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Author: Brendon

April 5, 2023

in Church, Discipleship, DTOTD, Jesus, Local

by Brendon

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Holy Week

” Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” John 13:1

My son Grahm got out of bed last night, about 3 minutes after Amanda and I walked out of his room, came down to the living room where we were and just stood for a few seconds before asking a question that sparked a thought. Here is what Grahm asked:

” Dad, why dont you just watch the last episode to see who wins and then chose whether you watch the whole thing or go back and watch the whole season? “

Interesting thought from the almost 8-year-old sage. Why don’t we find out what happens at the end and then chose if we want to go to the beginning? I don’t think Grahm knew that he would be asking a question that defines what we see here in John 13, but he did.

Imagine Jesus at this moment in John 13. He has come to the moment in time that He was sent here for. Jesus knew the end was near. Jesus knew his betrayal, beating and death was close. So Jesus does what He needed to do, he takes his closest friends into a room and spends his last moments with them eating and celebrating the Passover. Then Jesus did something that no one thought he would do or even should do.

” Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things to his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and top wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘ Lord, do you wash my feet?’ Jesus answered him, ” What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, ‘ You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ” If I do not wash wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, ‘ Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ” The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ” Not all of you are clean.” ” John 13:3-11

Let’s just take a moment to understand the situation that Jesus and the disciples are in. Jesus is the only one in the room that knows what is about to happen and what he is about to endure. Jesus is the only one in the room that knows what the Devil is doing inside of one man’s heart. Jesus is the only one to know that the person that will start and lead the Church here on earth is actually going to deny knowing him 3 times in the coming hours. Jesus knew……that anyone that would hear and believe what is about to happen to him, is worth it.

The act of washing the disciple’s feet is one that Jesus should never have done. It was the job of a servant or a slave. Like Jesus mentions, the only thing that most people would need to clean is their feet because they didn’t have shoes or anything to keep the dirt from coating their feet. So Jesus not only did something that was probably absolutely disgusting, but Jesus is continuing to teach and lead the disciples in a way that makes them continue to unlearn what they have always known or done.

As we move through Holy Week, according to John, the story now shifts from what Jesus did or was doing to where Jesus is going. Jesus is going to start the last hours he would be here on earth. He would be going towards a wild and raucous crowd that would eventually lead him to his crucifixion. Jesus knew he was going towards a tree that he would have to carry through the streets of Jerusalem up to a rock shaped as a skull. Jesus knew the hour had come for him to sacrifice His life for all those that will believe in Him.

Holy Week does not just remember what Jesus did in the moments leading up to his death and resurrection…..

Holy Week reminds us that Jesus had you in mind.

Holy Week reminds us that in the moments leading to Jesus’ death – he had you in mind.

Holy Week reminds us that Jesus has you in mind, because his Spirit is now here with us.

Holy Week is Holy Week because Jesus knew He was going to die and He chose to follow through.

Jesus shows us in washing his disciple’s feet, that he will do anything for you, including getting down and dirty to make you clean.

April 4, 2023

in Church, Discipleship, DTOTD, HCC, Jesus, Local

by Brendon

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Holy Week

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Brendon

” And Jesus cried out and said……” John 12:44a

Preachers. Some love them and some loathe them. There are different types of preachers all throughout the world and history. There are loud preachers, soft talkers, yellers, fire and brimstone, health and wealth and so many other ways to describe a preacher.

Jesus was a preacher. He was a very famous preacher, some might say arguably the best preacher of all time. I mean take a look at the sermon on the mount, some say if you want to know Jesus and what he was all about, read his sermon on the mount message. Seems to be the trendy thing right now…..I love reading Jesus’ teachings/preaching, I wish very greatly that I could ‘hear’ his sermons at some point or wish there were iPhones when he was alive there could be a secret society of people that keep all of his sermons that they were able to capture from wherever and whoever they could……ok, wishful thinking.

” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘ Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to who has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore they could not believe. Again Isaiah said, ‘ he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them’. Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in Him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man rather than the glory that comes from God.” John 12:36b-43

Here we read a few things, first off we read that Jesus in the last moments with a crowd… hides himself from them? Why does he do that? Why in the last moments he has in a public place would he hide himself? Not a scholar by any means, but when you think about the weight that had to be on Jesus’ shoulders in this moment, after coming right out and saying that he is going to die and that he had to be lifted up on a tree…and knowing all of the things had had shown and done and healed in front of these people he was surrounded by and they still did not believe…..anyone would need a moment to breathe. Second, we see that this also fulfills another prophecy about Jesus that was written in the book of Isaiah. Another sign that the crowd did not realize at the time. Lastly, we see that there is fear amongst the people that did believe so they didn’t do anything with their belief. Imagine believing in something but because of the fear of what another group would do or say or ban you from doing……so you keep it hidden for no one to see and you never act upon that belief…..that sounds oddly familiar.

Then we read the last collection of words that Jesus gives before He celebrates the Passover with his disciples and those closest to him and his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.

” And Jesus cried out and said, ” Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does keep them, I do not judge him, for I did not come to the world to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment – what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father who told me.” John 12:44-50

Can you take a moment and read those words again and let them sink in……..breathe these words in…….

