Momentum

Ravines Open House

Last Sunday, the Ravines Retreat Center held its first "official" open house for Faith Church leaders.  About 70 people came through to see the facilities, meet the counselors, and learn more about this new ministry to bring hope and healing to broken marriages.  Three couples have been through intensive counseling at the Ravines.  Informational gatherings for other churches will be scheduled in the near future.

Please be in prayer for marriages that are in need of healing, the counselors, volunteers and all who God has placed in this ministry.  To Him be the glory!

Exponential Reflections

Last week I attended the Exponential Conference with fellow staff members Charlie, Jason, and Dave Weemhoff.  I always like to reflect post-trip on the insights I gained.  I’d like to share a few with you here.

1.     The multi-site movement of one church/multiple locations is here to stay.  I thank God for allowing us to be on the front end of this movement.  It has so many advantages.

2.     We would all be better off thinking “kingdom” vs. “church.”  When we think about our walk with Christ via the church, we tend to think too small, too internal, and too local.  However, when you think about it via the kingdom, you lean toward region, nation, and the world.  I desire to be a kingdom guy; plus, it’s mentioned much more in scripture.

3.     I was struck by one speaker’s thoughts about how we “do” church.  He said, “If you were on a remote island, and no one had ever seen a Bible or Christians and someone gave you a Bible, after you read it would the church you started look like the one you go to now?”  Very thought-provoking.  I’d like to read through the book of Acts, and some of the letters to the churches in the New Testament again to see what the basic church looks like.

Any thoughts?

Exponential Learning

For most of this week, I am attending the Exponential National New Church Conference with Charlie Contreras, Dave Weemhoff and Jason De Vries.  The mission of the Exponential Network is to attract and inspire Kingdom-minded leaders to engage their time, talent and treasure in church planting.  The conference has been great so far.  Incredible leaders, many of whom have spoken at the Leadership Summit: Francis Chan, Craig Groeschel, Tim Keller, and Efrem Smith among them.  This year there is less emphasis on the science of church planting and more on the art of it - we are being challenged to understand and actively join God where He is moving and at work, whether we are a church with a local presence or a global one. 

We are really enjoying it and learning.  You can experience the conference in real-time with us by clicking here. 

Cardboard Cross

 

On Easter weekend, we ended our services with a moving event called “cardboard testimonies.”  These were real people with real stories of life change that were illustrated on pieces of cardboard.  It was a powerful event for everyone, whether they were “testifying” or watching from their chairs. 

 

Last weekend, an artist from our church had the idea to re-purpose those pieces of cardboard into the shape of a cross.  It’s a great post-Easter reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for us, putting to death our sin and refreshing us with His powerful grace.  And it’s only through His grace that these stories of life change are possible.  Now that’s a testimony to share!

10,000 Words??

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  This picture shows the joy and enthusiasm (and craziness) that Charlie and I displayed Wednesday night to kick off our volunteer celebration.  It shows only part of the appreciation and love we have for all the volunteers at Faith Church.  Thanks for all you do for Faith Church and for the camels, too!  (if you were in church that will make sense).

We just finished a series called Life Unscripted, about dealing with life's uncertainties.  Last weekend, we concluded each service with "cardboard testimonies" by people who had some pretty incredible unscripted circumstances in their life, and by God's grace, came through those circumstances transformed and willing to share on Easter weekend.  Here are links to the video.  And these are not actors - they are real people with real stories!

To watch the video from the Dyer campus, click here:

To watch the video from the Cedar Lake campus, click here:

Post-Easter Thought

The challenge I left people with for my Easter message was from Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of the Resurrection”.  I didn’t have time to share all that I had learned about this verse, so I will share a couple more here.  

First, the word ‘know”  is the word used to describe the closest intimacy.  Paul wanted to get to know Christ more and more intimately because he knew that only Jesus could change him.  Secondly, the word “power” is the word in the original for dynamite.  Paul wanted to get to know more and more how the resurrection power of Christ could apply to his life.

So my challenge was to get to know Christ and the power of the resurrected Christ more as:

1.    the complete Prophet in my life-the one and only voice that speaks into my life. (Luke 4:16-21)

2.    the complete Priest in my life-the one and only mediator who intercedes for me. (Hebrew 7:23-27)

3.    the complete King in my life-the one and only leader and ruler of my life.  (John 18:36-37)
 

I choose the Priest.  Which one have you chosen?

I have Joel Osteen’s book My Best Life Now.  I have to admit I have never read it.  I got it free in the mail.  I’ m sure he is a good guy but his theology concerns me.  However, I like the title of the book.  If I wrote a book it might be titled My Best Week Now!  It would be about Holy Week.  From the launching of the week with Palm Sunday, to Maunday Thursday, to Good Friday and the cross,  to the Joy of Resurrection Morning.  Does it get better  than this?  It’s a week of heightened  focus on Christ.  Most weeks tend to be focused about everything else and everyone else, and self.  For one week , Holy Week,  I find myself thinking , reading , praying, meditating, talking, singing, anticipating, preparing, thanking, praising so much more than other weeks.  I pray that this will be the best week now for you!  If not, read my next book, My Best Week Now! 

Happy and Blessed Easter/Resurrection day!

Bob

John Calvin in his commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:57 says:

 “‘Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’  This first of all gives us to understand that the victory has been given to us because Christ in his own person has destroyed sin, has met the requirements of the law, has endured the curse, has appeased the anger of God, and has won life.  Indeed, he has already begun to make us partakers of all these benefits.  Even though we still carry about with us the remnants of sin, it does not rule over us.  Even though we still feel its sting, it does not wound us fatally, because it is blunted and does not penetrate to the core of the soul.  Though the law still threatens us, we are given the liberty Christ won for us, and that is an antidote for all the terrors of the law.  Though the remnants of sin remain in us, yet the Spirit, who raised Christ from death, is life because of righteousness.”

 

What I love…

·         Christ Jesus has destroyed sin.

·         Christ Jesus took away the wrath of God.

·         Christ Jesus helps us overcome all things.

·         Christ Jesus is the Victor!

·         It’s all about Christ Jesus!

Whole Holy Week

It’s Monday of Holy week and this is what I’m thinking about: how do we best prepare for the remembering of what Jesus Christ did for us 2000 years ago?  For me the last month has been a good month, but very crazy.   I made choices that made me travel a lot, speak a lot and sleep a lot less than normal.  I was able to keep my sanity but unable to fully engage in the normal cycle of life that gears up for Easter.  So today I am committed to a crash course of preparation.  Here are some of the options:

1.    Read the Gospel accounts of Christ’s last week and meditate on them.

2.    Spend time in meditation and prayer.

3.    Pick a day to fast and pray.

4.    Watch The Passion of the Christ.

5.    Meet with a few brothers and sisters and talk about what Christ did on the cross.

6.    Be silent and let the Lord lead the time.

7.    Read a good book or chapters in a good book about the Passion of Christ.  

8.    Search the internet for articles about the cross and resurrection.

9.    Listen to music and worship songs about Jesus and the cross.

10. List my sins and confess them to Christ and think of the cross.

11. Write a blog so it gets me thinking about Holy Week.

 

Did I miss any ideas?

Maybe it’s a combo of a few of the above or all of them?

Along with this blog I offer a prayer for all who will read this, that this Holy Week you and I will encounter the risen Christ in powerful ways!

 

Blessed Holy Week,

Bob