House of Rock Update

Thought it might be time for a blog post on The House of Rock Progress.  If you haven’t seen the inside yet you need to.  You can sign up for a tour at http://www.crosspointlive.tv/tours.  We want you to see what you have invested in.  Also on 10.10.10 we will be holding a celebration and prayer service in the facility at 5:00 PM to pray for your 10 friends.  It will be the most memorable event of the year.

• All the interior walls are complete and in the process of being painted.  The colors are amazing.
• Air conditioning ductwork is done and grills are going in today.
• Outdoor units on the AC will be installed this week.
• Sewer is connected and ready to have something flushed. (no toilets yet)
• Water is connected and will be tested by the city.
• All electrical is installed and inspected.  Meter goes in today.  We will have POWER!
• Fluorescent lighting in fusion is installed.
• All ceiling grids are in but not the tiles yet.
• Emergency and exit lighting goes in today.
• Fire alarm phone lines are in.
• Security system is wired up.
• Internet goes in today.
• Last night a team of guys worked 5 hours (after 10 hour work day) and started installing wire for the electronics.
• Landscaping and parking should begin later this week or early next week.

Words cannot describe how thankful I am for God’s provision and his people making amazing sacrifices to see this happen.  We only have a few weeks left and we will set up home base of operations to run the devil out of Alabama America and I am beyond excited!

Sunday Mind Dump

• Another fantastic day at Crosspoint!
• Closed out the OT in HD with a crazy story.
• The story of Judah and Tamar from Genesis 38.
• Judah made a mess out of his family.
• Sleeping with your daughter in law – really?
• First time I used the word “semen” in a sermon.  Uncomfortable.
• Many people indicated they were repenting from something.
• We get excited about someone getting saved but often we dont value repentance of a believer.
• The angels rejoice over one sinner that repents.  Imagine the rejoicing when close to 100 repent!
• A teenage girl came up to me after the early service with her mom and thanked me for preaching this story!
• Had to cancel our House of Rock tours today due to the downpour
• If you signed up to go today then you are automatically rescheduled for the same time next Sunday
• We start wiring up sound, light and video this week.  Pumped about that!
• The paint looks incredible.  Cant wait till its finished!
• More and more gear comes in every day.  Thank you for giving!
• We originally projected $400,000 to equip the facility.
• We’ll come in around $225,000!  We saved tons by doing installs ourselves, ordering online and out of state.
• We don’t have our exact move in date yet but I hope by Halloween!
• We plan to hold a worship and prayer celebration on 10.10.10.
• Each person is praying for 10 friends and family they want to see impacted by our ministry.
• We have over 800 names we are praying for every day as a staff!
• I am praying for 1000 people opening day.  What if 100 of them find Christ?
• I turned 50 this week.  It wasn’t as painful as I thought it might be.
• Got to eat at my favorite mexican place – Chuy’s, bought $12,000 work of Mac’s at the Apple Store for The House of Rock, got a new iPhone 4 (which is awesome), and then ate at Bonefish Grill.  It was a great day.
• College football starts saturday and I am excited out of my mind!
• Looking forward to a great week!  I love my life!

UPDATE:  Nearly 150 in Fusion Kids ministry today.  Becky and her team it it out of the freakin park!

Sunday Mind Dump

• Today was simply stellar
• Woke up at 5:45 and did my Couch to 5K Workout – 3o min of sweating.
• Showered, suited up and went to the office to review notes.
• Music this morning got me in the zone to preach the gospel.
• Preached on Hosea marrying a prostitute.  She left him and he bought her back.
• We showed a video of one of our families that re-married after a divorce caused by an emotional affair on facebook.
• Amazing bible and current story of forgiveness.  Thats how God forgives us!
• About 13-15 people indicated they were trusting Christ or recommitting to Him!
• Trust me but that NEVER gets old!
• Our teens cleaned up The House of Rock yesterday to get ready for a meeting tonight with our set up teams.
• I am pumped about showing some of them the HoR for the first time.
• Our set up team is like Navy Seals who hit the beach first.  They are amazing.
• Speaking of teens – Sept 12 at my house we kick off our newly remodeled student ministry.  Teens and their parents are invited.  Staying dry is not an option.
• We have some crazy things planned for our students.  Monster crazy!
• Pumped about our next series called ReMix.  We are taking the best sermons from our time in the theater and Re-Mixing them and Refreshing everything and it’s going to be insane!
• We need you to vote for your favorite – http://www.crosspointlive.tv/remix
• If you haven’t seen the House of Rock you need to sign up for the back stage tour!  Tours are filling up so get signed up now.  Go here: http://www.crosspointlive.tv/tours
• Started a new diet last week to go with my Couch to 5K.
• So far its not too bad and I’ve dropped 4.5 lb overall.  I attribute it to both diet and exercise.  One without the other produces no long term results.
• It sucks but being fat and out of shape sucks worse!
• Dana and I do this together and she is melting away too.
• Two weeks till college football starts.  I cannot wait!

