Some gardening

I spent some time this morning reading through the book of Acts and the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation just focusing on the church. I encourage all of you to take that little reading journey. But there was something that jumped out at me as I read over the church planting adventures in Acts.

When Paul would go into a city he would start meeting with and talking with people. He planted seeds and then he would water those seeds. Right after Pentecost Peter preached a sermon (planted a seed) and then 3000 people were saved in one day. All the apostles did, all Paul did was plant seed and water.

That's really all I know to do too. I can't make something grow. I can just do what I can to plant seeds, to water seeds, to invest in relationships with the unchurched, to invite unchurched. God has to do the growing.

I forget that. I feel as if I need to force stuff, but the growing is God's responsibility. I don't know why he allows some things to grow faster than others. Why does the green bean plant that my kids planted a few weeks ago grow faster than an oak tree? Why does one church plant shoot to over 1000 in a year and another struggle to make it to 35 folks?

I don't have answers, but I do know what I'm supposed to do: Plant and water. Anybody interested in doing some gardening in Spartanburg?

Great quote

I came across this great quote today from Tim Keller that I think needs to be read. Enjoy.

"If you speak and discourse as if your whole neighborhood is present eventually more and more of your neighborhood will find their way in or be invited. Why? Most Christians, even when they are very edified in church, know intuitively that their non-Christian friends would not appreciate the service. What you want is for a Christian to come to your church and say, "Oh! I wish my non-Christian friend could see (or hear) this!" If this is forgotten, soon even a growing church will be filled with Christians who commute in from various towns and communities far and wide rather than filling up with Christians and seekers from your church's immediate neighborhood." ~ Tim Keller

Field Trip 3

This Sunday we're headed to Element Church for our field trip. Meet at the old Krispy Kreme parking lot at 8:15. Let's explore together what it means to do Church @ the Movies.

The church is the missionary

I read a great post by David this morning about the church being the missionary and it got me thinking. Most of you have heard me say that the church doesn't exist for us. If we are Christ followers then we are the church and we exist for the world.

What that means is that The Point is a missionary to Spartanburg. God has planted us here to connect disconnected people to God. If you are a part of The Point then God has called you to join with us to do whatever it takes to connect disconnected people with God.

That's why we are a church for people who aren't into church. That's why we are trying to create irresistible environments for kids and adults on Sunday so that they can come to know the God who made them. That's why we are going to give out free gum and candy during Music on Main every Thursday from April to September. That's why we're taking field trips to learn what it takes to do Church @ the Movies. That's why you need to invite everyone you can to our Easter Gathering (send them this link).

Our church is a missionary. You are a missionary. Let's see Spartanburg as our target area. Let's invest in relationships with people who are far away from God. Let's invite those people to a Sunday gathering. We are here for such a time as this. Let's do whatever it takes. See you Sunday.

Sunago, here I come

I'm pretty pumped about speaking at Sunago tomorrow night. I think fun times will be had by all. And yes, the rumor is true. I will be talking about sex, and the path to intimacy. If you're a college student in Spartanburg then you want to be there. Thanks to Tracy for the speaking invitation.

I finished the Sunago talk as well as Sunday's sermon this morning. This Sunday we'll be following up what I shared on Sunday by discussing How to Discover God's Will. It's some great, potentially life-shaping info that I'll be sharing. You'll want to bring a friend.

Trouble reading

I feel like I've been having some trouble reading lately. I seem to go through spurts, but the past few weeks it's been more of a time issue. I am so thankful for the blogging world which gives me multiple insights into multiple leader's lives and churches and ideas. They keep my brain working when I have trouble reading.

The most Exciting part of my day

Yesterday was a day filled with meetings. I met with a group of guys for prayer at 6 AM. Met, over the phone, with my coach. Met with the band. Met with Tracy and Robert to finalize plans for speaking at Sunago. Met with the Spartanburg Baptist Network to update them on The Point. And finally, I met with our small group last night.

Well, after I got home from meeting with the Spartanburg Baptist Network folks Nathan met me in the garage, and with excitement on his face said he had something to tell me. He then said, "I've got a loose tooth." I can't explain how excited I was. I don't know why but this was an extremely cool moment for the two of us. It's his first loose tooth. Good times!

On top of that my brother got me tickets to see the Clemson/Syracuse NIT game tonight. The paper said that the first 1000 kids under 12 that show up get in free, so my brother, Nathan, Matthew and I get to go to the game tonight. Sweet! I really hope we win.

Sales-people

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not that fond of people coming to my house trying to sell stuff. Well, today this pest control guy came advertising his bug killing business. Liz answered the door. I was up in my office working. She took his information, but before he left he asked, "What's the deal with the www.theproblemwithgod.com bumper stickers. Liz told him to go to the web site and find out. He wanted more, but she kept him in suspense by telling him to go to the web site. I ran out a postcard with the web site on it just so that he wouldn't forget. We wanted him to check out the web site.

