The Singing Oaks church of Christ is seeking a new Campus Minister.  A more full description will be forthcoming.  If you are interested in this position please send your resume to

Care & Outreach Elders

Campus Minister Search

Singing Oaks Church of Christ

101 Cardinal Dr

Denton, TX 76209

email:  plight@singingoaks.org or sspeck@singingoaks.org

If you look hard enough, you will see that I am the person next to the end on the right. You might not know it unless you look hard. We are, after all, incredibly muddy. So much so, that it might be hard to tell us apart!

We had the time of our lives as we spent the day in a very practical team-building exercise full of running, mud, water, and obstacles. We swam the Trinity River (which surely was not so-named because of its divine attributes). We ran together, as a team, and all found ourselves challenged in different ways. But, one thing, we all discovered was that we are pretty much all the same underneath all the mud.

The picture of us covered in mud is an apt metaphor for the discovery that was made. We are different heights, different hair colors, and different personalities, but we all look alike when covered in mud. Here we are, each of us different and unique in our own way, but essentially we are all the same. We have the same challenges, fears, concerns, doubts…and, yes, we are even all sinful. We are stained by the sin in our hearts.

That reminder does a lot for me. It sobers me to the less-than-empathetic way I treat people sometimes; it brings into focus my commitment to live by the Golden Rule; and it convicts me of the fact that while it is OK to be a “work in progress” covered in sin, I must be IN PROGRESS. Just as the mud didn’t stop us from running the race, the sin in our lives can’t immobilize us either. We continue to push forward toward to the finish line. And, of course, we must run this race together. No one crosses the finish line alone.

It’s strange what you can learn from just a little mud, water, and a few obstacles. But perhaps we should do things like this together more often. I know the lessons from the mud were good for me. Look closely again at the picture and try and find me…I am everyone.

Cassidy and Stephen are getting married - 52 days

Cole and Marry are getting married - 65 days

Emily & Damon leave for Costa Rica in 50 days

There are 3 Tuesday lunches left.

Diedre leaves for her Disney Internship in 62 days

Austin leaves for his summer ranch job in 32 days

There are 30 days till Dan leaves

and 19 school days left.

Always counting toward something:

The CCC is running the DFW Mud Run this weekend.  An event that will see us helping each other to the end, leaving no one out until they get to the finish.

April 20-21, the CCC will spin the wheel on the twister board and see where we will go to help someone and come back, all together with the experience.

April 28, we will join together for some fun and games at the Frisco Rough Riders baseball game.  All together in one section united for a cause (eating all we can of hot dogs, brats and nachos) :0)

Then there is May 6 where we will say goodbye for the year to our Seniors as we begin to depart for the summer.  May 6th, Austin Greenameyer will be preaching at the Singing Oaks Church of Christ.  There Dan cooke, will present gifts to our seniors (May to Dec graduates) and we will head to South Lakes Park to celebrate and eat!

We will say goodbye to Dan at 6pm at the Singing Oaks Church of Christ gymnasium.

When Christ is in all we do, the celebrations are exceedingly joyful.

1.  Learning to Listen

2.  Learning to Pray

3.  Having Humility

4.  Fearless Trust

5.  Like a Child

6.  Learning to Follow

7.  Giving Money

8.  Confession

9.  Simply Love

10. Community

11. Pastoral Care

12. Authentic

13. Outreach

14. Intercession

15. Agents of Grace

March 1st, worship on Thursday night changes to 8:00 pm.

Day 15 – Agents of Grace

February 23, 2012

What is an Agent of Grace? That’s a question that you might be asking about right now. Well, simply put an agent of grace is one who delivers the grace and hope of Jesus to others around them in tangible ways. If this discussion was about a new home, the agent of grace would be the construction worker … someone who takes the vision and the plan and actually makes it happen.

In the well-known Broadway musical Les Miserables, Jean Valjean accosts a priest who takes him and feeds him and gives him a place to sleep. He steals from the priest in the night. When the police catch him they take him back to the priest to get the priest’s testimony against him. The priest testifies that the stolen goods were a gift to Valjean. He forgives the thief, and then bestows on him even greater wealth and deeper blessings. He calls on Valjean in private to change his life based on this gift. He does. The remainder of the musical examines man’s potential for redemption and the obstacles to that redemption.

The priest was an agent of grace and redemption. Though wronged and perfectly within his right to pass judgment on Valjean, the priest demonstrated grace in a very tangible way. Consequently, that demonstration changed Valjean’s life. If Valjean were real and alive today, he might not be able to recall a sermon series from Sunday morning worship, but he would undoubtedly be able to remember the action of the priest. The priest didn’t deliver a sermon. The priest was a sermon. That’s what agents of grace are…they are living sermons.

It doesn’t take something that extreme to qualify as act of grace, though. There are many ways that you can be an agent of grace to those around you. If you have been wronged by someone, forgive them and let them know you have forgiven them. Do something for someone that results in some cost to you (not all costs are financial). Help someone you know out of a tough spot. Have several conversations today in which you do not speak about yourself at all, but only listen to others or talk about them. Show love or compassion today to someone who clearly doesn’t like you. The possibilities are endless. But live the sermon, be the grace.

See you tonight at 7 for worship and pancake supper.

