Take a look!
In a recent conversation that I had with a friend of mine, he reminded me how important it is to have a goal and a purpose. His leadership team had just got away for a week-in retreat to work on what their church would call, prophetic priorities. In other words, it’s the goals for there church for the next five years. The title “prophetic priorities” I think gives it a bit to is and a declaration that without God, these goals would be not much more then sound bites.
So what about your prophetic priorities. What is God challenging you do work on these next 5 years. Ask God to revel them to you. Write them down. Give them life through planning and strategies. Then ask others to help you accomplish them. And during the process, don’t forget to evaluate, not just at the end, but through out.
At the beginning of 2005, our leadership team identified five components of our church that we need to breath some more life into. The included our Small groups, prayer, evangelism, first impressions (Sunday Hospitality) and new believers discipleship. Well, it’s time to evaluate.
If we are going to elevate these practices in our church we need to evaluate how we are doing.
So that’s my mission this week. I let you know how it goes.
Seek Him Today
David
Monday, February 27, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
A lesson from Ebay
Have you ever said to yourself, “I got to have it?” Well, that’s what I said a week ago and off to Ebay I went. To fond that perfect phone. It was an Audiovox 5600. The latest greatest and I had to have one. After reading one discretion and biding what I thought was a reasonable price, I waited for that special moment (that doesn’t come to often) that says I’m the winner. Well, I made it to that moment and guess what? I won the phone. But my excitement changed to despair when I received the phone a few days later. IT was not as described on Ebay. It wasn’t “like new” as said, there were missing parts and I wasn’t a very happy camper.
So I sent the seller a rather disappointing email, not expecting any reply, I thought I was stuck. Well, to my surprised, I did get a response. It seems that the seller was actually taking the word of a friend of what kind of condition the phone was in. Thus the description that really didn’t match the merchandise. And further to my surprise, the seller was willing to take the phone back and refund my money.
So, were is the lesion in all this, well, simply put. Don’t believe the description of another. See if for your self.
When it comes to our faith and the journey we are on with God, we need to go right to the Source. To see it up close and personal and not rely on another persons experience.
Seek Him Today
David
Have you ever said to yourself, “I got to have it?” Well, that’s what I said a week ago and off to Ebay I went. To fond that perfect phone. It was an Audiovox 5600. The latest greatest and I had to have one. After reading one discretion and biding what I thought was a reasonable price, I waited for that special moment (that doesn’t come to often) that says I’m the winner. Well, I made it to that moment and guess what? I won the phone. But my excitement changed to despair when I received the phone a few days later. IT was not as described on Ebay. It wasn’t “like new” as said, there were missing parts and I wasn’t a very happy camper.
So I sent the seller a rather disappointing email, not expecting any reply, I thought I was stuck. Well, to my surprised, I did get a response. It seems that the seller was actually taking the word of a friend of what kind of condition the phone was in. Thus the description that really didn’t match the merchandise. And further to my surprise, the seller was willing to take the phone back and refund my money.
So, were is the lesion in all this, well, simply put. Don’t believe the description of another. See if for your self.
When it comes to our faith and the journey we are on with God, we need to go right to the Source. To see it up close and personal and not rely on another persons experience.
Seek Him Today
David
Monday, February 13, 2006
I hate Colds!
I hate colds and I have one. It started on Wednesday of this last week that plugged up feeling in the middle of your face. You know what’s coming on. Then it’s the soreness, the constant drip and low energy. Many on Sunday, after hearing me talk, asked why didn’t I get one of the staff members to speak? My reply is simple …it’s not that big of a deal. Oh is it?
The study surveyed 4,000 homes by telephone nationwide. 75% of the households surveyed reported suffering from a cold within the last year, with an average of 2.5 episodes a year. The households were asked to report their doctor bills, cost of over-the counter medication, and the cost of prescription drugs. They also reported days of work or school missed due to a cold.
