One Word That Stifles Our Lives

What lies to us and tells us the weight of life rests solely on our shoulders?

What causes us to make really bad decisions and question faith driven decisions?

What causes us to remain indifferent about an important issue when we should speak loudly?

What causes us to lose zeal about the passion that God has ignited in our souls?

What causes us to question our calling?



What causes us to live comfortably instead of radically? 

What causes us to harbor sin that will lead to imminent disaster?

What causes us to rest in our complacency rather than challenge the status quo?

What causes us to impose control over others rather than empowering others?

What causes us to minimize God and question His supremacy in our lives?

FEAR…

Fearing that God is NOT enough

We fear daily yet the Bible clearly commands, “do not fear”

Phillipians 4:6-7 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

3 Non-Negotiables For Small Group Involvement

This year, we had a higher percentage of students plugged into small group ministry; there are a variety of factors as to why, but what are some of the factors that we have control over when offering small groups? The primary key is to eliminate potential excuses for not being in a small group.

         1.     Offer a wide variety of small groups with different commitment levels

a.     We have one small group that meets for 45 minutes in the cafeteria during lunch; anyone can carve out time for a life lesson over lunch.

b.     We have another group that meets 4 days a week reading through the New Testament in 55 days.

c.      We couple many of our bible studies with other activities such as exercise, food, and other social events.

          2.     Offer a gender specific studies

a.     Interestingly, we have found this year that our collegians have shown high interest levels in Biblical manhood and womanhood studies. Ironically, students have overwhelmingly  preferred being in a gender specific group.

          3.     Funnel large group worship service attendees to small group studies through speaking, videos, small group panel Q&A, and sign up sheets.

a.     Discussing the importance of small groups and getting students to immediately sign up after large group worship created an easy step toward small group for students.  

Responding to: "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" You Tube Video

A recent you tube video went viral a couple weeks ago getting almost 15 million hits in one week alone entitled, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

Needless to say, this video had it’s supporters as well as critics. It also sparked backlash videos with some entitled, “Why I Love Religion, and Love Jesus”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_tC4fv6FE

I’m not here to pick apart any video, that would take too long, but I do think there’s a notable difference in each video's definition of the word “religion”. This issue can get more theological when you examine the soteriological views of Christianity. “ie. Sola fide vs. sacramental” However, I will focus on the definitions of religion here.

The term religion can have two primary meanings:

1.     A body of person’s adhering to a particular set of beliefs.

2.     Ritual observances of faith.

One could easily see how these definitions could spell out extra-biblical components of grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast."


Jesus didn't hate religion because he was a good Jew who established a church and instituted specific ordinances. (ie. Baptism, Lords Supper) If the definition of religion has to do with a set of beliefs, then Jesus surly doesn't hate religion; but, if religion means self righteousness, then Jesus hates it just as much as any other sin. 

Romans 8:1-2 says "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (not for those who "do good"), because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

According to Romans 8, the greatest part about Christianity is not necessarily what goes on around us, but what goes on inside of us. Therefore, behavioral modification is not the means to grace, but the natural result of grace.

Doctor Alvin Reid alluded in a recent blog that many American churches have taught todays youth a therapeutic moralistic deism instead of biblical Christianity. He uses this quote from the National Study of Youth and Religion:

“The National Study of Youth and Religion reveals a theological fault line running underneath American churches: an adherence to a do-good, feel-good spirituality that has little to do with the Triune God of Christian tradition and even less to do with loving Jesus Christ enough to follow him into the world.”

May we be overwhelmed by grace through faith pursuing not grace through legalistic performance.

While I don't think there are biblical grounds to say Jesus hated religion, I do think it's important that we trust in the scandalous grace of Christ and not in our self-righteousness as the video suggests. 

Living Outside the Zone of Mediocrity

Whether individually or corporately, there’s a tendency to gravitate toward the zone of mediocrity. People or organizations that live in the zone of mediocrity are ironically the busiest because they are constantly playing catch up with life rather than looking at life's bigger picture. Those who try and make everyone happy live in the zone of mediocrity because they aren't making decisions strategically. Put differently, people or organizations that live outside the zone of mediocrity oftentimes are criticized because they aren't afraid to tell people "no". People criticize ministries with statements such as: “They are too radical” “They don’t play the right music” “They use culture too much” "That decision didn't make sense" "That's not they way it used to be" etc.…

It’s pretty obvious in scripture that God doesn’t like the zone of mediocrity in any form. He desires that His Word drive us with conviction and strategic planning.  So, how far will you go to avoid the zone of mediocrity in your life or in your organization? Turn off the disbelief switch and begin to dream. 

Streamlining Ministry

There’s a tendency in churches and/or other ministries to offer such a wide variety of opportunities that it exhausts people to the point of burnout. In many instances, these opportunities (programs. projects etc.) are merely “good” ideas that don’t fit the vision and values of the organization. There is value in saying "no" to good ideas for the sake of teaching the strategy and mission of your organization. 

So, how do you get the value of a wide variety of opportunities without the burnout? I believe the answer is strategic streamlining. Organizational streamlining creates synergistic cooperation and inherently teaches the strategy of the organization.

Examples of ministry streamlining:

       1.     Coupling large group worship with small group Bible study.

a.     The BCM with one of the highest percentage of students in a small group meets on campus immediately after large group worship.

