Three things you should pray - Part 2

This is the second installment of my first blog-series. I'm sharing three things you should pray so that you can put yourself in a position to be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God in and through you. As I said yesterday, this comes from Craig's book It. I'm sharing this because I desperately want all of us to be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God. Yesterday's prayer was Lord, Stretch me. Here's today's:

Lord, Ruin me.

Now that's a bit disturbing, isn't it? To be honest, I don't like this prayer, but we find all throughout Scripture that God honors and blesses broken and ruined people. Craig says, Let God crush you with a burden (180). Ask God to ruin you. Expose yourself to something that you know will move you. Don't shrink back. Don't fight your emotions. Don't lay another brick atop your self-made wall of protection. Give in to the heart. Feed the hurt. Let it bother you. Invite it to overtake you (183).

Three things you should pray - Part 1

Today I'm beginning a three part blog-series on things you should pray if you want to be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God. I'm passing on what I have learned from Craig Groeschel in his book It because it's worth sharing. If you were at Catalyst, you heard him talk about each of these. I'm also passing this along because not only do I want to be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God in and through my life, but I want that for each of you as well. So here we go:

Lord, Stretch me.

Sounds simple, right? But in reality it's anything but simple. We don't want to be stretched. We want to be comfortable. But if you want to be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God in and through your life then you're not going to be comfortable. God is going to have to stretch you. So why not ask Him to do it?

Craig says, God wants to stretch you. He wants you to live by faith, to believe in him. It will mean putting yourself in new environments. Experiencing something new. Something different. Ask God to stretch you. Then follow his direction (178).

Election thoughts

Campaign length... too long.
Time it took to vote... 55 minutes.
Being a part of the process... Priceless!

There's been a lot of excitement, anger, anticipation, "hope", and interest in this year's presidential election. I love having the opportunity to be a part of the process. I had to wait longer than I've ever waited before, but 55 minutes compared to 2 or 3 hours isn't that bad.

There's also been a ton of concern from Christians about the possible outcome of the election (either way). Many are worried/concerned/elated/militant/(place your description here_____). I just want to send out a quick reminder to everyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus.

Our hope is not in a political candidate or party. Our hope is in Jesus. We are not citizens of this world. We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. For some reason, the Church is exploding in countries that don't have the rights, prosperity or freedoms that we have in America. The roots of the problems in our country are heart issues and no candidate or party can fix heart problems. Only Jesus can, so put your hope in him. Pledge your allegiance to Him. Then live like it. Let your faith in Jesus motivate you to be the agent of change. Let your faith in Jesus cause you to be the solution to poverty. Let your faith in Jesus kill the consumerism that's gotten us into the financial crisis that we're in. Let your faith in Jesus be seen, lived out, and noticeable.

The Church is to be the hope of the world because the Church is the bride of Christ. The Church is supposed to be the reflection of Jesus on earth. The church should be spearheading change. The Church should be making a difference because it is the hands and feet of Jesus. Let's make sure we're investing in the only movement that's really going to produce change.

So, should you vote? By all means, YES. It's a privilege and a duty. But remember who the real King is. Remember who ultimately changes lives, cultures, economies, societies, and hearts. And be grateful that you get to be a part of the process.

Today is the day... vote!

For all the undecided voters

My hat is in the ring!

I put this off for long enough, but the groundswell of support was to much for me to say no to. Here's the announcement.

It

Just finished reading It. In a few simple words, you need to read it. You especially need to read the last two chapters. I need to reread them. Not many books speak to my soul, but this did in a profound way. It has changed the way I pray for our team, our church and me. I highly recommend it.

It's up to us

Leading The Charge by Cameron Strang

Let’s get this out of the way up front: I’m not a politically motivated person. Which is why I felt a tad out of place meeting with Barack Obama this summer. And talking to John McCain. And doing countless interviews about the faith and shifting political views of our generation.

Yet I have unwittingly found myself thrust into the political arena, a place where people are vehemently passionate about their ideologies and platforms. It’s an entire industry built around being right and proving your opponent wrong, and winning at any cost. It’s a continual power struggle and—from my humble vantage point—seems a bit flawed.

I’m someone who tries to think independently and objectively, rather than simply follow what the pundits tell me to think. Because of that, I’ve realized I cannot fully embrace either political party. Both sides of the aisle have some great ideas and goals. But both also have areas where they simply get it wrong.

I know the power of politics and the importance of the process in our world. But I also know that, historically, real, lasting change has started first at the grassroots level long before it was ever legislated. Cultural mindshifts influence Washington, not the other way around.
Many Christians traditionally have voted Republican because of their justifiable conviction to protect the lives of the unborn. Now, many younger Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable desire to see our nation, the most prosperous in the world, address issues of poverty, global aid and the environment.

The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?

If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward of the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that—whether or not the President shares your same values.

The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can’t foresee any situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?

Dare I say, it might actually spur the Body of Christ here into greater action. Could it be that the loss of religious freedoms would ultimately be the best thing for American Christians because it would cause us to stand on our own feet rather than relying on the government to legislate our faith and values for us?

I’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty.

There’s more power lying dormant in pews around the nation than any government could hope to provide, and that’s where our focus should be.

Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don’t hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along.

I’m not saying don’t vote. Do. Vote your convictions and let your voice be heard—that’s one of the perks of living in a democracy. But don’t let politics breed division, or make you see people in a different light.

If you have a passion for an issue, rather than judging someone who doesn’t share that passion or viewpoint, just go do something about it. Give your life to it. Be the change you want to see.

We need to pray for our leaders and our country, but always remember that our leaders and country do not define us. We are the generation that will shape the direction culture, government and social action will take in the next 50 years. It’s not up to Washington, it’s up to us—and I say it’s time we step up and lead the charge.

But that means with our lives, our finances and our actions every day. Not just Nov. 4.

I resonate so much with this article by Cameron. What do you think?

