Category: General (page 3 of 13)

Putting in the Time

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15

God can instantly do many things for us, but most often the work of God involves waiting, patience, perseverance and a span of time. It’s a lot like physical conditioning. We all want a magic pill or some belt to wear while sleeping, when in fact, it actually takes time, perspiration and intentionality. There are no shortcuts or drive-thru lines with God or for our mid-life bellies. We have to put in the time.

Now that I am in my 40’s, I have paid a lot more attention to my health. I exercise six days a week, usually here at home. Most days, I do not feel motivated or excited about the elliptical experience or the weight machine, but out of discipline, I put in the time. I know that if I eat less fried food, and more green and orange stuff, I will feel better and live longer. Day by day, week by week, over the course of time, I will feel the benefits, but not always instantly.

As Americans, we tend to lean toward the instant, just-add-water methods of health. We want our fitness like we want our food – packaged and ready right now. In fact, most of us would probably starve to death if our driver side window ever broke. We worship microwaves, but God tends to lean toward marinades.

It is only in the last 50 years that Americans have lost touch with this idea. Our ancestors understood the process of food production and were less bothered when a restaurant actually cooked the food after it was ordered instead of retrieving it from a rack under a heat lamp. Waiting was not seen as a curse, instead, the chasm of time actually allowed people to relax and talk while others cooked and served. It was treat to get a reprieve from kitchen duty.

The crop Jesus mentioned in the above verse came only after someone had plowed the soil, planted seed,  waited patiently for the rain, diligently pulled the weeds and then was willing to wait patiently for germination. Waiting on the unseen takes faith and that is exactly why God does not always give us the answer in an instant. He wants us to put in the time and then trust Him when His work is seemingly invisible.

We must allow due time and space for worship, working, and unhurried conversations with those we love. The way to the harvest is most often in a waiting room and less often on a freeway. I cannot guarantee flat bellies for everyone, but I can guarantee that God is always faithful, especially to people who are willing to persevere.

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Announcing NewLifeDowntown!!

This is a guest blog by Pastor Glenn Packiam, who will lead NewLifeDowntown, starting Easter Sunday.

As Pastor Brady announced yesterday, the elders are commissioning a new campus for New Life Church that I serve as the pastor for. Here’s a little more about our vision and the details.

VISION
:
1. This is not a church plant.
We have had the privilege of sending many of our pastors to plant churches over the past few years. We love and believe in that vision. This, however, is not a church plant. This is an extension of New Life Church. This is a new “campus”– the word literally means “field” in Latin! It is a new ground for us to till, a new garden to tend, a new place for the Lord to bring about flourishing in the hearts and lives of the people of God. With shared resources and staff, our downtown congregation can make the most of all the conferences, events and ministries that happen up at the main New Life campus
.

2. This is about fostering community.
A new “field”– campus– can sometimes allow a stronger communal identity to form. In the midst of a thriving large church, people often form smaller, mid-size communities where they worship, connect and serve together. In way, these are like several “micro-congregations” that together form a large church. NewLifeDowntown is a way to form community within the New Life Church family, to make meaningful relationships and walk with others as we follow Jesus. As is often the case with a community of people, culture trumps location. So, this new campus is not about defining ourselves by a zip code. You may find yourself connecting in community here even though you live in a different part of the city, as I do! But more than location and culture, Jesus trumps all loyalties. We have many ideals of community that we bring to “church”, and yet, as Bonhoeffer wrote, we must have a certain disillusionment with those ideals in order for Christ to be the defining center of our community, of our connection, of our “life together” as the people of Go
d.

3. This is about facilitating mission.
There are many reasons that may keep a person from coming up to the main New Life Church campus, size and distance being among the common ones. Part of our goal with NewLifeDowntown is to embody the mission of Christ by being in a different part of our city. This isn’t about “reaching the downtown;” this is about being the people of God in the heart of our city. Because we believe in an incarnational approach to mission, we want the people of God to embody Christ in different ways right where they are. We gather to “Come and See;” we scatter to “Go and Be.” This new campus is a way to Go and Be.  Who knows? Maybe this will be a way to remove the barriers for many who have yet to see the light of Christ shi
ne.

