Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

#027: Trust The Bible [Podcast]

The Bible is the most read book in history.  It’s the bestselling book in history.  And it is the most translated book in history.  Why is it the Word of God?  How do we know it is the Word of God?  In this week's podcast, we’re going to consider the question: "Why can I trust the Bible?"

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Here's what I have lined up for you in this week's edition of the podcast:

[0:00] Intro - I talk about getting ready for the next two weeks of the 40 Days Campaign and getting prepped for vacation in Myrtle Beach with my dad. I mentioned our Facebook page with all the pictures and videos. Also we'd love to have you join us with the 40 Days In The Word Daily Devotionals.

[12:45] Prayer In God's Presence - This past week in one of the 40 Days In The Word devotionals, John Ortberg talked about abiding in God's Presence. It was a profound moment for me and sparked a multi-podcast conversation we'll be having about prayer.

[25:10] Have You Read Your Bible Today? - Pastors.com reviewed a study by Lifeway Research that only 19% of church attenders read their Bibles every day.  This is one of the big reasons we have chosen the 40 Days In The Word campaign.  We want every person connected with Church Requel to read their Bibles every day!

[34:38] Three Views of "Contained In" - We continue our doctrine study of the Westminster Confession of Faith. We are on question #2. Here is the book we are using: The Westminster Shorter Catechism by G. I. Williamson.

[44:29] CR Sermon: "Why Can I Trust The Bible?" - This week I have pre-recorded Sunday evening's sermon because of my vacation schedule. This does have an upside! We won't have time Sunday evening to talk about everything I would have liked to have discussed about why we can trust the Bible. You will hear more details in this recording that we actually could talk about during the sermon at Church Requel! Here are the YouVersion Sermon Notes for those who would like to follow.

[1:44:13] Wrap Up - Join me for our concluding prayer together. And be reminded that next week we will delay the publication of the podcast by a couple days.  Expect next week's edition to come out on Wednesday, October 10th.

Music for this week's podcast is "Your Words Are Life" from the I Believe album available from Amber Sky Records.

This Weekend: 7 Reasons I Can Trust The Bible

Hi everyone! Pastor Mark here with your weekly "What's Happening at CR" blog post. Hope you are making it a good week. What's with all the rain? I guess we're getting caught up on the earlier draught.  I don't know about you, but my yard is looking most jungle-like. I guess I'll have to take advantage of the sunshine later this afternoon.

Really important talk this weekend. I have really enjoyed preparing for this weekend's second 40DITW (40 Days In The Word) sermon.  I have learned so much and I can't wait to share it with you! We'll learn seven reasons why I can absolutely trust the Bible as God's Word. I especially enjoyed the section on the scientific accuracy of the Bible. Believe me when I tell you that you really don't want to miss this talk. It will have a profound impact on your personal trust in the Bible. 

40DITW Daily Devotionals. Have you been as incredibly blessed as I have with the five days of devotionals we've enjoyed together so far? Each day I think to myself, 'I don't know how it could get any better than this.' Then the next morning I watch another pastor share words of inspiration and profound wisdom. Yesterday I was blown away by John Ortberg's description of 3 categories of conversation - (talking to someone, about someone - without their hearing, about someone - when they are hearing.) I have never considered that God can never be in that second category! Wow! If you haven't yet started your daily devotionals, what are you waiting for? Go to 40DaysInTheWord.com to get started.

A Special Afternoon. Do you know how very blessed we are to have Pastor Steve at CR? I know you already love him for how he gives of himself to all of us. I thought I would share one more insight you wouldn't otherwise know about. This past Tuesday I spent the entire afternoon with him working on the talk for next Sunday, October 7th. This will be his first sermon. Last weekend he gave part of the evening's talk. (Didn't he do a great job?) In 10 days he will teach us seven way that God's living Word changes us. It will be another great talk and will be delivered from one of the most genuine people I know. Plan now to come and support him!

Bags and Bags of Clothing! I am blown away AGAIN by what a generous people you are! Last weekend was the first weekend you were asked to bring clothing that we would share with others. One whole corner of our storage room is filled with close to 20 bags of clothing! Jenn Carrick, Sara Scott, and Lisa Hatfield will have their hands full organizing it all for our October 21st delivery date. Keep on bringing your gently used clothing each weekend. If you also have plastic totes we could use to store clothing, that would also help. Finally, let Jenn, Sara or Lisa know if you can help with the setup on Ocober 21st. We'll need all hands on deck!

Picnic Photo Fun! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the photo and video fun taking place over on our Facebook page.  Diana Devolder has been doing a wonderful job uploading new photos and videos from our wet and wacky picnic last Saturday.  Keep going back because Diana tells me she has lots more to post! Here are a few examples of what went up this week!

Prayer Time. Check out the rain! Maybe this was just huddle-to-stay-warm time. Do you think Gabe wishes he would have worn a warmer shirt?

