Leading for Change

Eight posts that have messed me up!

2008-10-01T07:11:00.004-06:00

As you may know I read a lot of blogs everyday, but I have a few who seem to speak directly into my life and ministry (can life and ministry truly be separated...that is a post for another day). I wanted to share five blog posts from the last week or so that have really spoken to me:

You need to read this one and this one and then one more from Craig Groeschel. It is written to pastors, but it applies to all of us.

You need to read this post from Mark Batterson. He is speaking such a profound Word of truth here.

Then there are these posts from Perry Noble. Read this post and this one, this one and finally this one.

Search your heart. Do any of these posts speak to you this morning? What is God trying to tell you about your life and relationship, or lack there of, with Him?

Land Purchase Vote

2008-09-28T11:58:00.003-06:00

The membership gathered today and voted on the purchase of the land on the north-end of Kirksville. The vote needed to a two-thirds majority to pass. There were 29 members present and the vote was 16 in favor and 13 against. The vote needed 20 members to say yes, so as a result of this vote the church WILL NOT be pursuing the purchase of land at this time.

Patriot Day

2008-09-11T09:19:00.003-06:00

No one will ever forget where they were or what they were doing seven years ago today. My prayers go out to all the families who lost loved ones that day. We remember the brave men and women of the New York Fire Department and Police Department. The men and women of the New York Transit Authority who acted so bravely in the darkness and chaos of such tragedy. The acts of heroism of a few men on Flight 93 that ended in a Pennsylvania cornfield. The men and women at the Pentagon who so bravely rescued others from the wreckage and fire. We will always remember the members of our military who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Take a few moments and remember the freedoms we so quickly take for granted that have come to us through the blood and sacrifice of so many. Have a blessed Patriot Day!

Update

2008-09-09T09:25:00.002-06:00

I need to do some serious catching up here. It has been a very busy August and looks to be an even busier September.

The website went down briefly, but it is back up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I am going to start doing a series book reviews on what I have been reading lately. I also need to update my reading list.

All three of my fantasy football teams won this week! I love football season...oh yeah, it is September and my Dodgers are in first place in the National League West division. Now if they can just hold on.

I had one of those silly prayer moments...I found myself praying that the UCLA football team would score a touchdown late in the game against their game against Tennessee...does God answer football prayers?

We are working very hard on quarterly planning. I am excited about 2009. It looks like it will be another awesome year for TRCC.

We are taking a vote on October 5th as to whether to buy some land on the north end of Kirksville. If it is approved this will be the future site of our permanent campus. Please be in prayer for God's leading on this vote.

Catching up

2008-08-12T07:34:00.003-06:00

I enjoyed a brief break last week. We took the family to St. Louis to see some family and take in a Dodger game...yes I know it was at Busch Stadium and the home of the Cardinals, but it was a Dodger game...they just happened to be playing in St. Louis. It was the first Major League game for Colin and Christina and it was really fun to see them enjoying themselves in their own little ways.

I finally gave in and took the kids to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Wow that is a neat place. The kids came home with new friends.

Now this is interesting...

2008-07-31T11:04:00.002-06:00

I was going through the various blogs I read and I stumbled onto an entry by Kent Schaffer. Check this out. If the results of that survey are to be believed...and I think they should be...then we have some work to get done.

What will get the unchurched to grace the doors of TRCC? Our friendliness! Are we doing all we can to extend the hand of friendship each and every day? If not, are we doing all we can to extend the hand of friendship on Sunday morning?

The exciting thing here is that we don't have to invent new programs to reach people. We simply need to extend the hand of friendship in love. That is simple. That is the easy stuff. So let's start showing love and friendship to people around us everyday. Who can you extend the hand of friendship today? Who can you show love and kindness to today?

I am heading out to lunch right now! I am going to make a new friend. Come join me!

Mountains and Valleys

2008-07-30T08:01:00.003-06:00

We all have those times in life where we are standing on the mountain top of life. Everything looks great and feels wonderful. We also all have those moments when we are in the valley of life and it seems dark and forbodding. Nothing seems to be going right and we wonder if we will ever be able to climb out of the darkness.

The interesting thing about a valley is that it is situated between two mountains. That is the good news. There are mountain top experiences awaiting you on both sides of the valley.

I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Who am I preaching to?

2008-07-29T07:50:00.002-06:00

In this current series I have delivered a few tough messages. They were not only tough for me, but tough for some people to hear. This has gotten me thinking about my real audience for preaching God's Word.

I resolved in myself several years ago that I would not take criticism personally as long as what I preached was biblically sound. Most of the time criticism about a message is coming from someone that is wrestling with something that God is trying to work-out in their heart.

I realize now that I preach each Sunday not to the people of TimberRidge or our internet audience. Instead I preach solely and completely for the Lord. If He is happy with my proclamation of His Word then I have done what he has asked me to accomplish.

Weekend Musings

2008-07-28T08:07:00.003-06:00

All the rain we received on Thursday ended up washing out our Golf Scramble on Saturday. We will be rescheduling the Scramble for September.

Thanks to all my guys who stood up on Sunday and recited the Warrior's Creed! We are raising up some serious Warriors in this house!

I got my passport today...no more procrastinating on this Uruguay trip. I cannot believe the amount of support I have received from the great people at Faith Community Church in West Chester, Ohio. Thank you so much!

Monday Morning Reflections

2008-07-21T07:47:00.002-06:00

We took the kids camping this weekend. Lisa and I were reflecting that every time we have gone camping it has rained on us! We got out to the campground Friday evening and not five minutes after I got the tent up it started to rain. We tried to cook dinner anyway, but found that even my little hiking stove could not combat the rain (although it will boil pot of water in less than a minute). We tried to wait it out in the tent, but we finally just got the kids back in the car and headed for home to cook dinner. Thankfully it stopped raining and we headed back out to the tent an hour later. The next day we seriously hot, but we had a good time in the great outdoors.

This Sunday we continued "The Warrior" series. We talked about "The Wounded Warrior". We did some different things this Sunday. I asked the men from the praise band to play "By His Wounds" in the middle of the message. I had never done that before, but it seemed to be very effective. Once again, we had some men make life changing decisions. I am really thankful to Craig Groeschel and the LifeChurch.tv folks for introducing me to this series idea. It is molding the men of TRCC into warriors for God!

Weekend Reflections

2008-07-07T07:46:00.002-06:00

I spent the 4th of July holiday with the family. We grilled some and went to the State Park for a little recreation. Loved watching my little six-year old warrior try to catch a squirrel!

Yesterday we started "The Warrior" series. I have borrowed the concept from my friends at Lifechurch.tv. I have been praying for a way to energize the men in our church to become warriors for God. I am praying that this series will be the launching pad for an awesome men's ministry.

Saturday night I got a call from a friend and long-time attender of TimberRidge. She and her husband went on short missions trip to Mexico last February. I shared with them that I have a burning desire to go on a missions trip and share the Good News and be the "hands and feet of Christ". God does answer prayers, but you better be ready when He does. They have a chance to go to...ready for this...Uruguay in late October of this year. Uruguay! I had to look on a map to find out where it was in South America. It sounds so awesome and God has put a burn in my heart like never before. I don't have any details, but they don't matter as much as the chance to go somewhere where the majority of the people do not have a relationship with God. I will be walking into furtile ground for the Kingdom and a chance to put action to my words. Thanks God for giving me this chance! Now...how do I raise the $2,000.00 needed to get there...I know God is in that also.

Have a great day!

Independence Day!

2008-07-03T07:37:00.002-06:00

We are getting ready to have a small family cookout tomorrow and enjoy the holiday. Independence Day...the day we remember the fight our forefathers fought to free us from the tyranny of England. A battle fought on the fields of this country and in the hearts of our ancestors. It was difficult for them to imagine what self-government would look like. They had been under the Monarchy of England for their entire lives. Nevertheless they embarked on a brave an awesome journey that you and I celebrate tomorrow.

My prayer is that you will find true independence. You will find independence from addiction, oppression, self-doubt, bitterness and loneliness. I pray that you will find the freedom that comes from claiming the strong name of Jesus Christ as your Savior. You will find the independence of knowing that you are a child of God and nothing the evil one does can ever change that. You are God's beautiful creation and He has set you free from the things that bind you up. So this weekend claim your freedom and celebrate a real independence day!

Are we helping?

2008-07-01T08:50:00.004-06:00

The leadership team has been talking a lot about the Isaiah 58 ministry here at TimberRidge. This ministry touches lives every day of the week through meeting peoples immediate needs with bills and food. The question is whether we are truly doing enough? Are we seeing lives being transformed? In my wrestling with these questions I was reminded of our church mission statement. We are a church where "no one walks alone." Are we truly walking with them, or trying to get them to follow us? There is a real difference...then I read this blog post by Perry Noble. He is the Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC.

I found myself praying the following prayer: "Lord, please just let me be your hands and feet. Help me to put aside my sinful need to control and govern Your work. May everyone we help see you in all that we do and say. Show me ways to walk alongside your people and show them the love of Jesus each and every day."

