Thank you. May I have another?

Yesterday was a different day all around for SRC. It started different because we were off campus at the Elks Lodge. But it got way more different. We are a pentecostal fellowship and our tradition places a high value on allowing the Spirit of God to work in and through us. Yesterday was a day when the work of the Spirit guided our service.

I am a planner. I have all my sermons planned for the whole year, and I believe that the Spirit leads me to that plan each year as I pray and prepare. This week for instance was supposed to start a money management series called When Pennies Pinch Back. But on Sunday morning as I was gathering up my sermon notes, I felt the Spirit impress me that it was not His message for the day.

On Tuesday night last week while I was at school my cell phone died and I didn't get to talk to my girls (which I do every night when I'm away). Instead Sydney left a voice mail for me. I shared it on Wednesday morning with my class and shared a devotional thought out of Romans 8. But on Sunday morning I felt the Spirit say that the message wasn't for Wednesday, it was for Sunday.

So yesterday I told the church that I felt this was the word from the Lord for us, and taught out of Romans 8. The scripture talks about prayer and how "We don't know what we ought to pray" so the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. I was struck by the similarity in the message to what the Bible describes. I loved hearing from my daughter, but it is only because her mother helped her. Syd couldn't dial the phone, know what to say, and even when she spoke some of it was not understandable. But you know what? It pleased me as her father, just to hear from her. And because her mother was interceding (going between) I knew exactly what she was trying to say even if the words were jibberish. Take a listen and think of this...Do any of us sound any more eloquent when we pray to God? I don't think so. Thank God the Spirit goes between for us.

The best part of the morning came when someone quickly shared with me in passing that they felt they were the ones that needed to hear that from God. They simply said, "It was me." But it was enough for me to know that obedience to the Spirit can't be overestimated.

--Ben

Please Pray

Please pray for my sister Sarah. She has been sick and gone to the ER. To follow this prayer need please Click Here.

--Ben

I'll be posting a little later

I've been in Hagerstown this morning. I'll post more a little later.

--Ben

SEVERN RIVER CHURCH LOCATION CHANGE

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY SRC IS MOVING TO THE SEVERNA PARK ELKS LODGE. FOR DIRECTIONS CLICK HERE AND FOLLOW THE LINK. WE HAVE PUT DIRECTIONS ON WWW.SEVERNRIVERCHURCH.COM. CLICK THE LINK ON THE FRONT PAGE.

--Ben

Sydney's Message

Home Again!

I got home last night in pretty good time, even after a roadside meeting with John Law. (He gave me a warning because of my clean driving record.) Then I spent the evening at home with my family. We ordered pizza (Syd's choice) and just chilled. I filled them in on my week and got updated on a friend of mine. He has a little girl who has some severe medical problems. They've set up a website chronicling her progress. It made for sad reading. Anyway, it was good to be home again.

--Ben

When Pennies Pinch Back

Wrapping Up

Well, we're coming to the end. We're in the final afternoon of our class. This week has been a very different class, because it has not been anything that I would have expected. What I love about this school is that whether classes are up to my expectation or not, the students always surpass any contribution I could ever expect. I love the people I learn with. They add to my experience so much.

--Ben

Easter Pictures Now Online

Click the picture to go see other pictures from our Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday.

--Ben

* Special thanks to Drew Harrah, photographer.

Great Dinner

Last night I was invited to the house of a former professor. I really enjoyed myself. We had a pot roast (not my favorite meal) that was very nicely prepared. We spent a couple hours there, and it was nice to be able to have some company. I had a great time.

--Ben

"Your busyness will only produce barrenness." -- J M

A guy in my class was talking this morning about his personal journey. As a fellow activist, I could understand that it is easy to be busy. We're discussing the difference between the Activist and the Contemplative streams of spiritual formation.

