Diasporic Ruminations :: 1P11 :: Jeremy Hoover http://jeremyhoover.name "...and all the pieces matter." posterous.com Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:58:42 -0800 We grow spiritually by making a plan, focusing on the next steps, and taking action. #sermon http://jeremyhoover.name/we-grow-spiritually-by-making-a-plan-focusing http://jeremyhoover.name/we-grow-spiritually-by-making-a-plan-focusing
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:22:12 -0800 How we used #Twitter and #Facebook in #church (part 2). http://jeremyhoover.name/how-we-used-twitter-and-facebook-in-church-pa http://jeremyhoover.name/how-we-used-twitter-and-facebook-in-church-pa
This is a follow-up to a post from last week where I wrote about how we used Twitter and Facebook in our church. That post detailed the basics. This post will detail the specifics of our follow-up.

1. I began the day by posting two tweets from our church Twitter account. The first tweet encouraged tweeting church members to provide thoughts, commentary, and questions during the sermon. The second tweet contained a theme sentence for the sermon as well as links to my sermon outline and slides.

2. Just like last week, I had someone in the office tweet the main points of my sermon while I preached. These points were tweeted in real time.

3. We used the Twitter hashtag #hrcc to organize the sermon tweets as well as any responses.

4. In the afternoon, I went back to Twitter, searched the hashtag, and responded to the tweets that came in during the sermon. For example, one member noted a similarity between the Joseph story and a movie, and I responded, asking for more information on that connection. Another member commented that goals help us persevere and I replied by asking if that part of the sermon was unclear and stating what I thought the goal should be.

5. As the week goes on, I plan to follow up both with questions to help church members apply the biblical teaching from Sunday as well as questions to help me focus my sermon for the upcoming Sunday.

6. I did pretty much the same thing on Facebook. On our Horton Road Church of Christ ministry page, I requested that church members leave a comment detailing their reflections on the sermon. To facilitate this, I had earlier messaged several church members to ask them for their participation.

7. I went back to Facebook in the afternoon and added my own comment to the thread. On Monday, I posted a follow-up question to help church members apply the sermon. I also posted a thread to generate discussion ahead of my sermon coming up this Sunday.

I plan to keep refining this system, and if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions, please leave them in comments!

via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:07:32 -0800 Persevere through uncertainties and trials in life to progress in your faith. #sermon #bible http://jeremyhoover.name/persevere-through-uncertainties-and-trials-in http://jeremyhoover.name/persevere-through-uncertainties-and-trials-in
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:15:02 -0800 #Sermon Slides: Persevere to Progress // #bible #church http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-persevere-to-progress-bible-chu http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-persevere-to-progress-bible-chu
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:04:38 -0800 Why we need to persevere in our faith. #church #bible http://jeremyhoover.name/why-we-need-to-persevere-in-our-faith-church http://jeremyhoover.name/why-we-need-to-persevere-in-our-faith-church
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:49:52 -0800 #Sermon Slidecast: Transformative #Bible Reading // Neh. 8:1-10 http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slidecast-transformative-bible-reading http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slidecast-transformative-bible-reading
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:23:03 -0800 How we used Twitter and Facebook during worship yesterday. #hrcc http://jeremyhoover.name/how-we-used-twitter-and-facebook-during-worsh http://jeremyhoover.name/how-we-used-twitter-and-facebook-during-worsh
Yesterday we tried a social media experiment. We've been using our Facebook fan page and Twitter account mainly for distributing information. For Sunday worship, we tried to create a backchannel for discussing the sermon, both live and after the worship event. This is how we did it:

1. I sent out a message on Facebook to church members, asking them to access our Fan Page after worship and leave a comment, question, or insight about our worship.

2. On Twitter, I asked our tweeting church members to live-tweet the sermon, and to use a church-centered hashtag (#hrcc) at the end of their tweets. This means that as they had an insight, question, or response to the sermon, they posted it to their Twitter account as the sermon was being preached.

3. In connection with this, I sent out two introductory tweets from the church account. The first was a summary sentence for the sermon and a link to my sermon outline online. The second tweet was a link to the study notes I provided online.

4. During the sermon, one church member tweeted the main points of my sermon along with a link to the online outline and the church's hashtag (#hrcc).

5. After the sermon, I went back to Twitter, searched the #hrcc hashtag, and responded to the tweets so we could continue our dialogue. (You can read these tweets for yourself by going to Twitter Search and entering #hrcc.)

