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Weekend Preview – Spiritual Gifts

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Just finished working on my sermon for this Sunday, 1/27, On Spiritual Gifts from 1 Corinthians 12-14.  It should be a fun text to work through.  I’m focusing on the big narrative and hopefully will serve people well in application and not get lost in the forest of tongues and prophecy.  At any rate, you can prepare for Sunday by praying for this message and reading 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14.  It should be a fun journey.

Also, we will be taking Lord’s Supper in the AM service.

Thanks.  Have a blessed weekend.

Dangerous Calling – For All In Ministry

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The latest book from Paul Tripp entitled Dangerous Calling helps show the unique temptations that go with being involved in Christian Ministry.  Tripp is masterful, as usual, in exposing our hearts and their most desperate need: God and the Gospel.  This year, we will be taking our leaders through the DVD and taking some time to consider how God might be directing us, exposing our weaknesses, so that He might be supremely glorified.

Here’s a teaser of the videos:

Dangerous Calling from Crossway on Vimeo.

Leadership Email: Authority, Leadership, Review

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Here’s my email from 1/21/13 to leaders in Reno County:

Today, I wanted to begin a few weeks of reminding you of the 5 leadership principles from the KLC found in their QuickStart Guide.
1) Leadership is an activity, not a position.
It took me a while to wrap my mind around this one, because many of us are taught that it’s about the position or that the one with the position determines the direction and other thoughts like this.  But, when we stop and think about this we know this to be true.  The best leaders aren’t necessarily those who run at the front of the pack.  They are the ones who are performing acts of leadership, not merely wearing a title.  This can be quite convicting for some of us who have titles of leadership.  We may have the position and the reality is that we may or may not be the best leaders IN our position.  And, it can be encouraging to those who may feel squished by a system where they don’t have the position.  Leadership is about acts of leadership being lived out, not merely having a title.
Wherever you find yourself today, look at your life.  Think about your functioning as a leader.  Is it your acts of leadership that make a difference or merely the authority you exert?  There is a huge difference between authority and leadership.  They can go together, but don’t blur the lines and make no mistake…leaders act.  So today, remember, leadership is about activity, not merely position.
Hope you have a great Monday and week.

Weekend Recap – Valuing Life

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Yesterday morning at Crestview, I continued my series on “Body Builders” by examining the concept of Valuing Life from Proverbs 24:10-12.  I tried to show some incentives from God’s Word about why we should value life.  If we live to value life, it may be costly, it is our calling and excuses are not an option.  My sermon went with the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.  This is a day when churches are encouraged to fight against the atrocities of legalized abortion in America.  I’m hoping my sermon in this regard helped foster an atmosphere of grace in thinking about this issue for people.

Hope you had a great Lord’s Day as well.

In Romans with Elyse Fitzpatrick

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I don’t know about you, but I don’t find a more practical writer when it comes to the Gospel and my life than Elyse Fitzpatrick.  So, I would highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity from Crossway about Elyse’s forthcoming book:

If you never got off the ground with a 2013 Bible reading plan or are so far behind you’ve already thrown in the towel, on every Monday in March at the Crossway blog they will be reading Romans 1-8 together. Elyse Fitzpatrick will share devotional thoughts from Romans, helping us delight in God’s word and rejoice in the gospel in 2013.

So join Crossway in March as Elyse encourages us again from Romans 1-8. We’re invited to bring questions, insights, and interact in the comments section. For more devotional material to accompany Reboot with Romans, check out Elyse’s newest book­—Comforts from Romans: Celebrating the Gospel One Day at a Time.

Leadership Email – Purpose, Values and Difficult Choices

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Here’s my email to leaders on Monday, January 14, 2013:

Happy Monday.  Well, we are 14 days in to a New Year.  I continue to think about holding on to purpose, though, in both my personal priorities as well as with the organizations I’m involved with, so today I wanted to write something about purpose and values and saying “No.”  Some of you have probably learned this lesson long ago, but I’m one of those people who have a hard time saying “no” to things when I am given an opportunity.  But, as we think about holding to purpose, we see that purpose is all about maintaining focus on what you want to accomplish, staying grounded, keeping entwined to those things crucial for progress.  This inevitably means that we will have to choose among competing values.  We might have to evaluate between 2 equally good things.  Holding to purpose will free us say “no” to one so that we can give ourselves to saying (and living) “yes” to another. 
I need to learn this.  There are many things that call for my attention.  I have a full time job pastoring a church, 4 kids ages 6 and under. I chair a non-profit in our community, write and help with some facilitation for Leadership Reno County and volunteer as a WatchDog at Lincoln Elementary.   Holding to purpose is important as I try to juggle things that are important and meaningful to me.  (And I’m sure some of you are even busier than I am).  I say all this to say, purpose helps us navigate around those competing values and make some difficult choices at times.  Holding to purpose undoubtedly makes us effective leaders. 
Today, then, hold to purpose and, in so doing, choose among competing values.  Make those difficult choices to say “no” to good things at times and “yes” to those things that line up most clearly with your purpose.  And let’s see if we aren’t able to see progress in those purposeful areas of our lives and leadership.

Weekend Recap – Word, Work, Other Good Things

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As I try to wrap up Sunday, 1/13, there are lots of highlights.  I really enjoyed teaching my Sunday School class, which overviewed the concept of Missions in the Old Testament.  We charted the course of creation to the promise to Abraham to David and the New Covenant.  It was a good time and the class did a good bit of work to dig in.

My AM sermon from Matthew 9:35-38 entitled God’s Word and God’s Work is online.  This sermon sought to unpack the connection between God’s Word and His work, specifically in leading us to be people of compassion, on mission with Him and prayer fervently.

On Sunday PM, we launched a new small group curriculum entitled Gospel Identity.  I’m really hoping this study helps orient our people in the Gospel in deeper, lasting, abiding ways.

Hope you had a good Lord’s Day, as well.

Leadership Email – Purpose Matters

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Here’s the email I sent out to leaders in Reno County today, 1/8/13:

Hello Everyone.  Welcome into a New Year.  As many of us are strategically thinking this time of year, I was privileged to be a part of 2 discussions and they both drew me back to the importance of purpose.  One was a meeting with the Leadership Reno County Advisory Board.  Lynette was presenting some details on the coming class and asked a gathering question, “What is the purpose of Leadership Reno County?”  Our discussion around this question really helped give us focus, and, specifically, encouraged us to dream about what we’d like to accomplish in the future.
My second discussion area was in the church work.  My leadership team was discussing the ins and outs of a particular decision and one of my leaders asked, “Well, what is the purpose of this?”  The light bulb went off in our collective heads as we realized that all our time in discussion would have been better served if we would have started with that question, because the discussion would have been a moot point.  A direction would have been clear if we agreed on purpose.    
So, purpose matters.  It serves a pragmatic purpose (as my examples show) but also keeps us on target and affects the decisions in the minutiae.  Time and again in life I see how important this is to unite people around purpose and chart direction accordingly. 
Let’s begin this new year, then, holding relentlessly to purpose and see if it doesn’t help foster progress in those issues we care about so deeply.

Weekend Recap – Week of Prayer

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My 1/6/13AM sermon, Praying for God’s Work, from Matthew 9:35-38 is now online.  (This sermon kicked off our church’s Week of Prayer.  Devotional available here.)  The sermon sought to unpack how prayer is really an important part of God’s work, using the life and ministry of Jesus as example #1.  We don’t treat or think of prayer as an important part of God’s work, but Jesus draws the connection close.  Hopefully my sermon pointed you to this truth.

Hope you had a good Lord’s Day yourself.  Now, off to another week living for God’s glory.