April 1, 2009
Just a few thoughts tonight.
- So many church leaders are against other church leaders. I just don’t get it. We are all trying to reach the same goal of winning people to Christ, and advance the Kingdom of God on Earth! {Right?}
- The Fox Valley is a place where thousands of Christians are unchurched. A recent survey indicated that most unchurched Christians want to attend church somewhere, but do not know where to go!
- According to that survey people want to attend church where there are people like them!
- That is what I love about Overflow, we are ordinary people try to provoke one another to be more like Christ, and live a life of faith!
- In order to reach those people that are unchurch Christians & those far from God, we have to begin to think outside of the box. {How do we do that? How do we attract people?}
- I believe 2009 is the year for families at Overflow Church. It was apart of the vision God spoke to me back in January. I am praying through ways to attract and engage more families this spring and summer.
- Overflowers, please be praying for me in the area of our schedule. I have a rough outline for the semester theme’s for the rest of the year, but I need to begin putting some more details in place.
- I need more details so that I can do some strategic planning and set some goals in order to maintain a good pace of preperation.
- Did you know that God “blesses” preparation? It is true. When I spend time preparing, and seeking God man He really blesses me in a way I cannot describe.
- One final note on the preparation situation. A few people I have talked with recently gave me a hard time by the way I planned out our year into 3 different semesters {to fit in with school year} as not allowing the Holy Spirit room to move.
- I have two thoughts about that:
- God can speak to me today about a message He wants me to preach, or needs me to preach in October, just as well as He can speak to me in October about it. When I began to prepare for the following semester, I believe God honors my preparation and gives me more time to study and bounce the ideas around about the best way to build excitement, prepare good illustrations, etc…
- This past Sunday was a Holy Spirit driven Sunday at Overflow. I had a sermon completely finished and Saturday morning during my prayer time, God spoke to me clearly that I needed to change my sermon. It was for some people who would be there Sunday. I do not believe it was by accident. I felt a little nervous with little prep time and no run through. If your an Overflower reading this, you can let me know, but I thought God rocked it out! I went for it with a passion and zeal that was amazing.
- Final thought: If the church could come into UNITY with a common vision to see a city transformed, we could take entire regions for God. For now, I will continue to seek out like minded pastors and leaders to build relationship with, and beg God for that unity to come!
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Posted by kevinjbradford
March 25, 2009
Well, it has been an eventful week.
- On Monday morning, I was talking with someone in my office, and I stated that I was refreshed and had a relaxing weekend. Then it hit me, “NO you did not relax”
- I worked for hours on Saturday for cleaning out the room that will become our sanctuary at our new building.
- Then on Sunday I had 3 meetings, after church. It was a grueling day beginning at 5 AM and ending around 9:15.
- Those were the facts, the truth was that it was one of the most relaxing weekends. I believe God honored me with rest, during those activities. Each day I took a couple of hours to spend with the family watching movies, taking walks, and running out for ice cream.
- I was thinking on my drive from Green Bay today. If believers spent half as much energy and got half as excited about Church as they do March Madness, we would see entire regions won for Christ. The Kingdom could truly be advanced.
- I think part of the problem is that we are not ashamed to be radical sports fan, but we are ashamed of being radical loves of Jesus!
- The bathrooms at the Tundra Lodge Conference Center are the nicest I have ever seen. The room is marble with some amazing wood doors and fixtures. The restroom had a chair that was heated in a separate section with heaters. During our lunch break today, I kicked back and relaxed. I almost took a nap, but my I-phone kept me busy on Twitter and Facebook.
- You should take a look at WINY‘s blog. The last couple of post are awesome, and the rest are good too!
- Another blog to check out is JoNathan’s Bog. JoNathan is moving to Appleton to work with Overflow. After a brief season of being in our services and Life Groups he will take over our children’s ministry. (CAN I GET AN AMEN!)
- You know I have been begging God for somethings over the last several months, and many of them have come to pass. I am blessed.
