Filed under: People in the community
I want to introduce you to a family that our church has come to know as ‘The Bandys’. They are a couple that was recently flooded out of their home. I don’t know about you but I cannot even imagine losing everything and having to start over. To make matters worse, the Bandys have been told by the emergency officials that their house is not in bad enough condition to be condemned. They cannot live it due to the mold and water damage; yet, they can’t get the assistance to fix their home. Some might argue that they should have had flood insurance but I know a lot of people who don’t have flood insurance, including me. So, I could easily be the Bandys. They simply don’t know what to do.
Our church took up an offering for the Bandys. We have never met them and probably never will. I know them through my parents and I think we can all sympathize with their plight. Starting over would be difficult but imagine doing it at 84. I took the check by their house the other day and they were not there so I left it for them as a gift from our church. My father just called me and told me that he went to visit them after church and she just cried and cried when she told him about the check. She said that it was just a reminder to her that God would provide. For many of us, it was such a simple gesture. For the Bandys, it was a powerful reminder of God’s love and grace.
Filed under: Sundays
I was reading this afternoon in the book of 1 Timothy. In the final chapter, Paul gives a final challenge (you know how I love the word challenge) to Timothy for him to always pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Paul goes on to challenge Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. (1 Timothy 6: 11-12)
Planting a new church can be one of the most difficult callings in ministry. I am not trying to diminish any other calling as I am sure that we all have days where we feel like our call is possibly the most challenging. There are days that I would read this passage and feel like I dont even have the energy to fight the good fight. Today is not one of those days.
I read a little further and the passage says that God gives life to everything. (vs 13) That phrase is what caught my attention as I read the scripture today. I received more emails today than I have ever received about a message. Apparently, God really moved in our church yesterday as we talked about God’s grace being sufficient for all things. One person wrote that the message really challenged them to examine how they looked at the difficulties that they were facing. Another person wrote that they could affirm everything that I preached as God have given them strength to walk through a struggle that would seem impossible to many of us. Another person wrote that they were simply thankful that we could be a place that was not afraid to talk about the difficult sides of life and they felt more accepted as a result of the message. I could literally go on and on.
So, my energy is not the typical Monday energy level. No, today – I am extremely thankful. I am thankful that I get to be a part of such an incredible group of people who are striving to come to understand what they believe. I am thankful that I am part of a group of people who are learning to not be afraid of talking about difficulties and also willing to share their joys. I am thankful that I serve alongside people who are willing to sacrifice in order to build the Kingdom of God. I am thankful that I am witnesses God giving life to The Well.
Filed under: Sundays
Should church be something that we WANT to attend? I had someone come up to me after my message and introduce themselves. They told me that they were at church for the very first time. They told me that they came because someone who visited for the very first time last week had called them and told them that they had to come with them this Sunday. The guy went on to tell me that his greatest observation was that it was amazing that people seemed excited to be at church. He said that he had never seen that. He plans to come back because he said he was leaving WANTING to return and that was an unexpected experience.
Should church be a place where people feel like their voices are heard? I had another person come to me after the message that has been coming to The Well since we started. They told me that they had been at another church prior to The Well and that my message really spoke to them. They said that they had approached their previous church with the same things that I preached about and no one would listen. Now, I have no idea how the conversations took place but this person’s perception was that they were not being heard. Perception is often reality to most people. This person was so excited because they felt like even though the people in the church had not heard them – God had and that The Well was an answer to their prayer years ago.
Should church be a place where we are not afraid to look at other religions? We gathered last night to look at the Hindu faith and what are some of there main beliefs. We compared their beliefs to the basic beliefs of Christianity. Our reasoning was simple – if God calls us to reach out to everyone – shouldn’t we know what they believe. After the study, I had someone mention that they really enjoyed the study because we were not afraid to examine other faith traditions. They said they felt more prepared to engage someone of the Hindu faith – maybe not in a purely theological discussion – but they would not be afraid to talk about what they believe as a Christian.
Filed under: Bahamas Mission Trip
I am constantly amazed at God. I was walking yesterday down a street in Staniard Creek on Andros Island in the Bahamas. As I walking and thinking, I was reminded that it was the actual anniversary of our church holding weekly services. Last year at this time, my focus and efforts were just on having weekly services and all of the energy that would take. I had never been to Andros Island – let alone heard of Staniard Creek.
Yet, God led us as a church to this small settlement and to a community that is starving for Jesus Christ. I think about the community that we live in Bartow County and how 66% of the community do not have a relationship with Jesus. I think about the passion that is growing in our church to reach those outside the church. Then, I think about how 95% of the people in Staniard Creek have no active relationship with Christ. If that is not frightening, 100% of the settlement down the island (which is 15 minutes away) are not connected to Christ. In the midst of the difficult situations that these people are living, they have no desire to be in relationship with God Almighty. To make matters worse – very few are trying to reach them.
