Thoughts on yesterday

Yesterday was a really cool day for Hub City. We had one of our largest crowds ever. We had a bunch of new folks. We had a new couple in my Hub Group (which was fantastic... and Allen did a phenom job telling the story). It was fun having a full drum set (Jacob was rockin'). I got to play the wii with my boys. It was a good day, but at the same time, I left our gathering yesterday with a bit of an unsettled feeling.

I hate it when I get that "feeling" that something's not right, but I don't know what it is and I can't figure out what it is... you know what I'm talking about? Well, I took Henry for a walk yesterday afternoon and it hit me. It's nothing big, but I think it'll be pretty profound for our Gatherings. What I'm I talking about? I can't tell you, but this Sunday we'll test it out. Let me know if you notice a difference.

I've got to say. I really love being a part of Hub City. I love out team. I love my Hub group. I love what God's doing in people's lives. I love making disciples who make disciples. I love helping people hear from God and do what he says. I love creating a church that 20 and 30 somethings want to be a part of.

Bummer

The story didn't air last night. Sorry to those who stayed up to watch for nada. I must have been too much of a dork to put on air. Maybe they'll air it at a later date.

Prayer

I would appreciate your prayers. I'm about to be interviewed by Fox Carolina about our Sex Ed series. I'm a tad bit nervous. You can watch tonight @ 10 to see how foolish I sound/look.

Something to ponder

When was the last time God spoke to you about what He wanted to do and you were scared to death by it's magnitude? - Henry Blackaby

Together

I'm almost finished reading this book. It's possibly one of the best leadership books I've read. I will definitely reread it.

I came across this quote the other day that I've been meaning to pass along. On page 114 Nancy quotes someone who says, "We all know that we are better people when we get around each other."

Wow.

That's profound.

Think about who you hang out with. Are you better people when you get around each other? Think about who you work with. Are you better people when you get around each other? Think about the people who are a part of your church. Are you better people when you're around each other?

That's how it should be. That's the kind of work environment I want to be a part of. That's the kind of Hub Group I want to be a part of. That's the kind of church I want to be a part of.

Why?

I should have posted this yesterday, but why do we totally freak out when there's a dusting of snow on the ground? Why were schools cancelled all day yesterday? Why are the kids going to have to make up the day when it wasn't their fault that school was cancelled (and it wasn't the weather's fault either)?

It's like somebody sprinkled baby powder in my yard and so they cancelled school. I just don't understand. If you can tell me why I'd really appreciate it. :)

FYI: My boys had a fun day off of school and enjoyed playing in the dust.

Lovin' it

I really love this series we've been doing on Sunday mornings called TXT. The point behind the series is pretty simple: I want people to read their Bibles. I have been completely blown away with people's response. It quite possibly could be the most response I've every gotten from a series. KEEP READING!!!

I know it sounds simple, but I think that reading the Bible is one of the most important disciplines a disciple of Jesus can do. Going hand-in-hand, however, is doing what it says. Which leads me to a verse I read this AM out of Joshua 22:5. The Eastern Tribes had just finished their tour of duty helping clear the land west of the Jordan for their fellow Israelites and were now permitted to go back home. Before they left Joshua gave them this instruction: Be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in His ways, obey His commands, hold firmly to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.

What if that verse characterized our lives? What if, when people talked about us, they said things that were in that verse? What if we could be known as people who love the Lord our God, who walk in His ways, who obey his commands, who hold firmly to Him, and who serve Him with all our hearts and all our souls?

It's about hearing from God and doing what He says.