        2.     Any form of family based or intergenerational ministry.

a.     My brother’s church has a mentorship retreat for men & youth. This retreat marks the beginning of a Disciple-making relationship.

        3.     Attaching a fun event to a serious event for group bonding.

a.     This past week after our first semester College Worship, we had a jousting contest. This is a bonding opportunity for students.

        4.     Strategic event planning to move people in a purposeful direction.

a.     Weeks prior to our spring break mission trips, we will talk about the importance of missions and relational evangelism.  




What are some other examples of Ministry Streamlining? 

5 Questions Every Minister Should Ask

1. Do our activities align with scripture? Put differently, is our focus on anything other than Jesus? (1 Cor. 2:2) If we are not careful, we can major on the minors and minor on the majors.

2. What is the perception of this ministry with outsiders not participating in this ministry? Asking what outsiders know about your ministry may be more telling than evaluating your ministry with insiders.

3. Is this ministry growing? Healthy ministries are not necessarily small or big, but disciple-making ministries grow both spiritually and numerically.

4. Do people understand the answer to the question “What Next” in regards to participating in your ministry? A simple strategic path should facilitate your goal to make disciples of all nations…

5. Are you communicating the vision to each person in your ministry effectively? Simply put, do people know why your ministry exists? If not, what’s the purpose of existing in the first place? Communication may be the hardest component of leadership.

4 Core Values That Make Eternal Impact on Campus

1. Frangelism: Cultivate friendship while intentionally sharing the gospel.

2. Connect to The Church: Partner with churches to reach students and encourage students to become active church members.

3. Discipleship: Equip students through teaching, sharing, and showing God's Word for the purpose of making disciples.

4. Missions: engage the culture with the gospel both locally and globally through sacrificial giving, praying, and going to the nations.  

Red Wolf Challenge: 55 Days of Physical & Spiritual Exercise

This program will take you through the New Testament, a condensed form of p90x, and memorize at least 10 verses. We will start this program on Jan. 23rd which will go up to spring break.

Day #/Day of Week/ Scripture/ P90x Workout

1. Monday, Jan. 23, Matthew 1-4, Chest & Back

2. Tuesday, 24, Matthew 5-8, Plyometrics

3. Wednesday 25, Matthew 9-12, Shoulders & Arms

4. Thursday 26, Matthew 13-16,

5. Friday 27, Matthew 17-20, Stretch X

6. Saturday 28, Matthew 21-24

7. Sunday 29, Matthew 25-28

Week 1 Memory Verses:

Week 2 Memory Verses:

8. Monday 30, Romans 1-4, Chest & Back

9. Tuesday 31, Romans 5-8 Plyometrics

10. Wednesday 1, Romans 9-12, Shoulders & Arms

11. Thursday 2, Romans 13-16

12. Friday 3, 1 Cor. 1-5, Kenpo

13. Saturday 4, 1 Cor. 6-10

14. Sunday 5, 1 Cor. 11-16

Week 3 Memory Verses:

15. Monday 6, 2 Cor, 1-6, Core Synergistics

16. Tuesday 7, 2 Cor. 7-13, Plyometrics

17. Wednesday 8, Mark 1-5, Kenpo

18. Thursday 9, Mark 6-10

19. Friday 10, Mark 11-16, Stretch

20. Saturday 11, Galatians

21.  Sunday 12, Philippians

Week 4 Memory Verse:

22. Monday 13, Colossians, Core Synergistics

23. Tuesday 14, 1 Thessalonians, Kenpo

24. Wednesday 15, 2 Thessalonians, Plyometrics

25. Thursday 16, Luke 1-4

26. Friday 17, Luke 5-8, Stretch X

27. Saturday 18, Luke 9-12

28. Sunday 19. Luke 13-16

Week 5 Memory Verse:

29. Monday 20, Luke 17-20, Chest , Shoulders, & Triceps

30. Tuesday 21, Luke 21-24, Plyometrics

31. Wednesday 22, Acts 1-4, Back & Biceps

32. Thursday 23, Acts 5-8

33. Friday 24, Acts 9-12, Legs & Back

34. Saturday 25, Acts 13-16

35. Sunday 26, Acts 17-20

Week 6 Memory Verse:

36. Monday 27, Acts 21-24, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

37. Tuesday 28, Acts 25-28, Plyometrics

38. Wednesday 29, 1 Timothy, Back & Biceps

39. Thursday March 1, 2 Timothy

40.  Friday 2, Titus-Philemon, Legs & Back

41. Saturday 3, Hebrews 10-13

42. Sunday 4, James

Week 7 Memory Verse:

43. Monday 5, 1 Peter, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

44. Tuesday 6, 2 Peter, Plyometrics

45. Wednesday 7, John 1-4, Back & Biceps

46. Thursday 8, John 5-8

47. Friday 9, John 9-13, Legs & Back

48. Saturday 10, John 14-17

49. Sunday 11, John 18-21

Week 8 Memory Verse:

50. Monday 12, 1 John-Ephesians, Chest & Back

51. Tuesday 13, 2 John-Jude-Rev. 1-3, Plyometrics

52. Wednesday 14, Rev. 4-11, Shoulders & Arms

53. Thursday 15, Rev. 12-14

54. Friday 16, Rev. 15-18, Legs & Back

55. Saturday 17, Rev. 19-22