Merry Christmas

DSC_2356, originally uploaded by kab_live.

E's 2nd Christmas

Tolerant of Failure

If you've read my posts from May-June, 2008 (you probably haven't), then you know that growing up I always wanted to be "the natural" at everything in which I invested myself. Along the way, I quit a lot of things...

I have learned to have a high toleration for failure that has come to balance my enthusiasm for strategic experiments. Whether it be my renaisssance period in which I would set up a weekly environment for my own creative artistic expressions through painting (FAIL), or the majority of my get-fit plans (FAIL), or my Stephen Covey Planner days (FAIL); I continue to work to find myself, my rhythm, my way.

In ministry, I have had incredible opportunities to work with groups who loved experimentation with new ways to "be rooted and built up" in Christ's ways. Often times, we have failed, accepted failure, and moved on to find the right things...which I will call "wins". You can never win if you are so afraid of losing that you don't play.

I have also found that often, just because something works, doesn't mean that it is working at it's full potential (I have a low toleration for mediocrity). As you calculate your steps now, you must always look behind and ahead; learning and experimenting, trying and testing, failing and winning. Realize that failure isn't a loss, rather, it should be a step in the path to winning. You will lose some; learn from your failure and move on. (and you thought I couldn't be optimistic!)

K.I.S.S.

Last week, my buddy Darren and I had a great conversation about the value and discipline of simplicity. He and I then put this post together for our leaders @ Pantego. I thought I'd post it here as well.

It would seem incongruous to go on and on with 14 different principals on how to simplify your life. Let’s face it - You already drank the kool-aid! What I mean is that you probably already believe in living a life of simplicity. The unfortunate reality is that we can all believe in it, but continue to struggle living life through the filter of Simplicity. This value can be much like working out, or eating healthy...we know that we should eat healthy, but it is a completely different thing to live life through the filter of eating healthy.

Simplicity is “keeping” it simple. (or as my friend Geoff likes to say Keep It Simple Stupid - hence the title of this post)

The aim of this post is not to inform you of a new reality that you didn’t know. The aim is to remind each other through accountability that the filter of simplicity needs to be continually checked for snags and holes that are preventing us from living life as we know we desire to live. Instead of 14 more paragraphs to convince you that you are doing too much let’s take a test.

Which of the 2 images below more closely resemble your life with God, family, work, church…

Let's assume that these 2 computer desktop images represent 2 people with a very similar set of responsibilities. Both photos have multiple colors and are full, but the difference is obvious. The first represents a life that feels cluttered and out of control because the person only reacts to the immediate, while the other represents an intentionally simplified and ordered life.

If we believe that God values simplicity in our life, let’s be active in preventing chaos so that we can make time for the things that most honor and glorify God. Simplicity is actively saying no (or not now) to some things in order to have priority for the “God things”.

Jesus gave us some very clear direction in this, when He said: "Seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness, and let God take care of the details" (my version). Check out the context of the passage HERE...and I love the Message version HERE.

You Are Now Entering the Mission Field

Many of us have been at this "Christian-thing" and "church-thing" a long time. I think what happens to a lot of us over time is that while we have our Bible Study Programs, Worship Programs, Fellowship Programs, Self-help Programs, Missions Programs; the way in which we live our life is not changed by a relationship with Christ. As a result, even through all of these Christian activities, you probably begin to experience emptiness in a lot of your actions. What I mean is that you can be so busy doing church-stuff, that you miss out on the point of the church. Christians are called to be a communal, worshipful, incarnational, transformational, evangelical, simple people; and I believe all of that culminates in the idea of missional living.

Before I go further, let me note that over the past 15 years, the word "missional" has confused and frustrated many people. Alan Hirsch rightly states that "the word 'missional' over the years has tended to become very fluid and as it was quickly co-opted by those wishing to find new and trendy tags for what they themselves were doing, be they missional or not. It is often used as a substitute it for seeker-sensitive, cell-group church, or other church growth concepts, thus obscuring its original meaning." As a result, missional is often looked upon as just another phase or program. But we error when we do so for missional is more than just another movement, it is a full expression of who the people and church of Christ is and what we are called to be and do.