Thoughts on the modern church

I read this on Mark Batterson's blog this AM. It's worth reading:

I think the modern church has fixated on sins of commission. Don't do this and don't do that and you're alright. But that's not alright. Why? Because goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. That is why we're more known for what we're against than what we're for. Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb. It is sins of omission, those things we could have, would have, or should have done for the cause of Christ, that grieve our Heavenly Father. We've got to quit playing defense and start playing offense. We need to quit fighting amongst ourselves and start loving our enemies. We need to quit pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Discipleship is so much more than the accumulation of rote knowledge. It's a sanctified imagination that dreams God-sized dreams. It is a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It's not enough to create our own sub-culture. We desperately need to raise up a generation that feels called to culture-shaping professions as God-ordained vocations. We cannot reduce the gospel to the forgiveness of sins. It's about glorifying God by maximizing our God-given potential and serving our God-ordained purpose. It can't just be about creeds. It's got to be about deeds. It can't just be about us. It's got to be about others. We need the courage to stand up for what's right in a culture where nothing is wrong. But we need to do it in a spirit of humility. We need the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. But we need to do it in a spirit of authenticity. And we need the courage to preach the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But we need to do it in a spirit of grace.

The 5 Rules of Cuddling

I know you've been wondering, well, Matthew (my five year old) just filled me in on the five rules for cuddling.

1. The light's must be off.
2. You have to talk.
3. You can cuddle in a chair or bed.
4. There can be no collapsing (ie. it must be a safe environment.)
5. You have to be snugly and cuddly.

Just in case you're wondering... now you know. :)

So true

One of my fave bloggers is Ben Arment. What he wrote here is so true.

Liz and I have been in Spartanburg for three and a half years. I think that over that time we've been able to develop relationships and put down "roots" that are leading to what we're a part of now. Movies in the Park was (and is) about putting down roots. Friendships are about putting down roots. Roots are key.

It's funny. Malcom Gladwell's new book, Outliers, also shares how sociological factors are key to a persons' success.

The right perspective

Confession time: I get discouraged pretty easily. When things don't go how I think they should go, when expectations aren't met, when there's relational strife... I get discouraged.

Intellectually, I know that this kind of discouragement is stupid. As a Christian I know that my hope shouldn't be in expectations, but in Jesus. But at the same time, I still get discouraged.

But I've discovered something lately. With the right perspective, discouragement isn't able to gain a foothold in my life. When I look at the big picture I don't get discouraged. When I keep the long view in front of me instead of the short term view I don't get discouraged. When I see conflict as the natural part of life and relationships (that's actually healthy if handled the right way) then I don't get discouraged. It's all about having the right perspective... but it's much easier to write about than do.

"...They did not consult the Lord..."

I'm reading through the book of Joshua right now. I love the story that you find in Joshua. Over and over again you see where the people of Israel hear from God and then do what He says (our definition of a disciple). Well, there's this interesting story in Chapter 9 where this group of Gibeonites makes a peace treaty with Israel. The Gibeonites are scared to death. They have heard how Israel has wiped out anyone and everyone in the land, so they resort to deception in order to save themselves. Who can blame them. I'd do the same thing.

They're pretty shrewd folks these Gibeonites. In order to make it appear that they are from a "distant land" they put on ragged clothes and sandals, take dry and moldy bread, and come raising the white flag to the Israelites begging for a peace treaty. Verse 14 says, "So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord."

It makes sense what the Israelites did. They looked at the situation, they looked at the circumstances, they looked at the evidence, and they made a rational decision. All the evidence showed that the Gibeonites were who they said they were and so the Israelites made the logical decision.

The thing the Israelites forgot was that they were God's chosen people. They forgot to bring God in on the decision. "They did not consult the Lord." Ouch.

This is a pretty powerful verse to me because so many times we make decisions based on what we can see. We make decisions based on the evidence that's in front of us. But we fail to "consult the Lord." We're told to "walk by faith and not by sight," but too often we leave faith out of the equation altogether.

This does not mean that we're to be stupid or irrational with our decision making. It just means that there's a God factor that we not only need to consider, but that we need to know and follow. God sees things we can't see. He knows things we don't know.

So what's my point? Don't be someone who fails to "consult the Lord." Don't just live by what you can see. "...they did not consult the Lord...," May that not be said of us.

The New Van

Here it is. The new Everette van. My only concern is, does orange go with gold? Wanna know my favorite part? It's got an auxiliary plug where I can connect my iPod. Yippee!

If you see us driving around be sure to honk, but if you hit us I might have to get violent! :)

Thanks to everyone who prayed that God would provide. Now we just need to find a new location that's the right location for Hub City's gathering.

