A lot of questions come up when it comes to what the Church and Christians should be doing and not doing during the Coronavirus pandemic. In this study, we look at the Bible to find support for the positions being offered, expose tome false views being pushed around on social media, and ask ourselves certain question so we can be ambassadors for Christ during this time. tsflife.com
Posts Tagged ‘church’
In Another’s Eyes…
Posted in Messages and Thoughts, Uncategorized, tagged broken, christian, church, division, gossip, hurt, in another's eyes, negative, Proverbs 18:17, relationships, unity on July 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Several years ago, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood had a hit song talking about how significant others saw a couple who were tempted as better than they really are. There are many ways that we are impacted by how other’s see us and how we see them. Sometimes it’s in a positive way where someone can speak into our lives something they see encouraging us when we are down on ourselves. Sometimes, it not very positive at all.
What is on my heart today is on the negative side. I believe it’s something we all deal with from children to adults and often times, don’t realize it. It’s when we see another person in a negative light, not because they did anything wrong to us but because someone we are close to doesn’t like them. Our friend tells us gossip, complaints, and negative things about someone and now, you are starting to see them “through another’s eyes”.
I caught myself doing this before. Once upon a time, I was deeply involved in camping ministry. A friend of mine was also on staff and he did not like his boss. He would tell me things the boss would say, do and how he would undercut ministry from happening.
Up to that point, I thought his boss was a decent guy and had a heart for ministry. However, as I heard these things he said and did, I pulled away from him and was really disappointed in him.
Years later, I had seen enough trends to know my friend tended to be critical towards people and often time to cover his own shortcomings. I realized there was a chance he was trashing his boss to cover up for his own struggles. When I looked at the boss’ legacy of ministry, I could not see one thing negative except for things told to me by one person. I had wrongly judged a man due to seeing him through another’s eyes.
I invited that boss to lunch even though I had not seen him for over a decade. He was very suspicious because he could tell I was distant from him and had a bad view of him back in the day. However, when I apologized to him for believing what I was told, not coming to him to get his side of things, and being distant from him for years, he was truly moved. The scales fell off both of our eyes about one another and we had a great conversation for almost two hours about life, ministry and more.
As we talked, I realized I had chosen poorly and lost years of having this mentor in my life.
That said, I also see this in my life where I am the person being seen through another’s eyes. Being a pastor, I enjoy many loving and caring relationships that we are blessed by. At the same time, it puts you in a role where you become the victim of this trend at times.
There has been more than once that it becomes evident that someone pulls away from you. It could be because they are upset with someone I did, it could be their own insecurity (like above), or it could be one of a thousand different reasons.
When someone slips into that mode where they start to pull away, the next thing I usually notice is the people closest to them start to pull away as well. Not because they have an issue but because they start to see me through another’s eyes.
I believe all of us have been on the receiving and giving end of this trend. It’s very easy to fall into. However, often times we find that we are judging or being judged not fairly but because of gossip, complaining, or misrepresentation.
So, what do we do?
What I do know is that I wish I went to the “boss” much earlier and just had a conversation with him about what I was hearing. Not in a way that sold out my friend at the time but in a way I could hear his side. I bet additional communication would have made a big difference to the situation.
If you find yourself reading this and realize that there is someone in your life who you were friends with, was a mentor, or a family member that you have pulled away from only because of what others have told you …. maybe it’s time to take a pause. Maybe it’s time to talk to them and see what you find. You might reunite with a brother or sister through your own eyes instead of blinding yourself with someone else’s vision.
“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” Proverbs 18: 17
tsflife.com
Back to Church 2016
Posted in Just Life, Uncategorized, tagged back, church, fellowship, marion, ohio, Shepherds on September 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Did you know that most people who have stepped out of church have not lost faith in God? We have found that a physical move, a change in schedules, or being hurt by Christians or a church before have effected many when it comes to being in Christian community.
At The Shepherd’s Fellowship, we have a huge heart for those outside of church … especially those who have been hurt before. Many of us, including myself can relate due to our past church experiences.
