Mike Henderson

Charlottesville Church

2010-01-07T05:54:10-08:00

How much different is having a church in Charlottesville different from somewhere else? While there will be a few minor differences pastoring a Charlottesville Church also has its similarities.

For instance, in our area there are thousands who have not responded to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Plus there are thousands more that claim to be Christ-followers but are not attending for various reasons.

With that in mind I would like to think that every Charlottesville Church had a passion to reach those not in the fold or those who have strayed.

This coming Sunday I will be unpacking the vision of New Hope, a Charlottesville Church, and talking about the upcoming year and what it will be like for us to be a Charlottesville Church in 2010.

Think One Month

2010-01-05T18:15:14-08:00

It's too easy to jump on the bandwagon and make a one year New Year's Resolution. Nothing wrong with that, but you may be setting yourself up for failure.

Why not take a different approach? Why not think 'one month?' One of the biggest resolutions is to loose weight. So many sign up for a gym membership. How much of that money goes out the window? Gyms are full in January and empty in February, or should I say mid-January?

Perhaps our focus should be to develop new habits during the month of January. Just one month. After all, if it takes about one month to develop a new habit why focus on the whole year? Why not just start with one month, then go for another month, etc?

If we enter the year with a whole year's resolution and quit after two weeks or two months we consider ourselves a failure. That's not necessarily the case. Perhaps the goal was too big or just not very smart.

I may set a goal of reading 100 books. That's two books a week and probably not a reachable target. At least for me. I am not a speed reader and will probably come in at about 50 books for the year. So with that in mind my goal would be 4 books during the month of January. Much more doable.

So start with one month rather than the whole year. This past week at New Hope I talked about reading your Bible all the way thru in 2010. But focus on January first.

Think One Month. Develop the habit and you may very well be on your way to your New Year's Resolution.

Things That Excite Me in 2010

2010-01-04T17:17:11-08:00

New things can be very exciting. For me I am excited about what's ahead in 2010 for New Hope. Here are a few things that excite me.

1. Our staff. With Dan and John on board my expectations are pretty high. They both came on board in the second half of 2009. John is a very talented guitar player and worship leader. You will see our music get better throughout the year. Dan loves people and students. When people come on Sunday they will be meeting their new friend. But Dan is good at several things and you will enjoy his presence at New Hope.

2. We are looking for and identifying more Servolution projects where we can serve people in the Cville area and impact more lives.

3. Just like this past week I love meeting new people and am excited about the ministry of New Hope helping them become more fully devoted to Jesus Christ.

4. I am looking forward to hanging out with and spending time with the people of New Hope. Some I have known for a short time, some longer. It will be an exciting year serving together and doing life together.

5. The unknown is exciting because we expect God to show up. The cool part is He will do things that we cannot plan in advance and are unaware of at this time. What a great adventure!

Making Christmas Last, pt. 6

2010-01-02T06:05:32-08:00

This is my last post on 'Making Christmas Last.' One of reasons the spirit of Christmas does not last are the gifts. One week later and we can't remember what we got. So we are left feeling empty. That's because we were looking forward to the gifts we were about to receive. Now the excitement is gone because there is nothing to look forward to. Sad.

The Magi were more concerned with the gifts they were giving. After all it is Jesus' birthday. What if the focus changed more to giving to Him, something we can do year round.

Over this past week we have looked at several ways to make Christmas last. It does not have to end. Keep it going. Give gifts to Jesus all year long in 2010.

Making Christmas Last, pt. 5

2010-01-01T15:21:10-08:00

By now most of us have made some kind of decision or set some goals going into the New Year. Chances are to reach those you will have to abandon something.

This is where honesty comes in. If I am going to lose weight then I will need to abandon desserts or late night snacks. If I am going to read my Bible thru then I may need to abandon some sleep so that I can get up earlier.

If I am honest what will I abandon in order to attain in 2010? If there is nothing to abandon then I have not set any stretch goals or objectives.

So here is the challenge. Most likely we have all thought ahead and identified some type of direction or goal. Now the tough part. What will we abandon?

The Magi had a plan but abandoned those plans when warned by God (Matthew 2:12). We too must decide what we will abandon if Christmas is going to last.

Check the Scenery

2010-01-01T06:21:50-08:00

Well, it's here. A brand new year. There is something about 'new' things. New books, new stores, new coaches, new clothes, and new cars. So when a new year rolls around it gets us thinking. We don't want our new car scratched, our new clothes to get snagged, and our new year to get messed up.

