Owner: brianeberly.com URL:http://ipastor.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:23:20 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The musings of but one Northwest Youth Pastor, trying to make a difference in this world. Join me in the journey. Site statistics:Click here
A United Church 2008-03-17 10:08:00 This last Saturday our church had our annual Easter Super Saturday event. It is an event created for the purpose of drawing in the community during the Easter season to make connections with our neighbors, and to share story of Jesus with children. There are egg hunts, carnival games, music, puppets, lots of food, and the presentation of the gospel. It's a fun event each year and gives us opportunity to meet many in our community.This year we invited my good friend Marshall Snider, director of Bridgetown Ministries to be a part our morning. An arm of Bridgetown Ministries is B-Town Kids, a ministry program targeted at children. As Marshall arrived at the church in their B-Town Kids truck he made a very astute observation, one that has had me thinking all weekend.As he approached our Read more:United
, Church
Sunday's Coming 2008-03-22 11:38:00 Last night we enjoyed a great night of reflection and worship at our Good Friday service.I'm sure glad Friday is not the end of the story. Sunday
's coming!HT to Adam
The Cost of Grace 2008-03-25 17:59:00 From Randy Alcorn's book, The Grace
and Truth Paradox:Hounded by the Pharisees, betrayed by a friend, forsaken by His disciples, brutalized by police, beaten by His inquisitors, led in disgrace to a rigged trial.Arrogant men sitting in judgment over Him, crowning Him with thorns, mocking and disdaining. Beating Him without mercy, nailing Him to the cross, the worst of tortures, stretched out between thieves.Miserably thirsty, utterly forsaken by His Father for the first time, the picture of complete aloneness.Hell on earth! Not just one man's hell, but the hell of billions. At any moment - in a millisecond - He could have called legions of angels to deliver Him and destroy His enemies. Instead, He bears forever the scars of sin, rebellion, mockery, and hatred ... the scars of God's gra
Fighting Pastors 2008-03-27 12:55:00 So when two high school students are producing an action film and need two extras for a fight scene, what is the responsible youth pastor thing to do? Join in!!On Tuesday two of our students were making a film and asked Aaron and I if we would help. Being the committed pastors that we are, we stepped up for our ground breaking acting debut.There is something therapeutic about beating up your students. Read more:Fighting
Expelled 2008-03-26 12:09:00 Can't wait to see this one! School is in session and Ben Stein is schoolin'!
Making It Fun 2008-03-29 00:25:00 At Grace Point our stated purpose is to Love God and Love Others to God. With that we have established five core values. They are...A simple and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:3)Commitment to grace and truth. (John 1:14)Trusting people to live for an audience of One. (1 Thess. 2:4)Diligent commitment to the cause. (2 Peter 1:5)Finding a way to make it fun. (Prov. 17:22)That last one is well, the most fun. We really do know how to have fun. Rarely is there ever a gathering whether large or small, in which there is not laughter.Seems to be the case with the folks at WKRC-TV in Cincinnati as well.May we never take life too serious to have fun.HT to Gman for video.
Change 2008-04-01 10:08:00 For many, change is not always easy. For the most part I am one who enjoys it and welcomes it. I tend to grow tired of routine and like a change of pace and scenery every now and then.As culture changes so must the Church to effectively reach it. I feel especially blessed to be a part of a church family that realizes that, and embraces needed change. This last year we underwent a major one, that being the name of our church. We went from Tigard First Baptist Church to Grace Point Community Church with very little incident. I have seen churches split over smaller, less significant matters. Read more here.Seems there is a church in Illinois that is really struggling right now with a change. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Members at Avalon Baptist church were angered to discover that the soap used Read more:Change
What Are You Doing? 2008-03-31 10:31:00 After wondering for some time about this new thing called Twitter, I finally decided to give it a try to see what the buzz was all about. Been Twittering for about a week now and have had a great time staying in touch with friends throughout the day.Watch this 2.5 minute video to see what it is all about.See my Twitter page at Click "follow" and join me.
