Relative Truths

Ok, so today the Young Pastor’s Network started.  It is a network of 50 pastors in the UMC all 35 years old or younger.  It was started by Mike Slaughter and Adam Hamilton who are pastors of two of the largest churches in the UMC.  I am honored to be in this group and I look forward to a year of learning and growing in the process.

Today, we meet with Mike, Adam, and Brian McLaren at Ginghamsburg UMC (see picture below).  They did some basic teaching on leadership including strategic planning and prophetic planning.  I will be posting the next few days on this.  I just wanted to say tonight that I am glad that God has called me into ministry and is allowing me to start Connection Church.  As I was listening today, and hearing all about the ministries their churches do, I could see us doing that at Connection Church.  Some of the faces were people who are already involved and some were of faces I don’t know, but God has planned to be a part of the church.  It was exciting.

Be in prayer for us this weekend.  Pray that God will continue to guide all of us that try to do His work. 

Ok, so we had our Connection Group information meeting last night (big thanks to Jeff and Linda for hosting us).  We had a great turn-out and I am excited that is appears we will have a great group for our opening round of Connection Groups.  If you are interested, but couldn’t come last night, just let me know.

Anyway, I am really excited about these groups starting.  As I mentioned last night, a great call for what we are supposed to do as Christ-followers is found in Romans 12:1-2.  I think that a very effective way for us to have our minds transformed and renewed is by engaging in meaningful study and fellowship.  Our Connection Groups will be a way that provides this study and fellowship.  Like I pointed out last night, Acts 2:42-47 shows us that the small group model has been around 2000 years!

I hope that whoever you are and whatever setting you are in, you can find a small group to connect with.  There is nothing better than having people who understand your struggles and now how to be there for you.  Being able to grow in faith and understanding of God’s plan for your life is essential to following the call God has placed in response to His grace given for you.  Please pray for this ministry and we get started with our groups in the life of Connection Church.

Ok, so I have an announcement about Connection Church.  Today, we signed an official agreement to use the Community Center at George Pierce Park for Sunday morning worship!

I am so excited about this spot.  I noticed it several months ago when playing a softball game at GP.  After looking at it closer, I knew I wanted to be there.  It has a great meeting room that will accomodate 200 in worship and some nice classrooms that will be perfect for our Children’s ministry.  It also has a ton of fellowship space.  Plus, the park is full around noon on Sundays anyway with folks walking there dogs, or using the beautiful trails at the park.  Now, I can just ask them to come an hour early and worship with us! 

Thanks to all who have been praying for this.  We are really excited about having a home now!  God bless. 

Ok, so I intended to do a couple of follow-up posts from Catalyst Conference.  I decided against it.  To sum up, God spoke to me in some powerful ways.  God also messed me up in some ways.  God worked in Rebekah’s heart in some ways.  God spoke to a lot of people through some really dedicated leaders last week.  I am really glad I went because one thing has really been with me this week.

Steven Furtick, who is the founding pastor of Elevation Church, spoke.  Elevation is a new church with about 5000 people in attendance.  Oh yea, they are still meeting in two schools.  They have 5,000 and don’t have a building.  That says something about the importance of a building I guess.  Anyway, the thing about Steven that is amazing to me is that he is 28!  He is my age.  He felt called at age 16 to start a church.  He started out a few years back with 7 families, and here he is now leading one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America.

Steve pointed out that God made a promise to him and the small beginnings were just the process through which God will deliver the pay-off on the promise.  In fact, his attendance now is just part of the process.

When I was 15, I felt called into ministry.  I told God I will always go where He wanted as long as He told me.  When God put the desire to start a church in my heart, I was scared.  When God called me to start Connection in Suwanee with so little support and only a handful of people, I was scared.  As I sit in coffee shops working on plans and all, I get a little nervous.  What if no one shows us?  What if I fail?  Well, the thing that Steve said that runs through me is that God is the one in charge.  It is His church.  As long as I am faithful to the vision He has given me, then He WILL fulfill His promise and the church will bring people into a relationship with Him.  Thanks Steve for the reminder that God fulfills His promises!

Ok, so I have been at Hilton Head this week.  That is why I haven’t blogged in a while.  So, if you are one of the multitude that checks this blog everyday for your daily inspiration, I am sorry (I am sorry for two things: One, that I am behind; two, that you check HERE for inspiration, ha ha).  Anyway, I wanted to put up a quick post to say hey.

I had my birthday Wednesday.  I hit the big 2-8!  I had some many calls, texts, and facebook posts.  Thanks for all the well wishes.  The truth is, I woke up feeling the same Wednesday as I had Tuesday and as I did Thursday and this morning.  However, it was nice to have a little attention payed to me (of course, being at the beach helps).  I guess the truth is that I am human, and as a human, I like a little attention now and then.  Of course, my purpose in life is to give attention to God and the good things He has done for us (mostly by granting us freedom and eternal life).  So, I guess I need to make sure that when I enjoy attention (like on my birthday), I need to be aware of who deserves the attention (God did create me after all). 

That’s it.  Hope you are having a blessed week, and expect more next week.  Catalyst Conference starts Thursday.  I am going to one of the labs on Wednesday.  If you are attending let me know.