Randomness…

- Last week was another busy one prepping for our largest community event ever.
- Spent most of Friday detailing the event on location. It is going to be buzzing!
- It is cool when vendors and sponsors are contacting you to get involved in your event. We are totally out of space though so we are having to turn down sponsors!
- Went with the family to see Alice and Wonderland Friday evening. Great movie!
- Friday night: Mario Wii Coin Battle!
- Kayleigh’s volleyball team lost on Saturday to the one team they can’t seem to beat. If I denied frustration, I would be lying.
- Played 2 plays of flag football on Saturday before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. I am getting old and fragile!
- UNC looked horrible on Saturday night against Duke.
- We began a new series on Sunday called Modern Family.
- We are doing interviews for the series with modern families at GP. Good stuff.
- The set design is awesome again.
- Our largest band ever today. They sounded solid. God has brought us some good musicians recently.
- We introduced our next community partner today: Helping Hands of Las Vegas.
- Some highlights from the message today:

“Diversity is the new norm for the American family”
“We must re-think our assumptions about what constitutes a modern family”
“Although the family unit has changed, what God has to say to the family has not changed”
“Men and Women are different but compatible”
Principle of Priority: outside of God, my spouse is to be my highest human priority
“Most marital problems emerge from a priority shift”
“Things that destroy marriages are usually good things and not bad things”
“Good things can become the enemy of the best thing”
“Children can become the biggest threat to the principle of priority”
“The covenant of marriage is important to God so it will be one of the areas the Enemy attacks first”
Winston Churchill when asked what he could be if not who he was: “My wife’s second husband”

- Today is one of the days I preach the ideal while growing in my own journey.
- I love leading a church where I can be real about my own personal struggles.
- Can’t believe we only have a few weeks until Egg Drop 2010
- Egg Drop mailers hit mailboxes this weekend and our pre-registration numbers hit the roof!
- More important meetings this week - including Chief of Police, the Mayor, and the broker helping us look for permanent space!
- Easter is fast approaching

busy and fun days

If you are a person who regularly teaches the Bible to other people, you know the tension between the message you have been entrusted to proclaim and the reality of your own struggles in life. There are times that I feel somewhat hypocritical in my preaching simply because I know that I am teaching the ideal and that I do not always live up to that ideal.

I talked with a mentor one time about this surreal dynamic - how do we preach a message that we know we are struggling to live in our own life? It was refreshing to hear him say that he lives constantly with this same tension. Here’s the reality: pastors are human too. We are fallen, sinful humans who are in constant need of God’s refining grace and provision. We preach a perfect gospel as imperfect humans. The gospel is flawless. We are prone to wander.

This Sunday we begin a series called Modern Family. I am teaching this week on the priority of the husband-wife relationship. Let me be raw for a moment: I am not that great of a husband. I want to be. I have seasons where I am better than other times. But the truth of the matter is: it takes a lot of grace for Starla to live with me. I could list the many ways that I fall short as a husband but the bottom line is this: I am constantly in need for God to grow me in this area of life.

This weekend I will be preaching the ideal. Specifically this Sunday I will be talking about how to prioritize your spouse. To be honest, I am not that great at making Starla my highest human priority. So I will be preaching a message this week that I am consistently striving to apply as well. I have been reminded as I have prepared for this series that I am simply another Jesus follower on the journey that is in constant need of the gospel. I just happen to be the guy that gets to stand on the stage and preach the ideal. I am sure there will be many other guys there this Sunday who are far more “qualified” to teach this message than me. But then again - that’s kind of what grace is all about isn’t it? We are all people in need of Jesus.

So join me this Sunday as we talk about God’s ideal and then we cry out to Jesus to enable us to live it.

I am speaking online for the Aha! event this Wednesday. It is a free online conference but you have to pre-register here.

