My Little Fun Dip Theologian

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 11:26 am

Its amazing what you can learn from your kids. Most of you know that I started a journey through the New Testament in 30 days. This has really opened my heart and mind to learning Gods word.

Just when I thought my weekly daddy daughter date night would turn out the same as most, I pulled out a Fun Dip and my daughter went crazy. You should have seen her face…it was priceless. As we started our sugar filled adventure I was attempting to teach my daughter the correct way to eat her newly acquired snack art and you could see the look of anticipation like never before. Not surprised my daughter was soon a pro eating her fun filled treat. Just like most of us, my daughter started eating the candy stick between licks and had soon resulted to her finger. I took a quick break to answer an email and when I looked up from my BlackBerry there was my daughter with her fun dip packaged ripped open with her head tilted back savoring every ounce of fun.

At that moment I thought we need to take the Fun Dip approach to learning about God.  When was the last time you were so overly excited with Joy to learn about God that you forgot what you were doing in the moment?  Why don’t we read scripture after scripture?  Why can’t there be a desire to not stop until we consume all the Scriptures much like my daughter would not stop until all off the sugar was gone?  We don’t rip God’s word open and tip back our head because we are so desperate to know Him.  Why?  Why?

Start today, never look back and change your world one lick at a time!  Challenge yourself now.

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New Thru 30 - Day 2

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 11:20 am

Matthew 13:1 - 23:39
It didn’t take long for God to drive home a point from the scriptures so let do the same and get right to it.  In the first part of Matthew 14 we ready about John the Baptist beginning beheaded due to a dancer none the less.  In 14:12 the disciples took John’s body and buried him and then went to tell Jesus.  This is the point God revealed something awesome about our Savior.  When Jesus heard about John’s death he withdrew to a private place most likely to mourn but when he landed on the shore He had compassion on the people and began to heal them (vs. 13-14).  Wow, I would have thought Jesus would not have engaged in ministry so soon.  Why?  John the Baptist was a pillar for the faith.  John had faith before Jesus came.  He prophesied about Jesus’ coming, faithfully.  HE BAPTIZED JESUS!  Jesus could have stopped the work of the ministry because he felt sad for himself but He didn’t…and neither should we.  Press on through trials, live the Christ, much to gain and nothing to lose.

Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

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New Thru 30 - Day 1

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 11:57 am

I handed out the challenge yesterday to all who would join me in reading the New Testament in 30 days (see post).  Let me tell you day 1 was awesome and here is what stuck out to me the most.

Matthew 6:22-23
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

What we take into our hearts and lives have a huge affect on our spiritual disposition.  We have to always be on guard to what we are putting into our lives.  The statement at the end of verse 23 kicked me directly in the teeth.  “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!“  What does it mean “the light within you is darkness?”  Can light be dark and still guide our path?  I don’t think so.  The powerful imagery here is that darkness is so powerful that will consume the light in our lives and we will become spiritually dead.  Keep the light bright.  Guard your heart, pray, fast, serve, love all.
Jeff

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New Testament Challenge

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 12:06 pm

Steven Furtick, from Elevation Church, has set a challenge to read the New Testament in 30 Days.  This is a bold challenge and one that will take some effort.  I want to pass this challenge on to you.  Who is with me?  You can download the reading schedule HERE.  Let me know if you will be reading the New Testament in 30 days.

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Top 10 Blog Post for 2009!

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 12:04 pm

Thanks to google analytics here is a list of the 10 most viewed and talked about blog posts on my site in 2009:

10.  Interview with Dave Ferguson

9.  Its Time to Start Thinking Different

8.  Signs of a Dying Church

7.  Porn Again Christian

6.  25 Random Things About Me

5.  21 Questions to Ask Before Planting

4.  What I’ve Learned About Church Growth

3.  10 Rules for a Healthy Church Planter’s Marriage

2.  God, Religion and Porn!

1.  Is Being Gay Wrong

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New Year’s Resolution for Your Church

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 5:10 pm

Everyone likes a good new year’s resolution but have your ever made one for you church?  This is a great way to recast vision especially if you started to experience vision slippage at the end of 2009 (watch for a post soon about vision slippage).  The first objection to this resolution is that most resolution don’t stick or people don’t stick to the resolutions.  How can we make our church’s new year’s resolution stick in the hearts and minds of our people.

1. Make your resolution Reasonable - Don’t expect your members to automatically start bringing all their friends to church.  Lets start with a small obtainable resolution something that can be measured and celebrated.
2. Make your resolution Realistic - Lets not program God out of the equation but lets keep the resolution realistic.  Much like the first point we need to cast an expectation that your people can see.  Don’t give them a 30 thousand foot view but rather give them practical, daily resolutions.  A good way to accomplish this is to remove any will power that your people might need to exert in order to keep the Church’s resolution.
3. Make your resolution Rewarding - As stated before always make sure your resolution is measurable so you can reward your people when you stick to the resolution.  For example and I’m not against numbers but maybe you should have a goal of baptizing more people this year rather than saying we want to baptize 100 people this year.

Make 2010 be the best year the Kingdom of God has ever seen!

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10 Rules for a Healthy Church Planter’s Marriage

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 10:21 pm

There is nothing more important to a church planter than his wife.  So keeping that in mind how do you sustain your marriage through the church planting years.  Hear are the ten rules you must live and die by to protect your most important asset.

