Weekend Wrap Up

• John rocked the finishing message on our Side Effects series.
• Our new com system appeared to be really effective…great job Ben.
• Greeters, Ushers, and Guest services stepped up big time even though we were short handed…way to go team!
• Set-up is 7:00am now.  Wow that is early!
• I love to see a family come in a suit and tie one weekend and a polo shirt the next…you know they are more comfortable and had more fun.
• Kyle was introduced as our ministry intern for the next year.  Get to know him, it may just change your life…he has a ton of energy.
• College football started this weekend.  And yes USC would kick Penn States butt!  Is Penn State Division 1?  You know who that was for.  I think I may block comments on this blog post.
• NFL starts next week…multiple sources picking Eagles to represent the NFC and no none of them were Fellowship staff.
• Went to the pool at the Hanby center for the last time this summer.
• Matthew goes to school on Tuesday. Parents are sad.
• One week away from our UNITED kick off…I have the best youth staff anywhere.  For my youth pastor friends who say they do…your lying.
• We have an awesome plan for our chat rooms that start in October…wait and see.
• Life groups start next Sunday for middle school. High school is the following week.
• Garnet Valley won 42-6 on Friday night.
• Our parking lot is now newly paved and the lines are down.  Would have said stripped but I don’t know if that was spelled right.
• Fantasy football is awesome…especially when a team cuts a proposed starter.
• What’s up with the 90 degrees this week?  Where is Fall?

There’s more to…

Did you know that there is more to worship than singing?  Yeah, news to me as well.  This will blow your mind if you are a volunteer that serves.  If it doesn’t blow your mind, that’s okay, it did mine and it’s my blog, so that is why I am writing about it.

“The word worship in Romans 12:1 is translated from the Greek word latreia, which means “divine service.” So when Paul urges us to experience true worship, he isn’t suggesting we sing a song of praise.  He isn’t encouraging us to attend a worship service to hear someone preach from God’s Word. Instead, he’s calling us to serve or minister to others.”

Are you kidding me?  That is awesome!  If we can grasp the idea, that is truly worship then it changes how we view everything we do.

• “But I’m only a greeter.”  No you are worshiping and you are setting the stage for those who are coming in to experience God and life change.
• “But I only work at guest services.”  No you are worshiping God.  You are providing information and answering people’s questions on how to get involved.
• “But I only pass a bucket as a usher.”  No you are involved in an act of worship.  Not only with the fact that you are serving but our offering is an act of worship to God and you made it happen.

How great would it be to realize in those, “but I only…” moments, that it is so much more.  It is an act of worship because you are serving God and serving others.  That means the biggest job to the smallest job are all important.  Everything is to be done for the glory of God.  That means you are valuable and you add purpose to what we do.  God is pleased when we serve.

Simply Strategic

I may be writing some blogs from a book that I am reading called Simply Strategic Volunteers.  The book is written by Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens.  So very practical yet it just hits you at the core about the idea of volunteers in the local church.

Even when I was a volunteer at a youth group right out of college, many times I remember hearing myself say, “well if we only had more volunteers, money, staff, space and time we could accomplish everything”.  If that is true and we have enough volunteers, money, staff, space and time, then what does that say about our vision?  What does that say about our dreams or vision or goals?  It says that they are man sized and not God sized.  It says that we are dreaming small.  That we have moved from the edge of the ledge.  It says that we our content at being content.

The reality when you dream God sized dreams is that you may never have enough volunteers.  The money doesn’t flow like you’d want.  You could always use more staff.  Space to store, to work, to dream, who doesn’t like bigger and better.  Can anybody say iphone?  Everyday I wish I had more time.  What I have learned though, is that even when you have anymore of anyone of those particular things, you’re never satisfied.  When your growing, stretching and dreaming, I believe that God tests you.  Are you going to rely on Him?  Are you going to use your creativity that He gave you?  Are you going to dream anyway?  Or are you going to rely on yourself, think small, complain and quit?

To reach the Delaware Valley requires us to dream big, live dangerously and pray constantly.  God will provide and in many cases, He already has, we just haven’t seen it yet.

Sunday Wrap Up

Today was a great day.  A lot was accomplished.  Here is just a rundown of this week.