Post-Weekend from Delta Flight from ATL to LAS

- I spent the weekend in Birmingham, AL at Shades Mountain Church
- Shades Mountain was one of our original partners who invested time, money, and volunteers to help make GP happen
- I was able to share what God is doing through GP on a couple of occasions – that’s always fun
- I went over and spent Saturday with my parents – a fun unexpected day visit.
- I was also able to see my 85-year-old grandmother who is still going strong.
- Hung out with a couple of other church planters some who are also doing solid works
- Was able to see my friend Ergun Caner who is the President of Liberty Seminary. Ergun makes me laugh. I have known him for several years.
- I also spent a few minutes with Pastor Johnny Hunt from First Woodstock. He is a true leader and mentor to so many young pastors.
- I always miss being away from GP when I am gone.
- Ty Neal, our Family Ministries Pastor, preached at GP on Sunday. I heard he did a solid job.
- NASCAR weekend in Vegas hurt us some.
- I had to travel a lot the first couple of years at GP. It was part of the process. I don’t enjoy traveling as much now.
- I do have the opportunity to travel to Kenya in September for a vision trip with some other pastors. We are in the process of looking for an international partner so it could be a good opportunity.
- Busy week ahead as we are now in the actual month when Egg Drop takes place!
- Several important community meetings this week.

That’s all for now. Ready to see my family.

Some of you might find this interesting … it is the blog account of a lady in Vegas who is taking a year to visit the different churches in the valley. She is on a pilgrimage of sorts for a year. Here is her take on GP. I would say I agree with almost everything in the article. From what I understand, she arrived at GP after our worship and just as I started teaching so she missed some of who we are in that regard. Also we are not really a “Hope plant” even though a church in Vegas called Hope did partner with us for our first year. We were planted by a group of churches - a couple who invested in us heavily for 4+ years. Anyway - here is the article.

Randomness from the weekend…

- Planning to start lifting as part of my workout. I went to the gym with my friend Dave on Friday night to put together a routine. I have to say its quite embarrassing when he is lifting 2-3x what you are lifting!
- Workout followed by In n Out - great guilt-free combination
- Girls volleyball tradition on Saturday. They lost a game they should NOT have lost. Frustrating.
- Starla had a show at the house and we were keeping the kids of some friends on Saturday so I ended up flying solo at the park with 7 energized kids. I survived.
- Went to see Shutter Island on Saturday night. Good movie. I had read the book a year or two ago. Movies never equal the book.
- Sunday was another good day at GP.
- Attendance was up.
- Band was solid. It is great to see new faces and talent developing.
- We tried to fly in a small helicopter to help announce the Egg Drop. Let’s just say it “crashed.” It did not make it far before crashing into a speaker and going down for the count.
- Egg Drop 2010 will be the biggest community event we have ever pulled off. I will post more about it later.
- Check out eggdropvegas.com for info or to pre-register your family.
- We had a great creative element today in the form of a temporary tat that was painted on an arm during the message. It was very different but worked very effectively to illustrate my message.
- Today was one of those messages that spoke to me throughout the week which helped me teach it more effectively today.
- We have had several people at GP tell me their stories in the last few weeks. A great reminder of why we do what we do.
- We have some broken people in whom God is doing incredible things.
- I met a man today who recently committed his life to Jesus at GP. He was a Muslim 5 weeks ago!
- I have been so reminded the last few weeks that it is the gospel and only the gospel that transforms lives.
- We are in a great season right now.
- Some highlights from today’s message:

“We are called to love what God loves and as God loves”
“Jesus followers are instructed to love 4 different types of people: the family, losers, winners, and enemies”
“Jesus is clear that the defining evidence of our love for Him is our love for each other”
“The family can be a little difficult to love at times (including me)”
“People see God through our love for each other”
“What does our treatment of each other say about God to others”
“Love for God and disdain for others can’t co-exist”
“Loving losers means loving those who we are not likely to notice”
“Agape sees the value of the one”
“Agape loves those who are do what we do - only better”
“Loving winners can be more difficult than loving losers”
“Agape replaces the clenched jaw with a grateful heart”
“Agape enables us to love those we are naturally inclined to hate”
“Agape is not natural. It is supernatural.”
“Agape lovers do what God does - love enemies”
“The opposite of agape is not hate but fear”
“Fear prevents us from being loved and loving”
“Perfect love drives out fear”
“I can only live agape when I have fully embraced and accepted agape”

- We took time to pray for two other influential churches in our area that God would bless their ministries in a supernatural way.
- I told the story of Corrie Ten Boom’s forgiveness of the Nazi soldier who abused her in prison. POWERFUL story on God’s love.
- Our elders introduced a new ministry at GP today that involves GPers helping meet the needs of other GPers. Love this idea.
- We have a GREAT group of elders. I love those guys.

