Shane Ash » Monday Morning Musings

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:38:45 +0000

I am loving the cool weather…get to start wearing hats again to cover up my balding head.
Ashley’s siblings were able to be here for the day on Saturday. We made some good memories by taking a road trip to a pumpkin farm. I think we may have found our next farm project….a pumpkin cannon.
Yesterday was fun. I loved the anticipation of Sunday’s service. Our goal was really simple: to have a conversation about why pornography is so addictive and how to better understand our created bodies. If you missed this service you really need to listen in here…
Dr. Todd Frye rocked the house yesterday. The comparison of the mom/baby heart regulating and self-regulating our life to God was amazing. So many insights into why we lean into self-gratification behavior. If you want to follow up with a question to Todd or if you are looking for more information, visit his site www.askdoctodds.com.
I hear the “where are you?” in the garden completely different now. I hear God longing to embrace us…to re-regulate our hearts back in rhythm with his.
Shame drives us into hiding from God and others…guilt moves us toward reconciliation. Love this thought from Dr. Frye and how it sets us up for our conversation next week.
Once again…great week to be a Bengal fan…whodey!

Week of the One Year

Shane Ash — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:17:30 +0000

This is a big week…exactly one year ago our family made the westerly pilgrimage from Ohio to Missouri. And wow, what a journey it has been. In some ways it has been one of the most challenging years of our lives…in other ways it has been the most rewarding year of our lives. There are so many incredible lessons, blessings, and moments in the last year…God has demonstrated to us his faithfulness and goodness over and over again. We are blessed with friends that we love and love in return. We are filled with hope about the future that God has in store. We have witnessed amazing life-change in people. And we have watched God deliver just in the nick of time. This has been a year that will shape the rest of our lives…and we are very humbled and thankful for everyone who has had a part in it. Thanks!
I guess “I just want you to wash the dishes” really wasn’t as good as a punch line as I thought…
Looking forward to “living it out” within our community on Wednesday night at 7pm. Be here.
This week we will be “going live” with a couple of new on-line additions to our ministry. The simple “scaled-down” version of our new church website and our internal church management software. It will take a few weeks to get everything aligned and working…but I am stoked about getting the ball rolling.
Next Sunday we are celebrating Pastor Bill’s contributions to nbc over the last 5 years. Bill and Mel have given of themselves to our children and church…and I hope that we can give a little back this next Sunday.
I am working on a new series for late summer…the idea is to gather questions from the audience and talk about it and check out what the Bible says….I am wanting to call it something like “your questions” or “your sermon” or “I wish I could ask…”. BUT I need your help. First, help me name this series. Second, what questions do you have or wish you could ask about the Bible, God, Christians, life, or the church….???
Oswald Chambers – “The vision is not a castle in the air, but a vision of what God wants you to be. Let Him put you on His wheel and whirl you as He likes, and as sure as God is God and you are you, you will turn out exactly in accordance with the vision. Don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had the vision of God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you.”

Blah…

Shane Ash — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:31:06 +0000

Here is the blah floating around in my mind today…

I am super hyped about this “live it out” series. It is a slow motion view of what it means to follow Christ. What does it look like to serve selflessly, cultivate community, give generously, and worship wholeheartedly? What does it look like to actually live out the ways of Jesus?
I think I yelled a lot yesterday…seems to be true when I am most passionate about some truth…I hope it comes across as sincerity and passion. I will warn you…the next three weeks are filled with the same…a calling to live out the ways of Jesus.
Two lines from yesterday that people keep quoting back to me…”I don’t even like feet!” and “I feel like a donkey.” You should know that only one of those lines came from me.
The wisdom of a 4 year old: This past week for some reason I decided to ask Sam what makes him happy…he didn’t hesitant and replied, “Nothing makes me happy, I make me happy.” Hhmmm…
I am learning that perhaps one of the hardest ways to “live it out” is within Christian community. To cultivate community with the church isn’t going to be easy. To build community means to lead people to think about the needs of others before they think about their own needs. It means to ask for people to sacrifice, to learn to appreciate the discomfort of being with people who aren’t like us. It means that we must die to ourselves for the sake of others, to understand that community is a greater goal than our own individuals needs/wishes. Living it out isn’t always fun and easy.
Read this somewhere, “Love is always right…but always being right isn’t love.”
I am needing some good summer reading…do you have any suggestions? It has been a long time since I read fiction. Also would love to read some history…or maybe a good biography.