Incarnational Living 2008-04-03 10:52:00 We as the Church are called to live as Christ; that is to live an incarnational life. By definition incarnational is a person or thing regarded as embodying or exhibiting some quality, idea, or the like. [dictionary.com] We are to embody and exhibit Christ to the world around us; both those we deem as deserving, as well as those we may not.I was so moved when I learned of Kinetic Church, a mobile, theater church in North Carolina, who had 75% of all they owned stolen. It wasn't the fact that they had nearly all their equipment stolen that moved me, but rather their response to the one who stole from them.Watch...It is stuff like this that the world needs to see from us, the Church. May we all learn what it means to truly live an incarnational life.This is how God showed his love among Read more:Incarnational
, Living
The Burn 2008-04-08 10:14:00 I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. Our student ministry along with five other youth groups will be coming together for a night of worship and fellowship. We are calling it The Burn. I am excited about it because it is the very thing the Church should be more engaged in, that being coming together as one Church to worship our Father.Aaron and our 180 Worship Team will be leading our time and I will have the opportunity to speak. I will be sharing from Ezekiel 1:26-28. The imagery that Ezekiel uses to describe his encounter with God is incredible ...“glowing metal”, “full of fire”, “brilliant light”, “rainbow”, “radiance”. It is our desire to see God in a like manner, to see Him for all His glory and to do as Ezekiel ... "When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I hea
Lord Save Us From Your Followers 2008-04-10 20:30:00 Every now and then a movie comes along that is touted as the one movie that is going to bring about great change. It is the movie that will bring revival in the Church, and/or draw many to Christ. Rarely do they deliver in such a manner. Soon to be released is a movie that if it receives a wide enough distribution, just might have some of the aforementioned affects.Lord Save Us From Your Followers is a provocative, yet highly entertaining documentary that follows in the tradition of movies like Super Size Me, Sicko, and others. It's a movie that both calls the Church to love and live like Christ, as well as one that makes an apologetic statement to society for the way we as the Church have done a better job at being divisive, as opposed to unifying, in the way we have portrayed the gos
Caffeinated 2008-04-14 09:41:00 It's no secret, I enjoy a good cup of coffee every now and then; ok maybe many cups of good coffee! It truly is one of life's greatest pleasures.After taking the Caffeine Test, I'm thinking perhaps I have been enjoying the java a bit too much!How about you? How is your caffeine level? Read more:Caffeinated
The Church United 2008-04-16 21:58:00 Just got the pictures from The Burn, our Tigard area youth worship event last week. It was so great to see nearly 200 students from around our community come together to worship their Lord. Yesterday we as youth pastors met together to discuss and dream about how we can continue to join together as a united community of people. We plan to continue to host these worship events at each others churches, and we are also dreaming about a large scale outreach event. Together it is our desire to be used of God to make sure that every student in our community has the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel of Christ.If you are viewing this post via an RSS reader you will need to go directly to my blog to view the pictures. Read more:Church
, United
The Church Connected 2008-04-21 10:39:00 I have a growing and nagging concern for the Church
. I love the Church. I believe in the Church. It is the bride of Christ and I have given my life to her, yet I feel there is something important missing.We have done a great job of pulling off great programs and ministries. We know how to preach persuasive and compelling sermons, and we know how to produce great worship experiences. Yet as much as I enjoy all these things, I am left with the feeling that there is something missing. The element missing ... community. Vital to the health of the Church is a deep sense of Biblical community. We meet together on Sunday's and various other times, but I wonder, do we really know how to experience the depth of community that Paul describes in Acts 2:44-45? The kind of community that says, Read more:Connected
Cholesterol Beans 2008-04-28 10:28:00 As much as I know my wife would love to see it, this is not a post about nutrition, green vegetables or the unwanted fatty little lipids that flow through our veins. This rather is a post about how what is heard is not always what is said.Yesterday morning in our middle school class we were doing a study on the book of Jude. Amy, one of our middle school leaders, was dong a great job leading the class, and helping them work their way through the small 25 verse long book. In verses 3 to 14 Jude writes about the sin and eventual doom of the ungodly. Where it got fun is when we hit verse 8. It reads,"In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings." Amy then had the for sight to ask the students if they understood what "celesti Read more:Cholesterol
, Beans
National Day of Prayer 2008-05-01 10:33:00 I'm not much into politics. In fact, they pretty much make me crazy. The mean spirited divisiveness is tragic. In a time in which we need to be united, we are divided. How I wish it were not so.In the midst of this volatile political season, today is the National
Day of Prayer
. It's my hope that you make each day a day of prayer. There is nothing better than walking in constant communion with God, and maintaining an open dialog of prayer through out the day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I am encouraged though by the call for all in America to come together and pray.Will you pray? Read more:National Day
Think On This 2008-05-05 14:55:00 Why do we keep hiding our deepest feelings from each other? We suffer much, but we also have great gifts of healing for each other. By hiding our pain, we also hide our ability to heal ... We are called to confess to each other and to forgive each other, and thus discover the abundant mercy of God. But at the same time, we're so terribly afraid that we may be wounded even more deeply. This fear keeps us prisoners, even when the prison has no walls! How radical Jesus' message of love is! How difficult! And how necessary! - Henri NouwenProverbs 28:13
Understanding and Parenting Your Teen 2008-05-07 18:29:00 Last night was the first part in a two part parenting workshop that I am leading entitled, "Understanding
& Parenting
Your Teen". This session deals with adolescent culture, how it came to be, what it looks like today, and how we as adults can best care for and lead students through the journey of adolescence.Unfortunately the beginning is a little goofy due to my Powerpoint remote malfunctioning.Hear the message here.Download the notes here. (.pdf format)Download Powerpoint presentation here. (.pdf format)Message is also available on my Podcast.
