Hey NewSpringer’s December 30, 2005

Sarge over at the leadership blog reposted an interview he did with me earlier this year…here is the link if you want to check it out…

Random Thoughts On A Friday Morning… December 30, 2005

It’s Friday–YEAH! I ran five and a half miles yesterday trying to prepare for this marathon thing in June…whew…this is going to be tough.

For pastors/leaders who check out this blog–Mark Batterson hit the ball out of the park with this post concerning “Should the church operate like a business,” check it out here.

One thing I forgot to mention about Tim yesterday–my friend who was in Iraq. He experienced some amazing “church growth” in the middle of a warzone. He began his chapel services with 12 people coming every week…and when he left a year later there were an average of 96 people coming every week. That is AWESOME! He said one of the coolest things he went through was trying to figure out how to arrange the chairs in the tent they were in so that they could get more people inside the place.

I’m excited about this Sunday at NewSpring…we are trying something different–something never done before…and we will be concluding the series “Wonderbread.” On January 8th we are launching a new series entitled, “Lost.”

If you want to laugh about churches not being open for services on Christmas Day there was a dude who actually visited Willow Creek on the 25th and gained some incredible insight…check out his post here–it’s awesome!

Joe, Jenn, and Melea Sangl came into town yesterday and are crashing at the Noble estate. Jenn’s brother, Dan, came along with them as well. Most of you have NO idea who these people are! Joe and Jenn were among the 15 people who helped to plant NewSpring–Jenn was the first church secretary and Joe was an elder. However, they moved several years ago because of Joe’s job–BUT they still manage to make it down about once a year. They are REALLY involved in a church in Indiana and Joe is a FREAK about Dave Ramsey and financial peace.

Anyway–I was able to walk them through the new building yesterday and they were amazed at all that God has done! I know how they feel–I am incredibly overwhelmed every time I go out there.

By the way–we went to Brick City Grill last night for supper–their bread is AWESOME! This afternoon will be Little Pigs for lunch!!!

Oh yeah, lunch yesterday was awesome–I ate at a new restaurant called Barbaritos! (I am so sure I butchered the spelling!) It was awesome–the food and the company…and I was able to share an aspect of our vision for how NewSpring is going to begin to do some incredible community outreach in 2006…it is amazing the vision that God is giving us for what He wants us to do right here in Anderson! I can’t wait to begin to share this with our church!

That’s about it for the day–hope you guys have a safe weekend. I usually try to stay off the roads on New Years Eve because of the inevitable idiot who will load up on booze and then try to drive.

See you guys on Sunday…or on Monday! :-)

Putting Things In Perspective (A few thoughts on the war in Iraq) December 29, 2005

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life–AND it was an incredibly sobering day as well. (NO, Lucretia is not pregnant!!!)

One of the first guys I remember meeting and bonding with after receiving Christ in 1990 was a dude named Tim Wilson. He and I established a solid friendship and even roomed together at Anderson College.

I have often heard it said that, when you get to the end of your life, if you have three good friends left then you are successful. Tim is one of those guys that I know will be there as my friend no matter what–this dude has seen me at my worst–and still likes hanging out with me.
After college Tim went to seminary and then began working in a church in Columbia. Before long he became the pastor of a church here in Anderson called Parkwood Baptist Church. He left an incredible legacy behind–the people at Parkwood still love him!

Tim and I would meet often for lunch–he was actually one of the few pastors in town that liked me. I noticed there was often a restless spirit in him–he was enjoying what he was doing, but felt like the Lord wanted him to do more.

God made His path for Tim very clear in 2002, he decided to go into the military as a chaplain. He was SO pumped about this decision…and I was as well because he said that he knew with 100% certainty that this is what God wanted.

Fast forward now to about 16 months ago–Tim is on leave and is back in the upstate with his family (he is stationed at Ft. Lewis Washington.) He and I are enjoying lunch together and he looked at me and said, “Perry–they are sending me to Iraq.”

I can’t explain how I felt–at that moment I was so proud of him; however, there was a lump in my throat and I became numb all over. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. No longer was the war in Iraq going to be “something else going on in the world,” now it was personal, Tim, one of my best friends in the world was going to be there.

