Friday, September 28, 2007

Ten Lessons

Alright, maybe it's my melancholy personality and my introspection but I feel the need to share some personal thoughts with the world today. I look back over my life in the past two to three years and God has really brought about some changes and caused a ton of growth. Let me share some of the things God has taught me over the last several years.

Some of these things I have learned I have picked up easy and have caught on and it has been great. Other lessons learned have been hard and I don't like but I have learned all the same.

Lesson 1: GOD IS IN CONTROL AND I'M NOT. This is one of those hard ones that I am still learning.

Lesson 2: MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO LOYALTY. I know this is very cynical but it is true. Since I have been a Pastor I have seen it over and over. As a Pastor you walk with people through some of their hardest times,(i.e. sickness, death of loved ones, financial struggles, all kinds of tragedy)and when you need their support when the going gets a little rough they go find a new Pastor. Who walks with the Pastor when he needs someone?

Lesson 3: GOD IS ALWAYS LOYAL. God walks with the Pastor when most everyone else abandons him.

Lesson 4: GOD'S CALL CAN BE A LONELY ROAD. When God calls to do a work you have to abandon it all for the sake of the call. I really did not understand this until these last few years.

Lesson 5: WHEN YOU SAY THAT REACHING LOST SOULS MEAN MORE THAN ANYTHING GOD IS LISTENING AND WILL CAUSE YOU TO PROVE YOUR DECLARATION. This is truly the heart of God and lost souls mean everything to Him so it should mean everything to us.

Lesson 6: THERE IS NO GREATER JOY IN THIS LIFE THAN SEEING PEOPLE COME TO KNOW THE LORD. When so many people are trying to steal your joy and destroy everything that you thought was precious you realize that life change in people that were not even alive is a joy beyond compare. And let me say this, if heaven and all the angels rejoice when just one person receives Christ then I think that we can celebrate and proclaim it from the rooftops, the numbers of people that are being saved. They are not just statistics they are lives, they are souls and if heaven set the precedent of celebrating then I think it is incumbent on us to follow heaven's lead!

Lesson 7: CHRISTIANS CAN BE SOME OF THE MEANEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. It's funny how you gain knowledge from being on the other side of Christian's scorn. No wonder the lost people of the world hate us. Me and my brother's have been on the receiving end of some Christian ridicule and it feels like crap. I will do everything in my power not to perpetuate this view of Christians even though I have experienced it first hand. Love and honor should represent Christianity not ridicule and scorn.

Lesson 8: HEBREWS 11:1 FAITH IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WHAT WE HOPE FOR WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN; IT GIVES US ASSURANCE ABOUT THINGS WE CANNOT SEE. O, this one is a lot easier to quote than to live. I am still living it and learning it.

Lesson 9: IN MY WEAKNESS GOD IS STRONG. I feel weak all of the time now. That's OK because that means that God is working in my life. Who would have thought that feeling weak would feel so good.

Lesson 10: A GOOD FRIEND IS A TREASURE AND GIFT FROM GOD. A true friend who has your back and stands with you in the heat of the battle and will even carry you if he has to is something rare and precious. When God gives those kind of people to you, hold on to them and love them. They are truly an instrument that God uses to strengthen you (i.e. Moses and Aaron). All of my "Aarons", you know who you are and I thank God for you and love you.

So that's it for today. Ten lessons that God has taught and continues to teach me on a regular basis. There are a lot more but I didn't want to sound like a long winded Senior Pastor. :-)

Until the next time, see ya!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

LOVE

Psalm 37:37
Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace

Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord,are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.

Proverbs 17:19
Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Isaiah 55:13
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will
bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

Luke 6:27
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.

Luke 6:32
If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!

John 13:34
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

John 13:35
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

John 15:17
This is my command: Love each other.

Romans 12:10
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

1 Corinthians 13:1
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or
a clanging cymbal.

1 Corinthians 13:13
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 16:14
And do everything with love.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

YOU?

I would argue with anyone that a person bases 99.9% of their decisions on personal preference. You buy a Big Mac because YOU like them. You purchase a Honda Accord because YOU like the way it drives and its reliability. You buy those shoes because YOU like the way they look on you. You vote Republican because YOU like what the party stands for. You live in a Orlando because YOU love the weather (It can't be the traffic). Do you get my point yet? Almost always (yes, I am talking about myself too)we make our decisions based on what "I want", what "I like", what benefits "ME" so on and so forth. Just take a minute and think. What if for once you based a decision on not what "I want", or about "ME" and focused on others.

