Mother's Day Tips

We will be showing this video in our service this weekend to help you prepare for Mother's Day. Thought I would go ahead and post it for you to enjoy a little early. Blog reader privilege. Pretty funny one!

Depression? Anxiety? Emotionally Low?

This Sunday we continue in our Staying Connected Message series.

Title: "Staying Connected When I am Feeling Low"

We are going to look at Elijah and Paul. Two examples of guys that knew a thing or two about depression, anxiety and feeling low.

In I Kings 19, Elijah goes through some full blown depression stages. This Sunday, we will examine this and see how God handled it.

What is the best response to depression?

How does God treat it?

What role should medicine play?

How do we balance practical tools and spiritual power?

See you Sunday! Hope that we learn a few things together from scripture!!

Bless you!

CCF Information Technology!

I am increasingly convinced that God has already sent us many of the people that we need to do what we need to do as a church. They are here. We just have not found some of them yet.

For example...I KNOW that there are some CCF members and partners are out there that work in the Information Technology field. Are you one? Do you know one? If so, reveal yourself or rat someone else out. Please come out of the wood work.

We are looking for some people that will join Perry Lynch on our IT Team really soon! Are you out there? You will be assisting by responding to trouble tickets from the staff along with a team of other IT folk!

Email me at noahkaye@capitalchristian.org or leave a comment here and let us know! Come on, you can do it. If it is not you, snitch on someone else that you know is an IT guy or gal!

Davis in Concert!!!

Oh em gee!! This video of Davis that Tricia recorded on her MacBook and posted to youtube is soooo stinkin' cute! Check it out:

Two Debuts this Sunday

There are going to be two things making their debuts at CCF this Sunday:

New Service Endings:
After years (literally) or not really being satisfied with how we close our services at CCF, we have finally landed on a plan that is consistent with our vision and that I am very, very excited about. At the close of every Sunday service, the church will be invited to respond in one of 3 ways:

1. Love God! Stay in the Worship Center, at the altar or at your seat. Pray alone or with a prayer partner. Connect to God, love on Him and experience his love. The Worship Space will be dedicated to loving God at the close of each service!
2. Love People! The lobby, the halls, the parking lot, local restaurants and your homes are great settings to love each other and build relationships. We will ask that those wishing to connect in relationship will head out of the Worship Center and go for it! It is our vision and it is sacred! Love on each other, church!
3. Live as Disciples! Discipleship is about following after Jesus and taking steps of growth in Him. Each Sunday we will encourage those people wanting to take the next step in their relationship with God and CCF to head out to the lobby and connect with our EntryPoint coaches at the EntryPoint Lounge.
   

Which naturally leads me to tell you about the second thing that will be debuted this Sunday...

New EnrtyPoint Lounge:
When you come into the building this Sunday, you will see an attractive EntryPoint Lounge in the opposite corner than the Welcome Center. There will be couches, lamps, and a comfy place to hang out along a BIG EntryPoint Banner. You will not miss it. Coaches will be there to assist people after every service.

It is thrilling to watch the way that our vision is positively impacting everything that we do!! See you Sunday!

--Pastor Noah

"The bigger, the smaller" and "The more, the less"

Sometimes I throw some things out here that I am still testing and learning. Over the last few years, I have noticed a tremendous amount of (positive) change in the culture of CCF. It has been an amazing journey to see the transitions in an established congregation.

Here are a few things that I have read about and been told about, but seeing it happen before my eyes has been more powerful (in a good way). Again, I am still testing some of this, but I am beginning to think that:

The more open and communicative leaders are (even about bad stuff), the less suspicious people are of them. This is one of the reasons I blog! People just want to know what's up.

The bigger a church gets, the smaller the business meetings get! One Lead Pastor recently told me that when they were 50 people, 50 people came to the Business meetings. Now that they are 1,200, 20 people come to the business meeting. And this is a very healthy church, trust me!

