Have you ever had this happen?  You went to a store to make a purchase, but you had difficulty locating the item.  You tried to get someone to assist you, but they were too occupied.  I vividly remember this happening years ago.  When I asked a clerk for assistance, he curtly retorted: “Can’t you see that I’m busy?!” I still recall my feelings — I felt demeaned, and it was a long time before I went back to that store.

That clerk and I had conflicting expectations.  I felt the clerk should stop and assist me.  He felt he had more important priorities, perhaps stocking the shelves or taking care of something his boss had instructed him to do.  How does a business–much less an employee–know how to prioritize its activities?

One way a business can determine this is by analyzing its “critical transaction.”  This term refers to the one single event that a business needs to happen, the event that justifies everything else it does.  For example, in the airline business, the critical transaction is not when the plane takes off or when the mechanic fixes the plane.  These are important, of course, but they’re not the critical transaction.  No, for an airline the critical transaction takes place when someone purchases a ticket.  If people don’t buy tickets, pretty soon nothing else can happen.  The critical transaction takes place at the counter.

So, what would a critical transaction look like for a church?  I’ve come to the conclusion that it takes place when someone says, “I want or need to change.”  Our church exists to help people come to that point in their thinking and then to assist them in making the needed changes.  This is one of the things I like about our NSTEP model and the phrase, “taking steps toward Jesus.” Every person is capable of taking another step closer to Jesus.  This is as true for an agnostic as for a mature believer.  After all, the Apostle Paul said he hadn’t arrived yet; instead, “I press on toward the goal…” (Phil. 3:14).  He was still taking new steps toward Jesus.

In terms of our focus on “The Unexpected Kingdom,” the first words that Jesus says in the Gospel of Mark were:  “The time has come.  The Kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news.“  In Luke 5:32 Jesus said that he came to “call sinners to repentance,” but Jesus promises us a joyful, abundant life, not a life a misery.  Unfortunately, the word “repent” has come to have a negative connotation.  For many Christians, repentance primarily means being sorry for all the bad things they have done, and–perhaps–being determined to do better.

However, the Greek word which we translate as repentance is metanoias.  Perhaps our closest English equivalent is “metamorphosis.”  Just as a caterpillar goes through a remarkable process of change on its way to becoming a butterfly, people go through an extensive “change process” as they move from No awareness of Christ to Some awareness to Thoughtful observers before they “cross the bridge” of belief and trust and begin to Experience Christ and even to Pursue Christ and His Kingdom.  But this metamorphosis–this change–is not a cause for sorrow; it is a reason to celebrate.  Indeed, one thing we need to learn to do better is how to celebrate those times when people take significant steps toward Jesus.

We’re going to talk a lot more about this and many, many other things during our “nhome gatherings” in April and May.  You either have been or will be invited to a meeting in your neighborhood.  If the meeting to which you’re invited doesn’t fit your schedule, try to attend one of the others.  We already have ten meetings scheduled and expect to schedule several more.  If you don’t get an invitation for any reason, e-mail or call Kelly Nelson (kellynnelson@gmail.com) or Josh Pounders (josh.pounders@fbcbeaverton.org), and they will connect you to an appropriate group.

In the meantime, let’s continue pursuing Christ and His Kingdom!

I am encouraged that so many of you have given me positive feedback about “Taking Steps Toward Jesus.”  Several of you have told me the devotions have caused you to think about some things in a new way.  Someone else gave me a summary of his Bible study group’s discussions of “The Sunday Experience”.  One of our teens wanted to know where the graphics came from: “They’re really cool!”  A long-time member declared, “This is the best set of messages you’ve ever preached!”  Another person asked if we could have video stories every Sunday.

Although “Taking Steps Toward Jesus” is drawing to a close, the NSTEP model and ideas that have been introduced will continue.  How will that happen?  Here are four ways:

1. This Sunday, March 6, we will evaluate and celebrate what we’ve experienced during this campaign.
2. We will continue having “NSTEP moments” in our services.  Some of these moments will be video stories similar to what you’ve seen during the campaign.
3. A new set of devotions will be available on March 27.  These devotions will utilize our same  campaign notebooks and—like our current devotions—will include a “Weekend Challenge” as well as a place for you to take Sunday morning notes.
4. In April and May, we will have a series of neighborhood meetings where we can discuss some of the implications of the NSTEP model and talk about how we can continue taking steps toward Jesus.  At least two of our ministry staff members—the people who developed the model—will be at each of these meetings.

I also excited about what’s coming up in our services during the rest of March and April. . .

