Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (10.21.16)

Hey Church!

I hope you're having an awesome week.  We've got a big weekend coming up!

This Saturday at 9 a.m., come out to Harmony Grove to clean out The Commons to get ready for construction.  We've got to get it totally cleared out.  We'll have donuts, coffee, and juice.

On Sunday, we begin a brand new series called "Surviving the Election."  It's going to be a great three weeks as we look for hope in this contentious political season.  I believe the Church can offer a fresh word into our lives this election.  Invite a friend and see you there!

Thought for the Week
"The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 24:6

I love the story and character of David in the Old Testament.  He's most well known for his slaying of the giant, Goliath, but his life offers rich resources of faithfulness and the frailties of our own humanity.  At his best, David had an incredibly sound perspective in the heat of the moment.  In this passage, he has a chance to kill his adversary, King Saul, in a vulnerable and weak moment.  It will be quick and decisive.  His men have offered to do it for him.  This will put him on the throne and raise him to leadership over all of Israel.  He won't do it.  It's not the right thing to do.  It's not the right way to go about his business.  God has already anointed and called him to be king, but it is not his time, and it should not happen this way.  David won't be controlled by his impulses, "God forbid I should do that."  We are kind of a culture of impulses.  We buy what we want when we want.  We do what we want when we want.  On Demand even allows us to watch what we want when we want.  Isn't it great!  There is very little call for restraint in our world.  But faithfulness to God, trust in God...it requires patience and restraint.  What David is saying is, "God forbid I take a shortcut to my destiny.  No, I wan't do it.  I won't do something wrong to try to get to what is right.  I'll wait."  Every day we face 'in the heat of the moment' instances.  It is so easy to take the easy way out.  It is so easy to take the shortcut.  It is so easy to take the path of least resistance.  Could we exercise a kind of Godly restraint that says, "God forbid I do it that way?"  You won't regret it.  We will most certainly always regret doing it our own way when God demands otherwise.  David eventually became King.  He eventually met his destiny.  God came through in David's patience.  He always does.

In Christ,

Carter r

Everyday Courage

"The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.  A man does what he must -- in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures -- and that is the basis of all human morality...In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience -- the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men -- each man must decide for himself the course he will follow...For each man must look into his own soul."

-Sen. John F. Kennedy, 1956

Profiles in Courage

More than ever, I am finding we are a culture obsessed with approval.  In some arenas, it is more blatant than others.  In this election season, we are bombarded by it because approval is the life-blood of the politician.  They even call them 'approval ratings.'  Can you just imagine how awful it would be for your existence to be wrapped up in an approval rating?  But we all want to be liked.  We want likes and smiley faces on our posts on social media.  We want pats on the back.  My profession, pastoral ministry, is overcome with the desire for approval.  We serve large volunteer organizations, and I don't know a pastor that doesn't want to be liked.

But this is true of nearly everyone.  Yet, approval isn't all we want.  We want security, peace, and to be admired.  We want easy street.  Courage requires a detour from easy street.  That's why it's often so absent.

I am convinced that we need a new generation of courageous people.  We need courageous leaders, courageous parents, courageous coaches, courageous pastor, courageous teachers, courageous bosses, and courageous.  But to act with courage, one has to face the discomfort that follows it.  If nothing is ever difficult, ever costly, ever risky...courage is not needed.

The problem with our lack of courage is that our value is derived from the things we stand to lose should be act courageously.  We like being liked.  We like fame.  We like our security.  We like being popular.  We like that our friends respect us or think like us.  But nothing great will ever happen in this world if people put their need for being liked about what is the right thing to do.  We call that integrity.  We call that character.

For people of faith, there is a deeper calling for courage and a deeper understanding of our self-worth.  The inner urging for courageous action must be coupled with the understanding that, though our courage might lose us favor with others, our favor with God was determined on the cross of Christ.  Our valor is rooted in the undeterred belief that God's love can never be separated for us.  You see, for people of faith it's actually easier to be courageous.  But that doesn't mean it's prevalent.  All of us, even those of us who call ourselves Christians, are subject to the temptation of security, being liked and not rocking the boat.  But this world that needs changing won't be changed by those that are liked most.  It'll be changed by those that exhibited courage for the most noble causes.

Whatever you face today.  Be courageous.  The world needs the most courageous version of you.

Mark Richt & the Conundrum of the Christian Bulldog Fan

145-51.  That's Mark Richt's wins and losses, and I was there for all 51 of those losses.  In the stadium, making the death march to the truck afterward.  From the inexplicable red zone misses against South Carolina in '01 to the walk down Duval St. in Jacksonville this past Halloween night.  And the last one felt different.  I've missed 9 games that Mark Richt coached my beloved Bulldogs, but I was there for every loss (maybe it's my fault -- we always won when I missed!).  What a ride it was these last 15 years.  The Hobnail Boot in '01 and the run to an SEC title that followed a year later, finally clinching the division with the miracle on the Plains.  Finally defeating Florida in '04 and DJ's title in '05.  The miracle finish in the arm of a young Stafford in '06 and the Celebration in '07 in Jacksonville that lit the team on fire for the rest of the season.  Running this state in '09 and winning 10 striaght in '11.  The magical season in '12 including winning the toughest game I've ever seen us win at the Cocktail Party vs. the #2 Gators.  The '13 victory over LSU with Sanford as electric as I've ever seen it and the emergence of this kid from Cedartown in '14.

I saw brutal losses, too.  I don't care to mention them.  I'm trying to forget!  I always believed, though, that we'd be alright.  I gotta admit -- Halloween felt different.

Maybe I see this differently because I'm an old dawg.  I saw Herschel play his last game in Athens in '82, and I remember hearing that Coach Dooley had retired.  I was glued to the TV watching him coach us for the final time in the Gator Bowl.  I remember hearing on ESPN that Goff had been fired in '95 (even though I worked for the team then).  I remember learning that Donnan was out in 2000.  I remember the feeling walking out of Everbank Field in Jacksonville and thinking that this felt different than the previous 50 losses.  I thought I might have just witnessed the end.  I was born into Red and Black and I'll be buried in it.  And it won't much matter who the coach is -- I'll be cheering for him to win.

