More On DC January 31, 2006

WOW–just met Mark Batterson…more on that later…

Scary moment–wow–Jason and I wandered into a restricted area…and with security being tight up here that was not a good thing–I knew we might be in a little trouble when the dude with the rifle took his gun off of saftey…uh, yep–I almost messed my pants.

Fortunately we made it out of there with no wounds of any kind. I am getting ready to put the suit on and then head out for a buffet. Not bad–suit–but buffet–I guess I can make that trade!

DC Is Great!!! January 31, 2006

Jason Moorhead and I are here in DC & about to go on a tour of the Capital…awesome! I can’t wait…I’ve never been inside the capital so I should have a story or two to tell when I get home.

Speaking of getting home–our flight was delayed getting here last night…I am not a fan of US Air…more about that later!

Back to DC…

We had lunch here in one of the House buildings–I think everyone had on a tie but me and Jason. I did bring a tie to wear to the State of the Union address tonight…but I am NOT putting it on until the very last minute.

Oh yeah, I worked out at an awesome gym this morning…I don’t exactly remember the name of it…but it was supposed to be $25 a day for a guest…I told the manager, “Look dude, I am a redneck from South Carolina who just wants to sweat a little–hook a brother up,” and he GAVE me a FREE three day membership–that’s awesome!

More later–got to go for now…I think “W” needs my assistance. :-)

It’s Going To Be An Awesome Week January 30, 2006

I can’t describe what I am feeling inside right now! I was up at 4:30 this morning READY for the day! I want to hit and move regarding several things today…

#1 – Yesterday was off the charts! What an awesome service–especially last night! For those who were not there–we had a few “issues” to deal with. About 4:45 a squirrel decided to see what an electrical transformer was all about–long story short–he “bought it,” thus knocking out about 1/3 of the power where we meet.

BUT–the power was restored about 5:30…and all was great…until the fire alarm went off–and kept on and on for about 10 minutes. (There was no fire…but have you ever noticed no one gets worried when a fire alarm goes off? I guess we all remember those fire drills in school as a kid!)

God is at work…and in my quiet times for the past several weeks I keep hearing Him say, “This is only the beginning!!!

I mentioned the statue rumor yesterday as well–and everyone LOVED it! (See Thursday’s post)

#2 – I am taking a trip out of town today…it’s really a once in a lifetime opportunity! I was offered a seat in the gallery for this little speech that is going to be given by a pretty important guy…you can see it if you want…it will be on nearly EVERY channel tomorrow night around 9:00 and it’s known as the State of the Union Address. No–I am not making this up! Yes, I am excited!

The only thing that isn’t that exciting is the fact that I actually have to wear a suit. YES, I do own one! And yes, pictures will follow to prove that point.

#3 – People have been asking are we going to do a building dedication at NewSpring. Folks, the building is already dedicated–it was dedicated before the earth was formed. I know, I know, usually a church gets together and pats itself on the back, let’s the contractors and architects speak, acknowledges the big givers…you know–all that crap! (Yes, I said crap–I meant it!)

We don’t have time for that. We will celebrate being here–trust me, it’s going to be awesome; however, we refuse to take one Sunday off from ministry. Will we thank God–YEP! But we will have church the first Sunday in our building–the Gospel will be preached and lives will be changed and God will get the glory for it all!

Remember–the building is NOT our destination…it is our next place in our churches spiritual journey and will be a major tool for us in reaching this community. Often I hear, “That church just wants to build a big building.” Well–we have a big God with big dreams and a big passion to reach this area for Christ…and if we do what He wants us to do then this building will actually be considered small compared to the next one we are going to need as He draws people to Himself!!!

#4 – It looks like I am going to get to meet up with this guy while I am in Washington…I’m stoked–this dude seems to be a creative genius…and a little on the abnormal side…I like him already!

#5 – Marathon training is going well–we have a nine mile run coming up this Saturday and I can’t wait!!! (I know, I’m not right in the head–I never claimed to be!!!) We did five and a half this past Saturday and it was easy compared to what we had done the previous two.

But I’ve got to admit there was a MAJOR issue I struggled with on the run…you see, we run right by Chic-fil-a…right about the time when they are cranking out biscuits left and right…and the smell–oh wow, I wanted to run in there so bad and steal someone’s biscuit…but I managed to hold myself back.

That’s about all for now–I will try to keep you posted as to what is happening in DC.

Let Them Talk! :-) January 26, 2006

(To the daily readers who may have thought I forgot about posting yesterday…I did post…but it was late–you can scroll down and read if you would like…now, on to today’s topic.)

Home groups last night was awesome–we tackled the second chapter of James. Our fearless leader, Allen, walked us through some pretty deep discussion…my head was hurting by the end of the evening.

During the last few minutes of our group, someone mentioned that they had “heard” two things this week concerning NewSpring…

#1 – That we are a cult. WOW–I have NEVER heard that one before. (wink-wink)

And–oh wow–this is awesome…are you ready for it…

#2 – That the new building is going to have a statue of me in it. Darn–there goes our big surprise for opening weekend–the unveiling of a statue of me. (In case you are wondering…there will NOT be a statue of me–EVER…I do not know where in the world this came from.)

