Everyone needs HOPE!

Yesterday as part of Hope Community Sunday we launched HOPED which is an initiative that encourages kindness. Through our eveyday activites opportunities exist to do something kind for someone else. Check the previous BLOG for ideas on what you could do to practice kindness!

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS LIST

1. Deliver fresh-baked cookies to city workers.
2. Collect goods for a food bank.
3.  Bring flowers to work and share them with co-workers.
4.  Garden clubs can make floral arrangements for senior centres, nursing homes, hospitals, police stations, or shut-ins.
5.  Adopt a student who needs a friend, checking in periodically to see how things are going.
6.  Volunteer to be a tutor in a school.
7.  Extend a hand to someone in need. Give your full attention and simply listen.
8.  Merchants can donate a percentage of receipts for the week to a special cause.
9.  Bring co-workers a special treat.
10.  Students can clean classrooms for the custodian/janitor.
11.  Buy a stranger a free pizza.
12.  Distribute lollipops to friends’ kids.
13.  Sing at a nursing home.
14.  Offer a couple of hours of baby-sitting to parents.
15.  Slip paper hearts that say “It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week! Have a great day!” under the windshield wipers of parked cars.
16.  Have a charity day at work, with employees bringing non-perishable food items to donate.
17.  Serve refreshments to customers.
18.  Draw names at school or work, and have people bring a small gift or food treat for their secret pal.
19.  Remember the bereaved with phone calls, cards, plants, and food.
20.  Treat someone to fresh fruit.
21.  Pay a compliment at least once a day.
22.  Call or visit a homebound person.
23.  Hand out balloons to passers-by.
24.  Give free sodas to motorists.
25.  Be a good neighbour. Take over a baked treat or stop by to say “Hello.”
26.  Transport someone who can’t drive.
27.  Mow a neighbour’s lawn.
28.  Say something nice to everyone you meet today.
29.  Send a treat to a school or day-care centre.
30.  Volunteer at an agency that needs help.
31.  Wipe rainwater off shopping carts or hold umbrellas for shoppers on the way to their cars.
32.  Give the gift of your smile.
33.  Send home a note telling parents something their child did well.
34.  Adopt a homeless pet from the humane society.
35.  Organise a scout troop or service club to help people with packages at the mall or grocery.
36.  Host special programs or speakers at libraries or bookstores or in home.
37.  Offer to answer the phone for the school secretary for ten minutes.
38.  Volunteer to read to students in the classroom.
39.  Write notes of appreciation and bring flowers or goodies to teachers or other important people, such as the principal, nurse, custodian, and secretary.
40.  Incorporate kindness into the curriculum at area schools, day care centres, or children’s classes in faith organisations.
41.  Give a hug to a friend.
42.  Tell your children why you love them.
43.  Write a note to your mother/father and tell them why they are special.
44.  Pat someone on the back.
45.  Write a thank-you note to a mentor or someone who has influenced your life in a positive way.
46.  Give coffee to people on their way to work in the morning.
47.  Donate time at a senior centre.
48.  Give blood.
49.  Visit hospitals with smiles, treats, and friendly conversation for patients

50.  Stop by a nursing home, and visit a resident with no family nearby.
51.  Plant flowers in your neighbour’s flower box/garden.
52.  Give another driver your parking spot.
53.  Leave a treat or handmade note of thanks for a delivery person or mail carrier.
54.  Give free car washes.
55.  Clean graffiti from neighbourhood walls and buildings.
56.  Tell your boss that you think he/she does a good job.
57.  Tell your employees how much you appreciate their work.
58.  Let your staff leave work an hour early.
59.  Have a clean-up party in the park.
60.  Tell a bus or taxi driver how much you appreciate their driving.
61.  Have everyone in your office draw the name of a buddy out of a hat and do a kind act for their buddy that day or week.
62.  Give a pair of tickets to a game or concert to a stranger.
63.  Leave an extra big tip for the waitperson.
64.  Drop off a plant, cookies, or donuts to the police or fire department.
65.  Open the door for another person.
66.  Pay for the meal of the person behind you in the drive-through/restaurant.
67.  Write a note to the boss of someone who has helped you, praising the employee.
68.  Leave a bouquet of flowers on the desk of a colleague at work with whom you don’t normally get
along.
69.  Call an estranged family member.
70.  Volunteer to fix up an elderly couple’s home.
71.  Pay for the person behind you in the movie line.
72.  Give flowers to be delivered with meal delivery programs.
73.  Give toys to the children at the shelter or safe house.
74.  Give friends and family kindness coupons they can redeem for kind favours.
75.  Be a friend to a new student or co-worker.
76.  Renew an old friendship by sending a letter or small gift to someone you haven’t talked with in a long time.
77.  For one week, act on every single thought of generosity that arises spontaneously in your heart, and notice what happens as a consequence.
78.  Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone loading a car.
79.  Invite someone new over for dinner.
80.  Buy a roll of brightly coloured stickers and give them to children you meet during the day.
81.  Write a card of thanks and leave it with your tip. Be sure to be specific in your thanks.
82.  Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line.
83.  When drivers try to merge into your lane, let them in with a wave and a smile.
84.  Buy drinks for the people next to you at a game.
85.  Distribute kindness bookmarks that you have made.
86.  Create a craft project or build a bird house with a child.
87.  Give a bag of groceries to a homeless person.
88.  Laugh out loud often and share your smile generously.
89.  Plant a tree in your neighbourhood.
90.  Make a list of things to do to bring more kindness into the world, and have a friend make a list. Exchange lists and do one item per day for a month.
91.  Use an instant camera to take people’s photographs at a party or community event, and give the picture to them.
92.  As you go about your day, pick up trash.
93.  Send a letter to some former teachers, letting them know the difference they made in your life.
94.  Send a gift anonymously to a friend.
95.  Organize a clothing drive for a shelter.
96.  Buy books for a day care or school.
97.  Slip some money to a person who you know is having financial difficulty.
98.  Take an acquaintance to dinner.
99.  Offer to take a friend’s child to sporting event or practice.
100.  Waive late fees for the week

