we always find time to do what we want to

I have a motto; We always find the time to do what we want to do. That is a fact.
Isn't it amazing that when my wife wants me to take the trash out, that I can't seem to find the time, but when a friend calls with an invitation to go fishing, miraculously my schedule always seems to have an opening?
I have some friends that have been inviting me to play basketball with them. I would honestly LOVE to play, but there's just one small problem. They play at 6:00AM!! On top of that, I live nearly half an hour from the gym, which means I would have to leave my house at 5:30AM.
For some reason, I just can't seem to be able to make that happen. (hunting season starts very soon. I will be able to find the time to be sitting in my deer stand by 6:00am-----go figure!)
There are many things like that; We wouldn't mind doing them, we see the benefit in doing them, but basically it takes just a little more effort than we're willing to give.
Spiritually speaking many times I am the same way. There are many things that I SHOULD be doing for the Lord, but I just don't seem to find the time to do them. And I have plenty of reasons or excuses why. Can you relate?
There is one word for this: PRIORITIES
Sometimes I just need to re-evaluate my priorities. Our priority list should be something like this: 1. God 2. My wife 3. My kids, and somewhere (much farther down the list) should be work.
How are you doing with your priorities?
What do you need to find the time to do today?

another great day!

Yesterday at Foothills Community Church we had an historic day.
The day started off with three incredible worship services and then it was topped off with a Baptism party where we baptized 29 more people! It was the first time ever that we baptized over 200 people in a year!! (202 is the total)
I am still trying to process this. There are times when God moves in such an amazing way that the only response is AWE. That's how I feel right now.
But here is the best part----- We have only just begun!!
There are thousands of more people we will reach with the most incredible story ever told---The Good News of Jesus Christ.
Get ready because our best days are still ahead.

why we do what we do

Yesterday afternoon I was moving some things on my desk when I came upon a DVD from a Baptism Party from June. It just so happened that my family had to be out of town that weekend, so we missed the baptisms. I put the DVD in my computer and watched. I was moved to tears. I watched as person after person went under the water. It had a slow motion effect so I could see the people's expressions as they came up out of the water. It was absolutely incredible! Many of the faces I didn't even recognize, but God knew each and every one of them.
As I was watching, many thoughts rushed through my mind. When my wife and I started Foothills Community Church 9 years ago, we didn't know any of these people. We had no way of fathoming the amazing things God was going to do in the future.
I thought about the people being baptized. I wondered about their stories; about their lives to this point, and how God had this wonderful plan for them.
I thought about all the prayers of family members and friends that were prayed for these people, and now those prayers were coming to fruition.
I also thought about all the people we have not reached yet. The thousands of people in Oconee county and beyond that we would be priveliged to baptize in the years ahead.

Foothills family, we have been given an unbelievable opportunity to reach our friends and family for Christ. Keep inviting them to church, keep praying for their salvation.

This Sunday afternoon, we get to see more people baptized. maybe you are a person who needs to be baptized. Maybe you have invited Christ into your life, but have not taken that next step of obedience---Baptism. You can do that this Sunday.

At 4:00 pm we will be having a huge baptism party at Biggerstaff retreat center (if you don't know where it is, call the office, we'll send you directions). Come out and support those that we will be baptizing. Come and be inspired.

One last thing. I'm not sure if you realize it or not, but we have baptized 173 people already this year!!! Most likely when it's all said and done, we will baptize over 200 people this year. Let that sink in for a a moment. Is that incredible or what?

I'm tired!

I'm tired! But I know I'm not alone. There are at least 84,000 other people who are dragging this morning. That's how many were at Death Valley last night. By the time I got home from the Clemson vs FSU game it was 1:00 am. The good news is that they won. It would have been alot more difficult to get out of bed if Clemson would have lost.
It was a great game. In the first half, Clemson had their way with FSU. The second half wasn't quite as dominating. (We almost gave the game away)
So it's back to work. No time to waste, it's a short week because of labor Day.
Don't forget that this Sunday at 4:00pm we will be having a Baptism Party at Biggerstaff Retreat Center on Lake Keowee. There will be The big inflatable games for the kids, food, and lots of fun. We are praying that we have many more people who are baptized. This will be your last opportunity of the summer. If you haven't signed up to be baptized, it's not too late!
Because of the Baptism Party, we will NOT be having our 6:00pm service this Sunday, so plan to attend one of the other three.

multi-site meeting notes

I just got back from a multi-site roundtable that I put together for a few Lead Pastors. It was an amazing time for many reasons. First, I got to hang out with some incredible Pastors for a day and a half that are doing some great things to reach people for Christ. A few I already knew, but a few I met for the first time. I have mentioned before that among lead Pastors there is an immediate camaraderie. These are guys who have been in the trenches, so you just kind of "get"each other. Here is a list of the guys that participated:
Roger Blackmore Grace Church Long island New York
Bryan Mills Meadow Heights Church Fredericktown, Missouri (Brian Pastor's a church of 700 in a town of less than 4,000 people!)
Tony McCollum Fusion Church Hamilton Mill, Ga.
Jim Carpenter Compass Church Athens, Ga.
Gary Lamb Revolution Church Canton, Ga.
Eddie Cox Marathon Church Powdersville, SC


We talked about how to mobilize to reach more people through the use of a multi-site strategy. We got a chance to laugh (a lot). I would share some of the things we laughed about, but it's top secret so then I would have to kill you! It's amazing what you learn about people when you spend some time with them.
A third thing that I enjoyed was the tremendous hospitality we enjoyed from the Wayko family for opening up their beautiful lake house to us and then treating us like royalty.

There is no doubt that going multi-site creates an unbelievable opportunity to reach so many more people. I am so pumped about our future!!

Happy birthday Cole

It's hard to believe, but my youngest child, Cole is 15 years old today!
Time really does fly. He is an incredible young man.
He truly is an answer to prayer, because before we had him, my wife and I were praying and asking God if we should try to have more children (we already had two at the time). God revealed some incredible passages of scripture to me as a away of confirming that we should keep trying to have another child. The result was Liz got pregnant, and 9 months later Cole arrived.
Cole, no matter where life leads you, remember keep Jesus first! I am proud of you son.

I need to be more sensitive

Yesterday I posted this video from the Miss Teen USA contest. Miss South Carolina, well, let's just say she struggled a wee bit trying to answer her question...such as.
I showed my wife the video. She didn't think it was very funny. She said, "Oh, I feel so sorry for that poor girl". I was like, yeah, ok, but isn't that hilarious? She just didn't find the humor in it.
I guess I am just a little bit insensitive, because I find that kind of stuff to be very funny. Maybe it's a guy thing.
For all of you that have a wierd sense of humor like me, here's another one that makes me laugh.

say it isn't so

Representing South Carolina well. You've got to be kidding!
Watch this.

Kicked off Mi-Tech series

Yesterday's services were absolutely amazing!
Attendance was over 1,500 and everything was really tight from a service flow standpoint. Our creative and tech teams hit a homerun, and the stage set was awesome. Eric Peters and the worship team were on the money,
The topic was worship, and we experienced worship big-time. Now comes the real test of worship--Monday morning, because worship is not just something we do for an hour on Sunday. It's what we do with the other 167 hours of our week. Keep God in the #1 position of your life, and fight the urge to replace him from that spot with anything else.
Whatever we do, let's do it with our whole hearts, as if we are doing it for the Lord and not for another person----that's Worship!

As promised

In case you haven't driven by the church this week, you have missed the first of the steel building going up. So here is what it looks like so far!

