Mike Henderson

Think One Month

It's too easy to jump on the bandwagon and make a one year New Year's Resolution.  Nothing wrong with that, but you may be setting yourself up for failure.

Why not take a different approach?  Why not think 'one month?'  One of the biggest resolutions is to loose weight.  So many sign up for a gym membership.  How much of that money goes out the window?  Gyms are full in January and empty in February, or should I say mid-January?

Perhaps our focus should be to develop new habits during the month of January.  Just one month.  After all, if it takes about one month to develop a new habit why focus on the whole year?  Why not just start with one month, then go for another month, etc?

If we enter the year with a whole year's resolution and quit after two weeks or two months we consider ourselves a failure.  That's not necessarily the case.  Perhaps the goal was too big or just not very smart.

I may set a goal of reading 100 books.  That's two books a week and probably not a reachable target. At least for me.  I am not a speed reader and will probably come in at about 50 books for the year.  So with that in mind my goal would be 4 books during the month of January.  Much more doable.

So start with one month rather than the whole year.  This past week at New Hope I talked about reading your Bible all the way thru in 2010.  But focus on January first.  

Think One Month.  Develop the habit and you may very well be on your way to your New Year's Resolution.

Things That Excite Me in 2010

New things can be very exciting.  For me I am excited about what's ahead in 2010 for New Hope.  Here are a few things that excite me.

1.  Our staff.  With Dan and John on board my expectations are pretty high. They both came on board in the second half of 2009. John is a very talented guitar player and worship leader.  You will see our music get better throughout the year.  Dan loves people and students.  When people come on Sunday they will be meeting their new friend.  But Dan is good at several things and you will enjoy his presence at New Hope.

2.  We are looking for and identifying more Servolution projects where we can serve people in the Cville area and impact more lives.

3.  Just like this past week I love meeting new people and am excited about the ministry of New Hope helping them become more fully devoted to Jesus Christ.

4.  I am looking forward to hanging out with and spending time with the people of New Hope.  Some I have known for a short time, some longer.  It will be an exciting year serving together and doing life together.

5.  The unknown is exciting because we expect God to show up.  The cool part is He will do things that we cannot plan in advance and are unaware of at this time.  What a great adventure!

Making Christmas Last, pt. 6

This is my last post on 'Making Christmas Last.'  One of reasons the spirit of Christmas does not last are the gifts.  One week later and we can't remember what we got.  So we are left feeling empty.  That's because we were looking forward to the gifts we were about to receive.  Now the excitement is gone because there is nothing to look forward to.  Sad.

The Magi were more concerned with the gifts they were giving.  After all it is Jesus' birthday.  What if the focus changed more to giving to Him, something we can do year round.

Over this past week we have looked at several ways to make Christmas last.  It does not have to end.  Keep it going.  Give gifts to Jesus all year long in 2010.

Making Christmas Last, pt. 5

By now most of us have made some kind of decision or set some goals going into the New Year.  Chances are to reach those you will have to abandon something.

This is where honesty comes in.  If I am going to lose weight then I will need to abandon desserts or late night snacks.  If I am going to read my Bible thru then I may need to abandon some sleep so that I can get up earlier.

If I am honest what will I abandon in order to attain in 2010?  If there is nothing to abandon then I have not set any stretch goals or objectives. 

So here is the challenge.  Most likely we have all thought ahead and identified some type of direction or goal.  Now the tough part.  What will we abandon?

The Magi had a plan but abandoned those plans when warned by God (Matthew 2:12).  We too must decide what we will abandon if Christmas is going to last.

Check the Scenery

Well, it's here.  A brand new year.  There is something about 'new' things.  New books, new stores, new coaches, new clothes, and new cars.  So when a new year rolls around it gets us thinking.  We don't want our new car scratched, our new clothes to get snagged, and our new year to get messed up.

What we fail to do is look around.  Do we like the scenery?  Does the scenery tell us that we are on the right path and headed in the right direction?

Make this year a year of progress.  2009 ended for the most part just the way we lived it.  What we did every day and every week and every month eventually led us to where we ended up at the end of the year.

To be honest I am not a big new year's resolution type person. If I need to make a change in June why wait until January.  On the other hand as I said there is something about starting a new year.  There is an emotional and psychological side to beginning a new year.  It's like a spark that has the power to ignite a huge passion within us.  