Understanding and Parenting Your Teen Pt. 2 2008-05-14 13:28:00 Last night was the conclusion of our Understanding
and Parenting
Your Teen workshop. Aaron did a great job of guiding parents through the often confusing and foreign world of the internet.Last week we spoke about "The World Beneath" the world that our teens retreat to due to the overwhelming sense of abandonment they feel from the adult world. A major part of that world is the world of the inte
NOOMA 020 | Shells 2008-05-19 11:49:00 As a big fan of the NOOMA series, I am pretty excited about this!NOOMA will be premiering Rob Bell's most recent offering NOOMA 020 | Shells
on Facebook this week from Monday, May 19th at 12 noon EDT to Wednesday, May 21st at 12 noon EST. It will be streamed in it's entirety.Check it out here.
Life = Risk 2008-05-23 12:40:00 Does risk scare you? Does the fear of failure stop you? If I have learned one thing from ministry, it is that failure is part of the journey toward success.I have made many mistakes in life and have failed at many ventures. I am not ashamed of that. I am thankful. It is because of risking failure that I have learned. It is in risking failure that I have found success, success that has led to
Crazy About You 2008-05-25 18:51:00 Just came across this amazing video done by Francis Chan for his Just Stop and Think web site.If you can spare 15 minutes please watch this beautifully shot video. It will make you thankful for life. It will make you thankful for the God that loves you and gave you this life to enjoy."The God of the universe is crazy about you and screaming out for your attention!" Read more:Crazy
Kingdom of Comfort 2008-05-28 18:39:00 I have really been enjoying the recent Delirious? release, "Kingdom
of Comfort". Maybe enjoying is not quite the right word. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I have been convicted by their latest project, particularly by the title track, "Kingdom of Comfort""Save me, save me from the kingdom of comfort where I am king from my unhealthy lust of material thingsI rob myself of innocenc
Change or Die 2008-06-04 16:12:00 In his recent farewell speech, Rev. Frank Page, the outgoing president of the Southern Baptist Convention, gave a stern warning. A warning that all in the Church would be good to heed....change or die."If we don't start paying attention to the realities … by the year 2030, we will be proud to have 20,000 rather than 44,000 Southern Baptist churches,'' Page said."You've got massive numbers," he Read more:Change
Transformed Lives 2008-06-11 10:38:00 I love many things about God. Perhaps the greatest thing I love about God is that He is in the business of transforming lives. He loves us and accepts us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.Hillside Christian Church in Texas made that point very clear recently with their Cardboard Testimonies.Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take Read more:Transformed
, Lives
Graduates 2008-06-18 18:33:00 It's that time of year! The time of year that we celebrate our graduating students. Each year at this time we put together two videos. One of our graduating seniors, and one of our graduating 8th graders. In each we highlight the time they have been a part of 180 Student Ministries.It goes without saying that the most rewarding part of student ministry is seeing the spiritual transformation th Read more:Graduates
Free Derek Webb 2008-07-02 18:18:00 Derek Webb is at it again! Much like what he did with his last release "Mockingbird", he is giving away his new release "Ringing Bell"! It was through his experiment of giving away Mockingbird that I first discovered Derek Webb and have been a big fan ever since.
Go to noisetrade.com, and either refer three friends or pay what ever price you want, and it's yours! Read more:Derek
No title 2008-07-01 22:13:00 This week is VBS week around Grace Point. With 130+ kids there is electricity in the air! It is so great to see so many enthusiastic kids eager to worship and learn about Jesus. As a Student Pastor it excites me to see our students so engaged! It's 180 in action and I love it! It is in my estimation, the Church at is finest; everyone coming together to impact our community for Christ.Click on
From Ordinary to Extraordinary 2008-06-23 16:37:00 Ever feel just ordinary? Ever feel like God couldn't possibly use you for His extraordinary purposes? If so, you are not alone. The truth is, God delights in taking us in our ordinary state, to use us for extraordinary things.I had the opportunity to preach yesterday and used Exodus 3:11-14; and 4:1-17, the story of Moses, to discover God's heart for using ordinary people to accomplish His extr Read more:Extraordinary
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