The yesterday is literal, the tomorrow is more figurative.
What an incredible day we had at Capital City Church yesterday! It's always a blast to have the children open our service! The rest of the praise time was great. My favorite worship leader of all was up there. She's got a fantastic voice, awesome heart, and she's beautiful too! :-)
We wrapped up our vision & direction series with a look into James chapter 2. Faith without action is dead. Action without faith is dead. I don't remember where I first heard this quote, but it is very good, "Faith without action leads to narcissism. Action without faith leads to despair." The two cannot be separated successfully any more than a man can be cut down the middle and continue on. Action, works, deeds, whatever word you use, are a result of our faith. They are born out of it. The fruit of faith if you will. Action does not earn us salvation or God's favor, He has given freely to us. However, action does prove that our faith exists.
I announced yesterday a couple of things in our future. The move to cross-generational ministry is one that I have been talking about in this blog already. We are going to take some aggressive steps to pay off our debt and to make major increases in missions and outreach monies and resources. Very soon we will be announcing the details for adding a second service. The time frame is not yet set, but when I say VERY soon, I mean it. It has been burning in me for a while and the time is about here for it.
We ended the service a bit differently, I had people write their names on an offering envelope and then, after some prayer, had them write on that envelope what their "action" offering was going to be. What was it they were committing to obey God in by putting feet to their faith. This included opportunities to serve in the church as well as serve people outside the church in the community. Then everyone came forward and laid those envelopes on the front of the stage. I can't wait to process through the responses.
After a little time of relaxing in the afternoon, we had our church picnic. Fantastic turnout! Great food, great conversations, and lots of fun. Nearly perfect weather, too. I was a bit nervous after announcing no rain and then have a light rain falling as I am greeting people in the lobby at the end of service. But, it cleared up and was beautiful by the time for the picnic. Nathan and I did go down to a couple of teams in cornhole. Our undefeated streak is over. We had a blast with some good clean competition.
Well, I'll post more later, but I have some training to do to reacquire our position atop the CapCity cornhole whatever. :-)
P.S. Breawnn took some great photos of the picnic. You can find them by clicking here.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wasabi Gospel
I have been following Shawn Wood on Twitter for several months and enjoy his insights. When I started seeing the ramp up to the release of his book Wasabi Gospel, I decided it would be a good thing to check out. I was not disappointed.
There are a couple of things that stand out about this book that are refreshing. One is the interweaved story of "Laura" in the form of diary entries. The raw reality and emotion of working through life change is captured very well using this method. It adds to the draw to continue reading. So many books that are written on Christian life have great information, but lack something because they don't tell a story at the same time. Not having a story or stories tied to what is being presented can leave some very good teachings and valuable insights a little dry. Shawn does a great job keeping the insights fresh and connected with the reader. "Laura's Story" is a big part of that.
There is another aspect of this element that I very much appreciate, but I hesitate to mention because it could be a bit of a spoiler to someone who has not yet read it. Hopefully this is a good compromise: the way Shawn leaves Laura's Story is well done as it matches the raw reality of the whole.
Another thing that stands out about this book is the no holds barred honesty that Shawn uses to address each of the sayings of Jesus that he chose to address. Right off in chapter one Shawn shares of a time he was going to speak on a part of the Sermon on the Mount. As he was preparing, he was hit hard with the reality of what Christ was saying. Here are a couple of excerpts from that chapter (pages 7&8):
"I have a long standing rule against lying when I preach. So, in an attempt not to go get myself struck by lightning, I read over and over the statement above [Matthew 5:7] and asked myself the hardest question that someone can ask themselves when studying the Bible: 'How can I live this out?' ...
"Suddenly, God placed a name in my mind. It was the name of someone who had hurt me and many people whom I love very much in the worst kind of way. ...
"I had to be honest. Not only did I not want to give this person mercy and forgiveness, I wanted to hurt this person back."
He goes on the chapter about how he did manage to work through that and gives some great insight into forgiveness and mercy.
Each chapter is like that. It will cause you to think and evaluate. If you will be honest and allow the experiences Shawn shares along with the very pointed statements of Jesus that are addressed in this book to get a hold of you, you will be forced to repent and change at least once before you reach the final page of the book. The words of Christ are powerful and they bring us closer to God. But, that process requires humbling ourselves, realizing our faults and shortcomings, and moving forward with resolve to let those words shape us.