• On March 13 we will have our bi-monthly observance of the Lord’s Supper.
• On March 20 my friend, Dr. Randy Kinnison, will be our guest preacher.  Randy serve as the senior  pastor of Bethany Baptist Church for 17 years before becoming a professional mediator and bi-vocational pastor.  You won’t want to miss hearing him.
• On March 27 I will begin a new message series about the kingdom of God.  That same morning we will give out the new set of devotions which all focus on “kingdom of God” passages in the Gospel of Luke.  I believe these messages and devotions will reinforce much of what we’ve learned during our Steps Toward Jesus campaign, and, at the same time, they will prepare us for our celebration of Easter.
• I heard wonderful things about last year’s Good Friday Service (I was ill and didn’t get to attend). Like me, you will want to put April 22 at 6:30 on your calendar.  And that service, in turn, will prepare us to worship the Risen Lord Jesus on Easter.

Let’s just keep taking steps toward Jesus and see where that leads us!

I am excited about 2011!  For me, beginning a new year is like hiking a trail for the first time, a trail you’ve heard leads to a wonderful waterfall.  You don’t know exactly how long the hike will take; you only know that the destination will be worth the effort.  That’s the way I felt this morning as I played with and sang to my granddaughter, Grace.  I don’t know exactly what this next year will look like for Grace, but the prospect of walking with her fills my heart with delight!

I have the same anticipation about my journey with the Lord and about our journey together as a church.  There are new horizons to be crossed and vistas to be seen, and the journey—although at times arduous—will be an adventure of discovery that leads to a delightful destination (“a land full of milk and honey”).  However, like the Israelites of old, we must overcome some obstacles.  The Promised Land is full of  walled cities and fearsome giants.  To move forward and claim our rightful inheritance, we must overcome them – and our own fears of them.  They loom so large that we are but “grasshoppers” in their eyes (Numbers 13:26-33).  The journey is exciting partly because it is dangerous, because there are challenges to overcome along the way.

So, let those who are fearful, let those who would seek a less-challenging adventure, hear God’s Word, for it reveals that we have a secret weapon!  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous,  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NIV).

Why should we be daunted or discouraged when the Lord will be with us wherever we go?  Immanuel – God is with us!

We’re going to begin talking more specifically about all of this at The Event, our January 23 joint worship service.  On that Sunday morning we are combining our two morning services for an extended time of fellowship, challenge, worship, and prayer.  Our children will have their Sunday School classes, but adults and teens will meet together in the Worship Center.  Afterwards, we will enjoy an all-church Fellowship Meal.

The Event also will kick-off a five-week worship emphasis, “Taking Steps Toward Jesus.”  It will include several special features that we will introduce at The Event.  So, mark January 23 – February 27 on your calendar.  Try not to miss any of our services during that time, but—if you have an unchangeable conflict—we have devised some aids that can help you stay engaged in what we’re doing.

I sang to Grace this morning from an old hymn:

I am bound for the promised land,

I am bound for the promised land;

O who will come and go with me?

I am bound for the promised land.

Will you make the journey with me?  We’re going to have a great time!

Advent — the four weeks before Christmas — historically has been a period for personal reflection.  Lighting a new candle on the Advent wreath is a way of saying we are coming out of darkness into light, that we are being “redeemed,” or, to use the old holiness word, “sanctified.”  We are trying to get our lives off the shifting sands of this world and onto the rock of practicing Jesus’ teaching (Mt. 7:24-27).

Like Lent — the forty days prior to Easter — Advent is a time for examining our hearts and our lives to see if we are truly devoted to Christ and His Kingdom or whether our passion has grown dull and our commitment to the Lord has weakened.  If the latter, then Advent is a time for repentance and recommitment.

Typically, though, we seek shortcuts to spiritual growth.  A student once asked A. H. Strong, the President of Rochester Seminary, whether he couldn’t take a shorter course than the one prescribed.  “Oh yes,” Dr. Strong replied, “but it depends on what you want to be.  When God wants to make an oak, He takes a hundred years, but when He wants to make a squash, He takes six months.”

Do you want to be an oak . . . or a squash?

Spend time this month asking yourself some tough questions:  “Who am I really trying to please?”  “What guilt or shame am I covering up?”  “What hurts need healing–both hurts I have received and hurts I have given?”  And, especially, consider the question Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me more than these?”  Ponder these questions and what your answers to them reveal.  Pray about your answers and what you need to do about them.  God wants us to become conformed to the “likeness of his Son” (Rom. 8:29).

