Finish strong

I want to explain something and then say something. First, I want to explain our approach to evangelism. Our approach to evangelism is service oriented (showing God's love through kindness, meeting needs, inviting, etc) and it is sort of seasonal. We share Christ in season and out but I love when the season hits. I view summer and winter as "out of season" and fall and spring as "in season". During the sunny days of summer people vacation and during the cold days of the dead of winter they tend to stay in. In-season hits in the fall about September (when school starts) and climaxes with Christmas. Then the winter lull. The spring season begins around the last of Feb - peaks at Easter, then lingers till mid-May. This is important to understand (for me at least) because it helps us plan ahead. We have a strategy for sharing Christ -- it's sort of like a fall and spring campaign. We've prayed about it, we're excited about it and God is blessing it! God has poured out a double blessing on our church this spring. God has sent us many people who are either searching for God and/or a church home. You have done an excellent job bringing your friends to the assembly and many of them keep coming back. In fact, nine families and two singles and four Marshall students keep coming back. Praise God! Second, here's want I want to say. We need to finish strong. We began this spring "campaign" together in late Feb. Remember, you responded by praying and bringing a friend and they came - 370+ people on Easter! Many of them stayed. But the summer lull is almost here. The Marshall students will be leaving, families will be going on vacation, etc. all this is good and natural and we plan for it. But we need to finish strong. Here's how - three things. 1) Strengthen your relationships with newcomers. Show them the love of God. Do simple little acts of kindness over and over. Don't preach or pressure them. Build a bridge so Jesus can walk across and save them. Invite them to join a small group. Encourage them. Pay attention to their needs, hurts, etc. Cry with them, laugh with them, stay in tune with them and when the time is right put in a good word for Jesus. Share your story. If they ask to study the Bible and you need help call one of the elders (or me). 2) Pray for them. Pray they make a commitment to Christ. Pray they make our church their home before June. Ask God to keep them from drifting away and draw them to himself and us. We'll show them the love of Christ. Just pray for them. 3) Pray for me - this Sunday I will be preaching about fellowship and I want our newcomers to respond. I am going to interview two people (Jason Moore and Megan Hensley) and they are going to share why they made Norway their church home. Then I am going to preach Acts 2. Pray I do a good job. Lets finish strong. Love, Jeff P.S. We're already working on summer outreaches - we are so excited about it and will share it with you soon.

Allen and Jeanie are headed for the 2009 NEXT Saddleback Conference in Cinci

This weekend Allen & Jeanie Meadows are attending The NEXT Saddleback Small Groups Conference at the Vineyard Church in Cincinnati, OH. Karen McClanahan and Debbie Starkey will be driving up on Friday night for the session on Small Group Leaders Saturday. They will be learning from the best small group trainers in the country. Below is the conference synopsis.

This small groups conference is focused on connecting people to Jesus and each other. The conference is designed help lead our church to a deeper level of fellowship with God and people. Allen, Jeanie, Karen and Debbie will hear presentations and workshops like ...

· Learning how God helped us get 100% of our Sunday morning attendance connected in small groups

· Learning from prominent Christian leaders like Erwin McManus and Joseph Garlington who will be presenting live at the conference.

· Interacting with a team of effective leaders/trainers of small group ministries in one of 60 workshops for churches of all types and sizes

· Small Group Saturday - a special mini-conference just for small group leaders

Sounds exciting! We appreciate Allen, Jeanie, Karen and Debbie for attending the conference. They plan to be back Sunday. Say a prayer for them - pray for travel mercies, much learning and be sure to pray that we can incorporate the what they learn into our small groups. Jeff

Mike Shepherd's Turkey 2009

Yesterday a good buddy and I went Turkey Hunting. We hopped on his 4-wheeler about 5:30am. It was a perfect morning. We walked up the creek and separated. Just before day break Mike hit his call one time. About 10 minutes later he started calling and it wasn't long before a gobbler responded. He must have been about 200 yards away. Mike hit his call just right and he responded again and again. Then Mike stopped and everything got real quiet. Pretty soon I saw three turkeys coming right at Mike. Two hens and a gobbler. That old gobbler jumped up on a log 25 yards from Mike and BOOM! Mike took him in one shot. Now, if you knew my friend Mike, you'd understand. He's a marksman - a national champion at nationwide shooting matches - he typically scores in the top 5 shooters in international matches - no kidding! Shooters come from all over the world and he competes against them and wins. So, when that old goobler jumped up on that log he had no idea who he was facing. Mike shot him and I saw it all. We laughed, did a fist bump and back pats, we took pictures and a nice video. Mike's going to give the turkey breast to a neighbor and it will be good eaten. It was an exciting hunt.