6. On Facebook, I read some replies that came through the messaging system as well as the comments that were placed on our Fan Page. I responded to these, again in an effort to keep the dialogue going.

We don't have a high percentage of members on Facebook, and even less are on Twitter. I'm still happy with our experiment and I plan to keep it up. I think it helped people engage the material better and it will facilitate community outside the weekly worship as we create a backchannel through which we can continue talking and tweeting with each other about God's word and its impact in our lives.

For those who were involved, what was your opinion? What feedback do you have? If you're just reading this, what questions do you have?

via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:29:20 -0800 Which of these are the values of Jesus? #Church attendance and obligation, or service, love, and encouragement? http://jeremyhoover.name/which-of-these-are-the-values-of-jesus-church http://jeremyhoover.name/which-of-these-are-the-values-of-jesus-church Servants of the Bible Study

Did you know Jesus never taught church (or synagogue) attendance?  Not even once.

He probably assumed the people he taught would attend their respective houses of worship, but he didn't feel the need to teach this as a core value. In fact, the gospels only present Jesus in the temple a few times--and in the one time they all report, Jesus tore the place apart!

Yet, for many of us, church attendance is the height of our spiritual commitment.

We have reasons for this. We point to one big reason in the bible itself: "[Do not give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but [encourage] one another" (Hebrews 10:25). We tell others that the bible commands their attendance at church meetings.

So we have church members attending bible studies out of obligation, not love. When obligation is the foundation, little encouragement happens. Lifelessness is prominent.

We have church members attending bible studies and worship services when they are sick. These poor members take the day off work, or struggle through the day, yet muster up their remaining strength to attend a bible study, rather than staying home and resting.

Is this really what God intended?

What if we misunderstood this teaching in Hebrews? One reality in Hebrews is that people were deserting the faith, giving up on it (and Jesus) in the midst of persecution and trial. There are numerous calls throughout this book to retain faith and keep strong (Heb. 2:1). The warning passages (Heb. 6:4-6, for example) are intended to remind people of what they have and what they stand to lose if they leave.

Then we come to Hebrews 10:25.

We need to remember that the early church was nowhere near as developed as we are, two thousand years later. We have buildings, an internal structure, a board of directors, a leadership structure, programs, meetings, budgets, bank accounts, legal forms, policies, things to maintain, and people to pay. The early church had little of this.

What the early church had was each other.

This is the core of what the writer is teaching in Heb. 10:25. If you don't have each other, you can't possibly stay faithful. That's why you need to focus on encouraging each other as a core value. Encouragement builds the body of Christ and keeps others strong when they feel like quitting.

"Meeting together," in Heb. 10:25, is not about attendance at the church building. It's about not giving up on others, or yourself, or Jesus. It's about not giving in to temptation and trials. It's about remembering who and whose you are. It's about being together as a group, sharing the unity and fellowship that are in Christ.

So if you're sick, stay home and rest. There's no need to be around others. No mature believer will look down on you.

If you're tired after a long day, take the night off. Don't feel obligated to attend a Wednesday night bible study out of fear of what others will say or think. No mature believer looks at church attendance as the barometer of your faithfulness. (In fact, they shouldn't be measuring your faithfulness to begin with; they have enough to worry about with themselves.)

Jesus taught that we are to love and serve each other. This happens in and out of meetings, worship services, and bible studies. Church attendance, in any form, is not the goal we are after.

Focus on love, service, and encouragement--and let your attendance serve these goals.

