Leaning Forward

Much needed update

Andy Giessman — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:27:26 GMT

God gave me the gift of two fantastic weeks of ministry. First, two weeks ago, I spoke for Teen Week at Independent Bible Church in Martinsburg, WV. Those guys did such a good job. Props to Brad Haecock for all the work and energy he put into reaching students with the truth of God's Word.

This past week Becky and I were at Camp Patmos in Ohio. This is one of my favorite places to minister and enjoy life. Gotta love being on an island on Lake Erie for a week! My friends, Andy Chouinard and Tim Richardson, have worked really hard at making Patmos a place where everyone fits in!

Whiteboard Sessions

Andy Giessman — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:35:49 GMT

Becky and I had the chance to attend the Whiteboard Sessions. 8 speakers had 1/2 hour each to share an idea. Great time to get away and think.

Reading

Andy Giessman — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:49:43 GMT

Monday was a good day to read. I have a passion for books and especially those that cover history and communication. I believe we can understand the future if we are familiar with our past. It is also a core value of mine that whatever gift God has given to us must be honed and sharpened. So for what its worth, here is what I am reading right now...

From Achilles To Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics - Louis Markos
Preaching Parables to Postmoderns - Brian Stiller
Forever a Soldier - Tom Wiener

3 Activities of a God Who Invades History

Andy Giessman — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:43 GMT

Sermon #3 from the Exposed series (we didn't record #2, oops).

Ephesians 2:1-10

3 Exposures of Grace

Andy Giessman — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:21:17 GMT

Here is the first in the Exposed series from NLBC.

Ephesians 1:1-14

Soul Exposure

Andy Giessman — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:51:27 GMT

My friend Christina shamed me into posting a new blog. I think I had a combination of writers block and acute laziness. Thanks, Christina. I needed that.

We finished week 6 of the 8 for the series in Ephesians. One of the huge lessons I have learned is the idea of identity. Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus was received by a people who were looking to belong. Ephesus was a giant city that was probably the third largest in the Roman Empire. They were a culture that wanted to understand the "mystery" of a deeper life. The only way to discover that mystery was to be involved in the cult of Artemis. Social, economic, religious, and political life was all centered around the goddess' temple. Life was found there.

For three chapters Paul digs a deep foundation to help us understand who we are. He exposes our soul in the light of the Gospel.

It is God who has initiated the relationship with humanity.
The light inside our hearts can turn on to help us understand spiritual things.
The outrageous grace of God eliminates the stench of death.
The grace of God unites all believers world-wide
God has chosen the church to be the means for the world to hear about Grace
There is a huge contrast between the mind of one who does not know Christ and one who does.

Again and again as the soul is exposed we see the great investment that God has made so that we can know him. Coming to grips with truth always tells us what we need to do.

My new Fav...

Andy Giessman — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:14:35 GMT

I have a new favorite drink at Starbucks. Today I tried the latte with soy milk. I thought I would hate it but it was great! I have Becky to thank for making the suggestion. Low fat, low sugar, LOADS of flavor.

Fearless

Andy Giessman — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:46:26 GMT

Our second Sunday with two services went very well! The first service had about the same attendance and the second was down a little. It was one of those weeks when lots of people were out out town.

We saw, again, first time guests join us and we are now able to give them a gift. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is a great way to introduce people to Jesus. I pray that God will use this tool along with the weekly ministries of our church and people to see many take the next step.

It is important to keep in mind that the enemy does not want what is happening in Scranton to continue. Anytime God works and people's lives are being changed the enemy will throw lots of roadblocks at you to discourage you.

In Ephesians 6 Paul reminds us that our battles are truly spiritual. As we hold up the shield of faith lets remember that God expects us to use that particular piece of armor to push forward not stand in one place!

Taking Off!

Andy Giessman — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:53:05 GMT

I would be lying if I said I woke up yesterday without fear. My first waking, and irrational thought, was "what have we done?". I was trying to figure out a way to contact everybody and tell them that we were just going to have our regular worship service at 10:30. Like I said, irrational.

So here is what happened with yesterday's second service launch at New Life

* We got there early
* Nobody else did
* It was getting closer to nine
* The auditorium was less than full - empty is a good word
* We prayed
* People came!

We had 57 in the first service with 140+ in the second. We had over 200 people total! We were actually running out of room for the second service! If this keeps up maybe we will need to add a third....

Two Words

Andy Giessman — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 10:13:30 GMT

Two words: Launch Day! Tomorrow we launch our 2nd Worship Service! I can't even begin to tell you how excited and nervous I am all at the same time!

