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So I haven't posted here in a few weeks.  Been CRAZY busy with youth ministry as we head in to the school year and with worship stuff as our church transitions from separated worship services to one combined blended service.  I'll write about that soon enough, but here's a quick glimpse in to some big things going on in my head/heart/life lately:

- Relationships still beat programming/planning/production any day.  This summer we didn't have a trip/camp/getaway like we usually do in YM, so the overwhelming majority of my focus this summer was on building and strengthening relationships with the students in our ministry.  Whether it was eating lunch or dinner, hanging at church, bummin' around WalMart, shooting videos, or whatever, I re-learned this summer that the most effective youth ministry strategy is still relationships!

- Just because God is quiet doesn't mean that He's not working.  I'm still waiting for the big AHA revelation from God I've sensed looming under the surface for over a year now - a new leading in a fresh direction for Trisha and I and our ministry.  While a big spiritual breakthrough has yet to come, I've definitely been feeling the rumblings in the ground around me - so to speak - which let's me know that God is laying a foundation, cultivating seeds, and preparing some sort of a harvest.  If this all sounds very vague, spiritual, or metaphorical to you, it's because it's hard to put in to words some of these feelings.  But after all is said and done, I know I'll look back on this last year or so and realize what God was doing all along!

- Change is hard, but oh so necessary.  As we make a lot of transitions all over the place at FBCCS, I'm reminded how hard change really is.  But I'm also reminded that it's so necessary if we want to continue to grow and keep up with the movement of God in our community.  God never says "enough" and is happy to stand still, but instead His Spirit is always moving in fresh and new directions, bringing the life-changing power of the Gospel to people in ways that only He could!  While there are certain aspects of faith tradition and daily Christian life that should always be treasured and honored, there is also a need for us to be ready to change when God leads us to!

That's just a bit.  So much more is going on right now, but I'll have to write about that later!

For now,

- Tim B.
 
Some tough to swallow but wholly intriguing words from Sally Morgenthaler, author of several books - most prominently Worship Evangelism.

- Tim

 
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Last Friday was the "Day of Silence" - a day set aside to recognize the bullying/oppression/persecution of anyone who identifies themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transsexual.  I had wanted to write some thoughts on the day since we work with many students who are gay or lesbian or struggling with their sexuality in some way or another, but couldn't find the words to do an entire blog post on it.

Luckily our friends at Dare2Share posted a great article on the Soul Fuel section of their website, and I'd love to pass on the link to you.  You can click right here to check out their thoughts, and I'd love to hear any of your thoughts in a comment on this post!

- Tim
 
This Easter season our church has launched a pretty massive marketing campaign called "Find It Here".  The campaign is designed to engage people in a multitude of ways - tangibly and through media outlets - with a simple, straightforward invitation to attend a church service (specifically Easter Sunday service) at FBC Cold Spring.

The state community of churches we belong to - the Kentucky Baptist Convention (www.kybaptist.org) - has put out 30-second TV and radio spots that will air in the several weeks leading up to Easter.  On the local-end of things, we distributed around 3,000 door-hanging bags to as many homes in the community surrounding our church.  Each bag contains both a Find It Here pamphlet and a half-page sheet with information on our Easter weekend events/services and an upcoming revival the week after Easter (which I just so happened to design - check it out below!).

I'm really interested to see how effective this campaign is.  In the past I've done a lot of neighborhood canvassing for Vacation Bible School, Sports Camps, and other children's activities, and only met with mild success.  However, this campaign has so many facets to it - the TV and radio spots, a strong online element, and then the local touch of door-to-door delivery (which always leads to at least a few one-on-one conversations in neighborhoods).

I hope we'll see much fruit over the next few weeks!
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