About Matthew

This is another book concerning mountain climbing on Mt. Everest.  This story deals with the disasters on the hill in 2006.  Mt. Everest is increasing traffic with every coming year.  More and more people are daring to hike up to 29,000 feet.  People with more problems and concerns of ability are attempting to be the first of some certain qualification to summit.  There is competition and rivalries with different companies that lead tourists.  This is all becoming overwhelming.  A place of purity is becoming a place of humanity.  With the use of oxygen more people are able to climb this high point.  We are bringing the mountain down to size.  I believe people should be purist for the hill.  If you are going to climb it, do so without oxygen.  This is a true account of man versus mountain.  The book is written well.  The stories are amazing and interesting.  The book deals with major characters that have a huge role in the Mt. Everest business.  This is not the best book, and some of the stories are repeats from other materials, but if you like adventure books, this is worth your time.

With the flip of the calendar from June to July, my attention is starting to be focused on a class I am taking at Denver Seminary this summer.  The class is called “How the Nature of the Church Affects Strategies for Ministry.”  The class is taught by Paul Borden who has had great success in growing churches.  His track record speaks for itself.  I have read a few of his books for the class, and his understanding is immense.  This class scares me because mostly I have been educated in schools connected to the churches of Christ.  I wonder how I will be treated.  Will I be an outcast?  Will a lot of the strategies not work well in the churches of Christ?  Probably, I will be treated well.  It will be a rewarding experience of looking at different fellowships.  I love traveling to Harding Graduate because of the fellowship I have with the students.  We all deal with the same issues and mostly have the same opinions.  There is a huge bond there between the students.  I need to run up to the school to see it for the first time.  Look around and see which class I will be in.  This should help.  I am a little nervous about this but have been for every new school I attended.  I am sure once I am there, I will love the people and the time together.  I am just excited about seeing what God is planning for me.  July 13-17 will be a interesting week.

Most congregations of the churches of Christ are filled with great Christian people.  These are people who love the Lord and serve one another.  But sometimes these congregations become comfortable and begin to coast.  There are too many coasting congregations.  These are congregations that go through the regular motions, are unwilling to make changes, are content with what they have and where they are, and are not evangelistic.  Congregations that coast feel good about themselves.  There is little conflict because there is little that is different.  People feel loved and people feel loving because relationships are never tested in conflict.  The problem with coasting is that it happens in only one direction.  Congregations seem to be going a long nicely, but really are coasting downhill.  Coasting is comfortable.  There is little work, just navigating the normal.  A congregation feels that it is moving a long but it is surely dying in the process.  This is because the opposite of coasting is going up hill.  This takes a lot of work and time.  People do not always like going up hill.  It is just plain hard work.  You have to be dedicated and desire to travel up hill.  This is why some congregations prefer to coast.  The church believes they are moving ahead but are coasting the whole time down hill.

As most of the readers know, I am climbing the fourteeners of Colorado now.  This is a new book about another man’s adventures on the mountains.  The book is great.  He is funny and humble.  The stories are amazing with background information spread throughout the chapters.  You learned a lot about the history, the controversies, and the hikes.  The stories about Leadville were interesting and the stories about the people on the hills were fascinating.  If you love adventure books, this is a great one.  I loved it because this is a dream of mine.  The book is well written and flows.  It did not take me long to read because I was so into the topic.  I highly recommend it if you are looking for the feeling of standing on top of the world.

Yesterday, I climbed another fourteener.  This time it was Quandary Peak which is 14,265.  It was an amazing trip as we started below timber line which is about 10,000 feet.  We hiked up about 3650 vertical feet in a matter of 3.5 miles.  It was a seven mile trip all around.  The first part with a well developed trail with it turning into a rock trail more at the top.  The top section was mostly snow and rock.  It was really cold and windy on the ridge leading to the summit.  The wind had some major power behind it.  I was glad I had a jacket.  I hiked with Bjorn (an intern), Zach (an intern), and Amanda and Elaina (both teen girls).  Everyone made it to the summit which was a great moment.  We had a prayer on the hill as well.  The hike back turned out to be wet with the snow down my boots.  Fortunately, I had some extra socks.  This is the second 14ers and I am looking forward to doing a few more this summer.  A great challenge and sense of victory. 

I have always enjoyed VBS season.  At Waynesboro, this was also a highlight of the summer, and the VBS at Castle Rock is just as amazing.  VBS is a wonderful time of sharing Jesus with some of the children.  This year at Castle Rock we had a ton of people come and a ton of people involved.  There is an unlimited amount of talent and desire in the congregation.  This year we went with a Soda Shop Theme from the 1950’s.  We had the talented Mr. Scott and Franky come as well.  Here is a link to their site.  These guys are great.  www.FrankyandMrScott.com

We had some of the teens singing in a fifty’s group and we had super plays all week long.  Then the kids broke off into the class groups with the adults coming down for a class with Myself, Steve, and Zach.  I was really excited about the style of the Bible class.  We did not want to do a lecture style, but was more interactive.  We had a section on the history of a principle or perspective from the 50’s, then we had a Bible lesson, which was followed by a interview.  These interviews were powerful.  We talked about rebuilding a life, dealing with perfectionism, living in luxury, and the problem of nostalgia.  These interviews at the end were life changing.  The first night Bob talked about rebuilding a business after losing everything.  The second night Lee talked about examples he has seen of people not following the Bible example of perfection being a servant manifest in all kinds of problems, and the third night we had a few people talk about mission work in poorer areas around the world.  The fourth night we had a panel discussion.  People seemed to really enjoy the format and the topics.  Something different, which made the class more powerful.

