"So What is Maundy Thursday?"
The term "Maundy Thursday" is not a term that is used often. In this devotional from John Piper's "Love to the Uttermost", he describes the biblical roots of this most powerful day in the history of our redemption...
Prioritize Corporate Worship During Passion Week
The Passion Week, aka the week leading up to Easter, usually presents the church with extra opportunities to gather for corporate worship. I am merely suggesting that we should take advantage of those opportunities. ...
Having conversations with people who are not "Right, like ME"
If you watch the news or engage any areas of social media or just look around, it is clear that there are areas of racial tension and injustice in this nation and many of these issues have been polarizing in the church rather than bringing unity. It is nearly impossible to engage the topic without offending someone who sees things differently. It is further complicated by many of these issues be highly politicized. It's hard to know what to say or do. But even if it's difficult to know what to say or do, doing nothing and saying nothing should not be an option. The church is on the precipice of opportunity to be a light in the midst of confusion. But how do we engage this topic with wisdom from above and be vessels of change? Hopefully this modest contribution is a start....
The Gospel and Race: On Earth as It Is in Heaven
If you watch the news or engage any areas of social media or just look around, it is clear that there are areas of racial tension and injustice in this nation and many of these issues have been polarizing in the church rather than bringing unity. It is nearly impossible to engage the topic without offending someone who sees things differently. It is further complicated by many of these issues be highly politicized. It's hard to know what to say or do. But even if it's difficult to know what to say or do, doing nothing and saying nothing should not be an option. The church is on the precipice of opportunity to be a light in the midst of confusion. But how do we engage this topic with wisdom from above and be vessels of change? Hopefully this modest contribution is a start. ...
Thoughts to Consider As We Discuss Racial Tension and Injustice
If you watch the news or engage any areas of social media or just look around, it is clear that there are areas of racial tension and injustice in this nation and many of these issues have been polarizing in the church rather than bringing unity. It is nearly impossible to engage the topic without offending someone who sees things differently. It is further complicated by many of these issues be highly politicized. It's hard to know what to say or do. But even if it's difficult to know what to say or do, doing nothing and saying nothing should not be an option. The church is on the precipice of opportunity to be a light in the midst of confusion. But how do we engage this topic with wisdom from above and be vessels of change? Hopefully this modest contribution is a start. ...
How do we as a church wisely address the racial tension and injustice in our nation?
If you watch the news or engage any areas of social media or just look around, it is clear that there are areas of racial tension and injustice in this nation and many of these issues have been polarizing in the church rather than bringing unity. It is nearly impossible to engage the topic without offending someone who sees things differently. It is further complicated by many of these issues be highly politicized. It's hard to know what to say or do. But even if it's difficult to know what to say or do, doing nothing and saying nothing should not be an option. The church is on the precipice of opportunity to be a light in the midst of confusion. But how do we engage this topic with wisdom from above and be vessels of change? Hopefully this modest contribution is a start. ...
Why no, we're not a "home-schooling church"...
We take a look at our church's role in Christian education. It is an area that often has more questions than answers, so rather than looking at the macro, I will leave that to the "experts" while I try to share a non-experts thoughts on an important matter. ...
Brick Church Plant (Q#1): Why plant churches in our own back yard?
As we get closer each day to our new church plant, we want to use every means possible to help people be as informed and as prayerful as possible as we embark on this new mission. For many, the idea of planting churches is a new concept. Others have perhaps heard about it but never participated and have questions. Others may question the model, things like: "what do you mean by campus?". or "why plant so close to the existing church", or "why not focus our efforts on growing the church that we already have rather than reproducing so quickly?". This series of blogs, video blogs, teachings from the pulpit and prayer meetings will be aimed at creating a dialog and helping us to embark on this journey as a called, prayerful, prepared and informed people. If all of your questions are not answered in each post, that is kind of by design. Each entry is aimed at taking a look at one discussion point and fleshing it out enough to help answer questions and promote future dialog. ...
Christian Freedom and the American Dream: You are free to be content with less!
Recently on a NPR special, they were taking calls concerning the realization that the “American Dream” isn’t as readily available for my generation (those born in the 1980s to now) as in past generations. It’s too expensive, good paying jobs are harder to come by, and college is becoming essentially unaffordable for the average American. The question posed was this: “How can we fix this, or can we fix it? - Call us with your answers and ideas.”...
Celebration of New Life
This is a time of year where we celebrate new life. Trees are growing new leaves, flowers are in bloom, people are emerging after a long winter. This is also a time where we celebrate the greatest of all New Life, our new life in Christ. ...
Meditations on Suffering Through Chronic Pain
I have done my best to take a look at the issue of "chronic pain" through first and third person lenses. I am my no means an expert on the topic. Nor do I claim to always be victorious in the struggle. These thoughts are my own. That being said, I believe they are in line with what I read in God's Inspired and Holy Word. ...
