A Weird Sunday
When normal isn’t working, doing something weird may be necessary. Today, our church is defying normal in several ways.
Hurricane Isaac damage to an elderly widows home.
Instead of doing the normal Sunday morning routine – dressing up, singing, telling everybody we’re fine, etc. – we’ll be out serving neighbors who have normal’s that are not working for them. We call it Faith in Action Sunday.
Like a 97 year old Madisonville resident. Normal for her has meant since Hurricane Isaac she’s lived with a gutted house, no doors, no insulation, and no help or resources to get these things fixed.
Like a family of four with disabilities in Madisonville, who’s normal has become holes in the floor and a lot of unsafe conditions in their home.
Like several elderly widows on fixed incomes around Madisonville. Normal means having no man around to take care of little things, so they become big things. And now they’re facing fines from local government until they are repaired.
Madisonville residents.
Like inmates and their families at our local jail. Normal is wondering about what happens when they get out, will family forgive them, does God care, does anyone care.
So, let’s be weird. Let’s create some new normals. For these individuals and for how our community thinks about Christians. That’s what the Gospel is all about isn’t it? I think when Jesus (who people identified as weird) announced, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near” Matthew 4:17, He was saying, “There’s a new normal coming to earth.” When He prayed, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10, He had a new normal in mind. When he taught, healed, had compassion on the crowds (Matthew 9:35-36) He was displaying what the new normal should look like for every Christian. And He ask us to pray for more weird people, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field” Matthew 9:38.
And let’s face it, normal Christianity is not working for many in our world. And many times, Biblical Christianity seems weird to us, because we’ve created a normal that depends upon our disobedience. Because to obey would be weird.
A local inmate says the tears represent the pain his kids feel.
- Normal Christianity sets out to serve instead of be served (Matthew 20:28).
- Normal Christianity sets out to take care of widows and orphans in distress (James 1:27).
- Normal Christianity puts others ahead of self, to a fault and no matter what (Philippians 2:3-8).
- Normal Christianity means sharing the Gospel, not just hearing it on Sunday (Matthew 28:18-20).
- Normal Christianity means churches SEND, not just sit (Romans 10:14-15).
How does your community need you to be weird? Who in your community has a normal that’s unacceptable? Have you allowed normal to be about what other people think instead of what God says and people need? What would people in the community say if you asked them what the normal member of your church looked like?
“Don’t just invite people to a meeting, invite them into your life” – Small Group Training Notes from @RickHowerton
Great day of learning yesterday with Rick Howerton. Rick was gracious to give a day to leaders in the Greater New Orleans area. On the Northshore, we found
that only about 4% of the population attends an evangelical Bible Study of any kind. Small Group leaders are needed to shepherd people to maturity in Christ.
Here’s a few big takeaways from his talks.
- A small group is four to twelve people doing the Christian life deeply together, REALLY. It’s more than just a class. They are more than just friends. They are fellow disciples.
- Churches can choose to run programs or grow people. Small groups is the best way to grow people.
- The goal of church is not to get people to stick, but to make disciples that make disciples.
- The goal of small groups is to make disciples that makes disciples. Not just to help people become good friends, but to move them to maturity in Christ.
- Don’t just invite people to a meeting, invite them into your life.
- On expectations and commitment: If you continually lower the bar, it will accomplish nothing in someones life.
- On Multiplying Groups: Start each group with the vision and expectation that it will multiply. Have an apprentice leader from the beginning that is there to multiply the group. The group that doesn’t multiply in 24 months, never will.
- When groups don’t want to multiply: Teach them that the mission of God is more important than the desires of individuals. Ask, “What if the first group of 12 would have chosen to just stay together?”
- On reproducing leaders: People don’t do what they’ve been told to do, they do what they see someone they trust doing.
- On keys to small group leadership: Stay connected with God, Confess all known sin, Be filled with the Holy Spirit on a Daily Basis, Prioritize your daily devotional life, Depend on God more than techniques.
- The best person to cast vision for small groups is the Sr. Pastor. The Sr. Pastor should be leading or attending a group.
