This is not very spiritual, but here are a few things that I have found this Christmas season that I think are pretty cool.
1. Schulte's Bakery, on 5th street in Washington, has been baking Christmas cookies the last two days and the place smells amazing! They are the only people I have found on Earth who sell Springele cookies. What are Springele cookies? Click to find out.
2. I found a great mobile tool box for Christmas at Meijer's online store. It is stainless steel and a great price. Unfortunately the shipping company sent it to New York City and some nice lady in Manhattan has my Christmas/Birthday tool box. We have talked on the phone twice and hope to get the box out of her office and into my house. Is this punishment for getting the free shipping deal?
3. Duracell makes an iPhone cradel for your car that has an FM transmitter and charger. You can listen to Pandora over your radio using the iPhone, and calls can be heard over your radio as well. Thanks Stephanie and John Jahnke for finding this one.
Stay warm!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
New Look
It is always good to re-vamp the look of things. So, the blog has a new look. I had changed it recently in a couple of church marketing seminars, to simply teach blogging to some pastors and did not like the rushed look of things. Enjoy.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Must Read!
I found this great article on church revitalization. If you are not in a wealthy metro-plex, and you are frustrated with the conventional rules for measuring success in churches today, you need to read this.
http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201001/201001_000_Rethinking_Church_Revitalization.cfm
This pastor deserves a medal! Oh, I forgot, those only go to church planters and "Founding Pastors." Really, this is an extremely well written piece. Highly motivating and can change the way you think about church.
http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201001/201001_000_Rethinking_Church_Revitalization.cfm
This pastor deserves a medal! Oh, I forgot, those only go to church planters and "Founding Pastors." Really, this is an extremely well written piece. Highly motivating and can change the way you think about church.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
What Has the Devil Stolen?
I think this is going to be the title of the sermon this Sunday to kick off FIRE FALL.
Don't miss this. You need to get your stuff back!
Don't miss this. You need to get your stuff back!
FIRE FALL
Fire Fall starts Sunday!
Fire Fall is our fall revival. Sunday night at 6:30, we will have an all worship service. We are planning on going from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. If you need to leave early for your kids we understand. The Wednesday night youth worship team will kick off the worship service at 6:30.
Monday through Wednesday, we will start at 6:30 and go till 7:30. Extended prayer times following services will be available, but we will dismiss at 7:30 for people with young children.
Nursery will be available, but we will not have Jungle Jam or Kids Church in the evening services. We want our kids to worship with us and respond to the altar with us.
Fire Fall is our fall revival. Sunday night at 6:30, we will have an all worship service. We are planning on going from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. If you need to leave early for your kids we understand. The Wednesday night youth worship team will kick off the worship service at 6:30.
Monday through Wednesday, we will start at 6:30 and go till 7:30. Extended prayer times following services will be available, but we will dismiss at 7:30 for people with young children.
Nursery will be available, but we will not have Jungle Jam or Kids Church in the evening services. We want our kids to worship with us and respond to the altar with us.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Our Next Big Projects!
Our benevolence committee, which brought us the 9/11 EMS dinner, has some more plans for 2010! THREE BIG PROJECTS this fall.
1. We are collecting items for donation through Loving Hearts. From now till November 30th we want to collect cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, kitchen supplies and other house hold items that Loving Hearts is always giving out to those in need. There will be a container in the foyer of the church at 408 East 8th street. If you do not attend our church, but wish to donate items bring them by the office from 8 to 5 week days. Or, come visit on Sunday at 8:30 or 10:15, have a cup of coffee and a snack, and stick around for a great time of worship and encounter with God.
2. We are going to assist with a Christmas Outreach at the Pacific, MO State Penitentiary. we will make a large purchase of soap and shampoo that will be added to gift bags that are being prepared by a team of churches. Those gift bags will be distributed by a team, including some men from our church. Every inmate in the Pacific prison will receive a Christmas gift bag! You can help by going to the institution to help distribute, or you can help put bags together. Keep your eyes open and on the bulletin for those upcoming work dates!
3. We are putting together a food order, so that we can bless several families in our church and area with food at Christmas time. If you would like to help distribute Christmas food boxes in December, please contact me (Pastor Paul) ASAP so that we can plan well for this project.
