www.CraigStory.com craig@ChurchAtTheGrove.com

Developing People Throughout The Community

2007-10-10T13:50:00.000-04:00

So many incredible things are happening all around us when it comes to spiritual things... I hope you are seeing some of it in your circles. I am consistently hearing about unchurched, unconvinced individuals that are beginning to open up to spiritual conversations with their friends. I am excited to see the churches in the area that are growing by creating environments for people to explore faith (p.s. congrats to our new neighbors, The Orchard Church, on an incredible first week in their building). I am thrilled to watch my generation warm up to the idea that some people follow Jesus without being loaded down with religious baggage.

All of these things, working together, are helping develop people that are thinking about God in a new way. And, I believe with all my heart, that people will continue to seek God if we will continue to provide the opportunities for them to do so.

And... as the community seeks God... we will find Him... He will reveal Himself to us.

After three intense days, I've finally caught my breath

2007-10-09T05:57:00.000-04:00

Catalyst was awesome (it always is), and it has taken me three days to recover from it, digest what I learned, process some of my "next steps", and have the energy to write a little bit. Of course, over the next couple weeks and months, I will write more, but I wanted to share a quick thing from Dave Ramsey that we were challenged with.

"Imagine what the people of God could do for the kingdom of God, if the resources that the people of God managed were freed up to do His work." Over the last several days, I've heard of several choices that friends and acquaintances of mine are making that will put them further in the whole, financially. And, if you're reading this while you are facing the opportunity to make a really stupid financial decision, I'm begging you to patiently wait and reevaluate it through the principles that God has laid out in scripture.

1. All the stuff you have is actually His stuff . . . you don't own it, you just manage it.

2. If you use every bit of His stuff to pay for your stuff . . . you won't have any of His stuff left to invest in the work He wants to do.

3. If we borrow someone else's stuff in order to pay for more stuff for us . . . we make slaves of ourselves, our resources, and the stuff that God lets us manage.

4. And, if we change how we live, buy less stuff, and manage His stuff better, we will free up more of His stuff to do what He wants to do.

The point is... if you are about t0 make a stupid financial decision... please wait, contact me (craig@churchatthegrove.com) so I can put you in touch with a financial counselor, and make the decision that you will no longer use all of God's stuff to meet your needs and wants. Trust me: there is freedom in handling your money with God's principles in mind.

P.S. Watch for Church At The Grove's new series in November: "Rich Man/Poor Man" where we will talk about this topic in depth.

Nothing But Clay

2007-10-03T06:32:00.001-04:00

I'm heading off to an incredible 3-day conference called Catalyst. Russ, David, and I will be poured into for the next couuple days, so pray for us. But, before I went, I wanted to jot something down that I was reading this morning.

2 Corinthians 4:7 "We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure."

When we begin a relationship with Christ, we truly have an incredible treasure put in us... eternal life. But, when God puts that treasure in us, he doesn't decorate the jar on the outside... we're still just "clay"... the most simple form of pottery that existed in the ancient world.

So, if God decided that "simple" people were worthy of carrying his incredible treasure, why do so many churches believe that "fancy" and "complex" is the only way to carry the treasure today?

Resist the urge to complicate the treasure... remember that we are nothing but clay.

Had a Bad Day? . . . join the club

2007-10-02T14:20:00.000-04:00

For me, yesterday was a bad day... not as bad as this guy's, but it was still pretty rough. Life is not always easy. Life is not always fun. Life does not always bring joy. In other words, some days just suck. But that's normal.

The biggest problem comes when we don't have anybody around us to help us through the bad days. I was fortunate that, in the midst of the bad day, I had my wife that I could talk with, my friend and fellow-pastor (Russ Butcher) that I could sort things out with, a mentor that I could email, and some friends that I could just vent to if I wanted. It's those people and the relationships that I have with them that make life good.

Sure, life stinks sometimes, but if there are people around that you can laugh with, cry with, hurt with, dream with, plan with, work with, and just be yourself around... then, you'll survive and come out the other side of the bad day into a day of hope.

So, thanks everyone for just being there!!!

Bye-bye lawnmower blade

2007-09-29T17:52:00.000-04:00

I was mowing the yard this morning and accidentally got my lawnmower blade in a fight with the metal water meter cover... ultimately the lawnmower blade won... but not without serious injury. The blade cut the grass fine and then took a 6 inch long chunk out of the water meter cover (I don't know how to explain that to the WCWSA). In the process, the end of the mower blade was bent at a 45 degree angle and after trying unsuccessfully to bend it back straight, I had to say goodbye to it.

Basically, the problem was caused by using the wrong tool to cut the grass around the water meter cover. The area is a little tight and is better suited for a weedeater than a riding lawnmower... but it's just so much quicker to use the mower. So, most of the time, I just head into that same spot with the same mower... and most of the time, it works out okay. But today, my "shortcut" cost me a cover, a blade, and a lot of aggravation.

Okay, now for the leap into the spiritual lesson... God has called every believer to be missionaries in a particular circle of influence... he has designed them perfectly for the ministry and relationships in that circle. If you don't follow through with your responsibility, I might wind up having to take the Good News into your circle of influence... that may work out fine most of the time... but, on occasion, something I say or do will create a little bit of chaos in that circle of yours... it might even have a higher cost than either of us want.

So, instead of taking the risk, let's agree as followers of Jesus that we will do everything we can within our own circles of influence. That way, we can use God's design in our lives to most effectively let the people that God has put us around know about the His love for us. And maybe in the process, we can avoid some unfortunate costs.

Free movie tickets and other stuff

2007-09-27T10:47:00.001-04:00

If you drink Coke products, stop throwing away the caps and the labels and the mycokerewards points. Take five minutes, go to the http://www.mycokerewards.com/, and sign up. Save up a couple hundred coke points, get your free movie tickets or your gift card, then donate the money you saved to something worthwhile... something that meets a need... something that changes a life... something that offers people the hope that can be found in Jesus. "Go Green" with your "green" and do something meaningful... save money in one place so you can invest it somewhere else. Just a thought.

Do you ever feel lost in the shuffle?

2007-09-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

I googled myself today just to see if I existed... so I typed in "craig story" and found 16,500,000 results. In the first 100 results, there were about 90 web pages with the "Larry Craig story", 9 with "my Jenny Craig story", and one about a boy named Craig that used to live in Africa titled "Craig's story." I didn't hit the other 16,499,900 results, but I bet they would be about the same. In other words, most people in the world don't even know I exist.

Fortunately, in my life there have been several key people that did know I existed, and even cared about the fact that I existed. It was through the influence of these key individuals that I began to consider spiritual things... and it was through their influence that I chose to become a follower of Christ. Even though most of the world didn't even know I was alive, a few people loved me enough to help me consider a relationship with God in a new way. It was their compassion that persuaded me to follow Christ. In twenty years, I wonder how many people will say the same thing about me and my influence in their lives... I hope there will be a lot.

A wise grandmother and a simple faith

2007-09-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine officiated the funeral of his grandmother this past weekend. I went to support him in his time of loss, but also to support him as he preached his first funeral. He did a great job... and I think he honored her life well.

As good a job as my friend did, the two most impacting parts of the funeral were those where her words were shared, instead of his.

Her great-grandaughter read a letter she got from "MiMi" when she was baptized. The letter congratulated the great-grandaughter on her decision to follow Christ, encouraged her a little bit, and then listed out some important things to know as a new believer: "love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself; the Lord's prayer is found in Matthew 6; my favorite scripture passage is Psalm 23; the Love chapter is 1 Corinthians 13; Jesus' sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 4; and the Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20." That about sums the Bible up in my opinion - the greatest commands, a basic format for prayer, a description of God's love for us, an understanding of human love, Jesus' most direct teachings on life, and God's most direct teachings on life. Simple biblical faith.

After this letter was read, and a few very respectful comments were made, my friend said, "I knew this day would happen at some point in time, so last year I sat down with MiMi and asked her a question in preparation for this day: 'MiMi, if you could gather all your friends and family together one last time, what would you say to them?' Her response was simple, 'For years, I've told them about God and his love for them. I've told them about Jesus and his sacrifice. So, I would gather them together and just tell them those things again.'" That is a life well-lived. Simple biblical faith... and a desire for others to have the same simple biblical faith in their lives.

Well done, Jeff, with the funeral. Well done, MiMi, with your life.

Learning to speak "American"

2007-09-24T16:55:00.000-04:00

I was at Walmart on Friday and had one of those really funny moments that just made me laugh. I am not a big fan of the self-service checkout stations because it really does take as long as if there were that many regular registers open, but it can lead to some very funny situations, so I guess they're not that bad.

As I was ringing up my items, a couple approached the station behind me and proceeded to ring up their items. I think the woman was just one of those people that likes to complain because it gives her something to talk about... so when she approached the screen and saw the first question on the screen, she decided to say something to her husband... unfortunately she said it loud enough for me to hear.

WOMAN: "I hate these stupid things..."

MAN: "huh?"

WOMAN: "...these machines. I hate when they ask me what language I want to choose..."

MAN: "oh"

WOMAN: "I mean this is America... of course I want to ring my stuff up in American... not Spanish."

Wouldn't it be great if we all spoke American? But, of course, in our part of the country many different languages are spoken: Spanish, Korean, English... and, apparently, even "American". Different languages can be confusing and sometimes it can be hard to carry on conversations with people when don't fully understand each other.

That's actually a lesson we ought to carry into other parts of our lives, too. In Romans, God identifies how difficult it is for someone to begin a relationship with him when they haven't heard about him and his Son. And, God goes on to say that people won't hear about him unless someone tells them. Doesn't it seem logical that "we" might be the "someones" God was talking about? You run in different circles of people than I run with (different friends, different companies, different neighborhoods, etc.). There are people in my circles of influence that need to hear about God, and I want to have discussions with these people about spiritual things... and my friends may not understand what you have to say because they don't know you very well. There are also people in your circles of influence that need to hear about God, and I hope you want to have discussions with those people about spiritual things... and your friends may not understand what I have to say because they don't know me very well. So, each of us are responsible for starting our own discussions in our own circles of influence. As we start these discussions, people will hear about God and his Son... and as people hear, they can begin their relationships with Christ.

Just think for a moment how this community will change when all of us are starting discussions about spiritual things in our own circles of influence.

So turn off your computer now and go meet some of your friends and talk... and know that you are having an incredible impact on the Kingdom of God... whether you speak Spanish, or Korean, or English... or even "American".

The "mexican menu" was a coincidence, not a Freudian slip

2007-09-19T15:37:00.000-04:00

Last night, I got the chance to hang out with eight of the coolest people in the world... my wife Amy, David, Amanda, Jason, Kristen, Gabe, Kortney, and Kelly. There are three others - Jeff and Felicia had some illness running around their house and Jeremy was working - so they couldn't make it.

We hung out for about 15 minutes while the food finished cooking and while people arrived. We talked about work, and our families, and our kids, and life in general. We fixed our plates full of some incredible mexican food (including some "Salsa Casera") and we laughed a lot about Sunday and Book22. Then, we moved into the living room, watched a 15-minute clip of Andy Stanley on being "salt of the earth", and we talked about what God was teaching us and how he could use us to impact our friends and co-workers and families and neighbors and even people in other parts of the world. After that, people slowly began to filter home and we straightened the house a little bit and went to bed. It was a great evening with our community group.

If you're not building relationships with people through a small group or in your neighborhood or in the community, you are missing out. Life is a journey that is much too hard to travel through it alone. Go ahead... invite another family into your home for dinner, or host a community group, or play a game of kickball with the families on your street... do something to meet new people and build relationships with them... you'll be amazed at what God will do through it.

And, no, the mexican menu was not a Freudian slip from Sunday's message... just a coincidence.

What a Sunday it was?!?

2007-09-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

We laughed... we talked... we laughed some more... and it was great. Thanks to the band and the setup team and the childcare team and Nathan/Katelyn with the teenagers and to the many, many, many volunteers that created an incredible environment on Sunday. We had a lot of first time guests at Church At The Grove and we have had a bunch of great comments about their experiences... opportunities they had to explore faith at their own pace... and that is what we go for.

By the way, if you were in the 11:15am Gathering, don't worry... I will start this Sunday by answering the three questions and I will tell you the salsa story... sorry we didn't get to it this past week.

I took too long, but I think we had fun

2007-09-16T21:09:00.000-04:00

The Bible records a story where the Apostle Paul is teaching at a house during the evening. He talks so long that a boy that was sitting in the window falls asleep, tips out of the window and falls to his death. (Don't worry, the boy is brought back to life at the end of the story). After looking at the clock near the end of each service, I realized that I had done the same thing (minus actually killing anybody). As we talked and read and laughed together this morning, the time flew by way too quickly...it was my fault...sorry!

I enjoy being with you guys each Sunday morning at CATG. I enjoy talking about all that God is teaching each of us. I enjoy hearing your stories and telling you mine. I enjoy "sharpening" each other in our walks with Christ.

You know, the Disciples spent about three years following Christ together. They invested morning, noon, and night to following Jesus and I'll bet they had some pretty interesting experiences and conversations with each other along the way. They started out by following this Rabbi around and they became "disciples" in the process. What an incredible journey they had together.

Thanks for being in this process with me. It's great to become "disciples" with you, as we journey through life.

And Speaking of Lunch

2007-09-13T11:25:00.000-04:00

Speaking of lunch... if you want a free one, go to www.freechickenandcoke.com and register with Chick-fil-A. You've got to give them your name, email, and home address, but they will send you a coupon for a free chicken sandwich and a free drink. Only 1,000,000 coupons will be sent, so you might want to register soon.

You Might Be Rich

2007-09-13T10:23:00.000-04:00

You might be rich... and not even know it. During lunch today, take about 5 minutes and go to www.missingmoney.com. Type in your last name (don't worry about your first name, unless your last name is VERY common) and press search. You may be the proud owner of a $6.18 refund because you paid too much on a power bill at the house you lived at 8 years ago. Or, a distant third-cousin, twice-removed may have made a fortune by inventing a possum trap and left you with part of a $4 million dollar estate. Maybe you opened a savings account with the $27.92 you made off a lemonade stand when you were five years old... forgot about it... and now (with interest) it has grown enough for a college fund. Who knows?

I look on the site from time to time just to see if I might "strike it rich." I didn't find anything this morning for me, but I did find some money for my cousin and my aunt... maybe a little, maybe a lot... I'm about to email them. And, before I did, I just thought you'd like to know.

Jesus was there

2007-09-12T16:32:00.000-04:00

I want to follow Jesus... I want to know him, understand him, talk like him, act like him... I want to be like him. As a result, I want to go where he went, talk about what he talked about, challenged what he challenged, and support what he supported.

I got off the phone with a friend of mine a little while ago. We small-talked for a few minutes, he asked me a favor, and then we talked about what was going on in our lives. Below is a transcript of the last part of the conversation:

ME: "Yeah, I'm finishing up my message for our "Can We Bring Sexy Back?" series.

HIM: *awkward silence*

HIM: *awkward silence*

HIM: "I'm sorry, "Can We Bring 'what' Back?"

ME: "Sexy"

HIM: *awkward silence*

HIM: "Can We Bring 'Sexy' Back?"

ME: "Yeah"

HIM: *awkward silence*

HIM: *awkward silence*

ME: "We're really having fun with the series."

HIM: "I bet."

