Perspective

I took a few days off this weekend with my family to get away before we kick into high gear with the move to our new facility. With everything that has been going on around here I just needed to do something physical. So I helped Kelli's dad build a deck on to the back of their house. It was 12 feet by 14 feet. I am very sore today. But let me tell you, it feels good to have done some real physical labor. It felt good to see a job completed. And now I am back in the saddle ready for the next 3 months of total blitz.

One funny story that I have to tell about the construction. As we were fininshing up the framing of the deck, I had one more beam to cut off to square up the end of the deck. So I positioned the ladder in such a way that I could easily cut the lumber using my right hand. I climb the ladder up about 10 or 12 feet in the air and I was positioning the circular saw to being cutting when I realized the the part I was cutting off was exactly where I positioned the ladder. Duh! I am so glad I didn't start cutting or we might be down a pastor. I love it when I do dumb things and live to tell about it!

Monday Morning QB 07/24/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Getting Your Spiritual Life in Order (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Psalm 85

Service Highlights: I was on vacation this weekend, but I do know that we began our time of remembering our current building. We had a couple speak about their memories of Charter Oak Church. They were a part of the founding group back in the 50's who started our church.

Stats: 493 in worship + 99 in Sunday school

When We Need God the Most

Yesterday was my worst day at Charter Oak Church. One of our students, and the son of one of our staff members, committed suicide. We gathered together as many students as wanted to be here, any parents, and the student ministry staff and we prayed and read scripture for a while last night.

Lots of tears. Lots of questions.

The student's brother and sister were here. We surrounded them with the greatest amount of love that we could.

Here's what I know, God is faithful to His promises. This student gave his life to Jesus. Now he is spending eternity with his heavenly Father. As much as it hurts here, he is rejoicing for eternity. No more sorrow. No more pain.

Worship the King my brother. See you there.

Monday Morning QB 07/17/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Dealing with Day to Day Distractions (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Psalm 55

Service Highlights: Pastor Dave taight about how the complications of life can get in the way of our relationship with God. We can become so distracted by them that we no longer see God in our lives. The key verse was 17, "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice." Dan did a great job with the monologue to make it real for all of us how easily this invades our families.

Stats: 479 in worship + 117 in Sunday school

Monday Morning QB 07/10/06

Here's the Monday morning QB for this week:

Message: Who Is God? (I preached)

Scripture: Psalm 50

Service Highlights: I fininshed up this weekend by bringing the last few week together by talking about developing a heart of worship. Worship doesn't just happen for an hour in a weekend service; it is a lifestyle. We cannot afford to allow our singing in during our weekend service become like the burnt offering of the Israelites as described in Psalm 50. God is the center, we are not.

Stats: 511 in worship

World Cup Is Over

I just watched the end of the World Cup - one word - WOW. I was blown away by this game for so many reasons. Number one - perhaps one of the greatest players of all time, certainly for France, did something ridiculous and was kicked out of the game (red card). Number two - the game ended in penalty kicks, being an ex-keeper, this is the most intense moment in a keeper's life, words can't describe it. Number three - the guy who made the winning goal was not the man of the match (player of the game) - in three different matches throughout the World Cup he made the winning goal.

My final thought on the World Cup actually comes from the closing of ABC's coverage. They played a U2 song called "One". As I listened and I watched the highlights of the World Cup, I thought about the One whom we worship. I doubt that ABC put together the song and the footage to glorify God, but as I watched the best of the best and the passion of the players, I thought this worships God. It was God that endowed those men with such incredible talent. The highlights, for me, were a sacrifice of praise to God.

Monday Morning QB 07/03/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Public Restrooms Scare Me (I preached)

Scripture: Psalm 84

Service Highlights: This weekend marked my one year anniversary at Charter Oak Church! Bill and the praise band were off the chart great this weekend. I talked about how we often want some kind of sign from God that he is present in our lives, but the truth is, God is always there. I also challenged our congregation to enter into the muddiness of people's lives so we can let them know God's presence also.

Stats: 462 in worship

TV Spot

Here's the link for the TV spot on Channel 4 News. I don't know how long it will be active. I'm not sure how they pick out what they want to air, but it was a good plug for Charter Oak Church.

15 Seconds of Fame

Tonight I will be on the 6:00 news. Channel 4 stopped by today for a story they are following about our new facility being burglarized for the second time.

They asked me for a short interview. I don't know what they will show of the interview, but I talked about our excitement about what God is doing at Charter Oak Church and our looking forward to moving in 52 days.

If I could go back there is one thing I would want to add - the why. Why we are excited, why we are growing, why we are doing what we are doing. I would say we are doing all of this because people matter to God. That's what we are all about - making sure people know they matter to God.

I hope you will tune in and see my 15 seconds of fame tonight.

Hero?

A couple of weeks ago I talked about our desire to have a hero.

I love the Spiderman movies. Spiderman 3 will be released in May 2007, but the first trailer is out!! Check out!!

Team Work

There are 54 days left until we move. Thanks to Cindy J. and Jeff I. we will be making this move as a team effort. There will be no one expected to do this alone. As I have been thinking about team work Iwas watching Hell's Kitchen on Fox the other night. The head chef yells and screams at the people trying to prepare their dinners to do it as a team. I may not have like the way the chef tried to get them to work together, I definitely realized the importance of working together. Those that work together on the show have a much greater chance of winning.

Our "win" is to move all of our stuff from our current location to our new facility without anyone getting hurt or burned out. It will definitely take a team!

56 Days

There are 56 days until we begin our move to our new facility. Now that Vacation Bible School has been completed, there is a definite sense of urgency in the staff to think of all of the little details that have to be done in those remaining days.

I couldn't sleep for a couple of hours last night just thinking through some of the stuff that I just don't want to forget to do. Then there is that whole thing of once we move and do all this stuff, we publicly launch our new building on September 16 and 17. We better be ready for that as well.

It is becoming more and more abundantly obvious that this is only going to happen by the hand of God. On our own, we will fail. I have prayed all along that God would reveal himself in such a way that we would all know this has been a God thing. Every day, God is proving that prayer correct. He is an awesome God!

Monday Morning QB 06/26/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Summer Vacation (I preached)

Scripture: Nehemiah 1-4

Service Highlights: I used the Nehemiah Model to recast the vision Pastor Dave shared with the congregation back in January. Just as Nehemiah needed to remind the people of Jerusalem half way through their work, I wanted to spend some time reminding our congregation the vision God has given to us for 2006 - that the people of this region will know that matter to God.

Stats: 543 in worship and 193 in Sunday school

It's in the Details

Two weeks ago my family went on vacation to Columbia, South Carolina for a week of much need R & R. When we go on summer vacation we typically go to the beach and rent an ocean front house. This year we decided to just spend time with the grandparents. But I also wanted the same set up that we usually have when we rent a house. I like having separate bedrooms for us and the kids. I like having a kitchen and a den to watch a little TV at night.

I went in search of these desires in a hotel in Columbia, SC. I found exactly what I was looking for at The Whitney Hotel. It even has a pool! We reserved a two bedroom suite with a kitchen and a living room. I thought we were set. This is the same hotel that the new University of South Carolina head footbal coach lived for nine months while he waited for his house to be built. I thought this place has to be great.

On paper it had everything we wanted, even a pool. When we arrived and moved into our suite, I quickly realized that, yes, it had everything we wanted, but the execution of the details was greatly lacking. The room was not very clean. I could tell it had been "cleaned" but if you know what I mean, it just didn't have that clean feel. All of the furniture was beat up really badly. I have seen furniture in a frat house in better shape. The pool area was just plain bad, we swam there one time and didn't go back.

One of the really great extras in the suite was a washer and dryer in a separate laundry room right in our suite. We thought this was great, until we tried to do our laundry and the washer didn't work and we had clothes that were totally wet and soapy. It took two days to replace the washer - too little, too late.

There were so many little detail things that were wrong. The funny thing was, my son Caleb, wanted us to fill out the evaluation card when we were getting ready to leave. All I could say is, "there isn't enough time to write everything down." What I didn't say was there wasn't enough space to write it all down.

Our stay at this hotel confirmed in me that details matter and they matter a lot. We can have everything that people are looking for on paper, but if the execution of the details are not there, then people won't be back. I know I won't be back to The Whitney Hotel again.

