I loved reading this set of verses this morning. What great words! Take a minute and just read them and take them in! I think that they have even more application as we face an election and listen to the news media. I challenge you today to listen to God's word more than the news!!
This is Titus 3:1-8 (Message)
1-2Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous.
3-8It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.
A fellow Pastor whose blog I read recently posted this:
...I don't even know how to operate my office phone. So today I noticed a blinking light so I asked our Media Pastor for some tech support because I don't know how to get into my voice mail. Long story short, the message was from June 13. Nice! Thinking about putting a greeting on my voice mail: Leave a message and I'll try to get back to you within four months! If you want to get a hold of me you probably don't want to call. Long live email.
Well, I can totally relate to this! I am so rarely in my office and so rarely able to pick up my cell phone that email is absolutely the BEST way to reach me. I will check and return emails much faster that I will check and return voicemail. Phone is great for emergencies and sensitive conversations. Email is best for all other normal everyday communication. I agree...long live email!
You just never know what you will find on my blog. Well, you know that cars are my thing. I also like to help people make good "car decisions". So, in that spirit, allow me to recommend a fantastic tire to you. Everyone needs tires at some point. BUY KUMHO!! Kumho tires rock! I am on my second set (only because I put so many miles on the first set). I am specifically fond of the KH14 and KH16 model. They are cheap as dirt, good quality, great ride, good traction, very quiet, and you will be hard pressed to find a negative review anywhere. They are starting to put them on new vehicles and my mechanic friends rave about them as well. I am a Kumho spokesperson today! Great tires.
(Excerpts and learnings from “7 Practices of Effective Ministry” by Andy Stanley and Staff)
Clarifying the win simply means communicating to your team in simple terms what is really important and what really matters.It is defining the destination, the target, the bull’s eye!It is to make sure that everyone knows what it means to score and to win! As long as the “win” is unclear, you force your team to guess what a win looks like.
One distinguishing feature that makes a church different from most organizations is the number of volunteers required to fulfill its mission. Generally, volunteers want to do what the church wants them to do, but problems occur when the volunteers try to score runs in foggy conditions.Without a clear direction, they are forced to chart their own course or follow whoever seems to have the best plan at the moment.
You see, leaders work hard to get somewhere (to lead)- the question is whether they are leading where they are expected to go.This is why it is so important that churches clarify the destination.
“If you give people a clear target, then they’re more likely to hit it.” If the win is unclear, you may force those in leadership roles to define winning in their own terms. If you don’t define winning for your ministry leaders, they will define it for themselves.This is because they are leaders and they’re used to winning!
Effective leaders constantly hold up clear pictures of what the church is supposed to be, so that everyone understands what it is not supposed to be. When you clarify the win, you can manage your resources more effectively.
All this has pushed us as a board and a staff to think about this at CCF.We have been and are still grappling with questions like:
·What is the ultimate win at CCF?
·What is a win in a weekend worship service?
·What is a win in a Small Group gathering?
·What is a win at Capi’s Kids?
·What is a win in our youth ministry?
·What is a win for the welcome center experience?
Stanley stresses that we need to define the win at every level of the organization?We have some ideas that we plan to put out there for 2009!!
Do you have any thoughts?Share them.Join the conversation.
Last Post for the night...just on a roll and I know people like pictures, so I like sharing them. I surprised Tricia and Davis after school today with a trip to the Zoo. We had a blast. Here are a few pics of us today in front of the Flamingos....many of them...too many to count. It was so cool. Second only to the Elephants and Hippos!
Something put me in awe of God at the zoo today. It was when I saw a mouse run past an elephant. God is an amazing creator! Both of these animals have feet and eyes and a heart. But, what an amazing difference between the two. Only our God!
Davis is gonna be Pablo for Halloween. His Mommy found him this Pablo outfit. If you don't know who Pablo is, then you have not seen the Backyardigans. If you have not seen the Backyardigans, you haven't lived. Sike! He is cute, though, huh?
Sorting through pics on my phone...found this one too. The quality is low. It's a picture of a picture. But, this is my brother and I a few years ago. Definitely see some Davis and James here.
I wonder how many of you knew this...CCF is located at the cross streets of Greenbelt Road and Mission Drive. That has spoken to me for 4 years. Is that by accident? Or is there something there? Are we on mission? Has God called us to a mission and wants to remind us EVERY TIME we pull out of the building (since you can only turn right), that we are on MISSION? This is our mission field?
Just wondering? Sometimes I am not sure whether I believe in accidents.
Last night we held what I believe was a milestone meeting! We have longed for the day when we could get all of our Ministry Leaders together in one room. You may be thinking..."Wow, you have never done that?" Well, no. At least not in a really long time. It was past due. Last night was our first of quarterly power meeting for inspiration and information. It was a great sight to have 17 passionate and committed leaders in one room looking to the future.
