Thought Provoking
As I was reading this morning I came across a quote from English spiritual writer Anthony Bloom. Regarding prayer he said,
“We complain that God does not make himself present to us for the few minutes we reserve for him, but what about the twenty-three and a half hours during which God may be knocking at our door and we answer, ‘I am busy. I am sorry.’ Or when we do not answer at all because we do not even hear the knock at the door of our heart, of our mind, of our conscience, of our life. So their is a situation in which we have no right to complain of the absence of God, because we are a great deal more absent than he ever is.”
It really made me stop and think about how much God desires communion with us. God desires to commune with us through every part of the day, not just the times we traditionally set aside for prayer. He wants to give us an awareness of his presence even in the mundane and ordinary experiences of life.
Thought Provoking
As I was reading this morning I came across a quote from English spiritual writer Anthony Bloom. Regarding prayer he said,
“We complain that God does not make himself present to us for the few minutes we reserve for him, but what about the twenty-three and a half hours during which God may be knocking at our door and we answer, ‘I am busy. I am sorry.’ Or when we do not answer at all because we do not even hear the knock at the door of our heart, of our mind, of our conscience, of our life. So their is a situation in which we have no right to complain of the absence of God, because we are a great deal more absent than he ever is.”
It really made me stop and think about how much God desires communion with us. God desires to commune with us through every part of the day, not just the times we traditionally set aside for prayer. He wants to give us an awareness of his presence even in the mundane and ordinary experiences of life.
3 Aspects of a Leadership Culture
We just finished our first all-church leadership meeting! Ministry is definitely done best as a team. Such a privilege to dream and serve with such amazing leaders. I gave short talk on building a leadership culture. As Jesus is leading us into a new season at ACC, He’s calling us to do three things. This was my basic outline:
Permission to:
Dream Big
– Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for him who believes”
– Don’t let how keep you from pursuing the dream
– There’s nothing we can’t do, there’s only things we haven’t done
Take Risks
– Have you ever played a risky game? The fun starts when someone gets really daring.
– “The greatest risk is taking no risk at all”
– “Our greatest regrets in life will be the things we didn’t do, the opportunities we didn’t seize”
Make Mistakes
– If we’re not making mistakes, we’re probably not doing things right
– It’s ok to make mistakes. We just don’t want to make the same mistakes twice.
In other words, Go for it!
3 Aspects of a Leadership Culture
We just finished our first all-church leadership meeting! Ministry is definitely done best as a team. Such a privilege to dream and serve with such amazing leaders. I gave short talk on building a leadership culture. As Jesus is leading us into a new season at ACC, He’s calling us to do three things. This was my basic outline:
Permission to:
Dream Big
– Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for him who believes”
– Don’t let how keep you from pursuing the dream
– There’s nothing we can’t do, there’s only things we haven’t done
Take Risks
– Have you ever played a risky game? The fun starts when someone gets really daring.
– “The greatest risk is taking no risk at all”
– “Our greatest regrets in life will be the things we didn’t do, the opportunities we didn’t seize”
Make Mistakes
– If we’re not making mistakes, we’re probably not doing things right
– It’s ok to make mistakes. We just don’t want to make the same mistakes twice.
In other words, Go for it!
Coffee Tip
Many of you know that I love coffee and am a Starbucks frequenter. Through my experiences I’ve developed a stirring method which I would love to pass along. Because I like to stir in my cream and sugar for more than five seconds I’ve found it necessary to avoid using the wooden stirrer they provide.
In my experience, if you stir too long with the wooden stirrer, your entire cup of coffee tastes like wood. Unless you like that effect I suggest a different approach. Instead of using the wooden stirrer, I prefer to use one of the short, green, plastic straws for my stirring. This will enable you to stir for as long as you want without having to worry about your coffee tasting like wood.
I know that you will sleep better tonight now that you have this knowledge 
Coffee Tip
Many of you know that I love coffee and am a Starbucks frequenter. Through my experiences I’ve developed a stirring method which I would love to pass along. Because I like to stir in my cream and sugar for more than five seconds I’ve found it necessary to avoid using the wooden stirrer they provide.
In my experience, if you stir too long with the wooden stirrer, your entire cup of coffee tastes like wood. Unless you like that effect I suggest a different approach. Instead of using the wooden stirrer, I prefer to use one of the short, green, plastic straws for my stirring. This will enable you to stir for as long as you want without having to worry about your coffee tasting like wood.
