sunday recap

** We had a great day at Foothills today. For a Labor Day weekend, the attendance was good.

** We baptized another 45 people today! (I never get tired of watching baptisms)

** If you want to be baptized and couldn't make it today, the next opportunity will be in November.

** Paul Carr, our Connections Pastor spoke today (I needed the break)

** People were pretty somber today after the way Clemson got spanked last night by Alabama.

** Gamecock nation was loving life though!

** Hoping to unveil our new website soon.

** Golfing with some friends tomorrow.

First Impressions

At Foothills we are huge into trying to create a positive first impression on our guests. Everything from the facility, to our greeters, to our welcome center, to the signage, and everything in between. As they say, "you only get one chance to make a first impression."

It's such a big value with us, we have a staff Pastor (Brian Marshall) who is responsible for First Impressions. Brian and his team try to make sure that guests have an enjoyable experience at Foothills.

I am excited to announce that Foothills will be hosting the guru of First Impressions, Mark Waltz, from Granger Community Church for a First Impressions workshop on November 8, 2008. (You might say Mark wrote the book on First Impressions!)

Mark was here a couple of years ago and did some training and it was phenomenal, and he and Brian have developed an on-going friendship, so we're bringing him back.

We will be opening this conference to all of our volunteers at Foothills, and also to a few other churches that want to shore-up their first impressions. We have limited room, but if you are a Lead pastor or a staff member at another church and would like bring some people to be a part of this, you can email Brian Marshall at brianmarshall@foothillscc.org and he will send you more information. I can promise you this, it will take your first impressions to another level.

Leadership

Had a chance to talk to my new friend JR Lee this morning. We are in Pastor's Coaching network together, but had not had a chance to really talk. Anyway JR and his team are making a huge impact in Acworth, Ga.
JR asked me a question about the "weight" of leadership that Lead Pastors carry. It got me thinking. There are certain things that only a Lead Pastor will be able to understand about how heavy the weight of leadership can become. There is the weight of caring for an entire congregation. The weight of responsibility of leading well. The weight of knowing that there are people whose eternities hang in the balance every week, (and you might be the last person who speaks to them about Christ) There is the weight of having to prepare a message every week. There is the weight of financial decisions that have to be made. The weight of leading a staff and the weight of trying to balance your job and family. At times it can feel overwhelming!
For the people who say, "I wonder what the Pastor does for the rest of the week?), all I can say is, you have no clue! There is no way you could unless you were the lead Pastor. (By the way, I'm not complaining -- it is what it is)
Here's the key: We aren't supposed to carry that weight by ourselves. Jesus invited us to offload that weight to Him.

I know there are many Pastors who read this blog. Let me encourage you to let Him carry some of that leadership weight!

Monday thoughts

We had a great day at Foothills yesterday! Attendance was very strong again, and there is so much momentum right now that you can feel it.
The "Bonding With James" series is hitting home with a lot of people. The feedback has been amazing.

This weekend we will be celebrating baptism in both services. If you would like to be added to the list of those who will be baptized email the office at office@foothillscc.org (we are going to be doing things a little different---it will be cool)

We are just about 5 weeks away from the opening of our Toccoa campus! (I'll do a separate post about this later in the week)

We are working on our next series called "Intervention", which will begin September 21st. It is going to be unforgettable.

College Football season kicks off this week!!

Can't wait for Sunday!

I honestly feel that way every Sunday---I can't wait!
I love hearing the stories of people who never had the slightest interest in church who now wouldn't miss church if you payed them. They rearrange their lives so they don't miss. If you were to ask them what's the best hour of your week, they would say "Sunday from 9:30am until 10:30 am, or 11:15am until 12:15pm". I think that's awesome.
Tomorrow we will be continuing our Bonding With James series, with a topic EVERYONE can relate to. (You'll have to be there to find out what it is!) See you then.

back up and running

When we moved into our new building we installed a very elaborate audio, video, and lighting system. Unfortunately we discovered that there was an oversight on some of our video equipment in relation to being able to record for the internet. So basically we were unable to capture video for the first 3 weeks. I am happy to announce that this past week's message is online!

The first part of the video was actually our welcome time when I drove on stage in the Beamer wearing the tux. Then it skips to the actual message. You can watch it here.

Baptism and LIFE groups

One of the things that I love the most about being a Pastor is seeing life change. I believe that Baptism is one of the most phenomenal outward symbols of a new life in Christ. I never get tired watching people publicly profess their faith in Christ through baptism!
If you are a Christ-follower you need to be baptized. We are having our next baptisms on August 31st at Foothills. If you would like to be a part of this email our offices at office@foothillscc.org, and register. It's going to be incredible.

