New Life Assembly

Monday Afternoon (almost evening)

Two partially sick children (defined as sick enough that they want to stay home from school but well enough that they keep telling me how bored they are and how they have nothing to do) conspired to keep me from blogging until now.  Well, that and the fact that we are taking off for a brief family getaway at the end of the week that is going to shorten my workday down to three days.

Great day at New Life yesterday!  I feel like I say that a lot, and maybe you get tired of reading it, but that's really how I feel.  I've enjoyed the transition in our service format that has us going right from the music into the message.  Rita has been pleased with the new Kid's Church curriculum, and I think overall there's a good feeling of energy and positivity at New Life. 

This week we kept on in our series on balance, looking for balance in the area of service in the life of the church.  If you want the short version, here it is:  the only way that we as a church will be able to serve everyone that God wants us to serve is if everyone in the church finds a place where they can serve.  I am convinced that God wants to do some extraordinary things at New Life, but the only way they will take place is if each of us finds the joy and pleasure of using our gifts and talents in service first to Jesus who gave them to us, and then in service to the church that Jesus has given to us.

I know we're all busy, many of us are busy in worthwhile endeavors outside of the church.  And while I've always encouraged you to serve in practical ways in the community, I think in the process I may have failed to talk about practical ways to serve in the church.  The truth is that there are some very valuable and significant ministries taking place at New Life on Sunday, and other days of the week as well.  If we didn't think they were meaningful opportunities to minister for the Kingdom, we probably wouldn't do them.  So without apology, I want to invite you to find a place where you can serve the church to advance the work God wants to do at New Life.

And if you really struggle with knowing what gifts and talents God has invested in you, I want you to come talk to me.  You can call the office (783-8378) and set up a time to talk.  Or you can email me and do the same (keith.mcnamar@gmail.com).  Either way, I encourage you to take responsibility for the gifts God has entrusted to you, and start using them in a way that would honor him and build his church - the church that he is using to expand his kingdom in the world.

Monday Afernoon

I'm writing this afternoon while watching more leaves fall from the trees in my neighbor's yard, and hoping to appreciate the last of the lingering colors over the next week or so before the branches go bare.  It really doesn't get much better than these two or three weeks in October in New England.  Except for the raking.  That part I could do without.

I'm not sure if the swine flu has made its way through the church, or if it was a post-halloween hangover (hopefully not a literal one), or the time change, or some other combination of events, but we had a low turnout yesterday morning at New Life.  Despite that (I've learned a while ago that you can't judge by appearances) we had a powerful time together in God's presence and in his word.

I taught on the topic of worship as a discipline in our lives for growth and balance as a follower of Jesus, and really encouraged us to invest our whole selves into the worship experience at the church.  Too often we look at worship as a spectator sport, an opportunity for us to observe what's happening, and maybe even critique what's happening, particularly with the music.  While we want to do everything that we do well, and with excellence, the substance of our worship is much more important than our style or our execution.

If when we worship the word of Christ - his gospel of redemption and reconciliation - dwells among us more richly, then we have found something that we cannot find at the greatest concert the world has to offer.  If we are simply emotionally stirred, but not provoked to think more deeply about the message of the cross and the kingdom of God, then we have not worshipped, we have merely attended a show.  My hope is that when we come together to worship the only show on stage is Jesus, crucified, buried, risen and exalted.  If we accomplish that in our time of worship, I will be more than happy.

As our band has progressed (and they are doing a tremendous job of leading us in worship) the tendency will be to exalt them, to praise them and honor them.  I think I can speak for everyone involved by saying - please don't do that!  Our highest goal has been, and will continue to be, that we would lift up Christ so that everyone at New Life on a given Sunday will have the opportunity to draw closer to him.

Next week we're going to look at the discipline of service.  I'm going to invite you to consider how your God-given gifts and talents could be used in service to the church and the community God has called us to serve. 

Once again, thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll continue to sense God's presence with you throughout your week!

Yup, It's Monday

I usually write the Monday blog from my office at home, while drinking a fresh cup of coffee and enjoying a slow, relaxed day.  Instead, today, I'm sitting in my office at the church, which has been pulled apart so I can have the Verizon guy come and install my new FiOS service for phone and internet.  I'm happy about the new service, not so happy about the disruption to the day.  Not to mention the lack of coffee.  Not to mention that pulling things away from walls in my office has given me the urge to embark on a complete office transformation...

