Memorial: New Sermon Series

16 05 2013

56 This Sunday we are starting a new sermon series called “Memorial”.  It’s a short, 2 week series that will take us through Memorial Day Weekend.  A memorial is something established to remind people of a person or event.  It is intended to commemorate someone or something: “They set up a memorial to remember ALL that had been done for them and WHO it was that did it.”

So we are going to talk about MEMORIALS in our life spiritually.  I’ve told our congregation ahead of time that I’m talking about giving this coming Sunday.  If you want to read ahead, read Genesis 28:10-21.

This Sunday I’m going to be sharing from my heart about what God’s taught me on giving to Him through His church.  I’m sharing something this week that I JUST learned in the last few months about giving.  It was a HUGE revelation in my heart and it inspired this whole mini series.

I believe in our church.  I believe that even though you KNOW I’m teaching on money and giving, you are going to come expecting God to speak to you!  I love YOU and I love our CHURCH and I want us to having LIVING memorials in our lives toward God.  Are you ready?

I’m ready,

Jeff





My Kids Hate The Church

15 05 2013

Hand-leadingI hope I NEVER have to say that statement, especially in relation to how I led them.

If I lead a “successful” ministry but I don’t lead my family, I’ve failed.

I don’t remember the first time I heard that said, but it hasn’t left me since.  My #1 goal in ministry is that my WIFE &  KIDS would love Jesus and love His church!  Sadly, I think there are so many kids in ministry families who end up resenting the church and running from Jesus because their parents cared more about the CHURCH family than they did their OWN family.

I’m not saying it’s easy.  Pastors don’t get hate mail from their family.  They don’t get complaints about the music, the message, the programs, the facility, the way the money is spent or not spent from their family.  They don’t have family boards or committees they are trying to  please.  They don’t have family business meetings where votes are made on their level of performance.  In fact, a lot of times the pastor’s family, in an effort to support the parent(s) who’s in ministry, don’t say anything because they are trying to support them; they know there are many times they don’t feel supported.

The danger is, after 5, 10, 15, 20 years of putting the focus on the wrong family (the one in God’s house and not in your OWN house) you find out you’ve had an affair.  You’ve had an affair with the Bride of Christ.  The church has become your mistress.  You’re distant from your spouse, and your kids are distant from the church and its leader…JESUS!  So, my #1 goal in ministry is that THAT doesn’t happen.

This last week I hope I saw a sign of this happening.  Jonah, turned 12 on Thursday.  But this year was different.  Jonah was MORE excited about being able to start serving on Sundays than ANYTHING else on his birthday.  I cannot tell you how THRILLED I was that Jonah set his alarm for 6:45 AM on Sunday so he could come to church with me and SERVE the church!

I can’t say I’ve succeeded yet…but I hope that this is a small sign on the road that says we are headed the right direction.  If I lead a “successful” ministry but I don’t lead my family, I’ve failed.

Trying to lead my family,

Jeff

 





Tearing Down The Walls

14 05 2013

58Hey Element Church!  The first step in building NEW walls is TEARING DOWN THE OLD ONES, and we need your help with that.  This Friday, we are starting demolition on our facility.  There is TONS & TONS (literally) of demolition to be done.  Walls, floors, ceiling tiles, ceiling grid, carpet, cats…Ok, just seeing if you’re paying attention.

We are doing ALL the demo on our own which is a HUGE cost savings.  This is not a 2 or 3 person job, this is a 200 – 300 person job.  (If we want to get it done in time)  There are three, three hour time slots each day starting May 17th – May 25th (excluding Sundays).

If you are 18 or older, we’d love to have you come help us tear down the walls.  Construction cannot begin until all the demolition is done.  SO, if you can give ANY time over the next couple weeks, come join the party.

Ready to destroy something,

Jeff





Sunday Ruminations (5-12-13) MOTHERS DAY ADDITION!!

13 05 2013

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the wonderful moms who call Element Church “home.”  I also want to publicly praise the ONLY person I can imagine being the mom to our kids, Sabrina.  You are an AMAZING wife and mother.  I love you!  Our kids and our home are SO blessed.  And to my mom.  I can’t imagine my life without your leadership in it.  You set forth such a Godly example of motherhood for us kids.  Thank you for all you did and all you still do.  And for anything I haven’t apologized to you about that I haven’t thought of…I’m sorry!

I LOVE OUR CHURCH!  Today was such a great day at Element.  We concluded our Power of ONE series and celebrated Mother’s Day with some testimony videos of the two moms we blessed with the Power of ONE dollar experiment.  Here are the ruminations on the day.

—  If it were Mother’s Day EVERY Sunday we would never have a space issue in 2nd service because they ALL came to first service at the Cheyenne Campus.  HA!  The 9 AM service was SLAMMED.

—  I went into the Living Room after each service today and happened to be the ONLY one in there for a few minutes following first service.  I’ve never seen so many guests in there at one time.  They just kept coming.  Thankfully the troops came rolling in to rescue me, or my introverted personality may have led me to convulsions.

—  I always love going into the Living Room.  It is so great to meet the new people who are coming to our church, hear a little bit of their story and help them get the information they need.

—  I ESPECIALLY love when Elementers invite someone new and they bring them in the Living Room to get connected.  KEEP INVITING.

—  The majority of the day was given to some video highlights and testimonies from the Power of ONE.  We had highlights from the power of ONE day serving opportunity.  LOVED seeing all the people out in Wheatland and Cheyenne loving and serving their community.

