Sunday was when of the best days we have ever had at Foothills. It was awesome.
* There is such a buzz around the campus on Sunday mornings, it's almost tangible. It seems like no one wants to leave after the service. They just hang out with friends. I love that!
* We have come out of the summer with a huge momentum wave. We are seeing people commit their lives to Jesus every week. The attendance has increased by nearly 350 people in the last 4 weeks!
* Our Toccoa campus is exploding right now. They are having record numbers of first-time guests, and overall attendance is growing rapidly!
* At both of our campuses we have tons of people signing up for our new semester of LIFE groups. Kelly Ross is knocking it out of the park getting people connected.
* At our Seneca campus our worship team did an arrangement of In Christ Alone that just about blew the roof off of the building---Amazing!
* We dealt with a very difficult topic, betrayal. All of us at some point in life are victims of betrayal, so how we deal with it is crucial to our overall spiritual health.
* I am very excited about something we are planning on doing on September 11th, to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.
* College football is almost here. Bring it on!
* This Sunday is going to be incredible. I will be talking about how to break free from the things that hold us captive in our lives.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sunday review
Wow, What a great day we had on Sunday at Foothills! You can tell that people are getting back into a normal pattern after a long summer.
* We had the 3rd most first-time guests of the year. Thank you to all of you that keep inviting your friends. You are making a difference.
* Kidzone was rocking with tons of children. If you happened to notice people walking around the concourse dressed like a clown or in other circus related costumes, don't worry, they are actors from Planet Kidz!
* I am so proud of all of you that are participating in our Project Reach opportunities. We had sign-ups for helping with 3 local ministry projects and we not only filled them up, but had an overflow!
* We started a new series Sunday on the life of Jacob. We talked about the importance of waiting on God. As an impatient person, I really needed that one. This Sunday we will be talking about dealing with the pain of betrayal. If you have ever had someone hurt you, stab you in the back or betray you in some way, you NEED to be there. And keep inviting everyone you see.
* I am very excited about our next Get In The Game class. This is a class where you will learn more about who Foothills really is. At the end of the class you will be given the opportunity to join Foothills as well. The next class will be on Sunday September 11th from 12:30-2:30pm. It will be held in the Venue auditorium in Foothills south. We will be serving lunch first in the small auditorium (adjacent to the Venue). Childcare will also be provided. You will also get a chance to meet most of our staff too. It is going to be a blast! You can sign-up online here.
* Mark your calendars for October 2nd. We are going to start a new series on the Family that day, and here's what I am asking you to do. INVITE, INVITE, INVITE!!
It will be a day to remember. We will have one of the most amazing services on Sunday morning, and then later that afternoon we will be inviting everyone back for a HUGE party. There will be tons of inflatable rides for the kids, free food, a concert, and BAPTISMS. You will be hearing a lot more about this, but make sure you set aside that day on your calendars.
* We had the 3rd most first-time guests of the year. Thank you to all of you that keep inviting your friends. You are making a difference.
* Kidzone was rocking with tons of children. If you happened to notice people walking around the concourse dressed like a clown or in other circus related costumes, don't worry, they are actors from Planet Kidz!
* I am so proud of all of you that are participating in our Project Reach opportunities. We had sign-ups for helping with 3 local ministry projects and we not only filled them up, but had an overflow!
* We started a new series Sunday on the life of Jacob. We talked about the importance of waiting on God. As an impatient person, I really needed that one. This Sunday we will be talking about dealing with the pain of betrayal. If you have ever had someone hurt you, stab you in the back or betray you in some way, you NEED to be there. And keep inviting everyone you see.
* I am very excited about our next Get In The Game class. This is a class where you will learn more about who Foothills really is. At the end of the class you will be given the opportunity to join Foothills as well. The next class will be on Sunday September 11th from 12:30-2:30pm. It will be held in the Venue auditorium in Foothills south. We will be serving lunch first in the small auditorium (adjacent to the Venue). Childcare will also be provided. You will also get a chance to meet most of our staff too. It is going to be a blast! You can sign-up online here.
