New Sermon Series Begins Sunday

The Bible says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Challenges from sincere seekers and challenges from unbelievers confront us everywhere. That’s why Cedar Creek is beginning a new series called Why I Believe. Whether you are a new believer or longtime Christian who wants to deepen your own grasp of the truths of God’s Word, this series can be a great resource to strengthen the foundations of your faith.

April 24 Why I Believe in the Resurrection
May 1 Why I Believe in the Bible
May 8 Why I Believe in Creation
May 15 Why I Believe in Jesus
May 22 Why I Believe in Baptism
May 29 Why I Believe in Communion

The Restoration Movement – an Informal Analysis

Recently, I was asked to write an opinion piece, giving an informal analysis of the current state of the Restoration Movement. I gladly agreed to do so, and I want to share it with my blog readers.

When I use the term Restoration Movement, I am referring to the Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ (not the a capella Churches of Christ or the Disciples of Christ denomination).

Among the positive things I have seen in recent years is a renewed interest in church planting.. Researchers consistently document the fact that new churches are reaching non-Christians with the gospel more effectively than established congregations. Generally speaking, new church plants grow at a faster rate than traditional church models. Another positive sign is the emphasis on world missions. The National Missionary Convention has become one of the premier conventions among our people. Bible colleges are sending more students on short-term mission trips than ever before. There seems to be a genuine desire on the part of the younger generation to minister cross-culturally. I believe these are positive trends that honor the Lord as believers seek to fulfill His Great Commission.

I do, however, see some dangerous trends among us. One of those is a de-emphasis on biblical doctrine and a heavy reliance on pragmatic church growth principles. These need not be mutually exclusive, but our forefathers pointed people to the Bible, believing that the truth of God’s Word is what changed lives and caused the church to grow. They promoted unity, and they also pleaded for an adherence to truth (“union in truth” was the term they used). Historically, there has been a doctrinal distinctiveness about our movement. This came as a result of a genuine study of the Scriptures. Perhaps the most well-known distinctive is our understanding of the place of baptism (immersion) in God’s plan of redemption. Some have made a case that this particular doctrine was over-emphasized. They may be right, but I wonder if the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. Our churches do not seem to have the unity of belief and practice that they did a few decades ago. We seem to be on a path toward blending in with a generic brand of evangelicalism. Other issues like church polity, gender roles, and the authority of the Bible have also come under scrutiny in recent years.

We may be approaching another crossroads in our history. Will we continue to preach the Bible, believing that our forefathers’ “restoration plea” to call people back to the Bible, and wear the name “Christian” is still valid? Or will we morph into something other than what we have known in the past?

Skit Guys - Grace

The Gospel Coalition

This week Tracy and I attended The Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago. There were a lot of things that were great about it. First, the fact that we were able to go together. I am privileged to attend things like this on a fairly regular basis, but it was really special attending as a couple. Second, the preaching was outstanding, and very challenging. Third, the worship was tremendous. Fourth, the resources were plentiful (there were lots of freebies as well as discounted books).

This conference, like its cousin Together for the Gospel is attended primarily by folks who adhere to Reformed theology. However, they do allow non-Calvinists (like us) to slip in. Honestly, I heard nothing preached that could not have been preached at Hillsboro Family Camp or the North American Christian Convention. The theme, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament was executed very well. If you download messages from the website, be sure to check out the messages by Tim Keller and Don Carson.

Six Keys to Poor Preaching

Great post by Darryl Dash. I wanted to share it:

Six Keys to Poor Preaching


I’m no expert in bad preaching, but I’ve done my share. I’ve observed that there are countless ways to preach well, but there are only a few key steps you need to master if you want to preach poorly. Anyone can do them.

1.Skip on exegesis – Preaching preparation is half exegesis and half homiletics. If you want to save time, skip the exegesis and spend all your time on the homiletical side. Your schedule will thank you. (Nobody else will.)

2.Forget the big idea – We’ve been taught that sermons should be bullets, not buckshots. It takes a lot of time and work to come up with the main burden of the text. If you want to preach poorly, then remember, clarity about the big idea of the text must be sacrificed.

