Terry Storch

Okay, for the 2.5 people who read this blog go to Terry Storch's blog and read it on a regular basis. He's the Digerati guru at LifeChurch. Holy cow, he and the team there are right out on the edge of ministry and where we should all be heading. Completely strategizing how to leverage everything technology has to offer to show people Jesus. Then at the same time, he doesn't live in this tech-induced smugness. His blog also covers the realities of life and the joys and stress of ministry. Thanks Terry for impacting me, and we've never even met (although we did talk on the phone once.)

Back to the city

Well after really wrestling with where God was calling us to plant in and/or around Charlotte, NC, we really are feeling called into the city. This was something we prayed through a little over a year ago, but didn't feel released then to it. Over the last few weeks, some opportunities and many great conversations have happened leading my thoughts and prayers back to Uptown Charlotte and the surrounding neighborhoods. I brought those thoughts to Casey and we began to pray again, this time we believe God is leading us there. My heart is breaking for the people down there. Young professionals are moving into the area in droves, remodeling and new housing is exploding, completely revitalizing the area and creating a need for new churches on several levels. One, this is a new generation of people from all around the country and new style of church will be needed to reach them, second these are the people who impact the culture and flow of the entire Charlotte metro area. Imagine a move for Christ in these people and the impact that ultimately makes throughout the region, a region of over 2 million! I realized a year ago, my desire was to plant a cool, trendy, hip Uptown church, this time it's about the people, honestly and truly. Once again God had things to work in me to prepare for HIS plans to happen. Casey and I spent the last 2 days in and around Uptown. What a cool place. So many people, so many neat areas, what a place that needs Jesus.

This is going to be scary. I could fake my way through planting a church in the suburbs, but no such illusions here. It's God or nothing, cause I can't do this thing on my own. How obvious, isn't that what God wants? But how often do we do "God's work" solely on our own abilities. I could go on and on. I'm so excited about this, excited in a way I haven't felt before. I don't know how it's all going to happen, so many different things need to happen. We were at a church planter's training tonight and Dean, a church planter from Ft. Mill, sitting next to us, said he saw a picture of us working a puzzle and there were pieces coming together and the image was clear in those parts, but there were parts of the puzzle with pieces missing and we didn't know how it would fit together. But God was standing at the table holding the missing pieces in His hand, because He is working with us and knows how the pieces will fit. That so truly spoke to me, because there are many elements of this whole deal that I don't know how they will fit together, but I've felt God does. And it wasn't a throwaway thought like, "Oh well, God knows how it will all work out." I felt honestly that God knows, and Dean's word tonight was confirming that.

CRAZY STUFF!!! What an adventure ahead...

Elevation Church

Had lunch with Larry Brey from Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC today. Wow...that pretty well sums things up. Larry was great to spend time with me and share their lessons, vision and passion. God is certainly doing something phenomenal in that they launched early last year and this past weekend had nearly 2000 in attendance. Holy crap! Great eye-openers and some confirmation for some of what God has been doing in us. They're a church that loves Jesus and wants other folks to know. I also really appreciated their willingness to resource and be available.

Conversation

Had an awesome opportunity to spend some time in the Seattle area last week, namely Everett at New Life Foursquare. Dan Laurenzo and Jim Crosby hosted several of us and it gave us opportunity for awesome conversation. This whole trip was full of great conversations on many levels. I love talking church and ministry and hearing fresh thoughts and getting challenged. Take advantage of your peers and get into conversation on a regular basis. It's huge.

Oh and Seattle is an unbelievable, beautiful city, beautiful mountains. Everything a great place needs!

Stirring

Before you ask, no I'm not going in a completely new direction. Still feel called to Charlotte and church planting, but God is wanting something different than I've always thought. Not sure what. Holy cow what's He doing?! You ever ask that question? So pray for His revelation to come...

