Live... Without a Net!!!

This is SO Going Up in Our Office!!!

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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?

Baptism is Tomorrow!!!

My most favorite days in ministry are those days when people follow Jesus by receving believer's baptism. One of those days is tomorrow at Gateway Community Church!!!

Maybe you'd like to learn more about baptism at Gateway OR you're ready to be baptized right away... Click here for more info and let us know!!!

See you in the AM!!!

Three Big Things...

The totals are in for Gateway's Tornado Relief Offering... $6,513! You guys rock!!!

We've got a HUGE Sunday coming up... Baptism, Graduate Recognition, and Stories! It's gonna be a big weekend!

Jesus is up to something incredible among us at Gateway! So... INVITE YOUR FRIENDS! We want them to be a part of it all!

So Ready to Post This!

If I'm gonna break a six-month blogging fast, I'd better have a pretty "over the top" post, right? Well, how 'bout this?

Counting your contributions over the past three day AND Gateway's matching contributions, we've raised nearly $6,266 for disater relief here in the United States... Isn't it great when the church acts like the church?!!!

Now... there's still time to get in on this amazing opportunity to be the heart and hands of Jesus to people in need! Click here to find out how, and help us spread the word!!!

Thanks for giving, and giving generously!

Basketball and Ministry

Yesterday, my school, Clemson University, introduced a new head coach for their men’s basketball program. Brad Brownell is taking over the team formerly led by Oliver Purnell, who moved on to Depaul University last week.

Many of you who keep up with college basketball know that Clemson is not a historically powerful force in men’s basketball. They’ve had some good teams through the years, but they’ve never been tournament champions in their conference, the ACC (actually, they’ve only played in the conference tourney championship game twice in the fifty-plus year history of the conference), and season-to-season consistency in success has for the most part eluded them. They’ve often been a byword in a league that features traditional powerhouses like Duke and North Carolina, and Tarheel fans are all too happy to remind everyone that they have NEVER lost a game to Clemson on their home court… Trust me, NEVER!

It remains to be seen what Coach Brownell will be able to accomplish at Clemson, but at his introductory press conference yesterday, he said some things that resonated with me, especially what he called the Three Principles for his team…

Passion. "I think you have to be passionate. ... I don't believe you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. ... You wake up with a good attitude and you hit the ground running, and let's make it happen. I want guys who are passionate about our team"

Purpose. "I think you have to work really hard. There is no substitute. If you don't work, you're not going to win. It's not going to happen. More than working hard, you better work smart. ... Talent is God-given. Skill is what you should be measured by."

Pride. "We're going to take great pride here when I'm the coach in being a Clemson Tiger. We're going to be proud of who we are, who we're playing for, and we're going to give you great effort."

I like those three principles. Each one is scriptural, and I believe that they have far-reaching applications in every endeavor… most especially in ministry.

Think about it…

Passion: What if every Christ follower (pastor, staff member, volunteer, etc.) approached ministry with a victorious attitude? What if we made up our minds to kick malignant attitudes to the curb, and remember that there is no enemy that can withstand the power of Jesus Christ? It couldn’t help but affect every area of our lives, could it?

Purpose: What if we stopped wishing for better circumstances or even stopped wishing we were someone else, and really measured our success in life by how hard we strived to achieve our purpose (not someone else’s) in life and ministry? What if we genuinely, joyfully, and continually put in the time and the hard work to find, refine, and deliver on our skills and gifts to achieve our purpose in life?

Pride: What if we put aside “false humility” and self-deprecating behavior, and remembered that we can glory in Jesus Christ, His love for us, and His calling on our lives? What if I lived this life, not forgetting that I am remarkably and undeservedly loved by Him, but that I carry HIS Name, that people judge Him by my actions, and that the way I choose to live my life (for better or worse) is a reflection on Him?

A few things to dwell on, huh? I pray you ask yourself these questions, and then make these three things real in your life!

And BTW – Go Tigers!

Later,

Thayer

More Reasons to Be Excited (Thanksgiving in a Bag, Special Guests, & NEW STAFF!!!)

Happy Monday everyone!!! Some of you are throwing things at me through your computer screens right now, but that if you think that’s gonna hit me, you’ve watched “The Ring” too many times…

I’m glad to be able to write today… Normally I take Mondays off, but because it’s such a busy week, I’m gonna take Friday instead. Our girls are in Stagestruck’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street” at the Paramount Theatre this weekend (click here for more information), and all of our family’s coming into town. Since they are all gonna be here, we’re gonna celebrate Thanksgiving a few days early at lunch on Saturday. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this weekend!

There are a few things I wanted to mention to all of our Gateway “Gaters.” Things that I’m tremendously excited about… Things I hope you’re excited about, too!

First, we continue to receive names for “Thanksgiving in a Bag,” and I’m looking for us to be able to take care of them ALL!! Get your shopping done now, then go back and do some more later this week! If you know of anyone who has a need for food this Thanksgiving, or if you’d like to help us with “Thanksgiving in a Bag” click here!!!

