Great day at FCC yesterday. I talked about dealing with pain, and used Job's life as an example. Clearly, no one that I know has ever dealt with so much pain in such a short amount of time as Job did.
* The Fix You series, is a series of messages that we are admitting that we are broken people in need of fixing, and the only One capable of fixing us is Jesus---period!
* Whenever we talk about something like pain, it connects with so many people. I had some incredible conversations and prayers with people in the concourse that were going through some difficult times. I mean really, really difficult times.
* I love hearing from old friends from my B.C (before Christ) days on Facebook that watch our messages and contact me to let me know that the message impacted them!
* Our Toccoa campus tied their non-Easter attendance record yesterday. They had 2 more people saved there! Our campus Pastor, Brian Marshall preached live. Heard it was great.
* Don't forget that THIS SUNDAY at our Seneca campus and the following Sunday at our Toccoa campus we will be celebrating baptisms!! We did things a little differently this time, so we don't know how many are going to be baptized. This should be a lot of fun!
* There is such an excitement right now at Foothills, it's awesome.
* We had a phenomenal staff meeting this morning, where we began discussion about some huge shifts we will be making in the Fall about serving opportunities. This is going to be radical!
* Looking forward to some coaching meetings that I have this week, and also looking forward to a leadership meeting in Dallas later this month with some other Pastors.
* After 8 weeks of ankle pain from a basketball injury, I am finally feeling good. Played softball on Saturday, and was back at our 6:00am basketball game this morning!!
* I've been thinking about a quote from the Experiencing God study lately. "See where God is at work and join Him". Most of the time we kind of get this backwards. We are praying the wrong prayer. we pray, "God bless what I'm doing". We need to pray, "God, help me to do what you're blessing".
* The local paper interviewed me last week about a story they will be publishing this week about the changes in worship in the Bible Belt. This should be interesting. For the record, although our style is more contemporary/modern/progressive (or whatever you want to call it), I do not feel for a moment that the way we do services is THE way. There are some dynamic churches that have a more traditional style, that's cool too. It's not an "us" against them". We're all on the same team. I liken it to a net. Different styles create a bigger net, and consequently more fish are caught. That's a good thing!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Easter message
God used this message to reach lots of people during the Easter services at Foothills. If you know anyone who has doubts about God's love for them pass it along.
Does God Really Love Me? from Foothills Community Church on Vimeo.
I want
I was cleaning off some stuff on my desk, and I came across this. I'm not sure if I've ever posted this before, but here we go:
I want Christ to build HIS Church
I want services that are Spirit-driven and Spirit-filled, not displays of human talent and effort.
I want Acts 2 miracles and community
I want messages that come from the overflow of the Holy Spirit working in my life, not some human presentation of facts.
I want the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to permeate every person that drives onto this campus, and to direct every person as they drive off of it.
I want to die to the selfish, self-promoting desires of my sinful nature. I don't want to care about the number of twitter followers or blog readers or how many facebook friends I have.
I want to celebrate the movement of God in other churches as much as I celebrate it in my own.
I want to be transformed more into the image of my wonderful Lord, who gave Himself for me.
I want live my life for the applause of God, not the applause of men.
I want to speak with the power and authority of Jesus Christ, not oratory brilliance or great eloquence.
I want to become more of a servant and less of a sergeant in my leadership.
I want my heart to break for lost people.
I want Christ to build HIS Church
I want services that are Spirit-driven and Spirit-filled, not displays of human talent and effort.
I want Acts 2 miracles and community
I want messages that come from the overflow of the Holy Spirit working in my life, not some human presentation of facts.
I want the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to permeate every person that drives onto this campus, and to direct every person as they drive off of it.
I want to die to the selfish, self-promoting desires of my sinful nature. I don't want to care about the number of twitter followers or blog readers or how many facebook friends I have.
I want to celebrate the movement of God in other churches as much as I celebrate it in my own.
I want to be transformed more into the image of my wonderful Lord, who gave Himself for me.
I want live my life for the applause of God, not the applause of men.
I want to speak with the power and authority of Jesus Christ, not oratory brilliance or great eloquence.
I want to become more of a servant and less of a sergeant in my leadership.
I want my heart to break for lost people.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Easter Sunday highlights
I don't even know where to start, but basically today was probably the greatest day we have ever had at Foothills Community Church.
* I don't have all the numbers, but our attendance was around 2,900 people between our 2 campuses. (570 of them were in Kidzone)
* Our Toccoa GA campus set another record attendance today with 271 people!
* We had 203 people saved in Seneca, and 100 people made recommitments! We had 9 first-time salvations and 6 recommitments in Toccoa! Pause and think about that right now---212 people saved today. That is incredible! That is why we do what we do!
* Our volunteers stepped it up big-time today. Hundreds of people serving. Some of them were there by 6:00am. Thank you all for your commitment to do whatever-it-takes to reach people!
* Our worship team took it to a new level today. They blew me away.
* The love medley was unbelievable!
* We started the Fix You series today. It is going to be a fantastic series, so make sure you come next Sunday for Part 2
* Today my messsage was all about the extent of God's love for us. When you stop to consider the love He has for us it is hard to comprehend.
* I was so proud of our people. They went out and invited their friends. That was cool.
* In case you are wondering, yes, I really did pull the gorilla prank on my wife---it was awesome!
* Don't forget, when you look into the mirror tomorrow morning, say, "wow, I'm a Masterpiece!"
* I got a chance to hang out a lot in the concourse. I love to meet new people.
* I sense a wave of new excitement at Foothills and I can't wait to see where God leads us!
* We celebrated our 12th anniversary as a church today too. We've come a long way since that first service with 70 people in attendance back in 1998!
* I don't have all the numbers, but our attendance was around 2,900 people between our 2 campuses. (570 of them were in Kidzone)
* Our Toccoa GA campus set another record attendance today with 271 people!
* We had 203 people saved in Seneca, and 100 people made recommitments! We had 9 first-time salvations and 6 recommitments in Toccoa! Pause and think about that right now---212 people saved today. That is incredible! That is why we do what we do!
* Our volunteers stepped it up big-time today. Hundreds of people serving. Some of them were there by 6:00am. Thank you all for your commitment to do whatever-it-takes to reach people!
* Our worship team took it to a new level today. They blew me away.
* The love medley was unbelievable!
* We started the Fix You series today. It is going to be a fantastic series, so make sure you come next Sunday for Part 2
* Today my messsage was all about the extent of God's love for us. When you stop to consider the love He has for us it is hard to comprehend.
* I was so proud of our people. They went out and invited their friends. That was cool.
* In case you are wondering, yes, I really did pull the gorilla prank on my wife---it was awesome!
* Don't forget, when you look into the mirror tomorrow morning, say, "wow, I'm a Masterpiece!"
* I got a chance to hang out a lot in the concourse. I love to meet new people.
* I sense a wave of new excitement at Foothills and I can't wait to see where God leads us!
* We celebrated our 12th anniversary as a church today too. We've come a long way since that first service with 70 people in attendance back in 1998!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Lessons about leadership at the 12 year mark (part 3)
Here are a few more lessons:
** Number are important---but if you live by the numbers, you will die by the numbers!
I am a numbers guy. I have on file, the attendance from every service we have ever done. We count people, we count salvations, we count baptisms, we count offerings, we count membership numbers. We count everything that can be counted. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact if you don't keep track of things, you are making a huge mistake. BUT, you have to be careful to track patterns as opposed to individual Sundays. For most church planters (myself included), our self-worth is tied to our weekly attendance. If we have a Sunday with a record attendance, we feel great, but if the attendance is low, we go into a funk (this is so unhealthy, and will drive you to an early grave). Look at a quarter rather than a week. Look at things annually rather than monthly. try to look for trends or patterns, you will enjoy the journey a whole lot more.
** Comparison is a killer.
One of the most unhealthy things you can do is to compare your church's progress with someone else. If you compare with a smaller church, it can lead to pride. If you compare to a larger church it will lead to envy and discontentment. You are YOU. You are not someone else. God is fully aware of that! Your church should be unique. If God wanted cookie cutter churches, we would all be the same. God will never judge you based on comparison with another church or Pastor, he will only judge you based on whether you have been faithful in what He has given you.
** Don't limit God
I have found that the only limits I have are self-imposed limits. We say, "we are going to reach our community for Christ", do we really believe that's possible? Our lack of faith restricts the activity of God in our churches and in our lives. God is omnipotent, and sovereign. He is limitless. We need to pray bold prayers. Dream big dreams, and take huge risks to be the leaders that God has called us to be.
** Number are important---but if you live by the numbers, you will die by the numbers!
I am a numbers guy. I have on file, the attendance from every service we have ever done. We count people, we count salvations, we count baptisms, we count offerings, we count membership numbers. We count everything that can be counted. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact if you don't keep track of things, you are making a huge mistake. BUT, you have to be careful to track patterns as opposed to individual Sundays. For most church planters (myself included), our self-worth is tied to our weekly attendance. If we have a Sunday with a record attendance, we feel great, but if the attendance is low, we go into a funk (this is so unhealthy, and will drive you to an early grave). Look at a quarter rather than a week. Look at things annually rather than monthly. try to look for trends or patterns, you will enjoy the journey a whole lot more.
** Comparison is a killer.
One of the most unhealthy things you can do is to compare your church's progress with someone else. If you compare with a smaller church, it can lead to pride. If you compare to a larger church it will lead to envy and discontentment. You are YOU. You are not someone else. God is fully aware of that! Your church should be unique. If God wanted cookie cutter churches, we would all be the same. God will never judge you based on comparison with another church or Pastor, he will only judge you based on whether you have been faithful in what He has given you.
** Don't limit God
I have found that the only limits I have are self-imposed limits. We say, "we are going to reach our community for Christ", do we really believe that's possible? Our lack of faith restricts the activity of God in our churches and in our lives. God is omnipotent, and sovereign. He is limitless. We need to pray bold prayers. Dream big dreams, and take huge risks to be the leaders that God has called us to be.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
More Faith
Is your faith running a little low these days? Here is last Sunday's message about increasing our faith.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Lessons about leadership at the 12 year mark (part 2)
OK, here's part 2 of things I've learned in the first 12 years of leading Foothills.
If you missed part 1, you can read it here.
** It is normal and healthy for people to leave.
If you're a Pastor that's just getting started, you need to accept this. It is painful, it is heart-wrenching, and part of you will want to compromise the vision to retain them, but let them go.
When you study the ministry of Jesus, you will see that people left Him on a regular basis. Even one of His hand-selected 12 disciples, left Him. If they left Jesus, they will leave you too, it's ok. Sometimes God leads people to another church where these people will flourish and be able to take some of what they've learned at your church to help the next church. That is a good thing. The last thing you want is someone staying at your church that no longer believes in what the vision is.
** Sometimes the ones who love you when they come in, won't be quite so loving when they leave.
The same crowds who put out the palm branches and shouted "Hosanna", were the same crowds that shouted "crucify Him" a couple days later. This is tough. All of us want people to like us, so it's very painful when people take shots at us and the church when they leave. It's as if they feel the need to justify why they are leaving. I wish people would just say, "God is moving me on. During the time I was here, God did some wonderful things in my life, I wish you all the best".
** As the leader, your best use of time is listening to God.
What your people need more than anything else, is a leader who is hearing the voice of God. It all starts with this. You can't cast a vision, if you haven't first heard that vision from God. You can't grow up your people if you aren't first growing yourself. There are so many things that will compete for your time. Spending time with God (and not just sermon study time), is your best use of time.
** Being "Cool" is overrated
I believe in doing everything with excellence, but I have discovered that I would rather be effective than cool. The goal of our services should not be to see how many people posted on Facebook how "cool" the services were at church today. My goal is to hear people say, "At church, I sensed the presence of God in such a powerful way and as a result my life has been changed"
If you missed part 1, you can read it here.
** It is normal and healthy for people to leave.
If you're a Pastor that's just getting started, you need to accept this. It is painful, it is heart-wrenching, and part of you will want to compromise the vision to retain them, but let them go.
When you study the ministry of Jesus, you will see that people left Him on a regular basis. Even one of His hand-selected 12 disciples, left Him. If they left Jesus, they will leave you too, it's ok. Sometimes God leads people to another church where these people will flourish and be able to take some of what they've learned at your church to help the next church. That is a good thing. The last thing you want is someone staying at your church that no longer believes in what the vision is.
** Sometimes the ones who love you when they come in, won't be quite so loving when they leave.
The same crowds who put out the palm branches and shouted "Hosanna", were the same crowds that shouted "crucify Him" a couple days later. This is tough. All of us want people to like us, so it's very painful when people take shots at us and the church when they leave. It's as if they feel the need to justify why they are leaving. I wish people would just say, "God is moving me on. During the time I was here, God did some wonderful things in my life, I wish you all the best".
** As the leader, your best use of time is listening to God.
What your people need more than anything else, is a leader who is hearing the voice of God. It all starts with this. You can't cast a vision, if you haven't first heard that vision from God. You can't grow up your people if you aren't first growing yourself. There are so many things that will compete for your time. Spending time with God (and not just sermon study time), is your best use of time.
** Being "Cool" is overrated
I believe in doing everything with excellence, but I have discovered that I would rather be effective than cool. The goal of our services should not be to see how many people posted on Facebook how "cool" the services were at church today. My goal is to hear people say, "At church, I sensed the presence of God in such a powerful way and as a result my life has been changed"
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday review
Yesterday was just one of those days when everything just seems to fall into place. I love those days! The services at Foothills Community Church were absolutely phenomenal. The energy was tangible. Here are a few highlights:
* Eric Peters and his team brought it at the 9:30am service. I actually think the 9:30 crowd was more lively than the 11:15 crowd!
