Sharing with family through Kelly's mom, Reba Clark's final days, celebrating the life of this amazing woman of faith. As I listened to music this morning & new Matt Redman song, O This God shuffled on in my playlist. I was captured by these lyrics that describe her life and her Savior.
Lyrics include: We won't fear the night, We are looking straight ahead, Never turning back, Counting on Your faithfulness. Chorus: O this God is our God even till the end, Standing strong over us, time and time again, Even till the end. (And also:) Jesus, You will always be our God, And we won't take our eyes off You
May all our lives declare that this God is our God, even till the end.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Poverty simply compounds every problem - and how you can help.
In our staff meeting on Wednesday, I showed our staff team this light-hearted but pointed video about 1st world problems and then showed this video about the possibilities of eliminating global poverty. In casting the vision that we can eliminate poverty within our generation, Dr. Scott Todd paints the picture of how poverty multiplies other challenges and disasters. As our temperature and humidity soared in greater Baltimore (101 today with a heat index of 125), most of us could stay inside in AC or find a place with AC. In East Africa, as the worst drought in 60 years continues, it's impact is multiplied by poverty. I just read that Somali Islamic extremists are banning foreign aid agencies, believing they are spies or Christian crusaders.
Want to help? You can make a difference in this crisis through World Vision's Horn of Africa Food Crisis fund, or by sponsoring a child in Nairobi, Kenya through Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) and Missions of Hope International (MOHI), or by giving to the Big Dent which provides microfinance loans through CMF and MOHI to help people make their way out of poverty.
Monday, July 18, 2011
First World Problems
Ever stop to think about how many of your problems are only problems that the 1st world faces? Watch this video and then consider how to address some 2/3 world problems.
BTW, the term "First World" and "Third World" are still used, but the "system" has lost its meaning because, well, there is no real "Second World" today. Here is some context.
First World: The developed world (like the U.S., Japan, France, etc.).
Second World: The communist world (think the Soviet Union, etc. back in the day).
Third World: The developing world (think most of Africa, for example).
For what it is worth, many now refer to the Third World as the Two Thirds World, which is more reflective of the reality today. Two thirds of the world lives there.
Finally, be sure to check out the Global Rich List to see how you fit in the world of global economics. It will make you think.
BTW, the term "First World" and "Third World" are still used, but the "system" has lost its meaning because, well, there is no real "Second World" today. Here is some context.
First World: The developed world (like the U.S., Japan, France, etc.).
Second World: The communist world (think the Soviet Union, etc. back in the day).
Third World: The developing world (think most of Africa, for example).
For what it is worth, many now refer to the Third World as the Two Thirds World, which is more reflective of the reality today. Two thirds of the world lives there.
Finally, be sure to check out the Global Rich List to see how you fit in the world of global economics. It will make you think.
Sponsor a child, change a life - and more!
If you already sponsor a child, here's a great article to encourage you in your efforts and to challenge you in your communication with your child. If you don't already sponsor a child, read this and consider the impact of just $1 per day.
Is it possible to end poverty in our generation?
Many of us at Mountain have been captured by the needs of the poor around the world. With our recent trip to Nairobi, Kenya and reports back from that team, God has wrecked our hearts anew. God, please continue to break our hearts for what breaks yours.
With that in mind, here is a great, thought provoking post and link by Jon Acuff:
Thursday, May 5, 2011
God is more interested in who I am becoming as a leader than what I do
At a great staff meeting yesterday, one of our staff shared this quote with our team as the statement that captivated her at a recent conference. It captivated me as well and brought to mind an article that I had just read in NavPress's online Discipleship Journal. It helps shape us to become the people God wants us to be as we lead.
Whether you and I are paid or unpaid staff, this article by Scott Morton confronts us and challenges us to raise the integrity of our leadership. Here are his eight questions:
1) Does my behavior match my teaching?
2) Do I lay heavy loads on my followers?
3) Am I trying to impress people?
4) Do I delight when my pupils surpass me?
5) Am I molding people in my image or Christ's?
