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On Monday, June 1st, I had the opportunity to talk with Josh Allen, Executive Pastor and Brian Haynes, Lead Pastor of Bay Area First Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.  Many of you might be familiar with Brian Haynes as he is the author of The Legacy Path. We give out this book to parents during our parent/child dedication at Hesston MB Church. I was interested in how the milestones are being implemented in Haynes' new church. In addition, I had questions about curriculum and how milestones strategy affects children's ministry. Here are thoughts from my two conversations: Vision drives specific ministries.  I know this, but it was repeated by both Josh and Brian. Everything they do in children, youth or adult ministry is determined by their vision which is "Bay Area exists to glorify God by making disciples , equipping families , and serving the world  with the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Brian shared that is important to recognize "how" w...

Here are the books I am currently reading: The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn Greater by Steven Furtick Prayer Coach by James Nicodem The Legacy Path by Brian Haynes

Here is an article that I contributed to published in the June/July issue of the Christian Leader.  This article was birthed as a result of a workshop I presented with Jenny Wall, Ken Ediger, & Steve Fast in Oklahoma last summer.  We will be presenting a similar workshop in Omaha this summer.  Hope you enjoy! http://www.usmb.org/parents-hold-key-to-providing-faith-home

Last night was Step Up Night at our church.  Step Up Night is when 4th, 6th, & 8th graders move up to the ministry they will be a part of next school year.  This night always includes excitement and apprehension.  Excitement because of it being new and apprehension because of the uncertainty and a different group to get to know.  Pizza, ice cream sundaes, and other goodies help to make it a night of fun. These promotion-like events started me thinking about adulthood.  Do we have opportunities in our spiritual growth to "step up" as adults?  We tend to get in a Sunday School class and then stick with it for the rest of our lives.  How do we know we are progressing in our faith?  Do we need this?  I appreciate Brian Haynes Legacy Milestones because it gives these "steps" from birth through adulthood.  We can be checking how we are doing by evaluating our life based on Milestone 7.  See his website here .  I also am excit...

Yesterday, I wrote a post about looking for ideas for families to do during Lent.  I am going to be trying a few things, but do not have definite plans yet.  However, as I thought about what I might do for Lent, I thought about a few ideas to share with you.  This is a great time to begin a new "habit" to help you grow in your relationship with God.  Here are a few suggestions for you during the next 40 days: You Version (on android or Apple devices) has several reading plans for Lent.  I am currently doing one suggested by Pastor Brad.  It is called 40 Days of Lent. Fasting--Have you considered giving up food, TV, facebook, etc. during the next 40 days?  Maybe you should start small and pick one day and fast from your choice. Spiritual Disciplines-There are many great books on the Spiritual Disciplines.  You could choose silence, solitude, meditation, etc. to try during Lent.  I would encourage you to pick up Good and Beautiful God by...

Experience a taste of D6 for free! Have you ever wanted to get a taste of the D6 Conference, but haven’t had the chance to actually attend in person? We’re excited to introduce you to D6 Days—a way for you to experience D6 from your computer, iPad, or tablet for FREE right here at d6Conference.com/D6Days .

Occasionally, I like to share what I am reading at the moment.  A few of the books are for classes, groups, or staff discussion, but the rest are for edification and growth.  Here is my list for the start of 2012: The Resolution for Men by Alex & Stephen Kendrick The Legacy Path by Brian Haynes The Good & Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith Who Stole My Church by Gordon MacDonald The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller Sticky Faith by Kara Powell & Chap Clark Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian Here is a quote from The Good and Beautiful God : "As we spend time in quiet and rest and contemplation, sitting at the feet of Jesus, we gain strength to act in wisdom in the hustle and bustle of a busy world."

Today, I enjoyed some great food at Faith & Life Bookstore for Pastor Appreciation Month.  Way to go, Bethany!  It was fun to talk with some Newton pastors that we bumped into while eating.  And of course, a coupon is always a great addition. After eating, Brad and I stayed at the bookstore to discuss a book we are reading as a staff.  It is The Legacy Path by Brian Haynes.  I have written a review of the book and highly recommend it to pastors and parents.  We are only in Chapter 2 and we cannot ever finish a chapter as it is so full of great thoughts and ideas.  Today, our discussion was on abiding.  We had a great conversation about what this means and what it looks like and how to share it with others. Haynes asks this question, "How do you currently abide in Christ?"  How would you respond?  I look forward to our discussion of that question when our Discipleship Ministries Committee meets next Tuesday. Yesterday, I was at t...

