Bible Reading in 2009

Over the years I've used may different bible reading tools and plans. All of them have had two things in common:

1. The got me reading the bible in a structured fashion;
2. They were hard-copy.

More and more I find I've transitioned to the electronic age. I don;t need to print things out to really read them. And while most time online is spent scanning, I can actually focus on things that matter.

So, this leads me to my bible reading plan for 2009- online! I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes. I've picked an ambitious one- through the whole bible in a year. Even at a quick reading pace it will require about 15 minutes each day.

Here my KEY IDEA to make this happen:

I've set the plan as my homepage so each day it will be the first thing I see.

So I'll be waking up, brewing some coffee, starting my computer, and sitting down to read before anything else.

If you are interested in such a plan you can check it out yourself.
http://www.youversion.com/one-year-bible#

Intervention

Everyone who reads my blog has probably suspected that underneath my "tough-guy" facade is an emotional sap. Actually, my facade probably hasn't convinced anyone.

Anyways, my wife pointed me to this blog entry from a favorite of hers.
I read it.
I cried a little bit.
I was even drinking a cup of green tea while I read it, which just added to the fact that I'm a big wuss (Really, what kind of guy drinks green tea? You better be a Samurai if you're a man drinking green tea.).

My point, I think, is that we are all emotional creatures. For some reason I think guys find it easier to express emotion while reading a book or watching a movie. To be honest, I get weepy watching movies all the time. I even got a little teary at the end of "Iron-Man," no joke.

At the end of a year I find myself reflecting on the past. Some memories make me laugh, others excited, but a lot of them make me "emotional." Those memories, hard or painful ones, seem to surface quickly, powerfully.

I bring this up because this week I'm preparing for our upcoming series, "Soul REvolution." Some of my most important preparation isn't coming from books or study, but from prayer, fasting and reflection. If I'm going to preach/teach on the soul, I better look deeply into mine. It's an emotional journey.

What are you doing to prepare your soul for 2009?
And if you want to read a great story, do check this out...
http://thepioneerwoman.com/2008/12/intervention.html

Re-Position Yourself

This morning we looked at the story of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:21-38.
Of the many beautiful facets of this story to explore I focused on this angle: Both of them had positioned themselves to encounter God. They went out of their way to be where God was going to show up.

As we move into 2009 I think it's a good question to ask ourselves: how will you position yourself to encounter God this year?
Have you been wanting to get more involved in worship?
Re-position yourself.
Have you wanted to know the bible better?
Re-position yourself.
Have you wanted closer friendships with some other folks from Connections?
Re-position yourself.

Do you want closer relationships with your family? With your neighbors? Have you been thinking about volunteering at church? Have you been thinking about volunteering with another community service or outreach? Have you wanted to take better care of your health this year? Have you wanted to get control over your finances...

Re-position yourself.

All of these, and many more, are ways we can grow in our relationship with God and re-position ourselves to encounter Him more this year.

Robin and I have been working on how we will re-position ourselves financially this year in order to give more, save more and spend less.

What are you going to do to re-position yourself in 2009? Let me know.

PS. I just did a Google image search to find a graphic to go with this post and found out TD Jakes has a book called "Reposition Yourself." Looks like once again I'm not original.

Hardly Working

Some people have trouble disconnecting when taking time off.
Not me.
It's already three days in and now I'm forcing myself to actually let the world know that I'm gone.
Gone to Florida.
Here to see my family.
Loving life.
This is truly our "holiday."
Our way of making Christmas holy by being with my children, my wife, my parents, my grandmother. We are so incredibly blessed as a family. We are so blessed to be able to have time at the beach together.

So far I have read "the Shack," "Chazone," swam countless hours with my kids, gone on several runs, been buried in the sand... and actually, that's about it. It's pretty amazing how the hours can melt away doing nothing by playing with kids.

Now, I'm already eager to get away from the computer and back to work playing with my kids!
Peace.

"Friendly" Church

I don't think there is a church in existence that would say it's "unfriendly."
According to statistics from Natural Church Development, nearly all churches mark "Welcoming" and "Friendly" as a high strength.
But they are dead wrong.

People mistake "having friends" with "being friendly." And once a church has people that are friends, they run the real danger of becoming unfriendly to outsiders.

I do a bit of speaking at other ministry events. (By the way, Connections doesn't really do special events- we want to make every worship service special, and one that our regular attenders will want to invite friends to experience.) I am never surprised by the lack of friendliness.

Now of course I find some friendly people, but I take note of all the little things:
The parking attendant who makes me feel like an idiot for not knowing where to park.
The greeter who looks like they just ate a lemon.
The stack of programs on a table, but no one to give them out.

