Very powerful day at Foothills Community Church yesterday.
** We baptized 35 more people! (Toccoa campus will be doing baptisms THIS Sunday!)
** Had another 12 salvations! God is up to something huge.
** The band brought the heat. It was good to have David Odom back in town.
** Kylie Ayres knocked the feature song out of the park. (Where has that girl been hiding!)
** I couldn't help but notice the wide variety of ages of the people being baptized---very cool!
** We have a steady stream of children being baptized. That is a sign of an effective children's ministry!
** Tons of youth being baptized too. Another sign of an effective youth ministry!
** The tech team was scrambling yesterday morning before the services trying to reprogram things that were affected by a thunderstorm on Saturday. Props to them.
** There will be a Get In The Game class this Sunday at the Seneca campus at 9:30am. If you would like to know more about Foothills, or are considering joining, this is your next step.
** I'm so thankful for all of our volunteers at Foothills. We could not do it without you! Thank you for doing what you do.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
This Sunday--Baptisms!
This Sunday is Baptism day at Foothills Community Church Seneca campus (July 4th at our Toccoa campus). I never get tired of these days. You may wonder why?, Here are a few reasons:
1) Baptisms are to a church, what a goal is to a soccer team (unfortunately goals are rare in soccer :-)) It is a very big deal, and we celebrate baptisms.
2) It is an outward expression of an inward decision (like wearing a wedding ring)
3) It unifies the church. It keeps the main thing, the main thing.
4) It is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord.
5) It is a symbol that someone who was lost is now found. That someone who was dead is now alive!
6) It is an indicator that the church is doing what they have been called to do.
7) It is a chance to party with all of heaven. Lk 15:8-10
Here's the deal---If you have given your life to Jesus Christ and have not been baptized, then plan on coming to Foothills this Sunday at 9:30am or 11:15am and be prepared to take the plunge!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday review
Had a lot of fun celebrating Father's Day at Foothills Community Church yesterday.
** The band kicked things off with Simple Man. Yes, in the 11:15am service I saw some lighters held up after they finished!
** Had a little friendly competition with some men in each service. We did a push-up contest. They were competing for Home Depot gift cards.
** Since school let out the attendance in the 9:30am service is larger than the 11:15am service.
** Mother's Day is always a high attendance for us, but Father's day is a low attendance. What's up with that Dads?
** At the end of the service we asked all Dads that wanted to commit to becoming Real Men of God to stand up for prayer. It was a very powerful time.
** Most men want to lead their families well and finish strong, unfortunately many won't because they get detoured.
** Yes, It is true that I had a stand-off with a skunk.
** No, I will not do my Rocky Balboa impression again. Nor will I do my Adrienne impression either, so don't ask :-)
** In the 11:15am service I totally forgot the punchline to the Chuck Norris joke. For all that were wondering.... Chuck Norris doesn't lick his postage stamps, he just looks at them and they wet themselves!
** We had 15 more people give their lives to Jesus yesterday!! God is doing some ridiculous things at Foothills!
** Our giving is down for the summer, because people are taking their vacations, and attendance is sporadic. If you have not signed up for online giving, why not consider it? It will help you to give more consistently.
** Next Sunday we will be celebrating baptism. If you are a Christ-follower and have not been baptized, what are you waiting for?
** I have heard that our students are having a great time at Bigstuf camp in Pananma City, and best of all----no tar!
** In other news.... our middle school Pastor, Tim Wadsworth's picture was in the paper this weekend with a fish that he had caught. The caption mentioned that it was an 8lb. striper. Tim has the makings of a great fisherman, he already has the exaggeration part down pat. I was with him when he caught it. It was maybe 4lbs. on a good day. In fact I took a video of it. you can watch it here.
** The band kicked things off with Simple Man. Yes, in the 11:15am service I saw some lighters held up after they finished!
** Had a little friendly competition with some men in each service. We did a push-up contest. They were competing for Home Depot gift cards.
** Since school let out the attendance in the 9:30am service is larger than the 11:15am service.
** Mother's Day is always a high attendance for us, but Father's day is a low attendance. What's up with that Dads?
** At the end of the service we asked all Dads that wanted to commit to becoming Real Men of God to stand up for prayer. It was a very powerful time.