The point of the conversation is not that guys don't use a lot of words in phone conversations. The point is that it doesn't seem to matter who a person is, the idea of talking about "sex" on Sunday mornings in a church in a culture like ours is a little bit weird at times.

But, back to my initial statements. I want to be like Jesus. I want to go where he went, talk about what he talked about, challenged what he challenged, and support what he supported.

The Book of John, Chapter 2, opens with this statement: "Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding." The rest of the story focuses on the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine, but I want you to think back to another lesson in the story... Jesus went to weddings. Jesus, a rabbi, went to a wedding that he did not perform and showed his support for the happy couple simply by being there. Jesus thought that this wedding was a good thing, so he went and he celebrated.

Now, during first-century Jewish weddings (which typically lasted a week), the bride and groom would get married in a quick ceremony at the beginning of the festivities. After the ceremony, the bride and groom would go to a specially prepared bedroom and would "consumate" the wedding ("consumate" is a fancy word to politely describe the passionate sex the couple enjoyed since the desires they had for each other were finally able to be fulfilled). Then, after a couple hours or even a few days, the couple would emerge and the party would really kick into overdrive as the family and friends of the couple would celebrate their love for each other.

Not once in the story in John do we ever see Jesus get up and leave the wedding. Not once do we see him blush with embarrasment over what was happening in the next room. Not once do we see him challenge the "focus" of the wedding celebration by saying that the bride and groom should wait until their friends and family had gone back home before they had sex. No... Jesus was there... at the wedding... the entire time. God created sex. He designed it to be incredible. He just wants it to be experienced at his discretion. And, when we do enjoy within his guidelines, he celebrates right along with us.

And that, my friend, is why Church At The Grove planned the "Can We Bring Sexy Back?" series in the first place. We want to be like Jesus... we want to go where he went, talk about what he talked about, challenged what he challenged, and support what he supported. I can't wait for us to talk about Song of Solomon 3&4 this week as we continue the series.

6 Years

2007-09-11T09:15:00.000-04:00

As I drove into work this morning, the radio DJ came on to mark the moment when the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Immediately, I was taken back to the exact time 6 years ago when that happened. It was on my way into the office then that I heard the initial announcement on the radio... they broke into the regular talk show to say that reports were coming in from New York that a small plane had run into the side of one of the World Trade Center Towers. When I pulled into the parking lot, I headed into the office and gathered with the other members of the staff as we watched the horrible events of that day unfold on a 7-inch black and white TV. Who would have ever imagined the full impact of that attack?

Take some time today to remember that morning... and the people that families that have lost loved ones as a result.

"Message Impossible"

2007-09-10T14:46:00.000-04:00

Alright, so here's the scenario: You are a pastor of a new church that has grown more than 400% in less than 18 months so you are watched closely. Your heart is to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples so you are constantly overwhelmed by your mission. A large portion of the surrounding community has been disconnected from God for most of their lives, so there is no end to the importance of messages that point to hope that is found in Christ and lived out through daily life. And, then you are asked to open a series called "Can We Bring Sexy Back?" with more than 300 people attending (including singles, teenagers, people with struggling marriages, people whose marriages have fallen apart, and everyone in between).

Yesterday's message was truly a "Message Impossible," but Russ pulled it off with stunning ability. If you weren't here on Sunday, you've got to visit the http://www.churchatthegrove.com/ website, click "Listen Online" and get caught up with the series. Russ covered the fact that "sex is God's design" during the first week and got us off to a great start. You may even want to send a link of the church website to your friends. You can also send your friends to the http://www.canwebringsexyback.com/ website where they can access details about the series, resources, and click the link to the website for the message.

This week, we take on "sexy" itself. What is it? We'll look at God's design for passion... you will be shocked when you hear what God says about it... the answer is in Song of Solomon 5. If you want a preview, read Song of Solomon 4... but be warned, you might need to take a cold shower afterwards. To be honest, I can't believe we're going to talk about this at church... but it's all part of developing people to follow Christ and make disciples (by the way, as a side-effect of "developing people", I will probably need some additional volunteers in the baby room in about 9 months... thanks in advance).

See you Sunday.

Cross Promotion Gone Wild

2007-09-08T13:00:00.001-04:00

There's a term used in advertising called "cross-promotion" and it basically means that you create a unique link between two pretty much unrelated things in order to promote a particular product, concept or event. Sometimes it is a very effective use of resources... like getting Kelloggs to make Pirates of the Caribbean cereal and put it on the shelves a couple months before the movie hits the theaters. Obviously, pirates have very little to do with cereal, except that people that eat sugar-coma cereal like that might also want to see the movie, and the cereal will sell particularly well when 9-year old boys pitch fits in the grocery store in order to get it. Happy Meal toys are also famouse examples of "cross-promotion" and usually very cost effective... promoting movies, toys, or game systems to kids in McDonalds through 20-cent plastic toys can really boost sales of the product nationwide.

But, what happens when "cross-promotion goes wild" and advertising gurus start using money (lots of it) to promote items in ways that simply don't make sense? The result is a complete waste of resources. Three days ago, I followed a large dump-truck-type thing for about 5 miles when I repeatedly asked myself the question: "What were those advertising guys thinking?" Behind the back wheels of the dump truck were mudflaps with the "OshKosh" company name and logo on them. Maybe they were custom printed because the truck's owner really loved "OshKosh" clothing... maybe the dump truck itself was owned by "OshKosh"... or maybe even more likely - some goof-ball out there thought it would be a great way to get the "OshKosh" name out there on the highway. But in my mind, it was just a waste of money.

I'm all for trying something new or different or a little unique. I'm all for taking a risk and even spending money to do it. I'm all for cross-promoting the gospel message so that people that wouldn't normally seek God would hear about his message in unique ways. But, we've got to be smart about the resources we spend as a church. I'm thrilled that the people of Church At The Grove have the desire to use the resources we have on those things that most effectively develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples. It's great to be part of something where faithful stewardship is understood and recognized.

We put our resources into serving the local community (schools, public servants, local needs), we send resources out to church plants around the metro Atlanta region, we are looking forward to Russ' trip to Africa so we can begin to meet some of the needs of the global community. We invest heavily into the Sunday morning environment so people can continue to explore faith at their own pace. And, we try to use resources on things that streamline the ministry that comes out of the CATG office. God has blessed us so far during this first year. We believe that he will continue to bless us in the years ahead if we continue to be faithful stewards of what he gives us.

Free antivirus software

2007-09-07T12:43:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, we traded in our home phone and dial-up internet connection for high-speed internet and cellular. It was a good trade, but for the last several months I've been running my computer unprotected. With the dial-up connection, I wasn't too worried... what virus would even bother attacking a computer on a dial-up connection anyway? And, since we got the high-speed, it hasn't been an issue, but I know that the longer I surf the web, the more likely it is that I will get hit with a virus.

I just downloaded "avast" home edition virus software from http://www.download.com/ and I love it. It was free, it works fast (and runs in the background without slowing anything down), and I finally have a little peace of mind for the home computer.

Did I mention it was free? You know I love that word.

The new Hindu temple in Lilburn...have you seen it?

2007-09-07T00:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I drove by the new Hindu temple in Lilburn. I must say that it is an impressive building... lots of white stone, hundreds of thousands of carvings, and just a massive structure overall. But, as I drove by, I got this incredible feeling of sadness for the people that will worship there.

I don't know what your understanding of Hinduism is: as a religion, it's pretty rough... and as a way of life, it's a mess. Religion is basically man's attempt to please or appease a god with the idea that there will be some sort of reward if you are successful in doing so. The problem with Hinduism is that there is not one, but literally thousands (actually millions) of gods. There are more than a thousand "official" gods and then every hindu home has their own "version" of gods. Can you imagine trying to please all of these deities?

I am glad that there is really only one true God... I am glad that I get to relate to him as a friend, rescuer, and father... I hope you are experiencing the same simple relationship with God that I have... I pray that you are able to communicate this incredible life we have been given in ways that are simple enough for those around you to understand.

Reality without counseling

2007-09-05T09:08:00.000-04:00

When Russ and I speak, we do our best to communicate God's word in ways that are easy to understand and easy to relate to. One of the ways we've seen as effective is to share a little of our own stories and experiences... which is normally not a big deal. However, the "Can We Bring Sexy Back?" series starts in 4 days and I'm getting a little bit nervous. How can Russ and I communicate the reality of God's incredible design for sex and remain conscious of the fact that we are still the pastors of Church At The Grove? In my mind, it's kind of like hearing your parents talk about sex... sometimes you are able to fight off the mental images... sometimes the images never leave and you feel like counseling is the only option. Just Kidding!

I can promise you that the next four weeks are going to be awesome... we are working hard to communicate reality through personal experiences (authenticity without "too much information") and mainly through scripture... I really think you'll be surprised at how much God says about the incredible invention of sex. We are looking forward to this fun, straight-forward, and honest conversation about "sexy". In the meantime, visit www.CanWeBringSexyBack.com for resources and more information. Then, send a link to your friends and neighbors with some sort of a comment like, "I think this church-planting thing is getting to our pastors... are they stupid or something to plan a series like this... what do you think?" Then, when they call you to ask what time you leave for church so they can ride with you, you can be confident that we will do everything possible to talk "reality" without counseling... to be authentic without causing nightmares.

$11 glasses

2007-09-04T12:39:00.001-04:00

Last week, my new glasses arrived... I got two pairs of glasses delivered to my house for just over $22 (total).

Check out http://www.zennioptical.com/ if you need some cheap ones... you have to have your prescription handy (and you will probably have to get someone to measure the distance between your pupils), but it may be a great way to save a ton of money.

Are you "connected"?

2007-09-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Russ did a great job on Sunday with the importance of being "connected" to others. As I participated in communion, my brain was not only thinking about the people in the room, but also about the other believers I know that are scattered around the world. I've got a friend in Indonesia, two friends in Japan, and other friends in Asia that are constantly working with people that need hope. I've got friends scattered around the country that are starting churches and ministries to reach people. And there are hundreds of millions of other believers in the world that I symbolically "connect" with when I take communion... we worship, we reflect, we remember the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made... and we celebrate the incredible gift that his sacrifice gave us.

As the faces and names of my believer friends went through my head, I also thought a lot about the friends I have that are still unconvinced. Over the last couple years, I have met a ton of new friends that don't follow Christ... and I love them more than you can possibly imagine. I enjoy hanging out with them, relaxing with them and talking with them... about life, parenting, movies, vacations, and as the topic arises - spiritual things. I would love for my connections with them to eventually lead them to a point where they follow Christ, but I also understand that I have no control over those decisions. All I can do is love them, enjoy their friendship, and "be" Christ in their lives. When I do those things, my "connections" pay off... maybe I will get to see more of these friends begin to follow Christ in the years ahead... maybe not... that is between them and God. My job is to extend God's love to the people in my community so that they will have the best opportunity to explore faith at their own pace... if you're a believer, that's your job, too.

What a morning!

2007-09-02T23:50:00.000-04:00

If you missed this morning at Church At The Grove, you missed an incredible thing. We worshipped "in the round," Russ did an incredible job communicating that "Life is too difficult of a journey to do it alone," and we took communion together. "Linked" Sunday was a great way to spend the day.

When Amy and I sat down after we took communion, we really started watching the individuals and couples that approached the tables. It brought tears to our eyes to see the people that were there... people that have recently begun their spiritual journeys... people that, if not for Church At The Grove, would not be exploring faith anywhere. As we sat there, we were overwhelmed with love for all that God is doing in the lives and hearts of people. I hope you are experiencing that same overwhelment as you think about the people that are part of the CATG Community.

It's a movie weekend...what should I see?

2007-08-29T12:23:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I'm hoping to go see a movie this weekend... I have no idea what it should be. The only movies I've seen since in the last five months are Ocean's Thirteen (I almost fell asleep) and Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer (better special effects... but not as good as the first).

Any ideas?

Biblical Faith and the newest public source of laughter

2007-08-27T23:04:00.000-04:00

Over the last 2,000 years we've made our beliefs pretty complicated. It started with the simple ideas of a loving God, an incredible gap between him and mankind, and an absurd idea of reconnecting us to him through his son's death. But now "religion" has turned this simple faith into a complex attempt to "please a god that can't fully be known." That's not biblical faith. Church At The Grove wants you to understand true biblical faith... simple understanding of a holy God, his perfect Son, and our desperate need for forgiveness. It really is that clear.

Now, for the funny part of this post... what happens when we take something simple and make it impossible to understand? The now legendary response of Miss South Carolina in the Miss Teen USA Pageant.

She was asked the question, "recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?” Her response is truly unbelievable: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our education over here in the US should help the US, uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.”

Yep, that's her answer... that's her incomprehensible answer to a simple question... that's her explanation of the challenges facing the US educational system... come to think of it... maybe her answer explains the problem as clearly as it's ever been explained.

Since you've got an extra minute anyway and you could use a good laugh, click to my friend Russ Butcher's blog to read what he had to say about it and watch the clip for yourself.

If you read James with me, keep going

2007-08-26T06:30:00.000-04:00

This past week, more than 30 men and women read the book of James with me... one chapter a day. We talked about it by email as we went along and I really enjoyed the journey. If you were part of that group, I want to encourage you to continue to read. I just finished 1 Peter 2, and take a look at what it says:

"But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" 1 Peter 2:9 (NCV)

That's the secret... we have a relationship with God through his son Jesus... we have been called out of darkness and now experience God's wonderful light... our lives have been changed... now all we have to do is talk about it along the way. There's not a whole lot more to our lives... talk about how God is changing our lives.

That's what we mean around Church At The Grove when we say that we want to "Start Discussions that lead people to the hope that is found in Christ." Would you help us in those discussions? Have a great morning. I'll see you in a few hours.

Friday's going to be great... but not as good as September

2007-08-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

I just got back from the grocery store with all the fixin's for some serious Jamaican Jerk Chicken for Friday night's Community Groups Get Together. Friday at my house, I will have the chance to spend a couple hours with the hosts and discussion leaders for our community groups that will start in three weeks. And, I can't wait.

We're going to eat some good food (as long as I don't burn it), laugh a lot, talk through some basic details of our groups, and pray for the hundred (or so) adults that will be involved in these groups. So, if you're not linked up with a group yet, email my wife to let us know you're interested. Our hosts and leaders are looking forward to it... we all are looking forward to it.

We know that nobody can go through this spiritual journey alone... life is best lived in the context of relationships. So, get the info, sign up for a September group, and prepare yourself for an incredible couple months of doing life with others.

Yesterday

2007-08-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at Church At The Grove was great... the setup team did a fine job... the children were well-cared for... the band sounded fantastic (the acoustic feel was a cool change of pace)... there were a lot of guests... the tear-down team was fast like lightning... and I think everyone found a comfortable place to explore faith. And that last part is why we do everything else that we do.

We create the Sunday morning environment like we do so that people can have a place to explore faith at their own pace. Thanks to everyone who helps us with the environment each week... you're doing an incredible job. And, if you're not helping, consider jumping in... you'd be surprised how fun it can be to serve.

Does "unseen" mean "not real"?

2007-08-18T23:46:00.000-04:00

Hebrews 11:1 says "Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it."

Some would say that "faith" in a God that can't be seen is foolish. They would go on to say that "thinking people" would not trust in anything that can't be seen, touched or fully explained.

