in2MISSION

Gaps in our Ministry

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:33:00 +0000

At its core, ministry is about connecting people to God.

For me, that automatically brings the idea of a bridge to mind. Now of course Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross is the only bridge between God and humanity. But in ministry, we’re connecting people to Jesus, who ultimately connects them to God. So the bridge metaphor is apt.

If ministry serves as a bridge for people to connect with God, it’s necessary and vital that we are constantly evaluating the structural integrity of what we’re working with. Even the smallest gap can derail people by the way we do our ministry.

If you think that’s an overstatement or you don’t believe me, let me ask you this:
If you were driving on a bridge, and there was a gap in the bridge, how big would the gap need to be before you wouldn’t want to drive on it?

The truth is it doesn’t take but one small gap in this whole enormous bridge called ‘ministry’ to prevent people from getting to where they’re supposed to go. One gap can cause the whole thing to come unbuckled.

For example, there may be somebody who has been coming to our church, and they love it. But then they try to get in a small group, and we don’t return their email. Who knows, that may be the end of the line for them when it comes to active participation in a church community. And all because of poor communication.

A small gap. A big difference.

That’s just one example. The same is true when it comes to how we’re treating first-time guests. The quality of our kid’s ministry. And even something as small as the frequency of audio and visual glitches.

Small gaps. Big difference.

What are the gaps in your ministry? What are the holes that people might fall through as you try to connect them with God?

Take a minute today and write all of them down. And then strategize and commit to fixing them. After all, the weaknesses in our churches aren’t just minor deficiencies that need to be acknowledged. They’re gaps that need to be filled.

8 Traits of Effective Church Leaders by Thom S. Rainer

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:59:00 +0000

I am a bit reluctant to articulate the characteristics of effective church leaders for fear that some may take the information and reduce it to a neat, quick-fix formula, and that others may see this approach as human-centered, denying the reality of a sovereign God. Nevertheless, in our studies of churches that are reaching people and retaining them through biblical discipleship we have seen a very clear pattern develop, especially in contrast to leaders in other churches that did not meet our criteria.

Keep in mind that it is the total and the composition of these traits that distinguish the effective leaders from other leaders. Many of the less effective leaders share some, but not all, of these traits. I will refer to these leaders as pastors, though some of the churches used other nomenclature, such as ministers.

1. Fierce biblical faithfulness. Without exception, these pastors held to the total truthfulness of God’s Word. Not only did they believe the veracity of Scripture, they passionately lived out their beliefs.

2. Longer tenure. The leaders we studied are willing and even want to have long-term ministries at one church. While longer tenure itself is not the key to effective leadership, a series of short-term pastorates rarely allows one time to establish lasting leadership in a church. In one of our national surveys of pastors, we found the average pastoral tenure to be 3.6 years. But in different studies of effective leaders, those pastors had an average tenure ranging from 11.2 to 21.6 years.

3. Confident humility. In our subjective interviews with effective church leaders across the nation, our interviewers repeatedly reported that the leaders had a clear and compelling confidence about their own leadership. But that confidence was not arrogance. To the contrary, their confidence centered more on what God was doing and less on their own inherent abilities.

4. Acceptance of responsibility. We did not hear of excuses for ineffective ministry from these effective leaders, even though many of them experienced prolonged periods of struggles. Instead, these pastors accepted the leadership responsibility that comes with their position, and they refused to blame circumstances or others when the inevitable times of conflict and challenge occur.

5. Unconditional love of the people. Ministry can be dirty and Christians can be jerks. It is often difficult to love those who complain and attack you. But these effective leaders, with no claims of perfection, still expressed an intense love for the members of their congregations. In some measure, they have learned to love as Christ loved us.

6. Persistence. Because these leaders have a long-term perspective of their ministries at the churches where they serve, they are able to lead toward progress one incremental step at a time. That is not to say they have a laissez-faire attitude; to the contrary, these pastors are incredibly persistent.

7. Outwardly-focused vision. An integral part of the lives of these effective leaders was their passion and vision to reach people who were not Christians and who were not a part of their churches. To say that these leaders are evangelistically focused would be an understatement. They are passionate about reaching the lost and unchurched, and the visions they communicated inevitably reflected this priority.

8. A desire for a lasting legacy. The ambition and drive of these leaders cannot be denied. But that ambition is not limited to their personal successes. They are ambitious for their churches to be thriving and healthy well beyond their ministries and even their lifetimes.

In the final analysis, we cannot know how much of leadership skills are innate and how much can be acquired. These leaders will tell you, however, that they have made significant strides in becoming better leaders. Such are their testimonies. And perhaps, in God’s strength, we can follow these examples and become the types of leaders God wants us to be.

Seth Godin: I believe someone will change the world not because of anything else other than, doing something that is important to him/her.

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:06:00 +0000

Seth Godin: The World Has Completely Changed in the Past Five Years. Here are some takeaways:

We’ve branded ourselves to death.

We are seeing the death of the industrial age. It’s being replaced by a new age…an age of weird, of edge, a tribe.

A tribe is a group of people who share a culture, an idea, a goal.

We used to have just 3 tribes: Work tribe, cultural tribe, a religious tribe.

Now there are a billion different tribes.

Deep in our DNA, we want to do what others are doing, we need to be in sync with others.

That’s why we gravitate toward a tribe.

In the past 5 years, the laptop has revolutionized the world. It is the means of production. And now the worker has it–not just the people in power.

The worker is being replaced by the artist.

Managers try to get you to do what you did yesterday, but a little better and faster.

Leaders are different.

Competence used to be important. It used to get you a job. Competence is no longer a scarce commodity.

If they only thing you have to offer is that you are the “local church” –that no longer matters.

If you have decided that what you are doing is so important that failure is not an option–you have just announced that success is not an option either.

Every revolution destroys what came before–just before it creates something new.

Too many people are walking around hanging on to stuff until it rots…rather than giving it away.

We are constantly looking for a reason to not do our art–and to blame someone else.
The world is begging for your leadership.

Mama Maggie Gobran: “When One Has Nothing, God Becomes Everything.”

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:47:00 +0000

Some amazing insight at the Global Leadership Summit from this woman of God who serves the country of Egypt:

We don’t choose where we are born. But we do choose whether to be normal, or be a hero.

Egypt is the country that has sent the largest number of Christian martyrs in all history.

I enjoyed an affluent lifestyle. But God asked me to sell it all and follow Him.

When one has nothing, God becomes everything.

When I touch a poor child, I’m touching Jesus.

When I listen to a poor child, I’m listening to God’s heart for all of humanity.

Silence is the secret to meeting with the Almighty. It is there that we discover the taste of eternity.

Silence your body to listen to your words. Silence your tongue to listen to your thoughts.

Silence your thoughts to listen to your heart beating. Silence your heart to listen to your spirit. And silence your spirit to listen to God.

