Video Blog

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“Parousia” New Message Series

 

I’m excited to begin a new series this Sabbath (May 2) focusing on the New Testament books of I & II Thessalonians. The word “parousia” is from the Greek and means “coming”, “presence”, “arrival” and is most often used in reference to the second coming of Jesus. There are a total of eight chapters between both books written by the apostle Paul to the  Thessalonians and in each chapter there is a specific reference to the “parousia”. I’ve really sensed a call to preach this series mainly because there are so many things going on in our world right now. With the current economic downturn, ongoing war, and recent news of a “swine flu” many are wondering if indeed Christ return is imminent. We’ll take the next 6 messages (possibly more) to journey through I & II Thessalonians together and find that indeed Christ will return for His people.

BowlFest 2009

Hello everyone,
On May 4 I’ll be in “sin city” Las Vegas, NV to support a great cause. I’ll be bowling 100 frames to support my ministry friends at Fireproof Ministries/www.xxxchurch.com. I would love to have you sponsor me and support this incredible ministry that is reaching out to so many with the gospel.  JUST CLICK ON THE “first giving” button above.  Thanks!

Satan and Demons “Nightline Face Off”

 

Check out this debate on Satan & Demons with Mark Driscoll, Depok Chopra and some other folks. I don’t agree with Mark Driscoll on everything but I do like him and I like his approach with Mars Hill Church, Seattle.  Obviously the Bible teaches that Satan is real and seeks to destroy all that God has created especially you and me. (Ephesians 6:11-13)

 

http://abcnews.go.com/nightline/faceoff

Barna Speaks: Action Steps

 

George Barna at NAD Ministries Convention

Here are some more of my notes from the Barna presentation in Myrtle Beach. At the end of his presentation he offered these “action steps” for churches that want to be effective at reaching people:

1. Your church must really want to grow. (spiritual depth, determines their willingness to want to share their faith) not about numbers it is depth.  Outreach is not a program it is a culture.
2. Treat outsiders like people, not numbers.
3. Let them maintain control of the relationship (anonymity is the desired starting point)
4. Let them get in touch with God.
5. Provide quality ministry (things they perceive as them gaining value) not all about relationship.
6. Contextualize things without compromising ministry.
7. Figure out what other churches are doing to reach them and collaborate.
8. Pray for them behind their backs.
9. Establish multiple entry points.

I would love to here your thoughts on these.

Events and Process

I want you to consider these characteristics of an event and a process that I picked up from leadership expert Tim Elmore. My point is that both are needed to truly transform lives.

EVENTS

1. Motivate people

2. Are a calendar issue

3. Challenge participants

4. Usually about a big group

5. Encourage decisions

6. Become a catalyst

7. Easy

8. Informative

For most churches spiritual life evolves around the “event” of weekend worship services. The worship event pretty much fits all the characteristics listed above. I would add one more to Tim’s list, and that is “informative” events also provide a way for us to deliver information to a large group at one time. The event is an essential catalyst to bringing about dramatic life change.

PROCESS

1. Matures people

2. Is a consistency issue

3. Changes participants

4. Usually about a small group

5. Encourages development

6. Becomes a culture

7. Difficult

Perhaps the most significant catalyst to transforming both the individual and the culture has to do with a “process”.  The process tends to be where the church isn’t quite as sharp mainly because it demands a high level of involvement and intentionality. When most people join our churches it is seen as the end rather than the beginning, and members tend to treat them that way. We forget that an individual has been “born again” and that it is important to provide an intentional process for growth.

In the last section of Jesus prayer in John 17 Jesus talks about His desire to be “in” us.  That implies a deep level of intimacy and knowing that doesn’t happen overnight or with one event. Remember those Bible Camps, and Week of Prayer events you attended as a teenager? They provided a spiritual high that left a significant spiritual impression but generally faded a brief time later. The “process” is so significant when it comes to knowing Christ intimately, and moving toward maturity and full devotion to Jesus Christ. The challenge for our church and any church that truly wants to see lives changed is in how effective we can be in creating the process and not just the event.

KJZZ 14 Interview

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Back a few months ago I did an interview on KJZZ talking about the issue of pornography and sharing my story. I also had a chance to offer some tips and advice for families.  The interview was with Julie Hanks, LCSW, her show “Home Team” is on KJZZ channel Mondays 9-10 AM. You can learn more about her show at: http://www.kjzz.com/entertainment/hometeam/Monday

Wasatch Hills Year Review Slide Show (2008)

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We showed this slide show a couple of weeks ago in church so if you missed it you can check it out here.

“It” by Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.TV

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Pastor Craig Groeschel is the pastor of LifeChurch.TV (Oklahoma). His church is listed as the #1 most innovative church in America for 2008 by Outreach Magazine. LifeChurch.TV is also the 5th largest church in America (more than 20,000 members in 11 locations around North America) and it’s only been around about 12 years. A couple of months ago I had an opportunity to visit with Craig over the phone just to gain some insights on his leadership style and what has set his church apart from others. The conversation was largely prompted from my reading of his book called “It”. I also heard him speak at the Leadership Summit about “It” and was deeply impressed. So through a mutual friend and ministry partner I was able to connect with Craig and talk church for about 45 minutes. At the end of our conversation he prayed for me and our ministry at Wasatch Hills. I also asked if he would send a video message to our entire church as a way to encourage and challenge us as we attempt to go about doing ministry in our unique setting. He agreed and I have been somewhat reluctant to share the video because of the undeserved praise he gives me. Nevertheless I do want to share it with you because he did take the time to do it! You can ignore the compliments he gives me and just listen to his encouragement for our entire church. Feel free to leave a message of thanks to pastor Craig for his encouraging words.

