Reading Through The Gospels In November

I would like to invite you all to read along with me through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John during the month of November. If we read three chapters each day, we can travel through the Gospels by the end of the month. If you view this as a race or an obligation, then you will miss out on a sweet opportunity to spend time with Jesus in His Word. What a great time of year to learn more about our savior.
Please pray about this and join me, Misty, Joe and many others in this journey together through the Gospels.

A Post From Last Year Regarding The 2007 Christmas Play

This is a post from last December. I am posting it again because I am once again determined not to be in the Christmas Play at TOL. This post described my feelings from last year. Will I be tougher this year???? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, enjoy this post from December 2007:

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Our church's Children's Pastor is also in charge of all of our dramas. He is responsbile for dinner theater, dessert theater, skits during our services, illusion shows and Tree of Life's Annual Christmas program. Year after year Don waits until the last minute to recruit actors and year after year I publicly proclaim that he will be unable to recruit me and year after year I find myself on stage as Joseph or a friend of Joseph's or someone in a crowd scene or someone leading someone to Jesus. I always say that I will never do it again, yet I always do it.

My resolve to never act for Don is not because Don is a jerk. He is not a jerk. He is a godly man. My wife loves him and acts in every single thing he does and she even helps lead worship in the children's ministry. My kids love Don. They think of him as their pastor. He is a good man. He is a kind man. He is a persistent man. He is a determined man. He is the human version of one of those raptors from Jurassic Park. He gets you in his sights and he approaches you with tunnel vision. When he talks to you his eyes begin to swirl like that hypnotic snake Kaa from The Jungle Book. He asks you to help in a way that you cannot deny and before you know it... you're backstage, tying on a headband and making sure you don't trip over your robe as you practice your lines.

I'm not a good actor. I worry about acting. I worry about performing. These plays traumatize me as I practice my lines throughout the day and as I picture in my mind where I am supposed to stand and when I am supposed to come out. I become obsessed with not messing up and I worry myself to the verge of ending up in the fetal position in a deserted choir room at the back of the church... And when its over I publicly proclaim that I will never act again.

Last night at church I began to breathe easy. We are three days away from the performance and I haven't been asked about being an actor. I'm safe. Aaaaahhhh...

I began to plan in my mind where I would sit in the audience. Who I would sit with. I even pictured myself relaxing in our church's comfortable chairs as I watched the performance. I might even smuggle in some eggnog and sugar cookies. It would be a peaceful Christmas without practices and costumes and...

My musings were interrupted by the intense feeling in my spine that someone was watching me. I looked around and saw no one. I began to breathe easy again but I suddenly noticed a movement in the crowd to my left. More movement. The crowd parted. And there he was. Pastor Don. Staring at me. Moving towards me. He was holding a clipboard and his eyes were burning into me like an infrared light.

I began to walk backwards. He walked faster. I counted the paces to the media booth. My friend Joe was in there and I was quite certain he would grant me sanctuary. I made a break for it but my legs felt like they were in quicksand. I was moving slower and slower and Don was moving faster and faster. He outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds but he is gaining on me. I stop and I face the inevitable. I am prepared to debate my way out of this. What follows is as accurate a transcript of my conversation with Don as possible.

Don: Hello Jason.
Jason: Hello Don. How are you?
Don: Not good Jason. Not good at all.
Jason: Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. Is there something I can do to help?
Don: Yes Jason. You can agree to be a shepherd in the Christmas play.
{Jason clears his throat and produces the following brilliant response to Don's plea}
Jason: Okay.

My first practice is tonight. I'll be standing with the sheep.

Hope For The Worrier

Check out this passage from Habakkuk chapter 3. I'm a worrier and this passage speaks to me about where I need to be in relation to my reliance upon Jesus. My prayer is that I will get to the point where this is my testimony:

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.

Debating

This is a post from my old blog and it is even more true today:
I used to love to debate with people. My friend Joe calls it "battling". He loves to "battle" mormons. When I need a good laugh I picture Joe "battling" Donny Osmond.
I've grown tired of debating. I'm not talking about defending my faith. I have no problem doing that and I welcome the chance. I'm talking about the type of debating where two people waste their time going back and forth on some obscure issue like "can a pop-tart sin?"
Its kind of like taking your dog for a walk and using a bungee cord for the leash. It starts out well but ends badly for all involved parties.

