August 2015
THE CENTRAL CONNECTION
"We are an organization of churches that is committed to the mission of Christ to multiply disciple-making churches through evangelism, leadership training, and connection with other like-minded churches."

From the Director
"Famous Last Words"

Famous last words.  We have all said something in the past that we desperately wish we could take back.  My mom would often say to me as a kid, "Pat you need to think first before you talk."  Yea, well mom I still forget to do that at times.  We all do.  It is those embarrassing faux pas or impassioned goofs that almost always outlive us.  And yes, they return like a well-thrown boomerang. 

 

History speaks for itself.  Decca Records controlled the American music industry for decades.  Their star-filled line-up included Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Buddy Holly, and many others.  They had a great ear for talent.  A scout for Decca attended a 1962 talent show and listened to a group of "mop heads" from Liverpool called "The Beatles".  Decca Records said, "We don't like their sound.  And besides, guitar music is on the way out."  Ten years later, the Decca Record label disappeared.

 

Here's a good one.  In October of 1929, economist Irving Fisher reported ". . . the stock market has reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.  The market is a safe and prudent investment."  On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday hit Wall Street as investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day.  Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors.

 

Famous last words.  I love asking pastors who have been in ministry many years, "If you were on your death-bed and you had moments left before eternity, what would you say to those who are being left behind?"  I am going after those non-negotiable pastoral priorities that give motivation to do what we do, even in the midst of conflict and difficulty.  I have seen key leaders in the church lose heart in the battle for the gospel.  You would expect the Apostle Paul, one of history's most quoted personalities, to have left a memorable line or two amongst his last words.  Friends, Paul had been offered the ability to preview the future.  He was able to peek into heaven's splendor as he was dying and speak about pastoring. 

 

Paul's famous last words were addressed to Timothy, a pastoral candidate.  Like many ministerial trainees, Timothy had questioned this strange choice of occupation.  We have all been there, right?  Timothy's mentor had more scars than friends and more jail time than spare time. Because Paul's battles were from both sides of the church door, he knew the priorities.  We see in 2 Timothy that Paul did not leave his young protégé just hanging there with this choice of occupation.  He had some famous last words.  We need to remind ourselves of his dying words, while being chased by menacing wolves and dealing with unruly sheep in the church.

  • Be faithful in your duties.  (2 Timothy 1:5)
  • Use your God-given gifts at all times.  (2 Timothy 1:6)
  • Serve in the spirit of power, love and discipline.  (2 Timothy 1:7)
  • Keep proclaiming the gospel, no matter what.  (2 Timothy 8)
  • Hold on to sound doctrine.  (2 Timothy 1:13)
  • Guard what you say and do.  (2 Timothy 2:22-24)
  • Be willing to suffer persecution for the gospel.  (2 Timothy 3:12)
  • Work hard at preaching the Word.  (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

These were Paul's non-negotiable pastoral priorities.  That's why he could say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith . . ." (2 Timothy 4:7)   Brothers, serving in ministry is a strange occupation and it is anything but easy.  May another set of famous last words be true for each of us as we fulfill our calling, "Well done, good and faithful slave . . . enter into the joy of your master."  (Matthew 25:21)

  

Pat Phinney 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pat Phinney

CBNC Regional Director

Pastor's Wives . . . Just for You
"Enjoying the Season"

I cannot believe that it is time to write the article for the August newsletter.  Summer is going way too fast.  Seeing all the "Back to School" supplies in the stores is certainly a reality check.  It won't be long and we will be picking apples and pumpkins and I'm just beginning to get red tomatoes from our garden. 

 

Once again I am reminded how quickly time passes.  It seems like only yesterday I was the mother of toddlers.  Now my grandchildren are not even toddlers anymore.  It makes me think how important it is to cherish each and every day that God gives us.  It is so easy to get caught up in all the activity of life that we neglect to enjoy life itself.  So my challenge to you and me is that we take the time to enjoy life.  Sit in your backyard and marvel at God's handiwork.  There is beauty all around us.  We just need to slow down and observe it.  I also want to challenge us to enjoy the relationships we have with the people around us.  And now I'm going to take my own advice and bring this to an end.  I have grandchildren upstairs and I'm missing out on all the fun!

 

A couple of things to share with you......