Don’t worry–he survived–we ate lunch together yesterday (at Sullivan’s!) He told me about the year he experienced…and HOLY COW! Here lately I have felt overwhelmed because I have been doing battle with critics on the internet–but Tim has been under mortar fire, under the threat of suicide bombers, and has experienced what sniper fire is all about.

He was stationed in a place that you MAY have heard of if you have been following the war–it’s called Mosul! He experienced things I will probably never experience in my life–33 soldiers in his brigade were killed…and over 180 purple hearts were awarded to soldiers in his battalion.

You may remember December 21 of last year a dining hall being bombed by a suicide bomber in Mosul. Tim was supposed to be in that chow hall–but because of a car breaking down he was delayed and was not able to be there–talk about God’s hand!

The most intense story he told me about was what happened to him on November 11 of last year. He said that was the day that the first soldier was killed in his battalion. He said that he was talking to the medics and praying for the guy who had been shot and it got to the point where he had to walk away.

I asked him what was he feeling at that moment and he told me that all he could do was pray, he said, “God–what have I gotten myself into–I want to go home.” BUT then he said, “Lord, these men don’t need me, they need you,” and upon saying that he had an incredible sense of peace and KNEW that he was right where God wanted him to be. AMAZING!

I learned a lot yesterday–I learned that things don’t have to be peaceful around you in order for you to experience God’s peace; in fact, it is in the times when the fighting is most fierce that His peace can be the more real. I learned that, compared to what he has gone through, my problems have been relatively small.

One more thought before I conclude this post. I have kept up with the war–I still do even though Tim is at home. I care about our troops–I can about the leadership of this country–I care about what is happening over there–and it bothers me the way the media has turned it into a political circus.

Tim told me that what the media portrays to us is nowhere near what is going on. He told me a story of an Iraqi insurgent that shot an American soldier and was then wounded himself and taken prisoner by American forces…but before he was put into prison the Iraqi–the enemy–was taken into an US military hospital and was operated on by American doctors…and right next to him was the American he had shot. The media won’t tell that story. (You can read more about it here–this is an amazing blog!)

Tim, and other soldiers are fighting for America…and we are so guilty of getting caught up in fighting about church styles, theology, football teams…you name it. And all the while men and women like Tim are serving our country, defending our right to speak freely.

EVEN protestors of the war–you may not agree with what America is doing…you may be outspoken…you may hate our government; however, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ then I will say how dare you speak or utter a word of protest if you have never lifted up the leadership of our country in prayer. And the next time you see a soldier–instead of getting angry at him or her…why not thank them for defending your right as an American to speak what is on your mind.

Tim–thanks for hanging out with me yesterday–and thanks for allowing the Lord to teach me so much through you.

An Open Letter To My (Our) Critics December 27, 2005

This is the first and only time I will do this–I started not to–but I feel like it has to be done.

There seems to be several people checking out this blog on a daily basis…and for that I am grateful. Blogging has been one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I love to communicate, both in the written and the spoken word.

There have been many encouraging e-mails since I have beganl; however, there has also been a pretty decent amount of criticism…and to be honest–criticism in its purest form doesn’t bother me (we all need it)–but the WAY it is done does.

Let me share a little bit about myself…

God gave me a passion in 1996 to start a church–I didn’t know when or where–I just knew I had to do it one day. That dream became a reality in 1999…and so there was a core group of about 15 people around me and God used us to begin NewSpring.

We had no concept of what a megachurch was; in fact, we were not even familiar with the term. We didn’t know whether we were predestined…I personally think I was predestined not to care! We had no desires to pretend that we knew it all…ALL we did know was that 48% of the people in our community were unchurched–and we were not satisfied with that.

So on January 16, 2000 we had our first worship service with 115 people. Once again, it was not our passion to get our name in the media…it was our passion to reach people in this community who were going to bust hell wide open if they didn’t hear the Gospel…and we wanted to create an environment where we could present the Gospel in a creative & relevant way.

And wow–God has done amazing things…

GET THIS–our church is NOT perfect…we never will be. If you are looking for reasons to criticize our church–believe me, you do not have to look very far. We have made our share of mistakes–and we will continue to make them…it’s a part of what we do.

