Rearview Mirror

• Biggest crowds I have ever seen at NStar for Labor Day....it was slammed!!  Incredible!
• We closed the August Rush series by taking the Lord's Supper and building the whole service around it.....it was solid!!  The package the team did was spot on and it was just refreshing!
• Remembering what Jesus did on our behalf never gets old
• It was so cool to watch so many people just sit & cry, overwhelmed with His mercy & grace!
• Anne is happy - WVU won & Michigan lost!  
• Mary-Michal had our first football game to cheer for yesterday and she did awesome!!  Her Hoya 6th grade feeder football team won big!
• Casey finished his fall baseball tryouts for Allatoona High and found out he was on the first team!  I am so proud of all of his hardwork - season starts Tuesday!  This will be the FIRST time I have ever sat & watched and not been out on the field coaching......should be interesting!
• We are keeping some good friends of ours kids and enjoying them this afternoon while their mom & dad get some time away!
• Looking forward to the day off tomorrow!!  We are going to hang here at the house - maybe go to the ball field for a little while and swim!
• Finished Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson - what a great book!!! 

Here we go!

• Great creative team day at Red Top on Tuesday! We brainstormed the next 3 series and came out with some awesome stuff!! So fun to be around smart/creative people!
• Met on Wednesday with good friend, Ira Blumenthal, who just wrote a book called Brand You. Ira is one of the leading people in the world in branding and everytime I spend time with him - I leave better! You have got to pick up his book - it is right on the money!
• NStar is blowing it out on the weekends and we are in the process of figuring out what to do next.......some of the ideas are pretty exciting!!
• Met with Alan Riley on Wednesday.....Alan works with 316 networks and is just a great guy and brilliant in the media/streaming world! I always learn so much when we hook up!
• I was able to spend some time on Thursday with Jeff Cranston, pastor of Low Country Community Church in Hilton Head, SC. When we used to vacation in HH, LCCC was where I would attend on Sunday's, and I always loved it! Jeff is on a sabbatical and coming through ATL and we were able to spend some good time together! I know he came to ask me some questions but I left with more than I am sure he did!! He is a sharp guy! My good friends, Todd & Cynthia Cullen, are serving with him now and they are leading the new campus on the Island! Look forward to talking to Jeff again soon!
• Casey started tryouts for the Allatoona High fall baseball team yesterday....it was weird watching and not being on the field! They will tryout again on Saturday and Monday.
• I spoke to the Allatoona Football team for a minute and I will do a devotional for them before their first home game tonight! Should be fun!!
• I am off to enjoy my day off with Anne....a little shopping, some lunch, a movie - all before the kids get out of school!!!
  

Have so much to tell you!

What a week....I have started about 10 posts and I have been too busy to get them finished!! Tomorrow, I will recap the week!

Rearview Mirror

• We had our 3rd week in our "August Rush" series yesterday......this has been a timely series for me & for many at NStar!
• May have been the largest crowd outside Christmas & Easter that we have ever had! The hospitality team had to start finding seats during the first song.....this is crazy!! We have always been the "LA Dodgers" with our crowds arriving late....things are changing!!
• The new Third Day song "Slow Down" was right on the money!! Ryan Williams nailed it!
• Met tons of new people and it was so incredible to hear all of their stories!
• Over 5o went through our monthly membership class....the room was slammed
• 32 people went through the Growth Starts class on prayer
• There were over 400 middle & high school students again....WOW!
• We had a super Management Team meeting early this AM and these guys had some solid stuff that was right on the money for me! Their wisdom is so good and timely in my life!
• A few of us went to Red Top Mountain for a day of "brainstorming" for our next 3 series.....The Kingdom, Average Joe & 21 - Some good stuff was flowing today - I am always blown away at the creativity of our team! There is no doubt I am the dunce on the room but it is fun being around smart creative people!
  
• A little bummed that Casey's tryouts for the Allatoona High School baseball team got rained out.....he is so ready to get out there!
• Started Mark Batterson's book "A Wild Goose Chase" -----quite possibly one of the best books I have read in a long time! You have got to get a copy and read it!! I will post some of his thoughts soon that spoke most to me!
  

Ken Blanchard

This morning, J.R. Lee & I went to a breakfast with the renowned business expert, Ken Blanchard. He had tons of great thoughts but one line I have thought about today was "Leadership is going somewhere"!

He said that as a leader, people are all looking at you to take them somewhere........real leadership is picking a direction, hopefully the right one, and going!! I am praying that I always take NStar the right way!!

