Children's Christmas Musical

Just want to share that we had a great practice tonight as we get ready for the Children's Christmas Musical!

Photo of first practice show the children that have already got a head start.

We will have practice every Wednesday from now until Dec 5th, except Thanksgiving week, from 6:30-7:30pm and Saturday Dec. 4th from 9-11am.

We need as many kids as possible. Parents and grandparents, please encourage your kids to come and bring a friend. I promise you won't regret it once you see the performance on the 5th!

Reason #1: He loves Jesus

Initially, this appears cliche and "spiritual". Yet, for those who know Mike, this simple acknowledgement most accurately sums up why we have such a deep love for our pastor. Above all qualities and virtues that Mike may possess, his love for our Lord stands above them all. Whereas his love for his family, friends, and church body is great, his love for our Jesus is greater. 

If ever there was a verse that so befittingly described Mike, it is John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit...."

The fruit that God's bears through his servant Mike is unquestionable. He's tender to those who are hurting, firm to the prideful, inclusive to the rejected, edifying to the downcast, honest to the disillusioned, steadfast in his convictions, and unapologetic to those offended by the name of Jesus. Mike's abiding relationship with Jesus bears abundant fruit in his marriage, family, occupation, friends, and the church he's been entrusted to pastor.

So we thank you Mike. We thank you for putting God before us. We thank you for your unwavering love for Jesus Christ.

Finally, we thank you for being our pastor. We appreciate you so very much and are immeasurably blessed to have you in our lives.

Reason #2: His eagerness to cause mischief!

As a curious, courageous and fearless child of the king, Mike Brady gets into the middle of trouble at times.

Mike is creative about how he goes about mischief, but it is often with a purpose.  Observing Mike with some of his pastor friends is a wonder to behold.   It is tough to determine if they are picking on people or probing them.

At a moments notice, they will turn their playful banter into an opportunity to share the gospel with a stranger.   Most people know that mischief is fun, but leave it to Mike to use it as a tool to break the ice and establish a common understanding to enhance communication in just about any relationship.

Life is all about change and you experience more of it with Mike.

Reason #3: Hearty "Hey Boy!"

If you have ever called Mike on his cell phone, or had Mike call you on his cell phone, or have been praying with Mike when someone calls Mike on his cell phone, you know that Mike loves to greet you with a hearty "Hey Boy!".

He takes his phone and his relationships seriously.  If you call him, he will drop everything he is doing and focus on you.

He is a constant source of encouragement when he is always happy to see you or hear from you.

For those accustomed to prayer without interruptions, you might think that Mike is breaking some kind of religious protocol when he bolts noisily out of prayer ( a conversation with the Father ) in order to belt "Hey Boy!" to a mere mortal.  After it has occurred a few times, and you process the temporal versus eternal qualities of the two conversations, you start to understand, appreciate and support our beloved pastor in his continuous pursuit of the next conversation.

Reason #4: He's less than six degrees of separation from any stranger

If you have ever traveled with our pastor, you know that no matter what state you are in, you will bump into someone that knows Mike Brady.

While traveling to any conference or retreat, you know that if you see a person with a Kentucky shirt, Mike can usually ask that person where he is from and have that "stranger" knowing someone who knows someone that was his best friend or relative in less than 5 minutes.

Kevin Bacon has got nothing on Mike Brady.

Mike Brady has truly never met a stranger because of this uncanny ability for him to remember someone that is related to some piece of everyone.   This again, is a gift of God, because he seems to keep losing his keys, his wallet, his clicker and his glasses in any given sermon.

As much as Mike emphasizes relationships at Tatesbrook, it is hard to describe how significant of an impact that relationships have had on the pastor we love.

Reason #5: Like our savior, they call him "Teacher"

Our church is blessed with many teachers.  As each of us seeks to be like-minded with Christ, we should consider one another more highly than ourselves and teach each other.  What better compliment to our pastor than to be called "Teacher".

Jesus Christ may not have been a teacher by profession, but they called Him Rabbi because he did it so well and he never turned a child away.

Mike may not be a patient person by nature but it takes patience to be a teacher.  It takes extreme patience to be a middle school teacher, and that is where God has placed him to confound us and those around him.

Mike has always been more of a teacher than a preacher, and that is only one of the reasons we appreciate him.  Not that there is anything wrong with preaching..