While the length and format of this book lend it to being called an "easy read", it only qualifies as that if you read it thinking about how someone else needs to read it so they will change. The book is easy to read, the truths take effort to apply and live out. If we all lived out the words of Jesus the way He intends for us to, well, life would be much different and this world would be turned upside down.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Generations
Last night was the first night of the transition we are making in our youth ministry. We are moving from a rally/spectator model to involvement. We have no specific model we are following. This is an experiment. I am going to post about this new endeavor off and on as we work through this.
I had a great time last night sharing with our students the "why" behind the changes and casting some vision with them to get them ready for what is about to happen.
Too many churches and people push student ministry off to the side as more of a babysitting service to keep them out of the way while the adults do the "real" ministry. There is too much talk about the "church of tomorrow" in referencing youth in church. The church is losing too many upon graduation. Upwards of 90% of our high school graduates will walk away from church in the four year of college and not come back.
Young people are full of potential. Most would agree with that. The problem is, too many see that as future potential vs present potential. A healthy and vibrant church is one that merges the generations to serve together. The church that is going to touch their community in unprecedented ways is the one that has children, youth, and adults working side by side growing and learning from one another and allowing the strengths of each individual and generation to add value to the whole.
We are not going to keep youth on the sidelines watching. We are not going to have a nice little youth group that keeps students separated. We are going to engage youth and give them significant opportunities to use what God has given them and to see Him move in and through them. We are going to challenge them, resource them, train them, and send them. We are going to incorporate all the generations in the DNA and life and activities and outreach of Capital City Church. The adults need the youth and children. The youth need the adults and children. The children need the adults and youth.
Will this always be smooth and seamless? I hope not. If it is, then we have not accomplished anything worthwhile because we took the easy road and didn't really change anything. God is speaking to His people and His church. It is time we stepped up and finished the task He gave us. That is only going to happen together. We must come together in unity across generational, social, denominational, racial, economic, and any other lines we have allowed to divide.
In the next post, I'll give a little more background and start to reveal some of the practical things this will entail.
I had a great time last night sharing with our students the "why" behind the changes and casting some vision with them to get them ready for what is about to happen.
Too many churches and people push student ministry off to the side as more of a babysitting service to keep them out of the way while the adults do the "real" ministry. There is too much talk about the "church of tomorrow" in referencing youth in church. The church is losing too many upon graduation. Upwards of 90% of our high school graduates will walk away from church in the four year of college and not come back.
Young people are full of potential. Most would agree with that. The problem is, too many see that as future potential vs present potential. A healthy and vibrant church is one that merges the generations to serve together. The church that is going to touch their community in unprecedented ways is the one that has children, youth, and adults working side by side growing and learning from one another and allowing the strengths of each individual and generation to add value to the whole.
We are not going to keep youth on the sidelines watching. We are not going to have a nice little youth group that keeps students separated. We are going to engage youth and give them significant opportunities to use what God has given them and to see Him move in and through them. We are going to challenge them, resource them, train them, and send them. We are going to incorporate all the generations in the DNA and life and activities and outreach of Capital City Church. The adults need the youth and children. The youth need the adults and children. The children need the adults and youth.
Will this always be smooth and seamless? I hope not. If it is, then we have not accomplished anything worthwhile because we took the easy road and didn't really change anything. God is speaking to His people and His church. It is time we stepped up and finished the task He gave us. That is only going to happen together. We must come together in unity across generational, social, denominational, racial, economic, and any other lines we have allowed to divide.
In the next post, I'll give a little more background and start to reveal some of the practical things this will entail.
Friday, August 21, 2009
General Council
I was going to write a few posts on GC09. I have several things to say, but I have decided that this post will be it. Mainly because, well, to be quite honest I was going to rant about a couple of things and there is no value in that.
That said, I am going to attempt to process one area of concern I have and let you in on that process here. As I said before, overall I am encouraged about the future of the church and of the Assemblies of God. We have some great leaders and there were some significant steps taken in the right direction two weeks ago.
However, there is something that I am struggling with. From the discussions held in the business meetings and on Twitter and in the blogs, I am not the only one struggling here.
