by Clarence E. Stowers | May 19, 2016 | Encouragement, Christian, Christianity, Empowerment, Leadership, Social Media, Sunday Worship Experience, Technology
Leading a church in Chicago, IL is tough.
It’s even tougher during our brutal winters. So what does a pastor to do when the temperature dips below zero, and the wind chill factor dips to double digits? Cancel service? Oh no! We’re the City of Broad Shoulders, and we don’t dare cancel services due to inclement weather.
Imagine making your sermons stick past Sunday? Imagine a proven strategy to get members and guests engaging with your messages long after Sunday. Are you interested? If so, read on.
My generation experienced the election of the first African-American President, the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, Desert Storm, Iraq War, historic government bailouts, the passing of healthcare reform, and the greatest economic downturn since The Great Depression. However, in my opinion, the greatest shifts are happening now! (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 12, 2016 | Decisions, Empowerment, Encouragement, Self-Leadership, Success
This is a Periscope replay of the #MotivationalMoment.
Sometimes life’s consuming, taking up all of your time, thoughts and energy. Do you want more success in life? Do you think you’ll have to work harder to get it?
In this special edition, you’ll discover why sometimes moving ahead requires you to step back…sometimes way back. If you are interested, I broadcast three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) on Periscope. I mainly share tips on living and empowered life. And I always take some off-topic questions. You’ll need to download the free Periscope app if you want to watch live. Thanks!
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 4, 2016 | Black History Month, Christian, Christianity, History, Mars Hill Baptist Church
When someone asks, “what’s the name of the church you pastor” and I respond, “Mars Hill,” three things happen:
- A blank stare
- They ask: “Are you affiliated with the church that disbanded in Seattle, WA?” (NO! We were Mars Hill before they were)
- They ask: “Are you affiliated with Rob Bell and the church in Grand Rapids, MI?” (see #2)
History makes one’s life richer by giving meaning to the origin. It broadens one’s outlook and enables one to grasp an understanding of one’s being by shedding light on its past. Since it is Black History Month, I would like to share the history behind why we chose Mars Hill as our name.
Athens, Greece | Photographs of Mars’ Hill, Acropolis
The Origin of our Name
The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the “Hill of Ares” or Mars Hill. It is located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens.
In classical times, the Areopagus functioned as the chief homicide court of Athens. It is known as the location where Ares was supposed to have been tried by the Gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son, Alirrothios. Also, the hill was said to be the site for the trial of Orestes, for killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, his stepmother and her lover.
In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus was the council of elders, in the city, and were much like the Roman Senate. Similar to the Senate, its membership derived from those who held high public office, in this case that would be the Archon. In 462 BC, Ephialtes put forth reforms, which deprived the Areopagus of mostly all its functions, except the murder tribunal.
At the foot of the Areopagus was a temple dedicated to the Erinyes, where murderers would find shelter, in an effort not to face the consequences of their actions. Near the Areopagus, the Basilica of Dionysius Areopagites was constructed. The basilica was a rectangular building used as a town hall and law courts. It was used in the Christian period and served as the blueprint for early churches. (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 14, 2016 | Communication, Decisions, Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals
Imagine a life without hobbies. I can’t.
Hobbies are often thought of as activities for people who lead quiet, relaxed lives. However, people with full, busy, even stressful lives may need hobbies more than the average person, and benefit greatly from having hobbies in their lives. Hobbies bring many benefits that usually make them more than worth the time they require, according to Stress Management Expert Elizabeth Scott.
I have a few hobbies but none of them have changed my life or brought me as much satisfaction as blogging. In almost too many ways to count, it has changed me and the way I live my life.
In fact, I love blogging so much that I regularly recommend it to others. I started blogging because writing in a journal wasn’t very appealing. But somewhere along the line, my journaling became less about me writing the story and more about the story changing me.
I started blogging “unofficially” on MySpace as a hobby (remember them). Now it’s a vital part of my professional portfolio. I write on personal development, leadership, finance, relationships, inspiration, and motivation. (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 4, 2016 | Christian, Christianity, Decisions, Empowerment, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Questions, Self-Leadership, Spiritual Growth
At Mars Hill, “we become all things to all people that we may win some to Christ.”
Therefore, we decided a long time ago to use technology as another tool to help people find their way back to God. Before you write me off as a heretic, Christianity was, in a very real sense, the first technologically driven religion. You can read more about it HERE.
Welcome to Live Streaming
With Facebook’s newest feature Facebook Live, you can start a Live broadcast that’s posted to the News Feed, watch comments overlaid in real-time on their stream, and then make the recording permanently available for viewing. I’m using Facebook Live to review the previous Sunday message and live stream a video devotional. I’m calling it Rewind.
Rewind
REWIND is a live stream (Facebook Live and Periscope) designed for us to look back to Sunday’s message and allow God’s Spirit to prompt us in areas that need to change in our lives (before we shelve the thoughts in the archives of our mind).
There are three sections to it:
- Recall: a quick blurb about the big idea of the previous Sunday message along with links to the audio/video/transcription of the message (in case you missed it or want to go back to it),
- Reflect: some key questions to digest as a group, family, or individual, and
- Respond: action steps that might be helpful to pursue a healthy change in our daily lives.
I’m inviting you to find a quite place and subscribe to my Facebook Profile or follow me on Periscope.
