I have, of course, always rejected the idea that church membership means you “pay dues” through giving and then expect something in return. I knew it was different than that. But Biblically, “member” means something closer to…
Meekness is both completely misunderstood, and also under-emphasized as a beautiful quality to pursue. So let’s clear it up: Meekness is power under control. It is not synonymous with weakness (it just happens to rhyme with it so we get confused). In fact, it is fundamentally opposite of weakness. Meekness requires that one HAS power, but that they have their power under control, and that they use it promote, elevate, and help others around them – particularly those who have less power, influence, status, or prestige than they have.
God’s word is, of course, about Him, but He uses it for our benefit, our instruction, and our correction. So why remind us about this heroic act so many times? Because God wants our hearts to be GRATEFUL. He wants us to be grateful for Him and toward him. And too many times, we are not.
In gospel-centered community, the driving question is not “who do I like best?” Instead, the driving question is “How are my relationships helping me to participate more fully in God’s kingdom, and how am I helping others do the same?”
But let’s be really honest: Christians are not the only people who believe serving is important, and not all forms of service are done with Christ in mind. This is where gospel-centered becomes an important qualifier in our Habit. The difference between gospel-centered service and service motivated by other things (guilt, duty, forced volunteerism) is that it has a higher purpose and a larger intention.
Today we will focus on gospel-centered worship. The expression of this habit really has two main expressions: corporate worship and worship at home.
In Family Ministry at Calvary, we ascribe to a philosophy we call “Family Equipping.” This means that we believe that the most effective way to reach a child or a student with the power of the gospel is through the context of the family unit. Basically, we believe that families are POWERFUL.
We want to keep our kids – to rescue them – from lots of things. We want to rescue them from pain and suffering. We want to rescue them from poverty, from hardship, and oppression. We want to rescue them from bad friendships and bad relationships and bad marriages. We want to rescue them from insignificance and from failure. We want to rescue them from their own bad habits, from the internet, from the evils of culture, and from the war within their own hearts and minds. However, there is no other God who is able to rescue in this way.
A Dynamic Partnership (or DP) is a formal partnership that families can choose to enter into that includes a series of strategic conversations, self-analysis, goal-setting, and reflection for parents. The process is mostly asynchronous with the opting-in family controlling most of the schedule. The process includes three assessments (online), a conversation with a DP leader, a conversation with a “Next Phase Family” (parents who have recently passed through the parenting phase you are currently in), and a few more pieces.
Hello Again Friends! As I said in my last email, I am very excited for this season in Family Ministry at Calvary, and the ways we can partner with you. What I’m learning to be realistic about is that not every partnership between family and church will look the same (and shouldn’t). Every family has …