New message series begins this Sunday!

About a year ago I felt God leading me to do a series on the book of Colossians, so I outlined the book into possible message topics. I then sat down with our creative team and laid some things out and put it on the calendar. No sooner had I gone back to my office when I decided to go a different direction and do another series instead. A couple of months later the same thing happened. But for some reason God kept bringing back to my heart, Colossians. So finally in 2011 I think this is God's timing for us to dig into this great book. I am so excited about our new series that begins on January 30th called, Colossians-- Know It-Live It

We are going to systematically work our way through this powerful book of the Bible. I am really not positive how long this is going to take. I have an idea, but we'll see. I am hoping that everyone will read through the book of Colossians several times over the next couple of months (It's only 4 chapters), to familiarize yourselves with the feel of this book.

What I love about Colossians is how it balances theology and practical living.(Know It-Live It)

The theme of Colossians is the supremacy of Jesus Christ over everything. When we get through with this series, you will have a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, a greater appreciation for what He has done for you, and some practical application of these truths!

To make it even more exciting, every week you will be able to go to our website, and download daily studies that will take you even deeper into this great book.

Super Sunday

It was a super Sunday at Foothills Community Church. Every time I think our services can't get any better, they do!

* I am so proud of all of our volunteer teams--- they are incredible.

* We wrapped up our CREED series, which was a message series about our core values. I thought I would list them all at once, so here it goes:

1. We Love God
a. we embrace Biblical authority
b. We embrace authentic worship
c. We embrace transformed lives

2. We Love People
a. We embrace lost people
b. we embrace authentic relationships
c. We embrace grace

3. We Love The Church
a. We embrace unity
b. We embrace spiritual maturity
c. We embrace full devotion

* This series has been a blast to preach.

* Had a very full house today in both services!

* The music was so incredibly uplifting. Thanks to David Odom, and everyone involved.

* We had a bunch of people sign-up to Get In The Game. If you didn't sign-up yet, you can do it online.

* Yesterday was membership renewal Sunday, if you have not renewed your membership, do it now, online. It will only take about 1 minute.

* Next week we will begin a new series on the book of Colossians. I gave everyone a homework assignment, to start reading through this great book of the Bible. Invite someone to come with you!

* I'm excited that Pastor Brian Marshall will be devoting pretty much his entire week to our Toccoa campus! Up until now, he has had responsibilities at both campuses. This will be huge to the future of that campus!

* I am blown away by all of the stories of life-change at Foothills. Every Sunday I hear stories of God doing phenomenal things in people's lives.

Music from January 9

We had such a great response to the worship set from January 9th, I thought I would post a link to it for anyone who missed it (or wanted to hear it again)
Our guest worship leader was Casme. She did an amazing job.

She is actually going to be with us again this Sunday at Foothills Community Church!

sunday review

I love my church family. They are the most incredibly grace-filled bunch of believers that I have ever met! Today has been one of the most intense, emotionally draining days ever (the whole week has been that way), and yet one of the most rewarding days ever.

* Our services could be summed up in one word, "Powerful". We spoke about our second core value, Loving people. It was great.

* The worship team did an amazing job, as well as all of our volunteers that served in dozens of other ministries.

* I am constantly amazed by the grace of our God!

* Did I mention, I love my church family?!

* I mentioned briefly today about some new initiatives for 2011 that I am so excited about. It will give us the greatest Kingdom impact that we've ever had. You will be hearing more about them this Spring.

* Next Sunday we will wrap up the CREED series. It's going to be a phenomenal day. Our praise choir will be singing, and I hear that Casme will be back with us!

* I am also really pumped about the next series beginning on January 30th!

* I hope you got signed up for a LIFE group today!

* Next Sunday is also membership renewal Sunday. You can renew your membership online here.

* If you are not a member of Foothills yet, but you're interested, than make sure to sign-up for the next get in The Game class that is set for Wednesday January 26th. I will be personally leading the class and would love to meet you.

sunday review

We kicked of the CREED series Sunday, here are some highlights:

* Sunday was awesome. It was one of the best services we have ever had at Foothills!

* The music was outstanding. Loved having Casme singing with us. I think she will be singing at FOOthills again soon!

* The message seemed to resonate with everyone. What's cool about this series, is that it's all about our values as a church. I love that our people really love our mission, and values.