I want to say something to the Bulldog Nation:  take a deep breath.  I love Mark Richt.  If you don't love who he is and what he's done, well, you don't know much about people, life or football.  We won way more in the last 15 years than we lost, and way more than we had won in the previous 15.  But, Georgia Football is bigger than Mark Richt.  It's been around since 1892, and I've got pictures of Trippi and Sinkwich in my basement from the 1940s.  It'll be around after he's gone.

Mark Richt presents the Christian Bulldog fan with a conundrum.  He's a man of deep faith who truly lives it, which makes him all the more rootable.  We believe him when he says he loves a kid.  He shows it.  Any Christ Follower that is a Dawg fan wants to see him win.  Even opposing fans have to admit he's a great guy.  They even want to see him succeed when he's not playing their team.  He's molding young men, graduating players, running a clean program and impacting players even beyond graduation.  He has integrity and class.  It's about than football for him.  And it makes the Christian UGA fan proud because OUR program is about more than football.  No one wants to see a guy like that get fired.  I wanted to see him get one more year with a stellar recruiting class and a healthy Nick Chubb.  I thought he could win big next year.  But others thought otherwise, and a change was made.

I've seen comments today that of being "ashamed of my alma mater" or "we thought it was about more than football" and "looks like winning is all that matters."  Of course it's about more than football, but IT IS about football, mostly, right?  I mean, listen, I adore Mark Richt, but let's don't pretend he's the only coach impacting lives and molding young men.  Dabo Swinney is doing it.  Mark Dantonio is doing it.  David Shaw is doing it.  And they're winning big while doing it.  And there are plenty of other guys out there who can do it.  Listen, I don't think UGA will be hiring Bobby Petrino anytime soon.  That's not the Georgia Way.  I don't think this is about winning at all cost, but it is about winning more.  I'm all for winning more.  Now, that's a tall task, and we might just win less....but maybe not.  It's a gamble, a risk.  That's sports.

But you don't have to pick a side here.  Love Mark Richt.  Appreciate him, thank him.  He has loved UGA, and we have loved him.  Then love the next guy and cheer like crazy for him.  You're not changing the Athletic Department's mind because you're mad or disagree.  And you're not really making any friends by taking pleasure in the dismissal of such a fine man.  But I can tell you this:  I hope we go 15-0 next year. I hope we become the first team to have a coach win the national championship in his first year.  And if you bleed Red and Black, don't you hope the same?  Nick Chubb will be out there along with Terry Godwin, Dominick Sanders, Isaiah McKenzie and Sony Michel.  Lorenzo Carter and Trenton Thompson will be out there along with Jeb Blazevich. I think I'll cheer for them, no matter who their coach is -- because they chose to attend the school that I did, and I love them for it.

And when we shock the world, I hope Richt gets a little credit for helping build it.  Should he coach somewhere else, I'll be cheering hard for him because he's a great man who did so much while in Athens.  But there won't be a question who I'm pulling for if he ever plays us.  UGA made me a Mark Richt fan, not the other way around.

And can I close to say something?  We don't know what the next guy will do until we see him do it or not do it, so can we give him a chance to do it?  Kirby Smart might be the next Will Muschamp, but he might be the next Bob Stoops, who was also a DC who got his first head coaching job at Oklahoma.  Tom Herman might be the next Urban Meyer, but he might be the next Tommy Bowden.  We just don't know.  He might even be the next Mark Richt, and you could be called a lot worse.  None of us are happy about this.  A fine man lost his job.  Can we be sad and hopeful at the same time?  Yes.  You don't have to pick sides, Christian Dawg fans.  You can love Jesus, love Mark Richt, love UGA and cheer your guts out for the next guy, too.

Coffee, Cake & Coversation

We're excited to be launching a 4-week Wednesday night series called "Coffee, Cake & Conversation" at Harmony Grove Church of the Way.  We'll be discussing some of the hottest topics in our culture.  I'll be joined by other pastors and community leaders to talk about the following issues:

Sept. 9 - RACE
Sept. 16 - HOMOSEXUALITY
Sept. 23 - POLITICS
Sept. 30 - DATING

There are a few ways you can be involved:

1.  Join us for refreshments at 6 p.m. and dialogue at 6:30 p.m.  Childcare available up through 5th grade.

2.  Send in a question!  You can do that in a variety of ways:

• Leave it in the comments here.
• tweet us @churchoftheway
• post it to facebook at www.facebook.com/churchoftheway
• email to info@churchoftheway.net
• Leave a card in one of the boxes at one of our campuses

First Try

This past weekend we had a first around the McInnis house -- my 11 year-old son helped cut the grass.  Well, sort of.  He did the weed-eating.  It certainly saved me some time.  It was not the prettiest weed-eating job you'll ever see.  The aesthetics left a little to be desired.  It was a little choppy and a little scalped in various places.  But it was his.  He was proud.  It was a landmark moment that Dad believed in him.

But it was also a landmark moment because he came out while I was working in the yard and said he wanted to help.  He wanted to do the work his father was doing, and because of that, I wanted to give him more responsibility.  I wanted to give him more freedom.  I believed in him more because he was about my work.

Does God have to poke and prod you to be about his work, or do you go outside and ask if you can do what your Heavenly Father is doing?  When we ask to be a part of what God is doing, our Father is happy to give us more responsibility and freedom.  He begins to believe in us even more.

We spend a great deal of time talking and thinking about our belief in God, but one our biggest hurdles in life is coming to the understanding that God believes in us.  He trusts us with earth.  He trusts us with our lives.  He believes in us, especially when we demonstrate that we get it.  When we ask to be a part of what He is doing instead of staying inside and doing our own thing, God believes in us even more.  I'll bet God looks at our work and it's a little choppy.  I'll bet he'd describe it as not the prettiest job in the world.  But he's proud.  And (get this), He's able to concentrate on doing the things that only He can do.  Riding the big lawn mower is too big a job for my son right now.  Only I can do that, but he can handle the trimmer.  There are things that only God can do in our world.  But, the bigger question is what are we NOT doing simply because we won't join in God's work.  He believes in you.  He trusts you.  He wants you to be involved in what He is doing.  Go ask him how you can help.  It's okay if it's not the prettiest result in the world.  Your Father will be proud.

Leadership & Life Lessons from My First (and Probably Only) Season of Coaching T-Ball

The Fightin' Super Tigers -- Champs!

