Live... Without a Net!!!

Five Things You ABSOLUTELY MUST KNOW about Christmas!

1. It is a time to JOYFULLY give and receive... There is no joy in either giving or receiving when we do so out of obligation.
2. It is a time of TEACHING... Part of the reason we are selfish as adults is that we never learned (or were taught) generosity as children. Involve your children in projects that encourage generosity, AND lead by your example. After all, should you ever expect to get generous children when you yourself fail to model it before them?
3. I'm not downplaying the season when I say this, but remember that Christmas is a time to bring EMPHASIS to attitudes that should be part of our lives throughout the year. If we lose the 'Christmas spirit' after December 25, we never really had it to begin with.
4. Jesus LOVES the atheists that attack public nativity scenes much more than we love our plastic light-up Marys and baby Jesuses. Christians celebrate His nativity (and His priorities), and He never forced Himself on anyone. Why should we? Our culture will never be the same when Christians become more concerned about the way we keep Christmas in our own hearts and less concerned about the world taking "Christ" out of Christmas.
5. Christmas is a time for RECONCILIATION. Christ came to bring peace between God and mankind. And as a result, peace between fellow human beings. There's very little we can do to bring world peace, but we can do infinitely more to model peace in our own intimate relationships... with our spouses, children, parents, siblings, extended family, and friends. If Jesus is the "Prince of Peace," in our lives, why do we find it so hard to ask for forgiveness, extend forgiveness, receive forgiveness, and live in the resulting peace with those closest to us?

 I hope your Christmas is EVERYTHING God wants it to be for you this year!!!

7 Lyrics that Rock My World

I'm not a musician, but I love music. Someone asked me not too long ago, "What's your favorite song?" I honestly had to reply that asking me to choose one favorite song would be like asking me to choose my favorite daughter!

That said, there are a few lyrics that really move me. Not that these are the only ones. There could be many more, but here are seven that are among my favorite.

• "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love me a sinner condemned unclean." - Charles H. Gabriel (I Stand Amazed)
• "You stay the same through the ages, Your love never changes. There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning." - Chris McClarney and Anthony Skinner (Your Love Never Fails)
• "Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel." - Charles Wesley (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing)
• "Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder at the mention of Your Name. Jesus, Your Name is Power, Breath, and Living Water, such a marvelous mystery." - Jennie Lee Riddle (Revelation Song)
• "I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One Who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered. All I am is Yours." - Joel  Houston (The Stand)
• "'Cause I know that you're alive. You came to fix my broken life. And I'll sing to glorify Your Holy name, Jesus Christ." - Matt Crocker (Fire Fall Down)
• "Is this for real? Can it be? A Savior came! O What a King!" - Kevin Gardner (Just the Way I Am)

What lyrics rock your world?

This is SO Going Up in Our Office!!!

Want one? Get it here!!!

 

Three Hallmarks of Great Ministry!

It's no secret that great churches have great volunteers. Those churches may be unique in their focus, style, emphasis, but, no matter how these churches differ, each will have volunteers and volunteer leadership who literally bleed these three things...

• Kingdom-Mindedness (They serve because they love Jesus and they love people... and they know that wherever they serve and whatever their service looks like, they play an invaluable role in leading people to and growing people in the truth and grace that is in Jesus Christ alone!)
• Diligence (They are prepared when they serve. Effective service means that they prepare themselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. They discipline themselves to arrive on time, to be on task, and to stay focused on what is at hand and what lies ahead, keeping this in mind. Their leaders lead by example, reward diligence as a part of their leadership, and offer constructive feedback where diligence is lacking.)
• Proactivity (They anticipate our people's needs before they arise. They do what they must to take care of small challenges before they become "problems." They take care of problems before they become "big problems." They know that they are much better servants when they are proactive in their behaviors rather than reactionary.)

Now... Is this your church?

The Value of a Smile!

The next time you question the value of a smiling face, consider these words...

A smile costs nothing, but creates much.

A smile enriches those who receive without impoverishing those who give.

A smile happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None are so rich they can get along without a smile, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.

A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends.

A smile is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature's best antidote for trouble.

Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen; for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody 'til it is given away.

For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give.

- Frank Irving Fletcher

January 1973

We are fearfully and wonderfully made in the eyes of God, but not so much in the law's eyes after...

ENGAGE!!!