We have had quite a week. The enemy has thrown some pretty significant roadblocks at us. There are lots of people in the hospital and we had a funeral yesterday. It adds up! One thing I remember, though - Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon formed against us shall prosper". That's right. Bring it!

Please pray about the services for tomorrow. I have no idea how they will even out or if they will be even.

Also pray for Steamtown Community Church. They are launching their first public worship service tomorrow as well. Go get 'em, Dennis!

Coming Soon...

Andy Giessman — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:46:07 GMT

OK, pretty excited. Next week is Launch Day for our 2nd Worhsip Servce at New Life. This is quite an adventure for our church and I am not sure what is going to happen. I do think God is doing something!

Here is a sneek peak at our new teaching series...

We will explore together how Christ gives everyone a new beginning.

Lots 'O Room

Andy Giessman — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:14:14 GMT

You just gotta love being in the airport long before dawn only to find out you have to use a completely different airline and be totally rerouted. There is, however, a bright side...

I am on my way to Kentucky to speak for a Snow Camp for Vertical Student Ministries. When I got on the plane in Philly the flight attendant asked me if I wanted to sit in the emergency exit row all by myself! With all that extra room I was able to spread out and work on some of our upcoming teaching series at New Life. Sometimes God looks favorably upon those of us with long legs!

We will finish up our series on Generosity next week and then move into a series on the theology of Christ (Christology). All of those talks will come from Luke's Gospel, and this series will kick off our 2nd Worship Service Launch.

Speaking of generosity, our community at New Life has really stepped up to the plate! We passed a pretty aggressive budget a few weeks ago and so far we are making it! Praise God!

For 8 weeks, beginning April 6th, we will explore Ephesians together in a series we are calling Uprising. The core of that series comes from Eph 5:14, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." That sentence stirs something deep within me. I am really praying and dreaming about how to present this material in a creative and memorable way. For now lets just say it might involve gladiators or priestesses (uh, that's a nice way of saying prostitutes - no seriously).

Treasure Test

Andy Giessman — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:38:18 GMT

We had a great day at New Life yesterday. Great turnout, great atmosphere, and an awesome spirit as we continued our series on generosity.

From the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus teaches regular people about extraordinary stuff. He teaches about their relationship with each other and with God. He broaches some pretty touchy issues. But they are issues everyone needs to deal with.

Money is one of those hot button issues. In verse 24 Jesus teaches we cannot have equal allegiance to both God and our wallets. He doesn't start there, however. In verses 19-20 he reminds us that we all make investments. We can either invest in stuff here or invest in things eternally. As we mentioned before everything dies. Every single thing on this planet has an expiration date. Everything. So what does an eternal investment look like? What lasts? The answer is two things - The Word and people. God's word will outlast everything. God has preserved it this far and will continue to after we are gone. People last forever. Not our bodies, of course. Some of us realize that we are falling apart and there is definitely an expiration date. The souls of all human beings will exist in one place or another. When someone crosses the threshold of eternity they will either be with God forever in Heaven or they will exist in darkness and torment apart from God. There is no in between.

What investments are we making?

Treasure

Andy Giessman — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:01:21 GMT

I am getting ready to preach on Matthew 6:19-24 tomorrow. This will be week two for our series on Generosity. God is really teaching me about this business of storing up treasure. I have never been a person that chases money. That is not my treasure. The word means the amassing of something of value. The fundamental question is this: What do I value?

Everything dies, wears out, breaks, fades, or frays. Nothing we want to keep we keep. Like the axiom states, "He who dies with the most toys, still dies".

Looking forward to more meditation on "Seeking first the Kingdom of God".

Idea Piracy (a good thing, arr)

Andy Giessman — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:34:09 GMT

I can relate with John Nash. He is the lead character in the movie A Beautiful Mind. In the on screen adaptation of this true story, Nash is a mathematical genius (uh, that is not the part I relate to) who has to learn to deal with schizophrenia. While he is studying for his post-graduate degree he is obsessed with developing an "original idea" in the field of mathematics. He is driven by the need to create a formula or theory that is completely new and revolutionary.

In the world of ministry I struggle with the same thing. I read books, articles, and blogs about people who have these great ideas and make them work! I wonder when that will happen to me. When will I have that great idea? The answer: Maybe never.

In our search for innovation, lets not forget that other people have great ideas that are often given freely to us. Use them! Conversely, lets not forget to ask God to do more than we can imagine. There is no ministry obstacle that God does not have a creative solution for!

