Earlier this year our men were introduced to the game Cornhole at our Men’s Retreat. A number of them got really good at the game and it has become a favorite of many. Here is a fun little clip of a young boy who has the skill many of wish we had. Enjoy!
Tonight in our evening service I shared a few thoughts in regards to grief. Consider them as you experience grief personally, or help those around us experiencing grief.
#1. Remember the Presence Principle of Psalm 23 – “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” Don’t forget that in times of death God promises to be very close to His people. You can experience an increased closeness to God that is very special.
#2. Remember the promise of Psalm 6:8 “…for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.” Here is the principle: God hears the tear filled requests of prayer. Though our voice may be strained through the tears and sobbing, God hears and understands our prayers during times of grief.
#3. Remember the principle of II Corinthians 1:3-4 – God is the only thing that brings comfort to our heart. Everything else is merely a distraction from the pain, but not a comfort to the heart.
#4. Remember the three primary temptations during times of grief – Doubt, Anger, and Self Pity
#5. Remember that asking or accepting help is not a lack of faith.
#6. The possibility of experiencing grief mixed with joy is hard to explain but possible to attain. (Hab.3:17-18) Joy is a choice!
A little over a year ago our church began to pray for God to supply a Christian camp nearby that our church family could use. Little did we know that God was already answering our prayers and providing Wolf Mountain Christian Camp. When Ironwood Christian Camp assumed responsibility for Wolf Mountain Camp I knew that God was not only providing a facility but also a sound camping philosophy that our church could wholeheartedly support.
Camp is becoming a big part of our ministry. We have camp staff attending our church, 6 of our college age adults are working there at different times this summer, and our folks in our church are beginning to attend retreats there throughout the year. With that in mind, let me share with us a little camp philosophy. What is the heart of camping? What is it about Wolf Mountain that separates it from a trip to a hotel, or a theme park? Take note of the acrostic and the video below to help us understand the difference that camp has:
H – Hearing the Word of God
E – Eliminating worldly distractions
A – Away from home overnight in a new setting
R – Reflecting on God’s Word and one’s life in a creation context
T – Trained staff leading unique, organized activities
The director of Ironwood, Mr. Sam Brock shares the details of these items in the following video. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGjhiw2mGXQ]
Recently, a news article reported that due to the high cost of maintenance and an increase in competition, the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory will be closing temporarily, in order to regroup and redesign its building for a more efficient candy-making process. We understand the importance of factories, places known for making or producing valuable products, like chocolate—can you imagine a world with no chocolate? But perhaps we are not aware of the cost necessary to make factories operate. When I say that our church should have a “factory mentality,” I mean that our church should be making or producing something valuable to the ministry of Christ, a product we cannot market nor one upon which we can place a price tag. I am referring to people who have been gloriously saved by faith in Christ, changed into Christlikeness through the Holy Spirit, and equipped by the local church to serve Christ. We cannot save people, but we can equip saved individuals with the skills and abilities which help them serve Christ effectively.
Having a “factory mentality” at FBC means that we look at each individual as a potential servant of Christ who could be equipped for ministry. If our ministry loses this mentality, we will eventually stagnate and fail in one of the chief missions God has given the church. Two key ingredients make our factory mentality work. The first is that we have a heavy emphasis on teaching. Right now, there are four areas where this is happening:
1. Whetstone Class—a six-week class that prepares potential teachers to be better teachers here in our ministry.
2. Leadership Meetings—occur on the last Wednesday of every month for our leadership team. Though we are constantly dealing with the needs of our ministry in each of those meetings, every meeting begins with a concentrated time of teaching and training to help our deacons be men of character and competency in their important roles within our church.
3. Ministry Interns—a program for men who have a heart for ministry and who are either in college or just within our church family. We provide a set curriculum and training coupled with lots of ministry experience here at FBC.
4. Sunday Night Seminars—occasional Sunday night services that are dedicated entirely to particular areas of ministry within our church (children’s ministry, evangelism, etc.).
The second key ingredient to making the factory mentality work here is for there to be an emphasis on ministry experience. In our ministry right now, we see this happening in many ways:
1. We let people who are not “experts” in particular areas serve in those areas so that they can grow.
2. We are not actively pursuing skilled people from outside our ministry but rather are growing the people within our ministry.
