What A Weekend!!! May 28, 2006

I just got back from Charleston…wow…where do I begin–oh yeah–Friday…

If you remember I mentioned that I had a “little eight mile run” this past Friday. Well…uh, yeah, you see, what happened was I wasn’t used to running in that type of humidity…and so I did do eight miles…but I thought I was just about to meet Jesus face to face before it was over!

Anyway–this week is a tapering week and I am pumped and ready for the marathon next Sunday! I will give a report of how I feel after the race right here…IF I can type!

After the run on Friday Lucretia and I took off to Charleston, SC (along with everyone else in the world) for a wedding. (Pudge, our elementary school pastor, and Meghan, a singer here at NewSpring tied the knot!)

Let me just say this before going on…why do people drive slow in the fast lane–FOR THE LOVE PEOPLE!!! Sorry…

The rehearsal was fun…and the wedding on Saturday was a blast–except for the mild monsoon that swept through. It was a 3:00 wedding–the grandmothers were seated, and then the mothers, then Pudge, his best man, and the other minister and I went to the front. (Keep in mind this was an outside wedding.)

Right when we were in place and ready for the rest of the wedding party to come forward–the bottom fell out!!! Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen it rain that hard in a while. The cool thing is–nobody moved. I am serious–everyone stayed seated and put their programs over their heads to shield them–which I equate to the Coyote putting an umbrella over his head to stop the boulder from crushing him!

We moved inside…waited…and then came back out and did the ceremony. I thought the rain was a beautiful metaphor of how, though the world will throw storms at us…it can’t stop God’s gift of marriage as long as both people are committed to going through with it…no matter what!

After the wedding Lucretia and I zipped over to Seacoast Church! We had gotten some rain–they had gotten some lightening. And so…they had no power. I was supposed to speak for them…but since they had no power they were planning on doing about a 30 minute acoustic session and then going home. Props to the staff and volunteers down there–wow–these guys were making it happen.

BUT–Greg, the pastor, asked the prayer team to pray so that we could have a “normal service.” The prayed team guaranteed that the power would be back on…and then went and began speaking to the “Master Electrician” who has ALL the power.

Well…a few minutes later the power came back on–oh yeah, who’s your DADDY!?

Let me say this about Seacoast Church and Greg Surratt…these people are the real deal. First of all–I bonded instantly with Greg. I love this guy–he was doing the multi-site thing when no one else was doing it…and they are seeing some incredible things happen all over the state. He is an excellent leader–AND he paid for my meal last night–which makes him a godly man!

I was so impressed with Seacoast…and I had the privilege of walking through their new facilities that they should be moving into in about a month or two! WOW! All I can say is that if you live in Charleston…or nearby…then go and check out their new place when they get in…it was built with VISION and PURPOSE!

The lead team here at NewSpring will be doing a short retreat over the next few days–please pray for us…ask that God would give us the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right! Due to the retreat–I will be taking a blogging vacation over the next several days…but I will be back on Thursday–and I think I will have a new format.

ALSO–pray for me and this marathon coming up…also pray for the people who are running it with me–that we will have a safe trip and do well…the names of the people crazy enough to do this are…

It’s going to be awesome–check back Thursday for an update! :-)

A Few Quick Thoughts… May 26, 2006

OK…if you are in the ministry, know someone in the ministry…or care about someone in the ministry then you have GOT to read this post by Mark Driscoll. It is one of the best blog articles I have ever read in my life–hands down…AND it really emphasizes what I said yesterday about ministers being worked to death in many churches because they are expected to do everything!!!

This was a funny post by Ken Wilson…I can honestly say I do not think I would have thought to take a picture dude–but I can’t wait to see the monster!

The marathon is a week from this Sunday! My last run of any decent challenge will be in about 20 minutes–I will go around eight miles! If you see me–PLEASE DO NOT HONK YOUR STUPID HORN!!! (I am not bitter–really!) Clayton King will be speaking at NewSpring that week…and so you KNOW it’s going to be good–the dude can bring the high, stinking cheese!!!

