Tuesday Thoughts
Sorry for a lack of updates last week. I did have an interesting week. I'm NOT ready to share all my thoughts. But I do have some thoughts from the last few days.
(1) Our Sunday night service (the one we started in February) had over 40 people last Sunday. That was over half the count in the morning. Now - morning attendance is lowest in late July and August. So 40 will not be half in another months time. It won't even be 1/3, but still. The evening service is going great. The atmosphere is wonderful. Our biggest problem is going to be space. Right now the small environment with lounge chairs works well. If we have to move to a bigger space - we'll loose that. I estimate we can add another 15 people before the space issue just has to be dealt with.
(2) It has been good to have the choir back the last couple of weeks in the morning. They haven't been at full force (6 voices each of the last two weeks). But they've done a nice job and it DOES add to the morning service. We have an experiment coming up in December. During Advent we're going to run two morning services. I really pray that this will be a unifying thing. Our biggest point of division (and probably our biggest liability as a church) is that we are divided over worship style. The evening service has really helped that. But two morning services will even go further toward helping that.
(3) I was exhausted yesterday and slept much of the day because Anna demanded attention Sunday night/ Monday morning. And I ended up "sleeping" in her room on the floor from about 11:30pm till 5am. Last night she slept all the way through. Seems she sleeps well about every other night.
(4) I finished up the Galatians series on Sunday mornings last week. It was really fun and reminded me a ton about the early church history and issues. I came out feeling more and more passionate about the centrality of grace and the real evil that it is to impose rules on people that have nothing to do with the gospel.
(5) I'm digging studying the gospel of Mark right now. The series of sermons starts in September. God is really challenging me as I read and study Mark. If Jesus is as cool as Mark claims and if Jesus is who Mark says he is - then we'd better give him our all.
(6) Don't skip church till then, a brief run into Exodus is just what the Spirit ordered. For me at least.
(7) We have a parents night at Jake's school tonight. Looking forward to meeting Jake's teachers. I hear nothing but good stuff. What a blessing to have good people teaching and watching after your kids. It'll be good to meet other parents too. Should I tell them I'm a pastor? It sometimes make things strange. Perhaps I should tell people I am a spiritual leader? That sounds cooler.
(8) Last but not least. My dissertation received approval! :-) I got the note this morning. I will make two minor changes suggested by the reader, but it's approved (even without the changes). So I'm done. I've probably got less than a day's worth of work before having it out of my hands completely. Not sure whether I'll graduate in December or next summer.
(1) Our Sunday night service (the one we started in February) had over 40 people last Sunday. That was over half the count in the morning. Now - morning attendance is lowest in late July and August. So 40 will not be half in another months time. It won't even be 1/3, but still. The evening service is going great. The atmosphere is wonderful. Our biggest problem is going to be space. Right now the small environment with lounge chairs works well. If we have to move to a bigger space - we'll loose that. I estimate we can add another 15 people before the space issue just has to be dealt with.
(2) It has been good to have the choir back the last couple of weeks in the morning. They haven't been at full force (6 voices each of the last two weeks). But they've done a nice job and it DOES add to the morning service. We have an experiment coming up in December. During Advent we're going to run two morning services. I really pray that this will be a unifying thing. Our biggest point of division (and probably our biggest liability as a church) is that we are divided over worship style. The evening service has really helped that. But two morning services will even go further toward helping that.
(3) I was exhausted yesterday and slept much of the day because Anna demanded attention Sunday night/ Monday morning. And I ended up "sleeping" in her room on the floor from about 11:30pm till 5am. Last night she slept all the way through. Seems she sleeps well about every other night.
(4) I finished up the Galatians series on Sunday mornings last week. It was really fun and reminded me a ton about the early church history and issues. I came out feeling more and more passionate about the centrality of grace and the real evil that it is to impose rules on people that have nothing to do with the gospel.
(5) I'm digging studying the gospel of Mark right now. The series of sermons starts in September. God is really challenging me as I read and study Mark. If Jesus is as cool as Mark claims and if Jesus is who Mark says he is - then we'd better give him our all.
(6) Don't skip church till then, a brief run into Exodus is just what the Spirit ordered. For me at least.
(7) We have a parents night at Jake's school tonight. Looking forward to meeting Jake's teachers. I hear nothing but good stuff. What a blessing to have good people teaching and watching after your kids. It'll be good to meet other parents too. Should I tell them I'm a pastor? It sometimes make things strange. Perhaps I should tell people I am a spiritual leader? That sounds cooler.
(8) Last but not least. My dissertation received approval! :-) I got the note this morning. I will make two minor changes suggested by the reader, but it's approved (even without the changes). So I'm done. I've probably got less than a day's worth of work before having it out of my hands completely. Not sure whether I'll graduate in December or next summer.
