Archive for October, 2009
Why I Believe The Church’s Best Days Are Ahead… October 29, 2009
As I survey the landscape of church in America I am not buying into to the “doom and gloom” that some people seem to take joy in declaring…
IN FACT, I believe the opposite…I seriously believe the churches best days are ahead of her.
Acts 2 wasn’t something that happened that we are supposed “to get back to,” it was where we STARTED FROM…and should be FOUNDATIONAL and not just some ideal we strive for…
And I’m seeing that!
I see leaders stepping up and leading with CONVICTION and PASSION…and begging God for HIS permission instead of begging committees for their approval!
I see Jesus being preached and repentance being demanded…and people RESPONDING in droves because THE GOSPEL, not some non-eternal agenda, has taken center stage.
I see churches being planted and video campuses getting started by people who are more interested in seeing birth given to babies rather than trying to resurrect the dead.
I see networking taking place like never before…where people are reaching across denominational lines and loving and learning from one another. (THAT didn’t happen 15-20 years ago!)
I see the potential of a worldwide revival like that has NEVER happened right in front of our eyes!!! The internet was not given so we could view porn…but rather as a TOOL to advance His Kingdom.
I see passion in church leaders being unapologized for.
I see churches and leaders that are NOT AFRAID to take risks and do things different in order to reach people far from God.
I see churches buying into the SCRIPTURAL idea that people do not have to be perfect to come to church…and just because they are in church doesn’t mean they are perfect either.
I see churches embracing the fact that the pastor isn’t the one who is supposed to minister to all of the people…but rather it is the BODY that is supposed to minister to the BODY!
I see churches stepping up in their communities and not just being a mouth that speaks out about what it is against and for…but being hands and feet and serving those in the area.
I see “non-professionals” (you know, fisherman, tax collectors and tent makers) leaving the marketplace and entering the ministry…and making a difference!
I see people inviting their friends to church because they understand they won’t have to apologize the entire time because churches are actually embracing that if we are doing something for Jesus then we should give it our best!!!
I see religion being rejected so that it no longer matters what you wear to church!
I am seeing it…for those who think it’s over for the church, I’ve got news for you…Jesus is still Lord, the tomb is still empty and the church is STILL HIS PLAN!!!
Church…we’re not called to play “prevent defense,” let’s PREACH CHRIST, BEG HIM FOR SALVATION TO FALL LIKE RAIN…AND RUN UP THE SCORE!!!
Ten Ways To Kill Vision In Your Church October 28, 2009
#1 – Pray really small prayers…seriously, don’t ask God for ANYTHING big. He DID put an interstate highway through a sea, demolished the walls of Jericho and brought the dead back to life…but I’m sure He doesn’t do things like that anymore! :-)
#2 – Celebrate the past WAY more than you anticipate the future, thus becoming a museum and not a movement!
#3 – Allow those who have never actually done anything for Jesus dictate to you what they believe you can and can’t do for Him!
#4 – Listen and repond to every critic.
#5 – Wait until everything makes perfect sense before you make a decision.
#6 – Spend more time on blogs than you do in your Bible.
#7 – Become more agenda driven than GOSPEL driven!
#8 – Actually believe that EVERYONE must be 100% happy with every detail.
#9 – Vote!
#10 – Become angry/jealous over what God is doing at other places and become hyper focused on all of their problems, thus overlooking your own!
Unleash Update!!! October 28, 2009
Unleash is a one day church leadership conference that we began in 2007 that specifically targets pastors, staff members AND volunteers with the purpose of becoming the church/leader that God has called them to be…and do what God has called them to do…and…
Sign up for Unleash 2010 are already WAY beyond what we had anticipated!!!
We’ve sold out every seat for the past two years…and it looks like the same is going to happen this year!
SO…why am I blogging about it?
Because Saturday is the dealine for the early bird registration…
Seriously…it’s $39 per person (AND that includes a lunch from Chic Fil A!)
(After Saturday it goes to $59 per person)
We intentionally priced it low AND made it a one day deal so that pastors and church leaders could bring as many volunteers with them as possible!
Here is the link if you want to sign up…seriously…it’s $39…what are you waiting for?
Live CD Recording!!! October 27, 2009
This Friday night…it is ON!!!
Our band at the Anderson Campus is doing a LIVE CD recording!!!
The doors open at 6:00…the concert begins at 7:00…
NO TICKETS NECESSARY…it’s FREE (and by free I mean free…we won’t be taking a “love offering!”)
We’ve been wanting to do this for YEARS…and FINALLY it’s time!!!
SO…if you want a seat I would suggest that you get here early…we’re expecting a PACKED HOUSE!!!
Five Reasons We Are Doing A “Single Series!” October 26, 2009
This Sunday we begin, “Don’t Get Married Until…” Why?
#1 – Because married people need to go back to the basics!
Believe it or not–this ISN’T just a series for singles. God has been ROCKING my world the past month or so in my study time and challenging me to be a better husband. “Basic Training” is NEVER a bad thing for married people…sometimes we forget WHY we said “I do!”
#2 – Because being single does not equal being cursed!
Singleness is NOT a disease!!! (Yet people treat it that way, you know, when you say your not dating someone and they reply, “Oh, I’m sorry!”) AHHHH!