(What you are seeing is the front of the new lobby)

Multi-site roundtable

I am getting very excited about a multi-site roundtable discussion group that I am hosting next week. Myself and 6 other Lead Pastors from 4 different states will be getting together to discuss all of the ins and outs of going multi-site.
As I look ahead to the future of Foothills Community Church it seems very evident that adding new sites to begin new churches is the most strategic way of continually growing. Foothills has averaged around 35% growth per year for 9 years, which is amazing! As you know, we are constructing a larger facility to help accomodate continued growth. But the reality is even if we are able to reach 5,000 people on this campus, that still leaves alot of people who we are not reaching.

I mentioned in my message Sunday that in addition to people in South Carolina, we have people from North Carolina and Georgia that come to Foothills every weekend. There is no way that these people will be able to invite their neighbors. It's just too far to travel. But with the multi-site strategy, we can take Foothills to them!
Basically what we would be able to do is open new locations once we develop a core group of people in a new area. We would find a location to meet (a school, or movie theater), hire a campus Pastor, send some of our people to help and try to impact the area. (OK, it's a little more complicated than that, but you get the picture)
Over the next couple of months I will be trying to arrange meetings with churches who are currently successfully using this strategy to see what steps we need to be taking. I will give you updates as we progress.
I am so pumped about our future!!

Get ready for Sunday!

This Sunday is going to be amazing at Foothills Community Church. There has been a lot of time and effort to create an incredible back to school message series called Mi-Tech. We'll take a close look at a look at some high- tech products that captivate our attention these days. This week I'll be talking about the iPhone. You may be wondering what an iPhone has to do with your spiritual life. Come this week and you'll find out!
Also, one more reminder. If it is possible, consider coming to either the 8:30am or 6:00pm service to free up seats for guests at 9:45am and 11:15am. School starts back this week, so it's going to be a little crowded.
We are experiencing some amazing things at Foothills. Don't forget to invite your friends.
Oh yeah, tonight is the first of two Grouplink's, hope you plan on being there to get connected to a Life group.

video

Yesterday was incredible! We had huge numbers of people, and a great response to signing up for our Grouplink on Tuesday evening.
During the message I talked about how important it is for everyone to get connected to a Life Group. I shared this passage from Ecclesiastes which talks about how we are stronger in a team. I shared a story about a video I saw on Youtube with a baby Cape buffalo who is attacked by lions and a crocodile, but survives because the other buffaloes were there for him in his time of need.
Here is the link to the video
The bottom line is that we need each other. Do yourself a favor, Get Connected.

Lesson learned

Yesterday we loaded up the family and headed out to a long awaited fun day-trip excursion. Our destination was Fontana Village North Carolina. We love this place. There is lots of family friendly stuff to do. Mini-golf, hiking, softball games, scavenger hunts for the kids, tennis, shufflebard, volleyball; but the thing that we were really looking forward to (with the record heatwave) was the waterslide and swimming pool.
We have gone to Fontana Village every summer (except maybe one) for the last 20 years. It had become a family tradition. The one thing we had noticed over the last several years is that the resort was showing some serious signs of age. It was sold to a new company a couple of years back, but they weren't maintaining things properly. Rather than repair things they would close them. First it was a cafeteria, then another restaurant, then the basketball courts. Year after year there were less and less people.
So yesterday we drove up to spend the day. We drove the 2 1/2 hour trip, looking forward to spending time by the pool and waterslide. When we arrived, we couldn't believe our eyes. The pool had been drained and the waterslide was shut down!
The place was like a ghost town. There were literally no cars in the parking lot but ours. This once thriving growing happy family destination had all but closed up. How sad.
We bought an ice cream and loaded back up and turned around and came back.
I thought about how this same thing happens many times in churches all across this country.
Many, at one time were growing, happening, relevant places that people looked forward to coming to, but over the years they didn't make adjustments. They hadn't made the necessary updates. The parking lots that were once full are now empty. The lobbies that were once filled with the sound of excited people, are now silent. They used to be a shining lighthouse in the community. Now they are barely a flashlight. How sad.
It doesn't have to be this way. God has called The Church to be hope of the world. Churches must be willing to make updates when it comes to the methods we use to reach people, while holding firmly to the message that we have been mandated to deliver.
From a physical appearance standpoint, facilites must be constantly cleaned, maintained and updated.
If churches are not willing to make the changes they will die a slow agonizing, pathetic death.

Building activity

It looks like there is some progress on our new building. Yesterday they moved the steel from the pile it has been sitting in to inside the footprint of the building. It is basically laying on the ground next to where it will be erected. It kind of reminds me of a big jigsaw puzzle.
This morning there are a couple more concrete trucks pouring some concrete.
As impatient as I am to see this building get put up, I realize that the laying of the foundation is the most important part of construction. If they don't get this part right there will always be problems with the building in the future. Kind of reminds me of something Jesus once said about building our lives on a solid foundation!
Anyway, as soon as there is something moving vertical I will post some pictures.

Everything Matters

As a staff we are reading through the book "The Starbucks Experience."
Chapter 2 is titled, Everything Matters. In a church setting the philosophy that everything matters is crucial. From the time a person enters the parking lot, everything matters. Are they being directed by a parking attendant so they don't have to drive around in circles trying to find a space? Are there smiling greeters strategically placed throughout the campus welcoming and directing guests? If it is raining, are there greeters with umbrellas ready to help people stay dry from the time they get out of their cars until they get to the building? (This is fresh on my mind because our umbrella crew did an incredible job in the storm yesterday). Is there adequate signage for people to be able to navigate around the building? Is the building clean and inviting looking? Is the children's area the kind of place that kids don't want to leave to go home? (We have kids cry when their parents pick them up because they are having so much fun!.) Is the lobby atmosphere full of energy and expectation? Are the band and worship team thoroughly prepared and ready to lead in worship? Is the message relevant and will it connect to people's lives? Is the bulletin helpful for people to follow along? Is the stage set changing often to give a fresh look? Are the people responsive to the worship experience?
All of things are important because, EVERYTHING MATTERS!
At Foothills we desire to have the kind of place that when people come for the first time, they go home and tell all their friends about how much church impacted their lives, and they come back the following week with a carload of their friends.
This blog is read by many people from around the country who are at different churches, so my question is, do you believe that everything matters? If so, are you constantly striving to make improvements to become a place that is reaching more people in your community?

New opportunities

Had a great time yesterday catching up with my good friend Jay Hardwick over lunch.
Jay was the Lead Pastor of Catalyst Church in Greenville, but is heading to northeast Columbia, SC to plant a new church.
Humanly speaking this may not make sense to some people. Catalyst Church is one of the strategic partner churches with Northpoint Church. Things were going well in Greenville, the church is growing, there is a good staff in place. Basically it was the type situation most people would love to be the Lead Pastor. So then, why is Jay leaving and going to Columbia of all places (home of the Gamecocks)? Because he feels God's calling.
I have no doubt that Jay will be successful. He is a bright, sharp guy, but ultimately he will be successful because he is aligning his life with God's will for him.
Anytime we are willing to abandon our own agendas to seek God's will we will succeed. Is there something that God is asking you to do, but you've been running from it?

