Mid-Week Memo

in

Hi Five Oakers,

There are several things I want to share with you today.

#1 – Get a recap of the Easter service with highlights of our prayers, readings and songs here.

#2 – What a great weekend of worship and the proclamation of the gospel story through our Good Friday and Easter services! It was all an incredible spiritual meal for my soul.

#3 – Here are your comments/questions from the Communication Cards:

  • Thanks for the reminder, despair and worry need not and should not consume me – I have hope! 
  • Wonderful message of hope, Henry!
  • Loved Sarah’s faith story.
  • Thanks for a beautiful service! 
  • Really like the new program!
  • Good service, thanks Pastor Henry. Happy Easter! 
  • Who am I to think my sins are any worse, I am forgiven!
  • Henry, I appreciate the personal antidotes especially the story of Russ and Lynn [from last week]– wow!
  • I really needed to hear that my failures don’t determine my destiny. I like Dan’s Mr. Roger's sweater too!
  • Great music – How Great Thou Art – wonderful worship. Moving and motivating – faith story. praise God for His goodness, forgiveness, salvation, power and love. 
  • Powerful music! Beautiful.
  • Sarah, you are a beautiful woman. A beautiful Godly woman. Pastor Henry, thank you for this message. 
  • Great choices on worship sets! Thanks for energy and joy in song. Henry, eight words led to difficult destiny – I love it! Thanks God. 
  • New program format is great, really like seeing the songs we are going to sing. The map of worship stations is good addition.
  • Thanks for the terrific, beautiful opening. Thanks Jesus!
  • Great message, Henry. Thank you so much for sharing God’s great news for us with us! Powerful testimony from Sarah Bower – thank you. 
  • Happy Easter!
  • He is Risen, Indeed! 
  • Alleluia! 
  • Thank you for the nice service! 
  • Pastor, I understood intent of analogy of Pope and beggar, but am not sure if some may have misunderstood it thinking you may be ascribing credit to Pope’s authority, otherwise I can only thank God for all your preaching and teaching. God bless. [Just need to say that I didn’t tell that story in every service because of time issues, in case some of you are wondering.]
  • Great service – loved the songs, message and faith story.
  • Willing to give it ALL for Him.
  • Great time of worship.  Thanks for sharing the faith story!
  • Wonderful service.  Thank you.
  • Great service! 
  • Great service – music and message were perfect.
  • Beautiful service Henry – BUT still appreciate the ‘Dark’ service 6 years ago that kept us here.  Worship team was fabulous – I had chills! 
  • Really needed the message today.  Thank you Pastor Henry!  Sara’s message was so touching and a great reminder/example that there is ALWAYS hope!
  • Thanks for the great service!
  • Thank you Henry, and nice Dan L.  Loved story of beggar and Pope.  Sara B’s story, too – choked me up, reminded me to never lose hope.  Have missed church w/all of you! 

#4 – Here’s the Easter Faith Story video. 

#5 – About 17 adults and children indicated a first-time decision to receive Christ and almost as many adults indicated a desire to learn more about beginning a relationship with Christ!   

#6 – Lois and I launched another Story of God small group last night with an orientation and fellowship time. I always look forward to the insights the group members bring from their reading. We discuss our first week of readings next week.

#7 - Here’s the Easter sermon in 10 Tweets, “Risen” (Luke 24:1-12):

  1. We deny death’s inevitability; God denies death its power.
  2. They came thinking death had defeated but learned that he had defeated death.
  3. You can cheat death once or twice, but eventually death catches on and beats you.
  4. “…then all who belong to Christ will be raised…” (1 Corinthians 15:23)
  5. Our hope trumps our troubles.
  6. Neuhaus: The times may be bad, but they are the only times we are given. Remember, hope is still a virtue, & despair is still a sin.
  7. Our hope trumps our troubles because it’s based on God’s Word.
  8. Your failures don’t determine your destiny. This truth is captured in 8 simple words: But Peter rose and ran to the tomb... 
  9. Apart from the resurrection, what do you think would have determined Peter’s destiny.
  10. If you're life feels stuck, meaningless, the product of your mistakes, be/ of the resurrection, your failures don't determine ur destiny.