3. We let children and teens serve in music, ushering, children’s ministries, and more.
Having a “factory mentality” can be a joy for us as we see the finished product. But just as the cost to run the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory has proven to be quite high, so the cost for FBC to have this factory mentality is often high. For instance, we need to be willing to pay the following prices:
1. A slow pace of ministry because we are training people while we minister
2. A ministry that doesn’t always do things professionally and with lots of polish.
3. A ministry that invests financially in teachers, curriculum, teaching aids, and other things that help us train well.
4. A ministry that will say goodbye to some of its best products, because God equipped them here to use somewhere else in ministry.
As a child, I once had the privilege of visiting the Hershey Chocolate Factory and left with pictures and samples of chocolate. But those items are now long gone. As a church, though, with a factory mentality, our product of disciples trained for ministry is not a temporal one but rather an eternal one. The work of discipleship is a glorious work and one we must be faithful in pursuing.
– Pastor Ron
Most of us would consider it foolish to send a young 4 year old who cannot read to the medicine cabinet and ask him to get a bottle of medicine and take it. That child’s inability to read and discern what is in the bottle and how it should be taken puts the child at risk.
In a similar way, a Christian who is unable to discern the contents of a book puts them in a place of danger. So, this past Sunday night we worked through a handful of principles that can be used when trying to discern the contents of a book.
Filter your book choices through these questions and use them to grow in your discernment:
Who is the author? (this can often be found in the flyleaf of the book)
Identify the major premise of the book?
What is their primary source?
Am I ready to read this book?
Please remember that the only book that is inspired and without error is the Bible. Make the Bible your priority and screen your other books with this principle, “Make sure the spiritual books you are reading draw you back to THE Book the Bible.”
A study in the life of Moses is a worthy study for any leader in ministry, because Moses was a leader who struggled with many issues:
As you navigate your way through the life of Moses and his ministry with the Israelites, you will notice a glaring absence—something that is missing, particularly at the end of his ministry. Travel to the end of Moses’ ministry with me for a moment and notice this missing element. In Deuteronomy chapters 31-33, we see the final words of exhortation from Moses to the people of Israel. We see a seasoned leader sharing his insight into their weaknesses, the remedy for those weaknesses—a faith in the person and words of God—, and the challenges they will face. We can almost feel Moses winding down both his life and his ministry.
But then as we read the end of Deuteronomy, we begin to look for the way the Israelites will end their time with Moses. After all, he was the man who had led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. He had sacrificed and endured much in his attempts to minister to them. If there were ever a time for Israel to stand up and say a heartfelt, “Thank you!” it was at this point. But we are saddened to read that nothing is recorded in the way of celebration for his long years of faithful service. In similar situations, many people would have given their leader a retirement party, but Israel did nothing.
Many leaders and managers in ministry have experienced this in their own ministry. they put in a long day of preaching and ministry, and no one says, “Thank you.” They have poured months of hard labor into a particular project and hear more complaining than you do words of gratitude. Nearly every leader in ministry has experienced the reality of serving people who do not show gratitude.
But before a leader gives up in discouragement, take note of what Moses did have, though he didn’t get a large thank you and retirement party. Deuteronomy 34:1-4 records in a few simple sentences how the Lord took Moses to the top of a mountain and showed him the Promised Land. Instead of a retirement party, Moses ended his ministry with a special one-on-one with the Lord! The neat thing is that this is not the only one-on-one Moses received with the Lord. His entire ministry was filled with a series of special one-on-ones with God.
As a leader in ministry, I want to encourage us to take note of the one-on-ones God gives us with Himself. Through them, we receive the joy that gets us through seasons of unnoticed, unappreciated ministry. In the midst of serving the Lord, He gives us special times in His Word, special times of prayer, and exposure to His supernatural miracles. In a sense, He gives us a front row to Himself when we are in ministry. Don’t miss it! There is a special joy in that seat, if we will recognize it and appreciate it. Keep a journal of what God is teaching you in that seat, and rehearse those things regularly. If you are feeling unappreciated, think about the one-on-ones God gives you. They are one of the highest privileges in ministry.
