Questions that surface while raking leaves.

...and a good example of how to take a brake from said leaves...


Did Jesus ever have a Date?

The FDA and World Hunger

Today on WBAL 1040am news, a report said that the FDA was going to give thumbs up today to eating cloned animals. The producers would not need to report on where the animal had genetically come from. So cloned beef is possibly headed to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Wow, what a world.

So I had a question, and am by no means educated on the genetic process of cloning at all, but I wondered could cloning solve the world's hunger? Could we clone enough cows to feed all people's beef? Sure there's a money element to it, but could genetic engineering save the world?

Hmmm.

--Ben

Sermon Open-source

On the Links column is a Place to Go called Sermon Open-Source. It is an open forum to creatively think through teachings and series. Hop in let me know what you think. Remember this is open-source so you don't have to be right, smart, or pretty. Just give your input, and we'll knock it around.

Who knows? Maybe you'll help craft the message that brings a loved-one to Christ, or cures hunger in Annapolis, or multiplies a new church.


--Ben

Christmas Thank You 2006

Book Review: In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day
By: Mark Batterson
Sister’s, Oregon: Multnomah, 2006.

My interest in this book was generated because of my proximity to the author. Mark is a Pastor of an A/G church in Washington, D.C. They have a fantastic story that is available at their website, www.theaterchurch.com. Mark’s daily blog, www.evotional.com , has been a great inspiration to me. The reason I blog is because he recommended it to me in a personal interview I did with him in 2005. In that same interview, he was excited that a publisher had contacted him about writing a book. He was thrilled, and In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day was the book that followed.

These thoughts that I share are just my thoughts. I’m no critic, so please be careful on basing your reading judgments on my interpretation. I want to make one more statement about how I came to read the book. Mark put out an invitation to a district official that he would like to give a free copy of the book to church planters. So I contacted him, and had his book a week later.

I don’t like the cover. Blunt I know, but I thought it made the book look especially cheesy. In fact, if I were just picking the book up and deciding to buy it, there is nothing attractive about the presentation. The cover, quality, and margins of the book drove me crazy. I know that’s anal, but I’m a guy who actually reads everything on and between the covers. Why do I start out bashing this way? Because if you were in a store and looked at it, I would hope you’d buy it anyway. The content is very good, just get past the presentation.

Overall this is a book about looking for opportunities and making them victories no matter how unlikely. Every lesson in the book is loosely hung on a story from 2 Samuel 23:20-21. The obscure story is of Beniah who had three amazing exploits on his resume’ and went on to become Commander-in-chief of Israel’s army at the time of David’s kingship.

The chapters are laid out to lead you from understanding the lions (opportunities) that face our lives to becoming a lion chaser ourselves. Whether it’s unlearning our fears, or wrestling with risk each of the chapters invites us one step closer to embracing the impossible only making it improbable, and realizing that it is a God ordained moment that we need to pursue. I think Mark would say that the summation of this book is that at the end of our lives the greatest regrets will center on what we didn’t do, what lions we didn’t chase, far more than the ones we did. So maximizing the message of In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day would lead to less regrets and greater accomplishment for God.

The chapters are filled with stories from mission’s trip experiences. My favorite came in the story of a monkey that pooped on a girl’s head that was terrified to come to Africa because of Lions. She never accounted for the monkeys.

This book is a very enjoyable read. It’s also a quick read. I finished it in about 5 days of moderate reading.

Someone requested that we pursue the Chase the Lion Series this year at SRC. The Operations Team will be discussing it as a possibility on our preaching calendar.

--Ben

In light of my recent mission requiring BB guns, and for the enjoyment of my brother-in-law, Andy.



Pimp-My-Profile.com

Oh Baby!

Well, I know that many of my readers have found out through various means, but as of tonight it is 100% officially public. Corie and I will be parents again in August. We will be having our first Dr.'s appointment on Thursday. Just a little extra excitement for the holiday.

God Bless,

--Ben

Merry Christmas!

Anti-Punnet Square Vindication

Do you remember doing Punnet Squares in school? They were the determiner of dominant and recessive genes. And you plugged in the hair color and eye colors of the parents and it predicted the dominant genes that would be passed on to the child. When we learned them I said, "No way!" I didn't believe the statistical method, and still don't. God made my day by giving my daughter blue eyes.

Today I've been vindicated. If you're interested in Biology or genetics check out this article. Someone tell Michelle Grace to read it. ;-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6195091.stm

BB Guns and Christmas

Isn't there something special about BB guns and Christmas? I remember the year that I got my BB Gun. What a great Christmas present. I hope that all boys of responsible age are given a gun and taught about safety and the joy of shooting.

I borrowed a BB gun yesterday from my brother-in-law for a project that I have going on. A little covert-op. I got it out this morning and started target practice. I varied the pressure one pump, two pumps, three pumps. I don't think I'll need more than three. I'm not trying to kill anyone or anything after all.

It feels great to remember the training that I've had over the years of what guns and shooting are all about. I hope we can have the same excitement about the training we've had on the Christmas story this year. Maybe this is the first year that you are going to learn about the real meaning of Christmas. Look at Luke 2 in the Bible as a manual of what happened at the first Christmas.

Remember to breathe, look at your target, and pull the trigger of joy for your Christmas.

--Ben

No Pity Intended

It has come to my attention that some of you felt pity for me with my OLDmobile experience. Please understand that I did not write that story for pity. I actually intended us to laugh together about it.

Thanks for your compassion.

--Ben

The last voyage of OLDmobile.

I had a plan.

Saturday was going to be the last flight of the green machine. My 1994 Oldsmobile. It was originally purchased new by my in-laws, and then given to my wife, but she eventually commandeered my Jeep Grand Cherokee to transport our little girl, Sydney. So I was left with the Olds.

So Saturday came and went, I didn't get to repair my motorcycle (my alternative transportation) and I was behind the wheel yet again on Sunday A.M. Now, there are some things you should know about the Olds and why her last day should have been a while ago. The car has a transmission that when hot will not down-shift, therefore running fine, until you need to stop at which point it stalls until it cools and then will run again repeating the cycle. And oh yeah, the lights stopped working. Like the headlights, dashlights, the running lights, the BRAKE lights, and Hazards, but the blinkers work.

Arrive Sunday...

I had a ticket for the Raven's game. I had a plan. I was going to slip out early from SRC. I was going to announce that I had a ticket to the game and then slip out around 11:30 and be on my way to the Purple Mecca.

But when I got to church I was told that our transportation guy (we love you Joe) had gotten called into work so I would have to take the trailer home. Therefore I had to stay until everything was packed up and ready to roll, then I had to have someone else risk their life by driving my car to where I was dropping off the trailer. I told them to make sure to stay in front of me, and let them know that I was pretty sure that the transmission would make it to the destination; which it did. We arrived safely, but now we're 45 minutes behind schedule.