A great verse

If there is one verse in the Bible I have tried to live by as a Pastor, it's Psalms 78:72.
Here is what it says: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them."
The two main components of David's success as a leader are the two areas that I try to base my leadership on.
First, David shepherded them with integrity of heart. David was a great leader because of his integrity. He wasn't perfect (as we all can recall his affair with Bathsheba), but he was also known as a man after God's own heart. A leader without integrity, in my opinion, forefits his right to lead. Integrity and character are traits that need to be evident in our lives. We should be trustworthy and honest in all of our dealings. A regular time with God praying and reading the scripture helps us stay centered.
Secondly David led with skillful hands. Not only did David have the heart as a leader, he also had the skill. I imagine David as being someone who was a life-long learner. Someone who was like a sponge when it came to learning about how to lead better. There are so many practical ways to hone your skills as a leader. There are conferences, books, magazines, face to face meetings with other leaders and other things you can do. If we ever get to the point where we think we have it all figured out, we're in big trouble.
I meet people all the time who say they are too busy, and don't have the time to read a book, or go to a conference or go online and see what others are doing. All I can say about that is that mentality is short-sighted. There is an old adage that says, we all have time to do what we want to. In other words if we really want to do something, we find the time to do it.
Do you have integrity of heart? How about skillful hands? A great leader needs to have both.

Back to 4 services

This Sunday we will be going back to our 4 service schedule. We gave all of our staff and volunteers an 8 week break for summer.
People ask me all the time, how do you preach 4 times in one day? Don't you get tired? Well, the answer is, sometimes you just do what you've got to do. When we started Foothills we said that we would do whatever it took to reach people for Christ in this area. God has blessed us and our building kept getting filled up, so we kept adding services, so for this season we will continue to do 4 services. but the answer to the second question is YES, I do get tired. This may not make sense unless you are a Pastor that speaks every week, but delivering a message drains you physically, and emotionally more than anything I know of. I must admit though, the most difficult service I speak at is the 6:00pm service. Mainly because I have already spoken three times that day. I get home at 1:30 or 2:00pm, grab some lunch and then I just kind of hang out and wait for 4:45 so I can head back to the church. It is during that couple of hours that I am home that I really start to feel it.
I am definitely looking forward to getting in the new building so that we can get back to something a little more doable, like 2 or 3 services on Sunday.
In the meantime, if you are currently attending the 9:45 or 11:15 service and you can switch to the 8:30am or 6:00pm service that would really help free up more seats during those prime times. We are still in summer and last week both the 9:45am and 11:15am were at 85% capacity. It's a fact that guests feel uncomfortable when they feel too cramped for space.

Creative team retreat

This week we had a mini-retreat for our creative team. It was great getting together and spending time with them. There is so much that goes into trying to create engaging services. When I left the meeting, I was drained.
In this meeting we were able to finalize sermon series ideas for the next 6 months. There are a few details that we will still need to nail down, but overall it was very productive. It feels so good to get ahead.
Let me try to explain why these meetings are so important. First of all, it gives the entire service a theme. I have been to church services that seemed obvious that there was no communication between the person leading the worship and the person delivering the message. The stage didn't reflect any particular theme, nor did the bulletins. Basically it was left up to the person sitting in the congregation to try to connect the pieces. I'm sure most people would leave the service with more questions than answers.
By spending the time to sit down with a team of people and hashing out creative elements to the service, it helps take the person in the congreagtaion on a journey that has some common thread. This allows them to stay engaged during the whole service.
I can't wait to share these new series, but I can't let the cat out of the bag. Just make sure you don't miss a Sunday!

Students

One of the things that I am really impressed with here at Foothills is our student ministry. We have a great leader in Scott Chatfield, we have great adult volunteers, but I must say, we have the greatest bunch of teenagers I have ever been around!
Many of those teens just got back from Bigstuf camp in Panama City. They had an incredible time. God touched many of their lives, in fact 17 of them were baptized in the ocean in Panama City! (That means we have baptized over 170 people since April!!!!) A couple of them came up to me and shared with me that they had been baptized. They were so excited. And I am excited and proud of them.
They also won the Ultimate Frisbee and the Volleyball competitions. Way to go!
If you think about it, pray for all of our students as the head back to school in a couple of weeks.

finally!

Most of you know that we have had a major struggle with the permitting of our new facility. There have been delays that were totally unforseen. I suppose that is the nature of constructing a large facility.
I've got good news! It seems that everything has been ironed out and we are moving forward once again. Yesterday we had concrete trucks pour the pads for the perimeter supports for the new building, which means it won't be long before we see things moving vertically.
It can't come to soon. Our attendance through the summer has been amazing! There have been Sundays at the 11:15 am service that we have had to bring in metal folding chairs so everyone could get a seat.
I wanted to remind you that on August 5th we will resume our 6:00pm service, so there will be 4 different service times to choose from (8:30am, 9:45am, 11:15am, and 6:00pm)
Buckle up your seatbelts because when school gets back in it is going to be crazy!!

words of wisdom -- part 3

Another thing I tell new church planters to make sure of, is taking your time when it comes to choosing who will be in leadership positions.
New churches have a way of attracting people who are looking to become a big fish in a small pond.
You must take time to get to know people before you invite them to become leaders. They must walk with God on a daily basis. They must share the values of your church. They must love you and have your back. They must be totally unselfish. They must be servants.
When I have people who come in and want me to fast-track them into a leadership position, I generally say something like, "would you be available to help sweep a floor or clean a bathroom?" If they look at me with that "you must be kidding. How could you expect someone as talented as myself to do something so menial?" look, I won't consider them for leadership.
Don't be in a rush to annoint someone as a leader. Take your time, and God will bring the right people.

words of wisdom --part 2

I'm often asked what I would do differently if I were starting Foothills over again. My first answer is always, "I would start with a larger core group." I think I would try to build a core of at least 50 people before launching.
Statistically speaking I have read that churches that have core groups of less than 50 people will rarely ever make it to the 200 level.
I remember 9 years ago when we started with our core group of 17, and held our first service. It was great 70 people showed up! We were ecstatic. The problem was that the next week we had 38, and then 32 , and one Sunday after about 4 or 5 weeks our attendance was about 25 people.
I was discouraged personally, but what I was really worried about were the people in that core group. I was afraid that they would be ready to bail out. I remember after that service, gathering everyone together and giving the best motivational speech I have ever given. I told them that God was at work, that next week there would be more people, that this was really going to work. That we just needed to trust God.
I'll never forget all of them looking at me and saying, "Hey, you don't have to worry about us, we're not going anywhere. You can save your speech"
After that Sunday we began to grow. Literally week after week, we would set attendance records. That was definitely our turning point.
Thinking back on those early days, I'm not sure how we ever retained any of our first-time guests. It must have been extremely intimidating for guests to walk into a service where there were 30 people. Had we built a larger core we would have been able to have critical mass, even when there were very few guests.
Another reason that it's good to have a larger group is for logistical reasons. You need people to serve. You need people to set up and tear down every week, serve in the children's areas, greet, play in the band, sing, hand out bulletins, follow-up with guests, etc.
Then there's the financial side of the equation. It's very expensive to start a new church. There are a lot of expenditures that you have to make for the first time. like letterhead, envelopes, logos, bulletins. There is a ton of expensive sound equipment, and trailers to haul it, and a million other little things that you don't think of.
Yes, Foothills has defied the odds. I was forttunate to have people who surrounded me in that core group who had tremendous faith, and were willing to do whatever it took to reach people.
But if you are thinking about starting a new church, do yourself a favor, spend the time to build a bigger core group.

