Element Church Insider

AMAZING day at Element Church today.  I can’t believe I get to be a part of this.  It is SO AWESOME seeing God transform peoples lives, receive Him as Savior AND learn to follow Him.  Today was a day I’ll remember for a long time.

—  We had well over a dozen people acknowledge Christ as Savior today.  Seeing people receive Christ NEVER gets old.

— Had the highest attendance today since Easter.  It was packed!

— We baptized 33 people today in our three services.  We only had 21 signed up, so YES that means that 12 people decided ON THE SPOT to make their declaration for Jesus public.

—  Here’s how it went down:  We gave an opportunity for people to acknowledge Christ as Savior.  The band rocked out a song called Declaration.  After that song we opened up Baptism to ANYONE who just received Christ or who had never been baptized but wanted to make their public declaration.  We also took away all excuses NOT to get baptized.  We pre-bought underwear, bras, shorts and shirts of ALL sizes.  We opened it up and they took the plunge.  It was AWESOME.  Men, women and children acknowledging Jesus as Savior.

—  Since we don’t have a baptistry, we again baptized the Wyoming way…in a horse trough.  We set up the trough in the lobby and actually bought horse tank heaters that warmed the water right up (we could have used those in July).  We then video casted the baptism into the worship center live.  It worked out GREAT!

— Pastor Derek got to be a part of his first baptism.  It was SO COOL to see him get to baptize all of the kids.  He got to baptize his own son today too.  That was way cool.

—  It was VERY cool to see people get baptized who have family and friends at Element who have got baptized with us.  LOVE seeing how people connect together via church.  We’re made to belong.

—  We had a TON of moving parts today with the lobby video feed, stage props for sermon illustrations, special song at the end, multiple video aspects in the service.  Our tech team NAILED it today.  To all those who volunteered in ANY of those areas, you guys ROCK!  Thanks for serving.

—  Adam had a TON of things to get done for the service this week.  He worked extra long and knocked everything out.  Still pulled off a GREAT worship set too.  Way to go Adam and the band!

—  I completed our mini-series called Bailout today.  Andy kicked it off last week.  Here are some portions from today:

—  A lot of times, the people who get the  most worked up over discipleship programs, if you dig deep enough, really want to find out “How can I make everyone look, act, talk, think and believe like me.”

— One of the biggest issues the church faces today is thinking that everyone outside our walls needs to become more like us.  They need to become more like JESUS!

—  We spend WAY too much time theorizing and analyzing how Scripture relates to everyone else, when we should be re-organizing our lives and actualizing principles FROM Scripture as it relates to US.

—  When Jesus called those who believe, He never said “Come join a class!”.  He said “Come follow me!”  There has to be an element of DOING when it comes to discipleship.

—  That was before we even got to the text.  I preached from Luke 14:25-35 today.  I’m not sure we completely understand that passage.  In fact, I KNOW we don’t.  I told the staff this week “I don’t think I want to preach this passage.”  I then said “I don’t think you WANT me to preach this passage.”  This was a tough one to swallow.

—  Jesus said you must hate EVERYONE else in comparison to Him.  The toughest part of that verse is when He says “Yes, even your own self.”  We MUST die to ourselves before we can die to anyone else.  Following Jesus costs me every person.  Including myself.

—  The cross is not a part of our life, it IS our life.  It’s not an addendum as if I can choose to carry it on Sunday’s, at least the Sundays I feel like attending church.  I don’t get to check my cross at the door.  However I think it’s funny that is where you would find many the Christian cross…left at the door of their church on the way out.

—  Every position I hold, I now hold in relation to the cross.  Following Jesus costs me every position.

—  Following Jesus costs me every possession.  “You cannot be my disciple unless you give up everything you own.”

—  Following Jesus costs me every pleasure.  If salt loses it’s flavor it is not good even for the manure pile.  If we are the salt of the earth then we are to bring flavor to the world around us.  How?  By being DIFFERENT!  We are to preserve the world by upholding truth, values and standards that are decaying all around us.  It is the pleasures of this world that cause us to be flavorless and lose our preservation value.

— That’s the sermon in a nutshell.  I wrestled with that passage for a long time.  Again, not sure we understand the cost of being a disciple.

—  Announced today that we are adopting TWENTY families for adopt a family this year.  4 families are homeless.  One of them has 5 kids with 1 on the way.  A couple of single moms.  One woman recently out of prison trying to get back on her feet.  You can get more info at Element Church on Sunday, just  visit our Element Gives Back table for all your information.

—  Announced last week that we will be partnering with the F.E. Warren Chaplaincy by serving at their new progressive worship service on base.  It’s called Ignite and is geared toward the some 2,000 airmen on base that are 18-25 years old.  The Element band will be leading worship and we’ll be serving Chaplain Marley as he leads this outreach on base.  Can’t wait to see what God does through this.  Our first service is Sunday night December 20th.  It will be offered once a month.