And I am NOT the perfect pastor–once again, if you are looking for reasons to criticize me then you do not need to look very far. I made a 790 on my SAT, I have a problem with being patient, sometimes I think before I speak–GUILTY! I am only 34 years old and the phrase that best describes me is “young and stupid!”

There have been some people, especially in the past several weeks, that have taken hard shots at me AND NewSpring…you have attacked me personally & made some pretty BOLD and cutting statements…two things you need to know…

#1 – I will not fight with you–I refuse. You see, I am a follower of Jesus Christ–He is my Lord and my God…and if the same can be said about you then we are on the SAME TEAM…sooooo…we should act like it.

Jesus said that people would know we are His followers by our love for one another…and if a non-Christian saw the way that some Christians go after each other because the other person does not cater to their personal preferences–I think it would drive them away from the kingdom.

I can honestly say as the pastor of NewSpring that we are doing what God has called us to do–the WAY He has called us to do it. And that may not please you–but you don’t have to like it. I settled in my mind back in July when I almost died that I am NOT going to wear myself out trying to please people–especially those who would take a shot at me without knowing my heart for people who do not know Christ.

We may be wrong–God may not be in this at all–and if He isn’t and it all falls apart and burns to the ground one day then I invite you to hold a party and celebrate our demise; however, if this is of God–then you are not fighting against us…you are only fighting against God. (Acts 5:33-39)

#2 – Can We Love One Another?

I said it once–I will say it again–we need to love one another.

I know I speak out against certain things–and I will continue to do so–but I will not take shots at people that I do not know…and I will not try to force them into a theological corner in order to label them (are you Calvinist or Armenian?) I learned–the hard way–that before you take a shot at someone that you should at least get to know them…and if you want to be critical of a particular philosophy then that is ok–but to criticize a person–yeah, that’s Christ like–that is JUST what Jesus would do!

You may call me foolish–you may consider what NewSpring does foolish–but wasn’t it Paul that said as long as Christ is preached then it doesn’t matter?

You see–we ARE reaching people–lives ARE being changed–people ARE being reached–people that were neglected by the church, forgotten, pushed away–we are making a difference in this community–and this is only the beginning of the awesome things God has in store.

(There was a comment on a blog from someone in the community who was upset because they do not attend our church BUT felt like their opinion should matter. I have said it from the stage and I will put it in writing–when your church is perfect–PLEASE come and show us how to run things–but if you would spend more time looking at what might be wrong with your church instead of what might be wrong with ours–maybe the kingdom of God could be enlarged a little bit quicker!)

I am GUILTY! I am SO guilty of reading the critics blogs and then obsessing about them, wishing I could just speak with these people and tell them that they have me all wrong. So from now on it is over–no more. I will not post things here in response to what other people write about me or our church on their blogs. If you see something here and you think it might be a response to something you have said or written–you are SO flattering yourself!

I apologize to NewSpring–I apologized to the leadership team yesterday. No longer will I even be looking at these other blogs. It’s not that I do not care about them–but there are too many people in this community AND in the world that are going to hell…and I do not have time to debate Christians about methodology and endless theological debates and in turn neglect God’s call on my life to reach as many as possible for His sake.

I am sorry for almost turning this blog into a warzone–no more–from now on I will be posting things here that are from my heart–from my time with God–from the mistakes we have made, and from the lessons we have learned.

If you want to stop by–great…if you want to send an e-mail–AWESOME. But if you want to criticize us–then STOP and think for a second–people are being SAVED at NewSpring–I read a letter today from a couple who had a horrible marriage and, as a result of coming to our church, they BOTH accepted Christ and now are on the right track. If you are SO convinced that we are wrong then I would be more than happy to arrange a meeting so you, the critic, could tell them their salvation does not matter because we don’t do ministry “the old fashioned way” or because the pastor “doesn’t have correct theology.”

Saying all that to say this–once again–I love you guys–the critics…and you know who you are! I will not fight–I am too busy trying to do what God has called me to do. You do your work and I will do mine…and if I can EVER help you in any way then please let me know…and I mean that! I have read several of your blogs and you know your stuff–and so do ministry the way God has called you to.

