Marty Baker's Thoughts

Are you considering a Daniel Fast?

2012-01-05T10:53:00.000-05:00

Here's some ideas from Jentezen Franklin:

Step 1: Be Specific
Daniel was not vague in his objection to the Babylonian diet. He defined the problem immediately.
The king's food was against dietary laws.
Daniel and his friends had vowed against wine.
The king's food had been offered up to idols/demons.

Step 2: Fast as a Spiritual Commitment
The Daniel Fast involves a spiritual commitment to God. "Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself" (Daniel 1:8).

Step 3: Reflect Inner Desire by Outer Discipline
Many people have an inner desire for better health, but they can't discipline themselves to avoid junk food, and other foods that are not good for their health. The physical health you seek from God may be more than an answer to prayer. Your physical health can be linked to any of the following factors:
Your food choices.
The level of your spiritual commitment as reflected in constant prayer during the fast.
Your time commitment. If you determine to fast for a certain time, keep it. For example, if you determine to fast 10 days, don't stop on Day 9.
Your testimony commitment. Your fast is a statement of faith to God that you want Him to heal your body, and faith is foundational to the Daniel Fast.

Step 4: Pray to Perceive Sin's Role in Poor Health
Notice James 5:13-16:
Sin is something related to the cause of sickness.
Lack of health/healing may be the result of spiritual rebellion.
Lack of health/healing may be due to sin of wrong intake, i.e. drugs, pornography.
Repentance is linked to health according to James.
Elders have a role in healing both spiritual and physical health.
Sick people must desire to be well
The anointing oil could mean
Medicine for healing,
Symbolic of the Holy Spirit, or
It could be baptism
Prayer alone may not gain healing, faith is the major factor.
In Greek there are several words for "sick". James uses "Kanino", which not only includes disease, but also means weak or weary.
Attitude is important. James said, "are there any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms."

Step 5: Fast as a Statement of Faith to Others
Daniel was making a statement of faith when he asked for only vegetables to eat and water to drink, then dared the overseer to compare the appearance of the four sons of Israel with the young men who ate the king's food.

Step 6: Learn the Effects of the Food You Eat
Why are some foods good for us, and other foods not? What does certain food do to your body? If we really knew, there would likely be some things we would never eat again.

Step 7: Yield All Results to God
Daniel said, "as you see fit, deal with your servants" (Dan. 1:13).

Michele Bachmann shares her faith....

2011-11-10T20:11:00.000-05:00

Charisma Magazine recently interviewed Michele Bachmann. I was surprised to learn that she and her husband have a Spirit-filled, Charismatic background.I am posting this, not as an endorsement for her candidacy for President, but as an appreciation for her boldness. As a fellow Charismatic, I am thrilled to see her take a public stand. May God bless you ... Michele Bachmann

EXCLUSIVE: Michele Bachmann Discusses Her Charismatic Roots
11/7/2011
Marcus Yoars

In part one of this exclusive interview with Charisma Editor Marcus Yoars, presidential candidate and longtime Charisma reader Michele Bachmann opens up about her faith and charismatic roots. Click here for part two of the interview, where the congresswoman discusses how she hears from God, the state of the church in America and more.

Charisma: We’ve been told you’re a Charisma reader—we’re honored. How did you first hear about the magazine?

Bachmann: Maybe from church. My husband, Marcus, and I had gone to a very small, little, Spirit-filled church—maybe 50 to 60 members. We were about 19. In ’75, things were really heating up, I think, spiritually across the country. What we appreciated about Charisma more than anything else is they had a synopsis of current events from a biblical point of view. We all had Charisma subscriptions. It was just a basic for all of us.

Charisma: How did you first come to know the Lord?

Bachmann: I was born into a family of Lutherans and our parents took us to church every week. They were faithful. I’m sure the gospel was preached from our pulpit, but I didn’t get it. The only thing that I really saw was the tradition. I didn’t understand that whole part about faith. In high school I joined a prayer meeting. And my friends there knew I didn’t know the Lord, personally. I was a good girl, but it didn’t matter. I still didn’t know the Lord. I still had a wicked heart and I needed Him. So on Nov. 1, 1972, I bowed my knee with three friends. The Holy Spirit led us and we confessed our sins before the Lord and turned and went a new direction. That was it. I went home that night and I said to the Lord, ‘I don’t know what happened but I’m a completely different person. Whatever I become, I will radically abandon myself and my life to You and it’s Your plan now.”

Charisma: You’re the first presidential candidate who went to law school at Oral Roberts University. How did a Lutheran girl from Minnesota end up at one of the landmarks of the charismatic movement?

Bachmann: My husband and I were Spirit-filled and we went to a Spirit-filled church. We agreed it’d be important to have a Christian background in my law school education. But there really wasn’t anything. In college we had seen a film series by Dr. Frances Schaeffer that challenged us to have a biblical worldview to see that God is the God of creation and every discipline, and that includes law. Oral Roberts University Law School was going to be established as a law school that would be teaching biblical worldviews, so I went to the school. It had zero accreditation. So it was an act of faith to go, but I was really more interested in getting a biblical worldview of the law and a good education. And it was a phenomenal education. Our professors also wanted to pour themselves out for the Lord and so I’m thrilled that I made that decision to go to the school. That law school ultimately was shut down, but became Regent School of Law. I think I’m the first member of Congress to have graduated from Regent Law School.

Charisma: Last electoral season, we saw Sarah Palin completely mocked for her faith, in particular, her charismatic, Pentecostal connections. You seem to have gotten some of the same kind of flack from the secular media because—not only just your pro-life stance—but any kind of roots to that. Do you think there’s a coincidence there that’s tied to the charismatic market?

Bachmann: I think that it’s really for anyone who is not ashamed to talk about his or her faith or to be known and identified for his or her faith. I think it really has to do more with the fact that someone believes that the Bible is what it says it is. That’s what I believe. I have a high respect and a high view for the Scriptures. And I’m not perfect. That’s why I came to the Lord, because I knew I was a sinner and I have obvious failings. But my goal is to continually yield myself to the Lord and daily to die, so to speak, to what my desires are and to live for the Lord. To die is to gain. It’s to live for Christ. And that’s what I hope to do, is to walk more deeply with the Lord everyday.

To Those Who May be Grieving ...

2011-07-10T07:50:00.000-04:00

This past January a friend of mine, Rick Campbell, passed away. Rick was 46. Back in the day, he attended Lee University and left college became a youth pastor, then a church planter. We both started churches and named them Church of the Harvest. Through the years, our lives went in different directions, but we both remained passionate for the Lord.

I followed Rick's sickness through CaringBridge.org. His wife, Deborah, has written several times since Rick's passing. She and the girls are working through their grief and no doubt some days are better than others. Deborah gave us a little insight in her pain with her latest post. I want to share her words just in case some of you may be going through the pain of loss.

Again, these words are from Deborah Campbell.

I hardly know where to begin as I have known for the last 6 days that I would be making an updated entry into caring bridge at some point today. Before, I get to what I really want to share, it is important to have some background information as to the state of my soul for the past number of weeks. I briefly shared about it in my last post when I shared about this being a time of testing of faith unlike any I’ve experienced to this point in life.

What I did not share at that time was that it has also been a time in which I have in many ways in my grief and suffering felt abandoned by God and separated from him. Now, I know that is a bold thing to say and is likely something that may upset the apple cart. So, for the record, let me say that it was terribly upsetting for me too as I know God’s word promises that “he will never leave us or forsake us”. Yet, to be gut level honest, this is what I have felt and at the same time not what I was expecting from God during such a difficult season of life.

Now, I’m about to say something that may rock your world as it has mine. As awful and unbearable as the pain of separation from my husband has been, it has seemed to me of late that adding separation from the Lord has just been an unfair heaping of misery upon misery. With the lack of sensing God’s presence, I am aware that it has fueled my disappointment with God to an even greater degree. Not only did God choose not to heal Rick physically and keep him from dying, but when I need his comfort and presence most for some reason it has felt like he is not here. This has caused me to cry out in even more desperation in asking him to come and show up somehow, someway, so that I will know he has not turned away from me. The only option has been to cling to the promises of God and the truths of scripture even though not feeling the comfort that I have once known them to provide.

But, to cling to such words when you don’t feel the realness and closeness from the giver of these words creates an unsettling reality that is at times completely overwhelming. Questions of faith follow and are disconcerting when God has been the bedrock that you staked yourself too. This is really the part of which I’ve dreaded writing about because I know that I can not capture in words the degree of misery that such feelings of abandonment or separation bring. A double whammy of a two fold kind with the separation from Rick and the added separation from Christ has been frightening and in fact terrifying. The best comparison I can think of is to compare it to being capsized into the deepest depths of the sea in unchartered waters without any diving equipment. In such a case it would be abnormal to not have fear about what is lurking in the unknown below and abnormal not to wonder if and when rescue will come. Thus, this is where the details of separation get gory and more unpleasant and even do not neatly package into our pre-conceived notions of God.

When you lose someone so close, everywhere you go is a constant reminder of your loss and causes so much pain that you just wish you could avoid it all somehow. It’s not that you don’t want to remember the person; you just do not want to feel the pain of the reality of the loss. So, any brief moment of relief is welcomed even if only for a few seconds, yet it is not long at all before the familiar haunting returns.

One event that illustrates what I’m speaking about happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I went to Kroger one evening to get a few grocery items. There I was just walking down the aisle, pushing my cart, minding my own business and enjoying a few moments of mindless thinking when all of a sudden the loud speaker comes on with a Kroger commercial. Now, I will start by saying that I shop at Kroger a lot, and I don’t think that most days I’ve noticed them doing advertising over the intercom.

Anyway, as the advertisement began it did not take me long to begin thinking facetiously to myself, “well, thank you very much Kroger….I really needed that.” L The jolt of pain was immediately intense as the intercom blasted about Milo tea. So, what is so painful about Milo tea? You see, Rick bought that tea all of the time, and in fact he loved that brand of tea so much he would have been happy to have done the commercial himself!

This was one of those moments that would be added to the thousands already experienced since Rick’s passing in which it felt like everything started to swirl around me as all kinds of memories quickly invaded my mind and as the tears started to make their well known path of descent down my cheeks I was left reeling and wondering if I would be able to re-gain my composure. My brief moment of reprieve had once again been interrupted by the most unimaginable pain. This latest blindside of unexpectedness was for at least a few moments crippling and disabling.

I suspect that the paradox in all of my talk of feeling abandoned or separated from the Lord will seem strange to those reading with what I am about to say. That is because even in this separation, I have felt that God has been teaching me some things. Now, I know that may seem on an intellectual level like a bit of a contradiction. You might argue, “Deborah, if you believe that the Lord has been teaching you things, then how could you possibly say that you have felt abandoned?” But, the kinds of things that I have been learning about are a result of the separation from the Lord not the result of a close communion with the Lord like I’ve known in times past.

Instead, my thoughts have transitioned to ponderings about Christ as he wrestled in prayer with God in Gethsemane the night before facing the cross as he cried out to his friends (the disciples) and to his father (God), “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…. My Father, if it is possible may this cup be taken from me…” (Matthew 26:36-42) I’ve thought also about Jesus crying out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

I know my suffering has not been that of what Jesus endured, but I do know now about an emotion that I’ve not ever experienced before which is “sorrow”. I find it to be a better word picture to describe the despair of separation and forsakenness that the word “grief” can not begin to encapsulate. In this pondering, I’ve thought about the age old questions. So why would Jesus, God’s son leave his place in heaven to come to this earth to suffer as he did, endure the cross and be separated for a time from his Father? The only reason that makes sense is there was no other way and because of his love for us. He willingly did so in order to make a way that we would not have to be separated from him forever.

Only, God really knows how awful such an eternal separation from him will be, but in my weeks of feeling separation from the Lord as well as the 6 months without Rick the thought of eternal separation is a horrifying one. I have become more aware than ever of my soul. That is the part of me that is a spiritual eternal being, which was created with a longing for God that only he can fill and satisfy. In the past, it is in that unexplainable place of me, of my soul where I have experienced communion with God where the Holy Spirit came to reside after asking Jesus to come into my life. In that deep center of my chest, where I feel my strongest emotions of joy and sorrow, it is there that faith takes hold and is where the link to my spiritual soul and true self has been. So, to have Christ’s communion seemingly ripped from my soul for this period of time during the loss of Rick has truly been excruciating.

I have been blessed to have others in my life that have been willing to listen, pray and walk with me through this dark abyss of separation from Rick while also being willing to allow me to honestly voice my feelings of despair regarding the Lord. I have shared with these others while also continuing to pour my heart and soul out to the Lord praying various Psalms while being aware deep within that it seemed it was going to take something major to help me re-gain my hope and trust in the Lord.