Singleness is NOT a setback but rather a season that should be embraced by the single person in order that they can maximize all that Jesus wants to teach them during that period of their lives!
#3 – I like making single dudes mad!
EVERY TIME I challenge single dudes who have no life and/or ambition and live in their mother’s basement and play video games…I get an angry letter/email…from a single dude who has no life and/or ambition and lives in his mothers basement and plays video games–BUT found the time to disconnect from conquering “another world” to email me…
WHICH…is why the dude is single!!!
One of the problems today in our chuches is that single dudes have a really screwed up view of manhood…so…we will be looking at that! :-)
(BTW…I have NEVER gotten an email from a single woman who was angry that I challeged a dude to stop being a wus! Godly women are attracted to MEN…not boys!)
#4 – Solid foundations for marriage NEED to be established!
With over 50% of marriages today ending in divorce…I would say we have a problem!
I’ve seen LOTS of couples get married…and I’ve never had one say to me, “Hey Pastor P…we want to start off great…but by about year three it is our hope/dream to not be able to stand each other…and we would like to suffer through that for about a year or so before we dive into an affair or either just call it quits!
And yet…it happens!
Jesus said a solid foundation in life is necessary if we want to stand during the storms (See Matthew 7:24-27)…and this series will present BIBLICAL foundations that have worked for QUITE SOME TIME!
(Btw…some married people will be challenged to restablish their foundation!)
#5 – Some people need to slow the heck down!
Thus…the name of the series, “Don’t Get Married Until…”
Because…I’ve seen so many people who are not sure…who struggle with dating someone/getting married. And so…their solution is to RUN FASTER, because RUSHING a decisoon ALWAYS makes it right!!!
I believe getting married is the second most important decision a person can make. God established it…and HE is the One who sets the standards! There is NOTHING wrong with pausing long enough to see if he/she is “Mr. or Miss. “Right,” OR…if they are just “Mr.” or “Miss” RIGHT NOW!”
I can’t wait…this is going to be a FUN series!!!!
- Week One…Don’t Get Married Until…You Hear From God
- Week Two…Don’t Get Married Until…You Are Willing To Be A Man
- Week Three…Don’t Get Married Until…You Are Willing To Be A Woman
- Week Four…Lucretia will be joining me on stage for a live Q&A…questions from every campus will be answered via text message and twitter.
- Week Five…Don’t Get Marred Until…You Deal With Your Junk
Sunday Night Reflections October 25, 2009
It was so good to be back at NewSpring Church today…some thoughts…
- We saw over 100 people step across the line of faith today and receive Christ…uh…that NEVER gets old!!!
- Clayton King preached one of THE BEST messages on the subject of hell that I’ve EVER heard…WOW!
- This series on the End Times has been GREAT…we didn’t set any dates, but simply talked about WHAT will happen WHEN it happens.
- BTW…I don’t really think the world is going to end in 2012. BUT…if it does…I’m ready!
- REALLY excited about beginning a brand new series next week called, “Don’t Get Married Until…”
A few more thoughts before I head to bed…
- God absolutely rocked my world this week…in a HUGE way.
- I was able to get away to Colorado and spend some time with Him…totally disconnecting from my normal routine.
- (It’s amazing how LOUD His voice is when you aren’t caught up in a routine!)
- I also was able to meet for an entire week with a Christian counselor to help me process all that has happened in my life in the past 10 years in regards to leading NewSpring Church.
- WOW!
- I can honestly say this…I have MORE FIRE, MORE PASSION and am MORE EXCITED about the vision of our church than EVER!!!
- Seriously…I have NEVER been this PUMPED UP about the future of our church!!!
- AND…I am excited about the changes that Jesus is leading me to make both personally and in ministry.
- (I will be sharing my journey over the next several weeks…still trying to process all I learned this week.)
- One of the decisions that was made was…I will be blogging and twittering less.
- I am not going to stop…but the blog has began to control me rather than me controlling it…so…I will be blogging, but only when I feel I have something to say.
- And twitter…yes…I love it…but it is going to consume less of my time so that I can focus on some things that are way more important right now.
- Hey pastors…if you don’t take control of your schedule…it will take control of you!!! (And RUN YOU IN THE GROUND!)
- The counselor I met with told me about a study that took place in 2007 said that 90% of the people who enter the ministry DO NOT retire in ministry!
- Uh…that means that 9 out of every 10 people who enter the ministry either quit, burnout or have a moral failure!!!
- Uh…that means the STAKES ARE HIGH…and pastors/church leaders NEED TO TAKE their spiritual, emotional and physical health SERIOUSLY!
- It’s sad…but we’ve made an unsustainable pace “spiritual” in our churches today…and pastors are DYING because of it!
- Hey pastor/church leader…your church needs you to be healthy…not “superman” (or “Wonder Woman!”)
- Like I said…more about that later…just wanted to share one of the reasons the blog may be taking a different shape in the near future.
Hey NewSpring…I LOVE YOU!!! I can’t believe God has brought us this far…and I am SO LOOKING FORWARD to where He is going to take us next!
We are NOT the perfect church, we never will be…because I am the pastor…
BUT…I can promise you that we will always be a church who seeks His heart and tries our best to do WHAT He says to do WHEN He says to do it.
The best is yet to come!!!