daddy4ms

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know I have typically posted "New Book Friday". I am out of new books as I wait for new books to arrive for Christmas. I am thankful that my family buys me books for presents.  New Book Friday will return after the New Year.  In the meantime, I will be posting "Favorite Book Friday" until the end of the year.  These are my favorite books I have read over the years.

I received an advance copy of the book Rediscovering Discipleship: Making Jesus' Final Words Our First Work by Robby Gallaty.  Robby was the pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN and has recently moved to Nashville to pastor Long Hollow Baptist Church.  I have also read his previous book, Growing up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples. He is also the author of Firmly Planted. Robby and I have similar passions.  We are firmly convinced that discipleship is lacking in the church and needs to be our focus.  Gallaty writes, "Until disciple-making becomes the ministry of the church and not a ministry in the church, we will never see our discipleship efforts impact the world the way that Jesus envisioned." Amen. In Rediscovering Discipleship, Gallaty begins with how rabbis were trained during Jesus' time and especially how Jewish culture understood education.  In one of my favorite chapters of the book, he clearly explains the differences be...

While I was on sabbatical, I also took a break from writing for 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting.  I am back posting again today here .  I am writing about perspective and it includes an adorable picture on my daughter, Molly.  Check it out!

On Monday, the Gospel Project had an online seminar.  At Hesston MB Church, where I serve, we use the Gospel Project Kid's Curriculum on Sunday mornings.  I searched several months for a curriculum and this one was the best I found.  These short videos feature many different speakers and topics.  They are available to watch for one more week here   Below are my favorite quotes from 6 of the videos I have watched: Good news is not just good advice. Good news is the announcement about what Jesus has done for us. (Derwin Gray) We don't believe in a system of redemption.We believe in a Redeemer whose name is Jesus. In grace,transformation occurs. (Paul Tripp)  Put your hope in God not in your parenting abilities. A sign you are grasping the gospel as a parent is that you can rest. (J.D. Greear) After Jesus says the kingdom of God is here, he doesn't follow w/ do something, try harder, or be a better person, but repent. (Trevin Wax) Common m...

John 16:7 Most neglected teaching in the gospel movement is the Holy Spirit. Many Christians often fall in two extremes related to the Holy Spirit--A focus on the experience or a neglect of the Holy Spirit. The fact that we are not more excited about the Holy Spirit inside us shows our misunderstanding of God's Word. Jesus beside is good, but within us is better. Victorious Christianity is Christ in you. (John 15:5) I understood that the Holy Spirit was a Person.  The Holy Spirit is a better teacher than even Jesus was.  Effective Ministry is Christ Through You. (Acts 1:1) Jesus can do more in a few minutes than we can do in a lifetime. Acts 8-Jesus can do more through us in a moment than we can do in a lifetime of mission trips. God does more through lay people than clergy. Luke 7-Greatest preacher according to Jesus was John the Baptist. The least in the kingdom has more potential has John. Example of Quarterback. The poin...

Hesston MB, the church where I am a pastor, allows its pastoral staff a sabbatical after 5 years of ministry.  I am thankful to the church leadership for this opportunity to relax and be refreshed. I am excited about this time of sabbatical from May-July 2015.  Sabbatical is defined as                               a period of time during which someone does not work at his or her regular job and is able to rest, travel, do research, etc. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) a leave of absence, often with pay, usually granted every seventh year, as to a college professor, for travel, research, or rest. (American Heritage Dictionary)  Tomorrow I plan to share what my tentative plans are for my sabbatical.  But today I...

Our Wednesday night ministries begin again tonight after the Christmas Break.  Hesston MB seeks to provide opportunities for children and youth to grow in their relationships with God and with one another.  If you do not have a church and would like a good ministry for your 4 year olds through high school students, check us out.  Here are the details: Hide N Seek -4 year olds through 4th grade at Hesston MB Church (610 W. Randall) fuzion -5th/6th graders at Hesston Middle School (across from bus barn) LIFE- 7th/8th graders at Hesston Middle School gym Hesston Youth- High School students meet at Northlawn at Hesston College

No, it's not my wedding anniversary, but instead it is my 4 year anniversary at Hesston MB Church. I am thankful for this church and what God is doing here. I am blessed to be part of the staff and look forward to many more years together. When Bethany and I decided to make the transition to Hesston, I was impressed with the community of Hesston as well as the church. I feel blessed to wake up every day and serve God and others through my position as Pastor of Children and Family. I am continually reminded how this ministry is a great fit for my spiritual gifts and passions. I love that I get to invest in dads to be the spiritual leaders of their families. I look forward to more opportunities to equip parents to pass on faith in the home. I enjoy working with Children's Ministry workers on Sundays & Wednesday nights. I am excited about the marriage ministry plans that are just beginning in mentoring and for helping struggling marriages. I love planning for the f...