In fact, I know that I have had brief moments of inward lament before the Lord of, “oh, Lord if you could just write it in the sky then I would know.” I only allowed myself those longings for a brief moment as I would quickly try to dismiss what I thought to be a foolish and impossible, childish wish. So here is where things get interesting and why I wrote such an important and lengthy prologue.

On Thursday, June 30th the girls and I left for a trip to Orlando to Disney World. Family vacations have always been very important to us and was one of Rick’s favorite things. I felt that it was important to continue the tradition and wanted it to be somewhere fun given the kind of year that we have all had. Therefore, we flew out on Thursday evening planning for a nice trip through the 5th. We went to Epcot Friday morning, the MagicKingdom on Saturday and on Monday, the 4th of July we went to Hollywood Studios.

One of the attractions at Hollywood Studios is the Tower of Terror which is located in a199 foot tall structure in which the ride drops at least 170 feet. This is definitely one of the rides that did not have my name on it and was created for Ashley and Sarah only. Anyway, the girls were anxious to get to this ride, and it was one of the early morning attractions that they wanted to head straight to. While making our way there, the girls and I noticed a group of people kind of gazing upward, so we naturally looked up and saw the word “GO” in the sky. We remarked to each other “well that’s interesting” and briefly wondered what reason someone would have a pilot create the word “GO” from his airplane exhaust.

After our look upward, we proceeded on with our mission to get the girls to the ride as quickly as possible to avoid waiting in line. After they went into the building, I wondered around for a while outside. Eventually, I decided that I should go over to the gift shop area located in the Tower of Terror to sit in the shade as that is where the girls would be exiting off of the ride, and it seemed like the most logical place to meet them.

As I began walking that way, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye, and I glanced up. To my astonishment and amazement I could hardly believe what I was seeing. As though in perfect banner form over me, my eyes focused on the upward sky as I read the words “GOD 4 U”, then “GOD 4 US”. To say that I was dumbfounded given my secret longings for God to write it in the sky would be an understatement, but I did manage to gather my senses enough to take a couple of pictures.

I continued to look upward and walked forward until some trees that were to my left were not blocking any of my view while also gazing back and forth to the right as the airplane finished adding the last letter, which was an A to his message. When I got past the trees, I saw the dissipating remnants of the word “Thank” in the sky just to the left of the message that I had already read. At that point, I realized the pilot was writing the message “Thank God 4 USA”, I suppose because it was the 4th of July holiday.

After snapping my pictures, I went to sit down to ponder through the thoughts that were now spinning through my mind. I must say that my knees felt very shaky and even weak beneath me. Was this all just a coincidence? Was it possible that God had used a pilot writing a message for the 4th of July to share with me his own message? Was it just a coincidence that I looked up at the exact right moment and that I was standing at the exact location needed for my eyes to only be able to see the message “GOD 4 U” and then the “GOD 4 US”? Could this be God answering the deepest longing and hope that he knew that I would not even allow myself to believe possible of that he could write it in the sky? Was this not just some strange, irony that had nothing to do with God that I would be standing there at that moment while at the tower of terror in a theme park when in real life I was facing the biggest terror of my life with the loss of my husband and the terror of feeling that God had left me? Was this God answering the prayer of that song that I have been singing, “I lift my hands to believe again, let faith arise”? Was this astonishing event going to be the major thing that would finally help me re-gain my faith and let hope arise again?

While I know all of this was only a few minutes long, it seemed like time froze and stood still for a while. Soon, however, the girls were joining me, and I got out the camera and told them I wanted to show them something. While I was able to view this astonishing sight in the immense size of the sky, they were only able to view it from the tiny size of a digital camera screen, but still it gave them comfort and wonderment.

I tucked the camera away knowing that this was something to share with others but at the same time not really wanting to expose the longings of my heart. After all, what if my faith was not renewed? What if the hope that was instilled into me in that moment ends up not being sustained? Should I really tell anyone else about this? So, I have waited until I could not keep it in any longer. Two of my closest friends came over for a visit with me on Thursday evening and then another two on last night. I had to share the story and picture with them, and now I have decided to bravely share this on caring bridge as well as a copy of the photograph that I took.

With each declaration, it seems that faith and hope are rising within me, and I pray that perhaps others may feel the same. When I shared the photo with my first friends a couple of days ago, I saw something that I had not noticed before. If you look at the bottom left corner you will catch a glimpse of the tower of terror with one of its tips pointing directly at the letter G. I didn’t even realize that I had captured part of the tower in the photo, but it gives such a good glimpse into understanding how perfectly located the message was. Rick gave his life to help others know about the Lord so that they would not know the terror and horrible pain of soul separation from the Lord, and I pray that I become more courageous to tell others about the Lord and his goodness as well. I will close by sharing a passage from Romans 8:35-39:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

With a full heart of thanksgiving,

Deborah

If you are suffering, let me join with Deborah and pray that the Lord will give you peace.

Sincerely,

Marty

The Practical Side of Fellowship One ... a pastor's perspective

2011-03-31T08:57:00.000-04:00

Leading a larger church can be challenging from a pastor's perspective. Most ministers enter church work with a passion to care for people. As the congregation grows, you quickly have to delegate the ministry to your staff and volunteer leaders. As you delegate, there is still a desire to make sure that people are taken care of even though you are not the one doing the actual work.

Earlier this past week, I heard that a 26 year old mom with two babies under three years old died of a gun shot wound. I was called to do the funeral. During these times, I want to speak peace and healing to the family members walking through these painful events. What should I say? How should I say it?

I did not know the person that passed away, but I had heard that she attended Stevens Creek Church. The first step I took this week was to log-in to my Fellowship One account. What I saw in F1 gave me comfort. It was noted that this young mom visited the church last year, then she turned in a card stating that she had received Christ. I saw where one of our Pastoral Care team members contacted her about baptism, then I saw where our small groups director contacted her about joining a small group.

As I sat with her parents yesterday, the information from Fellowship One helped bring peace and start the healing process.

I would imagine that there are times that programmers at Fellowship One only see the code they write, but if the programmers can see beyond the code, they would understand that they are a vital part of sharing the love of Christ in practical ways.

May God bless you in your work today!

Sincerely,
Marty

Marty Baker, D.Min.
Lead Pastor
Stevens Creek Church
Augusta, Georgia

www.stevenscreekchurch.com

Do you want to help your marriage last? Follow Christ...It really works.

2011-02-22T07:54:00.005-05:00

FIRST-PERSON: The Christian divorce rate myth (what you've heard is wrong)

Posted on Feb 15, 2011
by Glenn T. Stanton
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)--"Christians divorce at roughly the same rate as the world!" It's one of the most quoted stats by Christian leaders today. And it's perhaps one of the most inaccurate.

Based on the best data available, the divorce rate among Christians is significantly lower than the general population.

Here's the truth....
Many people who seriously practice a traditional religious faith -- be it Christian or other -- have a divorce rate markedly lower than the general population.
The factor making the most difference is religious commitment and practice. Couples who regularly practice any combination of serious religious behaviors and attitudes -- attend church nearly every week, read their Bibles and spiritual materials regularly; pray privately and together; generally take their faith seriously, living not as perfect disciples, but serious disciples -- enjoy significantly lower divorce rates than mere church members, the general public and unbelievers.

Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, explains from his analysis of people who identify as Christians but rarely attend church, that 60 percent of these have been divorced. Of those who attend church regularly, 38 percent have been divorced [1].

Other data from additional sociologists of family and religion suggest a significant marital stability divide between those who take their faith seriously and those who do not.

W. Bradford Wilcox, a leading sociologist at the University of Virginia and director of the National Marriage Project, finds from his own analysis that "active conservative Protestants" who regularly attend church are 35 percent less likely to divorce compared to those who have no affiliation. Nominally attending conservative Protestants are 20 percent more likely to divorce, compared to secular Americans [2].

Professor Scott Stanley from the University of Denver, working with an absolute all-star team of leading sociologists on the Oklahoma Marriage Study, explains that couples with a vibrant religious faith had more and higher levels of the qualities couples need to avoid divorce:
"Whether young or old, male or female, low-income or not, those who said that they were more religious reported higher average levels of commitment to their partners, higher levels of marital satisfaction, less thinking and talking about divorce and lower levels of negative interaction. These patterns held true when controlling for such important variables as income, education, and age at first marriage."

These positive factors translated into actual lowered risk of divorce among active believers. "Those who say they are more religious are less likely, not more, to have already experienced divorce. Likewise, those who report more frequent attendance at religious services were significantly less likely to have been divorced [3]."

THE TAKE-AWAY
The divorce rates of Christian believers are not identical to the general population -- not even close. Being a committed, faithful believer makes a measurable difference in marriage.

Saying you believe something or merely belonging to a church, unsurprisingly, does little for marriage. But the more you are involved in the actual practice of your faith in real ways -- through submitting yourself to a serious body of believers, learning regularly from Scripture, being in communion with God though prayer individually and with your spouse and children, and having friends and family around you who challenge you to take you marriage's seriously -- the greater difference this makes in strengthening both the quality and longevity of our marriages. Faith does matter and the leading sociologists of family and religion tell us so.

Glenn T. Stanton is the director for family formation studies at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is the author of the new book, "Secure Daughters Confident Sons: How Parents Guide Their Children into Authentic Masculinity and Femininity" (Multnomah, 2011).

1 Bradley R.E. Wright, "Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites …and Other Lies You've Been Told," (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2010), p. 133.

2 W. Bradford Wilcox and Elizabeth Williamson, "The Cultural Contradictions of Mainline Family Ideology and Practice," in American Religions and the Family, edited by Don S. Browning and David A. Clairmont (New York: Columbia University Press, 2007) p. 50.
3. C.A. Johnson, S. M. Stanley, N.D. Glenn, P.A. Amato, S.L. Nock, H.J. Markman and M .R. Dion "Marriage in Oklahoma: 2001 Baseline Statewide Survey on Marriage and Divorce" (Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma Department of Human Services 2002) p. 25, 26.

Life is Short ...

2011-01-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick reality check. Stevens Creek is known as being a very young congregation and as a result of that we do not have the number of funerals as many traditional churches our size. Recently, however, things have changed. In the last six weeks, since December 1, 2010 we have had five deaths connected to the Stevens Creek Road campus.

Here's the shocker. Look at the ages of the people who have passed away in the last six weeks: 47, 52, 57, 56 and a newborn.

The Bible teaches us to number our days. Please make it a point to be present, to live in the moment, to connect with your loved ones. Life is precious. Life is short.

The Creek .... A Volunteer-Intensive Ministry

2011-01-24T08:57:00.001-05:00

Several years ago I attended a conference at Willow Creek Church in Chicago. When I walked onto the campus I was overwhelmed by the number of volunteers that served the Lord at that local church. They were everywhere. I talked to a person in the tech department. He said that he traveled during the week and worked for a major telephone company, but he lived for the weekend so that he could use his natural talents for the Lord. He was pulling cable and doing what some would consider grunt work, but he saw the spiritual importance of that task. He knew that without adequate audio that the message of hope could not be given to seekers who walked through the door. He was not the only volunteer investing their energies in the services that weekend. The property was filled with passionate people using their gifts.

Stevens Creek Church is no different. We are a volunteer-intensive ministry. We rely on the faithful service of hundreds of people to pull-off a weekend. Some of you would say, "Marty, that's an overstatement." No, it really is not. Do you realize that it takes 85 volunteers serving in the children's ministry every Sunday? Then add to that the needs of the middle school ministry, the parking attendants, greeters, ushers, the tech team, the musicians, the vocalists, the drama members and then add to that the needs of our Grovetown campus.

We are a volunteer-intensive organization and we need your help. The Bible teaches us to "pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send workers into the field." Join with me and pray that God would speak to people in our congregation and encourage them to serve. Right now, we need 20 new coaches / groups leaders in our children's ministry. If you want joy, if you want to impact a person's entire life, then serve in the children's ministry. If Sunday does not work in your schedule, we have opportunities in our Wednesday program.

Take a moment today, as we continue our 21 Days of Prayer, and ask the Lord where you can serve.

Admiring versus Owning

2011-01-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

In the late 1990s, Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian came to our church and spoke on the power of community. Many of you may not know "Dr. B." but he was the college professor that the Lord used to inspire Bill Hybels to start Willow Creek Community Church. God used Dr. B to inspire a movement that changed the world.

Dr. B taught at Wheaton College and while teaching there, he used to walk from his house to work. One day while he was on his way to Wheaton, he noticed a neighbor had put a sign out in front of his door. It's a beautiful, very artistic, very creative sign that had the street name and address and so marked on it. And Dr. B loves beauty. He is from France, and he is a keen lover of beauty. And he said just walking past that sign gave him great pleasure. He just found himself thinking about it.

And the next day when he left his house, he thought to himself, I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing that sign. And there was this sign out in front. Dr. B had that same surge of admiration. "This is beautiful work of art!" This happened every day. He just would find himself looking forward to seeing that little sign, until one day the strangest thing happened. He was walking past that house, saw that little piece of art, only this time his mind didn't say, Boy, that's cool! This time, his mind said, Why should your neighbor have one of those and not you? Think of how much joy it would give you to possess something of such beauty and have the whole neighborhood see it and know it belongs to you. You ought to have that. You must have that.

