Who is my Neighbor?

A well known parable in the New Testament tells the story of a man badly beaten and left on the road.  A priest walks by and next a Levite--religious people of Jesus' day.  They both side step him.  The final player is a Samaritan and he helps the fellow out but giving him a ride on his donkey, taking care of his immediate needs and paying to have extended care provided.  (Read the whole parable here.)


The parable is Jesus' answer to being asked, "And who is my neighbor?"
It's a good question.  Jesus answered it in a way that challenges our preconceived ideas today just as much as it must have in its original setting.


I want to use that question, And Just Who is My Neighbor?, to ask you if there is anyone in your life who is not, to the best of your knowledge, trusting in Jesus for forgiveness of their sins?  
I want to ask you to consider your neighbor (friend, family, co-worker, and actual neighbors) and courageously ask them to take a next step with you.


It is not my slogan but I love it and we use it at church, Invest and Invite.  


There certainly are people who need a Good Samaritan to be their neighbor.  I believe Christians are to be about the work of Justice and Mercy.  I also believe that our church's greatest outreach tool is you.  You have relationships with people--they are your neighbors.  You have invested in them.  Could now be the time to invite them to join you at church.  Could this Sunday be the Sunday they sit next to you?


If you Invest and Invite watch and see what happens

• Your friends will appreciate you inviting them (I doubt many of them will kick you to the curb.)
• Your friends will not be completely weirded out by our church.
• You will start to see your neighbors through a different lens.
• You will start to see our church with renewed perspective--you'll wonder if our church is truly an inviting place for those who are unchurched.  You may even help us make improvements in this regard.
• You will see the Spirit of God at work in your friend's life and your own.

Invest and Invite.

It doesn't matter what we Say...or does it

The more the words the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?" 
Ecclesiastes 6:11


We've been using words around our church for the past year or so like these; 

• Think Orange
• Foyer - Living Room - Kitchen
• Small Groups
• Environments
• Discipleship Path

We use others too; mission, vision & core values.
I like the words we are using.  They are great words.  
As we have spoken them we have experienced motivation and excitement. We have experienced confusion too.  We have seen implementation of ministries from these words.  We have also seen ourselves struggle to engage with some of the words.
   
Too many of them and they lose their meaning.
Not enough of them and we will not realize all that we can be and do.


More on that in a moment.  For now, look at this guy's head...Tell me he's not a candidate to be my forehead twin!

His name is Seth Godin.  I read his blog.

I saw this entry from his blog over the weekend,

It's a lot easier for an organization to adopt new words than it is to 

actually change anything.  

Real change is uncomfortable.  If it's not feeling that way, you've probably 

just adopted new words.

Um, can anyone say "North Branch Wesleyan Church"?

If you are hanging around you know there is some change in the vocabulary.  But beyond the vocabulary we are using there are changes of implementation in our ministries.  And it feels funky!  It feels out of whack!  It even feels like...like, can't we just do what we used to do.

It doesn't matter what we say.  At least not entirely.

Our actions must match our words.

Another quote.  It's not my quote but if you want to think I'm brilliant you can attribute it to me anyway.  The quote asks of churches, "Is what's written on the wall happening down the hall?" (Andy Stanley said that.)

Hear it?  Is what is written in our mission, vision and core values happening in the hallways, classrooms and homes of our church?

The Book of James says this about hearing the Word of God.  

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget 

what they look like. 

James 1:22-24

God's word is not only to be heard but followed up with action.

As our church takes steps that are in accordance with God's word and purpose (ie, to seek and save the lost, and to baptize and disciple believers) it would seem that we too must hear the words of our church vocabulary and do them.

Perhaps it's good that we feel a little uncomfortable and uneasy.  Perhaps we should look at our vocabulary AND actions and see how they line up.  Perhaps I should stop now.  'Cuz like a wise man once said, too many words and what does that profit anyone?

The Gathering

I'm in the Jacksonville airport this morning waiting to fly home after The Gathering, a conference for Wesleyan pastors and spouses. Jamie and I were debriefing last night after our last session and we asked, "What was the best part for you?" Normal question. At the time, I wasn't sure.

We laughed a lot, had great meals, caught up with people we know from Wisconsin and Indiana, met new friends, spent time with her parents, worshiped with Paul Baloche, and sat under the teaching of people like Gary McIntosh, Michael Smalley, Wayne Schmidt, Keith Loy, Brenda Sadler McNeal, and Mark Batterson. 

Last night, Mark Batterson said, "There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of before." He spoke about how as children, we use more of our right brain imagination, and as we grow older, we use more of our left brain logic and memory. Result: We start operating out of re-doing the past instead of imagining new ways of doing church for the future. He says it is crucial that we take the time to imagine a future where we accomplish the same goals (seeing lost people saved and the kingdom come) in new ways. 

I'm challenged by that. And I'm also encouraged. I believe we are using our imagination well at NBWC as we think orange. We're accomplishing the same goals (seeing children and teens saved, seeing families thrive under Jesus' lordship, seeing the community transformed as we partner with parents) in new ways. 

