Thanks to Guy Kawasaki, we are now posted on Alltop.
Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
”Every time I write a post in support of the struggling pastor – and I mean every time – I get push-back over success being about numbers. There are seasons of “harvest” in ministry, and not every community is in the same season. It takes cultivation to see fruit from ministry. So no, growth won’t happen to everyone at the same time. But God is in the business of building his church. And not every pastor who desires his church to grow has made an idol out of numbers. Large, sweeping statements that indict hurting pastors who want to see God use them to reach more than the Christian core who have gathered together every week make me want to throw up. I’ll defend them every time.”
Facebook Greener Grass
Posted: December 26, 2008 in BloggingTags: authenticity, facebook, fake, grass
Appearances are deceiving! Facebook is a good example. As much as I love it, it can be overbearing on and in our lives. As you read status updates, one can wonder about the real lives of their neighbor and if other peoples’ lives are really better. ”Tired of hating the friend who ate a dozen cupcakes and doesn’t know how she didn’t gain weight?” Another friend just happens to be packing for a trip to the Mars and Venus space stations. ”It’s kind of like watching a stock index of peoples’ lives, but in a perpetual bull market.” Another person said, “It always seems like there is a party going on and I’m not invited.” My advice: Enjoy the ease of connecting with old and new friends. It can be a great tool for churches and businesses, but do not allow it to develop in you an inferiority complex while feeling like the grass is perfect on the other side. News flash: It’s not! Trust me! Perception is not always reality! Most people hide their stuff and never face the authentic side of their lives. It’s called plastic….and plastic is quicker, easier, and cheaper to use than putting a new roof on the house.
I am going to repeat some of the verbage that my new friend, Jim Akins, Executive Director of Church Planting at Westridge Church in Dallas, Georgia, has penned, simply because his words cannot be improved upon defining the way I feel as I start this venture of blogging. “I have avoided this. I have dreaded this. I have come to the realization that if you want to talk to the world you gotta jump on board.” Today is our grand opening to the blogosphere! I will post mainly on life, what God seems to be saying, and as an update to the interested people that desire to be a part of our new church plant.
We are in the development stages of a new church plant in NW Georgia, specifically in Ringgold, GA/Chattanooga, TN as our first launch. As time moves on, we will launch in Cleveland, TN, Ellijay, GA, and Dawsonville, GA. We feel like it is time to go back to Georgia and spend the rest of our lives building God’s work. We plan on moving to Georgia in June, from our home in Florida, soon after our kids get out of school. We are working hard everyday laying the groundwork, raising the funding, and consulting with some of the greatest minds in church planting.
I love the risk, the renegade trust, and the hope that stepping out of your comfort zone brings to us as Christians. I wish I could say that being a Christian means that life is an easy journey because it is not. We all have been in the wilderness, preparation fields, and many times up on the mountaintops. Through it all, I have learned that joy is there all the time if you know Christ personally; happiness is a choice we make when we wake up, regardless of what comes our way. It’s a battle of the mind. Ike Reighard has a great message entitled, “What happens when the bottom falls out?” He knows! I know! If you don’t know, you will know. We’ve all got to answer that question at some point in our lives. You are not defined as a person by the “bottom” but you are defined by “who” you are deep down on the inside! We are “made in the image of Christ,” therefore, we have everything we need to react and respond to anything in the right way.
As for this blog world I agree with what Ed Young has said, “This is one of those things that I’m excited about, yet also a little unsure.”
