Labels: Sermon Link

Labels: Christ, Church, Example, General

1. Sensing the presence of God. “Experiencing God dwarfs everything else as people rate a church’s atmosphere.”
   
   
2. Others-centered. “An others-centered church is immediately interested in new people, what they need, and how the church can help.”
   
   
3. Understandable terminology. “Healthy churches tend to speak in terms everyone can understand. No secret jargon.”
   
   
4. People who look like me. “Our level of comfort can be high or low depending on how quickly we find someone else who looks like us.”
   
   
5. Healthy problem handling. “What makes a healthy church is not the absence of problems. It’s how problems are handled.”
   
   
6. Accessibility. “High ratings go to churches that are ‘barrier free’ in every sense of the term.”
   
   
7. Sense of Expectancy. “Listen to hallway conversations about the church, and you can decide if the primary verb tense is past, present, or future. Most healthy churches are hopeful churches. They are permeated with high expectations of God's blessing for the future.”
   

If interested in reading more about the seven ways you can church, I encourage you to read the full text at Christianity Today.

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I'm headed to Lubbock, Texas today for Cline Paden's funeral. Cline was an amazing visionary in the kingdom of God. There is no telling how many people are apart of God's kingdom today because of Cline's love for lost people.

Labels: Church

1. People sleeping (of course).



2. A child playing a Gameboy.



3. A man on the front pew clipping his toe nails.



4. My zipper unzipped.



5. A man doubled-over in pain in the foyer at the back of the auditorium and unable to get any ones attention to help him.



6. One of my children "wave" at me.



7. People listening intently (thankfully).



8. The electricity goes off and it becomes pitch black. Someone lit a small candle, placed it on the pulpit and I was told to keep preaching, so I did.



9. Hearing the "snap" of a mouse-trap in the empty baptistery behind me and then hearing the "screeching" of a dieing rat through the rest of the sermon (during a gospel meeting at a little country church).



10. A man getting so tickled at something I said that I had to stop and let him catch his breath before continuing.

Labels: Preaching, Top Ten List

Labels: Cartoon

Here are a few things you might find interesting to read ...

• No hymnals. No pews. No steeple. No stained glass windows. And no women. Here's an interesting story about a church that reaches out to just men. Hmm.
  
  
• My long time friend, Jeff Foster, is now blogging on a regular basis. Jeff is the minister in Cortez, Colorado and a long time summer camp friend from QMCC. His blog will bless you.
  
  
• Frank Bellizzi has written a post about, Harlie Fewell, a man you had a great influence on my life. Harlie played a major roll in me becoming a minister. This world needs more "Harlie Fewells."
  
  
• Two good friends of mine, Brandon and Katie Price, are leaving this week to do mission work in the Ukraine. I love Brandon and Katie, they've always had such a heart for missions and lost people. Please say a little prayer for them this week when you think about it.

Have a great Sunday ~ Trey

Labels: General

1. A child is never too young to start learning about God.
   
2. Fill your home and church nurseries with items that teach about God.

Labels: Children, Ministry, Video

• Summer activities will include a week of Encounter camp the first week of June at Lubbock Christian University.
• Then the following week we hit VBS head on. VBS is a HUGE deal here in Childress. We go all out for the 250-350 people that will be showing up for VBS each night.
• Following a week of VBS we'll head to the mountains of New Mexico for the Red River Family Encampment. It will be a week of relaxing, listening to other speakers and fellowshipping with friends. It's a wonderful encampment that tries to make its speakers and program something for everyone. But the main thing I like is that its located in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico.
• The first part of July, a group of 50 from Childress will leave for Mexico City on a mission trip. We'll be spending about 30 hours on a bus just to get to Mexico City. There we will work in a children's hospital, hand out tracts, clean up trash, attend small groups and other wonderful activities. Just for fun, I'm really hoping we get to make a soccer match, bull fight or Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling match). All three of those are huge cultural activities. It'd be like taking someone from another country to a Major League Baseball game or NFL game.
• Ending our July, we'll have a week of summer camp at QMCC in Oklahoma. I co-direct a session for kids 4th grade through high school.
• Somewhere in all the madness I'll work in a couple of weeks vacation. YEA.