Monday Morning QB 06/19/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: My Hero

Scripture: Psalm 121

Service Highlights: I preached on God our Father being our hero. So often we look for heroes in all the wrong places and we are eventually let down. Our Daddy in heaven desires to be our hero because it his very nature to always be there for us. Jonathan Cooper sang a Steven Curtis Chapman song - I Believe in You.

Stats: 469 in worship + 156 in Sunday school

63 Days

I have been gone for a while. We were on vacation and I was at Annual Conference. I am going to be posting some comments on this and many other things this week. We are in the middle of Vacation Bible School. There are about 200 kids running around the church. Hopefully I will be able to carve out some time each day and maybe even a couple of times a day to get "caught up" with my postings.

I have also started a count down until we move to our new facility. There are 63 days left. Lots to be done. I need to be reminded every day of the work that needs to be completed here and at the new facility before this move can happen.

Hitting Singles

Most people in the sports' world have been following Barry Bonds and his quest to break Babe Ruth's home run record and move into second place in all time home runs. He has now accomplished it.

With all the fascination with home runs it has made me think about my own desire to always hit home runs. I want to hit a home run every time I preach. I want to hit a home run every time we have a staff meeting. I want to hit a home run every time that I have a meeting with someone about faith issues.

But is it necessary or even important to hit so many home runs? Most people who hit a great number of home runs in baseball also strike out a lot. I certainly don't want to do that in ministry. I make enough mistakes as it is.

In Jim Collin's book Good to Great, he writes about the flywheel. In order to get the flywheel to turn, you have to make push after push after push. You start small and you are just trying to turn the flywheel a little bit. With every push it moves a little bit more.

I consider those little pushes in the right direction - singles. There is no way you can get the flywheel turning at a high rate of speed with a single push (home run). It is in the discipline of consistent small pushes in the right direction that gets the flywheel turning.

I am becoming more and more convinced that is true in leadership as well. We don't have to worry about the home runs. It is more important that we are disciplined in consistently building positive momentum in the direction that God is leading us.

It seems we are hitting our singles in a pretty consistent pattern around here lately. I can feel the positive momentum building. I can't fully explain it, but I know it's happening. We aren't hitting any real home runs (except maybe Pastor Dave with this Family Channel series). But I don't think that is important. God is looking for us to be faithful in the small things so he can bless us in the big ones.

It's all in the discipline of hitting singles and building positive momentum. Let God hit the home runs.

Monday Morning QB 04/29/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: The Challenge of a Great Marriage

Scripture: Selected Passages

Service Highlights: Pastor Dave got very personal as he spoke about having a God honoring message. He set the bar very high for all couples to work on their marriage for a life time. Dan did a great job of doing a Bill Cosby monologue. We baptized another student who made her confession of faith in Jesus.

Stats: 512 in worship + 165 in Sunday school

Final Notes: I think this is one of the best Memorial Day weekend attendance percentages I have ever seen at a church. Most of the time the attendance drops way off. We only had a small drop off. In comparison we only had 357 in worship last year!

Summer Sermon Series

Here's the graphic we are using this summer to promote our series. The ocean is refreshing; it is deep. The beach is fun and invigorating. These adjectives all describe God's word. I am pumped up about the various topics we will be diving into this summer!

Random Quotes

Mark Batterson:
I cited a study that found that 58% of college grads who grew up going to church stop attending church for one reason or another. I've actually seen studies that peg the number as high as 86%.These are church kids. And we're losing at least six out of ten. That attrition rate is going to kill us. It's like we're losing a generation. It's Judges 2:10: "After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel."I felt such holy conviction when I was speaking yesterday. I said, "I'm not in the camp that says what's wrong with them. The real question is: what's wrong with us."If the church was doing it's job--incarnating the gospel in relevant ways--I honestly don't think we'd see so many twenty-somethings leaving the church. They long for community and authenticity and meaning as much as any generation. There is a spiritual hunger. But evidently they aren't finding what they're looking for in the churches they grew up in.

Andy Stanley:
"Preaching is a performance. Preachers are performers. But unlike the comedian, we are expected to more than entertain. We are expected to be educational, inspirational, theological, and engaging all at the same time. So there we stand. All alone. All eyes on us. Waiting. Expecting. Hoping. And did I mention that we have to talk to the same audience week after week? Did I mention that all week long they have been driving around in their cars listening to my dad, Chuck Swindoll, Ed Young, and Sean Hannity. Whose idea was this?"

First Time Visitor this weekend:
I came today because someone invited me because they thought I might be interested in the topic. Boy, were they right! I am getting divorced and the man that I now have a relationship with has three kids and I have three kids. This was good stuff today. I will be back next week.

Andy Stanley:
"Simply put, you have to manufacture interest. On the average Sunday morning, or whenever you communicate, your first responsibility is to pose a question your audience wants answered, create a tension they need resolved, or point to a mystery they have been unable to solve. And if you launch into your message before you do one of those things, chances are, you will leave them standing at the station."

Jesus:
Matthew 14:23, "And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.’”

Note sent home from Abby’s teacher:
The school year is not over. Summer vacation has not begun. We still have work to do. Some of the students have stopped doing their homework assignments. We will continue to work and learn throughout the school year.

The work we have been called to do as a staff of Charter Oak Church is of critical importance. People’s lives hang in the balance. The expectations are very high. Summer officially begins this weekend. We are at T-minus 17 weeks from taking over occupancy of the new building. Over the next three months we are going to have to lean into the power of the Holy Spirit more and more. There is a reason why God has called us to this work. He believes in us. He has entrusted a huge responsibility upon our shoulders because he believes we can do it. But we will only be able to do it through him.

Monday Morning QB 04/22/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: The Challenge of the Blended Family (Dave preached)

Scripture: Selected Passages

Service Highlights: Pastor Dave used the Brady Bunch as a platform to talk about blended families. He gave some startling statistics about how many second, third, and fourth marriages fail. One of the highlights was bringing in a couple from our church who have a blended family. Dave interviewed them in the middle of his message. Their real life words made what Dave was saying all the more real for the rest of us.

Stats: 585 in worship + 210 in Sunday school

I Guess It's Over

I guess you could say my study leave is over. I have a ton of things to get done today that would constitute "work" and not "leave." I will admit that this was one of the most helpful study leaves I have taken. I read two books and re-read another. I was able to spend some extended time in prayer and Bible study. I was able to catch up on a bunch of other reading that I have been putting off - journal articles, on-line articles, and blogs. I planned out my sermons for the summer and I have started processing the sermon series for the launch of our new facility in September.

One of the best parts of this week was to have some real, dedicated time to just think - to listen to God and discern where he is at work and how I need to be joining him in that work. I would highly recommend this week away to everyone, especially pastors. If your church community truly wants to see the best brought out in you, ask them for a week or two of study study leave that doesn't count as vacation. It is a wonderful gift from the people of Charter Oak Church to me.

Building

All this rain has caused me to have some concern over the work being done on our new building. You can't put on roof in the rain. And it has been raining a lot. It seems as though there has been one hurdle after another throughout this building process. God is answering my prayer when we first began. My prayer was "God let this community know you are God through this building process." There have been hurdles and God has removed them - in His time and in His way. It has been a total God-thing. I am amazed at how well God has fulfilled my prayer request. It certainly has built my faith.

So these hurdles created a curiosity in me. When in scripture has there been a time like we are going through? So my reading this morning was the book of Ezra - talk about living in the same time!

The exiles return from Babylon. The first thing they want to do is rebuild the Temple. They are coming back with nothing and yet they give so much to get the Temple started. It reminded me of our Big Event last May when we kicked off our building project. The amount of money people pledge to give that day was incredible.

As the Israelites are rebuilding the foundation of the Temple there is excitement growing. But there is also another voice rising up - dissention (Ezra 3:12). Then there is disgust in the surrounding community over the re-building of the Temple and they send letters to the king to get the work stopped. This reminded me of the work of some people in our area that tried to get our building project stopped because of a storm water issue.

Nothing was going to stop the re-building of the Temple - it is what God wanted. I believe that nothing will stop the building of our new facility, it is what God wants.

