Playing with Technology

I found this site while reading another church planter's blog. I thought it was interesting and wanted to pass it along to my fellow bloggers.

Quick Disclaimer: I may or may not agree with everything on the site (It's 1:00 a.m.). Surf at your own risk!

The Big Day

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">November 5, 2006

Day Out With Thomas

Josiah loves Thomas! He can name almost every Thomas Train that has ever been made. He plays with Thomas Trains non-stop. He loves James, Thomas, Gordon, Edward, Percy, Harold, Emily, and a host of others in the Take Along collection.

We received the opportunity today to go to a Day Out With Thomas. It was a lot of fun. I had a great time visiting with Phil, Amanda and Abby M., but the highlight of the day was seeing my son's face.

The picture with Josiah looking at Sir Topham Hatt tells it all (look closely at the picture in my last entry).

Day Out With Thomas

Wildlife Warrior

I just finished watching 20/20 with Barbara Walters and Terri Irwin. It was a great interview. Terri demonstrated enormous courage to talk about her life with the famous "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.

When I heard that Steve Irwin had died it brought true sadness to my heart. I loved watching this guy. He was very passionate about his calling to conserve wildlife.

Throughout this interview, Terri repeatedly said that she and her family would be "Wildlife Warriors." What a statement! Steve Irwin spent his entire life (with excitement I might add) to save Crocodiles and other endangered species.

Now, if Christians were half as excited about their calling as Steve Irwin was to conserve Wildlife this world would be turned upside down. I honestly believe we'd see more disciples made, better communities, better churches, and of course, better families. What we need are some Warriors. We need people who are willing to take risks. Willing to do everything they can for Christ with excitement, zeal, enthusiasm and passion.

This world would be a different place if there were some Warriors.

Takin' It To The Streets

Some Tips For Taking It (The gospel) To The Streets

1. Make it a Priority.
2. Make it a Lifestyle.
3. Make it a Habit.
4. Make it a Necessity.
5. Make it a Passion.

Sharing our faith is one of the most difficult things we will do as Christians. It doesn't matter if you're an old pro or a novice. Sharing your faith takes guts! It takes Human Effort and Divine Enablement. Without the Spirit of God enabling us to share His Love with people we will not be effective.

If we are going to make a difference in our world, we must make evangelism a priority, a lifestyle, a habit, a necessity, and a passion.

I am always refreshed and excited when I remember to take it to the streets.

H-3: Living In Difficult Times

I am starting our new series in the book of Habakkuk this coming Sunday. Habakkuk was a prophet of God, and a contemporary of Jeremiah. He lived in a time period where violence, misery and iniquity was the norm. He made three accusations against God.

1. God was Indifferent.
2. God was Inactive.
3. God was Inconsistent.

In a world of violence, misery, and iniquity, do you feel like Habakkuk? Do you cry for help, or should I say, "SCREAM" for help? Habakkuk did, and so should we.

I Almost Forgot

After watching Cars, Kristie, Josiah, Jaden and I enjoyed a Banana Barge from Carvel. It was delicious!

Cars - The Movie

We just got home from watching Cars. It was awesome!

Accentuating The Positive

We are pleased with averaging in the fifties for the past three months, but not satisfied. We look forward to the time when the fifties will be in the rear view mirror.

On a positive note, we had a great service this morning. We dedicated Lucas to the Lord, and had a good lunch at Madeline's.

After lunch Russell and I tried to contact a guest who attended this morning. We are excited when new people visit with us.

For some reason or another, we do not get a lot of walk in traffic. If people attend StoneBridge it's usually because someone from our church has intentionally invited them to our service.

It is so vital for our people to know the impact which they can make if they would simply use their sphere of influence, to influence others.

God is using our people to make the difference. I am very proud of my fellow StoneBridgers!

Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo -Kingwood, WV

Here are some pictures from when we went to Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo.

New Series

Coming October 1st At A Theatre Near You!

Prediction For September 23, 2006

WVU 42 - ECU 10

Baby Dedication

This Sunday's service will center around the family. I am taking one more week to prepare and plan for our upcoming series in the book of Habakkuk.

My message thoughts for Sunday will focus on Joshua's words from Joshua 24:14-15..."As for me and my house..."

Chris and Veda B. will be dedicating their third son to the service of the Lord. It is their hope and prayer that he would serve the Lord with his life. We are thankful for this family. They have been with our church since March of 2004.

On a sad note, they will be moving to Virginia in January. Chris is a Pulmonary Doctor. He will begin working for a Hospital in Virginia at the beginning of the year.

They will be missed!

