Jesus is the “Rock of Ages.”It is wonderful to have a personal relationship with a God who is so stable and never changes.
Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights.Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows.– James 1:17
He is our example!We strive to be like Him!“God is good … all the time!”His love is an unfailing love!
Long ago the LORD said to Israel:“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”- Jeremiah 31:1
That is the love He has for us today!We need to follow our Lord’s example and strive to be as stable in our emotions, unchanging in our love, trustworthy in our words and dependable in our actions as is He.With the Holy Spirit we can do this!
Instability causes lack of certainty.When you sense this struggle, remember the example of the Lord.Rely on the Holy Spirit within you and maintain your stability. Stay the course.Do what you are called to do.Keep going forward because there is no place else to go!Don’t be sidetracked or distracted by minor issues.Keep your eyes on what is major and important – and always – do it with excellence.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 3 Nov 2009 3:14:20 pm | no comments
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.– Hebrews 13:8
EMOTIONAL STABILITY
We cannot ride an emotional roller coaster of our own and be an effective leader.Emotions are an important aspect of our personality and they are God-given.However, we must control our emotions; we should not be controlled by them.
A popular song said, “It can’t be wrong if it feels so right.”Yes it can!A leader and influencer will do what is right and shun what is wrong regardless of how it feels.The principle of the student not rising above the teacher applies here as well.Emotionally stable leaders influence others to be able to be in control of their emotions and live stable lives.
From Galatians 5:22-23, one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit is self-control.We must control our moods and our mouth.Once something is said, it cannot be grabbed out of the air and put back.Forgiveness can be asked for and granted, but the pain of words spoken in anger from emotional instability can take more time to heal.This can disrupt the leader’s ability to build into the life of the one they are influencing and hinder their personal as well as spiritual growth.Our words and our actions must be kept in check.We set the example by living according to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives and not our sinful nature.This comes from dying to our natural desires daily and living to the plan of God for our lives.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 29 Oct 2009 9:38:26 am | no comments
In order to continue leading, we must continue learning.
Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it is written for us.God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. – Romans 15:4 The Message
Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.Romans 12:11
A.PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL
We may hate to admit it, but we don’t know everything.We don’t want to admit that because we don’t want to look bad.We want to appear as experts in the eyes of those we are influencing.We hate to answer a question with, “I don’t know.”That is pride.If looking bad is a greater concern than learning, the leader will fail or lose a following.Leaders need to be comfortable in saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out!”
Don’t be defensive about not knowing everything.Be teachable.Continue to learn and study.Lead with humility.Lean on the Holy Spirit, and not your own knowledge.Don’t be narrow-minded.Even with the knowledge we have there are often more way of doing things and looking at situations than our own.
B.LEADERS CONTINUE TO LEARN AFTER EXPERIENCING “SUCCESS”
Often, when a leader achieves “success” – receiving an award, getting a degree, or reaching a certain position – they believe they have “made it.”For them, learning is a thing of the past.They have already achieved.We need to remember that the day we stop growing and learning is the day we give up continued future potential.
Whatever gets us to the place we want to be is not always what keeps us there.Great leaders always see opening doors and new opportunities.Someone said, “As long as you are green you are growing; as soon as you are ripe, you rot.”
C.LEADERS LEARN FROM MISTAKES
We make no progress if we keep making the same mistakes over and over again.We need to learn from our mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, so that they are not repeated.
Watch other leaders and influencers.Listen to their stories.It’s better to learn from someone else than to have to learn the hard way ourselves.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 13 Oct 2009 2:10:22 pm | no comments
Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11 NLT
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. NIV
Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. NASV
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master. The Message
Someone has said passion is being zealous on the inside.
A.PASSION IS THE FUEL THAT DRIVES THE LEADER
There are many who may not have been successful in a school classroom setting, but they had passion about their gifts, their call, their vocation in life and have become great leaders.
-More than 50% of all Fortune 500 CEO’s had “C” averages in college.
-Nearly 75% of U.S. Presidents were in the bottom half of their class.
-More than 50% of all millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college.
Ordinary people achieve great things – when they are passionate about what they are doing. Passion increases willpower. Passion will keep you going when you don’t feel like going on! There is no substitute for passion in a leader’s life and ministry. You must love what you are doing!
B.PASSION IS THE FIRE THAT OTHERS WILL FOLLOW
Have you ever wanted to follow the fire truck to see the burning house? It has been said that someone asked John Wesley how he got so many people to come to his meetings. He replied, “I set myself on fire and the people come to watch me burn.” He was talking about the passion and fire of the Holy Spirit!
When a leader loses their passion, they begin to lose their influence. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you cannot lead anyone there. When passion is present, it is contagious. It is like a wildfire that causes what is around it to catch on fire as well. This kind of passion ignites that faith that makes the impossible possible!
C.PASSION CAN ALSO BE DANGEROUS
Passion without knowledge is like heat without light. It is possible to be over-zealous. It is when we do not have the proper knowledge or training for what we are passionate about that it becomes dangerous. Great leaders will always seek continuous training so that they can always become more efficient and effective at what they are passionate about.
Leaders are responsible to keep their fire under control. We must add to our passion wisdom, knowledge, discernment, prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 22 Sep 2009 1:07:58 pm | no comments
The U.S. Open Tennis Match recently ended. On the women’s side, the favorite was knocked out on the last play because of her attitude (she physically threatened an umpire!). On the men’s side, the favorite was upset by a relative unknown. “HOW’S YOUR SERVE?”
I have been writing the last few weeks about Leadership being a Heart Issue (from a book I wrote called Team With One Another). We have talked about Leadership involving Character and Servanthood. Last week we said
A.SERVANT-LEADERSHIP IS AN ATTITUDE
Now –
B.SERVANT-LEADERSHIP PUTS OTHERS FIRST
When we put our own agenda on hold for others, we are serving them. We must be aware of the needs of those we are leading, or those with whom we share relationships. We must be aware of their needs and be ready to help them. They must know that we see their needs as important.
A servant-leader doesn’t wait to be asked. A servant-leader see the need and jumps into action. They don’t have to be compelled or coerced, but they look forward to seizing the opportunity to be a blessing, especially in times of crisis. They also expect nothing in return.
C.SERVANT-LEADERSHIP IS FROM THE BOTTOM UP
On many organizational flow charts, the leaders will be listed at the top and those who are under them will be … well … under them! But in Christ-like servant-leadership, the serving leader will put himself under others and serve them. This earns the respect of those the servant is leading … and they will follow!
Read Paul’s attitude about himself in 1st Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; and 1st Timothy 1:15.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 15 Sep 2009 1:42:29 pm | no comments
So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:42-45
A.SERVANT LEADERSHIP IS AN ATTITUDE
Servanthood is not about position or skill; it is about attitude. Manipulation or self-promotion does not motivate the servant, rather love is the motivating factor. The extent of a leader’s influence depends on the depth of concern for others.
In a magazine article I read years ago, Guy BonGiovanni told of an old Dutch tradition where an empty chair and setting were placed at the dinner table. The unoccupied chair monitored the family’s attitudes and actions while also serving as a reminder that Christ was the unseen guest at the table. BonGiovanni told of sitting at the dinner table of Joel Oliver, a pastor in St. Louis. At the table a family argument broke out over who should sit in a special chair at the end of the table. Feisty six-year-old Caleb insisted it was his turn to sit in the “servant’s chair.”
Pastor Oliver said each person takes turns sitting in the servant’s chair when they eat together. The person sitting there is responsible for anything needed during the meal, whether someone needs another teaspoon, napkin, or if the telephone rings. Pastor Oliver said, “I want my family to develop a caring spirit, to be concerned and quick to serve others. What better place to do that than in one’s own home during family dinner?”
In Pastor Oliver’s house, the children were actually fighting over who would get the privilege to serve! What would happen in the Body of Christ if we all had such a great desire to serve one another! This must be modeled by leadership.
PURPOSEFULLY SERVE SOMEONE THIS WEEK!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 8 Sep 2009 11:15:48 am | no comments
“If you think you’re leading but no one is following, you’re just out taking a walk!” The only way a Christian leader will be able to influence others is by maintaining Christian character. Charisma, giftedness, or a great personality may gain a short-term following, but only true Christian character will be able to keep people with you so that you can influence them for the good. When the leader’s character fails, the trust is broken and the positive influence is eroded.
CHARACTER SETS THE LIMITS
“A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. The student shares the teacher’s fate.” - Matthew 10:24,25a
You will never be able to lead someone where you have not gone. You will never be able to take them beyond where you are. As leaders, we must maintain godly character and continue to grow!
Your character will also set the limit on yourself! Some fall after achieving a high place of leadership because their place of leadership was beyond their character. There are 4 A’s that can ring down any leader who is short on character: Arrogance, Aloneness, Adventure-seeking, Adultery.
NEXT: SERVANTHOOD
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 2 Sep 2009 5:43:32 pm | no comments
Character has become a point of issue in many campaigns for elected office. There are those who argue that an individual’s personal life should have nothing to do with their ability to lead. Others counter: “Character matters!” From a Biblical standpoint, there is no question that character matters and that it affects our ability to lead and influence others.
Watch yourselves carefully so you do not get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You cannot keep your true self hidden forever; before long you will be exposed. You cannot hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You cannot whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day is coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town. – Luke 12:1-3 The Message
TRUE CHARACTER IS REVEALED BY OUR ACTIONS
“Actions speak louder than words.” A person can say they have character, but what do the actions of their life reveal? What kind of character do they have? If we intend to lead people in Christian living, yet the actions of our life do not personify Christian character, then we tear down with one hand what we are attempting to build with the other.
“Character is who you are when no one else is around.” Some may think they can hide their true self from others, but it is never hidden from God and eventually what is done in the darkness comes out into the light. Don’t let secret sin destroy the effectiveness you can have. Your character can make or break those you are trying to lead. Many have fallen away due to the failure that has been revealed in leaders.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures. So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show.” - Matthew 23:1-5a
What a terrible indictment – and from the Master of character Himself! Let’s never let this be said of us!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 26 Aug 2009 9:04:49 am | no comments
It can be discouraging to discover how quickly you lose your inner peace. Someone who happens to enter your life can suddenly create restlessness and anxiety in you. Sometimes this feeling is there before you fully realize it. You thought you were centered; you thought you could trust yourself; you thought you could stay with God. But then someone you do not even know intimately makes you feel insecure. You ask yourself whether you are loved or not, and that stranger becomes the criterion. Thus you start feeling disillusioned by your own reaction.
