loveworshiplovelife

Moving

2008-01-07T23:51:00.001-05:00

loveworshiplovelife is moving. A new year a new look. You can now find me at

darrellloper.wordpress.com

Please be patient. The new site is still under construction but operable none the less.
See you at the new site.

It Feels Like C3

2008-01-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

Alright I know that Pastor Byron, Angie, Barry, Josh and possibly Travis will blog about today but I couldn't wait to get home and write about our great morning at C3. Today was our very first services at Regal Cinemas at Waterford Lakes Town Center. God's hand was all over today and He blessed us beyond measure. Let me say thanks to the almost 200 volunteers that helped in every area at C3 this morning to create a great experience for those attending church. This morning was not without it's small glitches but everyone handled the moments with calm and grace. There were nothing but smiling faces and great attitudes.

It was absolutely incredible to see the worship theater probably 60% full in the first service and 90% in the second service. It is awesome considering that our kickoff service is not until January 20th. This is just the beginning. God is going to bring so many new people that it will blow us away. People that don't know about God or church are coming. Can you see it C3? Just like Pastor Byron spoke about this morning, we are investing so that everyone, no matter who you are can come and find God. Remember it's not for us, it's for others.

What a great start C3! Praise the Lord!

C3 Church, Connecting the Community with Christ!

Let's Connect!

2008-01-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy week and the craziest part hasn't even begun. Tomorrow we take delivery of our portable church (3, 24 foot trailers, weighing 7500 lbs a piece, of equipment). We have approximately 140 out of our 190 people coming out for training at the theaters on Saturday morning as we set everything up for the first time at Waterford Lakes Town Center. We have our very first service on Sunday (one of two preview weeks). It will be crazy but exciting at the same time.

What a great way to start the new year. Doing church in a completely new way. A fresh start and break from the old and a marriage with the new. I can not wait to see the 80 volunteers on "The Connections Team" that will be in their Connections Team t-shirts and lanyards helping people as they walk through the doors on Sunday morning. I can not wait to see the 60 people on "The Crew", with their Crew t-shirts on setting up and tearing down on Sunday. I can not wait to see the 50 new people serving in "C3 Kids" with their t-shirts on. This Sunday will be electric. Most of all I can't wait to see all of the visitors we will see this Sunday and in the coming months.

People of C3, you are shining brightly. Thank you for your love and commitment to Christ and the desire to see others come to know our Lord. I count it an honor and privilege to serve with you. You are an inspiration to us! Remember, LET'S CONNECT!

Hello 2008!

2008-01-02T02:57:00.000-05:00

Right now it is 3am and I cannot sleep. I probably would have blogged on the first day of the year but I was too busy to even go on line until late last night and then I was too tired. Now here it is 3am and I cannot sleep so I will blog. I could say a lot about last year but I am not going to belabor the point. I will say this. I learned a lot in 2007. A lot of things became clear too me in 07'. I was able to see God's hand in many areas of my life the least of which was the preparation for battles that I faced during the year. I can say that my passion for reaching the lost is greater than it has ever been. The personal sacrifice to reach others is a privilege and a blessing. It is no where near what our Savior sacrificed to reach us but I can relate a little bit (a little bit) to Paul when He said I count it all as loss for the cause of Christ.

You might ask what is the greatest lesson you have learned from 2007? Right now it is this. Loyalty even among friends is something very rare and precious. Most people do not have it. I've heard this said, "When there is a covenant, it is always between people, not things. So if I am in a covenant, it is a commitment between you and me and not between me and a thing." Most people are in covenants with things so they throw friendships, trust and even loyalty out of the window because things mean more to them than people.

I am in a covenant with my God. I am in a covenant with my wife. I am in a covenant with my family. I am in a covenant with my friends. And I am proud to say I am in a covenant with my Pastor!

And having done all to stand, I stand.

Thank God for lessons learned but I am thrilled to say good bye to 2007 and welcome with open arms 2008. Leaving behind, what is behind, I press on forward for that which is ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Past And Future

2007-12-30T16:10:00.000-05:00

Since C3 Church did not meet this week Andrea and I decided to visit a church we have been wanting to visit for a while now. Usually Andrea and I do not get to visit other churches unless we are on vacation. When we do get a Sunday off we like to go someplace new and different because it's almost like a time of refreshing when we can just participate in worship and be a sponge without any responsibility other than to praise our Lord. This morning was one of those times.

We visited a fairly large ministry in the central Florida area this morning. This service was such a blessing to Andrea and I. I will not name the particular church that we attended this morning because I would not like to fuel any rumors or speculation on this particular church's situation. I only know that this particular ministry has been through some tough times this year. They referred to their trial by fire a few times this morning and how they are optimistic about the coming new year. I know personally of rumors and innuendo that have circulated about this ministry over the past several months but they are persevering and letting the people that need to leave, leave and are going on from here determined to reach lost people with the message of Christ.

One of the things that the Pastor said this morning struck me as being very profound. I probably have heard this before but it really spoke to me this morning. "It's time to divorce ourselves from our past and get married to our future!" This statement is so true. There are people who would love to go back to the way things were or mourn that things are not like they used to be when it comes to church. But I say it is time to divorce ourselves from the past and get married to our future. The path is going to be so much brighter in C3's future than it was in our past. This last year has been a tough one. A year filled with many struggles and many people that could not stand when the fire came. It's time to say so long and move forward. It's time for a new thing! Just like the Pastor preached this morning, "But forget all that- it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19."

To my brothers and sisters on the other side of town that are walking through the wasteland, don't worry, the rivers are on their way. To my brothers and sisters at C3 Church, God has already started to do a great work, can you see it? Sometimes you have to let something die in order for something new to rise up and take it's place. It's time to divorce ourselves from the past and get married to the future. The future is bright. Give God praise!

Randomness

2007-12-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

I know I have become lazy with my blogging lately but it's the holidays. Isn't that such a convenient, easy excuse for anything this time of year? So I am just going to put out some random thoughts so I can say that I have blogged.

I am always giving my friend Angie Bledsoe a hard time about not blogging everyday because I enjoy reading all of my friends' blogs and I can count on her for a daily posting. It's kinda of hypocritical of me wouldn't you say?

My wife just started a new blog "Frills & Funk" and I rolled my eyes at her this morning when she said she was going to blog again. She looked at me and said, "You haven't blogged in years!", I said, "I know.", and just smiled.

Christmas eve and day were crazy with all of people we had at our house and the garbage was just picked up today. I tell you that because that was a ton of garbage to be laying around here for a few days. It was kinda stinky!

My wife just turned on her favorite show, "The Price Is Right", she says she likes Drew Carey more than Bob Barker now.

I got my car washed yesterday and I think I'll get Andrea's washed today.

I still don't know how to put photos on my MAC. I can't even pull them off of images from the Internet. If anyone can help me let me know. This means I can't put pictures on my blog because I'm ignorant.

I have a lot to get done before next week so I must be disciplined with my time!

My mom comes home tomorrow. The end of an empty house for Andrea and I.

Oh yeah, C3 Church at the theaters is just around the corner! :-)

How is this blog for some randomness?

Good Bye!

Out With The Old, In With The New

2007-12-22T13:50:00.000-05:00

It's ok to look back at times just as long as you keep looking forward in the process. Tomorrow is our last service at 9000 Lake Underhill Rd. The Lake Underhill address is just that, an address. Did God do some amazing things over the years at this address? Yes He did but it is just a building. The "church" is the people, not the building. God says that He dwells in temples not made with hands. The first century "church" met in homes. What does the building at Lake Underhill contain after tomorrow for the people at C3 Church? Nothing but memories because the "church" which is the people, will call another address home for a while. Then we will make new memories at the Theaters at Waterford Lakes until God moves us from there.

People change addresses all of the time. How many homes have you lived in, in your lifetime? This move is like that. You have memories of things that you lived through in certain places that you have called home but the family keeps on going even when "home" is someplace new.

We have had triumphs and successes at 9000 Lake Underhill Rd. and we most certainly have seen our share of tough times but you know what? The family survives and moves on. God has been with us through it all and will continue to never leave or forsake us.

So, thank You God for what you have brought us through and thank You God for what lies ahead. C3 Church it's time to move on and into the future. God has some great things ahead for us as we start to meet in the theaters. With so many in our congregation focused on others and reaching out to new people that will come to visit as we meet in the theaters we can not help but see God move. I am so proud of the 86 people alone that volunteered to be a part of the Connections Team and of all the countless people that signed up to be on the Set up/Tear down Crew and serve C3 Kids. I don't think that we have ever in the history of our church seen such a majority percentage of people that have plugged in to serve OTHERS. God's Church is on the move.

So thanks 9000 Lake Underhill for the memories and watch out Regal Cinemas Waterford Lakes because here comes C3 Church. Church in the marketplace. Church for others. Church that is relevant. Kinda sounds a little barbaric wouldn't you say? C3, let's be barbaric as we reach east Orlando with the message of Christ. Let's show some Barbaric Grace! Connecting the Community with Christ, C3 Church!

Post Number 100!

2007-12-15T05:58:00.000-05:00

I guess this might be considered some sort of small achievement, I don't know to be honest with you, but I did want this post to be special. I thought about what I could blog about and what might be appropriate all week. So here I am on an early Saturday morning in front of my computer screen blogging. Is this post going to be negative, positive, inspirational or introspective? I just really wanted God to speak to my heart and then to be able to share something earth shattering or riveting.

That statement leads me to this. I do believe that God speaks to our hearts all of the time. Sometimes we choose to listen to that still small voice and sometimes we don't. But if you are truly seeking Him, He will answer every time. Over the past few days I have observed some things that really have troubled me inside. The things that I have observed I have laughed at before and made fun of because to be quite honest with you, in my opinion these things I am talking about are quite pathetic and sad and do deserved to be laughed at and made fun of. The things that I am talking about are church signs or marquis that churches use as "tools" to get people to visit their congregation.

Like I said I normally just get a kick out of their crazy little messages and laugh it off and go on my way but this time, over the past several days they just have been troubling me. Not because messages like, "Misfits Welcome Inside" or "Denominationally Wounded? Come Inside For First Aid" (or any other myriad of signs I have seen before) make me mad but because of their arrogant, cavalier attitude toward the very people that the signs are trying to reach.

The one sign that just cut me to the core was "Misfits Welcome Inside". I thought to myself that if I were a person that knew nothing about God or His church and I saw that sign, that I would be crazy mad. If you truly think about what this church was saying it would even make saved people mad. This church basically labeled everyone that passes their sign as misfits. Where is the love, compassion, concern for others even beyond being saved or not. How can a church be so blatantly arrogant in their self proclamation that they are better than everyone else? Then I wondered if this church actually thought that they were reaching out to the un-saved and if they actually thought this would be compelling for the person that does not know God to walk into their church? Then I realized that I was sad for this church that their perception on what they were doing to reach the lost was so skewed by traditionalism that they were no longer reaching out but only reaching in to proclaim how screwed up everyone in the world was and they were not.

All of that to say this. God, over the past few years has really changed my heart and my perspective on reaching people who do not know the Lord. What I say, they way I act, my body language, the clothes I wear and most of all, my attitude are tools in reaching out to people that might not know God. I know traditionalists harp on being set apart and being holy as a representation of being a Christian. Let me say this, I believe in being holy if that means that I must love others with care and concern for their everyday situation in addition to their spiritual condition. Holiness is a condition of the heart not a condition of appearance. It does not matter if I wear jeans with holes or if I am in a trendy shirt, clothes do not make a person holy. A love for our Jesus and reliance upon his free gift of grace is what makes a person holy. If set apart means to love others so that they can see Jesus in my life not just on my life then I am all for that. The life I live is a testimony to the un-saved. I don't need to look different and talk in big "churchy" words and act all arrogant and mad at the world for people to know I am a Christian. If that is what I am then I am no different than the Pharisees of Jesus' day who were described as "White Washed Tombs". Jesus was all God and all man, a common (a carpenter not a priest) man, who wore common (regular robes not priestly garments) clothes, who told common (parables not the "book of the law") stories, who spoke about how God lived inside (the heart not the man-made temple) a person and Jesus was different. How was He different? He was motivated by LOVE for lost and hurting people. Love for people not a love for self. Do I live my life out of love for others or just myself? It all comes down to one word, LOVE. They will know us by our LOVE. "Misfits Welcome Inside" come on people! Where is the love? They will know us by our LOVE. They will know us by our LOVE. They will know us by our LOVE. They will know us by our LOVE!

Love truly wins!

Happy 100th! :-)

Let's Connect

2007-12-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had a ton of people sign up to volunteer in the three main areas where people are needed as we transition to the theaters. People signed up for Connections Team, C3 Kids and The Crew. Since my area is Connections Team, I was pumped that the most volunteers signed up for the area I am responsible for. Connecting with people as we worship in the theaters will be so important. Smiling faces in the parking lot, the doors, the information center, hosts and hostesses and ushers are going to be vital when new people come to experience C3 Church. It is great to serve in a church where we practice Barbaric Grace and are caring more about others than ourselves. When we care about others, people will come to know Jesus and life change will happen. The Holy Spirit is doing something special here at C3 Church. Let's continue to pray that this movement will continue and that a city can be changed. Let's Connect!

Criticism, Who Cares?

2007-12-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

I have heard that we (C3 Church) are being criticized for how we have chosen to reach out to the community with our Christmas project. Let the criticism fly because we have given to others as Christ has led us and we are being blessed for it. My friend and brother, Barry Leathers has the perfect blog response to the criticism.