Watching From The Shadows

Tonight's gathering in Washington, PA stirred up some memories for Russell and me. It was the Summer of 2003 when we arrived in Morgantown. We had recently finished raising our support among the churches and were ready to turn this city upside down.

How were we going to do it? Zeal, enthusiasm, prayer, and...a HomeTeam Kick-Off Party. :0) We had distributed around 1800 flyers door to door. Now these flyers were not your typical run-of-the-mill flyers. They were Outreach Marketing Door Hangers. Surely these were going to pay great dividends. So we thought!

Well, we had a total of twenty-seven people, but only one family (from Morgantown) out of the twenty-seven people in attendance were present. We had a great time, but was disappointed that more people did not attend. Looking back I can now say..."Welcome to Church Planting 101."

Tonight, as I watched from the shadows the Johnson's have done a great job of networking with the people of Washington. God brought several families to the event, and even some of the new folks have signed up for their small groups. I am proud to say that God will use these men if they will remain hungry, humble, and honest.

Home Run Derby

Aaron and Andrew Johnson continue to hit home runs in Washington, PA. Their "A Night at the Park" was a great success. I believe there were approximately forty-five people present. Keep up the great work, guys! God is working.

Project Ecclesia

Tonight, a few of us are attending a night at the park in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Church planters Aaron and Andrew Johnson are hosting their first outreach event to their community. They are hoping for at least thirty-five people to attend this gathering. We are going to offer our support.

Russell and I coached Aaron through the efforts of Reach America. We are excited to see God work in and through this new church in Western Pennsylvania.

Mason-Dixon Festival (9/17/06)

David and I arrived around 11:40 a.m. at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park to lead our community in a 12:00 p.m. worship service. After the first few minutes of being there we knew we had made several mistakes.

First, we should have done a better job of promoting this event among our church and community.

Second, we should have hosted a tail-gate party at the Warner Theatre before the main event, then have all of our people come down to the Park for our regular Sunday Service.

Third, we should have used this opportunity to serve the people of Morgantown.

Hindsight is always 20/20. So, with that being said, if we get another opportunity to serve our community we'll do a better job of planning and promoting the event.

Some Things I Like

1. I like a large glass of Dr. Pepper with a #9 (Chicken & Steak Fajitas with Bacon, Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, Beans, Rice and Pico De Gallo) from Jaimes Rancho (Mt. Enterprise, Texas).
2. I like driving down the back roads of Morgantown with the windows rolled down and the radio blaring.
3. I like seeing old friends and catching up on "the good ole days."
4. I like being greeted by my wife and kids when I get home from work.
5. I like when my kids give me kisses & hugs for no particular reason.
6. I like when people genuinely listen to what I have to say (even if it's not all that good). :)
7. I like people who are happy, humble, friendly, and compassionate.
8. I like it when people embrace Christ and want to serve Him with all of their hearts, minds and souls.
9. I like people who aren't afraid to admit their wrong.
10. I like putting a smile on my wife's face after doing something nice for her.
11. I like Oreo Cookies and Cream.
12. I like people who are in it for Jesus and not $$$.
13. I like people who have the mind of a Rocket Scientist, but never flaunt their wisdom unless you ask their advice (then you still may not get the answer).
14. I like Wintergreen mints.
15. I like blogging.

Telemarketers

Thank God for Caller ID, right? Well, this is what I think most of the time.

Today, I had the opportunity to talk with a lady from British Columbia, Canada about her relationship with the Lord. After about a 30 minute conversation I had thoroughly shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with her. I could tell that this was the very first time that she had heard the Good News. Yes, she had heard of sin...Christ...Heaven and Hell, but this was the first time that she truly understood that she needed to accept Christ as her Savior in order to spend eternity in heaven.

I am sad to say that she did not accept Christ, but did promise to read the Bible (if I would buy her one). So, I will be purchasing her a new Bible so that God can use His Word, convict her of sin, and become a Christ Follower. Please pray for Angie!!! My hearts desire and prayer for her is that she would become a believer.

Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Baldwin made me proud this morning on the Today Show. He has a new book out called The Unusal Suspect. According to the interview with Matt Lauer, Stephen is frustrated with people who call themselves Christ Followers, but yet are not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For instance (in his opinion) he believes that Bono (lead singer of U2) is not doing enough for Christ. He believes that Bono should be using his platform to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ, not Third World Countries and AIDS (which he said was a worthy cause), but not more important than the gospel. Go Stephen!!!

Baptism Service

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. It will all begin with services at the Warner, services at the Wharf, and then a baptism service at Morgantown Bible Church.

