- New things create momentum
- Be sure to tweak your programs, but know that tweaking doesn't create momentum
- "The quickest way to forget what God thinks of us is to concern ourselves with what ohers think of us."-Craig Groeschel
- Limitation breeds innovation
- Instead of asking someone who is successful what they do, ask why and how they do it to get insight on their leadership strategies
- "The secure and confident person is attractive. The secure and confident church is attractive."-Craig Groeschel
- The longer something is established, the more stagnant it becomes
- Create systems that promote the mission of the church. Avoid systems that work against the mission of the church
- Create artificial ministry deadlines to cut back on time and force people to be productive
- Don't delegate responsibilities, delegate authority
- "I'm the only one who can seek God on my behalf." -Craig Groeschel
- As culture changes, many of the questions remain the same, but the answers don't
Monday, November 30, 2009
Catalyst One Day
Catalyst One Day- a one day leadership package with innovative church guest speakers Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. This conference was held at Grace Community Church in Fulton, Maryland. I had the opportunity to spend a day as a wide eyed student ready to learn! Craig and Andy used their time at Catalyst to discuss momentum. They talked momentum in the church and personal spiritual momentum. Thank God they handed out an extensive note taking packet because I would've been crippled if I had to do it on my own. Some key notes I got out of the day's speakers:
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Reaching A City
More than half of the world's population live in cities and it is estimated that in 2050 more than 2/3 of the world will live in cities. Cities have been the epicenter of human growth. As a port of trade, cities facilitate different cultures, ideas, goods, and people to interact with one another. I think that it is interesting that the flocking towards cities seems universal as a uniting human characteristic. The incredible flow into cities will call for massive reforms in energy consumption, waste management, transportation, education and health. An initiative known as 19.20.21 will gather and organize information regarding the growth of cities and the impact of consumers around the world.
Understanding global trends in and towards cities is imperative to grasp future trends and how as followers of Jesus we can respond. Blogger Jon Tyson proposes that urban christian communities adopt the city parish model. The city parish model is an urban church community composed of several neighborhoods working together for the common good of the city. This kind of community should have a missional focus with each member of the community using his or her gifts to build the ministry. In turn, each member of the church community will have intimate relationships with smaller groups within the larger community. Every so often, these separate church communities would meet together for worship and to share stories. To prepare the Jesus follower in an urban setting it is important for them to know that within a large city there will be innumerable subcultures and once those subcultures are recognized, how to integrate them to create a large christian community. While people will flock to one city, the mashing together of so many diverse people will result in tribal communities, each with their own values and methods of doing things. Finding veins of similarities between people groups will find a common goal that all people value.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Missional-Incarnational Impulse
The Forgotten Ways- Pages 128-138
In Alan Hirsch's words, the missional-incarnational impulse "is, in effect, the practical outworking of the mission of God and the Incarnation. It is thus rooted in the very way that God has redeemed the world, and in how God revealed himself to us." By combining the idea of mission, or sending, with the idea of incarnation, or living amongst, we have a community that sends a group or individual to live amongst and impact another.
To help us understand the idea of the Incarnation of God in Jesus the Messiah, Alan uses the 4 P's, which include:
Presence: In Jesus, we have the full presence of God. Jesus was not a prophet or a representative, he was the real deal. Proximity: Jesus lived within proximity of all sorts of people. He ate with Pharisees, tax collectors and prostitutes. He lived and walked on the earth with us. Powerlessness: The all powerful, all knowing God became human, renouncing all coercive power and taking on the role of a servant. Proclamation: The proclamation is the gospel invitation. Jesus called people to repentance and faith and in doing so, opens a door for a relationship.
By studying the Incarnation, we get an idea of what God would be if he were human. By implementing the missional-incarnational impulse with the 4 P's, we are able to engage our communities in a way the Jesus himself might have.
In Alan Hirsch's words, the missional-incarnational impulse "is, in effect, the practical outworking of the mission of God and the Incarnation. It is thus rooted in the very way that God has redeemed the world, and in how God revealed himself to us." By combining the idea of mission, or sending, with the idea of incarnation, or living amongst, we have a community that sends a group or individual to live amongst and impact another.