In silence, we leave many, and be with the One.

THIS is CHURCH by Brian Hunter

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Sat, 28 May 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Didn't I just write this note yesterday? Seems so, with all that goes on around the center and neighborhood, time is flying by. Hope you all had a great week in your worlds.

Momma T got to fix breakfast on her new stove and serve from the kitchen as we came together last Saturday for our breakfast. Not sure, but things seem to taste better in the center kitchen? We had lots of help preparing our meal and it was nice we weren't stepping on each other's toes to perform our tasks. The biscuits, eggs, hash browns, bacon and cantaloupe was yummy and we all had a good time visiting with each other. We took the leftovers with us on our visit.

We had large numbers of guys visit with us on our trip around town. Each stop, circling for prayer, hugging, laughter seems to come along with us. We still continue to discuss ways we can help with the high cost of buying, t-shirts, underwear and socks. Mr Scott F has come up with a new idea. Instead of the church bringing their clothing for the clothing room, we ask them to bring us packages of underwear? Sione, how can you use that in a sermon?

Tuesday afternoon as I walked up to the center for tutoring time, guess who was playing basketball with the Big Man? It was our French speaking, croissant eating, European traveling girl, Ms Lauren! Great to get a big hug from her and see her sweet smile, man we have missed Lauren. She will be with us, mainly on Mondays and when her schedule allows. She will be working with the youth at First Methodist this summer. Then head back to University of Arkansas for her senior year! She said, she will be bringing her younger brother with her this semester, who will be a freshman.

Thanks to one of our friends, Chris Chandler, for arranging a meeting with the police department Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, I was late and they had to leave, so Ms Abbie and Ms Beth showed them around the center and suggested ways we can work together.

Tuesday afternoon, Ms Sarah brought the children into the fellowship hall and discussed with them, ways to improve their behavior during our Wednesday meals. On Wednesday, with Ms Sarah in control, they did really good. Ms Sarah will need our help in reminding the children each week, what is expected of them. Ms Sarah made signs and posted them around the walls to remind us all!

Wednesday, we had a good gathering, new folks and new helpers. With all the food gone, we had some new folks show up. Instead of telling them we had nothing left, our helpers found food in the refrigerator, heated it up and they enjoyed a meal. Thank you all for not saying no, and thinking of others. Scott F continues to find ways to save money from using the Food Bank and buying our can goods. He is being creative in buying items from the Food Bank, which allows him not to spend so much money at Sams. He said this week, he saved over $100! Gus has taken on the task this summer of helping Scott with picking up the food from the Food Bank. Thanks Gus!

Following supper on Wednesday, Ms Sarah had a birthday party to go to and be at Jalissa's graduation at the same time. Not sure how she did it all, but her and Mr Scott went by and picked up Jalissa' brothers and sisters and they made the ceremony. Thanks Sarah and Scott for being a part of these young lives. What a model of caring, compassion and friendship you two are for us all. Taking time out of your already over flowing schedule, showing the children somebody does care about them. Truly amazing, you two are a blessing.

We purchased a trimmer, blower and Ms Lisa donated her riding lawnmower to the center and you should have seen Gus take off! Thursday morning with a cool, crisp feel to it, I told Gus, I bought gas for all the equipment and within 5 minutes, he was cutting the grass! Need to get a picture of that, he was right at home.

Ms Beth, in honor of our last tutoring afternoon, served ice cream to the children. We will take off next week and prepare for our summer camp starting June 6th. Can't believe we have finished another school year. Lots of challenges, but more blessings that I can think of. A lot of our children will be moving on to the next grade, some didn't and will need our help this summer. We started in the Bright House and finished in our new center. Thank you all who came by and read a book, helped with math, and challenged them to do better. It was a great year.

We were trying to get everything looking nice around the center for Harriet and Joey's party Thursday night for Sione. We told our outdoor friends Saturday, we would be by to pick them up Thursday. Sione reminded them Wednesday night, but you never know what happens in a day? To our amazement, we had an over flow of outdoor friends show up. Mr Scott took the van around town and made two trips to pick up everybody. Some rode the bus. It was a great evening. Thank you all for bringing food, serving and making everybody feel so welcomed. Heard lots of comments of appreciation as we returned them to their camps later that night. Have lots of pictures of the evening and will post them shortly. Harriet got the blind piano man (his name escapes me) to write a song about Sione, awesome! Of course Sione had to share a few words of encouragement to the group! A preacher never loss for words! As Joey said in van on one of our trips, Sione has touched many lives, what a blessing he is to us all. Thanks Sione for being so bold, so radical, so lvoing to us all, especially to our friends who live outside. Great job Harriet, Lomax, Gus and Joey for making such a simple thing of serving supper, so special.

Ms Sarah and Mr Scott have created a brochure for our summer camp and we will distribute them Tuesday afternoon. Anybody who would like to walk the neighborhood with us and get to know some of our community come and join us. We will leave around 4 from the center. This has been on my heart to go out and hopefully we will begin to do this on a regular basis. We need to get to know our neighbors and they need to know us. God is doing something special at the center and everybody needs to experience some of His special LVOE!

Don't think Ms Lisa will mind, but she came by Wednesday evening, wanting to share another miracle. We talked last week of not hearing from the foundations. Told you about the letter we got last week, well Ms Lisa got a phone call Wednesday, saying the check is in the mail! The Grayson Foundation has again blessed us with $10,000! Amen and Amen! The grant was written mainly for the remodeling of the kitchen. So Ms Lisa will be busy preparing for all the renovations to bring us up to code. With a new kitchen we will be able to prepare meals, hopefully sponsor grants where meal and food preparations will be taught. Lots of dreams have been shared over the years of what can happen in the kicthen, well folks, the time is coming when we get to see some of dreams come true.

We did not have our prayer time Thursday evening, so don't know many to share with you. Dr Phil will be traveling to visit family and take some well deserved time off. Continue to keep Sione and Beth in your prayers as they prepare for their move. Lots of packing, fix ups, decisions to be made. Ever so often, I think about moving but see what we have accumulated in 30 years living in the same house and decide it is not worth it! Let us know Sione if we can help in any way.

Prayers for our community, that we continue to follow in God's will.

Prayers for two of our interns who will be joining us next week. Excited to get to meet them and see how God will use them to bless our community.

As we dropped off some of our friends last night, a scene of them walking together down the alley haunted me. They get out of our van, carrying food from the evening, some clothes and walking off into the night to their "homes". Their homes of alley ways, backdoor entrances, cemetery plots. Not knowing if what they left behind is still there? Not knowing if they will be beat up for what they are carrying? Whether they will make it through the night? While I get in my air conditioned truck, take a shower to wash off the dirt of the day, turn on the cool air to make me feel more comfortable I wonder, why me? How lucky I am to have these blessings and others do not. Sione said in his talk, he longs for the day, where the outdoor friend ministry is no longer needed. Where we go to Izzy's old camp and Robert is gone, living in an apartment working. Where we walk down the path to Danny's camp, he is not there but has found a job back in New Orleans and living in a house with his dogs.

