I am so stinking excited about tomorrow evening (Thursday June 30th). If you love a party you don't want to miss out at what's happening at our Seneca campus of Foothills Community Church.
The evening will start with a worship time led by our incredible team. It is rumored that the one and only Kevin Robison, our worship leader from our Toccoa campus will be there too. Then after that we will join together for a time of remembrance of the Lord's sacrifice with communion. And then we will head outside to do baptisms in our holy horse troughs!
We will close out the evening with free ice cream for everyone.
Here's the info.
It's not too late to be baptized. Just wear a bathing suit and bring a towel, and you're set!! See you there!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sunday review
Wow, what a great day at Foothills Community Church yesterday. We had a lot of fun with all the Fathers, especially the ones that competed in our little game of putting a cloth diaper on the baby (doll), then strapping them in a car seat, setting up a pack-n-play!
It got pretty intense during the second service. The competitors knocked over the table, and then one of them that was having trouble with the velcro on the pack-n-play pulled out his pocket knife and cut the strap. That was some serious redneck action for sure!
* Hamilton crushed the guitar solo in the beginning of the service!
* Our band once again brought us into the presence of God.
* The Dad Life video was hilarious.
* Wrapped up the No Guts, No Glory series with a message on the ultimate man, Jesus Christ. He had the guts and deserves the glory!
* Jesus lived with a singular focus--- staying aligned with the Father's will.
* In the face of adversity, He never quit.
* The center of the will of God is NOT the safest place to be--- but it is the BEST place to be! (there was nothing safe about the cross)
* I am super excited about our new series that starts this Sunday called, Control Freak. In your life there are very few things that you have control over, but we will be talking about the few things that we need to control. Invite your friends!
* Shane Smith put together a video from our last baptism service from a couple of weeks ago on Lake Keowee. In spite of the terrible weather, it stopped raining long enough for us to baptize 18 more people!
* If you would like to be baptized, your next opportunity will be Thursday, June 30th at 6:30 pm. We will have a special Praise night that will include worship, The Lord's Supper, and baptism.
It got pretty intense during the second service. The competitors knocked over the table, and then one of them that was having trouble with the velcro on the pack-n-play pulled out his pocket knife and cut the strap. That was some serious redneck action for sure!
* Hamilton crushed the guitar solo in the beginning of the service!
* Our band once again brought us into the presence of God.
* The Dad Life video was hilarious.
* Wrapped up the No Guts, No Glory series with a message on the ultimate man, Jesus Christ. He had the guts and deserves the glory!
* Jesus lived with a singular focus--- staying aligned with the Father's will.
* In the face of adversity, He never quit.
* The center of the will of God is NOT the safest place to be--- but it is the BEST place to be! (there was nothing safe about the cross)
* I am super excited about our new series that starts this Sunday called, Control Freak. In your life there are very few things that you have control over, but we will be talking about the few things that we need to control. Invite your friends!
* Shane Smith put together a video from our last baptism service from a couple of weeks ago on Lake Keowee. In spite of the terrible weather, it stopped raining long enough for us to baptize 18 more people!
* If you would like to be baptized, your next opportunity will be Thursday, June 30th at 6:30 pm. We will have a special Praise night that will include worship, The Lord's Supper, and baptism.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday randomness
Last Sunday was a great day to be a part of Foothills Community Church. The A.M. services were awesome, but Sunday afternoon was a blast.
* We had a baptism/party at Biggerstaff Retreat Center. Unfortunately there was a severe thunderstorm warning right when we were scheduled to begin, so most people didn't brave the elements. But in spite of that, the weather began to clear a bit, and we were still able to do some baptisms in Lake Keowee. When it was all said and done, 18 people were baptized!
* We decided to have a Plan "B", so on Thursday June 30th at 6:30pm at the Seneca campus we will be having a Praise night, with a time of worship, communion and baptisms, so if you didn't make it to last Sunday's baptism time, be sure to put this on your schedule.
* We wrapped up Son Sports last week and it was a huge success. Tons of kids and volunteers, but the best part was that 16 children indicated that they wanted to begin a relationship with Jesus!
* You do not want to miss this Sunday at Foothills. It is Father's Day, so we've got a couple of fun elements that we've included in the services for the guys. Bring your dad, it's going to be awesome.
* Tonight at 6:15pm we will be having our Get In The Game class. If you want to know more about Foothills, or are interested in becoming a member, then this class is for you. It will last until 8:15pm and yes, there will be child care.
* I am so excited for Brian and Michelle Rhodes (Brian is our Director of Student Ministries, and Michelle was my assistant). Michelle gave birth to their first child, Hannah!
* Got a chance to fish with my friend Dean Herman yesterday evening. Dean put us on the fish. Had a blast!
* We had a baptism/party at Biggerstaff Retreat Center. Unfortunately there was a severe thunderstorm warning right when we were scheduled to begin, so most people didn't brave the elements. But in spite of that, the weather began to clear a bit, and we were still able to do some baptisms in Lake Keowee. When it was all said and done, 18 people were baptized!
* We decided to have a Plan "B", so on Thursday June 30th at 6:30pm at the Seneca campus we will be having a Praise night, with a time of worship, communion and baptisms, so if you didn't make it to last Sunday's baptism time, be sure to put this on your schedule.
* We wrapped up Son Sports last week and it was a huge success. Tons of kids and volunteers, but the best part was that 16 children indicated that they wanted to begin a relationship with Jesus!
* You do not want to miss this Sunday at Foothills. It is Father's Day, so we've got a couple of fun elements that we've included in the services for the guys. Bring your dad, it's going to be awesome.
* Tonight at 6:15pm we will be having our Get In The Game class. If you want to know more about Foothills, or are interested in becoming a member, then this class is for you. It will last until 8:15pm and yes, there will be child care.
* I am so excited for Brian and Michelle Rhodes (Brian is our Director of Student Ministries, and Michelle was my assistant). Michelle gave birth to their first child, Hannah!
* Got a chance to fish with my friend Dean Herman yesterday evening. Dean put us on the fish. Had a blast!
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Random thoughts
It was a fun Sunday at Foothills Community Church. Brian Rhodes, our Pastor of Student ministries preached (and did an awesome job), so I kind of just hung out.