That leads me into our decisions about church. Just follow with me through a hypothetical. What if you were to choose a church based not on what YOU wanted out of it or what YOU liked about it or because of what the church could do for ME? What if you were not the big fish in the pond or the mover and shaker or the person in control of the choosing the paint color? What if YOU had no influence at all? What if you based your decision on what church you attend with the only criteria being "what is the church doing to reach those that don't know about church or God"? What if you took "ME" out of the equation. Would you be at the church you are at? Maybe you would or maybe not but if you were to get honest and took all of your preferences out of the equation would you go where you are going? Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that my church, C3 Church, has it all down and is a perfect church. On the contrary, C3 Church is not perfect we get some things right and some things we don't, but are we trying our best to reach un-saved, un-churched people? Unequivocally, YES! There is not a single perfect church and there will never be a perfect church because churches are made up of humans and none of us are perfect. I can say with all sincerity that we are doing our best to reach others. Other people that know nothing about church or God. Do you love your church because of what it does for YOU or do you love your church because it is not about YOU?

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Raining In the Jungle


You will just have to put up with some analogies to vacation for the next couple of posts. On the second day of our cruise we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico. For those of you who have never been to Cozumel let me give you a little history. Basically it is a fairly flat island that sits off the coast of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula. It used to be a barrier reef thousands of years ago and now it is an island. The terrain is pretty rocky and 90% of the island is jungle. Cozumel is known for its snorkeling, scuba diving and crystal blue waters.

Now that brings me to our time at Cozumel. We had scheduled a 4 wheel ATV excursion through the jungle to explore un-excavated Mayan ruins. This excursion sounded fun and unique and we were looking forward to it. Well we get up and head down to the deck to get off the ship and it is pouring rain. We then learned that it had been raining the whole day before and it was expected to rain all day. At this point I am already expecting a miserable time in Mexico. We get all the way to the ATV booth at the end of the pier and I find out that you need your drivers license which I had left in our cabin to go on this excursion. So I ran back to the ship and go through all the security, get my license, pass through security to get back off the ship and book it to the ATV booth. I barely make it and by this time I am soaked. Needless to say I am expecting very little from this rainy day.

All that to say this. It turned out to be some of the most fun I have ever had. Was it raining all day? Yes. Did we get muddy? Yes. (We transversed ATV paths that were basically rivers) Did I have a stinking attitude? Yes. Did it turn out like I expected? NO. I expected to be miserable. I expected to be totally ticked off that I had spent a chunk of change to be wet and have a horrible time. It was totally the opposite. I could not have been happier to be wet and muddy. It was not hot at all or dusty like it normally is. And to be driving ATVs through little rivers (I was told we passed by several snakes swimming in the water. I am glad I did not see them) is a hoot and most people don't even get to experience that.

It's kind of like what we are going through at C3 Church. It seems like we should really be ticked off. People have left and have lied and said all kinds of crazy things about us. It has been raining BUT the experience of doing church in the rain is awesome. It might not be what we were expecting but the payoff has been the many UNSAVED and UNCHURCHED that have come to know the Lord. We might be wet and muddy but it has been an experience I would not change for anything. We are forging rivers that I never knew were there and it is exciting. So, is it raining in the jungle? Yes it is and God sends the rain and it's a good thing. I'll take wet and muddy any day over dry, dusty and hot. It makes the Jungle a bearable place to be! Let's get wet and muddy for the Lord!

Monday, September 24, 2007

We're Home

Just a short blog to say that Andrea and I are home. Our cruise to Mexico was great and relaxing. I will definitely blog about our cruise in a few days with a few pics to share with everyone. We missed being at home and missing C3 on Sunday but had a great time. It's always great to come home!

Friday, September 21, 2007

The Rewards Outweigh The Risk

Here I am, blogging from beautiful Key West on board The Enchantment of the Seas. Now you might ask why one is blogging on a cruise? Well, because I feel like it! After being up late watching karaoke with hundreds of people (Andrea did "Oops I Did It Again & a Paula Abdul song I can't remember right now) I have found a quiet spot looking out into the ocean to collect my thoughts.

As I look at a small private island here in the port of Key West my mind is just thinking. It's a beautiful little place but I am sure you wouldn't want to stay there if there were a major storm coming. Then I started thinking, the most beautiful, awesome places to live sometimes are accompanied with a certain amount of risk. Kind of like church. To get where we believe God wants us to go is accompanied with some risk. The risk of people criticizing us. The risk of people misjudging us. The risk of people lying about us, and the list goes on. But you know what? The risk is so worth it. The changed lives are and will be worth all the storms that come our way.

So just like the island with beautiful homes and an even more beautiful view, the rewards definitely outweigh the risk.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Mexico Here We Come


I am totally pumped today. Tomorrow morning Andrea and I leave for a cruise. We have never been on a cruise before so we are totally stoked. I can't hardly wait to take our atv excursion through the jungles of Mexico to explore Mayan ruins. Although I have to be honest. The thing I am most looking forward to is the food. I have heard great things so I will let you know what I think when we get back. Anyway, got to get packing, see ya and Mexico here we come.

