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24 May 2011

Parenting & Church Planting: Jerk

image: Flickr|OakleyOriginals I love my kid. I tell her that every day and do my best to demonstrate as much… though I’m not sure just how much is comprehended yet by her little mind. I’m sure there are times, though, that if she could form the words or comprehend what they mean, she would express the thought that I am a jerk. Sometimes I let her stay in a place of frustration. Sometimes, I let her cry a bit before rescuing her from the thing she’s crying about. Sometimes I know exactly what her problem is and how to make her happy but wait to act. Jerk. I know. But, at least in the philosophy and praxis of parenting Sarah and I are developing, there are times when even at this stage there are teachable moments or developmental progressions taking place and letting Jubilee work some things out on her own is healthy and okay. We’re not expecting advanced (more…)

28 Jan 2011

Favor: Post 5 (of 5)

In March of 2010, we hosted a Prayer Walk(athon) in Pittsburgh (the above image is of most of the participants). Rick (Lead Planter) designed a couple of these as significant fundraisers allowing The Bridge to have the ministry dollars needed to carry us through the year. He would later share that he sincerely, genuinely sensed $30,000 would be raised for ministry purposes. It was also a tremendous way to build interest and momentum for church planting in Pittsburgh. The people who participated in the Pittsburgh Prayer Walk(athon) contributed in a big way. But by the time all of the fundraising was calculated, less than $7,000 had come in. This was enough to cover ministry during the summer and provide a number of opportunities to connect with the community. But it wasn’t $30,000. And we still had the biggest event of the summer to be cared for as well as making sure a facility could be rented for preview, launch, and (more…)

Tags: church, church planting, Encouragement, faith, Family Fun Day, Holy Spirit, Leadership, outreach, Pittsburgh, The Bridge, Western PA District
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27 Jan 2011

Favor: Post 4 (of 5)

THE CALL. For our pre-launch gatherings,we found the perfect place to meet. It was the ‘dream location’ for any church plant: a community hotspot, modern facilities, plenty of room to grow, plenty of parking, an area for connection, rooms for children’s and nursery ministries. Perfect. We might never leave. But as we looked at what the cost would be to stay in that facility following our Grand Opening when we moved from monthly to weekly gatherings, things looked impossible. We asked God to please provide what was an overwhelming amount for our perfect place to meet. One day, the phone rang. On the other end was a representative from 3 Lakes Golf Course with an offer: Rather than paying hundreds of dollars for a few hours on Sunday, what if we payed a quarter of the cost for an entire day at their club house? With a fully stocked nursery? And a dedicated children’s ministry area? And all the space (more…)

Tags: church, church planting, Encouragement, faith, Leadership, Pittsburgh, The Bridge
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26 Jan 2011

Favor: Post 3 (of 5)

LEAP OF FAITH. “Either we sell the house, or Sarah gets a job. We can’t move to Pittsburgh until then.” Of course we couldn’t move ‘until then.’ It was the only way ends would possibly meet. It made practical sense, so we dedicated time to trying to sell or rent the house and hunt for work. But after a couple months, neither the house sold or rented and my wife, Sarah, had yet to get a call for potential employment. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment, on my way to the ‘Burgh to look at potential apartments for us, when God clearly spoke to me that he had called us to Pittsburgh and we needed to be *IN* Pittsburgh. I immediately called my wife from the car and said, “I think I’m going to find our new home today, and that we need to move as soon as possible; are you okay with me signing a lease even (more…)

Tags: church, church planting, courage, Encouragement, faith, Leadership, Pittsburgh, Prayer, The Bridge
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19 Oct 2010

You may need to hear this, too!

This past weekend, my generous, amazing, nine-months pregnant wife was willing to let me take the weekend away to spend some quiet time for prayer and solitude. During that time, I felt like my soul was refreshed and that some nuggets of wisdom were given to me to digest…lessons that you may find valuable, too–maybe messages from God’s heart to yours: You already have God’s favor–He sent Jesus for you. He desires you. He is FOR you. You don’t need to pursue God’s favor because he isn’t withholding it; it’s freely given. You must have more of God’s Spirit–God favors you to the max, but you must have more of his Spirit convicting, encouraging, transforming, enabling, and anointing you. Don’t settle for yesterday’s victories and intimacy. Your weakness is a positive game-changer–”My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power (more…)