* Bill Swindle did a great job with the feature song. Love that guy.
* 11:15 was rocking. David O and his crew lit it up. We have the most unbelievably talented worship teams anywhere.
* Loved getting to share Abraham's faith journey. We covered 25 years of history in 40 minutes.
* I was reminded again how powerful faith is.
* Can't really explain it, but there is a sense of excitement in the air that is contagious.
* Concourse conversations were awesome. One guy told me that his friend in FL watches our messages online and was saved last week! Love technology!
* We have given out 3,800 Easter tickets. KEEP INVITING YOUR FRIENDS!
* Our Toccoa campus set a non holiday attendance record yesterday. Big Mo is really rolling over there! I don't know what's going to happen over there this Sunday. my guess is, that it will be standing room only.
* Easter services are going to blow you away.
* Powerful staff meeting this morning. All of our staff walked over and prayed over every seat in the auditorium and every chair and room in Kidzone. We are praying that hundreds come to know Christ this weekend.
* Eric Peters and his team brought it at the 9:30am service. I actually think the 9:30 crowd was more lively than the 11:15 crowd!
* Bill Swindle did a great job with the feature song. Love that guy.
* 11:15 was rocking. David O and his crew lit it up. We have the most unbelievably talented worship teams anywhere.
* Loved getting to share Abraham's faith journey. We covered 25 years of history in 40 minutes.
* I was reminded again how powerful faith is.
* Can't really explain it, but there is a sense of excitement in the air that is contagious.
* Concourse conversations were awesome. One guy told me that his friend in FL watches our messages online and was saved last week! Love technology!
* We have given out 3,800 Easter tickets. KEEP INVITING YOUR FRIENDS!
* Our Toccoa campus set a non holiday attendance record yesterday. Big Mo is really rolling over there! I don't know what's going to happen over there this Sunday. my guess is, that it will be standing room only.
* Easter services are going to blow you away.
* Powerful staff meeting this morning. All of our staff walked over and prayed over every seat in the auditorium and every chair and room in Kidzone. We are praying that hundreds come to know Christ this weekend.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Lessons about leadership at the 12 year mark (part 1)
Next month Foothills Community Church will turn 12 years old! Over the last 12 years I have learned some valuable things about leading a church.
Many of the lessons I have learned, I have learned from fellow Pastors and leaders who are ahead of me on the journey.
Much of what I am learning these days is also from some of the younger Pastors that are blazing new trails that have some amazing thoughts and insights.
And throughout the last 12 years, much of what I have learned have come from lessons the Lord has taught me from my own mistakes! But the bottom line is that I am committed to being a life-long learner, because I believe what Rick Warren says; "The minute you stop learning, you stop leading."
I thought that I would reflect on some of what I've learned in hopes of helping others that may be facing some of these things. So here are some very random thoughts:
** You can't do it all yourself.
Most people who plant churches, have to be a jack-of-all-trades in the early days. Here are just a few of the things that I did at some point: Drove the trailer to the High School. Unloaded the trailer. Set things up, put up signs, made sure the bathrooms were clean-- and clean them if necessary, greeted people, preached messages, stacked tables, etc, etc. The problem for many Pastors is that they never get past that mentality. They feel the need to control everything, and they soon become the bottleneck to the growth of the church. You can't do all yourself. Learn to delegate, and find good people with the gifts and passions to get things done.
** You have to be committed to the Vision God has given you.
Being committed to the vision helps you make decisions. It helps you know what to say "Yes" to, and what to say "no" to. I have discovered that almost everyone has an opinion about the direction of the church. (and they're not shy about giving you their opinion!) We chose early on that we would operate by God's vision rather than people's opinions. You have to be willing to die for this. You have to be willing to let people leave because of this, you have to be willing to protect this at all costs.
* Never apologize for being a leader.
Pastor, please hear me clearly on this. God has called you to lead that church, don't you dare apologize for leading. I talk to many Pastors who are afraid to make decisions. But here is the key: Walk with God, seek the Lord's guidance, pray, spend time in His Word, listen to the voice of the Lord, seek wise godly counsel, and make decisions. Will you always get it right? No, but that's OK (most of them need to be right though!) Here's what I've discovered, people will follow a godly, confident, decisive leader. So don't be afraid to lead!
Many of the lessons I have learned, I have learned from fellow Pastors and leaders who are ahead of me on the journey.
Much of what I am learning these days is also from some of the younger Pastors that are blazing new trails that have some amazing thoughts and insights.
And throughout the last 12 years, much of what I have learned have come from lessons the Lord has taught me from my own mistakes! But the bottom line is that I am committed to being a life-long learner, because I believe what Rick Warren says; "The minute you stop learning, you stop leading."
I thought that I would reflect on some of what I've learned in hopes of helping others that may be facing some of these things. So here are some very random thoughts:
** You can't do it all yourself.
Most people who plant churches, have to be a jack-of-all-trades in the early days. Here are just a few of the things that I did at some point: Drove the trailer to the High School. Unloaded the trailer. Set things up, put up signs, made sure the bathrooms were clean-- and clean them if necessary, greeted people, preached messages, stacked tables, etc, etc. The problem for many Pastors is that they never get past that mentality. They feel the need to control everything, and they soon become the bottleneck to the growth of the church. You can't do all yourself. Learn to delegate, and find good people with the gifts and passions to get things done.
** You have to be committed to the Vision God has given you.
Being committed to the vision helps you make decisions. It helps you know what to say "Yes" to, and what to say "no" to. I have discovered that almost everyone has an opinion about the direction of the church. (and they're not shy about giving you their opinion!) We chose early on that we would operate by God's vision rather than people's opinions. You have to be willing to die for this. You have to be willing to let people leave because of this, you have to be willing to protect this at all costs.
* Never apologize for being a leader.
Pastor, please hear me clearly on this. God has called you to lead that church, don't you dare apologize for leading. I talk to many Pastors who are afraid to make decisions. But here is the key: Walk with God, seek the Lord's guidance, pray, spend time in His Word, listen to the voice of the Lord, seek wise godly counsel, and make decisions. Will you always get it right? No, but that's OK (most of them need to be right though!) Here's what I've discovered, people will follow a godly, confident, decisive leader. So don't be afraid to lead!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday review
Solid day at FCC yesterday. Despite the rain and a long weekend for schools, the people were pumped up!
* Spoke about how to be used by God. I said that one of the greatest ways God can use our life is when we lead other to Jesus.
* I challenged people to pick up Easter service tickets and invite their friends to come with them----2,500 tickets were picked up!
* If you didn't get yours, I would recommend not waiting until Sunday because there are not many left. You can go here and print out tickets online.
* INVEST, INVITE, and INCLUDE. That is the key to making an impact this Easter.
* Our student ministry is seeing teenagers saved every week!! If you are a teen or are a parent of one, get them to Thrive this Wednesday!
* Speaking of student ministry, they are taking deposits for Bigstuf this summer. Parents, please get your kids to this event. It will be life-changing!
* Awesome staff meeting this morning, strategizing for Easter. Then I got a chance to share with our staff about what God has been teaching me.
* I will be sharing some of what I shared with our staff, in my message on April 25th.
* Began doing some coaching with a church planter in Kentucky. I love that!
* Looking forward to a trip to Dallas next month to meet at Leadership Network.
* Spoke about how to be used by God. I said that one of the greatest ways God can use our life is when we lead other to Jesus.
* I challenged people to pick up Easter service tickets and invite their friends to come with them----2,500 tickets were picked up!
* If you didn't get yours, I would recommend not waiting until Sunday because there are not many left. You can go here and print out tickets online.
* INVEST, INVITE, and INCLUDE. That is the key to making an impact this Easter.
* Our student ministry is seeing teenagers saved every week!! If you are a teen or are a parent of one, get them to Thrive this Wednesday!
* Speaking of student ministry, they are taking deposits for Bigstuf this summer. Parents, please get your kids to this event. It will be life-changing!
* Awesome staff meeting this morning, strategizing for Easter. Then I got a chance to share with our staff about what God has been teaching me.
* I will be sharing some of what I shared with our staff, in my message on April 25th.
* Began doing some coaching with a church planter in Kentucky. I love that!
* Looking forward to a trip to Dallas next month to meet at Leadership Network.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Easter Services
Easter is just 2 weeks away, and we are busy planning the details, so I wanted to share a few key things you need to know about Easter at Foothills Community Church:
Here's a couple of things you need to know:
On Easter Sunday, April 4th we will begin a new series called, "Fix You"
We will have 4 services in 2 locations
Our service schedule will be as follows:
Seneca campus: 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:15am
Toccoa campus: 11:00am
We are expecting around 3,000 people to attend!
To try to make sure everyone gets a seat, we are giving out tickets.
The tickets are free, and if someone shows up without a ticket we will do our best to make sure they get a seat. But it would be extremely helpful if you would either pick up your tickets this Sunday in the concourse OR go to our website (beginning next week) and print a ticket for yourself.
If you are a regular attender of Foothills it would be great if you could come to the 8:00am service to free up seats for guests.
When you pick up your tickets, get enough for yourself, and the people you will be inviting. (Kids do not need a ticket for Kidzone)
Please pray about who you can bring with you that doesn't know Christ, because they WILL get a chance to meet Him!
Our team has some incredible things planned, and it will go down in history as one of our greatest days ever! (by the way, we will also be celebrating our 12th birthday as a church this Easter as well!)
Here's a couple of things you need to know:
On Easter Sunday, April 4th we will begin a new series called, "Fix You"
We will have 4 services in 2 locations
Our service schedule will be as follows:
Seneca campus: 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:15am
Toccoa campus: 11:00am
We are expecting around 3,000 people to attend!
To try to make sure everyone gets a seat, we are giving out tickets.
The tickets are free, and if someone shows up without a ticket we will do our best to make sure they get a seat. But it would be extremely helpful if you would either pick up your tickets this Sunday in the concourse OR go to our website (beginning next week) and print a ticket for yourself.
If you are a regular attender of Foothills it would be great if you could come to the 8:00am service to free up seats for guests.
When you pick up your tickets, get enough for yourself, and the people you will be inviting. (Kids do not need a ticket for Kidzone)
Please pray about who you can bring with you that doesn't know Christ, because they WILL get a chance to meet Him!
Our team has some incredible things planned, and it will go down in history as one of our greatest days ever! (by the way, we will also be celebrating our 12th birthday as a church this Easter as well!)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday review
Getting to the Sunday review a little late, but overall it was another great day at Foothills.
* Started the new series called, "Revealed" yesterday. Although it's a short series, I think it's going to be good.
* Spoke about hearing God speak.
* Most people miss God speak, because they don't really know what He sounds like. We're looking for an epiphany, but generally He speaks in a quiet whisper.
* God will never tell us something that contradicts the Bible---Never!
* God speaks through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and people.
* Hearing from God does not depend on a method or formula, but on a relationship.
* God is our Heavenly father, and we are His children, so it stands to reason that He desires to have communication with us.
* One of the best prayers you can pray is, "speak Lord, your servant is listening"
* We need to be still and know that He is God.
* Samuel heard God speak because he was in the right place at the right time with the right attitude.
* Music was really tight today. nice job Eric, David and worship team!
* Loved the short devotion that Brian Rhodes shared before the offering.
* Daylight Savings Time really messes with attendance.
* Don't forget to pick up your tickets for the Easter services, this Sunday!
* Nice job with the bumper video, graphics, etc for this series. Shane is the man!
* I hear that the Toccoa campus was rocking yesterday. College students were on break, but they had a very solid attendance.
* Started the new series called, "Revealed" yesterday. Although it's a short series, I think it's going to be good.
* Spoke about hearing God speak.
* Most people miss God speak, because they don't really know what He sounds like. We're looking for an epiphany, but generally He speaks in a quiet whisper.
* God will never tell us something that contradicts the Bible---Never!
* God speaks through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and people.
* Hearing from God does not depend on a method or formula, but on a relationship.
* God is our Heavenly father, and we are His children, so it stands to reason that He desires to have communication with us.
* One of the best prayers you can pray is, "speak Lord, your servant is listening"
* We need to be still and know that He is God.
* Samuel heard God speak because he was in the right place at the right time with the right attitude.
* Music was really tight today. nice job Eric, David and worship team!
* Loved the short devotion that Brian Rhodes shared before the offering.
* Daylight Savings Time really messes with attendance.
* Don't forget to pick up your tickets for the Easter services, this Sunday!
* Nice job with the bumper video, graphics, etc for this series. Shane is the man!
* I hear that the Toccoa campus was rocking yesterday. College students were on break, but they had a very solid attendance.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday thoughts
** We kicked off our new marriage Campus Life group last night. We had a blast. Around 100 people came, including several single people. I think that is really cool. I believe if more people would learn about marriage BEFORE they got married, instead of learning "on the job", they would have better marriages.
** Don't forget to set your clocks forward on Saturday night.
** Our next baptism service will be on April 18th for Seneca campus, and April 25th in Toccoa. Sign-up on your info card this Sunday.
** We start a new message series this Sunday called, Revealed. This Sunday's message is How Can I Hear From God?
** You won't believe what we're planning for our Easter services at Foothills Community Church!
** Speaking of Easter, we will have 3 service times at our Seneca campus. 8:00am, 9:30am and 11:15am You will need to get your tickets for the service time you will be attending (just like Christmas Eve) Last Easter we had over 3,000 people, so the tickets will help us regulate the traffic a bit.
