Bo's Cafe book comments

Well, I just finished reading “Bo’s Café” this weekend. What a great book that challenged me in more ways that I can write here.

Some people will say this book is about grace, forgiveness, healing, friendship, accountability, or even about a 1970 Buick Electra. This book is about all of these and even bigger than all these things. It is about community in its truest form. Real community. Real fellowship that God intends for us to have so that we can grow in Him.

We can get together with church people friends; air out our dirty laundry and call this accountability. Bo’s Café takes this a step further. It about letting people in so that they have the opportunity to protect us and for us to trust and protect them. When we allow people in to see our true selves, then there is no need to air out our dirty laundry – these people will see it anyway. Then they can come alongside us and journey with us as we seek out the Lord together. This is true community where healing is taking place, growth is being established, and forgiveness is being offered. With all that said, we have to remember that a safe place is not always a soft place.

In today’s church’s we are more concerned about how we look to other people instead of being true to ourselves. When we place on our fake masks, then we create these soft places where growth and healing does not really take place. Then we tell ourselves that Jesus is all about Love and not making people feel bad. The reality is that God disciplines those He loves. Disciple is not fun and it hurts – but we grow from it and have a better understanding of the character of God.

Toward the end of the book, there is a discussion about why church’s should become places like on the deck of Bo’s Café, and the reality that they are furthest from this. This book challenges us to really live for Jesus and to experience the biblical community that we all desire and are meant to live.

What's The Difference

There is a tendency to "cherry pick" the things we like from other religions and then add Jesus and call this Christianity. Also, many people claim that all paths lead to God. Are all "religions" basically the same? At what points do they differ? Do the differences really matter? In the series "What's the Difference?" you will get an overview of the differences between the Bible and other world-wide teachings. This series will help equip you to reach out to other people armed with knowledge and full of the love of Jesus Christ.

January 24, 2010: "Catholicism" (notes)

January 31, 2010: "Mormonism" (notes)

February 7, 2010: "Islam" (notes)

February 14, 2010: "Judaism" (notes)

I Wish

 

Somebody gave this to me, what were they trying to say? 

I couldn't resist

 

I know my hairs can be counted pretty easy :) 

Grace Church Beliefs

Apostles Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, 
creator of heaven and earth. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, 
born of the Virgin Mary, 
suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified, died, and was buried; 
he descended to the dead. 
On the third day he rose again; 
he ascended into heaven, 
he is seated at the right hand of the Father, 
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, 
the holy catholic church, 
the communion of saints, 
the forgiveness of sins, 
the resurrection of the body, 
and the life everlasting. AMEN.

 

Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
 
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

Grace Church is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA) 

Grace Church Ministry Structure

Vision

//defines us

Purpose

//directs us

Strategy

//designs us

Values

//drives us

Grace Church's Values

VALUES //drives us

Prayer We acknowledge the primacy and priority of prayer both individually and corporately, constantly seeking God’s will and the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything. (Colossians 4: 2; Philippians 4: 6) 

Spiritual Gifts We believe that the Holy Spirit gives followers of Jesus gifts to accomplish His purpose here on earth and that all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the bible are available today. (Acts 2: 1-4; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12 and 14; Ephesians 4: 11-16; 1 Peter 4: 10-11)

Grace We accept everyone no matter what this journey in life has brought their way and we encourage everyone to live a life that is honest, real, and authentic. We also believe that we are called to obey the “one another” statements in the Bible. When this happens people are drawn to Jesus and the church becomes a true family. (Romans 12: 3; Philippians 2: 1-4; Colossians 3: 12-16; John 13: 34-35)

Leadership Development We are committed to the development of godly leaders and believe in submission to the spiritual leadership of God has appointed over us in the body of Christ to equip for the works of service. We also believe the church should be led by the men and women who are deeply committed to God, practice servant leadership, and have embraced the vision, values, and purpose of the church. (Hebrews 13: 17; Ephesians 4: 11-16; 1 Peter 5: 2-3; Matthew 23: 11-12)

Biblical Stewardship We believe that God is the owner of who we are and all we possess; we embrace His mandate to consistently honor Him with finances, time, and personal gifts of service (Psalm 104: 24; Matthew 5: 14-16; Acts 2: 42-47)

Transformed Lives The measure of effective discipleship is whether or not people’s lives are being changed from the inside out. We believe that when people enter into a relationship with Jesus, we will begin to see them surrender area’s of their lives to Christ from their families, their careers, their finances, and much more (2 Corinthians 3: 17-18; Acts 2: 42-47; Acts 19: 18-20)