To be honest, I had a question about this text, and when asked it started an over an hour-long conversation about the entire Gospel of John. There is a lot in here to unpack, but let’s keep it simple.

First off, Jesus cries out. As a preacher, emotion is one thing that can be a great thing but also can be a hindrance. Because sometimes a preacher uses to much emotion that it takes away from the potential words he will say. On the other hand, emotion can evoke emotion in someone else which will allow what is being said to stick with the listener(s). So right off the bat, know that if Jesus was up in front of you or a group of people or He was preaching at church this Sunday and he was closing with these words…..His voice would be slowly getting louder and louder and louder until he might sound like he is yelling, but this is the main thing!

Second, Jesus here clarifies and cements why he is here. Jesus was sent to this place to save the world and not judge it. Jesus doesn’t discount or disregard the notion of judgement, but He, Himself came to this world to give the chance for saving to take place. There are lots of big philosophical words we could use, but simply put, Jesus came because the one who sent him Loves his creation and Jesus came to prove that to those who will hear the words and walk with Jesus the rest of their life.

Finally, Jesus wants us to know where He was sent from and who sent Him. Jesus and the Father are one, and Jesus is the majestic representation of the omniscient God that created everything through and with Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that He did not come from anywhere but the heavens and that the one in heaven is the one who has given him the strength and power and mission to bring all those that will believe to know and be known by the Father that Jesus knows.

If you do anything else today….rest in these words and know that Jesus desires to know you and for you be known. Jesus desires to walk with you as light in the darkness so that you may also become a light in the darkness. Know that Jesus is with God as the Holy Spirit is with us. Know that when you believe the words that Jesus says, you have a power in you that is released for you to be light in a dark world for all people to see.

Jesus. The reason for Holy Week.

April 3, 2023

in Church, DTOTD, HCC, Jesus

by Brendon

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Holy Week

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Brendon

“ His disciples did not understand these things at first…” John 12:16a

Each year we come to this season where it is a conglomerate of things to come. It seems like this season gets busier and busier each year due to what is to come. It starts the warm weather, the sun gets up earlier and settles later, the birds are chirping all day long, the play time seems to increase more and more, Baseball is back in full swing, The NFL draft is coming up shortly, Hockey season is winding into the playoffs, March Madness is just about to end and best of all, its Masters Week. Throw in the new practices, game schedules, play practices, recitals and school winding down…you have the making of just a season of chaos….and it happens all within a month time!

But what about Easter…..you know that time we come to each year to remember and celebrate the man Jesus that sacrificed himself on a tree for you and for me?

Where does that fit in to the schedule?

Coming in to this Holy Week, I personally feel the burn of busyness. I am reminded by the to do list and tempers flaring at home. But is this what Holy Week should be like? Is this how we should remember the sacrifice?

The disciples probably felt the same way. These men and the women that were taking care of them and with them always are walking into the last week of Jesus’ life, not knowing what is to come, not knowing what their responses would be, and for sure not knowing what Jesus was about to do.

In John chapter 12, we see all sorts of things that are going in Jesus’ life – there is a plot thickening to kill him, there is a plot to kill Lazarus( a man that Jesus just rose from the dead ), Jesus is anointed with oil at Bethany the day before he is to arrive into Jerusalem to begin the long agonizing walk to his death, and then we find Jesus talking with both Jews and Greeks during a feast:

” Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: ” I have glorified it and I will glorify it again.” The crowd stood there and hear it said and it had thundered. Others said, ” an angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, ” This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kid of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, ” we have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the son of Man bmust be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, ” The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” John 12: 27-36 esv

Holy Week leads to a heaviness of soul for Jesus.

The first line in this section shows how ever-present Jesus is to the situation or people that are around him, all the while continuing to be present and prayerful with his Heavenly Father. Jesus’ soul was troubled in this moment, probably due to the coming pain and suffering that he would endure for not just the people that are surrounding him now, but also all that come after them. Jesus’ soul was troubled because not only was he preparing the people around him for his death and giving them instruction, he had to convince them that what is saying is true. Jesus is a masterful teacher and when we think about Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount when Jesus says seek first the kingdom of heaven and then here in John 12 Jesus says, ‘ walk while you have the light with you, so that you do not fall into darkness’.

Holy Week leads Jesus to his human side a lot.

The primary illustration of Jesus asking God to take this cup away from him is in Luke 22, but here in John 12, we see another instance where Jesus is crying to his heavenly father to take this away from him. How many times have we asked that of God?

God, take this fight with my spouse away…

God, take this problem at work away….

God, take this hard task of parenting a pre-teen away…

God, take my sorrow away…

God, show up in a way I don’t expect….

God, take this cup away from me…

Jesus though, knows that this is the reason that he is here. This is the reason that Jesus was sent to this earth. Jesus knows the Holy week leads to the purpose of him being away from his Father. So not only does Jesus walk back his prayer with ‘ Father, glorify your name.’ God tells Him, “I have glorified it, and I will again.” What if we received an answer from God from the heavens when we prayed those prayers of desperation or of need?

Holy Week leads to responding to the Light.