** In case you're wondering, the tickets are FREE. Tickets will be available beginning March 21st. You will be able to pick them up at Foothills or online. (I will do an entire blog post about Easter, next week.
** Toccoa campus will have one Easter service at 11:00am. (Yes, I know it will be jam packed!)
** Also, if you have never gone through the Get In The Game series, the next class is scheduled for April 10th at 9:30am in the small auditorium in Foothills North. In this class you will get to know all about Foothills Community Church, our vision, values, history, future, etc. To sign-up just check off the box on your info card this Sunday.
** Shine 2010 will be held May 15th in Seneca, and May 22nd in Toccoa. Shine is Foothills annual community service emphasis. Our goal is to have 1,000 people from Foothills volunteer to serve in one of the many projects we will make available. Stay tuned for more details!
** Don't forget to set your clocks forward on Saturday night.
** Our next baptism service will be on April 18th for Seneca campus, and April 25th in Toccoa. Sign-up on your info card this Sunday.
** We start a new message series this Sunday called, Revealed. This Sunday's message is How Can I Hear From God?
** You won't believe what we're planning for our Easter services at Foothills Community Church!
** Speaking of Easter, we will have 3 service times at our Seneca campus. 8:00am, 9:30am and 11:15am You will need to get your tickets for the service time you will be attending (just like Christmas Eve) Last Easter we had over 3,000 people, so the tickets will help us regulate the traffic a bit.
** In case you're wondering, the tickets are FREE. Tickets will be available beginning March 21st. You will be able to pick them up at Foothills or online. (I will do an entire blog post about Easter, next week.
** Toccoa campus will have one Easter service at 11:00am. (Yes, I know it will be jam packed!)
** Also, if you have never gone through the Get In The Game series, the next class is scheduled for April 10th at 9:30am in the small auditorium in Foothills North. In this class you will get to know all about Foothills Community Church, our vision, values, history, future, etc. To sign-up just check off the box on your info card this Sunday.
** Shine 2010 will be held May 15th in Seneca, and May 22nd in Toccoa. Shine is Foothills annual community service emphasis. Our goal is to have 1,000 people from Foothills volunteer to serve in one of the many projects we will make available. Stay tuned for more details!
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Sunday's video
Well, here's the video from Sunday with Liz and I sharing the stage together for the first time ever. We had a blast!
Sunday, March 07, 2010
sunday night review
I had a blast this morning at Foothills. It was the first time that my wife got to join me on stage to do a message. Here are a few notes from this weekend:
* My wife knocked it out of the park. She has so much wisdom, it's scary!
* It is hard to narrow marriage questions down to only 3 questions.
* I think the waffle/spaghetti illustration sums up why it is so hard to understand the opposite sex
* Attendance was pretty strong--especially in the 11:15am service
* The Toccoa campus had a few technical difficulties today, but I hear they had a great day in spite of that.
* Tons of kids today in Kidzone! (Thanks for taking your kids there instead of the main auditorium)
* Eric Peters feature song was so funny this morning in the 9:30am service.
* In the 11:15am service Joy Honeycutt sang with David Odom-- she is unbelievable.
* Our student ministry held their Ignite weekend this weekend. I hear they had a ton of kids, and several salvations! I had one teenage girl catch me after the service to tell me that she gave her life to Jesus on Saturday night! Thanks to Brian Rhodes and Tim Wadsworth and all of the volunteers!
* I will begin a new message sreies next Sunday that I'm looking forward to. It's called "Revealed"
* My wife knocked it out of the park. She has so much wisdom, it's scary!
* It is hard to narrow marriage questions down to only 3 questions.
* I think the waffle/spaghetti illustration sums up why it is so hard to understand the opposite sex
* Attendance was pretty strong--especially in the 11:15am service
* The Toccoa campus had a few technical difficulties today, but I hear they had a great day in spite of that.
* Tons of kids today in Kidzone! (Thanks for taking your kids there instead of the main auditorium)
* Eric Peters feature song was so funny this morning in the 9:30am service.
* In the 11:15am service Joy Honeycutt sang with David Odom-- she is unbelievable.
* Our student ministry held their Ignite weekend this weekend. I hear they had a ton of kids, and several salvations! I had one teenage girl catch me after the service to tell me that she gave her life to Jesus on Saturday night! Thanks to Brian Rhodes and Tim Wadsworth and all of the volunteers!
* I will begin a new message sreies next Sunday that I'm looking forward to. It's called "Revealed"
Friday, March 05, 2010
busy week so far
This has been a whirlwind week so far, but I am so looking forward to sharing the stage with my wonderful wife this Sunday at Foothills Community Church. You definitely want to be there, as we try to answer the 3 most common questions I get asked about marriage.
I have mixed emotions about Sunday, because it is the last message in our "First Comes Love" series. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Yesterday, about a dozen of our staff headed to the Unleash conference in Anderson. It was awesome! We have an amazing assortment of people that make up our staff, and they love Jesus and want to reach more people for Christ. There were so many takeaways from the conference for me personally. I love when God stretches me.
Great things are in store for our future, Foothills!
Our student ministry will be having their Ignite weekend beginning this evening---PRAY for all of our students, staff, and volunteers
It was also fun to catch up with a lot of Pastor friends that I don't get a chance to see that much.
Lots of other things happening. Life is good.
In case you missed last week's message, here's the video --- by the way, you definitely want to watch near the end of the video for the rap that a few of our staff performed---priceless!:
I have mixed emotions about Sunday, because it is the last message in our "First Comes Love" series. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Yesterday, about a dozen of our staff headed to the Unleash conference in Anderson. It was awesome! We have an amazing assortment of people that make up our staff, and they love Jesus and want to reach more people for Christ. There were so many takeaways from the conference for me personally. I love when God stretches me.
Great things are in store for our future, Foothills!
Our student ministry will be having their Ignite weekend beginning this evening---PRAY for all of our students, staff, and volunteers
It was also fun to catch up with a lot of Pastor friends that I don't get a chance to see that much.
Lots of other things happening. Life is good.
In case you missed last week's message, here's the video --- by the way, you definitely want to watch near the end of the video for the rap that a few of our staff performed---priceless!:
'Til Debt Do Us Part from Foothills Community Church on Vimeo.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
sunday night review
What a day at Foothills today. long day, but very rewarding. Here are some of the highlights for me:
** Talked about money today. It's a topic that you can't ignore when talking about marriage. The statistics about money and marital problems are shocking.
** When I talk about money people get the deer in the headlights look!
** From the bottom of my heart I wish people would learn to apply Biblical principles to their money management.
** Most people want a silver bullet, instant fix to their money problems. There is none. It takes hard work, discipline and following God.
** Had a blast watching Brian Rhodes, Tim Wadsworth and Eric Peters do the tithe rap. If you missed it, you missed one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
** I've had a lot of people share with me how much they have enjoyed the marriage series.
** Next week we'll wrap it up. I can't wait, because my wife will be joining me on stage. bring your friends!
** Attendance was solid today in Seneca and Toccoa.
** We had a communion service this evening at our Seneca campus. Awesome time of worship and celebration. A very different feel, with a totally acoustic worship set.
** Toccoa campus had a Grouplink tonight. I hope lots of people will get connected.
** My wife and I will begin a Campus Life group on Marriage on march 10th. we would love to have you. Here's more info.
** Looking forward to a great week. my friend, Dean Herman who is the Pastor of 5 Points Fellowship in Easley will be leading our staff meeting tomorrow.
** Talked about money today. It's a topic that you can't ignore when talking about marriage. The statistics about money and marital problems are shocking.
** When I talk about money people get the deer in the headlights look!
** From the bottom of my heart I wish people would learn to apply Biblical principles to their money management.
** Most people want a silver bullet, instant fix to their money problems. There is none. It takes hard work, discipline and following God.
** Had a blast watching Brian Rhodes, Tim Wadsworth and Eric Peters do the tithe rap. If you missed it, you missed one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
** I've had a lot of people share with me how much they have enjoyed the marriage series.
** Next week we'll wrap it up. I can't wait, because my wife will be joining me on stage. bring your friends!
** Attendance was solid today in Seneca and Toccoa.
** We had a communion service this evening at our Seneca campus. Awesome time of worship and celebration. A very different feel, with a totally acoustic worship set.
** Toccoa campus had a Grouplink tonight. I hope lots of people will get connected.
** My wife and I will begin a Campus Life group on Marriage on march 10th. we would love to have you. Here's more info.
** Looking forward to a great week. my friend, Dean Herman who is the Pastor of 5 Points Fellowship in Easley will be leading our staff meeting tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Marriage Life group
I am excited to announce that my wife, Liz and I will be starting a 6 week Life group for couples interested in taking their marriages to another level beginning March 10th.
** Each session will run from 6:30pm until 8:15pm on Wednesdays.
** The cost for the study is $10 per couple.
** Childcare will be available for a small fee (A flat rate of $5 per evening no matter how many kids you have).
** If you can't afford childcare, that's ok, come anyway. We'll cover it.
** We will be doing the IMarriage study from Northpoint Church---good stuff!
** We will have some built-in discussion time each week.
** No one will be put on the spot, or forced to do anything, so relax!
** This study is for all couples--- dating, engaged, married and struggling, married and doing great already,... whatever.
** This is a great way to get to know other people at Foothills.
** We will meet in the Planet Kidz auditorium.
** We are really excited about this, so sign-up this Sunday, or email us at office@foothills.cc to let us know you will be attending.
** Each session will run from 6:30pm until 8:15pm on Wednesdays.
** The cost for the study is $10 per couple.
** Childcare will be available for a small fee (A flat rate of $5 per evening no matter how many kids you have).
** If you can't afford childcare, that's ok, come anyway. We'll cover it.
** We will be doing the IMarriage study from Northpoint Church---good stuff!
** We will have some built-in discussion time each week.
** No one will be put on the spot, or forced to do anything, so relax!
** This study is for all couples--- dating, engaged, married and struggling, married and doing great already,... whatever.
** This is a great way to get to know other people at Foothills.
** We will meet in the Planet Kidz auditorium.
** We are really excited about this, so sign-up this Sunday, or email us at office@foothills.cc to let us know you will be attending.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
sunday night review
What a fun day at Foothills Community Church today. I did a message called, How To Enhance Romance. Talked about Sex and Romance. Here a couple of highlights from the day:
** Using humor definitely takes the tension out of uncomfortable topics. This is especially true with the topic of sex. Today was a lot of fun.
** When I gave the disclaimer about parents taking the kids to Kidzone because of the topic, it was like a stampede!
** Love to brag about our Toccoa campus, but after they gave me the GA Bulldog shirt, I'm rethinking that!
** The weather was amazing today.
** Our worship teams knocked it out of the park today. Eric Peters did a totally acoustic set. David Odom busted out a little Keith Urban on us.
** "Sex is AMAZING" Tim Wadsworth's text to David Odom on his honeymoon. (you had to be there)
Here are a couple of quotes from today's message:
"The best sex you will ever have is when you have sex with your best friend----provided that your best friend is your spouse!"
"Appearance is important for romance. You may not look like Brad Pitt or some cover girl, but do the best you can with what you've got"
"Your wife finds you irresistible when you're vacuuming the floor"
"Here's your homework assignment, go home and do a load of laundry, but make sure you first go out in the yard and find a big stick, because you're going to need it to keep your wife away from you. You give her assistance around the house and she'll be on you like a hobo on a ham sandwich"
"Sex is not just a body on body experience, it's a soul on soul experience"
"Single people need to hold out until God brings you a spouse"
"Be creative and spontaneous in your romantic life".
** Using humor definitely takes the tension out of uncomfortable topics. This is especially true with the topic of sex. Today was a lot of fun.
** When I gave the disclaimer about parents taking the kids to Kidzone because of the topic, it was like a stampede!
** Love to brag about our Toccoa campus, but after they gave me the GA Bulldog shirt, I'm rethinking that!
** The weather was amazing today.
** Our worship teams knocked it out of the park today. Eric Peters did a totally acoustic set. David Odom busted out a little Keith Urban on us.
** "Sex is AMAZING" Tim Wadsworth's text to David Odom on his honeymoon. (you had to be there)
Here are a couple of quotes from today's message:
"The best sex you will ever have is when you have sex with your best friend----provided that your best friend is your spouse!"
"Appearance is important for romance. You may not look like Brad Pitt or some cover girl, but do the best you can with what you've got"
"Your wife finds you irresistible when you're vacuuming the floor"
"Here's your homework assignment, go home and do a load of laundry, but make sure you first go out in the yard and find a big stick, because you're going to need it to keep your wife away from you. You give her assistance around the house and she'll be on you like a hobo on a ham sandwich"
"Sex is not just a body on body experience, it's a soul on soul experience"
"Single people need to hold out until God brings you a spouse"
"Be creative and spontaneous in your romantic life".
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
First Comes Love
This weekend at Foothills Community Church we will be continuing the First Comes Love series. Generally when we do a message series on marriage, the most requested message topic is romance/sex. Well, this weekend we will be looking at the Song of Solomon, and discuss how to enhance romance.
** This weekends message will be as practical messages you will ever hear about this topic.
** This would be a good weekend to NOT bring your children with you into the auditorium. (Actually EVERY weekend would be a good time not to bring your kids with you in the main auditorium----the reason is because we offer the most incredible Children's Ministry program anywhere. It's church on THEIR level. They will be glad, you will be glad, and those people sitting near you will be glad! So check them into KIDZONE, then come and enjoy the services in the main auditorium)
** We've got a few fun elements planned for this weekend too!
** If you have not sent in your questions for the message I will be doing with my wife in a couple of weeks, why not do it today? Basically, the angle we will be talking about are the differences between men and women.
