I love what I do! Today was another incredible day!
Our children's ministry opened our service with a couple of worship songs. It was awesome seeing 30+ kids on stage jumping around praising God. The adults got involved as well. There were cameras everywhere. By far the biggest crowd we have had in the room right at the 10 am start time. Overall attendance was slightly above average.
Worship was good as the congregation really engaged. There was a great feel on the room the whole day.
Got to meet some people from out of town as well as some new folks that were guests today. I love that.
Spoke on the reality of Christ today. We get too caught up in a sanitized "plastic" idea of Jesus. He was a real person dealing with all of the real issues humans face. He walked as walk and lived as everyone lived in His day. He felt heat and sadness and discomfort and pain and all of the emotions ans senses that all of us feel. He was fully God, but also fully human and it is imprtant to remember both.
We need to live with the reality of Jesus in our lives every day.
Several made a fresh commitment to God to do better at walking out the reality of Christ in their daily lives.
One made a new commitment to Christ today! God is AWESOME!
The next two weeks are going to be powerful as we continue looking at the story of Christ.
Fun time connecting with people in the lobby after service. I so enjoy that!
I was wiped out today though. For whatever reason, the service took all of my energy. I had a big time preaching headache and my knees were hurting. Got a short nap before playing racquetball ( I may regret that). Great dinner with friends and then a Wii challenge. We played through the Wii sports. Great fun.
Some have asked for the funeral arrangements for Renee Palmer's sister: Viewing Hours: Tuesday, March 31 2-4:00 PM and 6-9:00 PM Service: Wednesday, April 1 11:00 AM Busch Funeral Home 7501 Ridge Rd Parma, OH 44129 (440) 842-7800
Sorry for the lateness of this post. There are many reasons, none which matter.
This weekend was incredible!
First - GAMEDAY! Men's convention. Nothing like hundreds of men getting together to worship God, grow, and have a good time. We laughed and laughed and we got serious about what God was saying.
I had a blast being on the serve team for the weekend.
Chuck Davis and I had a great time with the Gameday Crew stuff on stage. Chuck is a great guy and a man of God. He is making a difference in Orrville.
Craig Krenzel is the real deal!
So is Chimdi Chekwa. Look forward to seeing where his football career goes.
Tom Mullins (Christ Fellowship Church) did a fantastic job. He has some great stories! He is also a very down to earth and genuine guy. I enjoyed getting to spend a few moments with him in the green room.
I know lives were touched and men were strengthened and challenged this weekend. I have already heard some of the reports and stories coming out of it.
After we wrapped up Gameday and got everything torn down and put away, I got to lead the discussion for our NEXT? journey group. We met outside even though it was a bit chilly. Our discussion got very real and raw and down to the everyday in what we deal with in relationships outside of church. Thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the openness of those that were there.
Slept like a rock Saturday night! I was whipped!
Sunday came and WOW! God is so faithful! I am amazed that He allows me to be a part fo what He is doing.
Spoke on regrets. Took both angles - avoiding and living life free of spiritual regrets and overcoming those we already live with.
I knew going into the day that God was going to set some folks free of guilt and bondage from their past regrets.
I also knew that some were going to be challenged deeply about their lives and choices.
I have received emails and other communications already about some of what God was speaking to people.
We had a couple of new commitments to Christ this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's what it is about!
Loved the "What if...?" series, but am thrilled about the series we start this Sunday - "HiStory"
I forgot to mention the postcards we have available. These are invites that you can give our mail to people to invite them to church during this Easter series. Stop by during office hours or pick yours up on Wednesday and get them out into people's hands!
My in-laws came up for the day. After lunch, they took our girls home with them for the week to spend spring break. This gives Elena and I our own spring break. We love our girls dearly and we will miss them, but it is nice to have a quiet house for a couple of days. It is also nice to have some uninterrupted us time.
