Welcome to my site! I am the Senior Pastor of LifeBridgeChurch in the Middle River/White Marsh area of Baltimore County, Maryland. Contained in this blog are the thoughts, opinions, and ramblings of an imperfect man who wants to please his Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope you are moved by them in some way... whether blessed, challenged to think or see something another way, or even ticked off! Whatever is said in this blog is my own and doesn't necessarily reflect the official position of LifeBridgeChurch. I welcome your comments as long as you own them! Anonymous comments, positive or negative, will be promptly removed!
If you are asking, "what in the world is Twitter?", don't feel bad! I was too!
A few months ago I was "introduced" to this "thing". I am a baby boomer who is struggling to keep up with the advancement of technology. I have been watching and learning, but, until now, haven't taken the plunge.
Twitter.com is a place on the web that is a real time short messaging service. In other words, you can go to the website and keep up with what friends are thinking and doing throughout the day. When you are on Twitter you are answering one question... "What are you doing?" Friends want to know...
Most of us no longer live in small rural villages where everyone knows everyone else and interacts regularly. Many of us barely know our closest neighbors!
God made us to be social, interconnected, beings. It is built into our DNA. When we live in a fast paced, somewhat disconnected, society, we naturally look for other ways to connect.
While technology has made some things impersonal in our lives, it is now also making a way for us to connect. My parents generation would not get this. They connected the wonderful, "old fashioned" way. We still need to get together that way when possible, by phone, in each others homes, etc. However, we now can stay connected in other ways, made possible through technology.
My philosophy... why fight it when you can join it and be blessed by it?!!! Whether I twitter or not, it is going to be happening! So, since it doesn't violate any biblical principle, and since it offers the promise of something good, I joined in!
I invite you to go to Twitter.com and begin following my updates, if you wish. My username is tmichaelhall.
Back in the frontier days of our country our ancestors pushed westward by wagon train. When they passed through hostile Indian territory, they were always prepared to circle the wagons if attacked. They would remain inside the relative "safety" of the circle, fending off the attack from there.
From that comes the phrase, "circle the wagons".
Yesterday in my message I stated that this is NOT the time for God's people to "circle the wagons"! Here's what I meant...
We are definitely living in tough times right now. The economic picture is a concern, families are hurting, the days are evil with lots of evil happening, and people are empty inside. As Christ followers we know that there are millions who do not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
However, this is not the time for the Church to get defensive and focus on ourselves! This is not the time to be selfish. This is not the time to hold on to what we have! We must not hide inside our circle!
This is the time to go to where the hurting people are! What an opportunity! If we will just open our eyes and ears, both the ones on our head and the ones in our hearts, we will see and hear plenty! There are opportunities all around us to reach out with the love of God to people who are ready to be reached!
Over the next six weeks we are focusing on doing that in a purposeful way. We have called that focus, the "Love Revolution". The challenge...
Be ready to do a random act of true godly love for someone when the opportunity presents itself. For some starter ideas, go to our Love Revolution site, and click on the ideas page or click here. When you have done the act of love, give the person a "You have been hit" card. Then go to the Love Revolution website and record your act in order to encourage others to do the same.
I showed our church how we could do at least 1000 acts of love over the next five or six weeks. What could God do through these acts?!!!
My plea to you... don't play it safe and selfish... reach out... help someone else! You will be surprised at what God does in and through you!
Another blessed weekend! I never get over God's grace and enjoying God's blessings!
Today's service was number 3 at Eastern Tech. When I arrived at about 6:30 this morning, I was so blessed to see men already there, awaiting the arrival of our trailer full of "church stuff"! These men are a part of the set up and take down team. I am amazed at how efficient they are! There are lots of things that have to go in the school each week in order to "do" church. They had them in and set up within an hour. The transformation from school to "church" is something to see! By the time the crowd begins to arrive, all has been ready for over an hour.
The crowd today was introduced to our new six week series, the "Love Revolution". This one is unique. We are focusing on biblical love in the context of the church. What is true love? How does it "flesh out" in real life? I kicked the series off with a message entitled, "Where Love Begins". I loved speaking from I John 4 about the fact that God is love and only in a relationship with Jesus can we know and show true love.
Our congregation was challenged today to do random acts of love over the next five weeks. My challenge to us is to do at least 1000 acts of love in the next five weeks. We have developed a special web page that highlights the challenge. Check it out by clicking here. We passed out cards that say, "You have been HIT by the Love Revolution. They will be given to those we "hit" with an act of love. The card has information on the opposite side about the church. It also directs them to the website, where a presentation of the Gospel is given. There is also a place to leave a testimony of "hitting" or being "hit" with love. I can't wait to see what happens!
Today's crowd was energized! We had lots of new faces again! Some were definitely "seekers", people still investigating the claims of Christ! I love that! People are hungry and are being drawn to Jesus. As God's people, we have to be ready and willing to reach out to them!