This has really been a burden for me. We have baptized one person this year. For the past several years, we have baptized at least nine people. I truly think that seeing people baptized is a good sign of healthy growth. In the Bible, when people accepted Christ, one of the first things they did was get baptized.

As a pastor, it bothers me that people who profess faith in Christ continue to put off baptism. I often second guess my teaching. Here are some of my thoughts, "Am I not teaching the importance of baptism? Have the people truly accepted Christ? Do they not understand the importance of publicly professing Christ as their Savior? Do they not want to get busy doing everything the Lord has told them to do?"

I know these thoughts are just another way for Satan to attack my mind, but it does bother me. I want people to be excited about the Lord. I want them to share their faith. I want them to be faithful to Christ. I want them to attend our services and small groups. I want them to pray and read their Bible. And then, I think..."There are times when I am not excited about the Lord. There are times that I don't want to share my faith. I don't want to be faithful to Christ...so on and so on..."

Then, God reminds me that He loves me no matter what I do or don't do. Of course it is His desire for us to obey Him. But, if we don't, this doesn't effect His love for us, it only reveals how much we don't love Him.

Dear Lord, please help us to love you, obey you and serve you with all of our hearts, minds and souls. Thank you for your continual love for us. Please help us to know you more. Help us to genuinely set an example for the congregation you've given us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Mason Dixon Festival

Several months ago our church was asked to participate in the Mason Dixon Festival located at the Wharf District on the Mon River. This will be a first for our church. We have never participated in a Festival, but look forward to the opportunity.

Since we are participating in this event we have to alter our Sunday schedule. We are supposed to be at the Amphitheatre by 11:45 a.m. A couple of the ladies from StoneBridge went to Aldi's yesterday to pick up brown bag lunches for everyone attending the service at the Festival.

I am very proud of our people. I thank God that they are willing to serve our God, church, and community. Please pray for God to use our church to minister to the people of Morgantown. It is our mission to share God's love with the people of Morgantown and the world.

Define The Relationship

Well, I can't believe that I am on my last message in this series. It has been a lot of fun. I hope the messages have encouraged and provoked our people to pursue relationships that are Christ centered.

This Sunday's message will close out the Dating Commandments. These commandments have not just targeted the single population of our church, but have had some real application for those of us who are married and have kids. May God help StoneBridge to be the kind of church where people on the outside take notice that our relationships with God and others are rooted and grounded in the Word of God.

Why Morgantown?

I think back to 2001 when the seed was planted in my heart to plant a new church somewhere in the north. God had used several events in my life to get me thinking about planting.

While living in Texas, I had several opportunities to pastor established churches, but I felt deep inside my heart that God was calling me to church planting.

For the longest time, I thought I would become the Texas State Treasurer of Missions in our Association. I truly thought that job was ideal for me, but God saw otherwise. I loved living in Texas. I loved the people there. I loved my quaint little East Texas house and my 2.6 acres of land. I loved my neighbors, my church, my city, and most of all Jaimes Rancho Mexican Restaurant. That was the life!!! So, I thought!

I always knew that if I was going to plant a church that I wanted to plant somewhere in the North. I wanted to plant with a team, and I wanted to have a sending church that would be somewhere in the vicinity of our new plant. Well, God answered all of the desires of my heart.

After the ball dropped in 2002, we (the Sheffstall's and Knight's) planned a trip to survey possible church planting cities. We visited places in Southern Virginia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana. After the week was out...we had visited eleven states in seven days. What were we thinking? :)

The funny thing about the trip...we only passed through Morgantown. We had been told by an experienced church planter to go to a larger city, so we listened to him. After a couple of months, we decided to revisit Morgantown, West Virginia. Russell and I got on a plane and we headed North. We spent five days in Morgantown surveying the people and spending time in their establishments. After the week was out, we knew God had called us to this wonderful city. We understood that this city was religious, even though 88% of the people did not have a meaningful church relationship. We understood that there was a great need for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed to the people of Morgantown.

Since moving to this city we have had many challenges and obstacles that we have faced, but overall, we are so thankful to God for placing us in Morgantown, West Virginia. We know that when it is all said and done (by His grace) we will have a self-supporting, church sending, gospel preaching church that will hopefully remain until the Lord comes back.

Remembering To Appreciate

This morning I was browsing the blogosphere when I was reminded by another church planter's blog about the need to appreciate the people that are in our churches. My first initial thoughts were, "I used to do this every week when I was a youth pastor, why am I not doing it now." So, I broke out the postcards, and the pen and began writing. After I was finished I had written twenty postcards.

This was therapeutic for my soul.

I thank God for all of the workers and laborers in our church and pray for God to send more leaders and laborers who are willing to come down from the stands and on to the playing fields.