Now I also can feel a bit put-out walking by a large group of people who are having a good time and who don't even turn to acknowledge me. But I focus on the people in the visible roles of leadership. When someone is wearing a shirt, a volunteer tag or clearly in a volunteer role, there is NO excuse for unfriendliness.

Now I write all this because of my concern- people are starting to become friends at Connections. And therefore I KNOW that we run the risk of becoming unfriendly.

So to my peeps at Connections- make friends, but stay friendly. The first impression can make or break someones decision.

Information is Service

You know the old expression,

"Information is power!"

I'm tweaking it-

Information is Service!

When folks are involved with Connections and understand Connections- our mission, how we operate, what our programs are, etc- then they can better serve. And we can better place them where they need to be.
Recently one of our volunteers apologetically told us she didn't feel comfortable in the volunteer role we put her in.
GREAT- now she knows something about herself and we can put her in role that fits better.

Information helps people to:
feel empowered;
help visitors;
point other people in the right direction.

Information doesn't put them in a position of power, it puts them in position of service.

So I encourage all our volunteers and attenders-
Get informed,
and get serving.
If you don't know, ask.
If you know, serve.

We have to work together to make this mission happen!

The Real Us

Sunday night our Connection Group got a taste of the real Saylor household.

• I left the house at 3pm to preach at an event in a neighboring town.
• Robin came home at about 6pm from another party and started cleaning up.
• I picked up Justin at 6:15pm from his friend Caleb's house.
• Our group started to arrive at 6:30pm, right on time.
• I didn't get home until 6:45pm.
• Robin asked if I remembered to pick up Eden.
• I didn't.
• The birthday party she was at ended at 4pm (what 3 hours late among friends?)
• Justin and I had not eaten.
• I gave Justin a bag of lunch meat and a block of cheese.
• I grabbed a piece of cheese cake.
• Justin rejected the bag-o-meat and opted for my cheese cake.
• Robin walked in with Eden to see all this unfolding in front of our group.

So much for the image of the perfect pastor's family.
We tried so hard to keep up appearances!

We told the group when we started that we'd be hospitable, but we'd also be real. Now they've seen the real side. "Life in a Fishbowl" as Robin's blog says.

Then we had a great discussion.
And we really prayed for each other.
This is authentic community.

Then we had company come to spend the night!
2 days into the week and we've had nearly 30 visitors already!

Our Target Demographic

I was recently told about an 80 year old Latvian woman who has been attending Connections.
Somehow I still haven't met her.
She started coming to Connections because she lives by the mall and can walk to worship.
Apparently she loves it. She joined a Connection Group and told them how good it is to find a group of people who love to worship God.

That's our new target audience-
Eastern European Octogenarians.

Actually, it's not.
But people have asked me many times who our "target" is.
I don't see people as targets, but I get what they are asking.
But I still try not to answer their question.
I simply say our target is every person who is far from God.

Are their certain people or types who are going to resonate with the vibe of our church?
Obviously.
But that's not what we focus on.

We seek to faithfully serve by the methods and means that God provides.
Then we'll go out and love our neighbors.
And then we trust that He'll bring the right people to us.
Including 80 year old Latvian women.
That's the stuff you can't make happen- it's just a God thing.

Going Parking

We had a great Prayer Gathering Monday night. I say that as a shout out, and as a call out.

Everyone needs to work on growing a prayer life. I receive great encouragement to keep praying through participation with our prayer gathering. It's stretches me, grows me, inspires me, refreshes me. It's awesome.

Of the many things we covered in prayer, we prayed about the vision of parking lot as full for God as it is for the movies. It's a beautiful vision and prayer- to see lives changed by God, engaged with Connections, making worship a priority.

One man said I'm gonna start parking at the far end of the lot in anticipation of it being full. So starting this Sunday you'll see my ride (the uber cool Ford Bull, aka, Taurus) parked at the far end. I'll be walking across that lot praying it will be filled.

I hope you'll park with me.

_____

Second through for the day...

I've been reflecting on our progress in some areas at Connections.

One of our core values is authenticity, creativity and excellence…which does NOT mean perfection…but it does mean giving something your best effort.

I have an incredible amount of confidence that the people I serve with are going to do all that they can to make sure that whatever they are working on is the best it can be!

We are called to do whatever we do with the absolute best effort we can put forth. I do not expect perfection from our volunteers because I am not perfect…but I do want everyone's best effort because I believe God works through people who are willing to go all out for Him…and then believe He is going to go all out as well.

