tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32763069963784426112024-02-18T19:32:23.939-07:00Stories from the RevolutionThe Journal of the LK10 CommunityLK10Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10545801679593011641noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-17750561920337240862012-10-17T17:18:00.000-06:002012-10-17T17:18:17.822-06:00House church wasn't always life giving for Steve<b>Great news! </b>I am excited to announce that <b>the new LK10 website is up</b>! Soon, we will stop posting to this blog (Stories from the Revolution) and we will only post to the blog on the new website. So, let me encourage you to go there and <u>subscribe to that blog</u>. You will see how to do that on the front page. <br />
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While you are there, explore the site. I think you will find lots of great material that is easily accessible. And, <b>consider becoming a member of the LK10 Community</b>. You will find details on how to do that also on the front page. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know at DenverWH@aol.com.<br />
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Here's the link to our new website: <a href="http://lk10.com/"> LK10.com</a><br />
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John White<br />
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Now, on to today's video...<br />
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<b>Steve Sheller</b>, from Colorado Springs, CO, was part of a house church for six years. However, it wasn't a very life giving experience. To Steve, it seemed like wandering the the wilderness, never getting to a destination. In the last year, however, <u>something has changed</u>. House church has become what he always hoped it would be. In this interview, done at the LK10 Conference over the Labor Day weekend (2012), Steve shares the specifics about what transformed church for him.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5LeCjbxG8nU?list=UUb4h_R0gs3XLZaverM4x3aw&hl=en_US" width="450"></iframe>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-68385159223345793432012-09-24T14:35:00.000-06:002012-10-01T11:33:15.522-06:00Walked away from church after 40 yearsAl was a seminary graduate. He had been an elder in five different churches and on staff with one of them. But, for over 40 years he had been frustrated with church. Something just didn't seem right. He had tried to change it from within but finally gave up and walked away. <br />
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But, in recent months, Al found what he had been looking for all those years. In the interview below (at the LK10 Conference), he tells the story of this remarkable turn around.<br />
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The concepts and experiences that changed Al's life are available to you though the Foundations Course.<br />
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*Live Foundations Course in Colorado Springs, CO: <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3931380866">http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3931380866</a><br />
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*Virtual Foundations Course: <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4425422558">http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4425422558</a><br />
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<br />John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-53702735134136437272012-09-17T10:08:00.001-06:002012-09-17T10:08:58.404-06:00"This is the way church is supposed to be."How long does it take for genuine New Testament community to develop?<br />
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Years? Months? Weeks?<br />
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How about three days?<br />
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Most Christian conferences are characterized by "big name" speakers. The "sage on the stage". The aims of our conference were different. We wanted every attender to experience genuine NT community. This is where people connect on a heart level (not just the head level). It's where everyone has the experience of listening to God and sharing what they hear. Where everyone has a voice.<br />
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The second annual <b>LK10 Conference</b> was held over the recent Labor Day weekend at the Ponderosa Conference Center between Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the Conference, everyone was divided into nine <b>"table churches"</b>. (Table churches because we began each day meeting with our church over the breakfast table.) Each day the churches intentionally engaged in <b>the two spiritual rhythms that we teach in the LK10 Community. </b><br />
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1. Intentionally connecting on a heart level using a tool called SASHET. (see the tags for much more on this tool)<br />
2. Intentionally listening to God as a group for his agenda for our time together. <br />
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<b>The result?</b> People quickly bonded with each other in the Spirit. Even with people they had never met before. And, significant transformation occurred in almost every life. Even people who had never experienced simple church previously, went home saying this is what I want for church and I see now how it can happen. Experiential learning. Way more powerful than the "sage on the stage"!<br />
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Here's one story from the Conference...<br />
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<br />John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-702934291456910572012-08-14T14:16:00.002-06:002012-08-14T14:16:36.411-06:00Can we afford to leave the work to the mega church?Here's a thought provoking blog post from Neil Cole...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">I have seen a report of research to determine what it would take financially to reach the US. The report is broken down by cities listing the financial costs to reach particular cities for Christ using the traditional attractional model of church. The results are alarming. Just to reach one city alone would be astronomical and cost more than all Christian non-profit ministries receive in a single year combined.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">For instance, The study shows that to reach Atlanta would cost over $63 billion. To reach New York City alone would cost more $418 Billion. Where would we expect such money to come from?</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br />Giving USA</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">, a non-profit foundation that studies philanthropy in the United States, in its 2008 report found $103.32 billion went to houses of worship and denominational organizations in 2007. That entire amount could only reach the greater Washington DC area and would leave the rest of our country without any ministry at all. But of course, all our current churches and ministries would have to go out of business. This says nothing of missions to the rest of the world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">While a mega church can be missional it may not be the most wise use of resources to pursue the mission. If you want to compare the attractional mega church model against the micro model of church I think the cost alone makes it clear which is a more reasonable approach. I know that this type of content does not make my message very popular. I have tried to be fair and balanced but also share the unpopular truth. Unfortunately the ministries that end up costing the most often end up producing the least. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">This is just not a good way to reach a city for Christ, let alone the world. There are better ways. We could reach the cities faster and for a fraction of the cost with a simpler approach to church. One of the sayings in our movement is: "It doesn't cost a dime to make a disciple, it only costs your life."</span><br />
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<a href="http://cole-slaw.blogspot.com/2012/08/can-we-afford-to-leave-work-to-mega.html">http://cole-slaw.blogspot.com/2012/08/can-we-afford-to-leave-work-to-mega.html</a>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-58751820321273103792012-08-02T09:54:00.000-06:002012-08-11T13:23:54.949-06:00Revolutionary NetworksIn this blog, which we call <b>"Stories from the Revolution"</b>, we try and capture some of the best stories about the amazing spiritual revolution that is going on in the US and around the world. In this revolution, where the church is returning to the home, we are seeing <u>many house churches connecting in relational networks</u>. The <b>LK10 Community</b> is an example of a <u>larger network</u>. A great example of <u>a local network</u> is one lead by <b>Jim and Cathy Mellon</b> in Central Texas. Here's their remarkable story as told by <b>Felicity Dale</b>. (Reposted with Felicity's permission.) <br />
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Make sure you watch the video interview that I did with Jim and Cathy the article. In it, they share one of the keys to seeing house churches multiply.<br />