- The real concern here is that Ashlee has set her mind to stand in faith for 3 things and they have ALL come to pass. She should be the one teaching our prayer series in a few weeks.
- Did I mention that we are working with another Church in the Fox Valley Region and going to move our services into a new building in April. I am believing we will outgrow it quickly, but will remain involved with the building and outreaches from that location for a long time!
- Oh, final thought… I need to pray more!
Those are my reflections. Many other things happened and went on around here, but too many to discuss.
If you live in the Appleton area we would love to see you at a Life Group or Celebration Service! Just give me a call 920-475-7595.
Check back (Thursday) for Benefits Verses Responsibilities Part 3
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Posted by kevinjbradford
March 18, 2009
Just a few thoughts before heading off to bed…
- LONG week… Why is it the weeks that we think are going to be easy and enjoyable turn out to be a pain, and the weeks I dread or think will be difficult are never as hard as I thought!
- The week ended with a lot of meetings.
- Friday night the team and I got to look around the building we are planning on using as a new location for our Sunday Services and community outreach.
- The weather has been beautiful the last few days and our family cannot get enough of it.
- We have been enjoying long walks, cool breezes, and the grill!
- “If you cannot be tested, then you cannot be trusted”
- Trials and tribulations will come, so we must ensure our attitude is one that embraces the trials as opportunities.
- Many Christians say that God would never test us or allow us to go through trials
- Umm… please read Gen 22, Matthew 4, and James 1, 1 Peter and get back to me.
- The last seven days have been a pretty down time for me and the family. My family needed the rest time and a little more family time.
- I put in 8 or 9 hour days instead of the normal 11 or 12.
- I also took most of Monday off and we went out to lunch and to Monkey Joe’s play center.
- It may sound a little contradictory to say that the week was long, and restful at the same time.
- The warfare and pressure this week was immense for me, but Ashlee and the kids needed my attention more and needed me around more during the last few days.
- So through out this restful and enjoyable time, there was some intense times of prayer and warfare.
- Don’t Get it? That is okay. When someone is working full-time, raising a family, and church planting the roles and days seem to get very mixed and very complex.
- Today I broke through some of the warfare and I feel much less discombobulated. PRAISE GOD!
- I don’t get the NCAA selection Saturday process, but at least NCAA basketball has a play off system. The NCAA should glean some information from basketball to set up a football playoff system.
Enough Random thoughts for tonight!
1 Comment | Appleton, Church, Family, Life, Overflow, Random Thoughts, Tuesday Night Reflections | Tagged: God, Leadership, Life, Overflow, Pondering, Random Thoughts, Tuesday Night Relfections | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
March 16, 2009
I have been praying and working through what we will be doing for Easter Sunday.
Honestly, I have been blank. Everytime I sit down to pray about it or strategize or develop I am completely blank.
So, what should an Easter Sunday service look like?
If your not a partner with the OC, what has your church done in the past or doing this year?
1 Comment | Appleton, Church, Family, Overflow, Random Thoughts | Tagged: easter, Overflow, Random Thoughts | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
March 11, 2009
WOW…. the past 7 days have been interesting.
- First and foremost we must pray for the Pastor Fred Winters family in this tragic time. We must pray for his wife and kids, but also for his church family.
- Sunday was amazing at Overflow Church as we wrapped up “The Message Series” with “Yield”.
- Without Surrender (Yielding), God is not free to work in us and through us and; therefore we will never realize our potential or fulfill our divine destiny.
- The greatest threat to our relationship with God is the blessings and promises that God gives to us.
- If you asked me to sum up everything I know about Christianity in one word, it would be “yielding”.
- Sunday’s message was the pinnacle of the series, and it really rocked some people.
- This is a must read testimony about God breathing the breathe of life into someone. Read here!
- I am so blessed by the blog noted above. IT NEVER GETS OLD!
- Our household has had one interesting two week period.
- I worked late 3 nights the last week of Feb, and then flew to Nashville for 3 days on Feb 26th.
- The first week of March I did not get home before 8:30 any night.