** We are also busy planning our next series called, "Revealed"
** I am so looking forward to Spring. It's hard to believe that Easter is only about 6 weeks away.
** Speaking of Easter, we are making huge plans, so stay tuned for details and ticket information.
** Glad to find out that my ankle is not broken. Unfortunately, no basketball for at least 2 weeks though.
** Cool things are always going on around the offices of FCC during the week. This morning, Pastor Joel led 2 people to Christ!
** This weekends message will be as practical messages you will ever hear about this topic.
** This would be a good weekend to NOT bring your children with you into the auditorium. (Actually EVERY weekend would be a good time not to bring your kids with you in the main auditorium----the reason is because we offer the most incredible Children's Ministry program anywhere. It's church on THEIR level. They will be glad, you will be glad, and those people sitting near you will be glad! So check them into KIDZONE, then come and enjoy the services in the main auditorium)
** We've got a few fun elements planned for this weekend too!
** If you have not sent in your questions for the message I will be doing with my wife in a couple of weeks, why not do it today? Basically, the angle we will be talking about are the differences between men and women.
** We are also busy planning our next series called, "Revealed"
** I am so looking forward to Spring. It's hard to believe that Easter is only about 6 weeks away.
** Speaking of Easter, we are making huge plans, so stay tuned for details and ticket information.
** Glad to find out that my ankle is not broken. Unfortunately, no basketball for at least 2 weeks though.
** Cool things are always going on around the offices of FCC during the week. This morning, Pastor Joel led 2 people to Christ!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
sunday night review
Had a great Sunday. It was very different, but it was a lot of fun.
** I drove to our Toccoa campus and hung out with those guys. Man, they are rowdy. So much fun!
** It was the 1st time I got a chance to see the video teaching. other than it being a little tough to watch yourself, it works really good. We need a few tweaks still to optimize the quality.
** The new building they have is incredible. Large enough to grow, small enough to not get swallowed up in it. Tons of energy.
** JB (Jonathan Bryant) and his team rocked the worship time.
** Brian Marshall is doing a nice job of handling the Campus Pastor role.
** It was good to see Shannon Chiles on the keyboard!
** I showed up about 10 minutes before the service began to get the vibe of what guests feel when they come.
** Very impressed by their volunteers. Parking lot attendants were awesome, Kidzone check-in was cool, the Welcome desk, auditorium hosts and the Stoop resource center was well manned.
** If you know anyone in that area, tell them to check it out.
** I heard the the Seneca campus was great as well.
** I'm thankful for Brian Rhodes handling the preaching duties to allow me to catch my breath.
** Is it wierd that we talked about marital conflict resolution on Valentine's Day?
** On another note, during our basketball game this afternoon, I had someone roll my ankle. So it's going to be slow going for a little bit. Hoping there's no major damage.
** Got a chance to be in Tampa last week for a meeting with the guys from the Sticks conference. We were going to host a Sticks conference in November, but there was a concern that we are located a little too far from a major airport, so most likely it will moved to somewhere around Nashville, TN.
** I love what i get to do, and I love the people I get to serve with!
** I drove to our Toccoa campus and hung out with those guys. Man, they are rowdy. So much fun!
** It was the 1st time I got a chance to see the video teaching. other than it being a little tough to watch yourself, it works really good. We need a few tweaks still to optimize the quality.
** The new building they have is incredible. Large enough to grow, small enough to not get swallowed up in it. Tons of energy.
** JB (Jonathan Bryant) and his team rocked the worship time.
** Brian Marshall is doing a nice job of handling the Campus Pastor role.
** It was good to see Shannon Chiles on the keyboard!
** I showed up about 10 minutes before the service began to get the vibe of what guests feel when they come.
** Very impressed by their volunteers. Parking lot attendants were awesome, Kidzone check-in was cool, the Welcome desk, auditorium hosts and the Stoop resource center was well manned.
** If you know anyone in that area, tell them to check it out.
** I heard the the Seneca campus was great as well.
** I'm thankful for Brian Rhodes handling the preaching duties to allow me to catch my breath.
** Is it wierd that we talked about marital conflict resolution on Valentine's Day?
** On another note, during our basketball game this afternoon, I had someone roll my ankle. So it's going to be slow going for a little bit. Hoping there's no major damage.
** Got a chance to be in Tampa last week for a meeting with the guys from the Sticks conference. We were going to host a Sticks conference in November, but there was a concern that we are located a little too far from a major airport, so most likely it will moved to somewhere around Nashville, TN.
** I love what i get to do, and I love the people I get to serve with!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Last Sunday's message
This is the message and special features from last Sunday that I posted about on Sunday evening. I hope it inspires you to become a marathon marriage:
Sunday, February 07, 2010
sunday night review
Wow, what a day at Foothills today!
**There are certain Sundays where everything just clicks---today was one of them.
**Attendace was great at both campuses today. It's surprising what nice weather can do for attendance
**The last part of the services with the couples dancing was incredible.
**We talked about marathon marriages. I love learning from couples that have been married for decades.
**After the first service I had a couple come up to me in the concourse who told me they have been married for 42 years. He told me that he would show me the secret to their success---then he and his wife began kissing! Awesome, 42 years and the fire is still burning!
**Saddest part of the message was the Gallup poll that said that 73% of Americans under 45 years old believe that a life spent with the same person was both unusual and unnecessary.
**Couples who have been married for 50+ years are true American heroes!
**Spoke to another couple in the concourse that have been married for 63 years.
**Next Sunday we will be discussing resolving conflict in marriage (I know, it's not real romantic for a Valentines Day message, but it's going to be highly practical.)
**The music today was great today too. The feature song, You Are So Beautiful, with the saxaphone was sweet.
Foothills, God is doing some incredible things!!
**There are certain Sundays where everything just clicks---today was one of them.
**Attendace was great at both campuses today. It's surprising what nice weather can do for attendance
**The last part of the services with the couples dancing was incredible.
**We talked about marathon marriages. I love learning from couples that have been married for decades.
**After the first service I had a couple come up to me in the concourse who told me they have been married for 42 years. He told me that he would show me the secret to their success---then he and his wife began kissing! Awesome, 42 years and the fire is still burning!
**Saddest part of the message was the Gallup poll that said that 73% of Americans under 45 years old believe that a life spent with the same person was both unusual and unnecessary.
**Couples who have been married for 50+ years are true American heroes!
**Spoke to another couple in the concourse that have been married for 63 years.
**Next Sunday we will be discussing resolving conflict in marriage (I know, it's not real romantic for a Valentines Day message, but it's going to be highly practical.)
**The music today was great today too. The feature song, You Are So Beautiful, with the saxaphone was sweet.
Foothills, God is doing some incredible things!!
Thursday, February 04, 2010
From Last Sunday
Despite the terrible weather last Sunday, we had some amazing services.
This was the second message in the "First Comes Love" series. It was geared towards married couples who are struggling a bit, and are looking for improvement.
This was the second message in the "First Comes Love" series. It was geared towards married couples who are struggling a bit, and are looking for improvement.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Ministry in a small town
I am blessed to Pastor a church in a small town. I love small towns. Foothills Community Church has 2 campuses right now, and both are strategically planted in small towns. Our main campus is in Seneca, SC which is a town with a population of about 8,000, and our second campus is located in Toccoa GA, a town of around 9,000 which is located approximately 45 minutes from Seneca, just across the state line.. We are praying about location #3, which we plan to begin in 2010. It will also be planted in another small town.
I often get contacted by Pastors in small towns across America, that have heard of what God is doing at Foothills Community Church. I do my best to describe it, but words really don't do justice. One of the things that I try to communicate is, that what is happening here can happen anywhere.
I want to carefully write this blog post so that I don't come across as being the mastermind behind what is going on here. It is God at work. I can take no credit for that. God has however given me some insight about ministry in a small town.
I thought I would jot down a few quick thoughts.
** Small towns are under served----not because they lack CHURCHES, but because they lack CHOICES!
** To reach your small town, you must love them. Ask God to break your heart for your town.
** It's all about contextualization. You can learn a lot from other churches, but your church is unique. Small towns are unique.
** Just because you're in a small town (or in a small church), it does not excuse a lack of excellence.
** Lack of resources should not hold you back from doing things with excellence.
** Quit telling God why He can't build an effective church in a small town.
** Don't be numbers obsessed. If you live by the numbers, you will die by the numbers! Think in terms of percentages rather than gross numbers. In many ways churches in small towns are actually making more of an impact than large churches in large towns.
** Comparison is a killer.
** Small town ministry is not a lesser calling.
** Network with other churches to learn and grow.
** Don't let discouragement get the best of you. It's hard work, and sometimes it can be very discouraging.
If you want to know more, why not consider coming to the Sticks conference that we will be hosting on November 9-10 2010
I often get contacted by Pastors in small towns across America, that have heard of what God is doing at Foothills Community Church. I do my best to describe it, but words really don't do justice. One of the things that I try to communicate is, that what is happening here can happen anywhere.
I want to carefully write this blog post so that I don't come across as being the mastermind behind what is going on here. It is God at work. I can take no credit for that. God has however given me some insight about ministry in a small town.
I thought I would jot down a few quick thoughts.
** Small towns are under served----not because they lack CHURCHES, but because they lack CHOICES!
** To reach your small town, you must love them. Ask God to break your heart for your town.
** It's all about contextualization. You can learn a lot from other churches, but your church is unique. Small towns are unique.
** Just because you're in a small town (or in a small church), it does not excuse a lack of excellence.
** Lack of resources should not hold you back from doing things with excellence.
** Quit telling God why He can't build an effective church in a small town.
** Don't be numbers obsessed. If you live by the numbers, you will die by the numbers! Think in terms of percentages rather than gross numbers. In many ways churches in small towns are actually making more of an impact than large churches in large towns.
** Comparison is a killer.
** Small town ministry is not a lesser calling.
** Network with other churches to learn and grow.
** Don't let discouragement get the best of you. It's hard work, and sometimes it can be very discouraging.
If you want to know more, why not consider coming to the Sticks conference that we will be hosting on November 9-10 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday thoughts
The weather took its toll on attendance, but it was a fantastic morning at Foothills Community Church. For all of you who missed it, be sure to catch the message online at foothills.cc
** Our Toccoa campus had their grand opening this morning. I've got to be honest, I was afraid that the weather would really mess things up for them, but it didn't even slow them down. They set another record attendance again today! (That's 2 weeks in a row, in case you're keeping score)
** I saw some pictures of the new facility since they did the new landscaping, and it looks very sharp.
** In Seneca, the message was geared toward couples who were having some struggles in their marriages. This is a painful topic for many people, but hopefully they learned a couple of Biblical tools to put into practice that will help.
** I can't wait for next Sunday. I believe that it could be one of the best services we have ever had at Foothills. I am going to share some wisdom from couples that have marathon marriages. Then we have a cool ending that will bring you to tears.
** Why not invite some friends to come with you next week?
** Our Toccoa campus had their grand opening this morning. I've got to be honest, I was afraid that the weather would really mess things up for them, but it didn't even slow them down. They set another record attendance again today! (That's 2 weeks in a row, in case you're keeping score)
** I saw some pictures of the new facility since they did the new landscaping, and it looks very sharp.
** In Seneca, the message was geared toward couples who were having some struggles in their marriages. This is a painful topic for many people, but hopefully they learned a couple of Biblical tools to put into practice that will help.
** I can't wait for next Sunday. I believe that it could be one of the best services we have ever had at Foothills. I am going to share some wisdom from couples that have marathon marriages. Then we have a cool ending that will bring you to tears.
** Why not invite some friends to come with you next week?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
For all the singles out there
Here is the kick off to our new series, called First Comes Love. This message is for the singles:
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday review
If you weren't able to make it to Foothills yesterday, it stinks to be you! We kicked of our new series, First Comes Love, and covered three questions singles need to ask before dating/marrying someone.
Here is a brief recap:
** Every single person needs to make a list of criteria that needs to be found in a potential mate.
** Every single needs to hold firm to that criteria--- no matter what! (on your list will be certain things that are optional, but there are things that are non-negotiable. I covered 3 things that are non-negotiable. If you missed the message, it will be online at foothills.cc by Wednesday afternoon.
** Considering the amount of rain and how cold it was, our attendance was good at our Seneca campus.
** Our Toccoa campus however, set an attendance record! (So proud if them!)
** It is easier to find out if someone is the right one, before you get married, than to figure out that they're not, after you're married.
** Most people put more thought into selecting a car or a cell phone, than they do in selecting a mate!
** If you don't get along with the person you are dating, than getting married will not fix that. You will not change him/her
** Don't underestimate the importance of spiritual connection in a relationship---it is THE most important part!
** I was serious when I said that if you are a Christ-follower and you are dating someone that is not, than get out of that relationship right now!
** This Sunday the message is called, I'm not Sure I still Do. If you or someone you know is having marital difficulties or dissatisfaction, get them to Foothills this Sunday!!
** Our Toccoa campus will have their official Grand Opening of their new building this Sunday. If you know someone that lives in that area, let them know.
Here is a brief recap:
** Every single person needs to make a list of criteria that needs to be found in a potential mate.
** Every single needs to hold firm to that criteria--- no matter what! (on your list will be certain things that are optional, but there are things that are non-negotiable. I covered 3 things that are non-negotiable. If you missed the message, it will be online at foothills.cc by Wednesday afternoon.
** Considering the amount of rain and how cold it was, our attendance was good at our Seneca campus.
** Our Toccoa campus however, set an attendance record! (So proud if them!)
** It is easier to find out if someone is the right one, before you get married, than to figure out that they're not, after you're married.