Currently, Pastor Brad & I are reading through, "The Legacy Path" by Brian Haynes.  I have written a review of the book here . As I mentioned in that review, Chapter 2 is worth the price of the book in my opinion.  In it, Haynes takes us to John 15 to learn more about what it means to abide.  Before reading his words, he encourages us to go to John 15 and read & study this passage.  I have included it here for your convenience from the ESV:   1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears m...

One of the sessions at D6 this year was a Student Ministry Panel from student ministers from a variety of churches.  You can view some of the dialog here .  While I agreed with much of the content, there was something missing.  As a former youth pastor myself, I struggled with how to engage parents in ministry with students.  Several volunteered to help out with activities, but I was not sure how involved they were in passing on faith at home.  I tried seminars such Understanding Your Teenager and other parenting classes, but the only ones that showed up were parents that seemed to being doing well at home.  I knew there must be a better way. I hoped that this panel would give me new ideas to share, but I heard a lot of the same "excuses" youth pastors have been using for years.  I realize that teenagers are separating from their parents, but does that mean the parent does not have influence any longer.  I know our teenagers need other voices ...

Rob Rienow just shared about the three loves of the staff and speakers at D6. They are: Love of the Word of God Love of Families Love of the Church Brian Haynes is speaking now. Why are we here? Because the Holy Spirit is awakening the church to remember the importance of the family in discipleship. We care about the next generation and want them to follow Christ wholeheartedly instead of compartmentalized faith. Scripture is sufficient. The family is central. Before we jump into strategies and philosophies, we need to talk about who. One of the greatest threats to the family is the spiritual ineptness of fathers. But beyond fathers, spiritual leaders have a lust for strategy rather than a love for Christ. John 15:1-11. "The very words of God!" Why is this important? Because we listen to a lot of voices. But the Scriptures are the very words of God. Vinedresser is God the Father Vine-what goes into the ground. It is not what the fruit hangs from. Jesus ...

Here is a blog post from last year's D6 Conference. Brian Haynes will again be speaking this year. You can participate in the D6 Conference from home by following my blog as I share quotes and reflections from the speaker or by watching some of the sessions live. Visit www.d6conference.com for more information. Brian Haynes spoke on the topic of family ministry. I have enjoyed attending his pre -con labs the last two years. His church website is www.legacymilestones.com. He talked about the following during his keynote: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 + Matthew 28:18-20 = Family Ministry He calls this generational discipleship. In his ministry, they have developed a common path for church and family to walk. It has 7 Milestones & 3 Parent Actions. The Milestones are parent/child dedication, faith commitment, preparing for adolescence, purity for life, rite of passage, high school graduation, and life in Christ. Parents & Church celebrate each milestone and the church and home ...

The D6 Conference is pleased to announce we will be streaming the following sessions from this year’s conference for free at d6conference.com/live . (All times are approximate.) Be sure to follow @theD6conference for unique conference-related tweets! September 21—Wednesday · Brian Haynes (8:45 AM CST) · Sean McDowell (12:00 PM CST) September 22—Thursday · David Platt (9:55 AM CST)—During Session 1 · John McGee (2:35 PM CST)—During Session 3 September 23—Friday · Student Ministry Panel—Josh Griffin, Allyson Evans, Allen Pointer, Wayne Rice (9:30 AM CST)—During Session 6 · Mark Holmen (11:05 AM CST)—During Session 7 Official Conference Hashtags #D62011—for general conference tweets #D6Help—to get your questions answered #D6Wish—for the dreams of conference attendees to come true

I have been looking forward to reading "The Legacy Path: Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting" since I heard Brian Haynes was writing a second book. Haynes' first book, "Shift: What It Takes To Finally Reach Families Today" was a discipleship strategy based on Haynes' research and study, but more focused on a theology of family ministry. I wondered, how will this book be a repeat and how will it be different? In reading reviews of his first book, several challenged Haynes' on his strategy leaving out the church and wondered about children from non-Christian homes. I loved Shift and did not understand the critiques coming from bloggers. However, I read Shift as one who had talked personally with Brian on the phone and as one who had attended workshops he had led at the D6 Conference. For more information about D6, visit http://www.d6conference.com Needless to say, I was excited about a practical way to implement family ministry in the church...

