Here are 3 important things you don't want to forget:
1) TRUNK OR TREAT. This Wednesday (Oct. 31st) from 6:00pm until 8:00pm we will be having Trunk or Treat at the Seneca Walmart. If you have not signed-up to bring your car and hand out candy, just show up no later than 5:30pm at the back of Walmart.
This is a HUGE event. Last year we handed out candy to around 8,000 people! Every year because of this event, many people will show up at Foothills Community Church on a Sunday to worship with us.
2) Daylight Savings Time ends. Don't forget to set your clocks back 1 hour this Saturday night. (I wasn't going to mention this, because it would have been the first-time some of you would have made it to church on time!)
3) Get In The Game. Our next Get in the Game class is scheduled for Nov. 11th at all 3 of our campuses. If you've ever wondered about who we are and what we value and believe as a church, this is for you. You will also have the opportunity to meet some of our staff members, and enjoy a free lunch on the house. Sign-up today.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday highlights
Sunday was one of my favorite days EVER at Foothills Community Church! If you missed it--- you really missed it.
* I felt like David Odom and the worship team took it to a new level... Wow! We are blessed to have such amazing worship leaders at all 3 campuses of FCC. They do such an incredible job of leading us, and they have developed their teams so well. I heard Kevin Robison knocked it out of the park in Toccoa as did Bill Swindle in Hartwell
* I absolutely love the My Secret Life series. Life-change is happening and many people are finding hope in Jesus Christ.
* This past Sunday I spoke about when our kids make bad choices. It was a transparent message about some of the things I have struggled with in my own role as a parent. Those are always tough messages to deliver, but I really believe that God did a great work relieving people over the guilt that they have been carrying regarding their prodigal children. If you weren't here and you want to watch the message:
* Our Toccoa and Hartwell campuses had some technical glitches, but it sounds like God did great things in spite of that.
* I'm so excited about Foothills Community Church's partnership with Habitat for Humanity. We are building 2 homes which will be starting in the next week or so. Lots of people have signed-up to help, but there's room for more. Contact our church office for more info.
* I can't wait for this Sunday. My message topic is going to hit home for a lot of people, and it is going to help them so much. Don't miss!
* I felt like David Odom and the worship team took it to a new level... Wow! We are blessed to have such amazing worship leaders at all 3 campuses of FCC. They do such an incredible job of leading us, and they have developed their teams so well. I heard Kevin Robison knocked it out of the park in Toccoa as did Bill Swindle in Hartwell
* I absolutely love the My Secret Life series. Life-change is happening and many people are finding hope in Jesus Christ.
* This past Sunday I spoke about when our kids make bad choices. It was a transparent message about some of the things I have struggled with in my own role as a parent. Those are always tough messages to deliver, but I really believe that God did a great work relieving people over the guilt that they have been carrying regarding their prodigal children. If you weren't here and you want to watch the message:
* Our Toccoa and Hartwell campuses had some technical glitches, but it sounds like God did great things in spite of that.
* I'm so excited about Foothills Community Church's partnership with Habitat for Humanity. We are building 2 homes which will be starting in the next week or so. Lots of people have signed-up to help, but there's room for more. Contact our church office for more info.
* I can't wait for this Sunday. My message topic is going to hit home for a lot of people, and it is going to help them so much. Don't miss!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Post Sunday thoughts
Well, another Sunday is in the books. But this was no "ordinary" Sunday. It was the Grand Opening of our newest campus in Hartwell, GA. There is no way to describe how excited I am about our potential to reach more people for Jesus!
It has been a whirlwind preparing for the Grand Opening. There was all of the work on the facility to get it into shape for a service. There was a lot of training to get leaders ready for the big day. There was all the marketing, inviting, and getting the word out. And of course there was the planning and preparation for the actual service.
I am so thankful for every person that has helped in some way to make the dream a reality. Under the leadership of our campus Pastor Duane Hall it is official, we are one church in three locations!
I have heard that for the most part everything clicked and the service went quite well. You always are a little nervous about this kind of thing, but the Lord showed up and they had a great service.