Think about that. A short plane ride away is a community that is completely in need of Jesus’ love and mercy. One year ago, we had no idea they existed. Today, we do. We can no longer ignore them. We can no longer only worry about the unchurched in Bartow County. Our mission field has been expanded.
I continued to walk down the small road in Staniard Creek in order to get me a coke from J&J Foodland (not as impressive as it may sound – but a wonderful luxury) and found myself anticipating the miracle that God is bringing together. Will someone from our church be called into fulltime ministry on Andros Island? Will we put together some teams that will be able to build a camp to host larger mission teams? Will we return this summer and see adults come to know Christ. Only time will tell. The only thing that I am confident in is that I will certainly continue to be amazed at God.
Filed under: Sundays
When I have a birthday, I dont think that a year is that big of a deal. In fact, I often downplay the need of any mention or festivity. However, my little girl is the exact opposite. She gets excited and anticipates it months in advance. She tells everybody she knows that her birthday is approaching. Of course, she is fishing for more gifts but the excitement is real.
The truth is that she is right. A year is a big deal. We should celebrate. If we believe that life is a gift from God, we should be joyful that we have another day to serve Him. We have another year to reach out and help people see the love that God has for them. It is truly a blessed opportunity. Our church is turning one year old this Sunday. As I think back to the past year, I am overwhelmed with emotions because I see the possibilities that exist within the life of our church.
Every person that has come into our church in the past twelve months represents a life that God is working on. I am a realistic person and I realize that not everyone has stayed at The Well. Some drifted in for a few weeks and some were quick to decide that we were not the church for them. But, many have stayed. Many have began to get plugged in. Many are beginning to understand the vision we have for reaching people in Bartow County as well as the vision to be focused on mission. Many have professed their faith in Jesus Christ. Many have traveled to another country to shine the light. Many have served. Many have worked together on community causes and acts of kindness. Many have invited friends. Many have grown in their understanding of God. Many have grown in their understanding of their neighbor. We should celebrate. Yes, the truth is that God has even greater things yet to come; however, we should not diminish the great things He has done in our midst already.
Sunday is going to be a great day. It will be a great day because we get to worship the Lord Almighty. It will be a great day because we will see friends and family. It will be a great day because we will get to sing out and praise Jesus. It will be a great day as we look forward to the coming year. As I think back to what a year it has been in our church, I am even more hopeful for what God is going to do in the coming year.
My prayer is that we are just simply faithful. Sunday is going to be amazing – for no other reason than the fact that we will experience God’s love, mercy, and grace.
Filed under: Sundays
Sunday was unbelievable. First, Kyle was great and the service ended with such enthusiasm. You never know when you end a service with such a upbeat song like Broadcast by Steve Fee but it worked. I think everybody was rocking out and you could see that people were excited about worshiping God. Hands were up in the air and clapping and people were singing. It was great to see people not worried about what others think and just focused on praising God.
For me personally, Sunday was also a great reminder of God’s ability to provide strength in the midst of weakness. Just before the service – I was notified that my uncle had passed away. Focused on my aunt and mother, I was somewhat distracted. However, God poured out his Spirit and gave me the ability to focus on Him and his message when I needed to.
It was also great to see so many people stepping out on faith to share the message with the world. We had domestic, international and local mission opportunities for people to get involved. I think it was thirty minutes after the service and there was still people looking over the different ministries and getting involved. It is so cool to see people getting excited about serving God and leaving their comfortable surroundings in order to reach new people for Jesus. It was a great way to end the first full year of weekly services. I cannot wait to start another year of ministry at The Well.
Filed under: People in the community
I received a text late last night from someone who ended their text with the phrase – ‘God is Amazing!’ The person shared that God had got a hold of them over the last couple of days and would not let go. After surrendering to God, they shared with some other people what God had laid on their heart. As a result of this person’s faithfulness, two people came to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. I hear stories like this and I am blown away at the way God works. Why on earth would God use us? We constantly make mistakes, we fail Him all the time; yet, He works through us to reach into someone’s life and change them. God is Amazing.
I got another email from a parent where their child had taken our invitation cards to school and gave one to every child in their class and their teacher. This is a third grader. He cared so much for his classmates that he wanted them all to come to church. I, of course, offered to get him more cards if he needed them – I figured he might keep going to the entire third grade. Seriously, this is what God desires from all of us. God desires that we look at every person with the compassion and love that He has for them. Inviting someone to church is more than an effort to increase statistical categories – it is living out the reality that God cares for everyone and we should too.
We have watched over the last couple of days as our neighbors have had their homes, businesses and schools flooded and ruined. I have been glued to the news as I grew up in the area and have so many family and friends affected by the storm. So much devastation and despair. The reality for those of us outside the affected areas – the despair that these people feel is right here in our neighborhoods as well. Our friends and families have lost jobs, had their homes foreclosed on, have lost family to tragedies and illness. How do we offer any of them hope? First, we have to be like the 3rd grader and care. We have to be genuinely concerned for people. We have to be willing to come alongside of them and listen to their stories. Then, we have to be like the person who sent me the text. We have to be willing to surrender and let God use us.
In the midst of crisis and despair that life sometimes brings, God can use you and me to pour His Spirit into someone’s life and for them to feel the overwhelming love of the God that created the universe. God can use you and me to pour His Spirit into someone’s life and offer them comfort and peace that we cannot offer ourselves. God can use you and me to pour His Spirit into someone’s life and offer them hope when we can’t even see it or express it. God is amazing! Never forget it. God is Amazing! Live it. God is Amazing!
Filed under: Sundays
What can i say? If you missed this morning at The Well, it was incredible. Jacob Burson gave the message as part of a series that we are doing on what it means to be a disciple. As we look at the task of a disciple to assist in spreading the message, Jacob called us all to examine our commitment to Jesus. Anything less than 100% should not be acceptable. His message was tough at times as I am sure that many of us were somewhat uncomfortable but his message was also truthful.
At the end of the message, Jacob gave a passionate plea to commit to reaching out to those who dont go to church. He reminded us that our task is not to simply increase numerical numbers but he reminded us that we are called to assist in building the Kingdom. The amazing thing was to watch people respond to God’s promptings. I, along with Jacob, can’t wait to see where God is taking us as a church.
We also began to promote our next Random Act of Kindness. By nature, a Random Act of Kindness is random so people have to sign up before they even know what they are doing. I realize that can be a scary process but you can’t believe how many people signed up. The coolest thing about an Act of Kindness is that is so much fun. We don’t realize that evangelism can be fun and exciting but it can. So, I am looking forward to what God is going to do when we show up in Euharlee and ………(can’t tell you yet)
Finally, the band was great. You may not have known that Kyle wasn’t feeling well but God was able to show that He is able to provide strength when we are weak. Erica was a great addition and I loved having a female voice in the mix. For me, the final song, I Will Rise, was just incredible. I realize that I am an emotional person but the tears were flowing as Kyle sang those words – “I Will Rise when He calls my name” – May we all be able to shout that truth.
Changed lives are so hard to measure and yet they are something that every church desires to see. (at least, I hope we do) Every once in a while, we have the opportunity to see someone whose life is in the midst of a God transformation. Let me tell you about a young man in our church. I received a phone call yesterday from this young man about an upcoming youth meeting in our church. He wanted to come but he had already committed to a previous event with his scout troop. We talked about his choices and I did not encourage him either way. I wanted him to make the decision and did not want to get in the middle of a family decision. Scouts has been a big part of this young man’s life and I did not want to discount the effect. He thanked me for the time and hung up. Several hours later, I received a text from the young man that simply read – ‘coming 2 youth’. My first reaction was hesitant. I wondered if he felt pressured . Then, I was reminded of the scripture in 2 Corinthians that talks about being a new creation. It talks about old things passing away and new things coming. Isn’t that transformation! This young man was willing to sacrifice something that was valuable to him in order to connect to a group that is going to help him grow closer to Christ. I am so proud for him. My prayer is that we are all able to follow the example of this young man.
Filed under: Sundays
We had a great Sunday at The Well. Kyle started us out with a new song, ‘Sing,Sing, Sing’, and it just set the tone for a great day of worship. Even with the threat of weather and a school holiday weekend, we had a good crowd and some new faces. We even had a ’skit’ where Jacob interrupted the service in order to talk about our upcoming SuperBowl party. Our hope is that we all understand the importance of this fellowship opportunity. First, it is a great chance to invite friends. People often will come to an event like this long before they will ever come to church. This is going to be a real family event as we are going to have moonwalks and sports game for all ages, free hamburgers and hot dogs, live music, and ‘The Well Bowl’. While all of that is great, the most exciting part of the event is that we are going to be making a ’big announcement’ at the SuperBowl party. This announcement will help set our course as a church in 2009 and is something that I would love for everyone to come and hear. As we get closer to the party, I am sure I will have more to say and I also expect that we will see more of Jacob in the future. Until then, start talking it up. SuperBowl party – Excel Christian Academy – Sunday February 1st @ 6:00 p.m.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Here is a simple thought – God is Creator. I have grown up in the church for most of my life (high school and college years are a different story) and I have always thought of God as the Creator. The Bible teaches us that God created the heavens and the earth. I look around and see leaves changing and I know that God’s creation is in the midst of change. While this may seem very simple, I never really thought much about God as a present day Creator. For me, God as Creator was always a thought of past creations. I know it sometimes takes me longer than some people but I have learned so much over the past year about God as a Creating God. He is still creating.