Steve and Bryan prep the food. Do you think Kyle is a little hungry?

The first relay race was a stocking feet in the rain race. So why didn't Pastor Mark have to take HIS shoes off? Hmmm.

Smiles and sunshine break out during the Wacky Waiter relay. We've been joking all week about John making an excellent pylon. And what is Eddie trying to do?

New Families. Have you noticed how many new people are coming to Church Requel? The word is getting out! We had two new families come last Sunday evening and both said they would definitely be back again. Our little church is growing! Why not invite a friend to come with you Sunday? 

That will wrap up this week's "What's Happening At CR" blog post. I look forward to seeing all of you Sunday night at 6pm. With much affection, Pastor Mark

3 Regular Referee Return Day Reminders

Today is R³ Day - "Regular Referee Return" Day! This morning we all woke to the welcome news that the NFL and regular referees have settled their dispute and that the NFL refs will be back to work in tonight's game.  What a relief! We no longer will be able to complain about blown calls the replacement refs made. We can all get back to our age-old complaining about the blown calls the regular referees make. 

It's true, isn't it? We have built into us a basic desire for fairness. We want right to prevail. From an early moment in our childhood we've learned to perfectly pronounce: "That's not fair!" In our games, in our elections, in our workplaces and schools, in our courts, we cry for what's right. We only want justice. It's not something we have to learn. It's something that seems a part of our very DNA as human beings.

God's Word has much to say about this topic. Justice is talked about no less than 134 times in the Bible.  Today - on this Regular Referee Return day - I'd like to remind you of 3 important R³ reminders we learn from the Scriptures.

R³ Reminder #1 - Blown Calls Are The Norm, Not The Exception.  We'd like to think that we live in a fair world. In the real world the Seahawks get the touchdown and the win, despite the unseen foul and the Green Bay interception.  Amos 5:7 could easily be the Packers' theme verse of the week:

"There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground."

And here's the real rub. Even when we try to make the right call, we often get it wrong.  In the tons of ink spilled over the blown call Monday night, hardly anyone is writing that the replacement ref blew it because he wanted to blow it. He blew it because he didn't know the rule. He blew it because he was inexperienced. He blew it because he wasn't ready for the NFL.  He didn't blow it because he intended to blow it.  

12 Reasons I Love My Job Of Pastor

Almost 30 years ago Mary Kay and I heard Zig Ziglar tell the story of the woman who hated her job. She came to Zig to complain about all her troubles with her employer. Zig asked if there was anything she liked about her job. She said, "I don't like anything about it." He asked if they paid her or if she did if for free. She admitted they not only paid her, but paid her a little better than average. Over the course of 10 minutes - with Zig's help - she found 22 different things she liked about her job. Newly aware of her reasons for liking her job, she discovered that some of the people around her seemed to change for the better!

That story has always stuck with me. My attitude about my work is so critically important. And if I may say so, this is even more critically important for the job of pastor!  Almost a year ago Lifeway Research conducted a poll of 1,000 protestant pastors in the U.S. Even though 98% of them considered it a privilege to be a pastor, more than half (55%) also agreed that it is easy to become discouraged. Coinciding with discouragement, the same 55% agreed that they felt lonely.

Earlier this week - in an excellent article on Pastors.com - Thom Rainer reminded his readers of the discouragement and loneliness of pastors with the admonition for congregations to pray for their pastors.  Church Requel, will you please continuously and intentionally pray for me? Seriously. 

The fascinating truth of Lifeway Research's survey results is the dichotomy between the 98% of pastors who feel privileged and the 55% who feel lonely and discouraged.  Thom Rainer's seven reasons for WHY so many of us pastors are lonely and discouraged is right on.  If I thought about it for just a few minutes, I'm sure I could easily add to the list of negatives pastors face on a daily basis.

I'd like to add just one key reason that underlies all my discouragement.  I forget.  I forget the privilege. I forget why I became a pastor. Our profession, more than most, is a profession of calling and of choice. God calls us. We choose to answer.

Six Discipleship Observations From Pastor Learning OTJ

I've been reading much lately on Pastors.com about pastors making disciples.  I think I could read these articles and others like them repeatedly and still not get all the wisdom I need about this important topic.  The message I've been thinking (or perhaps God has been saying to me?) is that 'Yes, preaching is important. But most of your disciple making does not take place in the pulpit!' If you are a preaching pastor of a small church like I am, THAT message hits home in a big way.  

Maybe your seminary experience was completely different from mine, but I don't recall a lot of "disciple making" type of classes. I learned lots about the Bible and the correct means of interpretation (and how to document well in my footnotes.) Few parishioners have asked to read my sermons. None have ever asked to examine my footnotes!  What I've learned about disciple making has come mostly by trial and error.  Here are a few observations from a pastor also learning discipleship OTJ (on the job.)

1. Disciple making is not about knowing the right stuff. It's not about a classroom experience at all. It's about where the rubber meets the road in real life. It's about sharing the experiences of the good and the bad of ministry... and life.  

