Afterthought or Strategically Placed?

Is it an afterthought or are things building to it? Is it just tagged on or do we strategically place it where it is?

What am I talking about? Prayer teams at the end of the service! As you may know at the end of the service I mention that prayer teams are available for anyone up-front. They are ready and able to serve you. So……….

Why at the end of service?

There are a couple of reasons we place it there.
1) Going through worship helps prepare one’s heart for prayer.
2) It gives people an opportunity to respond to the message.
3) That is the best placement for allowing people to take their time in prayer.

What happens if I come up?

The captain of the prayer team will greet you and connect you with two people to pray for you. You will sit down with them, let them know what you want prayer about, and then they will pray for you. As they pray they will probably wait a moment to hear from God. Sometime they may get a sense from God for you and share it. Your request is always confidential (there are times they may pass on information to the pastoral team if something seems life threatening.)

Who Prays?

The people with the name badges have been trained in prayer and screened for character. We have sought to build the team with people who are gifted in prayer.

What kind of results happen?

God moves in lot of ways! Please post some of the experiences you have had with the prayer team.

Ashes at the Vineyard?

I grew up Catholic and every year went to Ash Wednesday service. It always seemed interesting and spiritually stimulating. When I planted this church I thought we could take an old tradition that had many good features and “Vineyardize” it. So we brought in more worship, individual prayer, and a short biblical message. We have been doing it ever since.

On Wednesday at 7:00 pm we will be having an Ash Wednesday service at the Auburn and Syracuse sites. Lots of people are surprised when they hear about that. They think it is just a Catholic thing, or they think the Vineyard won’t do anything that is traditional.

So why do we do Ash Wednesday?

1)      It reminds us of our limits and humanity which makes God’s grace shine even brighter!

2)      Gives us a time to come together and worship (the service is about an hour and we worship most of that time).

3)      Opens up the opportunity to receive prayer (we will have 10 prayer stations where you can go to during worship and receive prayer. At these stations we will seek to hear prophetically for each person).

4)      You can get blessed with oil (after prayer we will bless you as we anoint you with oil).

If you have ever been to this service, let me know what you liked, what you might change, or how God touched you.

Community Kicks!

This weekend I spoke about why “Loneliness Stinks!”. I understand that everyone already knows that, but it is helpful to think about why.

My aim was to inspire us to work hard at developing a church that really creates connected-ness. My dream is that all kinds of people can come here in all different stages of life, and be embraced into a network of relationships that will help each of us grow in our relationship with Jesus.

Partnership is one tool in that process. Small groups are another. Tripods are still another. Being a part of a ministry can help with this since it is a great way to get to know people on your team.

I would like to get your input so that we can get better at creating community. Tell me what has worked at the Vineyard in helping you connect with others as well as any suggestions you might have to help strengthen community here.

Where are YOU Going?

We are all heading somewhere. Just by being alive and walking through life we are on a journey. So as a person on a journey…are you actively steering towards something or are you just floating?

One of the ways we steer our life is by setting goals and working toward them. But how do we set good goals? First…decide where you want to end up. Then, set up smaller steps to get there (ie: the building blocks). Make the smaller steps (goals) measurable and obtainable, but at the same time making you stretch.

For example, I want to be a great preacher one day. So I have set a few goals for myself that will move me in that direction. One goal is to read 25 books in 2012. This would help me be a better preacher by growing my knowledge and giving me creative ideas. 25 is a stretch. I’ve never read that many books in a calendar year, but I think it is doable. Every two weeks I need to read one. Even if I fail and only get 19 read it will be a good year. I will be moving in the right direction.

There is one more key element to reaching your goals. Research has shown (click here to view research) that a powerful element to reaching your goals is to have a friend/group who can keep you accountable with your goals.

I would love to hear some of the goals you’ve set for 2012. Respond with some of them on this blog.

Growing Pains:

When I was in 6th and 7th Grade I had a growth spurt. I sprouted 3-4 inches (but then stopped!) and my baby fat turned to muscle (too bad it is back on its way to fat!). It was an exciting time. Because of my size and strength I could do more and had a bigger impact when I did things. I was growing into my potential and it was exciting.

There also was a difficult side to it. I was moving into the unknowns of manhood and that can be confusing and scary. As my body changed, I didn’t always understand it or feel comfortable (remember the 1st time you shaved?). And not least of my problems was that I was growing out of my clothes.

We, as a church, are in a growth spurt. It is awesome to see lots of people start a new relationship with Jesus, and others to reconnect like the prodigal son. I am deeply encouraged when I see people step up in a new way by joining a small group, helping in a ministry, or begin to give a tithe regularly. We have a new service and it’s doing great. In fact all of our sites are doing the best they have ever done.

But growth means change and change can be uncomfortable. It may be harder to find a parking spot or sit where you want to sit. You may not know as many people as you think you should. I am trying to memorize everyone’s name but it is getting harder and harder every week (we have 1000 people at the Syracuse site alone).

