On Boycotts, the NFL, kneeling & standing and what matters to me

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you stand for the National Anthem.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you kneel for the National Anthem.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you raise your fist in protest.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you raise your nose in disgust of protest.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you post pictures of veterans with a quote about how we should stand honor those who serve.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you post pictures of veterans with a quote about how they died for the right for people to kneel if they want.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you boycott the NFL because too many players are protesting and being political.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you boycott the NFL because no team will sign Colin Kaepernick.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you boycott the NFL because there’s a lot of bad offense being played (okay, that might be a legitimate beef).

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you voted for Trump.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you voted for Hillary.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you didn’t vote out of protest.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you didn’t vote out of apathy.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you want more athletes to speak out more.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you’re tired of athletes speaking out about politics.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you comment on social media that 

the President’s comments about NFL players disappoint you.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you comment on social media that the President’s comments about NFL players encourage you.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you’re a big Tim Tebow fan.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you’re a big Colin Kaepernick fan.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you’re a fan of neither Tebow nor Kaep.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you support all First Amendment free speech. 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you think First Amendment free speech should have limits.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if your heroes wear shoulder pads.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if your heroes wear fatigues.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if think you know how you’d think if you were African-American.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you think you know how you’d think if you were white.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you’re neither but think you know how you’d think if you were African-America or white.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you argue your point well.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you use Martin Luther King, Jr. to prove your point.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you type in all caps.

Nope.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. –John 13:35

I do not want people to vote like me.  I do not want people to think like me.  I don’t want people to like my politics or opinions (and trust me, I have them).  Because this is not about me.  I want them to know that I am His disciple.  Because I want them to know the Jesus who I am a disciple of.

The Jesus who doesn’t kneel because before Him every knee will bow.

The Jesus who doesn’t stand for any flag because before him all nations will come and worship.

The Jesus who’s Kingdom is not of this world (or country or region).

The Jesus who doesn’t have any president because He is the King of Kings.

The Jesus in whose image I was made.

The Jesus in whose image you were made.

The Jesus who bought our redemption with the price of His blood.  

The Jesus who forgave me.

I want people to know that Jesus.  To really, really know Him.

And I am convinced that will not happen through my politics, boycotts, protests, kneeling, standing or clever social media posts, but only through my love – because that’s how my Jesus said they would know.  What if those of us who called ourselves disciples were most concerned about loving others first?  And if we’re not, are we really disciples?  If you’re not a Jesus Follower, is one of the reasons you’re not because those of us that are seem more worried about issues rather than loving others?

So let’s grab a cup of coffee.  Or let’s chat.  I’d love to listen to your story.  Because I love you.  Because He loved me.  Whether you stand, kneel or couldn’t care less. NFL fan or not.  I’m so much more concerned about before Whom we will one day stand and inevitably kneel.  

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (3.31.17)

Hey Church! Can you believe it's the last day of March?  25% of 2017 is already in the books.  We're continuing our "Pray-er" series on Sunday, and I hope you'll be there to hear about 'Only Pray-er'.  A few other things that are important for the weekend: Workday at Harmony Grove Saturday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.  We'll have donuts and coffee to kick things off and lunch will be provided.  Painting, cleaning, and light construction. Reminder that our Lawrenceville Campus will begin meeting in one service at 10 a.m. this Sunday. Bring candy to fill our Easter Eggs for our Easter Festival & Easter Egg Hunt beginning this Sunday.  Preferably no chocolate. Thought for the Week "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8 There has been a lot of talk about bridges in Atlanta the last day.  Thank God no one was hurt in the mess on I-85.  Lewis Grizzard once said they'd never finish 85.  He might have been right.  But, a lack of a bridge has halted all traffic.  You can't get from one side to the other.  That's what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross.  He made a way when we couldn't get from one side to the other.  As sinners, we can't get to God.  We can't do enough good works and deeds to bridge the gap, so our relationship with God screeches to a halt without Jesus.  There is a gap we can't overcome.  We are not holy.  God is holy.  And we can't be with Him unless we're holy.  Jesus is the bridge.  Even though we are sinners, Jesus died for us to forgive our sins and present us as holy before God.  Blameless before Him.  That's how much God loves us.  He became the bridge when we couldn't find a way over the gap. In Christ, Carter McInnis Lead Pastor

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (12.16.16)

Hey Church!

Can you believe we're nine days from Christmas?!  I'm so excited!  This week we close out our series "Re-Gift" as we talk about "PEACE."  I know I need some peace in this hectic season.  Also, our Kidz Choir will be singing at both Worship Experiences.  You don't want to miss it!

