Preaching/Communication

I've been challenged in the last few months by personal accountability and study to rethink if my preaching/communication style is making the text clear. I came across this article today by Steven Smith (my preaching professor at Southwestern) in the Southwestern Journal of Theology:

Preachers are communicators. There is more to say about preaching, but it could be said fairly that contemporary preaching is often cursed with individuals so committed to a certain style of preaching that they fail to communicate. The ministry of the word is not the attempt to mirror a style or react against a style, rather it is to make the teaching of the text plain.

Does anyone else need to rethink their style of communication?

Talent Offering

Last night at the gathering everyone in attendance received a $1 dollar bill. We discussed the passage of Matthew 25 (the parable of the talents), and explained that God has given everyone gifts and abilities and it is up to us if we are going to be good stewards or waste them.

We encouraged everyone to take a $1 dollar bill and ask God what he or she should do to raise money to renovate our worship room. I got some really creative responses from some of our college students: yard sales, selling hotdogs at the beach, doing yardwork for people, etc.

It is up to you to raise the funds...we are excited to see what God is going to do this month as we raise money to renovate the worship room! What are some of your ideas?

Anyone been invited?

I am studying for this weekend's talk at the gathering and I am going over some research that discusses how many active church goers actually invite their friends and co-workers to church.

"Only 21 percent of active churchgoers invite anyone to church in the course of a year. But only 2 percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church." (The Unchurched Next Door, p.25)

This is a staggering statistic that needs to be reversed. Any thoughts on how we can do this?

Summer Schedule

In the past 9 months, the gathering has grown really fast...we are seeing more and more people come every single week! This is definitely a God thing, but there are a few opportunities that we need to address so we can continue to see the growth we desire.

The biggest issue that we are facing is that there are a few people that are failing to make a connection when they come to the gathering. We can't tell who is a guest or who is a regular attendee. Our welcome team does a good job most of the time, but there is always one or two that come that we don't get a chance to meet. There are also some who come weekly because they enjoy the music or teaching but they have yet to connect with another college/young adult.

So this summer, we are going to focus our attention and resources on building healthy relationships. We are going to have multiple events/activities with the sole purpose of getting to know each other better. Please check this website and our facebook page for the summer schedule so you can connect with other college/young adults in our community and church!

Do You Have Vision?

Dwight Smith had this to say about people with crystal clear vision:

"There is an itch about something that must be done that animates their lives. They cannot let it go! It is important to emphasize that such a vision does not come from trying to have one. In all of these people, it simply comes! God has so demonstrated Himself that they are filled with a picture of something that must be done." (www.scpi.org/index.php?page=peopleofvision)

Is the vision for your life self-centered or is it God-breathed?

Cell Phone

My phone is broken and I will be without a cell phone for a few days. I guess I will be able to enjoy some quiet evenings. I'm just glad I'm not the pastor on-call this week! ;)

HIllsong London

On Tuesday night, the band from the gathering went to Hillsong London at Granger Community Church. Needless to say, the concert was incredible and many people trusted Christ.

I heard this quote that night from the lead singer of the band and I have heard my father say this before: "Stop asking God to bless what you are doing. Find out what He is doing because it is already blessed."

There is some major truth to this quote! What do you think about it?

Leadership Proverb

I read this proverb from a Chinese philosopher some time ago and have been pondering it ever since. What do you think about it?

A leader is best when people are hardly aware of his existence, not so good when people praise his government, less good when people stand in fear, worst when people are contemptuous. Fail to honor people, and they will fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who speaks little, when his task is accomplished, his work done, the people say, "We did it ourselves!"

Out-of-balance

Many of us are out-of-balance. We do not recognize who God is, and we don't recognize the critical balance between fear and love.

If we focus our attention on the fear side, we become legalistic. Christianity becomes nothing but rituals and regulations. "I must jump through this hoop, I must do this and do that, or else God might punish me."

On the other hand, we can go in the opposite direction when we take too many liberties with God. We think that since God loves us unconditionally, it does not matter how we live our life. Yes, God does love us unconditionally; but His judgment is connected to our love for Him. We should obey Him because we love Him, but a part of that love is a fearful realization that God is an awesome and powerful judge who will hold us accountable for our actions.

