Our Church Planting Journey

I first heard about church planting when I was a high school student. I knew then that God had called me to serve Him through vocational ministry, however, I had no idea what that might look like. Through God’s sovereignty I met a USC2 missionary, Lynn Floyd. He was working on a church plant in my home town as we turned the page on the new millennium. Through working with and being discipled by Lynn, God placed the importance of church planting on my heart for reaching new people with the Gospel. Throughout my ministry experience, church planting continued to be a tremendous burden on my heart as a means of reaching people with the Gospel. So now then, we began to ask the question what does this call towards ministry and specifically church planting, look like for our family?

The Lord began connecting me with other men who shared my passion to see new churches started. Adrienne and I began to pray about what this meant for us personally. We asked if the God wanted us to be those who send and indeed He does. For us, however, there was more. God was clearly calling us to go and plant. We were unsure of what this might look like for us. We deeply loved the church where I was serving as pastor. We were hesitant to leave our home, family, and friends in order to relocate. We finally, by the power of the Spirit, laid everything on the table and told the Lord that we were willing to go anywhere and do whatever it was that He called us to. We then began to have conversations with trusted friends and mentors. We looked seriously at cities where there is evident need for the Gospel, particularly, the Midwest.

 As we fervently sought the Lord on what it was that He was stirring in our hearts, He made it abundantly clear that we were to follow Him by relocating our family to Johns Creek, GA. We realized that here in the 8^th largest city in Georgia, there are roughly 75,000 people. Of those, 49% are unclaimed religious adherents, 66% are not members of a church or religious organization, and 84% are not in a religious service each week. So then, I approached my elder board at Bay Creek Community Church about what God was doing in my life. God has been so good to us through BCCC as the elders and the congregation has confirmed to be our sending church. We will always be thankful for this display of Gospel faithfulness through Bay Creek’s heart to be a reproducing church. They have sent us out well.

In addition, we have partnered with the North American Mission Board, the Georgia Baptist Convention, and the North American Church Planting Foundation in this new work. We have a goal to be a self-sustaining church by year four and a reproducing church by year six. Our mission is to demonstrate and declare the good news of redemption through Jesus Christ as a disciple-making community for the glory of God. We have begun our core group training. This fall, we hope to begin two Home Bible Fellowship groups and launch publically in 2015. I also begin church planting school with the GBC on the 22^nd of this month. Please be in prayer for us on this new journey. Pray that there would be much Gospel fruit through our work. If you would like to join us by becoming a prayer partner, a providing partner, or a participating partner please contact us. Also, check out our website www.redemptionjohnscreek.org.

What is love?

The sermon was written. It would've been really good too. I was planning to preach from John 15 about how we abide in Jesus love which produces joy and obedience of loving others. I had some really creative illustrations written about what love really is. Then God interrupted my carefully crafted plans and well rehearsed illustrations. My wife went into labor Saturday evening and at 11AM Sunday morning instead of preaching, I was in an operating room hearing the first cries of a new life. I was holding my second daughter, Courtland Lee in my arms at 11:15 instead of entering the pulpit. In this moment God taught me what love truly is. See, the kind of love God has for us is agape love. That is an unconditional, perfect, and complete kind of love. I never knew how I could love another child. I not only have enough love to love my two daughters, but more than enough. That is kinda what God does for us. While we were still sinners He sent His only Son to die as the substitute for our sin. That is love and God has richly lavished it upon us. It's because God has so generously loved us that out of that flows our ability to obey Jesus' command to love others. It's not because we are good enough or have creative sermon illustrations, but we love others simply because we have experienced the love of a father-a perfect Heavenly Father. May God appropriate this truth into our hearts, beginning with my own heart.

Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclaimation

Thanksgiving is a day for our nation to pause and give thanks to our Creator for His blessings. He has been so good to us in this year, 2011. In a time when we are easily distracted by the business of life even on Thanksgiving day with turkey, football, and black friday sales it is good to pause and remember to give thanks to our God for he is good! The following is Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclaimation. This is why we stop and give thanks as a nation on the fourth Thursday of every November. I am thankful that President Lincoln saw fit to establish this national holiday. In a time when the nation was recovering from a Civil War the United States of America gave thanks, may we do the same today in 2011.

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
[Signed]
A. Lincoln

Source: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-alincoln-tgiving.html

Larry Munson Remembered

Monday morning I awoke to the sad news that Larry Munson had passed away Sunday. I have never met Larry but his graveled voice holds many memories for me. I was born in 1983 so I don't remember all of Larry's calls. I wasn't alive to hear him call some of his great calls like this one from 1980, "Florida in a stand up 5, they may or may not blitz, they won't. Buck back, 3rd down on the 8. In trouble gotta block behind him, gonna throw on the run, complete to the 25 to the 30, Lindsay Scott 35, 40, Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40, Run Lindsay! 25, 20, 15, 10, 5! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott!"

However, what I do remember is growing up a Georgia Bulldog fan in the 80's and 90's listening to Larry Munson. Georgia football was my first sports team that I loved. I inherited that from my Grandfather. Some of my most precious memories as a child and teenager were watching UGA games with my Grandfather. He would turn the TV sound off and turn up the radio to hear Larry call the game. The timing didn't always correspond between the TV and the radio but it was worth it to hear Larry call the game. My grandfather passed away in 2008 and I still think about him every time Georgia takes the field. I can still hear Larry's voice in the background and my grandfather yelling at the TV. Larry was one of us, a fan and I can't help but think that maybe this week another fan, my grandfather might just be hanging out with Larry somewhere in heaven sharing some memories becuase Larry's voice filled our house every fall.

