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A lot to be thankful for…

This morning I made a list of things I’m thankful to God for. Here’s what I wrote:

Father I’m thankful for:

• Your Son Jesus Christ, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
• Forgiving me of my sin
• Leading my life
• My call into vocational ministry
• My wife  Tricia, who:
  • Loves Jesus with all her heart
  • Is willing to sacrifice anything to see God’s mission fulfilled thru us.
  • Is my biggest cheerleader and best friend.
  • Is HOT!
  • Is my right hand  ministry partner!
• My three kids:
  • Hannah: who loves Jesus well and has a great ear for music!
  • Madison: My biggest helper and cuddler.
  • Paul: who loves Video games and comic books as much as I do!
• Parents who always believed in me, pushed me, and cheered me on.
• For a Dad who’s never been afraid to hug me and tells me he loves me every time I talk to him.
• For a church that is reaching so many people disconnected from Jesus Christ!
• For a church that loves my family and me well!
• My favorite Growth Group of all time RIGHT NOW: The Brambletts, McClures, Orzechs, Maryanski’s, Massey’s, Bushong’s, Landreth’s, & Smith’s.
• Your daily provision in my life. 
• The best Ministry team in the world.
• The world’s best ministry assistant: Marie Lindelli.
• The wisdom to lead during these unique days.
• Teaching me contentment more each day.
• churchplanters.com, and the ability to influence pastors and ministry leaders all over the world.
• The mentors you’ve placed in my life over the years.
• My home.
• America. I love this country. Help us return to You.
• Christmas Songs.
• College Football. My second passion in life.

When God is NOT great…

Remember this prayer? 

“God is great; God is Good; Let us thank Him for our food;  By his hands we all are fed; Thank You Lord, for daily bread; A-men.” 

Truth is however, we don’t have to get very old, until we begin to think: “Well, God doesn’t feel so great, right now.” We begin to feel this way when we suffer; when we see or experience injustice or violence; when we’ve prayed for something for a while now and…crickets. We begin to think: “Maybe God’s not great; because if He was, He’d do something about this.” If you’ve ever felt this way, then I’m going to introduce you to someone Sunday you’re going to REALLY relate to. His name is Habakkuk.  I have never taught out of the book of Habakkuk before. Sunday’s the day. This is the series. Come prepared to hear God speak to you through a book in the Bible you’ve probably never read before! Come prepared to be encouraged. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been more excited about a series than I am about this one! Get here! Invite someone to come!  Now!

Thoughts from my time in San Diego…

For the last 2 years,  I’ve been connecting with a group of “Next Generation” (that’s what they called us) Pastors from around the country. The groups was sponsored by Leadership Network, and if you’re a Pastor, you need to figure out how to get connected to these guys in some way! Our group has met twice a year to learn together, from each other, and sharpen each other. Every time I get away like this with other pastors, God used it to make my church better for it! Needless to say, it’s been one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! Below, I’ve just decided to post some quips and quotes that God used in my life from this past meeting:

• “Leaders are the purveyors of hope.” –Warren Bennis
• “God spoke to and used Solomon in spite of the fact that He still had some idols in his life.” (see 1 Kings 3). That’s encouraging!
• Every Pastor MUST have a strong wingman.
• How can we engage retirees with meaningful volunteer opportunities? They can be FREE staff people, if we give them challenging opportunities to serve!
• Level 5 Leaders combine personal humility & professional will.
• “Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people out of their comfort zones.” (Harvard Business Review)
• Followers want comfort, stability, and solutions from their leaders. 
• Most people don’t care about the theological arguments pastors have.
• Technology can completely rob us of solitude.
• Is my sermon a flat coke or does it have fizz? If so, WHERE IS THE FIZZ?
• In Acts 6, the leaders of the church didn’t enable others until they faced overload. Lord, don’t let that be me!
• “Stuff” is what overloads me. “Stuff” is not bad. “Stuff” is actually the debris of success.
• Jesus’ movement was launched in a high demand/low resource world.
• As the church grows, I must manage less, and lead more.
• Managers focus on doing things right. Leaders focus on doing the right things.
• My time must be allotted to focus on three different things: Rest time, Response time, and Results time. I don’t need to be trying to do TWO of them at the same time.
• The question I need to be able to answer is: “How can I chase my dreams during the day and still sleep well at night?”
• Thanks to the guys at Leadership Network for making my time with you all AWESOME! I appreciate you! God is using you! You’re making a difference! Hang in there!

What have you done to try to get God’s favor?

 

Favor comes through relationship not by behavior!

Stay tuned this Sunday for part 2 of this video series…

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!!!

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.

Building THE Kingdom, not OUR Kingdom…

The last 24 hrs have been unbelievable! Yesterday we started a new Pastor’s coaching network with pastors from all over the Southeast,  and spent an entire day investing into them, giving them permission to plant and lead churches that change the way people think about church. Here are the guys: some of the sharpest around!

