Catching Up

Well, I have been without internet access for nearly a week. I'm still recovering from the side-effects. I got my internet working again today and feel like I've missed everything going on in the world, though I haven't really missed anything. I feel like a have a ton of catching up to do. Couple of things going right now:

* Small group game night at my house tonight for all those interested (leave a comment if you need the address)

* I can't believe the Love Sick series is on Week 3 of 4 this week, it has went by fast

* We are going to be making the Love Sick series into a DVD set that can be purchased. The cost is $20 for the entire series on DVD; the proceeds go toward purchasing Catalyst equipment for our current and future campuses

* We are going to be making the following series available for purchase as well: War Zone, DNA, Shattered -- these are all $20 for an entire series

* This Sunday is our last week at 2 services, we are prepping for our move to Providence on February 8th -- service on December 7th is at 9:30am

Lots of great things going on right now in the life of The Journey. I will be sending a newsletter out in the next week outlining some of the focuses for the 2009 and recapping some of where we have been for 2008.

This Sunday @ The Journey

This weekend at The Journey we are going to be talking about what things poison our relationships. We are continuing our Love Sick series. Last week we had great crowds and a lot of fun. This week will be no different. If you have friends and family you have been wanting to invite, this week would be a great weekend to extend the invitation. Once again, you do not want to be late, the opening song will be incredible. Also, you never know when a surprise interruption and dance could break out (had to have been there last week to get that one or go watch the video at www.thejourneytn.org).

I'm looking forward to what God is going to do this weekend in the lives of people and in the relationships represented every weekend. Don't be late: 9am and 11am. Reminder: December 7th begins our move to one service at 9:30am. This will be until February 8th 2009 when we begin our preview services at Providence. Service times for services when we begin Providence campus will be: West Campus 9am and Providence Campus 10:30am. Both campuses will offer the same service, with the same music, and the same teaching/teacher.

Everything

A question that has been stirring in my spirit the last month or two is: Am I saying EVERYTHING God wants me to say? It seems like an easy question, but it is not. Am I willing to say things that I know will upset people? Am I willing to say things that will step on some toes? Am I willing to say the whole truth and call people to be transformed by it? My mind tells me yes. Sure I'm willing to say everything. Then my spirit asks me again, Are you saying EVERYTHING God wants you to say?

I have a few people in my life who I trust to share words from God with me. Some people love to claim to have the gift of prophecy, but it is just another way of saying they want to tell you what to do. The individuals I trust with this have shared encouraging things with me and challenging things. At the Sunday night event, one of those individuals whispered into my ear during worship, "God wants to pour so much more into you, but you have to quit holding back. He's going to bless what you are doing, but don't hold back." What I kept hearing was, "everything," give Him everything. Say everything.

I wanted to give you a little something that I'm praying through in my life and that perhaps you could join me in. I want to please God, not man. Pray I would say EVERYTHING God wants me to say and that He would open the floodgates as a result. Ask the question for yourself. Are you giving God everything?

Sunday Evening Reflections

Today was one of the greatest days in Journey history, no question about it! We started our new series: Love Sick and had over 200 people at church. That is single-handily the largest crowd outside of Easter we have ever had. Both services were packed to the gills and it was an amazing day. Highlights from this morning:

* The praise band opening service by singing "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis
* Our worship time was incredible, "Glory to God" and "Jesus is Alive" was amazing
* The electricity in the room today was second to none, you could sense God was moving
* Jeff Bode and Alex Perry interrupting my sermon introduction by dancing to "What is Love" ...by the way, neither can dance :-)
* Seeing people praying with other people all over the building today - awesome!

Tonight we had our Volunteer/Journey Awards celebration, it was so much fun. This was the largest attended event we have ever had outside of Sunday morning. As we were leaving and dismissing all people could talk about was how much fun that was. Highlights from the night:

