I can't get over what a fantastic day we had at Foothills Community Church yesterday. Now that school is back in session, our attendance continues to grow.
* The worship team did an amazing job leading us. It was powerful and inspiring worship!
* I especially loved the scripture reading between songs. It fit well, and added so much.
* We started the new series, Be The Church. The first message in a series tends to be a little longer because you have to spend time setting up the series. This particular series is on the book of Acts, so a little background of the book really helps people understand.
* Yesterday we covered Acts 1 and some of Acts 2. We talked about the Holy Spirit. I really hope that the message cleared up any confusion people may have had regarding the Holy Spirit.
* It is astounding that every single believer has the same power inside of them that raised Christ from the dead. Why do we try to live our lives in our own strength when we have His power available?
* Our Toccoa campus had their highest non-Easter attendance EVER yesterday! They were setting up chairs to keep up! It looks like they will be needing to go to two services very soon!
* After church at both campus locations we had our Get In The Game (membership) class. It was the second largest class of the year with 75 new people attending. There will be one more class in 2012, in November. We are on pace to have more people go through Get In The Game this year than any year of our existence!
* The momentum we have right now is unbelievable.
* We are getting ready to launch our Fall Find and Follow Groups. If you are not a part of a group already, be sure to sign-up this weekend. We have several new groups that are forming, so there is room for you.
* We are praying about a couple of huge opportunities for additional campuses. More info to come shortly.
* Now that Fall is here, I want to challenge everyone to make sure to keep inviting those friends of yours that have no church home. We do many forms of advertising, but without a doubt, by far most people come to Foothills because someone invited them.
* If you are a teenager or know a teenager, make sure you let them know about ICE. It's happening this Wednesday evening. This thing is going to be huge.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
sunday review
It was so much fun being back at Foothills Community Church this past Sunday. I had not spoken in 4 Sundays, so to say I was raring to go would be an understatement.
* I keep hearing wonderful feedback on the messages that were done in my absence. Thanks to Michael Robison, Brian Rhodes and Justin Terry.
* This Sunday I spoke from Psalm 1, which is one of my favorite Psalms, on The Secret To Success. I have learned that everyone wants to be successful, but few know the real meaning of success. You can watch it here.
* I love my church and all that God is doing here. I am looking forward to our next message series which begins this Sunday, called "Be The Church". It is going to be a series on the book of Acts. There is so much we can learn about what it means to be the church from the 1st church. It is going to be great. Make sure to come and bring a bunch of people with you. I have found that once school gets back in and people start to get to a more regular schedule they are very open to attending church.... so INVITE!
* I am very excited about our new Campus Expansion Plan. If you have not heard, we are currently seeking God's direction for possible new campus sites throughout SC, GA, and NC. Check out this video for more details:
Foothills Community Church Campus Expansion Video from Foothills Community Church on Vimeo.
* I am also excited about some new technology that we are planning to implement that will improve our multi-site strategy. I won't go into detail, but it will significantly enhance our campus experience!
* I got a chance to hang around some great Pastor friends today from Marathon Community Church. I have known some of these guys for almost 15 years, and they have always been huge supporters of Foothills Community Church.
* It is less than one month until archery season. That makes me happy!
* I am praying for all the faculty and students as they begin a new school year today.
* In case you have not heard, FCC is about to begin a new small group for young adults 18-25yrs. old Tons of response already. For more info stop by the link at the back of the Concourse on Sunday.
* If you have not gone through our Get In The Game Class, you can do it THIS Sunday at both campuses. If you like what you see at FCC and want to take your next step, this is it.
* I keep hearing wonderful feedback on the messages that were done in my absence. Thanks to Michael Robison, Brian Rhodes and Justin Terry.
* This Sunday I spoke from Psalm 1, which is one of my favorite Psalms, on The Secret To Success. I have learned that everyone wants to be successful, but few know the real meaning of success. You can watch it here.
* I love my church and all that God is doing here. I am looking forward to our next message series which begins this Sunday, called "Be The Church". It is going to be a series on the book of Acts. There is so much we can learn about what it means to be the church from the 1st church. It is going to be great. Make sure to come and bring a bunch of people with you. I have found that once school gets back in and people start to get to a more regular schedule they are very open to attending church.... so INVITE!
