Keep Pointing in Cedar Falls

My Weekend

For me, this past weekend largely entailed spending nearly 16 hours of sitting in a room with about 20 other people. Doesn't sound all that exciting, I know, but the 20 of us are taking a Spiritual Formation Class through the School of Church Leadership. Today I am processing what I heard and what I learned, and thought I would share some of it with you.

• To start with, here is the definition of what spiritual formation is from a book we are reading together: A process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.
  • It's a process!
  • The idea that it was for the sake of others is the most interesting/challenging thing about this definition for me
• Control was a consistent theme for me. It came up multiple times in conversations with people in the week leading up to the class, and then we hit it pretty hard right at the beginning of the class. Here are a couple lines from my notes:
  • Our view of discipleship is primarily striving instead of surrender. Another way of saying this is that our view of discipleship puts us in a position to act rather than in a position to be acted upon by God. 
    
  • Too many people believe rightly and live wrongly, but most of the tools and descriptions we have give us control rather than grant God further control

Those are just a couple of the highlights. We talked about a lot of other things, but for me everything seemed to build off of these two ideas.

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

As I sat down to write this blog post today, one thought kept coming to my mind. Sex. Not in the way you are probably thinking though.

Pastor John's message on being Rescued from the Lies of Sex this weekend led to to discussions with a lot of people who are struggling with it. For some it's been the porn side of things, and for others it's been another aspect. As I was reflecting on those discussions and other issues that have come up this week, I was reminded of how important it is to have healthy boundaries around sex. Maybe it's having the right software on your computer (Covenant Eyes or XXX Church are a couple of options). Maybe it's making sure you are not putting yourself in compromising positions with members of the opposite sex. Maybe it's finally having the courage to deal with the issue of sex in your dating relationship. Maybe it's something else entirely. What I was reminded of this past week was how much this thing can mess up your world. If you missed the message, check it out. If you heard the message and were convicted, get some help. Find someone to help hold you accountable. Have the tough conversation. If you need healing, get some help on there too. I realized that most of the toughest discussions I have had in my life and in my ministry have come back to sex.

• The couple that walked into my office within a couple hours of finding out the wife had been cheating on the husband.
• The man who, years later, is dealing with the impact an affair has had on his marriage and his family.
• The discussions with the dating couple who is sleeping together.
• The dad who is dealing with the pain of knowing two of his kids have been abused by someone they know.
• The Christian couple who are still dealing with an ongoing porn addiction after years and years of marriage.

I could keep going, but what I know (even with my little experience in life and ministry) is nobody is immune. Some of the people I never would have guessed would struggle with this one I've later found out have had ongoing issues with it. Too much is at stake to let this one slide. If it's a problem, deal with it. If it's not, make sure you don't start down that slippery slope of letting it become one!

 

 

Stories

Some cool stories always come out of our weekly staff meetings. There are many more, but here are a few just from the past week or so!

• We had just under 300 college students watch the Super Bowl here at PLC on Sunday night. Dozens of amazing volunteers took time to cook food and serve the students, and one great tech guy figured out why the game was only in black and white. Lots of the students had never been to PLC before.
• A college aged girl stepped over the Faith Line last week and is already inviting and investing in her sister!
• Kyle Thomas, our High School Coordinator, got to spend the weekend teaching at a camp for Junior High Students where at least four people stepped over the Faith Line!
• Huge numbers of people are taking intentional steps in their walk with God through our classes. Roughly, 50 people are taking Financial Peace University, 50 people are taking Laugh Your Way to A Better Marriage, 40 are taking Urban Compassion, and 15 are in Starting Point! Plus, dozens of people have signed up to join a small group. 
• There's a great story in the Courier about one of our ladies who is doing some cool stuff to fulfill her pledge towards A Better Story. Check out this link to read the article.