They had 140 people show up for the service!! (which is exactly twice as many as we had when we launched Foothills Community Church in Seneca, SC back in 1998)
This week there will be a lot of follow-up, and some tweaks for next week's service. If you attended the Grand Opening, come back next Sunday and bring a few people with you.
On our other campuses great things are happening as well. On Saturday, our Toccoa, GA campus had a huge community party. Hundreds of people showed up to that. Most of the people attending were blown away that it was completely FREE.
On Sunday both the Toccoa and Seneca campuses also had awesome services. We started a new message series called, My Secret Life. This series is going to hit home with a lot of people. Next week the message is called, "My Kids Are Making Bad Choices" If you or someone you know has a "prodigal" son or daughter, get them to Foothills!!
Don't forget, our next Get In The Game Class will be on Nov. 11th at all 3 campuses. Sign-up today.
It has been a whirlwind preparing for the Grand Opening. There was all of the work on the facility to get it into shape for a service. There was a lot of training to get leaders ready for the big day. There was all the marketing, inviting, and getting the word out. And of course there was the planning and preparation for the actual service.
I am so thankful for every person that has helped in some way to make the dream a reality. Under the leadership of our campus Pastor Duane Hall it is official, we are one church in three locations!
I have heard that for the most part everything clicked and the service went quite well. You always are a little nervous about this kind of thing, but the Lord showed up and they had a great service.
They had 140 people show up for the service!! (which is exactly twice as many as we had when we launched Foothills Community Church in Seneca, SC back in 1998)
This week there will be a lot of follow-up, and some tweaks for next week's service. If you attended the Grand Opening, come back next Sunday and bring a few people with you.
On our other campuses great things are happening as well. On Saturday, our Toccoa, GA campus had a huge community party. Hundreds of people showed up to that. Most of the people attending were blown away that it was completely FREE.
On Sunday both the Toccoa and Seneca campuses also had awesome services. We started a new message series called, My Secret Life. This series is going to hit home with a lot of people. Next week the message is called, "My Kids Are Making Bad Choices" If you or someone you know has a "prodigal" son or daughter, get them to Foothills!!
Don't forget, our next Get In The Game Class will be on Nov. 11th at all 3 campuses. Sign-up today.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Big things coming up
This past Sunday was a great Sunday at Foothills Community Church all the way around. I am honored to serve such an awesome church. If you have not plugged in yet at FCC, I would encourage you to sign-up for our next Get In The Game class on Nov. 11th at all 3 of our campuses. This is a great opportunity to find out all about FCC.
This coming Sunday is going to be epic at Foothills Community Church. I will begin a brand new message series called, My Secret Life. I believe this will be one of the best series we have ever done. We are going to tackle some topics that are very sensitive, but very real.
Also, Don't forget that THIS SUNDAY October 14th will be the Grand Opening of our new FCC Hartwell campus. To say I'm pumped would be the understatement of the year. If you live in or around Hartwell, Georgia or know anyone that does make sure to invite them. Our staff has been praying overtime about this big day. Please join us.
This coming Sunday is going to be epic at Foothills Community Church. I will begin a brand new message series called, My Secret Life. I believe this will be one of the best series we have ever done. We are going to tackle some topics that are very sensitive, but very real.
Also, Don't forget that THIS SUNDAY October 14th will be the Grand Opening of our new FCC Hartwell campus. To say I'm pumped would be the understatement of the year. If you live in or around Hartwell, Georgia or know anyone that does make sure to invite them. Our staff has been praying overtime about this big day. Please join us.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Don't Quit!
In addition to what my blog normally is, I am going to do some posts on my fitness journey.
One of the things that most of us struggle with is perseverance. Most of us start well, but finish poorly (if we finish at all). This is true in almost every area of our lives.
As a Pastor I see this way too often when it comes to people making spiritual commitments. I think in our hearts we really do want to fulfill those commitments, but we get tired, or things come up and we get distracted, or maybe we don't see the results quick enough.
In Galatians, the Apostle Paul exhorts to stick with it by saying, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
This lack of perseverance is also seen in the physical arena of our life. How many times have you started a diet and given up within a week? Or how many people have bought the latest and greatest home gym only to end up using it to hang up their clothes on?