Thought for the Week
"So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."  Luke 16:22

Last Sunday we talked about JOY, and it is certainly a theme of the season.  Nearly every church will sing Joy to the World over the holidays.  We have Christmas decorations with JOY written all over them.  I've thought a lot about joy and what it really means.  We all want to equate joy and happiness, and that's why it doesn't make sense.  Happiness is temporary and circumstantial.  None of us can possibly be happy all the time.  Loved ones die, disappointment happens, sickness gets us down, and the troubles of the world force us onto an emotional roller coaster.  The joy found in Christ is based on the reality that THIS ISN'T IT.  There is more to the story. There is an epilogue.  There is an alternate ending.  The pain, fear, disappointment, and sadness are not the end of the story.  Christmas is a reminder of that.  Four Hundred years of silence seemed like the end of the story for the people of God.  It had been a good run.  Prophets preached.  Moses delivered.  Wars were won.  David had slayed giants.  But it seemed like God was done.  The birth announcement to Mary marked the beginning of a new chapter titled "I'm not done."  If you are going through a difficult time, if you are going through a season of silence, if you think you're at the end of your rope -- I want to invite you to embrace joy.  It's not pretending that difficult times aren't real.  It's the realization that there is a reality that is MORE real.  Joy is coming.  The silence isn't the end of the story.  Never forget that.  Your last chapter isn't written yet.  God is working on it right now.  It's why we can have a joy that transcends circumstances.

In Christ,

Carter 

Thought for the Week (7.8.16)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

    for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

    for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

    for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10

34.  That's what I was thinking about this afternoon.  I was doing some projects around the house; one of those was a project I'd promised my eight year old when we moved in nearly seven months ago.  It was a good day to stay busy because thinking about the world right now is simply painful.  I don't have any answers.  

I thought about my son, Walker, and the 34 he's wanted on his wall for months.  It's his number.  Every sport in which he's gotten to choose his number, he's 34.  It's one of my nicknames for him.  I'll just shout, "Hey, 34..."  It's because he's named after my childhood hero, who made #34 famous in the early '80s stalking goal lines across the South -- Herschel Walker.  He's named after a black man.  It wasn't just that he was a sports hero.  I also respected the way he carried himself beyond the field.  That he is African-American was and is inconsequential to me.  That was the name I wanted for my boy.  In college, I repented of a racist spirit and never looked back.  We started a church 11 years ago that has become a place for all people, all races.  African-American, white, Hispanic and Asian people worship together nearly every Sunday there.  The chair of our Trustees is African-American.  Twenty years ago I decided I'd never consider the color of someone's skin an issue ever again.  That's why the pain of this week is real.  I feel the pain of my minority brother's and sisters.  Pain that I know I've never really felt because of the color of my skin.  I don't know where to start.  I also have some of my deepest friendships with those in law enforcement.  My college roommate who became one of my best friends is in law enforcement.  I can't imagine the pain the law enforcement feels when they are demonized because the actions of few and live in fear that someone will retaliate on them.  I don't even know where to start.  

I also know that I don't know a lot. I don't know the details of the situations that escalated this week because I wasn't there.  What I do know is what Jesus preached in his most famous sermon.  I know the world is broken and needs His truth.  And it needs more than my prayers.  It needs my prayers, but it needs more.  It needs you and I to be peacemakers, to be pure in heart, to thirst for righteousness.   When we see injustice, to make peace.  Where there is the temptation for impurity and ugliness, to seek to have a heart that is pure.  Where there is unrighteousness and sin, to hunger and thirst for what is righteous.  It's not all we can do, but it's the most important thing we can do.  We must -- MUST -- live out these words of Jesus in our corner of the world.  IF we did that, we'd change our neighborhood, our town, our county, our state, our country and maybe even our world.

On Politics, Faith and Who's Right

Just as we've celebrated our nation's birthday again (can you believe in a mere 10 years we'll be 250 years old -- that'll be a great party!), I soberly remember that we are almost exactly four months from perhaps the most contentious election in U.S. history.  This Friday will be the four month marker to November 8th.  The glow of the fireworks and our unity in red, white and blue will soon fade to mud-slinging and name-calling.  I wish it weren't true.  But it is.

Pastors hold an interesting place in the political spectrum of America.  I lead a congregation and seek to reach a community that is surely comprised of Democrats, Republicans and everything in between.  My goal in ministry is never to sway votes because earthly elections seem so small in the face of my eternal calling.  I'm trying to sway people to Jesus, not Trump or Clinton or whatever local leader that's up for election.  That doesn't mean I don't have opinions.  I just kind of pride myself in the idea that you'd have to have a crowbar to get them out of me.  My political opinions are my opinions, and they're not much helpful to my cause as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus.  Moreover, I'm increasingly convinced that I am grossly ill-informed and uneducated as to the depths of most political issues.  I am inclined to not have strong opinions about things in which I know my knowledge is limited.

I am greatly concerned about the next four months, though, as it relates to the Body of Christ.  I am troubled at how we might portray ourselves in these next four months.  Church, can we please be the Church, at it's best, this election season?  Can we live Proverbs 13:3,

"Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin."