Reason #6: At all times, he radiates the love of Christ.

You can just see it on his face.  His emotions, his heart, his beliefs and values are all worn on his sleeves.  He hides nothing, his life is an open book.  Publicly on display for all to see.  All the time.

As one member said, "He remains sooo calm when UK whips Louisville".

There are many things in this world that can get people excited and Mike enjoys many of them.  The fact that he doesn't get shaken by the results of any game no matter who is playing is a good reason to love our pastor.

Personally, I love it when when people try to shake the unshakable..  the love of Christ.

An unshakable foundation is something to build on for the top five reasons still to come.

Reason #7: He married Lisa

Lisa Dorris married Mike Brady, and raised a beautiful family that was willing to sacrifice a wonderful life to move to Lexington when her husband was called.

This sacrifice represented a very special quality that we love about our pastor.

"He never tries to put himself above the rest of us"

Many times, it has been said that behind every great man, there is a great woman.  In Mike's case, that great woman had the help of three great daughters in the forming of the pastor we love.

Reason #8: He has never ceased being a Student

Most pastors pursue a degree from a religious organization of some kind when they are called to the ministry.  That is a very sound and reasonable path for some, but not our curious and creative pastor.

At first glance, you might think Mike Brady is a very simple man from a rural part of the country because of his Western Kentucky slang and twang.  As you get to know him, you learn that his depth of knowledge and understanding comes from his desire to be a student that learns from a master.

• When Mike looks to study history, he looks to a professor or a book or a college or a veteran or a public servant.
• When Mike looks to study God, he looks to God and to writers and speakers that inspire us to look to God in prayer.

A personal and prayerful relationship with the Father and a knowledge of history are a powerful combination.  We love that about our pastor.

Reason #9: He calls himself a sheep dog

Mike knows the heart of the Father and the voice of the Shepherd.

He does not let his status as a brother get in the way of his calling to gather the sheep and keep them moving all in the direction of the Shepherd's choosing.  His brotherly relationship with the sheep and the shepherd is a much stronger motivator than his bark or his bite.

He is rarely tired and possesses the capacity to sheep dog other sheep dogs in a similar manner as he sheep dogs the sheep.

Simplicity vs Symbolism

I’m having some curious thoughts about my faith that I don’t know how to sort out.

A couple weeks ago I went to visit Sacré Coeur with Ashlyn and my family. Inside the massive church building is a wealth of artwork on the walls: in the stained glass, in statues, painted on the domed ceiling. But as I looked at it, I saw symbols, symbols, and more symbols. A lot of the art seemed weird to me. Less like depictions of Bible stories and more like scenes from movies such as National Treasure, Indiana Jones, The Skulls, and The DaVinci Code. The stuff I saw reminded me a lot more of secret societies than of any kind of a relationship with our Creator and Savior. I mean, a kneeling Pope holding a globe up to a massive and well-dressed Jesus, while a dude holding his head in his hands nearby watches and boats are filled with people and keys and shields and birds and robes and hats. And then all over the place there’s keys keys and more keys in different positions and combinations...

A relationship with God is simple right? It has to be. That’s a cornerstone of my faith.

Jesus showed up and told us to stop with all the religious junk and instead listen to Him, accept His Spirit, and simply follow it. That’s all there is to it, right?

Then I open my Bible up and read Exodus 25, 26, and 40. It’s where God gives instructions to Moses regarding the building of the early temple, and the ark of the covenant, and its place within the temple. I realize that Jesus brought a new covenant which rendered the old one, well, old and outdated. But these instructions that God gave are incredibly intricate, and somewhat cryptic. Things like the type of wood, exact sizes, gold all over everything in specific places. Where to put rings and tables and bread and curtains. Who can go where and do what. How to decorate the table, the lampstand, and the dishes. Exactly which rooms they should go in and when and how. It just seems a little weird. And very not simple.

But then later, Jesus comes along and lives an impossible life, does impossible things, and suddenly some old cryptic symbolism starts to pop up. What happens to the curtain that blocks off the holy of holies room in the temple when Jesus dies on the cross? We’ve all heard that sermon before. It’s torn in two and opened up. This signifies that with the death of Jesus we can finally approach God directly. There need not be an intermediary. That’s good news! And a fabulous picture provided by the fact that for centuries, man had to stay separated from God by this room, this curtain, which He very vividly tore at a very opportune moment. But back to Exodus (and many more places in the OT), the instructions are incredibly meticulous. I have to ask myself, why did God insist that ”Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand” (Ex 25:33)? A super-theologian could probably tell me. Or just a regular one who pays attention better than I in seminary class.