6) Am I majoring on the majors?
7) Am I keeping up appearances to cover indulgence?
8) Do I consider myself superior to others?
Here is the complete article.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Osama bin Laden's death and conflicting emotions
Since the news broke last night about Osama bin Laden's death, I've experienced conflicting emotions.
said,
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"
Friday, April 29, 2011
Exponential - Main Session 5 - Matt Chandler
We need to be sure that we remember that other men and other women have gone before us and faithful carried the gospel forward for 2000 years before us.
The only reason we can have this dream, the only reason you are in this room, is that somebody dreamed this dream before you.
The book you hold in your hand thousands of people gave their lives. We likely won’t face death because they did.
Let the text grab you a bit before you run out with Jesus flag and get yourself killed and His name dishonored.
John says, In the beginning was the word (logos) and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. John used Greek language to engage the Greeks.
Paul in Acts 13 talks of Israel in the desert, quotes from Torah, from the Prophets, all in one text. Paul then also engages in Athens and with Pagans and doesn’t use the Jewish scriptures at all. He uses Athenian poetry and secular prophets. This will blow the minds of fundamentalists. You’ve got in the text, Paul and John contextualizing the gospel.
It’s messy, it’s not clean. We’re all on slippery slopes.
There isn’t any doctrine that doesn’t create issues that have to be addressed.
This isn’t new, it’s just our turn.
Paul doesn’t want John Mark, Barnabas is all mercy, so they split over philosophy and not theology but the gospel spreads. We need to quit judging one another in 5 minute sound bites on YouTube.
But Paul calls out people by name in public letters in scripture.
Let’s just shut up. We disagree. We do things that others don’t like. Let’s get past it and ask, “are we on the same team?” Do we both believe in essential doctrine?
Hebrews 12:1
Let’s not judge success the way we evangelicals judge success, look at the results of the list in Hebrews 11. But growth is also fruit.
Listen to the Spirit, proclaim the gospel, it works.
Vs. 1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.
Apparently there are things that hinder us that are not necessarily sin.
Comfort is not a bad thing, unless…
Safety is not a bad thing, unless…
Money is not a bad thing, unless…
unless they own you.
TV, sleep, food, etc.
What are the hindrances that are robbing me of joy in Jesus Christ?
Are you godly? This is a question that has to be answered.
How’s your home?
Are you in the word?
Are you godly, because sin will choke you out and publicly ridicule the name of our God?
Some of you figured out in youth group that by saying the right things publicly, people honored you, and you found your place and how to behave in it and you started playing the game.
You may not be saved…you may be good…but you may not be saved.
Vs. 1 cont. - And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
God allows our wounds sometimes to protect us from ourselves.
You are not the next Billy Graham, or the next Rick Warren.
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
God’s affection for me is not about my performance but is rooted solely in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Vs. 2 - fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Looking to Jesus because he is the founder and perfecter of our faith.
God started looking for me, I didn’t go looking for it. Jesus was the pioneer, he started it, I didn’t.
God allowed my cancer. He didn’t cause but he allowed it.
He did so to keep me deeply tied to him.
Discipline isn’t that we’ve done bad.
Those of us 35 and up were disciplined (spanked, anyone could hit us). Those 35 and under had to go in a corner and think about it.
Thorn was to keep us from an evil spirit that tormented us.
We’re going to make mistakes, the cross tells us that we’re going to make a lot mistakes.
God knows we’re going to fail. The glory of God is not that he uses you in your awesome. The glory of God is that he uses you in your frailty. Please do not celebrate yourself or other messengers.
In your Bible, Moses dies. It’s a verse long.
Joshua dies. It’s a verse long.
It’s important that we’re wired into Jesus who…
2 For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
If you don’t find your assurance in Jesus, you are going to find it somewhere.
We can play the game. We know when to raise our hands during the song. We know what to say. We are fine when someone asks. We’re not looking to the cross. When we’re looking to the cross we can easily admit that we need help and we get it.
We’ve been set free to pursue Jesus.