Here's the kicker for me - the end of Ezra. God has made it very clear the Temple will be re-built. There is a great time of celebration and everything seems to be going great. Then Ezra comes along and says to all the men is Israel that they have been unfaithful to God by inter-marrying with foreign women. They are convicted and they send their foreign wives and children away. Everyone agrees except three men (10:15). Ezra concludes by naming names - it gives a list of every man who had intermarried! Wow!

Here's what I learned...God is more interested in our character than in a building. Our faithfulness and devotion to God is the most important thing. Nothing else matters.

Future Messages

One of the things I am working on while on study leave is my sermon messages for the future. I will give you some early insight. Here are the titles and scripture that I am going to be using this summer:

• June 17/18 - "My Hero" Psalm 121
• June 24/25 - "Summer Vacation" Psalm 100
• July 1/2 - "Public Restrooms Scare Me" Psalm 84
• July 8/9 - "Who Is God?" Psalm 50
• August 19/20 - "Who Needs Walls?" Psalm 40
• August 26/27 - "Put Your Seats in the Upright Position" Psalm 33
• September 2/3 - "First Impressions Matter" Psalm 22:30-31

You are the first ones to see this. Tell your friends, Chris is going to talk about public restrooms. Those of you who know me, know I will use pictures!

Laying It on the Line

This morning I read 1 & 2 Timothy in light of making hard decisions. Paul teaches Timothy some hard truths about leading - not everyone is going to be on board with what God wants to do. That hurts. As I read Paul's words I could feel his pain. I feel the same pain. Not everyone gets on board with where God wants to lead us. People leave. People start rumors. We are all sinners. But what's important is being faithful to God - all the time.

Here's one of my favorite parts of these two letters: "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

What I hear Paul saying to Timothy is - "don't give up, God's word is sufficient."

Making Hard Decisions

We have a relatively new organizational structure at Charter Oak Church. We adopted it late last year and began using it January 1 of this year. Part of the new structure is the day to day activities of our church are led by the senior management team. This is a group of eight staff people who have the incredible responsibility of leading our church each day.

Even though I am on study leave, I went to our weekly senior management team meeting yesterday. I knew we were going to have some hard decisions to make. One in particular has the potential to get kick-back from people. One thing I have learned about leadership is, it takes true leaders to make tough decisions, especially when people aren't always going to agree with you.

The senior management team is relatively new. We are learning and growing as we go. But each week I see God moving in our meetings in an ever increasing way. I truly believe God is working through us. And I am convinced that God is growing our church because of some of the tough decisions we have made (like the one yesterday) are being faithful to the vision God has called Charter Oak Church to fulfill.

I pray daily for each of the people on the senior management team. I hope you will too. I love these people. Dave, Cindy, Bill, Maxine, Mark, Andi, and Betsy - you guys rock!

Monday Morning QB 05/15/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: The Challenge of Communication (Dave preached)

Scripture: Selected passages

Service Highlights: Pastor Dave kicked off a new sermon series called The Family Channel. It is a five week series that will use television families to describe different challenges that every family faces. This week the challenge was communication and we used clips from Leave It to Beaver. It was a great kick off. If you missed it, I highly recommend ordering the CD, it was a fantastic message!

Stats: 632 in worship + 227 in Sunday school

Ephesians - Your Life Matters to God

Yesterday I read 2 Chronicles. This morning I felt led to read Ephesians. The essence of what Paul writes is - your life matters to God. Before you and I knew Jesus we lived far from God. The choices we made were not based on our relationship with God, but on our relationship with this world. Jesus came to change that relationship. He died to bridge the gap between God and us. Paul writes that maturity is what God desires from our lives. We should seek to be like Jesus in every aspect of our lives down to the last detail - everything we say and everything we do.

The last part of Paul's letter to the Ephesians is particularly important to me right now. He asks for prayer for himself. His request is that he may have the boldness to speak the truth. "Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

That is my prayer.

Gaining Clarity

I have had a problem in the past trying to explain to people my drive within the church to make changes that I know are for the best for the Kingdom of God. Since going into ministry I have had this burning desire to help transform the church.

In seminary I was taught to think theologically. Duke burned that into my brain. When I graduated, I was cocky enough to believe that they had done that. So I could teach, preach, and serve as a pastor. What they didn't teach me was how to take a dying church and a dying denomination and make it great, not just good. I thought for a while, who am I that I think I can do this? Then I began to study the people God used in the Bible to do great things. They were everyday, ordinary people that God chose to use. God does great things through people.

So I can think theologically, I can preach, and I can serve. But so can the vast majority of other pastors in my denomination and in the churches that I have pastored. So the question that has haunted me is, why aren't those churches great? Why isn't my denomination great?

The answer that kept coming to my mind wasn't theological. It was leadership. So I started reading everything I could on leadership. The only problem was that the only sector writing on leadership was the business world. I was so convinced that the difference was a leadership void in the church that I didn't care where I was getting the information, just as long as I was learning what it meant to be great.

Today, I read a monograph to accompany Jim Collins' book Good to Great - Good to Great and the Social Sectors. Collins writes about why business thinking is not the answer for non-profit organizations like the church.

"In my work with nonprofits, I find that they're in desperate need of greater discipline - disciplined planning, disciplined people, disciplined governance, disciplined allocation of resources."

"'What makes you think that's a business concept?' I replied. 'Most businesses also have a desperate need for great discipline. Mediocre companies rarely display the relentless culture of discipline - disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and who take disciplined action - that we find in truly great companies. A culture of discipline is not a principle of business; it is a principle of greatness.'"

There it is. The thing I have been in search of is not business practices, but principles of greatness. I have been in search of this because inherently I believe that if anything on earth is going to be great it should be the church of Jesus Christ!

Thinking for a Change

What does it mean to think strategically about what to preach about for the next series, six months, year, and even three years out? What does God want us to hear? Where do we need to grow in our relationship with Him?

I was reading an article written by John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard movement. Much of the music we hear today in the contemporary Christian genre has its roots from the influence of Vineyard. It is a charismatic denomination. Wimber wrote about thinking strategically about sermon preparation. He relayed some push back that he received from many people on this kind of thinking as a charismatic. He wrote, "The Spirit of God does lead us. But once the Lord sets the direction, we organize the parade. We put the process together after God tells us what he wants done, where he wants to go. We are to get on with planning, organizing, and structuring so that we can get something done. I think that's the nature of this relationship. I think we have a collegiate responsibility with God that he has called us into."

Getting Started

I have begun my study leave. This morning I began at 6am with a work out on the tread mill. Then I spent some time in prayer. With so much to think about and so much work ahead of me, I wanted to spend some time in God's Word. I just finished reading 2 Chronicles. I wanted to read that book because it gives such a good overview of the leadership of Israel and Judah.

It kicks off with Solomon asking for wisdom and discernment to lead God's people. What a great prayer! Then we cycle through king after king after king. Some were good, some were bad. Some were faithful to God and many were not.

As went the faithfulness of the leader, so went the faithfulness of the people. It continues to be true today. As leaders of Charter Oak Church, your faithfulness and my faithfulness to God will influence the rest of our congregation. What does that mean for you? What does that mean for me?

Going on Study Leave

It's Sunday night. Survivor is taking the final vote to get the final two. I haven't watched this season. I'm not really into it. I'm listening to it while Kelli watches...goodbye Terry.

Tomorrow morning at 6am I start my study leave. I am taking a week away from the office to listen to God. I have some things that I want to work on, but I am going to try to be led by God. I want to totally schedule out this time, but I'm not.

There are so many things that I want to work on - Summer sermons, the launch of the new building, leadership development, strategic planning, etc, etc, etc. I am going to do my best to be open to what God wants to do with the next week.

I will use this space to share what God is saying, where he is leading, and how well or poorly I am listening. What an adventure!

Celebrating

I want to share with you some things that have been happening around here as we fulfill our mission to make fully devoted followers of Jesus. Today I want to share with you some numbers. Not because numbers matter in of themselves but because people matter. What I have to share will prove that numbers do matter to God because people matter to God. Here they are...

77 youth have accepted Jesus since mid February.
25 new members have joined Charter Oak Church this year, over 75% by confession of faith.
23 confirmands made their public confession of faith.
10 confessions of faith in grades 1-4 this past Sunday.
Average worship attendance is up 11%.
Average Sunday school attendance is up 14%.