The AG and the leadership of the church in America is not getting any younger. In fact, it seems there is a generation or two that is clinging to positions and power with a near death grip. At GC09 more resolutions were presented in an attempt to bring in some younger leaders to the bodies of influence within our fellowship. There were even a couple of people elected into these groups; token at best, but elected in nonetheless. Truth is, nothing changed among any of the highest levels. The resolutions were discussed and tabled for another two years. My concern is two-fold: first, we just keep putting off actually doing something; second, the solutions that are being offered are quotas and don't change anything really.
Adding more people to a body that at times is already too big and bureaucratic isn't going to be effective. Plus, it doesn't really change the complexion of that body. Trying to change things with mandates and resolutions from the top down often just centralizes things more and can have the reverse of the intended effect. It seems that the real answer is for those currently holding the positions to mentor and raise up the next leaders and then step aside gracefully instead of holding on for decades. Term limits definitely seem like a better step in the right direction than age, gender, and ethnic quotas. Why is it so hard to look across a room at the District level and find those with energy, vision, and anointing and give them the opportunity to lead? Why do we allow ourselves to become comfortable and complacent to the point of hanging on too long and allowing others to do so as well?
I honor and appreciate the generations that have gone before. Those men and women that have paved the way are a tremendous source of wisdom and guidance. I frequently seek out the counsel of those with more experience than me. That doesn't mean, however, that the roles of leadership should be held solely or mostly by only those with so many decades of experience. I would contend, that the ones who willfully and intentionally step aside and let the generations after them step up and even encourage that will have more influence and a greater legacy than the ones who hold on to position and titles.
I don't have a program oriented solution or one that can be easily "RESOLVED" after a few "Whereas" statements. I do believe that we must each examine our hearts and ask if serving is our real motivation or is power and political position? If it is serving, then we will do so wholeheartedly and understand that seasons change and come and go. If it is power, title, and position then we will strive and claw to get there and then hold on for as long as we can get away with it.
Maybe the best, most effective, and influential leaders are those who give it all away and raise up the next generations.
Feel free to weigh in... what are your thoughts?
That said, I am going to attempt to process one area of concern I have and let you in on that process here. As I said before, overall I am encouraged about the future of the church and of the Assemblies of God. We have some great leaders and there were some significant steps taken in the right direction two weeks ago.
However, there is something that I am struggling with. From the discussions held in the business meetings and on Twitter and in the blogs, I am not the only one struggling here.
The AG and the leadership of the church in America is not getting any younger. In fact, it seems there is a generation or two that is clinging to positions and power with a near death grip. At GC09 more resolutions were presented in an attempt to bring in some younger leaders to the bodies of influence within our fellowship. There were even a couple of people elected into these groups; token at best, but elected in nonetheless. Truth is, nothing changed among any of the highest levels. The resolutions were discussed and tabled for another two years. My concern is two-fold: first, we just keep putting off actually doing something; second, the solutions that are being offered are quotas and don't change anything really.
Adding more people to a body that at times is already too big and bureaucratic isn't going to be effective. Plus, it doesn't really change the complexion of that body. Trying to change things with mandates and resolutions from the top down often just centralizes things more and can have the reverse of the intended effect. It seems that the real answer is for those currently holding the positions to mentor and raise up the next leaders and then step aside gracefully instead of holding on for decades. Term limits definitely seem like a better step in the right direction than age, gender, and ethnic quotas. Why is it so hard to look across a room at the District level and find those with energy, vision, and anointing and give them the opportunity to lead? Why do we allow ourselves to become comfortable and complacent to the point of hanging on too long and allowing others to do so as well?
I honor and appreciate the generations that have gone before. Those men and women that have paved the way are a tremendous source of wisdom and guidance. I frequently seek out the counsel of those with more experience than me. That doesn't mean, however, that the roles of leadership should be held solely or mostly by only those with so many decades of experience. I would contend, that the ones who willfully and intentionally step aside and let the generations after them step up and even encourage that will have more influence and a greater legacy than the ones who hold on to position and titles.
I don't have a program oriented solution or one that can be easily "RESOLVED" after a few "Whereas" statements. I do believe that we must each examine our hearts and ask if serving is our real motivation or is power and political position? If it is serving, then we will do so wholeheartedly and understand that seasons change and come and go. If it is power, title, and position then we will strive and claw to get there and then hold on for as long as we can get away with it.
