Owner: simplemindedpreacher URL:www.simplemindedpreacher.wordpress.com Join Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:34:34 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: identity, vision and purpose for a new generation of Calvary Chapel Pastors Site statistics:Click here
Before The Light Shows??? 2007-07-21 11:48:04 I’ve really been wondering lately:
“How did we ever get along before all this stuff?” (more…)
Conferences & Hoorah Sessions 2007-07-20 23:08:47 OK, we hijacked Chad’s productivity post so I thought it “productive” and respectful to continue this conversation on it’s own turf.
The thoughts of course are all around conferences, get-togethers and other “hoorah” sessions. I think these are important events on the pastor / leader’s schedule as it may be the only time you really get to sit down and be a spiritual sponge.
I’ll paste the last few comments from the other post into this one, but I’d love to continue to hear the good, the bad and the ugly from experience as to what conferences and get-togethers you guys find helpful, encouraging or just a waste of time. Also, maybe throw out some websites, books, etc. that might tie into this “theme” or topic.
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Read more:Conferences
, Sessions
Greenhorns! 2007-07-23 22:12:33 I’m sure there are many who read here and feel a bit tiffed that a bunch of greenhorns are sounding their trumpets of expertise on just about anything that has to do with church planting. I personally am 8 years into church planting and have planted more additional fellowships than most guys who read this.. (I’m not bragging, I’m just building up to a point)..
The reality is. I’m stupid. (more…)
Did You Know…. ? 2007-07-26 08:18:06 I want to start up a new feature here on SMP called: “Did You Know&hellip
; ?”
This feature will focus on the things that we -might not know about- in the area of church planting. What did we learn a couple years into it that blew us away? What little detail had we overlooked or were completely unaware of? When that smarty-pants consultant came in to set some things straight for our church, what did he share that you were totally in the dark about before?
If you’re an SMP author, I encourage you to throw up a “Did You Know… ?” as often as you like. If you’re not, and you have a suggestion, you can email it to me and I’ll put it up. chad@cccville.org I’ve even added a new category called - Did You Know?
I’ll start with one that I talked to a fine young pastor about this week.
Did you know that the offering envelope that has cash in it is an official record if the contributer writes their personal information on it
Downloads Updated 2007-07-24 15:49:06 I’m on the office manager’s computer today and thought I’d take the opportunity to upload some of our benevolence forms. There are three of them.
Click above on “Helpful Downloads
”… or, if you’re real lazy and can’t manage to move your mouse 3 inches, you can click on the link I’ve made out of this little asterisks. *
Why Would A Pastor Need A Mac? 2007-07-28 11:16:34 My computer is beginning to show some unnerving signs of instability. It’s about 5 or 6 years old.. it has served me well.. (except for the time the hard-drive crashed into irreparable embers of dust). You Mac people are rabid in your faith for the apple.
Evangelize me.. sway me.. pros.. cons…
Read more:Pastor
compromising situations 2007-07-30 19:33:10 Reuben just wrote:
Totally off the subject, but no real place to post this…
Do y’all have a policy about youth pastors being without a wife or older woman for council sessions, rides home from school, things like that? If so, what are they?
In ministry and in life, is it ever okay to be in a situation where we (who are men) are alone w/a woman that is not our wife (or grandma and other relatives included)???
I think this might be good fodder for conversation.
Book Ideas 2007-08-02 09:20:37 Several people have asked for a thread to discuss good books. Here you go.
Suggestions so far: The Reformed Pastor - Richard Baxter
The Truth War - John MacArthur (a.k.a. Johnny Mac)
Visitation - or - Presby’s Are Better Than Me! 2007-08-01 09:59:07 I am considering the validity of Pastoral visitation in today’s society. I was challenged on this a week ago by a Presbyterian pastor who was tired of hearing my complaints that I didn’t know all the folks that fellowship at CC Cheyenne. I laughed at visiting each family from our fellowship, since we have somewhere around 400 families. Then he told me about Richard Baxter.
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Worship Set Resource 2007-08-04 17:58:31 Greetings all. Something that would be helpful for me personally is a page or a place where worship leaders could post the sets that they do. It would help me because we are moving to a primaily CD-based worship environment. I don’t have a worship leader so I will be making “mix tapes” as it were, to play on Sunday and sing along with. The thing is, I’m no good at making a set.