* Our worship team just keeps raising the bar. It's amazing.
* Every week people are giving their lives to Jesus. I love that!
* We kicked off Son Sports yesterday evening, and it was a blast. Hundreds of kids and over 100 volunteers made this possible.
* I am so proud of my wife, Liz who works tirelessly every year to put Son Sports together. (She also is our Director of Family Ministries which she also leads with excellence!
* I am also thankful for the Clemson Tiger football players, Tajh Boyd, Malliciah Goodman, Tra Thomas, Corico Hawkins, and Cole Stoudt who came and spent the afternoon meeting the kids at Son Sports. They are some great young men.
* This Sunday we will continue the No Guts, No Glory message series. You don't want to miss it.
* Don't forget that this Sunday afternoon, we will be having our huge baptism celebration party. It will be held at Biggerstaff Retreat Center in Seneca from 4:30pm until 7:30pm. Bring enough food for your family plus one extra person. Foothills will provide plates, eating utensils, and drinks. If you would like to be baptized, it's not too late!!
* During the summer months many of us are out of town and church attendance becomes somewhat irregular, however the church still has financial obligations, and what may help you continue your financial support even when you are gone is to use our automated giving system. Many people have found that it is the easiest way to do their giving not only during the summer but throughout the year. You can sign-up online here.
* Our worship team just keeps raising the bar. It's amazing.
* Every week people are giving their lives to Jesus. I love that!
* We kicked off Son Sports yesterday evening, and it was a blast. Hundreds of kids and over 100 volunteers made this possible.
* I am so proud of my wife, Liz who works tirelessly every year to put Son Sports together. (She also is our Director of Family Ministries which she also leads with excellence!
* I am also thankful for the Clemson Tiger football players, Tajh Boyd, Malliciah Goodman, Tra Thomas, Corico Hawkins, and Cole Stoudt who came and spent the afternoon meeting the kids at Son Sports. They are some great young men.
* This Sunday we will continue the No Guts, No Glory message series. You don't want to miss it.
* Don't forget that this Sunday afternoon, we will be having our huge baptism celebration party. It will be held at Biggerstaff Retreat Center in Seneca from 4:30pm until 7:30pm. Bring enough food for your family plus one extra person. Foothills will provide plates, eating utensils, and drinks. If you would like to be baptized, it's not too late!!
* During the summer months many of us are out of town and church attendance becomes somewhat irregular, however the church still has financial obligations, and what may help you continue your financial support even when you are gone is to use our automated giving system. Many people have found that it is the easiest way to do their giving not only during the summer but throughout the year. You can sign-up online here.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Sunday review
I know this is late, but anyway here is a snapshot from last week at Foothills Community Church.
* You never know what to expect on holiday weekends, but overall the attendance wasn't off too much. In fact we had a ton of first-time guests!
* We started a new series called No Guts, No Glory. It's a message series of Biblical characters who had extreme faith and courage.
* We kicked it off with Joshua. I love the book of Joshua. In Joshua 1, God calls Joshua to be the next leader of Israel, and to take them through the Jordan River and into the promised land. I can't imagine how intimidating it would be to follow in the footsteps of a great leader like Moses.
* Everyone has their own Jordan River to cross. The Jordan River is anything that stands between you and God's best for your life. Once you identify what that is, we need to make a decision to get moving.
* Once again, David Odom and his stellar team rocked the house. Our worship team is amazing!
* My friend Dean Herman who is the Pastor of 5 Points Fellowship got to hang out with us during the 9:30am service. He was blown away with the level of excellence! Dean and his crew have got it going on in Easley, SC
* We're still receiving Project Reach commitment cards. If you haven't turned yours in yet, you can do it this Sunday.
* We are starting to hear a bunch of cool stories of how Project Reach is already touching lives. We hope to capture some video to show during a service.
* Don't forget that June 6th is the first day of Son Sports. If you have kids, they need to be here for this, trust me!
* You never know what to expect on holiday weekends, but overall the attendance wasn't off too much. In fact we had a ton of first-time guests!
* We started a new series called No Guts, No Glory. It's a message series of Biblical characters who had extreme faith and courage.
* We kicked it off with Joshua. I love the book of Joshua. In Joshua 1, God calls Joshua to be the next leader of Israel, and to take them through the Jordan River and into the promised land. I can't imagine how intimidating it would be to follow in the footsteps of a great leader like Moses.
* Everyone has their own Jordan River to cross. The Jordan River is anything that stands between you and God's best for your life. Once you identify what that is, we need to make a decision to get moving.
* Once again, David Odom and his stellar team rocked the house. Our worship team is amazing!
* My friend Dean Herman who is the Pastor of 5 Points Fellowship got to hang out with us during the 9:30am service. He was blown away with the level of excellence! Dean and his crew have got it going on in Easley, SC
* We're still receiving Project Reach commitment cards. If you haven't turned yours in yet, you can do it this Sunday.
* We are starting to hear a bunch of cool stories of how Project Reach is already touching lives. We hope to capture some video to show during a service.
* Don't forget that June 6th is the first day of Son Sports. If you have kids, they need to be here for this, trust me!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday review
We had another incredible day at Foothills Community Church. God was at work throughout the entire morning.
* I am honored to serve as the Lead Pastor of this great church. Over the last week, I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have been praying for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
* It was great to be back on the softball field yesterday. I plan to be back on the basketball court on Wednesday morning!
* Yesterday was Commitment Sunday for our Project Reach initiatives. I do not know the total amount pledged yet, but whatever was pledged will be use to help the least, last and lost of the world!
* I spoke about Commitment, and although those type of messages tend to step om a lot of toes, there was a great response.
* Project Reach is already in full swing. We had a group of people serving the Food Pantry this weekend and another group just got back from Haiti. We have scheduled a trip in Early July to send teams to Harlan County Kentucky to serve people there. We are already actively engaged with Launch Network to help start 1,000 churches in the next 10 years.
* I am so excited about what's going on at our Toccoa campus. They baptized 10 people yesterday, and have another 13 people already signed-up for their next baptism!
* We will be starting a new message series this Sunday called, No Guts, No Glory. I cannot wait!
