second test

      this is some text to see how this goes and then I want to add a table and put a picture in part of it. so I will see how this goes and see what kind of stuff I can put in here.

This is the text in the left pane of the table. If I add a bunch of text here and then save it as a draft I wonder what happens. and now what happens and one other thing, what happens.

      Then we will keep typing a paragraph here and see where this goes and how it looks.
Thanks.

Why church “leadership”?

Have we ruined pastors careers by setting forth a narrow definition of leadership?
Pastors/Preachers are keepers, communicators, and explainers of the Word.

In modern times, groups of people (churches, businesses, organizations, countries…) are seeing great dynamic leaders that really make an impact in their arena. Dynamic leaders can make people feel good about themselves and lead them from where they are to where they feel they need to be. Some can also be good teachers of the Word, good people, but some can also have poor ethics or moral gaps.

Our society has spent thirty plus years studying, analyzing, teaching, standardizing and promoting a definition of what a leader should be. Could this be the greatest hindrance to modern day preachers? Could we be setting an inappropriate bar height, or creating a “leader-as-a-thing” mentality, that we pressure pastors to be something they are not called to be?

By setting up one leader in a church, and expecting them to make us feel good about ourselves, has everyone stopped being self leaders?

Could a church have a model where the Pastor is not at the top of the organizational pyramid?

Salvation then Discipleship. Faith then Trust?

We are really challenged to count the cost of discipleship in Luke 14:25-35, but this is not a cost of putting our faith in Christ for salvation, but discipleship. I shows this discipleship thing is a decision we have to make. Some don't, some can't (thief on the cross), we assume that one that is saved and filled with the Spirit you can't help but say yes, but it needs to be an active decision and in this passage gives us reasons (the salt) and the tough parts about that decision.

I have been searching for, but must admit I haven't found, a difference between the words faith and trust. In the original text of the Scriptures they are used seemingly interchangeably. I picture them as (and I know this is a dangerous) as a difference in a mind thing and an action step. When shown a climbing rope and asked will this hold your weight, most everyone would say yes. When hooked up to that rope and told to step over the edge you have to turn that faith of knowing it will hold you into the trust to take the step. We can't assume that having faith in it is the end of the story.

After explaining to the ruler how to inherit the kingdom, Luke 18:22 ends with "Then come, follow me". That following him is what we need to step up to the plate and get to work at. Step over the edge.

Church Marketing

      Many churches are implementing the latest marketing methods to bring people in their doors. They are using the most current media, brightest colors and even message titles that reach into the minds of people and answer the questions that they have. They seem to be crafting the message to do what marketers say you must and that is show people results. This seems like the best way to get the current society into a church that is bombarded with similar messages from all other angles.

      What if your church has a message that is what people need, but not necessarily what they realize they need. What if you want to just preach from the Word, not trying to argue nor prove, nor convince or convict anyone, but simply expound and explain the scriptures, suggesting ways of applying God's truths to our everyday walk with the Lord. An example of this first part is in Nehemiah 8:7-8. The second part then is adding the suggesting part as we are in closer community and fewer in number then those Levites.

      So what is the best marketing for a product that isn't sellable by it's glamour? The best way seems like testimonials. The congregation should be braggers of how studying the Word has effected their life and why they are sold on it. Their enthusiasm for their church should be overflowing and contagious. This is the best way to bring in those we know need to hear what the Word has to say not just what a preacher has to say.

      Do people know why they like their church? Is the answer to why they like their church reasons other than how it has impacted their relationship with Christ?

      Know your product.

Faith Memories

I still remember the morning as clear as if it was yesterday. Lying
on the bottom bunk of cabin 5, early on a Sunday morning in July, the
concrete floor cold and sandy. That morning at camp I told God that
I wanted to follow Him and make Him the center of my life. As
someone who at a younger age had prayed the sinner's prayer, I had
just come to the point where I realized it wasn't enough to hide Him
in my heart, but I had to actively move myself aside and truly make
Him Lord of my life.

That may have been 24 years ago but it is still a very powerful
memory for me. It was my first full summer of being at camp. I was
surrounded by people that took their faith very seriously and were
searching for how it should infuse every part of their life. Being
away from the comforts of home, time with new people for extended
periods, and a setting that focused on God's greatness are all major
pieces the Holy Spirit used to bring about change in me. These are
some of the same components still available today for every camper
and retreat participant that comes to camp.

ONLY for His glory.

What if in our prayers we still asked for what we wanted, desired or burned for, but had a genuine acknowledgment that whatever would bring God the glory is what you actually want? We obviously want to have a family member healed or kept safe but what if we sought a true spirit of acceptance of either outcome just so long as God is glorified publicly in it? We have genuine needs for jobs, finances, or help but what if after asking our hearts desires we turned the focus off of us and pointed to God as the one that needs to be Glorified in the outcome.
Ezekiel 36:22-38 shows the heart of God that even though He loves us immensely and may provide for us mightily or even discipline us, it is all for His glory only. Also Jesus in the garden has a obvious request but knows that God's glory is the final outcome.

Lets pray that God be glorified in all of our life.

