Momentum: Building Change

Moved For A Season...

2008-01-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!

This blog has moved!

Please go to THIS SITE ON VIRB* for your regular programming...l

Opening Up Some Boxes

2007-12-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

Hi, all of you beautiful people!

I was thinking over Christmas Day-ish about unwrapping gifts. Unwrapping boxes. Boxes with

clothes

iTunes Gift Cards

more clothes

external hard drives

more clothes

avacados...

And the thought occurred to me. (thought-occurring sound FX)

We often hear at NewSpring that people should not "box God in". That we should let God be God in our lives. Which is to allow Him to be sovereign. To allow Him to be a driving force in our lives. To allow Him to free us.

But what about the boxes we build for ourselves? What about the way we DON'T ALLOW OURSELVES to do things?

We all have a routine. We all fall in the ruts of life. We get up, brush our teeth, whip our hair (ha, because that's the way it's done),
eat breakfast, start the day at work, school, etc. etc. And we get up the next day and do it all over again.

That's the way we do things. We go to church. We sing, we sit, we sing, we sit, we listen, we go home....even in places like NewSpring, we catch ourselves doing this. After a while, the unique can get...well...mundane.

I don't want that to happen in our community. Are you with me?

Jesus did not give us life so that we could

compartmentalize it

tame it

shelf it

put time limits on it

We are called to live timelessly. We are called to live a life with NO limits. That is Christ's promise for those who believe in Him.

Following Jesus is not about being seated...

but standing up.

When was the last time you let yourself out of your box ....to worship?

to OWN you faith?

to GIVE (time, relationally, unconditionally) to the poor, the homeless, the widow, the orphan?

to truly LOVE?

to MAKE friends with a stranger?

to TEACH by example of LIVING?

It is difficult to do these things, but Jesus continually GIVES of Himself so that we may GIVE to others...

He is NOT boxed in.

NEITHER SHOULD WE BE.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Of all the things I'm thankful for the best
Are these right here:
I am thankful for God giving me rest,
And friends throughout this year.

I am thankful for time with family,
And with Jesus too.
I am thanful for laughing merrily,
And for times that were blue.

I am thankful for the sad rejections,
And for acceptance.
And things unplanned for, things--interjections--
That I must give to chance.

I am thankful for the sun's beaten course,
That lights up each day.
Thankful, for the Source of all things around;
Of stars that shine and play.
(Oh, that we would for Him be stars that shine and play!)

I am thankful for the depths of this Love,
which we try to share.
And though it is a road sent from above,
And we, as we stumble, should not give to despair.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, everybody. Sometimes it is very easy to be thankful.

Sometimes it is very difficult to be thankful,

especially in the case of:

adversity, rejection, despair, grief, sadness, brokenness, loneliness, in the midst of need...

For us, whether we are blessed with many material things are not, as followers of Jesus, we should recognize the extent of how fully dependent we are on Him.

We sing hymns about how He is all we need. Are we making this a reality? Are we bringing heaven to earth? Are we living in such a way that we know and show others that God will never leave us or forsake us? Are showing love to those in need by giving our time and our attention? Are we allowing Jesus the authority to pull us out of the pits we find ourselves in?

We should always have a spirit of thansgiving. Trying to live simpler lives, more in tune with the Spirit of God.

So here's the challenge: Over this Thanksgiving weekend, let us take time to examine ourselves. When we are with family, with friends....stuck in store checkout lines....

1.) Am I living a life that is thankful for God's blessings, and as a show of thankfulness, obedient and in tune with what God wants for me?

2.) In living with a spirit of thanksgiving, am I actually focused on giving back, or am I more focused on taking more? Do I really need more...STUFF? (and for some of us the question might need to be "Do I really need to eat more STUFFING?" ;-P )

3.) What can I do to give back? How can I lift others up and humble myself? How can I make this world more like God intended it to be?

You CAN make a DIFFERENCE.

Have a great time with your families, your friends, and with God over this holiday weekend!

Peace Be With You.

Blowing Some Dust Off this Blog Site....

2007-11-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

AGH!

That's a one liner. Anyway, yeah, it has been a while since I have written on this blog, and since I am feeling englishy today (which is the sense and/or impression of one's ability to be quite prolific with words and creative with speech) I will begin with a blog post full of...

Here we go:

Has it ever felt sometimes like God wasn't THERE. I've had people tell me before that "I haven't been hearing from God" or " I haven't felt God" or the most frequent "Umm, God...WHY?"

Now I don't have any specific Scripture references to quote to you today. WWJD? Say "Just trust me on this one."

I believe the overwhelming majority of the time where we are NOT connecting with God is when we are too connected with SOMEONE or SOMETHING else. And believe it or not, that can even mean being too involved in your work (I say this to those of us in ministry who tend to get too "bogged down"). I can't count the times that I've been so busy with

the task at hand,

or the school-work,

or the relationship problem,

to really step back and seek God's heart for the situation. And often times we don't realize that we have been disconnected from God until we are so far down our own path in the woods that we forget the 4-lane highway to our right. (If you've seen The Village you might remember something like this.)

And then we ask the question of "God, where are you?"

And God's response is "I've been here the whole time. Where were you?"

Ouch. Zinger!

What do you have to do today to find your way out of the isolated path in the woods, and onto the obvious road that God has planned for you? What do you have to do TO RETURN? What is it TODAY that you need to let go of in order to live life, not just to exist, but to live life to the full?

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and (realionship with) God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6 (italicized translation inserted)

Prayer Room?

2007-10-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

So, I have a lot of ideas to try out in ministry. Not every idea is perfect for every ministry. But in every church or community there are people who have been tapped by God to carry out ideas that benefit the whole. Some ideas work, some don't work. Some work once, and others work then not anymore. The great ideas are the ideas that people want to be a part of and participate in. Those are the ideas that help you grow in a relationship with Jesus.

Well, one idea that I really want to see God use is a prayer room (perhaps at 9 19, even at NewSpring). I got the concept from Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a room that the church has available, where people can go and pray for whatever they are wrestling with, or what God has laid on their heart. It is a place open during services where people can gather to pray for God to move in the service. I would like to see volunteers there to pray with people, and teach them about prayer and speaking with God. Basically, a little prayer closet.

Let me know what ya'll think! Maybe somebody can take this and get it rolling!

Welcome to 9 19!

2007-10-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! The past couple of weeks, Matt Feiling and I have been meeting with Kevin Baynard, president of Clemson's FCA , in order to strategically organize and enhance FCA's ministries. We are meeting again today in order to hopefully lay down some hard decisions as far as how to get 9 19 jacked up on Monster energy drink! (metaphorically speaking)

It's been awesome getting the chance to look at 9 19 in the mindset of, "This is awesome! How do we make it phenomenal?"

some things we're looking at:

Volunteer Strategy
T-Shirts (cause they're gonna be awesome!)
Service Breakdown
Small Groups
"Getting out of the chair and getting out there!"
Creative Strategy

I think we getting ready to see some big things happen this semester and the next at 9 19! Please pray for God to move in the lives of those leading and attending 9 19, and pray for God to get you plugged in, involved, interested, and ready to embrace His purpose for your life!

WOTA: In-Hand Sandwich Dispersion

2007-10-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today, I reintroduce a completely random but age-old past-time of The Word of The Awesomeness (WOTA) ! Yes, a series of entries better than the Encyclopedia Brittanica that compiles the nuance-words or our hyper-changing culture.

Today's entry:

In-Hand Sandwich Dispersion (IHSD) n., a condition that causes a sandwich (or burger) to disintegrate in mid-consumption. This condition is caused by the breakdown of kinetic friction between internal middle elements and the outer elements, involving the tear-away of the bread/bun portion of a sandwich, leaving the middle section exposed in one's hands. (see also, Simultaneous-Bite Push Away) This breakdown is usually caused by excess condiment usage. Internal middle elements of the sandwich may completely break away and fall off in the process. In instances of extreme sandwich size, IHSD is frequent.

Family Weekend

2007-10-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been great as far as getting some wonderful family time. Last night, my Dad and I went to the Thai restaurant in Anderson (very yummy!) and today I helped the fam clean out the attic (lots of memories up there...).

Can I say that I really enjoyed time with my Dad? For those of you that know him, you know he can be a really cool guy to be around. I really enjoyed our conversation, talking about construction, funny stories, and pretty much anything. It's also really awesome to have someone with which you can be with and not have to say anything, and everything be OK.

Today was good, sleeping in a little bit, helping move boxes, working out, and then going to work (my current location). I haven't written a blog in a while....I will be writing more as time allows. However, I need to make sure that I write my ideas as they come, so that I can type them up here afterwards.

CHURCH TOMORROW! GET PUMPED!

Are You Part of the Remedy?

2007-09-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

So I got a little music CD yesterday...

David Crowder* Band's latest and greatest is one of the best CD's I've bought in a while....or ever! On top of great tunes like 'For The Glory of It All' and a remix of 'Everything Glorious'
the album features some sweet tunes such as the title song and a decidedly "Crowderized" version of 'O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing' among others.

The ten song album is very well composed, and it develops as a message to the world as what Christ-followers should be....a part of the solution, not part of the problem. This is underscored in the soft tones of the final song of the album, 'Surely We Can Change'.

If you haven't got ahold of this, you better get to it, cowboy!

Available on iTunes.

Completely Amateur Music Critic at your service,
-- RWS

Creative Treasure-Box on a Toilet Paper Roll

2007-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

This blog is here as an outlet to my personal adventures, but also as a storage place and bulletin board for moving the Kingdom of God foward. Hopefully, this site can serve as inspiration, and if you (the reader) ever want to sit down and discuss the ideas posted herein, I am just an email away and would be happy to meet if possible.

I say all that to say that Momentum is the element of change. This momentum comes out of a desire to help others and to see the world change through the power of Christ and His People. Momentum came from a question, "What, Lord, do you want me to do?" and "How can I serve you and serve people better?". Today the question arose, "How can we (as a middle school ministry, Ignite) do more for our students?"

Tonight I was in the bathroom. Not the most glamorous thing ever, but while I was visiting the room with the bath in it, I suddenly had a flow of thoughts that immediately HAD TO BE WRITTEN DOWN! I found a pencil in my drawers pocket and, having no paper at hand, found a discarded cardboard toilet paper roll in the trash. On this unlikely piece of parchment I scribed the following ideas, which I want to share:

Ignite Career Day
- Allowing a duo-talk with a staff member and an outside Christ-follower that applies God's awesomeness to the real world, and emphasizes the importance of choosing a career path that brings honor to God.
- Allows students to learn about different careers and how God works tnrough those career-ppl.
- Promotes future planning
- Give-aways that highlights the message/career.
- The additional goal of this providing a valuable memorable experience.

Ignite Interactive
- Parents are invited to worship w/ kids.
- Addresses the importance of good relationships at home
- Provide a source of outreach to those wthout good home lives
- Provides a time for students' families to network
- Allows parents to become acquainted with small group leaders

Ignite: CREATE!
- A Saturday event followed by service on Sunday.
- The event provides a time for kids to learn painting, sculpting and drawing
- Music Fun "seminar" with NewSpring band members and affiliates
- Service emphasizes God's imprint of creativity on us, and how we can use our talents to make the world a better place and as ministry to others.

Ignite Supercharge Championship
- A Saturday event followed by service on Sunday
- A series of sports events for students. Teams compete in different sport events in bracket organization to advance to a grand-prize championship.
- Concludes with related message and worship on Sunday.

