Faith-Hope-Love

Tags

BCC, church, Church at HopePark, Faith Hope Love

Over the past several months the leading church cry has been Faith-Hope-Love.

It is everywhere.

It is the basis and mission for my church, Bellevue Community (The Church at HopePark) and a slogan we use constantly.

It is now a leading title of another local community church with their fundraising campaign.

Yesterday I received two more churches flyers both with Faith-Hope-Love printed on them.

And finally I drove past a billboard in Nashville this morning that used the same slogan.

So what is it with Faith-Hope-Love this year?

Don’t get me wrong.

I truly believe this should be the mantra of every single Christian church in the world as it best describes who we are and what we do in 3 words.  I just find it wild that so many churches are taking it on at one time.

It leads me to this question though.

Are churches just using it and do they really believe it?  Are the people attending the church seeing it as just a slogan or is an example being set by the church to show that it is more than just a slogan?

What does it mean to you?

It is one thing to just say it, it is another to live it.

Here is what it means to me:

Faith:  Looking to God for guidance in everything we do and trusting that he will provide answers either that we like or might dislike.

Hope:  Reaching out and making a difference to those in need.

Love:  Caring about those around you or those in situations that need you.  Genuinely caring.  It might be a simple cup of coffee to a friend who needs to talk or a service project that changes someones life.

You turn.

How?

Tags

BCC, The Church at HopePark

Each and every Sunday in church our Pastor says the words “Time, Talents and Treasures”.

It is during the offering and refers the ways to give to the church.

Every time I hear it the word that sticks out most to me is “Talents”.

This might not surprise anyone who reads my blog and attends my church because on a typical Sunday if you look around our congregation at HopePark you see a SICK amount of talent.

Some of the top musicians in the country.  Athletes.  Insane fundraisers.  CEO’s.  Doctors.  Lawyers.  Home builders.  Just to name a few.

But when I hear the word talent the first thing that comes to my mind is “How?”

How does one learn to play a guitar like a session player?

How do you come up with a great idea for a non-profit that raises money for the needy?

How do you go from being an average guy or gal to being a leader in your church or the business world?

The one that is the toughest for me is this:

How do I make a difference with my talents if I am not sure what they are?

How have you taken your talents and used them to do something good? Know what your talents are? Might be a tough question for some of us.

why your church?

Tags

BCC, Bellevue Community Church, Bill Todd, David Perez, Nashville, The Church at HopePark

It is a curiosity of mine why people attend the churches they do…or not attend.

For me it is simple. I choose The Church at HopePark (Bellevue Community Church) in Nashville because it is geared towards my personality.

The music rocks, it is inviting and not stuffy, plus I can wear my baseball cap and drink my Starbucks all while enjoying a message from David Perez. Also, I have never seen one time where we acted exclusionary to anyone coming in from another faith. Our new small groups formation is going awesome (yep, pressure now being put on you Bill Todd:)). And finally, we truly find a way to get involved in the non-churched community and bring people together for fellowship like on 4th of July.

My curiosity is probably sitting in my reasons why I attend where I do but I always find it interesting when I see people pouring in other church buildings. Especially living in the most churched community in the United States. Why the Baptist church? Why that one? Why the church that is formal and you have to wear a shirt and tie? Why the one that does not allow music? and so on.

So here is where you come in.

Where do you attend? Give your church a shout out and provide a web link if you like.

Also, Why do you attend there?

If you don’t attend, why not? (You responses are safe here..no criticism, just curiosity)

www.hopepark.com if you want to see more about the amazing place I attend.

My Letter To Pastors, Priests, Ministers and Reverends

Tags

Baptist, BCC, Catholic, christians, church, David Perez, Faith, Methodist, Ministers, pastors, Priets, Reverends

I have thought about writing this letter for a long time but feel that now the time is right.

I am a Christian.  I attend an amazing church in Nashville, TN regularly and give.  Our church has an amazing staff and Pastors that really care about our community.

I am not perfect by any stretch of imagination but try very hard to do right by others and make sure that I represent my church and family well.

I believe that the wealth I am given is a sign of God blessing me and trusting in me to be a good steward of ultimately what is his.

Here is where I am going to shift my tone however…you have now had a glimpse into my life, my beliefs and my church.  I am now going to give you a view of what I see in some (not all) of you.

On a daily basis I read and see where you are destroying the amazing gift that has been given you.

A pastor in Australia faked his own illness to promote an angenda.