I then headed to the bank and at Pasadena rd. and Ritchie Hwy. I stalled out, pushed my car into the gas station and waited for another 10 minutes. Back on the road I stalled again at the bank ATM. It took so long to restart that I walked over to Taco Bell ordered two burritos to go and went back to the car and ate both of them before the car would operate again. By the time I got home, changed and was headed out the door it was 1:00. (that's kickoff time) So I got to Cromwell to take the train into the stadium, waited for the train to get there, then went in and arrived with only about 6 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. So I basically missed the first half of the game.

Awww....anyway,

The best is yet to come. I got back to Cromwell at about 5:15. Pulling into the station I'm seeing the sun going night, night. It is still bright enough that I wouldn't need lights...come on people...

Grid lock.

By the time I pull onto 648 it's dark. Like need lights dark. So I'm making my way along as the helpful genius behind me is flashing his lights at me. He pulled up next to me at the light and had a pleasant conversation about my need for lights. I got home as fast as possible, making sure to avoid the places that our beloved officers of peace regularly frequent. Making my dark way down the dark backstreets of my neighborhood I pulled over to the curb every time I saw a car moving about. Then I would continue to my ultimate destination and park the beast in my yard and there it ended. This relationship between man and machine. Thus ended the last voyage of the OLDmobile.


--Ben

Weekend Update

Well, another weekend has come and gone. It was a good one. Friday night I went out with my family. We went to Rocky Run at Marley Station. It's nice to be with family. My wife and I go out just about every week on a date, and sometimes we take our little girl. I recommend that all husbands and fathers watch over their families this way. Date Night is a gateway to a great marriage. I'm not claiming perfection, but I will claim regularity.

Saturday, I did the usual...wake up late (8:00 a.m.), take Corie's car to get gassed up and washed, run some errands. I came home, and later around lunch time we put up Christmas lights. Be sure to include our house on your drive-bys of Christmas lights. Include ours in the Comedy section, because they're pretty sad. It's my first time putting up lights. Last year a friend, Jim, decided to hang-up his lights for good (pun intended). He gave them to me, so I thought I'd better put them to use. The icicles don't look too bad, but the ralling looks pretty ridiculous. I just hope Sydney enjoys them.

That night we went to Corie's cousin's house and played with the other kids, and Santa (ever notice those are the same letters as Satan? :-)) Sydney didn't like Santa. But I got a ticket to go to the Raven's game out of it. Thanks Glen, you're the greatest and most debonair person to marry into that side of the family.

Service on Sunday was good. I don't like the word Service. What do you call it when family and friends come to the same place to celebrate? (I'd better be careful here, some of your comments could get out of hand.) I'm sure the etymology has something to do with Romans 12 and our "reasonable act of service" , coming to serve Christ, or some such thing. I'm just not sure that it's really a good word to describe what happens. A lot of you are a lot smarter than me, so I'm sure you could interject.

One thing that SRC has going for it, it gets you out in time to see the Raven's game. Umm, yeah, that's how we planned it. (not really, but it is convenient.) So the game...well...I had a blast. I love going to football games, always a great Christmas present..."Oh, season tickets? You shouldn't have...Yes!" But I digress. For the really interesting albeit comical story of my adventure in getting to the game, you'll have to tune in next time...

--Ben

Christmas List

I hope you don't find this presumptuous, but someone asked what we needed as a church. I thought there might be some interest in knowing that, so here are some things.

1. A set of TV trays, even if there from a yardsale and there's only 2 or 3 out of 4.
2. A paper slicer (The kind that can be turned into a machete in case of emergency, that's what I day dreamed about as a student in middle school. Can I get an amen, Andy?)
3. A paper shredder.
4. Lighting Package (We're not Rock stars, just would like to improve the lighting in our Room, The lighting is poor. This limits our video efforts.)

Anyway, those are a couple things.

Thanks,
Ben

Faithful readers and occasional commenters

Hey everyone,

My dad just told me that he's been trying to comment and has been unsuccessful for a few days. I'm not entirely sure why that it, but I would guess that it has something to do with the new format of blogger. Bloggers know that there are major changes going on and my site has been upgraded to the Beta version which is about to go mainstream. That said, "personalities" that you may have previously commented under may have been axed in the new setup. It will require you to re-set up your commenter account. This is free, and not difficult.

1. Click on the blue link called "sign-up here"
2. Then you'll enter your e-mail address.
3. Pick a password
4. Re-enter your password
5. pick a display name
6.type in the security code (this is case sensitive)
7. accept the terms of use
8. click continue

This identity will be usable at a number of Google applications. But primarily for my blog :-)

It shouldn't require you to use a different name or password than you had before, just to re-sign-up. Try that, and let me know if it works.

--Ben

Book Reviews

Man, have I got some book reviews coming up. I just have no motivation to write them. Recently I've read Breakout Churches, In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day, and am still reading Velvet Elvis. (If anyone is interested in Velvet Elvis, let me know I have a small quantity of brand new books that I'll sell for $10.00. That's below amazon's new and used prices.)

I'll get to the reviews soon. Which would you like to hear about first? That may give me some motivation.

--Ben

P.S. I've noticed some of you checking out Sermon Open-Source. I'm glad, please jump in and get in on the conversation.

Last Call For New Music

At SRC we plan our singing together based on what we call the 12 song superset I think I call it that because I've always wanted to be a DJ on the radio and that would sound really cool to say. Anyway, for a number of reasons the band will on play about 12 songs in a given quarter of the year. What are the reasons?
1. We don't have a place where instruments stay setup, so rehearsal is confined to only when the instruments come off the trailer on Sunday morning. Limiting the songs insures that we are able to play them at the highest quality.
2. We like to sing the same songs over and over. For real, I think it's awesome when people can really identify with a song, and when that connection is made everyone wants to sing them over and over. Now we try not to repeat songs on back to back weeks, though sometimes it happens. The point is that when people know songs really well and fresh, they sing them louder, and that's probably a good testimony to our guests.
3. We Don't like to sing the same songs over and over. Now wait didn't we just say... Yes, here's the beauty. We sing the songs for three months, and then you won't hear that song for at least three months. We believe that music is just great, but we don't think the perfect song to express our relationship with God has been written yet. (I'm currently working on a draft of it. Just kidding.) So in tune with the Bible, we're on a constant rotation of "singing a new song to the Lord".

So where do you fit into this? We're preparing our new superset for Jan.-March. Feel free to recommend a song or 2 or 12.

Checkout the menu bar

Today I added a new feature to my blog. To the right you'll find links some familiar and one new. I've broken them up into "Places to Go" and "People to See". Places to Go are other Ben Rainey/SRC links. For instance, the Sermon Open-source link is a place where you can get into conversation with me to help with sermon preparation. For those who may not know what open-sourcing is, it's an environment for the free exchange of information like wikipedia.com. (Not occultic) It is simply an evolving encyclopedia that is open for new entries and information.

