Blogging Break Over

I am officially declaring my brief blogging break over. Last week was a great week as I got some time off and spent time with family.

Here were some highlights from last week:

• My brother was down house and job hunting. He is moving here in the middle of June from Massachusetts and we have him all lined up for a job and he has a house to rent.
• In between looking for houses to rent we got to play three rounds of golf at Four Winds or as some people call it Four "Weeds" (Hey you can't beat the price $27 for 18 holes including the cart with no extra charge for the ten thousand may flies buzzing around your head while you are trying to swing your club. Maybe that is why I shot so poorly- nah!).
• My oldest son Robert graduated from preschool (who knew they had such things as preschool graduations!). He will be going to kindergarten next year. My how time flies!
• We had a great outdoor service for Memorial Day though it was hot. God humbled me big time as my notes got blown away (the Spirit blows where the Spirit blows) and I left my mic on during singing for one song. I think Steve Kropp intentionally let the church sing when he backed off the mic to just hear me sing and embarrass me:). We had a great cook out right after church.
• I spent some time at the Outlaws (my wives parents) for more cookouts, time with family, four wheeler rides and boating on the river.
• It is good to be back!

It's Early But...

Red Sox are up by 9 1/2 over the Yankees already after sweeping a double header from Detroit!! I do not know if Steinbrenner can buy his way out of this. Not even that old washed up rocket dud Clemens can save them.

Jerry Falwell's Legacy

Much has been written and said in the last few days about the legacy of Jerry Falwell. His supporters have rightly pointed to the enduring legacy he will leave behind. His detractors have largely spewed vitriolic venom. This is sad whether you agreed with the man or not. This is sad especially coming from those who are said to be followers of Christ.

When we move on from the politics of Jerry Falwell what we see if a man who turned Lynchburg upside down. The media in its rush to sensationalize does not tell us about homes built, community services offered, and money given for all the projects of Thomas Road Church and Liberty University they instead indicate that Falwell's only legacy was the Moral Majority.

One legacy that I have not seen spoken about is Falwell's legacy as it pertains to church planting. My understanding is that Falwell was a "turn around" pastor and not a church planter per se. However, the man obviously had a heart for church planting. In the last few months I have noticed that among the landscape of church planters across the nation there are many who have had some connection to Liberty. These are some of the most effective, innovative and articulate church planters out there. And so, part of Falwell's legacy will live on through these guys and persons will continue to be touched by the good news of Jesus because of Jerry Falwell and his passion to see lost people connected to Christ. That is the kind of passion the church needs no matter what someone's politics are!

When It Comes to Borrowing from Other Churches...

When it comes to borrowing from other churches we do better to use templates (principles) instead of cutting and pasting (specific methods that may only work in that ministry context). ---Ancient Microsoft (Chinese) Secret!

Taking Shots Nothing New

As persons seek to reach people far from God through fresh expressions of the good news of Jesus Christ the good church Pharisees among us like to take their shots at the pioneers of faith. Ask guys like Gary Lamb and Perry Noble and quite a few others who have written publicly about their drubbing at the hands of some people. Anybody who has ever sought to express the age old and orthodox message of the good news of Jesus in a fresh way has been criticized often times by fellow Christ followers.

All this is nothing new under the sun though. As I have been reading through John Wesley's Journal it has been really interesting to see how people took shots at him all the time as he sought to be an innovator and bring Christ to the disenfranchised. He writes about going to a church and preaching and inevitably after every church he visits he writes, "And I was forbidden to go and preach there again."

Of course the one who took the most shots for challenging the religious establishment of his day was Jesus. It makes sense then as one follows Christ that they too will be shot at. That is what Jesus meant when he said "take up your cross." Following is not always about the benefits but also the hardships. Thankfully, his grace is sufficient. And, in the end he wins and so do we. Might those presenting Christ in fresh ways that are Christ centered and biblical for the sake of those far from God be "forbidden to go and preach there" all the more if it offends the 99 already in the fold.

Mother's Day Message

Please find below the podcast for the stand alone message I taught at New Season Church.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Mother's Day Message

Message
We went old school with this message taking on an expository format as we asked and "What does God intend mothers, wives and women to be?" That is the question that is addressed in Proverbs 31:10-31. In this message we glean principles and characteristics that describe the mother, wife and woman God intends. It is in being a reflection of the woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 that women live out God's intention and more importantly follow Christ.

Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.

Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.

What Will the Church Be Known For

The modern dinosaur church of the 20th century was often known better for what it was against than what it was for. One kind of church was against abortion, homosexuals, drinking, etc. Another church was against racism, poverty, sexism, capitalism etc.

No matter the theological bent of churches in this epoch they were known for what they were against.

Can we dream a new kind of church?

A church that is better known for what it is for than what it is against (not dismissing sin or the call to holiness but recognizing our world needs to know the Christ of hope and not condemnation!).

Such a church would be for...

• People finding life in this world and in the world to come.
• Persons discovering their purpose and finding meaning in their life.
• For persons to join together in community to transform the world around them.
• People being freed from addiction, past pain, bad relationships and other maladies.
• Creating environments that creatively present the timeless truth of Christ.
• Allowing people to come and explore and follow Christ without having it all together (or pretending like they do).

More?...

Give them Jesus not the Church

There has been a wonderful second Reformation in the church in the last twenty to thirty years as persons have imagined and dreamed new ways of doing church for the sake of reaching people with the good news of Jesus Christ. I think this second Reformation is going to change the face of Christendom forever and I feel privileged and blessed to be a part of it.

The rub with all this is that we must be careful in offering our "new kind of church" or in helping people "reimagine church" or as we "re-present church" or "in changing the way people think about church" that we are always keeping Christ the focus (I am not suggesting anybody is not here just thinking out loud as much for myself as anybody else!). What we are trying to reveal to folks is the power the living Christ can make in their lives both today and for eternity. We have to watch out for substituting a model for accomplishing that goal for the goal (Jesus) itself. Fresh expressions of Christianity in the context of a worshipping community are tools to connect people to Jesus. We need not seek to convert anybody to a style of doing church as a substitute for following the Master.

