247Think Blog

Making the Switch

2007-06-13T14:57:00.000-05:00

I've been working on a new blog page for a few months now and I've decided to finally make the switch. It's got a few more bells and whistles than my current blogger one. So...in another week I will no longer be posting here. Instead, I'll be moving to my new address here. Check it out and enjoy the new and improved 247Think Blog!!!

Blogging Hiatus

2007-06-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

It has been almost three weeks since I last blogged and I have to say it's been a nice break. Sometimes I really struggle with what to blog and I don't want to blog just for the sake of doing it. The past three weeks have been a nice reflection time. Here's what's been going on...

-My family and I enjoyed a week long trip to Disney World with my parents. Great time of fun! I'm constantly amazed at how Disney engages you from the time you enter into the place. Some highlights for me were:

riding Small World with my two year old and watching him take it all in...the wonder and joy in his eyes made the whole trip worth it!
riding Thunder Mountain with my four year old...it was his first time on it and he screamed and screamed and screamed! That was fun!
watching my seven year old scurry around picking up little Mickey Mouse head confetti pieces...he has done this every time we've been to WDW since he was three.
and lastly, seeing my grandparents whom I haven't seen in a few years. I hope I'm doing that good when I'm 80!

-I've been seeing the TV ads for Apple's new iPhone. Man I want one!!!
-I finally watched the season finale of Heroes the other day. Wow! If you're not watching this show, you're missing out!
-Sunday night's Dunk'd at the River was so cool. I never get tired of seeing people declare their faith in Christ. After all, it's why we do what we do!!!
-Laurie and I went out on our first date in a while last night. Good stuff! I can't believe we actually went to a restaurant and sat a table for two. That never happens when you have a family of six!
-We went and saw Oceans 13 on our date...very entertaining. We are huge fans of the Oceans movies. They're just fun to watch.

So what's on the horizon? Lots and lots of stuff! I'm so pumped to see what God has in store for the next few months. I just feel like big things are up ahead!

Getting away

2007-05-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow my family and I leave for a much needed vacation. I am so pumped! One week with no cell phone, no computer, no nothing...except for my beautiful bride and my kids. Good stuff!

So I'll be checking out of the blogosphere for the next week. I do want to get something out of my head that I've been sitting on this week though. I've been reading a book called For the Audience of One by Mike Pilavachi. What an amazing book! But one thought I want to throw out for you to chew on for the next week is this: worship is to be a reflection of life.

Here's what I mean...too often in our worship we put on our "best", regardless of how real or authentic it is, because we think that's what we're supposed to do. Or, quite frankly we just don't want to be real. But think on this...if we don't present ourselves to God, our whole, messed up selves, we make worship about anything but God. God doesn't want your Sunday best. The bible makes it clear that our best are filthy rags to God. So why even try to impress Him?

God wants us to bring everything we are to Him. Then, and only then, will He reveal Himself to us so that we can respond with adoration and praise.

Facedown - the afterglow

2007-05-22T10:56:00.000-05:00

Just finished meeting with the Facedown team to debrief Sunday. Wow! What an amazing evening!!! My gauge for whether Facedown was good or not is if we met with God, I believe with all my heart that we did...in a major way.

I've heard some great feedback from those of you that were there. Some say, as some always say after Facedown, is that it was the best ever. I do believe it was amazing! The coolest thing for me was to see people humbly come to the cross and fall facedown. That's what it's all about...forgetting about our surroundings and bringing ourselves- our whole, imperfect selves- to the feet of Jesus.

There's no better place to be.

Day 10: Hungry

2007-05-18T14:12:00.000-05:00

I know I had this posted a few weeks ago, but it really speaks to my heart so much. I hope it does the same for you...

Lord Jesus, we are hungry for more of You. Fill us with Your Spirit. Amen.

Day 9: The small things

2007-05-17T10:19:00.002-05:00

Here's an excerpt from a post Louie Giglio made on his blog a few months ago that is a tremendous reminder for all of us. Enjoy...

We shouldn't be surprised to know that God is a part of every aspect of our lives. He's not too busy (He doesn't sleep), uninterested (He's here with us), high and mighty (He's a servant-King), overloaded (He knows the names of all the stars) or ambivalent (He gave His best for us) to be connected to the small stuff. While He is a "big picture God," He's "intimately acquainted with all our ways." Psalm 139:3.

God is specific (check out all the genealogies and lists in the Bible). He is into microscopic things. He first split the atom. And there is no detail in your life today too small for Him to know and care about.

Father, it's amazing that You see and know us all. Teach us today to pray about the smallest things. For Jesus' sake, who was the specific answer to hundreds of promises (details), Amen.

All this said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern. Then David said to his son Solomon, Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished." 1 Chronicles 28:19-20

Day 8: The Coming Hope

2007-05-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

Just a short entry today...

I read in 1 Thessalonians 4 yesterday about the return of Jesus. Paul tells of how the dead in Christ will rise to meet Jesus in the sky and then those that are left, those that are alive, will go up to join them. And the last verse, verse 18, says "Therefore encourage one another with these words." That really got me thinking. What an incredible day that will be when Jesus returns to take us home. I cannot fathom it, to be honest. But here's what else God showed me...your current circumstances are so small in the grand scheme of things. They are just a blip on the radar when you force yourself to step back and look at the big picture.

I know there is a lot of pain, stress, and uncertainty out there. But hear this: the coming Hope, Jesus Christ, will return one day to take us to our true home with Him and our Father God. That's something to celebrate!

Day 7: Seeking God

2007-05-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

Facedown is only 5 days away!!! I cannot wait. This edition is going to be awesome.

Something I will say that has been ringing in my ears lately is a story Steve told the staff after a recent trip. A pastor friend was telling him that they had an Easter service years ago that they spent a lot of time and energy preparing for. It was an outdoor event that they had rented top of the line sound and lighting equipment for. They spent tons of time praying that God would hold off the rain and for lots of people to show up, but, he admitted, they didn't spend time praying for God to show up. That is my biggest fear for Facedown...that we would be so focused on making Sunday night happen that we forget about God. He is the only reason we do this. I ask that you would join me in praying for Sunday asking that God would fill every inch of the high school campus with His Spirit.

You will seek me and find me when you seek Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Day 6: The Sound of Silence

2007-05-14T08:39:00.000-05:00

I've been reflecting a lot on silence and what its importance is in our relationship with God. Silence is not a discipline we practice much in our society today, with all of the distractions coming at us. With our iPods, cell phones, computers, televisions, and many other things, we have made it very hard for ourselves to escape the noise of life. Even children's toys make noise...very irritating noise at that! Often my kids have come to me with toys that aren't designed to make noise asking me to fix it because it's broken!

So why is it so important? Why should we practice it? Here's a post I did last year on this very topic...

Something that is very important, but takes a lot of practice, is being still in God's presence. It’s very unnatural for us as humans in today’s society to be quiet and still for more than half a second. We are busy creatures with busy schedules.

Practicing stillness is learning how to listen to God. So many times we go to God and talk His ear off, telling Him how we see life. How often do we ask Him how HE sees life? Believe me, I’m the worst on this! I’m ashamed at the number of times I go through the “drive-thru” with God. I place my order and then go on with my day. How I wish I would take the time to listen to Him.

The awesome thing is that when we start listening to Him, He does an extraordinary thing…He reveals Himself to us. The scripture says “Be still and know that I am God.” We begin to encounter the Creator of the universe as He gives us a peak at how great and phenomenal He is. And that is where worship starts…it starts with revelation from God. Then we can’t help but respond with all out praise and adoration.

God- teach us how to be still before You so that we can see You in all Your glory. Teach us how to listen to Your voice. Reveal Your glory to us so that we can respond with highest praise and honor! Amen.

Day 5: Living out

2007-05-11T05:51:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been somewhere that was so cool that you had to tell people about it? Last year our family went to the new children's museum in Columbia, called Edventure. Our family had such a good time in such a cool place that we immediately became evangelists for Edventure. We told all of our friends and family what a great place it is to take their kids. Think about that place for you. Where is it? How did you feel when you were there? And who did you tell about it?

That's what goes on with worship. You enter the presence of God and He reveals His glory to you. You discover it's the best thing you've ever experienced. But why is it, as Christians, that we keep it quiet? I'm very guilty of this. I'll encounter God in a big way and get all excited, but then I just keep it to myself.

When we worship God, our worship should overflow into our lives. It is something that should go with us every day of the week, every minute of the day. Which leads to a cool thing...worship reciprocates. It starts with God and ends with God. The revelation often begins in our personal relationship with Him, which leads us to hunger even more for that relationship.

So Facedown is a little more than a week away!!!! I will see you on Monday as we continue our journey together!

Day 4: Inside Out

2007-05-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

Every Thursday for the past month I've been meeting with our Facedown Team. I am so pumped every week to meet with these guys and gals to dream and discuss what God is leading us to do. It's going to be absolutely amazing! You won't want to miss this edition!!!!

This week we've been talking through the progression of worship, that it all starts with God revealing Himself and His glory to us, and then we respond in our hearts through emotion. So today, we're going to look at how that worship goes from the inside out.

Have you ever wondered why people raise their hands in worship? What about seeing those few dedicate souls who like to jump up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs? And there are those who like to fall to their knees...what's up with that? These, and others, are the outward expression of what is happening on the inside. I'd like to take each of these and try to explain what each means...

Raising hands. This is the most common expression of worship. To be honest, raising my hands means a few different things to me. First, it's a sign of respect. Sometimes it will hit me what an amazing God we serve and creates in me a since of awe and wonder that I raise my hands and say, "God, You are great and powerful and I am completely amazed by You." Other times I just want to reach out and touch Him. The song we've done recently called "The Hand That Holds The World" by Starfield even says "I want to stand before the King, join in the song that heaven sings, I want to hold the hand that holds the world." It's a longing to be with our King. And lastly, when I raise my hands in worship, I'm submitting to Him and His reign over me.
Making noise. What's with all this noise stuff? You hear us sing about it and talk about it, but do you know why? There are numerous places in the bible, especially in the psalms, that tell us to make a joyful noise. You see, shouting and yelling is the overflow of a joyful heart. You're excited. You're pumped up! And it's all in celebration and adoration for Jesus Christ, our risen King!
Dancing. Now, before you write this off completely, it is biblical! If you don't believe me, go to Bible Gateway and do a word search on "dancing". You'll see about 10 different references. Just like making noise, it's joyful, it's celebrative. I know there are many out there that are like me. Born with two left feet and you wouldn't even dream of being caught dancing. But you can jump up and down, right? I dare you to let loose sometime without a care in the world as you worship Almighty God with reckless abandon.
Kneeling. This is a drastic change from the expressions above. It's pensive. It's meditative. It's stopping for a moment to really think about what God has done for you and how much you love Him.
Falling facedown. This is a worship expression that is far more rare than dancing, in my opinion. In the book Facedown, Matt Redman describes it as this:

Facedown worship is the overflow of a heart humbled and amazed by the glory of God. Facedown worship always begins as a posture of the heart. It's people so desperate for the increase of Christ that they find themselves decreasing to the ground in an act of reverent submission. When a soul is so captivated by the Almighty, to bend low in true and total surrender seems the only appropriate response.

The thing about each of these expressions is that you cannot care what the people around you are doing or what they think of you. You get to the point where you are so intensely focused on God that nothing else matters. If you've never let go in any of these ways, maybe it's time to show an undying passion for Christ, even at the risk of looking and feeling foolish. Doesn't He deserve at least that?

Day 3: Responding with emotion

2007-05-09T05:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we looked at how worship starts with God. We can't worship God without God first revealing Himself and His glory to us. So then what? Just like with any thing in life, you feel emotion inside before you do anything else. When your child takes their first steps, you are overcome with pride on the inside before you congratulate them with hugs and kisses. When someone you love gives you something that you've wanted for a long time, you feel love well up inside you. These are just two examples of a wide range of human emotion. My point is that, before you respond to anything externally, you have to respond to internally.

Here's what I'm trying to say...emotion is a very important part of being human. God made us to be emotional creatures. How we respond to God's revelation is very much emotional. I know there has been a school of thought for years that you must remove all emotion in your relationship with God. I say that is tragic! How would a marriage be without feeling love? How would a celebration be without feeling joy? It's the same thing in our relationships with God. If we remove our emotions and approach it purely intellectually, we risk exchanging the life-changing power of God for a bunch of facts...

Day 2: It starts with God

2007-05-08T07:05:00.000-05:00

There is a very basic yet very profound definition of worship that I stumbled upon a few years ago. I've actually used it on this blog before. That definition is this: worship is our response to God's revelation. It's that simple. However, there is a lot of stuff packed into that seven word phrase.

