Archive for Dear NewSpring
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church May 15, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I want to share with you today…
#1 – I ABSOLUTELY LOVE what Jesus is doing in our church. On the Sunday that Clayton spoke (May 6) I received a text from a young man in my high school discipleship group that I lead telling me that he was PUMPED because a guy in his Fuse small group received Christ when Clayton gave the invitation! Well…this past Sunday night I received another text from him and the conversation went like this…
- Him: ”Remember how my small group kid got saved last week”
- Me: ”Yep”
- Him: ”Just making sure”
- Him: ”oh, and he brought his dad and he got saved tonight”
THAT NEVER GETS OLD!!! Found People Find People!!!
#2 – Sunday was an INCREDIBLE Mother’s Day as we were able to focus on the fact that when we have a right relationship with Jesus it will allow us to have a right relationship with others. I’ve been doing ministry for over 20 years and EVERY marriage problem that I’ve ever seen was the result of one or both people not actively walking with Jesus. THE BEST thing we can do for our marriage (or our future marriage) is begin to ask Jesus to show us the areas where WE need to improve rather than complaining to Him about all of the things that are wrong with our spouse.
#3 – This past series has been amazing…we’ve seen record attendance, hundreds of people surrender their lives to Christ and are already hearing a lot of excitement in regards to the “Eve & adam” series this fall where we will dive into what the Scriptures say to and about women.
#4 – The VISION EVENTS are happening THIS WEEK!!! Last night we had one in Anderson for that campus and our Greenwood campus…and the schedule for the rest of the week is…
- Tonight (Tuesday) – Florence, 7pm
- Wednesday – Charleston, 7pm
- Thursday – Columbia, 7pm
- Saturday – Greenville, 7pm
I’m PUMPED about these events as I will be specifically sharing what we feel God has for our church in regards to our next steps…and I will also be sharing an announcement in regards to my future here at NewSpring Church that I am very excited about. (I will also be sharing this announcement on Sunday in case you have to miss a vision event.) We are going to reach 100,000 for Christ…and I’ve NEVER been more excited about our church than I am right now!
#5 – Thanks to everyone who has stopped by my Facebook page (right here) and left a comment since I have joined a few weeks ago. And…if you haven’t yet, come on by…it took me some time but I finally joined the Facebook party! (And…for the record, I never was against Facebook…it’s just that I have about as much technological wisdom as a pile of dirt!) :-)
That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church May 8, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I would LOVE to share with you today…
#1 – I absolutely loved having Clayton King with us at our church this past Sunday as he dove into, “The Man Mystery, Three Things That Every Man Needs!” It was SO AWESOME to see Jesus do what He so often does and draw people to Him through the preaching of HIS WORD–we saw 110 people receive Christ, and…as I always say…THAT NEVER GETS OLD!
#2 – THIS COMING SUNDAY IS MOTHER’S DAY!!! And, we will be concluding our “Adam & Eve” series by dealing with the topic, “The One Thing That EVERY WOMAN WANTS!” Trust me when I tell you that you need to be here, you need to BRING SOMEBODY and you might want to pack some Kleenex.
#3 – I am going to be spending next week visiting every NewSpring campus (there are a couple of combined campus meetings) where we will celebrate all that God has been doing and looking ahead to our next steps as a church…and even more specifically as a campus so that we can see 100,000 people reached every week! (I wrote all about the details yesterday in this post…check it out for times and places.) AND…at this meeting I will also be telling you about what is so special about August 24 & 25 and why I’ve been telling you to go ahead and block these dates on your schedule.
#4 – The very next series we are going to begin on Sunday, May 20 is entitled, “Weird!” (I ripped off this idea from my friend Craig Groeschel, who is THE BEST LOOKING pastor in America!!!) :-) We are going to spend SEVERAL weeks together as a church diving into the idea of why we should aspire to be weird…because normal is NOT working!
#5 – If I am not mistaken…I think we have a little over 150 spaces left for The Gauntlet. Parents, trust me when I tell you that this is ONE OF THE BEST investments you could ever make in the life of your teenager. I cannot put into words what the Lord does during this week every year in the lives of all who participate. (HERE is where you can get more info and sign up!) This event will be full by the end of this month, and so if you’ve been putting it off then NOW is the time to go for it!
(AND…THIS SUNDAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE 2ND PRICE BREAK!!! It is currently $325…it will go to $375 on Monday!)
#6 – I’ve joined the world of Facebook…here is the link to my site…stop by and say hello!
#7 – The trip to Israel that I was able to lead last week was absolutely amazing, one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had in my life. We will be going again as a church in about two years or so…so go ahead and start saving up now, I can promise you it will be worth every dime.