If you are not a Christian, that's still some pretty good advice.  If you're a Christian, it's in the book.  We're supposed to do it.

A key concept for me to recall is that most of the political issues that any of us get all hot and bothered about are very complex.  I recently starting reading John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage.  In the foreword, his brother, Robert, says that any democracy exists "in the struggle for solutions which are very rarely easy to find."  John Kennedy later writes, "There are few if any issues where all the truth and all the right and all the angels are on one side."

It's why speaking rashly comes to ruin.  When we sit an think things through, we can at least see other angles to the story.  Our 'side' in a political debate almost never has all the right on its side.  We'd do well to recognize and admit that.  We can understand that it's very complex. And we understand a bigger picture.  For the Christian, the bigger picture is eternity.

Church, convincing someone to vote for your candidate will not secure their eternity.  Convincing someone to follow your Christ will save their soul.  But you and I won't do it with words.  I'm not saying it's not an important election.  I'm just saying there's something far more important at stake on which to focus our energies, so let's guard our lips.

*John F. Kennedy. Profiles in Courage.  New York:  Harper Collins, 2003.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.17.15)

I hope you are having an awesome week.  I am super excited about this Sunday.  It's a Baptism Sunday, and we're going to baptisms at a few of our experiences.  I'm also pumped about this message.  God has been speaking to my heart and challenging me as I prepare.  We'll continue to be in the story of Abraham this week as part of our series "The People of God."  Understanding his story and character is so crucial to understanding God's vision for His people.  We're going to talk about a critical decision Abraham and his nephew, Lot, made and the character trait behind our decisions.  I hope to see you there!

Big Important News!
TAILGATE SUNDAY IS OCTOBER 4TH!
We will have 1 Worship Experience for ALL CAMPUSES at Harmony Grove Church of the Way @ 11:00.
No 9:45 or 5:30 service that day.
Outdoor Worship Experience.  We'll have chairs but you're welcome to bring your own.
Wear your favorite team gear!  Award for best outfit!
Bring some side dishes and desserts to share!  We'll eat while we worship!  Awards for best dishes!
Tell a friend now and invite them to this special day!

Thought for the Week
"He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebrews 9:26

You know, you don't have to keep beating yourself up.  You don't .  You don't have to keep re-hashing that mistake, that sin, that royal mess you made.  It's forgiven.  Jesus died once for it long ago, so why do you keep reliving it?  Why do you keep blaming yourself over and over?  Jesus forgot about it on the cross, so why won't you?  When you call on Jesus, your sin is done away with.  It's washed away in His amazing grace.  There's no tidying up you need to do.  It's over.  Finished.  Forgiven.  His sacrifice was enough, so stop re-living it.  Stop letting it own a part of you.  Live into today.  Live into forgiveness.  Live into His mercy.  Live into new life.  I know too many people who cannot get past their past.  They cannot see that things could be different for them -- that they ARE different for them because of Jesus.  They think there must be something else they must do.  They must clean up themselves.  Instead, what they end up doing is holding their lives prisoner to their past.  And we mustn't do this.  Jesus died once and for all.  It's over and done with.  So be the new you.  If you don't know about this forgiveness, you can have it for free.  If you have, use it.  Use it to propel your life into a new life, cleansed by the Holy Spirit.  If you've grown accustomed to it, don't ever, ever, ever forget how costly it was, how crucial it is, and how much we need it every single day.  This forgiveness -- your life -- was so important that Jesus thought it was worth dying for.  So why not live for Him.

Because of Jesus,
Carter 

Tragedy

Yesterday, the state of Georgia was rocked with the news of five young Georgia Southern students who were killed in a multi-car wreck on I-16.  The five young women were nursing students on the way to a clinical in Savannah.  From the pictures I've seen of them on social media, they were full of life and enthusiasm.  Sometimes you can see it in a smile.  I thought of a few of my dearest friends who have daughters at GSU.  It could have been them.  They're about the same age.  It hits close to home.

Simply, there is not real answer for tragedy.  Shame us when we try to find one.  God did NOT need five more angels.  God's got plenty of angels, and we humans don't become angels anyway.  It wasn't 'their time to go.'  No one has a time.  It wasn't God's will.  My God is not in the business of killing young, vibrant college students.  Everything does NOT happen for a reason.  Sometimes there are no reasons.  Sometimes there is simply tragedy that interrupts life.

We live in a broken world where sin, death, and tragedy are a reality.  There was a plan in which it was not like this.  It was called Eden.  But the brokenness of humanity knocked this world off it's axis, and we've seen heartache and tragedy ever since.  It was not God's original design that we would ever see death.

To believe that God wills our deaths and controls events is a tragic and unfortunate kind of thinking.  It doesn't reveal the true heart of God and the greatest promises of Scripture.  Tragedy simply happens.  Our broken world rears its ugly head sometimes.  Life derails just because it does.  There are no reasons, no greater plan, and no answers.