What we fail to do is look around. Do we like the scenery? Does the scenery tell us that we are on the right path and headed in the right direction?

Make this year a year of progress. 2009 ended for the most part just the way we lived it. What we did every day and every week and every month eventually led us to where we ended up at the end of the year.

To be honest I am not a big new year's resolution type person. If I need to make a change in June why wait until January. On the other hand as I said there is something about starting a new year. There is an emotional and psychological side to beginning a new year. It's like a spark that has the power to ignite a huge passion within us.

So maybe it is time to rejuvenate, get out of a rut, or create some new patterns. With that in mind I cannot wait until Sunday, January 3 as I share the "KEY" to an incredible 2010. This Sunday at New Hope has the potential to change your life and your entire year!

Making Christmas Last, pt. 4

2009-12-31T17:10:45-08:00

As we continue to look at Matthew 2 notice the attitude of the Magi. In verses 9-10 they anticipated God to show up.

For the most part what percentage of us get out of bed every morning expecting God to show up? What about Sunday morning during the worship service? The Psalmist attitude was that when it was time to head for God's house he was excited (Psalm 122:1). Surely he was anticipating God to show up.

Now I will be the first to admit that there have been times in my life that I was so excited about what was happening the next day I could barely sleep the night before. Events like going on a cruise with Carol, taking a trip overseas, and even playing golf have kept me up. Why? The anticipation.

The fact is, anticipation brings excitement, joy, and enthusiasm to our lives. If we really did anticipate God showing up the spirit of Christmas would last and last.

During 2010 are you anticipating God showing up? Add that to your New Year's resolutions and your new year just improved dramatically!

Making Christmas Last, pt. 3

2009-12-30T19:49:57-08:00

The holidays come to an end and life returns to 'normal.' Think about it, we go from anticipation of the holidays to the actual celebrations, parties, and family get togethers. Then all at once it comes to an end.

It's similar to a couple having all of their grown kids come over with the grandkids. When they leave the house is quiet. Feels weird.

So here's a third thought from that first Christmas.

Act out what God has put in your heart. What if the Magi had not? They would have missed Jesus and an incredible experience.

Here's the sad part. Many will sense God moving in their heart, but will then fail to act it out.

Perhaps part of the problem is Jesus is not in their heart. For instance, I do not get too excited about going to a hockey game. Actually it doesn't even make my top 1,000 list of things to do. Why is that? It's not in my heart to start with.

So as you begin a New Year, ask yourself, "Is Jesus in my heart? Do I have a relationship with God in such a way that He can put things in my heart?"

If Jesus is in your heart, and He lays something on your heart, and you act on it, you will have an incredible experience and the spirit of Christmas will last!

Last Week of 2009

2009-12-29T18:28:21-08:00

For many the last week of the year is a time of relaxation, vacation, or lots of football. Maybe it's psychological but for me it's a great time for reflection and looking ahead.

Normally I reflect back over message series, the church calendar (although I monitor the calendar all year and try to think ahead to the next year at the same time), and decisions made.

The breakdown is about 10/90, that is I spend about 10% of the week reflecting and about 90% of the week thinking and planning for the New Year.

Here are a few random questions I ask myself and think about:

*Have I adequately communicated the vision?

*Are we fostering a culture of teamwork and collaboration?

*Are we taking risks, i.e. exercising faith?

*Have we allowed things that won't matter a year from now take too much of our attention?

*Have we overlooked small things that can make a big difference?

*What was missing this past year, personally and also in the church?

*What were the regrets and disappointments?

*What were some of the life-lessons?

All in all I love the last week of the year. I love looking ahead as I think the best days are ahead. In fact I can hardly wait until the first Sunday. Something about a new year that brings a sense of excitement and expectation.

Making Christmas Last, pt. 2

2009-12-29T12:10:06-08:00

One of the fascinating questions asked by the Magi is "Where is the one who is born king of the Jews?"

How often to we go through life and totally miss the presence of Jesus? We fail to pay attention to His presence on multiple occasions.

Can you imagine how much your life would lighten up if you could see Jesus at work? Every day would feel like Christmas if we could see His hand at work in our lives.

As a reminder these men were not worshippers of God, but rather steeped in paganism, quasi-science, and superstitions. But they recognized God's presence and responded to the light He provided.

Here's my challenge. If you would like Christmas to last then you must pay attention to His presence.

You cannot put a price on knowing God is present. Jacob wrestled with God and was blown away by His presence. Samson, at the end of his life, wanted to experience the presence and power of God just one more time.

There is something special about God's presence. Pay attention and Christmas will last.