These are real people who have said that they want to become more like Jesus in every aspect of their lives down to the last detail. And they want to be a part of this community of faith to partner with them in the journey.

The picture is Pastor Mark and I baptizing four youth in a make shift pool. God is at work here. I am so blessed to be here!

Monday Morning QB 05/08/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: 4D-Forgiveness (I preached)

Scripture: John 20:22-23

Service Highlights: This was the conclusion of our series on forgiveness. This is one of the most in your face sermon series I have done in a while. I told the congregation that the things we were learning were not Christianity 101, but this was much closer to PhD work. I have had so many people tell me stories of reconciliation, seeking forgiveness, and giving forgiveness. God did some great things in people's lives.

Stats: 616 in worship + 279 in Sunday school

Final Notes: Pastor Dave begins a five week series on the family. We have been heavily promoting it in the community through a variety of advertising opportunities. I am looking forward to seeing a lot of new faces.

Thanks

Thank you to those of you who read my request for prayer for Kelli's dad. His surgery went well and he is home now. They told him he would go home on Sunday and by golly he went home on Sunday. It didn't really seem to matter if he was ready to go home or not, he went.

Thanks for the prayers.

The Latest Revelant Package

I received the latest Relevant package today. Check out what I received:

Books:
The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World
Life Beneath the Surface: Thoughts on a Deeper Spiritual Life

Music:
United We Stand Hillsong United
Phil Wickham
Reach Warren Barfield
A Greater Song Paul Baloche
Merchant Band
To Those Who Cry 1000 Generations

If you would like to borrow any of these items, let me know.

Personal Request

I would ask a personal request of anyone who reads this. Please pray for Kelli's dad. He is having surgery tomorrow.

Thanks.

Naked Conversations

Did I get your attention with that title? There is a new book out called Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel. Here's an interesting quote from the book:

“Companies need to offer something so unique, valuable, or compelling that people will want to tell others about it… The single best way to accomplish word-of-mouth publicity is not with a clever web site or tell-a-friend software or cash rewards. The best way to do this is to make something worth talking about.”

I think that applies all the more to Charter Oak Church.

Monday Morning QB 05/02/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Forgive for Good (I preached)

Scripture: Colossians 3:13

Service Highlights: We looked at the benefits of unleashing unforgiveness. There are physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual benefits when we bring the characteristic of forgiveness into our lives. God wants us to live a free and wonderful life. When we are unleashed from unforgiveness we begin to live in that freedom.

Stats: 480 in worship + 232 in Sunday school

Baptism

I think we did a first last night at Powered Up - our student ministry. I think it was a first for the history of Charter Oak Church. We baptized four youth by immersion in the sanctuary. It was a really great night.

The students approached me about being baptized and asked if it could be done in a local river and I immediately got shivers down my back thinking about how cold that would be. Then we were going to try a family's heated pool. Finally I approached Pastor Mark and suggested that he get involved since he will be such an important person in these youth's spiritual formation.

Pastor Mark purchased an inflatable pool, laid plastic all over the sanctuary and we dunked our four students with a ton of youth watching and cheering these new brothers and sisters in the faith. I was so blessed to be a part of it. You could see the excitement in these students' eyes - those being baptized and those who were watching. God is certainly moving!

I was listening to Bill Hybels speak the other day about leadership, the gift of leadership, and the development of our leadership gift. Bill is the senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church - a great teaching church north of Chicago. Here's what he said...
"What's your leadership development plan? Who's responsibility is it for a plan to be put together and for the plan to raise your leadership level up to the fullest potential? Who's responsibility is that? It's your responsibility. You have to take responsibility for the development of your leadership gift. It's something you'll stand before Christ some day and give a response to him about - he put a gift in you. He called you, Romans 12:8 - to develop it to the zenith of its potential, lead with all diligence, lead to the peak of your potential."

You are the leaders of Charter Oak Church. You make this place special. God has called you and gifted you to be leaders. Jesus will build the church, but he will do it through people like you. So what's your plan for developing your leadership gift? What are you reading - I would really like to know. What conferences are you attending, even work related. And here's one I never thought of but Hybels pointed out in his talk - what are you leading that is pushing you beyond where you are right now? If you are only leading in the places where you are comfortable, then you probably are not growing. Send me your answers, I'd love to hear from you.

Movie Trailer

This is a link to a short film trailer that is being put together to celebrate Kyle Lake's life.

Great Quote

"Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile." - Billy Sunday

Tracking What's Important

This morning I received an email from amazon.com. They have some book suggestions for me, just in case I want to make an order any time soon. They don't just randomly throw a handful of books at me. They don't just send me a list of what's on the best seller list. What they do is track what I have purchased in the past. Then they put my name together with all of the other people's names who have purchased that same book. Then they look for a pattern. If the same people who bought this one book also bought another book, then there must be some kind of connection between those people. So Amazon sent me a list of books that I might be interested in based on my previous purchases and the link made to people who also made those same book buys.

This makes me wonder about the connection for the church. Can we track what classes and events our people are attending? What if we started sending out emails to people suggesting up coming classes, small groups, or events that they might be interested in based on previous interest? This seems like such a simple idea to track what's important to every one of our people. If Amazon can do it for millions of people, can we do it for our congregation? I definitely think it's something to explore.

The Rollercoaster

I am so blessed to be at Charter Oak Church. I can't imagine getting to do what I do any where else. How cool is it to be a part of a church that is growing and is becoming more and more known in the community. There is a buzz about what we are doing at our current location and an even bigger buzz about our new church.

It was awesome to have 6 families join us this past weekend as first time visitors. I met one family after one of our worship services and it was amazing to hear how they found their way here and what their response was after being here just one time.

It was also heart wrenching to see such a huge drop in attendance this past weekend after such a great Easter celebration. I'm still trying to work out in my head and heart what my reaction should be to this drop off. I don't know.

I am also dealing with the reaction of some people as I was speaking this weekend when I talked about some of the really tough things Jesus taught about forgiveness or the lack there of. I could see in some people's faces just a sense of disbelief that this was true. When I said that when we pray the Lord's Pray we are asking God to forgive us the same way we forgive other people, there were some jaws dropping. Then when I said that the parable of the king and the servant represents us and the way the king treated the unforgiving servant is the way God will treat us if we are unforgiving - there was one lady who looked like she was ready to walk out. God's word is sharp as a sword when it talks to us personally. Going deeper can be painful.

This past weekend I also was priviledged to witness the launching of our First Impressions Team and the training that went on with it. What a great display of a group of people who are gifted by God and passionate about a ministry. I've done all the reading on this ministry and went to the church that started it, but I was wowed by our people. You guys rock!

There are so many awesome things happening around here. There are also a handful of things that make me...just...wonder...how does all of this come together and what is God trying to teach me? I'm spending a lot of time in prayer this week.

Monday Morning QB 04/24/06

Here's this week's Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Collateral Damage (I preached)

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Service Highlights: I started the message by telling the story of a dog who was leashed up to a park bench that he dragged around and caused a ton of collateral damage. Then I connected that story to being leashed up to unforgiveness and the damage it causes to ourselves and to our relationships. We heard some scripture that was very tough, like in the Lord's Prayer where we ask God to forgive us like we forgive others. When you think about it, that's really a tough prayer.

Stats: 477 in worship and 229 in Sunday school

Final Notes: Why the let down after Easter? I know it was a terrible rain storm, but to be reduced by 423 in worship seems crazy. My heart broke.

Rest

After a great Easter weekend, I took some time off on Monday and somewhat on Tuesday. Monday was totally a family day. We just hung out and had fun. We even played Risk. Do you remember that game? We stopped playing after, I don't know how many hours, we realized that it would take almost a month to finish the game - it was a ton of fun (I lost)!

Tuesday we had our staff meeting, but we ended early and went for a tour of our new church. It was great seeing how far along they have come in the last week. It was the first trip down for many on the staff. After the tour, we went out to lunch to celebrate Pastor Dave's 60th birthday. We finished off the day by going to see a movie together - Take the Lead. I thought it would be a total chick flick, but I actually enjoyed it.

Now I am back to work - but not really. I have poison ivy in my eye. It is swelled shut and I can't really see all that well. So I am waiting for the doctor to call and see if there is anything that can be done.

