Feb
04
Weekend Recap
By · CommentsThis past Sunday was off the chain in 10:55 (our contemporary service)! Over the course of the weekend, our students had their annual Disciple Now weekend. Our student pastor, Frank Vaughn, did a GREAT job putting the weekend together. The theme for the weekend was “Encounter.” We certainly encountered God throughout the weekend, and especially on Sunday morning. The worship leader for the weekend was Carlos Whittaker, the communicator was Anson McMahon, and they stayed to lead 10:55. Carlos is a tech/blogger/worship leader extraordinaire. He released his first album on iTunes this week…go buy it! It’s awesome. You can also read Carlos’ blog by clicking HERE. Anson is the student pastor at 12 Stone church in Lawrenceville. He is a gifted communicator that BROUGHT IT all weekend long.
I’ve put together some video of the worship and message from this past Sunday. Carlos, I apologize in advance- it’s not Buckhead quality, but it still shows how awesome Sunday morning was. Thanks so much for being here with us Carlos and Anson!
Worship: Jesus Saves
Worship: Everlasting God
Worship: Mighty To Save
Message: Suffering Well (note:due to audio problems, this video picks up about 10 minutes into the message)
Jan
27
Kudos to the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention)
By · Comments- I’m 31 years old. For 31 years, I’ve attended or served in Southern Baptist Churches. I attended a Southern Baptist Seminary. During my college years, I had to examine the question of WHY I was a Southern Baptist. During my childhood, the answer was simply because that was where my parents took me to church. As I became an adult, that childhood answer was no longer sufficient. As I studied and prayed about the answer, the 3 main reasons I continued to serve in an SBC environment were #1: the commitment to God’s Word, #2. the commitment to missions, #3. the autonomy of the local church (simply put, even though you align with the denomination, you are not “forced” into any literature, programs, etc. and are free to lead your church as God leads). All that said, there were many areas on the periphery of ministry where I did not agree/had concerns with the SBC. To be quite honest, there are still areas where I have concerns. But I will go on the record and say that as of late, I have been very encouraged with some of the things the Convention is doing.
- The SBC recently unveiled the GCR (Great Commission Resurgence) which contained some pretty encouraging things. I’ll highlight a few points that I found particularly encouraging:
- A commitment to church planting. One conviction that I hold fast to is that every church should be a life-giving church. New churches with new methodologies are essential in reaching new people. Every church has to be a part of that process. The GCR states, “We long to see a Convention where every church is a church planting church in its unique Jerusalem, its Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.” Each community is unique, and will require unnique churches to reach the people that live there.
- A commitment to love. Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment was to love God and to love people. I loved this statement in the GCR: “We believe too many of us have lost some of our love for God and others somewhere along the way. This has devastated our witness. If we love Jesus as we should, we will love sinners as we ought and pursue them as He did. Though we believe that God calls believers to speak out against moral ills, this must not be done in a way that is hateful toward unbelievers or trades gospel priorities for political influence.” As pastors/believers, our job is to speak the truth. But it must be spoken in love. We have to build healthy, loving relationships with people and leverage those relationships to help people become closer to God. It’s hard to love someone and invest Jesus into their lives when you are boycotting them. I was very encouraged to see this.
- Major on the majors, minor on the minors. Some of my concern with SBC life over the past several years was an inability to focus on the majors of the Gospel because of an intense focus and constant banter on minor theological/practical issues. The GCR states, “The promise of the Conservative Resurgence was that eventually we would find enough common biblical and theological ground that we could focus on the Great Commission…as we attempt to discern the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary issues….” Getting back to the main issues of the Gospel, missions, love, and the hope of Jesus changes the focus of the convention from dissecting words and splitting hairs to acting out the love of Jesus. Speaking of tertiary issues, I was sort of hoping they would also mention quarternery issues.
- A “Committment to Methodological Diversity that is Biblically Informed.” In laymans terms, it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to speak timeless truth in contemporary methods. It’s okay to do things that have never been done before. The GCR went on to state, “In the past, Southern Baptists were characterized by a remarkable uniformity in both style and substance, but those days have long passed. Though we must remain united in substance, we must embrace a healthy, biblically informed diversity in our methodology if we are to effectively evangelize North America.” Wow! This is one of the healthiest statements I’ve ever read from the SBC. Although the Gospel NEVER changes, the way we present HAS TO. Why? Because culture changes.
