Josh Burnett's Blog

Matthew 7:21-23 freaks me out

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Have you read this passage lately? Scary. Jesus drops this bomb and doesn't really even explain it. Just says, "Listen when judgement comes some of you are going to think you are in... and your not!" You will say to me, "but we did all kinds of work and drove out demons and taught in your name," but my answer will be, "sorry, get out!". That is some scary teaching from Jesus. I think the part of it that is the most disconcerting is the fact that Jesus never gives the thing to avoid so that this doesn't happen to you. So we are left to assume what might be wrong with someone like this. Maybe it was that their heart wasn't in the right place... that's my guess so far.

That is what I am going to be chewing on for the rest of the day... love to get your thoughts on the passage.

whew... Sunday night mind dump

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Today has been a long day but a great day:

This morning-

accidentally overslept because I turned on alarm 2 instead of alarm 1. Alarm 1 was set for 5:30 alarm 2 was set for 9 am. Woke up at 6:47 AM...
wanted to prep my half of the morning (E our worship leader and I were tag teaming the worship sermon) turns out the software that we use to time the message malfunctioned and I didnt have nearly the amount of time I thought I was going to have (20 minutes became 10). So it wasnt a big deal that I didnt get to prep the message this morning because I didnt end up using it. God knew that I needed the extra sleep after being up with Savannah almost all night for the last week (she is sick).
Went no notes for my part of the message today... mostly because I scrapped what I had to say and just tagged on the end of E's message (which was excellent). No notes felt good... really good. I should do that more often - more open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Worship ROCKED. The band sounded great and were extremely worshipful. E did a great job of leading us to a place of true worship.
We had a ton of new people. It was all I could do to say hi to several of them. Many of them slipped past me before I was able to say anything at all. Just goes to show you that we all need to be warm and welcoming - trying to connect with anyone that we dont know.
Our teams are really coming together - the greeters are rocking it out, the communion team is forming up, the hospitality team feels like they have really hit a strong stride, everything feels "tight"
Erika said goodbye this morning. Bitter sweet. Glad to see that she is following God's calling for her life. Sad to see her go.
We announced the hire of Patrick Wheeler the new student minister.
The Next gathering is coming up next Saturday - at the bud building!
Cant think of anything else because I am so tired.

This afternoon

Went home after church and grabbed the girls and headed off for Ocean City. We had to pick up G (my grandma, Savannah's great grandma who watches her during the week) who is living with us now! However she retains a residence in Ocean city just incase she gets tired of the wild life we live!
I was so tired all the way there and back.
Just got into bed... so sleepy.
Savannah was amazing as usual all the way there and back she barely cried or fussed. She just sat in her seat singing and laughing and playing - she is the picture of contentment.

okay I am going to bed now.

Genesis 3:4... thoughts on great sex

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:02:00 +0000

As I was studying Genesis 3 today I had a thought (obviously not my original) Gen. 3:4 is the lie that Satan used to tempt Adam and Eve into sin. At its core it was a question of the goodness of God, or put another way God's intentions for Adam and Eve. As we are talking about great sex - sex the way God designed it - I would say that each of use is faced with a choice will we believe that God has our best in mind or not.

Not an easy question to answer... I think that most of us would like to think that we assume positive intentions from God, but when the rubber meets the road is that what we really believe? Do we live out our beliefs by obeying God's commands for us? When we read verses like 1 Timothy 5:1-2 which instruct us to be pure with each other... as pure as you would be with your brother or sister. That is pretty darn pure. The question is can we trust God or is God holding out on us? Do we believe what He says in His word that it is better to not have sex before marriage?

Our culture tells us that we cant trust what God says... that God is just a prude. Sounds strangely familiar don't you think?

Tell me your thoughts. Why do you think that God would put such strict "restrictions" on something that we inately desire so strongly? Do you think that God is holding out on us or do you see wisdom in God's restrictions?

Psalm 90 and Brevity

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:09:00 +0000

I am currently doing a study on how to use your time effectively. One of the scriptures that was referenced in the study is Psalm 90:10a&12 it reads like this,

"The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Moses wrote those words, probably near the end of his life. They are really convicting to me. It is funny how we avoid thinking about the brevity of life. Yet, when you stop to think about the fact that you are going to die you cannot help but evaluate the way you are currently living. After just a short evaluation here are a few things that I plan on changing about the way I am living:

1. I am going to watch less TV

2. I am going to go to bed earlier so I can get up earlier... I work better in the mornings

3. I am going to journal more about what I spent my time on each day (Socrates said, "The unevaluated life is not worth living" I hope this will allow me to evaluate better)

4. I am going to spend more time having face to face conversations with life group leaders (I have been convicted lately that I need to do ministry in a more relational way)

Have you evaluated your life lately? Ask yourself this question... if I died today what would people remember me for? What do I want to be remembered for?

