Another of our new E4U classes at Mountainview is "Creation Science." Course Description: Have you ever wondered if you are hearing the whole scientific story of how we came to be? Has the age of the earth been scientifically established? What about dinosaurs, fossils and long periods of geologic formation? The information presented will be scientific in nature but should be understandable to adults and teens over the age of 13. Teacher Bio: Jeff Schuster is a professional engineer who has owned an energy engineering firm for the past 13 years. Jeff graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1987 and has been fascinated with origin science since college. Jeff has a lovely wife and two kids and has been attending Mountainview Church since the mid 1990’s.
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One of the greatest needs of every generation is to have leaders with vision. An even greater need is to have mature leaders who can help younger leaders catch God's vision for their life. Buried in a list of men who joined David's army are these guys: "men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do ..." (1 Chronicles 12:32). We need men and women of Issachar who understand the times and seek God's direction. As we work with younger leaders, it's important to see the need to have a vision that is larger than life. This is not some pie-in-the-sky, Pollyanna wish for things that will never come true. A God-given vision is one that understand the current realities and sees a God-enabled future. We need to catch emerging leaders at the intersections of life when they are making decisions that will continue to unfold…
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We're launching a new spiritual formation initiative at Mountainview called E4U. Organized around four tracks, we're seeking to help people develop and grow spiritually. Over the next week or so I'll be previewing the classes here on the blog. The Firsts of Jesus Course Description: Things that are mentioned first and last in Mideastern cultures have special significance. In this course we look at some important firsts in the life of Jesus. They include His first act, His first public quote, His first miracle and His first parable. We will examine these firsts to discover more about the process of transformation and to learn how each person can apply these discoveries in one's ongoing transformation. Teacher Bio: Brian Cook is a fellow traveler on the path of transformation that Jesus teaches us about. Raised as a Catholic, Brian attended seminary for a year and a half before becoming disillusioned with…
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A few days ago I wrote about how a critical part of developing emerging leaders is to spend time with them. In order for influence to rub off, we must spend time with those we wish to influence. Another important aspect of developing leaders is understanding the importance of questions. Many leaders are good at giving answers. We also need to be good at asking questions. But not just any questions -- the right questions. Here's a short list of good questions to ask an emerging leader: What kind of person do you hope to become? What are you doing to build your relationship with Jesus? How can I help you build a better relationship with Jesus? What are the three most important things in your life right now? Are you spending the right amount of time on them? What new skill do you need to master in order to…
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Soft drink companies are continually researching and developing new ideas. In 1985, to much fanfare and after spending millions of research dollars, Coca Cola release New Coke. The result? It bombed. Fast-forward to 2006. Trying to dip a straw into the coffee market, Coca Cola introduced us to Coca Cola BlaK -- a cola drink infused with coffee. The result? Anderson Cooper tried it on live television and spit it out. It bombed, too. In my own opinion, it's almost sacrilegious to taint the reputation of coffee in such a way. Why did these two products fail even though the company millions of dollars and untold hours testing and refining them? The short answer: they weren't the original Coca Cola. In fact, the company quickly discovered this and tried to market original Coke as "Classic Coke." How often do you still here that phrase? When it comes to finding meaning…
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