But…and one more thing–do you REALLY think God’s call on your life is for your to tear apart other Christian brothers and sister and their churches because they do not agree with every single aspect of your beliefs? Couldn’t that energy and knowledge be better used fighting the kingdom of darkness rather than the kingdom of God. AND DON’T EVEN try to say that in attacking churches like us, Northpoint, Saddleback, etc. that you are doing battle against the kingdom of darkness–that would be an arrogant thing to say–especially since most of you have never even met and spoken with one of the leaders from these ministries!

Whew! That was it–once again it was the first and last time it will be addressed. Have an awesome Wednesday!

I’m Back In SC! December 27, 2005

What an awesome few days…

The Christmas Eve (and Eve-Eve) services were awesome–we had 4,566 people in attendance and saw several people surrender their lives to the lordship of Christ–nothing, and I mean NOTHING gets me more fired up than to see someone commit to Jesus.

After the 5th service Lucretia and I (and Melissa, my sister in law) piled in the SUV and headed for Thomasville, GA to celebrate Christmas with her family.

Let me say first and foremost that my mother in law is an outstanding cook! Holy Cow! I got up on Christmas morning and went for a five mile run–then came back and waited about an hour before tearing into the turkey and dressing…oh yeah!

When supper time rolled around she offered to make us some shrimp and grits–one of her specialties…but we all refused–we wanted more turkey!

Yesterday began with an intense time in Scripture–God is rocking my world right now in the book of Genesis–especially the story of Joseph. If you have a doubt in the Sovereignty of God then you should check out his story–wow! (There will possibly be a series of messages on this sometime in 2006!)

Anyway–after that was a light 3 and a half mile run that was going along fine until I had this experience with a stupid dog!!! More on that later…

The only thing I do not totally enjoy about visiting T’ville is the fact that I have to sleep on the “marshmallow!” Let me explain…

When we go to T’ville we sleep in Lucretia’s old room…in the bed that she grew up sleeping in as a child. She refers to it as the “fluffy white cloud” and I refer to it as the marshmallow from the pit of Hades.

I will admit that the bed is soft–which is NOT good if you weigh 220–it literally has taken me several minutes just to climb out of it because I seem to sink continually when I lay down in it.
And–like most beds–it was built for SHORT people–I am 6′ 6″ and so my feet hang off the end of it–it is actually quite funny to see me in it.

And then the Lord continues to do a work in me in regards to patience…I was making good time on my way back from Thomasville…right up until I got south of Atlanta–then I hit traffic. Now you must understand–I HATE SITTING IN TRAFFIC! We were literally bumper to bumper for 30-45 minutes–I was nearly going out of my mind. My saving grace was scanning through the stations on XM radio…I found this blues channel that rocked!!!

Last night I was able to sleep in MY BED! (No matter where you go or where you stay–there is nothing like your bed!!!) And today I am going to hit the ground running with a 9:30 staff meeting and then…well…not really sure–we are actually off for the rest of the week–the entire office.

If you came to one of the Christmas services then you saw the anticipated move in date for the new building, February 12. I have handled this a lot different that other pastors and leaders that I know (referring to the move into the building.) I will explain later on this week or next week what I mean.

That’s about it–expect for the fact that my Tigers play at 5:00 today against Colorado. (I’ll give you a guess as to where I will be and what I will be doing!)

Tomorrow’s post is going to be interesting…it is one that I am praying about–and has been on my mind for about three months now…but has taken on a new twist this past week. I am excited about how it is shaping up…and it will be the first AND last time I address what I am going to address. Should be fun!

What I Saw Was Awesome! December 24, 2005

WOW–our first two “Christmas Eve” services are complete…if you want to see pictures you can go here on Ken’s site.

Last night I saw a dream come true–a BAD dream! If you are a pastor then can you identify with the following…(I have literally had this dream…)

You are preaching–or the band is playing–or the choir is singing–WHATEVER–and then all of a sudden something happens–the music leader passes out OR you completely forget your outline OR everyone at the same time gets up and walks out together–expect for the person on the front row that happens to be sleeping! C’mon now–you’ve had that dream, right?

So last night I am standing at the back of the place we are meeting during the second service and our video projectors shut down. This was of major importance to all of us because right after the song that the band was playing we had a video ready.