John McGee, Director of Marriage Ministry at Watermark Community Church, was the presenter.  Visit their website  here Mistake #1-Separating Marriage and Discipleship In Church, we treat marriage as a topic instead of connected to discipleship or gospel Be a hospital and university at their church Mistake #2-Start by Writing Your Own Content It is either terrible or takes forever to write Find materials and tweak them Mistake #3-No Buy-in From Senior Leadership Do not demean those above you in leadership Senior pastors are not against marriage or marriage ministry Most often they don't understand the vision or how it competes for resources Discover your pastor's language and what motivates them Mistake #4-Lack of Authenticity in Leaders A heart that is well is a heart that tells. We want couples to be honest, but we are not honest ourselves. Mistake #5-Careless Design Choices Over-reliance on quick fixes (one-time events) Train leaders wel...

On Friday afternoon, Doug Fields shared about his experiences in ministry.  He started by sharing a story of sitting in front of a sun lamp to get rid of some acne.  The result was that he burned his corneas.  He compared this temporary blindness to what we can experience in ministry. 3 Sun Lamps that cause blindness in ministry: Importance of Numbers The lie of bigger is better which requires us to feed the beast. Pace of Life Increases speed which makes ministry more like a sprint.  There is always more to do.  This pace of life causes us to skim on relationships. Constant Comparison There is danger to always be comparing yourself to others whether that is how you speak, lead, etc. These become a problem when you focus on them. How do you turn the lamp off?  He shared the story of Lazarus in John 11.  It says, "Unwrap him & live." 3 Learnings Bigger isn't better.  Better is better. Most people in church don't wan...

Happy Anniversary to me!  No, it's not my wedding anniversary, but instead my work anniversary.  I began my ministry at Hesston MB on November 1, 2008.  So, today marks my anniversary.  I have enjoyed my 3 years in ministry at Hesston and have grown a lot as well.  I cannot wait to see how God is going to use me and the church in the future.  As I reflect on 3 years of ministry, here are a few exciting things that God is doing (or has done) at Hesston MB: Excitement & learning related to our CHRIST acrostic in Sunday School and small groups New ministries: CHICKS, movie ministry, D6 Dads, single parent ministries such as oil change & parents day out Five newcomer lunches over the last year New individuals and families plugging into ministries Development of a prayer team and monthly prayer meeting Discussions occurring in Discipleship Ministries Committee Ideas percolating regarding strengthening marriages and how to minister to those in c...

As I ponder the last week, I realize it has gone very fast. Mitchell is away at Jr. Camp at Tabor. I am sure he is having a great time. We have had 3 ball games this week-one game we had my family at and the second we had Bethany's dad. Tonight, Megan and Mackenzie had three great hits in Buhler . I wish the rest of the family had seen those as they have been struggling to hit the ball the last few games. This week, I have been busy at work getting ready for a baptism class and praying about curriculum for Hide N Seek and Sunday School. I am starting to sense a direction, but we will see what decision is finally made. As I read this morning, I was amazed at several great articles that spoke to where I am at in ministry. The first talked about recruiting, the second focused on ministry to parents, and the other on depth in Children's Ministry. They all gave several things to think about. This weekend will be a busy one. I have three different "potlucks" to at...

Today, I had the privilege of reading Aunt Onie's story. For those of you who don't know Aunt Onie , it is Bethany's great aunt. As I mentioned in a previous post, I remember the two things that Bethany shared about Aunt Onie before I met her the first time: she was a faithful prayer warrior and had been ministering among African Americans for over 50 years. Even as I type these words, Onie is in the hospital very sick waiting to go and be with Jesus in heaven. I look forward to her funeral and hearing the stories of those she has impacted. I wanted to share a few things that I discovered about her as I read her biography. Leona Schneider was born July 20, 1920 (she shares a birthday with my Molly). She was raised 2 1/2 miles in the country outside of Moundridge , KS. She was the third of four children. As a child, she remembers the anxiety and pain that she caused her mother and father when she disobeyed one time involving a cow and the barn. Her disobedience showed so...