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John<br />
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Back in the early 90's, Jim Mellon was on the eldership team of a megachurch with a $1 million a year budget. One Christmas, their church didn't have the funds to help a member's family where both husband and wife had lost their jobs. As he and his wife, Cathy, discussed it, they realized that church shouldn't be this way, that there should be resources available to help any members of the body in need (Acts 2:45, Acts 4:34-35).</div>
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As they searched the Scriptures, looking to see what the Bible had to say about church and finance, they came across the concept of church meeting in homes, and because of the financial implications, began <b>a network of house churches.</b></div>
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From the start, finances played a big part in what they did. They now give to needs in their city, such as the local soup kitchen as well as to Christian ministries, and benevolence to people within the body has been a foundational principle too. They are known by their mayor and city council because of their faithfulness in giving. Their people not only give financially, they also involve on the ground in the places they help. They support church planting in India and Haiti and send mission teams out to these places.</div>
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After a while, they found that they were sometimes in the position of the megachurch–that in any given month they might run out of money before their financial obligations had been fulfilled, so they changed their pattern of giving. Instead of giving a set amount to a ministry, say $200, they now give a percentage, so they never run out of funds and there is always money available for benevolence.</div>
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They decided from the start that any leadership should be bi-vocational and to this day, only have very part time paid administrative help. </div>
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This network of simple/organic churches is profoundly effective with their finances.</div>
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<b>Since their inception, they have given more than $1.5 million away to missions and benevolence.</b></div>
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In the video below, Jim and Cathy share about the importance of <b>the 10:2b Prayer</b> for their network. For more on the 10:2b Prayer, go here <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/10%3A2b%20Prayer">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/10%3A2b%20Prayer</a></span><br />
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<br /></div>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-78964095037316361642012-07-27T18:01:00.000-06:002012-08-11T13:37:08.180-06:00Listening by writing<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaaS-71vYYJDMnDQbDsndFfkkn3SXT0sCC9anLVQbhF6X2WIa11jK3Bh4nsSsJnMSWSeabLBTZ7BaUBwp2xlS6AJmUXz-U3HSspjeOMTmfxV5_P6xmDAkhf2Qs1kR0pqw-t7RIpd_S2M_/s1600/Writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaaS-71vYYJDMnDQbDsndFfkkn3SXT0sCC9anLVQbhF6X2WIa11jK3Bh4nsSsJnMSWSeabLBTZ7BaUBwp2xlS6AJmUXz-U3HSspjeOMTmfxV5_P6xmDAkhf2Qs1kR0pqw-t7RIpd_S2M_/s320/Writing.jpg" width="320" /></a>The fourth of Mark Virkler's Four Keys for Hearing God's voice is <strong>"journaling".</strong> Virkler says, "I call the process "two-way journaling," and I have found it to be a fabulous catalyst for clearly discerning God’s inner, spontaneous flow."<br />
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Consider that much of the book of Psalms is simply David's written dialogue with God.<br />
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<strong>Rose Starr</strong> in Denver, CO explains how the discipline of "listening by writing" is impacting her life...<br />
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"Spending time listening every day is a new thing for me. It has been challenging since it's a new skill and I don't feel "good" at it yet. However since I've been writing as I listen, I'm amazed that in a few short days I am writing more and more. I feel that God is indeed speaking to me and the thoughts that are flowing from my head/heart onto my paper are from Him. It's been so encouraging. I mean, <strong>why wouldn't I want to hear from my Papa every day?</strong> Then as I gather with my CO2 (church of two) or house church I have all sorts of things to share about what God is teaching me!<br />
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John<br />
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For more about Mark Virkler's Four Keys, see <a href="http://www.cwgministries.org/Four-Keys-to-Hearing-Gods-Voice.htm">http://www.cwgministries.org/Four-Keys-to-Hearing-Gods-Voice.htm</a>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-71334571134065944752012-06-25T13:54:00.000-06:002012-06-25T13:54:25.196-06:00Bob Logan passes on the 10:2b VirusTen years ago, the Lord taught my friend, Kenny Moore, and me what we came to call <b>"the leadership solution"</b>. That was the answer to this key question: <b>where do you get the leaders for a church planting movement?</b> What we knew was that, if you have the leaders, planting churches was not difficult. But where do the leaders come from?<br />
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We learned that the answer to that question is found in Luke 10:2. <b> The needed leaders come from the Lord of the harvest.</b> And, the part we play, as the Lord explained in that same verse, is to "Beseech the Him to thrust out workers into the harvest". The Lord further instructed us to begin to teach this concept at every opportunity. We found that whenever we did, people quickly "got" it and began teaching it to others. Soon, we began calling this <b>"the 10:2b virus"</b>. (The whole 10:2b story is here: <a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2010/09/102b-virus-1_23.html">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2010/09/102b-virus-1_23.html</a>)<br />
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Some years later we taught this principle to <b>Neil Cole</b> who began to encourage people to set the alarm on their phones to go off at 10:02 am to remind them to pray this prayer. Now, <b>Bob Logan</b>, church planting expert, is passing on the <b>10:2b Virus</b> through his blog below.<br />
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<a href="http://loganleadership.com/2012-04/the-102b-virus/">http://loganleadership.com/2012-04/the-102b-virus/</a>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-57373914117495832372012-05-16T13:28:00.001-06:002012-05-16T13:28:35.322-06:00SASHET and the "one anothers"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsEhR5JYQeTc1TyVBjCtBVwTCQHtrry0_ORCXhu1heg4InSpkRVFb8tp9eeTtcNRKakUEycyEbcoUfQoG4YrSLbDTS-x_Yh3F902QEd08k6C6hOIF5OcBmG4dzAf1FNMe47GtImGmzMas/s1600/Listen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsEhR5JYQeTc1TyVBjCtBVwTCQHtrry0_ORCXhu1heg4InSpkRVFb8tp9eeTtcNRKakUEycyEbcoUfQoG4YrSLbDTS-x_Yh3F902QEd08k6C6hOIF5OcBmG4dzAf1FNMe47GtImGmzMas/s1600/Listen.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As people encounter the SASHET* tool in our <b>Foundation Courses</b> there are a variety of responses. Many people take to it right away but some others find it strange as they have never shared on this level in a church context (or maybe in any context). They ask questions like "Is this just some psychological gimmick? What is the value of talking about feelings? Etc."</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a response I recently wrote to some of those questions... </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b>Think of SASHET as a starting point.</b> A healthy family (and house church) creates a safe environment for it's members to be open and honest about what's going on in their hearts. (Many of us grew up in families where it wasn't safe to talk about our emotions. We learned to ignore them or keep them inside.) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">As people begin to talk about their emotions (some for the first time ever), our first response is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b>gentle curiosity</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"> ("Tell me more. What do you mean by that? Etc.) and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b>empathy</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">. ("Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." Rom. 12:15) Giving advice too quickly (which many Christians tend to do), can prevent people from having the opportunity to explore what they are feeling. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b>SASHET helps us to listen deeply to each other's hearts.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;">In many cases, simply doing Romans 12:15 is all that is necessary. In other cases, the Lord may lead you to do more. For instance, you might listen to God together to see what He has to say about what has been shared. Or, you might ask the person if they would like some coaching or some focused prayer on what they are dealing with. This might be in the group or individually. There are many directions that the Lord might lead you.