And it was the strangest thing, now walking past his neighbor's house did not bring him joy anymore. Now it just troubled him. Now every time he saw that sign it was a reminder of what he did not have, and he knew it would be expensive. He was working as a teacher, did not make very much money. He and his wife were putting their children through school. He knew his wife would not want to go for spending that much money on a sign.

And then eventually one day he was walking past the sign again, and a little voice whispered to him, "Dr. B…" because even God calls him "Dr. B." "Dr. B, couldn't you enjoy that sign without owning it? Couldn't you be happy for the guy who has it? Couldn't you be happy that people get to see it? Couldn't you admire it yourself without torturing yourself over how to possess it? You can admire without having to acquire." And that is what he did. He just agreed with that thought, and he would walk past the sign, and say to himself, I'll just admire without the need to acquire.

This is a lesson that I need to learn. Lord, help me to appreciate the beauty of things without having to possess them. Hmmm. This lesson would keep most of us out of debt, wouldn't it? So, this week make it a point to appreciate the beauty of that LED Wide Screen Television without having to go buy one. Ooops...now I am meddling.

Is this The Change We Need ???

2010-10-29T08:38:00.006-04:00

It's election time and once again Americas are blessed with an opportunity to cast our vote. Most candidates are crying out for change. We have all heard it before. Many folks cast their vote without really understanding what they are voting for.

In the previous election cycle, we heard speeches about change. Read the article that I have attached below and ask yourself, is it the change we need?

Six Months to Go Until

The Largest Tax Hikes in History

July 1, 2010
Contact: Ryan Ellis, ATR Tax Policy Director: rellis@atr.org

In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:
First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief
In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011:
Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:
- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%
Higher taxes on marriage and family. The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care tax credit will be cut.
The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.
Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.

Second Wave: Health Care Reform
There are over twenty new or higher taxes that are connected to the Health Care Reform. Several will first go into effect on
January 1, 2011. They include:
The Tanning Tax. This went into effect on July 1st of this year. It imposes a new, 10% excise tax on getting a tan at a tanning salon. There is no exemption for tanners making less than $250,000 per year.
The “Medicine Cabinet Tax” Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pretax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).
The HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike. This provision of Obamacare increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent.
Brand Name Drug Tax. Starting next year, there will be a multi-billion dollar tax assessment imposed on name-brand drug manufacturers. This tax, like all excise taxes, will raise the price of medicine, hurting everyone.
Economic Substance Doctrine. The IRS is now empowered to disallow perfectly-legal tax deductions and maneuvers merely because it judges that the deduction or action lacks “economic substance.” This is obviously an arbitrary empowerment of IRS agents.
Employer Reporting of Health Insurance Costs on a W-2. This will start for W-2s in the 2011 tax year. While not a tax increase in itself, it makes it very easy for Congress to tax employer provided healthcare benefits later.

Third Wave: The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes
When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2011, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise—the AMT won’t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired. The major items include:
The AMT will ensnare over 28 million families, up from 4 million last year. According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress’ failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families—rising from 4 million last year to 28.5 million. These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.
Small business expensing will be slashed and 50% expensing will disappear. Small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly-deduct, or “depreciate”) equipment purchases up to $250,000. This will be cut all the way down to $25,000. Larger businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. In January of 2011, all of it will have to be “depreciated.”
Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses. There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place. The biggest is the loss of the “research and experimentation tax credit,” but there are many, many others. Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs.
Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced. The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.
Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed. Under current law, a retired person with an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA. This contribution also counts toward an annual “required minimum distribution.” This ability will no longer be there.

Steve Spurrier called it fate; I call it the new reality!

2010-10-11T09:24:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday the University of South Carolina did what only one other team in America has ever done, and that is, to defeat a number one ranked team in basketball, baseball and football in the same season.

If you remember, the South Carolina basketball team defeated number one ranked Kentucky in February 2010; the South Carolina baseball team defeated number one ranked Arizona State in June 2010; and the South Carolina football team defeated number one ranked Alabama in October 2010.

After the football game, Steve Spurrier called it fate ... I call it the new reality. I am not here proclaiming that South Carolina will will a national championship this year, nor am I guaranteeing an SEC crown, but no one will enter into Williams Brice Stadium thinking that South Carolina is a push over. The addition of Lattimore, Jeffery, and Sanders along with the brilliant coaching of legendary Steve Spurrier causes the moon over the state of South Carolina to shine even brighter, it causes the bomp bomp bomp in Sweet Caroline to be even sweeter, it causes the Croomers boiled peanuts to be even worse, and it causes the mustard in our barbecue sauce to be even saucier.

Oh, it's great to be a Gamecock!

-- Marty

Life is just too short

2010-08-01T16:50:00.000-04:00

This past week I walked along side of two separate families as they said "good-bye" to their loved ones. Seeing a loved one pass away is never easy whether it is expected or unexpected.

I started the week with the Little family. They gathered at The Creek on Monday morning to celebrate the life of Lynette Little. Lynette was 45 years old and died after a long battle with brain cancer. Lynette was blessed with two kids, Matthew and Elliot. My heart sank as I looked down from the stage to see these boys grieving the loss of their mom. Matthew is ten years old and I cannot imagine his sense of loss. Lynn's husband Brian spoke at the service and did a wonderful job honoring his wife. There was a one-word from Lynette concerning the funeral and that was, celebrate. She wanted her friends and family to celebrate her healing and her new life in heaven. I had the privilege of baptizing Lynn at church several weeks ago. We did not realize at the time that her days on this earth were so close to the end.

Two days after Lynn's service, I received the tragic news that John-Clark Huffman had passed. JC was only twenty-one years old. He played on The Creek softball team this past season and Patty and I sat with his parents, Perry and Jeanie, every game. He was an avid baseball player and a MCG student. His death was a total shock.

John-Clark was a seeker in the truest sense of the word. JC loved people and love to hang out with his friends and family. John-Clark lived on the edge at times. He loved to fish and he loved most any sport. As I walked with the family through his untimely death, I found out that JC had a deep desire for God. This desire sparked spiritual conversations and extended prayer times with his Mom that started three weeks before his death. JC's dad opened his Bible and found notes that he had taken on July 18, 2010 tucked away. When I saw his detailed notes of my sermon on Pursing Wisdom, I was blessed. I did not have to prepare a sermon for his funeral. I took the notes that were in his Bible and allowed JC's own words to be shared at his funeral.

John-Clark was twenty-one and Lynn Little was forty-five. Both of them reminded me this week that sometimes "life is just too short."

American IDOL finalist, Lacey Brown, to sing at Stevens Creek Augusta

2010-07-12T10:32:00.001-04:00

It's no secret that Patty and I have been huge American Idol fans through the years. We love to see young talent take the stage and watch them develop as the weeks pass. I am not like so many Americans that love watch American Idol's opening weeks where they showcase all of the horrendous singers. I cringe as I watch knowing that those awful singers have been lied too by their parents or their friends.

My excitement develops as the show transitions to Hollywood. It is in Holly wood that you start to see the potential. It is also at this time that I like to read blogs and bios to see if there are any passionate Christ followers in the mix. The 2009 season featured several worship leaders with the winner, Kris Allen, being the worship leader at Rick Bezet's church, New Life Church, in Little Rock Arkansas.

As the 2010 season developed, I knew that there were a few potential worship leaders in the mix. In fact, I was with one of them two days before he flew to Hollywood. Jermaine Purifory, a Lee University student, was a groomsman and soloist in J T and Brittany Black's wedding. After the wedding, Jermaine boarded a plane for California. He made it through several cuts and was highly touted in the trio with Casey James. He has been seen several times on the Ellen Degeneres Show. In the end, Jermaine did not become a finalist but was encouraged by Randy Jackson to try again in 2011.

When the finalist were revealed, a Pastor's Daughter from Amarillo, Texas, Lacey Brown made the Top Twelve. I was thrilled for Lacey. She did a great job on the Idol stage. When her time there was over, she made the media circuit appearing on The Ellen Show, Wendy Williams and David Letterman and so forth. A few weeks before she sang on the American Idol Finale, I attended the All Access 2010 Conference at Healing Place Church in Baton Rogue, LA. As I walked through the atrium at Healing Place, I ran into Lacey. She was there attending the conference. I asked her if she would come to Stevens Creek. She was very kind and told me to contact her with some potential dates. We eventually landed on Sunday, July 18th.

So, make sure to invite your friends to come and enjoy one of our services at the Augusta campus on July 18th: 8:30, 10:00 or 11:30. Now, if you do not have a friend coming with you, would you please consider attending the 8:30 AM. Let's start the day off with enthusiastic worship and open hearts so that we can hear what the Lord is saying to us.

This Sunday I will be starting a new series call DECIDE. This series will feature messages that will help you determine God's will for your life. This will be a great series to invite your friends.

As you go through the week, begin praying that God will be present with us this Sunday and that people will take their next step spiritually.

~ Marty

Update on Courtney Claxton

2010-07-01T12:31:00.000-04:00

On December 8th, one of our Stevens Creek families had the phone call that no parent wants to hear and that is, their only daughter had a very serious accident. Courtney Claxton was a student at the Medical College of Georgia and was returning home from studying with some classmates when she lost control of her SUV on a rain slicked Stevens Creek Road. They rushed her to the hospital to discover that she had severed her spine and was paralyzed from the neck down. Her parents, Charles and Gail Claxton, called me and Pastor Dave and I made our to the trauma center. We prayed and asked the Lord to heal her.

At times God heals instantly and at other times healing is a process. We see an example of the process healing when Jesus touched a man that was blind. After the inital prayer, Jesus asked him if he could he. His reply was, "I see men as trees walking around." In others words, I can see but everything is blurry. So, Jesus prayed a second time and he was healed.

We prayed for Courtney and God started a healing process. This process has been very long and it is very difficult. A few weeks after her accident, Courtney was transferred to the Shepherd Spine Center in Atlanta. This is a wonderful facility that helps people learn how to live with spinal cord injuries. Over the next four months, they worked with Courtney. At times, it seemed like she was getting worse instead of better. In fact, she "coded" and was revived on more than one occassion. Throughout those trying moment, Charles and Gail, through their tears continued to pray and believe.

Patty and I visited Courtney five times while she at Shepherd. At times, she looked like progress was being made and at other times things looked bleak. Each time, however, whether good reports or bad, Charles and Gail, stood in faith praying and beleive the best for their daughter.

Courtney moved home on April 7th. When she arrived she found that friends and family members had taken the initiative to renovate her bedroom and make it wheelchair accessible. Since coming home, she has been in the care of Walton Rehabilitation Hospital and has received great care.

Last night, we stopped by to say hello and found that Courtney has made so much progress. We were surprised. She is breathing on her own. She can turn her head and has some flexibility in her shoulders and the biggest surprise was that she can now move her arms. The arm movement has come as a result of aquatic theapy. Practically speaking, if a strand of hair falls in her face, she can move it. That's a huge blessing.

Like I said, she can move her arms, but still does not have control movement in her hands. That's the specific prayers that I am asking you to pray. If hand movement is restored, then her possibilities are multiplied. Courtney looked so good last night. Patty and I left so encouraged at her progress.

Charles and Gail are still believing that miracles will continue. They realized that in Courtney's case that healing will be a process and they are taking it day by day. In the coming weeks, Courtney will be cruising into The Creek....hmmm...I guess that means that we have another "holy roller".

Keep praying.

~Marty

Easter 2010 ... a great service with a new attendance record!

2010-04-05T11:02:00.000-04:00

The Easter Services at The Creek were wonderful! I want to say "thanks" to all of our volunteers who worked extra to make the weekend memorable. I also deeply appreciate all of the people that attended the 8:30 AM service. As you know, we asked for 500 people to sign up and attend 8:30AM ... you responded and exceeded our expectations. Yes, we had over 600 people at 8:30 AM!!! This may seem trivial to some, but it's not. Moving that many people to the earlier time slot opened up more seats for our guests in the other services. In other words, more people were able to hear that God does not care what they have done; He does not care what they have become; He just wants them to come home.

From start to finish the service communicated grace and forgivness. Scores of people checked that they were ready for a relationship with Jesus Christ and that makes Easter even more special. I am so pleased to be a part of a life-giving, generous and let me say again nice church.

When you add our Grovetown Campus to the mix, we had four services on Sunday morning. Our combined attendance was ..... drum roll.... 2,330. That's a new record. Thanks for what you do to make The Creek what it is. We are a blessed congregation.

Sincerely,

Marty

Management Policies at the EVANS, GA Target Store ... Cannot believe it!