Several years ago my wife and I did the Body for Life program. We stuck with the program for the entire 12 weeks and we had very good results. But after the 12 weeks I kind of modified the program to allow me to eat a little differently and work out a little less. Before I knew it I was back to my old ways. It wasn't an overnight thing, it was a gradual process.
Here's what I've discovered. when we are going on diets or working out only for the aesthetics of our bodies, our likelihood of quitting goes up exponentially. But when we are doing these things for our health and the way we feel rather than the way we look, the likelihood of success goes up exponentially.
Now, it isn't wrong to care about how your body looks. You should. I love having 6 pack abs and low body fat. I like the looks of that, but what keeps me focused and willing to get out of bed at 5:00am is my overall health.
I do not want to be someone who has all sorts of medical issues that could have been prevented by health, fitness and nutrition. As a Christian I really believe that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and I do not want my lack of care for my body to restrict what God wants to do in me and through me. Don't get me wrong, the spiritual aspect of our lives is the most important thing, BUT I function better spiritually when I am functioning properly physically!
As you know I am a huge fan of P90X. I love the program. Quite frankly it's not for everyone. It's hard. It's very hard. But there are many other programs available that may fit you better. You may not even want to do a program. I get that, but let me tell you why I find it helpful to me. When I press play, I immediately feel like I am being pushed by a personal trainer. Everything is timed and there is no wasted time. You move from one thing to the next.
I have been in enough gyms to know that most of the time when I finished with a set I had a tendency to take too much time before starting my next set. I would be in the gym for an hour and a half and hardly feel like I've worked-out. I can do my P90X from start to finish in less than an hour and I am whipped. It's awesome!
Even with things like P90X most people don't persevere. For those that do, there is change. For those that don't, there is regret.
I firmly believe that the only way to persevere with any type of fitness and nutrition is to make it a lifestyle. It isn't something you DO, it is something you ARE!
One of the things that most of us struggle with is perseverance. Most of us start well, but finish poorly (if we finish at all). This is true in almost every area of our lives.
As a Pastor I see this way too often when it comes to people making spiritual commitments. I think in our hearts we really do want to fulfill those commitments, but we get tired, or things come up and we get distracted, or maybe we don't see the results quick enough.
In Galatians, the Apostle Paul exhorts to stick with it by saying, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
This lack of perseverance is also seen in the physical arena of our life. How many times have you started a diet and given up within a week? Or how many people have bought the latest and greatest home gym only to end up using it to hang up their clothes on?
Several years ago my wife and I did the Body for Life program. We stuck with the program for the entire 12 weeks and we had very good results. But after the 12 weeks I kind of modified the program to allow me to eat a little differently and work out a little less. Before I knew it I was back to my old ways. It wasn't an overnight thing, it was a gradual process.
Here's what I've discovered. when we are going on diets or working out only for the aesthetics of our bodies, our likelihood of quitting goes up exponentially. But when we are doing these things for our health and the way we feel rather than the way we look, the likelihood of success goes up exponentially.
Now, it isn't wrong to care about how your body looks. You should. I love having 6 pack abs and low body fat. I like the looks of that, but what keeps me focused and willing to get out of bed at 5:00am is my overall health.
I do not want to be someone who has all sorts of medical issues that could have been prevented by health, fitness and nutrition. As a Christian I really believe that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and I do not want my lack of care for my body to restrict what God wants to do in me and through me. Don't get me wrong, the spiritual aspect of our lives is the most important thing, BUT I function better spiritually when I am functioning properly physically!
As you know I am a huge fan of P90X. I love the program. Quite frankly it's not for everyone. It's hard. It's very hard. But there are many other programs available that may fit you better. You may not even want to do a program. I get that, but let me tell you why I find it helpful to me. When I press play, I immediately feel like I am being pushed by a personal trainer. Everything is timed and there is no wasted time. You move from one thing to the next.
I have been in enough gyms to know that most of the time when I finished with a set I had a tendency to take too much time before starting my next set. I would be in the gym for an hour and a half and hardly feel like I've worked-out. I can do my P90X from start to finish in less than an hour and I am whipped. It's awesome!
Even with things like P90X most people don't persevere. For those that do, there is change. For those that don't, there is regret.