The statue thing made me laugh…OUT LOUD…in fact, I am laughing right now. What in the world would that look like anyway? Gross!

I used to get REALLY fired up about these comments. I remember on one occasion actually picking up the telephone to call a local minister, and was going to give him a piece of my mind–until I realized that I could not afford to give any of that away! :-)

Seriously, I used to want to fight–to defend what is going on; however, I am seeing a pattern establish…and it is becoming more and more frequent. If you are a pastor or a church leader–hang in there with me on this one.

I have had several conversations over the past week with people who come to NewSpring. These talks have began with them telling me how much Jesus is doing in their lives, and how thankful they are for our church. When these conversations take place, I ALWAYS ask, “So how did you wind up coming to NewSpring for the first time?” The answers I have gotten over the past week have all been…

“Well, I heard so many negative things about this church that I wanted to come and check it out for myself.”

“I wanted to come and see what the cult was about.”

“You guys were growing so fast that I knew you had to be doing something wrong–so I came to see what kind of screwed up theology you were teaching.”

“Well, my kids loved it…and I figured that if my kids loved church that you guy HAD to be doing something wrong.”

So it hit me like a ton of bricks last night–don’t fight with negative people. Don’t argue with people who are “going off” on our church–let them talk…because–GOD IS USING ANGRY, BITTER Christians who think they are tearing down His church to actually build it up. Isn’t that awesome?

Right now there are hundreds of people who had heard so many bad things. came to see for themselves, and have been engaged by Jesus at some point in the service and are now more in love with Him than ever before.

So let them talk…let them say we do not teach the Bible…and when someone comes to see it for themselves they will realize that have been listening to a foolish person who has no idea what they have been talking about. Let them say that we do not care about children…and when they come they will see that we put just as much time, energy, and money into our kids than just about anything else in our church. (Except for the “statue fund,” of course!)

If people are talking about our church–whether it is positive or negative–at least they are talking about church…and God is using that to draw people here and change their lives. So it’s not a bad thing. I usually say to people who have something negative to say, “Have you ever been?” The answer is usually “no.” And then I reply, “You ought to check it out something.” And then leave it all in the Lord’s hands. No fights…no arguments…just put out the invitation and let it go.

Hope this helps…

Marathon Update:

We did a four mile run yesterday and a three mile run today. I designed a course with a lot of hills…and by the end of it I was really mad at myself!

HOWEVER–today at the end of the run I believe the Lord spoke to me in an incredible way. I nearly had to take my shoes off because the ground I was on almost seemed holy. You see, a “Blue Bell Ice Cream” truck pulled out in front of me…and I believe that was the Lord telling me that it was ok today to consume large amounts of ice cream!

Clemson peeps–see you tonight @ FCA…I am wearing some “special shoes” in honor of you guys!

AND…if you want a good laugh…check out this post from Mark–it about made me spit my coffee on my monitor.

I’m Not Responsible January 25, 2006

I had a talk with a guy the other morning in the parking lot of the Y. I have seen some dudes who were hurting before–but this guy was broken…and not over anything he had done…but over something that a guy he was in the process of mentoring had done. He kept telling me, “I keep trying and trying and he just won’t get it…I am a failure.”

That’s when I had to step in & tell him that we are not responsible when other people make bad decisions.

I learned this lesson when I first went into the ministry. I remember the early days–doing the whole youth ministry thing…seeing teenagers come to church–we would go to camp–everyone would cry and say how they were going to live for Jesus…and that they MEANT IT this time…but deep in my heart I wondered how long things would last.

If you have been there then you know the story…we would come back and then one would start partying with their friends, another would get into a dating relationship with someone they had no business with…and I would hurt for them…and I took it personally–I felt like a failure so many times because of bad decisions that other people made.

(I am sure there might be a parent or two out there that struggles with this same thing!)

And then I heard a statement from someone…I am not sure who…but it was a Christian leader, and he told the people he was speaking to, “I am responsible TO you–but I am not responsible FOR you.”

I can’t tell you how that set me free!!!

As a leader, I am responsible TO the people I lead. I am responsible TO the people I have the privilege to speak in front of every Sunday at NewSpring. I MUST teach the truths of Scripture…I must study…I must prepare…I must do my part. I am responsible for all of those things…

…however…

I have finally came to grips that if someone hears sound doctrine and then chooses not to apply it…I am NOT responsible for that.

I can’t live everyone’s life for them–God knows I have enough trouble trying to live my own. I believe one of the biggest mistakes a Christian leader (or a parent) can make is when they lay it all out on the line & teach what is right and then take it personally and feel like a failure when someone goes against what is right.

We can tell people the right decision to make–but reality is we can’t make that decision for them. And that, my friend, does not make you a failure–it makes you a human being!

I am not sure if that helped anyone…but it did wonders for me!

Doesn’t The Bible Seem Difficult At Times? January 24, 2006

Got your attention?

The home group I am participating in (which is the most awesome one ever) is going through the book of James right now…and a few weeks ago we began in chapter one. DUH!

