I am in Florida right now on vacation. I grew up in South Florida and have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours on these beautiful beaches over the years. One thing many tourists are not aware of is that there is a subtle current that is not visible to the eye . Many people come to the beach and lay their towels, sunscreen, coolers and other beach gear on the sand and then go in for a dip in the ocean. They swim for several minutes and get out of the water and cannot find their belongings. They assume someone must have come and stolen their things while they were swimming, but what happened was that they drifted down the beach without realizing it.
As I have read the headlines over the last couple of weeks, I am reminded of a subtle current that has swept our Nation from its foundation. We have lost our moral and Biblical bearings. We have been swept downstream by the current of evil. The worst part is that we don't even realize it.
Take for instance the media firestorm over Dan Cathay, Chick-Fil-A's CEO, comments about his personal beliefs about the definition of marriage. What was it that he said that has caused this national outrage? He simply stated his position that he believed in the Biblical definition of marriage, which is one man and one woman. Yes, that's right. He had the gall to say that he believed in the sanctity of marriage.
Please bear in mind that Chick-Fil-A corporate does not discriminate in its hiring process based on sexual preference. This not about "anti" anything. This is about the support of marriage. Whether we realize it or not, we're drifting. 20 years ago, Dan Cathay would be applauded. Today he is being assaulted. America has lost its way.
The prophet Isaiah put it this way. Isa. 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and
light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Now, more than ever, mainstream America has got to stand up for what is right. This isn't a political statement (I steer clear of that) This is not a Republican/Democrat issue. This is a moral compass issue.
Hate groups are calling for a boycot of Chick-Fil-A. Mayors from some cities are making it clear that Chick-Fil-A will not be welcomed in their towns. How sad.
What can you do? Many people are planning to do show their support, on Wednesday, August 1st by participating in "Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.” This is just a way to affirm a business that operates on Christian principles.
I am thankful that I live in the greratest country in the World. I think it is our responsibility to stand for what is right, in a respectful, Christ-honoring way.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
sunday review
Awesome is the only way to describe the services at Foothills Community Church yesterday. We wrapped up what could have been the best series we have ever done. It was called Spiritual Warfare. In the series we took a close look at the tactics that Satan uses to try to destroy our lives. Yesterday we talked about how to win over temptation.
* David Odom and the worship team did such a phenomenal job of leading the congregation into the presence of God.
* Speaking of David Odom, he and Amanda are celebrating their 7th anniversary today!
* During my message I talked about fighting the temptation of the soft-serve ice cream machine on my cruise (by the way, I lost that battle, and gave into the temptation :-) ), but it was pretty ironic that we gave away free ice cream after the service! I'm pretty sure that some people thought it was a set-up, but it wasn't. It just worked out that way
* Attendance continues to increase during the summer. That is always nice.
* Our Toccoa campus had a high attendance yesterday as well!
* Looks like FCC is going to be involved in some unbelievable community service projects this fall. I'll fill you in on the details soon. But let's just say that this is HUGE!
* I am praying overtime for our Campus expansion plans. If you know of a town in GA, SC or NC that would love to have a Foothills Community Church campus, let us know. We are creating a web page that will have a lot more detail available. It should be up pretty soon.
* I'm also really pumped about a series that we will be doing this fall on the book of Acts, called "Be The Church"
* Lots of people have been handing out our new invite cards. They are great conversation starters.
* Excited for my friend Dean Herman and the church that he Pastors. They will be moving into their new building this Sunday!
* You don't want to miss FCC this weekend!
* David Odom and the worship team did such a phenomenal job of leading the congregation into the presence of God.
* Speaking of David Odom, he and Amanda are celebrating their 7th anniversary today!
* During my message I talked about fighting the temptation of the soft-serve ice cream machine on my cruise (by the way, I lost that battle, and gave into the temptation :-) ), but it was pretty ironic that we gave away free ice cream after the service! I'm pretty sure that some people thought it was a set-up, but it wasn't. It just worked out that way
* Attendance continues to increase during the summer. That is always nice.
* Our Toccoa campus had a high attendance yesterday as well!