2. There are no disciple tests at the end of the semester. There are tests - but they're different than what we had in school.  Who are the people I'm discipling? If I can't answer that one, I've failed the test. How are they changing as a result of the mentoring/discipleship training? Do we both see growth and more dependence upon Christ's strength now than six months ago?  Who are they mentoring? If we can't answer these last 3 questions well, then we've both failed the test.

3. There is a mix of skill sets training and lifestyle examples involved. Doing life together is a necessary component of discipleship training.  Jesus' disciples hung out with him. Those who Paul was mentoring traveled with him. Class didn't start and end with a bell ringing.  Every week I make time - usually around meals - to just hang out and talk with individuals and groups. Sometimes we have an agenda for me to teach or train a skill.  Watch me.  Here's how I do it. Now you try.  Many other times, though, it's much more fluid. There's no agenda, but there are always teaching moments.

#026: Rainy Picnic [Podcast]

When the wind blows the rain sideways and people still remain faithful to the picnic, something special is going on.  When is the pastor as much a cheerleader and encourager as he is a shepherd? Or maybe these all fit the job description! Join me in this 26th episode as we talk about soggy picnics and high spirits.  Also we kick off our 40 Days In The Word campaign this week!

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Here's what I have lined up for you in this week's edition of the podcast:

[0:00] Intro - I talk about this past week getting prepped for the 40 Days in the Word campaign and the Fall Fun Picnic.

[16:17] Rainy Picnic Highlights - I describe the soggy day and sunny spirits.  I interview many of the folks there. When is a pastor more of a cheerleader?

[36:46] Faith Like A Child - Speaking of having so many children at Church Requel, what do we learn about the faith of kids? Jesus told us that we must have the faith of a child or we'd never see Heaven.  What did he mean? Thanks to Joe Farnello at SermonCentral.com.

[50:15] The Rule of Life - Last week we finished question #1 of the Westminster Confession of  Faith. The chief end of man is the give glory to God and enjoy Him forever. But how do we do that? Is there a rule of life... a guidebook?  Based on Westminster Shorter Catechism by G. I. Williamson.

[1:01:55] CR Sermon: "How To Build My Life On The Bible" - This is the kick-off sermon for the 40 Days in the Word campaign, orginally written and delivered by Rick Warren to Saddleback Community Church in January 2012. We learn 5 ways to build our life on the solid foundation of God's Word.

Music for this week's podcast is "Bring The Rain" by Mercy Me.

Fun Fall Picnic and 40 Days In The Word!

Wow! What a great weekend we are looking forward to here at Church Requel!  Good Friday morning everyone.  Pastor Mark here with your "What's Happening at CR" weekly blog post.  I'm so excited about this weekend.  We're going to enjoy some wonderful experiences together!

Fall Fun Picnic and Games. Saturday at 4pm is the time for our picnic.  We are meeting at Pleasant Hill Lake Park located at 3431 State Route 95, Perrysville, OH 44864.  Come rain or shine.  We will be using one of the picnic shelters - look for the crowd! If it rains hard, we'll move our group into the recreation room.  Daniel and John would like to join us, but they need transportation. Contact me if you can provide them a ride.

The picture above is from our August picnic. What fun we all had playing games!  I have a whole bunch of new games for us tomorrow.  We'll play Grab Bag, Wacky Waiter, Sneaker Scramble, Coin-Drop Race, Penny Spoon Race. There's two more games we'll play if I can get it all put together.  One is called Hula Circle. I need 3 hula hoops - so email me if you have a hula hoop you can bring.  The other is called State Secret, but I can't tell you about it because... well, it's a secret! Ha!

We'll do more than play games. We're going to enjoy lots of great food together too! Bryan and Steve are bringing the Tim the Toolman Taylor's sizzling hot grill to barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs. We'll also provide plates, cups, napkins and eating utensils. You all provide the rest of the food and drinks! We call it a pot LUCK because we're always so lucky! Come with a hearty appetite for food, fun and fellowship!

40 Days In The Word. Sunday night at Church Requel we begin our brand new 40 Days In The Word campaign. Sunday we'll kick off the campaign with the talk, "How Do I Build My Life On The Bible?" This is a very special talk for two reasons. First it was first delived by Rick Warren in January of this year.  Since then this sermon has been shared by over 8,000 pastors in as many churches!

The other reason this particular weekend's talk will be so very special is because for the first time ever Pastor Steve will help me give the talk!  I know he has been looking forward to this evening for a very long time.  I'm sure we'll see many of his family and friends will come to support him in his first pulpit debut.  Let's make sure that Church Requel shows up in big way to kick off the 40 Days campaign and to show Pastor Steve how much we love and appreciate him!