I was going to help coach.  You know, be an assistant.  I had two boys that would be playing together.  One 4 and one 6, at the time.  But, I had two other sons playing flag football, and it was a busy season at church.  Then I got the call:  "We need one more head coach.  Would you be willing to coach?"  I love my community, so I begrudgingly agreed.  I really, really didn't have time for this.  And I'm a football guy.  I quit baseball after the 8th grade and most of my glory on the diamond happened in church softball leagues.  But I know enough to coach Kindergartners.  And I know a lot about kids.  So I did it.  We had a blast, gave ourselves a cool name (Fightin' Super Tigers), made a lot of new friends and good memories and won the league championship, with a 14-0 record.  I was so proud of our boys, and I learned a good deal about life, parenting, leadership and even a little about church.

• You can't change the past, so why rehash it.  Point to a better future.  T-ballers make mistakes all the time.  They throw it when they should hold it, hold it when they should throw it.  They run the wrong direction and tag the wrong runner.  After a mistake and play has stopped, if you yell at a T-baller, they're just going to cry.  The only thing you can do is point to them to the next opportunity.  "Hey, next time throw it here."  "Next time get your glove down."  "Next time, run to this base."  People are the same.  They don't need our judgment, but they do need people who care about the them to point toward a better future.  The church could learn something from this.  We need to stop yelling at the world for the mistakes it's made and point toward a better future with Jesus.  People need hope, not condemnation. 
• There are often a lot of voices telling us what to do.  Be sure and listen to the right ones.  People are screaming like crazy in the stands when a fielder has the ball in T-ball, telling them what to do with it.  About half of those are right.  Kids have to learn to trust their coach, which says a lot about authority but also listening to the right voices in life.  All of us have voices telling us a lot of things.  Not all of them are telling us to throw it in the right direction.  Who are the influences you're listening to?
• Every organization needs team members to play their role well.  My youngest wasn't crazy about playing right field and batting last, but he was very inexperienced and the smallest guy on the team.  There is only one circle (pitcher position) and only one kid can play it.  You have to have others do their part.  I heard one comment after we won the championship game that our outfield won the game because they got the ball in to the infield after every ball hit to them.  This is an accomplishment in T-ball.  But the 'role players' made the difference in the championship.
• Listen to experts and learn from them.  Like I said, I don't know much about baseball, but last year, we played on a T-Ball team that went 15-0 with one of the best coaches my boys have ever had.  He knew baseball and I came home after the 1st practice and said, "We're going to be pretty good."  I modeled our practices and gameday routine after him.
• Winning is fun and creates organizational momentum.  The bottom line is that winning is fun.  We went 14-0.  People say the kids don't care about winning, but after every game they were shouting "We won, we won, we won!"  They came up with this on their own.  We had fun anyway, and I've been a part of teams that had a lot of fun, kids got better and we didn't win a lot of games.  Winning isn't everything, especially at this age.  But, winning creates organizational momentum.  When staffs, businesses, teams, churches, or organizations don't ever feel like they are winning, it's hard to create momentum.  So, is your organization winning?
• People don't mind working hard if they they believe in the vision.  Our last week of the season, after a 2 1/2 month season, we had games on Monday, Thursday and Saturday in the end of year tournament.  I scheduled a practice on Friday night.  Nearly all the team showed up and I think it made the difference in the championship game.  We didn't play great that Thursday, and we needed to work to play better.  The vision was not to win.  The vision was to make sure we play our best.  That's all we can control.  We needed to practice to be our best.  Parents bought into the vision of excellence.
• Sometimes others have to step up.  We had games where kids were sick, injured our out of town and kids had to switch positions.  They did great.  Families, churches, businesses, and teams all have times others have to unexpectedly step up.  Nearly every game a kid who wasn't one of our biggest hitters got a key hit and got on base we needed to avoid an out.  If your organization has a mantra of "That's not my job," that's dangerous territory.  People have to step up and share responsibilities if an organization is going to be successful.
• People skills matter.  I don't know baseball, but I know how to motivate young people to be the best they can be.  I truly believe that in our culture today, you have to have people skills.  I am concerned about a generation that spends most of its time with a face in front of a screen.  Will they have the capacity to communicate with people in 10, 20, 30 years?  I hope so.  I believe people skills are the most important.  Love people, communicate with people, encourage people.  And people respond.
• There will be days you are not at your best.  Can you still compete on those days?  No one feels like a million bucks every day.  We had days when we didn't play our best, but we had to pick ourselves up and play as hard as we could.  Life has seasons we're not at our best.  Sometimes it's as simple as putting one step in front of the other.  You have to keep going.
• Running from third base to home is a dangerous trek.  As the pitcher to my team, I ran over two kids running home as I exited the field while looking down the first base line.  One of them was my older son on the team.  Both kids lived to tell about it.  
• My youngest led the league in hat and glove throwing while in the outfield.  I mean, he was a champion at glove throwing.  Best I've ever seen.  He had a blast this season.  And I'm pretty sure he would have had just as much fun if we'd have been 0-14.  Because he was coached by his dad and got to play ball.

                                               

                                                                Brooks, my youngest, the team clown.

It was a fun spring.  Sports teach us a lot of lessons.  And I've learned one more.  I think I'm going to retire from coaching and go out on top!

The Difficult Issue of Religious Liberty (in which I don't solve much)

Religious liberty has become the 'hot-button-issue-of-the-day" in America.  From what I've seen, people are really quick to form an opinion.  I have been very slow in forming one, and I'm still not quite sure what I think.  The controversy mostly centers around the issue of gay marriage.  A common theme might include whether or not a cake baker has the freedom to deny baking a cake for a gay wedding in states where gay marriage is legal.  Or, is that baker forced to bake a cake for all who walk in the door.

I'm no politician, and I have not interest in being one.  My calling is to discover what it seems like God has called people of faith to do.  So, how should we respond?  What is the faithful witness Christians should have on this issue and those that relate to it.  Well, I think it's a very complex issue, which is why I've been slow to form an opinion.

First, let's be honest:  gay marriage will be legal in every state in a very short time.  So, we've got to figure out how to navigate this issue.  If you want to know my thoughts homosexuality and gay marriage, you can check them out here, here, and here.  The short version is that I believe homosexuality is not in line with Christian teaching, but gay people and the issue of homosexuality have been treated terribly by the Church.  I believe there is a way for us to be in community and dialogue together.  Though I can't faithfully affirm homosexuality and believe that God has a better plan, that doesn't mean we can't be friends with people with which we disagree.  And it doesn't mean that we can't love each other genuinely.  The Church ought to be a place where people from all walks of life dealing with all kinds of issues can come to connect with their Creator.