* I am very excited about our new Campus Expansion Plan. If you have not heard, we are currently seeking God's direction for possible new campus sites throughout SC, GA, and NC. Check out this video for more details:
Foothills Community Church Campus Expansion Video from Foothills Community Church on Vimeo.
* I am also excited about some new technology that we are planning to implement that will improve our multi-site strategy. I won't go into detail, but it will significantly enhance our campus experience!
* I got a chance to hang around some great Pastor friends today from Marathon Community Church. I have known some of these guys for almost 15 years, and they have always been huge supporters of Foothills Community Church.
* It is less than one month until archery season. That makes me happy!
* I am praying for all the faculty and students as they begin a new school year today.
* In case you have not heard, FCC is about to begin a new small group for young adults 18-25yrs. old Tons of response already. For more info stop by the link at the back of the Concourse on Sunday.
* If you have not gone through our Get In The Game Class, you can do it THIS Sunday at both campuses. If you like what you see at FCC and want to take your next step, this is it.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Let's get in shape
** Click here to go to my new fitness website, Pastorfit.com
Back in April I did a post on fitness/nutrition that created a lot of discussions with people. I would advise you to read it first so that this post will make sense.
Now to today's topic. Once again I want to talk about fitness/nutrition. I know I might sound like a broken record but if it helps someone, then it's worth it.
A couple of weeks ago while on vacation in Florida I posted a few pictures to my Twitter account. One of those pictures was me on the beach holding my cast net without my shirt. What I didn't know at the time was that posting that picture would generate so many questions about what I was doing to get in shape. I have lost count of the people that have asked me about this.
15 months ago, I THOUGHT I was in pretty good shape. I ate relatively well, and exercised moderately a few days a week. As I look back at pictures from 15 months ago I realize that although I wasn't "fat", I had gotten really "soft". I guess compared to other 51 year old guys I was in OK shape, but in reality I had a long way to go.
I refuse to settle for OK anymore when it comes to my health. I am committed to do everything I can do from a human standpoint to not have health problems. That's why I work so hard everyday to get in the best shape possible.
Over the last 15 months I have lost around 12-14 pounds and added lean muscle. My body fat is now around 6%. I work out intensely 6 days a week, and eat clean. It is ridiculously hard! But at the age of 52 I am in the best shape of my life. I am passionate about this. I don't dread waking up at 5:45am to work out. I look forward to it! My motivation is not the mirror, it's my health.
So why am I sharing this with all of you? Because I care. Because I want to encourage you. Because I'm sick of hearing people making excuses for their poor health. I want you to say, "if he can do it at the age of 52, than I can do it too!"
By the way, my wife is just as passionate about working out as I am. She looks awesome!
I am going to list and link all of the tools that I am using for my health in this post. Some will be redundant if you read the post from April I referred to earlier.
My workout= P90X (I love it!)
Note: I am going to be starting a new program called Body Beast in the next couple of months.
My supplements: Multi -vitamin once a day, fish oil pills twice a day, Vitamin B-100 pill once a day, Suma Root pill twice a day.
Pre-workout: 1 scoop Body Octane, 1 scoop Hemavol, Con-Cret Creatine powder, 1 serving Crystal light Energy (all of the above mixed with 20 oz water 20 minutes prior to work out) and 1 handful of raisins.
Intra-workout: 1 Scoop Xtend powder with 12 oz water.
Post workout: 1 scoop of Dymatize Iso-100 Whey protein mixed with 8 oz skin milk (sometimes add a second protein supplement in the P.M.)
I order all of my supplements from All-Star Health. Best prices I have found
Workout schedule: (This varies quite a bit, but for right now it might look like this)
Monday, Wednesday (sometimes Friday) CARDIO--6:00am-7:00am basketball
Abs (either ab-ripper X or Body Beast abs) Monday, Wednesday and Friday (usually p.m.)