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:25:35 +0000

Yesterday was awesome! We baptized and celebrated stories of life-change within the church. One of the stories we celebrated was Brandon. God is at work in this guys life…and seeking to make a leader out of him.
I love this story of Onesimus…and perhaps…just perhaps…it can be your story too.
Next week we wrap up our “changed” series…and I am telling you, you will love the ending to this story in the book of Philemon. God is ironic and amazing…seeking to restore us from broken wandering people – to healed leaders for the Kingdom.
Loved having the teens back from camp yesterday…great stories about the Prodigal Son theme this year. I am geeked when I see the teens leading participation in worship and service at the church. Way to go guys…
We are nearing the end of the “church year” for our church. We are spending extra time the next few weeks evaluating some of the needs and dreams within the church.
We are getting very close to launching the new NBC website…gonna be sweet…
Get to camp out this Friday night with little Sam for the first time…I wonder how long he will make it through the night…he is already asking, “how will we keep the snakes out?” Not a good start so far….
Gonna be a great week…taking control of my thoughts and making them obedient to Christ…”perhaps, you can think of it like this…”.

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:38:35 +0000

Yesterday we started a new series called “Changed.” -And wow, the evil obviously doesn’t want us to explore true life-change…because yesterday, nothing was easy. All our plans went out the window…our technology failed us…and I struggled a ton to speak…but somehow in the mess, I believe God is going to break through in an awesome way in this series. I am praying to see a Acts-like movement at nbc in the next few weeks.
Next week we are baptizing a dozen people or so…I am stoked about celebrating what God is doing among us. There are a couple of truly amazing stories of transformation…God is still in the business of life-change.
My week is super busy…
Perhaps the highlight of my ping-pong career happened last night…when after 15 or more games, I finally squeaked out a win against the Roger Federer of ping-pong…Mr. Jeff. And it was on his home table…yep, now who’s the champ??
Our church lay leadership elections were yesterday…I’m really looking forward to serving with the team.
In my daily reading this week…I’ve picked up my worn copy of My Utmost for His Highest by Chambers. Today I read this line; “Beware of going back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been.” —THAT’s life change!

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:39:25 +0000

I am stoked about the upcoming baptism weeks at nbc…it’s a great time to celebrate the life-change that is happening around us. We hope this “changed” series changes us even more…
Yesterday evening we hosted the first ever impromptu ping pong open at nbc. It was a smashing success with huge crowds of fans and inspiring action on the tennis table. A previous show-me state all-star put on a show and dominated the lesser opponents. During the trophy presentation champion Jeff was over heard saying, “I knew I could beat these chumps. Show-me, show-me, now you know me.”
I hear there is a badminton challenge coming up…I wonder if Jeff lettered in badminton too.
I learned something valuable about preaching the last few weeks. The more of God’s story the better…personal illustrations are sometimes helpful, but if a sermon is more about my story than God’s…what are we really calling people too?
Well, so much for the Cavs sweeping…now for my next prediction: Bengals 11-5. (Hey, there’s nothing wrong with hope.)
I can’t believe it has almost been a full year since we moved to Missouri. In lots of ways it feels like only a few weeks…in other ways it feels like it’s time to retire. But wow, what an awesome year it has been. We have fallen in love with a bunch of people who share a common goal of being as close to Jesus as we can get…and everyday I count it a blessing to be part of what is happening at nbc.
I don’t even know how to write this sentence…so I will just say this, “I want my mullet back.” Or maybe I should say…I want my pride back.

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:39:55 +0000

Yesterday was fun…I love preaching the story of the early church. If we pay attention to the story of God that is underlining the stories in the book of Acts…we just might catch a glimpse of what could be for the local church.
Only two more Sundays in this series…and we are only in chapter four…gonna be some long messages the next two weeks.
I am super proud of my buddy Matt Slawson for his willingness and courage to step into the world to be a influence for Christ…he will be leaving in a couple of weeks for Africa and would love your support. Among other things, he will be partnering with the Nazarene Aids Task-force in Swaziland (check out this video). Just think, you can give a few bucks to Matt and you will be a part of some amazing work in Swaziland this summer too! If you don’t know Matt, let me know…I can get you his address…here is his newsletter…
If I have not said so yet…I am totally stoked about this summer at nbc…we will be doing a June series called “changed” that’s keeping me up at night because I am so excited. True life-change happensstill today…and we have a ton of stories to tell at nbc…God is good.