In all our creativity and innovation for Jesus we must remember that it's him that should always be front and center. It is Christ and the cross that should be the only stumbling block.

Read Your Wesley

Doesn't Wesley just look like a bad ass! How would you like to have him as your spiritual accountability partner!!

For those who are in the United Methodist or Wesleyan tribes I want to suggest that we would be reading our John Wesley as part of our study or devotioanl life in addition to the Bible. I am currently making my way through his Journal as part of my devotional life. Also useful and instructive for church planting, leadership and spiritual development are the Sermons and Explanatory Notes. These provide a firm foundation that is grounded in Christ.

While it is not "in" these days to pay much attention to dead white guys, God has given us a gift in Wesley, Calvin, Spurgeon, and others. We can learn so much from these that have gone before.

In our rush to be "cutting edge" let's be "cutting edge traditional" and honor the traditions from which we come that honor Christ and can help us today make and empower radical followers of Jesus in our own generation.

21st Century Paradigm Shifts

Here are some 21st century paradigm shifts as shared by Nancy Rankin (Director of Congregational Development or whatever they call it in Western North Carolina).

• Family/ small membership to Large membership/ small groups
• Program/ large events to Developing personal relationships
• Clergy centered leadership to Partnership: clergy and laity
• Clergy as chaplain to Lay pastoral care providers
• Clergy as managers to Clergy as visionary leaders
• Staff who do programs to Staff who train lay leaders
• Low expectations to Churches of high commitment
• Committee members to Committed servants
• Status quo to Strategic planning
• One worship service to Multiple services that are creative
• Quantity-mediocrity to Excellence/ niche ministries
• Mono-sensory worship to Multi-sensory- Media worship
• One day a week church to Seven day a week church

New Season Ministry Netowork Podcast- The Spiritual Battle of Church Planting

Here is the latest New Season Network Podcast. The podcast features commentary on the truth that church planting is a spiritual exercise more than anything else.

You can listen to it here.

The Spiritual Battle of Church Planting

Being Mean About Vision

Shawn Lovejoy suggests that church planters need to be mean about vision. This does not mean that one should treat people poorly or call them names or stone them if they do not agree with the vision for ministry that God has given to a church planter. Instead, it means protecting the vision at all costs. Some people estimate that the initial vision a church begins with is lost by year five and churches start becoming clubs instead of life saving stations.

While it is always vitally important to protect the vision at all costs by spending resources on things that are in line with the vision, by putting energy into ministry that is in line with the vision and by looking at all things the church does and does not do through the lens of vision, all this is especially important early on even before public worship.

In those early days you just want bodies for your launch team. Sometime though when someone wants to be a part of the work God has called you to lead and given you a vision for you have to say a holy "no". Again, this must be done gently: "I appreciate you interest in what God is calling us to do but as we talk I think this might not be the place for you." People will come with their own agendas, some even well meaning, but they will not be the agenda God would have for the church he has called you to plant. And there will be just plain mean, power hungry people who comes are wolves in sheep clothing.

Central to protecting the vision is prayer for wisdom, discernment and clear eyes.

In the end, you will be glad you were mean about the vision.

God's Call to You

Please find below the podcast for the fourth and final message in the Discover Financial Peace series at New Season Church called "God's Call for You?"

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

God's Call for You?

Message

What is God's call to you when it comes to managing the money and possession he has blessed you with? In examining the story of the rich young ruler we see how the way we handle Christ's call to us when it comes to our money and possessions and what that says about our walk with Christ. Even in the midst of our struggle to live the way God intends in our hyper-consuming world God loves and helps us and it is only through his power that we can handle our money and possessions the way he intends.

Series

For people who are followers of Jesus Christ and have made him Lord (CEO, Director, Supervisor) of their lives then faith in Jesus Christ touches every aspect of the follower's life including how they handle their finances. For those who are not yet followers this series allows them to explore what the Bible, faith and the Jesus journey offer for managing finances. We will see how God who owns all things provides guidance and direction through scripture when it comes to managing what he has given to us.

Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.

Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.

Regrets

Permission to get philosophical?

Part of being human means that we will all have regrets. The question is what kind of regrets will we have?

As for me I want the kind of regrets that are satisfying where I have taken a risk and fallen flat on my face but know that I have tried. I don't ever want to regret inaction and the "could have beens".

This is what I have learned from 32 years if living and thousands of education dollars later :)

Lost?

No- not the T.V. show. We like to say around here at New Season Church that lost people matter to God. Among people who are concerned with carrying out the mission of the church to make disciples of Jesus Christ there is a lot of talk about connecting lost people to Christ.

Jesus made it clear that he came to seek and save the lost. He illustrated this by telling stories about a losing one sheep and leaving the other 99 to go and find it. He told a story about a diligent search for a lost coin and a story about a son who brazenly requested his inheritance even before his father died, squandered it and ultimately came to his senses and returned. It was said of him that he was once lost but now found.

Recently I have been hearing objections to this term loss to refer to people. I think these objections are raised because of a desire to move away from any position of arrogance among Christ followers. This thinking says that if we say someone without Christ is lost then we are classifying them, objectifying them, and engaging in spiritual hubris.

As in most things we do well to find the truth in such objections. I think we can say along with the witness of scripture and Jesus that those who have not yielded their life to Jesus Christ are lost like all of us have been and are when we stray from faith and sin. We need to avoid knee jerk reactions that bow to the gods of inclusivity and political correctness without much theological reflection.

However, we need to be sure not to set ourselves up as above or somehow superior because we have bowed the knee to Christ. Those who have been "found" are no more valuable than lost people. (There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous people. Jesus came not for the well but for the sick). Christ is not a commodity that we have and can "give" to others like the latest trading card.

We do well to be wise as serpents yet as gentle as doves in this matter. We probably want to be careful of our speech around lost people- for while they are indeed lost without Christ- what they might hear is arrogance and condescension and shut down and we lose the opportunity to be the light of Christ.

