shawnlovejoy.com

Favor…pt. 2…

Starting this Sunday, we’re going to be talking about one of the most well known, 1st learned, hard to believe, controversial stories in the Bible, about a huge boat filled w/ 1 family, & 2 of every animal on the earth; a devastating flood; and the world’s first rainbow!

All of these things make Noah and the ark a remarkable story! However,  to me, the most remarkable part of the story is one that’s never talked about! Here’s God getting ready to mark the end of the world as we know it; basically wipe humanity from the earth…but ONE man on the entire earth finds “favor” in God’s eyes;

Enough favor to spare him, his family, and ultimately all of humanity from extinction!

So the real question is…WHAT was it about Noah that enabled HIM to find FAVOR in God’s eyes? HOW did HE get FAVOR?

But the bigger question is: “Can WE find favor from favor from God?

If so, HOW do WE get it? 

That’s what we’re talking about over the next 3 wks!

Get here!!!

Don’t forget to set your clocks BACK an hour!!!

Favor…

 

Many have tried everything to obtain it.

Everyone would like to think they could get it.

Noah did. We can.

We’ll talk about HOW beginning this Sunday! Get here!

Sunday Reflex 10-25-09

Yesterday, once again, God showed up BIG TIME at Mountain Lake!  Here are a few reflex:

• I LOVE making our church better by NOT Teaching every week! I gain such a fresh perspective of God’s work in and though my church, when I;m NOT teaching but still IN attendance! MORE pastors need to release their “pulpits” more often and attend their own churches! Novel thought…
• I swear October is busier than December around here because of all the kids’ activities going on! Attendance always dips! But crowds were UP yesterday! 
• We continue to be up in attendance by 20-25% every week this Fall! God is growing His church!
• Baptized 3 more people yesterday! One lady who had attended our church for over 8 yrs! 
• Do you realize we are baptizing  people every week in our worship services?!
• Todd, the Worship Team, and the band did a GREAT job yesterday moving people to worship yesterday. The last song: “Let me Sing” moved me to tears in light of the message.
• Speaking of the message, I thought Rodney Anderson gave one of the best messages I’ve EVER HEARD yesterday! God really used it in my life, and I know yours, as well!  We’ll have it uploaded by noon today on our website.
• When I truly realize the  extent God went to, to create me the just the way I am, I’ll stop trying to be someone else!
• Traffic continues to be an issue getting off campus. We’re doing EVERYTHING we can! It was compounded yesterday by all of the Fall leaf lookers from ATL!
• I got to to personally talk with two members of our BAND yesterday about going public with their faith thru baptism! They’d better not chicken out on me!  
• I’m so glad to lead a church where the Creative Arts ministry can be a pathway to belonging and becoming!
• I also stopped in my neighborhood to talk w/ my neighbor  wh0’s been attending our church since our Grand Opening, and he said to me: “Shawn, we need to get together and talk about how I can become a Christian. I have no idea how to do it.” 
• Would you say it was a good Sunday for me?  Hope it was for you.

Sunday Reflex 10-18-09

Monday was a CRAZY day so I didn’t get to post my Sunday Reflex yesterday! Sorry! Here are a few reflex:

• Week two of our current series: “In My Own Skin”. God spoke.
• “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”              (Gen 16:7)
• The btm. line of the msg was simple: “God judges by the heart, nit by the skin.”
• What qualified David to be King was the fact that HIS heart was about capturing God’s heart, not everyone else’s heart!
• I was honest about my own temptation in my preaching to capture  the heart of man,  vs.  the heart of God.
• I felt like I had an “off day” in my communication, but so many people let me know that God used the msg. in their life!  In the words of “Jesus love me”: “We are weak but He is strong.” I sure am glad!
• The band did a GREAT job w/ the Worship set! “It is Well”: My favorite!
• Todd Nichols did a great job of opening his life and sharing transparently during worship.
• Everyone from 10-100 yrs of age needs to hear this msg! 
• Rodney Anderson knocked it out of the park in Amp’d and Fuze this weekend, and God showed up BIG TIME! We had 17 students indicate they wanted to either give their lives to Christ or go public with their faith! WOW!
• Our attendance was down a little this week, but our giving was up! The core finances our  mission! It’s always been this way. I guess it always WILL BE!  THANKS GUYS! GOD IS USING YOU! THANKS FOR STEPPING UP FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
• I love our church. 

