Diane Mueller, 43, of Austin, who grew up Methodist, says she's simply "totally disengaged from the church and the Bible, too." Sunday mornings for her family mean playing in a park, not praying in a pew.
That's a quote from an article published today in USA today. Why don't you go here to read it and then chime in here on what you think it means for churches in America.
What, if anything, should Christian churches and people with a strong faith in Jesus Christ do with this information?
Have a great day,
Jeff Fuson
p.s. I'm on Twitter at JeffFuson if you wanna keep up with what's going on that way.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is being a catalyst to assist people who wanna grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff delivers Keynotes & Customized Interactive Training Experiences for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and other small to medium sized non-profit & for profit High Impact enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
The Life Purpose Guy -- helping Entrepreneurial Christ Followers Bring Good Things to Life
Showing posts with label phos hilaron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phos hilaron. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Psalm 40 -- The Pits & Testing
These are part of the final set of slides for my talk at Phos Hilaron Church this Sunday, March 1, 2009.The number '40' almost always means 'test' and it has the purpose of making us better people and stronger Christ followers.
[I know that these slides are in reverse order related to the verse numbers, so just read the last slide first and work your way up....you'll be glad you did.]
God won't leave you in 'the pit' forever and it's okay to ask for help!! And, it's okay to cry out to God.
So, don't cave in when the pressure of the pit pounds in on your courage & faith.....James reminds us that the 'test' will make us strong. So, cooperate with God, talk honestly with God, expect power from God, and wait for His rescue.
Two of my favorite groups have covered songs around this theme of 'testing', Psalm 40, and the number 40, check these out....
U2 40
Third Day 40 Days
When you think of 40 think of Noah and the great flood when it rained for 40 days and 40 nites, or contemplate 'Jesus' test in the wilderness that lasted 40 days. 40 is the Hebrew way of saying 'suffering for the fulness of time.
If you or a friend is in the Pit then Psalm 40 will help you a ton as you read it, study it, and take it's truth into your life.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Kissing -- the New Wonder Drug!
I'm preparing for my message for Phos this Sunday and will be sharing some fascinating information that I just learned about 'KISSING'! Just in time for Valentines day....here you go!
(yes, I know the image says 'sKissing' and not just 'Kissing' -- I'm just tinkering with some presentation dynamics that will make a lot more sense to the live crew at Phos, so just think 'Kissing' and you'll be just fine. As a matter of fact if you administer this wonder drug liberally you'll be as 'fine as frog hair split three ways' which is mighty fine!)
Enjoy the Wonder Drug. Gee Whiz God knew what He was doing didn't He!
You'd definitely benefit from reading 'The Love List' written by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott.
Jeff Fuson
p.s. I bet great leaders are better kissers!
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Reggie McNeal -- Missional Renaissance
Reggie McNeal -- Missional Renaissance
Kentucky Baptist Convention Building / January 22, 2009
Good News about Christianity's growth around the world....
- Fastest growing religion in the world is Christianity / 80 million Christians in India alone in the past 10 years. 90% of new churches are house churches.
- Campus Crusade is partnering to launch 1 million new churches (house/pouch) in the next few years.
- Churches grow out of a movement, rather than having a movement grow out of a new church.
- The movement in China outstrips the growth in India – more than 10,000 per day ++
- Indonesia growth is over 18% b/c of the Tsunami and the the acts of love and compassion that followed the disaster.
- In the 20th Century Africa went from 3% to 40%+ Christian
- The Christian truth is on the move in spite of hardships all over the world. It’s Pentecost somewhere in the world right now.
News in the U.S., Europe and Australia is not so good....
Everywhere the Western Model / Constantian model of church went down is struggling. Australia is under 5% Christian. Sweden 2%. The bastion/centerpiece of Christianity in Europe is crumbling.
- Pollsters in America are getting it wrong when they say that 40% of Americans are attending church. Our buildings couldn't hold 40%....
- We are the largest English speaking mission field in the world here in the U.S.
- If we don’t wake up we’re gonna miss what God is up to. The first half of the Book of Acts was the Church trying to catch up to the Holy Spirit. God didn’t follow the protocol that the early church expected and the church had to move fast. The Holy Spirit is running wild in the streets outside the walls of the church.
- God’s not waiting on us to get it to do it!
- Blackaby was right … find out what God is up to and get in on it.
- Let’s learn from what the Holy Spirit is doing where they are experiencing Pentecost.
We are seeing something that is bigger than the Church sector.
In the Renaissance we had people coming together from multiple disciplines to do new things. God’s creating a conversation across the domains of our culture that’s it’s gonna be impossible in our lifetime to think of the church the way we used to think of the church.
In the Renaissance we had people coming together from multiple disciplines to do new things. God’s creating a conversation across the domains of our culture that’s it’s gonna be impossible in our lifetime to think of the church the way we used to think of the church.
We can get in on this by making 3 critical shifts…
This will take scorecard revamps from How Many / How Often / How Much …. This scorecard does not serve to celebrat the dimensional richness of missional living.
- Expand the bandwidth of what we measure to celebrate missional richness.
- The missional church is the people of God partnering with Him on His mission for the world.
- The mission is always being played out in the world – beyond the world.
- In the old world the church was the point – the church was the mission – God was creating The Church. So, if we measured the ‘church stuff’ then we could see what God was doing. However, now we’ve learned that God is always at work beyond His people and His work is not shrink-wrapped down to the size of the local church.
Shift 1 = From Internal to external focus
- Internal focus is built on the assumption that is we got ‘church’ right then she would take care of the world. We have the best churches that we’ve ever had complete with all the bells and whistles. But, have we had the impact that we hoped that we’d have? This is the ‘churchcentric’ worldview. I’m not talking about adding one weekend a year where we go out and paint the school. A shift in emphasis is tectonic shift of record keeping, programming, etc.
- In Church Centric Churches our job was to turn the world into ‘us’ and then get them to be like us and work on church stuff. Maybe we’ve run out of people who want to buy what we’re selling. Over here we’re trying to lob something into the culture from the church like a bomb.
- In the internal focus deal God exists at ‘church’ and we have to take Him out in to go bags.
- The reason the house church is so viral is because it’s about who they are and they are just being the body on the move out in the real world/culture.
A better strategy than evangelism – why don’t we have a blessing strategy instead of an evangelism strategy?
- Let’s go out this week and practice being the people of God. Go out and bless three people this week—and be sure that one of them doesn’t deserve it! I’m not talking about random acts of kindness, I’m talking about starting conversations. The core prhase of a ‘blesser’ of people is: I’ll ask God to help you.
- You can simply ask the wait staff at a restaurant, ‘How can I ask God to bless you?’
- God loves to show off!!
- And, then, tell the stories of what happened.
- To be the people of God you’ve got to believe God – not just believe ‘in God’ – HUGEMONGOUS difference because then, a person orders their life around who God is and what He’s up to in the world.
