Now is the time to take advantage of this free offer from the Gospel Music Channel to see some of your favorite Christian artists live and in person! Download free tickets to gain access into their studio where you can watch artists like Jars of Clay, George Huff, Mandisa and others perform live. How many chances can you possibly get to have this sort of intimate access?
Tuesday, September 18th
See American Idol's George Huff, Mandisa, and Israel & the New Breed
Wednesday, September 19th
See Jars of Clay and Natalie Grant
Don't miss out! And if you can't be there in person, just check out the first 24-hour, all music entertainment network devoted to the uplifting, inspiring and diverse music that is Gospel.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The How of Ministry
Art is it, the how of ministry that is.
OK, I am prejudiced because I am an artist. I see the visual arts as the way to connect to other people. Art for me is a portal for service, a means of communication, a way to attract and unite people. I discovered art ministry by doing art ministry. I found it was a window to understanding people’s needs. For me it meant seeing the needs of teens from broken homes and difficult situations. And as a new friend reminded me this week the arts are just the how, the means to an end in ministry. The goal of ministry is relationship. The goal of ministry is connecting to other people. Ministry is not programming. It is not a well executed sermon, worship service or a slick bulletin. Those are just the how. What happens among the people involved between the conception of a message and the service is the real ministry.
Ministry happens when people are plugged into the church in their area of giftedness.
So if I talk about art ministry I can communicate the how of ministry to you. I confess that visual art is what comes to my mind when I talk about art ministry. The arts are really much broader than the visual arts. Even in my narrow focus I can admit that the arts are music, drama, poetry, writing, media, dance and graphics. The arts communicate. Communication connects, invites and expands the message. Our message is the message of relationship first between God and man, then man to man.
My plan was simple. Meet with the kids who had an interest in art and give them the opportunity to create. Have the supplies they needed and just be there giving a helping hand and a few suggestions. I was able to begin to steer them and help them begin to express their faith through art. We had a few shows. We made some mission goals and planned projects. But what really happened was an instant connection, artist to artist. What was shared was their struggles in life, their hopes, their fears, their vision. So much more happened on the personal level than I expected that when my new friend Chris shared his vision of art ministry from a musician’s viewpoint I knew what he was saying was true. It wasn’t just about the music on Sunday morning it was about the team and the way they communicated with each other and the congregation. Chris’ challenge when he had accepted his position on staff at my new church was to grow an across the board arts ministry involving as many disciplines as he could find leadership for and get us involved with the inner workings of the church. His vision looks suspiciously like Paul’s description of the body of Christ in the book of Ephesians.
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:21-22
The principles of the how of ministry, of course goes beyond the arts. We can engage and connect through sports ministry, helps ministry, disaster relief… the possibilities are as vast as the gifts and talents in your local church.
OK, I am prejudiced because I am an artist. I see the visual arts as the way to connect to other people. Art for me is a portal for service, a means of communication, a way to attract and unite people. I discovered art ministry by doing art ministry. I found it was a window to understanding people’s needs. For me it meant seeing the needs of teens from broken homes and difficult situations. And as a new friend reminded me this week the arts are just the how, the means to an end in ministry. The goal of ministry is relationship. The goal of ministry is connecting to other people. Ministry is not programming. It is not a well executed sermon, worship service or a slick bulletin. Those are just the how. What happens among the people involved between the conception of a message and the service is the real ministry.
Ministry happens when people are plugged into the church in their area of giftedness.
So if I talk about art ministry I can communicate the how of ministry to you. I confess that visual art is what comes to my mind when I talk about art ministry. The arts are really much broader than the visual arts. Even in my narrow focus I can admit that the arts are music, drama, poetry, writing, media, dance and graphics. The arts communicate. Communication connects, invites and expands the message. Our message is the message of relationship first between God and man, then man to man.
My plan was simple. Meet with the kids who had an interest in art and give them the opportunity to create. Have the supplies they needed and just be there giving a helping hand and a few suggestions. I was able to begin to steer them and help them begin to express their faith through art. We had a few shows. We made some mission goals and planned projects. But what really happened was an instant connection, artist to artist. What was shared was their struggles in life, their hopes, their fears, their vision. So much more happened on the personal level than I expected that when my new friend Chris shared his vision of art ministry from a musician’s viewpoint I knew what he was saying was true. It wasn’t just about the music on Sunday morning it was about the team and the way they communicated with each other and the congregation. Chris’ challenge when he had accepted his position on staff at my new church was to grow an across the board arts ministry involving as many disciplines as he could find leadership for and get us involved with the inner workings of the church. His vision looks suspiciously like Paul’s description of the body of Christ in the book of Ephesians.
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:21-22
The principles of the how of ministry, of course goes beyond the arts. We can engage and connect through sports ministry, helps ministry, disaster relief… the possibilities are as vast as the gifts and talents in your local church.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Pray for each other
While this came to me as a forward from a friend, there is much to be said about the power of prayer and I just wanted to pass it on.
May everyone who receives this message be blessed. REMEMBER to pray. That's all you have to do. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward. Make sure you pray, and pray believing that God will answer.