Funded and Free National Holiday

My Friend Casey Graham and his partner Joe Sangl are so creative and influential they managed to get their own National Holiday.  They are celebrating by offering a killer deal on their new book “Funded And Free”

I’ve known Casey for over 4 years and our church partners with Casey’s organization,  The Change Group to keep our church funded and free from worry.  In the past year we have raised nearly $200,000 to equip a new church facility, doubled the number of people who give online, and increased our offerings by 50% using principles we have learned from Casey.  No one in your church wakes up thinking about how to fund the vision.  If the pastor doesn’t, it wont be fully funded.

This book is a breeze to read and offers 50 common sense principles that if you put into practice will increase the funds available for achieving the vision God has for your church.  Go get the book now.  You will be sad if you don’t.

Sunday Mind Dump (Monday Version)

• Yesterday the services at Crosspoint went into the category of AWESOME.
• I dont know that it was anything tangible that put it over the top but everything seemed to work.
• The music was on.  There weren’t any new spectacular video elements.
• The sermon was fun.  Both times.  Seemed natural.  Even though parts were uncomfortable.
• Told the story of Jephthah from Judges 11 where he made a vow to God to kill whatever came out of his house if God would help him win the war.
• The Holy Spirit had come upon Jephthah but he had no confidence.
• Of course God came though.
• Then out walked something he didn’t expect.
• I joked it was a cat in the first service.
• In the second service I said it was his youngest daughters new boyfriend.
• My youngest has a new friend who happens to be a boy and they’ve dated a few times.
• So that means he’s not a bf.  But it was fun embarrassing her when she brought him to church the first time.
• I don’t really understand how God let Jephthah do that but one day I’m gonna ask.
• But God is serious about us keeping our word.  When we make a promise to our kids and dont keep it, then their trust in us (and ultimately God) erodes.  When we cant keep our marriage vows, we cant be trusted.  When we don’t honor financial contracts or employment agreements we have no integrity and we are hosed.
• Also when we make a commitment financially to God to tithe or give to a special project, God expects us to complete it.
• I mention this because we are in the purchase phase of gear for The House of Rock.  We have only collected about 60% of the money pledged.  Some people left.  Didnt buy into the vision.  Some had dramatic financial hardship.  If thats you let us know.  Maybe you can adjust your pledge over 2-3 years and still participate and keep your commitment.  Some just slacked off.  I’d like to challenge you to get on board.
• Chances are God will never ask you to do what Jephthah did.  He will probably not strike you dead like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 for not keeping a financial commitment.  But I bet its affecting your worship or something else in your walk with God.
• God loves you and he loves a cheerful giver.  We promise we are going to get the gear we need, it will be excellent quality and we’ll finish The House of Rock at 50% of our original budget estimate.  But we want everyone to be part of the blessing and that comes with Giving.
• Don’t give up and if it makes it easier go online and use our convenient, secure e-give.  Click here to set that up
• Had family over yesterday for lunch – met the new boy.  His name is David.  Seems like a nice kid.  My Granddaugther Maddie LOVED him.
• Mom and Dad came.  They celebrated 51 years of marriage yesterday.  They have kept their vows and I am honored to be part of the family.  What a great example to me, my siblings, kids and grandkids.
• Had a great night at Discovering Crosspoint – Sharing Vision of the church and getting new people on board the disciple making train and Celebrating, Connecting and Contributing.
• Spent the rest of the night doing a gravity test on the couch.  It works.
• Have a great week.  OT in HD will get crazy this week.  Really crazy!  Bring a family – their marriage needs this one,

I’m going to get punched in the face by Mark Driscoll

Not literally.  But I do fully expect to get pummeled by some of the greatest church leaders in America.  Next month I am taking the entire Crosspoint Staff to the New Spring Leadership Conference at New Spring Church in Anderson, SC.  It’s been a while since our staff has been anywhere to be equipped and we are pumped up about the trip.  We’ve never all been together and we have some new staff members who have not been exposed to a staff road trip.  We will have a blast.  But we are getting ready like a Marine Recruit going to boot camp.

