Movies in the Park recap

This past Saturday we had the first Movies in the Park of the summer. I didn't know what to expect since it was Memorial Day weekend. Well, it was incredible.

First off, the Hub City team and the All Saint's team did such a great job working together. We got setup faster than we ever have. I saw people jumping in to do whatever it takes to get ready. (I'm a HUGE fan of a "whatever-it-takes" attitude).

Second, we had a great crowd. I'm thinking somewhere between 1200-1500 people.

Third, our team worked hard to fix the one problem we had for the evening. We came up with an OK temporary solution, but know what to do so that we won't have the same problem come June 18.

A big thanks to everyone who served and worked hard to make Movies in the Park a success.

Why we do what we do

I posted yesterday about this coaching network that I'm in. Yesterday we talked about vision/mission, staying focused on the vision/mission, and doing the unique thing that God has called me and our church to be and do.

I know it sounds strange, but I need to be reminded of our vision/mission. I need to be reminded on a regular basis. And so do you.

Hub City Church is all about making disciples who make disciples. A disciple is someone who hears from God and does what he says. And disciples are made through intentional relationships.

The above paragraph is why we do what we do. It's the filter that we run everything through. It's why we only do a few things: Worship, Hub Groups, and serve in the community.

I figured if I needed to be reminded of why we do what we do, then maybe the rest of you Hub City Slickers needed to be reminded as well.

Coaching

Today I had the privilege of being a part of something that I've wanted to be a part of for a long time. I began a pastor's coaching network hosted by churchplanters.com and Mountain Lake Church.

Myself, along with eight other pastors got to share life, struggles, successes, challenges and encouragement.

My only question is why I waited so long to be a part of something like this.

Now, why in the world would I be a part of a pastor's coaching network? It boils down to my greatest leadership challenge: Me. I know that I need to grow as a leader. I know that for Hub City Church to be all that God wants it to be that I need to grow.

I'm looking forward to growing over the next 6 months of this network. If you're a part of Hub City, and even if you're not, I'd ask that you'd pray for me over the next six months. Pray that God will grow me as a leader and pastor. Thanks.

Confessions of a pastor

A new series beginning this Sunday, May 29.

It should be fun... at least for you. Might be a bit uncomfortable to me.

Here are the confessions:

• Following Jesus hasn't gotten me where I thought it would.
• I have to work hard to resist temptations.
• I'm often scared to death.
• Sometimes I want a new life.

Invite a friend. See you there.

I memorized it

I am challenged what Francis Chan says here. May we alway be about Making Disciples. May we be hearing from God and doing what he says. May we be helping others to hear from God and do what he says.

In light of the end of the world

Showing May 28

Great reminder

Just had to pass along this post from Mark Batterson:

START PASTORING

I have a friend who used to be a pastor and now he’s a banker, but the truth is that he’s still a pastor. Instead of pastoring in a church he’s pastoring in a bank. And the truth is,he’s having far more influence pastoring a bank than he ever did pastoring a church.

I don’t care if you’re a doctor, an actor, or teacher. You are called to pastor the people around you. What if you viewed your colleagues as your congregation? What if you played the role of pastor? What if you started looking for opportunities to pray or preach or counsel? God has called has to be salt and light where we work. After all, that is where we spend the vast majority of our waking hours! But too few of us view ourselves as pastors because we haven’t been to seminary or we don’t pastor a church. We need a paradigm shift.

I happen to pastor a church, but I think that some of the greatest pastors aren’t even viewed as pastors. They are entrepreneurs and entertainers and athletes and professionals who love Jesus Christ with all of their heart and understand that God has called them topastor the people around them. They have turned a business, a film crew, a classroom or locker room into a church.

Start pastoring!

This is a problem

I came across the following today on this guy's blog. This is very disturbing to me. I think it should bother you as well. Would love to know your thoughts.

The Problem That Currently Exists In American Churches

1. Christians are giving at a 2.5% per capita or tithe. During the Great Depression, they gave at a 3.3% rate.
2. Today, 33-50% of church members, those who claim they have bought in at a deep level to your ministry, give nothing.
3. If we were able to have our people increase their giving from 2.5% to 10% of their annual income, an additional $165 billion would flow into the Kingdom. To show the global impact those resources could make, consider the following:
4. $25 billion would relieve global hunger, starvation, and deaths from preventable diseases in 5 years.
5. $12 billion would eliminate illiteracy in 5 years.
6. $15 billion would solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day.
7. $1 billion would fully fund the Great Commission.
8. $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion.

These statistics were provided by www.generouschurch.com.

Spring Fling

Spring Fling is this weekend.

Hub City Church gets to help.

We're partnering with Upstate Parent for the Mommy Makeover Scavenger Hunt.

We'll be escorting Mickey Mouse around promoting Movies in the Park.

See you downtown.

What I'm learning - part 1

I feel like the past month God has been teaching me so much. I'm going to try and write out a bit of it on this blog over the next few days/weeks as a way of processing. And if you're a Hub City Slicker then you're probably going to hear a lot about this come June.