"Missional is a Shift in Thinking"

Missional Living is the view that being a follower of Jesus Christ involves simultaneously both an inner transformation toward Christlikeness and an active participation in the mission of God's Kingdom.

-Tom Bulick has covered why I highlight inner transformation in his blogpost HERE.

-I highlight active participation in God's Mission because there IS a difference between being mindful and supportive of God's Mission and being participants in gospel mission of reconciliation with God. (*for the call to participate, see 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 and 1 Corinthians 9:23)

-I highlight simultaneously because it would be a mistake to believe that you must achieve some higher level of personal spiritual formation before you begin serving, leading, and loving others as participants in the mission.

The Missional Church views its own context as a constantly changing mission field. Churches of this nature are both engaged in and supportive of missions. They recognize that mission includes both the Great Commission (making new disciples) and the Great Commandment (loving God and loving others as self); and that all people are both the “subject” and “object” of God’s mission. Missional churches are engaged in the transformation of people, churches, communities and cultures as they multiply disciples, their church, and their mission.

What does this look like?

A missional church is a gathering of believers who participate in God's mission because they understand themselves as a sent people. This shifts a church from a supportive "come-and-see" mentality to a "go-and-be/tell/do" mentality.

Missional churches see the church body as the place of ministry and conversion. This means that every member of a missional church should be participating in loving and meeting needs of unchurched peoples. (We should begin to see conversion happening outside of Church walls, [which then become a gathering place for sending].)

God is about revealing Himself and He purposes that as we see Him, we respond by joining ourselves to His mission. We cannot do that well simply by going to church activities, or even by inviting others to our church. WE MUST BE THE KINGDOM ON MISSION…this is the church (God’s people reflecting His own image.)

**I also like this definition from Wikipedia: "Missional living" is a Christian term that describes a missionary lifestyle; adopting the posture, thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in order to engage others with the gospel message.

the image of God is...becoming more human?

To close out this little series on sin, and it's disruption in God's created image, namely humanity, I want to take a slightly different look at the image of God.

I think that the image of God should be looked at in regards to the personhood of God. By this, I mean that we should focus on the spiritual qualities that rise above nature and physicality. We are both limited and enlightened by the human-situation, and so we have difficulty describing the specific identifying features of the image of God. I can only speak of God as He reveals Himself through His word and relates to my experience and comprehension. This is a good reason why we were, in fact, created in God’s image; namely, so that we could have some understanding of who/what/how He is.

I refer to the human-situation that limits our understanding, based on our dualistic nature. We had a perfect beginning, and a sinful fall; but we can have a perfect ending. This requires us to include in the image of God, the image of Christ. In a sense, Jesus was the first among men-in the image of God (not to take away that He was in-fact, God), in that He was finite (created physical being) and infinite (limitless resource, power, holiness). We then are in Jesus’ image as our actual meets our potential. By this, creation in the image of God is tied to redemption. This puts us in a place situated transcendence. What I mean by this is that by being simultaneously on-earth, and intimately connected to God in heaven, Christians find themselves with the capacity for self–transcendence that allows us some experience and understanding of God’s structure, or character makeup, and His relationality.

If humans were created in God’s image, then, the image of God is, becoming more human?

Okay, that seems confusing…remember, we are not questioning 'what is God?' – we are questioning 'what is the image of God?'.

In the Genesis 1 account, God said "Let 'Us' make man in 'Our' image...male and female...". From a perspective, this looks like God emphasizing unity...oneness...as Adam and Eve are created in the image of the Trinity. This means that “human” would refer to (or be defined as) "the image of God", rather than what seems more natural for us (to think of “human” as "bad").

And so, on a horizontal line, beginning with creation of mankind in the image of God, and continuing through the fall, and on to redemption by Christ, we have the ability to return to “original human” that God had created before the fall.

Does that make any sense?