Baptism and Communion

Next week Connections will hold our first public baptism and communion service at Silver City Theatre. In preparation I've been working on a document to clarify our position on the sacraments.

Let just say, I have it edited down to four pages.
The problem with any endeavor like this is that there is so much to say.
Usually less is more.
But I at least want to lay our some scriptures, some history, some application, and an explanation of our process.

So, if you want to do a bit of reading, enjoy! Just remember, this is not an "official" document, but a work in progress...

Concerning Baptism and Communion (DRAFT)

Connections Community Church, as one part of the larger Protestant church tradition, upholds two sacraments of the church: Baptism and Communion. As “sacraments” we believe these to be sacred traditions, revealed to the church through the Scriptures, taught by Jesus Christ, and administered in the church. While Jesus taught and commanded his followers many things, baptism and communion are unique. Each sacrament serves as a “sign” and “seal” of an individual as a part of the visible church. Each carries with it spiritual unique spiritual blessings in the life of the believer and the church.

On the Sacraments…

“Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ, and his benefits; and to confirm our interest in him: as also, to put a visible difference between those that belong unto the church, and the rest of the world; and solemnly to engage them to the service of God in Christ, according to his Word.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 27)

The Heidelberg Catechism Question 66. What are the sacraments?
Answer: The sacraments are holy visible signs and seals, appointed of God for this end, that by the use thereof, he may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel, viz., that he grants us freely the remission of sin, and life eternal, for the sake of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on the cross.

The term sacrament comes from the Latin word sacramentum. In its classical uses it represents something set apart from other things, something dedicated for a particular and special purpose. The word sacrament is not directly used in Scripture, so like the words theology, Trinity and others, it is designed to represent a particular biblical teaching.


Concerning Baptism…

“Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church; but also, to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. Which sacrament is, by Christ's own appointment, to be continued in his church until the end of the world.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 28)

The sacrament of baptism reminds and assures us that “as surely as water washes away dirt from the body, so certainly [Christ’s] blood and his Spirit wash away . . . all [our] sins” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. and A. 69). And because “infants as well as adults are in God’s covenant and are his people,” they, “no less than adults, are promised the forgiveness of sin” and thus “by baptism . . . should be received into the Christian church. . . . This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. and A. 74).

Jesus affirmed baptism both through his example, by embracing the baptism of John in the inauguration of his public ministry; and in his teaching, by commanding his followers, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:18-19)

In the book of Acts we see the immediate engagement of this command. On Pentecost the Apostle Peter preached, people believed and repented, and they were baptism that very day (Acts 2). Throughout Acts we see the immediate and spontaneous connection between the preaching of the word, belief and repentance, and baptism as the outward expression of new life in Jesus, both for individuals and for households.

Connections affirms baptism as the most biblical and faithful public expression of new life in Jesus and participation in the church. When an adult comes to faith in Jesus and desires to be a part of the church they should seek, and the church should offer, baptism. Connections also affirms the longest standing tradition in the Christian churches of infant baptism.

In practice we believe the preferred mode of baptism is immersion. However, as baptism is administered as a public witness for both the believer and on behalf of the world, we seek to baptize in the most convenient and public way possible, namely, in worship on the Lord’s Day. To this end we will also affirm the practice of sprinkling or pouring- In this way the symbolism and power of public baptism is preserved- the person humbles themselves, kneels as if dying to self, is washed clean by the waters of Baptism, and rises to new life in Jesus.

In summary, Connections affirms and will practice the following:

• • Believer’s baptism- adults who profess repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord, either after a time of preparation, or in immediate response to repentance and belief. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 8:36-40)
• • Infant baptism- claiming the promise of faith for a household and the children of Christ-followers. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38-41)
• • Children’s Dedication- as Jesus blessed the children that were brought to him, so we will bless or dedicate all children of believers who in good conscious can not embrace infant baptism.(Matthew 19:13-15)
• • Re-affirmation of the baptismal vows- for all persons who were baptized as infants, or as adults, who wish to publicly profess their faith in Jesus, we will re-affirm the baptismal vows taken on their behalf, or taken themselves. This reaffirmation should only be enacted after prayerful consideration and in the understand this is not a “re-baptism,” for we believe in “One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:5-6

From the moment of baptism forward, such persons will be considered active participants in the ministry of Connections Community Church.

Further Background
In Christianity, baptism (Greek, "immersing,” “washing, "performing ablutions") is the sacramental act of cleansing in water that admits one as a full member of the Church. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Methodists practice both believer’s and infant baptism, and these form the vast majority of Christians. Some denominations do not practice infant baptism, instead requiring that a person be of the “age of accountability” and accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior before baptism ("believer's baptism").

