House

This weekend we will continue our series on prayer and what it meant when Jesus said, "My house will be called a house of prayer". The toughest part of this series has been the guilt in talking about how we should pray when I know there are so many times that I do not live it out that way!

I think the enemy knows the power there is in prayer and therefore he sends any distraction he can our way!

Are you there - do you get distracted easy....push through it, pray!! There is power there!!

This week, we will be especially talking to men.....what if men prayed? What if they led off their knees? Can you imagine??

WOW!

Can you believe that the Hawks just beat the Celtics again???? Unreal!

Big day yesterday!

Yesterday was a big day for a lot of reasons.......

• Another great day at NStar - huge crowds at 11am....we were slimmer at 9:30am and then jammed out in both rooms at 11!!
• Watching people trying to figure out the opener and then realizing it was Bon Jovi "Living on a prayer"....you could see quickly who the children of the 80's were!!! How many Friday's did I leave HS with that blaring on my radio!!
• Continuing our prayer series and talk about how to get a "Grip" on prayer! Good stuff that we can use all of the time!
• My Titan baseball team did not fare as well this weekend - though we did not win this tourney.....I still love those boys!!! We play again Tuesday and hope to bounce back!!
  

Here was the biggest reason yesterday was a big day:

My boy Casey turned 14! I cannot believe that little boy we brought home from Kennestone Hospital on April 27, 1994 has grown up so quickly. Time is flying by and honestly I want to stop it and slow it down. I love this kid!!

We have spent thousands of hours driving back & forth to baseball and the other week he looked at me and said, "This is our last year driving together to Adams Park since I'm going to High School next year".....It hit me - the first time that I only have a couple of years left with Casey before he heads off for life! What happened to all of the time that I thought I had! I looked at him and with tears in my eyes said, "I wouldn't trade one second of the time we have spent"!!

I am so proud of the young man that Casey is and I have no doubt that the plans for his life are huge! He is a better kid than I was and I have no doubt he will be an ever better man!! Perfect.....NO.....great kid....YES!! Last year a teacher from his school caught me in the hallway at NStar and told me that she was there because of how he lived his life at school and how he treated her special needs students and then made the comment, "You say all of the time that you tell your children not to do something that would tarnish our family's reputation" - she then said, "Please don't do anything that would hurt your son's reputation as well" She had come to NStar because of his walk at school and her daughter was being baptized that day.

What a lesson for me and what a challenge!

Happy Birthday Casey - you are blessing to us and never stop being a blessing to everyone you come into contact with!

The Kingdom

About a month ago a group of pastors in our community gathered to talk about life & ministry and pray together. During the conversation, Brian Bloye from West Ridge talked about an experience he had at Saddleback a few years ago when Max Lucado said, "It's not about you."

We kicked out the idea....what if we all did a series together on what it IS about "The Kingdom"! Can churches with a few differences in doctrine really come together to do a series (all the same weeks and the same thoughts)....the answer - YES! We gathered yesterday to begin writing the series and it was amazing!! I cannot wait to see what God has in store & what He is going to do through the unity of the churches! It was crazy that this idea started about a week before "One" came out from LifeChurch.....I think God is up to something big!!

We will take the 4 weeks of September and talk about the big picture of what the Kingdom of God is.....I think it will be an amazing four weeks!! Here are some of the churches already on board:

• NorthStar Church
• West Ridge Church
• Burnt Hickory Baptist Church
• Riverstone Fellowship
• Noonday Baptist Church
• Mt. Calvary Baptist Church
• West Cobb Church
• Piedmont Church
  
• Vinings Lake Church

I know some other guys are looking at coming on board!!! I can't wait.......it's not about me, it's not about you, it's about the kingdom!!!

Believer in Training

This morning I was doing some reading from a book by Charles Haddon Spurgeon that he wrote on prayer & spiritual warfare. We are in the middle of a series on prayer right now and NorthStar and it is part of the reading that I am doing! I ran across a portion of the book this AM that was so solid!! I hope it blesses you as much it blessed me!

Have you ever noticed that whenever God is about to give you a promotion, elevating you to a larger sphere of service or a higher platform of spiritual life, you always get thrown down? That is His usual method of working. He makes you hungry before He feeds you. He strips you before He clothes you. He make you nothing before He makes you something. This was the case with David. He was to be king in Jerusalem, but he had to go to the throne by way of the cave. (p. 109)

Things God wants to teach you:

• Pray

Ps. 142:1 I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

• Always believe in God

Ps. 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who know my way.
In the path where I walk
men have hidden a snare for me.

• Stand Alone

Ps. 142:4 Look to my right and see;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.

• Delight in God

Ps. 142:5 I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."

• Sympathize

Ps. 142:6 Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me

• Praise

Ps. 142:7 Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.

Longevity Pays!