Sunday Reflex 10-11-09…

• Yesterday we increased the transition between services by 15 min. by moving service times to 9:30 & 11:15.  It was so much less congested between services in every way!
• Yesterday was a great reminder once again that it doesn’t matter HOW many seats we have in our auditoriums, if getting to, or home from those seats is a miserable experience for people.
• We MUST make sure these systems run like clockwork and are staffed by COMPETENT, SMILING volunteers: Parking, Greeting, Children’s Ministry Check-in; Greeters who give direction to people who walk in w/ that “deer in the headlights” look; Helping people find their seats; 
• Professional Christians will wait in lines and put up with a lot of hassle to come to church.  Disconnected and marginalized people won’t.
• We kicked off our new series: “In my own skin.”  I’ve never done a whole series based on the life of on David! It really IS going to be awesome!
• I thought the little INTRO video was one of the coolest we’ve ever done! Thanks, James Rodder!
• I KNEW God was going to really use this series, but the feedback affirmed it: WE all struggle with self worth issues: The feeling that we’re ugly; a or a failure; or not good enough.
• “If I’m uncomfortable in my own skin, it’s not because of a circumstance, another person, or my position in life. Our comfort level in our own skin is a spiritual issue and has everything to do with our relationship with God.”
• “Being comfortable in my own skin is about getting comfortable with who and how God made me.”
• Trying to wear someone else’s armor can be: Someone else’s look; someone else’s abilities; someone else’s stuff; or someone else’s expectations.
• “We don’t need more self-confidence. We need more God-confidence.”
• God-Truths from David’s experience w/ Goliath:

“Being comfortable with who and how God made me brings my greatest confidence.”

“Being comfortable with who and how God made me brings my greatest chance of winning.”

• We baptized another entire family yesterday that’s been coming to mtn. lake for over 3 yrs! Love it when a plan comes together. 
• Our Children’s Ministry held “Big Splash” yesterday, our explanation of baptism for our children and their parents. We had over 70 people there!
• I went out with the guys in my Growth Group last night: had wings and watched football. Love these guys. Love the safe, fun  place called Growth Groups in our church!
• Almost forgot: We had a great Good $ense Weekend Friday & Saturday. God did miracles! We cut up credit cards with over over $100,000 worth of credit lines!  God did miracles in people’s lives & hearts and gave them hope! I hope you’ll sign up for the next one.
• Don’t forget Tailgate Merge this Wednesday!
• God continues to be at work. What do you think?

Mtn. Lakers in their own skin…

Check out real Mountain Lakers getting

comfortable in their own skin!

Don’t miss this Sunday!

New Service Times 9:30 and 11:15!

Send THIS LINK to someone now!

In My Own Skin Video Bumper from Mountain Lake Church on Vimeo.

Sunday Reflex 10-04-09

Reflections from yesterday:

• We finished up our “Relationship Rehab”  series yesterday. I believe God has really used this series to give all of us a dose of perspective!
• The 4 prescriptions of this series from (the Beatitudes):

Rx #1: Give up: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”

Rx#2: Cone Clean: “Blessed are they that mourn…”

Rx#3: Be Right: “Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness…”

Rx#4: Make Peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers…”

• “When we make peace, we reflect the personality and character of God. That’s why God says ‘Blessed are the peacemakers for THEY will be called CHILDREN of God.’” WOW!
• For msg video archives, go here.
• We participated in communion for the 1st time in our new auditorium, and I thought it went off without a hitch. One of the most powerful things we do at Mountain Lake!
• We announced the change in service times beginning next week: 9:30 & 11:15 AM; 15 min MORE between services to ease the “crowding challenge” in the transition between services.
• Baptized 3 more people yesterday. We’ve baptized 18 people since moving into the auditorium!
• Announced our continued efforts to send supplies and volunteers to flood victims in NW Metro Atlanta. For info, email Beverly Maloney.
• Newcomer’s Lunch yesterday.  5 MORE people indicated they wanted to  go public with their faith thru baptism. We have over 30 more right now in process to be baptized!
• World Care Team arrived back safely from Istanbul, Turkey.  Glad you’re back, guys!
• I can NOT believe it’s October!

It just makes Good $ense…

The historical cycles of human nature and economics prove two things: We will come out of this recession; and we WILL have another one! The question we’ve all got to be asking right now is: “Will my family be more ready the next time?”  My prayer is that you and I are learning a lot right  now. More than anything else, I’m praying you and I are MOVED to learn HOW to operate financially in a different way than we have in the past. I’m praying that MANY of us would learn how to spend, save, invest, and give in ways that honor God more fully.  It’s been called “Good $ense,” and I believe God’s way still works more than ever before!  We’re AMPING UP our Financial counseling and financial planning ministry at Mountain Lake in a desire to help you honor God in every area of your finances and kicking it off NEXT WEEKEND with our GOOD $ense workshop on Fri night and Saturday morning.  Ask God to give you the hope, the discipline, to get from where you are NOW financially to where God wants you to be! If you have NOT signed up yet for our Good $ense Workshop, do so NOW!