GROWING UP: Taylor, my 17 year-old, had a GREAT week, in his eyes. He got sent home the last week of school ... get this ... because he needed to shave. He was PUMPED. He's been working on his "whiskers" on his chin for months. He came in giving "high-fives" and said, "I've reached man-hood." Then he quickly shaved and went back to school. That was a cause for celebration ... lunch at the Deuce (Chinese Buffet) that day.

NATE: I'd like to give a shout out to my partner in crime here in Childress, Nate Bundy. Nate is our youth minister and does a great job with our kids. He has blessed my life as a friend, co-worker and as a spiritual figure to my teenage boys. He has tons of energy, tons of commitment and tons of love for kids. John Maxwell once said, "Those closest to you will determine your level of success." I'm continually discovering the truth of that particular statement by working with Nate. Thanks Nate for all you do. Oh, and he has a pretty cool wife, Kristin, too.

SERMON LINK: Got a call from a credit card place a while back that wanted to offer me a "True Grace" credit card. I asked the nice lady on the phone what "True Grace" meant. She said, "It means if you can't pay your bill that month on the due date, you can pay it anytime two weeks after the due date without occurring a penalty." I kind of made her mad when I told her that's not "True Grace" at all. "True grace means I shouldn't have to pay it at all," I told her. I tried to explain to her what "True Grace" really was, but she said that's not what true grace meant on this card. I told her she could call me back when she had a REAL "True Grace" card. That got me thinking about God's true grace and what real grace really was. Here is a sermon on "True Grace" if you want to listen: CLICK HERE. If you are still living in the past and have dial up :) here is instructions on how to download a sermon: Click Here.

Labels: General, Kids

Labels: Church

1. He Cared About People. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to discovers that "huge crowds" were always gathering around Jesus. There were times when the crowds nearly crushed him. What was it about Jesus that attracted people to him like a magnet? He served others, loved them and guided them into a relationship with his Father. He didn't look for "deserving" people to care for (there were none) ... but "undeserving." He healed, fed and touched those in need (Mark 10:45). He taught us what real ministry is: Service. There was no class distinction for Jesus. He cared for the fishermen, tax collectors, the adulterer and the 5 time divorcee. He cared about people.



2. Jesus Was A Man of Action. His life would have been one big action movie. There was nothing boring about his life. He spent his time here not just telling people how to live, but showing (action) people how to live. He showed us God through his actions (John 14:9).



3. Jesus Communicated with the Common Man. There seems to be two kinds of teachers in this world ... communicators and intellectuals. Communicators take the difficult and make it simple. Intellectuals take the simple and make it difficult. Unfortunately, there are far too many intellectuals trying to communicate the Gospel today. Jesus was simply a communicator. He didn't preach many expository sermons. There are some instances where he uses scripture, however, the overwhelming majority of the time he told stories and painted pictures. He taught with a towel, a bird, a flower, a shepherd, a son, a coin, a flower, a child, a plank and other stories to make his point.



4. Jesus Had Something To Say. After he preached the sermon on the mount, the people were amazed by his teaching because he taught with authority (Matthew 7:28-29). Like the old E.F. Hutton commercial, when Jesus talked, people listened. I love the fact that Jesus taught on significant things that people needed to know. Things like eternity, death, how to treat one another, how to forgive and how to enter the Kingdom of God. He didn't spend much time preaching a lot of history lessons.



5. Jesus Offended the Religious People & Hung Out With Sinners. The only people who Jesus looked down on were the "religious" people who looked down on others. Jesus didn't give a rip what the religious people thought of him. Jesus called them snakes, vipers and white washed tombs (Matthew 23:25-36). Instead, Jesus hung out with sinners. The people Jesus reached out to were the "sinners", the prostitutes, the fishermen, the adulterer, the divorcee and the tax collectors (Luke 19:10, Matthew 9:12). Jesus hung out with the wrong type of people. He hung out with them so much that he was even accused of being a drunkard and a glutton.



6. Jesus Came as a Common Man. It amazes me that Jesus, the Son of God, came not as a prince born in a fancy clean castle, but instead as a common man born in a barn. He worked, sweated, hurt, became angry, was happy, was sad, was tempted and experienced death. All the same things I experience day to day. He knows what it's like to be a common person and relates to my struggles (Hebrews 2:18).



