missions | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts HSM Weekend in Review: Volume 37

Weekend Teaching Series: You Own the Weekend: Trabuco Hills High School (Week 1 of 3)
Sermon Title: We Come in Peace
Sermon in a Sentence: God gives us peace no matter what we face in life – divorce, death and … finals.

Key Verse: Mark 5:34-43 Jesus heals Jairus’ daughter

Weekend Scale of Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Attendance: up 13% from last weekend, up 79% from same weekend last year
Service Length: 66 minutes

Understandable Message: The talk was divided into three parts – a sophomore girl from Trabuco opened up the talk with some humor and funny pictures, then taught 5 ways to find peace in the midst of real-life. A senior guy from Trabuco then got up and taught the story of Jesus where he heals Jairus’ daughter and how God brings peace and healing in times of trouble. Then a senior girl got up at the end to talk about her life and how God brought her peace after the death of a close friend. More talking than usual, but a great chance to hear students talking to students. At the end, students received a friendship bracelet to remind them of God’s peace.

Volunteer/Student Involvement: Students did everything! Students ran the lights, cameras, music, announcements, shot/edited video, ran the control room, greeted. Amazing display of what students are capable of when given a chance.

Element of Fun/Positive Environment: The band opened up with a super strong power-ballad version of Trabuco Hill’s alma mater – that eventually built into a great rock song at the end. It was hilarious, complete with 2 fully-costumed Mustang mascots, flag waving, cheerleaders and streamers.

Music Playlist: We Are Trabuco Hills (cover song opener), Take It All, Thank You, It Is Well With My Soul, Came to My Rescue

Favorite Moment: Lots of great moments – my favorite was the realization that the students didn’t just plan the weekend, they worked hard to bring their friends to the services as well. From wearing T-Shirts all week to personal invites, the place was packed and was a blast.

Next up: You Own the Weekend – El Toro High School (week 2 of 3)

4 View Comments January 26, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts Rick Warren’s Inauguration Invocation

Here’s Pastor Rick’s prayer at Obama’s inauguration. Here’s the transcript, too, from Rick Warren News:

“Let us pray…

Almighty God, Our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of You alone. It all comes from You; it all belongs to You; it all exists for Your glory. History is Your story. The Scripture tells us, ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God.’ The Lord is One, and You are the compassionate and merciful One and You are loving to everyone You have made.

Now, today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American President of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequalled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And, we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven!

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility; the courage to lead us with integrity; the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice-President Biden, the cabinet and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans united not by race, or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget You, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ. Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And, may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before You.

We now commit our new President and his wife Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into Your loving care. I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life — Yeshua (Hebrew), Isa (Arabic), Jesus (Spanish), Jesus (English) — who taught us to pray, “‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’”

JG

UPDATE: Now this is the official transcript of the prayer from Rick Warren News.

Add Comment January 20, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts 5 Ways to Deal with Criticism

Spent the better part of last night dealing with some criticism leveled my way. You know all to well that is no fun, all of those insecurities deep inside come right to the top and you question your call and your love for students and the church.

Don’t let it happen … I did some battling last night and I know you will too from time to time, so here’s a few ways to deal with criticism – some right and some wrong:

Mobilize – get fired up about the problem and take action. You have to be careful with this one because often we respond to quickly or decisively and overreact to the situation. Coming up with a conscious plan is probably a better idea than making sweeping changes the next morning.

Criticize - discredit the person who said something negative. Make the objective truth cloudy by looking subjectively at the person delivering the message. Forget looking for anything of value, just chop that person down at the knees.

Internalize – we hear the criticism, and bury it deep within. It causes us to stare up at the ceiling at night when we should be resting peacefully. Mulling it over in your head is acceptable, mulling it over isn’t probably a bad idea. But when it moves from processing to dwelling, you’ve got a problem. Internalized criticism will amplify rapidly over a short period of time.

Fantasize - think about what ministry would be like at another church – that big one down the road that certainly doesn’t have critical spirits in every pew. No church is perfect – you would ruin it when you joined if you managed to find one, anyhow.

Recognize – unpack what was said and recognize what is truth. What really needs to be changed, what is of value in the discussion. Throw away the rest after you truly pray and discern what is wise for any changes you need to make. Perspective, maturity and wisdom need to be in play with this one. Don’t dismiss what needs to be dealt with.

JG

Add Comment April 16, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Saddleback Christmas Service Report

Just saw this on Mission Network News about the numbers for the Christmas broadcast at Saddleback Church on Fox News. Here’s a clip – exciting to see so many trust Christ!

While Christmas has been over for about a month, Purpose Driven Ministries is excited about the response to Saddleback Church’s broadcast of their Christmas service on Fox News.
According to Purpose Driven leaders, 900 people logged into a follow up website and indicated that had made a first time profession of faith after watching the service.

The services were broadcast from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., on the Fox News channel. Pastor Rick Warren preached the Gospel and invited viewers at the end of the service to visit ThePeacePlan.org for information on how to start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and with help in finding a local church.

More than 12,000 people visited the site in the two weeks following the Christmas services. Thousands of those visitors downloaded brochures on “How To Have A Meaningful Time With God,” “What On Earth Am I Here For?,” and small group study guides. Nearly 200 people asked for a local church in their area to contact them with more information.