Played golf today with one of my best friends. It was my first time out this year. Knocked some of the rust off. It was cold when we started. It warmed up, but the wind kept it brisk. We had a good time. It really is more about the company than the golf when the two of us get together.
Hopefully, I will have the podcast from yesterday up on the web tomorrow. We have been having some recording issues, but think we may have a solution. I'll post the link once we get it.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I am getting pumped about the new series we kick off on March 29 - "HiStory." This is our Easter series as we look at the life of Christ in a mix of ways. Each Sunday will bring some surprises I am sure!
March 29 we are starting the service in a unique and very fun way. You don't want to be late. If you show up at 10:10 you might just catch the end of it, 10:15 you won't even be aware of what just happened. Point - be here and in the sanctuary on time on the 29th. :-)
On Sunday, we are going to have postcards of the series promo available for you to send or give to your friends, families, etc to invite them to Capital City.
It's 3:30 and I'm sitting here watching the WGC-CA Championship (golf). Wanted to take a moment and post some thoughts.
This morning was another just incredible day! God is definitely doing something special.
I had a sense of anticipation from the moment I woke up this morning.
The band sounded great today. Justin absolutely tore it up on "Everyone" and "Healer".
If more people would arrive a few minutes sooner and engage in the music from the start, we would reach the next level as a congregation in worship. The band is there and we are ready, it is just going to take a little adjustment by more folks. I expect it to happen soon. :-)
In two weeks, our children's ministry, Kids Ignited, is going to kick off the service right at 10 am. You don't want to be late!
Spoke on comfort zones today. It was kind of the wrap up of the last several weeks in the "What if...?" series we have been doing. One more week, but it is going to go a different direction then we have been.
We have to bring a merging of our faith with our actions in order to have an active and alive walk with God. James 2 gives us a very clear understanding that faith and actions separated are useless, dead.
Thanks to Danny for being a good sport and letting me pick on him a bit today.
God was speaking very specifically to some folks this morning. As I was wrapping up today, I felt the Spirit guide me to say some very specific things to allow people to respond to. A number took the bold step of standing in response to obeying what God is calling them to that is outside of their comfort zone.
Three people raised their hands to surrender their life to Christ! That is ALWAYS a thrill to be a part of.
The one negative from today was another audio glitch that caused this morning's message to not be available to put up on the podcast. The CD burner is encountering an error when they try to finalize it. I can't tell you how ticked off I am about it. I WILL make sure it is taken care of this week. This makes two in a row and the fourth issue we've had in a month with it.
After church we hooked up with some friends and grilled out burgers and brats! The weather is incredible. I am so ready for spring! I love the smell of grilling burgers and the taste of grilled brats.
I am pretty wiped out. Got a bit of a preaching head ache. Fairly normal on Sunday afternoons. I will enjoy my day off tomorrow.
First: I'm doing a sermon on regrets soon and would like some feedback on this issue. If you have a story you could pass along to me about a regret, a picture that depicts regrets, link a video that fits, or something else you think may be relevant, it may just show up on an upcoming Sunday morning. The regrets can be serious, funny, or somewhere in between.
Second: I am in the process of completely rethinking and overhauling Capital City's web presence and would love to have some thoughts and input. This is wide open for ideas and serious outside the traditional norm of a website type of thinking.
UNBELIEVABLE! That is my word for the day. I mean it both directions.
I'll deal with the good first:
This morning was absolutely incredible!
The worship team had so much energy; even before the service. That energy came out on stage.
The congregation was really connected in worship.
The Holy Spirit broke into the service in the middle of "How Great Is Our God." Love that song, it is the new anthem of the modern church.
God was calling someone or someones to make a serious life change today.
Great spirit in the room all day. People came in with passion and anticipation and it showed.
