Revival

January 17, 2012 Leave a comment

I’ve got one word on my mind as I write this: revival.

For the past two weeks, I’ve watched God do some incredible things with the potential for many more on the horizon.

Personally, He has led me on a journey to fall more in love with His Word as I seek to live a life on fire about Him and read Scriptures daily.

Collectively, I’ve watched Him take the generosity of 44,000+ college students and leaders and use it to prevent, end, and restore slavery in the lives of many.  Freedom is a costly venture, and the resources God has given us can make it spread to millions who only know bondage.

In the lives of friends, I can’t get over watching God work in so many people’s hearts and stir them towards seeking Him.

God continues to heal and make whole what is ill and fractured.

And the Church.  Oh, the Church… it’s only the beginning.  Honestly, just get ready for what’s ahead.  It will be truly unforgettable and move you to the path of righteousness heading right for the throne of God.  He wants to do some incredible things in the midst of our gatherings.  Let me give you some examples of what’s happened at my church in the past couple of weeks:

- Our weekly attendance has averaged over 1,700.  As we prepare to break ground and build a permanent base of operations, our current venue can barely contain everyone at times.

- God is stirring the hearts of many and making them mindful of worship, justice and compassion.  Just this past Sunday, the message was centered around the missions being done and coming up in the community, the state, and in places such as Guatemala and Southeast Asia.

- Child sponsorship greatly benefits the children you see on those laminated postcards.  This past Sunday, attendees had the opportunity to sponsor thirty children on-hand.  Out of those thirty, 28 will now have a loving relationship with someone who can pour into their lives as Jesus pours into them.  Amazing!

- Coming up over the next 40 days, my church will be joining many others nationally and globally who are preparing to learn, love and live God’s word in a major emphasis on Scripture reading and studying.

- As part of the 40 day emphasis, more small groups needed to be formed in order to accommodate everyone with the weekly curriculum.   So far, over 30 new small groups of people going through this live together are now in motion!

- There is also something in the works that has the potential to radically rock our community in a powerful and continual way that I can’t really divulge on at this time.  Just trust me: it’s going to be great!

And those are just SOME of the highlights!

When I look at things like that and I follow my friends on Twitter and Facebook and see a fresh passion in them and the people in my small group, I know that something only God can orchestrate is going on.

This year is starting out strong for the Kingdom of God as I see it.  The time for sitting comfortably is over.  Action doesn’t need to be taken anymore; it’s happening right now.  Are you on board yet?

Wherever you worship.  Whatever office or classroom or call center you get to carry Jesus Christ into.  However you’ve been placed to speak boldly about the Gospel.  Let it happen.  Serve others.  Love others.  Lift the name of Jesus high above others.

Make this a year of revival.

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Church: Why Go?

June 12, 2011 3 Comments

I feel like I’ve already bitten off more than I can chew with the title.  In the interest of time and those more knowledgeable than I, I keep this as concise as possible.

Growing up, I went to church because I had to (immediate side note: although that was sometimes a drag, I don’t mean for that to sound negative and am thankful to have a family who kept me in attendance.)  Once I started driving before my senior year in high school and it was a Sunday where work didn’t interfere, going was my choice.  I often elected what my Small Groups Pastor refers to as “the competition”: sleep, television, and basic idleness.

Around my third year of college, I decided I wanted to go again.  I prayed a lot that Summer for God to take complete control of my life, but I don’t recall any of those prayers being specifically aimed at being in church.  However, in my time of growing closer to Him, I knew church needed to be a part of that.

But why?

This may be where you find yourself.  You may know or have a good idea that church needs to be a part of your life with God, but still don’t get it.  Or maybe you’ve been, but haven’t connected with anyone.  And why go back to church, the place, to be with the Church, the body of Christ, if there is no fellowship?  Maybe “the competition” just sounds better–if not the rest of the week, at least the night before or morning of.