Our creative team has been working hard to put together some incredible worship experiences. You definitely need to make sure that you are at our services on Sundays.

Also you might have noticed our LIFE groups display at the east end of the concourse. Our LIFE groups are a great way to connect, so be sure to stop by this Sunday and learn more! Here, here and here is a little more about the groups from our Connections Pastor Paul Carr.

Synchronized diving

I like a lot of th Olympic events, but one that I really don't care for is synchronized diving. Basically 2 people stand side by side on a diving platform and then simultaneously jump off and do identical tricks and land in the water at the exact same time. To get the highest score from the judges, not only do you have to do precisely the same moves at the same time, but you have to enter the water at the same time with minimal amount of splash.
I guess that's the part I don't really like---the minimal splash thing. I think it would be really cool if they had Olympic synchronized Cannonball or synchronized belly flop events, where the highest scores are given to the most splash. If you empty the pool, then you get an automatic "10". I would watch that for sure!
I kind of have the philosophy that in life, we need to make the biggest splash possible; empty the pool. Forget trying to make a minimal splash. Go for the gold. Take some risk. God has given us this life, and desires for us to live it to the fullest, so cannonball your way through life!

Grand opening thoughts

Well the Grand Opening of our building is now behind us. It was pretty incredible. We had a few malfunctions, like the power flickering on Saturday evening's service, which caused our lighting system to do some funky things. We also had our fire alarm trip on Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately it was before the service, not during it!

We kicked off our new series, Bonding With James (5 weeks in the book of James). The whole James Bond theme was pretty cool. I got a chance to wear a black Tux, and drive out in a BMW convertible---that was fun.

We had a strong attendance of 2,389 people (over 520 in the kid's area!)

The feedback from our guests have been amazing. One guy said that he hasn't been to church in years, but he came on Saturday night. He liked it so much that he came back on Sunday morning!

God is at work at Foothills!

Coaching Network recap

I had a phenomenal day over at Newspring for a Pastors Coaching Network that Perry is sponsoring. There are a group of extremely sharp Pastors that are a part of it. There was a great mix of guys, some are just starting out, while some of us are a little further down the road. But all of them have a heart to reach their communities for Christ.
Some of the guys I already knew, like Gary, Chris, Jeff, Jeff, and Dean, but also got a chance to meet some other guys. I'm not sure if I have everyone's blogs to link, but here are a few, Tadd, J.R., David, Clay,Daniel, and Mark

I learned a ton, and I'm looking forward to next month already!

Pics of new building

If you have never been to Foothills, these pictures should give you the feel for what's going on here.

Don't forget the Grand Opening this weekend. there will be 3 services to choose from. Saturday 6:30pm, Sunday 9:30am and 11:15am.

busy week

Lots going on this week. Here are a few things that I am doing:

* Preparing for our grand opening this weekend. It is going to be phenomenal. Our creative team has been working hard to kick off our new series, Bonding With James. Whatever you do, don't get in the auditorium late or you will regret it!


* Figuring out some details for our next baptisms on August 31st. If you are a Christ follower and have not been baptized yet this is for you. We're going to be doing baptisms a little different, which is going to be very cool!


* Looking forward to going to a Pastors Coaching Network on Thursday. It is a group of a dozen Pastors learning from each other. I love this type thing.


* Trying to finalize a meeting location for our Toccoa campus which will begin on September 28th---Yikes! A lot of closed doors so far.


* Finishing my message for Sunday



* Tons of meetings, and stuff like that.

One more side note. For those who watch or listen to our weekly messages online, you may have noticed that for the last couple of weeks there haven't been updates.
Here's the deal. With all of the stuff going on getting in the new building, we have had our attention drawn to other matters. We also found out that we did not have adequate equipment to do this properly. Hopefully we should be up and running soon.

Proud Daddy

I just read my daughter Kristen's latest blog post. She blows me away with her passion for God!

What a Day!

Yesterday's services at Foothills Community Church were unbelievable. Our worship leaders, Eric and David did an awesome job.
The message was about king Josiah who made a revolutionary spiritual change.
At the end of the service we asked people to respond to their willingness to change by filling out a card that said, "Lord empty me of_______ , so I can be filled with you." It was very moving watching all of those cards laid at the foot of the cross.