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 14px;">All of this is to explain that SASHET is not about sharing emotions just to share emotions. Rather, it is a tool that helps us obey Scripture both individually and as a group. Specifically, it is a first step that helps us do the <b>"one anothers"</b>. Pray for one another, encourage one another, serve one another, rejoice with one another, weep with one another, teach one another, etc. <b>SASHET helps us know which of the "one anothers" is needed in each situation.</b> As we follow the leading of the Spirit in these things, the church/group is strengthened and edified. "All these things must be done for the strengthening of the church" 1 Cor. 14:26.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">*SASHET is a powerful community building tool. The word is an acronym for six emotional words: Sad - Angry - Scared - Happy - Excited - Tender. For </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">more on SASHET, go here: </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2010/12/three-leaders-talk-about-sashet.html">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2010/12/three-leaders-talk-about-sashet.html</a></span>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-88065509942131392292012-05-09T09:11:00.000-06:002012-05-09T09:11:19.358-06:00Connect with Church Planting Movement in Tibet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #010101; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">We have some friends that have gone through the LK10 Apprenticeship (now Foundations One) Course that have been <b>ministering in China</b>. Their desire is to see a church planting movement among the Tibetans and she has a special desire to help the women of China.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #010101; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">They are presently in the States raising support and <b>need your help</b>. If you are in the Southeast (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, etc.), they would like to meet you and speak to your house church, group or family.<br /><br />They will also be <b>in the Denver area</b> from May 23-28 meeting with Colorado house church families, churches and networks to share about their work in China and Tibet. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;">If you want to get your simple church more involved in missions, here is an <b>excellent opportunity to partner with a like-minded family planting like-minded churches.</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;">For more information on their work, and/or more info on their schedule in southeast US and in the Denver areas in the next couple of months, <b>contact Sean Hyatt</b> at 303 523 2315 or sean_hyatt@msn.com<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"> </span></span></span>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-53411101711872124242012-04-23T07:27:00.000-06:002012-04-23T07:27:16.618-06:00Coaching Workshop<a href="webkit-fake-url://010CC504-B5E0-4E4D-8BE6-767734B1CC79/application.pdf" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="webkit-fake-url://010CC504-B5E0-4E4D-8BE6-767734B1CC79/application.pdf" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Coaching is a highly valued skill in the LK10 Community. By "coaching", we mean the skill of helping a person get clear about what God is saying and doing in their life. For this reason, we are thrilled to offer to you <b>The Coaching Workship</b> which will be led by <b>Dr. Walt Hastings</b> who is a member of the LK10 Leadership Team. See below for the details. Hope to see you there!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">John</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">Integrating Coaching Skills into
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 20pt;">Saturday,
May 19</span></b><b><sup><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 16pt;">th</span></sup></b><b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 20pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3276306996378442611" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 16pt;">Abundant
Life Christian Church<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 16pt;">7100
Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"> The LK10 Community</span></b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"> Led by <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Dr.
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">E-Mail:
walthastings@hotmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"> Questions? Call Walt at: 303-526-9490</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">those with whom you work. Coaching skills are essential. <span class="apple-style-span">This one-day</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Those who desire to empower, equip, encourage, and support others.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Using coaching skills, you will be able to support people to:<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Gain focus / Make better decisions <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Move from vision to action / Achieve goals faster<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Broaden perspectives for innovative solutions<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Learn new skills to take the next step.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">This will in turn result in increased effectiveness, more teamwork,<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Registration Cost</span></u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"> (includes </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The Coach Model</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;"> book<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">by Keith Webb</span></i><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">, workbook,<i> </i>lunch & snacks) * </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Early registration - $50.00 * Late registration - $60.00 (after May 10<sup>th</sup>) * Church group rate (up to 10 persons) - $300 before May 10<sup>th</sup>; $400 after May 10<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Payment</span></u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">: </span>___ Check (made out to: Walt Hastings; mail to 24885 Genesee Ave., Golden, CO 80401)<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-43048645658967421002012-04-17T08:59:00.001-06:002012-04-17T09:01:27.044-06:00Church - incompatible with genuine community?15 years ago, <b>Jeff and Mary Power</b> finished seminary and moved to the suburb of Broomfield, CO (between Denver and Boulder) with the vision of starting a church that functioned as a genuine community. Ten years later two things were true...<br />
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1. Jeff and his leadership team were exhausted.<br />
2. They had concluded that the demands of starting and maintaining a traditional church (preaching great sermons, developing meaningful programs, recruiting people, etc.) were incompatible with their vision of genuine community.<br />
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As a result, Jeff and his leaders decided to close the church down. <br />
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Over the next five years, a number of people in that church remained friends. Recently, they asked us to help them explore the idea of starting house churches in Broomfield.<br />
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Jeff is not alone. <b>More than 1500 pastors a month are leaving the ministry in America. </b> Many are questioning if the standard paradigm of church is either consistent with Scripture or healthy for the people involved.<br />
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Here's Jeff's story...<br />
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For more on this topic see these posts ...<br />
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*The story of another pastor who resigned his church. <b> "Mega church pastor: "We are completely off base with what discipleship means"</b>. <a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2011/09/mega-church-pastor-we-are-completely.html">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2011/09/mega-church-pastor-we-are-completely.html</a><br />
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* <b>"Increasing number of American's are saying "No!" to traditional church". </b><a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/end%20of%20traditional%20church">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/end%20of%20traditional%20church</a><br />
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* <b>"The end of church planting"</b>. http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2011/11/end-of-church-planting.htmlJohn Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-63640014355859319292012-03-25T06:18:00.000-06:002012-03-25T06:18:36.302-06:00Basic training in organic church life<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Registration is open for two LK10 Courses. </span><br />
