The Bridge Project

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow the Vintage team is heading down to Asheboro to serve alongside the guys at The Bridge Project. We will have the opportunity to deliver food to folks who need it desperately. I can't wait to serve alongside this group of people that God is using to build His church. This is what the Vintage movement is about, coming together to invest in the lives of others.

Josh and Laura LeRoy (founders of The Bridge Project) are launching an amazing ministry in the Asheboro community. God is going to use them to do some really cool things. I'm pumped to have Vintage partner with them in serving people. If you are in the Randolph County area, find out more about The Bridge Project. This is a ministry you will want to invest in.

Friday!

It's been a crazy week! (As most weeks are these days)

Sunday -
I had the privilege of bringing the Word at newhope church. That was awesome. newhope is at three services now. Preaching three straight times is so draining, but really cool. Some Vintage folks came to the second service. It was so cool to look out and see faces that have committed to this movement. I can't wait until I'm speaking to them, and hundreds more, on a weekly basis in Greensboro. If you would like to listen to Sunday's message, click here.

Monday -
Since Ashley's pregnant, the cleaning duties are all mine. Cleaning our house is a pain! Bathrooms suck! After spending the morning cleaning, a stomach virus came for a 24 hour visit. Fortunately, I was able to keep it together long enough to spend time working on Vintage with Jason Austin (Jason & Jenny are such a blessing, and will be a key element in launching Vintage). That evening the virus really kicked in. It was back and for to "throne" and a fever that made me feel like death. Not wanting to spread my germs to Ashley, I slept (or attempted to) on the couch.

Tuesday -
Laid in bed all stinking day! Recovered from the "virus from Satan".

Wednesday -
Caught up on some much needed work. Worshiped at newhope and was challenged by Benji's message on Fasting.

Thursday -
Had a good C.R.A.P. That's right a Creative Arts Planning team meeting. I love it! Brainstorming creative ways to present the Gospel? Doesn't get any better than that. That night we had dinner with Jason & Jenny and were given the opportunity to share the vision of Vintage Church with another awesome couple. We're praying that God will write Vintage on their hearts, if it's His will.

So, this weekend will be a time to catch up around the house, maybe catch a movie, and do as little as possible.

A Need for Balance

Churches must be, as Ed Stetzer says in Planting Missional Churches, Biblically faithful and culturally relevant. In the latest church planting movement we have often abandoned Biblical truths and expectations. We have masked that with the cloak of "cultural relevance". We must maintain a solid theology. There are things we just can't compromise. Too many churches are offering people a "quick fix" instead of a long-term solution. Jesus isn't a band-aid. God wants control of you and wants to wreck the old way you think and act. He wants to develop you into the person He intended you to be. Churches have to help people catch of vision of who they could be, not who they are. Then they have to equip them to move toward that vision.

Must Reads

If you are in local church ministry in any capacity you need to read these books:

Seven Practices of Highly Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley

Simple Church by Tom Rainer

Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer

Get'em, read'em!

Sometimes it is all about you!

We live in world where people are self-absorbed rather than self-aware. Self awareness is a vital building block to becoming an effective leader. Understanding how you learn, how you communicate, and how you best relate with others, are all essential to maximizing your productivity and impact. Being all about you can be a good thing, if it's for the purpose of becoming self-aware. There are many good resources to help you learn more about yourself. Here are a few I recommend:

Living Your Strengths by Donald Clifton (includes a code on the inside cover for a great strengths test)

Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham

The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Games

One of my strengths is competition (according to Strengthsfinder). So, I love games. Video games, board games, any kind of game. And some would say I can get a little nutty when competing.

One thing I really miss about SC is the game nights we used to have. This week I was introduced to a new game. It's called Settlers of Catan, and it is awesome! You have to think, you have to strategize , and you have to barter. It's a blast. Get it. Play it. You'll love it.

Weekend Reflections

Wow!! Last weekend was really busy. But awesome!

On Friday, we had a gathering of our Core Team for Vintage. I'm so pumped about the team God is building to launch this church. It is a group of gifted people, passionate about Jesus and in love with the vision God has given us. We spent the evening hanging out, talking about the year to come, and ended up worshiping until around 11:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the in-laws came up from SC. I value my relationship with Ashley's family so much. It was good to spend some time with them. They brought gifts for our expectant twins, including their first Clemson gear. Between my family and Ash's, our kids are going to be so spoiled.