Tuesday: P90X Back/Bicep routine (6:00-7:00am)
Thursday P90X Chest/Shoulders/triceps routine (6:00am-7:00am)
Friday (If not playing basketball) P90X Legs/Back routine
Saturday P90X Shoulders/Arms routine
*As you can see if you're familiar with P90X, I have customized it for myself
Nutrition: (By the way, It is true, Abs are made in the kitchen. In order to get 6-pack abs, you need to lower body fat below 10%)
* I hate the word, "diet". A diet is something temporary. This is about lifestyle changes.
I track all my eating with MyFitness Pal.
In order for me to maintain my weight (based on my size) I need 2,170 calories per day. I track all my macro's, especially my fat intake. Per my cardiologists orders, I am allowed no more than 30 fat grams per day. I eat roughly 300 grams of carbs and 150 grams of proteins a day.
I won't list all of what I do and don't eat. You can read it here.
Just to be clear. There are NO Short-cuts. Sorry, that's just the way it is. It is hard work and a lot of discipline. But I also want to say this. I know I tend to be a little extreme with all this. You may have read some of this and thought, that's way too much work. Please don't let that stop you. Something is better than nothing. For you, a big step might be to walk around the block. Fine. Do it. It beats sitting on the couch. Or maybe instead of always frying the chicken you might start grilling it. Just start somewhere.... Please!
At the risk of embarassing myself, I will post kind of a before and after picture. The first picture is from April 2011 (1 month before having my 2 stents installed)(Not really fat, but soft)
The second is from August 2012 (this month)
Lastly. If I can help in any way, let me know! I don't have it all figured out. I'm learning every day.
*** Update: Here is a link of an update on my health/ fitness as of August 2013***
Back in April I did a post on fitness/nutrition that created a lot of discussions with people. I would advise you to read it first so that this post will make sense.
Now to today's topic. Once again I want to talk about fitness/nutrition. I know I might sound like a broken record but if it helps someone, then it's worth it.
A couple of weeks ago while on vacation in Florida I posted a few pictures to my Twitter account. One of those pictures was me on the beach holding my cast net without my shirt. What I didn't know at the time was that posting that picture would generate so many questions about what I was doing to get in shape. I have lost count of the people that have asked me about this.
15 months ago, I THOUGHT I was in pretty good shape. I ate relatively well, and exercised moderately a few days a week. As I look back at pictures from 15 months ago I realize that although I wasn't "fat", I had gotten really "soft". I guess compared to other 51 year old guys I was in OK shape, but in reality I had a long way to go.
I refuse to settle for OK anymore when it comes to my health. I am committed to do everything I can do from a human standpoint to not have health problems. That's why I work so hard everyday to get in the best shape possible.
Over the last 15 months I have lost around 12-14 pounds and added lean muscle. My body fat is now around 6%. I work out intensely 6 days a week, and eat clean. It is ridiculously hard! But at the age of 52 I am in the best shape of my life. I am passionate about this. I don't dread waking up at 5:45am to work out. I look forward to it! My motivation is not the mirror, it's my health.
So why am I sharing this with all of you? Because I care. Because I want to encourage you. Because I'm sick of hearing people making excuses for their poor health. I want you to say, "if he can do it at the age of 52, than I can do it too!"
By the way, my wife is just as passionate about working out as I am. She looks awesome!
I am going to list and link all of the tools that I am using for my health in this post. Some will be redundant if you read the post from April I referred to earlier.
My workout= P90X (I love it!)
Note: I am going to be starting a new program called Body Beast in the next couple of months.
My supplements: Multi -vitamin once a day, fish oil pills twice a day, Vitamin B-100 pill once a day, Suma Root pill twice a day.
Pre-workout: 1 scoop Body Octane, 1 scoop Hemavol, Con-Cret Creatine powder, 1 serving Crystal light Energy (all of the above mixed with 20 oz water 20 minutes prior to work out) and 1 handful of raisins.
Intra-workout: 1 Scoop Xtend powder with 12 oz water.
Post workout: 1 scoop of Dymatize Iso-100 Whey protein mixed with 8 oz skin milk (sometimes add a second protein supplement in the P.M.)
