craigdockerydotcom

Missing the Mark

craigadockery — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:36:39 +0000

Today I am thinking about Philippians 3:12-14. ¹² I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (NLT) My goal in regards to deer hunting this year was to harvest a mature buck. I suppose this has been my goal every year but this year there is a little more urgency. The owner of the property passed away a couple of months ago and there is a good possibility his son will sell the property before next hunting season. This man who passed was a dear friend of my fathers and a part of our families life for over forty years. I had high hopes of harvesting that mature deer to serve as a reminder of all the great memories of this man and the time I spent hunting on his land. Long story short that mature deer gave me an opportunity about an hour and a half into my hunt on the opening day of the season. I unfortunately missed the mark and did not achieve my goal that day. This can be very discouraging and there are times when I feel like just putting the gun away for good and just stop hunting deer all together. Then I think the season is not over and there is still time to possibly achieve my goal for this deer season. This brings me back to Philippians 3 and I think of the many times I miss the mark spiritually. The prize or goal is to become more like Christ and to become more spiritually mature each day. I have to admit that falling short of that goal can be discouraging and can make me think what is the use and maybe I should just sit on the sidelines for a time and watch the race. I know that is not what God would have me to do and I must get back up and keep running the race God has set before me. How about you today? Do you find yourself spiritually discouraged and ready to get out of the race? Can I encourage you to keep on running to stay focused on the goal the prize of becoming more like Christ and growing closer to Him each day. I know it will all be worth it when we stand before Him and see Him face to face some day!

Availability

craigadockery — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:44:01 +0000

I had the opportunity to officiate two funerals in two week’s. I say opportunity because both funerals involved family’s that are not directly involved with our church. That brings about the question I would like to raise to those who read this blog. How much time, effort and resources should I invest personally and our church as a whole to minister those who call on us when they need us but are not a part of our church membership. I have my opinion on this but I will not share any information at this time that might influence your position. I would like to get some response from others especially those in full-time ministry. How do you approach these situations? To those who are members of a church. What are your thoughts on your church leaders spending time to care for those who are not part of your church and maybe never will be? Let me know what you think.

Paitence

craigadockery — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:46:01 +0000

This morning as I type out my blog the word patience comes to mind. Today I plan on going out into the woods of Michigan to take part in the opening day of the Michigan Firearm Deer Season. One thing I learned early on is that it often requires patience to harvest a whitetail deer. A deer hunter often has to be willing to endure the harshest weather conditions or sitting for hours without seeing a deer if they want the opportunity to harvest a whitetail deer. It makes me think of James 1:3-4³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If I am going to grow spiritually I must learn to patiently wait upon God and fully trust Him during the difficult times in my life. Can you think of a time when you had to patiently wait on God? How did you respond? How is your life different as a result of God working in your life in this way?

Culture and Ministry

craigadockery — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:47:38 +0000

Toady I’m thinking about the phrase “culturally relevant” in regards to how we do church or ministry. How much should our Churches be influenced by the culture God has asked us to reach? I am not referring to the message which I believe should always remain doctrinally sound and according to what the Bible teaches. I am of the opinion we should never water down the truth of the Bible to give people what they want to hear. That being said, how should we go about presenting that message in todays culture? Should our church serves include media, translations of the Bible that are easier to understand, contemporary music and more casual dress? What do you think or what has your personal experience been in regards to changes in how we do church? My desire is that God can use me and our church to be as effective as possible in reaching the culture of today. Let me know what you think?

First Blog

craigadockery — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:40:13 +0000

I have titled this blog “first blog”, but it’s actually my third. The other two were just practice so I could see if I was doing the right thing. I have to say that me and technology don’t always get along but I am willing to give it a try because of the potential benefits. Having recently been given the title of Associate Pastor of Maturity and Ministry most of my future blogs will be related to those topics. I really hope to gain knowledge from those who respond to my blog and hopefully God can use me by way of this blog to be an encouragement to others. It thrills me to see God work in someone’s life and see them go from salvation, to growing spiritually and then see them getting involved in ministry. I want to learn more about this process so I can be more affective in the ministry God has called me to. So what do you say we work on this together. I will be posting something new at least once a week. I hope to hear from you as we start this journey together. For more information about our church visit (www.solidrockbc.com)