We continued our "What if...?" series this morning. Spoke on taking risks. Shared one of my favorite stories from the Bible; when Jonathan and His armor bearer attack the Philistines by themselves. I truly believe that God is calling people to step out in big faith and do some radical things for Him. It is going to involve risk and will require overcoming fear, much like jumping out of an airplane. (I will go skydiving very soon, by the way.) :-)
There was a powerful response at the end of the service as folks came forward seeking God and saying "yes" to Him.
We also had some of our closest friends come in for the weekend. It was wonderful to have them here. Mike & Pam, thanks!
On top of that, three of our former youth from Youngstown came to service today. They were in town for the weekend as well. We had a blast with Jess, Kara, and Danielle.
Lunch at Las Margaritas was a riot! We completely took over that place.
It seems we may have had a glitch and this morning's sermon may not be available for podcast. I'll know for sure tomorrow. If we can get it, I'll send out a separate link for it when/if it becomes available.
Now the other side of unbelievable:
Shortly after I got home I heard the news coming out of Maryville, IL.
My heart and prayers go out to Pastor Winters family and First Baptist Church.
Tragic is not the right word; atrocity is closer.
It's time for the church to start taking security seriously.
With Daylight savings, staying up late with friends, preaching my guts out, time with friends, and a full afternoon, I am wiped out. Later...
To please God - this has to be our motivation in everything! If that is our motivation for life and for our obedience, we don't have to be specifically motivated for the immediate task in front of us.
When I played football, we started meeting the end of July as a team for practices. The first week was "Hell Week." Aptly named to be sure. All we did during our 3 hour evening practices was run drills (no pads) and run and then when we were dropping to the ground, coach would scream in our faces and make us run some more.\
The next week started "two-a-days" This was two practices back to back with a 45 minute break between. We had to be on the field stretching by 6:30 am and got to go home around 1 pm.
The following week was camp. This went Sunday to Saturday. Monday through friday we had a morning practice with conditioning and weights, an afternoon practice in full pads, and an evening practice of running drills.
Let me tell you, the motivation for practice wasn't always there. The motivation to play was. That was the motivation that caused us to follow through and give it our all (those that cared anyway).
As Christ-followers, we may not be motivated in the moment to do what needs to be done, but if we have a bigger motive, then we can obey and do what's right with a right motive. I know this thought is somewhat abstract, but what matters is our life motivation, way more than our moment motivations. It is our life motivation that we are going to be judged by. Yes our moment motivations do matter and we need to work on them, but after our life motivation is fixed on God. We have to get first things first.
The analogy of filling a jar with water, sand, small pebbles, and large stones comes to mind. To get everything in the jar, the order matters greatly. First the biggest items, then the next biggest, and down to the smallest followed by the water. It all fits. If we put any item in in the wrong order, it won't all fit. Life is the same way. The order we do things matter. God works from the inside out. Salvation comes BEFORE the changes in behavior and lifestyle.
Once we get down why we live and who we are in Him, then we can start to bring all the little areas of our lives in line with Him.
So, the question is - why do you live each day? For God or for self?
Today I attended a meeting. Well, I attempted to attend a meeting anyway. It was a meeting for minsters and church leaders. I won't reveal which organization it was or in which local church because that isn't really the point.
I do want to share some thoughts I had and what it has me pondering.
It is easy for pastors, leaders, and other insiders to forget what it feels like to be an outsider. Today I was hit with it pretty hard. This is actually the second time I had attended one of these meetings. Since I am new to this area, I walked into the first meeting not knowing anyone and a little unsure why I was there. The host pastor greeted me at the door and introduced me to a couple of people and made sure I had a table to sit at during the meal. It was easy to stay and I ended up having a fairly positive feeling about the organization and their monthly meetings. This is what opened up for me to be willing to attend again.
