What’s in an App?

  At Brady Lane Church we have developed through our good friend Jeff Mikels, a mobile app that can be found in the App Store of both Apple and Android Products.  We are excited about this, along with the new website that Jeff also helped us to develop. We encourage you to connect with the app on your smart phone and tablet, and when it prompts you to allow notifications, please hit the accept button.  This will allow us to let you know when something new is coming, and it will also allow us to communicate emergency information, such as closings and other emergencies.

We would love to connect with you through the app, where you can also quickly connect with our website, read my latest blog, watch sermons, and check out new announcements.  It’s quick, it’s free, and it helps us stay more connected to you in the digital world around us. You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, and NextDoor.  I want to thank Mike Atwell, our Media Ministry Team Leader and Mike Roller, our Administration Elder who worked hard to help me do the work on our end to get our website up and running.  Stay tuned – THERE WILL BE MORE TO COME!

Also – We want to congratulate Bill Border and Tim Sawyer, who both followed Christ into Baptism this past Sunday. Both men came at it from completely different angles, and at different times in their lives…but both are now brothers in Jesus Christ our Lord!  It was truly a great day.  You can view the video of their baptisms here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92d3agMDpo&t=7s 

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue!

No…I am not getting married again…Amy and I are good!!! I am not even going to talk about marriage.  I wanted to take this week’s blog entry to tell you about some changes that will be happening over the summer in regards to our Evening services.

Something Old:  Our evening service experiment that we have worked on this year has met with various wins, but overall, we feel like we need to do something a little different.  For the month of June, we will be suspending our evening service for a couple of reasons.  One, our staff team is committed in June to multiple events, weddings, and camps and most of those things will be taking place on Sunday nights.  We have Celebrate Good Times at Hanging Rock Camp on Sunday June 4th, Nic leaves for Jr. High Camp Sunday June 18th, and Nic and I both leave for High School Camp on Sunday June 25th. The other reason we are suspending services in June is to work on retooling what we plan to offer on Sunday Nights starting in the fall.

Something New: Starting Sunday July 2nd at 6pm we will resume our evening programming with some new things… First, we will still have a music and communion service that will begin at 6pm.  Everyone is encouraged to attend together, adults and Jr./Sr. High Youth alike.  Nic will then be hosting some fun events each night for our Jr. and Sr. High Youth, while the adults will have two choices, they can either attend a video cast of the sermon from that morning followed by a short discussion group that will allow those in attendance to process what they heard and share some time in fellowship; OR  they can choose to join the latest installment of our four week Brady Lane 101 – our new attenders class that helps people learn more about Brady Lane Church as well as help them get more plugged in to our family.   We will end the Summer Season on the last Sunday Night in July with a short Celebration Music Service followed by a church cook out, which all the church family is encouraged to attend.  More information will be shared about this in the weeks to come.

Something Borrowed: from my personal Bible study time this morning…I looked at a sermon outline –  Dealing With Change by Ed Wood on May 24, 2007

DEALING WITH CHANGE

Acts 10-11

INTRO: Heraclitus said no one could step in the same river twice. So it was and so it is. The rivers keep moving and the world keeps changing. If Alvin Toffler was right in his book Future Shock, the only difference in our day from that of the past may be a more rapid rate of change.

Simon Peter’s experience with Cornelius gives us four lessons about dealing with change.

I. GOD OFTEN INITIATES CHANGE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH (10:1-8).

The story does not start with Peter but with Cornelius, who was not a member of the church. As a God-fearer, he attended the synagogue and was sympathetic with Christians. In the middle of the afternoon, this Roman officer was visited by an angel who told him to send men to Joppa to bring Simon Peter.

ILLUS: After hearing of a solo-around-the-world journey in a sailboat, a group began to discuss the navigation problems involved. Someone said that ancient sailors used stars to steer by, but the helmsman had to keep changing stars all night because the heavens appear to move at night, to rotate. If a sailor bore toward the same star, he would simply steer his ship in circles, and would never arrive at his destination.

Getting somewhere requires change. It requires growth. As we look around our community, what changes are crying out for us to make in order to reach our community?

II. ALL OF US RESIST CHANGE (10:9-16).

Simon Peter was on the housetop of Simon the tanner when the Lord commanded him about eating all kinds of animals. Although a voice told him three times to eat, Peter refused. Notice that Peter never did eat! (10:13-16)

ILLUS: A railroader told a story about a young engineer making his first run. After noticing the old engineer’s routine, the young man asked, “Why do you tap the wheels before leaving?” The veteran replied: “I don’t know. The engineer who taught me tapped the wheels and I never thought to ask.” But some do ask! And sometimes we are resistive to change.

III. PROPOSED CHANGE SHOULD BE VERIFIED IN SEVERAL WAYS (10:17-48).

Peter was inwardly perplexed at first, but events were unfolding that would help him understand this change was from God. Almost immediately after his vision, Cornelius’ men arrived from Caesarea and asked Peter to go with them. The next day they went to Caesarea to see Cornelius.

Cornelius related how God had spoken to him. Simon Peter opened his mouth with insight, “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality” (10:34). When Peter stopped speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on the gentiles (10:45).