The more you understand the cross, the more you understand that God is not in love with the future you. It’s for you now that Christ died. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Has the cross scorned the shame?
What the devil meant for destruction has now become a brag in the grace of God. Where else can that happen? Where people with a disgraceful past can brag about what God has done in them.
It’s our time to play.
Back wherever your from, there is a man at work who is miserable. He hates his life and has accomplished his dreams. He hates his wife, his kids are miserable. But because you heed the word of God and follow the Spirit’s direction, he’ll heed the gospel and accept God’s grace and will be worshipping God by the time we gather next year.
Or you’ll think I’m talking with someone else and you can continue walking in sinfulness and ignoring God’s work of the cross in your life.
It is our turn.
Main Session 5 – Closing - Jo Saxton
weare3dm.com
5000+ MC’s, 6 continents, 750 church plants in the last 3 years.
The one thing you need to know from these experiences?
Discipleship is at the heart of all we do. If we make disciples, we always get the church. If we focus on building the church, we will rarely get disciples.
What is your plan for making disciples?
Does your plan work?
We don’t have a leadership problem primarily?
We don’t have a missional problem primarily?
We do have a discipleship problem. We struggle to make disciples who make disciples. Who live like Jesus, doing what he did.
Jesus invited his disciples into covenant relationship but also sent them out with Kingdom responsibility.
3DM – leaders invite people into their missional community (huddles).
Discipleship according to Jesus model is threefold:
Information -> Imitation -> Innovation
Information – teaching is an important part but only one part of how Jesus does discipleship
Imitation – Rabbis weren’t just about information but would give access to their lives so their disciples could see how they lived their lives. 1 Corinthians 11:1. Does our plan for discipleship include imitation? Rather than our huddles just being inside, we were invited into mission along with our leaders. They invited us into Kingdom responsibility. Are we prepared to open our lives for others to imitate? Do we have the time? Will we allow the access? Does anyone want your life?
Innovation – Jesus told them that they would do greater things. (I’m sure they didn’t believe him). But Peter preached on Pentecost and 3000 were baptized. They helped launch and lead the church. They taught, they shepherded, they healed, they poured into lives, and invited people into covenant relationships and Kingdom responsibility.
Discipleship is making disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
God is still doing this today.
What did God say to you this week? Was it the city? Was it the 60% who are not being reached by an attractional church alone?
Make disciples and go. Make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
What we’ll find if we’ll go to the broken and to the lost, is that they will huddle around our kitchen tables.
The world is waiting for us. They may not recognize it, they may not feel it, but it is their hunger.
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Main Session 4 - On the Verge: Do It - Matt Carter
Ephesians 4:11-13 – So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
God has gifted you so that you would equip the people of God.
If the church of America is declining, then pay attention to this verse.
Ephesians 4:16 - From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
When the whole church is doing its part, it grows and builds itself up.
The current attractional model of church is incomplete.
The book Transformation by Bob Roberts. What if, in attempt to reach America for Christ, that we were going to start 1000 megachurches in 10 years. (That wouldn’t do it, we just did that.) God is using this but it is not working at penetrating the lostness of this country.
I’m also sensing a growing sense of restlessness in the laity of the American church.
18-30 year olds are not wired like our parents generation. They are not okay with sitting on the sidelines of ministry or doing tasks to keep the machine running. They are hardwired to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They are hemorrhaging from the church because our churches haven’t figured that out yet.
Our motto has been “come to us.” And for those who did, that’s where it stopped.
We’ve placed the onus of mission on paid clergy and missionaries and the person in the pew wonders why the Christianity they see in the book of Acts is so different than the Christianity I see in my church. They began to wonder why they don’t get to use the power of the Holy Spirit that they were supposed to receive upon their conversion.
If 3000 more people come through our doors, then not much changes in the city of Austin. What if, instead of spending all this money to get people to come to our church, we spend a bunch of money and time to get 3000 people to leave our church. To equip them and release them to mission and ministry and then the whole city could change.
