Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Every blog and news cast I've read the past few days has had a "year in review" section so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. Here are some highlights from 2008 and a look ahead into 2009.

2008 started with a message series called "iresolve" that God used in a neat way in many lives. It was a great way to start a new year.

In March we had a Communion service outside of our new building. It was an incredible evening as we prayed for people who would one day walk into the doors of that building.

June was the month for Student camps. Cool things happened in our Middle School and High School students at Global Youth and Big Stuff.

In July we had our largest Newcomer's event ever. Over 100 people came to hear more about what God is up to at Crossroads Church. Great night.

We created some buzz in September as thousands of cars drove around Coweta County with "What If?" magnets on their cars.

The month of October brought us to our "Great Weekend of Giving" where we saw our church give nearly half a million dollars to our new campus. Our largest single offering in history.

The message series "Red, White, and You" in November brought me more e-mails than any series I've ever preached. Mostly positive I might add!

2008 came to a close with a great gift wrapping outreach effort at Ashley Park and a Christmas Eve service with nearly 3000 people in attendance.

As we turn the corner on 2009 I am very excited about the New Year. In 2009 we will begin worshiping at a brand new campus and celebrate our 20th anniversary! What I am most excited about, however, is stuff that only God knows. Just as in 2008 God will do incredible things in people's lives. We will see people come to faith in Christ, people grow in Christ, and people changed by Christ. When it is all said and done, those are the things that matter anyway. The buildings and events are just a way to help make disciples. I'm thanking God for all He has done in 2008 and I can't wait to see what He will do in 2009.

Running Away

This past weekend I preached a message on Jonah. We looked at two of the worst words in the Bible. Jonah 1:3 says, "But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish." The words "ran away" are two of the worst words in the Bible. After the service a friend gave me a great quote to go along with the message.

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and charge you more than you want to pay!"

If by chance you find yourself running from God these days, why not run to Him instead of from Him?

The Team that Never Had a Chance!

This past Saturday I just finished coaching a team of young men that I will never forget. Along with Coach Kurt Brown and Coach Chuck Kinnamon, I had the honor of being able to associate with a group of 13 and 14 year old men that displayed incredible character.

In late July a group of 8 young men came together to form a football team. About half of those young men had never played football before in their lives. Thinking we might not even have enough players to make a team we slowly saw another handful of men added to the line up. As the season began with four straight losses. We were all beginning to think this team would never have a chance.

These young men never gave up! Over the course of the year we lost six players to injury and yet they hung together and worked harder every week. At the half way point in the season we had our first win and won every game after that until the first round of the play offs. We even finished the regular season beating the undefeated team in the league. These young men are real warriors! They never gave up and they demonstrated incredible resolve and strength. It was a real honor to coach such a team. The team that nobody gave a chance became the team to beat!

This football team reminds me of another team of guys that beat the odds. They are mentioned in the Bible. Acts 4: 13 describes them this way, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled and ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus." The team of disciples also beat the odds. Jesus used this rag tag uneducated group of nobodies to change the world.

God is still in the business of changing the world through nobodies. He wants to use people like me and you to make a difference in the world for him. God specializes in building teams that never had a chance and using them to impact the world. God's team is one team you don't want to miss out on!

A Great Opportunity

This weekend our church is having what we are calling a Great Weekend of Giving. We are setting aside one weekend to receive and offering to help cover some of the move in costs for our new worship facility which will open in the spring of 2009. As I have been praying about this weekend I have come to the conclusion that it really is the Great Weekend of Opportunity. I say that for the following reasons:

1) This offering is an opportunity to bring glory to God! All that I have belongs to God and when I give it back to Him- He loves it!

2) This offering is an opportunity to become more! That's right. Giving changes us and when I give I become more like Christ than I am now. How could I pass up that kind of opportunity?

3) This offering is an opportunity to bless others! I came to Christ and got involved in a church because someone made it possible. They gave and I was blessed. This weekend I get the chance to bless someone else. It might not be till eternity before I know how my gift has touched and blessed someone else.

The Great Weekend of Opportunity! Jesus said it like this- "It more blessed to give than receive". This weekend is all about an opportunity. An opportunity to be a part of something that will last forever. I don't dare miss it!

At Least He Tried!

I once heard it said that a person had the words, "At least he tried", carved into his tombstone. I like that idea and in many ways I want the same to be true of me. However, I want a phrase added. I want my tombstone to say, "At least he tried to create a movement of multiplying disciples".

One of my attempts to help create a movement of multiplying disciples of Christ is to put in print some of what I have learned about making disciples. I hope that through the written word others will be inspired, motivated, educated, and encouraged to live a life of multiplying disciples.

With that said, I want to let you know that I have just reviewed the first printed copy of a book I wrote called "Conversations ...about making disciples!" Some very special people have helped me compile some conversations about making disciples that I believe are much needed in the Christian community these days. Just think, when is the last time you saw a new book printed on the topic of "making disciples"? How can so few books be available on the very thing that Jesus came to do?

Please pray with me that this book starts a whole new set of conversations about fulfilling the Great Commission. That is really what the world needs! If you would like to have a copy of this book you can pick one up at Crossroads Church as soon as they are printed or you can order one by e-mailing snash@crossroadsnewnan.org.

Whatifcoweta?.com

The past couple of weeks I've been driving around town with a magnet bumpersticker on the back of my truck saying whatifcoweta?.com. Hopefully a few thousand other people at Crossroads Church in Newnan have been doing the same thing. It is a simple way to get the word out to people about a series of messages we are doing on the question "What If?"

For three weeks we are looking at "what if" you could change your life, your relationships, and your circumstances. Most people I know are wanting to change at least one or more of the three. From the results of the first week I think we might be on to something. This past weekend we had almost three times the number of visitors we usually have for the first week of a message series. I guess some people are wondering "what if"?

What If?

"What if" is a great question to ask. Especially for a church. This question opens the door to explore the possibilities of what God can do through a group of people that are sincerely seeking to be with Jesus. Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

What if the world once again took note and was astonished at what God was doing in the church? I am convinced that once we devote ourselves to being with Jesus the world will want what we have.

I wrote this small booklet called "What If Thirty Days Could Change Your Church" to be a catalyst for converstions for churches. I am asking the question myself, "what if" we could get a whole bunch of churches learning what it means to be with Jesus in such a way that the world was astonished and taking note!