BTW, when was the last time you accentuated the positives about your people instead of always looking at the negatives? Listen, we all have some negative in us, but it would be to our best interest to encourage people to a greater faith in the Lord and to service in the local church.

He Never Said It Would Be Easy

For those of you who are in the ministry this post is for you.

When you announced your call to the ministry, what were you thinking? Did you think that it would be easy?

Honestly, I really didn't know what to expect. I had never been around pastors all that much, as a matter of fact, the only thought I had concerning pastors was that they were perfect (Man, was I wrong). I didn't have a set view of what pastors did or didn't do. Many pastors have joked that they knew they were called to preach when they woke up one morning feeling lazy and craving fried chicken. Well, that was not exactly how I knew I was called to preach.

In 1992, I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ. For the first time in my adult life I was truly serious about the Lord. I had been saved for over seven years, but had a touch and go commitment to the Lord. I would serve the Lord for a season, and then, I would soon be doing my own thing. Looking back on life I realize that there is nothing I can do about my past but thank God that He was gracious and that He taught me some important lessons so that I would be able to help others in their walk for the Lord.

After the new year began (1993) I began getting involved in my church. I started visiting people in the hospitals, nursing homes, shut-ins, and future prospects of the church. My pastor had me working. I thank God for the experience, and the opportunity to work for the Lord.

This period of time was a difficult one for me. I had recently stopped attending Wright State University, had failed a written test to work for Southern Ohio Steel, and was working 4o hours a week at McDonalds. So, as you can see I was a little stressed, but my love for the Lord continued to grow, and the more I grew, the greater desire I had to serve the Lord in full time ministry. So, on January 31, 1993, I finally announced my call to the ministry. Since that day, I have never looked back. I have never regretted answering the call to serve the Lord full time.

It is my prayer for those of us in the ministry to remember Who we serve. Ultimately, our service is to Christ. It is Christ who pays the bills. It is Christ who enables us to be who we need to be. And, it is Christ who gives the increase. I continue to remind myself of this truth on a regular basis. If I didn't remind myself of this truth, I think I would go crazy. Planting a church is tough. There are many mountain top experiences, but there are still the valleys. The valleys remind us to get on our knees and beg God to give the increase in our churches. If you are in a ministry slump, it is my prayer that you hit your knees and ask God to revive you again. Remember, He never said it would be easy. Most importantly, remember, the Lord loves you. God Bless!!!

Remember

My thoughts go back five years ago today. I was sitting in my office at church when our secretary told me that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. It was horrible. Actually, I thought it was a joke when she told me the news. However, as we all know, it was no joke.

My prayers go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones due to the terrorist's attacks of 9-11.

Where were you at when you heard the news?

Prediction For September 14, 2006

WVU 35 - Maryland 17

Pastor's Retreat

Our trip to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia was all that!!! I traveled down to Seneca with Russell and his dad on Thursday morning. We went to Dolly Sods, Blackwater Falls, Canaan Loop Road and eventually ended up at Seneca High Adventure Christian Camp. Our time at SHACC was great.

The preaching line-up was as followed (this may not be in the exact order):

1. Scott Bates, Mercer, PA.

2. Jim Holt, Inwood, WV

3. Billy Shepherd, Woodbridge, VA

4. Carroll Williams, Martinsburg, WV

5. Gary Bowers, Littlestown, PA

6. Ricky Knight, Grand Prairie, TX

7. Robert Myers, Gambrills, MD

All of the messages were top-shelf.

There was one negative to the retreat. Pastor Billy Shepherd fell last night and broke his ankle. Our prayers are definitely with him.

God reminded me through Scott's message that the ministry takes Human Effort, but cannot be done efficiently or successfully without Divine Enablement. Thanks for this reminder, Scott. It was encouraging!!!

Prediction

My prediction for the WVU game on Saturday is:

WVU 52 - East Washington 0

Seneca Rocks, Here We Come

Tomorrow morning most of the pastors from the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Association will be traveling to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia for a Pastor's Retreat. I am looking forward to some good preaching and for a time of restoration.

Last year's retreat was truly a blessing. None of the pastors who spoke (last year) came with an agenda to get on their hobby horses, so, I am praying for the same type of messages this weekend. As pastors, we don't need another sermon that bashes what we do or think (there may be a time for this), but what we need is a good dose of the Word of God. We need encouragement. We need a good shot in the arm. We need revival.

God Works In Mysterious Ways

A few weeks back I was able to speak to a lady, her husband, and her son about eternity. The husband assured me of his salvation, but the wife was not too sure about it.