Advent is a time for “oak-making.”

Do you sense that an epidemic of anxiety is rapidly spreading through our country?  We are worried about our health, our health insurance (or lack thereof), and our health insurance premiums.  We are worried about our nation’s slow recovery from the Great Recession and about what that portends.  And all of us have unique, individual concerns — our families, our jobs, or our finances.

Ironically, though, our incessant worry isn’t helpful.  Jesus rhetorically asks :  “Can all of your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matt. 6:27).  In other words, does your worry really change anything?

However, even though worry cannot produce anything positive in our lives, it is clear that it can have extremely negative effects — hypertension, panic attacks, or heart disease, just to name a few.  And, if nothing else, chronic anxiety makes us grumpy and ungenerous:  “I worked hard for what I’ve got, so keep your hands off.  Don’t even suggest that I share it with the less fortunate!”

So, what’s to be done?  How can we stop worrying when there obviously are so many things to be worried about?

I have a modest two-part proposal. . .

First, let’s make November a month for giving thanks. Of course, we have a holiday for “thanks-giving,” but I’m suggesting that instead of counting our blessings for a day, we spend the entire month cultivating an “attitude of gratitude.”  I am convinced that gratitude is an antidote for anxiety.  So why don’t we give thanks every day during the month of November?

I can hear some people objecting, “That’s easy for you to say.  You have a lot to be grateful for, but you don’t know about my situation.”

My response is simple.  You are correct that I have a lot to be grateful for, but gratitude does not directly correlate with our circumstances.  In other words, I do not find that people whose lives are “easy” or “successful” are more grateful than those who endure great agonies.

The second part of my proposal is for us to make November a month for generosity. We can be generous with our time, our talents, or our financial resources.  For instance, this is the month when we will participate in our Lottie Moon Offering for World Missions.  Our church always is in need of funds to share with those who are struggling.  This is a great time to volunteer to work with ETC or our Christmas musical.  There are lots of opportunities for generosity.  Mainly, though, we need to understand that generosity–like gratitude–can counteract anxiety.

One of my all-time favorite church members was David Brown.  He was an old hippie who sported a ponytail into his seventies.  He had been an alcoholic most of his life, and this had damaged his relationship with various family members.  However, late in his life David got sober and reconciled.  At church he helped us with our lawn and plants, and he taught me a lot about gratitude and generosity.

David lived in a second story efficiency apartment at the corner of Farmington and Watson for several years.  I went to visit him, and, after he warmly welcomed me, he said:  “I love this little apartment, Pastor.  Look, I’ve got a nice bed to sleep in.  Many’s a night I’ve slept on the cold ground.  And, look Pastor.  Here’s my electric blanket.  I can get as warm as I want.  Isn’t that great.  And on this little stove I can fix hot water for my tea.  I’m so blessed, Pastor.  I have so much more than I deserve.”

I left David’s apartment feeling blessed and humbled . . . blessed that I have so much and humbled that I forget to give thanks to God every day for His amazing gifts to me.  Being around David always caused me to want to share more generously my resources . . . and my Lord.

Let’s be grateful and generous and put anxiety in the rear-view mirror!

We should have windows this week.  New door frames are waiting for new doors.   Each week, a few of us have been putting in extra hours to keep the remodel project moving forward while endeavoring to keep costs contained.  With the framing now complete, the electricians will begin their work.  Given the scope and purpose of the building use, the electrical phase will be significant, as we will also be installing sound, video, security, data, and other low voltage needs. 

We are not ready to guess an occupation date quite yet.  However, we are excited to move into this next phase.  If you want to come over and take a mini-tour, let me know.

OUR PURPOSE STATEMENT

Our Youth Ministry’s purpose statement, although not unique, is one that we want EVERYONE to know. 

FBCBeaverton’s Youth Ministry Purpose Statement is developed from the five purposes of the church (Worship, Discipleship, Evangelism, Fellowship, Ministry).

To know I am a Child of God and to see others as such, “Our youth ministry exists to REACH non-believing students, to CONNECT them with other Christians, to help them GROW in their faith, and to challenge the growing to DISCOVER their ministry and HONOR God with their life.”

When people know our purpose they will better understand why we do what we do.

What does this purpose statement mean for you?

• REACH:          Who am I trying to reach for Christ?
• CONNECT:     Who is my small group of believers?
• GROW:           What am I doing to show my faith?
• DISCOVER:   Where is my place of service?
• HONOR:         How does my life honor Christ?

Let’s take a more detailed look at our purpose statement.