But there are promises.  God's promise is that He is with us, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  He comforts us.  He does not and will not abandon us, no matter how bleak it seems.  My hope and prayer for those families of those precious girls is that they would know the abiding presence of God in these days and the days to come.

And there is another promise.  We weren't supposed to taste death, but we did.  The fall of humanity in Genesis carved a path that each of us have followed.  Since the beginning, we have had a death problem.  God fixed that.  That's why Easter matters to us.  Those of us who follow Christ are still in the 'Easter Season' in which we are celebrating Christ's resurrection from the grave.  We believe Jesus defeated death.  And the hope of the Christian is that, in Christ, we will, too.  Not only in eternal life, but in the resurrection to come.  We really believe that.  We believe that God is with us in the valley, and that one day we will rise again, stare death in the face and say, "Where, o death, is your victory; where is your sting?"  

In the face of tragedy, let us not say the trite things that end up being hurtful more than helpful.  There is no reason for these things.  God is as heartbroken as us.  He weeps at our broken world.  He weeps at our death.  But He is with us, and he has been devising a plan to win back His people over death since the beginning.  May those who face tragedy rests in His presence, and may we all hope in His promises.

Easter Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (4.2.15)

It's finally Easter week!

The biggest weekend in our faith is finally here.  I'm so excited about the weekend ahead, and I can't wait to share an Easter message with you about our individual journeys to discover the truth about Jesus.  I believe God is going to do big things.  I know our musicians have been working hard to make it an awesome day.  We've got a lot planned this weekend, so be sure to get involved.

Good Friday Service @ Harmony Grove - 6 p.m.  We'll have a traditional service followed by Communion.  Mary Weaver, who is interning with us through Candler School of Theology at Emory, will be sharing the message with us.  It'll be a great way to prepare our hearts for the weekend.  Also, stick around after to help get the church ready for Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday 

Harmony Grove Church of the Way
7:00 a.m. Traditional Sunrise Service with Choir and a brief message.  I'll be sharing a short thought to get us ready for Easter Worship.
7:45-8:15 a.m. - Free Breakfast
8:15 a.m. - Modern Worship Experience
9:45 a.m. - Modern Worship Experience
11:00 a.m. - Traditions Worship Experience

Gwinnett Church of the Way
5:00 p.m. - Free Dinner
5:30 p.m. - Acoustic Family Experience
6:30 p.m. - Easter Egg Hunt

Thought for the Week
"Then Jesus said to them, "Tonight all of you will run away because of me."  Matthew 26:31

In the days leading up to Easter, it's an appropriate time to think about the events that led to the resurrection.  Some churches have Holy Thursday services to celebrate the first Lord's Supper.  Good Friday services talk about Jesus' death on the cross.  Part of that discussion is the betrayal of Jesus, and it's easy to pick on Judas, who betrayed Jesus and had him arrested.  However, all the disciples fled.  When push came to shove, the scattered.  Jesus knew it.  Really, they all deserted Him -- and we have, too.  When do you run away from Jesus?  When you've messed up and you worry you'll be judged?  When you're reminded of something in your life that He wants to change?  When you're unsure of the answer you're going to get from him?  When His will is not your will.  Honestly, we all desert Jesus from time to time.  We all flee.  Sometimes, it's just like the disciples.  It's when the going gets tough.  You wanna know the cool thing?  They were welcomed back.  No matter how far they ran, they were welcomed to come back.  Maybe you feel like you've run away from Jesus.  You can come back.  You can always come back.

In Christ,

Carter 

Forgiveness & Paint

I was in Home Depot last week with my 4 year old.  We were picking out some colors of paint for his big brother's room.  It was kind of slow in there, not like a busy Saturday morning.  There was no one else in the paint section but me.  Two employees were talking behind the paint counter.  It was clear one was some kind of manager, and they were having a spirited conversation about sales and comparisons to other stores in the area.  The manager was coaching up the other one on how to increase sales.  Pretty soon, it got a little salty.  One of the said that "S" word.  You guessed it:  $#!t.  My son didn't hear it as he was in his own world, and I ignored it as I went about choosing colors.

As we approached the counter, their conversation continued (instead of focusing on the customer) and I heard it again.  They finally stopped the conversation and asked if they could help me.  I told them, "Guys, I appreciate that you're having an intense conversation here, but do you think you could watch your language in front of my four year old?"  They apologized.  I'm not really a prude.  My boys hear plenty of language at SEC football games.  It's expected there.  I just don't expect it at Home Depot picking out paint.

