Catalyst 08

I have just arrived home from Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Ga as I type this.  What an amazing experience.  It challenged me to no end with all the speakers, worship, and the time I spent with some amazing guys.  Leadership is not an easy task!  Catalyst reminded me of the great calling that has been placed on my life as the pastor of Awestruck.  My wife asked me which speaker or talk stood out, and I don’t know that I can place my finger on one particular person.  I can say that the combination of the knowledge and inspiration I was flooded with over the past two days has me in a bit of tailspin right now.  The main insight I walked away with is this:  Everything hinges on leadership!  I have been called to lead, but not necessarily take all the responsibility on my own shoulders.  Great leaders guide their organization in a way that keeps every aspect moving forward by placing the right people in the right place, and then communicating and leading the right people.  Don’t know that I can even make full sense of that statement yet, but I plan to unpack it and begin to let it impact Awestruck in the very near future.  

A very big thank you to Mike for allowing me and Steggy the opportunity to be at Catalyst!  I enjoyed our time together.  You always challenge me to think outside my own comfortable box.  Thanks so much for everything.

Monday Download

1.  I used the potty at a Gas Station that had a Table Leg as a key chain!

2.  Shannon and I spent the weekend @ Hyco Lake and it was a refreshing Get Away

3.  In the middle of our retreat I did one of the coolest weddings I’ve ever been part of.  (Congrats to Chris and Kasey!)

4.  My kids were at the beach all last week, and me and Shannon stayed out way too late every night.  I am trying to recuperate now.

5.  We almost got attacked by one of the largest birds I have ever seen while driving on Friday.  I thought it was going to pick up the Honda and fly away?

6.  Sunday morning at Awestruck was another incredible day!  Lots of first time visitors and God doing big stuff in people’s lives.

7.  We were missing 5 of our set up/tear down team, but thanks to Joe and Erica, we got it done!  Holly came through and handled the presentation and sound.  Encouraging to have folks step up to the plate.

8.  Week 2 of “Phobos” is going to be huge…I can’t wait!  Should actually be able to use our new stage set up this week?

9.  Shannon hooked it up with Pizza Dogs last night for dinner.  That is what we are going to eat in Heaven.

10.  The Cubs have once again proven to me that God has a sense of humor.  I still believe!?

Does anything Scare You?

We are starting a new series called “Phobos” this Sunday at Awestruck.  A Phobia is an intense fear of something that often possesses no real threat of danger.  We will be talking about the fear of Commitment, Death, Intimacy, and Being Alone and we plan to have fun doing it!    

(Big thanks to Ben for the logo artwork and Big Bird for permission to use the song)

 

Do you have any strange phobias?  Share them with us in the comments.

Monday Download

1.  I have not blogged all week and it was a great break.  I am stoked to see my total reads go over 5,000!  I realize some folks get that many a day, but for me it was a huge milestone.

2.  The Chicago Cubs are officially the NL Central Champions!  Can they carry their momentum into the post season?  I believe this could be the year.

3.  Awestruck Church is officially 4 weeks old and getting stronger each week.  God is doing huge stuff in the the hearts of some folks every week.

4.  I am the father of a 5 year old now…I am getting old.

5.  ”Phobos” series starts this Sunday and we are talking about the fear of Commitment.  There might be a big surprise…like an 8ft long, slimy surprise?

6.  We will be adding to our stage design and the way people “monitor” our words and video this week.

7.  Layden played last Wednesday at Greene Street Club and I think they were the best band on the bill!  I love when the guys that lead our worship get invited to do their thing for unconvinced people at the bar!

8.  HSTOS starts the “Bring the Hope” Tour at the end of the month.  See the video below and check out HSTOS right HERE.

9.  I am really jacked up about going to Catalyst next week…I am a Catalyst virgin

10.  The Awestruck team continues to amaze me with their hard work and commitment

Bring the Hope

 

Get more info HERE

Monday Download (on Sunday)

I will be busy and out of town tomorrow so decided to download tonight.

1.  Me and Ryan found a huge sliding board and took a random detour to play like kids!

2.  Micah turns 5 tomorrow and we have been celebrating all week long!  It has been a blast.

3.  Adyson is upset that she can’t have a Birthday until March?

4.  God moved in a big way today at Awestruck Church.  One young man made a decision to follow Jesus and many others made decisions to get their relationship with God in order.

5.  Evan continues to amaze me with his video and Layden is still the greatest worship band around.

6.  My wife and I went on a date Friday night…nuff said

7.  I am pumped about being asked to serve on the leadership team for our association.  Heading for a 2 day retreat in the morning with those guys.

8.  I got to shoot an AK47 for the first time in my life and loved it. 

9.  Our Collision series ends next Sunday.  3 people from our church have been in a wreck this week so we are going to talk about happier stuff from now on.  ;)  Maybe we’ll talk about winning the lottery and see how that plays out?

10.  After three services, I still can’t believe that I get to do this with my life.  I love being the pastor of Awestruck Church!

