KenPetrus.com

Executive Pastor @ North Side Baptist Church

Archive for March, 2010

Looking Up…

Mar 30

Posted by ken in Facilities, Finance, General

Looking up…I literally spent the entire last weekend looking up! I am one of those guys that loves to work with his hands…I like physical labor. It’s kind of freaky for a guy who spends so much of his time looking at numbers, reports, planning and so forth. Physical labor is a great stress relief for me. It requires me to take my mind off of a lot of things and just work. This past weekend, I spent some time working in our foyer installing a new ceiling. I did literally spend the entire time looking up!

As I was performing the physical labor, I also used the opportunity to look up to the Lord. I have been seeking some answers from God and used this time of physical activity to be a time of prayer…a conversation with God…seeking His leadership and giving me discernment on a couple of real big issues. It amazes me how our Lord works…when we cry out to Him…He responds to us.

As I completed my weekend project Sunday evening, I had an incredible peace about the issues that I had been so concerned with over the past couple of weeks. I knew exactly how I was going to respond to the issues at hand. What is so amazing was that the answers to my struggles came to me in a couple of different ways. First through a conversation with a coworker, friend and confidant. Second, through the Holy Spirit reminding me of the faithfulness and blessings of the Lord in my life and the life of our church.

You see, I realized that my focus was downward…on myself as I was trying to work through some problems. The truth is we must look up. Jesus, himself said…

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30 (NKJV)

How about you? Are you looking up?

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What’s Your Spouse’s Love Language?

Mar 22

Posted by ken in General, Leadership, Personal

What’s Your Spouse’s Love Language?

Communication is one of the keys to a successful marriage. However, in order to communicate, you must know the language the other person speaks. Gary Chapman wrote a great book entitled The Five Love Languages…The Secret to Love That Lasts. Here are the five love languages that Gary cites:

1. Words of Affirmation

2. Quality Time

3. Receiving Gifts

4. Acts of Service

5. Physical Touch

Here’s a great quote from the book…”Couples who understand each others love language hold a priceless advantage in the quest for love that lasts a lifetime – they know how to effectively and consistently make each other feel truly and deeply loved. That gift never fades away.”

What’s Your Spouse’s Love Language? Are you speaking his or her love language or are you just talking to yourself?

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A Key Verse for Husbands…1 Peter 3:7

Mar 18

Posted by ken in General, Leadership, Personal

Great instruction from Men’s Fraternity this morning…

A Key Verse for Husbands… Peter gave us some sound instruction…

You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

1 Peter 3:7 (NASB)

Peter gave us husbands some great instructions here…

“…in an understanding way” meaning Insight & Skill…we as husbands must understand the language that our wife speaks. We must develop the insight and skill to communicate with her on an intimate level. It requires us to listen…giving full attention rather than a “half-hearted ear”.

“…show her honor” meaning Appreciation & Value…we as husbands must show appreciation and value to our wives. Our table talked about learning her “Love Language” as a way to show her appreciation and value. This requires time and intentionality.

“…fellow heir of the grace of life” meaning Equality & Worth…as husbands we are the servant leaders of the home…just as Christ loved the church…we are to lead by serving…there is a balance between leading and not lording over our wife and serving her without being passive.

This is good stuff…time for us husbands to apply God’s Word to our marriages!

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How is Your Economy?

Mar 17

Posted by ken in Finance, General, Uncategorized

How is Your Economy? A pretty interesting question. Look closely…I didn’t ask you about THE economy, I asked you about YOUR economy. Here are some additional questions to spur you thinking:

1. Are you honoring God with your tithe?

2. Do your monthly bills exceed your monthly income?

3. Do you have an emergency fund?

4. Are you living from paycheck to paycheck?

5. Is you marriage affected by your financial situation?

6. Are you making minimum monthly payments on credit card debt?

7. Are you late on any of your payment obligations?

Quite honestly, we are living in a time of economic uncertainty. We are experiencing a the highest unemployment rate that our country has seen in decades. It is a time to prepare for the future, economically speaking.  So, how is YOUR economy?

If this blog post has spurred you to consider some adjustments, let me know… I would love to help you.

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Men’s Fraternity…

Mar 9

Posted by ken in General, Leadership, Personal

Men’s Fraternity…

Each Thursday morning, at 6:00 am, somewhere between 60 and 80 men of North Side gather in our Fellowship Hall. We have been meeting for 17 weeks now studying  The Quest for Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis. Jeff has been leading us through this biblical study of how we fathers need to be leading our families. It is quite a diverse group of men…all age groups. This has been a revealing study for many of us as we are tackling some of these questions…

  • What makes a man? A real man?
  • How does one become a man?
  • Is there a moment when it happens?
  • What is it that holds men back from their true masculine destiny?
  • How should authentic manhood express itself today?

It has been quite an eye opening study for many of us…even the more seasoned (yes, us old timers). I truly wish that I had gone through this study 40 years ago…I would have been a better husband and dad. Although, it will not fix the past, I can use the information to shape the future..my future…my family’s future.

Here is a great quote from Jeff during this past weeks message…”the church or church programs cannot lead families…men must lead their own families”. We cannot pass that responsibility off to the church or to our wives…it is our responsibility and we must lead our family. In order to lead, we must be equipped…Men’s Fraternity is an excellent vehicle to become equipped.

Come on and join us. It is never too late.

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Meet Ricky Brewer…

Mar 4

Posted by ken in Facilities, General, Leadership, Staffing

Meet Ricky Brewer…he is our Facilities Manager here at North Side…

Ricky was here in the coffee shop at 5:00 am this morning…he is making coffee for our Men’s Fraternity group. Rick has a tremendous servant’s heart. He oversees pretty much all aspects of our facilities from scheduling events, to maintenance, to care, to set up and take down. Take some time in the near future and notice how neat and orderly things are around here at North Side…notice how clean things are as well. Ricky has been on staff here at North Side for nearly 15 years. When you see Ricky thank him for the work that he does for our church.

Ricky’s side job is taking care of our senior adults…you can always find him helping someone out in one way or another.

Ricky is the guy to contact for any events here at North Side.

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