The more a church grows and produces fruit, the less people feel the need to be involved in every decision. When trust increases, need for control decreases.

Basically, here is my developing theory: If a church is healthy, the more it grows, the less people feel the need to be involved in vision decisions, ministry decisions, business meetings, etc. The larger you get, the more people want to just be discipled, make relationships and help make the vision happen!! They trust the leaders more and let them lead (unlike many small churches where people think that they need to do the leading and make all the decisions themselves). Let me know if you find a healthy church of over 500 with a congregational rule where the people make all the decisions. The larger you get, the fewer people are at the table to make the decisions, but the right people must be there!

Disclaimer: this post is not intended to advocate for dictatorial leadership, which is not Biblical, rather it is advocating for healthy leadership where the right people are at the table at the right times. Additionally, good leaders are always listening!!

Let's Talk About Sex

Okay. I posted this link last night from Twitter. However, I am not sure how many of you actually click on Twitter links, so I am popping this on my blog too. It is worth it. This is one one of the funniest posts that I have read since I entered the Blogosphere! Hi-lar-ious!

It is an account of a Mother's conversation with her kids about sex. Thankfully, Tricia and I are still a few years away from this. Enjoy.

Click Here.

Social Networking

I am seeing a lot of stuff happen on the social network horizon. For those at CCF, you have heard me preach this before, but I believe that people are created for community...to relate to other people! It is just how we are all wired as people created in the image of a relational God. Many people (young and old, America and around the world) are doing community differently than they used to. Many are doing community online through social networking channels. We can dislike it and refuse to acknowledge it or we can wake up and leverage it.

I continually advocate that we leverage technology for redeeming purposes. I am sick and tired of handing things over to the enemy for his use. We need to hold on to all that we can for the glory of God. We are all in trouble if we just start handing everything that the enemy wants over to him. The heck with that.

Let me just say this straight up! I feel that online social community and networking is allowing relationships and connections to form that are meaningful and pleasing the Lord! I am loving connecting with people on Facebook, Twitter, this blog, etc. I am seeing the online tools being used to grow relationships, evangelize and encourage each other throughout the week.

More on this later....

(By the way...are you on Facebook? Invite me to be your friend, if we aren't already friends!!)

Now Go Forward!

David Eshleman is our former Pastor and Bishop and is now a church consultant and author! His first book "Now Go Forward" came off the press last week and was for sale at CCF yesterday!

You can buy it at church over the next few weekends.

Or you an purchase it online by clicking here!

For five decades, J. David Eshleman’s passion has been to bring unchurched people to healthy congregations. By encouraging and equipping believers and pastors to reach out to neighbors in the communities around their church buildings, Eshleman has helped numerous churches grow from a few dozen members to, in some cases, several hundred. This book challenges congregations to make disciples not just around the world but in their own backyards.

Ordination Video

Today was far and away one of the most special moments of my life. I thank Jesus for all of it. To God be the glory, great things HE has done!!

This video is compliments of Jeff Coats and so very special to me. Saw it for the first time in the service this morning. They called it the prequel the the call. Here it is. Enjoy.

Thank You

I read these words in scripture this morning and felt inspired to thank few people:

Colossians 1:3 says "I thank my God every time I think of you."

Well, it may not be totally true to tell you that I thank God for you EVERY time I think of you, but certainly MANY of the times.

Here is what came to my heart again this morning. It risks sounding so Cliche, but here goes: This ordination this morning would not be happening without some of the people that the Lord has placed in my life. This morning I want to say THANK YOU!

• Thank you Tricia, my love. This is what has continually been on my heart as I anticipated this morning. People are not going to move forward in fruitful ministry without the love and support a godly spouse. So, here is my deal....Proverbs 31 poses a question: "A wife of noble character, who can find?" The answer: Noah can!! And he did!
  