** Most people put more thought into selecting a car or a cell phone, than they do in selecting a mate!
** If you don't get along with the person you are dating, than getting married will not fix that. You will not change him/her
** Don't underestimate the importance of spiritual connection in a relationship---it is THE most important part!
** I was serious when I said that if you are a Christ-follower and you are dating someone that is not, than get out of that relationship right now!
** This Sunday the message is called, I'm not Sure I still Do. If you or someone you know is having marital difficulties or dissatisfaction, get them to Foothills this Sunday!!
** Our Toccoa campus will have their official Grand Opening of their new building this Sunday. If you know someone that lives in that area, let them know.
Friday, January 22, 2010
New Series starts this Sunday
This Sunday at Foothills Community Church we will begin a new message series called, "First Comes Love". It is a series on love and marriage. I have been looking forward to this series for many reasons.
The first reason is because it is so needed. One of the difficult things about being in ministry, is that you see first-hand the good, bad and ugly parts of life. One of the most heart breaking things we see is the marriages that have ended in divorce. I am convinced that many of these could have been avoided if Biblical principles would have been instituted. At Foothills we are committed to the institution of marriage, and this series will give people tools to have a 5-star marriage.
The second reason I am looking forward to this new series is that it's going to be a lot of fun to teach. Every time I do these type series the feedback is incredible. There will be moments of laughter and moments of tears during this series. Every week we will look at different issues surrounding marriage. Each week has some surprises planned.
I am also looking forward to this series, because on the last Sunday of the series, my beautiful wife, Liz will be joining me on the stage as we talk about the differences between men and women.
I want to also add that this is a perfect message series to invite friends to, so make a few calls to your friends and we'll see you Sunday!
Monday, January 18, 2010
We Are Foothills
Sunday was an incredible day at Foothills. we wrapped up our series, We Are Foothills.
It was a 2 week vision series. Yesterday we talked about getting in the game. Here are a few thoughts:
** There is no doubt about it, if your "church experience" is just attending a service on Sunday, you are selling yourself short. When you get out of the stands and onto the field, it's much better!
** We invited people to get in the game and attend our Belong class. Over 100 new people signed up!
** Yesterday was our annual membership renewal Sunday. Yes, we start every year by clearing off our membership and ask people to sign-up for another year.
** Church membership is not like a country club membership. When you join a country club, your first question is, "what are the benefits, and privileges?" When you join a church, your first question should be, "how can I contribute?"
** This has been a very fun series to do.
** I "did" and "said" a couple of things that will definitely make the blooper reel!
** 11:15am service is filling up. There are still plenty of seats at 9:30am, so you might want to consider attending then.
** What is it about rainy days that make people so mellow and reserved?
** We handed out We Are Foothills wristbands to everyone that attended.
** I loved that video clip of the Clemson fan that was bummed out at the loss to Ga Tech.
** This Sunday we will start a brand new message series that I have been so looking forward to. It's called, First Comes Love. It is about love, dating and marriage. This will be a great series to invite your friends.
It was a 2 week vision series. Yesterday we talked about getting in the game. Here are a few thoughts:
** There is no doubt about it, if your "church experience" is just attending a service on Sunday, you are selling yourself short. When you get out of the stands and onto the field, it's much better!
** We invited people to get in the game and attend our Belong class. Over 100 new people signed up!
** Yesterday was our annual membership renewal Sunday. Yes, we start every year by clearing off our membership and ask people to sign-up for another year.
** Church membership is not like a country club membership. When you join a country club, your first question is, "what are the benefits, and privileges?" When you join a church, your first question should be, "how can I contribute?"
** This has been a very fun series to do.
** I "did" and "said" a couple of things that will definitely make the blooper reel!
** 11:15am service is filling up. There are still plenty of seats at 9:30am, so you might want to consider attending then.
** What is it about rainy days that make people so mellow and reserved?
** We handed out We Are Foothills wristbands to everyone that attended.
** I loved that video clip of the Clemson fan that was bummed out at the loss to Ga Tech.
** This Sunday we will start a brand new message series that I have been so looking forward to. It's called, First Comes Love. It is about love, dating and marriage. This will be a great series to invite your friends.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Haiti
By now everyone has heard of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti. Initial estimates have speculated death tolls as high as a half a million people. (Hopefully it will be much less)
The question that probably runs through most people's minds when we hear of these type things, is "Why?" I have found that although it's ok to ask, why?, we rarely get an answer to that question.
The better question to ask is "What?" What should I do now?, What is God teaching me through this? The "what?" question is more productive.
So in the case of this tragedy in Haiti, What can we do right now? Great question. here are a few things you can do:
1) Pray. I know that sounds like the preachers answer, but it is really the thing that everyone of us can do. Prayer is powerful. Pray for the wounded. pray for the families that have lost loved ones. Pray for the rescue workers. Pray for the Haitian people. Haiti is already one of the most impoverished Countries in the world.
2) Give to credible relief agencies. 2 excellent organizations to consider are Samaritan's Purse and The American Red Cross
3) Go. There will be opportunities for people that want to be involved in relief and rebuilding in the days ahead through various organizations.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
sunday night review
Today we had more fun at Foothills Community Church than should be legal. We began a new series called, We Are Foothills. It's a 2 week mini-series about the vision of Foothills. Without a doubt I enjoy this series as much or more of any series we do each year. Here's a couple quick thoughts about today:
** Very strong attendance in Seneca and Toccoa. Looks like we're out of the Christmas holiday mindset.
** Had some friendly competition during the services. 3 contestants shooting free throws blind-folded. The crowd helped line them up for the shot. An illustration of teamwork and the purpose of clear vision.
** People were crazy-pumped up today. Lots of energy.
** Worship was phenomenal in both services.
** Any time I talk about our vision it gets 99% of the people excited and helps the other 1% figure out FCC isn't for them.
** I didn't finish my message in either service. I get long-winded talking about the vision.
** One of the things I touched on was the need for the church to be relevant. (I think I will commit an entire blogpost on this one)
** The Message never changes, but the methods, must!
** Reviewing all that God did at FCC during 2009 was mind boggling. One of the statistics that relly blows me away is that we have baptized nearly 1% of this county in the last 3 years!
** Praying for 1,000 salvations in 2010!
** Next week we've got some more cool things planned. I'm doing a message called, Get In The Game. It's a message about what teamwork is all about.
** I miss college football already.
** With influence comes responsibility. Let's get out there and keep inviting our friends to church.
** Very strong attendance in Seneca and Toccoa. Looks like we're out of the Christmas holiday mindset.
** Had some friendly competition during the services. 3 contestants shooting free throws blind-folded. The crowd helped line them up for the shot. An illustration of teamwork and the purpose of clear vision.
** People were crazy-pumped up today. Lots of energy.
** Worship was phenomenal in both services.
** Any time I talk about our vision it gets 99% of the people excited and helps the other 1% figure out FCC isn't for them.
** I didn't finish my message in either service. I get long-winded talking about the vision.
** One of the things I touched on was the need for the church to be relevant. (I think I will commit an entire blogpost on this one)
** The Message never changes, but the methods, must!
** Reviewing all that God did at FCC during 2009 was mind boggling. One of the statistics that relly blows me away is that we have baptized nearly 1% of this county in the last 3 years!
** Praying for 1,000 salvations in 2010!
** Next week we've got some more cool things planned. I'm doing a message called, Get In The Game. It's a message about what teamwork is all about.
** I miss college football already.
** With influence comes responsibility. Let's get out there and keep inviting our friends to church.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Toccoa campus Christmas Eve
Here is a video from Christmas Eve from our 2nd campus in Toccoa Georgia. The video quality is not great, but you can hear it pretty well. This was taken in their new facility that they moved in to a couple of weeks ago. They are doing a phenomenal job, and as you will hear on the video, they have some incredible talent.
Opener from Christmas Eve services at Foothills
I've had a lot of requests about some of the music from our Christmas Eve services at Foothills, so here's the opener we did:
Monday, January 04, 2010
2010
We started out 2010 at Foothills with a bang yesterday. The services were awesome!
* David Odom and his team were on their game, no doubt. Worship was incredible.
* The energy level was off the charts. I was a little worried because it was so cold yesterday, but people came ready to meet with God.
* Yesterday's message was all about overcoming the obstacles that hold us back. 2010 is a blank slate filled with unlimited possibilities, let's not let obstacles stand in the way between us and God's best for our lives.
* I am getting more excited about the possibility of campus #3 for Foothills. I have been praying for over a year about where it will be. I'm still not sure, but I believe God will guide us to the place!
* Our Toccoa campus is doing an amazing job. I think that 2010 is going to be a time of extreme growth for them. Both numerically and spiritually. Proud of you guys.
* We had a fantastic staff meeting this morning and let me tell you, our staff is fired-up. Our staff at Foothills is the best staff in the world. Next time you see one of them, let them know how much you appreciate them.
* I am so excited about this week's message I can hardly stand it. We will be starting a brand new mini-series called, We Are Foothills. It's all about the vision baby!
* Any time I do messages on our vision it pumps almost all the people up. It also ticks a few people off!
* I nearly overdosed on college football over the Christmas break. Fortunately there are still a few more games. The 2 games I'm really interested are TCU vs Boise State, and Texas vs Alabama. My predictions are Boise State and Alabama. Not an Alabama fan, but I think they will be the National Champs.
I hope you're ready for a huge year in 2010. I am.
* David Odom and his team were on their game, no doubt. Worship was incredible.
* The energy level was off the charts. I was a little worried because it was so cold yesterday, but people came ready to meet with God.
* Yesterday's message was all about overcoming the obstacles that hold us back. 2010 is a blank slate filled with unlimited possibilities, let's not let obstacles stand in the way between us and God's best for our lives.
* I am getting more excited about the possibility of campus #3 for Foothills. I have been praying for over a year about where it will be. I'm still not sure, but I believe God will guide us to the place!
* Our Toccoa campus is doing an amazing job. I think that 2010 is going to be a time of extreme growth for them. Both numerically and spiritually. Proud of you guys.
* We had a fantastic staff meeting this morning and let me tell you, our staff is fired-up. Our staff at Foothills is the best staff in the world. Next time you see one of them, let them know how much you appreciate them.
* I am so excited about this week's message I can hardly stand it. We will be starting a brand new mini-series called, We Are Foothills. It's all about the vision baby!
* Any time I do messages on our vision it pumps almost all the people up. It also ticks a few people off!
* I nearly overdosed on college football over the Christmas break. Fortunately there are still a few more games. The 2 games I'm really interested are TCU vs Boise State, and Texas vs Alabama. My predictions are Boise State and Alabama. Not an Alabama fan, but I think they will be the National Champs.
I hope you're ready for a huge year in 2010. I am.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Happy New Year!
I love New Year's. It is generally one of the few times in the year that people actually desire change. Nearly every other time people are resisitant to making changes. If we're smart, we'll leverage this opportunity and make those changes.
It has been my experience that unless we actually set a goal, change doesn't come. It's not enough to say, "My New Year's resolution is to lose weight in 2010", or "I want to exercise more", or "I want to grow spiritually in 2010". Make it specific, and measurable. Then put together an action plan.
Here's an example: In 2010 I will grow spirtually by: 1)Attending Church weekly. 2)Spending ______ minutes a day praying, and reading my Bible. 3)Finding a place to serve at church. (Of course, you're goals may look different, but you get the idea)
As a general rule, I try to set Spirtual goals, Physical goals, Relational goals, Professional goals, and Intellectual goals.
I also ask myself several questions. Here is a list of some of the questions I asked myself in 2009.
As we enter 2010, what needs to change in your life? Let's go for it in 2010!
For further thoughts on change, here is a link to my friend Artie Davis blog. Do yourself a favor and check this out.
It has been my experience that unless we actually set a goal, change doesn't come. It's not enough to say, "My New Year's resolution is to lose weight in 2010", or "I want to exercise more", or "I want to grow spiritually in 2010". Make it specific, and measurable. Then put together an action plan.
Here's an example: In 2010 I will grow spirtually by: 1)Attending Church weekly. 2)Spending ______ minutes a day praying, and reading my Bible. 3)Finding a place to serve at church. (Of course, you're goals may look different, but you get the idea)
As a general rule, I try to set Spirtual goals, Physical goals, Relational goals, Professional goals, and Intellectual goals.
I also ask myself several questions. Here is a list of some of the questions I asked myself in 2009.
As we enter 2010, what needs to change in your life? Let's go for it in 2010!
For further thoughts on change, here is a link to my friend Artie Davis blog. Do yourself a favor and check this out.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas thoughts
Still amazed about the Christmas Eve services at Foothills Community Church. It is so much fun worshiping Christ, especially at Christmas!
If it were not for God's gift of Jesus to all of us, we would have no hope, no peace, no way of getting rid of the guilt, shame and sin in our lives. Hoping that all of you have a blessed Christmas.
Here are a few highlights from our Christmas Eve service:
* Huge crowds that came in ready to worship.
* Unbelievable excitement in the air.
* Tons of guests checking Foothills out.
* The band knocked it out of the park. Seriously..... out of the park!
* That last number, the Blue Man drumline, was unreal!
* Brian Rhodes playing the elf was great, but when he did his elf rap it was awesome! That boy has some serious skills.
* I heard that we had about 50 people give their lives to Christ! (That's what it's all about!)
* I'm serious, if I give you my Billy the Big Mouth Bass as a gift, I really don't like you :-)
* I stand by my statement, "Fruitcake is disgusting" (and, no I don't want to try some of yours :-))
* Heard that our Toccoa campus rocked Stephens County last night. Way to go!
