Broke down in Hagerstown

Well, I thought you should know the kind of influence commenters have on this website. Last week, a commenter called me a wimp for not bringing my motorcycle to my coaching meeting today in Hagerstown. So I brought it. Got all the way out here and felt my clutch handle feeling odd. So I pulled into a hotel parking lot and gave it a pull, it broke. So now I'm waiting for a friend to come pick me up and transport me to Myersville, MD to a classic bike repair shop, so that he can fabricate a new cable for me. That will make a 17 dollar cable cost more like 60, but God has provided for me thus far by not letting my cable break until I was at a comfortable Hotel (with WIFI), and I brought my computer, and it didn't break on I-70, and it's air conditioned, and I have a friend here with a trailer (another church planter). What a great day.

I love you all. You can comment anonymously and leave your name if you want.

--Ben

Techs/Mechs

Have you seen the new computer technology that Bill Gates is having developed as one of his last activities at Microsoft. You might not know, but Gates will be resigning from operations entirely within a year and pursuing philanthropy full-time.

It's called Surface.

Check out the story here

--Ben

Deck Update

Alright, we're level and about to start putting the joists on. I'm loving it. Last night I got to work on it from 6:30 till 9:00. It was awesome. My wife held the flashlight for me so that I could finish up. I commented how thankful that I was that I was healthy enough to work. She asked if I was sore, and I had to confess I was. But I said that I'd rather be sore than not be able to work.

Thank God for health and the ability to work.


For those wondering what tools I didn't have...the major one was a 1/2 inch drill bit that was at least 10 inches long. I only have a 6 inch bit so I would have to drill from one side then the other. Doable but a headache.

--Ben

Doubt Day Preparations

One thing that I really like about the way Matt puts together events like Doubt Day, is that when setting up the team he tries to involve new people. I think that's part of the leadership development that SRC is built on. Constantly pulling people in and trying to release them to a new place of leadership.

There are several areas that we've organized:

Promotion: Matt
Programing/Personel: Ben and Janet
Decoration/Food: Sarah
Children's: Corie

Each of these people has the tasks to complete and are reaching out to others to help. Thanks for helping out in whatever you're asked to do.

--Ben

Deck the Yard

I thought I'd fill you in on what I've been up to over the Holiday weekend. When Corie and I bought our house it was a HUD foreclosure, and the previous owner had an above-ground pool. The pool was gone when we moved in, but the deck was still there, but as it was setup 5 feet in the air it was of no use to us. So I've been taking the deck apart over the last several weeks and now I've started rebuilding it, only at ground level. I'm looking forward to getting the grill on and having you over for some time to hangout on the deck. Just bring a side dish and a desert and we'll be set.

Anyway, I've been learning in this process. 1. When you don't use skills they are not as sharp when you start using them again. I used to work for a plumber and my mechanical skills were sharper then, but it's been so long that it takes me longer, and that is frustrating. 2. I don't have the tools I need. I use what I've got ,but it takes longer. Nothing like having good tools. I guess that's some of the reasoning behind my pursuit of education. I'm more valuable for what I know than what I do kinda, so each class I take puts tools in my box. That's kinda how I look at it. I was talking to my brother-in-law and he was asking me about why I am working on graduate education. I told him that I think people don't want to hear a pastor who makes things up. I think they want a pastor who knows what he's talking about. Since there's so much I don't know, I have to keep learning.

--Ben

So excited about this weekend

I was talking with some friends on Sunday night at a party about Doubt Day. It seems that the word is spreading. I think the idea is so simple, all we're doing is giving people a place to ask questions. It is really not much more than that. Well, behind the scenes it's a lot more than that; changing the setup, special food (fruits, muffins, cookie, etc. YUM), and studying like there's no tomorrow to be prepared for the questions that will come.

The biggest needs at this point are that you would pray. Pray for me to hear the Holy Spirit clearly. Jesus said, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Luke 12:11 - 12 (NIV) How exciting is that? I'm psyched for Sunday so that I can actually experience the Holy Spirit that way. But please pray for me.

The other way you can help is by getting the word out. The success of our day in accomplishing what we're looking to do is dependent on people being there. And for that we're all accountable to each other to have done our part. I hope you'll invite some people to be there.

