It's over

My 14 day journey of drinking water comes to a close after today and I'll admit that tomorrow morning starbucks will be calling my name. Tomorrow I can go back to drinking my starbucks, Mountain Dew,and an occasional "good for your heart" drink. But here is what doesn't change. People all across the world will get up tomorrow morning and walk miles to get fresh water and some will not have any at all. For me what changes is perspective. I pray that the money I raised for this AWESOME ministry makes a difference in the lives of some of those people. I'm with Corey I've spent several moments wondering what it would be like to see some of these people get fresh water for the first time. One day I will go but for now my money will go instead. God, you are so cool in the way you work. Again I am blown away. I sacrifice something so small and you bless so big. Thanks.

$18.75...What Will that Buy?

$18.75 is what I saved this week from not buying sodas and Lattes in order to save the money for Blood & Water Missions. My $18.75 will buy fresh water for 18 people for a whole year. It's a small sacrifice on my part and may not seem like much but if more people joined in with individual small sacrifices we could make a HUGE difference. Today begins week 2 and I'm beginning to see that sacrifices like this can reap huge benefits in so many different directions. Obviously there is the direct impact of giving someone water for a year and that is enough if that was all I got. But I see God working in other ways too. The more I give and sacrifice the more my spirit is yearning for Him to fill me up. I see my kids and my wife in a new light and I even had my oldest text me today to tell me he was praying for me. There is no greater blessing than that for a father to know your kid is being lead by God. But wait there is more! I have this undeniable Holy expectation in my spirit that God is going to do something. Faith is increased, new vision for advancing His Kingdom.
I could keep going but the bottom line is...Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38
That is the kind of life I want on this earth and it should be what all Christians yearn for....so what are you waiting for? Find something to sacrifice and give. You won't regret it. If you want to give to this cause it's not too late. Check out Core'y blog for more details.

Two Weeks of Water

Monday I started drinking nothing but water. It came from a challenge from another blog by Corey Mann. Blood & Water Missions makes it their sole purpose to bring water to those in Africa and around the globe who could not otherwise have clean water. For 2 weeks I am giving up coffee....glorious coffee, soda, and all other liquids like the free rootbeer floats Sonic was giving away on Wednesday in order to save up my money to help others that I will probably never meet this side of heaven. Just $1 will give 1 person clean water for a year. You can join in the cause. For more info go here. If you would like to donate to the cause check out Corey's blog. We could make a tangible difference in the life of someone else. Join the cause.

Steve Havey's Introduction of Jesus...

This is....AWESOME!

Fighting Christian Temptation

I'm not even sure how to start this post but to say that I fight this temptation everyday is a profound understatement. It's the temptation to have the "right" answer or seem to have it all together. If there is one thing that drives me crazy it's the Christian who has an answer for everything. They are never without a comment, they have the latest corner marketed on doing church, everyone wants their advice, and the list goes on. I think the real reason I have a problem with people like this is because I find myself trying to be that person. I mean why not, I've been doing ministry for 15 years and not just that but I've done it well and big leading a youth ministry of over 800 students. Why shouldn't I have all the answers? Yet His word, which I have stuck in my head and heart says, "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." I am finding that one thing rings true in my life, that experience can leverage much influence with the opportunity to give answers to other ministry leaders, business folks and the like, but grace and humility, while the tougher road to haul, bring meaning to life and ultimately make me a better follower. And when the rubber meets the road, that is really what I want and long to be...a better follower, not a better answer giver. What did Paul say after giving all of his accolades, being one who adhered to the law, knowing the scriptures like no one else, a scholar, and an over all popular guy? He counted it....rubbish.

All of it, rubbish, compared to knowing Christ. The more I am aware of Him and my great need, the more I realize my answers pale in comparison to just knowing Christ. I don't want to have all the answers, I just want to have Christ. I pray for more of Him and less of me. That will be all the answer others need.

The church should go green and save some trees

If I could have a nickel for every time I've had the conversation that goes something like this:

church goer: when did we start doing 'xyz' ministry

me: 4 weeks ago...we've had it in the bulletin for 6 weeks

church goer: Wow, how did I miss that

and then I hit them on the forehead and say "you could of had a v8". ok, not really but occasionally I've wanted to slap a few people before...just being honest.

I'll admit, this post isn't of the spiritual variety but more practical. But I have to say each day I'm learning something new about God and myself in this new season of church planting and it is awesome and I promise to blog about it soon. So back to the church becoming a tree huger.