We are tired but encouraged.  I love VBS season.

Last night before VBS I picked up my red Bible.  I typically have a black Bible and a red Bible.  I usually say that the red one is for grace filled sermons and the black one is for rebuked filled sermons.  I usually preach from the red one.  During the VBS class this year, we have had a history section, a bible section, and an interview.  Last night was my time to do the bible section, so I picked up my bible and there was a note in there.  It was not signed, but I wish it was.  It seemed to be a females hand writing, but I could be wrong.  It must have been in there for over a week since I was gone.  Maybe it was placed in there Sunday.  On Sunday I received a note on the pulpit for one of the elders.  He was taking me out to lunch with his family at a great place to eat.  He was mentioning that he was happy to have me back and that the shrimp was waiting for me at “Rodney’s”  It was a nice gesture of love.  This was why the note was such a shocker.  It was brief but to the point.  The note stated “Hi Matthew, Thanks for being our preacher.  God has blessed us with you.”  Simple and loving.  The author took grace, turned it into milk and poured it in my heart.  At Castle Rock, I get little notes like this a lot.  There was one in my office when I arrived home from one of the youth group members.  There was a note on the facebook welcoming me home.  I am thankful for a congregation that God has loved so much that they would love me.

The role of the minister is a interesting position in a congregation.  The minister holds no office or authority in the congregation, but holds a ton of influence in the church.  A minister is under the authority of eldership is must function in that role.  He must work to establish and push ahead the focus and direction of the eldership within the congregation.  Of course he should not push a direction that is not Biblical or incorrect, but must be submission to the wishes of those he serves.  This book is a good book of helping a minister understand his place in a congregation.  The book is written more for an associate minister or youth minister in a denominational context of a pastor being the head leader in a church, but the book applies well to a minister’s role within the churches of Christ in response to an eldership.  A minister must not push his agenda that is contrary to the direction of those in charge of the souls in the congregation.  The book deals with not be intimidating to an eldership, not pushing your agenda, working within the confides of your role, and having influence without being a treat.  This is a good book, especially the first part.

This past week I was in Tennessee for a vacation.  It was more of a family reunion, but it was time off from the average days work.  Though, I did preach on Sunday and provided a devotional on Wednesday, but mostly this stuff is never work because I enjoy doing it and had it already prepared.  I have learned though to take vacation time off.  This means that I unhook the phone and stay away from the Internet.  I really hide from the world.  This is really the only way that I can do it.  If not, there will be emails and requests, questions and concerns that I will deal with while I am away.  This might be just little stuff, but it might be something larger that might stress me out for the week.  Sometimes minister’s feel guilty in taking time off or unplugging from the world.  This is because most of us are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  We want to be there for people in a time of need.  Other times minister’s feel guilty because the members make them feel small in taking time off.  You might get a comment or two about why you need time off because you only work one day a week.  Mostly these are harmless, but can hurt inside.  Here are a few good rules in taking your vacation: 1.  Go far away.  If you are too close, it is too easy to be expected back if something happens at church.  You will feel guilty in not making that hospital visit.  So just go far and no one will expect it.  2. Unplug.  Guys turn off the cellphone or the blackberry.  Start the emails and the contact for a little while.  3. Spend time with your family.  Do not vacation with the members, you can sometimes but not every time.  You are still the preacher if  you do.  Use the time for your family and not congregational relationships.  4. Go to church on Sunday, and do not announce that you are a preacher.  You might end of preaching if you do.  Instead just sit there like a member of the Lord’s body and experience church from the other side.  Your wife will look forward to you sitting next to her.  Do her that honor.  Anyway, I had a good vacation and I hope the suggestions help.

Main Idea of the Text:

The main purpose of the book was to provide powerful attitudes that would help create growth in a congregation.

The Three Top Ideas of Greatest Benefit:

1. The idea of apostolic leadership is what is needed in congregations. Pastors are trained to be caretakers and managers of the status quo. We need bold leadership in congregations that are fighting against growth.
2. As a leader, you have to always watch for certain controllers in the dying church. There will be a tug-a-war with the new leader. In stagnant and dying churches, the members usually turn inward and become a bit selfish in what is most convenient and comfortable for church members and not what is best for serving the community. This is why there must be alliance with those who desire growth. This takes time and energy. You cannot lead change if there are not enough people wanting growth as well.
3. The information on small groups is superb in the book. It is practical knowledge in how to do these and how to have fun in these environments. This is a great lunching point for a small group ministry.
4. Overall, this was one of the best books so far in this class. It was to the point and practical. It highlighted well a lot of the tensions within a congregation concerning growth.

The Three Ideas of Major disagreement:

1. Probably within the churches of Christ, first year growth is not going to happen in huge abundance because of the lack of any positional authority by a minister in the movement. The first year must be a proving ground to establish trust and relationships. If a minister moved too quickly, he would hurt the work more than help. Noting that growth should happen in the first year might be setting a minister up for failure.

2. Bold can be a dangerous word in the church. It scares a lot of members in a congregation. Also, a minister that does not understand the balance in bold will drive people away and cause too much conflict for growth to happen. Telling a new minister or a young minister to be bold might be setting him up for serious conflict that he will not be able to handle at that point in his maturity.

The Recommendation of the Book:

I would highly recommend this book because it is short but immensely practical and helpful. It cuts to the heart of the issue concerning growth and why some churches grow and some churches die. The lists of healthy and unhealthy signs concerning growth are highly informative.