wow!

I don't usually blog on Sundays. After speaking at 4 services I am pretty much wasted. But tonight I thought I had to.
Today was an incredible day at Foothills Community Church. We have been planning, preparing and praying for today's service for a long time, and I have to say it was amazing. We told the story of the Prodigal son in music, video and with a message. The video was a really cool modern spin of the story, and then Carol Strickland sang the old Kansas tune, Carry on My Wayward Son. We also ended it with Eric Peters singing the Daughtry song, Home. Let me just say that the band just flat nailed it! (When they did Wayward Son in the 11:15am service I thought to myself, "Foothills has the best band I have ever heard!"----You guys and gals are incredible)
There were so many people in tears thinking about God's amazing, unfailing love for us.
We had right at 1,600 people today and the feedback I received was so positive!
We haven't tallied up all of the spiritual decisions yet, but it looks like tons!
These are the kind of days where I am reminded how blessed I am to be at a church like Foothills!

Foothills is "real"

One of the most common compliments I hear about Foothills Community Church is that it is "real". Sometimes it may be worded differently, but essentially that's what they are saying.

I made a decision a long time ago. As a Pastor I could either stand up on stage and pretend to be perfect, and have it all together, OR I could just be "real." I decided that I was just going to be real.

Being real means that it's o.k. to let people know that you have struggles. It means that I still get impatient standing in lines. It means that I am not always a very compassionate person. It means that sometimes I lose my temper. It means that I'm not a perfect husband or parent.

There are many areas that I am trying to grow to become more like Christ. I'm a work in progress. I think that is what Paul was saying in Philippians 3:12 when he said, "I don't mean to say that I have already acheived these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ first possessed me."

If you are looking for a "perfect" church, led by a "perfect" Pastor, Foothills is not for you. But if you are looking for a place that is authentic and real maybe this is the place for you.

Servelink was a blast

Well our first Servelink is complete. It was a lot of fun. There was a party-like atmosphere. There was a great attendance and lots of new people signing up to serve and there was such a great excitement in the air.
If you were unable to come last night, it's still possible to start serving. Just let us know either by emailing us at joel@foothillscc.org or by checking off the "serving opportunites" box in your Foothills Flier next Sunday.
Again I want to thank the hundreds people who volunteer their time to help Foothills complete our mission to reach people for Christ. We could not do it without you!

getting people connected

One of the most important things that I do is to help people take steps toward higher levels of commitment. Commitment tends to be a very scary word. Whenever Jesus would raise the bar and call for radical commitment, people would bolt. And yet, taking those steps are vital for the growing Christian.
Several weeks ago we had a Grouplink. Grouplink is basically a big open house for people to check out and sign up to be in a LIFE group. It went amazingly well, so much so that we decided to do the same thing to allow people to get their feet wet in serving. Tonight we are having a Servelink.
We will have all of the ministry teams of Foothills Community Church represented. Many people have signed up to be a part of this. People will be able to browse different tables and ask questions, and hopefully sign up to start serving here at Foothills. (There are hundreds of people at Foothills that have discovered the fulfillment of being involved in serving---but there's room for you!!)
If you are interested but didn't register, you can still come. Be here tonight at 7:00pm and check it out.
I promise you, once you start serving your life will never be the same!

Proud father

I am so proud of my daughter Kristen. On Saturday we took her and our granddaughter Mia to the airport so they could fly to Florida to start training with Youth With A Mission.
They will be in training down there until the first of the year, and then they will be off to a foreign country (not sure where yet) for another 6 weeks helping reach this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Pray for them if you think about it!

