Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

We Complete Mission Series This Weekend

 

This weekend is the final weekend for our mission series.  The mission of Church Requel is to be a community loving God and loving people.  Sunday we talk about what it means for us as a church to be loving people.  Pastor Mark will talk about the Why, the Who, and the How of loving people.  You won't want to miss it.  Even if you haven't been to Church Requel before, you are most welcome to join us.  The worship service begins at 10AM.  We meet at the home of Mark and Mary Kay Pierce, 1216 Butternut Court, Mansfield, 44906.  Directions are here.  Everything you'll want to know about Church Requel is here.  Hope to see you!

Matthew Study #47

Matthew Study #47 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Today we continue our study of Matthew 4:12-17. We discover some new things about Jesus' hometown, a place called Capernaum. If you have any difficulty watching the video above, you can view it on Vimeo or on YouTube.  You may also subscribe to the daily Church Requel daily podcast.

Mark Batterson: Mac or PC? No Contest!

I have really enjoyed watching the Mac - PC commercials over these past couple years.  Admit it - anyone thinking about getting a new computer has to at least think about switching to a Mac.  I know I am.  My PC is almost five years old.  It's been a great machine.  But I know I'm living on borrowed time.  And with all the web work I'm doing with the new church, I'm relying on my computer now more than ever. 

So today, when I came across the debate over on Evotional - Mark Batterson's blog - I was intrigued to read the comments.  Mark told his readers he was ready for a new computer and asked them what they would recommend.  I fully expected Mac fans to dominate - and they did not disappoint.  However I was surprised that the debate was SO ONE SIDED!  Out of 62 comments, only one guy really steps up to defend PC and even he says to avoid Vista!  Check out the comments for yourself.

My favorite two comments are these:  #1 - Someone once asked Tom Clancy what he used. He said "Never ask a man what kind of computer he drives. If it's a Mac, he'll tell you. If it's a PC, why embarrass him." 

Favorite comment #2 - don't get a mac if you get a rush buying new computers. you'll be stuck using that thing for years before you have to buy a new one. why go through the embarassment of having a 3-year old mac while all your friends have brand new pcs?

This post wouldn't be complete without a little Mac - PC commercial time!

Natalie MacMaster: Just Fiddlin' Around

This is incredible.  If you love the fiddle or have any Scottish blood in you at all, you'll love this.  Natalie MacMaster and her musical partner Donnell Leahy play several tunes from the Cape Breton tradition -- a sprightly, soulful style of folk fiddling. It's an inspired collaboration that will have you clapping (and maybe dancing) along.  I enjoyed the whole thing, but if you don't have 18 minutes skip forward to 9:40.  It's fantastic!

If you have any difficulty watching here you can also view over on TED Talks.

Mercy Me: "Finally Home"

Stop your day for 3 and a half minutes and watch this great new music video from Mercy Me.  Your attitude and appreciation will be changed today because of it!

Matthew Study #46

Matthew Study #46 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

What kind of people were the Galileans that Jesus taught in his first year of public ministry. Find out today with me as we continues our study of Matthew 4:12-17. If you have any difficulty watching the video above, you can watch it on Vimeo or on YouTube.  You can also subscribe to the Daily Church Requel audio podcast and listen on your iPod wherever you go!

Perry Noble: "15 Things to Know BEFORE Starting!"

Sometimes people ask me why I spend so much time writing and reading blogs.  What I'm about to share with you is EXACTLY why.  Yesterday Perry Noble, pastor of  NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina wrote in his blog: "15 Things I Wished I Would Have Known."   I want you to understand the value of this.  Here's a guy with ten years' experience leading a church with more than 10,000 people attending every weekend, and he stops his week to write down - for my benefit and yours - the 15 things he wished he would have known when he was exactly where I am now (and you too if you're part of Church Requel.)  Seriously, you have to go there right now and read this!

Here are a few of my favorites:

#3 - There is not a formula for growing a church.  That is so great to know.  Should save a lot of time trying to figure out the "how to grow a church" the right way, the best way, the fastest way.  Instead maybe I/we should focus on #5...

#5 - I should spend way less time focusing on being "right" and way more time on being faithful. Preach it brother.  I need to hear it.  Faithful... tall order... think you could help me with that?

#10 - I don't always have the best ideas.  Yessir!  That's true.  Now can I remember it?  Can I practice celebrating everybody else's bright ideas?

#14 - Leadership is as easy as listening to God.  ... or as difficult as listening to God.  Anybody else besides me get sidetracked with so many things that just must be done that I don't make the effort to really listen?