— That’s all for now.  Tons more on my heart and mind.  Got Partnership Class in 1 hour that I need to get ready for.

— Thanks Element for letting me lead you.  It’s an honor!

Till the end,

Jeff

Got a fair amount of snow over the night but it didn’t seem to affect attendance too bad.  First service was definitely down, but as the snow melted, people came out.  Had a full but great day at Element today.  Here are my ruminations on it.

—  3rd service was packed today.  Combination of the snow clearing out and The Tour after 3rd service.  Was our largest 3rd service ever I believe.

—  Took a Sunday off today and gave the pulpit to Pastor Andy.  WOW, did he stinkin’ nail it.  If you missed it, you MISSED it!  He brought the heat.  You guys think I yell a lot.  lol

—  Why did I give Andy the pulpit?  Glad you asked:

#1  He is an EXCELLENT communicator and God can speak through more people than just ME!

#2  As a pastor, sometimes I just need a break!  Pastors who won’t give up their pulpit on their own are more prone to giving it up through burn out & exhaustion.

#3  The church needs to hear from different voices every once in a while.  YES, I am the main speaker, but it is good for the church to hear from someone else besides me.

#4  Any pastor who refuses to let other staff members speak has a pride issue.  Both Andy and Curtis are my pulpit supply when I’m gone and I FULLY trust in them to deliver the Word of God.  Pastors who won’t give up their pulpit are typically afraid that the people will like the supply better than THEM.  So thankful for my former pastor investing in me and allowing me opportunities to preach.  Want to pass that on to those on our team who are gifted speakers.

—  You probably didn’t want to know any of that.  Too bad. 

—  I get nervous EVERY week.  I’ve shared that before.  I LOVE preaching but I get nervous every Sunday.  I take carrying God’s Word very seriously and knowing that people will be listening to me preach on it is nerve racking.  HOWEVER, I get MUCH more nervous when I don’t preach but still attend church.  I think it basically boils down to this…I’M A CONTROL FREAK!

—  Pastor Adam also had the week off this week while he took his final Sunday of vacation for the year and headed to Sheridan.  Danielle Nyght from Colorado Springs filled in as worship leader and did a fantastic job!  Her and her husband Brad (played drums today) drove up from Colorado Springs last night through the snow.  So thankful for their service to us.

—  Started a mini-series today called Bailout: Shortcuts to God.  I’ll conclude the series next week.  Like I said, Andy nailed it today.  Here are a few of his thoughts.

— He preached on the story of King David moving the Ark of God and the things that followed their mistakes in moving it.

— David didn’t move the Ark according to the Lord’s instructions.  They basically to the “shortcut” easy way and moved it as the Philistines had done before.  1.  Shortcuts are a sign of laziness.

— Andy REALLY challenged the church on spiritual laziness.  Taking the EASY way (shortcut) instead of God’s way!

—  When the cost of moving the Ark was too high (Uzzah losing his life) David stopped the process.  2.  Shortcuts breed mediocrity.  David was willing to live without the presence of God because the cost was too high.

—  “A lot of us want all the benefits of God without making the proper sacrifices to receive them”

—  While God does not need us He desperately wants us.  We DESPERATELY need God yet most times don’t act like we want him.  — Francis Chan (indirect quote from Crazy Love)

—  3.  Shortcuts do not create intimacy.  It was not until David followed the LORDS instructions for moving the Ark and made the proper sacrifices did he enjoy the intimate presence of God in Jerusalem.

—  Thanks Andy for putting in the time to seek God’s word for us today.  Proud to call you our youth pastor.

—  Had a TON of newcomers at The Tour today.  Believe 36 adults had signed up, not counting kids.  Had to have that many or more show up.  It was awesome!  Love sharing the mission, vision and strategy of Element to people.

—  Got a GREAT list of people that are going to make their public declaration to Christ through Baptism next Sunday.  Wednesday is the deadline to get your application in.  Can’t wait to celebrate people’s salvation together.

—  Excited to get back in the pulpit on Sunday.  Love how Andy’s and my messages are going to link together.

— Vantage Point (Christmas series) begins on Nov. 29.  You can get some invite cards at the Element office or on Sunday morning.

—  That’s it for today.  Gonna chill with some football.

Following Christ,

Jeff

Crazy week for me getting ready to close out our series on Radical Living:  I Love The 80’s.  GREAT services yesterday and incredible presence of God in the place.  Here are my ruminations on the day.

— 10 people acknowledged they received Jesus as their Savior yesterday!  WOO HOO!  That NEVER gets old.

—  If only for the one!

—  MANY other people indicated a request for prayer as they were facing specific crossroads in their life that they needed to make clear decisions on.  Loved seeing people respond to the message with need and action.