5 Things...

1. Dance Recital was very good last night. Love these people!
2. Last week, my youngest daughter finished her preschool career twenty years to the day after my  high school graduation. Perspective, huh?
3. The next door neighbors on both sides of our house are moving...at the same time! Gonna miss both families! That's life in a military town!
4. Wow, a Detroit Tigers pitcher lost a perfect game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning on a blown call by the umpire... That's gonna hurt for a while!
5. Thursdays are message prep days for the weeks ahead. Summer Sundays @ G8way are gonna be a blast!

Later!

3 Reasons Every Church Should Change Its Stage Design... Often!!

It generates interest - There's this memorable scene from the movie European Vacation where the Griswold kids, Russ and Audrey, are trying to watch TV in London. They are completely disgusted to find that every channel is showing the exact same documentary on how to make cheese... The sad thing is that some churches have been "making cheese" for years... limburger cheese at that! But face it, the staff and members are tired of looking at the same old out-dated paint and paneling. Those that aren't tired of it don't ever really notice it. What they would notice is a fresh coat of paint, new drapes, something that highlights the message, or anything that breaks the week after week visual monotony. Long-term uniformity stifles growth and fosters apathy. "Stifling" and "apathetic" should NEVER be words to describe the church.

It gives creative people an outlet for their gifts - You've probably got several people who've been gifted with a talent for graphic, artistic, and interior design. Let them know what you're going after in your messages, encourage them, fund them, and let them go to work! You may have to provide some direction for some people (i.e.- remember the environment complements the message... it doesn't drown it), but in the end it's well worth it! One more word... pastor, unless you have a degree in art, DON'T MICROMANAGE YOUR ARTISTS. Let them pick the paint!

It helps keep pastors from becoming slack! - Face it... It's far too easy for pastors to become lazy. After you've spoken to the same group of people for a little while, you have a tendency to lose a little of your edge. You don't push yourself as hard to prepare. Your messages are tired and you become jaded. You fall into the "catch phrase" trap where you learn to string a few words together in order to evoke an "amen" or two. But... there's really nothing fresh to your messages, because you don't challenge yourself anymore. Now, changing your stage design won't do anything if laziness is a natural part of your character (If it is, you need to get out of ministry now!). But for the pastor who's willing to push himself, a group of creative minds who work along with him to alter the worship environment is a gift. You knows these people are working hard to complement the message God has given to you. You know you have to step up your efforts in preparation and execution, because you're no longer a "one-man show" when it comes to proclaiming the gospel on Sunday mornings. You've got an entire team that have designed, built, painted, and assembled (for God's glory) a fresh environment for the gospel to be proclaimed. You'd better be on top of your game. You'd better have prayed like a Calvinist, and prepared like an Arminian. Your role as a leader in preaching the Word absolutely demands it! That whole Iron sharpening iron thing...? It really comes to life in an arena that's constantly being updated to drive home the gospel.

Weekend Impressions

Happy Tuesday everybody!

I hope you all all had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend and that you're looking forward to a great summer.

I knew when I heard the band warming up at G8way on Sunday morning that we were in for a special day... Yep, God moves during rehearsal, too.

I really was truthful when I said that when we moved into the building in Pikeville the floor was covered in orange shag carpet and the stage wall was purple... If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'!!!

It's true that churches publicize what they prioritize... If your church is more prone to make a big deal out of things that don't really bring people closer to Jesus or take Jesus closer to people, watch out! You're in the danger zone.

I really wanna give a shout to our awesome G8way volunteers, especially in our preschool and children's areas... Many of you worked double shifts on Sunday to cover for the holiday weekend! You guys are doing an amazing job! I(your God and those kids) appreciate you much more than you know.

God is really moving in our congregation financially... You guys are bringing it obediently and proving again that our God is faithful to reward your faithfulness as you bring it back to Him. For the fifth consecutive month, our church will bring in more income than we budgeted for. And we will do that this month even after cheerfully giving away everything that we took in on Mother's Day for flood relief in Nashville, TN. On top of that, yesterday we received a special gift that will cover all of our van rental fees for our students' trip to Bigstuf in July!

Francis Chan's Forgotten God is a must-read.

Amy's mom and dad (my in-laws) are ABSOLUTELY AWESOME... It was great spending time with them this weekend!

You know sometimes I just have this premonition that God's up to doing something real big real soon at G8way Community Church. I don't know exactly what it's gonna look like, but I think it's gonna be huge, and I think a lot of it's gonna be the result of what happens this coming Sunday night!

A life without passion is no life at all. Live passionately for Jesus today!

God Bless!

Thayer

Huge!

HUGE!!!

That's what First Sunday in June @ G8way will be... Baptism, Child Dedication, and Graduate Recognition! See you here at 6 PM on Sunday, June 6!