* the 1,000 pots of chili people made (okay, it wasn't that many, but seriously)
* giving awards for the best pot of chili, congratulations: Jeff Bode, Amber Burton, and Robbie Cheuvront (first place)
* getting to tell all the volunteers how much they mean to us and show them by raffling off some cool prizes and sending everyone home with a Journey hoodie
* watching Todd Bates and Shawn Allen give out the Journey awards, it gets better every year to watch people's reactions
* our winners: Brewington's (Spirit award), Andrea Vickers (Unsung Hero), Jay Spice (Rising Star), Kelly Piercy (Special Recognition), and Jeff Bode (Journeymen of the Year) -- Jeff's speech was both stirring and inspiring, unbelievable
* Seeing Amy Jordan's vision of participating in Samaritans Purse and setting a goal of 50 boxes get doubled (over 100) and praying for the kids who would get them
* Sharing the statistics that the Journey is in the 4% of churches in America that qualify for being considered an "effective evangelistic church" -- at least 26 conversions in a year and a 20:1 conversion ration (The Journey's conversion ratio is 5:1)
* As always, praise and worship at the end was stellar and second to none; however, THE KIDS TOOK THE NIGHT by playing with the band during "Sing, Sing, Sing" to close the night -- best moment for sure!

It was great. I love this church. You are the best. We march forward toward the mission God has birthed us to accomplish.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself

Could there be more than three...sure, but then it wouldn't have that catchy little title. Plus, all you people who love the three steps to _________________ lists wouldn't keep reading. So to save all of us the trouble, I've listed three questions each of us would be well serve to ask ourselves regularly.

1. Am I closer in my walk with Christ today than I was a month/year ago?
This question is a matter of progression versus regression. There are only three possible states of your relationship with God: stagnant, regressing, and progressing. This question must be asked regularly, because at any moment we can begin to slip from our walk with God or become neutral. We can't possibly lead the charge of a mighty movement of God's Spirit in a state of regressing or being stagnant. Cry out to God and ask Him to help you move forward.

2. Is my heart growing more skeptical or compassionate for people?
This question deals with our attitude toward people. A true sign as to the condition of our spiritual health is how we view and treat people. The reason I ask about your heart is because you can put up a front that pretends to like people, but you know whether or not you are growing more hardened or compassionate. Followers of Jesus who are on fire for him have a burning desire to love people, even those who are unlovable and undeserving. Pray for God to break your heart for the condition people are in.

3. What things in my life am I putting before God?
This is the hardest thing to ask ourselves. We don't ever admit to putting things before God. However, if you look under the microscope close enough, many things can begin to edge God out. Anything put before God is called an idol in the Scriptures. What are the idols of your life? Look at your checkbook, your calendar, and your desires and see if they balance out with God's dream and hope for your life and this world. Pray for God to reveal the things in your life that are coming before Him, repent, and put God in His rightful place in your life.

Sunday Night, November 16th

We have our blow event of the year coming this Sunday evening. We are going to have a blast together. We having a chili cook-off to kick the night off. If you think you can bring it, don't be scared. Even if you don't think you can win, bring a pot of chili so we can ensure everyone gets to eat :-). We are also going to have our volunteer celebration and Journey awards. This is going to be crazy! I'm dying to tell you what we are going to do for all the volunteers, but you will have to trust me when I say BIG. Our Journey awards is our annual recognition of some of the great stories of the year and people who were instrumental in our success. This will be the third year we have done these and they are special every time.

Following the awards, we are going to be praying over the shoe boxes everyone brings for Samaritan's Purse. If you have not got a shoe box and filled it with goodies yet, you need to...for real. It is an inexpensive way to help people who will have nothing this Christmas and the organization is amazing. After we have prayed for the children who will receive the shoe boxes we are going to go into a time of worship together. The band has an extended time of praise and worship planned to lead us in worship of our Lord.

Do not miss this event. If you miss, you are seriously in jeopardy of forfeiting your rights to some cool stuff. I can't say anything else about it or I will be tempted to let the cat out of the bag. We are going to laugh together and cry together. This is a great event for meeting people and drawing closer to those you already know. 5:30-7:30pm Sunday night at West Elementary. Be there or be square.

Turning Outward

There is a story of a pastor who was preaching about our role as individuals and as a church to reach the lost. He spoke to his church, "The problem is that people are dying all over the world and going to hell and you don't give a damn!" The crowd looked at each other stunned and in dead silence. The preacher continued, "The saddest part is that most of you are more upset that I used the word damn in church than you are that people are dying ad going to hell."

Wow! Isn't that the truth. What about us, what about The Journey? What do we care more about? Do you care about those who are without Christ? Here's some questions to help you answer the question honestly.

1. When is the last time you've had a lost person in your home? (The plumber who fixed the toliet doesn't count)
2. How many meaningful conversations did you have with non-Christians this week?
3. Who are the nonbelievers you prayed for today?

If you can't answer those questions with several names, chances are you're on the road to not caring. Scary. I'm praying for God to reignite my passion to reach lost people, not just in church on Sunday, but in my personal life.

