10 Easy Ways to make Church Services More Boring

This is from Tony Morgan Book Killing Cockroaches. It give us some insights on what we are doing in our churches. How can we make the worship experience more interactive and creative for all involved.

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Don't worry about when you finish

I'm sure no one has plans after the service.

Straight Scriptures, no stories

Jesus didn't teach that way, but you're obviously a better teacher than Jesus.

No television, no movies. 

It's just a phase. People don't really need visual stimulation. They prefer talking heads.

Use the same service order. 

Every week. No exceptions. Ever.

Make more announcements..

Encourage elementary school kids to sit through your services. 

They love lively 45-minute sermons. It's good for them. It builds character.

Talk more about the past 

and less about the future.

Use the same song every week. 

And try the chorus one more time.

Use lots of big words 

that no one uses in normal, everyday life.

Forget relevant topics and life application. 

That's overrated. People are really only interested in hearing what you think, not why it matters to them. OK, you probably get the point. The question is this: What are you doing to make your services memorable and impactful? Or do you believe unchurched people, people who aren't already in a relationship with Jesus, should just be expected to to show up and put up with something they perceive as boring?

Morgan, Tony (2009-03-01). Killing Cockroaches (p. 19). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Get the Most out of the Road Map

By Philana Crouch

Tools to Start

The Bible is truely a remarkable book! But sometimes as we begin our journey it can be overwhelming. We can even feel a little bit lost. So we are going to look at some tools that we can use to better understand the Bible. Then we will look at some steps to take while studying.

Choosing a Translation

The first thing you need to study the Bible is a Bible. Since the Bible was originally written in Hebrew in the case of the Hebrew Bible [1] (with a few portions in Aramaic) and Greek in the case of the Greek Testament [2] most will have to read the Bible in translation. There are many excellent English translations available. In fact you can visit a site like YouVersion or Bible Gateway you can read and compare them to find one that you can understand.

Let me share a few translations that I enjoy using. These translations were all done by various translation committees, they include scholars from a variety of denominations. This is important! Whatever translation you choose for the purpose of studying the Bible you want to avoid a version done by one denomination or a single individual. This will prevent a biased translation.

New International Version (NIV)

The NIV has been a popular translation for many years. In 2011 it went through an update. I have enjoyed using it both for reading and studying the Bible.

New Living Translation (NLT)

The NLT has also recently become a popular translation of the Bible. It renders the ancient text in clear English and due to changes in the English language it has been updated to reflect current usage. While it is at times confused with the Living Bible, a paraphrase of the King James Version, the NLT is a translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages.

Common English Bible (CEB)

The CEB [3] is a completely new translation that was released in 2011. The goal of this translation was both accuracy of translation, but one that is clearly readable in English. They have done an excellent job in doing so. I am currently making my way through the Bible using the CEB.

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The NRSV [4] is an excellent translation. It is more literal in its translation, but very readable. It is often a favorite with scholars. I found it used by many of my theology professors both during my undergrad studies and my years at seminary.

Whichever translation you choose it's important to read it. If you are an auditory learner consider using an audio Bible. You can find several on the web at sites like YouVersion and Bible Gateway. You can get Faith Comes by Hearing NRSV Hebrew Bible and Greek Testament audio Bible in Amazon's MP3 Store for free. They can be downloaded on iOS devices using the Amazon Cloud Player app.

A Reading Plan

The Bible is a large collection, so having a reading plan is important. A reading plan is a list of passages or chapters of the Bible to read each day. Thankfully over the years many committed followers of Jesus have complied a variety of them.

In his book The Divine Mentor, Wayne Cordiero writes the following insight into the need for a Bible Reading Plan:

The loneliest people in the Bible are the Minor Prophets. I can almost hear one complaining: ‘‘These Christians never come to my house! They visit David and Solomon consistently. They visit the disciples and Paul regularly. Maybe once a year they even visit our eccentric cousin, Jeremiah. But they don’t ever come to my house.’’ And immediately all the other Minor Prophets shout their agreement: ‘‘Amen! Alas, we make much food—yea, even a banquet—and yet they come not!’’ (pg. 94)

Without a reading plan it become too easy to just read only certain portions of Scripture, and sadly ignore others. The Apostle Paul tells us that the entire Bible is useful for teaching sound doctrine and setting the limits of Christian orthodoxy (2 Timothy 3:16-17). But if we don't get to know all of the biblical writers we will have an incomplete understanding of who God is.