Yesterday was the fourth Sunday in October, and as I've been doing all year, we paused in our sermon series on balance and talked about the big picture topic of redemption - this time from Ephesians chapter 1.  I definitely didn't feel like I fully connected all the dots that I wanted to in the message, but hope that the main point came across.  God has sealed every believer with the Holy Spirit as a deposit that guarantees your future redemption.  Everything that God has done in your life is activated by the work of the Spirit in your life, and it's critical that we submit to his working in us so that we can continue to freely give ourselves to living lives to the praise of God's glory and grace.

Redemption is not just personal, it's global, and we are just a part of the plan.  Chosen and predestined (we didn't really even get into that word) to be included in Christ and to work for his kingdom in the world now, and towards his kingdom in the world to come.  It's my hope that we'll continue to reflect this week on the Spirit's work in us as he applies the work of the cross and resurrection to our daily experience following Jesus.

I've been really encouraged by the word I'm hearing about so many people linking up together in our re:develop partnerships for discipleship.  As we partner together to share life, prayer, and study with one another I believe God is going to continue to shape our lives and character in a way that more fully reflects his glory in the world.  As we grow in these relationships, I think we'll continue to find God's Spirit speaking to us through the friends he gives us, which ultimately leads us to greater maturity in Christ.  I'm excited to see what will come out of these partnerships as they continue to grow and include others.

I'm looking forward to getting back to the balance series next week.  While the first three messages focused on personal disciplines for spiritual growth and balance in our lives, the next three will be more focused on corporate disciplines - the things we do together as a church that help keep our lives in balance.  This Sunday we'll talk about worship, then service and end with a message about confession.

Grace and Peace.

(Way too) Early Monday Morning

For the second time in less than a week, I woke up before 4 AM, tried unsuccessfully to fall back to sleep, then finally gave up and headed downstairs to accomplish some kind of work.  Last week it was my sermon; this week it was emails and a Monday morning blog post.

We're at a stage in the life of our church where it feels like each Sunday is better than the one before.  Every week we're seeing new faces as you keep inviting your friends, and every week we are having new opportunities to share our lives with other men and women looking for a message of life and hope.  I'm really excited about the ways that we are growing not just in numbers, but in depth and commitment in our relationship to God.

This week we continued in our series on balance, with an emphasis on fasting as a discipline for spiritual growth.  Of course, no one really likes to talk about fasting because it's a discipline that causes us to deny ourselves and our own desires, hopefully in an effort to understand better what God desires for us.  While I could never hope to give a full scale teaching on fasting in one sermon, I hope I did an adequate job of giving a big picture overview of fasting that would lead us deeper into our relationship with God.

We all have the tendency to elevate our own desires above God's desires; to relegate his concerns and plans for our lives to second (or fifth) place as what we want increasingly dominates our priorities.  Fasting is powerful medicine to that self-centered kind of thinking that can provide correction to our drifting, and can reconnect us to God's priorities for our lives.

So this week I encouraged each of us to spend some time in prayerful reflection about where our priorities have gotten off balance - where God and his Kingdom have fallen out of first place in our lives.  I thought that a good place to start would be by fasting a meal, and spending that time in the scriptures and in prayer as a way to prepare our hearts to hear what God might want to say to us about imbalance in our lives.  And then when God reveals those priorities of ours that are competing with his, we may want to intentionally say "no" to those (fast from them) so that we can increasingly say "yes" to God and his desires for our lives.

I hope you'll find the time to follow through with that commitment this week, and find your heart and mind being refreshed in God's presence and find your life being re-balanced around God's kingdom and will being done in your life.

As we go through the week, and you engage your heart this way, feel free to come back and leave a comment as to how God is reordering your priorities as a way of encouraging others, and challenging yourself to keep them in balance. 