You don't fail if the Spirit prompts you to ask someone to follow Christ and the person doesn't. You fail when the Spirit prompts you but you're afraid to ask. We can't blame ourselves if someone rejects Christ. That's putting ourselves in God's place. It is our job to share the story of Jesus with a world who is desperate for hope. Do we really believe Jesus is the answer for the hurt, brokenness, and emptiness in our world today? If so, why wouldn't we be sharing the message of his grace and love freely and without fear?

Howard Hendricks, a well-known preaching professor says, "In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering." Let it not be said of us.

God wreck us from our complacency and indifference with the fact that there are lost people dying and spending eternity separated from you. Help us to care more about people than our own egos. Disturb us for the things that disturb you.

Pray for me today, I have a chance to eat lunch with Ed Stetzer. He is a leading missiologist in the church world right now. He is an expert on how the church can live out what I just blogged about today. Pray I learn a lot and ask great questions.

Acts 2 Community

Last night, the elders and campus pastors, along with our families, had the opportunity to visit the home of a couple from The Journey. They had requested that we come out and pray for their children and for their home. The kids had not been sleeping through the night and were having health issues. Their marriage was suffering as a result of the constant grind of sick kids, no sleep, and their own recent health issues. They suggested that we not only come to pray, but we could eat dinner together as an entire group.

We had a wonderful time. We cooked the meal together with everyone running around the kitchen. After we ate, we sat and talked about this year's political race and all the interesting things that transpired. We then moved into talking about the issues that had been going on. Elder James and myself read some Scripture and we all prayed over the couple. After we prayed for the couple, we went into the rooms of the kids and prayed for God's protection over the rooms and the entire house. Then we had each kid come downstairs and we prayed for them individually. It was an incredible night. I didn't know what to anticipate as we prepared to go to their home, but what happened is what you read about in the Scriptures. It was an example of the Kingdom God on Earth. It was what was described in Acts 2 when they broke break in homes and prayed for each other as they had need.

It took 1.) humility to ask for people to come pray and expose their insecurities 2.) faith that God answers prayers and that it was worth calling upon the church 3.) compassion for those who went out to empathize with the family and embrace their pain and hurts. The church in action looks like what happened last night. The more we are willing to follow Christ and humble ourselves, we will experience more amazing things.

Sunday Evening Reflections

I cannot believe that the Shattered Series is already over. I hope and pray that everyone has been encouraged, empowered, and prepared to live life with God in the midst of difficult circumstances. We have had some great crowds for this series and there is a sense that God is really about to do some big in our church.

We start the new series next week: Love Sick. Love Sick is a series that will deal with relationships. This will probably be one of the most fun series we have ever done at The Journey. You are not going to want to miss a single week...I promise! You are also not going to want to be late any of the four weeks, because each week will start with a surprise (I'll give you a hint: it will be a different song each week). We are going to laugh a lot, but we are also going to look at things that will kill a relationship. Bring friends, bring spouses, bring neighbors - just bring somebody, you do not want to miss this series.

Last note: We will be moving to one service in preparation for our launch of Providence. The move to one service will be on December 7th at 9:30am. Mark your calendars. Also, Providence preview services will begin on February 8th. You will be hearing more and more about this as the next several weeks go by. Just wanted to give you as much advance notice as possible.

Be in prayer this week for me as I have tests and school obligations. I want to do my very best at school, but I'm thrilled about what God is doing at The Journey and find myself wanting to focus all my attention there. Pray for my study time for the Love Sick series, I want it to be life-changing for people.

This Weekend @ The Journey

This Sunday will conclude the Shattered series. I'm looking forward to this message. It will be unlike a lot of the messages I have done at The Journey. Be sure to get there on time, you don't want to miss the new worship song we are going to be learning.

Also, bring your pictures to church of you and your significant other (husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend). We are going to need these for the next series I'm doing called: Love Sick. You need to invite friends and family to the Love Sick series. It is only four weeks long, but you may be able to convince those you are working on to come to a series on relationships. We are going to hand out invite cards to everyone on Sunday to distribute to friends, co-workers, and family.

It is going to be a great weekend. See you there.

3 Things God is Challenging Me On

God is really getting under my skin. He is constantly challenging me to look into the mirror of my soul to see what areas I need growth and improvement. These may be areas where I'm doing well, but need to take to a different level of obedience. Right now, there are three things in particular that God keeps stressing on me and for our church.