Where Have all the Arminains Gone?

WESLEY

In the church planting world these days there seems to be a great revival of the Reformed theological mindset. This seems to be most prevalent among those in the Acts 29 network. This is good and brings some needed theological reflection on why we do what we do in church planting and whom we do it for. There is nothing wrong at all with those of the Reformed persuasion and their voice is an important one.

Where are all the Arminians though? Is there room for a distinctive Wesleyan strain of church planting. Is anybody out there applying Wesleyan thought to church planting? I have not seen anyone?

What can a Wesleyan theology contribute to church planting reflections and practice? We might start with Wesley's way of salvation (the ordo saludo) which gives us a refreshing picture of the whole breadth of God's grace and moves us from a theology that focuses almost exclusively on justification.

Prevenient Grace- the grace that comes before a person even believes. Church Planting- God is already working on people and is present in a community before anybody begins to plant a church there.

Justifying Grace- the grace that is imputed to us whereby

ARMINIUS we experience forgiveness and are made right with God through Christ's work on the cross as well as the whole of his life, death and resurrection. Church Planting- this is the good news! Lost people matter to God and it is God's will that ALL should be saved. Christ's atoning work on the cross is for all.

Sanctifying Grace- the grace that sustains us and grows into the image of Christ. Church Planting- though broken, through the power of Christ's life, death and resurrection persons can be restored. This is the way of discipleship as persons move toward wholeness (perfection).

We certainly need more theological reflection on Wesleyan distinctives when it comes to church planting.

Discerning the Spirits

After feeling called and then sent by my Bishop to plant a church I had what is called an "O S" moment. You can translate. What did I get myself into? Was this really God's call?

My inclination when faced with a challenge is to gain wisdom from those that have blazed the path before me. Thankfully, there was a lot of people with a lot to say about this thing called church planting. I set to reading guys like Aubrey Malphurs, Ed Stetzer, Ralph Moore, Peter Wagner as well as leadership gurus like Maxwell, Hybels, Andy Stanley, Bob Russell and more. Man, they had good stuff to say.

Yet, by the grace of God, what I learned is there comes a time when through prayer and discernment you have to go the way God has for you. As many good things and great principles you can glean from these pioneers we cannot defeat the enemy with Saul's armor.

My coach, Jim Griffith, who says to read none of that stuff by the way, says it best: "No one knows your community like you." We do not have the same community as any of these great men and women of God.

In the end, I think it is valuable to do this reading. Leaders are readers! Yet, in order to not get schizophrenic about it- you have to spend time figuring out where and what the church planter extraordinaire- Jesus Christ- wants the church you are coming along side him to start to look like. There's no short circuiting that process.

Malachi Challenge

As part of the message this past "Does Yur Giving Stop at Nothing?" I challenged followers of Christ who call New Season Church their church home to the Malachi Challange. Here is how it works.

In your Old Testament is a small book in the back called Malachi. Here is what it says in Malachi 3:10.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

God says- test me. He says bring the whole tithe to me and see if I will not bless you.

In the worship program on Sunday was a sheet for the Malachi Challenege. Here is the specific challenge in light of God's promises.

• If you are not already doing so to tithe for the next three months- every Sunday, even making it up the next week if you are gone for a week.
• New Season Church’s promise to you is that if you do not receive God’s promise of blessing in Malachi 3:10 we will refund your money, every penny, no questions asked.

You may need to pray about that commitment. If and when you are ready to take that challenge just fill out that Malachi Challenge sheet and put it in the offering basket. You start your three month period when you choose. You keep track. You recognize that God’s promise might not necessarily be financial blessings but in other ways as well and you test God. The church can offer such a challenge because of the promise of God’s word. What is God’s call on your heart?

To access the Malachi Challenge form online go here.

Does Your Giving Stop at Nothing?

Please find below the podcast for the third message in the Discover Financial Peace series at New Season Church called "Does Your Giving Stop at Nothing?"

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Does Your Giving Stop at Nothing?

Message
How we handle the money and possessions God gives to us is a spiritual issue. Jesus had a lot to say about money and possessions and how those who would follow him used those things. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when when dealing with money and possessions. God owns it all and just lets us use it for a while. When it comes to using money and possessions God calls us to do so in faith, not by reason giving to God first and trusting God will provide what we need. In the end, how we use our money and possessions is as much an issue in our journey with Jesus as how much we pray, study our Bible, treat other people and all the other things that affect our walk with Christ.

Series
For people who are followers of Jesus Christ and have made him Lord (CEO, Director, Supervisor) of their lives then faith in Jesus Christ touches every aspect of the follower's life including how they handle their finances. For those who are not yet followers this series allows them to explore what the Bible, faith and the Jesus journey offer for managing finances. We will see how God who owns all things provides guidance and direction through scripture when it comes to managing what he has given to us.

Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.

Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.

The New Ecumenism

One thing that was clear from attending the National New Church Conference is that there is a "new ecumenism" that is developing amongst people who want to see disconnected people become connected to Christ.

Steve Childers mentioned this new ecumenism in his talk at the Best Practices pre-conference intensive and this was especially lived out there. At that intensive we heard from the Evangelical Free Church, Southern Baptists, General Baptists, the Presbyterian Church in America, Assemblies of God, Four Square and probably some I am forgetting. All were sharing because they had a kingdom mentality and kingdom approach to church planting and recognized that no one church, one denomination, one church planting network can reach the world or even one particular community.

This new ecumenism is not characterized by three churches getting together to have a Easter Sunrise Service or to protest the state lottery (as important as those things are) but is instead characterized by a heart to continue Jesus' mission to seek and save the lost.

To Keep Up with the National New Church Conference

Friends,

These guys are doing a great job blogging about the NNCC in ways that far surpass anything I could possibly do. Thanks guys for these valuable posts that let people who were not there discover and those that were there remember.

Russell Knight

David Putman

Gary Lamb

Ben Arment

Travis Johnson

Derek Brown

Tadd Grandstaff

And no doubt more!