DETAILS:
About the Church Bu
ilding
The building was owned by the first African-American church in our city (AME), built in 1897 on land donated by General Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs. While the congregation has moved to a different location, the building was bought by the Garden of the Gods Gourmet company who now use it as an event center (It’s wonderful to weddings!). They have completley remodeled it, and restoring some of its most beautiful features. They have graciously allowed us to rent the building on Sunday mornings for our
use.

About the Church Service
We will start with services at 9am and 11am on Sunday, Apri
l 8th.

There will be full children’s ministry, with the same curriculum as used at the main New Life Church campus. There will be three classes: one for newborns to toddlers, one for pre-school to kindagrten, and one for 1st and 2nd graders.

Worship will feature many of same songs we know and love at New Life Church, but will be led in a more rootsy, folk-acoustic sort of way. The room as very “live” acoustics that lend a natural musical approach.

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Which Master are We Serving?

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7 (NIV)

Debt is the new master of our culture. It rules over many of our homes, it certainly dominates our federal and state governments, but sadly it is now the master of many of our churches. Proverbs warned us about this and told us plainly that when debt is the master, the poor are enslaved and we become servants to a master that is not always kind.

New Life Church has $23 million of debt after building our current meeting space and purchasing some other properties. When the decision was made to borrow the money eight years ago, the church was growing really fast and giving was on the increase. The leaders felt the debt was manageable and could be paid off easily in a few years. It was a solid decision at the time.

Since then, our church has suffered through a scandal, a shooting and a shrinking local economy. Suddenly what was once manageable became the master that has kept us from some vital ministry opportunities in our city and world. When we wanted to serve the poor, we instead, had to send in mortgage payments to a credit union.

This past Sunday, our church took a historic first step to move the mountain of debt, and we will, with God’s wisdom and help. It may take days, months or even years, but we are determined to be debt free, untangled from the world system of debt and interest payments and better yoked with real kingdom purposes.

Proverbs 22:7 confronts what most of us have chosen to believe — that immense debt has no consequences, but it does. Imagine what our churches could do if we focused as much on solving the housing shortage that keeps the working poor in the shadows, living in cars with their children, as we did dreaming up the next building project to expand our campuses?

I am not against big buildings because large, growing families need space to meet and to do ministry. I just want balance. I want us to live simple lives, avoiding extravagance, especially when it keeps us from the real ministry of Jesus in our cities. If Jesus saw a working single mom living in a car with her children, he would buy apartment complexes and then maybe, a place for them to worship, later.

What has the debt at our churches kept us from doing in our cities? That’s the big question we’re answering right now at New Life. It has been revelatory for me to talk with our people about this. The light has come on for all of us and we’re beginning to imagine and dream about ministry that can really change people’s lives.

Let’s make sure we are serving the right master, not a world system that gives us easy money and then makes us servants who then have to ask permission to do the things we have already been told to do by our true Master.

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Stories from the Dream Center

We are still a few weeks away from the public grand opening of our first Dream Center, but we are already hearing amazing stories from the women who are coming to the clinic. Our medical team began seeing a few patients about a month ago to get ready for the hundreds of women who will come once the public is made aware.

One of the first patients was a young lady who was out of work, sick, and really needed a miracle. A New Lifer told her mom about the medical clinic and she went there for help. She said afterwards, “I have hope, they really cared about me, they made me feel special. I had no idea there was such a place. The people were wonderful.”

A young, spanish-speaking lady showed up at the clinic and told us that she had never been to a doctor, ever. She had been sexually assaulted last year, but had never gone to a doctor for treatment. We were able to help her with blood work, annual exams, and gave her treatment for severe acid reflux.

Another young lady came to the clinic suffering from high blood pressure and was unable to get her prescriptions because she had been laid off from work. She was supposed to take her meds twice a day, but was only taking them a few times a week because she could not afford the refills. We were able to get her prescriptions filled for $4 a month.
All three of these ladies either wrote down additional prayer requests or asked for one of our volunteers to pray with them at the clinic. What a great opportunity to not only meet the practical needs of women in our city who would otherwise go untreated, but to also be a reflection of Jesus.
Thanks for all your prayers and support for this first Dream Center. I am so proud of the hundreds of volunteers who have made this happen. If you have not seen the clinic, join me for the grand opening on Sunday, July 31st from 3pm to 6pm. We will have more details later this month.
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God and Science

Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind. – Albert Einstein

A few weeks ago, I underwent open heart surgery to replace my pulmonary valve. As a part of the protocol, I also went through four other cardiac procedures that were all designed to diagnose and correct various issues in my heart. I am also the owner of a Defibrillator, which was installed in my chest and will restart my heart should it stop for some reason.

