Barry@2605

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.

Hallie's fish

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Hallie's first fish of the day in the little Salmon!

Courtney

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:36:00 +0000

This is Courtney our Administrative Assistant at Bridgepoint Church.
She also plays Bass in one of our worship bands. We're glad to have
her on staff!

Fallen tree at Bridgepoint Church

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:20:00 +0000

A big storm knocked down part of a 100 foot maple into a neighbors yard.

What is a healthy church? 1

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:20:00 +0000

After reading Ephesians 4:1-7 I want to rant on what a healthy church is...

1. A healthy church is one that is filled with men and women who at the end of the day see scripture as the final authority on all things.

Let me tell you why its healthy when we do that, and why its dysfunctional when we don’t.

Everyone, even the most secular pagan, operates under authority. Most of the time, it’s the “authority is what I think”. So what you think and you decide is authoritative?! Which means it governs your actions in your life. "I think I should do this, I’m ultimate."

Now, I believe that the scriptures are that authoritative piece.

Let me explain why if a church doesn’t have the scriptures as the final authoritative piece, your going to get dysfunction. Something has to sit there as ultimate, if its not the scriptures, all of the other options are easily flawed.

Here’s some examples; You, Me, as the ultimate authority? Hah!

You ever look back on when you were in your 20’s? I wish I could travel back 10 years and find myself and sayd, "Barry, don't do this", "Don't make this decision", "You are a moron"! Could it be that 5 years, 10 years from now, you’ll look back and see that your reasoning was flawed. So why would you ever think your opinion was ultimate?

Do we let culture set authority for us? Absolutely not, culture even looks back on itself with disdain. Watch how people talk about the 80’s now. The greed that was there. Somebody should have intervened on the fashion part of it for sure. Parachute pants, peg leg jeans, etc... All of that is now looked at with disdain. So you can’t let culture dictate authority.

So anytime you DO NOT set scripture as the ultimate authority on all things, you set yourself up in a trajectory that’s going to end badly. Because you’ve entrusted life and action to fools.

Join me at the new YouVersion.com

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Let me introduce you to YouVersion.com. It’s unlike any online Bible reader out there in that it provides an opportunity for us to build community and engage a conversation about what we’re reading and studying together in God’s Word. I’ve been dabbling with YouVersion.com since it launched. In December, I committed to it fully. It’s been my primary Bible for reading and study Scripture. As an example, it’s what I’m currently using to read through the entire Bible in a year.

Last week, YouVersion.com came out of beta with some great new features. Here’s a partial list of what you’ll find in the new version:

* A new and improved UI
* Movable widgets for contributions, daily reading, and your journal
* Tag, bookmark, and link without leaving the reader
* Optional parallel readers let you read two different versions on the same page
* My page features your friends’ contributions, likes and bookmarks
* Community page shows the entire YouVersion community feed
* Mobile Pages for more information and download links

I’d encourage you to check out YouVersion.com. And, if you’re daring, you can follow me and join my current journey through the Bible.

Amazing

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:06:00 +0000

I thought you might like this:

If a person counted at the rate of 100 numbers per minute and kept counting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and never stopped, it'd take him nearly 7 days to count to a million, just over 19 years to count to a billion, and over 190 centuries to count to a trillion.

Idaho State Song

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Continued Dog Story...

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Last Friday our family went to the Idaho Humane Society (The Pound). We basically took the kids to look at dogs and cats so they wouldn't be so sad from the previous days experience. I don't like looking at pound dogs because they are usually mixes with a lot of Pit Bulls. We happened upon a 4 year old purebred German Shepherd named Daisy. Stacey has always wanted a German Shepherd because we used to live near a breeder with a whole farm of them. To make a long story short we walked her outside and inside for an hour and a half. She has the softest temperament, is trained, gentle , loves kids, and loves to ride in a vehicle. Purebreds are $150 to adopt but she had been adopted by someone for 1 day and found out their roommate was allergic so they brought her back and donated $130 towards her adoption. This made Daisy only $20. We talked about it, called two friends and asked their opinion and even prayed. We decided to adopt Daisy and take her home. What an incredible dog! Surely a God thing!