"May today be all that you need it to be today.
May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight and conquer all your fears.
May God manifest himself today in ways that you have never experienced.
May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer and your prayers be answered. I pray
that faith enters a new height for you; I pray that your territory is enlarged and I pray that you step into your destiny within the ministry.
I pray for peace, health, happiness and true and undying love for God."
AMEN!
Hope you have a blessed day and be on the lookout for our next newsletter coming out in a few days!
May everyone who receives this message be blessed. REMEMBER to pray. That's all you have to do. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward. Make sure you pray, and pray believing that God will answer.
"May today be all that you need it to be today.
May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight and conquer all your fears.
May God manifest himself today in ways that you have never experienced.
May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer and your prayers be answered. I pray
that faith enters a new height for you; I pray that your territory is enlarged and I pray that you step into your destiny within the ministry.
I pray for peace, health, happiness and true and undying love for God."
AMEN!
Hope you have a blessed day and be on the lookout for our next newsletter coming out in a few days!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Ministry Monday: The Where in Ministry
There is a cross stitch in my dining room I created that reads Bloom where you are planted. It is framed with dogwood blossoms and was created when I live in North Carolina. Where I lived if you looked out my back family room windows in the spring you would be treated to a woods filled with dogwood blossoms among the oaks trees that towered above them. At the time I had a son in kindergarten and one not ready for preschool. I was a stay home mom and my kids and my home were my ministry. The wisdom of the little saying I had seen cross stitched and hung on my older sister’s family room wall helped remind me to be content where I was. There is something inside me since I became a believer that just makes me want to serve. I had been active in the youth ministry at my church in Florida and wanted that again. It just wasn’t the right time. I was in a new church and still getting to know people. They were still getting to know me. I felt like my ministry was hampered when what I really was needed was a broader view of ministry.
Ministry happens and is meant to happen first where we are. If giving glory to God is giving others a correct estimation of the character of God, then how we serve at home, how we care for our family matters. It is the requirement for deacons and elders to have their household in order. If they have not mastered this first, then they are not qualified to serve in the church in leadership. We cannot ignore our family and say we serve others. It is wrong.
Clearly in the Bible Jesus speaks about going into the world and preaching the gospel and making disciples of the nations. In the book of Acts it is given more clarity, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
That is easy to translate that into, “you will be my witnesses first in your city, state, region, and nation and to the rest of the world.” We are to be involved some way in this strategy of outreach. We cannot do it all ourselves. Not everyone is called to foreign missions. The best way to cover the where of ministry is to be involved in a local church where ministry goes on at all these levels. Then when as you live out your faith, and as you are able to participate, you will have the opportunity to serve in your city, state region, nation and world. I think short term mission trips are the best means to serve in these various spheres of influence. I think your ministry should start locally. Why travel to Africa to do VBS, if you won’t help at VBS in your church, or in your city. I think if you want to go on a foreign mission trip that your training should begin at home. Why go to Seattle to help plant a church when you won’t invite your neighbor to church. We need to broaden our view of ministry on the local level. We need to broaden our view of missions and ministry on the personal level too. Are we looking for opportunities around us to serve? Do we say to the people we know, the people whom we encounter during the day, “how can I help you?” and really mean it.
Ministry happens and is meant to happen first where we are. If giving glory to God is giving others a correct estimation of the character of God, then how we serve at home, how we care for our family matters. It is the requirement for deacons and elders to have their household in order. If they have not mastered this first, then they are not qualified to serve in the church in leadership. We cannot ignore our family and say we serve others. It is wrong.
Clearly in the Bible Jesus speaks about going into the world and preaching the gospel and making disciples of the nations. In the book of Acts it is given more clarity, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
That is easy to translate that into, “you will be my witnesses first in your city, state, region, and nation and to the rest of the world.” We are to be involved some way in this strategy of outreach. We cannot do it all ourselves. Not everyone is called to foreign missions. The best way to cover the where of ministry is to be involved in a local church where ministry goes on at all these levels. Then when as you live out your faith, and as you are able to participate, you will have the opportunity to serve in your city, state region, nation and world. I think short term mission trips are the best means to serve in these various spheres of influence. I think your ministry should start locally. Why travel to Africa to do VBS, if you won’t help at VBS in your church, or in your city. I think if you want to go on a foreign mission trip that your training should begin at home. Why go to Seattle to help plant a church when you won’t invite your neighbor to church. We need to broaden our view of ministry on the local level. We need to broaden our view of missions and ministry on the personal level too. Are we looking for opportunities around us to serve? Do we say to the people we know, the people whom we encounter during the day, “how can I help you?” and really mean it.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Ministry Monday: The Who in Ministry
When we think of ministry, do we look over our shoulder to someone behind us? Are we looking for the “other” whom we imagine is the one spoken to when someone mentions ministry? “Who me?” We think of ministers, now days, paid professionals with higher degrees, titles and privilege. We may think of an office filled by someone deserving of respect. But do we think of servant, relief, support, preparation? When we think of ministry Biblically these words should fill our minds. We should also see ourselves in the picture.
