I've had a few conversations lately about summer plans, travel, vacations... and stay-cations. Typically people think about travel to Indiana as a required travel route to get to Chicago from Ohio or the obligatory family reunion because that's where Grandma still lives.
But without shame or embarrassment I submit 15 reasons to travel to Indiana within the next few weeks:
1. The temp hasn't dropped below 40 degrees for at least 3 days now.
2. Corn. Fields.
3. The President of the United States is coming to Indiana in just 5 days. And his Grandma doesn't live here.
4. Soul Funkshun @ the East Race
5. Yard. Sales.
6. Yarn Overcomers! Meetup (YO!) - (ok, I'm a little embarrassed)
The other 9 reasons happen on the campus of Granger Community Church. WiredChurches.com will be hosting a variety of workshops, designed to help you lead well, empower your people and resource your church ministry.
Pick one of the following workshops to attend all day. Come for the full day - or stay for two. Here are 9 more great reasons to travel to Indiana in June:
7. Less Clutter. Less Noise. [How to get the word out.](Thursday, June 25
8. EnterMission [Engaging your people in local and global missions.] (Thursday, June 25)
9. First Impressions [Keep guests coming back to your church.] (Thursday, June 25)
10.Kids [Creating safe, fun spaces for kids to know Jesus.] (Thursday, June 25)
11.Multi-site Church Practicum [Strategies for launching a multi-site.] (Thursday, June 25)
12.Less Clutter. Less Noise. Day 2 [Extended Day 1 with consulting.](Friday, June 26)
13.Lasting Impressions [Keep guests growing and engaged.] (Friday, June 26)
14.Simply Strategic Volunteers [Finding and keeping great volunteers.] (Friday, June 26)
15.Information Technology Practicum [IT best practices, resources and tools.] (Friday, June 26)
Your materials and lunch are included. So are the real-life examples of what works and what doesn't work. Meet leaders from churches across the country and engage conversation with the Granger team. Just $99 per person, per day.
In Indiana.
What are you waiting on? Another reason? Come on. That's not gonna happen.
Skills are skills. Christ-follower or not. That's why I've never understood the choice some Christians make to find a "christian plumber", "christian roofer", or a "christian surgeon." Skills are skills. You can be a Christ-follower and be a poor plumber, a rotten roofer or a scary surgeon. Skills are skills.
Before Michael Franzese was transformed by God's grace, he was among the best at what he did. He made money. Lots of money. He was a successful businessman - with the mob. Michael had... and has skills.
That's why I think you should read Michael's latest book, I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse (Thomas Nelson). If you run a business, lead people, want to be successful in life, or want to better navigate a difficult financial climate, read Michael's book. Michael has skills.
And, Michael has met Jesus. And that's changed - not his skills, not his street smarts, not his seasoned experience - but, Jesus has changed his motivation (and he operates within the law now). And that changes the outcome.
That's why I recommend Michael's book to pastors and church leaders, too. Michael doesn't just understand financial success, he understands people, goals, and bottom-lines.
I had a chance to ask Michael some questions about his book. Read on to hear from Michael in his own words:
Me: Michael, your story of life inside, and outside, the mob is captured in a gripping way in your book, Blood Covenant. In it you shoot pretty straight about the change Jesus Christ has worked in your life. What motivated you to write this new book - about business?
Michael: There are business insights I wanted to share that I developed from my old life that I am sure would be beneficial for all those engaging in or planning to be in business today. Insights that can’t be learned in a classroom or boardroom but rather that were developed on the streets.
Continue reading "Michael Franzese | Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss" »
My sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the comments / conversation to this earlier post: Confused by the Critics. Many of you expressed great encouragement to me and to the church I serve, Granger Community. Several of you didn't agree with my post or the approach to preaching taken in our weekend services. You disagreed with respect. Again, thanks to everyone who entered the conversation.
Now, it's time to move on.
I cannot - we will not - be distracted by detractors or self-appointed discerners. We must move on.
The purpose of this blog site is not to present a forum for religious debate. The comments for the previous post as well as this one are now closed.
People need Jesus. People need to know they matter to Him. That's where I'm spending my time.