Over 1000 invitations have gone out to households all over Arnold. So we're looking forward to the crowd we're expecting, and to seeing you there.

--Ben

Trusting my Gut

You know that I have always tried to keep this blog honest and authentic with you. I believe in disclosing as much about my life and work as I can. And this morning was one of those instances where I was reminded just what an idiot I am.

As you know (and I'm glad I have you as wittinesses) I have procured a coach, and he is a pastor in Hagerstown. You also know that I was to have an appointment with him this morning, and you know that I was not going to take the motorcycle. Right?

I looked forward to that meeting all week, and then last night, I checked my calendar and found that it was scheduled for next Thursday. It was a bit of a let-down that I would have to wait another week to meet with him, because I have some big questions for him.

This morning my phone rang shortly after 7:00, and I know you are starting to snicker at me now, but you've guessed it...It was him, asking how close I was to the Bob Evans.

I apologized. I have only blown 3 meetings and 1 almost(I was late) in my life, but I hate it when that happens. Those of you who know me, know that I think time is a precious commodity and I don't like violating other's time.

The kicker is that it was on my calendar, just on the wrong date.

He was very gracious and we rescheduled it for next Thursday. Remind me please.

--Ben

Lost Party

Many of you received the email earlier this week announcing the desire for a LOST party. I've had 2 people contact me back, but no one to host it. I would, but my TV is small and I use rabbit ears and watch a fuzzy picture. If anyone wants to invite us over we'd love to come and we would bring food.

Let me know,

ben@severnriverchurch.com

--Ben

Another one done

Well,
I just finished up another paper so that's three down two to go. I feel like I just might make it.

By way of another update. To those who think me wimpy for taking the motorcycle to Hagerstown... the new tires that are put on are hard and slick rubber. I have to do light riding for a hundred miles to scuff them properly. I can't get another 95 miles in before hitting superslab, so I'd defer to saftey.

Speaking of safety. The airbag is off.

--Ben

On The Road Again

Well, I'm back from the motorcycle shop with new rubber and a itch to ride. I've been off my bike for quite a while now. I only rode once last season and that was only a few miles. But now I'm back in the saddle as it were.

Interesting how God works timing things out, isn't it? Consider this. We didn't go to a wedding with my family this weekend in Myrtle Beach, but if we had we would have broken down somewhere in SC. Instead we stay behind and breakdown while I'm driving (not Corie) and get back to our driveway. At the same time Corie's parents are away so we can use their vehicle for the weekend, while my bike is in the shop. Then we return their truck in time for them to get back and pick up my motorcycle, so that now Corie is driving the S10 (still owned by my dad, thanks dad we hope to have it back soon), and I'm riding on two wheels. The part for the Jeep is supposed to be in Wednesday which should give me time to fix Corie's truck and get the S10 back in time for a meeting I have on Thursday in Hagerstown. Beautiful.

I love it when a plan comes together.

--Ben

A Dynamic View of Jesus

Matt and I were discussing some verses from the Bible. Specifically the parable of the master who gives money to his servants to invest. The reason it was prompted was because Matt was reading Luke 11 and called because it's different than the parable in Matthew. Minas instead of Talents, yada, yada...

I started thinking about it and realized just how static a view of Jesus I tend to have. I tend to think of him in terms only of the gospel account as though that's a day by day depiction of Jesus. It was a relief and I think step of growth for my relationship with Him that I started to think not in terms of his static nature in black, red, and white. I also began thinking of him in relation to the dynamic nature not recorded for us. Why wouldn't Jesus tell a similar story on different occasions but change up a few things for a little different outcome?

I do that all the time as a speaker. I tell the same story just a little different depending on what I'm trying to do rhetorically. Jesus I'm sure did the same thing.

Maybe for you you've always thought of Jesus in dynamic terms, but I'm enjoying these thoughts these days.

--Ben

A test in Flexibility

This morning I woke up at 6:00 instead of my customary 6:30, and decided to get up before my alarm went off. I got dressed and was ready to leave early so I thought, "why not?" I got to the campus at 7:30 and was just about to start taking down tables and chairs when a man walked in and asked what I was doing. I explained that I was setting up for a church service. He then explained that I was not. There would be no church service in Cade 219 today.