Electronic Tools

YouVersion

This free website an mobile app provides access many Bible translations (in many languages). It also provides several Bible reading plans, and the ability to take notes. You can listen to audio Bibles and will find many reading plans. Scripture verses and your notes can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Faithlife Study Bible

The Faithlife Study Bible is a brand new digital study Bible. You can currently get it free until March 2014 where it will change to a modest subscription fee (this will be constantly updated with new content, so the fee is to help cover the costs of expanding the content). They will not ask for any payment type unless you wish to purchase extra Bible translations beyond the free Bible given. It includes the Lexham Bible Dictionary, a quality Bible dictionary that will assist you in studying and understanding the historical and cultural context of the Bible. You can find information on how to get it for free here.

Steps for Study

Pray

Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit (part of the Triune God) to lead us into all truth (John 14:26). Peter, an eyewitness to the earthly ministry of Jesus, points out that this same Holy Spirit also was the one moving the writers of the Bible (2 Peter 1:20-21). Being in communication with the Divine Author of the Bible is an important part of studying the Bible. We are also told that we need the aid of the Holy Spirit to understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). Since the things of Scripture have their origin in the mind of God, we need God's Spirit to help us understand them.

The means of communicating with God that is taught in the Bible is called prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. So it's important to talk to God and ask Him to help you understand what the Bible is saying.

Read in Context

Don't just read a bit hear and there. That's not how the Bible was written. It's important to read it in context. Don't skip from verse to verse or book. Read through the entire work. For example, if you decided to read and study through the letter of Philippians, read through the entire letter. That way you will understand what the Divine and human authors were trying to say. When you choose a portion of Scripture to study you need to read its surrounding context.

As you read you will come across people, places, or things you are unfamiliar with. This is where tools like the Lexham Bible Dictionary can help. Let's say you decide to study Luke 18:9-14 and as you read you see two people described as a Pharisees and a Tax Collector. Now you may think you know why they didn't like tax collectors (but in the 1st Century there is more going on than hating the IRS). You might also not be very familiar with who the Pharisees were. If you decide to get the Lexham Bible Dictionary (you can use it for free for until March 2014) and its a great resource, or another Bible Dictionary/Encyclopedia, you will find very helpful articles on the Pharisees and taxation. This type of resource will help you better understand the historical and cultural background of the Bible.

Take Notes and Mark-Up

It is also important for you to take notes and mark-up your Bible as you study. It's not sacrilegious to mark-up your Bible...it will help you as you study. If you use a paper Bible make sure the marking tools will not bleed through the pages. You want to use a dry highlighter or Micron Pens. You will also find a wide-margin Bible helpful. There are two from The NoteWorthy Collection, I have used the TNIV edition and enjoyed it.

• TNIV Bible (The NoteWorthy Collection) by Zondervan
• NIV Bible (The NoteWorthy Collection) by Zondervan (1984 edition of the NIV

I currently use an electronic Bible. My favorite app is the one I recommended earlier, the Faithlife Study Bible app. It's got great marking tools, and if you download the desktop app from Logos Bible Software (they own Faithlife) you can create new mark-up styles that will sync with mobile devices.

Apply It

There is no value in studying the Bible merely for the sake of studying it. It must also be applied to our lives. The Psalmist tells us that we need to have God's word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). In Ezekiel 36:26-27 we are told that God will give us a new heart, reading, studying, and applying the Bible is part of the process.


Notes:

[1] While the Hebrew Bible is often called the Old Testament this designation was used as a way to deem it inferior. This was based upon the horrible sin of anti-semitism, and based upon a misinterpretation of the writings of the apostles. These were the Scriptures of Jesus and His followers. I have chosen refer to this portion of Scripture as the Hebrew Bible.

[2] These are the writings of the disciples of Jesus and early leaders of the Christian church commonly called the New Testament.

[3] The CEB also includes editions that contain the deuterocanonical books (also commonly called the Apocrypha). These books are considered Scripture by the Roman Catholic church, but are not considered to be Scripture by Protestants and Jews. As a Protestant Christian I do not consider them to be Scripture, but they do have historical value in understanding the beliefs held by Jews prior to the birth of Jesus.

[4] Like the CEB many editions of the NRSV contain the deuterocanonical books.

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Understanding Your Journey’s Road Map

Photo Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1058605

By Philana Crouch

The year I turned six I got a pretty cool birthday gift...a little brother! One thing I noticed really quick was that he needed to eat. He needed to eat a lot. Why? Because he needed to eat to grow!

In growing up our parents would read to us, something we both enjoyed. But we did not stop there, we both not only learned to read on our own, but we both developed a love of reading. Recently my brother graduated with his Masters in Public Health, I am pretty proud of him. I received also my Masters in Divinity a few years ago. We were able to accomplish this because we had learned to not just be read to, but to love reading on our own.

It's the same way with our spiritual life. We both need to eat spiritually, and grow to the point where we spiritually feed ourselves. The Bible is our spiritual food (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). But what is the Bible?