The Cat

The house I'm staying at is home to a cat. I was asked to feed the cat, and told that I wouldn't probably see the cat while I am here. But to the contrary the cat is missing its owner and can't help but be with me as much as possible, and cries when I don't pay attention to her.

In other news, the class is really going well. We shared communion this morning when we started the class. It was about 15 minutes this morning that we spent praying and and worshiping. It was great. Wish you could've been here.

--Ben

Formable Creatures

Humans are an extremely formable group.

We are being formed all the time.

The question is, "What's forming you right now?"

--Ben

School

I'm at school this week. I'm sitting under a professor, Dr. Earl Creps. He is fantastic. He was formerly the head of doctoral studies at AGTS. Now he is a church planter in Berkeley, CA. He's great. The class is on the spiritual formation of ministers. I look forward to posting some of the thoughts.

--Ben

Hey Ben, How's Ben?

The title of this post is the greeting that I heard weekly throughout my tenure at Pasadena A/G church. It came from a dignified man named Elzie Upton. Elzie was elderly and walked slowly as he came into the church each week, but he always had a genuine smile. And though his hands were not as strong as they were as a younger man, his handshake was sincere. He was a delight to pastor, and the recipient of the love that comes from being part of the body of Christ.

He would sometimes walk the aisle to receive prayer and when he got to the front he would sit on the front row. Deacons would go and sit with him to pray. When he couldn't make the walk to the front, deacons and others would gather around him at the seat he had chosen, and pray for him there. In that way he was a beautiful illustration that in the body of Christ there are parts of strength and parts of weakness, and we are not a whole body without both. Perhaps what stands out in the memories I have is simply the faith that drove him to walk those twenty or thirty steps on Sundays even when it was difficult. He certainly could have just stayed in the pew, could have just prayed quietly from his heart to Jesus for the healing that he needed, but instead faith in the One proved diligent in his walk to the front.

It is easy to paint pictures in our minds of what it must be like to enter heaven, to be absent from our body and present with the Lord, and though they're not perfect representations I believe they help us to mourn and cope when we lose a friend, for we don't mourn like those who have no hope. I suppose I prefer to see brother Elzie standing erect and dignified, strong without his cane, taking steps to his Savior, the author and finisher of his faith. The painful steps on earth a forgettable past in light of his eternal future.

Brother Elzie passed away last night. Please pray for his widow Edna and his family.

--Ben

The 2007 Controversy

Someone pointed to a date in the program yesterday to draw to my attention that it said 2007 and it is clearly 2008. This presents the problem in every church. People don't read the program. Even if they think they're reading it, they're not. (As an aside, there was an error in it, but that wasn't it.)

The announcement was for the upcoming series, "When Pennies Pinch Back". That series was one of our most practical of 2007. The announcement reads just that way. Then it says that we're bringing it back this year with all new teachings.

I'm looking forward to the series. For the most part I believe that we'll have a series on finances and relationships every year by one name or another, because they are such crucial issues in everyone's life, and they are in a constant state of change. For the money side, Jesus talked more about money than he did heaven and hell. Seems he thought it was topic worthy of teaching and one that needed revisiting.

--Ben

The Big Day

Yesterday was our second of four Big Days of 2008 at SRC. I was so proud of the church yesterday. Not just because of all the guests we had, but because it just felt great to come. We recently added a make-over of sorts including new signage all around the building. I think that the signs are the perfect addition, because, in addition to adding needed information for our guests, it provided color amid the rather bland hallways. It looked great.

It was a ton of fun having so many guests with us too, and for a small church like ours to have 56 people, I don't know, just felt right. Thanks to everyone who invited guests.

The kids were adorable. I loved having the Easter Egg Hunt. We had a ton of eggs, and every kid was more than satisfied. I think what I took away most from that was that there's plenty of room for more kids next year.

A great day!

--Ben

New Feature

Recently my blog has been found by comment spammers. Therefore I have enabled a verification step for comments. You'll be asked to verify a word to leave a comment. This insures that an actual person is leaving the comments and not just a bot. Thanks for your comments, and for understanding this step.