Jesus says, the light is only here for a little while longer….so stick with that light unless you want the darkness of the day to overtake you. Stay with the light so that you may become a son of light when the light is gone.

Holy week can be our response to the light that is betrayed, tried, beaten, mocked, and dragged up to a rock shaped like a skull where the light is hung on the tree for you and me and the light goes out…….

This is just the beginning…of Holy Week and what our response could be to the light.

March 29, 2023

in Church, Discipleship, DTOTD, HCC, Jesus, Local

by Brendon

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Rejoice Greatly – Mary Ann Miller

O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9

I’ve been going thru a Lent devotional this past month, authored by Alicia Britt Chole. She has a flair for drawing out unusual perspectives on different events in the Gospels. Day 14 and 15 discussed Jesus entering Jerusalem the week before His death- what we call the “triumphal entry”. I can’t stop thinking about it. This was no Hollywood event- no paparazzi or limos, no flashes of cameras or cell phones in the air, no red carpet (except greenery and old cloaks!) or reporters with microphones. But yes: fans/ admirers/ followers/ disciples/ friends/ devotees/ the curious/ skeptics/ religious hoity toities/ and the haters. Protesters? Not that we know of.

What I am struck with is: when Jesus looked at the crowds, what did he see and feel, emotionally? All knowing and looking into each person’s heart and mind- does He feel anguish or disgust or sympathy? Or just plain LOVE? He knew of their soon to be betrayals and hypocrisy. But look at them…right now those humans are in the middle of heavy adoration and worshipping without abandon, similar to King David’s style! Almost as if they became kids again, not caring who saw them or what other’s thought. OK, some in this crowd didn’t share this sentiment! Jesus, saw it for what it was. He had just wept entering the city gates, concerning the fate of the Holy City, and also had an intense weight on His shoulders, about this future week. He would not let the suffering in His heart consume Him. He- was- present. Like time was standing still, He was taking it all in. “Ah, yes, this what My Father pleasures in”. Like warm sunshine and fragrant plant scents on a spring morning. Your senses wake up. YES…all the feels! But somehow He didn’t hang on to that for Himself. He reflected it back to the One who sent Him, deserving the praise and worship. His life briefly flashing before His eyes…oh, the culmination of gratitude of these 33 challenging years on earth. Then refocusing. PRESENT in the moment.

How can I be like that? He had way more reasons to worry about the future than us, but He was in the moment. Basking in it, letting it fill His being. He knew this would not strengthen or recharge Him. Aloneness with God would do that.

I think this “activity” is about “non activity”. “Be”ing not “do”ing. The person I want to be, Lord, will take some effort. Father, help us all to worship without abandon (even if it makes us feel uncomfortable), to be in Your presence, giving You honor, respect and glory. Hosanna! You Lord, are my strength and my song; You have become my salvation. (Psalm 118:14) You are my God, and I will give thanks to You; You are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:28-29)

*personal commentary by a Jesus follower, Mary Ann Miller

March 6, 2023

in DTOTD, Local

by Brendon

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What are you listening for?

I was a hyperactive child that grew up to be a high-energy adult. Telling me to calm down and listen has always been a lost cause. I find it irritating now. Almost insulting. What do you know about the neural energy coursing through every vein in my body?

People make the assumption of getting my attention or for that matter anyone’s attention you have to be loud, commanding, and all-consuming. So often we apply the ways of the world to the God of the universe. We assume that God relies only on a giant, scary booming voice to terrify us into submission or action.

But scripture tells us otherwise. In 1 Kings 19: 11-13 we read…

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Let’s set the scene. Elijah is on God’s holy mountain. He is on the same mountain that Moses was when he received the ten commandments. Elijah is now standing on the mountain and then a great wind came and split the mountain and rocks fell but….

God was not in the wind.

Then fire came but…….

God was not in the fire.

Finally, an earthquake came but….

God was not in the earthquake.

Then a gentle whisper came and said, “Elijah, why are you here?

God was in the whisper.

Most days I yearn for God’s audible voice to come booming through all the noise surrounding me. I think I am expecting him to speak louder than the noise. However, what He showed Elijah was to let all the noise and bluster pass by, to be still, and wait on the Lord to speak in a gentle whisper. God pursued Elijah all the way into the wilderness to make himself heard. Yet every day God’s still, strong whisper can be heard through every aspect of life. We can hear God’s voice daily through scripture, prayer, through worship but more than anything we can hear him in the silence.

Are we listening for God or are we allowing all the noise pollution of the world to drown him out? If you are feeling any discouragement today, take a lesson from Elijah. Run towards God not away from Him, rest in His care, and tune your heart and mind to the voice of God through those sweet moments of silence.

-Carissa Figgins

February 27, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

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GST #1 – FAQ’s & Safety

” I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ” Romans 12:1-2

Training. Something that I have never enjoyed. It takes time, and energy and sometimes it just doesn’t seem to work out, but for some reason, training is something that we have to do throughout our lives. We train for everything, whether it is a marathon, a test, a trip or an interview. We work on bettering ourselves for whatever the reason may be. Why would it be any different in the church? We should be training whether that it is in the spiritual sense or the physical sense.

