One of the blogs that we follow is a pastor's named Mark Batterson. He leads National Community Church in Washington, D.C. A quote from his latest post really spoke to me today. Upon visiting another church, he made this observation about how they worshipped:
"The people didn't just come to be ministered to by the Lord. They came to minister to the Lord."
That is worship on another level.
quit being so quiet!
We've started to use our P&P blog not only to keep you updated on P&P happenings, events, and community life, but also as a place to encounter ideas and exchange feedback. We'd love to hear more from you! Quit being so quiet! Let's use this as a place to continue to build our community, familiarity, and understanding of one another.
Here's a few updates (you know... the non-commenting type that you all apparently love):
Hillsong United
As the date is approaching, it seems like a few of you are wavering on your ticket requests. That's ok. We can find people who want your tickets. However, we'll be requiring that you pay for your tickets by Tuesday, April 6, at our All Team meeting. You can pay Shari for them any time before then as well. We do have them in and ready to be given to you.
All Team Meeting Change
Our next All Team meeting in April has been moved up to Tuesday, April 6, like was just stated above. This has been moved so that some of us can head over to the Tenth Avenue North/Casting Crowns concert.
April All Team Meeting: Spiritual Direction
The topic of conversation for April's All Team meeting is this question: "What is the current spiritual direction of Prairie Lakes Church?" What is the Spirit currently doing in our church as a whole? What horizons are we feeling compelled to explore? What does that mean for our ministry specifically? Hope you can join us.
Summer Trips and Retreats
Until this year, we've traditionally taken a trip to Willow Creek to attend their Arts Conference every June. Well, this year, they are not having it. I've been scouring the blogosphere and different church websites to try and find some viable alternatives. I think there are a few... but some might require a plane ticket. Also, our best bet might be to split our programming teams from our production teams for this year, as I haven't really been able to find a conference that provides a good experience for both aspects of our team. In the next couple of weeks, I'll throw some options out there and ask for your feedback as we make plans for trips in the summer and fall. Of course... we'll do our annual fall P&P retreat at a location TBD!
Thanks all! Hope you're enjoying the warm sunshine!
Here's a few updates (you know... the non-commenting type that you all apparently love):
Hillsong United
As the date is approaching, it seems like a few of you are wavering on your ticket requests. That's ok. We can find people who want your tickets. However, we'll be requiring that you pay for your tickets by Tuesday, April 6, at our All Team meeting. You can pay Shari for them any time before then as well. We do have them in and ready to be given to you.
All Team Meeting Change
Our next All Team meeting in April has been moved up to Tuesday, April 6, like was just stated above. This has been moved so that some of us can head over to the Tenth Avenue North/Casting Crowns concert.
April All Team Meeting: Spiritual Direction
The topic of conversation for April's All Team meeting is this question: "What is the current spiritual direction of Prairie Lakes Church?" What is the Spirit currently doing in our church as a whole? What horizons are we feeling compelled to explore? What does that mean for our ministry specifically? Hope you can join us.
Summer Trips and Retreats
Until this year, we've traditionally taken a trip to Willow Creek to attend their Arts Conference every June. Well, this year, they are not having it. I've been scouring the blogosphere and different church websites to try and find some viable alternatives. I think there are a few... but some might require a plane ticket. Also, our best bet might be to split our programming teams from our production teams for this year, as I haven't really been able to find a conference that provides a good experience for both aspects of our team. In the next couple of weeks, I'll throw some options out there and ask for your feedback as we make plans for trips in the summer and fall. Of course... we'll do our annual fall P&P retreat at a location TBD!
Thanks all! Hope you're enjoying the warm sunshine!
young people aren't coming.
This recent study found that while young people are just as spiritual in their beliefs as previous generations, that they are coming to church in less and less numbers.
What do you think? Do you see this being the case at PLC? Should this inform how we program our services?
What do you think? Do you see this being the case at PLC? Should this inform how we program our services?
God, send us the lost.
John Church, our Groups Coach here at Prairie Lakes, has challenged all of us on staff to do some sort of fast for the 3 weeks prior to Easter. We're fasting for 2 reasons: first, so that we can be closer to God as we're more in tune with our desires for him than any other desire; and second, so that we can more powerfully pray for our Easter services. We're about 5 days into it. I wanted to share a story with you that's come out of it.
Yesterday, my brother and I went up to Milwaukee to watch a couple of the NCAA basketball tournament games. I had never been to one of those tournament games, so I was looking forward to it. We both really enjoyed playing basketball in high school, so it was something that we had in common. My brother Josh even coached a little bit during his college days.
But as much as I was looking forward to it, I was also dreading it a little bit. I didn't know how I was going to be able to maintain my fast while I was up there. (Read: I didn't know if I was going to be able to maintain my fast while I was up there.) The fast that I'm doing requires me to eat only vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. No sugars. No meat. No caffeine. No alcohol. No breads other than whole grains.
Which of course means nothing from the concession stands, nothing from the drive-thru, nothing from the tap... nothing from the things that are normally a part of a 3 hour car ride both ways and nothing sold at a national sports venue.
I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it. I didn't know how I was going to do it. I went back and forth, back and forth in my mind, trying to discover a way for my fast to accommodate my circumstance.
Eventually, though, I decided to force my circumstance to accommodate my fast. I brought my "approved" snack foods from work in a bag, and made myself some peanut butter sandwiches and stuffed them in a Zip-loc bag into my coat pocket. We stopped at a Kwik-Trip and loaded up on some bananas, nuts, and a veggie tray for the car ride up and back. I got past security without them searching my coat.
