Bible Summit 2010

Bible Summit is only two weeks away!! Click - http://biblesummit.blogspot.com/ for more information and updates.

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to read the Bible?


Do you want to garner greater depth in understanding God’s Word?

Come to the PVBC-KCI Campus Bible Summit on Friday Jan 8th through Saturday Morning Jan 9th. Get inspired to read and study the greatest book of all!

We are privileged to have two professors from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary share with us.

Friday night session will be led by Dr. Blake Hearson, Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew.

Saturday morning session will be led by Dr. Alan Tomlinson, Professor of New Testament and Greek.

Free Bible Reading Plans will be made available as well as other resources. The event is FREE.

For more information continue to check out our blog: http://biblesummit.blogspot.com/
or to register, please contact Debra Kirby at dkirby@pvbc-kci.org

Bible Reading Plans

One of the things that we want to make available to everyone are some Bible Reading Plans.  Scanning across the Net, there are several - dare I say 'a plethora' - of plans available.  Here are some of those sites:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/
You can download printable pdf copies of Canonical (Biblical book order), Chronological, Historical, Old Testament and New Testament Together, and Blended)

http://www.bibleplan.org/
This is a fun one that will send your daily reading scripture references to your email.  13 plans to choose from with several different translations available.  You can even double up on some (ie - OT over two years, NT every year, etc)

http://www.intothyword.org/
This is a website by guy who was inspired by Francis Schaeffer.  Not only does it include Bible Plans, but also includes information on how to study the Bible.

http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html
This site includes a plan that is based upon GENRE.  For example:  Sunday=Epistles, Monday=The Law, Tuesday=History, Wednesday=Psalms, Thursday=Poetry, Friday=Prophecy, Saturday=Gospels.  Good for those who may be a little ADD.  HA!  This is one of the first plans that I tried and enjoyed.

http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Bible/Plans.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan
This is Zondervan publishing companies bible reading plans site.  This one takes into account where you may be on your journey with Jesus.  For example:  Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.  Also, includes a variety of different topical reading plans.

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan.asp?version=51&startmmdd=0101
Here are some more downloadable plans by the One Year Bible folks.

Whew!  Have fun sifting through to find the best plan for you.  Imagine what great truths lie ahead for you as you read and study God's Word!!

Christmas is almost here!!!!

Woohoo!!  I am so excited to share with you at our Christmas Eve services @ KCI!

Just so you know, we will have 2 services on Christmas Eve:

• 4:00 pm
• 5:30 pm

both services are the same. 
Also, we will have a "Lord's Supper Worship Station" in the welcome room area for families who wish to participate in Lord's Supper.  This is a self-guided worship station with a printed guide to help you lead your family.

We will also be taking up a Christmas offering in which all proceeds go to the Hunger Fund.
Please click "Hunger Fund" for FAQ so that you are aware and feel comfortable how the money will be used.

Don't forget about the Christmas Dinner @ Platte City Middle School!!  Sally, the boys, and I will be helping with the clean up.  There are already over 200 volunteers AND we still need more!!  Just show up and Kevin Oliver will put you to work.  It is a great way for us to give back to our community and those less fortunate during this Christmas Season.

May God bless you this Christmas - so that you may bless others in His name.

Merry Christmas!

Identity Theft - Scriptures - You Are Significant!!

Okay - I am a day late (and still a dollar short - ha!).  Be encouraged that you are not worthless, inadequate, helpless, or hopeless.  In Christ, you are significant:

• You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world Matthew 5:13-14 (NLT) 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
• You are a branch of the true vine, Jesus, a channel of His life  John 15:1, 5 (NLT)1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
  
• You have been chosen and appointed by God to bear fruit John 15:16 (NLT)16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
  
• You are a personal, Spirit-empowered witness of Christ's Acts 1:8 (NLT)8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
• You are a temple of God 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT)16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
• You are a minister of reconciliation for God  2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NLT)
  17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
  18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
  19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
  20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
  21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
  
• You are God's coworker  2 Corinthians 6:1 (NLT) 1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.
  
• You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm  Ephesians 2:6 (NLT) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
  
• You are God's workmanship, created for good works  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
  
• You may approach God with freedom and confidence  Ephesians 3:12 (NLT) 12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
  
• You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you  Philippians 4:13 (NLT)  13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
  

I hope these scriptures have been an encouragement to you as they have been for me in understanding my identity in Christ as well as a solid Biblical foundation to stand upon in prayer.

The material for these three blogs came from page 23 of Neil T. Anderson's short workbook entitled "the steps to FREEDOM in CHRIST"  ISBN 0-8307-3588-0  (Click title to see on Amazon.com)

It is a great tool to use in prayer before God in confession of personal struggles and working through struggling thoughts, behaviors, conflicts, self-doubt, etc.