Looking forward to learning more from Rick in the future. He blogs daily HERE. Great daily dose of solid Small Group thinking. Also, his latest book is A Different Kind of Tribe, published through NavPress.
Free Training, Free Book from Small Group Guru @RickHowerton
Looking forward to having Rick Howerton from NavPress with us on the Northshore this coming Monday, April 15th. Two opportunities for free training from
Rick on Monday:
- 9am-12noon @ New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Leavell Center.
- 6:30-8:30pm @ FBC Mandeville. Register Here. Childcare available for kids under four.
Invite your small group leaders.
AND his book New Kind of Tribe: Embracing the New Small Group Dynamic is FREE today and tomorrow at the Kindle Store.
Get more info about Rick’s ministry at his blog.
Mind the Gaps
Living the Christian life everyday means LISTENING TO GOD and DOING WHAT HE SAYS. God speaks to us through His word, prayer, circumstances, other people, the church. How do you respond?
I know what God says, BUT…
- “my situation is different.”
- “that will never happen to me.”
- “everyone else does it.”
- “that was a long time ago.”
- “they deserve it.”
- “god understands my needs.”
- “who really does that anyway?”
- “that’s just not possible for me.”
- “I’ll get around to that one day.”
When you disobey God it means there is a gap between where you are and where you know God wants you to be. “I know what God says, BUT…” or “I know what I should be doing, BUT…” reveals that gap for all that it is. When you excuse your disobedience, you are saying more about what you believe about God than anything else. What you should just go ahead and say is, “I know what God says, BUT…”
- “He really doesn’t matter that much to me.”
- “I know better than He does about this issue/situation. I’m so much wiser about these kind of things.”
- “God has changed since the Bible was written and all that stuff doesn’t really matter anymore.”
- “I’d rather do what my friends say than God. They are so much smarter than him.”
- “I don’t really think He can provide for this need. I’ll just do it myself.”
- “I don’t really believe in God at all. Since he’s not real, I can do whatever I want.”
If you can easily excuse a pattern of disobedience, blowing off the word and will of God, the book of 1 John says you are a liar, deceived, and in darkness.
The true Christian responds to God’s word with obedience. He’s revealed Himself in Christ who is willing to transform our lives. The transformed one responds to God with obedience. You can mind the gaps by repenting and being obedient to what God is calling you to do.
What gaps can you close right now?
Are you having an affair with your Smartphone and other links I liked and learned from this week:
from my Delicious.com account:
1. 11 ways to fight well, from 1 Corinthians 13 benreed.net marriage, 1 Corinthians
Every couple fights. It’s a reality of living in a fallen world. But not every couple fights well.
2. Warning: Don’t Let This Person Join Your Church! pastors.com
“Because of this person, needs are going unmet in our community today. He will also keep other people in church from serving God, using their spiritual gifts, from worshiping through giving, and growing in their walk with Christ.”
3. The 5 Characteristics of Weak Leaders michaelhyatt.com leadership, weakleaders
- Flaw #1: Weak leaders hesitate to take definitive action.
- Flaw #2: Weak leaders complain about a lack of resources.
- Flaw #3: Weak leaders refuse to take responsibility.
- Flaw #4: Weak leaders abuse the privileges of leadership.
- Flaw #5: Weak leaders engage in acts of insubordination.
4. Three Kinds of People in the World Givers, matchers, and takers. Which are you? toddrhoades.com giving
5. Stop Having an Affair with Your Smartphone! (Or iPad!) timemanagementninja.com TimeManagement
5 Signs You May Be Having a an Affair With Your Smartphone:
- Taking Your Phone/iPad to Bed – When you get into bed, does your smartphone join you? Is it the last “person” that you talk to before going to bed?
- Checking Email Before Bed – Do you check email or Facebook before going to bed? And then again in the morning before getting up?
- Ignoring Your Family or Spouse – Does your family have to constantly compete for attention with your devices? Do they have to “snap you back to reality” when you are in another world with your phone?