Monday Reflections

I'm late to the blog because of my eye appointment this morning in which they dilated my pupils and left me unable to do much reading/computer work for a few hours after that.  So, I'll quickly blog my reflections from yesterday at New Life:

• It was great to have our full band together after a few weeks where we had missing pieces.  I love the way we continue to grow together and excel not only as musicians but in leading the church into worship.  I've said it so many times, but it really is a privilege to play with every one of them, and they are doing a great service for our church as they use their talents that way.
• We had 17 kids in our Kid's Church yesterday.  17!!  That's a whole lotta kids.  Our volunteers serving in Kid's Church and nursery are doing a fantastic job.  Their investment in the lives of the kids at New Life is very important, and they deserve a huge "thanks" for all they give each week.  We are really positioned as a church to have a great impact on families, which means that we have open doors to reach out to so many in our community who are looking for ways to lead their families in a way that is meaningful and eternally valuable. 
• Our attendance for the whole service yesterday was 107.  Now, believe me, I don't think you can measure everything by numbers, but numbers to me are not really numbers, but a representation of people that we are being able to impact.  That 107 is the highest attendance we've had in the nearly 10 years I've been pastor of New Life, so I was really encouraged to see that.  I believe God is doing something very significant at New Life, and I feel tremendously blessed to be a part of it.
• That said, as we grow, we're presented with a few challenges, not the least of which is where we put people.  One thing I can say is that if you show up earlier, you'll have a better chance of finding a seat!
• One of the biggest challenges we're wrestling with right now is that we need to do some work on our system for discipleship.  That's in the works right now, and we're putting a lot of effort into the Fall Focus night on October 18th for everybody to have an opportunity to see what we do for making disciples at New Life.  That's going to be at 6:00 PM and while we adults are talking discipleship on our level, the kids will be introduced to their new curriculum which begins November 1st.  You should definitely plan to be there for the 18th!
• I was off yesterday.  Chalk it up to a bad Sunday or whatever, but I never felt like I got into any kind of rhythm in my preaching.  And, as always, God works in spite of me just to remind me that it is not, and never will be, about me or my ability to preach and teach, but about God getting glory for himself.
• I cannot WAIT to see what happens next week!  I hope you're there to find out...

Early Morning Monday

All summer long, I look forward to the fall.  Now that it's here I remember why.  Not only do I much prefer the cooler weather, but fall has always felt like a growth time for me - a time when you refocus on new goals, and get energized for a long push in the right direction.  That's exactly how I feel about New Life right now.  We've seen some good, solid growth through the summer, and now we're working to put several things into place that will help us continue to sustain that momentum, and hopefully even expand on it further.

Yesterday was our Sunday to talk redemption, which I have thoroughly enjoyed all year long.  Taking a deeper look at that one topic, and turning it over from lots of different angles has been not only enjoyable for me as a teacher, but productive for me as a follower of Jesus.  We were in 1 Corinthians yesterday looking at the ways that redemption stands traditional distinctions between the "haves" and "have nots" on their heads.  God is not so much interested in siding with the ones who would typically be seen as wise and powerful, but instead uses the weak and foolish things of this world to demonstrate his glory and power in us.

Which does not mean that we're all weak and foolish - not any more than any other human being, at least.  God has certainly given us gifts and talents, and he has given some of us varying levels of influence even here in the current culture.  But what we've learned is that we can't measure ourselves by our own wisdom and power, and we can't compare ourselves to others on that basis either.  We've learned that when we come into the community of the church, the cross places us all on level ground.  We trust in Christ crucified alone for our salvation, and from that common ground we work together to accomplish his purpose in us.

I shared yesterday that I believe there are wiser, more influential pastors in the world, but there is not another one called to New Life like I am.  And we could look around at other churches and find that they have more resources, more money, more influence, smarter people and all of that - but we would be wise to understand that God has called all of us together to this place.  So what's important is not who is not here, but who is.  I wake up every day thanking God that he allows me to be part of what he's doing at New Life, and I really hope you feel the same way!

Next week we'll get started with a six week series on living a balanced life in an unbalanced world.  We're all extremely busy, but sometimes we get too busy to keep the disciplines of spiritual growth in place in our lives, and that leads us to living an unbalanced life.  So we're going to look at 6 spiritual disciplines that will help us restore balance:  the scriptures, prayer, fasting, worship, service and confession.  I hope you can join us for the start of that series next Sunday.

