.

Zip It- Thoughts on Complaining

2009-11-25T06:47:00.002-05:00

This note was uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

Do you ever get sick and tired of complaining? You go to work and people are complaining. You turn on the news and someone is complaining. You open up Facebook and people are complaining. Complaining is all around us. And, just as the Apostle Paul and I are chief among the sinners, I am chief among the complainers. I will admit it. If you want to hear a bunch of complaining go to lunch with two or three pastors. Good grief!

I was recently reading this post by Steven Furtick that helped me put my complaining in perspective. In the post Furtick writes:

"Make sure you measure your circumstances from the baseline
of what you really deserve.

The reality of grace invalidates any claim to complaint you may stake.

The basis of all complaining is one of the following two erroneous beliefs:

1. I deserve something good I didn’t get.
2. I don’t deserve something bad I did get."

End quote.

If you are a follower of Jesus you have received salvation and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ for this world and the world to come. If you and I receive nothing else in this world we have nothing to complain about. After we have received salvation we have already received more than anything we deserve and we just need to zip it. Grace says we deserve none of it yet God in his infinite love gives it.

I find that helpful when I want to complain (which is often). But I would not stop there because that is approaches the issue of complaining from the negative. I don't deserve any good thing apart from what God in his goodness and love gives me. Yet, how much God has blessed me. When I count my blessings, especially all the things I take for granted, I stand amazed in the presence of a God whose love I cannot even begin to comprehend. No, I don't deserve anything, but look how good God is that he would become like me and take on flesh, that through his life, death, resurrection and return so that a sinful complaining person like me could have life.

So, when I want to complain, I just need to zip it!

I will stop complaining about people who complain now and be thankful to God even for people who complain and especially for a God who loves and blesses me and those I love even though we do not deserve it. That is grace.

Financial Peace Friday- The Emergency Fund

2009-11-20T06:57:00.002-05:00

This note was uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

I hereby declare today Financial Peace Friday.

As we as a church have been learning to better handle God's resources he lends to us through following the Bible based principles and teaching of Dave Ramsey I have come to appreciate the importance of the Emergency Fund.

The first step in any Total Money Makeover if to set aside $1,000 for emergencies. How do you get this $1,000? Have a yard sale, spend less than you make for a few months and save the difference, sell something. It doesn't matter, just find a way to put the money aside. Do this before moving on to Baby Step 2- paying off debt. The Emergency Fund of course comes into pay when you have an emergency (this is deep stuff!). The next time the furnace breaks, there is an unexpected car expense, you have to fly across the country for a funeral or whatever, you do not have to use a credit card or skip your car payment to pay for the emergency.

A few other things about the Emergency Fund. Just put it in a savings account, money market or under your mattress. This is not investing money. Put it in a place where you can get to it easily. If you do a great job and get your Emergency Fund and then have to use it then replenish it. Build it back up. Once you complete this step and once you move to paying off all your debt, you can then build a 3-6 month fully funded emergency fund. This fund will cover your expenses for 3-6 months if you lose your job, get sick or have some other calamity that affects your ability to work and earn money.

Let's face it. There will always be emergencies in life. The one thing we can bank on is that emergencies happen! Shouldn't we prepared?

Supernatural Recap

2009-11-19T06:51:00.002-05:00

This note has been uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

We have completed the Supernatural message series at New Season. If you missed any of the messages you can find them below. You can always find the text and most of the time the audio at our website's Message page.

Spiritual Warfare

The Holy Spirit

Angels and Saints

Satan and His Demons

Don't Go To Church- Be The Church

2009-11-18T06:51:00.002-05:00

This note has been uploaded to Facebook via the author's blog.

One thing we at New Season have learned being portable and meeting in schools and various venues is that the church is not a building, but a people. I think there is an old hymn about that. I think that is an important concept. One of the ways we seek to live out this conviction at New Season (in addition to slapping anybody who asks "When will we be a real church?" ((i.e. when will we have a building)) is to hold our annual Faith in Action Day.

Faith in Action Day is a day when we cancel morning worship and worship by serving in our community. We clean up yards, do minor repairs and paint indoors, go to serve at the nursing home, deliver goodies to emergency personnel, and more. In the evening we come back and eat together and worship. Part of why we do Faith in Action is to send the message that serving is not a once a year activity but a way of life and part of how we worship God. Faith in Action also teaches that the church is not a place where we go, it is not a destination, rather the church is a people and a movement.

Why not join us for Faith in Action this Sunday? You can sign up here.

Just Eating the Frosting

2009-11-03T06:54:00.002-05:00

My three boys love cupcakes! When they eat cupcakes they really do not eat the cupcakes. They really only lick the frosting off. I always tell them they are missing out because the cake part is pretty good too! They don't listen, they continue to eat just the frosting.

This makes me think of my own journey of faith and how sometimes when it comes to receiving all the love, mercy, forgiveness and relationship God offers me in Jesus Christ I sometimes only eat the frosting and not the cake.

I only eat the frosting and forget enjoy the cake and miss out on God's grace when...

I do not spend daily time with him in prayer and in his word.
I do not seek to see the lesson and the truths he is trying to convey in difficulties and suffering.
I do not stop long enough to appreciate and give thanks for the little things (that are sometimes really big things)- a healthy family, the colors of fall, a great church, etc.
I am too busy to gather with other Jesus followers and miss the community he created me for.
I neglect to live in the moment and see his grace in the moment and am too busy thinking of what lies ahead.
I find it easier to engage in transactional mission and witness and send money instead of building relationships with the poor and those far from God.
I do not take time to worship apart from leading worship on Sunday morning.
I do not invite him to invade and rule over every aspect of my life.

There is so much God's love has to offer that can be experienced if it is possible to move from just eating the frosting.

The Sins of Omission

2009-10-05T05:46:00.002-05:00

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." As I contemplate and confess my sin and brokenness I certainly have my list of sins of commission. Sins of commission are those things I have done that are apart from and not pleasing to God.

Most people have an easier time dealing with their sins of commission than sins of omission. I think the harder part is dealing with sins of omission. These are the things we are capable of doing and called to do that get left undone. Repentance is not only about confessing and turning away from what we have done to live a new life but also confessing what we have left undone and turning to do it. For me, and I suspect many others it is easier to deal with known sin that we do than the more enigmatic sin of the things we have left undone.

Asking for forgiveness for sins of omission is not just a personal thing. It is not just an individual thing. It is that- make no mistake. Scripture clearly shows that sins of omission were also corporate. For example, the prophets called the nation of Israel to task for neglecting the poor, the widow and the orphan. I recall the words of the prayer of confession in the communion liturgy "forgive us because we have not heard the cry of the needy." Of course, sins of omission move past beyond our forgetting the poor and the needy. A sin of omission might be refusing to go through the door God opens up for personal or corporate witness to our faith. It might be neglecting to heed a call on one's life to do something. It might be not doing something because it is uncomfortable. The list could go on and on and on.

I wonder if we might pray on an individual and corporate basis for God to reveal our sins of omission and then turn towards doing that which we should do.

Lord show us what we have left undone, forgive us for what we have left undone, and help us then to do it.

Financial Peace Wednesday

2009-09-30T05:45:00.002-05:00

We at New Season Church are in the midst of the video series of studies by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace University. Leading up to this study and during I have been sharing some of what I have been learning as it pertains to managing the resources God has given me stewardship over. Today I wanted to share about the 401k (or the non-profit equivalent of the 403b).

Here is what I am learning:

The 401K is a great investment tool for saving for retirement as your contributions can be pre-tax (meaning you do not pay taxes on what you contribute on the front end) and they grow tax deferred (meaning you don't pay taxes on the growth while it is happening).
If your employer has a program where they match your contribution to your 401K take full advantage of it as this is free money. Max out your match.
Don't dip into your 401k except to avoid repossession of your car or foreclosure (these things drop atom bombs on your credit score). When you dip into your 401k you are giving the government a great gift. You pay a 10% penalty and then you pay your marginal tax rate on what you take out. In the end you can pay 40% in penalties and taxes on what you take out. Is it worth that to go on vacation?
Don't take a loan on your 401k either. If you leave the company they often require FULL repayment of the loan amount and you could be up the creek without a paddle and quickly visiting the parasitic loan sharks at the pay day lending store.
If you are young and do not have an employee match available for a 401k consider investing first in a Roth IRA which grows completely tax free! There are income limits to this (i.e. if you make above a certain amount of money you cannot do a Roth IRA- we must penalize those evil people that have succeeded!). There are also contribution limits.

Please consult your professional adviser for how best to invest and allocate your hard earned money so you do not have to rely on Social (In)Security as your sole source of retirement income.

