The Ripple Effect...(from the archives)

*This post is from the archives from December 2012*

Ripple Effect

I met a man the other day with a very troubled past. Very troubled. He'd spent a significant amount of time in prison, with a past of drug and alcohol abuse. He's recovering and seems to be doing quite well. 

We spent a couple days together as we were painting my living room. We talked about life, faith, and our personal journeys. At one point we started talking about our church experience. This conversation has haunted me for days now. 

He explained to me that, as a child, his father would take him and his siblings to church every Sunday morning and evening...until one night. It was an after church congregational meeting. A church member began to stir up some controversy surrounding the preacher and had gotten this meeting together to drop the bomb on the preacher that he was going to be fired. The preacher and a significant portion of the congregation was oblivious to the plan. As he describes it, the meeting turned ugly, people were shouting and arguing, and as a result this man's father gathered up the kids and walked out of the church, never again to return...to any church. His father response? "We don't need this!" 

For this man, that was his last experience with the church. He relayed the story to me as though it had happened yesterday, but it had been 40 years earlier. 

I don't know who was right and who was wrong in this situation at his childhood church, and it really doesn't matter. What mattered were the attitudes and actions of Christians. Now, hear me out, I don't believe that it's fair to push blame on this particular church member for all of this man's poor life choices, but what if that moment, in that church building, became a defining moment for his life. 

He stopped going to church. That withdrew him from the people who could have influenced him for the positive. He begins to choose friends unwisely and ends up heading down a path of alcohol abuse, then into smoking pot, and ultimately in and out of jail on meth charges. 

Imagine with me for a bit that this church member approached his dissatisfaction with the preacher in a loving, Biblical, Matthew 18 type of way. Would things have heated up to a shouting match in a congregational meeting? Would that little boy be dragged out of church by his father never to return? I don't know. 

James 1:26 says "Those who consider themselves to be religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless."

We may never know the ripple effects of our words, actions, and attitudes on the lives of those around us. We bear a powerful name, the name of Jesus Christ, and we must never lose sight of that Name.  If we are the body of Christ...

- What is Christ (you) saying at your workplace?
- What is Christ shouting at practices and ball games?
- What is Christ watching on TV, seeing on the computer, and listening to on the radio?

What is the message of Christ you are speaking? Is it true to the message of the one who redeemed you, who called you out of slavery to sin, and rescued you to new life? What will the ripple effects be of your words, actions, and attitudes today?

-- "and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5b) --

Rooted in God's Love?...what?

"Rooted In God's Love" is more than a slogan, more than a motto. It's who and what we desire to become. The leadership at Campbellsville Christian Church know that God's story in us as a congregation and as individuals is not yet fully written. As Jesus said, when asked what is the greatest commandment: "The greatest commandment: 'Love the Lord your God.' The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."(Matthew 22:36-40) We desire to become rooted in God's love; loving God and loving others.

A rooted Christian, one who is actively loving God and loving others in all aspects of life, stands firm in their faith in the face of trials and storms of life. Those things still challenge us and are painful, but because we are firmly rooted in God's love, we can endure. We can stand as a symbol of His strength and power. We become a living testimony to God. Below the surface, we are grounded in God's word and continually study it both individually and in community. Above ground, outwardly, we live upright and holy lives so that no one might be able to slander the name of our Creator.

So often, churches (ourselves included) have been guilty of challenging people to grow on their own, but fail to give them the tools they need to accomplish this growth. We are no longer satisfied with the status quo. We seek to provide opportunities through our various programs that you can read about on the church website; opportunities to worship as a congregation, to study together in community in the form of small groups, and to grow in our Wednesday night Deeper Life studies.

However, we want to take it a step further. We have created personal spiritual growth goals for our people. These have been written based on God's word. These goals are based in what we consider to be 6 essential Expressions of Love: Study, Prayer, Stewardship, Discipleship, Community, and Service. We believe every individual, upon the point of entering this earth to their departure, is on a journey. We want to walk alongside you and help you on your journey as you take personal responsibility for your faith. We created these goals based on age groups. 

We are also very intentional about the programs we create. We want everything we do to help you on your journey to become rooted in these six expressions of God's love. Over the next twelve months you will see a strong emphasis on Study and Service. We will still be working on the other four, but for the next year, we will focus on these two. Coming in October we will be journeying together through a church-wide study called 40 Days in the Word. For forty days we will be looking at the Bible and seeking practical ways to study God's word, not only for knowledge, but application. 

We have also created age-specific personal growth goals for every person in the church from Preschool - Senior Adults. These are big-picture ideal. Below, you will find links to image files of these goals. We have printed these goals on convenient bookmarks. If you would like to receive one of these bookmarks, please contact the church.

Bookmarks for Download:

Preschool

Elementary

Middle School 

High School

Young Adult

Adult

Senior Adult

Friday Five, plus an added bonus!

Here are five of my favorite videos, articles, pictures, and other links this week:

1. Favorite Parenting Article - Wanting God's Best - (via Orange Parents)

29 TIMES THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT WE SHOULD LOVE THE LORD—WITH ALL OUR HEART, ALL OUR SOUL AND ALL OUR STRENGTH! That’s our goal!