On Friday afternoon, a force that can't be seen, touched, or fully explained lifted my 200 pound trampoline (15' across with a safety enclosure), off the ground and threw it into the top of some 20' pine trees that are more than 50' away.

The point: just because something can't be seen, does not mean that it is not real. If you disagree, try telling my daughter who was less than thrilled to see the trampoline in the trees.

By the way, thanks to my friend Craig and my neighbor Bobby, for their help in recovering from this freak storm/wind gust. And, thanks to everyone in the neighborhood that immediately headed out in their vehicles to make sure nobody in the neighborhood was hurt or had majore property damage.

Make Disciples???

2007-08-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

"One of the two men who followed Jesus after they heard John speak about him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and say to him, 'We have found the Messiah.' ('Messiah' means 'Christ')" John 1:40-41 NCV

Two men spent a day with Jesus and they wanted to follow him. There was something about this man (rabbi, teacher, prophet, wanderer) that intrigued them. Something in what he said, how he lived, or just the way he spoke caused them to wonder who this man really was. When they identified him as the Messiah (savior, deliverer, rescuer, promised one)... they were hooked. This was the one that God promised all throughout the Old Testament... it would have been foolish not to follow him.

But, they didn't stop with that. It wasn't enough for them to have a relationship with God... it wasn't enough for them to meet the Savior and be rescued by him... they wanted others to know. They wanted others to follow him, too. They weren't content with "being" followers... they wanted to help "make" other followers.

And God used these two men (along with another ten) to change the world. Because they wanted to "make disciples," we now have the opportunity "be disciples." But now the responsibility falls on us. If we - as individuals or as a church - decide that it is enough just to "be disciples" then we kill off any hope for future generations to "follow Christ." Let's continue to have a heart for others to know the God that we follow. Let's continue to make disciples.

Follow Jesus???

2007-08-16T16:17:00.000-04:00

fol·low /ˈfɒloʊ/ [fol-oh]

–verb (used with object)
1. to come after in sequence, order of time, etc.: The speech follows the dinner.
2. to go or come after; move behind in the same direction: Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
3. to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to: Many Germans followed Hitler.
4. to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey: to follow orders; to follow advice. 5. to imitate or copy; use as an exemplar: They follow the latest fads.
6. to move forward along (a road, path, etc.): Follow this road for a mile.
7. to come after as a result or consequence; result from: Reprisals often follow victory.
8. to go after or along with (a person) as companion.
9. to go in pursuit of: to follow an enemy.
10. to try for or attain to: to follow an ideal.
11. to engage in or be concerned with as a pursuit: He followed the sea as his true calling.
12. to watch the movements, progress, or course of: to follow a bird in flight.
13. to watch the development of or keep up with: to follow the news.
14. to keep up with and understand (an argument, story, etc.): Do you follow me? –verb (used without object)
15. to come next after something else in sequence, order of time, etc.
16. to happen or occur after something else; come next as an event: After the defeat great disorder followed.
17. to attend or serve.
18. to go or come after a person or thing in motion.
19. to result as an effect; occur as a consequence: It follows then that he must be innocent. –noun
20. the act of following.

How well do we Follow Jesus?

My kids are growing up

2007-08-14T07:43:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting at the kitchen table... we just got done eating breakfast and we've got a little bit of time before we head out for school, so my kids are doing some of the homework that they will have to do this afternoon. My third grader is reading and my first grade daughter is "teaching" my kindergarten son how to do her spelling activity. Actually I think he is doing most of the work, but they're having fun, learning, and accomplishing something at the same time so I'm not going to say anything about it.

It's official - my kids are growing up. Nine years ago when Katie was born I had no idea how quickly this would happen. It really feels like we blinked twice and now we're old. As sad as it is to realize that my kids aren't babies anymore (I've got three in school and Carson doesn't even want us to walk him down to his classroom anymore because he's too big), I am excited to see how they've grown. They're getting taller, smarter, faster, and funnier every day. In other words, they're developing just like they should.

It is sad to watch them outgrow the need for their mom and dad, but it would be even more sad if they hadn't grown up. If my kids were still two feet tall, or still unable to walk, or still pooped in diapers... that would be difficult to deal with. Growing and developing is a natural process when something is healthy. So the growth in my kids is simply a sign of their health.

Over the last twelve months, I've seen some pretty amazing things in people's lives. The Church At The Grove community is full of people that are growing and developing as followers of Christ. Many of them rarely (if ever) attended church in the past. Many of them questioned (if they believed at all) basic spiritual truths. Many of them had difficulty (if they even attempted) living their lives in the way that Jesus teaches us to. But, as they've joined our spiritual journey, they've developed. Are they fully "mature" as disciples? No, but none of us are. The important thing is that they're "growing" and developing just like they should.

How sad it would be if these people had come in contact with the people of CATG, or the environment of CATG, or the teaching of CATG over the last year and not been changed at all. We want to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples. If they don't develop, then they are not healthy. And, the world is already filled with "unhealthy" Christians... Christians that don't live like Jesus did... Christians that don't love like Jesus did... Christians that don't develop correctly.

Luke 2:52 "And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people. " (Message)

No... I don't think I can dance!

2007-08-12T00:41:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, Amy and I went shopping... we had a few things to pick up for the kids, so we hit several stores. The stores were pretty empty and the atmospheres were pretty relaxed... perhaps a little too relaxed. As we approached the back of one of the stores, I ran across a store employee that was enjoying his work... a lot. Right at the entrance to the stock room, there was a man... a large man... dancing to the music being played over the store radio... and he didn't know we were there. It caused an instant flashback to the 96 Rock TV Commercial from the early 1990s... and the original "Joey Bag O Donuts." If you don't remember... or you were still in elementary school at the time, watch this for a quick reminder (yes, I know that this isn't the "96 Rock" commercial, but I did the best I could and you get the idea).

Sure, in my younger years, I was known to demonstrate a little rhythm from time to time... and, then of course there's the dance recital video (only a few have seen it... and it's just not the right time for a public premiere yet). But now that I've grown and matured a little (well, I've grown a lot and matured a little), I know that nobody wants to see me dance... not on a street... not in a store... not on TV... need I say more? I don't have the skill or ability to impress anyone... and I don't have the business sense to make a lot of money with commercials or getting my name on the Moe's menu. So... No, I don't think I can dance.

But, I'm okay with that... and I deal with it by choosing not to dance. It's a conscious choice I make... putting aside one thing so that I can focus my energy on other things. For me, there are lots of things that are more important than trying to do something that I'm simply not gifted at or called to do. It's called "stewardship"... taking the time, energy, and resources that are available to you and putting them toward the most important things in your life. Stewardship is important... in choosing a dancing career or not... in life in general... and in the Church. We don't have enough time, energy, or resources to do everything, so we have to figure out what God calls us to do and focus on that.

How are you doing with that? Are you focused or scattered? Are you investing yourself in those things that are most important to you or are you wasting away with unimprtant things? Can you dance?... Are you doing something with that?... Or, are you just dancing at the entrance to the stock room?

"Simple" Mis-defined = Chaos

2007-08-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

I just left a restaurant where a seven year old had taken over the place and a local store where a six year old thought it was perfectly fine to ram a store clerk with a shopping cart without remorse. The real issue in both cases was the parents. I really felt sorry for them... they watched their kids create total chaos and they sat there with an exasperated look on their faces... like this was the normal way they lived life. But, at the same time that I felt sorry for them and their sense of hopelessnes, I also felt pretty confident that it was poor parenting over the last several years that led to the current situation they were in.

Parenting is complex... kids are crazy... and sometimes the two mix to create kids that act in ways that nobody can explain, take responsibility for, or fix. However, most cases where kids are out of control leads back to parents that wanted to raise kids in the "easiest" way possible. They thought that this "easy" or "simple" method of parenting was the best approach to life so they went for it. However, they defined "simple" parenting incorrectly at the very beginning and now all they've got is chaos. To them, "simple" meant no guidelines, no advice, no direction... just wait until the kid tells you what they need or want, then give it to them. It sounds "simple," and maybe it is for a while. But, as the kids grow, their demands and their way of doing things become more vocal and brash... and eventually you wind up with little balls of chaos and no way to control them.

"Simple" - in parenting, in business, in ministry, in life - does not mean having a total hands-off approach. It means direction and guidance that is focused on essential things while helping set aside nonessential things. Church At The Grove approaches ministry with simplicity in mind... what is essential in creating environments for people to explore faith, what is essential in encouraging relationships through community groups, and what is essential in starting discussions about spiritual things so that people are pointed to the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. We don't always achieve simplicity... sometimes chaos ensues... but our goal is that everything we do is streamlined so that we can most effectively impact unconvinced people around us. Thank you to everyone that helps us keep things simple around here... you guys are awesome.

River Hills Church

2007-08-08T12:04:00.000-04:00

I was just checking the website of a friend of mine that's starting a new church called River Hills Church in Winder. When you get a minute, you ought to take a look so you can begin to pray for them. This Sunday, they have their last "preview service" before they launch officially on September 9th. It's an awesome church and Chip is a great leader... we expect that we'll hear many stories of what God is doing up there in the years to come.

One of the things that caught my eye was their statement that their "sole purpose is to provide real truth for real people." "Real" is a great word to use when describing part of the mission of God's church. The world is full of "fake"... and "fake" is useless. After all, most people out there are looking for an explanation of reality that they can understand... a definition that includes a real God that cares about us, an understanding of the real separation we feel from this God, an explanation of what he did to reconnect with us in a real way, and a demonstration of what his word says about living out our real lives in the way that Jesus really taught. "Real truth for real people" is a great way to say it.

Are you looking for "real" in your life? Have you found it yet? Have you found the real God and have you connected with him? Have you found real truth and is it changing you? What about people, have you found real friends that help you along in your spiritual journey? If you haven't found one of these things yet, keep searching. God will show up, he will change you, and he will put people around you that will journey with you. And, when those things come about, it is an incredible thing to experience.

Mentally...I'm not here right now

2007-08-07T08:34:00.000-04:00

School is back in session which means my brain is not fully engaged here at the office right now. It has been a crazy first four days of having all three of my kids in school (3rd grade, 1st grade, and Kindergarten), so I am a little tired, but that's not real reason for my mental absence.

The real reason is that I've missed the people at Youth Elementary School, and now I want to find ways to hang out with them. I look forward to running by there in the afternoons and checking on the staff and helping where I can. I look forward to spending time in the classrooms with the kids, and I especially look forward to getting to know the other parents at the after-school meetings and special events. Youth Elementary School is full of people that are disconnected from Christ and disconnected from church. It's my responsibility to help them hear about Jesus and begin to explore spiritual things again. Please pray for me and my family as we try to take every opportunity we can to build relationships and friendships with these incredible people. Our hope is that, through those relationships, we will have opportunities to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples.

And, know that I am praying for you as well. I pray that the next several months will provide you opportunities within your own mission fields to meet people, spend time with them, build friendships with them, and help them connect with God. Have an incredible week!

"When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said to his followers, 'There are many people to harvest, but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest.'" Matthew 9:36-38

Bullies . . .Week 1

2007-08-06T09:55:00.000-04:00

If you missed yesterday, you missed a great one. Thanks to all who helped us transition back to two services (Chad and the set-up team, David and the band, Rosemary and the children's team, along with all the first-impression and hospitality people). It was great!

If you weren't there, let me catch you up... God has given all of us a certain amount of talent, time, strengths, resources, and character qualities. He wants us to use those things to develop people to follow Jesus and make disciples. When we do that, awesome things happen. However, when we use what we have carelessly - and specifically, when we use those things for our own benefit instead of the benefit of others - we create chaos. Samson did that. He had incredible strength and an incredible calling on his life, but he used that strength carelessly. His main concern was himself and he wound up missing out on the opportunity he had to rescue the Israelites from the Philistines. In short, he abused his strengths... and became a bully.

In contrast, Jesus had greater strength, greater power, greater status, and a greater calling. But, instead of carelessly looking to benefit himself, he "emptied" himself of everything that made him great... and he went and suffered on a cross for our sake. As a result, God accomplished everything he needed to through his Son... we can now have a relationship with God because of the forgiveness Jesus offers. (Read more of the story in Philippians 2)

Two very different individuals (Samson / Jesus) with very different passions (himself / others) finished their lives with very different outcomes (dead with a reputation as a "bully"/ alive with the character of a "savior"). Jesus loved us to the point that he gave up everything so we could have a relationship with God. That is the clearest example of Persuasive Compassion that the world has ever seen. We want Church At The Grove to consistently display that kind of compassion toward those we run across every day. And, we want you to be part of that journey.

P.S. Check the church website later this week to listen to Russ' message about Samson.

Fall Comes Quickly Around Here

2007-07-30T13:51:00.000-04:00

Can you believe how fast the Summer has gone by? It truly seems like last week when Church At The Grove was downshifting for June and July by going back to one service and simplifying our set-up and break-down responsibilities. And, now Fall is here again and things are going to be insane around here.

David Odom and Lance Boyd are working on the stage design for August. Russ Butcher is polishing the outline for the August series. Rosemary Kirby is finishing up the children's ministry team schedule for the Fall. Amy Story is getting the final details in place for the community groups. And, I am sitting here in my office typing my thoughts on all of this.

As we approach the next sets of messages, I hope you will see what we are trying to accomplish. We want to create an environment for people to explore faith. In order to do that, we believe it is important for us to talk about issues of faith that impact our daily lives as well. And, the Bible talks about a lot of issues that we deal with on a daily basis. In August, we're going to be covering conflict in our "Bullies" series. In September, we'll be looking at God's creative design of sex in our "Can We Bring Sexy Back?" series. In October, the unseen spiritual world is the topic as we talk about what lurks in the "Shadows". And, we'll wrap up the fall with talking about money in "Rich Man" and what the world is really like in "Poor Man".

Russ and I want you to know what the Bible says about these things... we want you to understand what it means to follow Christ in our daily lives... we want you to know what it means to have biblical faith. So, each Sunday at 10:00am and 11:15am, we will try to cover these topics through the lens of scripture. We will attempt to give you background, explanation, and easy ways to apply the truth of God's word to your lives. And, we will offer all of this in a comfortable environment where you can explore these things at your own pace. Finally, you can be confident in our promise not to embarrass you or those people that you invite to attend with you (okay, so maybe you'll get a little red in the face during "Can We Bring Sexy Back?", but that's just because maybe you've never heard sex talked about in church without the phrase "don't do it" in the same sentence). Have a great week! We'll see you on Sunday!

David Odom and Bryan Hoover . . . starting discussions

2007-07-28T18:28:00.000-04:00

If you didn't catch last night's "Atlanta Live" show, you missed out. I am so proud of David Odom and Bryan Hoover... how well they performed with their bands... how well they spoke of their heart for people... and how well they started discussions about what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Great job guys!!

If you haven't met David Odom yet or haven't been to a gathering to watch him lead worship, you've missed out. Russ and I love serving with him and are thrilled with what he's been doing to lead Church At The Grove into opportunities to worship God. He has a heart for people and has been working hard in the last couple months to get ready for the fall... he's been spending lots of time with people and taking advantage of opportunities like serving breakfast at Youth Middle School or being interviewed on TV to get people talking about God.