- And on that note, I am excited to see that the SBC is making a conscious effort to invite young pastors and leaders to be a part of the process and dialogue. The GCR task force (fancy Baptist term for committee haha) is made up of an extremely diverse (in a healthy way) group of leaders across all ages and ministry styles. Also, I was blown away (in a good way) to see who the SBC Pastor’s conference was bringing in to speak this year. They’re putting their money where their mouth is and bringing in well-known and admired pastors who are reaching people through cutting-edge, “diverse-methodology” means. Pastors like Andy Stanley. Francis Chan. Matt Chandler. David Platt. Tony Evans. Wow. Click HERE to view the speaker line up for the conference. Color me impressed.
Jan
21
How You Can Help Haiti
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- Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourself. Our neighbors in Haiti are really hurting right now. So many people I know are heartbroken for Haiti. They want to help, but for some it’s been hard to find a way to help. There’s several organizations out there that are doing GREAT work right now, but it seems like you have to follow 40 different twitters and 40 different facebook pages to find out what’s going on and how to help. Hopefully, this post will help! As I’ve monitored the Haiti situation, here are some organizations/ministries that you can TRUST with your prayers and resources to help the people of Haiti:
- American Red Cross: I’m sure you’re familiar with the Red Cross. They have a very easy way to donate to the relief effort. Simply text HAITI to 90999 from your cell phone, and a $10 donation will appear on your cell phone bill.
- Baptist Haiti Mission: These folks have had an ongoing partnership/ministry with Haiti since 1943. They have and are currently helping the Haitians with their spiritual needs, educational needs, medical needs, etc. You can make a donation to them on their website, which is http://www.bhm.org.
- Samaritans Purse: This is one of my favorite organizations. If you’re unsure where to give, Samaritan’s Purse is an EXCELLENT choice. Samaritan’s Purse is a non-denominational Christian relief organization, led by Franklin Graham (s0n of evangelist Billy Graham). Samaritan’s Purse (SP from here on out) is offering several ways to get involved:
- If you’re a trained medical professional and want to volunteer your time to go help the victims, CLICK HERE. It will take you to a special page on SP’s website with all the instructions.
- If you want to make a donation, you can donate $10 easily through your phone much like the Red Cross. Text SP to 85944 to make a donation.
- If you would like to make a larger contribution, please visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org. A gift of $45 will allow SP to supply a family with a survival kit that includes a small stove, utensils for cooking, blankets, hygiene items, etc. A gift of $100 will SP to supply a homeless family with the plastic and framework to build a temporary shelter. For you heavy hitters, a $9000 donation will allow SP to install a water filtration system that will serve up to 500 families (a cost of just $18 per family!). Gifts of any amount will help over the costs of the airlifts. Typically, for $150, SP ccan ship $3,000 worth of donated medicine or hospital supplies.
- If you have medical equipment you can donate, please email this address: SReichenbach@samaritan.org. Former Senator and MD Bill Frist has been working with Samaritans Purse, and this is the list of supplies they need:
The hospitals need:
- IV Fluid – Normal Saline [NS] and Lactated Ringers [LR])
- IV supplies – catheters, butterflies, tubing, etc
- Medications
- Tetanus
- Antibiotics – IV and PO (1st and 2nd generation cephalosporins, Gentatmycin)
- Pain meds
- Anesthetic agents
- Ketamine
- Small Fragment Set x 15. (3.5 mm screws)
- Large Fragment Set x 15. (4.5mm screws)
- External Fixators – large size, enough for 150 patients (rods, metal connectors, and Shantz screws)
- Crutches – pediatric and adult
- Casting supplies – casting tape and padding
- Dressings – cling/bandages/4×4
- Sutures
- Spinal needles
- Syringes and needles
- Scrubs
- Gowns
- Surgical drapes
- LMA
- Pulse oximeters
- Portable x-ray
- Digital oral thermometers
- Ultrasound
- Oxygen concentrators
- Anesthesia machine
The 2 largest companies who make these are Zimmer and Synthes.
If you know of places that have even old, outdated sets, please let us know.
- Also, one of the most effective things you can do is to PRAY. James 5:16 tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is effective. By virtue of following many ministries online throughout the disaster, here are five ways you can pray:
- Pray for the people of Haiti.