As I write this I have a picture of Larry and some of his great calls written out hanging above my desk. This time of year especially I look at that picture and I get a chill as I think about those precious memories of growing up a Georgia Bulldog fan and a Larry Munson fan. One thing that made Larry so great was that he was eternally pessimistic about the Dawgs. That made every win even the more enjoyable. In a season that began 0-2 there was plenty of reason to be pessimistic about this season. But the beloved Dawgs are headed to the SEC Championship game! But first, we gotta beat TECH so come on boys lets win one for Larry. As the Tech game approaches this weekend I can almost hear Larry, "Here we are only 14 seconds for 8 yards. We spread 4 men out The ones on the right are kinda wide. Stafford pointing at the denfense, our center. Shotgun Bobo. Bobo gonna take it and look and throw it in the corner and a TOUCHDOWN! Oh my God a touchdown in the corner. My God in the corner, ole my it couldn't have happened...Our hearts that was torn out and bleeding, we picked it up and we stuck it back inside. I can't believe this we won 27 to 24 and at the end we had no business winning this game." (1997 vs TECH).

Thoughts on Physical Disciplines

I have been compelled of late to take better care of myself. Romans 12:1,2 says  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (ESV). The study notes in the ESV Study Bible sheds some light on the importance of taking care of our bodies:the word bodies here refers to Christians as whole persons, for both body and soul belong to God. They are a living sacrifice, meaning that they are alive from the dead since they enjoy new life with Christ (6:4). 
So as a Christian I need to take care of myself physically and spiritually. Both my body and my soul are instruments of God that are to be dedicated to His purposes. I have been running lately with my friend, Jon. I have kind of fallen off the wagon lately, but I am thankful that the Lord's mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22, 23). I went for a run this afternoon at Bay Creek Park and was reminded in the quietness of the run of God's goodness. I am beginning a new work out routine and there are many reasons, but mainly because if I take care of myself physically I am better equipped to glorify God and enjoy Him.
This is a motivation that I know that I cannot accomplish on my own. I know that it must come from spending time with God and His Word, enjoying Him for simply who He is, and submitting my whole life towards him. More than the physical is the spiritual motivation. That I may run a the race that is set before me (spiritually) with endurance (Hebrews 11:1,2). I want to live a godly legacy behind for my daughter; presenting my whole body as a living sacrifice is important to this goal.
As I write tonight, I am thankful for guys who hold me accountable to this like my running partner, accountibility partners, and prayer partners. Join me in pursuing presenting our whole persons to God by submitting to Him, enjoying Him, and living a healthy lifestyle to glorify Him. I also found this link to a blog by John Piper helpful, maybe you will too. Physical Excerise: What I Do and Why

Here is a short essay that I wrote earlier this semester for a English class. The topic was your favorite song of all time. I love Johnny Cash. His life is earthy and real. His music is inspiring. I reccomend his book, Man In White, if you haven't read it check it out. In the mean time enjoy this reflection on one of my favorite songs, "Flosom Prison Blues".

“Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash

                My favorite song of all time is “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. Like the artist, the song is timeless. Johnny Cash has transcended lines such as musical genre and generational disparity. Written in the 1950’s this song has also transcended these lines and lasted throughout decades as a much loved song of musical fans.

                Johnny Cash composed this song while serving in the United States Air force in the early 1950’s before he became a famous recorded artist. Cash was stirred to pen the words to “Folsom Prison Blues” after seeing a documentary film on Folsom Prison. His time in the Air Force away from loved ones and surrounded by thoughts of warfare undoubtedly contributed to the major themes of this song. Themes of loneliness, guilt and a desire for freedom cry out from the lyrics. This song communicates a story of a man who is spending time in Folsom Prison after murdering a man in Reno. This man can hear the sound of a train moving down the line which represents freedom for the imprisoned convict. This man longs to be free from his prison both physically and emotionally and move far away from Folsom Prison.

                Like the lyrics the music itself communicates the themes of guilt, loneliness, and a desire for freedom. There is a country western rhythm to “Folsom Prison Blues” amplified by guitar and bass which almost create the sound of a train. Johnny Cash’s baritone voice is also earthy and creates a rough sound that communicates feelings of blues, remorse, and passion. This is a fantastic musical motif that broke from the mold of the current sounds of the 1950’s country western and gospel music that were popular at the time. “Folsom Prison Blues” helped to put Johnny Cash on the map as a standout recording artist and today the lyrics and sound still ring true and pure in the ears of the listener.

Campus Ministry

This is very exciting! Part of what I do is serving as Gwinnett Ministry Director for Metro Atlanta Youth For Christ. As of now we have active ministry at Peachtree Ridge High School, Central Gwinnett High School, and North Gwinnett High School and we are very close to having active ministry at Collins Hill High School, Berkmar High School, and Parkview High School. One of the things that excites me the most is seeing Youth Pastors and Student Leaders serve together in a Kingdom Focused Ministry to reach Gwinnett County. That's how it should be. This is how the church should work- together. The church universal will last forever because that's what Christ died for, that His bride. Sure, the Bride is ugly sometimes and she is rebellious sometimes, but she is redeemed. Youth For Christ wont last for eternity neither will our respected denominations...but those who are redeemed will. This is the stuff that gets me up in the morning because it displays something eternal and it honors my Savior.