I am traveling most of this week. I am not a big fan of traveling during one of our busiest seasons but I am going to the missions conference of one of our primary partners who supported us as part of their 2010 Vision five years ago. It is cool that we are now a growing church that was merely a part of their vision five years ago.

God has really reminded me in recent days why we do what we do. I never want the stories of life transformation to stop or become old. They keep me going.

Busy, busy days ahead. We are about to pull off a major community event that is bigger than anything I could have envisioned a few years ago. I am just thankful to be along for the ride.

For the last 2 weeks we have talked about God’s agape love. He is love and He demonstrated His love by providing His own Son to secure our redemption through the sacrifice of His own life. This week we begin to talk about how we live agape love. The Bible is clear that God followers will be God lovers - experience and live God’s love.

When I read about agape love, I struggle with how difficult it appears to live out this type of love. For instance we are instructed to love the family (other Jesus followers) which in and of itself can be difficult at times but also we are supposed to love losers (the least of these), winners (those who one up us), and even enemies (those we are naturally inclined to dislike). Loving those we normally neglect, envy, or hate is a God thing. We can’t conjure up agape love. It is outside of our own natural abilities.

Loving as God loves begins with embracing God’s love for us. That’s why John says that “perfect love casts out fear.” Living agape is really a fear issue. Because we know what’s behind the curtain we are often afraid to be loved or to love. Allowing someone to love me means that I have to open my life to them and allow them in. I have to allow them to see the good and the bad - my strengths and weaknesses. I have to allow myself to be accepted by someone who might judge me. That’s why we often keep God and others at an arm’s length. Being loved is frightening.

Loving someone else is also a frightening endeavor. When we allow ourselves to love someone with the agape love of God we are saying to that person: “I accept you for who you are. I trust you.” Agape love opens itself up for betrayal and hurt. Agape love believes the best about someone. Agape love trusts those who may or may not deserve our trust. Agape love says “I am making myself vulnerable to you.” Agape love is SCARY!!!

That’s why learning to love as God loves begins with experiencing God’s perfect love for us. Only as we begin to embrace God’s unchanging, eternal love for us can we begin to live out this type of love to others. Only when we replace fear with trust can we begin to love with agape love.

God is love and those who are connected to Him will love with God’s love. Perfectly? Not yet but as His love becomes a part of who I am, as I learn to be loved and to love - as I become a God lover, then I begin to demonstrate God’s love for other sinners - just like me.

- Busy week last week. LOTS of meetings which is always draining.
- We headed to Utah for a few days on Friday. Lots of snow there.
- Snowmobiling and sledding were the highlights of the trip.
- Of course I flipped my snow machine but no significant injury - just sore.
- The kids played a lot in the snow but it was exhausting for them to be in snow that deep!
- I drove back by myself on Saturday evening which means the music was loud and the singing was questionable but fun.
- Since the family was gone, I ate Roberto’s on Saturday night. Not a good choice.
- Valentine’s / President’s Day weekend at GP meant lower attendance.
- Band sounded solid. Adding some new members.
- We have been praying and searching for a professional sound person for a while. We finally got our prayer answered Sunday!
- God’s timing is SWEET!
- Our volunteers do awesome yet it is always encouraging to get “professional” insight.
- We began casting vision for our Easter service opps. Our first Egg Drop will be the highlight.
- Egg Drop 2010 is going to be a GREAT event for us. Details to come as they unfold.
- Volunteer opps for Easter include over 150 volunteers and lots and lots of candy.
- We worshiped through Communion today which is always meaningful.
- I taught on Agape love as demonstrated on the cross today.
- Taught from Romans 5:6-10. I love that text.
- A few of the message highlights:

