It has been a while~~

It has been quite a while since I have posted here - the reason - Facebook mostly.

Sorry.

Gonna try and stay up to date on this now!

This is our life!

This is our household - only the husband is our 17 year old son Garhett!

Revolution Church Lakewood is offically an Acts 29 Church!

...and there was a resounding chorus of angels singing Hallelujah!

Why is it such a big deal that we are aligned with Acts 29? Well, here is why:

Revolution church is a 6 year old church plant that was dealt a severe black eye in year 4 and has to struggle to recover. Statistically, church planting is a suicide mission. Church planting books and conferences often observe that 80% of new church plants fail within the first four years (though this data has not been carefully sourced). A controlled statistical study by Ed Stetzer showed that out of 1000 churches planted between the years 2000 and 2005, only 68% remained viable after four years. Revolution is one of those survivors.

A number of factors contribute to this failure rate, but denominations and church-planting agencies often compound the problem by throwing money and opportunity at any young Christian leader with a dream and an entrepreneurial spirit. Since my involvement with our denomination (The Reformed Church in America) I have witnessed several church planters come and go, burning through hundreds of thousands of dollars while trying vainly to hold together a core team by the sheer power of their charisma.

From the outset, the Acts 29 Network has had a different model. They have held firmly to the biblical criteria for eldership given in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. No man can be approved to plant an Acts 29 church unless he is an exceptional man in every way: a strong husband and father, a sound theologian, a gifted leader and preacher, and a proven start-from-scratch entrepreneur. While others are looking for better methods, we are looking for better men.

And the numbers seem to indicate that God is blessing this approach:

From 2006 to 2009 Acts 29 assessed 414 potential church planters and approved 240 (58%) to go forward as Acts 29 Candidates. (Candidates must gather a core of 40 people before moving to Full Member status). Two hundred of those men are now Full Members who are active in church planting; the rest didn’t make it through the candidate phase.

Of church planters who are assessed, approved, and progress to Full Member status, the viability rate within Acts 29 is 98.4%.

Acts 29 currently has 204 Full Members and 85 men in candidate phase (including our own Will Walker), for a total of 289 churches affiliated.

With over 40% of applicants rejected, you’d think that aspiring church planters would be going elsewhere. But the exact opposite is happening: in 2009, Acts 29 had 470 new applicants – an average of 39 per month. God is raising up an army of men who want someone to shoot straight with them. They want to know if they’ve got the right gifting, calling, and experience to plant churches – and they’re coming to us because they know we tell the truth.

So why am I so happy about Revolution being affiliated with Acts 29 - it's all about the leadership. Our leadership is exactly as described in scripture - accountable to each other and to our ecclesiastical head. This type of leadership was non-existent during the first 5 years of Revolution and never came into existence until the last 2 years.

Now, under the leadership of Pastor Scotty West, who is on the international board of Acts 29, we have taken the biblical model of leadership seriously. Our elders and pastors are all required to meet, without exception, the guidelines of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. No excuses. The men that run Revolution are these guys.

It is unfortunate for some, but fortunate for the body, that we now adhere to this model . It's not just anyone that can (or should) lead a church. It is a serious endeavor and unless your own household is in order - you shouldn't even think of Pastoring a church. When we follow the Bible’s instructions for church leadership, surprisingly… it works.

So watch for the changes at Revolution - in March we will be ordaining two new pastors at the church as well as installing our elders and deacons that have completed their training period.

It's so exciting!

YOU should go to this!

SOS Promo from The Hub on Vimeo.

http://www.gotothehub.com/conferences/sos-conferences/

Sign up before 2/1/2010 and it is only $40 per person!

Tell me if you are going - we can connect there!

I can't wait!!!

The Word of His Grace... and us...

My devotional time each day has me exploring more and more into what God wants me to do with my knowledge of His Word.


I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able . . . But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (Acts 20:32 and 2Timothy 3:14-15)



The present verses again point me to continuing in the word of God's grace. Only the grace of God is able to provide what is needed for the life we are called to live. This necessary grace is held forth for our learning and appropriating in "the word of His grace." This life-giving grace is to be lived in day by day (ideally, from childhood through old age).

Paul urged Timothy to continue in the biblical truth that he had been taught, truth about which he had become convinced.

"Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of."

God's word not only instructs me in His ways, it also convinces me of their validity. In this process, God uses human instruments: "knowing from whom you have learned them."

In Timothy's spiritual training, the Lord used the prophets of old (who were inspired to write the scriptures), as well as Paul (who discipled Timothy). Timothy's mother and grandmother were also a vital part of this process.

"I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice" (2Timothy 1:5).

Thus, his spiritual nurture began in his childhood years.

"From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures." It is the will of God that children be raised upon the scriptures. "Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

If you were not raised upon the Word, God wants to begin feeding it to you at new birth.

"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1Peter 2:2).

If you have never had a serious diet of the Word, today is the day to begin.

As I learn more of the Word of God, its ability is unleashed in my life. Saving grace is the first great matter the Lord wants to bring to us through the scriptures: "which are able to make you wise for salvation."

People can be exceedingly foolish concerning salvation, until they are enlightened through the Word of God . Some think they do not need to be saved. Others think they can somehow save themselves.

The Bible reveals the necessary path for all: "through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Fervent Prayer

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,

2Co 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

2Co 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

2Co 10:6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

We have an arsenal not made by human hands, but is stocked full with the powerful weapons fashioned by God Himself. They aren't for marketing or manipulation of any sort, but are specifically designed to demolish demonic strongholds — putting down every false argument raised against Truth. These weapons have the power of God to destroy the enemy's efforts against our Faith.

Prayer is one of these weapons, and when it is coupled with the Word of God it possesses a power that is invincible. That's why the early disciples said, "We will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word." When we follow their example, we will experience the same results that happened for them.

I look at a remarkable example found in the Scriptures.

When Joshua was battling the armies of the Amalekites in the valley of Rephidim, the Bible tells us that Moses was on the mountain lifting up the Rod which God had given him. As long as the Rod was held up, Joshua advanced in battle. When Moses' arms grew weary and he lowered the Rod, the enemy began to make advances against Joshua. Aaron and Hur, two of Moses' friends, stood beside him and held his arms up — the result was a overwhelming victory for Joshua. (read Exodus 17:8-13).

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Jesus said that when we pray in secret, God will reward us openly. An example of this happened in Jerusalem when the disciples gathered in prayer and "the place where they were assembled was shaken." They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and preached the Word of God with boldness — even in the face of death threats.

This brief scan of the biblical record proves the age old adage — "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much!" (James 5:16). Prayer makes tremendous power available, the kind of power that is dynamic in its working and effective in its results; great power that produces wonderful results.

Why not pray today and look for happens as a result. You just might find yourself praying every day!

The Word of His Grace

I was just studying this in my devotional time this morning and thought I would share it.

I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able . . .

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed" . . . For this reason I have sent Timothy to you . . . who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. (Acts 20:32; John 8:3; 1Corinthians 4:17)

God's grace characterizes His word: "I commend you to God and to the word of His grace." This permeating presence of grace in the scriptures is what makes God's word so able to effect godly changes in our lives: "the word of His grace, which is able." This is why the Lord wants us to continue in His word: "continue in the faith" (Acts 14:22). Also, continuing in the word allows the Lord to remind us of things pertaining to grace, things we need to hear over and over again.

Jesus called professing disciples to continue in His word. "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide [remain, continue] in My word, you are My disciples indeed'."

It is impossible to truly live as a follower of Jesus without continuing in His word. (yet many, many profess to be follwers and do not read His word daily - therefore, are we truly a follower.)

The Christian life is lived by grace. The Bible is "the word of His grace." We cannot follow Jesus by grace apart from hearing regularly of His grace. The natural bent of our humanity (including, the flesh of true believers) is toward human works and law performance. This is one reason why the Lord wants us to hear of His effective grace day by day.

The ministry of reminding is part of this process. The Apostle Paul sent out his ministry partner, Timothy, to remind the saints of matters that he himself had previously expounded upon in all the churches. "For this reason I have sent Timothy to you . . . who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church." Later, after Timothy had become a pastor in Ephesus, Paul wrote urging him to remind the saints of some basic elements of grace (matters pertaining to the faithfulness of God). "This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these thinhgs" (2Timothy 2:11-14).