Ignite Revolution
- A Saturday event followed by service on Sunday.
- This event focuses on local missions; helping local charities and those in need.
- More frequent version of "Mission Anderson"
- Message on Sunday focuses on the importance and call to help and serve others.

Well, That's all I got right now. It's GAMETIME people! Let's get rockin!

A Weekend South of the (SC) Border.

2007-09-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty cool. I went to a Clemson soccer game, which was fun to watch, but I definitely left before it was over to grab some Peppinos! Saturday I worked at the coffee shop...not much there. Sunday was awesome. Matt, Keri, Jenni, and I went to Alpharetta, GA for the 12:45 of Northpoint Church.

Northpoint was pretty cool. Andy Stanley shared a message on how to BE rich, not GET rich. It was a good talk, and the band played well, but not nearly as rockin as at NewSpring. After the service, we had the opportunity to go backstage and shake Andy's hand. I think he was kind of surprised that we were just volunteers, but it wasn't too awkward. We said our hello's and then met up with a Northpoint volunteer for a tour of the facility. One awesome part of their church was the kids ministry rooms. I thought it was really awesome that they had an auditorium for kids and parents to worship together...kid style. The middle school/ high school youth area was very similar to a design I made up last semester with a Hard-Rock Cafe-like layout and feel. It looked awesome for small groups.

After church, we headed to downtown ATL for lunch at the CNN building and then a short walk to the World of Coke. I was tired when we got there, but it was a blast! I took a bunch of cool pictures, and I got to taste all the different Coke products they had out. I hope heaven has a room like that! The architecture of the building was pretty cool as well.

So that was my weekend! Just wanted to share. If you get a chance to go to Northpoint CC or the World of Coca Cola, it'll def be worth the trip!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU!

2007-08-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (8/29) marked the one-year birthday of this blog (motions to follow) let's take a look back, shall we?

One of the first things I wrote about was Perry speaking at Clemson FCA.
This blog used to be titled "Ryan Sutherland Writes Volumes"
Thanks to Whitney King, Matt Feiling, Ashley Barnett, Brittney Harris, Scott Murray, Pudge Huckaby, Alden Ellis, Megan Hendricks, B. Long, Alan Adams, and others for their comments over the year!
My blog has also been made available on my Virb site in the past few months!
The first picture I had on the main blogsite was me being semi-attacked by a rubber python!

That's the trivia. Take a look back and see what you can find in the archives section. There are lots of different teachings, ideas, commentary, and inspirational blogs as well as old photos and great video links!

As a blog writer, I would like to meet you, the readers! If you read this blog on a regular basis or have read it for the first time on this post, please leave a comment! Let me know who ya are!

Happy blogging! Advance the Kingdom!

I Will Teach You What I Know About ________ in the Next 10 Minutes

2007-08-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

One of my current goals is to create a series of teaching videos to be used by churches and Jesus-loving organizations, but also without demographic. Similar to Rob Bell's NOOMA, the MOMENTUM videos will be roughly 10 minute long teaching videos in which speakers will share what is most passionate to them, the issues people care about, and teach what the Word of God says about those topics.

The purpose of Momentum is two-fold.

1.) To implement an element of change by discussing relevant topics for all people in a way that shares the love and gospel of Christ.

2.) To allow speakers a platform from which to share valuable experiences, teachings, and revelations that are engaging and in a way that inspires others to seek meaningful relationships with Christ and people.

This is my vision. Just as NOOMA presents a new format, MOMENTUM will build on that format to change the world and serve the Kingdom.

Look for the first MOMENTUM video, TRASH, to be produced within the next few months.

If you are interested in this project please leave a comment below.

Continue to build the Kingdom... continue to be an element of change.

"Look at all these sinners...."

2007-08-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

I think the video illustrates how we think about evangelism sometimes. We see the word as black and white, us and them. We fail to remember that we were once without hope and that we are all unworthy of God's amazing grace. In its worst forms, evangelism stands upon this dichotomy.

Crazy guy with the sandwich boards

The Guy with the bullhorn

The Pamphlet People

The Bible Givers

the list goes on. Jesus DID NOT do what is portrayed in this video. He didn't set an example for people to always walk up to people saying "I'm-a-Christian-are-you?-You-need-to-visit-
my-church" attitude. There was no condemnation towards people who did not yet know him.

Jesus taught us to love people by investing in a relationship with them.

EMPHASIS ON 'RELATIONSHIP'

I believe God wants us to form relationships with people so that we can use that relationship as a mirror image of what he wants with us. You can't do that if you're always moving 100 miles per minute, giving people the "How ya doin?" without really caring.

We have to be careful we don't fall in that trap. It's dangerous to fool ourselves into thinking we are doing God's will when we don't take the time to get to know people.

Love God, love people. If you want to change the world, all you have to do is summon the courage to make a friend, to impact the lives of the people you meet. Then, God might use that relationship to show His glory and to begin a relationship with his lost sheep.

The Message of Spider-man

2007-08-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

So I just had this random thought which seemed good enough for me to blog (speak in public, shout, whisper, pray, think) about.

I think this thought may (just maybe) have something to do with the old Spidey comic I read last night while in the bathroom (I'm not ashamed to admit this....I needed some reading material, and you know that all good ideas occur in the bathroom!)...

'With great power comes great responsibility'

Everyone knows that was the great lesson that Spidey/Peter Parker learned and lived by. Granted, I haven't done battle with green goblins, octopi, and other dangerous criminals, but I think the lesson resonates within each of us beacause of its beauty and truth.

As followers of Christ, I think we should realize that we have been endowed with many great and powerful gifts. Our super-power is the heart of God within us.

If you are a follower of Christ you just know that you are because of the impact you have on the world around you. You have experienced and accepted God's love (received a heart transplant) and that powerful love overflows. We are called to be known as Christ-followers by the love we show others.

As a church, we are called to use this power -- this love -- to change the world around us for the better. We are called to serve God's will through loving the underpriveleged, the untouchables, and the people beside us. I believe that we have the reponsibility to build meaningful relationships with these people so they can experience Christ through us and hopefully move towards a relationship with Him. Would that not change the world in incredible ways?

'With great power comes great responsibility.'

Creating a Community of Faith, Love, and Hope, Part 2

2007-07-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

I think the first step in building a community of faith, love, and hope is to recognize the adventure one has to undertake in order to achieve such a thing.

A community of faith, love, and hope is people of faith, having faith that they can make an impact on the world through love, so that the world will have hope through Christ Jesus.

This is something that we must adhere to! It takes commitment, sacrifice, and risk. I believe it is possible for a community to embrace this mission, and I envision a world where the followers of Jesus would fulfill God's purpose by embracing such a crazy idea.

In a fast-paced world of individual achievement and of such insecurity, commitment to building real, face-to-face commmunity where people have problems and where people have to get dirty with the problems of other human beings can easily be ignored.

I mean, why have a community of human beings that you can get to know in person, and see them up-close, when you can hide behind the screen of a computer or a television?

Why build a community that commits itself to helping the poor and needy by bringing them into their homes and spending one-on-one time with the homeless, if you can just give money to an organization to "give them what they need"?

(Hope that you hear my sarcasm...)

What they may really need...is you. Not your money, but your time, your attention...you.

The first step in building a community is realizing the adventure of actually working and sharing and SERVING other people. Realizing the adventure that comes with risking your time, your money, and your relational security to help others.

The next step is to ask God to show you where and who needs YOU

And to obey Him. Get out there!

P.S. This Blog Has Upgraded!

2007-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

By the way, there is a new title for this blog. It went from

"Ryan Sutherland Writes Volumes"

to

"Momentum: Building Change"

Thought we'd change the focus a little bit. Don't worry, you'll be getting crazy off topic stuff too.

Enjoy!

Creating a Community of Faith, Love, and Hope, Part 1

2007-07-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Something that I want for the NewSpring community is a real sense of (or emphasis on) community. I really feel like many people who go to our church do not take the time to look at the strangers sitting beside them and get to know them.

At NewSpring we have an awesome group of volunteers that greet and accomodate thousands of people every Sunday! We also have Home Groups and GroupLink to help people to gather on their own during the week to grow in faith.

I think we need to take this a step further.

A few months ago we did a series entitled, "What If?". In the series, we discussed how the early church was a incredible community- built on faith, abounding in love, and full of hope.

I think we really underestimate the power of a community. It seems as though our individualistic society has all but destroyed the sense of true community.

God created us as relational beings, "fearfully, and wonderfully made" to do great things.

God created us for true community: helping those around us and helping those beyond us.

It is my hope that because there is a movement of God in this place, in this town, in this county, known as NewSpring Church, we would see that each person made on purpose, with a purpose, and for a purpose would realize their potential to change the world and glorify God through a community built on faith, abounding in love, and full of hope.

God Downloads: Part 2

2007-07-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

So! I had this idea while I was in the shower yesterday (all good thoughts come from the shower, by the way...) and I think it would be great to encourage the young 'uns at church to do this!

Well, the thought came from this: "How can I teach my Ignite kids to not be so timid to invite other kids from school to Ignite and the NewSpring community* ?"

In my experience talking with students, the majority of them don't really talk about Jesus on a regular basis. I understand why, though! One of the hardest things to do in your walk with Christ is telling complete strangers about Jesus. I mean, let's face it, most middle schoolers (and some of us) are afraid of being judged, labeled, and stereotyped. And sometimes it's not the strangers that it's hard to talk to, but the people we know too.

Although it is sometimes a difficult thing to bring up, I think it is easy to talk about Jesus in terms of HOW GREAT YOUR GOD IS! Share what He has done in your life and your community!

And, if you need some experience inviting people to Ignite or Fuse, just look around at the main service at NewSpring. I'm willing to bet that there are people who go to main service but don't go to Ignite or Fuse! This is a chance for Ignite or Fuse people to make some new friends (who might already have an idea of how great God is!) and to get them active in our community. That's how just about all of the Ignite leaders got invited to Ignite! Some leaders took the jump and made some crazy new friends at the main service!

Next time at NewSpring, just take a minute to look beyond yourself. Do something crazy and radical for Jesus-- make a crazy friend! Then maybe they can do the same as a part of creating a community of faith, hope, and love.

My Crazy Friends

* Next Post on creating a community of faith, love, and hope.

God Downloads: Part 1

2007-07-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was having my quiet time, sitting with God, and he pretty much downloaded an entire sermon outline in my head! (Actually it was more like a fill-in-the-blank kind of thing)

It was awesome!

So, I figured I would share all the things God showed me in a series of installments. (Don't worry if i write them all today. I'm at work and I have nothing better to do. Like I said...don't worry)

Here goes:

GOD IS AWESOME. Here's a reason why: His Love for YOU and me doesn't depend on how perfect we are but on how perfect JESUS IS.

Despite all our imperfections, screw-ups, stupidity, pride and stubborness, Jesus allows us to KNOW Him and to FOLLOW Him.

This is really hard to do. Several times during the week, I would begin to sin or do something that that was really stupid and the Holy Spirit would whack me over the head with a 2 x 4 with nails in it. AND THEN I WOULD START TO MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE A FEW DAYS LATER!

Through the whole experience, God was showing me just how narrow the path is sometimes. In the Scriptures, highway to Hell is essentially an eight lane, one way freeway. It's easy to get there and it is hard to stay on the road less traveled by.