“The most memorable love stories always involve ultimate sacrifice”
“Agape love is a show-me kind of love”
“To begin to understand the magnitude of God’s love we have to begin to understand the depth of our own depravity”
Paul’s 4 descriptive terms of our standing before God outside of Jesus: powerless, ungodly, sinners, enemies
“There is no ‘not going to do wrong’ plan that can make us acceptable before God”
“We are naturally consumed with our own agenda”
“By nature we fall short of God’s standard of morality”
“Our sin nature naturally puts us an enmity with God”
“We are left with a spiritual dilemma and there is not a thing we can do about it”
“Enter Agape”
“God does the unthinkable by loving the unlovely”
“God proved His love at exactly the time we needed it”
“The Godly died for the ungodly”
“The death of Jesus overcomes the hostility sin creates and replaces it with peace”
“The gospel: God gave His own Son to the horrors of an undeserved death for those who are undeserving”

As many times as I have been able to stand on a stage and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, it never gets old. I pray it never does.

Another busy, busy week ahead.

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We continue our Agape series today talking about God’s amazing love as demonstrated by Jesus on the cross. True agape acts. By its very nature, it acts. It can’t help but act. Agape is all-giving. And God demonstrated this highest form of love by making the ultimate sacrifice: He sent His own Son to die for undeserving, unworthy, incapable, sinful humans.

One of the first steps in understanding the magnitude of God’s love is understanding the magnitude of our own depravity before God. The New Testament writer Paul uses some strong language to define us: sinners, enemies, unworthy, objects of God’s wrath. He uses this language to help us comprehend how reprehensible sin is before a completely pure and perfect God. And then he informs us that God loved us while we were still in this state!

I am glad that God’s love is not fickle. I am glad that God’s love does not hinge on my own ability to do right or clean up myself. I am glad that God loves me while I am still a sinner.

One of my favorite definitions of grace is: God can never love me any more or less than He does right now. That is love!

- Had sushi with friends on Friday night & then played some Bingo. Most of the other participants were over 65!
- Saturday was a lazy day in Vegas.
- Played some games and watched movies.
- UFC 109 on Saturday night. Decent fights.
- We launched a new series at GP on Sunday: Agape
- The band introduced a new song on Sunday - good stuff
- We had an awesome creative element. We had a fake wedding that appeared real until the couple read their vows. The vows were “conditional” vows to illustrate conditional vs unconditional love. Several people were crying before they realized it was fake. So funny.
- I taught from 1 John 4:7-10 on the agape love of God
- Some highlight thoughts from the message:

“Love stands at the heart of Christianity and drenches the pages of the Bible”
I explained the difference in the three types of love in NT Greek: eros, phileo, agape
Eros love is “all-take” … fueled by what I can get from you
Phileo is a “give-take” … fueled by mutual sharing - reciprocal
Agape is “all-give” … fueled only by the heart of the giver
“Agape love only comes from God and is only possible through God”
“Unlovely things must be deeply loved before they become loveable”
Agape love is unconditional, unprovoked, and undeserved.
“Agape flows from who God is - He is love”
“To love with the love of God you must be connected to the source Himself”
“God is love in His very nature so He can only act in love”
“Agape love caused God to send His own Son to die for the unworthy”
“We can only love God when we embrace and respond to His love for us”
“He loved us first”
“Learning to love with agape love is a process and not a state”

- I received positive feedback from several people regarding this truth
- Next week we will talk about the agape love of God demonstrated through the cross
- Super Bowl Party with friends
- Great game. Congratulations Saints.
- Even the best QBs make game-changing mistakes!
- I worked out this morning at the new Gold’s Gym Sport near my house. Great facility.
- It is definitely easier to run when you are watching Iron Man on a movie screen!

Busy, busy week ahead. Big events approaching quickly. Lots to do.

tick tock tick tock