Monday morning reflections

2008-06-30T09:36:00.002-06:00

I am reflecting on yesterday and what God is doing in my life right now. We finished up the One Prayer series yesterday with Pastor Craig Groeschel's message "Make Us One". It really got me thinking about how I relate, or fail to relate, to other churches and other pastors. I realized that may harbor some feelings of competition towards other churches that is hampering my ability to do God's ministry in partnership with them. I think we sometimes get locked into thinking that church is a "zero-sum" game. In other words, there are only so many people that are going to go to church and we better get our slice of that pie. The reality is that we are forgetting that two-thirds of that pie is not involved in the local church. Maybe if I stop trying to compete and instead look to the fields...they are very ripe and ready to be harvested. I am committing myself today to make another effort to build relationships with other pastors here in Kirksville.

There has been a lot of discussion around the topic of worship lately at TRCC. In my prayers this morning I realized that the real spirit of worship is that I should strive everyday to worship God just a little deeper than I did yesterday. When we gather on Sunday we should all strive to be a little more open and engage a little deeper with the Holy Spirit than we did the previous Sunday. That is the mark of spiritual growth. A constant moving forward and deepening relationship with God.

Sunday Reflections

2008-06-23T07:51:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I brought my OnePrayer message. We are a little out of sync on this series because I was on vacation on June 8th, the day the series began.

My message was "Make us Transformed". No one ever came into contact with Jesus and remained the same. The church needs to be the very embodiment of Jesus to the world. The church needs to show that we worship a living God. We need to stay innovative and open to change. Traditions are made to be broken! We need to live the transformation that has happened in our hearts. We are new creatures and we need to reflect that to the world. We don't have worship "services", we have celebrations! The world is looking for something to celebrate. We have something greater than the Super Bowl, Indy 500, Kentucky Derby, World Series and Olympics combined. We have the assurance of salvation and eternal life in the Jesus Christ! It is time we started celebrating and invite people to celebrate with us.

Lord, make us transformed!

Random Thoughts...

2008-06-18T08:03:00.002-06:00

Here some things that have been on my mind:

- Why are people amazed that Christians can have fun? I was listening to Spirit FM this morning and a caller shared that she took a friend to the Crossroads Concert in Lake of the Ozarks. Her friend was amazed that Christians could listen to rock music and have so much fun. Why are we not showing the world our real faith? We are children of the living God and we are redeemed by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ! We will live for eternity in His presence! We have reason to celebrate...why are we hiding it?

- Steven Furtick's message "Make Us Audacious" .... off the chain! He was preaching that right to me and TRCC! Thanks Steven!

- TRCC is at a huge crossroads in our life as a church. We have the opportunity to acquire some land to build a campus, but like everyone else the financial burden seems daunting. Are we going to step out in faith or are we going to shrink back in fear?

- I only caught the last 20 minutes of the U.S. Open on Sunday. It was great golf action (can you use the word "golf" and "action" in the same sentence?)...I digress...it was not the great shots and awesome putting that struck me. What got to me was the interview they did with Rocco Mediate. They asked him how he was feeling leading Tiger Woods by one stroke as Tiger was approaching the 18th green. Rocco said, "I left it all on the course. I have nothing else to give. I did the best I can do." WOW!!! That is what I want to be able to say about every single day of my life. I left it all on the course. I have nothing more to give and I did my best! ... oh yeah, and then as a sign of abundant sportsmanship he was rooting for Tiger to make the putt to tie the tournament...are we rooting for other churches? Are we praying for other churches to grow abundantly?

Well that is enough time inside my head for while. I bet you are glad you don't have to live inside my head...hehe

Lake of the Ozarks and OnePrayer

2008-06-09T09:33:00.003-06:00

We just got back from a wonderful week in the Lake of the Ozarks. It was beautiful down there and the weather was hot, but pleasant. With that being said, we were awoken by the tornado sirens at 12:30 a.m. our first night there, but hey, what is a vacation without a little adventure. It was sure nice to find out that all those golf lessons 10 years ago were not a complete waste. I swung my clubs for the first time in at least 5 years and found my old swing again.

We started the OnePrayer series this past Sunday. I am looking forward to Pastor Furtick's message this Sunday - "Lord Make Us Audacious". I am amazed that God has brought over 1,400 churches together around one preaching series! What is your one prayer? I hope you can join us for the remainder of this series.

Back from the Arches

2008-05-29T09:14:00.002-06:00

We got back yesterday afternoon from St. Louis. Alex had another doctor's appointment. The good news is that I think he is slowly improving.

The funny thing is that I learned to drive on the freeways of Los Angeles. I would travel them everyday and never be nervous or stressed. We got into St. Louis on Tuesday and it was raining. The traffic was moderate, but I was a nervous wreck. I guess the last six years of living in small towns has begun to effect my stress level when it comes to traffic. I just thought it was ironic that a guy who learned to drive in the mean streets of L.A. would get nervous while driving in St. Louis...

We had dinner with our friends Shaun and Jenny. They moved to St. Louis several months ago. Shaun co-designed and did all the artwork on our billboard. It was so good to talk and get caught up on life.

Sunday Reflections

2008-05-27T19:24:00.002-06:00

I was suffering with a worsening case of the stomach flu all morning long. I was completely wore out by the time we were done. By late afternoon I was completely out of it! I felt like my preaching was not as sharp as normal, but God proved once again it is not about me. Several people stopped me to talk about the points of stress in their lives.

It was so great to see Rob and Michelle on Sunday. I think we don't always realize how much we miss someone until we see them again. I walked into band rehearsal and had to do a double take as I saw Rob up there with his guitar. We love you guys. Please come back often and visit us. I know you will always have a place in the band Rob!

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008-05-24T06:51:00.002-06:00

Last night we took the kids to see the second installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series. They did a great job of capturing the adventure that is so evident in the book. They also capture the feeling of hopelessness and utter failure that you get when you read the book. All in all it was a great ride and fantastic movie.

There were some great lines that just struck me on a profound level:

Lucy says to Aslan, "You've gotten bigger." Aslan responded, "Every year you grow I also grow." Remember that Aslan the lion is the representation of Jesus in the story. I have found that it is very true that the more spiritual growth I have the bigger Jesus gets in my life. Are you growing every year?

Lucy finally finds Aslan after a very perilous and difficult search. She tells him that she saw him but the others didn't believe her. Aslan responds, "Why did that keep you from coming to me?" OUCH! How many times are we reluctant to publically profess Christ because others (family and friends) don't believe you? Should that be a reason we fail to come to Jesus? I know there are times when I have failed to give Jesus the credit for blessings in my life because others don't believe me. May we never keep ourselves from coming to Jesus.

Finally, towards the end of the film Peter, Edmund, Susan and Caspian come face to face with Aslan. They all kneel before the King. Aslan says, "Arise Kings and Queens of Narnia!" Peter, Susan and Edmund rise, but Caspian remains kneeling. Aslan says, "All of you." Caspian says, "I don't feel ready to be King." Aslan responds, "For that very reason I am confident that you are ready." I love this scene. Do you feel adequate and completely equipped to do what God has set before you? Probably not, and it is for that very reason He has chosen you. In your weakness, He is strong! In your humility, He is glorified!

Good time great food

2008-05-22T10:26:00.002-06:00

Last night we had our small group over for a meal. We decided that the theme for the night was Italian. My wife made her signature lasagna and I must say it was one of her best yet. We had garlic bread, salad and some wonderful dessert. The highlight of the night was sitting on our deck and sharing experiences and sharing life.

Some of the highlights

2008-05-21T07:15:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share some of the highlights of the 40 Days of Community campaign. The main highlight is the rejuvenation of our small group ministry. TRCC has always had a very robust small group ministry. During the year that they were looking for a Senior Pastor the small group ministry started to wain. When I arrived it was pretty anemic and needed a huge shot of adrenaline. The small group leaders were just not sure how to get the fire lit and keep it burning in our small groups. I tried several things and read a ton of books, but nothing seemed to work. Then along came 40 DoC and things took off. We asked people to make a six week commitment and join a small group. If they did not want to continue beyond the six weeks then that was perfectly fine. What we saw was literally the quadrupling of our small group ministry overnight. Now as awesome as that is it is nothing compared to what the impact is now. Not only did we quadruple the small group ministry for the short-term, but all of the groups have agreed to continue to meet!

We also have seen a burn for greater discipleship within the people. They appear to have a fire for deepening their relationship with Christ.

Finally, we have experienced a greater level of volunteerism. People are wanting to share their gifts and talents with the church.

So overall, we increased the community within the church and increased the community outside the church. The bottom line is that we all learned to love a little more.