I hope to finish up my reflections on Nicaragua as we go through this week, so check back tomorrow for part 4 of that ongoing series of posts.

Until then - may his grace sustain you and his peace surround you.

Morning After Monday

I'm dragging just a little bit this fine Monday morning, due to getting home at about 3 this morning from the U2 concert.  As Rita and I drove home (finally on the highway) we agreed - the show was better than we could have imagined, and the traffic getting out was worse than we could have imagined.  I would think they could figure out a better way to move people out of those parking lots at Gillette, but I guess not.  Put it this way:  we spent more time getting out of the parking lot than we spent listening to U2...

Once again, Sunday proved to be a great day in the life of New Life.  Even down one guitar and drums the music was still good, and I felt like the message connected with people.  Actually, I had several people come up to me after service and mention how the talk hit them right where they were, which is ironic only because I felt like I really struggled through the whole thing.  I guess it's just further proof that God sometimes works in spite of us!

We finished up a short, two week series on Grace and Tolerance, which I thought was a good chance just to touch on the foundations of what we believe about grace - that God extends his grace to us in the cross of Christ, and that he then expects us to extend that same grace to others.  I really wish we all (myself included of course) could grasp that concept of grace in our relationship to God and our relationship with others, because it would really revolutionize the reputation of the church in the world. 

Next week we'll be back to part 9 of our year-long, once a month, series on Redemption.  This time we'll be looking at one of my favorite books of Scripture as we spend the morning in 1 Corinthians chapter 1.  So, if you're reading this and planning to be with us next Sunday, take a couple minutes and read through chapter 1, paying special attention to the place where Paul (finally) mentions redemption at the very end of the chapter.  In October we're going to start a three week series on finding balance in our lives, which will hopefully lead us to some careful reflection about how our relationship to Christ should inform the spiritual, mental and even physical aspects of our lives.

I'm also planning to spend some time each day this week using this space to blog (finally, I know) some of my reflections from the August trip to Nicaragua.  Looking forward to unpacking my own mind here in this public space.

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Back to Normal Monday

So, today's the first day I really feel like we're back to a normal week at home and at the church.  I led worship and taught at church yesterday, got the kids off to school for a full five day week, went to the Y, and now I'm editing the podcast and typing up my blog.  Yes, definitely feels like normal to me.  Now all I need is my midday coffee break, and I'll be completely content.

I thought we had a great day at New Life yesterday.  The music sounded good, I felt good about the teaching part, and the sense of community that I feel is such an important part of who we are was definitely there.  It's funny how, in some religious circles, the importance of community gets downplayed.  So much emphasis, even within Christianity, gets placed on the importance of your personal relationship to Jesus, that we at times devalue the significance of following Jesus with the community of people who surround us.  My time away from New Life has only heightened that awareness in my soul, and if only for that, I'm very grateful.

This week's message touched on the differences between grace and tolerance.  I shared that while tolerance is king as a cultural virtue, in the church, grace is king because we have a God who chooses the more active and difficult way of grace towards human beings.  I don't believe God's goal with us is to simply tolerate us even as I don't believe my goal as a parent is to simply tolerate my children.  God's goal is to live in loving relationship with us, and to that end he acted graciously in the cross to bridge the gap of separation between us and him.  A very real gap needed a very real solution; one which God provided in the gracious sacrifice of Christ.

This puts us on solid footing to continue growing in our relationship with him, and growing in the kind of character he wants to shape in us.  The whole process of transformation is a testament to his grace at work in us.  It's not that I have made something of myself, but that God has graciously made something of me.  This is the story of grace, and it's one I openly and gladly embrace as my own. 

Next week we'll look at the ways that grace can affect our relationships with other human beings, both within the church community and with those who are outside of the church community.  It should be another challenge for us to look ourselves in the mirror and ask if we're really acting graciously towards others.

That's all I have for now on this very average, typical Monday.  I suppose, however, that it's very possible that God has something very extraordinary and atypical up his sleeve for my day.  And, he just might have the same for you.  So, be on the lookout.  Grace is everywhere.  And grace is needed everywhere. 