I would like to invite you to participate in the preparation of the teachings at SRC. Check it out from time to time, and any help you can offer would be much appreciated. All of us knows more than any of us.

People to see is just a list of friends or people I wish were my friend that I find inspiring. Enjoy!

--Ben

I'm loving Podcasts

Most of you know that I'm a talkhead. I love to listen to people talk. I listen to talk radio all the time. But I've found that sometimes it distracts and wastes my time. I have found a great alternative. Podcasts.

I have subsrcibed to a bunch of different pastor's podcasts, and I listen to them throughout the day. For instance I really like the podcast from www.churchleaderinsights.com . Now I'm listening to things that are much more educational and are very practical to living or Christ.

I'm loving it.

--Ben

Christmas Care Open House

Hey everyone,

The OT (operations team) met last night and what a great meeting. We are blessed to be served by a group of people who really want to honor God in our church. Janet, Doug, Christine, Matt and I are dedicated to our mission, and are working to lead all of us in living it out.

We decided that after the Christmas Care Project, we'll be meeting at Ron and Janet's for an open house Christmas celebration. I look forward to sharing the stories, and maybe pictures of the morning's service project. Begin praying now for that. We want to serve them and show them Christ.

--Ben

Yesterday

For the last several weeks I've been floating around amongst travels and distractions, but last week was great. I really felt good about the way I handled my time, and preparation for Sunday's message. And as I told everyone yesterday in church, I was really being blessed in my faith, because of the spirit of God that was there. Thanks to everyone there for making yesterday so special to me.

I really enjoyed teaching, and just thought I'd say thanks. I got to take communion yesterday for the first time as part of the ministry time yesterday because we changed some of the elements of the church. I apologized yesterday for not having figured out a way earlier, but what a blessing to participate in that. It was my own stupid fault I know, but sometimes I can be slow.

Ben

Resource Idea Needed

Hey we're doing it. Severn River Church exists to become a significant church in the greater Annapolis area, making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey God's word. Yesterday we had some ask to be baptized. YES!!!!

Now the problem. How do you baptize someone in December at a community college? Any ideas? Help me out.

--Ben

Let Down

Yesterday I had one of my most creative teachings yet at SRC. I had a number of comments on it. But alas, our recording technology didn't show. Drew was away, and Matt's car broke down in PA, so we had no recording Technology available. So I'm going to post the quasi-manuscript for you if you'd like to see it. I especially like Scene 4 title:

The Story:

Scene 1: Freak-show

Paul and Silas are being followed by a Demon Possessed Girl.

Modern Day Equivalent

Acts 16:16 - 21 (NIV) ¹⁶Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. ¹⁹When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar ²¹by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

Was verse 20-21 just false allegations? No, They were at fault for a doctrine called “exclusivity”. That means that they were teaching that people should only worship God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Roman Empire had religious law. It was a polytheistic culture, but required in addition to whatever God you wanted to serve that you always include worship to the Emperor. Christianity is an exclusive religion. It excludes all other God’s but the one true God, and He doesn’t permit worship to any other. This gave the pimps the legal standing to have them arrested. This doctrine would cause problems for many Christians throughout the persecutions. In fact it still is affecting us today in America. We live in a pluralistic society, so everyone can believe what they want. Hurray for the USA! But our culture has become inclusive of all religions and despises the doctrine of Exclusivity. However God hasn’t changed, therefore though in Christ’s love we love everyone, Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to receive eternal life with God.

Scene 2: Arrested Development

Isn’t it interesting the role that crowds played in the Bible. It seems like crowds popped up all the time in the ancient world. Perhaps because they didn’t have transportation, they were always “around”. Just hanging out for the next Gospel Bash…I don’t know.

I love how specific it gets referring to how the Guard was instructed on how closely Paul needed to be guarded. He ends up in Maximum Security in the middle of the jail. Lock, stock and Bible. (cheese. I know)

No he didn’t have his Bible, but he started singing and most of the singing we do is scripture based, and I imagine his probably was too.

Acts 16:22 - 24 (NIV) ²²The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. ²³After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

I can’t imagine that it was very comfortable to be beaten till your bones hurt, and then be locked in stocks. Did you ever get locked up in the stocks at Ocean City on the boardwalk at a Bar? You know which ones I’m talking about? I loved those. I would get locked in them every time we walked the boardwalk. The difference is that I wasn’t bleeding to death, nor could the stocks really keep me there since the holes were purposefully cut extra large.

Scene 3: Rockin’ Out

Locked up, bleeding Paul and Silas have a midnight worship service and start singing hymnals…oops, I mean hymns to God. I don’t have much experience with prison, which is probably good, because I would be crying in the corner wetting myself if I was ever stuck in a cell with a guy named Tiny. Prison doesn’t seem to be a happy place. In fact if we were to start the Glee Club choir in prison when we’re the new guys, I’d be fearing for my life. But Paul and Silas start singing and “Other prisoners were listening to them.”

Then God does something awesome. Worship can do some amazing things. An earthquake shakes the prison so much that the chains fell off of the prisoners. What a miracle. But the greatest miracle as I see it is listed last when Paul shouts that all the prisoners were there. It was probably the biggest miracle to the jailor too, because he’s got his sword out, and he’s going to commit suicide. Those prisoners were his responsibility, and if they escaped his life was on the line, and his families too. I wonder if he was going to stage a death so that his family would be taken care of? I wonder if he was thinking “well, if it looks like the prisoners killed me in a prison break…”

I’m not sure, but what I know is that miracle of all miracles a bunch of convicts stayed put when there was nothing holding them there. There is something powerful about worshipping God even when everything seems hopeless.

Acts 16:25 - 28 (NIV) ²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. ²⁷The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

Scene 4: What do you do with a Dunkin’ Jailer

Wow, it’s different to think about a society with no electric lights. The incandescent friend of all of us, was nowhere to be found. This is within 90 years of the time turn to Anno Domini. Edison hadn’t shown up yet, so…

Lights, Camera, Action. The jailer comes in and comes right to Paul and Silas, and says, “what must I do to be saved?” What is the essence of this question? Is he really asking for “salvation”? Salvation is a word that Christians use to describe what happens when they receive God’s gift of eternal life. I think he’s asking how he can be saved from his supervisor, because surely someone is going to escape.

Paul answers his question though on a different level. It’s our memory verse for this week. Acts 16:21, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved – you and your household.”