Quote

I'm not sure who said this, but I was listening to the church planting podcast the other day and heard this: "New churches need to pass the Catacombs Test: If it can't be done if the church has to go underground then it's a non-essential."

This really has me thinking and goes right along with Hub City's desire to keep it simple. We think we need so much to do church when all we really need is to be the church.

Our mission/vision/strategy/process for discipleship is - We exist to make disciples who make disciples by creating a church that 20 and 30 somethings want to be a part of where they can hear from God and do what he says. We don't need bells and whistles to pull this off. We don't need a lot of money to pull this off. We just need intentional relationships, the Bible and the Spirit.

Christmas in Action Fall '08

This is how we spent this past Saturday.

Wow!

We were never commanded to plant churches, but to make disciples. Most western models of church planting are tied to raising up “preachers” to plant churches. We will never get to movement like that. Instead, if we focus on creating a different kind of disciple, not only will we get a different kind of church, but a lot more of them. - Bob Roberts on Glocalnet Blog

For the "Laird."

I'm 2

Today is Levi's second birthday. Happy Birthday to Levi. I'll post some pictures from his B-day party sometime this week for all of our family.

The progression of making a birthday cake

5 Things I'm Praying

I love the book of Acts and in chapter 2:42-47 there are 5 things that I'm praying. I just wanted to share them so that you could pray along with me.

1. I'm praying that us, as believers, will be devoted to God's Word, to spending time together, and to each other (Acts 2:42).
2. I'm praying that because of people's commitment, everyone will be blown away by what God is doing (Acts 2:43).
3. I'm praying that we would be so committed to each other that if someone has a need, someone else will sell something and give the money to them. That we will be so generous that eventually no one will have any needs (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34).
4. I'm praying that we will spend time with each other in our homes, playing, having fun (Acts 2:46).
5. I'm praying that God will give us favor with people, and that they will beg to be a part. That others will see what we have and want it. That they will see what we're doing and want to be a part. That people will be saved every day (2:47).
   

Purpose series intro

We're beginning a new series this Sunday. I believe that the content to this series has the potential to completely reshape how you think about God, your life and what your life is about. Frankie did a "phenom" job on the intro.

The Enemies of Unity

Like I said in an earlier post, I really, really loved Dave Ramsey's talk at Catalyst. I think it is so relevant to any person involved in any kind of Kingdom endeavor because we have an enemy who "comes to steal, kill and destroy." God really spoke to me through this talk and Dave had some great notes that I wanted to pass on. I know it's a long post, but it will definitely be worth your time (and I need to review).

Few Churches or organizations experience real unity. Only when you're on the same page do you get things done. Genesis 11:5 (interesting passage) shows the amazing power of unity. Most of our organizations do not achieve their full potential because they aren't unified.

The 5 main enemies of unity:

1. Poor Communication

• Poor communication can take many forms, but when the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing, strife sets in. You have to create communication. You must work at it.

2. Gossip

• STOP IT!!! Gossip is degrading and will destroy a church or organization. Gossip is on the same list as sleeping with people you're not married to, homosexuality and other "big" sins. Have a zero tolerance for gossip because it destroys what you are trying to do together.
  
• A successful leader develops and maintains a culture in which negatives are handed up and positives are handed down. Don't talk to people about a problem that they can do nothing about.
• Be definition, gossip is when a negative is discussed with anyone who can't help solve the problem.

3. Unresolved disagreements

• DEAL WITH IT!!! Unresolved disagreements happen when a leader doesn't know they exist or when that leader avoids confrontation. A leader has to have a backbone. Avoiding confrontation is wimpy.
• A little confrontation cleanses the wound and allows the parties to go forward in a spirit of unity.
• When you are aware there are hurt feelings and/or disagreements, act quickly and decisively. An indecisive leader is not a leader.
  

4. Lack of shared purpose

• Lack of shared purpose is caused when the leader doesn't restate the goal, the vision and mission early and often.

5. Sanctioned Incompetence

• It has been said that sanctioned incompetence demoralizes. Deal with incompetence.
• Team members will eventually become demotivated when someone else on the team can't or won't do their job and a leader will not take action.

For the sake of unity in the entire group, the leader must go to battle early and often with any of these enemies of unity. When unity is valued in the culture, the team will also act to keep these enemies from the gate.

Thoughts on the past few days

First, I want to give a shout out to Frankie who spoke/taught for the first time yesterday. He did a great job. I'm looking forward to him doing it again... soon! We had a great crowd.

Our Hub Group last night was really good. We has some great, real discussion.

Catalyst was great last week. Thanks to Pat and Kevin, Frankie and I could go together. I love learning. Personally, I thought Seth Godin and Dave Ramsey had the most relevant talks to my life. Dave's talk was on the 5 enemies to unity. I'll post more on it later, but it was powerful. And we came away with like 5 free books! Love free stuff!

Built a bunk bed on Saturday... well, I should say I assembled a bunk bed on Saturday. The boys helped. They actually did more work than me.

Levi turns 2 in one week. I can't believe he's going to be two.

I forgot to tell you about this

I can't believe it's Wednesday and I haven't shared this. Well, here it is. The past few weeks we've been collecting diapers, wipes and gift cards to give to this local family that is in need. We had a ton of stuff come in. It was cool watching people come to our gathering carrying diapers. But not only did we collect that stuff, but we gave our entire offering away from this past Sunday to help them with medical bills.

Wanna know how much you gave? Here it is: $609. That's incredible. We're a tiny new church, but people gave $609 this past Sunday for us to give away to meet a need.

Thanks to everyone who gave. We'll be doing this again.

Off we go

I'm pretty excited to be going to Catalyst tomorrow and Friday. Thanks to some extremely generous friends both Frankie and I will be able to experience an amazing leadership conference together. I'm praying that our brains will be as sponges, soaking up, drinking in, and devouring all the learning that we can.