Christ made it easy for us to know this road by sending His Holy Spirit to dwell IN us. But lots of times the "human" in us makes it difficult to listen to the "spirit" in us. The human part of us was born with sin, but we still have God's likeness and spirit in us that holds virtue and guides us.

We will stumble and we will fall. The storms always come in our lives. But Jesus always has us by the hand. How many times did Jesus fall carrying the weight of our sins? I don't think it was just the weight of the cross-- sin is heavy.

But Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, love, and commitment to us, had the strength to get back up, and He will help you back up when you need it. Even if it is over and over and over and over again.

Home From IOP, CHUCK, & An Awesome Time With God!

2007-07-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yo! I am back and ready to attack! Just returned home from the beach w/ the fam. While I was there I finished "Chasing Daylight" by Erwin McManus. It was REAL good. I definitely loved the way it centered around the way Jonathan seized his opportunity to do great things for God in 1 Samuel.

My fav lesson from the book: "Go, unless you get a no" in other words "Forcefully advance the kingdom of God!"

I was inspired to make a few graphic ideas (see above)

Also at the beach I read through Isaiah. That was a good book to read. I liked how at several times, Isaiah writes about the relationship between God and His children, and how God did created something new: the hope and fulfillment of a Saviour for us. I appreciated all of the allusions and prophecies that showed just how much God loves us. (I know this is vague, but I don't have my notes at hand...writing off the top of me brain!)

Some other thoughts:

- We (the church) should not be satisfied with "keeping up" with the culture and society we live in. We should strive to lead the way in changing the world around us!

- Jesus calls us to believe, to place ALL our trust in Him, and to allow our hearts (and passions) to be transformed. Then we will be guided by Him in all we do.

Day Three @ Sea...Well, the Beach

2007-07-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Today marks the third day of staying by the shore with the fam. All 12 of us are here from SC, FL, and PA. We're staying at Isle of Palms, SC which is just outside of Charleston.

It's a pretty cool spot. So far it has been overcast and rainy off and on (which explains why I am inside writing this blog) and I think we shall all go to Mt. Pleasant this afternoon to catch a movie and possibly some shops.

I've been trying to devote my time here to God and family. So far I've had a heck of a lot of the family, and I have also had a whole lot more time to pray and read God's Word.

Yesterday we went to a Catholic church on Sullivan's Island...

Yeah, that wasn't fun at all. Not because it was Catholic, but because we went to the service that was completely in Latin. I wasn't too pleased, and I'm not sure how God feels about it. The message that the priest gave (in English) was pretty good, if not more like a dramatized lecture. But I agreed with some of his points. It just seemed very dark and Gothic in tone. (ugh)

I got nothing out of the service except an appreciation for the architecture of the church (probably cause I was busy staring at that during service). I understood what was going on during the service, but it held no meaning for me. There was no real participation from the congregation. I would have given $1000 to see Lee or somebody from NewSpring walk down the aisle with a guitar and lead everyone in loud, clear, and awesome worship!

By the way, I am very sad I missed "Hosanna" on Sunday at NS. I've been waiting for the band to use that song for months!

Congrats to Perry and Lucretia on their baby's arrival! I know they'll be rockin' parents!

Anyway, off to the beach! K C YA !

Better Than Crashing the Pots and Pans!

2007-06-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here's some phenomen-alden?-al music that I have been moved- nay, inspired- by these past few months.

Is it ok if I share?

The first musicians I would like to point out are some super-soundin' snow-patrollin' guys known as Until June. ( go here for virb-age.) They have a particular song "Sleepless" that will get stuck in your head worse than the NFL Football theme, or a song by Lee McDerment.

I am not ashamed to say I have bought the album. If they sound familiar, you probably heard them on a Mosaic podcast.

Those of you who know I listen to Erwin McManus a lot would say "Of course."

Overall, they have a good sound to go along with some catchy lyrics. Although they sometimes have a high-pitched chorus and lead vocals, I don't think it will strike them out.

(Wait. Baseball? NVM.)

And now, my most inspirational songs shall be presented...

Hillsong (virb) Hillsong United (non-virb)

Five songs from the new album "All of the Above" really get me goin. While the CD has some wonderful "filler songs" like the "United We Stand"CD, the songs "Lead Me To the Cross" and "Hosanna" have the potential to bring amazing worship. I mean, they really BRING IT.

I would like to hear these at NewSpring in the future. (Do I hear an amen?)

Also "Solution", "Point of Difference" and "Saviour King" are all great songs that really rock out and cause for some jumpy-jump.

I think the CD, like much of Hillsong's stuff, has songs easy to learn (to sing), and cause us to reflect on our relationship with God, what it means to come to God, and on who Christ is.

I'm looking forward to Hillsong's next release, a live CD called "Saviour King".

Now, there's one band that deserves some recognition. I've seen these guys twice in concert, and I think they are talented AND awesome. They really have fun doing what they do.

Whenever they play, it seems to be a form of worshipping Christ. I would really like to incorporate their music in some of the videos I am planning to do for youth.

They're called THE DIRT AND THE FLOOD.

SOme of you might now Alex Baxley (a pretty cool cat) from Clemson and stuff. He and the band have some awesome sounds. Very melodious and soothing with a hint of...(tastes)...mint?

Anyway, you can check them out on myspace.com. One song that they have is really awesome to watch because halfway through the song, it seems like everyone in the quartet has a different instrument! Mute Math-ish experimentation? Who knows? I think these guys could go far.

Well, that's my music review. Keep your ears peeled! (ewww.)

I Love Messing with People!

2007-06-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

The other day at the coffee shop (Saturday, I believe), I was serving this one family that comes in pretty regularly while I'm at the shop on the weekends. I was making the girl in th family an Oreo Speedwagon (pretty much an Oreo milkshake with espresso) and her parents went into the lounge area (now this "girl" wasn't really a girl, probably more like in her early to late twenties).

As I reached the final stages of making the drink I asked her if she wanted whipped cream on top of her Oreo Speedwagon.

Her reply was, "An ungodly amount, please."

Now,

the first thing that popped into my head was that, to me, the statement she had just made sounded completely wrong.

My thinking is that an "ungodly amount" would be very, very, very

small.

A "godly amount" to me would be GIANORMOUS! (after all, my God is huge!)

And so, I toyed with the idea of completely throwing her off, and giving her a small amount, but not saying anything about it.

But that wouldn't have been any fun at all!

I asked her if she meant for a lot or a little, and she said, "OH, a lot! A sinful amount!"

Once again, I thought to myself, "Well, I am trying to minimize sin. Sin = Bad. I guess that should mean "not a lot".

So I said, "Oh, well, I would think that would be a small amount too. See an ungodly amount to me would be small, because my God is pretty generous."

She thought for a moment, and for a second I thought we would have a down and dirty staring contest...

but she chose the option to say, "Well, I'm not going to argue with that..."

I think I won this one. :)

Anyway, it was fun and it got her to think about what she says, and maybe how good God can be!

Today! @ the Coffee Shop

2007-06-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight at the coffee shop, things are pretty dead. This is a far cry from Thurday night, when I was so busy that I was ready to destroy a blender (believe me, I could do it)! Not because I was busy, but because I was becoming annoyed with the constant busyness.

So I take this opportunity to blog-chat with whoever's still reading out there.

I have a few projects at hand that are occupiying my thoughts. One, I want to make a discussion video for my out-bound small group guys at Ignite. I'm thinking a look at the Israelites move from Egypt...but I want to hit "What has Jesus done for you at Ignite?" "How can you take that to the next level?", humility, integrity, generosity, faithfulness and perseverance, and owning your faith in Christ and what that means. And then, how has God "ignited" your faith and how can we become one, be "fused" with him and strive to be like him. Sounds kind of iffy but we'll see.

If you have any ideas, criticism, or suggestions for this video, lemme kno!

Also, yesterday I had three wonderful conversations with three different wonderful people! It was awesome being able to just sit down (or stand) and have some meaningful conversations about what God has called us to do at this point in time. As one friend pretty much put it, sometimes we need to hear ourselves say some things to grasp what we are thinking and to understand more about where we are and what God wants of us.

Also, there are a handful of Ignite leaders that I really want to try and lift up and encourage. People will know about these things when I talk to them (keep an ear open tomorrow!)

Summer Update and Thought-Spills...

2007-05-24T15:14:00.001-07:00

Top o' the summer break to ya!

Well, since the shennaniganz started I have been quite busy: Lunching with people, working in Greenville, working in Anderson, trying to keep up with friends, etc.

Here are some of the top things on my mind (I would say "top ten" but I'm not sure if there are ten yet...)

1> I MISS MY PEEPS!
I know...I still see a lot of your friendly people, but I feel like some of us have lost touch for a while now. I'm trying not to stay too busy so I can hang out! After all, then what's a summer for?

2> I like to work, but I hope it gets better...

Echk (sp?)! The summer job is definitely OK (especially when you have two like me!), but I really wish I could spend my time with people-- you know, talking with them and sharing the love of Jesus! Thankfully, I am getting to do that whenever I can! And I wish I had a career job to work at a place were my creativity (and I) could run free! Luckily Sean Gaffney and I have had a couple of weekendly design "symposiums" to get those creative juices flowing (mmm, yummy!). Summer jobs seem so....I dunno...."cliche-clackety-wack" for a lack of a better term.
(see WOTA vol. 3)

3>Can Anybody Pass the Wisdom, Please?
One thing that has gone well these past few months is that I have learned a lot about where I want to be in terms of a man of God and in terms of relationships. I want to be a man after God's heart; even when I trip and fall I want to fall in that direction. I feel that I have gained some wisdom, but certainly not enough. I have been trying to listen to the plan that God has for my life very closely, and my goal is to try and spend more time contemplating His Word, not just reading. I have written a few letters to people with things that I firmly believe embedded in them, in an effort to spread the wisdom I have gained. I want to serve more, give more, hear more, speak less, and love more!

4> Preparation for Lightspeed. Jumping to Hyper-space in 3...2...1...
Another of my goals for the summer is to re-evaluate and determine my goals for the next 5-10 years. It'll be quite a ride! I am confident in my Lord to guide me where he needs me and to give me everything (including the trials and tear-jerkers) that I need.

That's enough for now. Until next time, keep the torches burning bright!

Leading Others...Or Serving Others? Hmmm....

2007-05-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about things while I was riding my lawnmower this morning. If you've never tried thinking about life and such while riding a lawnmower...you should.

One of my thoughts was this:

"Leading people to Christ"

"Good leaders serve"

"Serving people to show them Christ's love"

Take a moment in the next few days to really invest in someone's life. What people saw at NewSpring this Mother's Day is an example of how desiring to serve someone can change lives.

It is how we serve that shows people who Christ truly is, not a punishing, angry God, but the very meaning of Service.

I've noticed some things about people who serve Christ...they serve others. They love all people, because Christ loved all people.

It is evident through service. Serving has to do with humility and generosity.

Jesus was humble and generous with his life, even unto death.

Is being Humble and Generous a cross that we need to dust off and pick up? I know I could definitely do better. Especially in relationships and even with strangers.

That is one of my goals. To follow Christ in humility, generosity, and servanthood.

When we are leading people to Christ, or if we hope to show them the greatness of God, we don't have to walk on water to show them Jesus...

Sometimes it takes a simple act of service.