I ordered my paint, went to pick out a few other things and came back to pick it up after it was mixed.  The manager pulled me aside and apologized again.  He was very genuine.  I told him it was no problem, I understood and I appreciated it.  He said, "Again, I apologize."  I responded, kind of out of the blue, "You're forgiven."  And he was.  I didn't have time to be mad that afternoon or time to discuss it.  I was over it because my schedule dictated it.  There were more important things to do in the day than judge his mistake or worry more about it.  Right there next to the brushes, I forgave him.  He had done a wrong, and he was officially absolved.

And I thought, "Why do we have time for unforgiveness anyway?"  What if time was part of our forgiveness equation?  Holding grudges takes so much effort, energy and time.  It was so easy to say "You're forgiven" and be done with it.  If I saw him again we'd probably laugh about it.  I've got bigger things to worry about than NOT forgiving him.  And, in the grand scheme of things, that's nothing.  It was a little mistake.

Part of the preparation for Easter is taking time to focus on the crucifixion of Jesus, where forgiveness was on full display.  It proves God's love for us.  Do you know God doesn't have time to NOT forgive you.  He's got so many other big things to worry about, and, frankly, he's got gigantic plans for your life so He'd rather forgive you and be done with it.  In fact, when Jesus died on the cross, he went ahead and took care of it.  Also, your mistake is kind of puny in light of his gigantic grace, so I really wouldn't sweat it.  It's over.  It's done.  It is finished.  You're forgiven.  Be on to bigger and better things.  And be thankful for the cross.

Hope for the Hurt

This past week, I had the honor of praying at a Candlelight Vigil for those from Gwinnett County that had been murdered in the last year.  It was sponsored by the District Attorney's Office of Gwinnett County.  We prayed, sang songs, lit candles, reflected and read the names of every murder victim from the last year.  There were too many names.  One is too many.  People from all walks of life and every nationality gathered in remembrance.  Past victim's families also gathered, as they have become a part of this make-shift yearly congregation of hurt and loss.  I asked myself a question as I left, "Why do we hurt each other?"  How could that many people be murdered in the last 11-12 months in my county?  Why are we killing each other?

The events in Ferguson and the death and anger over Eric Garner continue to raise difficult issues.  I would not begin to understand the emotions, evidence and politics behind it all.  I grew up white in the deep South.  Those are the only shoes I've ever walked in, and the only experience from which I can speak.  I'm not an attorney and wouldn't dare to dive into legal issues I don't understand.  But I know this:  we've got to stop hurting each other.

A couple of months ago I flew out to a conference, and I was struck by a sense of despair as I prepared to put my shoes, everything I had on me and my belt in the X-ray machine.  My shoes.  We are now afraid of my canvas crocs.  We don't trust each other.  We are afraid that if we trust others, we will get hurt.  So, we choose to not trust and when when there is one step past the imaginary line we have drawn, we hurt others to protect ourselves.

We do this emotionally and spiritually, and in recent tragic cases, we do so physically.  A teenager is dead because of a lack of trust.  Maybe it was well-founded.  Maybe it was completely unfounded.  Rioters have taken to the streets to inflict hurt because they lack trust in authorities.  The natural order of our DNA is to hurt others if we fear getting hurt.  I'll bet you know someone who does this with their heart and tongue.

But, Jesus gave a different kinds of commands, "Love one another as I have loved you" and "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Don't protect yourself from hurt -- love!  The thing about love (and you learned this at 13 with your first 'steady') is that if you love and trust, you can get hurt.  But it's the only way.  I don't now all the answers to stopping crime.  I don't know the answers we're all seeking in race relations.  I don't know the issues to fix our legal system.  I do know the answer the world needs, though.  We have to show radical love.  I have to believe we live in a world hungry for it.  And I have to believe that if the Church would do as our Lord commanded us to do in our communities around the world, that people might want to know where that love comes from.  And we might get the opportunity to tell them that it's not a 'where' but a 'who' that is the source of our love.  Love someone.  Trust someone.  Risk for love.  If you follow Christ, this is the only way.

The Culture of Condemnation

A long time ago, Jesus arrived on the scene into a culture of condemnation.  The religious culture was run-a-muck with self-righteous leaders who had the appearance of piety and holiness and handed down judgments of condemnation to those sinners who committed the most heinous and public sins.  Stone the adulterer.  Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.  Cast out the sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes.  Demonize the unclean.  Jesus turned things upside down.  He said that being angry was the equivalent of murder.  He said that adultery starts in the heart, and that lusting after another is just the same as the act.  Wait...what?  Jesus said that there isn't one of us that has it all figured out, even the ones that look like they do.  He went on to say to the religious leaders some pretty harsh words:  "On the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:28).