Speaking of Frankie. I know he would appreciate your prayers... even if you don't know him. He's going to be preaching at Hub City's gathering on Sunday. It's his first time, but I've been working to coach him and he's got some great content. He's going to do great. (If he doesn't I'm going to punch him in the throat!). No, seriously, I think it will be a great morning and it's a great opportunity for me to invest in developing him into an incredible communicator. :)

MUST READ (for guys)

Calling all teenage and college-aged guys. Stop what you're doing right now and go buy this book. Read it. Read it again (it's funny and short and has pictures). Then go buy copies for all of your friends who are guys. This tiny little book holds a wealth of insight into that all-confusing, sometimes frustrating mind of... girls.

If you could find a manual for understanding the opposite sex, would you read it? I'm almost 100% positive that you would. Well, this is that manual. I can't wait for my boys to read this when they are about 13 or 14 (or for Matthew, 7).

I know this book is called For Young Men Only, but seriously, I think this is a book for all guys. If I could have read this back in High School it would have been more than helpful.

I got two extra copies to give away. One I gave away to a friend of mine in his twenties. He said it has revolutionized his life. I know those are strong words, but aren't you just a bit curious? It's worth the investment of money and time. Go to www.foryoungmenoonly.com for more info. I still have one more copy to give away. Shoot me a comment if you're interested.

Great reminder

I came across this quote from C.S.Lewis last night. I've read it before, but thought it worth passing on:

Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down.... Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked-the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours. (Mere Christianity, 167)

National recognition

I know this is really crazy, but you need to go here and listen to Joseph Michelli's podcast titled "Opportunity on Uncommon Ground."

I was blown away and honored to be the focus of the podcast.

What I'm learning about being a disciple.

Our small group/Hub Group is spending this coming year studying the life of Jesus. Actually, all of our Hub Groups are studying the same thing. What we're doing is going through Jesus' life, looking at stories and learning how to be a disciple and how to disciple. Today I spent some time reflecting on our first two weeks and what God is teaching me about being a disciple.

We first looked at this story and then at this story. So far, here's what I'm learning about being a disciple. It boils down to three things:

1. Hearing Jesus' voice.
2. Trusting he knows better than me.
3. Doing what he says/obedience.

This leads me to ask two types of questions.

1. Am I hearing from Jesus, trusting him and doing what he says?
2. Am I helping others to hear from Jesus, trust him and do what he says?

That's just a bit of what I'm learning about being a disciple. I'm sure there will be more to come.

Meeting a need

So, last week, we began this project where we are adopting this local family who needs some help. The husband has cancer, the wife is due any day now with their second child, and both are out of work. What we're doing is collecting diapers, wipes and giftcards to give to them to help them out. I was blown away to see so many people bring diapers and wipes this past Sunday. I had a girl ask if she could run to Walmart right after the gathering and buy a gift card for the family. I can't wait to see what folks are going to do this week.

Here's the coolest part of what we're doing. Next Sunday we are going to give our ENTIRE offering to this family to help with medical bills and other expenses. ALL of it. If we take in $70, we'll give that. If we take in $70,000, we'll give that. I can't wait to see what people are going to do. And all of this in just our third week of having a Sunday gathering.

Thanks to everyone who has helped and who is going to help. There's still time to contribute.

Just gotta laugh

If you ever fly or travel in any way then you know of certain frustrations that you face at airports and hotels. This post by Seth just made me laugh. I love his questions.

On a completely different note, our second Sunday was pretty incredible. Not that it matters, but we had a 22% increase in attendance between our first and second Sundays. We had 22 new people. God has given us a bit of momentum. Our team is working extremely hard. They are great. We've got new people who want to know how they can get involved in serving and in Hub Groups. That's really exciting.

Next week we're going to give our entire offering away to a local family that needs some help. That should be exciting. We're also collecting diapers and wipes for this family. It was pretty cool seeing people bring diapers and wipes with them. I love being a church that's here to make Spartanburg a better place to live!

Bootleg news story

Melanie took things into her own hands to get our news story online (since Fox didn't post it). For those of you who were dying to see the story, which I know is all of you, here it is!

Book Giveaway Contest

So, do you want a free book? I've got two copies of the hot-off-the-press For Young Men Only: A guys guide to the alien gender, to give away here on my blog. We're going to have a little contest to see who deserves a copy. Here it is: Whoever has the most embarrassing teenage moment with a member of the opposite sex wins the book. Email your story here. Make sure you include your address. The funniest two stories (which will be judged by an expert panel of embarrassing-moment judges) will win the books. Also, I'll probably post the funniest stories on my blog, so please keep them PG. And you know you want to win, so don't be afraid to share that embarassing moment.

Jeff Foxworthy, the renowned, wise-redneck, says this about FYMO: Guys, in your hands you hold a treasure. Within this book young women honestly tell you what they want, need and desire. After nearly fifty years of trying to figure women out, even I learned a lot. For more info you can go to www.foryoungmenonly.com.

One liners

I was talking with someone on the phone yesterday, telling them about Hub City Church and realized that we have a lot of one liners that we use to describe us. I'm a K.I.S.S. person (Keep It Simple Stupid) because I think simple is memorable. So I've worked pretty hard to come up with some one-liners that describe us, speak about our values and create a common language and rallying cry for who we are and what we're about. Now I know you're dying to know what those one-liners are! Here you go:

• It's more than Sunday.
  
• Making disciples who make disciples.
• Creating a church that 20 and 30 somethings want to be a part of.
• No perfect people allowed.
• No one stands alone.
• We're passionate about Jesus, relationships and making Spartanburg a better place to live.

Now I know what some of you are thinking: I've heard some of these before. Duh. One-liners don't have to be original. They just need to be authentic and genuine to who you are and what you're about. These pretty accurately describe who we are and what we're about. I'd love to hear some one liners that describe your community, church or job. I might want to steal them!

Sermon intro

This is a hilarious sermon intro that Frankie made... and I know you're wondering if those tatoos are for real.

The Launch

Boy is my brain fried, but in a good way. Let's just say that right before we were supposed to start the sound was worse than bad. My mic wouldn't work right. It wasn't good. I was nervous. But then everything started to work, and everything worked fine. That's just one piece of good news.

