Archive for September, 2006
Random Thoughts… September 29, 2006
This Sunday–uh, you don’t want to miss it–it will be INCREDIBLE!!! I promise you that 99.9% of those in attendance this coming Sunday have never seen what they are going to see!
We have received a couple of e-mails this week asking if this is a good week to bring someone to NewSpring for the first time. I love it…people want the church service to be meaningful and relevant and are doing their homework because they care for their unchurched friends and family. BUT…let me say this–every week is a good week to bring someone to NewSpring…who do you need to invite today–remember–someone is only one invitation/conversation away!!!
The Carolina Gamecocks got close last night. You know, that’s sad…because I know I am going to see USC fans this weekend who have smiles on their faces & they are going to say things like, “We came close–we almost won…” That makes me sad…you know your team is in bad shape when you get excited about ALMOST winning. :-)
My home group got into a predestination versus free will discussion last night…I would just like to say that Lucretia is the one who started the discussion…and she and another person were going back and forth…it was VERY interesting…I still don’t care about the debate…I can argue either side persuasively…but it was fun to get into this talk last night and then walk out of the room still friends with those who disagreed with one another.
It’s getting cold again…I love that…my coffee consumption will increase; however, I will not eat less ice cream during the winter. Some people do and I love that–it means more for me!!!
First Wednesday is this Wednesday! Uh, yeah…it’s looking like it could be one of the best ones yet!!! NO, I am not just saying that. There are so many people in this world that deal with guilt and shame regarding their past–we will take a look at how Jesus feels about someone who has messed up really bad in their past this Wednesday night!!! If you have ever struggled with this–you NEED to be there.
And LOST comes back on this Wednesday–yes, I will watch it!!! I can’t wait! (I actually had someone who does not attend our church e-mail me once and tell me that I would probably be more godly AND a better pastor if I did not watch Lost & instead I read my Bible for that hour…I wrote him back and told him that he was obviously more godly than me…and instead of trying to catch up with him that I would just continue to watch “Lost.” :-) )
Have a great weekend…GO TIGERS!!! SEE YOU ALL ON SUNDAY!!! INVITE SOMEONE…AND DO NOT MAKE PLANS FOR SUNDAY NIGHT–YOU WILL FIND OUT WHY ON SUNDAY MORNING!!!
Kitchen Scissors & God’s Purpose September 28, 2006
Lucretia has this thing about having a pair of scissors in the kitchen. When she was growing up her father worked in construction and would always take the scissors out of the kitchen with him to a job sight–thus frustrating the family because they could never go to the kitchen and find the scissors.
So…she explained to me the necessity to have a pair of scissors in the kitchen…and she instructed me that they should stay there at all times. And…like a good husband…I obeyed her!!!
So one say I was playing my guitar in the kitchen and a string broke…which presented me with a problem…if I wanted to continue to play I would need to put a new string on.
I had some time that day & so I decided to change all of the strings…but…I could not find anything to cut the strings with to get them off of the guitar.
All of a sudden I had this thought, “Hey–I am in the kitchen…I will use the kitchen scissors–that will be perfect.” I continued to rationalize the idea by telling myself that as long as I didn’t leave the kitchen that I could use the scissors for changing my guitar strings.
Uh–memo to all guitar players who change the guitar strings in the kitchen…kitchen scissors are NOT the best thing to cut guitar strings with.
Needless to say I completely warped the scissors…they were mangled when I finished the task of changing my strings…BUT…I didn’t leave the kitchen with them.
That night I told Lucretia about the incident…and I showed her the scissors. Husbands–she gave me “that look,” you know, the one that says, “I am really trying hard to love you right now…I want to…but sometimes you make it hard by being stupid!”
Come to think of it…I get that look a lot! :-)
I told her that the scissors never left the kitchen…and to my surprise…that didn’t calm the situation at all. She went on to explain to me that even though I had kept the scissors where they were supposed to be…I had not used them for their proper purpose and because of that they were now warped and damaged.
As I think back on the great kitchen scissor debacle of 2000 I am reminded that just like I used those scissors for the wrong purpose…and in doing so I messed them up…we can do the same in our lives with Christ.