I sprinted to the stage and after the song was over I went out and welcomed everyone–which was not planned for at that time–but we were winging it! Our crew got the projectors working again & so I prayed and we continued…

UNTIL…the projectors crashed AGAIN…and IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VIDEO PRESENTATION!

The cool thing was that no one freaked out–and what I saw was awesome…

The first thing I saw was our incredible tech team scrambling around to try and discover what the problem was–seriously–there were geeks running everywhere! They were spouting out terms that people like me totally do not understand. They were NOT content with things falling apart…and they were doing their best to discover the problem.

AND–then…and THIS WAS AWESOME…

Then, as I stepped out of our media booth…I saw several of our staff members praying–they were everywhere–in the lobby…in corners, some were in groups and others were by themselves, and they were asking God to intervene & to help us out!

Within minutes the projectors were working again–and they stayed on all night. I was so proud of our tech crew…AND also the staff that felt like “all they could do was pray.” I believe the combination of prayer and hard work made the service come back together–and we saw several people accept Christ last night.

This stands out to me because we must all constantly be in prayer…asking God for wisdom and direction…but then we He shows us what to do we are responsible for the follow through.

I am getting ready for a light workout and then I am going to speak three times today AND THEN hop in a car with my wife and sister-in-law and head to Thomasville, GA. Pray for us as we travel! I will post on Monday night when I get back.

Merry CHRIST-mas!

Sharing The Love December 23, 2005

Whew–it’s Christmas Eve…Eve! Thing are happnin’ around here. I will be posting sporadically next week…keeping everyone up to date on our Christmas adventures and hopefully celebrating Clemson’s bowl win! GO TIGERS!

Mine and Lucretia’s conditions are MUCH better today–again–thanks for the prayers!!!

A few final observations as the week ends…

#1 – Christmas Eve At NewSpring Will Rock!

We are having five “Christmas Eve” services–two tonight at 4:00 and 6:00…and then three tomorrow at 10:00, 12:00, & 2:00.

I believe this is going to be one of the most dynamic presentations of the Gospel we have ever given…it is incredibly creative. Our team has done an excellent job of planning and producing this service…and I believe lives will be eternally impacted because of this.

#2 – Hello To All The Peeps From Chic-Fil-A!

It seems that this post about leadership lessons from Chic-fil-a has gotten some attention from the masters of the chicken sandwich! Hey–I LOVE your chicken–keep it coming!!! And I love the cows–brilliant marketing!

#3 – A Shout Out To Mark

There is a dude in DC named Mark–I have never met the guy–but read his blog just about everyday–this post on leadership is awesome!

#4 – Lee Seeks To Create A Discussion

Our worship leader, Lee McDerment, is a huge U2 fan. However, after attending a recent concert he began to ponder an apparent statement by Bono that seemed to promote universalism–if you want to read more you can check it out here.

#5 – We All Need A Laugh!

Scott Hodge posted this cartoon on his blog–I could not stop laughing…I laughed out loud for so long that people were dropping by my office to check on me!!!

#6 – Tony Takes A Shot!

Tony Morgan made fun of the Christmas controversy with this post–thanks Tony, you made me laugh dude!

#7 – Someone Blew An Earlier Post Of Mine WAY Out Of Proportion!

For those who wonder about what actually happens in the way of criticism on the internet you can check out this post after reading my original post on it here. Sheesh!

#8 – This Was The Best!

Out of all the “rumors” that people have heard that were e-mailed in–the best one was that I have a private jet! Uh, nope! Sorry! I did fly in a friends plane once–it sat four people…and I got sick! But no private jet–when I fly it is commercial. :-)

#9 – THANKS!

The home group that I am in rocks! They all gave Lucretia and I some type of goodies the other night–and to whoever made the chocolate chip cookies–WOW–they are so good that they made me want to smack my grandma! (Relax–that is a southern statement–I would never literally smack my grandma!!!)

#10 – Just In Case You Missed It–Tonight & Tomorrow @ NewSpring Is Going To Rock!

Once again–if you have a friend or family member that does not know Christ–get them to church either tonight or tomorrow!

Merry CHRIST-mas!