Tents

Realizing that not all of you that read my blog, also read the blogs of the other pastors of LifeSong Church, I have included in today’s update a guest blogger… Senior Pastor Jeff Hickman.
If you have visited LifeSong church or bumped into a LifeSong member in the community:
You will hear that we are about being missionaries where we live, work, and play.

You will hear that we will pitch tents, not build Cathedrals.
You will hear that we will be part of a movement, not to build monuments.
You will hear that we will avoid like the plague any activity that brings focus on ministry that fits only in the confines of the church building or only focuses on “Church Folk”.

From Jeff Hickman
It seems that the talk of the Christian "blogger world" is about Ed Stetzer's blog called "breaking news". The latest statistics from the Southern Baptist show that last year was the second time in the denominations history that there was a decline in membership. This is really not breaking news. It is has taken a long time for us to get here as a denomination. I am not a guru on this subject however, I do have my own opinions. I believe that LifeSong Network can help churches get back on track.

How?

The greatest error we made as a denomination was when the tail started wagging the dog. Local associations, state conventions, NAMB, and the International Mission board were created for specific purposes and we have relied upon them greatly. In most instances they have been effective, however it has moved the mindset in the pew from missional to mission-minded. People were taught to give and let somebody else go. This shift in thought and behavior within the church has created a crisis. Overcoming this mentality will be very difficult because it is built into our "DNA". Institutional thinking has been built into our pulpits, constitutions, budgets and attitudes. We must find a way to move the church back to missional living and destroy our institutional mentality.

It is very important that you hear me affirm our missions organizations. We need to continue to support our missionaries, but we must abandon the thought that our mission minded activities will solve this crisis.

LifeSong Network is aiming to help churches return to personal responsibility with our communities. We want to plant churches that build in a missional DNA. Churches that can see the importance of every person becoming a missionary where they live, work and play.

I believe that through coaching, pastoral encouragement and visional renewal pastors in new churches or in existing churches can see radical transformation in their churches and communities. We need to embrace a lateral growth plan where we are not looking to build kingdoms, but we help each other build the body. The church is one body. Many different names, but one mission. -Pastor Jeff Hickman

Gather, Grow, & Go

Pastor Tim

Heroes

For whatever reason in my quietness this past week, I have thought about our 2 sons a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I think about them daily, but last week they just seemed to be on my mind and heart. Like any parent, I enjoy telling stories about our kids, like the time Matthew drove the car into the den, or Andrew and I trying to camp at the lake during a lake wind advisory. There is also this major disease that Matt & Drew have which effects their ability to maintain car keys…(my sister Kim has the same disease).

But I can not forget the look on Matt’s face when his bride Brittany came to him at the altar, and to see how she has partnered with him in ministry, or the look in Andrews’ eyes as he shares how God has spoken to him while studying a John Maxwell series…that’s almost the same look that he gives when he says “Erin”.

To be quite serious I am amazed how God has grown our two sons into Men that seem to be fearless in their pursuit to follow the Messiah. This passion and pursuit has impacted the ones that they love, as well as the ones that have been loved by them. By no means are they perfect, but they simply are a joy & blessing to be with. I often worried as a young dad, was I doing the “right” things, and even now I find my self thinking “is there something that I could be missing?”

I wondered was I too hard on them when it was time to spank them. Yep I said spank. That was an activity that was not any fun for us or them, and I realize that many disagree with the method, and do not spank, but as a famous TV Dr. said “how’s that working out for you?” At the Lyda house it was used as one of many tools to grow men. Prayer and Love are the other tools. I don’t know a lot of things, but I am glad that the tables have turned, and I now get be the one that is daily, and weekly learning from some men that pursue Christ, that not too many years ago I was driving them to baseball.

Matt & Drew… my heroes

Gather, Grow, & Go
Pastor Tim

Prayer Walking

In the past few months here at LifeSong, you have heard a lot of discussion about
“Prayer Walking”.

So what does that mean?

http://www.waymakers.org/ is an organization that has championed this type of prayer activity in the local church body.


Below is what they have to say about Prayer Walking:

“Many Christians have been learning to quietly pray in the places that they live, work or play. We've come to call this sort of on-site intercession "prayerwalking."
Prayerwalking is simply praying in the very places we expect God to bring forth his answers. Prayerwalking is usually a low-profile affair: Friends or family stroll two-by-two through their own neighborhoods, schools and work places, praying as they go.

Once in a while the prayers can be demonstrative, but most prayerwalking is fairly quiet. It's usually being on the scene without making one.

As you pray God's promises with specific homes or worksites in view, you'll find that hope for those people begins to grow. You'll begin to see people as God might view them. You'll likely find yourself becoming more interested in the welfare of the people you are praying for. In other words, you might find yourself becoming the kind of neighbor that you always wanted to be.

Watch for the ways God impresses you to display his love in practical acts of kindness.

Be ready to offer to pray with your neighbors as opportunity may arise. Ask God to give you opportunity to explain clearly how people can enjoy friendship with God by the power of the gospel.

Check out the different sections on this website and the resources we have available. In a few years we'll be living in a prayed-for world and you will be part of it!”

Gather, Grow, & Go
Pastor Tim