Lazy Boy Church

2007-12-05T16:28:00.001-05:00

I know that I have written about being uncomfortable before and I am about to write about it again. I am convinced that most people (notice I said most, not all) want a "lazy boy" church experience. People love to come in sit in their "lazy boy" recline, pick up the remote turn on their worship experience, drink their big gulp and be fat and happy and definitely not feel uncomfortable.

People love that "remote" because they control everything. If they like what the Pastor preaches they're happy. If not they turn it off. If they like the music they leave it on, if not they change the channel. Turn it up, turn it down, it's all about control and what makes them comfortable.

They love being given their snacks and drinks while they're in their "lazy boy". They don't want to feed themselves. They want everything given to them to eat. Because if they were responsible for their own spiritual nourishment it would make them uncomfortable. So it's up to the Pastor to feed them on Sundays and God forbid that the message is applicable to their lives because that would make them feel uncomfortable. They don't really want anything applicable to their lives because you know what? That might mean they would have to actually change something in their lives. And you know what? That would just be too darn uncomfortable. So give me something I can't really understand but sounds good that way I won't have to feel convicted about not doing it. Loving others more than myself? Well that is too hard to do because I would have to get up out of my "lazy boy" and that would make me, well you know, uncomfortable.

So in my opinion (and yes this is only my opinion) to be out on the edge, really taking risks to reach people, pushing MY pride aside, takes being uncomfortable. I don't think Christ had a comfortable life, I don't think the disciples had a comfortable life and I don't think first century Christians had a comfortable life. So, why has the church, as a whole in America traded their hammers in for a lazy boy?It's because as humans we look for the path of least resistance, the easy way, the comfortable seat. There are times when we all choose the lazy boy instead of the hammer and fortunately God's grace covers all of us. It covers us when we get it right and wrong but more is accomplished with a good ole hammer than a lazy boy ever could.

It's not comfortable to be a part of a church that does not focus on my comfort but with goal to do whatever it takes to reach a lost and dying world. That means putting myself aside. To be responsible for my growth and my spiritual nourishment and not expect to be spoon fed by the Pastor as an adult Christian. Can you imagine a person literally starving at Golden Corral (I know, you are asking yourself why he is using Golden Corral in this analogy) while sitting a table away from the largest buffet in Orlando simply because they wanted someone else to feed them when they were able to take five steps over and get the food and eat for themselves. That is the way most Christians operate in their spiritual lives. Expecting the Pastor to feed them on Sundays when they have the ability to feed themselves all week. Time to put the big gulp down.

It means giving up control of my worship experience as it is tailored to reach a lost and dying world. Because the most, most, important thing is to reach lost people. Time to put down the remote and relinquish control. When will people get it. It's not about me!

There are plenty of criticisms out there about churches that are "seeker sensitive". And I say who cares. Because every church should be sensitive to the person seeking the God of the Universe that can change their lives. And until we reach them we can not teach them. So I am proud to be uncomfortable and carry my hammer. The time for the "lazy boy" has come and gone. There is a lot of work to be done. It's time for Christians to put on their big boy pants, stop complaining about what I didn't get out of church or what recognition I didn't get for my contribution because you know what? IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU! So get out of the lazy boy and reach people. C3, it's not time for the lazy boy, it's time to be uncomfortable! Changed lives are worth our lack of comfort. No more lazy boys. Love wins!

Oh Yeah, It's Starting To Roll

2007-12-04T09:06:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I was away in Raleigh/Durham, NC visiting another church who has a great connections ministry. This church manages 800 volunteers who plug in and serve every weekend. I learned a ton and have a lot of info to process and work into our connections ministry. I missed being here for the incredible day that we had on Sunday. I heard that after the 21 baptisms that the whole congregation stood to their feet and wouldn't stop clapping. What an experience! This is just the beginning. God has some great things in store for C3. It truly is a movement. A movement that is totally fueled by the Holy Spirit and the breath of God. It is mind blowing to see how God moves in and through a congregation that have their focus on Christ alone and lost people which God cares about more than anything. There is great joy in seeing the Great Commission at work at C3 Church. I think we are starting to see the snowball take shape and it is starting to roll. Watch out East Orlando because the snowball is going to roll your way and it will only get bigger and bigger. Changed life + Changed life + Changed life + Changed life + ....

Stats = Changed Lives

2007-11-29T07:02:00.000-05:00

In church life there are just some things that I believe God is pleased with us getting excited over. One of those things I believe is changed lives. Some of our detractors seem to get upset when we quote statistics in essence saying that lives don't matter. Because the reality is, everyone of those numbers represent people. And you know what? God loves people. So, to be honest with you I don't care what some people, that don't share the same passion to reach others, might think. Therefore I'm getting ready to rattle off a couple of awesome stats.

As I blogged about last month, 16 people were baptized in a service in November! Guess what? There are 21 people scheduled to be baptized this Sunday. Praise the Lord! Our Lord and Savior deserves all the glory. Lives are radically changing at C3 Church. God is moving and people are experiencing Christ as they start their new lives. Changed lives are what it's all about! This is what church is supposed to be about.

C3, don't take this movement that God is doing in our community for granted. Continue to seek His face and pray for the staff and for God's perfect will to be done in our lives, and the church's. Without God doing the work nothing we can do will change people's hearts. C3, continue to be the church that cares for others more than we do ourselves. As we prepare to move out into the marketplace let's continue to be "The church that is tirelessly devoted to changed lives." And let's continue to thank God for His BARBARIC GRACE!

Barbaric Grace In Practice

2007-11-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

What can be said about a day like today? Today C3 practiced some Barbaric Grace. Pastor Byron talked about how we as a church need to put action to our words, "Love Christ and love others." Today we were able to put a total of $10,500 in the hands of the congregation not to spend on themselves or to give back to the church but to reach out to someone else in need this Christmas with positively no strings attached. As every single person came up to the front of the worship center to pick up their envelope with what ever amount was in it to share with someone else, everyone had smiles ear to ear. As I watched people do this I couldn't help but have pride in our church and the great people that make up C3 Church.

In fact I have a fairly new friend who has only been active at C3 for a few months and never wanted anything to do with church, come up to Andrea and I and said that he has never experienced anything like what is happening at C3 before. He specifically said that Church is the best thing happening in his life right now. This is a guy who wanted nothing to do with church only a few months ago.

The people at C3 were so pumped to go out into the community and be a blessing to others. We as a church staff are so pumped to hear and read the many stories that will take place over the next several weeks as the people of C3 reach out to the community.

There are those people who might think that what took place today is totally crazy but I think that we are in good company. People thought that Jesus Christ was crazy too. The religious establishment of His day felt threatened and vulnerable as Christ reached out to the everyday person to bring salvation to them without the strings the Pharisees attached to people's religious experience. So as Christ reached out to the Hebrews of his day in a totally innovative way we must reach out to others in a totally innovative way. We must be barbaric as we reach out to others. C3 is all about practicing Barbaric Grace!

I Am Thankful For...

2007-11-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for...

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has changed my life and given me grace.
My beautiful loving wife Andrea.
My wonderful, kind Mom.
My Dad who was the perfect example of what a Godly man,good husband and great father should be.
My mother-in-law Angela and my sisters Cassie, Brittney and my awesome little nephew Hayden.
My friends who know who they are, that love and support me.
My incredible Church, C3 Church.
My Pastor, Byron and Angie, who are great friends as well.
My colleagues at work, who I am proud to call my friends also.
My lovable cat. (Don't be a hater, yes I love my cat, for those that might want comment about this. You also know who you are.)
My country, home of the free, land of the brave.
Everyone in the military that insures my freedom everyday.
The roof over my head, the clothes on my back and the food in my belly.
The many lessons God has taught me and continues to teach me on a daily basis.

...and the list goes on and on. Thank you God for all of it on this day when we look back and offer thanks for being so good to us.

Of Great Memories And KFC

2007-11-17T15:29:00.000-05:00

It is really funny how things hit you when you don't even expect it. I have just finished my lunch while sitting in my car at Publix waiting for my mom as she grocery shops. I had a 2 piece "original recipe" fried chicken dinner from KFC. Now you might be asking yourself why I am blogging about eating KFC? Well, like I said some things just come out of the blue and hit you when you are least expecting it. One of my best memories of my mentor/friend, Craig Stamper was the last time I had visited Craig and Susan in their home the week before Craig passed away. Brother Craig loved Kentucky Fried Chicken but was careful not to eat it too much. Therefore when he did it was like a special treat. On this particular night I was invited over to his house and was feasting with him and Susan on KFC. We ate and talked. I remember one of the big discussions was about my girlfriend (at the time) Andrea. I had shared with Craig and Susan that I thought she was the "one" and that when I did actually propose and then plan a wedding, that I wanted him to officiate the ceremony. We went on to discuss my plans to finish school (he was always pushing me to finish even when I wanted to quit at times). We also discussed how much he loved and appreciated his parents. In fact we were sitting on Craig's back porch made from cedar posts that his dad had helped him build. I just remember it was such a special time together with he and Susan. Out of all the times I went out with or ate with Bro. Craig I believe that this particular time was my favorite. It is so great when you can live fully in a moment and have no regrets when you don't get another one like it, because you made the most out of the moment you had.

So as I sat here in my car eating my KFC all of those memories came flooding back. Three years ago this whole thought process probably would have made me sad and nostalgic at the same time but now it just makes me happy. I had a big smile on my face as I recalled this special moment with Bro. Craig. So here's to "The Colonel" who makes the best chicken in the world. And here's to the great memories of my friend Craig. Who would have guessed of what could be blogged about by a couple of pieces of fried chicken?

Ikea Deficit Disorder

2007-11-17T08:55:00.001-05:00

Am I crazy or what? I'm standing in line at Ikea on this chilly Sat. morning in shorts and t shirt. So I am cold and I thought that Ikea opened at 9am but it actually opens at 10am. So I am here patiently waiting in line to get in. I am here to pick out some office furniture to put in one of our empty rooms since Brittney and Hayden (sister-in-law & nephew) have moved out. I must say I am pumped to see Ikea. Not because I love decorating or furnishings but for the cheap prices for the furniture. It feels like such a great deal you can't help but get excited. So now I only have 25 minutes until they open up for their 99 cent breakfast and I feel happy. I think it's called Ikea Deficit Disorder. :-)

UPDATE- I got all the office furniture I needed for cheap, cheap, cheap. I have started to put everything together (it looks amazing) and it's actually easy. Andrea is going to paint my accent wall for me in my office on Tuesday. Hopefully by the end of Thanksgiving weekend my office will be totally put together and complete.

United Conference Quotable Quotes

2007-11-12T14:32:00.000-05:00

Alright, I am starting to process some of the things I heard at the Hillsong United Worship Conference from last weekend. I just couldn't think on Sunday night since I was so tired. I won't bore you with a lot of conference insight but I will pass along some great quotes from the weekend.

"Church is a community not a crowd."
"The purpose of the church is to leave the 99 saved and go after the one lost."
"You don't see monuments built to honor "critics"."
"Let your motivation be others."
"We should be more loyal to the future than the past."
"Cliches are the death of creativity and sincerity."
"Jesus was a mold breaker, a difference maker."
"Be a history maker, not a history server."

Just some profound statements from the conference that I thought everyone might enjoy. Don't be surprised if some of these show up again in future blogs. Sorry I can't write them with the Australian accent in which they were spoken. Gooday mate! :-)

Veteran's Day Thanks

2007-11-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

To all the veteran's that have served our country and still continue to serve our country, THANK YOU! We owe a debt of gratitude for our freedom to YOU! God bless you and protect you.

Weekend In Review

2007-11-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

It is late Sunday evening and I am just now winding down from a weekend that did not seem like a weekend at all. Firstly, I'll talk about the Hillsong United Worship Conference at FBC Orlando. Let me say that I am thoroughly impressed with Pastor Brian Houston and the way that Hillsong Church in Australia rolls. Pastor Brian Houston really has a way of empowering future generations to lead the church and carry on the mission to reach a world for Jesus. Pastor Houston melds generational gaps to include the younger generation into leadership into Hillsong Church which keeps things fresh and exciting. Pastor Houston started Hillsong church over twenty years ago when he was only 29 but sees the need to pass leadership roles to younger generations to keep HIllsong Church fresh and relevant.

The music of Hillsong United was phenomenal. The worship of course was second to none. We do a lot of United songs in worship and it was great to hear the songs done by the original artist (In fact we did, "My Future Decided", "Lead Me to the Cross" and "Fire Fall Down" in worship today.). It was so incredible to worship with about 5000 other people without any walls or barriers of expression in love for our Lord.

Then there is today. It was great to lead worship today and feel the presence of God in the place. As we started the sermon series, "Barbaric Grace" you could tell people were expecting a touch from God. Pastor Byron touched on Gideon and other characters in the Bible that were barbaric in their approach to fulfill God's calling. Pastor Byron also spoke about how Christ was the ultimate embodiment of barbaric grace as He paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

It was a fantastic weekend but I must say I am super tired and now we start another busy week in just a few hours. There is truly no time to be lazy as C3 gets ready for our relocation and we lay the foundation for our future as we reach a city like never before. I guess there is not any rest for barbarians. C3 it's time for some Barbaric Grace.

Am I A Liberal?

2007-11-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

Am I a liberal? I don't consider myself to be a liberal, but the definition of liberal varies depending on who or what you are trying to define. So let me define the content of what this blog will be addressing. I am going to talk about the environment in this blog. Now I must do a disclaimer as a precursor to my blog. These are my own personal views of which I am still trying to sort out in my head and heart as the Lord leads me.