#8 – I feel very sad that we’re wrapping up Luke this weekend. In some ways, though, this next series, “The Mission of God,” is a commentary on Luke 24:47 and we're launching the series this weekend by focusing on last passage in Luke. I’ll explain how so this week. It’s an incredible but often overlooked verse that will send us on a search of God’s mission from the entire Bible and of our role in that mission.  

#9 – Here’s the comment we received back from the cards we send first-time guests:

3/24 We loved the sermon and will come back for Easter. We are new in town from IL.  My church from there (Willow Creek Community Church) emailed me a list of churches and yours was one of them.

See you all on the weekend!

God bless you, Pastor Henry

Mid-Week Memo

in

Hi Five Oakers,

There are several things I want to share with you today.

#1 – Get a recap of the service with highlights of our prayers, readings and songs here.

#2 – Here are your comments from the Communication Cards:

  • Loved the worship leader this week!
  • Great worship – thanks! Thanks for sharing the story about your sister-in-law and Russ! Thanks be to God!
  • Love the new worship program. Love the worship time. Awesome and powerful message Henry. 
  • Love the bulletin format. User friendly for guests. [Thank you for your concern about guests! In fact, the feedback we received from member is to continue to explain the movements every week and use this only as a supplement for the sake of our guests. I love that. And that’s our plan. Also, we think there is value in driving home the movements to our regulars and mapping it on paper for reflection every week.]
  • Enjoyed the teaching today. Music was good too! 
  • Henry – thanks for sharing story of Russ. Thank God for people and our God who never gives up! 
  • Awesome worship program revamp. Worship leader sounded great today. [Now we only have to train ourselves to use the new name: Worship Guide. I know I’m going to slip a million times.]
  • Really enjoyed the energy and singing of today’s new worshiper. 
  • Enjoyed worship leader’s voice. Great talent. Reached deep into my heart.
  • Love the new worship program! I think it will help visitors.
  • Music – great! I love the authentic passion! 
  • Awesome, moving message today Henry. Thank you for blessing us!
  • I’d like to hear a sermon addressing people who doubt that the Bible is true – vs. a lot of stories by humans (who aren’t God) and with a salvation message. Give warning if you do so, I can invite my friends. [You can get one in the archives on the Media link at our website. Go to 5/1/11, “What if…the Bible is Trustworthy.” Another suggestion is that you bring one of those friends to The Story of God small group. If they’re searching, it will appeal to them. In SOG we deal with the trustworthiness of the Bible and the strongest evidence is that it tells this one story from start to finish and the way it tells it. Other than that, I’ll try to remember to give a heads up when a message like that is coming up.]
  • Thank you, Henry, for the story of Russ and Lynn! Such a true example of Lynn’s undying belief in the power of prayer, and one man’s humble surrender to the gift of grace.
  • FYI – Pastor Henry, I love you to pieces. I work with lots of funny sounding syndromes, and to mention a funny one is funny, but to keep going kind of takes it too far and set an example for bullying to occur with kiddos. Just a thought to consider for future. I missed you while you were gone! I hope you and Lois came back refreshed. Love the new bulletin! Kind of miss (2nd year in a row for me) Palm Sunday not focusing on the triumphal entry and preparation for Easter. We at least briefly mentioned it this year more than last year. [GREAT feedback on what I said about that syndrome. I agree. Thank you. And who can’t listen to correction that begins with “I love you to pieces”?!!!]
  • I never before realized how important Barabbas and the other two criminals that were crucified with Jesus are to the Story of God. All three of those people represent me and what I deserve. Thank you for today’s message!
  • Loved worship. Thank you.
  • Awesome message. Awesome worship!
  • Great worship – awesome energy! Great message. 
  • Excellent worship leader – great energy! Very passionate. 
  • Good sermon; thanks for sharing story about brother-in-law.
  • Great singing worship time.
  • Moved by our worship today. 
  • Love the explanation pamphlet! Maps it all out – great for newbie’s. 
  • Soon to be member, yeah! 
  • Worship leader was awesome! Loved his prayer, could hear his heart. Love the fact he is a “little rough around the edge and comfortable in who he is in God. Great voice.
  • Please hire Ryan! He’s great – lots of energy and feeling!
  • Wow! Amazing teaching today, both intellectually and from you heart! Thank you. 
  • I like the program layout. Also, can the worship leader ask people to stand as they are able? 
  • Love the worship guide. Fantastic! Room was made for God’s simple truth. I can’t, he can. I think I will let Him. He is God, I’m not. Humility.
  • Book title correction:  “Stories of Lost Israel in Folklore” by Rev. James B. Haggart (explains Brothers Grim stories). “Sea to Shining Sea” – Peter Marshells and David Manuel (Revival in USA).
  • The screen is more frustrating then it is worth when there is such fast changes, you can’t write. You need to have the person in the booth write what is up there before they change the frame vs. pictures. [Email me. I need to know if you’re using the outlines or trying to write down the quotes that are in the outlines before we make any changes.]
  • I’m concerned that the wording for the prayer station may be misunderstood – “trained ministers”, otherwise great worship folder! [Duly noted and changed.]

