Video Annoucements for 11.15.09

The Great Encourgagement

The following prayer is from a book titled, The Valley of Vision. It is a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. I find it a wonderful resource for me at times when words in my faith journey fail me. The full collection can be found at the Banner of Truth website under devotions.

Glorious God,

I bless thee that I know thee.

I once lived in the world, but was ignorant

of its Creator,

was partaker of thy providences, but knew not

the Provider,

was blind while enjoying the sunlight,

was deaf to all things spiritual, with voices

all around me,

understood many things, but had no knowledge

of thy ways,

saw the world, but did not see Jesus only.

O happy day, when in thy love’s sovereignty

thou didst look on me, and call me by grace.

Then did the dead heart begin to beat,

the darkened eye glimmer with light,

the dull ear catch thy echo,

and I turned to thee and found thee,

a God ready to hear, willing to save.

Then did I find my heart at enmity to thee,

vexing thy Spirit;

Then did I fall at thy feet and hear thee thunder,

‘The soul that sinneth, it must die’,

But when grace made me to know thee,

and admire a God who hated sin,

thy terrible justice held my will submissive.

My thoughts were then as knives cutting my head.

Then didst thou come to me in silken robes of love,

and I saw thy Son dying that I might live,

and in that death I found my all.

My soul doth sing at the remembrance of

that peace;

The gospel cornet brought a sound unknown

to me before that reached my heart – and I lived –

never to lose my hold on Christ or his hold on me.

Grant that I may always weep to the praise of

mercy found,

and tell to others as long as I live,

that thou art a sin-pardoning God,

taking up the blasphemer and the ungodly,

and washing them from their deepest stain.

Deacon Video

Scare Away Hunger

Scare Away Hunger from Scare Away Hunger on Vimeo.

9.13..09 Announcements

Announcements
September 13, 2009

FBC Men’s Summit-- Character Counts
October 11th 2:30pm-430pm
One of the biggest challenges men face daily is their Character: doing what is right no matter what the circumstance. Rod Handley speaker and author of Character Counts- Who’s Counting Yours and Transparent Living; Living a Life of Integrity will lead us to look at our lives, character and accountability. Mark your calendar, make it a priority, and be there!


BRIDGES Begins Today!
This is a 6-session DVD Small Group Study that provides biblical insight into Islamic history and Muslim beliefs, while providing useful next steps and stories that help you put the teaching into practice. You will learn how to take similar concepts in Christianity and Islam and create a “bridge” to build relationships with the Muslims in your community. The material is also valuable to those seeking to build on what they already know about Muslims. Please sign up through the “Current Event” section of the website.


Discipleship U (Discipleship University)
The Discipleship Ministry is committed to helping equip those who come to FBC McKinney to follow Christ and mirror His character to the world around us. It is because of this commitment that we are offering classes as part of Discipleship U (Discipleship University). These short classes are meant to offer targeted training and equipping to specific needs to help us seek to demonstrate the love of Christ. Registration is required and available on-line. Here are some classes that are coming soon.

“Feeding the Mouth that Bites You” - Room 1205 – 11:15 – 9/27 & 10/4
Unfortunately a teenagers’ behavior often just doesn’t seem to make sense. A great deal of confusion and difficult decisions can be eased if parents have a clear understanding of what makes their adolescent “tick”. During this 2 week study Psychologist Dr. Ken Wilgus will give you practical help with understanding, communicating, and setting limits with your teenager.

“The Holy Spirit” - The Fireside Room – 11:15 – 9/27, 10/4 & 10/11
Genie? Force? Angel or Spirit? Life in the Kingdom of God depends on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. But few Christians today understand who the Spirit is and what he does in the lives of believers. In this three week unit we take a look at who or what the Spirit that Christ promised to send is and how the lives of believers are never the same once they have encountered Him. Led by Marcus Smith.

Community Group Leaders Meeting

We are gathering Community Group leaders together for a time of encouragement, Q & A, and brief direction setting. We will also be distributing new group member information to help you grow your group. You will not want to miss this time!

We are offering two options. You can either come Wednesday, September 9th, at 6:30 PM or Sunday, September 13th, at 5:00 PM. Both meetings are being hosted at Eric Kuykendall’s house which is near the church. Children are welcome to attend. Please let Blake Boring know which you are planning on attending at Blake.Boring@fbcmckinney.com.

Five Questions That Kill Discussion

This post is from Leadership Journal.net. Thought that you might have found it helpful.




Five Questions That Kill Discussion
Fostering conversation vital for every small group.
Terry Powell

Monday, July 27, 2009

Good questions are a staple of any worthwhile small-group discussion. They should be clear, using words that are easy to understand and that do not produce ambiguity. They should accurately uncover what God intended for the biblical text. They should be sensitive to the needs and life situations of your group members. And they should motivate people to think a little more deeply than they're used to thinking.

Of course, asking constructive questions is only the first step in building and maintaining discussion. The second step is avoiding the destructive questions that can tear any good conversation apart.

Below are five types of questions that can kill small-group discussions. (All of the example questions refer to Matthew 4:1-11.) These examples can help as you train small group leaders to foster transformative conversations in their groups.

Subjective questions

Some small-group leaders unintentionally transfer authority from the Bible to group members by instructing them to look inward for meaning rather than investigating the text.

Poor question: What does verse 11 mean to you?
Better question: How does verse 11 show God the Father's sensitivity to the Son?

Long-winded questions

Questions get long when a group leader attempts to stuff several facts into a question so that group members will give the appropriate answer. But that kind of information is more easily assimilated by group members when it is put in the form of introductory statements.

Poor question: Looking at how the devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness, what specific qualities and strategies of spiritual warfare does he demonstrate that could also be used against us?
Better question: The tactics Satan used against Jesus will also be used against us. What strategies did Satan demonstrate in this episode?

Leading questions

Rather than inciting curiosity, these questions may insult the intelligence of your group members. A leading question sags under the weight of your own opinion or predetermined notion, and the way you ask such a question actually reveals the answer that you want to hear. They usually call for a yes or no response that kills conversation. "Don't you think … " or "Isn't … " are typical ways of beginning a leading question.

Poor question: Don't you think the timing of Satan's attack on Jesus was significant?
Better question: This episode occurs immediately following Jesus' baptism and right before the launch of his public ministry. What can we learn about our enemy from the timing of his attacks on Jesus?

Compound questions

Resist the impulse to fling back-to-back questions at your group without waiting for a reply to the first one. Either they will be confused about which question to answer first, or they will forget the first question by the time you finish the second. One question at a time!

Poor question: What did Jesus experience right before the first temptation, and what does this timing tell us about Satan?
Better question: What did Jesus experience right before the first temptation? [Pause for replies.] What does the timing of this first temptation tell us about Satan?

Compulsory personal questions

We want small-group participants to reinforce biblical truths with anecdotes from their lives. We want them to reveal needs exposed by God's Word so the group can pray specifically for them. Yes, transparency is a vital sign of small-group health. But it's a bad idea to drop a question that requires transparency in the lap of an unsuspecting person.

Poor question: Marge, you've been a Christian for a few years. Can you tell us how you've experienced Satan's warfare against you?
Better question: Can anyone illustrate the persistence of Satan's attacks from your walk as a Christian?

Terry Powell is author of Now That's a Good Question! (Standard, 2007) and a regular contributor to www.SmallGroups.com.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
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