3.Come up with your own purpose for the sermon – Sure, there is such a thing as authorial intent. And yes, in theory, our sermon’s purpose should match the text’s purpose as much as possible. But if you stick to the purpose of the text, you’re robbing yourself of the ability to come up with all kinds of clever messages that may not be strictly biblical – but do they ever preach! (They sell books too.)

4.Prepare at the last minute – We’ve all tasted food that’s simmered. And we’ve all tasted food that’s been microwaved at the last minute. If you want to preach poorly, then don’t allow yourself the luxury of simmering. All it takes is one or two good sermons for your people to lose their taste for microwaved sermons. We can’t let that happen.

5.Preach moralism – Spurgeon said, “Whenever I get hold of a text, I say to myself, ‘There is a road from here to Jesus Christ, and I mean to keep on His track till I get to Him.’” But really, have you seen some of these roads? If you want to preach poorly, it’s far easier just to tell people they should be better and let them figure it out.

6.Preach to everyone in general – Don’t preach to the people in front of you. Preach to some generic audience. That way your sermons will be just as bad in your next church too.

High Five Etiquette

Go Irish!

National Preaching Summit

Every year the National Preaching Summit re-ignites my passion for communicating God's word. It is a two-day seminar for preachers who meet annually in Indianapolis, Indiana. The fellowship with other preachers is wonderful and the challenge and motivation from the speakers is what I look forward to each year. I'm so thankful that God allows me to proclaim His good news!

If you're a preacher, mark down next year's dates (March 12-13) and plan to attend.

The Thrilling Joys of Ministry: A Message to the Sound Guy

How to Speak Christianese

Songleading Styles

And With a Rebel Yell, He Cried McMore, McMore, McMore

How Long Should You Preach?

A blogger I read suggested that most preachers preach too long. I agreed. And posted the following comments:

“How long should you preach? It depends on how good you are” – John Maxwell. 

I once heard Bob Russell give a formula for preaching. He told a room full of preachers to rate themselves (in their minds) on a scale of 1 to 10. Then he said, “Whatever the number is, subtract two” (all of us overestimate our abilities). Then multiply that number by 5. That formula would suggest that even the very best (a “10”) should only preach 40 minutes (10-2x5=40). Of course there are exceptions to this rule. And some sermons do require more time. But very few preachers can hold the attention of a congregation for more than 30 minutes or so. And for those of us who preach every week, we get another shot next week. And those who say, “sermonettes are preached by preacherettes and produce Christianettes” usually are pummeling their people with their long-windedness.

Will the Last Baptist at Baylor Please Turn Out the Lights?

I found the following post by Al Mohler very interesting. Replace Baptist with Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and this may be the future of our brotherhood colleges. Click here for article.

What's the Big Deal About Angry Birds?

A couple of months ago I got my first Smartphone. I am still learning about all the cool ways it can be used. Shortly after receiving it, I started downloading some apps. Many people told me I should get Angry Birds (a top-ranked game). After playing it a few times, I must admit that I just don’t understand the appeal. What am I missing?

My Cyber-Church Experience

On Sunday morning I was having some health problems, so I stayed home while a co-worker preached for me. I was able to experience a variety of television preachers. I was a channel surfing church-hopper. I listened to John Hagee for awhile. I think he really goes off the deep end with his eschatological views, but this week he was preaching from a series on the 10 Commandments. His old school style is fun to watch. I did catch a little of some local preachers. Also, I listened to Andy Stanley who was filling the pulpit for his Dad. He preached the same message that I had heard from Catalyst 2010.


I remembered that Craig Groeschel does an online service in addition to the multi-site ministry of lifechurch.tv. I’ve always wondered about the logistics of it, so I decided to check it out. It really was a fascinating experience. There were pre-recorded into clips and some instructions about the offering. It was all very user-friendly, including a streaming chat/conversation window for online viewers. Somehow Groeschel is able to project warmth and a connectedness with the long-distance audiences. I don’t think I would want this to be my only church experience (after all, the church is supposed to be a community, and I'm confident that it needs to be more than a cyber-community), but it wasn’t nearly as weird as I has anticipated.

Somewhat related, I would love to hear stories about Restoration Movement churches leveraging technology to spread the gospel. On the rare occasion that I have seen a Church of Christ preacher on television, without fail he is one of the most boring speakers I have ever heard. Surely we can do better than that?