I'll say the same to you. Beginning Easter Sunday we're starting a new series titled The Problem with God. If you've got unchurched friends in Spartanburg then they need to be at The Point on Easter. It's going to be a fun 5 week series.

Do whatever you can to get the word out. E-mail the link to your friends. Give a postcard to the pest control guy when he comes to your door.

Sunday night reflections 3-18-07

Last night I warned everyone before I spoke that I was about to vomit on them some things that God has been teaching me lately. Honestly, the sermon was mainly therapeutic for me. I wasn't even sure it would make sense to anyone. I am blown away by the number of positive comments people have been sending my way. It's pretty humbling and encouraging to know that God spoke to some people through me.

It's funny, because yesterday was a tough day for me. In fact, the past two months have been excruciating at times. I honestly wanted to stay home and say to @#$% with everything, but God is faithful. He got Liz and me into this and he's going to see us through it (I think). That's easier said than done.

I really appreciate all those on our team who are helping carry the load. Mitch and Jimmy did a phenomenal job leading worship. Josh did great running the video stuff for the first time. JJ did an awesome job with setting up an appealing environment. Ben and Josh took over setup of the screen and projector for the first time by themselves. Chris, as always, stepped in to help out wherever he was needed. The list could go on, but I want all of you to know that I think you're awesome. I appreciate you and there's no way I could do this without you.

I'll end this by asking you to pray for me, Liz and our boys. I feel especially needy this AM for God to intervene in our family.

Fun in the Sun

Today was rainy, but tomorrow should be beautiful for Shamrocks on the Square. If you're volunteering then show up at the volunteer tent at the appropriate time for your session: 10 for the 1st session, 10-2; 2 for the 2nd session, 2-6.

I am pumped about The Point being able to contribute to what the city of Spartanburg is doing. Part of our vision is making Spartanburg a better place to live and we get to do that tomorrow by serving at Shamrocks on the Square.

I've got to share a quick story about my outing to the mall to develop relationships with some unchurched folks. The goal is to hand out free candy bars to mall employees and in doing so to develop some relationships and let people know God loves them. If you read this blog then you know that when Mitch went with me two weeks ago someone called him my son so I dyed my hair and changed my style. Well...today Josh decided to risk going with me. The first store we went in was Jarman (don't you just love that name? It reminds me of bad Christian music. If you don't know what I'm talking about then that is a good thing!). The guy who works there saw me and said, "You're back again!"

I wasn't able to go to the mall last week because of car trouble (I'm still taking donations), but this guy remembered that two weeks ago I brought him a free candy bar. I can't wait to see how God is going to use a Hershey bar and some time.

Unleash - The Review

Got to go to New Spring's first ever leadership conference today. It was great having Chris, Mitch and Josh go with me. I thought I'd pass on some of what stuck out to me.

• The church can be a very confusing place to outsiders. All churches have unspoken (and spoken) rules that are confusing.
• The church needs to have creative environments.
• Most visitors make up their mind in the first fifteen minutes after arriving if they'll return or not. That's why parking and greeting are so important.
• Every week is someone's first week.
• We need to offer our BEST every Sunday. Why won't we settle for second rate work at our jobs, but we're satisfied with giving God our minimum efforts and second rate work.
• The church needs to look beyond itself. We've got to decide who we want in our church. We want sinners!
• When hiring use the 3 C's as a guideline: Character, Competence and Chemistry. Staff according to your vision, not according to what others want.
• Lessons from Moses on leading a growing church.
• Moses simply listened and obeyed.
• Leadership is as easy as listening to God.
• Time with God is the most important thing (especially for Pastors).
• Moses did not compromise the vision.
• Moses didn't try and do it all.
• God gives the pastor the vision and a team implements the vision.
• Moses attempted the impossible.
• If it's a God sized vision then it's will be impossible.

You can also read Jay's comments and Tony's here and here. My only disappointment was that I ate the catered lunch with the senior pastors instead of the BBQ with my group. I'd do the BBQ if I could do it over again.

Cluster of learning and community

Like I’ve posted earlier, I’ve had the honor of hanging out with some great guys who’ve been there, done that, learned a lot, are continuing to learn, and who are real. It’s been a privilege to soak up so much stuff from them. Here are some things that have resonated with my soul.