As for the issues we're facing now, I would ask a Christian cake baker, "For whom do you bake cakes?"  The problem here is that I don't think the issue is Christian marriage.  Would these same cake bakers bake a cake for a man and woman who were living together before marriage or had engaged in pre-marital sex?  Would this cake baker make a wedding cake for an atheist couple who planned to have a civil ceremony with no mention of God?  Would this cake baker make a cake for a couple that had been divorced?  What if it was their 3rd, 4th or 5th marriage?  Would this cake baker bake a cake for a serial cheater?  What if the wedding is "Christian" at a local church but everyone plans to get rip-roaring drunk at the reception down at the country club?  What if the cake baker doesn't think people from different races ought marry because they have been (wrongly) taught that?  Is it okay for them to deny mixed couples?  Does this baker only bake cakes for Christian couples who kept themselves pure in courtship, are actively engaged in a local church, and have a Christian wedding in which the name of Jesus is invoked?

Is the witness Christian business people in our country want one of the exclusion?  Do we want to be known for closing off our lives to those in the outside world?  Is that what Christians did in the New Testament?  Is that what Jesus did?  Is that why Jesus went to Levi's house to have dinner with his tax collecting friends and sinners?  Was Jesus 'endorsing' their sin because he went and ate with them?  There was one group that thought that :)  I don't really wanna be in that group.  It seems we should bake the best cake we could as a witness to our love for people.  It seems like one cake could start a relationship which might lead to a conversation which might lead to our Jesus.  And when people meet Jesus -- things change.

Of course, the problem we're having here is that we're seeing how ill equipped our laws are to deal with what are moral issues.  And this is just the beginning.  Soon, people will be asking, "If the government can't tell me what gender I can marry, why should the government tell me how many people I can marry at once?"  OR, "Who is the government to tell me what the legal age of marrying should be?"  In other cultures, polygamy is common and people marry at much younger ages.  As the U.S. becomes more and more diverse, those questions will continue.  Do we reach a point where the laws can make no moral judgments about love and marriage?  And to what extent do have the freedom to live by the convictions of my faith.  I don't really know, I just know that this issue is at the heart of the matter.

And that points to how complex it is -- because then there's me and pastor's like me.  Now, I'm pretty up-front in my premarital counseling.  If couples are living together, I ask one to move out until the wedding.  I ask them to be abstinent.  I've counseled couples to not get married, that I didn't think they were ready or didn't feel like I could stand in good conscience and ask God to bless their union.  Does the government have the right to force me to marry anyone?  What if my faith, denomination and personal convictions stand against that?  Should our church building be subject to the same demands as the baker?  It's a little different.  The church isn't in a for-profit business, but it raises questions, doesn't it?

Where do we draw the line?  A good friend of my has a daughter who runs her own photography business.  She does weddings, senior portraits, and family photo shoots.  What if someone approaches her to shoot some pornographic images between consenting adults?  It's completely legal?  At what point does she have the freedom to stand on her convictions about who and what she photographs?

See there.  It's complex.  I'm not sure what the answers are.  I just know that I hope for three areas of discretion and patience.

1.  I would hope that all people, but especially my brothers and sisters in Christ, would be diligent in forming an opinion about an issue about which it is so easy to draw quick conclusions.

2.  I would hope that Christian business owners would prayerfully consider how they can help live out, display and spread the Gospel in every situation.  But we don't have to protect it.  The Gospel will take care of itself.  Death couldn't hold it down.

3.  I would hope that those on the other side pushing hard in the name of equality would understand the concerns about where the line stops.  Most Christians I know don't won't to hurt people, but they wonder what will come next and, if this isn't where people of faith draw the line, where exactly do they?

See there.  I told you I didn't solve much.  We need to be prayerfully consider these things.  We need space for conversation and understanding.  It's too easy to jump to conclusions.  God wants more thoughtfulness from us.  This issue deserves it.  People deserve it.  Our calling to reach all people demands it.

Together

I've been off the blogosphere for a while, as it's been a little hectic lately.  I'm happy to be back, and wanted to share what we've been up to.

On Sunday, March 1, we had a crazy day.  I got to be a part of something that most pastors never get to be a part of - serving as pastor of a merged congregation on launch Sunday.  In fact, I have been a part of three things most pastors never get to be a part of.  I was blessed with the honor of starting a church 10 years ago, and I have been grateful to see that church launch a 2nd campus in Grayson.  Over the last six months, I have had the privilege to lead that church into a merger with a church that has been around for 166 years for a newly merged permanent campus.  Planting a church and merging churches are both crazy endeavors.

There is so much power in merging congregations.  In many ways, it is much like a marriage.  The first few years of marriage you have to find your way a little.  A church merger includes lots of 'finding your way' in the relationship.  It's incredibly complicated.  Merging finances, getting a new name, and combining leadership are actually the easy part.  The hard part is merging cultures.  Whether it's 10 years or 166 years, churches develop ways of doing things.  Just like a marriage, a merged church has to learn how to do things together.

But merging a church is a beautiful thing if God's Spirit is in it.  I am reminded that I have new friends with which to do ministry.  Many of these new friends are already near and dear to my heart.  I would never have known them had we not walked down this path.  They are beautiful disciples of Jesus.  Like a marriage, a merger is an admission that we need each other to be our best, that life was not better alone.  And it's beautiful when it works.  There is great power and beauty when the Body of Christ unites and says, "We are in this together."

I'll admit it's messy.  There is no easy way.  There are bumps and long hours of prayer.  There are hiccups.  Every marriage has them.  You expect it in marriages.  We should expect it in mergers.  But we keep learning.  We learn to be better spouses.  And we learn to be better brothers and sisters in Christ.

And, like a new marriage, their remains the promise of offspring.  When young parents have children, the realize that through the messiness of the early years and the hiccups and the hard work, there are actual humans that wouldn't be here without them being together.  Their love and commitment to one another allowed a little one to be nurtured.  Young parents have a child or adopt a child and realize they have a bigger purpose.  It wasn't just to be together.  It was for the new life that emerged that they are now raising.