--Ben

Call To Prayer

On Saturday evening from 5:00 - 6:00 we're calling everyone out to pray for our Easter Service. We're meeting at the school in FLRS 101. We'd love to have you come out and join us.

--Ben

Up on the roof

Today, I'm working on tearing off my roof. I'm hoping to get ahead of the rain they're predicting for Saturday. Should be fun.

--Ben

The missions experiment

Ok, so I'm gonna let you into my office (which is actually my basement right now). This is a behind the scenes look at pastoral ministry.


Missionaries:

Missionaries are numerous but not plentiful enough (see Luke 10:2). Their job is going as sent ones of God to minister to peoples needs. But an enduring principle of life is "ministry takes money". So every 3-4 years they have to re-raise funds in churches to send them back to the field. This must be a very tiring and frustrating occurrence considering God called them to be missionaries not fund-raisers; that God called them to Go not Hang Around. So they spend their time calling and emailing pastors, attending events, and basically trying to nail down services where they can come share their heart and vision.

Pastors make it notoriously hard to be found. In general they don't return phone calls, emails, and avoid missionaries at meetings. There is a reason for this. I think it's that pastors feel bad saying "No". They're extended as far as they can be, and can't afford to support another missionary. So they hope that if they avoid the missionary support will come in from other churches and that lets the pastor off the hook.

Now calendar is important to me. My wife can attest to the fact that my calendar is planned quite a bit in advance. So this is what I decided to do yesterday. I made an email list of all the missionaries who have contacted me via email and those that are currently stateside and sent them the dates that I have scheduled for missionaries this year. It was kind of a role reversal, but all the missionaries really responded positively about my approach. A couple ended up only being available on the same day, so I'm bringing them both in, and we're gonna do a Q & A format with them both and give them each an opening statement about their specific mission. It's gonna be great.

So that's it. That's the experiment I ran yesterday. It worked pretty well, I think so far. We'll see.

--Ben

Cohort

The term cohort is used in academic circles to refer to a group of co-studiers. People of a similar academic focus who share research and information about common studies. But it is actually a military word. From older english cohort is in reference to a group of soldiers that train together. I knew when I start church planting that I couldn't do it alone. I knew that I needed to train and fight along side.

One of those pastors is Scott Bailey. I'm going to meet him today for lunch to catch up on the experience he's gained, and share my own. It's been a long time since we've been able to get together and during that time he has gone though some deep waters.

I always look at opportunities like this through the lens of Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another." Always an opportunity to get sharper.

--Ben

The Morning

Well after much frustration we now have a registered truck to pull our trailer. Thanks to our donor for that gift. Then I headed right across the highway to pick up our banners. They look sweet! Can't wait to show them off Sunday.

--Ben

Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Updated)

* UPDATE * Thanks to a reader for sending me the picture to go along with the sermon.


Recently in the news Rev. Wright has been front and center for his ties to Barak Obama. If you listen to talk radio or watch cable news channels, there's no doubt you've heard sound bites of his most inflammatory sermons and rhetoric. While some of the things he said are at least controversial, the sermon that inspired Senator Obama's book was published by a Christianity Today publication in 1990. If you'd like to read the inspirational sermon click here. It's not very long to read, and I found it very uplifting.

--Ben

Got the call

I just got the call that our new site banners are in. We have been planning new site signs to coincide with Easter this week. We're expecting guests so we want to make sure they can find their way around easily. We designed a series of them. Here's an example of what they look like...

Stuff

Oh man, is there a lot of stuff.

I put in some carpet last night in my patio enclosure, and first I had to move the stuff out of the way. I have filled my carport with so much stuff that needs to get moved. My dad lent me a trailer so I can start moving some stuff, but right now I'm really seeing the value of simplicity.

