Sunday night thoughts…

• Totally awesome vibe today… we NEED more days like today.
• It was Labor Day weekend and you could tell by the crowd… lots of folks taking the chance for that last three day weekend of Summer.
• One person indicated that they received Christ today… that NEVER gets old.  
• Set-up/Tear-down went great today… Its awesome when everything clicks!
• The band was incredible today… their cover of Shine was stinkin’ mindblowing.  The only thing missing was Jenny to have done the 90’s grunge head-bob and a stage dive 😉
• We had our second HIGHEST offering today, on a holiday weekend!  Thank you for being faithful in your giving.
• Man, I am jacked up at seeing so many new people stepping up and volunteering!
• Todays message was one that is close to my heart… Lifesong church WILL be known for what happens OUTSIDE the walls of the theater more so that what happens INSIDE the theater.  God has called US to IMPACT in this community with the Message.
• As sad as I am about Lifesong Rocks wrapping up I cant wait until we start ALIVE next week… Do whatever it takes to bring someone with you, God is going to change lives during this series.
• Speaking of our next series… we have about 20,000 postcards hitting mailboxes this week.  Pray that they make an impact.
• That’s it, I’ve got to go watch the rest of the Kentucky game… thank God for college football!

Friday five…

Things I am looking forward to…

• Its date night with my wife!  When is the last time YOU planned a date night?  Make it a priority.
• College football season… will the Bulldogs be the national champion?  Gooooooo Dawgs!
• For the election season to be OVER… same crap, different face.  I think I will run for President in 2012.
• To kick off our ALIVE series next week… this could be THE most POWERFUL message series that we have done yet!
• This Sunday… the band is going to ROCK (seriously) and I am pumped about the message… dont miss it!

An audience of one…

I need to make a confession… I WANT people to LIKE me.  Doesn’t everybody?  One thing that I have learned in the last few years is that being an EFFECTIVE pastor and trying to make everybody happy CAN NOT coexist.  I must give up my desire to be liked in order to fulfill the calling that God has in my life.  The Apostle Paul said this in Galatians 1:10…

I am not trying to please people. I want to please God. Do you think I am trying to please people? If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Did you catch that?  Paul learned that in order to be an effective servant he had to live for an audience of one.  Many pastors are so concerned with keeping the people happy so that they can keep their job at the expense of fulfilling the VISION that God has entrusted with them… may that NEVER be me.

Who do you live for?

Sunday night thoughts…

• I can’t put my finger on it… but it there was a strange vibe going on today.  Some Sunday’s everything just “clicks,” today was not one of those days 😦
• I mentioned that we were going to have a special instrument for today… unfortunately the violin player got sick and could not make it 😦 .
• Melanie did an awesome job on “I’ll Stand By You.”  I know that she was nervous, but she nailed it!
• Lots of new faces helping out with set-up/tear-down… it was great to give some of our hard working volunteers a complete day off today… VERY COOL!
• When I woke up this morning it was POURING rain… God took care of it and made it stop just long enough to get everything set-up and then loaded back up… Thank you God!
• Lifesong is officially cool… we purchased a Mac for our media 😉 .  The difference was amazing… some of the Tech Team are having a training session right now on it.  This will really help take things to another level.
• Of course, after making a pretty good investment we had our lowest offering ever today… ahhh, the highs and lows of starting a church 😉 .  If you forgot your offering you can always give online 🙂
• We had one more family sign up to be a host home for Life Groups starting in a month… that makes six that have signed up so far!  My goal is to launch seven.  You can make that happen by contacting mark@lifesonglive.com.
• One more week of Lifesong Rocks and then we kick off a new series, Alive… I think this is going to be the most powerful series that we have done to date.  God called an audible on this series, I had another planned, but when God tells you to change…
• I wouldn’t want to be ANYWHERE else than at Lifesong church… God is doing some incredible things!

Why cant the church be this creative…

What have we missed…

WATCH THE VIDEO!

 

 

I wonder how many times we have missed God because we were so busy doing our thing.  Sometimes I get so focused on what has to be done at Lifesong church that miss why I am doing it.  Focus and intensity are great things, but if we are focused on the WRONG THING we miss the MAIN THING… what are you focused on?