Until next time -
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,
15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Identity Theft - Scriptures - You Are Secure!!

As we continue our scriptures for devotional and quiet time, here are some scriptures to encourage you that you are not alone, abandoned, nor unprotected:

• I am free from condemnation

Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

• I am assured that all things work together for good

Romans 8:28 (NLT) 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

• I am free from any condemning charges against me

Romans 8:31-34 (NLT) 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

• I cannot be separated from the love of God

Romans 8:35-39 (NLT) 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• I have been established, anointed and sealed by God

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NLT) 21 It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

• I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected

Philippians 1:6 (NLT) 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

• I am a citized of heaven

Philippians 3:20 (NLT) 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

• I am hidden with Christ in God

Colossians 3:3 (NLT) 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

• I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and discipline

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

• I can find grace and mercy to help in time of need

Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me
1 John 5:18 (NLT) 18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

Tomorrow: You Are Significant!!

Identity Theft - Scriptures - You Are Accepted!

The previous sermon series (click here for sermons online link), Identity Theft was a great series on 'Who we are in Christ'!! 

As stated at the end of the services, I wanted to post several scripture references for your personal devotional time and quiet time with God.  The material from this is from Neil T. Anderson's workbook - Steps to Freedom in Christ.
Today - You Are Accepted!
Tomorrow - You Are Secure!!
Wednesday - You Are Significant!!!

• I am God's Child (John 1:12)

John 1:12 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

• I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

Romans 5:1 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

• I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17)

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT) But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

• I have been bought with a price.  I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

• I am a member of Christ's Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)

1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT) All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

• I have been adopted as God's child (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

• I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)

Ephesians 2:18 (NLT) Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

• I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins (Colossians 1:14)

Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

• I am complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)

Colossians 2:10 (NLT) So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Saturday Morning Speaker - Dr. Alan Tomlinson

F. Alan Tomlinson

Professor of New Testament and Greek

Tomlinson teaches New Testament and Greek at Midwestern Seminary.

He received a Doctor of Philosophy from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a B.S. from University of Tennessee. Prior to teaching at Midwestern, Tomlinson worked as an industrial engineer for Tennessee Valley Authority, was an office manager for a Certified Public Accountant and served as dean of men at a Bible college.

Tomlinson is currently a noted conference speaker and was named Professor of the Year for the 2000-01 academic year.

Fri Night Speaker - Dr. Blake Hearson

N. Blake Hearson


Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Midwestern Journal Editor and Book Review Editor

He earned his doctorate and a Master of Philosophy degree in Hebraic and Cognate Studies from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass., and the Master and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Wheaton College, in Wheaton Ill.

He has served as an associate pastor of small groups at Crossroads Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and been a member of the faculty at Columbia Evangelical Seminary. His research interests include: "sacred space in the Bible and Rabbinic Literature" and "the problem of evil in the prophetic literature."

Bible Summit 2010 Schedule

Schedule:


Friday, January 8th, 2010 6:30 pm to 9 pm
Saturday, January 9th, 2010 8:30 am to 11:30 am

Detail Schedule:

Friday, January 8th, 2010 6:30 pm to 9 pm

6:30 pm – Meet and Greet, Refreshments
7:00 pm – Welcome and Opening
7:15 pm – Dr. Blake Hearson
8:00 pm – Break
8:15 pm – Dr. Blake Hearson
8:55 pm – Closing Prayer

Saturday, January 9th, 2010 8:30 am to 11:30 am

8:30 am – Meet and Greet, Refreshments
9:00 am – Welcome
9:15 am – Dr. Alan Tomlinson
10:00 am – Break
10:15 am – Dr. Alan Tomlinson
11:15 am – Closing Statements and Prayer

Celebrating God @ KCI - Social Networks

As you can tell, I am trying to get all the 'Celebrating God' posts completed today!!
Here are some fun aspects of our fellowship gatherings @ KCI:

Social Networks
* Super Bowl Party – was a great success in the first quarter of getting the people together to get to know one another – had a blast
* Fun note – we almost had a connection misprint: ‘We are going to have a chili cook off at the Super Bowel Party’ – ha!
* We learned that socials are very important as are 4th Fridays Movies nights began with the Fall transition of 3rd Sunday's Pot Luck.
- Over 80 in attendance – almost a third of congregation!
- Also the great turn out for the Red Barn Farm which began as an event for Community Group only and drew interest to all and was open to all to attend.
- Great connections made – you could sense a deeper connection between people the following Sunday

Our big win –
= When someone states “This is where God is!”

