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Baptism This Sunday

I am getting super excited about the baptism this Sunday at The Mission.  Baptism is way more than “an outward sign of and inward work.”  If it were just a sign the bible would not say to “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins”  or “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

I believe that baptism is more of a sacrament then an ordinance.  An ordinance is an act proscribed by men.  A sacrament is a rite in which God is uniquely active.

When we baptize people at The Mission, we do it because the Bible tells us to, AND because we see God actively involved in the process.  Time and again we see people delivered, transformed, and baptized in the Holy Ghost in water baptism.

If you are recently received Jesus as your Savior, or rededicated your life to Jesus, stop everything and sign up for this Sunday’s baptism here.  Spend the rest of this week consecrating yourself, believing that Jesus is going to perform a miracle in your life in the waters.  Invite your friends and family to come to The Mission this Sunday and witness this event.

This will surly be a life changing event for you if you come in faith.

Christmas in August

I am pretty excited about Christmas in August tomorrow. This is an end of Summer celebration happening at Mission Kids.  There are going to be bounce houses, snow cones, dancing bears, and lots of other things (dancing bears not included).

If you have been looking for a special occasion to invite some folks with kids to The Mission, this is your event.

Why It Is Difficult Working With Sergio

Sometimes it is hard to work with people. As Christians, we need to be able to work with all kinds of people and this need does not end simply because you are in a ministry setting. Take Sergio, The Mission’s worship leader and Director of Creative Arts. We get along well enough, but that does not mean we always work well together. Sometimes I get nothing done because of him.

Here is one example of why.  I asked him to make an intro for our baptism teaching.  Sergio made me this:

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I laughed so hard I got nothing done the rest of the day.

Calling All Evangelists

I got a word burning in my spirit for tomorrow.  As I pray and seek the Lord in preparation I feel such an unction I know it is the word of the Lord.

Tomorrow we are going to lay hands on all the evangelists for the work in the harvest field.  Set yourself apart tonight and seek the Lord, then come to The Mission expecting God to do something great in your life tomorrow.

My Ongoing Frustrations with Church Community Builder

For those who have followed this blog, you know that I had been looking for a decent church management software solution and in the end went with Church Community Builder.  Time and again I feel like that was not the best decision.  And for all the reviews that I read online, here are some of the key things I wish I had known before I bought.

As much as it pains me to say this, I am now going to look and see what it would take to switch to another ChMS. I know there would be a hefty fee but I am not sure if I can justify throwing good money after bad.

If your church wants folks to be able to look at stuff online, CCB might be great.  If you want to do anything with that information then it might not be the best solution.

update 8/26/2010: I have since updated my processes.  I am now able to generate a csv file that I do a mailmerge through Word to do my mailings.  I honestly don’t know how hard it is to incorporate an online document editor so I don’t hold this against the software.  Though you would think it could incorporate Word like Quick Books can do.

Now, as far as the pathetic email editor. . . I currently export all email addressed and import it to Vertical Response to do my mailings.  Again, not the simplest process but it works.

“All I Need” Live, Original Worship at The Mission Delray

Sergio and the worship team leading worship at The Mission, a Spirit-filled, multi-cultural church in Delray Beach, Florida.

In the middle, Pastor Carl Thomas came up and encouraged the crowd a little.

Someone took a video and we decided to clean up the audio a little and upload it.

Holy Ghost Sneak Atack

This Summer I am preaching through Paul’s correspondence to Timothy.  This is the first time I preached systematically through a book of the bible.  I am sure I will do it again.  But I can’t tell you when.

This week I talked about the need to have elders in your life.  At the end of the service I was going to give an opportunity for folks to formally make The Mission their church and me their pastor.  As I began, something happened.  The thought entered my head that some folks have a hard time with authority because they have been wounded and it is hard to trust.

As I began to pray for healing over wounded hearts.  We began to declare that God has good plans and a better future for us.  We declared that bad days are behind and good days are ahead.  We began to prophesy hope and as we did this the Holy Ghost took over.  Sergio had a song.  The people began to wail.  Hearts were healed and hope was restored.  I gotta tell you, I never really had that altar call for partnership but God did what He wanted to do.  Here is a snippet of the ministry time.

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At about the 7 minute mark it completely breaks out.

Get the full recording here: http://www.themissiondelray.com/timothy-5-choosing-leaders-august-1-2010/ or on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mission-in-delray-beach/id271142323

Sunday’s Prophetic Song

We get prophetic songs all the time at The Mission.  So this Sunday was not that different in that respect.  They normally come during the worship set before the message.  This week we had a few extra folks on stage after the message during the after the message worship set.  I don’t know why more churches don’t do this.  If people want to dip they can feel free to.  I bless the people and let them know that if they want to continue to worship they can stay but if they need/want/have/can’t wait to leave they are blessed to go.  Then we go into more worship.

The funny thing about this worship set is that it is during this time that the most dramatic breakthroughs happen in people’s lives.

In any event, I decided to be less lazy this week and post part of the prophetic song from this week.  enjoy

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The Mission 4th of July Barbeque

Join The Mission this Sunday for the 4th of July barbecue! $5 for adults. Children 9 and under are free!

Sign up today! Only $5.

Click the button below to pay online.

F.A.Q Message Series – Ask Anything

This Sunday I can promise you that we will be talking about what YOU are interested in because I am going to be taking YOUR questions! I have heard for years that people feel like pastors never speak on tough issues or never fully address the concerns people have…well – this is your chance.

I will give my best shot @ answering your deepest, funniest, craziest, most serious questions about anything related to God, the Bible, Christianity, the Church, or anything in between. Submit your question by clicking the link below (your name is optional) and I will attempt to answer as many of these as possible in both services on Sunday. Ask anything. Don’t worry, I can take it.

Click here to ask away!