I am noticing a sizeable group of "next generation" attenders. My heart is so concerned to reach them. (For those who may be worried that I am ignoring other age groups, relax!) If we don't understand that it is our RESPONSIBILITY to pass the torch on, to not be so selfishly self centered, we are going to watch our churches die of old age! I have a dear friend who pastors a church whose average age is over 80 years old. He wants to reach others, but at this point, it would take a miracle. He is slowing burying that church. The problem was already huge and maybe insurmountable before he became the pastor. God forgive us for our short sightedness! I will NEVER EVER apologize for wanting to reach the next generation. I will say shame on any church that doesn't have that vision. It's just a matter of time until they die of a lack of caring.
Today we told the church that we have 13,000 Easter eggs for our special Easter Egg Hunt and Festival on the Saturday before Easter. Last year we had 3,000. We are starting to collect candy for all 13,000 eggs! We are anticipating a record breaking crowd for the Festival. We are planning for two Easter Services this year to accomodate the expected crowds. We are praying that many will become Christ followers this year. If you want to donate candy, bring it on any Sunday to the service.
Over the years I have been blessed with some good friends and, on the other hand, have found that some relationships were not true friendships after all.
As I thought about that, I developed this acrostic using the word "FRIENDS" to describe a true friendship...
Faithful- they are there through good and bad times... not fair weather people!
Real- they let their hair down with you, no masks or pretense, no ulterior motives.
Interdependent- they get the give and take of a good relationship, not one sided.
Engaged- they enjoy being together and put energy into the friendship.
Non-judgmental- they extend grace, knowing your shortcomings and theirs.
Direct- they are truthful and not afraid to confront you for your own good.
Safe- they protect you and can be trusted with confidentiality.
We may have lots of acquaintances, associates, neighbors, etc. but we have fewer true friends. We should value them and cultivate them!
[Read all the way to the bottom for some good news!] The potential of our next series is great...
The "Love Revolution" series, set to begin this Sunday and go through March 29, is going to be different than any I have ever done.
Not only are we going to focus on love for the next six weeks during the Sunday service, we are also going to put some practical, Monday thru Saturday "handles" on the truth we hear!
This Sunday I will lay out, as best as I can, a clear biblical introduction to the love of God, which will serve as the foundation for the entire six week experience. For those who choose to go with this, it will be a real growing experience!
This Sunday, I will close out the sermon with some very practical things we can do over the next six weeks. I will share what I believe to be the AWESOME potential of doing these things.
We have put together something on the web that ties in to the series... an interactive kind of page, unlike anything we have ever done before. All of us will have access to that... I will explain this Sunday!
Bottom line... I am praying that God will revolutionize our lives in the next six weeks through His love!!!
P.S. This past Sunday we saw two more adults make professions of faith in Jesus, bringing the total to six in our first two Sundays at Eastern Tech!!! That is just the tip of the iceberg of what God is going to do!
I read something from Michael Duduit, editor of the email newsletter, "Preaching NOW", this morning that really moved me! Here is a portion of it...
PASTORS CAN'T DO IT ALL
A church that depends upon its pastor for ministry fails both the pastor and the laypeople, ministry strategist Alan Nelson recently told participants at The Next Big Idea conference at Baylor University.
Nelson is founder of KidLead, a leadership training program for children ages 10 to 13, and author of Me to We, a book on equipping laity for ministry.
On any given weekend, only 20 percent of Americans attend church, and that percentage is expected to be cut in half by 2050, Nelson said. Less than 15 percent of U.S. churches are growing, and less than 1 percent are growing because of evangelism.
On the local level, the pastor, staff and the "faithful few" are overworked, and as outreach become more difficult, spiritual maturity is lacking. The cause is what Nelson calls, "Pastor-Centric Ministry Syndrome"--extreme dependence upon pastors to do the work of the church.
The solution is for pastors to focus on equipping church members to do ministry, he said. To illustrate, he reported that, in healthy churches, 93 percent of members are "mobilized in some form of ministry service," while the number drops to 11 percent in unhealthy congregations. "The Bible teaches ministry in context of togetherness," with pastors and laity serving alongside each other, he said. (Associated Baptist Press, 2-13-09; click here to read the full story.)
What an eye opening article! The sentences I put in bold really caught me.
Here is a statement that we should seriously consider...
Any church that is not going after the unchurched in a purposeful manner is not doing what God put us here to do! I am fully convinced that we have to keep our focus upward, (towards our God), and outward, (towards those far from God)! If our focus is truly upward, it will automatically go outward.
Too often, in our churches, we fight with the problem of getting the focus off our "needs" and on God and His heart for those He died to save! Too many pastors have to deal with immature, self centered, "what are you doing for us?", Christ followers, who seem to care less about those who are dying and going to Hell around them! They would deny that, but their actions speak otherwise.
We have to get serious about the mission Jesus left us in Matthew 28:18-20! It is shameful that less than 1% of U.S. churches are growing by evangelism! God help us!
