Garage Doors, Salesmen and Meadow Spring
Okay...so what do these three things have in common? Alright...I'll tell you.
Our garage door after having served the house faithfully for 32 years has decided that it is finally time to move on to the landfill. Needless to say we need at new garage door.
This is where Larry enters the picture. Larry is a customer service rep with a well-known local garage door company and he came out to assess our garage door needs. We started to chat (big surprise there) and talk came around to TVs, technology and the like (found out he was a science/technology major in college).
Well...I began to share with him about the big venue expansion/tech project we just completed at Meadow. (Most of the conversations I have with people end up being about Meadow. I LOVE this place) He was really amazed at how we, as a portable church, do what we do. He thought it was pretty cool, actually.
So...sensing an open door, I took advantage of the opportunity and extended an invitation to come and see just how the whole thing works with doing church in multiple venues.
Turns out he lives in Blaine...but...he has two daughters in their twenties who would be interested in checking out Meadow.
He may come on a Sunday as well as the technology we are using to do simultaneous video venues has him genuinely intrigued.
I gave Larry my card with all our contact info on it. Hopefully he will check out our website, listen to a message, see some of the things that are happening at Meadow and make the trip to be with us on a Sunday.
You never know who you are going to meet in the course of a day and the opportunity God lays at your feet. Could be a home repair that opens the door to engage, invite and encourage someone to see what exciting things God is doing at Meadow!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
I Love Community Groups!
Man...what a great night for group last night. We had to postpone meeting for a week because of illness, but we were back together again last night. What a great group to hang out with!
We wrapped up our Bible Basics study. It has been a really good couple of weeks as we have been going over where the Bible came from, how the books are laid out, a very simple survey of Old and New Testaments, how to study the Bible using the observation/explanation/application method of study and how to use various Bible study tools.
It has been fun seeing the "ah ha" moments as we have been covering this subject. The end result is that we have a better understanding of the Bible and folks have a desire to dig into it and see what God has to say them.
Plus it was fun to spend some time together, hanging out and catching up on life!
Man...what a great night for group last night. We had to postpone meeting for a week because of illness, but we were back together again last night. What a great group to hang out with!
We wrapped up our Bible Basics study. It has been a really good couple of weeks as we have been going over where the Bible came from, how the books are laid out, a very simple survey of Old and New Testaments, how to study the Bible using the observation/explanation/application method of study and how to use various Bible study tools.
It has been fun seeing the "ah ha" moments as we have been covering this subject. The end result is that we have a better understanding of the Bible and folks have a desire to dig into it and see what God has to say them.
Plus it was fun to spend some time together, hanging out and catching up on life!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Opportunity...
Sometimes opportunity seemingly comes from out of nowhere. That's what it is was like this week.
Bonnie and I decided to take a few days vacation and hang out in Rochester. It was a chance to unplug from the busy-ness of the venue expansion and relax a bit.
As part of the "relaxation" portion of the vacation, Bonnie booked the both of us for a one hour massage. One of the rules of the spa was that the massuse would not engage in conversation with the client. That it was to be an hour of quiet, theraputic massage in a peaceful environment. For me that would be very stressful as I tend to be a social person who likes to chat.
Well...the massuse I had was an older Ukrainian woman with quite the gift for conversation and for that I was glad. She really opened up about her life in the Ukraine, her family (her dad was a military pilot), the shift from communism to capitalism and her move to the United States in 1995. I just asked questions and she opened up more and more about her life.
As the conversation continued, I found out she has a daughter and grand-daughter in Burnsville and she visits them regularly. Well...that opened the door to tell her about Meadow. I was able to share with her the great things happening at our church. As the session concluded, I was able to give a business card with info about Meadow and invited her to visit us the next time she was in Burnsville. Not sure if she will...but the opportunity was there to make invitation. The results are in the hands of God.
Then today...made plans to spend the afternoon with my son. Its not often that a 23 year old wants to spend time with his dad...so you have to seize that opportunity when you can.
As we spent the afternoon together he shared about some friends of his who have put together a pretty decent band and are in need of a guy to run sound. He said that he was going to start mixing sound for them and he wants to learn more about it.
Well...this is a request that is right up my alley. Told him if he was willing to show up on Sundays , I would be willing to teach him everything I know about it (didn't think he would take the bait). He AGREED! You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Opportunities to invite people to Meadow are all around us. Sometimes they are blatently obvious, sometimes they are subtle...but the opportunities are there. We need to take advantage of them when they present themselves. We simply have to make the invitation. It really is that easy.
