I LOVE MY MAC…
Short story. My new MacBook Pro 15″ 2.2 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB HD lost both USB ports on March 14, 2008. The Apple Store in Irvine, Ca worked to get it fixed before I left on March 27th for Dallas/Fort Worth to no avail.
On March 26th AppleCare decided just to give me a new computer fully loaded straight out of the box. They upgraded it to 2.5 Ghz just for my inconvenience. Thanks Apple, Inc.
AppleCare ROCKS! Best investment I’ve made in a while.
Just wanted to say THANK YOU to Debbie Collette, Involvement Pastor of The Crossing Church in Costa Mesa, California as we had a great time working with her and the team at The Crossing the week leading up to Easter 2008.
Debbie you are doing a great ministry leading The Crossing. I do believe I learned as much from you as you might have from me.
Street to the Seat family of readers, Debbie is a great mind in the world of 1st Impressions and assimilation. Look up The Crossing and see what Debbie is doing in leading her team to the next level of helping others B.E.L.O.N.G.
Sorry we didn’t shoot any video…very busy week.
Last night as we were talking with our boys about Easter we talked how awesome it is that we get to celebrate that, “Jesus got up from the dead”. That’s my oldest boy Caleb’s way of saying resurrection.
From our family to yours, “Happy Easter”. We pray that today is a day of Sabbath for your family. A time when you get to rest, remember and celebrate that Jesus has risen from the dead and lives.
This will be the best $100 your church will spend in 2008. Doug Slaybaugh and Craig Wiseman came together this year on the back of Craig’s #1 hit song with Tim Nichols for CMT star Tim McGraw to launch, “Live Like You Were Dying“.
Live Like You Were Dying is not only the name of Tim McGraw’s chart topper, but the name of a great community tool to help your church in 2008.
Living Like You Were Dying Resource (starter) Kit
The Living Like You Were Dying Resource Kit rolls out the game plan for a church-wide campaign that creates turning-point moments by causing thoughtful reflection on what really matters. It combines an award-winning song that touches our deepest longing for meaning, with the timeless truths of God’s Word in a learning experience for the whole church. This 30-day emphasis works because it involves everyone and builds momentum through multiple reinforcements. Learn how! Here’s what is in the resource kit for the introductory price of $99.99.
• Introductory DVD - includes interviews with the song writers, Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols
• Campaign Training DVD - easy to follow instructions on how to do a campaign
• 5 Sunday message outlines and transcripts
• 5 Sunday worship service programs - includes recommended songs and video features
• Communication tool samples - templates for bulletin inserts, promos, invitation cards, and banners
• Craig Wiseman & Tim Nichols’s book, LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING - with CD featuring the song
• Companion book - 20 daily readings, 4 weeks of group discussions
• 4 DVD small group lessons with Gary Smalley
• 4 Sunday School lessons
• 4 Weekly key verses/key tags
Live Like You Were Dying
26012 Marguerite Pkwy , Suite 518
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
1-800-901-2534
www.LLYWD.org
Using my wife’s backup computer this week. Once I went to a MAC I thought I’d never go back. Still my plan; however, I’m typing on a PC.
What will my MAC think?
Street to the Seat faithful…
We have experienced computer failure and will be down for the next 5 - 7 business days. Hope to be back online the week after Easter. Please accept our apologies for not being able to be engaged with you these next few days.
Here is an excerpt from my churches weekly newsletter:
_________________
In a recent national survey, most Americans said they’d accept an invitation to attend a church during Easter season if someone would simply invite them! They are waiting to be asked!
In another national survey, the Barna Institute identified five different groups of Americans:
The Unattached (23% of Americans) haven’t attended any church service in the past year. About one-third of this group have never attended a church in their lifetime.
The Intermittents (15% of Americans) have attended a church in the past year, but not in the past month. About two-thirds of this group have attended a church within the past six months.
The Conventionals (56% of Americans) have attended a church in the past month.
The Homebodies (3% of Americans) attend only a house church
The Blenders (3% of Americans) attend both a conventional church and a house church
How do the unattached think? The Barna National Survey discovered that they are:
- more likely to feel stressed out
- less likely to believe they are making a positive difference in the world
- less optimistic about the future
59% consider themselves to be Christians!
62% say they pray during a typical week.
The Survey concluded: “The best chance of getting the Unattached to a church is when someone they know and trust personally invites them, offers to accompany them, and they believe the service will address an issues or need they are struggling with at that moment.”
Pastor Kerry spends a week with First Baptist Church Gladewater, Texas his home church as they address biblical health and balance around the purposes of scripture, ministry over maintenance, growth over control, and taking healthy next steps.
Dr. Daryl Eldridge with Rockbridge Seminary posted this question as a comment on one of last week’s blog postings. GREAT QUESTION!
What are the challenges churches face in providing both Sunday School and Small Groups?
Here are my learnings around this topic:
1. Senior Pastors are not in either a Sunday School or a Small Group. (hard to lead if you aren’t in a group)
2. Staff members are usually not in either.
3. Us vs. Them mentality - have to address early in the transition.
4. Different leadership structures - if you are going to have both, set up the same leadership structure for both. It will save you time and energy. Enlist, Train, and Place around the purposes of scripture. It will make your job much easier
5. Entitlement issues for Sunday Schools - S.S.’s have entitlement issues with funding for everything including curriculum and childcare. Small Groups don’t cost anything…literally. Decentralized small groups fund themselves.
6. Childcare for Small Groups- who takes care of my kids? The group does. Church doesn’t provide childcare.
7. Control - pastors and some traditional leadership structures can’t give up control. They are so concerned that Small Groups will not be held accountable. This is interesting to me, because most churches don’t hold their Sunday School Teachers accountable right now anyway. It has been my experience that Small Groups are much more open to accountability than Sunday Schools. Pursue “growth over control”.
8. Maintenance - it has been our experience that some when considering both/and will choose maintenance over ministry which defeats the purpose of growth over control. Maintenance of Sunday School sometimes quenches the growth of what some are seeing in Small Groups which hinders health and balance. Pursue “ministry over maintenance”. Empower them until trust is broken.
Our talk yesterday in North East Texas had several hundred in attendance and the response to the talk, “Is this what your Jesus told you to do?” came with mixed reviews. I would estimate that 50% of the crowd was right in the middle of understanding and evaluating their next steps to better engage their community and the other 50% of the crowd were probably a little uncomfortable with the discussion.
That’s OK…getting back to the basics of what Jesus asked us to do is right where we need to be.
It is interesting; however, how ones up bringing and culture affects ones interpretation of the bible. I’m finding the more I travel, engage different people and communities the more varied we are on what we perceive Jesus to be saying based on our current surroundings.
I recall from my seminar days Dr. Lee (New Testament Professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) reminding us to keep biblical content in context. A good reminder for us I think. When we begin to take scripture out of context we lose perspective on who Jesus was talking to and for what purpose.
Just a thought from my discovery this weekend.
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