Early Christian beliefs regarding baptism were variable. In the most usual form of early Christian baptism, the candidate stood in water and water was poured over the upper body.

Evidence for infant baptism, which would remain universal until the Protestant Reformation, has been seen in second-century writers such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus and is more explicit in the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170 – c. 236).

Baptism is considered by the Reformed churches as the visible sign of entrance into the New Covenant and therefore may be administered individually to new believers making a public profession of faith. Paedobaptists further believe this extends corporately to the households of believers, which typically would include children, or individually to children or infants of believing parents. In this view, baptism is thus seen as the functional replacement and sacramental equivalent of the Abrahamic rite of circumcision.


Concerning the Lord's Supper…

“Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord's Supper, to be observed in his church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him; and, to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 29)

Along with baptism, the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion, Eucharist, Breaking of Bread) is a sacrament. Believers in Christ who have professed their faith are welcome to receive the nourishment and refreshment of the bread and cup of the Lord “as sure signs” in remembrance of Christ’s body and blood poured out for us in his once-for-all sacrifice on the cross (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. and A. 75-82).

In Baptism the believer and children of believers become participants in the life and ministry of the church. In the Lord’s Supper, believers and their households are nourished in grace and faith.

The Lord's Supper was directly instituted by Jesus Christ as a continuing practice for the church during this era before the return of Jesus Christ and the consummation of the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). This has been the universal understanding and practice of bible-based churches.

As a Sacrament, the Lord's Supper is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace. It is a means by which true believers may spiritually grow and be nourished when received in faith and in the way God has specified in his covenant promises. By partaking of the elements we come into union with Christ as a united covenant people. For this reason the Lord's Supper is often called Communion.

The classic Reformed position holds that that there is a real presence of Christ in the elements, but it is not a physical presence. By virtue of God's promise we partake of Christ's body and blood spiritually, receiving the benefits of his covenantal presence when those rightly qualified partake obediently and in faith, trusting in God's assurance that blessing will accompany this means of grace.

Those who receive the elements of the Lord's Supper in ignorance or with a wicked intent cannot receive the blessing promised. God looks upon the heart and blesses only those who come as he specifies in his word.

Paul carefully instructed the church at Corinth about the right reception of the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. This text serves as our guide for the administration of the Lord’s Supper. Believers are encouraged to prayerfully partake of the sacrament. Persons who do not openly confess Jesus as savior and Lord should not partake. Persons who profess faith in Jesus, but who have not yet been baptized, are encouraged to wait until such time.

Semesters

Everyone in our culture understands semesters.

• They dominate kids lives.
• They dictate families schedules.
• They direct the rhythm of our society.

Semesters certainly effect church life. We always talk about things slowing down in the summer (which still drives me crazy) and gearing up in the fall. SO instead of working across the grain of a rather benign cultural reality, we are going to use if to our advantage in our Connection Groups ministry.

So here's a preview of what coming this September...

The Semester Structure- three seasons to FOCUS, FORM, FILL and FACILITATE Groups.

• FOCUS is about prayerfully deciding how many groups we need, where they are located, evaluating our ministry.
• FORM is about asking creating our Catalog of Connection Groups- who, when and where
• FILL is about getting our people signed up for CG’s
• FACILITATE is about relationships and changed lives!

“Why the Semester Approach? I thought our groups meet from now until Jesus’ return?”

• The semester format is familiar to everyone in our culture.
• It gives a clear starting and stopping time, so people can sign up for the first time and not feel like it will last forever.
• It gives a built in rest for facilitators, hosts, and participants at busy times of the year.
• It allows people to take a break from a group and not feel like they are dropping out.
• It allows people to step back into a group very easily.
• It does not prevent people from a group re-registering for the same group. (This build continuity.)
• At the same time, this prevents stagnation by allowing groups to experience the blessing of “fresh faces” each semester.
• It allows groups to grow! If your group has someone who is ready to facilitate a group of their own, we make plans for them to FORM a new group starting the next semester.
• It allows us to have a few Focus groups. For example, CG ALPHA.

