As I have been reflecting on a variety of things from the conference over the past week, one of the biggest struggles I have is finding ways for people to be fired up about diving into the Bible.
Quite often we hear people say, "We really want to have a Bible Study." And then we when offer studies, very few people show up. There seems to be a hunger, but the follow through just doesn't happen. So I have been trying to find ways to open up this life-giving book in ways that will draw people in - and that is one of my big focus points for the upcoming year.
To start it all off, in September we will have a 90 Day Bible Challenge. For those who are interested we will challenge ourselves to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. Every few weeks we will get together to discuss what we have read and go over the questions we have. We might even have an online discussion as well.
Following the 90 Day Challenge there will be a variety of classes for follow-up. These classes will go a little deeper into different books and characters in the Bible.
But the ultimate goal is to get people talking about and reading the Bible in their homes, with family and friends. Hopefully we will have guides developed in the next year to help facilitate this.
This book called the Bible really is a life-giving book, and the more we study it, the more we grow in our relationship with God. I invite all of you to join in this holy conversation.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Let the River Flow
For the past three days I have been at a conference in the Twin Cities. There have been some great speakers, some decent workshops, and a wonderful time of worship with 550+ leaders in other churches. Now I am taking a little time to reflect, get my bearings, and try and discern where the Spirit is leading us next.
A couple of things have come to mind. First is that we, as a whole, need to become more fluent in the language of Scripture. Many times we offer studies or classes and people come, then when the end, we do not have much follow up. In thinking about all of this, I have decided that this fall we will have an opportunity for people to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. This will be something we do on our own, but meet occasionally to discuss questions that have come up and hold each other accountable. After the 90 days we will follow up with focused studies on different parts of the Bible.
Second, we have a lot of leaders in the church, but again we do not have a lot of follow up once the leaders are in their places. I would like to have opportunities for leaders to gather, grow in leadership skills, and find ways to implement new ministries that fit the gifts of new leaders.
Finally, story-telling is an art form, and people relate to stories in amazing ways. I am trying to find new ways for people to hear and tell stories that help to inspire others. This is a work in process and I will probably use technology in different ways to help this process.
So that is the inspiration for today. Any and all thoughts are always welcome.
A couple of things have come to mind. First is that we, as a whole, need to become more fluent in the language of Scripture. Many times we offer studies or classes and people come, then when the end, we do not have much follow up. In thinking about all of this, I have decided that this fall we will have an opportunity for people to read through the entire Bible in 90 days. This will be something we do on our own, but meet occasionally to discuss questions that have come up and hold each other accountable. After the 90 days we will follow up with focused studies on different parts of the Bible.
Second, we have a lot of leaders in the church, but again we do not have a lot of follow up once the leaders are in their places. I would like to have opportunities for leaders to gather, grow in leadership skills, and find ways to implement new ministries that fit the gifts of new leaders.
Finally, story-telling is an art form, and people relate to stories in amazing ways. I am trying to find new ways for people to hear and tell stories that help to inspire others. This is a work in process and I will probably use technology in different ways to help this process.
So that is the inspiration for today. Any and all thoughts are always welcome.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Long Time Gone
It has been about a month since my last post. The last month seems to have gotten away from me - with the wrapping up of the school year, celebrating prayer week, and just running through life as a whole - it has been a little crazy:)
And summer will not be any slower. We are starting some new studies, a sermon series, new youth programs, and the list just goes on and on.
But one of the things that has not gotten away from me is family time. I may miss blogging for a bit, I may forget to write a letter or two - but time with family is of the utmost importance to me. So I still make sure to get home in time to read some books, go to the library on a Saturday morning, and run and play in the park as the girls squeal with joy. These are things that help to ground me and give me life.
So what is it that grounds you? What is it that gives you life and inspires you on a daily basis?
People often say that summer is a time to slow down but I have noticed summer seems to be busier than any other time of the year. So as we enter into this summer, take some time and discover what it is that builds you up. Reflect on the things that give you the energy you need to make it through the day or the week. And make time for the important things and important people in your life. God is all about relationships - may your relationships be strengthen in and through him.