But that's not the best part. In fact, that part of the story doesn't even matter. Who really cares if I kept my fast or not? That's not the point.
The point of the fast isn't the fast itself. The point of the fast is the purpose of the fast: to be closer to God, and to pray according to his desires and will for the Easter services.
And so I'm sitting there in my seat, waiting for the first game to start. I'm hungry. I want a pop and a hot-dog like my brother has, or some nachos like the guy next to me has.
But even more than that, I wanted God to send us the lost on Easter. Honestly. I started to pray, right then and there, for God to send us the lost on Easter. Earnestly. Genuinely. I wanted the lost. I wanted them to come. I wanted them to encounter God. Right there in Milwaukee, at an NCAA basketball tournament game, where normally I would be sipping a pop, chomping on a hot-dog, reminiscing about the glory days of high school basketball with my brother.
That's not in me... at least, that's not normally in me. I don't normally do that type of thing in those types of situations. That's God, honoring my obedience by shaping my desires to be more like his own.
God's heart burns for the lost, all the time. Even when I'm busy stuffing my face and trying to get away from it all. And I was grateful to get a picture of that.
God, send us the lost. Send us all of them... or as many as can possibly fit on our two campuses. Make our non-inviting members sick that day so that there'll be more seats for those who need to know you, or those who have yet to know you who have come on the arm of one of their friends.
Amen.
Yesterday, my brother and I went up to Milwaukee to watch a couple of the NCAA basketball tournament games. I had never been to one of those tournament games, so I was looking forward to it. We both really enjoyed playing basketball in high school, so it was something that we had in common. My brother Josh even coached a little bit during his college days.
But as much as I was looking forward to it, I was also dreading it a little bit. I didn't know how I was going to be able to maintain my fast while I was up there. (Read: I didn't know if I was going to be able to maintain my fast while I was up there.) The fast that I'm doing requires me to eat only vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. No sugars. No meat. No caffeine. No alcohol. No breads other than whole grains.
Which of course means nothing from the concession stands, nothing from the drive-thru, nothing from the tap... nothing from the things that are normally a part of a 3 hour car ride both ways and nothing sold at a national sports venue.
I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it. I didn't know how I was going to do it. I went back and forth, back and forth in my mind, trying to discover a way for my fast to accommodate my circumstance.
Eventually, though, I decided to force my circumstance to accommodate my fast. I brought my "approved" snack foods from work in a bag, and made myself some peanut butter sandwiches and stuffed them in a Zip-loc bag into my coat pocket. We stopped at a Kwik-Trip and loaded up on some bananas, nuts, and a veggie tray for the car ride up and back. I got past security without them searching my coat.
But that's not the best part. In fact, that part of the story doesn't even matter. Who really cares if I kept my fast or not? That's not the point.
The point of the fast isn't the fast itself. The point of the fast is the purpose of the fast: to be closer to God, and to pray according to his desires and will for the Easter services.
And so I'm sitting there in my seat, waiting for the first game to start. I'm hungry. I want a pop and a hot-dog like my brother has, or some nachos like the guy next to me has.
But even more than that, I wanted God to send us the lost on Easter. Honestly. I started to pray, right then and there, for God to send us the lost on Easter. Earnestly. Genuinely. I wanted the lost. I wanted them to come. I wanted them to encounter God. Right there in Milwaukee, at an NCAA basketball tournament game, where normally I would be sipping a pop, chomping on a hot-dog, reminiscing about the glory days of high school basketball with my brother.
That's not in me... at least, that's not normally in me. I don't normally do that type of thing in those types of situations. That's God, honoring my obedience by shaping my desires to be more like his own.
God's heart burns for the lost, all the time. Even when I'm busy stuffing my face and trying to get away from it all. And I was grateful to get a picture of that.
God, send us the lost. Send us all of them... or as many as can possibly fit on our two campuses. Make our non-inviting members sick that day so that there'll be more seats for those who need to know you, or those who have yet to know you who have come on the arm of one of their friends.
Amen.
ask yourself this
"Does the church that fits my personal preference and expectations bring light to the lost, surrender to the found, and compassion to the needy?"
Your thoughts?
Your thoughts?
Hillsong - we're on!
Hillsong United - we're totally going.
We purchased our Hillsong tickets today - 70 of them! We have requests for about 60, so we padded it a little bit. But, our fearless Tech Director, Dan Olsen, sat at his computer and purchased them 8 at a time (because that was the limit per purchase... good times) until we got them all.
Here's what you need to know:
We purchased our Hillsong tickets today - 70 of them! We have requests for about 60, so we padded it a little bit. But, our fearless Tech Director, Dan Olsen, sat at his computer and purchased them 8 at a time (because that was the limit per purchase... good times) until we got them all.
Here's what you need to know:
- The tickets were $33.40 apiece. So, if you want your tickets, that's what you'll be handing over to us so that you can get 'em.
- The tickets will not be mailed to us until about 5 days before the concert, but you can pay for them at any time. Get your money to Shari either on the weekends, at our All Team meetings, or stop by during the week.
- Transportation won't be provided, but we can caravan. Details on that to follow. But remember: the tickets are general admission floor seating. Nothing is reserved. Concert begins at 7:30 down in Des Moines. We might strategize a bit on who we can send early to save some seats... but the earlier you're available on Monday to go, the better. Please make plans in advance with work and other commitments. We'll give you a definite departure time as the date approaches.
All Team Meeting Date Change
Because of all of the concert dates in April in Iowa, we're gonna bump our All Team meeting up to the first Tuesday in April, the 6th. Please make the appropriate changes to your calendar.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)