- Our job is to bless the world and then watch what God does in the lives of people. Get caught up in the wind of the Holy Spirit and just get out there and bless people.
- Study Holy Trinity in London England about what’s going on with their Alpha Groups.
- ‘Are you one of those blessing people?’
When the church is the destination you are attractional. However, when The Kingdom becomes the destination THEN you’re on the way becoming an Incarnational Kingdom oriented church.
Just as an airport is not the destination…so, the church is not the destination.
The focus of the gathering is to celebrate what God is doing away from the gathering….
A pastor in Titus County Texas stated his vision statement for his church in 2009 was ‘’There will be no hungry kids in Titus County and in three years there’ll be no child leaving 3rd grade without being able to read English.”
BTW, on every Wednesday evening they’re doing the backpack program – churches are filling backpacks on Wednesday that free/reduced priced lunch kids can take home so that they won’t be hungry. A church of 400 is feeding thousands of pounds of food each week. Children pack the backpacks on Wednesday evenings. Kids are learning to serve by packing backpacks. Young people who can drive are delivering the backpacks. Now, not just food is going in the backpacks but prayer request sheets. You gotta believe God can use this actual physical program to bless people.
Just as an airport is not the destination…so, the church is not the destination.
The focus of the gathering is to celebrate what God is doing away from the gathering….
A pastor in Titus County Texas stated his vision statement for his church in 2009 was ‘’There will be no hungry kids in Titus County and in three years there’ll be no child leaving 3rd grade without being able to read English.”
BTW, on every Wednesday evening they’re doing the backpack program – churches are filling backpacks on Wednesday that free/reduced priced lunch kids can take home so that they won’t be hungry. A church of 400 is feeding thousands of pounds of food each week. Children pack the backpacks on Wednesday evenings. Kids are learning to serve by packing backpacks. Young people who can drive are delivering the backpacks. Now, not just food is going in the backpacks but prayer request sheets. You gotta believe God can use this actual physical program to bless people.
To do something huge you’ll have to work with other churches and agencies to get this done.
- One staff meeting was go somewhere and pray….’ God help me see what you see.’ – for an hour or two. They shredded the staff agenda that they had and they focused on the dealio. This so changed them that they sent the whole church out to do this one Sunday and they wanted to see what the people saw. Tell us what God showed you.
- Wouldn’t that be a great initiative to turn out church and go listen for what God is up to??
- The Millenials get this….the have core values to support the Missional Church. They have a desire to go out and make it a better world. It’s Obama calling everyone to service on MLK Day, it’s Bono. Volunteerism is on the rise.
- I’m telling every church I work with to ‘Adopt a School’ or at least a 3rd grade class and work on literacy because studies show that if a kids leaves 3rd grade and can't read english he/she is gonna have a very hard time.
In the old world we were trying to get them to connect to us….now, we’re trying to connect to the world.
- Go to kidshopeusa website to learn how to adopt a school, etc.
- You practice saying in the mirror before you go, ‘How can we help?’
- In the old world is was about Silos….the missional church has a whole new view of culture and understands that God already has his people in all these places to serve and influence.
- Invest in the community.
- Doing good greases the skids for God in the view of the world. The Atheist has a hard time dismissing the ‘recurring good’.
If you call the party you’ll find all kinds of people to help. You can go out there and find all kinds of ways to be salt and light.
- Let the church call the party to order and invite the community to help.
- The ‘institutional’ church does not reflect well the values and mission of Jesus.
- Our role in the Kingdom right now is to be the church.
- What is gonna be our role in the economy going south?? Wallace Kent’s question…
- Reggie’s answer, ‘You’ve got to take care of your people’ within the body. And, then you’ve got to make a radical commitment to serve those in the community as well.
- A church in Texas made a commitment to those in her body who lost their jobs that noone would loose their homes.
- The early church moved forward on sacrifice and service. It will be the same today for churches that will shine a light on who Jesus is.
THM for me (this is what I think I’m hearing…): Play bigger, do BIGGER stuff so that other’s can join us. Throw bigger parties so that the community can help and so that other churches and agencies can take part in what’s going on. Keep moving out in faith so that others can take part in what’s goin on and the resources will be there.
- Look for ways to release people to go out and meet the needs of the community.
- There is a rise of the ‘missional community’ – it’s beyond house church. It’s not a bounded set. It’s an alternative technology of reaching people that need the Gospel.
- The church system is like Exxon and Mobile and we know what to do with oil from Shale, etc.
- What I’m begging the existing church to do is to invest in the alternative technologies that ‘missional communities’ will bring to us.
Re-score-carding this thing….
Let’s use a resource reallocation model to build our score card
Resource Internal External
Prayer about us about the world out there
Example: Crossroads church in Cinci is being sure that every single public school teacher has a prayer partner. ‘What you’re doing is so important that I’m asking God to bless you. If there’s ever anything that I can do please let me know. Here’s my email and here’s my phone if you need me please let me know.
Serving our way into influence…
You could extend this prayer experience to public officials and you could put more emphasis on praying for the community outside of the church.
Re-allocate your staff’s prayer time.
Staff office hours community hours
Example: every staff person in every community I know of is out in
the community serving them.
Example: an executive pastor that took the position of the head of
soccer and he won’t be at church in the building on Sundays for two
years.
Example: Crossroads church in Cinci is being sure that every single public school teacher has a prayer partner. ‘What you’re doing is so important that I’m asking God to bless you. If there’s ever anything that I can do please let me know. Here’s my email and here’s my phone if you need me please let me know.
Serving our way into influence…
You could extend this prayer experience to public officials and you could put more emphasis on praying for the community outside of the church.
Re-allocate your staff’s prayer time.
Staff office hours community hours
Example: every staff person in every community I know of is out in
the community serving them.
Example: an executive pastor that took the position of the head of
soccer and he won’t be at church in the building on Sundays for two
years.
THM: Expect Staff to find ways to connect in the community.
Money how much did we take in? How much went out?
Facilities How to keep the people out vs. build it for the com first
Ask: How would missionaries approach this?
Think about funding a community initiative to support and without exception that will get funded first. People are ready to invest in the community and in kids. The twenty somethings are not laying back to give money to build a church building.
Technology Supported Ministry Creates Ministry
- The Internet is LIVING SPACE for twentysomethings….
- Check out ‘second life’
- Add to Scorecard: Why would I need to go to any other website to learn how to serve the community?
Shift 3 = Move from Program Driven to People Development
It’s quite easy in the program driven model for the staff to have a meeting where the people we are called to serve never make it into the discussion. It requires a lot of intentionality to move to a people development culture. At Phos Hilaron Church the The bottom line question
about everything we do is:
‘’does this build an Apprentice of Jesus out of ordinary people”
What if ‘better marriages, better relationships with our kids, and loving our neighbors’ made it to the scorecard?