To help us understand the idea of the Incarnation of God in Jesus the Messiah, Alan uses the 4 P's, which include:
Presence: In Jesus, we have the full presence of God. Jesus was not a prophet or a representative, he was the real deal. Proximity: Jesus lived within proximity of all sorts of people. He ate with Pharisees, tax collectors and prostitutes. He lived and walked on the earth with us. Powerlessness: The all powerful, all knowing God became human, renouncing all coercive power and taking on the role of a servant. Proclamation: The proclamation is the gospel invitation. Jesus called people to repentance and faith and in doing so, opens a door for a relationship.
By studying the Incarnation, we get an idea of what God would be if he were human. By implementing the missional-incarnational impulse with the 4 P's, we are able to engage our communities in a way the Jesus himself might have.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
"The glory of God is man fully alive."
This quote by Saint Irenaeus is used in John Eldredge's book, "Waking the Dead". He outlines this idea of Christianity's promise of life and how it is often missed. Eldredge explains that most people say the Jesus died so they can have eternal life once they are dead. However, Eldredge says that life starts "in the land of the living."(Ps. 27:13)
Also in the first chapter, John Eldredge introduces his thoughts on clarity. He poses an idea that things are not what they seem, however, he gets into that later in the book. He describes that people go through life in a fog. They miss things and rarely do they see why things actually happen. He implies that there is a force against us, a force that does not want us to succeed in anything. I can only imply that force is Satan, as he did not explicitly say, but I assume he will delve into that concept later.
Also in the first chapter, John Eldredge introduces his thoughts on clarity. He poses an idea that things are not what they seem, however, he gets into that later in the book. He describes that people go through life in a fog. They miss things and rarely do they see why things actually happen. He implies that there is a force against us, a force that does not want us to succeed in anything. I can only imply that force is Satan, as he did not explicitly say, but I assume he will delve into that concept later.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Acts 2 Acts 17 and John 13
When I think of Acts 2, I think about the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Rarely do I consider the type of community it cultivated. The festival of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover (when Jesus was crucified). All the believers were gathered in one place in Jerusalem and then there was a sound that came from heaven and flames or tongues of fire settled on all the believers present as they began to speak in other languages. Devout Jews- Parthians, medes, elamites, people from Mesopotamis, judea, cappadocia, Pontus, asia, egypt and many other nations-were also present in Jerusalem and a crowd started to form around the believers as they spoke in foreign tongues. Some in the crowd ridiculed them, saying they were drunk. Peter, with the other eleven apostles stepped forward and preaches to the crowd. Peter's words caused about 3,000 people to be baptized and they were added to the church. God sets the stage for a community to be forged of the new believers. Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had." (NLT emphasis added) I believe this includes the 3,000 new believers that were saved at Pentecost. Sciptures says they ate together, worshiped together, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. So, these 3,000 people who were once strangers to the believers were now selling their property and possessions to give to whoever was in need. Immediately the size of the church grew and seamlessly integrated these new believers. The Holy Spirit was the cement to this community.
Acts 17 also presents an interesting insight to the early church's community. Acts 17 is about a few of Paul's missions around the ancient world. In Thessalonica Paul and Silas began to preach in the Jewish synagogues. Some of the Jews became jealous and started a riot. The believers were dragged before the city council and forced to post bond. The entire city was thrown into turmoil by two men. That very night, Paul and Silas left for Berea. The people of Berea were more open minded and many Jews believed. Some of the Jews from Thessalonica heard news of Paul preaching in Berea and began to stir up trouble. As soon as the community of believers knew that the Jews were starting trouble, Acts 17:14 says, "The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind." (NLT) What is remarkable about this community is its' ability to adapt. Scripture says they "acted at once" and sent Paul to the coast. There was an immediate action to reaction. The Jews had started trouble and in response, the believers sent Paul somewhere else. The final portion of Acts 17 talks about Paul preaching in Athens. Paul was deeply troubled walking through the city, as he saw many idols. He spoke daily in the public square about Jesus Christ and was confronted by some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. These philosophers brought Paul before the high council of the city. There they discussed Jesus and the resurrection. Some men laughed, while others believed. This community was very public and open about sharing the latest ideas and philosophies. They were ready to debate and discuss any differing opinions.
