Barry@5252

Free Kindle Books

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:43:00 +0000

The free kindle books, at the moment anyway!

1. The Fitting Room: Putting On the Character of Christ
http://www.amazon.com/The-Fitting-Room-Character-ebook/dp/B005FMSK3C/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_8

2. The Dog That Talked to God
http://www.amazon.com/The-Dog-That-Talked-ebook/dp/B00711WFVS/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_22

3. The Case of the Mystery Mark - http://ow.ly/ajIBH This is a good book for a teenage/daughter or granddaughter!

Author, Angela Hunt used to work at Old Time Gospel Hour in Lynchburg and has become quite the novelist.

4. 365 Days of Thanking God: Cultivating a Heart of Everyday Thanks. http://amzn.to/HCqLQv

5. Breaking Pride, Tearing Down Walls, Walking in His Grace. http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Pride-Tearing-Walking-ebook/dp/B007IT71A8/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_34

6. Mexican Cuisine for American Cooks - http://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Cuisine-American-Cooks-ebook/dp/B006LW3DNC/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_12

Prophecy

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:18:00 +0000

As I study prophecy and read from good authors and helpful commentaries I still find myself in a tangle of opinions and suppositions.

Below I've suggested some books to read ranging from beginners overviews, intermediate, and finally, more advanced!

BEGINNERS:
Tim LaHaye: Charting the End Times - http://amzn.to/HIYvjZ [1 - Easy and helpful due to the graphics and content.

J. Dwight Pentecost: Things to Come - http://amzn.to/IQXC85 [1/2 - Classic in this field.

INTERMEDIATE
Dr. Randall Price: Rose Guide to the Temple - http://amzn.to/IQYs4A [1/2 - Brand new visual of the Temple(s). Best on the market! Can't complement this enough.

Dr. Randall Price: The Temple and Bible Prophecy - http://amzn.to/IzTXuV [2 - Price does a good job of focusing on prophecy via a view of the centrality of the temple.

ADVANCED
Arnold Fruchtenbaum: Israelology, The Missing Link in Theology - http://amzn.to/IKAQLg [3 - Deep, but can't go wrong. Best on the market!

Some of these were books I had to read or reference while working on my M.A.R. For most, LaHaye's Charting the End Times is sufficient for a good nut shell overview for Prophecy.

Sent from my Kindle Fire

What About Childcare for Small Groups?

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000

Question: What do you do about childcare for small groups?

When it comes to small groups, you should stay out of the childcare business, no matter how much pressure you get to take on the responsibility. Believe me when I tell you that, if you don’t make this decision on the front end, childcare will become a growth barrier and logistical nightmare as your number of small groups grow.

The best solution is to empower each small group to be responsible for its own childcare needs. If you struggle with this issue, here are some creative and workable options:

1 – Have everyone in the group who has children pitch in financially to hire a baby sitter or two every week. When all of the parents give a little the cost is surprisingly minimal.

2 – Set up a rotation where a different couple in the group baby sits the children each week. Make sure no one has to baby sit more that once or twice during the semester.

3 – Challenge every couple with children to find a solution before coming to group (baby sitter, relative, etc.). After all, they have to find childcare when they go out on a date or have a work function. Most parents have several childcare options.

4 – Create a child-friendly group where parents are encouraged to bring their children. This works best with moms’ groups who meet during the day and plan their group around activities for the children.

These are just a few of the many options available to you. The big point is: Don’t get roped into providing the childcare solutions for your groups or for the group you HOST. Let the group attenders come up with creative solutions themselves, with some helpful input from you.

Take a few minutes to brainstorm other potential childcare options. What have you seen work? What would you like to try? Get some other people involved in this conversation and see where it leads.

Friend Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:45:00 +0000

This weeks super-cool person of the week is Brandt Elwell!

Born- Washington D.C.
Married - 15 years
Favorite Movies - Forrest Gump, Usual Suspects
Music - Anything that is not rap music
Hobby - Camping & hiking
If I had a billion dollars - pay off all bills (friends & family too) and run around performing random acts of kindness.
Job - Shooting Range Designer
Currently live in - Boise, ID

I met Brandt back in Idaho where we attended church together. Brandt is a Shooting Range Designer, don't you know you've got to live in Idaho! Brandt is a great guy with a wonderful family and I wish we'd got to know them more before we moved to Colorado. I sure wish they lived in Denver! Thanks for being such a great friend Brandt!!