There's this story in Matthew 11 where John the Baptist is in prison. While there, he sends his disciples to find out if Jesus was really the one.

Now, if you think about it, that really doesn't make any sense. John knew who Jesus was before he even came out of his momma's tummy. John was there at the baptism of Jesus (he actually did the baptism) and he saw the spirit descend on Jesus and heard the voice from the father. If anybody should know who Jesus was it should have been John.

But John's life didn't quite turn out like he'd hoped or planned. I'm pretty sure he never planned on being arrested and thrown in jail. He was a man with connections to the Son of God for crying out loud, yet he ended up in prison.

So John did what any of us would do in that situation: He doubted. And he sends his followers to find out the truth about Jesus. Maybe he'd got it wrong. He needed to know for sure.

Look at how Jesus responds: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."

Now, these miracles weren't a big surprise to John. He knew what Jesus had been doing. Everybody knew what Jesus was doing. But it's verse 6 that jumps out: Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.

What the heck does Jesus mean here?

I think what Jesus is getting at is this: John, I know things haven't quite turned out how you hoped they'd turn out. Prison wasn't in your five-year plan. But blessed are you if you don't fall away when things don't turn out the way you think they should turn out. When following me doesn't get you where you thought it would... when following me doesn't get you an easier or better life... when following me leads to suffering... when following me is more difficult than throwing in the towel... when following me costs more than you thought it would....

Honestly, following Jesus has cost me more than I thought it would. Planting a church has been way harder than I thought it would. Things haven't turned out like I thought they would. Maybe they never will. I'm not who I thought I would be. Maybe I never will.

But I don't want to fall away on account of following Jesus.

I take comfort and get motivation from Hebrews 12:1-3

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

That's all for today.

Something special...

I love this quote:

"It’s a very specific type of Hero’s Journey. It’s told over and over again, and it works, over and over again. Dorothy Gale, Buffy Summers, Harry Potter, Charlie Bucket, Luke Skywalker, even Peter Parker, they all fit a very specific pattern. They’re living a life, sometimes a fine one, often a troubled one, but certainly one governed by ordinary rules, when suddenly the curtain is pulled back and a whole new world, or a new set of rules of this world, is revealed. And what’s more—and this is the important part—in that new world, they are something special. They are The Chosen One." ~ Jane Espenson

Tornado Relief

"I love it when a plan comes together." - Hannibal Smith, A-Team.

"I love it when a plan comes together, the church makes a difference, the church gets good press, and it was led by non-staff, followers of Jesus, who are passionate to put their faith to work." - Me

That's exactly what's happened with Hub City's tornado relief effort. Our church stepped up! And we made the front page of the Herald-Journal! You can read the article here. (That's the second time our 2 and a half year-old church has made the front page!)

Really proud of the Hub City family. Frankie did a great job. Shaun stepped up. Many contributed. Way to go guys!

Exercise motivation

This made me laugh. Thought it might motivate some of you to start biking for exercise.

Unleashed - A Review

When I first saw this I was excited. I'm a fan of Erwin's books. Unfortunately, this is a book I've previously read. It's a reprint of Erwin's previous book The Barbarian Way.

I loved the Barbarian Way, and since I've already read it I thought about not reading Unleashed. But I changed my mind. Not sure why, but I just started reading and couldn't put the book down.

Basically, Erwin challenges us to leave our civilized faith for a more barbarian way. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? I think it is.

On a personal note, this is a book that I needed to read at this moment in my life. It's a book that both encouraged me and challenged me. It helped me see some stuff through a different lens.

All that being said, Unleashed is a book that I would highly recommend. It will challenge you. I will stretch you. And God might just do for you what he did for me. He might just speak to you through this book.

A note to men and dads: You most definitely need to read this book. In a roundabout way it helps with parenting and being a husband.

This book was provided courtesy of booksneeze.com.

Why we should stop cutting down trees now!

Reflections on Easter 2011

I want to preface this post with Psalm 115:1 Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness.

Yesterday was an amazing day in the life of Hub City Church. Seriously amazing! We had between 102 and 109 in attendance (we couldn’t agree on our count… math isn’t our strong suit). It was by far our highest attended Sunday ever. We had a TON of first time guests. And we had 6 people say that they were accepting the grace of God for the first time!

It was an exciting day.

And I want to thank you (Hub City family) for what you did to make yesterday a life-changing day for so many. Thank you for praying for your lost friends. Thank you for inviting people. Thank you for fishing for people. I believe that God rewarded our work (which is Biblical… we can’t earn salvation by works, but he does reward us when we do work). It goes back to a value I have: Work like it all depends on you. Pray like it all depends on God. You did that and I am thankful.

But now I’m left asking: Now What?

We had a great day yesterday, but now what?

I know we made a big push leading up to Easter to pray for lost people in our lives and to go out of our way to invite them to Hub City. But I don’t think that needs to be a once or twice a year thing. It needs to be a regular part of our daily life. It’s a part of following Jesus. He said: Follow me and I will show you how to fish for people.