Excuses

I've been a little slow in the blogging world the past two weeks... but I have a good excuse. First, we've been looking for a new van. We had two that we really liked get sold out from under us. We're still looking. Second, I've be working hard to find a new Sunday AM meeting location for Hub City Church. We've got a number of possibilities, but nothing is for sure. Leaving the theater was not our first choice, but it's not financially responsible for us to stay there right now.

I'd love your prayers over each of these issues. We need a van. We need a new place to gather.

Commentary

Here's the link to the article/commentary that was in the Herald Journal today. There was a really cool color picture of me in the paper that didn't make it to the website... which is probably better for you. And yes, I did quote a country song. Just trying to connect with the culture.

Speaking of the New Years...

I had planned a series of posts that had to do with three New Year's resolutions that you and I need to make, but I can't post them right now. Why? Well, two weeks ago I was invited to be a regular contributor to the "commentary" section of the Herald-Journal's Faith section. I had to send in a sample for editor's approval. Well, the article was my resolution series and they decided to publish it. It'll be in the paper tomorrow (Saturday).

I'm blown away, honored, grateful, and excited about this opportunity. I'll post a link after it goes live online. The only downside is they have to put a mug-shot of my face next to the article. I think that could hurt their image.

The Big 4

Even if you've been in a whole lately, you know about the Big 3. They were the lucky recipients of my money. :) But enough about cars and bailouts. The new year is a great time to evaluate your life. As someone who's passionate about making disciples who make disciples, I thought I'd share four habits that are essential to a growing disciple. I call them The Big 4. They are things that we do as opposed to things that we know. So what are The Big 4? Here you go:

1. Spiritual Disciplines. These are things like Bible reading, prayer, solitude, and fasting (I know, that's a dirty word). In my opinion this is the most important of the Big 4. Spiritual disciplines are essential to being a growing disciple. We see Jesus going off by himself to pray. He takes a 40 day fast before he begins his ministry. We see that he knows the Bible backwards and forwards. This is so important to me that we're going to be spending the first four Sundays of 2009 talking about one specific Spiritual Discipline: Reading your Bible. How's your discipline?

2. Community. You cannot do the Christian life alone. It's impossible. You need a community. You need relationships. We see this modeled in the trinity. We see this modeled in how Jesus discipled the 12. Real discipleship requires real relationships. Who are you doing life with?

3. Service. Most pastors limit this service to positions that are inside the church. And while those are important I think that service is more of a way of life than something you check off each Sunday. It's giving your neighbor a ride, making a friend a meal, helping someone who's less fortunate, plus contributing to the mission of your local church. Jesus did say that he didn't come to be served by to serve. Where are you serving? Is service a way of life?

4. Worship. Worship is a lifestyle. It's arranging your entire life so that it makes God look good. At the same time, however, I think it's essential for disciples of Jesus to worship together on a regular basis. Do you gather for worship regularly?

There you have it: The Big 4. Each is essential to discipleship. But even though each is essential and you can't go without one of the four, I've put them in order of importance... from my perspective. So how are you doing with The Big 4? How about starting the year off with the commitment to develop habits that help you grow as a disciple of Jesus.

Something for the new year

I've been taking some time off from blogging the past week and a half. Maybe later I'll tell you what I've been doing with my time. But I read this passage this morning and think it's a great mindset to have as we start the new year:

16 This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,

17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

And the number is...?

Yesterday, Hub City's entire offering was designated to go to Water Mission International. The numbers have been tallied. The count is in. You gave a total of $687.13!!! If I'm not mistaken, that's the largest offering we've ever taken in. I think that's pretty generous for our small community. Thanks to everyone for giving. What a great opportunity to make a difference in the world.

We're still tallying up the number of first time guests we had during December. We're going to donate $1 for each first time guest to Water Mission International as well.

In the paper... again!

I thought last week's little snippet was all the free press we were going to get, but there's a big article in today's Herald-Journal about our Advent Conspiracy. Pretty sweet! You can read the article here.

