by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 25, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Church Issues, Leadership, Teamwork
Every now and then I run across great information that MUST BE shared with my readers. I subscribe to Church Leaders, a blog dedicated to helping leaders lead better everyday. Today’s article by Chad Missildine, Pastor with LifeChurch.tv in Fort Worth, Texas is SO GOOD that I had to share it with you.
What is a Plastic Church?
A Plastic Church is a church that looks like church from the outside: building, services, staff, etc. Who knows, there may even be a steeple! On the inside, however, the Plastic Church barely resembles a church at all. No real community of believers, no prayer, no real concern for people, no application of Scripture in real life, no transformation. These are all signs of a real, authentic church. Could you have a Plastic Church or be on your way?
A plastic church looks like church from the outside, but inside there’s no real community.
Here are 10 Ways to Become a Plastic Church:
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 24, 2011 | Bible Journey, Christian, Christianity, Digging Deeper, Technology
Two weeks ago I beta tested Digging Deeper ONLINE featuring The Book of Nehemiah for over 150 people from six different states – what an exciting time! I conducted a survey to see how we could make the experience more engaging and life-changing. If you’d like to review the survey, you can click HERE.
Judging from the result of the surveys, many desire a more interactive Bible study experience. In other words, be able to engage in active participation, discussion, and ask questions (I don’t blame you one bit). In order to do this and make Digging Deeper ONLINE more meaningful, we decided to reduce the class sizes (25 or less), offer multiple sessions, and focus on quality teaching and personal interaction.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been praying about how to make our online learning experiences more meaningful. Although online learning, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites cannot and will not replace actual face-to-face gatherings, technology is a tool to support, strengthen, and enhance live gatherings.
Therefore, I’d like to introduce our proposed schedule…
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 22, 2011 | Decisions, Empowerment, Goals, Leadership, Money and Finance, Self-Leadership
Last week I stopped by Jimmy John’s in Oak Park, IL to grab some lunch. While eating, I noticed a sign on the wall that read: “Warren Buffet’s list of 10 Rules for Getting Rich.” Instead of ripping the sign off the wall and risking felony charges for theft and vandalism, I whipped out my iPad (never leave home without it) and typed the rules while enjoying a #4 Turkey Tom Sandwich with Honey Dijon mustard.
The rules were simple, yet profound. Here’s Warren Buffet’s 10 Rules for Getting Rich in its entirety (Source: Jimmy John’s Wall – Oak Park, IL):
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 14, 2011 | Family, Fun Stuff, Humor, Women
Today is the one of the most important holidays in the Stowers Household: Valentine’s Day. It’s importance ranks up there with July 2nd (Shauntai’s birthday), June 27th (Our anniversary), December 25th (She loves Christmas – her favorite season), and Mother’s day.
I have a 9-year-old daughter at home and Valentines Day has morphed into a silent, but friendly competition between the two. My two sons could care less. On June 27, 2011, Shauntai and I will celebrate 19 years of marriage. I still make an effort to go all out to make the days that are special to her special to me. As I grow older, so does my love for my wife. She’s my best friend, helper, cheerleader, and coach.
Here’s what I love about my wife:
- She believes in me more than I sometimes believe in myself.
- She’s a true P-31 Woman (Proverbs 31) & is the Chief Operating Officer in the Stowers household.
- She’s immaculate & keeps our home clean, organized, and functioning like a well oiled machine.
- She listens to me ramble and never cuts me off.
- She’s funny & makes me laugh – she has a great sense of humor.
- She’s very compassionate & loves deeply. You gotta love anyone who cries watching Martian Child.
- She loves God and is a TRUE WORSHIPER. While she’s cleaning, she’ll go in listening to Shekinah Glory in a heartbeat.
- She encourages me at the right time which makes me feel I can do anything.
- She’s extremely serious about her relationship with God and desires to grow spiritually.
- FINALLY. She’s FINE, GORGEOUS, A TRUE DIME-PIECE 😀
Question: Have you told your spouse how much you love them?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 12, 2011 | Bible Journey, Christian, Christianity, Digging Deeper, Technology, Vision, Web/Tech
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 was the first day of many FUTURE online Bible studies. In my humble opinion and judging from the opinions of others, Digging Deeper Online was a HUGE SUCCESS. Of course not everyone will embrace the concept of “Digital Discipleship” but, I’ve decided to leverage technology to help people take their next steps towards maturity.
Thank you for taking time to take the survey. I sincerely appreciate the time you spent answering the questions and recommending strategies for improvement. Your advice was very helpful and gave me a new perspective on how to make Digging Deeper Online better.
I especially appreciate your offer to help spread the word and invite others to attend. I promise I will follow up with contacts you email to me right away (pastorstowers@marshillchgo.org). Any additional suggestions you may have would be welcomed and I will keep you posted on future online Webinars/Training.
HERE ARE THE SURVEY RESULTS:
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