Don’t forget–www.perrynoble.com will be out of operations for a few days next week until we can get my stuff switched over to wordpress–but you can still go to www.perrynoble.blogspot.com and read my posts…and I will also keep this account.

Have a great weekend!!!

Disappointed May 25, 2006

I am not a 24 fan…yet…BUT I have heard that the season finale was very disappointing. (Don’t tell me anything about it…I am going to try to catch up this summer.)

I did manage to squeeze in the last 10 minutes of American Idol last night…just to see who won, I have three thoughts on this…

#1 – I didn’t realize Prince was that short.

#2 – The people who had the idea for the two finalists to sing the Dirty Dancing song should be fired and never allowed to work again.

#3 – I was disappointed! After all of that searching–that dude was the best? I am sure he is an awesome guy…I just didn’t dig his voice.

And Lost…now I am a Lost junkie…but there is no way anyone who is a Lost fan can say that last nights episode was awesome! It was WAY disappointing…the only REALLY good part was where Hurley thought the bird was calling his name!

We all deal with disappointment in life–it’s a fact; however, I believe that dealing with disappointment over a consistent period of time is not a good thing because, when it comes to church in particular, I have discovered the following formula…

Men and women are dropping out of church in record numbers; in fact, I read some research the other day that said up to six churches per day are closing their doors.

“But Perry, what about all of these new churches I hear about that are being planted?” Once again–not good news–research shows that between 85-90% of them close their doors within five years.

Why is it that people are dropping out of church? Why is it that people would rather work in the yard that attend a worship service? I think the answer is simple–disappointment…and I think the disappointment is on two levels.

#1 – They Receive Nothing Of Value When They Come To Church.

In many churches across our nation Jesus has been put on a shelf and instead of talking about the fact that we suck and need a relationship with Christ, pastors have been preaching about self esteem, the evils of the lottery, why you should vote for a particular party, and why the King James Bible is the only version that should be read.

And then those some people wonder why in the world no one comes to church!!!

I remember as a five year old going to a small Independent Baptist church and listening to the preacher go off on Elvis Presley about once every two or three weeks. Seriously–this dude hated Elvis! I remember thinking, “Why’s he so mad at Elvis–has he even met him?”

So–people are dying and going to hell…and he was talking about Elvis–no wonder we thought 20 people was setting an attendance record.

When people come to church they need practical help with their lives…and that guidance NEEDS to come from Scripture–period! The Bible speaks, in one way or another, to every issue we deal with in life. AND…if churches would stop teaching certain political agendas and legalistic ideology then maybe the kingdom of God could advance!

And one more thing here–God help the church that does not lift up the name of Jesus! I have heard people argue, “But church should be a place where people should feel good about themselves!” Uh–nope–church should be a place where truth is preached–and many times the truth does not make us feel good! AND…if someone is on their way to hell–the last thing you want is for them to feel good about the trip!!!

At NewSpring we have always tried our best to present Christ and Scripture in a way that is relevant to their everyday lives. As the great theologian, Mark Batterson says, “Irrelevance is Irreverence.” AMEN dude! We want to lift up Christ in a creative environment…and we want people to walk away knowing who Jesus is and what Scripture says!!! That is where the value is!

#2 – They Are Not Offered Opportunities To Participate

So many churches in America have adopted the consumer mentality…the pastor and staff does all the work and the people come, sit, give, and then go home. PROBLEM–this is not modeled in Scripture at any time!!!

We deal with this from time to time at NewSpring. I had a guy tell me once, “I can’t come to a church where I can’t have a personal relationship with the pastor.” A few problems here…

One–the church is NOT about the pastor…and if your desire is to get closer to the pastor than Jesus then you need to repent of your idol worship and begin to refocus your theology.