On Sunday, we worshiped at newhope. It was awesome to hear the Word from Matt LeRoy. Matt is such a gifted speaker. He is going to do (and is doing) amazing things for the cause of Christ.

We capped the weekend off with the best Super Bowl ever! What a game! I was on the edge of my seat the entire forth quarter.

Busy weekends are good if you're busy at things worthy of all the energy. That was definitely the case this weekend.

Overwhelmed, excited, anxious, and a little freaked!!!

Yep, I'm experiencing all of those. Right now I'm on staff at newhope church in Durham. I'm preparing to plant Vintage in Greensboro. And to top it all off, we're expecting TWINS!! Good reason to feel all these things? I think so. God seems to be doing the most amazing, life-changing events at once. As hard as it is sometimes to deal with it all, I wouldn't change a thing. These are cool days. I've never been more dependent on God. I've never been surrounded by such awesome leaders. I've never experienced such an awesome spiritual awakening. I once gave a message titled "On a Limb", now I'm living on one. It's the adventure I requested.

Is your life boring? Are things mundane? Are you in routine with no surprises? Pray for God to give you a new adventure. I dare you!!!

2008 is going to be one heck of a year. Lift me up!!

It's a boy. . .and a girl!!!

That's right. Ashley and I are having one of each! God is blessing us with a boy and girl.

Vintage Leadership

Preparing to lead Vintage is a task I’m taking very seriously. The last six months I have realized, like never before, the importance of great leadership in the success of a church. Every great movement has been started and sustained by great leaders. There are a lot of books on leadership, but I have just been seeking God about how He can build me into the leader Vintage needs. Through reading and praying God has taught me the following leadership principles.

1. Great leaders of men must be great followers of God.
2. Great leaders find a way to bring out the best in those around them.
3. Great leaders know how to balance truth and grace.
4. Great leaders know who they are and who they are not.
5. Great leaders are never motivated by the spotlight.

For those who didn't know!

We're having twins!!

I'm Back

I've gotten a few emails about discontinuing this blog. So, by popular demand (that may be a stretch) I will begin using this blog once again!! With a few changes. I'll post the last few posts for our church website in case you missed it.

Vintage Church

I'm no longer blogging through this site. To read new posts please visit: www.vintagechurch.net

O.C.D.

Once again it's been awhile. But the past month has been crazy busy. I have so many thoughts that one post will not contain them. So, expect a lot over the next few weeks.

As for today, three letters are etched in my mind - O C D. That's right Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I have a full-blown case of it. We moved to Greensboro this week to begin this new journey. Monday was moving day. And a long day it was. By the time we got to G'boro on Monday all we really had time to do was unload the truck and unpack enough to sleep. It drove me crazy. All I could think about that night was those boxes in the garage, how many there were, what was in them, where we'd put the contents, exactly how would it look when it was complete. Needless to say sleep was at a minimum. I woke up at 6 am. Stupid boxes!! I had to get them unpacked. Of course Ashley was comatose. That is until I woke her up banging on the back door about 5 minutes later because I had locked myself out. All week I find myself freaking out of the smallest details. Everything has to be in the right place. Everything has to be neat & straight. Ashley is ready to stab me in the throat.

I never realized how OCD I am until now. Pray for me. And definitely pray for Ashley.

Roasted

Last Saturday the church threw us an awesome bash. They had a meal catered and invited pretty much everyone we know. I knew they had been planning something, but had no idea what all they had in store. It turned out to be one of the most memorable evenings of my life.

We were given gifts of all kinds. They had a football signed by Coach Tommy Bowden presented to me by a former player. We were presented with a hand-made quilt (in Clemson colors of course). The squares of the quilt are filled with messages from people who have meant so much to us. There were many other gifts, for each we are very grateful.

We (especially me) were also “roasted” pretty well. My oldest friend came down from NC. This is a guy I met on the school bus in kindergarten. You know he had some funny stories. I have to say they said some pretty embarrassing (but completely true) stuff. It was awesome!! So many said such amazing things. I felt very unworthy. I was completely humbled.

The youth shot the coolest video. It’s hilarious. Most of what’s in only a few of us got. (A lot of inside jokes.) I laughed till I cried. (Dustin, thanks for putting that together. It was awesome!)

