Two Reasons I Like Halloween This Year

Going Bi...Vocational (part two)

Over the next few days, we'll be discussing the pros and cons to bi-vocational ministry.

I really am a pretty positive guy, yet I want to begin by looking at one of the negatives of bi-vocational ministry. Perhaps the most important resource that we have at our disposal is T...I...M....E. Time, the one truly unreplenishable natural resource. Once the hours are spent they can never be recovered (unless you happened to fly back across the international date line, in which case: live it up...not really, just jiving).

The truth is that we are each given a finite amount of time and we must choose how we spend those 24 hours, the 1440 minutes that we have at our disposal each day. A bi-vocational minister will find themselves pressed for time. The "real" job will always cry out for more time and energy. The church also desperately needs attention. How do you strike this balance? How do you find the time for both jobs when both are really important?

The practical response: A bi-vocational minister needs an outstanding tool that allows them to keep track of their busy lives. For me, the Palm Centro that Bob's provided me has helped me keep track of all those important details. For the ADD, bi-vocational guy that I am, this is perfect. Whatever the specific tool is, the bi-vocational minister will need to be meticulous in the allotment of their time.

What tools are you using to help you with time management?

Talk about a Scary

What could be scarier? Perhaps Jacko and Madonna?

Going Bi...Vocational (part one)

As we started dreaming about Discovery Church nearly 20 months ago, we had several strong assumptions. First, Discovery would be a church for those who don't like to go to church. Second, we were planting a church that would plant churches. Third, in order to allow us to do more ministry, I would have to be willing to be bi-vocational.

I assumed this last step would be pretty easy. I would blow the dust off the resume, update it a bit and send it to a few places. I knew that the job offers would poor in. After telling Mr. Gates and Mr. Jobs, "Thanks but no thanks," I would take a job managing Mr. Warren Buffet's money...or something like that. That is definitely not what happened.

Over the next few days, I'm going to lay out my experience and the insights that I have gained in the process. Furthermore, if you have been down this path, I would love to hear about your experience and feedback as well.

Big Announcement (part three)

The Discovery Church Board of Directors recently approved partnering with two new church plants. Over the next two days we will be revealing online who those two church plants are. For more information on why we're doing this, check out Sunday's blog.

The second church plant that we are partnering with has until just recently been called the Vegas Project. Vince Antonucci will be leaving Forefront Church that he helped plant in Virginia Beach, Virginia to go west (young man, go west). He and his family will be moving to Sin City (Las Vegas) in order to help people love God, love people, and turn the world upside down.

I've been reading Vince's blog for a little over a year. He has an incredible sense of humor and a passion for people that is infectious. Vince is the author of I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt. Not only is this an awesome book (in fact, I gave it to my each of my parents for their birthdays last year), but it had to win an award for longest title in non-Christian fiction that you would actually want to read.


Personally, I am thankful for Vince because when I was searching for help in planting Discovery, he was willing to offer advice through email. A huge blessing that I never thought would actually happen. The two or three emails that we corresponded back and forth were a tremendous aid to me as I struggled to find a coach (more on that this week too).

Big Announcement (part two)

The Discovery Church Board of Directors recently approved partnering with two new church plants. Over the next two days we will be revealing online who those two church plants are. For more information on why we're doing this, check out Sunday's blog.

The first church that we are partnering with is Ridge Church. Ridge Church is being planted by our best friends from seminary, Kevin & Emily Layne, in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a huge University of Florida Gator fan, my only concern is what can God do in such a reprobate place as Knoxville (home of the University of Tennessee). Yet at the same time, maybe the brokeness of being whipped the last two years by my beloved Gators has them seeking true purpose.

Kevin and Emily are expecting their first child any day...in fact they may have already had her and not had the time to call. Ridge Church has been hosting informational meetings and service projects. To keep track of Ridge Church or to learn how you can partner with them as well, check out their blog.

We Got a Home!!!

Today, we close on our new home. For our daughter's opinion of the new house, check out the video below.

Big Announcement (part one)

The Board of Directors for Discovery Church met last week and made a huge decisions. We decided on two new church plants that we will be supporting in the coming year. Over the next couple of days we will be sharing with you more details of these two new churches. However, I first want to make some observations about the reason behind supporting these new churches.

When we first started communicating the vision for Discovery Church, we told people that we were not just planting a church. We were planting a church that would plant churches. We didn't know what this would look like, but we knew that it was essential to our DNA. We believe that every good and healthy thing must reproduce.

In order to make that vision a reality, we committed to tithing to church planting. We have made the commitment from the very beginning to set apart 10% of our tithes and offerings that we receive to support other church plants. From the surface, it makes you wonder what we're smoking. I mean, we're clearly a new church plant that could use the money. However, we believe in giving that we are blessed. We believe in giving that we grow. We also believe that there is no time like the present to trust God and give sacrificially to support His kingdom work.