What is God's will for your life?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:10:00 +0000

I have been reading Henry Blackaby's bible study Experiencing God with my accountability partners for the last month and a half. One of my big takeaways has been the reminder that God is always at work around us and that we simply need to join Him in His work. That has got me asking, "What are you doing God? What are you up to around me?" Good questions to ask. Blackaby gives the example of Moses. God had already decided to set the Israelites free. He invited Moses to be a part of what He was already going to do. It was up to Moses to decide whether or not he was going to join him or not.

What is God up to around you? What is He inviting you to be a part of? Are you willing to step out and join Him?

Ever thought the bible was hard to read?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Have you ever thought the bible was hard to read? I have talked with quite a few people over the past few weeks who have expressed frustration with reading the bible. Most of them say that they don't know where to start and even if they did they are pretty sure that they wont understand what it says anyway.

I will be the first to admit I have felt that way myself from time to time. The bible is a big book to tackle. It is a combination of 66 books and letter. It employs almost every literary structure. It is full of prophecies and poetry. It can be very intimidating. However, as christians there is nothing more crucial to us knowing God than reading what He has to say to us. So how do we do it? I have been reading a book by a guy named Howard Hendrick called Living by the Book that does a great job of explaining a method for reading the bible that allows you to get a ton out of it every time you pick it up. Let me suggest that you pick this book up and read it. It will definitely help you in your journey.

More to come on this subject in the future!

The New logo...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Here is a little sneak peak for those of you who weren't able to make it to sundays meeting...

Don't forget if you have any ideas to get this "N" everywhere there is a $15 Starbucks card to the person who comes up with the most creative idea!

Black Ops Team

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:17:00 +0000

In the next month NL is going to unveil our new website and logo to the public! FINALLY! I am stoked about this if you couldn't tell! If you are at church this weekend you will get a sneak peak of the logo. Along side of this we are going to be doing a marketing campaign to get the "N" everywhere... In the next month we want thousands of people in NOVA to ask, "What the heck is that "N" I keep seeing everywhere?"

We are looking for people to own this campaign. We need ideas for how to get the "N" everywhere. Post any ideas you have as comments. A panel of the staff will select the best idea and the winner will get a $15 Starbucks card! So be sure to leave your name with your idea...

We also need a team of people to help put these ideas into action! If you would like to be a part of this team that we are calling the black ops team shoot me an email. joshb@newlife4me.com

Get in your comfort zone, in order to get out of it...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:41:00 +0000

The other day I was reading a book on preaching... wait don't quit reading just yet. I will concede that a book on preaching is only interesting to a few people in this world. But I was reading this book and the author made the challenge for preachers to get out from behind the pulpit (something NL has never had) and preach from a different setting. He asked the question, "where are you most comfortable?" and then contended that you should preach from where you are most comfortable.

As I was reading that I started thinking about telling people about Jesus... what is preaching... it is simply telling people about Jesus. This thought occurred to me: for most people telling someone about Jesus is out of their comfort zone. Most of us feel like we should do this we just don't know how to make it happen practically... it is so hard. Then I started thinking about the environments that I had told people about Jesus in... places like Starbucks, my couch, restaurants, places that I feel really comfortable. It occurred to me, maybe we should challenge people to get into their comfort zone, in order to get out of them and tell people about Jesus.

Where are you most comfortable?

What's your next step?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:17:00 +0000

At New Life we are constantly asking people what their next step with God is. We want to create a culture that encourages people to walk closer and closer to God everyday. We believe that you are as close to God as you want to be (someone very wise said this to me the other day... I thought it was a cool statement).

Can I offer a possible next step for you? We are coming into a season where we are going to really encourage life group participation. Through prayer we feel like God is leading us to ask everyone in the church to be a part of a small group for 6 weeks. Just give it a try! In order to do this we are going to need small group hosts! Maybe your next step is to say, "I will host one of these groups". It is easy, all you have to do is:

1. have a place where people can meet

2. be able to serve coffee or some type of beverage

3. press play on a DVD player

4. use a discussion guide to facilitate a discussion.

