Are we still blogging?

My how time flies when you're having fun, right?

I am not a "blog" user so I haven't been here for quite some time. It has been so long, in fact, that I forgot about it. This morning as I was scanning my desktop page, I focussed my attention on the Growing in Hope icon I have there. After some fancy dancing, I finally waltzed my way in. "2005" are my only records. It looks like we simply stopped blogging.

I wonder why? Perhaps we (I) thought we were supposed to write something profound and finding profundity lacking - paused.

This seems to be a fairly simple tool to use, but how and for what? Should we be using it to hammer, chisel, screw, and saw; or tap, scrape, twist, and cut? I'm being silly, I know, but perhaps this has a purpose akin to Pastor Butler's original premise.

What say you all? Hello, is anyone out there?

Gordon

Evangelism Training

In our Evangelism team over the past year we've made quite a bit of progress in outreach (creating opportunities to meet poeple). I'd like to begin to make some progress in actual evangelism (creating opportunities to witness the gospel to people). My personal goal is to either knock on 40 doors/wk or speak to 10 people/wk.

What do you think would be the best way to offer training for members in the area of evangelism (starting a conversation with the goal of turning it into a spiritual conversation)?

Training would include 1)initiating a conversation 2)recognizing the beginning of a conversation; 3)looking for key words to convert into a spiritual conversation; 4)simple/pure Law-Gospel presentation.

21st Century mindset of "church" in America

The following comment comes from a book entitled, The Present Future--Six Tough Questions for the CHURCH by Reggie McNeal.

"Ministry and the church have been my world. But it is a world that I increasingly find difficult to feel at home in because it lacks spiritual purpose and missional vitality.
I'm talking about the church world in North America. A world that has largely forsaken its missional covenant with God to be a part of kingdom expansion. It has, instead, substituted its own charter of church as a clubhouse where religious people hang out with other poeple who think, dress, behave, vote, and believe like them. This book will separate me from many people who are in that world who will never understand what possessed me to do this (or who may indeed suggest that something did possess me). I don't like rejection any more than the average emotionally needy person.
I believe there are many people like me in the church who, in terms of their church experience, want to script a story different from the one they are a part of now."

What do you think of this mindest?

Adult Spiritual Growth

If you have ever ridden an airplane, you know that the airline assistants will instruct you as to what to do when there is a loss of air pressure in the cabin. Help yourself with oxygen before you help you child. Why? If you don't have oxygen in your lungs then you can't help the person next to you.

In the same way God commands spiritual growth through the study of his Word...for our own spiritual need and benefit. Statistics show that on average Behtlehem has a lot of room for growth in the participation of adults in group Bible study.

In these passages, "grow" has the implication of an ongoing process. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

With these passages in mind, what can we do as leaders in God's church to increase the spiritual growth in the hearts of the members of Bethlehem (in addition to the one hour/week in the Sunday morning worship service)?

Feedback

I'd like to get some feedback from you as to your thoughts concerning this BLOG. I haven't spent as much time as I would like to post questions about ministry in Manassas. Hopefully, my procrastination hasn't stiffled your enthusiam (at least not too much) to particpate.

My intentions was to throw out ideas about ministry, inside the box and outside the box, so together we could wrestle with some ideas. I'm afraid that my posts so far haven't been what you were looking for. That's why I would like your comments and ideas about how we might use this BLOG.

I've posted 2 new BLOGs with what I feel would serve as fodder to fill the feed-trough. Don't be afraid of thinking outside the box. THere is no such thing as a dumb/ridiculous idea on this BLOG. In Christian love we are asking God to bless our efforts to reach out to the lost and feed those already at His Trough.

Please send comments to this post so I know where to go from here. I pray this BLOG will be a blessing to our desire to serve our Savior!!!