Sunday night thoughts…

• It was an incredible day at Lifesong… we had our HIGHEST attendance EVER today… VERY COOL!
• There were thirty-three kids in the children’s area today!  Lifesong Kids is going crazy!
• I really appreaciate all the help with load-in today… I think that was the fastest and easiest set up that we have ever had… you guys ROCK!
• Speaking of rocking… the band was UNREAL today!  I heard several of you make comment about how good the band was today.  Jenny’s cover of “Bring Me To life” was crazy good!
• We are changing up the vibe for next week… rumor has it there will even be a new instrument in the band 😉 .
• We talked about how God invite us to take a step in out relationship with Him today… there were some pretty tense moments during the message… crap, i guess I messed up that whole, “Lifesong only preaches ‘feel good’ messages” today 🙂
• Did I mention that we had our best attendance ever today… I am telling you that this Fall is going to be crazy.  Take a step and get involved by volunteering NOW! 
• I am so honored to be the pastor of Lifesong church… the best is yet to come! 

Pimpin’ like a pastor…

Picked up a rental car to head up to Anderson SC for the Coaching Network that starts tomorrow… I am rolling in a Buick… Oh yeah, thats how I roll… I feel like a real grown up pastor in this preacher car.   I think i will drop by the Christian bookstore and pick up a “Clergy” tag just to finish it off 😉 .  If you guys think about it, send up a prayer for me, this is a great opportunity to learn from guys who ARE where we are GOING.  Now if I can just find a copy of a “Gaither Homecoming” CD, I’ll be set!  Oh yeah… pimpin’ like a pastor 🙂

The power of one…

One seems like such an insignificant number.  It’s not like the really cool numbers… like seven, it’s really cool, it has a drink named after it.  Or two, its so cool that it has a nickname… “snake eyes,” even the nickname sounds cool.  But one has something that the others doesn’t… power:

• Martin Luther decided that “regular” people, not just the religious elite, should have access to the Bible so he translated it from Latin (which no-one could understand) into German (his native language)… they called him a heretic, but he changed the world (he also had something to do with a little deal called the Reformation).
• John Wesley was told that he was too “fanatical” to preach in the Church of England and in a day was it was considered heresy to preach outside the walls of a church building, he took the message to where the people were and traveled some 250,000 miles on HORSEBACK, preached 40,000 messages and led 150,000 people to Christ… he believed in the power of one and changed the world.
• Dwight L. Moody decided that people (sailors, gamblers and thieves in Chicago) needed to understand the Bible and started a Bible study in a BAR which led to one of the largest “Sunday Schools” of his time.
• Lottie Moon spent her life investing in the people of China at a time when women were considered “unfit” for direct contact with such “heathen” people.

One is powerful… One can change the world… One can change eternity.  If one is willing to INVEST in something other than themselves.  You may not be able to change the world, but YOU can make an IMPACT in ONE persons life… Who are YOU investing in TODAY?   Make a phone call… send an email… buy a lunch and INVITE someone to Lifesong this Sunday!

Sunday night thoughts…

• Today ROCKED… awesome vibe in the service today!
• The band nailed it today… their cover of “If Everyone Cared” was unreal.  Chris (new lead guitar player)is doing an awesome job fitting on with the band.
• Really looking forward to the rest of this series… preaching on the vision fo Lifesong church ALWAYS gets me fired up.  If you want to know more about Lifesong this series is for you.  Check out the podcast of todays message HERE.
• Added some new lighting today, it looked great until we blew the breaker just before I started the message… turned out to be pretty cool, kind of an “unplugged” vibe.
• Seeing some new faces around helping out with set up/tear down… VERY COOL!
• Had Robert Chapman in today to do some consulting with our sound guys and “tweek”our system… it sounded GREAT and he is coming back next week (unexpected) to spend a little more time and he is bringing us some more equipment, FOR FREE… VERY COOL!
• Lots of guests today and attendance was up after a little bit of a dip the last couple of weeks… This Fall is going to be HUGE!
• Really excited about the coaching network led by Perry Noble starting this Thursday… it is totally a God thing that I get to be a part.  There are some awesome guys in this thing and I am looking forward to connecting with them.
• Take some time right now to care enough to INVEST in somebody and INVITE them to Lifesong next week… I promise it will be worth it.