Monday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 18-19
NT: 2 Thessalonians 1
W&W: Psalm 119.9-16
Tuesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 20
NT: 2 Thessalonians 2
W&W: Psalm 119.17-24
Wednesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 21
NT: 2 Thessalonians 3
W&W: Psalm 119.25-32
Thursday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 22
NT: 1 Timothy 1
W&W: Psalm 119.33-40
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 23-24
NT: 1 Timothy 2
W&W: Psalm 119.41-48
Today’s Reflection:
Have you ever had someone say to you, “I’m thankful for you”? How did it make you feel? Appreciated? No doubt. Valued? Of course. But, have you ever stopped to consider what it is that would make someone else thankful for you? The Apostle Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians that he was thankful for them because “your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1.3).
Growing faith and increasing love. Those things bring gratitude to the hearts of those who are responsible for your spiritual development. As a father, I am thankful for my kids – and I boast about them – when I see them growing in faith and increasing in love. It has been such a joy to see them – as adults – to develop their own faith and relationships. I just stand back and say, “Yeah. They got it.”
I believe that we bring gratitude to the heart of Jesus when he sees our faith in him growing and our love for each other increasing. Think about it – Jesus himself thankful for your growth and love! Makes you want to grow and increase a little more, doesn’t it?
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.26: What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Towne Hall Meeting – Keep the Information Flowing!
Thursday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 14-15
NT: 1 Thessalonians 4
W&W: Psalm 118.15-29
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 16-17
NT: 1 Thessalonians 5
W&W: Psalm 119.1-8
Today’s Reflection:
Finishing up on the questions submitted to the Towne Hall Meeting, following is my response to the question asked about getting people connected to the church:
I have said a lot about what I believe to be the necessary marks of a disciple. A follower of Jesus Christ is one who…
· Knows God in Worship
· Shows Love in Relationship
· Grows Up in Discipleship
· Goes Out in Citizenship
· Sows Seeds of Partnership (praying, giving, inviting, serving)
· Flows Out in Leadership (This sixth component is not requisite for all Christ-followers because God does not call everyone to lead.)
With that in mind, I believe we should design the ministries and programs of the church to develop all these ingredients of the Christian life. But, we also need to be simple in our approach and not duplicate our efforts. I believe we should plan one main activity to provide for expression of each of the first 4 marks of the disciple. Something like…
· Know – our worship service
· Show – our Sunday school
· Grow – our Sunday night (used to be “evangelistic hour, but no longer…”)
· Go – Wednesday night ministries and Mission and community involvement
There could be other ways to meet these needs, but we must keep the structure simple and communicate it.
These 4 ministries would grow out of the seedbed of…
· Sow – pray, give, invite, serve
And the first 5 would be overseen by identified leaders:
· Flow – equipping God’s people for works of service
More important than the ministries and programs themselves, however, are the transitions between ministries. We not only need to plan good ministries, we need to be purposeful about how we are going to get people to transition along the path of spiritual development. For example, one of the main concerns during our worship time should be how are we going to encourage people to move into small groups. We need to make a structure for that to happen and build it into our weekly ministries.
In summary, I plan to increase member engagement by:
· Doing what we do best
· Getting everybody in small groups
· Focusing on transitions
· Planning clear and positive methods of communication
I hope these blog postings have been helpful to you – both Bethel Nazarenes and others who have kept up with them.
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
OT: Ezekiel 14-15
NT: 1 Thessalonians 4
W&W: Psalm 118.15-29
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 16-17
NT: 1 Thessalonians 5
W&W: Psalm 119.1-8
Today’s Reflection:
Finishing up on the questions submitted to the Towne Hall Meeting, following is my response to the question asked about getting people connected to the church:
I have said a lot about what I believe to be the necessary marks of a disciple. A follower of Jesus Christ is one who…
· Knows God in Worship
· Shows Love in Relationship
· Grows Up in Discipleship
· Goes Out in Citizenship
· Sows Seeds of Partnership (praying, giving, inviting, serving)
· Flows Out in Leadership (This sixth component is not requisite for all Christ-followers because God does not call everyone to lead.)