We had 22 people fill out first time connection cards. That's flippin' AWESOME! There was an incredible buzz from people. We had a ton of kids. Loved meeting new families.

But here's the craziest thing of the morning. Two TV crews showed up. Fox Carolina and WSPA CBS showed up to interview me and some other folks as well as film the gathering. Whoa! I had no idea they were coming. We should be on the news 3 times tonight! I'll post links to the stories when they go live.

A big thanks to everyone who has prayed so hard for today. Please continue to pray. God is up to something and this was just the beginning. We want to give him the credit.

Article

We opened up the paper this AM and there I was, on a front page teaser. It's a little weird seeing your picture on the front page. The article's pretty good. You can check it out here. If you have a blog or facebook then post the article. It will make it more prominent on their website.

Amazed

I must say I've been amazed at people coming out of the woodwork wanting to help us out with getting a band and sound system for Sunday. Nothing's concrete yet, but it will be by the end of today. I love Kingdom mindedness. That's how I want to be. That's how I want to be with Hub City's stuff and people.

Now I've got to go buy some temporary tatoos. Why? Come on Sunday to find out.

Prayer for Spartanburg

Bob Roberts had this prayer on his blog. I've been praying it for Spartanburg: Father I pray for my city. I love my city. You love my city more. Guide my city. Pour your Spirit out over my city. Help us to love your city and serve your city like you want. I lift up all the mayors, the pastors, the businessmen, the teachers, the medical personnel, the artists, government leaders, the institutions, but more than all of those domains - I lift up the people to you. May they see Jesus in our lives as we serve them in the name of Jesus and share the Good news not as a sermon, but as a transforming story that is alive, ongoing, and inclusive.

New look

Our website got a new look in the wee hours of the morning. I think Frankie did a stand up, phenomenal job. You can check it out here.

Still waiting to find out about a band. We do have a worship leader... that's an improvement.

Struggling

Here's the deal. We launch our weekly worship gatherings this Sunday. Here's the problem: We don't have a band or sound system. We thought we did, but Murphy's Law and Satan's attacks have gotten in the way. I could really use your prayers. I need wisdom. We need a band with a sound system.

I can also tell that our team is under attack. Pray for God to protect us from distraction, discouragement and disunity. I appreciate it.

Clemson Pics

Levi went with us to the Clemson/NC State game. He pulled hard for the Tigers and we won... and a win is a win. Here are some cute pics Liz took:

Must read post

Do you ever find yourself complaining (don't lie)? If so, you've got to read this post from Ben. Point: Stop complaining and start leading.

Convicting

Read this quote on the Glocalnet Blog. It's pretty convicting: I am convinced if we prayed and worshipped daily encountering the living Jesus - just half as much as we read books, attend conferences, and study other churches - we would see a movement of God such as we have never seen and the church would be awakened once again. Everything that I’ve ever been apart of that was significant and really mattered was born out of prayer and worship and revelation that God gave in reflection and mediation.

Today we're headed out to the first Clemson home game. I love going to the game. However, after last week's embarrassment I'm missing some excitement. Hopefully we'll run up 70 points. We should. If you're at the game, say hi. I'll be wearing orange.

Hook us up

I know this is lame, but there's got to be someone out there who can hook Frankie and I up with tickets to Catalyst. Our shrinking budget couldn't afford the hit, but I know there's somebody out there who could hook us up. Shameless plug is done.

Hey, I know that voice

Today I get to go record a radio ad. Not gonna tell you which radio station. Just listen and see if you can hear me.

We're giving away another iPod today, too. It's church fair day at Converse. We get to promote Hub City Church. It should be fun.

Yesterday I emailed about a bazillion people in the upstate media to let them know about our launch. Pray that God will grant us favor and give us some free press. I already have an interview with the Herald-Journal lined up.

Zoo

We made the most of Labor Day yesterday by going to the Zoo. It's always fun to see the animals. I'm a bit disappointed that my boys love the "reptile house" the most. Frankie and Melanie and Alyx went with us. Here are a few pics for the relatives out there.

Polaroid Vision

I heard Rick Warren say one time that vision is like a Polaroid picture... it gets clearer over time. That was a profound thing for me to hear. It also seems pretty Biblical since as we look at the whole of Scripture we get a clearer picture of God, his heart and his mission... and there was a process to God revealing himself to humanity.

We have had many things come more clearly into focus at Hub City Church over the past few weeks. We are pretty passionate about making disciples. That whole process has gotten much clearer. In a sentence our mission is to make Biblical Disciples in a Relational Context... with a disciple being someone who hears from God and does what he says (more specifically: one who has made Jesus Lord of their life, one who is in a discipling relationship with other maturing Christians, one who is becoming Christlike, and one who is committed to the mission of Jesus) and the relational context being our Hub Groups (not just Bible studies, but relational evironments where people can be known, cared for assessed as to where they are, and challenged to move to the next level).

We've made the intentional decision to be a church of small groups as opposed to a church with small groups. That means that groups are at the core of who we are and what we do as a church. That means that we are all about small groups... and we do Sundays on the side.

I can honestly say I am more excited about what we're doing, and my part in it, than I have ever been. I had a minor epiphany the other day that I'll share later on. Until then, let's go eat a hot dog.

Read this

Maybe you've finished laughing from the previous video to get serious for a minute. You need to click here and read this post from Bob. It reminded me of an exert I read from this book that I really want but can't buy at this time. So what are your thoughts about Mazhar's comments?

Intervention

We showed this at our first preview. It's hilarious. I'm so embarrassed.

Win an iPod

Sorry, you're too late, but a student at Spartanburg Methodist College won an iPod Shuffle today. We were invited to participate at SMC's "church fair day." It was worth the $50 investment to meet some new college students and get 150 names and emails. We invited all of them to our launch on September 21. I think we may do it at Converse College on September 4. Anybody want to buy the next iPod for us to giveaway?