New Season Ministry Network Podcast

Have you heard that we have started a New Season Ministry Network? It is right up there with Catalyst and the Willow Creek Association :)

Actually I started it as a way to communicate with ministry volunteers at New Season to pour into them the DNA of a church that has as its focus engaging its community with the life changing and transformative message of Jesus Christ so that radical followers of Jesus Christ might be made and empowered. I stole the idea from Mark Batterson. I have actually recorded two podcasts. Here they are:

Lost People Matter to God

Servant Evangelism

Five

Five years ago my lovely and gracious wife gave birth to our first born Robert! My how time flies! I thank God every day for Robert (and Jack our 2 1/2 year old) and the joy he has brought to our life. He is a handsome, smart, and energetic little boy with a great heart. He takes after his mom. Happy brtihday Robert! Daddy loves you!!

National New Church Conference Intensives

On Monday and part of Tuesday I had the privilege of being a part of Ed Stetzer's preconference intensive "Best Practices Forum." I learned a bunch and it was great to be with so many people from different tribes sharing how they do some things real well. I am also thankful for the old guys that have blazed the path in church planting before church planting was "in". I am talking about guys like Steve Childers of the PCA who has such a passion for redeeming North America for Jesus Christ. Or, Bill Armstrong from the Church Multiplication and Training Center, Steve Ogne and others. These are men of God and men of wisdom.

Ed Stetzer started the intensive off with sharing some research he and others have conducted about church plants from different denominations. While there were many learnings here are a few that stood out:

• Funding does not necessarily correlate to higher attendance.
• If we do not have church plants fail then we are not taking enough risks.
• Church planters and people supervising church planters must have reasonable expectations. (Most church plants are not wildly successful so quick like the stories you hear about and that are celebrated at conferences like this).
  

Steve Childers from the Presbyterian Church of America and Global Church Advancement shared best practices next.

• A Gospel centered church will be concerned with Good News for the lost (evangelism), Good News for the found (discipleship) and Good News for the city (community transformation).
• No single church in a community can fully live out all that is necessary to be a Gospel centered church. It will take all kinds of churches.

...more to come

National New Church Conference

I am at the National New Church Conference this week in Orlando hearing from some of the brightest and best of people who are starting new faith communities. I will be blogging more about it in the next couple of days but I can tell you that so far it has been great and inspiring.

Pray for Virginia Tech- Go Home Media!

It is in times like these that our only hope and comfort comes from God. It is in the midst of senseless tragedy that we come to know the grace of the Almighty. To that we must cling. We pray for all those affected in all ways. The sinking feeling in my stomach is similar to the feeling of 9/11.

Perhaps equally sad is the swarm of lmedia that have descended upon the campus of VT in Blacksburg. Should they be there? Yes- it is a newsworthy event. I have no problem with that. What they should not be doing in a difficult and tragic time like this is assessing blame. There may be a time for blame or for a review of how the tragedy could have been handled better, but now is not the time. It is irrelevant at this point! However, we have a media in our country today that has been taught and has as its reason for living to be the next Woodward and Bernstein and find the scandal, the cover up or where to asses blame. This is what is happening today and happened yesterday as people have sought to make sense of this tragedy. You in the media are no help when you engage in such irresponsibility. Again, there will be a time to assess. But gosh darnit- just report the news for once and stop stirring people into a frenzy. It is to be expected that people directly affected by this tragedy would have a need to assess blame and seek answers and accountability as a way of dealing with this tragedy. However, we don't need a media to fan the flames.

So, unless you are going to report the news then go home. We know your angle has been written now- the talking points are out. Have some compassion and let the students and people of Blacksburg, VT, Virginia and the nation grieve before you play your blame game.

The Credit Card Challenge

Yesterday I issued a credit card challenge as part of my message "Are You Leading the Charge?"

I have challenged our church to pray about cutting up one or more of their credit cards as part of our worship celebration experience next Sunday. Not only that, but we are also asking people to bring all those credit card solicitations and refinance mortgage solicitations and we are going to shred them with paper shredders in our worship space as a way to say we trust God in this life.

Our actions are a way to say that we do not receive worth from the things we can buy with credit cards but from the God who created us in his image and the God who took on flesh through Jesus Christ and through his life, death and resurrection gives us worth. We will be saying through our action that when we are hurt, wounded, facing troubles we will trust in the one who has promised to meet all our needs and not rely on things we can buy and credit crack to make us feel better. And by our actions we are going to say that we understand who God is- that he owns all things and lends them to us to watch over and that if we follow Christ then that makes a difference in every part of our life including our financial life.

So bring those credit cards and solicitations and lets do some cuttin' and shreddin'.

Are You Leading the Charge Podcast

Please find below the podcast for the first message in the Discover Financial Peace series at New Season Church called "Are You Leading the Charge?"

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Are You Leading the Charge

Message

High credit card debt and consumer debt is a plague in our society. Statistics bear our that excessive debt leads to such maladies as marriage and relationship strain as well as depression. What does the Bible and faith speak to such issues? How we manage credit and debt is really a faith issue. It touches on issues such as where do we get our self worth from, who do we trust when we face our brokenness, and who do we understand God to be.

Series

For people who are followers of Jesus Christ and have made him Lord (CEO, Director, Supervisor) of their lives then faith in Jesus Christ touches every aspect of the follower's life including how they handle their finances. For those who are not yet followers this series allows for them to explore what the Bible, faith and the Jesus journey offer for managing finances. We will see how God who owns all things provides guidance and direction through scripture when it comes to managing what he has given to us.

Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.

Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.

Opening Day

This past Saturday we had our opening day for T-Ball. We ended up in a tie after three innings of play- 33-33. Actually we do not keep score, the kids get to run the bases even if they are out, and the last player to hit in the inning gets to run around all the bases. This brings a different dynamic to coaching. Like, how does one teach an infielder to throw to second base to get the force out when there is a man on first if they are going the runner is going to stay there anyway because there are no outs! What I have found though is that if you can get your infielders to realize and throw it to first base or to run around the bases in the right direction that is a victory.