A Quote From "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy

Check out this quote from "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy. Coach Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to win the Super Bowl after the 2006 season and I have to admit that I knew very little about him before reading his book. He really is a Godly man and his leadership style is Christ-like. So check out this quote from the end of his book:
"That's what this is all about. Touching lives. Building a legacy--not necessarily on the field but in those places that most people will never see. Trying to be faithful in the position God has given me. I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I've had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life. My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don't let the pursuit of our life's goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose."
"I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose. I want to help people see the path to eternal life through Christ, to enjoy an abundant life now, and to fulfill their God-given purposes here."

Brandy's View of Life...At 6pm

Since this Sunday was Pastor Appreciation Day, I will go easy on Jason this week. I could make many, many jokes about how I'm not quite sure, after walking into Panera Bread and ordering a souffle, what kind of shirt you have on will make you more manly. And to show how much I really DO appreciate him, I won't even start to bring up what role his shoes could be playing in those insecurities. No, there will be none of that. I'm simply going to stick to the subject of communion.

Jason did a fantastic job showing the importance of communion in our Christian walk. He stressed a point that seems to be left out of a lot of churches: that communion should not be taken lightly or with the wrong heart. It is not a social event or something we do just to go through the motions. It is a representation of the body of Jesus Christ and should be treated as such. Jason presented that wonderfully, and it was good to see the congregation could still take him seriously even after he used the word "souffle". Not everyone could pull that off.

That reminds me that Joe is preaching next week, which should be fun. You never know what is going to happen when Joe gets up to speak, but I know I will be looking forward to it all week!
~~Brandy Malachowsky

Monday Morning Downloads

*Pastor Mike opened the service by baptizing believers and it was a sweet time. One little boy was probably about seven years old and his sister wasn't much older. A husband and wife were baptized as well as some teens and a grandfather. Very cool.
*Joe helped Mike with the baptisms and I am laughing even now when I remember the look on Joe's face when Pastor Mike "re-dunked" the one guy's head that didn't go completely under. We don't sprinkle at Tree of Life baby!!!!!
*Donovan and his team were on the platform the whole service last night. They played for about 80% of the service and they didn't even look tired. That's good news because they will be leading the entire service in two weeks. I keep calling them "Donovan's band" or "Donovan's worship team" but they do have a name and I will try to start using it. Our worship band's name is "Face to Face". They took that name because their goal is to stay face to face with God and to help lead others to that place as well.
*I had a lady tell me at the end of the service that souffles were manly. I respectfully disagree, but I do love 'em.
*One of my old history professors was in the service last night. Very cool.
*My original plan was to teach for about 10 minutes on communion, but the Lord just kept talking so I jumped on board and went where He took me. I love communion and I hope people were moved even half as much as I was, because God rocked me last night.
*Erika did a great job of administering communion with me. And thanks to everyone that helped. Misty got everything set up and Joe, Terry, Scott and Misty helped with the elements. Matt showed his servant's heart by making himself available to anyone that needed prayer during communion.
*Thanks again to all of you for the "pastor appreciation" gifts and cards. It means a lot to me and I won't say much more because my eyes will start sweating...
*Next week's message will be brought by Joe. I can't wait to see yall then.

Prayer Partners

The reports I'm hearing back from prayer partners are fantastic. Despite the fact that I really didn't lay out some long range plan with cool graphics and promos, many of you jumped at the opportunity to pray for each other.
Please keep it up!
If you haven't contacted your prayer partner, please do that! Even if its through a quick e-mail or text message, it means something when you hear that people are praying for you.

1 Corinthians 11

My jumping off point for the Communion message will be 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, but reading the entire chapter will be helpful because it will allow you to see the context of Paul's statements in verses 27-32 about who should take communion.

Brandy's View of Life....at 6pm

When Jason announced this new Sunday night series, I honestly wondered what I would get out of it, having grown up in church my whole life. However, Jason has once again proven to be an excellent teacher. When people used to ask me why Christians get baptized, my answer was a very short "Because we're told to in the Bible", and left it at that. Until last night I really didn't have a real answer to give. As Jason said, it is true, we are told to be baptized, but there's so much more to it, and now I know.
I'm really glad Jason started this new series because it's important to know why we believe what we believe, especially for our generation who questions everything. I also really like the new "prayer partners" idea. It's exciting to know that no matter what goes on during the week, someone is praying for me.
I can't wait until Jason talks about communion next week. I was raised in an old ways Holiness church, so it will be good to hear other views on the subject. Have a great week everybody!!!
~~Brandy Malachowsky