Couldn't Get This Song Out of My Head Yesterday

Double Vision

For the first time in 24 years of ministry, I couldn't answer the call to preach. I awakened at 5am and noticed that things seemed blurrier than usual.  I put my glasses on and turned on the light and realized I was seeing double. Really weird. After I realized it wasn't going away, I woke Tracy up and we tried to figure out what to do. The symptoms began to dissipate as the morning progressed.

I was examined this afternoon at Parkview First Care. The Doctor said that the episode may have been caused by high blood pressure. He has ordered blood work and an MRI this week (primarily to rule out some things).

Many thanks to my Cedar Creek Church family. It was very encouraging to know that my brothers and sisters were lifting me before the Lord this morning. Also, thanks to the great staff at Cedar Creek for taking care of things during the worship services, especially Greg Krafft who preached with just a couple of hours notice.

The Marriage Translators

We showed this at our Men's Breakfast today. I think we could actually market this. Enjoy!


Marriage Translators from Hal Mayer on Vimeo.

Advice for Worship Leaders

Recently I read an article about worship, "Seven Things I've Always Wanted to Say to Worship Leaders."  I don't agree with everything he said, but he think he made some really good points. What do you think?


1. Give us something to shout about! In most countries I visit, worship is an exhilarating workout. In poor countries where people struggle from hand to mouth each week, praise is so energetic that the congregation quickly moves into the aisles to dance. Yet here in the United States our worship is often stiff and way too sophisticated. What we lack in genuine zeal we substitute with technology, orchestration and hype. It’s a pitiful tradeoff.

Worship leaders must stoke the fires of spiritual passion. Don’t let the people’s hearts remain cold or stale. Exhort them to go higher. Say like the psalmist, “Praise the Lord! …Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their king. Let them praise His name with dancing. …Let the godly ones exult in glory. …Let the high praises of God be in their mouth” (Ps. 149:1-3,5,6) NASB.

2. Please give us content. Most of us packed away our hymnals 30 years ago and discovered the liberty of free-style choruses. Yet I get tired of singing the same phrase over and over—especially if that phrase has questionable theology. And we are cheating people if half of a song consists of lines like “Ooh, Ooh, Ooh!” or “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

There’s a reason “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross” is a classic. Its words inspire deep worship in a way that simpler songs can’t. The best solution is to mix up the playlist with both new and old songs—as well as old songs with new arrangements. If we only sing today’s trendy Top 40 we will forget where we came from.

3. Spare us the concert. True worship leaders lead rather than perform. We want you to play skillfully, but we don’t want the focus to be on you. Point us to Jesus!

Some worship leaders shift into extended periods of spontaneous worship. That’s great until you look around and realize that the congregation is sitting down while the worship leader has his eyes closed—oblivious to the fact that most people got lost 10 minutes ago. That’s not corporate worship. That’s a stage show.

4. Don’t run a song into the ground. Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine: When a worship leader announces, “Let’s sing it one more time!” and then proceeds to sing a chorus again and again and again and again (and again and again), this is a form of lying. This happens especially with certain choruses that are like broken records—they never resolve.

If a song is so repetitive that it’s annoying, or if you can’t figure out when to stop it, just retire it. No one will ask why you don’t sing it anymore.

5. Please don’t burst my eardrums. I have a high tolerance for noise and I love rhythm. But I have been in churches where the music was so loud that my head rattled for the rest of the day. God can open deaf ears, but I don’t think we should manufacture the deafness. Have mercy on us. God doesn’t want us to drown out the sound of the people’s voices with bass guitars and subwoofers.

6. Show us the lyrics. Memo to the technical crew: We don’t have hymnals, and we don’t know the words by heart. Please don’t wait until we have sung the second verse of the song to put those words on the screen. (It would also be a good idea to have someone proofread the song lyrics. I was in a church where we were supposed to sing “Praise Him for His mighty acts,” but the Power Point slide said, “Praise Him for His mighty axe.”)

7. Honor the Word. There is nothing ruder than a worship leader who walks off the stage after the last chorus and then disappears to a side room to eat donuts. When the praise team vanishes from the church and never comes back, it sends a message to the congregation that these people don’t need to listen to the sermon. Not! Worship does not end with the last song; the last song sets the stage for the next act of worship.