Does such a thing already exist? If not, could we maybe have a page where you guys (or your worship leaders) could post set lists in the comments or something?
Blogged with Flock
Read more:Resource
What Happened to Commitment? 2007-08-08 10:36:49 We’ve talked here many times about how to get people into the church. I was wondering about how to keep them. Let me see if I can explain where this is coming from and what I’m trying to figure out.
I work for an Episcopal church during the day, and over the last three years things have slowing taken a turn for the worst. Of course you have the whole ordaining of a gay bishop thing, and then the pastor miss handled some things badly, and he was removed. Now the church which was once quite large is slowly losing people. (In some cases its not so slowly.) As I watch this church I am noticing something that many in the church today seem to be missing. A dedication and commitment to the body that God has placed them into. There is a prayer service, a contemporary service and a tradtional service. The people who are leaving and abandoning the church are those in the contemporary service. I can’t say they are leaving because of a spiritual d Read more:Commitment
Serve Me, Serve Thee? 2007-08-16 17:35:16 It’s time to discuss America’s favorite radio station… WIIFM. This station is better known as, “What’s In It For Me?” This mentality is rampant in the world today. We see it impacting things from employment to marriage and none of it’s effects seem to be positive. What’s worse is it has also trickled down into areas where it actually DOES affect the “WIIFM listener,” yet it goes unnoticed because of the delay between actions and outcome. So since the consequences are not always immediate, important disciplines, sacrifices and surrenders are hastily overlooked. It seems our whole attention as a people has been turned inward, developing rabid narcissism. “Show me the money,” “make it worth my while,” and other such statements seem to represent the majority of personal motivation.
But then there’s the church. Not the place but the people. The ones who are called to be in the world but not of the wo
Blog, blog, blog, blog… 2007-08-16 10:07:39 Hey guys I really like blogs. In fact, I am on a quest for the best blogs ever. I was hoping you could give me some links to blogs I don’t know about. They do not have to be Christian (although it helps) and they don’t have to be funny (although it helps).
Here is what I read everyday: (more&hellip
;)
Why Revival Tarries - It’s me 2007-08-21 13:38:48 This won’t be long because I just wrote about it over on my personal blog. I just had to throw it out here. If you have not read Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill, then drop whatever you are reading now and go get a copy. I have not read it since going to CCBC. I hate to read. I’m not a reader. But this one is going into my read-every-year pile. If you want a taste head over and read some of the snippets I posted.
If I, if we as pastors, if we as CC don’t make what this book talks about a priority, then we will eventually cease being the Jesus movement and become another institution. Without the kind of attitude and kind of prayer that we ought to have as the foundation of our lives, even our distinct verse-by-verse Bible teaching all by itself won’t amount to much.
Who’s My Neighbor? 2007-08-20 09:21:47 There is something I have run across a few times that is not sitting well with me and I’d like to get input on the subject from all of you. It’s this issue of a “Social Gospel.” The idea surrounding that term seems that we are to reach out and love on the world, meet their needs, help them out if we can. Yet, somehow, there are those who are opposed to such efforts, or so it seems, hence coining the connotative phrase “Social Gospel.” Now that’s my understanding of what people are referring to when they use that term. If there are other or better definitions, please do tell.
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Read more:Neighbor
Worship Music- Jeff Thompson 2007-08-29 14:35:53
I’m a total music snob, especially when it comes to songwriting. As a songwriter, I believe the hardest stuff to write is congregational worship music. It needs to be somewhat predictable, yet artistic at the same time. It’s limited in topic and direction. It’s also limited in style (no techno speed metal or rap).
Rarely do I find new worship music / song-writers that floor me.
Here’s one.
This guy comes from a camp that has not, in my book, produced a lot of exceptionally unique and artistic worship music. He’s a gem in the rough! Listen to him at his MySpace page!
http://www.myspace.com/ccjworship
here’s his blog:
http://worshippastor.blogspot.com/2007/06/album-is-finished.html
here’s what Mondokblog had to say:
http://mondokblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/oh-yeah-it-good-to-be-free.html
Read more:Music
, Thompson
Pastoral Depression 2007-08-28 15:39:33 I just watched a video suggested by Bill Ritchie on the Senior Pastors Listserver. I thought it would be valuable to have a place to discuss this. You can watch the video here.
