Relative Truths

Ok, so I am just getting ready for staff meeting, and I wanted to do a quick post about an experience I had Sunday night.  We had our end of the year Disciple celebration.  For those of you that don’t know what Disciple is, in a nutshell, it is an 8 month study of the Bible.  There are four levels, the first going though the entire Bible and the other three covering different aspects in-depth.  It requires a huge commitment, and I have noticed that it can really fire people up about making disciples.

 

I was asked to come to the closing worship service.  Normally, I don’t like things on Sunday night (that is usually good time with Rebekah), but I love the program so I was happy to come.  I knew they had something planned for me, but I didn’t know what.  I thought they wanted to call me up and pray for the new church.  Boy, I was way wrong.  After the testimonies given about the program, they called me up and presented me with the materials for Disciple I and II!  That is hundreds of dollars worth of material, but the classes took up offerings to purchase that so I could use it in my new church!  It really meant a lot to me especially since Disciple was recommended last week at Boot Camp for a good curriculum to start small groups with. 

 

Needless to say, I was speechless.  That doesn’t happen very often (I am a preacher after all and talking is what I do).  I know they are praying for me, but to see the generosity they have was awesome. 

 

Now, I am truly excited about the new church, but I am a little nervous as well.  Last week I mentioned apprehension about people.  Well, I have been affirmed this week with the Disciple gift, people stopping me in the halls, and a voicemail from my Red Robin buddy that have really encouraged me.  The truth is that this new church is God’s, and I know He will provide. 

Ok, so I am sitting here at my desk, catching up on phone calls and emails from last week (I was out all of last week.  You can read here and here).  Anyway, I have a meeting in about 20 minutes, so I thought I would jot down a few reflections from this weekend.

We hosted a shower for Andrew and Kristen this weekend.  First, I want to say thank you to David and Amanda Marsden and Rachel and Allen Whittaker for their amazing help in co-hosting this event.  I think we had a good shower and Andrew and Kristen were happy.  However, I was thinking about the work that went into it.  We redid our mulch last week, refinished our coffee table, hardcore vacuumed and cleaned every crevice in the kitchen.  It was a lot of work and it wore me out.  However, Andrew and Kristen are two of the most important people in our lives.  We wanted to give them our best and let them know we love them.  Thus, I didn’t mind the work.  Think about God for a moment.  How often do we complain about going to church and not give our best?  How often do we complain about giving money, and it isn’t even all we can spare?  How often do we neglect to help someone in need?  I love Andrew and Kristen, but I love God a lot more.  So, shouldn’t the truth be that we WANT to give God our best because of our love and appreciation?  And, should we complain about it or rejoice in it?

Sunday was a fun day.  First of all, Davis announced that on May 18^th there will be an information meeting about Connection Church .  If you are a member of Lawrenceville and want to know more about the new church (maybe you know someone in the Suwanee area that isn’t attending church, maybe you live in the Suwanee area and feel God calling you to this new ministry, wink wink), please come to room 138 after the 11 am worship service.  Coming doesn’t bind you to anything, so please consider coming by. 

Sunday I attended three worship services.  Two here at Lawrenceville, one at another church in the community.  The only comment I want to make is that I get chocked up every time I see a youth or adult baptized.  The truth is that it is a powerful thing and I think the church should go absolutely nuts when that happens.

I had a great experience Sunday night.  However, I am getting wordy, so I will save that for later.  Hope you all had a great weekend.  What did you do? 

Ok, so today was day two of boot camp.  Yesterday we looked at things like raising money, recruiting and networking, and avoiding common mistakes.  Today the whole thing was about building a launch team.  Like I mentioned yesterday, I don’t really have a launch team yet.  I know who I want as my worship leader (are you reading this AC???), and I have some people in mind for some roles, but I don’t want to assume anything yet.  Anyway, it was a long day.  I have been trying to stay on top of things at the office, so I am checking and sending emails and voicemails between all the sessions while still trying to meet new people at the same time.