I’m not a worship leader, and you wouldn’t want to hear me on a keyboard. But I believe we would honor God if we applied these principles to our praise.

For Restoration Herald Readers

Welcome to my blog. You are here because of Tony Sullivan's gracious recommendation. You can easily access the post he referenced by clicking HERE.

This Guy Just Killed One of My Favorite Songs

MST3k says: Packers win the Super Bowl!

Happy Birthday to The Gipper!

New Sermon Series Begins Tomorrow

DNA is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, like a recipe or a code. The language used by DNA is called the genetic code, which lets organisms read the information in the genes. Similarly, every church has its own kind of DNA (vision, mission, and values). During the month of February, we will examine the DNA of Cedar Creek. What are we made of? And what are we made for? What has God called us to do in our community and in our world? We will study God’s Word and listen to the voice of our Lord Jesus as we strive to become all that He has called us to be.

Blizzard 2011

We survived the big storm. Got 7 or 8 inches of snow, with a lot of drifting. But the wind died down last night. It was quite beautiful this morning. I got to use my snowblower (a garage sale purchase) for the first time. It worked like a champ. We are enjoying a family day at home while the city digs out.

Snowpocalypse is coming, snowpocalypse is coming!

Looks like the Weatherman might be correct after all. We are under a Blizzard Warning until tomorrow night. We could get up to 18 inches of snow. Wow! This might be the most snow I have seen since I was a teenager. I remember the blizzards of '78 and '79 in Southwestern Michigan. Our road wasn't plowed for three days. But we had a great time being together as a family. I'm going to go home and light and fire in the fireplace. And watch the powerful handiwork of God.

Convicting!

More Pics of Cairo

Who Are We?

I read the following on John Piper's blog. He was attempting to describe Calvinists, but it is a description that I would love to hear applied to me and those I am leading...

We are Christians. Radical, full-blooded, Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, God-centered, mission-advancing, soul-winning, church-loving, holiness-pursing, sovereignty-savoring, grace-besotted, broken-hearted, happy followers of the omnipotent, crucified Christ. At least that’s our imperfect commitment.

Meet Our New Dog, Cairo

The Altar Call's Greatest Hits

A Sunday Off

I had a Sunday off today (the end of a week of vacation). Our plans were to visit an area church, but we couldn’t think of anywhere we wanted to be other than Cedar Creek. So we decided to participate in the worship service as “regular attenders” rather than as the preacher and his family. We entered through a different door and sat in a different place, and I intentionally didn’t “work the crowd” pre-service. We just worshipped as a family, like normal folks. Yes, I did get a couple of questions from people (one was a request to explain the Trinity in just a couple of minutes – ha!). We heard a great sermon and enjoyed the fellowship. Preacher friend, I recommend that you try it sometime.

Bible Reading Plan for 2011

Happy New Year everyone! It's hard to believe that it's 2011 already. Life does seem move by faster as the years go by.

For many years my Bible reading plan has alternated between reading the entire Bible in a year and reading the New Testament in several different translations (switiching every other year).  Yesterday I finished the "Read through the Bible in a Year" program that The Lookout magazine publishes each year. This year I'm beginning my New Testament reading plan with a new translation, The Common English Bible.  The publisher sent me a freee copy. I think I'm going to enjoy it. Also, I'm reading through the Psalms via the YouVersion app on my phone.  I hope you will find a plan that works for you. Remember, it's not about getting through the Bible; it's about getting the Bible through you! God bless you.

Merry Christmas!

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:11-12

Marching Band Forms Giant Football Player

Coca-Cola Happiness Machine

Metrodome Roof Collapse

Saw This Tonight -- Best Narnia Movie Yet

War on Christmas Idiocy

This morning I received the following “action alert” from a “Christian” organization. Stuff like this really aggravates me. Not the issue that they are describing, but their actions. Read the excerpt, then I will comment:

One minute action - Contact these three companies that ban 'Christmas'
Send an email to Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples - All at once!


Dear Friend,


In an attempt to avoid the use of the term "Christmas," three major retailers have omitted it from their advertising. AFA has reviewed the website and newspaper ads of Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples. We found terms like "holiday deals," "holiday prices," "gifts" and "happy holidays," but no "Christmas."


Here is a direct quote from Staples: "We use the term Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. We do this because it does not offend any other religions and to remain politically correct."