How do you develop the culture of People Development? (aka, Spiritual Life Development as Primary Purpose - remember, Jesus' command to 'make disciples' -- we call em 'apprentices' around Phos)
- The old days of clergy telling people how to live their lives is over. They will let us help shape them but they won’t let us template their spiritual journeys anymore. We’re in a culture that expects customization and they start where they want to start in the matrix. Starbucks has 87,000 possibilities on how to do their coffee.
- Maybe the reason we reach so few people is that we only serve lattes from 11 to 12 on Sundays…..
- We are moving into an asynchronous culture.
- Church used to be a lot simpler.
- In the early days of your church try not to lock yourself into a 52 week cycle of doing church.
- Trend: People at different life stages want a different kind of church experience anyway….one of the biggest exiters are the empty nesters who are worn out from the program driven church. Postcongregationalist boomers are a group worth thinking about.
Debriefing is part of a people development culture. Give people time and space to make sense out of what’s happening in their lives.
(this is the OBT in an LXG at Phos / the whole 'culture' of doing life together out in homes with low 'content agenda' centered on simple truth applied to real life is a 'debrief space' )
- Help people ‘exhale’ like an asthmatic even in our corporate gatherings. Give them a brief ‘something’ to talk about in the gathering. Ask em, ‘what was the best thing about your week?’, etc.
- Information by itself does not change behavior. It has to be processed and it has to be brought into our real life. (for Phos this is part of the importance of the OBT in LXGs)
Make sure that ‘people’ are the central issue of everything in what you do. It’s about making connections with real life and how people grow from what we’re doing.
Let’s say that you want to get really intentional about ramping up ‘life coaching’ in your church…..and you want to give people a chance to give people a chance to really talk about their life.
(common response: ‘I’ve been here for 30 years and noone has ever asked me how I’m doing)
Key idea: Building YOU is Building the Church.
5 Questions we used for life coaching processes …
Case Study: two dozen interviewers worked with 300 people….we published the questions ahead of time:
We literally just want to have a conversation with you. We want to know how to help you grow.
1. What do you enjoy doing? (because what you enjoy doing may be just how God wants to bless this world)
We literally just want to have a conversation with you. We want to know how to help you grow.
1. What do you enjoy doing? (because what you enjoy doing may be just how God wants to bless this world)
2. Where do you see God most at work in your life right now?
3. What would you like to see God do in your life over the next 3 to 6 months? How can we help? When you ask the question you’ve just changed the scorecard in your church.
Story: the YMCA meeting I had with Jason after I became a YMCA charter member: “Reggie we’re gonna turn you into a fully devoted fitness guy and then we’re gonna make you look like Arnold Swartznegger!" Key question that Jason asked me was: Reggie what would like to accomplish at the YMCA?
4. How would you like to serve other people and how can we help?
5. How can we pray for you?
Follow this up occasionally with an ‘hey, how’s it going, really?’ conversation.
- This all starts with you and with your staff. Are you developing yourself? Your staff? Your lay leadership?
- The reason North American church culture shifted to a program driven model was that it seemed like a faster/easier way to make disciples.
- Every place where you can, pay attention to your people.
When you focus on people development you begin to say to your people and ACT OUT via your scheduling/systems and programs: We’re gonna be more intentional about YOUR growth than anything else around here. AND, we’re gonna empower you to change the world.
In A.D. 30 noone has a ‘church job’ – they were Apostles. I’m a missionary to a culture not on a church staff. I’m a missionary with a support base from the xyz church.
- In a people development culture you’re gonna be far more engaged with people than with programs and program development.
- An Apostolic leader says, ‘Follow Me’ -- that requires transparency, heart on heart, etc. It doesn’t come from curriculum.
- Your life becomes transparent and available to the people you want to lead. You become a servant of them.
- Apostolic leadership is transparent and genuine spirituality. An apostolic leader has the ‘stink of Jesus’ on em. You can’t explain their lives any other way.
- Can people sense in us a connectedness to Jesus and a cause to die for?
- OUR Personal Spiritual Development is PARAMOUNT to leading effectively.
- Apostolic leaders know how to raise their own support…you’ll have to have multiple income streams. Venture Capitalists may be able to write the check and pay the way. There’s all different kinds of ways to support your way through this.
- How are you developing your ability to be employed and employable outside of your ministry? This is a question that I ask all of my coaching clients.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
How You're Wired by Betsy Ringer -- Extreme Life Makeover #6
Ever struggled to figure out what you really 'should' be doing with your life? One of the best places to start is by excavating your 'gifts' -- God wired you for action by giving you these tools for His use through YOU!! Today, Life Coach Betsy Ringer offers some great tools to help you learn how you're wired...enjoy!!
WIRED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
In the movie, “Dead Poet’s Society,” Robin Williams plays the part of a literature professor at an English boy’s school. In one scene, he is talking to the boys about literature, normally a dry, uninteresting subject for them. But he captivates them by describing the great adventures literature can take them on, the fascinating people they can meet, and how their lives can be changed. All eyes are on him as they are spellbound by his words. Then he swings wide the door of their lives when he challenges, “The powerful play continues and you can contribute a verse. What will be your verse?” As the professor challenged the boys to discover how they would contribute significantly to this world, so God calls us. He equips us with Spiritual Gifts and asks us to discover those gifts and use them boldly.
In 1 Cor. 12: 1 Paul says, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” Paul goes on for three chapters to teach about spiritual gifts.
What is a spiritual gift? It is a special ability given by the Holy Spirit to every believer equipping God’s people to serve Him by effectively ministering to other people.
….AND He intentionally wired you to receive JOY when you USE the GIFTS He’s given you!
While there isn’t one complete list of Spiritual Gifts in the Bible, there are several places where you can find out about the various gifts:
Romans 12
1 Corinthians 12 - 14
Ephesians 4
1 Peter 4
So, how do you discover your Spiritual Gifts?
1. Read the definitions of the team gifts or functional gifts below. If you sense one “resonates” with you then that’s probably your gift.
2. When you are serving, pay attention to the “assignment” you choose or would like to have. What Spiritual Gift does it seem to fall under?
3. Take an assessment. You can contact me and I will send one to you – betsyringer@insightbb.com OR
Take one online:
http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1
http://www.buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm
EVANGELISM – Literally: to bring good news
The ability to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to unbelievers in a positive, non-threatening way. The ability to sense opportunities to share Christ and lead people to respond with faith.
PROPHECY/PREACHING - Literally: to speak before
The ability to publicly communicate God’s Word in an inspired way that convinces unbelievers and both challenges and comforts believers. The ability to persuasively declare God’s will.
ENCOURAGEMENT/EXHORTATION – Literally: to come along side of
The ability to motivate God’s people to apply and act on biblical principles, especially when they are discouraged or wavering in their faith. The ability to bring out the best in others and challenge them to develop their potential.
Teaching – Literally: to instruct
The ability to educate God’s people by clearly explaining and applying the Bible in a way that causes them to learn. The ability to equip and train other believers for ministry.
HOSPITALITy – Literally: to love strangers
The ability to make others, especially strangers, feel warmly welcomed, accepted, and comfortable in the church family. The ability to coordinate factors that promote fellowship.