• What God wants to do in us is more important than what we want God to do through us. Maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this (I doubt it), but in my quest to do for God I miss being with God and letting God do his work in me. At times I feel as if this church planting journey is more about my sanctification than anything else and at times I feel bad for all of you that have to suffer the ramifications of my messy discipleship. At the same time, however, I don’t think any of you are a part of this church plant by accident, and God is working (or trying to work) in you just as much as he’s working in me. He wants all of us to be conformed into the image of his Son (Romans 8:30).
• Obedience to God’s voice and commands opens the door for God to do the work he wants to do in us. I wonder how many times we miss out of what God wants to do because we refuse to submit to him. I can’t emphasize enough how important obedience is for Christ followers. We’re going to discuss this one day soon.
• Obedience to God doesn’t mean everything will work out alright. We’ve believed the lie as American Christians that being a Christian and following Jesus will make us all shiny happy people, but that is rarely the case. But as I say often, God is more concerned with our character than with our comfort.
• Make your life a quest to hear the voice of God so that you know what to do. That’s pretty self explanatory. It’s simple, but it’s hard as @#$%^!
• I need to be more concerned with what God is doing in me than in building a church. Jesus is the one who promised to build his church. Why do I feel like I have to do God’s job? When I take over for God I miss what God wants to do in me (Do we see a theme here?). Intimacy with God must be my number one priority.
• Wake up each day asking: What does God want to do in me today, instead of, What do I have to do today. I get so consumed with my to do list because there’s always so much to do, but I need to slow down. All that crap really isn’t that important compared to what God wants to do in me. The same is true of you. No matter what you have to get done today or tomorrow or next week, none of that is as important as what God wants to do in you. Don’t miss out on what God wants to do in your life. Do whatever you have to do to change the pace of your life.

These are just a few of the things that God’s been teaching me this week. We’re going to use this Sunday night to discuss some of these. We’re going to create some space for Jesus. We’re going to talk about the most important thing. Our time may be a bit uncomfortable, but I think it will be the best hour of your week. You don’t want to miss it.

Lunch at the beach

I'm sitting in Atlanta Bread Co. in Myrtle Beach meeting with some great pastors/church planters from all over the state. I would blog more about the things I'm learning, but the place we're staying has no internet access. I'm only on for a minute during lunch. My chicken gumbo was pretty good.

Field Trip 2

This Sunday we're taking our second field trip as a church to go see how others do "church at the movies." This week we'll be headed to Mosaic in Charlotte. We're meeting at 8:15 in the parking lot of the old Krispy Kreme. Come learn with us.

Also: Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD. I don't want you to show up at 9:15 thinking it's 8:15 and miss out on the fun!

I am not vain

Well, maybe I am vain. Today Liz and I tried to dye the gray away from my hair (It had to be done after the incident with Mitch last week! You can read about it here.). We had to do it twice and I've still got gray on the sides! I also got a real haircut at a real salon and a real style. My boys say I look like a rock star. Don't worry, I'm not letting it go to my head. But I'm glad somebody thinks I look cool!

All this hair coloring and new hair cut stuff has got me thinking. Honestly, I do care about how I look...probably too much at times...but have you ever been around people that could care less (and it shows) about their appearance? I think taking care of how we look is a stewardship of what God has given us. I also believe that appearance effects influence.

This post really isn't all about me. I think it relates to the church as well (especially at The Point). The appearance of our ministry context, whether it's children, adults, preschool, small group, whatever, is of vital importance to the perceived relevance of what is happening within the ministry context.

In other words... Appearance Matters! The right appearance can help facilitate greater influence. The wrong appearance can turn people off before they even set a foot in the door. In an attempt to do whatever we can to get rid of any and all barriers that keep people away from God, let's go all out with the things we can control... appearance is way up at the top of that list.

Van trouble

I hate vehicle problems. I just hate it. Did I say I hated it.

Just got a call from the repair shop that this repair is going to set me back $1200. I just needed to complain and share my frustration. We just paid the last payment on our van last month and now this fun stuff!!!

Good Day

Today was a good day. It started off early with me driving to Easley to drop off my taxes. While there, I stopped by my previous church of employment to say hey. It was good to see some of the guys that I used to work with at Mt. Airy. Out of that I was inspired to ask them to send a mission team to do some servant evangelism with us. Well, on May 5th they are sending a team our way to help us out. I'm working to get The Point a booth at Spring Fling to hand out free stuff and I am so thankful to have a team from Mt. Airy helping us.

I was able to have lunch with Tim William, pastor of Roebuck Baptist Church. Tim and his church have been great supporters of The Point, both financially and with encouragement. Tim has agreed to be a part of a team that helps with leadership accountability for our church.

Since last week, I've been in contact with Darryl at the city of Spartanburg talking about partnering serving them at Shamrocks on the Square. I had lunch with Darryl last week and he's a great guy. I felt prompted to invite Darryl and his family to church. He said he'd like to take me up on the invitation.

Here's the deal. I've been praying all day for an opportunity to invite someone. I think God shows up when he knows we're serious. Will you join with me in being seriously intentional about inviting people? I believe that we are a part of the most important movement in the history of the world: The Church. It's a mission that requires all that we are. It's our opportunity to contribute to an eternal cause. Invest in some new relationships. Invite someone this Sunday.

My new Son

Most of you know I have three boys: Nathan (6), Matthew (3), and Levi (4 months). Well, today I found out that I have another son: Mitch (21).

I am trying to do a better job at developing relationships with people who are far away from God, so I've committed to going to the mall one or two days a week to hand out candy bars to the employees and try and develop some relationships.

Today I invited Mitch to go with me. I don't know if he knew what he was getting into, but he risked it, and I am so thankful he went. The goal was to just go into a store and offer a free candy bar to employees and let them know God loves them.