** Most men want to lead their families well and finish strong, unfortunately many won't because they get detoured.
** Yes, It is true that I had a stand-off with a skunk.
** No, I will not do my Rocky Balboa impression again. Nor will I do my Adrienne impression either, so don't ask :-)
** In the 11:15am service I totally forgot the punchline to the Chuck Norris joke. For all that were wondering.... Chuck Norris doesn't lick his postage stamps, he just looks at them and they wet themselves!
** We had 15 more people give their lives to Jesus yesterday!! God is doing some ridiculous things at Foothills!
** Our giving is down for the summer, because people are taking their vacations, and attendance is sporadic. If you have not signed up for online giving, why not consider it? It will help you to give more consistently.
** Next Sunday we will be celebrating baptism. If you are a Christ-follower and have not been baptized, what are you waiting for?
** I have heard that our students are having a great time at Bigstuf camp in Pananma City, and best of all----no tar!
** In other news.... our middle school Pastor, Tim Wadsworth's picture was in the paper this weekend with a fish that he had caught. The caption mentioned that it was an 8lb. striper. Tim has the makings of a great fisherman, he already has the exaggeration part down pat. I was with him when he caught it. It was maybe 4lbs. on a good day. In fact I took a video of it. you can watch it here.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday thoughts
Had a busy week, but I'm looking forward to this Sunday----Father's day!
** Did a memorial service for a 21 year old young man this week. It is always difficult to see young people pass away at such an early age. Fortunately he was a Christ-follower, so it was a great opportunity to share the gospel.
** Got a chance to shoot my bow a little bit this morning. just 3 months until archery season. I'm totally pumped about that!
** Had fun yesterday evening, with my wife and 4 year old grand daughter catching fireflies. There were tons of them out last night. The only problem is that she won't let them go, so we still have them.
** My son Cole headed out this morning with a bunch of other teenagers from Foothills to head to Bigstuf camp in Panama City, FL. This will be his last year going because he graduated high school. I believe he has gone every year since middle school. I'm praying that Jesus would do amazing things in all of the kids lives.
** Looking forward to Father's Day at Foothills Community Church. We've got some fun stuff planned, and will be giving something to each dad that comes. Trust me, it's something that every dad will enjoy!
** Did a memorial service for a 21 year old young man this week. It is always difficult to see young people pass away at such an early age. Fortunately he was a Christ-follower, so it was a great opportunity to share the gospel.
** Got a chance to shoot my bow a little bit this morning. just 3 months until archery season. I'm totally pumped about that!
** Had fun yesterday evening, with my wife and 4 year old grand daughter catching fireflies. There were tons of them out last night. The only problem is that she won't let them go, so we still have them.
** My son Cole headed out this morning with a bunch of other teenagers from Foothills to head to Bigstuf camp in Panama City, FL. This will be his last year going because he graduated high school. I believe he has gone every year since middle school. I'm praying that Jesus would do amazing things in all of the kids lives.
** Looking forward to Father's Day at Foothills Community Church. We've got some fun stuff planned, and will be giving something to each dad that comes. Trust me, it's something that every dad will enjoy!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Questions Uncensored 2
You may remember back in May of 2009 we did a series called Questions Uncensored, and it was the most popular series we have probably ever done.
Well, I am excited to announce that in August we will be doing a series called, Questions Uncensored 2, and I need your help. I need you to go to this website and submit your questions that you have about God, the Bible, Church, life----whatever. These are the type of questions that you've had for a long time, but didn't know who to ask.
This is a video from last year's # 1 question that was sent in, Can A Christian Drink Alcohol?
Well, I am excited to announce that in August we will be doing a series called, Questions Uncensored 2, and I need your help. I need you to go to this website and submit your questions that you have about God, the Bible, Church, life----whatever. These are the type of questions that you've had for a long time, but didn't know who to ask.
This is a video from last year's # 1 question that was sent in, Can A Christian Drink Alcohol?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
sunday review
Another great day at Foothills Community Church!
