faded cap

The Normative Elements of Paul’s Strategy

2010-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

The four core elements of Paul’s strategy I believe are a normative and helpful pattern that can be followed even today. If normative element or pattern can be understood as an element or pattern that can and should be followed regardless of time or place then the question of “can this pattern be followed?” must be asked of each of these four core elements.

1.Paul along with his companions went to where the people were in order to preach the Gospel and gain converts.
Paul worked with a team, he had trusted people with him working, and this was the pattern passed on to him from Barnabas. He also targeted areas where the Gospel had yet to be preached to gain converts and build a new foundation in Christ Jesus for churches. Is this a pattern that can and should be followed today? Absolutely! Paul was not dogmatic about only going to an area that the Gospel had not been preached but that was his preference and norm. Gaining converts was the goal then and should be the goal now.

2.These new converts were gathered into churches so that they may be instructed in the faith and the administration of the mystery – the church.
Understanding that the church is the people is the key in understanding this core element of Paul’s strategy. People who came to faith in Christ were gathered together as churches for instruction in the Apostle’s teaching so that they may be thoroughly equipped to repeat the whole process of winning the lost to Christ. The Apostle’s teaching gave them guidelines for daily living as a church and understanding of what the church was for, namely spreading the gospel. Should this pattern be considered normative? Yes. We are built to live in community and we are exhorted not to give up meeting together in the Scriptures. Growth also does not happen by accident, serious ordered learning is necessary in order for the church to function in a healthy way and to be successful in its mission of evangelizing the world.

3.Elders were appointed from among them after prayer, fasting and the laying on of hands.
Leaders grown up from within local churches were entrusted with shepherding the flock of God, the church. The strength of this strategy is invaluable and its benefits innumerable. These men were the church’s and the church was theirs, they loved it and were loved by it because they belonged to it. The elders were charged with overseeing and shepherding the church. Is this a pattern that should be viewed as normative? Yes. True plurality in leadership is the Biblical pattern and has been all but forsaken in today’s church. The top down model of pastor/elder/deacon is a man-made and flawed model. However, a team of elders is in keeping with Paul’s strategy in evangelizing new areas as well as overseeing established congregations.

4.The new churches were entrusted to the grace of God to continue the work of spreading the Gospel.
Paul encouraged the churches through his letters to be his imitators as he himself imitated Christ, he did not stay to micromanage the churches he established but rather encouraged them in their faith and love for one another. Paul knew full well that the church itself belonged to Christ and that he was the Chief Shepherd of it. He left each church with appointed leaders and teachers so that they may grow in faith and continue the work of the Gospel of Christ. Is this a pattern that should be considered normative and worth following today? Definitely! A church is defined as an autonomous group of believers baptized into faith in Jesus Christ and commissioned by him to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. It is not only a normative pattern but God’s own design.

Can these core elements be considered normative and followed in the twenty-first century church? Can the church of today be imitators of Paul even as he imitated Christ our Lord? Absolutely!
This pattern, modeled by Paul should be at the very core of our churches, ignoring it puts us in danger of ignoring a divine directive given by Christ himself to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Centrality of the local church in “missions” and the Pauline strategy

2010-01-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Acts 2.2; 3.1
May 2008

David Hasselgrave, in his book Planting Churches Cross Culturally: North America and Beyond, gives us a terrific definition of “missions,” the mission of the church.

“The primary mission of the church and, therefore, of the churches is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and gather believers into local churches where they can be built up in the faith and made effective in service; thus new congregations are to be planted throughout the world.” (Planting Churches Cross Culturally: North America and Beyond p. 17)

Mr. Hasselgrave hit the nail on the head. The local church is absolutely central to successful mission work. This model, suggested by Mr. Hasselgrave is totally in line with Paul’s strategy found in Acts 13:1-14:28.

Paul, sent out by the church in Syrian Antioch, preached the Gospel in Salamis, in Paphos where the Proconsul Sergius Paulus was converted and Elymas the Sorcerer was made blind, in Pisidian Antioch where a church was established, in Iconium where a church was established, in Lystra where the people mistook Barnabas and Paul for Zeus and Hermes and a church was planted, and finally in Derbe where another church was planted. On their return trip to Syrian Antioch Paul and Barnabas stopped at each one of these fledgling churches to encouraged them and appointed elders to oversee each flock. This model is reflected in the quote from Mr. Hasselgrave.

Paul’s mission was to preach the gospel and plant churches, he gave each group a foundation to build upon and if they followed his model, people from within each congregation would be rise up to preach the gospel in other towns and plant churches there. It is a cycle of organic growth.

It seems to me that in an age where travel has become faster, easier and more accessible the movement to spread the Gospel and plant churches has nearly ground to a halt at least in New England. Church growth has been redefined as growing existing churches in size, adding to their numbers and programs rather than growing the universal church through Gospel preaching and church planting. Not that new churches aren’t being started; however, new churches are started as a result of splits in local congregations, not from a desire to grow but from a desire to change. Boredom and frustration with tradition has become the primary motivator to start new churches not the increase of the Gospel.

If the local church were to lock on to the mission as modeled by Paul and suggested by Mr. Hasselgrave to take the gospel to the areas surrounding it then support of the idea of sending career missionaries to do the same work in foreign lands would be greatly increased. As it stands now our understanding of what missionaries are to do is limited by our understanding of the mission of the church. If we understand our mission locally and follow that same mission globally the gospel certainly would spread with greater success into the outermost parts of the world. This is the mission of the church; we must be faithful to follow the example laid out for us in God’s word – preach the Gospel and establish churches.