I love the Lord and I owe everything to Him. He has changed my life through the work that He did on the cross. I am no longer a slave to sin and I am a new creation in Him. With that said, because I love the Lord with everything, I am motivated to live a life worthy of the sacrifice my Savior made for me. That means I should live like a Christian. Living like a Christ-Follower should be integral in every area of my life. I should be a good steward of my relationships, I should be a good steward of my finances, I should be a good steward of my time, I should just try to be the best that I can be through Christ with a lot of help from His grace. I don't think anyone would disagree with the previous statement, so that leads me to my next question. Shouldn't I, as a Christ-Follower, who is trying to be a good steward of all aspects of my life, be a good steward of the environment as well?

I am not advocating anyone to be a militant environmentalist but I am just speaking for me at this point. I think that there has to be a good balance. I can no longer live my life care-free from my impact on the world's environment. God created this world and then created Adam and Eve to take care of His creation. God looked on His creation and called it good and then handed over the keys to the first man and woman, figuratively speaking. I know God is the creator and He has total control of His creation but I think that we should not mistreat something that God called good. I believe that if I mistreat something that God called good then I am sinning or in other words, I am not living like a Christ-Follower.

I realize that this is a political and social hotbed for discussion right now. I am just sharing what I believe God is showing me about this particular subject in my life right now. What God is speaking to my heart, He might not be speaking to yours. I do not claim to know how exactly God feels on this subject I just know what He is impressing upon me. I will not get into a debate about what "data" is right or wrong, cooked or uncooked, lies or truth. I am still trying to figure out exactly what I am thinking on the whole subject. I just know that as a Christ-Follower it is easy to stick my head in the sand and forget about the social injustices in the world. If good people don't stand for social justice then who will. I think that Christ-Followers are "good" people. I love the Earth that God has so graciously created and given to me to enjoy. Therefore, it is incumbent upon me to help protect and care for it. So, does that make me a liberal, I don't know, but I do know I want to be a good steward of everything Christ has given me and I think that includes our beautiful planet Earth, our home.

Barbaric Grace

2007-11-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

We had a great rehearsal last night. I can't help but agree with Angie. LEAD ME TO THE CROSS! In light of the Cross, there is nothing else left to be said. Barbaric Grace!

Ramp It Up!

2007-11-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

What an awesome day at C3 Church. God moved in a very powerful way as Eric Garner shared his testimony as to how God changed his life. Sexual temptations and struggles affect everyone. Churched or un-churched deal with the same issues. Today was one of those days when the Lord just showed up and revealed himself to many folks that gathered to hear the Word of God.

As I was able to shake so many hands this morning it was encouraging to see the many smiling faces and the receive the many warm greetings as people entered the building. Maybe it is just my own fears or anxiety but it is so refreshing just to be greeted with smiles and kind words. It really has been a long year with so many unkind words and reactions when you just simply want to say hello to people. It is crazy how sometimes our circumstances can affect how we look at people and situations. There have been times personally when I was afraid to even extend my hand in friendly greetings because of what exchange might ensue (Travis just had such an experience while at Disney with his family this weekend). I am just so thankful that these encounters don't take place at C3 any longer. The people at C3 are just so loving and affirming of the staff. It is an incredible feeling to feel that way again. The people at C3 are going to make my job as Connections Pastor a real joy and blessing. As we do our best to reach people for Christ it is great to have a whole congregation in our corner and cheering us on. Seeing lives being changed and seeing people excited about what God is doing is incredibly exciting.

I know the people of C3 are ready to take church to the streets and the marketplace at Waterford Town Center. The people of C3 are ready for the challenge of making the many new people feel welcome that will come through the doors seeking for the One Person that can give them hope. Get ready C3 because we have only begun to see how many lives that God is going to change. Let's ramp it up! It is time for some "Barbaric Grace"!

For God Alone

2007-10-30T19:33:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had those times when you feel like a fish out of water? A visitor in a strange place? Or a square peg trying your best to fit into a round hole? Personally it is one of those times for me. A time when God is and will be teaching me a lot about myself and my place in Him. This will be a time when God will stretch me and pull me out of my comfort zone. These are times when God proves Himself the most to me. It is a time of total trust and reliance upon God in my life. Are these times ever easy? No. But, these are the times in my life that I most feel alive. There will be times of extreme doubt in myself and times of questioning why. But, God will be and even now is able to handle all the doubts and all of the whys. You might say that it seems like I am speaking from a place of knowledge and confidence, and you would be correct. I've been here before. The plucking and pruning of pride, self-reliance, over-confidence from my life to be replaced by a humbled, total reliance in the power of God instead of my own. It is funny sometimes how God moves in my life just when I feel like I have it all together with a good handle on whatever situation that I am in.

There is one thing I am sure of. When God calls us to do a job, He does not give it to us without giving us the tools to accomplish the task at hand. I know that might sound old and trite but it is the one fact that I rely on to get me through the low times when I feel I will not make it.

So now the whole world has a little insight into what I am going through in my personal walk with the Lord but transparency is a good thing that can help me and possibly someone else that might find themselves at a similar spot in their walk with Christ. We are all nothing but flawed, filthy, dirty rags in need of a gracious Savior that can mend our flawed brokenness and wash our filthy dirty selves as white as snow. Only then are we made into something beautiful not for self-admiration or for others to admire but something beautiful for only the Lord Himself to take pleasure in.

Are You Deep?

2007-10-27T22:39:00.000-04:00

One of the criticisms of the way that we do church now is that we are not deep. That is just a bunch of useless dribble. One of the best blogs I've read on the subject is from Perry Noble at New Spring Church. I hope you enjoy reading his blog on are we deep?

Perry Noble's Blog

Grace For The Change

2007-10-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Does change scare anyone? I think for most people it does. At the very least I think that change makes people a little nervous. I am no different than anyone else. Is change easy for me? No, but, I believe that God is sovereign and that He actually likes change. In the Old Testament, God continually brought about change in His chosen people's (Israel) lives. He continually moved them and moved through them to accomplish His will. In the New Testament Jesus came to abolish the status quo and bring salvation to everyone and wrought change in the religious establishment and the entire world. So one might ask why is it so hard for us to deal with change and why do we fight it most of the time?

I think it so hard for us because we look at change as inconvenience for us and not as a tool for God to accomplish His will. I would be lying to the world if I said that I get this principle and live it out in my life. Change is scary and makes me feel uncomfortable more than I can even describe. But, God does not leave me or anyone else left holding the bag while He allows change to permeate our lives. He gives grace for the change. I know some of you are saying to yourself right now, how "Sunday Schoolish" of an explanation is that? I can only share how God works in my life, so I honestly can tell you that through every time and season of change in my life, God has gotten me through. His grace has covered my life over and over again. Even right now God is speaking grace and peace to my heart even though I am feeling the winds of change.

God is a God of movement and change and I feel like things are kicking into high gear in the ministry that God has called me. C3 Church has been through a lot of change and will continue to change some more to fulfill God's plan for us. In a previous blog I spoke about feeling uncomfortable and that is one result of change, but it is also a source of coming growth. So what am I trying to say? God gives grace for the change. Change no matter how it comes is never easy but God's grace is sufficient to get me through. It really is a test of trust. Do you, do I, trust God enough to believe that He gives grace for the change? He's done it before and He will do it again in my life. Thank you God for giving me GRACE FOR THE CHANGE.

The God Factor

2007-10-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

What can be said of Mondays? For me it is a time to look back and evaluate how we did on Sunday. I can look back and pick apart everything that was done incorrectly or things that could have been done better. Don't get me wrong, that is a good thing and we always want to do our best for God and for the sake of everyone that comes into our service on Sunday. Part of that process is evaluation and we will always do that. But I can not forget the biggest factor when looking at a service. That factor is the God factor. Unless the Lord shows up and blesses what we are trying to accomplish then we do it all in vain. We pray every Sunday morning before we lead in worship and ask for God to bless our endeavor but most of all to change lives. We can do nothing without the grace of God on our lives, especially leading others in worship. Looking back to yesterday, sometimes God just moves in special ways. We had an unbelievable amount of communication cards passed in yesterday. Was there some big push to get people to turn cards in? No. Some of these cards were first time guests but most were prayer requests. I believe it is safe to assume that God showed up and moved in people's lives yesterday. When you present the Word of God through the spoken word or through music God has promised that it will do the job and people's lives will be changed. Did the God factor apply yesterday? You better believe it did and that makes yesterday's service a huge success.

Uncomfortable

2007-10-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well it has been a couple of rough days in the Loper household but, but, God is faithful to strengthen and encourage. God never promised to give us smooth sailing all the time but He did promise to never leave or forsake us. Reaching people is more important than our comfort. I don't think that the disciples were comfortable, I don't think that the first century Christians were comfortable, I don't think that missionaries in places like China, Africa, Haiti and South America are comfortable so why should we here in America be so comfortable. Pastor Byron was talking about this subject with me a few days ago and I totally agree with him. We as human beings gravitate to places of comfort. It is the human tendency to work toward a comfortable place especially when times have been more challenging. Just look at America, we are always trying to achieve a greater level of comfort and convenience and that philosophy has been interwoven into American church culture. It would be wonderful for those of us that have been through so much during the transition into C3 Church to seek a level of comfort and convenience but we WILL NOT. It is not the job of the staff of C3 to get comfortable and coast (I know Pastor Byron would not let us even if we wanted to :-) ). The reason we will not become comfortable is because the time is short and there are too many lives at stake not to be relentless in our pursuit of the un-churched. Nothing is left off the table as we evaluate the best way to reach lives. There are no "sacred cows" and nothing that will stop us from doing the work God has given us. No matter what people that have left us might say, no matter what other churches might say, no matter what friends might even say, we have counted the cost and we will not be shaken! Our comfort is not important. When you actually think about it, there is nothing comfortable about the great commission. Like I told Pastor Byron a few days ago, "I've been uncomfortable for a good long time now so being uncomfortable some more is something I am learning to live with." The Lord said that he will supply all of our needs. Therefore He will carry us through our rough and rocky times. He is our source of strength through our lack of comfort.

So bring it on, lives, souls, are worth being uncomfortable.

Andrea I Love You

2007-10-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

My wife has requested that I don't blog about what I was going to last night and I promised I wouldn't so I will just say a few non-blogging things this morning.

Andrea I love you and wish I could insulate you from all the meanness that might ever be directed at you but I can't. I just hope that my love would be enough to cover any hurt that anyone might ever throw at you.

I love you!

I Understand

2007-10-16T08:50:00.000-04:00

This song has spoken to me over the past several days. It's by an artist by the name of Smokie Norful:

I Understand

Sometimes I feel like giving up
It seems like my best just ain't good enough
Lord if You hear me, I'm calling You
Do You see, do You care all about what I'm going through

And then He says, one more day, one more step
See I'm preparing you for Myself
And when you can't hear My voice, please trust My plan
I'm the Lord, I see and yes I understand

But sometimes I feel like I'm all alone
I'm just like a stranger so far from home
I feel like I've done all that I can do
Please Lord give me strength, I'm just trying to make it through

That's when He told me one more day, one more step
See I'm preparing You for Myself
And if you can't hear My voice, please trust My plan
I'm the Lord I see you and yes I understand

He knows how much we can bear
And in the time of trouble He promised He would always be there
I understand
The Lord is telling you yes I understand
I am the Lord I see you and yes I understand

I am the Lord I changeth not
I won't forget nor have I forgot
You see every thing works according to My plan
I am God, trust me, I got the whole world in My hand

One more day, one more step
I'm preparing you all for Myself
And you can't hear Me speaking, just trust My plan
I'm the Lord I see you and yes I understand
I'm the Lord I see and yes I understand
I am the Lord I see what you're going through
Every problem, every trial, every burden, every situation
I understand, I won't leave you
I understand, understand, understand

Sunday Recap

2007-10-14T18:31:00.000-04:00

What an amazing day we have had here at C3 Church. I must say the band was incredible. Who would have known that my young friend Scott (Bass Guitarist) could belt out the tune "Dirty Little Secret". Scott you are a true rocker, in fact I think you have some groupies.

The most important thing though, was that God touched a lot of lives this morning. I know we had quite a number of first time guests (Travis was on the phone for quite a while immediately after the service talking to them all.). Just like the Pastor said, all of us have some dirty little secrets and we can not go back in time and change what has been done but with God's grace we can move forward and do our best not to make the same mistakes. For those of you that were at C3 this morning remember your P.I.P insurance. Pastor Byron gave some good practical advice for playing the head games and overcoming temptation.

All praise be to the Lord for the way that He moved this morning and for all of the changed lives. This is what it's all about C3. Pointing people to Jesus and seeing the life change that takes place when we do!

Love wins!

A Word About Trees

2007-10-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

Just some words of wisdom from that great philosopher Madea!

Consumers

2007-10-10T14:15:00.000-04:00

As the new Connections Pastor at C3 Church I am just starting to get my feet wet in this new arena of ministry. I have started reading a book entitled "First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences In Your Church". This book is authored by Mark L. Waltz who is the Connections Pastor at Granger Community Church. Let me just say that the book is already kicking my tail, especially in the way that I look and perceive first time guests. Let me give you a few quotes,

"I suggest we remember that our seeking friends (first time guests) are also consumers. I know that such a label may seem too marketplace-oriented. Perhaps it sounds shallow, if not hollow, but it is honest. Those who seek-who decide to "try church again," to explore the claims of Christ in relationship to their lives-are "shopping" for a church. More important, they are shopping for a spiritual experience that addresses their personal needs. I propose we meet them right where they are: at our doors, shopping for help in life, full of expectations, hoping someone will care for them."