First day of school

Matthew's first day of Kindergarten.

Nathan's first day of 2nd grade.

Wild Goose Chase

There are a number of reasons why I have loved Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. I think the first reason is because of the title itself. Pursuing God is like a wild goose chase, but in a good way. Like Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, "Tame? No he is not a tame lion, but he is good." Following God has become so tame, so adventureless, so predictable. But that's not what we see throughout Scripture. We act like we've got God and following God all figured out and we have all kinds of predictable formulas. Following God is safer that way. But following God isn't safe. It's an adventure... a crazy, fun, dangerous, exciting adventure.

Second, I love the caged imagery that flows throughout the book. So many great Christians I know are caged by so many things. Mark identifies six. I'd tell them to you, but you need to read the book.

Now I'd like to figure out how to do a series on this. I believe it could be very powerful. You can find the book here, or check out Mark's blog here. You can also find out more by going to www.chasethegoose.com.

Great quote

So I'm almost done with Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. I highly recommend it. It's easy to read and will challenge you to step out of your cage... but more on that tomorrow. I read this on pages 86-87 and thought it worth passing on:

When I fail to give, the best I can do is the best I can do. I am keeping God out of the equation of my finances. But when I tithe I am standing on the promises of God. And in my experience, God can do more with 90 percent than I can do with 100 percent. In addition, tithing is not just good stewardship; it turns money management into a financial adventure.
Don't allow financial greed or fear to keep you in the cage. Living generously is way too fun and way too exciting. Too many of us allow a scarcity mentality to keep us in the cage. We assume that the more we give, the less we'll have. That is an unbiblical assumption.
Tithing is trusting. And when you put God first financially, you live with sanctified expectations. You can't wait to see the wild ways in which the Wild Goods is going to provide.

Amazing day

First I'll say something about Last night. We had our last Movies in the Park last night. I honestly didn't think anyone would show up. That was a constant fear throughout all of our movies this summer. Once again my fear proved to be a dumb fear. We had a great crowd. Probably around 2000 people. Movies in the Park has been an enormous success, lots of fun and lots of hard work. I can't wait to do it again next summer. Big thanks to Ryan Bishop for bringing the sound system and for his awesome screen and projector that we used last night.

OK, let me talk about today. We had our second preview today. First good news: We didn't blow power in the theater. Second, we had a bunch of new people. I think our attendance was 67. Most of those were new guests. We had 17 kids (that was really cool). Third, the video that Frankie created was so funny that I cried. I'm going to try and post it next week when he gets back from vacation.

I can't say thank you enough to our awesome team. They worked so hard this weekend and did a great job. I'm so proud of them. Honestly, I don't know why you wouldn't want to be a part of Hub City Church. God is doing some incredible things. I can't wait for our September 21 launch.

Stop praying and act

OK, so I know this is going to upset someone, but I got this new book from Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase. I'll be doing a review on Tuesday, but I read something today that I really wanted to post about. We pray too much sometimes. I'm not saying we shouldn't pray, but so often prayer becomes an excuse for action. We know God wants us to do something or we see a need that we could meet or we see some God-thing that we could be involved with and instead of being the answer to the prayer (because somebody else is praying) we pray as an excuse to not get involved (ie. We meet all kinds of people who are "praying" about whether or not to be involved in our church plant, when they have so many gifts and abilities that they could contribute to a church plant that I feel like God is screaming for them to get their minds off of themselves and do something outlandish, crazy and helpful by joining a new church's team). So what do you need to stop praying about? Stop praying and get to work. Wouldn't it suck to get to the end of your life and realized you missed out on all kinds of divine opportunities because you were praying when you should have been acting?

Miracle

I just witnessed a miracle. Liz said, "You know what, I just don't like country music anymore." I couldn't believe my ears.

Sunday

This Sunday is preview #2. The gathering begins at 10 AM @ Spartan 16 movie theater. Bring your whole neighborhood.

Saturday

Our last Movies in the Park is this Saturday. We’ll be showing Alvin and the Chipmunks, giving out free popcorn, sodas and gift certificates. The movie will begin around 8:45, but come early to get a good seat. Invite all your friends.

Meet the teacher night

Tonight's a big night. Nathan and Matthew get to meet their new teachers. Matthew's starting kindergarden and Nathan starts 2nd grade. The BIG first day is next Tuesday. I love the start of school.

Phenomenal

I have to say that my and Frankie's time at Real Life ministries has been phenomenal. I've always had a frustration with church that only recently have I been able to put to words. That frustration was and is that churches don't do the number one thing that they are commanded to do: Make Disciples. I'm not saying that to make anyone mad, but to just state a fact. We haven't been doing that good of a job making disciples. We make converts, but not disciples. We can't even come up with a common definition for a disciple. And then, how can you make something that you can't define.

Our time here in northern Idaho has been more than eye opening because Real Life is a church that is actually making disciples. They not only have a process, but they have an assessment and plan to figure out where people are and then turn them into disciples who make disciples.

I'd love to share more, but I'm sworn to secrecy... just kidding. Seriously, I'm so tired I'm having trouble typing. I can't wait to share this with our launch team. Now it's off to bed. It's almost 1 AM my time and we have to get up early to fly back home. I can't wait. I miss my family.

Travel here, travel there

I have been all over the place for the past two weeks. First, Frankie and I went to VA Beach. Then I was home for a day then I took Nathan to camp (it was a blast). We got home from camp and immediately flew to Chicago for 4 days to explore the city and hang out with Liz's sister and brother-in-law. We got home last night and then this morning Frankie and I left at 4:45 AM to fly to Idaho. I'm wore out.

I'll post some pictures when I get back home (which will be Saturday night), but I'm really looking forward to the next few days as we learn about making disciples who make disciples. Maybe I'll make it home with my suitcase (it didn't make our flight from Seattle to Post Falls). Now it's off to bed.