This understanding of our mission is a great threat to our flawed ideas about success and church growth. Even so, the paradigm needs to shift in order for the church to be obedient to God’s Word. Local churches must shift from bunkers and safe havens to training grounds and educational centers where the people of God can grow and learn what they need to know in order to continue the work of the Gospel so that they, in turn, can be Christ’s witnesses in their own Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.

Unfortunately our local example does not reflect this ideal scenario of planting a church, teaching and training its people to plant another church and teach and train those people to plant another church and so on. We have to start over. Our paradigm must shift. We must let go of our traditions and grab on to the original mission of the church – to spread the Gospel and plant new churches, teaching those new converts and congregants to follow the example set for them.

How should today’s Church use the principals and patterns found in Acts?

2010-01-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Acts 1.1
April 2008

There is one main principal that is present in the book of Acts that I think the modern Church should embrace not in function only but also in form. That main principal is that of spreading the Gospel and the expansion of the Church. I believe that most modern Church leaders would agree with that function but the proof of our belief bears out in the forms that we adopt in accomplishing this task.

The problem lies with the desire to create “mega-churches” with the idea that if we build it (a mega-church) they will come to us. Meaning, that if our structure and programs are attractive enough to the non-believer than they will come to us to find salvation or at least involvement in something that is bigger than them and perhaps more meaningful. The idea of “you all come to us to hear the Gospel” is contrary to the patterns set forth in the book of Acts. I also believe that the idea of large, impersonal, “corporations” are also contrary to these patterns. I am well aware that some of these “mega-churches” are quite effective at spreading the Gospel and have no problem expanding but I believe that the further we get from a small, mobile, and personal Church reaching into our local communities the more difficulty we will face in actually spreading the Gospel and expanding the Church. Most “mega-churches” have had to embrace the small group movement in order to survive, I believe that this is where the Church really lives and moves and has its being.

I believe we have lost sight of the intentions of the early disciples to actually go into local communities with the Gospel and establish Churches there. We have traded this vision in for a much safer model of sharing the Gospel on our home turf. The pattern set forth in Acts was to go into communities that didn’t have the Gospel and give it to them at all costs. This was not easy or comfortable for them but they shared as the Holy Spirit empowered them as should we. I believe that this pattern supports the idea of many starting more mini-churches and not just a few mega-churches.

The bottom line is that the patterns found in the book of Acts suggest a more locally based, more personal, more outwardly focused Church than the modern American church is leaning towards.

Here's A New Idea!

2010-01-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

So here is what I am thinking... I have been asked many times about the Antioch School and what it is all about, how it works, etc. So I thought maybe it would be a good idea to blog about my experiences and post some of my projects. I'm not sure it will be earth shattering but it may be a good way to at least give a snapshot into this wonderful leadership development paradigm.
A lot has changed in my thinking about the church, what it is and what it is for. The truth is, it is kind of hard to explain. I feel especially bad for my dear wife who has tried hard to stay right with me without having the benefit of reading many of my papers or participating in any of our class discussions. My aim is to help people understand what exactly is happening to me and to the church. I hope it helps!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2009-05-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of my trip to Fenway last Saturday with Uncle Scotty.

We sat in section 23 - Awesome seats, under the deck...

Feeling artsy before the game...

Me during BP before the game...

This Gate A... Couldn't you tell?

We took the Downeaster out of Portland. This definitely the way to go for a day trip to Boston!

Oakwood Road Church

2009-03-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Oakwood Road Church Building

Worship at Oakwood Road Church led by Caleb Keller

Jeff Reed Preaching

My Travelling Companions

2009-03-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

At McHose park in Boone, Iowa

The Invaders from Meredith

Mmmm... Coffee...

2009-03-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

In Boston, Massachusetts

On the way to Detroit, Michigan

On the way to Des Moines, Iowa

In Des Moines, Iowa

Christmas Tunes

2008-12-11T09:38:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Christmas Song

I just thought I would post a video of what has quickly become one of my favorite Christmas worship songs... By Paul Baloche of course...

At Least it's a New Post

2008-12-03T06:07:00.000-08:00

I don't have a lot to say but I figured that my blog was due for a new post! This is a pic of me and A right before he sung his very first solo "Holy is the Lord." He did a great job! I am so proud of him!

Jack-O-Lanterns!!!

2008-10-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know how you all feel about Jack-O-Lanterns, but we carved some and it was a lot of fun! I don't think they will be worth much for scaring off evil spirits from Steve and Shawnna's porch, but we had a blast making them. We went to "Pumpkin Land" in Poland on Sunday with the gang and picked out some great pumpkins. Scotty and Ash had to buy their pumpkins at Wal-Mart. All in all we had nine Jack-O-Lanterns! What a blast! And yes, one of the pumpkins got carved with a chainsaw... Imagine that, only in Maine!

My Sea-faring Parents

2008-10-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

This is my Mum and Dad. They recently went on a cruise to Montreal Canada with my Mum's brothers and their wives as well as my Grandmother and her husband. They stopped at several places including Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. I am so proud of my Dad, he has never been east of Bangor! And as you can see some of that personality that is so well hidden is starting to come out!