"The people who come through your doors on the weekend are initially making decisions as consumers. Whether they return rests on their entire experience on your campus. They leave asking the same questions they ask of businesses throughout their week: "Was this worth my time? Do people care about me? Am I valued here?"

I think that we need to change our perspective to realize that everyone walking through our doors is a consumer looking for the answers they need in life. The thing that people or consumers want the most is to know that they are valued. We have the best product in the world, we have Christ to offer them. It's time to have the best customer service to compliment the best product. C3, let's show people they matter and are valued. When we see new faces in this place during our New Series, "Dirty Little Secrets" let's provide the best customer service possible, show them love, show them that we care. Even if it is just a friendly smile and a hearty "good morning". It's all about others at C3, not about ourselves. We only have one chance to "wow" them so they will come back. And as Angie Bledsoe states all the time, "love wins". Love is the "wow" factor in our arsenal of customer service.

I Can't Believe A Church Would Talk About This!

2007-10-10T08:54:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about the new series, "Dirty Little Secrets", that Pastor Byron will be preaching starting this Sunday. I believe that we have the opportunity to connect more people to Christ than we have ever had. The subject matter discussed in this series is so often just overlooked by church traditionalists. The Bible speaks directly to the subject matter that we are going to look at and the church has been silent for the most part but C3 is not afraid of tackling tough subjects that the Word of God has addressed. C3 Church will be culturally relevant to reach the people in this culture for Christ.

I am so pumped because the music on Sunday is just going to be kickin'. In fact the band will be playing and singing an "All American Rejects" song in the service (I bet you can't figure out which song that might be). :-)

Our prayer for this Sunday just like every Sunday is that God will change lives. We have been so blessed to see so many lives changed every Sunday. I really did not realize God could do so many miracles in peoples' lives on such a regular basis. I guess that just goes to prove that when you don't try to put God in a box, step out of your comfort zone and actually live the Great Commission instead of focusing on a "Christian Club", God will show up and change lives every service. I know God will show up again this Sunday! Church on the edge, church for the unchurched, a church on fire. God deserves all the glory and praise. He has done it all and I am thankful I can be a small part of it.

Get ready for God to move as we look at our "Dirty Little Secrets"!

Future Decided

2007-10-07T17:43:00.000-04:00

As I look back to this morning at C3 Church I was totally blessed. We had an awesome crowd and people were worshipping with everything they had. We had a great time of communion/Lord's Supper and a great message and news from Pastor Byron. We have determined not to play it safe at C3. The congregation is excited about taking church to the marketplace as we head for the theaters at the end of the year.

We sang a new song at C3 this morning called "My Future Decided" (Hillsong United). Truly our future is decided. God has ordained our steps and we are secure in Him. C3 is secure in Him. Just like the song says, "Unafraid, unashamed Lord we know who we are. We are Your people and We won't be silent. Unified hear us cry at the top of our lungs. You are our God and we will not be shaken!"

Thank You God for a great Sunday and thank you because our future is decided!

Ramblings

2007-10-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it's almost been a week since I have posted any blogs but I really have not felt like blogging this week. After doing four blogs in one week I think I burned myself out a little. So, to get back in the whole blogging mode I think I will just do some lighter thoughts for everyone to ponder.

Yesterday evening I scared my poor mother to death. I was cut off intentionally by a big Infiniti QX 56. This made me pretty upset and I then laid on the horn for quite a long time (on a couple of occasions while following this QX down the 408). Needless to say my mom was a little scared and I was quite angry. I know, I know it probably was not the best representation of Christ. We all have less than stellar representations of Christ at one time or another. I am just glad God's grace covered and protected me as I was "out of my mind" last night.

I am so tired of fantasy football projections. The experts are nothing but crystal ball reading, pathetic soothsayers that can not project the future. Why do we listen to them?

I am thankful for great friends. I had an old (years I have known this person, not age) friend who is very near and dear to Andrea and I that discovered my blog yesterday. This person read my "Ten Lessons" blog and called just to tell me that I have friends that are loyal. This conversation with this person was encouraging and uplifting. Too bad my friend and their spouse do not live closer so we could see them more often.

What is it with people that they can not come up with anything original to do or say?
Just a bunch of copy cats. Just food for thought.

Oh well just a few ramblings from me this morning so that I can actually say that I have blogged.

Have a great and blessed day.

See Ya! :-)

Not In The Mood

2007-10-02T14:30:00.000-04:00

I am just not in the mood to blog so here is a blog from my great friend Barry Leathers. It was very encouraging.
Thanks Barry!

Another encouraging blog today by Steven Furtick. I hope you all enjoy these blogs today just like I did.
Thanks Steven!

Ten Lessons

2007-09-28T15:45:00.000-04:00

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!

LOVE

2007-09-27T22:05:00.000-04:00

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.

YOU?

2007-09-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

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?

Raining In the Jungle

2007-09-25T16:19:00.000-04:00

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!

We're Home

2007-09-24T23:07:00.000-04:00

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!

The Rewards Outweigh The Risk

2007-09-21T09:06:00.001-04:00

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.

Mexico Here We Come

2007-09-19T16:54:00.000-04:00

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!

Go Perry! Go Steven!

2007-09-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

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.

I Couldn't Wait

2007-09-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

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!

The End Is Coming

2007-09-14T17:25:00.000-04:00

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!

A Ride Of A Lifetime

2007-09-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

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!

A Friend Who Influences

2007-09-11T15:29:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-11T08:56:00.000-04:00

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!

Blogging Light

2007-09-10T10:23:00.000-04:00

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".

What A Week!

2007-09-06T14:44:00.000-04:00

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!

Market Share

2007-09-01T14:33:00.000-04:00

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!

It's Getting Exciting!

2007-08-30T16:31:00.000-04:00

I am so looking forward to C3's future. What God has in store is just incredible. I went out and toured the theaters again today where we will be moving and the potential for doing worship in a very unique and meaningful way is exciting. The potential to reach people that would never think of stepping into a church is unbelievable. To think that 160,000 people live within a 5 mile radius of Regal Cinemas, Waterford Lakes is amazing. God is getting ready to blow us away with how He is going to move in East Orlando. There is a lot to do but I believe we are all up for the task at hand. It will be exciting to connect with people and in turn connect them with Christ. After all isn't that what C3 is about? Connecting the Community with Christ. It's definitely getting exciting!

Jury Duty 3 The Final Duty

2007-08-29T22:14:00.000-04:00

This is the last jury duty post. No, I did not get to sit on a jury. I got to the courtroom and the stinkin criminal did a plea bargain so the jury was not needed. So it was a boring day and I did not see the astronaut. But I should feel good because I did my civic duty. I am covered now for a year, at least.

Jury Duty 2

2007-08-29T10:36:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here waiting to be called for jury duty. I have brought 2 books with me to read. I have not opened them up because I was actually hoping to be called early so I could experience sitting on a jury. I have been called for jury duty 2 times before but I have never been seated on an actual jury. At least they have a cyber cafe where you can jump on a computer and surf the web. That's another reason why I haven't opened my books yet. I also haven't seen an astronaut in diapers yet. Although I am still holding out hope.:)

Jury Duty

2007-08-28T13:30:00.000-04:00

I will be doing my civic duty tomorrow. I have been called for jury duty. I have been complaining somewhat about this but I know it is part of living in the greatest country in the world. And if good people don't get involved in the Justice system then what kind of justice will there be? God is in control in every aspect of our lives so there is a reason why I have been called for jury duty tomorrow. I just wish it could have been last week, then I might have had a chance to hear testimony from a jealous female astronaut that likes to wear diapers. Oh well you have to keep a sense of humor about things.

Monday Morning Thoughts

2007-08-27T09:14:00.000-04:00

Monday,it's Monday. Mondays are kind of a let down. It is seems in my life everything builds toward Sunday. When Sunday is over it's like a deflated balloon. The good thing about Mondays is that you can look back at Sunday and smile. You can not help but smile when we had a Sunday like yesterday. I had the privilege to call about 10 new families yesterday who visited us for the first time. I got to personally talk to about half of them. Everyone had positive things to say and told me they would be coming back. It's unbelievable how God is moving. The many lives that have been changed is so worth it. I watched the videos of new people in the message and was blown away. As Pastor Byron asked yesterday, "Would you go back?", I can say with pride absolutely not. God is moving in a fresh way at C3 and I am just thankful that I can be a part. It is truly ONE life at a time and just like the Gnarles Barkly song, it is truly CRAZY!

Thank God For Our Pastor!

2007-08-25T18:45:00.000-04:00

It is Saturday evening and I am looking forward to tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is Sunday of course and we have another chance to reach out to those that are walking into C3's doors. I was just thinking about how blessed that I am and the rest of C3 to have an awesome Senior Pastor like Byron Bledsoe. I am proud to call Byron my Pastor and my friend. I see his drive and devotion to reach the lost no matter what it takes. My friend and brother is not afraid to make the tough calls and take the hits for those calls because he knows that reaching people is worth it. Pastor Byron knows that we have no choice but to do everything in our power to reach the 86% of the Metro Orlando area that do not even go to church. That is why Sundays are so important. Pastor Byron looks at every Sunday as a Superbowl Sunday. I thank God for that kind of devotion and drive to reach people. So it's Saturday night and Sunday's on the way. I pray that tomorrow as we talk about the number ONE, that God will touch someONE and that He will change lives tomorrow. Pastor Byron, I thank you for your devotion to God and to the your Call. Your enthusiasm and drive are infectious. I think it might even be a little crazy! Remember to pray for and encourage our Pastor!

The "Way Forward"

2007-08-23T09:52:00.000-04:00

I was just thinking this morning of what might be in C3's future. Our one goal at C3 is to reach the lost. With that being said I can see a day when we will be able to reach so many unsaved and un-churched people it will be hard to keep up with. There are hundreds of thousands of un-churched, unsaved people right here in Orlando. What a mission field. I can envision that one day C3 will be a ministry with ability not just to reach East Orlando but the entire Metro Orlando area. It will be awesome to support the community in many ways to make an impact, just like Pastor Byron was talking about on Sunday.

You might ask, what our measuring stick or our success barometer is? Well let me tell you, it is CHANGED LIVES. Lives that are given to Christ. Lives that Christ alone can change. It is already happening. The people that pray to receive Christ on a weekly basis is just incredible. It is only going to get better. It is like a snowball rolling down hill. The life change that we see now will happen more and more as we continue to Connect the Community With Christ.

It is exciting to be part of a ministry that is totally living the Great Commission. I am thankful that God has placed me in C3 Church. I am so looking forward to future. Not to cheer a success but to know that C3 will make a difference in eternity to the many lives that come to know Christ and are saved from eternal destruction. To coin a much used phrase as of late, it is the "Way Forward", no turning back.

Glorious

2007-08-19T11:33:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like a powerful worship service to get one in a great mood. It is awesome to see how God is moving at C3. God inhabits the praise of His people and He met with us this morning. God is truly Glorious! Over us, You shall reign glorious!

Innovation Or Death

2007-08-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

OK, I know I have already blogged today but I ran across something that was truly amazing. Therefore I am blogging again. Let me share with you what church life was like back in Colonial America in 1622.

Sermons were regularly more than two hours long and people were FINED for falling asleep in church. It was a requirement that every single person in town attend church weekly. Musical instruments like the organ were considered "worldly" and not allowed in church. Steeples or outdoor crosses were considered inappropriate. If you were caught playing golf or doing some other recreational activity other than church on Sunday you could be thrown into the stockade. If you had differing views on many topics that the local church taught you could be kicked out of the colony.

How times have changed in almost 400 years. Organs are considered sacred, outdoor crosses or steeples are considered a prerequisite for even being called a church. Hymns that are now considered sacred as well were based on bar tunes back in those days. How things have changed.

Now as we try to innovate in ways such as moving Sunday School to home-teams, move church to a movie theater, use high energy lighting, dress in normal clothes, preach sermons that the common man can understand, blog about things we are learning, play rockin' music and become more relevant to the culture we live in to win souls to Christ we are criticized and are even accused of being cult like. The "traditional" church goers are having fits because we are not doing church like church should be done. Then at the same time the North American Continent is the ONLY continent in the world in which Christianity is not growing. The church in the US is dying and all the while the "church goers" are complaining because they got rid of the organ, or the choir members are not wearing robes, or the music is too contemporary, or the Pastor is not wearing a tie. What happened to people are dying and going to hell? Isn't it incumbent on us to do whatever it takes to reach the lost? If that means losing the organ, doing more culturally relevant music, losing the robes, taking church to a theater, etc., then I am all for it.

If I had to choose between innovation or death, I choose innovation. The church in the US needs to wake up and smell the coffee because those are the choices to made. Since Christianity is in decline here in the US it is clear which choice is being made by the majority of churches. C3 chooses innovation over death.