We're Not the Duggars- Parenting in the Real World

2009-09-29T05:48:00.003-05:00

Have you see that show "18 Kids and Counting" featuring Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 18 kids with one on the way? It is amazing!! It is amazing they are able to keep that house running. What is equally amazing is the love, peace and harmony that exists amongst the children and how they are obedient to their parents. Whatever you want to say about Jim Bob and Michelle and them having 18 kids with one on the way somewhere along the way they have done a good job parenting. I think they are great and I think the show is good too.

But most of us who are parents don't live in that reality. We're not the Duggars in many ways. We do not have 18 kids we have 1, 2 or 5. And, our households don't run like the Duggars and most of us do not have children who behave like the Duggars. We are left to use the Bible to glean principles for parenting to help us be good parents which is more trustworthy than even the Duggars.

That is the premise of our current message series at New Season that we are having a lot of fun with. We started with the message "The Parents Priority" where we talked about our primary job as parent's is to shift our child's dependence on us to dependence on God. Then last week we talked about "Unchanging Biblical Principles of Parenting." We talked about the need to give our children:
1. Appropriate loving touch
2. Abundant time
3. Encouraging words

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Thankfully, God's word gives us guidance.

Check out the text of "The Parent's Priority" here (sorry no audio for this one).

Listen to the "Unchanging Principles of Parenting" here.

Lessons From a Dinosaur

2009-09-25T05:46:00.002-05:00

Following up on my post from yesterday in regard to what I am reading I finished a couple of weeks ago 44 Questions for Church Planters by Lyle Schaller. Lyle Schaller seems to have been around for as long as the dinosaurs but he is the dean of church leadership and evangelism and has written tons and tons of books. Anyway, I wanted to share five quotes/ take aways from the book.

p. 22 New churches are more likely to reach more people and to grow in size than are long established parishes.

Confirmed by dozens of denominational studies.

p. 30 No one congregation possesses the skills that can muster the resources necessary to reach, attract, serve and be responsive to the needs of every resident.

p. 157 Getting to church on time with a one year old and a three year old is a big challenge that deserves a reserved parking spot.

p. 165 The key variable (for choosing where to plant) is not net growth.

The key indicator is the number of newcomers who do not identify with the subculture of the remaining residents.

Too often policy makers responsible for planting new churches are mesmerized by that glittering identification of high profile areas.

This usually means there are zip codes experiencing a rapid increase in the number of residents.

This might overlook areas not growing as quickly who have a high turnover.

For similar reasons it is not surprising to find disappointed denominational leaders who had expected rapid growth in the new mission that planted in what is really a highly competitive ecclesial environment.

p. 180 An examination of those denominations that are experiencing significant numerical growth suggests the common variables are: 1. Starting new churches. 2. Increasing the number of large churches. 3. Improving the quality of preaching in long-established churches.

What are you reading?

2009-09-24T05:46:00.002-05:00

I have said many a time along with others that you can tell where a person's heart and passion are by taking a look at two things: their checkbook and their day planner (calendar). Where we spend our money and where we spend our time says a lot about us.

I might add a third item to that list. On what do you and I spend our time reading? On what you and I spend our time reading says a lot about us. If you are a follower of Jesus whether or not you read the Bible on a regular basis says something about you? The kinds of books you read on a regular basis says something about you- are they fiction or non-fiction, only fiction or only non-fiction, are they books related to your career or books about your hobby? Do you spend your time reading the sports section or Glamour or your favorite blogger? What we choose to spend time reading says something about us. The greater question is, just like when it comes to our checkbook and day planner, is whether or not what we read honors God?

For example, apart from the Bible and devotional reading I mostly read non-fiction books about church planting, church growth, evangelism, leadership and finance. I almost never read non-fiction.

One might say in light of this I am too serious or need to lighten up blah, blah, blah. The point is some statements could be made about me in light of my reading list. I focus not so much on what a friggin dork I am for reading mostly non-fiction books to focusing on what my choice of reading says about my passion. On the one hand I am glad that my passion is how to better help people experience the love of Christ and cooperate with God's action in the world to grow the Kingdom of God. I am glad I have an interest in handling God's resources and helping others to do so in the area of finances. But what about the missing stuff? What about reading about being a better dad, a better husband, a better friend? Hmm. What does this say or not say?

What does what you read or not read say about you? I wonder...what are you reading? (besides this!)

Things My Parent's Said I Swore I Would Never Say- but do!

2009-09-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

I have been a dad for over 7 years and continue to be horrified that I find myself saying some of the same things my parents said to me though I swore I never would. I am not talking bad or hurtful things but the stupid little saying parents have. I think these things must be passed down in the DNA. Maybe your parent's said some of the same things. Maybe all parents say them. Maybe you say some of these things though you swore you would never. Things like...

...You want to cry and whine, I'll give you something to cry and whine about.

...I brought you into this world and I can take you out.

...If you brother told you to jump off the Bourne Bridge would you do that too!

...Don't make me stop this car.

...You better stop while you are ahead.

I guess that saying is true: the more things change the more they stay the same. I wonder if there are other sayings I am missing because I can't think of them right now.

Heroes

2009-09-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the last two messages from our current series "Heroes".

Moses

Paul

Financial Peace Friday on Tuesday- Money is (A)moral

2009-09-01T05:45:00.002-05:00

Message Series Planning

2009-08-26T06:01:00.002-05:00

I am sometimes asked how I come up with the various series we do at New Season Church. I actually do have a method I use and I plan them out a year in advance always allowing for the Holy Spirit to call an audible and to change a series or the sequence of messages. I have been in lectionary recovery for a number of years and so my hat goes off to any person who can do series preaching with the lectionary. That seems like a lot of work!

Since I am currently in the process of doing that for 2009-2010 I thought I would share how I do that. I got most of my method from Nelson Searcy and his resource about planning a preaching calendar.

Here is a word document describing the method.

Christmas is Not An Emergency- Financial Peace Friday on Tuesday

2009-08-25T05:51:00.002-05:00

I previously have posted about the Total Money Makeover Simulcast on Saturday September 19th and the Financial Peace University class starting September 21st we are going to be holding at New Season. You can always sign up for those events at our website. Leading up to those events I had hoped (though I made no promises) to do a Financial Peace Friday on this blog. Well it is Tuesday but better late than never. I will be sharing some things I am learning about biblical principles for handling the resources God has given. I am no expert, I have a long way to go in living out some of these principles, but I am confident that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (and so can you!).

Today I wanted to talk about credit cards. If you are like me then maybe you first got a credit card for emergencies. Perhaps, like me, you justify keeping those things around because of course you need them for emergencies like a car repair, a new furnace, or en emergency trip across the country to attend a funeral.

If you are like me, then your problem comes when you do not use them for emergencies. You end up using them to get something you "need" when you have more month than money left and the balance builds. Or, have you ever found yourself using your credit card for Christmas gifts or vacation?

Maybe you are one of the few who do not get caught up in these traps. Consider yourself among the minority in the US. I am learning that Christmas and vacations are not emergencies. I actually know they are coming. I know Christmas comes at least once a year and I know I will have en expenditure for gifts. I know I am going to take a summer vacation and it will mean an outlay of cash. I am learning that the key to these things is to save for them thus avoiding using the plastic. This is nothing new under the sun. Remember the Christmas club the bank used to offer?

Also, I am learning about how to manage these other emergencies that cannot be anticipated like things breaking or having to go away quickly. The effect of these emergencies can be alleviated with the saving of an emergency fund. In any plan to get out of debt the first step after providing for the necessities (food, utilities, rent) and being current on all your current bills is to save a $1,000 emergency fund. In Financial Peace University this is described as Baby Step 1. Baby Step 2 is to then work on paying off all your debt except for your home. Baby Step 3 is then to build up your emergency fund again this time saving 3 to 6 months of expenses (notice not salary). You can see then whether you have finished baby step 1 or baby step 3 you are more prepared for the emergencies. If you have a big car repair for $500 you take it out of your emergency fund instead of putting it on your credit card. You then rebuild your emergency fund. If you are able to get to baby step 3 where you have saved 3 to 6 months worth of expenses then if you lose your job for whatever reason then you have a little cushion before you find another one and you don't have to go into credit card debt to keep food on the table.

You can learn about the rest of these baby steps and begin to come up with your own plan for financial peace by attending the Total Money Makeover Simulcast or the Financial Peace University Class.

When to Launch

2009-08-17T06:05:00.002-05:00

When to launch a new faith community is a question that must be carefully considered by the church planter. To launch too early will mean quick and almost certain death for the church planter's and God's dream for the new faith community. To take too long to launch means losing or never gaining momentum. Thus there has to be a middle way- a via media.