I order all of my supplements from All-Star Health. Best prices I have found
Workout schedule: (This varies quite a bit, but for right now it might look like this)
Monday, Wednesday (sometimes Friday) CARDIO--6:00am-7:00am basketball
Abs (either ab-ripper X or Body Beast abs) Monday, Wednesday and Friday (usually p.m.)
Tuesday: P90X Back/Bicep routine (6:00-7:00am)
Thursday P90X Chest/Shoulders/triceps routine (6:00am-7:00am)
Friday (If not playing basketball) P90X Legs/Back routine
Saturday P90X Shoulders/Arms routine
*As you can see if you're familiar with P90X, I have customized it for myself
Nutrition: (By the way, It is true, Abs are made in the kitchen. In order to get 6-pack abs, you need to lower body fat below 10%)
* I hate the word, "diet". A diet is something temporary. This is about lifestyle changes.
I track all my eating with MyFitness Pal.
In order for me to maintain my weight (based on my size) I need 2,170 calories per day. I track all my macro's, especially my fat intake. Per my cardiologists orders, I am allowed no more than 30 fat grams per day. I eat roughly 300 grams of carbs and 150 grams of proteins a day.
I won't list all of what I do and don't eat. You can read it here.
Just to be clear. There are NO Short-cuts. Sorry, that's just the way it is. It is hard work and a lot of discipline. But I also want to say this. I know I tend to be a little extreme with all this. You may have read some of this and thought, that's way too much work. Please don't let that stop you. Something is better than nothing. For you, a big step might be to walk around the block. Fine. Do it. It beats sitting on the couch. Or maybe instead of always frying the chicken you might start grilling it. Just start somewhere.... Please!
At the risk of embarassing myself, I will post kind of a before and after picture. The first picture is from April 2011 (1 month before having my 2 stents installed)(Not really fat, but soft)
The second is from August 2012 (this month)
Lastly. If I can help in any way, let me know! I don't have it all figured out. I'm learning every day.
*** Update: Here is a link of an update on my health/ fitness as of August 2013***
 |
| Before (April 2011) |
 |
| After (August 2012) |
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday review
This was not what I would call a normal Sunday by any stretch of the imagination. As I mentioned in my last post, my father-in-law passed away in Virginia so I left on Friday to spend time with the family.
It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, as I got to Virginia on Friday afternoon and got home last night at about 1:00am. In case you're keeping score at home the trip is about 9 hours each way. So needless to say, we're a bit exhausted today.
The memorial service for my father-in-law was a beautiful time of remembrance of this great man. I was honored to be asked to give the eulogy. It is so hard to encapsulate someone's life down to around 15 minutes. I pray that my words honored him, and brought comfort to the family.
I was so proud of my wife and oldest son. They shared (along with other family members) how he had impacted them. It was a phenomenal service.
Between my vacation and the funeral, I have been away from preaching at Foothills Community Church for 4 Sundays in a row. That is the most Sundays consecutively I have ever been away. I am so proud of our staff and volunteers. They not only held ground, but took new ground in my absence!!
This Sunday I am preaching on one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The message is called, The Secret of Success. You do not want to miss it. I am about to burst because I have been gone for so long. I promise not to preach for more than an hour :-) (In case you're wondering, that last sentence was a joke..... kind of!)
The following Sunday we will begin a new series called, Be The Church. This series is going to be life changing, trust me.
One last thing. If you have never attended our Get in The Game Class, your next opportunity will be August 26th at both campuses. The class will tell you about Foothills' history, vision, values, and strategy. I will personally be leading the Seneca class and Pastor Brian Marshall will lead the Toccoa class. Free childcare and lunch will be served. You can sign-up today here.
It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, as I got to Virginia on Friday afternoon and got home last night at about 1:00am. In case you're keeping score at home the trip is about 9 hours each way. So needless to say, we're a bit exhausted today.
The memorial service for my father-in-law was a beautiful time of remembrance of this great man. I was honored to be asked to give the eulogy. It is so hard to encapsulate someone's life down to around 15 minutes. I pray that my words honored him, and brought comfort to the family.
I was so proud of my wife and oldest son. They shared (along with other family members) how he had impacted them. It was a phenomenal service.