Two–the pastor’s job is not to have a personal relationship with everyone in the church, nor is it to be there anytime someone stubs their toe or has to put their cat to sleep. A quick study of Acts chapter six will clearly indicate that needs will arise in the church…but the leaders must stay devoted to prayer and teaching the word–and the needs will be met by the people within the church!! That’s the biblical model.

This has been a passion of mine since the beginning. I only do three things well–lead, cast vision, and speak. And so I delegate the other things out. I have been told, “But dude, you need to work on the areas you are weak in!” That is by far one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard–it would be equal to telling Tiger Woods, “Hey man, you are a great golfer…but you really need to develop your tennis skills if you want to be a well rounded athlete!”

So what about the needs in the church? Are they important? Yep! Well then who needs to meet them? The people in the church. I have taught for years that a church is not effective when the pastor ministers to the people–but rather when the body ministers to the body.

Work with me here…you’ve seen it…a church hires a young buck and gets him to do everything from unlocking the church to visiting the hospitals to preaching to going to every meeting…and they do it all in the name of Jesus…and should he complain they simply remind him of how much they pay him.

So he lasts about 22 months (the average stay for a pastor) and then either quits, goes to another church, or jumps into a pool of piranha. And what happens when he leaves? The church falls apart–people leave–chaos…because they depended on this one man to meet their needs instead of relying on one another…as the Bible teaches.

Here at NewSpring we have tried to combat that by teaching that everyone matters in this church, that if you are a Christian then you have at least one spiritual gift…and maturity is actually doing something and not just memorizing a bunch of theological points that some dead white guys held dearly.

People sometimes walk into our church and think, “It’s so big–I could never do anything here that matters or makes a difference!” WRONG!!! Our volunteers rock–we could not do church without you guys! AND–when people volunteer–they are less likely to get disappointed, then discouraged….and then drop out!

You have my promise at NewSpring that we are always going to…

#1 – Teach about Jesus! (It’s His church!)

#2 – Teach Scripture (You will never attend our church & not hear someone teach from the Bible!)

#3 – Work our hardest to make sure the presentation is creative, relevant, and excellent.

#4 – Challenge you to get involved!

#5 – Provide opportunities for you to move from area to area until you find your sweet spot.

#6 – Partner with you in reaching your lost friends for Christ.

#7 – GROW!

That’s about it for the day–EXCEPT for this announcement…we are going to be switching my blog over to…well…I don’t actually know what we are doing…it was all nerd talk. Anyway, what I do know is this…

www.perrynoble.com will not be in commission next Monday through sometime on Wednesday; however, you will be able to go to www.perrynoble.blogspot.com and see this blog. Hope this is clear…I was told it would be.

Thanks!

Myths That Make Us Miserable May 24, 2006

My father had a unique way of “making me behave” when I was a kid. Often this included lying–which I believe nearly every parent does from time to time. (”If you do that then this will happen…”)

I remember one time in particular he told me a story that terrorized me for days. It was one of those rare occasions when it snowed here in the upstate. (Southerners go nuts when it snows! It is unlike anything you have ever seen.) Anyway–I wanted to go outside and play in it and for some reason he didn’t want me to go.

Being that I was not the most submissive child I began to get dressed to go outside anyway and he said, “Well, ok Perry…you can go outside–but watch out for the snow snakes!”

I freaked out! I am terrified of snakes! AND I was also at the point in my life that if my father said it then that was the gospel truth. BUT…I had never heard of any such thing as a snow snake…and so I asked, “What is a snow snake?”

“Well, son, they only come out when it snows!”

“Well–do they bite you?”

His answer is a classic in parental manipulation, “No–they jump up your butt and freeze you to death.”

Yes–he actually said that–and yes, I actually believed him! I WAS FOUR!!! I will never forget the terror that consumed me as I thought about a reptile springing forth and freezing me to death by jumping up my rear end.

