My Savior Lives!

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I Love Leaders!

I am grateful for the many leaders at Norkenzie Christian Church. Without leaders nothing would get done. Leaders are people who see how things could or should be and then put their heart toward it. Through godly wisdom and loving other people, leaders are used by God to build His Kingdom.

[ADVERTISEMENT: Leadership Cafe, this Sunday from 6-8pm!]

Paul wrote to the church in Rome that those who are leaders in the church need to "lead with all diligence." (Romans 12:8) The idea is to lean into your leadership responsibility and get what God is calling you to do done. Don't coast, don't defer, don't figure that someone else will do it. If you are a leader, you need to lead!

One thing that every leader needs to do is to develop their leadership. There are some "natural born leaders" but even they need to grow as godly leaders. Honestly, people willing to develop their leadership in the church are rare, for a couple of reasons, I think.

1. Many leaders in the church don't think of themselves as leaders. When they begin to read a NorkenziE-Note like this they don't make it this far because they've already moved on thinking that this message doesn't apply to them. That's tragic! We need to change that and here's why: Norkenzie does ministry in Teams! If you're on a Ministry Team then your ideas and insight is not only allowed but also needed! We are much better together. Doing Ministry in Teams means that great ideas come from all of us.
   
   
2. Those who are leaders in the church seem too busy to develop their leadership. I certainly understand this. I have lived this! Even so, we must challenge the notion. We must take time to grow. If we do not become better as a leader, the church will suffer unnecessarily. Developing our leadership keeps us from growing stale. By being challenged to grow, we stay fresh! We remain inspired! It is too easy to do church in the "same old way." Creativity needs fuel to burn... and growing as a godly leader provides the fuel!
   

Our next Leadership Cafe is this Sunday night, 6-8pm. This is a great time for us to enjoy one another's company, have some fun and grow God's church together. If you are serving on any Ministry Team, or if you would like to, please come!

The thing about leaders is that if nobody says "Here's the BIG picture. Here is who we are and what we are trying to accomplish." then a leader will just begin to lead in the direction that seems to make the most sense to them at the time. That's usually not a big deal, but if you have 50 leaders leading in 50 different directions, you can imagine the frustration! One of the benefits of the Leadership Cafe is that we are reminded who we are and what we are about. Those 50 leaders can now pull together in the same direction. We call this "flying in formation" or being in "alignment." Leading together is a beautiful thing!

So, I love leaders! Leaders want to do stuff. Without them, nothing gets done. With them, the mission of the church is advanced and God receives great glory through our lives!

See you on Sunday!
Neil

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One Verse

Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah.

1 Samuel 25:1

Samuel was the greatest prophet that Israel had ever seen. He was used by God beginning when he was a young child. He anointed Saul the King over Israel. He anointed David the next King over Saul. Samuel had these two books of the Bible named after him. He was a mighty prophet o God, and yet when he died, there was one (1) verse written about it.

Yes, the nation of Israel mourned his death, but by verse 1b, the text has moved on.

Samuel, of course, is an eternal being like the rest of us. He was waiting for Israel’s Redeemer. When Jesus went and preached to those waiting, I’m sure Samuel was in that number and is now forever with his God. But when it comes to this life, regardless of what we’ve accomplished or accumulated, we all get one verse. One verse to acknowledge and celebrate (or not) our lives. One day that people will eulogize us. One season where we’ll be remembered, and then life goes on. The people on the earth keep living their lives and society continues to churn away.

In this same chapter in 1 Samuel is the story of Nabal. He was very wealthy and very wicked. The story is engaging, for sure. Even so, Nabal got a verse.

About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.

1 Samuel 25:38

What we need is a sober perspective on our lives. We’re in the ‘thick’ of living and things seem so critical and important – and certainly we need to live our lives well – but those who were in the thick of living 100 years ago… only 100 years ago… they are long gone.

How does this help me? Well, if it doesn’t depress me, it can lay perspective and priority over my life! My relationship with God is my most important pursuit simply because He is the One who will usher me into eternity after my ‘one verse’ is written. Jesus is the One who has my eternity in His hands. He is gracious and patient with me, but I cannot neglect my relationship with Him.