We train our minds and hearts as we dive into spiritual disciplines and we train our physical actions when we learn, relearn or review the protocols and practices we need to know. Last Thursday we were able to do just that. A little bit of both. Gathering together is always a good thing. Getting to fellowship with one another and see each other and be a part of each other’s lives outside of a Sunday, is always a good thing to do. But when we are able to couple that with some action training, that makes the night even more impactful.

Below are a few things that we passed out and talked about at the training that I wanted to make available to you. So please take a look, download it and know it! Feel free to reach out and ask any questions you might have:

GS Training #1 with animation. Download

Big Campus map_working2020 Shelter In Place inwork-1[16]

Big Campus map_working2020 Shelter In Place inwork-1[16]Download

February 23, 2023

in Church

by Brendon

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2023 is going to be….. Posted on January 10, 2023 by Brendon

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I love traditions that brings back memories. One of those traditions for me is rewatching all of the Lord of the Rings movies. The Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001, I was a freshman in high school. Whenever one of these movies came out, my dad, brother and I would go to the movies to sit and watch together. The movies and that time quickly became some of my favorite. I took it a step further though…..ever December 16th, after 2003, when The Return of the King came out, all my high school buddies would skip school and end up at Tim’s house to watch all of them in row!! Every year, 12 hours of Middle Earth on December 16th. I continue the tradition today as every year, towards Christmas I will embark on a journey of now 6 movies in Middle Earth. Even this year, I told Amanda that I had to finish the series before the end of Christmas because I won’t watch them again til next year…..she laughed and allowed me to finish them!

The idea of traditions is one that we all look for in lots of different areas of life. Whether it is a ridiculous one like my obsession with Middle Earth, or maybe it is a vacation that you have been taking with friends for years or a trip that you and your spouse take every year. Maybe it is a tradition for your child’s birthday or maybe its a certain birthday. Traditions are all over the place and can look incredibly different for all of us.

There is a tradition at the turn of every year that most people will make, whether serious or funny. But the tradition is to set…..New Years Resolutions! Or I think the trendy word right now is setting new HABITS. Whatever you want to call them, the tradition is the same.

It is a new year, I should put something into practice that I did not do last year or

was not good at and I want get better.

Each year, there are goals set for weight loss, exercise, spending less time at the office, actually using the vacation time that you have earned, and spending more time with loved ones. Maybe some of us make dedications to go back to church or read our bibles more or pray more or pray with our spouse more. Can I challenge us this year to create a new habit or maybe bring one that has been hiding for a little while back to the forefront of our weekly routines?

Come and Serve.

Many of the habits or resolutions that we set at the beginning of the year are personal. Never a bad thing to have personal goals, habits or resolutions. But what if we change the narrative and begin a new habit that is centered around others.

Reading our bibles is incredibly important for our becoming like Jesus.

Praying more and with those you love is incredibly impactful.

Journaling your thoughts and questions can bring clarity and insight that you may have not had before.

Going to church to worship and listen to a message is a huge part of our discipleship transformation.

All of those things are great, but they are for you. Maybe down the road others will benefit from these things that you are working on. But what if you add in the ability to grow in your becoming like Jesus with other people?

When we serve, not only do we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those we serve, the Holy Spirit does something in our hearts that we can feel and it changes us.

Mark 10:43-45 is one of my favorite scriptures in the bible. Jesus, sitting with his disciples, the 12 that were with Jesus during all his ministry except the end…. that’s a different conversation…..and Jesus giving them instruction, hard instruction. He ends the instruction with a reminder and a concrete truth that brings more meaning to when we serve:

” But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. ”

Our Lord, our Savior did not come to be served, which he should have been, but to serve, those that did not deserve or earn it, by loving them and healing them, and pointing them to something to hope in.

When we serve, we bring that same hope and the same love, and same healing grace that all of us crave and never deserve.

One aspect of the Lord of the Rings movies that I love is when you see Bilbo writing his book, then handing it to Frodo when he is done and saying the blank pages are for you. Then when Frodo is done, he gives the book to Samwise and says the same thing, that the blank pages are for you.

Our lives can be written like a book. Each year a new chapter. So now with the pages still almost all blank……

What will you write in the blank pages for 2023?

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

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Guest Services Gathering – Posted on November 16, 2022 by Brendon

Mark 10:45 Jesus says – “ For even the son of man did not come to be serve d but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 13:34-35, Jesus says “ A new commandment I give to you, love one another as I have loved you, you must also love one another. BY THIS, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Paul talks about the church in scripture as being a body. One that is made up of may parts and all the parts have a purpose in making the body move, hopefully in a forward motion. As a Guest Services team, we are all a part of the body of Christ and we all have a part and purpose in making the church move.

If you are part of the parking team, you are the first line of experience for all of our guests. You are the first ones that will be able to smile to all of our new guests. You are the ones that take the edge off of where to park or where to go.

Golf carts, The Holy Rollers, you provide another experience touch when you drive those carts around the parking lot bringing people to the entrance doors. You provide a safe and easy environment for adults and kids alike to easily get to the building all the while smiling and having fun!