#3 – Congratulations to Five Oaker Brad Frost, head coach of the Gopher women’s hockey national championship team! What an amazing season.

#4 – We wrapped up our Story of God group on Sunday evening. Great and amazing group! We did a Bible content quiz at the first and last sessions. Quiz 1: Two-thirds of the folks got 3 or less questions right on a ten-question quiz. Quiz 2 (different but equivalent in difficulty): Nearly 90% got four or more questions right! It was an amazing reversal.

#5 – New Story of God session starts next Wednesday. Email me if you’re interested (you can do it from my blog site).

#6 – I will post the Financial Peace University results tomorrow on the blog. Prepare to be amazed.

#7 – One of the highlights of the year for me is the Good Friday service. It's at 7pm.

#8 – Three new small group leader teams have been trained for the start of our next trimester about three weeks after Easter. More have shown interest in receiving training.

#9 – One of the couples in Story of God were there for the second time and testified that it helps them immensely to do it a second time. Here’s an idea: Come again some time but bring a seeker with you. It’s a great evangelistic tool you can use.

#10 – Student ministry annual auction will take place the first two weekends of April. Four Disney park hopper tickets will be available, courtesy of Disney. Come and bid high and often.

#11 – The staff will be doing a taste test of City Kids Java coffee next week. It’s one of the companies/ministries we’re looking at for the Acorn Café.

#12 – The theme for the Woodbury Prayer Breakfast this year (May 7) is "Truth in Motion" and will feature keynote speaker, Chris Wright, President of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Five Oakers Caleb and Stephanie Brunz are chairing the planning committee this year. This is a consistently great event and wonderful opportunity to invite your seeking friends. Register here.

#13 - Here’s last weekend’s sermon is 10 Tweets, “Our Biggest Problem; God’s Only Solution” (Luke 23:26-49):

  1. Everything the Bible says about our big problems is irrelevant until we accept what it says about the problem behind all problems: our sin.
  2. Sin is your biggest problem and the cross is God’s only solution.
  3. On the cross Jesus takes what only we deserve so that we can receive what only Jesus deserves.
  4. Jesus is the only person in history who suffered and can say, “I don’t deserve to suffer. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
  5. Like the first criminal we get focused on right here and now and demand relief right here and now.
  6. Jesus' primary mission thru his 1st Coming is to make sure you can enjoy the blessings of the New Creation at his 2nd Coming.
  7. Their biggest problem isn’t passing from this life; it’s perishing in the life to come.
  8. The 2nd criminal faces same exact problem as the 1st but focuses on his eternity & the overwhelming love of God shown on the cross.
  9. The second criminal simply repents and trusts Jesus. Religious Christians don’t like this
  10. You apply God's only solution to your greatest problem the same way it's always been done in Scripture: repent and trust God.

See you this weekend as we celebrate the Resurrection!

God bless you, Pastor Henry