So, with that in mind, here are seven steps for use to pass on to parents about how to desire God’s best for the inhabitants of their homes. FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE HERE

2. Favorite Marriage Article - 3 Ways To Surround Your Marriage - (via MarriedPeople)

I stumbled on a 2010 article from CNN entitled, “Could you be, ‘infected’ by a friend’s divorce?” Studies reveal the answer to that question is . . . ABSOLUTELY.

James H. Fowler, professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, said: “Not only can the risk of divorce spread from one couple to their friends or family, it can also affect relationships at least two degrees of separation away from the original couple splitting up.” The article also stated: “People who had a divorced friend were 147 percent more likely to be divorced than people whose friends’ marriages were intact.” Find out how to protect your marriage here. 

3. Favorite Birthday Party - Generic Surprise Party - (via Imgur)

Here's the back story: This guys wife didn't want anything special for her birthday. Just a "generic" party. Here's what she got:

See the rest of the photos here.

4. Favorite Parenting Idea - Common Sense Ideas - (via Stupid Station)

5. Favorite Idea for Grandparents or Parents with Multiple Children - (via stuffformultiples.com)

Hurry! It's on sale for a mere $8000

BONUS: Just because I like you, check out these still images from the Disney's Lion King next to their real life counterpart. Pretty cool. You can see them all here:

Have a great weekend!

Remembering.

It's easy to move on and forget. Twelve years ago the world changed. Hope was not lost, however, because over 2,000 years the world changed for all eternity. 

A clever post title.

Our baptistery has been getting a huge workout lately! Two more baptisms yesterday morning! What an exciting time in the life of the Body of Christ!

One of the most important things I tell people who are preparing to give their life to Christ is this: "Your journey doesn't stop in the water. The journey is just beginning." Once we become a Christian, then comes the hard part; dying to ourselves daily, surrendering our desires and dreams and allowing God to conform them into his desires and dreams. That's discipleship - the process of learning to follow Christ each day. 

As a church, we seek to create opportunities for all people to 1. come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. 2. become "rooted in God's love" by growing as disciples of Jesus. 

Here are a couple of opportunities coming your way...

1. Father/Son Campout - Round 2! Mark your calendar for September 20/21st at the Keltner's. If you missed our last one in early summer, you won't want to miss out on this one. If you were at the last one, make sure you sign up because we've added new activities! There will still be time for campfires, fishing, hiking, and much more! Sign up on the bulletin or contact the church office.

2. New Wednesday Night Class: Protecting Your Children in an Online World. I will be teaching a three-week seminar (Starting Sept. 18th) on social media, Internet safety, mobile devices (phones/tablets) and will be there to all your tech questions. This will be a great resource for parents, grandparents, and well...everyone! If you've never heard of SnapChat, Instagram, Tumblr, or Ask.fm to name a few (besides the obvious Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube) then this class is perfect for you. It's a challenge to keep up, let us help!

Finally, since I didn't do a Friday Five this week, I thought I'd end with a video...I mean, how could you go wrong with a Dubstep Thriller Dance Video?

Have a wonderful week!

I am more than a watch.

A man named William Paley from the 19^th century offered an argument for God as the creator. It’s called the Watchmaker Argument and you might have heard it before. Basically he says, suppose that I’m walking and I stub my toe against a rock. Suppose that the person walking with me asks, How’d that rock get there?” I might answer that for all I know it had been there forever. That wouldn’t seem too crazy right? Now, suppose both of us were walking and I found a watch on the ground, one of those old wind up watches, not the digital kind. Suppose that same person asked me how that watch got to be there. Could I answer the same? I suppose it’s been there forever? Wouldn’t that seem ridiculous? Here’s why that seems ridiculous: Upon further examination of the watch, you see what you could not see in the rock, you see that it has many little tiny parts inside that are framed and put together for a purpose. So it’s rather improbable to think that this watch has been here forever; the watch must have had a maker. There must have existed, at some time and at some place or another, a “maker” so to speak who formed this contraption for a purpose which we can see as we look at the watch. It had a maker.

For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

We sometimes look in a mirror , and we don’t see handiwork or a masterpiece. We see our flaws, our failures, and we don’t see anything but a big mistake. You are not a mistake. You are not worthless. If your dad told you that, he’s a liar. If your mom told you that, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. If your employer tells you that, quit. If your girlfriend or boyfriend, husband or wife tells you that you are worthless, sit them down, grab your Bible and turn to Psalm 139 and read the words of King David, “[God] created my inmost being; he knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; [his] works are wonderful, I know that full well” (vs. 13,14).

You may not feel like a masterpiece now, but remember this, when God looks at your life He doesn’t just see what you are; He also sees what you can be.” You are God’s masterpiece.

It's Labor Day...