And summer will not be any slower. We are starting some new studies, a sermon series, new youth programs, and the list just goes on and on.
But one of the things that has not gotten away from me is family time. I may miss blogging for a bit, I may forget to write a letter or two - but time with family is of the utmost importance to me. So I still make sure to get home in time to read some books, go to the library on a Saturday morning, and run and play in the park as the girls squeal with joy. These are things that help to ground me and give me life.
So what is it that grounds you? What is it that gives you life and inspires you on a daily basis?
People often say that summer is a time to slow down but I have noticed summer seems to be busier than any other time of the year. So as we enter into this summer, take some time and discover what it is that builds you up. Reflect on the things that give you the energy you need to make it through the day or the week. And make time for the important things and important people in your life. God is all about relationships - may your relationships be strengthen in and through him.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The gift of age
Today is my birthday, and every year at this time I take a little time to reflect on the past year, what I have done, where I have gone, etc, and I set some goals for the upcoming year. It is often a day of reflection.
Today, as I look back on the past year I see many blessings that have come my way. I have been blessed with another daughter (who is in a kick of getting up at 5:30 nowadays, so much fun). I have been blessed to see a number of people realize their gifts and put their faith into action. I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and family who help me to see the face of God every day in their love and forgiveness. It has also been a year where the church has become more active and people more willing to step forward and take leadership roles. Overall, it has been a truly wonderful year.
And the next year is quite bright as well. I will be returning to MT for a class reunion in August, we will be going to MN for a conference this summer I am looking forward to, and there are many new ministries, esp youth ministries, that will be coming that are very exciting.
All the years we are given here on earth are true blessings. They go by fast and we all need to sit back and enjoy this gift of life we have. My prayer for you today is that you would celebrate this gift of life and enjoy all that you have been given.
Today, as I look back on the past year I see many blessings that have come my way. I have been blessed with another daughter (who is in a kick of getting up at 5:30 nowadays, so much fun). I have been blessed to see a number of people realize their gifts and put their faith into action. I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and family who help me to see the face of God every day in their love and forgiveness. It has also been a year where the church has become more active and people more willing to step forward and take leadership roles. Overall, it has been a truly wonderful year.
And the next year is quite bright as well. I will be returning to MT for a class reunion in August, we will be going to MN for a conference this summer I am looking forward to, and there are many new ministries, esp youth ministries, that will be coming that are very exciting.
All the years we are given here on earth are true blessings. They go by fast and we all need to sit back and enjoy this gift of life we have. My prayer for you today is that you would celebrate this gift of life and enjoy all that you have been given.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Listening
This week I have been working on a class I am teaching on Leadership, and the session we are on has to do with listening - esp how well we actually listen to those around us and to God. It is one of those sessions that is good for me to teach because it reminds me of how I need to slow down and make time to listen - to family, friends, co-workers, and God.
Listening is not passive. It is now just sitting there when someone is speaking. But rather it is active. It is being engaged with the person you are with and truly hearing what that person is saying. There are too many times in all of our lives when we are preoccupied with other things going on that we do not give the attention needed to the person we are with.
And the same goes when listening to God. How often in our prayers do we spend the entire time just naming things off to God that we want changed, healed, or made different in some way? Part of prayer is active listening, making that time of silence available to actually hear what God is saying to us - because I truly believe that God is speaking, he is talking, to each of us. We just don't always hear what he has to say.
So today, I invite you to participate in active listening. Do it with family, friends, whoever you are with. Show them how important they are to you by being fully engaged in what they say. And do the same with God. Turn of the TV, computer, radio, whatever it may be, and spend some time listening to what God may be saying to you today.
Listening is not passive. It is now just sitting there when someone is speaking. But rather it is active. It is being engaged with the person you are with and truly hearing what that person is saying. There are too many times in all of our lives when we are preoccupied with other things going on that we do not give the attention needed to the person we are with.