church planting words of wisdom

Many times I meet with church planters, and soon to be church planters. It is a great joy to be able to pass along some of what I have learned over the last 9 years.
Actually my first exposure to church planting came in about 1993. At that time I was a member of a great church that was reaching many people for Christ. This church was very special to me because I was saved there, baptized there and married there. I was actively involved, serving in many capacities. (I was not on staff. I was still in business at this point.) This church was about a 30 minute drive from where I lived. One day the Pastor approached me and asked if me and my wife would be interested in helping begin a new church in our community (Jupiter Farms)
Our first response was "no", but we agreed to pray about it.
After wrestling with God about it, we reluctantly agreed. Our first meeting was in our living room with a very small core group. We eventually "officially" began and started meeting in an elementary school. Keep in mind, I was not on staff, but nonetheless got an up close and personal picture of church planting. I learned aot about what to do and even more about what NOT to do! I am proud to see how God is using that church (Church in the Farms) to impact the Jupiter Florida area. If you would like to know more about that church you can click here.
When we moved to Seneca, South Carolina in the summer of 1996 we didn't think we would ever be involved in beginning a new church again. We actually moved here to start a new business, which we did, but after 6 months I felt God's call to ministry, so I began to take some seminary classes. It was obvious to me that with my background of starting businesses and being involved in the church plant in Florida, that church planting was in my DNA.
I won't bore you with the details, but we launched Foothills Community Church in April of 1998. It has been such an incredible journey!
As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, I meet many church planters who want to know what to expect, so I thought that i would devote a couple of days to pass along a little bit of what I've learned along the way, as well as some things that I would do differently if I was starting over.
Today I want to leave you with one thing.---- Church Planting Is The Hardest Thing You Wll Ever Do!
That's it. It's hard! That's why so few actually make it.
To those who have never done it, it looks easy. It looks glamorous.---It's not.
It is fun. it's exhilirating. It's the greatest adventure you will ever have. But it's not easy!
Many guys want to plant a church for all the wrong reasons (that's another topic for another day) They read about churches like Northpoint, NewSpring, Elevation or even Foothills, and think "man that's a great job. Just prepare a message and stand up in front of thousands of people and deliver it."
What you don't see is all of the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into laying the foundation of that church. When everyone else leaves for the day, the one who carries the burden of that church is that Lead Pastor. No one, no matter how committed, carries the responsibility like that Lead Pastor. If that church closed down tomorrow, everyone else would find a new church, but for that Pastor he would grieve as if he lost a loved one.
So if you are an aspiring church planter, that's cool, but just be ready to pour yourself into that role. It is not a job. It is an absolute calling! Go for it!

summer attendance

We were discussing in our staff meeting this morning how this summer's attendance is doing incredible. We are slightly lower than before summer's numbers, but we have an enormous amount of first-time guests. What that means is that when school gets back in and everyone is back from their vacations we are going to see another major jump in average attendance!
Seats in the 2 prime times (9:45am and 11:00am) are going to be at a premium.
Here's what I'm asking you to consider. Consider attending either the 8:30am or 6:00pm services.
I realize that not everyone can make that shift, but if you can, it would free up some seats for guests at our 2 prime times.
Our new building should be ready for us to occupy in March, so it would be a temporary shift.
We are experiencing some amazing momentum this summer, so make sure you don't miss out on what God is doing.

An incredible day!

Today was a phenomenal Sunday at Foothills for many reasons.
First it was fun to bring the message after two weeks off. The second reason is that I believe that the Lord did an amazing work in so many lives. I could sense the Holy Spirit at work bringing freedom for so many people today. In case you missed it, we are in a message series called "Livin on a Prayer". We're looking at some famous prayers in the Bible. Today I talked about David's prayer. Just 3 simple words, but so profound.... "I have sinned" David after a year of misery and trying to cover up his sin, gets confronted by Nathan the prophet and admits, I have sinned. Those 3 little words don't sound earth shattering, but they set David free from his gulit, shame and bondage. Those same 3 words are just as powerful today! There are so many people who are enslaved because of their past mistakes, but God stands and waits for us to just come to him and confess and receive His freedom.
No matter what you may have done. No matter how much you may have blown it, there is forgiveness at the cross of Christ.
One more thing, don't forget to pray for our teenagers who left for Bigstuf camp in Panama City (pray for the adult volunteers too!)

Inspired

I was totally inspired while I was on vacation. I was inspired by how orderly my Dad's garage was. Everything had a specific place, everything was put up where it was supposed to be. So yesterday I stopped by Home Depot and bought some shelving units, and some plastic storage containers and starting wading through the accumulation of junk in my garage. I threw away some things. I moved some things to new places. I got rid of some cobwebs. And now my garage has order! I feel so much better.
Spiritually speaking that's what we need to do every so often; take a close look at our lives, and start getting rid of some junk and get things in order. It feels so much better than allowing spirtual junk to accumulate in our lives.
What are some things that are in your life that you need to throw out?

What I did on my summer vacation--part 2

As promised, here are some pictures of some of the fish I caught down in Florida.
The snook were caught in Sebastian Inlet (3 of us caught between 15-20), and the little shark was caught off the beach in Jensen Beach.
One of the things I miss the most about Florida is the great fishing. There are so many options. You can fish in freshwater, the intracoastal, off the beach, or go offshore.

What I did on my summer vacation

This past Sunday we got a chance to visit Life Church's Wellington, Florida campus.
They are in a series called "At the Movies." I was very impressed with how creative the Wellington Campus presented the movie theme. This particular campus chose the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. They had volunteers in costume. They gave out their bulletins at a ticket booth. They gave away popcorn, candy, hot dogs cokes, etc
The band did a nice job, and the people were friendly. They were having some lighting problems, but other than that it was smooth.
The message was via video but it wasn't distracting. It would take some getting used to, but apparently it wasn't deterring growth because they had a decent crowd (we were at the 9:30am service. I was told that the 11:00am was better attended)
I spoke briefly to the campus Pastor who gave me a little of the church's history before hooking up with Life Church.
They did a very good job of branding the Life Church name. Although they were meeting in a High School, they did an amazing job of decorating.
Overall a great experience.
As we move toward the future here at Foothills Community Church we are looking at some possible locations for a second site.

Back to reality

Well, I'm back at the office this morning after being gone for 2 weeks. So far this morning I have been trying to play Catch-up. It is a tribute to the staff you have, when you can come back from vacation and things have not missed a beat. If anything, they are going better.
This past Sunday our Pastor of Connections, Brian Marshall spoke on the prayer of Nehemiah. We had 7 first time salvations and several recommitments! Our attendance has been extremely strong and there are lots of new people every week.
We had a blast on vacation. Got to spend time with my parents and nephews, as well as my wife and kids. We fished, golfed, hung out at the beach, fished some more, ate way too much, swam in the pool, and fished some more (I'll try to post a couple of pics this week.) I feel so refreshed.
There are many great things that we have planned for the weeks ahead. So make sure you don't miss out!

A few thoughts

We went to Christ Fellowship Church last night. They always put together such a great service. When we're in Florida many times we will attend church on Saturday evening instead of Sunday morning.
Even though this is the area of the country that I grew up in, and spent most of my life in, it is still amazing to see how unchurched this region is. (unless you have lived in an area like this, it's hard to understand) There is such a huge need for more church plants to begin to reach this area. I understand that Christ Fellowship will be launching their fourth site in the Palm City/ Stuart area. Very cool!

I have been praying for Scott Chatfield this week. He will kick off a new series called "Livin on a Prayer." Scott fills in for me many times when I'm out of town. I am fortunate to have the right staff around me so that when I'm away, I don't have any worries. Not just on Sunday mornings, but throughout the week. (I only called in to check on things once this week!)

I always get so refreshed when I get away. I can hardly wait to get back! I have so much to share with you!

back in FL

Well, we are back in Florida again. It's always alot of fun.
Today we went to the beach and fished. We caught a ton of fish and then came home and had a fish fry. My Mom makes the best fried fish I have ever eaten!
There is something very cool about taking some time for R&R. I highly recommend it.
Last Sunday our services went really good. Our attendance has been very strong even in the dead of summer. We also had lots of Spiritual decisions!
Oh, one more thing. I understand that we should start seeing more progress on our construction real soon. Hopefully they will be pouring some concrete in the next week or so.