* We have the most incredible staff and volunteers in the world. Thank you all for doing what you do!
I hope you all have an incredible Christmas!
If it were not for God's gift of Jesus to all of us, we would have no hope, no peace, no way of getting rid of the guilt, shame and sin in our lives. Hoping that all of you have a blessed Christmas.
Here are a few highlights from our Christmas Eve service:
* Huge crowds that came in ready to worship.
* Unbelievable excitement in the air.
* Tons of guests checking Foothills out.
* The band knocked it out of the park. Seriously..... out of the park!
* That last number, the Blue Man drumline, was unreal!
* Brian Rhodes playing the elf was great, but when he did his elf rap it was awesome! That boy has some serious skills.
* I heard that we had about 50 people give their lives to Christ! (That's what it's all about!)
* I'm serious, if I give you my Billy the Big Mouth Bass as a gift, I really don't like you :-)
* I stand by my statement, "Fruitcake is disgusting" (and, no I don't want to try some of yours :-))
* Heard that our Toccoa campus rocked Stephens County last night. Way to go!
* We have the most incredible staff and volunteers in the world. Thank you all for doing what you do!
I hope you all have an incredible Christmas!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas Eve update
Hard to believe that our Christmas Eve services are in just a couple of days. There has been a lot of time and planning put into these services. Trust me, these will be some of the best services we have ever had at Foothills Community Church!
Here are a couple of reminders:
Christmas eve services will be on December 24th at 4:00pm and 6:00pm in Seneca and at 6:30pm at our Toccoa campus.
Here's how it will work at Seneca:
* It is a ticketed event
* tickets are sold out, but we will not turn anyone away. Our plan is to use the Venue auditorium for overflow if necessary.
* Plan on getting here early. We will have coffee and other beverages in the concourse. The doors to the auditorium will open 20 minutes prior to the service.
* If you are coming with a large group and you want to sit together, don't come late.
* The services will have a little bit of everything, music, video, comedy and a message.
* Speaking of the message, I will be presenting the gospel as clearly as I possibly can, so if you have friends that don't know Jesus, make sure you bring them with you!
* We even have a choir that will be singing, that should be cool.
* If you have kids, PLEASE take them to Kidzone. They will have a better time in an age-appropriate environment, and we need the seats!
For our Toccoa campus:
* There will be one Christmas Eve service at our new facility on Big A road at 6:30pm
* This will be an incredible time to introduce your friends to Foothills Community Church.
* Jonathan and the worship team have put together an amazing service. You do not want to miss it!
* The Toccoa campus will be hearing the same message as the Seneca campus. You will want to bring your friends that don't know Christ.
* Plan on arriving early, we are expecting record crowds!
Here are a couple of reminders:
Christmas eve services will be on December 24th at 4:00pm and 6:00pm in Seneca and at 6:30pm at our Toccoa campus.
Here's how it will work at Seneca:
* It is a ticketed event
* tickets are sold out, but we will not turn anyone away. Our plan is to use the Venue auditorium for overflow if necessary.
* Plan on getting here early. We will have coffee and other beverages in the concourse. The doors to the auditorium will open 20 minutes prior to the service.
* If you are coming with a large group and you want to sit together, don't come late.
* The services will have a little bit of everything, music, video, comedy and a message.
* Speaking of the message, I will be presenting the gospel as clearly as I possibly can, so if you have friends that don't know Jesus, make sure you bring them with you!
* We even have a choir that will be singing, that should be cool.
* If you have kids, PLEASE take them to Kidzone. They will have a better time in an age-appropriate environment, and we need the seats!
For our Toccoa campus:
* There will be one Christmas Eve service at our new facility on Big A road at 6:30pm
* This will be an incredible time to introduce your friends to Foothills Community Church.
* Jonathan and the worship team have put together an amazing service. You do not want to miss it!
* The Toccoa campus will be hearing the same message as the Seneca campus. You will want to bring your friends that don't know Christ.
* Plan on arriving early, we are expecting record crowds!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday thoughts
It never ceases to amaze me what God is doing in the lives of people here at Foothills. I hear stories that just blow my mind---it's awesome!
For instance: Last night at Thrive (our Student worship experience) 11 teenagers were baptized (remember, a bunch of teens were baptized a couple of Sunday's ago too). God is shaking things up in our Student ministry, under the leadership of Brian Rhodes and Tim Wadsworth and all of the volunteers. Our total baptisms for Foothills for 2009 is now 189 people!
Another very noteworthy thing is that we have reached our goal of providing Christmas gifts to 250 children through our "Family Christmas" offering. I just want to thank all of you for your generosity. On Saturday we will throw a Christmas party for many of the families in our concourse when they pick up their gifts.
Don't forget to pick up your tickets for our Christmas Eve services. There are very few left (we have given out over 2,500 already!) If you have not gotten yours yet, you can pick them up at the Welcome Center. In case you're wondering the tickets are free.
We've been spending a lot of time in creative planning for our upcoming message series for 2010, and all I can say is, "I'm pumped about it!" I'll be doing a 2 week vision series called, We Are Foothills!, and then a series on marriage and family that is going to be unbelievable, followed by some other cool things.
Keep inviting your friends!
For instance: Last night at Thrive (our Student worship experience) 11 teenagers were baptized (remember, a bunch of teens were baptized a couple of Sunday's ago too). God is shaking things up in our Student ministry, under the leadership of Brian Rhodes and Tim Wadsworth and all of the volunteers. Our total baptisms for Foothills for 2009 is now 189 people!
Another very noteworthy thing is that we have reached our goal of providing Christmas gifts to 250 children through our "Family Christmas" offering. I just want to thank all of you for your generosity. On Saturday we will throw a Christmas party for many of the families in our concourse when they pick up their gifts.
Don't forget to pick up your tickets for our Christmas Eve services. There are very few left (we have given out over 2,500 already!) If you have not gotten yours yet, you can pick them up at the Welcome Center. In case you're wondering the tickets are free.
We've been spending a lot of time in creative planning for our upcoming message series for 2010, and all I can say is, "I'm pumped about it!" I'll be doing a 2 week vision series called, We Are Foothills!, and then a series on marriage and family that is going to be unbelievable, followed by some other cool things.
Keep inviting your friends!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Don't say I didn't warn you!
Here is the infamous clip from this past Sunday with Pelvis Presley promoting our Christmas Eve services at Foothills
Sunday, December 13, 2009
what a day!
Today was an amazing day at Foothills! Here are a few of the highlights in case you missed it:
** 9:30 am service, Eric Peters and his team knocked it out of the park.
** We had a surprise visitor--- Pelvis Presley (Elvis long-lost cousin) Brian Rhodes our student Pastor, rocked the house singing You Aint Nothin But A Reindeer! (I hope I can dig up a video)
** Despite the cold, rainy, dreary weather, there was a ton of energy.
** Spoke about Joseph, and the 2 things that made him extraordinary
** at 11:15 am service David O and his crew did a phenomenal job. They especially nailed the Trans Siberian Orchestra number.
** Loved the Weekly World News headlines---especially the one about the Gamecocks!
** Tickets for the 4:00pm Christmas eve service are sold-out!
** There are only a few tickets left for the 6:00pm service! If you didn't get yours yet, I would recommend stopping by the church office during the week to get yours. Sunday may be too late.
** Our Toccoa campus held their first service in their new facility, and I heard that it went fantastic.
** So proud of Shannon Chiles, our campus Pastor who has led them from meeting in a living room to a gym to this new facility!
** Speaking of Shannon, after much prayer, he has decided to go back to his job as an electrical engineer in 2010. He will continue to be actively involved at the Toccoa campus as a volunteer. He will also lead a LIFE group and help with our Get In The Game series.
** Pastor Brian Marshall from our Seneca Campus will assume the position of Toccoa campus Pastor. Brian is a memeber of Foothills Senior manangement Team, and has been on staff for many years. He'll spend his time during the week at both campuses.
** Not sure how many more children we found sponsors for in our Family Christmas offering, but I'll let you know when I find out.
** It looks like we will be baptizing another 6 students during Thrive services on Wednesday!
** 9:30 am service, Eric Peters and his team knocked it out of the park.
** We had a surprise visitor--- Pelvis Presley (Elvis long-lost cousin) Brian Rhodes our student Pastor, rocked the house singing You Aint Nothin But A Reindeer! (I hope I can dig up a video)
** Despite the cold, rainy, dreary weather, there was a ton of energy.
** Spoke about Joseph, and the 2 things that made him extraordinary
** at 11:15 am service David O and his crew did a phenomenal job. They especially nailed the Trans Siberian Orchestra number.
** Loved the Weekly World News headlines---especially the one about the Gamecocks!
** Tickets for the 4:00pm Christmas eve service are sold-out!
** There are only a few tickets left for the 6:00pm service! If you didn't get yours yet, I would recommend stopping by the church office during the week to get yours. Sunday may be too late.
** Our Toccoa campus held their first service in their new facility, and I heard that it went fantastic.
** So proud of Shannon Chiles, our campus Pastor who has led them from meeting in a living room to a gym to this new facility!
** Speaking of Shannon, after much prayer, he has decided to go back to his job as an electrical engineer in 2010. He will continue to be actively involved at the Toccoa campus as a volunteer. He will also lead a LIFE group and help with our Get In The Game series.
** Pastor Brian Marshall from our Seneca Campus will assume the position of Toccoa campus Pastor. Brian is a memeber of Foothills Senior manangement Team, and has been on staff for many years. He'll spend his time during the week at both campuses.
** Not sure how many more children we found sponsors for in our Family Christmas offering, but I'll let you know when I find out.
** It looks like we will be baptizing another 6 students during Thrive services on Wednesday!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
more music
As I mentioned in a previous post, we have been blessed with talent at Foothills. Here is a clip from Sunday with Eric Peters leading worship. Eric leads our 9:30am service, and does an awesome job!
Almost There
Every Christmas Foothills Community Church tries to reach out and make Christmas morning a little brighter for children. This year we are doing something called, Foothills Family Christmas. Our goal was to provide Christmas presents for 250 kids. These families names were provided by community organizations, schools and from within the church.
Over the last 2 weeks we have collected a special offering to raise $12,500. I am happy to announce that we have almost reached our goal. Right now we have almost enough raised for 200 kids! This Sunday will be your last chance to help us reach our goal, so if you would like to participate, pick up the special envelopes at the Welcome Center, and put your gift in the offering buckets.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Baptism pictures.
Here are a few of the people that were baptized yesterday at Foothills.
It is so amazing what God is doing here. We have baptized 178 people this year!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
huge day
It was an incredible day at Foothills this morning.
** At the Seneca campus we had baptisms, which are my favorite services.
** I believe the final number was 57 people got dunked
** After the service people kept coming up and wanting to be baptized, so we just kept on baptizing.
** Lots of people saved today as well. Don't know how many, but will find out tomorrow.
** Good crowds today, and lots of energy.
** We started distibuting tickets for the Christmas eve services. If you forgot to pick yours up, you better hurry, they're going fast!
** At our Toccoa campus they held their last service in the gym! (thanks to Osborne Wood Products for their amazing generosity for letting us meet there for the past year)
** Next week begins a new adventure as we meet in our new facility on Big A road. It is going to be amazing!
I love being the Pastor of this church!
** At the Seneca campus we had baptisms, which are my favorite services.
** I believe the final number was 57 people got dunked
** After the service people kept coming up and wanting to be baptized, so we just kept on baptizing.
** Lots of people saved today as well. Don't know how many, but will find out tomorrow.
** Good crowds today, and lots of energy.
** We started distibuting tickets for the Christmas eve services. If you forgot to pick yours up, you better hurry, they're going fast!
** At our Toccoa campus they held their last service in the gym! (thanks to Osborne Wood Products for their amazing generosity for letting us meet there for the past year)
** Next week begins a new adventure as we meet in our new facility on Big A road. It is going to be amazing!
I love being the Pastor of this church!
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Foothills Music
We are blessed at Foothills Community Church with 3 worship leaders on staff. Eric Peters leads our 9:30am service in Seneca, Jonathan Bryant leads worship at our Toccoa campus, and David Odom leads worship at our 11:15am service in Seneca.
Here is a video from David and his team from last Sunday. I love his passion for the Lord!
Here is a video from David and his team from last Sunday. I love his passion for the Lord!
It's not too late
If you have not already signed up to be baptized this Sunday at Foothills----it's not too late.
Trust me, you do not want to miss church this Sunday at Foothills Community Church. Without a doubt, our baptism services are the most awe inspiring, powerful services we do Watching people make their public proclamation of faith through baptism is such a celebration, it's almost impossible to describe.
Of course, not only will we be doing baptisms, but also we'll be worshiping God through music, and I'll be sharing a message called, "Seize The Day!"
By the way, if you are planning to be baptized, invite your friends and family to witness this milestone in your life!
Monday, November 30, 2009
This Sunday
A couple of observations from yesterday and a couple of things about this coming weekend at Foothills Community Church:
Yesterday at Foothills:
** Had the day off from preaching, which is always a good chance to catch my breath.
** Thanks to Paul Carr for pinch-hitting for me.
** Introduced our Foothills family Christmas, which is an effort to provide Christmas gifts to 250 needy children this Christmas. This is a rough time for lots of families. If you would like to participate either by giving to the cause, or if you know of a family that could use some help, let us know.