 

One of my favorite parts today was trying to plan out certain events.  My wife is awesome and very discerning about events that Connection Church could potentially do.  I really enjoyed hearing her ideas and seeing the passion with which she is pursuing this new venture.  I know I mentioned this yesterday, but I am so blessed to have her as a wife.

 

Another thing I thought about a lot today was how blessed I am to have so many great friends and a great family.  I can feel your prayers in this time of preparation.  It was so cool to see comments this morning that were a reminder of people praying for me.  The truth is that you can have all the confidence in the world; however, it doesn’t compare to knowing there are people confident enough in you to believe in your vision and take that confidence to God in prayer.  Thank you.   

Ok, so today was the first day of “Boot Camp” for new church pastors.  Because I will be beginning Connection Church this June, Rebekah and I are attending.  Today was awesome.  The sessions are led by Jim Griffith.  He is a national church plant coach who is not UM, so it is refreshing to hear his perspective.  I don’t want to tell you all the stuff we talked about, that would probably bore you, but I wanted to mention a few truths I discovered.

 

A couple of new churches brought their launch teams.  I don’t have a launch team.  I have Rebekah, so I brought her.  Now, Rebekah is a huge part of the launch team (I even have a title for her), but when Jim was talking about your “finance person” or your “nursery person” or your “technology person” I realized I don’t have them yet.  So, I got a little scared.  However, as he was talking and I was freaking out on the inside (I bet Rebekah never noticed) I hear the voice of God say, “Stephen, I called you to this.  I will provide.  Those people are there, you just don’t know it yet.”  The truth is that if God has called you to it then He will lead you through it.  I don’t know who my launch team is yet, but I know this is God’s plan, so I know He will provide.

 

I was returning a phone call during one of our breaks.  While I was on the phone I noticed something that made me almost cry.  Rebekah was talking to another pastor about the vision for Connection Church .  I heard her talk about the need for a faith community in Suwanee, why we felt called to start the church, and some ways we plan on achieving our vision of connecting people to God.  Understand, she has been super supportive.  I wouldn’t consider doing this if she wasn’t.  However, to sit back and watch her articulate the vision to someone new was incredible for me.  The truth is I am so blessed to have her as a wife and to have her as a support.  She is really great, and I should probably tell her that more.

 

Well, those are my truths for the day.  Please keep Rebekah and me in your prayers tomorrow and Thursday.  Also, be in prayer for my “people” referenced above.  They need it if they are going to work with me!

Ok, so I tried posting last week, but I was having difficulty.  I was trying to put a picture up (see below).  I wanted to give a quick update on my weekend and some happenings at Connection Church.  So, here goes.

Friday and Saturday Rebekah, Will, and myself put mulch out around the house.  That is really tiring, but the yard looks really good as a result.  See, we put the mulch out two years ago and then again last year.  So, the mulch from the previous two years was faded and parts had washed away.  When we finished I started thinking about how often we don't take the time to spend in prayer to God or in God's Word because it takes time and maybe is just too tiring with all we have going on in our lives.  Then, as a result the light we should be shining for God gets faded.  However, the truth is when we take the time to grow as God calls us, it is a beautiful thing because we reflect an amazing Creator.

Today was Adam Courtney's birthday.  Adam is possibly the best worship leader ever!  Seriously, Adam I hope you had a great birthday and fun at Red Robin!

Update on Connection: We have our logo!  Many of you have seen it as part of my profile here, or on my facebook page.  However, I wanted to publicize it here.  Amy did an amazing job on it.  She took my idea of connection and came up with a logo that reflects the vision and mission of the church.  Then, she had the patience to continually change colors until we found the right one.  Thanks Amy.  You are really awesome!  In case you have noticed, here is the logo:


Well, I guess that is all for today.  What is going on with you?  I will be at Boot Camp for new church plants tomorrow through Thursday.  So, please pray for Rebekah and me as we go through that experience of learning and growth.  God bless! 