This is exciting

Over the last couple of days we have been shooting some video for our September 30th service. We are going to do some things that we've never done before! The video will actually set up and close out my message that day. We will be tying in a couple of killer songs in the mix.( I can't tell you what the songs are yet, but one is a classic 70's rock tune and one is current on the charts. All I can say is that it is going to rock so be prepared.)
Speaking of September 30th. We are starting a new series called RelationSHIPS, and we will be giving you some cards this weekend to invite your friends for the kick-off of that series. If you have friends who don't know Christ, trust me, this will be THE service to bring them!
It is going to be crowded, so you might consider the 8:30am or 6:00pm service.
The building construction is moving along, but in the meantime it's going to be "cozy". I'll try to post some pictures of the construction progress soon.

yesterday's service

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Mainly because we talked about what our mission is as individuals and as a church----to help lost people get found!
One of the tendencies for people who have been "found' spiritually, is that they tend to have no "lost" friends. We distance ourselves from the Secular world to be sequestered into our holy huddles, because we don't want to be contaminated.
The only problem with that line of thinking is that it's not biblical! Jesus spent his time with lost people. He hung out with sinners. He was Relational, not Religious.
I shared about the best compliment about our church that I've ever heard. (What makes it even funnier is that it wasn't meant to be a compliment). A lady found out that someone went to church here. She was outraged, and said, "I can't believe you go to Foothills, that's the church where they let sinners in!!!!!!" WOW, what a compliment. I followed up by saying that I would love to let that lady know that Foothills is not only a place where we let sinners in, but it's a place where a sinner stands up every Sunday and delivers the message!!
My statement may have raised some eyebrows. A Pastor actually admitting that he sins? Yep that's right. I am totally dependent on the grace, mercy and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In my humaness there is nothing good. Anyone who says that they don't struggle with sin is struggling with the sin of lying!
This morning I was handed a card that someone put in the offering basket. There was a note that said, "I have struggled with drug addiction for many years. Foothills is the only place I have been able to attend where I was love and accepted, and never once condemned. Thanks for being that kind of church." (That's what it's all about!! Foothills family, you are an amazing church! Keep it up!)

Unbelievable Story

Had lunch yesterday with Tony Morgan (Tony is the Chief Strategic Officer at Newspring Church. I have no idea what that means, but I love that job title!), and Howard (sorry Howard I don't remember your last name, but Howard will be Newspring's campus Pastor in Greenville)
During our time together we chatted about what the Lord was doing at our churches.
As I talked about what was happening at Foothills Community Church I was reminded how incredible this story really is. To my knowledge there is not another Church in America that is in a semi-rural area that has the influence that God has given us!
We are in a county of 68,000 people that is very spread out. (Within 15 minute drive there are probably less than 40,000 people) We currently have 1,500 in attendance (and growing rapidly). We will probably have over 2,000 people attending within the next 12 months (depending on when our new facility is completed).
That is mind-boggling! I wish I could say, that my leadership is the reason for this growth, but it's not, because I ain't that smart. It is a 100% God-thing! (And I wouldn't want it any other way)
The future is bright!

try something new

For many people, change is scary. Change takes us out of our comfort zones and challenges us to try things that are new. For many people that is more than they can handle. If it weren't for change we would still be riding in covered wagons, and rubbing 2 sticks together to build a fire to cook our dinner. Our willingness to be flexible is needed to follow God.
I have been learning the challenges of change recently. I have been hunting with a bow for over 25 years. For the last 12 years I have been shooting a Long Bow (which is what the Native Americans used---basically it is a stick and a string). This year I have gone back to a compound bow (which is a modern bow with cables and pulleys and sights, etc) The big change though, is that this year for the first time ever I will be shooting left-handed. I am right-handed, so this has presented a host of difficulties. It is a challenging change, but I have been able to adapt. And I am pretty confident if a deer gets within 25 yards of me, I can make the shot.
Has this been easy? No. It has been pretty difficult, but I believe it will pay off. (I'll let you know)
In a church setting there is often change. Change is not something we should fear, but rather something that we should embrace. no matter how difficult!
I am thankful at Foothills we have a culture of change. Over the years there have been tons of changes, and there will be many more!

