Ramblings from a Hoodlum Pastor

Eye Opening Facts About World Demographics

This is a long video, a little over 7 minutes, but it's stats are eye opening about the future demographics of our world.  This video isn't a scare tactic...it's hopefully a motivation tactic.

 

Sunday's Sermon Continued...

This amazing video is a continuation of my message this morning. 

I don't know where this orphanage is, but it's 10 times better than the ones we visited while in Ethiopia...really...

Q&A

There are so many incredible avenues for communication; Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.  I use all three & I think every pastor should maximize these communication platforms to their fullest potential to communicate vision & strategy and to build community.  I know... I have a ways to go to maximize these platforms & that's exactly what I'm trying to do. 

I know many of you have some questions for which you'd like to know the answers.  So, I'm going to use my blog to communicate, as clearly as possible, the answers to some of your gnawing questions. 

They can be personal.  You might want to know how I feel about a particular issue or what my biggest mistake in life has been.  You might want to know why we adopted two girls or what I love to do for vacation.   

They can be church related.  You may want to know why we do something we do or why we don't do something you think we should do. 

Feel free to ask whatever you'd like.  Obviously, I reserve the right to answer or hit the delete button (you never know what some people will ask).  So, this is your opportunity to ask any question you want...ask as many as you want...and I'll begin a series of blog posts answering your question.

You can ask by leaving a comment on this blog.  (I won't publish it unles you ask me too...and maybe not even then).  Or, you can email me on Facebook or my regular email account.  So, if you've got a question, this is you opportunity to ask...      

New LifePoint Schedule

As you can see from my last post, lots of exciting things are happening at LifePoint.  Usually, the summer is a down time because so many people are traveling & vacationing, but not this year.  God has blessed LifePoint with phenomenal growth throughout the summer months.  This past Sunday we had over 800 more people than we had on the same Sunday last year.  AMAZING!  THANK YOU JESUS! 

Usually the fall, from mid August - October, is our biggest growth season of the year.  With the growth we've experienced this summer, we're anticipating huge numbers this fall.  So, we've spent a lot of time planning how to better serve the people God is sending our way.  There are two major plans to help us continue to build God's kingdom. 

First, we're planning to launch our new Stewarts Creek Campus September 13, the Sunday after Labor Day.  We're so pumped about the potential this new campus gives us to reach all the new & growing neighborhoods in the Stewarts Creek area.  We're going to ask 200-250 Lifer's to put their YES on the table by being a part of this new campus.  I'll be unveiling the plans soon & asking you to make your commitment.

Second, we're adding a third worship experience at our Smyrna Campus, which means all of our worship times will change.  Our first worship experience will begin at 8:15 & last until 9:15.  This will be good for all you Titans season ticket holders.  Our second worship experience willl go from 9:30-10:35.  Our third worship experience willl go from 11:00-12:05.  I'm asking you to please consider the first experience at 8:15 if at all possible.  We really feel the second & third times will be jammed & we need as many of you as possible to commit to coming to the early service to provide space for us to reach more people. 

Isn't it great to be a part of a church that has to continually make adjustments to make room for more people.  Thank you, Lifer's, for your faithfulness.

 

The second are

WARP SPEED

Summer is supposed to be a time to slow down & relax...not at LifePoint.  Things seem to have kicked into warp speed.  We had a record number of kids at VBS three weeks ago, at Student Camp two weeks ago & also at our first annual Winshape Kid's camp last week.  I'm not sure about the final numbers, but somewhere between 65-85 children & teenagers submitted their lives to Jesus over the last three weeks.  Thank you Jesus!!!

Then, as my last post stated, last week Kyle, Time & I spent Thursday night & all day Friday in Memphis meeting with the senior leadership team from the International Missions Board to hammer out new partnership models that will give ownership of missions back to the church & allow the IMB to potentially send out three times more missionaries for the same amount of money.  Now, that's what I call Win/Win. 

We also had mission teams leave for Brazil & Bangkok on Friday.  And, oh yeah, we have two teenagers already in Brazil spending the summer as interns with our Brazilian partnership.  And, don't forget the Schroder's who left for West Africa this past Friday, not for a mission trip, but moving there to live on the field for the fame of His name.  WOW!  A lot has been happening at LifePoint & this isn't all.

In the midst of the crazy pace we've been keeping at Lifepoint, God did something else that blew our minds.  A few weeks ago, Stonebrook church voted to dissolve & transfer all assets & liabilities to LifePoint.  So, we received 82 acres, about 10,000 square foot of building space & some amazing people who love Jesus & have a heart to build His kingdom. 

We've already started the remodeling & renovation process & plan to launch a new LifePoint Campus on August 23rd if everyone meets thier deadlines.  Our plan at the moment is to call this new campus LifePoint Church: Stewarts Creek Campus because that's the surrounding community.  If anyone can come up with anything better, let me know.       

Ain't God good?  Do you see what I mean by WARP SPEED?  Thank you "LIFER'S" for having a passion for the glory & fame of God among the nations.  I can't wait to see what's next. 