The kids did a really great job paying attention, hitting, running the bases and fielding. I also have some great people helping me out and we have our systems in place. I am looking forward to a great season!!

He Makes All Things New Podcast

Please find below the podcast for our Easter message at New Season called "He Makes All Things New."

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

He Makes All Things New

Message

Jesus Christ conquered death not only for the life to come but conquered those things that are like death to us in this world. Easter means more than just getting a ticket punched to go to heaven after we die. Easter has implications for this life. Easter means God is in control, there is more to life than living in quiet desperation and Easter serves as a call to serve others and share the joy of Easter.

Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.

Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.

Confession

I guess the truth is out now and you know that I am not the father of Anna Nicole's baby. Though I heard this morning that Don Imus is now claiming paternity. Congratulations Larry Birkhead!

Discover Financial Peace

We are starting a brand new series this Sunday at New Season called Discovering Financial Peace. One of our beliefs at New Season is that the Bible and being a follower of Christ affects every aspect of our lives including how we handle his money. So we are not going to shy away from talking about it. For those who think it is worldly to talk about Biblical principles for handling God's blessings read your darn Bible man- it was talked about all the time. We are going to be leading off with with talking about credit card debt and debt in general and how our drive to consume is just an attempt to fill the God sized hole in our heart that can only be filled by Jesus Christ.

So invite someone to church this Sunday- their life might be changed!

Sickness

We have it going around in our family these last couple of weeks. Thankfully it seems to be a twenty four hour thing. Robert got it first and had to come home from school early after throwing up. Then Jack got it this Sunday and threw up at church. Last night Diana got it and was out from work today. I hope and pray I do not get it.

Nelson Searcy Resources

Nelson Searcy, founding pastor of the Journey Church in New York has produced some great resources as part of his Church Leaders Insight website. The resources are geared toward church planters but can be of use to a variety of ministry settings. On their podcast page you can download some free training resources. They also have a newsletter you can sign up for and are offering coaching networks in N.Y. and Florida. It is worth checking out.

Battery Give Away Servant Evanglelism Event

This March when the clocks were changed forward by an hour we did a "Battery Give Away" servant evangelism event. I originally intended to get a break on buying some batteries in bulk from Duracell or EverReady but to no avail. So, we ended up buying ours at the dollar store(s) for about 50 cents a piece.

We took the batteries put them in plastic bags with a short note saying "Just a friendly reminder to turn your clocks ahead and change the battery in your smoke alarm. From your friends at New Season Church. It is our practical way of saying God loves you no strings attached. Let us know if we can be of more assistance."

We then spent the Saturday before daylight savings time delivering them.

Servant evangelism is a good way to be incarnational in your community and spread the love of Christ. It is cheap, it is easy and people love doing it.

The God of Order and Counting

I decided at the beginning of the year to focus on reading through the Old Testament and have done so with the help of a reading plan. These people have really good Bible reading plans in different translations that will be delivered to your email inbox.

So I was doing pretty well trucking along through Genesis and Exodus but man Leviticus and Numbers has been a challenge. Yeah, I know all scripture is worthy for teaching and reproof but I sometimes have to dig for it in these books. I often tell people never to read the Bible cover to cover but to start with 1 John or the Gospels or read chronologically because of this very struggle. How many well meaning people have gotten stuck in Leviticus!

One thing that is for sure that Leviticus demonstrates is that God was a God of order. The laws God gives were for the people's well being not just for the sake of having laws. And, Numbers shows us that counting mattered to God.

Code Words

Have you noticed that some followers of Christ worship code words? Words like "personal relationship with Christ (I challenge anybody to find those exact words in the Bible- they aren't there- though you would have thought they were the 11th commandment)", "blood of Christ", "born again", "sold out", "spirit filled", etc. You can think of some too. When they do not hear these code words they immediately shut down and cast you as a heretic or guilty of not preaching the word as if not quoting the Bible three hundred times in a 40 minute sermon means you are not faithful to the scripture.

Then there are others whose code centers around "inclusive language", "the Hebrew scriptures" (last time I checked that was the Old Testament), "wholeness", "peace with justice" (I didn't know there was any kind of peace without justice).

Our use of code words runs the risk of turning into idolatry where we become overly concerned with language and hearing the right words we forget what all of this points us to: The God of all creation who took on flesh in Jesus Christ, died for us, was raised on the third day, ascended into heaven, sits at God's right hand, and is coming to make a new heaven and earth. Let's remember to see the forest amongst the trees shall we?

Glimpses of Heaven

Every now and then God gives me a glimpse of what heaven must be like. For me one of those times was the other night as I watched my children sleep when I went to check in on them. The feeling of love I had in my heart was great. You parents can identify I know! I think such a feeling begins to scratch the surface of the love God has for every one of us and the perfect unity we will share in Christ's presence one day. Like the kingdom, that unity refelcted in heaven is already, but not yet.

Coaching Tee Ball

I have signed up to coach Robert's Tee Ball Team. Players need to be five years old before April 30th. Robert will be five on April 25th. Tee Ball in our county is for five and six year olds so Robert might be the youngest player!

We had our first practice this past weekend. The kids listened pretty well. I am reminded to keep the audience in mind when I am coaching these five and six year olds. I started with going over the positions on the filed and which direction you are to run the bases versus what the infield fly rule means or practicing first and third situations!

While the persons who come to our worship celebration experience and have no "church" (read club) background are not to be treated like Tee Ballers, I am reminded that what we talk about in worship must make sense. That means I cannot do a message series on the difference between the Hittites, the Perizzites and the Termites or the nutritional value of 1st century food Jesus would have ate. Instead the aim is to be seeker comprehensible to steal a term from Ed Stetzer.

Please pray for me and more importantly for these kids!

Building Healthy Relationships Podcast

I have not posted the audio from a message for a long time. Here is one from our 40 Days of Community Message Series.


To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.