If you are a CCF'r, you may find the list below helpful. These are all of our ministries and ministry leaders to date. You will be seeing and hearing more about them as we increase their visibility at CCF. They are making it happen!! So proud to have each of them on the team.
Small Groups:
·Small Groups-Pastor Nelson
oSupport ministries- Carol Roberts
Large Group:
Vision, Tone, Message Planning & Service Oversight- Pastoral Team
Got this email from something that I am signed up for called Monday Morning Insights. I thought it was good:
In Francis Chan’s new book, Crazy Love. Francis writes the following:
Haven’t we all prayed the following prayer? Lord, we pray for safety as we travel. We ask that no one gets hurt on this trip. Please keep everyone safe until we return, and bring us back safely. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. The exact wording may vary a bit, but that is the standard prayer we recite before leaving on mission trips, retreats, vacations, and business trips.
We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. Now, I’m not saying it is wrong to pray for God’s protection, but I am questing how we’ve made safety our highest priority. We’ve elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God’s best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world.
Would you be willing to prayer this prayer? God, bring me closer to You during this trip, whatever it takes…
Kinda of changes the way you pray, doesn’t it?
Father, may we be risk-takers for your Kingdom, not always looking for the 'safe' way, but the best way that achieves YOUR purpose. Amen.
Yesterday, I pulled up to a red light and there was a man in a sweet looking convertible next to me. He was wearing a Redskins hat. So, of course, I had to yell out the window and start talking to him about how good we are looking. His response was..."My Dad always told me that no one ever wins a Super Bowl in September!" Word to that!
I know that is true, but DO I HEAR 4-1? Skins won again today. Looking great!
God used about 10 different events/experiences this week (all the way up to 8:00 this morning) to solidify and confirm the timeliness of the message this morning.
Today's message was about Jesus's incredible heart for the lost. My prayer for our congregation was that by His grace, God would increase our passion for the lost and increase our courage to reach them!
Thrilled to see people responding at the altar again this morning. Becoming more of a norm at CCF!
Yesterday's plunge had more impact than I ever imagined it would. Lives were changed as a result. I wish I could tell you all the details, but let me just say this. God is still saving souls and delivering people. Know that!
The last few months there has been a sense of a changing tide at CCF! More focus out, less focus in. It seems that people are connecting to the vision and starting to live it. I look forward to sharing and hearing more stories.
Slept in, read, went out to breakfast and hung out with my brother (who is also a dear friend, by the way), painted, cleaned, worked in the yard and the garage....just in time to shower and welcome Tricia and Davis home from school. Now, that is what I consider a great day off!!! Oh, and the weather could not be more fabulous if it had to be!
Looking forward to chillin' out tonight and the "Plunge" conference gathering tomorrow at CCF.
One more thing...about Sunday....my message is going to step on all of our toes. No matter how hard I tried to make it sweet and friendly, Jesus did not provide me much help through scripture. You see, the message is about God's heart for the lost and his intolerance for complacency. From the lost coin, to the lost sheep, to the lost son, to the woman in adultery, to Zack (the wee little man), to the tax collectors and sinner and to the CROSS, Jesus had a passion for the lost that wouldn't quit. In addition, he had a very low tolerance for religious people playing games.
...I would recommend you where your steel toe boots on Sunday.
In preparing for Sunday's message..."It's the sick who need a Doctor", I came across this quote by Craig Groeschel. It made me get up and walk around to shake it off. Maybe it won't strike you like it did me, but....WOW!
Here's the quote:
"Be careful not to blame yourself if someone rejects Christ. If you do, you might be tempted to take credit if someone accepts him."
Conducting a funeral of a Suicide Victim this week has pushed me into some deep reflection about eternity and the soul.I thought it may benefit to share with you a few thoughts that I shared at the funeral yesterday.This is my perspective as of today.It does not mean it is yours or CCF’s. (I am indebted to Phil Kniss here):
At times of great pain, words from people fail us, they are just not enough.They basically feel like they fix NOTHING!Many of us who are persons of faith flee to the words of scripture.We go to the Bible to look for comfort for the pain, we look for answers to our questions, and we look for words to shed light into the places where we can’t see.
But friends, if we go to the well of scriptures, trying to draw up words that will explain all of this to our satisfaction, we will likely come up empty.If we turn to God, asking for a detailed explanation as to why this had to happen, we’re not going to get an answer with the kind of clarity we want.If we go to the scriptures, asking for words that will make sense of this for us, I am afraid we are just going to walk away disappointed.You see, I think there are questions on all of our minds that we wish we could have answered clearly, definitively, and finally, by God.But the Bible is not the kind of answer-book that we used to have in school, where the answers to all the questions we are being tested on are printed neatly in the back of the book…true, false, A. B. C., all of the above.That’s just not how it works….as much as I wish I could tell you it was.