That's a church merger.  It's not just being together.  It's not just that together we can be better, pay the bills sooner or be with one another.  It's that together, we can bring new life into relationships with Jesus that we could not have done apart.  Suddenly, we have a new purpose.  This week, my wife and celebrate 14 years of marriage.  At this point, I can't remember life without her.  There was a time, though, in the early years, that I could.  Time and life and welded us together.  I don't even remember me before her.  I think that's how church mergers are supposed to work.  There will come a time when we can hardly remember life apart.  We'll be raising new kids together, and no one will recall there was a time it wasn't like this.  We'll just embrace the present.

That day will be here before we know it.  But it wouldn't happen without the faithful pioneers at Harmony Grove United Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church of the Way.  Somebody had to go through the dating and courtship, pre-marital counseling and wedding.  Somebody had to go through the early years.  I'm so honored to serve the men and women of God who have done just that.  After one whole week, on a Saturday night before our SECOND Sunday together, I find myself more excited than ever about ministry.  I feel like a newlywed.  If you're around the area, I hope you'll come check out what God is doing at Harmony Grove Church of the Way or Gwinnett Church of the Way.  You can get directions and worship times here.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (11.13.14)

I hope you are settling into Fall and having a great week.  It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  I'm excited about sharing about "Living Generously" again this Sunday as we continue to learn from God how to live life with open hands.  In this season of counting our blessings, the natural response is generosity.  Truly, gratefulness breeds generosity.  Can't wait to see you Sunday!

Also, our Christmas series called "That Awkward Moment" will begin Sunday, Nov. 30.  I can't wait to dive into some Christmas stories from a brand new angle this Holiday Season.  Mark your Calendars!

Thought for the Week
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:9

I don't know what I don't know.  I keep thinking that.  The farther along I get in my walk with Christ, the more I feel like I know.  There was a time I was certain about a lot of things, and my certainty has waned.  There was a time I could always come up with an answer; now I've figured out that there is a lot that is unanswerable.  I don't know a lot.  There's even more that I don't know that I don't know.  Did you follow that?  We get obsessed with certainty.  We want to carefully plan our lives.  And we want to understand everything that happens.  We want to just have God all figured out.  I thinking I've figured out that I don't have God figured out.  What I do have figured out what He has revealed to us in Jesus and His Word, the Bible.  I've figured out that God loves us so much he sent His Son to die for us. I've figured out that He wants His spirit to live in me and guide me.  I've figured out that 'spirit living in me' deal is kind of muddy and messy.  I screw up a lot.  And there are times I don't even know I'm messing it all up.  I don't know why some of my prayers are answered and others aren't.  I don't know why good things happen to people that are seemingly bad and seemingly bad things happen to good people.  I don't know why one person seems to catch all the breaks and another doesn't catch any.  I don't usually know why God puts me in the situations He puts me in.  I just don't know a lot...because his ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  And I don't always get it.  What I'm learning is that it's not what I know.  It's who I know and by whom I am know.  I am my beloved's and He is mine.  That's enough to know to walk through all I don't.

In Christ,

Carter 

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (10.23.14)

I hope you're enjoying this beautiful Fall weather and having a great week.  I so missed worshiping with you on Sunday, but I'm looking forward to being back with you this week as we begin a brand new series, "Living Generously."  It's a really new experience for us as a church, as we'll really weave a story together over five weeks as we walk through life with a family going through some of the same things we go through.  Hopefully, we'll learn what it means to have God's generous heart permeate our entire lives.

I'll also be leading a small group study to go along with the series beginning next Monday night (Oct. 27) at 6:30 p.m. at our Grayson Campus.

Looking forward to seeing you this week!

Thought for the Week
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

Last week I took advantage of Verizon's offer to turn in my old iPhone for the new iPhone 6.  Now, you must understand that I went to a liberal arts college.  I don't really 'do' technology that well.  It took me a least a full day to get it up and running after many attempts to throw my computer, old phone and new phone out the window.  It was incredibly frustrating.  I thought, "This is how it must feel when people are going through change."  I'm a pretty good adapter to change (new personal technology devices aside).  We've built our church on changing with the direction of God's Spirit.  Nevertheless, change is often very frustrating, even if you know something is better on the other side.  Now, I love the new phone, but the process of changing over was frustrating.  We face all kinds of changes:  family changes, job changes, church changes.  Life changes.  Kids grow up, we take new jobs, friends move away.  Change happens.  I think there are two things to remember.  In the midst of frustration during change, we need to keep our eyes on the better days ahead.  Yes, it will be frustrating to take a kid from pre-teen to teen, but there will be lots of fun experiences with teens.  It will be difficult to have your youngest leave the house for the real world, but many new experiences will be awaiting you as an empty nester.  Seeing friends move will be sad, but your best friends ever might be the next ones to move in next door.  Just remember...you'll love the new phone if you can get through the change.  Of course, the greatest comfort is that Jesus is the same in the midst of our change.  As the world changes, Jesus is the Rock.  As life ebbs and flows, Jesus remains steady.  So, hitch your wagon to Jesus.  You can't stop life from changing.  It's supposed to.  Jesus doesn't.  Make sure you're anchor is in Christ.

Be blessed,

Carter

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (8.28.14)

I hope you're having a great week and beating the heat.  I can't believe it's almost September!  This Sunday is Tailgate Sunday, so I hope you'll plan to bring a side dish or two and wear the gear of your favorite team, school, or driver.  We'll have awards for Best Outfit, Best Side Dish, & Best Dessert.  

We're also finishing up the Legacy series as we talk about what kind of legacy to leave for our children and grandchildren.  I believe God has an important word to speak to all of us as we conclude this series.

Thought for the Week
"Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves."  Genesis 11:4

For thousands of years, humans have been trying to make a name for themselves.  Whenever it is about our fame, our fortune, a name for ourselves...it is coming from the wrong spot in our hearts.  The story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis was about age old struggles with which we all deal:  arrogance, pride, and fame.  They wanted to make a name for themselves.  The problem with this mindset is that it isolates from others and God, and we were created for relationship, not isolation.  When we seek our own glory and fame, we naturally create competition with others.  Our success becomes more important than the success of others, the team, the company, the society.  We isolate ourselves that our name might be lifted up, and we hurt others along the way.  Moreover, we isolate ourselves from God.  The more we seek to be our own god, the farther we get from God.  As we seek to make a name for ourselves, we begin to feel like God is pretty lucky to have us on the team.  We miss God's amazing grace then.  When we walk in humility, we are able to embrace God's mercy and love, which we don't deserve, which makes us more humble.  We then work to lift up the name of Jesus, the redeemer of our souls.  And we begin lift up others because we begin to have the heart of God.  Isn't it interesting that what God did by confusing the languages at Babel was, essentially, isolating the people.  That is what arrogance does.  In what ways or in what areas are you seeking a name for yourself rather than making great the name of Almighty God?
 