I know that you will sleep better tonight now that you have this knowledge
Spiritual Intensity
As I was reading through Romans 12:9-21 I got stuck on a pretty cool insight. It says in verse 11, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” I don’t know about you, but I think sometimes we tend to view spiritual intensity as something that just kind of comes on us during revival moments or special services. Kind of like something that just happens in seasons and comes upon us unexpectedly. I’m not discrediting revivals and special seasons of God’s blessing, but I think Paul is getting at something that transcends meetings and events. He’s talking about a day to day lifestyle of spiritual passion.
What Paul is teaching here is that spiritual intensity can be cultivated and sustained. He even dares to say “never be lacking in zeal.” Not only can it be nurtured and kept alive, it must. It’s sort of like logs on a fire. If we refuse to continually put fresh wood and fuel on it it will eventually die. A spiritual fire is maintained the same way.
When it comes to sustaining a passion for God, intimacy sustains intensity. If we aren’t spending time experiencing God in a fresh way daily, our spiritual fire will burn out. I’m not talking about doing “chore” devotions out of a sense of obligation. I’m talking about really encountering the living God through his word. In other words, we need to be cultivating a daily, interactive relationship with God.
I really believe our souls were created for fellowship with God. That place of intimacy with him is the only place we will ever truly be fulfilled. Experiencing God’s unconditional, limitless love for us awakens and fans the flame of love and passion in our hearts back to God. So, Paul’s exhortation to “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” is really an invitation to experience life to the fullest, the life we were created to live.
Spiritual Intensity
As I was reading through Romans 12:9-21 I got stuck on a pretty cool insight. It says in verse 11, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” I don’t know about you, but I think sometimes we tend to view spiritual intensity as something that just kind of comes on us during revival moments or special services. Kind of like something that just happens in seasons and comes upon us unexpectedly. I’m not discrediting revivals and special seasons of God’s blessing, but I think Paul is getting at something that transcends meetings and events. He’s talking about a day to day lifestyle of spiritual passion.
What Paul is teaching here is that spiritual intensity can be cultivated and sustained. He even dares to say “never be lacking in zeal.” Not only can it be nurtured and kept alive, it must. It’s sort of like logs on a fire. If we refuse to continually put fresh wood and fuel on it it will eventually die. A spiritual fire is maintained the same way.
When it comes to sustaining a passion for God, intimacy sustains intensity. If we aren’t spending time experiencing God in a fresh way daily, our spiritual fire will burn out. I’m not talking about doing “chore” devotions out of a sense of obligation. I’m talking about really encountering the living God through his word. In other words, we need to be cultivating a daily, interactive relationship with God.
I really believe our souls were created for fellowship with God. That place of intimacy with him is the only place we will ever truly be fulfilled. Experiencing God’s unconditional, limitless love for us awakens and fans the flame of love and passion in our hearts back to God. So, Paul’s exhortation to “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” is really an invitation to experience life to the fullest, the life we were created to live.
20 Exhortations to Maintain a Healthy Church
Just finished our board meeting for April! It’s a privilege to minister and work with such amazing people. I shared a basic list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul. Thought I might blog about them here:
This list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul describes powerfully how a healthy church should operate. The church is not primarily a building or an organization but people. It is the community of believers in Jesus Christ sharing one heart and mind, wholeheartedly pursuing the mission of Jesus here on earth.
For the mission to be fulfilled in its greatest capacity there are certain characteristics that it must embody. Here in Romans 12:9-21, the Apostle Paul gives a straightforward list of exhortations that need to define the way the church relates to itself and to the world.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice;mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
1). Love sincerely
2). Hate evil
3). Be devoted to one another
4). Keep spiritual fervor serving the Lord
5). Be joyful in hope
6). Be patient in affliction
7). Be faithful in prayer
8). Share with the needy
9). Demonstrate hospitality
10). Bless persecutors
11). Rejoice with those who rejoice
12). Weep with those who weep
13). Live in harmony with one another
14). Do not be proud, associate with the lowly
15). Do not repay evil back with evil
16). Do what is right before others
17). Live at peace with everyone
18). Do not seek revenge
19). Bless enemies
20). Do not be overcome by evil, overcome it with good
I love how straightforward Paul is on all this. You can’t go wrong working these characteristics into the heart of your church. This is definitely the kind of church I want to be a part of!
20 Exhortations to Maintain a Healthy Church
Just finished our board meeting for April! It’s a privilege to minister and work with such amazing people. I shared a basic list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul. Thought I might blog about them here:
This list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul describes powerfully how a healthy church should operate. The church is not primarily a building or an organization but people. It is the community of believers in Jesus Christ sharing one heart and mind, wholeheartedly pursuing the mission of Jesus here on earth.