7. Jesus Offered What No One Else Could. Sales people will promise you the sky, but only Jesus can give you peace and salvation (John 14:27, John 14:6). No one can give you what Jesus can.



8. Jesus Offered Himself for Me. I had no shot at heaven and no shot at a relationship with God. Jesus took my sin upon himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now, because of his sacrifice for me, I will stand before God in judgement as perfect. I can hear it now, "Father," Jesus says, "I'd like you to meet Trey, the perfect one" (I just hope my wife's there to hear that).



9. Jesus Had One Goal and He Accomplished It. His goal was to do the will of His Father. Jesus didn't need a mission statement, he just came to ... “do my Father’s will.” I guess if that was good enough for him…. it’s good enough for me. I'm tired of talking about mission statements, vision statements, strategies and goals. I just want to "do my Father's will."



10. Jesus ... (You Fill in # 10 With One You Like!)

Labels: Jesus, Top Ten List

Labels: Marriage

Labels: General

Labels: Video

Labels: General, Morgan Family

Last week I sat in a brand new car. No, it wasn't mine. The new car smell was intoxicating. The gadgets were amazing. The navigation system was mind boggling.

As I sat behind the wheel, the new owner explained all the new and latest gadgets to me. I was in awe. It had safety features I had never heard of, and get this, would you believe it had 8, yes 8, airbags?

A story I read recently about how things change in your lifetime, along with the fancy seat belt and airbags got me to thinking about how things have changed in my life. I've lived on this earth for only 41 years, and I've already seen so much change. For example: when I was a child, there were no such term as "seat belt." We didn't need seat belts. My mother was the safety device in our car. If I wanted to stand in the front seat, lay in the back window or stick my head out the window like a dog - no problem. In the event of an accident, my mom would save me with her arm.

Whenever she'd hit the brake, her arm would simultaneously arc towards me like a powerful steal beam: Whap! Talk about tough love. "Why'd you do that?" I'd snort through my bleeding nose.

"I kept you from going through the windshield," she'd reply with a look of heroic satisfaction.

"Can I go through the windshield next time please?" I'd say, thinking it would probably hurt less than the long-arm-of-mom.

Now riding with grandma was a whole different ballgame. She had that fleshy "hanging down thing" under her arm. So when she'd hit the brakes and out popped her arm, instead of the bleeding nose, I'd be smothered by gelatinous flesh. Everything would go black, and air would temporarily be cut off. But at least it didn't hurt. Oh, I'd smell like Ben-gay for the next few days, but I could live with that.

My point of all of this is to say nothing stays the same; everything changes. Cars change, seat belts change, car seats change and life goes on. Change is everywhere. Children who were starting kindergarten yesterday are graduating from high school in two weeks. Kids going off to college yesterday are now settling into the routine of a family. And those we love are slowly passing on to another world through death. You can't count on anything to stay the same anymore. The only thing that doesn't change is God. His love and mercy remain the same. It's only an unchanging God that remains. He will never fail.

Labels: General, God, God's Love

The church is full of "the guy on the left." What we need is more of "the guy on the right."

Which one are you?

Labels: Church, Video

9. The Holiness of God - R.C. Sproul
Chapter 4, "The Trauma of Holiness" is an absolutely fantastic chapter.

3. Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne

No book has challenged my faith more in how I see the church and what real church is all about.

2. Finish Strong - Steve Farrar

Definitely the #2 book on my list. By far this book has influenced me as much as any I've read other than the Bible. I've literally read this book a dozen times. Any Steve Farrar book is great gift for a husband or dad, but this one is a must read for all men.

1. The Bible

Still the best selling book in the world and the only book I never get tired of reading. This one is a must read!

So here are 10 books that have greatly affected my life in a positive way. What are some that make your top 10 list?

Labels: General, Top Ten List

• You begin to talk about problems you are having with your spouse.


• You find it easier to unwind and relax with someone other than your spouse.


• You're dishonest with your spouse about things dealing with a person of the opposite sex.


• You've got a need you feel your mate isn't meeting and someone else begins to fill that need.


• You rationalize that this new relationship okay, because they are a Christian or "just a friend" and they are helping you through a difficult time.


• You look forward to being with this person more than with your own mate.


• You hide your friendship from your mate.

So, how do you keep this from happening?