I'm so glad you guys got to go on this trip! I love you both!

Vacation

2008-09-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

I am finally taking a vacation. Just me. I'm not going far, or really anywhere at all. In my mind vacation is when you get to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it even if it is "work related." If I do a "work related" thing on vacation it is because I want to do it and no other reason.

So here is how my vacation has broken down so far:

Day one - Monday
AM - Got Daniel on the bus, made a pot of coffee and drank it while watching tv.
PM - Started reading a book, "The Shack," until Daniel got off the bus. Watched Monday Night Football with some friends. Finally went to bed the beginning of day two... It was a great game...

Day two - Tuesday
AM - Got Daniel on the bus then went to teach class at school.
PM - Finished reading "The Shack." Yes, it is that good!

Day three - Wednesday
AM - Got Daniel on the bus, made a pot of coffee, drank half while watching tv, took the other half for a drive to Augusta and bought a new pair of shoes!
PM - Met with my new "Spiritual Director" or mentor for the first time at Panera Bread for lunch. Had dinner with the family and graded papers.

It's actually been a pretty relaxing week so far. I have class tomorrow morning, coffee with a friend in the afternoon and Worship Team practice in the evening. Should be a good day! I am hoping to get some real journaling done tonight after the kids go to bed. I'm looking forward to that but for now I am going to go spend sometime with the boys while they are still children!
Peace!

First Day of School

2008-08-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

This has been a pretty exciting year so far when it comes to education. Daniel had his first day of school yesterday, Kindergarten, can you believe it?! I went back to college this year after an eleven year summer vacation and now I on the fourth of September I start teaching 9th and 10th grade Bible at the local Christian School!

I am scared to death....

Seeing Big Papi ground into a double play: priceless

2008-07-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Two tickets to the Portland Seadogs on ebay: 150 dollars
Sitting in the rain for two hours waiting for the game to start: 0 dollars
Seeing Big Papi get walked the first time up and ground into a double play the second time at Hadlock Field: priceless

Coming out of retirement

2008-07-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I made a big deal out of retiring my old Red Sox hat but... Guess what?! I am going to see David Ortiz play for the Portland Sea Dogs tomorrow night! There is no way I am going to go to that game without my hat on! I will proudly don my cap, rips, tears and all. Maybe I can even get it signed so that it may be even more proudly displayed, wouldn't that be sweet! I can't wait! My buddy Scotty got us the tickets, he paid almost $150 on ebay, can you believe it?! I only have to drive and pay for parking and food during the game! WOOHOO!!!

A New Cap to Fade

2008-07-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it is time to move on. I have renamed my blog in honor of my new hat. I know that these pics aren't the greatest but K-Ann doesn't let me put her pictures on my computer very often... The last cap took almost six years to get just right so it could be a while but it is definitely worth the effort.

I am so sad...

2008-07-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day... It has become clear to me that no matter how hard I try, I just can't do it any longer. I have put forth the effort daily to hold things together and it just isn't working, things are just too far gone. I wish I could make things go back to the way they used to be in the beginning, when things were smooth and everything seemed so comfortable. But no matter how much I wish for those days, no matter how I long for the past, those days are gone and I can't get them back.

And so it is with a very heavy heart that I must retire my faded cap, my favorite Red Sox hat.

That's right, I know it's hard to believe but after six years of honorable service my Red Sox hat is in such bad shape that I just can't wear it anymore. It makes me really sad because I love that hat! I got while on a trip to Nashville before K-Ann and I had any kids. Can you imagine? Having to go all the way to Nashville to find a Red Sox hat that fit right? Well, it was worth it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to find another Red Sox hat like it, and I don't know if I'll really try. I did order a really cool Jeep hat last week through the mail. I was really nervous as to whether or not it would fit right because my head is such a weird shape. (for those of you who were wondering, yes, I know my head is a weird shape.) Anyway, the new hat fit perfect right out of the box! I was amazed! It will never be able to replace my first love but I know that it will come through for me on those days where I don't get a shower and my hair needs some taming, when the bugs are bad and it gets doused with deep woods Off, on those hot days on the ball field and it gets so soaked with sweat it weighs as much as a gallon of milk... I just hope it will serve as long and with as much loyalty and perseverance as its predecessor.

FINALLY!!!

2008-06-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

What a relief! Our "economic stimulus" check just came! WOOHOO!!! We are working on a plan for it that won't stimulate the economy too much but will still allow us to have a little fun. Unfortunately most of it will probably end up going towards debt reduction. However I was able to order some much needed parts for my Jeep! Nothing major but I really needed a new driver's side seat belt and a pair of fender flare extensions (because the old ones got torn off...) I was originally going to buy a new soft top with soft doors to the tune of $800 but we decided against it. We may end up just getting this one up to snuff and selling it for a newer one with a 4 cylinder instead of a 6. I haven't decided that yet but I have been toying with the idea. I put the soft top on that came with the Jeep when I bought it a few weeks ago and it isn't in as bad a shape as I thought so I think we will make due for now, even though I don't really like the color, it's khaki on a white Jeep... :P Either way I am excited that I was finally able to buy some new parts for my much neglected Jeep.