Sin and evil draw us away from our original selves (the image of God). And the image of God is found in us becoming more-human…more-original-human (and it only comes through the grace of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit). And Genesis 1 says that image is set to look something like the unity of the Trinity (for a start).

true confession #35

true confession: my name is kevin, and everytime the iPad commercial comes on (music by chily gonzales), I drop everything and dance.

falling from, and towards God

Continuing this week's series RE: Humanity and Sin, I wonder if the first sin (adam and eve) caused humanity to fall both from, and towards God.

In my last post, I wrote that in choosing to disobey God, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to the difference between good and evil. This created a break in the harmony in which they existed; which had been characterized by fellowship with God, community with each other, and living in accord with all other created things. Consequently, the first two of humanity introduced enmity that separates humankind from their Creator and from the rest of creation. Daniel Migliore defines this as evil, “which opposes the will of God and distorts the good creation.”

There could possibly be some spiritual-physiological aspect involved in the nature of human sin. Adam and Eve were created purely out of the power and creativity of God. Every human since then, has come about by an alternative experience. Without omitting God’s power in the process of reproduction, we all have been conceived and born out of the physiological substance of sinful humans. The first humans were derived only from God’s creativity and dust; since the fall, all others have come from cells. Though physiology may be only a theory, certainly, this break in community (sin) has culturally and spiritually been handed down since the fall. It has been taught by words and ideology, and by experiences, in such a way that we are essentially torn between the possibility of good and evil; and we continue to allow it to divide us. If God intended for us to exist in the unity of His image, the fall disfigured the human ability to live in such innocent harmony.

I supposed in the last post, that we are not punished by the actual event of Adam’s fall. Rather, his sin created the potential and inevitable future for us to imitate his sin; and we are punished for our participation in the break of God’s image. In this way, Adam’s fall represents all of humankind’s sin and guilt.

What is for sure is that “the ills we experience do not arise from divine carelessness or impotence, but from a free and sinful human act” (Aquinas). Stanley Grenz suggests the possibility that in their innocence Adam and Eve had not had the opportunity to choose good (and God) over evil, and so they “did not yet fully participate in the human destiny as designed by God.” In this manner of reason, their sin has a two-fold effect; in that they both opened the door to discord, and to the opportunity to choose live in the harmonic image of God.

adam and eve(n) me

I was once romanced by the concept of the symbolic fall account (that the Genesis 3 story was a myth to symbolize the sinful experience of humanity), but I still struggled to connect my own original experience with Adam’s. You see, his story began in an unspoiled paradise, while I was born into a world of sin. If the fall was merely symbolism of every human experience, then somehow I missed my opportunity to try out a sinless culture. I believe that the story of Adam and Eve's fall is both actual and symbolic”. The Garden of Eden and the fall should be taken as historical and literal, and as the symbol and enablement of a sinful human tradition.

Through choosing to disobey God, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to the difference between good and evil. This created a break in the harmony in which they existed; which had been characterized by: fellowship with God, community with each other, and living in accord with all other created things. As consequence, the first two of humanity introduced enmity that separates humankind from their Creator and from the rest of creation. This separation has culturally and spiritually been handed down since the fall. It has been taught by words and ideology, and by experiences, in such a way that we are essentially torn between the possibility of good and evil; and we continue to allow it to divide us. If God intended us to exist in the unity of His image, the fall disfigured the human ability to live in such innocent harmony.

Stanley Grenz suggests the possibility that in their innocence Adam and Eve had not had the opportunity to choose good (and God) over evil, and so they “did not yet fully participate in the human destiny as designed by God.” In this manner of reasoning, their sin has a two-fold effect; in that they both opened the door to discord, and to the opportunity to choose live in the harmonic image of God.

I do not believe that we are punished by the actual event of Adam’s fall. Rather, his sin created the potential and inevitable future for us to imitate his sin; and we are punished for our participation in the break of God’s image. In this way, Adam’s fall represents all of humankind’s sin and guilt.

My stab @ "If God is good, why all the bad?"