• Guard Your Heart. Put a fence around your heart that protects that sacred ground that's reserved only for your spouse. Share only your deepest feelings, needs and difficulties with each other, not with friends of the opposite sex.


• Know the power of your eyes. The eyes are the window to your heart. Pull the shades down if you sense someone is pausing a little too long in front of your window.


• Don't hide things from your spouse. One strategy of the enemy is to isolate you from your spouse, by keeping secrets from your mate.


• Get rid of any emotional attractions that have already begun. A friendship with the opposite sex that meets the needs your mate should be meeting must be ended quickly. It may be painful, but it won't be as painful as dealing with the wreckage caused by a sinful relationship.
• Never be ashamed to ask for counseling or outside help. One of the best thing that can happen in a your marriage is when you come to an impasse, you seek outside help from a reliable source.

Labels: His Needs Her Needs, Marriage

• I was informed today that there are 50 (mostly teenagers) from the Childress church going to Mexico City this July. Two years ago when we went, we took 30. I am SO looking forward to that week! I LOVE hanging with our youth group! And I love serving people in Mexico.



• It's been a grieving week at the Morgan house this week. Our cat "Dummy-Cat" (yes, that's her name and no, I'm not making that up), had 2 kittens a few weeks ago. We gave the two kittens away Thursday to a good home. Cooper hasn't taken the change very well. He wants the two kittens back. In the meantime, Dummy-Cat has been fixed (or broken) so the kitten thing won't happen again.



• I didn't get a date night with Lea this week :( It has been our desire that when we became parents, not to cease being husband and wife. BUT…I know this will only happen if we are intentional!!! One day the four boys will leave (hopefully), and I want Lea and I to be madly in love. It will not happen if we ignore one another for the next 18 years!!!



• God really rocked my world this week when I was studying the story of King Saul (1 Samuel 15). God gave him specific instructions on a job He wanted done. Saul did it 95% right. God made sure Saul knew that partial obedience was not good enough. It's pretty amazing that God said, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." God wants my obedience more than He wants my singing, giving, communion, church attendance, etc. Wow!



• We're going to be back in the auditorium for worship this Sunday for the first time in 2 months. Two months ago we had a water valve break in the balcony of the building and it flooded the balcony, auditorium and basement. I'm ready to have my video system and power point back. Yea!



• his Sunday we'll be focusing on our graduating seniors. I'll be encouraging them in the lesson, and we'll honor them with a bible and other special recognition. I love what the elders do here in Childress. They will meet Sunday with each graduating senior and tell them how proud they are of them. They will remind them that they expect them to continue to be faithful when they go to college, and they’ll ask them where they plan to attend church when the get to college. They tell the graduating senior that they plan to write a “letter of recommendation” about the graduate to the church where they are planning on attending so the church there will be expecting them. This has worked wonders. Cool elders, huh?
  


• Here's a cartoon for all you bloggers out there...

Labels: Morgan Family

You've probably read the story behind the billboard (pictured above) in Chicago that says, "Life is Short. Get a divorce." It wasn't so much about the partially clothed man and woman on the law firm's ad. It was the phrase "Life is short. Get a divorce," that drew scores of complaints from neighbors and others. Even other lawyers were saying the ads were "classless." After numerous complaints, the billboard was taken down this week.

"It's offensive because the message is sex, and if you don't have what you want, you dump it," said one woman.

"It trivializes divorce and I think it's absolutely disgusting," Rick Tivers, a clinical social worker at the Center for Divorce Recovery in Chicago, told ABC News.

Click Here To Watch the short video news report or Click Here to Read the Story

So, what kills me is the underlying message of the billboard?

• Why stay with the same old spouse of yours with hotties like THIS is the world?
• No reason to work at your marriage, instead just shuck it.
• Look what you're missing by being married.
• Divorce has never been so easy or so good.
• Give up on your spouse for a buff bod like one of these.
• If it ain't working at home, don't try to fix it, just get a divorce and find someone else?

What I would like to see the sign say...

• "Your marriage can look this good with a little work."
• "Don't be fooled, no woman like this wants an old fart like you!"
• "You may not look this good, but you can have a great marriage and sex-life when you do it God's way."

What's your opinion of the billboard?

Labels: His Needs Her Needs, Marriage