Building Healthy Relationships


Message
God has created us to be in relationship. There are many relationship killers out there: selfishness, pride, insecurity, and resentment. These things drain and destroy relationships. In Christ we have the antidote to those things and have the picture of selflessness, humility, love, and forgiveness needed to build healthy relationships. In following him and getting the vertical relationship right our horizontal relationships get better.


Series
This message is from the series "40 Days of Community". In this series we have seen how God has created each person with a purpose. The purposes for which God has created us are always lived out best together. By being in community we multiply the power of God working through us and we transform our community and are transformed ourselves.


Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.





Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.

What/ How Do We Measure?

Go to any type of meeting with more than one pastor in the room there will always be talk about how things are going in one another's churches. This is really code for "how may people do you got at worship". Sometimes that question is even asked point blank. This is how we have come to measure "success" in reaching people for Christ. This is often reinforced in the reporting of statistics to judicatories.

I am not one to say numbers do not matter. They do. More correctly it is the people behind the numbers that matter, or should matter to us, and definitely matter to God. These are people who had no hope before they met Christ, whose marriage was failing, or who were chained by addictions.

However, worship/ membership numbers do not tell the whole story and cannot. How then can we measure how faithful we are being to making disciples of Jesus Christ? That is a hard question.

One thing we surely need to do is move beyond the counting of "club" members and their financial contributions as the only reflection of faithfulness. In Reggie McNeal's words in The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church "The church in North America is thoroughly modern. It has reduced its understanding of spirituality to numbers that can be reported (the triumph of materialism over spirit)."

How can we begin to measure how people are growing spiritually, how many people are "not yet" followers of Christ but attending worship in a church, how many conversations church members have had with pre-Christian people, how many people have been transformed by mission trips etc.?

What and how will we measure? Will we measure using the "modern" way of sola numero "numbers alone" or recognize that being faithful to the Great Commandment and the Great Comission is so much more?

Bowling

We had a good time bowling yesterday at Liberty Lanes in Massaponax. Thanks to all the New Seasonites who came out.

As for me, I bowled horribly. I was under 100 the first game and barely over a 100 the second game.

How about how they have these lanes now that keep score for you. When I was a kid you had a pencil and a sheet of paper. For the leagues they had this overhead projector like thing that you wrote on with this yellow wax like pencil. They also have it programed where bumpers come out up for the kids but go back down for the adults.

And, this bowling alley was smoke free. They have a special room for the smokers. Bowling, like church, is a different experience than it was twenty years ago.

Random Thoughts about Evangelism

Here's some random thoughts about evangelism:

• It is not optional.
• We don't win anybody to Christ- the Holy Spirit does the winning- we get to be used by the Holy Spirit.
• Evangelism doesn't stop when someone says the sinners prayer, agrees to the four spiritual laws, walks down the Roman Road or is baptized. Evangelism is about making disciples and discipleship doesn't stop with justification but is a lifelong process.
• We don't bring Jesus anywhere. He is already there. The ten-thousand dollar theological word for this is omnipresence. God is present everywhere. We just cooperate with him so that he can be revealed, people will see him and people will respond to his invitation for abundant life in this life and in the life to come.
• Much of evangelism in the past fifty years was about getting people to be part of the club and be good club members instead of helping people be sold out radical followers of Jesus.

Number 3

Diana and I will be welcoming child number three in October. Thanks be to God!! It is hard to see an ultrasound and not believe in God. There have been times when I thought this may not be as our soon to be middle man "Jack Jack Attack" almost did us in. BTW, Jack's preschool teachers at our parent teacher conference said he was "a little devil with angel eyes."

Robert, our oldest, five next month, is excited about a new brother or sister and seems to understand a lot more than when Jack was born.

Please pray for the baby, for Diana and the rest of the nut house.

The Full Story of Salvation

Sometimes we have gotten only the partial picture of what salvation is in the Christian life. For many salvation is only other-worldly. It is the sweet by and by, heaven, the pearly gates, the streets of gold, and angels strumming harps. And, this is true that salvation has to do with our eternal destines- with God or apart from God. But salvation is more.

Salvation is also in the here and now. It is not just something in the future. When one yields their life to Jesus Christ not only will they experience salvation in the life to come but in the life now. Salvation is like the kingdom of God- it is already, but not yet. When speaking about salvation Christ used the present tense not only the future tense. Hurting people today need salvation now, not only the promise of "no more crying'" there after they die. When we view salvation as a present reality- it becomes a way of life that totally transforms the way we look at the world, each other and Jesus Christ.

Also, salvation is not only about me. The Bible tells us that all of creation will be redeemed. The Bible tells us that in the end God wins and Christ will return not to beam us to some celestial place but to create a new heaven and new earth right here. Humanity and all of creation stands in need of salvation.

Velvet Elvis

Velvet Elvis- Repainting the Christian Faith

Rob Bell of Mars Hill and Nooma fame offers a great book to challenge followers of Christ and church leaders about issues of faith. Much of what Bell suggests and offers in terms of theological reflection is nothing new (as he admits), but is a recovery of what has come before. Yet, for many much of Bell’s reflections will seem new- especially those who see the church as club.

Through seven movements Bell takes us through a number of interesting themes. I don’t cover them all here but touch on a few.

Scripture- we bring our own cultural and personal baggage in interpreting scripture. This is true and makes a mockery out of the modern quest to dissect the text and peel away to get at its meaning as if we could ever be objective.

Questioning- we should not be afraid of questions. Uncritical appropriation of faith is shallow faith. Test it- probe it Bell says.

Christology- Following Jesus is not about “feeling better” about oneself. That makes Jesus no better than a self-help guru. Following Jesus is hard, does not solve all our problems and may even create more problems. Be upfront with people about that.

Evangelism- we don’t “take” Jesus to anybody- he is already there. We just get the privilege of working beside him and helping reveal him to people who do not see and know him yet.

Salvation- it is more than a ticket to heaven. It is both a present and an eternal reality. And, it is about more than just me- the blood of Christ was for the purpose of redeeming all of creation.

