Fall Comes Quickly Around Here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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?