Maybe the best, most effective, and influential leaders are those who give it all away and raise up the next generations.
Feel free to weigh in... what are your thoughts?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
General Council
I will have a couple of posts that reflect some of my thoughts and impressions from General Council (GC09)in Orlando two weeks ago. In this first one, I will hit some of the overall things and the tone etc. In other posts I will address a couple of specific issues regarding decisions and business conducted.
Overall, GC09 was a great event! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Everything except the registration was run very well and quite organized. Not sure what happened at registration, I have attended Councils before and never had to stand in line for more than a few minutes to get through, especially when we were pre-registered. I was in line for almost an hour and a half and know of some who did so for over three hours. Oh well, I wouldn't want to be in charge of processing 29,000 people.
The Kids Council registration was excellent. They took pictures of the kids and of the parents and even fingerprint scanned the parents. After that, parents signed their children in and out via fingerprint and then received a printout with pictures of kids and parents. That print out had to be turned in and the child's sticker placed on the paper before a parent could leave the area with a child. Very secure and very well done.
The children's workers were wonderful. They engaged the kids and they showed great energy even when I know they were tired. There were field trips in the mornings, activities in the afternoon, and children's services in the evening. My girls loved it! They made friends and they came away telling us about the Bible lessons learned and singing the worship songs. They are already asking if they can go to Kids Council again in two years. Very cool.
The exhibit hall was impressive. It was very hi-tech with computers and video screens everywhere. There were interactive media displays and a couple of stages set up to try out new audio/visual gear from Yahama and even record in a studio set up.
As part of the exhibit area, there was a Eurasia Experience that took you through a full production starting as if you were going through an airport and flying overseas. It walked you through a couple of areas that gave the feel of being in various parts of Eurasia and ended with a great program.
There were a couple of schedule changes that were really nice this year.
On Wednesday, the Youth and Kids Councils had their normal evening services, but there were no adult services. This was designed to give parents a night out alone. Great idea. (We took advantage and had a very nice meal at one of our favorite restaurants.)
On Thursday night, there was a combined Youth and Adult service with elements geared toward each. It was an amazing evening. There is not much that compares to radical and passionate praise taking place across generations in one place. A few rows in front of us was a lady well advanced in years and dressed traditionally. At the front of the room and scattered throughout were teens and young adults. On stage Jeff Deyo was leading worship. There were moving lights, giant screens, and motion graphics. This dear woman had both arms raised fully engaged in worship of God, and so did the thousands of young people as they jumped and shouted! Across the room, people of all ages proclaimed dedication and praise of the living God in one voice. Awesome!
The overall tone of the Council was very good. I am encouraged about the future of the Assemblies of God, but more importantly about the future of the church. This wasn't just about our specific fellowship as moves were made and things were done and people represented that go beyond a labeled group and have Kingdom significance. I walked away challenged and encouraged. God is doing something incredible around the world and we are privileged to be a part of it.
Overall, GC09 was a great event! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Everything except the registration was run very well and quite organized. Not sure what happened at registration, I have attended Councils before and never had to stand in line for more than a few minutes to get through, especially when we were pre-registered. I was in line for almost an hour and a half and know of some who did so for over three hours. Oh well, I wouldn't want to be in charge of processing 29,000 people.
The Kids Council registration was excellent. They took pictures of the kids and of the parents and even fingerprint scanned the parents. After that, parents signed their children in and out via fingerprint and then received a printout with pictures of kids and parents. That print out had to be turned in and the child's sticker placed on the paper before a parent could leave the area with a child. Very secure and very well done.
The children's workers were wonderful. They engaged the kids and they showed great energy even when I know they were tired. There were field trips in the mornings, activities in the afternoon, and children's services in the evening. My girls loved it! They made friends and they came away telling us about the Bible lessons learned and singing the worship songs. They are already asking if they can go to Kids Council again in two years. Very cool.
The exhibit hall was impressive. It was very hi-tech with computers and video screens everywhere. There were interactive media displays and a couple of stages set up to try out new audio/visual gear from Yahama and even record in a studio set up.