Pat and I are currently reading Devotions for a Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.  I would highly recommend it.  It is a year of weekly devotions for couples.  We are finding it thought provoking, challenging, convicting and encouraging all at the same time.  The author, sees that marriage is like working on a jigsaw puzzle.  You become so caught up in looking at the individual pieces that you lose sight of the bigger picture.  Sometimes we forget what we're trying to construct.  In his book, Gary Thomas says, "Likewise we can become so fixated on the problems and challenges of marriage that we miss the ultimate purpose of every believer's life:  seeking first - above all else - God's kingdom, and growing in righteousness and godly character."

 

I'm sure that this is an area we all could use prayer in.  This month let's pray for our husbands and ourselves as we pray for our marriages.  Here is a passage to get us started .....

 

"I pray that as the elect of God, holy and beloved, that my husband and I put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and long suffering.  I pray that we will bear with one another, forgiving one another, if we have a complaint against each other, even as Christ forgave us, so we also must do.  But above all these things help us to put on love, which is the bond of perfection."           Colossions 3:12-14

 

I also want to share this yummy recipe with you.  If you get the Better Homes and Gardens magazine you will find it on the August cover.  I made it for a family BBQ and game night last weekend and it got raving reviews.  It's not hard to make - just takes a little time because there are several steps.

 

Easy Freezy Fun Pops    

15 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

3 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled

One half of a 1.75 qt. carton of chocolate ice cream, softened

One half of a 1.75 qt. carton of vanilla ice cream, softened

One half of a 1.75 qt. carton of strawberry ice cream, softened

½ cup chopped fresh strawberries

 

Line a square baking pan (8 x 8 or 9 x 9) with waxed paper, leaving edges extended over pan.  Stir together cookies and butter; press mixture in to pan.  Freeze for 10 minutes.  Spread an even layer of chocolate ice cream over cookie layer; freeze for 15 minutes.  Repeat with vanilla ice cream.  Stir chopped strawberries into strawberry ice cream.  Spread in an even layer over vanilla layer; freeze for 15 minutes.  Insert 16 craft sticks, evenly spaced.  Loosely cover.  Freeze for 2 hours or until firm.  (I would suggest more than 2 hours.  They were a still a bit soft.)  Using edges of waxed paper, lift dessert from pan.  Cut between sticks into 16 bars.   Click Here to Print Recipe

 

 

 

 

 Karen Phinney

Wife of Regional Director

Upcoming

"Developing Healthy Congregations" Seminar

  

Is it your desire to have a spiritually healthy church that is able to make committed disciples of Jesus Christ?  Do you desire to have a church that is able to experience a level of reproduction that will impact your community for Jesus Christ?  Come to a "Developing Healthy Congregations" seminar in your area.  Here is your opportunity to take the first step to developing spiritual health in your own church. For more details and how to register click here.


 

 What is Really Urgent and Important?

"Developing Healthy Congregations"

Faithbridge Church, Park Rapids, MNB

Saturday, September 19, 9am-2pm

 

Presented by CBNC Regional Director Pat Phinney

 

Congratulations
. . . to Pastor Brandon Cooper, his wife Amy, their family, and to ELMchurch in Elmhurst, IL as Brian has accepted the position of Pastor of ELMchurch.

.  .  . to Pastor Jim Hinson and his wife Patricia along with Palisade Baptist Church, Silver Bay, MN as Jim has accepted the role of Pastor at Palisade.
Condolences
a
Youth Pastor to Youth Pastor
"Do Not Worry"

I do not consider myself to be a worrier.  Yet, on July 24, as we were traveling home from senior high camp, what I worry about most became a reality right before my eyes.

 

We were on interstate I-80 heading for home. I was driving the church van, full of teenagers, pulling a trailer.  My wife was following behind in our suburban with my three youngest children. Traffic was particularly heavy that day with Ragbrai going through Iowa City. (Ragbrai is a weeklong bicycle ride across Iowa with thousands of bikers).  As our exit was fast approaching, I looked for my wife through the side mirror to make sure she was following me. As I was watching her through the mirror, I saw the suburban start to fishtail and then quickly turn sideways into three lanes of traffic. I could immediately tell that she got T-boned by a car in the center lane. Fear gripped my heart as I quickly pulled off to the side of the road.

 

I got out of the van and saw the wreckage of a four vehicle accident, with my wife and children as the centerpiece.  As I ran the quarter-mile to my family, a flood of emotions and thoughts filled my heart and mind. What would I find, a fatality, a bloody mess? My mind quickly prepared for the worst. That which I worry about most, something traumatic happening to my family, had become reality.