If we fall too far on the side of love and liberty, we can become lazy about our Christian commitment. Achieving this perfect balance between fear and love is one of the greatest goals of spiritual maturity.

White Paint

My wife and I bought a house two weeks ago. This is our first home and we are incredibly thankful to manage this home that God has given to us! Unfortunately or fortunately (however you look at it), this home is a foreclosure.

If you know anything about foreclosures, most of them have been trashed by the previous residents, and our house is no exception. The carpet was molded to the basement floor and the walls and ceilings have been stained by years and years of smoke. To say the least it has been an interesting experience for the both of us
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The last few days, I have been spraying white paint over the ceilings and trim to give our house a fresh new look and make it attractive to live in.

Last night I couldn't help but think that what Amanda and I are doing to the nasty walls and stained ceilings is exactly what Christ has done in our lives. He has taken all of our mess ups, our junk, our mold and our screw ups and He has washed them clean and made them white never to be seen again.

I don't know about you, but I am thankful that I don't have to look at all of my stains and mold. I can look at my life and see that I have been made clean by the blood of Christ.

Monday Morning Thoughts

Last night we held the gathering at Davenport University. I am grateful to Davenport and the many volunteers that helped make last night incredible. We saw many many people walk into the room and most importantly we saw four college/young adults give their lives to Christ!

God is doing some amazing things in this ministry and I humbled that he has allowed me to be a part of it. I can't wait to see where God is going to take us in the next few months, and we want you to join us on this incredible journey!

Davenport Service

Yesterday, I spent over an hour at Davenport University checking out the room that we are going to use on March 15 for the gathering's service. The room is sweet and I am convinced that it is going to be a great night.

After spending time on the campus and hanging out with a few of the students that attend the gathering, I am convinced that the students at Davenport are ready for something like this. Be in prayer that we will see God do some amazing things on March 15!

IT'S FINALLY HERE

Check out our new website:

www.thegatheringgr.org

We are praying that God will use this new site as another way we can reach out to college/young adults in our community!

New Website

Hopefully in the next few weeks, the gathering's new website will be up and running. We are pumped for this opportunity and we hope we can use this as another effective tool to reach our community. Check back for a future post when the website is complete.

www.thegatheringgr.org

Planning vs. Preparing

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big time planner. I have a 10 year plan for my private life and I have a 10 year plan for my professional life. I can't help it, this is the way my mind works. But this week, I read something that has really messed me up...it has made me think and evaluate my life and ministry.

This is what I read:
Leaders must focus more on preparation than on planning. Planning relies on predictability. But preparation helps leaders stay clear amid uncertainty. Planning assumes continuity; preparation equips leader to be flexible enough to seize opportunity. It forces them to pray, learn, and discern what God is doing - all aspects of understanding God's unique vision for the church. After all, isn't it God who does the planning (Jer. 29:11)? [Church Unique p.25]

Does anyone else need to throw away their 10 year plan?

Coffee

For those who know me well, they know that I am a huge coffee drinker. Over the past year, I have been introduced to the Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker. I was leery at first to try this, but I now love it. In fact, my mother-in-law gave me a coffee maker for Christmas and now I wouldn't know what to do without it. Stop in my office sometime and will make you a cup of the sweet sweet goodness!

Church Unique

This book has rocked my world the past few days!

Friendship Registry

Yesterday we started something new at Heritage (I know it is crazy...something new in a baptist church). We presented to our people a new way of managing our Sunday Morning attendance...we call this the "Friendship Registry." Everyone who attends the Sunday Morning service will need to write their name in a folder and pass the folder down their row.

To our amazement, "most" people took the time to fill out the sheet in the folder. Because of the Friendship Registry, we had a record number of guests give us their information. This can only help us as our church continues to grow and as we strive for great organization.

This process will only be effective if we do the necessary follow-up on these people and stop making excuses of why we don't do the necessary follow-up that is needed to take our church to the next level.

Too much is on the line!