The Story

The Bible often called the "Word of God" is a collection of books, histories, songs, poems, prophecies, biographies and letters. These documents were written in Hebrew and Greek by people called by God to write down how He has interacted with humanity. The Bible is the Story!

The Story begins with a home of perfection lost by the tragic choice of its inhabitants to both believe a lie instead of trusting a God with whom they walked in intimate friendship. It continues with God's sole purpose to woo and reclaim a relationship with those He created with His hands. It tells the story of how He sent messenger after messenger with His words of love and warning. It tells of how He refused to allow people to think inanimate idols could actually save them, that if danger came He was the Only One with the ability to save. It tells ultimately of how people kept misunderstanding Him, so to set the record straight He incarnated and dwelt with His creation!

Its the Story of the Infinte God became a human being named Yeshua or Jesus! His name means Yahweh Saves. The climax of the Story is the death of Jesus on the cross, where He took on the sins of humanity and through His death brought healing for the damage the disease of sin has caused. But He did not stay dead, on the third day He was resurrected from the dead. Through that death and resurection He can offer both new life here and eternal life in His Kingdom when He returns. This event is called in the Bible The Appearing (Parousia). It's a compelling Story, and we are invited both to read and enter into the Life of that Story.

So let's discover how to enter into the Story!

Some quick tips as you read:

• Pick a book of the Bible to start, a good choice is the Gospel of Mark. It's short and you get introduced to the life of Jesus at the start.
• Go to a quiet place to read.Pray!
• Take Notes...try the SOAP method
• Scripture - write a verse or two down after reading the chapter
• Observation - write out what the passage means
• Application - write out how you can apply what it is saying to your life
• Prayer - write out a prayer based upon the passage and it's application asking God for help in putting it into practice

Question: Where did you choose to start reading the Bible? How did you apply it?

 

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How to Organize Your Job Search

by Daryl Crouch

This pass week I applied online again for a position at McDonald’s. Their application is fairly simple and not as time consuming as some. I still have a problem with just filling out the app online and leaving it to chance to get the job. So I visited out the local McD’s.

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com/archive/display/9472

I found the manager walking around checking on everything in the seating area. He was very approachable not like the last experience I wrote about last Friday. I ask him about the process to get hired. On Sunday he looks at the approved apps and makes the phone calls. I expressed that I have concerns about online applications and wanted to make sure he received it. He the said if I don’t hear from him go ahead and come in on Tuesday because that is when he interviews.

Review process:

• Fill out the Application Online
• Wait a few days then go and introduce yourself
• Keep it simple and ask a few question about the process
• Remember the manager is a busy person so keep your time short

We are switching gears now. Here is something I feel is extremely helpful in looking for work. Its call Time boxing. When looking for a job unless you organize your time it is easy to put it off.

Time Boxing

Time boxing is simply scheduling time to do a task to get results. Basically, you allot a given amount of time that you think you can get the task done. You can use it to organize your day to accomplish the items that are important by blocking out time to get results.

Procrastination

Have you ever had that task that you need to complete but you keep putting it off. With time boxing it becomes a little less intimidating. So if you have problems with procrastinating on a task all you have to do is forget about it and put it in your time box. If it is a large task you keep putting off break it into smaller task and you soon will build up enough momentum to complete the task.

We only touched on this topic so I wanted to give you some references to develop your skills in Time Boxing.

WorkAwesome

J.D. Meier Blog

Litemind

Dave Cheong

What plan do you have to organize your time?

Time Well Spent

By Daryl Crouch

When prayer is a new experience people at times feel uneasy to pray. It is important to take a look at prayer. Prayer effects our entire being but most of all our relationship with God.

Photo courtesy of MorgueFile By: xandert

What is Prayer?

To understand prayer take a look at our relationship with people. If there is no communication between individuals how can we expect a relationship to grow. It is the same way With God, He is eager to hear from us. God has a sense of expectation when it comes to His creatures.

If a relationship in a marriage is going to grow communication has to be entirely on a more personal dynamic. Communication is critical for growth in a relationship. In the same way we can only grow in our relationship with God through communicating with Him. It is called prayer.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 says when we come to Him and pray - He listens. Wow! Can you imagine when we pray, the God of the universe stops and listens to you. Prayer is critical for growth in a relationship with God. We began to open our hearts and mind to Him. Its the beginning of understanding about God Himself.

The Disciples went to Jesus and asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1. In Luke 11:1-4 models prayer for us. You can break it up using the acronym P.A.R.T. Becky Tarabassi used this in here book and prayer journal.

P.A.R.T.