Celebrating God @ KCI - Serving

I am always impressed by the servant hearts of the fellowship community here at KCI. Here are some God moments:

Serving
* We have been averaging over 50 volunteers serving each week
* One greeter ran out in the rain to give people umbrellas as they came in – biggest smile on his face the whole time!!
* Serving with Style Team has blossomed and continues draw new interest – 2 leaders with over 6 volunteers
* There is a great sense of unity amongst the campus – there is no delineation of staff and congregation – only one body serving together with freedom to express thoughts, ideas, struggles, and dreams.

I am so encouraged by the 'Koinonia' at KCI. We have a passion and pursuit to serve Christ in all that we do.

If you are not serving yet and would like to, feel free to check out our 'Opportunities to Serve' booth, next Discover Your Design group, or call the KCI Office @ 816.243.5637.

We would love to get you engaged and involved!!

Celebrating God @ KCI - Students and Children

As we continue to give praise to God to what He is doing, here are some brief highlights in our student ministries and our children's ministries:

Students –
* Promoted 12 6th graders who are serving as catalyst for the youth group – 1st non transferable from Liberty – created excitement for group at KCI
* Developed Wednesday evening core team for student ministry
* 9 am Community Group – Now averaging almost 30 each week
* Survived first lock-in - which was a blast for all the students!!!



K-5 –
= Averaging 40 each week
= Great stories of kids who beg their parents to come to KCI for the Kids Connection
= Taught each child how to use their Bibles and passed out Bibles to kids (yearly) which for many was their first Bible


Nursery and Preschool –
= Averaging 25 each week
= One set of parents elated to find a place where their son feels comfortable and doesn’t get upset to be left
= Another young child who use to get upset every week, and after working with her – does fantastic each week!! Has graduated to the 2-3 year old class!!

WOW!!
God is good! And I am so thankful for Chip, Ace, and Karyn and their dedication to creating a fun, safe, and exciting environment to talk about Christ and learn more about Him.

Celebrating God @ KCI - Global Outreach

Global Outreach (GO) is our emphasis on missional work locally, nationally, and internationally. Here is what has happened over this past year:

Developed great community partnerships with:
o United Services
o Hillcrest Ministries
o SPEAC – South Platte Emergency Assistance Center

Cooperated with Ambassador Building to provide host location for
o Kansas City Media Announcements (Smith Electric)
§ Mayor and State Representatives at KCI
o Community Center Blood Drive
o Ambassador Building Business special events and ceremonies

Preview Trip to Haiti for 2010 International Mission Opportunities
o Identified our National Partner - C3 Missions (www.theglobalorphanproject.org)
o Identified our Field Partner - Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (www.nwhcm.org)

Car Show
o We participated in 2 of KCI Car Shows to introduce people to the KCI Campus
o Repeated remarks – I did not that there was a church here
o Another company donated the air rides for PV to use

Servant Evangelism Project
o 1st qtr of the year – handed out batteries for time change weekend to Ferrelview – very diverse economic bracket
o Great stories of chance to pray with people in the community

Christmas to Go
o Christmas Store with United Services
o Christmas Dinner with United Services, Park Hill School District (Platte City), and Gifts From the Heart Foundation

I am amazed at how God is working in and around us. I love it when we join God in what He is doing!!

Celebrating God @ KCI - Groups

Hey everybody,

Here is what I would like to say 'Yea God!' for Adults and Community Groups -

On Campus
- Community Group 9 am – Now averaging almost 40 each week!

New On Campus Groups added -
- Experiencing God on Sunday evening – 15 People
- Men’s Fraternity – meeting weekly on Tuesdays
- PV-KCI has a book club! It meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month with a group of 10 plus that meet and 8 plus that will join in the readings but are unable to attend most of the meetings.

Off Campus – 3 New Women’s Groups
- Women's Bible study is a success with 3 evening study groups this Fall and plans for 2 days study groups with 1 to 2 evening study groups.

Total of 6 new groups up and running
- Getting ready for 10:30 Community Group

One man remarked that he was going through a tough time and that he didn’t want to come – but once he got to the campus – ‘I felt like I was home’

Another man with a tough past remarked – ‘I feel accepted here’

God is good!

Celebrating God @ KCI - Worship

This weekend at services, we celebrated what God is doing at KCI. I want to spend the next couple of days this week letting you know how God has blessed us over the past 10 months. Feel free to leave your comments on how God has blessed you over this past year!