• Thank you Mom and Dad for funding the start of this journey and for shaping me as a boy and for STILL shaping me as a man and for as long as you live.
• Thank you sisters and brother (if I do not clump you together, this post will become a book). I am unusually blessed to have one brother and 3 sisters within ten miles of me. They have been ridiculously supportive in this journey. Many trips to PA, many Sunday and CCF, a wedding in NY. A special shout out to my brother who has stood beside me in ministry as one heck of a right hand man. When it comes to ministry, the dude often knows what I am thinking before I do!
• Finally, allow me to just list some of the people that I am deeply thankful for that have shaped my call and development as a leader. Even though I will not write much here, each of these people have been tools of God in my life:

1. Bill Fuergeson (Childhood Pastor)
   
2. Dorothy & Francis Furgang (Elder couple that sowed into me as a child)
   
3. David Eshleman (needs no explanation)
   
4. Lew Good (needs no explanation)
   
5. Keith Battle (HS Teacher, now Pastor)
   
6. Pam McComb (HS Teacher)
   
7. Glenn & Helen Hurst (MY CCF Youth Leaders)
8. Angie Williams (one of the many that prophecied ministry over my life)
9. Paul Lynn (My College Dean of Men whose role I later filled)
   
10. Dan Mortensen (VFCC Supervisor and VP of Student Life and Friend and Mentor)
11. Paul Mutchler (Pastor and Ministry Friend)
12. Jaye Lindo (See last week's post..Yall don't know how Jaye shapes me)
13. Nelson Okanaya (An amazing teammate who has balanced and complimented my leadership and discipled me as much as I have him!)
14. Thurman Custis (TC has been a more important part of this CCF ministry season that he knows)
15. Joel Arata (everybody needs a friend like this....especially every Pastor. Joel has not missed a beat in my life over the last 15 years!)

The problem with what I just did is that I KNOW that I have missed people here. The Lord has been so good to me and has sent people into my life time and time again.

I just have to say THANK YOU!

"I thank my God every time I think of you!" Col. 1:3

Normal!

Some of you have been emailing and asking about the results of my procedure. I just received them this afternoon. The examined the polyp that was removed and it was "normal". No cancer, AOK, hunky dory, all is well! Thanks for your prayers and care. Now if I could just be "normal" on other areas, we would be set! ;-)

Love you!

Youth Yard Sale/Missions Fundraiser

Click the images to enlarge them for more info! Hope you will support our youth.

Ordination

It is so hard to put the call of God on my life into words. Let me try a brief explanation of it in short phrases (or I will type too long).

• Set apart by God for a purpose even before birth. (Jer. 1:5)
• "Called" into Christian Ministry at 12 years old at an altar in Lanham, MD.
• Call was confirmed by many people throughout the next 6 years! God was afraid I would forget that I had to go into ministry.
  
• Never gave 10 seconds thought to any other option. I was to give my life to God for his purposes.
• Looked at Christian Colleges.
  
• Went to Valley Forge Christian College.
• Worked at Valley Forge Christian College.
• Served as Associate Pastor at CCF.
• Serving now as Lead Pastor at CCF.
• The story is still being written.

I consider the call of God on my life as something he dictated, the highest honor, a treasure to be invested for return, the only thing that I can do, a blessing of favor, a weight of responsibility and more humbling than anything I can imagine.

This Sunday, April 26th, I will be ordained. Two popular questions have been:

1. What is ordination?
2. I thought you were already ordained?
   

I was credentialed and licensed to pastor, marry and bury, I was not ordained.

Ordination in the Mennonite Church is is an event announcing the confirmation of a lifetime call to ministry (no ring, no robe, no throne chair). It is done after the leader has served faithfully for a period of time, not fresh out of graduation. It takes place once people have observed the leader leading and can affirm that the call of God is truly on them and at work! It is happening at the invitation of my Bishop, Glenn Kauffman and with the blessing and enthusiastic affirmation of CCF and our Conference. The first week of June marks 5 years of ministry at Capital Christian Fellowship.

Sunday will be a meaningful day for me, Tricia, my parents, the church and some of you who are friends that have walked with me. I consider this experience Sunday to be a high honor and I would love to have you there. If you can come, come!

