My Year in in the Rear View Mirror...

For the last few years, I've made a practice of taking the last week of December, and looking in my rear view mirror, by perusing BACK through my journal from the last year. As I do so, I reserve a couple of pages in my journal to write down:

• Highlights
• Significant moments in my life, family, and ministry
• Significant things God said to me
• Things I want to follow-up on

Needless to say, it's always a rewarding experience! Next couple of days, I'll share some of the things I recorded in my journal as I looked in my rear view mirror. Here are a few from the first six months of 2008:

• We launched a new campus of Mountain Lake!
• We broke ground on a new Worship Auditorium!
• We moved from Saturday Night to Sunday Night services one year ago!
• "Naked Church" message series, where we talked about getting real in church! God used it. Now we're ready for the next "preparation phase" for our church!
• "Re-ACT" series, where our church read through the entire book of Acts!
• God spoke to me about leading our Ministry Team from being a GOLF team, where everybody knows what everybody's doing; to a Football team, where each ministry role becomes specialized and knowledge and community is built stronger within each team on the team.
• God spoke to me about making some big changes in regards to a shift from working In ministry to working ON the ministry.
• During one of my "Dangerous Times" with God, God gave me the name "Man-cation" for our Men's Retreat! Love it! 
• God led us to move John Shepherd in as our Campus Pastor at W. Forsyth campus, and placed Chad Ward back strategically over Family Ministries at both campuses. GREAT CHANGE! 
• "WOW Wii" message series: 175 new volunteer signup's and a special $200,000 WOW Offering! Wow Wii! We'd be sinking without this one!
• I took a two week vacation late May-early June, but spent too much time with extended family! Loved it, but not enough "down time". this year, vacation will be slower and quieter. I'll fight the temptation to see everyone and do everything!
• Most significant things God said to me?

1. The two  most important elements in our teaching at MLC must be PASSION and MORAL AUTHORITY.
2. "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord." (Eph 5:10).
3. "If you keep yourself pure, you will be a holy utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work." (1 Tim. 2:21).
4. Build the church; Don't just build a crowd. A crowd is not a church, but it can become one.  To this end I now give my life! 

Wow! God was faithful those first six months, huh? I'll share my rear view mirror thoughts for the NEXT six months tomorrow!

Comments

[Brian Estle]

Nice read - just wanted to say thanks for making 2008 as great as it was. With all the economic problems we faced (not only us, but the world), and every other problem we faced - our faith was/is the only thing we had/have control of. I want to say thanks for helping myself and my family grow stronger in our relationship with God.... it means so much to me. My wish for 2009 is that MLC reaches out further into the world - touching more people and bringing them closer to God.

[Brad Bobo]

Shawn, I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing... particularly #2 and #3

[bob robbins]

Thanks for sharing these thoughts. Very helpful to see your year shared like this.