With that in mind, I believe we should design the ministries and programs of the church to develop all these ingredients of the Christian life. But, we also need to be simple in our approach and not duplicate our efforts. I believe we should plan one main activity to provide for expression of each of the first 4 marks of the disciple. Something like…
· Know – our worship service
· Show – our Sunday school
· Grow – our Sunday night (used to be “evangelistic hour, but no longer…”)
· Go – Wednesday night ministries and Mission and community involvement
There could be other ways to meet these needs, but we must keep the structure simple and communicate it.
These 4 ministries would grow out of the seedbed of…
· Sow – pray, give, invite, serve
And the first 5 would be overseen by identified leaders:
· Flow – equipping God’s people for works of service
More important than the ministries and programs themselves, however, are the transitions between ministries. We not only need to plan good ministries, we need to be purposeful about how we are going to get people to transition along the path of spiritual development. For example, one of the main concerns during our worship time should be how are we going to encourage people to move into small groups. We need to make a structure for that to happen and build it into our weekly ministries.
In summary, I plan to increase member engagement by:
· Doing what we do best
· Getting everybody in small groups
· Focusing on transitions
· Planning clear and positive methods of communication
I hope these blog postings have been helpful to you – both Bethel Nazarenes and others who have kept up with them.
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Towne Hall Meeting – Ideas for Connection - I
Wednesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 13
NT: 1 Thessalonians 3
W&W: Psalm 118.1-14
Today’s Reflection:
A concern submitted to me for response at our Towne Hall Meetings was: “What are your ideas on ways we could get some of our adults connected to the church and grounded? (So many seem to have a very loose connection to the church and are uninvolved in any kind of ministry or even in Sunday school.)” I responded as follows:
This morning, I mentioned how important it is to be engaged in the church. Engagement is less about what you do as how you feel about the church. And how you feel is influenced by small groups, by communication, and by working in your areas of strengths and giftedness. We are going to do a congregational assessment in October to help us begin working toward having an engaged congregation.
But, considering the small groups factor of this equation, I am a Sunday school man… I believe that the old Sunday school song we used to sing is still true today: “Everybody ought to go to Sunday school!” We need to get people connected in relationships with one another. If a person does not make friends in the church in the first 6 months, then there is a great likelihood that he or she will drop out. Sunday school is the perfect structure for the making and keeping of spiritual friendships. I think we should set as a goal that 100% of our members should be actively involved in a Sunday school class – whenever they meet! We are planning to train the youth in REACH – a simple method for using Sunday school to care for each other and reach others outside the flock. We also are planning the addition of a new adult class this fall. I also want to continue visiting the adult Sunday school classes to help EACH one REACH one.
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
OT: Ezekiel 13
NT: 1 Thessalonians 3
W&W: Psalm 118.1-14
Today’s Reflection:
A concern submitted to me for response at our Towne Hall Meetings was: “What are your ideas on ways we could get some of our adults connected to the church and grounded? (So many seem to have a very loose connection to the church and are uninvolved in any kind of ministry or even in Sunday school.)” I responded as follows:
This morning, I mentioned how important it is to be engaged in the church. Engagement is less about what you do as how you feel about the church. And how you feel is influenced by small groups, by communication, and by working in your areas of strengths and giftedness. We are going to do a congregational assessment in October to help us begin working toward having an engaged congregation.
But, considering the small groups factor of this equation, I am a Sunday school man… I believe that the old Sunday school song we used to sing is still true today: “Everybody ought to go to Sunday school!” We need to get people connected in relationships with one another. If a person does not make friends in the church in the first 6 months, then there is a great likelihood that he or she will drop out. Sunday school is the perfect structure for the making and keeping of spiritual friendships. I think we should set as a goal that 100% of our members should be actively involved in a Sunday school class – whenever they meet! We are planning to train the youth in REACH – a simple method for using Sunday school to care for each other and reach others outside the flock. We also are planning the addition of a new adult class this fall. I also want to continue visiting the adult Sunday school classes to help EACH one REACH one.