At one of the kiosks in the middle of the mall Mitch offered the lady a candy bar. She wanted to know why we were giving it away free. We told her we were a new church and we just wanted to brighten her day and let her know that God loves her. She looked at me and said, "And you're the pastor." I said, "Yes." Then she looked at Mitch and said, "And you're his son."

We both cracked up. I am seriously thinking of dying my hair to get rid of the gray. It was a funny story that just had to be shared.

Potential

I have this thing about potential. I think each of us has potential for more than we’ve ever imagined. I think when God looks at us he sees potential. He always spoke to people’s potential rather than their performance. He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

When I think about our potential as a church I am blown away. Spartanburg has roughly 150,000 people who are unchurched. That means that in our county alone we have the potential to reach 150,000 people who are far away from God. Can you fathom that? What would that look like? What would it take for us to be a church of 150,000 people?

Now I know what some of you are thinking: That’s impossible. Read Ephesians 3:20 again. Some of you are thinking: I don’t want to be a part of a big church. Why? In Acts the church grew by 3000 in one day. Some scholars believe the church grew to over 20,000 people in the first few months following Pentecost. God is serious about connecting with disconnected people. So am I!

So here’s what I would like to ask you to do:

1. Pray like crazy. Pray like you’ve never prayed before. Pray for God to move in people’s lives so that they are drawn to Jesus. Pray for God to show us as a church how to be ready for that kind of movement of God.
2. Serve like crazy. We need you to step up and serve your rear ends off. I think being a part of the movement called the church is the best and most important thing you could ever do. If you don’t have a place to serve then keep harassing me until I give you something to do. Take the initiative. Serve. We need you to step up to help us create a fun, relevant, exciting children’s ministry. We need you to help park. We need you to help greet. We need you to help with set up and tear down. We need you to serve like crazy.
3. Invite like crazy. Now let me clarify what I mean. Invite unchurched people. What I don’t want us to be is a church for people who already go to church. If you are on our team and you are already a Christian then please don’t hear what I’m not saying. I am SO glad you are a part of The Point, but we need you to join with us to be the church. We need you to help us create a church for people who don’t like church. Many Christians believe the church exists for them, but Christians are the church and they exist for the world. We don’t need people who just want to be a part of the new cool church in town because they aren’t happy where they are. Those people are in. They are not our Heavenly Father’s priority. Invite unchurched people. They are all around you and me. Some of them live in your house. Some of them live next door. Easter is a great time to invite them. We’re starting theproblemwithgod.com series. I can’t wait!

I want you to reach the potential that God has created in you. I want us, as a church, to reach our potential.

Here’s another question that I was asked today: If The Point was a church of 200, what would be different about us? What would we need? I’ll be throwing that out in a couple of weeks for discussion. I would love to hear your ideas.

Back in the saddle

Man, I had a good couple of days at the Church Planting Redone conference. I hope to pass along some things that I learned when I get a bit of time.

The best part of coming back from a trip is seeing your family. Levi lit up when he saw me last night and Nathan and Matthew have tried to beat the living daylights out of me (it's a way to show love).

This Sunday is going to be great. We're going to be prayer walking/driving at 10:30 and then we'll be finishing the second part of our talk on Warding off Criticism. Invite a friend who doesn't go to church anywhere.

Field Trip notes

I've got to brag on Charlotte North Fellowship. They didn't know we were coming to check out how they do 'church in the movies' this morning because I know that Sundays are busy and I didn't want to complicate things for them. Well, once they found out that we were a church plant they went out of their way to show us around, give us the ins and outs of doing 'church at the movies,' talk to us about set-up, tear-down, working with theater management and they had GREAT Starbucks coffee!!!

I am also so appreciative to the team from The Point that went with us. I think God showed us some things and it was awesome to get a picture in our heads of what could be.

Here are some observations that I made:

• Their set-up was SIMPLE. My first thought was, "We can do this!"
• Each team (greeting, host, etc.) had matching cool t-shirts with the church's logo. That way it was easier to know who to go to for help.
• They use Tall Wooden Boxes to collect financial contributions and connection cards, just like us!!!
• The BIG theater screen is great.
  
• Children's workers all wore reflective road worker vests. It went with the "Kidstreet" theme, but it was also cool.
• All the flooring in the kid's area was that interlocking padded stuff.
• They stored all their stuff under the screens. That means they don't need a trailer.
• It's fun having a cup-holder at your seat.
• They had very professional, yet simple looking signage. It gave things an air of credibility and professionalism. It communicated, "We care and we're for real" to me.

From my perspective, it was a great first field trip. I can't wait for our next one in two weeks.

Field Trip

This Sunday AM The Point is taking a field trip to Charlotte North Fellowship to check out how people do "church at the movies." This is the first of many field trips that we'll be taking to learn, grow our vision and experience something new.

To our team: We're meeting at 8:15 in the parking lot of the old Krispy Kreme. Everything is still a go for Sunday night at 6. Invite some friends.