Serve others. Serve those that need to know the love of Christ. Lead by Serving.

Psalm 113

John 13: 1-14

2 Corinthians 9: 11-15

Fronier Labeling: Labeling...a New Frontier

2007-04-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday I was working at E-City Java in Anderson, SC. E-City Java is located on Main Street, ad can be identified by the large yellow lightning-bolt-and-cup "label" outside of Sullivan's. As a coffee shop, E-City Java sells coffee drinks, as well as coffee beans (ground or whole bean) by the pound. While I had been working there, we have had several customers wanting to buy coffee beans. Unfortunately, we had run out of "stickers" for our brown paper coffee bags. These "custom stickers" are oval-oid shaped bits of marketing goodness, so I was sad that we had run out. As a solution I simply wrote the kind of coffee and the name "E-City Java" on the bag with black Sharpie in my architectural print. Afterwards, I decided to try and come up with my own "custom label" to create for the coffee shop. The current one has been described as too cartoonish. If anyone has some radical ideas for an awesome "labels" for E-City Java, be sure to let me know! I might try out these guys at Frontier Label when I get a good design...

You're My Friend... Until I've Had Enough

2007-04-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Something that frustrates me is when people don't hold on to the friendships God has given them.

We lose the passions that we once had with those people.

We had great plans that fell to pieces when we decided that we'd had enough of that person.

We've all done this. As human beings, we're pretty dysfunctional. Even if you try the excuse, "Well, I don't think I could get mad at that person..."

that's a lie.

We all get to the point in our friendships when we think, "I can't stand that person!"

And that is good. It means we're not holding back our frustrations...we're being truthful when we admit we hate someone's guts. But how do we resolve that?

Jesus said to "love your enemies" and "to love your neighbor as yourself".

Easier said than done, Jesus. But he probably knew that, too...

Usually we come to that point in a relationship where we're ready to

run away.

That point comes earlier than others in some cases. For others, it takes a while. But, we all have that threshold to cross. The question is:

Are we committed enough to that person to get through the door? To cross that threshold?

Or do we just run away from it? The truth is that more people than we would like are scared of confrontation. We're naturally scared of putting our hearts and emotions on the line. We're afraid of what the future might hold, too. Sometimes we run away because we have commitment issues (super-dysfunction). Sometimes, we

Simply

don't

care

anymore.

But if our hearts belong to Christ, we should care. If our hearts belong to Christ, whom then should we fear? Should we fear those moments when we open ourselves up to others? When we have the painful conversations? When we find each other in different places? When we find that we scared of committing to a friend (because let's face it, this person needs a lot of friendship and attention).

This is a moment for us to open up and let Christ shine through.

Occasionally, pride will get in the way. HUMBLE YOURSELF in those situations. Keep the friend that God has given to you, no matter how bad those MOMENTARY CIRCUMSTANCES are.

But most of all, GET TO KNOW THE OTHER PERSON. Make sure that you know what is going on in their lives. You must be TRUTHFUL!

COMMUNICATE!

Be open to what the other has to say, no matter how stupid that thing is.

LISTEN to what they have to say. Shut up for a moment, and focus on their needs.

Most importantly, you must be willing to treat each other with respect,

"do unto others as you would have done to yourself"

Listen to Jesus, seek his heart in the matter. He knows better than you do! And you can't do better than Him!

If things don't work out between you, it's not the end of the world. Seeking the heart of Christ and knowing what is best for each other will help you to save a friendship.

Have fun, obey God. (more on this later)

If God's plan is not for you to be with the other, then you pretty much have to suck it! Search your own souls to see what God has in store for you! Listen, listen, LISTEN! And pray for DISCERNMENT!

But know that God will calls all of us to Him, and that His plan for us was not to be divided in Him,

but to be one in Him.

After all, "no greater love is this, that a man lay down his life for his friends..."

Great is His Love

2007-04-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hello!

One verse has kept recurring this weekend, at FCA and NewSpring: John 14:11-13

"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father."

This reminds me that God has done something incredible for those of us who believe.
He has given us power to do marvelous things in His name. He allows us to do holy things (things that are good and pure and perfect) in His name so that he may have the glory.

Jesus tells his disciples that ANYONE who has faith in Christ will do even greater things than walking on water, healing the sick, or calming storms. I mean, it almost seems as if Jesus wants us to be like...Him?

I know that it's pretty difficult to believe that ANYONE who has faith in Jesus could perform miracles and be like Him, but I honestly don't think that Jesus died on the cross for our sins just to go back to heaven and say,

"Ok...that's it. No more miracles. If you want to do something in my name, just pray really hard and maybe something will happen. Don't try and be exactly like me, because I'm Jesus... and you're not."

And then I think, well what can we do to show ourselves to be like Jesus? What is one thing that Jesus should be known for? What is the essence of Jesus' ministry?

I think the answer is "unfailing love."

But obviously, we can't do that by ourselves.

In Proverbs 20:6, it says, "Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?"

But in the New Testament, Paul writes to the Ephesians, telling them:

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and

live a life of love,

just as Christ loved us

and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

We can try to live this life of unfailing love. We can say that we love someone or something or a group of people. We can say we love our friends and our family.

But you and I both know that sometimes we say "I love you." and it turns out that we end up not loving one another as we should.

Love, when we don't handle it right, tends to fail. Part of the problem is that we use the word "love" to encompass how we feel about so many things. I love a certain pair of shoes, and I also know I love my grandma. Do I feel the same about my shoes as I do my grandma? Of course not! We confuse true love with so many other things that aren't don't we?

But God knew this would happen.

So he wrote us on how love should be. In the letters to the church of Corinth, Paul writes that love is:

patient, kind, not envious, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not keeping record of wrongs, not rejoicing in evil but rejoicing in the truth, always protecting, always trusting, always hoping, always enduring through every circumstance...

This Love never fails.

It is the love we should be able to show to EVERYONE around us as followers of Jesus Christ.

In Psalm 32 it reads, "Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him."

So, let's go out there and do something crazy, like we are out of our minds. Let us be and encourage one another to be disciples of Christ who do great things in His name by continuing to share and exhibit his unfailing, unconditional, uncompromising love.

By trusting in Him, by allowing Him to use our lives to let His will be done. To let heaven come to earth.

May he make us part of his plan

to make all things new

to see and perform mighty works of His passionate love.

We're Gonna Party!

2007-04-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend at Ignite, John Flowers spoke on what holds us back when it comes to speaking with others about Jesus. We have to start a "revolution from the inside out"; we have to "get out of the salt shaker".

Remember in high school or middle school when there was that one party that was going to be the coolest one EVER? Everyone was going to be there, all your friends, the people that you loved to be with...and there was one guy, the host, who was just the life of the party-- remember that guy?

In the Bible, we are invited to a party. And there is that cool guy who claims he is "the Life" of that party.

Now, if you received an invitation to that party, but people were talking about how they're not sure if they want to go, either because

they didn't get an invitation,

or because they hear that the guy holding the party isn't that great,

or because they're too busy,

or too self-centered and afraid of what other people would think,

what would you do?

As followers of Jesus, it's our job to help get people to this party. If it's the going to be the best party EVER, wouldn't you want you friends to join you? Your family? Your coworkers? your roommates? Even crazy guy on the side of the road?

Of course you would.

Jesus wants everyone to be with him, enjoying this party. In fact, in the Gospels, as Jesus is with his disciples, people approached him asking, "Why is it that the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting but yours are not?"

Jesus answers, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?"

In other words, Jesus is saying that when he is with his people, there's a party going on...it's time to celebrate! In fact, he uses a wedding analogy-- a metaphor that represents an event of union and love and celebration.

He is the life of the party.

In another Scripture, Jesus is teaching the people "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" For when Jesus became flesh and blood and came to us, his purpose wasn't to leave heaven behind. If you study the words of Jesus, it becomes more clear

that the purpose is to bring heaven to earth,

to bring the party to the people.

Whenever we meet somebody at a bus stop, on an elevator, at the gym, or a restaurant, we are called as followers of Jesus to show them the party they're missing out on. We have to extend Jesus' invitation to the party.

We have to show people through our words and actions who Jesus is.

We get to bring heaven to earth.

Well, what if I'm somebody who has no idea who this Jesus guy is? I know he's throwing this huge party (I don't know where), I might have heard of him, but I have never met him. How can I be convinced that this is the right party to go to? Is there shady business involved? Will there be some sort of ritual that I have to do to become "part of the club"?

As Christians, we should be able to allay those types of fears and answer questions about what it is like to be with "the bridegroom." We do this with reassurance in the fact that we KNOW Christ, that our personal relationship with him will give us the answers;

the words,

and the actions.

We must constantly have the invitation "on our lips and in our minds" so that we can extend it to others. In our pursuit to know the heart of God, our relationship with Him is vital for convincing others that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" of the party, and that there is

nothing

else

like it.

Spring Break In Progress....

2007-03-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some current updates from my spring break.

1.) I have succeeded in creating storyboards for a "DODGEBALL" video. (Brittney get ready to be in that!)

2.) I went up to the church and helped finish the last Matrix series video, and I played around with the professional camera. That was good because I can usually figure something out if I play with it long enough, and I feel confident using it now, (especially if we shoot "The Office" with that camera)

3.) I got my finger almost bit off by a horse. (luckily, the horse was not rabid, nor was it a killer horse.)

4.) I successfully visited Ignite students at both McCants and Lakeside this week!

5.) I cancelled on Snow Patrol and went to a Care Team Training Session at NewSpring instead. Jake Beaty did an awesome job teaching that, and I definietly learned a lot of good things about talking to people and students.

6.) I'm still catching up on my reading. I made some progress in the book of Jeremiah last night, and I've caught some snippets of "Uprising".

7.) I have an idea for a poem.

8.) Sleep has successfully been caught up with (almost).

9.) No work on the youth center, but it'll get there.

10.) No site planning for my next arch project; I know what I need to do though, which is good.

11.) Still haven't gotten lunch at Super Taco (soon though).

12.) Ultimate Frisbee might have to wait till people come back from Spring Break, though I now have a frisbee in my car, ready for action.

13.) Tomorrow night I do not have to work, so I will take a jaunt up to G-vegas for the play "Caesar". We're already past the ides of March, but it should still be good!

Spring Break!

2007-03-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I feel that the advent of sprink break carries enough weight for me to sit down and talk about it.

Next week is my Spring Break (yesssss) and I would like to spend some time doing a few things:

1.) Make Some Outrageous Videos for Ignite

Matt Feiling and I decided to make some more live-action craziness happen! We might do some "Giant Whistle" Episodes or start some footage for different ideas I've had for videos. I really want to do some videos that deal with a "Heroes" series, but I'm not sure who would buy that yet.

2.) Visit the Church and Help Out!

This will probably happen as we shoot video, but I really enjoy helping out whenever I can!

3.) Go to the Snow Patrol Concert outside of ATL!

Wednesday the 21st. I'm buying two (2) tickets. Not sure who I'm gonna invte along. Bids start now.

4.) Reading

So, I definitely want to continue my readings in the books of the Old Testament prophets, as well as get into the book titled "Uprising" by Erwin McManus (His messages are pretty cool, for those of you who have read/listened to them on CD/podcast).

5.) Writing

Over break I want to start writing some stuff (happy things mostly) in my journal/collection of writings. I also want to write/organize a video for Ignite along the lines of the TV show "The Office" (maybe a Gauntlet Teaser or something therelike?) [yes, I use made-up words]{yes I use these little squiggly parentheses}.