2 weeks worth of thought…

Shane Ash — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:00:47 +0000

Whoa…it’s been over a couple of weeks now since posting…the unintentional break has been good…busy, but good. I guess it means I have a lot more to talk about today. Here is an unorganized list of thoughts flowing through my mind…some church stuff, some life stuff, and some random stuff too.

I am now a Cavs fan…I am a witness. Which builds my current fan-ship to the Bengals, Cavs, and KU. I really don’t care about the rest…however, my boy Sam now loves the Royals (he calls them the Royal-tee’s).
We are almost done with the ‘remodel’ of the office/teen area…paint is amazing.
It’s been four weeks since we transitioned our Sunday morning schedule…I am loving the conversation time together and the involvement of tons of new people. We are continuing to pay attention and make adjustments as they are needed…
I am becoming more convinced of the value of simple conversation…it’s in the opening of ourselves that we are changed…and the Spirit of God dwelling in us is given the chance to work. God often speaks audibly and it sounds a lot like the sound of your voice.
I am nearing the one year mark of being a ”new” pastor…but I think I am going to hang on to the “new” title for a little longer. Occasionally it comes in handy.
One thing I don’t want to hang on to any more is a certain house in Cincinnati…
We have been working on two series for this summer that I am completely stoked about…the first one is just flat out amazing…I can’t wait for June 7th to get here. Here is a teaser for ya…”_____ happens”
I have been learning a lot about myself and my leadership persona the last few weeks. If we listen in the midst of complements and criticism we can hear truth. Sometimes the truth hurts…but always the truth helps.
One thing (of many) I was not prepared for in leadership was how to handle myself when others disappoint. I have determined to not grow hardened by the pain…instead to allow the bruises to be reminders of my own ability to disappoint.
And one last thought…Cavs will sweep.

Monday Morning Musings

Shane Ash — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:39:52 +0000

I am loving the ”witnesses” series we are in right now. It is a new approach for us…first time to teach straight through a book in the Bible. And I like the fact that we are walking right along with the story of the early church…almost in the same time line as they first experienced it.
We are growing into our new Sunday morning routine…slowly. Yesterday I experienced an incredible conversation time…it was exactly what we had hoped for…growing together in our understanding of how to live out being Christian.
I am looking forward to visiting Cincinnati this week…it has been a little more than 9 months since we moved and it is strange to feel like a visitor to a place we lived for 12 years.
Don’t tell my sister that I told the “weed” story yesterday…it will only get me in more trouble.
btw…I am wondering if all the recent tornado warnings are just part of the Missouri mystique??

Monday

Shane Ash — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:18:06 +0000

Aahhhh…monday musings. I guess this is becoming a regular routine.

For me, the statement that is still ringing in my mind from yesterday is, “saying ‘Jesus is Lord’ is not just a declaration of his role…it is also a declaration of our heart.” Our lives are the PROOF of His Lordship.
One word can probably describe yesterday’s message…crap. You had to be there…it was a terrible illustration…but it was memorable.
If you want to know…I have NC going all the way.
Ok, I am going to practice a little transparency…I need to step up my prayer life. We are on verge of growing deeper at nbc and because we are not settling for the easy and shallow…we are under spiritual distraction more than ever before. The evil one hates it when we begin to get real…and wow, we are feeling the heat.
This next Sunday is going to be awesome…I love the video we are using…and I am ready to preach…and lives are going to be changed by the truth and depth of God’s love.
Life may not be fair…but God is still good.
The purple scooter is no more…it is now painted a classy flat black. Oh yea, low-ri-der. My pride has been restored.
I know I have said it a lot…but seriously where did all that snow come from?
Did I mention that it feels like we knocked to loud and all of hell has decided to join forces against us…in some ways, it makes me smile inside because I know that we are making a dent in the gates…
This week will you pray with me for the church? Pray for our upcoming change that God would use it to deepen the spiritual walk of us all.