All of these things have logic, but I suggest none of them should be your reason for staying away from church.  Even if you’re someone who prefers to catch a service on TV or have some sort of solo experience you call “church”–I said “solo,” so that does not include an online, interactive worship experience, and I said “prefers,” so that does not include those who are physically unable to be somewhere for that amount of time–this goes for you, too.

We need to go in church to be in corporate community with other believers and to hear God’s Word.  Even if you don’t talk to a soul on Sunday mornings (or Saturday nights… did you know many churches offer an early Saturday evening option, too?), you are still sharing the experience together.  Even if you read the Bible for two hours a day on your own, you are hearing from those who God has given a message for the greater body of believers.

There are a lot more reasons to go to church, and although I probably didn’t keep this super concise, I’ll leave you to search for sources more intelligent than I to discover them.

These are just some simple thoughts on why going to church on a regular basis is important to me.  I’ve been with “the competition,” and find I’m glorifying God more when I’m in His house worshiping Him with others.

Your thoughts on the importance of church?

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Church at Home Potential

August 31, 2010 2 Comments

Television with Antenna

Image via Wikipedia

The idea of gathering a group of people in someone’s house to watch a sermon and experience church together is nothing new.  One of the things I was blessed to see during my time interning at the Bridge in Canada is how they were getting ready to implement this to a town 45 minutes away from where they were.  The potential of being able to record what is done on Sunday morning and show it during the week somewhere else in furthering the Kingdom is undeniable.  It also puts “having church” in a new atmosphere for those who may not want to attend in a building for whatever reason.  Think about shut-ins and what you are able to provide for them by bringing the message to their televisions.

Image representing Roku as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

And while none of this is uncharted waters, it just got a little bit easier.  As a Netflix subscriber, I also own something called a Roku player.   Roku is almost to TVs what the iPhone is to mobile devices.  Having Roku allows me to take advantage of the “watch instantly” service included with my Netflix subscription without staring at a computer screen to do so.  This $60 and up set-top box loads content over a wifi connection, and gives a wide range of options in its channel store (think an app store).  The channels are free to add (although some channels, such as Netflix, require a subscription service to use).

Image representing Vimeo as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

Roku has recently added a new channel in Vimeo.  For those not familiar with Vimeo, think a YouTube-like service with less “leave Britney alone” and more high quality content.  It’s great for uploading a number of things.  One of those things are sermons from your church.

My church, TrueNorth, has been using Vimeo to post messages on for awhile now.  And thanks to their new channel on Roku, these messages can be viewed from a TV.

What does this mean?
This means that it’s as simple as having a $60 box to be able to connect a home group to your church.  This small fee can meet someone who is unable to leave their house where they are.  You have greater potential in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I look forward to seeing how this is used in the Church.

What do you see happening?

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20

June 22, 2010 2 Comments

I’ve been reading a book called Radical by David Platt.  In the book, Platt spends some time talking about how we measure the success of churches.  While it’s easy to go down the trail of “instead of looking at it that way, look at this way,” one of the points he mentions has stuck with me the past couple of days.  He talks about the commandment of going and making disciples, and the number of people doing this meaning a great deal.  So, instead of looking at the amount of people in a Sunday morning gathering, look at how many are mobilizing the mission of Jesus Christ to the corners of the Earth.

At TrueNorth Church, one such number for the past week has been 20.

Right now through June 26th, 20 people have gone to Guatemala to help out in any way they can in carrying forth the name of Jesus Christ.  20 people are running a Vacation Bible School this week.  20 people are delivering supplies and doing various relief efforts in helping Guatemala recover from the volcano that erupted there recently. 20 people are giving up some of their summer, a week’s worth of pay or a week’s vacation time for the Kingdom of God.

I encourage you to pray for these 20 people over the next few days.  Their trip can never have enough of that.  This is also the largest group TrueNorth has ever sent to Guatemala, where our partner church is.  Therefore, 20 is a number worth rejoicing.

To find out more about the present Guatemala trip, as well as the names of those who are on it, click here.

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My Sunday at [gasp]… Another Church!

June 16, 2010 Leave a comment

This past Sunday, my schedule was such that I had the opportunity to visit another church in the area.  My grandparents were in town (my dad’s father and stepmother), and decided to check out my dad’s church.  That made way for the opportunity to attend a worship service at New Hope Worship Center.

Since I write the weekly message recap for TrueNorth Church’s blog, I made some last-minute arrangements to get a fill-in (thanks, Laura!) and made my way to the other side of the Savannah River.  I love my home church, and also love having the occasional opportunity to check out other churches and see how God is at work in them.

You may recall my post “Our Job as the Church” from a couple of months ago.  In it, I talked about being able to go to another church, any Bible-believing church, and walk in and feel welcome.  On this particular Sunday, I walked into New Hope, and I felt very welcome.

I will throw in that I have several friends who attend New Hope, one of which was right near the entrance of the lobby and greeted me with a handshake and a smile (thanks, Haley!), but there were plenty of other people there I didn’t know.  However, I felt like whether it was an assigned volunteer handing out the bulletin or someone I met who was sitting near me, there was a true invitation to get closer to God with them.

New Hope consists of a lot of authentic people who are ready to engage in authentic relationships with you.  This church’s heartbeat is missions, local and global.  If you’re a first-time visitor, they are pleased to have you.  If you are a regular attender or member, they want to help you find your place in the church.  Their messages are practical and relatable.  If you’re looking for a church in the Evans/Grovetown, GA area, spend a Sunday at New Hope. 

Thank you to everyone at New Hope Worship Center for creating a welcoming and worshipful environment.  May God bless you as you seek Him!

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Oh, That’s Nice

June 5, 2010 2 Comments

If you go to church or work for a church, how many times have heard about what the “guys down the street” or some church hundreds of miles away have going on and thought condescendingly, “oh, that’s nice”?

From sports teams to financial training classes to citywide ministries to free coffee on Sunday mornings, you may have seen or heard about something and the attention it’s being given and decided you weren’t going to comprehend what the big deal is.

A lot of times, you may have uneasy feeling about these things because your church doesn’t operate that way.  If they do, you probably find yourself on the defensive end.  Either way, it’s easy to miss the bigger picture.

Churches should be in the business of reaching and helping people.  They may have different ways of doing this.  Some of these ways may be outside-the-box thinking, but the purpose needs to be the same.  It’s about making people receptive to the message of Jesus Christ. 

Whether it’s through a series of weekend lectures, a revival, a bar-b-que or lake day, something different will get reach someone different.  Each church has a part in Kingdom-building, and we need to know this, embrace this, encourage one another and run with our ideas.  This shouldn’t be a civil war, but it should be a conglomerate of congregations coming together to emerge victorious over the enemy.

The thought of “oh, that’s nice” needs to be abandoned.  It is nice.  If it’s a success, that means it’s reaching people.  Let it be and do your thing.  God may have a different answer for your church, so go to Him and find out what it is.

I feel like I need to type a smiley here so this sounds less harsh. 

Here goes…

:)

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Where You Worship

April 30, 2010 Leave a comment

This is where I worship.  TrueNorth Church has two locations: North Augusta, SC and Decatur, IL.  This is the stage at the North Augusta campus.  We are currently in a series called “Man Up!”  It is challenging the guys out there to be men of God.  Our worship style is contemporary, with songs ranging from Hillsong United to Chris Tomlin to Taylor Swift to Pink Floyd.  We also have a lot of missions opportunities to impact our community, region and the world.  I love my church.  You can find out more about it at http://www.truenorthchurch.com, and come check us out some time!

Where do you worship?  Leave a comment with any or all of the following (church name, description, something you like about it, what’s happening, church website or contact info, a link to a picture, etc) or anything you’d like people to know about it.

Please note: I know worship isn’t limited to church, but this is about sharing information about your church with others. 

Have fun!