This 40 Days in the Word campaign involves so much more than 7 weekly sermons.  We'll also be meeting together as small groups, memorizing six different Bible verses, AND we'll be committing to 40 days of devotions and Bible study beginning this Monday, September 24th.  Go to 40DITW.com to sign up for these FREE daily devotionals!  Each day you'll receive an email or text message to click on to either watch  a video or listen to an audio.  These devotionals are less than 10 minutes each. Sign up today and set your start date to Monday, Sept. 24th. Yesterday on the blog I wrote more about our 40 Day campaign.  Read more about it here. 

Grandpa Mike holds Aliana

Welcome to the Grandparent Club!  Mike and Lisa Hatfield Gilbert join Nancy Roop and Diana Devolder in becoming new grandparents this month. Who could have guessed that we'd have 3 new grandchildren born all in September?!  We welcome Aliana Renee Gilbert, born this past Tuesday, September 18th. Aliana came into the world weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 19 1/2 inches long. Ricky and Kelly are the proud parents. Kelly is recovering well.  Pictured on the right is our own Grandpa Mike with Aliana.

Bring Gently Used Clothing. This weekend we begin collecting clothes for the new clothes closet ministry. Jennifer, Sara and Lisa are organizing this effort to collect gently used clothes that we can then share with one another and give away to other charitable ministries on October 21st.  Bring your clothes with you each weekend between now and the 3rd weekend in October. Also if you have any you can donate, we need plastic totes and containers to store the clothing. If you can help with setup and teardown on Oct. 21st, talk to Jenn Carrick, Sara Scott or Lisa Hatfield.

That will wrap up this week's "What's Happening" blog post.  These are sure good times to be a part of Church Requel, aren't they? I love being your pastor. What a privilege! Hope to see most of you twice this weekend.  Until then, God bless! Pastor Mark 

Church Requel Begins 40 Days In The Word Campaign

Church Requel kicks off its 40 Days In The Word campaign this weekend. What is 40 Days In The Word? 40 Days is a spiritual growth campaign. We are passionate about continually growing as individuals and as a congregation. When we say "campaign, " we mean a time of unified focus in the weekend sermons, small group curriculum, and interactive elements (such as the web) to help you learn and grow. This 40 Days campaign  will show you how to not just hear the Word, but to be a doer of the Word as well.

Sermon Series. Every week for the next seven weeks Pastor Steve and I will be teaching about why the Bible is so important to our lives as Christ-followers.  This sermon series, originally written by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in January, has been taught so far in 2012 in thousands of churches all over the world! We'll kick off this Sunday talking about why it's so important for us to build our lives on the Bible.  Over the next six weeks, we'll talk about why we can trust the Bible, how to study the Bible, and how to integrate the Bible into our daily lives.

Daily Devotions. The reason we call this a campaign is because it is so much more than just 7 weekend messages. Beginning next Monday, September 24th, we hope that every person at Church Requel will begin a daily devotional.  Each day for 40 days a different pastor will lead us in our private study of God's Word. Those with internet access can go to 40daysintheword.com and sign in for free here. You can also sign up for daily emails or text messages reminding you to participate each day for 40 days.  For our parishioners without internet access, we will be providing an audio CD each week.

Becoming a "Child-Friendly" Small Church

Multi-generational relationships in small church: Dick and Grayden are fast friends even though their age is 6 decades apart!

What does it mean to have a "child-friendly" small church? Beyond keeping children safe and sound - the most basic and important requirement - what can we do as small church pastors to make church a place where kids want to come and where parents want to bring their children?

Yesterday I had the privilege of interacting over email with Ian Forest-Jones, who was born in Canada and now serves as a pastor in Australia.  Ian contacted me about the blog post I wrote in June called, "4 Guidelines to Great Children's Sermons."  Ian wanted to know more about what I thought child-friendly churches meant.  Here were his questions:

I noticed in the article that you stated that your evening service is "child friendly", so I want to ask you a couple of questions about this, as this topic is very dear to my heart. Besides a children's sermon, what else do you do in/to the service to make it child-friendly?  I have long struggled to imagine what a real multi-generational church service would look like.  Personally, I am disgusted by the "children's segments" I see in too many churches, as they are often little more than parading the kids up front to set them up to say stupid things to make the adults laugh.  I want to provide a service that the whole family can enjoy and worship in together. 

I considered my response to his thoughtful questions. I ended up writing a long email back.  I thought my Church Requel readers might also be interested in my answer:

Dear Ian,

Thanks for your encouraging and thoughtful email.  It's not every day that I hear from a pastor born in Canada and living for Christ in Australia!

The most important thing we do - I think - is simply to recognize each child for the individual he or she is. Each one is loved by God just as is the case for any adult.  Each child has their own issues, their own questions, their own doubts.  I attempt to be a pastor to each one as much as I would be to the adults. When I see them in the hallways I get down on my knees to their level so I can look them in the eyes and talk to them.  I try to remember their names and what they like to do outside of church.  