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<b>Foundations One: </b> This is a six week virtual learning community covering the basic values and practices of organic church life. In the video below, <b>Sean Hyatt</b>, who will be leading the course, explains what is involved. This class begins on April 2nd and is <u>limited to the first 15 registrations</u>. Cost: $100 for individuals. $150 for couples. See column to the right for more information and to register.<br />
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<b>Foundations Two</b>: This is also a six week virtual learning community which goes deeper into the basic values and practices of organic church life. The course will be led by <b>Walt Hastings</b>. It begins on April 22nd and is <u>limited to the first 15 registrations</u>. Cost: $100 for individuals. $150 for couples. <b>Prerequisite for Foundations Two is the completion of Foundations One. </b>See column to the right to register.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Each Foundation Course takes place in the context of a small "learning community" (6 to 15 people) called a cohort. The Course lasts for six weeks. Here are the key elements...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>1. Weekly learning assignments. </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> Articles to read and videos to watch that explain "foundational" practices and the Biblical basis.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>2. CO2 (Church of Two). </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> This might be a married couple or two men or two women. For six weeks, you will practice key rhythms daily with this one other person. Our conviction is that the CO2 is the basic building block of all larger expressions of church. We are following Jesus' model of putting people in pairs (Mt. 10) and sending them out together. For more information on the CO2, see the CO2 video and flyer in the right column of this site.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>3. Online Forum (Facebook Group, etc). </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Regular posting to a forum where you discuss insights, comments, experiences, questions with the rest of your cohort.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>4. Individual Coaching Appointments with the leader of your cohort. </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At least two one-on-one sessions during the Course. We want you to experience the value of this kind of coaching.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>5. Conference calls with your cohort. </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">At least two calls with your cohort during the Course to share comments, experiences and questions with the rest of your cohort.</span>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-81296286967271886882012-03-20T13:36:00.000-06:002012-08-12T17:52:01.759-06:0010:2b Virus Spreading to African Leaders<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>What's the key to CPMs (Church Planting Movements)?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Humanly, the answer is "leaders". Effective leaders are required for healthy churches to be planted.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Where do those leaders come from?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Only one place. They are sent out by the Lord of the harvest.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>What's our part?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">To do what Jesus commanded and "Beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out those leaders".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This has come to be known as <b>"The 10:2b Prayer"</b> and it's spreading around the world like a benevolent virus.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In this video, <b>Hugh Brandt</b> shares the 10:2b Prayer with leaders of Campus Crusade in Africa.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qMvW1Ref6-A" width="420"></iframe>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-4296311299585742062012-03-01T10:39:00.000-07:002012-03-01T10:39:51.377-07:00Church is changing!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">A couple of weeks, ago I shared with you these important quotes from a recent article in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Huffington Post</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> (of all places!)…</span></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Something startling is happening in American religion: <b>We are witnessing the end of church</b> or, at the very least, the end of conventional church. The United States is fast becoming a society where Christianity is being reorganized <u>after </u>religion. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">But there is <u>good news</u> in this article…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">But nearly half of Americans appear to hope for <u>a spiritual reformation – even revolution</u>… there is a grassroots desire for <b>new kinds of faith communities</b>, where institutional structures do not inhibit or impede ones relationship with God or neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/diana-butler-bass/the-end-of-church_b_1284954.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/diana-butler-bass/the-end-of-church_b_1284954.html </a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">And that’s where LK10 comes in. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Our mission</b> is to train people for these “new kinds of faith communities”. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">One of the main ways we do this is through the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Foundation Courses</b>. These Courses teach <u>a new paradigm of church in the context of a vital learning community</u>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">If you haven’t been in one of these Courses yet, you can get a good picture of what it’s like from this interview with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sean Hyatt</b>. </span> </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sb0vA9VCBq4" width="420"></iframe>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-75559853044980088762012-02-28T13:55:00.001-07:002012-02-28T13:57:51.776-07:00Class on "Learning to hear God's voice"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbTRjMZGNw1aYLkf8PA6r9PYFruHdraCqXmlHH0yAenw1Rw0SQcMAsidcd_q2_CRdj1f6th6bC8Cow2aUOc97TFs6UU13EUpzlzBI26rLw3tZBB-LJ2TnOE6Y17R9U4rvxFK5My8RHKoj/s1600/Jesus+Calling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbTRjMZGNw1aYLkf8PA6r9PYFruHdraCqXmlHH0yAenw1Rw0SQcMAsidcd_q2_CRdj1f6th6bC8Cow2aUOc97TFs6UU13EUpzlzBI26rLw3tZBB-LJ2TnOE6Y17R9U4rvxFK5My8RHKoj/s1600/Jesus+Calling.jpg" /></a></div>Jim Mellor and I (John White) will be leading an adult Sunday School class at Greenwood Community Church on <b>"Learning to hear God's voice"</b>. <br />
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Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." John 17:27. This class will be a "community of practice" for those who desire to grow in their ability to hear His voice. <i>"This practice of listening to God has increased my intimacy with Him more than any other spiritual discipline."</i> says Sarah Young. We will use Sarah's daily devotional <i>Jesus Calling </i>as a spring board to practice listening prayer.<br />
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Class begins March 11 and concludes May 6. No class on April 8. Sundays at 11am in the Longs Peak Room.John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-57673761750650662282012-02-27T09:32:00.001-07:002012-08-11T13:51:11.238-06:00Seth Godin: The definition of a revolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The name of this blog is <b>"Stories From the Revolution"</b>. It's taken from <b>George Barna's</b> book, <i>Revolution.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Concerning this revolution, Barna writes, "(It is) an unprecedented reengineering of America's faith dimension that is likely to be the most significant transition in the religious landscape that you will ever experience."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Seth Godin</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> gives us further insight into the nature of revolutions:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Perfect and impossible</span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The definition of a revolution: it destroys the perfect and enables the impossible.</span></span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The music business was perfect. Radio, record chains, Rolling Stone magazine, the senior prom, limited access to recording studios, the replaceable nature of the LP, the baby boomers... it all added up to a business that seemed perfect, one that could run for ever and ever.</span></span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The digital revolution destroyed this perfect business while enabling the seemingly impossible: easy access to the market by new musicians, a cosmic jukebox of just about every song ever recorded, music as a social connector...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you are in love with the perfect, prepare to see it swept away. If you are able to dream of the impossible, it just might happen.</span></div>