Today - I want to share with you about Worship Services:
Worship –
 Averaged 300 people weekly for the month of October
o 335 people attended the first week in November
 First Time Guests Year to Date
o 158!!
 First Sunday in January was 250
o Many from PV – Liberty who had come over to help for the first few months
 250 to 335 is 34% growth NOT counting the families and volunteers who returned to Liberty once things got going
 Easter Sunday – 475 people
o Biggest Sunday since Easter – 367 on November 1st
 3 Baptisms with more on the way (scheduling for families)

God is doing an incredible work here at KCI. I would love to read your stories about how God has blessed you as well

Over the next couple of days, I will share more God blessings in the following areas:
- Community Groups
- Global Outreach
- Children's Ministries
- Serving
- Fellowship

Our big win here at KCI is when someone shares:
"This is where God is"

May HE be glorified in all we do!

Leadership Network's THE NINES Conference

Pleasant Valley Baptist Church is know for its leadership culture, which has been one of the many blessings that I have received over the past several years.

Earlier today, Merle Mees, our Lead Pastor, shared an invitation to a special opportunity event that is coming up on September 9th.

The Nines from Todd Rhoades on Vimeo.

Leadership Network recently asked some of the church’s greatest communicators: “If you had nine minutes to talk one-on-one with thousands of church leaders, what is the one thing that you would tell them?

That simple question is the foundation for THE NINES, a web event unlike any other you’ve previously engaged. The format is simple: 9-minute video leadership lessons that can help multiply your church’s impact. You will be stretched as a leader, and motivated as a church. And you’ll hear a personal word from many of the leaders you know and trust (along with some great new leaders we’ll introduce you to). It all starts at 9:00 a.m. Central time on 09/09/09. The conference will probably last around nine hours!

The best part about it is: it's FREE!

Here are the links to the event:
Here is the link to register:
http://thenines.eventbrite.com/

Here is the official link about the event:
http://thenines.leadnet.org/
(take a look at the confirmed speakers - it continues to grow each day)

Here is the link to Tony Morgan's website [the one that I will connect with for the event]:
www.TonyMorganLive.com

This looks like it will be fun. Mark your calendars - I'm sure we will have good discussions. I have registered already - will you?

KCi Campus Student Ministry Needs

Help! Help! Help!

The student ministry is in need of adult help in launching a new Wednesday Night Outreach ministry starting Wednesday, September 2nd. I need your help in making this happen. We will create a coffee house atmosphere for the the students to hang out in. There will be snacks available for purchase, areas to sit and talk, help with homework, worship and a message. The goal is to create an atmosphere where our KCI students will want to meet each week and where they will want to bring their friends.

I need help with serving snacks, being a homework helper, listening to students and interacting with them, security, technology and worship leadership. If you are interested in finding an exciting ministry to be involved with, then student ministry is for you. Call Chip Bruce, KCI Campus Director of Student Ministry at 816-792-5759 or email me at: cbruce@pvbc-kci.org.

Leadership Summit

Wow! What a great Leadership Summit! Last Thursday and Friday were dynamic days in attending the Summit. IMHO, this Summit was the best overall from the previous years that I have attended.

Over the next couple of days, I will publish the highlights of my notes from each session. Please feel free to comment, ask questions, etc on the blog. I would love to interact on some of the gleanings from the speakers.

The Global Orphan Project

Here is an international mission project that we are considering for KCI Campus.
Let me know your thoughts -

The Global Orphan Project from The Global Orphan Project on Vimeo.

Teaching

Many people are very nervous about teaching and sharing God's Word. I know I was when God first called me to teach for the very first time. Sally and I were part of a new Young Adult group that was only a year old. The current class director/teacher was feeling called to go help in another ministry due to their need. He was a very Godly man who was sensitive to Holy Spirit. He asked the class for a volunteer to help teach the class. Woah! not me! I shouted in my mind. I'm Mr. Introverted on the back row - er - oh wait. There was only one row of chairs in the classroom - but you know what I mean. :-) God impressed upon me about being available to serve wherever He called me. 'But Lord, teaching?' I did not have the faintest clue. Yet, God's peace came upon me as if He was stating - 'I will equip you for the task, My child' And He did just that. So if you are nervous about teaching or faciliating a group, trust in God and watch what miracles He does through you, a vessel to be used by the most Holy.

In my experiences of teaching, I have found several encouraging teaching helps from http://www.lifeway.com/. Here are some short articles about teaching and faciliating discussion for group teachers:

Top Ten Tips for Transformational Teaching

8 Ways to Make Discussion Techniques Work

5 Ways to Reduce the Fear of Discussion Techniques

4 Ways to Make Discussion Techniques Work

Group Discussion: Learning to Communicate While Learning

Secrets for Using Brainstorming in Teaching Adults

At the bottom of each article, you will find more links to articles on similar topics.