My Shoulders Hurt

2008-06-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, my shoulders hurt. Not from back breaking labor but from falling asleep with my hands held high celebrating the Celtics 17th World Championship!
Finally after many sleepless nights I can get back to a regular sleep pattern. Honestly, is the west coast market so large that we, on the east coast, have to stay up until the next day to see our Celts win it all? Ahh, but it was all worth it!

Bad Blogger

2008-06-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is a random photo just to get your attention!

Let me tell you why I am such a bad blogger.

It's simple really, generally speaking when I want to journal about something it ends up being a frustrated rant or simply just complaining about things I have no control over and this tends to be problematic. It becomes problematic because of who I am and what I do, not to mention who might stumble across my ranting due to blog linkage. So I try to keep my post innocuous which is very difficult for me to do so like most things that are difficult for me to do, I don't bother. So, there you have it, I am a bad blogger. Add it to the list...

Mini Vacation

2008-04-09T15:55:00.001-07:00

Aahhh, vacation! I was so glad to be able to get away for a few days with the family. We spent a few days back in Meredith watching the final four and just relaxingwith friends. I also had my first "class session" in the Antioch School on Monday, that was awesome! This pic is what we spent most of the rest of our time doing... waterslides! We stayed at the Hampton Inn in North Conway, NH that has an indoor water park with two big slides and two little slides. The kids loved the little ones and I loved the big ones, I even got K-Ann to do the big ones a couple of times, although she didn't do the cannonball slide. That one was wicked cool, just one solid tube that is completely dark until you get to the end! My ears still have water in them from that one! Here are a few more pics of the boys, (yes, that is a giant frog puking out the boys into the pool.) K-Ann won't ever put down the camera long enough to let anyone takes her picture, sorry.

Just a funny observation, when we went to CBC for Sunday morning service there were several people who looked me right in the face, said good morning to me like they just saw me the day before and kept on going for a second and then when they realized that they hadn't seen me for six months would come back and give me a big hug. It was really funny because it kept happening and it made me wonder if people were just so used to seeing us around that they were just in auto-pilot or that nobody has really noticed that we have been gone! Not really, I know that people miss us, I miss them too, we're family!

Back to School

2008-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

For those who thought they would never see the day when I would go back to school, I did it... I have signed up for my first class in the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Development. My first class is on Monday April 7th. While this may not be news to a few, it is a really big deal for me. Here's the story:

I graduated High school at 17 years old and that fall I shipped out to Rochester Institute of Technology, a huge university in New York. (I only describe it that way because most people thought I was just going to a community tech school someplace, to this day I have only told one person I went there and they actually knew what it was.) I was nowhere near ready to be 10 hours from home with no real support system or many real friends around me. I was way out of my league. It also didn't help that my first, and only, semester there drained my Dad's retirement fund. Needless to say I dropped out, actually I transferred to Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. MECA was a little closer to home but I was still nowhere near ready to be out on my own in the city. Liberty took over and very soon my life was a complete mess.

I decided not to continue my formal education that spring and instead headed off to work at a summer camp in New Hampshire. I kicked around at home for the next year, working with the youth group at my home Church, working in a warehouse during the day and as a janitor at night.

Later that winter I got a job working for a builder who was part of our Church which was a great experience, I think he might have saved my life. I worked for Ken through the summer and decided to take up getting educated again. At this point I really didn't have anything to lose, except more of my parents money...

I started BICS that fall (that's Berkshire Institute for Christian Study) in Lenox, Massachusetts. After a year of painful study I graduated with a certificate in Bible and Theology and resolved never to do that again. BICS was a one year program designed to teach students discipline and give them a firm theological foundation before continuing their studies at other colleges or universities. I decided that I would have none of that and resolved to go back home, be a carpenter and a good parishioner. I remember telling the president of the school that I was going to be the best pew warmer I could be. (man, I was such a schmuck!)

I did end up going back home and working construction for a few months but I settled in a machine shop in town after realizing that it gets really cold in the winter time in Maine and that's not a lot of fun for builders. It was during my stay in the shop that I met my wife and eventually got married and started a family. I did work for a while at the shop that my Dad has worked in for almost 40 years but that didn't last very long, working nights is definitely not my thing. My Mother-in-law actually hooked me up with a job at another local shop which worked out great, I stayed there for over three and a half years but a funny thing happened on my way to retirement... I got called into ministry, youth ministry to be specific.

We sold our house and put most of our things in storage waiting for just the right position to come open which eventually did. We moved to Meredith, New Hampshire in July of 2004 and I started work as the Youth Pastor of Calvary Bible Church. We stayed there for another three years working for the Lord and growing in many ways. Our family was up to five members now with three little boys, two dogs and a handful of fish.

In the spring of 2007 I had a conversation, albeit brief, with the president of BICS while they were on choir tour and visiting our Church and he told me about the Antioch School. He said "I know how you feel about education and now that you have a family it would be nearly impossible to go off to school someplace but I think that this Antioch thing might just work for you." Boy was he ever right!

Since that time we have moved again and I have taken on the role of Associate Pastor of my home Church in Oxford, Maine where I will be using the Antioch program to learn while involved in a ministry context. The courses are specifically designed to allow people to study to show themselves approved while continuing their involvement in the ministry that God has called them to.

So, as it turns out, I was right all along! You just have to be patient, God will give you just what you need when you need it!

(Just kidding, I wasn't right all along, but if you are patient and wait on the Lord He will make a way when there seems to be no way!)