Fear

Sometimes I think that fear is the # 1 enemy that gets in the way of God working in and through our lives. Fear keeps us from developing real relationships. Fear keeps us from commitments. Fear keeps us from having the tough conversations. Fear keeps us from trusting God. Fear keeps us from seeing God work.

I see so many people (myself included many times) who let their fears dictate their lives. It’s a shame.

I read that the most repeated command in Scripture is do not be afraid. I think there’s significance there. Once again God knows more about us than we realize or would like to admit.

So what are you afraid of? What is fear keeping you from?

Really, fear is a trust issue. Do you trust God? When we give in to our fears we are essentially saying, “No, I don’t trust you God. You’re not big enough, trustworthy enough, loving enough to intervene, so I’m just going to play it safe.”

Don’t give in to fear. By doing so you will miss out on what God wants to do in and through you. You may even miss out on God.

Coming this Sunday...

Let me just say that you are going to want to be at The Point on Sunday night. All of us have to deal with criticism. This week and next week we’ll be discussing how to respond to and handle criticism. You can get a head start by reading Nehemiah 4. The band is going to be doing one of their original songs (which I think is kind of cool). It’s a great night to invite a friend!

Don’t forget about the field trip to Charlotte North Fellowship Sunday morning. We’ll meet at the old Krispy Kreme parking lot at 8:15. See you Sunday!

Please pray for Sunday. I believe that God has something he wants to say to you. I can’t tell you how much he has been speaking to me as I’ve prepared. Also, don’t forget to be praying for the 5 unchurched friends you are going to invite on Easter Sunday. See you Sunday!

What's relevant?

I want The Point to be relevant. I think God wants The Point to be relevant. Unfortunatley, so often, church is perceived as irrelevant. So, that begs the question: What makes for a relevant church?

What I’m about to share is not original to me. I learned it from Andy Stanley and the main reason I’m writing this is as a reminder and motivator to me. I hope that it help you too.

For an environment, a church, a ministry to be relevant three things must be present: An appealing context, an engaging presentation and helpful content. All three MUST be present in order for things to be perceived as relevant. If any one is missing then there’s a problem. There’s too much at stake to be irrelevant. Let’s do whatever it takes to be relevant.

Along those lines here is a great post of fighting cruise control as a church.

Blessing my kids

Levi is four months old today. The poor little guy has to go get some shots this morning. I am SO glad I don’t have to be there for that traumatic experience. Shot are rough on the little fellows.

I love my three boys. I believe God has given Liz and me a wonderful gift in our kids. I tell her often that I think they are a tool that God uses to keep me sane during this church planting adventure. They make me laugh. They soften my heart. They push me to my limit. They distract me. They are my motivation.

I want to be a great dad for them. One of the ways that I’m trying to be a great dad is in the area of blessing. I want to bless my boys. Now let me tell you what I mean.

I want to speak words and create experiences that help them to become the men that God has created them to be. I don’t always do the best job at that, but it’s a goal of mine. I’m open to ideas on how to do this better if any of you have some.

Do you have kids? Have you blessed them today? The words we speak and the words we don’t speak say more than we realize. Also, you don’t have to have kids to bless people. Who in your life did you bless today? What words did you say or what experiences did you create that move people towards being who God has created them to be?

Sunday night reflections 2-18-07

I started yesterday morning by accidentally running across this verse. I don’t think it was an accident. Check it out.

I am pretty pumped about what is going on right now at The Point. We had 4 new first time guests. We had some returners. I love returners. We had some new people stepping in to serve.

I really appreciate Susan and Michelle stepping up to create a preschool room on the spot. With only our team’s kids in attendance our children’s ministry needs have been pretty minimal. I think our volunteers have done an incredible job putting together some creative experiences that communicate truth to our kids, and they’ve been able to do that with one class and one teacher. Last night we had a new family with a young child. And Susan and Michelle adapted greatly to create something from nothing. THANK YOU! They showed a whatever it takes attitude.

Don’t forget that this coming Sunday we’re going to be taking a field trip. Meet at the parking lot of the old Krispy Kreme at 8:15 AM and we’ll head up to Charlotte to check out how some churches are doing church in movie theaters. We’ll still be having our gathering at 6, so invite someone.

Field Trip Anyone?

I used to love field trips when I was a kid. Didn't you?

Over the next few months I want us to take some field trips to see some church plants around the southeast. One that I would like us to visit is Oak Leaf Church. You can check out this Sundays @ Oak Leaf video.

Stay tuned and come Sunday for more info.

Exegeting our community

As I shared a few weeks ago, we need to ask the right questions of the right people in order to be missionaries to our community. The goal is to do some surveying to discover the needs, dreams, and stressors of people in Spartanburg county. If can discover who they are and what they are like, then we can know best how to show them who God is and what He is like.

Janae O'Shields hooked us up with an online version of the survey. Here's what I need you to do. Send this link to your unchurched friends/family/acquaintances/coworkers who live in Spartanburg County and ask them to fill it out. It's totally anonymous. Thanks for your help.