God created us with a purpose and plan in mind…and there is nothing better than His plan–NOTHING. However, when we begin to take ourselves and make our own plans…and then ask Him to bless OUR ideas…we get warped…out of line…and many times damage is done.
God custom designed you…and when He did He did not say “oops.” He knew what He was doing…and if you are still breathing then that is evidence that He is NOT through with you.
God created you with a purpose in mind…and all of us who have made mistakes in our past would have to admit that those mistakes came as a result of pursuing our own ways rather than God’s ways! AND…as a result…many of us experienced the damaging effects that still scar us just a little today.
But…like I said…God is NOT finished with you…He has a purpose in mind…AND if you have made mistakes in your past…if you have messed up…if you feel like you are warped and damaged…all that means is that you are the perfect person for God to use for His glory! (See I Corinthians 1:26-31)
God is at work–right now–all around you…and He wants to do a work inside of you…because when His work around you coincides with the work inside of you–then no matter how much damaged you have done in your past–God does work through you that is so amazing…the lives of others are effected…and your walk with Him gets stronger and stronger.
I challenge you today to do something–get alone with God–go for a walk…get in your car (and cut off the radio and cell phone) and ask Him, “Why did You make me? Am I fulfilling Your purpose? What do You want me to do?” (You probably already know the answer to at least one of those questions…)
And then, as He directs you–follow Him! I know this is scary because for some it might mean changing your major, for others it might mean making a career change…for others it might cause you to readjust the way you spend money…BUT, I can promise you this–there is NO GREATER JOY than knowing you are doing exactly what God has called you to do in life.
You and I were created for one purpose–to make the name of Jesus famous. Are you doing that? That is our purpose? If so–then AWESOME. If not–then what changes need to be made…because the sooner you begin to make those changes…the less damage we will have in our lives…and the more fulfilled we will become!
So, Pastor, How Is Your Wife? September 27, 2006
It’s Wednesday!!! I LOVE Wednesday’s! Why? Because Wednesday night is date night…and there is nothing better than date night. :-)
Let me back up and confess something…there are a lot of things on this planet I do not do well. For example–I do not snow ski well. I’ve tried and have discovered that I am cursed…to be honest I can’t ever get off the stupid chair lift–whose idea was it anyway to put a 90 degree ramp that is iced over at the end of the chair life anyway?
I don’t water ski well either. Believe me…I have tried…but after years of sore muscles and drinking half of Lake Hartwell…I’ve finally decided that I was not made to ski.
As I said–there are TONS of things I do not do well…but…one things I do well is love my wife. (I know this because I often ask her does she feel important and loved…if that question scares you then you probably know the answer!)
Don’t get me wrong…its not easy to put the marriage before the ministry. We both wrestled with whether God was really calling us to date one another back in 1996 because she knew I was going to be a pastor and I knew she was going to be a doctor…these are NOT two professions that typically go together.
And, to be honest, I will tell you why she wrestled with this so hard…because she had seen how the traditional pastors wife operated and she knew she could not be that person. We had a long discussion about this and I told her not to worry about it because I didn’t think I was going to be a traditional pastor…boy was I right!
We planted this church together and have watched it grow…while at the same time she has completed her residency program and has began serving this community as a physician. It’s been a challenge…but our marriage is stronger and better than it has ever been. Here are just a few things we have done to make it go smooth.
#1 – SHE is my priority–PERIOD!
I have told our church from the stage before that Lucretia comes first–always…because reality is I could always plant another church–I could never get another Lucretia.
Now we both understand that there are seasons when the work is demanding and things just need to get done…BUT those seasons are the exception…NOT the rule. AND…I do my best to make her aware of when those seasons are heading our way…and we make plans to spend a lot of time together before AND after that season of demand.
AND…I am at home nearly every night–period. I do not fill up my schedule with meetings and visits…I go home–where a man should be at night–loving and serving his wife. And pastors–please do not send me some stupid e-mail about how I have a big church and do not understand…and how you don’t have the luxury that I do. If that is you–pay attention dude–I did this when we had 100 people coming…I did it at 200…in fact, this is something I have ALWAYS done.
