So many incredible things are happening all around us when it comes to spiritual things... I hope you are seeing some of it in your circles. I am consistently hearing about unchurched, unconvinced individuals that are beginning to open up to spiritual conversations with their friends. I am excited to see the churches in the area that are growing by creating environments for people to explore faith (p.s. congrats to our new neighbors, The Orchard Church, on an incredible first week in their building). I am thrilled to watch my generation warm up to the idea that some people follow Jesus without being loaded down with religious baggage.
All of these things, working together, are helping develop people that are thinking about God in a new way. And, I believe with all my heart, that people will continue to seek God if we will continue to provide the opportunities for them to do so.
And... as the community seeks God... we will find Him... He will reveal Himself to us.
Showing posts with label DEVELOP PEOPLE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DEVELOP PEOPLE. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
"Message Impossible"
Alright, so here's the scenario: You are a pastor of a new church that has grown more than 400% in less than 18 months so you are watched closely. Your heart is to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples so you are constantly overwhelmed by your mission. A large portion of the surrounding community has been disconnected from God for most of their lives, so there is no end to the importance of messages that point to hope that is found in Christ and lived out through daily life. And, then you are asked to open a series called "Can We Bring Sexy Back?" with more than 300 people attending (including singles, teenagers, people with struggling marriages, people whose marriages have fallen apart, and everyone in between).
Yesterday's message was truly a "Message Impossible," but Russ pulled it off with stunning ability. If you weren't here on Sunday, you've got to visit the http://www.churchatthegrove.com/ website, click "Listen Online" and get caught up with the series. Russ covered the fact that "sex is God's design" during the first week and got us off to a
great start. You may even want to send a link of the church website to your friends. You can also send your friends to the http://www.canwebringsexyback.com/ website where they can access details about the series, resources, and click the link to the website for the message.
great start. You may even want to send a link of the church website to your friends. You can also send your friends to the http://www.canwebringsexyback.com/ website where they can access details about the series, resources, and click the link to the website for the message.This week, we take on "sexy" itself. What is it? We'll look at God's design for passion... you will be shocked when you hear what God says about it... the answer is in Song of Solomon 5. If you want a preview, read Song of Solomon 4... but be warned, you might need to take a cold shower afterwards. To be honest, I can't believe we're going to talk about this at church... but it's all part of developing people to follow Christ and make disciples (by the way, as a side-effect of "developing people", I will probably need some additional volunteers in the baby room in about 9 months... thanks in advance).
See you Sunday.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
My kids are growing up
I'm sitting at the kitchen table... we just got done eating breakfast and we've got a little bit of time before we head out for school, so my kids are doing some of the homework that they will have to do this afternoon. My third grader is reading and my first grade daughter is "teaching" my kindergarten son how to do her spelling activity. Actually I think he is doing most of the work, but they're having fun, learning, and accomplishing something at the same time so I'm not going to say anything about it.
It's official - my kids are growing up. Nine years ago when Katie was born I had no idea how quickly this would happen. It really feels like we blinked twice and now we're old. As sad as it is to realize that my kids aren't babies anymore (I've got three in school and Carson doesn't even want us to walk him down to his classroom anymore because he's too big), I am excited to see how they've grown. They're getting taller, smarter, faster, and funnier every day. In other words, they're developing just like they should.
It is sad to watch them outgrow the need for their mom and dad, but it would be even more sad if they hadn't grown up. If my kids were still two feet tall, or still unable to walk, or still pooped in diapers... that would be difficult to deal with. Growing and developing is a natural process when something is healthy. So the growth in my kids is simply a sign of their health.
Over the last twelve months, I've seen some pretty amazing things in people's lives. The Church At The Grove community is full of people that are growing and developing as followers of Christ. Many of them rarely (if ever) attended church in the past. Many of them questioned (if they believed at all) basic spiritual truths. Many of them had difficulty (if they even attempted) living their lives in the way that Jesus teaches us to. But, as they've joined our spiritual journey, they've developed. Are they fully "mature" as disciples? No, but none of us are. The important thing is that they're "growing" and developing just like they should.
How sad it would be if these people had come in contact with the people of CATG, or the environment of CATG, or the teaching of CATG over the last year and not been changed at all. We want to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples. If they don't develop, then they are not healthy. And, the world is already filled with "unhealthy" Christians... Christians that don't live like Jesus did... Christians that don't love like Jesus did... Christians that don't develop correctly.
Luke 2:52 "And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people. " (Message)
It's official - my kids are growing up. Nine years ago when Katie was born I had no idea how quickly this would happen. It really feels like we blinked twice and now we're old. As sad as it is to realize that my kids aren't babies anymore (I've got three in school and Carson doesn't even want us to walk him down to his classroom anymore because he's too big), I am excited to see how they've grown. They're getting taller, smarter, faster, and funnier every day. In other words, they're developing just like they should.