We have struggles when we have the opportunities to offer jobs to our friends, but they are in no condition to accept them. Listening to the guys talk in the van of frustrations, disappointments and despair of their various situations. For some reason, we have been put out there amongst the poor, to serve, to honor, to lvoe. May God lead us to find a way out of no way, may God show us paths we have not thought of, may we listen to God's voice as He tells us how His Kingdom is to be built. Maybe this is what He is asking of us? He has showed us what He can do, now it is our turn to show others?

Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend with your family and friends. Remember those who died for us so that we might have this freedom to dream and see those dreams become a reality. We are blessed, very blessed. God has given us each other, so that we may lvoe others the way He has lvoed us. Amen.

Common Reflection from this week by brian hunter

An Evangelical Pastor Opens the Gates of Heaven by LAUREN F. WINNER

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:25:00 +0000

In 1868, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps published “The Gates Ajar,” a novel about a young woman named Mary Cabot whose brother Roy was killed in the Civil War. The bereaved Mary knows that she is supposed to be consoled by her Calvinist faith (personified by a minister with the unsubtle name Bland), but she finds her church’s teachings about the afterlife cold comfort. She does not like picturing her brother single-mindedly adoring God. Mary thinks this sounds dull, and she is horrified by the thought that Roy, in his rapturous concentration on God’s splendor, might forget her, his beloved sister. Through the ministrations of a widowed aunt, Mary ultimately adopts a new vision of heaven — one in which people’s primary end is not union with God, but being reunited with loved ones.

Pastor Stirs Wrath With His Views on Old Questions (March 5, 2011) Some condemned “The Gates Ajar” as heretical. As The New York Times reported, bookstore customers who dared to ask for the novel “would doubtless be regarded as fully as dangerous a person as some think the gentle author herself.” But the criticism didn’t hurt sales. Just a few weeks after the book’s release, Phelps’s publisher sent her a check for $600 and a note informing her: “Your book is moving grandly. It has already reached a sale of 4,000 copies.”

Phelps was not the last author to publish a best-selling account of heaven as a comforting reunion. Recent years have seen Mitch Albom’s “Five People You Meet in Heaven,” Don Piper’s “90 Minutes in Heaven” and Todd Burpo’s “Heaven Is for Real,” as of this writing the top-selling nonfiction title in the United States.

Nor was Phelps the last to rouse controversy with her celestial musings. This year’s theological troublemaker is Rob Bell, the wildly popular founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich. Bell, whom Time magazine once called “the hipper-than-thou pastor,” is one of America’s most captivating preachers. Drawing on string theory and pop culture, he manages to make even the most alien biblical texts riveting, explicating familiar Christian concepts without lapsing into platitudes. Bell recalls inviting Jesus into his heart when he was in elementary school, and he speaks an evangelical idiom, but he is also a bit of a provocateur — never more so than with his new book LOVE WINS: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived (HarperOne, $22.99).

“Love Wins” was starting arguments even before anyone had read it, thanks to a promotional video asking a question guaranteed to inflame some evangelicals: “Will only a select few people make it to heaven, and will billions and billions of people burn forever in hell?” (Or, more succinctly: “Gandhi’s in hell? He is?”) Bell’s answer: “The good news is that love wins.” The video, in other words, hinted at universalism — the idea that God saves everyone, not just those who profess faith in Jesus, or a chosen few whom God has elected for salvation.

When the video appeared in late February, evangelical leaders began castigating Bell. Joshua Harris, a pastor and author best known for inspiring evangelical college students to abandon dating in favor of “biblical courtship,” declared on Twitter: “There’s nothing loving about preaching a false gospel. This breaks my heart. Praying for Rob Bell.” The Baptist pastor John Piper offered a pithier tweet: “Farewell Rob Bell.”

So what does the actual book say? First, Bell challenges the notion that heaven is just an ethereal spiritual state we anticipate during our earthly lives. Heaven, Bell argues, is both the “age to come,” when God will dwell with people and injustice will be eradicated, and our present experience of peace and love: “There’s heaven now, somewhere else. There’s heaven here, sometime else. And then there’s Jesus’ invitation to heaven here and now, in this moment in this place.” Bell urges readers to cultivate “the life of heaven now,” pursuing “sacred tasks” like eradicating nuclear weapons and ending sex trafficking.

As for the future heaven, Bell does indeed question the teaching that only a select few will get there. He imagines a woman sitting in church crying because she realizes that “if what the pastor is saying about heaven is true, she will be separated from her mother and father, brothers and sisters . . . forever, with no chance of any reunion, ever.” Against that vision, Bell suggests “an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity.”

“Jesus is the way,” he writes, but “the all-embracing, saving love of this particular Jesus the Christ will of course include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum. . . . What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody. And then he leaves the door way, way open. Creating all sorts of possibilities. He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe.”

To an atheist or a Wiccan or a Jew, that formulation may seem condescending. Who wants to be saved by a deity he doesn’t believe in? For some conservative evangelicals, Bell’s argument offends for a different reason: it seems to contradict centuries of Christian teaching, along with biblical passages like “Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).

But the brisk sales of Bell’s book suggest that many Christian readers, even some evangelicals, find his formulation worth pondering. “Exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity” offers them a way to navigate tensions within the Bible, which also includes passages indicating that one can at least hope for the salvation of all. (“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,” Jesus says in John 12.) And it offers them a way to hold on to Jesus’ particularity in a pluralist world, a world in which wondering about the eternal fate of, say, a Hindu is not an abstract question but a question about your college roommate.

Pastor Stirs Wrath With His Views on Old Questions (March 5, 2011) For all the controversy, this book’s argument has been building for a long time. During the 18th and 19th centuries, many evangelicals rejected universalism, even as it began to gain traction among liberal Protestants. Yet for the last half-century, universalism has been subtly reshaping North American evangelicalism, to the alarm of many evangelical leaders. As early as 1965, the theologian J. I. Packer warned that many evangelicals had “slipped into the practice of living and behaving as if universalism were true,” even though those same functional universalists would never declare a doctrinal commitment to universal salvation. Two decades later, the sociologist James Davison Hunter detected a creeping liberalism in evangelical thought. “There is a pervasive uneasiness both about the nature of hell and about who is relegated to it,” he wrote. “It is an uneasiness which may portend a greater cultural accommodation.” “Love Wins” can be read as a fulfillment of Hunter’s observation.