MERCY – Literally: to have compassion
The ability to detect hurt and empathize with those who are suffering in the church family. The ability to provide compassionate and cheerful support to those experiencing distress, crisis, or pain.
SHEPHERDING/PASTOR – Literally: to shepherd a flock
The ability to care for the spiritual needs of a group of believers and equip them for ministry. The ability to nurture a small group in spiritual growth and assume responsibility for their welfare.
ADMINISTRATION – Literally: to pilot or steer a ship.
Also called the gift of organization. This is the ability to recognize the gifts of others and connect them to ministry. The ability to organize and manage people, resources, and time for effective ministry. The ability to coordinate many details and execute the plans of leadership.
LEADERSHIP – Literally: to stand before
The ability to clarify and communicate the purpose and direction, the vision, of ministry in a way that attracts others to get involved. The ability to motivate others by example to work together in accomplishing a ministry goal.
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Thanks to Betsy Ringer for todays ideas on finding your gifts....gifts point to purpose and purpose uses your best gifts -- it's kind of cyclical. I promise that when you're living on purpose using your top gifts you'll be absolutely passionate about what you're up to!! Take the time to work through Betsy's suggestions....you'll be glad you did.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
WIRED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
In the movie, “Dead Poet’s Society,” Robin Williams plays the part of a literature professor at an English boy’s school. In one scene, he is talking to the boys about literature, normally a dry, uninteresting subject for them. But he captivates them by describing the great adventures literature can take them on, the fascinating people they can meet, and how their lives can be changed. All eyes are on him as they are spellbound by his words. Then he swings wide the door of their lives when he challenges, “The powerful play continues and you can contribute a verse. What will be your verse?” As the professor challenged the boys to discover how they would contribute significantly to this world, so God calls us. He equips us with Spiritual Gifts and asks us to discover those gifts and use them boldly.
In 1 Cor. 12: 1 Paul says, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” Paul goes on for three chapters to teach about spiritual gifts.
What is a spiritual gift? It is a special ability given by the Holy Spirit to every believer equipping God’s people to serve Him by effectively ministering to other people.
….AND He intentionally wired you to receive JOY when you USE the GIFTS He’s given you!
While there isn’t one complete list of Spiritual Gifts in the Bible, there are several places where you can find out about the various gifts:
Romans 12
1 Corinthians 12 - 14
Ephesians 4
1 Peter 4
So, how do you discover your Spiritual Gifts?
1. Read the definitions of the team gifts or functional gifts below. If you sense one “resonates” with you then that’s probably your gift.
2. When you are serving, pay attention to the “assignment” you choose or would like to have. What Spiritual Gift does it seem to fall under?
3. Take an assessment. You can contact me and I will send one to you – betsyringer@insightbb.com OR
Take one online:
http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1
http://www.buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm
EVANGELISM – Literally: to bring good news
The ability to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to unbelievers in a positive, non-threatening way. The ability to sense opportunities to share Christ and lead people to respond with faith.
PROPHECY/PREACHING - Literally: to speak before
The ability to publicly communicate God’s Word in an inspired way that convinces unbelievers and both challenges and comforts believers. The ability to persuasively declare God’s will.
ENCOURAGEMENT/EXHORTATION – Literally: to come along side of
The ability to motivate God’s people to apply and act on biblical principles, especially when they are discouraged or wavering in their faith. The ability to bring out the best in others and challenge them to develop their potential.
Teaching – Literally: to instruct
The ability to educate God’s people by clearly explaining and applying the Bible in a way that causes them to learn. The ability to equip and train other believers for ministry.
HOSPITALITy – Literally: to love strangers
The ability to make others, especially strangers, feel warmly welcomed, accepted, and comfortable in the church family. The ability to coordinate factors that promote fellowship.
MERCY – Literally: to have compassion
The ability to detect hurt and empathize with those who are suffering in the church family. The ability to provide compassionate and cheerful support to those experiencing distress, crisis, or pain.
SHEPHERDING/PASTOR – Literally: to shepherd a flock
The ability to care for the spiritual needs of a group of believers and equip them for ministry. The ability to nurture a small group in spiritual growth and assume responsibility for their welfare.
ADMINISTRATION – Literally: to pilot or steer a ship.
Also called the gift of organization. This is the ability to recognize the gifts of others and connect them to ministry. The ability to organize and manage people, resources, and time for effective ministry. The ability to coordinate many details and execute the plans of leadership.
LEADERSHIP – Literally: to stand before
The ability to clarify and communicate the purpose and direction, the vision, of ministry in a way that attracts others to get involved. The ability to motivate others by example to work together in accomplishing a ministry goal.
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Thanks to Betsy Ringer for todays ideas on finding your gifts....gifts point to purpose and purpose uses your best gifts -- it's kind of cyclical. I promise that when you're living on purpose using your top gifts you'll be absolutely passionate about what you're up to!! Take the time to work through Betsy's suggestions....you'll be glad you did.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Extreme Life Makeover #4 -- Future Story by John Lepper
What’s Your Story?
Not long ago I spilled coffee in my wife’s new car while she was out of town. Quick to find a solution to my carelessness, I went to the local home store to purchase carpet-cleaning supplies. I rushed to the checkout, stopped abruptly, and quickly reached for my money. The person waiting on me had a startled look on her face that seemed to say, “What’s going on with this goofy guy?” I responded to her non-verbal “comment” by saying, “Everybody has a story; do you want to hear mine?” She did and we both got a laugh about my predicament.
The fact is everybody has at least three stories. The first relates to our past. The second relates to our current situation. The third relates to our future.
Remembering stories of our past can trigger anger, hurt, pain. Our current issues can cause a narrow focus on our present pain or problems.
While the past may haunt us and the present may consume us, our real energy lies in our future story. All of us tend to live toward our future story, whether that story is negative or positive, hopeful or despairing.
For example, a pastor of an inner city church tells about a young lady who was graduating from high school. Even though she was accepted as a college student, she was unable to attend. She simply could not imagine herself away from her home surroundings and as a college student.
What is your future story? How does your future story of yourself compare with the future story God has for you? The following scripture passages may help you determine God’s future story for you.
Jeremiah 29: 11
Numbers 13: 1-3; 25-33
Numbers 14: 6-10
Prayer:
God, thank you for your word that helps me see a positive future story. Thank you for friends. Help me to reflect on scripture and share with friends as I develop a positive future story for the coming year. Remind me that you are on my side as I move into a positive future.
Three Action Items for Today:
1. Reflect on your unspoken future story. What will the coming year look like?
2. Have a conversation with a trusted friend about your future story. Ask this friend to help you develop a more positive future story.