I'm really blown away by God's goodness and how he's provided these opportunities and granted us favor. He's provided another really, really cool opportunity, but I can't tell you about it quite yet.

I need to say to the community of people that make up Hub City Church: You all are awesome! It is an honor to be on this journey with you. Isn't it incredible that God has given us the opportunity to be a part of what he's doing in the world. I consider it a privilege to serve with you. It's great to do this with friends.

Watch this video

If you care at all about people going to heaven or hell then watch this video. Penn is an atheist (as he mentions), but is pretty profound in his comments. Love to know what you think.

We're in a season

Have you ever noticed that life is seasonal? It’s not just Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. All of life is seasonal. I was reading and came across these seasons in the life of a church.

Growth season: This is a time when everything is rosy. Attendance is spiking, giving is on the rise, programs are thriving, and the future looks bright.

Consolidation season: The goal during consolidation is to assimilate and support the people who showed up during all of that growth.

Transition season: This could be the result of staff changes, economic uncertainties, or facility issues that leave people feeling a bit off balance and uncertain.

Malaise season: In this season things are unusually somber, stale, and just plain stuck. There’s no buzz.

Reinvention season: This is when the leader announces that it’s time to put every ministry of the church under the microscope and discern whether it needs a face-life, an overhaul or a funeral—a necessary pruning exercise to make room for future growth.

I think it’s good to remember that life is seasonal. It’s also beneficial to acknowledge what season you’re in so that you don’t get stuck there. Each season is temporary (unless you get stuck—then there may need to be a funeral).

When I look at the above seasons I think we’re in two at the same time. Wanna guess which two?

Read this... seriously

Stop what you're doing and read this article. My prayer is the same as Francis Chan's:

May people see our churches and know that mere human beings could not have created what they experienced. May we seek the priorities of the early church and trust God to once again produce the fruit of the early church.

Hub City Christmas Shindig

I need your support

That's right, you need to come support me. I'll be a part of a panel discussion tomorrow night (Wednesday) after the viewing of this documentary. It starts at 7:30 at the Hub-Bub downtown. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity, but could use your prayers. I want to represent Jesus well.

Living Rich For Less - a review

Practical. That’s really the best thing I can say about Living Rich for Less. And when I say practical, it’s a good thing, a really good thing. I was blown away time and time again by all of the doable, easily understandable and practical advice. Everything is based on the 10/10/80 principle. Give 10%, save 10% and live on 80%. It’s a great financial plan to live by.

I especially loved the section on giving. I believe generosity should be one of the defining characteristics of Christians. She suggests many creative giving ideas. It’s worth the price of the book just for that section. But the entire book is helpful, relevant and an easy to read reference for the financially illiterate, financially secure and really, anyone who's breathing, so… go buy the book.

I’ve got two copies of this book to give away. I thought about doing a giveaway, but I’ve come up with a better idea. Since my passion is making disciples,I'm going to pass this on to a couple of families as a discipleship tool. So I’m going to give one book to Chris and Michelle for taking care of the church’s finances and leading the elementary stuff. The other book’s going to go to Josh and Kenzie. Josh is our worship leader and is doing a great job. After they read the book and put the info into practice maybe they'll give it away to bless someone else. Just ask nicely!

B-day time

Tomorrow's Nathan's Birthday. He turns 8. Tonight we're having four boys spend the night to celebrate. Liz and I may need prayer.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 4

I warning you again, you may not want to read this. I've been talking about Lies Christians believe about money. So far we've discussed Lie #1: It's all ours, and Lie #2: God doesn't care how I spend my money. I think I'll end this series with a doozy, one that's sure to incite, anger and offend. Lie #3: The New Testament doesn't command to tithe so we don't have to do it.

This is harmful on many different levels. First, it also flows out of Lie #1. Second, I think it's a poor handling and understanding of both the Old and New Testament's teaching about money. Jesus did say this. And, there's teaching on generosity all throughout the New Testament. Plus, while there are Old Testament laws that are tossed out (food stuff being a big one), nowhere does the New Testament toss out tithing.