FAQ’s

• We’ll sign up as many as 18-20 per group, as some people will probably not show up or drop out.
• We will FILL groups with 12 people. It worked for Jesus, it will work for us.
• Groups of less than 12 will remain “open” for new participants, even past the FILL period.
• If all 20 people show up and commit to stick with the group, we can create a new group, as that would be one very motivated group of people showing tremendous initiative!
• We will have CG’s spread throughout the city and will list them by location and time in the catalog (example: North Central, Tuesdays at 7:30pm)
• Each CG will have a Facilitator, a FIT (Facilitator In Training) and a Host who will have attended the CG training session.
• Hosts will actually host the group at their house, or, if meeting the leaders house, will come early to help prepare.
• Groups will meet for 1.5 hours if meeting weekly.
• Groups should plan for 2 hours if meeting every other week.
• We STRONGLY encourage groups to meet weekly, as we will be using a “semester” format, which I’ll explain in a moment.
• The standard CG curriculum will be provided each week by the church and will be based off of the Sunday service (a more in depth rational for this approach will be explained during the training).
• We do hope to offer a very select few “FOCUS” groups. Currently the only one that is being formed is a “Connection Group- ALPHA.”

What our Goal?
100%
100% of the people who worship at Connections to be exposed to Connection Groups and to become a part of Connection Groups. This means that if we have 200 people who attend Connections in any given month, we need space for 200 to register.
That's our goal, and that's 100%

Choice Points, pt. 2

I think it was two weeks back I initial wrote about choice points.
The first one was action vs. inaction.
This is the big canopy over all choices: We decide to do something, or, as we perceive it, not do something.

But we all know that indecision is in itself a decision.
Occasionally it is the right decision.
More often it is the decision to stagnate, to remain stuck, to fool yourself into thinking things will remain the same, or even improve, if we just do nothing.
But nothing could be further from the truth so much of the time. The world moves on, opportunities pass us by.

Connections is facing some choice points this summer. I see at least three major choices areas we have to make:

• The decision to find a ministry center.
• The decision to hire staff.
• The decision to move towards multiple levels of leadership, including Advisers, a Stewardship Team, and the staff.

Here's my concern- with each of these we become a little more established, and when you get established, you lose a part of your mission.
And right now all we are is a mission.
We have a vision and we have people. That's about all. And it's a great place to be. Can we move volunteers into staff positions while keeping the passion alive? Can we start structuring ourselves in a ministry center, but still see our calling to be in homes and the community. Can we create a structure of leadership that will empower the mission to move forward, instead of creating a bottle neck of decision making and useless committees?

I think so. I know so. Getting established changes the mission, but doesn't kill it. I know we can make the decision to move forward in these areas, and do so in ways that grows the mission instead of burying it.

So again, what are some of the choice points in your life right now? Indecision is a decision, and usually the wrong one. So pray, thing, evaluate, get others advice, seek wisdom, and move forward!

EVERYTHING matters!

Today was one of those services where our volunteers ROCKED.
Which is essential, because everything matters in a worship service.
Everything.
One mistake and you may never get another chance with someone.

Here are some reflections on today's service:

One, today was so scary for me. We had Jacob Moon in to lead worship. I knew Jacob Moon was good, but wondered how it would "feel" with him leading our music component.
I don't want to mess up our "brand."
Let me explain- a woman who comes regularly and who has no church background missed the past two weeks. This weekend she had TWO folks visiting with her and brought them to Connections. When I saw the new faces I literally prayed,

"God, make this service work!"

She can invite her guests to Connections because she knows what she's bringing them to experience- the atmosphere, the music, the message, the coffee! If we deviate from the "brand" we've created, she loses confidence in bringing her guests.
That why we keep doing what we do well!

Second, sound.
Today the sound guys showed me their commitment. On our second sound check we still had buzzing. It was unacceptable. The guys pulled out speakers, stand, snake, cables and put me on a whole other channel. Romans 10 says,

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news...how can they hear unless someone goes to tell them."

Guys, you are beautiful because you make God's word heard.

Third, lighting and camera.
Today I goofed. I moved too far from my mark and my face couldn't be seen clearly. Want to know why that is important?
We have one person who comes to Connections because she reads lips. She can see my lips because we have very good lighting and a GIANT screen.
If she can't see my lips, she doesn't "hear" the good news.
If for no one else our lighting has to be excellent, and I have to stay on my mark.
If we do this, we will be a ministry to the hearing impaired.

Fourth, we gave back.
We haven't even scratched the surface of stewardship, but the giving pattern we're starting to develop shows us that people believe in our mission. It's humbling. Today and next week we want to communicate through our actions that we are serious about "Connecting with the world." The people responded. I'll have a final figure to give soon, as we may have more coming. The International Justice Mission will be blessed.
As we move forward we want people to know that they can give confidently to the church because we will steward their gifts well- to pay staff, to develop our ministry, to reach out in mission.
There is so much more to say, but for now we continue to be blessed, we want to be a blessing, and big things are on the way!