Palmetto Racing Technologies only builds winners!

2008-03-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

I have to tell you that the pinewood derby is my most favorite thing! In 1998 Oxford Advent Christian Church started having a pinewood derby that was open to everyone as a community outreach. That tradition has continued to 2008. I hesitate to say but I built the Grand Champion car that year, it kind of looked like a cockroach and was aptly dubbed the "Palmetto Bug" by Bobby Walker who called the race. I am very pleased to begin the process of handing down that winning tradition to my boys. In the 2008 race we entered four cars, three in the under seven years old division and one in the fifteen years and up division. I can honestly say that I am very glad that we didn't have cars in all three divisions, I think I might have gotten run out of town on a rail! Daniel's car ended up first in his division with only one loss due to jumping out of the track, and my car won my division with no losses (I think). My car's only loss was to Daniel in the Grand Championship race. All in all we had a blast, we had a great turn out- including Neena and Boppa! I shudder to think about next years race and the impending abuse that awaits me! Here are some pics:

This photo doesn't really do our pinewood derby experience justice... We brought home FOUR trophies!

Another win for "Palmetto Racing Technologies!"

The Passing of a Legend...

2008-03-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Wednesday "Crazy" Eddie Barbato passed away after living with prostate cancer. Eddie was a fantastic drummer and though I only met him a few times he had a profound impact on my life. He taught my friend and former bandmate from "Soundcheck" Kristin Brown the art of the drums, and through her inspires me to be a better drummer.

I bet your wondering, "now why don't he write..."

2008-02-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have read my blog in the past may or may not have noticed a fairly common theme through most of my posts... complaints. If you have come to "Faded Cap" from "Another Day in the Dream" you may also have noticed that the complaints have mostly vanished. My friends, this is a good thing! I don't have that much to complain about! Isn't that great! The more I think about it the more I realize that I really didn't have that much to complain about before, not that it kept me from doing it anyway...

I was asked recently about the condition of my soul and my response was this: I am tired and thirsty, but not desert thirsty, not marooned alone on a deserted island thirsty, I am tired and thirsty like you get after a good run. I am being worked out and it is good for me. So, I try to rest some, drink of Christ's living water and get back to work. It is good and God is blessing me.

Keep Moving Forward...

2008-02-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know what happened yesterday...

Spring training starts in just a couple of weeks. We can't dwell in the past, keep moving forward!

Yes I did...

2008-01-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

I made it to Luigi Galaxy!!!

There must be something new...

2008-01-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

Well, there is. Here is the short list:
I have become the new "Web-Mastah" of OACC! That means I built a new web site for our Church! You can check it out at: www.oaccmaine.org. It was a lot of fun putting it together but I am glad it's all built now so I just have to maintain it. You can even listen to some of our recent services, and yes that is me singing, sorry...
Well at least now you know the next "something new." I have been leading the new praise band at the Church too, not leading the singing, just leading the band. (That means that K-Ann has really been doing it.) This has been great so far. It's exciting to be working where the Spirit of God is working!
I'll be preaching on the 17th and 24th of February. This will be my first "back-to-back" preaching assignment so I am looking forward to that process.
New small groups are bubbling up around here, which is terrific, three new groups in February! We are also discussing changing the name of this fellowship from "Oxford Advent Christian Church" to "Living Hope Christian Fellowship" a process that is exciting and scary at the same time!
Well my thought well has run dry... So that is what's new!

Down to Six!

2007-12-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

I guess I am getting worse at blog posts lately... It seems I don't have the time or won't take the time and usually when I post I am complaining about something or other.
Anyway my pile of "started but not finished reading" books is down to six. Not including the two books at home, which are at home reading books anyway so they don't count. I just finished Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It is a great book, and like good jazz doesn't really resolve at the end it just sort of... ends. I liked it anyway.
The rest of the list in order of priority, just in case you were wondering, is: Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson (which I have read once but it's an assignment.); Praise Habit by David Crowder; The Voice of Matthew by Lauren F. Winner; Desiring God by John Piper; Sacred Play by Wenda Sheros; and Preaching That Changes Lives by Michael Fabarez. It's a lot of reading I know but I think it's helpful. I also wanted to stop reading books that make me want to sit in my office, like I am doing now, and just think about myself and what's wrong with me and what I should act like and think like, it's just not helpful.
The two books at home are Effective Pastoring and Eat to Live. For some reason diet and exercise books are really easy and enjoyable to read but not to put into practice...

Masi Ohka with "The News"

2007-12-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

I agree with Regis "Masi Ohka with... The News!" is fun to say...

Sorry, we had a snow day and the tv was on, I didn't have a choice!
So anyway, Monday was a snow day. It was kinda nice, Pastor Frank called the house about 7.30 am and said that he was closing the office for the day. We got about 8 inches of snow overnight and it continued to snow all day, so we got the day off! I spent most of the day with the boys and Mario... :) It was really quite relaxing and I must say the timing was perfect. I have been missing "home" for quite a while now but the good news is that Sammy's birthday is in another week or two and some folks might be coming over for the party. YAY!
I am speaking at the Christian School Chapel service today so I guess I had better prepare... See I am still a Youth Pastor at heart!