Jesus’ strategy was not to build a megachurch. He had the crowds at times but at the height of his popularity he looked at the crowd and said something so radical most left. Then he poured his life into equipping 12 and 72 to send them out on mission, to release them empowered with the Holy Spirit and the resurrection.
Is it possible to do both?
To attract people by the dozens, hundreds, and thousands AND also to release people by the dozens, hundreds and thousands. It is possible to be attractional and missional.
How did we make this transition into missional communities?
Trained, challenged, and equipped small group leaders who in turn, trained, challenged, and equipped their groups. To come together and live on mission for God and the church.
1) Change the definition of success. Our small group leaders who used to simply gather in people from the main service, and had community, studied the Bible and encouraged life change must move beyond that. To find the place of lostness, deep need in our community and invest yourselves on mission into bringing care, love, peace, and healing to that place. There is no better place to find community and have your life be transformed than in a group on mission.
2) Train small group leaders like you would train a missionary. You can’t train them like a Bible study leader. You have to train them to be able to feed themselves. Train them theologically, missional practice so that if God calls them to be released and lead their own church, they are equipped and we applaud it.
3) We have raised the bar for what it looks like for a missional community to engage in. We want them to know that the sky is the limit. Your people are capable of more than you would ever dream they are capable of. They have the Spirit’s power and the power of the resurrection inside of them.
Your people are more hungry to be used by God than you and I will ever know.
Main Session 4 - On the Verge: Do It - Ed Stetzer
Will put notes on my blog tomorrow because I’ll talk fast.
We’ll see momentum rooted in the mission of God.
As the Father has sent me, so send I you.
God
-Source
-God has a mission
-God desires to be glorified to make himself known
God is on a mission
-started in creation
-God sends the Son
-God sends the Spirit
God’s mission has a church.
You don’t need to find a mission, God already has a mission for you to join.
Kingdom
-Reign of God
God sends the Son to establish the Kingdom
Jesus establishes this Kingdom by:
-Saving – the gospel proclamation
- defeats sin and death
- redeems a people through forgiveness of sin
- we do it because he has done it.
-Serving – Gospel demonstration - Luke 4 – Jesus’ mission statement
- Sending – Gospel promulgation – Great Commission
- Kingdom births the church in its wake
Church
Partners with, joins Jesus on His mission
-Saving – gospel proclamation
-Serving – gospel demonstration
-Sending – gospel promulgation
God sends the Spirit to:
-empower the church
-gathers the church
-scatters the church
The church is not the center of God’s plan but it is central to God’s plan.
The Missional Manifesto – themissionalmanifesto.net
World
Context
The church is sent into the world
-joins Jesus’ mission
-sign/instrument of Kingdom
- ambassadors – we do it for and with the King
- have the keys to the Kingdom – entryway through gospel
- no gates will hold it back
- “I will be with you always to the end of the age.”
God’s Glory
-Glorified
-Church is redeemed for God’s glory
-Mission is completed for God’s glory
-All things restored for God’s glory
Most of our efforts and strategies are located between the Church and the World parts of God’s Mission. We need to keep in mind overall picture of God’s mission.
Exponential - Workshop 4 - Simple Systems that Work – Shawn Lovejoy
75% of Mountain Lake Church's adults are active in small groups and 80% active in ministry. In this workshop, Shawn will discuss the simple steps and systems his church has had in place since the beginning that have allowed it to connect people quickly and break through various growth barriers. Do you need a breakthrough?
We stumbled on some simple systems.
Transferrable to all sizes.
Enjoy the meat and spit out the bones. Some of it Eyou’ll take and some you’ll leave depending on your culture.
Great Commission
To create simple systems that work, we must redefine discipleship.
At first, we created systems to assimilate people. But I couldn’t find that in the gospel. Assimilating people is a good strategy for building an organization but discipleship is the strategy of building a church.
Not only do non-Christians need to be saved, today many Christians do as well. We need to disciple people, we do not need more bound Bible studies, Christian aerobics, etc.