Does that bother you at all? It does me!
That is why I am anal about being a "church for the unchurched"!!!
Some people wonder why I am so "positive" or put a "positive spin" on things? Am I naive or do I ignore the obvious?
The answer to that is fairly simple. After all, I am a simple country boy, raised by simple country folks.
I don't have time to waste the life God has given me crying in my beer! (root beer that is!) Too many people love to look super smart, wise, right, righteous, by observing everyone else's life rather than fixing their own messed up existence! Many like to live life gazing in the rear view mirror. It is appropriate to glance back, it is NOT right to gaze back continually. People who do that need to get a life!
As I was in the middle of my five mile jog this morning, I thought about the following...
Whether I live another 3 hours or 30 years, I want the rest of my life to be invested in living for these larger purposes! By God's grace I want to...
Love God more and more... REALLY!
Be the best husband to my faithful and dear sweetheart, Robyn.
Minister to and enjoy my adult children and their families. I know that they love me unconditionally, all the time, as I do them!
Be a granddad that passes the torch on to my family's next generation.
Preach and teach the Word of God passionately, faithfully, correctly, and continually! It is the only hope to truly change lives for now and eternity.
Communicate to the next generation, reach the next generation, love the next generation, and get others to do the same!
I will fail or fall short in my attempts sometimes. I would rather try and fail than sit and play it safe. I know if I keep trying, God will help me to succeed. I don't want to live this brief life on the sidelines, wasting it just watching others from the bleachers of "no risk". I don't want to waste my precious life being a critic of those who are trying, when I can be the one trying.
I am positive and do, unapologetically put a "positive spin" on things. I have a God who has died so that I can have HOPE. I plan to live in that hope until I see the reason for my hope face to face!!!
Friday, Robyn and I spent the evening with 26 other pastors and spouses. All 28 of us had a blast! We shared our story of meeting and marrying our spouse. We had great fellowship and lots of laughs. We have some very good friends in that group and we feel privileged to be a part of it. There is a special connection between us and I value it immensely!
Saturday I spent a few hours with my Mom... it was her first Valentines Day without her sweetheart of over 53 years. She made me feel good as I was leaving... telling me that my visit helped her through the day.
Saturday evening... Robyn and I celebrated Valentine's Day at a local restaurant called "By The Dock". Their crabcakes are huge and full of meat with very little filler. I really enjoyed them, but I enjoyed being with Robyn more! I am very thankful for my sweetheart of over 33 years. She has been a rock through good and bad times. I love her with all my heart!
Today's service was another WOW! All the committed volunteers, in ALL the ministries, were amazing!!! I am blown away by the large number of people who are pitching in and making our transition so smooth.
My day was absolutely made today when an adult man, who was one of four who trusted Jesus to become a Christ follower last Sunday, greeted me with an excitement in his face and voice. He announced to me that he is getting baptized at our next baptism on March 8. That is why we are existing at LifeBridge!
Mary Jones, one of our members, gave a beautiful testimony of her faith journey this morning during my message. It really hit home to many hearts and definitely brought glory to her Savior!
The message today was the last in the current series, "Born Identity". I have enjoyed teaching about who we are in Christ. Today I talked about the reason we still struggle with sin as saints and how God wants us to deal with it. Romans 7:13-25 and Galatians 2:20 are passages I urge any Christ follower to read, know, and apply!
Two productive meetings today... LifeGroup leaders meeting & Creative Team meeting. Both are reflecting the progress God is giving us.
Next Sunday we start an unusual six week series we are calling, "Love Revolution". When we read the Word, it is clear that love is supreme in God's economy. It has top priority! If it is that important, what do we need to know and do about it? This series is going to definitely be interactive and challenging! You have to be here this coming Sunday to hear what we are planning for the next six weeks!
Finally, we are also starting to gear up for Easter! It is only eight weeks away from today. I believe it will be the greatest one weekend opportunity LifeBridge Church has ever had in all 27 years of ministry to reach the unchurched! I don't say that in a boastful way. I truly believe that, because of where we are now meeting and because of the foundation that has been laid the last few Easter weekends, we do have a huge chance at reaching alot of people. Can't wait! PRAY!!!
Have a great week, honoring God through your life decisions!
Born in the mid 1950's, I'm one of those baby boomers. I am the husband of the love of my life, Robyn, and the father of five adult children. My family is God's blessing to me! I have had the privilege of being a Bible preacher since I was 13 years old, and a pastor for many years. It is a fire in my bones that I can't,(and don't want to), get away from!
I enjoy jogging. It is a great way to stay in shape and to relieve stress! I find that the time spent running is also time spent praying, processing, and planning. Recently I have entered some races and discovered that I love doing that!
My passion is to continue pastoring and to impact the lives of the next generation, including my children and grandchildren!
Although I am a serious middle-ager in real years, I am still young at heart and not afraid of change!
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