* The attendance during the 11:15am service looked really strong. There is always room for more, so keep inviting your friends.

* There is something great about a New Year. Everyone is so filled with hope.

* I heard that our Toccoa campus also had a great service. I pray that 2011 will be a breakthrough year for them!

* I'm thankful that God held off the snow until Sunday night. Speaking of snow, I hate it!!

* I am sitting at home for the second day this week, because I can't get out of my driveway. I am hoping that it warms up enough for me to get our later today.

* This has already been one of the toughest weeks for me ever in ministry. Sometimes as a Pastor you deal with a lot of stuff that breaks your heart.

* I am thankful for the staff and all of the wonderful volunteers we have at Foothills. We couldn't do it without them!

CREED

This Sunday we are starting a new series called, Creed. I am so jacked-up about this series---Wow!

If you've ever wondered, "what is Foothills all about?" This series will answer that question very clearly. In fact, even for all of you FCC veterans that have been around for a long time--- you will learn some new things.

I have just finished writing all the messages in the series, and I promise you, it's going to be unbelievable. Let me tell you, you want to be in your seats at least 5 minutes before the service begins, so heads-up.

It's the kind of series that will re-ignite the passion for Foothills Community Church's mission to Help people find and follow Jesus.

Also, we will be having sign-ups for Community groups and Campus groups during this series, so take advantage of this connection opportunity.

January 23rd will also be our membership renewal Sunday. If you're not already a member, then you're next step is to come to our Get In The Game class. It will be held on Wednesday Jan 26th from 6:00 until 8:15pm in the Planet Kidz auditorium, and I will be leading it! Childcare will be available.

Happy New Year

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I decided to take a couple of weeks away from my blog to reflect on 2010, and to think ahead to 2011.

Overall 2010 was a very good year, both personally and professionally. From a church standpoint we saw God do some amazing things, but the thing that stands out to me was that for the 1st time in our history we had over 500 people make decisions to follow Christ, in one year!

We wrapped up 2010 at Foothills Community Church with our Christmas Eve services. We had wonderful services at both of our campuses with many first-time guests. Our worship teams and praise choir knocked it out of the park!

We had planned to have services on December 26th, but because of the weather, we had to cancel. That is only the third time in our history that we have been unable to have services.

As we move into 2011 I challenged our people to set spiritual goals. (Remember, for it to be a goal it needs to be specific, measurable, and have a plan to accomplish it, otherwise it's just a dream) I believe that we are going to have our best year ever.

This Sunday I will begin a series called, "Creed". This will be one of the most important series of the year because we will be discussing our values as a church. Even if you have been at Foothills since the beginning, this series will be extremely helpful, and best of all you will leave with a renewed passion for our mission.

Christmas Eve details

Well Christmas Eve is just around the corner, so you know what that means--- Foothills Community Church will be having our epic Christmas Eve services!

Here are a few things to remember:

* Service times: Seneca campus: 3:00pm and 5:00pm Toccoa campus 5:00pm

PLEASE NOTE:
Our Seneca campus tickets are almost gone. As of Tuesday morning, there were less than 100 tickets available per service. If you need a ticket (they are free), go here now and print your tickets.

* Arrive a few minutes early. There will be special Christmas refreshments and the choir will be in the concourse singing Christmas carols.

* We anticipate a full house, so please move to the middle of the rows when sitting down.

* Be prepared for an incredible service. Our worship team, choir, and creative teams have worked overtime to make this an unforgettable experience.

* I have prepared a message that will hopefully refocus us back to the real meaning of Christmas.

* Bring your friends. Christmas eve is one of the best times of the year to invite people. Statistics tell us that more people would be willing to attend church on Christmas eve than any other time of year.

Sunday review

Yesterday was another one of those watermark days at Foothills Community Church. From beginning to end, it was phenomenal!

* The praise choir got everyone in the Christmas spirit. They sang Christmas carols in the concourse as people entered.

* The stage set was absolutely incredible. There were dozens of volunteers that invested hundreds of hours of their time to make it happen. Also, the concourse was decorated by even more volunteers.

* The weather was awful, but the rain stopped before the first service, but our umbrella team was ready to go anyway.

* The worship team did such an amazing job of leading us into the presence of the Lord.

* We started our new message series called, Gifted. Yesterday we talked about the gift that God wants from us---Worship!