Let me just say this and then I will move along. If you are putting your church before your marriage then one of two things are taking place. #1 – You are on a tremendous ego trip and need to feel needed, and so you make yourself available to the flock for the purposes of feeling better about yourself and NOT for the purpose of ministry. Or, #2 – Your marriage is in bad shape and you are choosing to ignore the problem because you fear what people might say about you “not being available” to your church. Pastors–remember this–the same people who screamed, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” at the beginning of the week were the same ones screaming “crucify Him” at the end of the week! You know it’s true–and when that happens…YOU WILL NEED HER!
My advice–get your rear end to the house and spend some quality time with your wife.
#2 – She Is My Wife–Not The Churches Wife.
In the fall of 2000 NewSpring had to go to two services. I remember Lucretia and I having a discussion about whether or not she should come to both. I made the decision then that she only needed to come to one service…and that proved to be wise as we went to two services…and then three…and then four.
I once had a person ask me, “Why doesn’t your wife attend all of the services.” I immediately asked that dude, “Why don’t YOU attend all of the services…my wife is doing great in her walk…you need it more than she does!”
Pastors, you MUST protect your wife. Lucretia does not go to a lot of Bible studies…she’s not expected to. When I do have a meeting in the evening she is usually not there…she’s not expected to be. She is my wife–she married me…she didn’t marry NewSpring…and I have always been passionate about protecting her from expectations of church members who would never place those same expectations on themselves.
#3 – DATE NIGHT!!!
Yes, this is a soapbox…and I will talk about this until the day that I die!!! If you want a strong marriage then you MUST have a date night!!!
And WHEN you have a date night–leave your flippin’ cell phone in the car! Give her your full, undivided attention…talk about life…dreams…plans. Date night is NOT when you and her sit at a table…but you are on your cell phone solving problems for your church.
Date night is also not seeing another couple from your church and feeling like you need to invite them to sit with you–you have GOT to get over that NOW!!! You need to understand that you will either offend them OR you will offend your wife…and gentlemen, I would much rather keep my wife happy!!!!
People have asked me, “What if an emergency takes place in the church?” My response has always been, “If NewSpring can’t exist without me for a few hours…then NewSpring is in a lot of trouble!!!” I’ve had people ask me, “What if someone died in your church–wouldn’t you want to know?” My response is always, “Yes…when date night is over!” (And I make no apologies for that!)
#4 – Talk About Your Wife From Stage–In A Positive Way!
I love Lucretia…and everyone at NewSpring knows it. I talk about her all of the time…and I will continue to do this as long as I serve as pastor.
And men, WHEN I talk about her…it’s in a positive manner. I have heard pastors “go off” on their wives in public…and to be honest…I would love to go Nehemiah on those dudes. (Read the last chapter of Nehemiah if you don’t know what I am talking about!)
Affirm your wife–lift up your wife…people need to know you love her…and trust me, she will NOT get mad at you for doing this!
#5 – Constantly Ask Her Does She Feel That You Love Her More Than You Love The Church.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, “She KNOWS I love her more than the church.” That’s not what I said…I said does she FEEL like you love the church more than her…because a woman reacts based on how she feels…and to her…what she feels is reality…and if she feels like she is “second fiddle” to the church then eventually she will begin to resent the church…and you!
Lucretia and I have this conversation often…and it helps me to refocus and reflect on how I can invest more time into my relationship at home.
Men, I am not the perfect husband…I screw up so much it isn’t even funny…but…I do have a strong marriage…I do have a wife that loves me and loves the fact that I pastor this church–and she loves the church as well. That is a result of not just flying by the seat of my pants–but carefully made decisions and actions…
I love you ‘Cretia (yes, she reads this blog) and I am looking forward to our date tonight! :-)
A Fresh Perspective September 26, 2006
I don’t want to lose sight of what happened this past Sunday…I want to celebrate with all my might…and then plan the next celebration. Folks…understand that THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT GREAT AWAKENING!!!
What we saw Sunday…it’s NOT NORMAL!!! The e-mails we received yesterday blew us all away. There was a single mom who said she had contemplated suicide on Saturday night because she felt so hopeless…but didn’t go through with it and so she got up on Sunday and came to church because a friend invited her…and she AND her daughter both accepted Christ.
There was a lady who told us that for the past 11 years her husband would not even say the name of Jesus…but on Sunday he walked forward and asked Jesus to come into His life.
