Halfway through week 1…
Posted by Chapy on July 3rd, 2008 filed in LifeComment now »
So, we’re halfway through week 1 of the July Prayer Challenge. Here’s some things I’ve been lifting up to our faithful Creator…
*Wisdom - in all things, but especially decision making
*Marriage - my beautiful bride Jenna (her unique gifts and desires) and my ability to love & husband her well
*Forefront Church - the new church plant in Denver, our vision, God’s calling and direction, and the staff of Brett, Ron, and Ryan.
What are you praying about?
Discouraged…
Posted by Chapy on July 2nd, 2008 filed in LifeComment now »
Sometimes life just gets rough…everywhere…
It’s like that old saying, when it rains, it pours.
So what do you do when you get discouraged? For better or worse, what are your default responses? Steven Furtick wrote a great little post about it here if you’re looking for some help.
Let me know!
July Prayer Challenge
Posted by Chapy on June 30th, 2008 filed in Church2 Comments »
So yesterday was a BLAST at BCC. I hope you enjoyed hearing the Word of God as much as I enjoyed relaying it. Something to do now though, as a lot of people stopped and brought it up after both services. That whole prayer journal thing. I’m going to start taking down what God is teaching me through times of prayer, and looking back weekly at what I see Him saying, doing, et al. What about you? I think our encouragement of seeing God’s hand in our lives only increases when we see those stories happening everywhere around us. So, here’s the challenge:
For the month of July, pray EVERY DAY at an intentional time, take down the things you pray about, and then at the end of every week, share with the group what you’ve learned/experienced by commenting on the blog. God is AWESOME and it should be fun!
Happy Praying!
A little example of how to reach well…
Posted by Chapy on June 23rd, 2008 filed in Things to steal from cultureComment now »
So I was searching for an old evaluation online today for the sermon on Sunday. It’s a Marital Rating Scale from a guy named George W. Crane (a Ph.D, M.D.) from the 1930’s. I found what I was looking for at an online Scribd, the self-acclaimed “World’s largest document sharing community.” Here’s what was so cool about that, I got an email after I registered that read like this:
“Hi! I’m Jason, community guy at Scribd, and I’m happy to be the first to welcome you to the world’s largest document sharing community!
We’re really glad you’ve joined us, so here are a few tips to help you get started:”
Brilliant! A great, unobtrusive welcome and an immediate guide to the next steps that the common person would need. Tony Morgan just talked about this in a post he titled “Hierarchies Versus Paths” (an idea he saw here at 37signals.com)
The email even ended with the following phrase:
“Have any questions? Click here for answers to our most frequently asked questions or feel free to email me at contact@scribd.com.”
What a great reminder and example of how to speak in a language that people understand, well done Scribd!
Rejoice in suffering…
Posted by Chapy on June 22nd, 2008 filed in Church1 Comment »
This upcoming Sunday (June 29) I get to preach in “Big Church” at BCC. My passage? 1 Peter 4:12-19 mainly. Here’s the key phrase:
“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” - 1 Pt. 4:13 (NIV)
What do you think? How do you handle your attitude during suffering?
Edith Wickert
Posted by Chapy on June 21st, 2008 filed in ChurchComment now »
Today we celebrated an incredible life and an incredible legacy. Edith Wickert, one of the matriarchs of Burke Community Church, passed on into glory earlier this week. There was a memorial service at BCC today, and you should have seen the people. It was a testimony not just to Edith, but to the God she placed her life around. If I could summarize today as a reflection of Edith, Jesus is LORD, and living for Him is undeniably the best, most satisfying thing we could ever do…
Like I said, and incredible legacy…
What do you want your legacy to be?
The Big Move
Posted by Chapy on June 20th, 2008 filed in Life7 Comments »
So just an FYI, I’m 26 years old. Coincidently, I’ve lived in Sweet Virginia for 26 years. All my amazing math friends can tell you that means I’ve never moved. I’m pretty excited honestly… but I haven’t had to pack yet, so, I know a lot of you have moved before, anything I should know? Any tips you can share? Any encouragement? I’d love it!!
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, no, I will NOT become anything other than a Redskins fan…
Because I’m a Christian…
Morning?
Posted by Chapy on June 19th, 2008 filed in LifeComment now »
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Why Jesus? Really? VERY early? A good friend and I were talking about this just yesterday, and the intentionality, discipline, and sure-footedness (just coined that, 25c a use) of it.
What’s your routine/habit/involuntary wake-up call? Why, and what do you like/dislike about it? Do share, the world could very well hinge on your insight!