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Be My Guest! (Or Can I Be Yours?)
Tuesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 12
NT: 1 Thessalonians 2
W&W: Psalm 117
Today’s Reflection:
A question was submitted for our Towne Hall Meeting at Bethel Nazarene concerning visitation: “Are you and Lana visiting your flock in their homes or do Pastor Noel and Jean do all the visitations for the church?”
Concerning visitation, I’ve answered a similar question in my posting of September 3, but the phrasing of this question allows me to address it from another perspective.
First of all, Lana is visiting with me, but you cannot always expect her. She loves to come, but her schedule does not always match the need.
Second, when it comes to visiting “in their homes” I would say yes and no. If there is a need, and I am aware of it, and as time passes, I am going to visit in homes. But I am not making cold calls in homes. I call for an appointment or respond to your invitation to come to your home. I sometimes receive requests for a pastoral visit or input as to when a visit may be needed, and I respond appropriately. But I am not able to make it a practice just to visit in the homes of my flock. Time simply does not permit it. I enjoy being with my people, though. If you want to invite me over, I’ll do my best to get there! But, make sure some un-churched people are there, too! Let’s be wise and make the most of every opportunity.
I am thankful for Pastor Dale and Jean and the work they do. Dale works alongside me and visits as he is able. We are still working out a plan, but they way we have initially set it up is for me to visit pre-surgery in the hospital if I can and for Dale to follow up after the surgery. If an extended hospital stay is required, I try to make it back. I’m glad that Dale is gifted and available as he is! Isn’t God good to provide the leadership and service we need!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
OT: Ezekiel 12
NT: 1 Thessalonians 2
W&W: Psalm 117
Today’s Reflection:
A question was submitted for our Towne Hall Meeting at Bethel Nazarene concerning visitation: “Are you and Lana visiting your flock in their homes or do Pastor Noel and Jean do all the visitations for the church?”
Concerning visitation, I’ve answered a similar question in my posting of September 3, but the phrasing of this question allows me to address it from another perspective.
First of all, Lana is visiting with me, but you cannot always expect her. She loves to come, but her schedule does not always match the need.
Second, when it comes to visiting “in their homes” I would say yes and no. If there is a need, and I am aware of it, and as time passes, I am going to visit in homes. But I am not making cold calls in homes. I call for an appointment or respond to your invitation to come to your home. I sometimes receive requests for a pastoral visit or input as to when a visit may be needed, and I respond appropriately. But I am not able to make it a practice just to visit in the homes of my flock. Time simply does not permit it. I enjoy being with my people, though. If you want to invite me over, I’ll do my best to get there! But, make sure some un-churched people are there, too! Let’s be wise and make the most of every opportunity.
I am thankful for Pastor Dale and Jean and the work they do. Dale works alongside me and visits as he is able. We are still working out a plan, but they way we have initially set it up is for me to visit pre-surgery in the hospital if I can and for Dale to follow up after the surgery. If an extended hospital stay is required, I try to make it back. I’m glad that Dale is gifted and available as he is! Isn’t God good to provide the leadership and service we need!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Keep the Information Flowing!
Monday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 11
NT: 1 Thessalonians
W&W: Psalm 116
Tuesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 12
NT: 1 Thessalonians 2
W&W: Psalm 117
Wednesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 13
NT: 1 Thessalonians 3
W&W: Psalm 118.1-14
Thursday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 14-15
NT: 1 Thessalonians 4
W&W: Psalm 118.15-29
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 16-17
NT: 1 Thessalonians 5
W&W: Psalm 119.1-8
Today’s Reflection:
This week I will finish up my reports from our Towne Hall Meetings at Bethel Nazarene. Two people expressed concern about receiving updates from the board meetings. One person even wrote: “We never know what happens at board meetings. We don’t need to know everything discussed but we deserve to know what decisions are made. Some people who are not board members know everything but most of us know nothing.”