Next project? Moving furniture out of the basement (stuff), then re-roofing Friday and Saturday (to cover my stuff). I think James Dobson was right, "We don't own stuff, stuff owns us."

--Ben

Taking Our Heritage For Granted

This morning I talked to a friend about his recent trip to install a bathtub for a former pastor of mine. He had not met her before, and was very pleased to have made her aquaintance. I started sharing my history in knowing Sis. Goggin and her husband before that. It jogged a thought that I had while on my trip. Sometimes we take our heritage for granted.

While we were out at Rocky Gap, we would run into a local town for Bob Evans Breakfast. On Friday I ran into a Pastor of the church in that town at the Bob Evans. We talked for 20 minutes or so, and afterward I realized something, I'm not the first pastor that has come out of Pasadena A/G. Some may chalk it up to arrogance, but I think it really should be categorized under ignorance. Sometimes the past is just far enough removed that we forget how it affects the present. I had lost perspective that Martin had come out of Pasadena A/G. That Tim had come out of PAG. I had remembered missionaries that had been sent out before me, but that's because they're more recent.

It really made me appreciate even more how much my heritage has played a part in making me who I am. And I was humbled by that thought. I'm looking forward to the kid 25 years from now that is going out of PAG to pastor or start a church that has forgotten me. That thinks this is something new that God is doing in his life. Because it is. My story is just a mile marker on road of what God is doing through his church. To God be the glory, great things He has done.

--Ben

I've Gotta Tell You

The resort at Rocky Gap State Park is fantastic. If I were to try and sum up our trip, I'd have to say it like this, "I couldn't have imagined a better time." We went there for a minister's retreat in the fall, were put in a dirty room, and received a voucher for a great price to come back. It was a great deal.

While Corie and I both mentioned on the trip how nice it would be to be alone (just the two of us.) it was a lovely time with the girls. Sydney absolutely loves to swim, and Ellie likes to take baths so the heated pool energized them both. Sydney even, with the coaxing of her dad, found enough bravery to hold her breath while swimming under the glass wall into the rest of the pool in the enclosed Atrium. And while Mommy put Ellie down for a morning nap, Daddy and Syd went out to play on the playground, lay on a hill and see the moon, and then log-roll down the hill. (I remember doing that as a kid, I just didn't remember how dizzy and nauseous it made me.) Of course, Sydney loved it.

We went shopping at a local mall spending gift cards that have accrued over the last year. I got shoes that I needed and Corie bought an Easter outfit. We saw the Easter Bunny at the mall and ran into a friend from college. (He was one of my boys when I was a RA)

It was just nice to rest and renew. I really liked unplugging from the computer, and I realized that life goes on without it. ;-) Corie enjoyed having me unplugged, and said that I met every expectation and exceeded them when I suggested shopping at the mall.

It was a great weekend. I totally disconnected and just enjoyed being with my family. I do hope we get to go again. Thanks to all who asked how it went.

--Ben

Some Fun To Start The Week

Well, I did have a great time, but it's back to normal around the Rainey house. Did some house work this weekend, and forgot about setting up on Saturday night. (Sorry again) I did make it though I was late, but everyone seemed pretty forgiving.

Over the weekend I came across this and had fun taking the survey. Thought my readers might like it too. It's a test to determine your church denomination. I don't think it's 100% accurate, but it's fun to see where it puts you. I'll tell you my results if you tell me yours. Comment below.

Take this Survey

--Ben

So Much To Blog, So Little Time

Hey everyone, I'm back. We had a great time, and I look forward to sharing some of the blog ideas that were rolling around my head, but for now let me just say, I had a great getaway. We really got to recharge with the family and couldn't have asked for a better time away.

--Ben

In my "spare" time

I've been doing a painting project on the exterior of my home; the front steps and parging. It's been going pretty well, and is starting to look really nice.