Love God, Love People

All our life should be summed up in these two statements:

Love God

• If we love God we want to:
• Please Him
• Get closer to Him
• Spend time with Him
• Obey Him
• Put all our focus on Him
• Mirror Him to everyone around us
  

Love People

• If we love people we want to:
• Put them before ourselves
• Mirror our love of God to them
• Always show compassion

What will we be judged on when we stand at His feet

Will He bring up the grade we got in school, what type of job we had,
how many times we attended church, what we ate, how much we
exercised...

Will all these "daily tasks" be judged in accordance to our
faithfulness in our,
Loving God, and Loving People....

Faith and Work (not works)

Does doing God's will take more than just faith?
Does it take a lot of work too?

First off this is not a discussion of salvation. Salvation takes absolutely NO human ability, thankfully. This is a thought about Christians, which are left on this earth for a purpose after salvation, and how we are to then live.

Is there a difference between gifts and abilities?

Abilities can be created/modified by surrounding, upbringing, location, physical. We can practice our abilities and make them better. Family life and opportunities may give one abilities and not another. Abilities can be limited by physical things like handicaps and can change with age. Gifts from God can't be practiced into, are for His glorification, transcend setting-family-status, and are probably noticeably beyond us.

Can we be given a Gift and need to use/improve our abilities to have the Gift bring Him glory?

In the world or of it? Followup from a discusion in a small group.

God doesn’t want US to eat with tax collectors and sinners. (this is just the intro sentence to get your blood moving and make you read on to see what I actually want to say)

The multiple times that Jesus was confronted about associating with the unclean, He basically brings up that He has come to heal the sick, not the well. The key concept here is that He came and we shouldn’t insert ourselves in His place. Any life change in the people around us will come from a contact with Jesus not us. I agree that that contact is with Jesus THROUGH us, but it is with Jesus and ONLY through us, we can’t get that mixed around.

In the scriptures we also see that we are to be lights of the world, and if we don’t shine a light in the darkness who will? But we need to remember that that light is Jesus, that light is a light that shows our relationship with Him and the fruits of that relationship with Him. That light is not just our wonderful personality or our great wit within social situations. Non-Christians don’t have that light, and know one will see it in us if we cover it up when we are in worldly settings.

We are to be in the world, we should be encouraged to associate with non-Christians in many settings, but only as a measure of how well we wrap ourselves within Him. We should never have Jesus wait at the door while we go in alone. We CAN go into the lion’s den and have full assurance of protection if we are with Him. We wouldn’t go into the den twice with Him and then on the third time say that “You should wait outside, I can do this alone now”.

I DO think that we are called to go outside our own walls, into the world, to be with the lost (tax collectors and sinners) that might only find hope through a contact with us. But the only reason to do this is our love for them, to be a mirror of Christ in this age, and to be available for what part we are to play in Jesus healing the sick. We shouldn’t do it just to please ourselves with a good meal.

JESUS still wants to be at the table with tax collectors and sinners. Will we take Him there?

What is our definition of success?

Jesus said:
Matt 11:11, "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has
not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

John the Baptist was not high on the economic or social scale. John
also says "He(Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease." This is who
Jesus calls the greatest.

God says to Jeremiah:

Jer. 7:27, "You shall speak all these words to them, but they will
not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will not answer
you." This is after God calls him to speak.

I think a lot about success, and pretty much always feel I am missing it. My definition would be something like: success is when you have set out to do something and have accomplished it. It could be acquire money and do, stature and you do, or set out to make a call and do, loose a few pounds and you do, work in a low paying job to benefit others and you do.... This does allow you to set a low bar and achieve it, so I guess that is success also.?.

Truely making my desires only what God wants

God provides resources when I ask for stuff He wants, and I use (self gratify) earthly resources when it is something I want. What if every want that popped up in my head was measured against a question like, Is this what God would want to minister to people, or do I want to do it to just make my life easier. Computers would seem to be just a personal benefit, but could be viewed as a more efficient ministry resource, but does it and could we quantify it. Could we do a study of our work and our product and determine if computers are necessary and if so what type.

Self gratification is the root of self relience

I am constantly looking to self for gratification every time a want pops
up. I go to fast food(or the fridge) every time I think I'm hungry, buy
the latest electronic device when the lust for it pops up in my head, I
don't act at camp when the need to do so is against my own desires.
What about this model:

Want ==> Plan how to get ==> Self gratification

Instead

Want ==> Release to God ==> Keep before God as long as it is a want ==> Steadfastly anticipate God providing

This is not just a big issue subject or changing one item in life, it
would have to be an entire lifestyle change affecting almost every minute
of your life.

Trust/Faith and Success

Here are three categories of Christians today. Sadly this is what I think that the Christian publishing and professional speaking people have missed. They are just preaching to one of these populations. (can you guess which one?)

1. Ones who can succeed on their own without God, and they just do it without acknowledging that it is just their own strength.

2. Ones who can't succeed on their own, but don't have enough trust/faith to let God do it.(me)

3. Ones who can't succeed on their own, but have enough trust/faith to let God do it.(want to be)

The Bible is the ONLY book that gives us hope that we can succeed (in God's plan, into eternity) without being good enough ourselves. All other publications try to show us where we fail to be close to God and what to DO to improve. These only click with people that can use their own abilities to get closer to God. What about us that have no ability to succeed at anything on our own....... only the Bible gives us hope.