On January 1, 2012, we are going to stop “Playing Church!” I know of at least one Council member who doesn’t particularly care for the title. That’s understandable. Often, when we characterize people as “playing church,” we mean that we don’t think they are taking their faith and the cost of discipleship seriously enough. In other [...]
I know it may not seem like it, but there are times when I can not bring everything to church in the message that I would like to bring. Yesterday was one of those days. While researching for the message, I came across a poem by John Piper on Hosea and Gomer in their later [...]
It’s late on Saturday, March 19. Within the next 14 hours or so, I plan to head out to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin for a retreat at The Cedarly from the Pastor’s Retreat Network. I will be on a “media fast” while I am there, so I will be unavailable except for emergencies. On Monday, March 28, I will return [...]
By now, most of you reading this know that I am taking a 12-week leave of absence. I partially explained the reason behind that on Sunday when I announced it during our morning worship. Since not everyone was there on Sunday and since some might want more of an idea of what I’m going to [...]
“In 1864 Jules Verne published ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ the charming narrative of the adventures of a party of three…who have lowered themselves into an extinct volcanic crater.” Their goal? To reach the center of the earth. (You can find the book at Amazon.com…or your local library.) A journey to the center [...]
While not quite ready to recommend the book (and fully realizing that there are some who would be offended if I did), I found an interesting quote in God Laughs and Plays by David James Duncan. This is the sort of book that could be interesting to read in order to look at the church [...]
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. At Bethel, we have a tradition of gathering together on Thanksgiving Day (9:30 am) for a time of singing, prayer and reflection. By gathering together on Thanksgiving: we take time to give thanks to God, the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17); we open our eyes to see [...]
I have a hard time thinking ahead – especially in the summer. But I am regularly encouraged to do so because when I/we think and plan ahead, good things can result! The Segue Team (planning, implementing and overseeing the budding small group ministry) is recommending that we as a church go through a series of [...]
Grant requests Coaching for Congregations Coaching for Pastors Health and Renewal Technology Finances Lack of clarity on where we’re at Unclear lines of responsibility – who decides where money is spent and when? Reimbursement system Jody Rice opened our meeting reading from Psalm 62. The Elders and Deacons then went into their districts to spend [...]
All right, so this past Sunday was fun for me. It’s true. I’ll have to get around to publishing the video so that any of you who were not there can see Jason’s masterpiece – especially important because it expresses so nicely my heart as well. I’ve joined another team as well. You can find [...]
On Sunday, worship will still begin at 10:30 am and Sunday School at 9:30 am. There’s just one problem: all of the Sunday School teachers and helpers have been given the day off. So, what’s going to happen with all of the participants. Good question! You won’t find the answer to this good question at [...]
Pssst. Hey buddy. Yeah you! Come over here. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but Sunday at Bethel Church is going to be a very…unique…experience. You won’t want to miss it! I think it’s safe to say that nothing like this has happened before or will happen again. Be there!
Thank you to everyone who offered questions for Stump the Pastor. It should be a challenging summer! Would you also like a different sort of challenge? While it will be fun to dig into the questions that you asked, it was suggested tonight at Worship Planning that perhaps we need a break from the brain [...]
This morning during the “children’s message”(or more appropriately, the message to the children), I talked to the kids about the fact that they would probably see a lot of adults crying. Sometimes, that’s scary for kids. The people that they expect to “be strong” now seem to be overwhelmed. They must wonder what is happening [...]
I had the chance to be at church tonight. The place was hoppin’ with people. At 5:30, the Garden and Grow group met to start planting in the garden. While the garden doesn’t look that different yet, you can anticipate seeing: radishes, cucumbers, potatoes, beans, cantaloupe, squash and peas. In the future, there will also [...]
After Roger Schlief opened with devotions and prayer, the Elders and Deacons met in districts to discuss needs, to schedule visits and to pray. When we reconvened, the staff led a discussion on incorporating small groups into our ministry plan. There are many reasons for which we are excited about having more small groups. People [...]
Among the many things that I enjoy about hardware stores, one has become a bit of a game to me. I like to call it, “Stump the Hardware Guy.” I know, it’s a bit sexist. Ace Hardware changed their jingle from “helpful hardware man” to “helpful hardware folk.” But “Stump the Hardware Folk” just doesn’t [...]
I can’t say it loudly enough or often enough: WOW!!! At the end of our meeting last night, we passed around a sheet of paper for people to put their names on if they would be interested in having continued involvement through the summer months with designing, planning and implementing the new small group ministry [...]
originally published as the Sermon of the Week in the Princeton Union-Eagle. Today is the day for Taxes and Thanksgiving. You probably don’t hear those two words in the same sentence very often! There are some who will disagree that they belong together. I’d love to get your feedback. (You can leave comments if you’d [...]
During the series that starts on Sunday, “The Power of One,” I’d like to challenge us as a congregation to not only read the Word of God (the Bible) and to listen to it (through sermons or on radio) or to obey the Word but also to memorize the Word. Each week, I will assign [...]
Have you ever been lost or in a place that you never expected to be and wondered, “What in the world? How did I get here?” Sometimes, we feel that way as Christians and as congregations as well. We’re not really clear what our faith is all about or what the church should be doing. [...]
This Sunday, we’ll begin a series of messages called, “The Power of One.” While I am introducing this as a “New Member’s Class” in the midst of a worship service, it’s actually quite a bit more complicated (and simple) than that. During the “class,” we will: look at the basics of the Christian faith; investigate [...]
How much of an influence do we really have on other people? Sometimes, we feel like we don’t have a lot of impact at all. But research seems to suggest something entirely different. Read this article and think about your own attitude toward drinking. And then come back to the blog and give me your [...]
Another quick summary of our Council meeting. Bob Swanson opened with devotions, then the Elders and Deacons went into their districts. They spent time sharing prayer requests from their own lives and their districts, then prayed together. Last month, the staff was given permission to take a more directive role in guiding the direction that [...]
That today is International Water Day? I didn’t realize that until I saw Sheryl Crow on the Today show. Later, I received this posting from the Blood Water Mission blog. Even if you didn’t know before, it’s not too late to help! At Bethel Church, we have a blue water bottle in The Gathering Place where [...]
It’s exciting to see all the people that have signed up for tomorrow night’s Small Group Gathering! It promises to be a great time of discussion and dreaming…and eating pizza. If you have not signed up, give Bonnie a call or send her an email and let her know you’d like to come. By the [...]
I just finished a book recommended to me by a counselor. I, in turn, want to recommend it to you. The book is called, “Leadership and Self-Deception: getting out of the box.” I will provide links below so that you can purchase this or it’s companion, “The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict” [...]
Thank you for your prayers for our Classis meeting. Classis Lake Superior is a gathering of church leaders from over 20 congregations that are spread out from Baldwin, WI to Thunder Bay, Ontario to Winnipeg, Manitoba and down to Prinsburn, MN. We are the only bi-national classis in our denomination. Needless to say, the Americans [...]
I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to go over to the Bethel Art Camp website yet, but it’s coming together quite nicely. Of course, there is a lot of planning left to do, but it at least gives us a starting place. I just posted a new article on the blog there. It’s [...]
We tried something a little new this month for our prayer time. After our opening devotions, we divided Elders and Districts into three teams of four and sent them out to report on the visits that they had made and to pray for their districts and the community. It went well for the first time! [...]
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