Let's look today at where it all starts. If you have your bible (man, I've always wanted to say that!) turn to Colossians 1. For those of you who don't have your bible, the words are on the screen. (Alright, now I'm just getting carried away!) Here are verses 15-20:

He (that is Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Here's my interpretation of this passage. God was before all things and He created all things. He holds everything together, literally. So, logic tells me, that nothing is possible without God. We can't even worship God without God. Look at the Facedown passage in Leviticus 9:23-24. God showed His glory and the people responded. Another place to check out is Matthew 17:1-8. Here Jesus showed three of His disciples (Peter, James and John) a glimpse of His glory and they ended up facedown. There are many, many more examples of God revealing Himself and people responding with facedown worship.

You want to know something cool? God wants to show us His glory. He actually thinks about us, even though we are such small, insignificant parts of His creation (Psalm 8:3,4). It absolutely blows my mind that God knows the number of hair on my head (Luke 12:7) and every other detail of my life. He cares deeply about me and you. That's our God!

There is one thing I want to say in closing. God doesn't reveal Himself only on Sunday mornings at church. Actually, I've found that God doesn't reveal Himself nearly as profoundly on Sundays as He does in my daily life, especially in my time alone with Him. If you're depending on Sunday services to see God, you are missing out in a big, big way! If you're not really involved right now in a daily quiet time, I would encourage you to try it out these next two weeks as we prepare for Facedown. Pick a short book in the new testament to start with (I recommend Colossians, James, Galatians, or Ephesians) and read through a chapter a day. If you need to read them again, do it. Take your time. Pretend you're eating the best steak dinner you've ever had...savor every single bite! And pray. Here's a simple guide to prayer that I learned years ago: ACTS. Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplication. Adoration is giving God praise for who He is. Confession is, as Hebews 12:1 says, throwing off everything that hinders you and the sin that so easily entangles your steps. Thanksgiving is thanking God for the blessings He has poured out in your life. And finally, supplication is presenting your requests to God. This is your chance to pray for stuff in your life, as well as others. It's that simple, but very powerful. So I hope you'll accept my challenge over these next two weeks and see what happens.

See you tomorrow!

Journey to Facedown: Day 1

2007-05-07T06:02:00.000-05:00

Facedown is getting closer and closer...and I am so PUMPED! If you think that past editions were awesome, you haven't seen anything yet. God has inspired some really cool ideas that, in my opinion, will be unforgettable.

Today starts a journey to Facedown that I hope will prepare all of our hearts to encounter God that Sunday night. This week, I want to look at the natural progression of worship. That progression is this: we see God, then we respond in our hearts to that revelation, which leads us to respond outwardly. I want to spend time on each one to help us fully understand what this thing called worship is. It's more than a song. It's more than an hour every Sunday. It's something that we carry into every minute of our lives. Worship truly is a 24 - 7 lifestyle.

So I hope you'll join me each day over the next two weeks as we draw closer to Facedown!

It's Coming...

2007-05-03T10:39:00.000-05:00

Facedown is almost here. I am so pumped! This is one you will not to miss!!! As I've done in the past, I will be starting a journey to Facedown on Monday. What is that you ask? For the days leading up to Facedown, I will post a daily thought to prepare our hearts to encounter God the evening of May 20. I encourage you to check in often!

Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

2007-04-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Steve spoke yesterday at TrueNorth about the beatitude of hungering and thirsting for righteousness. What a much needed topic! Anyway, it made me think of Colossians 3:1-2, which simply says that we should set our heart and mind on things that are above. This, to me, is the basis of hungering and thirsting. I love the song we sang yesterday called Center by Charlie Hall. In it, we sing words inspired from Colossians 1:17, declaring that God holds everything together.

Louie Giglio, founder and visionary of the Passion Movement, spoke on the human body at one time and the amazing things that are contained in us. He said that a molecular biologist told him to check out this fascinating thing called "laminen". Laminen is a substance in our body that literally acts as glue or stitching between our cells. Giglio said that when he saw a super zoomed in picture of laminen he was completely floored. It turns out, laminen is a cross-shaped structure. It puts new meaning to the verse above that says God holds everything together. Literally!

What's the point? Everything...I mean EVERYTHING...starts with God. If our minds are not centered and focused on Him, if we aren't cross-eyed, then we will try to satisfy the hunger and thirst somewhere else...and we'll come up lacking. Something I shared a few weeks ago that I will reiterate here is that I have started praying and asking God to be the Lord of my day. Since that day, my relationship with God has been revitalized. I'm not saying I'm perfect now because I pray this prayer, but I am saying that, for this season in my life, those words have become very powerful and important for me.

Being cross-eyed takes discipline. I have to be disciplined to go to be early so I can get up early and spend time in the presence of God. I have to make the decision to read my bible and pray. There are so many things that can distract me, but by humbling myself and seeking God, those distractions seem to fade away.

Human-Beings

2007-04-25T21:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight at Jteam we discussed this past Sunday's message on "Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." One of the guys in the group mentioned a quote from Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Minneapolis, about an observation he's made about us as people. It seems, to Mr. Bell, that we have become more of human-doings than human-beings. Think about the contrast between the two. It's as simple as the difference between the two words "do" and "be". To do is to perform or produce. It implies action. To be is to exist.

It's so easy to get caught in the doing of life that we forget to just be. Sometimes we need to take the time to feel life again, rather than to do it. God says in Psalm 46:10 to "be still, and know that I am God." Honestly, I couldn't tell you the last time I was completely still and waited on God. It's a hard thing to do, but we must.

So here's a list of suggestions of how you can become a human-being again:
-Take a walk in nature and observe God's creation up close.
-Take time to listen to someone's story in order to get to know them better.
-Read a book that will challenge you to examine your life to see how you can improve yourself.
-Make it important to play. Let your hair down and have fun! Fun is a huge key to being!

These are just a few things. Does anybody else have a suggestion?

Facedown - May 20th

2007-04-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I met with our Facedown creative team to continue dreaming and planning the next edition, which is just a month away. I am so pumped! God has already started inspiring us with some really cool things. You will not want to miss it.

One of the things I love about Facedown is to watch how God puts each edition together and how each one He makes completely unique. I have people talk to me all the time and say "remember that one with the glowsticks?" or "remember the one where the singers were no where in sight?"

Through it all, Facedown still has a very simple focus. Leviticus 9 says that the Israelites were at the foot of the mountain of God after they left Egypt. They were instructed precisely how to present the first offering to God and they followed it to the "T". And then, after Moses and Aaron had met with God in the Tent of Meeting, they came out, blessed the people and then the God showed up!

"...and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown." (Leviticus 9:23-24)

Here is a basic definition of worship. Worship is our response to the revelation of God. You can see that in this verse. God shows up, the people respond. And they respond in two ways, which brings us to the two pillars of Facedown.

First, they shouted for joy. They celebrated. They went crazy. Ever been to a football game and the home team scores a winning touchdown at the last second? The crowd goes wild, right? Well, that doesn't even compare to how the people of God responded in this Leviticus passage. Why? Because God accepted their offering. He found it acceptable. You know what? God has accepted an offering that blows theirs away. Jesus Christ. He's our offering, once and for all. And we've done nothing to deserve it. Which brings us to the second response...

Secondly, the people of Israel fell facedown. And get this...it's for the exact same reason. After their celebration, I imagine a moment when an eerie silence falls over the people. There's a light switch flipped or something that causes them to realize that God accepted their offering. He found them acceptable. And it's the same for us. But here's the difference. The only part we (humanity) had in presenting this offering is that we crucified God's Son. The Lamb of God spilled His blood to cover us and make us acceptable in God's sight. When we truly realize that, we can't help but fall on our faces in awe of God.

In a few weeks, I will begin a daily journey to Facedown. I'll post thoughts to help prepare our hearts to meet with God as May 20 draws closer. I hope you'll join me!

Hungry

2007-04-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

This morning I popped in a song that I haven't listened to in quite a long time. It's a worship tune from the late '90s called We Are Hungry. I was first introduced to the song from the Passion: The Road to OneDay album that came out in 1999. Anyway, as I listened to this song, I couldn't help but fall on my face. I began to cry out to God to make this song true in my heart as well as in our church...to be hungry for God.

Through it all, I decided to make a little video to this song with pictures of worshipers from different events at TrueNorth. So here it is...

Prayer Power

2007-04-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Laurie went with some friends to Columbia, SC, to see Beth Moore speak. 18,000 women in one place. That's a lot of estrogen. Anywho, she said it was an amazing time of worship and teaching. Here's a picture of the event...

One of the things Laurie mentioned from this weekend was something Beth said about prayer. She made the comment that when we pray, things happen that wouldn't happen otherwise. Now, I know what you're thinking...but when I pray nothing happens. But according to Beth, that's wrong. There is something that is set into motion in the spiritual realm, a releasing of God's power and blessing, that otherwise would not happen if we didn't pray.

I've been thinking about this. Why don't I pray more? Is it because I'm too busy? No, I'd say I'm too busy NOT to pray. Is it because I don't set my priorities right? Well, that's definitely part of it. But there's something bigger than that. It's because I've lost faith in prayer. I have a hard time admitting that, but I think all of us can relate to this in some fashion or another. Let me explain...there are many prayers that God answers that I will never see the physical outcome of. Part of that is because He will choose to answer with a "no". Another part is that there are requests that happen in someone else's life that I may not have day to day contact with. And yet another part is those requests that take many years to answer. I've known people who have prayed for someone to come to Christ for 10 or 20 years.

Prayer takes patience, which is a virtue that isn't practiced a whole lot in our society these days. We have to learn to wait on God and trust that He hears us. We also need to realize that there is a power in prayer that is like no other power.

Lord, help me to fully understand and realize the power that takes place through prayer.

Photo Booth

2007-04-13T20:50:00.000-05:00

This past December, we got Laurie a new MacBook for Christmas. (Disclaimer: I am of the belief that the only type of computers that exist are Macs. Anything else is strictly a figment of the imagination.) The MacBook has a built in camera in the computer monitor portion of the computer. It's really cool. Apple even created a program to go with it called Photo Booth. It truly is a great invention that could bring hours of endless enjoyment and laughter. You can choose one of many effects to apply to a picture that will morph the image into quite a few different things.

Recently, the kids and I had some fun with it...and here are the results:

Here's me with some fun buck teeth...
...and then there's poor little Ella...
...Stephen's having fun!
I cannot look at this one without completely losing it!
...and lastly, Zane the alien. Kind of freaky!

So there's an example of endless entertainment in the Bradford household!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

2007-04-12T22:58:00.000-05:00

Alive. I've been thinking about that word a lot this week. What does it really mean to be alive? The dictionary defines it simply as "living; not dead." Another definition I saw was one that reads "continuing in existence."

Steve talked a lot about what it means to be alive this past Sunday. You can read a recap of it here. And then last night at JTeam, we watched a Louie Giglio message titled "Alive", which was a look at the intricacies of the human body. He spoke of how our bodies are made up of over 70 trillion cells. 70 trillion. That's a lot of zeros!

So what I've learned through it all this week is that God made me, and in a incredibly amazing way. As Psalm 139:13-14 says, "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." I guess what's so captivating for me with this is that God knows me intimately. He knows what foods I like, what music I'm in the mood to listen to, the amount of stress in my day...and He knows each of the 70 trillion cells in my body. That's amazing to me!

I have to say that I want to be more than "not dead". I want to be ALIVE! I don't want it to be said of me that I'm just continuing in existence. I want to take life head on and live for Jesus with passion and excitement.

Life is definitely more fun when you live it ALIVE..

Easter Thoughts

2007-04-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

We had band practice last night for our Easter service. Wow! I am so pumped for Sunday to get here!!! I don't know what exactly it is...I just really believe God has a HUGE day in store for us. I can't wait to see what He does!

There's a song we've introduced recently called "All Because of Jesus" by Steve Fee that's sticking in my mind right now as I think towards Easter. The chorus of this song says:

It's all because of Jesus I'm alive
It's all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man's life
It's all because of Jesus I'm alive

It is all because of Jesus...I have hope because of Him. And life. And peace. Joy. Forgiveness. Grace. Salvation. Redemption. I could go on forever...and it's all because of Jesus. I'm humbled that He would shed His blood for me. I don't understand the love He has for me...it's truly baffling. The Son of God, leaving the Presence of God to come to earth...for us.

On this Good Friday, let us remember that Jesus willingly took our sin on His back and was willingly nailed to the cross. Why? For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

What if...?

2007-04-02T18:53:00.000-05:00

I was checking out the myspace page of my buddies Merge Sunday and they had something that's got me thinking. The section talking about who they are says this:

Four passionate guys with hearts for worship and a passion for sharing that through their musical talent. mergeSUNDAY is a lifestyle. What if everyone took the way they live on Sunday morning and made that a part of every day instead of saving it for that one special day of the week? We were made to worship, and not just on Sunday mornings. God doesn't want the best of what we have; He wants ALL of it. Our bad days, our good days, our broken and bruised. All of it. Live every day like it's a Sunday.