And because only ‘one verse’ will be written for all of us, my relationship with others takes priority. My life is to be used up for God’s glory and for leading others to the abundant, eternal life that Jesus offers. After their ‘one verse’ is written, what else will matter?

Are there any other pursuits more important than these two? None that I can see. Nothing else will matter when my last verse is written.

Lord Jesus, I live for You! Thank You for Your love and compassion for me. Thank You for saving me. My eternity is with You. Help me to live this day with that day in mind.

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With A Word

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."

Matthew 8:16-17

With a single word Jesus drove out from people evil spirits that were possessing them. With just a word! When the two violent demon-possessed men in the Gadarenes encountered Jesus, they spoke many more words than Jesus did.

"What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

He said to them, "Go!"

Matthew 8:29-32

These evil spirits could only yield to the Son of God.

Jesus said ‘Quiet. Be still.’ and the raging storm became calm. With a single ‘Be healed’ the sick and lame were cured of their diseases. This God spoke and all of creation was made. He is Almighty and nothing is too difficult for Him. Nothing is impossible.

What word do I need Jesus to speak into my life? What single word…

Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening. Any word from You is a demonstration of Your love and grace because I do not deserve anything from You. Any good thing that comes from my life is a demonstration of Your power for I was a dead man who is now alive! Show Yourself strong and powerful through my life this day – all for Your glory.

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Fruit Inspectors

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psalm 54:4

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.

Matthew 7:15-16

Matthew 7 is more famously known for verse 1 – “Do not judge or you too will be judged.” This verse is often memorized and processed back as, “Don’t judge me! Don’t you judge me!!”

It’s interesting that only a few verses later Jesus says to watch out for the false prophets. Be on your guard, pay attention… protect yourself from these false teachers. And how will you recognize them? Not by outward appearances because they’ll look just the same as everyone else. No, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing! You will recognize them, Jesus said, by their fruit.

As one of the ‘spiritual matriarchs’ in my life once said, “We are not to judge, but we do inspect fruit!” A good tree will produce good fruit. A bad tree will produce bad fruit. You will know a tree and the health of that tree by its fruit.

Lord Jesus, You are my help and the One who sustains me. Help me be the one who sees the plank in my own eye before the speck in someone else’s eye. Help me to discern those who would be ferocious wolves so that I can guard my life and my family against what they would seek to do. You are my God, the One who sustains me. You are my help and I honor You this day.

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Sunday Reflections & Sanctuary Chairs

He is risen!

What an amazing day of worship we had this past Sunday! I'll remember Easter 2009 for a quite a while, I know. It occurs to me that the early church began meeting together on Sundays because that was the day Jesus rose from the dead. For us who believe, every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday!

A BIG thanks to so many in the church family who loved and prepared and prayed our way to such a wonderful day. We were able to host many friends and guests who joined us because of your servant-hearted attitudes. In spite of the rain, there were many who parked at the Swim & Tennis Club. As a result, we had enough parking on our campus. The total attendance for both services was 607, so thank you for being like Jesus and loving all who came. We saw that on display in many ways!

The Leadership was excited to spring on the congregation our 'Easter Surprise.' How fun! The new Sanctuary Chairs were not rented just for Easter Sunday (a few thought that!), they were the result of a generous gift by one of our Norkenzie families. The Facilities Upgrade Team painted the walls of the Sanctuary last week. The Grounds Ministry Team poured hours into the exterior landscaping and our newly formed Facilities Ministry Team made the church building sparkle. Thank you everyone!

Sanctuary Chairs Project

The beauty and function of the Sanctuary Chairs is amazing! (Honestly, they are much better than I anticipated.) Now that half the Sanctuary has them, we would like finish the project! Would you like to be involved?

