In the middle of some work and thought I'd take three minutes and ask your opinion:
What should be the result of preaching?
How should we define or identify growth we experience from a message?
What do you think? I think people "grow" from different style messages and communicators... Topical people... Line by line studies... Personal stories... Philosophical talks... Practical how to's for living...
SO WHAT IS THE MAIN POINT and how do we know if we are doing it right?
Brett will have some ideas because he has been wrestling with this (probably b/c he got an opinion that he is trying to check out the validity to... or is just me?)
reimagining God's giftings,
sd
Posts
I once again began to read. I added two books that I am reading. "The Prince" was recommended from Steven Sample from the Leadership Summit and it is the perfect mix for me! I love History and I love Leadership stuff... I am just getting started with that. The other book is one I've been picking at for a while and started to get into it more purposeful.
Today I am going to finish my message and spend the day with my folks and sister and niece from Indiana. I read that there may be waves today! BODY SURFING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, I added a link to Grand Haven Beach Web Cam. Check out the conditions and look at one of my favorite places to walk to - the pier.
Aha was a good band,
sd
Ever have a day where you seem unproductive? Where you get a migrane headache that slows you down? Where your motivation is low? Where your inspiration is empty?
I never do.
What? Just kidding - today was kind of like that, but nothing to get uptight about. In fact I don't dare act like I would have a struggle with something, because I would get three comments telling me to be more positive. :) KIDDING!!!!!!! I love you!
Anyways - watched Cold Mountain late tonight with Vicki. That movie is disturbing. The pain of the Civil War and the disregard for human life makes people look like animals.
But, if we don't recognize God as creator and as a personal being we encounter who offers absolute truth and therefore, values and a moral code to live for, and therefore something called sin.... then we should expect people to live like animals and not to act with mercy and justice. Nature is dog eat dog and only the strong survive. SOOOOO, how can someone who do...
Great meeting time with the staff fellas today.
We worked through the following:
> Had a time of prayer and commitment to Christ.
> Walked through a typical gathering from driving in to driving out and graded each area.
> Talked through how to improve each of the areas we listed and gave assignments.
> Laid out more details for our fall conversation series.
> Discussions on how to raise up more servants to assume many of our current responsibilities.
We have follow up times next week to go deeper on the gathering improvements and raising up leaders.
We hung out at my folks for the first half of the day and it was a great place to hang and chat. (see my dad blog for his thoughts on that.)
Finally I want to confess that I feel like a failure in some of my fatherly duties. I realized that my almost five year old daughter can't swim without a floatation device and can't ride a bike without training wheels. I am not really training my daughter in...
My daughter had three shots this morning for school. Tonight I went to a meeting for her school with her teacher and other parents. I am getting old.
I need to go to bed. Tomorrow we have a staff meeting day. We are going to my folks house and working through the details of the fall conversation series and working through some role related stuff.
I feel very impressed to move us toward a deeper dependancy on servants within the church. I really want to see our values of 'reproduction' and 'everyone a minister' become more lived out. Structurally how do we encourage that? How set up that environment? Etc...
Anyways - I have nothing else to say I guess. Maybe I'll do a big post soon - full of hot sauce material!
Read a few newspapers to get the real story,
sd
I really enjoyed the day and the people in my day.
It started at the set up time a bit after 7 am. Great team. Amazing servants. Good connection time.
The gathering was meaningful with a focus on living life together with Jesus.
We then spent time with family celebrating some birthdays at my grandmother's home in Holland.
Finally we had Core Focus and were challenged by a DVD featuring Mike Breaux from Willow Creek.
Anyways - we live life with an amazing group of people. When people discuss what makes Watermark special - I always have to come back to God's movement through people who are willing to make Jesus the center of their lives. Thanks God for allowing us to be on this journey.
Does anyone know when the Olympics start? I think they start in the next week or so... (I say that because they seem to be a total non-factor in my life and it seems like there is a lot less focus on them this time. I may be just seeing it from my perspective.)
Gotta get up ...
Check out my dad's new emerging postmodern ancient future look! Go to DAVE DEUR (Dibs) and feel inspired! Gotta get back to my message! AHHHHHH help!
PS - Had an awesome time last night with the Van Timmerans at their cottage near Fremont (home of Deur-Speet motors).
Having Christmas in Cambodia (what?)
sd
Went out and met the neighbors yesterday. This was really cool and we ended up chatting for a while. I desire to see our neighborhood become more of a community where we live life together. Vicki and I are kicking around some ideas to facilitate this deeper connection. We'll keep you posted.
I was reading a bit of "Reviving Ophelia" by Mary Pipher. It discusses the difficulty of adolescent girls in society. I hope and pray that we will be able to assist Autumn as she grows and stretches and faces many challenges. Parenting is tough work.
I am all over the place today! Meeting this morning in Allendale. Running back to Grand Haven for another thing. Heading up to Grand Rapids and then back to Grand Haven. I hope I can have enough time to help Wade paint for a bit. :)
I am excited about Core Focus this week Sunday night! We are utilizing leadership teachings from Willow Creek and other items to make those times into little leadership summit's. If...
The Leadership Summit was outstanding and I had some great take-aways. My biggest take-away was the reminder that we are in a story much bigger than we can imagine and the stakes are high. I may talk more about stuff later.
In the meantime we had people share their stories this morning at the gathering and then we had a baptism at Lake Michigan tonight. We had dinner together from 5-6 pm and then we sang and heading down to the lake. We baptized a total of 14 people tonight if my count is correct. (And last week we baptized Sue) I love baptisms and I love living life alongside Watermarkers. We are in a special community and I believe that it is only going to become more meaningful and deep and life changing as we continue to follow Christ.
I am planning on going to New Zealand at the end of October and early Novemeber. I look forward to hanging with our sister church (Shore Grace) and checking in with the Jones'.
Well - gotta put my daughter to bed and then maybe...
I am about to enter a non-stop, mind filling, leadership intensive few days. This will be a time of growth and absorbing new ideas and challenging old ones. Tonight it begins. Thompson and I are going to meet with a bunch of small group pastors for dinner with Randy Frazee and then hear him speak later. He may talk about his "Making room for life" book I told you about and I recommend for simplifying life. Then tomorrow we are off to the Leadership Summit with about 12 people. That is always a good time and I love to take it all in.
Today I need to crank on my message and prepare for the next few days. One way I need to prepare is to spiritually be more in tune with God. These things can cloud my vision and cause me to chase rabbit trails, but I want to be clear with God on who we are to be and what we are to do and utilize these new ideas to advance those - rather than finding new vision for the year from people who are smart, but outside of our context. I think....
Praise God for allowing my family to be involved in this community of faith within this community of Grand Haven!
We had the Coast Guard parade again this year and walked through the parade with an estimated sixty plus people (including little ones) and passed out around 10,000 Flava-Ices! Awesome! It was a remarkable time of community building and loving the community. We had a great and very creative float thanks to the art teachers among us (thank God for spiritual gifts). I was so thankful to God throughout the morning and afternoon.
I just finished going over my message again for tomorrow. I have not spoken for over three weeks and I look forward to teaching this conversation series we are entering entitled: REIMAGINE. I pray that God will move and equip and that I will be true to His Word and His praise alone.
Anyways - I want to live differently and I am working on that a bit. First of all I need to help around the house more and secondly I need to eat better and...