I firmly believe that the only way to persevere with any type of fitness and nutrition is to make it a lifestyle. It isn't something you DO, it is something you ARE!
Monday, October 01, 2012
sunday review
I had a lot of fun yesterday at Foothills Community Church. It was pretty much an all-day event, but it was so worthwhile.
* Our morning services were solid. The band was on it, the people were singing out. Well done worship team.
* My message was what I called a "kick in the rear end" message. It was a challenge to quit procrastinating about doing what the Lord commands us to do. Sometimes we all need those type of messages to bring us back to center.
* We had quite a few people respond to the salvation invitation. I'm not sure exactly, but probably around 8-10 people.
* We had a ton of first-time guests. I love that our people love their church enough to invite their friends!
* I am so thankful for all of our volunteers at Foothills. We couldn't do it without you!
* Yesterday afternoon we held our Party In The Pasture which is a huge blow-out to celebrate baptisms. But this is no ordinary party. We had a petting zoo, inflatables, a car show, lots of food, a live band (Stone Echo), and of course, baptisms.
* A couple of people have asked why we invited Stone Echo to a church event. For those that don't know, Stone Echo is a local classic rock band, that is awesome by the way. First of all, music is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. It is a neutral thing. If you think about it, music is just a compilation of words and notes. A certain genre doesn't mean it's bad, nor do certain instruments. Secondly most of the band members are also church members. They love Jesus and they love Foothills. Thirdly they were extra careful to play songs that would be appropriate in our setting. But the best part about having them play was that many unchurched people from the community came yesterday because they are fans of Stone Echo. And in addition to a concert, they witnessed something very moving and powerful. They saw 31 people baptized as an outward expression of their faith in Jesus Christ. And for that reason alone it was totally worth it!! Think about that for a minute. Many of those people were not in Church yesterday, but they were inspired by what they saw at Party In The Pasture! I am praying that many of those people will be joining us for worship some Sunday. And when they come, I can promise you they will hear the Gospel.
* Yes, I said that we baptized 31 more people yesterday!
* Thanks to everyone for coming to the party. We estimate 1,200-1,500 people partied with us!
* All in all it was a long, exhausting, wonderful day! Thanks to all the volunteers that went the extra mile to serve at the Party In The Pasture.
* Our morning services were solid. The band was on it, the people were singing out. Well done worship team.
* My message was what I called a "kick in the rear end" message. It was a challenge to quit procrastinating about doing what the Lord commands us to do. Sometimes we all need those type of messages to bring us back to center.
* We had quite a few people respond to the salvation invitation. I'm not sure exactly, but probably around 8-10 people.
* We had a ton of first-time guests. I love that our people love their church enough to invite their friends!
* I am so thankful for all of our volunteers at Foothills. We couldn't do it without you!
* Yesterday afternoon we held our Party In The Pasture which is a huge blow-out to celebrate baptisms. But this is no ordinary party. We had a petting zoo, inflatables, a car show, lots of food, a live band (Stone Echo), and of course, baptisms.
* A couple of people have asked why we invited Stone Echo to a church event. For those that don't know, Stone Echo is a local classic rock band, that is awesome by the way. First of all, music is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. It is a neutral thing. If you think about it, music is just a compilation of words and notes. A certain genre doesn't mean it's bad, nor do certain instruments. Secondly most of the band members are also church members. They love Jesus and they love Foothills. Thirdly they were extra careful to play songs that would be appropriate in our setting. But the best part about having them play was that many unchurched people from the community came yesterday because they are fans of Stone Echo. And in addition to a concert, they witnessed something very moving and powerful. They saw 31 people baptized as an outward expression of their faith in Jesus Christ. And for that reason alone it was totally worth it!! Think about that for a minute. Many of those people were not in Church yesterday, but they were inspired by what they saw at Party In The Pasture! I am praying that many of those people will be joining us for worship some Sunday. And when they come, I can promise you they will hear the Gospel.
* Yes, I said that we baptized 31 more people yesterday!
* Thanks to everyone for coming to the party. We estimate 1,200-1,500 people partied with us!
* All in all it was a long, exhausting, wonderful day! Thanks to all the volunteers that went the extra mile to serve at the Party In The Pasture.
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