Why? Shouldn’t we leave ministry to the professionals? No, at the risk of the church crumbling at its very foundation. No, we are the body of Christ and if there is anything true, it is that we have been called to servanthood. We are:
"… a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. "
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
This verse very clearly includes us as believers in the concept and practical living out of the word ministry. We are called to ministry. We are called to be reconcilers. We are given a charge to bring others to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
So ministry is always about us. How we respond I believe depends on how we are called, how we are gifted and where we are placed. God has always done these things; called us, gifted us and place just where he wants us. Are we listening, using our gifts, aware of those around us and open to the still small voice and what God may want to do I our lives? We don’t need seminary. We don’t have to be a deacon. We certainly don’t have to be perfect, just available and willing. We shouldn’t let anyone disqualify us from service. We should not let anyone or anything keep us from responding to God.
Ministry Monday is about individuals and groups that have heard God’s call and answered it by simply doing what God asked. If you have answered God’s call to ministry and would like to share your ministry story email me, Ruth Eshbaugh at ruthieonart@ruthieonart.com. I am the webmaster for Good News Now and a writer for Lifted Magazine; I would like to write about what God is doing in your life.
Why? Shouldn’t we leave ministry to the professionals? No, at the risk of the church crumbling at its very foundation. No, we are the body of Christ and if there is anything true, it is that we have been called to servanthood. We are:
"… a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. "
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
This verse very clearly includes us as believers in the concept and practical living out of the word ministry. We are called to ministry. We are called to be reconcilers. We are given a charge to bring others to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
So ministry is always about us. How we respond I believe depends on how we are called, how we are gifted and where we are placed. God has always done these things; called us, gifted us and place just where he wants us. Are we listening, using our gifts, aware of those around us and open to the still small voice and what God may want to do I our lives? We don’t need seminary. We don’t have to be a deacon. We certainly don’t have to be perfect, just available and willing. We shouldn’t let anyone disqualify us from service. We should not let anyone or anything keep us from responding to God.
Ministry Monday is about individuals and groups that have heard God’s call and answered it by simply doing what God asked. If you have answered God’s call to ministry and would like to share your ministry story email me, Ruth Eshbaugh at ruthieonart@ruthieonart.com. I am the webmaster for Good News Now and a writer for Lifted Magazine; I would like to write about what God is doing in your life.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Chrstian Music Festivals in September
There aren't many festivals coming up in September but since all of them are towards the beginning of the month, we thought it might be a good idea to get this list out to you sooner than later!
September 1, 2007
Celebrate Freedom with Luis Palau
Atlanta, GA, USA
http://www.palau.org/celebratefreedomatlanta/
September 7-8, 2007
Rock the Universe
Universal Studios Orlando, FL, USA
http://www.rocktheuniverse.com/
September 8, 2007
Godstock
Fairfield, IL, USA
http://www.godstock.com
September 1, 2007
Celebrate Freedom with Luis Palau
Atlanta, GA, USA
http://www.palau.org/celebratefreedomatlanta/
September 7-8, 2007
Rock the Universe
Universal Studios Orlando, FL, USA
http://www.rocktheuniverse.com/
September 8, 2007
Godstock
Fairfield, IL, USA
http://www.godstock.com
New in Travel on LiftedMagazine.com
The Unique Antique
Lake Havasu City gave a new life to the London Bridge, yet ironically, the city received a new life of its own upon the bridge’s completion in 1971. Once a vast expanse of land, a man-made lake and a few shops, the opening day of the London Bridge drew in an excess of 50,000 spectators.
Everyone has heard and probably even sung the children's tune "London Bridge is falling down." But few know it's surprising and somewhat tragic history. There have been at least five London Bridges rebuilt over the Thames River in England in the last 2,000 years and each bridge has its own tale of adventure.
In 1968, a wealthy businessman named Robert McCulloch purchased a crumbling London Bridge for over two-million dollars. At the time, it was recorded as the most expensive antique ever sold. Then he packed up the bridge and shipped it from London to its new home in the Arizona desert.
Lake Havasu City gave a new life to the London Bridge, yet ironically, the city received a new life of its own upon the bridge’s completion in 1971. Once a vast expanse of land, a man-made lake and a few shops, the opening day of the London Bridge drew in an excess of 50,000 spectators.
Today more than two-million tourists visit Lake Havasu City for its unique blend of history and present-day recreation.
Lampposts, which were fashioned out of cannons captured in the Battle of Waterloo, line the streets of the mock English village. Visible scars mark the granite bridge reminiscent of a WWII Nazi attack. 
In contrast to the rich history, jet-ski’s and boats dot the crystal blue water surrounded by a coastline of campgrounds, fishermen and beaches. 
The history of the London Bridge is like an action-packed movie or a good fiction book. It should be interesting to see what adventures are in store for this unique antique in centuries to come. Read the full story here.
The history of the London Bridge is like an action-packed movie or a good fiction book. It should be interesting to see what adventures are in store for this unique antique in centuries to come. Read the full story here.
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