Honor Your Parents

2007-08-15T09:33:00.000-04:00

Good morning y'all. Tampa was nice but it was too short. I think I could have used at least two weeks away but that's OK, Andrea and I will take what we can get. You know life seems to throw you some curves at times. While away in Tampa I got a call from my sister in law telling me that my mom was in an automobile accident. If you are close to me at all you know that my mom just moved in with Andrea and me two weeks ago. Praise God, my mom was not hurt, but her confidence is not real high right now in her abilities to drive. The accident was not her fault but now she has to deal with being nervous about driving. It is so hard when you get older and you feel your independence being taken away one step at a time. My mom is 75 years old and has seemed lost to a certain extent since my Dad passed away in 2000. I was raised as an only child so the responsibility is mine when it comes to taking care of my mom. Next week she has three doctors appointments in three days. This means I must take her to them and I even have a dentist appointment for myself so you can imagine what kind of a week I will have. I am not complaining and I am not writing about it to make anyone feel sorry for me. I am writing to say this. Even though it is not easy seeing your parents grow older and having the roles reversed it is a joy to know that I am honoring my mom as God commanded. I am thankful that God has made a way that I can take care of mom and given me an understanding and loving wife that supports me as we have had to take responsibility for mom. God did not say He would make our lives easier but that He would give us the strength to endure. Yes, dealing with an aging parent is a curve ball but I believe it can be knocked out of the park. So all of the stuff that we go through sometimes on a daily basis is nothing compared to the important stuff. God, family, church, friends, it is good to have the proper order. I am glad that I can honor my mom and care for her in the latter years of her life. I love my mom. Love your parents while you can and have no regrets when they are no longer here. God has loaned them to us for a certain period of time so make the most of that loan. Honor your father and mother.

Monday From Tampa

2007-08-13T13:32:00.000-04:00

It's Monday and we are still here in Tampa. I am still blogging from my iPhone so this will be short. Andrea and I are having a great time. Yesterday we went to Crossover Church in the inner city of Tampa. Crossover is a smaller church but they are busting at the seams. They have three services on Sunday and they are really reaching Tampa's inner city youth. Crossover is reaching out to the hip hop culture and are innovative and relevant. They have been rated as one of the most innovative churches in the country by several magazines. In fact there was a huge article in the St. Petersburg Times just this last Sunday about them. They had a DJ spinning tunes while a youth group led worship. It is awesome to see a church break out of the "churchy" traditional mold to reach the lost. Crossover is not ashamed to buck the traditions to reach people just like C3. I missed being at C3 over the weekend but it is great to get away especially with my beautiful wife for some needed time with each other. Well that's it for now from Tampa. See you on Sunday.

Tampa Here We Come

2007-08-10T09:29:00.000-04:00

This will be a short post since I am still functioning without a computer at home. Andrea and I are getting ready to leave for the weekend to go to beautiful Tampa FL. One of the things that we are looking forward to is Crossover Church. Crossover Church is a church in Tampa that reaches out to the Hip Hop culture. I hear they are making a difference in Tampa. We'll let you know how it is. Well that is it for now, we are off to Tampa.

Happy Anniversary Andrea

2007-08-09T09:39:00.000-04:00

Today is Andrea and my four year anniversary. I have to say that this has been the best four years of my life. I could not have a more beautiful, loving, caring, selfless, understanding, hot, adorable, supportive, godly, unbelievable woman as my wife, Andrea. God was more than gracious too me when He gave me Andrea. I can not remember life without Andrea. I love everything about Andrea and I look forward to growing older with her and more in love with her at the same time. Happy anniversary "Honey"! I love you so very much!

WE WON'T COME DOWN

2007-08-06T08:41:00.000-04:00

Good Monday morning. What a weekend. This weekend was filled with a lot of stuff to get accomplished. Like taking my mom to the doctor to have a procedure done (getting older is pretty scary). I took the computer in to have it repaired (again). I took Andrea's car to get an oil change and tire rotation. I then took her car to get detailed (You would not believe all the make up on the seats and floor, but I love her anyway). Lots and lots of errands to run but I got it all done and now I get to tell you what the highlight of the weekend was. My highlight was one moment in the message that Pastor Byron preached in the first message in the Two-A-Day series. This was the moment he asked everyone that had been coming to C3 within the last 2 years to raise their hands. Literally it had to have been 80% to 85% raised their hands. What a blessing.

I know that I called six families yesterday who were first time guests (That's in the summertime when people traditionally don't go to church). I know that our detractors are numerous in East Orlando but God is really doing a work at C3. People are praying to receive Christ every week. So go ahead and criticize, vilify, poke fun at, accuse, lie and whatever else you have to say about C3 or it's staff. It does not matter, God is at work and it is His church and it is getting exciting. God is blessing and drawing people to Himself. Life change it is what it is all about so I'll proudly raise my hand and acknowledge, "I am a member of C3 Church". Just like Nehemiah, we are doing the work on the wall and WE WON'T COME DOWN. WE WON'T COME DOWN. WE WON'T COME DOWN.

No Computer Pt. 2

2007-08-03T17:46:00.000-04:00

Well the computer is back in the shop for the same problem in less than three weeks. So I am blogging from my iPhone. I'll just say this, when technology works, it's great. But when it doesn't, it stinks! At least my iPhone is working (for now). Here's to portable blogging. So long from the technology challenged.

What Tomorrow Holds?

2007-07-31T09:40:00.000-04:00

I know it's Tuesday and I haven't blogged in a few days. I'll make this brief because, well I am really busy. Sunday was great and now we prepare for another weekend. My thoughts this morning are in another place though. I have a dear friend. I don't get to talk too him much but there is an awesome connection and He does a great job for the Lord in ministry. I look up to this friend and He probably does not know how much I admire him and his work. When I get to see him and his wife it is like a breath of fresh air and it is always encouraging. This morning I heard the news that his wife has cancer and that it is a very aggressive form and has already spread to numerous places. My heart is very sad and my prayers are going up for him and his wife even now as I write this. I write this not to make everyone feel depressed but to keep the important things the important things. Our God and our families and friends are what is important. Tell God today you love Him, tell your spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, friend, tell all those you love, that you love them because we never really know what tomorrow holds. I know God will be with my friend and his wife through the coming days. So I pray for healing and I pray for peace for my friends and for all of my family and friends, "I love you!"

Are You Self Addicted?

2007-07-26T14:42:00.000-04:00

Last night was our home-team meeting with the college/young adult group at C3. Andrea and I have the privilege of leading our college/young adult ministry here at C3. Last night was awesome. We had great discussion and I think that God touched our lives last night in a special way. Our discussion last night focused on getting ourselves out of the way and caring more for others.

One of the questions last night was, "are you self addicted"? Think about that. I think that to an extent we all are self addicted to one degree or the other. We care about our time, our money, our things, our family, and dare I say, "our" church. The scary thing is that none of it belongs to us. NONE of it. Our time, money, things, family, church, it all belongs to God. We do not even own ourselves. We are God's as well. We did not make ourselves and we can not save ourselves. We are God's creation. So then why are we so self absorbed? I think that once we get our lives in the correct perspective, God's perspective, we live the life that God intended us to live. We are here to do God's work and to serve Him. That means loving others. Without loving others you can not love God or accomplish all that He wants us to. In order to do that we must get our eyes off of ourselves. We need to break the addiction. The addiction to self.

Through The Calm And Through The Storm

2007-07-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

It is about 8:35pm here at C3. We just ended rehearsal and I walked outside with some friends to see the storm clouds approaching. It just got me thinking here in the last few minutes. The clouds look ominous and pretty scary on the horizon. Sometimes that is like our lives. We look out over the horizon and all we can see are dark clouds and a storm. But as I looked at the scene and it was right at sunset, it was also beautiful. I was also thinking of the song that we sang tonight in rehearsal and that we will sing on Sunday. This song is truly one of my new favorites. I have even commented on it in a blog before. The song is "You Never Let Go". The words of the chorus are:

O no You never let go through the CALM & through the STORM. O no You never let go every high and every low. O no You never let go, Lord You never let go of me.

The beautiful part of the storm is that God never lets go. He is the same God that holds us in the calm and through the storm. He never changes, He loves us the same in the calm and in the storm. He is in control in the calm and in the storm. He knows our future in the calm and in the storm. We don't have to worry when we see the storm on the horizon or if we are in the middle of the storm or even if we are in the calm. Because God never lets go. What a great thing to think about on this stormy evening. With God even a storm can be beautiful.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

2007-07-23T09:30:00.001-04:00

Good Monday morning. It is the start of another week with many things to accomplish. This is also the time I look back and kind of evaluate what has taken place. Last week was busy and I don't know how many times I said that I was tired. Coming off of a youth camp that we did in Texas and getting back into a normal flow was difficult. That is why I am so glad that God is able to move in spite of our shortcomings. This weekend at church was great even though I felt inadequate in worship. Sometimes you just have those kind of Sundays where you feel you are not hitting on all cylinders but God shows up and we have a great service. This Sunday was one of those days. It is incredible how He (God) brings everything together.

Pastor Barry did a fantastic job preaching on the Sabbath. What a great message in our rest series. Youth was great last night and Travis did a great job speaking to the youth about reaching out to their unsaved and unchurched friends.

And finally from my rambling mind this morning I am thankful that my friends and I have started blogging. I have always had an inclination to write so this is up my alley. I believe that blogging lets people see a little into ourselves. Sometimes we are angry, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes wrong, sometimes right but you know what that means? We are human. So many times I don't think that pastors or ministers are allowed to be human. We are supposed to be supermen. I do think that God holds us to a standard of excellence but at the same time His grace covers us just like any other person. No one is perfect in this world and never will be but Jesus Christ. The leadership team here at C3 are just ordinary guys who God has called to reach the lost the best way that we can. I am thankful that God sees fit to use us even though we are only human. Human feelings and emotions and all. Blogging lets you see us as regular guys trying to do a work for the Lord. So pray for us as we lead C3. God is doing some amazing things as we continue to see an incredible movement of the Holy Spirit as the Lord is saving people every week. Life change is what it is all about as we continue to be "blogging" Christ Followers at C3.

That's all for my miscellaneous ramblings.

iPhone

2007-07-18T14:24:00.000-04:00

Well, while I was in Texas I lost my cell phone. For those of you who do not know I am a gadget kind of guy. I really wanted an iPhone when they first came out a few weeks ago but had resigned to wait until Christmas time to get one. Well then I lost my motorola razor in Texas last week. Now some of you might think that I lost my phone on purpose but I assure you that is not the case. I was happy with my razor for a little while longer. You know what happened next. Yesterday I bought an iPhone. This phone is absolutely incredible it does not even come with a manual. I can not remember how many pages my moto razor manual had in it, but it was a lot. It is so intuitive and easy to use Apple does not give you a manual they just tell you to play with it. Now that is confidence in your product. The leap in technology is awesome and I am already a fan. I would definitely recommend the iPhone to anyone who is in the market for a new phone. It's hard to believe that the coolest phone on the market just a few years ago is now a dinosaur.

Blogging World, I'm Back

2007-07-17T09:35:00.000-04:00

It has been ages since I blogged. I have been without my laptop (which I'm picking up today) and have been away at Youth Camp so I have not sit down to a computer for almost two weeks. There is so much to say but I will keep my comments brief. Let me say first of all, Sunday July 8th was a phenomenal service. The spirit of God was so strong in worship service that morning. To hear everyone sing "You Never Let Go" so loudly was just incredible. I even got emotional at the end of the service. I never got a chance to blog about that experience and it was just incredible and was a great launching point for my trip to Youth Camp in TX.

Youth Camp was unbelievable. I believe we had five kids from C3 saved and the blessings of God were all over the trip. The families that we helped with the rebuilding of hurricane damaged homes were so grateful and a blessing to us. The family of the project that I was working on was such a great family. The family consisted of a 76 year old great grandmother and her daughter and three great grandchildren. We were able to hang the dry-wall on her ceiling and bless them with other things that they needed. Thank you Nehemiah's Vision for hooking us up with an awesome family.

We ended the week in Dallas at Fellowship Church. The service was inspirational and great as usual. We heard a great message from Ed Young about being under the umbrella of authority. It was a Biblical perspective of how we are to respond to authority that God has placed over us. The message was great and the worship was awesome. I got a chance to talk briefly with Pace Hatfield, Fellowship's Worship Pastor and our friend Yancy McGregor a Worship leader while we were there. It is always great to catch up with friends.

And lastly a big thank you to all the counselors and to Travis who did a phenomenal job at Camp. Another thank you goes out to the band, Riverdale for leading us in incredible worship all week. And to the kids, what a blessing to us all. Y'all stepped up and worked your behinds off to be a blessing to others. You exemplified C3 Church well. I love you all.

And finally it's great to be back home and return to the blogosphere.

The Main Thing

2007-07-03T10:03:00.001-04:00

Today is a busy day. Because of the 4th of July this is the last day of the week that I am scheduled to be in the office. I have a band rehearsal tonight and it will be a full rehearsal because this Sunday will be the most unique service we've done in worship. I am leaving (driving) for Youth Camp (TX) right after the Sunday morning service. And to top it all off we are having family over at our house tomorrow. So it is going to be a busy day and night. But, even in the busyness of this day it is important to keep the main thing the main thing. I am excited because I have a lunch appointment with a man that I know is totally lost. He has no relationship with God. He is an older gentleman that is Jewish in his decent, grew up in New York City and is probably the one man that I would say is impossible for God to reach. Now I know that nothing is impossible for God. That is precisely why I am going to have lunch with my friend. For whatever reason God has laid him on my heart and for whatever reason this older gentleman really likes me. I think he views me as sort of a son to him. This gentleman was my boss in the late 90's when I was an assistant production manager at a children's book publisher. This could be the most important thing that I get to do today. I don't know if I'll get to share the gospel with him today but I hope I can plant some seeds. This man knows what I do for a living yet still wants to get together. I pray that God will use me in a special way in this man's life. It is not very often that a young man gets a chance to be an influence in another person's life that is almost double his age and not a family member. So as we all go through the busyness of the day let's not forget to keep the main thing, the main thing. Pray that God will lay a person on your heart and look for opportunities to sow seeds. Establish relationships and show the love of God to others that don't have a relationship to Christ. This is the main thing.

