The Property Care team doesn’t often seek attention for the work they do, but sometimes it’s great to have a reason to lift them up.

Although most people won’t notice it, we had a major HVAC failure yesterday about noon that caused tens, perhaps even hundreds of gallons of filthy, rusty water to gush from the air handlers located on each side of the upper Worship Center hallway. The mechanical rooms were flooded, and the water cascaded down through the floor and into the lower WC hallways and down the inside walls of the Worship Center.

It was really, really bad news.

The Property Care team responded perfectly. The custodial team immediately began containing the water, and after locating the source of the problem, they contacted me and DJ. We were able to close the water valves to the HVAC less than 20 minutes after the leak began. Twenty minutes seems like a long time, but believe me, we were amazingly blessed by that kind of response. Unfortunately, we now had a really wet building, and the two air handlers that serve the Worship Center were out of commission. (meaning no heat for Sunday Morning when we expect a 0 degree morning.) Because of the type of damage, getting the air handlers fixed was a long shot. It was shaping up to be a cold Sunday morning at church.

God is faithful, though. Within an hour we had Thermal Services onsite to address the frozen HVAC coils, we had Service Master onsite to handle the water extraction and clean-up, and we had BSSI (controls programmers) onsite to determine why the problem occurred in the first place. Against long odds, Thermal diagnosed and repaired the system so it could be in use this morning, Service Master extracted the water and got everything dried out for this morning, and BSSI found the source of the problem and worked long into the night to correct what they had found.

Thanks to the excellent response by Nick, Perry, Dave, Isaac, DJ, Dale from Thermal, Dave from Service Master, and Ty from BSSI, the people coming to church this morning will likely not know how close we came to property disaster yesterday. The team worked well together, and the results far exceeded the expectations I had when I first saw the true extent of the problem. What a great confirmation that even with when things break bad, we serve a God that gives us the people and resources we need to get it right in order to serve the people in His Kingdom.

We’ve got some wall and carpet damage that will need to be repaired over the next week or so, but without the quick, well-performed actions of our property staff and contractors, today could have looked far different than it does. So please, when you see the Property Care team over the next few days, give them a pat on the back, they certainly deserve it.

What is the Date of the Exodus:

*Early Date: 1446

*Late Date: 1275 or 1290

A. The early date emphasizes the literal interpretation of the biblical numbers in Exodus 12:40, Judges 11:26, and 1 Kings 6:1. Hill and Walton offer the following arguments for an early date. (A Survey of the Old Testament, 108).

1. First Kings 6:1 indicates the Exodus occurred 480 years prior to the 4th year of Solomon’s reign. His 4th year is dated at 966 B.C., placing the Exodus at __________ 1446.2. According to Judg. 11:26, Israel had occupied Canaan for 300 years before the judgeship of Jephthah, which is dated around 1100. Adding Jephthah’s 300 years, plus Israel’s 40 years in the desert puts the Exodus around _________ 1440.

3. Moses lived in exile in Midian 40 years (Acts 7:3; cf. Exod. 2:23) while the pharaoh of the oppression was still alive. Upon the pharaoh’s death, the Lord told Moses it was safe to return to Egypt (Ex. 2:25; 4:19) The only pharaohs who ruled 40 years or more were Thutmose III (1504‑ 1450) and Rameses II (1290‑1224). But it is impossible for Rameses II to be the Pharaoh of the exodus, since he did not follow a Pharaoh who ruled for 40 years. Rameses II’s predecessor was Seti I (r. 1318-1304), before Seti I was Rameses I (r. 1320-1318).

4. The early date allows for the length of time assigned to the period of the judges (at least 350 years). The late date allows only 180 years.

5. The Dream Stela of Thutmose IV indicates he was not the legal heir to the throne (i.e., the legal heir would have died in the tenth plague).

