Sunday, March 30, 2008

Weekend Review

Another great Sunday at The Journey! It is exciting to see all the people that God is bringing together for a common mission. Just to put all of your mind's at ease, I am doing fine and recovering well from my little mishap off the stage today...it could have much worse! Also, the worship at church was absolutely incredible today, we were rocking! I love it when people get so excited that all they can do is yelp a big "whoa" or raise their hands - pretty cool.

A guy approached me after our gathering today and told me that he had really been moved. This was his first time at The Journey and he said that he has not been to church in many years and had a great experience. That is what it is all about, people disconnected from the church who come to a weekend gathering at The Journey and encounter God and feel that they have found a place where they belong.

Keep believing that God is doing something to the extent in which we can not imagine!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Multi-campus Meeting Fuels Excitement

This morning we had a meeting about the multi-campus strategy of The Journey and discussed the things that needed to happen to pull it off. Some things that we felt were absolutely necessary, in order for The Journey to reach its goal of being one church that meets in multiple locations.

1. We need all hands on deck. Every person that is a part of The Journey @ West is going to have to find a place to plug into ministry service, whether at Providence or at West. Everyone has a part to play in making this a success. There will be a lot of coordinating needing to take place, but chaos around a grand project, is better than order in which nobody is participating.

2. We need to raise the necessary finances. Everything cost money, particularly churches. We need funds for marketing the new campus to the Providence community and we need them for buying the gear and equipment necessary to run a full functioning second campus.

3. We need prayer. God desires to reach the people of Providence more than we do. He has been waiting for us to join in. We need to ask God to continue opening the many doors that He has already burst open.

Friday, March 28, 2008

A Tale of Two Teams

Unfortunately, both of my preferred colleges left in the NCAA tournament were eliminated last night. Tennessee was beaten badly by a more motivated Louisville team, and Western Kentucky was finally outmatched by a strong UCLA team. What I find interesting about this is not that both teams were eliminated, but that each team probably has a different perspective about their postseason success. Tennessee is extremely disappointed right now, their entire year was geared toward making a run to the Final 4. Western Kentucky is probably upset they lost, but are extremely satisfied with their success in the tournament. Why is that?

I believe the expectations of the two teams were completely different and the result is that each team expected different results. I think this parallels the story of our lives as followers of Jesus. God has great expectations of us. The expectations He has on us are very different of those He has on people who have yet to step into relationship with Jesus. The question we must ask ourselves: Are we living up to the expectations? If not, what are we going to do about it? If so, know you will be 'cutting down the nets' as you hoist the victors trophy!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Extremely Busy Day

Today has been a wild and crazy day. I met with the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Hermitage, TN today. We are hosting our Ignite Conference 2008 there on April 19th. He was very excited about what the conference is going to be and we had a great connection. I definitely want to spend some more time with a guy like that. The conference is quickly approaching and the details are all finally coming together. Be listening for to 94.1 FM The Fish for the advertisement they are about to begin running for the conference -- I believe it begins playing this Friday.

Tonight we are eating at a Japanese Steakhouse with a friend of Katrina's who is in from Ohio. I look forward to slowing down momentarily from the chaos, something tells me that is only a dream.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

New Series: Mission Possible

I'm ready and anticipating this weekend at The Journey. We are coming off one of our biggest days ever and I want to see what the aftermath is going to be. I'm starting a new teaching series called: Mission Possible. This series is all about our mission and responsibility to reach the world with the message of Jesus. We all know that, the question is: Are we willing to do it?

This series is timely, because we are moving into a season at The Journey where our evangelistic radar has to be on high. We are going to multiply our campus by adding another one in Providence. We have to be prepared to go into that area with the mindset of spreading the gospel.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Surgery Cancelled

I wanted to inform everyone that Kaleb's surgery was cancelled this morning, his doctor was sick. We will wait and hear from the hospital on a reschedule date.

Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts about him.

Did You Pass the Test?

Check out this video...it is brief, but will make you think.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Weekend Review

It was an incredible Sunday at The Journey today. It is the largest crowd that we have ever experienced at our weekend gatherings. I anticipate all that God is going to do through this community of faith in the future as we move forward with our vision of being one church in multiple-locations.

Tomorrow we will be at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for Kaleb's surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. He is also getting tubes in his ears and having his catheter's that were from his kidney transplant removed. Please remember to say a prayer for Kaleb and these procedures tomorrow.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Good Friday

It is only fitting that we call this day good Friday, after all, have you ever ran into a bad Friday? Fridays are typically the best day of the week. They point to the weekend and our work being finished. I find it interesting that we call the day Jesus, our king, was brutally crucified and killed a good day. However, it is beginning to make sense to me more and more these days. The reason that this was such a good Friday is because of the same reason it is for us -- it points to the weekend and it finalized Jesus' work.

The reason Good Friday is so good is because of what took place on the cross on our behalf. God in the flesh took the weight of the world on his shoulders, with all our sin and shame. He defeated sin, death, and evil on the cross and completed the work given to him by the Father. Jesus' death on the cross on Good Friday points us to the weekend, when he stepped out of the tomb victorious over death, ushering forth a new kind of world.

