Today’s Sermon of the Week April 19

This is is how I have been delivering services the last few weeks. While I am really looking forward to getting back to preaching before my congregation, I have to admit, I am pleased to be learning some new methods of delivering worship and am considering ways to use some of the things I am learning to take the Gospel beyond the walls of the church.
https://www.springfieldbrethren.com/sunday-service-april-19-2020/

Sermon of the Week 1/26/20 A New You

One of the big things I want to do in this blog is to encourage creative ministry. I’ve been sharing my messages from my church on this blog for a little while now, but now I want to add a feature. Think of it as a challenge. Each week before I post the sermon for the current week, I plan on telling you my next topic and the text. The reason for this is I want to encourage you to think creatively. How would you express the text in your art form? What creative elements would you add? How might you present the text to someone in a Sunday school class, a sermon, a drama, a song or other creative work.

I would love to see/hear how you would express these topics in your art form, so please share them in the comments. I promise not to use anything you create without your permission. On the other hand if you see something on here, you would like to use, I hereby grant you permission to do so, unless otherwise noted and only ask that you link back to this blog. Let’s spread creative ministry together.

The coming sermon is going to be based on Esther chapter four, and specifically around the verse where Mordecai reminds Esther that she came to her position of power, “for such a time as this.” This is really where the rubber meets the road in the book of Esther. How would you express this concept. How about you, what is your for such a time as this moment? Have you ever considered the FACT that you were created to live in this time and fulfill God’s purposes in this time? I’d love to see what you come up with. Share a link to your creation in the comments.

The current Sermon is called simply A New Yoy… It deals with the mystery of the Resurrection of the Body and is based on 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. So how about it, How did you express the resurrection of the body.

Sermon of the Week 1/26/20 The End of the World…

One of the big things I want to do in this blog is to encourage creative ministry. I’ve been sharing my messages from my church on this blog for a little while now, but now I want to add a feature. Think of it as a challenge. Each week before I post the sermon for the current week, I plan on telling you my next topic and the text. The reason for this is I want to encourage you to think creatively. How would you express the text in your art form? What creative elements would you add? How might you present the text to someone in a Sunday school class, a sermon, a drama, a song or other creative work.

I would love to see/hear how you would express these topics in your art form, so please share them in the comments. I promise not to use anything you create without your permission. On the other hand if you see something on here, you would like to use, I hereby grant you permission to do so, unless otherwise noted and only ask that you link back to this blog. Let’s spread creative ministry together.

The coming sermon is going to be about our resurrection and the resurrection body. I’m entitling it “A New You.” The text is 2 Corinthians 5:5-10

The current Sermon is called simply The End of the World… It’s the latest message in our “New” series is entitled “The End of the World…” What does that have to do with things being new? Everything! The passage I preached on from Revelation 21 is about the New Heavens and the New Earth and God making everything new.

Sermon of the Week and a Slightly New Direction

One of the big things I want to do in this blog is to encourage creative ministry. I’ve been sharing my messages from my church on this blog for a little while now, but now I want to add a feature. think of it as a challenge. Each week before I post the sermon for the current week, I plan on telling you my next topic and the text. The reason for this is I want to encourage you to think creatively. How would you express the text in your art form? What creative elements would you add? How might you present the text to someone in a Sunday school class, a sermon, a drama, a song or other creative work.

If I were to share with you my ministry schedule, at least as it pertains to the message, Tuesday is my usual start date. I’m not usually a person who plans months ahead, and I don’t use the lectionary. My topics come as the result of prayer, as well as some practical concerns as we’ll see in a moment. At this point, I have two things going. I felt led to preach on what the Lord calls “New” to start off this new year. It will be a series of approximately four messages, which should carry me through January. The other thing I have going is an extended series on the book of Esther. Esther is our current Wednesday evening Bible Study, so I am preaching through the book and then teaching the study based on what I am preaching. I am writing the study, so every time we finish a chapter, I have determined I will break in to my current series and preach the next section.

Now as to my schedule. I try to have my day of rest on Monday. I pray and I may do some light reading, but I try to do some Sabbath rest. I start the day early on Tuesday, recording and assembling the sermon video you’re about to see. Tuesday, is also the day I really dig into the study and begin the writing. Wednesday is usually the day I will do the bulk of the writing. Thursday is usually my day to work up the visuals, and powerpoint. If I create a video for the sermon, the drawings are done throughout the week and I usually end up recording and animating the video between Friday and Saturday. Friday and Saturday are also days when I will tighten up the message and get ready to preach. Of course, I also do a lot of other things so I have to be a little flexible on the schedule. You should also know that I am always reading and studying and sketching and many of my future messages are born during those times.

I would love to see/hear how you would express these topics in your art form, so please share them in the comments. I promise not to use anything you create without your permission. On the other hand if you see something on here, you would like to use, I hereby grant you permission to do so, unless otherwise noted and only ask that you link back to this blog. Let’s spread creative ministry together.

The coming sermon is going to be about the New Heavens and the New Earth and my main text will be Revelation 21. What would you do with that text and topic?

The current Sermon is called simply A New Creation. As we explore the things that God calls “new” in this series, we come upon one of the most important things: becoming a new creation in Christ. Join us as we explore 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 and how God re-recreates us from the inside out.