Don’t whip yourself for you lack of spiritual progress. If you do, you will easily be pulled even further away from your center. You will damage yourself and make it more difficult to come home again. It is obviously good not to act on your sudden emotions. But you don’t have to repress them, either. You can acknowledge them and let them pass by. In a certain sense, you have to befriend them so that you do not become their victim.
The way to “victory” is not in trying to overcome your dispiriting emotions directly but in building a deeper sense of safety and at-homeness and a more incarnate knowledge that you are deeply loved. Then, little by little, you will stop giving so much power to strangers.
Do not be discouraged. Be sure that God will truly fulfill all your needs. Keep remembering that. It will help you not to expect that fulfillment from people who you already know are incapable of giving it.
From his journal published as the Inner Voice of Love – A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 5 Aug 2009 8:47:27 am | no comments
I’ve got moles in my yard! I tried a mole trap – that didn’t work. I’m told that if I kill the grubs in my yard, then the moles will go away. So – last Friday I put some fertilizer with grub killer on the yard. That is supposed to be activated by rain within 24 hours to kill the grubs and send the moles away. I hope it works!
It reminds me of something – evil feeds on evil. Just like the grubs aren’t good for my yard – and they attract the hungry moles – which are even worse for my yard – evil feeds on and follows after evil.
I can’t see the grubs unless I’m digging (and I’ve seen them). We spent some money this year to put in some nice landscaping – I sure would hate the moles to mess that up.
We invest in our lives. We spend time in prayer with God – we spend time (a tremendous valuable resource) in worship and with family and friends. We enrich our lives. Let’s not let things that seem small, little, insignificant, even unseen – mess up what we have invested in our lives. Do you have some “spiritual grubs” in the yard of your life? If you do not address these small problems, they will draw bigger problems – the moles – then what you have invested in your life can be lost!
Solomon said it is the little foxes that spoil the vines and vineyards. Let’s not let temptations and sins that seem to be “no big deal” – such as missing times of worship for a week or two – letting little arguments invade our relationships with our spouses and kids – small grudges that destroy our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ – areas of dishonesty – a little bit of lust or disobedience here and there – let’s not let the little foxes spoil the fruitfulness and life the Lord wants to bring to us!
Let’s put some fertilizer on our life! Let’s let the rain of the Holy Spirit activate and germinate the Word of God which will destroy those small killers!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Mon 13 Jul 2009 11:36:06 am | no comments
This morning I picked up a devotional book that I hadn’t read in a while. Before I found today’s passage, the book opened to May 1 and the title caught my eye. Our youth ministry went through something difficult yet educational last week at camp and this devotional addresses an issue that all of us get caught up in at one time or another in our journey of seeking after God. This is Oswald Chambers, from his devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Please read this fully – especially the second paragraph!
For a while, we are fully aware of God’s concern for us. But then, when God begins to use us in His work, we begin to take on a pitiful look and talk only of our trials and difficulties. And all the while God is trying to make us do our work as hidden people who are not in the spotlight. None of us would be hidden spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our work when it seems that God has sealed up heaven? Some of us always want to be brightly illuminated saints with golden halos and with the continual glow of inspiration, and to have other saints of God dealing with us all the time. A self-assured saint is of no value to God. He is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and completely unlike God. We are here, not as immature angels, but as men and women, to do the work of this world. And we are to do it with an infinitely greater power to withstand the struggle because we have been born from above.
If we continually try to bring back those exceptional moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are becoming obsessed with the moments when God did come and speak with us, and we are insisting that He do it again. But what God wants us to do is to “walk by faith.” How many of us have set ourselves aside as if to say, “I cannot do anything else until God appears to me”? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise and we find ourselves exclaiming, “Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!” Never live for those exceptional moments—they are surprises. God will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never consider our moments of inspiration as the standard way of life—our work is our standard.
Wow! I believe that with all my heart! Stay balanced! Seek God, not emotion! Know that His presence is always with you whether you feel it or not. The feelings are wonderful, but that is not what we seek. We seek to know the Word and be people obedient to His Word! Then our lives will be stable examples to an unstable world!
Have a great week!
Randy Blankenship
P.S. By the way, in addition to more people making the decision to begin a real relationship with Jesus Christ this weekend, we had an incredible physical miracle of healing happen this week. The individual who received this healing left on vacation, and they will be back in a couple of weeks to tell the story! This is confirmed by “before and after” doctor’s reports! There is no end and no boundaries to God’s goodness and kindness!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 30 Jun 2009 9:37:18 am | no comments
Yesterday we honored the life of Nellie Thieke – member of New Life since 1962 – 93 years of age – and ready to leave the land of the dying for the land of the “really living”!
You know, before I ever heard anyone talk about “Small Groups” Nellie was a part of small groups! She was a vital part of ministries in our church that have been giving life to others for years – the Women of Purpose Group (formerly Women’s Ministries) – the Joy Fellowship Group (Just Older Youth!). Nellie gave to others through her life and relationships and she received from others as they blessed her in so many ways! We walk together in our friendships and relationships to give life and receive life as we need it.
Leaders are really just facilitators. I know from Ephesians 4:12-13 that one of my key roles is to give people an opportunity to serve others. My goal is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to serve others in as many ways as possible! Isn’t it liberating to know that we don’t have to do it all? In the next couple of weeks watch your group of friends. Can’t you see them serving one another … helping one another … “giving life” to one another? They are not all “leaders”. They may not even realize they are doing it. But through their lives and relationships they are serving one another, encouraging one another, comforting one another, teaching one another, blessing one another, giving life to one another! Let it happen!
I received an e-mail last week from a small group leader in our church – he leads a Basketball Group along with another leader and friend:
Just a little follow up info regarding our Upward and Thursday evening basketball guys. We now have 7 individuals and couples coming to New Life as a result of Upward and Men’s Basketball. I have said for a long time that we can never change the Gospel Message, but we need to be open to changing the method of sharing the Message. Upward and Men’s Basketball are proof of that. We are developing ongoing relationships with these people, and the Alpha Program might be a good tool to help in doing this. Last year our Men’s Basketball numbers dropped off to 4 or 5 by this time of year, and Doug and I talked about stopping this year at the end of June. This year is different, there has not been a week that we haven’t had someone new to this group, and that’s what it’s all about. Basketball is just the tool to get new people into this small group. We always have 20 or so and probably if all were there at a given week, we would have 40. Not too bad of an outreach small group, and they think its all about basketball, but we now have 7 attending church here, and get this, it’s very exciting to me when our new people start bringing new people. [Someone] brought his brother-in-law … this week. I invited him to come Sunday and he said he and his family would be there (they were in church this past Sunday). I think as we get new people of all walks of life that will open up new groups or nucleuses of unchurched people that possibly can be led into the Alpha Program.
Uh …. I think that’s the definition of “REVIVAL!” And it’s happening! Let it happen!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 17 Jun 2009 2:44:54 pm | 1 comments
For Luke & Kristina - Oh how the Lord loves His Bride!
Twenty-five years ago a young 20-year-old pastor was asked to perform a wedding ceremony. It would be his first “solo flight” officiating a wedding. The wedding was at a small Methodist church in Greentown, Indiana (on an extremely hot day with no air conditioning). The church was the home church of the bride, the groom was the pastor’s friend since the 8th grade and the bride was literally the girl next door (grew up next to the groom). She said, “I married my best friend.” The pastor still has the newspaper clippings, the program, and the notes from that wedding service.
Their first son was named Luke Randall Sommers, the middle name being that of the pastor-friend who married them. Today I (that pastor) performed the wedding of Luke Randall Sommers and his beautiful bride, Kristina Maurer. With Luke & Kristina’s agreement, much of the service was exactly like that of their parent’s 25 years ago. Following the lead of my mentor, Pastor John Walker, I typically write a new personal wedding message for each couple that I marry. But this was different. We went through the vows, the rings and the Scripture, 1st Corinthians 13, then I got to the point where I said, “Luke and Kristina, what I’m about to say are the exact words I said to your parents 25 years ago.”
Then, out of nowhere it came. I lost it. I choked. I began to weep. It took me a few minutes to gather myself together. (If I did that today, what am I going to do when my daughter gets married?!?!?) I really can’t express in words what was going through my mind. Here we were, 25 years later, still friends, still close, still leaning on one another in times of exhilarating blessings of God upon our families, and leaning on one another in times of great tragedy. Just a few years ago I stood by the side of my friend as his father crossed the threshold of heaven, and in the last couple of years he has stood by me through some of the darkest moments and deepest attacks in my life. Now we stand together with great joy sharing the next step of greatness as his family is joined with another great family, and remembering 25 years ago.
I got it back together, went on with the ceremony, and as I ministered communion privately to the couple while Michael W. Smith’s I’m Desperate for You was playing, I shared with them a Scripture that came to my mind this morning:
I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!
For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
or a bride with her jewels. – Isaiah 61:10
Oh how our Lord loves His bride!
Psalm 45 speaks of the wedding of a King and says -
Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away.
11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The princess …will shower you with gifts.
The wealthy will beg your favor.
13 The bride, a princess, looks glorious
in her golden gown.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
accompanied by her bridesmaids.
15 What a joyful and enthusiastic procession
as they enter the king’s palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father.
You will make them rulers over many lands.
17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
The joy and expectation in the faces of Luke and Kristina was palpable. The joy of the entire congregation was evident. So many present that were full of love, and so many couples remembering their own vows.
Once again I am reminded of how marriage is God’s gift to us to give the world a picture of His love for us. We are His bride. He loves us, cherishes us, and will defend us and protect us. Christ died for us – gave His live for us. Oh, how our Lord loves His bride!
You have captured my heart,
my treasure, my bride.
You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes,
with a single jewel of your necklace.
10 Your love delights me,
my treasure, my bride.
Your love is better than wine,
your perfume more fragrant than spices.
11 Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.
Your clothes are scented
like the cedars of Lebanon.
12 You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride,
a secluded spring, a hidden fountain. – Song of Songs (Solomon’s) 4:9-12
…God will rejoice over you
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. – Isaiah 62:5
Just as Luke loves Kristina, Christ loves us, His beautiful bride. Just as Luke is thrilled to be with her, to protect her, to provide for her, the Lord longs to be with us, to protect us, to provide for us.