Saturday evening I had a rare opportunity to engage some Granger Community Church critics on our campus, in our weekend service. It was rare because often our critics (we seem to be in good company with Saddleback Community, Willow Creek Community, New Spring, and other similar ministries) post blogs, write articles, and air radio broadcasts without ever meeting our senior pastor, Mark Beeson, me, or any of our other pastors or staff. Typically, without a personal visit to our campus or a personal attempt to understand, shots are fired and sharp conclusions are drawn.
Not so last evening. Chris Rosebrough, host of Pirate Christian Radio, and blogger at Extreme Theology, and three of his friends from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne (Ryan, Jay, and Evan) drove over to tour our facility and experience the weekend service for themselves. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet them, answer their questions in a pre-service tour, then spend some time talking after the service.
It was apparent that my guests and I shared some common theological ground - we've missed the mark, fallen short of God's glory, our destiny is spiritual death and purposeless living... except for a Savior. Jesus Christ has done in his living, death, and resurrection all that we could never do on our own. We are the direct recipients of his grace - unconditional love, full of forgiveness, complete in Christ. And we did nothing to earn it.
It was also apparent that there are some disparaging differences between us. Just what are the far-reaching implications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Just what is our step or steps to experience life here and beyond as God intended for Kingdom-citizens? How exhaustive is his plan and work to redeem all of his creation for all time? How is salvation to be understood, taught, embraced, and experienced? I'm fairly certain we didn't find common ground on these questions.
If I understood a major concern expressed by my guests, it centered around a proper understanding of both the Law (we've missed it, we can't attain to God's perfection on our own) and God's grace through Jesus (undeserved, not earned, completely free gift of unconditional love from God). This is where it gets especially confusing.
This weekend my friend and fellow pastor, Rob Wegner, preached the most brilliant, biblically-centered message about the work of Jesus Christ to completely transform a human life. Rob painted both the painful picture of our try-harder cycle juxtaposed to our contentment to merely be an applauding fan of Jesus. Rob preached God's grace as our only hope. God's grace alone makes a personal relationship and Kingdom-citizenship possible. And yet, Jesus says, "Follow me." Apparently, there is a step we must make. There is an action required of us. While we do nothing to earn God's free gift, our commitment to follow Jesus, rather than merely be a fan, demonstrates our trust and willingness to obediently live his redemptive lifestyle and life mission. [Watch the entire service and Rob's message here - Go to "Mix It Up, click "listen" or "watch" when it's live by mid-day Monday]
Yet, upon leaving the service last evening, Chris twittered his conclusion of that message and service: "What we heard was depressing & sad. All law no gospel. Tragic!" I was in the same service, same message. I heard a clear message of God's grace and crystal teaching that our best efforts won't attain the life God calls us to live.
In a tweet posted Sunday afternoon, Chris noted: "Reconciliation with God does not depend upon our merits, commitments, decisions, or earnest sincere strivings." I couldn't agree more. However, upon being reconciled by grace to God - our devotion to God, our decisions to obey and honor him, our sincere strivings will demonstrate both God's work of transformation within us and our intentional cooperation with his transformational work.
Maybe the confusion is clearing for me. Maybe this isn't so different than the divisive debate that ensued after our senior pastor of nearly 20 years resigned (at a former church I served). Our staff and elders debated sharply for months the question of reformed theology: do humans have and exercise free will in being reconciled to God? The collective answer to that question had direct impact on who taught, what was taught and how. All the while our focus on people who mattered to God was weakened. The message of God's grace was tied up in a board room of men, duking it out with Bible sword drills, holding fast to their understanding of the scriptures. Tragic.
I agree with my guests: context of scripture matters. Which is why it is so critical to understand the audience Paul is originally speaking to in his letters. He speaks into the collision of two worlds in the new emerging Christianity: Jews and Gentiles. He speaks to the ineffectiveness of our efforts to keep the law. In Romans 10 he says it's this simple: it's not about keeping all the rules to be "good enough". What's "good enough" is that you believe in your heart and you speak with your lips - "Jesus is worth following...He's the Lord of my life." Nothing else is necessary - no sacrifices, no special ceremonies, no law-keeping perfection. The ground is level at the foot of the cross for both Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slave and free, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene and Baptist.
I'm confused by websites and radio shows that put so much energy and time into criticizing fellow Christ-followers and churches who are preaching Jesus, inviting people to engage the Kingdom of God here and now, making their lives count in God's agenda to redeem all of creation for his glory and honor. I'm concerned for the confusion that's created for those who still haven't experienced the reality of God's grace - as they watch the feud, hear the sarcasm, left to wonder what grace must mean if it's not shared by those who preach it's message. Tragic.
