Pastorpreneur

Marriage, Ministry, and the Power of Prayer

Our church (www.cvcwired.com) just finished a 3 week series on "Six Secrets of a Satisfying Marriage".  During that series, we had several significant moments, including a video series of questions with couples, young and old.  God clearly moved throughout the series.

This past weekend was the final weekend and I felt like God wanted us to enter in to people's pain and their joys.  Pam was able to share with me in the teaching and joined me for the last five minutes of the teaching time.  I addressed some really intense subjects (living together, divorce) in the context of focusing on committment and Christ.  Then, at the end of each service, our worship leader led in a beautiful worship song that she ministered to our congregation while we had couples around the auditorium.  For a number of minutes, we had a beautiful season of prayer. 

I think there is never more pain in my pastoral experience than in the topic of marriage; probably parenting is the second most pain filled subject.  I felt like God's Spirit moved today in our midst and we were able to see hope flourish with many of our people.

Proverbs 3:5-6...

Comfort Zone? Hah!

I'm not at liberty to reveal the details...

I can't discuss the specifics....

But let's just say I've been not even near the radar screen of my comfort zone for over a week now...

Resolution will come this week at  so don't miss the services....at CVC (www.cvcwired.com)

Variety is the Spice of Life...

I realize I've been getting VERY slack in my blog postings.  Sorry.  :-(  I also know that I'm definitely in summer mode...wanting to read and relax more, golf and fish more, and hang out at home more with the family.  Something about living in a resort area....

SO...in the interest of giving you at least a "birds eye" view of the last few weeks since my last post, let me let you see the birds eye view...SInce my last post on June 3rd, we have:

*  Met with good friend Ray Johnston of Bayside Church (www.baysideonline.org)

* Taught our monthly Oasis (deeper teaching and deeper worship gathering) and shared the vision of Giving Hope, where we will purchase a building for our Dayton campus, build a new worship center for our Minden campus and make existing space available for our Student & Children's Ministries at CVC (www.cvcwired.com) 

*  Made a very quick trip to Florida to meet with GA Repple folks about capital campaigns with Growing Healthy Churches (www.growthcampaign.com), an organization I work with that does church planting, church transformations, and works with church movements

*  Went to our neice's graduation in Reno.  On the same weekend, we had an AWESOME experience with Bill Butterworth speaking at our weekend services and then doing a Communicators Institute for our existing and emerging speakers.  It was great.  Email me at john@cvcwired.com so I can tell you more about it...

*  Went to my two youngest children (ages 9 & 11) year end assembly and then presented Leveraging Your Leadership Style to a hospital group in Sacramento the next day and visited a really great church in Twin Cities, CA. (http://www.tccfamily.com/)

* Met with several local pastors and key staff people.  Had an extended meeting with our Creative Arts Production Team--which was so cool because I really sense God is molding them together into a powerful team.

*  Confirmed with Abingdon Press (www.abingdonpress.com) release schedule for Leveraging Your Communication Style and the simultaneous re-release of Leveraging Your Leadership Style (with both now in hardback) which will be in September and God-Sizing Your Church, which will release in October of this year.  So....God is really working overtime with me in the writing area via Abingdon.  Most of these projects were developed in the past year, JUST as I was going through INSANE amounts of transition in our leadership...and God has been so faithful.

*  Had 3 great Father's Day Services where we kicked off our "6 Secrets to a Satisfying Marriage" series and had both good crowds and great comments.  Many people kicked in this weekend and did some amazing stuff, including a hamburger BBQ for dads, and free books for all dads.  We had probably 15-20 families ask for specific prayer for their marriages and I am believing God for miracles!

On top of all this, God is really doing a very cool work in many areas at CVC (www.cvcwired.com) that I can't announce just yet...but hang on CVC'rs so that we can have a God-sized fall ministry season.  I've got a clear sense that He is taking us towards new territory and we are totally going to trust HIM in this season.   

Thank You for praying, believing, and watching what God does in our lives!

Finished the Conspiracy Race!

I've been feeling like I'm caught in the middle of a conspiracy...from 4/15-5/25 this year, I've had more trips/conferences/graduations/special events that I can ever remember.  My theory is that it was a conspiracy by people who saw that Easter was extra early this year.

In the last six weeks I have:

-prepared and taught at all of CVC's (www.cvcwired.com) weekend services except one

-led all our staff meetings except one

-written

-done a painful memorial service

-attended and spoke at 4 conferences (Thrive, Hit the Bullseye, Great Commission Network, Purpose Driven Summit)

-Did 2 family graduations (one more coming up in two weeks)

-helped 2 churches with capital campaigns (including our own Dayton campus)

-lots of other stuff including appointments, etc.

GLAD to be home without conferences/trips for a while.  Saw two movies in the last two days with Pam and the boys (Narnia/Caspian which I thought was great and Indiana Jones which was also great but very different than expected).

Conferences and Trips are great, but there is no place like my own bed, and my own church!  Can't wait for the weekend at CVC...we've got a great Memorial Day weekend planned...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

For about 25 of the past 29 years in ministry, I have done some level of traveling.  Some years more, some years less.  Right now I'm in Lima Ohio for a "Hit the Bullseye" conference put on by Growing Healthy Churches, an organization I am part of that helps congregations change, new churches get planted, and supports church movements.

I speak for them every year at this event, the last two years in the Bay Area.  This year, they are doing the event in the Midwest, and next year will do the event in Florida and perhaps one other location.  I enjoy the people (many of them good friends in ministry), and I enjoy the event.