Have you asked the question – what does a follower of Jesus look like?
Someone who goes to church and is a good person. In NT, who did this describe? Pharisees.
Think Fruit not Meat. Don’t go for depth or knowledge or information. It’s not who “hears these words of mine”, but who “puts them into practice.”
Measure results not activity or assimilation.
75% of adults are active in small groups on a weekly basis.
80% of adults are actively serving in ministry.
250 people sent around the world.
To redefine discipleship, we need to think processes and not programs. And think long-term process.
With limited time, what do we want people to do.
Alan Hirsch says, I’m not against attractional churches. I’m against extractional churches – churches that keep their people so busy that they don’t have any time to be “on mission.”
Mountain Lake Church - we don’t have a men’s ministry, women’s ministry, we don’t have activities at our church during the week. No daily Bible studies or anything during the week that people sign up for. We don’t have programs and activities.
All we do in our church - Worship Service, Small Groups, Volunteerism
We do these things well.
Our calendars don’t compete with these three things so we’re able to get higher percentages of people involved. Jesus focused on people and process and not programs.
Think cyclical not linear.
Stopped calling missions program “missions” and started calling it our World Care program. We stopped the interview, testimony for mission trip and saw more and more people going and started baptizing 30% of the trip participants on the trips.
Lowered the bar for entry into ministry/volunteerism. Take out the pharisaical hedges. You don’t have to be a member or a Christian to serve. (Mountain Lake has two lesbians who hand out worship programs.) However, we don’t let anyone lead or teach that isn’t a Christ follower.
Within weeks of their first attendance, we connect people into service at Mountain Lake.
Mountain Lake Church - A place to belong and a place to become
Unchurched guests are not initially interested in becoming a member, they are interested to your story, what you believe, how your structured, and how they can be a part of it.
We’ve learned that to rethink discipleship, we need to qualify the unqualified. Roughly 75% of their small group leaders had never led a spiritual discussion before or often even prayed in public before. Often the first time they led their group is the first time they did those things.
Do we think that the disciples or Mary Magdalene were all cleaned up before Jesus started using them?
One of the best ways we disciple people in our church is to place them in leadership, then hold them accountable and coach them.
Think clear, simple steps.
Moving people from front door or worship service into groups and into volunteerism.
Moving people to leadership from membership.
Communication card is a clear simple way that people take all of these steps. (giving, baptism, small groups, volunteerism, welcome class)
We contact people within 48 hours of sign ups.
Ministry connection class – Explore Volunteering
About 60% of people that sign-up, show up.
We know that we’ve got to connect people to relationships and responsibility as quickly as possible.
If we can do this within 60 days, we’ve got them.
Similar process with small groups.
Starts with the guy at the top. The guy at the top has to be the primary groups spokesperson.
3-4 week blocks of time for group launch. Get in a life group for two weeks.
For two weeks, 6:45-8:15 every night. Have them meet there at that time on that night for 2 weeks and then move to a host home.
Preferred night, contact info, age, kids ages, life-station group you’d like to be in,
Facilitator - They don’t do apprenticeships. Instead, they cut the head off the monster. We want the best leaders to launch the new groups. We go for the leaders of existing groups to start new groups. Then the second leader will step into the leadership role for the previous group. (Typically, the person who the leader looks to in their absence.) Message based group discussions.
Host home – that first night, announce that we’ll need someone to host the group. 99% of the time a new person steps up to host.
Social coordinator – coordinate food and any other social type stuff that the group wants to do.
Get off the couch coordinator – keeps serving on the radar and every month or so serve somewhere as a group
Childcare – line up childcare. Couples can rotate childcare or hire a sitter. Charge $3 per child or $6 max per family.
Group members evaluate the groups. Tell what they like, don’t like, like to stay in that group, try a new group, etc. Turn into host home, compiled and feedback given to leader/facilitator.
Every Wed. morning the preacher and two staff sit down and write discussion questions based on where message is heading. You could know nothing about the Bible and get enough information in the prepared materials to lead the discussion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