Here is my overview if you don’t have time for the video:
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Upcoming Article 2007-09-02 21:25:16 This post is just a bait. I’m looking for pastors and leaders with in the Calvary Chapel movement to participate in an upcoming article I’d like to write. The topic concerns our hope and vision for the future of CC as CC pastors. S.M.P. has a lot of readers and several participants who will benefit greatly from this information. The key word is “hope”. I’m not really interested in throwing out negative stuff. There’s enough of that on the web. I’m really interested in presenting our impressions of what the future holds for our organization. What insights do you have? What trends do you see developing? How do you feel God is goinig to use us in the years to come?… stuff like that. I’m posting some questions to help you out. If you’d like to participate, I’d really appreciate it. If you don’t have answers to all the questions, just skip the ones you don’t have anything to say about. Read more:Upcoming
, Article
I’m a Grandpa 2007-09-01 19:27:07 This post has nothing to do with Calvary Chapel, pastoral work, or the mission of SMP. But, needs to happen, none the less.
I know, I know, I’m only 37 years old. How can I be a grandpa?
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Read more:Grandpa
Worship Discussion Highlights 2007-08-31 13:08:45 Some good info came up in the Jeff Thompson thread, (besides the fact that Jeff writes some pretty awesome tunes and doesn’t skimp when it comes to artistic integrity.) - I figured I’d highlight those points here in a thread all by themselves and make friendly discussion on the things that we consider to be important in worship.
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Read more:Discussion
, Highlights
Ryan’s Archery Buck 2007-08-30 13:35:10 Hey everyone…
I just had to pass along this photo of the buck I shot earlier this week. The mule deer buck was taken with a bow from a ground blind at about 20 yards. The hunt took place about 30 miles from my home in the high desert region of Central Oregon. If you’re morally opposed to hunting I’m sorry to offend you.
Calvary Distinctives 2.0? 2007-09-25 19:10:26 I don’t how many of you keep up with the stuff on the PP blog, but there has been significant discussion lately surrounding the Calvary
Distinctives. Most recently it has been noted that Calvary is in the process of “revising” the Distinctives. You can read up on this HERE , HERE & HERE.
As I considered [...]
NWPC stuff 2007-09-25 17:05:40 OK, so the play by play thing isn’t going to work out, so I’m going to bail. Instead, keep your eye (or browsers) open for the MP3s at www.calvaryfellowship.orgThere is some great stuff
. Make sure to listen to the stuff from Bob Caldwell. Must listen for sure.
10 Years and 3 days ago! 2007-09-22 17:07:51 ….. my newly found song-writing musical genious hero went home to be with the Lord.
In 1988, I suddenly found myself submerged into Christian culture. Honestly, I didn’t like what I was experiencing, but if that’s what it took to go through Bible School, I was willing to give it a shot. The biggest affront to [...] Read more:Years
Seeking Him 2007-09-20 16:25:05 Back at the SPC I received a free workbook study called “Seeking
Him, Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival.” It sat and collected dust for a while until one day my curiosity won out and I picked it up. So far this has been very a refreshing and exciting read!
It first defines the term “revival” [...]
Which are you; a Christian or a (blank)? 2007-09-18 13:47:29 No, this isn’t some version of the old Match Game show. It’s one facet of something I have been pondering on and off and am about to explore over on my own personal blog. But I thought I’d bring this element over here for review. My wife threw this article my way concerning Christian
bands [...] Read more:blank
I Sing The Praises of Snoop Stick! 2007-09-17 22:50:44 I’m one of those bad parents that lets their kids randomly utilize the internet. My oldest son is even allowed to IM during his computer time, and even…. (gasp), have his own Myspace, (where I happen to drop in and comment often). How, you might ask, can I allow such a travesty from happening, even [...] Read more:Snoop
, Stick
3rd Party Questions 2007-09-17 15:50:21 the following arrived in my email today:
I had a question/point for discussion that could maybe go up on simple minded … “how much is too much?” In the context of being a dad and husband as well as a pastor, how much time away from the family is too much? How do people allocate time [...] Read more:Party
This zone is for unloading… 2007-09-14 17:00:50 Here is a bunch of stuff to keep you busy this weekend:
This beauty came up when I was taking our staff through morning devotions yesterday. I am not sure if anyone else will find this as funny as I did, but check out this verse:
“How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?
Proverbs 1:22
Other [...] Read more:hellip
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