3 Choices When We're Persecuted [Sermon Notes]

What do you do when you are on the outside looking in?  When you have been ostricized? Unfriended? Or worse, when you are persecuted for your beliefs? We must choose performance, character, and trust over politics, comfort, and trauma.

Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves.  For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before.  And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say!  For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material.  I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.

Click to Listen!

Fast forward to 49:30 to hear the sermon.

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Summer Singles Part 15: Tackling Treachery - 09.16.12

Scripture:  Daniel 6 / Follow the YouVersion LIVE Event Sermon Notes

Intro: This coming week is the official start to Autumn. That signals two important things. #1 - FOOTBALL! Yes, your pastor is a big football fan. I’m always reminded of those 5 years in my life when I learned the importance of fundamentals, and nothing is more fundamental than tackling. It’s a head-on collision. It’s face up and fear-conquering, especially when you weigh 155 pounds and you’re tackling someone weighing 200 pounds and driving at you at 20 miles an hour!

#2 - POLITICS! Whether we like it or not we are smack dab in the middle of the U.S. political season. Republicans vs. Democrats. Gov. Romney or President Obama. You’ll be relieved to hear that I’m not going to give you any political advice as to how you should vote in November.  But I am going to give you political advice... but not the kind you may think.

We live in a political world.  And I’m not just talking about the election world. I’m talking about all of our worlds - at school, at work, in our friendships, and sadly sometimes, even in our churches. How should we handle the politics of life, especially when it turns very nasty against us.  You know what I mean, right? When you are the odd one out. When you are excluded. When you are persecuted. When you are unfriended.

Today’s Single: God strengthens me to ___TACKLE TREACHERY___.

You may be surprised to learn that the Bible can be very personal in its advice. Today we’re going to look at the life of Daniel and the story of when he was thrown into the Lions Den. Daniel knew treachery!

Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” Daniel 6:13 NIV

These other administrators and leaders were playing the political game. They hated that Daniel had been advanced over them, so they attacked him where they thought he was vulnerable - in his faith. He prayed 3 times a day to the one true God! They played on the king’s pride asking him to sign an irrevocable decree that stated that for the next 30 days no one could pray to any other person or God besides the king OR they’d be thrown into the Lions Den.  These administrators trapped both the king and Daniel into what they thought would be a horrible death sentence for Daniel - the very definition of treachery.

The treachery you face may not be so deadly. At least not on the outside. But you face inward death threats all the time. What should you do when your character & reputation are attacked? Today we will learn 3 choices that Daniel made over his lifetime that helped him tackle treachery.

#025: Football Is Back! [Podcast]

Football! The very word brings to mind cooler evening temperatures, the smell of grass, and the crunch of football pads. Catch up with me in this week's podcast as we talk about football, 40Days in the Word, the ethical issues of using someone else's sermons, and the CR weekend sermon, "Tackling Treachery."

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

[0:30] Intro - I talk about the surreal Saturday morning I had when I watched my grandson Grayden play tackle football. I review this past week and the changeover in sermon preparation.

[12:50] 40 Days In The Word - I discuss the new sermon series by Rick Warren and the work I've done this past week to get ready.  I then review the campaign coming up in another week at CR.  I hope everyone at CR and in our podcast audience will join us for the 40 Days of Devotionals. This is free!

[26:01] Preaching Someone Else's Sermon - What are the practical and ethical issues of preaching someone else's sermons.  I talk about 4 advantages of using someone else's sermons AND I review 4 considerations to make before doing this.

[40:02] What Does "Chief End" Mean? - This will wrap up our first question from the Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism: "What is the chief end of man?" You can pick up a copy of G. I. Williams' excellent book here. 

[49:27] CR Sermon: "Tackling Treachery" - How do we respond when we are persecuted? What happens when the political winds shift away from us? Join me for 3 choices we must make consistently over our lifetimes if we want to be able to respond like Daniel did when he faced the den of Lions.

[1:28:50] Wrap Up - Listen to my thoughts on this Sunday night following the Church Requel service tonight and the Pavilion service this morning.

Music for this week's podcast is "Drum Cadences (w/band vocals)" by The Ohio State University Marching Band 2002.

Treachery, New Series, Picnic, Clothing Ministry

Hi everyone! Pastor Mark here with your weekly "What's happening at CR" blog post. My Friday is off to a great start this morning!  How about you?  Early this morning during my prayer time at breakfast, I confessed to God my weakness and discouragement. I asked God for strength and encouragement. Yes, your pastor both needs and practices what we've been talking about this summer! Anyway, 20 minutes later Patty, my waitress, came to me and told me that there were two other local pastor friends having breakfast and they wondered if I would like to join them.  The next hour was filled with encouraging words from friends who've been there! What are you praying for this morning? Believe that God will answer you in amazing ways!

This Sunday we will finish our summer series of single sermons from the Old Testament.  This will be our 15th sermon in our series that's not really a series.  Remember back when we started this baseball themed sermon series at the beginning of June? The Cleveland Indians were in first place and baseball seemed so promising and summerish!  Summer ends this week and the Indians' best hopes are now focused on not being in last place in the entire MLB!  