Second, this coming Sunday (as part of both our morning services), we’ll be having a good friend of mine and his wife share what God’s doing in their lives. They’re headed to the mission field overseas, folks, early in 2010. I know you’re gonna want to hear their story!

Finally, it’s our privilege at Gateway to welcome our new student pastor! Tim Whitman is back in Wayne County, and we’re happy to have him as part of our ministry team here at Gateway Community Church!!! I’m anxious to see the way God’s gonna use Tim to do some awesome things here at GCC!

Have a good one!!!

Thayer

Real Hope - Forgiveness (Part 2)

"Let us forgive each other - only then will we live in peace” - Tolstoy

There are indeed two levels of forgiveness - the divine and the human. Our world is in dire need of both. As Christians, we "believe" that because God through his Son, Jesus Christ, has made forgiveness available, we who have received forgiveness are capable of forgiving each other. Great words to live by, but, all too often, not lived out.

Hopelessness in our world is either directly or indirectly tied to an unforgiving spirit... a prideful spirit that keeps us from either seeking or granting forgiveness. And when Christ followers, those who are called to model forgiveness to the entire world, fail to forgive each other, we grieve the heart of God and miss a golden platinum opportunity to give a reason for the hope that is within us.

We continue to do this despite stern warnings to the contrary. One of Jesus' more pointed stories is found in Matthew 18:23-35... Check it out. Then tell me, what part of that parable don't we understand?

If the church is going to provide REAL HOPE in Jesus Christ to our world, we must not only preach God's forgiveness on Sunday, but forgive and be forgiven throughout the week. When God's people finally grasp the meaning of forgiveness, the hope in the gospel that we proclaim will become much more powerful than the easily forgotten words of a pastor. The gospel will become indisputably evident and life-transforming in our lives!

Later, ya'll!

Thayerr

Real Hope - Forgiveness

“Of course God will forgive me; that’s His job.” – Heinrich Heine

Let me ask you a question… Is it easier to forgive, or is it easier to ask for forgiveness? I suppose the answer depends on who you ask, but both are pretty tough. None of us naturally like to admit guilt; none of us naturally like to erase another person’s guilt for what they’ve done to us. The indisputable truth, however, is that we all will face occasions in this life that require us to decide whether or not to do one or the other. Sadly, most times we choose to deny guilt and/or hold grudges. Our problems with forgiveness are a huge factor in understanding hopelessness in this world.

Because forgiveness is a game we humans are pretty inept at, we’ve traditionally ascribed it to God using phrases like, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”  That’s certainly true to an extent. But we make a huge mistake when we take God’s forgiveness for granted—like Heine above.

Of course God is in the forgiving business. But His forgiveness is on HIS terms, not ours.

Think about it this way… God has a lot invested in our forgiveness, namely His Son’s life. If Jesus came to bring us life and bring it more abundantly, part of the way He accomplished it was by giving up his own life to pay the penalty for your sin and mine. And there’s no sin, yours or mine, that has no penalty. When Jesus willingly died, he took the penalty for our sins upon himself, and died in our place. It wasn’t a cheap sacrifice. Paying the penalty for our sin and making forgiveness possible cost God’s Son His very life. And it is only through surrendering to him and trusting him (Yes, God did bring him back to life… more on that later!) with every part of our lives that we can receive this forgiveness, and then passing it along to others.

Now here’s the good news, though forgiveness is exclusively on God’s terms, it is nonetheless AVAILABLE!! It is the church’s mission to preach the forgiveness of God to each generation… to offer them real hope of being made right with God through Jesus Christ.

Every week, our churches should preach the forgiveness of God, both as an invitation to those who have not received it and a reminder to those who have, as part of the REAL HOPE WE HAVE IN JESUS CHRIST!

Real Hope - Part 1

“Life is pain, Highness! Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.” – Westley, The Princess Bride

That quote, from one of my favorite movies, sums up the frustration of the human existence. Sooner or later, all of us discover that fairy tale lives are—in the end—just fairy tales, and that all of us will experience tragedy, heartbreak, and pain.

But…Oh, the lengths that we will go to, however, in an attempt to head heartache off at the pass. We try not to wipe away tears, but to ensure they never fall, and we’ll go to extraordinary lengths to keep them out of our eyes.

We accumulate wealth in order buy happiness, but that happiness is fleeting. We passionately pursue health, but the mortality rate still holds steady at 100%. We fill our lives with unhealthy relationships because we don’t really want to be lonely, all the while confusing attention with love.

Really, it all comes down to this… we’re all looking for something of value, something that lasts, something that can provide more than just temporal meaning to our lives. And we’ll go wherever, pay whatever, and believe, abuse, or discredit whoever, whenever we think we’ve found it. What a desperate and hopeless existence…

It’s within this context that the church proclaims Jesus’ eternal message. “I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10. Jesus didn’t just come to place His stamp of approval on the pain of human existence. He came to provide hope for something more… that we could have life “to the full.” He offered real hope, not based on something that we pursued in vain only to later discover that we’d been cheated, but based on what he would do in dying and rising to new life!

We’ll explore that real hope a little more over the next few days!

G’night!

Thayer