Weekend Reflections

2008-05-20T08:40:00.002-06:00

This was a week where we really tried some different things. We wrapped up our focused 40 Days of Community campaign with a huge celebration. We had cake and drinks in the lobby and went to only one celebration so everyone could worship together (the theater was packed!). Here are some of the new things that we did this past Sunday:
- Lisa joined me on stage and we team-preached the message. I brought the teaching and she highlighted what God had done in the lives of our people over the last 40 days.
- The band played at the beginning and the end of the celebration.
- Our worship leader Rhoda Kennard dismissed the crowd instead of me...it was a nice change.
- We took our offering immediately after the bands first set instead of after the message.
- We played a homemade movie I worked on and set to "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin.

All in all it was a wonderful day. I have never really felt as relaxed preaching as I did this past Sunday. I guess my focus was Lisa and how she was doing and believe me she did fantastic. She appeared very relaxed and had good command of her message. I am so proud of her stepping up and meeting this challenge God put in front of her.

Branding

2008-05-12T08:56:00.002-06:00

One my practices is something I learned from Bill Hybels. He calls it "best practices". The idea is that you study other churches and pastors to see what practices they excel at and then figure out ways to use those best practices in your setting.

The church is always looking for the best way to market itself in this media driven society. One of the best practices I have found is branding sermon series. Instead of advertising and brandishing the church you actually market the current sermon series. Lifechurch.tv and Pastor Craig Groeschel do this with extreme excellence. I have learned alot from watching what this church in Oklahoma is doing around branding their sermon series. We are going to be experimenting with this practice here at TRCC. The next three sermon series are going to branded and marketed to see what people think of this concept.

Weekend Reflections

2008-05-05T07:30:00.002-06:00

Just reflecting on the past weekend:

- Don't let the grass get too high because then it will take you 20 minutes to mow your small lawn. I know, but mowing is not my favorite activity.

- Colin's baseball team is going to fun to coach this year. One of the parents said she thought I was having more fun than they were. I think she may have been right!

- Once again, the people at TRCC amaze me and go beyond my expectations. We conducted a ministry fair yesterday as part of 40 Days of Community. I wanted it to grab people's attention. Well it surely did that! They put highway cones leading down the ramp to the ministry fair table complete with roadway signs. You could not help but walk past that table and find a way to get connected at TimberRidge.

- It was good to see Pastor Robert Douglas yesterday at worship. He founded TRCC 12 years ago and now pastors a Hope Community Church on the south-side of Chicago.

- I enjoyed spending time with the family yesterday, even though most of them took long naps...maybe it was the quiet time alone I really enjoyed.

Have a great Monday!

Getting Caught Up Part II...

2008-05-01T19:17:00.002-06:00

Sorry for my two week absence so let me get you caught up on what has been happening:

1. We have been fully engaged in the 40 Days of Community campaign. We have seen some wonderful things happen so far and we won't be done until May 18th. Just one of the awesome blessings so far has been a quadrupling of our Small Group Ministry.

2. We moved the office last week and we are still trying to get set-up. No internet connection in my office yet.

3. We started a new communication piece called "Coming Attractions". This will connect our people every week with the happenings at TRCC and beyond.

4. I am working on our men's ministry called "EveryMan Ministry". I am using 1 Timothy 6:11-12a as the foundational scripture.

5. We are still trying to get Alex's school situation squared away. This and his illness are causing Lisa and I a lot of stress.

6. I started a new workout regime today and it will get me ripped if I follow it.

7. Lori and I have been working hard on getting our InStep fitness ministry set-up at church.

Have a great evening!

On the move

2008-04-15T08:57:00.002-06:00

Spent some time yesterday with our worship team over at the new office building. We rented a larger office space on the south-end of town. This space will give the band more room for practice and give us a dedicated ministry office. It was very exciting to meet with them yesterday and get a feel for the future.

One Prayer

2008-04-14T07:48:00.002-06:00

I am excited to announce that TRCC will be joining hundreds of churches all over the world for the One Prayer series. Pastor Craig Groeschel had a truly inspired idea about bringing the church together like never before. The idea is simply this if you could pray one prayer for the church-at-large what would it be?

So for the month of June we are going to be answering that question as part of a four-part series called "One Prayer". Craig has asked some of the most dynamic pastors from across the country to video tape messages and submit them to One Prayer. We will be hearing from a couple of these pastors via video. What a tremendous way to expose ourselves to God's teaching without the honorarium. Seriously, we will be joining hundreds of churches in June as we explore our One Prayers for the church. This could be one of the most Kingdom-minded events in our churches history. I pray you will join us for this tremendous event.

Reading List

2008-04-01T08:15:00.002-06:00

I told all of you that one of my goals this year was to read 50 books. I like to read books from across the spectrum of life. I can easily get into a rut of reading only theology books, but I believe it is extremely important to my growth as a person and as a pastor.

Here is what I have read so far this year:
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day - Mark Batterson
Visioneering - Andy Stanley
Twelve Ordinary Men - John MacArthur
Building a Church of Small Groups - Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson
The Relational Way - M. Scott Boren
The Ascent of a Leader - Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and Ken McElrath
Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni
The Man Who Walked Through Time - Colin Fletcher
Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers - William M. Easum

I have two books I am reading right now so I will be almost caught up. I know some of you say that it is hard to find time to read. I read recently that you can read a book a month if you just put a book in the bathroom and read while you are...well you know.

And we are underway...

2008-03-31T07:19:00.002-06:00

We kicked-off our 40 Days of Community campaign yesterday in grand fashion. The theme is "Life is a highway" and so we decorated with balloons and race car and traveling decorations. Our friends over at the Manhatten Cafe provided a feast for us during our continental breakfast. We had decorating help from one of our very talented folks, Kim Reed. We decided to just have one 10:30 a.m. gathering so we could all be together in a larger community for the kick-off.

The music team had us on our feet for the entire set and the energy was through the roof. I think everyone was singing and clapping for the entire 25 minutes of music. I thought to myself...this is how church should be.

Here is the other awesome development from yesterday. We started two more new small groups and had more people than I can count ask about being in small groups. If my count is anywhere near correct I think we are at somewhere around 40% of our average attendance in small groups for the 40 Days of Community.

Awesome Easter!

2008-03-24T08:48:00.003-06:00

We had a fantastic Easter celebration. The music team began the celebration with an awesome set that included "God With Us" and "Saving the World". I know I felt the power of the Holy Spirit during the music.

The drama team brought a poignant and funny drama about the tendency to reduce holidays down to the celebration while forgetting the meaning. Jerry did a great job as the husband conned into a wearing a bunny suit (which looked hilarious).

I finished our Easter series "Famous Last Words". We are one of two thieves on one of two crosses. Do we see our need for a savior? If so, we too can here the reassuring words of Christ, "You will be with me in Paradise".

What a glorious day!

Today the family of TRCC is fasting in preparation for 40 Days of Community. We are praying that these next 40 days will be a time of growth, discernment and inspiration as we find Christ in community with each other and show Christ to the world in community with others.

Have a great day!

Tough month

2008-03-19T07:38:00.002-06:00

Sorry for not posting more regularly, but it has been a tough month.

For those who don't know my 13 y.o. son has been sick for the last six weeks. We have been to doctors in St. Louis twice and worked with the school to get him caught up.

I will be posting more often.

Have a great Easter.

Holistic Gospel

2008-03-03T08:39:00.002-06:00

One of the key points of the vision is an emphasis on the holistic gospel. This can best be summed up in the following motto: The whole gospel for the whole person for the whole world.

The whole gospel: If all we focus on is salvation and sanctification then we have missed the whole gospel. A close reading of the gospel message will reveal that there is more to the whole gospel message. We must be willing to preach and teach the need to love our neighbors and live in relationship with the entirety of God's creation.

The whole person: We do a great job of helping each other with the health of our spirits and souls. If we leave our teaching there then again we have missed the whole gospel. We need to focus also on the entire person. We need to emphasize physical health, mental health and emotional health of God's people.

The whole world: We can't just be in community with the people in our church or the people in our city. We need to recognize that we are part of something much bigger. We are members of the human race and that broadens our focus to all the people on the planet. We also need to recognize that the whole gospel includes our responsibility to live in community to God's creation. That includes some of the most sensitive ecological issues of our day. Issues like pollution and deforestation.

Scripture uses many terms for our mission in the world and all of them encompass holistic ministry.

TRCC is going to be launching some new ministries in the coming months that will begin to address issues of holistic ministry.

Building a covenant

2008-02-26T08:39:00.002-06:00

I am working with the Leadership Team on creating a covenant for our team to make sure we are being intentional about creating room for God in our plans. The wonder of a covenant is that it requires a significant and meaningful relationship between the people and God. It is not just a simple agreement or contract. It has a God element that raises it onto a more spiritual plane and gives it a much deeper meaning. When you look at the covenants God made in scripture with Abram and Moses. A covenant also requires a sacrifice on the part of both parties that is deeper than performing tasks or keeping promises. I think of the sacrifice that was required in God's covenant between us and His son Jesus on the cross.

I am also praying about the idea of covenant around issues of church membership. We all belong to clubs and other organizations and those are memberships. The only thing required of a "member" typically is the paying dues. There usually is not an element of sacrifice included in membership. My question that I am praying over is: should church membership actually be a covenant? Should we be covenanting together as a church body to move inline with God's plan for TRCC?