So here’s where I am: do I dive into all this symbolism, this stuff, this intricately woven story of epic proportions that God put down in the Old Testament, all of which points to the coming of Christ and all of which He reveals in His time to make sense (which is what I believe happened/happens, I can’t tell you with experiential confidence yet that every weird little thing God said in the OT has a future reason)? Do I jump in and consume myself with turning over every rock and figuring out every symbol? Or do I keep my life and my relationship with Him simple, “I listen, You lead, I follow”? Did God put all that stuff in there because He wants us to figure it all out? Or did He put it in there to wow us a little bit along the way?

I tend to fall back on a hiking analogy that raises a similar question. I love backpacking, hiking and exploring forests, gorges, mountains, and wilderness. The woods are so rugged, organic, and wild, aren’t they? Have you ever been deep into them, far removed from anything man-made, perhaps trudging along on trails wishing you could have a recliner with a cold drink and some pop-corn on hand, and then you look up and see something truly majestic? A vividly bright flower, a perfectly placed waterfall, an impossibly balanced boulder. Do you think sometimes that God puts stuff like that out there so that we’ll stumble upon it and say, “wow God, that’s just incredible”? Or do you think He puts it there and wants us to tear down the forest to find it? Of course, my wife reminds me, “if we’re not at least looking up, we may never see what God’s put out there.”

So what do you think? Do we keep it simple and focus on one thing (ps 27:4)? Do we wander along and stumble on God’s intricate puzzle pieces? Or do we do all we can to figure it all out, right now?

Reason #10: He has a little red ranger and he knows how to use it

In this month of Pastor Appreciation, Tatesbrook wishes to honor our beloved Mike Brady by sharing the top ten reasons that we love our pastor.

Many people have wondered what Jesus would drive. Tatesbrook knows that a pastor must live simply such that others may simply live and that little red rangers are mighty in the tearing down of strong sheds.

They are also useful in teaching and correction if you are in the passenger seat while Mike is driving. Most of the teaching comes in the demonstration of over correction when he is not paying attention to what is immediately in front of him while he talks to you, but it is still very useful in establishing a healthy fear of life threatening experiences.

In Mike's 18 years as our pastor, he has moved many members earthly possessions from house to house and centrifugal force has hurled many of those possessions back to the earth in pieces. He makes quick work of a move.

Mission Trips: the good, the bad, and the funny

Short-term mission trips: if you have ever been on one, are thinking about it, own a passport, will in the future, know a missionary and thus should consider going (that means you), you need to read a couple of articles linked below. They are great points about what is wrong with short-term trips and what is right. Future articles on the same site will discuss how trips are done well and why we should deem them important.

The Problems with Short-Term Trips

What is Right with Short-Term Trips


On a lighter note:

After you read those, head over to SCL for some good laughs as you realize this was you (and me; or all your friends if you didn't go but had to read their facebook updates) on your last mission trip:

Becoming an Expert After a 6-day Mission Trip

Facebooking Your Mission Trip

RSVP for Church Campout extended to August 15

Matt and Kim decided to extend the RSVP until Sunday, August 15. Please see the correction below, Kim had mistakenly requested the previous RSVP by August 9th.

Our own church artist

Tatesbrook is privileged to announce that Duane's horse is available for viewing downtown.  The world is coming to see it soon.  If you all would like to send me photos of you standing beside Duane's horse, I'd be happy to find another church artist to compile the images.

More Horsemania is going on.  Be sure to check them out:  

Lexington Horsemania

The Altar, The Tent & The Well from the life of Abraham.

Here are the details on David Ravenhill's time in Lexington (July 10th-12th).

David Ravenhill will be teaching:

• Saturday evening at 6:30pm
• Sunday evening at 6:30pm
• Monday evening at 7:00pm

All meetings will be held at Park United Methodist Church:

Park United Methodist
645 East High Street
Lexington, KY 40502-1775.

After the meeting on Saturday, light refreshments will be provided in the fellowship hall of Park Methodist Church so all the churches will have an opportunity to spend some time together.

Battle of the Elementals

Affirming Spiritual Gifts

“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” -Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire (1981)

How do you know your spiritual gifts? How do you really know?