6.) SLEEP

7.) Work on 3-D Model of the Youth Center. (Hopefully at a desk in the new RKM office!)

8.) Work on next architecture project (site planning).

9.) Eat lunch one day with my middle school students (finally!)

10.) Eat at Super Taco

11.) Play Ultimate Frisbee with the gang at Nettles. (You know who you are!)

Nasty Day, Nasty Week, With a Ray of Sunshine...

2007-03-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

This week has been rough. I think God's been testing me, my faithfulness, my love for Him, and I think he has been preparing me for big things to come. It feels good to write all this down (probably a benefit to blogging).
I have had past problems with pornography, and this week the Devil tried hard to get me to succumb to old temptations. On top of all that rough sailin', I've been praying about a dating relationship. I can kind of see how these two occurences could coincide.
This week I also had two tests, a vocab quiz (that I forgot to study for!) and numerous other projects. It has been hectic and I've had to lean on God a whole lot through it all.

Current Readings: Soul Cravings

2007-02-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus is a book that I have currently finished reading. It discusses how each of us has a unique fingerprint of God on our souls. As creations of God, we have intrinsic cravings for intimacy, love, destiny, ambition, meaning and truth. Erwin McManus discusses those cravings and opens discussions of how each of these cravings can teach us something about ourselves and our relationship with God.

It's an awesome book that I'm still digesting. For more info go to www.mosaic.org and hook up to the current podcast series on Soul Cravings...

Ways NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day...

2007-02-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some ways that I feel will make your Valentine's Day less fulfilling:

1.) Make it ALL ABOUT your significant other.

Instead: Let's face it: you love her (if you are a her, you love him) but they should not be the focus of this day in which we celebrate love. Take a minute (together) to thank God for HIS LOVE, and reflect on how much he unconditionately and passionately loves you. God made us in his image; we love because HE LOVED US FIRST!

2.) Give her chocolates and flowers.

Instead: OK fellas. First of all, if you think this is the only way to properly display your affection, then don't give her anything AT ALL! Do something that shows you really love her and care for her! Make a scavenger hunt for her, or take her to her favorite restaurant and surprise her with a photo alblum! BE CREATIVE!

3.) Make St. Valentine's Day a "I'll love you for today, because I have to day."

Instead: Christ does not show his love for us only on Sunday's or Easter, why should we choose to show our love (which is a reflection of His love) only one day out of the year? Use this as an opportunity to rededicate your love to somebody, or make a covenant to ALWAYS show your love for somebody whenever you can...not just today.

4.) Forget about God.

Instead: Today should be all about GOD! Use today to show His love to everyone! THANK GOD FOR HIS LOVE! Thank Him for His intimacy with us, thank Him for the relationships we have with others and ask Him to bless those relationships and our lives with a heart of LOVE and SERVICE.

Weekend in Review

2007-02-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I didn't do as well as I would have liked on tips at the coffee shop, but that's cool 'cause all was accomplished that had to be accomplished this weekend.

This weekend at NewSpring was...well, PHENOMENAL. Catch the message here.

At Ignite, we had a Super-Bowl theme. We also got to bond with our students via ingesting large quantities of pizza. John Flowers gets props for the awesome blind-folded-taste-testing game and kudos to the inaugural Phenomenal Award winners!(Last picture, courtesy of Alden Ellis)

Also, the Colts won the Super-Bowl. The party at Eddie and John's house was pretty cool, so cool points to them! Commercials weren't that great, but hey! that's what FNL and Ignite Videos are for!

God Was Messing with Me...

2007-01-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Today has been an overly busy day filled with lots of assignments, work, and periods of boredom (World Lit Survey Class). However, as my consciousness leaves me as quickly as rum from Capt. Jack Sparrow's rum bottles, I wish to note how God rocked my world in little ways today!

(Warning: in order to appreciate this you must understand that I, like God, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidences) It started in the morning, walking from class, that I began to be truly in awe of my relationship with a mysterious God. We don't know what Jesus looked like, nor do we see him in a physical form (at least most of us don't). I think this is INCREDIBLE to say it plain and simply. But, as the day shows, Jesus makes himself visible by ACTING in our lives.

Today, Jesus did this in a way that made me wonder if I had psychic powers. Let me list the incidents:

1.) In World Lit class, I hoped the professor would call on me to discuss the Odyssey and not read from the book because I had left my book at home. And guess what...IT HAPPENED!

2.) On the way to work, I called Whit but she didn't answer. I saw a black BMW drive by, I thought of her again, and BOOM! I get a call back from her!

3.) At work, I looked in the cash register and thought "We need some more ones really soon!" The next lady that I served paid ENTIRELY IN ONE DOLLAR BILLS!

4.) While waiting for customers, I noticed the bagels were still out. On contemplating whether or not to put them away, I thought "I mean really, who's going to want a bagel at 6:30 in the evening?" Shortly thereafter, a little girl came in and bought a bagel!

5.) At work, I ordered dinner from Sullivan's expecting to pay for it with cash that lay in my wallet. At the end of the night, I had about $11 in tips. Then, the server from Sullivan's came in and gave me my bill...for $11.

So, how has Jesus shown himself to YOU today?

Clemson FCA: Clayton King (AWESOME!)

2007-01-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Matt Feiling and I went to Clemson FCA and we met up with some pretty cool new people as well as some of our fellow Igniters!

Clayton King spoke last night on the subject of love and what love really is in a biblical sense.

WOW. There was some good stuff to be said and some awesome challenges that were made. If you missed it, look for it to be uploaded here.

Clayton said a lot, but there are some things that struck me to write them down immediately, some is paraphrased:

Love is the Glue that Holds the Kingdom of God Together (1 COR. 13:13)

1.) True love is the "deep, gritty, passionate love" for others

2.) "Love is blood and sweat, callouses, and dirt under your fingernails" (I LIKE THIS IDEA!)

3.) a.) "Love is not a kitten" (warm and fuzzy)
b.) "Love is not a kiss" (physical attraction, romance)
c.) "Love is not a canoe" (the love of something, like adventure)

4.) Love is SACRIFICIAL "sacrificial, not sexy" (1 John 3:16). Clayton emphasized practicing selflessness in little ways that can benefit the Kingdom, instead of wasting time on ourselves. Clayton asked, "At some point, don't we have to sacrifice ourselves to build up others? When does that start?" This question later translated into, If you can't give up the little things, how can you ever give up the big things? Sacrificing what we want to benefit others is the practice of selflessness.

5.) Love is PAINFUL. (1 John 4:20-21) Love can be inconvenient at times, and being inconvenienced doesn't make us think godly thoughts right off the bat. And, it is IMPOSSIBLE to love with jealousy, envy, gossip, or grudges in our lives. We are called to forgive , even when it isn't comfortable to do so, because the most important thing ever is to LOVE WITH THE LOVE OF CHRIST. Acts of selfless love, even when you are inconvenienced, can show a person that you love them enough to see them saved. If you can't selflessly love someone, then you don't love them enough to see them saved. (oh, yeah! Clayton went there!) When you worship with your hands up, is your heart up?

6.) Love is a RESPONSE, NOT A REFLEX (1 John 4:19) If someone hurts us with words or actions, our natural reflex is to hurt them back and thus escalate the situation. A kind response is godly and sets the tone for love. We can make this godly response a reflex.

Factoid: It takes a month to develop a lasting habit. What is your habit?

7.) True Scriptural love encompasses: 1. WORSHIP 2. DISCIPLESHIP 3. EVANGELISM (John 13: 34-35)

Love is an act of worship. How good must God feel when he sees us loving one another? How must God feel when we don't?

When we do not give of ourselves, how can we love selflessly and sacrificially? We can't. Any small, selfless act of love becomes a sacred, holy ritual that brings glory and honor to God.

8.) "The opposite of love is not hate, the opposite of love is apathy."

Amazing Weekend

2007-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

I had an awesome weekend!

The End.

...Just kidding. It doesn't stop there! I worked a bunch Friday night at E-city Java (made $30+ in tips...yueah!) Saturday, I met with the Ignite Creative Team (more on this later) at Denny's and we had some awesome ideas and whatnot, including ideas for the stage set for last night at Ignite! (Alden spoke about "Foundations" and what it means to have a strong foundation in life. To have a good foundation we need: God's Son, God's Word, and God's Family.) SO, we fabricated an awesome set that was put together literally minutes before Ignite started; here's some pictures:

This is the bare minimum of stage design that would be awesome for every series! I'm pretty pumped, 'cause we got some awesome people that will be helping out with this stuff!

Also this weekend, God got all up into my grill about some things pertaining to relationships. I talked about it, and found out that God really does give us immeasurably more than we can deserve or imagine. Whitney had the incredible idea from God to take a sabbatical or hiatus for two months from any sort of serious relationship other than with God. This means no dating or looking for a relationship, but focusing on the most important relationship: the relationship with Christ. Now, Whit might say that it was all God's idea, but I think it's incredible of her to have this sort of wisdom and understanding and discernment of God's speaking to her. (thanks a lot for this, Whit!)

I want to spend a similar two months to focus on my relationship with God as well. This means perhaps getting more involved with reaching the school for Christ, and planning out some things to come closer to my calling, and making sure that God has everything of me and to practice living by His Spirit and Will each day. I LOVE THIS! It is amazing that God has shown the importance of this through someone else...He is an awesome God!

I will update about this as time goes on, but now I have to go and get some supplies and work some on Architecture and Ignite Creative Team stuff. Good-night! God loves you!

Tired, but Restless

2007-01-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

(nearly falling asleep on the keyboard)

Today has seemed like a really long day...kind of like a real-life day for Jack Bauer on "24" (kiefer sutherland, u kno!) I'm tired, but things inside myself are keeping me awake (and no, it's not gas or lack of bladder control).

I started off the day with some classes in Architecture and World Lit, and I had lunch in there along the way. I also purchased some more books and began mapping out my schedule for the next few weeks. I'm waiting to see how German 102 will treat me to decide if I want to change to a milder German 104 for this semester. I'm thinkin that might be a good call.

This evening at 8:30 I got to coach the NewSpring 2 13 and Under boys basketball team to an impressive 31-31 TIE! It was incredibly intense, but the boys played well and they are improving with each game that they play. (Pray for all of them to make it to practice this weekend...this is KEY!)

SO, today was not a bad day except for the fact that I seriously wrestled with some sin. It beat me up a little that this sin would still have such an impact on me, but I managed to kill it off ! It has made me more thankful that Jesus has already forgiven my sins and it showed me that I continually have to work at living my life as God designed it to be.

I am currently trying what to do about my dating relationship. I am not looking to date, but "live life to the fullest" in my single-ness for God (which I think I've done well). But there's always that hope, that part of me that's still holding out, that part that wants to wait til kingdom come, that part that wants to just go for the relationship again because it will be better than ever before and God has blessed it. It is this struggle that has kept me up these past two nights because of what God has revealed to me through my life. I don't know what's next: happiness, disappointment, both? I am waiting to discover how God has been moving in our lives.

In other news, I think I am spent for tonight and I am going to hit the sack for now. Until next time...

Fantasticus!