- Answering Your Phone When You Are With Others – Do you answer your phone no matter where you are or what you are doing? (Hint: If you are answering your phone in the bathroom, you have lost control…)
- Letting Your Phone Interrupt Your Life – Do you prioritize phone beeps, dings, and chimes above people who you are meeting with in person?
On Friday a Thief, On Sunday a King [Video]
A fav Good Friday song…
Death in His Grave
by John Mark McMillan
Though the Earth Cried out for blood
Satisfied her hunger was
Her billows calmed on raging seas
for the souls of men she craved
Sun and moon from balcony
Turned their head in disbelief
Their precious Love would taste the sting
disfigured and disdained
On Friday a thief, On Sunday a King,
Laid down in grief
But awoke with the keys
To Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave
So three days in darkness slept
The Morning Sun of righteousness
But rose to shame the throes of death
And over turn his rule
Now daughters and the sons of men
Would pay not their dues again
The debt of blood they owed was rent
When the day rolled a new
On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke with the keys
To Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave
He has cheated Hell and Seated Us Above the Fall
In desperate places He paid our wages One Time Once and For All
Loving People to the Very End #HolyWeek
“Mom, I love you Four hundred-million-thousand!” My oldest son did this numbers game when he was younger. He tried to come up with the largest numbers his brain could imagine to describe the height, depth, breadth of his love for mom. (When asked about love for Dad, it was usually just a plain 100 or so. But I’m not bitter). Finally, one day he gave up trying to come up with larger and larger numbers and just proclaimed, “Mom, I love you to the very end!”
That reminded me of the Holy Week story in John 13. The Bible says about Jesus, “He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end” John 13:1 NLT. So what did He do? He “wrapped a towel around his waste, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet…” John 13:4-5 NLT.
This was just the beginning of a 24-36 hour period of loving them to the end that culminated with his brutal bloody death on the cross. How did Jesus demonstrate how to love to the end? Deep humility and serving others with no boundaries. Jesus’ love said, “I’ll do whatever it takes, without limitation or hesitation, because of my love for you.”
“Yea, that’s Jesus. He’s awesome!” Yes He is, but Jesus called us to this same kind of life. What!
John 13:14-15,
“since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
Philippians 2:5-8 ups the stakes even more:
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
God desires for us to live with an attitude of “I’ll do whatever it takes” in our relationships with Him and others. Letting go of perks, privileges, social norms, entitlements, and appearances. The opposite is to draw the line. “I’ll not go that far.” Jesus erased his line for us, and calls us to do the same.
Some questions I’m reflecting on:
- Where do I draw the line when it comes to humility, transparency, and serving others? Why?
- Do I allow real or imagined perks, privileges, social norms get in the way of loving people?
- Can I say my attitude toward others is Christ-like with this standard?
- Does my love for God and others have limitations? or is it to the very end?
Improvise, Adapt, Overcome
From a friend’s Email Signature:
“My job is to get things done. If I have the equipment, materials, and manpower to do it fine! If I don’t then I have to improvise, adapt to changing circumstances and overcome the problem to reach the objective.”
Blows a hole in all my excuse making this morning… Love it. And hate it. Such is the challenge of leadership.
Small Groups on Mission Together
Love what one Northshore church is doing to get their small groups On Mission For Others. FBC Mandeville is having each of their Life Groups choose a “NEAR Mission Project” to engage in together. They’ve started a blog to communicate local opportunities for mission. Check it out: http://fbcmandeville.blogspot.com/.
New Testament Discipleship included Relationships built around the Word of God AND the Mission of God (See my related post on Relationships + Mission and the New Old Way of Movement Making).
Imagine the possibilities for your Small Groups or Sunday School classes…
The Church Starts Here Podcast
Enjoyed spending some time with a great friend who’s been bit by the church planting bug. Mike Dean is part of a 
new church in northwest Louisiana and has started a great blog and podcast on church planting called The Church Starts Here. A few weeks ago on the podcast we talked challenges to church planting, changes in terminology, the role of the church planters wife, and more.
Check it out at HERE.