Take time today to reflect on this, read the stories found in the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), and thank God for the work done on the cross nearly two thousand years ago on your behalf --it is a Good Friday.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Pastor Networks offer encouragement

Today I had the opportunity to get with a handful of pastors and ministers in the local area who are in the trenches of ministry. We get together monthly to encourage one another and share what our churches are doing. I love the fact that we come as brothers in Christ, not as competition, rivals, or enemies. We don't gather to compare churches, but to challenge each other to strive for more and to pray big prayers. We break down into small groups and actually have prayer for one another and lift up our individual needs -- it is very refreshing.

I'm also going tomorrow to another network in Cookeville. This is a network of churches that are about planting new churches. This network helped fund The Journey to get started. I always leave these networks encouraged, re-energized, and reminded of why I do what I do. I'm constantly amazed at how God is linking and connecting like-minded churches and people together for the accomplishment of his mission. Churches from all types of denominations are working together for the common purpose of spreading the gospel of Jesus. That is what it is all about -- it always brings me renewed hope.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

A Needed Day Off

Today I'm anticipating a much needed day off. I have quickly discovered over the years that if you don't make yourself take a day off in ministry that you will never have one. Ministry is a 24/7, 365 day a year job and will always have a demand on your time. I'm looking forward to a day with my son and hanging with Katrina. I think I might help her clean the house today and then take the top off my Jeep and drive my son around. He loves going to Books-A-Million and playing with the Thomas the Train set, so we'll probably take a trip there. Then the icing on the cake, we are going on the Star train ride to Nashville for some ice-cream and then we will head back home. The rest of the week will have its demands and challenges, but for today, my family gets me -- like it or not.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Holy Week Has Begun

This is a very special week for those who are followers of Jesus. This is Holy Week, the time in which Jesus set his eyes on Jerusalem and walked to his eventual death, but also his eventual resurrection. What special things are you going to do this week? I believe it is important for us to set aside time for reflection regularly, but especially this week. Perhaps there are some of you that may fast on Good Friday, the day in which our Lord was crucified. Take some time this week to do something out of your normal patterns, for this is not a normal week.

In case anyone needed a reminder as to why there must be churches that are about the hope of Jesus, I've got a clip for you to watch. It made me sick when I seen it, because it just reminded me that so often Christians promote what they are against, rather than what they are for. In this church's case, they are slamming another church. Check it out here: Pastor Slams Other Church. Let it remind you to be a messenger of faith, love, and hope in all your environments this week.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Weekend Review

This has been quite a weekend for The Journey, as we unveiled the strategy and game plan for living out our vision of being One Church, in multiple-locations. I, along with the elders, had the privilege to stand before the people of The Journey to announce this challenging, yet energizing initiative. I can hardly wait until the The Journey @ Providence launches in September. We will remain one church, with one set of elders, one central message, and the same identical service for all locations. I pray for all that God is going to do through this move and the people who will be reached as a result.

My wife and I also hosted a group of new people from The Journey at our home this afternoon for a pastor's lunch. It was a great opportunity to get to know the people God is bringing to the church and to hear a little bit more about their lives. I'm excited about the kind of people God is bringing. I believe he is bringing high-capacity leaders, people with servants hearts, and people who are hungry to join God in his mission to reach people with the message of Jesus.

It was a landmark weekend, a weekend that we will look back on one day and remember when we first heard the vision -- then we will fall to our knees and praise God for all he has done.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Men of the Lanes

Last night a bunch of the men from The Journey got together and put our competitive spirit into high gear with a roaring night of bowling. I've never heard so much smack talk flying around a set of bowling lanes in my life, though I'm responsible for most of it. We divided the teams up into four groups and played three games. My team won 2 of the 3 games; however, people did not want that to be the outcome, so they averaged the scores of the three games, making my team finish second. It is OK though, I have recovered.

It is a lot of fun and enjoyment to actually like the people you go to church with. So much of my life I lived believing that you had church friends and then your "real" friends. What I appreciate most about the people of The Journey is that they are my "real" friends and I enjoy sharing life with them. For all you guys who were there last night, you know who was really the best team out there...Team 3 baby!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Thursday Night TV

I can't remember anymore what life was like without TIVO. Think about it, actually having to sit down at the exact time your favorite shows are coming on in order to see them, not anymore. Now we have the power to choose, we decide when we want to watch the shows we want. Our schedules are no longer confined to the boundaries of network television, we've regained control. However, I still find myself looking forward to Thursday nights. Two of my favorite shows come on on those nights, Lost and Eli Stone.

I love Lost for its continuous plot twists and lessons that can be learned about leadership. Even though I'm completely lost half of the time, I would not dare miss it. A new favorite of mine is the show Eli Stone. This show is about a lawyer who is a modern-day prophet. He has visions and dreams of people and situations that he must take on as cases in his law practice. He no longer approaches being a lawyer as a mark of prestige and ability to get rich, instead, he now sees it as the outlet for trying to fulfill these visions God is giving him. Oh yeah, he also has a brain aneurysm, so he is tossed back and forth between believing his is actually a prophet or suffering side-effects of his brain aneurysm.