Foundations #6 - Church Planting, Replanting, and Revitalization
Paul and the Apostles understood this commission of Christ as a call to plant churches. He would travel to major urban cities with regional influences, plant a church, and then move on to the next city. People traveling to and fro from these cities would carry the Christian message to the outer limits and small towns outside the city, and thus more churches were planted. In this way, the Gospel traveled from "Jerusalem, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8)....
Foundations:#4- Breaking Down Our Mission: Love God
As we begin a new year at Redeemer Fellowship, the beginning of our first full year as a church, we are going to use this time to restate the foundational truths that join us together as a church. We strongly encourage each member of the body to read these posts, as they give us opportunity to reinforce what is shared from the pulpit and to take added time and care to clarify, encourage, cast the vision for a new year by simply rejoicing in truths that we share together and celebrate as a new work here on the Jersey Shore. ...
Foundations: Foundational Piece #3- Know Your Mission
As we begin a new year at Redeemer Fellowship, the beginning of our first full year as a church, we are going to use this time to restate the foundational truths that join us together as a church. We strongly encourage each member of the body to read these posts, as they give us opportunity to reinforce what is shared from the pulpit and to take added time and care to clarify, encourage, cast the vision for a new year by simply rejoicing in truths that we share together and celebrate as a new work here on the Jersey Shore. ...
Foundations: Foundational Piece #2- Intentionality
As we begin a new year at Redeemer Fellowship, the beginning of our first full year as a church, we are going to use this time to restate the foundational truths that join us together as a church. We strongly encourage each member of the body to read these posts, as they give us opportunity to reinforce what is shared from the pulpit and to take added time and care to clarify, encourage, cast the vision for a new year by simply rejoicing in truths that we share together and celebrate as a new work here on the Jersey Shore. ...
Foundations
As we begin a new year at Redeemer Fellowship, the beginning of our first full year as a church, we are going to use this time to restate the foundational truths that join us together as a church. We strongly encourage each member of the body to read these posts, as they give us opportunity to reinforce what is shared from the pulpit and to take added time and care to clarify, encourage, cast the vision for a new year by simply rejoicing in truths that we share together and celebrate as a new work here on the Jersey Shore. ...
12 Truths of Christmas
This Christmas, we finished our Advent Series by taking a Biblical Theology approach, tracing the themes of the birth narrative and the themes of "rescue" from cover to cover in the Word. Merry Christmas to all....
The True Nature of Giving and Generosity
What is the nature of true generosity and giving? This question needs to be asked as we enter into the Christmas season, where giving and generosity has actually been embedded not just within the Christian church, but also in our secular culture. This annual December generosity often takes the form of Christmas presents, but it is not unusual to see local food pantrys get stocked for the year, or churches to have large end of the year tithes, or needy families receive help and more. ...
Kicking off our Community Groups
As we prepare to kick off our Community Groups, people have had a variety of questions. This is a copy of what we have sent to each of the community group leaders, and we wanted to put it out to the church so we are all on the same page and to do our best to answer any questions. ...
The MIRACULOUS way that God used VBS
We just finished our 2016 VBS, but I couldn't help but think how God used the 2015 VBS to set in motion a unique work of God on the Jersey Shore. ...
Spiritual Forgetfulness
Check out the new blog on Spiritual Forgetfulness, how it impacts our pursuit of Jesus and what we can do to combat it. ...
A Pastor's Wife is not a Free Unpaid Staff Member
As I enter year 12 of being in pastoral ministry, I am noticing a sad reality. Many who began when I did are no longer along for the ride. It is sad and it is sobering. This series is aimed at rethinking how we view the pastoral ministry, calling and vocation. There has been much written about how a pastor is to relate to their congregation, but tragically little aimed at how the congregation should engage their pastors. ...
The Pastor is Usually NOT the Most Sanctified Person in the Body
As I enter year 12 of being in pastoral ministry, I am noticing a sad reality. Many who began when I did are no longer along for the ride. It is sad and it is sobering. This series is aimed at rethinking how we view the pastoral ministry, calling and vocation. There has been much written about how a pastor is to relate to their congregation, but tragically little aimed at how the congregation should engage their pastors. ...
Becoming a family NOT acquiring a building
As we prepare to move into our new home I'd love to share some thoughts on what humility and the heart of God look so we can join Him in His work here on the Shore. ...
Marriage not Merger
In coming together as two separate churches from two different backgrounds, and becoming one family, language matters. When we take greater care to have our language and imagery be grounded in Scripture, it is easier to make a direct connection to God's Wisdom (what James refers to as "Wisdom from above (James 3:17)" rather than leaning on the wisdom of man and "hoping" God blesses it. ...