Sunday Night Reflections

Great Sunday at New Hope!

- Lots of jazzed people who came in knowing they had made a difference for God this weekend.
- Visitors came in and immediately felt at home. Heard great things about how welcoming we were.
- Bethany did AWESOME on the solo that kicked off my new favorite song "I Will Rise"
- Praise team didn't mess up! Just kidding guys.
- Pastor believed in the message and I think brought it.
- The after-glow with people hanging around was incredible. People were swarming over the community garden plot, hanging with the visitors, talking in the parking lot. Signs of a healthy church.
- Heard that one of our classes voted to sponsor a child in Africa. Way to go guys!

First, the video I didn't show this morning because of time constraints that shows pretty graphically how fast change is occurring across the world. It might give you a little bit of perspective and offer some understanding of just why we are looking for new ways to tell the Bog Story of how God's plan is unfolding.





The message relied heavily on James Choung's concept of presenting the gospel in a fresh way. Got some great feedback after so I hope it resonates some more during the week. Great resources are out there, and I'm going to use whatever I can to help all of New Hope be as effective as we can be.



If you'd like to know more about the method used in the message this morning, much more information is available at James Choung's website - Tell It Slant including an explanation of the method in booklet form.

You may have the opportunity this week to take a napkin and a pen and show a friend just how God's Big Story can help them live lives with purpose in harmony with God.

How cool is that!

I LOVE THIS JOB!!!!!

New Hope @ Worship 04.27.08

After a great weekend of community activities - sno cones at the Relay for Life, and meeting and greeting and CHEERING at the Saturday in the Park, New Hope met to worship God today. Great crowd turned into a congregation.

Worship began with Jamie and Emily singing "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" - I chose that to tie in with the ultimate goal of the sermon.

Then we all sang:

How Great Is Our God
Holy, Holy, Holy

Then Craig, Emily, and Amy sang a new arrangement of "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms" that was great.

We followed that with "Still" and "The Potter's Hand"

My goal was to open some eyes this morning to spiritual blindness caused by pride.




Sermon audio available at:http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

Relay For Life Niceville-Valparaiso

New Hope participated in the local race/walk earlier in Valparaiso, and we'll be represented as part of the Valparaiso Elementary's team this coming weekend as we join together to help fight cancer. Our recent fundraiser for the cause netted over $150 and I'm confident that together we can do more than any of us can separately.

Cancer is a personal enemy of mine, as I've buried both parents as a result. Our neighbors in Niceville and in Valparaiso are joining together for a cause that is bigger than all of us. I can identify with that, as I spend my life engaged in God's big story.

Pray! Give! Walk!

It begins this Friday night at 6:30 PM and runs through Saturday morning at Eagle's Stadium in Niceville.

Falling Forward

That picture could have been taken in the New Hope Baptist parking lot Saturday. The only real difference is that there would have been an inflatable jumping "thingie" (what do you call those?)behind the guy in the kayak, and a few cars parked here and there.

We've partnered with the "Relay for Life Team" at Valparaiso Elementary in their drive to raise money for cancer research. (Personally, I hate cancer. It's taken both parents, many relatives, and quite a few friends. We even lost our beloved mini schnauzer recently to cancer.) Our idea was to do a fundraiser that would be fun for the school and neighborhood kids. Great idea.

Well, several things happened on the run up to the event. Publicity that should have happened didn't make it through the hoops. Working through the school system to publicize is slow and results are spotty. This time it dropped through a big crack. So our biggest base target basically did not know of the event. Then our local papers were missed as well. One got it on time but it didn't run for some reason, and the other didn't get it before deadline.

So now we know what happens when you give an event without publicity. Key learning touchstone.

Then there was the weather.


IT FLOODED. It began almost exactly at the start time, and it ended just after the time we had set to end. It was raining as hard as I have ever seen it outside hurricanes. The parking lot was under water, the gutters were spilling over, the drains were backing up and water was creeping toward the doors of the fellowship hall. Unbelievable.

And yet, we had a slew (Georgia speak for a lot) of volunteers show up. They had a great time together, and enjoyed the live animal shows and just being together. Disappointed? Sure, we were all there to meet people and help THEM have a good time while supporting the cause.

But we learned a lot Saturday. And for that I am grateful.