EPIC Worship

2008-02-20T09:58:00.002-06:00

I follow some Emergent Church blogs. One of the main issues arising out of that movement is the need to constantly look at the way we worship God. One of the ways worship is being modified is through EPIC Worship. Let me explain:

Experiential - The emergent community desires a worship that is more experiential in nature. They need to engage their senses in worship.
Participatory - This is the desire to be a part of the worship experience and not just a passive member of the audience.
Image-Rich - Worship should be full of images that help to bring people into presence of God. These images should be rich in symbolism and meaning.
Connect - Worship should provide ways for people to connect with each other and connect with God.

The reason I bring this up is that the Worship Team is discussing ways that TRCC can be more EPIC in our worship experience. I think this essential for TRCC to keep at the forefront on reaching people with the Gospel message.

Team Ministry

2008-02-19T09:26:00.002-06:00

I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately about my place in ministry. One of the promises I made to God when I entered ministry is that I would always remain open to His leading where ever it may take me.

I have always been drawn to team ministry models. When I look at the model Jesus gave us with the disciples it is evident that ministry should be done as a team. The disciples traveled together and lived three years of their lives together. They prayed together, ate together and lived out their daily lives together.

One of my goals this year is to develop a team at TRCC that is focused on ministry as a whole and not individual ministries. This team will be very special. We will study the Word together, eat together, pray together and share our lives.

More on this later.

unChristian?

2008-02-07T10:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was reading an article about a new book titled, unChristian: What a Generation Thinks About Christianity... and Why it Matters by Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. I have not read the book yet, but in an interview with the authors they cite that the big three reasons people dislike the church is because they perceive us as Anti-homosexual, Unfriendly and Hypocritical. Now I believe that homosexuality is not inline with God's teachings, but I would never want to come across as anti-homosexual. I don't believe that adultery is inline with God's will, but someone who has fallen to that sin is welcome in the church. Same with someone who is living a homosexual lifestyle. You see I think the church is being perceived as hating the sin and the sinner. Unfortunately there may be some truth to that across this country.

In the February 5th edition of the Washington Post Pastor Rick Warren was interviewed. The following quote struck me in relation to the above article. Pastor Rick said, "I just think we're becoming too rude," he said. "You have no right to demonize someone just because you disagree with them." Ouch...!

For the world to perceive the church as "unfriendly" is a markedly deep failing in fulfilling our mission for Christ. How can we show the world the love of Christ when they perceive us as unfriendly?

Someday...

2008-02-05T08:29:00.000-06:00

Not that I am planning to retire for a very long time, but I have finally found the place where I will eventually hang up it up.

Several years ago my wife bought me the Thomas Kinkade painting "End of a Perfect Day 2". It has been a treasured possession in our house and always will be. It is absolutely beautiful and I have always said that I wanted to find that place and retire there when Lisa and I are ready to settle down. I have finally found it!

Here is a picture of the Thomas Kinkade painting:

Now here is a place in Northwest Montana that I found surfing the internet:

Now how similar is that? I just need to actually find this place now...sounds like a fun vacation in the planning. Now...how long will it take to drive to Montana...onto Google Maps for the answer. Have a great day!

Sunday Reflections

2008-02-04T09:19:00.000-06:00

There are those Sunday's where time we set aside to worship our Lord is just so special and profound that they are literally moments-in-time. Yesterday was one of those times.

The theme of Sunday was "Facing Fears" and it was evident from the opening song to the closing prayer. The band opened with "God with Us" which is a new song for us. It was awesome to see some many people singing along. Vickie's drama was fantastic as it addressed the numerous fears we have and how it is easy to take God for granted in the good times and only call on Him in the tough times. I included Rhoda's testimony as part of my message on "Facing Fears". She really conquered one of her fears by sharing her life with all of us. I know that everyone who heard it was blessed hear how God has worked so richly in her life.

Getting Caught Up...

2008-01-29T09:36:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, but let me take a few minutes and get you caught up.

On the 20th the church gave me a Sunday off and the family got away to the St. Louis area for a little relaxation and shopping. We had to redeem those gift cards we got at Christmas...no need in letting that stuff go to waste.

This past Sunday night I went with our youth group to Winter Jam '08 at the Family Arena in St. Charles. I went to hear MercyMe and NewSong. I might have been in the minority among the 10,000 people who packed that arena. Most of them, our youth included, were there to see and hear Skillet. Now I loved hard rock as a teenager, but this was my first experience with Christian hard rock. All I really know is that it was...LOUD. Sorry did I shout that? My ears are still ringing... NewSong was the highlight of the night for me. They performed the song "Arise, My Love" and I think all 10,000 people were on their feet praising God.

We are going to be doing some different things in worship over the next few months. We are experimenting (isn't everything and experiment?) with countdown videos. We will be streaming these videos out to the lobby of the theater. These videos will help us all know when it is time to start and get our hearts prepared for worship. Our worship is also going to get much more thematic from the opening song to the closing prayer.

Bitter cold

2008-01-18T19:52:00.000-06:00

This is my 11th winter in the Midwest, but I simply cannot get used to these bitterly cold winter days we get sometimes. Today the high temperature was in the teens and it is going to get near freezing tonight. According to the Weather Channel it feels like -6 degrees Fahrenheit outside right now. I don't care who you are or how long you have lived in this part of the country...it is cold!

Well I hope you stay warm this weekend. They say it is only going to get colder.

Mosaic

2008-01-15T11:57:00.000-06:00

For a few years I have followed, read and listened to the teaching of Erwin McManus. He is the Lead Pastor of Mosiac in Pasadena, California. Mosiac is one of the leaders of the emerging church movement that began several years ago. In my opinion they have their finger on the pulse of the church today. They understand that the church is about the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We are to love the people around us and we are to serve them in mission. In their Core Values it says that "church is movement, not an institution." How true that statement is, or at least should be.

I am looking for ways that we can begin to incorporate some of what Mosiac is doing. Now I understand that we are not in California, but believe it or not, Jesus is the same Jesus in Missouri and California. The same hurt and brokenness is felt all over the country. So the same love and service is needed here as much as it is needed there.

I will be reading four of Erwin McManus' books this year:
Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul
An Unstoppable Force
Seizing Your Divine Moment
Soul Cravings

I would welcome you to join me in reading them and then let's dialogue about what you found.

Have a great day!

Interesting study results...

2008-01-14T08:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we finished up our series looking at the vision for the next 40 months at TRCC. I focused on the "why" of the vision. We need to understand what our mandate is as Christians to the people of this world and how we are to partner with God to make this the world He intended.

Well I woke up this morning to find some interesting research from Lifeway Research. They are the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. The results are not surprising, but none the less disheartening.

- 79% think Christianity "is more about organized religion than about loving God and loving people."
- I think the church is not demonstrating the Great Commandment. If people are not seeing the church as loving them, then we are truly failing in what it means to be Christ-followers. Jesus left us with very clear instructions in Luke 10:27: He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'^[a]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[b]" We are clearly not loving our neighbors enough.

- 72% said they think the church ‘is full of hypocrites, people who criticize others for doing the same things they do themselves,"
- This is where the church has become a bit pharissetical in the way we behave. We quickly point out the problems of others and fail to hold each other accountable when we fall short of the mark of God.

- 86% believe they "can have a good relationship with God without being involved in church."
- Can anyone say community? We were created in community to be in community with others.

I don't know about you, but our mandate is clear. We can see what we need to do and where we have fallen short. So let's get rockin'!

Chasing the Lion

2008-01-03T09:18:00.000-06:00

At the end of January we are going to begin a series called "Chasing the Lion" based on Mark Batterson's book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day". He recently posted the Chasing the Lion Manifesto and I want to share it with you.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

I just want to take a minute to wish you all a very Happy New Year. May you be open to God's leading this year and follow Him with your heart and soul.

Blessings on an awesome New Year!

Christmas Eve

2007-12-26T09:02:00.001-06:00

We were blessed to have the cinema for a Christmas Eve celebration. I am always amazed at the TRCC set-up crew. We were not able to get into the theater until 6:00 p.m. and the service was set to begin at 7:00 p.m. They transformed that theater into a church in 15 minutes flat. The band was up and practicing by 6:20 p.m. The night did not begin well for me. We were having technical difficulties among other minor snafus. There came a point, at about 6:50 p.m. that I walked into one of the empty theaters and just bowed my head in prayer. I was reminded that what we are doing is about the Savior and giving Him all the glory.

The celebration went off without a hitch and God was glorified. The highlight of the night was bringing my family up on stage during the candle lighting and we together wished our new TRCC family a Merry Christmas.

I pray that your Christmas was filled with God-given joy and love.

Holiday dinner

2007-12-10T09:32:00.000-06:00

TRCC held their, now, annual Christmas Dinner at the Baptist Student Union on the Truman St. campus. I wanted to make it as low on the work side as I could so my core folks could enjoy the evening. The church provided the meet, ham and turkey, and all the decorations and table service. We asked people to bring a side dish or dessert. Wow we had a good time! The food was great and the community was even better. Our goal was 100 folks and the unofficial count was 92, so we came very, very close. Many thanks to the BSU for making their facility available and to all the TRCC faithful for their hard work and great food. Special thanks to Lori and Janene for coordinating this event.