3. Thank God for the hope he gives through scripture, through friends, and through worship with friends.
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Today's Extreme Life Makeover Article was written by John Lepper. John is a good friend, a Family Life Counselor,the Point Leader of the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, and a friend of Phos Hilaron Church. As a matter of fact, when the dream of Phos was hanging in the balance he sat we me and helped me imagine a stronger, brighter future story for Phos and for me.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Not long ago I spilled coffee in my wife’s new car while she was out of town. Quick to find a solution to my carelessness, I went to the local home store to purchase carpet-cleaning supplies. I rushed to the checkout, stopped abruptly, and quickly reached for my money. The person waiting on me had a startled look on her face that seemed to say, “What’s going on with this goofy guy?” I responded to her non-verbal “comment” by saying, “Everybody has a story; do you want to hear mine?” She did and we both got a laugh about my predicament.
The fact is everybody has at least three stories. The first relates to our past. The second relates to our current situation. The third relates to our future.
Remembering stories of our past can trigger anger, hurt, pain. Our current issues can cause a narrow focus on our present pain or problems.
While the past may haunt us and the present may consume us, our real energy lies in our future story. All of us tend to live toward our future story, whether that story is negative or positive, hopeful or despairing.
For example, a pastor of an inner city church tells about a young lady who was graduating from high school. Even though she was accepted as a college student, she was unable to attend. She simply could not imagine herself away from her home surroundings and as a college student.
What is your future story? How does your future story of yourself compare with the future story God has for you? The following scripture passages may help you determine God’s future story for you.
Jeremiah 29: 11
Numbers 13: 1-3; 25-33
Numbers 14: 6-10
• God has plans for us that are hopeful. Our well-being is a top concern of God.
• When our present and future seem filled with giants, Joshua and Caleb remind us that we can conquer the giants (because God is on our side).
• God walks with us into our future. The future belongs to God.
• God is interested in our past and also in our current situation but perhaps He is more interested in helping us claim our hopeful future story.
• When our present and future seem filled with giants, Joshua and Caleb remind us that we can conquer the giants (because God is on our side).
• God walks with us into our future. The future belongs to God.
• God is interested in our past and also in our current situation but perhaps He is more interested in helping us claim our hopeful future story.
Prayer:
God, thank you for your word that helps me see a positive future story. Thank you for friends. Help me to reflect on scripture and share with friends as I develop a positive future story for the coming year. Remind me that you are on my side as I move into a positive future.
Three Action Items for Today:
1. Reflect on your unspoken future story. What will the coming year look like?
2. Have a conversation with a trusted friend about your future story. Ask this friend to help you develop a more positive future story.
3. Thank God for the hope he gives through scripture, through friends, and through worship with friends.
---------
Today's Extreme Life Makeover Article was written by John Lepper. John is a good friend, a Family Life Counselor,the Point Leader of the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, and a friend of Phos Hilaron Church. As a matter of fact, when the dream of Phos was hanging in the balance he sat we me and helped me imagine a stronger, brighter future story for Phos and for me.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Extreme Life Makeover #3 -- Talk With God About Everything
Great relationships soak up communication like dry land soaks up fresh rain. You almost can't communicate enough with those you are close to. Marriage experts tell us that a great marriage consumes over 15 hours a week of communication! Wow, that seems like a lot. But, to be truly intimate with another person requires the give and take of dialogue.
To enter into a full-on Intimate relationship with God pulls us into lots of conversation with Him about everything. The Bible tells us that we should 'pray all the time' (Ephesians 6:18 & I Thessalonians 5:17) and many of us have wondered how that's possible. The reality is that it's possible because our brains are running on multi-channels all the time.
Simple Prayer
You know that little voice that's always running in your head talking to you a about everything? What I've learned is to direct more and more of that 'little voice's' bandwidth to just talking with God about whatever is right in front of me right now....even while I'm typing this I'm aware that I'm in an ongoing 'prayer' with Him. That's prayer on the go and it's just conversing with God about whatever is in front of you in that moment. Try it and see how your awareness of God on the move all around you begins to grow.
Focused Prayer
A more focused kind of prayer begs us to carve out time and pull away from the 'noise' of the world to just be with God. I find that it helps me to type my prayers into my computer or to journal them. Writing my prayers helps me really stay tuned in and I sometimes even write impressions of what I think that God is trying to say back to me. Writing your prayers may be helpful to you as well.
There are several prayers in the Bible that we can learn from and use as our own prayers. I'm gonna suggest a few for you to pray in the coming days. Watch for how real the authors of these prayers are with God and practice being real and honest in your conversations with God.
Prayers from the Psalms (this is a favorite practice of many followers of Christ -- to simply 'pray' the Psalms as a disciplined way to hone our conversations with Him)
Psalm 86:11-13
Psalm 32:5
Psalm 118:28
Jesus' Prayer known as the Lord's Prayer is found here. ( Matthew 6:9-13)
3 Action Items for today:
1. Practice talking with God on the go about whatever your experiencing right in that moment.
2. Pull away for a few minutes and take some time to read some of the prayers from The Bible and watch for how real and raw these prayers are. Get real with God. (you can use the prayers posted above by either clicking the link to an online Bible or looking them up in your own Bible)
3. Try writing or typing your own prayers to God -- noone else ever has to see it. It's just for you and God.
Last thing....I'd love to hear how this goes for you and what you learn.
Simple, real converations with God -- that's my hope for you today.
Jeff
p.s. If you want to work more on prayer I'd suggest that you grab a copy of 'Too Busy Not to Pray' by Bill Hybels and consume it. It's a simple, powerful tool in helping you learn to connect with God. Well worth the $$ and time invested.
p.p.s. Did you know that singing can be prayer? I'd encourage you to check out some of these links and 'pray' along....
How Great Is Our God by Chris Tomlin
40 by U2 (yep, a prayer straight from The Bible sung by Bono and U2)
Sinner's Prayer by B.B. King and Ray Charles (this is just kind of fun, but you'll be praying right along after just a few measures and then it'll be stuck in your head all day!)
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
To enter into a full-on Intimate relationship with God pulls us into lots of conversation with Him about everything. The Bible tells us that we should 'pray all the time' (Ephesians 6:18 & I Thessalonians 5:17) and many of us have wondered how that's possible. The reality is that it's possible because our brains are running on multi-channels all the time.
Simple Prayer
You know that little voice that's always running in your head talking to you a about everything? What I've learned is to direct more and more of that 'little voice's' bandwidth to just talking with God about whatever is right in front of me right now....even while I'm typing this I'm aware that I'm in an ongoing 'prayer' with Him. That's prayer on the go and it's just conversing with God about whatever is in front of you in that moment. Try it and see how your awareness of God on the move all around you begins to grow.
Focused Prayer
A more focused kind of prayer begs us to carve out time and pull away from the 'noise' of the world to just be with God. I find that it helps me to type my prayers into my computer or to journal them. Writing my prayers helps me really stay tuned in and I sometimes even write impressions of what I think that God is trying to say back to me. Writing your prayers may be helpful to you as well.
There are several prayers in the Bible that we can learn from and use as our own prayers. I'm gonna suggest a few for you to pray in the coming days. Watch for how real the authors of these prayers are with God and practice being real and honest in your conversations with God.