Historians of heaven will tell you that we tend to sort out our most urgent social concerns in part through our visions of the afterlife. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps described heaven for a generation saturated in Victorian idolization of the family and devastated by the carnage of the Civil War: for Phelps and her readers, it was impossible to imagine an afterlife in which intimate family reunion was not central. So, too, Rob Bell is articulating the concerns of a generation of Christians schooled in toleration, whose neighbors and coworkers and siblings are Muslim or Buddhist or agnostic, a generation whose pluralist social commitments are at odds with theological commitments to limited salvation. Bell speaks for those Christians who take the Bible seriously but can’t imagine their secular friends aren’t going to heaven, too. He speaks for that woman in the pew who can’t bear the thought of spending eternity apart from her atheist brother. The tweeting gatekeepers of conservative evangelicalism may also share these concerns, but for them, the solution is to convert the unbelieving neighbor. For them, confident optimism that Jesus simply saves everyone is evasive at best, and heretical at worst. But, then, the gatekeepers called Phelps an infidel, too.

Lauren F. Winner teaches at Duke Divinity School. Her most recent book is “A Cheerful and Comfortable Faith.”

It's call "Retweeting" - good laugh!

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 04:22:00 +0000

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

In Florida , an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays..." The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists." The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned..." You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture! This is too good not to forward

See beyond differences! why not!

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:35:00 +0000

Ed Young Jr. on 11 Statements for Creative Change

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:16:00 +0000

At Seeds Conference, Ed Young Jr. of Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX) discussed 11 statements for creative change.

Anytime there is change, there is creativity. Creativity and change are inseparably linked. When you change, often it is an innovation or something different.

I believe that God is cheering to us, “You’ve got it! Now use it!”

Some of us deny having the ability to be creative, but that is not true. God made us unique. And He wants us to be who He planned for us to be individually and collectively.

Here are some creative statements that God has brought forward in Ed Young Jr’s life and in the leadership culture at Fellowship Church.

#1 - You be you.

In every area, be yourself. Do not try to be like any other minister. Do not try to be like any other church.

#2 - Work for the weekend.

The weekend is the most important thing we do in the church. So goes the week, so goes the weekend. So goes the weekend, so goes the week. If you make the weekend the thing, most people show up on the weekend, and you can connect with them there. Creativity is stopping something and starting something else. Why should the church be boring? It shouldn’t. So the weekend is where you can be creative. So often the small tweaks will take you to the giant peaks.

#3 - Have a seat at the table.

At the head of the table is the pastor with the food. The first chair is for people who do not know Christ. If your church is doing what it is supposed to do, then 1/3 of the church should be lost. Chair 2 is baby Christians (another 1/3). The third chair should be mature followers of Christ who share and serve (the last 1/3).

#4 - Sign up for group therapy.

Creativity is best done in a group. Everyone is a creative genius, so in a group, there is no telling what creative thing will come up. Critique while you are planning. Critique while you create. Play idea ping pong. You will not believe the ideas that go back and forth.

#5 - Get your “ask” in gear.

Always seek knowledge. Some are afraid to ask questions because of insecurity. Don’t be afraid. When you talk, there is a rhythm. You need to talk then ask then listen. We ask two questions in our creative process: (1) What if? and (2) What is? Delegation without investigation is an abomination. What if? plans the thing. But What is? investigates the thing. Also ask, “Who am I reaching?”

#6 - Hire “yes” men and “yes” women.

“Y” stands for yielded to God. “E” stands for encouraging. “S” stands for strong. The with you’s help you. The for you’s cheer for you. And the use you’s make you think they are with you, but they really use you and abuse you. When you let God take care of haters, He will take you to a whole ‘nutha level.

#7 - Get on the stairmaster.

Everytime you ask the right people the right questions to get the right answers, you will ask a lot of the wrong people, too. So you are always climbing. You are always moving.

#8 - Become a creative criminal.

Steal ideas unashamedly. Rip them off. Of course, make them your own. God gave you eyes… plagiarize.

#9 - Surf the wave.

Fade awaves are the waves that hit the coastline of our conscious and then fade away. Try to harness your creative ideas. Build in rest periods during the day.

#10 - Go through labor and delivery.

You’ve got conception (getting the idea). You’ve got pregnancy (incubate the idea). You’ve got to give birth. The reason many churches die and lose their creativity is they forget about the lost person.

#11 - Join the comedy club.

The majority of our creative ideas come out of laughter. You have to build in blocks of time to laugh and create. And if laughter doesn’t work, argue! Debate it out if necessary.

You’ve got creativity. Now use it!

Stentences UNDER CONSTRUCTION

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:02:00 +0000

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered..
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM . All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM . Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM . The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

Keep on Keeping ON!!

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:43:00 +0000

As I type this note, with ice and snow on the ground, Lomax, Curtis and Sione are meeting to make their way to the camps. Then Sione is going to try and get to Dallas to see his Dad and family there. Prayers for both. I guess with this weather, there will be no golf this afternoon?! Would be hard to find a white ball in all the snow?

It's been a cold week. I told the kids Monday, don't come the rest of the week with wind chills in the teens, don't won't you all out in the cold and get sick. Well Joey, showed up Tuesday afternoon just in case the children showed up, well glad he did! Yep, we had a group show up! They also came Wednesday and Thursday afternoons! What does that mean? Have we become so important in their little lives, they will endure bitter cold to come? Are they receiving something from us they get no where else? Trying to think back on my child hood, what would entice me to walk all those blocks to come to a place where I have to sit down and work for at least 30 minutes on my homework. Can't think of anything, other than a neighborhood football and baseball game! Wow, what an impact we are making on their lives.

Icee Joe got a call Monday morning from the secretary at Grace. She had gotten a call from Robert, son of Izzy, who said he had an emergency. He needed, me, Sione or Joe to come to his camp. Joe couldn't make it, I was waiting on our heater man to fix our heater and Sione was out of pocket, so I called Scott Ferrell to see if he could go out and check on him. We were scared maybe Richard had gone off the deep end and Robert had enough of him. When Scott got to the camp, no one was there. He drove around for awhile looking for him. Finally he finds Richard and he was fine and Richard said he had seen Robert that morning but everything was fine. Still no sighting of Robert. Scott called wondering if Robert maybe was in jail. So Joe calls the city jail and no Robert. As Scott was heading back to the office he spots Robert. He runs up to him to find out what the emergency was and Robert said, he wanted to help out another couple and get a tent for them. He said, that he was being Christian and wanted to help them out! Wow! With a sigh of relief, Scott says we will help and drives off. The three of us talk about "our" emergency? We first agree we need to tell the guys there are degrees of emergency's! Then we think about it more and decide, when you don't have a roof over your head, no heat, no protection from a cold, bitter wind, it is an emergency. It puts a whole new perspective on life.