Have you ever done one of those spiritual gift surveys? I’ve done quite a few. If you’re like me and have done more than one, you’re probably even more confused. This survey said I have the gift of administration and teaching! But wait, this survey says I have pastoring and prophecy. I just did another one that says I have the gift of praise and of service. I’m so confused!

There’s a fundamental problem with all of these surveys. No, there’s more than one problem... They’re made by man. They have to categorize gifts. They use different gifts in some than in others (do we use the list in 1 Cor 12, Rom 12, or Eph 4? The Pentecostal or Mainline groupings?). They assume the power of GOD in a person’s life can be discerned by a list of standardized questions.

Don’t hear me wrong, I’m not anti-spiritual-gift-questionnaire. But I think there’s a less flawed method. Or at the very least a qualifier of sorts. --> The body of Christ.

If you’ve ever had someone within the body come up to you and speak clearly and deeply into your life, and in so doing they recognize and affirm a particular gift in your life, take it to the bank. Just because a piece of paper that bases its belief on how you see yourself calls you a prophet, if nobody sees that gift in you, it’s probably not there.

So should we go around asking each other? I suppose you could. But I’d trust unsolicited advice more than putting someone on the spot to name something.

Instead, I’d promote sharing what God shows us regarding others more often, but with a word of caution. Don’t just become a happy encourager, telling everyone you see that they are God-gifted to do whatever you see them do. Watch, pray, confirm in your own heart with God, and then by all means go tell someone in the body you have a relationship with about the gift that you see in their life. Your affirmation may be incredibly freeing for that person. To be told I’m good at something I love, better yet gifted by God... wow, sign me up!

To Tell A Story

Do you ever read the book of Acts and get a little discouraged? I do.

Take for instance Stephen (Acts 7). Does that name ring a bell? Think alliteration. Stephen = Stoned. Not Woodstock, but big rocks. Pounding into his head. Over. And over. And over. Till he’s dead. Not a good way to go. But do you know what’s amazing about Stephen? Right before the rocks start flying, Stephen gives one of the most amazing, succinct accounts of the epic story of God all the way from Abraham up through the coming and death of Jesus Christ. And yet, it doesn’t read like a script that was memorized to be regurgitated, but a tailor-made and historically accurate story that perfectly fit his audience (Jewish leaders) and would have forced further thought into the minds of those listening.

I’m blown away every time I read the story of Stephen. But then this thought pops into my mind: I could never do that. I don’t have talent like that. Maaaybe I could memorize the story as Stephen told it. But could I re-tell it in such a way as to be understood by any particular audience? Could I take the story of God and show an african villager how it relates to his life? A post-modern painter? A dock-worker? An heiress to the royal throne? And then there’s the whole situation of Stephen’s circumstances... HE WAS ABOUT TO BE KILLED! Would I be thinking straight enough in that situation to tell the most important story ever told? Or would I be flashing my American passport and waiting for marines to swoop in and save me?

Here’s two more examples which come from Paul. In Acts 17, Paul’s in Athens. Athens is at this time a city known for its gods, idols, religiosity, philosophy. He sees statues and idols to gods everywhere. He’s Paul, so he has a reputation. He’s pressed by some people who don’t want him around, and he finds himself in the middle of a bruhaha. With everyone watching and listening he stands up and says ‘You know what I saw today? An idol to an unknown god. I’ll bet you Athenians would like to know this unknown god... (dramatic pause) I know him!’ And then he proceeds to tell them all about the power of the one true God and how it is desperately important they know Him. The other example comes later, when the Jews arrest Paul (Acts 22). He’s put on trial, and he takes the opportunity to tell his story: how God met him, grabbed him, changed him, and sent him. And like Stephen, he does it in such a way that the people around him hang on every word. Again, I’m flabbergasted at the lyrical and situational beauty of it all. But I could never do that.

Or could I?

Today I read a simple little verse in Luke: “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (12:11-12)

This verse is Jesus talking, and right before this He says that all who confess Him before others on this earth will be confessed to angels by He himself. Jesus knows my life. He knows the mess of it. He knows every little part and He knows better than anyone the total unworthiness of myself and my actions. And yet He will be the one in heaven who stands up and says ‘this man is worthy to be here, and let me tell you why...’ The angels will be waiting for only one answer to follow, ‘because he knows ME.’