Have a great week.

First snow...

2007-12-07T12:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had the first snow of the season. Growing up in California I did not see snow fall until I was in my twenties. I still get like a little kid when it snows. I just love to watch it snow and I am sad when it stops snowing. Now it is completely beautiful outside. I am happy we only ended up with a few inches, but none the less it is absolutely wonderful outside.

Prayer walks...

2007-12-04T10:28:00.000-06:00

I have gotten into the habit of taking prayer walks in the middle of the day. My favorite place to go is to the lake. I have been weary of doing so lately given that firearms deer season was in full swing. I really did not want to be mistaken for a deer. Now that the season has taken a week break I am going to head out the lake each day for a little jaunt. If you ever wish to join me just give me a ring or call the office and let me know. They are short walks filled with quiet contemplation and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

Now don't get me wrong, I love hunting. In fact I am going out with Keith next week to see if I can't fill my freezer with some venison.

Have a fantastic day!

Sunday Scorecard

2007-12-03T11:25:00.000-06:00

Here is the lowdown for Sunday, December 2:

Praise: Once again the song Salt and Light really raised the energy level in the room. The band just seems to love playing that song and everyone can tell. They also performed the song Rescue, which is fast becoming one of my very favorite songs.

Drama: I made my acting debut and most likely my closing performance. Stevan and I played the parts of Joseph and Silas respectively. Silas is the lawyer Joseph hired to end the marriage between him and Mary. Joseph has just had the dream and decided to that he would stay with Mary. He goes to Silas' office to stop the divorce. It is a powerful drama and fit the theme of the Sunday very, very well.

Message: We continued our series "A Reel to Real Christmas" by looking at "A Christmas Story" and how a glimpse into a one Christmas in Ralphie Parker's life can show us a father's love.

Attendance: 210

Business Meeting: TRCC had their annual Membership meeting to approve the 2008 budget and the Trustees. Dave is leaving the Trustees this year and so I brought Kevin Burns on to the team. All the Trustees were passed by unanimous vote. The 2008 budget was passed by the same margin. It is so refreshing to be able to conduct this process in a short 15 minute time span. I am really looking forward to 2008 and all God has planned for TRCC.

Have a great day!

Radio....

2007-11-29T09:33:00.000-06:00

I met with Shaun Russell from the local radio stations yesterday regarding TRCC doing some short-term advertising for the Christmas season. Well I was amazed at how reasonably priced the advertising turned out to be. So TRCC is going to be doing a safety message on KRXL (94.5 FM) and KTUF (93.7 FM) from December 10th through the 14th. These messages will remind people that they need to take care at the holidays and be safe.

Now it gets better...from December 21st through the 24th we will be running a 30 second ad on both stations three times per day highlighting our Christmas Eve service and inviting people to join us for the Christmas holiday. This is prime advertising time for churches. I don't believe that on a year-round basis churches do well with mass media advertising, but at Christmas and Easter, when people who don't attend church are more likely to go, then it has great value.

So let me know if you happen to hear one of our spots.

Have a great day!

Active listening

2007-11-26T10:34:00.000-06:00

I was going through some more boxes this week and I found my folder from the Nehemiah Leadership Institute that I attended in 2005. I was flipping through this goldmine of knowledge when I happened upon the unit on active listening. Let me share some of what they taught:

Active listening is a skill. It must be developed and practiced often or we will lose it.
Hearing is not listening.
We often are not truly listening to another person because we are focused on what we are going to say next or distracted by other thoughts.
Body language is a big part of active listening. Sitting forward and engaging the speaker with your body language helps to show the speaker you are interested in what they are saying.
Active listening can diffuse disputes among people, because sometimes people just want to know that you heard them and their issue.

I thought this was especially helpful when dealing with conflict. I have noticed that can diffuse conflict most of the time just by letting the other person "vent" and letting them know that I am truly listening to what they are saying.

I have noticed when I preach that I tend to feed off of those who are engaging me with active listening. They are making eye contact and showing me with body language (nodding of the head, sitting forward, smiling or frowning) and it truly energizes me. I have always wondered how it would feel to preach in a church where the congregation is standing and giving lots of active listening cues...oh boy...that little Pentecostal preacher inside of me could come out...

Have a great day!

Sunday Scorecard

2007-11-20T10:23:00.000-06:00

Here is the rundown for Sunday 11/18/07:

Praise: The band was missing several of our regular members, but we were blessed with some remarkable substitutes. Well done friends! The highlight for me was Frank's rendition of Michael W. Smith's song "Forever". I love the line "By God's grace we will carry on"...how true is that! It is only by the grace of God that we all carry on each and every day.

Drama: Debbie did a fantastic job as the recently divorced woman having Thanksgiving with her seemingly dysfunctional family. A glimpse into the reality of why we all need to be giving thanks to God for all we have in life. Debbie really made us feel like we were peeking into another persons life for just a moment.

Message: I finished up our Thanksgiving series on an "Attitude of Gratitude" by looking at how we can safeguard our Thanksgiving by knowing to whom we are thankful and what we are truly thankful for this year.

Attendance: 207

It's A Wonderful Life...

2007-11-20T10:12:00.000-06:00

It is the weekend where we all sit down and watch "It's a Wonderful Life" together. We are starting a series called "A Reel to Real Christmas" this week and we are going to look at some of our favorite Christmas movies and how they can illustrate for us a Christ-centered Christmas. This week we are looking at "It's a Wonderful Life" and how like George Bailey and the priest Simeon we can know the peace of God through a life lived for His will.

I hope you will join us as we all learn how to have "A Reel to Real Christmas".

Have a great Thanksgiving!

BHAG?

2007-11-19T08:46:00.000-06:00

What is a BHAG? It is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal as outlined in James Collins book "Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies." This is a book that the leadership team is going to work through after the first of the new year. We are going to set some BHAGs at TRCC.

One of my BHAG's for the new vision is that 80% of the current attendees will be involved in a small group. Right now we have about 15% of our average attendance is involved in a small group. So how are we going to get another 65% percent of our attenders to get involved in a small group? Well that is the Big Hairy Audacious Goal...but we have a plan and it all begins with 40 Days of Community. We will be starting that campaign in the spring, so make sure you plan to join us for a life changing 40 days.

Blessings everyone. Have a great day!

Catching up

2007-11-15T08:40:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not posting sooner. I was sick all weekend with a combination of sinus infection and flu bug. Well let me catch up a bit:

Finished planning out the preaching strategy for 2008. I actually have the year completely planned. It will be an exciting year. We are Chasing Lions, tackling marriage and parenting and doing 40 Days of Community.
I am working on my Christmas series "A Reel to Real Christmas". We will be looking at the beauty and message of Christmas through some of our favorite Christmas movies like It's A Wonderful Life, The Santa Clause, Polar Express, A Christmas Story and A Christmas Carol. If you love Christmas movies like I do then you should join us beginning November 25th.
The family is getting away to the St. Louis area for the Thanksgiving holiday. I am looking forward to spending some time with my father-in-law.
I am just finishing a wonderful book by Andy Stanley and Bill Willets: Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture. This is a very thought provoking book and touches on something that is at the core of my soul...the need for authentic community in the church.
I am currently on a pace to read 35 books this year...my goal for 2008 is 50 or about one book a week. I won't have seminary studies to slow me down in 2008. I will post a list of the books I have read this year at another time so be looking for that in the coming weeks.
On a personal health note...I will reach Day 60 of my workout plan on Monday. I am looking forward to the "tale of the tape" and the scale. I am almost to the point of needing a new wardrobe.
We are busy at the office...we are getting ready for the December 2 Annual Meeting and the December 9 Christmas Dinner.

Have a great day everyone!

Sunday Scorecard

2007-11-07T09:18:00.000-06:00

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Praise: Once again the band rocked "Salt and Light"! The energy level in the worship space went up ten-fold. The Holy Spirit was so evident in that room Sunday.

Drama: Vickie did a wonderful job on video of promoting the Drama Ministry. As a result of her upbeat and positive approach she has an entire new crop of budding thespians to serve God.

Message: I finished up the "Simply Amazing" series by taking about the fact that Jesus is personal, powerful and forgiving.

Attendance: 238

Ministry Fair: The energy and buzz in the lobby was wonderful. I really love that everybody either signed up for a ministry or walked away with information about TRCC's ministry opportunities. We are going to do these fairs in the Spring and Fall annually.

National Runaway Prevention Month

2007-11-05T11:10:00.000-06:00

November is National Runaway Prevention Month. I don't think people think enough about runaways and so I want to raise it up so that we see it. The numbers are staggering. According to the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) somewhere between 1.6 and 2.8 million teens runaway from home each year. That means that 3-5 teens runaway from home every single minute of the day. Those are horrible statistics. We all know that sometimes these teens need to leave their homes because of the abuse, but life on the street is terrible.