Praise

This is where we praise God for who He is. He is our Creator. When you start with praising God you whole attitude changes. Daniel 2:23

Admit

Next we admit our sins, the times where we fall short. It says in Romans 3:23 that all of us fall short- we have all sinned. Also we know that if we confess those times we fall short He will forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9).

Requests

Here we ask God for the things we need, its also important to pray for others and uplift those in leadership.

Thanks

Here we thank God for the things He has done. Its a way to end the prayer with giving Him the glory and being thankful for what has done and what He is about to do. (Ephesians 5:20)

I have used this for years and it has enriched my relationship with God. Start today! Try journaling your prayers using this.

With busy schedules - How can I set aside time to spend with God?

The Job Search Goes On!

By Daryl Crouch

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com

After talking with several people because my experience was in a negative nature I have chosen not tell the name of the company I applied at. I simply refer to it as Store X. Its more about what we can learn from our experiences.

The Search goes on

In my search for employment led me to the old stand by –Store X. I went online and filled out the application. I figured I could fill it out in quickly. After all its Store X. About an hour or so later I was done. There was intriguing section on how you would interact with customers and fellow employees. I was impressed with the questions the asked. Although some where humorous.

Problem with online applications you loose that face to face contact. So to make the experience more personal I drove down to the local Store X. After all introducing myself to the Personnel Department in order to show initiative.

They blew me away. When one of the head staff in the front of the store called the Personnel Department Lady she just gave him a message to tell me. Actually I could hear it over the phone. “They keep your application online for 60 days and if it fits our criteria we will call you.”

No thank you! No "we appreciate that you in person"! No nothing! They where very rude.

What did I learn?

To tell the truth a church I Pastored was actually similar. Our ministry there began in simply educating the church how to interact with people.

Six Skills We Could Learn.

These six skills are important whether you are looking for a job or if you are an employer. They are even good to use in everyday life.

Attitude Adjustment

Each of us can use an attitude adjustment once in a while. Everyone on the job is a Customer Service Representative. Especially people who are in charge. This is true whether you are in a business or a member of a church. A Customer Service Rep is all about attitude not just a department.

Learn how to treat potential employee’s as potential customer. Because everyone is a potential customer. If people are treated people rude and inconsiderate where do you think they will take there business.

Listening

These points are true not only for the employer but also for the individual looking for work. Going with the right attitude is important. Being an active listener is essential. It involves restating the issue to ensure the person knows they are understood.

Understanding

Understand where people are coming from is vital. Each person is different. Part of understanding s showing empathy. My dictionary says Empathy is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”.

Courtesy

At one Pastorate I had several people where unintentionally rude. They were good people they just needed to develop healthy people skills. After church we would have a fellowship lunch at different homes each week. When they wanted something passed to them they would say something like “give me the butter” “give me bread” and so on.’

Naturally when our two young children (10 and 4 years old) picked up on these habits my wife would correct them and have them say “would you please pass the butter” and “thank you.” Before long even these stoic, set in there way, adults started to say “please” and “thank you.”

It is so important to show respect to people. By not giving an individual the dignity, respect, and courtesy they deserve you tear down that relationship. I have seen people miss the opportunity to get that ideal job because of not showing a little courtesy.

Follow-up

This is a critical area so many have fallen short. Once I had called to follow-up on an resume I sent in. When I called the secretary said “you are on my task list after I talk with the director I will get back to you.” After two weeks nothing happen. I ended up having to call back because the secretary did not follow-up with me.

Not following up convey a message there is a breakdown in the office. When an individual request or need a solution they should be contacted within 48 hours and:
Let them know what you will do.
What the next steps will be.
How the situation will be resolved.

Available

Whether you are looking for work and an employer you need to be available. The Store X Personnel Department lady Could have answered 2 or 3 quick questions and I would have been on my way. Her being unavailable I questioned is this a healthy work environment I would want to work. Maybe I can shop a little more Store Y instead. After all there are other places I can go.

How we interact with people can make a major difference in our lives. Learn some basic skills can save us a lot of headaches.

How do you apply these skills in Your Life?

How is My Job Search Going?

By Daryl Crouch

Even though the economy is slowly getting better many are in situation that they have to look for employment. I’m a pastor and in between churches. Meanwhile my daughter (who is also a pastor) and I have started a ministry called Right Now Ministry. The Journey Experience is part of the that ministry. Our passion is to reach out and help people. 

Getting to the Point

So making the story short - in-order to help with the expenses while waiting for an opening at church or our ministry to take off we have had to look for a job to earn a little more income.

Finally Here it is

On each Friday we are going to share some of our experiences in looking for employment. I have already learned some important lessons not only what a person goes through but also what can company’s and corporations learn from this experience.

I hope this helps. What experiences 

have you gone through 

looking for a job?