My wife is putting things in the bags now and we'll be headed out around lunch time for Cumberland. I'm really looking forward to this trip. Our family is facing a difficult season of transition with the sale of the house and the work coming with the next one. In a way I'm looking at this trip as a preventative measure of family time and focus. So I'm unplugging. I'll be turning on the auto reply on my email account and leaving my computer at home. I'll talk at you Friday.

--Ben

Stop for a breather

Hey, I'm sorry I haven't posted before now. I usually try to start at the beginning of the day, but the end of the day will have to do today. I have been busy with a capital BUSY. My family is going away tomorrow. I'm taking the girls to a mountain retreat called Rocky Gap State Park where we'll spend the next couple days enjoying the green grass and budding trees. We're also looking forward to getting to the playground and the pool. It should be really nice. We ended up with a great discount because of a mishap at our previous stay. I can't wait to go, but there's so much to get done before I do.

(So much that apparently I didn't have time to proof-read the newsletter I sent out, sorry. I wish I had a secretary when that happens.)

--Ben

EGGCITED FOR EASTER

We're sending out our Easter invites, just thought I'd show you what they look like.

The Big Ask

I'm so proud of Rob. We just had lunch together where he filled me in that he has gathered enough volunteers to staff two teams to rotate for Saturday setup. The calendar and rotation schedule will be out soon. Rob seized on one of the key principles of leadership of volunteers. The bottom line is no matter how many times you say to a large group of people, "we need your help." The only way you really gather help is to ask one on one. He showed up yesterday with a note pad and started asking people. He was really pleased to get 8 new volunteers and I'm proud of him and our volunteers.

Great job, Rob!

--Ben

Gearing Up

Today I'm having a lunch appointment with Rob Noeth (faithworks@severnriverchurch.com). He is helping me gear up for Easter. We're meeting at a local sign company to have new site signs made. He is in charge of FaithWorks the mobilization ministry for volunteers and our Large Group gatherings. So he's working the logistics of sign placement and development. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming moves. He's doing a great job. If you're looking to volunteer get in touch with him, or let us know on your connection card on Sunday.

--Ben

The Residual Effect

So as a church planter I've been learning elements of growing people. One of the neccessary actions of those who follow Christ is that we be proclaimers of the Kingdom of God. How that plays out in a different context than first century Judaism is a little different, but the mandate is still there. One thing I have observed over the years is that people need tools at their disposal to do that work. So we've been working on leveraging Big Days. A Big Day is a day of focus on inviting people to SRC. Most often they are Friend Days. On Friend Day our service is very similar to our normal gathering, but certain areas are tweaked to make the morning accessible to a first time guest.

There are other Big Days, for instance Easter is going to be a Big Day. We're inviting friends and especially families with children, and having an Easter egg hunt. It's going to be great. I've already heard of people that are going to be bringing guests to Easter. I'm really looking forward to it.

In addition to learning how to make Big Days special, I am also learning about the timing and pacing of these focuses. We planned our first two (of four) within a month and a half of each other. The reason for that is that we're hoping that the friends we connected through the February friend day will also help us invite for the Easter Big Day giving us a better result. We'll see how that works but that's the theory at least.

And finally the residual effect. I have really enjoyed seeing first time guests almost every week since Friend Day. The reason is what I call the residual effect. When we have a focus of inviting to a certain day we don't always get our friend there that day. But the fact that we invite them usually pays off at some point down the road. I'm sure the family that had guests there yesterday for the first time was glad that they invited them four weeks ago. It's the law of sowing and reaping. When we sow, with God's help it will produce a harvest.

--Ben

The Morning After

The losing an hour of sleep doesn't really hit me till the next morning. But I'm feeling it this morning. I hope that you all get your motors running and head down the highway of whatever you're going to do this week.

--Ben

A Friend Dropped By

This morning a friend of mine dropped by SRC. Matt Boyer is my former team pastor and over the last several months we've missed him since he resigned. This weekend he and his wife Laurie were in the area so they attended church at SRC. I was a great blessing to have them and hear what's been going on in their lives. He announced they're having a boy!!!