I'm glad for the time I got to spend with my Saturday evening guests. It was one more step in trying to understand. In this visit Chris, Jay, Ryan and Evan were kind, respectful, and gracious. I sincerely appreciated our conversation.
I wish there was less confusion for me at this point, but I do have renewed clarity about this: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the ultimate Redeemer. Our very purpose for living is found in his purpose alone. Our mission at Granger Community is crystal: We will continue "helping people take their next step toward Christ... together." We'll celebrate every step, expecting every step to ultimately lead to spiritually transformed lives by the power of God's Spirit and the grace of Jesus Christ. Our failure to do so would be tragic.
I've been in a handful of conversations over the past year about the benefits of coaching in the local church. I've been curious about the role it plays or could play in discipleship of individuals. I've asked:
I met Jane Creswell nearly two years ago when we shared the platform at a conference in North Carolina. A former manager of product development at IBM, she also started IBM's Coaches Network. She is the founder of Internal Impact, a consulting and coaching service to corporations world-wide. Jane is a corporate coach who trains corporate coaches. Her story is inspiring and her experience is impressive (see Time Magazine, CareerLab, HR Magazine). Not only is she a world-class expert in corporate America, she's seen the benefits of coaching in the local church as well. Her paradigm for coaching stems completely from a Christ-center, from the potential and calling within the great commandment and the great commission.
From Jane's book, Christ-Centered Coaching, here's a sample of some "coaching questions" from the scriptures. Keep in mind that coaching questions are aimed at discovery and choice of the person being coached.
How might these kinds of questions, centered around Christ, and targeted to help individuals own their journey with Him, enhance growth and focus among our people? Throughout the rest of the year I'll be studying, reading, and engaging conversations to understand and cultivate these kinds of relationships in the local church.
I'd love to hear from you if...
Thanks, Jane, for your life work in this critical area. And thanks for giving us one more handle on discipleship.
2 weeks away. 2 days. 24 leaders.
There's still time to sneak behind the scenes with the senior management team at Granger Community Church. We invited 24 leaders to join us last year for the first time. Not for a conference. Not for programmed sessions. Not for hours of teaching.
We're inviting 24 church leaders again this year. In just 2 weeks. If you lead your church, you're invited to a 2-day conversation. With our senior team. With other great leaders from other great churches.
We've cleared our calendars May 6 and 7, just 2 weeks away. We want to listen. We want to share. We want to invest in you and your ministry. We'll drill down on...
The cost of the 2 days includes all meals and hotel lodging - all you have to do is get here. But register quickly. Register today. Register here.
This past weekend we continued our series, SYNC, with a focus on relationships. Everyone needs friends, and the Bible is filled with "wiki-stories" that illustrate God's design for friendship. One of those stories finds Jesus center stage teaching in an over-crowded, standing-room-only house. The bible says, "the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick." In classic Beeson-style, Mark pulls candor and humor from his own life experiences to illustrate the power and wonder of the Son of God.
Enjoy!
Watch the entire service here.
If you missed Mark Beeson's message this past weekend about connecting and belonging, go check it out here! It's a "must see" service! It was a service of inspiration, humor, and high energy arts all aimed at helping us take a step toward significant friendships (at least four of them) with others whose feet are pointed the same direction - toward Christ.
There are always abundant opportunities to connect at Granger Community. Granted, it requires a step... or two. Sometimes another. But, every month, every week opportunities exist to connect and grow.
However, this week, there are an abundant array of options at the church building to do so. Make a choice, and move toward community and growth in your journey:
P.S. Stay connected to the Elkhart Campus here and at Jeff Bell's (he's our awesome campus pastor) blog here.
(Author's warning: This is not a "tweet." It will exceed 140 characters.)
Last spring I caved to the pressure from well-intending friends who wanted to know about my goings-on when we weren't together (freaky), and I hopped on the Twitter bandwagon. Mostly it was the pressure. Mostly it was my willingness to be persuaded by people I really like and trust. There was another motivation - albeit secondary. I had this gnawing notion that as a connections guy, I should check out this online "community shortcut." Yeah, I was skeptical.
