Learning To Pray

I want to pass on to you the most inspiring prayer resource that I have encountered in many years.  "Heavenward" is  a blog by Scotty Smith, pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN.  Each day he posts a prayer.  Each prayer is now a part of own my daily time with my Heavenly Father. There is no better resource for learning to pray from a "gospel of grace" perspective that I have been able to find.

You can go directly to the blog by clicking here.  Once there, mark that in your browser and then pray daily with Scotty, just as I do.  There is even a link on that page to have the prayer emailed to you each day.  Do whatever works best for you, but don't miss the opportunity to see your prayer life grow and the roots of your heart dig deeper into the gospel of grace.  Let me encourage you by giving you a taste of today's prayer:

We're (Probably) Not Headed To The Movie Theater

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to walk through the Regal Cinemas near Central Park to consider a theater as a location for Christ Covenant's Sunday morning worship service and ministry.  It was arranged by Bonnie Smith, a national Regal employee who served for years as an EPC Women's Ministry leader but is now helping put churches and special events in Regal theaters around the country.  I got to meet Matt Foster, the local manager of the theaters.  Both are GREAT folks and would be wonderful to work with.

We walked through all the auditoriums with lights on and began to consider doing ministry in that setting.  There was a lot that I liked:

• It was less expensive than Salem School.
• The space was newer and jazzier.
• The location is more accessible and known.
• We could do GREAT video clips and art pieces.
• Surprisingly, I could see the setting for our Children's Ministry as much improved there.
• Bonnie's organization had expertise and help in making this change work well.

But for all of that, the Steering Committee has decided that this location would be low on our list, and we will continue praying and looking for something better.  What was the problem?  The architecture of a movie theater would significantly alter the corporate worship experience in a way that was counter to our stated vision and values in two major ways.  Let me explain them.

"I Have Called You By Name . . ."

But now thus says the Lord,

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1 (ESV) 

"I have called you by name."  This is a statement that our Heavenly Father made to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, but it expresses well an aspect of our adoption into His family by grace.  He knows and loves us personally and deeply despite our brokenness.  He knows our name, in fact, He has given us His name through adoption.  We are His.

That experience should shape the heart of every believer in every Gospel-of-Grace oriented congregation, and then express itself towards the new people that the Father brings to our doorstep each Sunday.  At Christ Covenant, we call it "welcoming people well," and it is something we are mindful of.  Are we welcoming visitors in a way that they feel welcomed?  A way that is appropriate to them?  Not forcing our selves or our agenda on them, but available, responsive and welcoming.  Thinking about their needs as a visitor before our needs as regulars.

A component of that is learning, remembering and speaking to a person by name.  It makes a difference, we try to be diligent about getting names and faces connected, remembered and recognized.  I was struck by the importance of knowing a person's name by a blog post in "Church Volunteer Daily" that I reproduce here in full:

It Always Goes To The Heart

It was a crushing headline that ran in our local Sunday paper, and across the United States: "After Gastric Bypass Surgery, Some Patients Battle New Addictions."  The article itself summarized research, including life stories of people who lived out a connection between dramatic weight loss from gastric bypass surgery followed by an increased incidence of alcoholism.  

• "Drinking for me became like eating used to be — instant satisfaction," said the 60-year-old resident of South Florida.
• "All addictions are about fixing how one feels," said Lerner. "Changing the nature of the addiction does not change the nature of the person." 
• Click Here for the full story. 

Thomas Jefferson Was A Calvinist?!?

Sort of!  I believe he was, in the same way that I am a Freudian, Darwinist who sees the world in light of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

EPC General Assembly - 2011

I was unable to attend the General Assembly of the EPC this year, but am happy to pass along the following information about it, written by Dana Cadman, Director of Communications for the EPC.  It was originally posted at this link to the Aquila Report.

What Do You Mean By The Term "Missional Church"?

Visitors to Christ Covenant will often ask me that question, so let me attempt to clarify, answer and give some background.