A Different Angle

It took me a while, but I have eventually realized that other people don't always see things the way I do. Shocking, I know.
In fact, the only person who sees things exactly the way I do is...me.
So, in order to keep this blog fresh, I am bringing in a guest blogger to present her view of the Sunday night services and messages from a different angle.
I would like to introduce you to Brandy Malachowsky. Brandy and her husband Tim have been here at Tree of Life for several years and they are familiar faces on Sunday nights. Tim is one of those people who is quietly hilarious and insightful. Brandy is not so quiet but still hilarious and insightful. As time goes by and Brandy finds her voice on this blog, I am confident that she will help us flesh out some of the messages during the week.
Remember, if a message stays in the sanctuary, then it probably didn't have the effect on us that it should.
So, later today we will publish Brandy's first post. I'm sure she will be quite nice to me at first. Stay tuned to see if she stays that way.

Monday Morning Downloads

*We're right in the middle of our "After The Altar Call" Series.
*Last night had a different vibe to it, but it was a really good night. Everybody was a lot more serious than normal, but I think that has something to do with Fall and the fact that a lot of people are sick. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SICK at Tree of Life and across our city, so please remember to pray for each other!
*During sound check/practice for the praise team I just slowed down and enjoyed the music. Believe it or not, I actually worshiped during their practice. I say it every week, but what a Godly group. Most people may not know, but our praise team starts their Sunday very early because they lead worship for the middle school ministry during the 11:00 service and they have to set up before Sunday School starts. They never complain and they just show up ready to worship and serve. I am blessed to serve with Donovan and his group.
*Joe knew I was struggling yesterday with lack of sleep and worry about Misty so I leaned on him throughout the evening as he handled just about everything for me. I am thankful for Joe and his ministry here at Tree of Life.
*Linwood and his wife were there again last night. I think Linwood is about 117 years old and he hasn't lost his sarcasm or his wit. He asked when he would get his attendance certificate for being there on Sunday nights. "I only attend church for the certificates" he said. That actually made me laugh for quite a while...
*I love hearing Lindsey sing. Misty and I have her songs stuck in our heads all week.
*Joe and Misty and Matt and I prayed in the weeks leading up to our time on Sunday nights that the Lord would draw lonely people. I have something deep in my heart for lonely people and He is bringing them right to us.
*Our topic last night was baptism, specifically water baptism. You should've seen my notes earlier last week. I had papers piled everywhere and I spider-webbed in about 25 different directions. By Friday I felt like the Lord was trimming it down and by last night we looked at baptism as an act of obedience, symbolism, testimony and love. Our launchpad passage was Matthew 3. We then went into Acts 2, 4 and 8.
*We ended with partnering people up to pray for each other. I will put out a separate post later today about that. I really feel like the Lord will move through these prayer partnerships.
*Next week Pastor Mike will be baptizing believers at the beginning of our service and our topic will be communion. Baptism and Communion in the same service? We are kickin' it old school next week. I can't wait.

Baptism

This Sunday I will be looking at Baptism from three angles. Obedience. Symbolism. Testimony. Please be in prayer that the Lord will speak to all of us as we look at this important act in the lives of believers.

This Sunday

This Sunday we will look very closely at baptism. What it is. What it isn't. The following Sunday, October 26th, Pastor Mike will be baptizing believers at the beginning of our 6:00 service. I hope we will see you at TOL Sunday at 6pm!

Books I Am Reading

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to read. When I was growing up I read all the time and even when I was in college I always carried a book around with me. I can show you a sign on LU's campus (I think its still there to this day) that I walked right into because I was reading a book while walking to class.
Quite a few people have asked me lately about what I am currently reading, so here is my answer.
I am reading "The Shack". Lindsey loaned it to me and this book is well written, but also a little unsettling. The framing story of the book involves the abduction of a six year old girl and since Jasilyn is six it hits a little too close to home. Also, the book has stirred up some controversy about the author's presentation of the Trinity. I don't avoid books just because they make me uncomfortable or even because other people I know disagree with the contents. I've lost track of how many people have asked me what I thought about "The Shack" so I decided that I need to read it. I will say that it is well written and the narrative pulls you in immediately. I have found some portions of the author's theology that I disagree with, but I will not set those out until I have read the book completely. If anyone has questions about this book I will gladly talk to you in person or through e-mail.
I am also reading "Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting" by Derek Prince. Dawn Harter loaned me this book and I am using it along with Elmer Towns' books on fasting in preparation for my message on "Prayer and Fasting" at the end of the month.
In the Bible, I am reading Acts again.
I'd love to hear what you all are reading.