David Eshleman will be preaching. He is my Pastor as a teenager, my predecessor, my former bishop, the man who allowed me to preach for the first time in 1996 and he is my friend!

Thanks to each of you for the role you have played in this whole thing!

--Noah

It's Jaye Day!!!

Today is deemed Administrative Professionals Day! Here at CCF, we call it Jaye Day. Jaye Lindo is our main administrator/Director of Operations at CCF. She has been on staff for almost 4 years now!! We love her. We are thankful for her! Ask her sometime to tell you what she does here. If she can answer it in a sentence, I will buy you lunch. She does so much!

Something personal that I have never written here: God told Jaye that she was to work with me. Yes, me. Not CCF. I am STILL not uncomfortable with that. Why me? Who am I that the Lord would send someone to me? Well, after 4 years of squirming in that, I have a lot more peace. I am strating to see why! Jaye is my right hand woman, left arm, my brain when I need one and a joy in my life!

A few more shout outs to others at CCF in administrative seats:

• Michelle Ferando, Bookeeper! She is rocking it in her role! So thankful for Michelle!
  
• Anna Mae Hess, volunteer receptionist who is as faithful as an employee!
• Brigitte Young, volunteer receptionist. Servant and blessing to us time and time again.
• Carrol Grizzle, Treasuer. Learing the ropes and doing it well!
• Hope I am not missing anyone. If I am, then consider yourself appreciated!

Leave a comment of appreciation for Jaye or any of the others!

I must share this!

Suffice it to say that this speaks to me and puts into words some of my leadership experiences better than anything that I have ever read....or at least in a long time!!! WOW!

READ THIS BLOG POST! God really used it to speak to me today.

Baltimore Murder Impacts CCF Partners

It is with great sadness that I share this news with you. About a half hour ago I received a call from Sadie Bianco (formerly Colletti), a partner at CCF. She informed me that the terrible alleged murder suicide of a family of four in a hotel room in Towson Monday was her husband Rich’s cousin and her family. The just found out through the news release of names yesterday. Rich has very little family remaining. This family of 4 was half of his living family. They were very, very close. To put it in perspective, they were on there was to visit Rich and Sadie yesterday and today! Since I married Rich and Sadie, I even remember meeting this dear family at their wedding in 2006. I can clearly remember their flower girl Catherine (9 at the time), who was one of the victims in this tragedy.

Rich and Sadie are totally devastated as we cannot begin to imagine. They are waiting on more info about the bodies. I am waiting on a call back about what we can DO (other than pray). But, here is what we know we can do. We can pray fervently and passionately for Sadie, Rich and this entire family and situation. The oldest daughter was a Loyola Student. That campus needs prayer for peace too. They all need the peace of God, because they obviously lack understanding. Who would understand this?

I read several of the news articles. Here are 2 that seem to give appropriate information:

Click here for one on MSNBC.

Click here for the one in the Baltimore Sun.

With a heavy heart for a couple I care a lot about,

Pastor Noah

Falling in Love

This is a very random post, but it is one of my soap boxes that I have wanted to share with you. I will give it to you straight. It will not speak to some of you. Others, it will. Some of you may not like it. I am ok with that.

I am not sure that I believe that there is such a thing as "falling in love". And yes, my wife knows that I think this! (I DO believe in romance and passion and dating your wife and all that good stuff). I hear people talking about "falling in love" and "being in love" all the time and it leaves me frustrated. I hear single people rationalizing stupid decision because they are "in love". I listen while married people tell me that they are just not "in love" anymore. What the heck is that supposed to mean? I think that this way of seeing love is stolen fresh out of Hollywood and off the radio and it's fake.