What if we lived everyday of our lives with the same passion and energy for God that we save for special occasions, whether it's church or a Facedown-type event? I was talking to Gene today about worship and that worship is, at its simplest form, our relationship with God. It's how we respond to Him when He reveals Himself to us. Did you catch that? It's our response to God's revelation of Himself.

Have you ever wondered why people act they way they do when they sing a worship song or say the things they do in everyday conversation when talking about God? People raise their hands, shout at the top of their lungs, clap their hands, fall on their face, sit silently...and that's just a few things! I've heard people say that they are better then they deserve, or they are blessed. Why is that? I believe with all my heart that it is because they are feeling something inside that they have to get out through speech or action.

I'm curious...why do you respond to God the way you do?

What Speaks to Your Heart?

2007-03-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

I'm just got curious about something after reading this guy's post asking for response to the question "What worship song could you be fine NOT SINGING again for 5 years?" Well, I'd like to put a spin on it...what song is speaking into your life right now?

So go ahead, click on that mysterious "comments" link and let me know what yours is. And let's say for purposes right now that I'm not just talking about worship stuff...it could be anything. Make sure you post the singer's name with the song. It's all you...

Reflecting on Sunday

2007-03-27T07:28:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a weekend! You can't get much better than that. To start it off, we saw 38 people dunk'd for Jesus. To put that in perspective, not many churches out there baptize 38 people in an entire year. It's just another testimony to what God is up to at TrueNorth! And the video testimonies were incredible. (In case you missed Sunday, be sure to check out the video link on our webpage!)

One absolutely amazing thing about Sunday morning is a particular way God worked amongst the band. I came in Sunday knowing my voice was pretty much shot due to allergies and a sinus infection---nasty stuff! So I had TJ on standby in case I woke up that morning without a voice. And you can guess what happened when I woke up...not much of a voice. (Actually, I sounded like a middle schooler going through puberty!) Anyway, we run through our set that morning, and TJ starts to lose his voice! (Thankfully the rest of the band was on with everything else.) When we prayed before the service, we just surrendered it all to God. It's not like anything we do or don't do can stop God from doing what He wants to do!!! And what happened in the service, God took over. I remember a few months back when Zak, one of our guitarists, prayed "God, make us more unsure of ourselves so that we can be more relient on You!" I've discovered through the years the most powerful times of worship are the times when I'm unassure of myself, but totally assured in Him.

So that was Sunday morning. Sunday night was Starfield, and they ROCKED IT OUT! Those guys from Canada have a unique ability to draw you into the presence of God through celebration and reflection. Very gifted fellows. And I was especially impressed and refreshed by their humility. If you ever get a chance to see these guys again, don't miss it!

Check out these two pics from Sunday night courtesy of my buddy Mike Adams:

Spiritual Transformation: To feed or not to feed

2007-03-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

As I've said before, I love reading blogs. I track close to 70 blogs through bloglines, which is a very helpful resource because it allows you to see what's updated out there in blog-world without having to click on, in my case, 70 something websites. That can get quite time-consuming!

Anyway, one guy that I track is Mark Waltz, Pastor of Connections at Granger Community Church in South Bend, Indiana. He posted this today about spiritual transformation and what that means for people at different stages of their spiritual journey. Very, very good stuff!

I would have to agree with him here. We need to teach new believers how to feed themselves, but once they learn, they need to stop being dependent on the church and learn to do it for themselves! It's almost like a newborn child. Once they are born, they are heavily dependent on the parents to feed them and give them what they need. But as the child grows, they are gradually weaned from the parents toward a more independent life. That's exactly what needs to happen in the life of a believer.

Unfortunately, that's not what happens. I'm hearing more and more from church leaders around the country that the "we want to be fed" group of church attenders is growing. Whether its more indepth bible study or church history courses, the cry is the same. "Feed me!" But when does the burden of growth become lifted off the church's shoulders and placed on the mature believers? Please hear me here because I'm not saying that indepth bible studies are bad, nor is going deeper. What matters is how and why. "How" meaning is the expectation placed on the church, and "why" meaning what is the purpose for wanting to go deeper. If the "how" is that the church needs to be provide, well, I don't believe that's the church's responsibility. I applaud the initiative of three friends of mine who meet on their own every Thursday night to go through an indepth study. That's taking the spoon and feeding yourself! If the "why" is strictly for knowledge, then you run the danger of becoming a consumer of spiritual knowledge and then it becomes all about what you know and what you want. But if it's to help you grow in light of a circumstance, by all means, dig in!

I have to go out on a limb here and say that American Christians can be spoiled brats. We want more and more without giving anything. Sometimes I just want to tell people that, if you want to grow and go deeper, step out in faith and mentor a few new Christians in their journey. Lead a Journey Team. Share what God has done in your life and the lessons you've learned with those who haven't "been there and done that." I'm of the belief that Christians can grow without bible studies. After all, what did we do before the printing press started churning out the first bibles? Steve has said many times, and I'm a firm believer in this, that spirituality is more caught than taught. That's why we have Journey Teams (small groups) that meet weekly to build relationships that will last. These relationships are being created so that each of us have help along the journey of becoming passionate followers of Christ.

I think the reason I've got such a strong opinion on this is because I've observed several people (including myself) through the years who have gone on the journey of "going deeper" only to become more inward focused. For me, those times found me desiring more knowledge than seeing lives changed. But one experience changed me forever on this. It was through being a Journey Team leader in 2005. Our group was filled with new Christians, eager to grow and learn how to live the Christian life. It was at that time I realized the joy and excitement of being a part of another's spiritual journey. I think I grew more in that year than all the years of bible study combined. Why is that? I believe it's because I was in a place that I had to rely more upon God because I realized others were looking to me for guidance in their new found faith. Also, for some reason, the longer I am a Christ-follower, the harder it is for me to stay passionate about Jesus. But being around new believers is contagious. Their passion, their energy, their excitement over the changes occuring in their lives can't help but transform yourself.

And that's all I got to say about that...

Facedown

2007-03-21T07:15:00.000-05:00

It's coming. April 22, 2007. One incredible night of meeting with God as a body of Christ. Our Facedown team met yesterday to brainstorm and plan and I can assure you this edition will be like none other.

Something we read through that I would encourage everyone to read through to fully understand the Facedown concept is Matt Redman's book Facedown. Amazing, amazing book. So there's my sales pitch.

So, mark the date on your calendar. You won't want to miss it!!!!

Unleashed

2007-03-15T19:30:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Anderson, SC, today with a few other TNCers. The conference was called Unleash and it was put on by our friends at NewSpring Church. What a great day! There were a lot of things said today that I needed to hear. For a rundown of today, check out this blog.

The really cool thing for me was to run into some friends in the church planting world that I've gotten to know over the past few years. I thought it would be cool to share what God is doing in some other churches out there...

1. NewSpring Church, Anderson, SC This is the church that put Unleash on today. Amazing, amazing job! Their volunteers provided an incredible experience for the 900+ visitors. NewSpring is around 7 years old. They started with 15 people in the living room of their pastor Perry Noble right around the time of Y2K. For many years, they met on the campus of Anderson University, growing to the size of 4,000+ by the end of 2005. At this time, they moved to their first building in February 2006 to accomodate their growth (they were doing 5 services at the University!). Most recently, they celebrated their one year anniversary in the building with over 9,200 people! They also had a service a few weeks ago where 250 people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior!!!! God is doing some amazing things through NewSpring Church!

2. Elevation Church, Charlotte, NC I ran into Elevation Church pastor Steven Furtick, who spoke at TNC in the summer of 2005. Elevation launched in Charlotte, NC, in February 2006 with around 300 in attendance. The past year has literally been indescribable as they have seen growth every single month bringing them most recently to over 1700 in attendance and the announcement of a second campus in Charlotte. Two weeks ago the church saw 50 people accept Christ! Another example of God on the move...

3. Mill Creek Community Church, Buford, GA Back in September, before our move to the gym, we had the pleasure of a visit from pastor Tony McCollum and his wife, Amy, from Mill Creek Community Church outside Atlanta. He told me today that they are having to look for a new place to meet because they are outgrowing their current facitliy, which is a movie theater. Awesome, awesome stuff!

These are just three examples of God majorly moving in people's lives. Talking to these guys and seeing what God is doing there and here makes me so pumped to keep pursuing the vision He's given us at TrueNorth, which is to transform spiritual seekers into passionate followers of Christ. That's what it's all about!

Blocked Out

2007-03-13T18:37:00.000-05:00

I have been suffering from MAJOR writer's block lately. I think it's because life has had my head swimming. Sometimes I come home at the end of the day and my brain is just dead. I'm worth nothing for about an hour or two until I can unwind.

That's where it's good sometimes for me to play hide-and-seek like we did tonight with our kids. Now, I'm at a slight disadvantage because I'm what you'd call a "big guy". Hiding a 6'4", 200 lb frame is not the easiest thing in the world! And then you have Laurie who can lay on the bed and throw a blanket over her and the kids can't find her for a good 20 minutes. What's up with that? So how do you unwind?

I read this post the other day and it really got me thinking about how I would respond. I mean, the idea of faking worship? But there is something there. If I were to really be honest (which I'm going to be, so watch out!), I would have to say I'm going through a worship funk right now. What??? The worship leader is going through a worship funk? What's that all about? But it's true. I'm human and sometimes it happens. It's hard to keep things fresh and real. Reading the above mentioned post was good for me because it made me realize it's okay not to be "super worship guy". In fact, I don't want to be that. I just want to come unashamedly just as i am.

New TNC Blog!

2007-03-09T08:14:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let you know that we've started a new blog specifically for life at TrueNorth Church. Steve, as well as other staff, will be posting every week about the happenings at TNC, as well as sharing transformation (T-Life) stories and casting the vision. Check it out regularly...in fact, we're encouraging everyone to set the blog as your home page!

New Videos

2007-03-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

We posted some new videos on our YouTube site. You can now see Steve tackle an alligator and a flying squirrel! Also, the interview with Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber is up. Good stuff!

Nehemiah 1

2007-03-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Steve started a journey through Nehemiah and challenged us to join him over the next few weeks. So, I started reading yesterday in Nehemiah 1. I love verse 4 because it shows a brokenness, a dependence, and a real faith that I so long for.

First, when Nehemiah heard of the news of his people in Jerusalem, he became broken. "As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days..." I heard the news of a friend who is battling cancer the other day and what the outlook is for them, and my heart broke. Yesterday, I read the news of Britney Spears trying to hang herself. Now, Britney is not a friend, just a celebrity from afar, but my heart still broke for her because she desperately needs to know that there is a God who loves her and wants her to run to Him. These are just two examples of brokenness that I have experienced lately, one for a fellow Chist-follower and one for someone who is in a downward spiral and as lost as can be. I want to have a sensitive heart more often toward my brother or sister and toward the lost!

Second, I see a dependance and a faith in Nehemiah. He goes on to fast and pray "before the God of heaven." I so long for this in my life! If you read through Nehemiah, you'll notice that as his journey unfolds, his consistent response to anything is to pray first. WOW! How much different would things be if I only would respond in this way? Don't get me wrong, things will always go wrong because we live in a fallen and imperfect world. But, my attitude will change. I've been reading through Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover and in it he says that dealing with finances is 20% head knowledge and 80% attitude. I would go a step further and apply this to everything in life. Our attitude is HUGE!

I had a good friend, Dan, who battled cancer a few years ago. I'm convinced that his attitude and his faith are what made his recovery go so well. I've even heard of doctors say that they notice patients with positive outlooks respond to treatments a lot better than those that don't. My point? Attitude can make or break a situation.

God, for my friend that is battling cancer, please wrap Your arms around them. Let them know that you're there to take care of them and their family. I also pray for a miracle of healing. Regardless the outcome, let You be glorified! I also pray for Britney Spears and the countless multitudes out there that feel alone and abandoned. I pray that they will come to know that You love them and that You want to pour out Your love upon them.

Let my friend and Britney hear the words of the old hymn:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

March Madness Takes Off!

2007-03-05T07:50:00.000-05:00

If you missed yesterday, you missed the start of what is going to be an awesome series. Steve kicked off yesterday with The Road to the Final Four, a message on leadership and vision. I thought he did a great job tying leadership to everyone. As he said, whether you know it or not, you're leading someone.

I've been reading a book called Compassionate Leadership by Ted Engstrom and Paul Cedar. Excellent, excellent book. The whole premise of the book is that leadership must start with service. You cannot be a leader without first being a servant. That was Jesus' model. He even said that He came not to be served, but to serve. Powerful example from the Son of God!

Leadership is a lifelong process. I was talking to a friend yesterday who is an emerging leader about the struggles he's facing as a leader, and I told him it's something you're always learning in. I know I am. Just when I think I'm doing good, God shows me an area that I need to work on. And that's cool with me...cause I just want to keep growing and learning.