With the cold weather hitting Tuesday, I went with Sione and Sammy a member of Grace around to the camps to see how everyone was doing. Sione had arranged a hot meal for them, so we served up the hot stew to everybody. None of our guys wanted to leave to go into a shelter. Most had fires going, with the firewood brought by Ben and our Lake Charles family. They are a pretty self sustaining group. On our way home, we drove to Summer Grove Baptist church where a shelter had been open. We walked in and not one bed was occupied? Our last cold spell Broadmoor Baptist had opened up a shelter run by Cassie from the Hub and they had 50 or so staying with them. Sione, said, the guys know Cassie and when she offered a place to stay they went with her. They do not know Summer Grove folks and they did not come. Another reason to continue to make improvements on the Community Center to better help our friends when the weather gets cold. Maybe February 1, 2012 we will have a place for them to call home?

Sione and Lomax have been going out in the mornings delivering breakfast and checking on the guys. Scott Ferrell drove Thursday morning and evening. A tv station interviewed Sione Wednesday evening and followed him to one of the camps. Our Thursday group rode with Scott Thursday evening. All the guys seem to be doing fine. Lomax was concerned about one of the guys under the Stoner street bridge, so he brought him a tent and sleeping bags. While we were visiting around the fire pit, Lomax, Sammy, Joey and Curtis set up his new tent and got it all arranged for the night. Job well done.

Wednesday afternoon was still below freezing but the folks came! Spencer cooked up his famous hash brown casserole, Mary Dark spoiled us with blueberry cobbler and we handed out 85 plates. We have been thinking about the possibility of applying to the Food Bank. Lisa in looking into all the forms and applications to see if she thinks our community could benefit from it. The cost of groceries and the numbers of people continue to escalate and we are trying to come up with better ways to help. Even though it was below freezing outside, the new fellowship hall was considerably warmer than we thought. As Spencer said, it beats sitting outside in the garage! Man, we have come a long way!

Rob and Stacy have been videoing our new center, using pictures from the restoration and will be sharing it with the congregation next weekend the 12th and 13th. Later that afternoon on Sunday the 13th, they are planning a dedication ceremony at the center. Don't know the details, so Sarah will have to fill us in on that. Exciting times. Many more to come.

We will have more scouts this weekend helping at the center. Some touch up painting, moving of furniture to the various rooms are on the agenda. Next weekend, we will have Brookwood join us for their Second Saturday day.

Be sure to let Lomax know how much we lvoe him this Monday!

Thank you for being the community who responds to those in need. Allowing the Spirit to move you in many different ways. Amazing, amazing people you are. Amen.

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:42:00 +0000

What a week we had! So many blessings and then we had our challenges. I can feel God challenging me, you see what will happen when you put your faith in Me, but don't let it go to your head, don't let your pride take over because there is so much darkness in the world, our jobs are not done.

We had a big group of scouts from Troop 97 help us last Saturday, to move things around in the center to prepare a way for us to move our ministries in. What a blessing they were as we got the racks in the clothing room set up. The shelves in the pantry area ready and many of you saw the pictures of the tables and chairs set up in the fellowship hall for our meal on Wednesday. I was on a high and they it fell fast!

One thing that has been on my mind for many months is getting to know our neighbors. As I was leaving the center Saturday afternoon, I stopped and visited our neighbor to the south of us at his gas station on Southern. I have noticed him numerous times there working on vehicles and I have been wanting to stop and introduce myself to him to let him know he has a new neighbor. To put it politely he wanted nothing to do with me and did nothing but complain about the "hood" and how his property was being torn up. I never had the opportunity to give him my name or let him know who we were because he turned around and walked back into the garage. All the way home, I was sick to my stomach, hearing God say, we have lots of work to do! There is so much darkness in the "hood".

Then we have Wednesday and we have our first meal in our new center. Wow what an afternoon. There are pictures up on our face book page. Dr Phil and I stood at the door and said, it is good to be back home. Hard to describe the feeling but please know to all who have worked at the center these past few months, thank you, thank you, thank you. We talked to our community before our supper and shared this center is called a community center because it is for all of us. This place is not Mr Brian's center, Ms Abbie's center it is all of ours. We went on to say, we will need the help of all of you to keep it clean and functioning. We are going to put up a board in the room for people to sign up to help at various tasks. Also we said, we will be handing out a flyer with different ideas of what the community wants to see, then we will try to see if we can provide those services. Be thinking of what services we could offer and send them to us.

I must say, with the feeling of total elation, it was off set by the beating of Catfish Wednesday afternoon. For those of you who do not know, Catfish and one of his dogs Girly was coming to our meal Wednesday. Catfish says as he was riding slowly because of his dog, he noticed a young man begin to follow them from Linwood. For some reason, as Catfish gets to the center, he stops behind the building in the alley way and rest, waiting for the rest of us to arrive. He says this young black man comes up behind him, with bricks in his hands, begins to beat him and stole his bike. Ms Abbie, Ms Rubby and Lomax bandaged him up and then Lomax took him in my truck to the Pool where Terry fixed him up. Sione and Lomax went by Thursday morning to check on him and he is doing ok and getting around. Sione said, Catfish will be getting a new bike today.
Yet another challenge for us, as we begin to move into our center, we must not stop and say, look what I have done, or this is good, there are so many out there who needs the lvoe of Jesus, we must constantly be on the move and not rest on the past.

Our Thursday evening meal, we had an adult table and Joey and Lomax sat in the front room at the children's table because of all the children there. Those at the adult table was Curtis, William, Wes, Beth, Dr Phil and Momma T who baked a yummy chocolate cake. As we were ending our meal Sione joined us for our Bible study.

We read the first of Luke 18 about the woman who was persistent in getting justice, some said last night "nagging". I won't say who said that! Jesus tells his disciples to always pray and never lose hope for God will always give what is right to his people. Do you pray and loose hope? Are what you pray for and what happens two different things? Dr Phil brought up our prayers for the community center. Many, many years ago God shared with me, I need a place for my community not another church on the corner. In God's time, we now have that center! Was it hard, was there challenges, was there lack of patience on my part, you betcha, but we never gave up hope. What is on your heart, what is God sharing with you, never - never - never give up hope, God will give what is right to his people in His timing.

If you would stop for a moment today at noon, Momma T asked for prayers as she meets with an old friend from high school, who will be looking at our a/c units and have him come up with a price for the equipment and installation. Momma T asked for prayers to soften his heart for our community. Prayers for Charley as he struggles with his infection. Hopefully the medicine will kick in soon and help. Prayers for William who shared last night, he began to drink a bottle of beer and half way through, he said to himself, he can't go down this road again and poured the rest of the bottle out! Prayers for the young man who stole Catfish's bike. Prayers for Ms Sarah who needs to regain her strength and energy. Prayers for Joe and Abbie as they met with their Dr who Lisa arranged and begin the task of deciding on what options are before them. They are going through more tests to determine that. Should know in a couple of weeks.

