What Is Online Church?
Have you heard about online church but wonder what it's all about? Here are a few bullets of what we consider to be "Online Church":
- Rather than attending a physical church building to "do" church, we offer an online experience (currently with 3 service times on Sunday's 12, 6:30, and 8:30 PM EST) where you can attend with others from all over the world, chat with them, take notes, give, send prayer requests and more. It also allows you connect with others attending through Twitter or Facebook or simply remain annonymous. For many, they think Online Church ends there... in reality, it is so much more...
- Any opportunity we have to "be" the Church, grow in our faith, learn, connect with others, and continue to take steps online IS Online Church
- Reading the Bible using youversion.com (or other online Bible offerings) is Online Church
- Connecting with others in Facebook and Twitter looking for opportunities to encourage, pray for, find ways to help, and more is Online Church
- Creating a personalized spiritual growth plan through a tool like Monvee.com is Online Church
- Having an online meeting or small group through a tool like tokbox.com is Online Church
- Nearly every morning while we're getting ready in our bathroom my wife is playing various podcasts she downloaded from the web with some of the greatest teachers in the world....is Online Church
- Having a discussion in an online forum is Online Church
- Collaborating with a mission and giving to a Haiti Earthquake relief effort with others online is Online Church
- Training future leaders in the Church via Online Web players/viewers is Online Church
- Connecting people from all over the globe to central online sites of training and teaching so they can in turn be a force in their local communities is Online Church
- Creating a central point of a local missional strategy online where multiple "physical" churches can unite and bring real change to their community is Online Church
- To connect and learn with other countries, races, and cultures across the globe online to breakdown the divides that so often creates mistrust is.... Online Church
It's yes, and yes, and yes. Online Church is more than a quick substitute to check some box that says "I went to church this week". Online Church is about "being" the Church 24/7, leveraging the technology available to us today to maximize personal growth, global collaboration and communication, and meeting people where they already are (1.5 billion and growing online).
Can you do Church Online? What do you think?
“If Only the Disciples Had Twitter”
Imagine if the disciples had Twitter... what if we had TwitPics like the one pictured here with a caption: FishNet_Peter: Da boyz pulling in serious catch w/Jesus http:// twitpic.com/1dr4dg
Or others:
- FishNet_Peter: @TaxAdviceMatthew Dude, yeah you can throw a party but I walked on water... just sayin'.
- Judas_Benadict: What's the going price for silver these days?
- TaxAdviceMatthew: FYI, your brother from another mother does not qualify as an exemption.
- Philipandcup: @Bartho12 @Jamezebedee Still wondering how we're going to feed everyone? LOL.
- Jamezebedee: Demon possessed pigs running over cliff: http://twitpic.com/6eg3lm
- FishNet_Peter: @MaryMag The rock was rolled away? Hold tight, be there in a few...
- NoWayThomas: OMW Jesus is alive & back in da' house! http://twitpic.com/3dz2bk
How cool would it be to see actual pics of the events in the Bible? Wouldn't faith be so much easier? Would it still be faith then? As when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the crowds had huge expectations that He was going to take over as King, clear the injustice, and bring a new world order... many still have expectations that some "God" should get rid of the bad people, stop abuse, and make things all better here on Earth.
To some, God is so obvious in the creation He has made. Others struggle with why God seems so elusive and disengaged from our world and the disasters it brings. Even others have no faith in a God or religion and have shifted their faith to science. Many aren't even giving it much/any thought. I think Jesus came in a time when there was no technology for a reason.
While I often wish I could simply have an angel appear to me every night and tell me what I should do tomorrow, it's clear to me that God operates with a different plan. If He wanted to be obvious and drop down scores of lightning bolts, He could... but He doesn't. Regularly in the Bible, Jesus calls us to faith and belief in Him. There's something special about faith...
In my opinion, the question of God is the paramount question for us to pursue in this life... all other issues and quests become a distant second. What say you? What builds faith in your life about anything?
Defining Values for Your Family
Motivated by this "Blink" parenting series, I realized that much of what we have been doing as a family has been reactive or we've simply been "winging" it. Mark Beeson mentioned the idea of having a Values Statement for your family. What are things you value in your family? Where is it that we want our family to be in 5 years? 10 years? Are we thinking of leaving a multi-generational legacy for our family?
Here were some of the questions we asked our 11 and 9 year old as we started to define who we were and who we wanted to be this past week:
- What makes our family a family? Why is it that when you look at your sister or brother, it's different than someone else at school?
- What kind of people do we want to be?
- What do we think it important?
- What are things we choose to do as a family we consider important?
- How will we treat each other?
- What things are unique just to our family?
- What times did we have the most fun as a family? What are things you'll always remember?
- What do you think it will be like in 5 or 10 years? What kind of parent do you want to be?
- When do you feel most hurt? What should we change or be a value in our family?
- Are there examples when you feel like we haven't been a good family? What did we learn?
- What kind of family should we be to others that are not part of our family?