There are resources available to abused teens in almost every community. If you know of a teen that is in trouble and contemplating running away please act on their behalf. Help them to find the resources available to them so that they have alternatives to running away. If you know a runaway teen please encourage them to call the National Runaway Switchboard to get help. We don't want these kids on the street to live a life of abuse and exploitation. We here at TRCC are here to help any teen that is in trouble.

One year ago today...

2007-10-31T07:48:00.000-06:00

We were in Orlando at the Disney World Resort. We took the kids to the Magic Kingdom's "Not So Scary Halloween" event. I grew up as a "Disney kid". My mom and dad were both Disney Executives and Mickey was everywhere. I like to say that little rat put a roof over my head and food on the table for all of childhood. Now having said all that I will say I think no one can do an event like Disney can. Last year was so memorable. The Magic Kingdom was transformed into the "No So Scariest Place on Earth" when the lights went down. The population was smaller and all the rides were open. The kids could go to specific places in the park and get candy. They had all the Disney Villains out and they had "control" of the park. It was wild and a very good time. It was so much fun seeing all the kids in their costumes, most of them were Disney themed, but they were great.

How fast this year has gone...

Have a great Halloween and enjoy the trick-or-treaters tonight.

Ministry Fair

2007-10-31T07:46:00.000-06:00

We are busily preparing for our Ministry Fair on Sunday morning. I am excited that we will have all of our fantastic ministries highlighted and available for people. My prayer is that everyone will find a place to connect and become involved in the future of TRCC. If you have ever wondered how to get connected then this Sunday is for you. See you there!

Feeling great...

2007-10-30T19:09:00.000-06:00

Some have noticed that there is a bit less of me physically over the last six weeks. I haven't talked too much about it, but I have been working out and eating a high-protein, low fat diet. I have lost 21 pounds and 12 inches over the first 30 days. I wanted to share with you the workout that Lisa and I do every morning. It is called Power 90.

If you want some additional information about this workout or others you can look here or check out my fitness blog for additional videos and information. I will say that I have learned it is less about the metrics (loss of pounds and inches) and more about the fitness (how I feel) and I feel GREAT!

Blessings all!

Interesting weekend...

2007-10-29T09:43:00.000-06:00

Yes it was an interesting weekend. My mom and grandma visited from Ohio for my grandma's 86th birthday. We celebrated by going out to dinner and little jaunt over to the local DQ. Then my daughter decided to dent the living room wall with her head. Yeah with her head. She is ok, but we ended up in the local ER for a little "parental peace-of-mind". Thank God that she did not really hurt the wall...I am just kidding...I was really scared that she was seriously hurt, but she is a tough little girl. Her goose-egg was gone by Saturday morning.

Sunday morning was one of those mornings that you could just feel the Holy Spirit's presence in our worship celebration. The church also gave me a very nice gift for Pastor Appreciation Month. I am so blessed to be at TRCC. I can feel God's leading for TRCC and think others can too.

Have a great Monday!

Spiritual Formation in Groups

2007-10-24T08:52:00.000-06:00

Small groups is one of the major focuses of TRCC. Spiritual Formation is also at the very core of who we are and what we want to do. I would encourage you to watch this video and see how spiritual formation takes place in a small group.

Blessings Abound

2007-10-19T06:07:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of those days when I know God is smiling down on TRCC. Here is what happened: The day started with an email conversation between me and our senior high leader about her awesome vision for the youth and plans for a youth rally in KV. Then another TRCC'er came into the office and proposed a partnership with a veterinary clinic in town so that we can offer free or low-cost spade and neutering for dogs and cats. She also talked about a mission trip in February to Mexico. Then another TRCC'er dropped off no less than 30 boxes for our shoebox ministry. This is a real blessing since we want to increase the size of this ministry. Then we received a call into the office from a member of the community that was so taken with our new billboard that she said she had to call us. She is a member of another church in town but said she is glad that she is part of the same team as TRCC.

Wow! God sure is blessing our church. Persevere and we will all see the blessings that God is preparing to pour out on this wonderful community. I don't know about you, but I am going out today to prepare my fields for rain...heavenly rain.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-10-18T09:21:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday 10/14 went:

Music: The highlight for me was clearly the song "Salt and Light". Despite Rhoda not feeling well she brought that song with such feeling and energy. You could just feel the Spirit come and fill the worship space. The energy among the people was amazing!

Message: I delivered the vision for the next 40 months of TRCC. It was a long message, but the Lord has much for us to accomplish over the next 40 months. The message is built off of the acrostic of the words SALT and LIGHT and Matthew 5:13-16 is the foundational verses. We will be posting a page on our website that details the main points of the vision.

Attendance: 258 (15% increase from same Sunday last year)

Small Group Life

2007-10-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

Part of the vision is to think and act radically around the issues of small groups and spiritual discipleship. I am going to post a collection of short videos about these subjects over the next week. I would encourage you to watch these and reflect on them for your own life. They are very powerful.

What I love about small groups:

It is up...

2007-10-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday driving north on 63. Our new billboard is up! It looks so sharp and really catches the eye from even further back on 63. Get over to see it if you haven't already.

The Vision Unveiled

2007-10-15T07:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I the vision to the congregation of TRCC. The foundational scripture for the vision is Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus calls us to be the Salt and Light of the world. I am really excited about what I believe God is about to do in this community and how we are uniquely positioned to be at the vanguard of God's blessing. A page will be devoted to the website so if you missed the message on Sunday you can catch the vision also.

One of the things that I raised up yesterday is Stephens Ministries out of St. Louis, Missouri. I have experience with this wonderful ministry model and I believe that TimberRidge will be an even greater place. More information will be coming over the next several weeks about this ministry and opportunities to serve.

Flat tires and good friends

2007-10-10T09:33:00.000-06:00

This morning was one of those mornings. I worked out and left it all on the mat. After dropping my daughter off at the babysitter I hit one of the many potholes in Kirksville and my right rear tire went flat. As I was trying to figure out where the spare was located one of our friends drove up and offered to take Lisa to work and our son to school. It seemed like God was watching over me as two wonderful guys came to help me change the tire. No one called them they just showed up! God is great!

Have a great Wednesday!

Sunday Scorecard

2007-10-04T08:19:00.001-06:00

Here is how Sunday, September 30 played out:

Praise: My highlight was Amazing Grace sung to the melody of House of the Rising Sun. I really love the alternate renditions of Amazing Grace. The words are so powerful that you can almost put them to any melody and have a powerful message.

Movie Clip: I used Samwise's speech from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I love how he tells Frodo that they really should not even be there, but they are and they keep going because they believe here is some "good in this world". How true that is of TimberRidge. We keep going because we believe we can do some good in this world.

Message: I started the vision series with "HIS-story". We looked at how TRCC was built to last for the Kingdom of God. We recounted some of the history of the church and looked at a foundation of belief and values that has at the core of everything we have ever done.

Attendance: 192

Remembering those that serve

2007-10-03T09:44:00.000-06:00

Today is what is known as Ranger Day. It was fifteen years ago today that an element of the 75th Ranger Regiment and Delta Force engaged rebels in Somalia to capture a warlord who was denying the hungry U.N. Food assistance. Many brave men gave their lives on that ill-fated day. My prayers go out today to all U.S. soldier and their families. Thank you for the sacrifice that you are making for our freedom.

Have a blessed day!

New Billboard

2007-10-02T08:44:00.000-06:00

I just saw the proof of the new billboard we have S. Baltimore Road. I am so impressed with the talent God has given people to create something awesome out of almost nothing. Shaun has done such a great job with the billboard. I am so tempted to put the proof up here for all of you to see, but I am going to wait until I have confirmation of production. Let me say, it is different than anything we have seen around here. You will be impressed and proud.

Have a God-filled Tuesday!

Waiting on God

2007-10-01T08:29:00.000-06:00

We have been earnestly looking for land for the future building site of Timber Ridge. Well the property that we had our sites on has sold. I was feeling pretty down about it until yesterday. God sent a messenger in the form of our members. After a brief conversation Lisa and I got a very clear sense that God is telling us to wait on him. I am telling you that God is working on blessing for TRCC. So I am slowing down and being much more mindful of God's workings in and around TRCC. I don't know what he is going to do, but I am excited to find out.

Keep praying and keep watchful TRCC folks. God is blessing us in so many ways.

Have great Monday!

Good music and good friends

2007-09-26T10:58:00.000-06:00

Last night Lisa and I escaped on a school night, don't tell anyone, and went to the Lyceum Series at Truman State. We met up with some great friends from church and watched an A cappella group Tonic Sol Fa perform. They are not only excellent singers, but are great entertainers. It was great getting out with Lisa and enjoying some entertainment here in Kirksville.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Sunday Scorecard

2007-09-25T08:22:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday played out at TRCC:

Praise: A huge highlight from this Sunday's music was Lifesong by Casting Crowns. That song is truly the heart cry of a person who loves the Jesus. We all want our lives to sing a song of love to Christ.

