Instead of asking what's your "brand" can I just ask: "What do I stand for? What do we as a church stand for?"The reason brand conversations get so convoluted and end up feeling like wordsmithing exercises is because so often brands don’t stand for anything. So instead of capturing what you stand for, or capturing how what you stand for needs to evolve or be sharpened, you instead end up pretending to stand for something and then writing pretty words around an idea that has no core and no truth.Unfortunately, the branding team (and the firm they’ve hired) isn’t in a position to actually get the company to stand for something.The next time someone suggests a branding exercise, a new logo, a snappier tagline, grab ten people in your company and ask each of them to tell you in simple, plain words: what do we stand for?
In Western culture today, you decide to get married because you feel an attraction to the other person. You think he or she is wonderful. But a year or two later - or, just as often, a month or two - three things usually happen. First, you begin to find out how selfish this wonderful person is. Second, you discover that the wonderful person has been going through a similar experience and he or she begins to tell you how selfish you are. And third, though you acknowledge it in part, you conclude that your spouse's selfishness is more problematic than your own. (page 64)The solution that they offer is the gospel:
The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared to believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. (page 48)Out of this acceptance and love found in Jesus we are able to move to love our spouses through action, even if we don't feel like it, or we feel they don't deserve it.
In any relationship, there will be frightening spells in which your feelings of love seem to dry up. And when that happens you must remember that the essence of marriage is that it is a covenant, a commitment, a promise of future love. So what do you do? You do the acts of love, despite your lack of feeling. You may not feel tender, sympathetic, and eager to please, but in your actions you must be tender, understanding, forgiving, and helpful. And, if you do that, as time goes on you will not only get through the dry spells, but they will become less frequent and deep, and you will become more constant in your feelings. This is what can happen if you decide to love. (page 104)If we all live like this, gaining our worth and significance from Yahweh and from there deciding to be loving to our spouses, then our marriages will be awesome!
"In fact, society — from politics to the media to the classroom to our very own families — is a major contributor to this demise because they are inhibiting guys’ intellectual, creative and social abilities right from the start"They point out many ways society is contributing to this demise, however they specifically focus on pornography and excessive video gaming. (A while back I posted Zimbardo's TED talk about this subject).
"Teach your son about sex. You may feel awkward about it — too bad for you. Your son’s future health depends on him developing balanced perspectives on sex now."
"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." - Hebrews 13:3
To be near someone who is the midst of a battle with caner, who knows they may lose this battle, and worship with them. Their worship strengthens me. And possibly my worship strengthens them.Or to be in a crowd that raises their voice in unison to the glory of God.Or to kneel as a community in awe of God.Or to pray with and for others.Or taking communion with people I do know and people I do not know. But we are together as one family because of Jesus.
Launch 2012
Two reports. Reports that conflict. Two different stories about the same thing. The church.
One tells a tragic story. The church is in decline. People seem to walking away from the church in greater and greater numbers. Churches are closing their doors because there is no one left.
The other story is fantastic, almost unbelievably so. The church is rapidly exploding. Thousands, no tens of thousands of people are coming to Christ. Churches are multiplying at an amazing rate. In fact there some who would suggest that the church has never grown so quickly.
Both of these reports are true. The first is the story of the western church (including
We live the first story. Oh, some of churches may be growing, though many are actually declining. But we are not seeing thousands of people coming to Jesus, not even hundreds. The majority of church growth comes not from converts but from other churches. In fact many of us know too many who walked away from the church. Most of us are not part of a church that has successfully planted another church in the last 10 years.
Why does God not move in our churches the way he is moving around the world?
There is a group in southern
The other night we gathered in a back yard for the first time. There were about 30 people there from the different churches in the region. We ate together (because after all we are Mennonites). Had an action plan presented. And prayed together in the rain.
This is our tentative plan:
Prayer
Meet together
Learn
Action
There are a couple of ways you can become part of this:
1) If you are in the area join us – by attending, praying for this group…
2) Start something like this in your area, church
The Overriding Purpose Of The Altona EMM Church Is To Glorify God By Extending The Kingdom Of Jesus Christ Through Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship And Fellowship.There are two foundational concepts in this statement and one underlining assumption.
Because we believe these things, we are compelled to action. We urge God’s people to align around the lordship of Jesus, the missional nature of His church, and the reality of His kingdom. We invite the body of Christ everywhere to see people and the world through the lens of God’s kingdom, to live holy lives as Jesus’ disciples, and to intentionally represent Him together as the church. We affirm that Jesus was sent to fulfill God’s purposes in the world through His perfect life, substitutionary death, and physical resurrection so that redemption could be made available to us. With Christ as our focal point, His kingdom as our destiny, and His Spirit as our empowerment, we accept the privilege and joy of His mission.