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<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/02/perfect-and-impossible.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29">http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/02/perfect-and-impossible.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29</a></div>
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</div>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-67658973672263088342012-02-19T06:44:00.000-07:002012-08-11T13:53:20.244-06:00Increasing number of Americans are saying "No!" to traditional church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Check out this remarkable article from The Huffington Post:<br />
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Something startling is happening in American religion: <b>We are witnessing the end of church or, at the very least, the end of conventional church. </b>The United States is fast-becoming a society where Christianity is being reorganized after religion.</div>
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In recent decades, untold numbers of people have left the Roman Catholic Church. In a 2008 survey, Pew research found that one in 10 Americans now considers themselves an ex-Catholic. The situation is so dire that the church launched a PR campaign inviting Catholics to "come home," to woo back disgruntled members. There was a slight uptick in Catholic membership last year, mostly due to immigrant Catholics. There is no data indicating that Catholics are returning en masse and much anecdotal evidence suggesting that leaving-taking continues. Catholic leaders worry that once the new immigrants become fully part of American society they might leave, too.</div>
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<b>The end of church, however, is not merely a Catholic problem. </b>For decades, mainline Protestants have watched helplessly as their membership rolls dwindled, employing program after program to try to stop the decline. In the last 15 years, conservative Protestant denominations have witnessed significant erosions in membership, money and participation -- with some of the greatest drops in groups like the Southern Baptist Convention that once seemed impervious to decline. <b>In a typical week, less than a quarter of Americans attend a religious service, down from the half of the population who were regular churchgoers a generation ago.</b></div>
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There are successful individual congregations -- Catholic or Protestant, mainline or evangelical, liberal or conservative, small or large -- everywhere. <b>But the institutional structures of American religion -- denominations of all theological sorts -- are in a free-fall.</b></div>
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<b>The religious market collapse has happened with astonishing speed.</b> In 1999, when survey takers asked Americans "Do you consider yourself spiritual or religious," a solid majority of 54 percent responded that they were "religious but not spiritual."<u> By 2009, only 9 percent of Americans responded that way.</u> In 10 years, those willing to identify themselves primarily as "religious" plummeted by 45 percentage points.</div>
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In the last decade, the word "religion" has become equated with institutional or organized religion. Because of crises such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Roman Catholic abuse scandal, Americans now define "religion" in almost exclusively negative terms. These larger events, especially when combined with increasing irrelevance of too much of organized religion, contributed to an overall decline in church membership, and an overall decline of the numbers of Christians, in the United States.</div>
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There may be hope, however, regarding the future of faith. Despite worry about the word, "religion," Americans are extremely warm toward "spiritual but not religious" (30 percent) and, even more interestingly (and perhaps paradoxically), the term "spiritual and religious" (48 percent). While "religion" means institutional religion, "spirituality" means an experience of faith. <b>Large numbers of Americans are hankering for experiential faith whereby they can connect with God, the divine, or wonder as well as with their neighbors </b>and that lead to a more profound sense of meaning in the world. Maybe Americans once called this "religion," but no more. Americans call it "spirituality."</div>
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Some Americans want to be spiritually left alone, without complications from organized religion.<b> But nearly half of Americans appear to hope for a spiritual reformation -- or even revolution -- in their faith traditions and denominations.</b> Congregations that exhibit a vibrant spiritual life embodying a living faith in practical ways succeeding, even in the religion bear market. These sorts of communities are models of what might be possible to renew wearied organizations. But the macro-structures of American faith -- denominations -- have yet to hear this message. They are still trying to fix institutional problems and flex political muscle instead of tending to the spiritual longings of regular Americans.</div>
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"Spiritual and religious" expresses <b>a grassroots desire for new kinds of faith communities, where institutional structures do not inhibit or impede one's relationship with God or neighbor. </b>Americans are searching for churches -- and temples, synagogues, and mosques -- that are not caught up in political intrigue, rigid rules and prohibitions, institutional maintenance, unresponsive authorities, and inflexible dogma but instead offer pathways of life-giving spiritual experience, connection, meaning, vocation, and doing justice in the world. Americans are not rejecting faith -- they are, however, rejecting self-serving religious institutions.</div>
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The end of conventional church isn't necessarily a bad thing. Christianity after religion, a faith renewed by the experience of God's spirit, is closer to what Jesus hoped for his followers than the scandalous division, politics, and enmity we have now. Will there still be Christianity after the end of institutional religion? Yes, there will be. But it is going to be different than what Americans have known, a faith responsive to the longings of those who are expecting more spiritual depth and greater ethical integrity rather than more conventional church.<b> Indeed, I suspect that the end of church is only the beginning of a new Great Awakening.</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/diana-butler-bass/the-end-of-church_b_1284954.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/diana-butler-bass/the-end-of-church_b_1284954.html </a></div>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-55469597874445605532012-02-06T10:38:00.002-07:002012-02-06T10:42:03.459-07:00Powerful new insights on how to resist the devilToo often we separate Scripture and spiritual principles from the real world. As a result, these principles loose much of their power. For instance, James 4:7 tells us to <i>"resist the devil and he will flee from you"</i>.<br />
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But, <b>how exactly to we do this? </b><br />
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No doubt, James had in mind <u>real life examples of combat</u> when he wrote these words. No doubt, he had seen someone physically attacked and he could picture the one being attacked resisting the attacker. (In the Greek, "resist" is a compound word: <i>anti + istemi. </i>Literally, "to stand against".) <b> Seeing a literal picture of someone resisting or standing against an attacker gives us powerful insights into <u>how</u> to engage in spiritual warfare against the devil.</b><br />
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Here's an example. In this short video, <b>Tony Blauer</b>, an expert in personal self-defense, demonstrates a key skill in resisting. Here are some things that I notice.<br />
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1. Perhaps most important is <b>Tony's attitude</b>. Because he is both conditioned and skilled, he exudes confidence. He isn't "quaking in his boots" at the prospect of being attacked. If anything, the attacker is in for a rude awakening. This reminds me of Jesus' attitude during his encounter with the devil in Matthew 4. Can you picture yourself having this same confident attitude?<br />
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2. Resisting requires <b>particular skills</b>. In this video, Tony is teaching "Outside 90". What skills are necessary to resist the devil?<br />