Retailers like Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples want your shopping money, but they refuse to recognize the Reason for the Christmas season.


Christians celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Christ. Yet there are those companies which feel that a public recognition of the birthday of Christ is not appropriate. Why? Because a few people may be offended!


TAKE ACTION
Let Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples know you are offended by their decision to purposely eliminate "Christmas" from their advertising.

Mike's Comments: When will Christians stop expecting non-believers to act like believers? Of course these retailers want your shopping money – that’s why they are in business! And the term “holidays” is used rather than Christmas for a number of reasons, including the fact that “holidays” covers multiple holidays from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, and Christmas is only one day (and the stores are CLOSED on that day). How anyone can think that this kind of behavior is God-honoring is beyond me.

Ron Santo, We'll Miss You

Legendary Chicago Cubs player and broadcaster Ron Santo died Thursday night in Arizona. He was 70. Friends of Santo’s family said the North Side icon lapsed into a coma on Wednesday before dying Thursday. Santo died of complications from bladder cancer, WGN-AM 720 reported.


“He absolutely loved the Cubs,” said Santo’s broadcast partner, Pat Hughes. “The Cubs have lost their biggest fan.”


Hughes noted that with all the medical problems Santo had–including diabetes with resulting leg amputations, heart disease and bladder cancer–”he never complained. He wanted to have fun. He wanted to talk baseball.”


Santo was the quintessential Cubs fan and made no apologies for his on-air cheerleading or his utter frustration over a Cub’s misplay.
from Jesus Creed

Top 20 Worst Nativity Sets

Check these out.

One of My Favorite Leslie Nielsen Scenes

Best Christmas Song?

Jonathan Acuff, over at Stuff Christians Like, posted a question on his blog about the greatest Christmas song of all time.


I have several favorites (and several songs I wish radio would NEVER play again), but I voted for O Holy Night (Martina McBride’s version is awesome) and White Christmas by Bing Crosby.

How about you, what do you think is the best Christmas song of all time?

Authority of the Word

A young Christian was preparing for a trip when his traveling companion came into the room to see how he was doing. "Are you done packing?" his friend asked. "Almost," said the young man. "The only things I have left to pack are a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a volume of fine poetry, a couple of biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of books I've been reading."

"Where are you going to fit all that stuff?" the friend asked. "Right here," the young man replied as he reached for his Bible and put it in the corner of his suitcase.

For generations, people have trusted the Bible. It has guided, encouraged, and comforted millions of people who readily testify to its life-changing impact. It is the best-selling book of all time, and not by a small margin. It is the cornerstone of Western Civilization. Its ethical standards have launched freedom movements, and its laws and regulations have guided lawmakers, judges, and jurists by the score. It has inspired great works of music and art, including songs, sculpture, paintings, plays, and movies. Its graphic portrayals of heroes and heroines have captured the imagination of young and old alike.

The Bible is a fascinating book. It is actually a library of 66 books. Written by 40 different authors, in 3 different languages, over a period of 1500 years – the Bible is accurate, inspiring, a source of faith, and instruction for Christian living. Most Christians have a high view of the Scriptures, yet according to statistics, that view doesn't often translate into reading the Word or doing what it says. Researcher George Barna says that the church's problem is not its theology, but its failure to apply it in compelling ways. Polls consistently show that many Christians think and behave no differently from anyone else.

However, God had a purpose in giving us the Bible and that purpose was not just to add another volume of literature to the human race, nor was it to leave us confused and bewildered -- at the mercy of theologians to interpret for us. God wanted to reveal His will to us. Because of the Bible’s source, it has vital practical relevance for our lives.

Historically, the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ have given prominence to the Scriptures. Slogans about the Bible were well known among our people:


“No Creed but Christ, No Book but the Bible”
“Where the Bible speaks, we speak; and where the Bible is silent, we are silent”
“Book, chapter, and verse for what we believe and practice”

Each of these slogans emphasizes the centrality of the Scriptures with regard to our faith. Extra-biblical documents such as creeds, catechisms, and articles of faith can often lead to division and denominational separation. But the Bible unites people. Early in its history, the Restoration Movement became known as “a people of the Book” because of the strong emphasize given to God’s Word.