This is an important matter as I believe poor communication is a leading cause of confusion in a church family. I responded to these concerns as follows:
Concerning the board meetings, I am sorry we haven’t kept you adequately informed. I believe in openness! We are taking steps to post the board minutes and treasurers report along with other reports. Elaine has prepared a place for us to post them. Also, in the future, I hope that our Towne Hall Meetings can move beyond these initial concerns and move to the ongoing progress of our ministries. We have much to pray over and work toward, don’t we!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
OT: Ezekiel 11
NT: 1 Thessalonians
W&W: Psalm 116
Tuesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 12
NT: 1 Thessalonians 2
W&W: Psalm 117
Wednesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 13
NT: 1 Thessalonians 3
W&W: Psalm 118.1-14
Thursday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 14-15
NT: 1 Thessalonians 4
W&W: Psalm 118.15-29
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 16-17
NT: 1 Thessalonians 5
W&W: Psalm 119.1-8
Today’s Reflection:
This week I will finish up my reports from our Towne Hall Meetings at Bethel Nazarene. Two people expressed concern about receiving updates from the board meetings. One person even wrote: “We never know what happens at board meetings. We don’t need to know everything discussed but we deserve to know what decisions are made. Some people who are not board members know everything but most of us know nothing.”
This is an important matter as I believe poor communication is a leading cause of confusion in a church family. I responded to these concerns as follows:
Concerning the board meetings, I am sorry we haven’t kept you adequately informed. I believe in openness! We are taking steps to post the board minutes and treasurers report along with other reports. Elaine has prepared a place for us to post them. Also, in the future, I hope that our Towne Hall Meetings can move beyond these initial concerns and move to the ongoing progress of our ministries. We have much to pray over and work toward, don’t we!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.25: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Towne Hall Meeting – Music - IV
Thursday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 7-8
NT: Colossians 3
W&W: Psalm 114
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 9-10
NT: Colossians 4
W&W: Psalm 115
Today’s Reflection:
In the Towne Hall Meeting, another person was wondering about… singing songs from our hymnal on Sunday mornings with the piano and organ. Following is my response:
We’ve addressed music already, but let me say that we are taking the approach of John Wesley when the great Methodist revival swept across Great Britain. We need to be sensitive to our target audience. The Wesleys used the music that related to the people of the day. They often borrowed barroom melodies and wrote Christian lyrics for them. Many who would attend Wesley’s field meetings felt uncomfortable in the Anglican Church. They felt out of place, and even unwanted. Wesley used music to bridge that gap and welcome the sinner home to the Savior.
We would all agree that we want young people and lost people to feel comfortable at our church. If we don’t make them feel welcome, our church will no longer exist two generations from now. But at the same time, we want to feed and nourish the souls of the saints.
The two goals are not antithetical. I had an eye-opening experience several years ago at Rick Warren’s church and David Jeremiah’s church. I attended Warren’s service on Saturday night. It was very informal with drama, contemporary choruses and a relaxed atmosphere and dress. Jeremiah’s service the next morning was very formal with pipe organ, 200 voice choir, and an orchestra leading in hymns. Both services were filled with people of every age. Music reaches people. But, if we take it and make it a wedge issue, it will divide us and we will be conquered. For us, a blend is needed. We can do it together! We can!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
OT: Ezekiel 7-8
NT: Colossians 3
W&W: Psalm 114
Friday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 9-10
NT: Colossians 4
W&W: Psalm 115
Today’s Reflection:
In the Towne Hall Meeting, another person was wondering about… singing songs from our hymnal on Sunday mornings with the piano and organ. Following is my response:
We’ve addressed music already, but let me say that we are taking the approach of John Wesley when the great Methodist revival swept across Great Britain. We need to be sensitive to our target audience. The Wesleys used the music that related to the people of the day. They often borrowed barroom melodies and wrote Christian lyrics for them. Many who would attend Wesley’s field meetings felt uncomfortable in the Anglican Church. They felt out of place, and even unwanted. Wesley used music to bridge that gap and welcome the sinner home to the Savior.