Doing Small Groups in Semesters

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:08:00 +0000

Question: I like the idea of semester-based small groups that meet for 10-12 weeks and then end. But doesn’t that keep deep and meaningful relationships from forming? Doesn’t the group end just as people are really getting to know each other?

This is one of the most common questions about the semester-based small group system. But it is based on fundamentally flawed information. Here’s the deal:

Most church leaders assume that, if involved in a “standard” 18-24 month small group system, 10-12 people will sign up, love being together and become intimate friends. But that’s not what really happens…

In reality, some people will click and others won’t. If the group extends beyond 12 weeks, those who haven’t really clicked start looking for ways to get out. Their attendance gets spotty. And even those who do form strong friendships begin to get bored before that year and a half to two years is up.

The goal of the semester-based group is not to encourage intimate relationships, but to create a safe, healthy environment through which basic friendships can form. Those meaningful relationships that start during the semester will continue to grow naturally outside the group after it ends. At The Orchard Church, Small Groups are "Relate" in our "Reach, Relate, Reproduce" process. For us, Small Groups are not "grow", "disciple", etc...

We would all be much better off if we stopped promising (and then trying to force) intimate relationships within our small groups. It’s a promise we can’t deliver on. What we can and should deliver is a safe, healthy social environment where people can meet other like-minded people so that relationships can develop naturally.

This truth takes a lot of pressure off of small group leaders. Too often, leaders feel like failures when the people in their groups don’t become great friends.

One side note – if you are like us, you are constantly trying to get unchurched men to sign up for small groups. Realize that these guys aren’t consciously looking for “intimate” relationships, but they would like to have a place where they can meet some other cool people, learn something new and explore what it means to know God more deeply. If you stop talking about the amazing, intimate relationships that will form in small groups, you just might stop scaring them off!

My Son and War

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:27:00 +0000

My son was born after 9/11. He has an interesting view of War. Since old enough to understand, he's heard about "The War on Terror", The War in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc... He knows somewhat of what happened on 9/11 and the fall of the Twin Towers.

Because of this, he has a view that war is normal and happening in many places. Tonight he asked me "if the war for the Twin Towers was still going on"?

I'm a child of the "Cold War" so it is interesting to hear him talk about the world through his lens. He would not be shocked at all if you told him that there was a war going on somewhere in Colorado. To him, its just a part of his world.

He's most concerned about the war for Cybertron, and at the moment he seems very peaceful, he's drumming a pencil to the beat of a Joe Bonamassa concert on TV. :-)

Friend Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:25:00 +0000

This weeks super-cool person of the week is Michael Chapton!
City/state Born- Orange, California
Married- 13 years
Favorite Movie- The Jerk
Music- 80's Pop
Hobby- Hiking, photography
If I had had a Billion dollars I'd- We'd donate most of it, join the mission field and do what we could to prepare people to accept Christ.
Job - Husband, father and during the day I'm a network engineer.
Currently living in what city/state - Clifton Park, New York

I met Michael or Captain Mike at Bridgepoint Church in Boise, ID. Michael is a true friend! Back in the days of living in Idaho, Michael got me into geocaching, which got me using a Garmin GPS. He's a computer whiz in my book. He's even helped me with my network in Colorado! Michael is a man of faith and has a great family as well. I sure wish he lived in Denver instead of New York. Oh well. Thanks for being such a great friend Michael! We miss you all!

How Far Do You Live From Those You Serve?

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:09:00 +0000

I live just 5 ½ miles from The Orchard Church Ministry Center. I drive on suburb streets and it takes me about 10 minutes to drive in. When I lived in Idaho I lived 17 miles one-way from the church & office in another city called Meridian. Without any traffic, it took me a good 30 minutes to get to church. With any bad weather it could take 45 minutes easy. I felt like it was very limiting to my ministry in Boise. If someone wanted to meet with me, I found myself thinking about what time they wanted to meet. Is it close to rush hour? Can they meet at a different time to avoid traffic? Of course if there’s an emergency I would come no matter the time.

I could lead a small group from my house. But, it was very far for many people.

I couldn’t invite people over for lunch. People did come, but it was always such a drive out to our place I knew in my heart of hearts that it was limiting to my ministry.

Now, I like being so close to the Ministry Center and where the church meets on Sunday. I actually feel like I am available to the people. I am really getting to know the community around the church as well, and serving them.

Being on both sides of this situation at different times, I’m really feeling that for a modern missionary/pastor to be effective, he should live in the community that he serves.