Prayers from the Psalms (this is a favorite practice of many followers of Christ -- to simply 'pray' the Psalms as a disciplined way to hone our conversations with Him)
Psalm 86:11-13
Psalm 32:5
Psalm 118:28
Jesus' Prayer known as the Lord's Prayer is found here. ( Matthew 6:9-13)
3 Action Items for today:
1. Practice talking with God on the go about whatever your experiencing right in that moment.
2. Pull away for a few minutes and take some time to read some of the prayers from The Bible and watch for how real and raw these prayers are. Get real with God. (you can use the prayers posted above by either clicking the link to an online Bible or looking them up in your own Bible)
3. Try writing or typing your own prayers to God -- noone else ever has to see it. It's just for you and God.
Last thing....I'd love to hear how this goes for you and what you learn.
Simple, real converations with God -- that's my hope for you today.
Jeff
p.s. If you want to work more on prayer I'd suggest that you grab a copy of 'Too Busy Not to Pray' by Bill Hybels and consume it. It's a simple, powerful tool in helping you learn to connect with God. Well worth the $$ and time invested.
p.p.s. Did you know that singing can be prayer? I'd encourage you to check out some of these links and 'pray' along....
How Great Is Our God by Chris Tomlin
40 by U2 (yep, a prayer straight from The Bible sung by Bono and U2)
Sinner's Prayer by B.B. King and Ray Charles (this is just kind of fun, but you'll be praying right along after just a few measures and then it'll be stuck in your head all day!)
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Extreme Life Makeover #2 -- Make a Radical Commitment
Most of us want to live life at a higher level....we'd like to have the 'perfect life' whatever that is.
There are a few challenges ....
#1 most of us have no idea of what the 'perfect life' would be for us because we've lacked the tools to help us define what that might look like. (the tools and ideas you need will be coming up later in this series)
# 2 We probably haven't committed to seeking God's Kingdom First and then letting the chips fall where they may. More on that in a minute....
I've spent a lot of time and energy in my life trying to determine what my 'dream life' would be like and then I've mapped out a plan and attacked it like 39 dogs only to realize that the pursuit left me empty inside. I couldn't figure out why until I realized that I was violating an important principle....I was determining my own dream with no input from God. It's not that God wants to 'boss' me around, it's that He knows me even better than I know myself and that when I pursue His agenda for the world and my place in it that my best gifts will be activated and I'll find myself in the sweet spot of a life well-lived on purpose.
In short I discover the power & passion of alignment with His agenda, my gifts and dreams and the needs of the world when I give Him access to the command center of my life.
The reality is that my dream is found in His.
It's remarkable that Jesus words ring true that when we lose our lives we actually find them.
Two Action Items for you today:
Action Item 1:
Read and really think about these 3 scriptures:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Matthew 6:33 (the entire Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5 to Matthew 7 is worth reading and thinking seriously about as you seek to connect with God's ways and Jesus' commands for those who would seriously follow Him)
Jeremiah 29:11
Action Item 2: Pray something like this simply:
God, I don't know if I have enough faith to really trust you with my life and to accept Your agenda for me, but I'd like to. So, would you give me the courage to give up control of my life and to let You take the steering wheel of my life and to cooperate with your plan for the world and my place in it? Amen.
Rootin for YOU to find your Passion & Purpose in His Dream for the world.
Jeff Fuson
p.s. In order to condition our heart and mind to be in tune with God I don't know of anything more important than taking Scripture in and letting them tune our heart & mind to be on God's frequency. Read this post to learn a way to do this that won't take an extra moment of your day! This post is Extreme Life Makeover #1 -- Brain Candy for Christ Followers.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
There are a few challenges ....
#1 most of us have no idea of what the 'perfect life' would be for us because we've lacked the tools to help us define what that might look like. (the tools and ideas you need will be coming up later in this series)
# 2 We probably haven't committed to seeking God's Kingdom First and then letting the chips fall where they may. More on that in a minute....
I've spent a lot of time and energy in my life trying to determine what my 'dream life' would be like and then I've mapped out a plan and attacked it like 39 dogs only to realize that the pursuit left me empty inside. I couldn't figure out why until I realized that I was violating an important principle....I was determining my own dream with no input from God. It's not that God wants to 'boss' me around, it's that He knows me even better than I know myself and that when I pursue His agenda for the world and my place in it that my best gifts will be activated and I'll find myself in the sweet spot of a life well-lived on purpose.
In short I discover the power & passion of alignment with His agenda, my gifts and dreams and the needs of the world when I give Him access to the command center of my life.
The reality is that my dream is found in His.
It's remarkable that Jesus words ring true that when we lose our lives we actually find them.
Two Action Items for you today:
Action Item 1:
Read and really think about these 3 scriptures:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Matthew 6:33 (the entire Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5 to Matthew 7 is worth reading and thinking seriously about as you seek to connect with God's ways and Jesus' commands for those who would seriously follow Him)
Jeremiah 29:11
Action Item 2: Pray something like this simply:
God, I don't know if I have enough faith to really trust you with my life and to accept Your agenda for me, but I'd like to. So, would you give me the courage to give up control of my life and to let You take the steering wheel of my life and to cooperate with your plan for the world and my place in it? Amen.
Rootin for YOU to find your Passion & Purpose in His Dream for the world.
Jeff Fuson
p.s. In order to condition our heart and mind to be in tune with God I don't know of anything more important than taking Scripture in and letting them tune our heart & mind to be on God's frequency. Read this post to learn a way to do this that won't take an extra moment of your day! This post is Extreme Life Makeover #1 -- Brain Candy for Christ Followers.
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Phos Manifesto
'God send us the ones you want to run with us and keep those away that would derail this Missional Church Launch.' --that's one of the top prayers that I've prayed during this past 12 months of launching PHC.
Guy Kawasaki's 'Art of Innovation' presentation over at 'zentation' has had a huge impact on my thinking related to the launch of Phos Hilaron Church. He helped me realize that we needed to innovate and that it's okay to 'polarize' people, because that's taboo in church-land where the goal is to be uber-nice and to keep things nice and calm.
The mission in church-land is to swab the deck on the cruise ship and provide tasty meals right on time so that the tourists remain calm and leave nice tips. I bet they even have some pictures of fish and fishermen on the cruise ship! The goal of a fishing vessel like Phos is to co-labor with Jesus to head out into the open sea full of adventure and become 'fishers of men' on a journey with Him. The goal is the catch and not the comfort of the 'guests'. We take people deep sea fishing! It's not for everyone. Every church must make a choice -- cruise ship or fishing boat. We're a fishing boat! ( I think Jesus likes fishermen!)
The usual goal of starting a church is to get as many people to join you as fast as you can and that can lead to the law of unintended consequences drop-kicking your collective heinies into oblivion. Our goal has been to put forth an 'Operating System' that has a monthly Sunday AM 'Service Worship' built into our life-cycle. We've launched a fishing vessel and the experts have told me that it can't work and sometimes I've wondered if they might be right, but then God intervenes again and gives us the people, the resources and the vision for His next adventure to participate in. He has given us good days on the wide open sea with full nets many times.