PS This is the actual ship we are sailing on!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Go Perry! Go Steven!

Oh my! I just read a blog post by Perry Noble of New Spring Church from last week. It was very powerful and I hope it speaks to you like it did to me.

Here is the post.

Oh my! #2 I also just read a blog post by Steven Furtick from Elevation Church. It was also a very powerful post on leadership.

Here is his post.

I guess it's just my day to direct you to some great Pastors that blog that are a lot more knowledgeable and more wise than I could ever be. I seriously hope you enjoy their blogs.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

I Couldn't Wait

I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to blog. This morning was absolutely incredible. To see all the people baptized (I lost count) was such a blessing. Worship was indescribable. Obviously some people had been worshiping all week because the worship was electrifying in the building. Pastor Byron spoke about "The End" and everyone was glued to their seats. The tension of, "what do I do if everything is coming to a end?" was so thick you could cut it with a knife. To also see the casket on stage and realize like Pastor Byron said, the coffin is not the end, but it's the beginning, was a powerful visual. The song "It's the End of the World as We Know it" opened up the message but to know that like the song says, we can feel fine, is so true. This morning was a true meeting with God. What a great way to start the week!

Friday, September 14, 2007

The End Is Coming

May I just say how awesome it is to be a part of C3 Church. This week we have 16 baptisms scheduled for Sunday morning. It is awesome to see how God is moving and changing lives. Every time I see all of these new Christians it makes the journey and the effort to get where we are worth it.

I know God is going to move over the next several weeks as we discuss The End. We may not know all of the details but God has given us a glimpse into what is coming. I can't wait for what God is going to tell us in His word about The End.

Let's connect with each other and connect with Christ this weekend at C3. C U AT C3!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

A Ride Of A Lifetime


I am looking forward to what God has in store for us here at C3. I can't hardly wait. I think people are going to be blown away by all that God is going to do. We are going to have the opportunity to impact East Orlando for Christ "bigger and better" than we ever have before. I kind of have this anticipation like I used to have as a little kid. I remember on several occasions as a boy knowing that I would be going to Disney World on the next day and having that on my mind the night before. I would not be able to sleep and would be so excited with anticipation that I thought I would bust. That is how I feel now. I know we are right around the corner from God taking us somewhere so remarkable we wouldn't even be able to believe it right now even if He showed us literally. I know there will be a time when we look back at all the lives that have been changed and the many people that have been connected with Christ that all we will be able to do is rejoice. It's already happening here at C3 and it's going to become even bigger. It is like a snowball rolling down hill. So grab your seat belts and buckle in because God is getting ready to take us on the craziest, most awesome ride we have ever been on. Now is the time to get on the ride because it is about to leave the station and I wouldn't want anyone to miss the excitement and thrill of what God is about to do!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

A Friend Who Influences



I have a friend in my life that influences me all of the time. My friend is Craig Stamper. Even though my friend left this earth and made his way to heaven on September 12, 2001, he still influences me today. Craig was not only my friend but my mentor. He was the man I most looked up to after my Dad. I thank God that He allowed me to have a friend like Craig Stamper. He was a friend that challenged me to be the best man of God I could be. He challenged me beyond myself and had an ability to see what potential I had in me that I could not even see myself. My friend was a person that cared about others, especially the lost. My friend had a passion for music and for life as well. I pray that my passion for the lost, for music and for life itself would make my friend proud. I miss Craig a whole bunch and I can only hope that you have a friend in your life like I have in mine. A friend who influences you.

9/11


On this day when our hearts think back to the events six years ago, I lift up prayers. Prayers for the families and friends of everyone that was touched by the atrocities that took place on that fateful day. Prayers of peace. My friend Angie Bledsoe has an appropriate blog for this day. Please read it and remember to pray for all our leaders, military, emergency responders and all of those that keep us safe everyday. God Bless America! I agree Angie, we will never forget!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Blogging Light

I feel like doing some light blogging this morning. Talking about stuff of no real meaning or significance. Let me just say, that before Barry Leathers talks about MTV's VMAs last night I will beat him to the punch. Brittney Spears is a total train wreck. I have never seen a poorer lip sync in my life and she needed five times the amount of clothing that she had on. Needless to say after seeing about a minute of her pathetic come back I rolled over and proceeded to try to get some sleep. MTV is a joke and what they produce now is sad. I agree with Justin Timberlake, what has happened to actually showing videos? After all doesn't MTV stand for "MUSIC TELEVISION"? I don't think that "The Hills" or "The Real World" or any of their reality TV shows count as music videos?