we always find time to do what we want to

I have a motto; We always find the time to do what we want to do. That is a fact.
Isn't it amazing that when my wife wants me to take the trash out, that I can't seem to find the time, but when a friend calls with an invitation to go fishing, miraculously my schedule always seems to have an opening?
I have some friends that have been inviting me to play basketball with them. I would honestly LOVE to play, but there's just one small problem. They play at 6:00AM!! On top of that, I live nearly half an hour from the gym, which means I would have to leave my house at 5:30AM.
For some reason, I just can't seem to be able to make that happen. (hunting season starts very soon. I will be able to find the time to be sitting in my deer stand by 6:00am-----go figure!)
There are many things like that; We wouldn't mind doing them, we see the benefit in doing them, but basically it takes just a little more effort than we're willing to give.
Spiritually speaking many times I am the same way. There are many things that I SHOULD be doing for the Lord, but I just don't seem to find the time to do them. And I have plenty of reasons or excuses why. Can you relate?
There is one word for this: PRIORITIES
Sometimes I just need to re-evaluate my priorities. Our priority list should be something like this: 1. God 2. My wife 3. My kids, and somewhere (much farther down the list) should be work.
How are you doing with your priorities?
What do you need to find the time to do today?

another great day!

Yesterday at Foothills Community Church we had an historic day.
The day started off with three incredible worship services and then it was topped off with a Baptism party where we baptized 29 more people! It was the first time ever that we baptized over 200 people in a year!! (202 is the total)
I am still trying to process this. There are times when God moves in such an amazing way that the only response is AWE. That's how I feel right now.
But here is the best part----- We have only just begun!!
There are thousands of more people we will reach with the most incredible story ever told---The Good News of Jesus Christ.
Get ready because our best days are still ahead.

why we do what we do

Yesterday afternoon I was moving some things on my desk when I came upon a DVD from a Baptism Party from June. It just so happened that my family had to be out of town that weekend, so we missed the baptisms. I put the DVD in my computer and watched. I was moved to tears. I watched as person after person went under the water. It had a slow motion effect so I could see the people's expressions as they came up out of the water. It was absolutely incredible! Many of the faces I didn't even recognize, but God knew each and every one of them.
As I was watching, many thoughts rushed through my mind. When my wife and I started Foothills Community Church 9 years ago, we didn't know any of these people. We had no way of fathoming the amazing things God was going to do in the future.
I thought about the people being baptized. I wondered about their stories; about their lives to this point, and how God had this wonderful plan for them.
I thought about all the prayers of family members and friends that were prayed for these people, and now those prayers were coming to fruition.
I also thought about all the people we have not reached yet. The thousands of people in Oconee county and beyond that we would be priveliged to baptize in the years ahead.

Foothills family, we have been given an unbelievable opportunity to reach our friends and family for Christ. Keep inviting them to church, keep praying for their salvation.

This Sunday afternoon, we get to see more people baptized. maybe you are a person who needs to be baptized. Maybe you have invited Christ into your life, but have not taken that next step of obedience---Baptism. You can do that this Sunday.

At 4:00 pm we will be having a huge baptism party at Biggerstaff retreat center (if you don't know where it is, call the office, we'll send you directions). Come out and support those that we will be baptizing. Come and be inspired.

One last thing. I'm not sure if you realize it or not, but we have baptized 173 people already this year!!! Most likely when it's all said and done, we will baptize over 200 people this year. Let that sink in for a a moment. Is that incredible or what?

I'm tired!

I'm tired! But I know I'm not alone. There are at least 84,000 other people who are dragging this morning. That's how many were at Death Valley last night. By the time I got home from the Clemson vs FSU game it was 1:00 am. The good news is that they won. It would have been alot more difficult to get out of bed if Clemson would have lost.
It was a great game. In the first half, Clemson had their way with FSU. The second half wasn't quite as dominating. (We almost gave the game away)
So it's back to work. No time to waste, it's a short week because of labor Day.
Don't forget that this Sunday at 4:00pm we will be having a Baptism Party at Biggerstaff Retreat Center on Lake Keowee. There will be The big inflatable games for the kids, food, and lots of fun. We are praying that we have many more people who are baptized. This will be your last opportunity of the summer. If you haven't signed up to be baptized, it's not too late!
Because of the Baptism Party, we will NOT be having our 6:00pm service this Sunday, so plan to attend one of the other three.