We're edgy on purpose. We polarize people and send 'church-shoppers' who are bargain hunting right back out the door pretty fast. Why? Because they're used to 'thinking' about their faith and not used to 'acting' on their faith. We ripped a thought line off from Rick Warren's 'Peace Plan' that says that 'We turn spectators into contributors' (I like to call em 'participators', but I don't know if that's really a word) and that's something we're very committed to do.
The reason Phos exists is to Propel Ordinary People into an Extra-Ordinary Relationship with Jesus who can Fly into the Future that He has Dreamed for them.
It' a high calling and it takes courage to build a church that has 'ACTION' in her DNA. We chose the name Phos Hilaron to remind us of our mission to be 'dancing light' in this community and around the world -- to go into hard & dark places with this great Good News and love people. To literally live out the 'Good Samaritan' story that Jesus tells in Luke 10.
Our paid servants have known from the beginning that this is not 'business as usual' for a church and that we're running the edge of disaster all the time. And, they've had paychecks held long enough for one more Sunday as we pray that the offering will be strong enough to pay em. And, they know that when we go out and do 'Service Worships' that sometimes we take a big fat Goose Egg home with us in the offering bucket. In the business world that's called 'Opportunity Cost' and it's 'costed' us plenty this year as we have taken it on the chin a few times. And, right now we're running in the red because of it. And, we won't have it any other way. Give us this adventure with God in forging apprentices or give us death. We can't stomach the thought of more business as usual in church-land.
But, I have loads of God-fidence that He'll show up again and rescue us from out of the blue again. I'm kind of addicted to the adrenaline rush of seeing what God does up close and personal. I like the 3 AM head-rush of wondering if anyone will show up the next Sunday and if God will provide what we need again for another day. I'm learning to live on Manna that comes when we need it, but only as much as we need...and, I like the new diet!
Our Paid Servants have positioned ourselves as Missionaries and NOT as Church Staff. Church Staffers have office hours and programs to run and volunteers to recruit to run said programs. We don't have offices or office hours but we have a mission of being engaged with our neighbors and of doing whatever it takes to reach them and build them into Full On Apprentices of Jesus. Our team works their tails off each week and has proven that they'll do anything to reach others and see them enter into a full-on relationship with Jesus.
And, they're just taking their cues from the AMAZING Volunteer Army that makes Phos run. You wouldn't believe the level of commitment, energy, zeal, and passion that this crew plays with. You wouldn't believe what they do to set up for just one worship experience at Tinseltown Movie Theater in 11 & 13 & the Kid's Area each week. You just wouldn't believe it!! They're the best.
God has called us to the edge and pushed us off over and over again and I'm beginning to learn to trust Him and to know that we can fly & that He'll bring the thermals we need to move us along. That sometimes we just have to set our wing and let Him provide the lift. I'm not really very good at flying, but I'm getting real good at falling off the edge after a nudge from God and then 'soaring' as I rely on His energy to carry me along and to provide the updrafts that take me to incredible 'un-earned' vistas -- that is, I didn't work real hard to fly high--He just takes me there because He wants to.
Last Tuesday I got some potentially devastating news about two key families at Phos....they're leaving! We're not gonna be their church anymore. In both cases these are people that I care about and that care about me and Phos. There is no animosity. There's just a sense in both families that they need something that Phos just doesn't provide....lots of Bible Studies with no expectation that you ever really do anything with what you are learning. They are Christian families and they'll do just fine at another church. And, I'm happy to let em go even though it makes one wonder how God will carry us next. I'm happy to let em go because if we shift to try to keep them we'll loose our soul and we'll compromise and we'll become a church content with 'content' (knowing stuff) and no action. We'd be okay with 'head knowledge' disconnected from Kingdom Oriented Action and that smells like rotten putrid maggotty road-kill to me. So, I celebrate their departure and I welcome the Wave Two people that God is bringing lately who 'get Phos' and they sense that we're on the move and they want to be on the move and they want to take action. They want to be in the game and they're not content to be spectators. They love to be into what God is up to and they're not happy unless they're right in the middle of the action--that's who we are and that's who God is bringing to us. A breed of people who are addicted to the adrenaline of walking with Jesus into a Homeless Shelter to serve rather than into a posh sanctuary to consume another sermon. A breed of people who study their Bible and then GO live it out rather than study their Bible so that they can have yet another Bible Study and babble on about what they've never really tasted. It's one thing to study the Good Samaritan passage and to know all the nuances of the story and it's a whole 'nother thing to LIVE IT. We're taking 'experiential' to a whole new level with Phos. We don't just bring an actor into our 'sanctuary' dressed as a homeless person..We will walk with those who are reaking of urine and showerless days this coming Sunday when we have another 'Service Worship' and we'll bring the 'sanctuary' to the homeless and share our lives with them. This is remarkably uncomfortable for many who are content with yet another Bible Story with zero application in their richly appointed church building -- safe and secure from all alarm and sanitized from the possibility that she/he will ever experience the thrill of walking with God into the great big wide open unknown where there's nothing to rely on except for God.
Alan Witham gave me some vitally important advice as I was launching Phos when he said, 'Put a sign on the front of your bus and let people know exactly where you're going.' And, that has helped us more than anything. We are and will be a people who run into the dark with the light of Jesus. We will not shrink back. We will take courageous action to be good neighbors in our community. We will light candles and not just curse the dark. We will study the Bible and then we'll go live it out there. We won't be content with head-knowledge but will lean into actively walking with Jesus as modern day disciples. We will engage our culture with this great Good News by loving God and loving people because God loved us first.
We will run and not grow weary because He is our Hope, our Joy, and our Power.
We will soar because He wants us to and provides the updraft.
We won't back down and we won't give up. To rip Barack Obama off, this is 'Change YOU can believe in' and this is change that propels you into a whole new faith journey and revitalizes your relationship with God and others.
This is our attempt to co-labor with God to change the world by ushering in His Kingdom and by bringing hope, light, and resources to those who have none.
This is our mission and we won't back down.
Game On.
Let's go fishin,
Jeff
Monday, October 27, 2008
Always Amazing. The Life & Times of a Church Planter Smack Dab in the Middle of a Hurricane of Grace
When we launched Phos Hilaron Church we knew it would stretch our faith--but, we didn't know that it would stretch it THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS far! I was asked by a Youth for Christ worker a few months back if I have the 'gift of faith' and my response was 'NO!' But, it's growing. Because we've seen countless miracles in the journey with Phos where we were at the 'end' of life as we know it and every single time -- EVERY SINGLE ONE -- GOD has stormed us with unmerited favor and with grace and peace and resources.
It happened again at Post Office Box 333 in Buckner Kentucky at 5:47 AM today -- two letters with two checks that will keep us in the black for another couple of weeks. And, it's like this all the time -- certain financial chaos met with gifts that only God Himself could have orchestrated.