--Ben

Hey Wake Up! It's time to get ready for church.

Hope you set your clock ahead last night. Spring Forward.


--Ben

Our website www.severnriverchurch.com includes an audio archive of our weekly teachings. I know there are several people who check in on a regular basis and recently I've had some questions related to the last two weeks worth of sermons. Unfortunately we will not be able to publish them as there were technical problems. The first week was my fault ( I turned off the microphone). Last week there was a level problem. Sorry we won't be able to publish them.

--Ben

A disconnected day

Yesterday was my day off. I take off on Fridays. And I really disconnected. My phone died over Thursday night, so I plugged it in to recharge on my desk, and never came back. I picked it up this morning and started taking the messages from people that had left them. I connect pretty hard to this church thing. Almost everyday it's on my mind. Having a day like yesterday to get a break was refreshing.

Another way I refresh on my days off is by working around my house. I finally got some things done that I've been wanting to do. I graded some new topsoil in my yard, seeded and strawed it in. I love working on landscaping (my own of course). And I got a new tool which was nice. My neighbor lent me a tool (a very cheap one) and it broke while I was using it. So I went and bought a replacement (a nicer tool) and gave it to him, but he gave it back acknowledging that the one he gave me was cheap and my use did not warrant replacing it. So he gave it back to me.

A good day.

--Ben

New Support

Got a call yesterday from a pastor in Maryland that recently received my request for financial help. I was so thankful to hear that they'll be sending a $1000.00 contribution. We need a few more of those so please continue to pray with me about it.

--Ben

Pastor's Growth Group

I am headed out to Ellicott City today for my monthly Pastor's growth group. It is a gathering of pastors from the Baltimore area. We are concluding a year of study together, and today I think we'll be discussing what the next year of material will be.

--Ben

Confidence means so much

I think that a defining quality in the leaders we admire is their confidence. Confidence is apparently hard to come by though, and many of us may be searching for it.

My coach shared this advice with me several months ago, "Everyone is less confident than you." I don't think his statement was a reflection of me personally, but rather the expression that most people lack confidence. I encountered it last night. People that I love and respect seem to be very unsure about decisions facing them. And I just wished that they could be more confident. I really wished it for their sake, not mine. I already have it, and I wish that I could package it and tie a bow on it and give it as a gift.

The only people I think that I'll ever have a significant chance of doing that with are my daughters. I believe that confidence is formed very young. In my case it came from a combination of expressed pride from my parents and a safe environment to try things. I was told, "You can do anything you want to do" with such love and sincerity I actually ended up believing it. So which came first the nature of confidence or the nurture of confidence I'll leave that to the psychologists. But I believe strongly that our decisions determine destiny, and we can decide to be more confident.

The lack of confidence is really rooted in fear, but what is there really to be afraid of? I'm not a bulletproof confidence man, there are times I deal with self-doubt and the fear of rejection, but if I get the chance to screw my head on straight then I can keep it straight. Here are some ways that I face fear and choose confidence...

• The Name Game. When there's someone in the room I go tell them my name as soon as I can, and I try to get their's. Knowing the names of people around you gives you great confidence. Another part of the name game is that when I see someone who I've met before I always introduce myself again by name in case that person has forgotten it. In most cases they say they remember but they still appreciate my sharing my name with them. It builds confidence in both of us. I'll also say that when someone comes in and I don't remember their name I either find out from a mutual friend before the re-introduction, or I'll just go say, "I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name." Remember this little hurdle hinders confidence. Don't play the name game.

