Musings on Spiritual Matters

Posted By Matthew on March 12, 2010

One of the reasons that I see the missional aspect of the church is because I have seen God work through me.  God provides the opportunities and I must be faithful to them.  A few weeks ago, a young man called the church office.  He needed to talk to a minister.  I asked when he could come by.  He said, “I am sitting in the parking lot now.”  “Come on in,” I said.  I spent some time with him and planned for the next time together.  We have studied on average once a week for the last few weeks together.  Last night Patrick was baptized into the Lord.  It was great.  I met his girlfriend, his family members, and some family friends.  In this conversion, I did very little.  In fact, I gave Patrick homework that he completed.  One time I asked him to read Acts 1-16 and answer the question, “what must you do to be saved.”  He walked back into my office and said, “you have to believe, repent, and be baptized.”  Ever hear that before?  But Patrick said something else, he said, “You have to do more than that, you have to live as a Christian.”  He was 100 percent correct.  The gospel is not hard people, the plan of salvation is not difficult, and what is required is not too much.  You just have to do it.  Thank you Patrick for reminding me of how much God is working in this world.

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Posted By Matthew on March 11, 2010

I have always been a big fan of Emotional Quotient.  This book deals with the shift in the world from a left side of the brain to a right side of the brain.  The author does this with creating a new reality through more of an emotional and intuitive approach.  As some of the simple, yet complex skills are being outsourced to other places in the world, the employee must adapt with creativity.  The people who have the ability to sense and see that which is not yet will be the most valuable workers in the coming generations.  The book deals with the theory but one of the best aspects is the practical section at the end of each skill.  The author provides some helpful resources to follow up with on implementing the talent.  One of the most interesting sections is on how to see empty space.  He will give books to read that will help with reading people and emotions and how to create and craft a story.  The book is well written and good read.

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Posted By Matthew on March 10, 2010

Another week long course is completed, another beginning is starting with the work to be finished at home.  I always look forward to heading into Memphis, typically I get to eat Barbecue and visit Waynesboro, my two favorite Southern traditions.  The class I had was Contemporary Preaching with Dr. Dave Bland.  Once again the class did not disappoint.  There have been classes that I have felt to be a waste of time at other schools, but at Harding Graduate, it seems that the material is so relevant to the context of ministry.  This class was excellent.  I read a lot about preaching, so some times there is little new information for me to learn, this was not the case.  Dr. Bland filled the class with new material and helpful material to improve preaching.  He opened my eyes to some new forms of preaching that I never heard about in the past (post liberal).  I am excited about exploring some of these new forms at Castle Rock.  I love to be learning and growing in my ministry, and Harding continues to add new tools to the shelf.

Another huge blessing of the class are the students.  I always have fun in the classroom as Dr. Bland has a great personality, and truly respects the students.  I had a blast with Mark Parker, he is the recruiter for the school, but he is more than that.  He truly cares for the well being of the students.  He wants to see them reach their full potential in Christ.  He is not just trying to sell people on a Graduate education, he is concerned with the spiritual health of the student body.  Plus, he always wants to drink Starbucks, which is great.  I love all the jokes with one another and yes at one another (Ryan at me).  I should have known better, it started on Moodle before the class even started.

Harding Graduate forms a great community.  Another favorite school of mine was Heritage Christian University, in a way the school reminds me of this place.  At HCU, I was friends with the teachers, and the teachers invested in you, and at Harding Graduate, they do the same.  Really, if you are looking for a graduate school experience, I highly recommend Harding Graduate, and maybe I will even see you there.  I have two more years

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Posted By Matthew on March 9, 2010

Yes, I know I am not Catholic.  In fact, I did not even know that it was Lent.  I saw a few twitter comments, but really have not given this season much thought.  I remember the first time or some of the first impressions of Lent in my life.  A friend of mine named Darren Johnston was a Catholic and he had to give something up for Lent.  One year it was dessert, a cruel punishment to any young man.  I remember thinking that I was glad I was not Catholic, or really religious at all.