1. We are collecting items for donation through Loving Hearts. From now till November 30th we want to collect cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, kitchen supplies and other house hold items that Loving Hearts is always giving out to those in need. There will be a container in the foyer of the church at 408 East 8th street. If you do not attend our church, but wish to donate items bring them by the office from 8 to 5 week days. Or, come visit on Sunday at 8:30 or 10:15, have a cup of coffee and a snack, and stick around for a great time of worship and encounter with God.
2. We are going to assist with a Christmas Outreach at the Pacific, MO State Penitentiary. we will make a large purchase of soap and shampoo that will be added to gift bags that are being prepared by a team of churches. Those gift bags will be distributed by a team, including some men from our church. Every inmate in the Pacific prison will receive a Christmas gift bag! You can help by going to the institution to help distribute, or you can help put bags together. Keep your eyes open and on the bulletin for those upcoming work dates!
3. We are putting together a food order, so that we can bless several families in our church and area with food at Christmas time. If you would like to help distribute Christmas food boxes in December, please contact me (Pastor Paul) ASAP so that we can plan well for this project.
Monday, November 1, 2010
A Kitchen Shower
OK, that sounds weird. I have a bathroom shower. I know some pastors at fancy churches who have an office shower. But, be sure, we are not installing a shower in the church kitchen.
Saturday morning we are having a kitchen shower to supply the kitchen with tools. People who use the kitchen regularly know that there are some essential tools missing. We are going to try and fix that problem.
The kitchen shower will be this Saturday, at 10:00. My wife Stephanie is a Pampered Chef consultant and all the host rewards, and all of her commissions will be given back to the church as donations to the kitchen. Since it will run similar to a Pampered Chef Party, you can buy stuff for yourself, or as Christmas gifts for others, knowing that all the sales commission from your gift purchases will go back into the church kitchen! You can also buy a tool from a list provided for the kitchen. Again, even the commission from your purchase will go back into the kitchen.
Saturday morning we are having a kitchen shower to supply the kitchen with tools. People who use the kitchen regularly know that there are some essential tools missing. We are going to try and fix that problem.
The kitchen shower will be this Saturday, at 10:00. My wife Stephanie is a Pampered Chef consultant and all the host rewards, and all of her commissions will be given back to the church as donations to the kitchen. Since it will run similar to a Pampered Chef Party, you can buy stuff for yourself, or as Christmas gifts for others, knowing that all the sales commission from your gift purchases will go back into the church kitchen! You can also buy a tool from a list provided for the kitchen. Again, even the commission from your purchase will go back into the kitchen.
Weekend Rewind
Sunday was a great day. Worship was good and I love the sermon because I love the topic. I love communicating to our church about the necessity of reaching the next generation of Jesus followers that will lead our church through this new century.
I hope that you will be extra sensitive to opportunities that you will have this week to lovingly and graciously invite young people to join you as you follow Jesus. I also hope that you will be thinking about the message so that you will be prepared to changes that our church will go through as we continue to be a place where teen and twenty somethings want to hang out.
Our message never changes, because God and his Word will never change, but our methods of reaching the next generation will always be evolving.
I hope that you will be extra sensitive to opportunities that you will have this week to lovingly and graciously invite young people to join you as you follow Jesus. I also hope that you will be thinking about the message so that you will be prepared to changes that our church will go through as we continue to be a place where teen and twenty somethings want to hang out.
Our message never changes, because God and his Word will never change, but our methods of reaching the next generation will always be evolving.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
What's Brewin'
Don't miss this great chance for fellowship Saturday night! We will be hanging out at MannWell's Coffee Shop on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. We are providing some eclectic styles of music and rubbing shoulders with the public too. Invite lots of friends. This is a great way to introduce friends to friends who love Jesus. Pray for witnessing opportunities, but don't get too pushy, MannWell's is open to the public while we are there. Let's look for open doors with wisdom and tact Saturday night!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday Night Prayer
I have been very blessed by our prayer emphasis on Wednesday nights. We have been praying for people to be saved and Sunday three visitors were saved in Children's Church!
This week I am going to talk briefly about praying for more of God's Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts. Jesus said that the Father would give the Spirit "without measure." Acts refers to the church looking for Deacons who are full of the Spirit. How can I have more of God's Spirit in my life? How can I experience more of his presence? Let's look at these kinds of questions together.
