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