Archive for January, 2012
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church January 31, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share with you today…
#1 – Remember, Acts 4:29-31 all week long. Let’s be bold in the prayers we pray and the words we say! AND…boldness is not arrogance but rather confidence is who Jesus is and what He has called/commanded/commissioned us to do!
#2 – GET PEOPLE HERE SUNDAY!!! Remember, we are going all out to present the Gospel in a way that is going to connect with everyone who walks in the doors. I’m asking everyone in our church to pray HUGE PRAYERS for this weekend and make some HUGE attempts to get people here, take a look at Mark 2:1-12 and see what happens when people get passionate about doing whatever it takes to get people to a place where they can meet Jesus!
(AND…Anderson and Columbia campuses, remember that for this week only we are switching our Sunday night services to Saturday night! We are doing so because the Super Bowl is on Sunday night, and while I don’t care about either team I really don’t want to miss the commercials!)
#3 – Our “All In” series based on Mark 12:30 has been one of my favorites. This past Sunday we talked about loving Jesus with all our soul, on the deepest level possible!! Remember, intimacy comes about through consistency. The more time we spend with Him the more our relationship with Him will grow…and…if we are in an intimate relationship with Him then we will care about what He cares about! (See Luke 19:10!!) If He cared about people far from God then we have to as well.
#4 – On Sunday, February 12 we will begin a series entitled “Overwhelmed” in which we will be diving into some subjects that typically are not talked about. It’s going to be real, raw and will help a lot of people. Subjects like…
- How To Prevent Becoming Overwhelmed By Circumstances (You either need this message…or you will!)
- How To Deal With Depression! (I am going to talk about my three year battle, how I got there, what the Lord taught me, how I was able to break free and how you can too!)
- How to Stop Worrying About The Economy!
- How To Walk Through The Scariest Situations In Life!
And a ton more. Seriously…I can’t wait!
#5 – Our band released it’s new CD this past weekend, “No Other Name!” It’s one of THE MOST AMAZING worship CD’s EVER! If you didn’t get one yet you will be able to purchase on on your campus Sunday…or you can go to Itunes right now and download it!!!
#6 – One more time, Acts 4:29-31 all week long!!! I love seeing green bracelets everywhere…and the glow sticks at the end of the service will be forever stuck in my mind!!!
#7 – Going to go ahead and throw this out there, we may be doing a Michael Jackson song for Easter!! :-)
I love my church!
The best is yet to come!
Why Should We Worship? January 28, 2012
(Here are the things we covered in the night of worship!)
These Nine Things Are True About EVERYONE Who Is In Christ (And are true for those who do not know Christ!)
#1 – I Was Dead – Ephesians 2:1
#2 – I Was An Object Of Wrath – Ephesians 2:2-9
#3 – I Had No Purpose –Ephesians 2:10
#4 – I Was Separate From Christ – Ephesians 2:11-12
#5 – I Was Excluded From Citizenship – Ephesians 2:12
#6 – I Was A Foreigner – Ephesians 2:12
#7 – I Was Without Hope – Ephesians 2:12
#8 – I Was Without God – Ephesians 2:12
#9 – I Was Far Away – Ephesians 2:13
AND…JESUS IS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT ME NEAR – Ephesians 2:13
Your Team Probably Isn’t A Good Team If… January 26, 2012
You probably don’t have a good team if…
- You do not enjoy being around one another.
- You hardly ever have any fun together.
- You think everyone in the room (except for you) is a complete moron.
- You don’t trust each other.
- You constantly interrupt each other without letting the other person actually complete their thoughts.
- You rehearse the fights you perceive to be coming in your mind before the meeting.
- You have no one on the team that will actually speak the truth.
- You always look for the easy solution rather than the right one.
- You are not fully engaged in the meetings that you are involved in. (If you are checking email, facebook and tweeting during a meeting then you are NOT fully engaged and are under-serving as a leader!)
- You are obsessed with being recognized rather than seeing how you can serve.
- You constantly come up with solutions that make your job easier and puts more strain on the people whom you have given the responsibility to lead.
- You always try to make sure everyone around the table is always happy with every decision that is made.