That's what it's all about... when we start discussions about spiritual things and about God... he reveals the truth about himself... he shows up. When people search for God (through questions, discussions, life choices, and God's word), he promises he will reveal himself. Has God revealed himself to you like he has to David and Bryan? If he has, have you let him change your life? And, last of all, are you starting discussions with those around you so they can seek God, too?

Get Ready For Some Awesome Community Groups

2007-07-28T18:10:00.001-04:00

My wife, Amy, is helping organize the community groups for the fall... we've already got nine incredible groups for adults starting the week after Labor Day and going through the week before Thanksgiving. You will not want to miss these opportunities to build relationships with others and talk about what God is doing in and around your lives. I can't wait to spend time with ten or twelve other people each week as we talk through the story of God through a curriculum called Starting Point. One or two of the other groups will be using the same curriculum. The other six or seven groups will be using a variety of discussion starting ideas and will be talking through lots of different topics like marriage, parenting, finances, prayer, relationship with God, prayer, and other things. You will have the opportunity to sign up for a group after the Church At The Grove gatherings on Sunday, August 12th and August 19th. Or, if you want to go ahead and get in a group, contact Amy Story and she will get you hooked up with one. Trust me when I say that these community groups will be one of the best ways for you to take the next logical steps in your spiritual journeys... they will provide you with a place to talk through what God is doing in your life... and a some new friends that will help you along in that journey. Have a great night and we'll see you tomorrow morning at 10:30am (remember that next Sunday we start with two gatherings - 10:00am and 11:15am).

I Am A Tour De France Addict

2007-07-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

The last two and a half weeks have been rough on me. The Tour de France is on and it usually ends somewhere around two or three in the morning. I've watched about 6 of the full stages and pieces of another 6 or 7. Fortunately, tonight, I am able to watch the end of stage 18 and it's not even 11pm. There are only 5 miles left now, and I've been watching one of the most incredible "dances" for the last 20 minutes. Four riders lead the stage of the race and they are 10 minutes ahead of the "Peleton" (the huge group of more than 100+ riders that's not in the lead). For the last 20 minutes, these four riders have continued to break away from the rest of the group using an incredibly choreographed process of riding. These four riders rotate counter-clockwise through a pattern of diamond shapes... each one taking a 20 second turn at the lead, 20 seconds at the left side, 20 seconds in the "pocket" at the back, 20 seconds at the right side, then back to the lead.

So what's so special about this process... there are four riders that have pulled more than 10 minutes ahead of everyone else. The way they've done that is to create an aerodynamic "flight pattern"... a perfect environment for these four to pull away and win. With this pattern, everyone gets to lead for a while, support for a while, and rest for a while. It is this environment, that allowed these four to have just finished the race with that 10 minute gap still in place.

Paul talked about life being a "race." He said he doesn't have time to look backward or even that much time to look around... he is running for a goal that is ahead of him... he wants to be like Jesus and is not there yet.

Paul was right about life... it is a race. But running it alone is difficult and foolish... that's why Church At The Grove works so hard to create an environment for people to explore faith. As we race, we want an environment that allows people to lead, support, and rest along the way. Our Sunday morning environment is suited for that... people lead parts of it, help create parts of it, and enjoy it on a weekly basis. And as we go through life, we journey as if in a race. Along the journey, several have joined our community and they race with us... we are working on the "choreography" that will allow us to win... but it's coming together quite nicely.

Thanks to Russ Butcher, David Odom, our set-up teams, hospitality teams, children's ministry teams, band, and all the volunteers that create the Sunday environment each week. You are awesome. And, your efforts are working... if you ever get tired or discouraged... drop back into the "pocket" and rest... but while you're back there, look in front of you, and beside you... we're in a race, but we're in it together... and the environment we're creating is the perfect one for you and your friends to explore faith... leading at times, supporting at times, and even resting at times.

How Ducks Learn To Be Ducks

2007-07-26T12:01:00.000-04:00

Our house sits on a lake... well, it's not really a lake - more of a pond... alright, with the current drought, it's really more of a puddle... and, if you've seen it recently, it would probably best be described as a natural aquarium. But it does have fish and turtles and ducks, so I call it a lake.

Anyway, about six weeks ago, 10 eggs hatched from the flower bed behind our house and out waddled 10 of the cutest little baby ducks you've ever seen. Since then, two have died, but we've been watching the remaining eight and have seen the harshness of nature up close and personal. When you think of ducks, you probably think of calm, peaceful animals that learn how to be calm and peaceful from their calm and peaceful mamas. But that's not always the case. For some reason, the mama duck at our house has rejected one of the surviving eight ducklings and he now basically lives on his (or her) own. Anytime he gets too close to the mama duck or the other seven ducklings, he gets attacked by his own mom. She warns him with loud quacking first and then proceeds to chase him away and even bite him if she can get close enough.

Now I don't know what this particular baby duck ever did to the mama to make her turn her back on him... but it's pretty sad to watch. Here he is having to learn how to swim (and eventually how to fly) all on his own. He is learning where to find food all on his own. He is learning how to stay away from danger all on his own. He is even having to learn how to protect himself from his own family... all on his own. And, the worst part of it all, is that he and his brothers/sisters are learning how to be ducks from a mama duck that hates one of her own ducklings.

Church At The Grove develops people to follow Jesus and make disciples. We want people to live their lives in such a way that they honor God more and more every day. During this first year, we've come across some people that have been rejected by others in some pretty harsh ways. We've built friendships with people that have a hard time trusting others (especially when it comes to spiritual matters) because they've been pushed aside before or even attacked by people that were close to them. I've talked with people over these last twelve months whose own families turned away from them years ago because they weren't "spiritual people" or because they weren't "walking with Christ." Unfortunately, that's pretty normal behavior in our church culture... we tell people to grow as followers of Jesus, but we tell them they have to do that by separating themselves from the people around them that don't follow Christ. We tell people to love God... but give them permission to hate people that don't love God. We basically set up a war between Christ followers and those that don't follow Christ... those of us that love God are the "good guys" and those that don't love God are the "enemies." We reject people and tell them to figure life out on their own.

My kids asked me why the mama duck is so mean to this one baby... I don't have a good answer for them. I ask myself, why are Christians sometimes so mean to the "rejected" people around us that don't follow Christ or mean to Christ-followers that may be slightly different on non-essential beliefs... I don't have a good answer for myself. God has called us to reflect his love to the world around us. It's tough to do that if we are always attacking someone for something.

Galatians 5:15 (NLT) says "But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another." Maybe our impact in this culture would be stronger if we were constantly demonstrating God's love through applying the truth in His word instead of constantly being on the attack. And, at the very least, those that are watching us will get a clearer picture of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

Stories - Volume 3

2007-07-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

Last night, 98 people gathered at the home of Marty and Julie Carr for a celebration of what God has been doing in the lives of five people that attend Church At The Grove. Two teenagers and three adults were baptized... just to publicly say to everyone there that they are followers of Jesus. It was an awesome thing to see. But, the greatest part of all of it was to hear their stories (their "tesimonies") of how God is changing them. Each person shared about how they realized they did not have a relationship with Christ, about when they asked God for the forgiveness that Jesus offers, and about what they are learning now about becoming more like Christ. Stories like that are the best part of being part of a church like this. God is at work all around us... and in us. God is using you to help people reconnect with him. It's awesome!!!

By the way, if you missed it... we'll be putting the testimonies on CD and on our website next week... don't miss "Stories - Volume 3".

Changes In Walnut Grove

2007-07-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

When I drove into the office this morning, I passed by Walnut Grove's City Hall and saw some of the changes that are happening there. In the lot that this house/city hall sits on was a grove of trees and brush that covered about 1/4 of an acre on the north side. For the last several months, I've seen one of the guys that works for the city up there working around on that piece of the land. He's been cutting trees, clearing brush, and moving things around. But, as you know if you've ever worked with brush-covered land, it's been a long process.

Today, though, it looked different. They had brought in a chipper and basically turned all the limbs, branches, and stumps into mulch. They rounded the edges of this area they've worked on, cut the grass right up to it and basically "finished" the landscaping in that section. And, "overnight" this formerly wasted space has been turned into a beautiful park-like area.

It got me thinking about how God works on our lives. He takes his time and with skillful planning, he begins to clear out the junk from our lives. He takes out pieces of our character (our tendency to lose our temper, selfishness, pride, self-righteousness, or other aspects) and replaces them with character traits that more closely resemble him (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). He changes us over time. Then, before we even realize it, we're different... in more ways than just how we act. We think different, we feel different, we are different.

That's how God develops us... piece by piece... day by day... removing junk and debris... replacing it with his reflection... until we are "finished." Philippians 1:6 says, "God began a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." God is at work in you... he is developing you... he wants to develop you to be more like him... and he wants you to help others develop, too.

Church At The Grove develops people to follow Jesus and make disciples... maybe God wants to use you to help us do that. You can help with one of our ministry teams to Create the Sunday morning Environment, or build relationships with others by hooking up with a Community Group, or be a part of something in the community to start discussions about God. And, as the years go by, you can celebrate with us as our friends, family, neighbors, and others begin to follow Christ and make disciples.

Back From Vacation

2007-07-18T21:23:00.000-04:00

I'm back from a vacation my family and I took in Atlanta... it was a great time to relax and have some fun. But, I couldn't get to sleep last night and so I'm not very rested

While I was awake, I did catch the 9th stage of the Tour de France (it ended about 2:30am) and it got me thinking about some things. Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez of Colombia was the winner of this 99.1 mile section of the race. The race was grueling... two insane uphill climbs that were so steep and difficult, they were "uncategorized" in difficulty. And, four hours, fourteen minutes after he began, this 24 year old took the winner's jersey for this stage.

The race was impressive... or "mind-boggling" might be a better description. But, the most important thing I saw was the focus that the racers had. By the end of the race, they were throwing every unnecessary thing away so they could race their best. They knew their body had a limited amount of energy, so they cast aside everything that they couldn't support with that energy. In the last twenty minutes of the race, riders were even throwing aside their water bottles. Water... as important as it is for athletes... was being tossed away because the extra eight ounces was holding the racers back from their peak performance. They needed every bit of their energy to go toward getting themselves and their bikes up the last hill and across the finish line... and wasting energy on carrying even an extra cup of water across the line with them would have been crazy.

When Russ and I partnered with 16 other families to start Church At The Grove, we were focused. We knew we would have a limited amount of time, resources, and energy. And our goal - creating an environment for disconnected people to explore God at their own pace - was so important, that we knew we would have to toss some things to the side. The result has been a church that has an incredible environment for people that are spiritually unconvinced to figure out how God wants to connect with them through Christ.

Throwing some things aside (land and a permanent building, small groups that meet on "campus", fully developed children's ministry, etc.) has been difficult... but we've got limited time, resources and energy... so we've had to put them away for now. To put our energy toward things that don't help create the environment for disconnected people to explore God at their own pace would be crazy. Sorry if this is hard to handle... just know that we're trying to be the best "stewards" (care takers, managers, handlers) of the limited resources we've got... that's all we can do.

The Simplest Things In Life

2007-07-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

People run on conscience rather than instinct, but there are still a lot of things that we do that are so basic and simple, they don't even need to be taught. That said, it's funny to me how complex we humans like to make everything.

I hit the Internet Explorer button a few minutes ago and was greeted by my Yahoo.com homepage. As I usually do, I glanced at the Featured Stories to see what major world events were happening, and saw this picture. Yes, they've finally done it...they've invented an automatic toilet paper dispenser. I didn't want to read the article. I knew it was a waste of time... but I HAD to. You can't skip an article like that (and because I know you want to read it too, I've attached it here). As I read it, I was struck by the amount of time that went into this thing... they worked on it for a year and are only now releasing it... and that was after "Kimberly-Clark turned to focus groups and years of internal research to determine just how much [toilet paper] is right." Now, they hope to "capture more of the $1 billion away-from-home toilet paper market." I hope that works out for them.

When I closed that article, I was struck by the next headline... "China public restroom has 1,000 stalls." (Yes, of course, I've got that link, too... Great Stall of China). What is this?... some sort of Worldwide Day of Celebration in honor of Bathrooms. **By the way, the article and video are worth it, just to hear a tourism official say, "We are spreading toilet culture... after they use the bathroom they will be very, very happy."

One thing led to another, and I remembered a book that my wife laughed at when she was studying Child and Family Development at UGA... "Everyone Poops." It takes the opposite approach to restrooms and their use... it doesn't use years of research... it doesn't try to make people very, very happy... it just says "all living things eat, so everyone poops." As one reviewer wisely pointed out... "Well yes, they do, but does anyone really need an entire book on the subject?"

I guess my point is this... I wasted 10 minutes of my day reading articles about new bathroom appliances, watching video of the world's largest public bathroom, and recalling a goofy book about the simplest of biological processes. No, my real point is that we, as humans, have this incredible need to take anything that is simple and turn it into something complex. We know the simple truth, but we argue and fight and question everything to the point that life is total chaos.

We do this with our relationships (when we should just be real), with our finances (when we should just spend less than we make), with our character (when we should just be honest), with our choices (when we should just use wisdom), and with our spiritual lives (when we should just follow Jesus and make disciples). Sometimes, things ARE as simple as they seem. Resist the need to make them more complex than they should be.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow

2007-07-09T14:55:00.000-04:00

I enjoy being around people. It doesn't really matter who they are or how long I've known them, or what they're like. I just love being with others. People are interesting to me. I like to find out what they've experienced. I like to hear their stories. I like finding out what God is doing and has done in their lives. "Doing life" with those around me is important.

Unfortunately, Sundays with Church At The Grove can be pretty crazy when it comes to getting to know people. Of course, there's the usual set-up and break-down situations that come with meeting in a school. Beyond that, there's the normal running around that we do to get ready for guests and regular attenders that show up each week. Finally, there's the "design factor" to consider. On Sundays, Russ and I, along with David, the band, the set-up teams, the greeters, the hosts, the children's ministry workers, and all the volunteers, want to create an environment for people to "explore faith" at their own pace. We want them to encounter God and his truth and then be challenged to consider how that truth may affect their lives or impact their spiritual journey. As we all work to accomplish that, it doesn't leave much time to build relationships with others. Sunday Gatherings are not primarily "designed" for relationships.

And, that's why we have community groups that meet in homes around the county. When you are able to sit around in someone's living room with 10-15 people and talk about life, you really get to know them. As you get to know them, you are able to learn more about how "following God" changes us. That's how God intended us to live... going through real situations in life with others all around us. So, tomorrow night, at my house, I get to do that. And, I can't wait.

If you are not part of a community group, jump in with one. Or, better yet, start your own. We've got resources for you to use to get the discussions started. And all you have to provide is a comfortable environment to gather a few of your friends, neighbors, or others. Trust me, you'll enjoy it. Let me or Russ know if we can help.

Free! (part 1)

2007-07-02T07:15:00.000-04:00

Russ did a great job getting our Free! series started at Church At The Grove yesterday. The entire morning was great and I hope you enjoyed it like I did (by the way, how 'bout David and the band?). Afterwards, we got into some discussions about the attitude behind what we're teaching. We don't want to be disrespectful just to be disrespectful, but we do want to stay true to the text, the culture, and the attitude behind the text. As I've been studying for this coming Sunday, I've also been reading some of Paul's other letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians). Russ was absolutely right to say that Paul was angry when he wrote Galatians. In fact, Paul was probably much angrier than we described. Paul wrote, "But these leaders saw that I had been given the work of telling the Good News to those who are not Jewish, just as Peter had the work of telling the Jews" (Gal 2:7). He had a mission... to tell "disconnected" people that they could be free through Christ. In the process of trying to do what God called him to do, other people were getting in the way ("They came in like spies to overturn the freedom we have in Christ Jesus" Gal 2:4). Paul was ticked off because God's grace and faith in Christ were being offered as part of a salvation package (grace of God + faith in Christ + follow Jewish law = being accepted by God).