Keep investing and inviting. Keep taking your next steps! If you sign up right away, I might be able to convince John Church to still let you joing a group, even though we're past the deadline! Also, we are having a rare day-time Membership Class next Monday (February 13), so sign up for that if you are looking to be a member. You can sign up by sending an email to: plccedarfalls@prairielakeschurch.org. 

 

First Timers

Last week I had the "privilege" to go to my six year old daughter's school assembly. I use the world privilege kind of loosely because, to be honest, I didn't really want to be there. School assemblies aren't all that exciting to me, but Anna really wanted me there because she was going to "be on stage" singing a song with her class. So I went. About 10 minutes in, it hit me that what I was experiencing probably resembled what people experience the first time they come to PLC. I've been thinking about that a lot lately because, in the past three weeks, we've had over 20 new families come to visit PLC. The actual number of first time visitors is probably MUCH higher though, because those are only the new families that checked their kids into the nursery. They come for all sorts of reasons. Some by themselves and some with a friend. Some are Christians and some aren't. With that being said, here are a few things I learned from my first school assembly that apply to us here.

• It's a little intimidating and confusing! I realized I probably have no clue what it's like to experience church for the first time. I grew up in church. I've been coming to PLC for over 13 years. Most of the churches I have been to in my adult life I've gone to with a relative or friend. I can't imagine how intimidating it must be to pull up to this building for the first time, especially if the idea of "church" is new to you. Where do I go? How long am I stuck here? What do I do with my kids? My daughter's school is not all that intimidating, and I've been in the building before, but I still didn't really know what to expect. 
• Some things will seem weird! Who knew that a school assembly could involve lots of clapping and singing? I definitely did not expect a bongo and a piano when I walked in the door. Not to mention the random cheering! I kind of thought I'd just sit there and someone would would talk to us the whole time. Turns out, I was wrong. I wonder if new people around here ever feel the same way. My guess is, they probably do. 
• Enthusiasm makes a difference! The kids and the teachers and were really getting into it all. I wasn't, especially not at first. But they were enjoying it, even the fifth graders! I sat there and watched the most "mature" of the students and realized they were actually the most excited ones. And to be honest, it seemed very genuine. After a while, that helped me relax and get comfortable. I realized that if someone new walks into PLC and sees a bunch of us sitting on our hands and sort of staring at the worship leader or the pastor, they are going to have a much different experience than if they see a group of people who are passionate and excited about worshipping Jesus. Especially if those of us who consider ourselves mature in our walk with God are passionate about worshipping our Savior. 
  

Here are a couple challenges I walked out of that auditorium with that apply to myself and to those of us who call PLC home. What am I doing each week to help those who might be a little intimidated as they walk through the door? This isn't something I can leave up to the First Impressions team or Pastor John. We all play a part, whether we are drinking coffee, serving in children's ministry, or sitting in our seat before the service. Am I coming with a heart and an attitude of worshiping God each week, or am I coming to watch and observe? At one level this is a personal, heart issue. On another level, it's a huge deal for those who are coming here to check out this God thing. 

For Togetherness

Pastor John talked this weekend about how we are rescued from aloneness for togetherness. It was a great reminder, and a great challenge, of a couple things. On a spiritual level, we are rescued from our aloneness by Jesus. The only way we can be filled up is by our relationship with Him. On another level, we are rescued from our aloneness when we invest in relationships with those around who help to spur us on towards Christ. We need to be in relationships with others so that we can grow to be more like Christ. Maybe it's a small group. Maybe it's a mentoring relationship. Maybe it's taking a relationship you have with a Christian and intentionally changing it into a relationship that involves accountability and prayer. At PLC, we really believe that being connected into some sort of a small group or mentoring relationship is one of the most important things you can do for your walk with God. 

As I thought about this message, I was reminded of a book I recently read called "Invitation to a Journey". In the book, one of the things that it says is that when we walk with God we are transformed to become more like Christ "for the sake of others". Not for my own sake, but so that others can come to know Christ, or come to know him more intimately. That was honestly a little new for me. I think I knew it at one level, but at another level I always saw my walk with God as something I did for my own sake. The point of my walk is not to eventually be displayed in a trophy case in heaven as evidence of grace. It's not to make me happier and have a better life. It's to make a difference in the lives of those around me. 