Disappointed

I'm just going to come out and say it. I am disappointed with Lost this season. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere. They don't leave you hungry anymore. They just leave you frustrated. I'm going to keep watching for a while, but if things keep going like they've been the past two weeks I may not make it the entire 16 week season.

I'm also disappointed with my Tigers. We can't seem to pull out the close games.

On an up note, I read a great post today from Ken about some comments Erwin McManus made the other day. It's worth your time. Erwin is a prophet. I have a lot of respect for the guy.

Good growth vs. Bad growth

Did you know that not all growth is good? Deep down you know this. We see it all the time. It’s good for my boys to grow. They are supposed to grow. If they don’t grow then there’s a problem.

On the other hand, if I were to start growing it would not be a good thing because my growth would probably come around the waist. This kind of growth can result in all kinds of problems. I don’t want to grow anymore. Growth for me would be bad growth.

The same thing is true in churches. A growing church is not always a good thing.

WHAT??? ARE YOU NUTS???

Well, probably, but that’s not the point. Here’s what I’m talking about. I want The Point to grow. I believe God wants The Point to grow. In fact, we are going to grow. But I want us to have good growth. Good growth comes from unchurched people, dechurched people, and people who are far away from God. Bad growth comes when we get Christians from other churches coming because we’re the new cool church in town.

So, how do we experience good growth? It’s called invest and invite. We invest in relationships with people who are far away from God and invite them to a relevant environment where they can safely explore what faith in Jesus is all about (our Sunday Gathering is our entry point environment that we want you to invite your friends to).

My prayer is that God will use The Point to make disciples of people who are far away from God (we’ll be discussing what it means to be a disciple in a few weeks). I so much want for us to experience good growth – the kind that makes our Heavenly Father happy – the kind that sees lives changed.

Do you know what today is?

Happy Valentines Day!

I just want everyone who reads this blog to know that I have the greatest wife in the world. I love her more than I can describe with words. She is a gift to me from God. God has used her to help me be more like Jesus. She's my valentine! Liz, I love you.

I've already given my wife a gift, but I've got something for you too!

Here's the first chapter of Rob Bell's new book Sex God. Take 10 minutes and read it. It is worth your time.

Here's a Q & A you need to read from Tim.

Whose responsibility is Spiritual Growth?

Thanks to Tony Morgan for putting me onto this blog from Tim Stevens. Tim says the following came out of a Q & A with Bill Hybels: "The goal, Bill says (and I agree), is to slowly make believers independent. We (as a church) should focus our attention on introducing people to Christ, and then helping them grow to a certain point. After that--they should feed themselves and focus on helping the church introduce more people to Christ."

That's what I want us to do at The Point. I want us to teach people how to teach themselves. Think about it. Is it the church's responsibility to help me as a Pastor grow spiritually? I've got to feed myself. I've got to know how to study Scripture on my own. I've got to know how to work out my salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). I've got to pursue intimacy with my Heavenly Father. I've got so submit to God's Authority. I've got to submit to the authority of the Bible. I've got to learn obedience. If it's that way for me, then it should be that way for each believer?

The question now is, how do we move people to that spot? Are you there? If so, what are you doing to move someone else there?

I know there's more that can be said about this. But if there's a five year old who doesn't know how to feed themselves then there's a problem. The same is true for Christ followers. How have you been eating lately?

Practicing Greatness book review

I really enjoyed Reggie McNeal’s book, Practicing Greatness. It’s a book on 7 disciplines of extraordinary spiritual leaders. I’m not extraordinary, so I thought reading this book might help me out! Two parts of the book had the most impact on me. First is the section where he talks about how do deal with failure. There’s good stuff there. It’s worth the price of the book just for this section. Second is this statement,

The prayer life of a great spiritual leaders is oftentimes centered on asking God to help them understand what is happening around them. Contrast this to a typical approach to prayer that informs God about what is going on and then asks for his help or intervention. Great spiritual leaders have God’s view of the situation. This enables them to partner with him in bringing about the future God desires. This powerful prayer life is not accidental. It requires a commitment and discipline on the part of the leader to listen in prayer, not just talk.

That’s good stuff!

Some Pics from the Superbowl Party

Sunday night reflections 2-11-07

I got a little teary eyed yesterday evening. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows how much I enjoy music…especially live music. It has always been my dream and prayer that God would allow us to have a great band leading our worship. As Mitch, Will and Jimmy played their acoustic, unplugged worship set I was blown away. I think Chris Blackwell said it best (with hand-motions): Our worship was here (his hand being at waist height), and now it’s here (his hand being at nose height). Thanks guys for being an answer to prayer, for being Dream-Enablers for me, and for being willing to use your gifts to help us plant a new kind of church.

We had some key people out, but had others step up and fill the gaps. A big shout out to William for his willingness to step in and fill a need.

I’ve heard that people are inviting people… KEEP IT UP! That is awesome! It was great to have some new faces with us last night. One new woman told me she wanted to come back next week and bring her sister who doesn’t go to church anywhere. That’s what I’m talking about.