Priests for the past two decades have been acused of abuse.

Reverends go on the news and use race as a political tool.

Ministers are caught steeling from their congregations and having affairs with other members.

Pastors go on TV and raise millions of dollars that only goes to provide them luxuries and never help anyone but themselves.

Churches become hipocritical and exclude people from coming into their house of worship because of past failings.

And finally, an entire church community travels all over the United States to protest the funerals of fallen war veterans.

This disgusts me.  This hurts me.  This angers me in that you do not represent even 1% of our faith but your acts are viewed as a representation of all Christians and we are labeled because of your greed, hypocrisy and irresponsibility. 

If taught properly and true to the bible, our faith teaches us to love, give and forgive.  It teaches us to encourage, teach and lift.  It teaches us to include and provide hope.

For those Pastors, Priests, Ministers and Reverends who have done so much to damage Christianity, I pray for you and ask you to stop.  It is time that we as Christians begin to tell the world what we are really about and the above is not it.  I firmly believe we all make mistakes and that we should forgive, and I do forgive.  I just do not want you hijacking our amazing faith any longer.

For your members, leave and find a place of worship that is a good place, a Godly place that lives by a strong set of ethics and values.

Thank you to those Pastors, Priests, Ministers and Reverends who do the right thing.  Those who go out and spread hope and love every day.  Although you are not perfect, you admit it and use it to teach.  Within your teaching, you open your arms to everyone and your congregations prosper.  You are what Christianity is all about and I pray that you are on the front lines of what is being printed in the newspapers, on the news and viewed by others all around the world.  Thanks for letting the imperfect thrive and learn.

Please take a moment and let me know who your amazing Pastor, Priest, Minister or Reverend is?  What Church and Where?

I’ll start…Bellevue Community Church, Nashville TN.  Pastor David Perez.  Awesome and loving place!

Sincerely,

Joseph

Do You Laugh In Church?

Tags

BCC, Catholic, church, laughter

I was talking with a friend during a party this weekend.

He attended our church this weekend for the first time.  He is a devout Catholic but was curious about our new series God At The Movies…which is really cool.

He stated that he was shocked out how many people laughed out loud at a couple of the comments our pastor made.  He stated that he wasn’t sure how to take it.  When I asked “What do you mean how to take it?”, he simply replied “I am not sure I have ever laughed during church.”

That is sad. 

…..Now I better clear the air with this disclaimer…this is not about being against Catholics.  I was raised Catholic and admire the Catholic Church.  It is just part of the story.  Back to the piece…..

If I did not have something to laugh about in my church, I would change churches.  Now I am not saying that every single Sunday has to be comic fest, but I love to know that I am generally going to be entertained with the message.  It is what keeps me glued in.

I also truly believe that Jesus intended for us to CELEBRATE his life with laughter, joy, and happiness amongst other things.

How do you feel about this?  Do you think church is an appropriate place to laugh out loud while in praise?  Do you think people gain more insight if church is serious or at times laughter fills the room?

Worry Vs. Joy…Who Wins In Your World?

Tags

BCC, church, David Perez, joy, personal accountability, worry

Some Sundays I head to church hoping to gather a tidbit of information that I can hang my hat on for the week.  And sometimes I get much more than I bargained for, and it is something I can carry with me for a long time.

If any of you know me I am all about “personal accountability”.  I think that all of what happens to us is for the most part in direct relationship to our actions.  For example, if you have excessive amounts of debt, it is most likely the overuse of credit cards or loans that got you there.  Someone did not do it to you, you did it to yourself and bought things you could not afford.   OK, off my high horse.

But today this is about worry vs. joy.  Two things that are also directly effected by our actions.

How many of you float through life worrying about every little thing?  How many of you take something insignificant and make it rule the better part of your day?  On the reverse, how many of us get up each day and celebrate what God has given us?

I for one wake up each day excited to see what it brings.  I love to get my coffee or tea in the morning at Starbucks, workout (although I need a lot more of this!), visit my clients and see my neighbors when I return home.  I truly believe Joy is the only way to live.  I have been to the other side and it just wasn’t any fun.   I used to live a life that was dedicated to my career and no matter how much money I made, I never had fun or not near enough of it.  Each day was a chore.  Not anymore!

But how about you? 

What tends to Worry you?  Do you let it rule your life?

Do you live a life of Joy and if so what do you do to do so?

Thank you David Perez at BCC for a wonderful message and an idea for today’s blog.