For the mission to be fulfilled in its greatest capacity there are certain characteristics that it must embody. Here in Romans 12:9-21, the Apostle Paul gives a straightforward list of exhortations that need to define the way the church relates to itself and to the world.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice;mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
1). Love sincerely
2). Hate evil
3). Be devoted to one another
4). Keep spiritual fervor serving the Lord
5). Be joyful in hope
6). Be patient in affliction
7). Be faithful in prayer
8). Share with the needy
9). Demonstrate hospitality
10). Bless persecutors
11). Rejoice with those who rejoice
12). Weep with those who weep
13). Live in harmony with one another
14). Do not be proud, associate with the lowly
15). Do not repay evil back with evil
16). Do what is right before others
17). Live at peace with everyone
18). Do not seek revenge
19). Bless enemies
20). Do not be overcome by evil, overcome it with good
I love how straightforward Paul is on all this. You can’t go wrong working these characteristics into the heart of your church. This is definitely the kind of church I want to be a part of!
Weekend Reflections
Saturday morning we had the privilege of joining the committee to clean and beautify Ambridge for their Spring kick-off. A group of about 12 of us from ACC hit the streets with probably about 40 other people for a couple hours of spring cleaning! I can’t think of a more appropriate way of demonstrating love for a community than helping to clean it up.
In service on Sunday I really felt an exceptional spirit of joy and enthusiasm during the worship time. The atmosphere was just charged with expectancy. I gave a message called “The Unstoppable Church” from Matthew 16:13-18. We looked at the importance of having a right belief about who God is, how Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” is the true foundation of the church, and the indestructability of the church, which the gates of hell can never overcome.
The gates of hell will never prevail against the church of the living God! Gates are stationary, defensive structures. So many times, as the church, we take a retreatist mentality. We go into hibernation mode and hide from the world. There’s one problem with that: The church is called to play offense! There is nothing we have to fear because we are being led by the One who has all authority in heaven and earth. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing, you won’t win if you don’t play offense. I think a lot of times we disguise our fear as caution. I’m not saying that there won’t be times to scale back and huddle, but when it’s motivated by fear it’s not of God.
We concluded by illustrating this with the story of Esther. She decides, despite the risk to her life to go before the king and plead for her people. I love the resolve she displayed, “If I perish, I perish.” She wasn’t going to be remembered as a loser. She knew she was created for “such a time as this” and she didn’t retreat in fear.
Really makes me want to go for it!
Weekend Reflections
Saturday morning we had the privilege of joining the committee to clean and beautify Ambridge for their Spring kick-off. A group of about 12 of us from ACC hit the streets with probably about 40 other people for a couple hours of spring cleaning! I can’t think of a more appropriate way of demonstrating love for a community than helping to clean it up.
In service on Sunday I really felt an exceptional spirit of joy and enthusiasm during the worship time. The atmosphere was just charged with expectancy. I gave a message called “The Unstoppable Church” from Matthew 16:13-18. We looked at the importance of having a right belief about who God is, how Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” is the true foundation of the church, and the indestructability of the church, which the gates of hell can never overcome.
The gates of hell will never prevail against the church of the living God! Gates are stationary, defensive structures. So many times, as the church, we take a retreatist mentality. We go into hibernation mode and hide from the world. There’s one problem with that: The church is called to play offense! There is nothing we have to fear because we are being led by the One who has all authority in heaven and earth. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing, you won’t win if you don’t play offense. I think a lot of times we disguise our fear as caution. I’m not saying that there won’t be times to scale back and huddle, but when it’s motivated by fear it’s not of God.
We concluded by illustrating this with the story of Esther. She decides, despite the risk to her life to go before the king and plead for her people. I love the resolve she displayed, “If I perish, I perish.” She wasn’t going to be remembered as a loser. She knew she was created for “such a time as this” and she didn’t retreat in fear.
Really makes me want to go for it!
Jephthah
I’m really enjoying the current Bible reading plan I’m working through right now. I appreciate it because it helps keep me accountable to read through the Bible in a year. I haven’t done it for a couple of years and I’m really getting a lot out of it. If you’re like me, if you don’t have a plan it won’t get done
I was reading through Judges the other day when I came across the story of Jephthah. At a time when Israel was in bondage to the Philistines and Ammonites because they were worshipping idols and other gods, the Lord raised up Jephthah to deliver them. I like how the Bible first describes him. It says “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.” Isn’t it awesome to see that some of the people most greatly used by God came from the most unlikely situations? Jephthah didn’t allow his scandalous heritage to keep him from becoming a mighty warrior in God’s sight. In Judges 11:3 his family actually drove him away because he was the son of a prostitute!