I have found three main ways of thinking about when to launch. First and probably the oldest suggested launch date was Easter Sunday. How symbolic to launch this new work on the day of resurrection. After all, Easter is so well attended and unchurched people are more willing to attend church on Easter than any other Sunday. The drawback for an Easter launch is that the Sunday after Easter is one of the least attended Sundays and you quickly find yourself in the middle of the doldrums of summer.

Another school of thought says to take your time launching and spend about 15 months working the mission field, preparing your church systems, putting ministries in place and gathering as large a launch team as possible. For United Methodist people this would mean launching in September a year after one is appointed. The drawback with this approach is that the longer you get out the harder it is to sustain momentum and one must be especially strong to avoid the call to begin weekly worship and avoid the notion that once you start a bunch of people will automatically come and they are just waiting for you to start.

A third way that I have heard articulated recently which I really like is to consider launching in February. For UM people this would about 8 months after being appointed. This is a good time of the year to launch especially after Super Bowl Sunday. Persons are not as busy with spring or summer and you get a natural bounce come Easter. 8 months is enough time to put systems, ministries, and other essentials in place and to gain a launch team without losing momentum.

Whenever a church planter decides to launch they must obviously listen for God's direction. However, they must ensure that it is God's direction and not their own or a chili dog giving them heartburn that they mistake for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Financial Peace Friday

2009-08-14T06:04:00.002-05:00

I previously have posted about the Total Money Makeover Simulcast on Saturday September 19th and the Financial Peace University class starting September 21st we are going to be holding at New Season. You can always sign up for those events at our website. Leading up to those events I hope (I make no promises) to do a Financial Peace Friday on this blog. In it I will be sharing some things I am learning about biblical principles for handling the resources God has given. I am no expert, I have a long way to go in living out some of these principles, but I am confident that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (and so can you!).

This Friday I want to talk about debt. Anytime debt is talked about in the Bible it is never in a positive light. Proverbs 22:7 tells us "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender." The problem with debt and why debt is so heavily marketed in our society is that it becomes our master. Many of us are taught that debt is normal. We are told that debt is good in some cases (like student loan debt). We are told to invest and ignore small interest debt that we may be carrying because the numbers make better sense. While debt in and of itself is not a sin, and certainly not a salvation issue, the Bible is clear that debt is not a good things and nowhere does God call his people to go into debt for his purposes.

The problem comes in that when we are in debt we have another master besides the Master. The problem with any debt is that it carries risk. This has been a hard and painful lesson for many in the current recession. Debt seems to be OK until you or your spouse loses their job, you have a health emergency, or interest rates go up on you. Then you start to worry about debt and it becomes your master even further. Before you know it you are worshiping at the feet of the FICO score (your credit score). And yet, the Bible tells followers of Jesus there is only one God, one thing worthy of our love, attention and energy and it is not debt.

The Total Money Makeover Simulcast and Financial Peace University will help you to think about your own debt in light of biblical principles. It is interesting that when I follow God's instructions for life as found in God's word things turn out right. When I don't, that is when things go wrong. I guess God knows better than me. If you are sick and tired of being in debt to credit card companies, your student loan provider, the hospital for medical bills, or whoever else then get yourself over to our website where you will find a link for the one day Total Money Makeover Simulcast or the the more in-depth 13 week Financial Peace University. In both of these opportunities you will learn tried, true, and tested principles based in the authority of scripture for you to be free from debt.

God at the Movies

2009-08-13T06:13:00.002-05:00

Here are the first two messages from our "God at the Movies" series. You can find the text for these messages here. Here is the audio.

The Hangover

Transformers

This week we finish up the series with "Up!"

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

2009-08-11T05:49:00.002-05:00

About a month ago I finished by stint coaching my oldest son Robert's baseball team- the Sidewinders. This was Robert's first year of coach pitch baseball. Do you know how hard it is to throw strikes to seven and eight year olds? Thank goodness we had another coach who did the pitching!! One of the refrains of the season the players heard from us coaches was "keep your eye on the ball." In other words, watch the ball so you can hit it with your bat. Often times kids would swing so hard they would pull their head and be looking at the moon or they would be swinging and looking down at their feet. Nine times out of ten when they did not keep their eye on the ball they would strike out or just foul the ball off if they were lucky.

That refrain to "keep your eye on the ball" is a refrain that has been playing in my head as it pertains to following Jesus. It occurs to me that as followers of Jesus our job is to keep our eye on the ball. In this case, to keep our eyes on Jesus. It is when we take our eyes off of Jesus that we stumble. When we take our eyes off of Jesus we strike out in life or at best hit foul balls. However, when we keep our eye on Jesus we will follow in his way and be obedient to his teachings marking the way of life for us. Keeping our eye on Jesus is necessarily all the time, but especially in the difficult times, the times of stress, the times when Jesus seems most far away to us. It is those times we especially have to remember to "keep our eye on the ball" and hear the refrain "keep your eye on Jesus."

Total Money Makeover Simulcast

2009-08-10T05:53:00.003-05:00

Last week I announced that New Season Church would be holding the Financial Peace University class beginning September 21st featuring popular radio personality, author and follower of Jesus Dave Ramsey. You can read about it here. I am happy to further announce that on Saturday September 19th we will hos the Total Money Makeover Simulcast featuring Dave Ramsey at New Season Church. Dave will be teaching live from Atlanta and we will receive the video feed in Fredericksburg. The simulcast will be from 1PM-6PM and have time for breaks and snacks.

Are you interested in changing your financial future? Do you need a makeover- a money makeover? If so, the Total Money Makeover Simulcast featuring popular radio talk show host, best-selling author and financial counselor Dave Ramsey might just be for you. New Season United Methodist Church of Spotsylvania will host the Total Money Makeover simulcast on Saturday September 19^th from 1PM-6PM with doors opening at noon. The simulcast will help viewers learn biblical principles about how to handle their money as well as practical principles that help in paying off debt, saving for emergencies, funding education, saving and investing, and giving generously. The cost to attend the simulcast is $25 and includes the workbook.

You can register for the Total Money Makeover by going to the church's website where we will soon have have a link to take you to a sign up page. Or, you can call the church at 540/ 834-4413.

What is the difference between the Total Money Makeover and the Financial Peace University class? Dave's teaching is essentially the same in both. However, Financial Peace University is 13 weeks as opposed to one day and thus goes into far greater detail and has the small group dynamic where you can gain ideas, support and realize you are not alone. The Total Money Makeover Simulcast is a great tool for you if you cannot commit to the thirteen weeks or want to check it out before committing to thirteen weeks. I encourage everybody to attend the simulcast and then consider going further with the Financial Peace University Class. If you are ready to sign up for the Financial Peace University Class already then go here.

Isn't Using Movies in Worship of the Devil?

2009-08-07T05:45:00.002-05:00

We have started a new series of messages at New Season Church called "God at the Movies."

Using movies as part of worship and as a jumping off point to talk about biblical principles, spiritual issues, and the sacred may seem a bit strange to some "and of the devil to others."

I believe we we can use parts of our culture to point us to greater truths about who God is, what God has done, and how we are to be obedient to God. Instead of hiding from the culture I believe we are to engage it and exploit it for God’s glory. This is called plundering the Egyptians, remember how the Israelites under God's command took the gold and other items of the Egyptians during the Passover but left that which was not useful. Make no mistake, many movies have little redeeming value. However, whether it is a movie, or a popular song, or a television show or most anything else in culture there is a sacredness to it if you will.

Here is what I mean. The Bible says in Psalm 24:1 “The earth and all that is in it belongs to God.” God pervades all things. As Creator, God is part of everything. This doesn’t mean as some mistakenly have said that God is for instance “a tree, a rock, or a turtle.” But that tree, rock, and turtle reveal the glory of God, were created by God, and point us to God. The same is true for many other things in life. There is a sacredness to them that if we might just scratch hard enough reveals God’s glory, point us to God, and help us to follow Jesus.

Movies, songs, or television shows are all part of a grander narrative. Almost all of these things whether they are love stories, stories of friendships, stories of struggle, stories of looking for the meaning in life, they all point us to the greatest story ever told and that is the story of God’s love for humanity perfectly made known to us in Jesus Christ. These movies, songs, and television shows are mere shadows of the one story that defines all of human history. They are attempts to tell the greater story. All of our art and entertainment, apart from the truly grotesque and abominable, are just attempts to tell part of the greater story.

It is interesting that when Jesus taught his disciples he used story. He used parables. He used every day things people knew about, like farming, to convey spiritual truths. The same is done by using movies, songs, television, etc. The truth is not found in first century farming principles and any more than it is in yesterday's summer blockbuster. Truth is instead found in the One whom those things point us toward. Those are just the tools.