You just never know

Although I didn't watch her on Larry King, I read some of what Paris Hilton said in her interview.
First, although she didn't feel like she should have been incarcerated, she said that she believed that God had a reason for putting her there.
When asked how she spent her days, she said she meditated, read letters from fans, talked to other prisoners through the vents, wrote in her journal and read the Bible.
Have you ever noticed that God loves us so much that He will allow us to be put in situations where we have no place else to look but up.
I am not a Paris Hilton fan. in fact, she could be one of the most overrated people in the world, but I do pray that she would reach out to Christ. Not just in a jail cell, but now that she's out.
Are you going through some sort of difficulty? Turn to the One who gives comfort.

I miss my wife

I miss my wife. She is out of town at Children's camp, as a chaperone.
I definitely outkicked my coverage when I married my wife Liz. She is THE most godly person that I know. She loves Christ with every ounce of her being.
She is also on staff here at Foothills. I can honestly say (very unbiasedly I might add) that she is the best Children's Ministry Director anywhere---Period!
She is also the most patient person I know----she puts up with me (nuff said)
She is also very beautiful (On the outside, and on the inside).
But best of all she is my wife, and I love her.

A little crazy

I've been laying a little low lately when it comes to blogging. Mostly because my life has been very hectic for the last few days. I won't go into all the details, but they say sometimes in life you feel like the dog, and other times you feel like the fire hydrant. Right now it's the fire hydrant!
One thing for sure that helps me is to know that the Lord is still in control. He is at work behind the scenes and working things out.
I am very excited about is this weekends message, 'The Ticket Booth"
Make sure you bring your friends. Oh yeah, you may want to arrive a ilttle early because lately we have been having some big crowds (Isn't that cool---packed out in the middle of summer!)

Why?

There are a lot of things that make me want to ask, why?

A couple of weeks ago I decided to buy a new Bible, because my old one had seen better days. So I went to the bookstore and found a New Living Translation (N.L.T.), which has been my main preference for several years. Because it is the translation that I preach from, many people at Foothills have also purchased one to be able to follow me when I read. It seems that in the last year or so there has been an update done which basically means that there are 2 versions of the same version. Confusing huh?

My initial reaction is to ask, "why?" I mean why name it the New Living Translation? Why not name it the New New Living Translation? Or the New and Improved Living Translation or the Very New Living Translation? Come on Tyndale Publishing, help a brother out!

What do they expect me to do, say to everyone each time I get up to preach, "Now today I will be reading from the New New living Translation, not the Old New Living Translation.
Is it just me, or doesn't that make you ask, Why?

War, What is it good for?

I have been studying the book of 1 Kings, and today one of the things that jumped out at me was a statement that Solomon made about his father David in Chapter 5. He says that David was not able to build the Temple of the Lord because of the many wars waged againgst him.
As I thought about that statement I thought about the local church these days. If statistics are accurate, around 80% of churches are not growing. One of the reasons is that there is too much fighting going on inside the church to build it. There are a lot of Pastors out there that have a great vision from the Lord to reach the community and thus "build the church", but many congregations will wage war against the Pastor to prevent him from building it.
This comes in various forms, usually it has something to do with Change. Maybe the Pastor tries to change the music style, or read from a different translation of the Bible, or move the pulpit or sell the organ or cancel a dying sacred cow program, or change the structure to allow for more growth or add another staff...... whatever. The backlash from these things can be WAR against the Pastor.
Churches do not grow when there is internal turmoil. I have been in churches that when you enter the doors you can "feel" the disunity. It's nearly tangible. Generally a congregation that is in the "battle mode" will have very little laughter, joy and enthusiasm. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when a guest walks in, they probably will feel that vibe and decide to never come back.
I am so thankful for Foothills Community Church! There is such a spirit of love and unity. The excitement and energy when you walk through the doors is tangible. People look forward to coming together to worship corporately. There are no wars raging, no internal battles. The result is growth!! God is building HIS Church and the gates of Helll cannot prevail against it!!

Monday meetings

Every Monday around here is meeting Monday. Sometimes it feels like "Death by meeting", but I honestly believe that one of the things that builds team, and challenges us to take it to the next level are our meetings. They are not always fun, they are probably too long, I probably talk too much, but I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with our staff-team. As our staff grows, I am trying to restructure our meetings, because not everybody needs to be at every meeting.
A typical Monday meeting generally contains evaluations from Sunday's services, time to hear the success stories of transformed lives, shoring up any areas that need attention, and a lot of laughter. Once a month as a staff, we study and discuss a book that stretches us. Right now we are going through "The Starbucks Experience."
One of my last meetings of the day is our Creative Team meeting. These are a lot of fun. Some days we laugh more than we work. People ask us all the time, how we plan for upcoming messages and series and the creative elements; Well, this is where that takes place. We spend a lot of time brainstorming and usually the ideas begin to flow. One of the keys to a great service is in the planning. (Some people may ask, "doesn't all the planning prevent the Holy Spirit from working? Actually, NO. I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in our advance planning. There is nothing spiritual about not having a clue what you are going to do until you show up on Sunday---actually, that's pretty stupid!) We discuss message ideas, songs, video ideas, etc. and then finalize who is responsible for certain items and pray that it all comes together!!
Of course I am simplifying it, but you get the idea!

What is a real man?

Ask that question to ten men, and you'll get ten different answers.
In 1 Kings 2, King David in his last moments of his life called his son Solomon to his bedside and shares with him what it means to be a real man. "Take courage and be a man. Observe the requirements of the lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and all laws written written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go."
According to David, to be a real man---a successful man, follow God. It almost sounds too simple doesn't it? And yet that's what we need to do.
As we approach Father's Day this Sunday, let's model real manhood to our families.
And don't forget to be at church Sunday, because we're going to unwrap this principle a little more!

You can't please all the people all the time

On any given Sunday we probably have at least 30 1st time guests at Foothills. Some have just moved here from somewhere and are searching for a church. Some come because they are seeking answers to life. From time to time we have people who visit Foothills that come from another church in the area because they hear the buzz about Foothills in the community.
Some of the 1st time guests don't enjoy their experience, but most do.

One of the things that never ceases to amaze me are the people who come from another church that LOVE what we are doing for a while. Then something happens. After a while they will say things like, "I really love Foothills, but I really think it would be better if we had Sunday school, or Awanas, or a choir or a little less volume, or.... (you can fill in the blank), like my old church."
My first thought is, If you really liked your old church so much, why did you leave?
As Foothills has grown we are being more focused about the vision God has given us. We have made a strategic decision to try to do what we do better, and to not try to be everything for everybody.

The reason Chik-fil-a makes such good chicken sandwiches is because they know who they are. They won't sell you a taco, or pizza, or a burger. They made a decision to do what they do better than anyone else, make chicken sandwiches. My guess is that if they tried to offer everything for everyone----they wouldn't do any of it very well.
There is nothing wrong with Sunday school, Awanas, choirs or whatever, but in order to be who God has called us to be, we will stay a little more focused. Will some people leave because we don't have those things? Yeah, but that's OK ---but I believe more will stay because of that decision

I'm back!

We just got back from a week down visiting family in South Florida.
We celebrated my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. It was kind of like a family reunion, which can be pretty wierd when you haven't seen people for 10 or 15 years and you can't even recognize them.
It is a long drive down there. We made record time coming back. We made it in 10 1/2 hours.
I heard that it was an incredible Sunday at Foothills! Scott Chatfield spoke in my absence and I hear he did a phenomenal job. Then Sunday afternoon we had a baptism party on Lake Keowee and baptized 44 more people!! (that's 156 baptisms already this year!!) I hate that I missed it, but it's good to know that things keep on rolling even when I'm out of town.
I need to finish unpacking, so I'll fill in some more details later.