1. Set the bar low, but set it somewhere - It is difficult to make time to spend with your wife, much less take a planned vacation.  No matter what stage your church plant is in, it will require 110% of your efforts.  Spending time with your spouse can be as simple as grabbing a cup of coffee together, without the kids, a short walk together, a date to the dollar movies.  Spending time together can light that refocus your passion and will also remind both of you why this church plant is worthwhile.
2. Turn off the iPhone (or Blackberry) - You have to make sure you wife knows that she is more important than your phone.  When I say turn your phone off, I MEAN OFF.  Even if your phone just beeps or flashes when a message comes in it can become the big pink elephant in the room.
3. When there is a critical decision in your church plant make room at the table for your wife - These big decisions can change the way of life for your wife and I believe she deserve the right to be heard.  Man, if someone had told me this during the first 5 years of marriage I would have made different decisions.  God speaks through our wifes, are we listening.
4. Engage your wife in her space -  This is one of most difficult things to do but I guarantee if you do this it will increase intimacy, communication and your wife’s passion for the church plant.  When you take interest in your wife’s passions the spotlight is taken from the church plant, because we all know that is what we talk about night and day, and onto your wife.
5. Answer the phone when your wife calls - Your wife knows that you are busy and that you field 100s of messages everyday so when she calls you it is important.  Stop what you are doing, pick up the phone and give her your full attention.
6. Don’t squeeze her in - She knows if you are just calling her to call her.  The drowning sound of a busy Panera Bread at lunch time or calling her 5 minutes before the meeting will communicate that she is not important.  When you call home make sure you are not rushed and that you have time to talk.
7. Treat your wife like she is more important than the first time guests at your church - don’t you ever let your wife feel that you pay more attention to complete strangers than you do her.
8. Share the spotlight - As church planters you will get lots of attention from your members and prospective visitors.  Set your wife up for success and bring her into the light.  Your wife is the volunteer of the year. She pulls more behind the stage stunts to keep your circus act a float than you give her credit for.  Publicly acknowledged her contributions.  This will help build her creditability with your people and will ultimately show her your dedication and love.  Some things go without saying…but not this!
9. Celebrate your wins - Spend time remembering all that you went through and where God has brought you.  You might have not always been in tune but your still playing together.
10. Make her feel special in front of her friends at church - must I say more??!!!

Take if for what it is worth…just don’t forget that you can’t do it without her for lots of reason but mostly because no one else will but up with you (all us church planters are crazy)!  For more church plant inspiration check out my interview with Dave Ferguson.

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What I’ve Learned About Church Growth

Posted by admin at 10:37 pm

First, I would like to express that I do not consider myself to be a church growth expert, although I would like to become one!! I wanted to share some insights that I have discovered from some of the churches that I follow. I love to follow churches that are experiencing growth that can only be explained as a work of God. Most of these church plants have been in existence for less that five years with the exception of a few churches by they are still thinking like a church plant and not a church (there is a big difference). I started seeing some trends between these churches and here is what I learned.

1. Document Everything - Nothing is worse that to have a great outreach event or baptism and not have the media to document the event.  If you need a great video camera and your on a tight budget I recommend The Flip
2. Celebrate the Wins - This creates great moments for casting vision and reinforcing what your church is all about.  You should celebrate big wins and the small wins even if they seem too small to celebrate.
3. Never Compromise the Truth - There is a generation out there that want authenticity and they appreciate truth event if it is not PC.  God will bless your ministry if you stick to this step.  The truth can hurt but you will reap a harvest that will be worth documenting and celebrating.

So that is what I have learned about church growth.  Here is a short list of some of the churches that I follow.  If you are thinking about planting a church here is some questions you might want to ask CLICK HERE.   If are interested in planting a church in Indiana hit me up HERE.

New Spring Church
Elevation Church
Aviator Church
Coming Soon Covenant Church

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God, Religion and Porn!

Posted by admin at 10:27 am

There has been this ongoing debate about the XXX Church who is now based in Las Vegas. This Church founded by Craig Gross, ministers to the women who have been forced into the porn world so they could provide a means of income. It is not unusual to find XXX Church at the major porn conventions passing out Bibles and shirts that say, “Jesus Loves Porn Stars.” The “Church” has many stories of lives that have been changed because of their ministry. I mentioned before that XXX Church made a recent move to Las Vegas and have started another church called Strip Church (before for you get your panties in a bunch, the church is located on the Vegas strip).

There are definitely opposing Christians to this movement. The organization has posted, in the past, hate mail from conservatives and liberals a like. So, you be the judge and tell me what you think. Is this real ministry or is it just a publicity stunt?

If you are stuggling with porn you can see a post I wrote with some resources click here.

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Clean Water Saves Lives

Posted by admin at 1:49 pm

According to Living Water International, “A child will die every 15 minutes because the lack of clean drinking water.”  It takes 1 dollar to provide clean water for a year to a person in a third world country.  What the heck are we doing.  One freaking double cheeseburger or a coke from a machine and we could help save LIVES.  I am committed to save 100 lives this year.  WILL YOU?

You can help saves lives through Living Water International.

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