John Wilberforce and John Wesley

You may have heard about the new movie called Amazing Grace about the life and work of John Wilberforce of Great Britain who sought to abolish the slave trade. Below is an article written by Neil Caldwell, editor of the Virginia Advocate News magazine (the article actually appeared in a weekly companion to the Virginia Advocate called the Sunday Advocate).

Movie, campaign link past and present slavery

The last letter that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, wrote before his death was to William Wilberforce, a member of Parliament fighting to end the British slave trade. Dated Feb. 24, 1791 — six days before Wesley died — the letter offered encouragement: “If God be fore you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.”

Sixteen years later, in 1807, Wilberforce finally achieved his goal when Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade. The movie “Amazing Grace,” now playing in theaters, chronicles his efforts, and a related campaign focuses on ending modern-day slavery in the world. The film’s title refers to the famous hymn by John Newton, a former slave trader who converted to Christianity and became a priest in the Church of England. In the movie, Wilberforce visits Newton twice and, in one scene, climbs atop a table in a pub and sings the hymn’s first verse. Wilberforce converted to Christianity under the ministry of Wesley, a lifelong opponent of slavery.

The Church of England is marking the 200th anniversary of the end of the slave trade with a March 24 act of repentance. On Feb. 24 the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously to express “profound regret” for the state’s role in slavery.

In conjunction with the movie is “The Amazing Change” campaign to continue Wilberforce’s work. The effort is designed to raise awareness of slavery and other forms of oppression in today’s world, and to encourage involvement in and funding for organizations working to abolish slavery. One of its funding partners is RugMark, a nonprofit organization working to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry in India, Nepal and Pakistan. RugMark is supported by the Women’s Division of the Board of Global Ministries and was endorsed by the Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty.

Downloadable versions of an “Amazing Grace” faith guide for church leaders can be found at <www.amazinggracemovie.com> under the resources tab. Visit <www.theamazingchange.com> for information about the campaign.

About Time

This past Friday I got to spend some time with some people from our denomination to help craft a vision and plan for planting 250 new faith communities in 30 years in the state of Virginia. The sheer enormity of such a thing is great because only if God is in it can it be done.

I rejoice that people in our denomination, both at the conference level and the general church level, are beginning to get it. Church planting is the most effective way under the sun to make disciples of Jesus Christ- period! As the church planting cliche goes, "It is easier for us humans to give birth than to raise the dead!"

There is a sizable number of the people called Methodists that get it. They get that planting is the most effective way to introduce people to a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ. They get that church planting is biblical (hello remember the Book of Acts!). They get that part of what it means to be Wesleyan is to be about the business of starting new faith communities. I thank God for these people.

The challenge will come in helping others to see the vision. This will take the work of a God who can do impossible things- far more than we can even ask or imagine.

Please pray for those who are seeking to embed a vision and culture of church planting in our denomination and for that matter in denominations across the world and for those who are part of networks or non-denominational groups.

40 Days of Community

During the 40 Days of Lent at New Season we will be involved in examining the meaning and purpose of community. Particularly we are going to see what this thing called a faith community (a church) is all about and why it is different than other communities. We are going to see why just about every thing we do under the sun is done better together as a community than alone. And, we will hopefully realize that in order to live out the purpose of our lives and love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves we must do so in community.

While we are using the general themes of the 40 Days of Community campaign used by others we are not using all the bells and whistles of that campaign but will instead be creatively designing our own approach to answering the question "what does it mean to be community?"

What is Lent?

Here is a pretty good and to the point explanation of what the season of Lent is all about. It is from the Wilstar website.


Lent: What is it? Why is it?

The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. Lent is a forty-day season of preparation for Easter. Lent always begins on a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday.

Why 40 days? Because, Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent, then, is our time of fasting, prayer, temptation and repentance. Lent is not required anywhere in scriptures, but it has been a custom, which Christians have practiced for most of the last two thousand years.

In many languages, the word "Lent" actually means "fast." This is where the custom of giving up something for Lent originated.

However, just to confuse things, Lent is actually 46 days rather than 40 days. Why? Because the 40 days of Lent are supposed to be days of fasting, which means days of discipline and self-restraint. But Sunday, the Lord's Day, should never be a day of fasting, but a day of celebration! So each Sunday we suspend our Lenten disciplines and celebrate. Lent is 40 "fasting" days spread out over a total of 46 days beginning on Ash Wednesday.

The focus of Lent was always threefold:

• It was a time to prepare new converts for baptism through intensive classes and instruction.
  
• It was a time for long-standing Christians to review their lives and renew their commitment to Jesus Christ.
  
• It was a time for backsliders to be restored to the faith.

In every case, it is a time for serious, disciplined self-examination, a time spent in intensive prayer and repentance before the cross of Calvary.
To represent the dark and serious business of Lent, one custom has been to strip the sanctuary of all flowers, candles, and colors during Lent. This custom helps us to turn inward and examine ourselves, even as it reminds us of the dark and colorless Sabbath day when Jesus lay dead in the tomb.

Put simply, Lent is a time to examine ourselves carefully. Here are some questions upon which you might pray and meditate during Lent
Am I sharing gladly what I have with others, especially the stranger and the poor?
Do I have a gracious and patient attitude with others, especially those who irritate me?
Do I feel the power of connection to God and the church in corporate worship?
How is my devotional and prayer life progressing? Am I listening to God more and complaining less? Is it time for a change or a growth in my Bible study and prayer life?
What are the lurking sin problems, which still plague me?
Am I as thoughtful and forgiving of family as others, or do I take my frustrations out on them?
Do I speak up for the maligned and oppressed, or do I remain silent in order to remain popular?

More Signs

I should have bought stock in signs. I am a big believer in signs. Every Sunday we post about 20 directional signs in our mission field. The signs go up at about 6 a.m. and come down after our worship celebration experience.

These signs are a bit more expensive than the ones I talked about in a previous post because we do not have them made in bulk, they do not all say the same thing, and they have better stakes since we are planting and uprooting them every week.

