Unlocking The Bible

I’m looking forward to speaking along with Pastor Colin Smith at a reception celebrating the Unlocking The Bible radio ministry. I’d love to see you there. It’s free to attend, but you have to register. You can so that HERE.

Finally!

I finally have my Mac back from the shop. I only started using a Mac because so many Mac users raved about them. They told me how fast and efficient they are. They’re so user-friendly. Once you use one you’ll never want a PC again. Unfortunately I’ve had nothing but problems with this Mac from the moment I opened it. So either all of these people are lying because they don’t want to be alone in their Mac misery, or I got a lemon.

Things have been a bit busy the past couple of weeks. Anna and I attended a conference in South Bend (note photo of Touchdown Jesus). It was a great time away from the kids (some courageous and loving friends agreed to watch Gabby and Louis while we were gone).  It was a conference hosted by the Evangelical Free Church (the organization we’re planting with). We learned a great deal about beginning a church with a focus on living out the Gospel. Unfortunately not all churches do this and it’s tougher if you don’t set that as the culture from the beginning. We also gleaned some advice on initiating a discipleship ministry from the beginning.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with our launch team over the weekend as we shore things up. We still hope to launch Sunday services early next year and this team will be invaluable in making this happen. They’re a great group of people who love Jesus and want to see our community impacted. God has blessed us!

We are close to securing rental space for Sunday morning and office space for the rest of the week in downtown Oak Park. God is providing these places to us at rates that are far below market value. It’s pretty amazing to see how He is providing. There are times of discouragement when I need God to further confirm His calling to start this church and He comes through every time. This was a big one!

I got a chance to preach in a church on the South Side on Sunday. It’s called The Church of Chicago and meets in a school at 95th and Prospect. What a loving community! It’s great to feel truly welcome when visiting a church, especially when you’re going to preach there.

I’m attending a sermon workshop today taught by Knute Larson. I really want to focus on my preaching to refine it and grow in my abilities. Preaching is central to having a transforming church and I don’t want to be the one holding us back. I have other training sessions scheduled as well as meetings with experienced preachers for advice.

Next week Anna and I are taking a vacation. We’re not going anywhere, but we’re going to keep the kids in daycare each day and just go on a series of dates every day. Because of the church plant it may be a year or more before we’re able to take any down time again so we’re really looking forward to just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company for a week.

Prayer Requests:

That our week off will be restful and invigorating.

That our search for a worship team would be successful. That will be ramped up later this week.

I have a few appointments with larger donors over the next 3 weeks. Please pray that God would burden their hearts for our ministry.

That the Holy Spirit will continue to give me wisdom as I formulate exactly how this church will be structured.

 

Networking

Today, I met with another pastor from Oak Park. He was full of wisdom about the community and church in general. Networking with pastors in Oak Park is probably one of the most profitable things I’ve done thus far. Not only am I building camaraderie, but their insights can help me avoid some of the rookie mistakes that are sure to come.

Also today, I’m sending out my first round of fund raising packets to some business leaders who have expressed interest in supporting our church. It’s daunting to think about all of the money that will need to be raised in order to support the congregation until it grows large enough to be self-sustaining, but God is already providing. At every turn, God has been faithful so I know He will be in this too. I should probably write down every instance of His faithfulness so I don’t forget any of them.

Speaking of donors, Monday night I met with an Evangelical Free church to see about sponsoring us with prayer, finances, and someone to advise us. The reception was very positive.

We are still touring locations for meeting space. Since there is no rush we are taking our time to make sure the place has all of our needs met, but also to make sure we have good chemistry with the people renting to us. We want to be a blessing to them as they will be to us.

I have another meeting with a radio station tomorrow. Does God want me in radio AND church planting? Both are time consuming jobs. Only He knows and I trust He will make the decision clear.

This weekend I perform the wedding of two dear friends. It’s been so encouraging to see their love mature and to observe how they have kept God front and center in their relationship. It’s off to a good start.

Items for prayer:

For clarity on this whole radio thing. I still love the interaction with the audience.

That I’ll clear my schedule to make sure I have long stretches of time to be alone with the Lord for guidance and nourishment.

That I don’t mess anything up with the wedding this weekend. Mess up on Sunday morning and most people will forget it. Mess up a wedding and NO ONE there forgets it.

 

 

 

 

Michael Medved

I’m looking forward to speaking along with my friend Michael Medved at the IFI Annual Banquet. Tickets to this fundraiser are available HERE.

 

 

Craziness

Last week was one for the books. I was in church planter training all week and preached three times. Oh, and both of our children have decided sleeping is optional.

The church planter training was organized by the Acts 29 Network and took place at Harvest Bible Chapel. It was filled with encouragement from pastors who have done exactly what I’m doing. They discussed some of the pitfalls (and how to avoid them) and also the opportunities. James MacDonald talked about having perseverance during the rough patches. He showed us how, time and again, leaders in the early church had to deal with opposition to the Gospel.

I preached at Village Church of Dyer, Indiana three times this weekend. I always enjoy being at that church because the congregation is so loving! I preached on Luke 2:22-40 and encouraged everyone to tell people about Jesus. I hope to have access to the sermon audio soon and will post it here.

Louis has decided sleeping more than 90 minutes at a time (even through the night) is totally unworkable. Gabby is now excited about playing with Mommy and Daddy, at 4am. Mommy and Daddy don’t want to play at 4am. We’re both feeling a little exhausted, especially Anna who is preparing for Caris’ Annual Benefit Dinner. Please pray that God will make our kids sleep! If He won’t do it, I’ve heard a little whiskey on the gums does the trick.

This week I’ll be back on the radio filling in for Mark Elfstrand Tuesday morning on WMBI-FM (90.1). With my longtime connections to Moody, it’s always a thrill to be there. I also have a tour of a facility that may just become our church home for a while. And this weekend I’ll take the family to Springfield. I’m going to be on a panel at The Illinois News Broadcaster’s Association convention and we’ll make a little family weekend out of it by seeing some of the sites. I’m also preparing materials to give to prospective donors so they know a little about our vision for ministry here in Oak Park.

I ask for your prayers for those things. God is being very faithful.

 

On Tour

One of our team members and I toured three churches and a theater this past week. Each space has its advantages and disadvantages. We are praying God will prepare a location for us to rent that has adequate space for our worship service, children’s ministries, and parking. And we’d like the rent to be something less than an arm and a leg. It’s a lot to ask, but we know God will be faithful.

I also prepared a packet for prospective donors. Oak Park is an expensive place to do ministry and while we build a self-sustaining congregation, we will be relying on donors to allow the ministry to function. Please pray that God brings people with a heart for church planting into our path.

Anna and I spoke to our church family at Calvary Memorial Church this morning. That was really tough. We’ve been members there for many years and have so many close friends there. But, like a child who has to move out of the house before they can reach God’s potential, it’s time for us to move on. We were blessed by all of the words of encouragement, including one man who told us we’d always be family.

This week I’ll be meeting with a radio station about a job, getting some mentoring from a pastor-friend who I have known for many years, attending discipleship and church planting training, and then preaching this weekend at Village Church in Dyer, IN. Until I wrote that I didn’t realize just how busy this week will be. Please pray for God’s grace.

 

Robert Feder Article

Legendary Chicago media writer Robert Feder has written a profile of my decision to plant a church in Oak Park. You can read it HERE.