Listen like Jesus (a six day challenge)

The sign read “You ain’t learning nothin’ when you’re doing all the talkin’.” It reminded me of two Bible verses. “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). Everybody knows that one. But my favorite verse on listening is less famous. It is tucked away in the OT book of Proverbs. Solomon wrote “Answering before listening is both stupid and rude (Prov. 18:13 The Message). I love that verse but I often violate it. How about you? Let’s try something new – OK? For the next six days (from now till Sunday) let’s try to listen like Jesus. When someone asks you a question don’t be so quick to give a pat answer. Avoid monologue – go for dialogue. Seek first to understand, before you’re understood. Answer questions with opened-ended questions. That’s Jesus’ style. Don’t merely listen with your ears. Listen with your heart. Listen with your eyes. That’s the key. William Glasser found that 70% of what people communicate is through body language, 23% through tone of voice and only 7% through words. If you’re not listening with your eyes you are missing most of what’s being said. Be eager to listen. Speak less. Ask good questions then be quiet and listen like Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what Jesus sees and hear what Jesus hears. Give away attention. Everybody’s craving it because few people are giving it. It cost you nothing but it means everything. Try it for the next six days and you’ll be amazed at how many hurting people God sends your way.

Be an inviter

Andrew was always bringing people to Jesus. Check out three frequently overlooked passages and see if you can spot what I’m talking about. The first passage is John 1:40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah." 42 And he brought him to Jesus. The second passage is John 6:8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" And the third passage is John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Andrew brought Peter, a little boy and some Greeks to Jesus. That’s all it takes. Just find a friend and bring them to Jesus this Sunday. It’s friend day. It’s Easter. They will come if you ask them. Just say “Will you be my friend this Sunday.” Be like Andrew. Be an inviter.

You are his masterpiece.

If you've been a Christian for a while you probably know Eph. 2:8-10 which explains that we are saved by grace not works. Your good works are the result of your salvation, not the basis. You are familiar with that passage. You've read it, heard it - you may have memorized it. But there is a word that jumped out of verse 10 this morning. It made me smile. "Workmanship". Did you know that the word "workmanship" actually means "masterpiece"? In fact the NLT translates verse 10 "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Now that's amazing. You and me? God's masterpiece? That's right! God displays the beauty of his creation everyday but his greatest piece of work is you. You are God's crowing achievement in creation. You are God's masterpiece. The next time you get down on yourself think about that. The way you view yourself is very different than the way God views you. He loves you. You are his masterpiece.

How to make friends

Quartet from NACC Praise Team Wins Recording Opportunity

Matt and the NACC Praise Team are amazing. Every Sunday they lead our church family in praise and worship. They are the best! Today Matt received an exciting letter from Acapella Ministries and I pasted it below. Matt, Keri, Teresa and Kevin responded to a request from Acappella Ministries to record a song and sent it in. Quartets from all over the country sent recordings in but only a few were selected to work on this recording project. Read the letter below and the next time you see our praise team congratulate them. __________________________________________ Dear, Norway Avenue Praise Team. Thank you for your audition for the next Praise & Harmony recording session, June 30th & July 1st. Your overall group has been given a rating of “A”. We are happy to inform you that your quartet has been accepted for this project. Thank you so much for the work and time you put into your audition. Your rating allows you the status to apply for future Praise & Harmony recordings without further auditions. In April, you will be able to download the music and details needed for your preparations. Please pray that this project may equip Christians and glorify our Lord! Keep Pressing On! John J. Bynum Project Coordinator Acappella Ministries 708 Loretta Dr. Goodlettsville, TN. 37072 (580) 399-4758

Invite Children to Our Easter Egg Hunt

Invite the kids in your neighborhood to our easter egg hunt (April 12). They are sure to learn about Jesus and have fun with our children. There are many parents and children in our area that are looking for a church home. Easter is a great day to invite your family and friends. If they have children make sure to invite them to the 9:30am Bible class and 10:30am easter egg hunt. While the children are learning about Jesus downstairs the adults and teens will be worshiping upstairs. Easter is the biggest day of the year for churches. It is a time of celbration and thanksgiving for the resurrection of Christ. Make sure to invite and bring your family and friends and if they have children, tell them about the exciting easter egg hunt. It's going to be a great day!

Dancing with Shayna (Dads and Daughters)

I cherish this picture of Shayna dancing with me. There's something special the relationship between dads and daughters. I have three daughters and I love being their dad! The Lord turns the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers (Malachi 4:6). My heart is full of my children. I love them so much. It's the little-every-day-things. Last night, when I returned from NC, Tori and I laughed together as we played tennis on Wii (she always beats me because she is a pro - a 2000+ player). Then when I picked up Amber from her new job at D.Q. - well, it's hard to describe what I felt. I was parked in a place where I could see her working - I prayed for her and then came memories and flashbacks of when she and her sisters were little girls running around my feet. They are growing so fast and I love each stage. I am excited to see what God does with my daughters. The Lord has good things in store for them and I pray for them daily. I love being their dad.