• Worship was awesome today.  Great song Donny.  Did you know he wrote that?  So talented.
• Gus great job today on a very difficult subject.
• Our youth staff is amazing.  Great meeting today.  Can’t wait to see how God will use you all this fall.
• Happy Birthday Steve!  (2 weeks late)  What a great guy, leader, husband and father.
• Karen and Linda great job recruiting today.  Keep it up, the best is yet to come.
• 2 weeks away from launching all of our fall programs, it is going to be awesome.
• College football starts next week.  Now I have something to do to fill my time from the Olympic addiction I have formed…I hope I don’t have withdrawls.
• NFL starts in two weeks…did you sign up for your fantasy teams?
• Matthew starts school next week.   Little man is growing up.
• Teens great step up today serving.
• UNITED is September 6th…Our worship will be INSANE!!!
• Life groups for Middle school start on the 7th and High school start on the 14th.

Forever

Seems like forever since I have been at Fellowship Church.  I was away for two weeks.  One on vacation and one for a speaking opportunity that came up.  I am pumped to see our teenagers worship again.  I am pumped to recruit tomorrow so you better be ready.  I am pumped that I get to meet with my youth staff tomorrow after church to begin the journey of this next year.  I am pumped that this week I have 3 fantasy football drafts…I know, I’m pathetic.  I am pumped that football is 2 weeks away and real football (college) starts next week.

What Leadership Demands

I am constantly trying to work on my leadership skills and as I was reading this blog by Shane Duffey from New Spring Church I totally felt that these either applied to me now or have applied to me in the past.  I think at some point we all wrestle through these:

Ten things that can tempt and bring death to a leader:

1. Focus on personal advancement instead of team success.
2. Shift blame to others instead of absorbing it yourself.
3. Avoiding a hard conversation because you might not be liked afterwards.
4. Wanting to be heard instead of trying to listen.
5. Delegating to the point of being unaware.
6. Make decisions that please people instead of the right ones.
7. Delaying tough decisions under the disguise of needing more information.
8. Always acting like you know all the answers.
9. Never seek advice or wisdom for fear of appearing incapable of your role.
10. Believe you’ve learned all there is to know about what you do.

What’s your thoughts?

Changes

It used to be when you turned on the Olympics you saw the United States dominate.  Changes are happening as other countries are quickly catching up and in some cases passing us.

Last night we walked through Concord Elementary school where Matthew will be attending in a couple weeks.  He used to just be this little boy who had no responsibilities but now changes are happening and he is now forced to take that first step of growing up.

We used to meet every Sunday morning and Sunday night.  Changes have been happening.  Our students now meet the 1st Saturday of every month for UNITED.  Middle school and high school coming together for one night to worship.  Our middle school life groups are on the 1st and 3rd Sunday’s of every month and high school are 2nd and 4th Sunday’s of every month.  All of the programs meet at 6:00pm at the Fellowship office campus.

We strategically did this to get students serving on Sunday morning and connecting in life groups where I believe the real spiritual growth takes place.  Our leaders are pumped and ready.  The best part of where we are as a leadership team is that we have specific leaders for every grade who will be with our students until thier graduation from middle school or high school.  Talk about building relationships?   Can’t wait to see what God is going to do over the next couple years with the leadership team that is in place.

Change happens.  Change is never comfortable.  Change however can be good.  Our students are having the bar raised on them and are going to be challenged like never before to get in God’s Word, to have personal accountability, to serve others and to live out their faith.  Parents the challenge is to jump in and fan the flame of your students spiritual growth journey, don’t be a spectator.

“Love them where they are, not where you expect them to be and show them grace along the process.”

Excitment

This is an exciting time of year.  The anticipation of students returning to school.  It is exciting in that students have another chance to improve upon last year.  A chance to show they have changed.  A chance to show that they are different than how they finished last year.

With some of our students returning to school with a trip to Russia and a summer camp under their belt, it is exciting for me to hear the stories that will come from the question, “What did you do this summer?”  Instead of a student saying, watched tv, mowed the lawn and went to the beach, they will have the opportunity to say, I possibly changed the life of a child or a teenager.  I went to a camp this summer and God did something in my life.

Students, I challenge you to go back to school and use what happened this summer as a converstation starter.  Use it as a way to open up communication about who God is and what you believe.  Parents, challenge your students to talk about their faith.  Parents, talk about your faith.