Nevertheless we have great hopes for this week's talk about Daniel and the Lions Den. The title of Sunday's talk is "Tackling Treachery." (See how I slipped in the football term, "tackling"? Ha!) This is a particularly timely talk because it deals with politics and betrayal.  We are very aware of the national political scene right now, but I won't be talking about Republicans or Democrats.  I will be talking about the truth that all of us are involved in some kind of politics - family politics, work politics, and/or church politics.  What are the three choices that we should make whenever we find ourselves on the wrong side of political turmoil? What were the three choices that Daniel made that God so favored?

The iPhone and Life: Thinner Lighter Bigger Faster

The new iPhone 5 announced yesterday.

Yesterday Apple announced its newest iPhone 5.  This sixth generation smart phone will be 18% thinner and 20% lighter. Yet the screen will now be bigger - 4 inches instead of 3 1/2 inches. And the iPhone 5 should be screaming fast with LTE speeds up to 4 times faster than the older 3G models.

 Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.

I joked on my Facebook wall last night that this describes my current weight loss plans.  I'm on the new iPhone 5 diet.  I want to be 18% thinner and 20% lighter. Yet I'm also doing strength training so my "front screen" will be bigger. And I'm running - trying to get faster - attempting six miles in under an hour.  Isn't this what we're all striving for in our physical fitness?

Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.

This is not only the mantra for our phones and fitness, but also in our places of work.  We are all expected to do more with less.  Businesses are working with thinner margins and lighter workforces. Yet they expect bigger output and bigger profits.  And let's not forget that we no longer maintain inventories, so please deliver everything faster!

Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.

Teachers teach larger numbers of students in their classrooms, but must deliver even better overall test scores.   Newspapers must deliver online access from top-notch reporters, while the price pressures continuously push for free.  Factories expect their employees to work faster, accomplish more, and meet ever more exacting standards for fit and finish.  Salespeople watch their commission rates decline while their expected sales quotas only increase.  Everywhere you look...  

4 Downsides of the Perfectionist Pastor

I make my bed in the morning. I eat breakfast. I color coordinate my clothes closet. And yes, I write my sermons three to four weeks in advance. I admit it. I am a perfectionist. I was raised to believe that if I would be tough on myself, then the world wouldn't be so tough on me. I'm most grateful for parents who taught me to value discipline.

Lately though, I've come to realize certain downsides to what I affectionately name as disciplines and what others might better describe as my perfectionistic tendencies. I have particularly noticed these downsides when I think about some of my personal pastor friends. I meet regularly with some guys who are off the charts in the opposite direction. To suggest that they are not organized is to do serious damage to the term "organized." (I don't even want to think about what their beds look like!)

Here's the thing. They have fantastic ministries! They are reaching men, women and children for Christ. Despite their disorganized, scatter-brained outward appearances, they are incredibly effective. They have solid relationships. When I'm out to breakfast or lunch with them, they are like people magnets.

Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for my discipline. But it's worth being aware that there are at least 4 perfectionistic downsides of which I need to be aware.

Downside #1: Less Dependency On Christ. Those who are the weakest tend most to rely on Christ's strength. The opposite is also true. No amount of personal discipline is worth more to me than the power of Christ to work in and through me. My disciplines must always point me outward to God and to the people He wants me to reach. Otherwise it's totally, completely wasted. Am I more dependent on my disciplines or entirely dependent upon Christ?

Downside #2: Relational Walls. Who wants to hang out with the straight A student except around exam time? Remember the kid in the class who raised the grade curve? Not exactly a people magnet. My good pastor friends mentioned above make no secret that they are broken pieces saved by grace in need of God and other broken pieces. People love them because they make fun of themselves, and at the same time, make much of Christ. Who do I make much of? (I probably totally ruin the impact of this by my frustration that I ended that last sentence with a preposition.)

4 Ways to Remain Flexible in Faith [Sermon Notes]

"If you wait until you need a break to take a break, your break won't be so pleasant!" This was just one of several important things God was saying through my preaching Sunday - both to me and to my congregation. In today's sermon notes blog post we learn four ways to remain flexible in our Christian faith - so we can bend but not break!

Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves.  For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before.  And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say!  For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material.  I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.

Click to Listen!

Fast forward to minute 43 to hear the sermon.

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Summer Singles Part 14: Bending Without Breaking - 09.09.12 

1 Kings 19:1-8 NIV / Sermon Notes at YouVersion.com

Intro: I love that song that Brandi and Eddie just sang for us.  There are many times when we will struggle with our faith, when we don’t know why we are suffering through trials, and when we rely on just “God said.”