Report from NAD Ministries Convention, Myrtle Beach, SC

I was in Myrtle Beach for a couple of days this week doing a presentation for the NAD ministries convention. I was looking forward to some warm weather, and I even went through the pains of lugging my golf clubs along.  Well, the weather didn’t cooperate even though the forecast seemed to indicate that I would have one sunny, and relatively warm day.  Crazy thing is, on my last day there, it actually snowed! Apparently I brought the snow with me from Salt Lake City! I had a great view of the beach from my hotel room, but in order to enjoy it up close you needed a parka.

It was great to see some old friends, and get a feel for what our church in North America is thinking when it come to how we do ministry in today’s world. Honestly, I came away impressed, and encouraged by what I experienced.  Here’s why:

• #1 The conversations: It seemed to me that we were talking about the right things! So often we just aren’t having relevant conversations, but this was different.  From casual conversations with pastors in the hallways of the hotels, to the breakout sessions it seemed to me that we were talking about things that mattered. For example here are some of the titles of the breakout sessions: Conformers and Transformers: Finding, Understanding, and Answers in Youth Culture, Winning Worship: Using Your Worship Experience to Win Souls, Awakening the Hearts of Teens, Where Theology and Technology Meet, Coaching for Leadership.  Probably one of the most significant conversations came during the Best Practices “Night Owl Cafe” where we talked about the emergent/emerging movement and if there is anything Adventism might take from them as we attempt to minister to a post-modern culture.  I heard some great, and encouraging comments, thoughts, and ideas from some pastors who wouldn’t be considered exactly “young” any more.

• #2 The Music: There was an actual worship band! Yes, at an NAD sponsored event we had drums, a bass, guitars, and a worship leader who new what he was doing. Now please understand I’m not suggesting that this is the ONLY way to do it, but what it does tell me is that as a church we are opening up to OTHER ways of doing worship & music.  It essentially gave churches permission to try a different style of music in their churches. I’ve attended this particular event probably 5-6 times (it’s held every 2 years) but this is the first time I’ve come away hopeful about the mission of our church, but more importantly our willingness to attempt new things in order to fulfill that mission.  The music wasn’t embraced by everyone, there were some who left the building, and some who just showed up late so they missed it.  That’s fine. We don’t have to agree on how we do things, but we do have to agree that there are different ways of approaching ministry and we need to let our churches do what is appropriate for their context in order to be effective at reaching people.

• #3 The young leaders: As I walked around I noticed that we have some young pastors, and church leaders coming along through the ranks.  That was encouraging. I saw a young lady (20 something) who was a member of my youth group when I served in Arlington, and she was so excited to be serving at Andrew’s University as a chaplain. I saw a number of young guys and ladies who I attended college with or who I went to seminary with who are serving at various levels of leadership. This speaks well of our future!

• #4 The diversity: Studies show that by 2042 our country will no longer be majority Caucasian. That has already occurred within the SDA church. There is no longer a majority racial group within our church as of the end of 2007. As many of us gathered to watch the inauguration of our first black president together I couldn’t help but notice the diversity of the pastors and leaders taking it all in together.  People were even bold enough to talk about the need to end racially segregated conferences!

Another highlight for me was hearing George Barna speak on how to reach post-moderns. His presentation was extremely informative and insightful. I’ve been a longtime fan of Barna because of his humble spirit when he speaks. He often gets a bad wrap for being the bearer of bad news for the church, but I appreciate his candor, and his willingness to share with us the realities of the world in which we live.  I think his research has important implications for the SDA church especially today.  Here are some of the highlights from his talk:
He identified these “catalysts” to a shifting culture:

1. Post-modernism: reigning worldview and the way people experience life, no belief in absolute truth, if there is truth it cannot be imposed, relationships & experiences are most important, tolerance is the hallmark of the worldview.
2. Breakdown of the traditional family.
3. Individualism
4. Expectation to participate in everything that goes on. In other words they don’t want to be the spectators they want to be involved instead of simply observe.
5. Personal communications technology.
6. Impact of mass media
7. New heroes, mainly celebrities
8. Education without shared values
9. Culture of criticism

He also identified these “shifts” that currently shape popular culture:

1. Community > Individuality
2. Respect > Incivility
3. Discernment > Tolerance
4. Trust > Skepticism
5. Loyalty > Immediate Fulfilment
6. Absolute Morality > Situational Ethics
7. Appreciation > Criticism
8. Responsibilities > Rights
9. Intellectualism > Celebrity
10. Stability > Expectation of Change

He talked about what “visitors” to our churches are looking for and what they aren’t looking for based on his research:

Visitors want to:

1. want to keeping their children with them during the worship service
2. want one style of music
3. want to be greeted after the service
4. want it casual
5. want no special recognition as visitors just treat them normal
6. want a thank you note from the pastor
7. want church info from the ushers (greeters)

Visitors don’t want:

1. don’t want Home visit
2. don’t want a small gift
3. don’t want to wear a name tag
4. don’t want to be identified as a visitor during the service

Visitors are really after these things:

1. Respect: don’t call them “lost”
2. God’s presence: a unique experience
3. Acceptance: genuine not programmed
4. Honesty: transparency from the church, convey: “we don’t have it all together”
5. Hope: a reason for making the effort to come, belief

Perhaps some of what I shared will spark some conversations for us. Hope you’ll leave a comment or two letting me know your thoughts.  Thanks!