The line-up at this conference is stellar.  Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, Steven Furtick, Perry Noble, Judah Smith and Jud Wilhite will be speaking.  We’ll definitely be eating some meat.  And then for dessert – Perry announced this week that Pastor Rick Warren from Saddleback will speak into our lives!

The cost is VERY reasonable for speakers of this caliber.  What I really like about this is the fact that its totally focused on leadership.  This isn’t about how to be cool, how to market your church, how to use technology or any other gee whiz stuff.  It’s going to be in your face leadership development, which is exactly what I’ve been praying for in my life and for our staff.  We have some amazing days ahead of us at Crosspoint but what got us where we are wont get us to where we are going and we know we have to grow our leadership and then grow more leaders.

I am fired up about this and I think every pastor should go and take their entire staff.   If you have to rob a liquor store you should go.  You can’t afford not to.  The event is September 16 and early bird pricing of $99 is on till THIS Friday -  August 13.  Register NOW or you will be very sad.

The Church should be like Baskin-Robbins!

Last month Baskin-Robbins put five flavors of ice cream into the deep freeze.  No more Caramel Praline Cheesecake, Campfire S’mores, Apple Pie a La Mode, Superfudge Truffle and French Vanilla!  What?  No French Vanilla?  They’ve had that since 1945!  So are they now down to 26 flavors?  Not at all.  They have five new flavors.  This is not a gimmick for Baskin-Robbins.  They’ve been retiring flavors since they opened.  Why?  It’s good for business.  And the church can learn something from this!

Every year a church should look at the ministries they offer and ask “should we still be doing this?”  Sadly many churches are still doing today what they did in 1945.  They are still serving up vanilla when people are asking for Cotton Candy or Love Potion #31.  Sunday School was great in the 1960’s.  Is that what your community needs today?  Hymnbooks were awesome in the 50’s.  Ever hear of a projector?  Maybe that would help people engage better.  Does your church really need a Wednesday night service?

Recently we retired our Revolt Student Ministry.  In a few weeks we will relaunch it with a flavor and new intensity so that we can touch more people with the good news Jesus died and rose from the grave and there is forgiveness and eternal life in Him!

We need to keep some classics around.  The gospel never changes.  But its time to put some things that are not gospel and simply preference for the past into the deep freeze and break out some new flavors that a lost and dying world is hungry for.

10 on 10.10.10 (and rewind)

First the Sunday Rewind

• Great day at Crosspoint.
• Spirit moved.
• Packed second service (please consider attending at 9:00)
• Slammed day in Fusion Kids ministry (maybe it was the new volunteer with his Team Becky name tag) http://yfrog.com/b9nnadj
• Getting excited about relaunching student ministry in the fall.  By the way guys – back to school means new opportunities for Jesus and learning.
• OT in HD today focused on Joshua 10 when the sun stood still for a day.
• The bible is easy to understand, just hard to believe sometimes.
• This event really happened.  Probably wont happen again but…
• What if we used the time we have wisely when it comes to the gospel.
• Our time on earth is short – and getting shorter every second.
• What if we believed God wanted to use our church to reach the 30,000+ here that don’t go to church and then reach Lawrence County and Limestone County and Madison County…
• I believe we could be 3000 strong in less than 3 years.
• Thats why I asked you to think of 10 names.
• Bring your names Sunday.  We are going to collect them and then our staff is going to pray for them as we lead up to going into The House of Rock.
• Then on 10.10.10, if we are able to meet there, we will have a celebration in The House of Rock and pray together over all the names.  I promise you want your friends name represented.
• 10 people on 10.10.10 being prayed for could represent well over 3000 people!