Preparation

2007-07-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

All right Y'all. It's Monday morning and time for my usual take on Sunday. I will make it brief because there are other things on my mind this morning. Yesterday was just awesome. I am once again amazed at the spirit of worship at C3 on Sundays. The message on the authority of scripture was great too. An all around stellar Sunday. Thank you God for blessing!

Now to shift gears. Sometimes don't you wonder why our brains don't quite take the commands we give them. Last night was such a night for me. I was tired and wanted to go to bed but the old mind did not want to go to sleep. I think I finally got to sleep at 3am. Does that ever happen to you? I can totally relate to my friend Barry's blog. I was just worrying last night. I usually pride myself as one who doesn't worry much but I suppose that through the last year and a half God as really pointed out my pride and my weakness because I have been worried and stressed pretty much constantly. I say that and some people might freak out but the worry and stress don't incapacitate me but just hinder me from being my best. In fact we all know that stress can manifest itself physically and I am no different. My stress manifests itself physically through my skin and complexion. My skin has been very bad lately so much so that I think I am going to a dermatologist. But this is beside the point. The point is that worry, stress and fear can do bad things to us including physical manifestations and yes, a loss of sleep.

I was thinking last night of many things that have me worried and stressed and I could be all spiritual and say that I gave them all up to God and now I am free. That would be a lie. Honesty and transparency are good for accountability. I know that God is in control of all our circumstances so I can trust in Him. But just like Pastor Byron said yesterday having knowledge of God's word and applying God's word to our lives are two totally different things. I know I need work on the application part and God will help me work things out. God has moved many times before in my life and I know He will move again. I don't speak out of desperation but I speak from preparation. (I know that sounded a little "old school" preachy) I am prepared for God to move in any number of areas in my life and I am prepared to see the results of God's work. I guess it's the preparation portion of anything that is the least exciting or fun part of a plan. It's always the results and not the preparation that we love. So I say Lord help me endure the preparation.

Isn't it funny how God can break down all of our impressions of even who we think we are and our own assessments of our spiritual condition. Pride can be a horrible thing even in little areas that we think we have under control. It just proves that we need to constantly ask God to help us be more like Him and forgive our unbelief. Lord help me find the joy in the preparation and help me get a good night's rest.

No Computer

2007-06-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

I hate not having a computer at home. Our laptop is in the shop getting some repair work done. Therefore the only computer I have access to is at the church. It is amazing how integrated technology is with our lives. I've only been without our computer for a few days and I feel like I have lost touch with the world. I guess there is a lesson to learn though. I believe that we probably need to get away from technology at times and just spend time with our loved ones and the Lord. This is a good thing. Well this will be a short blog (can you believe it?). I need to do some bill paying on line while I'm on my computer here at work before I get back to my technology absent life. It's Saturday so I will see you guys tomorrow in worship.

Team Colors

2007-06-28T09:05:00.000-04:00

I am amazed how we as people love to put our own take or personality on everything we touch. An example would be my friend Travis. He just started a blog and wouldn't you know it the colors of his blog are bright orange and royal blue. For those of you who don't know, my friend Travis is a GATOR. (The most obnoxious fans on the planet. Sorry a little commentary. Oh yea, it's my blog so I can do that.) Like the color of our favorite sport teams or our sense of wit and dry humor or just our very personalities, everything we touch seems to be transformed into a little piece of us. As I carry this thought out I think about God. We are made in His image. That means that we all have the touch of God on us by the mere fact that He created us. I also think that once we come to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior the life change that takes place unlocks the full potential of God in our lives. A small part of His personality or image. God loves to leave His mark on people. God wants the relationship restored between Himself and humanity. That is exactly why He sent Christ to the Earth to live and die and take on our sins on Himself so that the relationship between Himself and humanity could be restored. The sad part is that most of humanity still rejects the invitation for the relationship to be restored. It must grieve the Father that His creation (humanity) that He has put His signature and touch on still does not acknowledge Him or even want to know Him as their creator. That is why God uses us to try to get through to others to tell them that they are the creation of God and that He wants to have a relationship with them through His son Jesus. We only have this life to make a difference. Once a person leaves this life the chance for reconciliation with the Father is over. That's why we must work today, now to reach as many people as possible. We really must do whatever it takes to bring people to Christ. If that means stepping out of our comfort zone then we must, must, must do it. I truly thank God for a church that is willing to step out and do whatever it takes to reach a lost and dying world. I am thankful for the many churches that do this on a weekly basis. When we look at others we need to see the touch of God. We need to see His "team colors". We need to see His personality written on people. We need to see the potential of changed lives for the Lord. I pray that we could be known as obnoxious fans for our Lord Jesus Christ because we only have this life to make a difference. Do others know you love God? Everyone knows that Travis and others like him are Gator fans. Can people recognize that you love God like an alumnus of UF love their Gators (Or Dallas fans love their Cowboys)? Help us God to love You and love others. What are your team colors?

You Never Let Go

2007-06-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

Tuesday. Tuesday is usually a very busy day for me. I usually have meetings I am in with the Pastor and management team at C3 and then I have music rehearsal tonight until 8:30 or 9:00 pm. It is a busy day filled with lots of challenges and things to accomplish. Tuesdays are usually exciting and I expect no less from this day. Instead of starting my Tuesdays like I normally do and dive in head first with reckless abandoned I am taking time just to think and thank God for where He has me. First of all God has me in the center of His hand and I can't be snatched out. What a blessing. Next He has me paired with my life mate, helper, best friend and the perfect person for me, my beautiful wife Andrea. God also has me working in the ministry that He has called me to be a part of. He has me using my talents as a musician for Him as my full time job (most people only get to pursue their talents as a hobby). All of this just blows my mind this morning. God is truly good to me and I am so blessed. I owe it all to the Lord because I could not have done anything on my own. I am so glad God believes in me no matter how flawed I am. I am reminded of a chorus of a new song we are going to sing this week at C3.

Oh, no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm. Oh, no, You never let go, every high and every low. Oh no, You never let go, Lord You never let go of me.

Thank you Lord for not letting go!

Crowning Jewel

2007-06-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

Good morning everyone. It is Monday morning of course and a point at which I can look back over the weekend and evaluate what kind of a weekend it was. Sundays are a culmination of a week's full of work and the crowning jewel of the week. I believe Sunday's are what makes the weekend so special for me. This last Sunday was no exception. It was great to see a good crowd and people just worshiping God.

I had a friend in town this weekend. The last time he attended church here was six years ago. This friend moved out of town and now attends and is active in a very large Southern Baptist Church. The church that he attends is an awesome church and has reached many people for Christ over the years. If I were to name this church almost every person in Baptist circles would know the church and their former pastor who was a household name in Southern Baptist circles. My friend is a musician and even used to play the bass here when we were Parkway Baptist years ago. He now plays the bass at the church were he is a member. He shared with me that about a year ago they tried to do something a little more contemporary in their Wednesday night services in order to reach a generation that is on the decline in this church. He said the musicians and music minister were pumped up to do this "new" praise band format with more contemporary music then what the church is normally used to. They thought Wednesday night would be a good option to ease into it. My friend told me that they did the new format on a Wednesday night and there was such a backlash of complaints and disgruntled older adults that they immediately killed the plan for a more contemporary Wednesday night service. My friend said that the older adults thought that they were bringing too much of the "world" into the church. The older adults said that the look, the music and the feel were too "worldly" and that they could still reach people without those kind of changes. But by my friend's admission the younger generation is on a steady decline in this church. My friend thought it was a shame that they could not do something a little different to reach people in the city in which he lives.

My friend attended C3 this weekend and was blown away. He really liked the worship and the energy. The worship was different than what he is normally used to but I think in a small way he and his wife get why we do church the way we do. When I shared with them that over two hundred people had prayed to receive Christ since last august they were amazed. Is reaching the lost more important than our traditions, programs and our "church social club" atmosphere? You better believe it is.

Andrea was telling me last night that her friend whom she works with that had never attended church before visiting C3 and prayed to receive Christ a week before Easter was talking to her yesterday. Andrea's friend knows nothing about the Christian walk and is so hungry to learn. Yesterday Andrea shared the story of Paul, how he was a persecutor of Christians and then became a great soul winner after his conversion to Christ. Andrea said that her friend had tears in her eyes and said that truly God can save anyone including herself and her friends she is concerned about. It is people like Andrea's friend and the many who have come to know Christ every Sunday that makes the struggles to be a relevant church devoted to changed lives worth it. It is also so awesome to see my friend who I had not seen in a while get the vision if only for a brief moment while he is visiting from another city. It is also great to have a conversation with a friend who has come back to C3 after a change of heart that Christ has done. The excitement in the air yesterday was contagious and refreshing. So was the weekend good? Yes and yesterday was truly the crowning jewel of a week of worship. Praise be to God!

Beauty from the Inside Out (Andrea)

2007-06-21T23:12:00.000-04:00

Ladies... check out my blog on "The Real Staff Wives of Orange County" at www.c3wives.blogspot.com. If you have any fun tips relating to the blog "Beauty from the Inside Out" feel free to share yours as well!

Three Words

2007-06-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

Love one another? They will know you by your love for one another? Love, it is one of the foundational building blocks of Christianity. We preach love to the "world" or the "lost" and feel great about being spiritual giants while being no better than the very people we preach to. The sad thing is that a great number of Christians do not practice love to each other let alone to people that don't have a relationship with Christ. Doesn't that make us, should I say it, (the "H" word) hypocrites. I know this sounds very cynical but it has been hard to see how my friends, brothers and sisters, fellow leadership team members, Pastor and I have been excoriated by other Christians for doing everything we can to reach the lost. The hatred and bitterness that is directed at so many of us on a daily basis is really sad. We can talk about all of the Christian principles and knowledge that we have and feel all good about our Christianity but until we can get the basics down, like LOVE are we really Christians. Jesus told us the greatest commandment is love and I think that He must be ashamed by the way His people act, not toward the world but toward each other. I am far from perfect and readily acknowledge that I do not love like I should all of the time. I get it right sometimes and sometimes I don't. I know that God will grant grace for the times that I don't get it right. I just hope that people that don't know the Lord do not catch me in that moment when I am not practicing love like I should and then be turned off by Christianity. I pray that lost people are not listening to or watching the way Christians are treating other Christians right now and are being turned off by Christianity. For all the people that have left C3 with hatred and bitterness and agendas to tear down other Christians and the work at C3 I just have one word for you. LOVE. They will know us by our love for one another. No matter what some of my fellow Christians might say about me and the church I am a part it doesn't matter. I have three more words for you, I LOVE YOU!

A Great Way To Start The Week!

2007-06-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

Good Monday morning y'all. Yesterday was awesome we had a great morning of worship. People were very free and in touch with the move of God yesterday in our service. It is so refreshing to see people worshiping and praising God. Yesterday's message on eternal security was awesome as well. God spoke through pastor Byron to explain how once you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior that you can never be snatched out of His hand. To be able to see how all of the new Christians at C3 reacted and took in the message was great. Then to lead a worship segment after the message was just powerful! God is truly moving at C3 and I am just thankful that I can be a part of it.

Yesterday was also Father's Day. It was awesome that on Saturday night my best friend Blaine Back and his beautiful wife Stacy had a brand new beautiful baby girl, Bryleigh. So Father's Day was extra special to Blaine. I am so happy for Blaine and Stacy. Congrats!

It is quite an unique perspective on Father's Day for me. Father's Day is one of those days that I try not to think or dwell on too much. Not that I don't think that Father's Day is cool and special but that I no longer get to celebrate it with my Dad. Once you have a parent pass away you look at these days with a little sadness. My Dad was awesome and I thank God that He gave me such a wonderful Dad but this day comes with heartache that I never get to be with him anymore. So I do celebrate Father's Day but from a different perspective. It is a day of thanks to God for the life of my father and sadness that I don't have an earthly father anymore.

So now it's Monday and I am able to look back on Sunday. It was a great day and a sad day at the same time and good all in all. It was great to celebrate my wife's birthday, to worship with my spiritual family at C3 and to think about a great Dad that God gave me for a season of time. A great way to start the week!