Such vital truths need to be considered repeatedly. The Apostle Peter knew that it would amount to spiritual irresponsibility to neglect the import of reminders. "Therefore I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them, and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you" (2Peter 1:12).

I long to be a true disciple, living by grace -Lord, please remind me of the necessity to be in the Word of Your grace consistently!

Adolescence = boys who can shave

I have had this very conversation with several people throughout my life - If I could have only had the passion that Pastor Mark demonstrates here, those boys would have not wasted 5 or more years of their life!

It's a good, good day!

Well today is a good, good day in the Bambrick household. Our son, Garhett just received his results from the SAT test he took.

He scored 1910.

610 Critical Reading

630 Math

670 Writing

8 on the essay

We are so proud of him. He took the test basically unprepared - what a smart kid we have. So proud of Dawn and her 10 years of homeschooling him.

To put things in perspective - the average score this year is 1538 (520 math, 510 writing and 508 critical reading). A perfect score is 2400. Garhett was really wanting a perfect score, but the numbers weren't in his favor - on average 1,000,000 students take the SAT each year with only 20 scoring perfect.

Garhett's score puts him in the 87% which means he scored better than 87% of test takers.

By way of comparison, if Garhett took the old SAT his score would have been equivalent to a 1350.

Way to go Garhett!

Small Group Landmines (reposted)

This is a repost from another blog. I am posting it here because it is really spot on!
http://theresurgence.com/5-small-group-landmines

If you are like me, you have probably had a bad small group experience at least once in your life. You know the kind, where some weirdo takes over the discussion, or where the leader allows too much time of awkward silence. There is nothing worse than a bad small group experience. In fact, this is the reason why so many people are reluctant to be a part of a small group. As group leaders, our job is to protect our small groups and make them a safe place where people can share, grow, and learn together. We train our small group leaders to watch out for the following five landmines, which can destroy a good small group.

1. They become a gossip group.
Small groups are not a place to talk about others; rather they should be a safe place that is free from gossip and condemnation. People who attend a small group should feel free to come as they are and share openly and honestly. If we are not careful, small groups can degenerate into a gossip group that will tear down instead of build up.

2. They become a one-man show.
The leader should not do all the talking. Encourage others to participate and share in the group discussions. I have been to some small groups where only one person does all the talking. When this happens no one wants to share, much less attend. An effective small group leader encourages everyone to participate in the times of discussion.

3. They become a place to complain about the church.
Small groups can become a sounding board for disgruntled people to complain about the church. This is not a place to complain and slander the church. If people have a problem with the church, they need to share it with the church’s leadership, which is biblical. Train your leaders to protect the unity of the church by not allowing upset people to use the small group as a place to complain about their problems.

4. They become a place for crazy people to take over.
Small groups can attract crazy people who will hijack the group if you let them. Do not allow people to get off the subject by chasing rabbit trails. Whenever people start getting off track in the discussions, bring them back quickly. This requires a lot of discernment and grace. A good leader can keep people on track and the discussion moving.

5. They become an end in themselves.
Sometimes small groups become merely a meeting place or a social club; rather small groups should reach out to new people in the community. Small groups can also serve the community. Encourage your people to reach out to others. Begin thinking of creative ways that you can serve together as a small group.

This post is adapted from a forthcoming ebook by Winfield Bevins.

Which College...

Garhett will be graduating this year and will be attending college right away - the problem is, which one...

Garhett has always had a very high academic acumen and and it has been an educational nightmare for my wife to keep him academically challenged - currently he is in his senior year of high school, dual enrolled in the local community college and will, God willing, graduate with a high school diploma and his AA, which will enable him to enter most any 4 year institution ahead of the curve. The issue we are running against is trying to decide which college would best serve his desires for future career and his (and our) desire for wholesome, conservative, God loving, educationally sound, curricula...

As I attend 'college prep' seminars and 'college sales pitches' to try and discern which institution would best serve my son - I am met with similar drivol that is expressed in this video - it's long, but trust me, if you have any intelligence at all you too will wonder what the heck is going on with education. Granted, it's focused on Berkley - which should be a warning in itself.

Give it a look-see.

A Frank Conversation on Racism

The Danger of Iconography

This guy is stinkin' Amazing!

