Why I'm Excited (part 3)

I got the opportunity to spend today in Nashville visiting with the Crosspoint Church team. First, it is an amazing team that God has assembled there. Second, the staff could not have been more generous in their time. Even though our appointment was just a lunch meeting with Pete Wilson, there were several staff members who spent time answering questions and offering us tours of their facilities (thanks to: Evie, Jarrod, Matt, Wendy, & Justin). As we were driving back from a great time of learning, we began to process all these new insights.

And then it hit me...

I am so thankful that I do not have to walk down the road of ministry by myself. I have been surrounded by great minds from the very beginning. One of the things that excites me about partnering with the One Life Network is the opportunity to learn from other like-minded and passion-driven individuals, some of who have been doing ministry for much longer than me.

John Maxwell has said, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." There is so much truth in that statement. To see the passion, the excitement, the insights that God has blessed these men with is encouraging and challenging. Let me share an example:

Mark just returned from spending three weeks overseas in a southeast Asian country where Christianity is far from the religion of choice. He shared with us the story of Elijah, a church planter, who serves a church of roughly 50. He sleeps in a bamboo car-port so that his lifestyle would not be a stumbling block for those outside the church. His church has taken in a half-dozen widows and cares for them. His passion and commitment to the church is inspiring and convicting.

The chance to partner together with these leaders on a regular basis, sharpening each other, is very exciting to me.

Church in the ATL

Here's the highlights from my experience at The Midtown Bridge. Larry Grays began their series called Caffinated Conversations this week. Here's some of the highlights:

• God is always working but sometimes it feels like nothing is happening while we wait.



• The farther we get from God, the harder it is to hear His voice. Stay close to the bucket!



• However, proximity to Jesus does not guarantee you are a Christian anymore than being in a garage would guarantee that you are a car.



• When Peter began to sink, he wasn't doubting God. He was doubting whether or not God could do the supernatural through Him.



• He's an on-time God.



• God has adopted us! (one of my personal favorites)



• What are you doing with God's time? If God were to give you 15 more years, what would you do during that time?

On the whole, I had a great time visiting with TMB. The people there were extremely friendly, a great example of Southern hospitality. I really appreciated the way the staff and volunteers were so willing to share what God's doing in this relatively new church plant.

Tomorrow, the Exponential Conference kicks off. I'll try and keep updates flowing.

When you're just a little off...

Most of us have complained at one time or another about Mapquest. It's directions may or may not be accurate for whatever adventure you are on. Yesterday, however, I met something worse. When I booked the Doubletree, I clicked on the get directions map. They gave me directions through a program called MapPoint. I assumed..."Hey the hotel gave me this program. Everything else that Doubletree does is excellent. This must be good too." Or not.

I realized I would be in for adventure when I looked at it further on Saturday as I was jumping on I-65 to Nashville. I looked down and it said 150 miles to Nashville. That was very interesting since I was 100 miles from Louisville. The total trip according to MapPoint was 360 miles. In reality, the trip was much more like 585 miles. Not even close. It starts with minor errors though. Like one of the last directions was to drive 2.0 miles on West Paces Ferry Rd. In reality, it was more like 3.3 miles. Mulitiply that out over 360 miles and you nearly get the difference.

It made me wonder. How many times am I just a little bit off, not quite where God wants me to be. If I am off, where am I ending up and how far short of what He desires is that? My hope for today is that you and I might live according to His guidance, His direction. May you end up where He leads you.

Heading to the ATL

Kitten and I drove up to Kokomo yesterday to check on her mom. She looks to be doing alot better. I'm heading out tomorrow morning to begin my pilgrimmage to Orlando for the Exponential Conference. I'm spending the night tomorrow night in downtown ATL (Atlanta) at the Doubletree Hotel. I love that hotel. They know all about exceeding expectations. When you check-in, they give you some of the best cookies on the face of the earth...for free. When I was a kid, I loved when my dad stayed at a Doubletree when traveling because it meant I got cookies. Not so sure that my girls will be that lucky this time.

I'll be going to The Midtown Bridge on Sunday morning for worship. The Midtown Bridge launched in August 2007. I'm excited to see what God has been up to. The church meets in a movie theater in downtown ATL. It will be interesting to see what it looks like when the church meets in a non-traditional setting. Definitely something for us to keep in mind at Discovery Church.