Four Questions

People in ministry roles have a tendency to run until they collapse.  So – four questions I have for those who minister and serve in the life of Hope Church:

1.  HOW ARE YOU DOING SPIRITUALLY?

As a young leader, I don’t remember many people taking an interest in my personal spiritual life. My youth pastor was phenomenal at teaching us the Bible (and for that I’m forever grateful). But most of my early mentors didn’t help me develop my own disciplines for spiritual growth.

When I meet with all of you, I want to know how you’re doing spiritually.

In ministry, it’s way too easy to substitute ministry for our time with God. Doing ministry without spending time with God is like trying to drive a car without refilling the tank. Eventually, it just won’t work anymore.

Bill Hybels once said, “The way I was doing the work of God was destroying the work of God in me.”

I don’t want that to happen to those who serve with me.

So… how are you doing spiritually?

2.  WHO IS SPEAKING INTO YOUR LIFE?

As our church grows and our leadership group grows, I can no longer invest in every individual person the way that’s needed.

That’s why I want to know, “Who is speaking into your life?”

·      Who’s rattling your world?

·      Who thinks so radically that they give you a headache?

·      Who’s correcting you when you need it?  

Tony Rainbow from Victory and Ross Abraham from Elevation challenge my thinking toward ministry and church life and they also challenge my personal life.

There are many others over the years and now that I’m deeply grateful to for speaking into my life.

Who is speaking into your life? What are you learning from their influence?

3.  HOW IS YOUR FAMILY DOING?

My family is a big part of ministry. Hopefully, I’m raising future Christian leaders who will bring glory to God in the world.

Planting a church and leading a church was never and will never be about Josh doing what he wants to do. It has always been something that Sharon and I together worked through and the kids also play a massive part in it all. We are in this together as a family.

Without due consideration Churches can be harmful to families by putting such crazy scheduling demands on pastors, staff, leaders and volunteers that having a strong family is almost impossible.

I believe a strong ministry is an overflow of a strong family – this may be the family you are building or the family you are already in.

God has given me a deep burden for our staff’s and leaders families. I take the time to discuss our marriages, whether we are taking breaks, whether we are making room for ourselves amongst all that is happening.

What about you? How is your family?  How is family life for you?

4.  WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU FAILED

This may sound like an unusual question, but it’s a great question to ask. I want to know from our team, “When is the last time you failed?”

When you’re not failing, you’re not growing. Some of the most valuable lessons the disciples learned from Jesus immediately followed failure. Jesus allowed them to fail. 

I’m glad to say that I’ve tried a few things recently that didn’t go so well. The good news is:

·      When I fail, it gives me the chance to learn.

·      When I fail, I increase my tolerance for failure, helping me not to become complacent.

·      When I fail, I continue to inspire others to take faith risks. 

What about you? When is the last time you’ve failed?

More importantly – when have you failed and then not allowed pride to hold you back from sharing your failure and letting it be something you learn and grow from?

Love to all - Josh Brett

Ready or not…here I come!

“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” - Mark 1:3

I remember playing hide and seek as a kid. As I ran off to hide the seeker would count to 20 giving me just enough time to find a secure hiding spot. Then the seeker would yell out these words, “Ready or not…here I come.”  Even if I had not found a good spot to hide the seeker was on their way. 