2007-01-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

So, I'm pretty pumped that Ignite is starting back up this weekend! It'll be good to see all the old faces of leaders and students, and it'll be great to see some new faces as well! We have an awesome video lined up, and we're going to be incorprating some more games, skits, and overall crazy fun!
I was watching a video this week about the Hillsong Church youth programs-- those guys are awesome! Something they said when they were talking about they're weekly youth gatherings was really cool; it went along the lines of "nobody knew what was going to happen each week", "the staff just went all out to make it fun and interesting even if everything went wrong, which it often did." I thought that was pretty awesome: that they could just have this wreckless sense of fun and spontanaeity that was just saturated with a passion for Jesus so that they could reach students and that students could take that to reach their schools! That's the vision I see for Ignite! I want all of our youth to have such a passion for Christ that they can share it with others in their schools with those who don't know Jesus and those whose Faith needs strengthening. Once that happens, these kids are going to need more venues than just church or Ignite where they can share and live their love for Christ; they are going to need a youth center, a place where anyone can come and recieve counseling, receive love, and receive an expereince of learning and fun (Whit, I'm counting on you and Amanda to live out the dream!).

Looks like I've gone for long enough today. Don't forget to comment!

Christmas Update!

2006-12-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! If there's anyone out there still reading this blog, then you have an A in my book. Yes, I haven't been doing a good job of blogging lately, but never fear! I will begin anew! Well, to start off, I finished up my Christmas shopping today! (Sean Gaffney and Amanda were beasts to get gifts for...go figure.) But now all I have to do is complete creating some gifts and finish writing super-Christmas cards.
These past few weeks have taught me some good things. 1.) God is good! 2.) God is awesome! 3.) God is indescribable!

Even though I've hit some emotional lows over the past few weeks, it's all good. In fact, my horoscope read today: There's no need to be overly anxious as to how a particular situation is going to work out. You're on a positive roll, and the ending should please you greatly.

I figure that's a pretty accurate horoscope. In other news....

CHRISTMAS IS GOING TO BE FLIPPIN' AWESOME!

It's pretty much my favorite holiday...ever! I can't wait to give some gifts and then just praise and thank Jesus for everything, and I really mean EVERYTHING! You can't beat God, you just can't! I like Christmas because it is the living symbol of Christ's love: giving your all and sacrifice! That's right-- sacrifice! Jesus sacrificed his heavenly crib and his pimped out, levitating ride (just saying how I see it) to come down to earth and go through pains and sufferings and temptations like us, so that he could give the only thing He had on earth-- His life. There's no way that anyone else could convince you that they love you more than God loves you-- because there is NO ONE who loves you more than God! We must recognize that and strive to love one another, especially in this season. It's the perfect opportunity! It's time for us to come down to earth with ourselves.

I won't be going to Passion '07 in Atlanta for two reasons: 1.) I waited until the last minute when it was too expensive for me to go 2.) I prayed about going and decided that God needs me here.

The way I see it, if I can't go to Passion, then I don't need to! I just make Passion here! I have definitely been taking some time to think about the ministry here, and I will take the time that I would be at Passion to formulate ways that we can inspire our youth in A-town, SC! I'm working on some vids with J-Flow and the guys and it'll be awesome! Also, I've got some ideas for the whole small-group thing, as well as campus team mechanics! Ya'll I can't wait to hear what you have to say when you get back from Passion, cause we gonna take all of this and that and get the party started up in here!

Well, off to finish giving! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Classic ALMOND Material...

2006-11-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

This is classic Jack Marble...these are from the newest issue of TheAlmond.com. These are definitely some of my favorites.

CLEMSON'S FOUNDING FATHERS

Week of Winding Down

2006-11-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

This week is definitely the week when everything has sloooooowed doooooowwwn. Class, life, etc. SLOW. Not sure why, but I think it has something to do with short days, falling leaves, and the sound of Bob Dylan on the winds. (Try watching the leaves fall with a Bob Dylan song playing in your head, and you'll find what I mean.)

Anyway, last night was my first time teaching/preaching at Ignite's Campus Team West. It was a lot of fun to create a message and see the guys really bite into it and ask questions and give good feedback. John Flowers suggested some suggestions whish will lead to more streamlined messages in the future.

Also, The MIGHTY DUCKS PowderPuff team at Anderson University dominated the PowderPuff School Championship game last night. My girlfriend Whitney King (I LOVE HER!) played awesome in that game as well as the two games prior, and she was definitely a catalyst for that team!

The semester certainly winds down after Thanksgiving. By the way, I snorted into my sweet potatoe pie AND mashed sweet potatoes when I recalled the FNL Digital Short (see farthest video below) at the Thanksgiving table. But seriously, classes are wrapping up, I'm getting a job at e-city Java which will hopefully start before the end of the year, and life is pretty darn good. THANK GOD FOR THAT!

Well, I'm off. Mock Turtle Soup Improv Troupe is this Friday in Clemson! 8:00 pm in 111 LEE HALL. It'll be awesome!

Oh, FNL...

2006-11-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

This makes me laugh every time...

Relativity and Life

2006-11-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

In physics class we discussed Einstein's theory of relativity today...it was a boring class. But then when I asked myself the same question that my girlfriend Whitney (AWESOME by the way!) asked me: "What's been going on in your life?", I felt that 2+2=5 so I'm gonna right about it in blog-mat. (warning: this is a stupid illustration, I'll try to make it work...it might be bad.)

Einstein's theory of relativity is this:

The general principle of relativity: The laws of physics must be the same for all observers (accelerated or not).
And among other fundamental elements of the theory:
Spacetime curvature is created by stress-energy within the spacetime: This is described in general relativity by the Einstein field equations.

I think that relative to most people right now I am "inside the space-ship". This means that, based on the premise that there are two space ships traveling simultaneous constant velocities next to each other and that I am in one and everyone else is in theirs, I may not seem to be moving very fast, or even at all, relative to you. God is outside the "spacetime curvature" and indside our spaceships at the same time. God is not bound by the laws he created (an interesting topic).

You may be saying, "Ok, Ryan. Where are you going with this you idiot?"

For those of you who say that-- you are still inside the spaceship. From God's view, my life has accelerated in a very hyperspace engine-like manner. Some pretty amazing things are taking place in my life, even though it does not seem like there is much going on.

Seeing that I've used up my relativity illustration for no real reason, allow me to share some things that are in motion relative to God and His Will:

1.) Getting Into Architecture School. This could be a little bit of a big deal. Choosing a career path isn't that easy, but I prayed for God to show me a major that I would enjoy, please my parents aspirations for me with, and hopefully get a well-paying job out of college with. I like buildings. I like designing things. I like making things. Architecture is God's blessing for me right now, even though there might be something more for me down the road. I also feel led to serve and minister to people and to the Church.

2.) The Church. The church is my passion. My obsession, maybe. As long as I can remember, my life has been tied to the church. As an architect, I hope to build churches and places for the needy. I want to glorify God with my architecture. I think that architecture will help my organizational skills. I feel incredibly led to teach people about Christ and to lead people to Christ and in Christ. I also recognize that I am not ready yet (I've just begun!), but my goal now is to pray that God will help me to be ready and enable me to do His Will by ministrering to all people.

3.) Becoming. Becoming a better person and a better Christian is a daily struggle. In my everday living I strive to be what God wants me to be. Sometimes this requires some thinking and some time to stop and listen, but it is worth it! Also, my new home group/bible study has helped encourage me and add to my sense of brotherhood in Christ's body.

4.) Dating. WOW. God has blessed me SO MUCH in my dating life. He has blessed me with a wonderful woman to share and experience life with these past few months. I'll say it now and I'll say it again: I don't deserve such a blessing, but the amazing thing is this-- GOD BLESSES ANYWAY! Whitney is incredible, and we have both grown in Christ from this relationship and we have kept Him first!

5.) IGNITE. Middle School Ministry like woah! I get pumped everytime I go and lead there! I love being a small group leader (even when it is tough to get students to listen and learn)! I think that just having a good time and bonding with students is a big step into shaping the future for the glory of God! It has totally been the reason for my joining NewSpring-- so that I can be involved in Christ's call to teach His Word and example to "Jerusalem, Samaria, and the ends of the earth."! I wonder what Alden will think when I propose to build half of an airplane inside the Wreck Room for the kids!

6.) Home. Not much here, just wanted to say that I love my family and friends! Thanks for being there for me when times got rough (aka Crashing Into Jetta). You were awesome and it meant a lot!

7.) Part-Time Job. This December I hope to be working at E-City Java! It may not pay much, but it'll give me some pocket money, gas money, (insurance money if I need it-- hopefully not!), and it will be a blessing, I'm sure. I'm really praying that I get that job. It should work out well!

8.) Training. Well, I may not be running a marathon, but I want to train for one! The physical training has definitely declined the past couple of months and I need to hop on that! Maybe I can run a half marathon and start lifting more...'twould be good! Anyway, with good physical training comes good spiritual training...I'm looking forward to it!

Well, that's my life whizzing by relative to the outside! Don't worry though! You're also headed fast towards great things in God's eye! Have a grrreat day!

Pretty Fantastic!

2006-11-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

So, through various readings, blog links, and investigations, I have decided that this little church out in California is a pretty cool place where God is probably moving. It's called Mosaic and it is spurred by Erwin McManus. If you explore the Mosaic website, they have some pretty cool ideas as far as getting people involved. I'm definitely building on some of their ideas as I type this blog. I get pretty pumped! Almost as pumped as I get when I think of Jesus riding into battle with on a white Harley with a flaming sword, knocking people down with just his words! Anyway, two areas of interest were here (performing arts!) and here (middle school ministry). I can definitely agree that these organizations can teach us something about outreach and ministry (Perry really wants to talk with Erwin, now I do too!). Just wanted to make this blog-ment. Later!

The Center

2006-11-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

Here's some thoughts about the youth center, or "the center" as I sometimes call it. I think it should have these elements:

1.) Jesus

If Jesus is not the focus of our ministry, then it will fail. We must talk about Jesus, teach about Jesus, emulate Jesus and follow his examples. He is God , Lord, the Way, and the Word.

2.) Creativity

A creative God deserves our best in creativity. We must be creative in order to capture an audience of the lost and found. If we bore people in our transmission and
representation of Jesus and His Word, then how can we expect to impact their lives in a way that God can begin to work in their lives?

3.) Community

In order for the center to be successful, we must never lose sight of the community and we must also shape it and be bound by it. We must respond to the needs of the larger
community, we must respect the community in a way that brings glory to God, and we must create a smaller community within the larger in which kids can feel and be safe. A major goal is to create a place for all people where people can grow in God's love and in faith.

4.) Unity

A house divided against itself cannot stand. The Leaders of this center must be unified in faith, love, and understanding in order to effectively serve students, lead the ministry, and listen to and preach the Word of God. This does not mean compromising, but rather innovating through love-- solving problems by reminding one another and others of the mission and the Gospel and our call to glorify God by living like Christ in all that we do and knowing that everything is God's and not our own.

Please let me know if you have any other ideas, additions, or comments. Have a great day!

Ignite Commercial

2006-11-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

This commercial is my brain-child, and will air live on Friday Night at the Fusebox. This video features Caleb Jordan, starring Sean Gaffney. Enjoy!