- Pray for the children of Haiti.
- Pray for doctors and supplies to arrive.
- Pray for basic needs like food, water, and shelter.
- Pray for quick arrival of supplies. Time is of the essence.
- If you attend the contemporary service at FBC, we’re going to spend some time during the service Sunday praying fofr Haiti. It will be special. Please be here!
Jan
18
Sunday Recap: Just Ask
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- Yesterday was an awesome day at church! I taught in the 8:30 service. My message was named, “Just Ask.” Have you ever seen those little Valentine’s candies called Sweethearts? You know the ones that have a little message on them and taste awful? They’ve been around for years. They’re kind of like a Valentine’s Day tradition. I’m convinced they were invented by men. First,the message on them is only two words. When it comes to romance, that’s about all mens’ brains can handle at a time.Second, they give men a cheap way out of being romantic. Instead of actually expressing how we feel about our wives or actually asking for a hug, we can give just give our spouse one of these hearts that says it all, haha. It’s just a gllimpse into our nature as humans. We’re not good at asking. Whether it’s asking that girl out for the first time, asking our parents for the car keys, or asking our boss for a raise, most of us are simply not good at asking. If that’s how we’re wired, don’t you think the same thing is true about our relationship with God? I think most of us are simply not good at going to God with the issues that we face. People are fixers. Women want to fix situations by talking/ Men want to physically fix situations. But in our quest to “fix” whatever situation we’re in, that means we often leave God out of the equation. God’s advice to you? JUST ASK. Ask Him to be a part of the situation you’re in. JUST ASK Him to be the solution. Many times we wonder why the situations we’re in never seem to get resolved. Many times the answer is that we’ve been so busy trying to fix the situation ourselves, that we’ve forgotten to ask God to work and move. James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” Give God your situation today!
- Our worship team at the 10:55 service absolutely nailed it yesterday. Worship was great! Great leadership, plus they played Happy Day. One of my all-time faves. Thanks for all the time you put in.
- On that subject, make sure you thank our worship leaders next time you see them. They put in A LOT of time preparing for Sundays. They do it because they love God and love you, but it still is a lot of work! We meet for an hour each week to evaluate the past week’s service, pray, and creatively plan for upcoming services. They practice about an hour on Tuesday nights, and then get to church at 6:30 on Sunday mornings to set up and rehearse. Then they usually stay for about 45 minutes to an hour after church to break down. Give them a big hug next time you see them!
- We have some incredible worship services planned for the next two weeks. I can’t wait for you to experience them!
- Many of you have asked about how you can help minister to the people of Haiti. We are working on some things, and as soon as we hear some final notifications, we’ll let you know via email.
Jan
14
New Message (sermon) Player
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I added a new feature to my blog today. I’m going to start adding my Sunday messages to my blog weekly. The messages can be found on the right side of the blog under the header, “Recent Messages.” How easy is that? The message from this past Sunday is called “Something’s Missing.” Just like a radio control car is no good without the batteries, there are two essential parts to our realtionship with God. One is no good without the other. This message, based on James 2:14-18, will help you make sure both parts are there and working!
Jan
13
Lessons On Church Leadership, Compliments Of Lane Kiffin
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Last night Lane Kiffin shocked the college football world. Well, in a new way. He has a tendency to shock NCAA fans with off-handed jabs and blatant recruting violations, but this was a new kind of shock. After only a year at the helm, Kiffin was leaving the Tennessee program to return to USC. As a die hard Georgia fan, all the disarray is very entertaining. But if you had a chance to read the article I linked, you could discern that he never really left USC in the first place. In his mind, USC was the pinnacle of all college football. Whatever school he coached, he was going to force the vision, strategy, and style of USC down their throats.
Before we hammer Lane too bad, we do that in church life all the time. I’m sure we all have churches that we admire immensely. Churches like Northpoint, NewSpring, Port City, Fellowship Bible, etc. But the mistake comes when our admiration of their church’s DNA becomes our church’s DNA. Admiration becomes copyright infringement. We copy their sermon series, small group curriculum, stage design, logos, staff structure, etc., all because CHURCH X did it (and look how successful they are)! The reason CHURCH X was successful was because they did what God wanted them to do. When we carbon copy other churches, it allows no room for God to create a unique and successful culture in your setting. I do agree that there is one thing that we should copy from these churches (which I really look up to). The one thing we should copy is their passion. These churches are reaching people because they have a whatever-it-takes attitude. Imitate the passion of successful churches, not their programming. Be unique. Our God is a creative God. Be the church he wants YOU to be.