So here is what I am going to ask you to do as we continue to connect more people to this community of faith:

- Work hard to introduce yourself to people you don’t know.

- Sit closer to the front and in the middle of the rows (It gives us more space for new people).

- If at the Syracuse site, park in back. And if you go to the 10:50, consider going to the 9:10 service since there is an imbalance in size.

- Pray. We need to power and presence of Jesus more now than ever.

It is an exciting time as God moves in our midst. What do you think about it?

What Was That?

Throughout a normal day we are bombarded with messages, noise and distractions. So many people and advertisers are trying to get our attention in some very creative ways.

But more core then all that noise is Jesus trying to connect and communicate with us. He desires to direct and lead us. Jesus is called the “Word” in the bible, and words are about communication.

In my last message, Breaking the Labels that Bind, I said that Jesus wants to give us a new name and confirm our true identity. In order to do this we need to hear from Him. Below are a few suggestions in how to be able to better hear Jesus’ voice:

-          Take time alone to listen

-          Get in a quiet place (I prefer to be around nature when I do)

-          Start by worshipping Him

-          Ask Him to speak and just wait

-          Be sensitive to any sense of direction or thoughts that pop into your head.

-          Sometimes Jesus speaks by bringing back a memory or reminding you of
———-a scripture you previously memorized.

-          Take time to slowly read the bible and see if anything jumps out at you.

-          Pray before you go to sleep and invite Him to speak to you in your dreams.

-          Have your small group pray for you as you seek to hear.

Do you have any other suggestions that have helped you?

A New Year

I love New Years! We start with a big party to celebrate its arrival. You get together with family and friends and eat a bunch of fun food. At the stroke of midnight everyone cheers and you kiss your loved ones.

But I think the best thing about the New Year is that it’s a good time to stop and reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to head. This is a very important thing to do. Every year I set new goals for the New Year. Do I always reach them? No. Do I sometimes reach them? Yes. But the most important part of setting goals is realizing where you need to go and building a plan to get there.

When I set my goals (New Year’s Resolution) I try to hear from God and to actually assess what I need to do. I try to set the goals in a way that is measurable (ie: not get in shape but work out three times a week) and obtainable (stretch me but be possible – ie: read 25 books vs. read 1000 books).

So I would like to hear from you. What are some of your goals for 2012?

Integrated Vineyard Family

This weekend I talked about the concept of people in all age groups getting into the game. From kids to retirees God is moving and we are seeing people respond. But we need everybody in the game to be at our best.

I think God purposely didn’t give every age group all the goods so that we would have to rely on each other. Our sages and our youth. Our parents and our kids. They all add something.

Here is what I would like you to do….

Give me what you think each group especially adds to the makeup of the Body of Christ.

Here are the groups:
1) Children (4-14 Years Old)
2) HS and College
3) Post College/Young Professional (family)
4) Parents with kids at home
5) Empty Nesters/Retirees

Why I Talk About Tough Issues

This weekend I touched on some very sensitive issues that may make us all feel uncomfortable. Why would I do that? Isn’t church a place to go to feel good? Those are good questions, so I want to take some time to explain why I talk about tough issues.

First thing I want to note is that we don’t “Go to church.” We are the church. The church is a community (both large and small) of people who are seeking to follow Jesus together as best they can. In a sense we are a family and in every healthy family difficult situations need to be discussed. That is how families grown in maturity.

I consider a number of factors when I choose what topics to talk about. Such as the following:

a)      Is God pressing me to talk about this? – I try to listen and discuss what topics the Holy Spirit is highlighting

b)      Is this a topic that people are dealing with in this church? – Remember back in August I talked about drinking and drunkenness? I felt like that was a topic that people were struggling with.

c)       Is it a topic that will result in Spiritual Growth? – This is always my desired result. Not controversy for controversy’s sake.

d)      Can I communicate it with the grace of God? – He is so merciful that I want to communicate that in all we do.

My desire is to help us all grow in the truth and Grace of Jesus. Keep praying for me to be able to do this! It’s not easy, but I’ll keep trying as best I can as your pastor.

Gentlemen…Start your Engines

Everybody is lined up on the starting line. We are ready for the race to begin. Ready…set….sprint to the Christmas season!

Every year the Christmas season seems to get more and more full. For many it explodes to a start on Black Friday and doesn’t slow down until Christmas night. What is supposed to be a season of joy becomes one of exhaustion.

But I want to tell you….IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THAT! We can make choices to enjoy more and focus on the true reason for the season. Here are a few suggestions.

1)      Decide now that you don’t have to do everything. Focus on what gives you life.

2)      Pick a few traditions and protect them. For example, we all decorate the tree together and it isn’t about beauty but about telling the family story.

3)      Choose not to go into debt. Money can be a big stressor. Agree to limit. Make gifts. Give the gift of shared life.

4)      Take time to read and meditate on the Biblical Narrative of the Birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-2:23; Luke 1:1-2:40; John 1:1-14).

5)      Do something special for someone who needs help.

Help me here….what are some other ways you have found to make the Christmas Season more joy filled?