2010-04-05T09:54:00.005-04:00

Patty and I love shopping at Target in Evans, GA. It's a clean store with a lot of style. They have great products, but policies that are opposite of their advertised image. Yes, I am shocked at what they have done.

Let me explain. A few weeks ago, we challenged the folks at Stevens Creek Church to random acts of kindness. Like always, the people at The Creek responded. One of our members went to Target and gave the cashier a card and a twenty dollar bill and told her to put it on the tab of the next person in line. The Creeker left the store.

Today, we received a call from the mother of the person that received the card. She explained that her daughter was having a very rough time and this random act of kindness greatly encouraged her. It encouraged her, but she did not benefit from the twenty dollar gift because the TARGET cashier said that this had never been done before and questioned the daughter if she knew the stranger that had given the money. Well, she did not know the person. She turned it over to the Team Leader and they filled out an incident report and treated this discouraged recipient of the act of kindness as a criminal.

Then, they took the twenty dollar bill and supposedly put it in their safe and if it goes without being claimed for six months, then the cashier will get the money. What's up with that?

Target...what are you thinking? I thought that you were working for our community. This policy must be changed. I can't say it any stronger.

How did the church find out about it? The recipient who was supposed to receive this blessing was so shocked that she told her mother what happened. Her mother called the church and told us the details of how she was treated in this case.

TARGET needs a serious review of their policies.

One more thing: We contacted the Manager at the Evans, GA TARGET and his response was: We are not use to people being nice.

We, at Stevens Creek Church, have a passion to be nice to people and we will continue to be nice even when corporate policies work against us.

Marty Baker, D.Min.
Lead Pastor
Stevens Creek Church
600 Stevens Creek Road
Augusta, GA 30907

martybaker@stevenscreekchurch.com
706-863-7002

The Ministry of Stevens Creek Continues to Influence...

2010-02-18T09:50:00.002-05:00

The Metro Spirit just printed an article on called Modern Christianity. It mentioned Stevens Creek and our church's influence on our community. This articles reminds me that the faithful volunteers and members at The Creek are serving this community in ways that most do not imagine. Thanks so much for your continued service. Here's some of the article:

Modern Christianity
BY ANGEL CLEARY
AUGUSTA, GA – In the last 10 years, a wave of non-denominational mainstream churches has hit Evans. The most recent to join the wave is Genesis Church on Belair Road. I entered the former Gibbs Library building with my husband and son for the 10 a.m. service. I was surprised to see they transformed the generic civic engineering local into a contemporary venue.

A bevy of greeters welcomed us. Coffee pots standing near the sanctuary doors beckoned sleepy visitors to share in an early morning communion. I didn’t partake but I wished I would have. Black paint on the sanctuary walls and dimmed lights made us feel a little like we were entering a nightclub. The overhead screens were just pieces of cloth tightly pulled at each end in a retro trendy design.

Genesis Church definitely took a page right out of the Stevens Creek playbook. That’s probably because the pastor used to be on their church staff. In fact, Genesis was a cooperative effort of Stevens Creek, The Quest and Journey — all mainstream churches in Columbia County.

My husband and I jokingly call Stevens Creek, one of their parent churches, the “church of rock.” Genesis Church, however, is mellower. A woman with a melodic voice, and sporting a chin-length bob, led worship. Colored lighting effects changed the mood during each song. .... The appeal of these churches is that they, from the coffee to the comfy-jeans wearing pastor, wrap Christianity in a modern package.It turns out Evans, with its mixture of middle-aged but still hip population, is ripe for these types of churches. And Genesis Church, with almost 200 members only a year after it opened, appears to be riding this wave all the way to success.

Congratulations to Chris and Heidi Miller! I am proud of their work and pray God's blessing on their work.

Dave Wills takes His next step…

2010-02-03T11:07:00.001-05:00

At Stevens Creek Church, we encourage people to listen to the promptings of the Lord and then step out in faith. Our teaching pastor, Dave Willis, has done just that. On March 1, 2010, he will be accepting the position of Senior Pastor at Christ Church in Fleming Island, FL.

We are thrilled with what God is doing in Dave and Ashley’s life and pray that their new assignment will reap a spiritual harvest in the Jacksonville area. If you are interested in more information, watch this video.

Church of God Greatly Impacted by Haiti Quake

2010-01-18T19:56:00.001-05:00

Reporter: Cameron Fisher

Church of God Haitian overseer Elysee Joseph and three from a Canadian delegation have died as a result of the devastating earthquake which took place in Haiti on January 12.

According to Rev. Douglas LeRoy, Church of God general director of World Missions, the death of Haitian overseer Joseph occurred when a 20-foot wall collapsed on the vehicle in which Joseph was a passenger. Joseph was returning from the Port-au-Prince airport with former Haitian missionary Lloyd Frazier and former General Director of World Missions Lovell Cary and his wife, Ginny. The group had just arrived in the country and were on their way to a hotel in anticipation of the Haitian National Convention which would have been held this week. Frazier and Lovell Cary were bruised, while Ginny Cary was hurt when a portion of the wall fell on their car. Her injuries are not life-threatening and as of Friday morning, the three had been transported to the neighboring country of Dominican Republic by the U.S. Coast Guard where Mrs. Cary was receiving treatment and arrangements were being made to return the group back to the United States.

Dr. Joseph was a leading pastor and had served the church as national overseer on two occasions. He is survived by his wife and children.

Other groups associated with the Church of God were also in the country when the quake hit. Among them was a delegation from Canada and Southern New England, and a short-term missions team from Potter’s House in Columbus, Ohio [The Church where former Creekers, Bob and Tanya Wilson serve). According to Rev. Jacques Houle, administrative bishop for the Church of God in Quebec/Maritimes, three from the Canadian group have died. Traveling with that group was administrative bishop of Southern New England Jonathan Ramsey and Boston area pastor Othon Noel. Ramsey and Noel, as well as the Ohio group are safe, but remain in the country awaiting transportation back to North America. Details on how the three from the delegation were killed is still unclear.

“As you can imagine, communications with these and others in the country is very limited and sometimes third party,” LeRoy stated. “Anything beyond this information, including exactly how and when those not living in Haiti will be returned is unknown. We (World Missions) are diligently pursuing transportation options at this time.”

Since 1933, the Church of God has had a presence in Haiti. Jacques Vital-Herne wrote on March 17, 1933, to S. W. Latimer, the third overseer of Church of God, to affiliate with the Church in Cleveland. At that time, there were eight local churches and by 1936, Haiti had 30 churches. Presently there are 741 local churches, 327 missions and more than 250,000 members. The Church of God is among the largest Christian movements in Haiti and also includes schools, such as the Seminaire Biblique. It is one of four bachelor’s-degree granting schools in Haiti and one of three in the country that is approved to train public school teachers.

The Church of God has more than 100 schools (including elementary), several clinics, hospitals According to LeRoy, due to strained communication a full assessment of the casualties among church members and damage to buildings and homes will not be possible for some time. LeRoy did confirm that some of the national buildings were damaged, but the national office and missionary home are intact.

“Please consider giving compassionately to aid and comfort the people who were so greatly devastated by this earthquake,” LeRoy stated. “If we all do what we can, God will supply the needs of His people in Haiti.”

Church of God relief agencies, including Operation Compassion, are already on-site in the country with supplies that were delivered two months ago. More relief is on stand-by waiting for clearance. A Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund has been established through Church of God World Missions. Please indicate Project Number 7650042 when designating your donations either through the

Web site www.cogwm.org or through the mail P.O. Box 8016, Cleveland, TN, 37320-8016. In addition, a video update, recorded on January 14, is located on the Church of God Web site.

Faith News will continue to provide updates as they become available. Updates will also be posted on the Church of God World Missions Web site or by visiting www.churchofgod.org.

Operation Compassion Uses Every Available Resource for Haitian Relief and Recovery

2010-01-18T18:53:00.003-05:00

January 15, 2010

Less than 72 hours after a devastating earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti, Operation Compassion has containers being distributed from warehouse facilities in Haiti. As part of our ongoing effort in Haiti, containers of relief goods and supplies were previously delivered. Now they are being distributed.
Landslide: Many poorly constructed homes were simply swept away by the magnitude of the quake

In addition to these containers, Operation Compassion sent 24 containers to Haiti more than 6 weeks ago. These containers are filled with fruit juices, baby food, shoes, paper products, bottled water, cleaning supplies, sleeping bags and tents are arriving in port this week and next week. Distribution will begin as soon as possible.

While these containers are currently being delivered and distributed in Haiti, our warehouse in Cleveland is busy loading containers that will be sent to Haiti on almost a daily basis. In addition, Operation Compassion will be sending containers for Haiti through neighboring ports to lessen the stress on the damaged Port au Prince port. These products include Hygiene kits, coolers, blankets, mattresses, Playtex gloves, medical supplies and equipment, flashlights, tea and storage bags.

Destroyed: Residents pass by collapsed buildings - only a cross remains standing.

After the immediate needs of disaster relief shift to recovery, Operation Compassion will be assisting in their long term recovery and rebuilding efforts. Operation Compassion has a 40,000 square foot warehouse with building supplies procured and ready for shipment as the reconstruction begins. Items like floor and wall tile, trim, tools, grout and sealant, bathroom fixtures, electrical supplies, plumbing supplies and concrete board used in bathroom construction and temporary shelter construction are some of the available products. Together, we can make a difference in Haiti!

Our Donations to Operation Compassion are secure with . . . More than $99 out of every $100 donated going directly to the field; 1% overhead.

Every $1 donated producing $88 of wholesale product.

Operation Compassion listed in the Top 100 Charities by Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Operation compassion listed in the Top 3 Most Efficient Charities by Forbes.com.

Write word "Haiti" on your check to Stevens Creek Church or send your donations to their Cleveland, TN office:

114 Stuart Road, NE Suite 370 | Cleveland, TN 37312

4233.728.3932 Office | 423.728.3958 Fax

http://www.operationcompassion.org/

A mentor has passed ... my tribute to "Mr. Scott"

2010-01-08T11:59:00.001-05:00

When I look back over my life, there is noone more other than my parents that has helped to shape me into the person that I have become than Leland "Sandy" Scott. Mr Scott served as the high school band director in Abbeville, South Carolina for nearly twenty years. He was our town's Mr. Holland's Opus. He was more than a band director but he was a developer of leaders. In my life, I have been around some of the greatest leaders in America, but very few of them would compare to Mr. Scott.

Mr. Scott was the band director in Abbeville for nearly twenty years. In those days, middle school students could march in the high school band when they enterred the seventh grade, so you were under his leadership until you graduated high school.

Mr. Scott took our little high school band and created a dynasty. Under his leadership, the Abbeville Grenadiers won eight consecutive South Carolina State Band Championships. He set a record that has never been broken. In addition to that he led the band a top ten national ranking. We were ranked number three in the nation in 1973. I will never forget my first contest as a seventh grader. We were going up against the number two ranked band, Slyva Webster from North Carolina. We were doing or customary "think about the show" routine where we had to sit in silence for thirty minutes before going on the field. He broke the silence with a quick pep talk. During that speech, he looked at me and said, "Baker, if you don't hit that line, the lights of the funeral home will be on for you tonight." In our town, they only turned the lights of the funeral home on when someone has passed. When he said that fear covered my body and tears started flowing down my face.

That night I did not hit the line. As a result, I was taken out of the show and was made to stand at attention when the band performed for the rest of the season. That was hard but it taught me that in life you have to earn your spot. There are no free lunches. He instilled in me a work-ethic that has helped me throughout my life. Mr. Scott was a disciplanarian. I have never known anyone like him. In today's market, his tactics would be frowned upon, but that was a different day. His discipline created winners.

Not only was he a disciplanarian, but he was a visionary. He helped you see what you could not see. He inspired us to do what we could not do. He was an entrepeneur. The band needed funding so he led the booster club to buy Greyhound Buses for the band to travel in but when the band was not using them, he chartered them out to other groups. It was always funny to have the band drive up in nice buses with reclining seats and a restroom while the football team traveled in school buses. Mr. Scott instilled a vision in us to better ourselves....to live out your best self.

Mr. Scott was known for yelling, screaming, throwing batons and an occasional chair. He was sort of like a Bobby Knight personality. He was different because even though he ranted and raved, you knew deep inside that he loved you and wanted the best for you. You knew that if you listened to what he was telling you that you would learn to do something right and would be a better student.

He was not only a teacher, a developer of leaders, and a visionary, but he was a politician. He was elected to the City Council and served as Mayor Pro-tem on one occasion. The people in the city respected him like few others.

Mr. Scott was a passionate person with a constant faith. There was no such thing as separation from church and state in his book. You practiced Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. You did not practice Wednesday because it was church night. Prayer was always a part of the band performances. We never enterred the field without pausing and asking God's blessing on our endeavors. It was probably in band that I memorized the Lord's Prayer.

