May 6, 2012
Dancing with the Scars – Addiction
Though I’m traveling at Community Christian Church (Lanoka Harbor, NJ) speaking for their Faith Promise missions weekend, here is the study guide for the last message in MCC’s Dancing with the Scars series, “Recovery from Addiction.” MCC’s message resource page features some local area resources, including Celebrate Recovery.
February 28, 2012
Mountain Walk
In Feb-Mar 2012, MCC unveiled a revised version of the Mountain Walk – three core ways we can live as Jesus did. The message series presented “Love God” (4-5 Feb); “Love People” (11-12 Feb); “Serve the World” (18-19 Feb); plus the foundation of the Mountain Walk (“What’s It All About” 28-29 Jan); and what we are doing about it (“Walking the Walk” 25-26 Feb). The climax of the series was a churchwide “Commissioning” (3-4 March) [incomplete].
May 16, 2011
ServeFest + Mtn Adventure Weekends (CHANGES!) = BIG events + small groups
I ran out of time to blog about ServeFest beforehand, but after warming up w/ 1.5hrs of chair set-up w/ Team 3, I met Heather + Abby at Jerusalem Mill Village for a wet but worthwhile morning of outdoor projects w/ a few other from my Wed AM men’s small group, several other small groups, MCC members, and others. Plenty of pics and stories at the Facebook ServeFest group, and MCC’s Creative Media team is putting together a video for next weekend’s service. By Sunday afternoon (after Team 3′s chair tear-down), I was worn out!
With ServeFest done, the next big events for MCC small groups are this summer’s Mountain Adventure Weekends. Instead of setting aside only 1 summer week to “celebrate life … because God is good!” – we’re spreading the celebration over 4 summer weekends (CHANGED FROM post on Mon 16 Jun):
Sun-Mon 19-20 June: including Sunday Father’s Day Car + Bike Show; Brooms Blooms Monday Night
Fri-Sat 15-16 July: Friday Ironbirds Game; Saturday pancake breakfast
Fri-Mon 5-8 Aug: plenty of participation sports throughout the weekend; AND Sunday’s Family Game Night (I’m helping w/ this AND could use YOUR HELP too!!!); AND more Brooms Blooms on Monday night
Fri-Sat 26-27 Aug: Finale including scavenger hunt, fireworks + tailgating
I haven’t done very much work for my small slice of MAW (Mountain Adventure Weekends acronym) – Family Game Night on Saturday 6 August (after Saturday 505pm service), but if you’d like to help (even if you’ve not come before) email me, or add a comment to the blog. My family is thrilled to plan all comers in Dutch Blitz; Apples to Apples; or even old fashioned LIFE 
May 3, 2011
the right SHOES – resources 1 May 2011
Ben Cachiaras + several #MtCC shared about different shoes we wear as Christians – contrasting, yet complementary aspects of walking w/ Jesus. Ben gave the overall theme, and showed off some moves – “showed off” might be a little generous – to highlight “dance shoes” for joy + celebration. Blake Park called on his Texas background in talking about pulling on “poop kickers” to persevere through the mucky times of life. Rob Arsenault strapped on well-worn work boots as he challenged people to serve. Kelly Kastens invited us to true rest + re-creation in flip-flops. And yours truly laced up cleats to model teamwork + relationships — “I’m not a soccer athlete, I just play one on TV” (or web video / multicast to our Bel Air site).
Because I was otherwise occupied, didn’t take message notes this week, but did write (late) small group study guide.
I don’t know how many people will remember the pull quote Ben highlighted “ groups @ #mtcc are where we LEARN and LEAN. Some of the learning happens in the leaning.” – more people reacted to my Andres Cantor (famed football a/k/a soccer announcer) impression Here’s a version of his trademark GOOOOOOAL call for a popular commercial:
In real life, I’m much more of a chess player than any team sport athlete, though I have been known to shout when certain NY sports teams win
April 2, 2011
Going Beyond in NYC – Metro Chr Convention 2011
I presented 2 workshops last Saturday at an annual Saturday gathering of Restoration Movement Christians in the NYC region. My family & I have been participating in the Metro for years, way back to its early days when we would make the long drive from Ohio to participate. My two topics this year grew from the Convention theme of “Going Beyond in NYC” – itself an adaption from last year‘s North American Chr Convention. You can download notes from the “Going Beyond in Discipleship” session (answer key at bottom of sheet). The “Going Beyond in Technology” was deliberately more free form, because I guessed that the participants would come w/ different levels of tech interest for themselves and their congregations. The discussion focused on:
- using YouVersion (my specific user account including my notes) for an online Bible resource, including reading plans;
- Twitter to communicate by texting, especially for congregations whose members used text more than email or web;
- blogs for posting lessons and news
As readers of this blog can guess, we barely scratched the surface of using tech for ministry: databases, Facebook, security, etc. – but if anyone has thoughts, feel free comment on this post
March 13, 2011
Finances: Fear or Freedom (p2) Mar13 resources
Rob Kastens spoke about Biblical and practical “why-s” and “how-s” for dealing with consumer debt, closing MCC’s two week series on personal finances. My apology to MCC Bel Air small groups, I printed the study guide Saturday night, but didn’t get it to John Carroll in time because I was at the MCC Student Ministries Rapha House fundraiser (fashion show). Also, my notes of Rob’s message, without some of the detailed stats he gave. Here are some online resources for budgeting and debt reduction from the Dave Ramsey website.