And the same goes when listening to God. How often in our prayers do we spend the entire time just naming things off to God that we want changed, healed, or made different in some way? Part of prayer is active listening, making that time of silence available to actually hear what God is saying to us - because I truly believe that God is speaking, he is talking, to each of us. We just don't always hear what he has to say.
So today, I invite you to participate in active listening. Do it with family, friends, whoever you are with. Show them how important they are to you by being fully engaged in what they say. And do the same with God. Turn of the TV, computer, radio, whatever it may be, and spend some time listening to what God may be saying to you today.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Return
Earlier today we returned from a nice week of R and R in Florida visiting family. It was a nice break, but I am ready to be back.
During this time off i read through a couple of books and have been mulling over a couple of thoughts, esp about how we, the church, relate to God and relate to others. What is our purpose as the church, and, even in a different context, what is our purpose as humanity as a whole.
The more I have thought about this, and reflected on how I view God (which is in a very relational model), I have started to reflect on how individualism is a barrier we set up to promote self and even idolize at times.
Now this is a thought in process, so at this point I am just brainstorming.
God is relational. Relational in God's own being - the Trinity - and God desires to be in relationship with us - we know this because of the way that God keeps coming to us, forgiving us, and working to restore our relationship with him. So when we focus on our selves, when we promote our own individualism - what we want, things we deserve, desire, etc, are we setting up barriers between ourselves and others, and even barriers with God?
As a part of the body of Christ, the church, I believe that we are called to put aside our strong desires of individualism - our wants, desires, etc - to try and build relationships with others, and even grow in our relationship with God. This is not an easy thing, because human nature seeks to put our selves above others. But in working to grow in these relationships, we start to see the face of Christ in a new light. we start to see that what matters more than anything is the relationships we have.
This means that we will not always get what we want - or does it? Because if the relationships are what are truly essential, then everything else becomes secondary.
So how do we do this? The first step is to start by sitting down and really getting to know people. Spending time with them, where they are, finding out what they are going through, and truly listening to them. As we do this we will start to see the ways that God is working through these people - and working through us as we grow in love of these others.
Second is to try and develop new relationships. New people come into our lives all the time, but do we spend the time needed to actually get to know them and develop a relationship with them, or do we just pass by, missing the opportunity to see God working in their lives as well?
Like I said, this is a thought in process, any comments are welcome.
During this time off i read through a couple of books and have been mulling over a couple of thoughts, esp about how we, the church, relate to God and relate to others. What is our purpose as the church, and, even in a different context, what is our purpose as humanity as a whole.
The more I have thought about this, and reflected on how I view God (which is in a very relational model), I have started to reflect on how individualism is a barrier we set up to promote self and even idolize at times.
Now this is a thought in process, so at this point I am just brainstorming.
God is relational. Relational in God's own being - the Trinity - and God desires to be in relationship with us - we know this because of the way that God keeps coming to us, forgiving us, and working to restore our relationship with him. So when we focus on our selves, when we promote our own individualism - what we want, things we deserve, desire, etc, are we setting up barriers between ourselves and others, and even barriers with God?
As a part of the body of Christ, the church, I believe that we are called to put aside our strong desires of individualism - our wants, desires, etc - to try and build relationships with others, and even grow in our relationship with God. This is not an easy thing, because human nature seeks to put our selves above others. But in working to grow in these relationships, we start to see the face of Christ in a new light. we start to see that what matters more than anything is the relationships we have.
This means that we will not always get what we want - or does it? Because if the relationships are what are truly essential, then everything else becomes secondary.
So how do we do this? The first step is to start by sitting down and really getting to know people. Spending time with them, where they are, finding out what they are going through, and truly listening to them. As we do this we will start to see the ways that God is working through these people - and working through us as we grow in love of these others.
Second is to try and develop new relationships. New people come into our lives all the time, but do we spend the time needed to actually get to know them and develop a relationship with them, or do we just pass by, missing the opportunity to see God working in their lives as well?
Like I said, this is a thought in process, any comments are welcome.
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