Paul was working hard to tell people about being Free! and others were working hard to keep people contained and under control. Paul was angry and that attitude comes through in his letter. I think that attitude may have come across in Russ' message, too. Church At The Grove is designed to connect with people that live far from God. That is our mission field... God will hold us responsible for how well we do at connecting those people to him. Along the way, we wrestle with the attitude we have toward those that believe differently than us. As I said, we don't want to be disrespectful just for the sake of being disrespectful. We also want to be teachable, humble, and true to God's word. In Romans 14, we are warned about "condemning" believers that act differently than we do... and we want to be cautious about our bad attitudes toward believers that may be more "traditional" than us. On the other side, though, we are called to reach a particular group of people in this community and we are not willing to allow anything to get in the way of our mission... what do you allow to get in the way of your mission?

Persuasive Compassion

2007-06-29T17:52:00.000-04:00

My friend, Russ Butcher, taught one time that "compassion" in a biblical sense means that you are moved by empathy for some one so much that you have no choice but to act. In other words, a situation or a person impacts you so deeply that you can't remain distant from the situation... you have to do something. You can listen to his whole message on Church At The Grove's website. Choose "Listen Online" in the upper left corner, and listen to "009 Plunge - Love God. Love People."

My family and I have been moved by a situation so much that we no longer have the choice of staying out of it. We have to do something. Pray for us as we act. Pray that it will go smoothly. Pray that the "best" thing for everyone will happen without too much opposition.

Now, stop reading this and ask God if there's a situation in your own life that God wants to use you in... maybe he wants you to demonstrate compassion in such a way that it persuades people to seek God in a new way. I'll pray for you as you go.

P.S. Find me Sunday and tell me what happens... or email me and share your own story... I want to celebrate with you as follow Christ in practical ways.

Knowing the Bible... Walking Like Christ

2007-06-25T20:42:00.000-04:00

Knowing the stories, concepts, teachings, and background of the Bible is great, but sometimes we totally miss the point. The Pharisees and Sadducees were well studied on scripture, but Jesus attacked them as "hypocrites" and "snakes" and "decorated tombs". Many of the great philosophers of ancient times were well studied on scripture, but they also missed the point and wrote the scriptures off as mere teachings or collections of human thought. And, millions of people in our nation know the stories, concepts, teachings and background of the Bible, but our nation is in a complete mess. So what is it that we've all missed... because apparently knowing scripture isn't enough.

When the Disciples (the "talmidin") decided to become "followers" of Christ... they already knew the "scripture". They were raised in a culture where the "Torah" (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) was well known. They already understood scripture, but as they learned to be like their Rabbi (Jesus), they learned what "biblical faith" was all about. It was the application of scripture in daily life. It was knowing the Bible... and using that knowledge to become like Christ... to walk like him on a daily basis.

"Do things like Jesus did"

2007-06-25T18:13:00.000-04:00

I talked with the first person I've ever met that is a member of one of the many religious groups in our area. Basically, I don't know anything about her faith... except that Saturdays are the day they use for worship and spiritual gatherings and resting. We didn't get into a long conversation about the beliefs that we would agree on or disagree on. In fact, we didn't talk about our faith much at all. She did say one thing that stuck with me. I asked her about the tradition of not doing anything on Saturday except worship (no buying, no selling, no work, etc.)... was it strictly from a background of Jewish law or was it an adherence to man's rules? Her response was, "well, basically, we just want to do things like Jesus did... and Jesus observed the Sabbath by being in the synagogue and talking about the things of God... so that's what we do."

I still don't know much about her faith... but that statement will stick with me for a long time. I started a discussion about spiritual things and she finished it with the ultimate statement of what my faith should be based on... Doing Things Like Jesus Did. I was challenged through a discussion I started. If you were to start a discussion this week, I wonder what you might be challenged with.

A Tribute To My Friends

2007-06-21T00:41:00.000-04:00

During the various stages of my life, I've had a few incredible friends that surrounded me. In Kansas, it was my neighbors, Matt and Chris, and my best friend, Jared. When we moved to Georgia I had Tommy, Eric, and Jeff. In high school, it was Kevin and Brian. Through college and in recent years, the list would also have a few key names on it. These were friends that, for the particular stage in my life, were incredible parts of my memories, my development, and my life in general.

I spent Tuesday evening with some friends in my community group and we talked about the importance of the friendships we have and the relationships we're building with people. We are learning that we can't live life alone. So, the seven of us agreed that we've got to figure out a way to help everyone else understand the importance of relationships. With that in mind, let me ask you a couple questions.

How many people at Church At The Grove (or whatever church you attend) do you know? How many of them would you consider to be "friends"? Is that number more, less, or the same than six weeks ago?

Russ and I want to encourage you to build relationships with others. Maybe go to lunch this Sunday with a family that you don't know very well. Or, invite a couple neighbors over to your house for dinner this week. Take a walk around the neighborhood and decide before you leave your driveway that you will speak to every person that you pass. Or, stop by for Russ and my Community Group that meets on Tuesday nights during the Summer (or any community group that's going on). However you do it, begin to build relationships with others. As you do, you may find a friend or two that will be incredible parts of your memories or your development in this stage in your life.

Exchanging one thing for another!

2007-06-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

Amy and I just signed up for high-speed internet and cable tv. In exchange for these things, we dropped our home phone (so don't call us there any more), our dial-up internet connection, and the antenna we had in our attic that picked up channels 2, 5, 8, 11 and 81 from Atlanta. What we had before had worked fine for us for the last four years, but in the last six months we've realized the limitations of the old set up. You see, we've had friends that have dropped their old systems a while back... going from the limitations of a land line phone to the portability of cellular... going from the painfully slow speed of dial up to the fast pace of hig-speed... and going from the minimal selection and low quality picture of antenna to the quality of cable (okay, so most people dropped their television antennas a couple decades ago... we're a little slower in some areas). Of course, it is a little overwhelming to have all that we've got now and it will take us a while to adjust, but in the long run, I think we'll be glad we made the change.

The biggest problems we faced with our old setup was that we could no longer carry out the "basic" tasks we needed to perform on the internet connection we had. The web has become so complex and so media-driven in the past three years, that our dial-up connection could no longer handle things like email, checking the weather, looking up a phone number, or trying to find a better price on an item. It wasn't that there was anything "wrong" with our old system... it's just that our old system was no longer the most effective tool to use. Our old system was not designed in a way that allowed efficient (or effective) communication with the current web community. So, out of necessity, we had to try something new just to stay informed, up-to-date, and connected with the millions of internet users in the world.

Years ago, I began to notice an uncomfortable shift in the Gen-X subculture that I grew up with. When it came to spiritual things, we (as a group) became more and more willing to trade our spiritual backgrounds for another type of spiritual world-view or to completely give up spirituality as a pursuit of God altogether. In many cases, the worldviews (spiritual belief systems) of people in their 20s and 30s have become so complex that traditional "church-type programs" and "sunday school answers" could no longer keep up with the questions and spiritual crises that this generation faced. These types of things are no longer effective with spiritually reaching the most skeptical, cynical, and distant people in our community. So, out of necessity, we had to try something new just to stay connected with the thousands of spiritually disconnected people in our community.

That's why our Sunday mornings feel a little different... we've created an environment for people to explore faith at their own pace (specifically the people that are least likely to go to church). And, we didn't do it because the old system was "broken," it's just that we couldn't stand the thought of being disconnected from a generation of people that were silently slipping away. So, we had to exchange what we'd always done, for something new. Of course, it is a little overwhelming right now and it will take us a while to adjust, but in the long run, I think we'll be glad we made the change.

Sorry... It's my fault!

2007-06-17T23:16:00.000-04:00

For years, God has been misrepresented by Christians as one-sided and simplistic. As a result, there are people in this community that don't know who God is, don't recognize him when he's working around them , or believe things about him that aren't true. And if I've ever lived my life in any way that displayed only one characteristic of God, then I'm sorry.

Our God is a complex being that lives in the balance of righteousness (complete perfection) and mercy (complete forgiveness). Jesus showed us what God was like every day of his life on earth... he lived in that balance... judging those that should be condemned (usually self-righteous hypocrites) and showing mercy to those that needed it most (usually social or religious throw-aways). He taught us to live out our love for him in the same way. But sometimes we've failed... or at least I've failed. And, like the times I've successfully lived the Way of Christ, my failures have taught those around me how to follow God. I've created followers (or "disciples") of Christ that live out their relationship with God like I live out mine. As a result, I've screwed some people up over the course of my own spiritual journey.

For years, people have watched me and other Christians as we've misrepresented God (by focusing on the perfection of God without describing his forgiveness, or by focusing on his mercy without mentioning his righteousness). As a result, some don't know God, or don't recognize him, or they believe something about him that isn't true (like believing that he is one-sided and simplistic). Even worse, there are some that hate God because of the lives of some of God's followers. And, if my life has misrepresented the vast character of this incredible Creator, then I'm sorry. If you hate God because of the lives of some of his followers, then it's partly my fault (Romans 2:24). But now that we've blamed those that are responsible, I'd like you to look past the "followers" and look at the "one" we follow... look at the God that lives in the balance of perfection and forgiveness... see his son, Jesus, and know the mercy and righteousness of God.

That's what I want for you... that's what Russ Butcher (the other pastor of Church at the Grove) and I want for the people of this community... that's what the people of Church at the Grove want for our friends and neighbors and coworkers and strangers... we want you to know who God is, to recognize him when he's working around us, and to have a fully accurate picture of the complex God we serve. We want our lives to represent God so well that people can watch us and know what it means to truly follow him.

Questions, Answers, More Questions

2007-06-13T13:36:00.000-04:00

In the book of Luke, we see a story of Jesus as a twelve year old boy. He was accidentally left in Jerusalem by his parents and spent three days "sitting in the Temple with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46). What a fascinating look into the life of God as a human... going through the normal growth steps for Jewish boys... being trained in the style of Rabbis (Jewish teachers) where questions were the most important thing you could talk about. Can you imagine?... God, asking men questions about what they think about Him or His word? And, even more ridiculous... listening to them as they responded?

What kind of a God is this? What kind of an all-powerful, all-knowing, deity would subject himself to be questioned by His creation?

Fortunately, the kind of God that would do this is a loving, compassionate, understanding, patient, gracious, merciful God... the kind that is not scared of our lack of faith... the kind that is not scared of our questions and inconsistencies... the kind of God that is YHWH (Yahweh, Jehovah, Almighty, God the Father, etc.).

Over the last seven days, I have had a ton of conversations with people that have revolved around questions about God. The conversations have been incredible. In the conversations, all of us have had questions. None of us have had all the answers. Our lack of answers have brought up even more questions. And, God, has patiently listened to it all. Even more than that, I think he's been a part of those conversations and has watched us learn and grow... in the same way that a twelve-year-old-Jesus modeled for us 2,000 years ago.

An article I just read

2007-06-11T18:42:00.000-04:00

I just read an article in a newspaper that the Georgia Baptist Convention prints up each month called "Families Choosing Time Together Over Church," and it got me thinking a little bit. The article was written pretty fairly... as an explanation of the culture and overall views of Gen X an Y toward church... instead of an outright attack on people that don't spend every waking moment at church.

There were several lines that caught my attention. Quoting Leadership magazine, the article states, "The increased emphasis on family time, even at the expense of meaningful involvement in church life, is a sign of the times...It's one way Generations X and Y are making up for the hands-off, latch-key childrearing styles that characterized their Boomer parents: heavy investment in the kids, and everything else takes a back seat - including church."

On the flip side, the article talks about the tendency to trade church attendance in for time spent on something the kids are doing and says (quoting Albert Mohler Jr.), "Every kid has a 'thing' going on virtually all the time. That is the condition of life today, it seems. But when that 'thing' keeps the child - or the whole family - away from church we need to name that thing what it is... at best a snare, at worst an idol."

And, here's what I take away from the article: NOT a specific stance on what "church involvement" means; NOT whether its right or wrong to skip a church activity to spend with your family; and, NOT how to develop church to recapture a generation that sees it as less relevant than a little-league baseball game (though, on a side note, that should shake up Christ-followers around the country... that we have somehow allowed the incredible Good News of the amazing love of the Creator for his flawed creation to become essentially irrelevant).

Instead, I look at the disagreement between the two sides of the issue and I see examples of the many futile attempts generations make to develop the 'next generation' to believe as they do. After all, the Builder generation took what they learned in the developmental years and tried to develop the 'next generation' to work hard for the good of the 'country'... falling into an 'us versus them' mentality and false views of "differences." The Boomer generation took the developmental years of their childhood and became unbalanced in their approach to life... falling into workaholicism and false views of "success." The Gen-Xers took the developmental years of their childhood and decided to completely go against what they learned... falling into child-centeredness and false views of "spirituality." So, how are we developing the next generation? How will they respond to our parenting and leadership? What will they fall into? What incorrect views will they have?

Developing people is the most challenging and important thing we do in life. And, whether it is our own kids or just the next generation in general, they are watching us. What they learn from us will affect the entire culture in 20-30 years. Let us never forget how important it is to develop them well... to give them a correct view of people and a balanced life and God.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake...

2007-06-11T14:55:00.000-04:00

I just got back from lunch... and I'm full. We ordered two salads and a philly cheesesteak sandwich... not much food for six people, but that's because we were saving room for dessert. Today is my middle daughter's 6th birthday... for her special meal, she wanted a Chocolate Molten Lava Cake from Chili's. So, we had a goal and because dessert was the goal of lunch, we made wise choices about lunch... we had to save room.

All of us are limited in life... by time.. by money... by abilities... by energy... and even by the amount of lunch we can eat. And once we decide what is most important, then we have to order everything else in our life to allow us time/resources/energy to apply to those things that are "most important."

We have to do the same thing... as a church and as followers of Christ. We have to take the limited time, energy and resources that God's given us and invest those into what will most effectively accomplish what's "most important"... developing people to follow Jesus and make disciples. It's called "faithful stewardship" and God says it's important. What about you? Do you think it's important? Are you living your life like it's important? Or, are you getting to the end of your day/finances/energy and finding that you don't have a bit of room left for even one small bite of lava cake?

How to spend $419.13 in less than 2 minutes

2007-06-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

I don't know if you've entered the world of online banking yet or not, but I've been paying bills online for about 9 months and I absolutely love it. In fact, I just took 1 minute and 48 seconds to pay my auto insurance, power bill, and phone bill. That's $419.13 out of my checking account and I'm not even sad about it. Why? Basically, it's because I was going to have to pay the money anyway (we always owe money for something), but I didn't have to waste a lot of time doing it. Last year at this time, I would have had to pay bills by getting all my bills out of our drawer, pulling the payment slips off the bills, matching them up with the correct envelopes, writing the checks, stuffing the envelopes, sealing the envelopes, putting stamps on the envelopes, and putting my return address on the envelope (which, by the way, is completely useless about 99.9% of the time - when was the last time that a bill to a utility company ever got returned to your mailbox). But with online banking, my billpaying experience is simple.