But what about you? What do you think? Is it really important? What have you noticed in your own context?

Mojo:monday

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Last night was the Harvest Party at The Orchard Church. It was a great event with around 1000 in attendance. A big thanks to EVERYONE who helped out, from the small groups running games, the walking cowboy show, the horse drawn hayride, the tireless popcorn and cotton candy makers, and all the food service people. What an event! I made lots of great connections with new people or ones that hadn't attended on a Sunday yet. Our daughter Hallie was a pirate and pictured here with Kim. Connor had fun getting his picture with Josh, a Jedi, and then running off to eat 2 1/2 servings of cotton candy before we intervened. Thanks to the Cepedas, Goldsteins, Winegearts, Limings, Julie B., and Stacey for having our small group game and giving candy out to the kids!

Friend Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:12:00 +0000

This is Doug in the drivers seat along with Keith riding...um...shotgun

This weeks Super-cool person of the week is Doug Connelly!

Born - Indianapolis, Indiana

Married - 13 years

Favorite Movie - Comic Type Movies, not stuff like "Pretty Woman"

Music - I like all kinds

Hobby - Playing Sports, Running

If I had a Billion dollars I'd - start churches all over the world but mixed with that I would build them upon the gospel of Jesus of course. In third-world countries apply humanitarian help to show the love of Christ as we reach the world for Jesus.

Job - Bridgepoint Church

Location - Meridian, Idaho

In all seriousness, Doug is a really good friend! I got to thinking about Doug and our partner in crime, Keith, when I found this old picture this week. This picture was taken on our way to a "Staff Retreat" in Salt Lake City, UT. We stopped at a gas station and they just had to jump on the bike. If I recall, before the trip even started we sat in the church parking lot in the van for about as long as the drive was to UT. :-)

When The Saints Go Marching In

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:07:00 +0000

On August 22nd my grandma, Arlene Davey Brandt Rowles passed away. She was 94 and would have been 95 in September. As a pastor I've had the privilege to do many memorial services, comfort families and see people come to Christ as a result. This time around I'll just be attending her service on Friday in Ohio. The pastor of Calvary Baptist in Lancaster will perform the service as she was a faithful member there and very involved before her health was failing.

She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and had been the church treasurer for a time.

When I found out of her passing I had these thoughts:
About death...it was a reminder of how serious God takes sin. It was also a reminder of the absolute truth of God's promises to us. For a believer, death can be called a good and gracious thing in our lives. She's not in pain, there's no more doctors visits, tests, or physical struggles.

I knew that Christ would be lifted up and glorified in some way through this process and memorial service. We will be reunited again someday. Although its a loss for us that remain, its a gain for my grandma.
She is in the very presence of our Lord. I'm a little jealous!

Her obituary is HERE.

“ O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? 1 Cor. 15:55

A doomsday prophet

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Mon, 23 May 2011 00:25:00 +0000

Michael Stifel was an ambitious young German monk whose apparent capacity for numerical mysticism and cabalistic interpretation landed him in a great deal of trouble. Despite his fellow clergymen’s attempts to get him to shut up about it, Stifel proselytized that the end of the world would come on Oct. 3, 1533, at precisely eight o’clock in the morning. His congregation was appropriately freaked out by this news, so when the hour came and went, he was summarily ejected from his ecclesiastical quarters and flogged in the streets.

A Man Born Blind

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:32:00 +0000

I noticed today that:

In the Gospel of John, there is more room on the pages given to this blind man who was most likely also a beggar, than any other character. I believe the reason why so much has been written about this man is because he took his stand for Jesus Christ. This is one of several awesome men who were living in Jerusalem while Christ was on earth and guess what? He came down through history nameless - we do not know who he was!

Another man was Joseph of Arimathea. I don't think he comes to the pages of scripture as great as this blind man did, but he did come out, and we are thankful for that. Elsewhere in John we read that for fear of the Jews he was kept back from confessing openly. Its neat that all 4 gospels record what Joseph did for Christ. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus and he gave Christ a new tomb.

And on that note, I'd encourage you to read those accounts about a man named Joseph of Arimathea who stood up and confessed Jesus when some disciples had forsaken Him, sold Him and denied Him!

March's Full Worm Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 03:40:00 +0000

So, tonight and many other nights I post to Facebook and Twitter the "Moon Phase". Connor is into the moon and what it looks like, also we see a full moon's relationship to the kids behavior.

As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. For this reason, the March full moon is often known as the Full Worm Moon.