I hope this helps you in your pursuit of teaching God's Word - and what an awesome pursuit that is!!

www.pvtalkback.com

Pleasant Valley Baptist Church just launched an interactive blog at
www.pvtalkback.com.
Check it out!

A Brief Format in Reading the Bible

I am writing this entry in order to share one way about how to read the Bible.

In his book How to Write Critical Essays: A Guide for Students of Literature (London: Routledge, 1991), 31, Pirie provides a step-by-step guide for collecting information and ideas that will help guide "the overall shape of your essay" when writing critcal reviews. (Be sure to see www.questia.com if you would like to read the book). I have adapted this information and applied it to Bible reading.

The following is a my adaptation of Pirie's material and applied it towards a reading approach to the Bible:

Read the whole of each set text
When reading the Bible, it is important to read a whole book in context. In seminary, we were taught the phrase that “context is king”. Therefore, reading a whole book of the Bible becomes important when looking at individual passage within that book. It allows you the opportunity to get the main idea of the book before you begin to dissect it. For application, this means that before you begin to study a passage, it is necessary and vital to your understanding of the passage to first read the entire book in regards to what that passage is in. You must read every word of the book, no matter how long or tedious that it may seem. Even if you zone out on some of the reading, you need to make sure you go back and reread those areas that you “went blank” on. Sometimes to help me with the reading and staying on focus, I use a coloring format. If you are interested in it, feel free to send me an e-mail request (sboster@pvbc-kci.org).

Read again
Next comes the issue of reading again. Always try to read the book fully at least once. If possible, gain understanding of the purpose behind the text. If what you’re reading is very long, then pull out major sections or specific passages that you found interesting or important to the main idea. If you can, read the specific sections 2 or three times. Sometimes, reading in another translation is beneficial when reading a book of the Bible again. My personal favorite translations are the New American Standard Bible, the New International version, and the New Living Translation second edition. (The English Standard version and the Holman Christian Standard version are good ones as well.)

Reading aloud
One of the most interesting things that I’ve learned lately in my Bible reading skills has been the importance and the pleasure of reading Scripture out loud. Read as much as you can out loud. When you do this, certain specifics come out that you would not have thought of. Plus, it is just plain fun when you begin to use inflection in your voice or act out some of the stories with your voice.

Memorize key phrases or words after each reading section
As you complete a section or chapter in a book of the Bible, be sure to think about and memorize a key phrase or key idea of that section. Then, as you go about your day whether doing household chores or driving to work or whatever, you can recite to yourself that key phrase or idea of what you have been reading. Keep it short and simple and not long and tedious in your memorization. A fun quote that deals with this is “such unofficial acorns can often nurture them into intellectual oaks of extraordinary strength and complexity”.

Make notes
be sure to take time out to write down a record of fun insights of you reading. Make the decision and determination to do this. You will find that if you do not record your thoughts, feelings, ideas or key phrases, then you will remember and discover less. Be sure to record your own thoughts about the importance of what you are reading and how it applies into your own life. Your thoughts and ramblings, as you will find, truly become a treasure for you in your Christian walk.

This is just one format and there are others as well. I will be sharing others in future blog entries. In the meantime, happy reading!

Lifechurch.tv interview with Satan - clever and insightful

I have to admit - some parts of this, I got a good chuckle on . . .

Satan Talks Church Strategy with Craig Groeschel from LifeChurch.tv on Vimeo.

George Mueller

Here are the video clips that I reference in the ‘Heroes’ sermon. These clips tell the story of George Mueller – one of my heroes of the faith:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-zCYTWd8-Y

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auoLPhjy-JQ

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L76mvAXaWao

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkMGegn45pY

Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on0TxhSHc-M

Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pb4l14ToK0

April Food Drive Pics

Here are some pictures from our time loading up the cars with all the bags of food from our food drive for SPEAC (South Platte Emergency Assisantance Center) and United Services. We gave out more than 120 bags of food and essential items. WOW! Thank you so much!!

Click HERE for the Pictures

Review of 'The Shack'

Hey Everybody! Many of you have been asking me through email, phone calls, personal interactions, and Facebook about my feelings, thoughts, etc concerning the book entitled "The Shack" by William P. Young. After talking with a couple of you, you encouraged me to blog this, so here goes . . .

Due to space and time, I will not preview or outline the story here. Suffice to say, it is an intriguing story of a man who faces a horrible circumstance. In fact, the first 70ish pages of the book deal with that event. It is emotional powerful and weighty (you are forewarned). The emotionalness of this event sets the stage for the rest of the book in which our man character meets the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at 'the Shack'. The tale weaves the elements of relationship with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and wrestles with the question - "Why do bad things happen?"

oooh wait - I think I will video blog this . .