That’s it for now…I LOVE MY CHURCH!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church May 1, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE Things I Would LOVE To Share With You Today…
#1 – This past Sunday was AMAZING as we dealt with the three things than a man cannot have. It is my prayer that every man (and woman) in the room understood that if we walk away from the authority of God’s Word…we also walk away from His blessing and protection. (Had a blast opening the umbrella inside, superstitious people are losing their minds this month at our church!) :-) Some verses to check out in regards to what God’s Word says about God’s Word are…
#2 – I honestly believe that if men could begin to honor God in the three areas we talked about on Sunday (God’s glory, sexuality and money) that the spiritual temperature of our church, our community, our nation and our world could be raised to a level unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Some verses I would challenge our men to spend some time in this week are…
- Isaiah 14:12-15 (notice how many times satan said, “I will!” When our focus is on what we want and not what God wants often times we rebel!)
- Colossians 3:1-2
- Galatians 5:16
- Isaiah 48:11
- Proverbs 3:5-6
- Ephesians 5:25-27
- Proverbs 6:30-35
- Proverbs 7:7-27
- I Corinthians 6:18-20
- II Corinthians 9:6-15
- Malachi 3:6-12
- Deuteronomy 8:10-18
- I Chronicles 21:18-26
#3 – This coming Sunday we are going to dive into “The Man Mystery–Three Things That Every Man Needs!” (And no, the answer is NOT #1- Sex, #2 – Sex and #3 – More Sex!!!)
#4 – Really pumped and excited about getting to spend some time at our Anderson, Florence, Charleston, Columbia and Greenville campuses during the week of May 14th…pay attention to come announcements at your campuses that will have specific details. These events are going to be an AMAZING time of worship, celebration and anticipation that we are going to be able to share together…and I will be talking about the next steps that our campuses and our church are getting ready to take! I’m so excited I can’t see straight!
#5 – Didn’t know if I’ve said anything about it or not…but you have GOT to go ahead and put August 24 and 25 on your schedule as a “DO NOT MISS” event!!! Trust me! I will be talking more about what is happening on these dates during the campus tour (that I mentioned above!) It’s one of the MOST EXCITING things our church has EVER attempted!!
That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church April 24, 2012
Howdy NewSpring, Seven Things I Would Love To Share With You Today…
#1 – I absolutely LOVE what Jesus is doing in our church right now, especially in regards to the way He is stirring the heart of our men! (Once again, check out I Corinthians 13:11!) I lOVED the fact that we saw 201 people go public for Christ through baptism…and that we had an attendance record of nearly 19,000 people across seven campuses, it was amazing as we took time to focus on the fact that EVERY man needs to understand the following in regards to a woman…
- Before She Was Your Wife She Was God’s Daughter – when we see her as a gift and not something/someone we “attained” then we will treat her with honor and respect. (How does God feel about how you are treating His little girl?)
- If You Do Not Lead Your Family Then satan Will – Men are called to lead (not control and dominate!) And, leading IS hard, it IS awkward, but it IS worth the fight!
- It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It – Romans 8:1 and Ephesians 5:25-27 reminds us that we are to speak to (and about) our wife in a kind, considerate and affirming manner. AND…if we don’t there will be consequences (see I Peter 3:7!)
- Pursuit Is Intentional, Not Accidental – A man who is pursuing his wife effectively does not have time for porn or an affair! (AND…had fun here reminding the single guys that pursuing a girl is not leading her on through obscure text messages for about three weeks or so…it’s about being a man and talking to her face to face!)
#2 – Men, if you want to read some more stuff I’ve written in regards to being a husband then you can check out the following links…
- Ten Facts Men Should Consider About Their Wives
- Seven Ways You Can Destroy Your Marriage
- Seven Ways You Can Make Your Marriage Awesome
- What A Husband Needs To Understand About His Wife
- Five Things A Successful Marriage Has To Have
- 10 Reasons I Think Your Marriage Is Going To Make It
- Four Reasons Marriages Are Falling Apart – Part One
- Four Reasons Marriages Are Falling Apart – Part Two
#3 – This coming Sunday MIGHT be one of THE MOST INTENSE messages we’ve ever done on Biblical manhood here at NewSpring Church as we deal with three things that a man cannot have! I’m seriously excited about the fruit that I feel is going to come about as a result of this message! I honestly believe if men could learn to allow Christ in them and through them to control THESE THREE THINGS that we would see our nation completely change in less than a year!!!
#4 – Parents of kids in KidSpring, Off The Rails begins this coming Sunday at every NewSpring campus! (Check out the promo video here!) It’s going to be one of the most amazing things your child has EVER experienced in church…I promise!!!
#5 – If you are wanting to get into God’s Word or are struggling in your personal time with God and have been looking for something to maybe freshen things up a bit…then stop by our devotional page (right here) at our NewSpring Church website and check out the resources available to help you take your walk with God to the next level.