A pastor friend of mine was asked to write about the co-existence of evil and the good God who created all things. I thought I'd take a stab at it also. Since this can take us into several related conversation (about sin, about the image of God, etc.) I'll make this a series and post several times this week, with each post aiming at a different aspect of the original issue. First things first: If God is good, why all the bad?

The doctrine of a providential God has traditionally maintained that God creates, provides, takes care of, supervises, enables, all things. If it has been understood that God is wholly good, and that He claimed His creation to be good, there is then conflict with the evil activity that is present in the world. This sin is experienced in two forms: natural evil, and malice. Natural evil refers to injury, suffering caused by diseases, accidents, earthquakes, tornados, fires, and floods, etc. Earthquakes and tornado are not in themselves evil, but when a person and tornado share identical location harm will result. Malice refers to evils preformed out of intentional or desired evil that involve moral or ethical judgments. Moral evil is a possible result when humans exercise their free will. If a person does not choose good, they choose against God; they choose evil. Assuredly, there is a knowing and decided evil at work. Nevertheless, God reigns and evil is firmly under God’s control.

Traditional theology has approached this quandary by several methods. *Many even choose to not attempt to explain how God can remain sovereign and good while the world is filled with evil. These, rest in the incomprehensibility of God; that all is a part of His providential plan, and that we should simply trust that God is good. *Others have supposed that evil exist as the substance of divine punishment. This would include that both natural evil and malice are allowed, or even ordained by God, to punish the wickedness of mankind’s separation from the Creator. This concept would allow that humans today suffer both for the sins of Adam, as well as for their own individual sin.

The reality of evil is the result of the freedom with which God endowed men. By giving mankind the freedom to choose him, God gave mankind the freedom to not choose him. God has said he is “The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity” (Isaiah 45:7). It is still difficult for us to comprehend what is God’s place, and there may be many variations of explanation of how the Justice of God works out amidst the world’s sin. What is true is that through our struggle between good and evil, God is growing and shaping us to submit to Him more and trust Him more. In the Bible, Jacob found himself stuck between possible danger with his in-laws and possible dangerous revenge from his own family. In his place of desperation and anxiety, he wrestled with God, begging for blessing (Genesis 31:1-33:11). In this experience he was faced with the realities of good and evil, and he would settle for nothing less than the good blessing of God. The key to Jacob’s experience is to be faithful to God even when it might appear that God may not provide; and part of a faithful response to God is to protest evil. This requires on our part, a full engagement of our physical, emotional, logical selves to our spiritual selves as we trust God, grow closer to Him relationally, and conform to His image. In this way we can begin to reach our full potential in Christ.

The Bottom Line

In “Our quest for coherence, however, [we] must resist the temptation to build a system of ideas that pretends to know more than we do and thereby loses touch with both faith and lived reality. While we can have confidence in the truth of God revealed to us in Christ, our knowledge of God is not exhaustive” (Daniel Migliore). And so in some regard, I must simply trust that God is in control of all things, and that His goodness will be provided through the end of time. As well, I must engage myself in imitation and reflection of God’s good ways by being aware of evil and choosing to ask God for his provision of blessings, and by working against worldly evils as He give me strength. Through these efforts, I believe too, that God is working to conform me to His good image.

Creator

We are most comfortable celebrating Father God as Creator God; but in light of the fact that we accept that God is Trinity we should consider how and why the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were united in the work of Creation.

The Trinity’s Work of Creating
Creation comes as a gracious act of the triune God. The Trinity was from the beginning and it is the origin of all things as God emanates Himself through the three Trinitarian roles. Genesis 1:2 clearly describes the Spirit of God’s presence “hovering over the face of the waters”. And by the mysterious plurals used in verse 26 of Genesis 1, “God said, let us make man in our image”, we can find further precedence for the divine relationship working in union through creation. The Apostle Paul’s testimony expounds on the Father and the Son’s roles in his letter to the Corinthians: “there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live”. In John’s first epistle there is a sense in which titling Jesus, “the Word”, suggests an intimate connection between Christ “through whom” and the Word of God “by which” the universe was fashioned.