Things change right then. Paul and Silas tell them about Jesus, and they get saved alright. Then he brings them out of maximum security, and right into his house and clean their wounds, and give them food. And this is the most exciting thing, They got Baptized. I think Baptism is one of the most exciting things that happens in churches. I watched a video this week of a church in D.C. that did a Baptism in the Bay. I didn’t just watch it, I watched it about 7 times on Wednesday. And I cried every time. Why did I cry, because there’s nothing more moving to me than people who choose to follow Christ, and then obey him by being baptized. It’s kind of a “No Going Back” statement, that this is for real in my life. It takes people from pretenders to contenders. They’re the real deal, they don’t just talk a good game, they walk it. See there’s nothing holy or mystical about going under the water and coming back out. It’s totally physical and emotional, and it’s about telling the whole world, that they can love you or hate you, but you’ve given your life to Christ. It’s why I sat on the couch, holding my daughter Sydney on my lap as we watched the video together for my 7^th time that day, and I watched her watch it. And I said to her, “One day, you can love Jesus with all your heart. And you can be baptized and tell Him and the whole world that you are totally His.”

That’s what happened to the jailer. Think about what happened. The jailer jailed Paul and Silas for following Christ exclusively. Now the jailer has decided to break the law as well. Wow!

Acts 16:29 - 34 (NIV) ²⁹The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³²Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

Scene 5: Peace Out.

The next morning they decide to release them, so they get to go. In Peace. Paul requires that he be excorted out because they were unjustly beaten. He was a roman citizen and they had a different set of laws than the other people Rome had conquered. The magistrates actually come and escort them out so that they can travel out of the city safely. Probably because those guys who had their demon girl exorcised were waiting to enact vigilante justice on them. They go back to the church plant. They say good bye, and off they go.

Acts 16:35 - 36 (NIV) ³⁵When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

Memory Verse: Acts 16:21, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved – you and your household.”

Historic Decision

There are a number of ways to look at numbers. In fact, I think that it's crazy when Arithmeticians don't, and they use formulas made up entirely of letters and signs...weird. Have you ever seen "Numbers" on CBS. Kinda cool in a hokie, my dad likes the show, way.

Anyway, this week the Oversight board of Severn River Church approved the lived out action to the message that I preached 3 weeks ago. "You Can't Out-give God." Check out the sermons page under multimedia and click to listen Heroes Part 4 (either or both of them.)

We stated in our founding documents that we wanted to give a tenth of our undesignated giving away to support missions in local and international ways. It is a step of faith, but ultimately, I believe, it positions us to receive the blessing of God. Because here's the deal, whether it's your personal tithe or our corporate tithe. Tithing is the blessing. We don't give a tenth so that we can get more money, stuff, happiness, etc. The tithe is the blessing, it's a blessing to give God our faith, and find that we can do more with 90% than we could with 100%.

It's not easy or flippant. As we looked at the financial reports on Tuesday, we saw some good things happening in a two month window. But there is a huge difference ahead of us between budgeted expenses and expected income. Our Partners have been very faithful in their help and support. SRC is doing well as its members are giving over projected income each month. But there is a significant portion of our expenses that still have no income stream to feed them. It would be easy to just hold that tenth for ourselves. To believe that we could do more with 100% than with 90%. But in my own life and in so many that I know we've found that trust and faith is blessing.

Part of trust and faith is prayer, so I'll ask you to keep praying that God will open up other partners to help us, and as you do enjoy the blessing.

--Ben

Severn Man vs. Magothy Man

Podcast anyone?

I was wondering if any of my readers ever downloads a podcast? Anyone? Anyone? I just subscribed to several for the first time.

If you don't know what this is, I can explain it in another post. I am assuming that everyone does.

--Ben

Up late...

Tonight was very enjoyable. I have been pretty busy lately. Tonight we just got to chill at the house. Corie fixed a great Buffalo Chicken Salad, and we ate as a family around our table. I love it. Sydney is just so cute. It makes me laugh thinking about it. She's in a chubby face stage right now, so that when she flashes her drama queen smile it is exponentially cute. Your getting fresh information, and don't say you heard it from me, but our next series is going to take us into the book of Matthew. I can't wait. I got a jump on it this evening, because my wife went to bed at 8:00. What a great night, hope you sleep well, and check the posts below, because I think I posted three times today. So much to say. I feel like I have to spread them out so people will see them.

--Ben

Message Help

Scene 1: Freak-show

Paul and Silas are being followed by a Demon Possessed Girl.

What would be a modern day equivalent. Obviously people can be demon-possessed, but I’m thinking more about the economic outcome. The reason that this caused problems for Paul and Silas is that it cut the gravy train for the girls pimps. What would be modern day equivalent? Can you help with your thoughts?

Acts 16:16 - 21 (NIV) ¹⁶Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. ¹⁹When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar ²¹by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

San Diego...The Rest of the Story

Corie and I flew out on Wednesday, and the "delay" in Vegas, then on to San Diego, where we got our rental car and headed for a drive downtown. What a lovely place. We headed over to the zoo, but there wouldn't have been enough time, so we headed over to Coranado "island" (actually a peninsula) and drove up to the beach, and put our toes in the cold water. (Did you know the Pacific is always cold there because the currents come down from Alaska? I didn't.)

Then off to our hotel, checked in and headed to Corie's favorite restaurant "The Cheesecake Factory". We ate outside that night and it was very nice. I made up a jingle for the restaurant, but it was full of enough cheese to make a cheesecake so I'll spare you the details.

Thursday a.m. we went to the Zoo and spent about 3 hours. It was great, I heartily recommend it. But make a day of it, and take your time.

Thursday afternoon we went to the first of 9 sessions. It was very good 3 of the sessions were conducted with 3 speakers who would share the time to talk about their stories. The first one included Mark Batterson, Lee McFarland, and Scott Bruegman. Very good and inspiring session. It was followed up with a Q and A time. I found all of these sessions to be good. I would have liked to give the keynote sessions to them for expanded opportunity to share stories and field questions from the audience.

The three sessions were called affinity groups. There was one for young leaders (for me), one for planting in the inner city, and one for Churches looking to mother.

My affinity group was really good 1 out of 3, pretty good 1 out of 3 and didn't connect the other time. BUT! The resources in the really good session were really worth the whole trip. Thanks to Scott for sharing those things. Wow.

The Keynote speaker was David Garrison, a Southern Baptist missiologist. He was rather boring, and not inspirational, but I felt he deserved some grace because he was 12 hours opposite from our time. He is currently a missionary to India. I bought his book, because I wanted to learn more about Church Planting Movements. (I'll do a book review as soon as I'm finished.)

We flew out on Saturday morning, a quick hop to Phoenix and then back to Baltimore. Apparently nothing fell apart while I was gone, our church had an increase in attendance up to 31. They must have heard that Matt was preaching...

--Ben

We're Back

Hey everyone,

I'm back from San Diego now. Corie and I had a great time. We did not get to Lego land, but the Casa De Reyes was fantastic. Wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. It is a little hard to find though.

San Diego is beautiful. It is a treasure for our nation. We went to the SD zoo, and that was very enjoyable. I recommend that as well.

We got delayed in Vegas for a couple extra hours on the way out there, which really fouled up our plans. I told Corie that it wouldn't suprise me if every flight layover in Vegas got "delayed" as a scam to get your money. There are slot parlors on every pier.