He was not the nicest fellow. I tried to explain that I had booked the room had the bill for the room in my truck and that there must be some mistake. He rudely treated my request for help in who to call. Then the proctor of the exams came in. She was confused and embarrassed over the double-booking. We volunteered to change locations and thanks to our friends in public safety we relocated to another room across the hall, but thinking that our music might distract test-takers we moved to another building altogether. It was not the best relocation effort. The key was remaining flexible, and I think, on the whole, our team did a fantastic job. We had plenty of help and encouragement from everyone.

I want to say thanks for your help and flexibility today.

--Ben

Bottle it!

I have holed up in the office again for a long day of School work that I've been putting off. I have 5 assignments to finish by Friday. I'm hoping to get about three of them done today. That might be too ambitious, but I like to aim high. I went out to the backyard this morning before I came in and it looks like a wonderful day for a lot of fun out there. I know my friends at Pasadena A/G Church are having a picnic today, couldn't have picked better.

The projects I'm working on today are busy work. I have to read and report on six articles from the Christianity Today Library involving legal issues for churches, report on the second half of a Tax Law book I've read by picking out several things that "apply to my ministry context", and finally do a Case study involving issues related to church, ministers or Christian liberty in our country (I selected the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the ban on partial birth abortions).

Anyways, I know you all love it when I mix my school work into the blogosphere. Maybe there'll be some good reading coming of it.

--Ben

The Homestead

I've had some time in the last couple weeks to work on my yard. I have a kindof annual routine where I fill my yard up with stuff throughout the winter then have to clean up and rearrange it in the Spring. The problem is that for the last three years I would put stuff on the deck that had been left behind by the previous homeowners. The deck is about 4.5 feet high and used to surround one side of the out-of-ground pool. But, I've been taking the deck apart to lower it. I really love working in my yard. I love the dirt on my hands and the smell of sweat and smoke from burning the sticks in my yard (firebug therapy).

Today Sydney even joined in and helped me. It was great.

--Ben

New Rooms

I wanted to update you on an initiative that the Operations Team has been working on. We want to expand our efforts in Children's Ministry by Septemeber to include a room for our children to meet in. Currently we have a setup that occupys the hallway outside our room. It is inadequate because it leaves the kids out in the open hall. Though we haven't had a problem we have a possible conflict with other potential classes in the building.

We met with Gayla yesterday and think we've found a couple options that we'll look at further. The favored one is a classroom. It should give adequate space and is located close to the bathrooms.

--Ben

A Dead Battery and a Long Day

This morning I woke up late. I have stopped setting my alarm because Sydney always wakes me up promptly at 7:00 a.m. However, last night she woke up screaming 3 times, and I guess in addition to messing with my sleep it messed with hers too, so she remained quiet even after I woke up at 8:30. I got a showered and ready and headed to the coffee house where I was looking forward to spending time studying for upcoming teachings. (trying to work ahead).

When I pulled in the parking lot Corie called. "I have bad news," she said. It turns out that her battery was dead in the Jeep. I wasn't surprised. I've heard a new noise in the alternator so I've been wary that it might be dieing. I came home and spent the morning charging it up and getting the alternator tested (it's fine btw) then finding that an interior light had been left on. Isn't it amazing how something like that can derail your day. It was almost lunch when I was finished so I stayed here at the house and it's been one thing or another that has kept me from getting as much accomplished today as I wanted to.

Uggh!

--Ben

Doubt Day Update

Well, the invites were began being distributed Sunday. I saw some last night that a person had carefully addressed, highlighted important information, and written a short but inviting note to people that need to come to doubt day.

I also got an email from someone who chose to forward the E-vite to a number of friends. (I want to remind you that if you click on the bottom of the e-mail where it says "forward email" that it will be sent as clean as you received it, without the evidence at the top that you had forwarded it by the usual means. But the important thing is getting the word out.

I'm even excited about the cookies. Yup cookies. We're going to have round, yellow cookies with blue question marks just like the invitations. It's gonna be awesome.

I've set aside this last 21 days leading up to this event for Prayer and Fasting. (perhaps I should write a little on Fasting in an upcoming post.) In my case, I've taken on the Daniel type fast which cuts out meat and dairy from my diet. I would like to invite you to take some time during these three weeks to pray and fast for Doubt Day; not the whole time mind you, but just maybe a day, a day a week, or a few days at a time to focus on asking God to do something amazing.