Ok, so yesterday I made the drive to Anderson, South Carolina to meet with Jason Wilson, the Executive Pastor at Newspring Church .  I followed Perry Noble’s rules about mentoring, and arrived early.  I was ready to just sit in the lobby and read until he was ready.  The cool thing is, he was ready almost right away, so I got extra face time.  In all, I spent almost 2 hours at Newspring.  Jason met with me, asked about the church, gave me tons of encouragement, answered my questions, and took me on a tour of the facility.  It was great, and I really appreciate it.  I wanted to reflect on a few things I picked up on.

 

Newspring is probably the friendliest church I have ever been to.  In my experiences there (Unleash and Sunday worship) you are bombarded by greeters who are helpful and make you feel like they are genuinely happy to have you come and visit.  I thought that must be a great way to retain visitors.  Well, when I went on a Tuesday, I got the same treatment.  Everyone from the receptionist, to Jason’s assistant Lauren, to Jason, to random people in the halls made me feel like they were just so thrilled I was there.  I would want to be a part of a church like that.  The truth is that feeling welcome goes a long way.

 

Jason was great in taking time to share with me.  They have over 8,000 people on Sunday.  They probably hear from tons of people all the time.  However, he was willing to make time to meet with a guy who hasn’t even started a church yet in another state!  The truth is that Newspring is successful because they are so selfless.  They invest in the kingdom through conferences like Unleash and just taking time out of their day to encourage other ministers.  Thus, God blesses them. 

 

I could go on and on about my trip, but I don’t want to bore with the details we went over.  He did stress the importance of volunteers which I strongly believe, and the importance of relevant worship that connects with people (man that is such a good word) which I hope to provide.  Jason, if you ever read this, thanks.  Next time you come to Lawrenceville, let me know.

Ok, so today has been a great day.  I was basically three things: office this morning, meeting in South Carolina this afternoon, and running at the park.  Allow me to recap all three with some truths on each.

 

This morning, I went to the office, checked emails, took care of a few things, ate a bagel from Panera (someone brought them in, and I actually only ate half of one), chatted with Allen, and went to staff meeting.  We haven’t had a full staff meeting in a few weeks, so I was expecting a longer meeting.  It was actually kind of short.  I knew I needed to leave to early to head to my meeting in South Carolina , so I was a little rushed this morning.  However, taking the time to enjoy a bagel, catch up with Allen, and talk to some staff people, I really enjoyed my short time in the office today.  The truth is, if we just slow down sometimes, we can find something really enjoyable.

 

I went to Anderson, South Carolina for a meeting today with the Executive Pastor at Newspring Church , Jason Wilson.  A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to Perry Noble asking him to be in prayer for the new church and to see if he would have sometime to meet with me.  I received a message that he couldn’t but that Jason would be happy to.  So, I made the hour and half trip up there, and got almost 2 hours of face time with him.  It was awesome!  They really are a great church and they do a great job of making you feel welcome.  They are also awesome about sharing with other churches.  I will write more about this tomorrow, but the truth is that churches that reflect hospitality and are giving of their time for kingdom matters will always be blessed by God.

 

Finally, I met Rebekah on the way back from Newspring to run at Mulberry Park near Hamilton Mill.  They have a 2.2 mile loop around the lake.  I ran it yesterday for the first time, and today I ran a little farther going 2.8.  The truth is, I need to lose weight so that I can be better at tennis and basketball, fit into my clothes better, feel better, and most importantly, show I care about the body God has given me.  I have run 6 times in the last 9 days.  My legs hurt, but it is a good feeling knowing that I am doing something.

Oh yea, a praise from yesterday: Alex Stroud was approved at the Board of Ordained Ministry interview yesterday.  You can read about it here.  He will be ordained this year at Annual Conference.  Way to go buddy!
 

I guess that is it for today.  Look back tomorrow for a post about my meeting with Jason.