On a side note, I want to piggyback off an announcement from yesterday. Starfield is coming March 25!!! If you don't know anything about these guys, start learning! They are amazing musicians, songwriters and worship leaders. You can check out some of their music by clicking here or here, or you can even purchase their CDs by clicking here. Tickets are $10 at the door and the doors will open at 6:00P. Also, the TrueNorth|Band will be opening that night. It's a night you won't want to miss!!!

March Madness

2007-02-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days since I last posted. I have to start off by saying that the Merge Band did an amazing job leading us in worship Sunday! And Steve did a great job looking at Students Gone Wild. Good stuff!

This Sunday we start a new series called March Madness. In this series, Steve is going to look at what every team has to have to be successful...vision, leadership, teamwork, unity, and the ability to ward off criticism and negativity in order to stay focused. It will be a great series that you won't want to miss!

Lastly, Dunk'd is coming up March 25. Dunk'd is an exciting time to experience the life-changing love of Jesus as people are baptized. We'll be having one service of celebration that day at 10:45. It will be a day to remember!

Group 1 Crew

2007-02-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

For some time now I've been frustrated with the hip-hop scene. I've been longing for something good and CLEAN, but unfortunately, there aren't many groups out there that combine quality with family-friendly lyrics. (My kids like hip-hop too!) Anyway, I was on iTunes yesterday checking out new releases and came across this group to the left here: Group 1 Crew. I'm sure there are some out there that don't like hip-hop, but for those that do, I highly recommend these guys. The music is well done and the lyrics are great. A lot of times Christian rap and hip-hop groups have a lot of cheese-whiz in their lyrics. There's no cheese here! For those parents out there with kids that like Black-Eyed Peas and similar groups, this is a terrific alternative.

Check out this video for a sample...

Power

2007-02-19T08:32:00.000-05:00

I read this yesterday in a devotional email I get from the writings ofA.W. Tozer:

The continued neglect of the Holy Spirit by evangelical Christians is too evident to deny and impossible to justify....

It is not, however, the frequency of the Spirit's mention in the Bible or in other writings that matters most, but the importance attached to Him when He is mentioned. And there can be no doubt that there is a huge disparity between the place given to the Spirit in the Holy Scriptures and the place He occupies in popular evangelical Christianity. In the Scriptures the Holy Spirit is necessary. There He works powerfully, creatively; here He is little more than a poetic yearning or at most a benign influence. There He moves in majesty, with all the attributes of the Godhead; here He is a mood, a tender feeling of good will....

The only power God recognizes in His church is the power of His Spirit whereas the only power actually recognized today by the majority of evangelicals is the power of man. God does His work by the operation of the Spirit, while Christian leaders attempt to do theirs by the power of trained and devoted intellect. Bright personality has taken the place of the divine afflatus.

I think Tozer's onto something here. I read a book years ago by Charles Stanley called The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life. In it, Stanley introduced me to the Holy Spirit in a way I never thought of or realized. He presented the third person in the "three in one" aspect of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit). It blew my mind! I came to understand that the Spirit is not some magical thing that happens by coincidence. No, He is as alive and active as Jesus the Son and God the Father. Check this out in Romans 8:26-28 (MSG):

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

I'm starting to see how little I believe in the power of the Spirit. I'm beginning to realize that my life is lacking the wonderful spirit-filled life. And I look around and realize I'm not the only one. What would our world look like if we would start to see the Spirit for more than a warm fuzzy feeling we get when we sing a song? How different would our lives be if we did more than just talk about the Spirit changing our world and actually believe that He WILL change the world?

Father- help us to see that there's more to the Trinity than just Father and Son.
Jesus- thank you for sending the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Spirit- come and pour out Your power in my life and those around me. Let us see You for who You are.

TNC Hero

2007-02-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try and post periodically to recognize someone at TrueNorth that goes above and beyond...a TNC Hero if you will.

Today, I'd like to look at a man many know as our drummer Justin's dad. But those of us that know him know him as Jeff Benson. Jeff is one of those behind the scenes, not looking for any glory kind of people. This guy loves to give and give and give! When you drive up to TrueNorth every Sunday you may notice the signs that are posted that say "Welcome to TrueNorth" or something about first time visitors and where they should park. Those signs are put up by my man Jeff. He also helps set up stuff on the stage, particularly the entire drum kit and anything else that needs it. And then there's teardown. After he finishes with the drums and the signs, he's helping collect trash and locking up the school.

The thing I love about it all is that he does it because he loves the church and believes in the vision of TrueNorth. Every once in a while he'll make the comment to me about how what we do is so good for people that don't like church. It makes it easy for them to come and see that God loves them and that He wants to have a relationship with them that transforms their lives.

So, hats off to Jeff Benson. You'll always be a TNC Hero in my book!

Worship Across the World

2007-02-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

I've been reading more and more about worship around the world...and I have to say that it's very exciting! It's made me realize that the world is a very small place. Check out this video from a church in southeast Asia...

Worship, but more specifically music, is a universal language. It doesn't matter what language you speak. I am excited about this video because it comes from a country that we are focusing on in our missions efforts. God is moving and I believe music is going to lead the front! More on this later...

Gone Wild

2007-02-13T06:34:00.000-05:00

We started our new series, Gone Wild, on Sunday...and Steve talked about Chicks Gone Wild. It was a great message on what a women gone wild for God would look like. He focused on Deborah, a judge in the nation of Israel. It was a very good message, encouraging women to focus on how God sees beautiful, which is on the inside going out, and not how our society sees it, which is skin deep.

To kick off the message, Steve did a fun little video where he tried to catch a chicken. Fun stuff!!! Check it out...

Chasing Lions

2007-02-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading probably one of the best books I've read in a long time. The book is called In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. The purpose of the book is to help us realize that opportunities are meant to be seized, even when they are disguised as ferocious lion. Here are some of the things that stuck out to me...

-"God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. But the right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time."

-"When we don't have the guts to step out in faith and chase the lions, then God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him."

-"Lion chasers thrive in the toughest circumstances because they know that impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles."

-"The more we grow, the bigger God should get. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions become."

-"Faith is unlearning the senseless worries and misguided beliefs that keep us captive. Faith is rewiring the human brain. Neurologically speaking, that is what we do when we study scripture. We are literally upgrading our minds by downloading the mind of Christ."

-"One of the greatest things that could happen to you is for your fear to become reality. Then you would discover that it's not the end of the world. Your fear is worse than the actual thing you're afraid of. And if you learn from every mistake, then there is no such thing as failure anyway."

-"We should stop asking God to get us out of difficult circumstances and start asking Him what He wants us to get out of those difficult circumstances."

-"Worship is forgetting about what's wrong with you and remembering what's right about God."

There is so much more that I wish I could share, but then I'd basically be typing the whole book out. It's that good! That last quote on worship is so powerful. How many times do I come into the Presence of God and worry about my short comings? I am very guilty of this. But the times when I focus on Him, my short comings fade away and I don't even remember what I was getting hung up on. That's a truth we need to drive deep into our lives. Because when we worship Him for who He is, all the lions start to seem like tame little "puddy-tats".

Jill Phillips at TNC

2007-02-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

This weekend, TrueNorth is in for a special treat! Recording artist Jill Phillips will be performing and leading worship at the CHICKS retreat tonight and tomorrow, and then joining us Sunday morning at TNC. Jill is an incredible artist whom I'd compare to Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, and Fiona Apple. Her husband, Andy, will be with her accompanying her on guitar and adding vocals. You can check out some of her music on her myspace page.

You won't want to miss this Sunday!

Burn For You

2007-02-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't done this much on here, but I have to encourage you to get Steve Fee's new CD, Burn For You. Steve is one of the worship leaders at 7|22 in Atlanta. He's written quite a few songs, including TNC favorites "Glorious One" and "Madly". There are so many great songs on this album, and the way this album points the listener to the cross with honesty and passion is amazing! A very unique album both musically and lyrically, which can become rare in today's Christian musical landscape.

You can buy the album here. So what are you waiting for????

Link'd Up

2007-02-05T20:46:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard yet, we have an exciting ministry that is making an impact in our community in a huge way! Check out today's post on the Link'd Up blog for a letter from the Hispanic Ministry that they helped this past weekend. Awesome stuff!

A Simple Church

2007-02-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

If you missed today's message, I highly recommend watching it via our website or downloading the podcast to listen to it. It was a very important message for our church! Steve recast the vision of TrueNorth Church with a message titled "A Simple Church". To give a Cliff Notes version, TNC exists to transform spiritual seekers into passionate followers of Christ. How do we do that? By helping people walk their way through the TrueLife Triangle, which has one of the following at each point: Lift Up, Love In, and Live Out. This is something you will be seeing a lot at TNC because this is the basics of who we are and what we believe truly transforms people.

So Simplify has come to a close and I must it was a fantastic series. I don't think there are many subjects more relevant to people today. If you missed any weeks, I'd encourage you to check out the podcast which is available on the main page of our website.

Lastly, you won't want to miss the next three weeks as we start our new series, "Gone Wild". You can see the artwork to the right here. Matt, our grahic designer, came with a fun design for the program. Nice! So what is this series going to be about? Well, we live in a world in which outrageous, rebellious behavior is often described as "gone wild". However, the Scripture gives a different spin to the term. We will discover the lives of individuals whose outrageous and radical behavior turned their world upside down for God!

There are lots of exciting things on the horizon for TrueNorth...you won't want to miss anything!

Robots

2007-02-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

Ran across this on the Catalyst Blog...

"Robots may vote and be entitled to healthcare in 50 years. No, this is not intended as a joke. It is a serious prediction in a study commissioned by Great Britain’s Office of Science and Innovation’s Horizon Scanning Center. The predictions for developments by 2056 include an examination of the potential advances in artificial intelligence. The paper predicts a monumental shift could take place “if” robots develop the ability to reproduce or upgrade themselves, according to the BBC. If such advancement occurs, robots could be granted voting rights, be provided housing and healthcare benefits, and be required to pay taxes, and serve in the military."

All of a sudden I'm having Terminator and Matrix flashbacks!

Merge and My Hero of the Week

2007-01-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

I went to Merge's kick-off tonight at the Mission. It was really cool! The band rocked out some classic 90's hits, as well as Marvelous Light and Here is Our King. They sounded great! Chip did a great job casting the vision for Merge, in that it will be a place for 18 to 30 year olds to connect with God, despite their background with church. The turnout was somewhere between 60-70, pretty awesome! I'm pumped about this new ministry at TNC and to see what God is going to do with it!

To close, I'd like to bring back the hero of the week thing and say that my hero this week is Laurie. Last night, I decided to help her out by letting her rest and I'd take care of making dinner and watching the kids. I have a new appreciation for her! To have to feed an infant, keep a toddler and a 4-year old entertained, help our 1st grader with his homework, cook meatloaf, mash potatoes, and cook some veggies...WOW! I will not be quitting my day job any time soon!!! (At this very moment, I can hear the sound of mothers everywhere joining in a mighty AMEN!) So, baby, this ones for you. YOU ROCK!!!!

It's BAAAAAACCCKKK!!!

2007-01-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

Merge

2007-01-29T08:52:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night at the Mission in downtown Augusta, we start our new college/career ministry called Merge. It's a one of kind night geared toward college and 20-somethings. Hope to see you there!

Merge
Tuesday @ 7:44P
The Mission (12th & Broad)

Behind the Song: There Is Joy

2007-01-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

We recently introduced a new song I wrote called "There is Joy" at TrueNorth. The response has been overwhelming as more and more start catching on to it. So I thought I'd do a little "behind the song" and let you know how it came about.

I got the idea middle of last year to do a song about joy. I'm not really sure why except that I have never written a song on joy. As I got to thinking about it, I started reflecting on the environment of celebration and worship at TrueNorth on Sundays. And it hit me: there is joy in this place. But why? Most songs I've seen on joy talk more about the fact that I have joy, but not much on why we have joy. And there came the next little bit: it's Your love, it's Your grace, it's You.

And that was where the song started and stayed for quite a few months. I heard Matt Redman say once that a song has to brew like a good cup of tea. (of course, he's British, and Brits are the masters of tea!) I would compare it to a good gallon of sweet tea. You've got to boil the water and let it steep for at least 24 hours to really get the flavor going. And then, you add sugar and water to produce the truly great southern drink we all know and love! In other words, these words, this half chorus, brewed in my heart for some months before the song flowed out one day.

It all has been inspired by the environment of praise at TNC. I am so blessed to be apart of this church. Not many churches have such a dynamic worship experience every week. So, thank you TNC for inspiring this song in my heart!