Something to think about.

In Christ,

Carter 

Sports, Art & Kids

A couple of weeks ago, our church hosted our 2nd Annual KidsGames, a free sports and arts camp for the community.  It was an awesome week, and was reminded at the power of sports and arts in the lives of children.  The cool thing about KidsGames is there are kids out there with no background mixed with kids with a lot experience.  The kids with no experience in organized sports got coaching they'd never gotten, and they were delighted by it.  The kids with a lot of experience were happy to be playing without the pressure to perform or their dad breathing down their necks.  It's fun again.

Art teaches the kids to use their creativity, to be the unique creation that only they can be.  Moreover, they build relationships in art that they never would have in sports.  They find that it's okay to like music and baseball, to like drawing and basketball, to like dancing and softball.  None of us are ONE thing.  We do a disservice to our children when we make them into one thing and nothing else.  Sports and the arts are also incredibly important ways to build relationships with children.  Nothing provides opportunities to mentor quite like sports and art.

Education is extremely important.  We need to educate our kids the very best we can because there truly is power in knowledge, but kids need the influence of sports and arts in their lives.  They need to learn competition.  There is something important about winning and losing.  Life includes winning and losing.  Kids need to experience expressing themselves in art.  God made them unique in His image.  In a world of conformity that says we have to know specific answers on specific tests, art teaches kids that there is an answer within them that has never been given.  Let us not teach the next generation that they are a test score.  Let us help them create things that we never would have dreamed of, and let us teach them to compete, to give it their all.  They'll need those skills in life.  They'll need them MORE in life.  I haven't taken a test in a long time, but life calls me to create and compete daily.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (6.19.14)

I hope you're beating the summer heat and ready for another awesome Sunday at Church of the Way.  I'm really excited about this message coming up this Sunday.  We've only got a couple of more weeks left of our "BASIC" series.  This Sunday, I'll be teaching about how "Christians Love Others" -- especially one another.  So, it will be a Sunday of Love at Church of the Way, and we're going to have some musical fun, too.  I hope to see you there...and bring a friend!

I wanted to tell you to mark your Sunday calendars for this July.  Starting July 6, James and I will be teaching a series called "V15ION" (i.e. Vision '15) as we look at a vision for where God is taking our church in the next 15 months and in 2015 to reach our community for Christ.  We'll be talking about where God is leading us to prepare for a permanent home in the Archer/Grayson/Lawrenceville Community, where God is leading us in a potential 2nd campus in Auburn, and how God is working to use us this next season right were we are.  I'm stoked just thinking about it.  For two years, we've been working to "Go Beyond" our walls to be the church God has called us to be.  Make sure you're there for this final stretch.  Go Beyond:  V15ION.

Thought for the Week
"I will do whatever you think is best."  2 Samuel 18:4

Do you know who said that?  Kind David.  Do you know who he said it to?  The commanders of his armies.  They were preparing to go into battle to 'win back' Jerusalem for him and his kingdom.  He said he wanted to lead the troops in with them.  They urged him to stay behind, and that was his answer.  The guy who was king, who had slain the mighty Goliath, who had conquered nearly the whole known world.  Instead of putting his foot down, he listened to his advisers even though he had veto power over them.  What a leadership lesson!  What a life lesson!  Sometimes, people over whom we have authority are speaking wisdom to us, and we need to be willing to listen.  Parents need to learn to listen to their children.  Employers need to learn to listen to employees.  Civic authorities need to learn to listen to citizens.  Coaches need to learn to listen to players.  Teachers need to learn to listen to students.  The generation in charge needs to learn to listen to the generation coming up.  Leaders need to learn to listen to followers.  Sometimes, even strangers are speaking a word of wisdom to us.  David would have done himself or the cause no good by being stubborn here.  Stubbornness can be a good thing, a needed thing.  But stubbornness can also be our downfall.  David was no good to the cause dead.  He listened.  he went against his own wishes and original idea because he trusted their judgement.  Of course, what is pivotal her is to surround ourselves with people whose judgement we trust.  And then trust them.  If King David can humble himself and listen to others, we can, too.

In Christ,

Carter 

Gregg Popovich and the Spurs on Leadership

You probably don't remember it.  You were shopping for last minute Christmas gifts or going to an office Christmas Party.  Gregg Popovich, iconic coach of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, had done it again.  A year after being fined $250,000 by the league for resting players, Pop did it again on December 19, 2013.  He sat 38 year-old Tim Duncan and 37 year-old Manu Ginobili down for a Thursday night game at Oakland.  I think he might have even put them on a plane and sent them back to San Antonio.  He received harsh criticism from the league office.  Sports talk radio personalities blasted him for hurting the integrity of the game.  Fans who bought tickets were outraged that they didn't get to see two of the Spurs' starts play.  Do you think that game was the only time the Pop made strategic decisions to take care of his aging stars?  Didn't Duncan and Ginobili look fresh against those young Heat stars (D-Wade notwithstanding)?

Here's the deal.  Gregg Popovich knows what his job is.  He is NOT paid to:

• Make the Commissioner happy.
• Keep competitive balance on track for a December 19 game in Oakland.
• Please fans who bought tickets hoping to see Duncan play.
• Do what sports talk radio personalities think is the proper thing to do.

Pop is paid to win games, namely a championship, within the rules of the league.  If a coach can rest a player because his knees are bothering him, can't he rest a players because his knees are 38 years old?  As the Spurs dismantled the Heat in five games, Pop was giving leaders a valuable lesson:  do what's the in the best interest of the organization.