I can feel myself wanting to get comfortable in our new center. I catch myself, wanting to sit back and say, look what we have done in just a few short months. I can see myself, sitting down and thinking this is great and not do another thing. But God won't allow that, this is only the beginning. I am reminded of what we experienced a few short years ago, when a community begins to look inward, God will shut the doors. God has provided a miracle to us. He has brought His people into place. He continues to bring others, what will we do? This is only the beginning. A first step in the building of a Kingdom where light will drown out darkness for ever. Will you join in? Will you carry your light into the world? Will you accept the challenges God puts before you? God can't do it alone, He needs us, He needs you. Can't wait to hear the stories will you be able to share with us next year about the beginning.

Hope you all have a great weekend. God is good! Amen.

What if you were there!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:45:00 +0000

So, people were simply going with their individual agendas including taking time to eat at the food court in this mall. This was a total surprise to most except the few singers who decided to just show up and sing. Watch the faces, reaction, and those deep hyperlinks that got individuals who was just there for food "now standing and took parts" This is so cool! watch....

I love this.

Revelation 19:6 - Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns."

This will PREACH

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:27:00 +0000

You don’t have to believe anything in the bible; or maybe you could consider that there might be more that you think you know so far. The choice is yours! The role of preaching can be a very challenging music to sing, thus one must engage a great deal of imaginative process so that newness rises to the top. And with that, watch this absolutely adorable little girl tell the story of Jonah (and the big fish? What happened to the whale?), complete with voice changes and arm gestures. You’ll at least come away believing in the human race because any species that produces offspring this smart and cute can’t be all bad

Thursday Community Bible Study by Mr. Brian

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:02:00 +0000

We had a good gathering Thursday evening. Beth, Charley, Lomy, Sione, William, and Sonotra enjoyed Momma T's red beans and rice, salad, and yummy pie for supper.

We moved into our second session of the book, The Me I Want To Be, renewing my mind. Momma T picked up some participant guides, so we were able to follow along pretty well. The author, suggests, becoming the best version of yourself, rests on, thinking great thoughts. These thoughts incline us towards confidence, lvoe, and joy. The only way we can succeed in changing our thoughts is allowing the flow of the Holy Spirit in us to take over. As we concluded our discussions, the author presented a verse that was familiar to a lot of us, Philippians 4:8, my version of the Bible says, "brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected." Sione challenged us this week, to email, text, face book things we experience that are noble, admirable, that are right, that is pure, lovely or something that is excellent or praiseworthy. Lomax did a great job of that last night. Can we do the same this week?

Homework assistance Monday was great. Ooops, we didn't have it! We have been blessed so far with great attendance and with still a desire to learn. Anna mentioned Thursday, that even Trey sat down with her and worked on his writing and asked her questions. Worm asked questions on Tuesday to Chris, a new friend of ours. Anna, asked how we can get CJ, Tootie Rootie, Trey to sit down and learn their abc's, spelling, and writing. We need to work with these little guys as much as we can to get them off to a good start.

Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to take Izidor to his camp for the last time. He has moved in to Dr. Phil's new apartment in the back of his house. Dave and Travis have finished remodeling the apartment. It is amazing what the guys have done. Through the efforts of Dr Phil, he is putting an end to homelessness. Travis and Dave are in their house next door to Dr Phil and doing great. Travis and Dave are now available for work if you know of anything. Both are great carpenters and Travis can do just about anything.

A couple of great stories from Izzy. When I was taking Izzy to his camp Sunday, he said, I need to stop worrying about getting ice. I said, what do you mean? He said, all summer long he has been desperate to have ice at his camp. He uses the ice to try and keep his food and himself cool. He would wrap ice in a rag and put it on his face at night to cool him down. Now he has a place where there is an air conditioner and he has a refrigerator that makes ice. The other story, he mentioned, Dr Phil took him to Brookshire's Saturday to get some food. Sunday afternoon he needed more food. I said to Izzy, why didn't you buy more food, he said, For the last several years, he only buys what he can eat that day or the next, so the food doesn't go bad. He forgot he has a refrigerator where he can put food in and it won't go bad. Dr Phil said, Izzy told him, he feels like a human being again and is ready to go to mass.

Great stories and ones I think our community is all about. We need to continue to strive to be able to make more opportunities likes these happen for those we come in contact with.

Could I say we experienced another miracle on Wednesday? Momma T called and said, it was raining so hard at her office she could not get out the door. Sione told us Thursday, it stormed at the New Room during their meal. Guess what happened at our place? As Pete and I were setting out the tables and chairs around 4, it was sprinkling. Black clouds were everywhere. I said to Pete, we are going to get wet this afternoon. Well we didn't! As our meal began, the rain stopped. It did sprinkle a little bit as the folks began to line up to go inside but no big deal. Amazingly we survive again with God's grace. We sang happy birthday to Ms Abbie and Ms Dorothy before our meal. Momma T got Ms Abbie a cake and we got all the folks to sign cards for the two of them. It was a great afternoon.

Don't forget this week, think good thoughts. Can we try to allow the Spirit to flow in us, so we are able to have those thoughts? Please send along things that you experience that are good, praiseworthy, that are right and pure. It might help others that day to see what you have seen.

What IF YOU take the Lead?

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:40:00 +0000

How often lately you have engaged in conversations about, opportunities and new thoughts that are shaking your world right now. I truly believe–in 5 years your life won’t look anything like it does today and it shouldn't. You may not even recognize it as being the same. Have you ever stop long enough to wonder what might be your Creator is preparing you for something that you have a hard time explaining.

How can we go somewhere when we have an idea of the destination but can’t adequately explain how we will get there? Dee Hock explains it this way:

"One need not know and be able to prove in advance what could be accomplished. One need not have a precise plan about how to get there. In a complex, rapidly changing world, a clear sense of direction, a compelling purpose and powerful beliefs about conduct in pursuit of it, seemed to me infinitely more sensible and robust than mechanical plans, detailed objectives, and predetermined outcomes. (Pg 169, One From Many, Dee Hock)

I wonder often–what would happen if we’d just get out of the way? If the structure, systems, restraints, obligations, debt, connections–what if none of that held us back? What could be accomplished? What would the future look like?

"What if WE with the greatest power (YOU being that ultimate in power), wealth, and position were to open their minds to new possibilities, loosen OUR (yours and mine) tenacious grasp on the old order of things, abandon the palliative of cosmetic change, open their eyes to new forms of organization, seriously question and change their internal model of reality? What if You and I were to cage the four beasts that devour OUR keeper–ego, envy, avarice, and ambition–and take the lead in a new order of things? What if You and I were to go before and show the way?"(Pg 203, One From Many, Dee Hock)

What if? We are on a path to figuring it out. What IF you realize you have the right to LIVE your LIFE that way?.