Why God made me unique (Andrea)

2007-06-16T00:35:00.000-04:00

The unedited version :)
-I am a world class rapper... "internationally known throughout the microphone."
-My favorite color is red.
-I used to fight boys in elementary school. I may have even thrown rocks at one.
-I have an obsession with cleaning my house.
-I know I wear way to much makeup and yet I still love to put more on.
-My creative nature will not allow me to keep a hair color or cut for more than 3 months... and the change MUST be drastic!
-I still love the New Kids on the Block.
-I can name any car on the road from a distance. (That impressed Darrell early on.)
-I call my husband really ridiculous mushy names... I am prohibited from publishing any of them.
-I love, love, love to meet new people.
-I love, love, love creative, interesting, and eccentric people!
-When I was little there was nothing I wanted more than to be a Barker's Beauty.
-I still have a crazy love for The Price is Right. (I'll miss you Bob.)
-I love Gwen Stefani and wanna dress as cool as her.
-I wish I could sing like my sister Brittney and be as smart as my sister Cassie but I'm good with
singing decent and having dumb moments.
-I love the most outlandish, ridiculous shoes a woman could ever find. Has anyone seen my rainbow striped gold lame platforms lately or my zipper bright red stilettos? Oh... and I just got a pair of heels made completely out of cork! (This actually doesn't make me all that unique because Angie feels me on this one.)
-I am very particular about my condiments with my food.
-I should be on "So You Think You Can Dance" for my uncanny ability to replicate the moves of any 90's sequined rapper or throw me some glow sticks and I dance mean to some techno.
-I thrive off change. I can't stand being stagnent.
-I tried to kickbox once but all the jumping had me in the bathroom every two minutes.
-I just learned to cut my own food recently.
-I've felt called to adopt a child ever since I first learned what it meant when I was little. (Darrell wants to as well!)
-I love my life and have learned to get the most out of it even in the rough times. Strangely... I look forward to the lessons I will learn from all moments in life.
-I used to skip school and hang out at the beach where I grew up. I know that's not that unique but I just had to get that off my chest.
-While I'm confessing... it was me who filled the fountain in the middle of downtown Stuart with soap and had blocks filled with suds. I feel so much better.
-I like pickle juice.
-I'm unique because I come from a family line which includes my silly grandmother whom I have fun, fond memories of when she was 100% healthy. I have fun memories of her now as well of course.
-I'm the only one that gets to cuddle with my D-Lo.
-I love to act crazy with the kids in Powerhouse and teach them about the Lord through song and dance.

Happy Birthday Andrea

2007-06-14T16:01:00.000-04:00

It is Thursday afternoon and I am looking forward to the weekend. This is a very special weekend because we will be celebrating my beautiful wife's birthday. I will not tell you how old she is but she is my beautiful twenty-something wife. She is the best wife a man could ever want. I was so blessed when I met her back in 2000. We will be married four years this coming August and we dated for two before that. So we have been together over six years now. I can not imagine my life without her. She has been my strong support in ministry, my best friend and a great wife. I can't wait to give her the birthday present I bought her. I can't wait to celebrate with her and our family at the Willow Tree (German) restaurant. Best of all, I get to spend all weekend with her. Andrea I love you so very much words can not describe. I hope you enjoy your birthday. Happy birthday "Honey Bun".

Curiosity Can Be Bad

2007-06-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

Why is it that curiosity almost always overrules common sense? A few days ago I opened an email that I look back and should have never opened or paid any attention to. Because of this email my week so far has been kinda of lousy. It was another email from a person who did not want to use their real name and had nothing but critical, mean and ugly things to say about my church, my pastor and me. This person said that the my ministry and the ministry that I am a part of was ineffective and that it was evil. I know I should not have responded but I did. I rebuffed the lies and insinuations by speaking truth. I should have known that it would not make a difference to this person but I responded anyhow. This person responded back and it was worse than the first email. What is sad is that they even said that one lost person being saved is not as important as keeping "their" church the way that "they" wanted it. If this person is a Christian then seeing someone give their lives to Christ should be the most important thing. I had told this person in my first response to the email that I would be blocking further emails and there would no longer be any responses from me because it is a waste of my time and energy and that reaching people is far more important than responding to someone that has no love in their heart or wants to hear the truth in any form. So why is this still bothering me? Maybe it is that I am an emotional type of person and for me words mean things. I also know that I have no hate or bitterness toward anyone in my life and because of that I don't understand people that do. It really makes me sad that this person has such bitterness and hatred in their life. And I probably know this person which makes it even worse. I might have even called this person a friend. I am sharing all of this not to make anyone feel sorry for me. I am sharing this because I have a burden for those few people out there who are holding on to bitterness and hatred. I pray that God will help them to let it go so they can go on and work for Christ. We want to go on and work for Christ without the distractions of people like this and their hatred and bitterness. I also pray that God will let me use my common sense not to open up an email that I think might be like the one I opened up on Monday. God help me to control my curiosity.

Friends

2007-06-11T10:04:00.000-04:00

A lot has been said about friends past and present. This probably isn't my first nor will it be my last blog to talk about friends. To have true friends that are loyal, loving, forgiving and unselfish is truly a blessed thing. Over the past sixteen years I have made many friends that were associated with my attendance at church. Many have come and gone over the years. Those that have moved on over the years, whether to another city or another church I still consider friends, but different from the ones that are truly invested in my life. Many of the friends that have moved on with their lives and their relationships are still my friends in one sense of the word but are just not close to my heart. Are they still my friends? Yes. Would I love to speak to them and catch up? Of course. Do they know what is happening in my life, my heartaches, struggles and triumphs? No. Is that bad? No. Is it right to only let a few people into your inner circle to share life with? Yes. Just look at Christ, He had the twelve disciples and then an inner circle of about three from the twelve. As a human being I believe that we only have the capabilities of limited access of a few people into our personal lives. I believe that this limited access is dictated by our ability to invest in others on a personal level. There is only so much of yourself that you can pour into others and the more people you have to pour into, the less that each of the people you are investing have of you.

Some might think this is selfish but it's true. Just think of how many close intimate friends you have. I thank God for my close, friends. My beautiful wife, Andrea who is my best friend. My mom and the rest of my family who I am blessed not only to call family but to call friends. I am thankful for Byron & Angie Bledsoe, Barry & Amanda Leathers, Travis & Sandy Conrad. We have been through some tough stuff but we have walked through it together and the tough times really magnify who are your close friends. The magnification is so intense at times I feel like an ant under some little kid's magnifying glass but my close friends have not cut and run but have stood with me and we have endured the pain together. Blaine & Stacy Back, Dan Gentry, Jason Cannon and Sally Story are also close to my heart and have walked with me through tough times and have stood strong. I am truly blessed by God to have such great friends. For those that I have called friends and have left and moved on to another chapter in life, you all are still my friends. I know that God placed you in my life for a season and the seasons have changed. That is nothing to be sad about because we are always brothers and sisters in Christ and will always be friends. The seasons bring about change and with it renewal and new life, just think, spring is right around the corner.

So friends? I am thankful for the close friends that God has given that invest in me and I in them. My extended friends that I perhaps get to communicate with on an occasional basis I am thankful for as well. I pray that everyone is fortunate enough to find a few close friends that can stand with you through the tough and trying times and still be standing on the other side. I believe those kind of friends are truly a manifestation of God's hand in one's life. Thank you Lord for friends!

"The Story" (Andrea)

2007-06-08T01:07:00.000-04:00

I've seen this video every morning I work out at the gym on VH-1's countdown and I love it... can't get it out of my head. The artist is Brandi Carlile.

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...I was made for you

I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines
and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
You do

I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth
It's hiding the words that don't come out
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
They don't know my head is a mess
No, they don't know who I really am
And they don't know what I've been through like you do
And I was made for you...

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...I was made for you

Wii

2007-06-07T10:45:00.001-04:00

Andrea and I played Nintendo Wii for the first time on Sunday night with my sister-in-law Cassie and her friends. Andrea and I loved it so much that we decided to buy one. We hooked it up last night and it was so cool. Hayden, my 3 year old nephew loved it. I believed he liked tennis the best. I am not a video game person maybe because of the lack of interaction between a person and the game but the Wii with it's interface actually causes you to be a part the action and not just your fingers. I think that's why I like it so much and the fact that my wife loves it and to see my little nephew jump up and down with excitement makes the investment worth it. If you haven't played Wii I highly recommend it, it's a ton of fun.

A Great Day Of Worship II

2007-06-04T10:02:00.000-04:00

It is Monday morning and looking back over my Sunday I must say it was a great day of worship. Our congregation at C3 Church is awesome. Yesterday there was a great spirit of worship in the air. It is refreshing as a worship leader to lead people in worship that are hungry for God and are crazy about worshiping Him. For those of you who were not here yesterday let me give you the rundown on the worship line-up. We opened the service with Chris Tomlin's, "Let God Arise" then led into Hillsong United's "One Way" and then ended the first set with Charlie Hall's "Sending". The next worship set after the message was Delirious' "Majesty" then ending the service with an oldie but goodie, Todd Agnew's "Grace Like Rain". The worship band was on fire. Vince, George, Chase, Matt and John, thank you for worshiping with your instruments on Sunday. Angie, Angel and Brittney thanks for using your voice to worship. I believe that a lot of people came prepared on Sunday to celebrate our Lord and Savior. I must admit I was a little moody (probably a lack of sleep) on Sunday morning but praise God, He was able to work through that to touch lives on Sunday. Pastor Byron did an excellent job communicating the the truth of scripture that "Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to God" (funny, does that sound like a cult to you?). Thank you Pastor Byron for worshiping God through the way you presented the Truth of Scripture on Sunday. Most of all God was glorified in worship on Sunday. I can't think of any other place on Earth I would have rather have been than C3 Church yesterday participating in A GREAT DAY OF WORSHIP!

A Great Day of Worship

2007-06-03T00:13:00.000-04:00

It is Sunday morning at 12:13 am. Why am I up and not in bed asleep like most people? Well tomorrow or I should say, today is Sunday. Sunday is the most important day of the week to me. Usually I try to go to bed early on Saturday so that I am rested and ready to go on Sunday. Sometimes that works and sometimes, like tonight, the mind is running full speed even though the body is tired. Welcome to the life of a Worship Pastor. I love doing what God has called me to do. I believe what I do comes with a great responsibility. Modeling worship to a group of people that walk into a worship center on Sundays is an unbelievable privilege and honor. I always want my worship to be authentic and real so that other people can follow my example on Sundays. In order to be real and authentic I can not wait until Sunday to start thinking about or participating in worship. Worship must consume my life everyday, not only on Sundays.

The Bible tells us that we are to give our lives to God as a living sacrifice and in so doing it becomes our spiritual worship. Our whole life should be our worship to God. The way that we live everyday. When we wake up, talk, eat, sleep, drive, think, you get the picture, it is all worship. I believe that we all (myself included) can go about our daily lives and think that worship takes place for one hour out of our lives a week on Sundays. We all can fall into that trap and then wonder why we did not get "more out of the music" or that "the message was a little flat today" and blame on the worship leader or the pastor when that was not the case at all. The fault lies with us individually in that we did not live the week as a life of worship.

Why are Sundays so important? It starts with me. If I am to be authentic in worship then Sundays must be an outgrowth of my entire week. Has my life been worship this week? Yes I want to do my best and be my best on Sundays so that people can get a glimpse of what it means to come to church and celebrate the God of the universe who changes lives. Sometimes that means thinking on God and His goodness and preparing my heart for what will happen on Sunday morning even on Saturday night at times. It is so meaningful to come together on Sundays and share in the celebration of our Lord. A continuation of a celebration that has been going on in the heart all week. So I say, "Lord, make every part of my life an act of worship to You. Lord make my life a life of worship. And let our worship be an awesome celebration of You tomorrow. Make our Sunday a great day of worship to You!"

The One Less Traveled By

2007-05-31T10:51:00.000-04:00

I was reading my favorite poem in the world this morning. It is, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I like the poem feel I have taken the road less traveled. I believe as a church we have taken the road less traveled. I know that it will and it already has made all the difference.

Endings are better than beginnings (Andrea)

2007-05-30T21:02:00.000-04:00

In a couple of weeks I will partake in the annual celebration of my birth. I'm not one who wants any fuss. (Unless it is an 80's themed roller skating party to which everyone would be invited!) I will usually tell Darrell specifically not to do anything to draw attention to that day. (I will also refrain from posting the date in this blog... it will remain a mystery!) Regardless of however little or much commotion is made of the day one thing always remains true for me. Birthdays are always a day of reflection for me as well as a time to set goals for the future.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am a planner. My life is on a very strategic timeline. We all have come to the realization that life doesn't always go according to plan but there is something to be said for setting some goals and striving to meet them. God has a way of reconfiguring the things I do though.

The main reason for liking my life on a timeline is that it is neat and tidy. (That is a whole other obsessive-compulsive disorder I have in and of itself... love neat and tidy!) I really think I had succumb to the whole "you can never over-plan" philosophy. But what happens when God throws you the proverbial curve ball? I think a symptom of the timeline lifestyle is there isn't a lot of time left over to enjoy the things that are going on now. God has a way of reminding me not to take the here and now for granted. What is He teaching me now that I would not be able to see if my eyes are only focused on the next and later?

My tendencies to plan come from a place of thinking that if everything is already set up then nothing can fail. With failure comes disappointment and sadness. The problem with this is that if the plans are only "Andrea-made" then I have set myself up for failure because without Christ I can do nothing. I gotta lay it down. I love that God has given me the ability to cry as He is showing me things. I used to be very hard, closed off and lacking any outward emotion. Crying used to be cowardly to me. I was confirmed in my gratitude for tears tonight as I read Ecclesiastes. I love how the message translation puts it in chapter 7. "Crying is far better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart. Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games.... Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out." I long for more wisdom and discernment from the Lord. I know He has Darrell and I exactly where He wants us but sometimes I want to see more results sooner. I fail to realize that sticking to it is better than standing out at times. We have all heard that perserverance builds character but, you know what, sometimes I don't want to perservere. I want INSTANT GRATIFICATION so I can move onto the next project on my calandar! That is what our society tells us we deserve... even the church has fallen under a hyper-prosperity doctrine. What is wrong with me? I am realizing that I need to put my timeline down and focus on the here and now. Here- C3 Church reaching and connecting Orlando to Christ like never before. Now- Almost 200 new believers that are a part of my family that I will spend eternity with. Lord, scour my heart even if I have to cry a million more tears. I want to grieve for those who are lost and hopeless without you even if it means missing a thousand of my self-gratifying deadlines. The only hour that matters is the last. Lord thank you for the promise of the end being far better than the beginning. With that promise I live in the now.

Thanks

2007-05-29T08:49:00.001-04:00

Today is Tuesday after a long Memorial Day weekend. Where can I begin? "Memorial Day" weekend, a time to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice that so many have made for their country. I like many yesterday went to the cemetery to visit a loved one who has passed on but served their country. My Dad is one such person. My Dad served in WWII in both the Army & the Navy. My Dad made it through WWII only to succumb to Alzheimer's Disease in 2000. His contribution to the freedom which I enjoy now will never be forgotten. When I saw the American flags on all of the graves of people that served in the military at the cemetery on Monday it touched me deeply. My Dad never talked about the war very much but I have seen a few remembrances of his time in the service. I can also remember his story about being on the USS Atlanta (Destroyer) in the Pacific as it was sunk and surviving to tell of the horror that he went through.

I also heard on the news yesterday that there are only three remaining US service men that served in WWI. In fact one is in Florida and I think they said he was 107 years old. I pray that we never take for granted, no matter what war or conflict our military personnel have been in, their sacrifice and their dedication to this great country that we live in. We truly have much to be thankful for and their sacrifices should rank right at the top of the list. Did I enjoy the weekend and the extra day off? Yes I did but this weekend means more to me than just a day off. It is a time to say thanks Dad and thanks to all of those who have served so that I can enjoy being a US citizen. THANKS!

A+

2007-05-26T08:19:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking recently about my new fascination with blogging. I think that I have stumbled onto why I am liking it. I have never journaled before or kept a diary of any kind. But, I have always liked writing. I believe that this is the first time I have just written because I want to. While in school (college) I had to write for the professors and for a grade, never just for myself. I think that has something to do with it. I also would love to write a book but know that the chances of getting something published would be next to impossible. Writing usually comes from personal experience, whether it is a fictional story, autobiography, memoirs etc.. The ability to vent and to get your personal feelings out to people in a logical, methodical and organized way has an attraction as well. I think that blogging gives me the ability to sit down and think and put my thoughts down on paper (or computer) and gives me the ability to take some of the intense emotion that is usually impulse and focus that into succinct talking points that are organized and make sense. I believe blogging gives me the ability to accomplish all of this. It also gives others a glimpse of the person that is inside that normally is hidden. The ability to put yourself out there so that others can share in your triumphs and losses is therapeutic and kind of fun. I am sure that a psychologist would be able to clearly define this type of behavior and that's fine. All I know is that I am enjoying it and that I am writing for me and I give myself an "A+" every time. Blogging is awesome.

American Idol vs. Lost

2007-05-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

OK I am officially shamed. I claim to be a Lost fan but I miss 2/3 of the season and therefore can't watch the season finale and blog about it like my good friend Barry Leathers. Instead I am left to blog about American Idol. Which show should I have watched? Lost, no question about it. So to all of you Lost fans I promise I will do better and watch the episodes I missed and will be ready for next season.

Now back to AI. We all know that Jordin had the most talent between her and Blake. I am disappointed that Melinda did not make it into the finals but my friend Barry Oser made a valid point last night. This is "American Idol" it is about having the total package. Although Simon says that it is a singing competition and Melinda had the best vocal talent it is a total package kind of deal. Yes Melinda had the talent and stage presence but she did not have the "look". Jordin and Blake had the "look" and enough talent to make it all the way. Although I might concede that point to Barry O. , I raised another point that he did not fully agree on but I believe is the heart of the matter. AI is a popularity contest. Whoever America likes the best and votes for is the winner. No denying it, popularity contest. So congrats to Jordin, the winner. Blake and Melinda will do just fine without the contractual shackles of AI. And I will stick by what I said last week. AI is what it is. Reality TV, entertainment for the masses. It's been a fun season and we will say so long until January!

Against All Odds

2007-05-23T14:12:00.000-04:00

You know sometimes I feel like a salmon. Trying to swim against the overwhelming current, swishing my tail to make it up-stream jumping over obstacles while fighting the gushing water. Sometimes I sit back and look at the current of negativity and the repeated misquotes, inaccuracies (sometimes, out and out lies), mischaracterizations etc. Sometimes by people we don't even know and then sometimes by friends we've had for years. When the world seems totally against us and what we want to see accomplished at C3 Church then I remember I only need to look to Jesus. It feels that if people were betting on C3 Church and it's success that the odds would be totally against us. Then once again I only need to look at Jesus. The tide of public opinion was overwhelmingly against Jesus. In fact they wanted him dead. Who incited this groundswell of public opinion? The religious people of that day, the pharisees and priests, the "Godly" or religious leaders. These people conspired with the very government that was oppressing them to have Jesus wrongfully charged, tried and convicted to keep Jesus from busting up their legalistic rule over people. The only people that stood with Jesus were his mother and eleven out of the twelve closest friends that He had in the world. One of his closest friends even betrayed him to the people that would orchestrate His death.

So did Jesus have all of the odds against Him? In the evaluation of the situation by people in His day I am sure they would say Jesus had no chance of pulling out a victory. Does Jesus know what it is like for people to hate Him, say evil things about Him, lie about Him, have friends betray Him? Yes He does. Let me ask a few more questions. Is C3 Church God's church? You better believe it is. So when people are actively saying negative, derogatory things about C3 Church are they railing against God's church? Yes they are. Do I want to be identified with God and His church? Yes I do. Will God empower His church to accomplish the task He has given it? Yes He will. Did Jesus beat all the odds and turned defeat into a glorious victory? Yes He did. Did He lay down His life for His church? Yes He did. Does He love and care for us the same way today? Yes He does. Does Jesus understand everything we have lost to reach people for Him? Yes He does. Does Jesus promise that when we lay it all on the line to do His work will he make a way and help us? Yes He does. Is God the same yesterday, today and forever? Yes He is.

Now the question is, will I take God over the conventional wisdom of the masses that predict our "certain demise"? Yes I will, because Christ has done it before. Christ went against all odds and won. Even though this might sound old and trite I believe it, "God and me make a majority". I'll take God over the odds everyday. I'll swim up-stream, against the current with every last ounce of strength I have. Against all odds!

The Most Valuable Gift Someone Can Give

2007-05-22T08:32:00.001-04:00

I attended two funerals this weekend. While sitting in both of them and just thinking, something very profound hit me. I am sure I am probably not the first one to look at life from this point of view but it is still profound (at least to me) none the less. When you think about the most valuable gift a person can give to someone, several things might come to mind. Some might say money, some might say love, some might say any number of possessions. Although some of those answers are good none of them are what I am thinking of. There is something that every single person possesses that is the most valuable commodity in the world. Once this possession leaves you, one can never get it back. A person can not make more of this possession and you can not earn or gain any more of it by any means. By this point some of you know what I am talking about. The most precious of commodities is time.

I believe that the time that you give someone is the best expression of love you can give. Think about it. Once you give it you can not get it back. It is the one thing that you have total control over and your most valuable possession. I know that most of our time is spent at work but that is time that is given for compensation. When you spend an hour with someone that is a gift that you will never get back and if it is given to someone that you want to be with it is given unconditionally.

I spent some time with my beautiful wife this weekend. That was time well spent. I spent time at church this weekend, celebrating in worship with 700 people, the greatness of God. That was time well spent. I spent several hours this weekend sharing grief with friends over lost loved ones who they will never get a chance to give time to. Time comforting them. Time well spent. Some other time was not spent as wisely. I did spend some time in front of a mindless time sucker called TV. Time not spent wisely. All that to say this. Time is the one commodity that we don't know how much we have and yet I along with so many spend haphazardly without concern as if there was an endless supply. I pray that I can give my time to the most important things in life, God, family, friends, church. I don't know how much time I have left but I know that if I give this most valuable of gifts to the things that matter the most then my life will be fulfilled and full and there will be no regrets when my account of time has a zero balance.

Don't Call Me A Christian-(Andrea)

2007-05-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

When I think about what it means now to be called a "Christian" I get knots in my stomach. I have no shame in lining myself up with Jesus Christ but it hurts me to align myself with those that say they represent Him and show no love to those who are different than them. I've grown up in church all my life and have seen hundreds upon thousands of Christians who know a lot but don't show a lot. I would be a liar if I said that was never me. Growing up I took a lot of pride in being a "good girl." I followed all the rules that were indoctrinated into me. Regardless of all my deeds I had a dead faith. I looked upon those who were different as messed up or corrupt. I needed Jesus to resurrect Himself in my life again. I was the so-called Christian like the church in Galatians. The one enslaved by law forgetting about my freedom in Christ. God is a God of change yet He always stays the same. The change He is doing is within me.

I have a friend of mine that just gave her life to the Lord. I'm quite emotional about it. I truly think it is the first time that God has intentionally placed me in someone's life and I layed my pride aside. God used her in my life to teach me a lesson and bless me through her newfound faith. My interactions with her and my prayers for her were not based on another notch in my evangelism belt but out of a deep need to show love again. Love that saved me from bitterness and anger. Love that saved me from mediocrity and hypocricy. That is not to say that I am not mediocre or hypocritical at times. I am... I am human, but through Christ I am made whole and perfect. He purges the impurities in my life and actually uses my weaknesses to show His strengths. If he can change a jaded Christian and turn them into a loving Christ follower, then He can truly save anyone. 99% of the time it is the "Christian" that shows the least amount of love in this world. We need change more than those we consider the greatest offenders because we represent Him... and what a poor representation of the love of God we have shown.

Let me finish by saying this. How can we say that we love God and not truly love others? I've read this so much I've memorized it. It is so engrained that I could rattle it off to the point of it having little or no meaning. Let it mean something. Galatians 13:1-7&13 "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. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND. LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD OR RUDE. IT DOES DEMAND IT'S OWN WAY. IT IS NOT IRRITABLE, AND IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED. IT DOES NOT REJOICE ABOUT INJUSTICE BUT REJOICES WHENEVER THE TRUTH WINS OUT. LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love."

God's Masterpiece, Not A Paint-By-Number

2007-05-19T07:54:00.000-04:00

Andrea and I had a great conversation with my Sister-In-Law, Brittney last night. She feels called into the ministry. She feels called in the area of music/youth. Her sense of urgency and zeal are contagious. She wants to conquer the world for Jesus right now. I remember how that feels. I remember as a teenage boy feeling a call on my life. I remember in 1992 accepting the call publicly in a church service. I remember wanting to drop everything and conquer the world for Jesus. I remember the blank canvas of my life at the time and remembering how I wanted the painting of my ministry to look like. I also remember that even though I thought I was ready for ministry at that exact moment, God knew I needed to learn a few things and fortunately, I knew that God's timing was not my timing.

As I look back, I am thankful for key people in my life that cultivated my calling. I have to look back first to my mother and father. They fostered a love for God and for His church at a young age. I witnessed their devotion and loyalty to God's work like no other people. I am thankful for Pastors Hugo and Peggy Venegas which taught God's Word to me and under whose ministry I accepted the Lord into my heart as a seven year old boy. I am thankful for Craig Stamper who saw the potential I had to be effective in ministry and challenged me like no other to become a vessel that God could use. Lastly I am thankful for Byron Bledsoe who listened as God spoke to his heart to finally turn me loose in ministry. Without these people the seeds of desire would not have been cultivated in my life. Without these people I would probably not be in ministry today.

As I look back, the span of time between which I publicly accepted the call and the time I actually went into full-time ministry was ten years. It would be very spiritual of me to say that those were glorious years at which I knew God was working, teaching and toughening me up for ministry but that is not how I saw it at the time. I constantly questioned God, "Why not now? Why do I have too keep working in jobs I hate? Why can't I finish college and go to seminary like my friends? Why, Why, Why?" (I'm glad that God can handle our why questions.) I can remember struggling with the losses of my dad who had Alzheimer's and my mentor, Craig Stamper, dying in an automobile accident. I can remember filling in as interim music minister after Craig's death and thinking that maybe now was the time that God would unleash me in ministry and then only to be crushed by not even being considered as a candidate. I can even remember questioning if I was even truly called. But, I did know that the desire I had as a young man was still there and I trusted God enough to know that He was in control even if I had no clue to what His plan was.

Now here I am, fourteen years after I publicly accepted His call and four years after I have been in the ministry full-time. I can now look back and see exactly what God's plan was. I'm thankful that God put me through everything He did because it made who I am today and made me strong enough to stand when it seems like I can't go on any further. Most of the time our timing is not God's timing. We almost always want it now. We are definitely products of our "instant gratification" culture. We want what we want and we want it yesterday. It's hard to imagine that God does not work the same way. Even today in my life I am constantly asking God, "Why can't C3 church have 5000 people now? Why can't you give everyone the vision of ministry like you have given us (pastoral staff)? Why can't you make everyone love us? Why, Why, Why?" But, then I remember the time of learning and growing that God had for me over the last fourteen years. I know that God is in total control and that he is teaching me valuable lessons that I need to learn for the future. I realize that what I feel now and what I felt in those ten years before ministry are nothing but growing pains. Do growing pains hurt? You better believe they do but without those pains you do not even realize you are growing. Will Brittney have growing pains as she pursues her call? Yes. Will I have growing pains as I continue in ministry? Yes. Will C3 have growing pains as we try to reach the community for Christ? Yes. Is that good? Yes, you better believe it is because if you feel no pain then there is no more growth.

The urgency, zeal and growing pains that God places within us mixed in with His perfect timing create a masterpiece that only God could paint. The difference between a "paint-by-number" and a "Mona Lisa" is the time it takes the artist to create the piece of art. I think the extra time is worth it. God's masterpieces are definitely not paint-by-number.