I’m overwhelmed. Oh, how the Lord loves His bride … Oh, how the Lord loves His bride … Oh, how the Lord loves His bride!!! Our wedding day is coming! He will come to get us! Just as Kristina was preparing herself through her life, and even up until the moment came for her to walk down the aisle, let us be preparing ourselves. The King loves us! He is coming to get us!
Oh, how the Lord loves His bride!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Sat 30 May 2009 9:21:20 pm | no comments
Finally – some good weather! How is the “weather” in your heart today? How is the “weather” in your life? Are things sunny? Or is there a storm brewing? Is your spirit “dark and cloudy”?
You know how people either say “the glass is half full” or “the glass is half empty” – and that is supposed to tell whether or not you are generally a positive person or a negative person? When the weather forecaster is telling us what it will be like tomorrow or on the weekend, I’ve always wondered what the difference is between “partly cloudy” or “partly sunny.” Does that tell us whether or not the forecaster is an optimist or a pessimist?
I don’t like bad weather. I’ve complained about the weather quite a bit this past year. I have to remind myself that the sun is always shining! We can’t always see it – but even on the cloudy days, rainy days and snowy days, the sun is always shining – not just somewhere – but right above our heads! We may not be able to see it – but the sun is ALWAYS SHINING RIGHT ABOVE OUR HEADS!
So, let me encourage you today, whatever is going on in your life, the sun is shining – and the Son is shining! If you have put your full faith and trust in Jesus, turned away from that which displeases Him and destroys us, and accepted His free offer of forgiveness, then Jesus is always with you, even in and especially in every difficult time of our lives! Sometimes it’s easy to forget – that’s why I’m reminding myself – and you today – that the Son is shining!
This Sunday at New Life we are continuing our series in 1st Corinthians – and it’s going to get very interesting! As we move into chapter 5 Paul begins to deal with some pretty tough stuff – some stuff we’d rather avoid – but if we’re going to understand everything that God wants to teach us through His Word, we can’t avoid the passages that we’re going to be looking at the next several weeks.
I know it’s a holiday weekend coming up and lots of people have lots of plans, but if you’re staying in the area, I hope that I’ll see you Sunday at 10 a.m.
Have a great rest of the week!
Randy
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 21 May 2009 10:30:15 am | no comments
As I sit to write this it is Thursday afternoon. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the temperature is nearly perfect. What a beautiful day! It’s hard to believe that last night I slept on the couch with The Weather Channel on to keep an eye on the storms. I wanted to be sure that if a tornado was going to come our way I could wake my family and we could get to the basement.
I hope you don’t think that was being alarmist or over-concerned. Late last night there were tornadoes in Missouri heading our way. The Indianapolis weather forecasters were predicting strong storms here between 4 & 5 a.m. I wanted to protect my family.
In the same way, you may be going through a storm in your life. You may be fearful that it is going to get worse. Whether it is a physical storm, financial storm, family storm, emotional storm or spiritual storm, do you see the clouds gathering? Do you hear the forecasts of doom?
Listen – there is nothing wrong with being alert! There is nothing wrong with doing what you need to do to protect yourself and your family – but read this:
Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. (Proverbs 4:7)
The wisdom that is spoken of there is God’s wisdom. Good judgment comes from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit! And the Book tells that we need not worry or fear. Last night, I was not worried, I was not fearful. I was just keeping my eye on the storm. If it came, I would do what I had to do, knowing full well that the storm would be temporary!
I do not know the future – but I know Who holds my future! “I don’t know who holds tomorrow, but I know Who holds my hand!”
Can I encourage you today? The storm may be over your life, over your house, over your business, over your family – but this storm will pass! One way or another it will pass! After the stormy night comes a beautiful day! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
I’m getting ready for an encouraging day on Sunday!
Many blessings,
Randy Blankenship
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 14 May 2009 3:16:26 pm | no comments
I wanted to testify of tremendous growth in an area of my personal life – one that may have seemed impossible to some who know me!
A couple of weeks ago our microwave stopped working. I thought I was going to have to buy a new microwave! Who’s got the money for that? I thought, “Maybe I can fix it!” (Stop laughing – right now!) For those of you who are not aware, I am not a “Mr. Fix-It” guy – but I was going to try!
So – I found the manual and was going to look up anything I could find on the possibility of repairing it. Taped to the front of the manual was a fuse. I thought, “Maybe it’s just a fuse! That can’t be too hard!” So, I looked through the manual to find something on fuses – nothing. No problem, I’ll just take the microwave out and open it up. That’s what I did – man, it was heavy! I took the microwave out of its hole in the wall, above the oven, and got it open – no problem! There’s the fuse! Blown! Pull it out, put the new one in – no problem! Now, put the microwave back together … that took a couple of tries. You know, you’ve got to remember how you took it apart. Got ‘er dun!
Then – get the microwave back up into its hole in the wall and get the framing around it again … harder! That took me at least three tries … had to lift that thing (it’s a much older unit) … it was heavy! … Get it into just the right position … hold onto it without crashing it to the ground while reaching around behind and plugging in the cord … Wow!
Well – I got it all done and it only took me about a total of 5 hours to change a fuse! But – the microwave works – and I fixed it! That’s right! Randy Blankenship fixed a household appliance all by himself! I told you this was a tremendous area of growth in my life!
Do you want to have tremendous growth in your life? Get out the old manual … the Bible! Do you have one? If not, ask me – I’ll get you one! In there you will find everything you need! You’ll find the fuse (the power of the Holy Spirit)! You’ll get your life running again! Oh – things will get heavy at times … you may have to twist around some problems … you may have to back up and try something over again … you may have to remember how to do some things … but fix it! Stick with the manual and the power of the Holy Spirit and fix it! You know, the whole job would have been much easier if I had not been alone! It’s just the same with our new life in Christ! It’s much easier when we walk together!
This Sunday is going to be a WOW Weekend – World Outreach Weekend!
Saturday at 6 p.m. – Leadership Roundtable Training dinner in the AC
Saturday at 7 p.m. – “Beyond the Gates of Splendor” in the Worship Center
Sunday at 10 a.m. – Church Planter, Tim Winton
Sunday at 6 p.m. – “The End of the Spear”
Come and experience tremendous growth in your life!
Randy Blankenship
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 30 Apr 2009 12:39:36 pm | no comments
I've thought the empty nest wouldn't be so bad for me. I could be a little premature in that judgment!
This past weekend, Sharon was at a weekend gathering from Thursday evening through Sunday evening. My kids were also at a youth retreat. The whole house to myself for three whole days! Time off! Time to rest! A little quiet! I expected great things!
Well ... Friday morning I got a call that one of our great guys had a surgery that took a lot longer than expected and wasn't coming out from under the anesthesia. I was glad I was able to spend the day in the hospital with them. I had no other plans. I didn't have to be in a hurry about being anywhere or missing any other appointments. It was great to have the day with them!
Friday night - back home - pretty quiet -
Saturday I spent the first half of the day at the school helping with set preparation for the upcoming school musical. Randy came back from the retreat he was on to help with that since he is the equipment manager for the choir department and the lead male role in the musical this year. No sleeping in ... but back home Saturday afternoon - turn on the golf and get a nap! Late Saturday night went to the weekend gathering Sharon was on for an event there.
Sunday - going to church by myself - I usually drive by myself, but the family is at church. I was the only one at church Sunday morning! It reminded me of when I was a single church planter! Driving home by myself. More sleeping while golf is on tv, but boy the house is quiet! Most of the weekend eating warmed over leftovers or microwave meals! Lots of quiet! I was reminded of what my life was like before Sharon came into it - and I didn't like it! I sure was missing everybody awfully quick - even though it didn't end up that I had the whole weekend by myself to do nothing!
Thankfully everyone got back Sunday night and the house is full again! I have such an awesome family! Anna graduates high school in less than 3 months - leaves for college within 3 months of that - then Randy next year. Maybe I'm not quite ready for this empty nest thing just yet ...
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Mon 16 Mar 2009 8:27:29 am | no comments
1st Corinthians 1:18-25 - The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
I invite you to be offended by the following video by Bill Maher - then read my answer -
So - Bill Maher says that those who believe in God are the "crazy one" - idiots - and those who don't are the "rationalists." Hmmm... Let's consider -
Ben Carson - the leading brain surgeon in the history of the universe -
Some career highlights include the first separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head in 1987 (every previous attempt had resulted in death), the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa, and the first successful placement of an intrauterine shunt for a hydrocephalic twin.
Dr. Carson holds more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Horatio Alger Society of Distinguished Americans, and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on the board of directors of numerous organizations, including Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, the Academy of Achievement, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corporation, the governing body of Yale University. He was appointed in 2004 by President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He is a highly regarded motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences from school systems and civic groups to corporations and the President’s National Prayer Breakfast.
In 2001, Dr. Carson was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "Living Legends" on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal which is the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP. In February, 2008, Dr. Carson was presented with the Ford’s Theatre Lincoln Medal by President Bush at the White House. In June, 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the President, which is the highest civilian honor in the land. He has literally received hundreds of other awards during his distinguished career.
Dr. Carson's books include a memoir, Gifted Hands, and a motivational book, Think Big. Carson says the letters of "Think Big" stand for the following (For space, I'll just mention the "T" & the "G"):
Talent: Our Creator has endowed all of us not just with the ability to sing, dance or throw a ball, but with intellectual talent….
God: Never get too big for Him.
But - Ben Carson is an idiot - and Bill Maher is a genius!
How about Nicolaus Copernicus?
(February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543)
But, he was a Catholic cleric who said, “God, without whom we can do nothing.”
So - He must be an idiot - while Bill Maher is a great contributer to the well-being of society!
Then there was Michael Faraday - 1791-1867
Faraday discovered that a suspended magnet would revolve around a current bearing wire, leading him to propose that magnetism was a circular force. He also discovered magnetic optical rotation, invented the dynamo (a device capable of converting electricity to motion) in 1821, discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831, and devised the laws of chemical electrodeposition of metals from solutions in 1857.
He formulated the second law of electrolysis: "the amounts of bodies which are equivalent to each other in their ordinary chemical action have equal quantities of electricity naturally associated with them." He published many of his results in the three-volume Experimental Researches in Electricity (1839-1855). One of his most important contributions to physics was his development of the concept of a field to describe magnetic and electric forces in 1845. He first suggested that current produces a electric "tension" which produced an "electrotonic state," or polarization of matter molecules, and was responsible for transmitting the electric force.