I have been around ATL for a long time....grew up here, been a life-long Braves fan and I remember well when John Smoltz began his Brave career. Tonight he will go for his 3,000th strikeout, which when it is achieved, will place in him in the annals of history! It seems like just yesterday this young kid who the Braves got from Detroit in a trade for a veteran, Doyle Alexander, was getting his Major League career started! There is a not a pitcher (including this old washed up one) that would not dream of getting 3,000 k's in their career! Why don't more fall into this category........talent, maybe.......longevity, a big part!!!

There is not a church planter or church leader out there who does not want to do great things but sometimes, due to tough circumstances or tough times, they are not around long enough to see dreams come through!! I love the guys that have been around and seen the dreams that God gave them realized - it is amazing!! Longevity pays in baseball and in life!!

Way to go Smoltzie!!

What a weekend!!!

• A wedding on Saturday AM
  
• 5 baseball games in 2 days at Creekview High School between Calhoun & Cumming
• Packed house in both hours at NorthStar (all 4 services)
• Watching your people genuinely connect with God and feeling the "thick" presence of God
• Seeing your church partner with your community and the biggest event of the year (Big Shanty Festival) and be so vital in making it happen!
• Seeing a group of 14 year old boys on a ball-field model class & chemistry and loving life!
• Taking home first place in the Mizuno "Grizzlies" tourney and being so proud of the boys your pour your life into!!
• What can I say - it has been a weekend that I will never forget!!

Leadership Network - Atlanta CP Alliance

I was privileged to be asked to attend a Leadership Network pastors gathering here in Atlanta yesterday. The goal of the meeting was to unite churches across denominational lines to really make a difference in the area of church planting!! The info was super but hanging out with some of the great leaders in the room was even better!

It was super to get caught up with Shawn Lovejoy and hear about the tremendous stuff going on at Mountain Lake. I was able to talk a little while to Anthony & Michael from Oak Leaf and hear about what the latest is out of Cartersville! Brian Bloye and his team from West Ridge hosted the meeting and it is always fun to hang with Brian, one of the good guys in the world! We have had the privilege to grow up together in church planting and it is always great to caught up on the crazy journey we have been on!! He is truly one of my favorite guys in the world and I always am challenged when we are together! Also on my favorite people list, Ken Williams from West Cobb Church was there and it was so good to see him!!

Also at the meeting were two guys that I have wanting to connect with; Pete Hixson from Vinings Lake and George Wright from Cedarcrest Church! These two guys and their churches are making big differences in their communities and I look forward to hooking up with them soon for lunch and learning from them!!

The take away from the meeting was that there is a heart in a lot of guys to connect to make a difference! If this can be pulled off - it could be huge!! We at NStar are on board and looking forward to helping anyway that we can!!

Timing

This morning began early with our 2nd Merge business leaders bible study! There were over 70 here again this AM - it was awesome!

We talked about the timing in Mose's life and also the importance of timing in our lives. Our biggest struggle many times in our journey is when God's timing does not line up with ours....do you ever struggle with that....do you ever want to manufacture the right timing and then ask God to bless it later!

Moses jumped out at the age of 40 and killed an egyptian who was beating a hebrew slave (great move - wrong time)....Moses wasn't ready to lead the people out and the people were not ready to go! The timing wasn't right and Moses wasn't right either. He then spent the next 40 years probably thinking he had missed his shot but in reality God was preparing him for his next shot!

I think He does the same thing in our lives - the key is knowing that if God says NO now, it does not mean it is a no forever. Maybe there is still work that needs to be done in us before we are ready to move!

Hard to swallow....Yes
Can we trust God in the middle of our waiting....Yes!
Is God ever late or tardy? No way - His timing is always right!!

Loyalty - great post!

One of the things that I admire most in people is loyalty. When there is loyalty in any relationship there is strength. The sad part is today in our world, we do not see it very often. We have started really honoring the time our staff has been at NStar and it has been awesome - their loyalty to God, to me & to NStar means the world!

I ran across a great post today that you have to check out!! Good stuff by Mac Richard!!

Thanks to....

Today I got to take our student ministry team out to lunch to say.......thank you for the amazing job they do with our students at NStar!! Not only are they all amazing leaders but they are a ton of fun to hang out with!! Thanks Brad, Nick, Lee Ann, Bryan, Sharon, Carl ,Jimmy and Greg & Amanda!! I love you guys!!

After years of doing student ministry - I know the amount of work it takes investing in the lives of 6th - 12th graders and also college students...I don't know of a team in the country that is doing it any better!!! You guys rock!

Take a look at the picture from Thrive weekend of the fruit of this team's work!!

All-Stars!!

The NorthStar team is over the top.....they are head & shoulders above what I can ever ask or imagine!! I have been away for 2 weeks and things are smoking along as usual and we have not missed a beat! Last week Brad Parkhurst & Nick Person absolutely blew it out and did an amazing job speaking live in both of our venue's. This week, Chris Boggess did his thing and of course I have heard nothing but super stuff about his message!

Like a great team, you have to be deep in the right spots and it is so good to know that when you are not on speaking - you do not miss anything and the guys step in and keep it going! Of course our worship team and ministry leaders never let up and every Sunday is done with "excellence" and the knowledge that it is always someone's first time being with us and we want to deliver the best in honor of the One we serve!!