Tags: courage, Discipleship, Encouragement, faith, Holy Spirit, Leadership, personal, Scripture
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10 Oct 2010

Why I Love The Wesleyan Church: Apprenticeship

“He says he’s a pastor, but he hasn’t got any kind of education.” I was amazed at the disgust in my friend’s voice, himself an ordained Wesleyan pastor. It was clear not just by what he said but how he said it that a ‘real’ minister is defined by the organized schooling he or she has endured. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy learning and am indebted to the kind of education I’ve received in organized environments in the pursuits of diplomas and degrees. I’m looking forward to continuing my education and hold institutions of higher learning in high regard–especially those operating out of a passion to equip men and women for ministry. But the attitude that our value or function as ministers is directly related to our (organized) education stands in stark contrast to the way Jesus developed his own followers and the history of The Wesleyan Church. Jesus utilized an apprenticeship* process whereby he allowed his followers (more…)

Tags: church, church planting, Discipleship, Joshua, Leadership, The Wesleyan Church
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04 Oct 2010

Why I Love The Wesleyan Church: Freedom

There is something about the notion of “freedom” which, for those of us brought up in America, brings with it the idea of Founding Fathers breaking away from the tyranny of British rule; “freedom” is an ideal—a philosophical concept which crescendos in our national anthem as we sing of “The Land of the Free/and the home of the brave.” But, for me, it is easy for ‘freedom’ to remain a mere concept because I have never known the cruelty of actual slavery. For what would become The Wesleyan Church, the concept of freedom meant something much more than fireworks on the Fourth of July; it meant bringing people out of the very real, very harsh, very evil clutches of physical slavery—where men, women, and children are bought, sold, traded, and handled as things owned by another person. The Wesleyan Church’s history in North America is intimately intertwined with the abolitionist movement; the fight for freedom is a very identifiable part of (more…)

Tags: church, history, Leadership, slavery, The Wesleyan Church
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23 Sep 2010

Why I Love The Wesleyan Church: Equality

As we get ready to welcome our daughter, Jubilee, into the world, I love being part of a church that won’t disqualify her from ministry leadership just because she will be a girl. I’ve often told my wife that I love the fact she would not be denied the chance to lead in a local church just because God gave her two X instead of an XY chromosonaI combination. I won’t use this post to defend the Wesleyan stance on women in ministry—there are enough resources dealing with the issue and I don’t really have anything to add that might change your mind if you disagree with the idea. The Wesleyan Church’s history of being deeply involved in the women’s suffrage movement (even hosting the Seneca Falls Convention) is awesome. Our push for equality in the era of Jim Crow is something to be proud of. It seems we really hold to the idea that in the Jesus Kingdom (more…)

Tags: church, history, Leadership, The Wesleyan Church
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20 Sep 2010

New Blog Series this Week:

I wasn’t introduced to The Wesleyan Church until I ended up attending a Wesleyan school, but my time at Bethany Bible College exposed me to some things of Christ that I saw in The Wesleyan Church which made me want to be part. Sure, there are things I might change and I know the denomination is looking at a number of creative solutions to a number of issues, but over the next few days I’ll be sharing what I see as some deep-in-our-DNA aspects of The Wesleyan Church I don’t think we can ever lose without fundamentally altering who we are. Keep in mind, these are just my opinions, and I hope you feel free to chime in. I also hope none of this comes across as though I think the Wesleyans are ‘better’ than others or the only ones invited into heaven–I know there really is only one Church and I love Jesus much more than denomination–but I love (more…)

Tags: church, history, Leadership, The Wesleyan Church
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14 Sep 2010

Day One

Yesterday marked a serious step into bi-vocational ministry for me. I was able to get a four-to-six week temp position as a ‘personal care aide’ in a local facility for transitioning special needs students from high school to the ‘real world’ and yesterday was day-one for me assigned to a specific (and awesome!) student. There are a number of reasons why this could be tough: I’m not sure I have the ‘makeup’ of someone who can successfully work a number of jobs, especially when one of them is of the consuming nature of church planting; I have a couple of health issues that mean exhaustion sets in easily; I’m going to be a new dad very soon and need to/want to be present with my family. I may get to the end of this first stint at bi-vocationalism and realize I need to find a different, creative solution to our need, and I don’t think that would be shameful or (more…)

Tags: church planting, Encouragement, faith, Leadership, personal, Pittsburgh, The Bridge
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