Can you feel it in the air, it's thick in here
It's the Presence of the Holy One
Can you hear the sound of voices singing out loud
All this for our One and only King

There is joy in this place
It's Your love, it's Your grace, it's You, it's You
Hear our praises now resound
We're lifting up a joyful sound for You, for You

Make a joyful noise and shout (yeah yeah yeah)
Clap your hands and shake the walls in here

There is joy in this place
It's Your love, it's Your grace, it's You, it's You
Hear our praises now resound
We're lifting up a joyful sound for You, for You

Slammed Video

2007-01-25T15:44:00.000-05:00

Well, we've heard so many great comments on Sunday's return of the "Slammed" Video, that I thought it would be a great idea to upload it to YouTube. And speaking of YouTube, TNC now has it's very own channel! So you'll be able to watch Slammed videos, Dunk'd videos, testimonial videos and anything else we decide to post. Good stuff!

So, here it is:

Random Thoughts

2007-01-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of random things to start the week...

*the simplify series is rockin' along at TrueNorth...it's definitely rockin' my world!
*if you missed it, walt and chip (our new college guy) morphed into wayne and garth today in the slammed video. party on!
*for those of you who have been reading along regularly, you know that GOD has me parked in the book of Colossians for a while now. what an amazing book! He's shown me some really cool things lately, which i hope to post on later this week.
*i've posted the new song we've been doing at church (there is joy) on my purevolume site as well as my myspace page. check it out!
*merge (our new college ministry) is kicking off next tuesday night at the mission in downtown augusta. keep them in your prayers as they start this new, exciting ministry!

i think that about empties my brain...

Prayer Request

2007-01-19T10:12:00.000-05:00

Today and tonight is the Staff / Lead Team retreat Steve has mentioned recently in one of his messages. Please pray for us as we look toward the future and seek what God wants TrueNorth to do as we continue pursuing the mission He's given us to reach the unchurched in our area.

American Idol (Minneapolis & Seattle)

2007-01-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

Well, Season 6 is off to a bang. Honestly I think they should have skipped Minneapolis and Seattle. Wow, they were bad! I love this show...the beginning of the season is all about the funny stuff. I've almost convinced myself that they pay some of these people to be that bad. Can anyone be THAT bad and believe they can sing? Can we say delusional?

So next week they come southward to Memphis. Now they'll get to hear some "sanging".

For those of you who missed it, here's a link to see a recap of the first night in Minneapolis. Enjoy!

A.I. is Back!

2007-01-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

American Idol starts back up tonight. Good stuff!!! Laurie and I love the early rounds because you get to see some really funny stuff. I mean, who could ever forget about William Hung????

Tribute to MLK

2007-01-15T08:40:00.000-05:00

Having been in full-time ministry the past year I've come to discover the many different approaches to church there are. As a matter of fact, my head starts spinning after a while in any effort to keep up with all of them. And you can imagine how they conflict. You've got Calvinists vs Armenianists, which boils to down to key theological differences that, in the grand scheme of things, don't matter a whole lot. Then you've also got the newer debate over HOW to do church: traditionalist, contemporary, and emergent.

Then I ran across this. It put things into perspective. I confess I've never watched all of Dr. King's famous speech until now, and it is very moving. The message is simple. He had a a dream of an America without racism. That's it. He didn't get caught up in debates of how to end racism, he just made the call for whites and blacks to be treated equally (and that spills into so many other ethnicities today).

So it's spurred a thought in me that sometimes we can get so caught up in the "new thing" of church that we forget the basics. I'm convinced that it doesn't matter your presentation, as long as you speak relevantly to people today and constantly grow an authentic community for people to connect in. The presence of a band or a choir or an organ or none of the above doesn't matter if you don't have the heart of Christ beating throughout your church. It's all smoke and mirrors if you don't.

So on this day, I'd like to offer a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and say thank you for being an inspiration. If you never watched his speech, I would encourage you to click on the link above and watch the whole thing.

Simplifying Life

2007-01-13T16:15:00.000-05:00

We've been talking a lot around the Bradford house this week of how we can simplify our lives. One huge thing is not eating out. We've officially gone on strike! We got to thinking about the money that we waste on food (it hit me that for the same price of a large Coke at Mickey D's, we could get a 2-Liter!), as well as how it really does complicate our lives. We don't spend as much time as a family and stress levels get higher because we have four kids to get ready. (There have been times that we decided to stay home once we got everyone ready because of the craziness!)

Another way for me personally is to limit the amount of time I spend on small things so that I can be more efficent on the big things. For example, I LOVE reading blogs. I could waste an entire day reading blogs. But I would definitely consider it a small part of my day. So I'm going to limit the amount of time I spend on reading them. That's just one example.

I think the Simplify series is going to do a lot to help me get a better grasp of life!

Images of Worship

2007-01-12T18:39:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the best thoughts of worship are brought through seeing God's creation. (Photo courtesy of Mike Adams, Final Vision)

Facedown Pics

2007-01-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Mike Adams for capturing the night!

iPhone

2007-01-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

For those of you that don't know me very well, I'm a huge Mac-user. (Hi, I'm Kevin...and I'm a Mac-a-holic.) Apple announced today what I've been waiting on for a long time now...the new iPhone. This thing looks awesome! You can check it out here.

All I can say is SWEET!!!!

You Go Girl!

2007-01-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my beautiful wife (right) and our friend, Andra (left). Last night, Andra celebrated 5 years of sobriety and we had the privilege of being there.

Andra and her husband Jay came into our lives a little more than two years ago. They started coming to TrueNorth in the fall of 2004, just a month or two after we launched. In December, Jay prayed to receive Christ (Andra had already done so before). And then in January they visited our Journey Team. And since then our friendship has become increasingly more like family. We have had the joy of watching both of them grow in Christ.

It has been through Jay and Andra that Laurie and I have had our eyes opened to the real world. You see, we both have been pretty naive and sheltered through our lives. So we started asking lots of questions. We learned about drugs and alcohol like we never knew before. We also learned about the struggle of recovery and the importance of groups like A.A. And as we did, we started meeting new friends in recovery, welcoming them with open arms. We grew a lot during that year.

Jay and Andra stepped out in the early Spring of 2006 to be Journey Team leaders. My eyes well with pride whenever I think about it. This guy does a hero of the day often on his blog. To steal from him a bit, I'd like to say that Andra is the hero of the day for me. Overcoming addictions to drugs and alcohol and dealing with the highs and lows of recovery, she has earned where she is today.

All I can say is, "You go girl!"

Simplify Series

2007-01-07T15:20:00.000-05:00

We started our new series, Simplify, today at TrueNorth. If you weren't there to hear Steve's message, then you need to watch it on our website this week! This series is a must see for everyone in our fast-paced, busy society. Steve hit a homerun today to kick it all off! And we had our biggest non-holiday attendance yet with 1175! And it rained!

I'm pumped to see what God has in store for us throughout the rest of this series!

The Missing Generation

2007-01-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

I read this on this blog today.

A growing body of research suggests Generation Y and Echo Boomers (age mid-20s and younger) are civic-minded and socially conscious as individuals, consumers and employees. They may be less radical than boomer activists of the '60s and '70s and due to the Internet are much more aware of the world. 61% feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world. 69% consider a company's social and environmental commitment when deciding where to shop, and 83% trust socially/environmentally responsible companies more. Many want to help their country by working for the government. Among Hispanics, the CIA, the State Department and the FBI rank only below Walt Disney (the #1 choice) as an ideal employer. Among blacks, the FBI ranked 2nd, the State Department 4th. The CIA rounded out the top 10. 66% of college freshmen believe it is essential or very important to help others in difficulty. Volunteerism by college students increased by 20% from '02 to '05.

This is a very important thing for churches to make a part of our DNA. There are two things that strike me here. First, I've been reading a lot this past year about how an entire generation is missing from the church, that being those in their twentys. And there are so many theories as to why this is. Some of these I agree with, some I don't.

The second eye-opener for me is the above paragraph...the fact that this same age group wants to be a part of changing the world. They want to be active in the world and in their communities, changing it for the better. They want to help others. Is it just me or does the church have a golden opportunity here? What other organization/mission is in a better place to make an impact on the world than the body of Christ?

It's sad to me that the very purpose the church was created for is the very thing people are hungry for, and the church abandoned it so long ago. Now, I do see churches being this all over the country. But unfortunately there are so many more that aren't. Many churches have homeless ministries, or they are reaching across racial lines, or they are providing father figures for the fatherless. It's awesome! But there's so much more to do.

When we had Facedown this past Sunday in downtown Augusta, I was amazed at the number of homeless that came. But why should I be? They are searching for something like the rest of us. And some of them found it. One gentleman had asked a church member for some money for food. The TNC'er told him to come to Facedown, the entire thing, and then afterward he would give him some money. Afterward, the gentleman was in the lobby and didn't seem to want to the money. His response was that he'd been feed in more ways than could be imagined! You see, that's what needs to happen more often. Meeting people's needs, showing them that we care about them. And through it all, showing them the love of Christ.

That's what it's going to take to bring back an entire generation...

Praying for others

2007-01-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

I've started a journey through Colossians in my own study time recently. What an incredible book! I'd encourage everyone to read through this book.

Some verses that have struck me from the very start are in chapter 1, verses 3-14. These verses are a great model prayer for us in how we lift up our fellow Christ-followers.

Paul and Timothy begin by telling the Colossians that they have been thanking God for this pocket of believers. It occured to me that when I pray for someone, I should really stop and be thankful for that person. Here, Paul and Timothy are thankful for three things: their faith in Christ, their love for all the saints, and for the hope that is laid up in heaven for them.

They go on then to tell the church that they haven't ceased praying for them, and they begin a list of things they have prayed:

-to be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding;
-to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully and pleasing to God
-to bear fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
-to be strengthened with all power, according to God's glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy

And then they give thanks for the their salvation, that God the Father has qualified the Colossians to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

I long to incorporate this in my own prayer life every day, to stop and give thanks, thoughtful thanks, for those I'm praying for. When I say thoughtful thanks, I mean to offer more than "God, thank you for George", but to stop and really think why I'm thankful for George. I can only imagine what this would do in my relationships if I would stop and really give thoughtful thanks for those around me! And then to pray all of these things above for my family, friends and acquaintances. They are powerful things. Imagine if each of those requests came to be in our lives what would happen!

So that's my two cents for today...

Radiate

2007-01-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

It's finally here! The first TrueNorth CD is out and available. The whole thing turned out great. It's cool to finally have something that captures the spirit of worship at TNC!

So make sure you pick up your copy. You can get it Sundays at the Info Center for $12!!! Good stuff!

Indescribable!

2007-01-01T08:37:00.000-05:00

Reflecting on Facedown last night all I can say is "What an amazing night!". What else can you say when 730 worshippers of God get together and raise the roof with His praises?

For those interested in getting your hands on a copy of the Louie Giglio message we showed, click here and then look under the section titled "Messages". What an amazing message!

So, another edition of Facedown has come and gone and now we move into a new year in 2007. I pray you have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Journey Day 4

2006-12-29T18:50:00.000-05:00

BIG BIG News! The first ever TNC CD has arrived!!!! You will be able to get your hands on your very own copy at Facedown Sunday night. Just one more reason to make it a TrueNorth New Year's Eve...

Well, we made it back safely from our visit to Knoxville. We had a great week with Laurie's parents. They live on a farm. I know I mentioned the other day that they don't have internet (which still blows my mind). But one thing they do have is this: A TRACTOR!!!!! Check this out...

Talk about redneck!!!

Our trips to Knoxville are always a great time of peace, relaxation, and reflection. I was really able to dive into Colossians, which I've been wanting to do for a while. I'm taking my time through it. I also played a lot of Mancala with Austin, which is a new, highly addictive game that he got from his Uncle Scott. Laurie and I got to go on a date, which is always a treasured time!

Well, not a whole lot of Facedown Journeying here today! Just a grateful heart!

Journey Day 3

2006-12-28T14:03:00.001-05:00

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:3

New Year’s is a time when many people take inventory of their lives. New Year’s resolutions are quite common around this time of the year. Some want to lose weight. Others want to find a new job. There are some who even pledge to be better parents or spouses. It’s a chance for a new beginning.

As Christ-followers, we’ve been given the ultimate life-change experience. And there is joy in that. Everyday the Lord puts a new song in our mouth, a new energy to pursue life with. It’s the ultimate New Year’s resolution…for life!

But we have to give our all. First, it’s as simple as turning over control of our lives to Christ. Then, it’s a daily decision to pursue Him. One thing I’ll say here is that the attitude you and I choose to have effects our lives more than any of us realize.

Last night, Laurie and I went to see Will Smith’s new movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness”. What a great movie! The story is based on the life of a man who was living a hard life, trying to support his wife and son by selling bone density scanners. His sales record was horrible. Anyway, through various circumstances, his wife leaves him and he and his son wind up homeless. But through it all, he chose to pursue a better life. He never gave up…and his positive outlook on life was evident in his relationship with his son. Never once did he forget to take time to play with his son, to speak words of encouragement and wisdom into his son.