Between my vacation and the funeral, I have been away from preaching at Foothills Community Church for 4 Sundays in a row. That is the most Sundays consecutively I have ever been away. I am so proud of our staff and volunteers. They not only held ground, but took new ground in my absence!!
This Sunday I am preaching on one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The message is called, The Secret of Success. You do not want to miss it. I am about to burst because I have been gone for so long. I promise not to preach for more than an hour :-) (In case you're wondering, that last sentence was a joke..... kind of!)
The following Sunday we will begin a new series called, Be The Church. This series is going to be life changing, trust me.
One last thing. If you have never attended our Get in The Game Class, your next opportunity will be August 26th at both campuses. The class will tell you about Foothills' history, vision, values, and strategy. I will personally be leading the Seneca class and Pastor Brian Marshall will lead the Toccoa class. Free childcare and lunch will be served. You can sign-up today here.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
I'm back
I haven't blogged much lately because I have been on vacation. I am home and am ready to get back to work.
Our usual summer vacation is a trip to Florida to stay with my parents. I also tow my boat down with us. We fished quite a bit (and caught quite a bit). The highlight was watching my son Cole catch his first sailfish. He did an awesome job handling the fish, and the sailfish put on quite a show.
My daughter Kristen wasn't quite as enthusiastic about fishing offshore. She found out after catching a bonito that it's a workout to reel them in.
My wife and I caught a bunch of dolphin (mahi-mahi) one morning about 12-15 miles offshore. That was a blast.
We also fished from the beach several times. The schools of bait stretched for miles along the beach, which meant there was some pretty good action. We caught a lot of fish, and did hook-up with a 50+ lb tarpon that got off, but not before going airborne several times.
I also got a chance to spend a lot of time with my parents. They are such wonderful people and great hosts!
Unfortunately just before we were scheduled to leave, we got a call from my wife's mother in Virginia letting us know that her Dad was in the hospital and fighting for his life. She booked the next flight out and got to Virginia to spend a little time with here Dad before he passed away. I will be leaving to go to be with them later this week.
It is humbling to have such wonderful friends. So many people calling or sending notes of encouragement. Thank you all so much. To top it all off, when I got home yesterday evening after driving for 11 hours, David and Jerod Ayers were at my house cutting my grass! I said, 'what are you doing?', he said, "I didn't want you to have to worry about cutting grass with all that is going on right now" Wow!
My father-in-law was a great man, and I will surely miss him.
Also, I am blessed to be able to get away and not worry while I'm gone. The staff at Foothills Community Church are the best in the world. Thanks guys!
Here are a few pics of my time away:
Our usual summer vacation is a trip to Florida to stay with my parents. I also tow my boat down with us. We fished quite a bit (and caught quite a bit). The highlight was watching my son Cole catch his first sailfish. He did an awesome job handling the fish, and the sailfish put on quite a show.
My daughter Kristen wasn't quite as enthusiastic about fishing offshore. She found out after catching a bonito that it's a workout to reel them in.
My wife and I caught a bunch of dolphin (mahi-mahi) one morning about 12-15 miles offshore. That was a blast.
We also fished from the beach several times. The schools of bait stretched for miles along the beach, which meant there was some pretty good action. We caught a lot of fish, and did hook-up with a 50+ lb tarpon that got off, but not before going airborne several times.
I also got a chance to spend a lot of time with my parents. They are such wonderful people and great hosts!
Unfortunately just before we were scheduled to leave, we got a call from my wife's mother in Virginia letting us know that her Dad was in the hospital and fighting for his life. She booked the next flight out and got to Virginia to spend a little time with here Dad before he passed away. I will be leaving to go to be with them later this week.
It is humbling to have such wonderful friends. So many people calling or sending notes of encouragement. Thank you all so much. To top it all off, when I got home yesterday evening after driving for 11 hours, David and Jerod Ayers were at my house cutting my grass! I said, 'what are you doing?', he said, "I didn't want you to have to worry about cutting grass with all that is going on right now" Wow!
My father-in-law was a great man, and I will surely miss him.
Also, I am blessed to be able to get away and not worry while I'm gone. The staff at Foothills Community Church are the best in the world. Thanks guys!
Here are a few pics of my time away:
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