Even the Apostle Paul, with all his closeness to God, went through an unknown trial of faith or health.  At the end he concluded this from Christ: “My grace is sufficient for you...” 2 Corinthians 12:9

1 Corinthians 10:13 is our temptation verse.  Do you remember it?  “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it.”  The word temptation is also the word for trial or tribulation.  When you are facing tough times, God provides a way for you to stand up under it.  So that you can be flexible in your faith.  

Today’s Single: God’s Presence In Tough Times Helps Me To
 ___BEND AND NOT BREAK___.

4 Ways To Keep My Faith Flexible In Tough Times

#1 - Recognize That I Live In An ___EVIL WORLD___ .

This world is not yet the perfect place that it will become some day when Jesus returns.  Understand that everything that happens between the first two chapters of the Bible and the last two chapters of the Bible is tainted by evil and man’s sin.  So there will be consequences when we do good in an evil world.

So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ”May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 1 Kings 19:2 NIV

#024: The New Kindles [Podcast]

 

The new Kindles are here! The new Kindles are here! Do I sound like a kid at Christmas? I have to admit that the Kindle device has captured this pastor's reading heart over the past few years.  Not only me, but my entire family enjoys reading and sharing books with one another. So this podcast is a homage to the announcement this past week about the new devices coming out this fall. 

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Here's what we have lined up for you on the podcast this week:

[06:40] 40 Days In The Word - You'll hear the behind the scenes discussion this past week as our leadership team chose the theme of "40 Days In The Word" as our new sermon series beginning Sunday, September 23rd.  Here is a link for you to signup for your own daily devotional during the 40 Days sermon series.

[20:46] The New Kindles - Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, revealed the new devices this past Thursday.  You can watch his entire presentation on YouTube.  Listen to Len Edgerly's Kindle Chronicles podcast.  Len went to the event. You'll hear his immediate review along with many interviews.

[33:43] Bringing God Glory - What does it mean to bring God glory? Doesn't He already have glory without us?  Join me for this second part of the first question from the Westminster Catechism. What is the chief end of man? ... to bring God glory and to enjoy Him forever!

[43:05] CR Sermon: Bending Without Breaking - This is part 14 of our Summer Singles series... our next to the last one!  We learn 4 ways to keep my faith flexible in tough times from the life of Elijah in 1 Kings 19.  Follow along with the YouVersion Sermon Notes.

[1:23:40] Wrap Up - Join me for my final thoughts from this weekend's Church Requel worship service.  I'm tired and hungry... and frustrated! Where was everyone tonight?  We had a huge number of visitors and guests, but many of our regulars weren't there. You'll hear the gut reaction of this pastor.

Music for this week's podcast is "Fly Me Away" by Annie Little from the Stole My Heart album. Also, you can watch the original very cool Amazon 2009 commercial here.

This Week At CR: Bend But Not Break

Would you believe that we're going to learn some stretching exercises this weekend at Church Requel? It's kinda sorta true.  We're not going to be talking about your tight calf muscles, but we will be talking about your faith in Christ that might need a little bit of stretching!  We will take our Bible lesson from 1 Kings 19, where we read about the great man of God, Elijah, who was incredibly powerful on one day and then incredibly weak the next day.  We'll learn 4 lessons about how we keep our faith flexible - how we can bend but not break!  Want a head start? Check out the YouVersion notes here.

Hi everyone!  This is Pastor Mark with your weekly blog post about what's happening at Church Requel.  I hope this finds you doing well on Friday and looking forward to our time together this coming Sunday evening.  The timing of our talk is perfect - God's timing always is! - because I know that many of us need to be reminded about how to handle the stresses of trials and temptations that come our way.  Sometimes we think that because we are on God's team that the rest of life will be easy.  Not so much!

First Praise TEAM this summer! For a month now we've been talking about Brandi forming a praise team to sing with her.  Sunday evening you will see the results of her efforts this past month. She has worked so hard... and effectively!  I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised with the number of voices who will be leading us Sunday night.  Our worship experience should be something really special!  You'll want to come and let your kids sit right up front!!!

Spaghetti Fun. Speaking of the kiddos, I've put together a fun object lesson for the children that will also line up pretty well with our teaching theme of the evening.  What does spaghetti and a pot of boiling water have to do with learning how to bend and not break?  Hmmm...  I don't know about you, but the chance that I have to invest time with our children up front has become some of my favorite parts of the Church Requel Sunday night experience.  Do you have a child in your life who could benefit?  Bring them!!!

Brookelyn

Nancy and Jase

New Births.  We congratulate two new grandmothers this week.  Monday Nancy Roop welcomed grandson Jase Scot Roop, who came into the world weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Then, on Wednesday, Diana Devolder welcomed her granddaughter, Brookelyn Devolder, who weighed in at 7 pounds, five ounces.  We join both Nancy and Diana in thanking God for their healthy new grandchildren.  And we are reminded to continue to pray for Lincoln Bohnke that he will soon be released home from the hospital too! We love how God is bringing more and more children our way!