I could write a bunch more on this, but my buddy Vince does a better job. He did a series of posts on this very subject last week. You can read them here, here, here, here, here, and here. It's worth your time.

I'm not hopping to start up an argument with these posts. That's a waste of time, mine and yours. What I am hoping to do is to get all of us to handle God's money God's way. Tithing is a part of that. I also know that in no way, shape or form did I deal with all the lies that Christians believe about money, but this is all I have time to address right now.

Root article

Following up the last post, Hub City Church is featured in Root's latest issue regarding Advent Conspiracy. Also, right below the article is a promotion for What would Jesus buy?, a documentary that's going to be shown at Hub-Bub on Dec. 17th @ 7:30. I've been asked to be on a discussion panel after the movie. Pray that I'll be salt and light. And, I'd love to see you there.

Interview

Did an interview this AM with Kim Kimzey of the Herald Journal about our Advent Conspiracy. Gotta love free press. If you get a minute I'd appreciate you saying a prayer for the article. Pray that God will use it.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 3

Yesterday I shared that the first lie that Christians believe about money is this: It's all mine. Here's Lie #2: How I spend my money doesn't matter to God.

Obviously, this lie builds off of Lie #1, but it needs to be called out. God does care how we spend His money. After all, it's His. And Jesus says this about how spending our money an indicator of the condition of our hearts.

Here's where this hits the road for me. I am convinced that if Christians would start handling God's money God's way then in one year we could evangelize the entire world, end poverty, provide homes for all the orphans in the world, give everyone clean water and much, much more.

Can you imagine? If Christians were the ones to step up and end poverty, adopt all the orphans and provide clean water for the entire world, can you imagine the reputation we would have? Can you imagine the influence we would have? Can you imagine how many opportunities we'd have to share the Gospel?

In one year we could change the world. But we, as Americans, think that our money is ours and we can spend it however we want... even when we're richer than 96% of the world's population. Even when there's such death, loneliness and spiritual need. Wouldn't it be cool to do something about that?

Then we can't believe the lie that we can spend our money any way we want. We need to figure out how to handle money God's way.

Warning: You may not want to read tomorrow's post. Just letting you know.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 2

So, what lies do Christians believe about money? Lie #1: It's all mine.

This is a big one. I actually think it may be at the root of whole issue. We live like, spend, and believe that our money is really our money. I hate to burst your bubble, but your money's not yours. Psalm 24:1 says, The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who live in it. That's just one of the verses in Scripture that talks about this.

Nothing we have is ours. It's all a gift that God's given us. All of it: Money, house, cars, stuff, the junk we own, those china dishes that you got at your wedding that you never use, your baseball card collection, your retirement savings, your video games, your income... it's all His.

But He's given it to you so that you can be a steward (one who manages another person's property or financial affairs).

Why do we act like it's ours? Because we're selfish... and by-gosh-darnit, we're American! But it's His. That's the starting point to fighting the lies. It's all His.

Which leads to Lie #2... but that's tomorrow's post. Until then, order and read this book.

Lies Christians Believe about $$$ - part 1

I'm privileged to be able to get free books every once in a while if I promise to blog about them. Well, I got this book in the mail last week and started reading it today. It's very entertaining and I look forward to blogging about it in a couple of weeks. But it got me thinking about money.

I'm going to do a few posts on lies that Christians believe about money. This may develop into a series in the Spring. I'll warn you: I am sure this post will offend some people. Some of you may feel guilty. Somebody may want to egg my house (I shoot back... I promise). My goal is not to offend, make you feel guilty or get my house dirty.

I have strong feelings and convictions about this topic. I think that money, the way we spend money, our attitudes towards money and money's influence and power in our culture are important. I believe that this one issue does more to stunt our discipleship that almost anything else.

So, what lies to Christians believe about money? Come back tomorrow for Lie #1.

Advent Conspiracy Video

I'm really excited about this series. Hub City Church is doing something about the lack of clean water. We're partnering with Water Mission International by giving $1 for every first time guest at our gathering and by giving away our ENTIRE offering from December 21. It's all going to Water Mission International to help develop clean water systems for those who are without. Join the conspiracy.