* Mark your calendars for October 2nd. We are going to start a new series on the Family that day, and here's what I am asking you to do. INVITE, INVITE, INVITE!!
It will be a day to remember. We will have one of the most amazing services on Sunday morning, and then later that afternoon we will be inviting everyone back for a HUGE party. There will be tons of inflatable rides for the kids, free food, a concert, and BAPTISMS. You will be hearing a lot more about this, but make sure you set aside that day on your calendars.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Sunday review
Here's a late Sunday review, but you know what they say... better late than never.
* Wrapped up the Awakening series. I loved the series. It was a bit convicting, and uncomfortable for me and many of you, but God uses that to grow us.
* Attendance is already starting to come back to some sense of normalcy. This Sunday will be the first weekend where pretty much everyone should be back from vacation.
* I love all the Dream Team volunteers that make Foothills what it is. You all are the most committed, passionate people I know.
* It was great having David Odom back leading worship this Sunday.
* I am so pumped about all the things that God is doing at Foothills right now. The momentum is building.
* Through a lot of prayer the Lord has given me direction for what the next 7-8 months will look like at Foothills. We are expecting huge things. I will be sharing these things in the coming weeks.
* I can't wait for this Sunday. We're starting our new series called, Stranger Than Fiction. We're going to look at the life of the Old Testament character, Jacob.
* I am asking all of you to get out and Invite, invite, invite! Let's pack the place out. This series will be life-changing!
* Had a great conversation last week about Foothills with a guy that I met. The more I talked about Foothills, the more excited I became. I love this place. By the time the conversation was over all he kept saying was, "I wish I lived closer to your church" (He lives over an hour away)
* I am so proud of the teenagers at Foothills. Last Wednesday 3 more gave their lives to Jesus and 14 more were baptized. I am praying that they rock Oconee County for Christ as they head back to their schools. They are kicking off a brand new series this week too.
* Our Toccoa campus is geared up for a huge Fall. Campus Pastor, Brian Marshall and Worship Pastor, Kevin Robison have been prepping for big things!
* Wrapped up the Awakening series. I loved the series. It was a bit convicting, and uncomfortable for me and many of you, but God uses that to grow us.
* Attendance is already starting to come back to some sense of normalcy. This Sunday will be the first weekend where pretty much everyone should be back from vacation.
* I love all the Dream Team volunteers that make Foothills what it is. You all are the most committed, passionate people I know.
* It was great having David Odom back leading worship this Sunday.
* I am so pumped about all the things that God is doing at Foothills right now. The momentum is building.
* Through a lot of prayer the Lord has given me direction for what the next 7-8 months will look like at Foothills. We are expecting huge things. I will be sharing these things in the coming weeks.
* I can't wait for this Sunday. We're starting our new series called, Stranger Than Fiction. We're going to look at the life of the Old Testament character, Jacob.
* I am asking all of you to get out and Invite, invite, invite! Let's pack the place out. This series will be life-changing!
* Had a great conversation last week about Foothills with a guy that I met. The more I talked about Foothills, the more excited I became. I love this place. By the time the conversation was over all he kept saying was, "I wish I lived closer to your church" (He lives over an hour away)
* I am so proud of the teenagers at Foothills. Last Wednesday 3 more gave their lives to Jesus and 14 more were baptized. I am praying that they rock Oconee County for Christ as they head back to their schools. They are kicking off a brand new series this week too.
* Our Toccoa campus is geared up for a huge Fall. Campus Pastor, Brian Marshall and Worship Pastor, Kevin Robison have been prepping for big things!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
What will it take?
I have been working on some 6 month goals that I will be sharing with my staff. I am so excited about what God has laid on my heart about the next year at Foothills Community Church.
Along with those goals I listed 5 things that we must do to accomplish these goals. Keep in mind that these same 5 things are necessary for any endeavor to really work.