It is sad to watch them outgrow the need for their mom and dad, but it would be even more sad if they hadn't grown up. If my kids were still two feet tall, or still unable to walk, or still pooped in diapers... that would be difficult to deal with. Growing and developing is a natural process when something is healthy. So the growth in my kids is simply a sign of their health.
Over the last twelve months, I've seen some pretty amazing things in people's lives. The Church At The Grove community is full of people that are growing and developing as followers of Christ. Many of them rarely (if ever) attended church in the past. Many of them questioned (if they believed at all) basic spiritual truths. Many of them had difficulty (if they even attempted) living their lives in the way that Jesus teaches us to. But, as they've joined our spiritual journey, they've developed. Are they fully "mature" as disciples? No, but none of us are. The important thing is that they're "growing" and developing just like they should.
How sad it would be if these people had come in contact with the people of CATG, or the environment of CATG, or the teaching of CATG over the last year and not been changed at all. We want to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples. If they don't develop, then they are not healthy. And, the world is already filled with "unhealthy" Christians... Christians that don't live like Jesus did... Christians that don't love like Jesus did... Christians that don't develop correctly.
Luke 2:52 "And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people. " (Message)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Changes In Walnut Grove
When I drove into the office this morning, I passed by Walnut Grove's City Hall and saw some of the changes that are happening there. In the lot that this house/city hall sits on was a grove of trees and brush that covered about 1/4 of an acre on the north side. For the last several months, I've seen one of the guys that works for the city up there working around on that piece of the land. He's been cutting trees, clearing brush, and moving things around. But, as you know if you've ever worked with brush-covered land, it's been a long process.
Today, though, it looked different. They had brought in a chipper and basically turned all the limbs, branches, and stumps into mulch. They rounded the edges of this area they've worked on, cut the grass right up to it and basically "finished" the landscaping in that section. And, "overnight" this formerly wasted space has been turned into a beautiful park-like area.
It got me thinking about how God works on our lives. He takes his time and with skillful planning, he begins to clear out the junk from our lives. He takes out pieces of our character (our tendency to lose our temper, selfishness, pride, self-righteousness, or other aspects) and replaces them with character traits that more closely resemble him (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). He changes us over time. Then, before we even realize it, we're different... in more ways than just how we act. We think different, we feel different, we are different.
That's how God develops us... piece by piece... day by day... removing junk and debris... replacing it with his reflection... until we are "finished." Philippians 1:6 says, "God began a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." God is at work in you... he is developing you... he wants to develop you to be more like him... and he wants you to help others develop, too.
Church At The Grove develops people to follow Jesus and make disciples... maybe God wants to use you to help us do that. You can help with one of our ministry teams to Create the Sunday morning Environment, or build relationships with others by hooking up with a Community Group, or be a part of something in the community to start discussions about God. And, as the years go by, you can celebrate with us as our friends, family, neighbors, and others begin to follow Christ and make disciples.
Monday, June 11, 2007
An article I just read
I just read an article in a newspaper that the Georgia Baptist Convention prints up each month called "Families Choosing Time Together Over Church," and it got me thinking a little bit. The article was written pretty fairly... as an explanation of the culture and overall views of Gen X an Y toward church... instead of an outright attack on people that don't spend every waking moment at church.
There were several lines that caught my attention. Quoting Leadership magazine, the article states, "The increased emphasis on family time, even at the expense of meaningful involvement in church life, is a sign of the times...It's one way Generations X and Y are making up for the hands-off, latch-key childrearing styles that characterized their Boomer parents: heavy investment in the kids, and everything else takes a back seat - including church."
On the flip side, the article talks about the tendency to trade church attendance in for time spent on something the kids are doing and says (quoting Albert Mohler Jr.), "Every kid has a 'thing' going on virtually all the time. That is the condition of life today, it seems. But when that 'thing' keeps the child - or the whole family - away from church we need to name that thing what it is... at best a snare, at worst an idol."
And, here's what I take away from the article: NOT a specific stance on what "church involvement" means; NOT whether its right or wrong to skip a church activity to spend with your family; and, NOT how to develop church to recapture a generation that sees it as less relevant than a little-league baseball game (though, on a side note, that should shake up Christ-followers around the country... that we have somehow allowed the incredible Good News of the amazing love of the Creator for his flawed creation to become essentially irrelevant).
Instead, I look at the disagreement between the two sides of the issue and I see examples of the many futile attempts generations make to develop the 'next generation' to believe as they do. After all, the Builder generation took what they learned in the developmental years and tried to develop the 'next generation' to work hard for the good of the 'country'... falling into an 'us versus them' mentality and false views of "differences." The Boomer generation took the developmental years of their childhood and became unbalanced in their approach to life... falling into workaholicism and false views of "success." The Gen-Xers took the developmental years of their childhood and decided to completely go against what they learned... falling into child-centeredness and false views of "spirituality." So, how are we developing the next generation? How will they respond to our parenting and leadership? What will they fall into? What incorrect views will they have?
