Reflections From Sunday Evening

Easter! He is risen! What a day. With our construction project and the temporary loss of many parking spaces we went off site for Easter services. Park Hill South High School proved to be a great location. Very ample parking. A great performing arts center. It went very well. It was amazing to watch our people go far above and beyond to make this Easter a memorable day. Many people worked for hours to take equipment and supplies to the site. We planned and planned and then carried it out. All I did was preach a few times but our people made the services a source of blessing and hospitality. Thank you. A little rain and snow could not dampen the spirit of our Platte Woods family. It appears that the Resurrection of Jesus proves greater than logistical challenges, weather that is just weird and unfamiliar surroundings. But that really should not surprise us. After all, the Resurrection of Jesus has proven greater than death and hell itself! He is risen! He is risen indeed! It's been a great day. I hope you've had a great day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

In her book, "Dare to Serve" Cheryl Bachelder defines Servant Leadership by saying "servant leaders are courageous enough to take people to a daring destination, yet humble enough to selflessly serve others on the journey." Today we were talking about servant leadership in the context of Jesus' entry to the city of Jerusalem that initiated what we have come to call "holy week". Jesus gives us an example of servant leaders who lead with courage and humility. Another part of this mindset informs our attitude toward those we serve. Who do we serve? In Jesus time the religious leaders would give the impression that the Temple was intended to be served by the people. By the time Jesus got down with people there would be an idea that the Temple was meant to serve the people. So what do we do with this servant leader idea in our day? We in the Church are clearly meant to serve others. So what does this look like? I sometimes get the idea that we confuse serving with catering. A caterer is a person employed to provide and serve food. That is a basic definition. A group hires someone to make preparation, set up, serve, and clean up. It is important that we do not confuse servant leadership in the Church with catering. A servant leader will inspire people to join in a daring destination. A servant leader leads with courage and humility. A servant leader involves others in moving toward the daring destination of God's greatest plans and purposes. Let's join in serving rather than catering. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

How do you discover your talents? Some are obvious. Some people manifest talent at an early age. A child prodigy has a knack for playing the piano and it shows up when they are two years old. A little guy seems extra coordinated and looks like they will have some great athletic talent. In elementary school a student is the one everyone looks to and shows leadership talent. Some sing and others draw. There are some people whose talents seem to jump out and everyone can see them. Not everyone is like that. For various reasons some people find themselves developing in life wondering what it is they can do. Whether talents have appeared obvious for years or they seem elusive everyone can do some things to discover their truely God given talents. This assumes everyone has some talent, skill or ability. Today I used the illustration of driving to the church each day and being amazed at those who operate heavy excavation equipment. I would not know how to start one of those things! I see iron workers doing things that absolutely amaze me. At the same time I realize most of those talented people would rather die than stand up in front of a crowd of people and talk! We all have talents. Here is the window I believe we could look through to discover our talents. Daydream. What do you find yourself thinking about and imagining? What are your hopes, dreams and aspirations? Too many people have their dreams and ideas but make a faulty assumption. They assume they could never actually do any of them. But perhaps our dreams are meant to reveal talents that God has planted in our lives. Have you put your talents to use? That was the point of our message today. Use it or lose it. You have talents, gifts and abilities. Use them to God's glory and honor and be amazed at what God will accomplish through you. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

35 years ago we printed up "I Wish" cards and invited people to fill them out in church. An "I Wish" card might include things such as... I Wish... We would sing (a favorite song/hymn) The preacher would talk about.... Someone would call on.... We had a class on... We would pray for... The list would go on and on. Of course the key was in the follow up. If all we did was have someone "wish" for something the work was not finished. We needed to sing, preach, pray or visit in response to the people's wishes. That may have been an old method but it occurs to me that people still sit in church and "wish". We continue to be people with ideas, dreams, hopes, vision and thoughts about ministry. So what are your hopes for your church? What are your dreams for ministry? In what ways would you see the work of Christ be carried forth? These are certainly exciting times in the life of our church but remember to keep focused on mission and ministry. I wish we would continue to move forward in our current project but keep the main focus on the main thing of reaching new people for Jesus Christ. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve