Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.26.11)

I hope your week has been fantastic.  I am so super excited about this Sunday and our final part of the series "Finding My Purpose."  I hope you're making plans to be there.  I believe this story of Esther is one of the most powerful stories in the Bible, and I think God has something to teach us through it.  Plus, there might be a few surprises in worship.  See you there!

Thought for the Week
"Settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land."  Genesis 47:6
That quote is from Pharaoh to Joseph after his brothers and father reunite with him in Egypt.  It's a great story near the end of Genesis.  Pharaoh offers provision for Joseph's family because of what he knows about Joseph.  It's a profound moment.  I tell my boys when they leave the house that they represent Jesus, our church and our family name.  People form opinions about the organizations and families we belong to based off their experience of us.  Are we like Joseph?  Do we give a vibe of integrity and character or is it something else?  It's something to think about.  Of course, the final chapter in this understanding is the realization that what we know about God is because of what we experienced in Jesus.  By knowing Christ, we know that God is forgiving, loving, sacrificial and merciful.  You don't have to worry about whether or not God loves you.  He proved that in Jesus.  The fullness of God lives in Christ.  So, what will others think about Christ when they know us?  What will people think about our family name because of what they've experienced by knowing us?  Will we garner respect and honor to our families, like Joseph, because of who we are?  It's something to think about.

In Christ,

Carter 

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.19.13)

I hope you're having an awesome week.  I'm pumped about continuing the series on Esther this Sunday called "Finding Your Purpose."  This week I'm going to be teaching on what it really means for us to be a part of what God is doing in the world as we look at a fascinating conversation between Esther and Mordecai in Esther, Chapter 4.  See you there!

Also, we're sponsoring a golf team for the Family Promise Golf Tournament on Sept. 30.  This is one of their biggest fundraisers of the year and has a direct impact on homeless families in our community.  You can support Family Promise by giving on Sunday morning or follow this link to support our team.  Just click one of the players and make a donation.  

Here's the link:  http://familypromise.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=5131
Thought for the Week
"Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matthew 6:34

I read bits of a great article by a journalist that was allowed inside access to football coaches at Texas A & M last week during their preparation for their "Game of the Century" versus Alabama.  It had an interesting quote from their head coach, Kevin Sumlin, to his assistants on the Sunday night before their week of preparation:  "Just know that whatever happens, we're gonna be sitting right here next Sunday trying to figure out how to beat SMU [their next opponent]."  Isn't that life?  We want to think that the world will end if a relationship doesn't work out, or that we've finally made it if we could just get THAT job.  We want to think that there are these big moments in life that will define us.  The truth is, there will always be another moment.  Whether we are wildly successful or fall on our face failures in a particular moment won't stop the sun from rising the next morning.  Jesus knew this.  In the passage above, he's trying to teach us to do what we can do today.  Today is in our control.  Yesterday is done.  Tomorrow has too many variables.  But today?  It's in our hands.  Do what you can do today for God.  This day has enough trouble of its own.

In Christ,

Carter

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.12.13)

I hope you've had a fabulous week.  I'm loving the series we're in right now called "Finding My Purpose."  So many of you have told me that you're reading Esther.  It's a book with such rich lessons for each of us.  Keep it up!

This Sunday, we'll continue the series by talking about what we do when there are obstacles to us living out our purpose.  What do we do when there are those that want to thwart us from finding our destiny in Christ and fulfilling our purpose?  It's a serious question that we all need to know about.  Can't wait to see you there.

Thought for the Week"Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16

This morning I had a meeting at my boys school and one of the counselors there said, "Tanner is you."  She went on to talk about how my seven year-old's expressions and mannerisms mirror mine.  This is unfortunate for him, but I digress.  Many of us mimic our parents without knowing it.  Many of our children mimic us.  It made me wonder, though, "I wonder if we remind others of our Heavenly Father?"  My wife recently bought a sign she's placed in our kitchen that says:  Live in such a way so that those that don't know God will come to know God because they know you."  Wow, powerful words.  I fall short in this often.  All of us do.  What if we did mimic our Father.  What if people looked at us and saw compassion, forgiveness, patience, acceptance, selflessness, love and holiness.  When we are truly our Father's child, we can't hide it.  God's DNA is in you.  You were made in His image.  Let us be people that live into that God-given image, so that when people see us, they see Him.  Let us be holy, like our Father.  Let others see us and say, "I see so much Christ in you, your mannerisms are the same as His."  This is what the world needs more of.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Carter 

The Day I'll Never Forget

For many, and rightfully so, today (September 11) is a day of remembering people that were lost.  I recall someone mentioning something to a few us in between classes at Candler School of Theology at Emory University.  I was in my first semester of seminary.  Who could ever forget that moment, day, and week.