Holistically, the Trinity called all things into existence, laid purpose for all things, and is at work sustaining and leading creation to respond to the Creator. Faith in the completeness of a Trinitarian God who creates out of His own nature provides that there is purpose in an orderly creation, and that all creation is inherently good, as Paul wrote to Timothy: “for everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected”. He has put all things into proper order, and all things are created to express His glory. The “creative” nature of creating, also expresses God’s artistry and playfulness. The artist is creator of beautiful things. Picturing God in this manner could indicate that creation may be seen in different ways, but as is true with all artwork, its true meaning is only found within the intent of the Creator. In this sense we comprehend that the world is God’s and that His creation was purposed to present the beauty within His nature. He sought to share the holiness that is found within the Trinity, and so He created out of who He is.

The Point of God’s Creating
Stanley Grenz, wrote that “The world exists because out of the overflow of His own character, which is love, the eternal God establishes an external counterpart, creation. Just as it is created in accordance with the very essence of God –love—this counterpart exists to be both the recipient of and the mirror of the divine love”. What this means is that as God emanates His character through creative activity, He cares for and provides for the needs of His creation, coinciding with forming His creation for His glory.

As His love and abundance are the beginning (the purpose of) His creating; and the aim of all of God’s creative work is to express His glory. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” The universe was made to show His glory, and we were made to respond by conforming to its ways. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. "

He is love, He is abundant, He is the beginning (with His work of creation) and He is the end (the receiver of creation’s response).

Communion with God

In this past Sunday's sermon, David Daniels talked about abiding/dwelling/remaining in Christ.

Throughout the scriptures, we are given many metaphors to describe the concept of union or communion with Christ. Some of the most memorable to me are of the sheep and the Shepherd in John 10, the body and its members in 1 Corinthians 12, and the bride and the bridegroom in Ephesians 5. The good shepherd leads and cares for his sheep, but the sheep must follow the shepherd in order to have protection and provision. An arm or leg severed from the body would die. The marriage establishes the union, but it takes love, respect, and commitment to maintain the communion.

Abiding in Christ
In John 15, we can find another image that illustrates the necessity of our communion with Christ. John uses the word, abide, eleven times in 15:1-11 as he describes the relationship of the branches (followers of Jesus) to the true vine (Jesus). The “true vine”, who is pictured here as steadfast and authentic, expects his followers to be truly fruitful in communicating the authentic message and life to the inauthentic and hostile world. In essence, He means that the branches should truly be an offshoot of their vine; and this happens when the branch abides (stays with) the way of its vine. A branch is not a self-contained entity, and neither is the Christian disciple. In that same theme, a branch that is cut off from its life-source cannot produce fruit, and neither can the Christian.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

A true branch, united with the vine, will always produce fruit. And in this, we find the course that best glorifies God:

"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

It is imperative that we recognize that Jesus’ statement from 15:8 doesn’t end after the words “bear much fruit”, as so to say that God is glorified through our good works; but Jesus explains that fruit should be seen as proof of an abiding relationship with Himself. It is because they abide in Jesus, the Vine, and are obedient to Him in the bearing of fruit that they bring glory to the Father.

This communion with Christ allows us to experience Him and His love in deeper ways, and in effect we can begin to reach our purpose and potential as His branches. This frees us to experience life as God intended it: that we would experience the greatest joy by being unified to Him, trusting Him in all things, following His commandments, and bearing the reflection of His image.

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (by the way, this may have something to do with 'the newness of life' that we talked about in the previous post *Who's the Spirit?* - found below)

Area Pastors - Thinking Leadership

Area Pastors here. We're offsite, planning ways that we can better serve and equip you as leaders.

Thinking: Leadership from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

Who's the Spirit?

I just finished preaching a 5-session series on the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christ-follower. I did this series because there is so much confusion concerning the mystical, elusive-seeming nature of the Holy Spirit. Many churches/pastors/bible teachers have abused the HS on two main fronts: 1) Attribution to the Spirit what He is not, and 2) Ignoring the Spirit out of fear and ignorance. You may be familiar with the traditional statement made at a person's baptism: “Buried in death with Christ, and raised to walk in the newness of life”. I think that MOST Christians pretty well understand the first part, but have no concept of what it is to “walk in the newness of life”. The HS’s main role is found through the newness of life.