However, we find it’s clear in the Bible that God has created us for community – to work together, encourage each other, enjoy life together, worship together, and help each other. We see that God adopts us into His family and not to be orphans in Christ.
What we have found that if you chase after Biblical community, there is a real beauty in the messiness of true relationships. Many who have not felt comfortable in other types of church communities have found a home at The Shepherd’s Fellowship.
With this in mind, we want to take a moment and invite you to “Back to Church Sunday” on September 18th. Our Sunday morning gathering will start at 10:30am and will include music, a study that’s life applicable,share in some ways to make big impacts in our community, and more! There will also be kid’s ministry going on with TSF Kids for babies – 5th grade for those who wish to plug in.
We don’t expect this invite to serve as enough to give you a feel for who we are and why you should give church with us a chance so please stop by our web-site at www.tsflife.com and learn more about us. If you have any additional questions, touch base with me through our leadership page and I’ll help any way I can. Hoping to see you!
Blessings,
Pastor Tom Hypes
The Shepherd’s Fellowship
tsflife.com
The Conversation Pit
Posted in Messages and Thoughts, Uncategorized, tagged christian, church, communication, conversation, grace, love, mercy, truth on July 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a little look inside my church office…specifically, this is the conversation pit. Many in depth talks have been held here.
This is where the church elders study, pray, and meet on church matters.
This is where the deacons often meet to work together for the care of those within our church and the community around us.
At other times, it’s where I sit with perspective married couples, people who are struggling, or people looking for an ounce of guidance.
Finally, this is where I sit and talk at times with people who have concerns, frustrations, or misunderstandings with me or within the church family.
I love this area because in all of these situations, this is often where understanding or healing happens.
In honor of the heart of this little space, I wanted to build on last week’s post concerning gossip. I want to suggest some best practices when it comes to communication during struggles that may be of interest to you.
– Ask yourself, does this warrant a conversation?
To be honest, sometimes our topic of interest can be more hurtful than beneficial. Sometimes, it is our self focus or frustration levels that convinces us that we need to get it off our chest and on to someone else. However, at times, this can just be a transfer of emotional weight with no real effort at a conversation that benefits both of you.
It’s best to pray over and take a moment before you enter into a conversation. It may just be something that you just need to let go of. It might be something that is flared up inside you because of another root cause or maybe your position is wrong. Having some time with the Lord to find if it’s wise to have the conversation is a great first step.
However, for many of us who don’t like conflict, it’s easy to talk ourselves into not talking to someone about an issue and then letting things back up on us. If it’s an issue that needs some conversation or some better understanding on… move to the next step.
– Invite the other person to a conversation. If it’s needed and you don’t, you will lose control of your input.
Let me explain.
For some, we like to go silent when there’s a concern and thus withdraw. In reality, do you know what this leads to? Division.
The people who love you feel shut out and no longer know how to reach out to you. You start to feel more and more on the outside like no one cares. In a church environment, you stop fellowshipping, stop serving as part of the body, and set up a situation for you to feel like you are on the outs.
You may think by pulling your voice back that it’s keeping a division from happening. Not so.
Most of the time, you end up talking with someone about the concern with someone else to get it out there someplace instead of being stuck in you. You may even do so with a pure desire for input and advice. However, now it’s out there and they are bound to tell someone else. They may even have good intentions to get you help you when they don’t know how to but none the less, others now control your input.
It’s better to invite someone to the “conversation pit” than to have them invite you because you were unwilling to make the first move.
– Bring Grace to the Conversation
Often times, when we are frustrated with someone else in a moment, we forget how much we love them. I have seen people accuse some of their closest friend of horrible things they know in their hearts that person would never do. Breathe. Remember who they are. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Ask questions instead of accusing them.
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4: 29
– Expect a Two Sided Conversation
When you bring a concern to someone, they should listen and try to understand your perspective. However, they deserve the same from you.
If your only goal is to make them see and accept your reality, you are not looking for a conversation. A conversation is a meeting of two perspectives that let both sides walk away with a better and bigger understanding.