Northern Native American tribes knew this moon as the Full Crow Moon when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter. They also used Full Crust Moon because the snow cover became crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night.

The Dakota Sioux named it Moon When Eyes Are Sore From Bright Snow. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is a Colonial American variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon. It was considered to be the last full moon of winter.

St. Patrick

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:54:00 +0000

Technically, Saint Patrick is not even a saint, as he was never canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, Patrick was not even Irish. Rather, he was an ~~Englishman~~Roman-Britain who was a Roman citizen that spoke Latin and a bit of Welsh.

Patrick was born around 390 A.D. When he was roughly 16 years of age he was captured by pirates and taken to Ireland on a ship where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next six years alone in the wilderness as a shepherd for his masters’ cattle and sheep.

Isolation

Patrick was a rebellious non-Christian teenager who had come from a Christian family. His grandfather was a pastor, and his father was a deacon. However, during his extended periods of isolation without any human contact, Patrick began praying and was eventually born again into a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. Patrick endured the years of isolation in rain and snow by praying up to 100 prayers each day and another 100 each night.

In his early twenties God spoke to Patrick in a dream, telling him to flee from his master for a ship that was waiting for him. Amazingly, Patrick made the 200-mile walk without being caught or harmed to find a ship setting sail for his home, just as God had promised. The sailors were out of food for the journey, and after Patrick prayed a herd of pigs miraculously ran toward the ship, providing a bountiful feast for the long voyage home.

God Speaks to Patrick

Upon returning home, Patrick enrolled in seminary and was eventually commissioned as a pastor. Some years later God spoke to Patrick in a dream, commanding him to return to Ireland to preach the gospel and plant churches for the pagans who lived there.

The Roman Catholic Church had given up on converting such “barbarians” deemed beyond hope. The Celtic peoples, of which the Irish were part, were an illiterate bunch of drunken, fighting, perverted pagans who basically had sex with anyone and worshipped anything.

Patrick gave his life to the people who had enslaved him until he died at 77 years of age. He had seen untold thousands of people convert as between 30-40 of the 150 tribes had become substantially Christian. He had trained 1000 pastors, planted 700 churches, and was the first noted person in history to take a strong public stand against slavery.

Roman Opposition

Curiously, Patrick’s unorthodox ministry methods, which had brought so much fruit among the Irish, also brought much opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. Because Patrick was so far removed from Roman civilization and church polity he was seen by some as an instigator of unwelcome changes. This lead to great conflicts between the Roman and Celtic Christians. The Celtic Christians had their own calendar and celebrated Easter a week earlier than their Roman counterparts. Additionally, the Roman monks shaved only the hair on the top of their head, whereas the Celtic monks shaved all of their hair except their long locks which began around the bottom of their head as a funky monk mullet. The Romans considered these and other variations by the Celtic Christian leaders to be acts of insubordination.

In the end, the Roman Church should have learned from Patrick, who is one of the greatest missionaries who has ever lived. Though Patrick’s pastors and churches looked different in method, they were very orthodox in their theology and radically committed to such things as Scripture and the Trinity.

For Further Study:

· At www.ccel.org there is a free copy available of Patrick’s book Confessions.

· Steve Rabey’s book In the House of Memory is a good introduction to Patrick and Celtic Christianity.

· Thomas Cahill’s book How the Irish Saved Civilization is a fascinating historical look at Patrick and the implications of Celtic Christianity on western history.

· www.ChristianityToday.com/history is the site for Christian History and Biography magazine, which is a wonderful resource that includes an entire issue on Patrick and Celtic Christianity.

WHAT’S NEXT?

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:52:00 +0000

What happens after you've reached that next goal in ministry?

You’ve landed the job - You're the new Worship Leader or Student Ministry Director

You've hit a certain attendance

You’ve pulled off a big initiative like small groups

You’ve planted a church

You've launched the other campus

Those are great, but there’s a moment after the moment that’s even more important that you need to live for. It’s the real measuring bar of your success. And it will determine how much you’ll be able to enjoy these big moments when they come.

And that’s the moment you spend reflecting and rejoicing with the people closest to you after the big moments.

With your spouse after the big initiative.

With your family and friends when the church is growing.

With your leadership team after the completion of the project.

If your relationships with them aren't right, the moment doesn't really matter.

What’s it matter if you’ve landed the job at the expense of your family?

What’s it matter if you hit a certain attendance or pulled off a big initiative if your team hates each other because of the way you treated each other working to achieve it?