When I was in the eleventh grade, Mr. Scott selected me as the Band Captain. This was very unusual for an eleventh grader. This position was typically reserved for seniors. I served two years and it was during this time that he poured into me and helped develop me into the person that I am today.

Shortly after I graduated from high school, Mr. Scott retired. Oh, he was not old at the time but he was ready to focus on the local church. He became the Lead Pastor of Callie Self Memorial Baptist Church in Greenwood, South Carolina. He has served that church for over twenty-five years.

Patty and I were blessed to see Mr. Scott a few months ago at a band reunion. It was an amazing night. Students flew in from all over the country to give a tribute to this wonderful man.

Last October, our congregation, Stevens Creek Church, started broadcasting our services on the local FOX television station, WFXG. This station is on the cable system in Abbeville. One of our viewers in Abbeville was Mr. Scott. My parents ran into him and his wife, Verlene at a restaurant two days before he passed. Mr. Scott said, "I want to drive down and see Marty's church." They made plans, but sadly enough those plans will not come to pass.

On Thursday evening, January 7, 2010, Leland "Sandy" Scott passed on his reward. He leaves behind a loving wife and two children and grandchildren. He leaves behind a legacy that few of us could imagine.

Today, I honor you ... Mr. Scott ... the BandMan. Now, it's time for you to enter into the joys of the Lord.

Oh yea, one more thing ... Mr. Scott...the lights of the funeral home are on tonight for you. You have completed your race and it was an amazing race.

Christmas Eve Recap ... at The Creek

2009-12-26T11:50:00.005-05:00

I grew up in a wonderful, healthy environment in the Upstate of South Carolina. I attended a mill village church where we looked forward to celebrating the holidays. I always remember "Christmas Sunday" because the church gave out bags of fruit and candy to the children and elderly. It was a big day. We had our own traditions, but there is one thing that we just never did and that is, celebrate the holidays with a Christmas Eve Service. In fact, I have never attended a Christmas Eve service before we initiated them at Stevens Creek.

In the mid 1990s, I followed the inspiration of Willow Creek Church in Chicago and introduced the Christmas Eve service at our church. It began with a single service reaching a little over 100 people. We discovered early on that there is something very, very special about joining together and celebrating Christmas Eve.

Through the years, this service has grown into a much anticipated service. There are more un-churched people in this service than in any other service during the year. They are there to hear the message of the nativity. Along with that message, many of them are there to hear April Sturgell sing "O Holy Night". For the last fourteen years, April has concluded the service with the singing of this traditional carol. There is no one that compares to April on this song. This service is filled with heart-felt programming produced by Todd Sturgell and his team. It's amazing ...year after year.

As you may know, this service has grown from the original single service a multiple service format. At Christmas Eve 2009, we had four services (three at Stevens Creek Road and one at Grovetown High School). Our combined attendance for these services this year was [b]2,136[/b]. People were everywhere. The miracle is that our auditorium seats 500 people. We had people in chairs and offered a video venue that was filled in two of the services. It was an amazing time. The Christmas Eve service ushers in Christmas for me.

Patty and I were talking about this service on our drive to Cleveland, TN on Christmas day. We could not ever imagine not attending a service on Christmas Eve. In neither of our family traditions did our churches offer Christmas Eve services, but now having experienced it, we don't want to go back.

On a side note, people are very generous on Christmas Eve. We collect an offering at this service. We ask people several weeks in advance to consider giving a gift at Christmas to Christ and His Church. People responded and are still responding to this special offering. This year's offering is in the neighborhood of $120,000. That set a Christmas Eve offering record. Honestly, it came the right time.

This year has been a good year, but like most churches, Stevens Creek has been affected by the economy. We launched Grovetown and expanded the staff to accomplish this missionary endeavor and we ended the year needing an infusion of cash. We thank the generous people at Stevens Creek for their continued support.

If you are reading this post and your church does not celebrate the holidays with a Christmas Eve Service, let me be one to encourage you to do so.

Proud of my Alma Mater on NBC's Sing Off ... Lee University

2009-12-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

This past week our family has anxiously watched each round of NBC's Sing Off. When the Voices of Lee made it to the Top Three, our hearts swelled with pride. Now the nation knows what we have known for many, many years ... that God has raised up a small Church of God University to make the world a better place through music. The director of Voices of Lee, Danny Murray, has helped shaped young voices for over thirty years. I can remember as a freshman on campus being a member of one of his choirs. Danny has the ability to take people with little talent and make them sound good and as NBC has discovered, Danny has the ability to take people with good talent and make them great.

When you look at the landscape of Stevens Creek you will see Lee Alumni throughout our church.... Todd, April, Kevin, Melissa, Ann, Sharon and the list goes on and on. We have three students presently at Lee, my daughter, Sarah, is a senior at Lee this year, along with Wes Lutes and Paige Lutes.

Back to the Voices of Lee, what you may not know is that Stevens Creek's, John Tyler Black, traveled with Voices for four years while in school and just left the group last December to join the team here at The Creek. Here's one more thought ... you know how people own shares in a business... did you know that Stevens Creek is a share-holder in Lee University. Seriously. So, when you see Voices of Lee on NBC, you can say "that's my group."

If you are reading this before midnight on Sunday, December 20th, then take time to vote for Voices of Lee on NBC's Sing Off. You can call or text your vote in right now...1-877-674-6403 or text 3 to number 33088.

Trauma ...

2009-12-13T22:25:00.001-05:00

This week has given me a new understanding of the word traumatic. I just left the Medical College of Georgia Shock Trauma Unit where I was with two separate Stevens Creek families who have had accidents this week that have resulted in spinal injuries. What are the odds that one congregation would have two students in accidents in the same week that would result in these sort of injuries?

The first accident happened on Stevens Creek Road on Tuesday night. It was raining very hard when twenty-two year old MCG student, Courtney Claxton was involved in the single car accident. It's a miracle that Courtney survived. She underwent surgery on Thursday to stabilize her broken neck. She will have a second surgery on Monday to finish the procedure. Courtney needs your prayers. After she recovers from this, Courtney will be transferred to the Shepherd Spine Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation. Please pray for Courtney and her parents, Charles and Gail Claxton.

Last night, one of our high school students, Austin Robinson, was warming up for a motocross race when his bike accelerated and he landed on his back. His spine was injured and he had surgery this morning at 7:30 AM. Austin came through the surgery and should make a full recovery. Please keep him and his parents, Billy and Robin Kelley in your prayers.

Both families have strong faith and are believing that God is going to bring them through this. Let's join in prayer with them.

God@Work

2009-12-07T09:51:00.000-05:00

In the midst of a tough economy, God is doing a work that is truly more than we imagined. On November 18th, we baptized 82 people at our Stevens Creek Road campus and then the following Sunday, we baptized 6 at our Grovetown Campus. This brings the total water baptisms for this year to just over 150 people. We are humbled by the grace that has been extended in our community. This year's baptism doubled the number of baptisms that have taken place in any calendar year in the past 22 years.

I believe that this move of God is a result of an expanding heart for lost people. We started last January by asking people to come forward and write the name of their lost friends on the glass walls in our auditorium. Today there are hundreds and hundreds of names there that we pray over. In a few weeks from now, we will clean off all of the names and start 2010 praying new prayers for those who are headed to a Christ-less eternity.

As you move forward into the coming months, strategically consider ways to expand your congregation's heart for the lost. These are trying times and we have a message of hope. It's time to reach out.

~ Marty
martybaker@stevenscreekchurch.com

Motivating Volunteers You Lead

2009-11-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

I ran across this blog post from Michael Smith. It's very interesting to those of us who lead people. Here it is...

Just recently I was able to listen to my boss, Mark Marshall, give a presentation on "Motivating Volunteers You Lead." In that talk he listed four questions that every volunteer you lead is asking. The questions are:

What am I supposed to do?
Will you let me do it?
Will you help me when I need it?
Will you let me know how I am doing?

Not only are the volunteers within the organization asking these questions but also anyone you lead.

From the very beginning of trying to fill a position and throughout a lead/follower relationship, paid or volunteer, any leader would be wise to keep these questions near and refer to them often. The questions can help us who lead to:

Communicate the expectations of the task.
Empower those assigned the task.
Support the volunteer or staff when help is needed.
Stay out of the way when we are not needed.
Evaluate honestly the performance.

Are there other questions that should be added to the list?

Should a pastor be the largest contributor?

2009-11-05T08:17:00.002-05:00

Recently, I was involved in a pastoral discussion concerning pastoral stewardship. Today's blog is addressing that conversation. It's not necessarily directed at Stevens Creek. It's purpose is to encourage pastors to expand their leadership base. Here goes.

It has often been said, "the speed of the leader, the speed of the team." I believe in stewardship. I practice it and I promote it every possible chance. I have always been faithful to bring the tithes and offerings to the Lord. I am of the opinion that you cannot give offerings until the tithe is given.

Now, am I the largest giver at Stevens Creek? Maybe one day, but not today and truthfully not in my 22 years as serving as pastor. Yes, even in the borrowed living room with 24 people, I had tithers that gave more than I did.

Here's my point ... if the pastor is the largest giver in the church then that church will not be a strong financial ministry. Here's why. If the pastor is the largest contributor, then that church is either paying him too much and cannot grow the ministry (I doubt that is the case in most situations) OR the Pastor has not learned the secret of "leading up" and challenging people of greater means to support the work of the Lord.

If you are going to grow a strong church, then the Pastor has to lead up. The pastor has to be able to cast vision to people who have resources that can help fund the ministry. If you are only reaching people at your same financial level and below, then you will not have a balanced church. Doesn't the book of Acts say: The promise is for you and your children and for all . We must reach all sectors of people. This means that you will reach some that live like you live, some under-resourced and some more resources.

Today, I may be in the top twelve to fifteen givers at The Creek. I really don't know. There have been times that I have been in the top seven, but those were the days that the church was not as strong financially as it is today.

I would love to be in the top spot, but only if I could do that with money outside of the ministry. That's probably not going to happen any time soon. I don't play the lottery. I don't have any books to be written. I don't have a long list of speaking engagements. I don't have a cash cow in my back yard. So for now if Stevens Creek is to be a strong financial church, I have to continue to cast vision and ask people to give. I am honest when I look at the congregation and say, "I need your financial support." Without faithful givers, we will not be able to accomplish the mission that Christ has called us to. It takes everyone ... all of us... bringing the Lord's tithe to His church. When we do this, His ministry will thrive.

For pastors that may run across this blog, my challenge to you today is to ... lead up.

Marty
martybaker@stevenscreekchurch.com

What Happend in the 11:30 AM service today?

2009-10-25T17:11:00.000-04:00

It’s 4:15 PM Sunday afternoon and I just woke up. I typically crash at 3:00 PM every Sunday. I use to lay on the sofa and nod off and catch a nap. But, these days I pull back the covers and dive in the bed. Like I said, I just got up. The house is silent because Patty is in Atlanta and Samuel is at a youth function. I thought that I would use this as a time to de-brief about what happened in the 11:30 AM service (10/25/09).

If you were not in the 11:30 AM, you will not understand this post. If you were in that service, you will know exactly what I am talking about. In a nutshell here it is: The Lord was present to save.

Let me unpack that a little bit. As most of you know, I have been serving The Creek for nearly 22 years. Today’s 11:30 AM service was unlike anything in the modern Creek history. For those that were not there, I will try to fill you in, but honestly I do not remember everything that was said. The words were not mine (I know that sounds strange to some of you…oh well).

On a practical level, I preached the same message in all three services. It was a message focusing on the Great Banquet parable that Jesus taught in Luke 14. I felt good about the message going in. Earlier in the week, Dave helped me craft the talk. He has helped some in the past. This week was a little different. Todd and Dave met and had a number on new ideas for me to use. It’s hard for me to use someone’s ideas, so I ask Dave to talk me through it. He did and got up to leave. I said, “Wait a minute. We are going to write it out with you here.” We did and the sermon was 60% done on Tuesday afternoon. I worked on it a few hours on Thursday and two or three hours Saturday morning.

It was a good message…not a masterpiece but something I was looking forward to sharing. I was able to take a drive up to Greenwood by myself on Friday and had some extra time praying about the service. I felt good about the day.

I went to the Carolina game on Saturday evening and got home around midnight. I do not like ESPN Saturday night games. They are too late for me. Games are something that gives me one-on-one time with Samuel so they are worth the investment. I woke up this morning feeling good. I expected to be tired and moving kind of slow, but no so.

I got to the church a little after 7:00 AM and started going through the message. I felt good about it and was excited to share it. I was a little nervous about the table on the stage because I did not know how exactly I was going to use it.

I sensed the Lord in the first service and that made preaching easier than normal. The first service came off like a second or third service would normally. It felt natural. Todd encouraged me to reshape the ending because I was not clear enough when I talked about the empty chair. I thought that was good advice so I went into the 10 AM service with a desire to make the ending clear enough so that people would be personally challenged.

