Welcome to the Truth@Life Blog Site by Curtis Songer


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There are 5 threads of thought in this blog site:
1. Church Stuff - things pertaining to the evangelical Christian Church of today
2. Leadership Corner - concepts on management & leadership
3. Two Becoming One - principles of marriage enrichment
4. Train Up a Child - principles of parenting
5. Personal Thoughts - my mental ramblings on how God is growing me

I highly recommend you find an entry on one of these topics that interests you and click on that label at the end of that entry. It will bring up all the entries on that particular category. And be sure to check out the great web site links in the lower right corner of this page - Enjoy!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Can You Help Me Spread the Word?

Two years have gone by extremely fast! The role I have served at New Community Church has been very rewarding to me, and I hope, to the building of God’s kingdom in Wexford, PA. Unfortunately, after much prayerful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that New Community Church and I are not the best fit long term and believe God is calling me to another position. I dearly love the people of New Community and will be praying for them during this transition. I also remain fully committed to God’s covenant calling on my life and will be seeking another pastoral position with the leadership team of a high-potential-impact church.

Although my most recent position has been as an Executive Pastor, I am open to other positions that may be a good fit with my background (e.g., Associate Pastor of Missions or Discipleship or Family Ministries, possibly even as a Senior Pastor). As a family, we have agreed we will go wherever, and do whatever, God calls us to do.

Here is a list of ways you can help me at this time:

1. Pray

2. Email me if you are interested in reviewing my resume at curtis.songer@gmail.com

3. Notify me of any positions you know of at churches that may be a good fit for me (Are there are any open positions at your church that may be appropriate for me?)

4. In the meantime, you can also help me by considering possible consulting opportunities for your church (or another church) that I could assist with in any of the following 12 areas:

- Mission, Vision, & Values (development &/or assessment – including implementing values-based decision making);

- Strategic Planning & Goal Setting;

- Ministry Planning & Programming (including identifying community needs,
congregational needs, etc.);

- Budget Development &/or Assessment (including budget evaluation for alignment with strategies, giving/revenue assessments, & cost reduction opportunity identification);

- Organizational Development &/or Assessment (including developing structure & staffing plans, job descriptions, & developing hiring/evaluating/terminating
processes);

- Policy, Process, & Systems (evaluation & recommendation, development of manuals);

- Facility Management (location assessment, design requirements, internal &
external utilization, maintenance, etc.);

- Missional / External Focus - Program Design & Implementation;

- Benchmarking & Best Practices;

- Change Management (cultural assessments, leadership alignment, team building, stakeholder assessment & enrollment, communications planning, workplace skills assessment & alignment, results assessment & course correction);

- Conflict Resolution; or

- Other Areas of Specific Problem Solving (define & scope, collect and analyze
data, develop recommendations, plan implementation, & monitor execution)

As you can see, my training and experiences both prior to ministry and for the past 2years as an Executive Pastor, have qualified me to assist in a number of areas. In addition, I am also a member and conference speaker for the international executive pastor network which provides me with access to benchmarks and best practices from churches across North America.

Thank you for your support during this transition in my life. I have great peace, and even excitement, that God is calling me to an even greater phase of significance in serving Him.

Your Brother In Christ,

Curtis Songer
248-396-6255
curtis.songer@gmail.com

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Dancing With God

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6


The following is from an unknown author…

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead...

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

Please comment below or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Monday, March 22, 2010

Is God Real – I Need Proof

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

It's OK to be afraid - it's very human. But it’s not how God wants us to live. He wants us to live worry free because we are trusting in Him for all things.
Some people say they want "proof" that God is there, watching over them - that's OK too. You can have proof. The proof you need, that God is willing to give to you, comes in the form of having a relationship with Him that "feels" more real to you than the person sitting across the table from you. You can see Him at work in your life, and the lives of others, on a daily basis.

How can you have that kind of a real, tangible relationship with God? For me it required Him taking away everything else in life that I had grown to put my trust in. I had nothing left, no other choice, but to trust in Him to get me through. And He did - multiple times over several months. My devotional times became daily messages from God that spoke to my soul for what I needed that day. I could feel Him at work in me. It all started about 2.5 years ago when He led me through a trial I did know how I could get through on my own.