And this same Jesus who proclaims us worthy also promises that when we’re in those tight spots before the multitudes, His spirit will give us every word we need. Listen to the spirit inside of you, His story is in there dying to get out.

Our Debt is Paid

The Church at Tatesbrook corporately knows

• that the church is not a building
• that debt is sin
• the wages of sin is death
• that we can not pay our own debt

Clearly, the tiny financial debt that was incurred on July 15, 1983 seems rather trivial to talk about compared to the Debt of sin for which we were forgiven, but it helps to remind us how long it takes for us to work our way out of a parable of the Debt.

The Church at Tatesbrook corporately thanks the people, ministries and banks that have helped us meet together week after week on the corner of Appian Way and Trent Blvd for over 25 years.

• Founding members of the church who sacrificed time, money and materials to buy some land, build a building, and begin to worship, disciple, pray and fellowship together.
• Elkhorn Baptist Association
• Pikeville National Bank
• Community Trust Bank
• Ukranian Church
• Cornerstone Church
• Lexington Christian Fellowship
• Fifth Third Bank
• Tatesbrook Neighborhood Association
• Members who committed not to expand or expend until the financial debt was paid.
• Many servants who faithfully offered talents without pay or without increase

In the new testament, Jesus Christ describes to us the kingdom of God in many parables. A great number of those referred to money and management of resources because everyone could understand that.

Being "out of debt" financially as a church organization recognized by the state of Kentucky and the Southern Baptist Convention is not as big a deal as the principles that we have learned. God wants a relationship with us that is not distracted by debt. After all, that was Satan's original intent, to distract us from God.

Above all, I am thankful that our Debt was forgiven forever on a cross.

Sunday Morning Pre-Worship Show

Sunday Mornings. 9:15ish. Galatians. Down Stairs. Good stuff.

This week we are looking at chapter 2. Lots of freedom going on. Come and enjoy it!

Marriage enrichment class

Hey Tatesbrook!

Reminder that the Marriage Life class will be starting this week and running for the next 3 weeks. Friday February 27th, March 5th & March 12th at 7pm.
We will be meeting at the Leahy's house. Please contact them for directions.
If you need childcare, please don't let this prevent you from coming. You can call me (Dacian) at 881-5160 and we'll figure it out together.

This is the final three videos from The Life series we watched at the women's retreat. Bill and Anabel will be teaching how to apply the truths of Galations 2:20 in your marriage relationship. It will be a great time of fellowship & learning!

If you want to join us, please email me at daciankeaton@hotmail.com or call 881-5160 and let me know so we'll have enough seating for everyone.

Youth Valentines Dinner

Josh, Erin, Matt, Kim and Kelley all did a wonderful job alongside the youth in serving those that attended the Valentines dinner this year.

Ashlyn filled in for the injured Emily Davis.

Valentines Dinner

Missional Discipleship

Here is a video and article that Michael Harrington (remember him?) wanted me to post.

I'm gonna try to enable him as a author for our blog in the future.

Here's the article:
http://blog.theupstreamcollective.org/

A video that should have been posted by Kent Billingsley.

Hey gang!
Before you watch this powerful video I want you to know that I'm not normally a "you western Christians should feel bad about yourselves" kinda guy, but this video is powerfully done. I hope that you open your heart up to God over the information presented here.

To Be Mature

In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk-- better yet, RUN on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline-- not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generousity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.... He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive in Christ.

No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babies in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-- like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Ephesians 4 according to Eugene Peterson and The Message.

HUGS ALL! Dacian

Mathew Class

Just a reminder for everyone that the class on the book of Mathew begins this Sunday (January 17) at 9:15 before church. We will meet downstairs in one of the classrooms. This study will last 5 weeks and it is a good idea for you to read the entire book of Mathew before we begin. The class will follow this basic schedule:
Week 1- the purpose of Mathew and the outline of Mathew
Week 2- Mathew's understanding of Jesus
Week 3- Mathew's understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven
Week 4- Mathew's understanding of the Church
Week 5- Some interesting verses in Mathew.

Hope you can make it!
Duane

Who am I?

Heb 6:4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

Looking for the secrets of life? Maybe some divine wisdom? Good news, you do not need to climb a mountain or speak the magic words. If you are in Christ you are enlightened! You partake of the God of all Creation. Enjoy that today.