I just love his reaction. “So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.” I love that!
Jephthah eventually led Israel out of Ammonite captivity. I think the Christian leaders of the future won’t necessarily be the ones with the best heritage, but the ones willing to stand up and become warriors despite what the world thinks of them. Oh that God would raise up leaders and adventurers to bring freedom to people shackled in darkness!
(I think I might have to preach on this sometime
Jephthah
I’m really enjoying the current Bible reading plan I’m working through right now. I appreciate it because it helps keep me accountable to read through the Bible in a year. I haven’t done it for a couple of years and I’m really getting a lot out of it. If you’re like me, if you don’t have a plan it won’t get done
I was reading through Judges the other day when I came across the story of Jephthah. At a time when Israel was in bondage to the Philistines and Ammonites because they were worshipping idols and other gods, the Lord raised up Jephthah to deliver them. I like how the Bible first describes him. It says “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.” Isn’t it awesome to see that some of the people most greatly used by God came from the most unlikely situations? Jephthah didn’t allow his scandalous heritage to keep him from becoming a mighty warrior in God’s sight. In Judges 11:3 his family actually drove him away because he was the son of a prostitute!
I just love his reaction. “So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.” I love that!
Jephthah eventually led Israel out of Ammonite captivity. I think the Christian leaders of the future won’t necessarily be the ones with the best heritage, but the ones willing to stand up and become warriors despite what the world thinks of them. Oh that God would raise up leaders and adventurers to bring freedom to people shackled in darkness!
(I think I might have to preach on this sometime
LSBC
Had a great time this morning at the Leader’s Serving Beaver County quarterly breakfast. It was a privilege to meet so many people serving in leadership in different parts of Beaver County. This quarter’s meeting was in Aliquippa and the keynote speaker was Keith Starcher, a professor at Geneva College. Great to see so many people committed to God’s purposes in revitalizing Beaver Co. I’m learning the importance of connections. God’s heart for our communities is so much bigger than any one church or business. The more we can link arms with one another the more we can accomplish for his Kingdom!
LSBC
Had a great time this morning at the Leader’s Serving Beaver County quarterly breakfast. It was a privilege to meet so many people serving in leadership in different parts of Beaver County. This quarter’s meeting was in Aliquippa and the keynote speaker was Keith Starcher, a professor at Geneva College. Great to see so many people committed to God’s purposes in revitalizing Beaver Co. I’m learning the importance of connections. God’s heart for our communities is so much bigger than any one church or business. The more we can link arms with one another the more we can accomplish for his Kingdom!
Book: Next Generation Leader
Just finished reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. It’s pretty much one of the best books on leadership I’ve ever read. It’s pretty small and very easy to read. It’s already on my list of re-reads! The book is centered around five principles which he says are the fundamentals of leadership.
These five principles are:
competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character.
The competence section focuses on identifying your core competencies and discovering the gifts and strengths that God has given you. He talks about how you don’t need to be good at everything and that good leaders focus on developing their strengths. They realize that their weaknesses are somebody else’s strengths. Some of the things that are hard for you to do actually energize other people. So, by focusing on your strengths you are giving someone else the opportunity to flourish. Conversely, if you are always micromanaging your weaknesses, you’re robbing someone else of the opportunity to leverage their strengths.
The courage section talks about how wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity. He used the story of David and Goliath to demonstrate this reality. He talked about letting your vision drive you. Let the what precede the how. We should not let the how questions deter us from pursuing what could be and should be. We should not let the how questions, no matter how impossible, paralyze us and keep us from going after the dreams God has given us. He also talks about having the courage to say no, the courage to face current reality, and the courage to dream. He says, “The leader who accomplishes great things will not always be the most talented or the best educated – it will be the leader who refuses to put brackets on his thinking. It will be the leader who refuses to limit himself by what others have done or failed to do.”
The clarity section discusses how uncertainty underscores the need for leadership. He says that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of outcome. He talks about how every great idea came in contrast to someone’s current reality. He says, “In the beginning there is always enough uncertainty to shut down a vision – thus the need for leadership.”