“The Christian . . . is taught of God (by His Word and the Holy Spirit) to trust in the promise of salvation though the work of Jesus Christ. He finds his guide in the Word of God, and commits the keeping of his soul into the hands of God. He looks for no assurance beyond what the Word can give him, and if his mind is troubled by the cares and fears which may assail him, he can go nowhere but in his prayer to the throne of grace and to the Scripture.” (Jones, 426)
It's too bad he ruined his reputation by saying:
“The Christian religion is a revelation. The natural man cannot know it . . . that revelation is the Word of God.”
Hmmm - in spite of all those achievements - he intellect is subservient to that of Bill Maher - because Faraday believes in God - nothing else matters - according to Bill Maher, he is another idiot!
Let's not forget about Galileo
He is the man that pioneered "experimental scientific method" and was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries. Galileo's originality as a scientist lay in his method of inquiry. First he reduced problems to a simple set of terms on the basis of everyday experience and common-sense logic. Then he analyzed and resolved them according to simple mathematical descriptions. The success with which he applied this technique to the analysis of motion opened the way for modern mathematical and experimental physics. Isaac Newton used one of Galileo's mathematical descriptions, "The Law of Inertia," as the foundation for his "First Law of Motion."
Poor Galileo - he was obviously deceived as he said:
“To the Lord; whom I worship and thank;
That governs the heavens with His eyelid
To Him I return tired, but full of living.” (Chiari, 1970, 321)
“One must not doubt the possibility that the Divine Goodness at times may choose to inspire a ray of His immense knowledge in low and high intellects when they are adorned with sincere and holy zeal.” (Chiari, 545)
“I trust the infinite goodness of God may direct toward the purity of my mind a small amount of His grace that I may understand the meaning of His words.” (Chiari, 550)
“The Holy Scriptures cannot lie.”
Just one more - Johannes Kepler –
…worked with the renowned Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe. He inherited Tycho's post as Imperial Mathematician when Tycho died in 1601. Using the precise data that Tycho had collected, Kepler discovered that the orbit of Mars was an ellipse. In 1609 he published Astronomia Nova, delineating his discoveries, which are now called Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion. And what is just as important about this work, "it is the first published account wherein a scientist documents how he has coped with the multitude of imperfect data to forge a theory of surpassing accuracy" (O. Gingerich in foreword to Johannes Kepler New Astronomy translated by W. Donahue, Cambridge Univ Press, 1992), a fundamental law of nature. Today we call this the scientific method. He then went on to produce the Rudolphine Tables that Tycho had envisioned long ago. These included calculations using logarithms, which he developed, and provided perpetual tables for calculating planetary positions for any past or future date. Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason.
Kepler said, "Great is our Lord and great is His strength and there is no number to His wisdom. Praise Him heavens, praise Him sun, moon, planets, whatever sense you may use to perceive, whatever tongue to express our Creator. Praise Him heavenly harmonies, praise Him you witnesses of the (now) detected harmonies. Praise also you, my soul, your Lord the Creator as long as I shall be. For from Him and through Him, and in Him is all. Both what is perceived by the senses and by the mind, as much what we don't know at all as what we do know, a minimal part of it. To Him be praise, honor and glory into all eternity. Amen. (Beer, 1975, 361)
"The Creator, the fountain of all wisdom, the approver of perpetual order, the eternal and superessential spring of geometry and harmonics." (Beer, 356)
"Geometry... coeternal with God...and reflecting in the Divine mind has supplied God with the examples...for the furnishing of the world so that it became the best and most beautiful, and (even) also the most similar to the creator." (Beer, 75)
"But we Christians...know that the eternal and uncreated Logos who was with God and who is contained by no abode, although He is in all, (We know) that He has suscepted flesh from the uterus of the...Virgin Mary in the unity of a person, and that, after the consummation of His ministry in the flesh He has occupied the heavens as His royal abode, in which as somehow excelling over all other parts of the world, I.e.through His glory and majesty, also the Heavenly Father is acknowledged to habitate, and in which He has promised also to His faithful mansions in the house of His Father." (Beer, 356)
"O Thou who through the light of nature increasest in us the longing for the light of Thy Grace that through it we may come to the light of Thy majesty, I give Thee thanks, Creator and God, that Thou has given me this joy in Thy creation, and I rejoice in the works of Thy hands. See I have now completed the work to which I was called. In it I have used all the talents Thou has lent to my spirit. I have revealed the majesty of Thy works to those men who will read my works, insofar as my narrow understanding can comprehend their infinite richness." (Beer, 359)
Now - you can believe that Bill Maher is a genius and all these others are idiots. However, it seems to me that Bill Maher is not qualified to fold these guy's underwear!! I also agree with Francis Shaeffer who said, "Modern scientists would never be able to found modern science." The scientists with the greatest minds who laid the foundation for what today's scientists study, and who laid the foundation for many of the comforts we enjoy in life - started with God as the Creator - they prayed that their minds might be open to discover the principles of the universe based on His Creation - and God answered their prayers. They started with God. Today, modern scientists build on that foundation, but they reject the foundation itself. They reap the benefits of something they would never have had the ability to start themselves - except for those like Ben Carson, of course!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Mon 2 Mar 2009 10:47:47 am | no comments
This week our new president began his term in office. I have probably already prayed more for this president than I have for previous presidents. I feel that is what the Scriptures tell me to do - and I have failed to do that in the past. I am praying for God to give him wisdom - wisdom that is beyond the natural - wisdom that is beyond his own. We all face times when we need God to change our mind and our direction. That is not beyond the power of God to do for anyone. I am praying that our new president will truly desire Proverbs 3:5-6 in his life -
Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
He has been called a "transformational leader" even before he has begun. Are you a "transformational leader"? Rick Warren, who prayed the invocation at the inauguration, wrote a letter to pastors this week that said in part:
"... If you understand what life, the Cross, the Church, and the future are all about, you know that nothing else compares in significance. Period.
"Today, our culture idolizes entertainment, sports, business success, political power, and prosperity. While these have their place, Jesus did not die for any of these things. He died for the people that you care for, feed, and lead.
"Nothing matters more than the Church. We forget that the reason God created the entire universe is because he wanted a family, and that family is the only thing that will last forever with Him. Everything else on this planet is temporary, no matter how much attention it gets.
"... in God's eyes, and in the perspective of his eternal purposes, what you are doing will actually last longer than what any political leader will do. Your ministry will impact eternity. Think about that! While no nation lasts forever, God's family will. Remember, prominence and signifiance are not synonymous."
Good thoughts. Puts it all in perspective. What we accomplish for the Kingdom of God is ultimately more transformational than anything any president, prime minister, or king could ever do that only affect the natural realm.
My desire is to be a transformational leader! I have a friend that is a transformational leader. We have the Upward basketball and cheerleading ministry at our church. 150 kids show up every Saturday, many of them whose families do not attend church anywhere, and they play basketball. Parents and grandparents come to watch, and eat hot dogs, nachos and popcorn, or get a latte or a cappacino from the coffee bar. We actually have more people in the building on Saturdays than we do on Sundays? Are we one of those churches that are just "playing games"? Should we get more "spiritual"?
My friend coaches one of the teams. He doesn't have to. He doesn't have any kids in the program. He could leave it to someone else. But he coaches because it's a needed ministry. He also teaches a class of young boys on Wednesday nights. One of his players started coming on Wednesday nights just a couple of weeks ago. Last night, that young boy accepted Jesus Christ as His personal Savior. Another team was asked by their coach (transformational leader) what it means to be Christ-like. One boy answered: "It's when your friend fouls out of the game and you go sit on the bench instead so that your friend can keep playing." Wow.
Because people gave ... a gym was built ... a "program" is taking place ... people are cleaning the building ... setting up the building ... fixing the food ... a person is willing to serve as a coach... Everyone involved in the process from beginning to end has a role in the transformation of this young life. And possibly, this young boy will grow up to be a transformational leader!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 22 Jan 2009 11:47:05 am | no comments
The path of life leads upward for the wise ... - Proverbs 15:24
We have such a tremendous group of people at our church who are involved in so many ministries. This weekend was the beginning of our first "Rally Week" for New Life Small Groups for 2009. Our lobby is filled with displays of the various ministries, gifts and talents that God is using to bless people through New Life. One of those ministries is Upward and this past weekend was the first weekend of Upward for 2009. We have a basketball and cheerleading program. Saturday we had 4 sessions - from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - 8 games - 150 kids (last year we had 85) - parents, grandparents and friends (most of whom do not go to church regularly) - young, some very young, basketball players being introduced by name by Jim Berry with a "Chicago Bulls Championship" style music playing in the background - busting through a curtain and running through a smoke machine and a corridor of cheerleaders - what a blessing this Activity Center is to minister to this community! The Encounter Cafe was open and those volunteers did a great job - concessions in the kitchen - again great food and great people. Herb Ober, Mike Mooney, Sr., and Dan Rayl did an awesome job giving their testimonies at the halftimes and let everyone know what a difference a relationship with Jesus Christ makes in their lives! We had at least 450 come through here Saturday - in spite of the ice storm - and what a blessing! It is absolutely incredible to me that a church our size is able to pull off a great ministry like this to so many people! Thank God for Pastor Sharon Daniel and her whole team!
As the day wore on Saturday, we realized we would have to postpone our Small Group Leaders Appreciation Dinner - but we'll get it in. That gave us an opportunity to have a little down time and rest time with the family Saturday night. Yesterday was a good day of ministry. Several folks were worshipping with us at New Life for the first time. A few folks didn't venture out because of the ice and cold, but all in all it was a good day of ministry. We focused on the family in our Sunday morning message, and how important it is for us to care about the family by striving to structure our families around the Biblical values for the family. The Cornerstone of the Family is Marriage and the Complement of the Family is children. Sunday night we continued our introduction to our series on the prophecy of Isaiah and those attending seem genuinely excited about the teaching and about the Word of God! What a great thing to get excited about!