Speaking of great ideas...Becky and I are planning on going to a new one-day conference in Northern VA. Check out The White Board Sessions.

Weekend in New Hampshire

Andy Giessman — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:03:19 GMT

I had the opportunity to minister at Snow Camp this weekend. Over 250 students and leaders converged on the campus of Rumney Bible Conference for a few days to recharge and renew. Many students indicated they wanted to enter into a relationship with Christ. God was moving!

It was also a great weekend because I was able to bring a ministry team from Baptist Bible College to lead worship. Redemption has begun to travel on weekends representing the school and will be on the road all summer ministering in camps and churches. They proved they are both very capable musicians and more importantly, flexible ministers.

Encouragement

Andy Giessman — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:13:30 GMT

I am really thankful for those times when God brings someone into your life that just ministers to you with encouragement. That has happened to me recently with my friends Dave, Brady, and Bill.

On Monday night I found myself on an airplane sitting next to a fellow pastor who chose to build into my life for a solid 90 minutes. God knows what we need when we need it.

Back in the saddle

Andy Giessman — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:02:52 GMT

Wow! It has been a long time since my last post. By way of lame excuse I will claim Christmas and the holidays in general. Like I said, lame.

Becky and I got to spend some time with my parents and hers and then I got to fight a nasty sinus thing for New Year's. I spent three days in Raleigh, NC ministering with my friends at Wake Christian Academy, and I turned 36. Busy busy.

We are really looking forward to what God will do this year in our lives as well as in the life of our church. More on that later...

Great Responsibility

Andy Giessman — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:59:29 GMT

Recently I have been thinking about the responsibility of being a communicator. You could insert different nouns in there to accomplish the same idea. Things like preacher or teacher would also fit into that category. James 3:1 says that not many of us ought to be teachers because those who teach will be judged more strictly. Wow! People who communicate/preach/teach had better watch what they say!

900 years ago a nasty multi-decade epoch began burning its way into memories and onto the pages of history. The Crusades, launched by Pope Urban II in the late 11th century, began with a clarion call for the "knights of the true cross" to assemble and march on Jerusalem to free it from its Muslim captors.

It is true (biblically) that that land belongs to Israel. There is TONS of biblical evidence for that statement. In history God has used nations and rulers to accomplish his will (Babylonia, Assyria, the various nations in Judges). There is no doubt that God will restore the land in its entirety to Israel. The problem lies with the twisted use of Scripture to accomplish the Pope's aims.

During the second Crusade a priest by the name of Bernard of Clairvaux rose to the top as a teacher. As one of the founders of the Knights Templar he wheeled great oratory power. Bernard began taking some of the military language of the NT and twisting it to create a verbal recruitment poster for the crusades. Passages like the Armor of God section in Ephesians 6 was one of his favorites.

His listeners by and large could not read and relied on the what their priest told them and took it as truth. How tragic! The people that relied on their spiritual leader(s) were led down a path that consumed large portions of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Crusades collectively left thousands dead and millions with hate filled souls.

The Bible makes it plain that those of us who communicate and teach have a grave responsibility. Even in an age where the literacy rate is much higher than it was during the middle ages we will still stand before God and give an accounting of what we say. Like it or not people create miniature papacies. How many times have you heard someone say something like, "well my pastor says..." and then go on to base decisions and world views on a single statement?

There are two real issues here. First we must help people to be biblically literate. This is not simply teaching people how to read but how to process the mystery of scripture so that there is a renewing of the mind and heart. Next we have to realize that words have power. The pages of history are marked by the words of men and women and the effect they have had on entire nations and sometimes the world.

Be wise, be careful, be biblical!

Holiday Schedule

Andy Giessman — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:48:26 GMT

I recently learned a great lesson on being busy. My friend Jamie came into work and showed us his seven year old daughter's To-Do List that she had typed up on their family computer. Here is the list exactly as she made it.

1. School
2. Jobs
3. Wii
4. play with Polly pockets
5. Play with Barbies
7. eat 3 meals a day
8. Play Game boy
9 Play outside
10. Play Leapster
11. Exercises
12. snacks
13. eat fruit
14. eat vegetables
15. make gifts & cards for the Holidays
16. watch TV
17. try to fly (that one is my personal favorite)
18. have fun
19. climb trees
20. Pray
21. healthy snacks
22. read Bible
23. have a party

There are a few things on there that probably wouldn't make it to my list , like number 4 and maybe 14. But honestly wouldn't life be better if our lists looked a little more like this? Have a party!