One of those days it happened that the King’s Son Thut‑mose came on an excursion at noon time. Then he rested in the shadow of this great god. Sleep took hold of him, slumbering at the time when the sun was at its peak. He found the majesty of this August god speaking with his own mouth, as a father speaks to his son, saying,

“See me, look at me, my son, Thut‑mose! I am thy father, Harmakhis‑Khepri‑Re‑Atum. I shall give thee my kingdom upon earth at the head of the living. Thou shalt wear the southern crown and the northern crown on the throne of Geb, the crown prince (of the gods).Thine is the land in its length and its breadth, that which the Eye of the All‑Lord illumines.” ( Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, p. 449. )

6. The “430 years” of Exod. 12:40 dates the entrance of Jacob into Egypt during the reign of Sesostris/Senusert III (1878‑ 43) rather than during the Hyksos period (1674‑1567).

B. The Late Date – emphasizes Israel’s role in the building of Pithom and Rameses (Ex. 1:11). They typically approach the text with a figurative hermeneutic, which means things don’t mean what they say.

What about the Habiru (apiru)?

All Hebrews are  Habiru but not all Habiru are Hebrews

Sixteen of the 400 Amarna Tablets, discovered in 1887 at Tell el Amarna (180 miles South of Cairo) mention a group of people referred to as Habiru. The tablets tell of chaotic conditions and trouble resulting from these people around 1400 B.C. – and so it has often been postulated that this could be a reference to Joshua’s invading forces. However, it has been discovered that the habiru designation has been found far from Canaan, reducing the chance that it means “Hebrew.” The term appears to be a socially derogatory term: a name for someone w/o citizenship, a migrant, or even a bandit or raider. Perhaps Joshua’s fighting forces were called Habiru because they were unwelcomed invaders who lacked local citizenship. Thus, the term Habiru does refer to the Hebrews – but it also refers to many other peoples. It is not an ethnic term, but a descriptive one.

Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?

A. LATE Date = 1275__ Rameses II

1. Scholars who hold to a late date of the Exodus (c. 1290‑1225 BC) identify Rameses II (c. 1304‑1237) as the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

2. They argue that the city of Rameses (Ex. 1:11) which it was built by the enslaved Israelites, was named after the Pharaoh Rameses. (It is also possible that Pharaoh Rameses was named after the area of Rameses)

Genesis 47:11 states that Jacob and his family settled in the land of Rameses when they entered Egypt in the nineteenth century; unless we postulate an anachronism, for which there is not the slightest proof, we must conclude that there was an area by that name before there was ever a Pharaoh Rameses” (Eugene H. Merrill, An Historical Survey of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1966). p. 107.)

B. EARLY Date = 1446__  Amenhotep II (r. 1450‑1424)

1. Hatshepsut (r. 1504‑1482 d.) may have been the princess who reared Moses. If this is so, she most likely reared him to be the next Pharaoh, since her only child (Nefrure) had died in childhood.

2. Thutmose III (c. 1514‑1450 d.) ruled as co‑regent with his stepmother Hatshepsut for 22 years until her death in 1482, then he ruled independently until 1450. This allows for the time when Moses was in exile in Midian (cf. Acts 7:3; Exodus 2:23). Upon his death in 1450, Moses returned to Egypt.

3. Amenhotep II (r. 1450-1424 d.) may have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Note that the Bible does not say that he drowned but that he led a battle to the water’s edge.

4. The dream inscription of Tutmose IV (c. 1410‑1402?) may indicate that he was not originally intended to be Pharaoh. His older brother (Pharaoh’s first born) would have died in the tenth plague.

The capital of 18th dynasty Egypt was in Thebes – sometimes a criticism because it is argued that Moses would not have contact with Pharaoh if he was so far south. However Pharaoh’s had several homes/palaces and moved around.

Did Lead Pastor Mark Ashton really say smart alecks or did he call his off-springs intelligent donkeys?  Turn your volume up.  This video will resolve it all.