We've filled up 3 sheets of a large flip chart so far as we explored these questions... the kids had a great time taking turns writing the answers... Really the questions are to simply explore what's worked, what hasn't work, what we remember, etc... In the next few weeks we hope to actually put this in writing and have something to point back to as a family.
Have any of you done this in your family? What did you come up with?
If you haven't already checked it out, here's a place where people are sharing their parenting ideas, successes, and learnings.... there's some great information here from the lessons of others: http://gccwired.com/parentExchange.asp
"Short term parenting is focused on changing behavior, long term parenting focuses on changing the heart."- Rob Wegner 3/7/10
“I’ve Been Dealt a Bad Hand in Life”
You've lost your job, you've experienced a death in your family, you've been abused, you can seem to do anything right, just when things seem to be coming together the rug gets pulled out from underneath you, you've lost your dream, you've messed up, you've hurt people, you're broke, life feels meaningless, you wonder if life is even worth living..... Sound familiar?
How can we possibly have a sense of purpose for the crappy hand we've been dealt in our life? How can we have any hope of doing anything with significance? So what do we do?
- One reason why it's said the Bible is true is that they are events that happened but continue to happen all around us in our lives or the lives around us...
- Moses felt like a failure.... he murdered someone, tried to run away from his problems, struggled with being a stutterer.... He felt like he was dealt a bad hand yet God had a greater purpose in his life...
- In the video during the service, listen to the testimony of Stephanie... you can watch Online here at 6:30 or 8:30 EST tonight (January 24th) or will be able to view after January 25th for a week... Her comments include: "I spent the next 10 years trying to find something to fix me...", "I felt like I was the one who caused the problems in my life and others...", "I didn't feel like I was qualified to do what God asked me to do..." It's a remarkable story.
- “It’s not about the hand you’ve been dealt, it’s about the hand of God in your life…”- Jason Miller
- More often than not, God works through us in a series of steps that will take time... one small step at a time.... " Many people want God to be a silver bullet that will immediately make their pain go away or change their circumstances immediately... "there was no magic wand, it was a very slow process..."- Stephanie
- The point is, "who will you be?".... "who has God created you to be?".... When we can identify that in our lives, it changes the way we are in our relationships, our job, with our spouse, with our kids, and how we spend our time...
- For a few, you know you've actually been dealt a pretty good hand, you've been blessed... However, the question remains the same....who will you be? Who has God created you to be? What steps are you taking to get out of your comfort zone?
We're in this together, all dealing with the hands we've been dealt... What's your next step? Stephanie's story is worth hearing, I invite you to check it out.
“God Can’t Use Me”
I had lunch with a friend a few months ago who said, "I don't think I'm qualified to be used by God... my past is too littered with some bad stuff..." Is he really disqualified? Can we have a past that is so bad that God can simply be fed up and be done with us? Is your past so bad you don't even feel worthy to step foot into a church? What giants in your past or present are you facing?
This past weekend we talked about the story of King David (the dude who flung a rock at the giant Goliath and killed him....yep, that guy.) Here's a few points that can give us all hope:
- David was an adulterer and murderer yet God still used him
- The Bible says: "There is none good, no not one." Romans 3:10 We're all in the same boat with David... we've screwed up, we still struggle with temptations and challenges in our lives... but we can still be used by God for His ultimate purpose.
- God doesn't disqualify failures, He chooses failures.... Jesus works through failures
- After we mess up, we start "branding" ourselves... loser... adulterer...
- Failure is universal.... confession is rare... "We have a greater fear of looking bad than being bad." Just recently a former politician finally revealed he fathered a daughter after video-taped denials over the past few years...
- "Your right standing with God depends on your confession not on your performance..." God is about second chances... for all of us...
What part of your past do you feel like is holding you back to taking on the next challenge? Where do you feel disqualified or unworthy to serve or be part of what God may have for you?
You matter to God. You can be used by God...today. Still wonder if there is a God or if He really cares? Keep pressing in and asking questions... you're welcomed here.
Granger Community Plan for Helping Haiti
While we agonize over the events in Haiti this past week, it's our opportunity to help directly as the Church. Pastor Mark Beeson addressed this on his blog as we partner with World Relief for funds to go directly to Haiti. You can give directly here.
I'm reminded once again how small my issues and stresses are in my life when watching the devastation seen on TV.
Jesus, please help all us know what our role is in this and how we can best help. Please be with those working on the front lines to save lifes and bringing care. We lift up the Haitian nation and pray for protection and strength in spirit in these hard days.
“Thy Will Be Changed or Thy Will Be Done?”
If I give my life over to Jesus, life should be easier right? And, when I give my life to Jesus, He's going to give me what I want, I'll be healthier, make more money, have perfect kids, and my marriage will be peachy.... seems like a nice formula for life... however, reality looks a little different:
- For many of us we say "Thy will be done" but we slip into a life of wanting "thy will be changed". We want God to align with our goals and dreams and when that doesn't happen, we can get frustrated with God. God designed a plan for our lives that brings maximum purpose to whatever years we're given here on Earth.