So here’s a challenge to you and myself: I commit to you to continue to pray for the names of your friends that you’ve given me. I want to challenge you to pray for them daily as well. But I want you do do more than pray. The big challenge is that we keep inviting. Last week you went out of you way to try and invite four people. Why not do that this week?

I know many of you invited people who didn’t come. I invited a number of people who didn’t show up. I’m not giving up on them. I want to encourage you to not give up on your friends either. Keep praying for them. Keep inviting them. Who knows what God might do. God doesn’t give up on us.

I believe God has greater things in store for Hub City Church than we could ask or imagine. I believe more than ever that he wants to use you and me to extend the invitation of grace to a hurting and lost world. I also believe that we’re in this together. We ALL have a part to play.

I am so excited to be on this adventure with you. It’s for the glory of God and the good of others. And I can't wait for this coming Sunday.

Why you should NOT come to our church this Easter

I admit. I stole this from Shawn Lovejoy, but it was too good to not pass along.

There are lots of reasons why you should NOT come to our church this Easter:

You should not come to our church this Easter if you consider yourself a Biblical expert. If you have it all figured out, you simply won’t fit in here.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you’re looking for Hell/Fire & Brimstone preaching. Sorry, none of that here.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you want to “stick out,” be singled out, or called out, as a visitor. We’re just not that kind of church.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you enjoy being around hypocrites. Sorry, our church is a hospital for sinners. We admit that up front. In fact:

You should not come to our church this Easter if you’re perfect. Perfect people are not allowed at our church.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you think you have to wear a suit or dress to be accepted. In fact:

You should not come to our church this Easter if you’re offended by people who dress casually, even at church, on Easter.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you think it’s a sin to laugh at church.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you have all the encouragement you need.

You should not come to our church this Easter if you don’t need hope, grace, relational, emotional, or spiritual help.

If none of these things describe you, however, you are welcome at Hub City Church. See you on Easter.

Hearing the voice of God

It's funny, or maybe it's something else, but I was reminded today of how important it is that we hear from God.

Most of the time we're content with hearing about God, when what we really need is to hear from God.

The Bible is filled with people who heard from God. And I'm of the belief that God speaks the same way today.

I read something from Erwin McManus' book Unleashed that I want to paraphrase: When God speaks we have a choice. If we reject his voice and disobey his guidance, our hearts will become hard and our ears dull. And if we continue on that path there will be a day when we will never again hear the voice of God. There may even come a day when we say that God doesn't speak. But if, instead, we listen to and obey the voice of God then our hearts will be soft and our ears will always be able to hear the whisper of God to our souls.

I don't know about you but I desperately need to hear from God. I need him to speak to me. I need him to speak to Liz. I need him to speak to my kids.

And I want Hub City Church to be a people who hears the voice of God.

How to turn people away

I read this here and it made me laugh. Had to share:

This Sunday is Easter and when you look around your church you’re going to get that uncomfortable feeling that comes from being around all kinds of people you haven’t seen in a while or perhaps never before. You know, the slackers who only show up at church twice a year, the backsliders who haven’t been to church in 5 years, and the heathens who wouldn’t know the Pentateuch from a pentagram.

They’re going to take your favorite pew, sit and stand at the wrong times during the service, and double your wait in the coffee line after the service. You don’t want to have to put up with those distractions and inconveniences week in and week out, so here are 12 ways to ensure those people don’t come back the week after Easter.

1. Keep to yourself. Avoid eye contact. And by all means don’t welcome anyone you don’t know.

2. Walk up to someone you haven’t seen for a while and say, “Hey, hey… Look who it is… You don’t think just showing up for Easter is going to get you out of the Big Guy’s doghouse, do you?”

3. Make sure all the greeters, ushers, singers, speakers, and everyone involved in leading the service are all of the same ethnic background so that if anyone of a different ethnicity shows up they know they are considered second-class citizens.

4. Take down all your signs so only the regulars know if a door leads to the pastor’s office, the ladies room, or a broom closet.

5. During the service have the pastor pray, “Lord, please forgive all those sinners who have failed to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.”

6. Invite the worst singer in the choir to do a solo.

7. Find a way to tie the Easter message into a soliloquy on the Iraq War and make it clear that everyone who disagrees with the pastor’s position is on the devil’s side.

8. During the service ask all the visitors to stand and then introduce themselves to the entire congregation.

9. Announce that next week the pastor will begin a 12-week series on hell.

10. Put a sign up in the children’s ministry area that indicates you have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it comes to volunteers with criminal records.

11. Just assume that everyone understands what communion is all about. Then when people start coming forward to receive communion have the ushers quietly walk up to the “really big sinners” and ask them to return to their seats.

12. Announce that visitors must fill out a form with their contact information and should expect an elder-evangelist tag team waiting in their driveway when they get home.

Of course, if you actually care about guests and irregular church attenders because you believe they matter to God, you might consider doing just the opposite.