Social media has again ushered us into a Culture of Condemnation.  Our keyboards have simply made it easier to condemn everyone -- athletes, movie stars, politicians, and acquaintances.  Everyone has an opinion, and we now have a forum to share it -- with little consequence.  In fact, we'll probably get a few affirming 'likes' for our tirade.  The situations in the NFL over the last week or so has brought this to light even more.  Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, and Greg Hardy have shed an ugly light on abuse and violence.  Domestic abuse to anyone, especially to a woman or child, is reprehensible.  We can all agree on that.  Moreover, when laws are broken, society needs people to be held accountable.  However, what I have noticed is how these situations have allowed so many of us to get on our high horse and condemn these men.  "We would never do such a thing."  "They are monsters."  "They deserve the worst."  Maybe all those things are true.  I'd never hit a woman or child.  They certainly need to be punished as anyone else would.

But I keep thinking about what Jesus said.  I keep thinking about how I might not have broken laws on the outside, I'm often "full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."  I keep thinking...

• What if my worst moment was caught on camera like Ray Rice?
• What if there was a camera in my soul?
• I'd never hurt or hit someone...but does it count if I've thought about it?
• What about all those times I've been so angry at someone I could scream?
• What about the times I did scream?
• Have I ever crossed the line in disciplining my children?
• Do lies that no one knows about count?
• What about lust?

Don't get me wrong.  We need to discipline law-breakers and educate people on how to be good citizens.  But, Jesus seemed much less concerned about 'just being a good citizen' in the neighborhood.  He said you could look like a good citizen and be dead on the inside.  He said we're all broken.  Jesus challenges us deeper.  This is why I'm so slow to condemn.  I've got so much of my own mess to clean up.  I think we know wrong when we see it.  No one that hears of the pending cases in the NFL could dispute that.  But I know there is stuff that I don't know about everyone that gives me pause to condemn.  And it's what I do know about myself that gives me the most pause.

Create in me clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (9.11.14)

I hope your week is going great.  Today is one of those days on the calendar that most of us will always remember (more on that below.).  It's also our church birthday.  We launched our first Worship Experience on Sunday, September 11, 2005 at Simonton Elementary School.  It has been quite a ride.  A lot of people asked me why we chose that Sunday.  I said that we'd be sure to remember the date, and more importantly, we wanted to bring a positive memory to a date etched in our brains.

This Sunday we'll be continuing the "CRAZY" series on the life of King David.  We'll be talking about the story of David and Goliath this week.  Hope to see you there!

Thought for the Week (Day)
"Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me."  Psalm 23:4

I can't tell you how many funerals during which I've read Psalm 23.  It is one of those passages that brings hope and comfort.  It is hard to imagine now that week after Tuesday, September 11, 2001.  It was surreal.  No work.  No Friday night football games.  No flights.  No Saturday College football.  No School.  No stock market.  No Sunday NFL.  Everything just stopped.  We just sat with our families and watched the 24/7 coverage.  And wept.  The world shut down.  Sunday church was the first time many of us ventured out of the house.  I sat in my parsonage late at night one evening that week with my newlywed wife asleep and wondered if this was just the beginning -- were they coming for all of us.  What would I do to protect her and me.  I didn't have any good answers.  None of has any answers that week.  We knew that we wanted to be with the people we loved, we wanted to pray, and we wanted to go to church.  Perhaps we wanted to hear those words:  even in the darkest valley (the valley of the shadow of death as the King James Version calls it), God is with us.  September 11 reminds us that there is ugliness in the world.  We also recall heroic efforts as many fought to save innocent lives in New York, DC, and over a field in Pennsylvania.  We still have questions.  There will be more dark valleys, for our world, country and family.  We will experience ugliness.  There's no promise that we won't.  It's nowhere in the Bible.  But we can rest assured that God is with us.  God walks with us.  Thirteen years ago God walked with us as a nation in the U.S.  And He will walk with you through whatever you're going through.

Because of Him,

Carter 

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (6.26.14)

I hope you're having a blessed week.  This Sunday, we were reaching the finale of the series we've been in since May:  "BASIC".  We've covered some of the core things that Christians do.  It's been challenging.  This week, we'll finish out the series by talking about how Christians "Share Faith."  This last one is definitely a challenge, and it's one of those subjects we're not sure how to approach.  I hope you'll be there as we talk about how God calls us reach out to others.

Also, I hope you're making plans to be a part of Worship on July 6 - Aug. 3.  We'll be focusing on where God is taking us next as a church and the next steps toward being the church He wants us to be for the community in "Go Beyond:  Vision 15."