Dec
07
- I know you’ve all been on pins and needles all weekend waiting for my #1 yearly must-see Christmas movie. Heck, this is one of my favorite movies period. The #1 must-see Christmas movie on my list every year is: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. This year is actually the 20th anniversary of the movie.
- This might be the funniest movie ever produced. I love this movie for so many reasons. It’s become a definite part of our family tradition to watch this movie during the Christmas season, but we quote this movie year-round! Cousin Eddie is definitely one of the highlights of the movie. Cousin Eddie is the bumbling, redneck cousin who doesn’t really fit in and has no filter on his mouth. I laugh just looking at the stuff he wears. Check out the Dicky he’s wearing in this clip:
- I also LOVE the bathrobe he’s wearing in this picture as he empties the sewage from his RV into the sewer:
I keep threatening to show up to a family Christmas function in a dicky or a bathrobe. - I also love this movie because I identify with Clark W. Griswold (played by Chevy Chase). Clark is the patriarch of the family, and loves family events. He always has these visions of family grandeur in his head, but they never work out quite like he plans, usually because he manages to get in the way of his own plans. Like showing up in the middle of the woods to get the perfect Christmas tree but forgetting to bring a saw. Like decorating his house in 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights and taking forever to figure out how to get them to light up. And like putting an advance down on a pool with a Christmas bonus that doesn’t turn out to be a Christmas bonus. Check out “the gift that keeps on giving” scene:
- In honor of my love for this movie, I’m going to have a daily quote from Christmas Vacation on my facebook. If you’re not my friend on facebook, CLICK HERE to add me as a friend and get a daily Christmas Vacation quote!
Dec
02
- My love for “A Christmas Story” goes back to when I was a kid. For as long as I can remember, my brother and I have had a tradition of watching this movie together. In fact, we still do when we get together for Christmas. TNT first aired 24 hours of A Christmas Story as a stunt, but now over 40 million people watch at least a portion of these 24 hours of yuletide bliss. If you haven’t seen this movie, go rent it, or just tune into TNT on Christmas Eve.
- If you like this movie like I do, CLICK HERE to check out a website you’ve got to check out: A Christmas Story House. Believe it or not, back in 2005 a guy named Brain Jones (who apparently even loves this movie more than I do) bought the Cleveland, OH house that the movie was filmed in. He’s turned it into a musuem for the movie. It features a full gift shop and all sorts of paraphanalia from the movie. Check out the website. It’s pretty awesome.
- Without further ado, here are the reasons I love this movie so much:
- #1. As a kid, did you ever want a present so badly you could taste it? But no adult thought it was a good idea? Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder carbine action bb gun for Christmas. But everyone, including Santa, tells him that, “you’ll shoot our eye out.”
- #2. Have you ever gotten a gift from a family member that is ummm……well….tacky, but since a family member gave it to you you felt guilted into wearing it? Check out this scene where Ralphie has to wear a tacky gift.
- #3. A triple-dawg-dare is a powerful thing. This scene seriously tempted me to stick my tongue to the playground pole at Len Lastinger Elementary School. Seriously. I actually stuck my tongue out one time and got really close, but the thought of germs stopped me at the last second.
- #4. Ever say a bad word as a kid and get your mouth washed out with soap? Yeah, me too.
- #5. Just in general , my other favorite scenes are when Ralphie snaps on the neighborhood bully, Scott Farkus, and also when Ralphie’s dad wins his “major award” (the electric leg lamp).
- One last note, Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the movie, is now a Hollywood director. He’s directed movies like Iron Man and Couples Retreat. Here’s a picture of “Ralphie” now.
- Tune in tomorrow for my #1 favorite Christmas movie!