I have had people come to me with concerns that I listen to and repeat back to them to make sure I understand. Then, when I offer some information that they might now know or a perspective they may not be aware of, get angry at me. They weren’t looking for understanding, they were looking to unload. The key is to listen and speak on both sides to grow together in love and truth.
– Get it all out!
If you have two or three things bothering you, don’t just choose one and ignore the others. Sometimes we pick and choose so we don’t come off like we are complaining too much or are overly needy. The problem is, the opposite usually happens. When we address one thing and leave with a hug, Satan will stir up the other concerns in short measure. The next thing you know, the relationship is strained again and the other person is trying to figure out what happened this time. Get it out on the table and let the conversation and love pour over it.
– Give Mercy to Offenses
Time to forgive. While there are those who abuse your mercy that you need to protect yourself from, most times there is no such thing as too much forgiveness. You will need their mercy … freely give yours.
– Leave supporting each other
The goal is not to leave a conversation agreeing 100% with each other’s perspective. The goal is understanding and supporting one another. It’s unity, growth, and when ever you can…. a hug.
Time after time, I have seen people walk in my door frustrated, depressed, or hurting and after a honest and loving conversation are refreshed and renewed. The common comment is “I feel so much better after we talked about this.” We could all do well practicing healing through communication more.
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…” Ephesians 4:15
Pastor Tom Hypes
http://www.tsflife.com
Are you a gossip (and don’t know it)?
Posted in Messages and Thoughts, Uncategorized, tagged christian, church, gossip, hurt, integrity, relationships on July 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Over my years of ministry, sometimes it seems like there are two types of people. There are those who recognize gossip in themselves and work to grow and there are those who don’t realize they are a gossip and continue in their destructive ways.
Gossip is a killer. We may try to write off our own gossip by saying we are just blowing off steam, claim we should be able to say what we want to others that are close friends, or claim that it doesn’t happen often.
The problem is that usually the victims of the gossip usually find out and are hurt at the betrayal. The blowing off steam becomes starting fires. Talking to close friends becomes having less friends (at least friends of value) as they pull away from you. “It doesn’t happen often” becomes a quick defense but not an honest one as we slip more into negativity and feed the beast of gossip over and over again.
So, the question is, are you a gossip? Well, let’s look at the definition….
(more…)
Trey Pearson, Homosexuality, and the Church
Posted in Bible Study, Uncategorized, tagged Bible, christian, church, closet, conservative, everyday, gay, GLBT, GLBTQ, homosexuality, LGBT, LGBTQ, liberal, pearson, sin, Sunday, trey on June 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »
As many of you know, Trey Pearson of the Christian music group, Everyday Sunday came “out of the closet” yesterday. Once you get into social media, there is a firestorm of commentators from every side of the conversation spitting out Bible verses to support their personal feelings and beliefs. The sad part is, for the most part, they are taking verses out of context and painting conflicting and sometimes hateful pictures.
So, with this in mind, I thought I would dig out this study we did a little while back at digs into the topic in an honest and complete manner. Enjoy!
“This is not your normal sermon on homosexuality….
`Few topics divide the world and the church like homosexuality. For that matter, few things divide the church like the same topic.
The issues within the GLBT community effect our politics, views, and most of all… personal lives. Many have been hurt, driven to anger or just fall away over past hurts and experiences and the divide deepens.
At The Shepherd’s Fellowship, we believe in 100% love and 100% truth. Can this also apply to the conversation of homosexuality? Be part of our study and see what you find as we dig into a hot button but critical study.”
Don’t Stray from the Nest
Posted in Bible Study, Uncategorized, tagged abandoned, bird, Christ, christian, church, empty, God, help, Holy, hurt, hurting, Jesus, Lost, love, me, Proverbs, Proverbs 27:8, salvation, sin, spirit, spiritual, spitiualy, starving, struggling on March 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Have you ever found a baby bird that had fallen from it’s nest and tried to nurse it to a healthy life? It’s possible but not easy.
Once the baby bird has lost it’s way, often times the mother bird abandons it to the elements, leaves it unprotected from predators, and suffers it to starve for provision.
It reminds me of a proverb in the Bible. Proverbs is a collection of sayings from King Solomon who had asked God for wisdom which is displayed in these eternal truths.