Fifth, and finally, it's my anniversary weekend! 11 years of wedded bliss! I love Robin. I love being married to her. I can't wait to see what the next 11 holds in store- I hope one part involves the 11th anniversary of Connections and thousands of people reached for Jesus!

Happy Victoria Day,
Pastor G

Joy

I should have put joy into our list of values as a church.
So here I am unofficially adding to our list to things that are vitally important to our church culture- JOY.
What brings you joy?
This morning was full of joy for me.

I was downstairs, doing my coffee and bible reading thing, waiting for the rest of the family to get up. As a homeschooling family we have a wonderfully relaxed pace, but the kids are up by 7:30am and we get things going.

It was 7:45am. Finally I heard them calling my name. The whole clan was in my king-sized bed (I LOVE my king sized bed) snuggling- and they wanted their Daddy. So I listened to my own sermon this past Sunday (Serving God's People), decided NOT to walk by this moment, and jumped right back in bed.
It was one of those moments you want to hold onto for a lifetime.
How can a father describe the love you feel wrapped up with your family on a freakishly cold morning in April? Pure JOY.

Oh, I have to tell another story.
The scene: our little kitchen, Robin at the stove behind me working on dinner, me at the sink cleaning, Karis at the counter on a stool with her snack.
"Daddy move- I'm watching a cooking show."

The thing is, she knew she was being funny. At 6 years old she has the most amazing sense of humor. Her middle name is Joy, and she is the epitome of it. And her joy is contagious. She brings laughter everywhere she goes.

Back in the day when I preached in a church where the ministers wore the academic garb on Sunday morning (I still wear the robe... at costume parties!) I used a quote that said, "For too long the church has been associated with long faces and black robes." I looked at myself, unzipped (yes, I had a shirt on underneath) and ripped it off. I actually got cheers in a Presbyterian Church that morning!

For too long the church has not been associated as a place of joy- pure, extravagant, abundant joy. Read through Philippians. I am. I want to preach through it this summer. It's all about joy- rejoice always, your joy in Christ Jesus, make my joy complete, I am glad and rejoice with all of you... Read the Psalms- 56 out of 150 speak of our joy in the Lord.

Yes, there will be seasons for sorrow, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 90). I pray you find her today- maybe even before you get out of bed.

Snuggly Creatures

The children's response to the stuffed animal giveaway in church was just what I expected- awesome.
I even had a group of teenage girls trying to convince me they each needed one!
Last night I put my son to sleep with his lion and told him again about God's love and our call to be servants.

FYI, our anonymous donor has started a blog. You can read all about the vision to share these stuffed animals, and God's love, with children in need.

http://snugglycreatures.blogspot.com/

Called... to Ski?

People keep asking me if I'm glad to be back from my ski trip.
Can I say yes and no?

I'm thrilled to be back- I love my family, I love Connections, I love my calling. I wouldn't trade these things for all the world- this is my world!

But skiing is my addiction. It's not like I feed it a little bit and walk away satisfied. I'm like a crack head- I get one fix and immediately crave more. If you put the opportunity in front of me right now, I'd be on the slopes! I've got a fever and the only cure is more skiing.

That said, it's not my calling. I knew that from the moment I was presented with an education and freedom. I was so tempted to pack up, head out west, and embrace the ski-bum life. Get a job, but live for the mountain. But I knew God had other plans for me. I knew He wanted to do more through me than cut up fresh powder and huck cliffs.

And more so, I knew that ultimately skiing would not satisfy my deepest needs- the need to have a calling and a purpose. The need for a companion, for a family, for a community. The opportunity to make a real impact in the world and on people's lives. These are the things I decided to pursue. And for this I have no regrets. I praise God that somehow, even as a dumb 21 year old with his whole life ahead of him, I knew enough to pursue what matters eternally- God and people.

And you know what God gave me, I think in part for trying my best to honor him? A wife who actually encourages me to take ski trips. Kids who now love skiing and can't wait until they are old enough to hit the big mountains. An income that allows me to save up and hit the slopes a few times each year. A father who foots the bill for most the trip so he can spend time with his sons and grandchildren! (Thanks dad, you're awesome)

Yeah, there are folks who live right by the mountains. Folks who make a lot of money and fly to the mountains every weekend. But all things considered I have it pretty good, better than many. And for this, I am deeply, deeply grateful. Thanks to God for creating big mountains and lots of snow!

And here's me tearing them up...

What Building?

I'm surprised how many times I've already been asked, "What are your plans for a permanent location?" I always want to answer with some hyper-Christian answer like, "Only when Jesus returns to establish the new heavens and new earth will we have a permanent facility!"

