Pastor Mark

I’m amazed at the creative of people…but then I shouldn’t be, as we’re made in the image of a creative God.  Watch this video, and see if it doesn’t stir some ideas in your own life…

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=living/2011/04/16/heroes.mahlum.speech.cnn

• 82% of Americans say they would be likely to attend a church if they were invited
• 2% of church members invite an non-church person to attend in a given year (meaning 98% do not invite anyone)

So I’m reading through Nehemiah recently. It’s often used as a text-book on great leadership skills. And in fact, there are some great leadership lessons there. But then Nehemiah says this,

I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name… (Neh. 13:25)

I’m going out on a limb to say that leadership tactic is probably not gonna work for you. Or for me. But here’s the tactic I do want to implement based on feedback from last Sunday.

We had the privilege of hearing from a diverse panel as we looked at “Becoming Part of a Healthy Church.” One panelist noted that as he walks through the lobby and halls of Seneca Creek, he often feels ignored or de-valued because others will choose not to greet or acknowledge him as they approach. Interestingly a few others commented on this phenomenon on their connection cards after the service. Apparently this is more common than I realized. So it got me to thinking.

• First, I recognize that we’re all capable of getting lost in our thoughts, our busyness, and our insecurities. When that happens, we may ignore someone, or fail to greet them with a hello, a smile, or a handshake.

• Second, some of you walk through the doors of 13 Firstfield on Sunday and you’ve had a horrible week. You need encouragement, strength, affirmation, and an infusion of hope. Extending a warm welcome to someone else might seem like a herculean task.

I think most of us are in the first category. And if so, let me encourage you to approach Sunday mornings with a slight change. As you walk into the building, just say a simple prayer: “Help me to encourage the people you bring into my path this morning.” If you think that asking, “How’s it going?” is too shallow, try asking someone, “What’s God been teaching you this week?”

By taking the initiative, we’ll not only reduce the numbers of people who feel ignored, but we may very well open up the door to friendships that will enrich us all, and change the course of your life! After all, God has arranged your life and the other person’s life so that you’re together in that moment. Is it a coincidence…or does God have something planned for you? Maybe it’s part of the good work that God is completing in you (see Philippians 1:6). Or maybe that other person is in the second category above.

Let’s try it out this Sunday. And I promise not to curse at you, or beat you, or pull your hair out. 🙂

– Pastor Mark

In preparing for last Sunday’s discussion, I discovered some great resources. There was not enough time to include them all. Here’s an example of some of the resources on the site, thenewculture.org.

Here’s part 2

And part 3

Feel free to join the discussion below.

Crazy leadership tactic…
Click here to read this week’s article for April 7, 2011.  (sorry for the confusion)

[The following is from March 31, 2011]
After last Sunday’s mega-message, in which we explored some controversial passages in the New Testament about women in the church, I heard some troubling feedback. In short, the feedback was this: “Mark, if we can’t simply read the Bible and understand it without all kinds of background information, then what’s the point of reading it at all?” To which I immediately think, “That’s NOT what I meant!” But it’s a fair question. Let me try to address it.

• First, the vast majority of what we read in the Bible requires no further explanation. Things like, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “In your anger do not sin,” “Worship the Lord with gladness,” “Flee sexual immorality,” “Share with God’s people who are in need,” “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,” just to name a few examples.
• Second, there is power in God’s word. When we open the book, we open our lives to God’s Spirit. You can actually trust God to help you learn and grow as you’re reading, even if you don’t understand everything! As a life-long student of Scripture, I can honestly say that I continually learn and grow from my regular, personal Bible reading, which I do without any outside resources.
• Third, there truly ARE some difficult passages that we need help with. One of the reasons we have difficulty is that the Bible was written thousands of years ago in a language and culture that we’re completely ignorant of. Think of it this way: most of us can’t even explain the culture and events that led to the First World War, which was less than 100 years ago! Or imagine someone trying to understand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech if they knew nothing about the history of race relations in America. Sometimes we simply HAVE to learn the context surrounding the conversation. We talked extensively about overcoming these difficulties in our series, “Making Sense of the Bible,” from January of this year. If you missed that series, check out the podcasts. If you want to go further, sign up the next time we offer our workshop, “Dig Deeper.” There we provide even more help on how to study and learn and grow in the area of personal Bible study.

So please don’t let the difficult passages discourage you from pursuing the most effective tool known for personal spiritual development. And if you want to learn more about the topic we dealt with over the last two weeks, be sure to let us know. You can click here and type the phrase, “biblical equality,” in the subject line. We’ll add your name to the list and let you know the details of that discussion group when we get them finalized.

Check out Seth Godin’s insights on leadership. And for crying out loud, join us for the Chic-Fil-A Leadercast on May 6th.

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

You can register here.

Have you ever visited a future construction site? Where the only thing visible is a picture or a sign, instead of the reality? Like this picture, which I took earlier this week.

That stake says, “future home of something great!” I’ve walked past sign post #38 for the last few years. The sign hasn’t changed. And there’s not been any construction or development. It’s a bit “developmentally challenged.” It’s not “becoming” anything.
When we understand and respond to Jesus’ invitation to follow him, God puts a stake in the soil of our lives. “Restoration project under construction. Future home of something great!” And he begins working (see Philippians 1:6). But sometimes our lives can look like the same stake, year after year. We can get stuck, distracted, or sidetracked. We can get developmentally challenged. Which is why we’re exploring the work God desires to do IN us: transforming us into people of HOPE. If you’ve missed the current series—Becoming– get the podcasts from our web site or from iTunes. And I hope you can join us this Sunday as Danny Cahill helps us understand “Becoming Healthy From The Inside Out.” And my prayer is that the stake that God has driven into the soil of your life will begin to give way to the glorious life he has in store for you. Are you “becoming”?