In all the transition that has taken place in my life over the last 3-4 months, one of the biggest questions I’ve been asked is “What am I going to do once I become pastor?” “What’s your plan?”
This is certainly a valid question and has been addressed several times in light of nominating committee meetings and then leadership team meetings, and even through the questions of individuals.

Along with this, I’d love to share with you some of the transition decisions I’ve made as we’ve begun to head into a new era at Fellowship Church in Holden.  Feel free to share with me your thoughts.

I should start out by sharing the idea that Lonnie worked together for 6 years and through that time, he was one of the biggest mentors (and continues to be) in my life.  The church strategy we have put in place here at Fellowhsip wil be the strategy that stays in place, with a few minor canges for organization sake.  I need a bit more help organizationally,and to capitalize on that, I’ve been bringing more people into the mix.

One of the big questions I was frequently asked was whether or not I was going to have an assistant pastor at my side, just as I was Lonnie’s assistant.  The answer to this question is “no”.  In the place of me (and this really is not to boast), I’ll be putting in place 6 men or women who will lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ in one of the following areas of our church:  Family Ministry, Operations, Small groups, First Impressions, Sunday morning programming, and Connection environments. 

These make up the bulk of what we will do as a church, and are the areas that we will focus on as we continue to grow.  One person (or even two) could not possibly be as effective as 7 people (this includes me) leading the way.  I personally have begun to train and work with and lead those 6 guys and we’re working together to begin this process before the year ends, and 2008 begins.  It’s a lot of work, but the people I have so far have done a great job moving us into this new era.

In order to effectively manage and coordinate the entire operations and to bring us as much teamwork as possible, we’re considering investing in this new church management software, called Fellowship One.  This will help to expand the organization and allow us to communicate, not only with one another, but everyone in our church very effectively.  I would appreciate any comments that my fellow pastor friends might have for me on this subject.

The other change in process is a “beefing up” of our small groups in the area of discipleship and service.  This is the core of our church, and we could stand to be more organized and intentional in growing disciples more effectively. 

So in a very brief nutshell, those are some of the things we are doing.  What do you think? 

By the way, a shout out to my bro, Dave Huey from Hotlanta!  What are you, 25 now?

Until next time…

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The loss of a cell phone reminds us of a lot of things, among them being that we do get addicted to the habit of something being connected to my ear.  Also that we have a lot of people we could be talking to, whether it be family or friends, that we could just call at a moments notice, but rarely do we think to do so, until we lose our cell phones, or somehow it gets broken.

Enter my latest problem with my cell.  For some reason everytime I finish a call or send a text, my phone freezes and I can’t use it until someone else calls me or I get another text.  Until then it stays frozen.  Now I can receive any number of calls or texts, but I can’t make any.  This presents a problem, because there’s a few calls I need to make.

Like my friend Jay, who needs to know immediately that we must get back to the gym.  I have no way of getting this message to him (except through facebook of course) because I can’t get his number from my contact book, and no one I know right now (that I can think of) has his number.

Or Pete, the oil guy, who is putting in a new boiler system into our church this week.  I need to reach him, but alas, his number is in my cell phone, apparently frozen into a place I cannot reach.

And now I think of these things – approximately 48 hours too late.

Often I treat God in a similar way.  He’s awfully handy to have around.  And eventually I forget He’s there. Things are going so well, and I begin to take things for granted, until something gets broken, and then I need Him immediately.  “God help me…” “God take care of this mess, please!” “God, would you mind hooking you up even though I’ve treated you like you’re not around, and like I’m the reason for all of this good stuff happening?”

Fortunately for me, He’s way bigger than my cell phone.  Mine doesn’t seem all that forgiving right now, and it’s not giving me any love.  So it’s off to the Verizon store.

Until next time…

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This morning (Monday morning), I am hanging out with my wife Carie as she took a day off from teaching teenagers Spanish.  So we’re going to accomplish a lot today!  You see, in about 4 weeks, we’re going to be moving into new house.  It’s very close to out present apartment, but its a new house, and we’re kind of excited about that. 
So today we’ll be organizing stuff and throwing away stuff and probably even shopping for furniture.  So I’ll be a busy bee on a day when I usually just chill and write and think.
Yesterday’s services at Fellowship were incredible!  There was a lot going on, and 5 people were baptized, and the parking lot was absolutely full!  People were parking on the grass!  Now thats what I’m talking about.  You can check out the service and the talk I gave here:
http://www.gcast.com/u/connectwithfc/main.xml
After the service Carie and I attended two baptism parties and enjoyed meeting and talking to a lot of new people.  But at the end of it, I was tired!!!  This might be because I kept my leadership team up till midnight on Saturday night.  Good thinking Marty. 
I have to go now and continue the rest of my day with my awesome wife. I’m pretty sure she just made me eggs.  Truly a good day!