The conference was good about 3 out of 9 sessions felt worthwhile, but they made the whole trip worth it.

More to come....

Ben

San Diego

This week is going to be very exciting. On Wednesday Corie and I head out to San Diego for a Conference on Church Planting. The speakers are inspirational stories from around the nation. One of them is Mark Batterson. He is a pastor in D.C. and author of the book "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day". He sent me a free copy of the book because I am a church planter. He has some great experiences that I look forward to hearing from him. There are other speakers there as well. I believe that it will be a place for God to speak to Corie and me, and give me directions about the future steps for SRC. Pray for me as I go.

If you've been to San Diego, let me know what you think we should do while we're there. We only have a day to do stuff while we're out there so here are my plans so far. Morning--San Diego Zoo, Lunch--In and Out Burger, Afternoon-- Coronado island, Evening dinner out with my wife.

How does that sound? Do you have better suggestions?

BIG NEWS

Yesterday at SRC we had our first person accept Christ as their leader and forgiver. We're so excited. Last night Corie asked me to retell the story.

Jenna has been attending SRC for a couple months. She raised her hand at my invitation after the message, then came to the "I raised my Hand" table after service and prayed with me to ask Christ into her life. She made a public confession to someone before she left and we gathered everyone together while we packed up. We took a moment to remember that the reason we're doing this new church is for stories like Jenna's. People who don't know Christ are in such need of Him. We're supposed to be making disciples, baptising them, and teaching them to obey God's word.

I pray that she is the first of many who find the life worth living.

--Ben

1000th hit

Today, "Rainey on the River" reached over 1000 hits in just over 5 weeks. That's a great motivation for me. I thank you for being part of this. So for the rest of the Thanksgiving week, let me throw open a question and please feel free to add your comment...

If you could have anyone to your home for Thanksgiving, who would you invite?

Make sure you count your blessings. And fill my comment box like a stuffed turkey.

--Ben

Happy Thanksgiving. I really enjoy this community.

Thanksgiving Week

I know that you are getting ready for your holidays, so no more boring reflection papers/book reviews. No, I've got to get you people wound up into a frenzy because it's time to shop, shop, shop. I know you've been ogling the wide screen plasmas, drooling upon diamonds, wishing on the latest and greatest technology. Well this Friday you'll be able to find the deals. I know of two shoppers who will not stand in your way. Corie and I will be trying to use the shopping to our advantage by staying on the superslab. Making our way back from NJ.
Let Thanksgiving week begin!

Book Review: Dissident Discipleship by: David Augsburger

Dissident Discipleship

The thesis of Dissident Discipleship is to move its reader to a pursuit of tripolar spirituality, which is love of God, love of neighbor and sacrifice of self. This book is admittedly influenced by an Anabaptist theology and was challenging to me on a number of issues. The first was a dismantling of constantinianism, the idea of power having no place in true Christian Spirituality. I am no pacifist, but should I be? The role of Christ likeness is one of peacemaking. I further understood the effects of the Roman power structure on the church because of this book. Prior to Constantine’s conversion the church flourished in a politically powerless state, and simultaneously with superior spiritual power. When Constantine declared Christianity the state religion of Rome it applied a Roman power structure to the church. It setup a political power system from Priest to Pope. It neutered the spiritual potency of the church, and the church compensated through political power strategies. I needed to work through these feelings as an American “evangelical”. Should the church be seeking political power? No, not if it is Christ-like. Christ is not seeking a Christian nation, but wants to redeem a nation to be Christ-followers. This transition is not easy based on the way I was raised. I was always taught that America was a Christian nation, and that was where we should be today. The truth is that in the case of effective discipleship I am glad that America is not a Christian nation.

On page 71 Augsburger advocates for allowing dissent among the group. In essence humility that regards the validity of differing opinions. There is a side of me that argues with this idea. I never want to be so proud as to think I have got it all figured out, and yet there has to be direction in group life (i.e. the church). Dissent can really hinder that. What about group identity and mission? It seems in Christ’s leadership that His group was identified with Him and given specific mission. These areas were non-negotiable. No dissent was permitted by Jesus. When he was leading them to Jerusalem for His death Peter tried to dissent and was called “Satan” for it. I believe that honoring Christ involves unique identity and common mission as churches. While humility welcomes and includes dissent; spiritual leadership does not bend identity and/or mission.

The third area that I want to reflect on is the role of humor in humility. I think that humor is essential in managing ourselves in our pursuit of tripolar Spirituality. I realize more and more the role of humor between God and man. As a father of an eighteen month old, I see my daughter do humorous things. In particular she is learning to speak; she is starting with animal sounds, but when asked what a kitty-cat says she verbalizes some thing that sounds like, “OwwwM”. The M sound is on the wrong end. I think that God, as our father, is humored by us, and I think we should see humor in ourselves. I appreciated the paraphrase of Elton Trueblood on page 112, “We cannot know with certainty how much humor there is in Christ’s teaching, but we can be sure that there is far more than is normally recognized.”

These areas of reflection were all good for me, and continue to challenge the way I think. More importantly I want them to shape me more into Christ’s image. I value the perspective of someone who sees Christianity a little different than I do. It helps me to evaluate my own perspectives and change, where I can, to a better life of obedience. I have completely read this book in its entirety.

Off-Roads Disciplines by: Earl Creps

Off-Road Disciplines

Off-Roads Disciplines (O-R D) is an exploration of variegated disciplines both personal and organizational leading to unity of discipleship among the church and a culture with differing philosophical worldviews.

Earl Creps is a researcher of postmodern thought and practice with specific emphasis on the role that it will play in the mission of the church. He offers O-R D as a guide to new spiritual disciplines to be implemented in order to fulfill the mission of the church in a postmodern culture.

The first reflection point I want to discuss is the area of measurement. Dr. Creps discussed the very modern approach of measurement, counting chits to see if we are achieving success. The challenge came in determined the why of our measurement. As a church planter I am seeking to establish an assimilation process. This reading challenged me to think about the way we measure assimilation. Discipleship is based on the mission that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew 28. The mission is making disciples. Measurement can distort the mission if it measures how many people are sitting in the Sunday morning service or Sunday school class. These measurements are not same as measuring whether or not we are measuring the growth as a result of mission. Without questioning why the numbers are what they are, we can not really measure our success in accomplishing the mission.