I finally went to Mars Hill Church

Today I made it to Mars Hill Church in Seattle. After several years of reading the books and listening to Mark Driscoll's podcasts, I made it there. But wouldn't you know Mark was taking the week off and wasn't preaching, topped off with the fact that my trip to Mt. Rainier was in total cloud cover and I didn't even see the mountain. All the more reason to come back next year and climb it! Anyway, even though Mark Driscoll wasn't preaching it was still a pretty cool experience. The church is set up very cool, they take it a direction I'd like to go. It was wild to see the group of people there. All young people, an entire church of young people. Good stuff…

Somewhere over the Western US

On the way to Seattle on the third plane of the day, because storms suck when you're trying to fly. Had good conversation about church and what brings people to church and what causes churches to grow, plateau and decline. There's so many factors and since I'm not working on a doctoral thesis I'm not going to do any research anytime soon. All opinion and anecdotal, but it seems worship style certainly is a big influencer to people's opinion of church. Why is that? Church is about so many things, worship being only one, but it influences people in such a powerful way. Is it selfishness, immaturity, whining? Or is it legitimate that individuals' taste in how they express their love for God must be recognized and acknowledged as integral to how they engage church? I've never really thought about it that way…hmmm. One thing I do know is I get excited talking and thinking about this stuff. Alright, we're heading down so time to shut the computer down. My first blog entry from a plane…cool. Oh and going to see Rainier for the first time tomorrow, at least from the ground…good stuff.

I got called up

Found out yesterday, I'm speaking in all 3 services at our church on July 22nd. Come on out and watch the mayhem!

Thanks Brian

Do any of you have those friends that are there for life? There really aren't many of those running around. Our society moves and goes through so many life transitions that I think it is a rare thing that a friend stays really and truly close for the long haul. You may still talk and catch up, but a comradeship that may have been there during one season of your life perhaps is not quite the same as the years go by. Brian's one of those that keeps on sticking on. He and I went to high school and college together and then went of into the world, both of us moving around different parts of the country, then, strangely we both randomly (seemingly) end up in the Charlotte area. Well anyway, Brian knows me well, has known me a long time and it's good to have him around. I'm in this crazy new season of trying to plant a church, a somewhat megalomaniacal undertaking in itself, and I needed somewhere to go and talk struggles and frustrations and fears, and Brian was there. He doesn't go to my current church, lives on the other side of the city, but he's close enough to have been there for me this morning. Thanks Brian, and Go Gators!

I've made it to the platform

I'll be opening our 11am service this weekend, my first official duty from the platform! I'll be doing water baptisms at our 9 and 11 am services on May 20th and communion at all 3 services on June 3rd. So good times there!

God's a good God...in case you were wondering

You know how no matter how much God does you always come back to that place of wondering if He is still working? Why do we suck so bad at trusting? Anyway, God spoke to me through several folks over the last week. I'm plugged in to a men's class here at church and I was talking with one of the guys, and he was asking how things were. And I said pretty good, but it's overwhelming sometimes thinking about what's ahead. He pointed me to Ephesians 2.10, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in ADVANCE for us to do." That was the key, God already has it taken care of. That's powerful stuff really. I'm teaching in that class tonight on faith, and we talk about, we give it lip service, but do we really trust God that He has prepared everything in ADVANCE?
Then on Sunday I was in the Single Adult class, one of my duties during this year. I'll be honest and say I've really been leaning on God about that responsibility. The group is typically a bit older than I am, and I have not really experienced singleness like they have, so the question is there of my viability for the role. God has certainly been working in me and working in them throughout the process. I know I have so much I can learn and gain from all of it. Then on Sunday one of the leaders made a point that she felt God really wanted to make clear that they all come around me during this season to help me better understand single adults and also help me prepare for planting a church. It was powerful! Then another individual said let's pray now! So they came around me, laid hands on me and began to pray. Very cool stuff. God has prepared in advance...He knew where I was and where I am going. Afterward the two leaders came up and shared that they felt like God had told them "what a privilege" to be a part of my ministry now and my preparation for what is ahead. She compared it to Billy Graham's 3rd grade Sunday School teacher seeing what he would become later on. Oh man that's crazy stuff! Anyway, writing to share and also writing to help remind me of God doing His thing and being faithful.