As part of the exhibit area, there was a Eurasia Experience that took you through a full production starting as if you were going through an airport and flying overseas. It walked you through a couple of areas that gave the feel of being in various parts of Eurasia and ended with a great program.
There were a couple of schedule changes that were really nice this year.
On Wednesday, the Youth and Kids Councils had their normal evening services, but there were no adult services. This was designed to give parents a night out alone. Great idea. (We took advantage and had a very nice meal at one of our favorite restaurants.)
On Thursday night, there was a combined Youth and Adult service with elements geared toward each. It was an amazing evening. There is not much that compares to radical and passionate praise taking place across generations in one place. A few rows in front of us was a lady well advanced in years and dressed traditionally. At the front of the room and scattered throughout were teens and young adults. On stage Jeff Deyo was leading worship. There were moving lights, giant screens, and motion graphics. This dear woman had both arms raised fully engaged in worship of God, and so did the thousands of young people as they jumped and shouted! Across the room, people of all ages proclaimed dedication and praise of the living God in one voice. Awesome!
The overall tone of the Council was very good. I am encouraged about the future of the Assemblies of God, but more importantly about the future of the church. This wasn't just about our specific fellowship as moves were made and things were done and people represented that go beyond a labeled group and have Kingdom significance. I walked away challenged and encouraged. God is doing something incredible around the world and we are privileged to be a part of it.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Magic Kingdom
On Sunday, I promised I would blog some of my thoughts from our two weeks away for General Council and family vacation. General Council is the bi-annual national meeting for the US Assemblies of God. This year it was held in Orlando, Florida. We decided to tack on some days before and a week after in order to have some vacation as well.
On one of our family days we went to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Many pastors and leaders have documented well the level of hospitality and imagination that is very evident from the moment you step onto the property. Mark Batterson weighed in his thoughts here and here which were very good. There are many others I could point to as well. I won't take time here to add to what others have noted except to say, the Disney plan and vision is quite impressive and they do hospitality and details like few others.
My take in this post will be somewhat different. First, I will say that we went at the wrong time. Orlando in August is NOT the time and place to go anywhere outdoors that the crowds are large and the lines long. It was the least enjoyable day for my wife and I. Truth is, our daughters were ready to leave shortly after lunch as well. We stretched it out to dinner time because of how much it cost. The day was more hot and humid than some of the surrounding days and there was little to no breeze to bring relief. We found our most enjoyment to come from the indoor shows. I don't mean to whine, just want to give some background and perspective for my comments.
Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe I was hot and cranky. Maybe my daughters were a little too whiny and had asked for one too many things to buy. Or maybe Disney is in danger of losing sight of who they are. Maybe the success that Disney has and is enjoying is causing them to lose focus.
The biggest problem of our day there was the amount of people in the park. There was little room to move and the lines were extremely long to everything, including the food. Has Disney crossed the line of being more worried about profit than providing a quality experience to every visitor?
Here's a radical thought, what if Disney limited the visitors each day to a set number that would allow for a better experience for those who made it in. I know that goes against the grain, but so has much of what Disney has done over the years. I would have been disappointed, but understanding, to find out that the day we wanted to go was sold out. We would have tried for another day. I know it isn't the best business model to turn away customers, but neither is unhappy and dissatisfied customers walking away feeling like they just wasted precious time and money. My point is simply that Disney has found a better way to do most things, but they are failing in finding a new way to approach the size of their crowds and the cost of their parks.
Now let me turn this around a bit. As a church we must make sure that we are constantly evaluating what we do and make sure that we are doing everything we can to provide a positive experience to our guests so that nothing hinders them from having and encounter with Christ. That means asking the question is there a better way. A modern example of that question being asked and answered has to do with the very things that disrupted our visit to the Magic Kingdom: crowds and costs. As churches have grown, many have not built huge buildings costing untold millions where larger crowds could gather. Instead, they have chosen to "limit" the amount that could be there at any one time by keeping facilities smaller and meeting more often. This helps keep the indebtedness down freeng up money for ministry and it helps give a better overall experience to those who attend. I am not against large gatherings or mega-churches by any stretch. I greatly appreciate and celebrate them. A new day is here and, for some, a new approach has also arrived. This has come from leaders asking the hard questions.