Excuses

This morning I am about to head to our business leaders gathering called "Merge".....I love this group because they are people that are out on the front-line in business but they are trying to balance their faith with their daily life!

Today, we are talking about the life of Moses and some of the excuses he gave God of why he could not do what for some reason God thought he could......Isn't that a funny thought, the God of all of the universe calls you to do something but you feel inadequate and think He must have made a mistake!

Little bit of advice from our biblical mentors we read about.....if He calls, save the excuse and give what He called you to do a shot! I bet He knows better than we do!

Rearview Mirror

• Another incredible day at NStar.....heard from our student guys (Brad & Nick) that they had over 400+ students in the AM! Unreal - these guys are knocking it out of the park!
• Marsha, Tricia, Lendy, Terri & Tim (our preschool & elem team) had promotion and it was flawless.....hundreds of kids switching classes and I never heard a word about it - why - because this amazing group of leaders made sure everything was in order!!! They are super!!
• On Saturday - Ruby (women's league) coordinator had over 70 ladies from NStar and some other great local churches training for the fall......WOW!
• Daniel & the band nailed another one yesterday.....they just get better every week!!
  
• We talked yesterday about how the "August Rush" robs us off relationships....so true! I know that when I am in a rush, I do not listen.....especially to those closest to me....
• We had our 14u Titan baseball party yesterday and it was pretty emotional....these guys are going to 7 different high schools and moving on - I absolutely loved every minute I spent with them and their families over the past 3 seasons.......I pray that I impacted them half as much as they impacted me!
• Last night we had NStar newcomers - due to the baseball party running late, I did not have time to change clothes....I was in bright orange swim trunks - a brown youth camp t-shirt and in flip-flops...I apologized to all of our folks that were there but no one seemed to really care - in fact one guy said, "that is why I love this church!!".....Steve Roach on our staff said it was pretty comical to see me up there answering a pretty deep theological question looking like I just left the beach!! Just the thought of me answering a deep question is funny in itself!!
• Roach & I just got done writing the sermon for this week! We wrap up August Rush talking about "interruptions"....
• If you wondered who the famous person was that sat next to us at lunch last week, it was Jeff Franceour....you will have to listen to the podcast to hear the whole story....still makes me laugh!!
• I heard yesterday that Cedarcrest Church doubled their crowd when they moved to Allatoona High School!! I am so excited for these guys - George Wright (Lead Pastor) has a great group of folks there!! Way to go!
  

Random thoughts

• First week of school is over.....Casey & Mary-Michal survived going to High School & Middle School.......!! I am really proud of them!
• It has been a pretty crazy week at NStar - lots of lessons I have learned
• I am so proud of your team - nothing unites a team like a little heat and I am so proud of our guys for sticking strong & together!! I would go to war any day with this team!! I love them more than they will ever know!
• Had a great future planning meeting on Thursday - these guys are studs and challenge me a ton! We have some cool stuff ahead!!
• Met with the local pastors who are doing the "Kingdom" series with us in September - this is going to be incredible!! More to come! What a great group of men - seeing 10+ churches come together is going to be cool!
• Today, Anne & I had the day off and went to IKEA shopping (her trip) then went to Houston's to lunch.....special day for us getting our Friday's back with the kids in school! We were eating when someone sat down beside us that caused Anne to lose her appetite and get a little fidgety......come to NStar Sunday and hear the whole story - pretty funny!!
• Tonight - Allatoona had their first football scrimmage and looked good overall! I was so proud of Coach Gary Varner and his coaching staff for pulling all of this together! I am looking forward to being their chaplain and getting to know the team!! I have to admit, I am a baseball guy but this will be fun!
• Just saw Phelps win again - He is the man - move over Jack Bauer!!
  

We'll take it

Saw an article today on Drudge Report about a church in FL that would not accept giving from someone who won the lottery.........To recount what I heard Dr. Falwell say at Liberty a ton of times when asked if he would take money from someone who had won the lottery or gotten it in another fashion, he would always say, "Of course I would, the devil has had that money long enough"!!

See article below....

Living the August Rush

This past Sunday we began our new "August Rush" series......This week I am living the series - no matter how hard you try to slow down and get a handle on this time of year, it is tough!! With two kids in two different schools in different locations, you have to do your best to divide & conquer!

We all live with this tension of balance....this week my goal is not to procrastinate the big things but focus on them and let all of the other things fall in as they can!! Nothing like trying to live what you teach.........sure is easier to teach it than live it!

