opportunity

Due to the huge windstorm that we had on Sunday night, at vast majority of the roofs and homes were affected somehow. Several in my neighborhood were damaged. I used to be a roofer and many of the homes need very little repair to fix the damage. So today when I get home, I already have 2 roofs that I will repair. One of my neighbors a couple doors down, is about to lose his father to lung cancer. I don't really know him that well, but hope that through a simple act of kindness and my prayers, I hope to show the love of God in a tangible way. As followers of Christ, we need to constantly look for opportunities to reflect HIS love.

launch service

Sunday night during the "wind storm of 08," we launched our C3@7 service, which is geared to the 20 somethings. An hour or so prior, the power was knocked out to most of Pickerington, including C3. We wondered if anyone would even show up with no lights on. We were surprised as 15 - 20 showed up. It turned out to be really cool with no lights, and only candles in the sanctuary. We did a little acoustic worship circle, a shorter simple message and then discussion. The room was set up with tables and stools around the outside of the room and rugs, a couch, pillows on the floor and end tables w/chairs around them. We had some cool art set up and a couple worship stations. At the end, we rolled in a food cart to encourage everyone to hang out and eat....they did. I talked to at least 6 of the people there who said they loved it. I'm excited to see where this service goes. I get to speak at a local college Bible study (about 100 students) which could hopefully draw even more along with word of mouth. Time will tell. We have a great committee of young leaders that are running this and doing a great job.

Truth

"All truth is not equal." Truth may be matter of fact, but certain truths play a bigger role in bringing LifeChange in our lives. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, it talks about faith, hope and love, but the greatest being love. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus is drilling the Pharisees because they tithed, but they were neglecting the "weightier provisions of the law; justice and mercy and faithfullnes." I could tell my kids the truths from God's Word from the book of Leviticus and all the rules the people followed, but it would most likely not bring any LifeChange. If I share with them about love and how we live that out among their friends and in our neighborhood, that can bring LifeChange. All that to say, we need to give people the truth that they need to bring Life Change. I hope that rambling made sense. I would love some thoughts.

#64

Here is an expert from the top 100 High School Football teams in the country this year. Central is located right next door from C3 Church.
#64 Central Pickerington OH 3-0 NR @ Lancaster
Pickerington Central has given up a total of 6 points in three games. That defense gets them attention, and national ranking.

The cool thing is, they park on our lot as overflow for the football games. We always give something away every week. This year we will be giving away more water, hot chocolate, blowpops, cookies and our staple, a dollar bill. Our heart is to be a church that always gives something back to our community, rather than being the church that is always asking for something. It is a principle of God and we have found it true, that the more we give away, the more God pours back in.

honored to serve

It really is an honor to serve. At the Forum Conference they asked me to serve in 2 ways. First, was to play the drums in the worship band, and 2nd was to lead 2 sessions to the 40 & under leaders. I really do mean it when I say that I am honored to serve. Personally, I love opportunities. If you gave me a choice between money or a cool opportunity, I'm taking the opportunity. When I'm asked to do something, whether I take it or not, I am truly humbled and honored to even be thought of. I want my life to look more and more like Jesus everyday. I have a long way to go, but I have found that I look the most like Jesus when I'm serving. So whether they asked me to stack chairs, clean tables or be the keynote speaker at a large conference, I'm just honored to serve.

The Forum

Mon - Wed of this week is being spent at our Ohio Assembly of God Pastor's conference called "the Forum." It is always great to see old friends and to hear stories of trials and triumphs. I had the opportunity to help teach/lead 2 sessions geared for ministers 40 & under. I also got to play in the tournaments during the free time. I played my dad in the championship ping pong game and stacked my team for the basketball tourney. The Lord shone His favor upon me! Anyway, in the session with young leaders we talked about obstacles that are faced by younger pastors. How we must be earn the right to be heard and to help our leaders fulfill their vision. We also, talked about the heart and motive behind how and why we lead. Tomorrow, we will talk about many of the answers to the obstacles. We are going to use a young Sr. Pastor that went to a more traditional church and how he has brought change the right way.

C3 picnic

Today at C3, we had a great crowd as we talked about our vision statement, that can be summed up as "LifeChange." We then headed to a nearby park for some food, cornhole and fellowship. I just have to say, "I love our church." I just took some time to look around at all the people who were eating together and realized that all this was a dream just a few years ago. God has truly shown His favor on C3 Church and as I always tell my staff and today told our people, "We have only just begun!"