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3. Resisting requires that we <b>practice the skills of combat</b>. Just knowing the theory isn't enough. We must become practitioners. We know that God is infinitely more powerful than the devil and could get rid of him at any moment. Why doesn't He? At least one reason is that we need an opponent to grow stronger and more skilled. (1 Peter 5:8 even calls the devil our "opponent" or "adversary".)<br />
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<b>What else to you learn about "resisting the devil" from this video?</b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VysnuMIIllE" width="500"></iframe>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-52835415538566270962012-01-26T07:34:00.000-07:002012-01-26T07:34:27.864-07:00Tony Dale: LK10 adds the personal touch<b>House2House Ministries</b> and the <b>LK10 Ministries</b> are two of the organizations serving the growing house church movement. While I (John White) am the Director of LK10, I also serve on the Board of Directors of House2House. <br />
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A couple of weeks ago I was in Austin, TX for a meeting of the Board of House2House at <b>Tony and Felicity Dale's</b> home. Tony and Felicity are good friends and we've been involved with them in the house church movement for over twelve years. <br />
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In this video, I asked Tony to comment on some of the ways that these two ministries compliment each other. One of his observations was that LK10 adds <b>"the personal touch"</b>. And, that's exactly right. I wish you could see what is going on in the <b>Foundations One Courses</b> that just started. These are small virtual groups of 8 to 12 people (we call them cohorts) where people are <u>learning in the context of community</u>. In addition to the "personal touch" of the cohort community, each person receives <u>one on one coaching</u> every other week. If this sounds good to you, consider being part of next round of courses.<br />
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Update from the <b>LK10 Equipping Center</b>:<br />
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*Two <b>Foundation One Courses are</b> just starting up with participants from Colorado, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Minnesota, Florida and Alberta (CAN). One of the amazing things we've learned from these Courses is how significant community can develop in these virtual learning environments. We'll let you know when new Courses are starting.<br />
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*A <b>Foundations One Course</b> will soon be starting with leaders from several African countries.<br />
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*We've had to postpone the beginning of <b>The Family Blessing Course</b>. We'll let you know the new start date.John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-26416070063394412262012-01-16T06:00:00.003-07:002012-01-16T06:00:15.920-07:00The Family Blessing - Part 2<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5453754202462733"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John White interviews Tim Pynes about the details of his new class that LK10 is offering. The class is called </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Family Blessing: Reclaiming the Home as the Center for Spiritual Training.</span></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5453754202462733"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To register for this new class, please visit this link: <a href="http://familyblessing.eventbrite.com/">http://familyblessing.eventbrite.com/</a></span></b><br />
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</span></b>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-8100866073108346882012-01-09T07:17:00.001-07:002012-01-09T11:32:04.594-07:00New Course offered: "The Family Blessing"Registration is now open for a new session of our <b>Foundations One Course</b>. For information about this Course and how to register, see the right column.<br />
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In addition, we are excited to offer, for the first time, a new Course called <b>"The Family Blessing"</b>which will be led by one of our LK10 Coaches, <b>Tim Pynes.</b> The mission of LK10 is to see "a vibrant family of Jesus within easy reach of every region and people group". This Course is an important resource towards that objective. ("The Family Blessing" applies LK10 practices specifically in a family context whereas "Foundations One" has a broader focus.) <br />
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For information about the course and how to register, see below...<br />
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<b>The Family Blessing - Part 1</b><br />
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I (Tim Pynes) was in Israel over the summer and one night, in Tel Aviv, I witnessed an amazing scene in the restaurant at the hotel where we were staying. It was Friday evening and the hotel restaurant was packed with hundreds of people of all kinds. After going through the buffet line and sitting down at a table to eat, I noticed a family of Orthodox Jews stand up at their table near me and begin to pray. As I watched them, the mother of the family pulled a shawl over her head and lit a candle. In that moment, it occurred to me that the sun had just set and the sabbath had begun. I turned in my chair and saw that there were Jewish families interspersed throughout the hotel restaurant who were standing at their tables and also beginning the shabbat meal ritual. These Jewish families seemed unaware and unconcerned with the mealtime chatter happening at tables all around them as Muslim and non-Jewish families carried on eating and celebrating dinner together. <br />
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I focused my attention on one young boy at a table near mine (he was a red-haired, Orthodox Jewish child with the long curled locks hanging down on either side of his face who appeared to be around 9 or ten years old) and watched him as he stood at attention with his family, focusing his gaze first on his mother as she spoke, and then on his father. As I watched this young boy and his family continue the shabbat meal ritual, I was reminded of this scene from the movie, <b>Fiddler on the Roof</b>.<br />
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The powerful and moving scene I witnessed that night in Tel Aviv and this scene from Fiddler on the Roof cause me to consider and ponder such thoughts as:<br />
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<ul><li>Imagine growing up in a home where at least once a week your parents took turns to look you squarely in the eyes and speak words of love and blessing over you.</li>
<li>Imagine growing up in a home where at least once a week you got to observe your parents speaking words of love and blessing to one another.</li>
<li>Imagine growing up in a home where at least once a week, you connected on a heart level with your parents and your siblings.</li>
<li>Imagine growing up in a home where the stories of God’s goodness - stories that naturally overflowed from having a vibrant, personal & intimate relationship with God - were shared at the dinner table on a regular basis.</li>
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I want to explore these thoughts - and many others like them - and I want to reclaim the home as the center for spiritual growth and development. I long to see <u>vibrant families of Jesus</u> scattered throughout the world; families who are connected with the heart of God and who are being the Church wherever they go, wherever they are. Because of this, I have created a 6-week course titled, <b>"The Family Blessing: Reclaiming the Home as the Center for Spiritual Training"</b>. The focus of this course will be on helping you to reclaim your home as a center for spiritual training.<b> </b> By instituting a weekly family blessing time, you will help to cultivate one anothers spiritual life and develop a more intimate relationship with God. You will learn to create a weekly space in the natural rhythm of your family’s life where you connect with one another and with God at a heart level and learn to see one anothers design and glory and call it forth.<br />
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Here are the details for the class:<br />
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<ul><li>The class is 6-weeks long and begins on January 23rd and ends on March 2nd.</li>
<li>The class is limited to 15 people. The first 15 people to register get in. Once 15 people have registered, we will close registration and create a waiting list.</li>
<li>The cost of the course is $100 per person or $150 for couples.</li>
<li>Every week on Monday, you will be emailed a workbook with your assignment for that week.</li>
<li>Also, there will be three 1-hour conference calls provided for you over the length of the course where you can connect with your classmates, ask questions, discuss what you are learning, etc.</li>
<li>In addition, you will be provided two 45-minute coaching sessions during the length of the course.</li>
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<b>Registration opens today, January 9th and ends at 5 p.m. MT on Friday, January 20th or once the class has 15 participants,</b> whichever comes first.<br />