Thanks,

--Ben

First Foray into Mass Mailing

We're getting our Mailer ready for Doubt Day. It will be sent to 1000 homes in the 21012 zip code. We're really are excited about it. But we had a discussion in our staff meeting this morning and I thought it might be interesting to someone to hear the conversation so this is what we discussed...

Matt met a friend this weekend who is involved in a 7 year old church plant. He was lamenting that mass mailing only yielded a few people each time they sent one. I told Matt that the statistics are 1%. If you hit 1% of guests out of your mailer then you're considered successful by marketing standards. So out of 1000 invites if 10 people came because of the mailer we'd be maxing out it's effectiveness. That doesn't sound all that great, but consider this... The mailer costs less than $400 to produce, address and post. So, if we get only 5 households to come (.05%) and if only 1 household stays connected to the church (.01%), but becomes a giving member of SRC how long would it take to pay of the $400? Not too long. Now that's a purely financial perspective, and of course that's not why we do this. It is just part of the justification for the cost. Now think about this...It also get's our name in the community, provides a legitimate invitation for people to come to SRC, and if we do our mailers well creates buzz in the places that our members are handing out matching invites.

That's our overall perspective of doing this.

--Ben

I love Mondays

I love Mondays, can I just say that? I know many people who despise Mondays because it means that people are back in the "grind", but to me it means a new chance. It is a clear, open highway into my future. Mondays are days for planning, staff meeting, scheduling the work that will be done the rest of the week. It's a chance to look back on the week prior and see if I'm on target for what I want to accomplish. Mondays are opportunity. I hope you carpe Mondiem!

--Ben

Coach

I'm currently looking for a coach. I'm not the player that I need to be. No player without a coach can be. I think of great athletes and wonder where would Michael Jordan be without Phil Jackson, Tiger be without his dad, Cal be without Sr.

Players don't become great without coaches who make them do what they don't want to do to become what they've always wanted to become. I'm looking for a coach right now in church planting, and I think I've found the guy.

As I have thought about a coach, I decided that I'd like to have someone who meets a couple criteria:

1. I want a guy passionate about church planting. It's so volatile that I don't want someone who is a successful pastor. I want someone in the field, doing it, and passionate about it.

2. I want a coach that's not that far ahead of me; that still remembers doing what I'm doing. I want them to be farther ahead of me by time (2-5 years), success (growth in their church and community connections),

3. I want a coach that's a player. By that I mean is currently being coached by someone else.

Anyway, I talked with a guy this week about coaching. Many of you know that I had a coach to launch the church, and I appreciated the coaching of Keith Edwards. Now I need a coach for the next step of the journey. Pray for me as I nail down the agreement. When it is official I look forward to introducing him to you.

--Ben

Non-resident Executive Presbyters

The council elected Larry Hickey and Bob Rhoden to serve.

--Ben

Worst Missions Banquet Ever

It has been repeated in multiple conversations that I overheard over the last 12 hours. Here is the bulleted version.

• The district found out that there were 50 more seats available yesterday. (The only problem was there really wasn't room for the fifty extra seats they crammed into the room.)
• The hall was "L" shaped. So there was a whole half of the guests that couldn't see the other. The platform was in the corner. (bad)
• They didn't turn the A/C on until the 500 people had already filled the room. (Hot as blazes)
• The food was adequate, but a disaster to get because the tables and chairs were so crowded.
  
• Then there was the food service. They ran out! Several tables never even got served.
  
• The worst part is that all the distractions hindered the message of missions. No one walked away saying, "I need to make a difference in missions." Instead they walked away saying, "Let's go somewhere for better food, and to cool off." (a shame)

--Ben

Babylon

Dr. Wayne Lee spoke just a moment yesterday and gave a great word. He said that the Jews couldn't worship God the same way in the wilderness as they did in Egypt, couldn't worship in the promised land the same way as in the wilderness, couldn't worship in Babylon the same as in Israel. The point? We're living in Babylon. Worship can't be done the same way as it was done int the 30's, 40's, etc. He said, "I knew how to get someone the baptism [in the spirit]. I took my coat off at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night and we prayed until they received it if we had to stay all night (and sometimes we did). But we don't live in that day, and if you haven't looked out your window lately, we're living in Babylon."