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Our Job as the Church

April 21, 2010 3 Comments

Every mission trip I’ve been on has, in some capacity, involved local churches in the area.  What I’ve always enjoyed about this is the way these churches opened their doors for us.  Even when it was something as simple as passing through and spending the night–not doing any particular work in that city–they accommodated.  It was refreshing having that system of support wherever we went.

What do we expect out of our relationships with churches?  This past Sunday night, I was driving with a friend and passed by several churches with evening services in session.  I wondered what it would be like to pull into the parking lots of different ones at random and enter their services.  Would it be an interruption?  Would I be under-dressed?  Would they be welcoming? 

I’ve titled this post “Our Job as the Church,” but I don’t have a concrete description of that.  As the Church, we have many jobs.  What I want to know is what you think we can do to be more inviting to those passing by?  How accommodating should we be?  How does the Church go about being the hope of the world in everyday life?

Click here to share your thoughts.

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What’s Your Ideal Church Service?

March 8, 2010 Leave a comment

Yesterday morning at church was one I liked a lot.  I really enjoyed the order of the music before the message started.  When planning a church service, you have to make room for whatever key ingredients your church includes (e.g. announcements, offering, music, sermon, etc.)  Sometimes, the best way to divide these things is to do them between almost every song.  That was hardly the case this week, as we sang one song after the other. 

The music at my church really helps bring me to a place of worship.  I liked that we had the “commercial-free worship block” (to paraphrase some radio formatting).  It was great, and it did the trick for me.

Now…

What I want to know is what does it for you.  If you could plan a church service from start to finish, what would it contain? 

What is your ideal church service?

Drop your answer off in the comments.

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Furniture Store and Place of Worship

January 27, 2010 Leave a comment

I remember the first time I drove past the side of an IKEA on my way to Charlotte, NC.  I saw a big, blue building with yellow letters on it, but I didn’t know much about it.  Days later, I heard a friend get excited about going there on a Charlotte trip she was taking.  It seems like I’ve heard about IKEA regularly since then; even seeing it in the movie (500) Days of Summer. 

IKEA, you have my attention. 

None of this made me really want to consider going.  After all, it’s a bunch of furniture, and that’s not my idea of a trip destination.  That was until I read this post on my Bible study leader’s blog last week.  The post speaks of how exciting of a shopping experience IKEA is; even comparing it to Disney. 

The night of my next Bible study, I asked what was so special about IKEA.  I was then presented with all the wonders of going there.  When you walk in, you’re given supplies to help you shop.  There is a level that is nothing but showrooms–literal “rooms” simulating apartments, dorms, houses, etc.–and a second level where you do your actual shopping.  There’s a restaurant, and since IKEA is Swedish, so is the food.  I was told you can spend hours there.  The furniture is sleek and contemporary, and the price ranges are pretty affordable.  As if this didn’t do the trick, I was then handed an IKEA catalog to get a little taste for myself. 

I want to go to IKEA now.

What I ultimately walked away with are thoughts on how I to share about my church with someone in a way that produces the same result as IKEA being shared with me.  What do I say or do when telling someone about my church?  Like IKEA, do people want to hear how big and modern it is?  Should I tell them we brew fresh Guatemalan coffee; that when they walk in, they will be handed items to help them connect to the worship service? 

While all of these things are part of creating a positive and memorable reaction upon arrival, I’m not sure that’s what people want to hear about when you’re sharing about your church.  After all, they could just go to IKEA for most of what’s mentioned above. 

People who are considering going to your church are looking for answers, and not a free donut.  Tell them about what your church has meant to you.  Share your story.  Tell them about the lives you’ve seen changed.  Share with them the things God is doing in your church.  Help them become hopeful that where you worship is a place they may get their answers.  Then feed them a donut and hand them a program once they’re there.  Pray for them, excitedly share about where you go, and lead them to a place that may leave them saying, “I want to go to church Sunday.”

Take these things I’ve mentioned, and then go all “IKEA” with them.

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