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt Wrap-Up

2009-08-06T05:51:00.002-05:00

Here are the last two messages from the series of messages we just finished "I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt." For those who want to listen you can listen here.
7/19/09 Imitate

7/26/09 Follow

For a text version go here.
New Season Message Center

To subscribe via I Tunes and automatically receive the messages you can go here.

Financial Peace University Coming to New Season Church

2009-08-05T06:30:00.002-05:00

I am excited to announce that New Season will be hosting Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Class beginning in late September. The Financial Peace University Class begins on Monday September 21st at 7PM at our new location at the Four Mile Fork Shopping Center next to Hard Times Cafe. The class will be thirteen weeks long.

Financial Peace University is a biblically based, video driven small group that teaches families to beat debt, build wealth and give like never before.

This program's for you if:
---Your credit cards ARE your emergency fund.
---Your dog responds to the name "Ebay".
---You have to sell your house to put your kids through college.
---You're intrigued by the word "plastectomy."
---You want to know what God says about money.
---You typically have more month than money left.
---You are tired of living in debt- car payments, student loans, credit card etc.
---You want to learn specific steps to take to help you retire well, fund your child's education and to give generously.
---Stocks, bonds, and Mutual Funds are friend's you haven't meant.

What will you learn? Each of the 13 Lessons deals with a different topic that will change the way you think about personal finance. Dave teaches about how to save money, live on a budget, communicate about money, eliminate debt, find bargains, and experience the joy of giving.

Dave Explains:

Investments
Insurance
Retirement
Real Estate
College Planning
Careers
Debt Collectors
Credit Reports
and More!

Over 650,000 families have completed FPU with amazing success. On average, they pay off $5,300 in debt and save $2,700 in just 13 weeks. That's an $8,000 change in position in just 91 days!

For more information about this life-changing program you can visit the The Financial Peace University website. The class materials cost $100 if ordered through the church. To sign up for Financial Peace University at New Season Church you can go here.

*Financial Peace University sells no products or services and you will not be asked to purchase anything beyond your class materials.

Change of Place + Change of Pace = Change of Perspective

2009-07-28T06:01:00.002-05:00

I wish I could take credit for this equation. The best I can remember it this equation comes from Mark Batterson at National Community Church in Washington, DC. He may have stole it from someone else.

The beauty of this equation is that it is so true. Coming off vacation last week I can personally attest that getting out of your regular environment, going to a new place helps you change your perspective when you return. So many times we get caught up in the day to day monotony of whatever we do- work, schedules, etc. Changing our place and our pace helps jolt us out of this monotony and can move us from being tired, cynical, and overburdened to a new place and a new perspective.

This is true as well for teams and organizations. Some of the best thinking can occur outside the normal environment and pace of organizational life. This is why leadership retreats are such a good idea. They foster creativity, clear and different thinking, and team building that would probably not occur in the same environment at the same pace.

This equation can also be applied to individuals on a mini-scale. I mean it is great to take a week's vacation but how about a day away somewhere different than the office or work place. Maybe its a trip to the lake or the mountains or some other place where you won't be distracted by cell phones, emails and texts.

Change of place + change of pace can make all the difference.

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

2009-07-19T06:06:00.002-05:00

Here is the first message of the series "I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt" based on the book by the same name by Vince Antonucci. The first message is called "Hunger."

In this series we are looking at what it means to move from souvenir Christianity to authentic spirituality.

This coming Sunday the message will be "Imitate."

Check out Vince's blog. Vince is starting a church out on the Vegas strip.

Transactional versus Relational Ministry/ Service

2009-07-16T05:54:00.002-05:00

I have been thinking some recently about the difference between transactional versus relational ministry. Here is what I mean.

In relational ministry and service toward others service is rendered to persons multiple times over a period of time. Because ministry happens over time and happens repeatedly relationships occur. Trust is gained that opens up further opportunities for service. An example of transactional ministry would be the weekly foot washing and Friday feeding program one church I know of conducts every Friday throughout the year. Persons who wash feet, feed and serve develop relationships with persons who come time and time again to receive services.

In transactional ministry service is also rendered. However, this ministry is more one and done. Here a church goes out and serves for a day with a person or family they may only see that one time. There are many examples of this: the group that goes to feed at the homeless shelter once or twice a year, giving away a water bottle as part of servant evangelism, going on a mission trip to a place you will not return.

It seems to me that the Bible is clear that Christ values service no matter what kind, whether it be relational or transactional. It is equally clear to me that in the church we do a better job with transactional ministry than relational ministry. I am doing some further thinking about why that is. I am also thinking about the example of Jesus' earthly ministry. As I read scripture it seems Jesus' ministry was both relational and transactional. On the one hand he invested in the lives of twelve other men (and no doubt women too that we do not hear about) over a period of time on a regular basis. Yet, there were others, the woman at the well, various people he healed, and others who he seems to serve only once (at least that is the impression the Bible leaves us with). I guess I come back to the blessing of the both/and instead of the tyranny of the either/or when it comes to the choice between transactional and relational ministry.

Where Have all the Baseball Fields Gone?

2009-07-14T05:49:00.002-05:00

Where have all the baseball fields gone? Maybe it is just me but I am finding there are less and less baseball fields to play on in communities. And, when there are baseball fields you can't just go and play on them but you need someone's permission whether it is the School System or an Athletic Association. In the league that I coached in this year (7-8 y/o coach pitch baseball) we had to share a field for practice. It is hard enough to teach 7-8 y/0 baseball but it is especially harder with throw down bases in the outfield which hasn't been cut in three weeks.

I do notice though that in most communities now there are acres of soccer fields. My purpose is not to start a soccer versus baseball war but it does seem to me that soccer has taken over as number one in most communities in terms of number of fields, quality of equipment, and number of players. In that same baseball league I coached in we did not even have our own equipment but shared equipment with the team we practiced with.

Perhaps what I am observing is the death of baseball. Hardly in this age of computers, game systems, and over protective parents do I see kids playing pick up game on a ball field or even in their yard. I don't hear about kids collecting baseball cards or stickers. As I grew up their were kids who could tell you the top ten players with the best average in the American and National League as well as the save leaders from each league. Granted, I do not hang out with ten year olds on a regular basis but I do not even hear much baseball chatter from kids of any age.

Bring back baseball!

Ministry On-ramps

2009-07-07T05:47:00.002-05:00

On-ramps on the highway provide a safe way to merge into traffic and get up to speed and get on your journey to where you want to go. When you get on the on-ramp you accelerate and gain speed as you get closer to the entrance to the highway. As you get near the highway and are about to merge you have a decision to make. You look in your side or rear view mirror and if someone is coming in the slow lane you either have to go even faster and get on ahead of them, slow down and tuck in behind them, or if there is gridlock on the highway you have to stop and just get on when some kind soul lets you on.

On-ramps are also useful when it comes to beginning new ministries. We might look at new ministries with an "on-ramp" perspective. What I mean is that when it comes to beginning a new ministry in the church it is not necessary and maybe even harmful to start really big and put all your eggs in one basket. Instead it makes more sense to take the on-ramp approach where you start slow and small and then you gain speed and then make an evaluation. Is the ministry worthy of further acceleration, do you just need to slow down a bit and pull back some, or do you just need to stop altogether? During this season of ministry on-ramps you can see what gets momentum without risking it all. During this season of ministry on-ramps you can see who emerges as leadership and whether you have adequate leadership.

Use the ministry on-ramp it may just prevent an accident and get further you on your journey.

You Looked At Men More than God

2009-07-02T05:44:00.003-05:00

I have recently been trudging through Wesley's 59 page pamphlet of 1743 "An Earnest Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion." Yeah, I know I am a dork. Anyhow, in talking smack about his opponents in the Church of England Wesley wrote, "You looked at men more than God" and this little phrase reminded me about a prayer I often pray that I came across before. My prayer asks God to fill me with grace that I seek not the approbation (approval) of man but of God in what I say and do.

God has been working on me about this one for some time. I think most of us, if we are honest, do to one degree or another seek the approval of man over God. This is especially true for clergy who are people pleasers. However, it goes for all people. We seek to please, win the approval of, impress, show how much we know to supervisors, co-workers, friends, and others in the hope that this will somehow gain us favor, make us feel better about ourselves and make us a person of worth. We do not always do this consciously. It seems it part of how we are wired as fallen people in whom God's image has been shattered. Many of us do this even though we know our identity and worth comes not from other people or even what we "do" for God but because of what God has done for us in Christ.