These signs of course are meant to help people find their way to the church but like the signs in the previous post they also create awareness in the community about New Season Church. They, like the other signs have our website and meeting place and time.

Unlike a permanent sign that many churches have on the side of the road which stops being noticed after a while, I think the temporary signs end up being noticed more often since they are not there all the time and not a permanent part of the landscape. We have had people come as first time guests because of these signs (no doubt they also checked out our website too beforehand).

The thing about these signs and all the signs in our worship space and leading to our worship space is that they are all about hospitality (offering hospitality as Christ offered hospitality). If we want people who have never been or have not been in a long time to come to church we have to do our best to remove all obstacles save for the cross of Christ. That is the aim of all our signage. It is hard enough for someone to actually decide to come, helping them know where to go takes away some anxiety.

Sign, Sign Every Where There's Signs

One of the things we did for our move to Lee Hill Elementary was purchase 100 signs that we hung up in our mission field the first two weekends we moved.

The purpose of this sign drop was to create awareness of the move for people who already knew of New Season Church and knew we met at Massaponax High School. The second thing we were trying to accomplish was to raise awareness about our church amongst people who never knew we existed. I think we accomplished both!

The whole idea I stole from a church planter named Ben Arment whose blog I read. If you are not reading his blog and are a church planter you should.

Here is how the sign dropped worked:

1. I purchased 100 single sided, 1 color signs and stakes. The signs cost $3 a piece and the stakes $1 a piece plus shipping. It is key to get a sign that is cheap enough but not too cheap. You have to go into it recognizing you will lose some signs either because of the weather (the winds were terrible the last couple of weeks) and because of theft.


2. I made maps of well travelled intersections, subdivision exits and roads to mark where signs should go.


3. I recruited some people to help with hanging the signs asking them to take about ten each and to put them out on Friday afternoon and pick them up after our worship celebration experience on Sunday for two weeks. We did this so that the county/state would not take them down and because there is nothing worse than a sign that litters the road for three months and we wanted to be good stewards- plus we wanted to get the signs back to use them again.


4. I prayed over the signs before I gave them out and asked the persons hanging them to pray as they put them out that the right people who were far from God, turned out or off by church would see them and respond.


5. We have retrieved the signs and will use them again before Easter, Back to School and Christmas Eve.

All in all the signs were really great and people actually did come because they saw the signs. Here is a picture of our sign.

Another Good Sunday

Wow- God blessed us with yet another good Sunday at New Season this past week! (Actually every Sunday we gather we are blessed, but especially since we have moved to our new location at the Lee Hill Elementary School.)

This week we were missing a pile of people due to people being out of town and sick and God continues to bring people. I have always known Christ will build the church, now it is a privilege to see him doing it in such noticeable ways.

Next Sunday we finish up our mini-series on worship with the message "True Worshippers"! Be sure to be there and invite a friends, relative, co-worker or neighbor.

Chaos and Uncertainty

If there is one thing about planting a church it is that you must make friends real quick with chaos and uncertainty. Yes, there is certainly an element of chaos and uncertainty in any situation where one is ministering for God but it is especially pronounced in church planting.

The chaos comes when there are 3,417 things that need to get done and in place and it is left up to you and a few others. Apart from God's power in Jesus it will never get done. And there are times when it just has to go undone and you have to trust and put it in God's hands. I have found more often that not some things I think are critical other people do not care about and God laughs at!! Also, sometimes chaos is good. It teaches us and has certainly taught me that if it is up to me then we are in trouble.

Uncertainty is more of a faith issue. From small things to like who will show up to the first small group to how will this thing ever get off the ground, planting is laden with uncertainty. Again, this uncertainty pushes us to the one who has promised to build his church.

The key is to learn to live with and through the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome chaos and uncertainty always realizing that the one who spoke and created the world out of chaos can take the little piece of the globe he has given me as a mission field and bring about something more beautiful than I can fathom. That is the promise I am clinging to.

Church Planting Trusim

Proverbs 29:8 reminds us so well that it is necessary for a community of faith to have be discerning and living ut God's vision. It says "without vision, the people perish."

Jim Griffith, my chruch planting coach says, "Without PEOPLE, the vision perishes."

You can have the greatest vision in the world but it will always take people. Church planting is about putting people in seats. Or as church planter Devin Hudson from Grace Point Church in Las Vegas says "church planting is about BITS (Butts in the Searts)."

New Move Postcard

Here is the postcard the good folks at Church Marketing Solutions did for us. We will be sending out about 5,000 in our immediate neighborhoods.

New Space- First Sunday

We had our first worship celebration experience in our new space (Lee Hill Elementary School) this past Sunday. What a difference! We had a great day. There was a lot of energy. People were reinvigorated. Guests showed up!!

On Friday we hung 100 yard signs all around our community. I will post more about that in a later post. And then on Saturday in the chilliest of temperatures a group went out and hung 1,000 door hangers. Those guys and girls were troopers!! Way to go!

We still have some other things we are doing to raise awareness in our community and help people invite and we certainly have some tweaking to do when it comes to our worship space and making it into a place where we can invite God to move in powerful ways.

But all in all I couldn't be happier with the move. Thanks to everyone for their help, prayers, encouragement as we seek to make and empower radical followers of Jesus Christ. Most of all thank you Jesus Christ for your guidance and presence and victory throughout!!

Sometimes the NFL is a Joke

At New Season we are having a Super Bowl party as part of what we call our connection events. Connection events are low-threshold, low threat events we invite friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers to so they can just hang out and realize that the church we go to is not a bunch of Kool-aid drinking snake handling people.

It seems the greed of the NFL has gotten to the point where they want to put the kabash on such activities. What a bunch of silly people. Read about it here at the Monday Morning Insight Blog.

We are still having ours- it begins Sunday at 5:30. If you want to come email me. We want to invite especially any NFL executives. And I want to invite you to sue me for it. In my earlier heathen days now would be the time when I would post a picture of a big middle finger or a bunch of guys mooning the NFL. But, alas, thank God for the blood of Jesus and regeneration.