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March 11, 2009

 

 

 



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To the Point

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.
  - Patrick Young

I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side - I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.
  - Bethania McKenstry

Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.
  - Stephen King

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past.
  - Robertson Davies

We could not take one step in the pursuit of holiness if God in His grace had not first delivered us from the dominion of sin and brought us into union with His risen Son. Salvation is by grace and sanctification is by grace."
  - Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

"The redemption which Christ has secured for his people is redemption not only from sin but also from all its consequences. Death is the wages of sin and the death of believers does not deliver them from death. The last enemy, death, has not yet been destroyed; it has not yet been swallowed up in victory. Hence glorification has in view the destruction of death itself.
God is not the God of the dead but of the living and therefore nothing short of resurrection to the full enjoyment of God can constitute the glory to which the living God will lead his redeemed."
  - John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied
Michelle Riley JonesEaster Evangelism
by Michelle Riley Jones, Minister of Music and Worship at Capitol Hill SDA in Washington, DC

Easter for many people is more than an Easter egg or bunny.  Even if they don't fully understand the spiritual implications, they are mindful of the religious significance.

We wrestled with this 2 years ago, and decided to intentionally reach out to our community to help them connect to Christ during the Easter season. Some of the "born and raised in the faith" could not understand why we would hold a worship service on a Sunday. Some questioned if we were confusing the people. Others decided they would not participate, but would come just to see.  

For weeks leading up to Easter, we canvassed our neighborhood, ran notices in our local city papers, and communicated to our neighbors through the neighborhood blog. We talked with them, played with their children, and petted their dogs.

On Friday, we dramatized the passion story through a Tenebrae service with drama, readings, lighting, sound effects and music.  Imagine listening to the scriptural account, hearing the haunting sound of the organ and a rooster crowing, as Peter denies Christ.  Or the sounds of an angry mob, and the march of  the Roman guards as they lead Christ to Golgatha.  The church is getting darker with each successive scene symbolizing the separation from God.  

Our Sabbath service retold Christ's words from the cross, interpreted through music and scripture. Can you hear a classical instrumental interpretation of "We Are One in the Spirit," on piano following "Women, behold thy son! Son, behold thy mother!"?  Or the handbells ringing "Balm in Gilead," during "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"? Then we served lunch so that we could fellowship with our guests. We learned how important family is to them. We made it a point to introduce them to ministries that might be of interest to them (children's, family life, health/fitness, etc.). We also knew what to highlight in our ongoing communications and interactions.

The service on Sunday morning was based on chapters 80-82 of the Desire of Ages, as we lifted our voices in song: "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," and the Liturgical Dance Ministry lifted "Praise that Name" through movement.  This service was less formal, but no less provocative.

We have baptized 2 people who attended our Sunday service.  We are asking that God will help us continue to reflect Him through showing love to our neighbors.

Let's continue this discussion. What do you think about celebrating Easter Sunday in a Seventh-day Adventist context? Have you tried this in your church? Join me at the Night Owl Café weblog and express your opinion or ask questions.
Reading for Pastors
by Best Practices Editor, Loren Seibold

A very challenging, and not altogether likable, article from the Christian Science Monitor: "The Coming Evangelical Collapse". Quote: "Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants."

Collin Hansen wonders what will happen to suburban churches in the financial crash. He cites an article that may turn out to be one of the most important of the decade: Richard Florida's "How the Crash Will Reshape America."

Does door-to-door witnessing still work? Here's Monte Sahlin on a recent study about that topic. Quote: "If a congregation or movement feels that it is nearing 'network exhaustion,' it would be more effective to encourage their members to widen their networks (make new friends, get involved in new circles) than to adopt door to door canvassing as a key strategy."

Can a state legislative committee tell a church how to reorganize itself when they detect possible financial abuses? A judiciary committee in Connecticut is trying. A possible religious liberty offense - against Roman Catholics. Here's another take on it. Here's the original bill.
bothersome bible passages
Book Review
Bothersome And Disturbing Bible Passages, by Louis Torres

The Bible is an inspired book, but within the sacred pages there are still, "...some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction,...". That's why I was delighted to read Bothersome And Disturbing Bible Passages.

The title belies the experience of delving into these scriptural conundrums. Within its pages Pastor Torres has taken on some of the most commonly misunderstood texts providing practical and scripturally consistent answers. 

The contents and layout provide a simple and user friendly format to quickly reference the Bible passages in question.  Whether a pastor, evangelist, or layman, this book is recommended reading for every soul winner who wishes "...to be ready to give an answer...(1 Peter 3:15), and should be part of every Christian's library to enhance their personal study.  I recommend it.
 
Reviewed by Doug Batchelor
Resources, Ideas and Events
Compiled by Best Practices Editor, Loren Seibold
  • The sixth annual Andrews University Music and Worship Conference is coming up this month. March 26-28, 2009 on the AU campus. For more information, including a complete list of presenters, and to register: visit www.auworshipconference.org or call 800.968.8428.

  • Guide magazine is launching Real, a new Adventist outreach magazine for children, with a call for thousands of names and addresses-each one representing a young person who needs to know Jesus. Adventists of all ages are invited to submit names of non-Adventist young people who should receive a free subscription to Real. The subscriptions will be paid for through donations.  Guide has set a goal of collecting 10,000 names.

    The outreach magazine's title, Real, comes from its emphasis on true stories. The monthly magazine targets ages 10 to 14 and contains true stories, puzzles, fun facts, and Bible studies selected to meet the interests and needs of non-Adventist kids. Submit names of children who should receive Real to www.guidemagazine.org/real, or mail the children's names and addresses, along with the name and address of the person submitting them, to Guide, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Donations to the Real magazine outreach ministry can be made through the same Web site and mailing address.

  • From Gerson Santos: "Just to inform you that we are holding a SEEDS Conference in Orlando, FL on April 17-19, 2009. Registrations are through PlusLine."

  • From Tom Hughes, the Bible Biker pastor: "Recently, because I'm known as the Bible Biker pastor, I was asked to do services for Bruce "Dog Bite" Hamilton. He was 52 years Old. Here's a link to his obituary, and a link to pictures of the event. We had 350+ inside for the funeral with 200 who couldn't get in on the front lawn, then about 350 or so at the graveside service. It's my prayer he rests in peace and God comforts his family in this time of need. Thanks to my 7 CMA Brothers who came and prayed and rode in the procession of 80+ bikes that followed the hearse."
Got a tool, resource, site, article, idea or seminar that you like a lot? Share it with us at BestPractices@ameritech.net.
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NAD Church RESOURCE Center
Best Practices is an e-publication of Vervent
NAD CHURCH RESOURCE CENTER
Editor: Loren Seibold
Senior Pastor, Worthington Ohio Seventh-day Adventist Church
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