Mike Henderson

Two Points of View

As consumers we have heard from various sources about particular stores or organizations.  And for the most part we have already drawn conclusions, sometimes based on hearsay.

Now what we have concluded may change should we ever have a personal encounter with the store or organization.

For instance, I hear lots of complaints about Wal-Mart.  In fact, I even hear some say they would rather pay more and go to Target.  Not me.  Actually I have no complaints with either store, but then I am not looking for a reason to go to either.  However, I prefer low prices.

Before Circuit City went out of business I used to hear how Best Buy had terrible customer service but Circuit City's was excellent.  Was one right or wrong?  Just depends on who you talk to and what their story was.  

The truth is someone may dislike the very store you love.  We are different.  We have different stories, backgrounds, and desires.  What is truly amazing is the fact most people tenaciously hold onto their opinion as if it is fact and can be no other way.  

With so many stores and options at least we should be able to purchase what we need.  In a similar fashion churches are different.  One of my pet peeves is church bashing.  Just because one church does not meet someone's expectations does not mean it is incapable of meeting someone else's.

We need all kinds of churches in order to reach all kinds of people.  I could list various 'kinds' of churches. I am thankful for Wal-Mart and Target and for different churches.  Some churches are more known for their music, others for their kid's program, some their student ministry, and the list goes on.

At New Hope we will probably never be good at ten things, but we can be good at a couple.  Some will come as a first time guest and may decide to hang around.  Someone else will come and have a different point of view.  Probably due to their current needs, background, etc.  

At the end of the day there will still be two points of view.  Neither is right or wrong, they just are.

Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity

Loving God is man's highest calling.  In fact Jesus said the Greatest Commandment was to "Love God." Mark Batterson has hit a home run by explaining and expounding on the Great Commandment in an incredible way.  Primal must be read, reflected upon, and put into action.

Batterson breaks down the four components of loving God:

1.  Loving God with your heart.  The key thought here is compassion and having empathy for people who need hope.  Wow!  You may sell your car, or simply put your money where your mouth is.  

2.  Loving God with your soul.  Life and soul go hand in hand.  If our souls are full of wonder about God then life will be wonderful.  Much of that wonder will come from time exploring creation and from time exposed to the Bible.  

3.  Loving God with your mind.  Our minds often quit expanding when our education comes to an end. With diploma in hand our curiosity to learn takes a nosedive.  But Mark points out, "you cannot see what you do not know" (p. 102).  If we can't imagine it, we are unable to "entertain thoughts of God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine" (p. 112).

4.  Loving God with your strength.  Now it gets physical.  "Love is measured by calories burned" (p. 134). As long as you stay in the will of God the energy will be there.  Get disconnected from God and entropy sets in.  Christianity is a verb and "Primal" will help you move into action.

As Batterson has commented, "We've got to be great at the Great Commandment."  This book will help you immensely.  This book will not be read just once and placed back on the shelf.  This book will be a constant companion.  This book is loaded with memorable lines and is fun to read from start to finish.

The End is Near...?

This coming Sunday I will be talking about one of the most popular topics of all time: Antichrist.  That word has been tossed around for ages.  Countless people have been identified as the Antichrist.

So hopefully I can answer some of the questions out there. Trust me, there have been a lot of fanciful ideas floated.  Even Ronald Reagan was identified by some as Antichrist.  Find out why this Sunday.

Also with the recent shooting at Fort Hood being labeled terrorism by this week's Time Magazine, due to the soldier's ties to Islam and Al'Qaeda.  His motivations seem to be very clear.  How does terrorism play out in the end times?  We will be looking at topic because it is in the Bible.

With Israel in the Land, nuclear weapons on the rise, radical Islam, and oil all in the news everyday thoughts of the END must certainly cross the mind.

This 4-part series has addressed all this and more and we seek to better understand what the Bible has to say about end time events.

Just two weeks left. If you miss a week go to New Hope and watch online, but getting the message live is a much better experience.

Choosing a Church

  From all the research I have been able to do from scanning various church growth consultants, pastors, and staff members first time guests pretty much make up their mind about a church 'before' the service begins.

  People begin making gut-level judgments the moment they drive into the parking lot.  While we are in school now, I do know that many first time guests check out the number of cars in the parking lot.  So it's really all about what guests see and experience prior to the beginning of the service.

  With that in mind, how does that affect the schedule of a Christ-follower?  Does this mean that my coming late would actually work against the church and influence people to check out another place to worship?  Does this mean that the most evangelistic thing I could do is show up early? 

   It's something at least worth thinking about.  Perhaps in 2009 you will add coming early, greeting, directing, welcoming, offering coffee, etc. to your evangelistic strategy.  Who knows, that alone may help someone choose New Hope as their place of worship where they can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, or even come to know Him for the first time.