1. Prayer
This is not just a generic answer that sounds like the right "Christian" thing to say. God is really challenging me to spend more time praying for the people of The Journey, the direction of the Journey, and for the fuel for my own efforts. Prayer will open the breakthroughs in those who are on the edge of faith. Prayer will open the breakthroughs for the marriages on the rocks. Prayer will open the breakthroughs for the person in bondage to destructive habits and addictions. Prayer will open the breakthrough for The Journey to see hundreds, if not thousands, walk through our doors for us to minister to. I (we) need to connect to the Living God not just daily, but throughout the day, and pray for His kingdom to come. Jesus said in Luke 11:1-13 that if we would persist in our prayers, God would answer. If Jesus says it, I believe it.

2. Discipline
Being an Army guy, I know what it takes to be disciplined. The problem is, I don't think I, nor anyone else, equates success in ministry and church to being disciplined. However, there is an absolute necessity to be disciplined in our thoughts and our actions. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great teaches that a culture of discipline is required for any organization or leader to make the jump from simply being good to being great. What does discipline look like in a church? That is one of things we are wrestling through right now amongst leadership. A few things it could be: starting services on time and ending them at the time you planned, planning enough in advance that communication can be better, ensuring people are contacted who fill out passports and follow-up with them, be on time to meetings, be prepared for meetings, and many other things. I feel this is as important for me as it is for the church. God is challenging me to become more disciplined in my thoughts and actions.

3. Disrupt the Status Quo
Everywhere I turn, every book I read, and every mentor I speak with, one predominant thing keeps emerging: if you want to make a difference and lead a church that is making a difference, you have to disrupt the status quo. The status quo is our comfortable and predictable religious motions we grow accustomed to in churches. Disrupting the status quo involves: preaching sermons that challenge people, maybe even makes some people mad, calling out inappropriate behaviors that poison a church and relationships, demanding a culture of discipline, challenging people to not just be Sunday morning Christians, and many more things. Challenging the status quo means that we are willing to do anything except for sin to reach people for Christ and see the Kingdom of God advance. We are not complacent to just be good ministers or a good church. We want to ignite a Jesus movement in this region. We want to reach thousands for Christ. This will take disrupting the status quo and calling everyone to live for something bigger than ourselves.

Jesus for President

We have just elected our next President of the United States. Barak Obama will be the 44th President of our great nation. I know there are many people excited about this (just look at what the crowd in Chicago was last night) and I know there are many people disappointed and worried. This campaign has done something amazing. My eyes have been opened to the condition of our world and our church. Political parties have replaced the church as the agent for bringing change. The church not only is to blame, it has excepted this. Today's church believes that the Republican Party is the party that represents Christians. Today's poor and middle-class believe that the Democrats are the party that supports their causes and needs. Political parties have one agenda: their own. If we believe that any party is "the party" that represents groups and beliefs, we have bought into their marketing scheme. Political parties are interested in securing votes, not upholding Christian values or helping the poor and sick. These parties have done an amazing job of convincing Americans that they represent their ideals; however, I do not buy it.

This political season has opened my eyes to some realities that the church must fix. It has opened my eyes to the condition of our nation. We put our hope in Presidents and legislation rather than Jesus and His Church. Is government bad, no. Is it needed, sure. It is the hope of the world or our nation, absolutely not. That distinction belongs to one person: Jesus.

In the weeks to come, I will be preparing a teaching series that will show some things that I believe God is showing me regarding our 21st century reality. I want to challenge Christians and non-Christians alike to see the role of Jesus and His Church differently than it is currently viewed. I want Jesus to once again gain His rightful place as the only hope of nations. Jesus for President. I think it has a ring to it. I think it offers more hope than every other person and party who claims they can fix our world.

Phillip Fulmer and the Kingdom of God

Well I can't believe it. The University of Tennessee and Phillip Fulmer have agreed to part ways. Yesterday Fulmer resigned at the desire of the administration and fan base. I felt bad for him as he cried and gave his remarks. You could see a genuine love for what he did and for the university. Though he was sad, the decision was the right one for the future of the school. His love and commitment were not enough in a competitive driven profession. His skills and abilities no longer were enough to get the job done. He won a National Championship in 98' and won over 150 games in his career, but over the last eight years he has struggled to produce what he did in his first nine. The mission of the UT football team was bigger than one man. The mission will go on long after him.

