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I had a great 5 days at the National Convention for Mennonite Brethren Churches in Denver at the end of the July.  Below you find some of my favorite tweets from those days.  A superficial engagement with my longings will lead to a superficial engagement with the gospel. @mattbheard Calvin referred to us as idol factories. We are prone to wander. Thankful that the Living Water never leaves or forsakes us. @JL_Martin What if the answer to Knowing God is not a human pursuit, but rather a transformational relationship?  @jjpenguin When the church gets together it is a preview of the restoration that is to come. @mattbheard Don't be tempted to make the rear view mirror as big as your windshield. @presglanzer Let's not think too: highly of present position, lowly of present purpose, much about past track record, & little of future reward @danstrutz "you know what we need for our journey ahead? Cake." Sometimes we got to stop and celebrate to Press On! @ga...

I had a great 5 days in Colorado for the Pastor's Conference and USMB National Convention.  For my highlights, go here

Pressing On.....Together-Ephesians 4:14-16-Matt Heard Ephesians 2:10-we are God's handiwork The work of art is not just the work itself but the people of God working together. Six Essentials of Pressing On Together: Compass -Where are we going? -Vision, USMB Future Story, Alignment Map -How are we going to get there? - 3 Core Commitments, Strategy, Goals Multitool -Do we understand our roles? - Awareness of each other's gifts and roles; Appreciation of mutual value Rope- Are we cooperating? - Collaboration, Trust, Communication, Leadership, Fun & Gratitude First Aid Kit -Can we fix what's holding us back? - Problem-solving skills, Conflict Resolution, Accountability, Affirmation, Commitment to the Vision Cake -Are we celebrating our progress? - Community, Synergy, Results, Worship

Pressing On-Philippians 3:12-14-Matt Heard We have never met someone who is not worshiping. The question is what are we worshiping. Four Pitfalls To Avoid: 1. Thinking too Highly of Present Position (vs. 12a, 13a) 2. Thinking too Lowly of Present Purpose (vs. 12b) 3. Thinking too Much About Our Past Track Record (vs. 13b) 4. Thinking too Little about Future Reward (vs. 14) When the church gets together it is a preview of the restoration that is to come.

Session 4-Matt Heard-Experiencing Eternal Life Do human beings ever realize life while they are living it? From Emily in Our Town We all have a longing to "realize life while we live it" Matthew 7:13-14-Our longings are ultimately for restoration Proverbs 13:12 (tree of life-mentioned 3 times in Scripture) John 4:13 Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Timothy 6:12 John 14:6-way-doing; truth-thinking; life-being (Part A & B)-Jesus didn't say pick two of three Way without Life-suffocating legalism, sub-cultural behavioral codes, works-based action, empty ritual (Matthew 23:27-28) Truth without Life-meaningless talk, foolish, unprofitable arguments, quarreling about words, judgmental tool (John 5:39-40) Way with Life-biblical obedience, healthy, God-glorifying action, Life-demonstrating & life-giving behavior Truth with Life-doctrine that illuminates and liberates, written word that leads to life Eternal Life is Not synonymous with heave...

Session 3-Matt Heard-The Life of the Gospel Why did the disciples give their lives? It wasn't for an ideology or a list of rules. Life with a Capital L-not just breathing here on earth, not just heaven, not a positive outlook--it is gospel 1 John 1:1-2 & 1 John 5:11-13 John 1:1-4 & John 20:31 Gospel/Salvation--Fall to Redemption-this is not complete but how we typically view salvation Gospel/Salvation--Creation to Fall to Redemption to Restoration-Part A & B The gospel is both proposition and plot. It's not either or. Genesis 3:4 Ezekiel 37:1-6 Isaiah 9:2 John 1:4 John 10:10 John 3:3 John 3:14-16 Colossians 1:18 Hebrews 12:23 1 Timothy 6:12 Ephesians 2:4-5 Ephesians 4:1

Session 2 with Matt Heard-Longing for Life Jeremiah 2:13--My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. John Calvin referred to us as idol factories. We are prone to wander. I'm thankful that the Living Water never leaves or forsakes us. The starting point of the gospel is God. We are created in His image. Our longings central to being human engaged and discerned rooted in eternity John 4:13-eternal life is not a synonym for heaven Isaiah 26:7-9-every person on earth has a longing for God; they just don't know it. We all have an eternal plug that we try to plug into temporal outlets. Psalm 63:1-when our fervency goes down, it is because we choose a broken cistern instead of turning to the only Fountain, the Living Water. There is Life Everywhere Painting based on short story by Leo Tolstoy The gospel comes to me to bring me to life. In the ...

Our pastor's gathering began with introductions from Don Morris followed by praise and worship. Pastor Brad Burkholder, lead pastor at Hesston MB Church, shared about ministry to the community following the Feb. 25th shooting at Excel Industries. Matt Heard, author of Life with A Capital L, is our speaker for the week. Session 1: The Gospel and Our Longing Philippians 3:12 USMB's Future Story Three core commitments: church multiplication/planting/evangelism Intentional disciple-making Developing leaders 1 Timothy 6:12 John 20:31 Do we understand the so what of the gospel? Part A-that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God Part B-and that by believing you may have life in his name. We proclaim part A but we don't live part B so people don't care about part A Sehnsucht-longing, deep desire, why am I here? Our Longings... Central To Being Human Engaged And Discerned Under the Direction of Christ's Spirit ...

My family is on the road today headed to Denver for the USMB Pastors' Conference and National Convention. We are looking forward to all of the activities as well as having some fun as a family.  We are planning to connect with friends from when we lived in Denver, headed to Winter Park to ride the Alpine Slide and more and an afternoon at Water World.  Pray for the USMB family, for safety in travel, and for a great vacation for us. I will also be posting here on the blog quotes and thoughts from the workshops as well as from our speaker, Matt Heard over the next several days.  Check back over the next few days!

Next week July 27-30, the USMB Convention will be meeting in Denver, Colorado.  Our speaker for both the pastor's conference and convention is Matt Heard.  I sent Matt some questions and below you will find his responses.  As I have read part one of this book, I believe Matt's keynotes will be a message that is very timely for our USMB family.  I hope this brief interview will whet your appetite for hearing more from Matt next week. If you are unable to be at the convention next week, I will be tweeting quotes @JL_Martin as well as posting on this blog what is going on.  Check back next week Thursday, Friday and Saturday for my thoughts from the convention. Why did you want to write Life with a Capital L: Embracing Your God-Given Humanity ?   I think many of us in churches are tragically less fluent than we should be regarding the grand “why” of the Gospel. Other than the forgiveness of sins and admission into heaven (both of whi...

Have you registered to attend the USMB National Convention and Pastor's Convention?  If not, there is still time.  Dates are July 27-30 in Denver, CO. The theme for the convention is Press On and our speaker will be Matt Heard. Here are the reasons why I am attending: I love to learn!  I look forward to the workshops and sessions led by Matt Heard. Hearing more about the Future Story of the Mennonite Brethren conference. It sounds like some great changes are being made and I look forward to learning more about how we can work together as churches for local, national, and global multiplication, intentional disciple-making and developing leaders. Networking with other church leaders-Each time I attend I meet someone new and reconnect with someone I had met at previous conventions. Special opportunities for children's ministry leaders-There will be a workshop on Friday morning during the pastor's gathering and a meet and greet on Friday afternoon just to chat and ge...