Greeters! You set the stage for what every guest will experience when coming into the building. Your warm and friendly smiles and hello/good morning make walls come down, especially for our new guests! You provide a safe experience touch that allows people to breathe easy as they come into the building.

Guest Central, you are the hub for all guests. And even when it is a little slow and may seem like you do more standing than you do talking, in the moments when a new family comes in and asks what the heck to do with their kids….you are there to greet them and walk them to Harvester Kids or the cafe or maybe even where the bathroom is.

Communion servers, we may not be serving communion by passing trays like we have in the past, but you are part of potentially the most important part of the service as a whole. As much as singing and listening to the word preached, you provide a welcoming face for those that are going to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus each and every week. And for those that clean up every service, you are providing a clean and put together space for all of our guests. Picking up the communion cups is definitely a role that is unseen, but you make a world of a difference. I like to think of it this way….if you walked into a movie theatre and were sitting down to a movie that you have been looking forward too and you sit down and have to walk over a pilled bag of popcorn and a couple of candy wrappers and soda spilled in your seat…..it wouldn’t be the best experience it could be.

Section Hosts, you are the hosts of the worship center. Your role is to help guests find seats and make it as easy as possible for them to enter into a worship space. You are also making connections and relationships with these guests that will mean more to them than you may ever know. Just two weeks ago, a section host brought back some new guests that she had met the week prior! You provide a service that is necessary and incredibly helpful for all guests when the lights go down in the room.

Living Room, this is the one space we invite every single new guest. Most churches don’t exactly know where to invite their new guests to and some preach this exact thought. The Living Room is where new guests move from being an acquaintance to a friend. There are two many stories of people that go into the living room nervous and afraid and coming out breathing a sign of relief. The connections made in the Living Room are some that will shape whether or not a new guest will find a home here at Harvester.

First Aid, you guys are the silent team that no one really ever sees, unless something happens, then you are in the middle of everything! You quietly and in anticipation wait for anything to come your way and whatever that might be, you are willing to help out. Trust me, at some point I know I am going to hear about someone bleeding all over the new renovation of Harvester Kids and its going to be my child……..I will breathe easy knowing who is in that room and what your hearts are about keeping people safe whether on a sunday or an event.

All of these teams have a place in making the Guest Experience a huge success!

A few months ago, we hired a new Local Outreach Pastor, Carissa Figgins, she brought with her a wealth of knowledge and an uncanny connection to St Charles county in a way that I could not even imagine. However she also brought the desire to see people encounter Jesus through serving. She introduced a book that we read as a team……aka I read about a 1/3 of it. But in the book it asked two questions:

What do you WANT to be KNOWN FOR? and What ARE you KNOWN FOR?

The difference in those answers could be the reason that an organization or maybe you as an individual could be missing something or in plain language, failing. Because if what you want to be known for, doesn’t match up with what you are known for…..then there is a disconnect somewhere in the organization or team or person.

So to ask this question of a Guest Services team, what do we want to be KNOWN For…….The answer:

TO BE THE MOST WELCOMING CHURCH ANYONE CAN EXPERIENCE

We see above that Jesus came to serve and not be served and also that by the love we show others, people will know that we are Jesus disciples. As a guest services team, this means the way we welcome each and every guest, old or new, should reflect the love we have for Jesus and the love Jesus has for every guest we encounter. This is what we should be known for.

I know, thats a great phrase and a great thought…..but How do we know if we are being sucessful or how do we know that we are being the most welcoming church anyone can experience…….by a measuring number.

1750 New Guests in 2023.

That is a large number! But it is one that is attainable as we venture into the new year. We will hopefully welcome and connect with close to 1300 new guests by the end of 2022 and I know that we have had more new guests come through our doors that have not made themselves known to us. But with the number above, what it will hopefully do is create an eyesight that looks and seeks out those that seem new or maybe just look lost. When we begin to shift our eye sight from our normal people to all those that come through the doors, our eyes start to see the new faces that we can introduce ourselves too.

Be Bold when you are parking. Be Bold when you are driving the golf carts. Be Bold when you are greeting. Be Bold when you have someone come to Guest Central. Be Bold when you are serving communion. Be Bold when you are helping someone sit in your section. Be Bold when you are speaking with someone in the Living Room. Be Bold when you are watching for injuries.

What does this mean for each one of us as individuals not just a team???

It means that all of us are Ambassadors for Jesus. As we step into a serving team, we are now being the hands and feet of Jesus which means we are ambassadors for Him. Do not ever think you are in a lowly spot or a lowly position. All the positions that you fill are important to the body of Christ and all of your have the ability and power to help lead someone to find and follow Jesus.

It means, all of us have to be recruiters. Because as we continue to see and identify more and more new guests, we will need more and more hearts to meet theirs. So we are going to be focussing on growing our teams so that we can continue to add and make more room for more Guest Services team members.

It also means that we are going to create more space. Starting January 8th, we will be moving to 3 services on Sunday mornings. 8am, 9:30am and 11am. This will allow us to create more space in the prime service times and hopefully begin to see more and more guests come into our building.

Guest Services is a team. A team built by multiple teams and hundreds of people. Together we can be a light in the world that is full of darkness and craziness.