Ok... here's the big wow at the end of his post that makes me want to save this and read it over and over:

The fights, the sleepless nights, the critics, the spiritual warfare, the long meetings, the frustration…IT’S ALL WORTH IT!  When lives get changed…it’s worth it.  When hell becomes less crowded…it’s worth it.  When repentance takes place…it’s worth it!  When marriages are restored…it’s worth it.  IT IS SO WORTH everything we go through!!!  SO…don’t EVER give up–EVER!!

Thanks Perry.  Think I'll keep this one tucked away during those discouraging moments.  But, my dear reader, if I should ever get discouraged and forget, please remind me to NEVER, EVER give up... EVER!

Matthew Study #45

Matthew Study #45 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Jesus' ministry began not only at the right time, but also in the right place. Join me as I study Matthew 4:12-17. If you have any difficulty watching the video above you can watch it on Vimeo or on YouTube.  You can also subscribe to the Church Requel Audio Podcast.

Snowy Day Outside, Nice and Warm Inside

This is looking out my front door to the neighbor's home.  We are getting slammed with an estimated 11 inches of snow today.  It's a good day to be inside and looking out.  I'm doing things like laundry upstairs and rendering some videos downstairs... things that can go on without my presence.  I've also cleaned out my sock drawer - a task that's about a year overdue.  I'm also checking in with family and friends on the phone.  I'm making the most of my snow day.  How about you?

Matthew Study #44

Matthew Study #44 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Today we transition into a new section of Matthew, moving into 4:12-17. Timing was everything to Jesus. Find out why as we study the Bible together.  If you have any difficulty viewing the video above, you can watch it on Vimeo or on YouTube.

Christianity Today: Most Redeeming Films of 2008

Before you jump over to Christianity Today, which one film did you watch last year that you thought was the most redeeming?  CT has taken a vote and now has a list of the top ten.

I have to admit that I'm really behind in my movie watching.  Most of these flicks I haven't even seen yet.  (why do I have that Netflix account again?)

Ok, once you've written down in the comment section your vote for most redeeming film, you have my permission to go see the list of the top 10 most redeeming films.

Swerve: "How Would Jesus Pump Gas?"

This is a funny and sad commentary on life in general and church life in particular.  Bobby Gruenewald from LifeChurch.tv posted this unsolicited voicemail yesterday.  What would you do if you got this on your church answering machine?  Would it change your mind about Christian or church bumper stickers?

Voice Mail Message by lifechurchtv

Ed Stetzer: How to Plant a Church Without Losing Your Soul!

Ed Stetzer wrote an article today about how to start a church without losing your soul .  Ed starts his piece by giving an example of a successful church planter who quits after 3 years.  In order to avoid this same problem, Ed argues for two practices on the part of the church planter to avoid "a spiritually dry and disillusioned ministry."

Spiritual Renewal is the first absolute practice necessary for any church planter.  You may be surprised to learn that this can be difficult for the busy church planter. 

Finding rest in the presence of God is the only answer. But rest rarely comes when the planter's mind is a vortex of what must be done next. "Next" becomes the enemy of God's work in their lives "now." Consequently, the planter's relationship with God gradually erodes over time leaving him spiritually dry and empty.

Wow.  I can really identify with that.  Sometimes I feel like I'm nothing but an iPod continuously playing the "NEXT" track.  It can feel like a playlist with a continuous loop.  The work is never ever completely done.  There's always something more that must be done.

In addition to spiritual renewal, Ed recommends regular theological reflection as well.  This quote from Eugene Peterson's rocks my world.  I have to admit that it is so true:

The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper's concerns-how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money.

Literary Analysis of Genesis 9:1-17

I didn't publish much here on the blog today because my entire day was taken up with the literary analysis of Genesis 9:1-17.  This is work that was due at 6PM tonight for my Old Testament I seminary class.  I must admit that I'm not pleased with the amount of time I have to invest into this class.  The time and effort necessary to plant a new church sucks all the available study time away from my seminary course.  And it's a real shame too because I'm learning so much from this class and from my excellent teacher, Dr. Dan Hawk. 

As with the rest of my life, I am putting my work up here on the blog.  If you would like to know the significant things I learned today about the literary nature of God's covenant with Noah after the great flood, read on!

The pericope of Genesis 9:1-17 proclaims the blessing of God upon Noah.  The purpose of this brief paper is to demonstrate how the literary form and context of this passage support the message of God’s blessing.  The placement of this section within its larger context, the repetition of key phrases, the two smaller sections within the passage supporting the key idea, the use of broad inclusive words such as “all” and “everything,” the different parties with whom God phrases His covenant, the use of divine speech, and the parallel and inclusio structure of the covenant itself all emphasize the message of God in 9:1: “God blessed Noah.”

Matthew Study #43

Matthew Study #43 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

What are the tools that we need to have to study the Bible? This morning we take a side trip at Matthew 4:12 to talk about the resources that can be helpful to you.  If you cannot view the video above, you can watch it on Vimeo or on YouTube.  You can also subscribe to the Church Requel Audio Podcast.