Here's my person brief belief statement about the HS...

-On the Holy Spirit: "He is the Holy Spirit, the intercessor for God and humanity, the breath and power of God; the very spirit of Jesus Christ. He illuminates and transforms believers." (Matthew 28:19; John 14:16-17; John 15:26; John 16:5-15; Acts 1:8; Acts 2; Ephesians 1; Acts 10:36-48; Romans 8)

Quickly, I just wanted to share some series notes with you. Take a look at the passages in the outline below. Feel free to comment on this post to interact with one another and with me...or start a conversation with your accountability partner or Home Group!

5-Session-Series-Outline "The Person and Work of the HS":

Study #1 -Ephesians 1:17-23 (HS is God’s presence in the life of the Christ-follower) and we pray for better spiritual perception of who God is and what He’s doing in us.

Study #2 -Romans 8:25-27 (HS prays for us and helps us know the will of God) and we pray that God would bring about the decisions and circumstances that would most magnify Christ in our lives when we are at a loss as to what the specific will of God is.

Study #3 -Isaiah 43:28-44:5 (HS is engaged through study of God’s Word/the Spirit’s Word; here, we experience/recognize the filling of the HS which satisfies us) and we dedicate ourselves to knowing the HS and making God known by the study of the Bible.

Study #4 -Acts 10:36-48 (HS is about the magnification of Christ and is seen most clearly where Christ is exalted) and we pray that we would see Jesus more clearly, and savor who He is, that the Holy Spirit would transform our lives.

Study #5 -Romans 8:3-12 (HS gives you life as He sanctifies you) and we pray that we would trust in the work of the HS to transform us from death to abundant life.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: To walk in the newness of life is to be led by the Holy Spirit in obedience, being continually transformed into the likeness of Christ, during the messiness of life on earth. We cannot reach our potential in Christ without engaging with the HS's work in our life. Without this life transformation, Christ is not magnified and we never step out of "buried in death with Christ" into "the newness (or abundance) of life".

Happy 1st Birthday Elizabeth!

Elizabeth - Year One from Kevin Boyd on Vimeo.

Average Christians Need Not Apply

In case you didn't know: The disciple is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian! There are no categories, such as: 1) The Average Christian and 2) The Disciple. Disciples are all of those who have decided to follow Jesus. If you call yourself a Christian...that's you. What does a disciple look like...what is their goal?

Jesus said, (in Matthew)“It is enough for a disciple that he become like his teacher”; and (in Luke) “After he has been fully trained, he will be like his teacher”. Paul wrote (to the Corinthian Church) “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Most Simply, Jesus said:
“Come Follow Me...”

The Struggle is found in one’s whole life is being discipleship...

For Jesus’ twelve disciples, family and occupations were deserted for long periods to go with Jesus as he traveled and did ministry. As they spent time with Him, His character and His ways began to rub-off on them. The mechanics are not the same today, as we cannot literally follow Him in the same way as his first disciples could; but the priorities and intentions, the heart and inner attitudes, of disciples are forever the same. The 12 didn't just want to know what Jesus knew...they wanted to be like Jesus and wanted to learn to do what He did. And while their faith in Jesus was important, so was Jesus' faith in His disciples. He left everything in their hands.

Paul wrote to Timothy "The things I've passed on to you, entrust them to others who will also be qualified to pass it on".

And so here we are, players in the same story; and the person of Jesus is real to us. Our appropriate response is to be His disciples, by spending time with Him in an effort to know Him, to become like Him, and to make Him known to others.

Back to the daily grind.