The second area of reflection is found in the quote, “Grace is free, mission is not.” There is a cost involved in living the mission. The example of Paul and Timothy comes to mind as an example given in the book. Timothy went to great lengths to become relevant to the world around him in order to accomplish the mission of Christ. Enduring circumcision as a grown man was no enjoyable circumstance, and yet he endured it so that he could openly minister to both Jews and gentiles. We are responsible to engage our context to openly accomplish the mission. I was challenged as to what it was costing me to accomplish the mission. Are there things in my life that automatically separate me from the mission? Could some of them be religious traditions that are not necessarily biblical Christianity? What are we willing to pay in order to accomplish the mission? Some would say that we should beware of compromising our principles and beliefs. I am not contending a compromised Christianity, but rather questioning whether there are “principles” and “beliefs” that are not biblical to begin with. Is it possible that we have gotten so used to doing Christianity in a way that separates us from truly doing what God has called us to do. For instance, I moved two years ago and at the time of my move I could not tell you my neighbor’s names. I was ashamed of that and determined to view the move as a missional experience to make Disciples of Christ. I got to know them quickly and established good relationships with them. One of them noted fairly early on that he wondered where I was all the time, because I was never home. “Never home” was viewed by him as not with my family, not enjoying life. Where was I? I was at church, doing church stuff. I was leading a drama team, going to board meetings, and participating in “Family night” (that really only separated the family into subgroups, and did not do ministry to families). I was spending just about every evening with church people, and had no interaction with anyone who had not yet become a follower of Christ. Are the things listed above bad things? No, that is not the point. The point is that doing good things was keeping me away from really accomplishing the mission among those who needed the church to be in their neighborhood; leading me to the conclusion that the church is better at being the church when we are not at church.

Finally, the issue discussed on page 171-172 of the book made the whole read worthwhile to me. Many younger ministers who desire to be missional and not interested in the traditional are contemplating their future with the A/G. I recently had a conversation with a guy who resigned himself to stay with the A/G but only in a loose affiliation, because he felt that any tight alliance would hinder him and me from remaining missional. I think the way that Dr. Creps addresses these issues is vital for our fellowship to come to grips with. I think that we have a stronger chance of being missional if we will unite and move together toward mission. That will require some changes in the current leadership structure and style among our pastors, but ultimately has a greater result than dissolution.

I loved this book. It was a great and challenging read. I have recommended it several times, because I believe that it provides a map of sorts through territory that many pastors I know are not really ready to walk through. If we are going to make disciples in the future, we need to be ready to go new places to do it. I have completely read this book in its entirety.

Book Reveiw: The Connecting Church By: Randy Frazee

The Connecting Church

Randy Frazee wrote The Connecting Church to explain Pantego Bible Church’s (PBC) search for authentic community which has driven the local church to align its discipleship teaching and living practices into a model for other churches in America. This book provides anecdotal narration to practical application of each step of their model.

Reading this book reminded me of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The overall model can be overlaid on several points including “Quadrant Two” living and Interdependence. With a Christian worldview these points have set up the definition of discipleship for PBC. In addition, they have quantified the approach to discipleship through the Christian Life Profile. This profile was developed to organize and report spiritual maturity expressed in ten core beliefs, ten Christian practices, and ten Christian virtues. Everyone at PBC is annually self-assessed in order to focus on one to three areas of growth.

The book begins with a description of Individualism, Isolationism, and Consumerism as the societal bane of authentic community. Harkening back to days prior to the 1950’s, Frazee seems to compare our time with the other. I am not sure that the former communal aspects were as clean and superior as he seems to make them out to be, but I do not feel they negate the argument of the situation we find ourselves in. I pastor in a context that does face these problems. Marylanders in the Baltimore area spend the second longest amount of commute time in the nation. They have sprawled to just about every area including out of state where workers purchase large, isolated homes in West Virginia and ride the train for an hour each way to work in Washington, D.C. The alternative is to live in a county like mine and fight traffic. Developers are building as fast as they can, stacking large homes on top of each other, but each cleanly separated with privacy fences and decks on the back to the house with no porch on the front. The fast-paced lifestyle of the Northeast further complicates social interaction while also feeding affluence which fools us into thinking we can replace the rewards of community with the bigger, better, and higher tech stuff. We left the Joneses behind a long time ago, and now are trying to keep up with ourselves. In this context I minister to many desperate people who do not know what they are desperate for, and I was the same way until I started a small group in my home that opened a door for genuine community. It ruined my life by the old standards and now has given me a better life.

My experience still has not gone to the extent Frazee is an exponent of. My group meets weekly, but only interacts lightly through the week. His groups do so in a much greater way. Sharing common meals, regularly in and out of each others houses is a much more localized approach than our small groups. There is always a process I go through when I read books like this: I read it, embrace it, and then try to contextualize it. It just seems impossible. I am not saying it is, but from where we are it is more of an ideal than something to fully implement right away. In the book, the members of PBC sell their homes to move into mutual neighborhoods. I don’t see that happening for a while at Severn River Church. I do think the depth of community can grow, and should grow in that direction of commitment based on greater interaction with one another.

I love the model. One thing stands out to me, the decentralization of ministry. I love that the Home groups are responsible for outreach, foreign missions, and compassion ministries. The development that goes on at this level is fantastic for meaningful life change. I believe that spiritual maturity is not about what we know as much as what we do. This model puts doing right at the practical level of the Home groups of people.

I have questions about this model. Do the same 30 principles get old? I can see the effectiveness over 3 years, but what about over 30 years? Does this process limit overall Bible interaction and knowledge? Does this matrix limit presuppositions to be read into the biblical text? I have submitted these questions through e-mail for their response. It would take time to really know the answers. They are in the best position to know.

This was a rewarding read. I was challenged and encouraged on our means of discipleship because of it. I look forward to exploring the model through implementation of parts of it at SRC. I have completely read this book in its entirety.

Book Review: The Great Omission by: Dallas Willard

The Great Omission

This book is a compilation of articles and lectures by Dallas Willard and as such provides many narrower views on a much broader thesis. The Great Omission is a call to discipleship in deeper ways through spiritual disciplines, expressed in a church which actually does what Jesus tells us to do.

Disciples that are undisciplined repeatedly come up as a major theme in this book. Willard contends that the problems of the church are a result of voluntary followership of Christ, and that many people in church have never actually decided to follow Jesus. Have we made discipleship voluntary? As I reflect on this I am more and more convinced that we have. I say that for practical reasons. If Jesus is who we follow, then should not we do what he said? Yet I find that most believers could not write a concise list of the instructions that Christ gave us, let alone live them. Jesus said that the commandments could be summed up in loving God and loving neighbors, but there are many other instructions that He gave that receive little of our attention. I wonder more and more about spiritual maturity that is not measured by what you know but by what you do. This seems to be the point that Dallas Willard is getting at.

Another point of interest to me from the book was a portion on Bible memorization. Willard said that if there was one discipline that he felt he must have it would be this one, even over prayer and bible reading. It came up multiple times in the book; in fact he referenced it in different ways. He said at one point that he would not want to be part of a church that did not have a plan for memorization, and elsewhere that people who said they could not memorize needed to spend time in fasting, solitude and silence to help them memorize. I really identified with this point. We have a congregational memory verse that is provided with the sermon each week. We ask people to memorize it and repeat it with their small group during the week. It is so valuable in spiritual growth and really transformational when you see believers using the scriptures they have learned in the discussions of Christ living at small group. If it helps them there I believe it is exponentially of greater value in their lives at work, home, etc.