VA Beach trip

So Frankie and I headed up to Virginia Beach to hang out with Vince and the staff at Forefront. Sorry to Pat and Chris for me not bringing you along. We learned a bunch. Vince invited us over to his house and talked with us for a couple of hours. One of the biggest things I got was a question he asked me, "After experiencing one of our services, what needs improvement?" It takes a lot of guts to ask that question (and really want an answer), but it's a great way to get fresh insight into your Sunday gatherings.

I was impressed by a number of things. First, the staff was incredible. They went out of their way to talk with us, answer our questions, make us feel welcome... they were great. Second, the people of Forefront were great. One of the guys drove us to Starbucks when we got there (because after an hour of driving we couldn't find any breakfast... VA Beach is a confusing place). People hung around after the service and talked and talked and talked. Third, Forefront makes great use of humor. They know their crowd and what kind of humor works for them and they use it all the time. It's a great way to get people to unfold the arms (more on that later). Fourth, we got to sit in on their creative planning meeting on Monday. I learned some great stuff about creative planning. Actually, they have a system to their planning and I love systems.

That's all I have time to write right now. I'm so thankful that Vince and his staff took time to let us learn from them. And next time I'll invite other to go too.

Off to visit Vince

I'm pretty pumped. Frankie and I leave this AM to travel up to Virginia Beach to check out Forefront and hang with Vince. I'm looking forward to two things: Hanging with Frankie and learning from Vince and Forefront. They are doing an awesome job at reaching unchurched people, which is a passion of mine, so off we go to learn. I'll post some thoughts about our trip later.

Need a band?

I want to give a shout out to the band that helped us out at our preview this past Sunday. My Calvary did a great job. I'm pumped to be able to have them back in August. So if you need a band, give them a call.

To answer Melanie's question

I'm pretty sure it was Melanie that pointed out to me in a cleverly disguised comment that the links on yesterday's post all went to this magazine, so what articles am I recommending? Here you go: Can a Muslim be a follower of Christ, A Movement to Jesus withing Islam, and Muslim's who believe the Bible.

Must Read

I happened across this magazine last night and was blown away by these articles. You can read them here, here and here. I believe that these articles have so much to say to Christians in America, especially those of us who are planting churches.

Here's my challenge to our Launch Team: Read the articles. Figure out how they apply to us. Post a comment about your thoughts. Pray like crazy for God to use whatever mean necessary to reveal himself to people and that he will lead them to us to find out more.

A thought on God leading them to us... we need to be a community that God trusts enough to send people to. Does that make sense? One of the guys in on of the stories knew what to do when the man came to him. If God sends people our way do we know what to do with them?

Here's another thought... how can we get unchurched people reading the Bible? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. I firmly believe that the Bible is the primary way that God speaks to people, so we've got to get people reading the Bible.

Preview report

Hub City Church had it's first preview yesterday. I would have posted about it yesterday, but I was too tired. All in all it was a great day, but not in the way you might think. The band, My Calvary, was great. Our problems began in the middle of their first song when we blew the power in the theater we were in! We lost lights, sound, video. I decided to go ahead and do the sermon first, without sound, and then we would do music at the end, if we could get power back. We were finally able to get power to the sound, but were still without lights and video. What we learned was that the outlets in the theater are all on one breaker. This was a good lesson to learn.

Something that was funny was that they were showing Batman (which is a great movie) in the theater next to us, so I had a soundtrack that was playing behind my sermon. It was a bit distracting, but more than that, it was just funny. it fit with the comedy of the morning.

Since they were showing movies during our worship there were all kinds of people at Spartan 16. I loved having our gathering in a place that was also being used for something other than church. People were very inquisitive about church in a movie theater.

The theater management was awesome! I can't say enough good stuff about Perry and the staff. They went above and beyond for us and were so gracious the entire time. They told us that we needed to keep our signs up during the whole gathering so that the people coming to the movies would know about us. That was pretty sweet. Also, theater employees kept coming into our gathering to check us out.

Our kids areas were off the hook. Our team did such an incredible job. When parents find out about what we're doing I think they'll come to Hub City Church just for the kids' stuff.

I hesitate to post this, but some of you are dying to know how many people were there. We had around 60 people (including our team and volunteers) who were there. That's more than I thought would show up to a preview. I am extremely thankful for the team from Revolution Church in Florence for coming to help. You all are amazing servants.

I must say I love the whole preview idea. It gives us a chance to learn before we officially go public. I think of it as a preseason game. We do it again on August 17. Maybe we'll have power for the whole gathering next time!

Lights, ________, Action

I've got to give a shout out to Sammy Clary for letting us borrow lighting for Sunday's preview. It was looking like we might have to purchase lights with money that we don't have, but that's not the case. Thanks for the lights.

Pray for our preview. I can't wait!

Obsessed part 1 - Our FIRST preview!

This Sunday we’ll begin “Obsessed,” a two part series for both of our previews (July 20 and August 17). Love the graphic that Frankie created. It’ll be worth coming just to see the video promoting our launch series, “No Perfect People Allowed.” Funny!

The gathering begins at 10 AM at Spartan 16 movie theater. Click here for directions. Bring your whole neighborhood! For more info visit our website: www.hubcitychurch.com.

Movies in the Park #3

This Saturday Hub City Church will be hosting our third Movies in the Park @ Barnet Park. We'll be showing Shrek the Third, giving out free popcorn and sodas, and giving away hundreds of dollars worth of gift certificates to local businesses. I can't wait. It should be a blast. So excited to have Chris Reeder's group coming to help out.

They'll also be helping out with our FIRST preview on Sunday: 10 AM @ Spartan 16. Not sure what to expect. We've done our part. Can't wait to see how God shows up.

Please pray for both Movies in the Park and our preview.

Confession

I have a confession to make: I'm a slack blogger. But you knew that already.

Two BIG, ENORMOUS, HUGE things this weekend: Movies in the Park on Saturday, and our first preview on Sunday. I'll write more later.