The Ark of Faith

2006-11-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

Last night I was hanging out with my friend Sean Gaffney at his aparto in G-ville. He was going over lesson planning for his Ignite kids and I was doing some study in the B-I-B-L-E as well. I was going back through the smaller books of the New Testament and reading where I had underlined stuff before. In 1 Peter 3:18-22, Peter makes an analogy or comparison between baptism and Noah and the ark (Genesis 6:9 to Genesis 9:17). Just as Noah and his family was saved by water, so are we sealed in salvation today by baptism. I began to explore this metaphor and latched onto something that I found pretty awesome.

Allow me to share:

I think that the ark itself symbolizes something. Something that someone must build in order to receive salvation in the waters of baptism. The thing that must be built is faith. We must build our faith, just as the building of Noah's ark was a symbol of his faith. For those who seek baptism, which is the appeal to God for a clean conscience, they must build their faith and yield completely to Christ. Noah had to build the ark in order for God to establish a covenant with him, and so we must build our faith first so that we can recieve the new covenant in Lord Jesus Christ. Once we have achieved in building our ark of faith and yielding our lives to God, the Lord will bind us to Him in our faith, just as He enclosed Noah within the ark of his faith and shut him in and was with him. Let us also remember, that outside of the ark of faith there is a flood of death and destruction and there exists nothing. Outside of faith, there exists nothing. Without faith, there is no belief and without belief there is no covenant. Without a covenant of faith, we can never come into God's love, grace, and mercy.

Just a little something to think on. Have a good day and God bless!

Early Numbers on Facebook-age!

2006-10-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the preliminary report on this week's NEWSPRING CHURCH Facebook event:

372 People Invited

102 People Confirmed to Attend

127 People Not Attending

66 People Might Attend

75 People MIA

I'll take them loaves and fishes! Let's keep going until we have succeeded in making a difference in those people who haven't accepted Christ!

Also, guys, wear a pink shirt on Sunday in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Peace!

Oh, the Possibilities!

2006-10-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Whit and Amanda's original dream of opening up a youth center as a venue for middle school, high school, and college kids is getting close. I'm excited to be a part of it!!! The first time I heard about it, I knew it was something to be a part of. We're currently looking at a space (the old Sea Largo restaurant) where kids can come in after school and be in a secure environment long enough to pursue their studies, have fun, and learn about God!

In case you haven't already gleaned this...I'M FREAKIN' PUMPED ABOUT IT!

If God provides us with the will, then He will provide the way. We just need people to become involved as much as they can be in their time, their money, and their love. Even if God doesn't let us get this building now, it's the first step into doing this thing FOR REAL! And it could also mean that He has much bigger plans for us! We all want to be part of something big, but it will be awesome to get at least a little something started.

I have to admit that sometimes I wonder if we are really ready for this. I don't doubt our abilities, but I want to do this the right way because God, and the kids, deserve our best. And if we can't give that, then we should probably wait a little bit. The most we'll have to wait is three or four more years. Now's the time to get going!

We know so many people who could help. We know designers, engineers, construction workers, psychology majors, business majors, computer nerds, communications people, college students, musicians and so many more! We have the people-- thank God for them-- and the will and the faith. Praise God! We're unstoppable even when we don't feel like we are.

Hope that this inspires someone out there, cause we need your help! Jesus Reigns! Good night!

Special Events

2006-10-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since I blogged it up on this site. A lot of things have been happening in the past couple of weeks. I've been busy with school and with birthdays while honoring God in all that I do.

It's been kind of hectic these past few weeks, but cool. I have to focus more on my studies though. Even though I go to class and do my classwork and homework, I've been slacking on my self-studying, reading, and writing. The term is half-way through already, and I need to buckle down.

It's been hard to focus for a few reasons...well one reason: I have too much fun at Church and Ignite on the weekends. Plus, I have awesome friends whom I get to hang out with! It makes school so boring and mundane, but I have to be there in order to serve God both now and in the future.

Well, this entry was just an update. Now, I'm off to write thank-you notes, study, and write some sermons and poems and such (translated: me-time). Everyone have an awesome day!

Sunday Awesomeness!

2006-10-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Good news! 413 (updated number!) people were baptized at NewSpring Sunday! I loved Perry's prayer before we began dunking:

"Lord Jesus....thank you. Amen."

I was one of the baptistees! Matthew Broderick was my baptizo buddy, which was awesome. Thanks to all the Ignite leaders, family and friends that were there to support us and everyone else who got baptized... it was awesome!

Afterwards, I spoke with my girlfriend, Whitney King (she's awesome, by the way). I told her that now my ministry can truly begin. I AM SO GLAD TO HAVE TAKEN THE STEP OF BEING BAPTIZED!!! It pumps me up!

Today starts week 2 of the Facebook "NewSpring Church" event campaign. We're using Facebook to reach networks to reach people to get them to church or at least sow the seed of thought that will help them to come to Church and accept Christ. That is the GOAL!

Check out Perry's Blog entry if ya get a chance!

The Most Awesome Occurrence on the Face of Facebook!

2006-09-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

This past Monday I began an event on Facebook to invite people to church on Sunday. Last weekend at NewSpring we packed out...I wanted to make sure that we keep doing that-- filling up the seats with people who need Christ.

So, I made the event and invited friends. Well, they invited their friends, who invited their friends, and so on and so on and so on...

Guys, 900+ people got invited!!! That's amazing! People were being invited that have not yet accepted Christ! How cool would it be that somebody came to Christ through a FACEBOOK invite!? I was pumped. We reached triple digits in the number of confirmed attendees yesterday. 150 people! Another 100+ people said they might be coming, 330 people decided to miss out (I'm not disheartened though) and 300 people have yet to reply.

This thing exploded (literally) over-night! I even got hate-mail because of it (freakin' awesome!). I responded back as politely and as correctly as possible to those e-mails, but I could really care less if they hate being invited...God is on the move!

I'm planning to keep this up in the coming weeks until we get the ones we know to church, where they can choose to accept Christ and begin to walk in His love.

I'll keep ya'll posted! Have a wonderful day! I've got you, guys!

God Rocked Our Space!

2006-09-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

So this weekend....woW!

If you missed out, then you just don't understand: 214 people accepted Christ from a crowd of over 8200 attendees (happy yell). And I'm willing to bet that not everyone that needed to come forward came forward! Which means we still have work to do as Christians and members of NewSpring. It blows my mind that this was just ONE Sunday that came as a result of everyone pitching in, taking the courage, and following through with bringing someone or a loved one who needed Christ to our Church. If this was a competition with the other churches in the area...we'd probably be regional champs...a state champs for that matter!

Here's a copy-and-paste from Perry's blog. I thought it was pretty good:

Was Sunday really that big of a deal???

A little perspective….

* Newspring had a larger crowd Sunday than nine Division 1 football games did on Saturday.

* There were more at Newspring Sunday than the Florida Marlins actual average attendance this year.

* More than the Kansas City Royals actual attendance as they hosted division leader Detroit Tigers yesterday.

* More than the population of the cities of Camden, Clinton, Dillon, Fort Mill, Seneca, York, Abbeville, Belton, Honea Path, Iva, Liberty and 180 other South Carolina cities.

*Newspring had more Sunday than the total population of Jews or Muslims in South Carolina.

*Newspring had more in attendance Sunday than the registered members of all other Baptist churches in our zip code….combined.

* There were almost as many people at Newspring as there are pages in the IRS Tax code (9,000 pages)

* Based on U.S. averages, if every person in attendance Sunday were to join hand in hand and stretch as far apart as they could, you would have a continuous chain of people almost nine miles long! That’s a line of people from NewSpring to the Anderson Courthouse and then to the Anderson Mall!

* Everyone that was saved Sunday could join hand in hand and make an entire loop around a running track (1/4 mile).

Was Sunday big? Uh, yeah, I’d say it was.

We can't give up now! Imagine if we kept going! Imagine if we invited somebody who hasn't expereinced the love of Christ to Church every weekend...it would be, like, the most awesome thing since...I dunno, EVER!

Hopefully I can get some people who need to go to church to go in the coming weekends. We currently have a mini-campaign going on. It's called "Invite Your Waiter/Waitress to Church". I guess since we (the gang and future founders of an awesome church) eat out together, it's a good thing to do. I'm for it! I'm also for asking the policeman who pulls you over, the bag boy at the grocery store, the roommate who bugs you, and the idiot friend who got you in trouble in the fifth grade... to church.

I'm starting a Facebook group as well. I don't care who doesn't like it. I use Facebook as a Jesus tool. Heck, I'll invite Tom on Myspace to Church. I don't give...if they need Christ, I'm saying something and getting them to Church one way or another!
Don't forget: sometimes it's the person who's grown up in church all of their life and hasn't fully accepted Christ. Bring them to NewSpring...I'm confident that we (the members and staff) of that church can help them along the path to salvation.

Oh yeah. This just in: IGNITE IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE! (kind of funny and ironic) It is going to be busting at the seams and I can't wait to get into it and be a leader to those kids.

So, like I said, the weekend was awesome! I finished playing Keokum and The Great Eagle in the musical Pocahontas by CYT (Christian Youth Theater). It was awesome because I love the stage, and I was able to be a Christian leader and example to those kids. The audience was great and we had an awesome week of shows!

I'm off to do schoolwork again. Everyone have a fantastic afternoon! I've got you!*

*If you wonder what that means, it means I'm praying for you (the readers). One, I pray for you cause if you're reading this blog, you're probably crazy. Two, because I hope God will use my words for his purpose. You got it? Cool!

GodSpace: A Place for Everyone

2006-09-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, this Myspace series at NewSpring is pretty geniusness. I love the thing that Perry said about getting out of "my space into other people's space so we can get into God's space." Maybe that's not an exact quote, but it's close enough. I also agreed with what Perry said this weekend about reaching people; that "God's plan for reaching people is people reaching people." I don't care who you are, that's good stuff right there. God has pushed me to become active in ministry and so I am glad to be a part of Ignite and NewSpring. I also have a little story to go with that.

So, I was trying to negotiate my time with my director for Pocahontas. I wanted to attend the leadership dinner/training for Ignite (Middle School Student Ministry) but we have rehearsal at the same time. My director, Mrs. V as we call her, said "You know, being at rehearsal is leadership training too." Well, yeah...she was right, and I agree with her. It is definitely leadership training dealing with all the young actors and the staff and crew of the show. I also realized that such a leadership role put a new spin on my belief that shows must be used to stimulate ideas and bring people to the Faith. I realized that the responsibility of leading people to the Faith by example is within two arenas: not just the audience, but the actors as well. Both may have to be led to Christ and in the Faith. It is so awesome then that I have the opportunity now to do that!

This brings me to my next thing to share in this show and tell of ideas. It is amazing because I read this poem on Saturday night-- before I heard Perry's message at NewSpring. The poem was written by Emily Dickinson and is replicated here as follows:

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help the fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

I think there are some parallels that can be drawn here, and I think the poem encapsulates an idea that is essential to ministry. Let me know if you (the readers) have any ideas or find this helpful.

I also had the recurring thought about relationships after Alden started discussing friendships at Ignite. That thought is this: friendships, like any relationship and everything else, are given to us by God. They are God's things. And as God's things (not exclusively ours) we can ONLY MANAGE them, and manage them to the BEST of our ABILITY. In that mind-set, all the things Alden will talk about seem to fall into place. I'll talk more on that later.