Finally, John 13 presents Jesus washing his disciples' feet. He says, "And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet." (John 13:14 NLT) This seems backwards to me. Normally, I feel like people in lower authority must serve those in higher authority. But here Jesus, the Son of God, is washing the feet of these mere humans. This community of people is the community closest to Jesus. This community is very much a mentoring community; Jesus is discipling his disciples. They look to Jesus for everything- wisdom, protection, guidance. A true community sees Jesus Christ as the only worthy mentor.
I feel if we are ever to find a clear picture of what community should be, the Bible is the only place we need to look. After going over those three chapters, I cant help but compare the community of the early church to communities we see nowadays. I think that today's communities have small aspects of the early church's community. I think that today, people with similar beliefs meet together. Often times, entire neighborhoods can be composed of an ethnic group or religion. I feel that, as a whole, communities in our time are selfish, rarely giving to those who are in need. It is very much an individualistic society. Something that was fairly common in these scriptures was public proclamation. Today, there are rarely unplanned public readings or acts of any kind. I think that part of America's culture is to be "politically correct" and being politically correct sometimes means not openly discussing religion. The early believers werent afraid to offend or shock people which is unfortunately the opposite of today's culture in most communities. While I do believe that certain communities have an idol or someone they try to be like (like a soccer team trying to be like a certain team or player) rarely is it Jesus Christ. In my opinion we should do anything and everything in a Christ-like way.
Finally, John 13 presents Jesus washing his disciples' feet. He says, "And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet." (John 13:14 NLT) This seems backwards to me. Normally, I feel like people in lower authority must serve those in higher authority. But here Jesus, the Son of God, is washing the feet of these mere humans. This community of people is the community closest to Jesus. This community is very much a mentoring community; Jesus is discipling his disciples. They look to Jesus for everything- wisdom, protection, guidance. A true community sees Jesus Christ as the only worthy mentor.
I feel if we are ever to find a clear picture of what community should be, the Bible is the only place we need to look. After going over those three chapters, I cant help but compare the community of the early church to communities we see nowadays. I think that today's communities have small aspects of the early church's community. I think that today, people with similar beliefs meet together. Often times, entire neighborhoods can be composed of an ethnic group or religion. I feel that, as a whole, communities in our time are selfish, rarely giving to those who are in need. It is very much an individualistic society. Something that was fairly common in these scriptures was public proclamation. Today, there are rarely unplanned public readings or acts of any kind. I think that part of America's culture is to be "politically correct" and being politically correct sometimes means not openly discussing religion. The early believers werent afraid to offend or shock people which is unfortunately the opposite of today's culture in most communities. While I do believe that certain communities have an idol or someone they try to be like (like a soccer team trying to be like a certain team or player) rarely is it Jesus Christ. In my opinion we should do anything and everything in a Christ-like way.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Nationmaster.com
NationMaster.com is a website of World Statistics that has gathered data from sources like CIA World Factbook, UN and OECD. Today, Ocotber 21, 2009, there are 9,854 Stats, 4,118 Maps and 6,345 Profiles all containing information from the Agriculture of a country to the outflow of refugees.
At the top of the home page, there is a fun factoid. Factoid 2 states "At least 9 out 10 Nigerians attend church regularly. Only 4 out of 10 Americans claim to do so." What I find interesting about this is that from what I gather, the United States claims to be a predominately Christian country. In fact, nationmaster.com states that in the United States in 2002 Protestants make up 52% and Roman Catholics make up 24% of the population. Thats a total of 76% of people. In Nigeria, only 40% of people are registered as Christian. These numbers do not match up to me. Is there something wrong with the church in the United States? Do people just not care? Is there something that Christians in Nigeria do that those in the United States are not doing?
I think it is important to see how many "active" Christians are in these statistics as opposed to people who were raised a certain way so there "default religion" would be Christianity.
At the top of the home page, there is a fun factoid. Factoid 2 states "At least 9 out 10 Nigerians attend church regularly. Only 4 out of 10 Americans claim to do so." What I find interesting about this is that from what I gather, the United States claims to be a predominately Christian country. In fact, nationmaster.com states that in the United States in 2002 Protestants make up 52% and Roman Catholics make up 24% of the population. Thats a total of 76% of people. In Nigeria, only 40% of people are registered as Christian. These numbers do not match up to me. Is there something wrong with the church in the United States? Do people just not care? Is there something that Christians in Nigeria do that those in the United States are not doing?