That’s how we must lead our lives. After all, we have the joy of the Lord in us! As we continue our journey this week, remember and be grateful that the Lord has put a new song in your mouth.

Journey Day 2

2006-12-26T17:42:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas (a day late)! I hope you had an awesome day with family and friends, celebrating the birth of our indescribable Savior!

I fully intended to blog yesterday, but we were on the road traveling to Knoxville in some pretty nasty weather. And on top of that, my in-laws don’t have internet! Now, how many people today can say that their relatives don’t have internet?!?!?

Yesterday was so cool with our kids. The excitement that they had at seeing what Santa brought them and opening gifts from their family. But what was really was a tradition my family did growing up that we are passing down to our kids. At the beginning of the Christmas season, we placed an empty manger at the foot of the tree and we told the kids that they had to help make a soft bed for baby Jesus to lay on by the Christmas morning. We went on to tell them that the way they could place a piece of straw in the manger when they did something nice for someone else. Part of it is a teaching tool, the other a sanity maker for parents because the kids actually had a reason to be good! Anyway, Christmas morning came and Santa had placed baby Jesus in the manger. The kids were so excited! It was cool to me to see the power of the REASON for Christmas shining through.

I wish all year could be the buildup to Christmas. It’s the anticipation of the coming of the King. It’s the kindness and love that seems to permeate everyone alive (well, almost everyone!). As we approach Facedown, let’s keep this in mind…the anticipation of Jesus Christ, coming to meet with us.

I will try to post everyday this week, but with living in the stone age this week, I’ll do my best! Until next time…

Journey to Facedown - Day 1

2006-12-24T06:54:00.000-05:00

For those of you who checked in yesterday for day 1, thanks! Unfortunately, I missed it! I guess when I said that it would begin tomorrow, I meant the day after tomorrow...yeah. That's it!

It is 7:00A and I'm getting ready to head to church for services #2 and #3 of our Christmas weekend services. Last night's service was awesome! The choir rocked. Steve's message was powerful. And there were close to 500 there!!! It was a great kick-off to the weekend.

I just want to encourage you right now to plan on being at Facedown next week. The cool thing is it's early enough so everyone can still go ring in the New Year with family and friends!

So let's start our journey together. Look at 1 Peter 2:9: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." We are God's people. He loves us and pursues us. And He has called us out of darkness, out of shame, and into His light, a marvelous light. We sing that song a lot at TNC, and it's not hard to figure out that it's a favorite among our people. Why? I believe it's because of the reality that the song sings of. So many were trapped in that darkness, but God pulled them out. He started pumping their hearts. He breathed a new breath into them. He brought them back to life.

This is the place to start as we move to Facedown, in a place of humility with grateful hearts for all God has done for us.

Father, thank you for the marvelous light that you sent to this earth. Thank you for leading us into the light and freeing us from the darkness. Amen.

Journey to Facedown - COMING SOON!!!

2006-12-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

Well, this weekend brings Christmas with it. I'm can't wait! With a family of four you can guarantee that Christmas will be fun!!! And also, we'll be finishing up our Indescribable series at TrueNorth Church. The services are planned and ready to go, and our first ever choir at TNC is ready to rock it out!

So as this series comes to an end and we look to Facedown next week, I wanted to share this video with you. It's a powerful video sync'ing images with the words of the song. It's a fantastic piece of worship and praise to God...

That's some good stuff! Tomorrow the Journey to Facedown begins. I hope you'll join me the next week as we countdown to the New Year's Eve edition of Facedown! You won't want to miss this one. We're doing something that we've never done before at a Facedown. It's awesome!

Don't forget:
Facedown at the Imperial Theatre
December 31, 2006 (New Year's Eve)
6:00PM (doors open at 5:30P)

Let's pack the place out! 850 seats filled with worshippers of God. How cool would that be?

Death to a blog

2006-12-22T10:04:00.000-05:00

After thinking on it for a long while, I've decided to kill off the Creative Arts Blog. To be honest, I barely have time to update my own blog, and most of the stuff I could post on the CABlog is stuff I could post on the 247 blog. So, FINAL NOTICE: the Creative Arts Blog is now dead...let us mourn it's short life together.

Movies...

2006-12-21T14:50:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a long week for the Bradford household. 4 out of the 6 of us contracted a nasty stomach virus and, needless to say, it hasn't been pretty. But, alas, we are on the mend. So, with it all, we've been watching a lot of TV since we haven't been able to move. Here's what we've seen...

Superman Returns - pretty good move...though kind of long. I'm a huge superhero buff, so it was cool seeing the man of steel on the big screen again. One really cool part of the movie for me is when Superman and Lois Lane are flying above the city and he recalls an article she wrote titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". He recalls a part of the article in which she says that people just don't need a savior today. But, he says, if that's true, then why does he hear so many crying out for one every day? What a powerful line! And I can't agree more. People are crying out for a Savior, but, for many, there is no one there to show them the way. At TrueNorth, we're encourage our people to be that person, the one that helps them find the way to the Savior. This weekend is a great example. Christmas is a time when many are open to coming to church. But they must be invited! And that's what we encourage our people to do. Extend the invite to some one who needs to hear about the indescribable love that God has for them!

Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring & The Two Towers) - Incredible movies. It's a tale that you can get lost in and the underlying message of good overcoming evil is powerful!

The Glenn Miller Story - This is a movie made in the 40's or 50's on the life of the great big band leader, Glenn Miller. It is very inspiring to me in how his love for his wife was the hinge point of his world. He wrote many songs based around things that made his wife happy. Now, as a worship leader, most of my songs end up proclaiming the glory of God. But the movie inspires me to do for my wife to show my love for her. That's what I've been inspired to do.

So, that's been my week...camped out in front of the TV trying to recover.

Indescribable

2006-12-19T15:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! What an incredible start to our Christmas series "Indescribable"! Sometimes you just have to stop and wonder at the way our God works...and this is definitely one of those times.

The first week Steve challenged our people to write down the names of their fish (their unchurched friends) that they would like to see come to TrueNorth during Christmas. Once the names were written down, everyone walked forward to lay their lists in the manger. Very powerful! Well, we did some tallying and came up with over 1600 names! Needless to say we were blown away!!! Then, this past weekend, our TNC parade float was in the Augusta parade. Those involved from TNC handed out about 1700 fish cards!

People...God's up to something. I can feel it and see it. I am anticipating this weekend like none before. I love seeing the power of God at work and I believe we'll taste it once more this weekend. And it's a weekend you won't want to miss! We have our first choir joining the band this week...and they rock! Not to mention the annual TrueNorth Gift Giveaway. Maybe Santa's helpers will pick you!

Lastly, I received a disc of pictures from one of our photographers on Sunday with pictures from our first few weeks in the gym. Man, God has blessed us in incredible ways! So, for your viewing pleasure...

Pursuing Excellence

2006-12-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas is upon us. There is a chill in the air...well, sometimes. It's so cool driving around looking at the lights decorating houses and hearing the words "Merry Christmas" all around. You can definitely sense the anticipation in everyone you meet. Very cool.

We had our first choir practice last night and I have to say I'm very excited about TNC's first ever praise choir. They sound really good and the energy from each member is contagious! You won't want to miss hearing them during our Christmas weekend services!

Last week, I mentioned a group of verses that God has been leading me to. Those verses are found in Colossians 3, verses 1-4 and 17. (You can find them here and here.) God has been impressing on my heart that, as a Christ-follower, I must pursue excellence in everything I do, regardless of how important or menial the task. So I've been thinking a lot about what excellence is and how to really pursue it without getting caught up in perfection.

I looked up the definition of excellence and came across this: the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Some other words I found related to excellence are distinction, quality, superiority, brilliance, greatness, skill, talent, and mastery. Now, I know what you're thinking...if this is what excellence is, count me out because I don't have any of that stuff. But I believe differently. We all have these characteristics in us...there's brilliance and greatness in each of us because we have Christ in us. The Author of excellence has given me and you a unique set of talents, passions, and experiences that He wants to use, if we'd only let Him.

So how do we pursue excellence? How do we get there? Through the verses in Colossians, I came to believe in three simple things:

1. Our pursuit of excellence must start with our pursuit of God. Verses 1-4 remind us that we should set our minds on things that are above. Actually, the writer, Paul, feels so strongly about this that he says it twice in verses 1 and 2. What are the things above that we should set our minds on? See Philippians 4:8-9. If we will focus on Christ and the fact that He is our life (verse 4), our pursuit of excellence will start with the Excellent One, which is exactly where it should start.

2. Our pursuit of excellence requires that we give our best. To put it simply, we do our best with what God has given us. You may not be able to write a number one hit song, or speak eloquently, but you have specializations elsewhere. You may be a plumber, or a business executive, or a sales person, or a stay at home mom...whatever you do, God has put you there for a reason and He has given you a unique combination of talents, passions and experiences. Verse 17a says "whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." We must live with this conviction, this burden that we are living representation of the name of the Lord Jesus.

Here is one thing that has hit home with me over the past few months. In a fallen and hurting world that is always seeking hope and love and keeps on coming up empty, God is calling out for His people to step up and influence our culture in a positive way. But how do we influence a culture that seems to reject us? I believe with all my heart that it is through doing what we do to the best of our ability. If I'm a plumber and I give my all to the job, over time that is going to gain respect from those I work with. Eventually, I will gain influence with them because they are going to watch me and wonder what is different about me. And there is my opportunity to share the incredible news of Jesus Christ with them. Think about it. All of us will be willing to listen to someone we respect. So, I hope you see how important it is to give our best with what we have.

3. Our pursuit of excellence must end with God. The movie "Facing the Giants" that came out this past October has a powerful message. It is summed up best by the new principle the coach offers his players at one point: "If we win, we praise Him. If we lose, we praise Him." It is essential that we recognize the Giver of talents, passions, and experiences. If we don't, the danger will come through pride and arrogance. We will begin to point the praise to ourselves instead of to God. Humility is an essential ingredient to pursuing excellence. Giving the credit, the praise back to God is a must.

Laura Owings has a great perspective into this. I have to say, she is one who gives her all in everything she does and I believe she has gained more influence than she could imagine. But Laura is the first to tell you it's not about her, as is evident in her blog post Eating Humble Pie. You see, she understands that this is God's and He's going to do what He wants with who He wants and she is just excited to have a part in it.

And that is the place our pursuit of excellence must come back to everytime. To God.

2006-12-12T11:48:00.000-05:00

Dunk'd Gone Wild!

I dare anyone to do this at our next dunk'd service. Stevie D...watch out baby!

The Blogging World

2006-12-05T16:09:00.000-05:00

The ever growing blogging world has a new family member...and he's from TrueNorth. I think TNC could go in the guiness book of world records for the church with the most bloggers. (I hear rumors that Stevie D is going to start one, but we'll have to wait to find out!)

Our lead guitarist, affectionately known as the Zak Attack, has started a music blog. You can check it out here.

I've also been invited to join a network of Christian bloggers. I'm not really sure what that means, but I think I'll have some articles put up and also be on their blogroll. It may stick, it may not. Time will tell...

And one last thing...some very exciting news! The first TrueNorth CD is being sent off to be printed and packaged this week!!!! It's about time! (Can I get an AMEN! Hallelujah! Praise Jesus! ?) The release date is still TBD right now, but it's coming very soon. Keep your ears to the ground.

Oh, and one last last thing...I've been reading through Colossians lately, specifically chapter 3:1-17. Very powerful stuff! I'd encourage you to read through. I'll blog about that a little later and some things that God has revealed to me through it.

The faith of a child

2006-11-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Laurie and I got home last night from JTeam and Austin, my 7 year old, comes running down the stairs. He hands us this story that he wrote and I had to share it with you...

"Do you know the story of baby Jesus? I do! Do you want to hear it? I thought you would. Once a upon a time there was a man and a girl. Their names were Mary and Joseph. They had a baby and his name was Jesus. when he was a man he had to die fo rour sins. Then one day something amazing happened. God brought Jesus back to life. So he came back to heaven. And he helped god. Did you like it? I thought so. That was true."

I can't describe to you how I felt when I read this for the first time. Part of me wanted to cry. The other part wanted to share this with the world. The innocent faith of a child is so beautiful. I hope, as we enter this Christmas season, that we'll all remember Austin's story and stop the hustle and bustle that we do every Christmas...that we'll focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

Consistent inconsistency

2006-11-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

The question floating through my mind right now is "Does any read my blog anymore?" I know I've been inconsistent. Actuallly, like the title of this post says, I've been practicing consistent inconsistentcy. I was telling my friend TJ the other day that it seems that since I decided to post every Monday and Thursday I've been the worst blogger ever! (Well, next to Chuck that is...)

