• Lots of new families again this week. By far the biggest crowd yet! I look forward to seeing God bring more and more people to Impact each week! And at this rate we’ll be at 2 services far sooner than any one of us thought! Go God!
• One of the foundational pillars of Impact church is that it will be a house of prayer. Jesus said it should be in Matthew 21:13, “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer” The first week our prayer team met, we had five people, by week 6 we had 11! This morning there were 20! And 21 more (41 in all) have signed up to be a part of the prayer team! Tonight I found out that 7 of the high-schoolers are planning on another Sunday morning prayer time in conjunction with the one ongoing. Friends, to have 48 people fervently praying for this movement called, Impact Church at this early stage is unheard of! And I’m praying for more to be added each and every week!
• Had the fist of what will be many “child dedication” services today. We dedicated 2 babies and 3 young ladies! Impact is blessed with children and we promised as a body of believers to point all of our children to Jesus in our words and deeds!
• Today we were in the 5th chapter of Nehemiah where the opposition on the outside has settled down only for opposition from the inside to heat up! Isn’t that how it always goes when God’s people are making an impact for His kingdom? None of it escapes the notice of the evil one. Fortunately, “greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world!” 1 John 4:4
• We learned about an oft overlooked pattern of circumstances that can lead to discouragement. 1. Too many people 2. Too dry a desert 3. Too much ministry All but number 2 sound like good things and they are. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see tons of new people coming to church? And what pastor wouldn’t want lots of real ministry going on? Well, these are good, but they can also be subtle traps. Too many people can lead to neglect of some people while others are shown favoritism. It can also expose a sense of entitlement that will need to be dealt with quickly before groups form who do little but expect much. And too much ministry is bad if it’s too few people doing all the ministry! All of these potential pitfalls were there in the city of Jerusalem as they reached the halfway point in their quest to rebuild the wall. If these things aren’t dealt with, even the greatest movements of God can fizzle out before their time.
* Some have asked about the wierd “Monday morning pastor syndrome” Is it real? Sure is, so imagine my surprise to get home and find this article from Mark Driscoll in my inbox, http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/150317-jon-mcintosh-six-reasons-why-pastors-want-to-quit-on-mondays.html See? I’m not crazy after all!
• As Thanksgiving approaches, ask yourself not just what you are thankful for, but also who you are thankful to! Praise God for all the blessings He bestows upon you.