After a great worship set we continued our talk through Nehemiah by looking at Nehemiah 2:16-20. We know that God has a dream for each one of us, but in the pursuit of God’s dream we usually run into, or become one of four characters: Dream-casters, Dream-chasers, Dream-enablers or Dream-killers. The key is to recognize which is which and respond accordingly. The big key is to know who the Dream-killers are because they have the potential to derail your dreams. The way to silence Dream-killers is to:

- Remember the source of the dream: God.

- Get to work turning the dream into reality.

- Speak the truth to those who are Dream-killers. We'll be following up on this this coming Sunday.

The recording of the message didn’t work, but if you would like a transcript please let me know and I’ll e-mail one your way.

Overall, thanks be to God for a good day and for the privilege of working with Him to build his kingdom.

John Mayer concert review

The show was a lot of fun. Females outnumbered males in the audiance 3-1, which is not surprising...it was John Mayer. I had no idea what a great musician he is. His acoustic version of Your Body is a Wonderland, and one other song which I did not know, were phenomenal.

I have a few observations that relate to church stuff. One, before the concert began there was a buzz of excitement in the air. What if we had that buzz before each worship gathering at church? What if people came with that amount of exitement? How can we create an environment where that is a reality?

Two, music is a great unifier. I know that sounds strange when you think about the worship wars that are going on in so many churches, but outside of the church, the outsiders, the unchurched... they could care less about those wars. There were high school students, bald men, single women, couples and mid-lifers all jamming (some with some really sweet moves) to John Mayer. This just speaks to the power of music and why we, at The Point, need an incredible band.

Three, even though the show was great, I left with an overwhelming sense of sadness. Not that I'm there yet, but I have been praying to have a heart like our heavenly father... a heart that breaks for those who are far away from him. My heart broke for John Mayer. My heart broke for the thousands of people at the Colonial Center who were separated from the God who created them and is for them. How can we connect those people with the God who sent his son to die for us? That's my question to God this morning.

The best part of the evening was the time I had with Liz. I love hanging out with my wife. On the way home we jammed to old school Caedmon's Call and Big Tent Revival. It reminded us of a vacation we took to Yellowstone before we had kids. Dates are awesome!

In Concert...John Mayer

Tonight Liz gets her Christmas present. For Christmas I got her tickets to see John Mayer in concert. I'm pretty pumped. It's sad, but I think this is the first secular concert I've been to since seeing Kenny Rogers as a kid. That is a depressing thought.

I can't wait to spend an evening with my wonderful wife. She has to put up with a lot being married to a church planter. This has been a rough journey so far, but tonight, the in-laws are keeping the kids, so we get to go out to an uninterrupted dinner (I think we're hitting Carrabba's) and then it's off to the concert.

The only bummer is that the concert is at USC. I have to venture into enemy territory to have some fun with my wife. What's up with that? I'll let you know how the show was tomorrow.

I LOVE small group

We’ve rearranged small groups again for the month of January. I had 8 people (besides my family) over last night for chili and a Bible Study. It was a blast. I really appreciate Sarah getting our discussion really going by admitting how hard it is to forgive others as God has forgiven us (We were discussing Colossians 3:12-14). Thanks Sarah for your honesty and for being vulnerable.

That’s what makes small groups work: Honesty and vulnerability. So often we put on a mask and nobody really knows who we are or what’s going on in our lives. But authentic Christian community is mask-less. We are to love as Christ loves us, accept as Christ accepts us, forgive as Christ forgives us, and encourage as Christ encourages us.

If you’re not involved in a small group then you are missing out! Let me know and we’ll get you hooked up. I can’t wait for nest Tuesday night. My group’s meeting at the Blackwell’s. They are great hosts (the bacon Michelle puts out to go on a salad is good stuff—it makes the salad). I can’t wait!

Prayer Walk/Drive observations

I promised some observations from our Prayer Walk/Drive on Sunday AM, so here they are:

• There were lots of people out walking in Converse Heights at 11 AM on Sunday morning. Parents had their kids at the playground. Folks were getting exercise. Neighbors were talking. But, they weren’t at church!
• The Westgate Mall area is a destination. Spartanburg Regional is the county’s biggest employer. Downtown is packed with professionals during lunchtime Monday through Friday. (These aren’t really new observations, but they lead to some questions which I will share in a minute.)
• No college students were seen on Wofford, Converse or USC Upstate’s campus at 11 AM.
• Even subdivisions seem to be racially divided.
• At 11 AM the parking lots of Publix, Walmart and Fire Mountain are PACKED!

These observations lead me to some questions:

• How can we maximize Spartanburg’s Destination of the Westgate Mall area? Should The Point have a venue there? If so, where, how and when?
• How can we take advantage of where people gather? What giveaways could we do during lunchtime downtown?
• How can we make our gathering more desirable than Publix, Walmart and Fire Mountain?

Prayer Walking/Driving is more than just talking to God. It’s listening. It’s observing. It’s crafting out some space to hear from God on behalf of the people we are trying to reach. We’ve made some observations. We’ve got some questions. Do you have any suggestions?