But the more I think about this practice of self-denial, the more I think about engaging in it this year.  Yes, I know I am starting late, not even sure how late, but I am starting.  I started Monday.  So what am I giving up this Lent Season, well I am giving up ice cream.  Ice cream is my favorite treat in the world.  I reward myself with ice cream.  It is my “you did a great job food.”  We have a Basket Robins that just opened up in town, and that “icing on the cake” favor is so good.  We also have a Coldstone, which is awesome.  I love ice cream.  But I am giving it up as a spiritual discipline for the Lent season.

Hopefully, I will learn some valuable lessons through this process.  I will let you know, and one more thing, what are you giving up?

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Posted By Matthew on March 8, 2010

I do not go to as many of these events as I would like.  I am still in school so mostly I feel that my intensive classes are functioning as a lectureship week.  Though I am going to Pepperdine this year.  Never been to California and never been to Pepperdine, so this should be exciting.  I know there are some things that people do not like about the Pepperdine lectureship, but I have been in school a long time and heard a bunch of stuff I might not like and I have read a ton of books that I do not like every sentence in those books.  I am a big boy and can think for myself, if someone says it, does not mean I have to believe it.

This is making me think about the purpose of lectureships in the churches of Christ.  It seems to me, and I could be wrong, that there are some lectureships that talk about the ground already won in the battle for Christ over and over again.  This is great, I like hearing about the civil war a lot.  I am glad we won those victories and I have a great respect for those battles of the past.  But when I go to a lectureship, I do not need to hear about the old battles won, but how to win new ground for Christ.  How can I win this present battle for the Lord?

So yea, I might hear some stuff that is “out there” but I would rather hear it and allow the community to judge it than to hear another lesson on how to shoot a canon.  I need laser help, not gun powder lessons.  What are we dealing with in today’s world and how can we use this to spread the message of Christ.  I need help for the future.

A lectureship is not a local church.  These are places for new ideas to be shared.  Then we can think about our own context in the local church.  I want to hear fresh ideas at these lectureships, and I believe these are the places to give them.  We need to think present-future.

So what do you think about our lectureships in the churches of Christ?  Are they helpful?  Which ones do you like the best?  Love to hear some thoughts on this.

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Posted By Matthew on March 3, 2010

What is the purpose of an introduction?  I believe most people think that the introduction is an attention getter.  You are seeking to grab the attention of the audience or worshippers.  Other people might believe that the introduction is to inform the audience of the purpose of the sermon.  It flows the “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them again, and tell them what you told them” approach.  These seem to be the typical models that you see in an introduction.

But really the introduction is more important than these methods.  It is not a funny story or an attention getting illustration.  There are two keys to make your introductions powerful and purposeful.

Create some tension.  In the introduction, you are creating some tension so that there is some larger purpose to listening to this sermon than because you have too.  There is a problem to resolve or a situation that needs to unravel.  You need to create ambiguity in the introduction.  This tension must connect to the other parts of the sermon.  In fact, it is best to write this section last not first.

Make a promise.  This is a rarely used tactic.  You are wanting to make a promise that the listeners want kept.  You are promising an answer to some problem or situation that the gospel presents or culture presents.  You are promising a key that will make life better or your walk with god deeper.  Make a promise that is important and the congregation will listen for the answer.  Just make sure you answer it or the congregation will feel tricked.

Use your introduction as a deeper way to bring people into the text or the story of God, not as a trick to get attention or be more creative than “telling them what you are going to tell them.”  It is really the second most important part.

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Posted By Matthew on March 2, 2010

Though I am not a runner, this was a interesting book.  It tells a story about this tribal of super-runners.  The tribe has the ability to run long distances better than the best athletes in the world.  The book weaves this story about this tribal with narrative on how to be a better runner.  The book begins by wondering why the author’s foot hurt, and as he searches for this answer he discovers some interesting insights into the nature of running.  The book is a page turner as well as a great story.  If you are a runner, you will love this book, if you are into hiking, which I am, you will love this book, and if you never ran a day in your life, you will like this book.  The author even dealt with the 100 mile race in Leadville Colorado.  If you like adventure and sports literature, you will enjoy this book.