I hope you had the opportunity to slow down and enjoy time with friends and family this past holiday weekend. You have probably realized today: the weekend is most-definitely over! Life tends to be fast, busy, and often chaotic; but here's a word from an on-again-off-again work-a-holic / yes-man:

There are many good things in life that we are asked to do. Sometimes we have to say 'no' to some good things in order to do other good things with quality. Some of the good things we must always say 'yes' to are development of our personal relationship with God and with our families. Never sacrifice your personal relationship time with God or your family for work, even for ministry. It will not work, and always has a bad end.

Praying this week?

try Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus said: “Pray in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

You probably memorized “The Lord’s Prayer” somewhere in your spiritual journey. When’s the last time you thought about why it’s considered ‘the model prayer’? When’s the last time you prayed in that way?

It is the model prayer because it is holistic in its message.
-It speaks of God’s interest: His name, kingdom, and will (God-centered).
-It speaks of the worldwide body of God (“OUR Father”).
-It shows God’s interest in even the mundane details of all of our lives (personal nature of God).
-It speaks of forgiveness and of God’s rescuing action in our lives (transforming reconciliation).
-Ands all of these pieces are purposed to glorify God and to ask His help to accomplish His will on earth (missional prayer).

//

How are your daily prayers modeled after this one?

Intentional Community

Proximity does not equal community-- you need relational intentionality in every church.

-ed stetzer, in

"transformational church"

fathers day fun

DSC_3021.1-1, originally uploaded by kab_live.

It was a fine first fathers day.

Random Thumbness

DSC_2970, originally uploaded by kab_live.

E's hair is getting lighter...and a bit redder in the sunlight...I'm thinking we'll have a blonde by the end of the swim season!

Taking it to the Streets

Here's 3 Tips from 2 AP's to help you take your faith to your neighbors.

Taking It To The Street from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

Welcome to the Southeast Connection

This is the new online connection point for the Southeast Area of Pantego Bible Church. Favorite this site for calendar updates, ministry opportunities, stories, and devotionals...

Welcome to the Southeast Connection from Kevin Boyd on Vimeo.

swinging at the park

swinging at the park, originally uploaded by kab_live.

first time on the swingset!

Tips for Intentional Discipleship

Discipleship incidentally and it happens on purpose. Here are a few tips for doing intentional discipleship with people in your community...

4 Tips for Intentional Discipleship from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

expressions

DSC_2829.1, originally uploaded by kab_live.

Elizabeth gives me the best expressions for pics! She had just finished bath time and was having to much fun to get ready for bed.

Russell D. Senior Pics

DSC_2732.1, originally uploaded by kab_live.

Did a quick senior portraits shoot with my cousin, Russell. Pics @ flickr.

Bluebonnet Pics

Spring 2010, originally uploaded by kab_live.

Elizabeth has yet another suitor. This one tried to kiss her (middle pic)...and like a good girl, she threw a fit (bottom pic).

sly grin

DSC_2667, originally uploaded by kab_live.

Just felt it was time to update.

4 Tips for Intentional Discipleship

We are called to "Go and make disciples"...How do you do that!?! How do you start? Here are 4 Tips to help you begin an intentional discipling relationship.

4 Tips for Intentional Discipleship from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

Welcome to BlogWorld!

Hey all!

Glad you found pantegobible.blogspot.com! This is the home of our new SFI: Training Blast blog site. Basically, what that means is that we will use this site as the place to pass on information and encouragement to help you leaders lead well! We hope that this will be a valuable tool that leads to further successes for you, whether you are a Community Group leader, Home Group leader, or a Teacher.

We will send you an email anytime an Area Pastor contributes a short article for the blog. Topics will range from spiritual encouragement to practical advise, such as "Showing Hospitality", "How to Deal with Conflict", "5 Ways to Love Your Homegroup This Week", or "Creating a Reproducable Discipleship Plan".

You will also receive an email with the link to our videoblog (vimeo.com/pantegobible) anytime we produce a 2-3 minute training video for the same purposes. We hope that these short clips will also helpful to your ministry.

Our hope is that you would LOVE leading and ministering with us at Pantego Bible Church; and our goal is to better equip you with tools for success!

Thanks for serving,

Area Pastor Team // Pantego Bible Church