Tim Liston

288 Campus Construction Report...

Looking good... :)

 

Thank you, Great CoMission givers! Thank you, Lord!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alvin Campus Sneak Peek (Great CoMission Update #6)

Here's a sneak peek inside the Alvin Campus building. I'm not a prophet, but I'm believing that God will fill this building up with people hungry for Jesus! (Thanks Pastor Chris for the video and for your work on this project!!) We will totally remake this building - and it will be awesome. (Thank you, Great CoMission givers!!!!!) Consider this a "before" video. Enjoy!

 

Great CoMission Update #5: Digging Trenches in a Dry Land...

 

Pastor Caleb from Haiti posted this on Facebook today: "If you think your house is too small to asking people come to stay with you its ok. But Heaven is Large! Ask theme to come with you!!!"

 

How right he is!! Heaven is big - and what God wants to do for us and through us is usually bigger than we're thinking as well! That's why our church hires, builds, expands, starts new campuses, and why we DREAM BIG!!! If you've been around our church lately, you know God is up to something. Even at this moment, I hear the sound of construction going on at the 288 Campus. Our East Campus recently smashed all previous records with an event held for our Krush students. There is an excitement in Alvin like I've never seen before as we move toward the renovation of our building/campus there. And our efforts in Haiti may have had a breakthrough recently!! (I'll let you know. Keep praying.) WE ARE GETTING READY! Here's an excerpt from a Charles Spurgeon sermon from the 1850's. It reminds us to be ready for what the Lord wants to do. Enjoy...

 

"And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and your beasts." -2 Kings 3:16-17

 

"The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet announced the coming blessing. Here was a case of human helplessness: not a drop of water could all the valiant men procure from the skies or find in the wells of earth. Thus often the people of the Lord are at their wits' end; they see the vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their help is to be found. Still the people were to make a believing preparation for the divine blessing; they were to dig the trenches in which the precious liquid would be held. The church must by her varied agencies, efforts, and prayers, make herself ready to be blessed; she must make the pools, and the Lord will fill them. This must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing is about to descend. By-and-by there was a singular bestowal of the needed boon. Not as in Elijah's case did the shower pour from the clouds, but in a silent and mysterious manner the pools were filled. The Lord has his own sovereign modes of action: he is not tied to manner and time as we are, but doeth as he pleases among the sons of men. It is ours thankfully to receive from him, and not to dictate to him. We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the supply--there was enough for the need of all. And so it is in the gospel blessing; all the wants of the congregation and of the entire church shall be met by the divine power in answer to prayer; and above all this, victory shall be speedily given to the armies of the Lord. What am I doing for Jesus? What trenches am I digging? O Lord, make me ready to receive the blessing which thou art so willing to bestow."

 

Charles Spurgeon

 

 

 

I wish the President would have called me...

I read an article today about the President calling a group of Pastors before going public with his support of gay marriage. I wish he would have called me. Anyone who knows me knows that I unapologetically teach, preach and (try my best to) live the truth of the Bible. And on this subject, the Bible is clear: Marriage is between a man and a woman. I'm not sure why he chose to go down this road. At first I thought it was political expediency, but I don't see how this will help him. Maybe the Vice President's comments a few days before forced his hand. I just don't know. But if he would have called me, I most certainly would have tried to talk him out of it. That's because I know what Scripture teaches. I know what happens when we ignore the commands of God. And I'm worried for our nation. The family is the base unit of organization within society - and marriage is the heart of the family.

 

God help us. God help our nation.

 

Here's a blog on this subject by a pastor I respect...

 

http://www.bobrussell.org/2012/05/13/president-obama-vs-the-church-on-the-issue-of-gay-marriage/

"Honor Your (elderly) Father & Mother" by Guest Blogger: Rebecca Axline

This week I have asked for more info on caring for aging parents from guest blogger (and New Hoper!) Rebecca Axline, who works with elderly patients and their families. Thank you for posting today, Rebecca. Here she is:

 

REBECCA: I’m sure this week’s message about aging family members is both excellent and difficult. I appreciate being a guest blogger and hope to add some additional ideas and links for our church family to consider.

 

My experience working with families (and being part of my own family) has taught me that conversations about “touchy” subjects can be difficult and are often avoided until a crisis happens. We have another choice! Learn ways to begin these talks early, more often, and for brief periods (kind of like “touch and go” landing practice). One helpful website uses the acronym T-E-M-P-O to keep it simple:

Timing (consider the timing of your conversations)

Experience (tie specific topic to your own direct experience)

Motivation (be aware of your own agenda in asking)

Place (create privacy, comfort & safe place for discussion– no set ups)

Outcome (be realistic that it is a process, not a one-time discussion)

 

Read more at: http://www.talk-early-talk-often.com/talk-to-elderly.html

 

Since many of us are living longer, we often find ourselves with elderly family members AND developing children who need us at the same time. Finances can be strained. Medical issues can be complicated and difficult to navigate. Seek information; be an advocate.