There are some significant improvements that come with the chairs:

• Beauty
• Comfort
• Versatility
• Improved Sound
• Increased Capacity

Of course Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Comfort! There are already people who have dozed off in these chairs (kidding). The chairs are stackable. This means that the room is suddenly multi-purpose, giving us Versatility. We could roll round tables in there for a Sweetheart's Dinner or a Leadership Cafe if we wanted. We've already noticed Improved Sound in the Media Ministry. Our 'Quonset Hut' is a very difficult room for our sound tech volunteers. The chairs work like the acoustic panels on the back wall, which is very helpful! Finally, we will have Increased Capacity in our seating (from 240 to 265; a 10% increase). Some of our Ushers have already commented that it is very easy to see where available seats are located with the chairs. This will help them serve our guests who show up just a little bit late!

We have 134 chairs and need 134 more to finish the project. The cost for each chair is $62. Please consider 'sponsoring a chair' or a whole row of chairs. I'm thinking about sponsoring one for each of my children (Wait a minute... what am I thinking!? I'm going to need some help with that...). Maybe you want to sponsor a chair for that person you are praying for to receive Christ. That is beautiful and is the reason we exist...

Wouldn't it be great to finish the project this summer? Absolutely! Please call or email Darrell Ulm (485-8564, darrell@norkenzie.net) if you would like to participate.

Have a great Tuesday!
Neil

p.s. If you are interesting in having one of the out-going pews, you may for a donation of any size to the Sanctuary Chairs Project. We are moving them as quickly as possible, so call or email Darrell soon.

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NorkenziE-Note: Easter Weekend!

Hello Everybody!

Here's a few things to remember this weekend:

• It's Good Friday! If you venture out today, turn your headlights on to honor the One who is the Light of the world! He died for us... let's live for Him!

• Let's make room for our friends who visit us on Sunday. You can do this by coming early; parking with me down at the Swim & Tennis Club and walking the block; sitting 'up & in' for worship (leaving the back and outside seats for our guests) OR sitting in the overflow seating in the Fireside Room.
  

• You are officially on the Welcome Center Team this Sunday. Greet new people and make them feel welcomed!

Would you also pray, pray, pray? As we celebrate this Resurrection Sunday there will be people who are looking for Hope. Pray that they find Jesus this Easter!

Without question, you are the best church family a guy could have! Thanks for all that you do to advance the Kingdom of Heaven through our church. I'll tell you this, the church building and grounds have never looked so good! For all of those who have poured hours into our campus this Spring, thank you. I believe that people will be inspired and Jesus glorified through your service for Him.

He's the Risen Lord!! He deserves all praise from us!

Have a blessed and reflective Good Friday and I'll see you on Sunday morning!

Gratefully,
Neil

p.s. Don't forget to invite somebody. Even if you think they'll say 'no,' don't say their 'no' for them! You never know how God is working in their life. If the Lord puts someone on your mind and heart, ask them to join you for Easter Services this Sunday!

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Out From Behind The Baggage

6 The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.

9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.

26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.

1 Samuel 10

The way a person can be changed is if God does it. If God touches them by the power of His Spirit, they can become altogether different. This happened to Saul. He was changed to the point where people noticed and questioned it.

When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

1 Samuel 10:11

This change can be dramatic, but it must be embraced by the person. Knowing the story of Saul’s life, we wonder if that happened. Fear can keep us from God’s best for us. Even though God was touching and changing Saul so that he could become Israel’s king, Saul’s fear worked against God’s plan for him.

So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

1 Samuel 10:22

God’s Spirit is powerful to change the human heart… my heart! But sometimes I’m hiding among the baggage. I can be uncertain about God’s plan. I can be fearful about how I am being led. I can be like Peter who, instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, began looking at the waves around him (Matthew 14:25-30). Because of fear he began to sink. ‘Lord save me!’ became his cry, and Jesus did. He is powerful to save!

However the Spirit is working to touch and change my heart, I want to embrace that fully – regardless of the potential outcomes. Regardless of the circumstances… regardless of my fear, I receive the work of the Spirit in my life.

Spirit, change me this day. Touch my heart and make me like Jesus. I know that You have the best in mind for me, so I come out from hiding and I trust You. I embrace everything that you choose to do in my life. Be glorified through me this day.

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A Holy Reminder

Hello on this Maundy Thursday!