—  We also showed two testimonies of the people we blessed with the Power of ONE dollar experiment.  One was a single mom from Wheatland, and the other was a single grandmother from here in Cheyenne.  The grandmother has emergency custody of her grandson who was born addicted to heroin.  Both stories were SO powerful, and I LOVE to see how the church stepped in and was able to bless them in such powerful and tangible ways.

—  Thank you to everyone who participated in the power of ONE dollar experiment.  You guys made a bigger impact than you’ll ever know.  SO, SO proud of our church.  You guys are awesome.

—  DEMO ON OUR REMODEL PROJECT BEGINS FRIDAY!!  We have a TON to demo and are planning about ten days of it, so if you are 18 or older and have some time over the next couple weeks, sign up HERE to be a part of demolition.  Walls need to come down.  Ceiling tiles taken out.  Bathrooms torn apart.  It’s going to be FUN!  I can’t build a THING but I can destroy just about everything.

—  We are doing ALL the demo ourselves, and like I said, there is a TON of it.  This is a huge cost savings, so we need a LOT of people out helping.  There are 3 hour time slots to fill.  If you attend Element and can help in ANY way with demo, we could use your help.

—  Lord willing, we’ll be in construction mode by the end of them month.  SO EXCITED!!

—  With that in mind, there are a TON of temporary changes coming to our traffic flow.  Phase one of construction will effect all of our kids ministry.  We are moving a number of kids classrooms, check in and traffic flow so we are asking for your patience.  This coming Sunday you will notice some big changes.  We are doing our best to provide signs and traffic flow for all the changes.

—  That’s gonna be all!  Element Church, I love you guys and am SO proud to be a part of this church!

Till the end,

Jeff





If You Have All The Answers You’re Not A Leader

9 05 2013

questionsLeaders don’t have all the answers ,they are just asking the right questions. 

So, what questions are you asking?

Most people are familiar with the story of Jesus being “lost” as a child while his parents were on their way home from Jerusalem after the Passover.  He was 12 years old and his parents assumed he was just walking with other family or friends, which would of been common.  When they couldn’t find him that evening they went back to Jerusalem to search for him.  Three days later (I bet Mary was furious) they discovered him in the Temple and Luke 2:46 says this about what Jesus was doing:

“…sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and ASKING QUESTIONS.”

Now, I’m not being sacrilegious at all when I say this; I’m not sure how the whole Fully God/Fully man thing worked.  I FULLY believe that Jesus was FULLY God and FULLY man!  I just don’t know at 12 years old how that all played out.  My opinion is that He was always fully God and fully man.  He had to be or He never was…in my opinion.  Here’s why that’s important.  Why was He asking questions?

I don’t know if this is the case or not, but the last time I read through that passage the fact that He asked questions struck me.  Could He, even at 12 years old, been leaving an example to follow?  Crazy, I know.  But God inspired the writer to record that detail of the childhood of Jesus.  Could it be that as leaders, we need to be asking the right questions.  That’s at least what God challenged my heart with.  So, what questions are you asking?

Leaders don’t have all the answers, they are just asking the right questions. 

Trying to ask,

Jeff





Have you stepped into your purpose?

8 05 2013

Step of faithFor many people, the only thing keeping them from their purpose is the next step!

Now, the next step might be the HARDEST step you’ll ever make in your life, but it’s still the next step.  I’ve seen so many people miss out on or delay living in God’s purpose for their life because of the fear of the next step.  Maybe it’s a financial risk, a relational risk, a career change; it could even be a physical risk.  Whatever it is, whatever step you need to take, you’re either stepping INTO your purpose or standing outside of it.

I read something about Jesus that was so challenging to me.  When He was in the Garden of Gethsemene, pleading with His Father for “another way,” his accusers came to arrest him.  And John 18:4 says this, “Jesus fully realized ALL that was going to happen to him, so he STEPPED FORWARD to meet them.”

WOW!  Let that sink in.  Jesus KNEW the price He was going to pay.  It wasn’t a risk that He was stepping into, it was a KNOWN FACT.  He was going to suffer…and yet He STEPPED FORWARD!  He stepped into His purpose, and His purpose was YOU!

Jesus KNEW the pain He was stepping into and yet He still stepped.  We assume what might possibly happen, and so many times we stand still.  For many people, the only thing keeping them from their purpose is the next step!

Steppping,

Jeff





What’s More Important Than Success?

7 05 2013

????????????So many times, we want God to give us success in life without having to do any seeking. 

Success for most of  us is the pinnacle.  Especially as Americans, we LONG for success.  Success is not necessarily a bad thing by the way.  Jesus was successful in His mission.  Paul was a successful apostle.  David a successful King.  Joseph a successful servant.  The Bible is FULL of examples of success.  Even God GIVING success.  For instance…

2 Kings 18:7 says about King Hezekiah, So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.

We love that.  We’ll even pray for that.  “Lord, give us SUCCESS!”  Again, nothing inherently wrong with success.  But I think we fail to look at the SEEKING Hezekiah did.  Not that our seeking DEMANDS that God give us success, but without seeking I’m not sure He WILL give us success.

2 Kings 18:5-6 says, Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses.

2 Chronicles 31:21 says, “In all that he did in the SERVICE of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah SOUGHT HIS GOD wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.”

So many times, we want God to give us success in life without having to do any seeking.  We want the success story without the service responsibility.  But there IS no success without the seeking.  In fact, the seeking itself is the success.

Our success in not found in the story being good; it’s found in our seeking a God who is good.

Seeking,

Jeff








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