Super Hero Saturday

A couple of weeks ago one of our launch team members put together 200 packets of popcorn (be careful that your "o" key does not stick when typing popcorn) with invitations to Discovery Church. We gathered at the West Side Nut Club's Fall Festival to pass them out. In a half hour we had them all distributed, largely due to the effort of one person, today's super hero...

Seriously, could you say no to that. My daughter, Alyssa, was amazing in giving to others. At first, she was a bit apprehensive but soon got into it. By the third time she handed one out, she was keeping score. Before long, she was consoling her mother and I when we would be refused.

When we got ready to leave the staff at our previous church, Kitten and I were really concerned about how Alyssa would handle the transition. She had grown up and been loved by that community. She had friends there. She knew the building like the back of her hand. Were we asking too much of her?

Now, I have no question that she has fallen in love with serving at Discovery. Each Saturday night we ask her if she wants to go help set up and she enthusiastically says yes (perhaps it has something to do with the Donut Bank donuts that we get on the way). She'll grab signs and flooring and drag them to the appropriate spot. She works hard...and then eats lots of donuts. Everyday, I think she is a super hero. Today, however, she is Discovery Church's Super Hero of the Week.

I've Been Lazy

Yeah...I know. I've been lazy. I could give a list of a dozen valid excuses on why I haven't been keeping up on my blog, but that would just be excuses. The end result is: I've been lazy. I had time to play on Facebook and manage my pathetic Fantasy Football teams (my ESPN team looks more like an ER ward than a football team). But starting today, I'm committing to a solid week (and perhaps more) of blogging. You can count on it. The nap is over. I'm back.

Wild Goose Chase (Part Five)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

"Faith is not logical. But it isn't illogical either. Faith is theological. It does not ignore reality; it just adds God inot the equation...Faith is not mindless ignorance; it simply refuses to limit God to the logical constraints of the left brain." -- Chapter 4, Eight-Foot Ceilings

Faith is amazing. By faith, Enoch walked with God and was no more. (Still trying to really grasp how that one works.) By faith, Noah built a boat that saved his family. By faith, Abraham believed it was possible to have children even though he was really stinkin' old.

But even as I type this, I hear my own voice say, "Yeah, but those were all in the Bible." And I'm right (my wife thinks that I always think I'm right). They were in the Bible. But that does not make the principle wrong. I could continue. By faith, he trusted God for a job. By faith, they prayed that the infertile couple might conceive. By faith, they believed that she would be healed.

I like the statement that Batterson makes: Faith "adds God to the equation. " Too often we strive under our own might while God is waiting in in the wings. We try and try and God is simply saying, "You're weak. Allow me." His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, therefore we should boast all the more of our weaknesses.

Where do you need faith? In what part of your life do you need to add God to the equation?

Wild Goose Chase (Part Four)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

Within the third chapter is this amazing story of a person who decided that they would just start thanking God for the miracles that they experienced at that moment. They started with things like a beating heart and respiration. By the middle of the afternoon, they were praising God for amino acids (by name) and the process that creates those important chains. As I read this, two thoughts struck me. First, I no absolutely nothing about my anatomy and how my body works. Second, I take a lot, perhaps too much, for granted.

I experience miracles everyday as well. While I might not be able to lecture on how the hip bone is connected to the leg bone, I can celebrate the laughter of a 10 month old rejoicing in her father's attention. While I might not understand how muscles repair themselves, I do understand the power of community working together. While there is a much that I do not understand about how the world around me operates, I do know the God that makes such operation possible.

What are you overlooking? What are you forgetting to thank God for?

Set List Sunday

Another Sunday at Discovery, here's our set list for this morning. The team really stepped it up to fill in gaps. Way to go.

Intro to Worship video
Forever (Tomlin)
Mighty to Save (Hillsong)
Grace Like Rain (Agnew)
Feels Like Tonight video (Daughtry)
Sermon
What if I Stumble (DC Talk)
Blessed Be Your Name

Wild Goose Chase (Part Three)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

"Sometimes God will provide a miraculous sign that will give you just enough faith to take the first step in the pursuit of your passion. But more often than not, faith doesn't follow signs. Signs follow faith. It is the biblical pattern." -- Chapter 2, Goose Bumps

I remember it very clearly. Kitten and I felt clearly led to help start Discovery Church. We had told the congregation at Olivet that we were resigning effective the end of May. We had placed our home for sale by owner. I had even circulated resumes looking for a job to provide for the financial needs of our family. Nothing. No real interest in the house. No real interest in me. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

I was beginning to wonder if I had heard God's calling right. I had a conversation with my dad and he reminded me that God is an "on-time God." He often will not provide too far in advance and He is never late. He is on-time. With less than a month before our time at Olivet was set to end, God showed up. He sold our house (at a very fair price). He got me a job (with a great company).