Ashley and I are so grateful for the friendships we’ve made during our time in SC. Thanks guys for the words on Saturday, both the encouraging and the embarrassing ones. Thanks for allowing us into your lives. We’re going to miss you all.

Timing

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Ecclesiates 3:1-14

God's timing remains a mystery to me. I've never struggled with "why" God does what He does. As for "when" He does it, I just don't get it. Maybe it's because His timetable for doing things never seems to match mine. Waiting for Him to do His thing has never been easy for me. At times it has lead me to take matters in my own hands. Yeah, that only makes things much worse. Trying to do it myself usually ends up in delaying things further.

Life is full of seasons. Good ones and bad ones. Most of the time the duration of each season is not up to you and me. We have to trust that God is in control, ask Him to help us distinguish between His part and ours, and then "wait on the LORD".

Prayer/Share Partnership

As most of you know, Ashley and I will be moving to Greensboro, NC this June to plant a church. We are so pumped about this new chapter of our lives. God has been working out the details of this plan for longer than we know. We can’t wait to see what He has in store.

The first year of this journey will be spent building relationships, learning from other church planters, and really getting to know the community. To do this we need the generosity of God’s people. We need to raise financial support for at least the first two years and possibly a third. The NC East District has developed a strategy to help raise this support.

The Prayer/Share Partnership is a way for you to invest in the building of God’s kingdom in another community. Your prayers and resources are vital. If you feel that financially you are unable to support this ministry, please do not let that keep you from supporting us with your prayers. If you feel that God has blessed you with the means to support His work in Southwest Greensboro here is how you can contribute financially:

Full Share –
A commitment of $10 per month for at least 24 months (with the possibility of extending 12 extra months). This may be sent on a monthly basis or can be a one-time contribution of $240.

Half Share –
A commitment of $5 per month for at least 24 months (with the possibility of extending 12 extra months). This may be sent in on a monthly basis or can be a one-time contribution of $120.

It is our responsibility to gather 300 Prayer/Share Partners. If you would like to commit to multiple shares, you may do so.

Please email me if you are interested in supporting us in anyway.

Subscirbe

If you're like me you get sick of checking your favorite blogs for new posts everyday, only to find there are no new posts. So, I've added a feature to make mine easier to keep up with. You can now have posts sent straight to your inbox. Enter you your email address in the box to the left to subscribe.

Communicate

Anyone ever had a conflict born out of poor communication? It seems to me that a majority of the problems we face, especially relationship problems, could be avoided if there were clear communication.

Being a good communicator takes a lot of work. Whether it's communicating with friends, communicating with employees, or communicating with your spouse, if you do not clearly express your needs and expectations, problems will most definitely arise. We have to learn to say what we mean and mean what we say.

Good communication requires more than your mouth. It also requires your ears. How often have you missed what someone was saying because you were rehearsing your response in your head? When people are talking, LISTEN!!! Pay attention. If you do, maybe you can understand what they are saying, and react appropriately when they are finished.

All relationships hinge on communication. I have heard that my entire life. Like most things I was told as a kid (that I thought were complete junk at the time), I've found that old saying to be dead on.

As a Christian, communicating has even greater significance. We have the responsibly of communicating on behalf of Jesus himself (Ephesians 5:20). We have the obligation and opportunity to communicate the absolute truth of Jesus as Savior. A task we cannot afford to do poorly.

Communicating is what I do. It is a huge part of my job. Daily, I have to communicate with people who are looking for advice, answers, and encouragement. Each week I have the huge task of communicating God's Word. I stand (or sit) before a group of people who need something they can live by. A group of people who are searching for how the Bible can make a difference in their daily lives. If I fail to do this clearly, if I fail to be true to Jesus, there are eternal consequences.

Commit to being a better communicator.

Visioneering

I just finished reading Visioneering by Andy Stanley. Awesome read! Anyone who has a burden for anything to be changed should read this. We need more visionaries. In churches, in businesses, in schools, in cultures and in homes. We have settled for how things are, even when those things fall well short of what they could and should be. A visionary is someone who is so passionate about how things could and should be, that they are willing to do something about it.

What have you settled for? A job that only provides a paycheck? A marriage that is stale? A church that has plateaued? Pray that God will give you a vision for how things could and should be in every area of your life. If you are ready to begin the journey toward what could and should be, then read Visioneering. It outlines great building blocks for making your vision happen.