Great insight.

--Ben

Other Elections

Lenny Burdick was elected Worship Arts Director.

John May elected as District Youth Director.

Elections

Here is a list of elections that have been made:

All of the presbyters were ratified.

Jerry Qualls. Executive Presbyter Southern Region

William Fout was replaced as a presbyter.

(All of the acceptance speeches were saved for today)

Ray Crabtree. Executive Presbyter Western Region

It was interesting, because we started a rotating term last year. So there were less elections and electees.

Funniest moment of council just happened. Larry Hickey introduced Manuel Bearga, the director of Teen Challenge. All of the sudden this guy stood up and took the mic and corrected Larry that it was not Teen Challenge, it was chaplaincy. Then he gave a speech about Chaplaincy. He was confused. The executive leadership obviously didn't know who this guy was.

Back Online

Well, the parliamentarians are making their way to the platform for the final business session. Throughout the morning I hope to update everything that has happened at this tremendous council.

There is no doubt that there is a new Superintendent, and council is significantly different for it. The business session was interrupted several times yesterday with moments of spontaneous prayer and reflection. Tremendaous.

The Privilege

It doesn't happen often (thank God), but occasionally I get to attend a funeral. Every funeral is different, and there is something raw about the emotions that are felt and shared. I think that people sometimes misunderstand how pastors feel about this kind of event. Many people think that it must be a drag or imposition to involve me. They say things that communicate they're sorry that I have to be part of it. But they don't understand that anytime I get to lend support and ministry it is an exciting opportunity for me. I get a charge out of it.

So thankful to be involved in the Robinson funeral today. I'm sorry for their loss, but I felt so privileged to participate.

--Ben

District Council

It's the first Monday in May and that means one thing for a pastor in the Potomac District...District Council. The next three days hold a great excitement for our churches. District Council is the annual convention of our church network called the Assemblies of God. We make decisions affecting the future and administration of our network.

I've alluded before to some of the issues we're looking at this time. The statistics of our church ministry can be pretty bleak. I'll report those numbers again later. Suffice to say that we need a move of the Holy Spirit to empower the church to get to the mission Christ designed us for.

As readers I'd ask you to pray for me and the council to hear from God and welcome the possibilities that God has in mind.

--Ben

Notice of an SRC Family in Mourning

Some of you have been praying for Ron and Janet Reinhardt and their family. Ron's Grandmother passed away on Wednesday evening. She had struggled with illness for quite a long time, and God answered their prayers by taking her very peacefully. Would you please pray for this family in their time of grief.

--Ben

Sunday's Plan

Well, we were thwarted in our attempt to hand out water and invitations to Doubt Day, but we will not be undone. Sunday we'll be having our normal Sunday gathering. We're inviting everyone to come for a special Sunday. Matt will be doing the teaching this Sunday, and we'll worship together. We will have special prayer for God to open up opportunities for us to share invitations to Doubt Day with our friends and acquaintances.

We're very sorry that it didn't work out for the first plan, but are confident that the Lord will speak to us this Sunday at Severn River Church.

Thanks,
Ben

Team A is on for Set-up. And we need some help with A/V this weekend. We'll be contacting you all to make sure everyone is ready for set-up Sunday morning.

Thought you'd like to see the invite for Doubt Day

Dissapointed

After receiving preliminary approval for our missions project on Sunday we received correspondence today that a higher division rejected our plan. Soooo, back to the drawing board.

I'm pretty bummed about it. I really felt like this would be a great day handing out water and just helping people.

But in the post-911 world we live in, it is even harder to do this kind of thing. We'll be publishing our plan later today.

Sad,
Ben

Prayer Page

I'm excited about the Prayer Page. Three times in the last day I've had the opportunity to direct people to our prayer page to help them get their prayer request out for people to pray for. If you haven't visited be sure to check it out Prayer Page.

We are having an error problem with it, but when you submit a request, even though you get an error message, it is still processing the request. We're working to fix the problem.