I have felt the need to spend more time in focused prayer, so I will be doing that on Mondays. Today is the first day for that, and I am looking forward to some time of seclusion and just spending time with God and letting him speak to me and letting His Spirit enrich my soul. Mondays are going to be good this year!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Mon 12 Jan 2009 9:14:21 am | no comments
Sunday was a pretty good day - we had our first early service. We didn't necessarily start it out of necessity of space in our sanctuary, but we had to have more nursery & preschool space and that decision started a domino effect which led to us moving our Children's Sunday School classes to run concurrently with the 10 a.m. service instead of the traditional hour earlier - then that led to more children's ministers being out of the 10 a.m. service, so we've started an 8:45 a.m. service for the children's ministries workers and a couple of others showed up. A small crowd in the youth hall, but was appreciated by those involved. It was also plain that we had more involved in the children's ministries at 10 a.m. than we have had in the past and that is important for us as we are trying to focus on reaching young families.
I also found out that our Sunday attendance average for last year was more than I anticipated. We've had 4 years of growth up until this past year. It was a year of some pruning as the Scriptures speak of, but apparently not as much as we thought. The new growth is already coming in!
I've also learned something about blogging. At least this is my conclusion. At some point someone told me that a blog is kind of like an online journal. From my perspective there is a big difference - a journal is usually kept private and confidential. If I were journaling, I would be a lot more personal and there would be more revelations here. For instance, we go through some great struggles and difficulties. Maybe the younger blogging generation is willing to "put it all out there" - but for me, at this stage of my life and for some of the things I am dealing with, that simply would not be wise. Suffice it to say that there have been some difficulties this week relating to both personal and ministry issues that can't be opened up here. Confidentiality is a key, but we must press on through the struggles ...
I'll wrap up this post with some more quoting - I've been reading a book called "Lord, Save us From Your Followers." It's about how we as Christians aren't really getting anywhere in transforming our society because all we seem to be doing is giving the impression that we're yelling at "enemies". In the "culture war" we are not winning converts, as Jesus taught us to do, we simply continue to alienate those we should be winning. In the book are a series of interviews both with people you might respect and with some you might disdain, but the author is trying to start a conversation and get people to listen, not just ratchet up the yelling and draw the divisions even deeper.
One of his interviews was with Michael Reagan, son of the former president and now a radio talk show host. The author is Dan Merchant and here is an excerpt of the interview for you to consider:
Dan - Does Jesus even care about saving Western civilization? It wasn't even here when Jesus was on earth.
Michael Reagan - I think Jesus cares about everybody individually. And we have to be a light to the world. And there are battles that you fight. I understand that, but we have to take care of our own house. Today I can't find a church that doesn't have an outreach program, and I can't find one that doesn't need an in-reach program. Everybody wants to become a megachurch - I'm bigger than you, I'm better than you. But I sit there in prayer circles in church and there are a lot of hurting people in churches today. We gotta heal the people in the churches and through that we can heal the world.
Dan - We can do both outreach and in-reach simultaneously, can't we?
Michael - You've got to heal your own first. You can't send me out sick and expect me to heal the sick, "I'm sick! Heal me."
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 7 Jan 2009 4:53:28 pm | no comments
I get a magazine called Cutting Edge - published by the Association of Vineyard Churches, primarily as a Church Planting magazine. Yesterday I started reading the most recent edition. In it Brian Housman, Executive Pastor of the Boston Vineyard, does kind of a book report on The Making of a Leader by J. Robert Clinton. It's one of those books that is on my shelf that I'm not sure if I've read or not (probably not - probably need to). I'm just going to quote here some excerpts of Brian's summary of some of the thoughts in the book (I'll interject my own thoughts in parentheses - and any bold or italics for emphasis are also mine):
The Making of a Leader was Dr. Clinton's response to what he observed as a shortage of church leaders. (Boy, have I noticed that!) He and his students studied the lives of hundreds of biblical, historic, and contemporary leaders to see if they could discern the key ingredients to leadership, so that churches could focus on looking for and cultivating those key ingredients. What they discovered was that many of these hundreds of leaders shared a similar life pattern, and that a noticeable part of that pattern was that their period of greatest effectiveness came relatively late in their lives.
When I see the tremendous gap between what I am and what I would like to be, between what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish, it is a tremendous relief to hear that I might still have time to get there. (Boy, can I ever relate to that!)
It is exciting to consider that anything I have experienced thus far is just practice and that my real work, the work that counts, is still to come. (Selah....)
Luke 16:10: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (TNIV). Dr. Clinton states the principle this way: "Faithfulness in a small responsibility is an indicator of probable faithfulness in a larger responsibility" (Making of a Leader 95). God starts us out with smaller life and leadership challenges, and gradually increases them as we demonstrate that we are capable of responding well. When we do not respond well, we remain at that level until we do - like repeating ayear in school until we get a passing grade (anyone ever watch the movie, Groundhog Day?).
...responding well is not necessarily about success in a ministry task. God is not primarily assessing our ability to produce results but rather our capacity for continued growth (Selah...).
God's main concern is the development of our character and our gifting over time.
The discipline of reflection is more important than the experience itself ... (are you Selah-ing?? Stopping to think, wonder and ponder the thought?) ...
...leadership development is not necessarily about getting it right the first time. It is about developing a habit of treating every significant even tin ou rlives as a learning opportunity.
...reflection on life experiences is the general mechanism for leadership development throughout our lives...
End of quoting Brian - Hmmmm ... what are my current experiences - in both ministry and personal life - teaching me ... what has my past prepared me for ... for now? What is my now preparing me for ... for my best days which are yet ahead? Am I reflecting enough on what is going on - or am I just focused on accompishment according to the world's standards in the now?
More good stuff - may have to come later - there's a Colts game this afternoon!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Sat 3 Jan 2009 2:54:51 pm | no comments
A new year and a new commitment to blogging! Ha! We'll see how successful I am this time!
My parents blessed us with a great Christmas gift - a cruise! The whole fam - all 7 of us - here are some pics -
Let's have a great new year! Jesus is ready for each of us to walk with Him this year! The Scriptures say that the grass may wither and the flowers fade ... the mountains may fall into the heart of the sea ... the whole world can fall apart and everything we've every known can completely change - but the Word of the Lord will stand forever and He will never change! Jesus is the Word and He is our unchangeable Rock in changing times! As I stand on Him and with Him I will be stable in times of unprecedented instability!
Blessings on you!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 1 Jan 2009 11:00:25 am | no comments
Well, we're more than half way through September already -
It's a new foot ball season, and the Colts are struggling with injuries - Bob Sander is out, Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark - they'll have to work hard and be resilient!
It's a new season at New Life. Whenever summer is over and we get past Labor Day, it's like starting over in a number of ways. People have come back from vacations and some people are seeing one another again for the first time in a while. Others are visiting, checking things out, maybe looking for a change in their lives.
I've started a new series - which will be running all fall - but I've broken it up into 3 shorter series. The overall series is "Strike a Match!" We're talking about how to read and understand the Bible - trying to help folks get more out of their personal Bible reading and be able to interpret it better and apply it to their lives. Right now, we're laying the foundation of the power of the Bible in our lives and what it can do. Then, we're going to break the Bible up into its various sections. We have to know what we are reading - who wrote this passage? Who was it written to? Why did they write it? What did it mean to them? Knowing these things will give us such a better insight into what God means to say to us today.
Many of our small groups have also started for the new fall season. Our Wednesday small group is studying Dave Williams' book "Have You Heard from the Lord Lately?" We're going to learn principles of how to determine what God is saying to people today. We can hear from God!
We've been thinking and working for a few years on the concept of The Encounter Cafe. We have a coffee bar in our lobby, but it is totally separate from our church. We want to start a coffee shop in our community that is saturated with a Christian atmosphere - big screens with worship videos, a stage for worship bands and youth bands, and screens connected to The World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We want there to be separate private rooms that people can reserve for prayer anytime day or night. It's difficult sometimes to get people who don't follow Christ to come to any church activity, but we are hoping to get the opportunity to introduce people to Christ in a very non-threatening, non-offensive, neutral way. At the same time, providing opportunities for the Church in the community to come together across denominational lines, and provide a place for people to get away and pray to connect with God anytime they need to. We will be having a lunch this coming Thursday, September 25, with civic leaders, business leaders, and Christian leaders in our community to share this idea with them and see who wans to be a part of it.
We've also started the New Life School of Ministry. This is something else we've been talking about for a while, but the circumstances fell into place to get it started. We have 3 students, 3 young men all preparing for the ministry, studying and ministering together with the staff of New Life Church! We're excited!
We've also been talking for some time about the fact that our nursery and pre-school areas are completely inadequate - for what we have now and certainly for the future. Something happened this week that just hit us in the face that we have to stop talking about it and do something about it NOW! So, we are having a lunch this Sunday after our morning service to meet with the parents and leaders of our young children and work to begin to come up with a solution that will help us reach and keep young families. I am praying that everyone would be willing to put everything on the table and really think outside the traditional boxes so that we can meet the needs of this generation.
All of this and more is keeping us real busy - but it's a new season! We can't worry about who is injured or what kind of facilities or finances we have or don't have. We have what God has given us and we are to be faithful to use it to its maximum capability and give our all on the field to accomplish the mission God has given us!
I hope your fall season is going well! If you're a New Lifer - I look forward to seeing you Sunday!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Fri 19 Sep 2008 2:14:47 pm | no comments
Here we go again - Well, once again it's been a while since I've "blogged." I've just never been good at consistent journaling. I think part of it is that I do so much work on the computer, preparing so many messages and lessons, so much mental work, that when I finally finish and get to "relax" I no longer feel like think and writing on the computer. I also have so many evening commitments - church board, school board, small groups, kids activities - that I often get home very late and am just ready to turn my brain off with a little TV before I jump into bed. But - here I am again - here we go again -
Here we go again - we had a difficult late spring and early summer with the ministry, but the summer has really ended great. Today is the Sunday before Labor Day - traditionally the last Sunday of the summer where a lot of people will be missed due to travelling. The period between Labor Day and Thanksgiving is one of the two periods in the year when we see people living in more consistent habits with work schedules, school schedules and church schedule - so it's good to see more and more people coming back to worship with the church family regularly. We've added several new families to our church family this summer who seem really excited about our ministries, and I'm really looking forward to ministry this fall as the Holy Spirit continues to work alongside us as Jesus said He would do! We're looking forward to some exciting developments in our ministry this fall with a couple of huge announcements for the expansion of our ministries this coming Sunday - Here we go again!