First 100 Days

This past weekend marks our first 100 days since our official launch January 18th, 2009. Wow! God is so gracious and good. Who would have thought we would get to see the wonderful things that He is doing in the Platte County area when we came over? It has been an exciting 100 days and I am looking forward to our future together at the KCI Campus.

We started our journey with 3 Big Rocks as our focus:
(1) Worship – we wanted a dynamic worship service with contemporary music and connective worship with God,
(2) Children - we desired to have an engaging children’s ministry that kids would enjoy learning about Christ and where parents felt at ease at leaving their kids, and
(3) Community Groups – we developed opportunity for youth and adults to engage in group life together.

Here is a synopsis of each Big Rock
(1) Worship
a. We have had incredible worship music and messages during our two worship times. The first at 9 am and the second service at 10:30 am. I have heard several comments from folks who get together with others for lunch and appreciate beating the lunch crowd. (Ha! We got the Methodists and Presbyterians beat! :-)
b. Megan Eastland has done a phenomenal job with the band and tech team. Megan has grown the band into a great team of individuals who love to worship and connect with God.

(2) Children
a. What a team Karyn Chastain has in serving the nursery and preschoolers! I love the story of a 3 year old boy whose parents hoping to find a place where he could feel comfortable. He enjoys his class and teachers. Plus, there are more stories of kids who are having a blast in their classes with the DVD curriculum. Yea God!
b. Ace Chambers and the Cross Street team (K-5th Grade) have created some wonderful engaging opportunities for the kids. From the elaborate decorations to the Elevate DVD Curriculum, the children are having a blast! You should watch them move and jump around to the music - not to mention the volunteers! I think I even caught Ace wearing a hula skirt! Ha!
c. We are blessed to have such creative people to help our children engage the Word of God and learn about Jesus!

(3) Community Groups
a. Blessings:
i. God blessed us through the building manager the opportunity to utilize some space on the second floor for Youth and Adult community goups.
ii. We started groups!!
b. Adult
i. The Booth family, the Harris family, and the Lohnes family have officially launched our ‘Linkubator’ on campus (temporarily) Community Group. The purpose of this group is to ‘link’ people together and incubate (prepare) them to begin meeting in homes. The group meets on the second floor at 9 am on Sunday mornings. Feel free to join in anytime. Our goal is to spin off new groups all throughout the year. It has been great to see people get to know each other and partner up before going out into the homes.
ii. Speaking of spinning off, the Nagel family and the Grace family have begun their own community group hosted in the Grace’s home – and complete with someone who teaches the kids while the adults do Bible Study. Very cool! I appreciate all those who pitch in to help support the children’s teacher.
c. Youth
i. Talk about investment these days and you will probably think about the economy. Well, when it comes to investing in the next generation, Chip Bruce cares for our youth and their walk with Christ. Chip is sensitive to the pressures that the students face today and passionate in encouraging them in their relationship with Christ. Because of Chip, we have seen a steady growth in our youth (not just in numbers but also in attitude). Many of our students are engaged in service opportunities, such as during other worship hours and the Prompted ministry.

We could not do ministry together without all of your help - from the Hospitality team (lead by Bob Clements) to the Courtesy Team (lead by Jim Daum) as well as the countless volunteers who help with Discover PV, Discover Your Design, Starting Point, Prayer Team, and more. Thank you – Thank you!

Plus, during the past 100 days, we have developed community partnerships with:
· Hillcrest Ministries (http://www.hillcresttransitionalhousing.org/)
· SPEAC (South Platte Emergency Assistance Center)
· United Services (http://www.uscaa.info/)

For example, we collected over 120 bags of groceries and necessity items for the food pantries at SPEAC and United Services. For ServeKC (June 20th), we are looking forward to partnering with Hillcrest Ministries for projects to help out their residents (people who are trying and wanting to get back on their feet). We have truly begun to make wonderful connections with

For those who want to know numbers, we are averaging between 276 to 336 people in attendance each week at the KCI Campus: approx 60 in the first service, 120 in the second service with total of 60 volunteers and 60 children and youth. We have had our first baptisms with more on the way. God is soo good to us!

What’s Next on the Horizon
Here is a quick bullet list of what we hope to see over the next year:
1. Serve KC – June 20th
2. More Community Groups: On Camps (10:30) and Home Groups
3. Discover PV - Quarterly
4. Discover Your Design - Quarterly
5. Scripture Summit – Special Weekends with Seminary Professors and Speakers with topics surrounding God’s Word.
6. Leadership Summit – August 7th-8th (http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009/)
7. Previews for International Mission Trip (possibly Haiti, Africa, or Thailand – or all three!! For 2010).
8. Coffee House Sundays (with great music and discussion topics)
9. Community Socials (Movie Nights, Fish Fry, Chili-Cook Offs, Barbecue Fest – or is that Feast?)
10. Evangelism and Sharing Your Story Training
11. Starting Point – Quarterly
12. And MORE!

