Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
five needs
Since we are a church plant which has only been "launched" for 5 months, I get asked what the great concerns/needs that we have are often. Here are the top five...............
1. Musicians
2. Teachers and workers for our children's ministry/nursery
3. Improving upon our strategy of moving first time guests to committed members
4. Finances
5. Bettering our focus on first time guest
These are things that our church does not "have together". But Paul said, God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.
1. Musicians
2. Teachers and workers for our children's ministry/nursery
3. Improving upon our strategy of moving first time guests to committed members
4. Finances
5. Bettering our focus on first time guest
These are things that our church does not "have together". But Paul said, God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
our theme is God
Reading that statement probably makes you want to say the same thing a sixth grader recently said to me when I said that I was starting to feel the fall air.............duh!
But it is surprising how easy it is for the focus to be taken off of God and put onto people, programs, preferences, problems, and plenty more.
things are stirring at mosaic church, as leaders we must continually direct the attention to the one who is doing the stirring. This has been the recurring conversation that my wife, our worship leader, and I have been having.
God; when people are looking at us as leaders or as a church, make us invisible so that they can see all that YOU are doing! -Eric Melvin
But it is surprising how easy it is for the focus to be taken off of God and put onto people, programs, preferences, problems, and plenty more.
things are stirring at mosaic church, as leaders we must continually direct the attention to the one who is doing the stirring. This has been the recurring conversation that my wife, our worship leader, and I have been having.
God; when people are looking at us as leaders or as a church, make us invisible so that they can see all that YOU are doing! -Eric Melvin
Monday, September 8, 2008
a root of all kinds of evil
We have fallen into a trap. As we pressed on towards the American dream we slowly walked into a giant and seemingly impossible pit. We cannot continue to move forward because it is to steep to climb out, but we have to go back and go around this trap! We have to fix the problem, which is the fact that we got ourselves into this because of our blind ambition. and the church...............................................oh the church.
where God's children should be the example of sacrifice we lead the way in selfishness!
We have to begin to rethink the way we spend. We have to provide needs for our children instead of wants. We have to love our spouses instead of lavishing them with gifts. We have to stop ignoring the broken, poor, helpless and meet needs! We have to invest time in our spiritual growth instead of spending all of our time working to have a second car payment and a bigger home.
Money is not bad. The love of money is. Are you managing your money or is your money managing you?
where God's children should be the example of sacrifice we lead the way in selfishness!
We have to begin to rethink the way we spend. We have to provide needs for our children instead of wants. We have to love our spouses instead of lavishing them with gifts. We have to stop ignoring the broken, poor, helpless and meet needs! We have to invest time in our spiritual growth instead of spending all of our time working to have a second car payment and a bigger home.
Money is not bad. The love of money is. Are you managing your money or is your money managing you?
Friday, September 5, 2008
his gain, our gain
Beginning this Sunday, my good friend is going to be serving at our church.
Tripp has felt a burden on his life to plant baytown chuch, a church that is focused on reaching unchurched young families. He believes that this church's birth is almost two years away. Because of this call on his life he has left a secure position as the student minister at an established church.
He has not sought after another position that is extremely secure and that pays the bills. He has prayed and followed God to use his time doing what will best prepare him for the call on his life, and allow him to be used to build God's kingdom during that preparation phase. AT THE FOUNDATION OF BAYTOWN CHURCH IS A DECISION BY IT'S LEADERS (tripp and his wife joy) TO SACRIFICE SO THAT THEY CAN BE AS BEST PREPARED AS POSSIBLE TO REACH AND STRENGTHEN PEOPLE. Their dependence on God and their denying of themselves to follow God is an example to all. It is easy to head in a direction that makes sense, in a way that all the details are planned out. It takes faith to go down a path that you have seen God lead you down but not know exactly how you are going to get to your final destination.