 

Learn about the particular health concerns affecting your loved one. Here are a couple of links that have more info on health concerns for caregivers:

http://www.caregiver.com/

http://www.alz.org

 

Be open to options for care needs; sometimes day programs, assisted living, and memory care centers provide the best and safest type of care. Using words like “always” and “never” when discussing options for elderly care make life choices more difficult. Check out these sites for more options on care of aging family:

http://caring.com

http://www.srguidance.org/

http://www.dads.state.tx.us/

http://www.careconnection.org/site/433/brazoria.aspx

 

Become a partner with your parent – NOT their parent. Build a relationship to talk about the future; base it on respect.

 

Pray together; ask for prayer from your church family as you have conversations and make decisions. Be a support to others in their journey.

 

Note to Self: Memories are made in each of our moments. No act of love is ever wasted.

Single Parent & Step Parent Kudos!

As your child grows up, you have to lay down a foundation of loving discipline. Doing so allows them to learn early on that there are blessings for good behavior and consequences for bad. If you're a single parent: God will give you what you need. He is the expert at filling in the low places and doing more than we could imagine with what we have. However, every parent (single or not) must make the commitment that they're not going to let weariness get in the way of good parenting. Jesus fed 5,000+ people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. He can take what we are willing to give and multiply it in our parenting efforts.

If you are divorced and have joint custody of the children, then you're going to have to work extra hard to keep your child headed in the right direction. Often one parent is more lenient than the other. Like water, kids flow toward that parent when they want something they know deep down they shouldn't have or do. If you're in a situation like that, it does make parenting tough. This is where conversations with your child that include your reasons behind the rules will help - instead of just saying, "Because I said so." And if you happen to be the bad parent in a situation like that, for the sake of your child's future, please grow up and be an adult.

If you are part of a blended family, there needs to be many, many, many, many, many husband and wife meetings so that you think and act as one. What's more important than the style of discipline is the consistency between the parent and stepparent. However, there are some blended families... (please sit down because I'm about to drop some heavy truth on you)... There are some blended families that might as well be single parent homes, because one of the parents won't work with the other one for the benefit of the children. If you are a part of a blended family, and the kids in the house are mostly not your biological children, that does not give you a pass when it comes to being a support to your spouse, and a godly stepparent to those kids. Life would be so easy if we could just marry anyone and not have to help them at all. But when we marry someone, their situation becomes our situation. Our lives are blended together. THEIR responsibilities become ours as well. The TWO become ONE. And we're not in their lives to be a dead weight. God has brought us together for many reasons, and one of the primary purposes might be to show their biological kids what a godly person/stepparent is really like. Please take your role of stepparent seriously. God is.

Jesus grew up in a blended home. God was his father and Joseph was his stepdad. But Joseph was the one who taught him to be a man, so much so, that in Mark 6:3 Jesus takes on the identity of his step dad. When people saw him they said, "Isn't that the carpenter??"

If you're a part of a blended family, you can't use the excuses that "your real family got busted up..." or "She already had these kids..." or "You're sort of an outsider." If you're married, you have a family. It's your real family. Therefore, you don't get a pass where you can do less. The day you said, "I do" you were actually saying it to the children as well. And to do this right will mean MORE and MORE husband and wife conversations to work out the details... so that the stepparent can be sure they are on the same page with the biological parent... and they can work together as one.

It can work. It should work. And it will glorify God if you give your best!

I leave this thought with this statement: Jesus grew up in a blended family and he turned out all right. Kudos to His stepdad, Joseph!

I stand amazed...

Easter weekend is always busy at church. This year was no exception. We had 9,371 people worship with us. (That alone is amazing!) However, I was blown away by the number of people who made commitments! In EVERY single one of the 12 services people went public with their decision for Christ. And every time I thought I was going to lose it! I've heard some great stories of family members/friends who came to church by invitation and left church a new creation! Thank you, volunteers!! Thank you, staff!!! And most of all, thank you, Lord Jesus for what you did for us!

 

 

 

Great CoMission Update #4: Walls on the ground, on paper, and in dreams...

 

288 Campus: The walls of the 288 Campus expansion have been poured! There will be a week or two wait now as the walls cure and the steel is shipped. Then the walls will be lifted into position.