Have you ever wondered why spiritual things seem like such a drain on people sometimes? I don't think it's the spiritual parts, themselves... after all, basic truths about God stay the same. Instead, I'm beginning to think that maybe it's because Christians have over-complicated the process of exploring faith. We often tell people all the steps (including the ones that we don't even understand) they have to go through to become a Christian, or to become a member of a church, or to become a "fully-devoted follower of Christ," and then we wonder why few people want to follow us in our spiritual journey. Maybe we overwhelm them with complexity and they don't feel like they would ever measure up, or be able to follow-through with all those steps.

So, the real question is: Is the Good News too complex? Or, have we combined it with "The Law" and "tradition" and "expectations" and "we've always done it that way"s or "we've never done it that way"s to the point that the Good News is difficult to understand, and even more difficult to accept? Romans 1:17 says, "The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself - that it begins and ends with faith." That sounds pretty simple. Romans 3:31 says, "So do we destroy the law by following the way of faith? No! Faith causes us to be what the law truly wants." That seems like it eliminates a lot of the steps (especially the ones that we don't even understand). But, what does the law truly want? Romans 4:25 says, "Jesus was given to die for our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God."

So, let's boil it down. God wants us to be right with him. That happens through forgiveness. Forgiveness happens through faith in Jesus. And the process of having faith in Jesus is simple. Should we, as a church, make it more complicated than that? No. In fact, we should fight against a complex approach to God or faith or being a part of the CATG Community.

Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ." There it is: people telling people about Jesus. That's simple. The message doesn't change... just the method. As you go along this week, maybe a conversation with one of your friends will turn to spiritual things... if that happens, maybe you will have a chance to share a little bit of the simple Good News... and maybe, just maybe, your friend will start their own journey of faith as a result.

Looking for "authentic"

2007-06-04T22:32:00.000-04:00

Google the word "authentic" and the first three things that pop up are a software package, an ebay ad to find "authentic" items for less, and a website to find authentic designer merchandise at 40% off. If you type that word in YouTube, you get videos about a authentic baseball cards, a keyboard that sounds like an authentic electric guitar, and "authentic" footage of ghosts in Gettysburg battlefield. And, in Wikipedia, "authenticity refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion and intentions."

When you look for "authenticity," where do you find it? I had a conversation yesterday with a guy that is fed up with the church in North America because, as a whole, it is not authentic... truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions is rarely found in the large majority of people that claim a connection to God, Church, and the Christian Faith. People will continue to look for authentic merchandise, authentic replicas, and authentic ghost footage... but even more than that, people are looking for "authentic" people. As you go through your life today, live authentically... live with a true understanding of where you come from (origins), what you live by (attributions), what you say you will do (commitments), how you feel (sincerity), what is most important to you (devotion), and what you really have in mind (intentions). As we live out our lives authentically, then maybe, just maybe, we will be able to help connect people in an authentic relationship with a very real God.

That's My Chair

2007-06-03T16:28:00.000-04:00

Last night, my wife and I watched an episode of "Friends" off our Season 3 DVD. Episode #50... The One Where No One's Ready... is a true classic (in fact it's the #5 episode according to TV.com). In this episode, Chandler and Joey fight over who gets to sit in a chair in the girls' apartment. Of course, the fight escalates to the point of insanity... which is why it's so incredibly funny.

Unfortunately, it's not as funny when things like this happen in real life. In some churches, long-time members fight over "their" seats in the sanctuary, or "their" parking places, or "their" position on some committee, or "their" style of music, or "their" anything-else-that-has-no-real-eternal-significance. The natural tendency in life is take care of ourselves and put ourselves first, but all of this fighting over "my" things distracts us from what's really important. It's funny on TV, but when it happens within God's family, it's ridiculous.

Instead of worrying about "my" seat or "my" parking spot, I should be concerned about "my" mission field and the spiritual condition of "my" friends and the hopelessness of the people within "my" circle of influence. I am responsible for the people that God puts around me and it is more important that I live out Christ in front of them, then that I sit in the same spot each week. If you attend Church At The Grove, thanks for modeling this idea of missional responsibility and forgetting the arguments about "my chair." If you're not part of things here, what are you modeling in your own life? What's most important... your "chair" or your "mission field"?

Chocolate Meringue or Lemon Meringue?

2007-05-31T15:33:00.000-04:00

I went to lunch with a few friends at a barbeque restaurant nearby. The food was good, the service was friendly, and the conversation was fun and lively. As the meal progressed, one of the peopel eating with me realized they had a "random connection" with our waitress through a brother that taught at the high school she attended, so we used that for a series of jokes and jabs. After we finished our meal, the waitress came up and asked us if we wanted any desserts... we politely replied "no thanks." She replied by describing the chocolate meringue and lemon meringue pies with details that almost had us convinced... but we resisted anyway. Then, with sincerity (and a little salesmanship) the waitress asked a unique question: "What is that hasn't convinced you yet?" The question was simple, unassuming, and appropriately phrased given the relationship we had developed with her during the previous hour. And, with that question, one member of our party said that he simply didn't have room for a piece today, but he would get one the next time he came. And, with that, she wished us a good day and we left.

Contrast that situation with the rants that Christians sometimes get on about certain issues or the fights we get in with certain people, and it becomes easy to see why the "Good News" about Jesus is often misunderstood or simply rejected. Persuasion is pretty easy... convincing someone to believe or act a certain way can be accomplished in many ways... withold basic necessities of life... threaten greater harm... use force... take advantage of "positional authority"... lie... embellish... or any other of a thousand different methods. But persuasion that isn't pushy is a rare thing. Persuasion based on a relationship that leads to a perfectly-phrased and perfectly-timed question is the key to a lot of situations.

We want people to choose to become Christ followers. Sometimes that journey takes a long time for a person. But, that's okay. We will continue to see people as people (instead of the next notch in our belt). We will continue to provide a place for them to explore faith at their own speed. We will continue to build friendships with them because we understand how important it can be to know the people you journey with. And, along the way, we will ask them questions (like "what is it that hasn't convinced you yet?"), listen to their answers, listen to their questions, and answer them as best we can. Then, if they are still not convinced, we will wish them a good day, and be available when they continue their spiritual pursuit in the future. It seems like "persuasion," but it's actually something else... it's persuasive compassion.

The Truth of Proportion

2007-05-28T22:20:00.000-04:00

Some truths are simply too important to avoid or put aside. Two weeks ago, we saw a guy in Costa Maya that was in full violation of the Truth of Proportion. Allow me to explain... when it comes to swimsuits... the size of the swimsuit should be in direct proportion to the size of the guy wearing it. Clearly, "Mr Speedo" doesn't understand this... but I pray that sometime, somebody that has a relationship with "Mr Speedo" will teach him this basic principle for living.

So, this post is really more for the friends and family of "Mr Speedo" instead of "Mr Speedo" himself. He is living in violation of a basic truth... and he doesn't even know it. If you know him, help him, in a loving way, understand it.

Even worse, there are others that walk around in life as if there is NO truth worth following. You may know some people like that... people that have decided there is no God, or that he is not worth following, or that people that follow him are hypocrites, or that his word is not worth paying attention to. If you know someone like that, help them, in a loving way, understand truth.

People are talkin'... talkin' 'bout people

2007-05-26T10:20:00.000-04:00

I majored in relationship development at the University of Georgia. I took lots of classes about how people communicate... what they say... how they act... body language... voice inflection... eye contact, etc. And, the basic point of all my classes is that we communicate all the time, with everything. In other words, whether you like it or not, every time there is someone that can see, hear, or smell you... you are communicating something to them.

And, that communication to others causes them to communicate as well... sometimes they communicate something back to you... sometimes they communicate something about you to someone else. Basically, the song is right... people are talkin'... talkin' 'bout people.

So, with that in mind, what are you communicating? I recently spent some time in a public situation with some people that came across as arrogant, snooty, and entitled (don't worry, I'm not talking about you... if you are reading this blog, you weren't there). Many of the people in the room were believers, and there were probably some that were not. I was helping them with something, and only one of them was helping me. The rest were either oblivious to me or came across as if they were "'better" than me in their own eyes... and "better" than another person that was in the room... a person that was not a believer.

One of the ways that Church At The Grove attempts to extend God's love to others is by starting discussions. The basic idea is that if people are talking about spiritual things, then God will show up and reveal himself to them (this is God's idea... he talks about it in the book of Jeremiah). When we are in charge of these discussions, we try to make them effective and intentional... pointing people to Jesus. When we are unaware of these discussions, we so often come across as uncaring, aloof, arrogant, snooty or entitled. As you go through life, don't become unaware of what you are communicating. People around you are watching what you do, hearing what you say, taking in everything about your life... and they are "understanding" what you are communicating to them. Are they hearing that they are important to a God out there that made them and loves them and sent his son for them? Or, are they hearing that you are "better" than them?

Relational Collision

2007-05-25T00:02:00.000-04:00

Last night I had the chance to watch American Idol with 16 other adults and some of their kids. The show was pretty predictable... I think since the week that Sanjaya left, everyone in the country pretty much knew that Jordin would win... right?... okay, so not EVERYONE knew that... but YOU did!?!

What was not as predictable was the party we hosted... a total of 18 different adults from 21- 32 years old (Amy and I were the oldest in the room), single and married, kids and no kids, all with different spiritual backgrounds and different family backgrounds. Most of the people last night were first-time guests in our home... we knew several of them pretty well, but there were also many that we didn't know and even more of them didn't know each other. Lots of things could have gone wrong... but nothing did. It could have been an entire house full of people that had nothing to talk about with each other... but that didn't happen either. In other words, it could have been a relational flop... but it turned into a relational collision... different people... different lives... different perspectives... living life... and sharing it with others.

So we watched American Idol and we talked about our jobs, our families, and our predictions for the results. And we lived life... together. It was awesome. Maybe you should try it? Pick a night this Summer and invite a bunch of people to come be guests in your home... then, relax and see what happens. Maybe it will flop. Or maybe, just maybe, people will collide and relationships will happen. See you Sunday!

Environmentalism?

2007-05-22T23:00:00.000-04:00

Environmentalism has long been associated with derogatory terms like "tree-hugger" and tacky slogans like "Save the Whales." Certainly, God cares about His creation, and we could all stand to be a little more concerned about keeping the earth healthy into the future. But, for a minute, think about the underlying "cause" for an environmentalist... living with an appropriate balance of taking advantage of the incredible creation of God, while ensuring that enough effort is made to keep that creation available for generations to come.

With that as our definition, it kind of takes Sunday mornings at Church At The Grove to a new level of understanding. We only do three things here, and one of them is "Creating an environment where people can explore and encounter faith individually and together through God's word." If you will take the time to meet people on Sunday mornings, you will realize that you have done a great job at creating this environment for our guests... but as we enter the Summer and prepare for the Fall, it becomes even more important to live with an appropriate balance of taking advantage of the incredible Sunday morning environment (a lively, energetic and relevant part of this incredible spiritual journey), while putting forth lots of effort to keep this Sunday morning environment available for generations to come. This may involve something as simple as picking up a stray napkin and tossing it in the trash can, or something a little more involved (like teaching Children's Church, or helping in the Baby room, or coming a few minutes early to set-up chairs). Email me if you would like to get a little experience with it over the summer.

So, when you come this Sunday: Enjoy the environment that everyone is working so hard to create; Bring a friend or two with you who need a place to comfortably explore God; And, while you're here, if you see a way to improve the environment for others, jump in and help out... God has called us to protect the environment created in the cafeteria of Youth Middle School every Sunday... God has called us to be "spiritual environmentalists"... there are hundreds/thousands of people in this area that need to be able to connect with God... and we may be the only hope for some of our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family to hear about Christ in a way that can be understood.

See you Sunday,
Craig Story

Making Disciples (and a four-letter word)

2007-05-19T10:21:00.001-04:00

Three days ago, I wrote that if you're living your life just to impress people, then you're living for the wrong things. Allow me to clarify something in that blog by saying I was listening to the radio on Wednesday, and I heard "Watching You" by Rodney Atkins for the first time. I am quickly becoming a country music fan, and songs like this are the reason why (http://www.elyrics.net/read/r/rodney-atkins-lyrics/watching-you-lyrics.html). This song about a little boy and a four-letter word is one of the clearest descriptions of discipleship that I've heard in a long time. People (especially our kids) watch us and act just like us. So, what do your kids see in your life? What do your actions, words, and attitudes teach them about how to live?

You can't live your life trying to "impress" people with your spirituality. I truly believe this is hypocrisy in its purest form. But, you also can't live your life without understanding the responsibility you do have to certain people in your life. So, when your kids start acting just like you... when they become your "disciples"... will their life be something to be proud of?

P.S. Speaking of how we teach our attitudes, words, and actions to those around us, I got an invitation from the people at the "Noooma" company (www.nooma.com) to go to the premiere of their newest video 016 Store in Atlanta. "Store" is about anger... what it takes to make you angry... what we get angry about... and how we express anger. I went ahead and reserved 6 seats for Amy and I and a few friends. But, if anyone else is interested, let me know so I can get you a couple tickets as well. Tickets are free and the premiere is in Atlanta on Monday, July 11th at 7:00pm.

Following Jesus (a lesson learned from two burning butts)

2007-05-16T16:06:00.000-04:00

Some of the most interesting conversations I had on the cruise were with believers that felt bad enough about what they were doing that they tried to justify their lives to me... as if I had any ability to make any real judgment calls on their behalf. The guy I met at the bar, for instance, nearly burnt his shorts off as he moved his cigarette behind his back as soon as he asked me what I did for a living and I responded by saying I was a "pastor". I'm not sure why he felt it necessary to put himself at such risk for physical harm just because he was talking to a professional Christian... besides, the smoke rising from his butt made it look like he had a little too much wasabi at the sushi bar. And he was not the only one to quickly change his behavior once they found out I was a pastor. What's up with that?

Sometimes I wonder if people are more concerned about following Jesus on a day by day basis, or more concerned about making sure that "a man of God" does not look down on them with condemnation. Have we forgotten that as believers, we are all "men" or "women" "of God"? Do we honestly think that God does not watch our lives very closely and, as a result, has to rely on ministers to tattle on people? Who are we really concerned about living for?... some ordinary guy with a religious title that we meet while on a six day cruise?... or the creator of everything that gave up everything so that he could spend eternity in a relationship with us?

God sees... he sees everything... all the time... and he is the only one we have to please... living just to please the people around us is unnatural, uncomfortable, impossible, hypocritical, and pointless. And, unfortunately, the only people that spend so much time doing it are believers. The nonbelievers I met on the cruise didn't care about trying to "impress" me or justify themselves to me... and that was refreshing. Trust me, it's much more relaxing to lose $2 in the penny slots beside a nonbeliever that doesn't care about impressing you, than it is to order a virgin margarita beside a believer doing a cigarette contortionist act because he thinks you are going to tell God what he's doing. If you are living life to try to impress anyone but God... stop it... it's not working... and it doesn't help you follow Jesus.

Interesting People I Met On The Cruise

2007-05-14T12:42:00.000-04:00

I just spent six nights and seven days on the Carnival Liberty cruise ship. I had never been on a cruise before, but I can guarantee you that I will go again. The food was great, the ports were awesome (except for Freeport, which was a little bit of a waste of potential beach space), and the activities were plentiful. But one of the greatest things about the trip was the people I met as we travelled.