What’s it matter if you’ve planted another church or campus and in the process become an absentee father?

You may have won, but you’ve lost what really matters. And your enjoyment of the moment will be minimized. Because you’ll be reflecting and rejoicing alone.

So don’t just live for the big moment. Live for the moment after the moment. Continue to grow the relationships that mean the most to you even while pursuing the goals God has given you.

It will make the big moment worth it when you get there.

Classic Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:58:00 +0000

When I was a kid my dad listened to a lot of oldies on the radio. I find myself listening to the music I grew up with. So that's late 70's-early 90's. Lots of 80's, hair bands, monsters of rock, etc...
I may refer to it as oldies, but you'd probably call it "Classic Rock". Yes, I can name the guys in the original KISS. And I was a little kid when KISS marketed merchandise like crazy!
The first record I had as a kid was a single song by KISS called Snow Blind.
I love those oldies. :-).
What kind of music do you find yourself returning or gravitating to? Comment below!

The rescue of the miners

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:44:00 +0000

I've been glued to the news which is covering the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners who have spent 69 days trapped underground.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/10/12/rescued-chilean-miner-returns-surface/

Should Christians ever confront people with the truth?

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:58:00 +0000

Some think that followers of Jesus are never to be critical, never to make an evaluation.

Some think that being a Christian means we just love and accept everyone and never speak critically of anyone under any circumstances. We should all just lock arms and collectively sing “Kumbaya!”
That is a sweet sentiment, but it is not New Testament Christianity.

Back Patio Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:10:00 +0000

It's a wonderful CO night!

Making Smores by the fire on the back porch.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Richfield St,Commerce City,United States

Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Twitter is a social application that is awesome. I know musicians that use it to connect, student ministries, etc...
If you've ever wanted to know all about using Twitter along with TweetDeck (I highly recommend) you can find it all here:
http://tinyurl.com/ddcwb3

Denver, CO here we come!

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Six months ago I was asked to consider a position at Orchard Church in the Denver, CO area. http://www.orchardchurchonline.com/. This past week, I submitted my resignation as Pastor of Connections at Bridgepoint Church.

First let me say there are absolutely no problems with this church, its members, or its staff leadership, or me. I cannot be more clear about that.

In fact, working for Bridgepoint Church has been an awesome experience. I could not ask for a better group of pastors to work with. I feel like the Lord has taught me so much here and I treasure the opportunities provided for me by Bridgepoint. It has been a blessing to watch this church grow and reach out into the Treasure Valley. I know that God has great things in store for it and I’m so grateful to have been a part of that for a time.

In October I will be accepting a position as Executive Pastor with Orchard Church in Denver, Colorado. This is not the Lead Pastor position but kind of the second-in-charge in case anything were to happen to the pastor. I'll have the opportunity to speak about 12 times a year in the Sunday services, supervise the rest of the staff team, and be part of a simple strategy the Lord is using there to change lives. This church is a young church plant, only 3 years old, with lots of upcoming challenges and transitions. They are currently meeting in a high school but growing very quickly (around 500). They own nothing but a sound system, a few laptops and some Bibles.

The Lord presented this opportunity to me in March. At first Stacey and I laughed. Because of my attachments and ministry at Bridgepoint, it was a difficult and prayerful process upon surrendering and deciding to walk through this open door. And that decision being made last Sunday, August 23. Our family is 100% sure that God is moving us to be involved in this ministry, and that is the "Why" to why are we leaving. We understand that the ministry isn't about money or personal gain but we also believe that this move is a promotion for our whole family.

Bridgepoint Church means a lot to us, and we would like to make this transition smooth and leave here with Bridgepoint’s prayers and blessings. Bridgepoint, you have so much to look forward to, as you continue to grow and reach people for The Lord. This summer you have seen 56 people baptized in the river alone! Every year since I’ve been here that has increased and there are much better days ahead for you. Our last Sunday is September 13th.

We would appreciate your prayers, we do not have a place to live there and we haven’t found anyone to rent our house here. So let me know if your looking to rent. Thank you for your love and support throughout our part of the Lord’s ministry here. My family has grown to love Bridgepoint Church very deeply and we will miss each and every one of you!

Rockband

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:25:00 +0000

Fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:45:00 +0000

A great fireworks show at the God and Country Festival!

Reading Prize

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:26:00 +0000

This is what Connor is trying to earn by reading 25 books this summer.
It's a Transformers plasma gun or something like that.