I don't know if my lack of energy is from all that's happening at LifePoint or from adding a two year African girl to Hood mix...maybe a little of both. 

Lessons From a Funeral

This past Tuesday, I attended the funeral of Gabe Brewer, the 17 year old son of Chris & Judy Brewer.  Chris is one of my good pastor buddies that I've shared many gut busting laughs a few tears with over the years. 

I'm usually on the other side during funerals trying to point people to the hope we have in Christ, but this time I was sitting in the crowd praying for my friend as he did an amazing job both talking about & modeling an amazing faith in Jesus.  I've got to be honest, I advised Chris to let someone else do this.  He didn't have to be strong for anyone on this day; he simply needed to be a grieving dad.  But, Chris said he had always taught Gabe that leaders lead & they never avoid hard things.  So, he stepped up to the plate & knocked it out of the park.

One thing that sticks in my mind from the service was the strength of Chris's relationship with his son.  He read a card Gabe gave him a few weeks ago in which Gabe told Chris he was his best friend.  Gabe had also told Chris that he was his hero.  Chris said, in reality, Gabe was his hero because of the strength of his life at such a young age that Chris didn't have until much later in life. 

I truly believe this is  the heart beat of every father & son.  Every son wants his dad to be his best friend & hero & every dad wants to be his son's hero.  I know because I am both a son & a dad.  Since Tuesday, I've thought a lot about this & wondered how I'm doing with my sons & I hope it challenges you to do the same.  My primary job is to pastor & disciple my wife & kids before I pastor & disciple my church.  That's the primary responsibility of every dad.  So, dads, don't forget to hug your kids & tell them how much they mean to you, no matter how old they're getting or how much bigger than you they may be.  A son never reaches an age that he doesn't want to be blessed by his dad. 

Thanks, Chris, for the reminder & thanks for not backing away from tough stuff.     

Friday is a HUGE day for missions at LifePoint

Friday is a HUGE day for missions at LifePoint.  First, Rick & Jeanne Schroder will be leaving for West Africa.  The Schroder's have been members of LifePoint for many years & they've always had an intense passion for missions.  During Sacred Gathering 1, in 2004, they surrendered their lives to serve God in vocational missions.  Five years later, their call is becoming a reality as they leave for West Africa this Friday to live among & serve the Monika people, who are an unreached people group.  Please pray that God will give them a tremendous excitement that will overshadow their sadness of leaving friends & family & their fears of going into the unknown.  Pray that they arrive safely & begin to adapt smoothly into a new & radically different culture.  Pray that God will meet all their physical, spiritual, social, financial & emotional needs as they embark upon this journey.  Pray for their two boys, Luke &  Matthew, to make new friends & adjust quickly.  We're proud of you Schroder's.

Second, Team Bangkok will also be leaving this Friday for their vision/recon trip.  We have two couples, Bret & Susie Cox and Brandon & Crystal Hathcock, one family, Steve & Tiffany Van Dyke with their children Kevin & Leah & two college age singles, Kyle Tanner & my son Seth, who will be moving to Bangkok next year to start Churches among college students & young professionals.  There are over 600,000 college students in Bangkok & less that 1% are Christ followers.  You read that right, less than 1 out of every 100 Thai college students are Christ Followers.  So, Team bangkok is moving to Bangkok to change that percentage.  They leave Friday to spend a week there to get a better grasp on where they're going to live & what they're strategy will be.  Pray for Team Bangkok.

Third, we also have a team leaving for Brazil this Friday.  In the last five years we've sent hundreds of people to minister & start church among the neglected people in the Favelas of Brazil.  We continue that mission this Friday with another team leaving for a week of mission.

Fourth, Kyle, Tim & I leave for Memphis on Thursday to prepare for an all day meeting on friday with Jerry Rankin & the top leadership of the IMB to continue hammering out a new partnership strategy that could revolutionize the way we do missions.  Our plan is for the church to select, send & supervise mission teams to different locations around the world.  The IMB will partner with us by being a resourcing center.  This way, the church can be in charge of missions once again & the mission sending agencies can come along beside & help us get the job done. 

Obviously, missions isn't something we do; missions is what we're about.  It's our ethos.  It's our very reason for existence.  We exist to point people from all nations to a Christ centered life.  So, pray for Friday because it's a HUGE day for missions at LifePoint.        

CAMP, CAMP, CAMP

Just talked with Chris Hollomon this morning & things are off the chain at Camp Whatever.  No one is sick & the one girl who did come home with a fever ended up having a sinus infection.  Our students are having the time of their life.  They've had a huge number of kids surrender their lives to Christ & over 40 students showed up at an announced meeting today to start the process of getting baptized.  I'm so thankful that our staff led well & did all the due diligence & research needed to feel good about sending our students to camp & not bowing in fear to the Swine flu paranoia that's sweeping the world. 

Our students should be home between 1-2 PM tomorrow, but that doesn't mean things slow down.  Our Winshape Kid's Camp starts Monday & we've been told that we have more kids registered for camp than any Winshape camp in the country.  So, pray that God rocks the world of kids just as He has done our Students. 

I love this place...