Advent Conspiracy

I am really pumped about what Hub City Church is doing this Christmas season.

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to ADVENT CONSPIRACY.

We, as a community, want to make a tangible difference in the world this Christmas. So here's the plan. We are going to donate $1 on behalf of every first time guest who attends our Gathering to the Water Missions International. Then on Sunday December 21, we are going to give our ENTIRE offering away to Water Missions International.

Christmas is a time when we remember the extreme generosity of our Heavenly Father as he sent his son to earth. We're conspiring to do our part to model extreme generosity as well.

So, who are you going to invite? Come to our gathering. Do good. What are you going to give? More info to come.

Matthew's Big Night

Last night was Matthew's big night. He was recognized at the Spartanburg District 5 offices and the Holiday Card Winning Artist. That's his artwork on the screen in the background. It was really cool. The school board made a big deal of him. He got a savings bond, his original artwork will be framed and hung at his school, River Ridge, and the artwork will be on all of the Christmas cards that the district sends out. I'm very proud of him! If you're wondering, the people in the picture are the River Ridge principal (Glenda Bigby), his art teacher (Lorie Goode, who went to High School with Liz), chairman of the school board (Butch Coan), and the District 5 Superintendent (Scott Turner).

I've got to brag on Matthew a bit. His art went up against students in Kindergarten through sixth grade from all of the elementary schools in District 5. And, as a kindergardener, he won! That's really cool! Check out the detail on his train (if you can). I was really impressed. I knew he was creative, but he came up with this all by himself. Matthew is a very talented little boy.

Whoa times 3

This quote from Francis Chan is so good: “I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered.”

May I, may Hub City Church, may we not only take the words of Christ literally and seriously, but may our lives reflect it.

7 "C's" of Leadership

I'm almost finished with Seth Godin's book, Tribes. It's a great little read with a ton of wisdom. On page 126 he lists out The Elements of Leadership. I wanted to pass them on as an encouragement for you to lead and a reminder for me.

1. Leaders challenge the status quo.
2. Leaders create a culture around their goal and involve others in that culture.
3. Leaders have an extraordinary amount of curiosity about the world they're trying to change.
4. Leaders use charisma (in a variety of forms) to atract adn motivate followers.
   
5. Leaders communicate their vision of the future.
6. Leaders commit to a vision and make decisions based on that commitment.
7. Leaders connect their followers to one another.
   

I support this :)

I feel a sermon in the making... check this out.

Thought on Dream

We're in the middle of this two week series that we're calling Dream. The premise behind the series is this question: If God had a dream for the church, what would it be? We're looking at Acts 2, the story of the church's beginning, to find the answer.

This AM I read a quote by Henry Blackaby that I wanted to pass on. It has to do with the Church. Enjoy: God established each church as a body of Christ, so that He could continue His redemptive work in the world. When Christ is allowed to function as Head of His church, God can use the body to carry out His will. Is your church working to show the entire earth that Christ is the Head of all things? He also include this prayer: Preeminent Lord of all the earth, mold your church, to reflect You so that Your will may be carried out throughout the world. Oh, Image of the invisible God, start the work of molding with me. Amen.

I got me thinking and maybe it'll get you thinking as well. We want Christ to be the head of Hub City. It's his church. We're the body. He's the head. We also want Hub City to reflect Jesus so that his will is carried out in Spartanburg and around the world.

Celebration

Yesterday was a great day. We had our first baptisms as a new church! We had the privilege of baptizing 3 people(all of whom were males!), one of whom just happened to be my son. It was a special moment for me and for our church. I've got to tell you, the water in the baptistry that we used was about 33 degrees. They didn't turn the heater on until it was too late and boy was it chilly. Definitely an experience to remember. One thing that made it special was that we moved all the chairs out of the choir loft (we did the baptism at Arcadia First... they were awesome to let us use their facility), and hand everyone gather up close, around the baptistry. It was really cool. People cheered, clapped and cried. I think it was a monumental day in the life of Hub City Church. I can't wait for the next one. Here's a picture of Nathan coming out of the freezing cold water!