Dec
02
My Yearly Must-See Christmas Movies. #3: Home Alone
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- It’s hard to believe it’s Christmas time already. I LOVE Christmas. It’s my favorite time of the year (not that that really makes me unique haha). I want to put my Christmas tree up in October. I’m the dude that leaves it on the Christmas carol radio station. And there are three movies I must see every year to consider the Christmas season a success. Today, I present you the #3 movie on my list: Home Alone. Yeah, yeah I know it’s Macauley Culkin. But it’s still a great Christmas movie. Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) are hilarious as the best idiotic criminals in any movie, “The Wet Bandits.” I love the scene where Kevin plays the clip from “Angels With Filthy Souls.” You know the one where the dude says, “I’m gonna give you to the count of ten to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property…One…Two…Ten.” I think about that scene every time I have a pizza delivered, haha. The first time I watched this movie (when I was 14), I really wanted to buy some cardboard cutouts and make it appear to anyone on the street that I was having a Christmas party.
- And also, don’t know why I love this line so much, but I love this one-liner that happens when Kevin spills milk everywhere:
- Tune in soon for the #2 movie on my list!
Nov
30
Sunday Recap and Thoughts On The Win Versus Georgia Tech
By · Comments- Yesterday was an awesome day at church. TONS of guests. I just spent about 45 minutes writing cards to those who visited. Awesome!
- Yesterday, I taught in our 8:30 and 11:00 services. As we wrapped up the Thanksgiving Holiday, I taught on the three things that Jesus was thankful for. Do you know what they are? In the New Testament, Jesus was thankful for God providing his needs. Check out Mark 6:35-44. So often, we are focused on what we DONT have. Focus on what God has provided…He’s in the multiplication business. The second thing Jesus gives thanks for in the Bible is for God’s love. Check out Mark 14:22-26. Jesus is having the last supper with the disciples. He knows that as the events of the crucifixion unfold, the disciples will look back and think about their last evening together. What does he tell them? Pray 6 times a day? Memorize 52 verses a year? No…the entire event is about the sacrificial love of God. The third thing Jesus gave thanks for was that God listens to our prayers. Go read the story of Lazarus in John 11. Long story short, Lazarus dies. His sisters think that Jesus didnt listen to their requests to come save Lazarus. When Jesus gets there, he thanked God for listening to him before bringing Lazarus back to life. When Jesus doesn’t respond to your prayer requests in the time frame you want or in the way you want, rest asured He’s listening and is working!
- I had to miss the 10:55 worship service because I was preaching the other two. I really hate that I missed it because we planned an incredible response time and I heard it was really powerful. We had these huge boards that said “GIVE THANKS” on them at the front of the stage. Everyone had a paper plate and a sharpie in their seat. During the response time, people wrote what they were thankful for on the paper plate and went and pinned it to the boards. I heard it was very moving. I am so proud of our team that puts in long hours of planning and prayer to get ready for the contemporary service. Our new student pastor, Frank Vaughn, spoke and I heard he rocked the house!
- I had a little extra pep in my step on Sunday morning since my beloved DAWGS took care of business against Georgia Trek, I mean Georgia Tech. It was a FANTASTIC win considering the season we’ve had, and the season Tech has had. Our running game exploded against Tech. Caleb King and Washaun Ealey (New-shaun haha) owned that game. I loved the message they had written on themselves (Washaun on his eye black and Caleb on his arms): “I run this state.” Mark Richt has taken some lumps this year, but no one can argue with with his coaching ability against Tech. With Saturday night’s victory, Richt moved to an impressive 8-1 against the in-state rival. I’m so excited about the next few years. The only piece our offense is missing is a QB. And he’s not actually missing, he’s just on the sideline redshirting. Aaron Murray is THE FRANCHISE; can’t wait to see him under center. NOt only does he have a cannon of an arm, he has a set of wheels to boot. Our offensive line and running game have come into their own. Wide reciever is a strength, especially with AJ Green. I know Richt has some tough staff decisions to make on the defensive side of the ball. But with a new defensive coordinator and attitude, the sky’s the limit. We’ll be back in the SEC Championship game very soon.
- And let me just close with this: This one was for Uga VII. He deserved this victory. Unbelievably, Tech fans have taken great delight over the past two weeks that our mascot died. Seriously? Some of the stuff that I’ve seen posted on the internet after Uga died was just plain awful. How can any decent person make fun of the death of not only a mascot, but a family pet? Saturday night is dedicated to this dude gloating in the death of Uga VII:
DandyID
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