BillLaMorey.com

Bridges & Barriers

This morning at church we continued in our "Ecclesia" series with a message entitled "Bridges & Barriers." We can either build bridges to help people connect to God or we can build barriers that hinder people making it difficult for them to connect to Him.

From the example of the apostle Paul, we learn how we can be intentional about breaking down barriers and building bridges.

To hear the sermon you can click here to download the podcast from iTunes or click here to download it or listen online from our church website.

Teaching again

For the past 7 weeks I have not taught at Calvary Fellowship. This has been a good time to talk to many people in our church who flooded me with a lot of great insight and ideas, much of which will be implemented at some point near or far. It was also a good time for forward thinking and planning for Calvary’s future. And for the past week, it has been a good time away with my family.

I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of Mike, Mike, Nicholas & Paul who stepped up to the pulpit, and didn’t let our church or our current series skip a beat in my teaching absence. God spoke greatly through these men and I have talked to many who, like myself, have benefited immensely from their messages.

Having said all of that, I'm fired up and can't wait to begin teaching again this Sunday!

The Poser in Authentic Community

 Mike T. Continued in our Ecclesia this series with a message entitled "The Poser in Authentic Community." If the title alone doesn't grab you enough to listen to it, then I don't know what else will. Great stuff!

To hear the sermon you can click here to download the podcast from iTunes or click here to download it or listen online from our church website.

Girls like Spider-Man too!

So my girls found some of my old Spider-Man action figures and surprisingly they like playing with them! The only issue is Lily has assigned a princess to be his mommy, and they all play in the dollhouse with Spidey's good friend; the Rhino. Having girls is a blast!

Check it out

I got nervous when my friend asked me to read and review the first chapter of the book he has written entitled "10 Things I Hate About Christianity." What if I don't like it? Can I tell him? Could we still be friends if I did?

Fortunately, I never had to deal with these anxieties because I thought it was awesome!

He just released his first chapter for free, so you can check it out too. Just click here to go to his blog and then you can download it, read it, and tell him what you think!

Money Matters in Church

"Money Matters in Church" by Aubrey Malphur and Steve Stroope is not written for most people, but it is essential if you are a church leader with any type of responsibility for stewardship/budgeting/fundraising/etc. for your church.

The book begins by taking the reader through a guided process to clarify their own theology of stewardship. Only then does it proceed to very practically address financial matters and practices on a church-level.

Most pastors, including myself, would rather just focus on God and people and never have to deal with matters of dollars and sense, property and assets, etc., but it comes with the territory. "Money Matters..." is a book to help church leaders navigate through this complex area and emerge as effective stewards of the resources God has entrusted to the churches we lead.

I found it personally helpful and recommend it to anyone involved with church stewardship.

How to stay out of God's Way

Today at church Paul continued in our Ecclesia series with a message entitled "How to Stay Out of God's Way." God is doing a great thing in our lives and in our church. It is important for us to take the time to see and to celebrate His work in our midst.

To hear the sermon you can click here to download the podcast from iTunes or click here to

Leadership Summit

I'm heading over to 1st Cathedral soon for day 1 of the Leadership Summit simulcast. I have never been to this event before, but I get the CDs every year. Always amazing!

The 2 main roles of a pastor are to lead and to feed in spiritual matters. One key to a church growing is for its pastor to grow in these areas. It is at events like this that I get educated and exhorted to be a better leader for the sake of everyone around me. I am greatly anticipating being challenged, stretched, encouraged and expanded in the important area of leadership over the next couple days.

Meet Mike

So in case you haven't yet heard, the big news is that Mike McKinniss has joined the staff of Calvary Fellowship. This is a HUGE next step for our church! The first year it was just me working a full-time job and running the church. For the following 2 years it was just me full-time, and now we have two full-time staff people!

Mike will be be doing a lot for us, but his responsibilities center around three main areas:

• Leading Worship
• Leading the Home Fellowships (small groups) ministry
• Overseeing the Family Ministries (Children, Youth, College)

We are very excited about Mike and the great impact that he will make upon our church. Here is a bit about him in his own words:

"I grew up in nearby Kensington before attending Messiah College in central Pennsylvania. At Messiah I studied Christian ministries with a concentration in youth. I really enjoyed my time there and will always look back on the people and the place fondly.

After college, I spent two more years working for Messiah in the admissions office, traveling the northeast to meet with prospective students and their families. It was a fun time seeing different parts of the country and getting to know all kinds of people on the edge of an exciting period in their lives.

The tug of ministry called back to me in 2005, when I left for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Seminary is a tough experience in many ways, but through it all, God has been preparing me for the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead here at Calvary Fellowship.

In my own time I enjoy sports of all kinds. I love to watch 'em; I love to play 'em. Music is also a big portion of my life. When I get the chance, I like to write and record my own music."

To hear my introduction of Mike to our church and his first sermon at Calvary click here to download the podcast from iTunes or click here to download it or listen online from our church website.

Big news!

This past week I alluded to a major announcement at Calvary Fellowship. We let the cat out of the bag at service this morning!

If you haven't heard the news yet, then listen to the podcast of today's message to get the skinny!