09.25.08
Interesting
So Sandi was talking to her mom last night and the topic of church came up. What I found so interesting is that Sandi’s mom lives and always has lived is a small northern town that is steeped in tradition and the Greek Orthodox Church. So, pretty much all the churches including the protestant ones are very old, stuffy and dying.
Last night though, Sandi’s mom had mentioned that she went to a church that was actually growing and in her words; “busting at the seems.” What was so interesting is that this church is the same style and flow of C3. Now remember Sandi’s mom has always lived in little traditional towns and has grown up in churches that do church for church people. So, when she hit this new fangled church thing she about freaked out. The first thing out of her mouth was “no one came dressed for church.” To which Sandi commented back; “you mean everyone was naked?” Of course that’s not what her mom meant, but it was fun to poke at her a little. Sandi’s mom just couldn’t believe that people would actually come to church in shorts and Ts. Oh the horror! J
Anyway to make a long story short, after getting over the “naked” thing, Sandi was really able to explain in detail why that church in PA and C3 do what we do. Now Sandi’s mom is not about to head out and join a contemporary, progressive church. But, what was so cool is that by the end of their conversation Sandi’s mom “got it” and understood the importance of our style of church. Even though it’s not her style she loved the idea of churches that actually go after those, who are disenfranchised with church and God. I thought that was really cool. I also just kept thinking; if a sixty something year old, who has been indoctrinated with tradition ever since she was a girl, can “get it” then why can’t certain others (God tells us that we’re to love those far from Him) get it? I mean really, how hard is it to understand that we’re all different and not every church is for everyone. So instead of being scared of and slamming churches like C3 and the one in PA, why not just understand that we’re reaching our culture and that’s a good thing. Just interesting.
09.12.08
Week
Wow what a week it’s been. I started off this week with an extremely quick trip out to San Diego California. Darrell and I went out to Cali to check out some churches that have had very successful Community Group ministries. The trip was awesome; these churches gave us a ton of great info that will be very useful in our C3 groups.
However, when I say it was a quick trip, it was a really quick trip. We arrived at our hotel a little after midnight on Monday (actually, I guess that makes it very early Tuesday). Then on Tuesday morning we started our tour of churches. Since our last stop was in Orange County, we decided to go take in a few of the sites in Hollywood that night. It was cool to see some of the sights, but the problem was we didn’t realize how long it would actually take us to get back to San Diego – it takes a really long time. So, we got back to the hotel around midnight again and then got up the next morning at 4 am to catch our very early flight out. Due to the long flight, time change and a wonderful layover in Atlanta we got back into Orlando somewhere between 5 and 5:30pm. All in all a very successful trip, but talk about jet lag.
I spent a good chuck of today repairing different things on the church trailers. Which normally is no big deal, but today it seemed like every time I would get the trailers unloaded and start working it would pour down rain. So I would run around like crazy getting everything back in the trailers and the rain would stop.
Then tonight Sandi is off at a Children’s ministry meeting, so I’m at home doing homework with the kids. 4ht grade math really stinks. I’m ready for the weekend.
09.05.08
Next Generation
What an awesome week it’s been. We had our very first Crave meeting at Boardwalk Bowl this past Wednesday. It kind of reminded me of when our church first moved out into the theaters. I was totally pumped and excited, but at the same time I had no idea what to really expect. But, just like the theaters, Boardwalk Bowl is an awesome place to meet. The staff at Boardwalk made us feel extremely welcome and the environment (including an arcade and snack bar) was perfect for our group. There are still a few hurdles to overcome, but all and all it was an awesome night in an awesome new room.
I also want to say a huge thanks to all the Crave staff!!! You guys did a phenomenal job creating a cool environment and connecting with the students.
You know the same day that we had our first Crave-Live at Boardwalk, I was asked the question; “what do I see in this next generation as far as their spiritual appetite. I have to say; I love the movement that I see in our student ministry right now. I see a group of students, many of which were not brought up in the church, who when they fall in love with Christ they follow Him with all their hearts. Even when all their friends at school and for some even their parents at home, don’t support or model being a Christ Follower, these students stand up for what they believe. They are also a group of students who are not afraid to ask questions. Questions about their faith, about church and they are not afraid to make changes. I love this next generation, I truly believe that our students will be one of the first generations of church leaders who will stop pointing out all the faults of everyone else and will truly love their neighbor as themselves.
Well I guess that sums up my thoughts for today. We’re off to the Timber Creek football game tonight. See you on Sunday.