Disney has been known for asking hard questions in the past. The problem is, the larger you get, the higher the stakes for asking those questions and then acting on the answers. I don't know that Disney is now capable of some of the radical risks they once took because of their current size and scope. For the church, the same can hold true (on a much smaller scale of course): the more we grow the higher the stakes. If we are not careful we stop asking the questions and start protecting the status quo and it will cost us. That cost will be much higher than a profit margin on a spreadsheet.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this...
On one of our family days we went to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Many pastors and leaders have documented well the level of hospitality and imagination that is very evident from the moment you step onto the property. Mark Batterson weighed in his thoughts here and here which were very good. There are many others I could point to as well. I won't take time here to add to what others have noted except to say, the Disney plan and vision is quite impressive and they do hospitality and details like few others.
My take in this post will be somewhat different. First, I will say that we went at the wrong time. Orlando in August is NOT the time and place to go anywhere outdoors that the crowds are large and the lines long. It was the least enjoyable day for my wife and I. Truth is, our daughters were ready to leave shortly after lunch as well. We stretched it out to dinner time because of how much it cost. The day was more hot and humid than some of the surrounding days and there was little to no breeze to bring relief. We found our most enjoyment to come from the indoor shows. I don't mean to whine, just want to give some background and perspective for my comments.
Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe I was hot and cranky. Maybe my daughters were a little too whiny and had asked for one too many things to buy. Or maybe Disney is in danger of losing sight of who they are. Maybe the success that Disney has and is enjoying is causing them to lose focus.
The biggest problem of our day there was the amount of people in the park. There was little room to move and the lines were extremely long to everything, including the food. Has Disney crossed the line of being more worried about profit than providing a quality experience to every visitor?
Here's a radical thought, what if Disney limited the visitors each day to a set number that would allow for a better experience for those who made it in. I know that goes against the grain, but so has much of what Disney has done over the years. I would have been disappointed, but understanding, to find out that the day we wanted to go was sold out. We would have tried for another day. I know it isn't the best business model to turn away customers, but neither is unhappy and dissatisfied customers walking away feeling like they just wasted precious time and money. My point is simply that Disney has found a better way to do most things, but they are failing in finding a new way to approach the size of their crowds and the cost of their parks.
Now let me turn this around a bit. As a church we must make sure that we are constantly evaluating what we do and make sure that we are doing everything we can to provide a positive experience to our guests so that nothing hinders them from having and encounter with Christ. That means asking the question is there a better way. A modern example of that question being asked and answered has to do with the very things that disrupted our visit to the Magic Kingdom: crowds and costs. As churches have grown, many have not built huge buildings costing untold millions where larger crowds could gather. Instead, they have chosen to "limit" the amount that could be there at any one time by keeping facilities smaller and meeting more often. This helps keep the indebtedness down freeng up money for ministry and it helps give a better overall experience to those who attend. I am not against large gatherings or mega-churches by any stretch. I greatly appreciate and celebrate them. A new day is here and, for some, a new approach has also arrived. This has come from leaders asking the hard questions.
Disney has been known for asking hard questions in the past. The problem is, the larger you get, the higher the stakes for asking those questions and then acting on the answers. I don't know that Disney is now capable of some of the radical risks they once took because of their current size and scope. For the church, the same can hold true (on a much smaller scale of course): the more we grow the higher the stakes. If we are not careful we stop asking the questions and start protecting the status quo and it will cost us. That cost will be much higher than a profit margin on a spreadsheet.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Return
We had a wonderful vacation! But, it is good to be home. We have never taken a full two week vacation as a family like that. I am sure we will be doing it again.
That said, I am ready to jump right back in and charge ahead. That is one of the points of vacation after all; recharge and refresh for the next season.
It wasn't planned beforehand, but I ended up taking a break from blogging as well. Even my activity on Facebook and Twitter was greatly diminished. I'll be picking back up this week. I have several posts I want to write about some of the observations and experiences coming out of General Council and our time away.
For now, a couple quick thoughts:
We MISSED Capital City! It was even more evident as we were talking with people in the lobby and halls today. During the service this morning, I was very aware of how much of a privilege it is to pastor here.