No writing your own lesson. You don't have to have the old testament memorized. You don't have to have all of the answers to people's questions. You don't even have to know who Balaam was.

if you are interested shoot me an email joshb@newlife4me.com

Have trouble reading the Bible?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:41:00 +0000

Do you have a hard time reading or understanding the bible? I want to tell you about an idea that we had the other day...

What if we as a church decided to all read the exact same thing everyday... and what if we taught everyone in the church a simple and easy way to study the bible? We could all read the same thing and study it in the same way every day. And what if Brett, Rick, Tim, and myself posted our thoughts from each day's study on a blog? So if you get stuck on a passage you could get on the internet and see what Brett thought about it or Tim or Rick or me.

Tell me what you think... joshburnett@mac.com

Big Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:31:00 +0000

I have been reading the book of Joshua for two days now. One thing that has struck me is how early in the chapter God prepares Joshua to go into the promise land (see chapter 1:1-9). Joshua is encouraged and then gets everyone together to cross the Jordan and then they go for it. It is strangely familiar to my life in the past few months. (Maybe I am just making the relation because the names are the same in this story as they are in mine...) I have felt for the past few months that God was preparing me for something that was going to have a huge impact for Him and His kingdom. On Monday I found out what that was. New Life is going to launch a third service in Centreville. I have been asked to spear head this initiative. I feel a little like Joshua must have I would bet. Scared about what is to come. I also realize as I am sure that he did as well that I can't do this on my own... We are going to need a big team of people to help make this a success. If you are interested in knowing more about this let me know! joshburnett@mac.com

Reproducing Church

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:02:00 +0000

The other day we had Dave Ferguson in the office. Dave is the sr. pastor at Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL. He talked to the staff about being a reproducing church. At the risk of stating the obvious I will state the obvious- a reproducing church is a church that reproduces itself. This might not sound like a big deal but when you consider how far this one principle has taken Community it makes you want to ponder the reproducing model.

The basic premiss is that the church would produce more churches. Something I think most people can buy into especially when your vision is as powerful as New Life's. But the reproducing principle goes deeper than just the church. It really starts at the top with the sr. pastor saying I am going to take one person and help them learn how to do what I do. This trickles down to the staff. Which trickles down to coaches. Which trickles down to small group leaders. Which trickles down to apprentices.

This reproducing model isn't just for small groups either. It is something that community has said is a value - and even a requirement for every volunteer and staff position in the church. So if you make coffee on sunday morning who are you training to make coffee? Who is going to replace you?

This is my dream for New Life. That we would become a reproducing church in every way. That our life group leaders would reproduce themselves in apprentices who go out and start new groups. That service leaders would reproduce themselves in others around them and take on greater ownership in the church.

Reproduction is the essence of church. It is what Jesus did. Check this out - John 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Lets be a reproducing church! If you have questions about how to do this just shoot me an email. Joshb@newlife4me.com

blogging is hard...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:09:00 +0000

I have been so busy working on discipleship stuff lately I have neglected to blog about it...

I am working on brainstorming a list of discipleship initiatives for 2008. Basically asking the question what can I do in 08 to get more people connected to Jesus in a more real way? Exciting question to ask. I can't wait to see what we come up with!

One idea that I have is to have a quarterly meeting where all of our life groups come together at a venue and everyone who is interested in a life group can come and check out all the groups we have / just get plugged into a group near their home.

just one idea... if you have others shoot me an email with them. You never know it might make the list.

Family

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 04:38:00 +0000

My family came in last night for christmas. I haven't seen them in 5 months. Today we went shopping, then went downtown to see the national christmas tree. It is so good to see them! They are one crazy crew. And to top off the day my Mom scored a WII at Target (she had no idea what a feat she accomplished here in NOVA). My wife told me about a month ago that she wanted one and I had been trying (unsuccessfully) to get my hands on one for a while. All in all a great day.

Something Brett said...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:42:00 +0000

Brett said something to me the other day that has revolutionized the way I think about my job. He told me that my job is not to teach people how to be disciples. My job is to make disciples - who make disciples. I thought that was a profound subtlety.

