I've Been Thinking About This…

Michael Trent:
(The Church Bartender)
We have to consider the environments we’re creating.
Are we building churches in such a way that can support the community?
God has given the church some amazing real estate.
Are we listening to what others are saying? intergenerationally, etc..
Jesus is coming back to used & dirty churches, not clean & closed ones.

Brad Powell:
We need to reflect and represent Christ in whatever we do.
Answering questions that noone was asking.
We are suppoed to be about ‘revolution’. But it’s odd that it’s odd to say that. We have turned to the world.
To stop the revolution, we get rid of Jesus.
We need to let Jesus back into the church so revolution can begin.
Commit to a present mission, rather than the history.
93% of the churches in our world are stagnating.
Need to lead people to Rom 12:1-2.

Ken Fung:
Inasmuch as “familiarity breeds contempt”, the preacher has to overcome familiarity in his audience, but even more so in himself.
Confess it and find new ways to see it afresh.
For some read different passages. Also try Buechner (Peculiar Treasures and Wishful Thinking); listen to other preachers.
Avoid predictable patterns of preaching to help congregation stay fresh.
preaching isn’t a lecture, it’s a conversation.
Zero in on one point.
Book – Made to Stick by by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

John Coulombe & Bambi Encarnation:
Don’t assume that older adlts have no room to grow
1. We need a sense of purpose with this age group (ps 78; 1 Tim 4) – they have a lot of skills
2. Need a sense of mission and service for the lost.
3. A sense of honor toward their age
4. A sense of humor (doing youth ministry with older people)
5. A sense of completion
6. Wrap up their lives so they move into the next life with grace

Darren Whitehead:
My 3-year-old daughter’s imagination was taken captive by the world.
(Dreamed about Elmo)
Matt 6:34 – Ask, seek, knock – what would you ask for?
Are our desires hauntingly similar to the world?
We’re called to eat delicious ripe fresh apples; are we going to be content eating the rotten ones?

Matt Williams:
Big challenges at his church in gender issues.
Gen 1:27 – both genders are part of God’s nature
Is 66 – Nurturing is part of God’s nature
2 Sam 7 – Masculine is found in God
from Bible, being equal is not the same as being the same.
Men don’t carry beauty the way women do
God is beautiful
Males are powerful – the average male is 60% stronger than the average female.
God is powerful
The idea of becoming one flesh cannot happen unless they wren’t one before.
the one-ness idea is foundational to understanding the rest of thge Bible.
Our gender has everithung to do with our identity, intimacy, roles in the marriage, for him to honor w/out abuse, for her to respect.

But then he moves into passivity by Gen 3 & she moves into independance by Gen 4 – the Gospel redeems.

Milton:
Within 20-40 year Hispanics will become the majority in many states. Will we reach out the the Hispanic community?

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