I don't honestly know if a closeness to God can come without pain and suffering. Scriptures say that through our pain and sufferings we are made like Christ. I would like to believe that we can have a super-close, incredibly real, without-a-doubt relationship with Jesus without going through a huge trial. I think it is possible. But it starts with believing in Him and not in yourself, and culminates in a willingness to go anywhere and do anything He asks of you. If you're ready for that, then fasten your seatbelt because life will become a wild and wonderful ride with a sovereign God in the seat next to you every single day!

Please comment below or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Friday, March 19, 2010

Be Strong and Courageous

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:6-9


Do you ever worry about the future – what to do, where to go, or how you will get through a tough time? If you are anything like me, the daily grind of this world can take a heavy toll on your faith if you’re not careful. Even though both Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 6:25-34 tell us to worry about nothing and that God will take care of all our needs, the negativity of this world tempts us to get down and fret about how we are going to make it - and if anyone even cares if we do make it.

In the Scriptures above we see that Joshua faced the same temptation. He was leading a nation of people who lacked faith – they were often cowards, grumblers, and all too frequently naysayers. Joshua’s job was to lead these people to conquer a land filled with many nation occupying fortified cities. The odds were strongly against him. And failure meant the death of millions.

So God commands Joshua to “be strong and courageous”, obey the law, and to focus on the end goal – to “not turn from it to the right or to the left.” He tells Joshua to not let the law depart from his mouth, but rather to meditate upon it day and night. The command to "meditate" upon it (v. 8) means to make it the basis for daily and lifelong plans.

As with most all commands in the Bible, they come with a promise: Joshua will be prosperous and successful. And God tells him why he will be prosperous and successful: because God will be with him wherever he goes.

What a great source of encouragement for us today: Be strong and courageous, obey God, meditate upon the Scriptures, focus on the end goal – do not veer off from what God has called you to do no matter how impossible it seems. If we do these things, then we too (like Joshua), will be prosperous and successful because God will be with us wherever we go.

Please comment below or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Thursday, March 18, 2010

What Can God do for Me Today?

Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!" Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home.
Matthew 9:2-7


Question: What Can God do for me today?
Answer: Anything

Question: What is easier for God to do? Heal your cancer or restore your best friend’s broken marriage? Find you a new job or help your child who struggles with Math at school? Help your neighbor’s teenager get through an unwanted pregnancy or your co-worker’s spouse deal with their alcoholism?
Answer: None of the above!

In the Scriptures above we see Jesus healing a man’s sins. The religious leaders of the time protested, say Jesus was claiming to be God and that He really could not forgive someone’s sins. The implication here is that Jesus really had not forgiven the man’s sins, since He could not prove it. So to prove He had power, Jesus also healed the man of His paralysis. In the eyes of those present, that would be “harder” to do because you could see the results (or not).

So which really was harder for Jesus to do – heal the man’s body, or heal His soul? We want to say the latter, because you would HAVE to be God to accomplish that. But the fact of the matter is, neither was harder, neither was “hard” at all – because He IS God. He can do anything. With a spoken word, he can take care of your physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. No need is so small, or problem so big, that He cannot accomplish it for you. He is God and He loves you. He has a provision for your every need.

Please comment below, or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Why Pray?

Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.
Luke 6:12-13


There are so many reasons why it is a good idea to pray. It gives us peace, we are commanded to, we communicate with God through pray, we discover His will. The list is long.

Even Jesus took time to pray. We see it frequently in His life usually when He was undergoing a difficulty or trial, or when He was about to tap into God’s awesome and miraculous power, or when (as in the above verse) He needed wisdom – to know God’s will.

If Jesus, the Son of God, would spend an entire night in prayer – seeking to know God’s will and to have the wisdom that only God can provide, then how much more should we spend time in prayer? This is especially true when we need the peace that only He can provide, we need His wisdom about a decision we are facing, or we’re seeking to know His will so we can obediently follow.

Just as it was for Jesus, prayer is the key to unlocking God’s power. Spend time in prayer. There is no need so small, or problem so big, that He does not want you to bring it to Him in prayer.