* Our next baptism for our Seneca campus is scheduled for June 12th at Biggerstaff Retreat Center. We will have food, games, water activities on beautiful Lake Keowee, and of course, baptism. We will start at 4:30 pm and end.... whenever!
* Don't forget about Son Sports, (which is Foothills version of Vacation Bible School) It begins on June 6th.
* I am honored to serve as the Lead Pastor of this great church. Over the last week, I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have been praying for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
* It was great to be back on the softball field yesterday. I plan to be back on the basketball court on Wednesday morning!
* Yesterday was Commitment Sunday for our Project Reach initiatives. I do not know the total amount pledged yet, but whatever was pledged will be use to help the least, last and lost of the world!
* I spoke about Commitment, and although those type of messages tend to step om a lot of toes, there was a great response.
* Project Reach is already in full swing. We had a group of people serving the Food Pantry this weekend and another group just got back from Haiti. We have scheduled a trip in Early July to send teams to Harlan County Kentucky to serve people there. We are already actively engaged with Launch Network to help start 1,000 churches in the next 10 years.
* I am so excited about what's going on at our Toccoa campus. They baptized 10 people yesterday, and have another 13 people already signed-up for their next baptism!
* We will be starting a new message series this Sunday called, No Guts, No Glory. I cannot wait!
* Our next baptism for our Seneca campus is scheduled for June 12th at Biggerstaff Retreat Center. We will have food, games, water activities on beautiful Lake Keowee, and of course, baptism. We will start at 4:30 pm and end.... whenever!
* Don't forget about Son Sports, (which is Foothills version of Vacation Bible School) It begins on June 6th.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thanks for your prayers
I want to thank all of you that have been praying for me. In case you were not aware, I had a recent physical (which I passed with flying colors), but kind of in passing, my Dr. suggested I have a Cardiac Calcium Score test done. I had never heard of this test before, but I figured, I may as well make an appointment. The test took 5 minutes and cost $99. The lower the score the better. Unfortunately for me, my score was high.
I was then sent to a cardiologist who scheduled me to have a heart cath done this past Monday. The idea was, if the cath showed no sign of any plaque build-up, I would be given a clear bill of health, if not they would install a stent in my arteries. Unfortunately I had 2 blockages (1 was 80% blocked, and the other was 75% blocked), so they put in 2 stents.
The surgery took about 3 hours, and other than me keep waking up and having to get more anesthesia, it was pretty easy. I stayed overnight at the hospital, and will have to take it easy for a week, but then I can resume my regular pace.
I am thankful that my Dr. recommended the test. Keep in mind that I am not overweight, don't smoke or drink and exercise regularly. My cholesterol is just slightly above normal, I don't have high blood pressure and eat pretty well. I had no symptoms of any sort. Not even during strenuous exercise. That's pretty scary.
Here is what I am hoping this post will do. I hope you ask your Dr. about scheduling to have this test done, and get it done. If everything is clear, you're only out $99, and you have some peace of mind. If not, then maybe you can catch a possible heart condition before something tragic happens.
I was then sent to a cardiologist who scheduled me to have a heart cath done this past Monday. The idea was, if the cath showed no sign of any plaque build-up, I would be given a clear bill of health, if not they would install a stent in my arteries. Unfortunately I had 2 blockages (1 was 80% blocked, and the other was 75% blocked), so they put in 2 stents.
The surgery took about 3 hours, and other than me keep waking up and having to get more anesthesia, it was pretty easy. I stayed overnight at the hospital, and will have to take it easy for a week, but then I can resume my regular pace.
I am thankful that my Dr. recommended the test. Keep in mind that I am not overweight, don't smoke or drink and exercise regularly. My cholesterol is just slightly above normal, I don't have high blood pressure and eat pretty well. I had no symptoms of any sort. Not even during strenuous exercise. That's pretty scary.
Here is what I am hoping this post will do. I hope you ask your Dr. about scheduling to have this test done, and get it done. If everything is clear, you're only out $99, and you have some peace of mind. If not, then maybe you can catch a possible heart condition before something tragic happens.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Sunday review
Sunday was awesome at Foothills Community Church. It was one of the most emotional services I can remember.
* We started the services with a little clip from Family Guy, which was pretty funny.
* The band, worship team and praise choir was in rare form. The whole place came unglued when Petecia Moon sang Are You Ready For A Miracle. I honestly can't remember a time when the response was so loud!
* The message was on the link between faith and miracles.
* It's always a good day for me, when I can bring my Bowtech on stage to use as an illustration.
* In both services the guys that came on stage had WAY too much faith in my shooting abilities!
* It's going to take a miracle for us to reach our project reach goal of $1,000,000, but that's when we need crazy faith.
* Our first Project Reach dinner was a huge success. Everyone was so excited.
* There are still a few tickets remaining for this Thursday evening, and about 100 tickets left for the dinner on May 19th.
* Our Toccoa campus has huge momentum. Lives are changing every week there!
* They will be having their project Reach Dinner on May 15th. I can't wait to hang out with them.
* We started the services with a little clip from Family Guy, which was pretty funny.
* The band, worship team and praise choir was in rare form. The whole place came unglued when Petecia Moon sang Are You Ready For A Miracle. I honestly can't remember a time when the response was so loud!
* The message was on the link between faith and miracles.
* It's always a good day for me, when I can bring my Bowtech on stage to use as an illustration.
* In both services the guys that came on stage had WAY too much faith in my shooting abilities!
* It's going to take a miracle for us to reach our project reach goal of $1,000,000, but that's when we need crazy faith.
* Our first Project Reach dinner was a huge success. Everyone was so excited.
* There are still a few tickets remaining for this Thursday evening, and about 100 tickets left for the dinner on May 19th.
* Our Toccoa campus has huge momentum. Lives are changing every week there!
* They will be having their project Reach Dinner on May 15th. I can't wait to hang out with them.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
a quick review
It's been busy for the last week, so I am updating a little slow.
I am really fired-up about what God is doing at Foothills Community Church right now!
* I was in Dallas last week for a couple of days meeting with a group of Pastors of large churches from around the Country. We get together every 6 months to hang out. It is truly a rich time for me. Over the last year and a half these guys have become some of my best friends in ministry!