The 10 AM felt good. By this time, I am usually getting a little tired and sometimes I have trouble staying focused. It’s harder than you think to preach three times in a row. Many times in the third service, I have to concentrate to stay in the game. My mind wanders. As the music started in the third service, my mind drifted a little bit. I started thinking about next week’s message, my schedule for the next few days and so forth. As we worshiped I refocused my thoughts and started to pray for the people in the service.

My prayer soon turned to intercession. I started praying in tongues fervently. Now, I do this as a normal practice, but this was different. It was as if the Lord was praying through me in a directed manner. You know when you pray in tongues, your spirit is praying but like Paul said, your mind is unfruitful. As I am fervently praying, I had this thought, “Most people in this auditorium would freak out if they knew what I was doing.” As I write this, I am smiling because that is funny to me.

I stepped up to preach the message with a desire to communicate it in a way that would touch many people. I wanted it to be better than the previous service. It went well. I felt as though the Lord used me and I did what I was supposed to do. Todd sang and I closed in prayer. As I said, “Amen”, I sensed that the Lord was not finished with the message. I paused at that moment.

It is important to respect spiritual moments. Pause and see what the Lord is doing in the room. As I waited for a few seconds, the Lord prompted me to call people to be saved. I thought, “Lord, I just said that.” To be obedient, I reiterated the call to salvation.

Well, that’s about all I remember right now. Words that I did not write started flooding my mind. I could not speak them fast enough. It was truly like the Prophet Jeremiah wrote … a fire in my bones. As I write this blog, I cannot tell you what I said. I remember challenging people to making a decision to follow Jesus to making him the LORD of their lives. I also remember feeling that it was urgent that someone needed to change today. I had to convince them that life was short and that it was time to change directions. There was urgency like I have not ever felt in our modern Creek history. There was a call to stop playing church and starting walking in the truth. I remember going back and forth begging people to repent. The flow of words slowed down and I gave a second call to faith. This time I knew that I had everyone’s attention.

We have a problem at Stevens Creek and that is, when I go to close a service people start moving (getting Bibles, purses, etc). This often hinders me and others that are spiritually seeking. Today, however, NO ONE was moving. They recognized that we were in the presence of the Lord. I asked people to raise their hands if they want to repent. Thirty, forty or fifty people put their hands up in the air. It was amazing. I honestly believe that people were saved today. Some of these individuals may have prayed a prayer before but today I think that prayed this one with great sincerity. I think they touched God. Again, it was amazing. I am so appreciative of what the Lord did today.

Here’s what I know. I can pray and preach good sermons and some people will make a decision to follow Christ. The Lord can come in through the power of the Holy Spirit and preach a five to ten minute sermon after I have already preached one and get scores of people saved. That’s how it works. I say it frequently, “We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.” We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our preaching. He can do more than we imagine.

As I reflect on today’s events, I am honored to have witnessed a “move of God” at Stevens Creek Church. I believe that we snatched some people from the gates of Hell today. I believe that Jesus worked miracles in our services … all four services not just the 11:30 AM.

As I left the stage, I looked at Todd and said, “Well, I guess that won’t be shown on television or the web.” He said, “I don’t know. We might need to show it.” Here’s what we will do. As we review it, we will pray to see if that was a specific word for that particular service or if it was a word for a larger audience. If it is for a larger audience, we will put it on the web. I may hesitate to put it on television because it is the meat of the word and many of our viewers can only handle milk. We have to be sensitive to our target.

I pray that this is the beginning of a new move of the Lord at Stevens Creek. If these individuals that raised their hand to make Jesus Lord tell their friends what happened and then their friends come and find faith, we are on the road to revival. Be praying that God does exactly that.

Speaking of prayer, pray for me tomorrow morning as I begin on the message, “You can have a new life” for this coming week. As you know, Ruby will be with us. I want this to be a life-giving service for our friends.

Be blessed and have a great week.

Sincerely,

Marty

martybaker@stevenscreekchurch.com

MSN Mentions The Creek ... Responses to Article Not So Nice

2009-10-23T12:35:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week MSN ran a story about the expanding use of bank cards in America. In this article they briefly mentioned Stevens Creek. As you read the article, you will see that there are nine new areas that are using electronic funds. Only one of the nine areas focus on the church, but if you read the responses you will see that most of the comments ignored the other eight areas and focused on the church.

When Patty read those comments, she said, "Marty, does that not bother you?" Honestly, it doesn't at all. I realize that people are quick to post things on Internet boards and very seldom do they think through the process before they post. These folks probably don't understand the Bible and definitely do not understand how a church operates. If I am ever given an opportunity to help them see the big picture, then there is a higher possibility of them coming around. Now, having said that, I realize that there are some folks that just do not like me or the church. They may never like me, but one day they will change their mind about the church. They will bow their knee and say, "Jesus is Lord." They will come to know that Jesus loved the church so much that He gave His life for it.

These negative comments came up in our staff meeting this week. Wes busted out and said, "Just google Marty's name and you will see a whole host of negative comments about him." Oh well. That's life. Here's what I know...most of those folks don't know me and the ones that do know me shouldn't be writing their negative thoughts on a board, but should come face-to-face.

Jesus taught that we should address issues one-on-one. If that doesn't work, then gather a couple of people and go to the individual and if that doesn't work take it to the Elders of the church.

Here's another thing that I know... Genesis 50:20: You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is not being done, the saving of many lives. I have learned through the years that God brings good out of the bad. Speaking of that, after this story ran, a mega church with a national television ministry called Patty's office and said, "We read the negative posts about you. We are interested in a quote for kiosks at our church." Go figure.

Here's the article. As you read it, you will notice that it is barely a mention, but sometimes it does not take much to get a conversation started.

Now even God takes credit cards

From churches to courts to Salvation Army kettles, more and more places allow you to keep your cash and pay with plastic. These 9 might surprise you.

No cash in your wallet? No problem. Today, everything from Salvation Army kettles and churches to DVD rental vending machines and subway systems will gladly take your plastic -- and more are coming on board every day.

Retailers and service providers are moving very quickly toward easy, rapid on-location payment systems. It's all about convenience, speed and ease of use. And for some businesses, that means an extra perk: People who pay with plastic tend to spend more than they would if cash were their only option.

Here are nine everyday places where plastic has replaced cash:

1. Government offices

You've been able to charge your federal tax payment since 1999, but did you know that in many locales you can now post Junior's bail with your credit card? Then, if you like, you can use the card to pay his court fines.

2. Churches

Once Junior has been rehabilitated, he can get his own credit card and go to church, where a kiosk will process his tithe. Marty Baker, the pastor of Stevens Creek Community Church in Augusta, Ga., designed a card reader for his church in 2005. He and his wife, Patty, have sold the technology to 115 other nonprofits through their company, SecureGive. The kiosks can process debit and credit payments or debit transactions only. "Some churches have a problem with the credit card aspect," says Patty Baker, "and we respect that. . . . But it's really only a handful of them." Baker says donations and donor networks are increasing. "People who don't think about bringing their checkbook to church now have an option."

3. Vending machines

Now you can use plastic to quench your thirst, download games or buy a DVD from a vending machine. ClearSky Mobile Media launched its first integrated mobile download station in 2004, while Sony kiosks with robotic arms premiered in malls in 2006 -- all of which accept plastic payments. MasterCard, meanwhile, made Coca-Cola available by credit, with 7,500 vending machines outfitted with readers in 2007.

4. Air travel

You might have to skip cocktails on your next flight unless you have some plastic. Nearly all major U.S. airlines accept credit. In fact, most require it for in-flight purchases. American Airlines, Southwest and United are among the newest cashless converts, while Continental, Delta and US Airways accept both cash and credit. The cash-only holdout is Northwest, but Delta has purchased it, so expect credit there as well. Tip: Kids flying solo (and other passengers without credit) can typically purchase vouchers for drinks or meals at the ticket counter.

5. Photo-printing kiosks

Remember when you took your film somewhere to be processed and then waited three days? Well, for several years now, photo-printing services have been available either through the Internet or through a kiosk at a retailer, and you can pay by credit card. Prices are reasonable with services such as Snapfish, which offers prints for 9 cents each.

6. Salvation Army kettles

This year, even Santa may take your credit card -- if he's ringing a bell and standing next to a red kettle. In 2008, Salvation Army chapters in El Paso County, Colo., Dallas-Fort Worth and Plano, Texas, became the first in the United States to provide bell ringers with credit card kettles.

"The number of contributions made was relatively small," says a spokesman, Maj. George Hood, "but the bright side was that the average gift was higher, between $15 and $20." More markets will be tested in 2009.

7. Fast-food restaurants

Burgers, subs and fried chicken all can be had for plastic. "Quick-service restaurants have all begun to accept cards within the past 10 years, really beginning in earnest over the past five years," says Christine Elliott, a vice president with American Express.

Some customers may think it's a bit embarrassing to charge two items from Burger King's dollar menu, but plenty have done it.

8. On your phone

With the iPhone's Inner Fence application, even you can accept credit cards. If you want to sell jewelry at the fair or open a booth at the local flea market, this is your chance. It will cost you $50 for the application, plus $15 per month for a payment gateway service and $10 per month for a customer-service processing system. Maybe you should start that dog-walking business after all.

9. On the road

You can also use credit when you travel by road or rail. "During the past decade, Visa has worked to expand acceptance in a variety of new locations... bridges and tolls, parking meters, auto parking lots and garages, taxicabs and limousines," Visa spokesman Ted Carr said.

The Chicago Transit Authority, which already accepts credit cards, is looking at "smart" cards with computer chips allowing them to be used for transportation. The cards would also work anywhere else a credit card is accepted. And the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority wants to implement a new contactless fare payment system.

With contactless cards, you don't insert, swipe or hand over the plastic. Just tap the card, and you're done. MasterCard launched PayPass in 2002, Visa has payWave, Discover has Zip, and American Express has ExpressPay. Retailers are slowly gaining interest. In 2009, Home Depot, Sports Authority and Circle K joined in.

This article was reported by Manya Kaczkowski for CreditCards.com

Link to article: http://bit.ly/3c7hFH

Are You Relationally Intelligent?

2009-10-13T12:40:00.005-04:00

All of us have times in our lives that we need some help in the relationship department. Yes, sometimes we are not as smart as we would like to be when it comes to dealing with others. If you want to sharpen your relational skills, read the newest book from one Stevens Creek Church's own, Steve Saccone. We are proud of what God is doing through Steve and Cheri and of course little Hudson (who just turned one). Go to Amazon.com and get Relational Intelligence today.

Guess Who's Coming to The Creek on November 1st? Ruby Gettinger

2009-10-01T20:37:00.006-04:00

This past summer Patty and I were watching Oprah re-runs on our DVR. Oprah highlighted three of the biggest reality television shows of the season: The Little People, John and Kate Plus Eight, and Ruby. Now, I had heard of the first two, but I did not know about Ruby. Her interview with Oprah caught our attention, so we set our DVR to record all of the episodes of Ruby on the Style Network. We became instant fans and by the end of the summer, we had watched most all of her shows.

Ruby's story is very interesting. At one point in her life she weighed 716 pounds; today she is down below 330 pounds. The show chronicles her weight-loss journey. It is very interesting and inspiring.

As Patty and I watched the show, I noticed several things. First of all, it was evident that Ruby is a Christian. In fact, there was one show where they had Ruby praying at the altar of The Sanctuary Church in Savannah. Patty and I smiled when we saw this because we know her pastor, Larry McDaniel. Pastor McDaniel was my pastor when I was in college. Later on Patty's sister and brother-in-law (JT's mom and dad) was Pastor Larry's Minister of Music when he served the North Cleveland Church of God before moving to Savannah. Well, long story short, we connected with Ruby, maybe because we had two degrees of separation. As we watched the show, we figured out that Todd and April went to Lee University with some of the folks on the show, so that gave us a three degree separation from Denny and Jeff.

Ruby has a new book out, "Ruby's Diary: Reflections on All I've Lost and Gained," and she is currently doing a book tour. In the last few weeks, you may have seen her on Fox News, NBC Today or Rachel Ray. Last week, I called one of the staff pastors at The Sanctuary in Savannah and simply asked, "Is Ruby the real deal?" They said, "Yes and her story is inspirational."

I called and Ruby is coming to Stevens Creek Church on November 1st. I had already turned in the title of the sermon that day and it is, "You can have a new life." Wow! This let me know that God was at work to bring a real life story to illustrate this message. It's going to be great.

Invite your friends, your work associates, your neighbors and your family to come to The Creek. Do it today.

Ruby Gettinger to Speak at The Creek on November 1st

Do you remember what happened October 1, 1995?

2009-10-01T07:28:00.003-04:00

Have you noticed how our seasons of life are often time-stamped around a particular date? In my grandparents generation, you could ask them, do you know what you were doing on December 7, 1941 and they could tell you. For those non-historians reading this post, December 7 was the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked in the Pacific. That day shaped a generation. If you were to ask my parents, what they were doing on November 22, 1963, they could tell you? That was the day that JFK was shot and killed in Dallas? In recent history, one could point to September 11, 2001 as a day that changed history.