Today, it was held at a different church. When I pulled into the parking lot, it wasn't very obvious where I should go as there are many entrances to the building. I parked where it seemed to be most appropriate based on the cars that were there. As I walked into the building I saw several folks who made no gesture or greeting to me at all. If I didn't acknowledge someone first, they didn't acknowledge me. I walked past a couple dozen people without being greeted once on my way to hang up my jacket. I found my way into the main room (multi-purpose sanctuary that was beautifully decorated). None of the ones I had met previously were there. I had to walk around several groups of people talking. Not a word was spoken to me. I stood in the back and looked around the room (I am intrigued by how places are set up with equipment, etc.) More people filtered in. If someone's eye met mine I would smile and say something, and they would nod back and move past. I started feeling very uncomfortable and very alone. Then one guy started trying to get everyone to find a table to sit at so they could start serving the food, which did smell very good. A few moved toward the tables, but no one sat down. He kept insisting that people find a table. I was trapped by people standing between me and the tables. Finally, I slipped out into the hallway again. I had been there nearly 20 minutes and had no interaction with anyone. I grabbed my jacket with several standing in that area and walked out the door. I passed a few more coming in. I got in my car and left.
As I was driving away, I had a few thoughts as I tried to process my feelings from my experience. I was reminded of what it is like to be an outsider. Today I felt very much on the outside and like there was no desire for me to be on the inside from anyone there. I am quite happy I had not yet made out the $50 check to join the organization. It came to me how someone feels the first time they walk into a church where they don't know anyone. If someone doesn't catch them right away, they more than likely won't stay.
The first time I attended this group, I felt like a visitor, but felt welcomed. This time I was an outsider. Our goal shoul dbe to help everyone who attends to feel, not like an outsider, not even liked a visitor, but to feel like a guest.
A guest enjoys their experience. They feel valued. Their fears are calmed and their uneasiness soothed. A guest easily becomes a friend.
May we each strive to help others feel like our guest and not like an outsider. I can assure you, I will do everything I can to make sure Capital City is a place of hospitality where no one that walks in feels as uncomfortable and excluded as I did today.
WOW!... WOW! What a fantastic day! God is moving and speaking.
A few thoughts while they are fresh:
I had a real sense of anticipation for today. I just new God had somethign in store for us.
The message for today got changed late friday night. Was going to speak on compassion and ended up speaking about Passion. I had been struggling a bit with the preparation of the message that was planned for today. Friday night late I got a stirring in my heart to switch things up. Saturday morning, before playing racquetball, I spent soem time letting the new direction for today burn within me. Then after playing, I spent a couple of hours getting things ready for this morning with the new direction.
The band was ready this morning. Before the service they were bouncing around and full of energy, I told them to let that energy translate on stage; it did. There was a great spirit in the room and the congregation engaged in the worship.
We took communion this morning. That is always a cool thing. It isn't about the tradition or the ceremony, it is remembering what Christ did for us. Today, even more than normal, there was a noticeable significance to the moment.
We also had a couple of kids being baptized today! I love that! I know it was meaningful for Pastor Staci as she was able to conduct the baptisms. The rest of Kids Ignited joined us in the service for the baptism. That was cool having them in there for a few minutes. I'm very glad they got to experience it and cheer on their friends.
In speaking about passion today, I evoked some in the room when I displayed the Michigan "M". It always cracks me up the reaction that brings, but it made the point. David was willing to be humiliated in his own eyes for God's name and glory. Jesus lived His life with passion and strength. He was passionate about people and passionate about the things of God. We need more passion in our lives! The world would be very different if more of us lived with the same passion Jesus lived His life with.
I was spent at the end of service today. My voice is still not recovered a couple fo hours later. I don't mind a bit.
Had some wonderful conversations with people today. I love what I do and I love the people of Capital City!
We've got a couple of things in the works that will be pretty cool when they come about.
I said it at the end of service today, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
The views, opinions, and musings given by me in this blog are not meant, in any way, to be presented as those of Capital City Church, the Assemblies of God, or anyone that I have ever spoken to. This is my personal blog and everything in it is from me and only represents what is coming from inside my mind, which is pretty scary in itself.
Posts