Number two on my meaningless blogging points this morning. I am glad Fred Thompson has entered the race for President in 08. It would be nice to have another conservative actor in the White House. The last time that happened it was Ronald Reagan. I still look back fondly on those years when I was first becoming politically aware. I know, I know, this now reveals my political bent but who cares? Go Fred!

Number three on my meaningless blogging points. I am glad Apple is giving me back a hundred dollars in store credit for buying my iPhone when they first came out. Although if they didn't I wouldn't be too upset. After all isn't that the price you pay for purchasing the latest technology first? It always comes down in price. Does anyone complain that you can get a DVD player now for twenty bucks when five years ago they were three hundred dollars?

Number four on my meaningless blogging points. NFL football is back and did I even get to watch any games? Just one and it was on Thursday night. But I must say I am proud of my Denver Broncos for pulling it out in the last second of the game and scored one in the "W" column. My fantasy football teams will probably be just as pathetic as last year but it is fun none the less. Go Broncos and welcome back to the fall football season.

Number five and finally for my meaningless blogging points. Congrats to Travis and Sandy for their new SUV. I have always been and will always be a car enthusiast. I love seeing new vehicles and taking in that smell and seeing all the new features and the latest in vehicle technology. Oh yea, congrats to Matt and Monica in their purchase of a new SUV as well. You all made great choices and I hope that your new vehicles will make the drive home in East Orlando traffic just a little more enjoyable. After all, how many hours do people that live in Orlando spend in their cars? Just think about it. You might as well make the commute as pleasant as possible.

Thanks for reading my meaningless blogging points today. I feel refreshed and ready to face the serious stuff now. Just consider today's blog as "Blogging Light".

Thursday, September 6, 2007

What A Week!

I know, I haven't blogged since Saturday. I might be thinking too highly of myself to think that anyone cares that I haven't blogged, but that's beside the point. It has been a busy week for me. I am thankful that my mother came through some minor outpatient surgery yesterday just fine. I am also thankful that I am able to get what needs to be done for Sunday marked off of my to do list. It has been one of those back and forth and no time to sit and think, just time to run and do (if you know what I mean) sort of weeks. It has also been a week like Barry Leathers talked about in his blog, a week for decisions to be made and be made quickly. Sometimes it seems as if your head will fall off but at the same time you trust that with the help of the Lord, you make the right decisions and He will get you where you need to be and where you are wanting to go.

It's been so busy in fact, I am just now eating lunch and it is 4:45pm. Busy is OK especially when the work that you are doing is making a difference in people's lives. Everything we do here at C3 is about connecting people to Christ. If that means I must eat, sleep and breathe C3 that's great. The time is too valuable to waste away and not give it our best to reach people. So let the late lunches, the multiple decisions, the head spins, the sleepless nights and all the criticism that anyone might ever throw at us fly. Lives are too valuable to worry about that stuff and I know God has not called us to a work He won't equip us to accomplish. It's stressful and tough but I would not have it any other way. What is left to say? I have had hardly any time to blog or any time to collect my thoughts to blog. It's been busy. What a week!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Market Share

I took my beautiful wife to work today and I was amazed at what I saw. If you don't know, my wife works at Bloomingdale's at the Mall at Millenia. Right behind Bloomingdale's is probably the biggest single store I have ever seen. This store is finally painted and almost ready to be filled with merchandise for thousands of customers that will walk through its doors. It is the new IKEA . It is the single largest home furnishing store IKEA has ever built in the US. IKEA is a home furnishing company from Denmark that is a global company. Their furniture, fixtures and accessories are contemporary and cheap (economical). The only catch is that you have to put the stuff together, but it's worth saving money. This is a new concept in furniture and home design sales here in the US. IKEA will literally set up mock houses within their store and do the whole thing in items that IKEA sells (plumbing fixtures, cabinets, everything). It will be a crazy place when it opens in November. Andrea and I visited an IKEA store when we were in Texas and we were blown away. IKEA will do here what it has done in every market it has gone into, it will take market share away from other furniture and home furnishing stores. Orlando does not realize what it is in for (I can't wait). A new furniture store with a fresh way of marketing their product. It kind of reminds me of C3, a fresh way to introduce Christ to those who don't know Him. The church can definitely learn some things from the business world. It's time to take notice and think out of the box because there are too many lives at stake to sit and do things the way they have always been done. I say it's time to evaluate the market here in Orlando and take some market share. C3, let's take some market share away from Satan. It's time for God's Kingdom to expand and to add more souls to the bottom line. I say it's time to "IKEA" the church. God's church should be loud, proud and unafraid to take the message of Christ to the massses in a new, unconventional way. The church is only reaching 14% of the people in Orlando. We have the potential of expanding the Kingdom of God by at least 86%. What a great opportunity to reach people. Come on C3, let's "Connect the Community with Christ" and claim some market share for the Lord!