The coaching section develops the need for a leadership coach. We will never grow in our leadership capacity without someone pushing us to become better. A good leadership coach doesn’t measure us with other people, but against our own potential. They push us to be the best “us” that we can be. A leadership coach can give you honest feedback on how you’re doing because he is helping you see yourself from a different perspective than you may not have seen before. Having a leadership coach requires the leader to have a teachable spirit and not limit himself by thinking he has all the answers. He ends the section by encouraging us not only to find a leadership coach, but to be a coach for someone else and help them to become better.
The character section was probably the strongest section of the book in my opinion. He talks about how character makes you a leader worth following and that your character determines you legacy. He says “Character is the will to do what’s right even when it’s hard.” He talks about the importance of deciding ahead of time what your reaction will be when faced with a decision to compromise your values. He talks about how “there’s no cramming for a test of character, they are always pop-quizzes.” They’ll come when your not ready for them. When they come, who you really are will come out. Another good thing he talked about was how we never need to violate the principles of God to maintain the blessings of God. He says, “To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.”
Really good stuff. I heartily recommend this book to anyone in leadership.
Book: Next Generation Leader
Just finished reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. It’s pretty much one of the best books on leadership I’ve ever read. It’s pretty small and very easy to read. It’s already on my list of re-reads! The book is centered around five principles which he says are the fundamentals of leadership.
These five principles are:
competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character.
The competence section focuses on identifying your core competencies and discovering the gifts and strengths that God has given you. He talks about how you don’t need to be good at everything and that good leaders focus on developing their strengths. They realize that their weaknesses are somebody else’s strengths. Some of the things that are hard for you to do actually energize other people. So, by focusing on your strengths you are giving someone else the opportunity to flourish. Conversely, if you are always micromanaging your weaknesses, you’re robbing someone else of the opportunity to leverage their strengths.
The courage section talks about how wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity. He used the story of David and Goliath to demonstrate this reality. He talked about letting your vision drive you. Let the what precede the how. We should not let the how questions deter us from pursuing what could be and should be. We should not let the how questions, no matter how impossible, paralyze us and keep us from going after the dreams God has given us. He also talks about having the courage to say no, the courage to face current reality, and the courage to dream. He says, “The leader who accomplishes great things will not always be the most talented or the best educated – it will be the leader who refuses to put brackets on his thinking. It will be the leader who refuses to limit himself by what others have done or failed to do.”
The clarity section discusses how uncertainty underscores the need for leadership. He says that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of outcome. He talks about how every great idea came in contrast to someone’s current reality. He says, “In the beginning there is always enough uncertainty to shut down a vision – thus the need for leadership.”
The coaching section develops the need for a leadership coach. We will never grow in our leadership capacity without someone pushing us to become better. A good leadership coach doesn’t measure us with other people, but against our own potential. They push us to be the best “us” that we can be. A leadership coach can give you honest feedback on how you’re doing because he is helping you see yourself from a different perspective than you may not have seen before. Having a leadership coach requires the leader to have a teachable spirit and not limit himself by thinking he has all the answers. He ends the section by encouraging us not only to find a leadership coach, but to be a coach for someone else and help them to become better.
The character section was probably the strongest section of the book in my opinion. He talks about how character makes you a leader worth following and that your character determines you legacy. He says “Character is the will to do what’s right even when it’s hard.” He talks about the importance of deciding ahead of time what your reaction will be when faced with a decision to compromise your values. He talks about how “there’s no cramming for a test of character, they are always pop-quizzes.” They’ll come when your not ready for them. When they come, who you really are will come out. Another good thing he talked about was how we never need to violate the principles of God to maintain the blessings of God. He says, “To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.”
Really good stuff. I heartily recommend this book to anyone in leadership.
Bush At Virginia Tech
Here is a quote from the President which he gave at a convocation today on campus. His comments were directed towards the student body and those affected by the tragedy.
“People who have never met you are praying for you, they’re praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There’s a power in these prayers, a real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scripture tells us ‘Dont be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’.”
Current Podcasts
I was recently asked which podcasts I subscribe to. Thought I might share them here. As of now my podcast subscriptions include Desiring God, Mosaic, Northpoint Ministries, National Community Church, and OneThing.
Desiring God is basically the preaching ministry of John Piper from Minneapolis, MN. John is a master exegete with a traditional flavor. Mosaic is the ministry of Erwin McManus from LA. McManus is a great, non-traditional communicator. Northpoint is Andy Stanley from GA. Andy is another good communicator, very down to earth. National Community Church is Mark Batterson from DC. Mark is a very innovative and creative pastor. OneThing is the young adult ministry from the International House of Prayer, KC, MO. OneThing is very passionate and focused on prayer, worship, fasting, healing, prophecy, and preaching.