There was the former athiest (notice I said former) who was here the week before and wanted to come back this week just to hear the message…yeah…he’s not an athiest any longer! He received Jesus!
But folks–we can’t sit back now and say “whew!” We saw this past Sunday what happens when we get passionate about our friends and family that do not know Christ. And there are STILL people out there that are one conversation, one invitation away from coming to church–hearing about Christ–and completely committing their life to Him.
Oh yeah…this Sunday–uh yeah, IT IS GOING TO BE JUST AS AMAZING! I promise you that this Sunday you will see something happen that 99.9% of you have NEVER seen take place…and that goes for those who grew up in church as well as those who are from an unchurched background. Pray hard…and if you have friends and family members that do not know Christ–GET THEM HERE!!!
One final thought…8,000 people showing up for church is amazing…but when you consider it was right here in Anderson, SC–HOLY COW!!! Ben, a friend of mine, sent me this e-mail yesterday that I wanted to share with you…
Words Can’t Come Close! September 25, 2006
I am still trying to get my mind around all that took place yesterday…I slept very little last night…and in my time with the Lord this morning all I could do was say “Thank You” over and over again.
Here is the bottom line…for those who want me to just get to the point…we know of at least 214 people that received Christ yesterday. Please stop and think about that for a minute. 214 people got up out of their chair–walked down an aisle in front of thousands of people–and asked Jesus, out loud, to come into their lives! Amazing!
Our total attendance yesterday was 8,289 people! (Yes, that is the most people we have ever had on a weekend–even more than Easter this past year! We had over 300 people sitting in our atrium during the second service because we ran out of room in the sanctuary!)
Stop and think about that for a minute. 8,289 people heard the life changing message of Jesus Christ. God is at work in this church. Please, don’t lose sight of this–at this beginning of the year–just nine months ago we had about 4,200 people every weekend…yesterday there were over 8,000…you can count the number of churches in America that has taken place in this year on one hand.
This is amazing…and once again…stop and think about this–we are in Anderson, SC…this is not some big booming metropolis–its Anderson! Why is this happening here? It’s because I believe God wanted to do a work in a place that was so incredible and unbelievable that only HE could get the glory for it all.
I lost it yesterday several times–I keep seeing people FLOOD down the aisles in my mind. I can’t get certain pictures out of my mind…
I see the father who walked forward with his son last night and wept as his son gave his life to Christ.
I see the son who brought his mother to the alter and rejoiced as his mom prayed & asked Jesus to come into her heart.
I see the lady in her 70’s making her way down the aisle with her walker…literally–she was moving slowly, step by step…and I wept as I watched her pray out loud–calling on the name of Jesus.
I see the father of one of our staff members who has been coming to our church for years–but yesterday nailed it down and received Christ. I met his daughter when I walked off stage and gave her a hug…and she literally shook she was crying so hard–tears of joy because she now knows her father is going to heaven.
I watched a wife walk forward with her husband…a guy who people have been praying for…and yesterday was his day–God drew him–it was undeniable.
I could tell story after story…I am sure there are so many more…of people who walked forward yesterday and gave their lives to Christ. I went home last night and told Lucretia, “These are the days that make it all worth it–its worth the sleepless nights…the criticism…the long meetings…it’s just worth it!!!”
Some who do not attend NewSpring are wondering how in the world something like this happened? It’s actually quite simple…
Last week I preached a message on evangelism…I challenged the people at NewSpring to go out to their families and friends and invite them to church…I told them that many of their family members and friends were just once conversation…just one invitation away from coming to church and receiving Christ.
Well–they responded–we were slammed yesterday…and I walked out on stage–opened up my Bible and talked about Jesus…and God moved…and people were drawn to Him.
And let me say this to those who attend NewSpring…I feel like this is only the beginning. I feel like we have just now began to discover all that God is wanting to do. The best really is yet to come. We all saw what God can do when we dedicate to investing in the lives of those who do not know Christ and then inviting them to church–what if we did that every week? What if we were that passionate all the time? WOW!
It is the greatest joy and privilege in the world to pastor this church! I have the finest staff AND volunteers around me…and together…doing all we can & then begging God to make up the difference…we are seeing a work take place that is NOT normal.