Sometimes opportunity seemingly comes from out of nowhere. That's what it is was like this week.
Bonnie and I decided to take a few days vacation and hang out in Rochester. It was a chance to unplug from the busy-ness of the venue expansion and relax a bit.
As part of the "relaxation" portion of the vacation, Bonnie booked the both of us for a one hour massage. One of the rules of the spa was that the massuse would not engage in conversation with the client. That it was to be an hour of quiet, theraputic massage in a peaceful environment. For me that would be very stressful as I tend to be a social person who likes to chat.
Well...the massuse I had was an older Ukrainian woman with quite the gift for conversation and for that I was glad. She really opened up about her life in the Ukraine, her family (her dad was a military pilot), the shift from communism to capitalism and her move to the United States in 1995. I just asked questions and she opened up more and more about her life.
As the conversation continued, I found out she has a daughter and grand-daughter in Burnsville and she visits them regularly. Well...that opened the door to tell her about Meadow. I was able to share with her the great things happening at our church. As the session concluded, I was able to give a business card with info about Meadow and invited her to visit us the next time she was in Burnsville. Not sure if she will...but the opportunity was there to make invitation. The results are in the hands of God.
Then today...made plans to spend the afternoon with my son. Its not often that a 23 year old wants to spend time with his dad...so you have to seize that opportunity when you can.
As we spent the afternoon together he shared about some friends of his who have put together a pretty decent band and are in need of a guy to run sound. He said that he was going to start mixing sound for them and he wants to learn more about it.
Well...this is a request that is right up my alley. Told him if he was willing to show up on Sundays , I would be willing to teach him everything I know about it (didn't think he would take the bait). He AGREED! You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Opportunities to invite people to Meadow are all around us. Sometimes they are blatently obvious, sometimes they are subtle...but the opportunities are there. We need to take advantage of them when they present themselves. We simply have to make the invitation. It really is that easy.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Another Reason to Pray
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Mark 14:38
Was reading through Mark 14 this morning for my quiet time and this verse just kind of jumped out at me. Here Jesus gives us another reason/benefit for prayer. To have the strength in spirit and body to stand strong against temptation.
When you hear the word “temptation” what goes through your mind? Is it images of obvious temptation? Being tempted toward obvious sin? Those large, looming, gargantuan sins that we quickly and easily dismiss and say “Well, of course I wouldn’t do that.”
You really don’t need to keep watch for giants. They are rather apparent and are seen from a distance.
What we need to keep watch for are the subtle temptations. Those that are less obvious. You know the kind, those small, seemingly insignificant compromises we make that lead to spiritual drift.
You see, the enemy of our souls is cunning and crafty enough to know that if he confronted us with obvious, blatant temptation and sin, we would immediately recoil and turn the other way. But, if we can be lured to make small, seemingly un-noticed compromises throughout the day/week/month…if we drift just a little off course…little by little…day by day…skipping quiet times for “more important endeavors”…going forward on a course of action without prayer…fixing our gaze on things we ought not to be looking at…shading the truth for our own benefit…we soon find that over the long haul we are way off course in our lives. We become distant in our relationship with God, our marriage becomes rocky, we begin to stay away from our small groups and church friends and our attitude toward life just plain stinks.
It is because we have not been keeping watch. I have this image in my mind what those subtle temptations look like. In my minds eye, they are like Gollum from “Lord of the Rings”. Small, dark, slimy and subtle. Whispering in your ear, unrelenting, self-absorbed and afraid of exposure.
Through prayer, we can ask God to show us the areas we are vulnerable. You will be surprised at what God will reveal to you. But as He shows you the areas of your weakness, and you are honest about them, share them in confidence with a trusted friend (exposing those areas to the light) and surrender those areas to God’s control and be watchful and guard against those areas, you will find you are growing stronger in moral strength and growing closer to God as well.
“Watch and pray…” Wise words to which to pay attention.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Mark 14:38
Was reading through Mark 14 this morning for my quiet time and this verse just kind of jumped out at me. Here Jesus gives us another reason/benefit for prayer. To have the strength in spirit and body to stand strong against temptation.
When you hear the word “temptation” what goes through your mind? Is it images of obvious temptation? Being tempted toward obvious sin? Those large, looming, gargantuan sins that we quickly and easily dismiss and say “Well, of course I wouldn’t do that.”
You really don’t need to keep watch for giants. They are rather apparent and are seen from a distance.