* Yesterday evening we had a Lord's Supper service. It was one of the best services we have ever done. If you have never attended one of these services, you are missing out.

* The Christmas Eve service tickets are going fast. If you have not picked yours up, you can get yours here.

Here's what's going on at FCC

There is so much going on at Foothills Community Church so I wanted to post some thoughts.

This past Sunday:
Amazing is the only way to describe what God did Sunday. 25 people gave their lives to Jesus, and we baptized 22 people. Baptism Sundays are the best days of the year for me. One of my prayers is that our church doesn't take for granted what He is doing in the lives of people. We have seen hundreds baptized over the years and if we are not careful, we can become desensitized. Just remember that every time someone is baptized, you are witnessing someone who has yielded to the love of God!

This Sunday:
Our Toccoa campus will be doing baptisms! I am praying for record numbers of people to take the plunge!

At our Seneca campus, we will be starting our new Christmas series called, Gifted. It is going to be incredible. I walked into the auditorium this morning, and you will not believe the stage set. Wow! There have been dozens of people constructing it, and it will definitely put you into the Christmas spirit.

Also, on Sunday evening at 6:00pm we will be observing the Lord's Supper. This will be a powerful service, that will help all of us stay focused on what Christmas is REALLY about. The worship music will be more of an acoustical feel. I will be sharing a short message, and we will also be having a special prayer time. There will be childcare available from birth through kindergarten.

Coming up:
December 19th we will be receiving our special Christmas offering. Be sure to pray about how you can make a difference in the lives of people in our community.

December 24th will be our Christmas eve services! Seneca campus will offer services at 3 and 5pm, and Toccoa will have one service at 5pm.
You DO NOT want to miss out. Christmas Eve services are incredible!
You will need to pick up a free ticket for the services at Seneca. They will be available at church on Sunday or print your own online here.

Don't forget, INVITE your friends and family--they will come with you on Christmas eve.

We're going to party!

This Sunday at Foothills Community Church, we are going to party! That's right, this Sunday we will be celebrating baptism! There is nothing that we do as a church that comes close to the excitement of watching people publicly proclaiming their faith in Jesus, through baptism. It is truly a party atmosphere. (Our Toccoa campus will be baptizing on December 12th!)

We will be finishing the series, That's What he Said, with 2 parables from Luke 15, and I cannot wait! If you have given your life to Jesus and have not been baptized, it's not too late. We will be doing the baptisms near the end of both of our services on Sunday morning, so just show up, and we'll direct you from there.

In case you're wondering, yes, the horse troughs will be heated :)

Be sure to invite your friends and come a little early, you don't want to miss the first song!

Also, our Christmas Eve service tickets will be available this Sunday, so make sure to pick yours up, because they will go quickly.

Community Christmas Offering

This year we will once again have a special Christmas offering. Last year Foothills raised enough money to purchase gifts for over 250 children, and this year it will be bigger than ever before!

We will once again raise money for toys and clothes for families in need, but also we will put a portion of the money back into the community via our benevolence fund. Many people don't realize how much support Foothills Community Church gives to families in our community. Already in 2010 we have helped over 230 families that have come in for financial assistance to help with food or bills (that's nearly $30,000 of assistance.)

Over 80% of those families were not associated with our church. In addition to giving the financial assistance, we offer financial counseling, as well as spiritual guidance. In fact, many people who came in for assistance also made commitments to Christ!

The bottom line is that this time of year is THE time with the greatest needs, and we need to help! This offering is above and beyond your regular weekly giving.

We will give out special Community Christmas offering envelopes on December 12th, and will receive this offering on December 19th. This is another chance for us to make a huge impact on the lives of many people, so give generously!

Sunday review

A little late with the Sunday review, but better late, than never!

** It was great being back at Foothills this Sunday. It seems like I always preach longer after I've been gone--- go figure?!

** Erica Peters did such a great job with the feature song. I'm hoping we will post the video of it.

** We had several more people give their lives to Jesus. That's what it's all about!

** I got a chance to Lead our Get In The Game class on Sunday evening. I love leading it, and getting a chance to meet new people!

** On a sad note, we had a 17 year old girl from our church pass away on Saturday. I'll be doing the funeral service on Wednesday. I am praying that other teenagers will commit their lives to Christ!