Micah’s Birthday Week

This has been Micah’s birthday week and we have been celebrating his glorious achievement of surviving 5 long years.  His birthday is not until 9/22, but we decided that we would do special events the week leading up to his big day.  He was pumped to go hear his favorite band Layden on the main stage of the Greensboro Carnival Thursday night.  He thought it was very cool that had set up all those rides and games for the Layden concert.  His party was last night and he proved his rock star status.  Tons of people were there as we pulled up and he chose to run around the back side and sneak up on everyone.  It was a “Knight in shining armor” party complete with princesses and valiant knights.  (I’ll post pictures soon)  He got to choose what we did yesterday and he wanted wings and a playground.  I took the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings and then we proceeded to play!  Everything was great until a big group of Home Schoolers (too big and too old to play on a playground) showed up.   They took over the playground and almost stepped on Adyson twice…Daddy was not happy and I am not sure I represented Christ very well after the second time?  Oh well, they definitely heard me and got the point.  :)  Today is skatepark day so I will be very sore when I preach in the morning.  This has been a great week, inspite of the home schoolers.

The story of 2 very large, very dangerous pieces of Steel

Two things…I love doing extremely random acts of nonsense, and I love overcoming a new challenge!  Yesterday was a day for both.  A friend informed me he was going out shooting his new gun and I quickly invited myself along.  We didn’t know the exact location of farm we, well he, had been invited to shoot.  We missed it completely.  Here is the good news, after we turned around and headed in the direction of the farm I noticed one of the largest playground slides that I have seen since I was a kid.  The kind of slide that has been outlawed and discarded by insurance companies.  I screamed, “Look at that slide!  We have to go back!”.  To my delight he whipped the car around and within a matter of minutes we, well me at least, found ourselves giddy with excitement as we stared at one of the greatest playground apparatuses still existing on the planet today.  I nervously approached the ladder and began my 25 foot climb to the top.  Incredible!  It was well worth the detour to take part in such nostalgic event.  I plan on going back as often as possible.  

Speaking of large pieces of dangerous metal…we finally made it to the farm and began our shooting.  To be clear, I have only shot a handful of guns in my life…Never a handgun and never an AK47!  He had both.  I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled the trigger of the wonderfully manly assault rifle, but I couldn’t wait.  I squared it up on my shoulder and lined up my sights, then pulled the trigger….nothing?  I forgot to take the safety off.  It was a funny moment as I took a deep breath and started over.  Almost as funny as the last shot I took that accidentally hit a power pole, one of the big metal deals that support numerous lines.  Yeah, I hit it square from about 100 yards and the sound it made was terrifying!   We probably should have aimed in another direction?  All in all it was a great get away day for me.  Tons of stress relief and fun.  That dude even bought my lunch after I invited myself and then shot all his amo.

What is your Phobia?

The word “Awe” used in Acts 2:43 is translated from the greek word “Phobos” which is where we get our English word Phobia.  When people on the outside saw what God was doing among the community of believers they were amazed and slightly fearful.  They had to know more about what was going on in there.  As humans we are naturally attracted and intrigued by things that are unexplainable.  I believe that all of us have a desire to be part of something bigger than us.  We all want to participate in some sort of movement that is making a difference.  As the skeptics on the outside of the first church observed what was going on they were drawn in by something bigger than they were.  What was the secret to the number of people joining and experiencing life change on a daily basis?  Community!  The people involved in the church were living out what they believed and sharing every aspect of their life with everyone.  They were deeply committed to living for Jesus and being a part of what the church was doing.  No advertisement, no big screens, no worship band with cool hair, and no high tech presentation software was needed?  Just a group of people sold out to living for Jesus and living in community with others turning the world upside down.  Everyone is looking for something to believe in and people that actually live out what they believe.  That is our desire at Awestruck Church.  We have said all along that we want to grow our church one relationship at a time.  I am amazed by how we are already seeing it come to pass in just a few short weeks.  I’ll say it again, I can’t wait to see what God has in store for Awestruck Church!

Monday Download

1.  Last week was great because I could focus on my message and not running around to get all the stuff we needed to start Awestruck Church.  Less trips to Lowes and Walmart equals more study time.

2.  Nate Gray has the coolest Mohawk I have ever seen.

3.  My family was gone to the beach all last week and I have to admit it was one of the best vacations I have ever had without leaving my house.

4.  Yesterday’s service set a whole new standard for how we do church.  It was the kind of service that I hoped to have by our second month.  I never expected it to happen on our second week.

5.  God’s timing and placement is a great thing to watch in action.  It is beautiful when He uses our preparation and fits it together perfectly with His purpose for people’s lives.

6.  We had about 15 new folks show up for church yesterday and way more return than I expected.  I think the number of people will grow every week because people are excited about what God is up to at Awestruck!

7.  Layden is still the greatest band on the planet and they get better each week.  Evan produces better videos on free software than some do on expensive software.  Our team Rocks!

8.  2 services and 8 days into this deal…I am loving being the pastor of Awestruck Church more each new day.  I can’t believe I get to do this for a living.

9.  If you live in Eastern Guilford County and have not experienced Awestruck Church live, what are you waiting for?  Bring 20 friends and hang out with us next weekend!

10.  My blog hits went through the roof…I had as many reads last week than I got in the last 3 weeks combined.  Thanks for the love and welcome to my new readers.