What a busy morning we had Saturday by Brian Hunter

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Ok, I usually don't write on Sunday. Really I don't do much on Sunday! But wanted to share with you all what a busy morning we had Saturday.

As I pulled up to the community house with the van Saturday morning, a truck pulled in behind me. It was Gus, one of our family members from Lake Charles and two of his buddies. Gus had called earlier in the week asking if he could come up for a visit. Gus asked if we could use a garden tiller. I said yes. He said, one of his friends had an almost brand new one and he wanted to buy it and give it to us. So we are now proud owners of a new garden tiller! Gus and his friends went with us on our visits. They then worked all afternoon in the garden until they had to leave for home. I don't understand why God continues to bless our community with such special young people. We have family who will drive 3 hours to get here, visit our friends, work all afternoon and then drive 3 hours back. What a blessing. I am humbled beyond words.

As we were preparing to leave for our visits, Gus and I walked into the garden where there was a dump truck load of new dirt Patty had ordered. I saw Patty earlier in the week and she did not know how she was going to get it all spread? Well, when Gus showed up with his friends, I told them they were an answer to Patty's prayers.

We had great visits at the camps. I think the nice weather has lifted the spirits of our friends. We picked up Richard at the Hamilton and he wanted us to go to find a new friend. We tried but were unsuccessful. As we were driving around downtown, we pulled over by the courthouse and pulled up by some of the benches. Richard gets out his bag of sandwiches and Paula began pouring coffee and quickly we had a crowd. It was great. One of the folks that walked over to us was an old friend who use to live behind Faith church, Kim. As we were leaving, Soda Pop walks up. I jumped out of the van to say hi. Have not seen him in several months.

We had the privilege of having Joe's young son Joey with us Saturday morning. Joey asked his dad at some point during the morning, are we going to church? Joe tells his son, this is church Joey.

As we were coming back, turning on to 68th street, we glanced over at the garden and noticed it all tilled up. We walked over to the garden and noticed all the new dirt had been spread and the garden all nice and tilled up. John Prince had showed up with his tractor and made a days work, turn into several hours of work creating a beautiful ground ready for planting. Gus, Kendall and Bubba cleaned up the rest of the new dirt and put it in the cold frames and have them all tilled up. Momma T called Patty and the two of them just bubbled with enthusiasm about how great everything looked. What a blessing.

Patty told Momma T that she wants to come this Wednesday and talk to the community about the garden. Patty has been doing some research and found out information on the history of the garden area. She wants to share with the community and invite them to be a part of it.

Momma T and I walked over to community center to visit with our plumber Jim. He was there to walk through the community center with John Sauls and discuss things that needed to be done to get us in. We have had meetings where we were told, this and that about the plumbing and gas and how expensive it was going to be to get it repaired. As John and Jim were finishing their walk through, I asked John, what's the verdict. He said our plumber, said, no big deal! We can take care of it! What a huge sigh of release I had. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face if you tried!

While John and I tried to get the lights turned on in the center, Momma T and Jim visited. We have Momma T to thank for our plumber. She has known Jim for years and knew his heart. John and I were down the hall and we hear Momma T holler, Brian Hunter come here!! John and I both thought Momma T had seen a snake or rat or something, so we run to find her. We find them in the kitchen and Momma T says to me, Jim tell Brian what you just told me. Jim attended an auction several years ago and he ended up buying numerous stainless steel tables and a small commercial dishwasher. He wants us to have the tables and dishwasher. Momma T said, when we get in our new kitchen, Jim wants to come in and cook one of our meals for us. How awesome is that!

What a busy morning we had! I don't know folks what God is up to, but I think we are in for a ride of a life time. So many things are happening, so many doors are opening, so many servants are arriving, may we continue to stay strong, continue to obey, continue to listen, be patient, and may we always pray and continue to talk with God.

Amen and Amen!

Update February 24, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:31:00 +0000

How Do New People See Your Church?
New guests at worship can help us see things from the perspective of those not as familiar with our church as we are. The Lewis Center recently asked church members in different states to attend nearby churches as visitors and report on their findings for the benefit of the visited churches and other churches. This report covers two major findings, both of which arise from the difficulty churches have in viewing things from the perspective of persons new to their church. With all the strengths of a church, the challenge is always to think of everything from arrival through departure from the perspective of someone who has never been to your church before. In fact, the new person may have never been to church at all or at least not for many years. This new perspective will help to shape signage, instructions in the bulletin, the work of greeters, and a host of other things. Signage Most visitors found directional signage inadequate. The problems they encountered typically related to: directional signage to the church, outdoor signage indicating directions to "sanctuary" if the entrance is not obvious to a visitor, and outdoor and indoor signage as needed to direct people to the nursery and rest rooms. You can quickly survey the adequacy of your church's signage by using a simple exercise. Have some people do a "drive in and walk through" as if they had never been there before. Was it easy to find the church? Is the entrance clear? Is there visitor parking? Are there greeters near where people park? Is it obvious what door to enter for worship? Are there directions to the nursery and restrooms? When you add signage, current members will hardly notice, but newcomers will immediately recognize that you are "expecting them." It is somewhat like turning the front porch lights on when you know guests will be arriving. The guests immediately feel you are anticipating their arrival. The Worship Service Visitors also found some parts of the worship service confusing. Churches today need to recognize that every day there are fewer people who grew up in church and thus many visitors are unfamiliar with worship practices. Simple things can help. If there is a part of the worship that most members know from memory (e.g., Apostles Creed or Lord's Prayer), then still indicate in the bulletin the page number where people can find it or print the text so all can participate. Those who already know these elements will not be offended, but guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness. If people are to stand at a particular time, you can indicate that in the bulletin, and the worship leader can lift a hand as a signal for people to stand. Simple instructions for communion or brief introductions to other parts of the service can help bring on board those who did not grow up in the church and those whose previous churches had different patterns. Walk through the entire service thinking of what it would be like for someone coming to church for the first time. Make it easy for new people to participate and to feel at home.

Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

Stop Achieving; Start Receiving

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:32:00 +0000

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him…
-Colossians 2:6

To appreciate Paul’s point here, we have to clarify something first:

How did you initially receive Christ Jesus as Lord?
By working hard? By doing good? Getting it right? Hitting your mark?

Of course not. You didn’t achieve Him as Lord.
You received Him as Lord.
By grace.

Paul says:
The same way you received Him initially-by grace-
is the way you’re supposed to live continually from day to day.

Many people freely receive the forgiveness of Jesus at the point of salvation, then spend the rest of their lives trying to pay God back.
Like: “Thanks for the jumpstart of grace, God. I’ve got it from here.”

Stop trying to achieve His love, blessings, and favor through ridiculous, frantic, fleshly, performance based self-righteous rigmarole.

Continue to live in Him the same way you started your life in Christ.
Receive it. By grace.