* The organization that put the group together is Leadership Network. If you are a Pastor, you need to do what you can to be a part of one of their communities.
* This past Sunday was another great one at Foothills. It's always interesting to me how quickly attendance can drop off after Easter! For those who came, it was awesome!
* We are in a series called, Project Reach. Project Reach is a strategic way for us to reach around the world to help the least, the last and the lost with the gospel.
* We will be catering 4 informational Project Reach Dinners (3 in Seneca and 1 in Toccoa) The first dinner is this Thursday and is completely full!. There are a few tickets still available for the other dates: May 12,and 19th in Seneca, and May 15th in Toccoa.
* A lot of people have asked me about my feeling regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden. I read this blog that probably explains how I feel the best.
* You do not want to miss this Sunday at Foothills Community Church. If you have ever needed a miracle, you need to be there!
* It is Mother's Day, so we have a couple of cool things planned for Moms. I know there are many couples that are unable to have children, so Mother's day is a bit painful for them, but this should not prevent us from honoring our mothers, and celebrating with them.
* I love the fact that for the last 3 weeks we have had people saved at both of our campuses. Lost people are being found, and lives are being changed!
* We are sending disaster relief funds to tornado victims in the South. My friend, David Anderson and his church are making a huge difference in Alabama and we are joining them. Thanks for your faithfulness to give because it makes this kind of thing possible.
I am really fired-up about what God is doing at Foothills Community Church right now!
* I was in Dallas last week for a couple of days meeting with a group of Pastors of large churches from around the Country. We get together every 6 months to hang out. It is truly a rich time for me. Over the last year and a half these guys have become some of my best friends in ministry!
* The organization that put the group together is Leadership Network. If you are a Pastor, you need to do what you can to be a part of one of their communities.
* This past Sunday was another great one at Foothills. It's always interesting to me how quickly attendance can drop off after Easter! For those who came, it was awesome!
* We are in a series called, Project Reach. Project Reach is a strategic way for us to reach around the world to help the least, the last and the lost with the gospel.
* We will be catering 4 informational Project Reach Dinners (3 in Seneca and 1 in Toccoa) The first dinner is this Thursday and is completely full!. There are a few tickets still available for the other dates: May 12,and 19th in Seneca, and May 15th in Toccoa.
* A lot of people have asked me about my feeling regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden. I read this blog that probably explains how I feel the best.
* You do not want to miss this Sunday at Foothills Community Church. If you have ever needed a miracle, you need to be there!
* It is Mother's Day, so we have a couple of cool things planned for Moms. I know there are many couples that are unable to have children, so Mother's day is a bit painful for them, but this should not prevent us from honoring our mothers, and celebrating with them.
* I love the fact that for the last 3 weeks we have had people saved at both of our campuses. Lost people are being found, and lives are being changed!
* We are sending disaster relief funds to tornado victims in the South. My friend, David Anderson and his church are making a huge difference in Alabama and we are joining them. Thanks for your faithfulness to give because it makes this kind of thing possible.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter review
All I can say is wow. It was an unbelievable Easter at Foothills Community Church. I don't have all the metrics of what happened, all I know is that something big happened!
* Both campuses had huge crowds and lots of people give their lives to Jesus. In Seneca we had 78 people saved and in Toccoa they had 3 salvations!
* We had over 550 kids/volunteers just in Kidzone!
* The energy level was through the roof.
* We started handing out our new first-time guest bags filled with great stuff, and they were in high demand!
* The worship team did an awesome job led by David Odom in Seneca and Kevin Robison in Toccoa. It was also great to have the praise choir doing their thing!
* The stage team did an amazing job with the new stage for our Project Reach series.
* The technical team led by Shane Smith knocked it out of the park as well. Phillip B. spent most of his Spring Break programming lights!
* I am so appreciative of all the wonderful Dream Team volunteers that served tirelessly to make Easter over-the-top.
* There were so many new faces and the response from everyone that I met was that they absolutely loved the services and plan to be back!
* We had a little Easter egg hunt in the auditorium. Most people were not real interested in playing along until we told them that whoever found the eggs could redeem them for free gas cards. After that everyone got pretty motivated!
* I can't wait to see what happens this Sunday. You don't want to miss it.
* Both campuses had huge crowds and lots of people give their lives to Jesus. In Seneca we had 78 people saved and in Toccoa they had 3 salvations!
* We had over 550 kids/volunteers just in Kidzone!
* The energy level was through the roof.
* We started handing out our new first-time guest bags filled with great stuff, and they were in high demand!
* The worship team did an awesome job led by David Odom in Seneca and Kevin Robison in Toccoa. It was also great to have the praise choir doing their thing!
* The stage team did an amazing job with the new stage for our Project Reach series.
* The technical team led by Shane Smith knocked it out of the park as well. Phillip B. spent most of his Spring Break programming lights!
* I am so appreciative of all the wonderful Dream Team volunteers that served tirelessly to make Easter over-the-top.
* There were so many new faces and the response from everyone that I met was that they absolutely loved the services and plan to be back!
* We had a little Easter egg hunt in the auditorium. Most people were not real interested in playing along until we told them that whoever found the eggs could redeem them for free gas cards. After that everyone got pretty motivated!
* I can't wait to see what happens this Sunday. You don't want to miss it.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Easter countdown
A couple of quick thoughts as we head into Easter weekend:
* Don't forget to invite your friends. Use those invite cards. Better yet, go and pick someone up on Sunday morning and bring them to church with you.
* We will start a new series called, Project Reach. This series could be one of the most important series we have ever done.
* A lot of you have heard of Project Reach, but during this series, you will understand it.
* We are having 4 catered dinners (3 in Seneca, and 1 in Toccoa) during the month of May that we are inviting people to attend to hear the full details of Project Reach. We have very limited seating so you need to get your tickets ASAP. They will be available starting this Sunday at the Link, located in the back of the concourse. (If you attended the Project Reach Reveal in March, you already have your tickets.)
* We had a bunch of people show up to pray over every chair in the auditorium for this Sunday's services. We have done everything within our power to make Easter a success, we have prayed, prepared, and planned, but it is up to God to do the part that really matters!