I love Summer

Summer is definitely one of my favorite times of year. I love warm weather. I love taking vacations. I love the laid-back feel of Summer.
One thing I told my staff this past Tuesday was, "we are not going to go on vacation as a church." What I meant by that was, sure everyone at church including the staff needs to get rested up, take a vacation, etc. but we are still going to put our best foot forward every week.
Every Sunday will be someone's first time at Foothills, and we are going to do our part to make their experience the best hour of their week.
Having said that, we understand that there are certain straegic times during the year when you have attendance spikes, so we program stronger during those times. Like Easter, Christmas, the start of the school year and after the New Year.
If you attend Foothills, why not make it a point when you're in town this Summer to be at church, to continue giving regularly, and to find a place where you can volunteer.

Summer Schedule

We made an executive decision in our staff meeting to go to a summer service schedule.
To give our Staff and volunteers a little break for summer we decided to temporarily cancel our 6:00pm service.
Beginning June 17th we will be offering 3 services instead of 4. The times will be 8:30am, 9:45am and 11:15am.
We will resume the 6:00pm service on August 5th.
If you are one of the people who comes to the 6:00pm service we apologize for any inconvenience, but when we began the 6:00pm service last September we knew that it was going to have a lot of wear and tear on staff and volunteers. People have stepped up to the plate and have served faithfully without any complaints. So we wanted to say thank you, by giving everyone a few weeks to catch their breath. Until then plan to catch one of the other 3 services!

Happy Memorial Day

We live in the greatest Country in the World! We have freedoms people in other Countries only dream of. I am grateful for all of the men and women who have laid down their lives to protect our freedoms.
I am doing some relaxing today. Just spending some time with my family. Actually this whole weekend has been relaxing. Yesterday our Pastor of Student Ministry, Scott Chatfield did a great job giving the message. I was on a crazy schedule because it was the first Sunday of 2007 I was not speaking. I try to speak about 40-42 Sundays a year, so I will be taking more Sundays off.
When I am on an extended speaking schedule of more than 10 weeks in a row, I feel creatively challenged and need to step back and catch my breath. My friend Perry Noble told me that he heard that the adrenaline rush of speaking one time on Sunday takes about 8 hours to come down off (multiply that by 4 times because of our service schedule and you kind of get what I'm talking about.) If you've ever been driving your car and had someone suddenly pull out in front of you, and you barely missed getting in an accident----that's the same kind of adrenaline rush. It takes hours for you to settle down.
But, I am feeling rested up and am so excited about this weekend's message I'm doing called, "The Tunnel of Love." It will be alot of fun, sharing with couples about how to put a little romance back in their marriages! The feature song is going to be great. Don't miss it!!

Great time

I just got home from a Pastor's Roundtable with a group of about 10 Pastors at Newspring Church in Anderson. We had dinner together last night, then spent all day today hanging out and learning from one another. It was a great time. I met a lot of new friends and got to see some old friends.
There is such a benefit to me personally to rub shoulders with guys who are committed to reaching their communities for Christ. I left inspired, challenged, and grateful that I was able to be there.
Thanks Perry, and Newspring for making it happen!

The eyes have it

I read a quote this morning in a devotional that I have really been thinking about. The writer said "When something concerns us, what's our perspective? It's not WHAT we see, but HOW we see it that reveals our attitudes."
Have you ever noticed how two people can look at the same thing, but see two different things? It's not a vision thing it's an ATTITUDE thing.
One person sees the obstacle, while the other sees the opportunity. One person sees danger while the other person sees adventure.
Think about David facing Goliath. Everyone else saw a giant that would surely whip their behinds, but David saw an obnoxious guy that actually looked pretty small in comparison to God.
The Nation of Israel saw the walls of Jericho as an impenetrable impossibility, but Joshua saw them as God-sized probability.
Many times we face obstacles or things that scare us to death. If we will learn to see things from God's perspective rather than our own, we'll be a lot better off!

What is something you have been looking at through your human perspective that looks pretty impossible? Maybe a financial obstacle, or a relationship obstacle, maybe you're a Pastor and you are struggling with seeing your church grow or you are having battles with people who won't let you lead. In your human eyes, from your perspective it looks impossible. Let me give you one word of encouragement---- PERSEVERE!

Yesterday was intense

Yesterday's message was one of the most difficult ones I've done in quite some time. I spoke on the topic of Adultery. It must have struck a nerve, beacause we sold out of the CD's by the end of the second service!
When you address a topic like that, no matter how you word it, it's still very intense. I approached it from the angle of how to avoid an affair. I felt like what people needed was not more knowledge or information on adultery. For that matter people don't really need more convincing as to whether it's right or wrong. What we really need to hear is, HOW do I keep from ending up in an affair?
If you missed it, you can hear the message at our website.
Foothills Community Church is committed to helping families. For that reason there are many times that we have to discuss topics that are uncomfortable. If a message like yesterday, can prevent one person from committing an act of infidelity against their spouse, than it's worth it.
If you are in the early stages of an affair; You're getting emotionally attached to someone from the opposite sex that is not your spouse, wake up! You are headed toward disaster.
If you are in the middle of a full-blown affair; Run away as fast as possible. Get counseling with your spouse. Keep distance from that other person. Change jobs, change zip codes, do whatever is necessary to save your marriage.
If you are the victim of a spouse that has committed adultery with someone else; Get some counseling. Allow God to heal your wounds.
If you are the one that has committed adultery, and you are living with the guilt; Seek the Lord's grace, forgiveness and healing.

Let me end with some good news---- there are many couples who work throught the pain and betrayal and have wonderful marriages.

My Bible

I am getting to the point where it's time to get a new Bible. Mine is falling apart. I have glued and re-glued it back together as many times as I can. This Bible is not even that old, but it's seen better days. I wish I could still use a really small one, but my eyes won't let me.

Speaking of old Bibles; There is just something special about all of my Bibles. I picked up a Bible off the bookshelf the other day that I have been using in my quiet time this week. It was the first Bible I ever owned. My wife gave it to me many moons ago. I wish I could tell you how many moons ago, but the cover is missing, and the beautiful inscription my wife wrote to me with the date was on the inside of the cover.

As I have been thumbing through the pages of that old Bible, I have read some of the notes in the margin that I wrote. I have seen many underlined or highlighted verses that God was speaking to me at that time about. I remember how back then I devoured God's Word with intensity. I couldn't get enough of it. And then I was convicted. I was convicted because although my new Bible is worn out too. It is worn out for different reasons. It is worn out because of Sermon preparation. It is worn out because I use it many times in a more academic way these days. I used to read my Bible with desperation for God to speak to me---many times now, I read my Bible with desperation for a sermon.
Last Sunday I spoke about priorities. I am going to once again make God's Word one of my top priorities.

Here is one of those underlined passages from my old Bible that speaks to this:

"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought you; Oh, let me not wander from your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin againgst You."

Ultimate

I look forward to Tuesday evenings. Tuesday evening is our weekly Ultimate game. If you've never played, you are missing out on some great fun and exercise. Basically Ultimate is kind of like soccer, only you use a disc (frisbee). It is non-stop running and throwing and catching.
The only down side to it, is that I'm usually the oldest guy out there (unless Pastor Brian shows up!) The average age excluding me is probably 20. So needless to say, I have my work cut out keeping up with the young pups.
It is supposed to be a non-contact game, but last week one of the guys caught an elbow to the eyebrow and I believe ended up getting a few stitches. Last year we had a guy break his foot.
The most frustrating part of playing is realizing I have lost a step in the speed department, and a couple of inches in the vertical leap department over the years. I am sort of in denial about it though. It's all good!
If you are free at 6:00pm on Tuesdays, come by the church and give it a shot.