So here's what's been going on:

~We re-did Austin's room over the Thanksgiving week. The room went from a lovely bland white to a colorful green with brown accents. Nice!
~I heard the best sentence ever used in the English language recently at a gas station. This lady was talking to her friend on the phone and she said, and I quote: "He do do what he do for free." Ebonics at its finest!
~Took last Sunday (11/26) off while the Element Student Band led worship. I have to say, not many churches out there have a student band that is THAT GOOD! Element SMB: You guys rock!
~Yesterday was a fun day. I took a trip with two others (Lance and TJ) to the ATL to do final mixing on our album that we recorded about five years....er...months ago. The mixing is done. Artwork will be done this week. Good stuff! Anticipated release date? Well, I should have that next week. I'm sure the anticipation will kill you...but it'll be over next week. : )
~We finish up the "Go" series this week at TrueNorth. It has been an awesome series. If you missed Steve's messsage last week, I highly encourage you to your hands on a copy of it. (Which you can do through our website either by clicking on the video link by the 11/19 service or by subscribing to our Podcast which you can do by clicking on the button that says "Subscribe to Podcast".) This week is going to offer opportunities for you to respond to the charge of going "glocal". Don't miss it!
~We've been busy getting ready for our new Christmas series which starts next Sunday, December 10. The series is called Indescribable. Stay tuned for more details...

That's it. Time to finish decorating the house for Christmas!

I'm Baaaaack

2006-11-16T13:39:00.000-05:00

Did you miss me? I have to say that the past week of not blogging was kind of nice. Don't get me wrong, I love to blog. But a break is needed every once in a while.

This past week I received a CD of pics from Facedown. There are some really cool ones and below I've posted a few of my faves...enjoy! (Note: click on any picture to enlarge)

A Ban on Mondays

2006-11-07T19:51:00.000-05:00

I was watching the newest Garfield movie with my boys the other day and in it Garfield makes a ban on Mondays. If you're familiar at all with the Garfield comic strip, he's not very fond of the first day of the work week because nothing good ever happens to him on that day. This week I decided to honor the big fat cat...so I'm blogging on Tuesday this week. (Of course, it has nothing to do with the nasty cold I've contracted over the past week and that I just didn't feel like it yesterday!)

I have to share something really cool from Sunday. I had the rare opportunity to sit with my wife and oldest son during the message Sunday. A very nice thing! Anyway, James (the guest speaker) asked us to turn in our bibles to a certain passage. As I was turning the pages in my bible, I looked over and noticed my 6-year old opening his bible and turning pages. I asked him if he needed help and he said yes. From that point on, he was reading along, as best he could, with the speaker. Laurie and I were beaming!

I've noticed a recent love and excitement about the bible in Austin. It's actually rather convicting because I realize I don't have that same feeling toward God's word. Oh how I want it though!

God- please give me the hunger and passion for Your Word that I see in my son!

Random things

2006-11-03T07:21:00.000-05:00

Well, with cooler weather comes the cold bug...and he got me! I woke up this morning with a killer sore throat. Not fun!

Don't miss the beginning of our services this week. We're kicking off with Walt's "Slammed" Video.

I met a guy at Starbucks yesterday with a Missouri hat on. We got to talking and I discovered that he just moved here from Kansas City. It's nice to know that there's another Mizzou fan in town! We actually have a football team to cheer for this year!

For those of you wanting to know when the first TrueNorth CD will come out, you won't have to wait much longer! I don't have an exact date yet, but it should be out very soon!

Nothing earth shattering from me today...I will leave you with this: a tribute to kitty.

Facedown - the Afterglow

2006-10-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

Man...what a night! I have to echo what so many said to me last night. Just when you think it can't get any better, God brings an even better one!!!

We had some photographers there last night and check out two of the pics I've seen so far...awesome!

These really help capture the night. People expressing their undying adoration and affection for the King of Kings, Jesus Christ!

I'm sure all of us have our favorite moments...here are some of mine:

-The prayer stations in the auditiorium. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what the response would be like...and I was blown away! To look over the sea of people going through each station was cool. And the hammering on the cross is a sound I won't forget for a long time!
-The cross. I had the privilege to be in the crowd while TJ led a few songs, and seeing the cross covered with the writings of the people was very moving. After we got everything put away later that night, I was able to get up close to the cross and read some of the writings. Some were just one word. Others took up the front and back of the card they were written on. Most were face out, but some were facedown on the cross.
-The glow sticks. Seeing all of the red and green lights pumping with the beat of each song rocked! And I hope the experience was a powerful reminder that we want to break, shake and glow!

I have to shout out to some people who were vital to this edition. Walt Tanner and Laura Owings were part of my planning team...as these get bigger and bigger, I've learned to surround myself with incredibly gifted and creative people to help. Thanks! Also, my co-worship leaders TJ, Bart and Brent. Awesome, awesome job helping lead people to the foot of the cross. And always the incredible talent God has put together in the band humbles me. It's a pleasure to worship with each of you!

So, as one passes away, the next comes on the horizon. I am excited to announce the next Facedown will be on New Year's Eve at the Imperial Theatre. What a way to bring in the new year!!! Until next time...

Day 9: Our Response

2006-10-27T15:52:00.000-05:00

Only 2 days left until Facedown. This really is going to be a cool edition to the Facedown series. Like I mentioned before, we really want this one to become more of an experience, rather than a service, that refuels us as well as propels us into the world. Sometime batteries need to be recharged. That's our desire.

There's a simple truth about worship (and the Christian life in general) that, in my opinion, cannot be said enough. Worship is our response to God's revelation. It's such a simple phrase, yet it compacts so much truth in it. Let's unpack a little bit together...

From our very first steps as Christ-followers, we have lived lives that are responding to God. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Something that has always amazed me is that I cannot love or worship or pray or do anything in my relationship with God...without God. Jesus said this, "...the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (John 5:19)." If Jesus could do nothing without the Father, how could we? We would be wise to live every second as spiritual first-responders. When God reveals, we respond.

Day 8: 3 Days Left!

2006-10-26T20:39:00.000-05:00

Hello, hello. Just a short post tonight. I want to encourage all of you to come early Sunday night to Facedown. Childcare will be available at 5:30P. We are providing something new for this edition that you'll want to allow plenty of time to check out before the service starts.

Lastly, I want to reiterate what I've posted the past few days. We must prepare our hearts to meet with God. We must approach Him with expectation that we will see Him. We must remember that He saw our Sacrifice (Jesus Christ) as an acceptable sin offering once and for all and shout for joy. We must remember that the offering was His Sacrifice (His only Son) so that He could show us that He loves us and pursues us...regardless of whether we deserve it or not.

Let us approach Sunday evening with humble hearts set upon our Father and our Lord.

Day 7: Facedown Worship (Part 4 - Falling Facedown)

2006-10-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

I have a very important announcement. The glow sticks have arrived! I am so relieved that they are here. What are they for? Well, you'll just have to be there Sunday night to find out!

So today I want to take a glimpse at the final element of Facedown Worship: falling facedown. There is a ton of this in the scriptures. You see the people of Israel doing it in the Leviticus passage we've been walking through. You see it in Revelation 1 when John encounters Christ in all His glory. You constantly see it throughout Revelation as the 24 elders practice it quite regularly. So what is it?

I think first it's important to understand that the way we posture ourselves physically is related to how we are postured inwardly. Here's a quote from Matt Redman's book Facedown:

Every posture in worship says something of both the worshipper and the One being gloried in. The raising of hands tells of a soul stretched out high in praise and the worth of the one being exalted. Joyful dancing interprets a grateful heart and points in adoration to the source of that joy. When it comes to expressing our worship, what we do on the outside is a key reflection of what's taking place on the inside. Out of the overflow of our heart we speak and sing, we dance, and we bow. God reveals, and we respond. God shines, and we reflect. In the very same way, facedown worship is the overflow of a heart humbled and amazed by the glory of God.

I couldn't say it any better. I think we can get so caught up in the expressions of worship that we forget why we do them. But everything we're doing (or not doing) is an outward reflection of what's going on inwardly.

To close, a final quote from Redman:

(Facedown worship) is people so desperate for the increase of Christ that they find themselves decreasing to the ground in an act of reverent submission. When a soul is so captivated by the Almighty, to bend low in true and total surrender seems the only appropriate response.

Day 6: Facedown Worship (Part 3 - Shouting for Joy)

2006-10-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

Just 5 days left until Facedown! Man, I'm so pumped!!!! Does it show?

I've been working on final details for the evening today...picking up "schtuff", meeting with people who are helping out...good stuff! I am blown away each time we do Facedown by how many people willingly volunteer their time, treasures, and talents. God always provides!

So we've looked at some key elements of Facedown Worship these past few days. First, we need to prepare our hearts to meet with God. Next, we come with anticipation and expectation that we will meet God and see His glory. Today I want to look at the next part of Facedown Worship: shouting for joy.

When Moses and Aaron finished the sacrifice and came out from the Tent of Meeting (which was a place people would go to inquire of the Lord), they blessed the people. Now here's the cool part...God showed up. He didn't stop by to chat or to see how the sacrifice was going. No, HE SHOWED UP! Check this out:

"...and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar..." (verse 23b - 24a)

Now, imagine being there. You're standing there with your friends and family, wondering what's going on, trying to figure this whole sacrifice thing. Then, all of sudden, fire comes out from the mountain and consumes the offering.

I love the response of the people here. They shout for joy. We're talking like a celebration you've never seen. I don't think the biggest game winning play you've ever seen in the most important game ever could even come close. But here's why they were shouting. Are you ready? Here it goes: God accepted their offering. You're talking a huge thing here. This is the first offering the nation presented to God. This is the first time they sought after Him. And He showed up.

You know, if you think about it, this joy is available to us all the time. Jesus was the once and for all Sacrfice. His blood was the pure blood to cover all sins forever and ever. And God saw the Sacrifice and found it acceptable in His sight. We have this extreme blessing with us all the time that we seem to rarely tap into. God's Presence is in us, if we are Christ-followers. The nation of Israel threw a party because God excepted their offering, which was of no comparison to the Sacrifice...Jesus Christ. But somehow we forget to value that. I know I do. I forget about it because I allow other things to become more important in my mind.

So think about this Sunday evening when we observe communion. Christ's blood was shed and His body was broken for you and me. And God sees it as an acceptable offering to cover our multitude of sins. Let us shout for joy together!

Day 5: Facedown Worship (Part 2 - Seeing the Glory)

2006-10-23T19:39:00.000-05:00

Well, it's late Monday and I'm just now getting to my "Journey to Facedown" blog for the day. That's how hectic the day has been! The big day is closing in and things are moving right along. I am so pumped about this edition of Facedown!

The ultimate goal of Facedown worship is to see God in His glory. It's a goal that was the heart cry of the people of Israel. Remember in Leviticus 9, Moses approached the whole thing by starting with the words "for today the LORD will appear to you" (v4). You see, the people came with expectation...they came with the anticipation that God would show up and reveal Himself to them.

And that's where we need to start on our journey. Asking God to show up Sunday night in our midst...to show us His glory. I urge you to make this your prayer this week.

Most Glorious God - You are the reason we are alive. As we move closer to Facedown, we ask You to meet with us. We want to see Your glory. Amen.

Day 4: Facedown Worship (Part 1)

2006-10-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

The past few days we've moved through the ninth chapter of Leviticus. We've seen the importance of preparing our hearts to encounter God. We've also realized (I hope) the blessed state we are in today as Christ-followers because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. So now, let's turn our attention to the heart of it all...take a look at Leviticus 9:23-24:

23 Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

So what is Facedown Worship? I want to take a few days to really dive into the meaning and the vision of Facedown. So for today, I want to leave you with this quote from Matt Redman's book, titled Facedown:

Facedown worship always begins as a posture of the heart. It's when we are so desperate for the increase of Christ that we find ourselves decreasing to the ground in an act of reverent submission -- becoming so captivated by the Almighty that to bend low in true and total surrender seems the only appropriate response.

Day 3: Sacrifice

2006-10-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had to sacrifice something for something else? There are many times as a parent I have to decide to give up, or sacrifice, something I want or need because my kids need something. It's because I love them and care for them, and it's my responsibility to do that.

I do wonder sometimes if we fully understand sacrifice today in America. We have everything we could ever need or want at our finger tips. So what is sacrifice? Well, for starters, take a look at this...

sac‧ri‧fice (noun) - the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

I think a good illustration is in Leviticus 9:7-22. The detail that had to be followed is amazing to me! I can pretty much guarantee no one I know has ever had to do anything like this. And why was this ritual necessary? It was in order for the Israelites to meet with God. They had to go through such painstaking detail in order to be right before God. That was a sacrifice! Not only did they have to give up some of their best animals, they had to give up their time and energy. But, it was an act that was very important to them.