For Meditation

I just came across this verse and thought it worthy of meditation. I have set the LORD always before me (Psalm 16:8).

Dream-caster, Dream-chaser, Dream-enabler, or Dream-Killer?

I’ve been working on this Sunday’s sermon this morning and can’t wait to see how it develops. Here’s what I’ve been mulling over out of Nehemiah 2:16-20.

Each of us has a dream for our lives. Some dreams are small, some are huge, some are outlandish, some are personal, some are private. But, even more important than your dreams for your life is God’s dream for your life. Did you know that God has a dream for your life? He has a dream for every aspect of your life: Finances, family, relationships, job, health…the list could go on for a while.

Responding to each of the dreams that we have are four types of people: Dream-Casters, Dream-Chasers, Dream-Enablers and Dream-Killers. This leads to some questions: Which am I? Who in my life is in each category? Who am I listening to? How should I respond to each (especially Dream-Killers)?

We will be discussing these and other questions this week at The Point. You NEED to be there and you NEED to bring some people with you. I promise it will be worth your, and their, time.

I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts about this. Please comment.

PS If you've got some extra time check out these two posts: here and here.

Me, a missionary???

My passion is that each one of us would see ourselves as missionaries to Spartanburg. This is where God has put us. We are were we are on purpose, for a purpose. So that begs the question: Who are you influencing towards Jesus? Who in your circle of influence are you investing in relationally with the goal of them one day (hopefully soon) becoming a follower, a disciple, of Jesus?

My passion is that God will use The Point to reach people. Well, you are The Point. You are our body. You are our marketing. You are our outreach program. You're it! No pressure, just fact.

Now that you know that you're it, what are you going to do about it? Who can you bring with you this week? Who are you developing a relationship with so that you can invite them in a month? God wants to use you. Each encounter you have with another person is an opportunity. Be intentional. You are where you are on purpose, for a purpose.

Jonathan Herron had a great post that relates to this here. Check it out.

Sunday night reflections

Can we say eventful???

That is the word that I would use to describe our Super Bowl Party. The Colts won (which was good). We laughed at some of the commercials. There was plenty of food. We had some new folks that were invited by our regulars (KEEP INVITING!). We had a drug addict show up, steal some stuff, had to call the cops, another drug addict showed up, I thought I might get beat up...eventful. Ah...the joys of meeting where we're meeting, when we're meeting.

Kudos to Scott, Susan and Janae who handled the theft and ensuing drama with much grace and courage. They really kept their cool in a tense situation. I've never had to call the cops out to church before. Oh well, anybody who says coming to church is boring just needs to hang out with us for a while!

We need to see about getting a police officer to come hang out around the building.

We also had a group go out Prayer Driving yesterday morning. We were going to Prayer Walk, but the windchill was below freezing and we're a bunch of wimps! God used that to open our eyes to some unique observations. I'll be sharing more about those observations in a later post.

I want to go ahead and tell you that I am looking forward to this coming Sunday. It would be a great day to invite folks. We're going to have an acoustic band!!! I'm going to be talking about how we respond to the rollercoaster-ride of following Jesus. You are going to want to be there, and you know someone who needs to be there. Who can you bring with you to The Point on Sunday?

Review of The Blogging Church

I really can’t say enough good things about The Blogging Church, by Brian Bailey. This book has opened up a whole new world to me. I was already blogging and reading some blogs, but this book allowed me to take my blogging experience to a different level.

The book is easy to read. It is practical. It is convincing. It is well thought out. Church leaders who care about communication and authenticity would do well to read the book. Personally, I can’t wait to see how the blog I’ve created ends up being used by God to build the kingdom.

My only critique would be that the book was not as detailed in some of its instructions as I would have liked for it to have been. This is probably a result of my own technological dysfunction. And even with that critique I still learned more than I thought I would. I say that this is a must read book for church leaders of our day.

A blog you should read

If there are any church planters out there reading this blog, then you need to check out Devin Hudson's blog graceisthepoint. He's been sharing the story of their Church Planting adventure in Las Vegas and what he's learned through the process. He's a great thinker and writer. It will be well worth your time.

Sunday @ The Point

Are you ready for some football? Are you ready for some food? This Sunday we're having a Super Bowl Party at The Point. We'll be showing the game on the big screen, and we'll have lots of food to munch on. If you're not a football fan you have no need to worry. We'll have lots of games to play and you can still eat the food! I am looking forward to hanging out with our church. It should be fun. Bring a friend, and go Colts!

What makes me sad

When I woke up this morning I was sad. The snow, for the most part, had melted. Yesterday when I woke up and looked out the window I had this child-like enthusiasm run through my blood. Waking up to snow on the ground is so cool, and since the last time it snowed here in upstate SC was March of 2005, yesterday's snow was really cool. My boys got to sled, eat snow and throw snowballs. But today the snow has disappeared. Boo, Hoo. Oh well, maybe we'll see the white stuff sometime again in 2009.