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Posted By Matthew on March 1, 2010

I cannot feel my legs, and my heart was hurting.  The third period seemed to last for eternity, and the time got even longer with the USA goal with 24 second left.  It was a heart breaker.  I dreamed about these games, I as a Canadian boy played on the ponds, in the driveways, and on the streets, pretending that I was the shooter for Canada with the game on the line.  I must have replayed these events in my imagination over a thousand times, all Canadian boys have.  Even Sidney Crosby.  The game was intensive, anyone could have won, but when the game is on the line, when all the marbles are on the table, the great ones raise to the occasion and bring glory to a nation.  This would have been a great win for the USA, a well deserved win, but for Canada, this is an identity marker.  It brings a joy to the nation that few can understand unless your blood was chilled by a Canadian winter.  As most people know, Crosby is my favorite player, he is a fellow Nova Scotia boy.  I pull for him at all times.  I have shirts of him, a jersey of him, and his autograph hanging in my office.  So to see him put Canada on his back and score one of the biggest goals in Canadian history was unbelievable.  It was a dream come true.  The USA played amazing, Miller was outstanding, but in this game, in this sport, a goal is all that makes a difference.  I jumped, I cried, I cheered, it was one of the finest moments that I will remember in my life.  Yes, if you are wondering how much this means to a Canadian boy, it means so much.  It means that all the ponds across Canada will imitate “Sid the Kid” in fact, the next time I play hockey, I will as well and I am 33.  All Canadians watch hockey like an 8 year old.  We have never forgotten the magic of this sport for us.  Where was I during this goal, I will always remember this moment.  Crosby was money.

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Posted By Matthew on February 26, 2010

Maybe some of you have been trained to do Bible studies?  Probably, you have been.  Maybe you have been trained to sit someone down and open up the Bible, and study it.  I have and do.  I would take this powerpoint I have of the plan of salvation and go through it.  It worked well and sometimes it was the last visit to the home.  I would apporach the Bible study as a imparting of information.  Today, I try to do some different stuff.  I establish a relationship first.  Not as a technique, but as a way of saying a care about you because of you.  You are not a prospect, you are not a contact, but you are a person and I care for you because you are created in the image of God.  I want to spend time with people to show them that I care about them.  They important to me.  I wanted establish a relationships of concern.  I do not want the person to feel that I am only having contact with them because I am trying to convert them.  I want them to feel that I genuinely care for them.  I will take people to lunch, coffee, shopping, whatever, just to show that they are important.  I do not want someone to feel that they are being another notch on the conversion belt.  The person is not another badge of praise or another conversions to brag about.  I care for you, I want to share with you something that has made huge difference in my life.  Let me share with you my story, and I want to know your story.  This approach takes some more time, but I feel that it is more long lasting.

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Posted By Matthew on February 22, 2010

Tomorrow, the family and I are heading to Oklahoma City to see the in-laws.  I am dropping off the family as they are staying there for a week while I head to Memphis to attend class at Harding Graduate School of Religion.  After this class is finished, I will have hit the half way point in the Doctorate of Ministry degree program.  If the Lord wills, I should be completed by 2012.  Two more hard years, but definitely worth it.  The class I am taking is Contemporary Preaching under Dr. Bland.  Dr. Bland would never suggest it, but he is one of the most respected scholars on preaching in Western Christianity.  Learning from him is learning from one of the best.  He has some exciting stuff for us to engage in, truly some unique treats.  As always, I am excited for another trip to Memphis, I am going to see my friend Joe again, I am heading to Waynesboro to preach again, this will be wonderful to see all of my friends in this small beautiful town.  And of course, barbecue!  Pray for my safely as we are traveling.

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