I just miss home (coming home tomorrow!).  Yes, I miss my family..that's a total given.  But what always surprises me when I'm at a ministry event is that I miss my church family.  I miss the worship we do, and the people, and the sense of  "home" that CVC is.

Can't wait until the weekend at CVC...we're finishing up our "Living the Generous Life" series....which has been amazing!

Thrive 2008 in the books!

One of the conferences that I DEARLY love to be part of is called "Thrive"...hosted by awesome friends Ray Johnston, Scott Schaull, and the dear people of Bayside Church.  You can visit the Thrive website for additional information.

Key speakers this year were Sherwood Carthen, Miles McPherson, Ray Johnston (his session got booted due to an energetic worship experience led by Israel Houghton and his band), Brennan Manning, and Frances Chan.

Normally we take our entire staff and spouses and make this a staff experience of sorts.  This year, for a variety of reasons, we did not take the entire staff.  So just my wife Pam and I, along with our new Executive Pastor Craig and his wife Deborah were in attendance.  I taught two workshops on Leveraging Your Leadership Style and on Leveraging Your Communication Style (note...10/08 release date).  Both workshops went VERY well...and I had a blast.

Some conferences are worth going back to every year...this is always a huge ministry experience.  Awesome experience again this year...amazing sessions. Check it out!

Ministry Network

Outside my local church leadership role (www.cvcwired.com) and my writing and consulting work(www.pastorpreneur.com), I have 5 additional relationships where I do other ministry work.  I've had the priviledge of meeting some of you in my travels with these groups:

1)  Growing Healthy Churches (www.growinghealthychurches.org) where I work with groups of people to plant new churches and transform existing churches.

2)  Thriving Churches Network through my good friends Ray Johnston and Scott Shaull and company of Bayside Church (www.baysideonline.com)

3) EQUIP (www.iequip.org) , where I serve international ministry partners in Kenya as an Associate Trainer

4) Tozer Theological Seminary (http://www.simpsonuniversity.edu/tozer/), where I work with dean Robb Redman to coordinate the Effective Leadership Track and teach as an adjunct faculty member in the areas of Leadership and Church Administration.

5) Eduplex, an emerging company founded by an individual within our church, which focuses on relational on-line education

There are many times when those 5 areas end up being a juggling act....but the truth is, I thrive on the multi-faceted nature of those activities and they all end up benefiting my role as the Founding and Senior Pastor of CVC (www.cvcwired.com)

Good Ministry in Hard Times

Those of you in ministry know what it is like to do ministry and serve Christ, "out of season".  Sometimes the pain of a relationship, of a decision, or of a circumstance makes ministry particularly rough.

Today I did a Celebration of Life service for a 5 week old baby.  HARD circumstances for the parents who are in between moving back to our area and had been gone for 7 months in a new area.  Hard times for their family of 3 children, and their extended family.  Painful ministry today...but good.  So proud of Roy Conover who sang, Steve and Dave who played and ran sound, and our Children's Ministry providing food for the family and participants.  Many people volunteered to help usher and support the family.   They will need our help for quite some time, I'm sure...but God is faithful.

Good ministry...hard times.

Original Four

Had a cool night this Friday night.  Our church (www.cvcwired.com) was planted with four couples and 12 children.  We've recently celebrated our 10th birthday and most of the original four came up here (or one couple was already here) and started gathering a core about 10 months earlier.  So...we have all been together for about 11 years now.

Gene and Barbara Jackson are doing Christian Times newspaper and continue to serve behind the scenes at CVC

Roy and Tracy Conover are the Congregational Care Pastor and Children's Pastor of CVC respectively and doing a great job.

Jack & Cheri-Li Negrete are the Campus Pastor and Administrator of our Dayton campus respectively and also doing a great job.

John & Pam Jackson are serving as the Senior Pastors of the church (that takes both of us!) and Pam is active in our women's ministry and prayer ministry at CVC.

We had a great time in fellowship...thought about lots of growth and lots of pain over 10 years.  I suspect that in another 10 years if the Lord continues to allow, we'll be sharing lots more growth and lots more pain.  The cool thing?  Each one of us said it was worth EVERY sacrifice we have made to experience the miracle of God that is CVC...

Good times...

Vacation Return and Spring Surmisings

Well, I'm on my 10th day back from a seminar/vacation with the good folks at Bob Harrison's organization (www.increase.org)   Had a glorious time there, particularly hearing from John Bevere Messenger International .  Spent 3 days on vacation in Maui, and had a blast.

Since coming back, I have taught at Oasis (our once monthly deeper worship/deeper teaching at CVC , had an uncountable number of meetings, had our once monthly Accountability Team (our board of directors) meeting, preached our weekend services, had our once monthly all staff meeting (about 30 people who serve in a variety of roles at CVC), and more meetings.  I "think" I'm caught up...but not sure :-)

My dad used to say that if you are gone for a week, it takes you a week to catch up.  That's probably roughly true, but I think it all depends on the season.  Which brings me to an early Easter date (I'm not in favor) and then what happens for April/May...the treadmill goes nuts!

I've got several conferences coming up in April/May and I think it is because people took advantage of the early Easter in 2008 to cram in more activity in April/May than normal.  Would you be in favor of a fixed date for Easter like they have in the Eastern Orthodox church?  I'm for the first or second Sunday in April...what say you?