Drama: Vickie and Janene performed an adaptation of the story Red Marbles. A very powerful drama about the effect one man can have on the lives of others by showing love and compassion.

Message: I finished the series "Going Deep" by talking about Holy Discontent. This message was based off Bill Hybels book of the same name. We all need to figure out what that fire is that God has put deep inside of us that moves us to do the work of God. I pray that someday the entire church will operate out of its collective Holy Discontent!

See you next Sunday!

Early Morning Sweat

2007-09-24T07:57:00.000-06:00

Lisa and I have been working out at 5:30 a.m. for the last six days. It feels so good to get the endorphins flowing before the day starts. We actually have a little accountability thing going with two other friends at TRCC who also work out early in the morning. It is great knowing that others are working out also and making sure you are there with them.

My goal is drop 150 pounds and get back to the weight I was when I was 19. That was the time I felt the best and had the most energy. I truly believe that if my body is healthy then I can accomplish more for God's kingdom. I want to give the Lord nothing short of my very best in all areas and it is time I let him into my health.

If you wish to join me on this journey to health just drop me a line.

Have a great Monday!

Sunday Scoreboard

2007-09-19T07:55:00.000-06:00

Another great Sunday at Timber Ridge:

Praise: My musical highlight was Cry Out to Jesus. Frank does such a fantastic job of singing this song. My second highlight was Undignified. I just love the idea of being so sold out for Jesus that I am willing to praise His name to the point where I am undignified.

Message: I started a new series called "Going Deep". I am tackling two very difficult subjects in this series. I talked this week about Shadow Mission. I built on John Ortberg's idea he talked about at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. If you missed this message it is available on the TRCC website as a free download.

Movie Clip: I used a scene from one of my favorite movies Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. I used the scene where Padme confronts Anakin on Mustafar. This scene drives home the destruction that a person can suffer in their lives and the lives of those that love them.

Attendance: 225 (less than 1% difference from same Sunday last year)

Timber Ridge Youth

2007-09-18T09:29:00.000-06:00

We kicked off our 2007 Youth Ministry with a pizza party at the lake. We had awesome attendance of youth and their families. The pizza from Pagliai's and abundance of cookies and chips. Many thanks to our friends from Mary Immaculate Catholic church for the plates and cups that I forgot to get.

We played an intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. It is so much fun to see people just pound their fist into their hand with such intensity. We are all very competitive at heart. Then we played Baby Food Hot Potato. It is Hot Potato with a twist. Instead of a potato we played with jars of baby food. When the music stopped the person left holding the jar had to take a big bite from the jar of baby food. Oh yeah, did I mention that we had removed the labels so they did not know what they were eating.

Vision wear

2007-09-13T10:42:00.000-06:00

I just saw the proofs of the new TRCC t-shirts. We are planning to role these out on October 14th. Myself and the band will be sporting these t-shirts on that day. We will have them for sale between celebrations and after the last celebration. Let me assure you that these t-shirts look sharp!

I Will Never Forget

2007-09-12T07:35:00.001-06:00

Yesterday just did not seem right to me somehow. All day long I felt like I was missing something. Well I discovered what it was last night. I could not sleep so I was channel flipping and came upon MSNBC's replay of the 9/11 coverage. Then it hit me. That was what was out of sorts.

I can remember that day like it was yesterday. The day that the face of the United States changed. An event so traumatic that it literally changed the mindset of this generation like the attack on Pearl Harbor changed the mindset of my grandparents. We will never be the same as we were on September 10, 2001.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-09-11T08:56:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday played out:

Worship: The highlight was seeing Rhoda and the rest of the band lead the congregation in dancing and singing "Sing like the Saved". We need to celebrate more like this in church. After all, we have a lot to celebrate!

Drama: Vickie did a great monologue. She is so very talented. There is nothing like seeing the gospel played out in a scene from real life.

Message: Finished up the short series on "Making the Most of What you Have" with a Journey Towards Significance. We all need to surrender our lives to God so that we can live our lives with significance for the Kingdom.

Baptisms: We welcomed three people into the body of Christ. There is nothing like seeing the glory of God on the face of someone as they come up out of the water.

Attendance: 262 (20% increase from same Sunday last year)

Pumped!

2007-09-10T07:49:00.000-06:00

There is nothing like a baptism to remind you of the glory of God. The look of joy on the face of a person as come up out of the water is nothing short of the joy of Christ.

On Sunday we had the joy of baptizing three people into the family of God. One of them was my very own son. There is no joy greater than baptizing your own children into the faith. Thank you God!

As I heard said from stage yesterday, "The angels are singing and praising this morning!"

The day just got better. We welcomed seven new members into the Timber Ridge family. This is the largest class of new members in over a year. I am nothing short of pumped up for God this morning.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-09-04T08:12:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday, September 2 played:

Praise: The band had so much energy this week it was absolutely contagious. They had us all rocking in our seats and praising God. Well done! The highlight for me was "Amazing Love".

Message: Well I bit the bullet and preached on tithing. It is a touchy subject everywhere, but TRCC needs to hear this message and be reminded that it is about spiritual growth. The reactions to the message were positive and uplifting so the Holy Spirit worked well this weekend.

Attendance: 209 (10% increase over same Sunday last year)

Great Times

2007-09-04T08:04:00.000-06:00

My family enjoyed an awesome weekend. My mom and grandma came into town from Indian Springs, Ohio. It is so good to see them.

We went to Western's Meat Market and purchased the largest sirloin steaks I have ever seen. They grilled up very nicely on my new grill along with some fresh corn, baked beans and potatoes. We ate well all weekend and boy am I feeling it this morning.

I hate to see my family head back to Ohio, but I know they will be back in three months for Christmas. There really is something very special about being with your loved ones. All of you who have family near where you live don't take them for granted. Go see them often and relish their proximity to you.

I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day as much as I did.

All Pro Dad's and iMom's

2007-08-30T08:41:00.000-06:00

Once again I stumbled on a fantastic resource for ministry.

All Pro Dads - is a wonderful organization that provides Dad's with daily email messages about fatherhood and being a man. They support a monthly breakfast with your children and yearly events sponsored by businesses at NFL stadiums or practice facilities. We here at TRCC have started an All Pro Dad's Chapter, the only one in Northeast Missouri, and are hoping to partner with businesses and other churches in Kirksville. If you are interested check out the website or give me a call. It is open to all fathers and their children.

iMoms - this is a sister organization of All Pro Dads. They provide daily emails for Moms of newborns all the way through "Moms of Moms" Each section is specific to the needs at those different stages. This organization is new and does not have the sophistication of its brother organization, but TRCC will be starting a chapter of iMom's. We are looking for the same kind of partnerships with business and churches in Kirksville.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-08-30T08:18:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday August 26 went down:

Worship: The highlight was the beautiful rendition of "Breathe". That song always reminds me of the how basic and necessary my need is for Jesus.

Drama: Despite a last minute cast change the drama team pulled another proverbial rabbit out of their hat. The drama was funny, yet had a very serious and timely message to us all about enduring through the tough times by focusing on God.

Movie Clip: I used the awesome "Deathcrawl" scene from Facing the Giants. There is no better scene that I can think of that captures the power of endurance like that scene.

Message: I concluded the "Adding Power to Your Purpose" Series by looking at the "Awesome Power of Endurance". Remember all of these messages are available on our website.

Attendance: 209 (-5% difference from same Sunday last year).

New Resources

2007-08-28T10:41:00.000-06:00

I love discovering new resources for ministry. Just when I think I have found most everything to be found on the internet I get a new resource. My new friend Pastor Curtis Ferguson from Rehoboth Baptist Church told me about two new resources and thought I would share them with you.

Bluefishtv.com is a wonderful sight for video sermon illustrations and bible lessons. This sight has individual videos that just a couple minutes long as well as complete lessons. They are very reasonably priced.

The other resource is simply called The Source. This is a tremendous youth ministry resource that provides everything from games to complete lessons for meaningful and deep discussion.

Cave Time

2007-08-27T08:52:00.000-06:00

If you are like me you have those times when you need to crawl in a cave and just be alone. I think this is a personality quirk, but I really have times when I need to be away from people and just be in my "cave". I am having one of those times right now. I simply need to escape and find a place to be by myself. I think this has to do with my spiritual gas tank and the need to refuel. I think that little yellow light is on in the dashboard of my heart telling me that I am dangerously low. I think it is time to find some 93 octane out there and fill up!

My journey through scripture

2007-08-27T08:34:00.000-06:00

I have decided to get very intentional about my investment in God's word each day. I have read through the Bible several times. The last time being my second year of seminary, but that was almost three years ago now. I will keep you posted on how I am doing and share some highlights and reflections.

In the event that some of you may be interested in joining me on this journey, I'm using the book-at-a-time reading plan from the Discipleship Journal. This is a great plan as you can join it at anytime during the year. I really like that "reflection" days (or shall we say "catch-up"days) are built into this plan. If you do plan on joining me please let me know so we can share our thoughts and insights.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-08-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday, August 19th went down:

Worship: The worship team was right on. The energy was great and the presence of God was very evident.