The same is true for the Kingdom of God. The mission is bigger than one man. It will go on after us, it has been for over 2,000 years. Every person in the Kingdom of God has a significant role to play. All of us are expected to give our skills and abilities to the advancement of the Kingdom. We are all expected to pour ourselves and our hearts into the mission in such a way that it evokes passion, just like Fulmer did with Tennessee. However, the mission is not about us, it is about Jesus. The mission cannot stop because of one man, it is bigger than that.

My prayer: God allow me to serve in your kingdom effectively for as long as I can make a difference.

Question: Do you think it was wrong for UT to make former resign or was it the right decision?

Crazy Enough to Believe It

I'm just crazy enough to believe it! I really believe that the Journey can reach thousands of people across Middle Tennessee. Not only to do I believe it, I'm expecting it. God has given this church a vision that is way bigger than ourselves. It is a vision that will take more than a few talented people to become reality. This vision will require normal everyday people to seize divine moments and believe that God is going to use their lives for something incredible.

I believe in the next several years, we are going to be ministering to several thousand people every weekend in our services. I see a church that will have hundreds of small groups meeting all over Wilson County, Davidson County, Trousdale County, Rutherford County, and Sumner County. I see a church that is sending hundreds of people across the country and overseas annually for missions work. I'm seeing people who are currently working at jobs they like give their lives to the mission of serving God vocationally. I'm envisioning a church that is known throughout the community for its service and love. Most importantly, I'm seeing a church that the lost, hurting, and broken are flocking to and they are surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ. I'm seeing Sundays in which hundreds at a time are being baptized and making decisions to follow Jesus. It may not be where we are now, but I see it.

Walt Disney died five years before the opening of Disney World in Florida. When they opened, one the high-up executives said, "I wish Walt would have seen this." The response from his colleague, "He did, that's why its here!" I see it Journey Church and I'm crazy enough to believe it!

Sunday Evening Reflections

WOW! What a day! We had two great services today. We had a TON of guests at church today (including the family I did the funeral for). We are almost finished with the Shattered series and it has been really good. I feel this had been impacting to people of the Journey and there is much to digest and apply to our lives.

We have some BIG things going on right now. We are honing in on the dates for the Providence Campus launch and many other plans. We had a great meeting last week with the church at the "business meeting" to discuss moving to one service in preparation of being at two campuses. We have some details starting to emerge from the conversations we had within the groups at that meeting and meetings within leadership; the details will be finalized and communicated VERY SOON.

We have a HUGE event coming up in two weeks. November 16th on Sunday evening we will be having a Volunteer Celebration, Chili Cook off, and our annual Journey awards. You do not want to miss this event, it is the biggest event of the year. Lot's of laughs, maybe some tears, and a great time!

God has plans for this church that surpasses our wildest imaginations. We journey forward.

This Weekend @ The Journey

We are going to be in Week 4 of our Shattered series this week. I'm going to be talking about "Releasing Our Grip." The theme of the topic is forgiveness. Forgiveness had massive implications on our lives. We think we know forgiveness, but I think we fail to see the full scope of its power. Join us this weekend for a new perspective on the power of forgiveness.

Also, we have been learning some new songs in worship. We have a lineup of songs over the next several weeks that you are going love. Make sure to be on time so you don't miss any of the worship time.

Last note: We are starting a new series on November 16th called: Love Sick. This is going to be a series on relationships. You definitely want to invite people you are investing in to this series. It is going to be a lot of fun. We need you to submit photos of you and your spouse this week and next. These can be digital or print. The pictures can be wedding, dating, or recent pictures. These will be used for the bumper video each week before the message.

God Moments

Today I'm conducting a funeral. I received a phone call from a person in the church who is a friend to this family. The family is a sweet family; however, they had no church to rely on during this time. I was asked if I would be willing to visit the family to help console them. I was called about an hour after the grandmother has passed and I made my way up to the nursing home to see the family. I have to be honest, I didn't exactly know what to say. I didn't know the lady who had passed or anyone in the family. I just began praying for God to give me direction on how to love this family and reveal His love to them.