What relationship steps do you need to take in this season, not just for your sake, but for the sake of those you are in a relationship with as well? If you think a mentoring relationship is your next step you can sign up to connect with a mentor here. If a small group seems like a better fit you can sign up to join one here. 

How much do you look like your Dad?

I am going to go on record and say that I don't think you can really tell which parent a baby looks like. I know that this is basically a variation of talking about the weather, and is essentially used as a filler when you aren't sure what else to talk about. Still...I don't think you can tell.  Granted, there are exceptions to this, but in the vast majority of cases that six week old baby looks just as much like dad as they do mom. Unless mom has the blondest hair you've ever seen and dad is really dark complected, I dare to say you aren't the exception. Talk to me when the baby is six months or a year old and I might believe you, but not at six weeks.

As proof, I offer the countless times one of our three kids has been said to look "Just like Gabe," only to have someone walk up to me five minutes later and they say "Wow, they look just like their mom!" I will admit, I have been sucked into this game a time or two, but I do my best to avoid it when I can.

So why am I talking about this? I was on my way to the Child Dedication parent meeting on Monday night and started thinking about these things. Then I realized how much this parallels to our walk with God. You see, when someone first makes a commitment to follow Jesus, you can't really tell who they look like. As they age in their faith, it becomes easier (or at least it should become easier) to see that they are looking more and more like Jesus. This is probably where the parallels stop. If my kid grows up to not look exactly like me or my wife Erin, it's not a big deal.

As a Christian "grows up" if they don't start looking more and more like Christ, that is a big deal. Too often, as Christians, we stop growing in our likeness to Christ. For some, it stops shortly after they make the decision to follow Christ. For many, they start looking more like Christ, but stall out as a "toddler". For others, they grow to a mature Christ-likeness and then stop. None of these options are acceptable, and I am willing to bet that none of us are exempt. At some point, we all have stopped growing for a season.   

This is the question I am trying to answer for myself, and you should be too...in what ways do I need to change to become more like Christ? Once you answer that, then you can start to figure out what your next step might be. Maybe we need to get a Bible reading plan (or maybe we need to start using the one we started). Maybe we need a mentor. Maybe we need a small group. There are lots of ways for us to take steps, what's your next step? 

Crazy

Kind of a dumb name for a blog post, but honestly it's the only thing I can think of to describe the past 36 hours and what the next seven days are looking like. As I sit here with my six year old daughter during a short pause in the craziness, I'm reminded of a lot of things I'm thankful for.

• A great family. Specifically right now, my daughter is cracking me up as she draws radios and people dancing on old PLC bulletins I grabbed to use as scratch paper. Even as she draws on her paper, she does it with the most hilarious non verbals I have ever seen. 
• A great staff. I love that when things get crazy, I know my team has everything under control.
• Great volunteers. It was so cool to watch a couple hundred volunteers help serve at PLC this weekend and then see dozens more sign up to start serving. I can't wait to see how God is going to continue to work in our lives as we not only make a difference in our church, but in the community around us. 
• There's more...but my guess is you don't care all that much :) 

So even in the craziness, I'm glad I took a minute to hit the pause button.

Here are a couple of quick notes. There are lots of cool things going on right now. 

• Classes are starting next week. We've got dozens of people signed up for Starting Point, Financial Peace University, Urban Compassion and Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage.  
• Child Dedication is this weekend.
• Campus Connection is happening in between services on Sunday.
• Baptisms are after services on Sunday.
• Backstage Pass in Kidventure this weekend. If you have kids in Kidventure, make sure to check out one of the services in Kidventure to learn more about what takes place up there each week. We have an amazing team of staff and volunteers who invest in your kids each and every weekend!

Have a great week!