The Word of the Year is Empowerment

I wrote this note for my church’s website for 2018, but it applies beyond just my church. A big part of the reason this blog has always existed is to empower creatives in the church to use their gifts to serve the Lord. I share this for your consideration. This is what I am doing with my congregation, perhaps it can inspire the leaders of other churches to empower their folks. Empowerment will change the lives of the people in the church and it will open the doors to new people who have yet walk through your doors.

This year, I have selected a word to represent what I think the Lord is leading us to this year. That word is “empowerment.” In truth, this has long been my philosophy of ministry because, in essence, this is what happened to me. You see when I first walked into the church, at least in my adult life, I was pretty far from God.  As I began seeing my need for God, I started looking for my place to fit. The thing is, I didn’t have any of the gifts that we usually associate with the church. I was terrified to speak in public, I didn’t have enough knowledge to teach and my lack of musical ability is nearly legendary. I figured I was destined to be a consumer, and that is not a good place to stay in the church. What I did have was some artistic talent. 

Long story short, my pastor found that gift and tapped into it. It was a small assignment. A backdrop for the VBS skits, but it opened the door and changed my life. The Lord through my pastor had empowered me to serve. The end result, today I am a church pastor with a speaking ministry that takes me all over the U.S. Empowerment is a wonderful, powerful, miraculous force that can change the entire direction of a person’s life. 

Today the church I pastor is a blessing. Great people who love the Lord and His Word. When I hear my unbelieving friends speaking negatively about the church, I wish they’d come and check out mine and when I hear my ministry friends speak of the troubles they have in their churches, I become increasingly aware of how blessed I truly am. We’re not perfect, but Springfield Church of he Brethren is a pretty good place to be. There is only one major thing we lack and that is simply that a lot of the people who really need what we have, don’t know we’re there. 

How can we fix this? I think it has something to do with empowerment. It’s not that my people don’t serve. They do. I just wonder what else lays on their hearts. We in the church tend to only see certain gifts and talents as usable for the church, but what if we saw that differently? What if we realized that ever good gift comes from God and that all of them are useful to the Kingdom?

What if we gave people the ability to ry new things? This is the sole of empowerment, and so we extend an invitation for people to try the new things God lays on their hearts. Sometimes this will be a one time thing. Sometimes it will be continual. 

What do you need to have to do this? You need a dream. You need to be faithful. You need to finish what you start and you have to be trying to honor God. You need to accept humble beginnings, starting with available resources and working toward growth.

One last thing, your calling is your calling. In other words, if you have an idea you want me to do, the answer is probably going to be no, unless it’s a really phenomenal idea that’s right in the middle of my wheelhouse and clearly God’s call. Empowerment is about helping you to do what God is calling you to do and helping you to be what God has created you to be. Empowerment can change your life. 

What can we help you to do and be?

Installation Day

Today is an important day for me. As many of you know, I was called in January as pastor of Springfield Church of the Brethren in Coopersburg, PA. When I first went there, my goal was pretty simple. I was asked to come in and help them out for a few months to prepare the way for their “permanent” pastor. I figured I would be leaving in April, so I set about the task of bridging the gap between their last pastor and the next one. I didn’t really allow myself to think the “permanent” pastor would be me, but a funny thing happened. I began to feel like part of the family. They welcomed and accepted me. They understood my call to creative ministry and decided to accommodate and get behind it. This is a great congregation and the adventure is just beginning. Today, in a special service, I will be installed as their “permanent” pastor, and I could not be more thrilled. (“Permanent” is in quotes, because “permanent” is in God’s hands. It’s kind of like when we say “Lord willing…”)

Ten months ago, I was recently unemployed and wondering how on earth I would make it. When my wife and I prayed, we would hear one word over and over, “TRUST.” God is always worthy of our trust and once again He proved it in my life. He opened door after door to lead to where I am now. God is good all the time.

I am so looking forward to this great adventure.

A New Journey

In a few hours, I will step into a new position. I will be serving Springfield Church of the Brethren in Coopersburg, PA as their interim pastor. While I’ve been a pastor before, this will be a new adventure. Springfield is a long established church with established traditions. I have ministered there before, and found the people to be warm and open. I look forward to serving there, but it will be different. As an interim, I am not preparing to be a permanent pastor. Instead I am there to help the church to prepare to receive the pastor the Lord will call. I will serve, pastor, and minister as needed. I’ll be guiding and leading, visiting, teaching and most importantly listening. I’m looking forward to really getting to know the folks and seeing how the Lord would have me lead. My goal is to be an encouraging, Godly pastor for as long as they need me.

In case any of my readers are wondering how this will effect my speaking ministry. Everything that is already booked will go on as scheduled. I will also have one Sunday a month off from the church, in which to continue speaking and painting, I will also have Saturdays and other weekday evenings if anyone is interested. The next few months will require some flexibility, but I really feel strongly that this is a call from God. My prayer is that God will use me to bless the people of Springfield and the pastor God will call for them and that what I learn and gain there will make me better suited for whatever comes next in this ministry journey.

I’m excited for this phase in my ministry journey and covet your prayers.