Thought for the Week
"Always be zealous for the fear of the Lord."  Proverbs 23:17

The world is taken with the World Cup right now.  On Sunday, I showed some funny pictures of some zealous fans.  Soccer fans are known for being the most passionate in the world.  Of course, in our neck of the woods, that same passion can be seen in High School and SEC football stadiums.  In the Northeast, we see it in the Red Sox - Yankees rivalry.  We also see passion in the fans of certain bands, musicians, and movies.  People follow bands around all over the country or dress up in costume to go to weekend conventions celebrating a favorite movie or comic book.  It always bothered me growing up when I heard preachers say, "Why aren't you as passionate about Jesus as you are about cheering for your favorite football team?"  I always thought, "Well, it would just seem inappropriate if I wore full body paint to church and screamed at the top of my lungs during the 4th stanza of every hymn, not to mention hug strangers around me when there was a celebratory moment in worship."  I just don't think that's what zeal for the Lord looks like.  I think it does include a kind of deep, inner passion that burns for His will, His purposes, and His Spirit.  And that passion fuels us.  It drives us to live for Him.  There is no such thing is a faith that's passionless.  Each of us have passions about different things, but let us make sure that we are zealous for God and God's cause.  If you don't have that kind of deep, inner zeal for God, what's holding you back?  Is it a sin, habit or behavior?  Is it a relationship or circumstance?  What would it take for you to get a breakthrough to finding that passion.

In Christ,

Carter 

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (3.6.14)

I hope you're having a fantastic week.  Sunday was such an awesome day as we kicked off the series "How It All Went Down."  I'm having a great time studying up for this series about the week the changed the world.  I believe if we'll listen to what God has to say to us in this story, we'll be changed as well.

This Sunday, we'll continue the series as I teach about "The Betrayal and Last Supper."  There are some rich lessons for us in these passages.  Also, don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour this Saturday for Daylight Savings Time.  If you sleep in after losing an hour, make plans to come to our 6 p.m. service!

Thought for the Week
"Even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily sins."  Proverbs 19:2

Has your zeal ever trumped your knowledge?  My passion has been known to do that from time to time.  This verse caught my eye on the eve of the Spring sports season for my family.  We'll be spending a lot of nights and Saturdays at the ballpark cheering on your boys' baseball teams.  It's easy to let your zeal overcome your knowledge when the umpire makes a not-so-correct call.  Of course, this happens in relationships, at work, at the DMV, in traffic, at family reunions, in the airport, dealing with customer service, and just about every day.  Zeal is not a bad thing.  It's a very good thing.  The world so desperately needs people who are full of life and energy.  However, we are unwise when we don't package zeal with knowledge.  We are called to do our due diligence.  Acting quickly isn't always the right things.  Speaking quickly isn't always the wise thing.  Sometimes it is.  Sometimes we're able to have insight immediately and quick action is needed.  But, we're wise to check ourselves.  This passage reminds us to do the right thing and say the thing instead of the immediate thing.  Don't lose zeal.  Just couple it with knowledge.  Something to remember the next time you're ready to fire off an email, post a comment, say something you shouldn't say or act hastily without thinking it through.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Carter

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (1.10.14)

Hey there Church of the Way!

I hope you've had a great week (and stayed warm)!  This Sunday, we kick off a brand new 3-week series called "Rich People."  We're going to look at what it means to be rich and talk about some of the habits of the wealthy.  We might just find that some of the financial habits at the gurus say are best today have been around for thousands of years.  Perhaps God will even redefine what we think of being 'rich.'  This is a great series to invite friends to that are looking to get a handle their finances in the New Year.

Also, remember we've got Family Promise coming up on Jan. 19.  We won't host families again until December, so let's take this opportunity to love on those in our community that don't have a home.  In the cold months like this, it's especially important how important this ministry is.  You can contact Jim Ramsdail or Kim Navarro to sign up

Thought for the Week
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you."  Acts 1:8

As you know, I've been in Washington, DC all week working on my doctorate at Wesley Theological Seminary.  I'm still not quite used to the landscape in DC.  It's weird to walk by buildings knowing that decisions are being made in those buildings that will literally impact every person on the planet.  I also know that there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes in those buildings that we don't know and wouldn't understand.  There are a lot of people with a lot of power there.  But it's not really power.  It's a limited control.  Every politician, military officer, coach, teacher, CEO, or bully that thinks they have power really has a little power.  It won't last.  They'll die.  Things will change.  Power is not bad.  It can be used for good or bad.  It strikes me that we forget the power that God has granted us.  We're playing with a stacked deck.  The power of the Holy Spirit lives in us.  This is the power to defeat death, the power to end addiction, the power to give victory over sin, the power of love to trump evil, the power of forgiveness to win over hurt, the power to heal the brokenhearted.  This is true power.  And these are the things that matter.  Know that as you go through life you are not powerless.  The power of the Holy Spirit lives within you.  It is the power that rose Jesus from the dead.  And...IT.  IS.  IN.  YOU.  Tap into it.

In Christ,

Carter 

The Pressure of Christmas

I love Christmas.  Love it.  My parents did (and still do) Christmas big.  It was magical at my house growing up, and looking back, I got a ridiculous amount of stuff.  I love getting Christmas presents for my family.  I love when you think of the perfect thing or get a great buy on something you shouldn't be able to afford for them, but somehow found it 70% off.  Or you think of something really creative.  It's a great feeling to do something heartfelt for someone you love.  It's better to see them open it.  I love it.