I was able to enjoy being with my family today at a special day for my brother David's twins at he & Nancy's church in Macon. I could never do that if it were not for all of those at NStar who keep it red hot and ready for our new series "House" which starts next week!

Now...after being out for 2 weeks - I am ready to step back in the saddle and get going!!

A team is a good thing but playing with "All-Stars" sure is fun!!

Home

The Spring Break week that we have been waiting for since the school year started is finally coming to a close. I have to admit that I am a little sad but excited about all that is coming in the next few weeks! It has been an amazing week at Destin and we had a blast!!! Here are some of our highlights:

• Tons of sun & time on the beach
• Met a great family (The Ledford's) from Louisville and Casey & Mary-Michal really hit it off with their 3 kids! Super folks!
• Some great seafood!!!
• My cell phone only rang 1 time during the week....that is a record!!!
• 24/7 with Anne always makes for a great week!
• Read some great books (The Last Lecture, Moses & Jesus by Chuck Swindoll, Outrageous-Contagious Joy by Ed Young Jr.) I will be doing some post about "The Last Lecture" book.....it is a top 5 in book reads for me!
• Casey & I went to the ball park 3 mornings and did some hitting & pitching....wouldn't trade that time for anything in the world!
• 3 great nights of putt-putt and I even took home a win which is unusual!
• Had a good time for a few days with my in-laws (Paul & Judy) - they are super people!

We are home now and unpacking from the week and getting geared up for all that is coming!!!

• 
  

Contentment & Pickle

Do you ever struggle with contentment? I guess it would help to define contentment….how about this….enjoying where you are and what you have. I don’t think contentment means that we do not set goals but rather is the ability to enjoy where you are and what you have.

I, for the most part, struggle with contentment. I find it easy that once I reach a place in life that I am already thinking and planning on what is to come and what is next! Do you do that? I will be in the middle of a great moment and my mind immediately goes to the outcome and begins to think about the next step!

We have been planning on going on Spring Break for a month and then we get here, we are worried about the weather and about this or that and not enjoying where we are and what we have! I have passed this sick trait to my little girl and we had a conversation yesterday about just “enjoying the moment” and not always thinking about what is next. However, before the conversation was over, I realized that it was really for me and not for her!

So with a few days left of our trip……I am going to enjoy being here and not thinking about all that is ahead when I get back!!

Yesterday, we played the great beach "baseball" game of Pickle......there was no where else in the world I would rather have been!! We laughed, fell in the sand and created some memories I will never forget!!

Rest...

I don't know about you but one thing I struggle with is resting......Not getting enough sleep but the the kind of rest that you have to let yourself have. I like to stay on the go and stay busy and sometimes I by-pass the rest my body needs....do you ever do that?

We arrived in Destin on Friday evening and we went for a walk down to the ocean, it was foggy and the waves were crazy huge....it was so nice just chill and not be in a hurry. On Saturday it rained all day and we just chilled.....nothing to do - nowhere to be - just kicking back and reading & sleeping and enjoying each other....it was so nice!! I started and finished the book, The Shack.....wow....I don't even have words for that book....I will have to talk about it later!

This AM - Mary-Michal & I (the family early birds) got up and came down to (What-a-burger) to jump on the internet and get caught up with e-mails. Forget Starbucks and other fancy places that charge you to get on-line....What-A-Burger is free!! Great stuff!!

It is supposed to get sunny here shortly and we will hit the beach for the day!! Talk to you soon!

The Beach!

Tomorrow we are taking off for the beach for a couple of days!! I cannot wait to hit the Interstate and head south....there is nothing like the ocean & beach to help me relax and unwind a little. I have to admit that I am toast and out of energy and this trip is coming a perfect time! The best part of the trip will be hanging with Anne & the kids for a few days and just having time to ourselves!! Got some good books and lots of Diet Cokes.....should be a great week!

On a fun note, our Titan baseball team is going into Spring Break (13-3-1)....the guys have played great and we have a fun season left ahead!

Summer Series

We spent some time today working on our summer series which will be through the book of Philippians. There is so much good stuff, I have no idea how we are going to keep it to 10 weeks.

Our normal series is 3-5 weeks but last summer we changed pace and did 10 weeks on the Summer of Love Tour (1 Cor. 13). The great part was that people showed up in huge numbers to stay up week to week but the beauty was each week stood alone so if someone missed, they were not behind! We did the summer as a tour with (tour t-shirts) and some video segments of a group that hit each tour city.....If you want a list of the cities just let me know and I will shoot them your way! North Lanier Baptist will be doing our exact series this summer...that is so awesome!!

This summer the series will be called..."Meet Joy".....it is going to be THE most creative series we have ever done! Without a doubt you will not want to miss a week!! We can't wait for summer....we do not let up, we get tons of visitors in the summer and we want to always be at our best each week!! I can't wait - more on "Meet Joy" to come!