The study found that Americans spend $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs and another $400 million on prescription medicines for relief of cold symptoms. Researchers discovered $1.1 billion dollars is spent every year on 41 million antibiotic prescriptions for cold sufferers, though antibiotics have no effect on a viral illness.
The battle against the common cold costs the US economy $40 billion dollars annually, more than other conditions like asthma, heart failure, and emphysema.
Mark Fendrick MD, from the Consortium for Health Outcomes, Innovation, and Cost
Effectiveness at the University if Michigan says the cost of missed days at work and school due to colds is often overlooked. He adds some of the costs may be unnecessary. Fendrick said, "What was a surprise, is how often the public uses the health care system to treat a cold. From a bottle of cough syrup to missed time at work and school, the price tag of catching a cold really adds up."
It’s really not a big deal that can turn into a big deal. We have a lot of things in our life that start out pretty small and insignificant that turns out to be huge in the end. More times then not, the results are not good.
For example look what happen to the Children of Israel. After years of oppression at the hands of their Egyptian captors, God sent Moses to deliver them. En route to the "Promised Land" God provided for their every need, yet they weren't satisfied with God's provisions. Verse five says, "And the people spoke against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.'" There is a reason we call them the "Children of Israel," listen to them-don't they sound like a bunch of spoiled children? In one place they say they have no food. OK, being without food is a reason to complain. But then they say, we "loathe this miserable food." So which is it? Do they have food or not?
Philippians 2:14-16a gives some good advise to everyone who tends toward being a complainer. It says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…." (NIV)
God punished them for their complaining. He sent fiery serpents to bite them. Some say these snakes are called "fiery" because of their color, others because their venom burnt as it entered the body. We don't know for sure which it is, but we do know that their bite was fatal, and the punishment brought the people to their knees. Verse 7 says, "So the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.' And Moses interceded for the people."
Notice what they confessed to. They confessed that their murmuring against Moses was also against God. They also confessed that their complaining constituted sin. But also notice what they wanted God to take away-the punishment. They asked God to remove the punishment, but did not ask Him to remove their sin.
Like the Children of Israel, we are quick to ask God to remove our punishments and slow to ask Him to remove our sins. Have you ever considered what sin cost us?
I hate colds and I have one. It started on Wednesday of this last week that plugged up feeling in the middle of your face. You know what’s coming on. Then it’s the soreness, the constant drip and low energy. Many on Sunday, after hearing me talk, asked why didn’t I get one of the staff members to speak? My reply is simple …it’s not that big of a deal. Oh is it?
The study surveyed 4,000 homes by telephone nationwide. 75% of the households surveyed reported suffering from a cold within the last year, with an average of 2.5 episodes a year. The households were asked to report their doctor bills, cost of over-the counter medication, and the cost of prescription drugs. They also reported days of work or school missed due to a cold.
The study found that Americans spend $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs and another $400 million on prescription medicines for relief of cold symptoms. Researchers discovered $1.1 billion dollars is spent every year on 41 million antibiotic prescriptions for cold sufferers, though antibiotics have no effect on a viral illness.
The battle against the common cold costs the US economy $40 billion dollars annually, more than other conditions like asthma, heart failure, and emphysema.
Mark Fendrick MD, from the Consortium for Health Outcomes, Innovation, and Cost
Effectiveness at the University if Michigan says the cost of missed days at work and school due to colds is often overlooked. He adds some of the costs may be unnecessary. Fendrick said, "What was a surprise, is how often the public uses the health care system to treat a cold. From a bottle of cough syrup to missed time at work and school, the price tag of catching a cold really adds up."
It’s really not a big deal that can turn into a big deal. We have a lot of things in our life that start out pretty small and insignificant that turns out to be huge in the end. More times then not, the results are not good.
For example look what happen to the Children of Israel. After years of oppression at the hands of their Egyptian captors, God sent Moses to deliver them. En route to the "Promised Land" God provided for their every need, yet they weren't satisfied with God's provisions. Verse five says, "And the people spoke against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.'" There is a reason we call them the "Children of Israel," listen to them-don't they sound like a bunch of spoiled children? In one place they say they have no food. OK, being without food is a reason to complain. But then they say, we "loathe this miserable food." So which is it? Do they have food or not?