** God continues to blow me away. We had people saved again at both campuses!
** Week #2 of combined worship teams for both services= AWESOME!
** SonSports starts tomorrow. If you have a child, get them there. They will love it.
** I talked about "godliness" today, from 1 Timothy 4. Godliness is a very misunderstood thing, but we are told to live godly lives, which means we're to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
** Got a chance to do some fishing Friday. It felt good to be on the water, and it was a bonus to catch some fish!
** Father's day is next Sunday. Make sure to bring your Dad to church with you. We're going to have some fun!
** God continues to blow me away. We had people saved again at both campuses!
** Week #2 of combined worship teams for both services= AWESOME!
** SonSports starts tomorrow. If you have a child, get them there. They will love it.
** I talked about "godliness" today, from 1 Timothy 4. Godliness is a very misunderstood thing, but we are told to live godly lives, which means we're to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
** Got a chance to do some fishing Friday. It felt good to be on the water, and it was a bonus to catch some fish!
** Father's day is next Sunday. Make sure to bring your Dad to church with you. We're going to have some fun!
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
It's officially summer
I love summer. I love the warm weather and the relaxed attitude of summer.
I am a firm believer that everyone should take time off and relax, but one of the things that I see as a Pastor is that there is a tendency for people to take the summer off, when it comes to things like serving and giving.
Churches are able to function because of people who volunteer their time and give of their finances. So here are a couple of suggestions:
1) When you are not out of town, make sure to not only attend church, but to serve on a ministry team. There are hundreds of people that serve at Foothills Community Church on a weekly basis---BUT there is always a need for more people to get involved.
2) Just like in your personal budget, the church has financial needs 12 months a year, so if you are going to be out of town on a weekend, please remain faithful in your giving. A lot of people are discovering the convenience of online giving. Here is a link to make it easy for you.
3) Keep inviting your friends. Historically we add a lot of new people during the summer. One thing I can promise you is that our Sunday morning services will be approached with the same level of enthusiasm and creativity as any other time of the year, so don't worry about that!
I am praying for all of you to have a safe and wonderful summer. Thank you to all of you that are part of Foothills. We could not do what we do without you!
I am a firm believer that everyone should take time off and relax, but one of the things that I see as a Pastor is that there is a tendency for people to take the summer off, when it comes to things like serving and giving.
Churches are able to function because of people who volunteer their time and give of their finances. So here are a couple of suggestions:
1) When you are not out of town, make sure to not only attend church, but to serve on a ministry team. There are hundreds of people that serve at Foothills Community Church on a weekly basis---BUT there is always a need for more people to get involved.
2) Just like in your personal budget, the church has financial needs 12 months a year, so if you are going to be out of town on a weekend, please remain faithful in your giving. A lot of people are discovering the convenience of online giving. Here is a link to make it easy for you.
3) Keep inviting your friends. Historically we add a lot of new people during the summer. One thing I can promise you is that our Sunday morning services will be approached with the same level of enthusiasm and creativity as any other time of the year, so don't worry about that!
I am praying for all of you to have a safe and wonderful summer. Thank you to all of you that are part of Foothills. We could not do what we do without you!
Monday, June 07, 2010
What a weekend!
This was one of the busiest, but most enjoyable weekends for me in a long time. I got to see my son, Cole graduate from High School. I also got to spend time with my parents and in-laws, and my softball team won the tournament and kept our undefeated record intact.
On top of all of that, our services at Foothills Community Church were probably in the top 10 services of all time. Here are few things that stood out for me:
** We had 33 people give their lives to Jesus at our Seneca campus!
** The message was called "One Way". We talked about the way to get to Heaven-- Jesus.
** God's not trying to keep you out of Heaven, He's trying to get you in!
** I am thankful that God took the guesswork and confusion out of how you get to Heaven by giving us one way. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me".
** The energy was unbelievable. People were singing louder than I've ever heard them sing.
** We combined worship teams, and both David Odom and Eric Peters led worship. We also had a mini-choir which really enhanced things. Plus we had more instruments than usual. I think everyone really loved that as well.
** Attendance was way off (I think everyone took a vacation as soon as the kids got out of school for the summer!), but it didn't stop the excitement.
** This was the first time we did our announcements via video in the 5 minute countdown. I had people coming up to me asking why we didn't have announcements. I told them you need to be in your seats a little earlier from now on!
** We also moved the offering up in the service (which was mentioned in the pre-service announcement video that everyone missed), so many people didn't have their offerings ready. (Don't worry, if you missed the buckets being passed, we will still accept your offerings this Sunday :-)
** I am really loving the series on the book of 1 Timothy. Very practical stuff.
** I am already looking forward to this Sunday!
On top of all of that, our services at Foothills Community Church were probably in the top 10 services of all time. Here are few things that stood out for me:
** We had 33 people give their lives to Jesus at our Seneca campus!
** The message was called "One Way". We talked about the way to get to Heaven-- Jesus.
** God's not trying to keep you out of Heaven, He's trying to get you in!
** I am thankful that God took the guesswork and confusion out of how you get to Heaven by giving us one way. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me".