** It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this Thursday. Wow, time flies by.

** Tickets for our Christmas Eve services will be available on December 5th. We will be having 2 services-- 3pm and 5pm. This is one of our most exciting services of the year, and it's also one of our most crowded, so get your tickets early. You will be able to get them online or at the Connection Center. Our Toccoa campus will have 1 service at 5pm.

** We will also be giving you some invite cards for Christmas eve. Be sure to invite everyone you know!

back to reality

We just got back from a trip to Florida. We had a blast visting my parents, and topping it off with a couple of days at Disney World. It was a little different because we took our 4 year old grand dughter with us.
We didn't get to fish much due to a low pressure system offshore that created some very rough seas, but we did enjoy getting some sun on the beach anyway.
I haven't been to Disney in many years, but it was just like I remembered. It was fun enjoying Disney through the eyes of my grand daughter.
It was by far the least crowded I have ever seen Disney. I literally walked right up to the car at Space Mountain with no wait! I think the longest lines for any ride was the Peter Pan ride (not one of my personal favorites, but, oh well) We probably waited about 40 minutes, but every other ride we had waits of less than 10 minutes.
There is something very special about that place.

While we were away, great things were happening at Foothills Community Church. Brian Rhodes preached and I have heard lots of great things about his message. I am looking forward to watching it online. I love being able to be away and not worry about things back at church because I know we are blessed to have such an amazing, dedicated team covering!

Speaking of Foothills, I am looking forward to preaching this Sunday. I will be sharing one of my favorite parables. I can't wait! This would be a GREAT Sunday to invite a friend!

Post Sticks review

I just got back from 2 amazing days at the Sticks conference hosted by my friend, Artie Davis and his church, Cornerstone Community Church. I was invited to be one of the speakers for one of the main sessions as well as being a part of a couple of breakout sessions. I wanted to share some observations.

* There are a ton of unsung heroes in ministry, especially those who are called to do ministry in "the sticks". I met so many people that are passionate about impacting small towns and hard-to-reach places.

* Cornerstone Community Church has some incredible volunteers. They made everyone feel right at home.

* Orangeburg, SC is a cool town. First time I had ever been there.

* All of the speakers did a phenomenal job. I left feeling very encouraged, and extremely challenged.

* A few quotes from some of the sessions that stuck with me were:
** "Moses didn't speak directly to the problem, he spoke to God."
** "If you feel you have to defend it, it's probably not from God"
** "Pray as if it depends on God, act as though it depends on you"
** "Find a place where relevance meets revival and you will dominate your city"
** "Are we following mere natural instincts, or the Spirit?"
** "Jesus ministry lasted 3 years, He didn't get voted out, He got murdered!"
** "God has more planned for you than you know"
** "Your destiny will be discovered by meeting someone else's need"
** "If you believe your impact is dictated by the size of your city or church, you will become bitter"
** "You need a vision of your Promised Land"
** "Even though Moses knew that he would never make it to the Promised Land he continued to lead, love and serve the people"
** The Promised Land isn't the point, the people are"
** Every person in scripture that was called, faced trials, adversity, and crisis
** Satan uses ideas and images to tempt us"
** "There is a God, and it's NOT me!"
** God says "I am with you. Will you choose to be with me?"

Sunday review

I am in the middle of a very busy week, but I wanted to just highlight a few things that God is up to.

** Great services at FCC yesterday. The praise choir was on stage and every time they show up, the energy level is through the roof. (that's saying a lot because our worship team brings the heat every Sunday)

** Attendance continues to climb. Tons of new people getting pumped about Foothills!

** This could be the best series we have ever done! The parables of Jesus were given to simplify the complex. Let me tell you, if you want to go deep----read and obey the parables. Some of Jesus most difficult teachings.

** Our Toccoa campus is poised to go to the next level. They are making a huge impact in Stephens County.

** Speaking of campuses, I will be sharing some really cool news about future campuses soon. By the way, if any of you is interested in possibly becoming a campus Pastor, or would like to get involved in spreading the gospel to other communities, send me an email at office@foothills.cc

** I will be speaking at the Sticks conference tomorrow and Wednesday in Orangeburg, SC. I covet your prayers. This is a conference that is designed to help churches and leaders in smaller communities and hard-to-reach places.