And so, will you love yourself enough; will you be willing to take a chance; will you forgive yourself; will you give yourself the right to JUST RECEIVE what Christ has provided for you?

Do we STILL DON'T understand - WHY fear?

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:39:00 +0000

Matthew 16:7-9
7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketful you gathered?”

How quickly we forget! Jesus had just multiplied food and fed multitudes not once, but twice! And here are the disciples (as much as we today's disciples) all freaked out about bread, while Jesus is trying to teach them (as well as us) something so much more important. Really, the question is simply this "do we have the stomach that are hungry enough for what this paradoxical God is willing, and ready to give us?" So, our concern is about our STOMACH! really? Is it possible that our stomach is starving for something different than what we are filling it with!

Here's a clue: Jesus isn't concerned about physical provision as much as we give it values. Jesus is trying to do something much deeper inside of us.

Do we still not understand? Don't we remember?

STRENGTH FROM WITHIN

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:28:00 +0000

If you NEVER fail; YOU never LIVE

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:57:00 +0000

Hey, did you like your GIFT? Were you surprise when you REALIZE you are given the most incredible gift EVER? And, how are you going to spend the gift? What gift, you wonder? YOUR LIFE, TODAY, and a brand new opportunity to BEGIN! BE a blessing and may your day bring life to some else.

Christian One Liners

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Don't let your worries get the best of you;

Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited

Until you try to sit in their pews.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Many folks want to serve God,

But only as advisers.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

It is easier to preach ten sermons

Than it is to live one.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,

But mosquitoes come close.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When you get to your wit's end,

You'll find God lives there.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

People are funny;

they want the front of the

bus,

Middle of the road,

And back of the church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Opportunity may knock once,

But temptation bangs on the front door forever.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Quit griping about your church;

If it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If a church wants a better pastor,

It only needs to pray for the one it has.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or Judges.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until

he is dead. So why should you?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some minds are like concrete

Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Peace starts with a smile.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

I don't know why some people change churches;

What difference does it make which one you stay home from?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

A lot of church members singing 'Standing on the Promises'

Are just sitting on the premises.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.

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Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.

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Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

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Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

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Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

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Forbidden fruits create many jams.

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God doesn't call the qualified,

He qualifies the called.

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God grades on the cross, not the curve.

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God loves everyone,

But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!'

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

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He who angers you, controls you!

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If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

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Prayer:

Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

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The task ahead of us is never as

great as the Power behind us.

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The Will of God never takes you to where the

Grace of God will not protect you.

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We don't change the message,

The message changes us.

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You can tell how big a person is

By what it takes to discourage him.

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The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:

1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

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If this blessed you in a profound way today,

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There is no greater treasure than a good friend!

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

The Prodigal God: Our Story of Control

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:14:00 +0000

I remember classroom conversation about the new testaments parable and it was said that the parables of Jesus had one and one point only. It was wrong to try to read too much into the details of Jesus' stories. Take the ever-popular story of "the prodigal son". Point: God the Father is a forgiving, unconditional loving God. According to my prof, the story's elder son character was merely added in to round out a great story. I think my seminary prof. may have missed a point or two in the parable.

Tim Keller's, The Prodigal God helped me gain fresh appreciation for the genius story-telling of Jesus. In fact, he helped me see Jesus in fresh light. I'll not try to give a book report on Keller's fine work - you should read the book for yourself. Here are a few of my takeaways...

The story is about two sons, not one. And both brothers have issues of control. They long to control their own destiny, make life work they way they believe it should work. The younger son leaves his father to own his own way. The elder brother seeks control through his moral uprightness, doing what he believes his father expects. By doing so he believes he'll gain the outcome he desires from his father. The father's role is then to "bless", coroporate, make life happy for the son.
- I've had my share of elder brother syndrome. Blaming God for not making it work. More proud of my rule-keeping, than humbled by God's grace.
Churches are unfortunately filled with elder brothers. Elder brothers who seek God's favor more than they seek relationship with God. Elder brothers who self-righteously criticize, ignore, and reject younger brothers. Jesus' primary audience when telling this story were "elder brother" Pharisees. Keller writes: "...the main barrier between Pharisees and God is 'not their sins, but their damnable good works.'
- Even now, I'm more prone to think with some level of disgust about the "other people" I know who behave like elder brothers. In doing so I wonder what amount of "elder brother" still lives in me.
The younger son made a laundry list of his sins to own and confess to his father upon his return home. The elder son - in his arrogance - had no such list. Keller observes, "To become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. What makes you faithful or generous is not just a redoubled effort to follow moral rules. Rather, all change comes from deepening our understanding of the salvation of Christ and living out of the changes that understanding creates in our heart. Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding, our identity, and our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without heart-change will be superficial and fleeting.
- I first became aware of this sin of idolotry - sins of ill-motivation - several years ago. The fact that it was years ago doesn't make me a saint today; it only means I have more experience being aware. My motivation matters. And I'm too easily motivated by selfishness. I've done lots of "right" stuff over the years - not always for the right reasons.
Jesus knew the Torah. He understood the Jewish concept of being "my brother's keeper." Keller points out that a compassionately motivated elder brother would have gone to look for his younger brother. Jesus leaves out of this story the character he actually was in flesh and blood - the true elder brother. The elder brother who gave up what was his; who didn't bemoan the Father who reinstated the younger brother (thereby giving away what was now rightfully the elder brother's share of the estate); the elder brother who lived, died and rose again to point the way Home to the Father.
- Our elder brother, Jesus - he paid the price. He came after me. He was - and is - the way home to the Father. I want to know more of this intimate relationship with God. I want to continue to capture the fresh, simple complexities of scripture, including the parables with all their points.

I needed this read. I still have control issues. I'll bet you'll uncover a couple of your own.

KILL WHAT'S WORKING

noreply@blogger.com (sione tu'uta) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Help by first hand experience (by Andy Stanly on the book - seven practices of effective ministry)

Maybe you need to eliminate what works so that something else can work better. Narrowing your focus means you choose what potentially works best over what is presently working. It may sound strange, but the best way to help a program work better may actually be to kill another program that is working.

Jesus highlights this principle in John 15. Although He is not referring specially to an organization, the principle is the same. He says, "My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit." Everyone understands this concept. If something isn't working, get rid of it. It's the next phrase that could revolutionize your ministry (or family, company, classroom, selling, counseling, ect..)...while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." Pruning something that is alive-cutting off something that is fruitful so another part can be more fruitful-is painful but necessary if you want to become more fruitful.

Sometimes the healthy choice is to eliminate programs (choices, investment, decisions...) that are thriving so that something else can become healthier. Good programs can actually get in the way of other programs becoming excellent. Just because something is working doesn't mean you should keep doing it. Too many minitries are spending their best human and fiscal resources on mediocre programs. A skilled gardener learns which branches to prune and which ones to keep.