The church bulletin has gone through many face lifts from it's early days of a box of 500 preprint with a nice picture of the cross on the front so someone could print some notes on the inside all the way to some graphic savy intense catcher that doubles as an invite card.

Our church has made the decision to say good bye to the bulletin and embrace the digital era through online database, social media like facebook and twitter and yes we are still doing the throw back email to. So after 10 weeks what have people in our church been saying about not getting a bulletin? Nothing, not a peep. Nobody really misses it and yet we are still communicating and getting information out. Of course it can and does get lost in translation sometimes, that's just human, but we are finding success in doing it a new way. What about your church? Still doing a bulletin? How effective are you finding it? Maybe it's time to save some trees.

What I'm still learning...

Probably one of the most valuable pieces of advice I received early in ministry was "Be a life long learner and don't act or think as though you have arrived". That is what keeps me grounded. Today I am choosing to be a learner....again.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

It is what our generation is crying for and it is what more and more are giving.

What I've learned after 6 weeks of church planting...

I want to keep track of what I've learned from the past 6 weeks but honestly it's more like 5 months. While the church is going on week 7 this Sunday there has been a lot of work up to this point to get those doors open. So here is what I'm learning.

1. Details are important but people are more important. It seems as if this should be an easy principle in ministry but I have seen the best of ministry people get caught up in the details and forget there are people who need empowering and training to become ministers in their own worlds. Remember we do all of this to advance His Kingdom which people play a pretty significant role in. Nuff said.

2.Don't forget the details. Okay, I know I sound like I'm contradicting myself because I am not really doing that. Confused yet? Honestly it can be confusing keeping a balance between the details and people. People is why I do what I do, but the details is what I do for the people. In my previous ministry position for a large mega church I learned how valuable the details were. In a start up church church I learned all over again how valuable details are because if you don't do them no one else will! I'm not saying no one will help or you should do all of the work yourself but the details are easily overlooked when working in an already established ministry where processes and procedures have been outlined.

3. It can be stressful if you let it but it doesn't have to be.. Starting a church is much like starting a business. A lot of heart, passion, resources $$$$, and hours get invested to pull it off and all of that can spell trouble but it doesn't have to. I have learned to not take myself so seriously and to laugh a lot! Be serious about God's work and who He is, be light-hearted about everything else.

4. Empower people, don't enable them. Here goes my rant on the local church for a second, but honestly I feel right in saying it because I love the local church so much and believe it can be and should be the hope of the world. For too long the church has enabled believers by catering to what they want rather than empowering them to be change agents in their communities. Here is what I mean. If enabling people is catering to what they want, then empowering them teaches them to be leaders and start their own ministry on this earth. The church's job is to equip saints to do the work of the ministry. We have to fight the temptation to give into a few people who are screaming for what they want and teach them to go after it for themselves. Enabling will limit the amount of ministry and kingdom advancement that is done from your local church where empowering will bust wide open the limitless potential of your people creating more ministry and more lives changed than ever thought possible.

These are just some of the things I am learning.

Once Save Always Saved????

Do you believe it? Once save always saved, is that really what the scriptures say? Thoughts?

Screw The End Times!

That's what I heard him say as I was walking past a table at Chick fil a the other day. Wow, what a doozy, "Screw the end times", really? With all the talk of economic doom and gloom it seems to be the talk of most Christian circles. I had a few of the "end times conversations" myself and I've read even more. The more I think about it the more I echo that man's sentiment from chick fil a. Listen, it's not that I don't think the end times are close or won't happen soon. Honestly there are days I wish Jesus would come back now, it sure would make things easier. Now hear me, I'm not trying to ignore what is happening in our world or the signs that the Bible refers to but instead I am choosing to put my attention where it belongs...on Him. We, me included, can keep a conversation going about the end times or we can turn our eyes to God. I choose the latter. THe Bible does say that in the last days even the elite will be deceived. So maybe our attention should be on knowing Him more so we will know Him when he shows up. Just a thought.

Coming Home

4 months since my last post. So what the heck have I been doing? Here's a short list:
moving across country
holidays
job hunting
job interviewing
school online
quitting school online
landing a job and working (back in the market place...crazy and a new mission field)
preparing and meeting for church plant
working with graphics and web design guy
meetings with launch team
learning propresenter
launching church
THE BEACH!!!!
Busch Gardens
Being a dad
Being a husband
working 2 jobs (one I get paid for the other I'm passionate about)

So that's a short list. I'm back on the blogging scene officially now that I'm somewhat settle. If there is anyone who still checks in with me on this blog thing than cool and if not than I guess I can cuss on this thing and nobody will ever know!!!! I have much to talk about.