Until next time…

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So today I am sharing with you my strengths as taken by Marcus Buckingham’s book, “Now, Discover your Strengths”.  Buckingham has worked as a senior analyst at the Gallup Organization, and has built an excellent est of 34 strengths that every person is born with.  The following are my top 5 strengths.  The point is that most people focus on what they’re weak at, but Buckingham makes a case for focusing on your strengths!  And personally, I agree.  After all, it’s what God made us good at.  So enjoy these 5 strengths, and I’d love to hear your opinion on whather you think these are true about me.  Please let me know.  You can find your strengths at http://www.strengthsfinder.com and you can find the rest of the 34 after my top 5. 

Ideation
You are fascinated by ideas. What is an idea? An idea is a concept, the best explanation of the mostevents. You are delighted when you discover beneath the complex surface an elegantly simple concept toexplain why things are the way they are. An idea is a connection. Yours is the kind of mind that is always
looking for connections, and so you are intrigued when seemingly disparate phenomena can be linked byan obscure connection. An idea is a new perspective on familiar challenges. You revel in taking the worldwe all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle. You
love all these ideas because they are profound, because they are novel, because they are clarifying,because they are contrary, because they are bizarre. For all these reasons you derive a jolt of energywhenever a new idea occurs to you. Others may label you creative or original or conceptual or even smart.
Perhaps you are all of these. Who can be sure? What you are sure of is that ideas are thrilling. And on most days this is enough.

Positivity
You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation.Some call you lighthearted. Others just wish that their glass were as full as yours seems to be. But eitherway, people want to be around you. Their world looks better around you because your enthusiasm is
contagious. Lacking your energy and optimism, some find their world drab with repetition or, worse, heavywith pressure. You seem to find a way to lighten their spirit. You inject drama into every project. Youcelebrate every achievement. You find ways to make everything more exciting and more vital. Some cynics
may reject your energy, but you are rarely dragged down. Your Positivity won’t allow it. Somehow you can’tquite escape your conviction that it is good to be alive, that work can be fun, and that no matter what thesetbacks, one must never lose one’s sense of humor.

Connectedness
Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that weare all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our ownfree will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. Some may call it the collective unconscious.
Others may label it spirit or life force. But whatever your word of choice, you gain confidence from knowingthat we are not isolated from one another or from the earth and the life on it. This feeling of Connectednessimplies certain responsibilities. If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others becausewe will be harming ourselves. We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves. Yourawareness of these responsibilities creates your value system. You are considerate, caring, and accepting.
Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures. Sensitive to theinvisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives. The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong. It sustains you
and your close friends in the face of life’s mysteries.

Competition
Competition is rooted in comparison. When you look at the world, you are instinctively aware of otherpeople’s performance. Their performance is the ultimate yardstick. No matter how hard you tried, no matterhow worthy your intentions, if you reached your goal but did not outperform your peers, the achievementfeels hollow. Like all competitors, you need other people. You need to compare. If you can compare, youcan compete, and if you can compete, you can win. And when you win, there is no feeling quite like it. Youlike measurement because it facilitates comparisons. You like other competitors because they invigorate you. You like contests because they must produce a winner. You particularly like contests where you know you have the inside track to be the winner. Although you are gracious to your fellow competitors and even
stoic in defeat, you don’t compete for the fun of competing. You compete to win. Over time you will come to avoid contests where winning seems unlikely.

Developer
You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason.
When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience
success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth-a new behaviorlearned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of “flow” where previously
there were only halting steps. For you these small increments-invisible to some-are clear signs of potentialbeing realized. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Overtime many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your
helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you.

Achiever, Activator, Adaptability, Analytical, Arranger, Belief
Command, Communication, Competition, Connectedness, Consistency
Context. Deliberative, Developer, Discipline, Empathy, Focus, Futuristic
Harmony, Ideation, Includer, Individualization, Input, Intellection, Learner
Maximizer, Positivity, Relator, Responsibility, Restorative, Self-Assurance
Significance, Strategic, Woo

Hope you enjoyed my strengths, and maybe understand me a bit better.  Let me know your opinions.  Have a great weekend!

Until next time…

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So, I’ve been viewing the video testimonies from the people who are getting baptized this next Sunday at Fellowship Church.  And there is a common denominator in each one:  Transforming
Each of the people that will share their testimony and get baptized on Sunday have been transformed. 
“I was one way…now I am this way,” some said.