When I came to Cartersville some fourteen months ago, I did not know a single person. I moved my family here with the passion to start a church. I am sure that I had ideas of what I would do but I have learned that I am much more effective when I tap into what God is already doing. Church at The Well is not my church. It is God’s church. I have met people that literally said that they were ‘waiting on us’ to move here. They didn’t know me. They simply knew that God was calling them to something. I have met people that moved here years before I did and were searching for something. They just didn’t know what they were suppose to do. I have met people that moved here about the same time I did and just didn’t know how to connect. I have also met people that were not even thinking about church. Looking back over the past year, I could give you story after story of people that God has (and is) bringing together to be part of The Well. I stand here amazed that God created His church and has been planning and creating for years to get us to the place where we are today.
As I sit and write this post, our church is three days away from the launch of weekly services. We have prayed and prayed. We have planned. We have prepared. We have promoted. We have done everything we can do to be ready for this tremendous day. Just think, you don’t have the opportunity very often to watch God create something out of nothing. Despite all of our efforts, I still find myself standing in awe of what God is able to do. One of the ways that we have promoted our church is to purchase the cover of a local magazine here in Bartow County – Bartow Buzz. The magazine got delivered today. I just checked my email and I had an email from a person who has lived here in Cartersville for a couple of years. She told me that her family just never found a church that they felt comfortable. She said that she had seen signs for The Well but never even knew what we were or even cared to find out. She said that she had prayed LAST NIGHT for God to guide her to the place she needed to be to connect to Him. Today, she got the Buzz in her mailbox. She said she knew nothing about The United Methodist Church. She said she knew nothing about modern style of worship. She has never heard me preach. But, she said that she also knew that God wanted her at The Well on Sunday. I have no idea if she will become a member of our church. But, I know that God is working in her life. God is reaching out to her.
That is a comforting thought. It brings me hope and peace because I know that God is continually reaching out to me. God is working to grow me toward Him. When I look at myself honestly, I find it overwhelming that God is still creating. He is creating in me. He is creating through me. The same is true for you. Isn’t that cool?
Filed under: Life Experiences
Here is a simple thought – kids just get it!. I know that the Bible teaches us that we should have the faith of a child. Now, I also realize that we should desire to grow in our faith but I truly hope to keep the excitement and sense of awe that children have. I hope to grow in my ability to run toward God with such an expectation of His presence.
I came home today after doing some of the last minute things that you do on the Friday before a new church launches. I had gone to Walmart for supplies, put out what seems like 1000 yard signs, worked on my sermon, and made sure that people were in place for the various servant positions. I came home tired and ready to just sit and rest. My son came home from school (8th grade) and was excited and joyful. I figured it was just the fact that it was Friday and that meant that he had two days away from school.
Over dinner, I asked him why he was in such a good mood. He quickly responded that he was excited for the launch. He was excited that we were going to have church every Sunday. He was excited because people were going to come to church on Sunday that might never have gone to church. Here I was tired and wanting to sit and rest and my son was excited and ready to move. I want that excitement. I wonder some times about the effect that planting a church has on my kids. Will it require too much of my time?
What I realize is that my kids are seeing the scriptures come to life. They are seeing the value of commitment. They are seeing people come back to an active faith. They are seeing the attitude of Jesus in the service opportunities. They are seeing the church working with a unified purpose. They are seeing God move in a group of people. In addition, they are feeling God move in their own life. They are excited about worship. They are excited about serving. They are getting it and they want to share it with others. I pray that we all come to that place in our life.
Filed under: Sundays
Here is a simple thought – God is amazing. I have been thinking this past week about how God truly changes us. I wish that I could explain it but it is something that you experience. This past Sunday, our new church had the privilege of watching a family give their hearts to God. A mother and her two daughters were forever changed. It was a powerful moment and a wonderful reminder of God’s ability to change us.