 

Picnic Plans. We are officially into September now.  That means that school has started and autumn is right around the corner.  You know what else will be here before we know it? Our next picnic! Circle September 22nd on your calendar!  Don't miss the next pot luck, game night, social fellowship time at Church Requel.  We plan to meet at 4pm at Pleasant Hill Lake Park.  Should be a lot of fun!

Next Sermon Series. We will be wrapping up our Summer Singles next weekend with the story of Daniel and the Lions Den.  Then, the following weekend - September 23rd - we'll begin our new Fall sermon series entitled, "40 Days In The Word."  This is an exciting sermon series, which God has already blessed in many American churches this year.  We will learn why the Bible is so important to our Christian lives and how to read it, learn from it, and understand it.  We will ask each one of our parishioners to commit to reading from the Bible every day for 40 days.  This will be a great time of spiritual growth for our church family!

That will wrap up this week's What's Happening blog post.  I love how we are becoming so close to one another!  I love how God is making us family.  I can't wait to celebrate with you Sunday night at 6pm! With great affection, Pastor Mark

Leadership Through A Team Of Leaders

I met with our leadership team last evening.  For several weeks I've struggled with a potential shift in direction.  In my prayer life I have experienced God's leading, His gentle nudging of my soul as I've watched Him work in our small church.  How should I respond?  What direction should I go?

Normally my leadership style is that once I believe I know where God is leading me, I take the goals and plans to our leadership team for their confirmation.  I try to do as much of the work in advance as I can, thinking through problems and coming up with solutions.  However this time I not only felt God's urging to consider the opportunity, I also experienced His check to trust my leadership team to help me through the planning stage.

So I wrote down as much of my thinking as I could along with different alternatives and emailed the whole package out ahead of time to my leadership team.  I asked them to read and pray about what I wrote.  I asked them to come to the meeting with input and suggestions.  They responded beautifully last night.  We don't have everything figured out.  Next month we'll talk some more.  But I have direction for what I need to do now and for the next few months.  Because of this, I start my day today with confidence and energy.

Leading a leadership team requires a certain balance that does not come to me automatically.  Like a teeter totter it would be easy for the team to become grounded on one extreme or the other.  One one hand I could come up with everything myself and expect nothing more than the rubber stamp of approval.  My team would not really be leading, but confirming my direction.  Our church would be weaker because the leaders really wouldn't be developing their own leadership skills.

The Collision of Church, Politics and Facebook

I've noticed something new happening on my Facebook wall: the collision of my friends, their faith, and their politics. This is not the first national election since the advent of Facebook. This is, however, the first election since Facebook has gone mainstream. Four years ago my Facebook friends were either tech-oriented or youth-oriented. Now many of my Facebook friends couldn't tell me the first thing about their IP addresses and, like me, are getting to the age where they have to think a moment to even remember their street addresses.

Four years ago I knew that many of my congregants possessed widely different political viewpoints. But unless these same church members were part of the same small group or family, they didn't know one another's political leanings. Fast forward to 2012. Now a majority of us are connected to one another via social networks like Facebook. I maintain a special friend list just of Church Requel members and check it every day. Many of them do the same. I LOVE being connected to one another this way...

Except when it comes to politics. A wise man once said that politics and religion, like oil and water, don't mix. What I'm witnessing is probably the same thing you are seeing. Many of my friends' walls are filled with reposted snarky and one-sided photos, which are considered funny to one side while hurtful to the other side.

5 Requirements for Overcoming Giant Problems

We all face obstacles in life. But sometimes our problems are truly of giant proportions. Now is the time to prepare for these giant challenges and not when they rear their ugly heads. By then it's often too late.  In this article we'll learn 5 requirements for overcoming the giant problems in our lives from the ancient story of David and Goliath.

Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves.  For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before.  And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say!  For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material.  I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.

Summer Singles Part 13: Overcoming Giants Part 2 - 09.02.12  / Scripture:  1 Samuel 17  NIV 

Click to Listen!

Fast forward to the 50-minute mark to listen to the sermon.

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Intro: Today we continue our study of David and Goliath. Last week we examined 5 truths of the really big - GIGANTIC - problems of life.  These are not just your run-of-the-mill, everyday kind of problems.  These are...

#1 - My toughest problems appear ___GIGANTIC___ !

#2 - My toughest problems appear ___INSURMOUNTABLE___.

#3 - My toughest problems appear ___TO REMOVE ALL OPTIONS___.

#4 - My biggest challenge with GIANT problems is ___F.E.A.R.___.

#5 - When FEAR paralyzes us, problems __NEVER JUST GO AWAY__.

Sometimes people romanticize the story of David and Goliath. That can only be done from this side of history. Everyone - including the king - was afraid. The Israelites were paralyzed. Until David came along. Today we study how David responded and how we also can choose to respond!

Today’s Single: God grants me the power to ___OVERCOME GIANT PROBLEMS___.

We see in David’s response, 5 requirements for overcoming giant problems.  These are all requirements, none are optional.