But you know, I think that’s alright.Because I think that most of the questions being asked by those who lose someone they love in a tragic way, are not questions that can be satisfied with straight answers.They are not questions that can be answered through some logical, rational process.They are not questions of the mind, they are questions of the heart.
I would like to share some of those words of scripture to the heart.And I encourage you to listen to them with your heart.Romans 8 says “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...No!!... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heights nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When people we love die, they are separated from us.But, God’s love is constant and continuous, even across the divide that separates life from death.We may want to know why God didn’t step in and rescue our loved one.That answer we won’t find in the scriptures, or anywhere else.
But, here are some more words for the heart…."The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” This is just one of hundreds I could have chosen from the scripture, that speak eloquently about the mercy of God.God is all about mercy.
Perhaps some of the unspoken questions of people hearts, especially in situations of suicide are about the state of a loved one’s soul. There are some Christians who might sometime suggest that suicide is the ultimate sin.I disagree.The wages of (all) sin is death!!!But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!And friends, God’s grace is far bigger than we will ever know.And at the end of the day he calls the shots and knows all hearts! Period.Who of us decides which sin automatically sends you to hell?Who of us is without sin?How often do we need to ask forgiveness?Some would need to 30 times a day.If they die between sin #15 and #20 without stopping and asking forgiveness, do they go to hell?These may seem like silly questions to you…but do any of us really understand grace?
The scriptures abound in descriptions of God as being one who is full of mercy.In fact, the Bible says that God’s judgment lasts for 3 or 4 generations, but God’s mercy is for a thousand generations.Scriptures also tell us that “God judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” And in another place, “Human beings look on the outside, God looks at the heart.”And in yet another place in scripture, these wise and poetic words are spoken:“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”
I am not a judge of hearts.That is the responsibility of God and God alone. Bottom line: WE do not decide on eternity by judging actions, GOD decides on eternity by judging hearts!
(I am thankful that Steve made a commitment to Jesus as a Teenager.)
Can I tell you something crazy? I have not darkened the door of my church office one time this week. I have been at the church plenty, but not in my office. I have just logged in and worked at the receptionist office so I could be in earshot of Jaye, so she could yell at me and tell me what to do. Smile.
But, I have a had a mega-productive week, have done loads of ministry, held key meetings, and got many things knocked off the task list. I will not be in the office tomorrow either as I will be spending my whole day on the weekend message.
It is just blowing my mind that my role has changed so much. I used to have to be in the office constantly doing administrative stuff. I am learning to work mobile. Thanks to great technology and a great staff that holds down the fort, I can keep up and keep on wherever I am at.
Several weeks ago when Pastor Ron Fenwick was killed in a plane crash, over a thousand guests visited my blog to read what I had posted about him. Many commented.
Over the last 2 days, there have been hundreds of visitors to this blog seeking information about Steve Sadelson's passing. I know that many more will visit today and in the days to come.
So, I wanted to share something with you...if you are one of those guests:
You may not know me, but I know Steve. I am the Pastor of Capital Christian Fellowship in Lanham. (you can click on the link to our church website on the left)
Know that myself and many in our church are praying for you these days.
If you are local and you do not go to church, you should come and visit us and see why Steve loved it here.
This past Sunday morning my Small Group landed on something in our conversation that has had me thinking all week. Here is a summary of what I thought was a profound vain of thought:
"Being There" in times of death is so important. Jesus modeled this well in John 11 when Lazarus died and he was there for Martha and Mary.
It is natural, accepted and even expected to care for people when they experience a death in their family. (And that is how it should be.)
But, death is not the only "loss" that people feel in a very deep way.
Loss of a marriage (divorce) and loss of health can often leave people in just as deep a ditch emotionally as if someone died. Loss of a marriage or health is often accompanied by a great sense of grieving and mourning.
HOWEVER, I believe that the church (and society) do not treat these losses as they do death. In my experience, there is nowhere near as much care and empathy available for these types of non-death losses.
Should there be?
In addition to being there for people impacted by death, what can the church do to "be there" for people experiencing these types of losses as well?
As promised, here are the funeral arrangements for Steve Sadelson's funeral:
Location: Lee Funeral Home in Owings, MD. (8125 Southern Maryland Blvd.)
Time:
Viewing, Tonight, Tuesday September 30th, 7pm-9pm
Viewing, Tomorrow, Wednesday October 1st, 12pm-1pm
Funeral, Tomorrow, Wednesday October 1st at 1:00pm
Noah Kaye
Lover & follower of Jesus, devoted to my wife Tricia & my kids, Davis, Lily & Graceson, serving & living in Africa as a man on mission for the Kingdom of God.