* Looks like FCC is going to be involved in some unbelievable community service projects this fall. I'll fill you in on the details soon. But let's just say that this is HUGE!
* I am praying overtime for our Campus expansion plans. If you know of a town in GA, SC or NC that would love to have a Foothills Community Church campus, let us know. We are creating a web page that will have a lot more detail available. It should be up pretty soon.
* I'm also really pumped about a series that we will be doing this fall on the book of Acts, called "Be The Church"
* Lots of people have been handing out our new invite cards. They are great conversation starters.
* Excited for my friend Dean Herman and the church that he Pastors. They will be moving into their new building this Sunday!
* You don't want to miss FCC this weekend!
Monday, July 09, 2012
sunday review
I love the energy level at Foothills Community Church right now. Even though we are in the middle of summer, we are not experiencing the dreaded "summer slump". In fact, if anything, we are seeing summer momentum. We estimate that on any given Sunday approx. 15% of our regular attenders are on vacation, but there are a bunch of new people that are showing up and checking things out. That is awesome.
* Yesterday we continued the Spiritual Warfare series. The focus of the message was understanding the tactics that Satan uses against us. If you missed it, I shared that the tactics he uses are the exact same tactics he has always used: DISTORTION, DOUBT, DISTANCE and DECEPTION. Once we're aware of the tactics we can better defend against them.
* We will wrap up the series this Sunday with a message called, How to win over temptation. this will be the most application oriented message of the series, and you do not want to miss it!
* We had the choir back on stage. I always love that!
* I will be doing a video tomorrow where I will share a little more in-depth about our new campus expansion plan. This is going to be huge!
* I hear that the Toccoa campus is very fired-up about the possibility of having additional FCC campuses in Northeast Georgia!
* I am looking forward to the series coming up this Fall on the book of Acts called, Be The Church. I have been studying the book of Acts lately and it is packed with powerful, practical truths for the church in the 21st century.
* Mark your calendars for August 26th. I will be leading our next Get In The Game class in Seneca (Pastor Brian will be leading the class in Toccoa) If you are new to FCC, or have never gotten plugged in, this is your next step. You will learn all about Foothills vision, strategy, history and future and how you can join us on our mission. In Seneca, the class will be at 12:30pm with free lunch and childcare. Sign-up at the Link on Sunday or by checking off the box on your info card or do it online.
* Yesterday we continued the Spiritual Warfare series. The focus of the message was understanding the tactics that Satan uses against us. If you missed it, I shared that the tactics he uses are the exact same tactics he has always used: DISTORTION, DOUBT, DISTANCE and DECEPTION. Once we're aware of the tactics we can better defend against them.
* We will wrap up the series this Sunday with a message called, How to win over temptation. this will be the most application oriented message of the series, and you do not want to miss it!
* We had the choir back on stage. I always love that!
* I will be doing a video tomorrow where I will share a little more in-depth about our new campus expansion plan. This is going to be huge!
* I hear that the Toccoa campus is very fired-up about the possibility of having additional FCC campuses in Northeast Georgia!
* I am looking forward to the series coming up this Fall on the book of Acts called, Be The Church. I have been studying the book of Acts lately and it is packed with powerful, practical truths for the church in the 21st century.
* Mark your calendars for August 26th. I will be leading our next Get In The Game class in Seneca (Pastor Brian will be leading the class in Toccoa) If you are new to FCC, or have never gotten plugged in, this is your next step. You will learn all about Foothills vision, strategy, history and future and how you can join us on our mission. In Seneca, the class will be at 12:30pm with free lunch and childcare. Sign-up at the Link on Sunday or by checking off the box on your info card or do it online.
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Exciting News
If you were not at Foothills Community Church you missed one of the biggest announcements we have ever made. We unveiled our new campus expansion plan. Let me share a little more detail.
As most of you know FCC currently has 2 locations (Seneca, SC and Toccoa, GA). Over the last couple of years we have been praying for clarity on where we would add our next campus. Through that time of prayer I sensed that the Lord was leading us to do something very innovative when it comes to adding campuses.
First off, one of the things we feel strongly about is adding campuses in smaller towns. Both of our current locations are in small towns. I have always said that small towns don't lack churches, they lack choices. Although most small towns have churches that are reaching people for Christ, most don't have churches like Foothills. Please understand our goal is not to reach people who are already happily attending a church, it's to try to reach people who are un-churched or de-churched.
Our plan will be to begin a Bible study group in a living room, and grow it to the point that they would eventually hold services in a larger location (Pretty much the way that Foothills Community Church got started-- in my living room). In order for this to be successful, we need leaders who have a passion to reach their communities for Christ, and will do whatever-it-takes. As I read the book of Acts it is apparent to me that a Holy Spirit directed grass roots approach is what the early church was all about. That's exactly the model we will be using.
We know that in many of these towns we will never grow a mega-church. That is not our goal. Our goal is to be effective. To help people find and follow Jesus.
Here's some things you need to know. We are actively seeking potential leaders that could possibly become campus Pastors as well as people who would like to be a part of this movement of God. We are targeting the following locations in Georgia: Hart County, Habersham County, Rabun County, Elbert County, Franklin County, White County, Jackson County. In North Carolina: Transylvania County, Macon County, Jackson County. Of course we are also considering other areas of South Carolina as well.
Here's what I need you to do:
1. Pray. This is a God-sized vision. We cannot do it on our own. (In fact, we will only move forward as God leads. We will not "force" this to happen. If God doesn't guide, we will wait for His timing. Please pray for clarity, wisdom, the right people, for favor in these areas, and for campus pastors in these locations.
2. Get the word out. If you know people in these areas that you think would be a good fit, let us know. Maybe the Lord would call you to go to one of these areas!
3. Give. This is going to cost a lot to do right. We are committed to keeping the costs low so that we can start multiple locations, but there will be costs involved
You are probably wondering when all this will happen. It will happen in phases. A lot of things have to come together first, but I am hoping that we will be starting our next campus in late 2012 or early 2013.
As most of you know FCC currently has 2 locations (Seneca, SC and Toccoa, GA). Over the last couple of years we have been praying for clarity on where we would add our next campus. Through that time of prayer I sensed that the Lord was leading us to do something very innovative when it comes to adding campuses.
First off, one of the things we feel strongly about is adding campuses in smaller towns. Both of our current locations are in small towns. I have always said that small towns don't lack churches, they lack choices. Although most small towns have churches that are reaching people for Christ, most don't have churches like Foothills. Please understand our goal is not to reach people who are already happily attending a church, it's to try to reach people who are un-churched or de-churched.
Our plan will be to begin a Bible study group in a living room, and grow it to the point that they would eventually hold services in a larger location (Pretty much the way that Foothills Community Church got started-- in my living room). In order for this to be successful, we need leaders who have a passion to reach their communities for Christ, and will do whatever-it-takes. As I read the book of Acts it is apparent to me that a Holy Spirit directed grass roots approach is what the early church was all about. That's exactly the model we will be using.
We know that in many of these towns we will never grow a mega-church. That is not our goal. Our goal is to be effective. To help people find and follow Jesus.
Here's some things you need to know. We are actively seeking potential leaders that could possibly become campus Pastors as well as people who would like to be a part of this movement of God. We are targeting the following locations in Georgia: Hart County, Habersham County, Rabun County, Elbert County, Franklin County, White County, Jackson County. In North Carolina: Transylvania County, Macon County, Jackson County. Of course we are also considering other areas of South Carolina as well.
Here's what I need you to do:
1. Pray. This is a God-sized vision. We cannot do it on our own. (In fact, we will only move forward as God leads. We will not "force" this to happen. If God doesn't guide, we will wait for His timing. Please pray for clarity, wisdom, the right people, for favor in these areas, and for campus pastors in these locations.
2. Get the word out. If you know people in these areas that you think would be a good fit, let us know. Maybe the Lord would call you to go to one of these areas!
3. Give. This is going to cost a lot to do right. We are committed to keeping the costs low so that we can start multiple locations, but there will be costs involved
You are probably wondering when all this will happen. It will happen in phases. A lot of things have to come together first, but I am hoping that we will be starting our next campus in late 2012 or early 2013.
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