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC, Jesus

by Brendon

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amidst the chaos – Posted on November 9, 2022 by Brendon

” A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her ” Give me a drink.” – John 4:7

Could you just imagine this scene with me for a minute…a woman…in Jesus time being spoken to by a rabbi. Not likely. Jesus asking for a drink by this woman….more not likely. Then the woman in conversation with Jesus, a rabbi, not likely. But yet this is exactly where Jesus wanted to be. This was exactly the person that Jesus wanted to see and talk with. I have a feeling the woman had no thought of someone being at this well when she went. Historically, groups of women would go to the well to draw water together, but not this samaritan woman. She was by herself with no one to accompany her. She was by herself and minding her daily business by getting water.

Yesterday was voting day. It was a crazy scene at Harvester Christian Church. The church serves as a polling site for two precincts. One in our north lobby and one in our south. People were everywhere! People were also confused at which site they were supposed to be. No one was upset or angry, but just confused at where they should be. It reminded me of this moment with Jesus when this woman came near to draw water. As the people yesterday came wondering into the building looking for the civic duty they were about to perform, some of them came into the place that Jesus wanted them to walk in to.

I had the privilege of meeting one of these people yesterday. I have been charged with overseeing the candles for Christmas eve services. Doesn’t sound like much, but when you have a story that will never leave you, it is a big deal. The story is for another time, but as I power walked through the worship center to check on the battery powered candles…..I noticed a woman glancing around the lobby and the building. I could tell that this lady was looking for something, so in my grandest knowledge, I spoke up…..” can i help you?”

” Maybe, are you a member here?”

I was taken back. Not, I don’t know where to go or which precinct is this or where is the bathroom……are you a member here. There was something special about that question. She wasn’t looking for a staff member. She didn’t ask for a pastor. She didn’t ask for anything other than a member.

It struck me in a way that I wasn’t expecting. But then as I thought about it more, it made sense. The woman at the well didn’t ask who Jesus was when he addressed her. She actually never asked him his name. She spoke to him as if he was just asking for a drink. Until she realized he was a rabbi, then she talked to him a little different. What struck me about this lady that asked for a member was, she just wanted to talk to someone that goes to church in that church.

She had a lot to say. I listened to her concerns and how she had moved to the area 8 years ago to take care of her parents that have both unfortunately passed away. But now she was looking for a church to be a part of but she wanted to make sure that she was a part of a church that she could fit in to. That was one that she felt that she could ask questions and be heard and be able to grow in her relationship and understanding of Jesus.

The thing about asking a staff member something, or maybe it is a manager at a restaurant or a lead salesmen at a car dealer…..is more often than not, we have a canned answer. We live in a world where scripts and robots answer our phone calls and attempt to answer our questions. More often than not, we end those conversations being frustrated and our questions still not answered. So what did this lady do…she wanted to get the opinion and the answer to her questions from someone that goes to church.

I was humbled to talk with this woman for about 10 minutes or so as we talked about everything from how the worship service is created to how the old testament is just as important to understand as the new testament. We talked about the length of the service and what she could expect when she came in to encounter Jesus. All questions that anyone that goes to church could answer.

However, when the conversation was over, it struck me just how important and impactful being a member of a church is.

In the midst of the business that surrounded the moment and the day, a woman was looking for a place to encounter Jesus. She just wanted to talk to a member.

What if that was you?

What if you were approached by someone in the midst of your busyness and chaos of the day, would you have stopped?

The amount of chaos and hurry in our lives is sometimes just completely overwhelming. I feel it, almost on a daily basis. We wake up in the morning hurrying to make breakfasts and lunches for the kids to get to school. We have to get ourselves ready at the same time to take the kids to school or to go to work. And we go and go and go all day long until we get home to get the kids from school. Then the fun starts, balancing play time with school work and dinner prep and showers and picking up the house. Then bedtime is always, one more kiss, one more cuddle, one more song, 5 more minutes of reading, bedtime takes too long and you hurry through it to be able to just sit and do nothing. You finally get a chance to sit, then you look at the kitchen with all the dishes and the toys that are still out on the floor that you don’t want to step on in the middle of the night. So by the time you actually get to sit, its time for bed.

Go to sleep. Wake up. Do it all over again.

As much as I know Jesus was where he was on purpose. Jesus demonstrated something in this encounter with this samaritan woman that we need to be aware of……

When we have the chance to talk with someone on how they can encounter Jesus, it is better to stop and be in the moment rather than think about all the things you need to get done.

Being a member or an attendee is more than just going to church and leaving church.

Being a member or an attendee gives you the ability to help others encounter Jesus, wherever you are.

Don’t miss that opportunity because of the busyness and chaos that might be surrounding you.

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

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Guest Services is….. Posted on July 27, 2021 by Brendon

” Moses’ father in law replied, ‘ What you are doing is not good. YOu and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it along. Listen now to me and I will give you some afvices, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people……Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can handle themselves. That will make your load lighter because they will share the load with you.” Jethro’s advice to Moses, Ex. 18:17-22

Guest Services is a team.

If you have ever attempted to lead anything, all by yourself, whether you are successful or not, in the end you will be spent. This coming from someone who thrives on being with people and being around people and planning things that will bring people joy and excitement.