I believe we all struggle with the dilemma of believing that God could actually use us to accomplish the work He is doing and thinking we're crazy for believing it. Like Eli Stone, I think we let our past shape too much of our future. We get hung up on our mistakes and who we used to be, not allowing for God to redefine who we are becoming. We have to start believing that God wants us to join him in bringing hope and love to the world and the people around us.

Oh yeah, don't miss tonight: Bowling.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Great Coffee and Conversation


I engaged in one of my favorite activities today...drinking...Starbucks that is. I had a great conversation with a couple of buds around some coffee. We talked about what God is doing in our lives and areas that we feel we need improvement and encouragement.

We all need that -- we discovered from our conversation that it is not good to bottle things up inside, but rather it is quite liberating to share your fears, insecurities, and lessons your learning. If we would be more willing to find people we can truly share things with, I believe we would live with less guilt and shame in our lives. Guilt and shame are truly tools our enemy uses against us; however, it is nothing that a good cup of Starbucks coffee, conversation, and the power of God can't overcome.

By the way, if you have not checked out the newest video on my blog you need to do so now...you are going to get a kick out of it. Click on the 'Griffin Displays True Humility' under the videos heading.

Mohawks and Setting Examples

This morning I was hanging out with my son before him and Katrina left for the park. They are meeting a handful of other women from The Journey with their kids and spending the afternoon hanging at the park and sharing a picnic. My son came in to see me with his hair in a kick-butt Mohawk that was really impressive. The reason he is wanting to wear a Mohawk is because he has a friend that will be there today that wears his hair in a Mohawk. They call themselves each other's "boy" - they are 3 and 4 years old! The reality of the situation is that my son wants to wear a Mohawk because someone he likes is setting an example. This got me to thinking about who are setting the examples for me that I'm following? Who am I setting an example for? Not all examples are worth being mimicked, but the question we must all be willing to explore is who's Mohawk is influencing us?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Good Traditions


We are people of tradition. There is no doubt about it, if we can turn something into somewhat of a ritual or tradition, the natural human tendency is to do so. That is why in churches, we so often get stuck doing the same things over and over, but nothing ever changes - we get stuck in our traditions. However, there are some traditions that are too good to pass up. There are some traditions that become special not because of what you do, but because of who you do it with. Katrina and I have a special tradition with Shawn and Miranda Allen in which we take each other out for our birthdays. Luckily, Shawn and Miranda's birthday is on the same day, so Katrina and I only have to pay for one dinner per year. We went to Buca di Peppo tonight in Franklin and shared a great meal with some great friends. Some traditions are too good to pass up, others should be canned. What are your traditions? Are there any worth getting rid of? Are there any worth beginning?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Ignite Humanity Drawing Nearer


Last night we had a meeting to finalize planning on the Ignite Humanity conference, a ministry designed to inspire people to reach their full potential in Jesus in order to set the world on fire for him. The conference is going to be held at the end of April, exact date and location will be settled by this week. The main focus of this conference is to equip people in how to share their faith. Barna research shows that this is an area in Christians lives that is suffering and rapidly declining. The goal of the conference is to redefine how we view sharing the gospel, cultivate a heart for the lost like God, and to be inspired to go into the workplace and our churches understanding our calling. It's going to be an exciting event, I encourage everyone who wishes to improve in this area of their faith to plan on attending, more details coming soon.

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Kingdom of Heaven and Tennessee Basketball is Forcefully Advancing

Yesterday was an incredible day to be me. I'm the pastor of a great church who just commissioned a pastor to go and plant a church in Seymour, TN. We let him share his vision to the church and then we prayed over him. The Journey is going to be his mother church and support them through prayer and finances - its exciting times! The other great thing is that not only did Tennessee Men's Basketball just win their first SEC title in 41 years, the women avenged an earlier loss to their rival LSU in the SEC Championship tournament game. A guy like me can't ask for any better than that in one day.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

A Beautiful Snowy Day for a Beautiful Boy



Today is my son Kaleb's birthday! He turned four years old today and it is amazing to think about. There was a day and time when we were not sure we would see this day in his life due to all his medical struggles early on. We are having his birthday party at Pump It Up, an all you can handle slide warehouse. I'm not sure who is going to enjoy it the most, the kids or the parents. It is fitting that the weather today is snowing and the ground is covered in a beautiful white, winter-wonderland. It almost as if God wanted to bring a beautiful snowy day for a beautiful little miracle. Happy Birthday son, I love you.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

A Journal for all to See

For over four years now I've kept a journal. I've been writing down events and moments that have occurred throughout my journey as a husband, father, and church pastor. Over the course of those four years I've had a significant amount of things occur that I will forever be able to reminisce and remember the exact emotions and feelings of those moments. Now I'm attempting to translate this very private thing into more of a public thing. Blogging is no longer new, but it is still very new to me and will take getting use to. Hugh Hewitt, a well-known blogging expert and writer of the book BLOG, says that "If you are a leader, then you ought to be blogging, and the folks you lead ought to be reading that blog." I invite you to join me on the journey and see what we can learn together about life, love, and God (who BTW is the embodiment of the previous two).