Check out this short video from Brian Haynes, author of The Legacy Path, about God Moments. Are you capturing God Moments in your children's lives? God Moments from The Legacy Path on Vimeo .

Well, I am sorry I have not posted anything for awhile. But life has been busy. I was thinking the other day about doing some posts on postures of worship. But I am still undecided. For now, I will let you know that the next two weeks will be busy for me. Pastor Brad & I are headed out of town for two different events. The first is next weekend (Sept. 10-11) in Edmond, OK. We will be attending a theological forum on the atoning sacrifice of Christ sponsored by the MB Southern District and the MB seminary. We have read several Bible passages and articles and I look forward to the dialogue. I hope to post something after Saturday about our conversation. The second trip will be to the D6 Conference (Sept. 15-17) in Dallas, TX. This will be my second year to attend. This conference was a great experience for me last year and I learned a lot. Not to mention all of the contacts and exhibitors who were there too. If you have never heard of the D6 conference, check out their w...

The righteous who walks in his integrity- blessed are his children after him. -Proverbs 20:7 Could it be that simple? If you want to bless your children be a righteous man that consistently walks with integrity? So says the wisdom of Solomon in the book of Proverbs. What does it mean for the righteous to walk with integrity? A righteous person is by definition someone who walks with integrity. This is an unusual way of living in 21st century America. This week I set down with my daughter to set up an email address for her to use. As we set it up I read a small blurb from the FCC suggesting it was against the law for anyone under the age of 13 to have an email account through webmail providers like gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc. That was a bit confusing to me because many of my daughters friends already have email accounts and have had them for quite some time. I told my daughter we would just have to wait until she was thirteen. She asked me if that meant all ...

For the sake of “relevance” many churches separate the generations for corporate worship. This may do more harm than good. Consider making a way for the generations to worship together. Family ministry is like a snowball. The more you roll with it the bigger it gets. We have found this to be true for our ministry at Kingsland. What began as a strategy to become intentional about helping families is now effecting how we experience corporate worship. You got it… the big room. The infamous, “Big Church.” As a church embracing “milestones” as our discipleship strategy from preschool ministry to adulthood, we value family and we understand the importance of parents in the faith training process. We work hard to help parents become the primary faith influencers of the next generation. We do our best to create environments at church to empower families with their kids and give them a win. About a year ago my wife and I were sitting in worship and we took communion. All ...

It has been awhile since I posted some quotes from the books I am reading. Currently, I am reading Collaborate, Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys, and A Certain Risk. Here are a few quotes to make you think: From Collaborate (multiple authors) " What the church can do best is communicate and execute a clear strategy that equips both parent and church to fulfill their God-designed roles." "Find a way to build a common path for church and home for the sake of the next generation." From A Certain Risk (Paul Richardson) " He was confident that if God had given him a dream to reach those kids, then God would also provide the means to reach them." "Be assured that for every barrier you encounter, He has already created a solution." "As the Spirit opens our eyes, the everyday course of our lives becomes an adventure of innovation." "Grace dares us to open our eyes and dream greater dreams. Dreams that are born in faith and that cha...

The following is a post from Brian Haynes, author of Shift. His blog ( legacyblog.org ) has great ideas for family devotions. I thought his post today was really good and so I wanted to share it with you. Teach Your Kids to be Thankful for Mom The days before the Thanksgiving holiday always cause introspection on my part. About this time every year I find myself pondering the things I am most thankful for in life. I ask the Lord to bring to mind the greatest blessings of my life and then I pray, thanking Him for the amazing love He has lavished on me. I have noticed, the older and hopefully wiser I am becoming, the blessings have nothing to do with material possession. As I think about my blessings this year I realize every blessing comes in the form of a relationship. The things I am thankful for are not things at all but instead, people. Particularly I am thankful for my mother and my wife. They are 2 of the greatest blessings of my life. It is easy to take mom for granted… until she...