Age and Gender Distributions of Evangelical Churches

Check out this great website http://religions.pewforum.org/portraits which contains statistical portraits of various religious groups in the U.S. This morning Jeanie Meadows (my sister/secretary) counted the people in our church directory and we compared it to the national average. Our numbers are similar to the pie chart above.

I became interested in learning about the current demographics of our church because I am currently preaching through Joshua and I'm in chapters 13-14 where Joshua takes on a new role (from soldier to administrator) and Caleb takes on the giants in Hebron. We know Caleb was 85. We don't Joshua's exact age but we know he was old because God told him in 13:1 "You are very old." When I read that it dawned on me that these two men were the only senior citizens in the entire nation of Israel. That led to memories of walking in some churches that were predominantly composed of younger people and others that were composed of an older generation. There are various reasons why old-young gravitate toward their own age group but I believe God's ideal is for their to be an intergenerational mix similar to families. I was very encouraged by the chart Jeanie put together. The age and gender distribution looks good to me and I believe it looks good to Jesus. We do, however, need to improve intergenerational relationships. I believe the best way to do that is by serving together. Not a program or a project or a new church ministry. It needs to happen naturally. A great example is the friendship between Robin and Ms. Martha. Two generations - great friends. I pray God will repeatedly create those types of friendships in our church family so his love will flow from generation to generation.

Evangelism Jesus' Style is Simple and Easy

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. When you serve other people, especially the less fortunate, you are planting seed like Jesus. Peter said in Acts 10:38 that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and ... he went around doing good". That's Jesus' style of evangelism. He went around doing good. We make it too hard. We seem to think we are not evangelizing unless we're in some deep theological discussion about the meaning of life. There may be times when that happens but more often than not the most effective evangelism occurs when you are doing simple little things like shoveling snow off your neighbors driveway or fixing a peanut butter sandwiches for neighborhood kids or picking up mail for the widow next door. Somebody asked, "Does that really count? I mean, is that 'real' evangelism?" You bet it is - the best kind. Jesus' style is simple and easy. Just go around doing good things for people and God will make it grow.

Serve like Jesus

Your life has purpose and meaning, but you will never discover it in isolation from others. The meaning you assign your life largely depends on your willingness to serve, love, and work with other people. Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on earth. Do you remeber what Jesus said after he had washed his disciples feet? John 13:12 When [Jesus] had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Huntington WV (Beth Moore and Gary Smalley) Focus on Marriage Simulcast

When your marriage is satisfying and stable everything looks different i.e. your problems and pressures seem manageable. But when your marriage is not satisfying and unstable it makes everything look worse. Your problems and pressures seem overwhelming. The quality of your marriage affects every area of life. Couples who are happily married tend to enjoy life and cope with problems better than unhappy couples. That's why we have to take time to nurture our relationship with our mate. As I write these words I feel convicted because I spend so much time working. I’ll bet you feel the same way. You are busier than me. We're all busy. But there comes a time when we need to stop working and focus on marriage. This weekend you have an opportunity to do just that. Come to Norway Ave Church of Christ this Saturday morning at 9am for the Focus on Marriage Simulcast. You will worship God and learn from his word and meet couples from nearly every church in the Tristate area. You will be inspired by great speakers like Beth Moore, Gary Smalley and John Trent and many others. Most important, the Lord Jesus Christ will be at the center of it all. You see, Jesus is the key to enriching your marriage. The closer you get to Jesus the closer you'll be to each other. So come to the Focus on Marriage Simulcast this Saturday (Feb 28). Our church is easy to find. Just click on this link for directions http://norwayave.org/findus.html or email Jeanie Meadows at secretary@norwayave.org or call 304-525-0095. See you Saturday.

Focus on Marriage Simulcast at Norway Ave (Beth Moore and Gary Smalley Live)

Come to Norway Ave Church of Christ on Saturday February 28, 2009 for the Focus on Marriage Simulcast. That's right! You will be blessed as by the the worship and praise led by Jeremy Camp and you we learn how God wants to bless your marriage from some well-known speakers. Live via satellite, you will hear Beth Moore, Gary Smalley, John Trent, Gary Thomas and Del Tackett. Tickets on sale now. Child care will be available. Contact the church office (304-525-3302) for more info or visit the church website at http://norwayave.org/.

All of our ministries at Norway Ave are built around the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross is at the center of everything we do. It's all about being transformed from the inside-out - not by will-power and self determination, but by the Holy Spirit. All of our ministries - benevolence, buildings and grounds, children's ministry, education, evangelism, small groups, fellowship, Sonshiners, youth ministry, technology, women's ministry and worship - it is all focused on the cross of Jesus Christ. The vertical beam represents our love for God and the horizontal beam represents our love for each other.