Monday Morning QB 04/17/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Why Follow Jesus? (I preached)

Scripture: John 20:1-18

Service Highlights: It was Easter! What better highlight than that? We had some great music - Jonathan Cooper closed us out with a great song called "A Place Called Grace" - Way to go! We had lots of other music and I kicked off my series "Paid in Full" about the forgiveness of God.

Stats: 903 in worship + 133 in Sunday school

Monday Morning QB 4/10/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: A Life Saving Week (I Preached)

Scripture: Read through the Passion in Mark

Service Highlights: Yesterday was Palm Sunday. We changed things up a bit from previous years. We had a great deal of music and scripture reading, but I also spoke about the impact this week has on us as followers of Jesus and what impact we will have on those who do not have a church home. I gave everyone a Life Saver and challenged them to invite people to meet the ultimate Life Savior - Jesus. We closed with what I thought was one of the best dramas we have ever performed here - two guys talking about Jesus as they are cleaning up the streets after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. It was perfect.

Stats: 622 in worship + 254 in Sunday school

Final Notes: Holy Week schedule:
Tuesday is the Meal in the Upper Room
Thursday is Communion
Friday is the Tenabrae Service

A Faith Deepening Prayer

I just read on another pastor's blog a prayer that he found from Sir Francis Drake. It's a powerful prayer that deepens faith just to utter the words.

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."

Then I read today after being reminded by one of my friends, Ephesians 4:20, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Those are faith stretching words from Paul.

Monday Morning QB 4/3/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: The Life Giving Power of Hope (Dave Preached)

Scripture: 2 Kings 25:7-12 & Ezra 1:1-4

Service Highlights: This concludes the series "A Life that Makes God Smile." Dave looked at the exile of Israel. He brought it home for us in a very real way by exiling the last three rows of people out of the sanctuary for a time. Then we learned about joy in the midst of it all when we welcomed them back into the sanctuary, much like what it would have been like when the Israelites came home from exile.

Stats: 475 in worship + 171 in Sunday school

Final Notes: As we conclude the Old Testament Challenge, we enter Holy Week. We start with Palm/Passion Sunday, then during the week we have the Meal in the Upper Room on Tuesday, Communion on Thursday, Good Friday worship, then Easter weekend.

It's Open!!

Starbucks is now officially open at Greengate Mall!

I love this coffee.

Learning from Mistakes

" Our wrong assumptions led to the best learning."
- Alex Lee, president, OXO

Mistake No. 1: All bagels are alike.
Mistake No. 2: You solve one problem but create another.
Mistake No. 3: Solving problems that people don't want solved.
Mistake No. 4: Thinking your done.

Read the Fast Company article.

The End of Old Testament Challenge

Pastor Dave just finished 36 weeks on the Old Testament. In today's message, he brought it all together.

I can't think of a better way to launch us into Holy Week starting next weekend. He has laid the foundation for who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. Now we get to take a very intense walk through the last week of Jesus' life.

Way to go Pastor Dave! You truly have a heart for seeing the people of Charter Oak Church experience the fullness of God. It is an honor to serve beside you.

Monday Morning QB 3/27/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: When God Gives a Hard Assignment (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Jeremiah

Service Highlights: This was a powerful sermon where Dave laid out the truth about the calling that God places in our life - being obedient to God has some hard days along the way. Dave weaved the life of Jeremiah into our lives as we struggle to understand what it means that we have a hard assignment from God. In the end, Jeremiah was faithful, even though he wasn't "successful" in most people's eyes. That is what is most important for us in our walk with Jesus.

Stats: 584 in worship + 235 in Sunday School

Having What It Takes

Last week I spent a little bit of time thinking about the question from John Wesley, "How is it with your soul?" I challenged each of you to ask yourself that question, and I went a bit farther by questioning whether we would be willing to ask that question to each other. When Kelli called from Willow Creek, I heard Maxine in the background say, "ask him how it is with his soul?" I don't know if I also heard Maxine's evil laugh behind the question or not. I have been thinking a great deal about this question this past week, especially as I am trying to order my own soul.

One of the things I am doing as part of my spiritual formation is to read through the Bible this year. I am right on target. I have never read from cover to cover like this before, well, I have attempted it many times, but I have never made it this far - I just finished Judges. I have read every book in the Bible many times - especially in seminary. But I am really trying to make this daily through the Bible in order a central part of my development as a follower of Jesus and as a leader.

The leadership of Israel during the time of the judges was either really good, or really bad.

Gideon - Good guy. Lessons learned - God uses us in spite of our limitations. Even when you make great spiritual progress you can still easily fall into sin if you aren't consistently seeking God. Leaving a legacy is very important. Gideon's was not good.

Abimelech - Bad guy. Lessons learned - Power hungry and ruthless - killed 69 brothers. Leadership isn't about power, but about serving. He didn't get it. The whole nation suffered.

Quotes from Henry Blackaby:
"Leaders do not have to prove God is guiding them. God's presence will be unmistakable."

""The definitive measure of leaders' success is whether they moved their people from where they were to where God wanted them to be."

"If your place is not great enough to suit you, make it so. The minister who is unable to make a place great is too weak to hold a great one."

"Society-shaking, world-changing, history-making thought is not produced by lackadaisical, lazy minds."

How is it with your soul today?

Monday Morning QB 3/20/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Doing Justice (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Micah 6:8

Service Highlights: Dave challenged us to think about justice from God's point of view. If we are wronged, we expect, we even demand justice. The problem is most of us live with a double standard. We want justice when it comes to us, but we forget to extend justice to others. We are called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Stats: 591 in worship + 236 in Sunday school

How Is It with Your Soul?

I have to admit that when things get busy, that my first reaction to create more time and space in my life is to eliminate the things of the Spirit. My spiritual disciplines drop significantly. My to do list is long and prayer, Bible study, fasting, being quiet just don't make that list. They aren't those quantifiable activities that show productive ingenuity towards completing a project. They are practices that are just always there. And they will continue to be there tomorrow and the day after that. But this to do list is glaring at me right in the face and I must mark through these items before the end of the day.

John Wesley used ask his pastors a very important question when he met with them. He would ask them, "How is it with your soul?" A knee jerk reaction, might be to say fine, now let's get on with our meeting. But doesn't that just compound the problem?

Whose responsibility is it to order your soul? Is it Pastor Dave's job because he is the spiritual leader of our church? Is it Maxine because she is the head of Grow? Is it your spouse or your small group leader? Whose responsible to make sure that you are more like Jesus today than you were yesterday and especially more than last year?

It's your responsibility. As we move closer and closer to transitioning into our new building, we are going to be working longer and longer hours. The to do lists are going to get much longer. The time for things of the Spirit will decrease every day. Tension and stress are going to increase. Patience with each other is going to be on edge.

This is what I want you to hear - you were made for relationships. First with God. Second with each other. You were not created to transition Charter Oak Church from 214 Frye Farm Road to 449 Frye Farm Road. This is something that God has called us to do. He wants us to do it at the very best of our ability. But first and foremost comes your growing relationship with God through Jesus. Don't forget the spiritual disciplines. If you have to, put them on the to do list - at the top. Second, comes your relationship with each other. We have to protect the relationships we have with each other so carefully. If you need to go to someone and apologize do it sooner than later.

I will be the first to admit it - I am a driver. I'm not happy unless I am going a thousand miles an hour with my hair on fire. And when I do that, I leave relationships to the side, because I have stuff to do. When I have a project that I am working on at home, like putting together some furniture or one of my kids' bikes. They know what their role is - get as far from daddy as possible. That is my natural tendency. I'm working on it.

Our natural tendency needs to be in the care and development of our souls. I know I have a long way to go. But I am starting each day by asking, "How is it with your soul?" I hope you will too.

Monday Morning QB 3/13/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Radical Trust (Dave preached)

Scripture: Isaiah 7

Service Highlights: Dave walked us through the difference between trust and fear. He used the example of Hezekiah to show us that in the face of uncertain odds and even the possiblilty of death, God is faithful. Here's a verse that is not in the Bible: "God panicked!" The great truth is you are never alone. There was a powerful drama and song that finalized the message and brought the point home for so many people.

Stats: 559 in worship + 258 in Sunday school

Leadership and Servant Training - 3/7/06

What is leadership? Are leaders born or created? Can anyone learn to be a leader?