Philippians 2:14-16a gives some good advise to everyone who tends toward being a complainer. It says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…." (NIV)
God punished them for their complaining. He sent fiery serpents to bite them. Some say these snakes are called "fiery" because of their color, others because their venom burnt as it entered the body. We don't know for sure which it is, but we do know that their bite was fatal, and the punishment brought the people to their knees. Verse 7 says, "So the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.' And Moses interceded for the people."
Notice what they confessed to. They confessed that their murmuring against Moses was also against God. They also confessed that their complaining constituted sin. But also notice what they wanted God to take away-the punishment. They asked God to remove the punishment, but did not ask Him to remove their sin.
Like the Children of Israel, we are quick to ask God to remove our punishments and slow to ask Him to remove our sins. Have you ever considered what sin cost us?
Sunday, February 05, 2006
A Gift to The Chapel!
In the last week, our church council has learned a lot about the wild and wacky world of buyers and sellers. In our case we are the sellers.
Over the years, many people sacrificed and shared their individual gifts to secure 2 acres of land and a building called Good News Church. With the merger competed between The Chapel and Good News and following the recondition of the leadership of Good News we begin what I thought would be a long process of selling the church property.
What I didn't know, is that it took a matter of only 21 days to come to a major decision.
I learned so much in this process. One, God is in control and many times, he leads you in places that may not match what the professionals recommend. But if you are praying, you can't make the wrong decision.
Another thing I learned is that relationships can be strengthen or weaken through the process. Thank the Lord, I can say with those I spend most the time with, it was strengthen.
All and all, I have learned a lot and I will be better prepared for next time.
have a great day!
In the last week, our church council has learned a lot about the wild and wacky world of buyers and sellers. In our case we are the sellers.
Over the years, many people sacrificed and shared their individual gifts to secure 2 acres of land and a building called Good News Church. With the merger competed between The Chapel and Good News and following the recondition of the leadership of Good News we begin what I thought would be a long process of selling the church property.
What I didn't know, is that it took a matter of only 21 days to come to a major decision.
I learned so much in this process. One, God is in control and many times, he leads you in places that may not match what the professionals recommend. But if you are praying, you can't make the wrong decision.
Another thing I learned is that relationships can be strengthen or weaken through the process. Thank the Lord, I can say with those I spend most the time with, it was strengthen.
All and all, I have learned a lot and I will be better prepared for next time.
have a great day!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
A Call to Discipleship!
In doing some study and thinking about the church and discipleship, I came across some thoughts from other pastor's and churches . . .in organizing my thoughts, I came up with six stages of discipleship.
1. Investigation of the claims of Christ
2. Initial decision to be a follower of Christ
3. Identification by taking baptism (open confession and witness)
4. Incorporation - by joining the fellowship of a local church
5. Instruction - by receiving spiritual nurture from the Word of God
6. Involvement - as a responsible member in witness and service of the local
church and society.
these stages seem like a good order for moving through the stages of the Christian journey. I would say that the last three happens as a trio of stages. This list of stages also gives the church an opportunity to evaluate how we the church is doing in their callings.
Have an awesome day.
In doing some study and thinking about the church and discipleship, I came across some thoughts from other pastor's and churches . . .in organizing my thoughts, I came up with six stages of discipleship.
1. Investigation of the claims of Christ
2. Initial decision to be a follower of Christ
3. Identification by taking baptism (open confession and witness)
4. Incorporation - by joining the fellowship of a local church
5. Instruction - by receiving spiritual nurture from the Word of God
6. Involvement - as a responsible member in witness and service of the local
church and society.
these stages seem like a good order for moving through the stages of the Christian journey. I would say that the last three happens as a trio of stages. This list of stages also gives the church an opportunity to evaluate how we the church is doing in their callings.
Have an awesome day.
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