Perhaps our best example of seeking to please God over man is in Jesus who never really gave a crap about what other people thought. He was not afraid to offend the religious elite, speak difficult words into the lives of his parioshioners (disciples) for fear they might leave, or even to the governmental authorities who could have set him free. Through it all, he was confident of who he was and what he was to do and sought to be obedient to God's call and please God.

Oddly enough, such reliance on God and not the approval of man brings the most freedom. I think part of what it means when Jesus promises to set us free is it is a promise to be free from seeking the approval of man. I think this is an ongoing process and part of our journey of faith (sanctification for you theology nerds). I for one will continue to pray "let me not so much seek the approbation of man, but to please you O God."

How Do you Get People to Unfold Their Arms?

2009-07-01T05:48:00.002-05:00

You have probably seen them before. They come to worship and are sitting in their seats and they have their arms folded the whole time. They don't want to be there. They may have been dragged there (they have a drug problem- they've been drug to church). They might have come willingly but have put up this wall. They may have been burnt by the church before. How do we help people to unfold their arms, open themselves up to the transforming power of God's love, let their guard down, and enjoy the presence of God in worship? In short, how do we help people unfold their arms?

Do we even think about the arm folders when it comes to worshipers or are we solely concerned with those who already in and know what to say, when to stand, and what to do with their hands?

I think one way to get people to unfold their arms is to use humor in presenting the Gospel. Though we have a hard time admitting in Christian circles God is a funny God. I mean just look at creation. God has a great sense of humor. So, using a humorous skit, video, or poking fun at oneself can help unfold the arms.

I think another thing that can help people unfold their arms is authenticity. This means being real. This means not trying to be somebody we are not or trying to give the perception we are somebody we are not. We all struggle, we all need prayer, we all sin, we all need God's grace. It is OK to say and admit that.

Being relevant also helps to get a person's arms unfolded. Using message illustrations that are fresh and contemporary instead of out of a book or from a website, using worship music that uses modern instruments and not ones from three centuries ago, and redeeming the culture and exploiting the culture for the cause of Christ can all help unfold arms.

And yet, no matter what we do, in the end it is God through the power of the Holy Spirit who will unfold arms. I think our job is to create an environment that cooperates with how God works so that arms may be unfolded.

What Does the Church Value?

2009-06-25T05:49:00.002-05:00

There is much talk about the need for churches to have a set of core values. These are the things that guide the church and make up who the church is. They are rather constant and are meant to anchor a church. For a new church, values are "wish to be" statements. Thus, when a new church lists its values they are listing "wish to" statements about how they want to be some day since they have not had any life yet to live out those values.

But, once a church does have some years how does one determine what values they hold? There are three things to look at in my mind.
1. The church calendar. What does the church spend its time doing. Is it putting on chicken dinners and gospel sings or doing servant evangelism and Habitat for Humanity?
2. Talent. How are persons deployed in the church? Are person's spiritual gifts discovered so they can serve the institution or serve Jesus as they do life in the workplace, on the ball field, or at school?
3. Treasures. Where is the money being spent? Do we say we value youth and give them $500 dollars in the budget and then tell them to hold a car wash and sell fruit to raise money while we spend $40,000 to restore the pipe organ?

Incidentally, or not so incidentally, these same measuring sticks (which are admittedly not exhaustive) can be used to determine an individual follower of Jesus' values. You can tell a lot about what people and churches value by looking at the calendar and checkbook.

Thrift Store Opening on Saturday

2009-06-24T05:54:00.003-05:00

The New Season Thrift Store will open this Saturday for the first time. We will have an official grand opening later on but we wanted to get it open as quickly as possible. Cathy and Gregg Stewart and their team have been busy at work getting everything set up and ready.

If you would like to volunteer at the Thrift Store for an hour, four hours or a whole day let me know. We are also receiving donations, so if you have some Thrift Store treasures then let me know and we can arrange for you to drop them off.

I am looking forward to the relationships we will make with customers and the opportunity to be in ministry. Plus, its just a lot of fun to start new things!

Come check us out on Saturday!

Grove UMC Youth Choir

2009-06-23T05:46:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday at New Season Church we had the joy and privilege to host the Grove UMC Youth Choir from West Chester, PA. What a great bunch of kids and adults from the Youth Choir. They did an excellent job leading worship for us.

I was real proud of our church for stepping up and demonstrating radical hospitality to the youth and their chaperones. We housed them all, fed them, took then to Carls and more.

The choir continued on Sunday to Woodbridge, then Georgia, then Florida. I pray that God would continue to use these young persons mightily now and in the future.

Thank you Grove UMC Youth choir and people of New Season Church.

One Prayer

2009-06-12T05:57:00.003-05:00

Don't miss out on One Prayer this coming Sunday at New Season Church. Once again this year we will be participating with other churches in doing the One Prayer message series.

We pray to Jesus asking Him to answer our prayers - what if we became the answer to His? In John 17:20-24, He prayed that we would be one, and One Prayer is an opportunity to see what can be accomplished when the Church works together.

In June 2008, God worked in amazing ways as more than two million believers stood together to pray, fast, learn, and love others. This year, we'll be joining forces once again for an extraordinary worldwide experience: One Prayer 2009.

We'll come together to learn more about our Creator and go out into the world to share, serve and give. We'll partner around the globe and explore the theme..."God is…"

We're looking forward to hearing what the gifted communicators participating in One Prayer have to say about this topic through messages like:

God is Strength Francis Chan

Cornerstone Community Church, Simi Valley, CA

God is Big Robb Almy

New Season United Methodist Church, Fredericksburg, VA

God is a Blast Brandon Thomas

Keystone Church, Keller, TX

God is Here Perry Noble

New Spring Church, Anderson, SC

New Season Church along with more than 1,800 churches will be united in action to reach our world—and we’re glad you will be a part of it. Just think: we are joining with churches around the globe…from Canada to Costa Rica, from Indonesia to Italy, from Ghana to Guatemala. We’re standing as one and sharing what the world needs more than anything else—the boundless love of Christ.

I Love the '80s Message Wrap Up

2009-06-12T05:53:00.003-05:00

Here are the last two messages from the I Love the '80s message series.

Family Ties

The A-Team

The Amazing Story of our New Space

2009-06-11T05:57:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday was our first Sunday at our new space for New Season Church. We have been looking for 3 1/2 years for some 24/7 space for our church but there was either none available or we were priced out. We did not want to settle for something that was too small and hemmed us in or was out in East Cuttyhunk. And, while we trust God's mighty provisions we also realized God did not call us to be stupid so we were not going to take a lease that called $150,000 in rent for a year. So, there were many spaces we passed up.

God has opened up for us in the last four months some great space in our mission field that is 23,000 sq. ft. at a rate that is well below market rates. Throughout the whole process God provided. The rental rate is by far the lowest rate in Fredericksburg even for warehouse or big box space. And, our space is a retail space that is fully carpeted, painted, and conditioned. We are right next to a bar and pool hall and looking forward to building relationships there and introducing people to Christ. 23,000 sqa ft. is more space than we need right now so we are also opening up a thrift store. We are ready to receive donations though the store is not open yet.

Even with the ridiculously low rates, one benefit of the poor economy, we are still stepping out in faith trusting that the God to whom all the world belong who is generous will provide for us as we take this next step to live out the vision he has given us.

Please pray for us in this next step. Pray that God would use us and this building as instruments to accomplish his great purposes. Pray that we would always remember the church belongs to Christ and that the church is not brick and mortar but the church is people. Pray that the name of Jesus would be made famous.

We are also looking for some items to fill our space- partitions for our children's space, a LCD projector, round tables, a couple of plamsa tv's for our worship space and more. If you have any these items used or want to donate them to us shoot me an email.

I am looking forward to all that God will do!

What's Been Happening

2009-06-10T05:53:00.002-05:00

It has been a little while since I last wrote. There have been a number of things that have made life a little crazy in the last couple of weeks.

At the end of May I graduated with my DMin (Doctor of Ministry) degree from Union-Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Union-PSCE for short, changing its name to Union Presbyterian Seminary btw). During that time I had family visiting and had a great time.

The Thursday before my graduation Diana's mom had a heart attack and they discovered they would have to do triple bypass and repair an aneurysm. Thankfully, the surgery went well, she is recovering well and has gone to rehab for a little while. Please keep Diana's mom, Dawn, in your prayers.

It was also during this time we finally got the use permit we needed to occupy the space for the church we have leased. The church has been busy setting things up and getting things into place as we make this transition.

Through it all God has been good. All this is to say that it has not left much time for blogging. It takes all I have to just keep up with email! While I never make any promises as to the frequency of my postings I hope to make more in the near future.