But there is also pressure at Christmas, and I'm not sure where it comes from.  You know, it's the feeling of knowing you've gotten most people in the family something really awesome and you bought their presents in, like, July.  But you're driving around the whole week before Christmas trying to find those last one or two people something.  And you're not satisfied because you got them something made by the Totes company that was in the center aisle display with the wallets, earmuffs, and piggy banks.  But it's all you could find.  And you couldn't show up with nothing.  And you're embarrassed when they open it.

Then there's the feeling like you wish you could do more, but you just can't.  You want to spend more on presents for loved ones, but you can't.  And you feel guilty.  Then, you look under the Christmas tree and want there to be more presents for your children there.  You're not sure there are enough under there, but you're not sure what enough is.  You know they have more than most children in the world, and you also know they will have friends who have the latest technological gadgets that they don't.  So, you find yourself strolling through the store to buy one more thing for them to make sure it's 'enough', even though they have rooms full of toys that they don't play with now.

And it makes you hate Christmas.  I hate what it does to me.  This year, underneath our tree is a little more bare than usual.  I'm going to back to school and that's a huge expense.  We're remodeling our kitchen.  Don't ever do that.  Listen to me:  don't ever remodel your kitchen. It is a black hole of expenses.  We've got two kids in preschool, and four growing boys, and it's just a little tighter this year.

Don't feel sorry for us.  My children have more toys than they could ever play with.  They have nice rooms decorated for them.  They eat good and go to great schools.  We are able to travel as a family together a lot.  We tithe to our church and see our money make an impact for the Kingdom.  And we have enough money to do things like (slowly) remodel our kitchen.  And still, I'm wondering if I should buy them one more thing to make sure it's enough.  Or worrying if I need to get one more family member one more thing so that it'll be enough, when they, like us, have more than enough.

This is what Christmas has done to us.  I'm a pastor.  I want to say that I know what Christmas is all about.  It's Jesus' birthday.  Of course I know that.  We celebrate that in my house and with our church.  We know He's the reason for the season.  But why do I feel this way every year at the Holidays?  Why does the over-commercialization get to me every season, telling me that I should get more and buy more for people who don't need any more?  How do I figure out what 'enough' is?

I think the answer is Jesus is enough.  He's enough so I don't need more.  Having Him is enough.  And my children and family won't remember what I got them for Christmas.  They won't be able to recall if they had 'enough' each Christmas.  (They might remember the year I got them those electric socks -- they seemed like something useful at the time.)  If I am Jesus for them, that will be enough.  If I serve them, love them, care for them, love them as Jesus does, that'll be enough.  If I die to myself for them as Jesus has, that'll be enough.  I can't wrap that and put it under a tree.  I can afford it because it's totally free, yet it will cost me everything.  That's what I want to give others all year.  That's how we get out of this crazy mindset we've let takeover Christmas.  And that's enough.  If we are Jesus for others, the gifts we buy will have little impact on their lives.  Being Christ for the world is enough.

Sunday Preview & Thought for the Week (12.5.13)

I hope you're having a great (rainy) week!  It's starting to look and smell like Christmas around my house, and that's certainly the season at Church of the Way.  This Sunday, I hope you'll get into the spirit as we continue to talk about getting from Christmas what we really need in the series "White Elephant."  This week, we'll be talking about 'Good News.'  I'm looking forward to sharing that news with you!

Thought for the Week
"For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat...I was a stranger and you took Me in."  Matthew 25:35

This time of year I get a lot of calls about whether or not we're sponsoring families.  Sometimes LIFE Groups are able to help.  Simply, there are lots of people in need in our community, and the holidays bring that to light.  This coming Sunday we start another week of hosting homeless families through Family Promise of Gwinnett.  We'll be sharing in hosting them with our sister church, New Hope UMC.  It's a big job.  There are lots of things that have to be done and lots of volunteer spaces that must be filled.  But it's a week...to help families...who don't have a home.  It's children who sleep in Sunday School rooms every night.  It's moms that don't have a stove to cook their kids a meal on.  It's families that don't have a Christmas tree because they don't have a corner to put one.  And all God needs from me is to cook a meal, share some fellowship, set-up some beds, or sleep overnight?  And when I do that, I'm not just ministering to people, but Jesus said I'm ministering to Him?  That sounds like a no-brainer.  There is no relationship with God that isolates us from community.  Relationship with God means a relationship with others, for we are all made in God's image.  So, when we serve others, we serve God.  When we love others, we love God.  When we feed others, we feed God.  When we welcome others, we welcome God.  There are lots of ways to serve others this Christmas season, and Family Promise is a simple and profound way to do that.  Let's be a people who take seriously our relationship with God by serving the ones made in His image.  You can find out what opportunities there are to serve in Family Promise by contacting Jim Ramsdail or Kim Navarro.

In Christ,

Carter