This used to tie me up in knots and cause me to loose sleep, but not anymore. I've learned that God is faithful and that He wants the Phos Church experience to be resourced. So, I wait and watch and I kind of like the 'edge' more now than I like the predictable.
As the lead pastor of Phos I want to always lead us into Creative Risk Taking to reach people who haven't been touched by the Miracle of Grace through Jesus Christ. I want to always position us as a Body of Believers to play on the creative edge and to play to win. It's so easy to slip into 'playing not to loose' --the domain of most structures and church government is to protect gains from yesteryear and maintain a lot of Status Quo...and the more 'status' a church has had in the past the more vehemently that Quo is protected and championed and governed. This is a very real danger for Phos as we move ahead. The danger of slipping into 'playing not to loose' and of protecting gains from the past. My prayer is to maintain courage and stamina and vision to keep us moving into uncharted territories -- to be on journey with God even when it seems risky and it seems like we've bet the ranch on what God has called us to do. That's where we've been for this entire journey. We've put the 'ranch' on the table over and over again because I know (we know) that Phos is God's and not ours and that if He wants us to have long term impact in this region and around the globe that it will come from His hands and not from our 'marketing campaigns' and 'slogans' and 'mission statements' --rather it will come because we always put on the chips on God and on the fact that He's in the business of working behind enemy lines in dark places to rescue P.O.W.s and those who are M.I.A.
So, I have supreme God-fidence and waning 'Confidence' in my fleshly efforts. I am living a dream because God is allowing me to. It could stop at any moment at His bidding. The 'Conductor' could tell me and the whole crew to get off the train tomorrow and that'd be the end. But, He keeps on granting vision and next steps and new friends to journey with us and we keep on being blown away in the eye of a Hurricane of Grace.
If you want to take a look at an incredible 7 days of blessing in my life and get a glimpse of what Service Worship with PHC looked like yesterday at Phos check out these images.
To live in the Hurricane of Grace you'll have to step out of the cellar of the dank 'known & predictable' into the gale force winds of a ride with God that'll flatten your old life and awaken your senses to the winds of change.
Lovin' the Hurricane of Grace!
Jeff Fuson
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
It happened again at Post Office Box 333 in Buckner Kentucky at 5:47 AM today -- two letters with two checks that will keep us in the black for another couple of weeks. And, it's like this all the time -- certain financial chaos met with gifts that only God Himself could have orchestrated.
This used to tie me up in knots and cause me to loose sleep, but not anymore. I've learned that God is faithful and that He wants the Phos Church experience to be resourced. So, I wait and watch and I kind of like the 'edge' more now than I like the predictable.
As the lead pastor of Phos I want to always lead us into Creative Risk Taking to reach people who haven't been touched by the Miracle of Grace through Jesus Christ. I want to always position us as a Body of Believers to play on the creative edge and to play to win. It's so easy to slip into 'playing not to loose' --the domain of most structures and church government is to protect gains from yesteryear and maintain a lot of Status Quo...and the more 'status' a church has had in the past the more vehemently that Quo is protected and championed and governed. This is a very real danger for Phos as we move ahead. The danger of slipping into 'playing not to loose' and of protecting gains from the past. My prayer is to maintain courage and stamina and vision to keep us moving into uncharted territories -- to be on journey with God even when it seems risky and it seems like we've bet the ranch on what God has called us to do. That's where we've been for this entire journey. We've put the 'ranch' on the table over and over again because I know (we know) that Phos is God's and not ours and that if He wants us to have long term impact in this region and around the globe that it will come from His hands and not from our 'marketing campaigns' and 'slogans' and 'mission statements' --rather it will come because we always put on the chips on God and on the fact that He's in the business of working behind enemy lines in dark places to rescue P.O.W.s and those who are M.I.A.
So, I have supreme God-fidence and waning 'Confidence' in my fleshly efforts. I am living a dream because God is allowing me to. It could stop at any moment at His bidding. The 'Conductor' could tell me and the whole crew to get off the train tomorrow and that'd be the end. But, He keeps on granting vision and next steps and new friends to journey with us and we keep on being blown away in the eye of a Hurricane of Grace.
If you want to take a look at an incredible 7 days of blessing in my life and get a glimpse of what Service Worship with PHC looked like yesterday at Phos check out these images.
To live in the Hurricane of Grace you'll have to step out of the cellar of the dank 'known & predictable' into the gale force winds of a ride with God that'll flatten your old life and awaken your senses to the winds of change.
Lovin' the Hurricane of Grace!
Jeff Fuson
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The UNREASONABLE GOD!
God is UNREASONABLE.
He asks us to step into the unknown and do the impossible so that he has a powerfully clear high platform to show the world that He's still God -- still in charge, still the ONE, still Jehovah, still the Manna-Maker, Soul-Provider (a long time before the song), and our First & Last Greatest Hope for life lived properly.
I'm digging into 'The Sermon Maker' by Calvin Miller and uncovered a quote that you've got to read and let sink in. On page 26 Miller posts this quote from 'The Spire' by William Golding: "Even in the old days He never asked men to do what was reasonable. Men can do that for themselves. They can buy and sell, heal and govern. But then out of some deep place comes the command to do what makes no sense at all--to build a ship on dry land; to sit among the dunghills; to marry a whore; to set their son on the altar of sacrifice. Then, if men have faith, a new thing comes."
This is my story in the call to launch Phos Hilaron Church. Totally unreasonable and impossible unless God Himself meets our need and gives us success--and to this point He has!
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
He asks us to step into the unknown and do the impossible so that he has a powerfully clear high platform to show the world that He's still God -- still in charge, still the ONE, still Jehovah, still the Manna-Maker, Soul-Provider (a long time before the song), and our First & Last Greatest Hope for life lived properly.
I'm digging into 'The Sermon Maker' by Calvin Miller and uncovered a quote that you've got to read and let sink in. On page 26 Miller posts this quote from 'The Spire' by William Golding: "Even in the old days He never asked men to do what was reasonable. Men can do that for themselves. They can buy and sell, heal and govern. But then out of some deep place comes the command to do what makes no sense at all--to build a ship on dry land; to sit among the dunghills; to marry a whore; to set their son on the altar of sacrifice. Then, if men have faith, a new thing comes."
This is my story in the call to launch Phos Hilaron Church. Totally unreasonable and impossible unless God Himself meets our need and gives us success--and to this point He has!
Jeff Fuson serves as Point Leader for Phos Hilaron Church near Louisville Kentucky. Jeff's # 1 passion is being a husband and daddy. A close second is seeing people grow spiritually. As a Professional Speaker Jeff also serves as a Keynote Speaker & Trainer crafting & delivering high impact keynote addresses & training events for Entrepreneurs, Banks, Credit Unions, and small to medium sized non-profit & for profit enterprises. He's got one incredible wife and 3 awesome children.
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