Developing people is the most challenging and important thing we do in life. And, whether it is our own kids or just the next generation in general, they are watching us. What they learn from us will affect the entire culture in 20-30 years. Let us never forget how important it is to develop them well... to give them a correct view of people and a balanced life and God.
There were several lines that caught my attention. Quoting Leadership magazine, the article states, "The increased emphasis on family time, even at the expense of meaningful involvement in church life, is a sign of the times...It's one way Generations X and Y are making up for the hands-off, latch-key childrearing styles that characterized their Boomer parents: heavy investment in the kids, and everything else takes a back seat - including church."
On the flip side, the article talks about the tendency to trade church attendance in for time spent on something the kids are doing and says (quoting Albert Mohler Jr.), "Every kid has a 'thing' going on virtually all the time. That is the condition of life today, it seems. But when that 'thing' keeps the child - or the whole family - away from church we need to name that thing what it is... at best a snare, at worst an idol."
And, here's what I take away from the article: NOT a specific stance on what "church involvement" means; NOT whether its right or wrong to skip a church activity to spend with your family; and, NOT how to develop church to recapture a generation that sees it as less relevant than a little-league baseball game (though, on a side note, that should shake up Christ-followers around the country... that we have somehow allowed the incredible Good News of the amazing love of the Creator for his flawed creation to become essentially irrelevant).
Instead, I look at the disagreement between the two sides of the issue and I see examples of the many futile attempts generations make to develop the 'next generation' to believe as they do. After all, the Builder generation took what they learned in the developmental years and tried to develop the 'next generation' to work hard for the good of the 'country'... falling into an 'us versus them' mentality and false views of "differences." The Boomer generation took the developmental years of their childhood and became unbalanced in their approach to life... falling into workaholicism and false views of "success." The Gen-Xers took the developmental years of their childhood and decided to completely go against what they learned... falling into child-centeredness and false views of "spirituality." So, how are we developing the next generation? How will they respond to our parenting and leadership? What will they fall into? What incorrect views will they have?
Developing people is the most challenging and important thing we do in life. And, whether it is our own kids or just the next generation in general, they are watching us. What they learn from us will affect the entire culture in 20-30 years. Let us never forget how important it is to develop them well... to give them a correct view of people and a balanced life and God.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Interesting People I Met On The Cruise
I just spent six nights and seven days on the Carnival Liberty cruise ship. I had never been on a cruise before, but I can guarantee you that I will go again. The food was great, the ports were awesome (except for Freeport, which was a little bit of a waste of potential beach space), and the activities were plentiful. But one of the greatest things about the trip was the people I met as we travelled.
I met a disgruntled, former Sunday School director and his wife as we waited for two very different kind of drinks at the poolside bar. I met an elderly world-travelling lady while we waited to see if we won the raffle for the free jewelry from the ship's gift shop. I met a guy and his girlfriend on the panorama deck as they settled in for a little sunbathing... I offered to let the guy read the book I was reading ("Sex God" by Rob Bell) while I got out of the sun for a little bit. I met three couples (all pastors and their spouses) at the Fort Lauderdale airport while we waited for 6 hours for our flight back. And I met many others along the way as well. I wish I could tell you about all of the conversations I had... some of them more important than others... but I don't have time.
The point of all of this is that the trip was great, but the coolest thing about it was the people there with me... the strangers I met... the friends I went with... and all the time I got to spend with my wife. Life is about people. God is about people. Church At The Grove is about people... developing them... helping them experience life change... helping them reconnect with God. Life is a journey... I pray that you enjoy it, but I hope you enjoy the people on the trip with you even more.
I met a disgruntled, former Sunday School director and his wife as we waited for two very different kind of drinks at the poolside bar. I met an elderly world-travelling lady while we waited to see if we won the raffle for the free jewelry from the ship's gift shop. I met a guy and his girlfriend on the panorama deck as they settled in for a little sunbathing... I offered to let the guy read the book I was reading ("Sex God" by Rob Bell) while I got out of the sun for a little bit. I met three couples (all pastors and their spouses) at the Fort Lauderdale airport while we waited for 6 hours for our flight back. And I met many others along the way as well. I wish I could tell you about all of the conversations I had... some of them more important than others... but I don't have time.
The point of all of this is that the trip was great, but the coolest thing about it was the people there with me... the strangers I met... the friends I went with... and all the time I got to spend with my wife. Life is about people. God is about people. Church At The Grove is about people... developing them... helping them experience life change... helping them reconnect with God. Life is a journey... I pray that you enjoy it, but I hope you enjoy the people on the trip with you even more.
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