#1. PRAYER. Once God gives you direction the first and most important element is prayer. Not just a quick, "God bless this endeavor." but a prayer that begs God to step in or there will be complete and utter failure. Once our staff hears the goals it will take all of us every day voicing these prayers to our lord.
#2. PLANNING. The next phase is developing a plan to carry out the mission. Putting this in Football terms, this is where the game plan is put into place. It's not enough to say, we want to win the Superbowl. You need to develop a strategy to pull it off. In the Planning phase we begin to develop goals for each individual ministry, set time-lines, and necessary milestones.
#3. PREPARATION. This is the phase where things really start to get interesting (and sometimes a little hectic!) This when we look at systems, structures, developing leaders for the next wave of growth, making sure you have the infrastructure to handle the growth, etc.
#4. PROMOTION. This is where the vision becomes very public. You do whatever level of promotion is necessary. In the case of some of the things we will be doing, we will need total buy-in from our church. They will be the people who do the bulk of the promotion. We will also utilize other means such as marketing.
#5. PERSPIRATION. This the phase when it takes a "whatever it takes" get your hands dirty attitude. Everyone owns the mission, and everyone does their part. This is the part that will either make or break the entire deal.
Well, there you have it, 5 things to do to help your event succeed.
Along with those goals I listed 5 things that we must do to accomplish these goals. Keep in mind that these same 5 things are necessary for any endeavor to really work.
#1. PRAYER. Once God gives you direction the first and most important element is prayer. Not just a quick, "God bless this endeavor." but a prayer that begs God to step in or there will be complete and utter failure. Once our staff hears the goals it will take all of us every day voicing these prayers to our lord.
#2. PLANNING. The next phase is developing a plan to carry out the mission. Putting this in Football terms, this is where the game plan is put into place. It's not enough to say, we want to win the Superbowl. You need to develop a strategy to pull it off. In the Planning phase we begin to develop goals for each individual ministry, set time-lines, and necessary milestones.
#3. PREPARATION. This is the phase where things really start to get interesting (and sometimes a little hectic!) This when we look at systems, structures, developing leaders for the next wave of growth, making sure you have the infrastructure to handle the growth, etc.
#4. PROMOTION. This is where the vision becomes very public. You do whatever level of promotion is necessary. In the case of some of the things we will be doing, we will need total buy-in from our church. They will be the people who do the bulk of the promotion. We will also utilize other means such as marketing.
#5. PERSPIRATION. This the phase when it takes a "whatever it takes" get your hands dirty attitude. Everyone owns the mission, and everyone does their part. This is the part that will either make or break the entire deal.
Well, there you have it, 5 things to do to help your event succeed.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Sunday review
We had a solid day at Foothills Community Church yesterday. We began our second week of the Awakening series with a message from the book of Jonah. To be honest, there are some messages that are fun to preach.... this was NOT one of them! It was pretty intense, but that's OK.
* Adam Courtney was our guest worship leader. He did an awesome job. He leads a band called The Less Adam has led worship several times at our Toccoa campus
* Spiritual awakening doesn't come without a price.
* I mentioned that my brother was an extra in this great film classic!
* This Sunday has the potential to be so life-changing. You do not want to miss it.
* This morning (Monday), instead of our regular weekly staff meeting, all of the staff went bowling and then to lunch. It was so much fun. We are so blessed to have the most incredible staff in the world!
* On September 11th we will be having our next Get In The Game at Foothills. If you've ever considered becoming a member, or wanted to know more about the church, you need to sign-up. We will be doing it a little different (but better). It will be held after the 11:15am service on September 11th from 12:30 until around 2:30pm. We will serve lunch and provide childcare. All of our staff will be there to answer questions or to just get to know. You must RSVP so we will know how much food to have.
* Football season is right around the corner. I can't wait. I love college football!
* Speaking of football, Foothills flag football league is about to start. Sign-up today!