- Monday Night, Ashlee and I sat down and discussed some areas of our life that we needed to make sure we are on the same page about.
- Tuesday of last week, we found out that Ashlee is expecting #3! (We are very excited)!
- Powerful Testimony tomorrow about how God moved in this situation.
- I took Monday off and had a family fun day! We went to lunch, Monkey Joe’s (kids play area), took at family nap, and then enjoyed some snuggling and reading.
My good friend Jonathan (Nate) has arrived in Appleton tonight. Many of you on Twitter may know him as Jfietzer. I am excited to spend some time having fun this week, and dreaming some about what God is going to be doing here in Appleton and the Fox Cities Region.
That’s all tonight. Check back for our Guest Blogger tomorrow night (Wednesday).
2 Comments | Overflow, The Message, Tuesday Night Reflections | Tagged: Inspirational, Life, Overflow, Random Thoughts, Tuesday Night Relfections | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
February 13, 2009
Tonight I took my wife and kids out on a fun date night.
We drove to nearby Green Bay to eat at Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant, and then over to the Resch Center to see 100 years of Disney on Ice.
It might have been the best Disney show I have seen. The one thing that I know for sure is that my kids had a blast, and they were ecstatic about going to the show. The entire show both girls just pointed, clapped, and smiled. Absolutely worth every penny and amount of effort spent to make tonight happen!
Have you taken your family out on a date recently?
Next week Lessons Via Parenting 2 & Leadership Via Dora part 3
3 Comments | Family, Life | Tagged: Family, Life, light-hearted, Random Thoughts | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
February 12, 2009
Inadequacy is the sudden feeling I got Tuesday afternoon setting in my office thinking about this coming Sunday’s service.
Over the past week I have posted a little about this Special Sunday. I was processing through all of the things that must be done, accomplished, put in place, and finalized in order to make Sunday successful.
Suddenly, without notice, a feeling of inadequacy washed over me. I got nervous, became flush, and even started to think, “man what am I doing.” Have you ever had that sudden feeling of inadequacy. The feeling that you have jumped in over your head? That feeling that if God does not come through in a real and relevant way this whole thing is going to be a wash! Those were the feelings that rushed around in my mind for a few minutes. My anxiety level began to rise, my blood pressure was rising, my thoughts were getting quicker and quicker to the point I could not concentrate.
Then, as quickly as the feelings of inadequacy rushed in to my mind, God began to speak to me about I was right where he wanted me. He wanted less of me, so there would be room for more of Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
A few moments of rattling this precious scripture around in my head created a thankfulness in me. It’s not that it was not already there, it was more like a reminding, a gentle nudge in the right direction. So I began to thank God for all of the opportunities I have in my life and in our church.
As I was thanking God for this Sunday and for the grace to deliver a powerful, life changing message and reach people imploring them to be reconciled to Christ Jesus. The thankfulness and gratitude that I am allowed to even pastor a church in the Kingdom of God, the fact that God has honored me with such a opportunity to change lives is so amazing, and I am so thankful.
You know, His grace has brought me this far, and His grace has been sufficient for me up to this point, and it will be sufficient for me this weekend, when I am weak, He is strong!
In what areas of your life do you feel inadequate?
In what areas of your life has God’s grace been sufficient for you to achieve what you thought was impossible?
2 Comments | Challenging, God, Inspirational, Jesus, Life, Overflow, Random Thoughts, The Message | Tagged: awe, Inadequacy, Inspirational, Jesus, Life, Overflow, Random Thoughts | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
January 29, 2009
I only have a few moments here before I head off to bed. Thursday will bring Leadership via Dora #2.
I had to blog quickly to say that God completely rocked some people tonight at our Life Group.
Over the last 4 days, I have brought a straight Kingdom message “Introduction to The Kingdom of God” and God has really challenged some people and moved them.
It was not a fancy inspirational or practical message, but it was purely laying out there the fact that Jesus’ primary message was not salvation, but “repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”
To be honest, people getting rocked by God through simple messages, NEVER GETS OLD!