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-24T05:34:00.002-05:00

I am looking forward to our Memorial Weekend worship experience this morning at New Season. It looks like we are going to have great weather for worshiping outside. Every Memorial Weekend and Labor Day Weekend we worship outside as a change of pace and because so many of our folks are out of town. We then grill out. We are also doing a blessing of the animals and their owners this morning. It all makes for a fun time in the midst of solemnity as we remember those who have paid the price for our freedom to worship and assemble and all our other freedoms. And most importantly as we remember Jesus who gave us freedom from brokenness, sin, and anything else that would bind us and rob us of the freedom God desires to give us through his life, death and resurrection.

Happy Memorial Day.

Biblical Adverbs and Transitions

2009-05-22T05:55:00.002-05:00

Reading the Bible is like reading a book you read in high school or seeing a movie for the second time. As you read a chapter or story in the Bible for the second time or three hundredth and second time you always take notice of something new. There is some detail usually that you did not notice before. There is a name you kind of glanced over in previous readings or a sequence of events that you discover that fits in the larger puzzle.

I have been noticing lately the adverbs and transitional phrases in the New Testament. These typically happen at the beginning of new passages. They say things like "Immediately Jesus left the place..." or "The next day..." or "When he had finished" or "Later..." or "In those days."

Sometimes noticing these transitions makes little difference to the whole story, sometimes more. I have tried to take notice of the durations these adverbs and transitions encompass. I tend to read the Gospel narrative and the Acts of the Apostles as a continuous event. Sometimes though these transitions speak of greater lengths of time between events.

So there is the English lesson for today. Watch your adverbs and transitional phrases. They might make a difference in how you read the Bible.

Growing Pains

2009-05-22T05:49:00.002-05:00

Here is the second message "Growing Pains" from the "I Love the '80s" message series. Listen by clicking the link or using the embedded player.

Sidewinders Baseball

2009-05-21T05:48:00.002-05:00

Robert is getting ready to start his baseball season. We have already started practicing. This year we decided to play in the Fredericksburg Parks and Rec league and we are graduating from Tee Ball to Coach Pitch. I did not coach last year and missed it so I signed up to be an assistant for Robert's team this year. Of course at the coach's meeting to start the season there was no head coach and I wound up being the head coach. I am a little worried about pitching to people that are like four feet and giving them something to hit. Our team name is the Sidewinders and we have had two practices.

I am quickly remembering from my previous coacing what a challenge it is to keep the attention of 7 and 8 year old kids. It is hard. It is also a challenge to explain basics of the game using langauge they understand and can apply. For example, when I tell a batter "when you swing, keep your back foot planted" they look at me like "huh- keep my back foot planted." I also can't assume that the kids know how to hold a bat, what direction to run to first base or where right field is.

I liken it somewhat to the church and preaching. It makes little sense to most followers of Jesus even ones who have been following Jesus for some time for me to speak about incarnation, substiutionary atonement, or glosollalia without explaining what that means in terms that are understandable and to further explain what difference those things make for a person's journey with Jesus. I can't assume those in the worship environment even know what a gospel is, how to recevie communion by intinction or any other host of actions or code words in the church.

Sometimes we have to speak the people's langauge in order for them to get it whether they be 7 and 8 year olds on a ball field or 27 and 38 year olds in a worship setting. It is what the Lord requires.

Moms of the '80s

2009-05-15T05:46:00.002-05:00

Here is the first message from the "I Love the '80s" series called "Moms of the '80s". You can listen by using the embedded player below or click here.

What To Count

2009-05-14T05:56:00.002-05:00

I read a number of blogs of other church planters from around the country and rejoice with them at the ways God is moving in their churches. They will often report that 50 persons, or 35 persons or 135 persons made a commitment to follow Christ at their last Sunday service. I surmise this info is gathered by having people fill something out or by asking persons to raise their hands to indicate they are making a first time commitment to follow Jesus. Whatever way they use to measure that really doesn't matter to the point I am trying to make.

Let me say I think it is great and tremendous that these persons are making a commitment to follow Christ and I rejoice with the angels in heaven for them and these churches. However, Craig Groeschel made a great point at the Exponential Conference this April. He suggested that perhaps instead of or addition to counting the number of people who raise their hands, respond to an altar call or fill out a call we should count the number of people in our community who have not begun to follow Christ and report that and let that number drive us in our ministry.

I agree with Craig and think in many ways we let "who we have" drive us in the church. We focus on "how many we have" when what we need to focus is on how many that are beyond the walls of the church who do not follow Jesus yet. This is why churches become territorial when a new church comes into the community. They view that as a zero sum game. If there is a new church that means less for me. No, there are more than enough people to be reached- the harvest is plentiful.

One unscientific way I have heard of calculating the number of people who are not part of a vital worshiping faith community is to survey the churches in a geographic area and ask what their seating capacity is. Subtract that number from the total population and you come near the number of people not involved in a vital worshiping faith community.

I Love the 80s

2009-05-10T05:55:00.003-05:00

The I Love the 80s message series at New Season Church starts this Sunday- 10AM at Lee Hill Elementary School. Will be kicking off the series with "Moms of the '80s" as a way to honor moms for Mothers Day. Don't miss the other messages in the weeks to come.

May 17th Growing Pains
May 24th Family Ties
May 31st The A-Team

So bust out your best parachute pants, put your boom box on your shoulder and make your way over to New Season as we use the 1980s as a launching pad to explore Biblical and spiritual issues. We may also have an Asteroids tournament on the Atari 2600 or a single elimination tournament of Pong. Send an e-vite to a friend to invite them to be part of this message series.

Emotional Baggage

2009-05-08T08:23:00.003-05:00

Here is the last message from the Baggage series. Emotional Baggage. Why not lay your bags down today?

Facebook and Twitter Resources for Churches

2009-05-08T08:13:00.002-05:00

I recently shared with a friend two resources churches might find helpful in sharing the good news of Christ and communicating among persons in the church.

The first is Facebook for Pastors which is a free download from Chris Forbes. It can be found here.

The second is a great little e-book from Anthony Coppedge called Twittering for Churches. It is really cheap and well worth the money for the download.

You can join the New Season Facebook Group here.

You can follow New Season on Twitter here.

Our Enemy is Satan

2009-05-06T05:52:00.002-05:00

In light of what I blogged about yesterday concerning one our church plants leaving the connection I have been thinking about why we (and I use the collective "we" of all followers of Jesus) fight each other so much.

I mean good gosh! In this case we fight about methods, or about doctrine that does not strike at the heat of Christianity, or homosexuality, or how the church should be organized, or whatever. We put all this energy into all these arguments. We put all kinds of time into these arguments. All the while there are people who are hungering for Christ. And, I do have to say on one level it is healthy to engage in spirited discussion. There is a time to confront false teaching (when it strikes at the heart of the faith). However, there comes a tipping point where are constant arguing and sniping is not God honoring. It is certainly not a good witness to the world.

I think we do well to remember that our enemy is not each other, but it is Satan. It is the evil forces, powers or whatever you want to call them in your theology. We don't need to be fighting each other but joining together to push back the gates of hell. Our enemy is not the pro or anti-"whatever the issue", it is not the new church or the traditional church, it is the enemy himself.

I think Wesley (borrowing from Augustine) is helpful here "As to the essential unity, as to non-essentials, think and let think."

GracePoint Church Leaves the Connection

2009-05-05T05:55:00.002-05:00

Here is an interesting series of articles about a church in Kansas that left the connection of the United Methodist Church after much angst about its style and its desire to multiply itself. (It is actually two article with the link to the second article at the bottom of the first). I would not pretend to know the many issues or the complexity of the situation and I have great respect for Bishop Jones who I have heard on many occasions and who seems to "get it".

The funniest thing about this sad situation was the old retired codger who brought the church planter from GracePoint up on charges for their "Church Doesn't Suck" Campaign. Here is what the article says...

The “pushback” happened before GracePoint even sought to expand, Mr. Butts said. When GracePoint broke out its “Church Doesn’t Suck” campaign, for instance, a retired United Methodist clergy brought up Mr. Butts on charges for using the word “suck.” Another clergy member who visited GracePoint complained to conference leaders that the church was doing both infant baptisms and dedications, depending on what parents requested.

The only thing I have to say to that is "that sucks!"

A Reductionist Gospel

2009-04-30T05:50:00.002-05:00

Some random thoughts on the reductionist gospel...

The reductionist gospel is when we reduce the full measure of God's good news in Jesus Christ to good news ONLY as personal salvation, going to heaven, getting the bus ticket to glory land punched.