Day 14-Intercession

Feb 22, 2012

Intercession is a beautiful way to be more like the Savior. Jesus interceded on our behalf and H continues to do so today. A simple definition of intercession is the action of pleading on someone’s behalf. My personal definition of intercession is a little different. I like to think of it as standing for someone and shouting “This person is not a lost cause! Don’t give up on this person, because this person is worth another chance!” You find this demonstrated numerous times in the life of Moses. Moses really was a funny, frustrated, amazing leader. Even though the Israelites made him angry, questioned his leadership, and refused to trust in the Lord, Moses constantly interceded for them

The most memorable of Moses’ interceding moments took place in Exodus 33. The chapter begins with YHWH God threatening to leave the Israelites. He declares that he will fulfill His promise and give them the Land, but that He will not go with them because of their stubborn, faithless lives. Moses intercedes. He talks with God, argues with Him, and begs Him not to leave. The result is that God relents, agrees to go with His people…and then, in an act of generosity that surprises the reader, He reveals himself to Moses in a way that was greater than He ever had before. Did you catch that? The story begins with God stating that He is taking His presence away from the people, and it end with God being more present than He ever had been in the past. This amazing transformation took place all because of intercession.

It takes merely one advocate, one person who is willing to step up and scream “this person is worth it! Please don’t give up on this person!” for God to pour out his love and grace and provide yet another opportunity for redemption.

I beg you to be an intercessor for someone today, an advocate for that person. Take that person to God and ask for redemption for that person. Intercessors are selfless, hopeful, and have faith in God’s generous, patient spirit.

Tonight, from 6-8 come prepared to be an intercessor for ANYONE passing by on the street. We will serve free dinner to anyone passing by and we will simply pray for anyone and everyone who will let us do so. See you tonight.

February 21, 2012

We make outreach a lot more difficult than it actually is. Simply put, outreach is about opening up your life to someone, being genuinely interested in that person, and allowing your stories, experiences, and lessons from Jesus to show through in the way you live and treat that person.

Practically speaking, outreach is about walking across the room and offering a handshake or a kind word. That’s why we are hosting outreach on a Tuesday. Today you already have a captive audience at Free Lunch Tuesdays at the campus center. You talk to each other quite often. Today, meet new people. Be genuinely interested in getting to know them as a person. You don’t have to carry a Bible or ask them if they know Jesus. But you do have to care about who they are, what they think, and what aspirations they have. Open up your life to let people see who you are and whose you are. Basically, just walk up to someone and develop a friendship with them.

Many times we are stopped in our outreach efforts because of fear. We fear not knowing answers to people’s questions; we fear “messing up” in front of the person we are trying to reach; and we fear failing to convert the person. The truth is that these fears are merely waking us up to the truth about outreach: it is not by our knowledge, power, or perfect lives that a person will surrender to Jesus. Our job is simply to care and to introduce a person to Jesus. It is by his power, his knowledge of the person’s heart, and his perfect but merciful life that people will be attracted to him.

So, get up, walk over, and sit down next to that person you have seen at free lunch and open up more than your mouth…open up your life.

Day 12-Authentic

February 20, 2012

Authenticity is about transparency and consistency. It’s about opening up your life to allow the people in it to see who you are, and it is about making certain that your actions are consistent with your claims about what is and what is not valuable. In short, as a Christian, authenticity is about making your life a message of truth, hope, and love to those around you.

Have you ever met someone whom you felt was sending you mixed signals? It’s very confusing! It makes you unsure what to say, when to speak, and how to say something to that person. It can make you confused about the status of your relationship and even how to characterize it. It makes you insecure in your standing with that person, and it produces anxiety and even resentment.

The opposite is true with an authentic person. An authentic person is refreshing to those around them because there is no confusion. You understand what they believe; trust that they are who they say they are; and you are secure that your relationship (whatever the nature of that relationship is) is solid.

Today prove yourself to be authentic to those around you. Don’t allow yourself to be confusing to them. Instead, be refreshing. With great care and intention coordinate your actions with your words, and be message of hope those around you.

For example:  The way you dress today demonstrates your authentic feeling in materialism.  Are clothes meant to protect you or are you always protecting your clothes?  Reflect the way you feel about material things today.

Be refreshingly authentic today.

Day 11-Pastoral Care
February 19, 2012

Pastoral Care is simply being there for someone. But for many of us, this is perhaps the hardest task to undertake. It goes against our culture in powerful ways. Our culture is committed to busyness, getting ahead, and selfishness. American culture has neglected family responsibilities, outsourcing care for both our children and our aging parents. We simply don’t have time for one another anymore. Here’s where pastoral care can speak loudly of the goodness of Jesus, because pastoral care is all about time spent with someone.

My favorite biblical example of pastoral care comes from the Old Testament. Many of you know the story of Job, and I am sure you don’t remember much pastoral care within the story. In truth, the story takes on a dark tone from the very start. Job’s friends are among the worst a guy could have. But, at the beginning of the story of Job, we find some of the best friends a guy could have with a burning commitment to pastoral care. Here’s the context. Job has just lost everything: his livelihood, his children, his health, and his wife’s support. Here’s what happens next:

11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. (Job 2:11-13)

Did you catch that? Job friends tore their clothes and sat with him for seven days. Now that’s commitment. They didn’t just sit with him. They sat with him in silence. No one even said a word to him for seven days. Yes, they finally open their mouths and they talk to him. But when they do, they mess up everything. This is the key to pastoral care. It isn’t about finding out how to explain someone’s problems or giving the person a nice one-liner to make it all better. It is about entering into a person’s suffering with them. It is about simply being there, sitting in silence, and hurting with the person. That takes time and a commitment that goes beyond our culture.

I want to encourage you today to take time to simply be with someone who is in need of a friend. Tend to their wounds the same way you would tend to yours. Say silent prayers over them, give them the same time you would give yourself. Simply be there.

Join Dan after services this morning to take communion to those who couldn’t make it to worship.