Leave a Comment » | Challenging, Church, God, Jesus, Life, Overflow | Tagged: Dora, God, Inspirational, Jesus, Life, Overflow, Random Thoughts | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
January 28, 2009
The last seven days has been extremely amazing. God has been so good in the past few days.
- God has been setting me on fire this last week.
- We launched our 2009 Life Groups this past week. Wednesday Nights will be every week, and Saturday Nights will be the 1st and 3rd Saturday’s of each month.
- Friday the girls went to have a Diva For A Day Treatment at a local kids Spa! So I had to take them out for a Night Out with Mommy and Daddy. We went out to to El Azteca a local authentic Mexican restaurant the girls love.
- Saturday we spent the day playing Wii and me reading and praying through various things that have been on my heart.
- Sunday was awesome! I preached a message called “The Kingdom of God” which was the first message in a series called The Design For Life!
- I was really unsure about this message, because it was a hard-core teaching and not the inspirational, practical type of preaching I normally bring on Sundays.
- Can I tell you, people got touched on Sunday. God proved that if you simply speak what Father says, people will be rocked.
- God continued His faithfulness yesterday. I got the scriptures and basic outline for my next two sermons during my prayer time.
- The next two services are The Kingdom of God – Refine & Align and then Define & Design
Well those are my reflections for tonight. Overall, the tone of the week has been that God is good and we are in a season of recieving His blessings.
Check back this week for blogs on: Leadership Via Dora 2, All things are lawful but may not be helpful, and things God taught me through parenting.
Has God lit a fire in you lately about something?
1 Comment | Family, Inspirational, Jesus, Leadership, Life, Random Thoughts | Tagged: Dora, Jesus, Leadership, Life, Random Thoughts, Tuesday Night Relfections, Wii | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
January 27, 2009
About a week ago I was playing Wii with the kids (big surprise I know).
We played several different games, and finally ended up playing Dora Saves the Snow Princess Wii game. There is a portion of the game called Dora’s Forest Adventure. It is basically snow sledding down hill for coins. You can also race with a dog sled. At the end of each race the game counts your coins and gives you either a bronze, silver, or gold medal.
I had to go and spend a few precious Facebook moments and the girls were playing with the dog sleds and at the end of each race my youngest was upset that she only had a few coins and would only get a bronze. While my oldest daughter would have a ton of coins, and get a gold medal.
So I told her I would sit and watch the following race to give her some desperately requested advice in the game. The following is the list of my observations.
- She simply set there with the remote and allowed Dora to slide down one side of the course for 1/4 of the hill, then she would change sides.
- She would not move toward the coins.
- Then she would get 3/4 down and just sit down the remote completely and run for a drink of water.
- My older daughter however had an intense grip on the remote, game face on, and determined to get as many coins as possible.
Later that night I was praying and asking God about our leadership team at Overflow. During that prayer time I began to realize that many Christians out there are living the same way my daughter was playing Dora.
- They simply went one direction with no specific goal or plan, until they decided they were tired of going that way, so they change direction.
- At some point many Christians get discouraged or bored with the path and they abandon it completely.
- Another thing I have noticed is that many of those same people are very frustrated that others seem to be winning or doing well in this life.
- They get frustrated and seek advice on how to be like, act like, or achieve what those successful Christians or people are doing.
The reality of the situation is this, all they have to do is simply grab the reigns and begin to go for it. They need to understand what they are trying to accomplish and then pursue it with intensity.
1 Corinthians 9:24 state, ” Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
You see in this life, we must seek God’s plan and destiny for our lives. Once we hear God and understand the prize (goal) we must pursue relentlessly so that you can obtain it.
The concept is really simple. Hear God, and pursue it!
LEADERSHIP VIA DORA!
3 Comments | Challenging, Church, Family, Inspirational, Jesus, Leadership, Life, Random Thoughts | Tagged: Dora, Family, Leadership, Life, Random Thoughts, Vision, Wii | Permalink
Posted by kevinjbradford
