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If I really believe "Jesus is Lord" (pt 2)...

If I really believe Jesus is Lord:

• I'll believe that ANYTHING is possible.
• I'll believe that I can overcome any weakness, addiction, or sin that plagues me.
  
• I won't live in the past. 
• I'll realize that this world is not my home. My home is with Him.
• I'll embrace the fact that suffering allows me to identify with Him and lean on Him.
• I'll see people with His eyes. Compassionate eyes. 
• I'll believe in people.
• Prayer will be the foundation of a relationship, not religious duty.
• I'll trust Him in every circumstance.
• I'll believe in His church. He died for it He is the Head of it.
• I will follow Him, and live for His mission in my life!

Sunday Reflex 3-28-10...

Here are a few reflex from another AWESOME day yesterday:

* I absolutely LOVE it when i can just attend our church and NOT teach. Yesterday was one of those days and I always come away marveling at what God does in and through our church every week!

* The Worship Team did one of the best jobs they've ever done yesterday when it comes to LEADING people in worship. Their authenticity and passion were evident! 

* Baptized 6 more people! We continue to baptize 5-6 people every Sunday!

* Week three of our SYMBOLS SERIES. WOW God's really used this series: The three symbols we've talked about are: the cross; baptism; and communion. 

* We participated in communion yesterday. It's always a big deal at our church.

* People often ask if communion is not important to us because we don't celebrate it every week. The fact is that it's MORE important to us; that's why we don;t allow it to be come a ritual that doesn't mean anything to us! 

* John Shepherd taught yesterday. Love that man; and his wife. John knocked it OUT yesterday! John, God is growing you so much as a communicator!

* "Communion represents a new relationship with God and a new relationship with each other".

* "Communion represents His purpose and ours."

* Yesterday was a weird day because it was Rodney Anderson's last official day on our Ministry Team; we've been together for 9 1/2 yrs; I live you, dude...

* But the day was also awesome, because we got to introduce our NEW Student Pastor to out Student Leaders yesterday! I can not WAIT to introduce this family to you at our Easter services!

* We're all convinced God just may know what He's doing!

If I really believe "Jesus is Lord"...

• I won't worry about what others think; only what He thinks.
• I won't seek the applause of men; only His.
• I'll react to people based on His reactions toward me.
• I will begin each day with Him.
• I will spend lots of time with Him.
• I will seek to know Him very personally.
• I will seek to partner in His mission throughout my day; not just accomplish my mission. 
• I will seek to honor Him with my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• I'll end each day asking two questions: "How did I partner with Jesus today? How did I resist Him today?"
• I won't be so hard on myself. 
• I won't worry about the future.
• I will give to Him first; not last. 
• I won't worry about my church.
• I will live and share the Gospel. 
• I will surrender my agenda to Him.
• I will love God.
• I will love people; as much as I love myself!

Re-imagining the church...

Today I am in NY hanging out with some pastor friends discussing trends and future movements within the church.  We are discussing MANY of the issues I have been sharing with Mtn Lakers, regarding our desire to BE the people of God like never before in the days ahead.  GREAT DISCUSSIONS! God is at work shaping His church for things to come! Greater things are still to be done!

Steve Andrews: Kensington Community Church, Detroit

Todd Proctor, Rock Harbor Church, Orange Co, CA

Brian Bloye, West Ridge Church, ATL,

Dave Ferguson, Community Christian Church, Chicago, IL

Mark Deymaaz, Mosaic Church, Little Rock, AR

Greg Surratt, Seacoast Church, Charleston, SC

Greg Nettle, RiverTree Christian Church, Ohio

Some of our guides:

Todd Wilson, Exponential

Alan Hirsch, Forge

Bill Cochenour, Cogun

Ed Bahler, Aspen Group

Sunday Reflections 3-21-10...