I was only a few weeks into honing my Twitter discernment... as in, what in the heck would anyone "out there" actually care about reading in 140 characters or less about my life, restroom breaks, and TV viewing, when I hit the Twit-wall. I went on family vacation with my wife and daughter. On day one of that vacation I picked up my phone (an archaic version with little, tiny buttons to push) to "tweet" our activity. I stopped cold and thought, "I don't care who wants to know what or why. This is our personal vacation (*see footnote) - you don't get to know about every flippin' detail!" A week later I canceled my Twitter account.
Two months later I picked it up again. This time I was more motivated by the desire to explore what I didn't understand. Namely, there's something seemingly real about online community and communication. My daughter texts constantly (over 10,000 texts last month) with multiple friends at a time. She's recently started Twittering. From information sharing to networking to learning details about "friends" you'd never know - Twitter and the short-form Facebook status aren't just attracting the twenty-somethings. Forty-somethings like me are swarming to these cyber-group exchanges.
But is it all about community? Or is it about boasting badges of popularity? Maybe. I admit it. I look at that small, little number of followers on my homepage. And, I've noticed the Twitter Kings and Queens who've attracted thousands of tweet disciples. Yes, I've compared my own numbers to theirs. Sometimes I've even read articles aimed at tuning my pied piper pipe to attract more scampering rats, er, interested and interesting people.
The folks at Relevant are wondering what Twitter is doing to us (read the article here). Is it a real expression of community? Or is it a extortion of our ego? What's the honest revelation of our deepest motives? It's worth a read.
Kem Meyer re-posted Michael Hyatt's (CEO, Thomas Nelson) 12 responses to the questions: Why Twitter? and What is it? You can read them here.
I think I'm over the popularity contest. Tim Stevens will always have more followers. CNN and Larry King just might surpass Ashton Kutcher. It's okay. I'm okay.
I do know this -
I'm going to continue to Twitter. There's a lot you'll never hear about because I don't want you to. But, there's probably some stuff that will surprise you, too. I'm in it for the connection.
You can "follow" me here. If you want to. Stalk. Connect. Whatever you want.
See you online.
* (Mark Beeson posted a brilliant article about discerning personal, private and public - you should read it here.)
So, was yesterday the "last day" the church was open? Or is it today? I'm confused.
Here's a great clip from Central Christian Church in Vegas. We didn't make this, but we just might use it.
Kathy Guy leads beside me as our director of community. She gets community. She understands relationships. And she has a rare gift in helping people connect the dots in our lives. Dots between our filters, our distorted thinking, our view of God, our understanding of ourselves, our judgement of others. When we fail to embrace the worth with which God created us, it impacts every relationship, and impairs our communication inside the key relationships in our lives.
Kathy will be teaching a Journey Bible class beginning tomorrow night. Here's a great snapshot in her own words:
The Tension of Significance
A lot of us don't get just how much influence we have. We see ourselves as insignificant, "It doesn't matter what I say to you; I'm never good enough." It's like a child trying to earn approval from a parent.
On the other hand, a lot of us think we have way more influence than we have. We see ourselves as powerfully significant, "If you would do what I am telling you, I will be better (happy, loved, peaceful, etc.). It's like a parent trying to control a child.
This a big communication problem inside of our relationships. We are adults, even though we don't always feel or act like it. (Also, when working with kids or teens, it's critical to treat them respectfully as if they were adults; yes, even though they may be acting like brats.
Communication is about significance. There is a tension between recognizing how much you matter and how much others matter. If you go too far in either direction, communication problems happen. I'll be talking about this and more for the next 3 weeks at Journey Classes.
If you have no communication challenges, (besides the reality that you may be a liar) make sure you attend one of the other great choices!
Follow Kathy's blog here.
(Photo by Mark Beeson)
God's original design for his creation was order, creative order. Harmonious. Rhythmic. In sync.
A selfish inclination to define identity and worth left humankind painfully disconnected, out of sync with God and his created purpose.
Jesus came on the scene, on our level, in our disjointed world of oppression, injustice, and poverty to create a pathway, a sense of wholeness again. He showed us what the Father's love looks like. He lived and died by values that are "other world", and yet, intended to be our world. In sync.
That's the EASTER message. And at Granger Community Church this weekend, it's boomin'!
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