Open Door Ministries Blog

New Message Series:: The Core

This Sunday marks the start of our brand new series, The Core!  Below is a video blog from Pastors Greg and Aaron with some of the details!

 

 

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Video from Pastor Greg and Pastor Aaron

Hey guys take a minute to check out this video about our upcoming series "On The Edge"!

Click here to find out more info about the series.

 

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I Am, Aren't I?

According to Facebook, right now I have friends actually on the ground in: Greece, France, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Afghanistan, Jordan and Canada.  Soon the list will include India and Germany.  These don’t include my snail mail pals in Israel, Mexico, Nicaragua, Russia and Guatemala.  Nor the myriad of vacation, business-traveling vagabonds splattered across the USA.

Something Aaron mentioned in Sunday’s message reminded me of an important lesson in my spiritual development a while back.  It’s been my honor and privilege to travel abroad on several occasion; many of our ODM peeps have shared those journeys with me.  Those who have traveled with me know that I have a gripping fear of flying. I will be forever grateful to one of our own who took the time to painstakingly teach me about flight, the principle of lift and how the pilot knows and does those magical things that keep those ginormous hunks of steel up in those tiny little particles of air!  But I confess, I’m still pretty scared.

If you happened to be my seat mate on those travels, you were no doubt aware of my anxiety; each and every time we lifted off the ground or lined up for our approach, under my breath I’d pray: ‘Please, please, please, Dear Lord…get us up, get us there, and get us down; please, please, please place your guarding angels about us and protect us from pilot error and the thoughtless acts of other…. I literally and wholeheartedly blithered on beseeching the Father for protection and safe travel.’

On one such occasion, teeth gripped and white knuckled, I felt the Lord speak deeply into my heart; ‘Deana, when you take your family on a trip or vacation, do you plan ahead, do you service the car, make the reservations, pack the snacks and bags, look for unique opportunities to experience and enjoy, cover the bases back home, map out the route and sneak in a surprise or two?’

Well yes, Lord, you know I do, you know I love doing those very things.

‘Then what makes you think that you’re a better parent than I am…I AM, aren’t I?  Little lady, you’re going to be so surprised all that I have planned for you…memories of a lifetime!  Now strap that seatbelt down, hold on tight if you must and fly with Me!’

It forever changed the way I pray about a lot of things.  Aaron confessed that parenting and concern for his little boy has kept him awake at night, and I know from experience that there will be more nights like that in spite of his faith and resolve.  But God’s word to him, as to me, was…why are you a better parent than I am?  ‘Please protect’ is a prayer of fear, it’s defensive in its nature and assumes that Satan has the better position on the field of life.  Whereas, ‘thank you Lord for what you are and will’... is offensive in it’s nature and assumes that the Lord gained the first down before I ever got in the game! 

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Deana

 

 

 

Integrity: Caught not Taught

This past Sunday we started our new series, ‘Remnant Generation’.  One of the key points Pastor A made was that someone is always watching, meaning of course, our children and followers.  As a mature parent (who is too immature to classify myself as older, LOL!)  Anyway, as a mature parent, I’m often asked about character development in children, most often in the context of when, where and how to teach them character.  The answer is the simplest in the world…really it is…the answer is as natural as breathing in and breathing out…in fact that’s how it’s done. Character is caught not taught; with every breath we breathe we’re teaching character to those precious eyes and ears.  Every roll of our eyes, every sigh, every curt word, every slight of hand, every glance, purchase and exchange.  And every prayer we pray, every smile we give, every door we open/close, the care of our home, lawn, business and the blessing on our lips toward our spouse, parents and friends.   It’s happening when we spot the police officer, observe the umpire/coach, and comment on our child’s teacher, friends and friend’s parents. It’s in the way we approach problems, challenges and decision. All the things we do without thinking, as easy as breathing in and breathing out.  Matthew 12:34 tell us that whatever is in our heart determines what you say (and body language is a huge part of what we say).

A couple weeks ago, as the school year was winding down, I became aware of the story I’m about to share from our ODM family.  In deference to their humility, I’m withholding the names but feel free to say that this is a real family that lives real lives in the real world…with young eyes watching:  Their son had done excellent in school all year.  In fact he had made straight A’s all year with the exception of the last period when he earned an 89 in math (one point away from an A).  The expectations of his parents are high and they know the student could have earned an A during this marking period as well.  There are two academic awards at his school (Headmaster’s List=all A’s; Honor Roll=A’s and B’s); the office made a mistake and awarded the student the Headmaster’s List during the Award’s Ceremony.  At the end of the ceremony, the student returned the certificate to his parents and pointed out that the award was not his.  Honestly, the student could have walked away that evening and never mentioned a word; it’s doubtful that the school or the parents would have caught the mistake.  But at a mere 11 years old, he chose not to take credit for something that he’d not earned.  Later that day his Dad, chocked and teary, was able to tell his son that the integrity he’d shown made them more proud than any A he could have earned.   I can tell you, long before that day, my young friend had caught something that will serve him well all the days of his life.

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Deana

 

 

The Bible 101

This past Sunday our Senior Pastor, Greg Kennedy issued a challenge during his message entitled "The Bible 101".

You can check out the message here.

If you missed the challenge at the end we wanted to post it here.

Spend 5 minutes a day reading the Bible.

When you're finished ask yourself 4 questions and write down your responses in a notebook.

1. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me today out of the verses I've read?
2. Is there a promise to believe in or hang on to from what I've read?
3. Is there an instruction I need to complete?
4. Is there something I didn't know or understand from what I've read?