Very Large Churches: Wired, Multisite, Growing and Well Led
by Warren Bird and Scott Thumma
Last weekend, about 56 million Americans worshipped at a Protestant church. Most of those churches drew fewer than 100 people each, a size that’s characterized the “typical” church for centuries. But in the last few decades a new class of church has emerged: the very large church, often called a megachurch. And last weekend over 10% – or nearly 6 million – of these worshippers were part of congregations that each drew 2,000 or more in total attendance. If this group of churches were a Protestant denomination, it would be the nation’s second largest such group.
In recent months we surveyed this group of very large churches and made some fascinating discoveries. The following list highlights some of the most important findings. The link at the bottom of this article then takes you to a fuller report and the actual survey frequencies. We will also be releasing more of findings from this survey in the coming months.
• These churches are wired.
While 88% say their church/pastoral leadership uses Facebook or other social media on a regular basis, nearly three-fourths do podcasts and 56% blog.
• Multisite interest has grown dramatically.
Half are multisite with another 20% thinking about it.
• Growth is steady.
Despite occasional news reports that large churches are a Boomer phenomenon or are now in decline, a steady growth pattern remains evident, with these churches averaging 8% growth per year for last five years. Thus the stated average attendance for these churches grew from 2,604 in 2005 to 3,597 in 2010.
• The leader at the helm makes all the difference.
Seventy-nine percent say the church’s most dramatic growth occurred during tenure of current senior pastor.
• Worship options extend beyond Sunday morning.
While virtually all have multiple Sunday morning services, 48% have one or more Saturday night services, and 41% have one or more Sunday night services.
• They are both big and small.
Eighty-two percent say small groups are “central to our strategy of Christian nurture and spiritual formation,” and 72% put a “lot of emphasis” on “Scripture studies other than Sunday school.” They report that 46% of their attenders are involved in small groups.
• They have a high view of their own spiritual vitality.
An overwhelming 98% agree that their congregations are “spiritually alive and vital.” In addition, 98% say they have strong beliefs and values, 95% say they have a clear mission, and 93% say they are willing to change to meet new challenges.
• Newcomer orientation is constant.
Forty percent of regular participants age 18 and older are new to the congregation in the last five years. And 70% of participants are under the age of 50.
• The dominant identity is “evangelical.”
Of eight options offered, the majority chose the word evangelical to identify their theological outlook. Interestingly, barely 1% chose labels at the two theological extremes – either fundamentalist or liberal.
• The vast majority do not have serious financial struggles.
Only 6% say church’s financial health is in some or serious difficulty (and only 7% said that for five years previously). However, half adversely felt the effects of the economic crisis and 5% fewer report their financial health as “excellent” compared to five years ago.

• Staffing costs are comparable to those of other churches.
Forty-eight percent of the average large church’s total expenditures go to salary and benefits.
• They are not independent.
Seventy percent say their church is part of a denomination, network, fellowship, or association of churches. For those who are currently non-denominational, 33% say they were once part of a denomination.
For full survey results download the full report »

Kiplingers just did an amazing job writing about our fair city. Their conclusion? Of all of the cities in the United States, Omaha is the best place to live for its VALUE. The combination of low unemployment, low cost of living and high salaries are key reasons, but there is also acclaim for the development of the social, infrastructure, and entertainment aspects of our city. A great read!

The flooding is expected to crest in Missouri Valley, a town in Iowa just 45 minutes away from Omaha, on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. We are connected with an Alliance church there named Grace Community Fellowship, which CCC planted a couple of decades ago. They, along with the whole town and anyone else they can mobilize, will be involved in a massive sand-bagging effort. Some will be sandbagging and some will help the church with moving and other benevolence needs.

Can you join in? If so, meet at Christ Community Church at 7 AM tomorrow – Tuesday, June 7, 2011. We will provide donuts and coffee, then leave immediately for Missouri Valley. Wear work clothes and bring a change if you like. You should bring a shovel, clearly labeled with your name, and work gloves. Also, please remember a sack lunch and plenty of liquids and a water bottle to stay hydrated.

You can stay as long as you want to. This is an emergency response, and not super highly organized. We will need to take a bunch of vehicles and you can leave with your driver when you need to leave. Feel free to bring any friends who might be interested in joining in.

You can also drive separately and meet at the middle school in Missouri Valley at 8 AM on Tuesday to volunteer. The address is 607 Lincoln Highway, Missouri Valley, IA.

How about kids? High school age and up can come with the whole group. If you are a parent bringing your kids, you can bring whatever age kids you think can work with you all day. No child care will be provided.

For additional questions, contact Eric Carpenter, CCC’s Outreach Coordinator, at 660.238.2596.

Whether or not you can come, please pray for mercy on all of the towns along the Missouri river and its tributaries. The damage caused this month may last for many months and they will need our prayers and support for much time to come.