Jesus told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13). Many years after events happened, the Spirit of God helped them to remember and record the truth which God wanted to reveal to the human race for all of time. The sacred writings are said to be God-breathed or inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning that the fundamental characteristics of Scripture – what makes these writings sacred – is the fact that God breathed them out, that they have their ultimate origin with God Himself.

Restoration Movement churches take the Bible seriously because we believe it is the Word of God. We believe the journey we are on as we follow the Word of the Lord revealed to us in Scripture is going somewhere. We’d like you to go with us.

This first appeared on the Fall 2010 Issue of reIGNITED.

Now THAT'S a Sermon Title

Pretty cool, eh?

How to plant a church

Ran Out of Money and Ideas

From Jared Wilson:

Via Al Mohler, I learn this:


In his 1986 book, Your Church Has a Fantastic Future, [Robert] Schuller provided what he called “A Possibility Thinker’s Guide to a Successful Church.” The book is a manual for a ministry built on pure pragmatism, sensationalistic promotion, a therapeutic message, and a constant and incessant focus on thinking positively.

His message about money was simple: “No church has a money problem; churches only have idea problems,” he asserted.


As most of those who keep up with the headlines know, Schuller's Crystal Cathedral has declared bankruptcy.

I guess he ran out of ideas.

Any church founded on a pastor's good ideas will ultimately fail; but it is spiritually bankrupt from the start.

Back on the Virginia Peninsula

This week I am preaching a revival meeting in Newport News, VA at the Olivet Christian Church. It's really great to be back in this area. I ministered for 12 years with the nearby Northampton Church of Christ, and there are lots of dear friends and good memories here. My good friend David Willis is the preacher at Olivet, and we are having a good time laughing and talking shop. I plan to visit some of my old running routes, and of course some of my fave restaurants like Rocky Mount BBQ and Hot Dog King. But the best part is getting to preach God's Word to His people.

Rescued from the Depths

This morning I was reading the paper (yes, I’m still old school that way), amazed at the story about the rescue of the Chilean miners who have been trapped underground for 69 days. The account of the first miner, Florencio Avalos, emerging from the missile-like rescue capsule to a cacophony of cheers, hugging his sobbing 7-year-old son and wife and President Sebastia Pinera was heartwarming. I literally had a lump in my throat. One writer reported, “The miners emerged like clockwork, jubilantly embracing wives, children and rescuers and looking remarkably composed Wednesday after languishing in the depths of a mine that easily could have been their tomb.”


The world is captivated by this story. Everyone is celebrating the rescue. I could not help but think of the stories Jesus told in Luke 15 about the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. The words of the father of the Prodigal Son come to mind, “We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and found” (Luke 15:32).

Each one of those miners is somebody’s son, brother, husband, or boyfriend. Each one is loved, and important to somebody else. Each one’s rescue/salvation is celebrated with great rejoicing. As the last few miners emerge from the depths, the celebration will continue. Miner #33 is just as important as Miner #1. Let’s have this same mindset in the Lord’s church. Every person who comes to know Jesus is reason to rejoice. One more has been rescued from the pit of hell. Praise be to God!

Morning in St. Louis

I spent a day and a half in St. Louis with a couple of minister friends, exchanging possible sermon ideas and best practices. I woke up early this morning decided to go for a run. My hotel was a mile or so from the Gateway Arch, so I decided to run down to the Arch and the surrounding National Park. As I got closer to the monument, the sun was rising up behind it. When I arrived at the park and ran around the Arch there was fog on the Mississippi. It was a gorgeous sight. The city was just starting to come to life, so it seemed like I had the whole place to myself.  It was very cool, and a great way to begin the day.

When Your Opener Is "I'm Not a Witch", Your Campaign Might Be in Trouble

Please Pray for Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Story here.