As I skimmed through Proverbs 27, I came across verse 8 that says….
“Like a bird that strays from it’s nest is a man who strays from his home.”
Often times, people find themselves feeling like they have fallen out of the nest. They are lost, exposed, and hurting with similar feelings to the baby bird fallen to the ground.
As I did a quick study of some of the reasons birds stray from their nest, it struck me that it’s similar of how people stray from home (a life with Christ).
Weather – Storms and unexpected wind currents often times will knock a young bird right out of it’s home in the same way the storms of this life can do to us. A move, job loss, family member passing, addiction and other challenges leave us feeling lost and beaten.
Inexperience – Juvenile birds making their first migration without the lead of a mature bird often times undershoot or overshoot their destinations. Sometimes, we too head boldly on a path without instruction, mentorship, or God’s map to find where He was leading us all along.
Wanderers – Some types of birds have been known to simply be wanderers and undertake destinations that are not within their normal environments. In the same way, we sometimes look for places that are not ours but it just seems the “grass is greener on the other side”. These situations can show up as marital affairs, shortcuts that lead to failure in the work place, or going against God’s ways to obtain something we want in the moment.
Whatever the reason, falling out of the “nest” leaves us feeling just as hungry, lonely, and abandoned as the infant robin alone on the ground. However, the good news is God does not abandon us there like a mama bird does to her young. He is just a whisper away willing to offer you forgiveness, direction and provision when you lean back into Him to find mercy and grace abounds!
In Matthew 23: 37, Jesus refers to himself as a mother hen who longs to gather her chicks (you and me) under her wings (for protection, love, and care) but that often times, we are unwilling.
Will you choose to not “stray” but “stay” with the Lord? Trust me, it’s much better in the nest.
Pastor Tom Hypes
theshepherdsfellowship.org
(If you have a topic you would like Pastor Tom to blog about, feel free to drop all ideas to tom@theshepherdsfellowship.org)
Better Life of a Witness (John 1: 19-42)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged baptism, Baptist, Bible, calling, Christ, church, evangelism, God, Jesus, John, John 1, life, light, purpose, role, sermon, study, witness on October 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »
When Jesus was speaking about John the Baptist, He said “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.” (Luke 7:28)
What made John the Baptist so special? Is it simply some extra blessing that God put upon on Him or is it a life that you and I can choose ourselves today? Could it be possible that his choices and outlook are something we can adopt that can lead us to a greater way of living full of purpose and passion?
As we enter week two of our study in the gospel of John, we explore these questions as well as learn more about Jesus Himself …. the LIGHT and LIFE we desire.
More Than a Patch
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Bible, christian, church, does, God, hurt, hurting, Jesus, love, mercy, patch, peace, salvation, slide, will on October 1, 2015| 1 Comment »
There are many positives to being a relational person and being a pastor. You get to partner with many in life with deeper relationships, and see how God moves in other’s lives.
One of the hardest parts though is when people draw close to you when they need help or are going through hard times but then bolt again once the life of this world gets a little easier. It is heartbreaking when people come for an ounce of hope in a dark season but walk away from a eternal spring of power that’s inviting them in Christ. So many people walk right back into lives of struggle, bad decisions, and/or loneliness (even though they found a boyfriend or girlfriend that they think is going to fix everything only to be dumped a few months later).
While the door is always open for them to come back, it still hurts to watch them go through more struggle they could avoid with Christ and Christian community in their life.
The point of this is if it breaks my heart, I am certain that it breaks our Savior’s heart even more. So many in this world come to Him for a quick fix when things are rough and then walk away again instead of following Him. We see it time and time again in Jesus’ life and far too often in our world today. It breaks His heart when we use Him like a parachute instead of falling into His arms as our salvation.
If this is you, know that He too keeps the door open and would love for you to turn around today. He too would like to give you a new life instead of just patching up a hole and walking back out the door. He is a relational God and He wants to have a relationship with you.
If I can help you in any way with that, feel free to touch base.
Pastor Tom Hypes
tom@theshepherdsfellowship.org
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