Luckily I still have enough of a social filter to resist this urge.
Unfortunately it means I stand there with a bit of a dumb look on my face.

What is most interesting is that this question comes from both "churched" and "unchurched" people. I expect this from churched folks- we've been conditioned to associate the church with a building and the programs that run out of it. We know in our heads, because we've been taught, that the church is much more mysterious than that- she is the bride of Christ, the gathering of the redeemed which cuts across space and time, she is the mission of God to a broken world. But for all practical purposes the church becomes the building and the thing we do Sunday morning. (FYI, the Sunday morning thing is worship, which itself should not be limited to one hour Sunday morning.)

What is a little more surprising to me is how folks that haven't spent much time with a church assume we have immediate plans to build. On one hand this is flattering. Apparently Connections already comes across, at some level, as a large enough, mature enough, active enough, resourced enough group of people that we should have a building. At least this is how I choose to interpret that question. It also tells me that the world too closely associates the church with our buildings.

Now I'm not knocking buildings. But I'm very happy to be at a time and place with Connections where our building, or lack-there-of, is equally as significant in communicating who we are and what we are about...

We are about going to where the people are- so we worship in a theatre. We are about people- so we gather in their homes. We are about community- so I meet with people at Starbucks more than my office.

Right now NOT having a facility, not even talking about having a facility, is essential to who we are and what we want to be. And right now, and always, we are foremost a mission to those who are far from God. We don't need a facility to do that. In fact, it would be a distraction.

Will we ever need a facility? I absolutely hope and pray that the time comes when we have to have an awesome, amazing, multi-functional venue of our own. But even when that day comes I pray we are still, at the heart of it, a mission to the lost.

________________

If you want to read more about facities, this is from a blog I read often...

When does the “church plant” meeting in a portable location make the jump to a permanent facility? Is there a certain attendance or financial goal that you have to reach before you “get your own place”?

I’m no expert but we’ve tried to learn from other churches that have made the transition both successfully and unsuccessfully. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any secret formula for transitioning to a permanent facility. But I can tell you the top priorities that drive Elevation Church’s decisions on facilities (in order of importance) and some important questions to ask yourself:

1. Vision- How big is your vision? It all starts here. It sounds basic but this drives the rest of the factors for us.
2. Goals- How big are your goals? Numeric goals, for us, drive the direction we look for facilities.
3. Density- How dense is the area you are looking at? How many current attendees are in that area?
4. Capacity- Pastor teaches this all the time. God is an unlimited God whose blessing never runs out. Our capacity to receive that blessing is the limiting factor. We love full rooms at Elevation but the goal is to have (some) empty seats. Empty seats means we have more capacity to reach people. Our facility decisions on adding capacity.
5. Access- You can only reach as many people on Sundays that can access your building at a given time. This requires some forward thinking. This is also a lot of the reason why a lot of churches do multi-site.
6. Money- Probably number one on a lot of church’s lists.

In the end, if money is the number one factor driving our facility decisions then I’ve just cut myself out of finding anything with good access in a dense location near our current attendees with more capacity to meet the goals that the vision drives. And I’ve also limited God from being able to do what only he can do.

Making the shift to a “permanent” location is a complicated process. Multiple campus strategies make it even more confusing. But I love it, I love thinking about it, and I love researching what’s out there. And if we don’t continue to factor in the above priorities and make facility changes, then we will stop growing which is not an option.

Our First Babies!

That isn't me and Robin, and those aren't our kids.
It's Rick and Cheri Harbarenko and their kids, Colten and Mikayla.
And they gave me permission to share the news they they are now the first official CCC babies.
Actually, we've had two couples have babies since we started this journey a few months ago. But Rick and Cheri's kids were the first to be dedicated in a worship service.

They were invited to CCC by Nathan and Paula (Nathan is one of our worship leaders and Paula one of our Family Ministry Team leaders). After Rick and Cheri started coming out to our services they approached me to ask about dedicating their children.

There has to be a first for everything I told them!

I actually said it would be great- they became my main sermon illustration as we were talking about being interconnected as the body of Christ. This was the perfect way to picture it- a living example of connection: Rick and Cheri coming together, finding love, finding each other in this world. From their love sprung up new life. Then as a family of young and old, male and female, connecting with the church.

Throughout the bible, from the prophet Samuel all the way to Jesus, we find parents dedicating their children to God. We see this great history in which God honors parents who dedicate their children to Him, and He honors these children as they grow up in the family of faith.

