Christmas Program

We had our Christmas program yesterday at Cornerstone Church. The kids sang a few songs and they did a short drama called, "The Best Christmas Present." They did a fabulous job, and the teens followed that up by singing a couple of songs as well.

We had 130 people here for worship. I am very pleased at the rate the church is growing. We have added about five new families in three months.

Christmas is a fun time of the year. Please be sure that amongst all of the programs, the shopping, and the cookies that you remember that Jesus is truly the reason for the season.

Time to Get Serious!

There is something that I have been praying about for the last few weeks that is just kind of stuck under my skin. It is the way that a lot of Christians talk the talk on Sunday's, but come Monday there is no proof in the walk!

I think we can all agree that when we are in a crowd of Believers that we act much differently than we do when we are in a crowd of unbelievers.

Those days need to end. We must be willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus. No more Sunday morning Christians. Revelation warns of the danger of being "lukewarm." So, I guess I would say, "In or out! Make a decision!" There is a lot of hard work to do, and when we burn both ends of the candle, we get burnt. Those unbelievers know the game that you are playing, and it just makes it harder to win them to the Lord with the double lives that get led.

Think about this, "So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet." James 4:7-10 (Message Bible)

This Christmas season, decide once and for all who you are going to serve. Let go of that sinful self and cling to God. Start being a part of the solution and quit being a part of the problem. Say YES to God!

Leadership

I have began reading a new book called Leadership. It is a biography of the former mayor of NYC, Rudy Giuliani. The opening chapter walked us through 9-11, and what Giuliani did and how he reacted this horrible day.

To be honest I had to put the book down because I was so emotional several times. It is amazing how this terrible event devestated a city like NYC so much. I watched the horror of that day in MN. I saw the footage, but it was nothing like I even imagined. To be honest, I wish that now I would have went there to witness it with my own two eyes.

Some say they beieve that Giuliani will be our next President. I have some huge issues with his morality, but his leadership skills cannot be argued with. So far I'd give this book two thumbs up!

Lunch

Today I went to lunch with the pastor of one of the largest churches in Boone. It was a nice chance to meet face-to-face and get to know each other a little better. He pastors a mainline denomination. He was a very nice individual, and I think he was very open to meeting with me.

To be honest, I did not have any real agenda. I just thought it would be cool that we knew each other. My church is picking up new people every single week, and I did not want him to think that I am targeting his church people as we continue to grow. I have, and always will, continue to be under the conviction that unless a person is dissatisfied with their current church home, that the person is off-limits. I encourage the person who visits to go back and get plugged into their ministry. There are lots of non-churchgoers who we can target to fill our chairs.

I will have lunch with two other pastors this week. We must remember that we're on the same team. Hopefully we are all trying to achieve the same goal. The church, and the city for that matter runs best when all of the pastors play nicely together!

Learning to Preach

I am working on my Masters Degree at Crown College. My hopes are to achieve a MA in Ministry Leadership in the not too distant future. One day I'd like to teach young pastors in a college classroom setting. Someday...

Right now I am in the course, The Biblical Communicator. We are being taught how to perform verse by verse expository preaching. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not preach that way for the most part. I typically preach a topical sermon and use several passages of God's Word in each of my sermons. Doing so, I believe this allows me to "scratch where they itch."

This book by Robinson is the text for this class. I have heard Haddon Robinson speak on a few occasions. He is a very gifted communicator. He definitely knows how to craft a sermon. My questuion though is this, "Does every pastor need to follow the same guidelines?" Is there not room for variety? If the message is based on God's Word, who says that I must have three developmental questions?

For the sake of the grade, I will do it their way, but not be completely agreeable in doing so. It is all about changed lives. If you are regularly in a pulpit, can you see evidence of changed lives because of what you are preaching? If not, maybe it is time to start asking yourself some tough questions!