What They Don’t Teach You in Seminary

 

I haven’t been a very consistent blogger this week.  I apologize.  It’s been a crazy week of ministry thus far.  On weeks like this, you realize all the things they don’t train you for in seminary.

Here’s some of the things I have dealt with this week:

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What Do You Wish 2012’s President Would Bring to the White House?

We’re still a long way off from the election, but the news coverage is already constant.  With the Republican debates going on, President Obama making attempts to salvage the economy, and everyone having an opinion about both, a lot is being promised. At the end of last night’s debate, Wolf Blitzer asked a unique questions: …

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The Keys to the Kingdom

We had a great day as we wrapped up our “Intentional Discipleship” series.  It’s been amazing to hear the stories of people who are taking the job of disciple-maker very seriously.  I love hearing about all the different ways people are investing in others!  We’ve also been amazed at how well family worship has been and how much our children have been getting out of the new schedule.

Jeff’s message was so great.  I loved the emphasis he put on keeping the Sabbath and maintaining rest.  It is definitely something we have to be on the regular to watch out for.  Phil Zigos did a wonderful job leading a prayer time for America on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  We also were able to ordain Dan Flint into the ministry and pray for our mission team leaving next week (Jeff Lethco, Jukie Leary, and Martin Ridgeway).  Love the prayer focus today!

Today, we worshiped to:

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“So, How Did the Change REALLY Go?”

In the recent weeks, I have learned that there have been 3 people very interested in the changes going on at North Side.

  1. North Siders – This group has been interested in how all of it would look when the dust settled and the new day was here.  What would worship be like?  Where would their families go?
  2. Other Greenwood Churches – We also have heard that it’s been quite the conversation among other churches, and even in some churches, people have attempted to lure people to their congregation because their worship style was something they would enjoy better (that’s on both the contemporary and the traditional side).  I guarantee if someone leaves one church because of music and find refuge in another, those are the type of members who leave the 2nd church one day as well.  It’s like young ladies who feel like they have to advertise to get a man.  Whatever it takes to get him will be what takes him one day.  The same is true with churches.
  3. Other Church Leaders – Along the way, I’ve been contacted through this blog, Facebook, or email with questions how we are going about these changes.  It seems there are a lot of churches who desire unity as well.  Many congregations are tired of the church buffet lines, but we served as the “guinea pig” to many of them.  If it works here, maybe it could work there too was the thought process.

So, I posted on Sunday that Sunday was a great day, and it was.  I believed it was going to be a great day, but I didn’t think it could have gone that smooth.  But many people emailed me on Monday morning and said, “OK, you can tell me, how did the change REALLY go?”  As if Sunday everyone would be all smiles, but then Monday morning, our inboxes would be overflowing with hate mail.

So, how did the change REALLY go?

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Courageous Opening Weekend Showtimes

I was thrilled to find out the other week that the movie Courageous will be showing on opening weekend in Greenwood!  For those of you who follow my blog, you are aware that I have been blessed to be a part of writing a Bible study to accompany the movie entitled “Honor Begins at Home.” Since so much of the study has critical clips to the movie, it won’t be released until after opening weekend.  You can see an early sample of the curriculum here.

We just got information concerning how churches, ministries, or groups can get bulk tickets at a great rate.  You can purchase Courageous tickets for opening weekend now.  If you buy 20 or more, you can get them at the very low price of $6.50 a ticket.  You can then turn and give them away or sell that at your church or ministry.

Showtimes:

  • Friday, Sept. 30th – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00
  • Saturday, Oct. 1st – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00
  • Sunday, Oct. 2nd – 1:00, 4:00, 10:00 (7:00 is already sold out)

We have some tickets at North Side for the Friday night showing at 7:00.  You can pick them up while they last at the bookstore for $6.50 a ticket.  If you are another church leader, find a time that works for your crew, and go pick up some tickets for that time slot.

Here’s the synopsis of the movie:

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College Discipleship Groups

  What a wonderful weekend with the North Side family!  We were blessed to have a bunch of college students worship with us yesterday from Lander, Erskine, Piedmont Tech, Presbyterian College, and much more.  It was a blessing to connect with so many of them at our lunch yesterday and our dodegeball tournament last night. …

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Cherish Your Marriage Vows

On July 12, 2004, I spoke some serious wedding vows to my bride.  Unfortunately, those vows are often forgotten once the marriage ceremony is over for many couples. This summer, we have been married 7 years.  For Amanda’s birthday, I decided to get our vows framed, something she always said she would love to have. …

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Following Jesus

The day so many of us have been praying for and planning for finally came.  We did something that most church growth experts and consultants say should never be done.  With what we did today, we should have had a church split or people walking out in disapproval.

Instead, we worshiped as one family.

Today, North Side united 3 services into 2.  We got rid of 2 styles and united under the heading of “worship.”  We united families instead of segregating them.  And while I believe that God has been honored with our church before, I think this was another level of obedience and worship that we engaged into today.  I’ve heard plenty of encouraging words from this morning, but even if those weren’t there, God was honored and our church worshiped today in spirit and in truth.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Reminders for Sunday’s New Schedule

Just a reminder about Sunday’s new schedule at North Side.  We have worship and discipleship groups for all ages at both 9:30 & 11:00.  Get there early to make sure you and your family are in the right spot at the right time.

Here’ some additional notes for you to remember:

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“There’s a Baby in My Tummy!”

The other morning, I went to get my boys dressed for the day before work, and I found Eli had stuffed his teddy bear into his shirt and was patting it saying, “there’s a baby in my tummy!”

When I saw him there giggling and running around, I couldn’t help but think how far we have come.

Eli’s really been fascinated with this whole baby thing.  His mom is 9 weeks pregnant.  Both of his aunts have been pregnant in recent months, and so he is used to seeing ladies with a tummy and he associates them with being pregnant.  The problem is when he went up to a lady in the story yesterday, patted his belly, and yelled, “Baby!”

She wasn’t pregnant.

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