It makes me wonder what might have been. What if I had given up on the calling instead of setting out in faith? The pursuit of God is worth everthing, like a treasure found in the field, like a pearl of great price. We should be willing to risk everything to discover and follow Him.

Superhero Saturday

Today's superhero is Jeremy Hawkins. Jeremy has been a friend for nearly a decade. When he and his wife Shelly joined the team, Kitten and I were so excited. Jeremy does so much for Discovery. He has played an instrumental part (pardon the pun) on our worship team. He plays bass each week on the team. He also spends countless time putting together the sheet music before each practice. As if that were not enough, he also takes care of the trailer that stores all of our equipment. Jeremy, you are truly a superhero. Thanks for all you do!

Wild Goose Chase (Part Two)

Over the next week I will be posting some of my learning points from Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase. Thanks again to Billy Chia for providing me with this new read.

"Boredom isn't just boring; boredom is wrong. You cannot simultaneously live by faith and be bored. Faith and boredom are antithetical." -- Chapter 1, Yawning Angels

How is that we can bore people to death with the only true source of life? What is it about the way that we worship the God of the universe that people would prefer to dream about Sunday's lunch? Why does our teaching and preaching inspire more drool than life change?

I believe that this complacency has less to do with what is happening on the platform (or front) and more to do with what is happening in the individual's heart. Too often, I think we come to worship expecting nothing to happen, expecting nothing transformative, and guess what happens? Nothing! What if we expected more? What if we expected the creative God, who formed all that we see from nothing, to show up and lead us on adventure? What if we expected more than the same-old, same old.

If you're content with your Christian life and bored, I pray that God will turn your world upside down. I pray that He would remove all your securities so that in your insecurity you can learn to rely on Him. I pray that He would destroy the map that you've laid out for your life so that you will be forced to follow Him on a terrific journey.

Wild Goose Chase (Part One)

The book finally arrived. Thanks to the incredible generosity of Billy Chia, I now am the proud owner of Wild Goose Chase. Billy created a contest in which he would award a free copy of the book to one of his readers. The sole requirement is that the recipient would post a review on her/his blog.

To satisfy that requirement I will be posting over the next week one of the learning points for me in each of the seven chapters. However, you still need to read the book (and its companion, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day) yourself. There is so much in the book for you to digest on your own. So tomorrow morning the journey begins. Chapter One: Yawning Angels.

Some quick thoughts before we begin:

1) Mark Batterson is a truly gifted writer.

2) How cool is it that this book has its own trailer?

3) Will the website to Mark's next book be chasetheplatypus?

4) His church meets in a movie theater. What a swell idea!

5) Billy Chia is awesome...and quite generous.

Set List Sunday (Three Days Late)

Another great weekend at Discovery Church. The band was forced to make some late adjustments due to an absence. They did a great job of filling in gaps and making the absence less gaping. Here's the rundown from Sunday at Discovery:

Wazzup video
Announcements
You're Worthy of My Praise (David Ruis)
Trading My Sorrows (Darrell Evans)
Always (Generation Unleashed)
Sermon "Urban Legend: God Wants You Happy"
Flood (Jars of Clay)
Blessed Be Your Name

Tuesday's Thoughts (a day late)

Without power, I was unable to blog yesterday and share my weekly mind dump. So without further ado:

• So apparently the service at Discovery Church wasn't the only thing that was powerful on Sunday. Looks like Hurricane Ike was still being felt all the way up in Indiana.
• Communication is critical. We had a case this weekend where communication did not happen early enough or clear enough. Either way that can cause big problems.
• It's awesome watching people invest not just with their checkbooks, but also with their lives. Our volunteers rock.
• Our Starbucks is closing next month. What should we do?
• Vince's series on the Church Planter Assessment Center (CPAC) is spot on.
• I passed my ordination exam even though my answer to the question regarding immutable was anything but. Don't know what immutable means? Look here.
• Can't wait to get my hands on Wild Goose Chase. Thanks Billy.
• My girls are incredible and beautiful. Good thing that they take after their mother.

I Got the Power

After being without electricity for nearly 80 hours, Vectren finally got power r

estored to our house today. What a blessing. You forget how much you rely on electricity until

you do not have it anymore. Here are a few things that I have missed being able to do over the last 3.5 days.

• SportsCenter
• The internet & blogging
• Lights in the bathroom
• Clocks
• Charging my cellphones
• Lights to read by
• The washing machine
• My refrigerator & the food in it

And think it was only 3.5 days. What would you miss?