Maundy Thursday is what we call this day on Passion Week. It's the day when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples in the large upper room (Matthew 26:17-30). This was when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, a memorial feast that we celebrate every Sunday! He washed the disciples feet (John 13) and told Judas to go do what he was about to do quickly. All the disciples, especially Peter, said that they would lay down their life for Him. To Peter Jesus said, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!" Before the next morning dawned, Peter did exactly that.

Jesus would, on this Thursday night, agonize in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked His Father to take this 'cup' away from Him. But although He did not want to die, He would do the Father's will, not His own. Soon after, in the darkness of night, Jesus was arrested. In the early morning he was put on trial and condemned. By Noon Jesus was hanging on the cross. Darkness enveloped the land. Around 3pm on Friday Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. A death He didn't deserve. The Just for the unjust. The Righteous for the unrighteous.

Jesus was buried in a tomb, carved out of rock. He was wrapped in linens and place inside. A large stone covered the opening of the tomb. Armed soldiers guarded the entrance. The Son of God was dead...

But there's more to the story...

And we're going to celebrate!

Invite your friends, family and neighbors to worship with you at Norkenzie. We'll celebrate together this Resurrection Sunday at 9am or 11am! (Yes, Children's Ministry will be happening!)

Neil

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The 411 - Ministry Teams

Q. Why do we emphasize ministering in teams?
It’s true! At Norkenzie Christian Church we have a Ministry Team approach to fulfilling our mission as a church family. There are reasons for this.

Biblical Reasons

The Bible describes the church as the family of God and the Body of Christ. These are powerful images that communicate the fact that we are all interconnected. We need each other. Paul wrote in Romans 12:

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:4-5

God created us with a need for community. In the church it is more than a nice option, we actually belong to one another. I need your gifts and you need mine if we’re going to fully be the Body of Christ and represent Jesus to our community.

This past Saturday I read a well known Christian leader’s ‘tweet’ on Twitter that said: “Tmrw message: If I, as pastor, do for you what God has called you to do, I fail at my task, you fail at yours, & the mission of God suffers.”

What he said well (in 140 characters or less!) was the biblical principle found in Ephesians 4, which says:

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13

It’s true that not all of us are Elders or Pastors or Teachers, but all of us ARE Ministers. We all have ‘works of service’ that God has called and equipped us to do! I liked the tweet! It was challenging to me. If I do other people’s ministries then I’m not doing my ministry, I’m stealing the joy of service from others and none of it gets done very well. The mission does suffer.

So, we work in Teams! As people grow in their relationship with Jesus and discover more of the gifts and talents that He has given them, they join with others in accomplishing greater goals through the church than any of us could do alone! We are a part of the Body of Christ, working together to strengthen the Body and give testimony to our community about the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Practical Reasons

If you were given the task of teaching 120 children about Jesus, could you do it on your own? Hahahaha… we laugh at the thought! How could I teach 120 children of varying ages about anything? This is a very practical reason for Ministry Teams. We cannot do much of anything on our own. We need each other!

What’s more, in Ministry Teams good ideas can become even better! I’ve seen it hundreds of times. A good idea is thrown out to the Team and then creative juices begin to flow! One idea leads to another. One ‘what if’ prompts another ‘what if’ and before long the initial good idea has become a GREAT idea! This doesn’t happen much when you are by yourself. You need a group of people who care about that ministry. There’s a word for this. It’s called “synergy.” Synergy only happens when we work together! And good ideas become great.

What about Committees?

Committees are fine - we just don’t have committees! The main distinction I make between a committee and a Ministry Team is this: While both committees and Ministry Teams have meetings and make decisions, committees decide who is going to be recruited to do what they’ve decided to do, while Ministry Teams are the one who are going to do what they’ve decided. What’s great about this is that the people who are actually doing the ministry are the ones leading and making decisions about the ministry.

In our church we are all under the spiritual leadership of our Elders. For many years these men have consistently empowered our Ministry Teams to do the work of ministry. Our Elders faithfully do the work they’ve been called to do in shepherding, encouraging and guiding the church family. And guess what!? They work as a Team!

Ministry Teams – a beautiful thing in the Kingdom of Heaven and at Norkenzie!

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