Digital Financial Transparency

Three difference articles caught my eye today and got me to thinking about financial transparency.

• First was this announcement from Executive Pastor Tim Stevens that Granger Community Church had to lay off 8 staff members and cut hours for another 15 staffers. 
• Second, was this article from Reggie McNeal about a conversation he was part of today with his server from Cracker Barrel, who openly wondered how her church could be spending so much money on a new building when so many people are hurting financially.
• And finally there is this article from Aaron Linne at LifeWay Digital Media Publishing.  Aaron makes that point that the digital way of embracing community is transparency and that perhaps churches could be more transparent with their members online about their church finances.  He asks:  

Would your church benefit from being transparent?  Would your community see the struggle of planning a church budget, and realize how important their contributions are?  Or would the community rebel against the budget, and decide that the pastor doesn't need an assistant or such an extensive book collection?

Moving forward I will do all that I can to be as financially transparent with our new congregation as I can be.  With the advances in web technology we should be able to inform our parishioners exactly where we stand on a month to month basis.  My guess is that I'm not the only one thinking this.  When we all come out of this economic malaise, I'm guessing that financial decisions will be more open to church members than ever before.  What do you think?  Would you want to put your church finances out to church members on a regular basis?

Woody Norris: "Virtually Nothing's Been Invented Yet!"

Watch this 15 minute TED.com talk from Inventor Woody Norris. It gets really good about five minutes into it. According to Norris, "We're living in a great time right now.  Almost everything is being explored anew... Virtually nothing - and I mean this honestly - has been invented yet.  We're just starting to discover the laws of nature and science and physics."

As cool as this is, if I understand it this was recorded five years ago. So why haven't I heard about this before? Have you?

Six Weeks to One Hundred Pushups!

One of my favorite new websites is LifeHacker.com.  Kevin Purdy has done a beautiful job of putting together a blog with great advice for just about anything, from cooking to exercise and from work to play.  This morning I was reading Saturday's column: "Top 10 Tools for Sticking to Your New Year's Resolutions." 

In the middle of my reading I came across a link to another simply great website, HundredPushups.com.  Steve Spiers has put together a very simple plan for helping people be able to do 100 pushups.  In fact, Steve says that most people who follow his plan can do 100 pushups in about six weeks if they can devote 30 minutes a week to this goal!  Why pushups?

Push ups are one of the basic and most common exercises for the human body. Push ups are not only great for your chest, but do a tremendous job of defining your abs, triceps, shoulders and torso.

Push ups can be performed no matter where you are, and best of all, they are completely free - no expensive equipment or annual gym fees required! If you're looking to develop a great chest and shoulders, you could do much worse than follow along with the hundred push ups plan. Your core strength will also go through the roof too!

I decided this morning to give this a try.  Readers of Church Requel know that I've made a personal commitment to health and exercise since my pulminary embolisms thirteen months ago.  For the past six months (after I got my doctor's permission), I've gone to the gym about four times a week. 

So, this morning, I'm wondering how many pushups this 51-year-old body could achieve.  No better way than getting on the floor and finding out.  As I write this (my arms are still quivering a bit), I can report to you that I'm starting out at 22 pushups.  It's remarkable how the muscles of our bodies will absolutely fail at some point.  It's worth doing just to find out where you're at and to experience that failure!

According to Steve's program I should be able to start off at week 3.  But I was just barely in that category.  Therefore, I'm starting at week one and will let you know how it goes as I move along.  What about you?  Want to join me in this 6-week adventure?  Check out HundredPushups.com, then come back here and comment to let me know what you think.  It would be nice to have some company!

Bush Sisters' Advice to Obama Sisters

"Our most important piece of advice.  Remember who your dad really is."  Having a daddy who is a leader in any community, from the pastor of the smallest church to the president of the United States, subjects children to a different life.  I think that's why PK''s always can identify with one another.  Usually PK means preacher's kid, but in this case it means president's kid.  As the Bush girls put it: "It isn't always easy being a part of the club you are about to join."  Watch this short 2:48 video to hear the Bush sisters' letter to the Obama sisters.

If you have any difficulty watching the video above, you can view it over on YouTube.

Matthew Study #42

A reader has pointed out that I inadvertently uploaded the wrong video file earlier today.  It is now fixed.  Sorry for any inconvenience. - Mark

Matthew Study #42 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

We finish our study of Jesus and the Temptations today. Join Mark as he studies Matthew 4:10-11. We ask what lessons we can apply to ourselves in our temptations.  If you have any problems watching the video above, you can watch on Vimeo or on YouTube.  You can also subscribe to the daily Church Requel Audio Podcast.