James is a challenging book in itself…but there are two verses in the first chapter that bother me–I mean they REALLY bother me…it’s a pretty easy verse to memorize…but extremely hard to apply, here we go…

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20

Don’t you just hate that? And don’t go “holier than thou” on me–no one, I mean NO ONE reads those verses and goes, “yes–I WANT to do that right there.” Don’t get me wrong…I think it’s a great idea…it totally makes sense…but it goes against everything that is within me as a human being–let’s walk through it, shall we?

Be quick to…LISTEN! WHAT? How hard is it to listen when you are sitting in a room, maybe a meeting, and someone says something that you KNOW is wrong…you feel your temperature begin to rise…you lip starts to quiver…you MUST say something and so you do–and don’t even let the other person finish making their point. You immediately feel a sense of relief…until the person looks at you like you are stupid and says, “I was getting there before you interrupted me.”

(What I find is that many times I have stopped listening and am preparing my argument against that person–so if I don’t blurt something out…I have cut them off in my mind.)

This is especially challenging in a marriage for the men. I heard it said once that “women are sensors, men are solvers.” Women want to express their emotions…they want to give the man insight into how they are feeling–the man, who does NOT like this part of the verse, simply wants to solve the problem…and so when she is halfway through the story he quickly lists several things she can do to make her world a better place to live in–but in reality all she wanted him to do is listen because she has the answer figured out.

“Slow to…SPEAK.” WHAT? This is tough…and it sort of ties in with quick to listen…many times we want to be quick to speak because we think we have the answers. I get very nervous around people who are always quick to speak. And all leaders have this issue to work through at one time or another.

“Slow to become…ANGRY” WHAT? I don’t want to be slow with my anger…I want to be fast. When someone pulls out in front of me…I want to be angry RIGHT THEN! I don’t want to consider that they might not have seen me. I don’t want to stop and think about the fact that they might be in a hurry to get somewhere. I don’t want to stop and think about the fact that they could have 5 kids in the car and they just want to get home as quickly as possible! I want to be angry!!!

But Scripture tells us we need to be slow with our anger…it doesn’t say anger is wrong…but that it needs to be a process so that all things can be considered.

I have had to learn that unjustified anger does not lead to righteousness–ever.

Just some insight into my world today.

Marathon update: More people joined us for the run today…we actually had two dudes show up today–the men are stepping up! YEAH!

So What Is God Up To? January 23, 2006

I can’t get the thought out of my head, “two more weeks at Anderson University!” It doesn’t seem real…even as I sit here, right now in my office at the new building…even as I sat there and watched the construction workers doing their thing–it just doesn’t seem real.

I was amazed yesterday and the number of people that came to church–God is truly doing some amazing things among us. One of my favorite things that Jesus said was the fact that He is always at work–always–whether we see Him or not–He’s at work.

And we have seen Him work among us for the past six years in amazing ways.

And so in two weeks we are moving into our very own facility. God is truly stirring the heart of this community…and I believe that HUGE things are on the horizon. I want to communicate again and again that our goal was NEVER to build a huge building…but to provide a place where ministry can take place–a place where God can engage people and literally bring them from death to life…and place where we can worship…a place where we can experience fellowship with one another!

Anyone who has visited NewSpring knows that God is at work–to deny this fact is absurd skepticism. We understand that we are not everyone’s style–but the Gospel is being preached and we are seeing fruit.

However, what is amazing is that it is not just us. Check out this post from Gary, this one from Tony…and then this one from Scott. All three were posted yesterday…it seems that God is up to something…He’s stirring the heart of not only the people here in Anderson–but people all across the United States.

I personally believe He is drawing people back to His bride…the local church. I believe that He is allowing people to see how beautiful she is. I believe the church has an opportunity to shine brighter than ever before. And I believe that no matter who rises up to condemn this move–that they will be silenced…and the church will live on!

I celebrate with the guys I mentioned above…gentlemen, I REALLY am excited about your ministry and the work that you are doing. Thank you for posting what you did–God is at work…He is active…and the evidence is clear. Once again…something huge is on the horizon…and I believe that we are about to see God do some things that will blow our minds, right here in Anderson and all across the world!

He’s always at work!

In other news…

To my Clemson peeps–I will be speaking at FCA this Thursday night…I hope to be able to meet some of you.

Marathon training is going well…the crew ran seven miles this past Saturday–IN THE RAIN! WOW…I love running in the rain…one of my best runs ever was in a thunderstorm…lightening was flashing all around me–it sort of gave me a sense of urgency! :-)

I heard that Campbells Soup made a one million dollar donation to the University of South Carolina. Their reason…they have been searching for creative ways to make chicken fall apart in a bowl…and with what happened in USC’s game versus Missouri they said that they are now years ahead in their research development.

More to come on this later–but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE…if you are a NewSpringer…we need to you make an attempt for the next couple of weeks to either come at 8:30 or 6:00…we have been slammed at our middle services–which is NOT a problem…but we want to try to create as many open seats as possible. Come on–8:30 for two more weeks–you can do it!