“I didn’t like the person I had become, but I like the person I am becoming,” said others.

This theme is talked about in the 2nd book of Corinthians (written by Paul) when he says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; The old has gone, the new has come!

There is a powerful message from “the new”.  When something is brand new or when something old becomes new again.  It brings the perspective of freshness, of the ability to start over, to overcome the times we’ve messed up or failed to accomplish either what we’ve set out to do or should have done.

Paul doesn’t stop there though.  He continues to say that the reason why this occurs is because God has reconciled (or reconnected) us to Himself again through Jesus Christ.  And our old ways will not count against us.

So there must be something pretty amazing about this person Jesus Christ.  Or quite possibly transforming.

Until next time…

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So this weekend at Fellowship Church we’re baptizing 5 people.  It should be a totally great service.  If you are a part of FC in Holden, Massachusetts, you will not want to miss this service.  It’s going to be amazing!!!
We’re going through this series called, “Good to Great”.  About going to the next level in your Christian walk.  This weekend we’re dealing with a hard topic, one that I don’t claim to understand, but with humility and passion, I proclaim the importance of discipline.

So today’s Wednesday.  My week has been pretty busy so far, but last night Carie and I got to spend some time together.  She made this great Thai dish with peanut butter and salsa (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it)., then I did the dishes, and we talked and did some work that we needed to get done.  We also watched the most recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy – an amazing take on the idea of addiction and how love and addiction do connect so much in our lives.  For those of you who try to chastise me for watching a show that “shows people having affairs and stuff like that”, so does the Bible. The point is what one takes away from what one puts in their mind.

One of the things I did was to add another blog to my many blogs in this cyberworld.  Don’t worry, they all say the same thing, but here is a list of the blogs I have right now.

Facebook, of course.

blog.myspace.com/jaysavage

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/MartinJHolman

And the newest blog:  pastormarty.wordpress.com

Monday – Friday, as best as I can, I’ll renew my blog.  But whatever one you pick, they will all say the same thing.

Have a great Wednesday!  Make the most of it, and in all you do, follow the God who has your best in mind.

Until next time…

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Last week, my cousin hooked me up with tickets to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Ga.  Basically it went like this – I left on Wed. Morning to the Pease International Airport in Portsmouth, NH (1.2 hours), landed in Columbus, OH, where Tim picked me up at the airport, and we drove to Atlanta(8 hours).  We had a great time and at the end of it, I felt like everything that was talked about was for me.  Don’t you love it when God decides to work like that?!

One of my favorite messages was from a pastor that I respect a lot, but I just don’t think of him as a speaker who I’m flying across the country (or driving) to go ear.  This man, however  knocked my socks off as he spoke.  His words were powerful and ordained.  I’d like to share with you his message using his notes and quotes that I got written down. It was so good, I didn’t write everything fast enough as I was enamored by what he was saying.  The man’s name is Rick Warren, and he’s best known for the books, “The Purpose Driven Life” and “the Purpose Driven Church”.  Here’s his message:

“If you want God’s blessing on your life, you have to get on God’s agenda”

“Some people would rather be cool than effective.”

God’s Agenda = The Kingdom of God

“The Kingdom of God is whereve Jesus is King.”

“The church should be multicultural.  It is made up of God’s people for God’s purposes, on God’s planet to fulfull God’s glory.”

The church – The bride of Christ

“In the last 50 years, th arms and feet of Jesus have been amputated, and all that’s left is the mouth.  Imagine if someone said to you, ‘I like you, I just can’t stand your wife.’”

“In Ephesians, Christ died for the church.”

“The church is cultural – so start to create cuture!”

Exodus 4 – Moses and the staff that turns into a serpant

“When God asks you a question, it’s never for His benefit, and when He does a miracle, it’s never to show off.”

“So why this story?”

“1.  The staff represents Moses’ identity. (he was a shephard)

2. The staff represents Moses’ income.

3.  The staff represents his Influence.”

“So God says to Moses,’Moses, if you surrender your staff, I will make it come alive.’”

“After this, it was never referred to in the Bible as Moses’ staff, but the Rod of God.”

“So what do you have in your hand that you’re not letting go of?”

2 questions God will later ask us:

1.  “What did you do with Jesus?”

2.  “What did you do with what I gave you?”

Anyway, that was Rick Warren’s thoughts. I found it to be incredible and I know it was a part of the experience so you might not find the words so amazing, but maybe you can get something out of the notes. 

Until next time…

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