I met a disgruntled, former Sunday School director and his wife as we waited for two very different kind of drinks at the poolside bar. I met an elderly world-travelling lady while we waited to see if we won the raffle for the free jewelry from the ship's gift shop. I met a guy and his girlfriend on the panorama deck as they settled in for a little sunbathing... I offered to let the guy read the book I was reading ("Sex God" by Rob Bell) while I got out of the sun for a little bit. I met three couples (all pastors and their spouses) at the Fort Lauderdale airport while we waited for 6 hours for our flight back. And I met many others along the way as well. I wish I could tell you about all of the conversations I had... some of them more important than others... but I don't have time.

The point of all of this is that the trip was great, but the coolest thing about it was the people there with me... the strangers I met... the friends I went with... and all the time I got to spend with my wife. Life is about people. God is about people. Church At The Grove is about people... developing them... helping them experience life change... helping them reconnect with God. Life is a journey... I pray that you enjoy it, but I hope you enjoy the people on the trip with you even more.

Miss Me?

2007-05-02T10:40:00.000-04:00

In four days, Amy and I leave for a six day cruise to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. I can't begin to explain how excited I am.

I am really looking forward to 7 days of relaxation and "being away from it all," but this seclusion will also be the hardest part of the trip. I know it's important to have some "away" time (especially when it comes to keeping a marriage strong), but I will miss my kids and I will miss my friends and I will miss those that gather with me at Church At The Grove. It will be hard to be out of contact with these people for so long.

Will I be totally unreachable? No. But, it costs $9.50/minute to have a conversation by phone with anyone and $0.75/minute for internet access, so unless I want to spend a fortune, I will just have to settle for taking a "relational break" from everyone here. Quite frankly, that's a little hard to imagine.

So what about you? Are relationships with people important to you... to the point that it hurts when you're away? Surprisingly, a lot of us live our lives without investing time into these important relationships. And, when we're gone for a while, we don't miss anyone and nobody misses us. Unfortunately, that's not the way God designed us. He doesn't want us to live on the outskirts of relationships / friendships / people in general. God wants us to dive in to the middle of the groups of people around us, get to know them, let them get to know us, love them, and let them return that love. Then, even when we're unreachable, at least we'll be missed. I'll see you on Mother's Day.

Last Sunday, This Week, and Tomorrow

2007-04-25T11:04:00.000-04:00

In the last four days, I've gotten 5 emails about what God is doing in the lives of people that attend Church At The Grove and what He is doing in the lives of those around them. God is at work through you. You are starting discussions with the people you live with, play with, and work with. Those conversations are causing the "unconvinced" people in your life to rethink God and Christ and faith in general. You are building friendships with people that you've never spent much time with in the past. Those relationships are causing the "unconvinced" people in your life to watch God and Christ and faith in action. You are bringing people with you on Sunday mornings to the Gatherings that haven't stepped foot in a church in years. The environment that you are creating on Sundays is causing the "unconvinced" people in your life to hear and wrestle with truth in new ways. Thank you for being willing to live out what you believe. Thank you for being willing to take the hope that have found in Jesus and share it with others. That is what following Christ is all about.

Virginia Tech (part 2)

2007-04-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in a hotel room just east of Kansas City, Missouri. I've flipped through all the TV channels and with exception of a senate hearing, everyone is talking about Virginia Tech. People are valuable, and when tragedy strikes, it hurts everyone.

Actually, the senate hearing was just cut so they could cover the VT news conference. And now they are reading names... names of students and faculty that lost their lives. I don't really know how to handle all of this. Thirty-three people are gone. On Monday morning they were brothers, sisters, moms, dads, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors... now they are memories. What a loss. What a tragedy.

Keep praying for the families of these men and women... they need it more than we could possibly imagine.

Virginia Tech

2007-04-17T15:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a surreal day for me... I first heard about the shootings at VT about lunchtime... my wife heard it on the news, called me and asked if that's where my cousin went to school. The next three hours was filled with phone calls and conversations trying to track him down... just to hear his voice and see if he was okay.

I am thankful to report that he is okay... he was not even on campus at the time... but he should have been. He had a 9:00 class on the second floor of the Norris Building. He had been out of town over the weekend and decided to come back Monday morning instead of Sunday night. As a result, he didn't get to campus until after 11:00.

I recounted this story to someone yesterday afternoon who said "God was really looking out for him." I understand the response, but the next question should be: "Why didn't God look out for the other 32 people?" As Russ (www.russbutcher.com) said at CATG on Sunday, God's ways are not ours... his thoughts are impossible for us to grasp. God is beyond us... and yet he interacts with us. God is above us... and yet he loves us. It's a little hard to understand right now... but then, so is the tragedy at Virginia Tech...

"God, get glory somehow in all of this."

Looking for something "safe"?...(part 3)

2007-04-13T16:17:00.000-04:00

So, is "safety" really important in life?... Is it really God's plan? To answer that, let's look at what Jesus said to the first followers he had... after all, this would be the most untainted "calling"... certainly Jesus was concerned enough about the original 12 followers to keep them safe and out of harm's way.

Not exactly: When it came time for the "Son of Man to receive his glory"... he said he would receive that glory through death. Isn't that odd?... the Savior of the world receives glory through death... that doesn't sound very safe. So, "safety" wasn't the most important thing in life to God himself.

But what about us? God's supposed to sacrifice himself for us, but he definitely wants us to be "safe." Well, two verses later, Jesus talks about all of us in general terms and he says, "Those who love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will keep true life forever." (John 12:25) Ooops, maybe I should have used another verse to show that God's plan for us is for us to be safe.

Do you see the point? God cares about his glory, our obedience, and his opportunity to offer his love and forgiveness to everyone who is willing to accept it. He doesn't care much about our "safety." And that doesn't need to be our first concern in life either. In fact, if it is our biggest concern... God says it will cost us "true life"... maybe part of that cost shows up as we continue locking ourselves in our house... hiding from others... and refusing to risk building relationships with the "unsafe" people around us.

Unbelievable (part 2)

2007-04-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

Twenty minutes ago, I wrote that God was "unbelievable." Fifteen minutes ago, Russ and I talked about a couple things coming up for us to connect with the community and tell people about the hope that we've found in Jesus. Ten minutes ago, we talked about a slight "tightening" of financial resources needed to cover weekly bills/expenses around here and follow through with these opportunities in the community. Five minutes ago, we opened an envelope that was mailed four days ago with a check inside... did I mention that God is unbelievable?

Unbelievable!!!

2007-04-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

Have you ever experienced something that was truly unbelievable... something you didn't expect... something you couldn't have planned for... something that left you speechless? Sunday was one of those times for me... it was unbelievable.

I hope you had a chance to bring a few people with you on Sunday. Russ (www.russbutcher.com) did an amazing job of sharing how God restores us even when we betray him, deny him, or run away from him. Amy and I had several people there with us that were really touched by that concept... that incredible and unbelievable concept of God's willingness to continually restore us. I, too, was reminded of this unbelievable idea that God restores us... I couldn't think of one thing about me that was worth restoring... and yet God did it anyway... unbelievable.

I also looked around the environment that so many people worked so hard to create... and I was left speechless. Do you realize that we took one of the most chaotic Sundays of the year, added a second service to it, and welcomed nearly 400 different people through our doors... and did it smoothly? Each of you that were part of creating the environment did an amazing job... an unbelievable job.

And, now I am thinking about this next Sunday... who will come back?... who will join a spiritual journey for the first time in years?... who will truly accept the second chance that God gives us through the restoration that Christ offers?... who will have conversations this week to share the hope that we've found in Jesus?... what lives will be impacted in the next four days?... I can promise you it will be unbelievable. See you Sunday.

Sunday, 12:01am...2007

2007-04-08T01:00:00.000-04:00

I can't sleep.

Right about now... in Jerusalem... 1,977 years ago... hope came back to life.

I can't wait to talk about it with everybody. Welcome to our new series, "Dialogue." Welcome to the Conversation. See you in a few hours.

Saturday, 9:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-08T00:20:00.000-04:00

Saturday. 9:00pm

Darkness...

Saturday, 12:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-08T00:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday. Noon.

Despair... Tears... Pain...

Saturday, 3:00am...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-08T00:09:00.000-04:00

Saturday. 3:00am

No Sleep... Grief... Loss...

Friday, 9:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-08T00:08:00.000-04:00

Friday. 9:00pm

Nothing... Silence... Death...

Friday, 6:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-07T23:55:00.000-04:00

Friday. 6:00pm. He's dead... the disciples have just put all their beliefs, hopes, and dreams of a Savior into this cave. A large rock was rolled in front. It was over.

Have you ever put all your beliefs, hopes, and dreams aside? Have you ever thrown them away? Have you ever buried them?

Friday, 5:00am...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-07T23:47:00.000-04:00

Friday. 5:00am

He's been denied twice... in an hour, he will be denied once again... but Jesus continues to show Peter and the disciples that "he loved them all the way to the end."

Thursday, 10:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

10:00pm. Jesus and his disciples have left the Upper Room, walked about 1 mile to the Mount of Olives, and finally ended up in the Garden of Gethsemane...the closest garden to the temple. Jesus went to pray...can you imagine him right here beside this olive tree?...praying for you and me.

As he prayed, the mob came...they didn't have to come far because Jesus had come to them...right next to the temple. Judas betrayed him...he didn't have to do very much because Jesus had already told him to go and "do it quickly." Jesus was arrested...the guards didn't have to seize him by force because Jesus went willingly.

And as he went...he showed his disciples that "he loved them all the way to the end." He became their sacrifice...and as they ran away out of fear, they learned about love...love that shows itelf as a willing sacrifice that would reconnect the disciples to God and offer forgiveness to everyone who wanted it.

Thursday, 7:30pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

7:30pm. Dinner has progressed. The disciples are finishing the main portions of the meal... and enjoying the time spent with their Teacher.

And, now Jesus begins the second lesson of the evening. The Passover Feast was supposed to be eaten a certain way. Exodus 12 says "This is the way you must eat it: You must be fully dressed as if you were going on a trip. You must have your sandals on and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry; this is the Lord's Passover." As best we can tell in the scriptures, this was not the case with his disciples. They reclined at the table...they enjoyed the fellowship...they "relaxed" and talked.

Then, Probably an hour into the meal...actually right about now, Jesus removes his outer robe, wraps a towel around his waist and begins to pour a basin full of water. Can you hear it? He moves slowly, but deliberately around the table...washing the feet of each disciple...but why? The Passover was preparation for a "trip," but Jesus was acting like they were being welcomed into his home. The Passover was eaten quickly as if God's people were expecting God to rescue them soon, but Jesus was taking his time as if God had already rescued them. And, to top it off, washing feet was the job of the least important servant in the house...NOT the job of a Rabbi.

After tonight, the Passover would no longer be necessary...God was welcoming people home... Jesus was the rescuer...and because "he loved them all the way to the end," he served.
And the disciples sat there, with their feet wet...learning about love...love that shows itself through service.

Thursday, 5:30pm...1,977 Years Ago

2007-04-05T11:33:00.000-04:00

Sure it was a long time ago...but that's when a lot of the best stories begin. And, this is the best story of all.

Right now, it is about 5:30pm on Thursday night in Jerusalem. One Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy-Seven years ago, at 5:30pm on this Thursday night, Jesus and his disciples would be gathering for their final meal together in the upper room...lower/center of the picture.

The Bible records this part of the story beginning about a few hours ago in John 13:1 "It was almost time for the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that it was time for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. He has always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them all the way to the end."

And now, the end begins...the disciples come away from the party happening in the streets as people prepared for the Feast...and they join their Rabbi (Teacher) in the upper room of a house owned by a man that we don't even know the name of. As they settle into their spots at the table...Jesus begins to teach them...but with actions instead of words. These lessons that Jesus will live in front of them won't stop for the next 72 hours.

With less than 24 hours left until his death, he makes an unusual decision...John 13:3 tells us that Jesus had power over everything. He could have changed the upcoming events...he could have stopped time or rerouted history...he could have done anything he wanted to..but he chose to keep things going as they were. The disciples don't know it yet, but they are about to get a lesson in love that will change the world. If Jesus had run away or changed the events of the hours ahead, he could not have demonstrated his love. If he had focused on himself and what would have been best for him, he would not have been able to meet the greatest need of his disciples...the need for a Savior.

But, "he loved them all the way to the end," so he gathered his disciples around him one last time and continued to show that he put others first. And the disciples sat there, with their Rabbi/ Teacher/ Friend...learning about love...love that puts others first.

Looking for something "safe"?...(part 2)

2007-03-27T16:58:00.000-04:00

What about the "people we can't trust"? That was one of the first things the lady said last week about the community we live in... it is full of people that we can't trust. Of course it is... if anything involves people... then there are people all around you that can't be trusted. Have you ever considered this from God's perspective?

From the beginning of time, we have been untrustworthy. Over and over and over we have let Him down. He has given us direction, guidance, love, mercy, discipline, and responsibility... and we still let Him down at every turn.

He didn't have the opportunity to take the time to "get to know us to see if He liked us or not." He knew us from the beginning... Psalm 139 says He knew everything about us before we were born... He knew we weren't good... and He loved us anyway.

What if God had taken this lady's approach instead? We would be in one heck of a mess. Stuck in the middle of a life that was falling apart... with no one around to walk through life with us. In the process of loving us, God even had the audacity to accept us and not be ashamed of us... "So Jesus is not ashamed to call [us] his brothers and sisters" Hebrews 2:11b. A holy God loves us, accepts us, and is not ashamed to announce that we are part of our family... while we are in the middle of living unholy lives... and we somehow feel that we have the right to disassociate ourselves with "people that can't be trusted"... do you see the hypocrisy in this?

Building relationships with "people that can't be trusted" is not safe... but no one is trustworthy... so if safety is our ultimate goal in life, then we must seclude ourselves from everyone... and that is not how God has called us to live.

***more next time

Looking for something "safe"?...

2007-03-25T20:19:00.000-04:00

Let me start this post by saying that this will be part 1 of I don't know how many parts to address this foolish idea that Jesus promised "safety" in our lives. If you are looking for something "safe" in your life... DO NOT choose a relationship with Christ.

A couple days ago, I talked with a woman that talked about "safety" for herself and her kids like it was some sort of command that God gave her. For some reason, she has decided that "safety" is the highest calling for a Christian and his/her family. She said many things that fall into this idea... including talking like it was a good thing she didn't know anyone that lived around her... because this community is "full of people that we can't trust." She said that she has to "get to know people before she can decide if she likes them or not" but she refuses to take any actions to get to know people... she pushes people away at every opportunity... because she wants to keep her family "safe".

In October, Russ and I walked the people at Church At The Grove through the most important aspects of the church and of ministry in general. In that series, we said that "Our spiritual maturity and relationship with God is determined by how we respond to the people that God puts in our path every day." This lady is a believer, but measures her spiritual maturity and relationship with God by how "safe" she keeps her family. That is a ridiculous idea that I can't possibly address in one post... I will try to cover it in the days and weeks ahead... but since I can't get her comments out of my head after three days... I decided that I had to bring this up.