* You may have seen our CouldThisBeChurch.com billboards around town. They are creating a lot of buzz in the community.
* I will leave you with this thought. Our services this Sunday are going to be the best services we have ever done. You will not believe some of the elements. It will be inspiring, fun, challenging, touching, and humorous.
* Don't forget to invite your friends. Use those invite cards. Better yet, go and pick someone up on Sunday morning and bring them to church with you.
* We will start a new series called, Project Reach. This series could be one of the most important series we have ever done.
* A lot of you have heard of Project Reach, but during this series, you will understand it.
* We are having 4 catered dinners (3 in Seneca, and 1 in Toccoa) during the month of May that we are inviting people to attend to hear the full details of Project Reach. We have very limited seating so you need to get your tickets ASAP. They will be available starting this Sunday at the Link, located in the back of the concourse. (If you attended the Project Reach Reveal in March, you already have your tickets.)
* We had a bunch of people show up to pray over every chair in the auditorium for this Sunday's services. We have done everything within our power to make Easter a success, we have prayed, prepared, and planned, but it is up to God to do the part that really matters!
* You may have seen our CouldThisBeChurch.com billboards around town. They are creating a lot of buzz in the community.
* I will leave you with this thought. Our services this Sunday are going to be the best services we have ever done. You will not believe some of the elements. It will be inspiring, fun, challenging, touching, and humorous.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday review
I love my church! Every Sunday I am surrounded by hundreds of passionate people that show up ready to worship God. It is awesome. Authentic worship knows no boundaries--- it transcends economic differences, racial differences, or age differences. On any given Sunday we have people that come from every conceivable background that come together for the sole purpose of lifting up the name of Jesus!
* Our worship team keeps raising the bar. If anyone can sit through a Foothills worship set and not be moved, there is something wrong with them. Seriously.
* It was the beginning of Spring Break weekend, and although the attendance was slightly down, it did not have an effect on the excitement level of the people.
* We wrapped up the Colossians series (it took a while!). What a fantastic book of the Bible for a church to study together. So solid.
* We handed out invite cards for Easter Sunday. One person asked if they could have 300 to give out! I got a text today from someone who said that the invite cards were all over the plant that they worked at!
* We gave out tons of free Easter tickets. The 8:00am service still has plenty of room, so if you are scheduled to serve next Sunday, it would be helpful if you could attend that service. The reason is, that the 9:30am and 11:15am are nearly full, and we KNOW that there will be lots of people that will show up that do not have a ticket, so let's make sure we have extra room.
* Our staff has been preparing for months for the Easter services and they will be the best services that we have ever done. You do not want to miss!
* The worship team tells me that there will be something for everyone. There is a rumor that we will have everything from Classic rock to rap. Yes, this will be Foothills at its best. Could This Be Church?
* Please bring your friends that do not know Jesus. My message will focus on 3 post-resurrection events that will change our lives!
* Come prepared to CELEBRATE! After all Easter is the reason to celebrate.
* One last thing. I want to invite you to come to the church Tuesday through Thursday any time from 9:00am until 6:00pm to pray for our Easter services. Just stop by the office and someone will make sure the auditorium will be unlocked. All of our staff will be praying over every seat in the auditorium on Thursday from 9:00am until 9:30am. We would love to have you join us then.
* Our worship team keeps raising the bar. If anyone can sit through a Foothills worship set and not be moved, there is something wrong with them. Seriously.
* It was the beginning of Spring Break weekend, and although the attendance was slightly down, it did not have an effect on the excitement level of the people.
* We wrapped up the Colossians series (it took a while!). What a fantastic book of the Bible for a church to study together. So solid.
* We handed out invite cards for Easter Sunday. One person asked if they could have 300 to give out! I got a text today from someone who said that the invite cards were all over the plant that they worked at!
* We gave out tons of free Easter tickets. The 8:00am service still has plenty of room, so if you are scheduled to serve next Sunday, it would be helpful if you could attend that service. The reason is, that the 9:30am and 11:15am are nearly full, and we KNOW that there will be lots of people that will show up that do not have a ticket, so let's make sure we have extra room.
* Our staff has been preparing for months for the Easter services and they will be the best services that we have ever done. You do not want to miss!
* The worship team tells me that there will be something for everyone. There is a rumor that we will have everything from Classic rock to rap. Yes, this will be Foothills at its best. Could This Be Church?
* Please bring your friends that do not know Jesus. My message will focus on 3 post-resurrection events that will change our lives!
* Come prepared to CELEBRATE! After all Easter is the reason to celebrate.
* One last thing. I want to invite you to come to the church Tuesday through Thursday any time from 9:00am until 6:00pm to pray for our Easter services. Just stop by the office and someone will make sure the auditorium will be unlocked. All of our staff will be praying over every seat in the auditorium on Thursday from 9:00am until 9:30am. We would love to have you join us then.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday review
I had a different, but wonderful Sunday. It was different, because I didn't preach, but also because I got to spend the morning at our Toccoa, Ga campus.
* I started the morning by driving to our Seneca campus. I showed up at 9:25am for the 9:30am service. I noticed immediately that apparently that's what most people do. There was a steady stream of traffic coming in then.
* I knew that I had to leave by 10:00am to make it in time to get to Toccoa, so I stood up against the back wall of the auditorium during the worship set and the intro of Brian Rhodes message. I noticed that the auditorium fills up from the back to the front. I'm one of those people that likes to sit near the front, so I really don't understand why anyone wants to sit so far back, but apparently these are the premium seats!
* I heard a lot of great things about Brian Rhodes message. I can't wait to watch it online this week.
* The worship set was incredible. I love working with David Odom and the rest of the team. There is another team that most people don't think about too much that play a major role, and that is the technical team led by Shane Smith. They are phenomenal. they are responsible for audio, video, graphics, cameras, lyrics and probably a whole lot more that I don't know about.
* I then drove to Ga and hung out with the Toccoa campus. As usual, they were a lot of fun. Other than most of them wearing clothes emblazoned with Georgia Bulldogs emblems, they are a great group of people :-)
* Campus Pastor Brian Marshall and Worship Pastor Kevin Robison make a great team. I know I have said this already, but God is up to something big in T-Town!