Do you know what you doing on October 1, 1995? Most of you cannot remember that particular date, but I can? It's not a date that is written in your history books, it's not a date that many people remember, but on it's a day that helped shape my life and ultimately helped shape the life of our church?

On October 1, 1995, Todd and April Sturgell joined the staff of our church. They were practically newly weds, not even old enough to rent a car, but they came to us with a raw passion to do church in a different way. They came to us with an innocence and purity that echoed through their music. When I heard them sing, I could sense the presence of the Lord in them.

In those days, Todd was a little intimidated with this new church gig, but he was determined succeed. He came with an open attitude and a willingness to learn. He came with a strong work ethic and an even stronger personal set of ethics. In fact, in fourteen years, his integrity has never been in question. He was and still is the real deal, honest, straight-forward and focused.

Todd and April did not come on staff to change our church, but they have. They have led us into a deeper understanding of worship and shown us how to live out what we believe. Their creative insight has opened our eyes to new ways of seeing God. They have taught and trained people to serve alongside of them in the ministry.

Todd's leadership gifts have helped to direct our congregation in significant ways. He was the first one to push for Grovetown. He has an understanding of where we are, but an eye on the future. Not only has he shaped our congregation, but he has set an example in our denomination. Recently, he was named the national "Minister of Music" of the year, but that title does not reflect the true influence he has over the young students that flow through Lee University and our denomination.

Today is October 1, 2009 ... it has been 14 years since Todd and April Sturgell join our staff at Stevens Creek. I am so thankful for their ministry, but most of all, for their friendship through the years.

May God bless them with His grace and abundant blessings.

Sincerely,

Marty

Granger Community Church Adds SecureGive

2009-09-27T20:10:00.004-04:00

The giving kiosk is spreading across America. What was once just a Stevens Creek Church concept is now helping churches reach their stewardship potential. Just recently Granger Community Church added three kiosks. To promote this technology within their church, they launched a very cool ad campaign. Take a look.

3 Ways to Give | Giving Kiosks from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Using Teaching Team at Church

2009-09-23T11:29:00.001-04:00

The calling to preach the word is one of the most humbling tasks that a person can be given. To know that you are responsible to "rightly divide the word of God" and do it in a creative and compelling manner can be daunting.

For me, preaching is not easy. In fact, it's tough. I pray over and labor over the messages that I am called to give. It's has gotten somewhat easier with experience, but hear me, it's never easy.

There's nothing like preaching the last service of the day (8:30, 10:00, 11:30) and walking off the stage knowing that you have given the Lord and your congregation your best effort and also knowing that in your weakness, the anointing of the Holy Spirit makes the difference.

I have been serving the congregation at Stevens Creek for nearly 22 years. I have learned during this time that I am not the only voice for the church. Yes, I have directed the vision of the church, but God has blessed us with capable communicators to preach the vision.

I started Stevens Creek, but Stevens Creek Church outgrew me soon after that day. The church has grown because God has caused it to grow and because there are capable, competent, God-anointed people leading the charge.

One day you will log on to Actscelerate and hear that I have transitioned from this life to the next. When you read that post (hopefully not in the near future), you can rest assured that the ministry of Stevens Creek will be strong and will press forward. There will not be any frantic calls to the overseer saying, "What's going to happen at The Creek?" He will say, "I think everything is in order. Just pray for them."

Before this post sounds like a good-bye letter (which it's not), let refocus on the purpose of this note. The Creek is strong because it is centered in God's word and it is a life-giving ministry. God's word is communicated in a way that people understand it and can apply to their lives. As I said earlier, I have a teaching team in place.

In the olden days, I thought that I had to do all of the preaching, but maturity tells me that when you have competent communicators around you, it's prudent to develop them and thus multiply your ministry.

Our teaching team features Dave Willis. He is a graduate of Georgetown College and has a Masters Degree in Communication from the University of Kentucky. He teaches part time at Augusta State University. Presently, Dave is 30 years old. He is a master communicator. It is not uncommon for me to send Dave my sermon a few days before I preach it for him to help me craft it.

Next, we have Kevin Lloyd. Kevin attended Lee and as you know is out of the North Rome Church of God. He has served at Maranatha in Baton Rogue, LA and Forest Hill COG in Mobile, AL. Kevin is a great preacher. He knows how to build a bridge to the audience. He touches people not only spiritually, but emotionally too. He always has a few one-liners that people think. They take it home with them and remember it. I have been out in the community and met people who said, "I remember when Kevin preached..." They remember what he says and that's powerful.

One of the most prominent members of our teaching team is not necessarily a teacher. It's Todd Sturgell, our worship pastor. Todd typically preaches on the main stage once or twice a year, but he has as much influence on what is communicated and how it is communicated as anyone else (I may have a little more influence ... sometimes). One several occasions, Todd has chosen the sermon series that we use. He has a spiritual sense about him and he has an urgency that helps all of us stay focused on the mission.

Preaching is hard work and it demands great attention. I did not turn the pulpit over to these guys initially or because I am tired and getting old. They were developed over time. They grew in their calling. Pastors need to guard their pulpit. I had lunch recently with a guy that attends another church. He said, "Marty, you need to tell out pastor not let people in the pulpit that cannot preach." I told my wife that story and she responded, "I know. My un-churched hair dresser attended that service and said that it was awful and she did not go back."

Here's what I know. If you are not confident in your own calling and abilities, then you do not need to use a team teaching model. If you are insecure, don't use team teaching. If you have to be the star or the prophet, don't use team teaching. If you want to be a short-term pastor, don't use team teaching. If you never want to go on vacation without worry, don't use team teaching. Don't use team teaching if you want your congregation to be bored with familiarity.

Using a team teaching approach is NOT for every church; it is for Stevens Creek. Team Teaching allows us the freedom to open a campus in Grovetown and then who knows where .... maybe in Aiken County, South Augusta, Greensboro, GA, Greenwood, SC or even Cleveland, TN ... now wouldn't that be something?

These are just some thoughts to mull over....

Enough for now.

Marty

Do Something Different

2009-09-21T08:18:00.005-04:00

Here's some follow-up thoughts from yesterday. So many times our problems take center stage in our lives and basically that's all we see. We have issues like: too little money, too little time, not enough attention from our spouse, locked in a dead-in job and etc. We focus on these issues so much that they grow larger and larger until they dominate our view of the world. That's all we see. Our world revolves around our problems and sometimes we convince ourselves that we are the only ones with problems like this.

Open your eyes. You are not the only one with issues. We all have issues. We all have challenges. If you would spend as much energy on finding a solution to your problems as you do on complaining about them, I believe that you would discover a whole new world. I don't mean to be unsympathetic, but it irks me when people have a possible answer right in front of them and they don't act on it. They talk about it, but they never do it. The Bible says that mere talk will lead to poverty. You don't have a money problem, you have an idea problem. It's time to start thinking new thoughts.

How do you think new thoughts? What are you listening to? Listen to something different. What are you reading? Read something different. You cannot do the same thing over and over and get different results. If you want something different, then do you something that you have never done.

Most people are stuck in the same place because they are scared to do something different. What are you afraid of? God has not given you a spirit of fear. Instead, he has given you a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. Use what you have. The answer to your problem is right in front of you.

Stevens Creek Goes Multi-site

2009-09-13T20:28:00.002-04:00

It's official ... Stevens Creek Church is a multi-site church! Now I am sure that some of you are scratching your head and saying, "What is a mult-site church?" Well, a multi-site church is one church that meets at multiple locations. Churches began to use the multi-site church model in the mid 1980. In fact, Dr. Paul Walker, the long term pastor of Mount Paran Church of God brought this idea to our state way back then. Times have changed since Dr. Walker helped pioneer this phenomenon, but the heart is still the same and that is, to create life-giving worship experiences in as many areas as possible so that lost people can be found.

Churches do multi-site in different ways. Some churches transmit the message by satellite to multiple locations, some churches have a rotating teaching team and others use video technology to communicate the message at a later time. The multi-site movement is sweeping America. Here's an example, in 1990, there were 10 multi-site churches.By 1998, that number had expanded to about 100. By 2008, there are an estimated over 2,000 multi-site churches across the US.

I have been watching this movement develop over the last several years. God has placed us in an association of churches called the ARC and they specialize in raising up life-giving churches. Many of these congregations are multi-site churches and one, in particular, is leading the charge in the movement and that one is Seacoast. Their pastor, Greg Surratt preached at the Creek several months back. He, along with Billy Hornsby, have helped coach our church through this process.

Last year, we made the decision to move Stevens Creek to a multi-site model. Kevin Lloyd, along with our Grovetown campus pastor, Steve Sturgell, went to work preparing a launch team for Grovetown. Along the way, some people have said, "Why Grovetown? Why would you need to open up a campus there?" The answer to that question is simple: there are people in Grovetown who are headed toward a Christ-less eternity. These people matter to God and they should matter to the church.

On September 13, 2009, we launched. After months and months of planning and praying, Stevens Creek Church opened up a new campus in the Grovetown High School Auditorium in Grovetown, GA. The opening service had 355 people in attendance.

It was a great day. I am so appreciative of all of the people that set up and tore down, the people that invited their friends, and the people that donated money to make this dream a reality. A lot of work has gone into this launch, but the real work now begins. It's time to invite your friends to The Creek and let's pray together that your friends will hear and receive the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. I look forward to seeing this campus expand to two services ... now, wouldn't that be cool.

I was asked, "Marty, what are you praying today?"

2009-08-25T08:33:00.003-04:00

Earlier today, I received an email that asked me what I was praying for today. It made me think and encouraged me to write it out. Journaling is a good way to help you focus your prayers and stay attentive as you talk to God.

If you are like me, sometimes prayer can be a challenge of focus. Yes, I pause to pray and then a thousand other things come into my mind. One solution is to have a note pad. Write down the things that you need to do (get an oil change, call the doctor for child's check-up, and so forth). Also, you may use that same note pad to write out your prayer.

So, what does my prayer journal look like today. On a broad scale, my prayers are often focused on my family and my work. I am sure that I am no different than most.

I pray that God will touch my children, Stuart, Sarah and Samuel and help them find their purpose. I pray that they are filled with the Holy Spirit in a way that captivates their attention and ignites a passion for Jesus and His church.

I pray for Patty that she would be able to inspire church leaders and encourages stewardship at the churches that she serves across America. Practically speaking, I ask the Lord to help her technically ... that the software remains secure, that her programmers complete the transition to the new server farm, that the integration with Fellowship One be completed this week, that God will protect her as she negotiates new contracts and expands her work here and potentially into Canada.

I pray for Stevens Creek Church ... that our hearts would be burdened for lost people, that we would be open to a greater move of God's spirit, that we would be passionate about creating healthy systems for people's spiritual growth. I pray that God will bring the right staff members so that our church, our Grovetown campus, and future campuses can be spiritually vibrant and healthy.

I pray that God will raise up tithers so that His work can be fully funded and that Stevens Creek becomes the most generous place around.

For me personally, I pray that my heart remains tender and that I keep the passionate fervor that I had as a 14 year old when I was called into the ministry.

I pray that God will help me be the best Dad possible and not take myself too seriously. Help me to balance work and home-life.

I pray that God will give me discernment so that I will be able to see what He sees and lead accordingly.

I pray that increases my ability to lead.

I pray that God allows me and Stevens Creek Church the opportunity to shape the future of the Church of God denomination.

As you develop your own list, please remember that prayer is a two way street. It involves you talking to God, but mainly God talking to you. Be quiet before the Lord and listen to His voice. When you do this, you will take your next step in faith.

Staffing a Church for Effective Ministry

2009-08-19T09:18:00.004-04:00

As most of you know, the fuel of any effective local church is the people in the pews. People, who are filled-up and overflowing with the energy of God, create excitement which often leads a church into new seasons of growth. So, as pastors, how do we equip and inspire people? We do this through staffing whether paid or volunteer.

Staffing a church for growth is one of the most important responsibilities of any lead pastor. People often marvel at the growth of Stevens Creek and wonder what's the secret. Well, you got to know that The Creek is not an "over night" success story; it's close to being twenty-two years old. (Whew ... I must have been a kid when we started it ... Ha. Ha. It seems like yesterday.)

What's the secret? Vision is always key. You have to know what God has called you to do and then learn to communicate it in a way that people with grasp it.

Your first group of people that you have to train in visionary leadership would be your key influencers...Elders, then your volunteer and paid staff. You do this by painting a picture of what church-life could be like. You take them to see life-giving churches with life-giving systems (you can't grow a large church without a system).