10 Personal Growth Questions

Perry Noble has these on his blog today. I thought they were good:

#1 – Am I reading my Bible for information or transformation?
(James 1:22-25)

#2 – Am I allowing people or circumstances to steal the joy that Jesus promised to me? (John 10:10)

#3 – Is there anything in my life that God is consistently dealing with that I am trying to ignore? (Ezekiel 14:1-5)

#4 – Who are the people in my life that God has placed around me for the purpose of me sharing Christ with them and/or inviting them to church? (II Corinthians 5:16-21)

#5 – Is there anyone I need to apologize to? (Ephesians 4:25:27)

#6 – Is there anyone I need to forgive? (Ephesians 4:32)

#7 – Is there a sin I need to confess to others and ask for help? (James 5:16)

#8 – Am I fully utilizing the gifts and abilities that God has blessed me with…or am I simply choosing to waste my life? (I Peter 4:10)

#9 – Do I know more lines from the movies that I love than verse from the Bible that I read? (Psalm 119:11)

#10 – Is there anything going on in my life privately that, if it became public, would cause me and/or the body of Christ to be embarrassed? (I John 1:9, James 5:16)

Thanks to Church Volunteers

Things We Say Wrong

Penetrating Questions

Tim Stevens asked some penetrating question in a recent blog post:
The Pain of Growth
Last week I was asked, “If our church is going to double in the next two years (from 500 to 1000), what will it take?” Here is what I shared…

Some of you won’t have as much access to the senior leader. This has to be okay with you.

Ask: Are you more committed to maintaining the tight-knit staff size and your proximity to the pastor? Or are you more committed to the church growing?

Some of you are doing okay as a leader in a church of 500, but that’s not going to cut it at 1,000. You need to be willing to step aside into another role.

Ask: Are you more committed to keeping your position and title? Or are you more committed to reaching more people?
You will need to anticipate the strain and pressure before you actually feel it. You are the leader–looking ahead, around the corner.

Ask: Are you comfortable? If so, you probably aren’t anticipating growth adequately.

You will have to be as willing to stop stuff as you are to start stuff.
Ask: What are you doing that takes time and energy and diverts your focus? What has God uniquely gifted your team to do where you should put more focus?

You will have to drive up the level of excellence. When people walk up to a fair booth to buy food, they have one expectation of service and quality. At McDonalds, it’s another level. And when they walk into a Houlihan’s, it’s yet another level. As you grow, so will the expectations of your guests.

Ask: What areas of the ministry would not be considered excellent if you were a church of 1000?

What would you add to the list?

What a Great Weekend

We had a terrific weekend at Cedar Creek. Bob Russell did an excellent job preaching, and the church received him well. On Sunday night, Bob met with the elders and staff for an informal time of teaching and leadership Q & A. I was privileged to spend some time with him (playing golf and talking shop) before we went the the Men's Rally at Lake James Christian Assembly. It was a record-setting night, with nearly 500 people in attendance. Bob's message was challenging and convicting. I was very proud of the Cedar Creek guys (the staff, the elders, the band, the tech team) and the LJCA staff. It was a wonderful night and the Lord was praised.

Bob Russell Coming to The Creek

Cedar Creek Church is excited to welcome Bob Russell this weekend. Bob will be preaching during the morning services at The Creek, and also speaking at the Men's Rally on Monday night at Lake James Christian Assembly. If you are in the area, we would love to have you worship with us.

Hipster Christianity

A few weeks ago I read Brett McCracken's piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled The Perils of Hipster Christianity. I thought he really hit the nail on the head. I ordered his book from Amazon and read it essentially in one sitting. This guy is no clueless dorky prude (he writes for Relevant magazine!), but he makes some very vaild points about the church's vain pusuit of "cool." We're never gonna get there folks. Just be the church!

Ready for the Rapture?

I'm an amillennialist, but I still got a chuckle out of this.

Man's Weekend

Tracy is out-of-town and Lindsey is away college, so Luke and I have a few days to do some fun "guy stuff." Last night we played nine holes of golf, then we came home and watched Jaws. I had forgotten about many of the scenes in that movie. It was pretty good for 1975. And Luke loved it.

Weekend @ The Creek

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Cedar Creek is hosting two great events. We did something similar last year and it was a great time. If you are in the Fort Wayne area this weekend, come join us!

The Northmen

Just got back from The Northmen. It is an annual campmeeting for men & boys in Northern Michigan. It is very primitive. We camp out in the middle of the woods (the nearest town is 12 miles away). No electricity or indoor plumbing (bathing is done in the creek). I got to hear some of my friends preach, and I enjoyed the fellowship with the guys from Cedar Creek. My favorite part is spending time with my son. Next year is going to be the final Northmen. Mark your calendars for August 2-4, 2011.