One for One

If you missed this weekend, make sure to check out the message online. That statement is always true, so I hesitate to even say it, but it is even more true this time. Pastor John talked about the one thing we as a church are challenged to do this year, be invitational. It's part of our DNA.  You've heard it before. You can't talk with Pastor John for more than a couple minutes without seeing that he bleeds the invitational value as much as anyone you've ever met. Sometimes that makes it easy to brush it off and say, "I'm just not wired that way. I'll leave the inviting up to him and others like him." The message this weekend made it clear, that's not an option.

Here are some things that hit me as I listened (paraphrased I'm sure): 

• If we really believe that those who reject Jesus go to hell, do we have any choice but to tell others about him? Like Penn from Penn and Teller once said; if you believe that, how much do you have to hate someone in order to NOT tell them about Jesus?
• Found people, find people. As a matter of fact, if you are found, it's because some other found person found you. That's a lot of found!
• If you are found and have no interest in finding lost people, something is wrong. Either you aren't really found, or you have let other things take precedence. Either way, it's not good.

As we wrapped the service up with worship, I walked away thinking the lyrics from the song Hosanna sums it all up, "Break my heart for what breaks yours." 

So the question we are all left with is, does my heart break for the same things that break God's heart?  If the asnwer is no, I need to deal with my heart. If the answer is yes, then my actions better line up with my words. How would you answer that question? What do you need to do about it?

Classes

Classes at PLC are one of the ways that we can help equip you to grow closer to God while discussing a specific topic for a short period of time. This semester we are offering Financial Peace University, Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, and Starting Point at the Cedar Falls campus, as well as Urban Compassion at our Waterloo campus.

Financial Peace University (FPU) has consistently been one of the most popular classes we offer. More than 150 PLC families have attended FPU with amazing results. On average, these families paid off $5,300 in debt and saved $2,700 in just the first 90 days! Sign up and get on the way to the freedom that comes from handling your money well.

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage takes a humorous and Biblical look at many different aspects of your marriage. It's like having a date night four weeks in a row, except you have to work on your marriage and talk a little, not just watch a movie!

Starting Point is the perfect class if you have questions about God. This class will help you learn about the Bible, Christianity, and your place in the story God has been writing. It's a conversation, not a lecture, so come ready to discuss.

Urban Compassion is designed to help us take steps to crossing some of the racial and economic lines that divide us. You'll start with talking and discussion, and end by putting some of that into practice.

You can visit the Classes page on our website to get more info or sign up for a class. Remember, if money for a babysitter is keeping you from taking one of these classes (or signing up for a group), make sure to check out You Pick, We Pay. You find the babysitter, we'll reimburse you based on the time and number of kids that are being watched.

Next Steps

January is here, and that means a lot of ministries will be starting up again. Beginning next week, theRiver (college), The Grove (women), Café Mom (Mothers of Preschoolers), FX (children), theRock (middle school), and theRoad (high school) will all be up and running.

Also, this is the time of year when lots of other groups and classes will be continuing, restarting or launching for singles, couples, men and women. Now is the time to jump back in or sign up for the first time. All the information on our classes is on our website. You can search for and sign up for a small group here. If you have questions feel free to contact me with the email link on the left hand side of the blog. 

Here are a couple other things happening this month:

• Campus Connection: Great opportunity to learn about who we are, what we do, and why we do it if you are newer to PLC. Come meet John Church and myself in the Family Room between services on Sunday, January 8. 
• Membership Class: If you would like to become a Member of Prairie Lakes Church, or want to learn more about what being a Member means, come to this class on Tuesday, January 17.
• Child Dedication: We don't baptize our babies around here, but we do dedicate them. If you want  to be part of the dedication on Saturday, January 28, sign up to come to the parent orientation meeting on Monday, January 23.
• Baptism: If you are ready to take this step in your walk, our next baptism is on Sunday, January 29 at UNI. 

Use the links above to check out your next step!