Kids - take a pointer from this guy. These are the types of videos worth making!

Ready for your laugh for the day!

If we can't laugh at ourselves...

Discipleship

Lately I have been on a quest to find out the best way to help men (teach them to) become better, more Godly men. That quest always centers around discipleship. I have yet to find a really well crafted teachable discipleship program that reflects the values of reformed theology.

BUT - a blog feed I subscribe to published this feed recently and I really found myself resonating with what this pastor is teaching.

Check out the practical application here.

“A house is actually a school and a church, and the head of the household is a
pastor in his house.”–Martin Luther

I love that the series starts with the basics - you can't be a disciple or disciple others if you don't disciple in your own home. So the basic concepts of:

Don't neglect your family - “If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim. 3:5).

Disciple your Children - “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

Faith as a Routine - “Reading and memorizing Scripture and the catechisms of the church results in incredible development of children, both spiritually and intellectually… What families regard as important is evidenced by the manner in which they spend their time.” David Weneger

It's OUR responsibility - "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

As the series continues each point is fleshed out. He has only published 2 parts of the series but - it is so good!

Oh man...

Saw this on a friends blog - I just had to repost it!



For my friends in Santa Cruz... um... REALLY?

Hiring a Pastor

Revolution Church is in the midst of hiring a new Senior Pastor - and in that process the search team is gathering as much insight and wisodom from other churches that have had to go through the same search.

Part of that process is listening to some wise Pastors teach on that very subject. This video (34 minutes in length) is perfect at describing what a Pastor is to do - and the Pastor in the video does a great job of informing the church how they should recieve a new Pastor. Our hiring process is a little different in the RCA - as the congregation doesn't 'vote' to call a Pastor; but the other information is really applicable.

What's a Pastor to Do? from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

We are called, as members of Jesus' church to go forth and spread the Gospel - to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - but are we doing that? Over and over I hear long time christians saying things like, "I need...", "I want...", "I feel..." . To hear that re-enforces exactly what Pastor Stetzer says in the video.

You are not hiring a leader to simply speak on Sunday, you are hiring a leader of the church... Your task is to come along side of the Pastor and help... Most of you right now are not serving in ministry inside or outside of our church. It's time to stop being a spectator and to be a participant in ministry.

So what we should be saying is, "They need...", "They want...", "They feel..." - speaking of those who don't yet follow Jesus as their Lord in an effort to then try to meet the need, desire and feeling, in Jesus' name.

That kind of thinking really energizes me.

Would you join me in praying for our new Pastor - He is out there, he is close, he is coming and he needs your prayers.

Thanks!

TrueU -

The makers of the Truth Project have developed a new curriculum for High School Students that is designed to prepare them for the world and more importantly, for their college experience.

Check it out here: http://www.mytruthproject.org/truthproject/trueu/home.html

You can watch the full version of the first episode/DVD here:

http://www.mytruthproject.org/truthproject/trueu/downloads.html

From their FAQ:

TrueU is a DVD-based apologetics curriculum. Dr. Del Tackett, architect and voice of Focus on the Family's The Truth Project®, describes this endeavor this way:
"TrueU is an apologetics training series primarily geared to help prepare high school students for the rigorous challenges and attacks that will confront them on the university campus. My guess is that it will end up benefiting a whole lot more folks than just high school seniors."

It is important to clarify that TrueU is not "The Truth Project for teens." As envisioned by Dr. Tackett and our staff, TrueU will be, in essence, a series of "prequels" (or lead-in studies) to The Truth Project.

TrueU is designed primarily to help students solidify their Christian faith with foundational apologetics training. This will equip young people to stand strong in the university environment, and also serve as a precursor to the in-depth study presented in The Truth Project of how to live out a Christian worldview in everyday life.

We would encourage those who complete TrueU to immediately join a Truth Project small group, if possible, and continue exploring the practical day-to-day application of a biblical worldview.

The primary target group for TrueU is students ages 15-22 — i.e., high school students who are preparing to go to college and undergraduate students who have already begun to experience an onslaught of challenges both in and out of the classroom.

We believe, however, that adults will also find the teaching very valuable. We envision TrueU to be a great resource for youth groups, Sunday School classes, home-based small groups, homeschools, and individuals who want to strengthen their faith.