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You can register for this course at <a href="http://familyblessing.eventbrite.com/">http://familyblessing.eventbrite.com</a><br />
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If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me: <b>timpynes@gmail.com </b>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-90621131173114059772011-12-19T10:48:00.000-07:002011-12-19T10:48:28.537-07:00What happens in a Foundations Course?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qilrlO51_sA" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The video above is an interview with <b>Walt Hastings</b> who is one of our <b>LK10 Coaches</b>. Walt has just finished leading one of the Cohorts in our six week Foundations Course and is describing what happened during the Course. (See below for comments from members of that Cohort.)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Five new Cohorts are beginning in January.</b> One in Africa. Two in Australia. Two in the US. To find out more information and to register see the right column. Further questions? Send me an email at <a href="mailto:john.lk10@gmail.com">john.lk10@gmail.com </a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Comments from members of Walt's Cohort...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Phyllis: <i> I had gotten God's messages before, but had never thought of it as hearing His voice. I had never tried a dedicated "listening time" before either. <b>So I guess you'd have to say I am leaps and bounds beyond where I was. </b> I'd love to live my whole life as a "listening time"... The class has emphasized for me that "church" is about relationship (to God and to each other) more than it is about worship. Worship flows from the relationship. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext">Joseph: <i><b>The class has </b></i></span><i><b>strengthened my marriage.</b> We have checked in with each using "SASHET", which helps us to state where we are much more quickly. Sometimes we can't put emotions into words but this method helps. The class also has helped me to be more in tune to God and to listen to Him. </i> </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Angie: <i>My highlight was meeting new people. I also liked the roadmap that LK10 presented. </i><span class="tinytext"><i>Doing check-ins using SASHET helped me understand where others are and be more tender toward them. I learned to listen to others, without offering advice.<b> I was able to hear God's Voice every day and journal.</b> I am appreciating that God wants to be with me each day, and that He desires relationship. Observing Walt when coaching allowed me to see a good example of listening well and asking good questions, without telling people what to do. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Troy: <i>I liked the course material, especially <b>how the role of the Holy Spirit was presented</b>. It was great having a coach to whom to be accountable. My coach made observations and asked good questions that led to personal growth. I also like the training options for the future that LK10 is planning. </i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext">Raymond: <i>For me, the highlight has been t</i></span><i>he Skype session with the group. The fellowship with the other members in Skype was so welcome and refreshing. One member came through with some useful info on home churches that he sent to me.<b> It has been a great encouragement to me to have fellowship with others of like mind and desires. </b></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Audrey: <i> I've learned better skills for listening to God. Taking out more quiet times to spend with God, <b>has made my relationship with Jesus seem more real to me</b>... I think that just knowing someone is committed to connecting with me each day (CO2) is pretty great, as well as knowing that I have a non-judgmental ear ready to listen to what's going on with me... When we arrive at our church meeting, I already feel connected to her, not like I'm only seeing her for the first or second time during the week. </i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Bob: <i>I see more clearly the presence of Jesus in people in our cohort. <b>I have new friends via the cohort.</b> I want to hear what God does in their lives in the future, and to find opportunities to encourage them in their journey. </i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="tinytext"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-89831518177060862072011-12-14T16:20:00.000-07:002012-08-11T13:58:55.347-06:00Youth Ministry: A 50-year-old failed experiment (2)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb3ebQrU7vdARMYE80oLwdzJEBRD4rq-r1Egx0dAQ4mACs90iEf0OiaPOUUEsrubc3lPVZxMYyOy-YVTLAHH6kYS5DC83e7jbPpTr2E55dzVzlcmY7yM3yw1eewshyEsLwbpuyrP51Xrm/s1600/The+Present+Future.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb3ebQrU7vdARMYE80oLwdzJEBRD4rq-r1Egx0dAQ4mACs90iEf0OiaPOUUEsrubc3lPVZxMYyOy-YVTLAHH6kYS5DC83e7jbPpTr2E55dzVzlcmY7yM3yw1eewshyEsLwbpuyrP51Xrm/s1600/The+Present+Future.jpg" /></a><b>Reggie McNeal</b>, author of <i>The Present Future</i>, weighs in on this issue of youth ministry...<br />
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<i>We typically hire children's and student ministers to run programs for children and young people. In fact, <u>this approach by the church may do more to decimate the home as a spiritual center than anything coming into the home on television or the Internet.</u></i><br />
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Reggie hasn't quite gotten to the house church concept (home = church) yet but he's headed in the right direction. Here's more from Reggie...<br />
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<b><i>From Classroom to Living Room</i></b><br />
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<i>In the new world the place of learning has shifted from the classroom (academic model) to the living room (life learning)...</i><br />
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<i>This shift raises the question of why churches spend millions of dollars building file cabinets to put people in for an hour or two each week (we call it "educational space") when <b>the most effective spiritual formation does not occur in these settings...</b></i><br />
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<i>This issue in spiritual formation is bigger than just location. It involves a philosophy of where spiritual formation is centered. In the modern world spiritual instruction was owned and operated by the institution of the church. <b> In premodern and postmodern cultures the home was and is the center for spiritual formation...</b></i><br />
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<i>The typical church family leaves spiritual stuff to what happens at the church thereby delegating spiritual formation to the institution. And the institution encourages it! ... <b>I'm amazed a how our best church families have <u>no clue</u> as to how to have conversations at home about spiritual subjects. </b>p. 88</i><br />
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<b>The good news is - there is a revolution underway. </b>More and more Christians are rising up and saying "No!" to this institution-centered model. They are returning to the New Testament model of the home as "the center for spiritual formation". <br />
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And, LK10 is a "community of practice" for these revolutionaries. Here are some ways you can connect with this community:<br />
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Two <b>Foundations Courses</b> are starting in January. For more information on what this is an how to register go here: <a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2011/09/foundations-course.html">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/2011/09/foundations-course.html</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also coming in January: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><b>"The Family Blessing: Reclaiming the Home as the Center for Spiritual Training". </b>More information to come.</span></span>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-42920553528481046262011-12-07T04:34:00.001-07:002012-08-11T13:56:40.128-06:00Youth Ministry: A 50-year-old failed experiment (1)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVNxfbgTA3u7RNVuE6_Z3BKNAAGCfQhYMRDIysNQs_KP9YnbSCIXg4nTLpVBXjBzocWCgGqOCdtC0Bx0wtM_iCPnKoF5srTzLcPByThiCJzYhflACzNqh_-GpRgMXbfxs79xY_2Mlx6Dt/s1600/A+Weed+in+the+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVNxfbgTA3u7RNVuE6_Z3BKNAAGCfQhYMRDIysNQs_KP9YnbSCIXg4nTLpVBXjBzocWCgGqOCdtC0Bx0wtM_iCPnKoF5srTzLcPByThiCJzYhflACzNqh_-GpRgMXbfxs79xY_2Mlx6Dt/s1600/A+Weed+in+the+Church.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A recent book on youth ministry by Scott Brown is causing quite a stir. Here's the title...</span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A Weed in the Church: </b>How a culture of age segregation is harming the next generation, fragmenting the family and dividing the church.