Here we go again - it's FOOTBALL SEASON! Thanks to my beautiful wife and kids, I was able to attend the final Colts pre-season game in Indy at the great new Lucas Oil Stadium. Our youth pastor, Nathan Peternel went with Randy and me. It was a really great time. Next Sunday is opening day - HERE WE GO AGAIN!
Here we go again - as I write, we are wondering what is going to happen in New Orleans. Those poor people are leaving town again - wondering if any of their houses or possessions will be there when they return. Lord, please calm the storm, please have compassion, please have mercy - we trust in you. Please help the people of that area in this difficult test - we welcome Your help - we always need your help - here we go again.
Here we go again - soon to elect another president of the United States of America. It is now proving to be an incredible election. No matter what happens, it will be a new day for the U.S. We will either have the first African-American President of the U.S., or we will have the first female vice-president of the U.S. - unless something would happen that would cause any of them to abandon the election (ala the exit of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in '72). There will be lots of attacks - lots of nasty name calling and "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyay" - lots of maturity being displayed (tongue in cheek). I'm a firm believer that God has a plan, and no matter what He is going to work His plan. I'm excited to see the future God has planned - here we go again!
Here we go again - ending this blog - wondering how long it will be before I do this again - I may say I will try to do it more often - but who knows - here I go again ...
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Sun 31 Aug 2008 4:51:10 pm | no comments
In Arkansas visiting my brother. Often we're worried about the future - where God is taking us - what is God's will for our life? What's the plan? How will we get there? How will "success" be measured?
This morning's devotion from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers I thought was especially good:
"God’s Purpose or Mine?
“He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side …” (Mark 6:45).
He tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish—His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious."
It seems he is saying we should worry less about the destination, enjoy the process, enjoy the journey, and trust that God is taking us on His plan. As I have often said, "Live for Him today and He will lead you tomorrow!" I need to get better at this myself.
Enjoy the journey ... Enjoy this day ...
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Mon 28 Jul 2008 2:57:29 pm | no comments
It's been a great summer! I haven't blogged in a while and some of my recent posts may have seemed "deep" - not this one. Just need to keep up.
We had a great time Sunday! So many people took advantage of the opportunity to connect with God and give Him an opportunity to work in their life! It is wonderful to watch people receive what God has for them!
For the past couple of years the kids have been wanting to go to Holiday World as a family, so we're doing that this Thursday and Friday. We didn't do the "big vacation" thing this year - going on a long trip, etc. So, this is going to be our time together. Anna's been working, kids have gone to camp, done missions work renovating the youth hall - lots has been going on and school starts again in just a couple of weeks!
We're also getting ready for another "Great Banquet"! Two of our deacons, their wives, and our new youth pastor and his wife will all be going through this great experience! I live in anticipation of greater and greater blessings from God as we continue to walk with Him!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 22 Jul 2008 5:23:59 pm | no comments
How big is your vision? What can you see? What is your purpose? What do you see yourself accomplishing for the Lord in your personal life and in your life with the church?
There are two people who are very close to me in my life who have vision problems. Pastor Sharon Daniel is dear to all of us and does such a fantastic job leading our Children’s Ministries and administrating so many other areas of ministry in our church. I don’t know what we would do without her, but I know there would be a lot of things that simply would not get done. She is amazing! She is doing this with limited vision – limited physical vision that is. While Pastor Sharon has incredibly large spiritual vision, she is quite limited in her physical vision. Many years ago hystoplasmosis settled in her eyes and began to deteriorate her vision.
My brother has an incredible mind for the Word of God. He is an incredible teacher of the Word of God. Students he has influenced are now pastoring and leading in all areas of society all over the world. As you read this, he is in New Zealand speaking at the International Conference for the Society of Biblical Literature. Also, as you read this, his eyes are literally continuing to tear themselves apart. He has suffered from extreme nearsightedness his entire life and several years ago a detached retina accelerated his vision loss. It is a tremendous struggle. Yet, as with Pastor Sharon, the spiritual vision the Lord has given him for ministry and influence is huge.
I wonder, what is our vision for ministry? What are we believing God for? How big is it? I’m not talking now in terms of big numbers, such as an enormously large church. I’m talking about the difference we are making in people’s lives.
Certainly we want to see many people come into a real relationship with Jesus Christ. People are starving for healthy relationships these days – there are so many unhealthy relationships – we need to introduce them to a real relationship with Jesus Christ. We often call this “conversion” or “salvation.”
We also believe that God is still offering people His incredible power – the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that people today can be “baptized” or “saturated” in the Holy Spirit just like people were in the Book of Acts (chapters 2,8,10 & 19). The Bible teaches that this gives people great spiritual power – the ability to speak to people for God with enormous effectiveness – and the ability to overcome temptation and live a holy life.
We believe and know that God still heals people of every kind of sickness and disease – and we are expecting Jesus Christ to literally come back to this earth and enable us to be a part of His Kingdom which will last forever. In other words, we believe in salvation, healing, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!
But can we ask this question – is there more? Not “more” in some mystical way. Not “more” in terms of another “other-worldly” spiritual experience that might cause us to feel wonderful. What I’m asking is this – beyond the experiences of salvation, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing, and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ – in the words of Francis Shaeffer, “How Should We Then Live?” So, we’re born again, we know Jesus, we speak in tongues, we get healed and we see people get healed, we’re waiting on the Lord to come back – what do we do on the other days – the regular days – is there more?
Do we have to wait for Jesus to come back to start living in “the Kingdom of God”? What does it mean to live in the Kingdom of God today? How do we apply the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in our everyday life? What does the Baptism in the Holy Spirit mean for us apart from speaking in tongues and having wonderful experiences? Can you be bold enough to ask yourself this question, “Am I really living a Kingdom of God kind of life?” Or how about this question: “Am I helping others to live an every day, day to day, life, with the priorities and attitudes of the Kingdom of God at the forefront?” Is this something we have to concentrate on, or is it “second-nature”?
This is why I ask the question, “How big is our vision?” Are we just looking at the numbers of people in the pews on Sunday? …the numbers of people who pray a certain kind of prayer? …the numbers of people who speak in tongues? …the numbers of people who get healed?
How about this – how many people whom we have “counted” in terms of having these experiences are regularly living above the dung of everyday life and just by virtue of their lives are pulling other people out of the dung?
This thought process began in me after reading an e-mail from a friend that said this:
Today the Assemblies of God (and many others) preach salvation & baptism in Holy Spirit INSTEAD of the Kingdom of God message. It is now difficult and nigh impossible for people to know they receive or teach an abbreviated message because the abbreviated message is the only message they can compare to. It even colors their reading of the Bible. Someone has said, "Most people read the Bible to remind themselves of what they already believe." Very few read it and study it to discover what it truly SAYS.
Let me break into the quote here and ask you to really consider that for yourselves. I know I’m writing some things here to make you think – that is my goal. You don’t have to totally agree with me – but please – let us think about what we are really doing. Do you read the Bible to back up what you already think? Or, do you read the Bible to learn more – that’s right – MORE – about what God says? If we’re not reading it to learn more, then I guess our attitude is that we already know it all and have it all figured out! Back to the quote:
As by way of illustration of the message of salvation replacing the fuller message of the Kingdom of God I want to share with you a letter I received from an Assemblies of God official. In the letter this official was trying to analyze a problem: Assemblies of God churches report lots of "salvations," but see little change in the lives of the newly saved, the lives of those around them, or in the church at large [This is brought up at just about every A/G minister’s conference or meeting anyone will attend]. Salvation as it has come to be understood in the Assemblies of God has almost no effect on the people involved or those around them. While this leader is analyzing this problem, the leader is still incapable of stepping back & even considering that salvation is only one part of the full redemption that God has planned. Salvation is only one step in realizing the fullness of the Kingdom of God. Even while trying to think about a problem caused by abbreviating the gospel, this leader is unable to step outside of the abbreviated gospel they have received. This leader is exceptional [different] only in trying to address the problem, not in their inability to step back & see a fuller picture.
Wow! Once again, are we bold enough to consider this? Is it “enough” to teach people to be saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, believe for healings and wait for the rapture? Aren’t there a whole lot of other pages in the Bible with a whole lot of other great stuff that just really teaches us how to live in our everyday lives?
So – this is my question. How big is our vision? As I said at the beginning of this article – I’m not talking about numbers or the size of buildings. How big is our teaching? How big is our discipling? What are we teaching people? How much are we teaching them in terms of living their lives with a Kingdom of God mentality, instead of the mentality that is generally perpetrated in places like public schools, job training seminars, news broadcasts, movies, music, etc.?
This is why I like to take a passage of Scripture and teach through it. This is why I like to take a Book of the Bible, dissect it, tear it apart, break it down into bite-sized pieces and try to really understand what the Bible is trying to say. I can give you a list of doctrinal positions to memorize – or we can learn what the Bible says and the doctrinal positions and experiences will come along naturally as we are all following the Lord and the Way of the Word together! That’s exciting to me!
So – looking ahead to the Sunday after Labor Day – we’re going to be preach/teaching a Sunday morning message series on how you can learn to read and understand what every part of the Bible is saying to you – for your life today! “CAN YOU CATCH THE FIRE?”…his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones!...(Jeremiah 20:9). It’s going to be great!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 2 Jul 2008 3:49:22 pm | no comments
Finally! I've been on vacation and haven't been online much - but I'm finally getting around to finishing this important series on unity -
WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY! We are to promote and preserve the fellowship among believers. In this series we are sharing six ways to do this (from Rick Warren) and today is number 6:
1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES
2. BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS
3. CHOOSE TO ENCOURAGE RATHER THAN CRITICIZE
4. (THIS IS A BIG ONE) REFUSE TO LISTEN TO GOSSIP
5. PRACTICE GOD’S METHOD FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Nothing is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and it is worth protecting. Part of our responsibility as believers is to protect the unity where we fellowship.
Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Now - for the final installment:
6. SUPPORT YOUR PASTOR AND LEADERS
There are no perfect leaders, but God gives them the responsibility and the authority to maintain the unity of the church. During conflict, that is often a thankless job, as they try to reconcile opposing views.
Hebrews 13:7- Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.
Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
Pastors will one day stand before God and give an account of how well they watched over the flock. But, the members of the church family are also accountable. The members will give an account to God of how well they followed their leaders!