Over the past week, I have had time each day to reflect on the change that God has brought about in me. (Believe me, it is certainly God bringing about the change.) I know that I have a long way to go in my relationship with God but watching a baptism inspires me to think about how God has worked in my life. I think about some of the relationships that have been restored. I think about some of the greed that has been taken away. I think about some of the bad habits that God has broken and some of the positive habits that God has poured into me. I am not the same person that I was many years ago. I am sure that those of you who knew me in high school and college are probably thankful for that. But, the scripture in 2 Corinthians that talks about that in Christ, we are new creations is certainly true. The scripture goes on to say that the old has gone and the new has come.
When I think of that scripture, I immediately think of these three brave women who have entered into a life in Christ. The scripture focuses my attention on the future. What does God have in store for these women. What will He use them to do? I think of all the people that guided me on my path and wonder – ‘who will they guide?’ Who will come to know Jesus through something they do or say. Who will be forever changed becuase of some random act of kindness that they show? We may never know the answer to these questions (in this life) but I know that God is alive and working in our midst. He is bringing about change that truly matters. I think it is going to be fun to watch.
Filed under: Holidays
The beginning of a new year is always a time where we stop and think back on the previous year. We remember the good times and we reflect on the difficult parts. As I work through this process in the life of the church, I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am for everything that God has done.
As we began the year, we had about three or four families that had committed to The Well. We had no location and we very little resources. All we could do was pray. Pray for God’s guidance and clarity and the courage to follow through on what God was calling us to do. I have a group of people that I send prayer requests to every week (I have been doing this since we first found out that we were planting a church). Fortunately, my friend saved all my requests and sent me the prayer requests that I sent at the beginning of 2008. My prayer at the beginning of the year was for “God to guide people into my path that either had a desire to help start a church or were in need of a church community.” As I looked at that prayer and thought about the year, I stand in amazement. We just completed what was probably our most labor intensive week in the life of our new church. During the week of Christmas, we moved our entire church 5 different times. If you are part of a church that has a physical location, think about that when you think about the pros and cons of your building. Even though we moved the church 5 times, we had people willing to do that. Some took time off from work and others used their vacation time to make sure that everything was ready and available for Sundays and Christmas Eve. We had people willing to serve. In addition, we had hundreds come on Christmas Eve that did not have a church community that they called their own.
I am reminded of how faithful God is and how His timing is not always my own. As I prepare for 2009, my prayer doesn’t really change. I still pray that God will guide people into my path as I know that there are still so many people who need to find a church where they can worship. I also know that there are resources that God has for our church that I simply have to wait on. But, I will say that I pray more confidently and boldly. I know God has great things in store for The Well and look forward to being a part of such an awesome community of faith.
Filed under: Sundays
Have you seen the movie – ‘Talladega Nights’? There is a scene where Ricky Bobby is saying grace before the meal and he prays to baby Jesus. His wife yells at him that Jesus grew up but Ricky Bobby tells her that he prefers to think of Jesus as a baby.
I think we do that sometimes as well. We celebrate Christmas and we like the image of Christ as a baby. Sweet, pure, and innocent. It makes us feel good and comfortable. Yet, Jesus grew up. Jesus experienced some tremendous temptations. Jesus suffered. Jesus sacrificed alot for me and you. As I prepare for this Sunday, I am reminded what an incredible HERO Jesus is. I am looking forward to this coming month at The Well as we look at HEROES and how we can grow in our influence within our family and friends.
Filed under: Sundays
Sunday was just awesome. We ended the service with what is becoming one of my favorite songs – God of this City. I don’t know about you but I can sometimes get caught up in the negative. This song reminds me of the great things that God has planned for us. It reminds me of the great things that God wants to bring about. It encourages me and inspires me to live life confident of God’s promises. I think of how far God has brought us in one year and can’t wait to see where God will take us in 2009. I also loved to see the new faces. The first week of the year can be a time where some people make a decision to start attending church and I think the message hit home with alot of us. We all have areas in our lives that we know are not quite in line with the way God desires for us to live – our challenge is to name it. Commit to living differently in 2009. Remember, God has great things in store for us.
Filed under: Bahamas Mission Trip
We had an awesome meeting yesterday about our upcoming mission trip. It is hard to believe that our new church is already forming a foreign mission team but it sure is exciting. We had 21 people (and we have more meeting on Tuesday) who are seriously interested in the mission trip come to the meeting. Of those 21 people, only four had ever been on a foreign mission trip. Isn’t that cool? People excited about sharing Jesus with people they don’t even know. People excited about taking the message of Jesus to a completely different culture. Now, we had our normal concerns - money, being able to dry our hair, and of course the bathroom and shower facilities but we talked about the transforming power that comes in sharing God’s love. I can’t wait. I believe that we are going to see some people experience some radical life transformation over the next few months. Stay tuned!