The final area of reflection for me was from this quote from page 62, “The true saint burns grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff.” This is a provocative statement. I posted it on my blog to see what if any response would come. Someone responded that since grace was sufficient when things go wrong this could be dangerous for Christians. However, I think that Grace is not just about things going wrong. Grace is about things going right. Our status quo is to sin, but with Grace we can overcome sin. It takes more grace to help us live rightly, than to forgive us when we have sinned. This is a radical departure from the teaching I have generally encountered. In light of discipleship, this idea has challenged me to what we are teaching as discipleship. Are we helping people to grow in the Grace of Christ and in which way? I think that an important aspect of discipleship is to evaluate our beliefs in light of biblical theology, and not just a result of that which was passed on to us as a matter of tradition flavored by previous interpretations.

This was a refreshing book for me. There were many things that I took away personally more so than just how I could apply it to the church. I will refer to this book again in the future in order to continue my own growth, and to help the growth of others. I have completely read this book in its entirety.

From one SRC to another

Hey,
I'm back to school this week. I'll be posting throughout the week.

Please pray for my family. Early this morning our cars were broken into. Thankfully, there wasn't anything to be stolen. But please pray for my families peace of mind.

Thanks,
Ben

Church in the News (Sabbath writings postponed till next week.)

Woman Fatally Bitten by Snake in Church
Nov 08 12:54 AM US/Eastern AP News

A woman who was bitten by a snake at a church [I hate when that happens, it can really ruin a Sunday.] that neighbors say practices serpent handling [ Wouldn’t have been nicer if they said, “That church feeds the hungry, cares for the widows and orphans, or really love each other.” Considering these are things Jesus said we should be known for.] died of her wounds hours later [Though I joke throughout this story, I am sincerely sorry for her death], a newspaper reported.

Linda Long, 48, was bitten Sunday at East London Holiness Church, where neighbors said [It does raise the question why aren’t their any references to what the church people said about this. It only seems to be neighbors commenting.] the reptiles are handled as part of religious services, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday.

Long died at University of Kentucky Medical Center about four hours after being bitten, authorities told the newspaper.

"She said she was bitten by a snake at her church," said Lt. Ed Sizemore of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.

Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal [Fight the power] in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $100 fine [Beware Steve Irwin types].

Police said they had not received any reports of snake handling at the church.

Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible that says a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed. [Though it’s not a litmus test, nor a command that we’re supposed to. Instead it’s a promise of the power of Christ with us. It happened to Paul, and is possible to anyone who is doing the work of Christ’s mission. But I think there is something to be said for not tempting God…or at least Jesus thought so.]

Church officials could not be reached for comment.

Cool Article

The following article is an interesting study regarding "Speaking in Tongues".

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/health/07brain.html?ei=5070&en=6bfeff0bb4cd6909&ex=1163566800&adxnnl=1&emc=eta1&adxnnlx=1162922603-vHv6tlYa2VIMJQv0K4LEpg

A Haggard expression

Well, no comments on Haggard's statement, and I can say as I blame you. This journey has been an interesting one for me, and as I've discussed it with others it probably has a greater effect on me than others.

My experience has shown me that there are people in churches who are not paying attention to the Evangelical Movement in America, they are not paying much attention to the Religious Right and Moral Majority, and most have no idea who Ted Haggard is. The news, which didn't get as much play as I thought it would've, didn't seem to make it on the radar of many people. The two groups most affected seem to be the Opponents and the Pastors. The Opponents, obviously those who are promoting the Homosexual Agenda jumped on the opportunity to use this moral failing as a means to political gain. But I would say there's a large portion of the gay community who probably didn't know who Ted Haggard is and only chuckled at the irony.

The other affected party was the Pastors. I'm not sure why, but my own experience was very deep. I had a psychological experience unlike any that I have ever experienced. I was absorbed by this story. As mentioned in a former post, I considered him a mentor. Someone who had shaped my view of ministry (and I still am thankful for it, it was a very positive thing). I guess it was because it was a fellow tradesman. I would guess that CEOs all over America experienced something similar when Enron and WorldCom were exposed. Or maybe I know how the Baltimore Orioles felt when Raphael Palmeiro was exposed for steriods. It's a feeling of shock (Why?), betrayal (He cheated and embarrassed us), and depression (I'm no less susceptible to sin than he is). It played out in my emotions (I felt I was on the verge of tears for most of the weekend), my appetite (Not such a bad thing in my case), and other ways.

I talked to other pastors who seemed to have a very similar set of symptoms, and to a lot of people who didn't care. I asked my wife why we had not learned our lesson from Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, and heard from an elder Christian that it would likely happen another couple times in my lifetime. And I faced the fact that it could be me and that was probably the most scary part of this journey.

And I walked around my block yesterday, and I prayed in a type of groan that wasn't audible but echoed through my soul.

--Ben

Statement from Ted Haggard

November 5, 2006

My Dear New Life Church Family,

I am so sorry. I am sorry for the disappointment, the betrayal, and the hurt. I am sorry for
the horrible example I have set for you.

I have an overwhelming, all-consuming sadness in my heart for the pain that you and I
and my family have experienced over the past few days. I am so sorry for the
circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment to all of you.

I asked that this note be read to you this morning so I could clarify my heart's condition
to you. The last four days have been so difficult for me, my family and all of you, and I
have further confused the situation with some of the things I've said during interviews
with reporters who would catch me coming or going from my home. But I alone am
responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am
guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.

I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I’ve
been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy
victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone
would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that
were contrary to everything I believe and teach.

Through the years, I’ve sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving
to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most
because I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint them.

The public person I was wasn’t a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped
communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As
a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.

The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are
true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry. Our church's
overseers have required me to submit to the oversight of Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack
Hayford, and Pastor Tommy Barnett. Those men will perform a thorough analysis of my
mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical life. They will guide me through a program
with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage, and my family.

I created this entire situation. The things that I did opened the door for additional
allegations. But I am responsible; I alone need to be disciplined and corrected. An
example must be set.

It is important that you know how much I love and appreciate my wife, Gayle. What I did
should never reflect in a negative way on her relationship with me. She has been and
continues to be incredible. The problem was not with her, my children, or any of you. It
was created 100% by me.

I have been permanently removed from the office of Senior Pastor of New Life Church.
Until a new senior pastor is chosen, our Associate Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, will
assume all of the responsibilities of the office. On the day he accepted this new role, he
and his wife, Aimee, had a new baby boy. A new life in the midst of this circumstance—I
consider that confluence of events to be prophetic. Please commit to join with Pastor
Ross and the others in church leadership to make their service to you easy and without
burden. They are fine leaders. You are blessed.

