On Sunday, August 3, I preached a message on spiritual practices that help us learn to live like Jesus. I borrowed heavily from Brian McLaren's work Finding Our Way Again (see link to left) and have some pretty long lists. I promised to put a copy of my message notes on-line for those who couldn't write fast enough to capture them all. Click here for my teaching notes.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to
the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is
exalted. (Isaiah 12:3)
The LORD God, the Holy One of Israel, provides water from the wells of salvation! Lessons from
Isaiah are being prepared for our small groups, and on August 17, Professor Ben C. Ollenburger
from Mennonite Seminary in Elkhart, IN will preach from Isaiah on the role the LORD has given to
God’s chosen, servant community, which God has formed. He will be speaking and answering
questions also during the Sunday school hour. In preparation, look through Isaiah and read in
chapters 40-55. Prof. Ollenburger’s wife Janice will be with him. Isaiah is important for
understanding Jesus’ ministry; come and invite others to this opportunity for learning and worship.
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the LORD God is my strength and my
might; he has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)
Some say consumerism is the most dominant force in American life. It makes individuals the center as others "pitch" products and services in an attempt to get us to "buy" what they sell. Adapted for church life, consumerism emphasizes that Jesus came to save you. It's all about you. On one hand, that is right! Jesus does love you and save you. But Jesus also sends you. While it is about you, it isn't ONLY about you. Jesus wants to use you as a "sent one" in the world. So we must expand our understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus put it this way, "Freely you have received, now freely give." The series GO, which begins Sunday, June 15, will explore how to be faithful to Jesus call to GO!
There is nothing more valuable than a close friend. A friend you can lean on! We often talk about our relationship with Jesus in this way, and yet what does that mean? How do you lean on Jesus, who you can't see or touch? That is what we will explore in the series Lean on Me starting Sunday, May 25 at 9 am.
Week 1 Lean on Me: Worry Matthew 6:24-34
Week 2 Lean on Me: Build Matthew 7:21 - 29
Week 3 Lean on Me: Fall Matthew 9:9-13
Come worship with us and learn to lean on Jesus...
From Pastor Michael...
I couldn't help but pick up a book entitled Death By Meeting. We all know what it means. It's a common experience in business. It is also a common experience in the church.
In Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni, he makes a solid case for meetings as a key element in effective business. I riff on his idea by trying to apply his basic framework to our church. What would it look like for us to re-orient our meetings and their purpose to leverage them for church growth and health?
Click here to read my riff...When you are done, come back here and let me know what you think...
Live Shalom,
Pastor Michael
Our Missions team is leading us on a journey that will transform our understanding of mission and the way we go about it. From foreign partnerships to new local initiatives to a possible church planting venture...we are on a new road.
This post from Rob Wenger of Granger Community Church, offers a simple contrast between the way many churches did mission in the past and how effective mission is done today. It is the difference between supporting missions and being missionaries. We are called by Jesus to be missionaries.
Mark Driscoll, pastor of the 6,000 member Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA was in Peoria at the end of January. He was in town to speak at a pastor's conference at Riverside Community Church. Mike Miller, from the Peoria Journal Star, interviewed him. You can read that interview here.
Mars Hill in Seattle was one of the first churches to target Gen-X, unchurched, persons and try to reach them with the gospel. They have been very successful and have also drawn quite a bit of criticism. All issues that Miller brings up in the interview.
The highlight might be when he mentions The Forecast as one of the bands he is currently listening to on his iPod. This happens to be the band that Shannon Burns plays for. Shannon is a former MYF'er and daughter of Joe and Michelle.
Much of what I read concerns church life, growth, outreach and leadership. It is extremely relevant for church leadership teams. However, many lay-leaders don't have the time to read books about church leadership. Enter riff:a distinct variation.
riff: is my attempt to take what I read and translate it into a simple and short document that is relevant to MMC. Each riff has three sections: The Big Idea, Context, and Application. The entire document is 1 page (front and back).
The first installment features a riff on Patrick Lencioni's book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Click here to read it. After you have read it, it's your turn to riff. Use the comments link below this post to add your thoughts...
Author and speaker, Brian McLaren, was recently interviewed by Tim Funk of the Charlotte Observer. Click here to read this excellent interview. It's a bit lengthy, but it is well worth the read.
McLaren grew up in a Plymouth Brethren Church and has some affinity with Anabaptist faith movements. He led a workshop at the Mennonite Church USA gathering in Atlanta. He has also been a featured speaker at Goshen College and other Mennonite institutions.
He offers a glimpse of what is happening in the faith communities outside of Mennonite church walls. There is much to be excited about when speakers and writers like McLaren speak of Jesus the peacemaker.
What do you think? To leave comments, just hit the comment link at the bottom of each post.
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