A few thoughts on Monday

I am so excited about all of the things that God is doing right now. It was a busy week last week, and the next couple look even busier.

** Got a chance to go to Dallas TX and hang out with some incredible Pastor friends as a part of Leadership Network's Senior pastor 2 group. These guys are the real deal. They are godly men who are filled with wisdom.

** We had a solid day at Foothills Community church yesterday. This sermon series has been soooo convicting.

** The worship team brought the heat again! So proud of Kylie Ayers for leading one of the songs!

** I'm already looking forward to this Sunday!

** The Trunk or treat was a huge success. In Seneca we teamed with Walmart. Thousands of kids came through. At our Toccoa campus, they took it to another level. They had B-Shoc in concert, then gave out 400 hot dog lunches, and then did a big trunk or treat!

** Looking forward to a lunch with a friend/mentor later this week.

** Another thing that I am stoked about is The Sticks Conference next week. I have the privilege of being one of the speakers. I love to share the Foothills story!

Sunday review

Loved the services yesterday at Foothills Community Church! We continued the That's What he Said series yesterday with a parable that Jesus shared about forgiving other from Luke 18:21-35

** Any time you deal with issues of forgiveness/ unforgiveness, the message seems to hit a nerve with many people.

Here are a few key thoughts:

** Unforgiveness and bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.

** The only person that is hurt by unforgiveness is the person that is unwilling to forgive!

** Forgiveness means to "release" someone for an offense.

** The more severe the offense, the less likely we are to forgive.

** Forgiven people need to forgive people.

** If God is willing to forgive us from the tremendous debt of our sins than we should be willing to forgive others.

** Loved the song that the band did, I'll Pray For You. Funny song that made a great springboard into my message.

** We are doing some serious Christmas planning at Foothills. This years series will be called, "Gifted"

** Our Christmas Eve services are going to be UNBELIEVABLE!

Facebook observations

Facebook is a phenomenal social networking site, BUT there are some things that I wonder about:

** Where do people find time to play Mafia Wars and Farmville, and whatever other stupid games there are? Maybe a better question is WHY?


** Why do some people feel the need to quote lines of songs all the time for their statuses?


** I have a theory that there are people on Facebook for the sole purpose of being melodramatic about how bad things are going in their lives, so that other people will reply to encourage them. Really? Do you need encouragement that badly! Doesn't anything good ever happen in your life?

Example:

Joe Smith: "My life stinks. My roof is leaking, I'm broke, my car won't start and my dog has hemorrhoids"

Bill Jones: I'm here for you, bro!
Susan Brown: I know it will get better, you're such a wonderful person.
Doris White: I love you Joe. I'm praying for you.
Ed Black: If you need anything. let me know. You're an awesome person.



** Some people share WAY too many personal details on a public forum. For the record, if you're mad at your husband, let HIM know, not 500 of your closest internet friends.



Here's a crazy thought. How about using Facebook to express positive things? Just a thought. Thanks, I feel better now!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, these are general observations, so I'm not picking on anyone :-)

Sunday review

Intense. That's the way I would describe yesterday at Foothills Community Church.
We are in a series where we are examining the parables of Jesus. Yesterday was the parable about counting the cost found in Luke 14.

** When Jesus called people to discipleship it was a call to die to themselves and follow Him. Anything short of 100% dedication was not enough. He challenged people to count the cost BEFORE they followed. It almost seemed that Jesus was trying to talk people out of following Him!

** This was one of the most difficult messages that I've ever preached. It was a message that convicted me, and judging from the feedback, also many others.

** Could it be that we have made it too easy to follow Jesus? Just say a prayer, and presto, you're now a disciple. That is NOT what Jesus said. Salvation is a free gift, BUT true discipleship costs us everything.

** Our worship team did another phenomenal job.

** Yes, we have brought back the donuts!

** Our Toccoa campus had their Friend 10-10, and I heard it was fantastic. many new families and tons of energy. Thankful for our Seneca praise choir making the road trip to Toccoa to help out!

** If you have not signed-up to help at Trunk or Treat on October 31st, call the church office and do it today. In Seneca it will be at Walmart. This is a huge event. I was told that over 8,000 people came to it last year! In Toccoa we will do it at our Toccoa campus. They will not only be giving out candy, but hot dogs as well. They will also have a concert with B-Shoc, who attends the Toccoa campus.