The Bible gives pastors very specific instructions on how to deal with divisive people in the fellowship. They are to avoid arguing, gently teach the opposition while praying they will change, warn those who are argumentative, plead for harmony and unity, rebuke those who are disrespectful of leadership, and remove divisive people from the church if they ignore two warnings.
We protect the church family when we honor those who serve us by leading. Pastors and elders need the encouragement, prayers, appreciation, and love of the church family.
1st Thessalonians 5:12-13 - Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
Here’s what Paul said about his leadership:
2nd Corinthians 6:8 - We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.
Leon Keller, a long-term Deacon from First Assembly of God in Lafayette said, "God will use the unity of the Board to speak to the congregation and the unsaved."
CONCLUSION:
Some churches require incoming members to sign a covenant that includes a promise to protect the unity of the church.
Paul had an issue with unity in a certain church:
Galatians 2:1-5 –
Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles.
I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.
3And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.
4Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus.
They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. 5But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.
Leon Keller: The devil will use people without them even knowing it – to destroy our unity. Church splits are not over John 3:16. They are over issues that don’t matter.
Unity involves philosophical purity. What are our priorities? How are we going to accomplish our mission? If you have a good sound system, people will argue about it! God wants us to be focused on what He wants us to do, not what we want to do!
Unity is not ours to get – it is our to keep. The Holy Spirit provides unity to the church – it is up to us to keep it! It doesn’t happen automatically, we must work at it!
What causes people to be successful in any venture? Work, family, church – a stable environment – having been there a LONG TIME. Unity is very fragile and can be broken quickly by a small thing – the devil will have a hey-day!
Our purpose is coming together is to find out what God’s will is.
Each one of us should accept our responsibility to protect and promote the unity of the church. The Bible tells us to put our full effort into it and God will be pleased.
It will not always be easy. Sometimes we will have to do what is best for the Body of Christ, not ourselves or what we want. We are to show preference to other and think of the whole. We are in this family to learn unselfishness. We say “we” instead of “I” – we say “our” instead of “mine.”
Philippians 2:3-4- Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
God blesses the church that is unified. When he has a bunch of baby believers, he looks for the warmest incubator church he can dfind. Everyone needs love, and when believers genuinely love each other, you’d have to lock the doors to keep people away.
Colossians 3:14-15 - Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.
Romans 15:5-6- May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Mon 30 Jun 2008 3:16:42 pm | no comments
Acts 4:32 - All the believers were united in heart and mind… they shared everything they had.
Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with each other…
Psalm 133 - How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.
Nothing is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and it is worth protecting. Part of our responsibility as believers is to protect the unity where we fellowship.
Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY! We are to promote and preserve the fellowship among believers. In this series we are sharing six ways to do this (from Rick Warren) and today is number 5:
1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES
2. BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS
3. CHOOSE TO ENCOURAGE RATHER THAN CRITICIZE
4. (THIS IS A BIG ONE) REFUSE TO LISTEN TO GOSSIP
5. PRACTICE GOD’S METHOD FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Matthew 18:15-17 - “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
When we are in conflict, it is human nature to complain to a third party rather than have the courage to speak the truth in love to the person you’re upset with. This makes things worse. You need to always speak to the person directly involved.
Private confrontation is always the first step and you should do it as soon as possible. If you’re unable to work things out between the two of you, the next step is to take a few witnesses to help confirm the problem and reconcile the relationship. What if the person is still stuck in stubbornness? Jesus says to take it to the church, and if the person still refuses to listen after that, you should treat that person like an unbeliever.
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Thu 5 Jun 2008 10:36:10 am | no comments
Acts 4:32 - All the believers were united in heart and mind… they shared everything they had.
Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with each other…
Psalm 133 - How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.
Nothing is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and it is worth protecting. Part of our responsibility as believers is to protect the unity where we fellowship.
Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY!
We are to promote and preserve the fellowship among believers. In this series we are sharing six ways to do this (from Rick Warren) and today is number 4:
1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES
2. BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS
3. CHOOSE TO ENCOURAGE RATHER THAN CRITICIZE
4. (THIS IS A BIG ONE) REFUSE TO LISTEN TO GOSSIP
Gossip is passing on information when we are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. We know spreading gossip is wrong, but we should not listen to it either if we want to protect our church. Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, and makes us just as guilty of the crime.
When someone begins to gossip to us, we need to have the courage to say, “Please stop! I don’t need to know this. Have you talked directly to that person?” People who gossip to us will also gossip about us. They cannot be trusted. If we listen to gossip, God says we are a troublemakers:
Proverbs 16:28 - A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;
gossip separates the best of friends.
Jude 19 The Message - These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!
In God’s flock, the greaest wounds sometimes come from other sheep, not wolves. Paul warned about cannibal Christians who devour each other and destroy the fellowship. They should be avoided.
Proverbs 20:19 - A gossip goes around telling secrets,
so don’t hang around with chatterers.
The fastest way to end a church conflict is to lovingly confront the gossips and insist they stop.
Proverbs 26:20 - Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
To be continued ...
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Sun 1 Jun 2008 10:17:46 pm | no comments
Acts 4:32 - All the believers were united in heart and mind… they shared everything they had.
Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with each other…
Psalm 133 - How wonderful and pleasant it iswhen brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oilthat was poured over Aaron’s head,that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermonthat falls on the mountains of Zion.And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,even life everlasting.
So far we've said: WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY!
There are six ways to do this (from Rick Warren). We've already shared the first two -
1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES
2. BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Now -
3. CHOOSE TO ENCOURAGE RATHER THAN CRITICIZE
It is always easier to stand on the sidelines and take shots at those who are serving, than it is to get involved and make a contribution. God is very blunt about criticism:
Romans 14:4 - Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? The Lord will determine whether his servant has been successful…
Romans 14:10 GWT - Why do you criticize or despise other Christians? Everyone will stand in front of God to be judged.
When we judge other believers, four things instantly happen:
A. I LOSE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
B. I EXPOSE MY OWN PRIDE AND INSECURITY
C. I SET MYSELF UP TO BE JUDGED BY GOD
D. AND I HARM THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE CHURCH
A critical spirit is a costly vice.
The Bible calls Satan “the accuser of our brothers.” It’s the Devil’s job to blame, complain, and criticize members of god’s family. Anytime we do the same, we’re being duped into doing Satan’s work for him. Remember, other Christians, no matter how much you disagree with them, are not the real enemy.
2nd Peter 3:14 – … make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
Romans 14:19-20 - So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
20Don’t tear apart the work of God…
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Fri 30 May 2008 10:26:05 am | no comments
Continuing my notes from last Sunday morning's message on -
UNITY: PROTECTION FOR THE CHURCH FAMILY!
Acts 4:32 - All the believers were united in heart and mind… they shared everything they had.
Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with each other…
Psalm 133 - How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.
In my last post I said that nothing is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and it is worth protecting. Part of your responsibility as a believer is to protect the unity where you fellowship.
Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY!
We are to promote and preserve the fellowship among believers. In this series, we are sharing six ways to do this (from Rick Warren). We've already shared the first -
1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES
Now -
2. BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Once we discover what God intends real fellowship to be, it’s easy to become discouraged by the gap between the ideal and the real in our church.Still we must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections.Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is immaturity.On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency.Maturity is living with the tension.
Ephesians 4:2- … Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
Fellow believers will disappoint you and let you down.When people in our church fellowship let us down, that is no excuse to walk out.
People become disillusioned with the church for many understandable reasons.The list could be quite long:conflict, hurt, hypocrisy, neglect, pettiness, legalism, and other sins.Rather than being shocked and surprised, we must remember that the church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves.Because we’re sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally.But instead of leaving the church, we need to stay and work it out if at all possible.Reconciliation, not running away, is the road to stronger character and deeper fellowship.
Divorcing your church at the first sign of disappointment or disillusionment is a mark of immaturity.God has things he wants to teach you, and others too.Besides there is no perfect church to escape to.Every church has its own set of weaknesses and problems.You’ll soon be disappointed again.
Groucho Marx was famous for saying he wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would let him in.If a church must be perfect to satisfy you that same perfection will exclude you from membership, because you’re not perfect!
Dietrich Bonhoffer, the German pastor who was martyred for resisting Nazis, wrote a classic on fellowship, Life Together.In it, he suggests that disillusionment with our local church is a good thing because it destroys our false expectations of perfection.
Every church could put out a sign, “No perfect people need apply. This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow.”
Bonhoffer:“He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter …
If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty;
if on the contrary, we keep complaining that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow…”
Great families are not made on all the special days and all the special occasions - SOMETIMES IT TAKES BALONEY SANDWICH SATURDAYS TO MAKE A GREAT FAMILY!Sometimes, it's the day that's spent cleaning out the garage that really binds a family together!
To be continued ...
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 28 May 2008 6:22:01 pm | no comments
This week, I'm going to post my notes from my Sunday morning message in sections. Most of this is not original with me. It's from stuff that's been in my file for a long time - most of it from Rick Warren, some from Leon Keller, a great deacon from Lafayette:
UNITY: PROTECTION FOR THE CHURCH FAMILY!
Acts 4:32 - All the believers were united in heart and mind… they shared everything they had.
Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with each other…
Psalm 133 - How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.
Unity is so important that the New Testament gives more attention to the unity of the church than to either heaven or hell.
Unity is the heart of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s body. Without unity there is no fellowship – and without fellowship there is no church.
The Trinity is unified and God wants us to be unified too. Our Heavenly Father, like every parent, enjoys watching his children get along with each other. Jesus, in his final moments before being arrested, prayed passionately for our unity. And the Holy Spirit is the one who unites us in love.
Nothing is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and it is worth protecting. Part of your responsibility as a believer is to protect the unity where you fellowship.
Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY!
We are to promote and preserve the fellowship among believers. Here are six ways to do this (from Rick Warren):
1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES
As believers, the Bible says we share one Lord, one body, one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love. We share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future – factors far more important than any differences we could enumerate. We should concentrate on these things.
God did make us different. We should value and enjoy our differences. God wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we must never let minor differences divide us. We must stay focused on God’s common purposes for us and his church. Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues, things the Bible calls “disputable matters.”
1st Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
To be continued ...