The development of Peter

1. Matthew 4:18-19 - Peter is called to be a "fisher of men" by Jesus
2. Matthew 16:13-19 - Peter proclaims that Jesus is "the Son of the living God" and Jesus says that he will be build his church and the gates of Hades will not stand against it.
3. Mark 14:66-72 - Peter denies Jesus three times
4. Acts 2:14 - Peter preaches after Pentecost
5. Acts 2:41 - 3,000 people come to faith in Jesus after Peter's message

What we learn from Peter:

• God can use anyone
• God has a plan - it's God's plan (not yours or mine) & it's God's church (not yours or mine)
• God chooses to use people to fulfill his plan
• Jesus poured the majority of his time into developing the leaders around him to multiply his work and to ensure that it would continue going forward

I met with Nancy Ortberg about a year ago and I asked her what was the decisive factor that helped the Axis ministry at Willow Creek to grow from 500 to 2500 while she led it. She said the one definitive factor was the development of leadership. She was so completely sold out to developing the leadership of that ministry that the first thing she did was hire someone to preach, even though that was a part of her original expectation as the senior leader of that ministry. She wanted to be free to pour time, energy, and value into people's lives so that they could take the ministry to the next level. And it worked.

At Willow Creek they use the formula x + y = z to explain the model they use to develop leadership in their church. The z = God's will (that none shall parish). The x = the paid staff (a very small percentage of the church). The y factor is the leadership of the church.

It is only as the "y" factor increases that we will see the fullness of the potential of the body of Christ revealed. There is no other factor in this world that will have a greater impact on this community than when we release the full power of the leadership of this church. God works through people. God will work through you as the leadership of this church to fulfill his will. God is already working through many of you and wants to do so in a more leadership intensive way.

Peter went from a fisherman, to the first person who "got it" about Jesus, to a denier, to a leader of the church. Look at what he became because Jesus poured value into his life, he poured encouragement, and he poured discipline. Here's what I want you to hear tonight - staff and I will give our life to adding value into your life. We will give whatever it takes to help develop you to the zenith of your potential. We want to partner with you to help Charter Oak Church to reach the zenith of its potential!

There is something going on here. Our average attendance is way up. People are finding us and staying. We have a youth group that is exploding. We have more people in small groups than ever before. God is at work here. God is moving and I want us to join him where he is at work. For us to make a kingdom difference, it means we are going to have to develop our leadership. We are going to have to set the bar much higher. We need leaders who are sold out to Jesus. Let me tell you straight up - we need leaders who will take a servant's towel, put it over their arm, and serve. Will you respond?

Monday Morning QB 3/5/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Being Real (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Isaiah 6

Service Highlights: Dave challenged our view of what worship is all about. He looked at the holiness of God and asked us about our own self-serving bias when it comes to worship and living our lives as followers of Jesus. Authentic worship always ends with a heart that's willing to follow God.

Stats: 523 in worship + 261 in Sunday school

On Being Sick and Having Nothing to Do

I have been sick all week. I hate being sick. I have to admit, I am the biggest baby in the world. I was laying on the couch feeling miserable and pretty much sorry for myself, when some things started going through my mind. Here are some of those random thoughts:

• As I'm reading through the Bible this passage really struck me this past weekend - Deuteronomy 11:18-19, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
• As miserable as I am, I think it would be worse if Kelli was sick - then I would be in charge - SCAREY!!
• John 17:15-17, "My praer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them for the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."
• When I am sick, I can't sleep. Let me just tell you - there is nothing good on television at 2:00am. There is still nothing good on at 4:00am. As a matter of fact there is so much bad stuff, I couldn't believe the stuff that was allowed to be on.
• Kelli's brother shoots commericals for FOX. He said that it is free to shoot the commerical; you just have to pay for the airtime. Depending on when you want to show it determines the cost. He said the cheapest airtime is midnight to 6:00am. It's about $75 per showing. Talk about people who need to hear God's truth!
• Not long after I got scared thinking about Kelli getting sick, she came in and reminded me that she will be going to Willow Creek for 3-4 days with Maxine and the children's ministry team and she wanted to know what I was going to do with the kids. Once again - SCAREY!!
• When I am sick, the first thing that goes for me is my memory. Don't ask me why, maybe my mind just reverts back to my IUP days. I don't know. But it dawned on me that we have our first Leadership and Servant Training event tonight. It will set the standard going forward. I need to be at my best, even though I am sick.
• Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

Monday Morning QB 2/27/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: How to Measure a Life (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Deutronomy 24:12-22; Amos 1:1-4; 3; 5:21-24; 7:1-9

Service Highlights: Dave took a hard look at the care of the poor. He challenged the congregation to no longer be satisfied with the maginalized just being a part of our society. He said, "Anyone who neglects them neglects God and anybody who oppresses them oppresses God."

Stats: 470 in worship + 150 students on Winter Retreat + 188 in Sunday school

Final Notes: The Student Winter Retreat was life changing for most, if not all of the students. Students commited their lives to Jesus, committed their future to ministry, and all had a transformational experience with the living God.

Creating Buzz

Every leader I know is always reading. They are reading about leadership, best practices, execution, focus, and a whole host of other leadership driven ideas. (I'm re-reading a book on Excution right now.) One thing I learned early on in my leadership development is to study those who are at a level or two above you. I do that on a personal basis, but I also do it on a church basis.

The church that I study more than any other church in Granger Community Church in Indiana. On a daily basis I read one of their pastor's blogs. His name is Tony Morgan. I have learned a great deal from him in the last six months.

Granger Church has launched a new sermon series called Pure Sex. They have purchased three large billboards to promote it and have started a web page that connects the sermon series to their church - www.mylamesexlife.com

This past week Grainger Church was picked up nationally on the news for this series. There is a buzz within the Christian leadership community about what this church has been able to accomplish because they decided to be creative and to talk about something that is very current in today's culture.

Here is one of the best comments I have read on this series.

I want to create a buzz for Jesus that will impact this community. His Truth will do that if we will just allow his Truth to be heard in a relevant way that speaks to people's needs right where they are.

Monday Morning QB 2/20/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Giving and Getting a Spiritual Legacy (Dave Preached)

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:15-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15, 4:1-7, 6:8-23

Service Highlights: This was part two of "A Life that Makes God Smile" series. Cindy Jonczak sang Nicole Nordman's Legacy.

Stats: 542 in worship + 258 in Sunday School

Monday Morning QB 2/13/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Holding Steady in a Roller Coaster World (Dave Preached)

Scripture: 1 Kings 15:25-19:18

Service Highlights: Pastor Dave began his 8-week series called "A Life that Makes God Smile."

Stats: 517 in worship + 221 in Sunday school

Final Notes: This series concludes the Old Testament Challenge. This is the fourth eight-week series we have done in the Challenge.

Monday Morning QB 2/7/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: A New Life (Chris Preached)

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Service Highlights: We brought in seven new families, four of those families joined by profession of faith. There were eleven children and youth in those families. This ended our series on Extreme Makeover.

Stats: 591 in worship + 248 in Sunday school

Final Notes: We are averaging 82 more people a week or 14% increase from a year ago. Pastor Dave begins an eight-week series next week called "A Life that Makes God Smile."

Relevant

I just received the latest kit from Relevant Magazine. The magazine is dedicated to helping young adults to connect with Jesus in a relevant way. The kit that they send out six times a year is a box full of good resources. Here's what I received:

Music

• Sara Groves - Add to the Beauty
• Derek Webb - Mockingbird
• The Message: Psalms

Books

• Restless Faith: Holding On to a God Just Out of Reach by Winn Collier
• Redefining Life: My Career by Nav Press
• [Re] Understanding Prayer: A Fresh Approach to Conversation with God by Kyle Lake
• Story: Recapture the Mystery by Steven James
• One Thing: Boldly Pursing All That Matters by Dwayne Roberts

Monday Morning QB 1/30/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Can We Build It? Yes, We Can!

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:11-16 (The Message)

Service Highlights: This was the third part of our series on Extreme Makeover. The focus was upon the formation of the character of Jesus into our lives. The two contemporary worship services featured the children's musical - J-Force to the Rescue. It was a very clear presentation of how to become a follower of Jesus.

Stats: 865 in worship + 228 in Sunday school

Final Notes: This coming weekend we will conclude our Extreme Makeover series. We will be bringing back the family from the first week to see what has happened in their lives.