Ok, so it’s Monday afternoon, not morning, and I am just now doing my post on Andrew’s sermon.  Man, it was awesome.  I wanted to do a separate post on it so I could truly point out what was good about it.  First, for those of you that don’t Andrew, he is the Assistant Youth Minister at FUMC.  He is also a licensed pastor and a first year student at seminary.  Andrew is one of my best friends in this world, so anything you read from now on, please understand I am a little biased.

 

Andrew’s sermon was called, “It’s Not About You.”  His scripture reference was from Luke 15:1-7, the parable of the lost sheep.  His main point was that our life is not about us, it is about God and what God has planned.  He pointed out a few truths in that:

 

God cares about the lost.  He cares about those of us that are in a relationship with Him, but He really cares about the lost.  Thus, we should care about the lost.  Andrew made the great point that the church is the only institution that is designed for the people that AREN’T there yet. 

 

Jesus attracted sinners and tax collectors.  They knew they could trust Him and find something they were searching for.  Andrew’s point was that if we are not drawing anyone like that to ourselves, we need to evaluate how we are living.

 

He finished with a challenge to pray for someone in our lives that is lost.  Pray that God would help lead them home, and pray that God would give us opportunities to respond.  He closed his message with a response of allowing people to write names on a board of someone they know that is lost.  It was awesome to see the altar full of people writing names.  I almost cried at all three services, and I knew what was going to happen.

 

The truth is that Andrew has grown so much in such a short time.  I am so proud of him.  I have been saying for years that he will be the best minister in the conference one day.  I think that day is coming sooner than I thought. 

Ok, so tomorrow 18 men and women will go before the Board of Ordained Ministry seeking to be ordained as Full Connection Elders and Deacons in the North Georgia Conference of the UMC.  One of my good friends in ministry, that many of you probably know, is Alex Stroud.  Alex will be going before the board tomorrow.  Please keep him, and the other 17 folks in your prayers.  Some will be told yes.  Some will be told not yet.  Some will be told that ministry is probably not their calling.  Please pray that God gives them peace, and pray that the board is wise and faithful in listening to God for discernment, and that all will receive news with grace. 

Ok, so it has been a good weekend.  It hasn’t been the most relaxing, but it certainly hasn’t been the most stressful.  I have had some good experiences, so I want to comment on them.  By the way, Andrew preached this morning, and it was awesome.  There will be a post on that in the morning. 

Friday I had lunch with Wally Bryan.  We went to Cosmos (side note: pizza might be the best lunch to have for talking.  It seems really easy to talk to someone while you are eating pizza).  Anyway, Wally expressed some pretty cool truths to me.  One involved confession.  He wrote a great post about it that you can read here.  The truth is, I get really jacked up when people I serve with come to profound conclusions.  I just hope the folks at church learn from me a fraction of what they teach me.

Saturday was three different parts.  Part I was breakfast.  Rebekah, Will, and I don’t have breakfast as a family much.  Andrew came over to ask some questions about his sermon, so he ate with us.  It was a lot of fun.  The truth is, I love breakfast (really had fun last week Mom, thanks again), and I love breakfast with other people.  When I get to enjoy it with my family and one of my best friends, it is even better.  In fact, the only thing missing was Kristen.

Part II was a wedding.  I was able to officiate the wedding of Heather White and Ryan Saltamacchio.  That was a lot of fun.  They are a cool couple, and I enjoyed getting to know their family and friends.  The truth is that I love officiating weddings.  The take a lot of work and take time out of my Saturdays, but I love watching the face of the couple as they say their vows, kiss for the first time as a married couple, and walk out to start a new life.  So, if you are looking for a minister to officiate your wedding… Just kidding.

Part III was hanging out with my wife.  We watched movies for the most part (well, I watched movies, she took a nap for a little bit).  There are two truths in that.  One, hang time with my wife is my favorite thing.  Nothing beats a little bit of relaxing time with her.  Two, Atonement was not the movie I hoped it would be. 

Well, this post has been longer than I intended.  Look tomorrow for some comments on Sunday.  I will say this: Andrew’s message was awesome.  I am so proud of him.  Look for more tomorrow.