We are getting prepared for the grand opening this weekend. If you have some free time this Saturday at 9:00am, we are going to put the finishing touches on the building and could use about 100 volunteers.

It's In the Air

The excitement about our Grand opening is in the air!

I just got finished being interviewed by our local newspaper for a story that will run about Foothills (I think it will be this weekend). Every time I talk about Foothills I am amazed. I get a chance to re-live where we have been and how far God has brought us. I get re-energized about our vision to reach people who are far from God. I am also reminded that this is a "God-thing". What is happening here could not be manufactured by man.
For the record, The Grand Opening of the building will be Saturday August 16th at 6:30pm and Sunday August 17th at 9:30am and 11:15am.

Of course you don't have to wait until then to come to Foothills, because we will be wrapping up our message series, Young Guns, this Sunday (9:30am and 11:15am) in the new building.

Controversial Jesus

When you read the Gospels and follow Jesus' life you realize how controversial He really was. He turned the "religious establishment" upside-down. In spite of all of His great works, the miracles He performed, the healings, and the love He poured out, there were those who hated Him.
The most interesting thing to me is that the ones who hated Him were the "religious" ones. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat. They were blind to the great works He was doing and who He was, so they lashed out.
On the other hand the ones who loved Him most were those who were the furthest from God, the down and out of society. The ones who gravitated to Jesus were the prostitutes, the thieves, the hurting, the hopeless, the lost. In Him they found freedom and life.
If you are a leader in a church that is truly reaching out to lost and hurting people, please understand---you WILL be misunderstood. There will be those who will hate you as well (even though they don't know you!) Most likely the ones who will slander you, and lash out will be the modern day Pharisees. Don't be discouraged, you're in good company!
We made a decision when we started Foothills, that we would be a church were hurting, lost, lonely, messed-up people could find healing, hope and salvation. And we would do WHATEVER IT TOOK to reach people for Christ. Are we misunderstood sometimes? Sure. But I am willing to take that risk to help people find Christ.
Rick Warren author of the "Purpose Driven Life', and Pastor of Saddleback Church once said, "When your church is small they ignore you. When your church is growing they will criticize you, and when your church is large, they will resent you."
I am so excited about our future. I believe that we will see thousands more who will come to know Jesus Christ in the days ahead. We are committed to that cause!!

The power of a team

One of the things that I am constantly reminded of is how blessed I am to be surrounded by such a great staff team. Without a doubt we have the best collection of staff members we have ever had. There is such a great feeling knowing that you have capable, competent people around you.
When a team comes together there is synergy and cohesiveness. There is a sense that even greater things are on the horizon.
When we meet together on Mondays we go around the room and share in 3 minutes or less what God is doing in our lives and ministry area. I come away from those meetings excited about our future.
Staffing is THE most difficult thing we do. We have learned to not get in a hurry when selecting new staff members because you usually end up regretting it.
We definitely look at the 3 C's when hiring new people. Character, Competency, and Chemistry. Of these 3 Character is first, then Chemistry and then Competency. I used to underestimate the importance of Chemistry (how that person "fits" in the team and with the Foothills culture), but this one is huge.
The big thing is waiting on God's timing when looking for new staff.

Monday thoughts

Had another great Sunday at Foothills in the new building. We had a few minor technical difficulties, but overall it was awesome. A pretty good size crowd, and a ton of excitement.

I discovered that we have a ton of Clemson fans, and based on the cheers, next we have a lot of Georgia fans and very few South Carolina fans (I guess that makes sense!)

After church we went to the Atlanta airport to pick up my youngest son who was at my parents for an extended vacation in Florida. I want to officially go on record as saying I hate Atlanta traffic! We figured that on Sunday afternoon the traffic would be light. Boy were we wrong. They were re-paving I-85 and we had to merge 5 lanes down to 2. It took us about an hour to travel just a couple of miles. I'll take a small town over a big city any day. But it was great to have Cole back at home!

I've been in meetings non-stop today. That's how we roll around here on Mondays.

pumped about this Sunday

I can't wait for Sunday! We're going to talk about a topic that I think will hit home with alot of people ---Commitment.
It's something that most people shy away from. Commitment is scary. We don't like to feel obligated. That's why we have pre-nuptial agreements, and escape clauses in contracts. That's why people say, "I'll TRY to make it", instead of saying, "you can count on me." And yet commitment is one of the things that God honors in our lives.

It's going to be an awesome day at Foothills, so show up a little early and be prepared to connect with God!