Nevertheless, for me, today is a day of remembering people that have been saved.  Four years after that fateful day across our country, we launched regular Worship Experiences at Church of the Way in the cafeteria at Simonton Elementary School.  On September 11, 2005 we embarked on a journey that has been like no other.  Starting a church has by far been the craziest, thrilling, frustrating, draining, satisfying, and hardest thing I've ever done in my life.  New people showed up on that day eight years ago.  A team of dedicated volunteers and a handful of part-time staff had worked so hard in the months prior to make it a special day.  People came in the weeks that followed that we didn't know and that didn't have a church.  Some of them are still with us.  We didn't know where it would take us.

We didn't know that we'd unplug the cafeteria's ice cream freezer one Sunday and have to pay to have the ice cream replaced.  We didn't know that so many people out there were hurting.  We didn't know that we'd still be meeting in a school eight years later, albeit a much larger one.  We didn't know the economy would tank.  We didn't know that some of our core group would leave.  And I didn't know that I'd still think about them...8 years later.  We didn't know that talented new leaders would come.  We didn't know the friends that we would make along the way.  We didn't know about all the babies that would be born (and there's been a lot of them.).  We didn't know about the tears we'd cry together and the pain we'd share.  We didn't know if it would work.

There was just so much we didn't know.  But we knew Jesus, and we knew he'd called us.  Some people questioned me about starting a church on September 11.  I told them that we'd always remember our church birthday.  Moreover, God needed this day back.  It's his day.  It does not belong to death, hate and ugliness.  It belongs to new life, salvation and redemption.  All of us were changed 12 years ago.  I like to think things changed 8 years ago to.  The baptisms, healed marriages, changed lives, and redeemed souls tell a better story about this day.  What a privilege it has been to serve this amazing people called Church of the Way.  Happy Birthday!  It's been a fun eight years.  Can't wait for the next eight!

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.5.13)

I hope you're having a great week.  Our little ones started preschool this week, so there are actually a few quiet hours around here during the week.  I am super excited about the series starting this Sunday, "Finding My Purpose."  I'm going to be teaching on the book of Esther.  It's one of my favorite stories in the Bible, and a book with such rich wisdom for life.  I think Esther can help us find our own purpose as we watch her find hers.  This is a great Sunday to invite a friend to church, as everyone wants to find their purpose, no matter where they're at in life or what their faith background is.  In fact, an easy way to invite a friend is to do so through our website with all the details about when and where, and you can and your own note.  Here's a link: 

http://churchoftheway.nextmeta.com/content.cfm?id=159

Thought for the Week
"Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, 'Today, I am reminded of my shortcomings.'"  Genesis 41:9

Do you know the story of the cupbearer?  He had made a promise to Joseph, Abraham's great-grandson, that he would remember him when he got his job back with the king.  Perhaps if he'd put in a good word with Pharaoh, Joseph would be released from jail (where he had been after being wrongfully accused).  That was two years ago.  Joseph sat in that jail for two more years, and the cupbearer remembered what he was supposed to do.  People make mistakes.  Sometimes, people intentionally try to hurt us or wrong us.  More often than not, people just mess up.  They forget, they don't realize what their doing, and the just make mistakes.  So what is the remedy?  Forgiveness.  If we go around expecting people to be perfect, we're going to live a pretty miserable life.  Forgiveness wins.  When we forgive people's mistakes, whether they were intentional or accident, we are most like our Creator.  We are full of mistakes, and he loves us anyway.  He takes us mistakes and all.  Is there someone out there who's made a mistake with you that you need forgive?  Let go of it.  They might be like the cupbearer and not even know it.