Our Needs:
We need YOU! We have plenty of opportunities to you to get involved with the KCI Campus. Be looking on the blog and the Connection for opportunities to serve. We are cathedral of people working together to connect with God and others. It is great to have you with us!!

Our Lord is doing an amazing work and we get to join Him. The 100 days have been fantastic! Just imagine what the next year will bring! God is good!

Woah? Where have I been?

It has been over a month since I have blogged last. Oops. I have let myself get too busy to do so. I deeply apologize to you followers to the blog, and also to those who look here for updates. Feel free to shoot me emails at sboster@pvbc-kci.org if I don't keep this updated. :-)

We are quickly approaching the 100 day mark since our official launch date of the KCI Campus. How exciting!! I look forward to sharing with you in the next couple of days of what God has done at the KCI campus. Great stories. Great lives. Great God!

Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to send an email at the address above. I would love to answer them through the blog if you would like.

Therefore, I ever so humbly commit to blogging more often. :-)

PS. Thanks for the reminder Dave!

Help - I'm overloaded with reading!!

Have you ever found yourself looking at a bunch of resources, books, and videos and wondering where to begin?
Have you ever been crushed under the deluge of top ten lists of things to do concerning family to leadership?
What to do?

I have been talking with God during my quiet times lately about simplicity. How can I simplify my life and focus on the things that God wants me to focus on?

Truly if the Bible is really what we know and claim it to be, then shouldn't that be our primary focus? Shouldn't we be spending more time learning about our Father Creator and His pursuit of us than pursuing so many different things in this world?

I find myself being distracted by so many good things - that I have missed the Greatest thing - or should I say - the Greatest One of all.

I wonder - we get so caught up in the Bible for theology, for end times information, for day to day living, for guidance and hope, but yet miss the relationship it was intended to draw us to. Don't get me wrong - I love the Word of God and want to teach others how to read the Bible for themselves. I just don't want to miss the forest for the trees.

My encouragement to you - is to take a hard look at what distractions may be happening in your life that keep you from the Greatest One of all. The best resource is the Word of God. Will you take the journey with me?

Prompted...Update

I just wanted to make a quick update concerning Prompted, the affordable option to prom expenses.

To date:
- about 60, yep, 60 prom dresses have been donated or loaned.
-several adults have stepped up to offer their homes as "restaurants" for fine, intimate dining
-monetary donations to serve as seed money have come in

How can you help?
-continue to donate or loan prom dresses that you have sitting around in your closet.
-consider hosting a meal for a prom going couple
-Pray!!

Important dates:
-Mass dress drop-off day is this Saturday, February 21 from 9-12 at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church-Liberty Campus East Entrance
-Fashion Show is March 7th to show all the dress and tuxedo options
-Benefit concert April 4th at Staley High School featuring Ottoman Repair and other bands to be announced

All proceeds from these efforts will go towards the goal of collecting $10,000 to build a medical clinic in Kenya.

KCI Super Bowl 09 Party

What a blast! Here are the pictures from our first SuperBowl Party at the KCI Campus.

Click HERE

Prayer

Here is my prayer that I have started praying based upon Col. 1:9-14

Lord, I will not stop praying for those whom You have given us to shepherd.
Lord, please grant us complete knowledge of Your will, as well as spiritual wisdom and understanding.
May the way we live Lord, always honor and please You, and
May our lives produce every kind of good fruit.
All this Lord, while we continue to learn to know You better and better.
Reveal Yourself to us - please!
Lord, please strenghten us with Your glorious power so that we will have all the endurance and patience we need.
Fill us with joy.
We thank You Lord and may we continually thank You.
You, Lord, have enabled us to share in the inheritance that belongs to Your people - those who live in the light.
Lord God Almighty! You have rescued us! You brought us back from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of Your Son!
Thanks be to Jesus Christ! who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins!
Thank You Lord! All glory, honor, and praise belong to You. Amen.

Opportunities to use your gifts in Student Ministry

The Student Ministry at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church-KCI Campus is on the grow!! Last week the number of students attending almost doubled and more will be coming this week. I am committed to keeping the ratio of students to adults at 5:1. In order to do this, we need a lot more volunteer student ministers than we currently have serving.