** It's amazing how many new babies (and pregnant women) we have at Foothills. Must be something in the water
This Sunday at Foothills:
** You do not want to miss--- If you miss, you will be sad---just sayin
** We will be doing baptisms in BOTH services this Sunday.
** Baptism services are some of the best services we have.
** If you have not been baptized and you are a follower of Christ, plan on doing it this Sunday!
** We will be wrapping up the Zeros and Heroes series this Sunday.
** You won't believe what the concourse is going to look like.
** On December 13th we will begin our Christmas series called, "Do You Hear?"
** Pick up Your tickets this Sunday for our Christmas eve services.
Yesterday at Foothills:
** Had the day off from preaching, which is always a good chance to catch my breath.
** Thanks to Paul Carr for pinch-hitting for me.
** Introduced our Foothills family Christmas, which is an effort to provide Christmas gifts to 250 needy children this Christmas. This is a rough time for lots of families. If you would like to participate either by giving to the cause, or if you know of a family that could use some help, let us know.
** It's amazing how many new babies (and pregnant women) we have at Foothills. Must be something in the water
This Sunday at Foothills:
** You do not want to miss--- If you miss, you will be sad---just sayin
** We will be doing baptisms in BOTH services this Sunday.
** Baptism services are some of the best services we have.
** If you have not been baptized and you are a follower of Christ, plan on doing it this Sunday!
** We will be wrapping up the Zeros and Heroes series this Sunday.
** You won't believe what the concourse is going to look like.
** On December 13th we will begin our Christmas series called, "Do You Hear?"
** Pick up Your tickets this Sunday for our Christmas eve services.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
In case you missed it
Just to get us in the Thanksgiving spirit, here's my message from last Sunday on giving thanks:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Things I learned from cleaning my desk
This morning during my quiet time I was reading from 1 Cor.14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace...", I'm not sure if that was what inspired me, but I then decided to try to make some order of my desk.
When it comes to my desk, I have my own system of tracking where stuff is. I would describe my desk as organized chaos. But every once in a while, I get the urge to try to regain control.
Now in fairness to myself, I have been on a sermon writing frenzy over the last few months that has allowed me to work ahead by nearly 2 months, so my desk has research stuff for probably 6 or 7 sermons on it at one time.
It was amazing the things that I uncovered! Things that I had forgotten about completely were once again discovered.
I got to thinking about the church. People come in with cluttered lives, and slowly Christ helps them to regain control of their lives. Lost things are rediscovered, and a sense of peace prevails.
Unfortunately there is another side to this. There are some people in the church that never connect. They attend regularly for a while, but never get involved, and slowly the clutter starts covering up the joy of Christ in their lives, and before you know it, they're gone.
Every once in a while I'll run into someone at a restaurant or a store, and it dawns on me that I used to see this person attending faithfully, but they've slowly moved off the radar screen. Some end up at other churches (which is fine), but unfortunately some drop out of church all together. Clutter has a way of doing that.
Is it time for you to do a little cleaning and organizing? Why not start today?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
sunday night review
A great day at Foothills in spite of the nasty weather. Talked about being thankful today, so I thought my Sunday review would be things that I was thankful for today.
** Thankful to Jesus for paying the price for my sins -- I am so undeserving
** Thankful for our church (Foothills Community Church). Seriously, most Pastors would give their right arms to be able to serve in a church like Foothills!
** Thankful for people who ventured out in the cold, rainy weather to worship our King.
** Thankful for the great worship leaders, musicians, singers, and tech people who make my job so much easier.
** Thankful for all of our volunteers who serve tirelessly every Sunday (and throughout the week) to make it all possible.
** Thankful for the umbrella team who make sure people stay dry on the walk from the parking lot
** Thankful for all of the changed lives every week
** Thankful for all of the people who invite their friends to church. I love it when people come up to me and introduce me to their guests!
** Thankful for a church that genuinely loves people.
** Thankful for our Toccoa campus. They are such a cool group of people. I don't get a chance to be there in person with them often, but when I do, it's a blast!
** Thankful for people who sacrificially give to help us reach more people for Christ.
What are you thankful for today?
** Thankful to Jesus for paying the price for my sins -- I am so undeserving
** Thankful for our church (Foothills Community Church). Seriously, most Pastors would give their right arms to be able to serve in a church like Foothills!
** Thankful for people who ventured out in the cold, rainy weather to worship our King.
** Thankful for the great worship leaders, musicians, singers, and tech people who make my job so much easier.
** Thankful for all of our volunteers who serve tirelessly every Sunday (and throughout the week) to make it all possible.
** Thankful for the umbrella team who make sure people stay dry on the walk from the parking lot
** Thankful for all of the changed lives every week
** Thankful for all of the people who invite their friends to church. I love it when people come up to me and introduce me to their guests!
** Thankful for a church that genuinely loves people.
** Thankful for our Toccoa campus. They are such a cool group of people. I don't get a chance to be there in person with them often, but when I do, it's a blast!
** Thankful for people who sacrificially give to help us reach more people for Christ.
What are you thankful for today?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Baptisms coming up soon
Baptism services are hands-down some of the best services we do at Foothills. Over the years we have done our baptisms in lakes, swimming pools, and in horse troughs. No matter where they are, they are incredibly exciting.
Your next opportunity is just a few short weeks away.
On December 6th (At our Seneca location) we will be doing baptisms during both Sunday services.
In case you haven't experienced baptisms Foothills style, here is a video of our last one:
Your next opportunity is just a few short weeks away.
On December 6th (At our Seneca location) we will be doing baptisms during both Sunday services.
In case you haven't experienced baptisms Foothills style, here is a video of our last one:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
It's time to repent when ______
A few thoughts running through my mind this morning.
It's time to repent when ______
* When a Pastor begins to care more about how much the offering was instead of how many souls were saved.
* When you cater to the critics instead of forging ahead with the vision God has given you.
* When you change your focus to how do we keep the congregation happy instead of how do we reach our community for Christ?
* When you spend more time talking about what God did in the past than what He is doing today.
* When your "quiet time" is your sermon prep.
* When fear replaces faith.
* When "convenience" and "what's easiest?" trumps an attitude of whatever-it-takes to reach people for Christ.
* When optimism is replaced with pessimism.
* When the pursuit holiness is replaced by the pursuit of happiness.
* When The Bible becomes equal or secondary to any other book.
* When the reliance of being "cool", "slick" and "hip" to reach people outweighs our reliance on the Holy Spirit.
There's probably hundreds more I could come up with, but lots to do today!
It's time to repent when ______
* When a Pastor begins to care more about how much the offering was instead of how many souls were saved.
* When you cater to the critics instead of forging ahead with the vision God has given you.
* When you change your focus to how do we keep the congregation happy instead of how do we reach our community for Christ?
* When you spend more time talking about what God did in the past than what He is doing today.
* When your "quiet time" is your sermon prep.
* When fear replaces faith.
* When "convenience" and "what's easiest?" trumps an attitude of whatever-it-takes to reach people for Christ.
* When optimism is replaced with pessimism.
* When the pursuit holiness is replaced by the pursuit of happiness.
* When The Bible becomes equal or secondary to any other book.
* When the reliance of being "cool", "slick" and "hip" to reach people outweighs our reliance on the Holy Spirit.
There's probably hundreds more I could come up with, but lots to do today!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday highlights
Great day at Foothills yesterday. We're in a series called Zeros and Heroes. It's been a fun series so far. Up to this point we've only talked about some of the Zeros, but next week we start looking at the Heroes.
Here are a few observation from yesterday:
** Talked about the life of Lot. Sad story of a man who got caught in the current of compromise.
** Talked about the three stages of compromise. Stage 1: Small concessions. Stage 2: Ignoring the danger Signs. Stage 3: Full-blown Compromise.
** Attendance seemed good yesterday. Still lots of people out sick.
** The band did the song, Slow Fade. Very powerful---especially the little girl singing at the end. (I believe her name was Taryn)
** Loved the video in between the songs.
** Saw lots of people I have not seen in a while.
** I hear that our Toccoa campus had a great day as well.
** Baptisms coming on December 6th. if you have not taken the plunge, sign up on the info card next Sunday.
Here are a few observation from yesterday:
** Talked about the life of Lot. Sad story of a man who got caught in the current of compromise.
** Talked about the three stages of compromise. Stage 1: Small concessions. Stage 2: Ignoring the danger Signs. Stage 3: Full-blown Compromise.
** Attendance seemed good yesterday. Still lots of people out sick.
** The band did the song, Slow Fade. Very powerful---especially the little girl singing at the end. (I believe her name was Taryn)
** Loved the video in between the songs.
** Saw lots of people I have not seen in a while.
** I hear that our Toccoa campus had a great day as well.
** Baptisms coming on December 6th. if you have not taken the plunge, sign up on the info card next Sunday.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Family Carnival
Don't forget that this Saturday will be the Foothills Family Carnival. Tons of things to do for all ages. Rides, Inflatables, Rock Climbing Wall, Mechanical Bull, food, and lots of fun!
Lessons I'm learning
Over the last few weeks I have learned alot of new things and been reminded of some things I forgot. Here are a few of the things I'm learning:
** You can't always control your circumstances, but you can always control your attitude.
** When trials come, I am responsible for my response.
** I am never responsible for someone else's response (that's between them and God)
** Comfort breeds mediocrity
** Discomfort breeds growth
** God is more interested in my character than my comfort
** God sometimes puts us in situations that force us to grow/change
** People are people
** You will never please everyone
** Leadership comes with a price
** Leaders are often misunderstood
** There has never been anything that has taken God by surprise
** With faith nothing is impossible
** Our vision and passion to reach people that are disconnected from God is more white-hot than ever before
** I serve with the most amazing people in the world
** I can't wait for Sunday!
** You can't always control your circumstances, but you can always control your attitude.
** When trials come, I am responsible for my response.
** I am never responsible for someone else's response (that's between them and God)
** Comfort breeds mediocrity
** Discomfort breeds growth
** God is more interested in my character than my comfort
** God sometimes puts us in situations that force us to grow/change
** People are people
** You will never please everyone
** Leadership comes with a price
** Leaders are often misunderstood
** There has never been anything that has taken God by surprise
** With faith nothing is impossible
** Our vision and passion to reach people that are disconnected from God is more white-hot than ever before
** I serve with the most amazing people in the world
** I can't wait for Sunday!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Christmas Eve
Can't believe Christmas is right around the corner. Our creative team has been spending a lot of time planning for those services. All I can say is, these will be the best services we have ever had at Foothills Community Church!
Here are some things you need to know:
Christmas eve services will be on December 24th (hence the name "Christmas Eve") at 4:00pm and 6:00pm in Seneca and at 6:30pm at our Toccoa campus.
Here's how it will work at Seneca:
* It will be a ticketed event
* tickets are free
* If someone shows up without a ticket we won't turn them away
* The reason we are using tickets is to manage crowd flow. We anticipate over 3,000 people showing up. If everyone shows up at 4:00pm we would be in trouble, so it will help us balance the attendance.
* Once all the tickets are gone, we will probably add a third service.
* Ticket will be available beginning around Thanksgiving
* The tickets will be available at The Stoop bookstore, and the Welcome Center and possibly a few more locations (I'll give you more info as I find out)
* Tickets are first come- first served
* you may take as many tickets as you need. So pick up enough for yourself and the people you will be inviting
* Yes, you NEED to invite people to come. They will hear the gospel, and we will see many lives changed that night!
* We will be providing our regular Children's environments (Planet Kidz and Discovery Kidz), so please take your kids to one of these rather than the main auditorium. (They will have a much more enjoyable time in an age-appropriate environment)
* The two times out of the year that people who don't attend church will come to church is Easter and Christmas eve---- so invite, invite, invite!!
Until then our services will incredible, so don't miss out this Sunday!
Here are some things you need to know:
Christmas eve services will be on December 24th (hence the name "Christmas Eve") at 4:00pm and 6:00pm in Seneca and at 6:30pm at our Toccoa campus.
Here's how it will work at Seneca:
* It will be a ticketed event
* tickets are free
* If someone shows up without a ticket we won't turn them away
* The reason we are using tickets is to manage crowd flow. We anticipate over 3,000 people showing up. If everyone shows up at 4:00pm we would be in trouble, so it will help us balance the attendance.
* Once all the tickets are gone, we will probably add a third service.
* Ticket will be available beginning around Thanksgiving
* The tickets will be available at The Stoop bookstore, and the Welcome Center and possibly a few more locations (I'll give you more info as I find out)
* Tickets are first come- first served
* you may take as many tickets as you need. So pick up enough for yourself and the people you will be inviting
* Yes, you NEED to invite people to come. They will hear the gospel, and we will see many lives changed that night!
* We will be providing our regular Children's environments (Planet Kidz and Discovery Kidz), so please take your kids to one of these rather than the main auditorium. (They will have a much more enjoyable time in an age-appropriate environment)
* The two times out of the year that people who don't attend church will come to church is Easter and Christmas eve---- so invite, invite, invite!!
Until then our services will incredible, so don't miss out this Sunday!