In Christ,

Carter

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (8.29.13)

This Sunday we finish our series called "Coming Home", and we're going to be focusing on "when we're home but not really home."  So, this message is going to be for those of us that follow Christ, but maybe aren't where we once were or should be in our faith.  Isn't that all of us?  None of us have arrived in faith.  We've all got room to grow.  And don't forget to bring Candy Bars for Archer Teachers this week!  See you there!

"Carry one another's burdens."  

Galatians 6:2

There is power in the Body of Christ.  This past Sunday my oldest son, Morgan, popped his head pretty good in what turned out to be a full-contact game of Red Rover in Kidz Way.  It left him a pretty good knot on his head.  I have four boys, so we live in a house full of scrapes, bumps and bruises, usually inflicted by one brother on another.  We had so many messages, phone calls and e-mails on Sunday and Monday to check on Morgan.  It was just an overwhelming example of the power of the Body of Christ.  Some people say they can be a Christian without church.  You can.  You just can be one very well.  In the Body of Christ, we care for each other, encourage one another, challenge one another, support each other and carry our collective burdens together.  We laugh and cry together.  We celebrate and mourn together.  We are the presence of God in each other's lives.  This bond is even made deeper when we join a small group.  We share our lives together and help each other out.  That is what church is supposed to be about.  A church is people.  It's not a building or an institution.  It's a people who care for, love and support each other.  I can't imagine not having that support.  Don't you want everyone to?  That's why we have a burden to reach people, connect them to Jesus, and welcome them into the Body of Christ.  We all need love, support, and encouragement.  We all need to know we're not at this alone.  Thanks to those of you that checked on Morgan.  He's fine and back to terrorizing his little brothers and scraping more knees.  Be thankful to be part of the Body of Christ, and dig in deeper any way you can.

Flash in the Pan

I, admittedly, didn't watch the VMAs on Sunday night.  I'm pretty much a zombie come Sunday nights, so I probably wouldn't remember it if I did watch it.  After hearing of the uproar, I watched Miley and Robin's forgettable performance.  There's been a million articles written about how tasteless it was, how it had racist undertones, how the reaction (or lack thereof) to Robin Thicke's part in the fiasco proves and underlying sexist attitude.  There have been things said about how we've created this with our child-star culture and over-sexualized media.  I will say that we shouldn't be surprised how far people go when we take away lines of morality.  I'm surprised it's taken us as long as it has.  Of course, I've seen the over-blown articles about how this is proof our country has gone to hell and of the sad state of American culture.  Really?  You didn't have proof before Sunday night?  There really is no such thing as common decency when we've decided that no one has the right to tell someone else what is decent.  So, this is what we get.  I'm cool with that.  I like freedom, and I like to think that if the Church can offer people the love of Jesus in a genuine way, then people who are free to choose another way will choose the irresistible love of Christ.

But, when I watched Miley and Robin, I thought the same thing I thought when I saw that Jacksonville Jaguars new football helmet:  "That won't stick."  (BTW, have you seen those helmets?  They're awful.)  We live in a crazy world of communication, fame and media.  But, being famous is a little about being outrageous these days.  Being popular or famous has become about trending on twitter, getting facebook likes, or being the talk of the morning talk radio and news shows.  That's what sports teams wearing crazy uniforms are all about.  It's what outrageous comments are all about.  It's what twerking in front of America is all about.  But it doesn't last.

In the midst of our shot at fame and popularity, we have forgotten about being classy.  Yet, classy sticks.  Classy becomes president.  Classy gets quoted 50 years from now.  Classy is studied and admired.  Classy makes a difference in the world.  Classy succeeds over the long haul.  My fear is that we've forgotten all about the long haul.  The lure of our twitter culture is that we've become obsessed with blowing up the twitter-verse overnight at the expense of making decisions that are far more classy, get far less pub, but will last a beyond our lifetime.  And I think every industry struggles with this concept now.  Do we do what will get us the most pub right now?  Or, do we do what is classy because it's the right thing to do and the right decision for the long haul?

Everyone's talking about Miley right now, but in 10 years, they won't be, and that's largely her choice.  She and Thicke knew how this would turn out in the media.  They chose to make news, which means they probably won't make history.  I don't know that it's always either/or, but that seems to increasingly be the case.