Not all of our ideas about change come from God. But change from God can be verified. In this story from Acts 10 there was: 1. A vision; 2. God sent his messenger; 3. The Holy Spirit fell on everyone.

IV. GOD’S PEOPLE MUST BE OPEN TO CHANGE (11:1-18).

The Judeans did not enthusiastically greet the outpouring of the Spirit on all people. Peter told the story of how God had showed him the need for change. Since the change was from God, how could he oppose God (v. 17). The people were silenced (v. 18).

Some people think that change is wrong. That those who want to change are only fanatics or radicals. But, people of God who bring change are to be sensitive people. They must sense what God wants to do in their world today.

Something Blue: As I reflect on this lesson/sermon outline from Ed Wood for my personal study today…it helped me to process the changes that sometimes come in ministry.  Sometimes when we look at the numbers and the impact in relation to the effort that has to be put in it can make us a little blue when we don’t see the results we had hoped and prayed for.  When those seasons come, we have to evaluate what we are doing and examine God’s will and seek his plan to see if there are changes that are needed.  Sometimes changes come because of circumstances outside our control.  Sometimes changes come because of things that force our hand.  Sometimes changes come because we feel like God is moving us in a different direction, and when those kinds of changes come, we must heed them, forget personal preference, and see what is best for the church as a whole.

As we spend the summer evaluating our Sunday Evening Programming pray for us to receive all of our direction from God, help us to trust Him to lead us where we are supposed to go, and pray that we make an even bigger impact than we have been able to make so far.

Paddle The Wabash and Hanging Rock Camp Thank You!

I want to take a moment in this week’s blog entry to thank all the folks from Brady Lane, Frankfort Community Church, and other folks who supported Tim Grasham and I for the Paddle the Wabash fund raiser for the Chapel Remodel at Hanging Rock Christian Camp.  Thanks to your generous gifts Tim and I were able to contribute over $1700 to the Chapel Remodel fund.  As a group the ten teams raised over $15,000.  It has been a long fund raising process for the camp, lasting over a year, and we know at times that fundraising got a little old…but over that time almost all of the $180,000 needed to remodel the chapel has been raised, as a matter of fact after this paddle the Wabash fundraiser, we are going to be about $15000 from having what we need to break ground.  The supporting churches of Hanging Rock are the owners of the camp…something that is unique.  It really is our responsibility to take care of the camp, to help fund it, and most importantly, sending campers every summer to have a life changing experience, which is what Camp is all about!  So thank you for your support!!

Some may not know that I serve on the Camp Committee, which is a group of ministry folks who work together with the Camp Director Gary Baker and the staff of the Camp to plan the programming and theme of camp each summer.  We help with developing curriculum for the summer, and we work together to plan the Celebrate Good Times Camp Season Kick off party that happens every summer.  This year’s Celebrate Good Times will be Sunday June 4 from 2 to 5:30pm.  I encourage you to come out to the camp that afternoon and enjoy great food, great company, and lots of fun.  I will be out there, and a group of folks from BLC will be out there running a popcorn booth. There will be something for everyone, including the zip line, the giant swing, inflatables for the kids, a train ride, and lots and lots of great food…all for free.  Donations for the camp will be accepted.  Come check it out!!!!

in HIM

Pastor Jeff

A BIG THANKS!

I want to give a big thanks to our entire staff and elder’s team for their extra efforts over the last several weeks.

• Tricia Roller, Laura Haro, and Alex Roller – Thanks for a great week at GSLC – two visits from the ZOO and a great Parent Appreciation Lunch for both classes (Thanks to the Volunteers who helped as well).  The efforts being made to establish relationships with our Good Shepherd parents have been very exciting.
• Nic Mayberry – thanks for all the work on the Easter Fun Fest on our end and the continued work you are doing to establish new programming at BLC for our Next Generation folks.
• Lee Anna Atwell and the Worship Teams of BLC – the services have been uplifting and focused, helping us to get into the spirit of worship on Sunday mornings.  Thank you for your tireless service and dedication.
• Elders – you all have gone above and beyond in your attendance and participation in meetings, Bible Study, events, and services over the last month.  Don’t let that go to your head…but I love to see how God is growing you guys!
• Lesley McKowen and Susan Odom – thank you ladies for all that the two of you do every week.  Lesley you continue to take on new things each week and your help with the GSLC events and the Bible Study for the mom’s is above and beyond.  Susan, your efforts to keep our facility clean and ready for the “next thing” is so appreciated.
• Dave Randolph and Facilities Team – Thank you for getting the outside of the building fixed up here and there with cutting the grass, trimming the bushes and trees and the like.  Looking forward to the work day coming up on May 20th to get everything outside ship shape!
• Thank you Rhonda Culbertson and the fellowship team for all the work on the Easter Breakfast and all the other events you have coming up as well. We appreciate you!

Having a growing and vibrant church takes a dedicated group of leaders.  Thanks to all of you for your efforts for the Kingdom.  Keep on moving the Gospel for Jesus!

in HIM

Pastor Jeff