Is God your #1 priority?

Well, when you got your day started did you remember to consciously remind yourself and acknowledge to God that He is #1?
If you weren't at Foothills yesterday, that was the challenge; to make sure that God was our #1 priority. There are alot of things that will try to bump God further down our priority lists. Urgent things---good things, but only one thing can be #1.
The benefit to this is that our lives will be a lot less stressed out. There will be order instead of chaos. Jesus promised in Matt 6:33, that if we will seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness all these other things will be given to us as well.
Why not pause right now, and tell Him that He's #1
By the way, our services were really great yesterday. We had our Parent Child dedication service at our 8:30 am service. There were around 30 kids and their Parents all lined up across the stage (on the stage and in front of the stage---it was so cool!) Way to go Parents! Thanks for your commitment to raise your children in a home that elevates the name of Jesus!

Another great story

I love to hear stories of life change. I don't think I could ever get tired of them.
I received an amazing story from a young lady about our spontaneous Baptism service on April 15th. Do yourself a favor and read it. I'm sure you will be inspired. I know I was!!

In case you missed it, we baptized 111 people that day!! You can view the video here.

The "Call" to ministry

We hear the phrase, "I was called into ministry", but what does it really mean?, and how do you know if you have really been "called"?
First of all the term, "Call" is pretty mysterious sounding. It is not something audible to the ear, but it is more audible to the heart. It's probably more of a "sense."
Basically what someone is saying when they use that phrase is that they believe that God has actually prepared them and set them apart for some ministry opportunity.
Here's where a lot of people get in trouble. They say, "God has called me to become a Pastor."
But in many cases it wasn't a call from God, it was a desire on their part that they confused for a call.
Here is a couple of scriptures to show a call versus a person's own desire.

Jer. 20:9 But if I say, "I will not mention Him or speak anymore in His name," His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in, indeed, I cannot.

1 Cor 9:16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Here are 4 ways to know if you are being "Called":
1. You can't NOT do it. (see scriptures above)
2. You will make whatever sacrifice necessary to follow
3. You will have a passion to do whatever it is you're being called to do that will cause you to constantly think about it. You will wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. You will wake up in the morning thinking about it. You will go to sleep thinking about it. You will dream about it.
4. The passion will only increase with time (If it fades out, it was probably just your desire, not a true calling)

Moving some dirt

Since yesterday all I have been hearing around here is BEEP--BEEP--BEEP. It's that awful sound of tractors backing up. And yet it is music to our ears!!
In case you haven't driven by here in a couple of days, they are moving a lot of dirt in preparation for our new facility. We definitely need more seats. But as exciting as it is going to be having a new bulding to meet in, building buildings is not our mission!!!! Building PEOPLE is!!!

Another thing to remember, is that we are constructing a building, not a Church. The church is not bricks and mortar (or in our, case steel and screws) The church is the people.

I think that distinction needs to be made, because I hear people in the community say, "so you all are building a new "Church". I sometimes say, "no we're the same church, we're just building a new building."

A lot of churches have emphasized their buildings so much, once they finish constructing it, the people feel like they have arrived---that they have achieved their mission.
Our mission is to reach people for Christ, and until every person knows Christ personally, our mission is not over!!

Hard to imagine sometimes

It is mind boggling to think about what God is doing here in smalltown USA!
Seneca, SC is no booming metropolis. It is not really near any large city. It has a population of less than 8,000 in a county with around 70,000. Oconee County is about 75% rural. There are probably 200 hundred churches in the county.
It is probably one of the least likely places people would think of when it came to a major movement of God---and yet that's what is happening here at Foothills Community Church!!!
I can't explain it. I can't take credit for it. All I know, is that I want God to keep on doing what He's doing.
On any given Sunday we will have 2% of Oconee County at one of our services. We are seeing people becoming followers of Christ every week. We are seeing lives change literally before our eyes. We are seeing people who have not darkened the doors of a church in decades become fully engaged Christ-followers. We are seeing people come to the reality that their time, talents, and treasures are really not theirs, and offering them to Christ.
There are many weeks that all I can do is shake my head in amazement as to what He is doing. And yet with all of that I truly believe that the best is yet to come!!
If you are a person that calls Foothills your church home I want to encourage you to continue to build relationships with people who are far from God, and point them to the savior. Continue to invite your friends to Church. Continue to live out your faith.
If you've never come to Foothills yet---what are you waiting for?

Honored

I was honored to be invited by my friend Perry Noble, to be a part of a Pastors Round Table group that will be meeting later this month. I can't wait! I must say, when I saw the list of the guys who are coming, it was a little intimidating. These are among the most influential churches in America. Some of these guys I have admired from a distance, and now I will get to hang out with them----how cool is that?!
I hope I don't say anything embarassing! (That's been known to happen on occasion)
It is so refreshing to hear what the Lord is doing across this Nation. I look forward to sharing the story of what is happening at Foothills Community Church.
I love this church!

no more Games

That's right---no more Games. The message series, that is. This Sunday we are wrapping up the series called, "Games".
This week we'll be talking about the game Sorry. We will be relating the game of Sorry, to Peter's denial of Christ. If you've ever royally messed-up and have struggled with believing you can be forgiven, make sure you are at Foothills this Sunday!!

It's not the size of the dog

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. That is a very true statement. I just read an incredible story of a Jack Russell Terrier that fought off 2 Pit Bulls to save five children. Unfortunately for George (the Jack Russell), the Pit Bulls got the best of him and he had to be put down by a vet, but man, you talk about laying down your life for a friend!
George had heart. Heart is another one of those intangibles that is hard to factor in, but when someone's really got it -- all bets are off. Heart makes the impossible possible. It shifts the odds. Heart changes everything! R.I.P. George!

The power of friendship

I just got back from lunch with one of my best friends in ministry, Eddie Cox. Eddie is the Lead Pastor of Marathon Community Church in Easley, SC. I have known Eddie for about 10 years. I met him about 4 or 5 months after he planted the church. Under Eddie's leadership they have grown to about 2,800 in attendance.
We don't get to spend alot of time together, but when we do get together we just pick up where we left off the last time. Eddie and Marathon have been a huge encouragement to me as we planted Foothills. In fact, just last week, Sean, Marathon's lighting Director came over and helped us for several hours. (He wouldn't even let us pay him)
Ministry can be lonely at times. And believe it or not, sometimes the only guys who really understand the unique pressures of being a Lead Pastor are other Lead Pastors.
If you are a Pastor and you don't have friends in ministry----then make some!

Competitive

My family likes to play games. Backgammon, Monopoly, Texas Hold-em, Rummy, Uno.... You name it, we probaly have the game. I have a confession to make. I don't like to lose. Actually, I Hate to lose! ( I want to clarify--I am not a sore loser. I just don't like to lose. If you beat me---I'll shake your hand. And then challenge you to play again!)
I have always been super-competitive. I can make a competition out of anything. I even compete against myself. Can I mow the lawn faster this week, than I did last week? Can I catch more fish today, than ever before? Stuff like that.
If I ever play a team type sport, I will be the guy that ALWAYS knows the score.
If I am playing some team sport, and I have teammates that aren't giving their all----or even worse, don't care if we win or lose, I can't handle that.
You probably are thinking that I should get therapy. (I probably should) But I have tried to take my competitive nature and leverage it for the good.
I have found after talking to tons of church planters, that a competitive nature may be one of the #1 qualities for success. And it is by far the least talked about. The people who are competitive will rarely quit. They will hang in there and keep swinging long after everyone else has given up and gone home. This may not sound super-spritual, but competitiveness can be a curse OR a Blessing! God can use everything about us. He created us the way we are. Don't apologize for it. Anyone up for a game of Rummy?