March 4, 2011
Praying Why? How? Now!
MCC sg leader + Fellowship Christian Athletes (Maryland) servant-leader Rick Conniff serves with MCC’s Sunday 7:30a prayer small group. His passion for MCC to become a more + better praying church led him to assemble these resources for small groups (or individuals):
MCC small groups + ministry teams are “going to their knees” in prayer – including some folks from MCC Bel Air coming together Sat 5 Mar 1p to pray for one of their own – I’m glad they invited me along
February 28, 2011
How Are Your Knees?
Tom Moen, MCC glocal pastor, repeatedly asked, “How Are Your Knees?” in yesterday’s message on praying. MCC executive pastor sent a follow-through email with this Tim Keller quote (useful “how-to” to guide prayer thoughts throughout the day):
Tim Keller responding during a Q&A at Covenant Seminary. Here is his response talking about his prayer life in response to a question: how do you preach the gospel to yourself every day?
“I try to do petition in the morning. I try to do repentance in the evening. So I try to pray in the morning and in the evening. In the evening I look back on what I did wrong and repent.
But in the middle of the day I try to catch myself and I look for four kinds of emotions.
I always pray in the morning, “Lord make me happy enough in the grace of Jesus to avoid being proud, cold, scared, and hooked.”
- Now, by proud I mean what you think, too self-congratulatory. And maybe disdainful of people who I don’t think have it together.
- Cold means I’m just too absorbed in my concerns to really be compassionate and gracious and warm and joyful to the people around me.
- Scared means I’m just obviously too anxious and worried.
- Hooked means…when you’re overworked, it means for me…eating. Eating things I shouldn’t eat just because it’s a way of keeping my energy up, and also because it’s a way of rewarding myself. Or looking at women more than once.
So: proud, cold, scared, hooked.
Now, in the middle of the day I get it out and say, “Have I been proud, scared, cold, or hooked in the last 3-4 hours. And the answer usually is “Yeah.” And then I say, “How do I bring the Gospel to bear on that? How does the grace of God deal with it?” And you try to catch yourself in those feelings. So basically finding problem feelings and inordinate desires, catch them when they’re happening, try to deal with them with the Gospel right there.
I call that “Quick Strike” on my idols around noon, if I can remember it. And repentance at night and petition in the morning. So I try to get into God’s presence three times a day.”
January 22, 2011
Remembering Dr Charles Cook
Last Saturday, Heather & I attended the memorial celebration for Dr Charles Cook. Others who knew him better, including his son Kevin, Leroy Lawson (Dr Cook’s successor at Central Chr Church, Mesa AZ), Naomi Kouns (longtime teammate of Dr Cook at Christian Missionary Fellowship), and MCC’s senior pastor Ben Cachiaras, spoke movingly of Dr Cook’s influence throughout God’s kingdom.
Dr Cook graciously welcomed me to MCC’s staff when I began six years ago, especially drawing on our mutual connections to CMF, and ministry on the East Coast. He was the trailblazer for MCC’s Celebrate Recovery program, then passed the baton for its oversight to me as CR launched. Though his public activity at MCC slowed in the last few years, I was grateful for his participation as I pulled together MCC’s Great Communion service 4 Oct 2009, because he was a long-time champion of cooperation among the three strands of the Restoration Movement. So I join the tens of thousands of others who owe are heartily grateful for the ways the Spirit worked through Charles Cook.
October 18, 2010
Cannonball resources
First day personal reflection time from the Cannonball booklet asks what I do in “jump in or watch from the edge” situations? Why? Which response comes more easily to you?
I’m a “watch from the edge, analyze others, then jump” person. Thinking back on some life change situations (switching from Columbia U to Cincinnati Chr U; moving from OH to NY for ministry; leaving E Northport Chr Ch to move to MD + MCC) – in each case, someone else went first (did something similar), I observed, then acted.
I’ll try to add a youversion.com contribution for each day’s Cannonball Bible reading. You don’t need to sign up for this on-line Bible resource to read my commentary snippets, but if you do, let me know because I’m interested in using the social networking aspect youversion.
If you’re an MCC small group leader, you might have already noticed that Title Menu labels the video clip you use for small group session week 1 as “Welcome Video.” Its both Ben’s overall introduction to the Cannonball initiative and the jumping off point for the “Toes Over the Edge” discussion. Remember leaders, let the Spirit guide your discussion time, do NOT feel like you have to answer each question – you know your group and what they need to talk about.