Here are a few reflections on yesterday's services at Mountain Lake: 

• The worship Team led us  though what I thought was a very authentic time of worship, led by three different worship leaders: Todd, Jenee, and Brian Isbell. GREAT job, guys! I'm so honored to be your Pastor, and I love leading worship alongside you!
• Week TWO of our SYMBOLS series: I simply loved teaching about Symbol #2, Baptism! 
• Most of us have hiccups and hangups regarding baptism, not because we're confused about what the bible teaches, but because of our cultural, family and church backgrounds."
• Showed a hilarious clip from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".
• I gave more historical background and info about baptism than most people probably even wanted but I really enjoyed teaching this message. Baptism even means more to me, now! 
• "Baptism is a symbol of Jesus; but WE are symbols of baptism!"  "For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead."  Col. 2:12 (NLT)
• "Baptism symbolizes and event; but also a way of life."
• "This means that Christianity is about much more than getting out spiritual fire insurance!"
• As Christ followers, we need to be asking ourselves two things: Is my old life buried? Am I living the new life Christ created me to live?
• "So when someone gets baptized, we're celebrating three things: 1: Their decision; 2: Our decision! 3: The success  of our mission as Christians and as a church!"
• As long as this baptistry stays WET, and people keep going down into it and out of it, we celebrate the fact EVERY TIME that our church as yet to become a Christian Country Club for the Frozen Chosen!"
• "Baptisms are PROOF that a church is being successful in the GREAT COMMISSION!"
• We baptized AFTER the message, and as people came up out of the water, we went nuts! Loved it!
• Another awesome day @mtnlakechurch!

Staffing as a church grows...

William Vanderbloemen saved my life. At least  I think he did. I met William last year,  and the timing could not have been better. I shared with William the challenges our Ministry Team was having, because on the heels of moving in a new auditorium and experiencing some explosive growth, NO ONE ON OUR TEAM HAD EVER BEEN ON STAFF AT A CHURCH AS LARGE AS OURS...NOT EVEN ME! That's a challenge.

If you've been a part of a church that's experienced exponential growth, you know that the challenges and complexities of ministry change so much over time with the growth of the church! I was recognizing it. Our team was, too! We were in over our heads! We sensed God leading us to bring in some team members that had ministry experience in ministries larger than ours. Since that time, we have asked William to help us in the search for THREE new executive ministry positions. Working with William has been everything I'd hoped it would be.

Here are just a few of the ways the ministry of the Vanderbloemen Search Group has helped our ministry:

• They sat down with me, sought to understand my leadership style, our church's mission and culture, and asked me the hard questions. I have a better understanding of our church's unique mission and culture because of them.
• They have helped us reach outside our usual church relationships and cultures and connected us with new types of churches and ministry leaders. This is going to help diversify our team and church over time.
• Most Pastors and churches don't have great HR processes. We've been no exception. William is helping our young church grow up here.
• William is a Pastor with a Pastor's heart, has worked in and for the church, knows ministry, recognizes the call, and knows a ministry match when he sees it. He's really gifted at this.
• William loves Jesus, seeks Him, and asks God to lead Him as part of the search process. That means the world to me!

Bringing in some seasoned ministry veterans with new energy and fresh perspective is going to rock our church...for the better! Thanks, William, for following God's calling... I can't wait to see what God is about to do in and through you! Honored to partner with you!

As for Mountain Lakers, get ready for greater impact than ever before!

Easter Series & Service Times...

A NEW MESSAGE SERIES BEGINNING EASTER WEEKEND

Saturday: 4:30 & 6 PM

Sunday: 9:30 & 11:15

Helping churches face Stewardship Challenges...

EVERY church is facing stewardship challenges during this economy. Believe it or not, Mountain Lake is weathering the storm as good or better than most churches. We have a heart for helping churches face the stewardship challenges facing them! 

We're HONORED to be hosting John Maxwell, and our ministry partners at ISS for a one day event here at our campus. Get registered now!

Rodney & Sarah Anderson...

Rodney Anderson joined our Ministry Team in December of 2000, the first year in the life of our church. He had just finished college, did not necessarily feel called to be a Pastor, had never worked for a church, and had never really spoken in front of a crowd of people. He was 21 yrs old. The first year of our Student Ministry, he took four Students to Summer Camp.

Nine-plus years later, I could not be more proud to watch as he has grown into the man, the Pastor, husband, father, and friend he has become! His leadership, his passion for ministry, and his teaching gifts have been evident to all. I would love to think I've been able to play a small part in his growth. 

Just so you know, Rodney and I have ALSO been talking for probably close to 2 years about God's calling on HIS life, his spiritual gifts, and what God might want to do in and through him in the future. Over a year ago, due to some transition in our Student ministry, I asked Rodney to invest back into our Student Ministry and bring some consistency to the ministry, while we began a search for man of God who felt called to lead and set strategic direction for the entire Student Ministry. Rodney does not share this unique call on his life, but because of his love for me and our church he accepted the call over a year ago as our Student Pastor for the second time with a mutual understanding that when the new Student Pastor got here, we would figure out together what his next role looked like here at MLC.