This is not my first encounter with the marvels of medical science. I was born with a faulty valve in 1967 and because of a legendary doctor named Denton Cooley, I survived when most other children did not. In fact, there were five other children who had surgery on the same day as me. A girl from Romania and myself were the only survivors. At the time, Cooley’s approach to surgery on children was considered bold and brilliant.

I am a pastor of a church that most would call conservative and evangelical. We certainly place a high value on the Holy Scriptures, we pray for miracles, and we trust that God is in control of our lives. I also believe in the power of Science. Not because Science somehow trumps the sovereignty of the Almighty, but because, I believe science is the created expression of the God I follow.

When I realized surgery was inevitable, my first response was to pray. I told friends, my family and then I told my church family. Our first response was to pray. Then, I began to look for the best possible surgeons, cardiologists and hospitals. I ended up at a hospital that is considered the best in my state, my surgeon has over 30 years experience with my type of operation and my cardiologist is double board certified and uniquely qualified to care for my particular case.

I never once thought that embracing medical science was somehow denying my faith. I actually believed my faith was leading me into into good science.

On the morning of the surgery, my family gathered around my bed, prayed for me and then left for the waiting room. I never felt a moment of panic and fear. I was at peace because I knew my prayers had led me to the best care possible. My ultimate trust was not in the people wearing hospital scrubs, but in the God who had given them unique minds to understand and implement medical science.

I don’t remember talking with the hospital staff about church or theology before the surgery and I don’t think any of them knew I was a pastor. Afterwards, some of the local media reported on my surgery and then a few of them shared their faith with me. They all believed that God had led them into their field, so they could help people.

I realize there are some Christians who will judge me as someone with little faith. I will lose no sleep. These are the same people who drive across bridges without giving one thought to the miracle of engineering that is required for such convenience. They will also get on an airplane without any understanding of how a machine weighing many tons can lift off the ground.

We cannot admire some fields of science, while demonizing others. All of it is a gift from a creative God who formed each of us in the womb of our mother with special abilities. Science is not a replacement of God, but an expression of his complex and compassionate nature.

Could God completely heal my body, preventing me from a 6-week ordeal of surgery and recovery? Yes. There is plenty of documented evidence of God breaking into our fragmented bodies and restoring the broken places.

God also uses His own creations to bring healing to people. He uses technology, medicines, and the marvels of the human mind to bring Him the glory he deserves. He is the God of science, not the servant of science.

I am on the way to a full recovery. Looking back, I am thankful that God led me into the care of some great medical professionals. I am also thankful that God was with me every step of the way. I trust the wisdom of the prophet Isaiah who also saw God at work, even among those we call wise.

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

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The Shallow End of the Pool

After 15 years of serving as a pastor, I still get mildly aggravated when someone says they wish I would teach on deeper topics and not camp out so often on the stuff the mature already know. I do believe there are a handful of scholars sitting each week in a crowd our size and I can see their point. I have never been mistaken for Wright, Peterson or Nouwen, although I read their stuff. What most people are really saying is this: “Would you speak more often about the narrow list of topics in Scripture that I think are most important.”

I will pause here for a moment for you to repent. Selah.

When I stand before my fellowship, I see a big swimming pool, with a shallow end, a deep end and a kiddie pool off to the side. The shallow end is full of young, wide eyed, babies and toddlers. Some of them of them have those giant floaties that make their arms stick straight out. Their parents were wise enough to not take them down to the deep end and just throw them in the water. That would be at best foolish and at worse, lethal.

Most of these parents are expert swimmers who could easily navigate the deeper end, but they are actually content down in the shallow end, splashing about with the young they have produced, hoping the water will not frighten them away from an aquatic world of fun.

The kiddie pool off to the side is there for the very young who probably are years away from learning to swim. Most of them them are lugging around a diaper that’s as large as a Scion. They probably tried the shallow end, but all the amateurish splashing scared them away so they retreated to the safest of all places which was only few feet away.