The Power of Momentum

John Maxwell writes "Momentum is a leader's best friend." I believe we are seeing the beginning of a momentum swing at Charter Oak Church. It started on Christmas Eve with 1,075 people at our four worship services. That was an increase of 155 people from the previous year. Then three weeks ago Pastor Dave gave one of the most inspiring vision messages for a church that I have ever heard. It was very simple - we are going to reach the people of our county and it is our goal over the next couple of years to reach 2,110 new people for Jesus and to develop our current people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. Those were the first two waves of the building of momentum.

Next wave of momentum came with the launch of our current series "Extreme Makeover." The first week of the series we broke 600 in worship attendance for the first time on a "regular" weekend. This past week we were still well over our average with 568. I have had many conversations with people over the last two weeks about what this series has meant to them. The response has been incredible.

John Maxwell states that one of the biggest factors contributing to the building of momentum is preparation. How did we prepare over the last month to see what has happened? First, we sent out a letter to every household in the church inviting them to the Christmas Eve worship service. It was a simple, positive letter that was meant to encourage the hearts of our people. Second, Pastor Dave sent out a very motivating letter introducing his vision message and he said, "Whatever you have to do to get here this weekend, do it." Third, we shot a short promo video for the "Extreme Makeover" series. It was meant to be funny and to peak interest. All three of these things took time, energy, and most of all preparation. But they worked!

Jesus spent three and half years preparing the disciples for taking on the ministry of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of the time and energy that he poured into those men, the gospel has stood the test of time and billions of people have come to faith in Jesus. The work we do in preparing for the next month, quarter, and year will payoff with a title wave of momentum that will take us to the next level. It will take a ton of time and a great deal of energy, but it's worth it because the payoff is new believers in Jesus.

Are you ready to go surfing?

It's About People

On January 7th and 8th Pastor Dave gave one of the most inspiring vision messages I have ever heard. I told him Monday that if I wasn’t already on board here at Charter Oak Church, I would be now. I was moved by his passion to reach new people for Jesus and to develop our own people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. Pastor Dave laid out a plan to reach new people by targeting children and youth. If we can successfully introduce Jesus into these young people’s lives, their parents will want to know why their kids have changed.

This past weekend we broke a new record for attendance on a “regular” Sunday. There were 607 people in worship! I was so excited. Pastor Dave jumped into my office to tell me the figure. He was definitely pumped up about the news. A week after his vision message and people were already responding. At the end of each worship service I challenged each person to invite people in their circle of influence – friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members, to join them in worship. After one of the worship services, someone grabbed me and said if people listen to me, we will have to start setting up chairs! It sounded like he was genuinely excited about that possibility.

How awesome would it be to have so many people in worship that we had to start setting up chairs! Then I started thinking about some conversations I have had with pastor friends of mine. They get on my case when I start talking about our church growing and reaching more people. They tell me I am all about the numbers. I will be honest with you, it frustrates me when they say that. I do want to celebrate when we reach a new milestone like breaking the 600 mark in worship attendance. But I don’t celebrate the number, I celebrate the people. For me, it’s all about the people.

I am called by God to introduce people into a relationship with Jesus and then to help them to become more like Him in every aspect of their lives down to the last detail. That’s why I live. What about you? If we continue to grow in our current building and we have to set up chairs, will you be willing to sit in a chair instead of a pew? Would you be willing to sit on the front pew and park farther away from the building? Would you be willing to change worship times to allow more guests to sit comfortably in our sanctuary? These are tough questions, but for me, they are easy, because it’s all about people coming into a relationship with Jesus.

God is at work at Charter Oak Church!

Monday Morning QB 1/23/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Tear It Down (Chris Preached)

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

Service Highlights: This message was the second part of a four part series based on the ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This week we looked at tearing down the old stuff in our lives by truly repenting of our sins. Bill Gates wrote a song specifically for this message, it was right on and powerful.

Stats: 568 in worship + 261 in Sunday school

Final Notes: Next weekend is the Children's Musical on Saturday night and Sunday morning at 11:00am. I will only be preaching at 8:15 & 9:30.

Monday Morning QB 1/16/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: No One Is Perfect (Chris preached)

Scripture: Romans 3:21-23

Service Highlights: We kicked off our new series Extreme Makeover. This was the first part of four. We broke 600 in worship for the first time!

Stats: 607 in worship + 236 in Sunday school

Final Notes: I challenged everyone to invite someone to come with them next week that needs an extreme makeover in their life, their marrigae, and/or their family.

The Importance of What We Do

Here are some thoughts that have been rattling around in my head this week:

1. There was a definite buzz this weekend

I could sense within the people in worship this past weekend that they were excited about the vision for 2006. There was an energy level present that if built upon will create momentum that we have not had here for some time.

2. The power of a clearly and passionately communicated vision

When people can see a preferred picture of the future that is compelling and exciting they will sign up. I have had many conversations with people who are pumped about this year.

3. Making the vision a reality

The first part of the vision is to reach our county through teens and children. There are 370,000 people and 211,000 of them are unchurched. Our vision is to reach 1% of those people - 2,110. The question becomes, who are we making relationships with that are not attending church right now? The challenge was that 100 people will bring one person each by the end of the year. Who are we praying for that doesn't know Jesus?

The second part of the vision is to reach our full giving potential. If the 400 giving units gave ten percent of the median income of our area, we would meet our budget and pay off our new building in 5 years. As leaders we must model the biblical call to give that ten percent.

4. Good to Great

A good friend of mine told me he recently read the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. He said he wished he hadn't read it because it gave voice to the leadership gap at his church. His level of expectation was raised by reading this book and he realized that they don't have what it takes to make the leap from good to great.

5. Importance of Excellence

Some people I have been praying for who are far from God went to church for the first time the first weekend of the year. They said the preaching was great, but the words on the screen never were in line with what the band was singing. They won't return because of a lack of commitment to excellence, they didn't express it that way, but that is what was behind their words. They said that the pastor apologized for the error, but it doesn't matter, the damage is done. I don't know if those people will ever try church again. Excellence is what may determine if people far from God will be open to what God wants to do in them and through them. It is critical.

The implication of these thoughts is that what we do as leaders has Kingdom realities.

Monday Morning QB 1/9/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Continuing to Respond to God's Call (Dave preached)

Scripture: Acts 2:42-27

Service Highlights: Dave cast the vision for Charter Oak Church for 2006. We are going to focus on two things - reaching children and teens and reaching our giving potential. It was a very powerful message.

Stats: 574 in worship + 249 in Sunday school

Final Notes: Next week we kick off a new series called Extreme Makeover. We showed a promo video at all of the services to gain momentum going into the weekend.

End of the 1st Week

It's the end of the first week of the year. We are gearing up for the launch of our new building in September. The steel is being delivered today. We could be under roof in less than a month. Things are moving fast. The pace of speed here is going to continue to grow at an exponential rate over the next six months.

What would I say to myself in six months? There is now a new website that allows you to send yourself an email into the future. http://futureme.org/index.php

What would I write to myself? What questions would I ask myself on what I need to accomplish in the next six months? I think I would begin with, "Did you stay faithful to God's call on your life?" There are so many details that need to be done, it would be interesting to put down some of the keys ones to make sure I am getting them done.

I am really thinking now.

Start with God

Psalm 1

How well God must like you -
you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.

Instead you thrill to God's Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.

You're not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust -
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.

God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row.

Psalm 1 is the beginning of this collection of prayers and songs. This is the beginning of the New Year. This Psalm says there is a difference between beginning with God and not. It is the difference between life and death.

People say they want the true life offered in God's word. We will make resolutions this week and keep them at least through next week. But that's not the life that is offered here. The Psalmist goes back to Eden, where the relationship between God and people was perfect. The life that lived was a oneness, an intimacy with God.

Eden and Skid Row are far apart. Monthly fruit production and constant bloom are far from windblown dust. For most of us, we are some where in between. In between is not what God wants, it is not what we long for, but it is where we usually are.

It all begins with God - thrilling in God's word, chewing on it day and night.

Monday Morning QB 1/2/06

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: Wesley Covenant Service (Dave led)

Scripture: Various passages through worship

Service Highlights: Worship on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with Communion - great way to end and kick off the year!