 

Alvin Campus: Last week we had a meeting about the Alvin Campus and I was  very encouraged! Yes, we have a building. But all of the needed changes are still being worked out on paper. But it's fun watching a dream becoming a reality!

East Campus: We are about to begin the design of the East Campus build out! We've been told this shouldn't be a difficult process because the area is already under roof and everything has been removed.

Haiti Campus: As you heard in the service two weeks ago from Marc Davis, Haiti is a challenge! We knew it would be. We've got our eyes on a piece of land, but are moving forward with caution. It's risky, but the potential for making an impact for Jesus Christ is so great, we are going to keep pressing ahead in faith. Prayers please!!

Thanks again to every faith filled, fully devoted, commited and crazy New Hoper who is giving toward these projects! You are the GREATEST! Much love!!!

 

 

 

 

Teaching for Life Change...

Two weeks ago I mentioned the Bereans who received Paul's teaching with eagerness then went home to check what they had learned against Scripture. That one line in Acts gives us insight not only into the Bereans lives, but also into Paul's teaching. Let me explain by telling you about two types of Bible study...

• A "deductive" Bible study begins from a point that a teacher is making, and then uses a number of scripture verses and examples to support that conclusion. Many sermons and Bible studies are conducted this way.
• An "inductive" Bible study begins with the raw text of scripture. The student (or in our context, the teacher) takes the time to observe what is happening in the text, the “who, what, when, where and why.” The teacher asks questions which help him to understand what is going on, what is being said, and how. Then he moves on to determining the application based on the observation and interpretation.

 

 

I like the inductive approach in study because of the more precise interpretation of the text and, therefore, the correct application that it brings. It is why I went to Bible College. There I went through years of “inductive” Bible study. However, the inductive method in teaching has its limitations. When standing in front of people it is time consuming and laborious to get to the point using the inductive approach. What works in Bible College with students who are committed to years of training in the classroom and are paying to get an education, does not work with people in a service that lasts one hour each week. When people come to church they don’t need to watch the pastor "study" the text on the stage. They need to know the results of the study they are trusting him to do.

 

When you have only about 30 minutes to stand in front of people, it’s important to get to the point quickly. It’s not good stewardship of people’s time to spend 27 minutes “observing” and “interpreting” while only spending the final 3 minutes applying. What people really need when they are receiving the Word is a brief explanation of how you arrived at the specific conclusion and then what to do with it, or how to apply it. They don’t need to sit and watch you observe and interpret. People want and need to know what God wants from them. The pastor/teacher is supposed to deliver the goods, not put on a show of intellect. 

  
However, the inductive method done from the stage is preferred by many Christians who consider the historical and cultural information as “meat” and the application of the text as “milk.” In fact, I've often seen new Bible College students with a semester or two under their belt (i.e. just enough Bible knowledge to make them dangerous) scorn teaching that doesn't sound like one of their classes. They think they are chewing meat when in reality they are crunching back story facts. Hebrews tells us that meat of the word (or solid food) is the application of the Scriptural text in a way that helps us to discern what we should and should not do (Hebrews 5:13-14). In a word, meat is “applicable” Bible teaching, not the details and the minutiae of the back story.

 

James 1:22 actually says that we can listen to the word and be deceived. How? Be not applying it. In Matthew 7:26 Jesus tells us that when we hear His word and don't apply it we're like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. The emphasis of Scripture is on "doing."

 

As always, at New Hope we try to do things in such a way in our services that we do not alienate the people God has called us to reach. Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to do things in their gatherings in such a way as to not alienate the people who were outside of the faith (1 Corinthians 14:23). Therefore, effective teaching that can hold the attention of a wide audience will feel like a deductive study – but is really inductive. The inductive part is done in the privacy of the pastor’s office. The lesson is then put into a form that gets to the application quickly. The Apostle Paul obviously used this method in his teaching. I say this because the Bereans listened to him teach, but then went home and checked the Scriptures to see if what he had said was true (Acts 17:11). The observation and interpretation often found in public in the inductive method was missing from Paul’s sermon(s) – but was obviously done in private because of the purity found in his teaching. 

 

Information without application leads to frustration.

Information with application leads to transformation.

 

And at New Hope we want transformed lives!

 

 

 

 

Great CoMission Update #3: We just bought a bank...

Guess what your church just did: Bought an old bank building in Alvin to start a brand new New Hope Church Campus! We closed on the building last Thursday. As we continue to receive money, we'll do the renovation. Then we'll have a Campus right in the heart of Alvin. I'm so excited I can hardly wait! Thank you faithful Great CoMission givers!!!

That is all.

Oh wait. One more thing: God is amazing!