* It's always weird watching yourself on video, but once I got past that, it was a very enjoyable service.
* Tickets for our Easter services were available yesterday at our Seneca campus. If you forgot to get yours, go online and print some out or pick them up on Sunday. Only about 400 tickets remain available for the 9:30am and the 11:15am services. There are plenty left for the 8:00am service.
The Toccoa campus Easter service will be at 11:00am
* I started the morning by driving to our Seneca campus. I showed up at 9:25am for the 9:30am service. I noticed immediately that apparently that's what most people do. There was a steady stream of traffic coming in then.
* I knew that I had to leave by 10:00am to make it in time to get to Toccoa, so I stood up against the back wall of the auditorium during the worship set and the intro of Brian Rhodes message. I noticed that the auditorium fills up from the back to the front. I'm one of those people that likes to sit near the front, so I really don't understand why anyone wants to sit so far back, but apparently these are the premium seats!
* I heard a lot of great things about Brian Rhodes message. I can't wait to watch it online this week.
* The worship set was incredible. I love working with David Odom and the rest of the team. There is another team that most people don't think about too much that play a major role, and that is the technical team led by Shane Smith. They are phenomenal. they are responsible for audio, video, graphics, cameras, lyrics and probably a whole lot more that I don't know about.
* I then drove to Ga and hung out with the Toccoa campus. As usual, they were a lot of fun. Other than most of them wearing clothes emblazoned with Georgia Bulldogs emblems, they are a great group of people :-)
* Campus Pastor Brian Marshall and Worship Pastor Kevin Robison make a great team. I know I have said this already, but God is up to something big in T-Town!
* It's always weird watching yourself on video, but once I got past that, it was a very enjoyable service.
* Tickets for our Easter services were available yesterday at our Seneca campus. If you forgot to get yours, go online and print some out or pick them up on Sunday. Only about 400 tickets remain available for the 9:30am and the 11:15am services. There are plenty left for the 8:00am service.
The Toccoa campus Easter service will be at 11:00am
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Foothills Toccoa and some lessons I've learned
About two and a half years ago we launched our second campus in Toccoa, Ga. We felt that although Stephens County had a bunch of great churches that possibly a church like Foothills Community Church could help reach some of the people who were not being reached by the existing churches.
For the first year and a half we met in a gymnasium at Osborne Wood products and then, a little over a year ago we moved into a more permanent location, as we leased a former furniture store and converted it into a church facility.
Like any new church, there are challenges, and obstacles. In fact, it was the same way at our Seneca, SC campus when we first started. I believe we are on the verge of some incredible things happening there. As many of you know, our campus pastor is Brian Marshall who has served at our Seneca campus for many years, but what many of you don't know is that we recently hired Kevin Robison as our new campus worship pastor. I believe that these men will help us reach that community for Christ!
Some of the lessons I have learned about becoming a multi-site church (especially in small towns) is that it takes patience and perseverance. It takes time for the community to get to know you, and trust you.
It takes a heart for your community. Deep-down the people who attend the church have to have a burden for their community to know Christ. They must build relationships with people who don't know Christ, and invite them to church.
It's hard work. There are no short cuts. You reach a community, the same way you eat an elephant, a bite at a time. One person at a time, that's the key.
It takes unselfishness. The church has to be willing to set aside their own personal desires for the sake of the people they are trying to reach. They must be willing to do whatever it takes to reach people.
They have to prepare for guests. There needs to always be an expectation that there will be guests, and therefore they need to make sure that they feel at home. In fact everything must be viewed and evaluated constantly through the eyes of a first-time guest.
As Foothills Toccoa moves forward, they do so with purpose. I am so pumped about the future of our Toccoa campus. Every time I go there I just love the environment that they have created. It is an incredible group of people that love Jesus. If you know anyone in that area that doesn't have a church home, let them know about our Toccoa campus!
For the first year and a half we met in a gymnasium at Osborne Wood products and then, a little over a year ago we moved into a more permanent location, as we leased a former furniture store and converted it into a church facility.
Like any new church, there are challenges, and obstacles. In fact, it was the same way at our Seneca, SC campus when we first started. I believe we are on the verge of some incredible things happening there. As many of you know, our campus pastor is Brian Marshall who has served at our Seneca campus for many years, but what many of you don't know is that we recently hired Kevin Robison as our new campus worship pastor. I believe that these men will help us reach that community for Christ!
Some of the lessons I have learned about becoming a multi-site church (especially in small towns) is that it takes patience and perseverance. It takes time for the community to get to know you, and trust you.
It takes a heart for your community. Deep-down the people who attend the church have to have a burden for their community to know Christ. They must build relationships with people who don't know Christ, and invite them to church.
It's hard work. There are no short cuts. You reach a community, the same way you eat an elephant, a bite at a time. One person at a time, that's the key.
It takes unselfishness. The church has to be willing to set aside their own personal desires for the sake of the people they are trying to reach. They must be willing to do whatever it takes to reach people.
They have to prepare for guests. There needs to always be an expectation that there will be guests, and therefore they need to make sure that they feel at home. In fact everything must be viewed and evaluated constantly through the eyes of a first-time guest.
As Foothills Toccoa moves forward, they do so with purpose. I am so pumped about the future of our Toccoa campus. Every time I go there I just love the environment that they have created. It is an incredible group of people that love Jesus. If you know anyone in that area that doesn't have a church home, let them know about our Toccoa campus!
Monday, April 04, 2011
Project Reach Reveal & Sunday review
Last Thursday evening we held the sneak peak of Project Reach. Here are a few of my thoughts:
* We had a great attendance for a Thursday night. Several hundred people showed up to hear about Project Reach
* It was an honor to have my friend pastor Toby Slough come and share with our staff and then our congregation about some of what god is doing at Cross Timbers Church. He knocked it out of the park!
* Our people are hungry to see the world reached for Christ, and to help people who are homeless, hungry, hurting, and feel hopeless.
* We will be starting a new message series called, Project Reach starting on Easter Sunday.
* We will also be having a series of informational dinners on May 5th, 12th and 19th. The tickets will be available on Easter Sunday. (Those people who came to the reveal on Thursday night got to pick their tickets up already). There are a limited number of seats available, so be ready to pick yours up.