So maybe it is time to rejuvenate, get out of a rut, or create some new patterns.  With that in mind I cannot wait until Sunday, January 3 as I share the "KEY" to an incredible 2010.  This Sunday at New Hope has the potential to change your life and your entire year! 

Making Christmas Last, pt. 2

One of the fascinating questions asked by the Magi is "Where is the one who is born king of the Jews?"

How often to we go through life and totally miss the presence of Jesus?  We fail to pay attention to His presence on multiple occasions.

Can you imagine how much your life would lighten up if you could see Jesus at work?  Every day would feel like Christmas if we could see His hand at work in our lives.

As a reminder these men were not worshippers of God, but rather steeped in paganism, quasi-science, and superstitions.  But they recognized God's presence and responded to the light He provided.

Here's my challenge.  If you would like Christmas to last then you must pay attention to His presence.

You cannot put a price on knowing God is present.  Jacob wrestled with God and was blown away by His presence.  Samson, at the end of his life, wanted to experience the presence and power of God just one more time.

There is something special about God's presence.  Pay attention and Christmas will last.

Making Christmas Last, pt. 1

Christmas has been called the happiest time of the year, but it can also be the worst time of year.  For many it is lonely, for others it's easy to be felt left out as others are spending like crazy.

But for the most part Christmas is looked forward to.  There are family get togethers, parties, lots of food, and gifts given and received.

Over the course of this week I would like to share a few thoughts on 'Making Christmas Last.'  Now I realize we can't overeat continually, nor can we hang out with family 365 days a year, or party every day.

All that aside, Jesus does make a difference and so my focus is on Him.  Yes, He came from heaven to earth about 2,000 years ago. But He has not left us.  Here are my quick hit thoughts from Matthew 2:1-11.

The Magi came from the east because they acknowledged Jesus' presence.  I think one reason the spirit of Christmas does not last is that for many Christ is not at the center.  So my challenge is to acknowledge Jesus' presence every day of the New Year.  He wants to be a part of your life every day.

The Magi came seeking the King, and we would do well to do likewise.

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.

How Will Your Life End?

Life is short.  Even if live to be 100 life is still short.  It's just a vapor, or a mist (James 4:14).  How yours will end will most likely be determined by the direction of your life.

One of the very sad stories today was the passing of a 26 year old NFL football player.  Yes, he had his problems, but was apparently getting his life together.

The tragedy was in how his life ended.  A domestic dispute.  His fiancee was driving a truck, he was in the back, and he came out of the back while at high speed.  The driver was the mother to his kids.  Sad story.

The truth is life is short.  We all have an appointment with death.  Can't change it.  It's on the calendar, but you can't see it.

But you do have some say in how you will leave this world.  Some will leave with horrible habits in place, some with a bad attitude, others in poor health due to personal choices, and still others will be known for lacking character.

I think it is always healthy to ask yourself, "If I leave this world today will I be happy with the way I left?"

Not talking about perfection.  None of us have arrived.  But I do think we give little thought as to our current direction in life.  LIfe is short, and it will come to an end.  You choose the ending.

Drama in the Church

Over the past couple of weeks a common theme has popped up on Twitter, blogs, conferences, and personal conversations.  That theme has centered around complaining, criticism, and drama in the church.

Just this past week I was able to spend some time at Elevation Church in Charlottte, NC where pastor Steven Furtick and Perry Noble of New Spring Church in Anderson SC both addressed the topic.  In fact, Perry mentioned that he had just returned from a week in counseling in Colorado. He said that only 10% of those in ministry will retire in ministry.  Wow!  We must ask why.

Also, some have written about C.A.V.E. dwellers in the church.  Those are people who are Consistently Against Virtually Everything.

Now here's where it hit me recently.  I invited a friend in the area to New Hope.  I have not known this person long, but they are not in church.  Why?  This individual grew up in church where her father was the pastor.  But then she said, "There was always drama in the church."

So let me get this straight.  Because someone or some group of people had to have things their way and as a result created drama in the church a pastor is out of the ministry and his kids no longer go.

That's just plain sad!  Somewhere people in the church have gotten sidetracked in between the Great Commission (reaching others) and Burger King (have it your way).

The result: Drama in the church, church attenders dropping out, pastors quitting the ministry, and lost people not being found.

That's troubling.

When we should be encouraging (1 Thess. 5:12-13), or esteeming very highly pastors and evangelizing lost people, we are engaging in drama in the church.