In Honor of Labor Day, I would like to thank my Mother for enduring the whole 15 minutes she was in Labor for me 35 years ago. Mom, I know the reward of having me as a son made it all worth it....wait...this just in...Labor Day is, in fact, not about mom's and babies. Oh. Well, this is awkward. 

Have a great day off work anyway!

Friday One...

Yeah...been one of those weeks. I've only got one thing for you. Here it is:

For those of you with teenagers driving this is my favorite parenting idea of the week: (via Mark Driscoll)

The Flight of Lawnchair Larry!

You may be familiar with this story. Back in 1982, 33-year-old truck driver Larry Walters made national news. Larry had a habit of spending his weekends in his Los Angeles backyard, just south of the L.A. International Airport, drinking "Pepsi" and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He would just sit in his favorite lawn chair, staring at the houses around him in his subdivision. Not a real exciting life.

Apparently, one-day boredom prompted Larry Walters to buy some balloons and a tank of helium. He figured on tying the balloons to his lawn chair, filling them with helium, and floating up for an aerial view of the neighborhood. He judged that he would get no higher than 100 feet, but just in case, he got out his BB gun and loaded it. He planned to regulate his altitude by shooting out a couple balloons. I’m not sure how many six packs of …Pepsi…he had consumed when he came to that idea, but Larry thought that it was worth a try. 

So Larry Walters of Los Angeles went out and bought 45 big weather balloons, a huge tank of helium and some rope. First, he secured his lawn chair to the ground, and then he filled the balloons with helium. One by one he tied them to his chair. Before lift off, he went inside the house and got another six pack of…Pepsi…, a couple PB&J sandwiches, and his BB gun. Then he went out and sat in his lawn chair. He had instructed his neighbors to cut the ropes securing the chair when he was ready. “Let’s Go!” he yelled, and the ropes were cut. 

But he didn’t go up 100 feet. He went up 11,000 feet. Shot straight up in the air! And the BB gun? It was useless since he was using both hands to hang on to the chair for dear life! 

He zoomed straight up into the landing pattern at LA International Airport. The pilot of an approaching Continental DC 10 reported that he had passed a man in a lawn chair, and control tower told him to report immediately upon landing. They thought the pilot might have been drinking too much…Pepsi. 

Eventually, they sent up helicopters to rescue Larry Walters. They closed the airport and diverted all landings and takeoffs at LAX while they played tag with this guy in a lawn chair at 11,000 feet! When they finally got him down, he was surrounded by TV crews, the police, fire, and rescue squads and plenty of curious people. It was a major event. 

“Were you scared?” asked a reporter. “No, not really.” Larry answered. “Are you going to do it again?” asked another reported. “No.” “What in the world made you do it the first time?” Larry thought about that for a minute and said, “Well, you can’t just sit there.” 

Peter was a "Larry Walters" kind of guy at times. There's an unbelievable story about Peter walking on the Water in Matthew 14. Jesus had just fed 5000 and sent the disciples off across the lake where there was a looming storm. After a time of prayer, Jesus walks out to the boat on the water. On. The. Water. That's a whole different blog post. Anyway, Peter sees him and here's what happened:

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”        “Come,”  he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

I look at guys like Larry Walters who say..."well, you can't just sit there" and I think..."well, I sure can." Peter, really? You know people weren't made to walk on water, right? 

Look through the pages of the Bible and you will see them filled with people God used because they weren't content to "just sit there." God called them to action and they answered. The need for courage arose and they leaned hard into their faith in God to give them strength.

 - Moses stood up to Pharaoh, parted the Red Sea, and led a nation to freedom! (He tried to convince God that he wasn't the guy for the job at first.)
 -  Joshua led armies against seemingly insurmountable odds
 - David became king.
 - Peter walked on water and became the rock on which Jesus founded the church.
 - Paul, a devout Jewish leader, brought the message of Jesus to the Gentiles (that would be most of you)

What keeps you "just sitting there?" Fear? Lack of ability? Possibility of failure? Let's face it, it comfortable from the couch. It's comfortable in the boat. It's easier to not take a stand. It's easier to join in with everyone else than to be a difference maker. "Sitting there" protects our reputations, careers, and money, but what does it cost us?

Picture yourself there on the sea of Galilee in the middle of the storm. Look around. Where’s Jesus? He’s definitely not in the boat. If you truly desire to follow Jesus, then occasionally you are going to have to walk on water. Once you realize that and begin to step out, you can have full assurance that you will have the supernatural support that you need. Peter only walked on water because he had faith that Jesus’ power could hold him up. You can do the same.

New life every week!

I don't know if you noticed this. It might have slipped by you. We've had 4 baptisms this month! 4! It has been so exciting to see people walk with Christ into new life. Don't let the power of that slip by...there is no more important thing. Period.

On a similar note, we are offering RESCUE class again September 15, 22, 29th during the Sunday School hour in the Loft. Sign ups are available now. Sign up in the church bulletin or email the church office to let us know you're coming. RESCUE is a three-week class that walks you and your older elementary child through God's plan for salvation. RESCUE creates an opportunity for parents to talk through the most important decision a child will make. If you have any questions, contact me or Kari Jo.