Falling in love? Makes it sound like you just sort of trip and accidentally land in a big fluffy pile of love. Yeah, ok, right (read sarcastically). I do not believe that real love is discovered one day by accident, but that it is lived out every day on purpose! Truly loving your spouse is shown through years of strong commitment, sacrifice, integrity and faithfulness to the promises you made. True love is not an emotion, a feeling, a goose bump or physical arousal. It is waking up everyday and loving your spouse the way that Jesus loves you. And then doing it again tomorrow. Whether you FEEL like it or not. True love is not based on butterflies and thrill, it is based on doing life with integrity even when those things are gone....and loving doing it!

Here is my personal opinion of what "falling in love" means:

• We just met.
• We have probably been together less than 6 months.
• I am passionately attracted to them and wanna fly when they touch me.
• We have not started fighting yet.
• This feels more thrilling than the other person I was with.
• It's great to finally feel what they feel in the movies and on TV.

The above description is someone in heat, not in love!

Single people: Wait one year before you determine whether you are "in love."

Married people: Do not chase a Soap Opera love story for your marriage. It is not the way it is nor should it be! If you are getting "bored in your marriage," there are a lot of great things to do to liven it up. Longing to "fall in love" again and finding that somewhere else will ruin your life, not liven it up!

What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment.

A Good Idea, a God Idea

We all get ideas. We get a vision. We develop a plan. We get excited. We are convinced that it is a good one. A great one! We are emotionally charged about it. The last thing in the world that we want is for someone else to dislike it, stop it, or criticize it. So, we either:

1. Do not share it with anyone and just do it because this idea is so good that there is no chance that we could be wrong.
2. We share it and get defensive or hurt if someone challenges it in any way for fear that they may shut it down or stop it. (So, we trump them...making the fact that we even asked them nullified.)
   

I have tried both! I actually tried number 2 this morning with our staff. Then, 5 minutes later, I realized what I did and apologized for it. It is my conviction that rare is the idea/vision that is so final that no one else can speak to it. On the other hand, running everything by everyone is bad too! Trust me. I've tried that. Here are a few of the things that I have seen happen when I share a vision with a few trusted people. I think these things can actually make a good idea, a God idea:

• Builds relational integrity. It shows people that they matter. That what they have to say matters. That you are a listening leader.
• Your vision just gets better. People find holes that you missed. They anticipate challenges with you before you are put on the spot with them later and look like a darn fool.
• Then, they own it with you. All someone needs to do is assist with even one small adjustment to an idea or a plan and you will be amazed how they feel connected to the project and advocate for it. Then, it's bought by many instead of being sold by one!

What about your life? Does any of this apply? Do you ever see yourself dealing with this? What else have you learned in these situations?

Some Sunday Afternoon Thoughts

Feel like blogging a few thoughts. But, don't look for any connections in my ramblings. They are just a few of the things on my heart. Random stuff.

• Preached the 3rd of our 6 "Staying Connected" messages this morning! "Staying Connected" is our spring message and small group theme. Today was on "Staying Connected When Relationships Go South."
  
• We hung out in Galatians 6:1-10. Talked about how we support each other in burden sharing. Some burdens are meant to be shared, some are meant to be shouldered and some are meant to be shed. Lord, give us the wisdom to know when to do which!
• Visiting Reid Temple this morning was a great experience! A few brief comments....it is a Methodist Church! Not sure how I forgot that, but it was liturgical, traditional, say this, chant that, stand, sit, reading, prayer, etc. But mixed into all that was great media, an amazing facility, a warm welcome, and a gospel choir that made me want to weep and dance in the spirit. WOW!! I lie you not! They were fantastic!
• I am pretty excited that I will be ordained next Sunday. I feel love and affirmation from the church and the conference. Thank you for that! I plan to write about my call to ministry soon.
  
• I have 2 short and 1 long paper due 4/27 to complete my current Masters Class (the one I was at in February). 4/27 is next Monday. My goal: to complete and submit all 3 papers by this Tuesday night at bedtime. Pray for me please that I meet this goal.
• I am sleepy! I need a nap. Gonna do that now and then dive in to paper writing.

Peace & Love!