Rearview Mirror

• Great back to school Sunday at NStar!!  
• We prayed over teachers in both services (both rooms) - there are tons of teachers that come to NStar - I love that!!!  These people are on the front lines!
• We totally flipped our services today with an opening video and coming out with "I stand amazed" - it was STRONG!!!  Great to switch things up!
• One thing we talked about today that is so true - we "procrastinate" the things in life that are most important when life gets in a hurry!
  
• Closed service with "Stop & Stare" by One Republic - our new guy, Eric Abney, nailed it!!
• I have chilled this afternoon and I cannot believe that summer is over & school cranks up tomorrow!!
• Watching Olympics tonight (Anne loves the Olympics).....if she loves it - it is good for me!!
• Great weekend start to August Rush!

Stuff

We had a great last blast of summer yesterday.......We left out early in the AM and went tubing down the river in Helen, GA! We had a blast and just enjoyed the time and enjoyed each other!

I am a little sad that summer is over for the MM & Casey....the two of them going back to school means they are one year older and not little anymore!!

This past week when Bill Purvis was with our staff and shared some incredible lessons that he has picked up over 25 years - his lessons were right on the money! It is so refreshing to learn from people who are on down the journey from you and can pass on wisdom!!

NorthStar Leadership

We kicked off our "Leadership Training" for our NStar staff & other church planting friends from the area on Wednesday! This is an incredible time for us because we bring in an high octane leader ,once a month, who can help us sharpen our skills in a ton of different areas! Dr. Bill Purvis from Cascade Hills in Columbus kicked us off in a big way and I know for me, threw out some stuff that I needed to hear!!

Randy Elster on our team captured his notes - hope you enjoy!!

Rearview Mirror

• Had a great time on Saturday with my family at our house!!
• Super Sunday again at NorthStar - hearing people start cheering when we showed the baptism video from last Sunday night was so cool!
• We talked yesterday about being generous people and what that looks like in every area of our lives - when we want God to meet our "needs" He is waiting on us to meet others needs.....
• Met last week with a young lady who 3-4 years ago met with me to ask me if she could join but not be a Christian......never had that question before! After letting her know that would not be possible and what she should do going forward.....she has stayed all of this time and just recently met Christ and began a relationship with Him!! Pretty cool story that I am so glad that she took the time to come & tell me the whole story!
• NStar campus is FULL of teachers today as they prepare to get ready for the students next week! Just spoke to about 150 "Cobb County Staff" and thank them for the investment they are making in kids lives! The plug they gave NStar was huge......you could not pay for that kind of advertising!
  
• This is grill week - we have teams going all over Cobb cooking for schools & teachers and welcoming them back for the new year! I will be at Big Shanty Elementary today! Visit our website and or go to NorthStar in the Community to see what all is going on!!
  
• We do this to "Show God's love in such a way" and build relationships with tons of people who are daily influencing our children!! We have been blessed to reach unbelievable amounts of teachers through the years!!

Another great note on Skip

Here is a great post from Alan Riley about the passing of Skip Caray......

A voice that will be missed!!!

I will never forget the words across the TV......."Braves win....Braves win.....Braves win" from Skip Caray as Sid Bream slid across home plate to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to clinch the National League!! I never dreamed growing up as a life-long Braves fan that you could become so attached to a voice calling a game. You see, growing up in Fayetteville, GA there was not a whole lot to do in the summer, so we spent virtually every night either listening to Skip & Pete on the radio or on Channel 17.

The Braves were awful during those days in the 70's & 80's and were out of contention most years by the All-Star break. Skip & Pete would banter about nothing and I felt like I knew him and could close my eyes and see the game through his voice. I am so glad that Skip & Pete both got to be a part of a Braves World Series Championship in 1995!!

I just saw posted on AJC. com that Skip had passed away in his sleep here at his home in Atlanta. Thanks Skip for your love of baseball and your love of the Braves and for all of the stories that you passed on to me as a kid that I now pass on to my own son who has grown up listening to you as well!! I am going to miss your voice - it took me back every time I heard you!!

Family

Tomorrow, we are celebrating all of the summer birthdays in our family with a party at our house!! I can't wait to see everyone and just enjoy the day!

One more week of summer before school cranks up - I cannot believe that the summer has gone so fast! I know a ton of people are ready for their kids to go back but we LOVE having ours home and it is nice not arguing over homework!

We wrap up our "Meet Joy" series on Sunday with "Come Hungry Leave Happy!" We usually want God to meet our needs but Paul teaches in Philippians that we create an area for God to fill when we are generous with what He has blessed us with! I am praying that NorthStar will continue to be generous church with what God has blessed us with!!