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Sunday thoughts
Another stellar day at Foothills
** Talked about hypocrisy, and why it's so dangerous.
** Everyone struggles with hypocrisy (saying one thing and doing another)
** The best actors are not in Hollywood, they're in churches.
** Hypocrisy is one of the top reasons people don't go to church---too many hypocrites.
** People are not looking for perfection in a church, they're just looking for authenticity.
** Yes, it is true, I did have the leading role in The Gingerbread Man in kindergarten.
** The worship today was exceptional in both services.
** David Odom slam-dunked that Gavin Degraw song!
** Great energy in both services.
** Late Clemson home games affect church attendance! (congrats though to Clemson-- nice win!)
** Already excited about next Sunday's message.
** It was cool having my wife on stage with me today!
** Don't forget about the Family Carnival this Saturday at Foothills.
** Got to bow hunt this afternoon. only saw 1 small buck. Let him walk. Having a good year with my bow, 3 deer so far.
** Planning on waking up early tomorrow to play basketball.
** Talked about hypocrisy, and why it's so dangerous.
** Everyone struggles with hypocrisy (saying one thing and doing another)
** The best actors are not in Hollywood, they're in churches.
** Hypocrisy is one of the top reasons people don't go to church---too many hypocrites.
** People are not looking for perfection in a church, they're just looking for authenticity.
** Yes, it is true, I did have the leading role in The Gingerbread Man in kindergarten.
** The worship today was exceptional in both services.
** David Odom slam-dunked that Gavin Degraw song!
** Great energy in both services.
** Late Clemson home games affect church attendance! (congrats though to Clemson-- nice win!)
** Already excited about next Sunday's message.
** It was cool having my wife on stage with me today!
** Don't forget about the Family Carnival this Saturday at Foothills.
** Got to bow hunt this afternoon. only saw 1 small buck. Let him walk. Having a good year with my bow, 3 deer so far.
** Planning on waking up early tomorrow to play basketball.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
wednesday updates
We had a great conversation in our Senior Management Team meeting this morning. The reason I love this type of conversation was because it was all about our vision at Foothills Community Church.
Here are some bullet points about what was discussed:
** Sunday mornings are a huge front door to the church.
** Our services need to be engaging and creative.
** The D.N.A. of Foothills Community Church is a church that is a lot of fun. A place where the unexpected is expected, and where lives are changing.
** We must always see our services through the eyes of the first-time guest.
** It is possible for services to become too slick.
** Humor is a good thing.
** People generally view the church from the vantage point of what they experienced the first time they attended.
** People are seeking a connection with God at some level every Sunday. They are wanting to be more than entertained; they want to be engaged!
** Are we taking enough risk?
** When people are excited about the church, the overflow is inviting their friends.
** How important are lost people? Really?
** Are we willing to tick off the religious for the sake of those that don't know Christ?
** Our best days are still ahead of us!
** The people that attend Foothills are the most amazing people on the planet.
** We need to spend money on things that will help us reach people!
In case you can't tell, I am fired-up about what's coming up at Foothills!
Here are some bullet points about what was discussed:
** Sunday mornings are a huge front door to the church.
** Our services need to be engaging and creative.
** The D.N.A. of Foothills Community Church is a church that is a lot of fun. A place where the unexpected is expected, and where lives are changing.
** We must always see our services through the eyes of the first-time guest.
** It is possible for services to become too slick.
** Humor is a good thing.
** People generally view the church from the vantage point of what they experienced the first time they attended.
** People are seeking a connection with God at some level every Sunday. They are wanting to be more than entertained; they want to be engaged!
** Are we taking enough risk?
** When people are excited about the church, the overflow is inviting their friends.
** How important are lost people? Really?
** Are we willing to tick off the religious for the sake of those that don't know Christ?
** Our best days are still ahead of us!
** The people that attend Foothills are the most amazing people on the planet.
** We need to spend money on things that will help us reach people!
In case you can't tell, I am fired-up about what's coming up at Foothills!
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Sunday thoughts
A little different twist on my thoughts for Sunday, because I wasn't at Foothills this morning! I now it went great though.
Every once in a while, I will take a Sunday off from delivering the message and go and visit a church somewhere else. It's pretty cool, because I can be totally anonymous, and just worship.
This morning I drove to Lawrenceville, Ga. and visited 12 Stone Church. They are one of the fastest growing churches in America, and it's easy to see why. They had an incredible service. Great music, wonderful message, and some creative elelments that were awesome (No doubt, I came back with some great ideas for some future series!)
I have not been there in a couple of years, and this was the first time that I had been in their new facility---very cool!
I went to their 9:00am service, and I was surprised because it was packed--at 9:00am! Their auditorium seats around 2,500 people. They still had 2 more services after the one I went to.
The parking lot attendants did a good job of helping everyone get out pretty quickly, which was pretty amazing because it was full.
Every time I am away from Foothills visiting another church in another town, I always feel so humbled to be able to lead such a great church. I also come back with a new excitement.
Most of all, when I come back to Foothills, I realize how blessed we are. God is doing something very special right here in Seneca,SC and Tooca,GA!!
Every once in a while, I will take a Sunday off from delivering the message and go and visit a church somewhere else. It's pretty cool, because I can be totally anonymous, and just worship.
This morning I drove to Lawrenceville, Ga. and visited 12 Stone Church. They are one of the fastest growing churches in America, and it's easy to see why. They had an incredible service. Great music, wonderful message, and some creative elelments that were awesome (No doubt, I came back with some great ideas for some future series!)
I have not been there in a couple of years, and this was the first time that I had been in their new facility---very cool!
I went to their 9:00am service, and I was surprised because it was packed--at 9:00am! Their auditorium seats around 2,500 people. They still had 2 more services after the one I went to.
The parking lot attendants did a good job of helping everyone get out pretty quickly, which was pretty amazing because it was full.
Every time I am away from Foothills visiting another church in another town, I always feel so humbled to be able to lead such a great church. I also come back with a new excitement.
Most of all, when I come back to Foothills, I realize how blessed we are. God is doing something very special right here in Seneca,SC and Tooca,GA!!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I love this!
Nothing more fun than a game of bowling. Nothing more funny than to listen to Jim Gaffigan talk about bowling!
Monday, October 26, 2009
monday thoughts
Lots of things happening at Foothills.
** This past Friday night we had Resonate, a benefit concert that was to raise money for some area ministries. It was INCREDIBLE! We raised over $6,000 and donated almost 3,000 diapers and I don't know how much peanut butter.
There is absolutely no doubt that God has blessed us with phenomenal talent. We have 3 outstanding worship leaders and multitudes of awesome singers, musicians, and technical people. They put in so much time to make Resonate the very best it could be. Thank you guys and gals.
** Sunday we started a new message series called, Zeros and Heroes. My message was on decision that we make. I talked about Adam and Eve and some of the poor decisions they made. We are the sum total of all of our decisions. let's make wise decisions today!
** This Saturday we are doing the Trunk or treat at Walmart. We have around 100 cars lined up to participate. Here's one thing we do need though, CANDY! Walmart will be donating much of the candy, but we need more. last year 8,000 people showed up---that's a lot of candy.
** On November the 14th we will be having the Foothills Family Carnival. This is going to be a blast. This is a great event to invite your friends to.
** We will be having our last baptisms of the year on December 6th during both services at the Seneca campus.
** Our Toccoa campus is working hard to complete the renovation of their new building. If you have experience with plumbing, electrical, painting, or are a good laborer, they could use your help. Call the church office and we'll give you more info.
** This past Friday night we had Resonate, a benefit concert that was to raise money for some area ministries. It was INCREDIBLE! We raised over $6,000 and donated almost 3,000 diapers and I don't know how much peanut butter.
There is absolutely no doubt that God has blessed us with phenomenal talent. We have 3 outstanding worship leaders and multitudes of awesome singers, musicians, and technical people. They put in so much time to make Resonate the very best it could be. Thank you guys and gals.
** Sunday we started a new message series called, Zeros and Heroes. My message was on decision that we make. I talked about Adam and Eve and some of the poor decisions they made. We are the sum total of all of our decisions. let's make wise decisions today!
** This Saturday we are doing the Trunk or treat at Walmart. We have around 100 cars lined up to participate. Here's one thing we do need though, CANDY! Walmart will be donating much of the candy, but we need more. last year 8,000 people showed up---that's a lot of candy.
** On November the 14th we will be having the Foothills Family Carnival. This is going to be a blast. This is a great event to invite your friends to.
** We will be having our last baptisms of the year on December 6th during both services at the Seneca campus.
** Our Toccoa campus is working hard to complete the renovation of their new building. If you have experience with plumbing, electrical, painting, or are a good laborer, they could use your help. Call the church office and we'll give you more info.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Start inviting people to church this Sunday NOW!
Start inviting your friends to church this Sunday, right Now! We are kicking off a brand new message series called, Zeros and Heroes, and it's going to be awesome.
This week's message is, "How to Really Mess Up Your Life". You read it right, I'm going to give you 3 sure-fire ways to mess up your life.
The good news is that after this weekend's message, you will have tools to help you make great decisions in your life.
Here's what I'm asking you all to do: Invite your friends! If Foothills is the best hour of your week, then let others know.
Use your Facebook and Twitter and blogs and get the word out. Trust me, this series is going to be phenomenal!
This week's message is, "How to Really Mess Up Your Life". You read it right, I'm going to give you 3 sure-fire ways to mess up your life.
The good news is that after this weekend's message, you will have tools to help you make great decisions in your life.
Here's what I'm asking you all to do: Invite your friends! If Foothills is the best hour of your week, then let others know.
Use your Facebook and Twitter and blogs and get the word out. Trust me, this series is going to be phenomenal!
Monday, October 19, 2009
If I could do it over again
I have a lot of church planters ask me, If you could start over again, what would you do differently?
Well, here are a couple of things that I would do differently:
1. I would begin with a larger core group.
We started with 17 people meeting in my living room, but if I were doing it again I would try to build a core of around 50 people or more.
Statistics show that churches that begin with a core of less than 50, rarely ever get beyond 200 in attendance. I suppose we were very fortunate that the 17 people that helped start Foothills Community Church were unbelievably committed to reaching this community, so we defied the odds.
2. I would put more emphasis on music.
In our early days we underestimated the importance of quality music. We did the best we could, but overall it wasn't too good.
If you are a church planter, don't skimp when it comes to the music. It is basically half of your service, so do what you can to find the best worship leader possible.
3. I would be slower about selecting leaders.
In the early days of a church plant there is such a huge need for leaders, that sometimes we can move too quickly and fast-track people to leadership positions that can burn you later. I can tell you from first-hand experience, you do not need people in your leadership who don't truly buy into the vision (even though they say they do)
4. I would trust God more.
This sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes as a church planter you live with this continual pressure to grow the church. Almost every church planter that I know struggles with the emotional roller coaster of attendance. When the attendance is good--- you like life. But when you have a low attendance week--- you think the sky is falling. It's not!
Over the years I have come to understand better, that it's not MY church, it's HIS! He is perfectly capable of building His church. My job is to just be faithful.
5. I would enjoy the journey more.
Visionary leaders generally struggle with enjoying the moment, because they are always thinking about the future. When you're a portable church, you are always thinking of how nice it will be to have your own facility. When you have no staff, you you're always thinking about the day you have a full staff. I can tell you, that some of the most incredible days of a church are those early days, when you are totally dependent on God. In the early days, it's such an adventure, heck, you're not even sure anyone will even show up from one week to the next. Enjoy the moment!
6. Money is overrated.
Too many church planters are convincing themselves that the reason they're not growing is because they don't have money (or buildings, or all the bells and whistles)
Go back and read the first couple of chapter of Acts. Read Peter's sermon. No building, no lights or sound no fog machines, no big budgets, or guitar solos. There was nothing slick about it, but three thousand people were saved. Why? Because of the Holy Spirit working through a servant that was sold-out to Jesus.
That's it for now. I may think of a few more to share another time.
By the way, if you are a church planter or Pastor of a church with less than 500 people, why not consider being part of The Strategic Pastor coaching network.
Well, here are a couple of things that I would do differently:
1. I would begin with a larger core group.
We started with 17 people meeting in my living room, but if I were doing it again I would try to build a core of around 50 people or more.
Statistics show that churches that begin with a core of less than 50, rarely ever get beyond 200 in attendance. I suppose we were very fortunate that the 17 people that helped start Foothills Community Church were unbelievably committed to reaching this community, so we defied the odds.
2. I would put more emphasis on music.
In our early days we underestimated the importance of quality music. We did the best we could, but overall it wasn't too good.
If you are a church planter, don't skimp when it comes to the music. It is basically half of your service, so do what you can to find the best worship leader possible.
3. I would be slower about selecting leaders.
In the early days of a church plant there is such a huge need for leaders, that sometimes we can move too quickly and fast-track people to leadership positions that can burn you later. I can tell you from first-hand experience, you do not need people in your leadership who don't truly buy into the vision (even though they say they do)
4. I would trust God more.
This sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes as a church planter you live with this continual pressure to grow the church. Almost every church planter that I know struggles with the emotional roller coaster of attendance. When the attendance is good--- you like life. But when you have a low attendance week--- you think the sky is falling. It's not!
Over the years I have come to understand better, that it's not MY church, it's HIS! He is perfectly capable of building His church. My job is to just be faithful.
5. I would enjoy the journey more.
Visionary leaders generally struggle with enjoying the moment, because they are always thinking about the future. When you're a portable church, you are always thinking of how nice it will be to have your own facility. When you have no staff, you you're always thinking about the day you have a full staff. I can tell you, that some of the most incredible days of a church are those early days, when you are totally dependent on God. In the early days, it's such an adventure, heck, you're not even sure anyone will even show up from one week to the next. Enjoy the moment!
6. Money is overrated.
Too many church planters are convincing themselves that the reason they're not growing is because they don't have money (or buildings, or all the bells and whistles)
Go back and read the first couple of chapter of Acts. Read Peter's sermon. No building, no lights or sound no fog machines, no big budgets, or guitar solos. There was nothing slick about it, but three thousand people were saved. Why? Because of the Holy Spirit working through a servant that was sold-out to Jesus.
That's it for now. I may think of a few more to share another time.
By the way, if you are a church planter or Pastor of a church with less than 500 people, why not consider being part of The Strategic Pastor coaching network.
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