I am writing from Dallas where I attended a great conference called Innovation3 . Over 100 innovative church leaders spoke at the conference which was held at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship. Some of the leaders that spoke were Brian Tome (Crossroads Church - where my friend Phil Richardson attends), Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian Church), Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill), Nancy Ortberg (Teamworx2), Steve Robbins (Vineyard Church), Stacy Spencer (New Direction Christian Church) - just to name a few. The conference ended with a great talk by Matt Carter. Carter is the pastor of Austin Stone Community Church. Carter planted that church with the help of worship leader Chris Tomlin (imagine that!) and it has grown to have a dynamic impact in Austin, TX. The conference was great - the speakers were fantastic, the bands were awesome and the worship and praise was amazing. This evening I began the process of transcribing my conference notes - most of the other pastors had their lap top at the conference but my battery is bad so I had to use pen and paper. The content of the presentations was so good I couldn't write fast enough. When I finish transcribing I plan to share what I've learned with our ministry leaders at Norway - I may also post them on this blog. My plane leaves DFW early and arrives around 1pm in Columbus. After teaching a 6-9pm class at Marshall I'll be home. I look forward to seeing Kim and the girls.

From Glades Springs Resort

I spoke at the State of WV Probation Officer's Conference at Glade Springs Resort near Beckley. The resort is big and beautiful - there is snow on the ground. The title of my presentation was "Effective Strategies for Highly Stressed Probation Officers." The room was packed and the the PO's responded with interested and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed speaking - I used principles from CBT the audience was engaging and participated. I also played my guitar - I opened with Grandma's Feather Bed by John Denver and closed with a song I wrote - Home Six Mile. Two of the PO's were from Madison and they said that a bar in Madison WV plays my music in their juke box - the especially liked "1981" and "Home Six Mile."

From Dallas Texas - My presentation at the Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education (AACE)

I am writing from my hotel in Dallas. I just finished speaking at the AACE National Assessment Conference and I am excited! I thank God for the opportunity and the way people responded to my research. The title of my presentation was "Using ENRICH to assess the marital satisfaction of interethnic couples". The first part of my presentation focused on the the instrument itself (e.g., it's content, it's psychometric properties, etc.) and the second part focused on the results of my research. The response amazed me! I thank God! People did not want to leave the room. I told them we had to go because the next presentation was about to begin. They came to me, ask for copies of my study. The AACE president Dr. Richard Balkin and another AACE leader walked me down the hall, talking the entire time - they asked me to speak at next year's conference in Virginia Beach and recruited me to serve in a leadership position. I am not sure what it involves but they way they described it sounded really great. If I understood them correctly - they asked me to consult and advise and colaborated with other profs in AACE as they create standards for clinical assessement and standards for training graduate programs. These men serve important roles in the counseling profession and influence the profession at a national level. The president of AACE is a prof at Texas A&M-Commerse - I do not remember which university the other man was from but he talked about how they work at a national level (e.g. NBCC). Anyway, I know God opened this door for me and I thank him for it. And now, I can't wait to get home to see Kim and the girls.

From Mackinac Island in Michigan

I am writing from the beautiful historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Isaland in Michigan. Today I spoke at a state-wide convention for the Michigan Association of Healthcare Advocates (MAHA). My presentation was titled "Serving Others is What Life is all About". It was a mixture of CBT principles spiced up motivation, inspirational stories, lots of jokes and, of course, music. I always bring my guitar to these speaking engagements to sing and play. Music brightens up the audience and creates a climate for learning. The people received my presentation very well and I am happy! I'm grateful to Mary Lou McFadden (VP of Education for MAHA) for inviting me. My good friend Pat Chambers invited me to speak in Charlotte NC and Williamsburg VA. Mary Lou was at both conventions, heard me speak and that's how she came to invite me. Pat opened a great door for me which has resulted in numerous speaking engagements and I am so thankful for Pat. I thank God for the opportunity to speak here. It is a great privilege and I never take opportunities like this for granted. I thank God for being with me as I speak. I always put in a good word for Jesus, share my story and encourage people. They laughed, cried, bought all my music CDs. I sold out and people were standing in line expressing disappointment that I didn't have more. I gave them my website and instructions on how to download my music on itunes. The island is amazing. As beautiful as the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulfur Springs in WV but I believe this setting tops it. Out my window is a beautiful lawn, a large blue pool, a view of the great lakes, horses, buggies, lots of people - it's a self-sustained island of hotels, bed and breakfast inns, shops and historical buildings. No cars are allowed - only horses and bikes. I saw a beautiful stone church (congregationalists) on the way up the hill that was built in 1900. I wish Kim and the girls were hear. I miss them now and look forward to seeing them Wednesday at church when I return. For now I will continue to study through the night and try to make good use of this peaceful and quiet (and very expensive) hotel room before I catch my 11:10am flight back home.