REACH —  The Student’s Action-Step , Friendship LIST

 You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill … Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.  Matt.5:14-16 (TM)

CONNECT — The Student’s Action-Step , Get in a LIFE GROUP

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love of one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13: 34-35

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. James 5:16

 GROW — The Student’s Action-Step, Develop spiritual HABITS!

 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love–like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.  Eph. 4:14-16 (TM)

 DISCOVER  — The Student’s Action-Step      Discover your S.H.A.P.E. and find a MINISTRY

 God creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.   Eph. 2:10 (TM)

 He (God) handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with His gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.  Eph. 4:11-13 (TM)

 HONOR — The Student’s Action-Step, Change your LIFESTYLE

 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.   Rom. 12:1

Our planned values help communicate and define our purpose statement. If you imagine our purpose statement as the “cake,” our planned values would be the “icing.” We feel strongly about these values and want them to be reflected in our ministry. These values come from our student and adult leaders.

FBCBeaverton Youth Ministry Planned Values

• Relational APPROACH
• Encouragement             
• Laughter & CELEBRATION 
• Acceptance         
• Transparency      
• Involvement of STUDENTS
• Outreach oriented
• Numerical GROWTH
• Spiritual growth
• H OME LIKE
• Intimate
• Professionalism
• Strategic FOLLOW UP

Which of these values do you feel most strongly about?

We want you to help us maintain these values within our Youth Ministry. We want to continue to discover ways in which we can evaluate the effectiveness of these values. Here’s one example of some questions we might ask:

ACCEPTANCE – Do students feel accepted before, during, and after the meeting?

1. Are all students greeted in the same way without condition to dress, looks, attendance, etc..?.
2. Does the spoken message isolate students of a particular group, school, race, etc..?.
3. Do students leave the meeting with the impression their presence was appreciated by someone?
4. Is there an expressed attitude from the leadership that shows concern over a student’s personal life?
5. Do members go out of their way to meet students, learn their names and ask about their personal lives?

One of the elements of fulfilling our purpose statements is to identify the potential audience of students. We do this by recognizing five different groups of students.

• COMMUNITY, A Community student is committed to NOT ATTENDING church.
• CROWD, A Crowd student is committed to ATTENDING church.
• CONGREGATION, A Congregation student is committed to a LIFE GROUP
• COMMITTED, A Committed student is committed to HABITS necessary for spiritual growth.
• CORE, A Core student is committed to DOING MINISTRY

When you combine our purpose statement with the potential audience of students, you’ll see our goal is to reach the community and help move them toward the core.

Which audience would you consider yourself to be a part of?

The process we use gives us a “big picture” of our youth ministry.  The steps allow a way in which we can attempt to measure growth and maturity.  Students can see where they fit into our programs, what’s ahead of them, and what they can do to help others along the process.

We want you to understand that this process is not the only way to measure growth and maturity.  It’s also a process that’s not without error.  For example, if someone completes all the programs and classes we have set up along the climb, but never displays a faith and/or intimacy with Christ, the process is meaningless.

We want this process to encourage growth by challenging students to take the next step. 

When most people think of our Youth Ministry they think of our programs. But as you have seen, our programs only exist to support our purpose, to help reach our audiences, and to reflect our values.

PROGRAMS WITHOUT A PURPOSE WOULD TURN OUR MINISTRY INTO:  CHILD CARE

1. FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM*     (Reach)                Daily
2. Invite & Invest Events                                                               Monthly
3. WEEKEND WORSHIP SERVICE* (Honor)             Weekly
4. New Believers Class                                                                     Quarterly
5. Thrills with Will / Dinner for 10                                             Quarterly
6. Movie Nights  “Girls Cry Out”, “Man Movie”                    Quarterly
7. Ministry Teams                                                                             Regularly.
8. NSTEP-1 [Commitment to membership]                            Quarterly
9. LIFE GROUPS* (Connect)                                                 Weekly / School Year
10. NSTEP-2  [Commitment to maturity]                                  Quarterly
11. DISCIPLESHIP TOOLS* (Grow)  Like HABITS!      Regularly
12. Family Praise & Worship                                                           Quarterly
13. Missions Team Monthly                                              Monthly, 5 months before trip
14. Bible Institute & LIFE Seminars                               Quarterly
15. NSTEP-3 [Commitment to ministry]                           Quarterly
16. Ministry Team Leader
17. STUDENT LEADERSHIP* (Discover)  
18. NSTEP-4 [Commitment to missions]                           Quarterly

*Fulfills the 5 biblical purposes