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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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Don’t go to church!

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 10:00 pm

That is right, I am asking everyone not to go to church but instead to be the church.  How about we raise up a generation that is passion about Kingdom work and not afraid to stand up for Jesus.  It is not enough to just stand on the side lines it is time to get in the game.  So how can we be the church?

1.  Make church and your relationship with God a priority.

2.  Don’t sit back and let the hired guns (your pastors) do all the ministry.  Ministry is meant for the people!

3.  Go for broke! (this is my current life saying…take no prisoners…charge hell with a water pistol…you get it!)

4.  Live your life through the eyes of Jesus.

5.  As Perry Noble says, “Kick Satan in the cookies.”

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Interview with Dave Ferguson

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 2:18 pm

I just want you to know how much I respect Dave Ferguson the pastor of Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL.  I’m an aspiring church planter and I am doing as much research as I can to prepare for the future.  I thought it would be smart to talk to the guys who are planting and learn from their experience (thanks @kevinrapp for pushing me over the edge).  I hit Dave up on Twitter asking him if he would discuss church planting with him and he immediately responded.  I sent him some questions and here are his responses:

1.  If you had to plant all over again what would you do different?

First, if your vision is to be a reproducing church (and I hope that is the case!) than the one thing I would do over was have 2-3 apprentice church planters/campus pastors on my team.  I would have them raise their own money to do a leadership residency with the plan that within 12-24 months we would either reproduce a new church or site.

Second, we should have raised more money.  It was very tight for us from the beginning.  I think God used that – but it was tight.

(I’m answering this question with the assumption that a reproducing infrastructure of small groups is essential to becoming a reproducing church)  I think one of the great challenges is getting second generation reproduction from your small groups.  If your staff team all starts small groups it is a challenge to get the small groups to believe that they will do great under the new leadership of a lay person.  Once you break threw that second generation of small group reproduction you will see real momentum.

Both.  I believe that with a close proximity that multi-site will give you a bigger return but requires greater leadership.  If you can’t do both – do church planting.

Make sure you hear from God everyday. If you hear from God everyday and obey him and teach your people to hear from God everyday and obey him – you will plant a church that will give birth to a missional movement.

Once again, thanks Dave!  I hope this interview helps you as much has it will help me.  I am going to continue to interview guys that are swinging away in the field.  If you have any questions you would like me to ask or people I should interview hit me up here.

If you are interested in planting you should read this post.

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Keep preaching pure

Posted by Jeff Jackson at 12:10 am

Church Marketing Sucks came out with a post this week in response to John Piper’s post talking about how he does not support the use of videos in sermon. He believes that we are not relying on the power of there scripture if we use video. Click on over to read more and give you opinion.

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