When we feel a calling on our life that is not immediate, we should begin to head in that direction and serve God faithfully on the road to His timing. We should not just serve where we are comfortable and where the t's are crossed and the i's dotted but we should devote our entire life to that promise that God has planned for us. When we arrive at the point that we are looking forward to, we realize that the call did in fact begin two years ago and we can look back and see how God has strengthened and used us in many ways, just because we were following Him!
Tripp has felt a burden on his life to plant baytown chuch, a church that is focused on reaching unchurched young families. He believes that this church's birth is almost two years away. Because of this call on his life he has left a secure position as the student minister at an established church.
He has not sought after another position that is extremely secure and that pays the bills. He has prayed and followed God to use his time doing what will best prepare him for the call on his life, and allow him to be used to build God's kingdom during that preparation phase. AT THE FOUNDATION OF BAYTOWN CHURCH IS A DECISION BY IT'S LEADERS (tripp and his wife joy) TO SACRIFICE SO THAT THEY CAN BE AS BEST PREPARED AS POSSIBLE TO REACH AND STRENGTHEN PEOPLE. Their dependence on God and their denying of themselves to follow God is an example to all. It is easy to head in a direction that makes sense, in a way that all the details are planned out. It takes faith to go down a path that you have seen God lead you down but not know exactly how you are going to get to your final destination.
When we feel a calling on our life that is not immediate, we should begin to head in that direction and serve God faithfully on the road to His timing. We should not just serve where we are comfortable and where the t's are crossed and the i's dotted but we should devote our entire life to that promise that God has planned for us. When we arrive at the point that we are looking forward to, we realize that the call did in fact begin two years ago and we can look back and see how God has strengthened and used us in many ways, just because we were following Him!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
do i have to go to church?
People say that it is not a sin to "go to church." They are right. If you live your life under the law then it doesn't really matter if you "go to church".
Paul said in Galatians 2:21 that if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain. Christ died so that we could be freed from the law and live in the grace of God. So now God desires that we follow his heart (or righteousness). Jesus lived a life without sin because he followed the heart of God and continually sought God's will in his life.
According to Hebrews 10:24-25 - It is God's desire that believers meet together as did the church in acts. So if you are a follower of Christ then assembling with other believers is a fruit of your life.
We don't HAVE to "go to church" but God wants us to so that we can stir up love and good works.
So you choose to live under the law or to live according to the heart of God!
This applies to many other issues as well.
Paul said in Galatians 2:21 that if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain. Christ died so that we could be freed from the law and live in the grace of God. So now God desires that we follow his heart (or righteousness). Jesus lived a life without sin because he followed the heart of God and continually sought God's will in his life.
According to Hebrews 10:24-25 - It is God's desire that believers meet together as did the church in acts. So if you are a follower of Christ then assembling with other believers is a fruit of your life.
We don't HAVE to "go to church" but God wants us to so that we can stir up love and good works.
So you choose to live under the law or to live according to the heart of God!
This applies to many other issues as well.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
the last two sunday nights....
have been absolutely incredible.
On the 24th we met together to read Acts 2 and evaluate as a group how we were doing in trying to follow the pattern that the church at antioch set for our church that meets at antioch elementary. After we reflected on what God had done, focused on what we need to work on, and prayed together; we took communion and there was such a sincerity of gladness of heart with which we broke bread together. This increased my desire for people in our community to experience the fellowship that we have with each other and the incredible fellowship that we have with God because of Jesus sacrifice for us.
This past Sunday night we met as a group again to celebrate two lives that have been transformed. It was a incredible time of worship as Travis and Aly were baptized. Travis is an 11 year old who has no doubt about his relationship with Jesus who he called "the one true way". Aly is an amazing young woman who God brought into our fellowship a couple of months ago and has been drawn to his amazing love!
Thank you God for allowing me to be a part of these past two Sunday nights and for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing body of believers! Let's keep calling to Him to do things beyond our imagination - Jeremiah 33:3.
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