Imagine part 2

A week or so ago, I asked my readers to imagine a church that was dramatically impacting the Lehigh Valley for Christ. I want to unwrap that thought process over a few more posts. I've chosen to call these posts, "Imagine."

Today, I want to ask you to imagine a church, a community of like-minded Christ followers, who:

• Care enough about the people within their sphere of influence to invite them into God's Presence.
• Care about the community enough that they are willing to do whatever it takes to reflect Christ to the world.
• Care more about those far from Christ than their own preferences.
• Care more about living God's word than simply knowing God's word.
• Care so much about people far from God that they are willing to look foolish so that other's can meet Jesus.
• Care about living out Matthew 22:39 even when those same neighbors have inflicted physical, emotional or spiritual pain on them.
  

Can you imagine a church that cares so much, no matter the cost?

I believe such a place can become a reality right here in the Lehigh Valley. . . Do you?

G3

Wii the Church

Recently I read an article about the Nintendo Wii video game console. The article appeared in the June issue of Fortune magazine. I have to say that as I was reading it, I couldn't help but think of the many parallels between Nintendo's marketing philosophy and what the Church should be doing and thinking with regard to reaching the un-churched.

The one quote that really hit me was this:

"We are not competing against Sony or Microsoft. We are battling the indifference of people who have no interest in videogames."

There it was, the focus of the church. We're not competing against other churches, traditions, music styles or rules, we need to battle the indifference of people who have no interest in God and/or Church. We need to keep the Main Thing the main thing and remember that the church's purpose is to reach the un-churched. We need to continually look for ways to demonstrate the relevance or God and His Son in today's world. We need to battle the indifference of people who don't believe that God has any place in their lives.

Imagine a church that stayed focused and was more concerned with those far from Christ than their own likes, dislikes, preferences or comfort.

Just Imagine.

G3

A Visit To Liquid

We took Patrick, Christa and Noah with us to experience Liquid today. It was about an hour away but well worth the drive time and trip. Tim and his team are doing things right. They reach about 800 people per week in a relevant, contemporary and professional environment. The worship music was powerful, moving and quality. Tim's message was straight up truth and they even handled their little crisis this morning very well.

Liquid is a great example of doing church right. Definitely someone to learn from and spend some time with.

G3

Just Imagine

When I was a kid, my brother and I used to pretend we were in a band. I remember playing the keyboard from behind my mother's ironing board. I remember holding a broom or pool cue stick and pretending it was a guitar. I remember taking one of those folding metal student music stands and putting it as high as it could go, with the top folded and pretending it was a microphone stand. I remember imagining that we were playing a big concert before a large crowd.

Maybe you have images from your childhood too. What did you imagine you could be? What did you imagine you could do? What did you imagine could happen if you just put your mind, heart and soul into it?

Why do we seem to loose that imagination as we grow older? We settle into reality. We accept things the way they are. We don't question or challenge anyone or anything. We allow life's circumstances to direct our paths rather than the God given passions within us.

So, here's my challenge. I want you to imagine some things. Don't just read over this list but actually sit down, close your eyes and imagine.

• Imagine what the Lehigh Valley would be like if a dedicated group of Christ Followers made a commitment to take this valley for Christ.
• Imagine what would happen if God chose to duplicate this story, here in the Lehigh Valley.
  
• Imagine what would happen if a church rose up and began actually living out the "Great Commandment" rather than just talking about it.
  
• Imagine a group of people so committed to reaching the Lehigh Valley for Christ that they were willing to commit time, energy, talents and financial resources to see God move through this valley like never before.
  
• Imagine a church so relevant, so dynamic & so life changing that kids, students and adults couldn't stop talking about Christ and inviting people far from Him to enter into His presence.
• Imagine being part of a team that was destined to win and being on the front lines for a God sized miracle here in this valley.
• Imagine reaching out to friends, neighbors, relatives, the poor, the afflicted, the widows and orphans with the love of Christ and watching God change their world.
• Imagine being used by God to change our families, our neighborhoods and the entire Lehigh Valley in Jesus Name.
  

I believe God can and will do some amazing things right here in the Lehigh Valley. Do you?

Stay tuned, and . . . Just Imagine.

G3

Here's The Truth

I've received several e-mails over the past few days questioning my status on the staff of The Carpenter's Church. It seems like the stories, rumors, e-mails and miss-truths have begun. So, it's time to stop the rumor mill and state the truth.

The truth is that as of this past Sunday, October 14, 2007 I am no longer on the staff at The Carpenter's Church. I am told there will be a public announcement at both the 9:00 am and 10:45 am worship services this coming weekend however, I will not be there.

The reason for my departure is fairly straight forward. Over the past few months it has become increasingly clear to me that Pastor Jim and I do not have the same Ministry and Leadership philosophies. There were several leadership and financial decisions made over the past few years that I believe are not in line with scripture and therefore I can not agree with. Recently there have been more questionable financial and ministry decisions. As a result, I can no longer submit myself to this spiritual or leadership authority. These growing differences were making for a tense working environment and so on Wednesday October 10, 2007 we decided as an Elder board that it was best for everyone if I was no longer on the staff. I was informed on Thursday afternoon, that I was to lead worship on Sunday and then have my office cleared out on Monday morning.

So, there you have it. That is the truth and it is consistent with my severance letter that Pastor Jim, Alan Shalosky and I all signed, no matter what you might hear.

I am truly sorry that I did not have the chance to say goodbye to the church and for you to say goodbye to me. Please know that I will continue to pray for The Carpenter's Church. God is not finished with you yet and he is certainly not finished with me either.

God is taking care of the financial and spiritual needs of me and my family. In fact I believe God is giving me a New Perspective about ministry and the church, which I will share here very soon.

Please feel free to leave a comment here or contact me via the e-mail me link above. However, comments on this site are monitored so anonymous comments will get deleted.

G3

Interesting Statistics

I use Google Analytics to track the number of visits and page views at StevenWales.com. I enjoy analyzing numbers and looking at statistics, so a couple of times each month I log on to Google Analytics and check to see how many people have read my blog.

I have to say that the past 5 days has seen a flurry of activity at StevenWales.com. In fact the number of people checking out this blog has tripled in the past 5 days. What's interesting about this number is that I've not posted a single post in over 2 weeks. I've been fairly silent. However, based on the activity, there seems to be a plethora of people who either think I have something to say or that I should say something.

At this time, the wait will continue. For a little while anyway. However, stay tuned. The Journey is just beginning.

G3