It's a small world after all

Had a great time with Jay Hardwick at lunch today. It seems that me and Jay have traveled in some similar circles at different times. As it turns out, Jay spent some time with our Pastor of First Impressions, Brian Marshall 10 years ago! I am really excited about how the Lord is using Jay and his team at Catalyst Church.
Jay shared something that someone told him once, he said we can either leave an Impression on someone or have an Impact on someone. I like that. Why settle for an impression when we can have impact!

Had a great time this weekend meeting Steve Stewart who pastors Church in the Farms, in Jupiter Florida. Steve came to a couple of our services on Sunday (while he was here we asked him to be our secret shopper, and he made lots of notes) Then he stuck around on Monday and came to our staff meetings and our creative meetings.
Church in the Farms is very near and dear to my heart, because it began in my living room in 1994. Steve has been there 2 years and is doing a great job. It was my first time meeting him, and we really enjoyed having him.
I love spending time with fellow pastors. There is kind of a band of brothers type feeling. You just understand each other.
I'm looking forward to having lunch with another Pastor, Jay Hardwick from Catalyst Church, this Thursday. They are getting it done in Greenville, SC.

2 Big Questions

This past Sunday I challenged people to ask themselves 2 critical questions every day of their lives. Question 1: Will I make time for God to use my life today? Question 2: Who will be in control of my life today?
The whole premise of the message was, that if we will be available, and allow Christ to have control of our lives, He will give us divine opportunities to touch people's lives.
My wife was talking to a friend and she was so excited, because she had an incredible divine appointment on Sunday after church. She said that she normally would have missed it, but she was paying attention spiritually. She was riding down the road and she saw an elderly woman in her 80's walking down the sidewalk. As she drove past, she sensed that she needed to turn around and offer her a ride. The lady was walking to the grocery store, so she drove her there, and then she gave the woman her phone number and told her that if she needed a ride sometime to give her a call.
God used her life because she was available---- are you?
There is nothing more fun than being in a situation where you know without a doubt, that God has soveriegnly arranged it.
Have you been asking yourself those 2 questions this week?

Men's retreat

I got a chance to go to our Spring Training Men's Retreat this Friday and Saturday. We had a great turnout. Our Men's ministry leader, Bobby King and his team did an incredible job! We had all kinds of guy stuff to do---Skeet shooting, paintball, ATV riding, Horseback riding, a Texas Hold-em tournament and plenty of food. It was nice to spend some time with my youngest (14 years old) son, Cole. They grow up way too fast.
Also, a big thank you to Clemson Tigers Head Coach Tommy Bowden for coming out on Saturday evening, and bringing a couple of players, Willy Korn and Xavier Dye. Then on Saturday, 3 more guys from the team came and hung out with us.

Finally!

Well he's finally gone. If you have tuned into American Idol this year, you know that this has been a big joke. I'm not sure which was worse, his hair-do's or his voice. Anyway, he's off the show! All I can say is goodbya Sanjaya!

Good News travels fast

We are hearing so many cool stories about what happened at Foothills Community Church this past Sunday! (110 people baptized) One person told me that he had 6 people leave messages on his phone Sunday after the morning services telling him he better make sure he gets to the 6:00pm service --because God was doing something incredible.
There have been emails of people celebrating a loved one's salvation (that they have been praying for years about) and then their obedience to follow in baptism.
I have heard stories of the buzz in the community of conversations around the water cooler that were about what was going on at Foothills.
The list goes on and on, so what we are going to be doing (hopefully by the end of the week) is having a link on our website (www.foothillscc.org) to a place where you can leave your story about your experience last Sunday.
All honor to God!!

Pray

By now I'm sure everyone has heard about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. A gunman kills 32 people, then himself. Another 15 people injured. They say it's the worst mass killing in our history.
Senseless. That's the only way to describe these type of things.
My neice is a student at Va. Tech. Fortunately she was not one of the victims. But there are a lot of people that are grieving big-time today. Parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends.
I have two thoughts about this tragedy. First, PRAY. Pray for all of the people that will have to deal with this tragedy first-hand. God is still on the throne. This did not take Him by surprise. And although God did not cause this tragedy, He can and will be there bringing comfort and peace. Psalm 34:18 says: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues them those who are crushed in Spirit.
Second, Tell your kids that you love them today!

Unbelievable!

There are no words to describe what we experienced at all 4 of our services today. The only way to describe it would be to say that God showed up and did what only He could do----touch people's hearts.
We have been telling everyone to be prepared, because we were going to be doing something we have never done at Foothills. What was the great mystery? A spontaneous Baptism service!
When the dust settled we baptized 110 people!!! Let that sink in for a minute. 110 people publicly declaring their faith in Christ.
I have never been in a service that was more moving. And the cool thing was, that God moved in every one of the services. I have never seen so many people in tears as they watched person after person going under the baptism waters. I am in awe of God.
We also set another non-Easter attendance record. I believe we had 1,623 people show up today!
Probably the coolest thing was at the 8:30 am service (which by far is our most conservative service), I hadn't even given the invitation when a man ran down the aisle and literally cannonballed into the pool. He couldn't wait. Everyone thought that he was a plant--but he wasn't!
Foothills family, all I can say is, hang on!!

Excitement in the air

We are putting the final touches on the service for this weekend. I have been telling everyone to put on their seatbelts because we are going to be doing something at Foothills that we've never done before. There is something very exhilirating about doing something that if God doesn't show up, we're in big trouble.
It's been really funny watching people trying to figure out what it is that we are going to do.
Anyway, mark your calendars for April 15th. You Do Not Want To Miss It!

Easter Update

So here are the official numbers from Easter. Attendance--2,000 on the button! More importantly we had the biggest spiritual response we have ever had, we had 18 people receive Christ, and we had 106 people make recommitments! That is amazing. 124 significant spiritual decisions. Now comes the hard work---follow-up.

Whew!

What a day we had yesterday! We're still tallying up everything. but it looks like we had 2,000 people yesterday at our services. It was really amazing.
I can't say enough about our staff and volunteers. There were probably a couple of hundred people serving. Some actually volunteered at all 5 services.
It's hard to believe that yesterday was also our 9th birthday as a church. What an amazing journey we are on. On our first Sunday 9 years ago we had 70 people show up. Yesterday, 2,000!!--ONLY GOD!!
Our new building is going to be so helpful for us to be able to keep reaching people as space is becoming an issue.

This is hilarious!

Over the years there has been alot of mis-information about Foothills Community Church. Things like, "they don't teach from the Bible", or "they don't talk about sin or Hell", you know, just the normal stuff that people make up because they are a little insecure or jealous.
But I heard about a rumor that someone heard about Foothills Community Church. This person heard that if you join Foothills, you have to take a vow to never drink any Pepsi products again!!!!!
Are you kidding me?? Someone actually believes this?? Just for the record---I drink 2 diet cherry Pepsi's everyday.
Can you imagine the membership covenant: I willl protect the unity of my church, I will participate in the ministry of my church, I will only drink Coca-Cola products!!
Where do people come up with this stuff?? Hilarious!!

The steel has started to arrive!

We just had 3 semi truckloads of steel delivered for our new facility. I have no clue how many more truckloads they are going to bring. The only problem is that they haven't started the grading and earthwork yet. Oh well, at least we won't have to wait for the steel to be delivered.
This is starting to get really exciting!