 

When I got to their vehicle, my three kids were all screaming and moving so I knew they were fine.  My wife was sitting very still and all she said was "I can't feel my legs." Feeling to her legs did return within a few hours and by late that evening, my whole family was able to come home.  The kids suffered minor bumps and bruises and my wife suffered a lumbar fracture in several vertebrae.  Though she was in great pain, she was able to go home and begin the long healing process.

 

As you can imagine, I had a hard time sleeping that first night. When I woke up the next morning, I opened my Bible to where I had been reading, and it happened to be  the classic "do not worry" passage found in Matthew chapter 6. As I read the words of Jesus, God used His word to calm my heart. Two thoughts in particular stood out. The first is in verse 26 where Jesus said "are you not much more valuable than they?" referring to our value and worth in comparison to the birds of the air. The second thought that jumped out is in verse 32 with the simple little phrase "your heavenly father knows."

 

Of course my family is of great value to God and of course my heavenly father knows. Yet in the midst of life, I find it so easy to lose sight of these simple truths that God has so graciously communicated to us in the Bible. God knew right where I was, exactly what I needed to hear. And how did he communicate to me... through the pages of His holy word.  I experienced God, my heavenly Father, by reading His love letter to me. 

 

It almost sounds too simple in a world that wants to make everything so complicated.  If anyone wants to know & experience God, they must read His word. God has communicated and still communicates today through the Bible. 

 

I pray that you will not give in to the temptation to seek better ways to know God outside of His word.  I needed to be reminded that I and my family are known and loved by our heavenly Father.  It was meeting God in the pages of scripture that He met me and comforted my heart. May you, your family, and your ministry enjoy getting to know our heavenly Father this coming school year.

 

Matthew D. Slippy, D.Min.

Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries

Calvary Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, IA

319-396-3233

cbym@juno.com

-CBAmerica Chaplaincy
"The Same Sex Marriage Ruling"

"The June 26 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on same-sex marriage was expected by some, but a disappointment to many.  I was personally discouraged and at a loss for words.  After spending four days with some of America's most brilliant Christian Attorneys of the ADF, I came away with valuable information, inspiration and hope.  Among other things, I've decided to throw away all my disparaging lawyer jokes!  Let me share why, and what I learned."  Read More

 

Andy Meverden

Director of Chaplaincy, CBAmerica


4 Questions from the Supreme Court's Gay Marriage Ruling
Sorting fact from fiction after last month's historic decision.  -by Richard R. Hammar, Church Law & Tax    Read More  

Church Insurance Applications - Modeling Stewardship - Build Social Awareness: Management Roundup
Trends, tips, ideas, and stats to help church leaders manage well this week.  
-Compiled by Matt Branaugh, Church Law & Tax     Read More

Volunteer Versus Employee Positions:  How to Decide Which Is Best
Three ways to tell that it's time to hire.   -by Arthur DeKruyter, Church Law & Tax   Read More

The Biggest Mistake a Leader Can Make
Insights from " Imaging the Future of Leadership" - a Harvard Business School Symposium   Click Here to See Video


 

If you've visited the CB North Central website recently you've probably noticed that our site has changed.  We're in the first phase of updates and revisions. Stay tuned for further improvements as we strive to better serve you.  We hope you enjoy it.

Click on the picture above to go to our Facebook page and "Like" CBNC for regular updates.
Please Pray for Our Churches in Transition
It is tremendously exciting to see what God is doing around the region concerning pastoral transition.  There are pastors making life and ministry changing decisions.  Clearly the words of Paul in Philippians 2:13 says it all, "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  If there is an interest to see what God is doing in our churches that are in transition, please contact me.  Keep praying for the work of God to be accomplished in His church.


 Pat Phinney, Regional Director

CB North Central Pastoral Cluster Groups
Central Minnesota

To be decided. 

Steve Schoenwald, River of Life Church, Hastings, MN
651-437-3965

Illinois - Chicago Area

Saturday, August 29th, 1pm

Meeting at Keystone Baptist Church, Chicago, IL

Leonard Harris, Grove Heights Baptist Church, Chicago, IL

773-731-8094   lendar@ameritech.net

 

Michigan

Thursday, October 15, 9am
Leo Cumings, Bethel Baptist Church, Jackson, MI
517-416-1247

For more information on a Cluster Group in your area please contact the CBNC office.