I appreciate your loving and forgiving nature, and I humbly ask you to do a few things:
1. Please stay faithful to God through service and giving.

2. Please forgive me. I am so embarrassed and ashamed. I caused this and I have no
excuse. I am a sinner. I have fallen. I desperately need to be forgiven and healed.

3. Please forgive my accuser. He is revealing the deception and sensuality that was
in my life. Those sins, and others, need to be dealt with harshly. So, forgive him
and, actually, thank God for him. I am trusting that his actions will make me, my
wife and family, and ultimately all of you, stronger. He didn’t violate you; I did.

4. Please stay faithful to each other. Perform your functions well. Encourage each
other and rejoice in God’s faithfulness. Our church body is a beautiful body, and
like every family, our strength is tested and proven in the midst of adversity.
Because of the negative publicity I’ve created with my foolishness, we can now
demonstrate to the world how our sick and wounded can be healed, and how even
disappointed and betrayed church bodies can prosper and rejoice.

Gayle and I need to be gone for a while. We will never return to a leadership role at
New Life Church. In our hearts, we will always be members of this body. We love
you as our family. I know this situation will put you to the test. I’m sorry I’ve created
the test, but please rise to this challenge and demonstrate the incredible grace that is
available to all of us.

Ted Haggard

Letter from Gayle Haggard, wife of Ted Haggard

November 5, 2006

Dear Women of New Life Church,

I am so sorry for the circumstances that have led me to write this letter to you today. I
know your hearts are broken; mine is as well. Yet my hope rests steadfastly in the Lord
who is forever faithful.

What I want you to know is that I love my husband, Ted Haggard, with all my heart. I am
committed to him until death “do us part.” We started this journey together and with the
grace of God, we will finish together.

If I were standing before you today, I would not change one iota of what I have been
teaching the women of our church. For those of you who have been concerned that my
marriage was so perfect I could not possibly relate to the women who are facing great
difficulties, know that this will never again be the case. My test has begun; watch me. I
will try to prove myself faithful.

I love you all so much, especially you young women—you were my delight.
To all the church family of new Life Church—Ted and I are so proud of you. You are all
we hoped you would be. In our minds, there is no greater church.

As you try to make sense of these past few days, know that Ted believes with all his heart
and soul everything he has ever taught you, those things you are putting into practice. He
is now the visible and public evidence that every man (woman and child) needs a Savior.

We are grateful for your prayers for our family.

I hold you forever in my heart,
Gayle Haggard

Asking for prayer for a mentor

I don't claim to know Pastor Ted Haggard, but he has been a mentor of mine. I read his book Primary Purpose, and it has influenced the way I pastor and the vision for the mission that I have.

Allegations have come out against him regarding sexual sin and drugs. I would ask you to pray for him and his family. I'm sure that New Life church is also in need of prayer.

Facts will come out about the case I have no doubt, as will a bunch of opinion. I don't envy the road he's walking today, but know that as his brother I need to help bear the burden with him.

Thanks,
--Ben

"The true saint burns grace like a 747 burns fuel on takeoff." -- Dallas Willard

Breakfast with the MAN!

Today I had breakfast with a good friend of mine. Phil has been on a sabbatical month and has just returned. It was nice to hear from him about his trip and rest. I've been challenged lately with the idea of Sabbath. It is a biblical command and spiritual discipline. The order is "Work six, rest one." The discipline is this... Do you believe that if you give God one day, he'll divinely help you accomplish what you need in the other 6? I heard someone this week say that just needed one more day a week, and I've said the same thing. I wonder if that's because of my lack of sabbath? I think that next week I'll spend some time writing about what Sabbath is all about biblically and I'd like to take it to levels I seldom hear it go.

Thanks for checking in.

--Ben

What is the book of Acts all about?

This week we begin a series call HEROES. You probably already know that by now, the real story is what the series is built on. We're going to be looking at the book of Acts. It is the fifth book in the NT and I want to invite you to start reading it.
Yesterday in a small group I was talking with someone about our approach, and I'm learning that there are things we do consitantly that we may have never named as such. I thought I'd mention one today. Many churches take the "Shot gun" approach to life change. They tell you to work on one thing in Sunday school, then something else in Sunday morning service. Less frequently then they hold a Sunday evening service to tell you something different to work on, and then hold a midweek service which ussually hits something else. I find that to be too many things to work on to really have any success.
We take more of a Laser approach. We want to focus on one thing, and then bring it up again and again during the week to keep our focus on it. For instance, We'll preach a message on a passage of Acts this weekend (Acts 1) then we'll give you a memory verse (Acts 1:8 you can get a head start). You'll review that memory verse throughout the week, then repeat it at small group. At small group you'll discuss relevant application from the sermon from Sunday and have the chance to put it into action. Ultimately you'll get the chance to partner with someone in prayer and pray that memory verse into their life, and in turn have that verse prayed over your life.
I'm not saying it's perfect, just that's the way it is. I'm interested in life change, I guess more specifically, "Making Disciples".
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By the way, to my dial-up internet users. I'm not trying to alienate you with the videos. Sarah learned that if she started loading the video by pressing play and then walked away and did some house work, that when she came back it would play all the way through. You may want to try that, or feel free to ignore them if it's easier. I'll continue to post through print as well.

--Ben

Heroes Blog Update

Heroes Coming November 5- December 17

Video Blogging -- The Next Generation

Growth

This is actually a test for posting video to my blog. But it's kinda on the topic of growth.

How Do Churches Grow -- Part 4

The Church that grows 20% a year.

The largest church in the world is in Seoul, South Korea. Pastor Cho is the pastor of this church, and they have a number of cool stories that float around. They own a mountain for prayer. There is someone on the mountain praying 24 hours a day every day. They have built their church on prayer and small groups. Their church was 700,000 when I was in college.

Their pastor told his secretary that he was going to pray, hold his calls. She interrupted a few minutes later. Bothered he repeated that he was not to be interrupted. She replied that the president was on the phone. Bothered he again repeated that he was praying and was not to be interrupted.

So how do they grow 20% a year? Their small groups are 10 people per group, and they are asked to reach 2 people a year with the gospel who are converted and baptized. The next year, again, the groups are asked to reach 2 per 10. Specifically they are asked to pick 2 people and then serve them in love until they come to Christ. They grow just about 20% a year.

In our context that would look like this:

2006: 25
2007: 30
2010: 52
2015: 127
2026: 936

In the Korean setting this is practical growth. For us it probably seems a little more theoretical. You could factor in transience. The fact that our area is given to a lot of turnover is a major difference between the American context and the Korean. But to me that’s not the point. We have expectations of growing faster than 20% in these first few years, think of how a baby triples in size in one year. For survival we need to grow at a similar rate. The real key is to keep growing. That’s the amazing thing about the church in Korea. They continue to grow. It separates them from just about every other church in the world.

--Ben