</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Age-segregation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"There is a crisis among the Christian youth. They drop out of church. They remain childish. They are biblically illiterate. The church is losing the next generation. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Church youth ministries are failing to reach children and teens at an unprecedented rate. Depending on what survey you look at, these ministries have <b>a failure rate of somewhere between 70 and 88 percent.</b> We are losing 7 to 9 out of every 10 kids to the world. This is a time of emergency. People are wondering what is wrong with the youth."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What's the answer according to Scott Brown? </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stop age-segregation and start age-integration (especially get the fathers involved).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Our view?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a former youth pastor, I completely agree with Scott Brown. This is a huge step in the right direction of restoring the biblical values for church and family. My only concern is that it doesn't go far enough. In the New Testament, families didn't "go" to church together. Rather, it was understood that the home, and not some church building was the center of spirituality. In other words, <b>the marriage, and then the family, was the first and most foundational expression of church.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Our motto? </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every home a church.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a biblical value that the LK10 Community is seeking to restore. Coming in January, a new course called <b>"The Family Blessing: Reclaiming the Home as the Center for Spiritual Training".</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John White</span><br />
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</span></span>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3276306996378442611.post-1138355197377870812011-11-30T13:00:00.000-07:002012-08-11T14:01:27.053-06:00"The end of church planting?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently received an email from a friend with the above title. It was referencing a blog that suggested that we may be coming to "the end of church planting" by means of the <b>"professional entrepreneurial pastor" </b>(Rick Warren would be the prototype for this kind of church planting). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's my response...</span><br />
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Thanks for the article ("The End of Church Planting?" <a href="http://mastersfellowship.com/?p=73">http://mastersfellowship.com/?p=73</a>).</div>
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While I largely agree with the author, I want to suggest that he doesn't go nearly far enough. Jason Hood, following an article by David Fitch, <b>advocates shifting from "professional entrepreneurial pastors" to "missionary teams" for church planting.</b> A missionary team might consist of "three or four leaders" (or "lead couples"). This is a good start.</div>
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However, the critical issue that is <u>not</u> addressed is <b>the nature of the church being planted.</b> The picture of the desired outcome of the church planting process determines how this missionary team seeks to function. Do they begin to gather people in order to rent or build a facility? Do they form a worship team? Develop a children's ministry? Secure a preacher? Develop a marketing plan? Do demographic studies? Etc. All of these activities point to what is a generally accepted, modern understanding of what a church should be. What I'm suggesting is that this understanding is <b>a major departure from the biblical practice of church</b>. And, that while we are reconsidering "how" a church is planted, it is even more important to reconsider "what" a church is.</div>
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In the beginning of the Jesus Movement, for at least the first 40 years, every local church that was planted was Jewish in nature (although not everyone who was involved was Jewish). This is because, at least until the First Jewish Revolt (66 - 72 AD), there was no such thing as a separate Christian religion. Everyone that we would call a "Christian" or a "follower of the Nazarene" was considered part of Judaism. And, implicit in Judaism, was this value: <b> the home, and not the synagogue, is the center of spirituality.</b> <i>Our Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith</i> by Marvin Wilson makes this abundantly clear. Every Jewish home was considered a <i><b>miqdash me'at</b></i>, that is a "miniature temple". The home was the primary location for worship, prayer, the study of Torah and ministry to the community. (In short hand, we might express this as "home = church".)</div>
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The early Christians did not invent house church. They simply build on what was already present. <b>"The Jewish Sabbath celebration provided a pattern for the development of early Christian house churches."</b> (Heidler, <i>The Messianic Church Arising!</i>, p.61.) The key to the rapid expansion of the early church was the fact that there were approximately six million Jews living in the Roman Empire outside of Palestine. (Stark, <i>The Rise of Christianity</i>) <b>Most of these diaspora Jews understood what most American Christians have never considered</b>: the home, not the synagogue, is meant to be the center of spirituality.</div>
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Therefore, when Jesus planted churches, <b>He planted a very specific kind of church</b>. It was a church that was centered in the home and that functioned like an extended spiritual family. (And, Jesus did plant churches! See <i>House Church and Mission</i> by Roger Gehring.) And, when Jesus taught His disciples how to plant churches (Mt. 10, Lk 10, Acts), it was the same kind of church. <b>Dare we consider how far we have departed from this picture?</b></div>
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The prototypical example of this kind of thinking about church planting in the New Testament is <b>Priscilla and Aquila</b>. Everywhere they went (Corinth, Ephesus, Rome) a house church sprang up. It wasn't so much that they planted churches as that they understood that they already were a church (a church of two?). And, in each situation, a larger community emerged around them in a very natural way. (Apparently, three or four "lead couples" were not needed. Only one couple was needed which follows the model that Jesus' explained in Lk 10.) <b>What if a million Christian households in America began to think this way?</b></div>
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Two summary statements. First, this way of thinking about church, although often foreign to our experience, is far more consistent with the biblical record than our traditional, building-centered model. We say that "Scripture is our authoritative guide for faith and practice". <b> Are we ready for Scripture to become our authoritative guide as to how we "practice" church? </b>(Isn't it odd that we would fight for this principle of the authority of Scripture in other areas but often completely ignore it when it comes to how we "do" church?) Our understanding of what a church is greatly influences our understanding of how a church is planted.</div>
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Second, this way of thinking about church is<b> far simpler, far more natural and far less expensive than the traditional, building-centered model</b>. This way of thinking about church opens the door for both viral multiplication and life-changing transformation.</div>
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So, I'm glad that we are coming to "the end of church planting" by means of the "professional, entrepreneurial pastor". But, <b>my hope is that we will soon also come to "the end of church planting" where church means a building-centered, clergy-centered, program-centered organization.</b></div>
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John White</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">John White</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Team Leader</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">LK10: A Community of Practice for Church Planters</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">*For stories of people who are "doing it": </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/">http://storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
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In addition to the books listed above, I've also found two books by Joseph Hellerman to be valuable. <i>When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' vision for Authentic Christian Community</i> and <i>The Ancient Church as Family: How the Earliest Churches Reconfigured Family and Religion.</i></div>
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</i></div>John Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08280068427237433586noreply@blogger.com3