The Bible and Creativity God’s Word is always our authority in matters of doctrine and practice. It is powerful and fundamental in transforming lives. To be culturally relevant, we strive to communicate the life changing Gospel with sensitivity, effectiveness, and creativity. Our message will never change, but our methods will. (Romans 1: 16; Hebrews 4: 12; 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23; Acts 17: 19-23)

Kingdom Impact We believe that God’s heart is filled with love for those who are far from Him, and that God desires a dynamic relationship with everyone He created. The church is God’s primary conduit for offering the message of His hope to the world. He desires for our lives to be focused on loving those who have yet to follow Him (Luke 14: 23-24; Luke 19: 10; 2 Peter 3: 9)

Unity We believe that we cannot follow Jesus alone and that we are dependant on each other to fulfill God’s mission. Every person is needed, valuable and gifted by God and we handle our conflicts as the bible directs (John 17: 20-23; 1 Corinthians 12: 12; Ephesians 4: 1-6; Matthew 18: 15-22; Psalm 133)

Team Ministry We believe that ministry is best accomplished in teams (1 Corinthians 13; Nehemiah 3; Luke 10: 1; John 13: 34-35)

Vision We believe that vision plays a vital role in the life of an individual as well as a church. We strongly encourage people to be people of vision, learning to see things how could be instead of how they are. God has called us to be difference makers and we are committed to that cause (Proverbs 29: 18)

Grace Church's Strategy

STRATEGY //designs us

Every ministry is driven by something. There is always some guiding force that determines the direction and goals for the individual or the group. Unless the driving force behind a church is biblical, the health and growth of the church will never be what God intended. Strong churches are not build on programs, personalities, or gimmicks. They are built on the eternal purposes of God, and that is the foundation of our ministry as well. We strive to balance the five biblical purposes of:

Fellowship is connecting believers to one another with meaningful relationships for strength and support. At Grace we call this GATHERING

Worship is celebrating God’s presence and honoring Him with our lifestyle. At Grace we call this GLORIFYING
 

Discipleship is the personal discovery of God’s truth, the process by which one becomes more like His Son. At Grace we call this GROWING

Ministry is meeting the needs of others in love with our spiritual gifts, abilities, and treasures. At Grace we call this GIVING

Evangelism is sharing the Good News of Jesus with those who don’t have a personal relationship with Him. At Grace we call this GOING

Grace Church's Purpose

PURPOSE //directs us

Purpose statement:

As passionate followers of Jesus we will Gather to:

…Glorify God,

…Grow into His image,

…Give of our talents, as we

…Go with His power into the world

From this statement we will

-Organize our ministry structure.

 -Formulate goals and objectives.

-Achieve our vision.

-Organize our budget

-Add staff.

Grace Church's Vision

VISION //defines us

Main statement:

Reproducing passionate followers of Jesus throughout the Downriver Community and beyond!

Supporting statements:

It is the vision to be a church where marriages are strong and growing stronger; where spouses are deeply in love with each other and even more deeply in love with Jesus Christ as He is the center of their marriage covenant.

It is the vision to be a church made up of individuals who are being healed and made whole body, soul, and spirit. Where people can come and find healing from addictions, divorce, past hurt, and sin with Jesus Christ at the center of their lives.

It is the vision to be a church where families are thriving with joy and healthy relationships with Jesus Christ at the center of their home. 

It is the vision to be a church that is multi-generational that minister to every member of the family through dynamic and creative ministries for children, youth, college, men, woman, and adults.

It is the vision to be a church that expands the Kingdom of Christ through multiple worship sites and / or planting new churches throughout the downriver community and beyond.

It is the vision to be a mentor church where we provide training and support for churches in and outside of the Detroit Metro area and Reformed Church of America.

It is the vision to be a church that influences the community by being the pacesetter in the spiritual, moral, and cultural arenas, pointing all to the Cross of Jesus.  

It is the vision to be a church where every person belongs to a small group of other followers of Jesus; experiencing true community through love, care, encouragement, and accountability.

It is the vision to be a church where we continue to strive to become a House of Prayer.

It is the vision to be a church where every member is striving to live a missional life by reaching out to those in their sphere of influence.

It is the vision to be a church that has a global impact by sending and supporting career missionaries locally nationally and globally, and sending out short term teams to work along side of these missionaries,

It is the vision to be a church that is accessible and compelling to those who have given up on church, but have not given up on God.

It is the vision to be a church that allows God to be God, not placing Him in a box by setting attendance goals and/or attendance limits, but allows His Spirit to flow in and through the whole church family.

It is the vision to be a church that has our hands to the plow, accomplishing her vision and purpose ready to meet Jesus the moment He returns.

It is the vision to be a church with little or zero capital debt.