Our emergent friends have rightly critiqued this notion of evangelical thought as minimizing the full Gospel of Christ. They rightly contend that the Gospel also is about societal transformation, the defeat of unjust systems in the world, humanity living out its full potential as God intends and a host of other things. To reduce the good news, Jesus' life death and resurrection, to simply "getting to heaven" is to a disservice to all that Christ came to do. To believe that Jesus only came to be a religious exchanger of goods (namely- just to give you and me salvation) is about as wildly narcissistic as Twitter. ((or blogging!))

While this critique holds merit the key word above in the first paragraph is ONLY. Make no mistake that Jesus did come so that we might receive personal salvation and be made right with God. But that was not his ONLY reason for coming. He came to redeem the world including communities, creation, and unjust religious and political systems. The problem with many of those in the emergent camp is that they while they claim to be post-liberal and post everything else they have come in many ways to be a modern day repository of liberal theological interpretation. It is the same old thing with a new face. As much as evangelical thought has reduced the Gospel in the last thirty years to ONLY personal salvation those in the liberal/ emergent camp have reduced the Gospel to good deeds aligning with the policies and politics of the United Nations and the Democrat Party in the US.

This is the same old argument of do we save souls or save the world. I say avoid the tyranny of the "either/ or" and embrace the blessing of the "both/ and" (thanks Jim Collins). We do both as the church. That to me is the genius of Wesleyan thought- holiness of heart and life, personal holiness and social holiness. Wesley's thought continues to be relevant today.

And then some...

2009-04-28T06:02:00.002-05:00

I was recently at a men's conference where one of the workshops was about being a better dad and passing the baton and one of the principles the presenter talked about was passing along to your child the "and then some principle." It is a principle that most people know as going the extra mile. It is a worthwhile principle to pass along to a child and to practice in one's life.

I have been thinking about how this applies to church. It seems to me the "and then some principle" is the antithesis of what I have often heard in churches: "It is only church." What would it look like for the church to consistently practice "and then some" principles as part of its life as it relates to those who have never been or stopped going to church? How does the church go the extra mile and practice "and then some" ministry.

Some ideas (though not exhaustive)...
A great website that is easy to use for people to anonymously check out the church.
Not one greeter handing out worship programs but multiple greeters and a person whose sole job is to connect guests with regular attendees and make them comfortable.
A follow up process with first time guests that goes beyond expectation and is friendly yet not overbearing.
Not only using the auditory senses in worship but engaging all the senses to tell the age old message of the Gospel.
And so much more.

"And then some" is easier said than done but is a goal to work toward for the church and is a means to help persons become empowered and radical followers of Jesus to change the world.

Overcoming Addictions

2009-04-28T05:54:00.002-05:00

Here is the audio from Sunday's message "Overcoming Addictions" from the Baggage series.

Exponential Conference

2009-04-23T05:46:00.002-05:00

I just got back from the Exponential National New Church Conference in Orlando, FL. The theme for this year's conference was "The Art of Movements". This is the third year I have attended and it is just as good every year.

Monday and Tuesday I got to be involved in the pre-intensive sessions and attended David Mills Compassion by Design. If you want to reach and change your community check out Compassion by Design.

The plenary sessions were great too. We got to hear from both domestic and international persons doing church planting. These guys did not disappoint and the Spirit was on them as they spoke. Erwin McManus, Craig Groeschel and Bob Roberts as well as those who spoke with them hit home runs each time. I had to leave last night so will not get to hear Francis Chan this morning but am thankful as that they usually put these guys' talks on the Exponential podcast.

My track session was the Nuts and Bolts session in which we could choose from a variety of informative and practical 1 hour workshops in-between plenary sessions. Gary Lamb did a great breakout on being portable in which he shared so many resources that was worth the cost of admission.

I also got to connect with some other church planters as well as with Anna Workman from the Virginia Conference who was also in attendance.

It is good to be back, though I am glad I went. I hope to post some more about it in the days ahead.

He is Risen!

2009-04-12T06:10:00.002-05:00

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55

In other words death, Satan, the mob, the religious elite, the rulers of this world can "bite me." Take that!

The victory has been won!

Good Friday

2009-04-10T05:50:00.002-05:00

The journey to the cross of Lent culminates in the cross of Christ which is marked today on Good Friday. (Liturgical hounds can save their emails- I know Lent officially ends on Maundy Thursday). You can read about the cross here. Though I have read about it, heard it, preached about it, studied it a thousand times I stand amazed at God's love that pervades the whole episode.

Some thoughts about the cross and Good Friday:

Why call it good? There was not much good about that Friday in many ways. And yet, it was the greatest thing that ever occurred as humanity was reconciled to a holy God and we were saved from our human brokenness and sin both individually and corporately. That is why it is good.

Poor Simon of Cyrene. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Though maybe it was the right place at the right time as his sons later become followers of Jesus.

This story drips of God's mercy not only to all of humanity but to those who crucified Jesus. "Father forgive them for they know what they do!" Unbelievable!

Look at his treatment: sneered at, insulted, and crucified.

The centurion's faith- makes a complete and truthful confession- "This was the Son of God."

Egg Hunt 2009

2009-04-08T06:07:00.004-05:00

We had our church's annual egg hunt on Sunday. What a great day for it. Sunny and warm, no threat of rain. It was so sunny many of us serving got sunburns. At New Season we believe that almost all things can better be done outside the walls/ grounds of the church. So we take our Egg Hunt on the road. We have done it for five years at the Lancaster Gate subdivision in our mission field.

This year we had another great turnout of 150-200 people and a great time egg hunting, on the moon bounce, at the firetruck, eating hot dogs and cotton candy, doing the egg toss, getting faces painted, dyeing eggs and much, much more. A huge thank you to all our great volunteers who served so well to help others experience a great time and more importantly the love of Christ. Here are some pics from the event. The rest I will upload to Facebook.

The Bridge- Celebration of Music Sunday

2009-04-03T05:53:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday we gave thanks to God for the gift of music. It is great that music helps us to praise God in so many ways. Music complements and makes other aspects of worship that much more meaningful. Like worship in general, music points us to the sacred dance of call and response between God and us whereby God calls us to experience his power and presence and calls us to go out into the world to love him and others and we respond by doing so.

Here is the message.

The occasion for our celebration of music was the release of our Celebration Team Leader Steve Kropp's new CD "The Bridge." Music serves as a bridge to encountering God, points us to the ultimate bridge between God and humanity Jesus Christ, and can serve as a bridge for us to invite people to experience God's love. Check out the CD here.

Easter Prayer Vigil

2009-04-02T05:50:00.003-05:00

This year at New Season we are doing an Easter Prayer Vigil.

Here is the deal. We will be praying starting Saturday evening beginning at 7PM until Sunday morning at 7AM as we prepare to mark how Jesus' kicked the snot out of death and the devil and was raised from the dead.

We are asking people to sign up for a one hour time slot. You will be asked to pray for half an hour and then just be present for a half hour to either continue praying if you wish, read, or gaze at your belly button lint. We will have two people at all times for safety sake (one of which may or may not have a concealed weapons permit). While you are praying someone else will be present and while they pray you will just be present. We will provide a prayer guide to help guide your prayers.

Eastland UMC on Courthouse Road has graciously opened their worship space to us to hold the Easter Prayer Vigil. To sign up for a time, please go here.

Defining Leadership Quotes

2009-03-31T05:53:00.003-05:00

I picked up and am reading John Maxwell's "Be a People Person: Effective Leadership Through Effective Relationships." I got it of all places at the grocery store for $4.99. You can't beat that!!

Anyway, he's got some quotes from some great leaders on how they define leadership. Here they are:

Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.
British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery

A leader is a person who has the ability to get others to do what they don't want to do and like it.
Harry Truman

Leadership is influence.
Fred Smith

Leadership comes from serving others. Matthew 5:14 "If a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
The Bible

He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.
Leadership Proverb

Maximizing Easter Resource

2009-03-31T05:47:00.002-05:00

Nelson Searcy from Church Leader Insights has done it again and produced a great resource for Easter called "Maximizing Easter." You can get it here. You will have to provide some info to get your report. However, as you seek to impact your community and reach people for Christ this Easter you will see it is well worth it. While there check out the other resources from Church Leader Insights.

Lost Watch II

2009-03-26T05:53:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago I wrote about how it stinks to lose your watch and how the feeling of losing your watch parallels the spiritually dry times of life. Today I want to write about how I believe we come out of those spiritually dry times. And the two words that come to mind are dependence and obedience.

As I think about losing our watch spiritually I cannot help but think of Peter and Jesus' other disciples during those last days and after the resurrection. Peter of course went through a tough time spiritually as he denied Jesus three times and wept bitterly about it. And after Jesus was crucified the disciples certainly felt like they had lost their watch spiritually. The Bible tells us they were locked way behind closed doors for fear of the religious and political authorities.