Power Plant

Today's the first day of Power Plant. I am the project coordinator for the Greenville/Spartanburg Project. I met the summer staff on Thursday and think they are great. We had them over for dinner. My boys REALLY enjoyed spending time with them. I've never seen such sword fighting. We had a war of foam swords that lasted an hour. The groups are set to arrive around 2 today. Now I've got to go pack!

Needs

Our first preview gathering is in 18 days. We're in need of a few more things to be ready to go. I thought I'd float our list out there for you to pray over our need and with the hope that there's somebody reading this who could hook us up. Here they are:

Baby wipes
Lysol
Bibles to give away
handtrucks
sheets for a pack and play
beach balls
foam/puzzle flooring for preschool rooms
DVD player
Kidmo Curriculum
Age appropriate children’s Bibles (birth – 2 and 3 & 4 yrs.)
gates/fencing for 3 & 4 year old room
2 projectors (4500 lumen min.)
sound equipment
lighting equipment
signs
a band
money

Kidmo

Any of my church planting buds use Kidmo? I'm looking to borrow or purchase for a discounted price. Can ya help a brotha out?

Retreat report

First off I have to say that I was very disappointed in the lodging at Ridgecrest. I don't see us going back there for a retreat.

Laying the lodging aside, we had a great retreat. I loved how everyone worked together to help create systems. I am so proud of our team. I loved having everyone's input in creating processes.

Yes, we worked hard, but we also had a bunch of fun. You can check out a mildly embarrassing video here to see some of the fun. I got to play "rock band" for the first time. LOVED IT!!! Now I want a wii and Guitar Hero or Rock Band. My birthday is in 10 days if you want to contribute!

Prayer

We could use your prayers this weekend. Our Launch Team is heading to Ridgcrest for a 3P retreat (Planning, Praying and Playing). We leave Saturday at 1 and come back on Sunday at 2. It should be fun.

Also, pray for Josh and Kenzie Rogers. Kenzie just gave birth to Josiah James. He was 7lb. 7oz. We're celebrating with them over their healthy baby boy.

Posts of the week

Here are some posts that are worth reading.

• I love this idea. I'm planning on doing it with my boys. Now I need to start saving $$$.
• Ben's posts here and here on cultivating the soil for church planting are must reads. I think that's what Movie's in the Park and three years in Spartanburg has done for us.
• Seth's post on how to organize a room is great.
• I don't know how we got connected to this blog, but this was a moving post that I totally agree with.

On another note, Nathan's trying out for the swim team. I think he could make the Olympics one day.

I can't see

Really, I'm pretty blind without my contacts in or glasses on, but right now I really can't see. Even the words I'm typing are blurry. After 4 years I decided it was time to go to the eye doctor. I was officially told that I was growing old. But the reason for my current blurriness is that they dialated my eyes. It's horrible. I'm wearing those stylish fake sunglasses that they give you and I look good.

On another note, we are in need of a 15 passenger van this weekend. Our launch team is headed to Ridgecrest for a planning, praying, playing retreat. I'd love for us to be able to ride together. If there's anybody out there who could hook me up please give me a call.

Now I'm off to find something else to do that doesn't require sight.

Adoption

Last night Liz and I went to this adoption orientation meeting. We're not adopting a kid right now, but we want to be open to that possibility. The best thing I got out of the meeting was a couple of stats.

• Currently there are 5000 kids in South Carolina's foster care system.
• 1600 of them are available for adoption.

That's a lot of kids, don't you think? But, also, it's a manageable number. The book of James talks about how true religion is taking care of the orphan and widow. What if 5000 Christian families in SC decided to take that seriously? Talk about making a tangible difference in this state.

Meet Henry

Tonight we've added another member to our family. Yes, we know, you don't have to tell us... we're crazy. We got a puppy tonight. Now I need to say, this wasn't a rash decision. We've been thinking about this for a while. Liz has done all kinds of research. So, we decided to take the plunge. Henry's a "goldendoodle." I didn't even know the breed existed (it's a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle).

Whoa!

I've got to say, I'm shocked and amazed. It rained yesterday all around Spartanburg, but the rain bypassed Barnet Park (except for a few drops). I figured the surrounding showers and chances of rain would have kept people away. I was wrong.

Somewhere between 2500 and 3000 people showed up to watch Evan Almighty. It was incredible. God continues to blow me away with all he is doing on our behalf. Besides a small riot that almost broke out over some gift certificates and the sound going out for about 30 seconds of the movie, it was a great event.

I want to give credit where credit is due. If it weren't for our awesome team and the volunteers that came to help out there is no way that we could have pulled off Movies in the Park. Honestly, I believe this is one of the reasons that God is blessing us. Big, enormous, gigantic kudos to our AWESOME launch team. I love you guys. Your hard work and go-the-extra-mile attitude is incredible.

Here's a crazy idea for someone out there... I think it's pretty big to get 3000 people to come out to see a movie and would love for MIP to get more press. Somebody needs to contact the TV studios and let them know that MIP is worth their time (they could have gotten video of an "almost" riot). The paper needs to report of this event. Like I said, it's just an idea, but if you wanted to run with it....

Next MIP: July 19 - Shrek the Third. You can click onto Frankie and Melanie's blogs to see a couple of pictures.

Can't wait

I love this story. I can't wait to start hearing stories like this at Hub City Church.

I also can't wait for our second Movies in the Park tomorrow night. Pray that people will come. Pray for good weather.

Movies in the Park #2

This Saturday, @ Barnet Park, starting around 9 PM, we’ll be showing Evan Almighty for our second Movies in the Park. Enjoy free popcorn, sodas and hundreds of dollars worth of gift certificates that we’ll be giving away. Bring a friend or two or three. Coolers are welcome. See you Saturday!

Great quote

Seth had a great quote on this post: The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.

Date Night

I told Liz that all I wanted for Father's Day was to be able to go on a date with her, so on Saturday night she recruited my parents to come watch the boys and we got to go out. It was great. First we went to Renato's, a local Italian place. The food was excellent. The atmosphere was perfect. Then we went to see The Happening, which was a great movie, freaky, but great.