However, being in the guest services field, both in ministry and in the business world, guest services is much more than just getting something done. There is more that happens in guest services than meets the eye. On the service level there is all smiles and joy and elation, however on the back end, there is a lot more than meets the eye.

Guest services, like what Moses was working through as he led the Israelites through the wilderness, is full of teams and facets that need to be overseen.

No, not comparing what I oversee to what Moses oversaw, however the idea of leading a team, is something that is incredibly necessary in order to curate a remarkable guest experience, whether in ministry or business.

There are levels of the guest service branch that not everyone sees, whether it is a call center employee, a supervisor, a parking attendant, a golf cart driver, a greeter at an entrance door, or a guest services volunteer at Guest Central. All of these things take a person and a leader to oversee that all that requires of them gets done.

There are 3 things that stick out from both Jethro’s advice and the practicality of guest services that help curate that remarkable guest experience:

Guest Services requires Leaders – with there being so many facets of guest services that need to be overseen, it is too large of a job for one to take on by themselves. It is a team that makes the guest services plan be executed to completion. The one thing that differs from Jethro’s advice, is that in the guest services world, both ministry and business, that women can and should play a vital role in the areas of guest services. Personally, the one that influenced me the most when it comes to staying on task and getting things done, was a female supervisor while in the business world. She taught me how to be organized and how to stay on task even when it seemed like I didn’t have much to do. In ministry, it doesn’t matter if you are male or female, but the ones who can oversee a facet of guest services and execute the expectations of leadership, should be the one leading.
Guest Services requires a goal – when you are leading a team of people, with leaders and volunteers or supervisors and employees, if you do not have a mission that your team can get behind, the guest services area will fail. It may not fail in executing a job requirement or opening a door, but the meaning behind which the requirement is being done will not meet the goal since the mission is not stated clearly and communicated continuously. For Harvester Christian Church, the goal of our Guest Services teams is to create and curate a remarkable guest experience for all guests that come to the building for worship. The goal of a guest services team does not overtake the mission or vision of the church, nor does the goal of an employee overtake the overall mission of the organization, but to accomplish the goal given is incredibly important to the overall mission of the church or organization.
Guest Services requires people – If you have ever worked in a place where it is short staffed or not enough people to fill volunteer roles, it becomes exhausting. Not only for the volunteers or employees that you are leading but for you as the one that is oversee all of the facets of Guest Services. Continually and always recruiting and creating a large pool of people that are willing to do the job required will allow the leaders over each facet be able to accomplish the goal at hand. In the previous role I served, I experienced a tired and overworked office with emotions flying all the time. There was turn over every month it felt when it came to finding people that would apply and not like it or not want to work through the beginning stages of the job. It made the environment constantly tense and nerve racking. Without the people to accomplish the goal, the goal will never be met. The same goes for the church, without the volunteers to accomplish whatever goal is set before the room or team or ministry. To continually be connecting people in to the teams that are needed, is critical for the goal of guest services to be accomplished.

In the words of a former supervisor…” Guest services can and should be the at the center of making the engine run.” Without a great guest services experience, in business or church, people will remember their experience before they remember the cheap price or the great speaker or awesome decor or great music.

The guest service team sets the tone for a person’s overall experience wherever they go.

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

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A Recap Posted on May 17, 2021 by Brendon

” There will be so many of Gods sons/daughters there today who feel like they don’t belong. You get to be the grace of Jesus in flesh to them!” – Nikomas Perez

Receiving a text message like this on a Sunday morning is such a great reminder and a truth to what First Impressions is, each and every weekend.

First Impressions is so much more than just opening a door, or keeping a table full or helping someone park or driving them to a door.

First Impressions is the starting point and ending of an entire experience.

John 13:34-35 says ” A new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I love those words from Jesus. They are so true and so meaningful in today’s world. As much as Jesus was teaching the disciples that were with him in the upper room that night when he said these words, Jesus was giving us a new command to follow through with always.

First Impressions is a team that consists of multiple teams under the umbrella of that phrase. The teams consist of parking, golf carts, guest central, greeters, communion, Living Room and Belong. All of these teams combined create the First Impressions umbrella that we all serve under. Each one doing it’s own part and each serving a different function of the whole.

The whole? Is the mission of Harvester Christian Church and hopefully all churches, it may sound different, but to lead people to find and follow Jesus is the mission. That is the whole that First Impressions is a part of. No matter which position you fill or role you play in the umbrella of First Impressions, you are playing a critical role in the mission.

Each weekend there are guests that come to a building whether being for the first time, church shoppers or someone moving into the area looking for a place to be welcomed and loved no matter what.

No where in Jesus’ teachings or life did He say or teach that only certain people would be welcomed to the church. No where did Jesus not help someone that came to him. Jesus was always ready. Jesus was always welcoming and loving to anyone that came near. He teaches and commands the disciples when He was on earth and as He is in Heaven to be ready for any and all that will come and listen to the good news of His life and grace.

The goal of our First Impressions teams, is to create a remarkable guest experience each and every weekend for all guests that come to worship Jesus. Whether it is their first time or their millionth time. Every guest that comes into church should have a remarkable guest experience.

