Had a Bad Day? . . . join the club

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!!!

Reality without counseling

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.

River Hills Church

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.

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.

Looking for "authentic"

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.