- You have people at the table that are personally irresponsible with their finances. If they are responsible with their own…then why would it be any different when it comes to the churches?
- You have a resume. (I recently told our entire staff, “if you have a resume then I either want you to destroy it or send it out!” If you have a resume that simply means there is always a thought in your mind of going somewhere else!!! ”But what if they fire me,” you ask? I say if you are an awesome worker then you won’t need a resume, people will find you! See Proverbs 22:29)
So, how’s your team?
People Matter (3 Temptations Leaders Face) January 25, 2012
One of the most challenging issues when it comes to leadership and ministry is dealing with people. (Other than that, it’s quite simple.) :-)
AND, if we are not careful we will allow ourselves to become so distracted that we will actually begin to care for other things way more than the people that Jesus died for and has called us to take care of.
Recently in an all staff meeting I shared with our staff three things that we are tempted to love more than people…and how we’re going to do all we can to make sure that because people matter to God they matter to us as well.
Temptation #1 – To Love The Process More Than People
I’m a type-A, obsessive compulsive person, and so I love organization, structure and systems that make things easier for me to manage. However, not all people are like that.
The danger is that in church we would develop a process for volunteers, discipleship and such and then expect EVERYONE to “fall in line” and do what we think is best. In other words, we approach people with a scientific approach rather than an artistic one.
(By the way, I believe God IS an artist! Don’t believe me…check out the sunsets for the next several nights, none of them will be the exact same. I like to think He whips out His paintbrush and makes it new every evening!)
Don’t get me wrong, the church NEEDS certain processes and such; however, all too often I have fallen into the trap of trying to use a process that has been developed rather than really taking the time to find out more about the person that needs to be developed.
When a person isn’t a fit into a process that has been developed we need to stop and see what is going on in that person’s life. It’s not their job to fit into our system, it’s our job to discover where they are and then lead them to a place where they can grow in their relationship with Christ.
Temptation #2 – To Love Progress More Than People
I love progress, all leaders do. However, if we are not careful we will fall so in love with the idea of every chart moving up and to the right that we lose sight of what really matters when it comes to ministry–people.
I get the fact that some people simply cannot move forward with a church or organization. They can’t handle change and simply refuse to go along with all that the Lord is doing. But…we should never assume that just because people don’t seem to “get it” that they are automatically against what we are doing. Maybe they have questions. Maybe they have legitimate concerns. Maybe they don’t fully understand all that is going on. AND…if those three things are true then it isn’t really their fault that they are not “on board,” it’s the leaders fault.
There will be times we need to slow down, take a breath and offer grace filled explanations to all that is taking place…and when a leader or organization refuses to do that because it would simply take too much time then they have fallen in love with progress more than people.
Temptation #3 – To Love Preferences More Than People
If you’ve been in ministry long enough then there are people (or types of people) that you prefer to stay away from. (Don’t lie!!!) Why do we prefer to keep them at a safe distance? Simple…they’re messy, and we, for the most part, love for things to be neat, clean and predictable.
We prefer clean people and clean situations…and so we isolate ourselves from messy situations. However, one of the things I’ve discovered in the past 20 years of ministry is that isolation really does lead to me being ineffective as a pastor. And…if I isolate myself from the mess then I am not becoming more like Jesus because He always walked straight towards the mess.
If I am going to follow Christ I cannot allow personal preference to trump my love for people because in doing so then I totally communicate that I’ve forgotten what Christ did for me! After all, if Jesus would have walked away from the mess rather than walking towards it…we’d all be in a lot of trouble!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church January 24, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share with you today…
#1 – I know I say it every week…but it’s just true. Sunday was AMAZING as hundreds of people took their next step in their walk with Christ (over 25 people received Christ!) I’ve never seen a public invitation like the one we witnessed this past Sunday in the history of our church. WOW!
#2 – Remember a few things that we talked about Sunday…
- All too often we want to expect great things from God but don’t want to put forth any energy to see them come to pass.
- Loving the Lord with all our strength means that it is going to take energy and effort on our part to grow in our relationship with Him.
- We cannot achieve God’s love…we just receive it!
- If the apostle Paul had work to do in his life (see Philippians 3:10-14), then so do we!