Think of it this way: when we do our part, Jesus will do his.

So what is our part?

Mark 10:45 says “For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

Our part in this whole thing……is to serve.

We have a part in creating a remarkable guest experience by being there. Showing up us one of the hardest things to do in life. Whether it is in church or in life. There are so many obstacles and so many hindrances that can stop us from showing up.

When we show up, Jesus shows up.

Be willing. Be ready. Be part of the whole. Be present.

Our First Impression team has the ability to shape an experience for someone that has never been to church and be able to meet Jesus for the first time.

A great example of this is the experience that you get when you go to Disney world. Everything is immaculate. It is clean, it is organized, it is fun and the memories that are made can last a lifetime. My own kids remember our first trip as a family to Disney World. I remember it like it was last summer but in reality it has been 3 years. We took our 3 year old and 5 year old to Disney for the first time and we last 11.5 hours without one meltdown or fight or argument. We got there early and stayed for the fireworks at Cinderella’s castle.

How did we last that long?

God’s grace…..but really it was the experience that we all received when we went. We were greeted with smiles…before masks….and sent off with a smile. And everything in between was treated with the utmost respect and accuracy.

We may not have face sized rice crispy treats or rides or characters running around in parades.

But what we do have….

Is a God who sent his son to die on a cross to take away our burden of sin and give us eternal life through grace that we do not deserve.

That is worth showing up for and being a part of.

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

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Creating a…… Posted on August 4, 2020 by Brendon

” ….Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you…..so in Christ, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…..Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:3b, 5, 9-12

Guest services is the first line of impression that a person can have of a church. Whether it is the parking lot or a shuttle system or a sidewalk greeter. Guest Services has the ability to make or break the experience before it really even gets started.

When approaching the ministry of Guest Services, my mind inherently goes to having someone or a group of people over to my house. Maybe it is the Mary and Martha syndrome that I run into a lot. There was one time where I became so flustered that I started making cookies right as people came in to the house and I was determined to finish them because I needed to have them done….but in reality, we could have done without the cookies at that moment and could have passed on them that week….or we could have just eaten the dough! But the problem that I saw was that I was too busy to even welcome the guests into my house. I was thrown off the rest of the night because I almost felt guilty I was able to welcome them.

There are times on Sunday mornings when we can fall into the same trap. We know that we should be like Mary and sit with Jesus and allow Jesus to speak into our lives, but we end up acting like Martha…running around like a chicken with our heads cut off and never having enough time to stop and breathe and allow Jesus to speak in and through us.

There are a few things that I have learned with Guest Services that are growing as essentials to a Guest Service Experience:

First, Creating a Remarkable Guest Experience – you have heard the phrase, we will do anything short of sin to spread or tell the Gospel of Jesus. I am in the camp that would say – I will do anything short of sin to create a remarkable guest experience for all guests that come to a Sunday service. What that looks like depends on the Sunday. It could be pouring down rain and to create the remarkable guest experience you make sure your shuttles are running in full capacity, maybe it is getting a team of people with Umbrellas that are walking people in to the building. Maybe it is freezing outside – shuttles with warmth are a must, maybe even pulling out some fireplaces or gas heaters on the walk in. Whatever you need to do to create a remarkable guest experience, you do it.

Second, creating a space for Jesus – this one may seem obvious, but a lesson I learned was, in order to allow Jesus to be in the space, you have to make room for him to be there. At an Easter service, we encouraged all of our staff members to be in the lobby, which they should be anyway, but we encouraged all of them to be greeters. We wanted all of them to be out and about welcoming people. The turnout…..was amazing!! However looking back at that easter service, it almost was too many people greeting and there was not enough space for Jesus. Finding and working the balance of greeters and too many people is hard. You want to have as many people as you can welcoming guests and especially new guests, but when you start to flood the system, the system gets clogged and it doesn’t work to its fullest potential. Even in the midst of this pandemic, I am hearing stories from my team about how many people they are able to talk to and how many have identified themselves as new. This is with a skeleton crew. What would it be like if you were able to find the sweet spot and hit that sweet spot for 6 weeks? What a difference maker! Allow Jesus space to join in the conversation and see what can happen.

Third, Create a space where diversity thrives – no, this is not in response to anything that is going on in the political or cultural world. This is just a fact. Our world is more and more diverse. There are more colors and languages and accents than ever walking around. Why would guest services not want to be diverse in people greeting? Its hard. But the bottom line is that the church is not meant for one color or one race or one tongue. The church is designed and meant for all to come and hear the good news of Jesus. The scripture above demonstrates this to us when it talks about the church being many members but one body. It doesn’t limit or specify what a member looks or sounds like, it just says many members. The scripture also tells us to be loving to one another and not putting ourselves higher than anyone else. That is huge in the culture that is created throughout your guest services team. If someone coming in that doesn’t look or sound like you, I would hope and pray that you welcome them with loving and open arms. Just as Jesus would love and welcome you with open arms, we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus to all people.

I am new to this Guest Services realm and would love to learn from you about what you think have been creeping up to being the essentials of your guest services teams!

Let me know.

Author: Brendon

From the HCC Outreach Team: