Prodical Son — Prodical God

In our Introducing Hope Series, which is our new member process at Hope, we spend a considerable amount of time working through the parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15. It is a great story of the results of our wayward attempts to make life work on our own along with the amazing grace of a loving and forgiving father.

I have seen this passage as one that could be entitled as both the parable of the Prodigal Son and the parable of the Prodigal Father. I ran across a great explanation of the dual meaning of this word from Tim Keller in a post by Tullian Tchividjian. Keller is addressing the question as to why his new book is titled, “The Prodigal God”.

Keller says, “The word ‘prodigal’ is an English word that means recklessly extravagant, spending to the point of poverty, of ‘being in want’ (Luke 15:14.) The dictionaries tell us that the word can be understood in a more negative or a more positive sense. The more positive meaning is to be lavishly and sacrificially abundant in giving. The more negative sense, is to be wasteful and irresponsible in one’s spending. The negative sense obviously applies to the actions of the younger brother in the Luke 15 parable of the two sons. But is there any sense in which God can be called ‘Prodigal’?

The answer is YES as Keller concludes by saying that “the title ‘Prodigal God’ calls attention not only to the mistaken way that legalists regard God’s gospel of grace (think elder brother), but also to how Jesus, though he was rich, spent everything without thought for himself, that we might be saved.”

Read the whole post here.

The book does not come out until October 2008 but you can pre-order it here.

Marvin Gaye’s Impeccable Timing

I was in an important meeting a couple of days ago with the boss of my boss — i.e. our Sr. Pastor.  Things have been a little stressful around here at Hope — giving down, sanctuary to pay for, attendance up but not as much as we had hoped….  So, in my area of ministry, we are looking for ways to reach more people and encourage folks to go through our new members class.

Just when things were getting warmed up, and I was feeling the full pressure of my pastoral responsibly to grow the church — my phone rang.  Which would not have been a big deal — yes, I should have had it on vibrate but Craig’s phone had sounded off earlier so that was not a big deal.  The issue was that my wife was calling, and I had her customized ring on  —- Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On”.  As Craig figured out what the ring was, he laughed and said, “You know, I think I would answer that!”  Pretty funny.

God’s Kingdom Not Hope’s Kingdom

Churches sure can get self absorbed in building their kingdom and forget the real importance of seeing God’s Kingdom built in this world. Being in a large church, the temptation can be even greater. We certainly know the struggle here at Hope.

We work hard a being the best we can be and desire to reach as many people as we can for the cause of Christ. We also have to work hard at remembering that Hope is not the only church on the block — that there are many great churches that reach certain people who would never and will never darken the doors of Hope. It is important to keep in good relationship with churches in our city. And to be willing to pass on the name of another church in the community who might be able to reach the needs of various people we come in contact with.

I received two letters this week that reflect this.

One Hope Visitor Said, “I was on your website and was impressed by your listings of churches. I was especially moved by the fact that there were churches listed that were in Memphis (your competitors). That said to me that Hope Church is interested in everyone finding the right church for them; whether or not it’s Hope, what’s really important if finding Christ.”

Craig wrote this in response to a couple who were leaving Hope to help with a church plant, “I was saddened to hear that you are leaving us to work with another local church.  However, I have always believed it is not about the Kingdom of Hope, but the Kingdom of God, so I am delighted to celebrate your new commitment.”

Very Special Arts Festival

                 

I wish I had a video of this, but if you listen to the beautiful version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by the late Hawaiian artist Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwoʻole, you will experience some of the sweetness of watching these special kids perform a hula dance this morning at Hope. 

We have the great privilege of hosting the annual Very Special Arts Festival put on the Memphis City Schools.   There will be over 1000 special needs kids who come through our doors to experience the music, the fun and the arts and crafts.  What a great opportunity for us to serve these children and the dedicated educators who love them every day. 

We are completely committed to serving our community with the facility that God has given us.  Later this spring we will be hosting the AP exams for Cordova High School, will have five high school graduations in our sanctuary and we will host the Memphis City School’s Principals Academy.

With all the bad press that the school system gets, I hope someone is out here reporting on this great event for these exceptional students.

The Power of Simplicity

We are starting to think about focus and being strategically simple around here at Hope. One resource that is helping us work through this process is the book “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger. They set out a philosophy of focusing your church to develop a simple disciple making process. There are four elements that they see as crucial in helping churches rethink and retool their ministry process.

1. Clarity - The ability of the process to be communicated and understood by the people.
2. Movement - The sequential steps in the process that cause people to move to greater areas of commitment.
3. Alignment - The arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process.
4. Focus - The commitment to abandon everything that falls outside of the simple ministry process.

It is a good read with some powerful implications for ministry. One thing they point to is the power of simplicity being seen in web design today. Look at Google. Incredibly simple design. Incredibly successful. Look at the simplicity the web site of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids. Look at Starbucks. Look at the clarity seen in Calvary Church near St. Louis.

Also, give a look to this quick video that Kem Meyer posted on her blog. It deals with simple vs. complex solutions in problem solving.

Hope Devos

      

We began a new series at Hope called “Love Defined”. Craig will be leading us through 1 Corinthians 13 and keying in on different characteristics of love and applying them to our lives.  The pic above is from a devotional series we are doing at our web site called Love Defined Daily.  Various staff members are writing these devotionals based on one of the verses in 1 Corinthinans 13.  Here is my entry — Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs. 

I was told if I wrote another devo that they would actually post a picture of my whole face!!! 

Be It Resolved from 2nd Pres

We had a special surprise tonight at our Session meeting. Our mother church, Second Presbyterian of Memphis, graciously sent us a resolution from their Session. Their pastor and our friend, Sandy Wilson came with the Clerk of the Session, Bill Martin and long time staffer Susan Nash. They shared with us the resolution and Sandy prayed for Craig and the church. Here is the resolution which fairly traces the history of Hope:

Resolution from the Session of Second Presbyterian Church

January 2008

Whereas Hope Presbyterian Church opened the doors of her new 5000 seat, 125,000 square foot sanctuary and her expanded 200 space parking lot to the community on January 5-6, 2008;

Whereas she, having begun in 1988, first met in Shelby Place Restaurant , then Evangelical Christian School, moving into her permanent home at 8500 Walnut Grove Road in 1996;

Whereas her sanctuary space at this current site was 80% full in the two hours that most people attend church and she had already expanded;

Whereas she has grown from a church plant of 25 to a fast-growing church of 5,954 members in 20 years;

Whereas her mission to the unchurched, their families and friends brings 6000 adults and 1100 children in their five weekend services times making her one of the largest churches in Tennessee and the United States;

Whereas she is both a local church serving the community at large, Caldwell community specifically and Mid-South churches through a multichurch network and a global church, planting and aiding churches in Mexico, Ecuador, and Kenya;

Whereas she is both a daughter church and a sister church to Second Presbyterian Church;

Be It Resolved that the Session of Second Presbyterian Church wholeheartedly congratulates Dr. Craig Strickland, the Session and staff of Hope Presbyterian Church for their leadership during these 20 years and praises God for the growth and advancement of His Kingdom through these servants.

William S. Martin Sanders L. Wilson

Clerk of the Session Moderator

January 28, 2008

Maturity Births Immaturity

We call Hope church a church for the unchurched.  This gives us a bad reputation with some churches who do not share our vision.  Part of the dynamic of being a church for the unchurched is that you actually have a bunch of seekers, sinners and baby Christians walking around.  This can get messy sometimes but if seen properly, it can be the most exciting adventure in the world.  I love the way Mark Beeson addresses this issue when talking about a truly mature church.

Three days ago Rick Warren proffered this question for me to mull over. “What is the mature church?”

I knew immediately how I would respond.

“The ‘mature church’ is the church filled with immaturity.”

Anywhere in the world, whether plant or animal, the clear delineation of “maturity” is the ability to reproduce.  Immature animals can’t reproduce.  Immature plants can’t replicate themselves.  The definition of maturity is “being fully ripe, fully aged” so the connotation of maturity is obvious.  Where you see maturity you’ll observe new life, babies and immaturity all over the place.

Maturity desires reproduction.
Maturity tolerates juvenile behavior (from juveniles) while training its progeny for success in life.

If you attend a mature church, be prepared for immaturity.

Where you find mature Christians you’ll find little “babes in Christ” running all over the place.  In fact, if you have been looking for a church where “everyone tithes” or “everyone serves” you’re not looking for a mature church, you are looking for a dying church - aged, impotent and bereft of spiritual newborns because “everyone” is mature.

To read the full post click here.  Don’t let the picture of a turkey throw you.  It is about maturity.

Over 14,000 Celebrate Easter at Hope

 

I also pray the you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the high place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:19-20

It was an amazing weekend at Hope with the parking lot pressed to the limit and people walking into our sanctuary looking for some answers and a chance to walk through a door of transformation. There was nothing magical about the doors but their IS something powerful about a resurrected life in Christ. Over 14,000 people came to hear this message this weekend with two services on Saturday and three on Sunday. The 10 AM service was packed with over 5,000. What an amazing sight and the energy in the room was electric.

I talked with a woman visiting from Boston who was struck by the friendliness that she experienced. It caught her off guard. She thought Big = Impersonal. She was so happy to be wrong and so am I. Way to Go Volunteers. Way to Go all Hope Members. Way to Go God!

First Impressions & Coffee

                    

This past week I had another church contact me about our philosophy of coffee at Hope.  They had visited last week and saw that we had three coffee bars located throughout our campus serving free coffee. (Picture above of Hope’s South Foyer Coffee Bar) I told them that yes, it was free, but we have some jars out to accept any donations folks might want to give.  We serve over 350 gallons a weekend and have over 150 volunteers to pull this ministry off.  It is a huge priority and commitment for us.  Here is what I emailed this church as to why we do the coffee at Hope:

1. OUR MISSION:  Bottom line is that our mission is to be a church for the unchurched. Therefore, we are looking for ways to have the environment as positive as possible for folks who walk in our facility. We know that some people are entering the building with some preconceived ideas about church and can be coming in with some real painful experiences in their past. We want them to walk in and be touched by the positive experience.
2. CORE VALUE:  We want to achieve the unexpected. That is one of our core values here at Hope. We want them to walk away telling others what a great place Hope is. The first week they might not go back to work and tell others about the sermon — hopefully they will!! — but they might go and tell their friends about the coffee. “Man, you will not believe this but I went to church this weekend. Yes, I went to church, but the cool thing was this coffee bar. Right there in the lobby they had this coffee bar with all kinds of flavors — Dark Blend, Hazelnut, Vanilla, even a Southern Pecan! And to top it all off, you could take the coffee into the sanctuary!!!” (We have lids for the coffee that we encourage people to use. This cuts down on the spills.)
3. MINISTRY TO THE SENSES:  We are touching the senses. They drive in and see our Coneheads (parking lot attendants) welcoming them with a smile. They see how clean and inviting our facility is. They are touched by the friendliness of our greeters at the door. They walk in the door and immediately smell the freshly brewed coffee. They step up to the coffee kiosk and pour a cup of coffee and taste how good it is. They enter into the sanctuary and hear some great music and a message from God’s Word.
4. COFFEE CULTURE:  Coffee says many things in our culture today. Look at the impact of Starbucks. Here is what they say, “Starbucks Coffee Company provides an uplifting experience that enriches people’s lives one moment, one human being, one extraordinary cup of coffee at a time.” It is about the experience. It speaks of community. It helps people feel comfortable in an environment.
5. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY:  What a great place to have people serve. Some of my best greeters are there making the coffee and interacting with folks who come up for a cup.

Those are some of my thoughts in why we do coffee at Hope.  Anyone have other ideas? 

 

By the way, we proudly use Memphis roasted Ugly Mug Coffee.  Click on the bag to learn more.