Sunday review:
* Spoke on Colossians 3:22-25 about making Christ supreme in the work place. It was a challenging topic for many
* Lots of people have a huge disconnect between Sunday and Monday. They view Sunday as God's day, but then separate Monday-Friday as their work days. We can't compartmentalize our lives that way. Christ needs to be supreme over everything we do.
* 85% of American workers say that they could work harder. 50% say they could double their output at work. As Christ-followers we should be the hardest working employees at our jobs.
* Ultimately we work for God. "Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus.." Col. 3:17a
* Our Toccoa campus welcomed Kevin Robison as their new worship leader!
* Easter is right around the corner. Who will you invite?
* We had a great attendance for a Thursday night. Several hundred people showed up to hear about Project Reach
* It was an honor to have my friend pastor Toby Slough come and share with our staff and then our congregation about some of what god is doing at Cross Timbers Church. He knocked it out of the park!
* Our people are hungry to see the world reached for Christ, and to help people who are homeless, hungry, hurting, and feel hopeless.
* We will be starting a new message series called, Project Reach starting on Easter Sunday.
* We will also be having a series of informational dinners on May 5th, 12th and 19th. The tickets will be available on Easter Sunday. (Those people who came to the reveal on Thursday night got to pick their tickets up already). There are a limited number of seats available, so be ready to pick yours up.
Sunday review:
* Spoke on Colossians 3:22-25 about making Christ supreme in the work place. It was a challenging topic for many
* Lots of people have a huge disconnect between Sunday and Monday. They view Sunday as God's day, but then separate Monday-Friday as their work days. We can't compartmentalize our lives that way. Christ needs to be supreme over everything we do.
* 85% of American workers say that they could work harder. 50% say they could double their output at work. As Christ-followers we should be the hardest working employees at our jobs.
* Ultimately we work for God. "Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus.." Col. 3:17a
* Our Toccoa campus welcomed Kevin Robison as their new worship leader!
* Easter is right around the corner. Who will you invite?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
results
I made a statement in last Sunday's message that I have been thinking about quite a bit. I said, "God doesn't reward us based on results, He rewards us based on our FAITHFULNESS".
You see, the results are God's. In the parable of the three servants in Matthew 25:14-30, one servant is given 5 talents, one is given 2 talents and one is given 1 talent. When the master returned he called them to give an account of how they had used His money. The servant with 5 and the servant with 2 talents had both doubled his money. His response to them was, "well done my good and FAITHFUL servant, You have been FAITHFUL in handling the small amount, so now I will give you more responsibilities.." To the servant that had been given 1 talent who had done nothing with the master's money, he was rebuked because he had been unfaithful with the things entrusted to him.
The results are always God's.
For the parent this means that your responsibility is to faithfully train up your children in the way they should go, but the results are God's
For the person who witnesses to a friend or family member, your job is to faithfully share Christ, the results are God's.
For the Pastor, your job is to faithfully follow the Lord and lead His people, the results are His.
Ultimately the words I would like to hear when I meet Christ face to face are, "well done my good and FAITHFUL servant".
You see, the results are God's. In the parable of the three servants in Matthew 25:14-30, one servant is given 5 talents, one is given 2 talents and one is given 1 talent. When the master returned he called them to give an account of how they had used His money. The servant with 5 and the servant with 2 talents had both doubled his money. His response to them was, "well done my good and FAITHFUL servant, You have been FAITHFUL in handling the small amount, so now I will give you more responsibilities.." To the servant that had been given 1 talent who had done nothing with the master's money, he was rebuked because he had been unfaithful with the things entrusted to him.
The results are always God's.
For the parent this means that your responsibility is to faithfully train up your children in the way they should go, but the results are God's
For the person who witnesses to a friend or family member, your job is to faithfully share Christ, the results are God's.
For the Pastor, your job is to faithfully follow the Lord and lead His people, the results are His.
Ultimately the words I would like to hear when I meet Christ face to face are, "well done my good and FAITHFUL servant".
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday review
The weather was dreary, but the mood at Foothills Community Church was high-energy yesterday. I taught on the the family from Colossians 3:18-21. I am pretty certain there were a lot of people that got their toes stepped on, but it's all good! I say this all the time, but I LOVE what God is doing right now at Foothills.
* On Monday mornings our staff gets together and talks about stories of life-change and what we cal, "God sightings", which are things that they see God doing in people's lives. It is always inspiring to hear the stories!
* This thursday at 6:00pm is Project reach Reveal. Here's a short video invitation. YOU NEED TO BE THERE!
* I love the staff I get to work with. They are tireless workers that love Jesus.
* With the weather hopefully warming soon, I plan on doing some fishing this Spring.
* We are getting ready to start advertising on 6 billboards throughout Oconee County. You should see them by early next week.
* I was just looking at some of the pictures from our live CD recording/baptism from March 13th. Awesome!
* We are almost finished with our Colossians series. kind of bittersweet for me.
* Easter is only a few weeks away. We are planning the biggest services that we've ever had. Who will you be inviting?
* Our Toccoa campus will be welcoming their new worship pastor, Kevin Robison this weekend. I am pumped about having him on the team!
* On Monday mornings our staff gets together and talks about stories of life-change and what we cal, "God sightings", which are things that they see God doing in people's lives. It is always inspiring to hear the stories!
* This thursday at 6:00pm is Project reach Reveal. Here's a short video invitation. YOU NEED TO BE THERE!
* I love the staff I get to work with. They are tireless workers that love Jesus.
* With the weather hopefully warming soon, I plan on doing some fishing this Spring.
* We are getting ready to start advertising on 6 billboards throughout Oconee County. You should see them by early next week.
* I was just looking at some of the pictures from our live CD recording/baptism from March 13th. Awesome!
* We are almost finished with our Colossians series. kind of bittersweet for me.
* Easter is only a few weeks away. We are planning the biggest services that we've ever had. Who will you be inviting?
* Our Toccoa campus will be welcoming their new worship pastor, Kevin Robison this weekend. I am pumped about having him on the team!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sunday review
Getting around late to this past Sunday's review, but you know what they say, 'better late than never".