Both Peter and the disciples were in a place of dependence. They were utterly dependent on Jesus to come and revive them by breathing on them his Holy Spirit both before he ascended and then again in a big way at Pentecost. I think the same is true for us. While there are things we can do to move out of spiritually dry places such as commit to regular prayer and scripture reading and Sabbath taking it is ultimately God's grace we cooperate with that renews us.

And this is where obedience plays a role. Before Jesus ascended he told his disciples to go and wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. It is in being obedient to this command and while in a state of dependence that God pours out the Holy Spirit and these cowering and denying disciples are released for ministry that turns the world upside down! So too for us. As we are obedient to the commands to pray to rest to wait to persevere and more we are renewed. We find the watch again and get back on track so we can turn the world upside down and storm the gates of hell with a water pistol!

How Do I Leave a Legacy?

2009-03-24T10:22:00.002-05:00

Here is the last message in the series Work Matters.

You can listen to it here.

Most every person will ask the question at some point in their lives "What legacy will I leave?" While often asked in the last years of life this is a question followers of Jesus should deal with now as what we do now effects our legacy. Why not work on our legacy now while we still have time! Legacy though is not left through the things the world values but by building a legacy of faith in Christ and leaving a legacy based in faith, hope and love.

Lost Watch

2009-03-23T05:51:00.002-05:00

Recently I lost my watch. Actually I think Nolan took it and hid it. He is a "clepto" like that these days at 18 months. Anywho, I hate losing my watch. I hate going through the day looking down at my wrist and then remembering "oh yeah I lost it." It is kind of frustrating. Most of us rely on our watch to keep us on track, to make sure we are not late, to remind us where we have spent too much time or too little time. I know for me, without my watch I am lost and wandering.

The same is true for me in a spiritual way. While I do not think we can lose Jesus (though we can certainly move away from him) there are times in the spiritual life when it seems like I am lost or wandering aimless. I lose my watch (not my lunch) when I do not spend time with God in prayer, scripture and devotion. I wander around when I rely on my own strength instead of his. I find myself frustrated when I trust in the things of this life for wisdom, satisfaction and help instead of trusting in God's grace. These things make me feel off track. I feel during these times lost and wandering. I feel in my walk with Christ like I do when I walk around three days without my watch because my son has become fascinated with it and hid it somewhere and can't tell me where.

I found my watch, just like I rediscover the vital relationship with Christ again for the 1,001st time. Tomorrow I want to share some ways I revitalize and reconnect and spiritually find my watch again. Maybe they will help you. Thus, stay tuned for more deep thought from "Jack Handy."

Are You Feeling Insignificant?

2009-03-19T05:51:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it is easy to forget how mind-boggling the presence and love of God is. We are reminded by verses in the Bible of God's great love. One verse is Luke 12:7 "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

What! God knows the very number hairs on my head?!? This must make counting hard for God for those that go bald. Here is the thing. God created the whole friggin universe with just a few words, he spins the earth on its axis and creates seasons, he has disease and wars to worry about, yet he has numbered the hairs on my head and your head. He has his eye on us all the time. What!

So I guess when we are facing a problem or difficulty and we think it is too small for the God of the universe to think about this verse tells us otherwise. I guess when we think everybody else has abandoned us and we are lonely this verse says otherwise. I guess when we feel small and significant this verse says otherwise. Yes, it says, he loves us so much that he does have concern for all that we face in this life. He does know us intimately (which is both reassuring and scary!). He is both way beyond our comprehension and yet ever so near. That is a comfort.

Of course the it is easy to know this in the head, it a whole different thing to know it in your heart and live your life in response to this truth. May it be so for all of us. You and I are are loved with an everlasting love. He is good and his love endures forever.

The Real St. Patrick

2009-03-17T05:58:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Don't forget to wear your green lest you get pinched, or eat your corn beef and cabbage, or raise a glass of green bear to the patron Saint of Ireland. On this day it is said we are all Irish.

As we have fun with all the festivities of St. Patrick's day we can easily forget the awesome life of the man of God- Patrick and the great work he did for God in Ireland. I found this little history of St. Patrick that I thought was real interesting and gives us a glimpse of who this man of God was and the influence he had. He was a true leader (plus he got rid of all the snakes in Ireland and anybody who can do that is good in my book).

What Should I Do With My Life Message Audio

2009-03-13T06:36:00.003-05:00

Here is the message from last week's message "What Should I Do with My Life?" from the message series Work Matters. You can download it here.

Whether you are a soon to be high school or college graduate, a person under thirty trying to find your way, a person in midlife whose job stinks, or a recently retired person wondering what you are going to do with the rest of your life then this message has something for you. If you are none of those things but know or one day anticipate knowing someone who is searching for what to do with their lives then this message is for you.

We ask four questions to get at the larger question "What Should I Do with My Life?"
1. What does God want?
2. What am I good at?
3. What is in front of me?
4. What will be my life's ministry?

Don't miss this week's message "How Do I Balance Life and Work."

God's Sense of Humor

2009-03-10T05:52:00.002-05:00

From time to time I am privileged to catch a glimpse of God's sense of humor. For example, when I tell God my plans and God laughs or when I see some of the animals God has created and think what a good time God must have had creating them.

Such was the case this Sunday as I presided at communion. We receive communion every Sunday at New Season and so there are some great and worthy helpers who bring bread, set the communion table and most of the time pour the grape juice into the chalice. So you can imagine my surprise when I got to the words of institution and lifted the cup as I always do and said "After the supper was over he over he took the cup..." and there was nothing in the cup!

I thank God for the genius of the human brain because I had a couple of parallel thought processes going on. One was I knew I had to continue with the liturgy (which I usually flub up anyways even when there are no Eucharistic catastrophes) and second I was thinking "what the hell am I going to do?" I mean should we do the Quaker thing and receive spiritually! Should we pretend like we are dipping the bread into the chalice (we always receive by intinction, we don't use the little shot glasses). I don't remember exactly what I said or whether it was the smirk on my face but when I was giving instructions about receiving I said something like "if there were any grape juice in this cup" you would take the bread you have received and dip it here. At that point I think four people jumped up to look for grape juice which we thankfully store and had on hand in one of the bins we load and unload from our truck every Sunday. So, after a good laugh we had grape juice.

I was thinking about this whole situation and was thinking if it was real wine instead of grape juice then I would have immediately had a few suspects from the church who would have come to mind who may have drank the wine before the service started (so they wouldn't have to drink it with the nasty bread crumbs in the bottom after the service was over). But alas, it was grape juice. Some have said they were waiting for me to call for a miracle and make the grape juice appear. I mean come on, Jesus didn't even do that. He started with water at least. And, if I could ask God to perform a miracle such as that and God did then I would be working for Welch's or Boones Farm (sorry I am showing my utter lack of bad tastes and cheap self from my college days when it comes to wine).

Thanks Lord for your sense of humor!

What Should I Do with My Life?

2009-03-07T14:44:00.002-05:00

Don't miss tomorrow's message at New Season Church as we talk about finding meaning, purpose, and significance in life as we continue to explore the connection between faith and work. If you are a young person trying to figure it out, a middle aged person stuck in a rut, or soon to be newly retired, or know any of these people in these situations (that about covers everybody I think!) then you won't want to miss the second message in the Work Matters series.

See you tomorrow and don't forget to "Spring Ahead!"

Work Matters

2009-03-06T16:16:00.002-05:00

Here is the first message from the series Work Matters appropriately titled "Work Matters- Moving from Making a Living to Making a Life"

5 Practices Website

2009-03-04T06:53:00.002-05:00

One of the resources that is all the rage these days in United Methodist circles is Bishop Robert Schnase's Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.

I have read the book and have found it helpful and have used it in some leadership development exercises with our Servant Leadership Team. There is a really great website that complements the book that you can access here. On the website you will not only find a description of each of the five practices but you will also find Bishop Schnase's blog, stories of how churches are practicing the five practices, sermons, resources and a blog roll to boot.

Head on over there and check it out. It is worth the visit.

Lenten Resource

2009-02-27T07:07:00.001-05:00

I found this lenten resource which is a short daily devotional that will take you through Lent. It is the project of a couple of different denominations. From their website here is what it says:

d365.org, a daily online devotional series, was created and is produced by Passport, Inc. Passport is a student ministry organization focused on creating meaningful experiences and resources for students. From youth and children’s camps to mission trips to online devotional sites to Faith in 3D, Passport, Inc. gives students a chance to see their world in new ways.

d365.org is sponsored by three denominational partners: the Congregational Life office of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Youth Ministries of the Episcopal Church in America.