Pop's December decision did not win him any fans in the league office, but it might have won him a fifth Larry O'Brian Trophy.  Doing what's in the best interest of the organization will not always be understood by others.  I'll be there are people even within the Spurs' organization that didn't like it.  Doing what's best for the organization will bring about criticism, and Pop got plenty.  In 2012, he did the same thing and it cost him financially.  Doing what's in the best interest of the organization might mean financial sacrifices by the leader.  Do you think Pop would trade that trophy for $250,000?  Not a chance.  He did it for the trophy.  He did it because he could see the future, and did what he knew was in the best interest of the organization to achieve the desired future.  When we see someone win and hold the trophy, we sometimes forget the sacrifices, criticism deflected and strategic decisions to get them there.  This will be true in families, church, business and non-profits.  Leadership requires strategic decisions that the leaders knows to be in the best interest of the organization, no matter the criticism.

Blood Moon Rising

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD."  Joel 2:31

That verse is reason enough for pastors like John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in Texas to declare that Tuesday's 'Blood Moon' marks the beginning of the rapture, surely to happen in the next 2 years during four Blood Moon's we'll experience from 2014-2015.  Apparently, a lot of people are buying his book and believe the same thing.  I've been wrong before (a lot), and I could be here, but I'm not buying it.  I'm sure Pastor Hagee is a good man.  I've listen to his sermons on occasion.  He's passionate.  I like that.  But I don't get this mindset.

Christianity is, by nature, weird.  This week is the high and holy festival of our weirdness.  We believe a man rose from the dead and ascended into heaven after spending a few weeks risen and hanging out with his friends.  Their testimony is why we believe what we believe.  We believe it to be true because it happened, and they saw it with their eyes, told everyone, and gave their lives for it.  Would you give your life for something you weren't sure of?  I didn't think so.  But this is still weird to the rest of the world.  It's okay to be weird because of what we know to be true, what we believe happened.

When we propagate stories like this surrounding the Blood Moon, we become weird in the wrong way.  Not weird because we're different.  Not weird because we love our neighbor as ourselves.  Not weird because we put others first.  Weird because we believe something we don't know to be true and what we believe will happen.  That's totally different.  When we lean toward that weirdness, we lose our voice with those outside of the Church or Christianity.  That seems crazy (it's borderline) and like fear-mongering (it is).

I don't think it is our role to lead the Jesus movement based on what we don't know.  I think we're supposed to reach out to our culture with what we do know.

• We are made in God's image.  I want everyone to know that.
• God loves us.  Ditto.
• Jesus died for us to forgive our sins.  Isn't that good news?
• Jesus arose to give us victory over our sins.  That's great news.
• He wants to restore His image in our lives.  Couldn't we all use a makeover.
• He's coming again -because he said so, just not when.  So I want to live in such a way that if it's tomorrow, I'm content with how I've lived and in such a way that if it's a million years from now, I'm content with how I left planet earth, Christ's Church, my community, and the people I love.

If we push people to make decisions on unsure data, then those are unsure decisions.  If we lead people toward standing on the firm foundation of our faith, they will stand on the Solid Rock.  And it'll be a lot less weird.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (3.20.14)

I hope you're having a great week and enjoying this first day of Spring.  I can't remember ever being this ready for Spring!  Can you believe Easter is one month from today?  I hope you're inviting friends and preparing your heart.  Easter is a great time to invite others, and our Worship Experience is going to be awesome.  If you've got friends and family that are skeptics, new to faith, exploring God, or unsure about Jesus, it's the perfect opportunity to invite them as I'll be teaching about the basics of the Easter story and why it matters 2,000 years later.

This Sunday, we're continuing our series "How It All Went Down" as we talk about Jesus' Trial Before the Sanhedrin.  If you don't know what the Sanhedrin is, we'll make it all make sense on Sunday.  There are some great lessons for our own lives in these stories.

Thought for the Week
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."  Matthew 6:33

I was telling Emily the other day that I can't remember a season of our lives like this.  Well, there's never really been one.  We're in the thick of preparing for Easter and working on building plans for a permanent home.  I'm reading about a book a week in preparation for another couple of weeks of school in May.  And we're chasing around the four baseball teams that our boys play on.  We talked about how we're having to say no to a lot right now.  My focus has been baseball, church and school.  That's about all I have time for these couple of months.  It will be over in May, and we'll breathe, but it's a crazy season.  I'll bet you've had or are having seasons like that.  Family life, work life, and something else all ramps up at the same time.  There are a couple of important things to note in a life cycle like that:

• It's okay to give yourself permission to say 'no' for a season.  That doesn't mean it's a forever 'no.'  There are times you have to choose.  Know that you can always come back and choose differently when that period of life is over.  And let people know that.  Tell them, "I can't know, but talk to me about it this summer or in a year.  I'll be in a different place then."
• Keep the main things the main things.  Where frustration happens in relationships is when people feel like we're short-changing what is vitally important to them.  For me, school comes last of those three.  While I'm going to school to help me grow as a leader (which is important to our ministry), I can take classes over again.  I'll never get watching my boys play baseball back and I'll never get the opportunity back of preaching a message that someone needs to hear or leading our church through this important season.
• Don't say 'no' to God.  It's what I need most, and what I constantly remind myself of.  In the madness, we all need time to stop and exhale so that we can breathe in God's Spirit.  We need a moment in the Bible.  We need a time of prayer.  We need to connect with our Creator.  We need to seek Him first, not last, so that God my be moving and working in all our baseball watching, soccer mom-ing, school reading, client meeting, softball practicing, dance recital-ing, Bible studying, LIFE Group-ing, Volunteering, and family obligation-ing.  

May we seek Him first, even in the busiest seasons.

In Christ,

Carter

Doing Life Well

A week ago, I went to a funeral/memorial service for one of the most kind men I knew, Holt Fleming.  Holt was the long time treasurer at First United Methodist Church of Lawrenceville, and when I served on staff there from 2002-2005, Holt came every Thursday morning to sign checks for various ministries.  On Thursdays, I always looked forward to seeing Holt, and I never missed sticking my head in the office where he was signing away to say, "Hello," because Holt always made me feel good about my day.  Heck, he made me feel good about life.

At the service, I figured out I wasn't the only one.  He had made every pastor and everyone feel that way.  I came home, and told my wife it was the best funeral I'd been to in a long time.  His Sons-in-law spoke with reverence and honor about the man they lovingly called "Dad."  And I just thought:  "I hope I do life that well."

There are moments when things become clear.  Every one of us will have a funeral or memorial service.  Our children, friends, nephews, nieces and business associates will gather to say something about our lives.  At that moment, the daily moments that we take for granted will add up to something.  We will have lived a lifetime of kindness or something else entirely.  It's so hard to think about that in the grind of life.  I spend most of my time working and chasing around four boys.  We spend our conversations trying to figure out what we're having for dinner and what time we're eating dinner in order to get to the ball field or a meeting on time.  I spend time worrying about church stuff and how to lead our ministry to where God wants it to go.  I go to meetings and write reports.  And, yet, I don't want to be remembered for any of that.

No one wants their children to say, "You know, the best thing about Dad was that we always had our schedule nailed down so that we could eat dinner before going to baseball practice."  And no one wants to be remembered as someone "who could really lead a meeting" or "really write up a report."

I want to be remembered as a man who really loved Jesus.  A husband who honored his wife every day.  A father who nurtured and cared for his sons, and taught them how to be men of integrity.  I want to be adored by my future daughters-in-law because I have cherished them and my future grandchildren so dearly.  I want to be known as someone who was fun to work for and with.  And I want to be remembered as kind.

It would help, if we could think about the back end of things on the front end.  Much of what we spend our energy, time and emotions on won't matter.  But we also can't live all of our lives at once.  I knew Holt Fleming as kind because he was kind the first day I met him as a young associate pastor.  Then he was kind the next time and the next.  Then he was just as encouraging every time I saw him when I dropped by to visit, even after I was serving elsewhere.  One visit at a time.  One smile at a time.  One kind word at a time.  That's how you build a legacy and a life.  When our children eulogize us, what will be the total sum of the 'one at a time' investments we've made over a lifetime?  What will matter at that moment won't be whether we did work, meetings, or reports well.  What will matter then is if we did life well.  So do life well today.

Thought for the Week 1.27.14

Thought for the Week
"However, don't rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."  Luke 10:20

I stumbled across this verse this week studying for some future messages.  It stopped me cold.  These are Jesus' words to his disciples after the excitedly return from a season of ministry in which they even casted out demons.  They were feeling pretty good about themselves.  There were getting a little impressed with their own power.  Jesus sets them straight.  "What you think is power is nothing.  The real power gives you eternal life.  Casting out demons seems like a big deal to you because you don't understand power.  The miracle is that you have a spot in eternity."  We are all prone to get a little too enamored with our own accomplishments, even the good ones.  Pastors, coaches, students, athletes, salespeople, physicians, teachers, administrators, and even parents.  We can all get a little too full of ourselves, thinking God sure is lucky to have us on His side.  That's because we underestimate what it took to get our names written in heaven.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to accomplish great things on earth.  The disciples were even doing it for the Kingdom!  Nevertheless, let us never forget that the real power and the real accomplishment was the blood which saved our soul and wrote our names in the Book of Life.  That is something we cannot accomplish ourselves.  And it's reason to be grateful.

In Christ,

Carter 

What Churches and Christians Can Learn from WestJet

By now, I'm sure you've seen the WestJet Christmas Miracle video.  If not, take a moment to see a pretty special scene.  We'll be waiting afterward with some tissues for you:

It's awesome moment, isn't it?  It's beautiful, generous, and kind.  And people wonder if there is such a thing as beautiful, generous and kind anymore.  It's also genius marketing.  The power of that marketing is this.  When the time comes for you to fly, especially if it's into, out of, or around Canada...I'll bet you check on WestJet's flights.  And that's all they can hope for.  If it fits your price or schedule, you might pick them.  But what their generosity and hard work have done is put in our minds that WestJet is worth checking out.  They have given WestJet a good name in the cyber-world by this extreme act of Christmas cheer.  And there's a lesson in there for Christians and churches.

• We need to be generous to outsiders.  Churches often want to make money for their mission trip to a foreign country by the yearly BBQ in which they expect the community to buy it for $6/plate.  This sends the perception that the church exists to bleed the community of already strapped resources so they can fund ministries which their people are interested in.  Same thing with a car wash or yard sale.  What if we had a BBQ and gave it away and fed the community?  What message does that send?  This kind of mindset will cost money.  It's expensive to be generous to outsiders.  I happen to think people's souls are worth it.
• We need to give Jesus and the Church a good name.  Too often we are guilty of actions that give Jesus and His Church a BAD name because of scandals and sin.  More often, though, we are obsessed with results.  We want an outreach event to immediately produce increased attendance.  That can't be the goal because it's short-sighted and uncontrollable.  But, we can guarantee that we give God a good name, and we can do that on a consistent basis through our ministry in, with and to the community.  If we do that long enough, we give our local church a good name.
• We need to embrace the power of recommending.  How many people will recommend WestJet to a friend now?  What about the people that were on that flight?  We need to understand that we can't get people to turn to God and come to church.  What we can do is be in the business of recommending that this church might be the kind of church that they might be interested in.  We CAN help people say to themselves, "You know, if I ever DID go to church, I think I'd go to that one."  And, the vision is even bigger than our local context.  Our goal is to help people turn to Jesus so that people say, "If I ever did need help, I think I'd turn to the God of those people who always do so much in our community."
• We need to not be fair.  What if WestJet had spent the same amount of money and discounted ever ticket for holiday travelers by $5?  That would have been more fair.  Would you have watched that video and pretended you weren't crying at work?  Radical hospitality and outreach are key to giving God a good name and raising awareness of God's goodness.  Jesus didn't heal everyone.  He healed some, and word spread that God was on the move.
• We need to tell stories of hope.  What if this had not been videoed?  We've got to find ways to share stories of the good things the Church is doing in the community.  If people don't see and hear the stories, we missed the opportunity for it to impact them.  And do you think these people will ever forget what happened to them?  What will be their story?  They'll tell this story forever.  When we reach out in radical generosity, we create stories that people will tell for generations.
• We need a plan.  This flight.  These people.  This is what we're doing.  That was WestJet.  Whether it is one person we're going to invest our lives in personally or one community that we're going to love on as a church.  We need a plan to express kindness and love.  For WestJet, that took one flight, but it was laser-focused.  For us, that plan might take years.  We can be an example of God's love to a few, over and over again.  That's not manipulative, it's smart.  Jesus said to be smart (as wise as serpents).  It's just saying, "This is my spot where I want to make sure that we're doing it right."  That means we need strategies.  WesJet had a plan

Let's be churches that radically love our community.  Let's be people that ooze generosity and hope.  After all this is too important.  We're not selling airline tickets.  We're giving away Life.