One more challenge to those who attend here…NEVER, I MEAN EVER, be satisfied and think we have arrived!!! There are way to many people in this community who do not know Christ–lets meet them, befriend them, invest in them, invite them…and ask Jesus to change them. Let’s never be more concerned with who we keep rather than who we reach! Let’s never target those who are already in the kingdom–but rather those who are FAR from it!!!
This is amazing…once again…if you are at NewSpring–please take some time today to get alone with God to thank Him for what He is doing in our church…and then beg Him to continue to pour out His favor on us!!!
Oh yeah…you might not believe this–but this coming Sunday…well…it’s going to be just as good as yesterday. I promise you that you will see something happen that many of you have NEVER seen happen…and it will be one of the most moving things to ever take place in our church. :-)
Sweet Home South Carolina September 23, 2006
I am home!
Man, I cannot say enough about the staff at Granger…what a team! They are amazing…and they serve their community with all that they’ve got!!!
I literally had the chance to invite two people in the community to church…the dude at the hotel and the lady at the gym…and they had both already attended Granger and had a very favorable attitude towards to church. WOW–talk about impacting a community.
Speaking there yesterday was an honor. I felt SO over my head it wasn’t even funny…BUT I communicated with passion what God is doing here at NewSpring. I’ve had people ask me where my passion comes from–well–to be honest, I’ve never gotten over meeting Jesus!!! When I look back and see where I was in life…what Jesus did for me…and all that He is doing in me today…I can’t help but to be completely fired up!!!
The conference was incredible…and I was able to meet and connect with some people I have met in blog world but have never had the chance to meet face to face.
I am about to go to the gym and workout…and then it is on to the Clemson game!!!
Oh yeah, pray for tomorrow–have I mentioned that it’s going to be awesome? :-) Seriously, I received a call last night from a friend who asked me to pray for him at the beginning of the week because he was going to invite a dude to church who did not know Christ…well…last night he informed me that the guy who isn’t a Christian is coming–along with several more of his friends. THAT’S AMAZING! I’m telling you–great things are happening! YEAH GOD!
Day Two Of The ICC…So Far… September 22, 2006
OK…so I was TIRED last night; in fact, I was WIPED OUT!!! I went to bed at 8:00, thinking I would just chill and watch the football game…the next thing I knew it was about 12am…I had zonked out…BUT I woke up feeling excellent!!! (Well…almost…more on that in just a second!)
The morning session here at Granger was on HOW they do WHAT they do. It hit me in the middle of the session why some churches do not do this stuff…because it takes work–LOTS of work! Yes, yes, I know–it takes prayer…please save me the e-mails. However, one thing I have discovered is this–God is faithful to do HIS part–and we must be faithful to do our part!!!
At NewSpring we believe that people matter to God…and so they should matter to us. That is why we are passionate about making the one hour they give us on Sunday mornings one of the best hours of their week–because they matter!!!
Lives are being changed–God is drawing people to Himself…and I believe He is honored by people who are totally in love with Him, totally in love with people, and totally in love with the idea of people meeting Him!!! And for that to happen it takes an all out effort of a team that is devoted to seeing the process take place.
One of the things Mark Waltz said this morning was that sometimes people will criticize this process…they say that the Holy Spirit does not have room to move. We hear that from time to time as well…and it saddens me that some people think that the Holy Spirit is limited to a one hour window on a Sunday…I believe the Holy Spirit can work days, weeks–even years in advance. Why limit Him to Saturday night before the message needs to be delivered on Sunday. I will tell you why–it is summed up in one word–LAZINESS!
It takes work–but the kingdom is worth it!!! People are worth it! Jesus is worth it!!!
On a lighter note…please pray for us as we will be leaving early today. It is raining up here and I really want to get on a plane and come home to God’s country where the sweat tea flows like milk and honey.
And…not to be gross…but please pray for my tummy. It has been…uh…shall we say “messed up” since Wednesday. AND those restrooms on airplanes were designed for people who are four feet tall and weigh 50 pounds!!! I do want to eat today–but it is difficult to keep anything inside of me right now…SORRY for the mental image–but I am need of prayer!!! :-)
Oh yeah–Sunday is going to ROCK!!!