Greg Bearss, Lake Pointe Lutheran Church: Hot Springs, AR

Chris Goins, a2 Church: Birmingham,AL

Paul Peterson, New Life Church: Rock Hill, SC

Jeffrey Hickman, LifeSong Church: Lyman, SC

Ken Joslin, Life Church:  Gainesville, GA

Matt Adair, C2 Church: Watkinsville, GA

Howard Koepka, Eagle Pointe Church: Acworth, GA

Kevin Bullock, Reality Church: Carrollton , GA

The greatest news is that impacting God’s Kingdom doesn’t end there for us! Right now, we have a team headed to Turkey to train pastors who have a desire to start and lead churches all across Europe and the Middle East.  In December, I’ll lead another trip to Egypt where we will have 200-300 pastors in the annual Church planting conference we host there now!

Today I also got to hang out with  a church planter from Amsterdam, Holland: Sebastiaan van Wessem (pictured below), pastor of  thousand hills international church and founder of Europe Advance, a church planting network founded out of his church plant (sound familiar?), that is  catalyzing collaboration among planters and churches across Europe, and starting new sites and churches!

Mountain Lakers, I want you to know that it’s my heart for our church to keep building, not the “Mountain Lake Kingdom,” even thought I want to reach and minister to thousands in our own backyard!  I just don’t want us to forget that the Kingdom of God is bigger than one community, city, state or even nation! I want all of us to keep before us God’s desire to impact His Kingdom everywhere: OUR Jerusalem (community) ,Judea (state), Samaria (region), and to the ends of the earth! It is my honor as pastor of this church to be allowed to invest in, and build HIS Kingdom!  I hope you;re just as honored to be a part of what God is doing in and through us together!

Sunday reflex 9-20-09…

• I can’t believe how many people showed up during a FLOOD yesterday at Mountain Lake! If I had been a marginally disconnected person, I would NOT have taken my family to church yesterday.  In fact, if I had not been the pastor, I might not have!
• People are expecting God to show up every week at MLC and speak to them.
• Rodney Anderson taught yesterday in our series “Relationship Rehab.”
• Matthew 5: 4: “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.”
• Rx#2: Come clean. We can rehab our relationship with God and others by: Coming clean a/b our pain; and coming clean about our faults. GREAT STUFF. Clear. Relevant. Easier to say than do.
• What did God speak to you about? What do YOU need to come clean about? WHO do you need to come clean TO?
• After yesterday, we will create a better RAIN plan for the THOUSANDS of umbrellas draped all over our lobbies yesterday!
• We’re still working on getting people of campus more rapidly after each service. I don’t even know if the State Patrol showed up to work the light at Hwy 369 & 9. Anyone see him/her?
• Todd Nichols has done an excellent job cultivating vocalists and worship leaders since he’s been at MLC!
• David Putman, Russ Sorrels, and Marie Lindelli make a great Guest Services Team!
• Courtney Templeton did a great job leading our Children’s Ministry in Chad’s absence. Great job, Courtney!
• Yes, I’m back teaching this next week for the next four weeks in a row! I can’t wait to share Jesus’ Rx#3!
• How is you relationship rehab coming?

Sunday Reflex 9-13-09…

Just when I don’t think it could get any better around here, it does! Here are a few reflections on yesterday.

• We finally got a state patrol man posted at the intersections of Hey 369 & 9. Cut our wait time to get on and off campus DRASTICALLY! Did you notice, Mtn Lakers?
• We baptized again!
• We kicked off our new msg series called: “Relationship Rehab.”
• Believe or not, I struggled with how to deliver this msg up until 6:00 yesterday morning, when I just felt like God brought it all together.
• “Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
• Becoming poor in Spirit means we stop trying to play the role of God in our lives and the lives of others and let God be God in us; and then work THRU us!
• At the conclusion of the msg, we had an old fashioned altar call to the song: “I Surrender All.”
• Hundreds came to kneel and humble themselves before God and surrender their lives to the Kingdom of God in their lives!
• It was unbelievable!There were tears being shed every where. In a good way!
• For those of you who missed the msg, it will be posted HERE by lunch time.
• We announced several new workshops coming up in connection with this series: a Fighting Fair Workshop led by a licensed Professional Counselor; a ne Divorce Care Workshop, led by Bert & Kim Boudet; and a Good $ense Workshop, led by myself, David Putman, & John Shepherd! More details to follow here.
• We announced yesterday to our congregation that Louie Lovoy, one of our Pastors, is moving to  join the Ministry Team at one of our newest church plants, MyChurch. Go, Louie! We’re with you and with MyChurch!
• Yesterday, GOD attended Mountain Lake! He moved;  He changed people’s hearts! He began relationship rehabilitation all over the place.
• Have you got a story you would share here?  What did God say to YOU yesterday?