Do you agree? Disagree? Please leave your comments.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:05 -0800 Transformative #Bible Reading (Nehemiah 8:1-10) // #Sermon slides #church #pastors http://jeremyhoover.name/transformative-bible-reading-nehemiah-81-10-s http://jeremyhoover.name/transformative-bible-reading-nehemiah-81-10-s
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:34:52 -0800 We Are One Body in Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-31). Slidecast follow-up to Sunday's #sermon. #bible http://jeremyhoover.name/we-are-one-body-in-christ-1-cor-1212-31-slide http://jeremyhoover.name/we-are-one-body-in-christ-1-cor-1212-31-slide
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:32:13 -0800 #Sermon: Contribute to the Common Good (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). #slidecast #bible http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-contribute-to-the-common-good-1-corint http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-contribute-to-the-common-good-1-corint
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:54:13 -0800 Sermon Slides: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 / Contribute to the Common Good #fb http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-1-corinthians-121-11-contribute http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-1-corinthians-121-11-contribute
via jeremyhoover.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:42:05 -0800 The apostle Paul does damage control, attacks false teacher, promotes good #bible reading (audio recap of bible study from 1 Timothy 1:1-7) http://jeremyhoover.name/the-apostle-paul-does-damage-control-attacks http://jeremyhoover.name/the-apostle-paul-does-damage-control-attacks
Audio Recap: 1 Timothy 1:1 - 7 by Jeremy Hoover  
Download now or listen on posterous
20100112 Bible Study Audio Recap 1 Timothy 1-1--7.mp3 (5727 KB)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Jeremy Hoover - Audio Recap: 1 Timothy 1:1 - 7 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:31:27 -0800 What does Jesus' baptism mean for him and for you? #sermon slidecast (+ audio) from Luke 3:21-23 http://jeremyhoover.name/what-does-jesus-baptism-mean-for-him-and-for http://jeremyhoover.name/what-does-jesus-baptism-mean-for-him-and-for
via slideshare.net

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:23:54 -0800 #Sermon Slides: Submit to Jesus' Authority and Live Like Him (Luke 3:21-23) http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-submit-to-jesus-authority-and-l http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-submit-to-jesus-authority-and-l
Download now or preview on posterous
PDF 20100110 Submit to Jesus' Authority and Live Like He Did.pdf (4691 KB)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:33:07 -0800 #Bible Study: Audio Introduction to 1 Timothy // approx. 8 minutes // with study questions (follow link) http://jeremyhoover.name/bible-study-audio-introduction-to-1-timothy-a http://jeremyhoover.name/bible-study-audio-introduction-to-1-timothy-a
Introduction To 1 Timothy by Jeremy Hoover  
Download now or listen on posterous
20100106 Bible Study Introduction to 1 Timothy.mp3 (7919 KB)

1. What is the goal of Paul's command (1:3, 5)? How do the
sub-elements listed in 1:5 relate to each other and to Paul's goal?
How do you relate to these?

2. What is the purpose of the law (1:8-11)? Who is the law for?

3. How is a Christian to live (1:10-11)? What is the general concept
of “sound doctrine” (1:11)?

4. What is the purpose of God showing mercy to Paul (1:12-17)?

5. How will Timothy be able to “fight the battle well” (1:18-20)? How
do these two elements relate to each other?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Jeremy Hoover - Introduction To 1 Timothy Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:09:00 -0800 Audio Devotional: Watch Yourself // 3 minutes long // from 1 Timothy http://jeremyhoover.name/audio-devotional-watch-yourself-3-minutes-lon http://jeremyhoover.name/audio-devotional-watch-yourself-3-minutes-lon
Watch Yourself by Jeremy Hoover  
Download now or listen on posterous
20100105 Watch Yourself.mp3 (2807 KB)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Jeremy Hoover - Watch Yourself Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:44:18 -0800 Slidecast: The Church's New Year's Resolutions (sermon + slides from Sunday, January 3, 2010) http://jeremyhoover.name/slidecast-the-churchs-new-years-resolutions-s http://jeremyhoover.name/slidecast-the-churchs-new-years-resolutions-s
via slideshare.net

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:46:35 -0800 Audio Devotional: New Year's Greeting and Challenge http://jeremyhoover.name/audio-devotional-new-years-greeting-and-chall http://jeremyhoover.name/audio-devotional-new-years-greeting-and-chall
New Year's Greeting by Jeremy Hoover  
Download now or listen on posterous
20091231 New Year's Greeting.mp3 (4701 KB)

Here's a link to the article I referenced in the devotional: http://www.velocityculture.com/uncategorized/overactive-egos/


Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover Jeremy Hoover - New Year's Greeting Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:06:52 -0800 #Sermon Slides: A Church's New Year's Resolutions (for Sunday, January 3, 2010) http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-a-churchs-new-years-resolutions http://jeremyhoover.name/sermon-slides-a-churchs-new-years-resolutions
Download now or preview on posterous
PDF 20100103 The Church's New Year's Resolutions.pdf (4664 KB)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/59378/Profile_Pic.jpg http://posterous.com/people/15YhxhPeLPr Jeremy Hoover jeremyhoover Jeremy Hoover