• The What-If game. I play the what-if game to its conclusion, making sure I end on the right question. The right question is "What if I don't..." This is how I handle any lack of confidence in fund raising. It's easy to fear the rejection of my peers and colleagues. I deal with the questions of "What if they say no?" "What if they are offended that I asked them?" "What if they judge me for still needing help?" The truth is I play the game, but I discipline myself to play both sides and make sure I end up on "What if I rob them of the opportunity to be blessed for giving to our need?" "What if I hinder our ministry because of silly fears?" "What if I don't send this letter, make this call, or talk to them in person?"

• The Faith game. The longer I follow Jesus Christ the more I learn that God's will is less like a bullseye and more like a path (a straight and narrow one at that). It has less to do with a static result of decision and more to do with dynamic liquidity of action. It's step after step after step. And if we've got our eyes on our leader and forgiver Jesus then the steps are not going to lead to the left or right. They'll be good steps. I've learned that the Faith game is one we always win, if we're trying to follow Jesus. The 99 sheep didn't all take the exact steps in a line behind the Good Shepherd, the only difference between them and the other one was that they were following the Good Shepherd.
  

Hope it raises confidence in you. Because I have confidence in you.

--Ben

Budgets and Bottom lines

You know, someone once asked, "How much ministry can you do for $100.00?"

Their answer, "About a hundred dollars worth."

It's interesting that business theory includes spending money to make money, but when you cross the line into church related business that theory is often abandoned. And perhaps it should be, but only if it is replaced with the theory of spending money to increase souls in the Kingdom. We are not the same as a business, and the major difference is our bottom line. Whereas business measures everything by dollars, in the church our bottom line is souls.

But it's not all people work. It also takes paperwork, little green pieces of paperwork.

Last night I met with our oversight board. The oversight board is made up of the deacons of Pasadena Assembly of God Church. I meet with them monthly and give a financial accounting as well as an update of anything related to the church. They are the intermediary board between our church and the District Presbytery.

At our meeting we approved the budget package and gave some money away. I was reading in Luke this week, and was reminded of the scripture behind my theology of giving. Jesus saw many wealthy people giving their offerings and patting each other on the back. Then a widow came and gave her pennies; nowhere near as much as everyone else. Jesus drew attention to that woman and commented that she had given the most. This is a principle of the Kingdom, giving little out of our need is more significant than giving much with plenty left over.

The same week that we sent fund raising letters to a dozen churches because of our need we also gave out of what we have to help the needs of others. And you know what it feels great.

--Ben


For more on the issue of giving, check out this video from a church plant in Utah. They are currently doing a series for Lent called "40 Days of Nothing".

Eggspecting Easter

One of the events we tie in to our big day on Easter is the Easter Egg hunt. I'm looking forward to having even more kids and more easter eggs this year. I think that big days are important they give us an opportunity to make a push for introducing our church to others.

We have selected 4 big days throughout this year. The first was our Friend Day last month, and we're following that up pretty quickly with Eggspecting Easter. I'm excited to see what God can do through us at this Big Day.

--Ben

About the graphic

What I like about the graphic for Easter is that all the eggs and the bunny are all looking for the sunrise. I think in a way it communicates how the commercialization of the holiday give reverence to the holy day.

Just my thoughts.

--Ben

I'm looking forward to Easter

Digging Deep

I have noticed over the last several weeks an increase in the administrative work for the church. It's tempting to get my time out of balance because of it. I limit myself to 50 hours a week of working for SRC. I have worked much more in the past for church, but over the last several years I've realized that working too much is costly. It actually costs the church more than it gets back. And family is a major factor as well. Because one of these days it will only be me and my family, so I want to make sure that when I get there it will be me and my family. At Christmas time I outlined what my hours would be like for this year so that my wife could know exactly what to count on.

I think this all sounds like a very manageable proposition, but weeks like this really put that to the test. There are only about three areas that only I can do for SRC. These are the areas that I should put the majority of my focus. But there are a number of things that only I am doing for SRC that take away from the most important things I should be doing. I guess it's just the stage of the church we're in. So during this time, I am working hard to manage my time the best I can to accomplish the most I can.

--Ben