#6 – As I said a few weeks ago…go ahead and put down the dates of August 24 & 25 on your calendar…TRUST ME, we’re going to do something as a church that we’ve NEVER attempted…and it’s going to be one of the most amazing things that we’ve ever had the privilege of experiencing! Can’t wait to tell you more about it! :-)
#7 – If you have recently received Christ and have not taken your next step by going public through baptism then check out this website to find out more information about baptism and/or to sign up!
That’s it for this week…I LOVE MY CHURCH!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church April 17, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, EIGHT things I would LOVE to share with you today…
#1 – This past Sunday was one of the most moving services we’ve ever had at our church as, at the end of the message, hundreds of men across every campus stood to their feet and prayed out loud together. Like I said Sunday…I really do believe MOST of the problems our nation is facing could be solved if men would simply step up and embrace Biblical manhood. (And we saw around EIGHT people receive Christ!!!)
#2 – For those who stood and prayed…remember that Jesus being primary & not secondary (or…the LORD God and not just God) is a daily decision that all of us must make. As we said in the “All In” series, a growing relationship with God is INTENTIONAL, not ACCIDENTAL! What step is HE calling you to take today? What change is He calling you to make today?
#3 – If we are walking with God we will constantly be shaped and transformed more and more into the image of Jesus. Some of the things we shared on Sunday about this…
- Single men…Jesus had a job! He was a carpenter until the age of 30 and then did ministry! He was not a boy who shaved…He was a man (please see I Corinthians 13:11!) He didn’t live in Mary’s basement, watch youtube clips with his buddies until 2am, sleep until lunch, go get a cheeseburger from a drive thru, come home and play games and then get on Facebook around 5:00 or so to see which woman He wanted to use and manipulate that evening!
- Single guys…Jesus treated women with respect & admiration…He never sought to use them or manipulate them in any way.
- (BTW…I wrote an article last week entitled, “EIGHT WRONG REASONS FOR DATING A GIRL” that was written to challenge guys, you can check it out here if you think it may help!)
- Married guys…Jesus had a job but He was not a work-a-holic!
- Dads…Jesus had time for children (see Matthew 19:13-14) – we MUST have time for ours! (I wrote more about that here in a post about dating my daughter)
- Too many dads today want to give their kids PRESENTS…when they really want our PRESENCE!
- Married guys…Jesus hasn’t walked away from His bride (the church), we should NEVER walk away from ours!
- Men…Jesus was generous, we should be as well. People who get closer to Jesus get more generous–period!
#4 – Men, if the Lord convicted and corrected you on Sunday (as He did me) then rejoice in that and move on! None of us have ever out-sinned the grace of God! He can STILL USE YOU! Adam screwed up and He still used him! In fact, every Bible hero we have (other than Jesus) was a complete screw up and God worked in and through them anyway! If you are still breathing then it is NOT TOO LATE to make right what has been wrong for so long!
#5 – THIS COMING SUNDAY we are going to be talking about “Four Things That Every Man Must Know About A Woman!” I can promise you that the men WILL be challenged (I know I have been as I’ve been preparing) and the ladies will be encouraged!
#6 – If you have not checked out our Easter recap video yet then do so right here!!! I love my church…thank you to everyone who brought someone to church with you Easter weekend. AND…if they have not yet received Christ then DO NOT give up on them!!! (One more time, check out II Peter 3:9!!!)
#7 – I cannot emphasize this enough…The Gauntlet is filling up FAST. If I am not mistaken we only have around 200 or so more spots and once they’re filled then registration will be officially closed. There literally will be no more room as we have rented out the entire hotel for this event!! If you are thinking about registering your child or just haven’t gotten around to it then I would urge you to do so ASAP! It’s going to be amazing! (You can do so here!)
#8 – I am super excited about my friend Matt Chandler being with us this Thursday night! Matt just wrote a new book entitled “The Explicit Gospel” and our church will be hosting him for this event as a part of his book tour. You can find out more information and register for the event here (it is a ticketed event!) It’s going to be a GREAT evening!
That’s it…I LOVE MY CHURCH!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church April 10, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I would love to share with you today…
#1 – The final numbers are in, 29,163 attended an Easter service (online not included) at one of seven locations all across the state…and 1,033 gave their lives to Christ!!! Side note–there was a salvation at every campus at every service! AND…this matters SO much because every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God! (AND…REALLY excited about the “official” launch of the Spartanburg campus with 1,424 in attendance and 39 people receiving Christ! AND…our Myrtle Beach campus with 547 in attendance and 22 people receiving Christ!)
#2 – I love my church and love the fact that we embrace the value that “Found People Find People!” For those who invited someone to church and they received Christ…THAT’S AWESOME!!! Thank you for going all out. For those who invited someone to church and they did not receive Christ…THAT’S AWESOME because that means they are one step closer, take God at His Word, He makes EVERYTHING beautiful IN HIS TIME (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). And for those who invited someone to church and they did not come, be patient with them (as God was with you, II Peter 3:9) and DO NOT give up on them (see Galatians 6:9!!!)