What we need to keep watch for are the subtle temptations. Those that are less obvious. You know the kind, those small, seemingly insignificant compromises we make that lead to spiritual drift.
You see, the enemy of our souls is cunning and crafty enough to know that if he confronted us with obvious, blatant temptation and sin, we would immediately recoil and turn the other way. But, if we can be lured to make small, seemingly un-noticed compromises throughout the day/week/month…if we drift just a little off course…little by little…day by day…skipping quiet times for “more important endeavors”…going forward on a course of action without prayer…fixing our gaze on things we ought not to be looking at…shading the truth for our own benefit…we soon find that over the long haul we are way off course in our lives. We become distant in our relationship with God, our marriage becomes rocky, we begin to stay away from our small groups and church friends and our attitude toward life just plain stinks.
It is because we have not been keeping watch. I have this image in my mind what those subtle temptations look like. In my minds eye, they are like Gollum from “Lord of the Rings”. Small, dark, slimy and subtle. Whispering in your ear, unrelenting, self-absorbed and afraid of exposure.
Through prayer, we can ask God to show us the areas we are vulnerable. You will be surprised at what God will reveal to you. But as He shows you the areas of your weakness, and you are honest about them, share them in confidence with a trusted friend (exposing those areas to the light) and surrender those areas to God’s control and be watchful and guard against those areas, you will find you are growing stronger in moral strength and growing closer to God as well.
“Watch and pray…” Wise words to which to pay attention.
Monday, March 12, 2007
R-E-L-A-X
Every once in a while, a person needs to take a few days to get away and relax.
Bonnie and I are taking a couple days to get away to do just that. The first day has gone pretty well. Just spent some time walking around, checking out some shops and just enjoying a day together. Wednesday afternoon it will back to the normal routine, until then, we are forgetting about time schedules and are just enjoying the opportunity to unwind and take it easy.
Every once in a while, a person needs to take a few days to get away and relax.
Bonnie and I are taking a couple days to get away to do just that. The first day has gone pretty well. Just spent some time walking around, checking out some shops and just enjoying a day together. Wednesday afternoon it will back to the normal routine, until then, we are forgetting about time schedules and are just enjoying the opportunity to unwind and take it easy.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Power of Connection
It is amazing what intiating a simple conversation can bring about.
This past Sunday, we launched a new venue at Meadow Spring called "Big Screen Cafe". It consists of a 50" plasma screen TV in the lobby of the Marcus Theater where we meet on Sunday mornings. The "Big Screen Cafe" is a simulcast of all that we are doing live in Meadow Live (which meets in theater #6).
Any way...the lobby of the theater is open to the hallway of the mall where the theater is located and the 50" TV is strategically placed so that those who walk by the lobby of the theater are able to see the TV.
Well, this past Sunday, a gentleman was waiting for a store to open in the mall and he wandered into the lobby of the theater. He saw the TV, and the group of people in the lobby and looked a bit puzzled. I walked over and introduced myself and he did the same and asked what was going on. That started a great conversation with Clarence. After chatting for a bit, he was hooked as to what we are doing here at Meadow with multiple venues meeting at the same time, each with a different atmosphere and with the message being simulcast to the venues. He said he would be back with his wife to see more of what we are doing as a church in a movie theater.
The power of connection. It is amazing what can happen if we simply engage people in conversation.
It is amazing what intiating a simple conversation can bring about.
This past Sunday, we launched a new venue at Meadow Spring called "Big Screen Cafe". It consists of a 50" plasma screen TV in the lobby of the Marcus Theater where we meet on Sunday mornings. The "Big Screen Cafe" is a simulcast of all that we are doing live in Meadow Live (which meets in theater #6).
Any way...the lobby of the theater is open to the hallway of the mall where the theater is located and the 50" TV is strategically placed so that those who walk by the lobby of the theater are able to see the TV.
Well, this past Sunday, a gentleman was waiting for a store to open in the mall and he wandered into the lobby of the theater. He saw the TV, and the group of people in the lobby and looked a bit puzzled. I walked over and introduced myself and he did the same and asked what was going on. That started a great conversation with Clarence. After chatting for a bit, he was hooked as to what we are doing here at Meadow with multiple venues meeting at the same time, each with a different atmosphere and with the message being simulcast to the venues. He said he would be back with his wife to see more of what we are doing as a church in a movie theater.
The power of connection. It is amazing what can happen if we simply engage people in conversation.
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