—  This last week was a crazy one for me.  Both Adam and I try to be ahead 4 – 6 weeks on sermon & worship concepts.  We spend a lot of time seeking God and planning on what is coming down the road for Element Church.  I knew 6 weeks ago what I was preaching on this past Sunday.  Earlier this past week I had the entire sermon done but just didn’t feel like I had God’s approval on it.  It wasn’t “bad” just not what the Spirit wanted me to speak.  I felt some direction from God, wrote a second sermon, but again didn’t feel like the meat was right in that one either.  So I threw sermon #2 away.  By Thursday night (last day in office) I didn’t have a finalized sermon.  It’s the latest in the week I’ve ever been without having a sermon completed.  I requested prayer from key leaders in our church and sought God’s direction.  By Saturday morning, I felt confident that what I had was what God wanted me to speak.

—  I’ve had God change directions on me before, just never this late in the game.  I’ll be honest, even walking on to the stage I was unsure of what God was going to do.  I knew that IF I preached a sermon, the sermon I had in front of me was what God wanted.  I was very uncertain about what was going to happen yesterday.  As the pastor, that is not fun.  lol

—  However, the moment I stepped behind the pulpit, I felt the confidence of the Holy Spirit.  The Lord gave me clarity of thought and speech and everything seemed to work out great!  Element Church, thank you for being open to the winds of the Spirit like that.  If we don’t listen to the whispers of God, He’ll stop speaking.

—  God DEFINITELY taught me some specific things through this past week.  Some things I needed shaped, molded and reminded of.  Maybe I’ll share those someday.  The message hit me, LONG before it you!  And by the way,  if a pastor is only preaching messages that never challenge or change HIM, he has a pride issue!  (my opinion)

—  I didn’t conclude with our final core value yesterday.  Instead I spoke from 2 Chronicles 15 on four crossroads we will face if we pursue the radical life.  Here are some excerpts from the message:

—  Asa was at a point in his life where he could have stepped off the gas, got comfortable, and remained where he was.  It would have been easy to “forget” who and what got him to where he was.  God basically said through the prophet “All this stuff matters little if you don’t have me!”  Don’t stop what God has started in your life.

—  Does my pursuit make my stuff better or the Kingdom of God bigger?

—  The biggest danger to our faith is NOT in our lack but in our plenty, for in our plenty we can so easily trust in that which we possess.

—  God’s presence and favor is not proven by His provisions or blessings but by His promises.  It is in His promise that I find His presence.

—  Radical living is not about getting what I think I deserve when I think I need it.  Most often, radical living is simply knowing that I did the right thing REGARDLESS of what I receive.

—  Too many of us think of Jesus as our way of avoiding the fire rather than allowing him to set us on fire.  We want all the benefits of God without actually having to do anything FOR God or be changed BECAUSE of God.  When we treat God this way, we’ve essentially become what we used to call “friends with benefits”.  We get out of God what WE want, WHEN we want it with no real commitment required.

—  There is no fence riding in Biblical Christianity.  Riding the fence is not a way to get the best of both worlds.  What we need to realize is that when Christ comes back, the fence is going to burn too! (It got pretty quiet in the room when I said that)

—  What does your life say about the God that you claim?

—  When we understand the significance of every word, action and life, our perspective changes.  The petty things get replaced by the POTENTIAL of things.  Our feelings are replaced by FAITH.  Our pride is replaced with PASSION, and our selfishness is replaced with SERVICE.  WHEN we understand the signficance.

— I was BLOWN AWAY by the band yesterday.  I was only in for the whole set during 3rd service and they blew the stinkin’ roof off the place.  After worship I wanted to go tackle the devil or something.  It was so good!

—  If you’re an Elementer, thank your worship team often!

—  Had several new volunteers in our tech department shadowing their prospective volunteer position.  Love seeing new people get plugged in.

—  Don’t forget we are doing baptism on Nov. 22nd.  For the first time we will baptize ON Sunday morning IN our worship experience.  Got some creative ways we are going to celebrate people making their declaration through baptism.  If you want to get baptized pick up an application form at the e:connect table and turn it in.

—  We have 23 people signed up for The Tour newcomers lunch this coming Sunday.  I love seeing new people learn about Element.  Who we are and why we do what we do.  Look forward to The Tour every month.

—  Had some great conversations with some new families to the church.  I think we had over 20 first time guests yesterday again.

—  Got LOTS of Adopt-A-Family nomination forms turned in.  As a church, and through YOUR generosity, we are going to be able to bless a BUNCH of families this holiday season with a Christmas they normally couldn’t have, AND with necessities of life they cannot afford.  I’m excited to see what God is going to do THROUGH you this season.

—  Our team will be working on 2010 plans in the next several weeks.  I’d appreciate your prayers.  I’m SO EXCITED for the potential impact God can have through YOU His people.  I got some things stirring in my heart that scare me to God, but are SO exciting.

—  Buckle up Element Church.  The best is yet to come!

Till the end,

Jeff