Message: I continued the "Adding Power to your Purpose" series by focusing on the power of faith. I used a clip from one of my favorite movies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The clip I chose was where Indy has to step from the lion's head into a bottomless chasm during the trials to attain the Holy Grail and save his father. His willingness to step into the void and risk death is the very crux of what it means to have faith. The willingness to believe a little more each day especially in those times of risk and fear.

Attendance: 212 (+15% increase from same Sunday last year)

Christmas in August

2007-08-20T17:38:00.000-06:00

I received a real blessing on Saturday. My mother called and said that she would like to give us our Christmas present now. She said that she wanted to give us a new gas grill. My heart was all full of flutter at the thought of grilling chicken breasts and burgers over an open flame.

Now here is the other side of the story. My mother is visiting us over the Labor Day weekend. I think she wants some grilled chicken.

Merry Christmas to me! Now pass the sauce. The grill is hot and ready to go!

Sunday Scoreboard

2007-08-16T06:18:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday, August 12 played:

Praise: We missed Steven terribly, but his replacement did a wonderful job on the drums. The energy was high and the team did remarkable job. I am really hoping I can get them to play the prayer song after the message more often.

Drama: Vickie and Debbie brought a very difficult drama about a woman dealing with forgiving the woman who had an affair with her husband. The emotion and pain were so real. Both of them had real chemistry on the stage and brought a message of forgiveness that was right inline with the message.

Message: I brought a message about forgiveness. This is always a tough subject, but one that all of us struggle with in some manner. We all need to understand that we are forgiven. If we do not feel forgiven then it is almost impossible for us to truly forgive others. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross washed away our sin. He "canceled the record" of our sins and they have been forgiven.

Attendance: 185 (+5% increase from same Sunday last year)

Vision Casting

2007-08-13T07:46:00.000-06:00

I have set-up a number of meetings with the key leaders and groups at TRCC. These meetings will be for the purpose of sharing the initial draft of the vision. My hope is that God will work through all of us to better clarify the vision. If you have not been contacted about these meetings please call the church office.

Reflections

2007-08-13T07:33:00.000-06:00

Now that I have a minute to reflect on the Leadership Summit from last week I thought I would share a few insights and observations.

Bill Hybels opened the Summit with probably the best message I have heard in a very long time. Unfortunately, he started so well that the rest of the speakers were running to match him. Hybels spoke on the insights that he has garnered over the years about vision and vision casting. This one message was worth the price of the conference.

Colin Powell also spoke at the conference. He is a tremendous leader. Despite his rough outer exterior and military demeanor there beats a warm heart for God and a genuine caring for other people.

John Ortberg spoke on a leader's greatest fear. He says a leaders greatest fear is what he calls their "Shadow Mission". I will be preaching a message about this subject in the near future. It is a powerful concept and something that each of us has to wrestle with. Briefly, a shadow mission is that dark part of your self that can control your life.

Former President Jimmy Carter spoke eloquently about the need for the church to bridge the poverty gap in our country. I completely agree with him that it is the church's duty to help to eradicate poverty from our communities.

It was a powerful time of learning for me as a leader. My goal for next year is to take some of our leaders here at TRCC with me.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-08-08T15:59:00.000-06:00

Here is how Sunday, August 5, 2007 turned out:

Music: Our praise band was again in top form. Rob is really becoming a tremendous worship leader. He has all the qualities and appears to really like to be the one "out front" during the praise time.

Message: I began a new series "Adding Power to Your Purpose". The first message was "The Awesome Power of Focus". This message dealt with the 10 steps of Godly goal setting. We all set goals, but most of us never add the power of goal setting to the our ministry. When we set goals we gain tremendous focus and God gives power to that focus. I used a short clip from The Legend of Bagger Vance to illustrate the concept of focus.

Attendance: 214 (+8% from same Sunday last year)

Every Man's Battle

2007-08-08T15:49:00.000-06:00

Today as I was traveling along Interstate 70, between Columbia, MO and Kansas City, MO, I was dismayed at the number of "Adult Stores" that advertise along the highway. These places are targeting the 1000's of truckers who travel this road every single day. I find this not only disturbing, but actually something that rips at the fabric of a man's identity.

There is a wonderful book called Every Man's Battle written by Steven Arterburn. These books deal with the visual temptations that men deal with every single day. God wired men to be visually stimulated, but we all deal with the battle against the temptation of pornography. This book will help every man resist these temptations in an honest and Godly way.

These places along the highway touch the most base temptations of men. I am going to ask you to pray with me for the truckers and other men who travel these highways. We need to give them the prayerful fortitude to resist these temptations and be the Godly men they were created to be.

Fun in the Summer Sun

2007-08-07T07:49:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I borrowed a scooter from one of my church friends. I have been considering alternatives to our transportation issues and a scooter seems like a plausible solution. The Martins were generous enough to loan me one of their scooters for a day.

So put on the borrowed helmet and tooled around Kirksville on little red scooter. After remembering how to ride a bike I was riding around like seasoned biker. I quickly remembered to keep my mouth closed (yuke!) and the sunglasses firmly affixed to my face.

Now here is the crux...I am HOOKED! I want a scooter. Well actually I want a Harley Fatboy, but I will settle for a scooter. If I got the Harley we could start a men's ministry around riding...there are at least three guys I know of that have Harley's. I need to get Lisa to see the ministry value in this purchase...yeah that's the ticket. So now I need to figure out how to put that in the household budget.

The wind in my face and summer sun beating down on me! What a wonderful feeling.

The Challenge of Parenting

2007-08-07T07:35:00.001-06:00

With three children of our own Lisa and I know full well the challenges of parenting. We pray daily that we give them the right tools and wisdom to make good choices in life. The faith of our oldest, Alex, amazes me sometimes. He is very deep spiritually and has a wonderful relationship with Jesus.

I was reading a survey published by George Barna talking about the faith challenges that parents face. The overwhelming concern for parents is that faith of their children. Christian parents are concerned with the relationship their children have with Jesus. Parents who did not identify themselves as Christians are concerned with the moral choices their children are making. It all comes down to one fact, we are all concerned with the spiritual health of our children.

This is where TRCC comes in to the equation. One of my commitments to this ministry is that we will provide a safe, loving and high quality children's ministry. Given our current limitations we confine this ministry to Sunday mornings. My prayer is that we can enlarge the this ministry and offer more opportunities to minister to children.

Our "Promise Land" program on Sunday mornings is not a babysitting service or Sunday daycare. It is the one opportunity that we have to help to shape the spiritual development of our children. Jesus was so concerned about them that despite his physical and mental fatigue he demanded that his disciples let the children come to him. I know it is easy to get tired and fatigued in children's ministry. I know that sometimes it is hard to see the "win" and we begin to question whether we are making a difference.

Let me share a small "win" with you. This week I had a small child come to me and tell me that something was bothering them. We talked about it and then he said, "Pastor Sam I prayed to Jesus and I know he will make it alright." Folks that is why we do this! We do this for the little child that trusts Jesus in his heart. We do it for the little child that turns to Jesus in their time of crisis.

Leadership Summit

2007-08-01T07:30:00.000-06:00

Next week I head off to Kansas City to attend Willow Creek's Leadership Summit. This is an annual event that is video cast all over the country over the course of two and a half days. It features some of the finest leaders from the church world as well as the business and political worlds.

Last year this conference very likely saved my ministry. I was very burned out and feeling very unappreciated. I sat in an auditorium last year and listened as leaders poured out their hearts. They shared their struggles and their successes. I needed to hear how others have dealt with and over come some of the struggles I was having.

As we begin a new phase in the life of TRCC I am confident that God will use this time to strengthen and prepare me for the road ahead. I am really looking forward to the Summit and excited about what God has in store for me this year.

If you are a leader in church or business I would very highly recommend investing in yourself by attending this conference. One of my goals is to take some key leaders at TRCC with me next year.

Sunday Scorecard

2007-08-01T07:19:00.000-06:00

Here is how the last Sunday in July worked out:

Praise: The band was back and sounded wonderful. I hope we feature Rachel and Rob a little more. They both have wonderful voices. There are times when music really hits my soul, well to be honest it is the cry of my heart. We sang Cry Out to Jesus by Third Day this Sunday and it hit me right square in the heart. I hope no one saw me wiping my eyes during that song.

Drama: Rachel made her debut as part of the drama team. She did a one woman act playing the part of an old-time carnival barker. She was peddling "salvation in a bottle". She did a fantastic job, despite being up all night working. Well done Rachel!

Message: I finished up the Running on Empty series with a message about slowing our life down and making time for God. We spend so much time running that we rarely ever stop, be quiet and connect with the source of our power. God desires to have a relationship with us. We need to make time to feed our souls. In fact, we should be spending as much time on our soul-health as we do on our physical health.

Attendance: 174 (-5% change from same Sunday last year)