- Why would God trust you with what is next if He cannot trust you with what He’s telling you to do now?
- Many times Christians would rather pray than obey! (All too often people will say they are praying about something in order to delay obedience…and delayed obedience is deliberate disobedience!)
- Procrastination is assassination of the amazing future that God has planned for your life–why spend one more night with the frogs?
- You CAN do what Jesus is leading you to do, see Jeremiah 32:27 and Philippians 4:13!
- Until you take your next step…you’re stuck!!! (See Ezekiel 14:1-6) This is why some people can attend church for decades and remain the same…because they refuse to take their next step in their walk with Christ.
- The next step that Jesus wants us to take isn’t always easy…but it’s always right!
#3 – I’m beyond excited about our upcoming Night of Worship/CD release that we are having at every campus, it is going to be absolutely amazing! (Here is the site with the details about your campus!) I really do hope you are planning on being there…it’s gonna be awesome!
#4 – I want to continue to promote the Real Marriage Conference that is going to be led by Mark and Grace Driscoll that our church is going to be hosting in March! (Details here!) Trust me when I tell you that this is one of the best investments you will EVER make in your marriage!!! You’ve GOT to be here! And singles, this is FOR YOU AS WELL…one of the best ways to have a great marriage in the future is actually to begin preparing for it right now! (And…if you are single, then check out this article Pastor Mark wrote about why singles should attend.)
#5 – THIS COMING SUNDAY at every NewSpring campus is going to be one of “those Sundays” that our church will never forget! We’re going to talk about Mark 12:30 again (Big Surprise) and what it means to love Jesus with all of our soul…and I really do believe that the Lord is going to profoundly impact thousands of us and the way we think about Him and others!!!
#6 – If you attend our church and did not read the article I wrote last week about KidSpring (our children’s ministry), then you should check it out here. I love our church!
#7 – Trust me when I tell you that going to Israel will absolutely impact your life in a way that you simply will not believe. This past Sunday when I was talking about Jesus and the Garden of Gethsemane my mind flashed back to last May when I was actually there…it’s quite overwhelming!!! We sold every single space for this trip that we originally booked…and the interest was so high that the company we are traveling with was able to secure us more spots (I believe there are about 50 left!) I hope you can go!!! AND…please understand that this is not something that our church is going to do every single year…in fact, I’m not sure when we will be going back, so if you want to go or think you might be interested you need to go here and sign up ASAP…it’s going to be amazing!
That’s all for this week!!! I love you guys! I love our church! The Best Is Yet To Come!
Stop Complaining About What You Don’t Have! January 23, 2012
One of the most common excuses that people seem to give for not doing something great for God (or at least trying something great) is that they don’t have BLANK, but if and when they get BLANK then they will do what God wants them to do.
However, if we are not faithful with what we have NOW then how in the world is He supposed to trust us with what He wants NEXT?
“But Perry,” you say, “I don’t have anything to offer. Our church doesn’t have what other churches have.”
I say bull!
This thought occurred to me the other day when I was reading through the book of Exodus and read through the exchange between God and Moses. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people of Israel go.
Moses freaked out, and understandably so…this was a BIG DEAL! How in the world could Moses do this? He had been on the backside of the desert for 40 years! He had actually murdered a man the last time he was in Egypt. He had never led anything other than a flock of sheep! This thing was way larger than anything he had ever participated in.
And so finally he asks God in Exodus 4:1 something like, “OK God, what if these people don’t believe me. After all, this whole burning bush thing is over the top…but I left my Iphone back at the house and cannot put this experience on instagram so that the people will see how incredible it is. They are not going to believe me!”
The Lord simply replied in Exodus 4:2, “…what is that in your hand?”
Moses told him it was a staff (like God didn’t know) and then God proceeded to use the staff that Moses had in his hand to bring about an incredible miracle (you can read this for yourself in Exodus 4:1-8!)
The object of the miracle wasn’t something that Moses had to go out and find…he already had it in his hand. (Just like in John 2 where Jesus turned the water into wine the water jars that were used in the miraculous transformation were already in the house!!!)
And then just the other day I saw this Scripture in Exodus 23:15, “…no one is to appear before me empty handed.”