We hope you'll join with us in this challenge and spend a few minutes each day reading and studying God's Word!

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New Message Series: Practical Faith

Faith.  It's so vitally important to our walk with Jesus Christ, and yet knowing how to strengthen your faith can be a mystery at times.  How do you grow your faith?  In this new series we're going to unpack several practical ways to grow your faith.  So even if you are new to faith, or have been a faithful follower of Jesus for some time, we all have places where we can grow in our relationship with Him.  Invite a friend and join us for this new series!

Watch the trailer here!

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Take Heart: An Open Door Easter Experience

Click here to EVITE a your friends!

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Take Heart Fast

Just wanted to write a little update on the "Take Heart Fast". We realize that some of you might not have been here last week as we started the Fast this past Sunday for 21 days leading into Easter.

We have been asked by many in our community of believers as to why we are fasting.  If you have wondered, here is the answer. 

We know all of us have people that are not Christians or are not living the life that God desires for them. We are fasting for them.

Statistics show that more people nationally will be in church on Easter Sunday, April 24th than any other time this year. We at Open Door want to take advantage of that statistic and be good stewards over what God will send us. We are asking that our people write down on the banners outside the main auditorium the first names of all the people that they know need a touch from God and for them to realize that He is the answer for whatever they are going through. We believe that as we extend our faith, those names we place on the sheet will be a step of faith to see God do something awesome this Easter as hundreds of new people will enter Open Door and see the gospel presented like never before.

Some of the people live close by so, that you can excercise your faith and invite them. If this is the case we have invite cards available to give to them as an invite. Others people we will write down are not close by.  We will pray and intercede for them during the 21 days and believe that through our faith God will reach them better than any man could. Whatever the case, please believe with us that God will do something awesome April 24th.

The fast itself is a food fast. Some will fast a meal a day or days while others will fast food groups. 

Lastly we are needing families to come to the 9 am service as we expect over a thousand people for Easter. If you can do this it would free up seats for the 10:45 am service so that all our guest will have a place to sit.

We are so thankful for what God is doing in His church and we believe that God will honor the cry of His people.

So,"take heart", and we will see on Easter Sunday if not before!

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Aaron

Love, Sex and Everything Else: Your ?'s Answered Part 4

Alright, round 4 of questions and answers:

Q: How long should you date before you get married?

A: There are many determining factors to be considered before this question can be answered, such as but not limited to: age, maturity, financial stability, status of parents approval, level of education completed, how long have you known the person and at what level is their character, their commitment, their goals, their desire for children, and what are their dreams. There are exceptions but I don’t see how you can really get to consider these aspects and others in less than a year or longer.

 

Q: Deana, should women wear spandex in church?

A: Spandex is such an interesting fabric, is it not, LOL? When we first married in 1974, I was rather scandalous for wearing my dress at the top of my knees rather than to my ankles (what many didn't know was that I had intentionally LENGTHENED my hemlines down to my knees, cause i was a preacher's wife, don't cha know).  As time marched on, I saw hemlines give way to pantsuits, to jeans, to t-shirts, to spaghetti straps and short shorts.  To be hones, 'in church' isn't the issue to me.  If I can grab hold of the 2nd greatest commandment Jesus gave...to love my neighbor as myself...then I have to ask myself, each time I go out in public, what impact does my appearance have on my neighbor?

 

Q: What role has the entertainment industry had on our perception of love?

A. From what I see, it is a devastating role. From fashion, to behavior, our values are closer to Hollywood than they are to Word of God. Sex and Sexuality are either suggested or expressly implied. It has become acceptable to flaunt your wares and express yourself sexually but it is wrong to confront the evils of abortion, homosexuality, and any number of others things God says not to do. 

 

That's all for now...

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Greg & Deana

Love, Sex and Everything Else: Your ?'s Answered Part 3

Alright, round 3 of questions and answers:

Q: Did you guys do anything sexual before you got married and do you think it's wrong if you do?

A: First, let us say that we are not the standard.  We certainly went farther than we wished we had.  That said, we were both virgins when we got married.  Now to the real question: "Is it wrong to be involved in sexual activity before marriage?"  Yes, God doesn't just suggest that you avoid it, He commands us to avoid it.  Again, this isn't to rob us of fun.  It is to protect us from the spiritual, physical, and psychological consequences such activity causes.  That which God commands, He supplies strength to those who desire to obey Him.

 

Q: If your mother in law doesn't do well with change how can we help her to feel better with us?

A: 'Doesn't do well with change' sounds like it's tapping into a core fear...please read The DNA of Relationships.  To help her feel better, you'll need to understand what she's really feeling and why.

 

Q: How do you get your husband to understand that just because it isn't important to him...it really hurts you to the core and it does matter to talk about it?

A. I always hate telling people this, but you really can't 'get another person to do or understand' anything.  So, it comes back to us understanding the whats/whys of us.  I don't mean this to be belittling because pain is real, but the first step is answering: what is hurting you to the core and why?  If you begin to understand that, then you may be able to communicate it more clearly to him, which may open up a new arena to discuss it.  I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but read The DNA of Relationships.

 

Q: Marriage today is under severe attack.  How do we as a Christian couple help champion marriage for our kids, our church, and our community?

A: This is a great question. It all starts between you and your spouse. Children are wonderful observers and learn more about life and living by watching their parents than any other means. If your marriage is solid, if your relationship is fulfilling, and if you model the benefits of a loving relationship your children will see and value the same thing.

 

We'll be back later...

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Greg & Deana