When I arrived at the nursing home, everyone was in the hall. I asked them if they wanted to step into the room to get our of the busy hallways. When we stepped in, I realized that the lady who had passed was still in there. Needless to say, I was in uncharted waters. My heart just started to break for this family as I realized that this loss had just occurred. I just tried to put myself in their shoes to imagine the pain they must be feeling. I spoke with them about God's love surrounding them and that He is near during these times. I also encouraged them to lean heavily on each other. Then we did something that changed everything, I had them hold hands and start sharing their most memorable moments from her life. They started sharing funny stories, stories that described her love and character, and many more. You could sense a weight lifting off the room as we all cried. This lady deserved to be honored for all she had given her life to. We prayed afterward, and I offered to do the funeral if they needed someone and they accepted.

I left the nursing home that day realizing that there are hurting people around us every day. Some don't have a church to help them through the hurt and to speak of God's love to them. It is crucial that we become the light of the world, because there is much darkness. I was told later on that the moment we had in the room that day really impacted the family. It gave them a peace in the midst of their grieving.

Pray for me today as I try to serve this family at the funeral and honor the lady who played such a large role in their lives.

Handling Criticism

I think I'll let the words of Craig Groeschel from Life Church say it all from his book Confessions of Pastor (p.157-176):

"The truth is, I stink at handling criticism - especially nitpicking, ignorance-based, selfishly motivated, unjustified criticism. I should be able to rise above it. I hate the way it always gets to me."

He continues, "This confession reveals one of my greatest character flaws: I care too much about what people think. I should be consumed with pleasing God, but I'm often consumed with the impossible - trying to please people. I know it's wrong, but it's the truth. When people take their shots at me, I find myself wanting to defend my actions, justify my behavior, or even criticize back."

How do you handle this?

Groeschel offers four insights:

1. Listen - consider the source, if it is someone who truly loves you and isn't driven by personal agenda, then the criticism can be helpful to you. Don't focus on what is being said, as much as you focus on who is saying it.

2. Answer - If you think a response can help the critic understand your position then answer, but watch your attitude. A couple of missing details of the story could help a critic that is honestly seeking clarification to understand better. Just remember to first consider who before what.

3. Dismiss - If you face someone who can't be pleased, dismiss their invalid criticism. What people criticize often reveal their deepest insecurities. Hurt people hurt people. It's especially helpful to understand who your critic is when he or she is emotionally unhealthy or wounded. The jab may be coming from an injured heart.

4. Endure - This is not the easiest, but endurance is critical if you want to succeed spectacularly at anything God sets before you. Whenever you veer off the beaten path, whenever you blaze a new trial, you'll be criticized. Sometimes it will be relentless. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Be obedient. For the joy set before you, endure your unavoidable opponents.

Last thoughts: "You are who God says you are, not who people say you are. Don't try to base your life on the unstable foundation of human opinions, but instead, build on the unshakable truth of God. The truth is your high ground. When you cling to the truth, you can rise above the criticism."

Practicing What I Preach

The problem with most Christians is we don't "practice what we preach." Since I spoke on living life through the lenses of gratitude yesterday, I thought I would share another thing that I'm grateful for that actually happened to me today.

When I arrived at the train station this morning, I had to go to the ticket machine and buy a ticket. The tickets are $5 per trip. As I walked up to the machine to pay for my ticket, a man handed me a ticket and said, "don't worry about buying one, they are too expensive, take this one." I was a little shocked at first and wondered whether or not I should check the ticket for being fake. Then I thought to myself, why would he give me a fake ticket when he didn't charge me anything?

When I got on the train, it hit me: It was a $5 ticket, but I should be grateful for the man's generosity toward me. I thanked God for the free ticket and prayed for God to bless the man who gave it to me. If we look at the little things that happen everyday, I bet we can discover many instances in which we should be grateful. Gratitude is a choice on what perspective we will live with.

What things can show gratitude for today?

Monday Morning Reflections

By the time I went to bed last night I was completely exhausted. I had went to the UT vs Alabama game the night prior and didn't get home until 2am. Needless to say, I was very tired and had a weak voice on Sunday. What I lacked in voice, God made up in power. God once again showed up and touched the hearts and lives of people. The reality is, God is always there, it is whether we are open to allowing Him to shape and change our lives. Here were some things that stood out to me:

* I liked the flow of the service better with our changing of the order of things (I would love to get your thoughts on this as well)

* I thought it was cool to start the service off with Robbie singing 'How He Loves Us'

* Worship was great and the new song 'Breath on Me' was a success

* I enjoyed teaching on the subject of Gratitude. I'm still trying to align my perspective on life through the lenses of gratitude, but it was fun to see people writing down things they are grateful for and sharing it with someone else

* We had two full services yesterday and the energy was great

* I enjoyed having reflection and prayer time after service -- this allows people who feel intimidated by coming in front of the church to still have an opportunity to respond to the message and receive care

* Our "business meeting" went great and we had a great time eating and worshiping together -- we are going to do those more often

It was a great day yesterday. There are many more days like that ahead of us. Do not settle for mediocrity Journey church, we have been called to challenge the status quo and lead the way in stirring a movement for Jesus. That is exactly what we are going to do.