Two pieces of good news

I've got two peices of really good news to share. First, as some of you know, Liz interviewed for the Clinical Unit Educator's position for Hospice/Home Health this past week. Well, we found out yesterday that she got the job. I am SO proud of Liz. She is amazing and is going to do a great job in her new position. I am so thankful for her.

Second, we just got a call from Matthew's (my second son) art teacher (he's in kindergarten). He designed/drew/created a Christmas card in art. It was sent in with cards from all of the elementary schools in District 5, and out of ALL of the cards, from ALL of the kids, in ALL of the elementary schools in District 5, his was chosen as the winner of the District 5 Christmas card!!!!!!!! It will go out to 2000+ businesses, he'll get a savings bond and be recognized at the district board meeting. I am so proud of him. He is so creative! I'll post the picture as soon as I get a copy so you'll be able to enjoy the masterpiece along with me and district 5. :)

Shut it off

I read this on Tony's blog this AM: Most people in our culture do not know when to stop using technology and start focusing on the person in front of them.

This comes from an interview he did with the author of this book (which I think I would really love to read... hint, hint).

There was something in me that really went "ding, ding, ding" when I read this. We're always checking text messages, staring at our computer, answering our cell phone, doing something instead of giving our full attention to the person in front of us. I need to become better at this. Maybe you do too.

We need you!

I listen to a variety of podcasts on an on and off basis. Lately I've been listening to Matt Chandler from The Village Church. God's really been speaking to me through him. The following quote (I've tried to get it correct) is from a sermon (the sermon title is 39 Weeks) he did using Romans 12 as a text. Read it over and share your thoughts.

In order for me to be all that I'm supposed to be, I need you. In order for you to be what you were meant to be, you need me. In order for us to be all that we need to be in this city and this world for His kingdom then we desperately need one another. We need each other. Let me say it this way: The more spectators we have here the weaker we are. The more people we have who come week after week after week with no intention of anything more than hearing songs and sitting down, the weaker we are. I think this is a Bible-belt issue, but there's a big difference between going to church and belonging to a church. There's not a lot of Scripture that commands you to go to church. There are tons that talk about belonging to a church. It's really hard for you to grow into who you need to grow into without the relationships and sacrificial service of belonging to a place. And for the record, I don't care if it's here or not.

These words really spoke to me because my passion for Hub City is that it's not a church you go to, but a community to be a part of, a people/movement to belong to and we need each other. What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear comments for, against, or otherwise.

The Process - part 4

My passion and our church's mission is to make disciples who make disciples. But that doesn't just happen. It's a process. It's a relational process. Our Discipleship Process involves diagnosing where someone is at and then inviting them to the next stage... and it all happens within relationships. In other words, what I'm sharing with you is relationship based, not knowledge based. Here's the second level:

Connect

I think the best description I can give you is to quote from this book (which you need to read): Connect-level people are those who have moved into a group led by a Disciple-level person (we'll talk about the disciple-level later). The are in a relational environment for the purpose of discipleship. These groups have act as little churches. People learn from one another and love each other while helping to take care of the needs of the group.

It's all about being connected in intentional relationships for the purpose of discipleship. It's not small groups or Sunday school, even though it could be. It must be an intentional discipling relationship.

Are you connected? At Hub City, our Hub Groups are our relational environments for intentional discipleship. We've got a place for you to connect.

FYI: Most Christians in America stay at this level and never move on to being disciples, but there are two more levels in our process.

Convicting

This article is worth reading.

Grill and Chill

This Sunday, after worship at Spartan 16, we're going to head over to Arcadia First for our first Grill and Chill. We'll eat, hang out and get to know one another. Hub City is providing the Hot Dogs, Chili, buns and condiments. You bring a side, drink or dessert. Bring a friend or two or three with you!

After we eat we're going to be having our first baptisms. It's going to be a party!

The Process - part 2

I'm doing this blog-series on our Discipleship Process. The reason why is that my passion and Hub City's passion is to make disciples who make disciples. Over the next few days I'm going to share with you our Discipleship Process. In essence, what I'll be sharing is a ruler/measuring stick for discovering where you are, or someone else is, and where you or they need to go next. It's boiled down to four stages.