* I love what God is doing at Foothills. There is an unbelievable amount of energy right now. Lives are changing and people are excited!
* Another stellar day from our worship team. These guys and gals are so inspiring!
* I spoke about new life in Christ, and how that is supposed to play out. Even though we are free in Christ, God has some very high standards for Christ-followers.
* I have had so many people tell me that they are really enjoying the Colossians series. It is such a solid book. We are in the home stretch, and it looks like we will be done before Easter.
* Speaking of Easter, wow, we have an incredible service planned (actually we will be having 3 services at our Seneca campus and one at our Toccoa campus) This is a great opportunity to bring a friend with you. We are printing up some new invite cards that will make it even easier. We will get those to you on April 10th
* We are getting ready to do some heavy advertising for Easter. It looks like we will be renting some billboard space. I'll let you know more soon.
* Don't forget about our Project Reach reveal coming on March 31st. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT!
* I love what God is doing at Foothills. There is an unbelievable amount of energy right now. Lives are changing and people are excited!
* Another stellar day from our worship team. These guys and gals are so inspiring!
* I spoke about new life in Christ, and how that is supposed to play out. Even though we are free in Christ, God has some very high standards for Christ-followers.
* I have had so many people tell me that they are really enjoying the Colossians series. It is such a solid book. We are in the home stretch, and it looks like we will be done before Easter.
* Speaking of Easter, wow, we have an incredible service planned (actually we will be having 3 services at our Seneca campus and one at our Toccoa campus) This is a great opportunity to bring a friend with you. We are printing up some new invite cards that will make it even easier. We will get those to you on April 10th
* We are getting ready to do some heavy advertising for Easter. It looks like we will be renting some billboard space. I'll let you know more soon.
* Don't forget about our Project Reach reveal coming on March 31st. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday review
There are really no words to describe yesterday at Foothills Community Church. Everything just clicked. Here are a few highlights:
* Daylight Savings Time definitely got the best of our 9:30am attendance, but the 11:15am service was right on track. Actually our kids numbers were huge yesterday. Apparently it was the adults that slept in (not really sure how the kids got to church?) :-)
* I spoke about how easy it is to move from grace to legalism if we're not careful. In the South there are a lot of very "religious" people that live by a set of rules, rather than in the freedom that the Gospel affords us.
* Legalism says, "God will love me IF I'm good". The Gospel says, "God loves me, therefore I desire to obey" There is a huge difference between these two views.
* I think a lot of people were set free from legalism yesterday.
* Our new T-shirts went on sale in The Stoop. At the end of the 1st service we had already sold out of most of them!
* Last night we had our first ever Live recording at Foothills, and it was AMAZING!
* David Odom and his crew absolutely blew the roof off of the place. I am not kidding, Foothills has the best worship ministry anywhere!
* Our tech crew is unbelievable as well. The sound and lighting and everything that goes into a recording---- wow, these folks burned the midnight oil.
* The place was packed out. It was also cool to have a bunch of people from our Toccoa campus make the journey over to SC.
* People are asking when the CD will be available? the answer is, as soon as possible. Most likely it will take approx. 2 months, but you can Pre-order a copy in the Stoop.
* The highlight of the night for me was the baptisms we did in the middle of the service--- 37 people took the plunge. Yea God!
* What's really amazing was the spectrum of the ages that we baptized.
* We baptized a lot of children and youth. That is incredible. Our kid's ministry (Kidzone) is the best anywhere! I want to brag on my wife, Liz, who is the Director of our children's ministry, and our other staff who serve with our kids. Week after week, they prepare age-appropriate lessons for children and mix it with a lot of fun activities, and as a result, kid's lives are changing!
* This Sunday we will begin Chapter 3 in the book of Colossians
* Daylight Savings Time definitely got the best of our 9:30am attendance, but the 11:15am service was right on track. Actually our kids numbers were huge yesterday. Apparently it was the adults that slept in (not really sure how the kids got to church?) :-)
* I spoke about how easy it is to move from grace to legalism if we're not careful. In the South there are a lot of very "religious" people that live by a set of rules, rather than in the freedom that the Gospel affords us.
* Legalism says, "God will love me IF I'm good". The Gospel says, "God loves me, therefore I desire to obey" There is a huge difference between these two views.
* I think a lot of people were set free from legalism yesterday.
* Our new T-shirts went on sale in The Stoop. At the end of the 1st service we had already sold out of most of them!
* Last night we had our first ever Live recording at Foothills, and it was AMAZING!
* David Odom and his crew absolutely blew the roof off of the place. I am not kidding, Foothills has the best worship ministry anywhere!
* Our tech crew is unbelievable as well. The sound and lighting and everything that goes into a recording---- wow, these folks burned the midnight oil.
* The place was packed out. It was also cool to have a bunch of people from our Toccoa campus make the journey over to SC.
* People are asking when the CD will be available? the answer is, as soon as possible. Most likely it will take approx. 2 months, but you can Pre-order a copy in the Stoop.
* The highlight of the night for me was the baptisms we did in the middle of the service--- 37 people took the plunge. Yea God!
* What's really amazing was the spectrum of the ages that we baptized.
* We baptized a lot of children and youth. That is incredible. Our kid's ministry (Kidzone) is the best anywhere! I want to brag on my wife, Liz, who is the Director of our children's ministry, and our other staff who serve with our kids. Week after week, they prepare age-appropriate lessons for children and mix it with a lot of fun activities, and as a result, kid's lives are changing!
* This Sunday we will begin Chapter 3 in the book of Colossians
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Be A Part Of History
I am constantly blown away by the quality of our worship experiences at Foothills Community Church. God has assembled the finest team of musicians and singers to be found anywhere. We have so many requests to make our music available by CD or online, that we felt now was the time to record our first ever Live recording!
For our first project, David Odom and his team have selected many of the worship songs that are familiar to many people, yet with our own unique Foothills flair.
To add to the excitement of the evening, we will also be doing baptisms. This is a chance for many people to go public with their faith in Christ. This promises to be an historic evening, and we want invite everyone to come and be a part of this live recording!
It's this Sunday (March 13th) at 6:00pm at our Seneca, SC campus. There will be child care for children ages 6 weeks to kindergarten.
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