Our Dog Story...

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Last Thursday we had to put "Samson" our german shepherd mix of almost 14 years to sleep. It was very difficult and yes Stacey and I did sit with her on a blanket while it happened. This was harder than we expected. Especially on Stacey. Hallie understood and was sad and I think Connor didn't understand what was going on. Nancy came over and watched the kids while Stacey and I took Samson to the vet. We did not expect the grief to be so heavy. If you've ever lovingly put a dog down then you know, if you have not, then you don't. Here is a picture of Samson just before we left for the vet.

She was a good companion that followed Stacey around the house for almost 14 years! She jogged with me for years. At the time of this picture she was blind, had an enlarged heart, on meds, would gasp for breath, one eye had turned bluish white, and she was not responding like usual. We got her as a 6 week or so old puppy and she has been with us ever since. She had been camping, to Kansas on trips, lived in 3 states, etc... "She was a good dog!"

The next day the kids were out of school so we took them to the Idaho Humane Society (the pound). And so the story continues... more later...

No John3:16 For You!

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Motivation to Preach Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:40:00 +0000

This is the list of top ranking "Religion and Spirituality" podcasts on iTunes right now. This is the 'Spirituality' America is consuming the most... To all the pastors and christians out there. Please, please, please tell people about Jesus. Tell them that they are sinners in need of a savior. Tell them that he is a good and forgiving God. Warn them about Hell, and paint a beautiful image of what Heaven will be like. Inspire them to Love Jesus.

St. Patrick

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:22:00 +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.

Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:41:00 +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

Xbox day!

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:09:00 +0000

Evan with his missing date.

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:15:00 +0000

Star Wars Retold

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

“They go to this planet… full of these… brown muppets… what are they called… Ewoks….”

Caption Please.......

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Where Did You Grow Up

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Whenever you ask people where they are FROM, there is always some followup statement that sounds something like…
“Oh, but I grew up in LA” or “Oh but I grew up in New York”.
Like they somehow must right the wrong in their lives that has led them to Des Moines, IA.
So.
In order to cut down on the banter…
Where did you “grow up” and was your childhood culdesac as rad as the kids on E.T. had it?
Mine was amazing and it was here…
1817 Stratford
Olathe, KS
66062

View Larger Map

Spill it! Where did you grow up?

Who is your HERO?

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:02:00 +0000

It's a great question. Yet a tough one to answer for some.

It's a fascinating test that I found to be remarkably accurate in identifying the hero in your life. Try it yourself.

1) Pick your favorite number between 1-9.

2) Multiply that number by 3.

3) Add 3 to that number, then multiply by 3 again.

4) You'll get a 2 or 3 digit number....add the digits together.

5) What number did you come up with?

Ok, now Scroll down to see the answers..............

The name next to your number below is your ROLE MODEL:

1. Hillary Clinton

2. Nelson Mandela

3. Donald Trump

4. Billy Graham

5. George Bush

6. Gandhi

7. Brad Pitt

8. Bill Gates

9. Jeff Bell

10. Mickey Mouse

I know....it's amazing isn't it?!

No...don't try it with a different number. Just trust the test! And wow, I'm truly humbled... :)

The Gospel is the Answer

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:53:00 +0000

This past weekend at church we had one person give their life to Christ and another person rededicate their life to Christ. It was a good weekend because of that.

I have been committed to preaching the gospel for the better part of the last 15 years. As I look to 2009, this world has such great needs that it is almost overwhelming. But I am convinced that beneath all the noise and behind all the bad news, its greatest need is for the gospel.
The gospel is the answer. And I am committed to bringing this message to as many people as I can.

Team Bridgepoint

noreply@blogger.com (Barry Hughes) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:27:00 +0000

Right before Thanksgiving was the Boise Turkey Trot Relay. 4 people per team run two miles each. My friend Jstew and I put together Team Bridgepoint for the race. It was a fun race and great to do something out in the community. You really see who Boise is when doing a huge community event.

It was very cold but you got over it on the run. We came in faster than we guessed so we didn't win turkeys or anything but it was still a blast. It started snowing just a little bit when the race was over. I want to get out and so more events in the community!