Sunday's Sermon Notes

2007-11-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Bad News and the Good News

John 3:1-18
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

Sometimes I think God has been given a bad rap. He doesn’t deserve it but he gets it anyway. He is a pretty big target. The Church gets a bad rap all the time and to an extent we’ve earned it. Historically we have been prone to making bad decisions from time to time. I’ve heard it said that the world doesn’t have a problem with Jesus, the world doesn’t like the Church but the world for the most part likes Jesus. Most of the world doesn’t have any real idea about what Jesus believed or what he stood for, but most of the time that doesn’t matter to the world it only matters whether or not you are cool. Don Miller from his book Blue Like Jazz says:
“I was wondering the other day, why is it that we turn pop figures into idols? I have a theory, of course. I think we have this need to be cool, that there is this undercurrent in society that says some people are cool and some people aren’t. And it is very, very important to be cool. So, when we find somebody who is cool on television or on the radio, we associate ourselves with this person to feel valid ourselves. And the problem I have with this is that we rarely know what the person believes whom we are associating ourselves with. The problem with this is that it indicates there is less value in what people believe, what they stand for; it only matters that they are cool. In other words, who cares what I believe about life, I only care that I am cool. Because in the end, the undercurrent running through culture is not giving people value based upon what they believe and what they are doing to aid society, the undercurrent is deciding their value based upon whether or not they are cool.”

In John 3 we find Jesus, clearly at this point a pop figure. He had just made a big splash clearing the temple and a lot of people were associating themselves with him. Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees wasn’t ready to associate himself with Jesus quite yet, he wanted to find out what Jesus really believed. So in John chapter three there is a really great dialog between Jesus and Nicodemus. I call it a dialog even though Jesus did most of the talking and all Nicodemus did was ask a few, kind of, dumb questions. Either way, it gives Nicodemus and us a snapshot of what Jesus truly believed.
So Nicodemus came to Jesus after hours to find out what he truly believed but I think he got a lot more than he bargained for, because associating with Jesus would turn his whole life upside down. Now we don’t know if Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because that was when he got off work or if he didn’t want his Pharisee buddies to catch him having an honest dialog with this crackpot that was stirring everybody up. But nevertheless, Nicodemus came to Jesus and said:
Jn 3:2 “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

I like to try to imagine what kind of response he was trying to get. Maybe something like: “Umm…Thanks.”
Instead Jesus uses the opportunity to turn Nick’s world on its ear. In classic Jesus fashion he replies to Nicodemus in a way that made absolutely no sense to him at all:

Jn 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Can you see Nicodemus’ face right here? *trying to figure out how that would work* Being an honest fellow he says:

Jn 3:4 “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
Right now Nicodemus is probably wondering if his Pharisee buddies weren’t right all along…
Jn 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Jn 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Jn 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
Jn 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
What exactly was Jesus saying here? Our mothers gave birth to us – that is the flesh gave birth to flesh or being born of water but what about being born of the Spirit? Nicodemus asked the same question:
Jn 3:9 “How can this be?”

Nicodemus clearly wasn’t getting at it and to his credit he was at least honest about it. His understanding up until now was that if Jews were circumcised and lived according to the Law of Moses as God’s chosen people they would enter the kingdom of God. But here comes Jesus talking about having to be born all over again by the Spirit in order to enter God’s Kingdom.

At this point Jesus gives air to his frustration with the Pharisees and with the funny looks he must have been getting from Nicodemus.

Jn 3:10 “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?
Jn 3:11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
Jn 3:12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
Jn 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Jn 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Jn 3:15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Are you familiar with the story that Jesus is referring to about Moses and the snake? I don’t want to leave you wondering. Turn to Numbers 21.

The Bronze Snake
Nu 21:4 [The Israelites] traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;
Nu 21:5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
Nu 21:6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
Nu 21:7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
Nu 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
Nu 21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Jn 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Jn 3:15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Cool, huh? Jesus was talking about his crucifixion and its significance long before it took place. Nicodemus got to hear exactly what Jesus believed and what he stood for.
And it gets really interesting…

Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Jn 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jn 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

This is at the core of what Jesus was all about! That’s the good news! The Gospel – it literally means “good news.”

Friends, I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is there can’t be good news without bad news. Good news without bad news is not good news it’s just… news.
The good news is there is bad news that makes the good news really good news!

So what’s the bad news?

Look at the other side of John 3:16.
Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
If you don’t believe in Jesus you don’t get eternal life, you get to perish! That’s not cool.
We’re not talking about the just the perishing or the death of the body, but eternal death, eternal separation from God. That is bad news!

Look at verse 17: God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world.
*No condemnation – good news*
Jesus did come to save the world.
*Getting saved – good news*
So what’s the bad news?

The bad news is that the world needs saving!
Jesus saying that he came to save the world means that the world is in peril and someone needs to save it!
Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn it because it was condemned already because of sin, and apart from belief in Jesus it still stands condemned because of sin.

The reason God gets a bad rap is because people don’t like what He does, people think Jesus is cool because they don’t really know what he did and they don’t like the Church because they think all we do is point out what they do.
Who do you think is going to straighten all that out?

Friends, in order for the Church to survive in this culture we need to know what we believe and why we believe what we believe.

Don Miller has a friend he refers to as Andrew the Protester who taught him:
“What I believe is not what I say I believe but what I do.”

This is our motivation to tell others the Good News. We introduce people to Jesus because if we do not tell others about him we don’t really believe that he is an important person.