* Adam Courtney was our guest worship leader. He did an awesome job. He leads a band called The Less Adam has led worship several times at our Toccoa campus
* Spiritual awakening doesn't come without a price.
* I mentioned that my brother was an extra in this great film classic!
* This Sunday has the potential to be so life-changing. You do not want to miss it.
* This morning (Monday), instead of our regular weekly staff meeting, all of the staff went bowling and then to lunch. It was so much fun. We are so blessed to have the most incredible staff in the world!
* On September 11th we will be having our next Get In The Game at Foothills. If you've ever considered becoming a member, or wanted to know more about the church, you need to sign-up. We will be doing it a little different (but better). It will be held after the 11:15am service on September 11th from 12:30 until around 2:30pm. We will serve lunch and provide childcare. All of our staff will be there to answer questions or to just get to know. You must RSVP so we will know how much food to have.
* Football season is right around the corner. I can't wait. I love college football!
* Speaking of football, Foothills flag football league is about to start. Sign-up today!
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
incredible weekend
It was great being back delivering the message this past Sunday. I have really missed Foothills Community Church. I was reminded again just how blessed we are as a church.
God has blessed our church with an incredible staff and volunteers.
* We began our new series called Awakening. It is going to be life-changing. The scripture was from Ezekiel 37. It is a story about a valley of dry bones becoming a great army. I think all of us can relate to the dry bones. There are times in my life when I get that way spiritually. Fortunately God can breathe the breath of life back into us.
* The music was unbelievable. It really was. David Odom is an incredible worship leader. We also had Joy Honeycutt with us again, as well as our praise choir. Fabulous.
* It is great to be able to take a vacation and not worry about anything. Thanks again to Tim Wadsworth, Brian Rhodes and Daniel Lucas for preaching in my absence. I have heard nothing but good things about their messages!
* We are gearing up for a new series we will begin on August 21st. That is going to be a huge weekend. School will be back in and summer will be over (sort of), so most people will be back to a more normal routine. This will be a perfect time to invite your friends to come with you. The series will be on the life of the biblical character, Jacob. If you think you're life is full of drama, just wait until you hear about his!!
* I miss waking up at 4:30am to go fishing (that was pretty much our routine for 3 weeks). I know that sounds weird if you're not a fisherman, but if you are, you understand.
* On a separate note. I am currently looking for an executive assistant to work at Foothills. As most of you know, my former assistant, Michelle Rhodes, and her husband Brian had a baby, so she is a bit busy right now :) This is a full time position that will take someone who has experience. You can email the church office for more info. office@foothills.cc
God has blessed our church with an incredible staff and volunteers.
* We began our new series called Awakening. It is going to be life-changing. The scripture was from Ezekiel 37. It is a story about a valley of dry bones becoming a great army. I think all of us can relate to the dry bones. There are times in my life when I get that way spiritually. Fortunately God can breathe the breath of life back into us.
* The music was unbelievable. It really was. David Odom is an incredible worship leader. We also had Joy Honeycutt with us again, as well as our praise choir. Fabulous.
* It is great to be able to take a vacation and not worry about anything. Thanks again to Tim Wadsworth, Brian Rhodes and Daniel Lucas for preaching in my absence. I have heard nothing but good things about their messages!
* We are gearing up for a new series we will begin on August 21st. That is going to be a huge weekend. School will be back in and summer will be over (sort of), so most people will be back to a more normal routine. This will be a perfect time to invite your friends to come with you. The series will be on the life of the biblical character, Jacob. If you think you're life is full of drama, just wait until you hear about his!!
* I miss waking up at 4:30am to go fishing (that was pretty much our routine for 3 weeks). I know that sounds weird if you're not a fisherman, but if you are, you understand.
* On a separate note. I am currently looking for an executive assistant to work at Foothills. As most of you know, my former assistant, Michelle Rhodes, and her husband Brian had a baby, so she is a bit busy right now :) This is a full time position that will take someone who has experience. You can email the church office for more info. office@foothills.cc
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