JG

Add Comment January 19, 2007

Josh GriffinMore Posts Saddleback on FOX

Like I mentioned earlier, Saddleback’s service is going to be played this Christmas on FOX. And here’s the cool part, we’re working to make the broadcast point people toward a local church. Here’s a clip from a letter sent out from Pastors.com today on the subject.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I want to point people to YOUR church this Christmas Season!

This year the Fox News Network will broadcast Saddleback’s Christmas service on Christmas Eve, and again on Christmas Day. We’ve come up with a plan to use the broadcast to point people to your congregation. As you know, I made the decision 26 years ago not to televise our weekly services in America because I believe in pastors and the priority of the local church. My heart and goal has always been to strengthen you, not to compete with your ministry. As Saddleback has become well-known, I’ve thought a lot about how to use our national platform to serve your churches.

Let me tell you something that happened in India last year. Billy Graham broadcast a nationwide Christmas television program. This program was used by churches in India to start 750,000 small groups representing every state. Churches encouraged their members to start new small groups by inviting their lost friends to their homes to watch the program. Over 4,000,000 Indians recorded decisions for Christ in those 750,000 new small groups!

So when Fox News asked to broadcast our Christmas service, I said yes, thinking we could help direct people to small groups in YOUR church!

Here’s how the plan will work:
1. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Fox News Channel will broadcast “The Purpose of Christmas – From Saddleback Church.” At the end of the broadcast, I’ll invite people to register their spiritual decision or interest in finding a church by going to a website called http://www.thepeaceplan.com/.

2. On that site we’re creating a “Church Finder” list of every church in our network that has either 1) completed 40 Days of Purpose or 2) intends to do 40 Days of Purpose in 2007. Your church needs to be on that list so people in your area can find you!

3. People who request follow-up information from the website will give us their name, email, and zip code. Then we’ll send you the names of people in your area who are looking for a church! We’re paying for this. It’s free to you, and other churches in our network.

All you need to do is click here and provide current information on your church so you’ll be listed correctly in the Church Finder on our website. Then, enlist some volunteers from your church family to email the folks we forward on to you right after Christmas. I’m really excited about doing this project together, and I pray it will give all of our churches a boost together as we start 2007.

JG

Add Comment December 8, 2006

Josh GriffinMore Posts Saddleback Church’s eMissions

The OC Register has another in the weekly series of articles on Saddleback Church, this time focusing on Rwanda and the mission emphasis of the church and the PEACE plan:

It is a sunny March 2006 Saturday in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, and Saddleback Church’s first “e-missionaries” are walking slowly up one of the city’s vertiginous hills, pursued by a gaggle of child beggars.
“I wish I had some candy to give them,” says one of the visitors, as she regards the children’s ragged clothes and insistent, outstretched palms.

Another gazes at a street sign. It reads: “Avenue des Grands Lacs.” Avenue of the Great Lakes: an homage to central Africa’s vast, inland lakes that surround and, to a certain extent, isolate the country and its two main tribes, Hutu and Tutsi.

“This is the road the genocide occurred on!” the visitor exclaims.

It is just hours since this small group of Saddleback missionaries alighted in Rwanda for a two-week PEACE plan trip. They are excited yet bleary-eyed from the near two-day plane trip from LAX. Perhaps it is the fatigue, or perhaps it is the shock of Rwanda’s absolute poverty — something these Orange County missionaries have, until this moment, experienced only through the portal of their computer screen — that explains the two missteps they have just made.

JG

Add Comment October 30, 2006

Josh GriffinMore Posts Lunch with Missions Guys

Had lunch at Souplantation with Daryl Nuss of the National Network of Youth Ministries and Curtis Seargent from P.E.A.C.E. Good guys, great to talk about getting students into missions and seeing their lives changes. It was a good time, great conversation and awesome to hear how God is working around the world. The stories about India are amazing right now! And after Fields’ coming back from Kenya so inspired … I think I see a new season of ministry approaching for youth ministry. So great.

As usual, my view of God got much bigger today.

JG

Add Comment September 11, 2006

Josh GriffinMore Posts USA Today on Rick and PEACE

Interesting article in today’s USA Today you should check out if you’re interested in Purpose Driven, politics and Rick Warren. Here’s a clip:

Warren is no liberal. He backed President Bush in the 2004 election and opposes abortion and stem cell research.

But in a refreshing change from today’s unhealthy norm, Warren is spending his time and clout not on the divisive issues that have come to define the Christian right — abortion, stem cell research, a supposedly anti-God judiciary and so on — but on a campaign that can bring people together and save many lives in the process.

Warren is taking on poverty and AIDS and on a continent — Africa — that tends to command the least of the world’s attention and resources.

PEACE is the moniker Warren has devised for his program in Rwanda. It stands for “Plant churches, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation.”

In the tradition of evangelical Christianity, he believes the path to a better world runs through human hearts, and he is counting on churches and their members to lead the way against the seemingly intractable problems pressing down on Africa. “I’m coming from the fact that Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ ” Warren said at a news conference in November at a global health summit. “So what motivates me is not politics.”

As Warren told The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper recently, “The New Testament says the church is the body of Christ, but for the last 100 years, the hands and feet have been amputated, and the church has just been a mouth. And mostly, it’s been known for what it’s against. … I’m so tired of Christians being known for what they’re against.”

JG