What does your life say that you believe?
Miller says: “If Andrew the Protester is right, if I live what I believe, then I don’t believe very many noble things. My life testifies that the first thing I believe is that I am the most important person in the world. My life testifies to this because I care more about my food and shelter and happiness than about anybody else.”

That sounds like bad news…
Don Miller is not the only one with that problem is he?

Here is what the Word says in Romans chapter 3 verse 10:

No One Is Righteous
Ro 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one;
Ro 3:11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
Ro 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Ro 3:13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
Ro 3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
Ro 3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Ro 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
Ro 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
Ro 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Ro 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Ro 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

I want to stop and unpack that a little bit. How do we become conscious of sin through the Law?
Let’s try it out; can you recite the Ten Commandments in order? Can you recite the Ten Commandments at all?
This is the standard by which we are going to be judged. Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? Have you ever stolen anything, even something small? What does that make you?
That is how the Law is intended to work. This place is full of liars and thieves and now, using the Law, we all know it!
*And that was just two of the Ten Commandments!*

We are conscious of our sin now and it says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of that sin is death! Perishing! Condemnation! That’s really bad news!

But that’s what makes the Good News so good!

Ro 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Ro 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The Good News is that right standing with God is available to us through faith in Jesus Christ.
The good news is:
Ro 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Ro 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Do you believe you need to do that today? Don’t just say you need to do it, do it!

Nicodemus believed Jesus, he didn’t just say he believed him he showed he really believed by defending him before the other Pharisees in John 7 and in John 19 he even helped take Jesus down from the cross and carry him to the tomb.
Remember, what you believe is not just what you say you believe, but what you do.

Daddy, I want you...

2007-11-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

These are the words I hear most often from my son Andrew. These words might seem cute to you and they were to me the first few times, even the first hundred times. The trouble with his statement for me was that it stopped there. Our conversations go something like this:
"Daddy, I want you."
"What do you want?"
"I want you."
"I'm right here, what do you need?"
"Daddy, I want you."
If you're anything like me this type of conversation gets old after awhile. My response to him every time this starts has always been the same, I ask a question he has already answered. I ask him what he wants when he has already told me. He is not asking me a question, he is making a statement.Until today I hadn't figured out just what he was saying when he said "I want you." He wanted ME! Why was this so hard to figure out? The Lord revealed to me today why there is blood in my veins pumped by my heart to all my limbs and organs. Because God wants me. My response to Him has always been the same. God says "Heath, I want you." I say, "Ok Lord, what do you want me to do?" and then I make up some thing in my mind that I think the Lord wants me to do and I go try and do it, either that or I get frustrated because I don't know what He's talking about and quit talking to Him.
Too often we get wrapped up in the action, "If we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching?" that sort of thing. Why often misinterpret the statement God is making to us. "I want you." in our minds becomes "I want you... to do this or that." When God simply starts and ends the conversation with "I want you." Not like Uncle Sam with his striped top hat pointing fingers in our faces but with a still small voice calling us to commune with Him.
My son wants me to know that he loves me and wants to know that I love him too. He wants to be with me and enjoy my company, that is what God wants too. God wants us to completely accept His love, His love that is without condition. If we could just get over ourselves and accept the fact that God truly loves us and wants to be with us regardless of what we have done or how bad we have screwed up, we could truly respond to him and say, "I'm right here. I love you and I want you too."

My First Monthly Ministry Report

2007-11-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

Yahweh Elohim, I Am that is greater than space, time and number is holy, may His kingdom be established in our midst, may His will be accomplished in and through us as He provides for us what we need for each day. May the depth and breadth of our willingness to forgive be a reflection of His forgiveness of us and if we are unwilling to forgive may He withhold His forgiveness in the same way. Our deliverance from temptation and sin can only come from Him for He is our deliverer. All of our influence, power and praise belong to Him both now and forever. Amen

In the past reports for me have consisted of list of accomplishments, average attendances and plans for future events… This is about to change. Instead I would like to share some of the passion that the Lord has given me. That passion can be summed up as “Joining with God in building a healthy Church.” This is my utmost desire and it is the purpose, I believe, God has called me here for. It has been said both recently and in the past that “living things grow,” with this I whole-heartedly agree. However, I believe that our ideas about growth could use some redefinition even reconstruction. Growth in the past has limited mostly to “wide” growth and wide growth is good but only when it is a reflection of “deep” growth.
Wide growth is defined as an increase in attendance at services and events. This is exciting! It is thrilling to be able to share the Gospel with more people and to see people coming to Christ; it is wonderful to see our building full and even bursting at the seams. However, as we have seen, this type of growth is not sustainable. All of those people are no longer here, we are no longer bursting at the seams, and our building is no longer full.
On the other side of the coin is deep growth. Deep growth means just that, God’s people are growing deeper in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word, relationships with their Heavenly Father and with their brothers and sisters in Christ are growing in depth and richness. With the advance of deep growth the term “church” no longer refers to our building, it no longer refers to our services but it refers to the people of God. Deep growth goes beyond semantics, beyond pet names and catch phrases to the foundation of our reality. If we want to be like the wise man who built his house on the rock as Jesus described in Luke 6:48, “when a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built” we need to dig down deep to lay the foundation on the rock.
The benefits of pursuing deep growth are vast but one benefit that is worth noting is wide growth. Just as a tree sends its tap root down deep to the source of water it also sends out roots in a wide circle to collect nutrients and to stabilize the tree keeping it sturdy and upright when the winds and storms come.
So you see, wide growth without deep growth is a house or a tree easily toppled and impossible to sustain but deep growth allows the house to have a firm foundation and a tree to be deeply rooted and able to draw from the source. I believe we need to pursue deep growth as a Church. I believe we need to discover together how to accomplish this goal. As members of Christ’s body, the place to start is with our own lives. We need to doggedly pursue deep growth in Christ and His Word, allowing His Spirit to direct us to the areas that need fixing, the ministries that need updating, and even to the new ideas that none of us has even imagined yet. Let’s discover together what it means to truly be the Church that God had in mind.

i love jelly...