To Rodney's credit the average, tenure of a Student Pastor is 14-18 mos. He has been the Exec. Student Pastor for 7 out of the 10 years of our church! That's a testimony to the great ride we've had together!

In the mean time, within the last couple of weeks, God also dropped a GREAT opportunity into Rodney's lap and tapped on his shoulder with a clear call to another ministry post. He has accepted that position and will be joining the Ministry Team at Buckhead Church in April. He will be here through the end of this month. He will be working within the Student Ministry there, but actually won't have a ton of interaction with the actual Students, but will be involved in the Leadership Development aspect among the adult volunteers in that ministry. I think this unique position, and even the urban context, fits Rodney's gifts and wiring so perfectly and I know He will bring great value to this ministry. 

WHAT NOW? We are actually in the 4th quarter of our Student Pastor search and hope to make a big announcement soon regarding our new Student Pastor, so students and parents, hang in there! In the mean time, great Student Ministry leaders like Buck & Beth Webb, Michael Cheek, and Crystal Corn are locked and loaded and will lead this ministry over the next several weeks.

On the other hand, I must also say that will also miss Rodney so much! He has been one of my best friends for almost 10 years and my teaching partner for half of that! He will be missed in my life and our ministry. However, we BOTH feel this is 100% God's will for the future of our ministries and churches, and we're excited about our futures! 

NOTE: Regardless of what anyone thinks, we are great friends, and plan on staying that way! For now, Rodney will continue to live in our community and drive to Buckhead and I plan on continuing to pick his brain for my messages from time to time! 

Our church and the Student Ministry is what is is thanks to Rodney in many ways!

Rodney, I love you, man, and I am thankful for the incredible time we've had together! God's going to use you big time!

Mountain Lakers, leave your encouraging comments HERE for Rodney & Sarah Anderson!

Chad & Autumn Ward...

Yesterday two young men who I've done ministry with for a decade announced God's call for them to new ministry fields. Stay tuned for a post about one of my great Ministry Partners, Rodney Anderson, and his wife, Sarah. In this post, however, I'd love to talk for just a bit about my friend and ministry partners Chad & Autumn Ward. 

Chad and I have been friends since we were kids and started this church together as the two first Pastors.  He has led our Children's Ministry for 8 out of the 10 yrs of our church! Many may not know, however, that he also has worn ministry hats in Guest Services; Growth Groups; Creative Arts: and even Student Ministry! God has used he and Autumn in my life and ministry in ways many will never know!

However, we have both felt for a couple of YEARS now that God was doing some unique work in each of our hearts and that it was possible that the day may come one day when He called us to different places. That simply happened quickly within the last month, and I am thrilled to hear about all that God has done in DROPPING THIS OPPORTUNITY IN THEIR LAPS!

I will miss them more than anyone else in our church will, but I can not selfishly hold on to them and keep them from becoming all that God has called them to be! When Chad and I began working together, I had never been a Sr. Pastor, and HE had never worked for a church! To see what he and Autumn have become as ministry leaders is AMAZING and I am elated to send them out for greater impact! Chad and Autumn will be around for a while, through the end of April. They will be joining the ministry team of Watermark Church between Canton & Woodstock, in May.

The avg tenure for a Pastor in America is 24-30 mos. and it is a testament to Jesus, his mission, and our relationship that we have worked together for almost 11 years now. What we've enjoyed together has truly been unique. 

Chad & Autumn, I love you; and Mountain Lake walks on your shoulders today. Thanks for 11 great years! Can't wait to hang out with you and celebrate soon!

NOTE: Regardless of what anyone might think, Chad and I are great friends, if not even better, now that we know we can JUST be friends again! We're excited about that! We might even watch more Alabama football together this Fall now that we don't work together!

BTW, we have also known this transition in Children's Ministry was coming for some time and have been diligently in the search for a Children's Pastor since the 1st part of the year, and plan on having a new Children's Pastor in place later this Spring!

In the meantime, Mountain Lakers, leave your words of encouraging comments to Chad & Autumn here, now!