Monday Morning Downloads

*Last night's service was fantastic. I love Tree of Life in the Fall because we get the chance to see so many new faces and meet new people. We had quite a few visitors last night and I actually had the chance to hang out with a few of them after the service. Lynchburg is indeed a small world. I'm shocked at some of the people I see out in the city that have come by to see what's going on at this church.
*I actually got lost in the worship music last night and I was caught off guard when Donovan passed the service to me because time just flew by while we worshiped. Donovan's band is incredible and I am just humbled to serve with them. They continue to amaze me week after week.
*Joe had me pumped up before the service because he was able to minister to a guy on Saturday that was lying on his face in front of our door. Joe took him to the altar and sat with him for way over an hour. That is ministry!!!!! Its incredible to see the Lord line us up to serve him.
*I saw a lot of friendly faces from the past last night and that was very cool.
*Donovan's new song Hosanna rocked! I have it in my head right now.
*We learned about the Great Commission last night and we looked deeper at what evangelism is and is not.
*Elisha is an awesome character in the Bible. He really does point us to Christ in several ways and I am going to try to study him even deeper during my personal study time.
*Lots of people left last night re-dedicated to carrying God's life giving words to the world, including me.
*Can't wait until next week! Baptism!

The Great Commission

I can't wait until Sunday... We're going to be really focusing on the evangelism portion of the great commission because most people get hung up on that part. Either we never witness, or all we do is witness and we never disciple.
So, we're going to try to free us up to focus on the fulfillment of the entire commission by focusing this Sunday evening on what evangelism really is and what it is not. Be prepared to have some of your perceptions shattered. Or maybe you are right on track...
We're going to be looking at some experiences in the life of Elisha the prophet and see how the principles we learn there are "fleshed out" in the life of Jesus.
Like I said, I can't wait...

Monday Morning Downloads [on wednesday]

*Sunday night was one of those nights where I knew in my heart that the Lord was going to teach me some big lessons and He did.
*I learned that people really do want to go deep into the scriptures and they are hungry for Bible teaching. I have had more encouragement about this new series than I have ever had during all of my years of teaching.
*I learned that when you let Godly people do what they are called to do, great things happen. Donovan, Lindsey, Ryan, Judy, Larry, Nathan, Erika and Joe all work so well together to make sure that the service flows and that everything we offer up is pleasing to Him.
*I learned that Christians love to laugh and I believe humor is pleasing to the Lord. Is there bad humor? Of course. Just like there can be bad talk and bad preaching. When James talked about taming the tongue he didn't mean that we should never laugh.
*I learned that the Lord WILL draw people to a gathering that honors Him and lifts Him up. That has been our prayer and we have seen it answered time and again. Sunday night, two different people told me that they felt "drawn" to our service. Neither one had attended the morning service, so they are in for a treat when they hear Pastor Mike!
*I learned that people want to grow in community with one another. Lots of people hung around well after the service "ended" and that made me happy.
*I was going to say that I learned that I have a beautiful and wonderful wife, but I've known that for a long time.
*A lot of people have been asking about our graphics. Joe Bivens does all of our graphics and tech stuff.
*Why didn't we put the scriptures up on the big screens? Because I wanted Erika up with us during the service and during the altar call. She has a servant's heart, but she is also a prayer warrior and I appreciated the prayer support.
*Lillian did a great job singing last night. A few people asked when they can hear her sing more, and for starters you can hear her during Tree of Life's morning services. Lillian is a teacher at Branches Academy and the kids love her.
*The Lord also blessed us with some time with Him at the altar. It has been humbling to hear some of your stories about your time in prayer at the end of the service.
*Thanks to everyone that joins us on Sunday night. Next week's message is gonna be on "The Great Commission". The Lord led me to some cool stuff to bring forth and I can't wait.

I'm Back

Sorry for not posting over the last couple of days. I'm back and ready to roll. I'll do my review of Sunday before today is over, and I've got lots of things in my mind that I'll be posting on here in the next few days, so thanks for your patience!

This Sunday

Our new Fall series starts this Sunday. Join us at 6pm in Tree of Life's main sanctuary for "After The Altar Call".

Our New Fall Series