While we were away, we had a couple of different approaches to filling in for me being gone on Sunday. The first Sunday, Lou Scalzo, youth pastor at Highway Tabernacle in Youngstown, filled in. Lou is my successor at Highway and he is a good communicator and storyteller. Many have shared some very positive feedback from his message. Lou was quite complimentary of the people of CapCity. He thoroughly enjoyed his time here. The second Sunday, we showed a video message from Craig Groeschel. Again, I have heard very positive feedback from the message and even the effectiveness of video. One of our board members and missions director, Don Rowles, wrapped up the service. Nathan did a great job covering things in my absence. God is putting together a fantastic team here.
This morning was incredible in so many ways! Elena led the songs; of course she is my favorite worship leader! She did awesome as always. The whole band sounded very good and they handled things well.
We had a full service with communion, a missionary guest, a couple of videos, and I was pumped up after not preaching for two Sundays! We went a little longer than normal today. :-)
Missionary Guy Deal and his family joined us today to share what God is doing in intercultural ministries here in Columbus. Very cool to see people from different cultures coming together to grow and serve in unity.
It was a very impactful service as God was speaking very specifically to some folks and we took a few moments in the middle and at the end to give them on opportunity to respond. The communion time today was significant in itself.
I won't rehash the message here, but I started sharing on our vision and direction covering the core value of courage. The next two weeks, we'll cover some other areas of the vision and direction that I believe God has set before us. A line was drawn in the sand. And when the challenge was given to cross that line several did boldly! There are some families and lives that will be impacted greatly because someone said "yes" to God today and stepped out in spite of fear. You can listen to the full sermon online tomorrow (hopefully, the podcast will be on the site then). I will also make sure the podcast from the Sunday Lou spoke as well as a link to the video from Craig gets posted.
As I said this morning Capital City, hang on it's about to get very exciting!
I could ramble on here all night, but I have done enough of that today. ;-)
Will post more later...
That said, I am ready to jump right back in and charge ahead. That is one of the points of vacation after all; recharge and refresh for the next season.
It wasn't planned beforehand, but I ended up taking a break from blogging as well. Even my activity on Facebook and Twitter was greatly diminished. I'll be picking back up this week. I have several posts I want to write about some of the observations and experiences coming out of General Council and our time away.
For now, a couple quick thoughts:
We MISSED Capital City! It was even more evident as we were talking with people in the lobby and halls today. During the service this morning, I was very aware of how much of a privilege it is to pastor here.
While we were away, we had a couple of different approaches to filling in for me being gone on Sunday. The first Sunday, Lou Scalzo, youth pastor at Highway Tabernacle in Youngstown, filled in. Lou is my successor at Highway and he is a good communicator and storyteller. Many have shared some very positive feedback from his message. Lou was quite complimentary of the people of CapCity. He thoroughly enjoyed his time here. The second Sunday, we showed a video message from Craig Groeschel. Again, I have heard very positive feedback from the message and even the effectiveness of video. One of our board members and missions director, Don Rowles, wrapped up the service. Nathan did a great job covering things in my absence. God is putting together a fantastic team here.
This morning was incredible in so many ways! Elena led the songs; of course she is my favorite worship leader! She did awesome as always. The whole band sounded very good and they handled things well.
We had a full service with communion, a missionary guest, a couple of videos, and I was pumped up after not preaching for two Sundays! We went a little longer than normal today. :-)
Missionary Guy Deal and his family joined us today to share what God is doing in intercultural ministries here in Columbus. Very cool to see people from different cultures coming together to grow and serve in unity.
It was a very impactful service as God was speaking very specifically to some folks and we took a few moments in the middle and at the end to give them on opportunity to respond. The communion time today was significant in itself.
I won't rehash the message here, but I started sharing on our vision and direction covering the core value of courage. The next two weeks, we'll cover some other areas of the vision and direction that I believe God has set before us. A line was drawn in the sand. And when the challenge was given to cross that line several did boldly! There are some families and lives that will be impacted greatly because someone said "yes" to God today and stepped out in spite of fear. You can listen to the full sermon online tomorrow (hopefully, the podcast will be on the site then). I will also make sure the podcast from the Sunday Lou spoke as well as a link to the video from Craig gets posted.
As I said this morning Capital City, hang on it's about to get very exciting!
I could ramble on here all night, but I have done enough of that today. ;-)
Will post more later...
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