I think it is important to see how many "active" Christians are in these statistics as opposed to people who were raised a certain way so there "default religion" would be Christianity.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
John 15,16 and 17
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. but take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NLT
John 15,16, and 17 set the stage for what Jesus' disciples will undergo after he leaves them. The disciples' teacher, their mentor and source of guidance is leaving. However, Jesus doesn't leave his disciples without some last words of wisdom.
Jesus tells his disciples the reality of the situation. He eludes to his death and resurrection, although at the time, his disciples dont understand. He tells them that the world will hate them, he says they will grieve and that they will be kicked out of the synagogues. He tells them this as a fair warning. In fact, the first verse of John 16 says, "I have told you these things so that you won't abandon your faith." Jesus is saying that his disciples will go through so many harships, so many trials, so much sorrow that he has to tell them not to abandon their faith.
Although the journey will be tough, Jesus promises his team serveral things to take heart in. In John 15, Jesus says that he is the true vine and that in order to produce fruit, one must remain in him and he in them. He follows this by saying "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask anything you want, and it will be granted!" (John 15:7 NLT) What a promise! The Mesiah and savior of the world telling us that whatever we want, we can ask and recieve. Also, notice the exclamation mark at the end of Jesus' sentence. He tells the disciples this so they know that just as Jesus provided for them while they were together, he will do this also when he leaves. Jesus continues to encourage his disciples when he tells them, "Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." ( John 15:15 NLT) The Mesiah, the savior, the one who was with God in the beginning, the one who healed the sick and gave sight to the blind; he is calling his disciples friends. Not only is he calling them friends, but he is telling them that everything God shared with him, he shared with his disciples. The third of his several promises is that he will send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that in order for him to send the Holy Spirit, he had to go away, back to his father. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will make righteousness with God available.
Jesus implies several things about movement in these chapters. He says at the end of John 16, "But the time is coming-indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way." Jesus, being fully God and fully man could only be in one place at a time. Jesus promises his disciples the Holy Spirit, which will be with them at all times, even when Jesus is not with them.
John 15,16, and 17 set the stage for what Jesus' disciples will undergo after he leaves them. The disciples' teacher, their mentor and source of guidance is leaving. However, Jesus doesn't leave his disciples without some last words of wisdom.
Jesus tells his disciples the reality of the situation. He eludes to his death and resurrection, although at the time, his disciples dont understand. He tells them that the world will hate them, he says they will grieve and that they will be kicked out of the synagogues. He tells them this as a fair warning. In fact, the first verse of John 16 says, "I have told you these things so that you won't abandon your faith." Jesus is saying that his disciples will go through so many harships, so many trials, so much sorrow that he has to tell them not to abandon their faith.
Although the journey will be tough, Jesus promises his team serveral things to take heart in. In John 15, Jesus says that he is the true vine and that in order to produce fruit, one must remain in him and he in them. He follows this by saying "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask anything you want, and it will be granted!" (John 15:7 NLT) What a promise! The Mesiah and savior of the world telling us that whatever we want, we can ask and recieve. Also, notice the exclamation mark at the end of Jesus' sentence. He tells the disciples this so they know that just as Jesus provided for them while they were together, he will do this also when he leaves. Jesus continues to encourage his disciples when he tells them, "Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." ( John 15:15 NLT) The Mesiah, the savior, the one who was with God in the beginning, the one who healed the sick and gave sight to the blind; he is calling his disciples friends. Not only is he calling them friends, but he is telling them that everything God shared with him, he shared with his disciples. The third of his several promises is that he will send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that in order for him to send the Holy Spirit, he had to go away, back to his father. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will make righteousness with God available.
Jesus implies several things about movement in these chapters. He says at the end of John 16, "But the time is coming-indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way." Jesus, being fully God and fully man could only be in one place at a time. Jesus promises his disciples the Holy Spirit, which will be with them at all times, even when Jesus is not with them.
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