One promise and belief we hold onto as Christians is that our Lord and Saviour is coming back in glory! Knowing this truth then gives us the green light to ‘prepare’. This word prepare means to ‘make ready’. This is not a heavy demand upon our lives but a relational pull within our hearts to become more Christlike.

Understanding this passage and thought gives clear direction to all of us as Christians to live a life committed to discipleship. To live lives that equip our hearts and those around us.

As we prepare we make STRAIGHT paths - this is like the stakes that hold a tree in its infancy. The stakes are there to keep the trunk of that tree straight so that it can grow to be all that it was created to be. The stakes hold the trunk straight during the seasons of life - whether its harsh winds or pouring rains - the tree remains straight - upright. 

In the same way our lives as Christians are designed to be straight - to be upright. Psalm 92 gives a good picture of the life of a believer and likens us to a plan tree. It says in this passage that ‘the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree’.  This word righteous used here means ‘straightness’. As our lives and hearts are discipled to be more like Christ, as we commit to applying the word of God to our lives, as we desire to be passionate Christ followers we will be like those trees. 

The righteous shall flourish. This talks about an enduring life of flourishing. Not moments of flourishing but something that is consistent and ‘straight’. The key is simply found in living right according to Gods word. 

Jesus is returning - he is coming back - ready or not….here He comes!  

Don’t be fearful of this in your response. The heart of this thought is to encourage us to daily prepare our hearts and lives in accordance with the word of God. If each day we take one small step toward becoming more Christlike then each year we can look back on our lives and be amazed at the transformation that has taken place. My prayer is that we all commit to living more Christlike in our speech and in our actions.

Love ya

Josh Brett

HOPE CHURCH – CORE VALUES

A core value for us is what Hope Church considers the important and fundamental beliefs and interests that define who we are and what we do.

THE TABLE – why a table?

The last thing Jesus did before leaving this earth was eat a meal around a table with his friends (Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:7). In Acts 2, with the tremendous growth of the early church, the first Christ-followers frequently, if not daily got together for meals. When we get to Heaven, we’ll be sitting around a table eating with Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:14). 

We felt a table that describes and develops what the church ought to look like would be the perfect way to illustrate our core values.

THE CHAIRS – why the chairs?

Each chair around The Table represents important parts of connection with one another and with Christ.

As we describe each chair we explain the value and then use the word “win” as our terminology for actually being fruitful or successful in that value – to have values stated is great but them they must be measureable so that we put some action to our confession! 

1^st Chair:  ENCOUNTER

The first chair is all about gatherings. Whether it’s the weekend, midweek, Mums N Bubs, a Kids or Youth gathering – it’s all about how people encounter and experience the love and grace of Christ.  Our gatherings exist to be a safe place to hear the message of truth.

Through our gatherings we determine to create an environment where anyone would feel welcomed and wanted. Our goal is that everyone would be intentional about investing in others and inviting them to a gathering.

Our ‘win’ is that people would come to know and follow Christ. We are determined to do all we can to reach the next one person for Jesus Christ.

 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” - Matthew 28:19

This chair covers:  Gatherings and Next Generation – Kids and Youth

2^nd Chair:  ENGAGE

Our 2^nd chair is about becoming a part of Hope Church. This can happen through connection to a small group or through regularly volunteering somewhere within the life of Hope.

This is where you move from ‘attending’ to ‘belonging.’ Our win is that everyone here is connected somewhere and being engaged with others along the way. Our win is that people become fully devoted followers of Christ.

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42 (NLT)

This chair covers:  Small Groups and Volunteering

3^rd Chair:  EQUIP

This is the chair that sees, realizes and releases people to be who God created them to be. Not settling for mediocrity but reaching the potential that ONLY GOD has for us.

Ephesians 4:12 says of leaders: “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

The most simplest and direct description of ‘equip’ is “to make ready”. Our goal is to equip, make ready every person who wants to grow in their faith, and become a fully devoted follower of Christ.

Our win is to train and release people to be ministers in their everyday lives. Take the risk to be released. You will never be the same.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:11-12

This chair covers:  Discipleship, Training and Short Courses

4^th Chair:  EXTEND

Here we turn our chair away from the table and look at the needs of the world around us. The 4^th chair is about the bigger picture. It’s about taking the next step to live a life no longer about yourself and going into the community to be the hands and the feet of Christ to those who might otherwise never know Him.

Our goal is to provide many opportunities to serve locally and beyond. Our ‘win’ is that through hands-on practical service, the ‘least of these’ would encounter the authentic love of Christ. 

This chair covers:  Hope Community