Why in the world would God command people to not appear before Him empty handed if they needed something else with which to worship Him more effectively?
What I’m saying is that you already have in your hand what you need to take your next step in your walk with Christ.
Some are saying, “I don’t see how He can use what I feel like I have.”
I promise you…He can.
- Do you have confusion? He can use it to clarify truth about Himself and cause you to love Him more deeply.
- Do you have a shady past? He can use it to reach others who are currently in the same situation but feel as if there is no way they could ever get free of what they struggle with.
- Do you have pain? He can take pain and turn it into progress; in fact, He is the only one I know who can!
- Do you have just a few dollars to your name? He can take just a little and turn it into a whole bunch (remember the loaves and fish.)
- Do you have bitterness towards someone? He can take it, heal it and then use your situation to tell others that they can be free from the prison that unforgiveness puts us in.
- Do you have a special talent or ability? He can use it…and He knows how it needs to be used best because He loved you enough to give it to you in the first place.
He has blessed us all with the ability to do way more than we ever thought or imagined we could accomplish, but that process begins today, with what we have and with who we are. We just need to stop asking Him for the next best thing and start thanking Him for what we have in our hands! (AND…if we don’t know what it is that we have, then we should ask! James 1:5)
Seven Reasons I LOVE Our Children’s Ministry! January 19, 2012
#1 – It’s clean! No nasty carpet! No smells that make you want to projectile vomit. No dirty floors!!! I know that our kid’s area is clean…and that matters to every parent.
#2 – It’s safe! Background checks have been ran on every staff member (in our church) and every volunteer that has any contact with children (or students!) There is a volunteer security team that makes sure random people do not just walk through our kid’s area…and there is a solid check-in system where not just anyone can come pick the child up from their class, whoever checked them in must check them out.
#3 – It’s fun! My four year old daughter LOVES CHURCH, LOVES IT!!! I love the fact that “fun” is a value in our kid’s ministry!!! Where in the world did we ever get the idea that kid’s must suffer through church? Heaven is NOT boring, it’s going to be a massive party/celebration, church should be as well (especially for kids!)
#4 – Our Staff & Volunteers Are Awesome – Our children’s staff LOVE children! Our volunteers love children! They do not do what they do out of duty but rather delight!!! If a staff member or volunteer the children’s area does not absolutely love children then they need to be moved to another area. Kid’s can read right through an adult…and a ministry that isn’t based out of love for children will be unfruitful and ineffective.
#5 – Our Kid’s Know God’s Word – Every week on the way home from church I ask Charisse two questions (by the way, these are the two questions I’ve shared with our children’s ministry for over a decade in regards to what their vision should be for children’s ministry. I have said that parents are going to ask their kids two questions every Sunday…which are…
- Did you have fun? (This one is first 90% of the time!)
- What did you learn?
It always fills my heart with joy every time Charisse tells me what she learned in her class about the Scriptures. AND…there has NEVER been a week since she’s been active in a classroom that she hasn’t learned something. Seriously, when a church commits to teaching children about Jesus in an environment that they love and in a manner that is on their level then they are making an investment in the next generation!
#6 – They Are Resourced! NewSpring Church invests heavily in our youth and children’s ministry! I don’t believe they are “the church of tomorrow,” I believe they are the church of TODAY! I believe they matter TODAY! I believe that if we invest in them TODAY and teach them about Jesus TODAY and help them grow up with a favorable view of church TODAY then their tomorrow will look a lot different!!! A church that refuses to spend money on reaching the next generation has basically told them they can go to hell! Disney spends money on them! The Cartoon Network spends money on them! The church should spend money on them!
#7 – They have AN EXCELLENT LEADER! Cherie Duffey, our children’s director is the absolute best on the planet! She LOVES kids (and has four boys of her own!) Seriously, she has more passion for children and their families than anyone I’ve ever seen! (By the way, a passionate and wise leader makes a HUGE difference!) I am so honored that Charisse (my daughter) is going to have the privilege of being in an environment every week that is directly impacted by Cherie’s vision and passion for seeing children learn about Jesus on their level!
A dynamic children’s ministry cannot be underrated! If we want to reach them we have to start as early as we can!!