On the way from Renato's to the movie theater we drove by the Olive Garden. There was a line a mile long of people wanting to eat there. Here's my question: Not that I have anything against the Olive Garden, but why would you go stand in line for an hour for some not-so-good Italian when you could eat some authentic Italian in a much better atmosphere and support a local business. I'd choose Renato's over the Olive Garden any day. I'd make the same recommendation for you too!

It's not that the Olive Garden is that bad (it's not that good either) it's just that it seems to be our tendency to choose the familiar chain restaurants over potentially better but unfamiliar local places. Take a risk. Try something new. Buy local. It helps make Spartanburg a better place to live. Now if we could just get Renato's to donate a gift certificate to Movies in the Park!

What if...?

In light of the chapter our Launch Team read out of this book, Tony's post here and here are very relevant.

Perry had a great list of "What Ifs...?" It got me thinking, so I came up with my own:

• What if all the Christians in America started handling their finances like it was God's money and not theirs?
• What if we leveraged our power and influence for the good of others instead of ourselves?
• What if we started doing sex, relationships and parenting the way God says to do each of those?
• What if every Christian family in the US would adopt one orphan?
• What if each of us were so in tuned with what God was saying and doing in the world, and what if we lived in obedience response to that?
• And on a totally non-spiritual note: What if God were to zap all the Japanese Beatles that are in my yard at this moment eating my once beautiful Japanese Maple trees?
  

BIG NEWS!!!

Ok, now I can share our big news. I've been trying to figure out how to capitalize on the momentum from Movies in the Park. We've had a lot of people show interest in Hub City Church, but their only options for being a part are to join the launch team (which isn't a bad option) or wait until September 21 when we launch to check us out. So, I've been wondering what kind of step could we create that would move people from the crowd into our discipleship process? Well, two weeks ago on I-26 I had an epiphany (maybe it's not a real epiphany, but I did get some direction from God about what to do).

We are going to be having two preview worship experiences. We'll have one in July and one in August. They will happen the Sunday immediately following Movies in the Park (July 20 and August 17). This is an easy, obvious and strategic way to move people from MIP to our community. Second, we are going to be starting small groups in mid July. These are going to be designed for people who wouldn't consider themselves Christians, but who might consider exploring what this Jesus stuff is all about.

I am pumped about this next step in our development. I'm pumped about our Launch Team's work and enthusiasm. I'm amazed at how God has and is orchestrating things and people for all of this to happen.

So, if you don't go to church somewhere, why not consider checking out one of our previews? What do you have to lose? We'd love to get your feedback about your experience. Or maybe you want to parter with us as a volunteer. We could use your help. See you on the 20th at Spartan 16.

Back in the saddle

Vacation was nice... very nice. I wish I could stay for two weeks. Maybe next year. At the same time it's good to be back working. These are exciting times for Hub City Church. I'm going to be posting some big things later on this week. I can't wait to share them with the launch team tomorrow night.

On another note, this post from Seth is extremely relevant, especially in light of our September launch. You can check it out here.

Over and out

We leave tomorrow for a family vacation at Hilton Head. I am looking forward to some non-church time with the family. I'll be leaving the computer at home (and probably go through a few DT's). Have a great week. I'll catch you on the flip side.

Epiphany

Today I went to this 'thing' for church planters at SC Baptist Convention. It was good seeing some church planting buddies, but the best part of the day was an epiphany I had. I can't share all of it now, but will in two weeks. I can share part... I've always felt that talking about "reaching" people was a bit awkward. I don't know why, but it's just a weird term that is a tad bit offensive. But today I heard something that just clicked. I'm about relating to people. I think that relating includes reaching but it is so much more comprehensive, or at least it is to me. I want to be a part of relating the gospel to 20 and 30 somethings.

Many more exciting things happened today. Frankie and I went to check out Spartan 16 and meet with the manager. It went great. I can't wait to sign the contract. I'm as pumped and excited today as I was a few weeks ago getting ready for Movies in the Park. I can't wait for what's next for Hub City Church.

Great quote

Becoming a missional follower of Jesus involves helping those who are searching to navigate the terrain as they move toward the belief that Jesus is indeed the only way. Being a missional follower of Jesus is about gettng outside ourselves and into their world, their lives, their minds, and their search. Breaking the Discipleship Code pg 63.

Relationship vs. Religion

I'm reading this book right now. So far so good. I came across a quote today that I wanted to share: This is the difference between having a relationship with Jesus and practicing a religion. If you are interested in religion, you need all the answers. If you are interested in following Jesus, you don't have to have all the answers because you can trust Him.

I love this. My life's passion is to help people trust Jesus more and more. Too often our uncertainty and inability to figure stuff out gets in the way of trusting Jesus. But Christianity is completely based on trust in a person (Jesus). Following Jesus requires that we trust him. So, do you trust Jesus? Do you trust him more today than last month? You can trust him. How cool is that?

Stop the fear...

Yesterday I read this book. Beside the fact that it has a horrible title I highly recommend it... and it's short so you can read it fast! So often fear keeps us from what God has for us. This fear too often influences what we do with the money we've been given.

Here's why I think you should read this book. Imagine for a minute what the world would be like if the Christians in America began handling their money God's way. Imagine if just this one area (finances) came under the Lordship of Christ. I believe that if American Christians moved from a mindset of selfish fear to a lifestyle of generous giving that in one year the world would be evangelized, poverty would be wiped out and no one would be hungry. Just a thought.

I think that money is one of the "Big Three" things in our culture that Christians should manage differently to be set apart as disciples of Jesus. Any thoughts?

Live from Whiteboard

No, it's not me, but by buddy, my first staff guy, my compadre, the man himself, Frankie Creel is there and he's blogging about the event. Sounds like it's some good stuff. What Vince said is incredible. Frankie's going to lunch with Vince. I'm jealous. He'd better ask good questions and take good notes or I'm taking his "whoopee" back!