2007-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

I love jelly. Strawberry, grape, apple. I love it. I could eat fresh peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day forever. I have taught my sons to sing of its goodness. Peanut, peanut butter, and jelly! They sing it over and over, shouting the praises of peanut butter and jelly. But you know what I don't like? When the jelly has been on the bread too long. Like in your pigs in space lunch box at school. It's kind of warm and the jelly has sunk deep into the pores of the bread. What was once good is now spoiled. But what choice do we have? We eat it anyway. We remember what it was when it was new, but it seems there is nothing that we can do now. So we suffer through its dryness as it sticks to the roof of our mouth. We have lost the definition of bread and jelly and peanut butter, they soak together into a dry and difficult to eat substance we hardly recognize. The void between what we once new and what we are now experiencing is so vast it's hard to imagine that they are the same object. I never complained about it when I was a kid. I never said to my Mom, "there has to be a better way to prepare my sandwich so that when it is time for me to eat it it is not in this wretched state." I don't think I would have used the word wretched even if I wanted to make that statement. I am not entirely sure that I would use that word out loud today, but the deed is done. It never occurred to me that there was an alternative to soggy PB&J's, soggy PB&J's are a fact of life, that's how it is, and there is no way around it... But there is. It's simply a matter of whether or not we are willing to think creatively. Would the planet roll off its axis if we were to keep the peanut butter and jelly and bread separate until it was time to eat it? Sure, it would be more work to put the jelly in its own container as well as the peanut butter, not to mention the added expense of the plastic knives and the containers you would most certainly accidentally throw away. But the effort would be worth it and before long no one would even notice the fact that it was extra effort at all. After all, wouldn't it be easier to not prepare lunch at all? But the effort is worth it. It will be extra work, but the results? Everything we always wanted.

Sammy as Bumblebee

2007-10-22T11:05:00.001-07:00

The Pic Says It All...

2007-10-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

Need I say more?

Optimash Prime

2007-10-21T11:20:00.001-07:00

I AM OPTIMASH PRIME!!!
At this moment, the Patriots are winning 35-7; the Red Sox forced a seventh game; and I have a copy of Transformers on DVD waiting for the end of the Patriots game to be viewed. I guess on a scale of 1 to 10 I am Optimash Prime!

Today I am just an ordinary potato

2007-10-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine challenged me last week to answer the question "where am I?" every day in a journal. It has been an interesting exercise so far but as with everything I write it always ends up with more of a dark chocolate taste rather than a lighter milk chocolate. Well instead of getting into the rut of blogging my mostly depressing thoughts I thought i would try a little harder and create the "POTATO HEAD SCALE!" Given the extreme diversity of Mr. Potato Head's costumes, I have found that there is a different Mr. Potato Head for just about every mood one could be in. So today I am just an ordinary potato, but if things go south today I might be apt to switch to "Darth Potato."
Kann and I are leaving the kids with her mom today and going to Peabody, Mass to the Eastern Regional Convention, it's gathering of Pastors and representatives from all of the different Advent Christian churches in New England, parts of New York and parts of Canada. I think it's mostly a Berkshire Christian College reunion, but we go anyway. After all going means two nights in a nice hotel with good friends and no kids! The downside is that I usually end up feeling a little bit more like a nameless storm trooper. I guess that's ok, but I hate being reminded that I am an officially non-ordained non-seminary grad college drop-out. Oh well, impressing those guys isn't in my job description. I'm bringing "Lappy" with me so maybe I'll get to post from the convention, maybe even from the hot tub! (where I'll prolly feel a little more like a boiled potato!)

I guess it's time to post...

2007-10-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

One of the struggles I have had with blogging is writing too much about too much so I am going to attempt to not do that anymore.

We are working hard to get settled in at our new post and that is going pretty well so far. I am starting to feel like we are getting a little bit of traction here and that is a good thing. I am still missing my friends back in Meredith* (*fighting hard to not write "back home":.\ ) I am, however looking forward to watching the Pats game with my pals back there on Sunday though! A good recovery practice from preaching!

I am preaching this Sunday. My sermon is entitled "Worship - Let's get it right!"
It's mostly about leaving behind our assumptions about worship and looking for the best Biblical example on authentic worship. we'll see how it goes. I started writing what I thought was a real good one until my new mentor Mr. Friedrich showed me how I was just looking to establish a new moral code. We're all about making rules, aren't we?!? The moral codes that God has established are just fine, after all He wrote them!

Anyway, we are working hard to make friends and find our place in our new community. It's more work that I had anticipated but anything worth having is worth working for.

This picture just helps remind me where I am.

Post one...

2007-10-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

This is a post, this is only a post...