After a long conversation with this family, they invited me to check on them in a couple of weeks. Well, for the past couple of days I have been meaning to visit with them, but have not made the time to do it.

Last night, I made a mental note to myself to visit with them today.

As I was sitting in Panera Bread trying to work on my sermon when (let's call her) Anne sat directly across from me. When I saw her sit down, I immediately told her that I had been thinking of her and her family. I asked her if she had made a profession of faith yet, and she told me that she hadn't. However, she assured me that they would visit our church in the near future. I am excited about this family. They are really nice. Please pray for them to have courage to attend our church this Sunday. God is truly at work, and yes, He does work in mysterious ways. Thank you, Lord.

Fantasy Football

Last night we had our Fantasy Football Draft online. It was a lot of fun. I am excited about playing in this league. It is a good mix of brothas getting together to talk smack and kick some tail.

My FF Team:

1. Trent Green
KC - QB

2. Antwaan Randle El
Wash - WR

3. Hines Ward
Pit - WR

4. Rudi Johnson
Cin - RB

5. Joseph Addai
Ind - RB

6. Ben Watson
NE - TE

7. Reuben Droughns
Cle - RB

8. Ben Roethlisberger
Pit - QB

9. Alge Crumpler
Atl - TE

10. Josh Brown
Sea - K

11. Mike Anderson
Bal - RB

12. Nate Burleson
Sea - WR

13. Chris Brown
Ten - RB

14. Miami
Def

15. Seattle
Def

Da' Bears all the way, baby!!!!

Sundays Are A Lot Like College Game Day

Yesterday's victory over Marshall (High School) University was sweet. The Mountaineers won the first Friends of Coal Bowl, 42 -10.

College Football is an exciting venue in West Virginia. Since there are no Professional Teams here, the Mountaineers and the Herd are the teams to follow. Everyone looks forward to the season with anticipation.

As I was thinking about all of the hype that goes into a Football Game I began thinking about Ministry. If you are a pastor or a church planter your greatest day is Game Day. You look forward to hitting the field (the pulpit). You look forward to new guests, returnees, and of course all of the regulars. I don't know about you, but for the most part it is exciting.

One of my main frustrations (concerning pastoring a church or planting a church) is the Yo-Yo attendees that come along with the church.

Here is what I mean.

One week you have a person(s) come to church and you think..."Man, this person is awesome, we are going to have them involved in full time Seminary before the week's out (not really, but there are some unspoken expectations)." Then, the next week comes and goes and they are no where to be found. Talk about frustrating. It simply blows my mind when this happens, but it shouldn't. I know that Satan is alive and well and that he is not interested in the Lord's churches going forward. His desire is to defeat, devour, and destroy. We should not lose heart when this happens. I have to constantly remind myself that it is God who adds to His churches. If I will simply be faithful in my presentation of the gospel, my care for the sheep and my constant prayers for the flock, then I know that God will bless StoneBridge in His Timing, not mine.

It's Game Day

Let's Go, Mountaineers!!!

Game Day is always exciting in Morgantown. This town truly comes alive. I have seen Blue and Gold Flags with the famous WV flying high. I have seen license plates that are totally centered around WV Football. It's just simply amazing. I love it. I love living in a college town.

The Bad News: I have no tickets.

The Good News: Today's game is on Television.

Prediction

Russell gave his prediction of tomorrow's game, so I thought I would do the same.

WVU 31 Marshall 17

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Probably the greatest question ever asked in the Bible is this one. Matthew 16:15, "But who do you say that I am?"

This Sunday at StoneBridge I will be dissecting this passage of Scripture in Matthew 16:13-17. The message will deal with Defining The Relationship With God. So many people have never internalized this question. They have tried to answer this question from a Historical or even an Intellectual point of view. Defining the Relationship with God is more than having a Historical or Intellectual belief in Christ, one must internalize this question. They must get to the core or root of the problem.

The apostle Peter answered this question in verse 16, "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the son of the living God.'" In verse 17, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'"

When the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, God is present. Our job is to plant the seed of the gospel and water, but it is God who gives the increase. No one is able to answer this question (Who do you say that I am?) with just simple logic, it will take the ever present Spirit of God convicting and convincing the sinner of his/her need of repentance and faith in the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you are not sure about your relationship with God it is important that you do business with God. You must identify the dysfunction (the sin), repent of it, and place your faith in Christ.

If you will pray: Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that my sin is what put Jesus on the cross, please forgive me. Today, I turn from my sin and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus is alive and He is Lord. Thank you for saving me and giving me a home in heaven. Please help me to live for you, serve you, and worship you in and through a church that preaches the doctrines of Jesus Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.