Now, before I tell you what the four stages are I need to say that being in a lower stage isn't a bad thing. What's bad is if we stay at that stage and refuse to take the next step in the process. Also, it's not like you can make it past one stage and then you can check that off. Sometimes we slip back. Sometimes we'll have one part of our life in one stage and another part in another stage... thus the reason for calling this a process. Being a disciple of Jesus is a process.

So, let me begin by giving you the stages and in my next few posts I'll start defining each stage.

• Share
• Connect
• Minister
• Disciple

Tune in next time for part 3.

The Process - part 3

My passion and our church's mission is to make disciples who make disciples. But that doesn't just happen. It's a process. It's a relational process. Our Discipleship Process involves diagnosing where someone is at and then inviting them to the next stage... and it all happens within relationships. In other words, what I'm sharing with you is relationship based, not knowledge based. Here's the first stage:

Share

Share level people are those who have either not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior or have accepted Him but have not been connected into intentional discipling relationships with other believers. We passionately want people who are at this level to hear and understand the Gospel and commit to be disciples of Jesus. We then want to see them get connected into intentional relationship for the purpose of discipleship. Everyone needs to be connected because everyone needs to be discipled.

Like I said, there's nothing wrong with being in this level unless you stay there. God's passion is that we become disciples of Jesus who make disciples, and that won't happen if you just stay at a Share level but this is where we all start off.

Tune in next time for Level 2 (that sounds like something from Heroes.)

PS: For more on this you should read this book.

The Process - part 1

Our church's mission is to make disciples who make disciples. If you boil it down, that's my passion too. I want to see people who are far away from God, people who are anti-God, people who are anti-church, people who've been Christians for a long time, all people, become disciples of Jesus who make other disciples.

Disciple making is messy business. I'm messy, you're messy, everybody's messy. It was messy for Jesus. I mean, have you ever notice how many times the disciples just didn't get it? Even Jesus' closest friends abandoned him when things got tough. But as the discipler, Jesus never gave up on his disciples. He also was passionate about making disciples who make disciples (check this out).

So this week I'm going to be doing another blog-series. Hip, hip, horray!!! It's going to be a discipleship series... actually, it's going to be a discipleship process series. I'm going to share our church's discipleship process. It's like a ruler, a measuring stick, to discern where you are (and I am) and then what's next. So what's our discipleship process? Check back tomorrow to find out.

Things I prayed for our church community this week

All week I've been praying this for our church (by church I mean the people, the body, that make up our Hub City community). Just wanted to share and be an encouragement to our church and to encourage you to pray this for your family, small group and church. It comes straight from Ephesians 3:14-21.

• I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources God will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
  
• I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.
  
• I pray that your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
• I pray that you may have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
• I pray that you may experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
• I pray that God will be glorified through Hub City Church.
  

Three things you should pray - Part 3

Here it is, the final installment of my first ever blog-series. I'm sharing three things you should pray so that you will be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God in and through you. A big thanks goes to Craig for shaking me up with these prayers in his book It. May you and I be overwhelmed and overcome by the presence and power of God. Our first prayer was Lord, Stretch me. Our second prayer was Lord, Ruin me. The third prayer is:

Lord, Heal me.

All of us are broken. Most of us are just in denial about it. We need God to heal us. We need God to reach down into our brokenness and heal the wounds that keep us from being overwhelmed and overcome by his presence and power. Will you be honest with yourself for a moment? Do you have a hard time trusting? Have you been burned by church members and find it difficult to have friends? Are you distant from your spouse? Do people tell you that you're a control freak? Do you find yourself on a high wen people brag on you and a low when they criticize you? Do you feel good about yourself when your ministry is growing a depressed when it is not? Do you have a secret sin? Or a fantasy life? Are you overly critical or jealous? Do you feel like you never quite measure up (185)? Ask God to heal you.

I pray that God is stretching you. And I pray that he will ruin you. I also pray that he will heal you. I wouldn't mind you praying the same for me.

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.