If We Only Win One More...

If the University of Tennessee could only win one more game this year, I pray they win tonight. Tennessee has had an awful season by our standards. There is controversy around firing the coach and our lack of good recruits. The bottom line is: if they beat Alabama tonight and knock them out of the National Championship hunt, that will make our season.

Tonight an upset is going to occur! I will be on the Hill with John Griffin watching it all take place. John is probably going to be crying for three hours on the way back home, but it will all be worth it!

Time with Jesus

I try to spend time with Jesus everyday. I get in the Scriptures daily and pray continuously. However, I had an amazing experience happen to me when I got home...Jesus was in my living room. Really! Okay, Kaleb dressed as Jesus for his school's Bible character day, but it was hilarious. My wife had already been crying from laughter when I got home. He kept going around saying, "Let the children come to me" and "Obey God" -- priceless! Enjoy the pics, we sure enjoyed seeing it live. It is not often that Jesus stops by the house, I felt like Zacchaeus.

This Sunday @ The Journey

Guys I'm excited about this Sunday. We continue our Shattered series this week. It has been a great two weeks so far and this one will be no different. You are going to want to get there early this week...we are starting out of the gate with the song that we did in Week One: How He Loves Us. Come prepared to worship and hear from God. Bring a friend, you never know what God may do in their life.

Also, we are having a "State of The Journey" meeting Sunday afternoon. We will meet at 5:30pm @ West and have dinner together and a time of worship. Following food and worship we will have our business meeting.There will be childcare available after worship has concluded. You do not want to miss this meeting. We will be discussing some very important movements happening right now. We need feedback and ideas about how to best launch the new campuses and will be looking for as many people as possible to be there.

It is a privilege to serve as lead pastor here at the Journey. The best is yet to come!

Authentic Community

I have to take a moment today to brag on my small group. It is a great small group. The cool thing is: it is not great because I'm leading it, it is great because the people seek relationship and transparency. I have been a part of small groups and Sunday school before, but I have never had an experience like this group. The problem with most Sunday schools and small groups is we don't truly desire intimacy. Real intimacy means we come clean about the condition of our lives, thoughts, and hearts. It means we lay it on the table with a group of people and something amazing happens...you find yourself still loved and accepted. This is what authentic community looks like.

We have had some amazing nights in our group as of late. People have been coming clean about broken marriages, struggles with addictions, insecurities, and many other things that they felt they needed support from the group on. This is what Biblical community should look like. This is what it looks like when people get tired of playing Christianity and truly start wanting to reflect Christ's character to the world. God is raising up a people who's rallying cry is: "We want more!" There is so much more, but you have to be willing to go where you have never gone before, with people you have never been there with. If you want to go there, there is a great reward waiting you on the other side: Authentic Community.

What are you Seeking?

What is it that you seek in your daily life? You know, that thing or ideal that you wake up ready to pursue. It could be a dream job, a particular amount of finances, a relationship, or an array of other things. My question is: does God register on the radar of what you are seeking daily? Do you wake up with a hunger to have time with Him? The world strives and hungers for many things other than God, Christians fall into this category as well. I believe God is raising up a people whose primary desire in life is to connect to Him. Their day involves being in the Word, prayer, and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's movement in our daily moments. They are not detached from the world, but they stand out in the world. These people will lead the way in the mist of trying times and crisis in our world. These people are the image bearers of the Living God and their image is magnetic to those around them.

This is why our first step at the Journey in making a disciple of Jesus is to make disciples that are: Passionately seeking God's presence.

My prayer: Lord make me hungry for more of you. Give me an insatiable desire for your presence. Would you make this your prayer and your desire. Allow God to take you through a process of transforming your passions and desires. Can you imagine what it would look like if the church would lead the way in this? I dream of a church that is passionate about the things of God, not just performing religious rituals by showing up to church. Following Jesus and seeking him is a moment by moment endeavor. It begins with the honest question: What are you seeking?

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Psalm 24:3-6