Stats: 275 (No Sunday school)

Final Notes: Communion was available until midnight on New Year's Eve.

Monday Morning QB 12/26/05

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Christmas Eve
Message: Traveling (5:00 & 9:00) (Chris Preached)
Christmas 365 Days a Year (7:00 & 11:00) (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20 (Chris)
Luke 1:26-38

Service Highlights: We had a fantastic Christmas Eve at Charter Oak Church. I did a children's sermon at the 5:00 service for nearly 100 kids. The whole night just felt right. The presence of God was evident. People heard the Good News.

Stats: 1075 total for all four services.

Final Notes: This will be our final Christmas Eve at this building. The need for an overflow room for the overflow room will not be necessary next year, but it would be nice if we did.

Christmas Day
Message: We heard two people share a bit about their faith journey.

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Service Highlights: Hearing about people's walk with Christ on Christmas Day clarifies why we do what we do. The two stories were very different, but we all are different - in how we got here and what God is doing in us and through us.

Stats: 169 (No Sunday school)

Monday Morning QB 12/19/05

Here's the Monday morning QB for this week:

Message: The Purpose of Christmas (Dave Preached)

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

Service Highlights: Pastor Dave really brought home the point of why we tell people "Merry Christmas." As controversial as it has become to speak those words in today's society, it defines who we are because of the incarnation. Dave closed the message with a powerful clip from "It's a Wonderful Life."

Stats: 506 in worship + 161 in Sunday school

Final Notes: Christmas Eve worship is this Saturday at 5:00, 7:00, 9:00, & 11:00. We will also have one Christmas day worship service at 10:30am.

For the Sake of the Mission

"The North American church has lost its influence at this critical juncture. It has lost its influence becuase it has lost its identity. It has lost its identity because it has lost its mission." Reggie McNeal, The Present Future

The mission of Charter Oak Church is to reach out to those searching and nurture believers to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. That's what we are called to do and to be. That's why each one of us has been hired. That's what every decision we make should be filtered through - does this help make our mission happen? Why is this our mission? Because...

A recent study pegged church attenance at only 26% of Americans. George Barna reports that the unchurched population has grown from 24 to 34 percent in just one decade. Since 1991, the number of unchurched women has risen from 18 to 30%. The number of unchurched in the Northeast is up from 26 to 38%. 90 percent of kids active in high school youth groups do not go to church by the time they are sophomores in college. One-third of these will never return.

"The church's mission is to join God in his redemptive efforts to save the world. People all around us are in darkness. They are going to die unless someone finds a way to connect them to Jesus. The trouble is, the church is sleeping on the job. Too many of us have forgotten why we showed up for work. Even worse, many of us never have known."

Seeing the mission fulfilled begins here, with us as the leaders of this church.

The Amazon Reading Plan

I was just on amazon.com and it gave me three suggested books for me to read next.



I was so excited that I have read one of them (The Present Future), I have another one waiting to be read (Blue Like Jazz), and I am a great fan of the author of other one (The Barbarian Way). It amazes me that Amazon can create a platform that actually can represent books that I would read.

Now if only we could do the same thing for people in the church when it comes to spiritual development, serving opportunities, and leadership growth.

Thanks for Nothing

What happens when we don't have vision - nothing.

Check out this photo from Nothing, Arizona.

















I hope that we never become a church of nothing.

Who/What Are We Teaching?

Howard Hendricks writes, "God never called us to teach the Bible. He called us to teach people the Bible. So study your Bible, but before you teach it, make sure you also study your people."

Light Bearers

"You're here to be light, bringing out the God colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hill top, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)

Monday Morning QB 12/12/05

Here's the Monday morning QB for this week:

Message: Getting Sober for Christmas (Dave Preached)

Scripture: Luke 3:2-18

Service Highlights: This weekend was the Christmas Cantata. The choir performed three concerts. The music, the drama, and the narration were phenominal. I am certain that this will launch the people of our church into the Christmas season.

Stats: 819 worship + 161 Sunday school

Final Notes: We asked people to step up to make enough cookies to give to the workers at our new building site 2-3 dozen each.

Clarifying the Win

Andy Stanley writes in 7 Practices of Effective ministry, "The church should be more determined than any other kind of organization to 'clarify the win' simply because the stakes are so much higher: Eternity hangs in the balance."

Keeping score is so important today. We talk about the score of the Steelers game. We talk about how many yards Jerome Bettis rushed for, Hines Ward received, and Big Ben threw for in yesterday's game. The same is true in today's church. Pastors have a scorecard that we keep on each other. It looks something like this: How many members do you have? How many people in worship on a weekend? How many kids and youth do you have? What is the size of your budget? What is the size of your campus? We measure so many things - so many of the wrong things for the wrong reasons.

How can we possibly succeed if we are measuring the wrong things? So if the things on the typical scorecard are wrong, then what should we be measuring?

I was always taught that the things you measure are the things that get done. If I can define for someone what they have to do to succeed they can better evaluate themselves and I can better help them to achieve those results. However, we try to complicate things, we actually dilute what we are doing to the point that we don't know what we are supposed to be doing. Every time we do that in the church, we lose people.

We need to define who it is we are trying to serve. We should be unapologetic about who we are serving and why we are serving them - that's focus. Then we can get out of the way of the leaders and let them serve those specifically defined people in creative ways. Then we will see lives changed, that's the business that we are in.

Pushing the Excellence Envelope

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."
- William Faulkner

"People would always say to my father, 'Gee whiz, you've done real well. Now you can rest.' And he would reply, 'Oh, no. Got to keep going and do it better.'"
- J. Willard Marriott, Jr., Chairman, Marriott, 1987.

What will it take on Monday morning to push through the excellence envelope to be great? What do we need to accomplish during the next quarter to say that it was successful? Questions I am pondering and quotes that are challenging me as I look toward 2006.

What Defines Failure?

I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers' fan. The Steelers have dominated the last couple of years, especially in their own division - the AFC North. The Steelers have defeated the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Baltimore Ravens easily the last few years.

The Steelers lost to the Bengals on Sunday afternoon. It was the first time in like five years. Now every sports' writer that I read says that the domination is over. The Steelers ability to push the Bengals around is over. I don't understand.

How does one game say that nearly five years of winning is now over? What defines failure? Can years of success be eliminated so quickly?

If we have a consistent level of growth at our church and then we have a Sunday that we don't hit it out of the park, does that mean we are headed for a losing streak? Should one game define a team? It appears it does in sports' writers eyes. I hope we never give into such thinking at Charter Oak Church.

Monday Morning QB 12/5/05

Here's the Monday Morning QB for this week:

Message: God Is with Us - I preached

Scripture: Mark 5:13-16 (The Message)

Service Highlights: I talked about God's call in our lives to be light in the darkness of this world. I focused in on the six things that can hide our light. At the Saturday night worship service, I accidentally caught my sweater on fire when lighting a candle. Comments heard throughout the weekend, "He's on fire for Jesus."

Stats: 486 worship + 226 Sunday school
It was a sleeting and snowing throughout the morning.

Final Notes:
That was my last sermon for a while. I will be preaching twice on Christmas Eve, but Dave will be preaching each weekend until the third week of January.

Why We Do What We Do

Sometimes I need to be reminded what the focus of the weekend is all about...

"Worship is when you walk away and all you can think about is Him and your relationship with Him. You are not thinking about the band or the music or whether or not they did your favorite song. You are simple lost in your thoughts of Him; you are remembering what the Holy Spirit told you and taught you; you are relishing in the satisfaction of your soul because your needs have been heard and met. You have been given love and have received love; moreover, your affection has not been rejected and you are at peace. You are stirred to continue to be obedient to all He has commanded, not out of duty or obligation, but because you are in love with your Creator who loves you like no one can. True worship results in change of your heart, of your actions, of your mind. Otherwise, we have simply sung a bunch of songs over and over like choir practice. So, either I am a singer and I go away a bit hoarse or I am a worshipper and go away different."

Thanks for reminding me Brandi.

Crowder does it again.

This is the most creative album I have ever heard in the Christian music industry. There are times that I am brought to the very throne of God in worship. There are other times that I find myself laughing my head off. I also wonder occasionally, what in the world is he trying to do here.

Thanks to my incredible wife, for giving me this great gift!