Each is different, but all are good!
Bush At Virginia Tech
Here is a quote from the President which he gave at a convocation today on campus. His comments were directed towards the student body and those affected by the tragedy.
“People who have never met you are praying for you, they’re praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There’s a power in these prayers, a real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scripture tells us ‘Dont be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’.”
Current Podcasts
I was recently asked which podcasts I subscribe to. Thought I might share them here. As of now my podcast subscriptions include Desiring God, Mosaic, Northpoint Ministries, National Community Church, and OneThing.
Desiring God is basically the preaching ministry of John Piper from Minneapolis, MN. John is a master exegete with a traditional flavor. Mosaic is the ministry of Erwin McManus from LA. McManus is a great, non-traditional communicator. Northpoint is Andy Stanley from GA. Andy is another good communicator, very down to earth. National Community Church is Mark Batterson from DC. Mark is a very innovative and creative pastor. OneThing is the young adult ministry from the International House of Prayer, KC, MO. OneThing is very passionate and focused on prayer, worship, fasting, healing, prophecy, and preaching.
Each is different, but all are good!
Weekend Reflections
This past weekend was awesome. Friday night we got to attend the Rochester High School play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” So proud to see Mike Winich, one of our youth students play Judah. It was a great show.
Had a great time Saturday night giving the prayer at the Beaver County Young Life banquet at Geneva College. Young Life is an amazing ministry reaching junior high and high school kids for Christ. At the banquet we got to hear a testimony from Neil Berger, a Sophomore at Ambridge High School who gave his life to Christ through the ministry of Young Life and is now actively involved in our church. My friend Jason Smith, Area Director of Young Life in Beaver County and his staff are doing a phenomenal job reaching teenagers with the message of Jesus Christ!
Church Sunday was great. We concluded the series “Fit To Be Untied” with a message called “Freedom Catalysts.” We discussed how each of us are called to know God and make him known. Each of us were created to leave a mark in history. God has given each of us the calling and responsibility of spreading his kingdom. In a way, all of us are preachers because our lifestyles proclaim something. We looked at how God desires that our lifestyles would in every way proclaim his life-transforming power.
We saw from Matthew 9:35-10:8 that ministry flows from compassion, calling, and his power that we have received. Each of us are called to be catalysts, sparking a chain reaction of freedom in the lives of the broken and hurting people around us. The closer we get to Jesus the more of his compassion we will feel when we see people. Christ’s calling qualifies us for ministry, not our abundance or lack of credentials. True spiritual authority comes not from paper, but from God. What matters is not education or titles, but a burning passion for Jesus and a love for people. We certainly shouldn’t downplay education or training, but it can never substitute for relying on God’s power. What a privelege we have been given, to freely give to others what God has given to us!
Weekend Reflections
This past weekend was awesome. Friday night we got to attend the Rochester High School play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” So proud to see Mike Winich, one of our youth students play Judah. It was a great show.
Had a great time Saturday night giving the prayer at the Beaver County Young Life banquet at Geneva College. Young Life is an amazing ministry reaching junior high and high school kids for Christ. At the banquet we got to hear a testimony from Neil Berger, a Sophomore at Ambridge High School who gave his life to Christ through the ministry of Young Life and is now actively involved in our church. My friend Jason Smith, Area Director of Young Life in Beaver County and his staff are doing a phenomenal job reaching teenagers with the message of Jesus Christ!
Church Sunday was great. We concluded the series “Fit To Be Untied” with a message called “Freedom Catalysts.” We discussed how each of us are called to know God and make him known. Each of us were created to leave a mark in history. God has given each of us the calling and responsibility of spreading his kingdom. In a way, all of us are preachers because our lifestyles proclaim something. We looked at how God desires that our lifestyles would in every way proclaim his life-transforming power.
We saw from Matthew 9:35-10:8 that ministry flows from compassion, calling, and his power that we have received. Each of us are called to be catalysts, sparking a chain reaction of freedom in the lives of the broken and hurting people around us. The closer we get to Jesus the more of his compassion we will feel when we see people. Christ’s calling qualifies us for ministry, not our abundance or lack of credentials. True spiritual authority comes not from paper, but from God. What matters is not education or titles, but a burning passion for Jesus and a love for people. We certainly shouldn’t downplay education or training, but it can never substitute for relying on God’s power. What a privelege we have been given, to freely give to others what God has given to us!