Needless to say…I didn’t go outside that day; in fact, my parents could hardly get me to leave the house! (Until it was time to go back to school–I was in K-4 at a local Christian school…I went back and told them all about snow snakes…that was actually my first of many trips to the office and my first of many spankings!!!! My mother jumped all over my poor dad for that one!)

The point of that entire story (YES–it’s true) was that certain myths can hold us captive to things that are not true. With that line of thought in mind I wanted to share with you some myths that I have had to overcome…and this will set some people free and really tick some others off…so here we go…

#1 – A Christian Should Only Listen To Christian Music

I remember buying into this one hook, line and sinker! There was a dude who traveled around, mainly in the upstate, who played records backwards and convinced me that Queen wanted me to smoke dope and that if I listened to “Another One Bites The Dust” that I was destined to be a drug addict.

During this same time a dude I really admired told me that he NEVER listened to secular music. So–instead of seeking Scripture on this one…I sought to do what every good legalist does–take a minor–make it a major–and then bleed and die over it!

In my first youth group and convinced them to burn their CD’s and tapes of Garth Brooks and Nirvana and begin listening to Carmen. (I have since repented–I am deeply sorry!)

I have to be honest–when I listen to Nickelbacks’s “Savin’ Me” and “Fix You,” by Coldplay–I worship the Lord! These songs DO actually bring me closer to Jesus–they make me think about Him!!! Where in the world did we ever get the idea that it is only right for a Christian to listen to something if it was written before 1850 or if it was performed by Michael W. Smith?

Use discretion here–but I don’t see anywhere that the Bible says that we can listen to music that is played by a secular group. (And please save your, “do not love the world” e-mails. If that is your stance–then get rid of your car, your air conditioner, and your inside plumbing–none of them are in the Bible…they are of the world!”

#2 – A Christian Should Not Watch Television

Yes–there are those that say that this will corrupt the mind! I admit that there is some funky stuff on TV that I do not watch…but dude–if you take LOST out of my life–I think I might go crazy! (Yes, I am watching it tonight!!! NO–I do not like American Idol!)

I actually saw on another website about a month ago a dude take a shot at me concerning me watching Lost. He actually said, “I don’t watch that stuff…instead I sit on my couch and read my Bible…and Mr. Noble should to!”

Several problems here–the first is I don’t know where you live….the second is I might not like your couch…the third is that I do read my Bible, but happen to connect best with God in the AM hours…and fourth, with THAT type of attitude–you are a legalist–there is actually a secular song that describes you, “Well I guess you like to think that your don’t stank….”

Folks–as with music–use discretion in this area…I would say a Christian should not watch CERTAIN things on TV such as porno or something like Sex in the City…those are just not good things to think about in general; however, to make a blanket statement that all Christians should throw the TV out of the house…well…its just not Biblical.

#3 – Christianity Is A List Of Rules To Be Followed

I remember when I received Christ and being told of the freedom I know had…

Then I began meeting people who told me all of the things I HAD to do…”Here is a Bible, read it 30 minutes a day, memorize at least three verses a week, here is how to pray–make sure you do it at least 30 minutes a day, here is a list of the things you can and cannot say, and you MUST vote Republican…” Many of you KNOW the drill!

So…I spent the first eight years of my walk with Christ learning how to be a good legalist instead of falling in love with Jesus!!!

Folks–Jesus died to set us free! When I realized that I actually WANTED to read my Bible–I actually WANTED to pray…and I don’t do it because I HAVE to–I WANT TO! I owe Him my life and it is my passion to let Him shine through me.

I challenge people with this all the time: Find out what causes you to connect and fall in love with Jesus…and do it A LOT!!!

#4 – In Order For A Church To Grow It Has To Be Liberal In It’s Theology

Funny story–a lady this morning at the track was finishing up her run just as our marathon crew was. We invited her to church and when she asked where we told her NewSpring.

She had NO idea who I was…and so she said, “Yeah, I have heard of your church and I thought it might be more liberal that I wanted…but I hear your pastor teaches straight from the Bible and deals with issues head on.”