--Ben

31 cent scoops

Tonight, I enjoyed Baskin Robbins with my wife and daughter. They had a 31 cent special. It was limited to a little cone and only one scoop per person. But the Rainey family really enjoyed it. Sydney was covered in ice cream. It was really cute and a ton of fun. Thanks B-R

gotta love those initials.

--Ben

Chapel Time

Today I got to speak at the Arnold Christian Academy. I spoke on Balaam from Numbers 22. I had a great time. Thanks to Bob Halcombe for inviting me. I love sharing at their chapel.

--Ben

The Well

I want to invite you to catch our teaching from last Sunday, you can hear it by clicking here.

I have been telling people about my office at Corky's Hardbean Cafe. It seems that people find the notion of me using the coffee house as my office as a really odd idea. People are now asking to come meet with me at Corky's. I love it.

Yesterday, I asked Corky if he minded me being there so much. So far this week I've worked about 10 hours there this week. I started to feel like maybe he might consider me a loiterer. He said, "Absolutely not. I love it when you guys are here." He explained that in his business it's good to have people be comfortable and spend a lot of time there. He told me that if I came first thing in the morning and stayed until close 5 days a week that would be fine with him.

I've enjoyed reflecting this week on the coffee house, because Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well. My virtual mentor Mark Batterson says that coffee houses are modern day wells. I love being at the well, because it opens up doors to let streams of living water flow.

Thanks Corky

--Ben

Prayer Page

We know that there is an error associated with the Prayer Page, but it's is working. Once you hit submit it does come to our side of the site to be posted. Thanks for your patience as we work out this bug. And thanks for praying for these needs.

--Ben

Somewhere between Burkhas and Bikinis...

Sunday I spoke on the question "Did Jesus Oppress Women?" I really enjoyed the study, but not everything made it into the message. I wanted to add a few points in writing that further the discussion.

1. When you write a letter or story, you do it on purpose. You start with background and show the story develop. I think John wrote the same way. When he wrote the gospel St. John he did something that I think was brilliant. He wrote John 3 all about a member of the highest religious group in Israel who came secretly at night to talk with Jesus; his name was Nicodemus. Then John follows that chapter with John 4, all about a Samaritan Woman. So what? John shows us that Jesus interacted with the highest and most prominent men, and in extreme contrast would spend time and have a drink with a down and out woman. Jesus wouldn't let prejudice stop him from giving life to anyone.

2. There are over a dozen women that Jesus interacted with. Mary, Martha, his mother, the Syro-Phoenician women (whom Jesus dismisses not because he's a misogynist, but rather for the sake of his mission. But because of her persistence she gets one of the few compliments referring to faith that anyone received from Him, and her need met) , the woman who touched Jesus' hem (more likely the tassels of his religious garb, referred to as wings, making Jesus the Christ with "healing in His wings".), Women who supported his ministry financially. A ton of female interaction with Jesus. And though it wasn't popular in the Hebraic culture Jesus wouldn't let prejudice stop him from giving life to anyone.

3. The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 is so cool. In the jewish/hebraic society that Jesus lived in females were not allowed to "sit at the Rabbi's feet". Jewish boys were sent to the local rabbi to hear his teaching and most committed the entire first five books of the bible to memory just by going and listening daily to the Rabbi. Luke 10 shows us another snapshot of how Jesus treated women. Martha is rushing around the house trying to play hostess, cook, and cleaning crew for these men that have come to her house. She gets upset because among all her frenetic work, she notices Mary sitting with Jesus listening. She appeals to Jesus to tell her sister to get to work doing the "womanly" tasks of cooking and cleaning. Jesus says to Martha that Mary has chosen the better thing; sitting at Jesus', the teacher, the Rabbi's feet. Counter-Cultural for sure, but we know that Jesus wouldn't let prejudice stop him from giving life to anyone.

Just some insights that I found interesting. They ended up on the cutting room floor, but I thought you'd enjoy them.

--Ben

Busy Day

Yesterday was a long and busy day. I went to a sectional meeting that I didn't really want to attend but needed to in order to make some networking connections. I had so much to do apart from that meeting that it made the day extremely long and here's why...

I think days are the longest, when you've worked all day and evening, and you are headed to bed knowing that you have hours of work that you still haven't completed. That was me yesterday. What a long day. Hopefully today I can catch up.

I apologize for not posting yesterday. Just shows how busy it was.

--Ben