** The energy was unbelievable. People were singing louder than I've ever heard them sing.
** We combined worship teams, and both David Odom and Eric Peters led worship. We also had a mini-choir which really enhanced things. Plus we had more instruments than usual. I think everyone really loved that as well.
** Attendance was way off (I think everyone took a vacation as soon as the kids got out of school for the summer!), but it didn't stop the excitement.
** This was the first time we did our announcements via video in the 5 minute countdown. I had people coming up to me asking why we didn't have announcements. I told them you need to be in your seats a little earlier from now on!
** We also moved the offering up in the service (which was mentioned in the pre-service announcement video that everyone missed), so many people didn't have their offerings ready. (Don't worry, if you missed the buckets being passed, we will still accept your offerings this Sunday :-)
** I am really loving the series on the book of 1 Timothy. Very practical stuff.
** I am already looking forward to this Sunday!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
busy weekend
What an exciting weekend I've got planned.
Both my parents and my in-laws will be staying with us to celebrate my son, Cole's graduation from High School.
I have a softball tournament and then on Sunday we have some incredible services planned at Foothills Community Church!
You do not want to miss Sunday at FCC. The band has got some cool things planned. The praise choir will be up on stage too. The message is going to be a clear presentation of the gospel, so bring your friends that do not know Jesus with you!
Both my parents and my in-laws will be staying with us to celebrate my son, Cole's graduation from High School.
I have a softball tournament and then on Sunday we have some incredible services planned at Foothills Community Church!
You do not want to miss Sunday at FCC. The band has got some cool things planned. The praise choir will be up on stage too. The message is going to be a clear presentation of the gospel, so bring your friends that do not know Jesus with you!
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Sunday review
We had a great day at Foothills this past Sunday.
I was there, but didn't preach, so that was different.
Brian Rhodes, one of our High school Pastor filled in and did a great job. He is really developing as a speaker. I have never used many speakers from outside of our church, because I think it is very healthy for a church to hear from some of the other Pastors once in a while. I also believe that another benefit is that it gives some experience to some of the younger people.
I take very seriously the honor of preaching and I convey to anyone who steps on the stage to bring the message, that they need to do the same.
Right now I am working with our middle school Pastor, Tim Wadsworth for a message he will be doing this summer. He speaks to our students, but has never had the opportunity to speak in front of the entire congregation. If you were to ask him, he would tell you that there are a million hoops that I have him jumping through right now in preparation for that Sunday. I want to set him up for success, so I am challenging him on many levels.
My goal is to speak around 40 Sundays per year. Taking a Sunday off now and then or a couple of Sundays in a row helps keep me sane and creative. It also allows me to work farther ahead, and as I mentioned before, it is good for our congregation to hear from other people.
My goal is for the congregation to not be dependent on me. I have seen many churches built around the personality of the Pastor. I pray that would never be the case at Foothills Community Church.
By the way, I will be continuing the Walk This Way series this Sunday. If you know someone that is not a Christ-follower, get them here this Sunday!!
I was there, but didn't preach, so that was different.
Brian Rhodes, one of our High school Pastor filled in and did a great job. He is really developing as a speaker. I have never used many speakers from outside of our church, because I think it is very healthy for a church to hear from some of the other Pastors once in a while. I also believe that another benefit is that it gives some experience to some of the younger people.
I take very seriously the honor of preaching and I convey to anyone who steps on the stage to bring the message, that they need to do the same.
Right now I am working with our middle school Pastor, Tim Wadsworth for a message he will be doing this summer. He speaks to our students, but has never had the opportunity to speak in front of the entire congregation. If you were to ask him, he would tell you that there are a million hoops that I have him jumping through right now in preparation for that Sunday. I want to set him up for success, so I am challenging him on many levels.
My goal is to speak around 40 Sundays per year. Taking a Sunday off now and then or a couple of Sundays in a row helps keep me sane and creative. It also allows me to work farther ahead, and as I mentioned before, it is good for our congregation to hear from other people.
My goal is for the congregation to not be dependent on me. I have seen many churches built around the personality of the Pastor. I pray that would never be the case at Foothills Community Church.
By the way, I will be continuing the Walk This Way series this Sunday. If you know someone that is not a Christ-follower, get them here this Sunday!!
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