Can I get an "Amen!" that we don't have to do that as Christ-followers? How blessed we are to know that there was a sacrifice presented that God found acceptable once and for all...and that sacrifice was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. The only sacrifice God requires of us now is for us to surrender our will to His.

So as you go about your day, take some time to thank God for providing the ultimate sacrifice.

God- thank you for giving your Son as the ultimate Sacrifice, once and for all. Thank you that I don't have to go through a list of rituals and rites to meet with You. Father, I do sacrifice what I have...myself. I surrender to Your will. Amen.

Day 2: Preparation Continued

2006-10-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we looked at Leviticus 9:1-6 and saw the importance of preparing our hearts before we meet with God. Well, today, in a daily email I get containing words from AW Tozer, I ran across this quote:

The amount of loafing practiced by the average Christian in spiritual things would ruin a concert pianist if he allowed himself to do the same thing in the field of music. The idle puttering around that we see in church circles would end the career of a big league pitcher in one week. No scientist could solve his exacting problem if he took as little interest in it as the rank and file of Christians take in the art of being holy. The nation whose soldiers were as soft and undisciplined as the soldiers of the churches would be conquered by the first enemy that attacked it. Triumphs are not won by men in easy chairs. Success is costly. (AW Tozer, We Travel An Appointed Way, 26)

I have never thought of my pursuit of God in the context of a profession. I hate to compare it to that, because it's a lifestyle not a profession, but if you will indulge me for a moment, I'd like to explain. As Tozer said, if a concert pianist or a scientist or an army of soldiers took what they do with the same amount of passion, time and energy that I put into my pursuit of the Holy One, they'd be one sorry group of "professionals". And I have the best thing in the universe to live for...Jesus Christ!

So, in an effort to keep this shorter than the novel I wrote yesterday, I challenge you to join me in putting some thought into this whole preparation thing. Look at your life. Ask God to search you and reveal to you where you need to put more time and energy into. Ask Him to ignite a contagious passion in you. That's what our hurting world needs anyway. Passionate followers of Christ...

Day 1

2006-10-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

We're going to start our journey to Facedown where the vision of it all comes from. It's a passage in the Old Testament book of Leviticus that I never knew existed until about two years ago. Today, we'll look at the first six verses of chapter nine. Here's the text:

1On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, 2and he said to Aaron, "Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3And say to the people of Israel, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, 4and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the LORD will appear to you.'" 5And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6And Moses said, "This is the thing that the LORD commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you." Leviticus 9:1-6

Imagine a day so historic, so amazing for a moment. You are one of the Israelites, a part of a new frontier - a new nation of people - and God has annointed you as His people. Wow!

So, one day the leader of your people, Moses, gathers everyone together for a very important moment...the first sacrifice was going to be presented to God. Aaron, the high priest, is there with his sons and the elders, showing support for Moses. And you hear what is required of the sacrifice:

a male goat for a sin offering

a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering

an ox and a ram for peace offerings

and lastly, a grain offering mixed with oil

After giving the list of requirements, Moses says, "for today the Lord will appear to you."
"Hang on a sec, Moses. What do you mean exactly? The Lord's coming here? Today?"
"Yup."

Naturally, everyone closes in a bit. You're holding your breath because you don't want to miss a thing. And then Moses says something that should speak to our hearts today:

"This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you."

I believe we miss something at times. We approach God expecting to see Him, for Him to reveal just a glimpse of His glory to us, but we don't prepare out hearts to encounter Him. We go to church with our minds scattered in a thousand place, or we go into prayer with our own agenda, and then we scratch our heads wondering why we didn't see Him. I believe Moses hits on something that we need to really soak in today.

We must prepare out hearts and our minds before approaching the throne of God. I'm not talking about a legalistic recitation of your sins (though that is necessary many times). No, I'm talking about humbling ourselves to simply say what the psalmist said many years ago: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! (Psalm 139:23 ESV) And after we do this, it's responding to however He leads. If you have sin you need to confess, do so. If you need to focus your thoughts on Him and not on your to-do list, then do so.

In this edition of Facedown, we're going to try something new. We are shifting our focus away from Facedown being a service and trying to build an experience that serves as a catalyst in your life. And part of that will be the preparation I've been talking about.

It is our desire that each one of us will be refueled so that we can continuing living out in the world around us. I hope you won't miss it. It's going to be amazing!

On the Horizon

2006-10-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

Man...I will say that yesterday's services had some of the most powerful endings that we've ever experienced at TrueNorth! Steve and the panel of experts he had did a fantastic job of wrapping up our "Let's Talk About Sex" series. But bigger than that, they opened up the door in a lot of hearts to be reconnected with God and healed through mistakes and bad experiences they had in the past related to sex. As the band sang through the song "Unashamed" by Starfield, you could see individuals laying their past at the feet of God. The last lines of the song say it beautifully:

Here I am at Your feet
In my brokenness complete

Powerful, powerful stuff! So our first sex series has come and gone and I believe we've realized that it is a very sensitive topic that people really need to hear about. If you missed any weeks, click here to listen to any of the weeks. You will have to check out the previous series tab after this week because we'll be posting our next series info later in the week.

Which leads me to the next thing. Sunday we start a new series titled "Facing the Giants", a 4-week series that will layout how to overcome the giants in our lives. It's going to be a great series...you won't want to miss it!

Lastly, Facedown is coming up Sunday, October 29. I am so pumped about this edition! We have felt God leading us to make this more about an experience that serves as a catalyst in our relationships with God and others, as well as a propelling factor out into the world to be a light. The evening will start at 6:00P, with childcare available at 5:30P. You'll want to get there early as seating will go quick!

Oh...tomorrow I will start the journey to Facedown, a daily countdown to that evening with devotional thoughts to help prepare us for that night. Make sure you check it out!

Catalyst Session 4: Gary Haugen

2006-10-12T13:52:00.000-05:00

I know what you're thinking. Where did Session 3 go? Well, I played hokey during that session so I could explore some of the vendor booths they had available in the lobby.

Session 4 saw the president of International Justice Mission, Gary Haugen, speak. He spoke a lot about social injustice around the world, specifically about slavery and child sex slaves.

One particular story he mentioned was one of a 16 year old in a country in Asia. She decided to get a job over the school break to make money for her return to school. Some women from her village told her to go with them across the border into the next country to look for jobs. The next thing she knew she was being sold as a sex slave. From there, she was thrown into a room and basically had to perform whatever men wanted her to. Not a life for a 16 year old. Well, through his organization, they were able to rescue this girl, as well as 20 others. Since then, she came to spend time with Gary and his family here in the states. What an incredible mission!

Gary defined injustice as the abuse of power to take the things God has given others. His focal message begins with a question. How can the world believe God is good in light of the injustice in the world? The answer...we, the church, are the plan to end injustice. God wants to use us.

Catalyst Session 2: Marcus Buckingham

2006-10-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

So I finally got my thoughts collected from the Catalyst Conference we went to last week. I already shared my thoughts from session 1 with Andy Stanley.

Session 2 featured Marcus Buckingham, a British-born management consultant and author. He has a very unique message that has impacted me and many others from our team greatly. Here are my notes:

-Overall message is to focus making your strengths stronger, instead of your weaknesses. That is the key to growth.
-What is the job of a manager? To turn people's talent into performance by speeding their talent up to meet the goals of the team. He also said that great managers believe the success of their people is important...they actually love to help people grow. It fuels them.
-How do they do that? By finding out what is unique about each person and captilalizing on it. They help people refine their strengths.
-He made the statement that if you invert bad, you get not bad. You don't get great or excellent.
-How do you better yourself? Focus on who you are, not who you aren't. He said to allow yourself 25% of your daily activities to cover those things that aren't your strengths (things that have to get taken care of because of your position and responsibilities), and focus the other 75% on things that are your strengths.
-3 Myths that he presented:
1. As you grow, your personality changes. (TRUTH: As you grow, you become more and more of who you are.)
2. You'll grow the most in your areas of weakness. (TRUTH: You'll grow the most in your areas of strength.)
3. The team needs you to chip in whatever it takes. (TRUTH: The team needs you to step up in your strengths.)

A final quote he left us with: "And the day came when the risk it took to remain in the bud became greater than thet risk of coming out as a blossom."

My question to you is this: are you willing to take the risk and be who you are, who God made you to be...to grow stronger in the areas where you are strongest?

Reflections on Sunday

2006-10-10T05:40:00.000-05:00

Another weekend at TNC has come and gone. It's so cool to be a part of God's work every week! It is also extremely humbling. As I think about this past weekend, here are some thoughts:

-people's lives are being changed. We had two connection cards turned in this Sunday from people wanting to become Christ-followers! There have been 3 or 4 others throughout these past few weeks.
-the new setup in the gym is pretty cool. I'm just blown away by what God has provided for us to make this transition. From the money, to the equipment, to the people...He has been in it all!!!!
-there's been some incredible energy in the services. The past few weeks, especially, it seems everyone is starting to feel more and more at home in the gym. I think the biggest hurdle we've had to face in this transition has not been the setup and operation of all the new equipment. No, it's been the loss of the intimate environment we had in the auditorium. But I'm beginning to see a new life being breathed in our church. I'm excited to continue watching it!
-the sex series has been a timely one. In our day and age of the internet and media, sex is everywhere. It is vital that we hear the truth from the word of God on this subject. We wrap up the series this week with a message on sexual healing and how to deal with guilt related to past mistakes.

I'm pumped to see what God has in store for us in the next series, Facing the Giants, and beyond that.

I do plan to follow up my last post with a few words on the Catalyst Conference the staff and lead team went to last week. I will do that over the next few days. Until then...

Catalyst

2006-10-05T21:56:00.000-05:00

Hello from the Atl. That's right, I'm in Atlanta with the staff for the Catalyst Conference. It's a two day conference focusing on inspiring leaders with fresh ideas and creative approaches. And I have to say we have NOT been disappointed!

I'd like to break down the whole conference by speaker, but that won't happen right now as it's almost 11:00P and I've been up since 4:30A! I will share a little from the first speaker, Andy Stanley from Northpoint Community Church.

His scripture focus was from the Old Testament book of Daniel. And from this passage is where the central point of Andy's message came from: that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men. Translation: everything (specifically leadership in this case) is on loan to us and temporary and we are held accountable for what we are given. The bottom line is that we should never hold tightly to anything because those things are God's in the first place and we are just temporary stewards of those things.

It's a powerful truth for all of us to start applying to our lives. So I'll let you chew on that until next time...

Makin' a joyful noise

2006-10-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I've already blown my blogging schedule, and I've only been on it one week! Go Kevin.

I'm still blown away at how awesome Sunday's services were. We were making a joyful noise! I loved the competition between the floor and the balcony dwellers. The walls were shaking!

As I've reflected on the services, something has struck me. We don't make enough noise sometimes. I think we have either been too conditioned to be respectful and reverent in our worship or we've become disconnected from our emotions. Many times through the Psalms we are told to make a joyful noise. (Better a joyful noise from the heart than a pretty song without heart!) Just look at that phrase:

Joyful = an emotion you can't contain
Noise = a celebrative sound that doesn't necessarily sound good

My hope is that people are beginning to understand that the presentation of worship isn't what's important...it's whether it's coming from the heart...whether it's sincere. Worship should always be our response to God in our lives...the overflow of our love and adoration for Him. It's grateful hearts celebrating what God did to set them free from the chains of sin and despair.

I look forward to every Sunday at TrueNorth because I know that people are learning and practicing this life-changing principle. Have a good week!

Facedown's a-comin'

2006-09-28T16:06:00.000-05:00

I've started turning my attention to our next installment of Facedown, which is October 29. I am so pumped about this one! I don't want to give anything away, but I can already tell you this is going to be one incredible night.

As each Facedown develops, they take on their own personality. That's what I love...each one is different. This one I've really felt God stirring in my heart that Facedown needs to go back to it's roots this time. What are those roots? Glad you asked!

Facedown is founding on Leviticus 9:23-24. In the Bradford translation (which means I'm giving a quick look at it) God's glory appears to all the people as He consumes their first offering with fire. When they saw it, the Israelites shouted for joy...but then, realizing that God had actually accepted the offering, they fell facedown with a holy fear. Those are the pillars of Facedown: shouting for joy and falling facedown. So, you could almost call this one getting back to the basics. We will encounter God that night through humbled hearts bent towards seeking His glory.

Stay tuned as things develop!

Let's Go Tigers, Let's Go

2006-09-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

I know today isn't Thursday, but I had to post this. My Tigers (Go Mizzou) broke the Top 25 this week. Let's go Tigers, let's GO!

I realize that I'm probably the only Mizzou fan in the CSRA (except for my son!), but when your team starts 4-0 for the first time since Noah and the ark, you HAVE to celebrate!