Before you tell your pastor you want deeper teaching, consider a couple of questions.

1. When was the last time you brought a spiritual baby to church and saw them get the baby stuff for the first time? In fact, instead of asking your pastor for deeper teaching, go ask him who you could help teach. I promise he will have a long list of candidates for you to prayerfully consider helping.

2. Are you solely depending on a 30-40 talk once a week to go deeper? Because of the internet, we literally have millions of hours of study from the worlds best scholars. At New Life, we have small groups, an extension campus for Kings College and Seminary plus other classes taught by really smart people who tackle some of the deepest stuff imaginable.

Most pastors I know are fascinated by the deep topics and would love nothing more than to explore these with you each week. But the deep end is not for everyone, not yet. Because I am pastor of the expert swimmer and the toddler with the floaties and Scion diapers, I need to spend time in both ends of the pool every week. Splashing babies almost always become swimming adults, I promise.

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Surgery Update – Brady Comes Home

I finally checked out of a Denver hospital after 8 days and arrived home for continued recovery yesterday (June 17). It is really great to be with Pam and the kiddos and surrounded by the familiar sounds of my own home. Surgery to replace my pulmonary valve was successful. I now just have to get over the guilt of eating beef, since a cow’s aorta was used as the replacement.

Six days after my surgery, some additional tests were run and it was determined it would be best for me to have a Defibrillator, which was installed on the same day. This device simply corrects any rhythms that could be harmful to me in the future. It is better to have one and not need it, than to need one and not have one.

Thanks for all your prayers. Here are some requests for right now.

1. Pray that my body will receive the defibrillator without any complications or infections.

2. Pray that that my heart will adapt to the new and improved function and that my strength would increase.

3. Pray for Pam who to has to give me care.

I look forward  to seeing all of you soon. God bless.

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Yes, I am Having Heart Surgery

On Sunday, I told my New Life family that I would be taking a few weeks off from my role as pastor to take care of an issue with my heart. Not my spiritual heart, but my physical, real-life beating one. I will be having pulmonary valve replacement surgery on June 10th at an area hospital. I will be in the hospital for 5-7 days and recovering at home for 4-6 weeks. This surgery is fairly common and the prognosis for a full recovery is very good. In fact, my doctors say I will have more energy than ever after the surgery. So get ready for Turbo Brady in July!

In both Sunday morning gatherings I detailed my life journey as a heart patient and at the end, the elders and the church family gathered around me for prayer. I am so thankful to belong to a close knit church who embraces the power of faith and family. If you want to hear my story and see the prayer time, click here.

I am scheduled for two pre-surgery procedures in the the next few weeks, plus I plan to spend a few days with my family on vacation so I can begin the surgery journey rested. While I am gone, we will continue the sermon series, “This is My Story” with some incredible speakers who have amazing testimonies of miracles and redemption. Here is the speaking schedule:

May 29th – Tom Davis, the founder of Children’s Hope Chest and a key partner with New Life in serving orphans and the poor around the world.

June 5th – Pastor Jimmy Evans, the pastor of Trinity Fellowship in Amarillo and a New Life Overseer will share his story.

June 12th – Britt Hancock, a New Life missionary to Mexico who has incredible firsthand stories of miracles and salvations among the Indian people.

June 19th – Jim Daly, the president of Focus on the Family will share his story of being raised in the foster system and discovering God as dad.

June 26th – Ross Parsley will return to speak for the first time since leaving New Life to plant One Chapel in Austin, TX

July 3rd – Dave Roever, a decorated Vietnam veteran will share his powerful story of finding God in the midst of great tragedy.

July 10th – David Perkins, our youth pastor, will continue our study of the book of Luke

July 17th – I hope to return.

I am thankful for a great team of leaders at New Life who will lead well in my absence. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I will try to post regular updates here or you can get real time updates from me on Twitter @PastorBrady

Health and peace to all of you. God is with us and He is for us.

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The Future of the Local Church – Updated

In the past ten years, I have witnessed remarkable changes in the local church and the coming decade will usher in even more transformations.While the ancient Sacraments will remain, everything else is up for debate. How we worship, when we gather, what is said, who is leading and where the gatherings happen will all undergo scrutiny and debate.