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Tue 27 May 2008 3:22:06 pm | no comments
I saw a good friend this morning - one who challenges me from time to time (and a former teacher, at that - still speaking into my life!) - he said he's been checking my blog and there's been nothing here -
I've been thinking about this for a while - Actually, I've thought about a lot of things to write, but I have to be careful, because this can be read by the entire world! Sometimes we really go through some "stuff" and we can't just put it all "out there" for the whole world to see! But, let me summarize it all by saying that "through it all" FOCUS is extremely important in our life.
Let's talk about my job - my mission - my purpose in life: that is to lead a group of people who are followers of Jesus Christ - to help them follow Him better - to help them through their life's problems - and for all of us to encourage others to follow Jesus as well.
Now - there are many ways we can do this, that is why there are so many different Christian groups, or "denominations." There are some differences of beliefs among the groups - but there are also different PHILOSOPHIES about how to lead other people to become followers of Jesus Christ. Different is not bad! Different can be very good! But, different methods cannot always work in the same setting.
In teams sports, i.e., basketball, football, etc. - the coach usually comes up with a "game plan." This is the VISION that the coach lays out. This VISION - this GAME PLAN is how his team is going to win that game. Every player must be on the same page. Every player must be working together. You can't have a "ball hog." Have you ever noticed that sometimes a team will have a great superstar, but never win a championship? That's because in team sports, it is not all about the skills - or the VISION - of one person, it is about working together under the vision of the leader.
The leader, or coach, may consult with assistant coaches on putting the game plan together - he may even consult some of the players - but ultimately, the responsibility lies on him. If he loses a lot of games, it is usually the head coach that loses the job - not always the players! The head coach bears the responsibility for laying out the VISION and the game plan - the assistant coaches and players follow - otherwise there is chaos and nothing is accomplished.
In a church, this VISION has to come from the Lord, and he has chosen to lead through "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers." In a local church, the head pastor must be a person of prayer, receive the VISION from the Lord as to how the local church is to minister to their members and encourage others to follow the Lord. Again, there can be different ways, but not usually on the same team. One team has to work together under one vision in order to accomplish the purpose. Otherwise, there is chaos and the game, in this case - human souls - can be lost.
I heard a great pastor once explain what division is - "di-vision = two visions." There cannot be two visions and success. There can only be one vision.
I serve on a local school board. Our philosophy is that we set policy, but we have hired educational professionals to carry out the philosophy of educating the students - and the chief responsibility for that belongs to the school superintendent. He is the leader - he casts the vision - the others have the responsibility to follow.
There are many ways for churches to operate - some are very traditional, some are very contemporary - some sing traditional hymns, some sing very new songs - some focus on maturing the believers, others focus on reaching new people - some are very charismatic (in more than one sense of the word), others are very reverent (I'm not sure those two have to be different). The different methods and styles are endless - and that is good because the kind of worshippers, and the kind of people who need to become worshippers, are endless. But, there must be FOCUS on the game plan for each local church. Have you seen the recent television commercial where the tennis player can't play because everyone comes running out of the stands? When everyone wants to play the game, not following any guidelines or direction, then no one can play and no one really has any fun! That is an example!
There are some churches who believe in allowing just about anything to happen in the course of a worship service - this is done in the name of "following the leading of the Holy Spirit." But, sometimes, that can lead to chaos - such as in the church at Corinth whom the Apostle Paul had to correct. There are others who are very strict about nothing happening outside of the plan - and not really speaking of anything very "deep" because they are totally focused on reaching people who may have never been to church before.
I believe that the Lord has led me very clearly as to what the VISION is for my ministry and the church I lead - to "marry" those two philosophies - to blend - to hit it right in the middle. This is not DI-vision - this is THE vision - to have the best of both worlds in terms of being Spirit-led and still relating to people who may have never been to church or never read a Bible (as a matter of fact, we have a recent newcomer who pretty much fits into this category and he is one of our fastest spiritually-growing members!).
I have gotten to the place where I want to be completely sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing that the chief mission of the Holy Spirit is to bring people to Christ. Some think the chief mission of the Holy Spirit is to bless the saints and do wonderful things for them - not true. The chief mission of the Holy Spirit is to bring people to Christ. So, I want to be completely sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit - knowing that the Holy Spirit wants to relate to a completely uninitiated, unreligious person, through me - and through our church's ministry. This has led me to the point where I am almost always "translating" in my mind. I was raised in church. I know the church "lingo." I know the way we think and talk. But, I've learned that many people don't know what we're talking about when we're talking about what is most important to us. Like when I was in the Philippines, I had to translate the language in my mind as I spoke. Now, I am translating all my actions and all my words in my mind as I speak - very conscious that whoever is listening may be clueless about what I am trying to say - if I am only speaking the language of the "church" that I have been so familiar with all my life.
Let me give an example: recently I was on vacation. I went to another church. When we walked in the door there was coffee, juice, fruit, rolls, donuts - WONDERFUL! What a way to make people feel welcome. The church had purchased a strip mall and renovated it. The setting was very contemporary. I was expecting a good experience - maybe something like what I am shooting for.
As we were sitting in the chairs waiting for the service to start, just 5 minutes before the service a rather large man was crawling all over the platfrom plugging in microphones. As a leader I was thinking, "this should have been done a long time ago - this is not too impressive." Then, just before the service began, I saw two men standing on the platform with their arms around each other, backs to the audience (secular word for the church word "congregation"), and their heads very close together. Now, being a church person, I figured this was the pastor and the worship leader praying before the service. I was right. But, in my mind I am "translating." What if I were "Joe Nascar" who had decided to go to church for the very first time that morning and the first thing I see is two men with their arms around each other and their heads close together??? I'm ready to run for the door! This is not my kind of crowd!
This post is already very long (and will be a little longer) - so I won't give every aspect of the service that related very well to a certain culture of church people, but not very well at all to the first-time ever church attender. It was 1 1/2 hours before the pastor even started his message.
That is not what I am trying to shoot for - this is: a ministry that will still be a blessing to the long-time church attender - yet still speak to and be meaningful to the first-time ever church attender.
Recently, we've been getting good feedback. One newcomer said she felt comfortable bringing her daughter and son-in-law to church with her because I "preached without being preachy." Ten years ago I may not have taken that as a compliment - but today it is exactly what I want to do. Another member sent me an e-mail that said the messages we've been preaching are deeper for the one's who have been in church a long time, yet simple enough for the new people to understand. Again, I appreciate the affirmation. It seems we have been hitting our target. Within the course of one week I had people deciding not to attend our church because we weren't charismatic enough and other struggling with whether to attend because we might be too charismatic, or traditional Pentecostal in our beliefs. So, if I have people struggling on both sides, we must be hitting the middle!
I'm not saying we've got it down - but I'm saying that as we struggle with this goal - we struggle to fulfill this vision, I'm thankful that some feel we are coming pretty close to doing what we need to do.
Here's what is hard about this. As a church leader, you want everyone to stay! You want to be a church for everyone. Here is the hard fact - there is no church for everyone. That is a false goal. It will never happen. People are too different - so ministries have to be different. I may have not said it well here, but I do know what I am shooting at - it is a focused target - and even through difficulty, some people not seeing the target, some people not sharing the vision, some people having to go somewhere else - I've got to be comfortable with that, because I know what God has directed me to do and I am going to keep my FOCUS aiming at that target. Since I believe what Abe Lincoln said, that I can't please all the people all the time, then my goal is not to keep disgruntled church members attending. If they don't agree with the vision, then they are only creating "di-vision" by staying. That would not help us reach our goal. My goal is to get everyone on the same page, as much as possible, so that we can communicate the message of Christ to as many people as possible.
It is also extremely important that every member of a leadership team is focusing on the same target. If they are not, they could end up shooting each other! So, sometimes the members of the leadership team have to change so that each one can pursue the VISION God has given them - because different visions results in DI-vision. That won't accomplish either leader's purpose.
Long post - if you've made it this far - thanks for reading - you deserve a reward! I welcome feedback!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Wed 14 May 2008 10:02:48 am | no comments
We've had a great weekend of celebrations. Today, of course, is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! We had 410 come together to worship at New Life this morning and had a great time together! Breakfast Buffet at our Encounter Cafe, kids learning about the resurrection, adults learning about the Passover, and a message on how Jesus sealed our victory in the New Covenant by overcoming death!
Afterward, my folks, and a couple of our staff pastors and their families joined us for an incredible dinner - I'm still recovering!
Welcome to our house!
Our new youth pastors, the Peternels were there.
And the Strattons - Jennifer is our Worship Leader, Chad is our Connections Pastor. Yesterday he led an outreach into a neighborhood next to our church that we hope to reach with the love of Christ like never before. Lots of needy people witnessed Chad and others literally carrying a cross through their neighborhood and praying for them! We are hoping the Lord will enable us to meet practical needs so that they will accept Christ's love and an invitation to have an ongoing relationship with Him. Great job, Chad!
All in all, it's been a fantastic day! As this group was leaving, my wife's sisters and their husbands came over, along with Bill Doyel, and we just continued to have a great time sharing together.
Yesterday was the celebration of my parent's 50th Wedding anniversary. I had blogged about their life together a while back. Yesterday was awesome. About 100 people came together to congratulate them on the great example they have been to so many people and to thank them for their life and frienship:
Here's my mom with her original dress. She could probably still fit in it! She's great!
Mom and Dad with a replica of their original cake - with the original cake topping! Thanks to Susi Stephenson and Sharon's sister, Shirley.
My bro, Jimbo, with our cousin, Dee Dee White -
Jimbo, Dad & Uncle Charlie (Mom's bro - Charles Crank)
My cousin Anna, with my daughter Anna, both named after Dad's mom - we're still missing the Kentucky Anna - wish she could have been here! The last time all three Anna's were together, I think, was when my Anna was a baby and this Anna was getting married!
There were lots of other pictures, but this is enough. All in all, as I've said, it's been a great weekend of celebration! I'm so thankful for an awesome family, both before me, alongside me, and coming after me. But more than anything else, we are thankful that Jesus Christ is fully God, became a man, died for our sins, rose from the dead, and offers us eternal life!
If you're not in a relationship with Him, you can be! You can talk to Him now. Just ask Him for forgiveness and ask Him to help you live for Him and in a relationship with Him! If you need some help, just call our church at 459-5067. Hope our celebrations will be an encouragement and blessing to you as well!
Posted by Pastor Randy_Bla on Sun 23 Mar 2008 11:22:12 pm | no comments
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