Archive - February, 2008

It’s been a week of planning and recuperation

February 29, 2008 in Church Related, Leadership with 0 Comments

This has been a good week for me. I have preached 18 out of the last 19 weeks and I was getting a little behind on some administration and planning. I was also getting a little run-down physically and emotionally as well. I appreciate Sam stepping up to preach this week. I actually get a longer break because Ken Freeman is in town and will speak at Cornerstone the next week. Ken will be in town for 5 nights doing a big community event that is being sponsored by numerous local churches. I will be pretty busy helping with that and then I will go to the Unleash conference. Since that week will be so busy, I have asked Todd Shaw to speak at Cornerstone. So all together, I have three weeks to get caught back up.

I will be focusing on several things.

  • I want to get a long range sermon plan done. I already have about 5 different sermon series that I would like to plan out. I want to get together rough outlines and main points so that we can start creatively planning the rest of the service.
  • I want to spend some time working on processes. Most problems we have in church are due to not having a clearly defined process. I will be looking at everything from our children’s checkin process to handling benevolence needs to following up with visitors.
  • I have about 4 books that I want to read in the next few weeks. I finished one yesterday, so 3 more to go.
  • I want to read my Bible more than I have been. I have been reading mostly for study, not for devotion.
  • There is still a lot of work and decisions that need to be made for the building downtown, so I will be spending some time on that as well.
  • Encouragement: we all need more of it. I want to spend some one on one time with many of our leaders to encourage them and help them.

As a leader, I want to do everything I can to position our church to have the greatest impact. It’s all about seeing lives transformed, marriages healed, addictions broken, and God glorified. I’m already feeling rejuvenated not having to prepare a sermon for this week. I love teaching and preaching but it does take a lot out of you physically and mentally.

I Need A Cool Blog Header

February 29, 2008 in Technology with 1 Comment

Any ideas? The blog looks a little boring and sterile right now. I need something across the top of the page. I might have to photoshop something, but I can’t decide on what direction to go. Drop me a comment if you have any ideas.

U2 in 3D

February 28, 2008 in Book and Music Reviews with 0 Comments

Jenni and I went to Dublin yesterday and on our way back, we stopped by Wytheville to see the new concert movie U23D. It was amazing to watch a concert in 3D with a great sound system at the movies. The movie was really just the concert with no behind the scenes backstage footage, but the concert was awesome.

It was a little weird since we went to the 5 o’clock show and only two other people were in the theater to see the movie. I think it would be really fun to see in a packed theater with everyone on their feet and singing along. With the whole 3D feel of the movie and the crowd, it would have really felt like you were there. I’ve been a big fan of U2′s music. I really think that most modern worship music has been heavily influenced by U2′s sound. Anyway, below are a couple of previews about the movie from youtube.

The Real Deal With Ken Freeman

February 27, 2008 in Church Related with 0 Comments

Get ready to hear Ken Freeman at Cornerstone. A group of local churches is bringing Ken to town to do a 5-night event for the community. The info is below. He will be at Carroll County High School March 9th, 10th, and 11th. He will then move to Grayson County High School on March 12th and 13th. Ken is an incredible communicator who has a powerful testimony of how God has rescued him.

Ken will be preaching at Cornerstone on Sunday morning, March 9th at 10am, so please plan now to invite your friends and family. Our newly formed young adult praise band will also be opening the service on Tuesday night at Carroll County High School. If you are interested in helping out, please let Mike know. They need help with merchandise, parking, counseling, and greeting each night of the event. Last year numerous teens and adults made decisions for Christ, so please be in prayer for this year’s event. And I love the lineup they have each night. Only in Galax can you have a bluegrass band, a professional skateboarder, and a bodybuilder all appeal to the same group of teens. Awesome

You can find out more at http://kenfreemanministries.com/

Click on the picture below to see a larger version.

Has eBay lost its appeal?

February 26, 2008 in Technology with 5 Comments

This post hurts me to write. I used to be a huge fan of ebay. You could find so many good deals on so many different products. But for the last year, I have only browsed ebay a few times and every time I do I get disgusted. Why? Because the site has been taken over by professional ebay dealers. When ebay first started, it was for everyone. The bidding was fierce and the tensions were high. You could get some really good deals if you knew what to look for.

Now it seems like every item has a starting bid above what you would pay new for the item. Almost every item I have looked at is sold by a big dealer. ebay has turned into a giant flea-market with very few good deals. Instead of individuals selling stuff at good prices, it is now big business.

What does that have to do with church? How many churches have fallen into the same trap. What starts out as a group of individuals who are entrepreneurial and have a vision, sadly turns into big business with a group of career professionals calling the shots. Unfortunately, it happens all too often.

Dealing With Loss

February 25, 2008 in Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

This past weekend was extremely rough on our local teens. Two tragedies in one weekend. A student in Carroll County committed suicide and another student in Galax died after battling a heart problem. Most of the teens in our youth group knew both. In a small town, even if you don’t really know someone, you typically know who they are. Our youth group meeting was very somber and reflective as the teens talked about the weekend. We prayed for the families and friends, and we prayed for the opportunities God would open up through this. No matter how many times I have talked about loss or even experienced it with youth, it never gets easy. Never.

I have learned what not to do. Don’t have all the answers – people experiencing loss don’t want to hear the same patronizing answers. They want to know you care. In many situations, we simply cannot understand why something happens. Trusting God means that we won’t always have the answers.

I have also learned what you should do. Go out of your way to show compassion. Make a phone call, send a note, send an email, give someone a hug, just show up and listen. And most importantly pray for God to give you strength and pray for opportunities to point people to God.

Great Video on Temptation

February 25, 2008 in Book and Music Reviews with 0 Comments

I blogged last month about a book I had just finished reading title Going All the Way. It’s a great book by Craig Groeschel about preparing for a marriage that goes the distance. I saw this little video on YouTube about the book, so I had to share it with you. They showed this at Catalyst and everyone about jumped out of their seats because it was loud. You’ll just have to watch it and see what I’m talking about.

Straight Street in Roanoke

February 25, 2008 in Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

There is an interesting article in the Roanoke Times today about Straight Street. It is a Christian teen center in Roanoke that has made a huge impact. Check out the article here. They have a facility in downtown Roanoke that is open to teens on weekend nights. They are really reaching some teens that everyone else has given up on. Below is a video of some of their activities. Hopefully we can get some ideas for Galax from what they are doing.

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