#3 – Some things I won’t forget from this past Easter message are…
- “If we are IN CHRIST then our history does not have to establish our identity nor determine our destiny!”
- “God’s love is not achieved, it’s received!”
- “The cross wasn’t given to us for a decoration but rather as a DECLARATION of God’s love for us!”
And finally, I won’t forget the taste of glass! :-) That’s right, when I smashed the mirror in the 11:15 service on Sunday morning I apparently had my mouth open…and a few pieces of glass wound up in there! I didn’t know what to do…never had that dilema while preaching before. So, I swallowed the glass. No side effects as of yet!!!
#4 – For those who wanted to see the opener to the Easter message that we ran before I preached I posted it here yesterday--check it out.
#5 – Let’s do EVERYTHING we can to get the word out about the new series we are starting THIS SUNDAY! It’s awesome we brought people to church last week…let’s do ALL WE CAN to get them back this week as we are diving into the subject of Biblical manhood. The sermons will be…
- April 15 – “The One Question Every Man Must Answer”
- April 22 – “Four Things That Every Man Must Know About A Woman”
- April 29 – “Three Things That A Man Cannot Have”
- May 6 – “Three Things That Every Man Needs”
- May 13 (Mothers Day) – “What Every Woman Wants”
As I said on this post yesterday, help us get the word out by going to our Facebook page and like, comment and share the promotional video for the series. And do whatever it takes to get someone to church with you as I can promise this is going to be one of THE BEST series our church has ever experienced together!
Finally, I know I say it all of the time…but I LOVE MY CHURCH! I can’t even believe I get to do what I do! I love seeing lost people get found, and then seeing found people get grown up! I can’t WAIT to share the next phase of what the leadership believes that God is getting ready to do here at NewSpring Church…and it looks like that is going to be taking place in the month of May. Keep your eyes and ears open as announcement will soon be made in regards to some pretty exciting stuff!!!
We’re on our way to reaching 100,000!!!
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church April 3, 2012
Howdy NewSpring Church, FOUR things I would love to share with you today…
#1 – This past Sunday we wrapped up our “Overwhelmed” series with two of the most amazing life-change stories I’ve ever seen. AND…we saw over 150 people surrender their lives to Christ which NEVER gets old!!! WOW…and that happened the weekend BEFORE Easter services. I love my church!
#2 – EASTER SERVICES begin this Thursday and go all the way through Sunday evening. (Here is the website with specific service times for each of our campuses…and also the place where you can get your FREE Easter tickets to invite your friends with.) I’m asking everyone in our church to help us IMPACT this state (and the world) by doing four things…
- PRAY – I don’t say that because it’s the churchy/Christian thing to say…but rather because without the power and presence of God in our worship services we are simply screwed when it comes to accomplishing anything of eternal significance (see John 15:5-8!) Let’s BEG GOD all week long to give people ears to HEAR the Gospel…and the willingness to respond!!! (Also…check out Luke 18:1-8!)
- INVITE – Let’s go ALL OUT, doing EVERYTHING possible to get people to church this week! Don’t just ask them to come…BRING THEM!!! (I’m asking EVERYONE in our church to take about a minute to read Luke 14:15-23 & ask God who you need to bring!!!) ALL OF US have friends and family members that are FAR FROM GOD…let’s not give up on them because God didn’t give up on us!!! (Here is an article I did last week on the “why” of why we do tickets.)
- FACEBOOK – In case you haven’t had a chance to do it yet…go to our Facebook page (right here) and like, comment and share the “Mirror, Mirror” video promo…we have the potential to impact over 4 million people through this process!
- REMEMBER – I posted this video last week, if you haven’t watched it yet then take a second to check it out, God has been SO faithful to us and I really do believe the best is yet to come!
#3 – The week after Easter (April 15) we are beginning a brand new series entitled, “ADAM & eve” that will be focused on the subject of biblical manhood. (Don’t worry ladies…we have a series planned for the fall entitled “EVE & adam” that will deal with the subject of biblical womanhood!) Some of the issues we will be dealing with are:
- The One Question Every Man Must Answer
- Four Things That Every Man Must Know About A Woman
- Three Things That A Man Cannot Have
- Three Things That Every Man Needs
- What Every Woman Wants
- This is going to be a GREAT series (and ladies…I promise you will enjoy this one as well!!!)
#4 – I’ve got a VERY special announcement for our church regarding the dates of August 24 & 25 of this year! All I can say for now is go ahead and mark these dates on your calendar as we are going to do something as a church that we’ve never done before…but it will be an event that none of us ever forget!
That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH!!! I can’t wait to see what the Lord does this week in our Easter services!!!