God's best is yet to come! 

You did it!

You did it!
You gave like I hoped and prayed you would.
You received a challenge and stepped up to it.

The hope has been that we, as one local congregation, could make a big difference for others.
The invitation has been given over the past several weeks and concluded today.

• to Worship (God)  Fully 
• to Spend Less ($)
• to Give More (self & time)
• to Love All (with grace & peace)

Today's love offering for Destiny Rescue, Dave & Beth Watters, and Transforming Wesleyan Church of Detroit was awesome!  (I am pumped to share $5,500 amongst these deserving ministries.)

Thanks for being generous with your love and your money.  Thanks for evaluating what you and your family needs vs. wants.

You did it.  Thanks.

May God be praised.

www.adventconspiracy.org

252 Basics

If First Look provides children with their first impression about God, 252 Basics provides them with the truth about God that they need as they grow up. 252 Basics is so named because of Luke 2:52, which says, "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." 252 Basics is for children in 1st through 6th grades. Over the course of three years, students hear 150 Bible stories that communicate 36 virtues, all designed with 3 basic truths in mind.

1. I need to make the wise choice.
2. I can trust God no matter what.
3. I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Here is a video that provides an introduction to this curriculum, which also will be launched in February.

If you'd like to be a part of helping our children grow up like Jesus did, we'd love to have you a few times a month. If you think this is children's church like it's always been, you'll get a pleasant surprise. Our goal is to make Sunday morning the best hour of a child's week. Here are a few roles you could fill (similar to those of First Look):

1. Small group leaders who build relationships with kids through activities, games and memory verses.
2. Hosts who introduce the storyteller and lesson for the day.
3. A worship coordinator who leads our 4th through 6th grade students in singing as the worship team.
4. Storytellers who communicate the bottom line for the week in creative ways. Don't worry, the script is already written. You just have to use it!
5. Tech people who run the audio/video from the back.
6. True behind the scenes people who get all the crafts and activities ready for small group leaders.

Our goal is to make volunteering as easy as possible for you. If you're a host, that's your only responsibility. If you teach, you won't have to worry about the worship music or getting activities ready. I'm excited for what this means for thinking orange and partnering with parents as well as the further spiritual growth of our children. Be sure to look back here later this week for an update on youth ministry and the way it fits with preschool and children's ministry at NBWC.

First Look

When it comes to a relationship with Christ, many of us can't remember a time when we weren't a Christian. Sure, we all go through a time of making what was our parents' relationship our own, but our earliest experiences with Jesus and the church form us for a lifetime. That's why we're excited to begin using First Look during children's church on Sunday morning. It's for kids ages 18 months (or so) through kindergarten.

First Look teaches three basic truths:
1. God made me.
2. God loves me.
3. Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

While we won't start this until February 2011, take a look at this video now to get a basic overview.

If you want to be a part of giving a child their first look at their heavenly Father, we'd love to have you join us a couple times a month during the worship service. You're invited to be a part of making Sunday morning the best hour of a preschooler's week in one of the following ways:

1. Small group leaders who build relationships with kids through crafts and memory verses.
2. Hosts who introduce kids to the lesson for the day.
3. Puppeteers who "sing" with the worship and assist the storyteller in telling the story.
4. A worship coordinator who leads our younger elementary students in learning songs, because they will be the worship team for our preschoolers.
5. Storytellers who communicate the truth of Scripture in a meaningful way, with the puppets, for 10-12 minutes each morning.
6. True behind the scenes people who make copies, cut things out, and get all the activities ready for small group leaders each month.

You can talk to Pastor Josh for more details. I'll also be making phone calls this week to talk to you about joining us! Look back later in the week for information about 252 Basics, the companion curriculum for elementary students!

Local Jesus

I'm not sure how your community celebrates Jesus.  Maybe your community doesn't do anything.  I hope it does something.   Here's a snapshot at how my town celebrates!

This caught my eye for a few reasons:

• Joseph is man enough to wear pink.  Way to go man!
• Jesus is depicted as being born next to a...pallet.  
• The Christmas scene is still accepted in my town.  Go North Branch. 

And why wouldn't a Nativity Scene include a pallet?  Jesus was likely born in a pretty simple and basic location anyway; although most assume there was little more coverage than a single pallet.  Probably a cave or barn of some sort.

To consider that God made himself know to us through his son Jesus is amazing.  Theologically this is called the Incarnation.  As a result of the incarnation, a love gift, humanity has been impacted on multiple dimensions.

  

What is so striking is that Jesus was come to earth to meet us on our turf.  Isaiah 66:1 says the heavens are God's throne and the earth is God's footstool.  So although God has always been connected to his creation in Jesus he showed how deeply connected he desires to be.  

Pallet, barn, cave.  Doesn't matter.  The reality is Jesus has come.  He has come full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  He has come for me and he has come for you.