In fact, we have this wonderful story from the life of Jesus:

“People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16

This was the affirmation of faith and dedication we used in th service:

To the Parents:

Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and do you confess Jesus Christ, his only Son, as your savior and Lord, and affirm the truth of the Christian faith as revealed in the bible and professed in this church?

Do you promise, in reliance on the Holy Spirit, and with the help of this church, to love Colten and Makayla, pray for them, instruct them in the way of Jesus and involve them with the community of faith in the hope that they will each confess Christ as his and her own savior and Lord, and be baptized into the body of Christ?

Do you freely and wholeheartedly now dedicate Colten and Makayla that they belong, in body and soul, in life and in death, to Jesus Christ?

Then the blessing of the children:

“_________, you are part of the body of Christ- a child of God, marked by Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit. May the Lord bless you and keep you.“

After the service I was approached about baptism by a young woman...maybe there really is something to planting churches that changes lives!

The World at our Door

Monday morning I jumped a car with a Rob, a friend who has planted a church here in London that has grown to about 1400 people in worship on Sunday's in 15 years. We headed up to Ottawa to meet with other church planters in Canada (most of them are staying for the week, but Rob and I, as self proclaimed home-bodies, slipped out late last night).

I could write several blogs on the past two days, and probably will. It was amazing to see and hear what God is doing. He's growing a "holy discontent" in many pastor's lives, and pushing them to into new endeavors. He's stretching men and women, and opening new doors. He's planting churches and changing lives. And He's changing Canada.

No really, Canada is changing. We talked a lot about the changing face of this nation. Between '96 and '01 the growth of minorities was astounding. The stats are not all in yet, but the changes between '01 and '07 are even more dramatic. Basically, minorities are not minorities anymore. We're moving to a nation of co-existing multiplicities. Many groups with enough critical mass to constitute very viable and lively communities within our cities.

A lot of folks shared about what they are doing to reach out to these communities, and to bring them together. There was a great push to establish multi- racial, cultural, economic, educational and ethnic congregations.

So what will that look like for Connections? Well if we are true to our name, we'll find our community starting to diversify. If we are true to our values, we'll celebrate our "diversity in unity." I suppose what I'm saying is that I'd love to see Connections reflect the final image we have in the bible, where we see in the city of God,

people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" worshiping Jesus (Revelation 5:9).

I also don't believe it will "just happen." We need to work to make it happen- by taking a risk, talking to somebody that looks different, walking across the street, stumbling through an awkward introduction.

For 2000+ years the church has grown by taking seriously Jesus' command to go out to all the world. So what will we do when the world comes to Canada, to London, to our neighborhood?

By the way, I'm actually a minority immigrant. Who'd have guessed?

Partnerships

This past Sunday, Nov. 4, Connections Community Church celebrated it's partnership with another church here in town- First Christian Reformed Church. 14 people were commissioned to go and work with 3C. It was inspirational, and emotional. Some of these folks have literally grown up at FCRC. They raised children there. They have grandchildren that are now members there. Hearing, and responding, to the call to leave was not an easy or flippant decision. It was prayed about, talked about, knocked about for months. But ultimately these folks came to know God has a unique role for them at 3C.

Partnerships can be scary, can create difficulty, can open doors for misunderstanding, can be threatening, and can generally make life more difficult. But they are absolutely essential.

I can't imagine my life without my #1 partner (and I'm not going to hyper-spiritualize this and say Jesus, even though that is true)- my wife Robin. Our partnership is awesome. Together we run a household, we entertain, we are launching a church. Hey, we even created new life- three to be exact! But the partnership takes work. We have to work on our communication, our schedules, our individual needs- and the list could go on. It's not always glamorous- making meals, cleaning up after meals, laundry, cleaning, yard work- and that's just what I do (Ha). But suffice to say, at the end of the day, the partnership is worth it.

The church, as a living organism functions in much the same way. We can try to go it alone, but we will never go as far, soar as high, touch as many lives. We simply do better, do more, in partnership. It takes some thought and work, but the pay off is enormous, and the blessings are multiplied. It's certainly not always glamorous, and it may take years to see the fruits of labour- but it's so worth it.

We have awesome partnerships- Christian Reformed Home Missions has made an enormous financial and spiritual commitment to make this church work. FCRC gives us office space and a place to rehearse, practice, and do our administrative work. Other churches in town have commissioned members to join us- they actually send God loving, hard working, gift-giving people their blessing to partner with 3C!

We want more partnerships! We look forward to associating with other groups and other ministries. This will be embraced thoughtfully, strategically, and prayerfully. They will take work to create and sustain. But at the end of the day it will be worth it- for

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body...Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1Corinthians 12:12, 13, 27