- Mary responded with "Thy will be done" when given the huge responsibility of bringing Jesus into the world and all the challenges in her culture that came with it. God does not choose us for ease or to be comfortable... each of us has been chosen to use all of our strength, mind, and hands... we'll need it all to carry out our purpose in life.
- There can be grave consequences when we choose our will. Solomon's foolishness not only brought him down, it also destroyed a nation.
- Mom's and Dad's.... never under estimate the significance of your prayers....
- Mary knew the piercing truth about being blessed.... The blessed paradox.... Jesus didn't come to make it easy for people, He came to make us great people..."
In this life we will have struggles. I need help in continually handing over the reins of my life back over to God.
Jesus, may Your will be done and please help me continue to take steps into the purpose and life you created me for.
For another week, you should be able to watch "Pregnant Teenager Gives Birth in a Barn" for more...
January 18th Launching Bible Reading Plan!
As promised, we are going to launch the Bible reading plan one week from today, January 18th!
Why should you care?
- If you're like me, you've started reading the Bible only to get to Genesis 24 and then flicker out... not anymore, we're going to do this together...
- If we believe what we believe and as we learned in the story of Solomon, reading the Bible will help pour wisdom into our lives and inevitably will help our choices, decision-making, and give us some unique opportunities to encounter God... This is one of the few factors we CAN control...
- Thanks to YouVersion, the Bible now is more than something to read, the Bible is now a place where Community can occur! We get to do life together embedded in the Bible as we share thoughts, questions, notes together...
- Join me and those who've already committed to exchange the least helpful 15 minutes of our day for 15 minutes of life-giving Truth. Think about it... 15 minutes of the home shopping network, organizing your socks, brushing your cat, waiting on hold, stuck in traffic... for 15 minutes of God given wisdom...
How do I get started?
- Create an account at http://www.youversion.com . No hassle, you can build your profile and add any additional information you like...
- Here is the "Group" we've set-up where we'll be together: http://www.youversion.com/groups/grangerbiblejourney2010 (FYI, we're working on editing the description a bit but this is the right group...
- Here is the Reading Plan we'll tackle together: http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/old-testament-and-new-testament If you fall in love with another reading plan, go with it! We'd still love to have you part of our group...
- We can make contributions together, learn together, and get to learn this great tool of the Bible via the web or your mobile phone!
- We'll make some additional resources and blog posts here throughout the year to track the Journey. Get started late? Fall behind? Stay with us, keep pressing in...
Really, shift 15 minutes of the most useless part of your day for accomplishing a great feat this year that will add huge value to your life. You game?
You may be Smart, But You Ain’t Wise”
There are a lot of smart people that have had their lives unravel because of the decisions they've made. A Congressman or world-class golfer has an affair and suddenly life is dramatically different. Thousands have lost fortunes betting on real estate booms that have turn to busts... We work with them, we live near them, and we see them in the news.... smart people that just seem to have a hard time managing life decisions and direction. If I'm honest, I've certainly been there done that...
It's one thing to be smart, it's special to be wise... So how can we gain wisdom?
- Ask for it. A great prayer, "God, please give me wisdom for Your people..." King Solomon's one request from God was to have wisdom to govern God's people... God poured more favor and blessing on his life beyond what he asked for... regarded as the wisest man to ever live, his wisdom came from God
- Stay in love with God. Solomon became "half-hearted" in his devotion to God, unintended consequences come when we fall out of love with God...
- Read the Bible. If we aren't praying+ acknowledging Him+ reading the Bible= Lack of Wisdom
- Proactive Choices. What are we filling our minds with? What are we doing day to day, week to week? Attending a church can help fill our minds with God's truths... Surrounding ourselves with people trying to seek after God is another great step... Some of these things we simply need to put first in our lives...
Other Wisdom Nuggets:
- Wisdom is not about having a lot of facts and information.... It's about having information and using it wisely...
- Just because Solomon had all the wisdom in the world, he still didn't always use it! Having it doesn't mean you'll use it...
- Life without God = Small vision... We get to choose, our way and our priorities or God's plan for our lives...
So what can be my next step?
Join us January 18th to launch into a youversion.com reading plan. Together we will read the entire Bible in one year! Check out youversion.com for a sneak peek... We will have more information on this site soon with the details! I need wisdom in my life. Let's do this!
You may still be wondering if this God-thing, the Bible, and all this stuff about wisdom is legitimate... You're skeptical. That's OK. Keep checking things out, keep asking questions.... We believe you have a purpose and matter to God and thanks for hanging around...
Watch Mark Beeson's message here on wisdom...
Proverbs 4:5 - Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
Proverbs 4:7 - Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Proverbs 16:16 - How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
Proverbs 17:16 - Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?
Proverbs 19:8 - He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
Christmas Eve Online Style!
While the Midwest was battling snow, wind, and ice, our 11:00 Christmas Eve Online Service was a full house (uh, full in the terms of the visual below... Total initial count was 941 viewers! You can see the purple dude sitting out in the atrium looking for a seat.... Looking forward to a great year with y'all!
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