Post Block Party Reflections

Three and a half years ago, in the middle of an eleven week series on our mission, vision and values, I shared these thoughts to close out my message on the vision principle that our church should be an active spiritual presence in our community:

“You see, I can envision that one day we throw a party in every neighborhood, school and college dorm in South Kingstown.  I can see us throwing the best parties in town, not because the alcohol flows freely, but because the Spirit of God flows freely among us as we celebrate the life that he gives.  I can envision a church that is the Spiritual Center of this community, that shows up for its own parties and actually invites its guests to participate in its life.  I can imagine a place where we are surrounded by people of all walks of life who are being changed by the presence of the living God at our neighborhood parties.”

I don't know that, in the intervening time, I had thought much about what I had written and spoken for that Sunday.  I do know that as I searched for words to share with our volunteers who showed up at 8:00 on Sunday morning God brought that message back to mind.  And I do know that what I saw this past Sunday was absolutely a step in that direction.

I saw a group of people who pulled together on one single effort, and made a huge impact.  I saw people letting God use them and their particular gifts to show the life and love that he has given us.  I saw a community that is truly a community in every sense of the word - a place where people feel like they truly belong.  And that, my friends, was a beautiful thing.

There were moments on Sunday when I looked out over the back yard of the church and saw it filled with life, heard the buzz of conversation, and saw the laughter and smiles on the faces of people I've known for ten years and others I had just met.  I was amazed and humbled at the same time to think that God was bringing something to pass that he had dropped in my soul years before. 

I believe this event will be for our church a sort of marking point; a place where we recall how good God has been to us, and a significant moment in our history as we point to what God has done and will continue to do among us.  To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm quite as ready for the ride as I think I should be, but I know that God is doing something special at New Life, and if I were you, I'd get prepared because this is only the beginning.

At this point, I think it's safe to say we just completed our "First ANNUAL Block Party" at New Life, and that we'll look forward to doing this again a year from now!  Thanks to all of you who volunteered your time and energy to make this day a success for us, I'm sure I'll be bragging on you for a while to come.

So this Sunday we're back to 10:30 for the service time.  Some of you are thrilled, and others will miss the early start time.  Either way, 10:30 it is this week!  For the next two weeks I'll be sharing some thoughts on the differences between grace and tolerance, and then at the end of the month we'll jump back into the waters of redemption to close out September.

Until Sunday, may his grace guide you, his peace sustain, and his arms give you rest.

Pre-Managua Monday

They say (whoever "they" are) that going overseas on a missions trip will be a life-changing experience.  Thirteen summers ago I spent three weeks out of the states on a trip with a large group from the bible college I attended.  We traveled to various cities in the country of Slovakia, which had, at the time, recently come out of communism.  In a few days I'll get ready to leave home again and spend 11 days in Nicaragua, fully expecting that my perspective on life will once again shift dramatically as a result.

So my last weekend at New Life for a while was another fulfilling one.  Friday night we had our third cafe/concert night.  It probably was the lowest attendance night for us yet, but I guess you have to account for the fact that it was a nice, summer night, which have been precious few around here lately, so I imagine people may have been otherwise engaged.  I think the folks who did show up enjoyed the time together, and as always, I had a great time playing with the band.

Sunday was another "redemption" Sunday, as this time I had the chance to directly deliver what you could truly call a "gospel" message.  We were in Romans 3, where Paul explains that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory; that there is no one who perfectly fulfills God's standards.  In response to that, instead of us having to find a way to satisfy God, he moves towards us in the greatest, most gracious way possible.  Through the cross of Christ he provides a sacrifice that, by faith, makes righteous those who receive that costly gift.  He freely offers redemption to the "all who have sinned", so that he can liberate us from sin's power in our lives, and bring us over into God's perfect righteousness.

I said yesterday that it really is at the heart of the gospel, which is bad news before it is good news.  But when it gets to the good news, it's really the best news of all.  We ended our time by sharing communion, remembering the cross which has purchased our freedom.  It was, in my mind, the most fitting way for me to get ready to take leave from our church for a couple of weeks.

So, for now:  "El Señor te bendiga y te guarde; el Señor te mire con agrado y te extienda su amor; el Señor te muestre su favor y te conceda la paz."