There is nothing too hard for our God to do so lets pray and believe and then act.  Start inviting them now.  Facebook, twitter, email, take them to dinner, have them over your house, go to their kids ballgames, baby sit for them to have date night.  Do whatever you can do to show them you really care and its not about them coming to church – its about the love of Jesus.

10 on 10.10.10 could seriously rock our city for Christ!  And imagine what we could see on 11.11.11….

The Asian Grill Buffet Church

Do you remember Quincy’s Steak House?  They had the most awesome yeast rolls ever!  Their steak was OK for cafeteria style steak.  They went out of business in Decatur (are there any of them left?) many years ago.  Since then the restaurant has been a Barnhill’s all you can eat buffet, The $5.00 Buffet, The $5 and Change Buffet, & Mamma Blues Cafe.  Then it had a sign for Barnhill’s again.  That never re-opened. Now it says its the Asian Grill Buffet but construction has stopped.  About an hour from here in Florence, AL there is a restaurant that had the same exact progression which I assume is the same company.  It’s not being remodeled for an Italian Restaurant.  I’m betting the old Quincy’s gets a new name and facelift soon.  I give it 8 months to fail again.

Sadly this is the same mentality of many churches and its exactly why they never grow.  Many pastors have no vision for what their church is supposed to be and they fail to communicate to their city what they do.  A pastor will go to a conference, read a book, see something another church is doing, and change the direction and vision of the church on a dime.  One week they are all about evangelism.  The next week they are seeker sensitive.  A month later its all about discipleship.  Then its students, children, worship band, small groups, sunday school, service times…

With the vision of the month mentality all it breeds is confusion.  No one knows where they are going or how they are getting there.  So they get off the ride and find something else to do.

Habakuk 2:2 says “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”

Pastor, you need to have a vision from God.  It needs to be clear.  It needs to have a sustainable goal.  It needs to be communicated to your people and they need to be able to articulate it to their friends and loved ones.  Where there is no vision, people perish (Prov 29:18).  Our vision is simple.  We make passionate disciples.  We do that by Celebrating (worship, baptism), Connecting (small groups, discipleship) and Contributing (serving, giving).  Thats all we do.  We aren’t executing perfectly.  But we are constantly raising the bar, communicating to people, and we are seeing God move in our midst.

What is your vision?  Will it last till the end of the year?  How about the end of time?

God Wants You FAT!

In today’s fad diet culture – thin is in.  But in ministry FAT people are what we need to get the job done.  When looking for new volunteers and potential leaders we need to look for FAT people – people who are FAITHFUL, AVAILABLE, and TEACHABLE.  If someone isn’t FAT they will let you down and let the team down.

FAITHFUL:  1 Cor 4:2 says: Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Being faithful is not an option.  In fact the word is rooted in the same word as trust.  A faithful person is a trustworthy person.  So how do you spot them?  Are they on time?  Do they do what’s asked?  Do they complete their tasks?  Can you count on them without having to follow up and check on them?  You can observe these behaviors when you first ask volunteers to join a team.  They know the schedule, they show up without being reminded, and they do whats asked – and then some usually.

AVAILABLE:  Some people would do anything – if they weren’t so busy.  You may see a potential superstar volunteer but they are frequently out for ballgames, fishing, vacation, meetings, work, or any number of things.  There is nothing wrong with any of this.  We all need relaxation, family time and we have jobs and chores that have to get done.  After your family, there is nothing on the planet more important than your ministry.  Carving out time and managing it will and building some availability into your schedule will make you a great ministry team player.  But if you cant be around, ministry can’t get done.  Check out Luke 14:18-20

TEACHABLE: If you think you know everything, you probably know nothing about ministry.  You may have knowledge of a subject or even be an expert but you got that way my learning.  When joining a ministry team we need learners to become leaders.  There are always new ways to do things, new people to get to know, and new ministry horizons to cross.  Leaders are Learners and if we can’t let someone else teach us a thing or two then we will never make great leaders.  One of the frequent names the disciples used for Jesus was “Teacher.”  He taught them to pray, heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water and they changed the world.  Teachable people are usually humble people rather than arrogant.  Scripture teaches “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

So are you FAT?  Want to get involved at Crosspoint?  We have more opportunities for FAT people than Jenny Craig.  Get involved.  It will change your life to be part of changing lives!  Contact us about serving here.