This week I am going to talk briefly about praying for more of God's Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts. Jesus said that the Father would give the Spirit "without measure." Acts refers to the church looking for Deacons who are full of the Spirit. How can I have more of God's Spirit in my life? How can I experience more of his presence? Let's look at these kinds of questions together.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Weekend Rewind
Sunday was a good day. I preached what I call a maintenance message. It was about the role of preaching in the Church, and why it is so important in our weekly services. My hope is that when people come to church they don't just hear a good message, they hear the exact message that they need to hear that day. I want to preach messages that are timeless, but also messages that are timely.
I was also blessed to take a break from the worship team. It is great to sit in the congregation and experience worship. I am still very pleased with the intense involvement that the second service crowd is showing in worship the last four Sundays.
FYI. I have a good attendance report to give you. Our low Sunday the last four weeks was 147, our high Sunday was 167. That is the highest non-holiday attendance of our church's history! If everyone showed up at the same time our attendance would be way over 200, but every Sunday there is a different 30 people absent. Keep praying for the Lord to show us how to gain more space.
I was also blessed to take a break from the worship team. It is great to sit in the congregation and experience worship. I am still very pleased with the intense involvement that the second service crowd is showing in worship the last four Sundays.
FYI. I have a good attendance report to give you. Our low Sunday the last four weeks was 147, our high Sunday was 167. That is the highest non-holiday attendance of our church's history! If everyone showed up at the same time our attendance would be way over 200, but every Sunday there is a different 30 people absent. Keep praying for the Lord to show us how to gain more space.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday off
Well, I don't like Monday as my day off. I will go back to Friday as my day off in the near future.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Next Book
I am working on my next book. I am not going to divulge what it is about because that would change the way people treat me, and that would change the outcome of the book. I honestly don't know where this book is going to end up. It may be a ton of work that will never be published.
It is in the form of a journal or diary. It is also a bit of an experiment on my part. It has a very specific direction and purpose, but that does not mean that I know how it will end yet.
It is in the form of a journal or diary. It is also a bit of an experiment on my part. It has a very specific direction and purpose, but that does not mean that I know how it will end yet.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Weekend Rewind
Sunday was great!
Between the services the fire department showed up and gave us a framed copy of a resolution of thanks to our church for hosting the 9-11 EMS dinner. It was great. I really like these guys! Our fire chief is so nice to be around, so welcoming. Then we all took pictures and the kids all got to tour the two pumper trucks that they brought with them.
In second service the Lord MOVED! There was essentially no sermon. I shared my message at the end, but deleted the videos and only talked for about 5 to 8 minutes.
Here are some amazing highlights.
1. I saw people in the altar that I have longed to see seeking God and worshiping him.
2. Our Elders and Pastor John prayed for people's needs for a long time and it was amazing to see people's faith rise to great levels because of God's presence!
3. We had some beautiful testimonies. I have had no idea what kinds of pressures are on people when they come into church. We all need God.
4. We learn to seek God through application, not lectures! Want God's touch? Seek him. Praise him. Take time with him. Don't sit idle through opportunities like church and then feel frustrated when you don't get anything out of church.
Come to church this week ready to seek God and ready to get with it from the starting prayer. Don't wait till worship has ended to start seeking God.
Between the services the fire department showed up and gave us a framed copy of a resolution of thanks to our church for hosting the 9-11 EMS dinner. It was great. I really like these guys! Our fire chief is so nice to be around, so welcoming. Then we all took pictures and the kids all got to tour the two pumper trucks that they brought with them.
In second service the Lord MOVED! There was essentially no sermon. I shared my message at the end, but deleted the videos and only talked for about 5 to 8 minutes.
Here are some amazing highlights.
1. I saw people in the altar that I have longed to see seeking God and worshiping him.
2. Our Elders and Pastor John prayed for people's needs for a long time and it was amazing to see people's faith rise to great levels because of God's presence!
3. We had some beautiful testimonies. I have had no idea what kinds of pressures are on people when they come into church. We all need God.
4. We learn to seek God through application, not lectures! Want God's touch? Seek him. Praise him. Take time with him. Don't sit idle through opportunities like church and then feel frustrated when you don't get anything out of church.
Come to church this week ready to seek God and ready to get with it from the starting prayer. Don't wait till worship has ended to start seeking God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)