Please comment below or email me at csonger@new-communitychurch.org

Thursday, March 11, 2010

How Does Your Church Measure Up?

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42


I hope you're already part of a church family -- not as a spectator but as a committed, involved participant in a community of followers of Jesus Christ. But if you're not, here are five things you should look for as you consider establishing yourself in a church. If you're already an active member and any of these things are lacking in your congregation, consider what you can do and how you can be praying for these characteristics to blossom there:

1. Is it anchored in the Scriptures? Is the Bible clearly taught as the authoritative Word of God? Is the gospel of Jesus Christ the anchor, motivating you to live and proclaim the transforming grace of God in every area of your life?

2. Does it have a sense of community? Is there a connectedness between people when the service is over on Sunday morning? Does there seem to be authenticity and honesty in the relationships?

3. Is it characterized by worship? Today's culture is incredibly self-centered. You need an interruption in your week to jerk you out of that stream and say, "There's something much bigger than me going on here. Life is not about me; it's about who God is and what He's doing."

4. Is there opportunity for involvement? Is this a church where you're encouraged to minister to others? One of the greatest joys of life is to be used by the Lord God Almighty in another human being's life.

5. Does it build men? I'm not minimizing ministry to women and children, but a lot of the struggles in our families and culture could become points of victory if men were equipped with a vision for manhood and were living it out.

Feel free to comment below or email me at csonger@new-communitychurch.org

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Profiting from Trials & Problems

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4


I was recently reading the above passage and it struck me how we grow to be most godly when we are enduring difficult times. There are many great lessons for me here personally, as well as professionally. We must all maintain a proper perspective when handling problems and going through difficult times.

For example, we can only find joy in the midst of problems when we recognize their purpose and results. The key here is perspective – maintaining a godly perspective. We actually grow stronger though our difficulties. Indeed, 1 Peter 4 tells how we are truly blessed when we share in the sufferings of Christ. And 1 Peter 2:21-23 tells us how to endure hard times using Christ is our perfect example.

Second, God gives us trials in such a way that we lack nothing in the end. James says, if we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it. We are to seek His will and his wisdom through whatever channels he provides (the Scriptures, godly counselors, our personal conversations with him, circumstances He arranges, etc.). It is no sign of weakness to pray for wisdom when facing problems.

Third, if we do ask God for wisdom, we must ask in faith, expecting His answer. Once we gain perspective and trust God for wisdom, the only thing left to do is optimistically to anticipate the solution.

Finally, look for the answer – and when you see it – act on it! A motionless object cannot be course corrected. Step out in faith and God will let you know if you are headed in the right direction.

Trials and problems have a purpose – to grow us to be more like Him!

Feel free to post your comments here or email me at csonger@new-communitychurch.org

Monday, March 8, 2010

What Really Matters

About 2 months ago Martha went down into our basement to work out early one morning. Much to her dismay as she stepped onto the carpet, she also stepped into about 3 inches of cold water. She came running into the bedroom to wake me and the kids up to start removing all of our worldly possessions from the water drenched basement. It appears the home we are leasing has an elaborate French drain system that does an excellent job of channeling standing water around the outside of the house into a sump pump in the basement. Unfortunately, when the pump fails, there is a whole lot of water coming in without any place to go!

As we removed our worldly goods from the basement I was thankful that the really important things (like photographs) seemed to largely escape damage. Some school books, etc., were not so fortunate. The take-away is this for us. What is really important? We love our own home and our things. But, really, it is all so perishable. I saw a couple of pieces of furniture and thought, "look how these have aged!" All our wonderful furniture will soon age, get scratched and go out of date. So few things last 20 years, let alone 40 or 50 years.

We want our focus to be on more lasting things ... like people who last for eternity. We were all created to live with God for eternity. Have you thought about Paul's words in Corinthians, that even "faith and hope" will become dated and go into the basement? Only love will remain. Martha and I can "love" our furniture, but it will never return our love. Only people will remain for eternity and return the love given to them.

What are you investing in, good furniture or good people?

Feel free to comment here or send me an email at csonger@new-communitychurch.org