I have four predictions for the next decade of local church.

1. The places where we gather will become smaller

Every social and cultural trend is leaning toward the smaller, more intimate gatherings and away from the stadium worship experience. Mega churches that purposely create numerous worship settings that promote intimacy and community will see the most significant growth. There will always be a group of church people who will come to the big building, but if we want to see significant growth among skeptics and seekers, we must create less threatening venues for them to explore the issues of faith.

2. The church will be launched into real mission.

The local church is hungry to embrace the mission of the New Testament and this will only increase in the next decade. This next generation is tired of the hype of events and is eager to give their lives to something that requires sacrifice and results in biblical justice. They want to get their hands in the dirt of humanity and see real change in the communities where they live. They will come to the church building for some of the attractional events, but will get disillusioned quickly if these events do not result in real opportunities to serve their world.

3. The church will return to its ancient roots

If it’s new, it’s probably not truth. If its truth, it’s probably not new. I believe the ancient, yet simple recipe of local church will return. We will gather often, read the Scriptures, worship intently, pray fervently, be led by servants, live authentically, and honor the Sacraments. For sure, we will continue to be creative and inventive, but not at the expense of the ancient structure which has transcended all generations for over 2000 years.

4. The church will return to wonder and awe

The churches that embrace the miraculous nature of God will see the most growth and have the most influence in the coming decade. Good preaching, trendy stage sets, and clever videos will not be enough in the next ten years because people want to see God intervene more and more in the affairs of the earth with miracles and healings. Sound theology must prevail and we must not return to our sloppy Charismatic tendencies, but we must also embrace the mysterious and risky nature of God and not be afraid of wonder and awe. While the Holy Spirit may be unpredictable, the results are always predictable – people will find God, people will be healed and people will discover real freedom.

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Fear No Evil – Chapter Three

For the next several weeks, I am introducing some excerpts from my first book from Zondervan, Fear No Evil which releases in April.

This is from Chapter 3.

First Samuel 17 tells the story of the teenage-version of the psalmist David trying to talk King Saul into letting him charge into battle and take out the infamous giant Goliath, who for more than a month had been taunting the Israelites and mocking their God. The stakes of Saul’s decision were sky-high; whoever won in the fight against Goliath would claim victory for the entire battle. And David thought Saul would be wise to send a mere boy to accomplish this feat? Admittedly, David had a tough sales job in front of him.

In an effort to persuade the king, David began to rattle off his resume. Here is what he said: “Your servant has been keeping watch over his father’s sheep. And when a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it and struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth….”

Allow me to push “pause” on David’s speech for a second. Clearly I am no parks-and-wildlife expert, but this much I know: when a bear has food in its mouth, it is best not to attempt to remove it. This is a helpful piece of advice, don’t you think?

But David never once followed it.

“And when it turned on me,” he continued, as if it was a shocking turn of events for a provoked bear to fight back, “I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.”

It’s important to note here that David wasn’t referring to a mere bear cub. He was talking about a mature bear that he killed with his own two hands. And his slingshot, I suppose.

Every time I read about David’s courageous feats in the wild, I imagine what the other sheep in David’s father’s flock thought when they saw their shepherd take down a wild, angry bear. I happen to believe that they comprised the most trash-talking bunch of sheep around. I envision them sauntering up to lions and tigers and bears all over their neighborhood, saying, “You see what just happened to your buddy, Frank? Mm-hmmm. That’s our shepherd, boys! You want a piece of the action? Huh? You want some of this?”

In far more reverent ways, this is exactly how I feel when I walk through life with God. As I take each step of the journey by his side, I consider what he has done to those throughout history who have tried to mock him, and to Satan and all of his evil demons, I whisper, “Hey, boys. You want some of this?”

My friend, this is the same way you have to envision yourself. The God of all creation is flanking you on the left and on the right. He has gone before you, he promises to stay the course with you, and he has your back like nobody here on earth can. Our Shepherd—the Good Shepherd, our God—is the only one who can help us find the mountaintop when we find ourselves stumbling through the dark. There is a mountaintop, I assure you. But sometimes that long-awaited peak can only be appreciated when it is found as a result of enduring the valley first.

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