Squidoo!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:14:00 +0000

I just found this great new website called Squidoo.com. This is a great knowledge sharing website that allows you to create a webpage about something you know a lot about or something you are passionate about. It is kind of like a wiki-network of knowledge. So if you know how to fix a certain problem with a computer or car you can create a page so other people with the same problem can come to your page and learn how to solve it! This is something that is going to be huge in the future. In fact google just began working on their own version of this site - so you know it is a good idea.

Check it out!

you can check out my site on fun churches here

What's up

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:34:00 +0000

I am working on something right now that makes me crazy excited! If you are a NLer then you know we are currently trying to create a system of discipleship that works well. Right now I am working on something that I hope will revolutionize the way we make disciples. Here it is- A Personal Spiritual Development Plan. Or what I will call the PSDP. Sounds boring you say... well imagine being able to identify 3 things that you want to work on over the next 3-4 months and then being able to track your progress. Take prayer for instance- How cool would it be to say, "Over the next 3-4 months not only do I want to pray more I want to learn everything that I can about how to pray and how to have a real relationship with God through prayer" and then to have tools and resources at your disposal to help you accomplish this goal? To be able to let your life group know what you are working on so they can help challenge you and share how they pray with you? How sweet would that be? I can't wait to get this thing in your hands!

Coaching

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:24:00 +0000

For a long time we have been talking about how to coach our life group leaders... I have swayed back and forth on whether or not this is something that we can bring off and what benefits coaching could bring us. One thing that I have become convinced of is that we need leaders to see themselves as pastors. I saw this article on churchstaffing.com the other that explained some of the similarities between being a pastor and a coach. I thought I would pass along part of it.

"What are 4 or 5 key coaching principles that have direct application to pastoring?
Here they are, in this order: Asking Questions, Active Listening, Action Planning, Providing Accountability, and Giving Affirmation. In short, coaching is NOT giving people a weekly pep talk! It is interacting with them as Christ did with his disciples with great, open-ended questions that get people to think on their own and solve their own problems. The coaching process helps people land on specific steps of action they fully own and follow through to completion. As they do, coaching holds them accountable for achieving those actions and provides generous amounts of positive praise along the way.If we believe, truly believe, in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and if we believe, truly believe, in the priesthood of every believer, then we will honor those beliefs as we facilitate people to grow, not force them to grow. At the end of the day, I believe this approach results in permanent change. "

- Bill Zipp (former pastor turned professional coach)

The attacks

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:24:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed how every time we find ourselves on a spiritual high satan seems to attack? I have a friend who recently had a spiritual break through who now seems to be facing tremendous attacks. I think this just goes to show us that if we feel like we are going through the junk we must be doing something right. So if you are going through a hard time right now it might be time to examine what you are doing and just keep doing it. Chances are you are ticking Satan off!

The brutal truth

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:26:00 +0000

One of the books that I am reading right now is called Reveal. It has been really eye opening for me. The subtitle of the book is: where are you? The book was written by two of the higher ups at willow creek who discovered through some yearly surveys a trend that was really disturbing to them. Upon further (very intense and scientific) study they realized that they had been judging whether or not people were becoming disciples by how much they were participating in church programs. Their discovery was that was not a good way to find out how people really felt about God. Their data showed that most people were involved in activity but not spiritual growth. Troubling research.

That was a longer explaination then I intended. Basically the question that they ask coming out of this book is: where are you? As I begin this quest I feel like it is an appropriate question for me to ask of myself as well. Where am I. To be honest the answer scares me. I am afraid to even answer this question, but I feel like I cant go any where without knowing where I am starting from. So here goes.

Where am I? Well I am at home sitting at my kitchen table typing this blog right now. Where am I with God. I know that I Love Him. I know that I need him. I know I need to get closer to him.

Where are you?

Purpose?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:15:00 +0000

I have been thinking about writing a blog for some time now. I think more for my benifit than anyone else's. In fact all for my benefit right now. I am currently working to figure out what in the world does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus. This would seem like a pretty easy task for someone who has a degree in preaching and theology... but I find myself at a loss for words. I am hoping that this blog will end up being the record of my story, my quest to find what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. That truly is the only reason I am doing this. I am hoping the reflection that this blog will bring and make me do will be shape my conclusions.

So here is my strategy: I am going to read the bible everyday as much as I can and record what I find about the disciples as they followed Jesus. What did Jesus make them do what did he say to them. What are the implications for me.

That is it. I don't know what else to say. I hate blogs that take up time without needing to so I will keep it short as much as possible.