We would all agree that we want young people and lost people to feel comfortable at our church. If we don’t make them feel welcome, our church will no longer exist two generations from now. But at the same time, we want to feed and nourish the souls of the saints.
The two goals are not antithetical. I had an eye-opening experience several years ago at Rick Warren’s church and David Jeremiah’s church. I attended Warren’s service on Saturday night. It was very informal with drama, contemporary choruses and a relaxed atmosphere and dress. Jeremiah’s service the next morning was very formal with pipe organ, 200 voice choir, and an orchestra leading in hymns. Both services were filled with people of every age. Music reaches people. But, if we take it and make it a wedge issue, it will divide us and we will be conquered. For us, a blend is needed. We can do it together! We can!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Towne Hall Meeting - Music, III
Wednesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Ezekiel 6
NT: Colossians 2
W&W: Psalm 113
Today’s Reflection:
Continuing on the topic of our music at Bethel Nazarene Church…
We sing hymns and choruses together. And, I am glad, for the beautiful, theologically rich hymns are a staple of our experience of God. I think that the mix was working when I arrived, and it is still working. As far as singing them from the hymnal, that is not as easy as I thought it was. Our Worship Director can explain that for us… (Mark then did so, but I did not “capture” the content of his response. If you are interested, the audio is available on BNC’s website which can be accessed from my favorite sites.)
In response to another, related, question…
I once had an old and very wise evangelist tell me that he never closed an invitation until he had sung at least three verses. He said it took three times for the people to loosen up and respond. I’ve watched that since then, and I’ve found it to be true more often than not.
Sometimes we sing choruses three times in order to really let it penetrate into our hearts. I know that many of the old hymns – which have 3 or 4 or 5 verses – often have a chorus or refrain between each verse. It has been a part of the church’s music for generations – probably dating back to the chanting style worship songs sung by the early congregations – to repeat choruses to drive their message home. Even the Psalms, used in ancient worship, provide us evidence of reinforcement through repetition.
I trust the Lord to lead our worship director to fulfill his calling and assignment. And, by saying that, I am not passing the buck. If I feel the Lord saying to me that we need to make a change, I will not hesitate to instruct Mark. He works for me and we both know that I have the final say (humanly speaking) in our services. And, I accept responsibility for the content of our services.
Tomorrow we will finish up our series on the music at BNC!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
OT: Ezekiel 6
NT: Colossians 2
W&W: Psalm 113
Today’s Reflection:
Continuing on the topic of our music at Bethel Nazarene Church…
We sing hymns and choruses together. And, I am glad, for the beautiful, theologically rich hymns are a staple of our experience of God. I think that the mix was working when I arrived, and it is still working. As far as singing them from the hymnal, that is not as easy as I thought it was. Our Worship Director can explain that for us… (Mark then did so, but I did not “capture” the content of his response. If you are interested, the audio is available on BNC’s website which can be accessed from my favorite sites.)
In response to another, related, question…
I once had an old and very wise evangelist tell me that he never closed an invitation until he had sung at least three verses. He said it took three times for the people to loosen up and respond. I’ve watched that since then, and I’ve found it to be true more often than not.
Sometimes we sing choruses three times in order to really let it penetrate into our hearts. I know that many of the old hymns – which have 3 or 4 or 5 verses – often have a chorus or refrain between each verse. It has been a part of the church’s music for generations – probably dating back to the chanting style worship songs sung by the early congregations – to repeat choruses to drive their message home. Even the Psalms, used in ancient worship, provide us evidence of reinforcement through repetition.
I trust the Lord to lead our worship director to fulfill his calling and assignment. And, by saying that, I am not passing the buck. If I feel the Lord saying to me that we need to make a change, I will not hesitate to instruct Mark. He works for me and we both know that I have the final say (humanly speaking) in our services. And, I accept responsibility for the content of our services.
Tomorrow we will finish up our series on the music at BNC!
This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Matthew 16.24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
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