daddy4ms

In the adult Sunday School class I teach, we are going through our church's CHRIST acrostic. We have finally reached the letter "T" which is transparent relationships.  For this letter, we are looking at the "one anothers" in Scripture using Grace in the Empty Spaces by Mark McPeak as a resource.  This is a great resource for discovering how we are to treat each other in the body of Christ and beyond.

I would like to invite you to join other adults on Sundays as we discuss our Life in CHRIST.  We will be looking at each letter of the CHRIST acrostic over the next year.  We will start with a study on the book of Ephesians looking at who God is and who we are.  Join us at 9 a.m. in the old sanctuary at Hesston MB Church.  We will begin our time with a great music video that related to our passage for the day. Here is the passage we will discuss: Greeting 1  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual Blessings in Christ 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he pred...

I began writing devotions for next year's Wednesday night program at the beginning of summer.  I am excited about a new format.  I hope to give families more freedom to grow through our CHRIST acrostic.  Another desire is to include brief teaching on our identity in Christ as they go through the year.  Please pray for me as I write these devotions not only to get them completed, but that they will be Spirit-filled and will be a blessing to families.  Thanks for your prayers in advance!

At Hesston MB, we have the CHRIST acronym which describes who we are.  The H stands for Holy Spirit Empowered.  As we as leaders reflect on whether or not we are Holy Spirit Empowered, it is difficult to evaluate.  Because of this difficulty, I thought it might be helpful to share one way I am seeking to be more Holy Spirit led & empowered. Often in Scripture, we see the words "led by the Spirit".  What does this mean?  Galatians 5:25 says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."  My understanding and application of this is simple.  Instead of relying on J.L. in decision making, I seek God's wisdom before a conversation or activity. What does this look like?  For me, it is as simple as seeking God's wisdom and guidance in prayer at the beginning of the day for each planned and unplanned meeting or conversation.  It also includes talking with God as I drive to the meeting or location.  I ask for His wor...

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...

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...

Today, I am dragging.  I just could not get out of bed today.  Part of it is the change in weather and it still being dark outside when I wake up.  The other part is a cold that I am battling right now.  Either way, I could use a boost today. What are things you do to get a boost on those slow start mornings?  Coffee, Running, Loud Music, Conversation with Friends,  Lifting Weights, Projects Around the House or Office, etc. As we continue our study on being Holy Spirit Empowered, I am reminded of the word, "power", as it is used in relation to the Holy Spirit.  Many times we are told that we receive power from the Holy Spirit.  So, today I am going to ask for the Holy Spirit to give me a boost. Not just so I can get moving, but so I can be available to be used by Him as I go through my day.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I had a great day of reading on Thursday and was able to finish two books: Spiritual Parenting by Michelle Anthony & Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman.  If you would like to read more about Spiritual Parenting go here & here .  But today I am focusing on Not A Fan.  For those who attend Hesston MB, this will be our study when we move into "Transparent Relationships" as we move through the CHRIST acrostic.  I highly recommend this book as well.  I had several posts about Not A Fan several weeks ago.  If interested, they are here , here , & here .  But Idleman finishes this book stronger than he began.  Don't get me wrong-I was intrigued from the minute I picked up the book.  But at the end, he hammers his point home.  His last section is about denying ourselves.  This is not a popular topic in Christian circles even when it is clearly biblical.  Here are the titles of the last 3 chapter...

Tonight, we begin our year of small groups together. I look forward to another year with my small group. Welcome to the Beckers ! Pastor Brad and I have decided to try doing sermon based small groups this year. Each time our small group gathers we will plan to discuss the sermon from the previous two Sundays and discuss ways to go deeper and put ideas into action. Pastor Brad is currently preaching through the CHRIST acrostic which explains who we are as Hesston MB Church. We will start tonight with what it means to be Centered on Scripture. So, how about you? Are you a part of a small group? If not, why? Small groups provide a great opportunity to connect with others as well as connect with God. If you are a part of a small group: How do you determine what you discuss? Have you tried sermon based small groups? How did it work? Is a curriculum chosen by each group or by leadership? Check back tomorrow for more information about the blogger's circle at the D6 conference.