Yep–she got it right!!! If a church is going to grow it has to have a high view of Jesus, a high view of Scripture, a radical love for people…and a desire to get those people to a place where they can hear Scripture taught in a creative and excellent way so that they can hear about Jesus!

I tell people here all the time–NewSpring is solid theologically–we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We believe He is the only way to heaven. We believe in a literal heaven and a literal hell. We believe the Bible is without error. We believe that God’s plan was to set up the church to reach the world through the message of Christ. Yes–we believe this stuff!

Those are some of the myths I have overcame in my sixteen years of walking with Christ…hope that helps!

Two Posts In One Day! (Quick Question) May 23, 2006

So we have two more runs left here in Anderson before our marathon. (Actually we have three–but one is only two miles!)

So…anyone want to run with the marathon crew? We meet at Anmed at 6:00 AM and we are doing 6 miles on Wednesday and 3 miles on Thursday! Come on a give it a try–trust me, we are NOT setting speed records!!! It will be fun!!!

Money May 23, 2006

I remember thinking when we planted NewSpring that I would never teach on money; after all, that would be highly offensive and extremely personal.

I have since repented of my stupidity and teach on the subject at least three times a year.

Why? Plain and simple–people have money problems! It’s a fact–everyone of us has made at least one dumb financial decision in our lives…you might be driving it…you might be living in it…you could be reading this blog on it! (You did not make a wise financial decision if you are making “the minimum payment” on your computer!)

AND–hold on now–the Bible has more to say about money that it does on the subject of prayer and faith combined!!! I personally believe the reason so many people are so screwed up financially is because God’s word has been ignored when it comes to money!

Please keep reading–this is NOT going to be one of those prosperity deals where I ask you to send in money and in return you will receive a poster of me and a handkerchief that I have wiped my sweat on! I hate that stuff…HATE IT! God’s desire is not to make you rich–it’s to make you HOLY! And so I am not into the health and wealth thing.

However, I am NOT into the “all Christians must be poor, miserable, and only watch G rated movies” camp either. I think Christians should live blessed lives…and I think financial blessings are a part of being blessed by God.

Folks–here in America we have money!!! We live in a land on abundance…seriously–it bothers me that obese people declare they are living in poverty! Only in America!!!

So money isn’t the issue–it’s how we spend it!

When we first started NewSpring we didn’t have financial support from other churches. (I don’t really understand that–if God has called you to start a church then go do it and quit waiting on some other church to come in and foot the bill for you…either you trust God or you don’t!!!)

And so, because we didn’t have the support from other churches (we never asked) and because our audience was made up of mostly college students and pagans…the offerings were usually very low. (The first month we existed we took in $2,600…for the entire month!)

I was getting angry–angry at God–angry at the people coming, “Hey God–why aren’t they giving?” It didn’t take long for Him to show me that the reason they were not giving is that they hadn’t been taught to give.

So I did a sermon on money–to be honest, preaching on hell was much easier!!! When you begin talking about money it hits people…and it stings. I got accused of being money hungry and all of that…and you will to if you teach on money. (What I have found though is the people who get mad when you teach on money are the ones who are not giving any money!)

And what I found happen was two fold–

#1 – Our offerings began to increase! It’s simple–once people knew what God expected of them they actually began to respond.

#2 – People began to mature as believers. Once again, it’s simple–you cannot be a fully devoted follower of Jesus if you are not worshipping Him with your money! Don’t get mad at me…that fact is all throughout Scripture!

Pastors–you HAVE to teach on money–BUT PLEASE–be biblical about it…here are some basic facts I cover…

#1 – Everything belongs to God…it’s not that I have to give 10%…but rather He lets me keep 90%.

#2 – If you are not giving a tithe then the Bible says in Malachi 3 that you are robbing God!