Anyway, I hope I meet someone this week that I can invite to NewSpring this weekend. I really couldn't think of anyone I know at the time this weekend when names were placed on the stage...at least nobody who was around Anderson or Clemson. I'm hoping that God will help me to find someone to bring; that would be awesome! Or even if I didn't actually bring them, if I could get someone who doesn't know Christ to at least show up, that would be good too. We'll see how it goes down. Perry believes it'll be the best service ever!

In my end notes I would like to say that this morning has been a beautiful morning and I am semi-well-rested and ready to start a fun filled day of class and rehearsal for Pocahontas! Also, thumbs up and love to my homies (The Group That Is All In It Together). Everyone have a good week! I've got you!

Ramblin' Man

2006-09-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

So This is pretty much gonna be a ramble...hopefully something good will come of it.

Today it is raining. I like rain, but it's kind of bad that I don't have anyone to play in it with. Some people say that it rains because there is somebody who's sad; that when they cry it rains and it rains because they cry. Some say it rains when God cries-- I'm not sure about that one, but I do think "God is IN the rain".

I also like it when everybody is walking around with their umbrellas open on the Cooper Library Bridge. It would make a cool aerial photograph.

Yesterday, I watched part of the old movie "The Ten Commandments". The parts when Moses is talking about going up to the holy mountain and then when he speaks with God-- ya'll it made me cry! I know the special effects and everything in that movie weren't the best, but holy moly! It was just awesome! I'm gonna have to watch the rest this weekend.

Anyway, I'm pretty much hooked on OT right now (Whit, maybe you and I can swap notes), especially the Torah, cause of my Western Civilization class. I hadn't read those in a while, so expect some thoughts and blog posts about the stuff I find. I've pretty much taken to reading the Book at lunch too, which has drawn some judgemental glances from passersby. My word to them: deal with it!

Okay, well I'm off to many exciting and wonderful adventures...leave a comment and be sure to check out my new links entitled: "The Almond" and "Sean Gaffney". That's good stuff right there!

Later, guys!

He Has Called Us

2006-09-11T06:08:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! If you missed John Maxwell speak at NewSpring this weekend...then you have a PROBLEM. (some of you are laughing right now because you know what that means.) But for those of you who don't know, John Maxwell spoke about what it takes for Jesus to work miracles in our lives. I thought it was a pretty gripping message that was multi-faceted in life applications and just dripping with the wisdom of God. I'm not being sarcastic, IT WAS REALLY GOOD!

This weekend I took my sister to Ignite so that she could give the NewSpring experience a try and hang out with a couple of her friends who were there. For those of you who don't know, IGNITE is NewSpring's Middle School Ministry, and it is FLIPPIN' AWESOME. The message last night was on TEMPTATION and how we should 1.) expect it. 2.) detect it . and 3.) reject it.

Interestingly enough, Perry wrote a blog entry that talks about DISTRACTION, which can lead to temptation. I encourage ya'll to check it out. CLICK HERE!

This weekend I also had fun going to church and hanging out with some of the coolest people around, known collectively as Whit-Amanda-Sean-Jenni. But as much as I love these guys, the late Sunday nights are killin' me, especially when you're like me and have class at 8 in the AM on Monday morning. I might have to stop staying around so late...just might.

Oh, and just for the record...how awesome was it that we just stood up and started clapping and being crazy when they played the first song Sunday? Lee didn't even tell us to! I thought it was great, and kudos to Rob, Jenni, and Whit for leading the way!

Well, this looks like it's gonna be a long blog, cause I still have a B-I-B-L-E verse to share (that song is great). Alright, so in my studies this weekend, I found a verse I wanted to focus on for a tick.

The verse is Ephesians 2: 10, which says: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

OK. Raise your hand if you DON'T like the idea of pre-destination, or the idea that every single second of your life has been planned out ahead of you. BE HONEST! At first, when you think about that, or when I do, I'm like, 'Man, that kinda sucks.' It's like when your mom or dad knows you want to go to the movies with your friends, and you go to ask them if they can take you, and before you say ANYTHING your mom says, "Don't even THINK about asking me to take you to the movies today." And then you're like, "JUST LET ME LIVE MY OWN LIFE! QUIT TELLING ME WHAT TO DO! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO!?"

Haha, maybe I scared you all just now, and maybe you think I have an issue with my parents. No, that's not the case, but the point is this: God is our parent, and He does know what we're going to do. I think some people get caught up in the attitude that we make our own choices and that God isn't as involved in their lives as he really is because of the problems they face and because bad things happen to them, but guys....BAD THINGS ARE GONNA HAPPEN. To everybody, to best friends, to boyfriends/girlfriends, to husbands/wives, to kids......everybody. So what do we do?

Now, we do make choices that are purely human...stupid, evil, ignorant human choices. And we make good choices, too. But see, God MADE us. Do you think the first people who designed cars didn't know what it was going to do? It wasn't like Henry Ford was in his factory going, "Geez, is thing gonna fly? Is it gonna float? What's it gonna do?" God KNOWS what we're going to do. He's smarter than us! Quit trying to outsmart GOD.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

The second part of that verse "created in Christ Jesus to do good works". This is a very literal part of the verse, and you're probably like, "Yeah, yeah. I get the picture, God created us and we're supposed to serve Him, blah, blah, blah." Well, don't gloss over it too much. It says created IN Christ Jesus. The first part said "For we are God's workmanship." So there are two distinct points here: 1.) God created us all 2.) Jesus RE-CREATES us for a DISTINCT purpose.
The distinct purpose is simple: do good works. But, it's not simple is it? You don't always go to bed each night saying, "GOD! Man, that was one awesome workday! Everything I did was GOOD WORKS!" We get distracted, we get tempted, problems come up, and it isn't so easy to do good works, much less good, all the time. So, how do we go about doing what God has made us to do? As Christians, how do we do good works? How do we know when and how to do them?

Which leads me to the final part of the verse: "God has prepared in advance for us to do" the good works. God says, "Look, I made you, I know what you're going to do, I know what's going to happen to you, but I am calling you to do something for me. You don't have to worry about planning anything, penciling in 'Good Works Time' in your daily planner. I will PREPARE everything for you, so that when you get to that point in life, you will know when and how to do good works and bring glory and praise to My name."

It doesn't make pre-destination/destiny that bad when God's got it all under control does it? God asks us to put trust in Him so that we CAN DO the things He has called us to do.

OK, that was a long blog. Hope I said something that wasn't completely off-base. Let me know if I screwed it up! I enjoy constructive criticism! Everyone have a good day, and let HIM speak to you!

Awesome Best Friends!

2006-09-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

These guys are awesome! Very awesome!

Bible Verse

2006-09-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

So, while I'm thinking about it, I wanted to share a verse that kinda goes along with my previous post entitled "We Have a Job To Do!". It's a verse in which Paul lists some cool stuff and some hardships about ministry and spreading the word to "Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and all the ends of the earth"

This is the passage

I thought it was pretty cool, hope you enjoy, and I hope God speaks to you!

First Wednesday and Journal Entry

2006-09-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight was First Wednesday at NewSpring, and it was pretty awesome! A lot of wonderful songs were played by Lee and the crew; God was definitely there with us as we were rockin' out and giving praise to Him.

I want to share a journal entry I made tonight at Jenni's house. Maybe it will speak to you like the Spirit spoke to me.

"My prayer of yesterday has sustained me today. I gave praise to God in worship tonight at NewSpring. God is God in the good times and the bad. God is good forever and always. He puts us where we need to be; even if we are brokenhearted, he puts us there to raise us up again. He gives us a clear vision; a clear promise for us to cling to when our own vision is blurred. He is the light when all other lights go out. He is our Friend of friends and our Lord of lords. The prince who brings us inner peace. Our one and only awesome God.

Lord, help me to love by your example in all my relationships. Help me to be the friend, the companion, the mentor, the leader, the servant, the student, the teacher, the son that I need to be. May I be these things to fulfill your plan and bring glory and praise to You. Amen.

This is not our time. It is God's time. It is not my life. It is the life of Christ. I deserve nothing good and can own nothing. I can only manage the time, the life, and the things God gives me to pour out glory and praise to Him. "

Praise God, and goodnight!

We Have A Job To Do!

2006-09-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

First of all, this weekend was crazy busy! But it was fun, and I learned a lot. It was cool to observe the Production Team at NewSpring, as well as the youth leaders at IGNITE. I'm starting to get some ideas about where I might be able to serve best in the Body. Still praying about it though, but I'm sure God will guide me where I need to be soon enough.

Anyway, if you missed the sermon on Sunday...you're a loser. (Just kidding) It was an awesome service. The band started up with "Marvelous Light" (I knew they would...just a "hunch") and then Perry had a great, inspiring message on where NewSpring is going to go in the next few years. We have a LOT of people that need Christ out there, and it's our job to do what we can to help people on a DAILY basis, as well as working with and through the Church.

One area of Anderson that I think needs a lot of spiritual and physical help is the neighborhood on the west side of town, mostly the area off of and around Market Street. With enough people, and enough love, and everyone showing by EXAMPLE how much Christ's LOVE is worth and what FAITH can do, I agree with Perry's assessment that Anderson could be changed in ONE generation. It's all about getting out of the box, out of the comfort zone, blazing the path for God to get out of heaven and INTO the people that need Him.

This weekend was one of great observation. While it's not good to just sit back and watch all the time, it is good to take note of all the things happening around you. It's good to look at the things you see and ponder about them and ask God about them.

I'm still pondering. If I have any good idees, I'll post 'em. For right now, I'm feeling tired and a little bit stretched, so I hope that wears off soon so I can tackle life again with all my strength. I had the feeling that more than one of us have felt this way recently. That it's difficult to make so many transitions, to open your heart so much, to be the best Christian you can be. It's tough stuff, kiddos. But it takes more than one to get the job done. Jesus has done his work, now it's our turn. As long as we give ALL to Him, He will be there to help us in our time of need.

Alrighty, I guess those are the "thought's o' the day". Everyone have a good one, and I've got you!

2006-09-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

The Band at FCA

The Band Played...and Perry Spoke.

2006-08-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight at FCA in Clemson, Perry Noble of NewSpring came out to speak for us all. Though not an official member of the FCA org., I went anyway. It gave me some food for thought and God definitely spoke to me in the verse that Perry shared. I get really pumped when that happens, and I was definitely pumped tonight!

It was good to see all the people that turned out for the event. It makes me glad that we had such a good crowd show up. I'm excited because I think there is a potential to reach students in colleges statewide with similar organizations. I think the awesome people at NewSpring and FCA have set a great example for what needs to be done in order to reach the children of all ages. It gets me pumped up about a couple of future projects: 1.) "Blind", a film that is currently in pre-production, something I hope to organize and do on the cheap. 2.) Amanda and Whit's church, whether it be around Clinton or around Charleston.

I think of these things, and then all of the people I know who could help. It's like I look at all the pieces and I can see what has happened, and what is going to happen. That we are all together in this plan, and we are all bound by it. God has some amazing things in store!!!

I'm also pretty excited about this weekend and observing the production team at NewSpring, as well as spending some fellowship time with the church-fam! Friday, Lee McDerment is playing at Carpenter's Cellar in G-ville, so that's definitely a good time!

Readers, come on out! Let His Praises ring!

River City Cafe

2006-08-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Myrtle Beach Trip Summer 06

2006-08-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

Church On The Beach

I'm Dot Com!

2006-08-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I decided to do a dot.com thing: create a Blog. I hope to get this thing looking all fancy-schmancy soon. Stay tuned!