God never promised "safety"... he doesn't demand it, expect it, or command it... in fact, the life of a Christ-folllower is just the opposite. Following Jesus is dangerous and always has been. If you're looking for "safety", find another religion to soothe your spiritual guilt. But, if you want to live on the ragged edge of life... where God is desperately trying to connect with people that are not "safe"... where Jesus actively demonstrates His love to people that are unlovable... where God found you in the pit of your disgusting sin and rebellion (and where he found me)... then maybe following Christ is for you.

Choose whatever you want when it comes to your spiritual relationship with God... but if you decide to follow Jesus, then (and I say this with all the love and mercy I can find in my heart) shut-up about "safety"... there are millions of people around you that are not "spiritually safe" and every minute you spend thinking about yourself is a minute wasted from thinking about them.

***continued next time

Cluttered Mind . . . Empty Page

2007-03-22T15:24:00.000-04:00

I've started this post four different times... writing each time about a different topic. I think any one of the topics (High Tech Bathrooms, Infomercial Faith, Boxes of Junk) would have been more effective than what I'm doing right now... but I never could get past the first paragraph on any of those things. The reason? My mind is cluttered. Cluttered with a to do list that literally has more than 50 things on it... cluttered with ideas for upcoming topics for messages... cluttered with thoughts about where to find an old broken down wheelbarrow for a video clip we're filming on Monday... and cluttered with feelings of frustration about the annoying "hold" music that has played on the speaker phone for the last 21 minutes as I've waited to ask a Customer Service Agent a simple question. So because my mind is cluttered... this page is still pretty empty considering I've had it open for about 15 minutes.

Have you ever been there? You want to say something, but can't put it into words. It's an awkward situation, to say the least. And when you're in the blogging world, it's quite difficult to justify. I'm supposed to provide you with some new thoughts or ideas or at least some new "plagiarized" (spelling?) content for you to read, think about, and respond to... but for the last 5 days, my mind has been cluttered... and my blog has been empty... sorry about that.

But, now, in the last half of a day in the last half of the week, I'm starting to get my words back... and maybe the weekend will be a good time to clear my head a little.

Regardless... I hope to see you Sunday... it's going to be awesome.

Tomorrow

2007-03-17T09:48:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I can't wait until tomorrow. I love being with the people that show up at Youth Middle School every Sunday morning for a Church At The Grove Gathering. I love hearing the stories of people's lives and all they've gone through (or are going through). I love watching God come face to face with His creation and pour out His love on them in some incredible ways. And tomorrow is a day I'm particularly looking forward to.

All throughout the history of mankind, God has intersected the lives of people and He has changed them. As we kick off "The Great Cover Up - Ancient Stories of Grace," I can't wait to see what God does through it. Have you ever considered the incredible things God has done to reconnect with us? Over the next three weeks, we will look at some of these stories from the past several thousand years and how these stories show God for who He really is.

I can't wait to see you there.

And, by the way, thanks again to the more than 80 adults that signed up to help us with the second Gathering we add on Easter Sunday. You are awesome.

I love you guys, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow.

Giving A Voice To The Heavens

2007-03-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in my office listening to David Odom give a voice to the heavens. David just came back from a cruise where God showed Himself through His creation. I asked David about the song he was singing... one he is in process of writing... one inspired by the words of Psalm 19.

So I grabbed my Bible and read, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again. They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard...". What a sad statement... the skies know the glory of God and they tell His story every day and every night... but they don't have a voice to tell the story as clearly as it should be told. They can tell of a "higher power", but they can't tell us His name. They can tell of a "creative creator", but they can't speak of His outrageous plan to send His Son to reclaim the creation. They can tell of "power" and "peace" and "wonder", but they can't say that God... and God alone... deserves to be worshipped by what He has made. They can elude to a "beautiful love," but can't remind us of every time that God has recklessly pursued us with love and passion and grace and mercy.

So, the job is ours. We have to tell the story... His story. David is able to give the heavens a voice through music. Russ and I try to give the heavens a voice as we speak. And all of us can give the heavens a voice as we live our lives day by day. As we talk about God, we take away the "vague-ness" of the "higher power" title He is so often given. As we tell about the ways that Jesus has changed us, we are able to share the story of God's creative reconnection to mankind. As we worship, we can remind ourselves of God's power, peace, and wonder. And as we pursue others with God's reckless love, people can experience His passion and grace and mercy. When we live our lives in order to give a voice to the heavens, people will come face to face with the God that we know... and they will be changed by Him.

Thank you to the 80+ people that signed up to be the voice of the heavens as we add the second Gathering on Sunday morning... God will do incredible things through your service. I love the people of Church At The Grove... you are awesome!!!

My Wife Says Skeeball Players Are Sexy

2007-03-11T22:04:00.000-04:00

Don't laugh... if your wife made a comment like that, you would be looking for the nearest Chuck E Cheese right now... sorry, but they're already closed for the night. As a clarification, my wife wanted to say that she does not think that "all" skeeball players are sexy... just me... yes I know she is biased, but I don't care... I'll post it anyway... because my wife is so great and if she reads this tomorrow, it may remind her of one more reason why she married this goof-ball with all my crazy ideas and "have I lost my mind?" moments.

Speaking of "have I lost my mind?" moments... if you chose to skip out on the Gathering at Church At The Grove this morning, you just experienced one of those moments. We had a huge crowd of incredible people that willingly committed to create the most amazing Sunday morning environments over the next three months so that "disconnected" people can reconnect to a loving God. I love these people... I love this church... and did I mention that my wife is really great... now where did I put that last Chuck E Cheese token?

Chuck E Cheese, Skee-Ball, and Risky Faith

2007-03-11T07:27:00.000-04:00

Friday, I got a chance to take my kids to Chuck E Cheese for a couple hours. We blew through the first $5 of game tokens in a heartbeat, and then got a little more strategic in how we spent the last $5. After noticing the Jackpot on Skee-Ball was at 175 tickets, I realized it was time to make my move. So I grabbed six tokens and headed that way. It was the fourth token that paid off... 470,000 points... jackpot... the bell rang... the little red light on the top blinked... the tickets started spilling out... my kids celebrated... and God taught me what it means to have Risky Faith.

My first twenty years of my skee-ball career were pretty mundane... ordinary... filled with minor successes and a lot of mediocrity. And then I watched the "master" as I called him. He walked up beside me at the Skee-Ball place at Six Flags (the one near the Looping Starship). I never knew his name... but when I saw him hit 600,000 points, I knew he was worth learning from. He would put one token in and with very little preparation would roll a ball across the lane diagonally toward the top left corner of the pockets... right at the tiny little cup labelled 100,000 points... he was a fool. Many times he would fail and the ball would trickle back down into the miserable 10,00 point pocket. But when he would hit it, his score would skyrocket... 10,000... 110,000... 210,000... 220,000... 230,000... 330,000... 430,000... 440,000... 540,000... and tickets would spill out.

That's when I learned what I had been doing all my life that kept me stuck in the upper 200Ks. My Skee-Ball game plan up to that point was to shoot for the middle and try to perfect my roll. The tiny little cups in the top corners seemed impossible to hit. Sure, the 100,000 points were tempting, but I knew that most of my attempts would fail. So, I would aim for 50K and try to hit it perfectly... nine times in a row. Not once did I ever succeed at getting the 450,000 Jackpot. After watching Mr. Skee-Ball, though, my game is different... changed because I am now willing to risk it all... willing to put everything on the line and shoot for the "impossible" in the top corners. Most balls miss. But that's the beauty of the game... to hit 450,000 points by shooting for the 100K pockets, I can fail some of the time... actually, most of the time... and still come out a winnner. So, now, when I take my kids to Chuck E Cheese and they join me at the Skee-Ball games, they have confidence that they are about to get some serious tickets to spend... no more being stuck with a Tootsie Roll prize...they are going to move up to the stickers or the plastic snakes... or even some really tacky plastic thing that makes a lot of really tacky noise. As a father, I want my kids to have the really tacky noise-maker... I've got good plans for them... and if they're willing to risk it with me... eventually it works out. Sure, it takes me 4 or 5 or 6 tokens to get the Jackpot... and along the way I have my share of 180,000 point games (or even worse)... but I rarely leave without getting the Jackpot at least once... because I take a risk.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for, 'declares the Lord,' plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Russ and I believe that God will use Church At The Grove to offer hope to people. We believe that's what God wants...we believe that's what God dreams about. But it involves us trusting God with a risky faith that attempts those things that seem impossible. Will we fail along the way... sure! But, by risking it all in order to help "disconnected people" connect to the holy God we serve, we will also be amazed at the "jackpots" we hit along the way. Will you join us in this risky journey?

Many of those that attend Church At The Grove with us have spent years trying to learn how to roll the perfect skee-ball, spiritually speaking. We've taken the classes... we've put countless hours into the church machine... we've tried to always shoot for the middle... the safe route... where minor successes are more likely... and we've continued on with life in the middle. But God is putting in our hearts a passion for people that live on the edge... the fringe. People that live their lives far from God are the ones that God is calling us to reach. And, the only way to reach them is to take the "foolish" route... diagonally across the lane toward the top left corner. God is more interested in reaching disconnected people than keeping connected people happy... and we are, too.

What a ride this will be... but the Jackpots are coming... people's lives will be changed by God... and we will all celebrate!

Is God Just Waiting On Us?

2007-03-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

Over the last three weeks, Russ and I have been wrestling with some big decisions about Church At The Grove. On Monday, my wife asked me a very soul-searching kind of question: "Do you think God just might be waiting on you and Russ before He does anything else?"

"Thanks for the gut-check, Honey." Yes, in fact I do think God was waiting on us. God's got big plans for the Walnut Grove community and the communities all around it. He's got big plans for the 100,000+ people right around here. He wants them to come face to face with Him. He wants them to be confronted with His incredible grace. He wants them to be overwhelmed by His love and by the love that His people extend. And, for many of the people around here, Church At The Grove is their only hope to connect with Christ.

So, here we go...get ready for two services...get ready for a second opportunity for the people of this community to explore faith through the Sunday morning environment...get ready for God to move in some pretty incredible ways...because He wants to...He's just waiting on us.

Don't believe me?

When you get a chance, read the book of Nehemiah (really...read it...especially before this Sunday). The place where God had freedom to move and work as He chose (Jerusalem) had been destroyed. People lost all hope. Seventy years it lay in ruins. Seventy years God had to wait for one man who was willing to risk something...to take a chance...and rebuild a place for God to work freely. Nehemiah stepped up, gathered a few leaders, and started building. And God did incredible things...eventually providing hope again for the Jewish people and those that lived all around them.

All across the United States, people have lost hope. In many areas, the Church lays in ruins. A place where God once had freedom to move and work as He chose has become ineffective at offering hope to people inside AND outside its walls. Many new churches are stepping up, gathering a few missional leaders, and starting to build communities of people where God is once again given the freedom to work and move as He chooses. Church At The Grove is willing to risk some things...to take chances...and be part of building that community. God wants this area to fully experience His power, understand the love of His Son, and extend His grace to the world...He's just waiting on us.

Extraordinary Living...It's Kind Of Like Guthrie's Sauce

2007-03-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

I don't know about your Sunday, but it's taken me a full day to recover from mine...not because it was bad...but because I've had to wrestle with my thoughts and ideas on the whole topic of "ordinary" living...and it's worn me out. As Russ spoke at the Gathering yesterday, I wrote down something that he said, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

As we finished our "One" message series, Russ said, "God invites us to move from ordinary to extraordinary." It's such a simple comment to make, but so difficult to really understand and live by. I mean, what is "ordinary"? My life is different than everybody else's in the world because I'm the only one that gets to live it. And yet, so much of my life is perfectly in line with the majority of the population around me. So, am I simply living an "ordinary" life? I've got a wife, three kids, a couple minivans, a house in the suburbs, a job (aka pastoring a new church), a great church (aka my job), a few really close friends, a large number of good friends and acquaintances, and a little league soccer team that I coach. Yep, that's a pretty ordinary life...I love it...but sometimes things seem a little too routine. Unfortunately, turning these things in and swapping them out for something "extraordinary" has been a little confusing to me. Which of these things is most holding me back from an "extraordinary" life?

I've watched people I know wrestle with this question, and make some really stupid decisions along the way. I've known many people that thought their life was ordinary (aka boring and mundane) because of their wife and kids...so they left...they traded in the ordinary for what they thought would be an extraordinary relationship with "the other woman"...all of those men have ended up disappointed. I've known some that decided their life was ordinary because of the minivan and the house in the suburbs...so they packed up their families and moved...they decided to change their scenery...some were disappointed and some loved it. I've known people that have quit their jobs, left their churches, cut ties with their friends, become distant from everyone around them, and changed sports...all as attempts to trade the "ordinary" life in for the "extraordinary".

As I've thought about all of this in my own life and lined it up with Russ' quote from Sunday, I think I finally figured it out. The key is in the word "extraordinary." If the word was "altra-ordinary" then the concept of completely trading one thing for another would make sense. But the word is "extra-ordinary" which implies something totally different.

When I was in college at UGA (Go Dawgs!!!) we used to go to Guthrie's all the time. If you've never been to Guthrie's you owe it to yourself to go at least once in life (www.guthrieschicken.com). It's an old-school version of Zaxby's with a simpler menu (6 items), greasier food, and a more incredible sauce made with a mixture of red pepper, black pepper, tabasco sauce, mayonnaise, and probably a few other ingredients. My order was usually the same: Chicken finger plate-no slaw-extra fries, and four extra sauces. The "ordinary" chicken finger plate came with 5 fingers, a handful of fries, a little slaw, a piece of toast, and one cup of sauce. I hate slaw, the fries were great, and the sauce...oh the sauce...it was amazing. So I eliminated one small part of the ordinary to make room for the "extra" fries and the "extra" sauce...in other words, I eliminated one small part of ordinary and then just got "extra" "ordinary" stuff to make the meal perfect.

Spiritually speaking, now when I look at my ordinary life, I will no longer see the "ordinary" parts as boring and mundane. Instead, I will see the "ordinary" parts as not fully enjoyed yet. In other words, when the daily grind of some basic parts of life gets in the way of "extraordinary" living, I will ask God to help me enjoy the important things even more and make a deeper impact in every area of my life. I will attempt to eliminate a few small parts of ordinary (pointless errands, wasted time watching Conan, etc.) and then just get "extra" evenings with my wife and kids, "extra" time with my close friends, "extra" opportunity to make a difference in the lives of good friends and acquaintances and strangers around the world, and "extra" enjoyment of building into the lives of the nine kids on the soccer team. That is the "extra"ordinary life I am dreaming about now, and I wonder if that's kind of what God dreams about for me, too.

The Beginning

2007-02-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

Right now there are more than 100,000 people within 10 miles of the sound of my keystrokes. As I think about them, their faces pop into my head:
some are old
some are young
some are made-up and picture perfect
some show the wear and tear of years of difficulty
some are black
some are white
some are one of a hundred different shades in between
some are familiar to me
some, I have never met before

People are all around me and I can't help but think about them...what are they doing right now?...what are they thinking about?...what does tomorrow hold for them? I dream about people...I dream about what their lives are like right now...and what their lives will be like when they figure out how big God's love for them really is...and then I dream about how I can meet them...get to know them...show them what God is like. That is what I'm dreaming about right now.

And, I wonder if that is what God is dreaming about as well.