What kind of people make great Student Ministers? Here is a short list:

- Senior Citizens -- College Students
- Introverts -- Mechanics
- Young Marrieds -- Single Parents
- Musicians -- Accountants
- High School Dropouts -- Mature Christians
- Bowlers -- People with Rough Pasts
- Bikers -- Computer Nerds
- New Christians -- Athletes
- Ex-Cheerleaders -- Entrepreneurs
- Parents -- Busy People
- Blue Collar Workers -- Cooks
- Artists -- Administrators
- Old Marrieds -- Professional Wrestlers

In other words, it takes all kinds of people to meet the relational needs of our Students. Meet us in Room 206 at 9am and see if you can meet the need of student.

Pictures!!

Here are some pictures from Sunday. There are more on the way!

Click HERE

What a great start!! God is good!!

Hey Gang!

First off - here is my prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank YOU so much for your presence yesterday at our launch!! You are faithful in answering prayers! What a great and wonderful group of people you have brought together for such a time as this. All glory belongs to You Lord. You brought the people. You helped things go picture smooth. You rewarded our hard work and efforts. Thank You! Lord, we know that apart from You, we can do nothing. Please help us to continue to abide in You. Grant us a hunger for You as we journey forth in Your will. Please keep us with Your presence and help us never - ever to get so busy 'for' You that we neglect our time 'with' You. You are our God. There is no other. May Your name be praised, In Jesus' holy and precious name - Amen.

Second - here are the numbers (for those who like #s)
9 am - 87 (seated in service), Grand total (children, volunteers, connection center) = 193
10:30 - 147 (seated in service), Grand total (children, volunteers, connection center) = 228
Total of 421!! This represents a 50% increase from last week. God is good!!

Third - stories
I heard from several people how much they enjoyed the atmosphere (the excitement and 'vibe'). I noticed that many were people who had visited the Liberty campus in the past and appreciated the shorter distance. Many were invited by friends - I also met many neighbors of our core group. Also, I received great feedback on our mailer that went out this past week. PLUS - someone left a wonderful note:
"I was surprised with teh warmth comfortness felt coming into the church. It seems like an easy place to make yourself at home."
Yeah God!!

Thank you so much for your prayers and continue to praise God during your quiet times on His faithfulness and love and also that we continue to share His love with the people of Platte County.

E-vite

Cool! We now have an e-vite that you can send to your friends who you want to invite to our January 18th Grand Opening.

Here is the link:
http://www.pleasantvalley.org/cgi-bin/SendToAFriend.cgi?section=

Or Click
HERE

Our First Sunday at the KCI Campus

Hey everybody!!

Wow! What a fantastic day yesterday!! God is so good!!
I know that many of your are anxious about how things went yesterday with the Regional – or as Merle states - “the Reeeg” :-) Everything went very well for our 'soft opening' as we prepare for our Grand Opening on Jan. 18th.

For those who like numbers:
1st service = 51
2nd service = 74
K-5 = 30 kids (total both hours)
Nursery/Preschool = I think we had about 25 kids total (both hours)
Youth = 10 students
Volunteers = almost 50 (Hospitality, Children, N&P, Band, Tech, Youth, Coffee)

For those who like stories:
There was a wonderful excitement in the air with the volunteers and the worship attendees. We had a great time together worshiping. Megan did a fabulous job leading worship and coordinating with the band and tech team. Ace was pleasant surprised with how many kids showed up for CrossStreet. Interestingly, we had more 3-5th grade than K-2. Karyn was the most ready out of all of us. She had everything in order for the kids and the volunteers. And boy, those toddlers were a toddling!! Chip, along with the students, were excited about having their own space for group time. Debbie feverishly worked on all the details that came up (i.e. 'where are the offering envelopes?')– she was fantastic! I shared about being Living Letters (2 Cor 3:2-3) to our community and our missionary calling of utilizing God's story in our lives as a bridge to share the good news of Christ. We are also creating a journal for these first weeks of quotes, prayers, scripture verses, pictures, and more that everyone is helping create. What a fantastic day!! Woohoo!!

For those who like quotes:
“What an incredible difference from the Vision Sunday in November. This place looks great!”
“Wow! It only took us 10 minutes to get to church. We are so excited. The KCI Campus is beautiful.”
“I am looking forward to what God will do here, as we allow Him to use us.”
“It's great to be home!”

If you know of anyone who would like to join us in this missionary endeavor – please encourage them to join us – we are having a blast!!

Address

There have been some suggestions to put the address on the blog again since some could not find it. Great idea!
The address is:
PVBC-KCI Campus
12200 NW Ambassador Drive, Suite 102
Kansas City, MO 64163

Here is a google maps link - click here

Let's try a V-blog