#3 – God clearly does bless people who give…and the ways He blesses are NOT just financial. (Though at times they are.) Once again I maintain a balance here.

#4 – God expects you to be a good steward of you finances–STOP buying things you can’t afford! Here I say things like “clothes for your children are more important than a cell phone!”

#5 – Giving 10% is just the beginning–what are you going to do with the other 90% to enlarge God’s kingdom.

Those are just a few basics thoughts on it…oh yeah, except for this…we usually hire from within here at NewSpring…but we will not hire someone who does not tithe. Jesus said that where your treasure is there your heart will be also–and if there treasure is not coming here then we know there heart is not here…and we would never hire someone who’s heart isn’t here!

One more thing…for those who want to debate that tithing is OT and we are under grace now…please save your e-mail. If you think that because of grace that we are free from any responsibilities of fully worshipping God with all that we have then I would say you have some screwed up theology.

Yes–in the OT they gave 10%…in the NT they gave it all!!! One who is truly seeking the Lord will NEVER try to just do the minimum–EVER!

Money is an issue in everyone’s life! If you have money issues–I always offer the fact that we provide free financial counseling here at NewSpring. There has literally been hundreds of people take us up on this service…and it has helped so many. If you need help in the area of managing your money–give us a call.

BUT…

You must be willing to change some things. We are not going to write you a check…BUT we will show you how to live on what you’ve got. Now you may have to sell a car, downsize to a smaller home…and cut up some credit cards–but the fact is you can live and live nicely!!! If you don’t believe me…call!

I Think I Am About To Explode! May 21, 2006

WOW…I have so many thoughts running through my head right now that I can’t put them into order…but I will try–

Lucretia and I were on vacation this past week–it was SO nice. We spent some time in Panama City Beach, Florida! Everyone always asks, “So what did you do on your vacation?” Which is a weird question in my opinion–we were on vacation–so we did NOTHING! Isn’t that the point of a vacation? OR…are you the type of person that, when you come home, you need a vacation to recover from your vacation?

I have to say this–I am more excited about church than I have ever been before! I came home today after the first two services and tried to take a nap…which is what I usually do on Sunday’s! BUT…I could not sleep! All I could do was to pray and thank God for what He is doing!

There are less than 500 churches in America today that are running over 3,000. Please read that sentence again and let it sink in! NOW–keep in mind that NewSpring is among those churches–and we are in ANDERSON, SC!!! Not Atlanta–not Dallas–not New York–not Boston–but ANDERSON, home of the redneck festival also known as the jockey lot!

Like it or not–this could only be God! He is making a name for Himself right here–and the best is yet to come. If this is what He has done in six years without us having our own facility–just think what is going to happen now that we are in our own place!

Clayton King spoke at NewSpring today and was incredible. I love it when Clayton comes to speak–he loves Jesus and preaches straight Biblical truth–and God honors that every time! He will be back in a couple of weeks!

I am reading Mark Driscoll’s new book and will be posting a review on it soon…let me just say that after reading the first two chapters…OH MY DANG! If you are a pastor or church leader then GO BUY THIS BOOK TODAY and read it! I can’t put it down…which is saying something for me because I have ADHD!

Oh yeah–remember Granger…the church I blogged about several months ago…the one that got national media attention with their mylamesexlife.com series? Well–it seems that God was in what they were doing after all! They had a plan–a strategy…they used the series to get people in the doors…and then THIS happened! YEAH GOD! AND YEAH Granger for listening to God instead of the critics!

Mark, once again, hits the ball out of the park with this post!!!

AND last but not least–pray for my friend Gary! This post is proof that his heart is not right with the Lord. He is bitter about UGA being ranked so low–uh Gary, two words for you my friend–WEST VIRGINIA! You guys let a team from the “Big LEAST” come in and walk all over you in your own back yard–you guys are lucky you are even ranked in the top 50! It looks like you guys will be back to “business as usual” this year–being the whipping boys of Florida and UT!