I am sure that some folks look at our church and say, "Marty, if I had your staff, I could grow a large church." That's probably true. I am an average “Church of God-Joe” from a mill town in the Upstate of South Carolina. We have been able to grow, because I have surrounded myself with people who can do things that I cannot do. The church outgrew me a long time ago. Without great volunteers and staff members, we would not be where we are today.

So, how do you staff your church for effectiveness? First of all, you need people who are called by God and anointed in their work. There is no substitute for the anointing of God. The anointing is what turns a performance into a ministry moment where God breaks in and touches someone’s heart. If a person is not called or anointed to do the work, then the conversation about joining our staff is over. I believe that a person needs to be called to carry out the vision of your local church. A staff member should never join the team with his or her own agenda. They are there to carry out the larger vision of the ministry. Calling is key.

Next, a person must be competent in what they are called to do. Like I said, I hire people who can do what I cannot do. If two people can do one thing, then one person is not needed. Granted, when we were small, I helped lead the music. In those days, the Lord’s anointing made up for some of my vocal inability. Several years ago, Todd Sturgell, our Creative Worship Pastor, was preparing to go on vacation and he could not find a fill-in. I casually told him that I led the music before he came and that I could lead it when he was gone. He laughed and said, “Marty, you led the music when we were running a hundred people. If you start leading again, we will run a hundred people.” We both laughed … because it was the truth. A person may feel that he or she is called to a certain ministry, but along with that calling they must have the skills to carry forth the ministry for that particular congregation. Needless to say, the music ministry at The Creek outgrew years ago and I am so glad it did.

A person has to be competent, but along with competence, there has to be chemistry for a staff to be effective. This is huge for me. If you do not have chemistry with me, you will not be on my staff or Elders. Chemistry is the building blocks of unity. When a church has unity, it opens the door for the power of the Holy Spirit to move. Don’t ever underestimate the power of unity. In the early days of our church, I had an elder that was working against me. I sat him down with another staff member and confronted him and ultimately removed him. His response was simple: “I did not think that you had the guts to do it.” Those people who are not with you are against you. You can’t move a church forward with leaders who are against you. Someone has to go … either you or them. Life is too short to live and work in conflict. I honestly believe that the effectiveness of Stevens Creek flows out of the love and unity that is present in our leaders. There’s a great chemistry because we have the same vision … to love God, love people and serve the world … and we enjoy being with each other.

Having chemistry does not mean that you will never have conflict. On occasion we have conflict, but the love and respect that we have for one another pushes us to resolve the conflict. Todd has been on staff with me for 15 years. We have struggled through some tense meetings before. There have been days that he probably thought, “Would you let me run my department.” Okay, I’ll be honest; he probably thinks that more than I want to admit.

Recently, we have both been passionate about a few areas. We both want to see progress, but our solutions have come from two different spectrums. On more than one occasion we have closed the door and said, “I know that we have different ideas about this issue, but are we together?” Real chemistry does not mean that everyone has the same views, but that we respect each other as we work out the details. Chemistry is so important. Don’t underestimate it’s value.

When I was in graduate school, there was a line of thinking that said that the Pastor should not be “friends” with his staff. He is the leader, not their friend. That, my friend, is the way to grow a small church. Real friendships enable tenure and tenure provides a stable foundation for growth. Like I said, I have chemistry with the people that I work with, but in these days, I don’t work side-by-side with everyone on staff. How do we accomplish the chemistry aspect? We pass it down. Each department must strive to keep harmony in their work groups. Stevens Creek has grown past the point where I personally work with every staff member.

A funny thing happened on a recent Sunday night. We had a staff and families dinner at my house. I was running late to the dinner because of an Elders meeting. When I walked in my house, it was packed with staffers and their kids (around 60 people in my house). Sitting on my sofa was a staff member that I did not know. That was so strange for me. I thought, “Oh well, this is a different day. Let’s eat.”

One more thing about chemistry and that is, if someone would say to me that I am here to serve God and not you. I would respond immediately, “Clean out your desk. Your ministry here is over.” The staff and volunteers must rally around a common dream and a common vision. If someone tries to develop a vision outside of the Pastor’s vision, then he must go. I know this to be true in two ways. First of all, when I was a kid and was serving at another church, I thought I knew more than I did. I made life for Stephen Conn challenging. He let me go. Ultimately God’s will was done, but the process of it all was not honoring for me or him. I apologize to Stephen for any of my stupidity. In the last twenty-two years, I have learned from my mistakes and hopefully created an environment that is life-giving and one that produces long-term team members.

Today, the challenge of adding staff members at Stevens Creek continues. We have been in hiring-mode for some time. We are staffing for our new campus that will open up on September 13, 2009. Please say a prayer that God will provide the right team members that will train our members to do the work of the ministry.

Quick Ways to Destroy a Friendship

2009-08-17T16:18:00.006-04:00

Do you regularly have friends "grow away" from you? You know they are friends for a while and then you never see them. I am sure that it must be "their" issue and not "your issue." But, what if it could be your issue? Maybe you have been communicating in a way that pushes people instead of drawing them in. Here's a top ten list of guaranteed friendship busters from Nancy Beach.

Guaranteed Friendship Busters

10. Always forget your wallet.

9. Ask, “Have you gained a little weight?”

8. Talk loudly and often about your political beliefs.

7. Tell them how to raise their kids.

6. Come down with a sudden “24 hour stomach flu” on the day that you were supposed to help them move.

5. Invite them to a pyramid scheme.

4. Request a lot of airport pick-ups….at Atlanta.

3. Send a lot of email forwards insisting that they send them to ten more people or bad luck with strike.

2. Limit all your conversations to Twitter.

1. Only communicate through email.

Can you relate to any of these? Now, remember after you read this, if this shoe fits, it's time to get another pair.

Life Change Celebrated at The Creek

2009-08-13T07:24:00.000-04:00

Baptism … there’s nothing like it. The tradition seems weird for some, but those who are followers of Jesus Christ it is an act that dates back to the time that Jesus walked on this earth. The very word baptism comes from a Greek word that means to dip or to plunge. It was initially used to describe someone as they would dip garments or pieces of cloth into dye. Think about it. The garment would be one color and then it was baptized in the dye and became another color.

The common act of baptizing garments became a way to describe how one’s life can be changed through faith. When we were sinners, we were headed in one direction and then we repented of our sins and turned and walked in a new direction. As a result of our repentance and the forgiveness of our transgressions, our lives have been changed. We were dead in our sins and through Jesus Christ we given a new life. To symbolize that the fact that we died to sin, we go down into the waters of baptism and are lifted up in new life to announce the fact that we are born again.

On Wednesday, August 12, 2009, twenty people went public with their faith during a baptism service at Stevens Creek Church. This service was a spiritual marker in the lives of these people and it will be an event that they will always remember. With the August baptism service, Stevens Creek set a new record of baptisms in one year. We are living in the midst of a revival. Don’t miss a service because there is more to come.

California Vacation ... Final stop...Home at last.

2009-08-12T08:24:00.003-04:00

Here it is the final round of the California Vacation 2009. This last stop is the real reason that California was chosen as the Baker family vacation. You see to begin with, I did not want to go to the West Coast for vacation. I did not want all of the traveling from site to site. I wanted to go to the beach and sit on the balcony and drink coffee in the morning and then go read by the pool. Yes, I wanted to do nothing. I heavily considered the island of St. John because Jim and Allyson Campbell have been there and they highly, highly recommend it. You can rent a house for a reasonable amount and then I thought that we could use our airline miles to get us there. Great plan, right? Yes, it was, but Patty did not wholeheartedly endorse that plan. She said that you could use those same airline miles to get our entire family to California and we could use Hotwire and Priceline to keep the hotel expenses at bay. I knew she was right, but the real issue for Patty was that she had to be on the West Coast for a business conference whether we vacationed in St. John or in California. Patty’s logic won out. We decided to build the vacation around her conference / trade show and then work backwards.

As most of you know, Patty runs a business called SecureGive. She provides the technology for churches and non-profits to receive bank card donations through a giving kiosk in the lobby of the facility. It’s been interesting to see the business expand. She currently has close to 150 accounts that involve around 100 organizations. She has become a specialists in helping churches reach their stewardship potential. She never dreamed when she graduated with a sociology degree that she would be leading a software company, but today she serves several of the largest churches in America and notable non-profits like the Pearl Harbor Foundation. Yes, if you visit the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor you will see one of her units.

Patty travels to between five to ten trade shows a year. Within a twelve month period, SecureGive has been at shows or will be in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Orlando, South Bend, and Charlotte. I don’t travel with her all the time, but there’s one conference that I don’t want to miss and that is the NACBA, the National Association of Church Business Administrators. This is the premier conference of the year because you have the decision makers from America’s largest churches. This year’s conference was in Long Beach, CA so now you know why we ended up in California on our vacation.

The NACBA conference started on Thursday. As we were walking over to the exhibit hall, I looked up and saw a familiar face, Ann Williams. Ann was sitting out on the veranda enjoying the 70 degree California weather. Ann attends the NACBA event every year as a part of her continuing education. The conference provides attendees with some of the most up-to-date information available.

After a short visit with Ann, we continued setting up the booth. People always say that in real estate it’s location, location, location. Well this year, unlike previous years, we were blessed with one of the best spots in the exhibit hall. We were on an end of the aisle one row over from Bank of the West near the entry way. That was great because I hung out with the Bank of the West team and could still be close to Stuart, Sarah and Patty at the SecureGive booth. I have to keep an eye on them to make sure that they stayed busy. Just kidding.

The SecureGive booth always gets a lot of traffic because the technology is new and Patty and Sarah are truly the best looking folks on the trade show floor. Seriously. Think about it. Most traveling sales teams are made up of middle aged men, especially if you are marketing software. To turn the corner and have two smiling women, with their freshly painted nails, to demonstrate a new software application, is a welcomed sight. Then you add a sweet Southern drawl people line up just to hear them talk and boy do they talk. Then you add Stuart into the mix. It's a combination for success. For most of the time, I am on the opposite aisle looking at a party that I was not invited too. Oh well. The conference went well. Trade shows are long and they are hard work. By the end of the day, you are ready for a good meal and a soft bed.

After the show closed, we ventured across the street to PF Changs. It was very, very good. I am not sure if the food was that good or that we were that hungry. You know that food always taste better when you are hungry.

When the sun rose on Friday, we were eager to take on the day. We had lunch that day with a couple from Canada, David and Blossom. They were very kind folks and we enjoyed getting to know them. I have to say that she is the first person that I have ever met with the name Blossom. Her middle name is Honey. She told us that her dad wanted to name her Honey Blossom, but her mom vetoed that and they settled on Blossom Honey. We can add her to the list of notable named people that we friends with. For instance, at The Creek, we have Jesse James (recently featured on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire notable name week) and Fig Newton. Fig is one of our greeters at the church. Needless to say, when you meet someone with a notable name, it’s an easy way to begin a conversation.

On Saturday, I covered the exhibit hall trying to find the latest and greatest stuff for local churches. It’s interesting for me to attend a show like this because you hear what other effective churches are doing to reach their community. I landed at the Fellowship Technologies booth and hung out with Steve and Jeff. F1 is an up and coming church management company that serves 33 of the top 100 churches in America.

In the church management market, there over three hundred players, but only a handful of companies that lead the church: F1, ACS, and Shelby are the leaders. Shelby Systems has a newer product called Arena and one of our church members, Christopher Rivers, is a sales representative for them. These three companies go head-to-head with each other with each one having their niche. All of them are loaded with kind and resourceful team members. Conferences like NACBA give me an opportunity to see the newest gadgets and gizmos.

The final day of the exhibit was Sunday. I let Bank of the West handle their booth and Patty, Stuart and Sarah handle SecureGive while Samuel and I went to church. People laugh at me but I seldom miss a Sunday whether I am in town or out of town. Kevin and Todd will often say, “Marty, you are on vacation. You can miss church.” Sunday is the Lord’s Day and I want to be with his people. Now, I am not saying that all those church administrators are not His people. I am just saying that I love to go to worship with fellow believers. Samuel and I logged onto the net and found a Church of God within driving distance. We actually went to the Living Waters Church of God in Fountain Valley, CA. Dan Moore is the pastor of this congregation. When Patty and I were first starting out, I preached at this church in the mid 1980s. It was located in the same spot so it was easy to find. Dan was on vacation and the Youth Pastor spoke. He did a fine job.

After church, we grabbed lunch in Fountain Valley and headed back to Long Beach. We helped them pack up and then dropped by FEDEX and we were done. Whew. We drove to Irvine, checked into the Hyatt, had dinner at On the Border and then to a movie. On Monday, we started the day at the pool. This was one of the only times that we had our swim suits on. During most of our trip, the weather was too cold for pools and beaches. We were finally south enough to enjoy some sunshine. We had lunch at the Claim Jumper, enjoyed a few moments at the South Coast Mall and then headed to John Wayne Airport to board a plane for Dallas. We spent the night in Dallas and then on to Atlanta. We arrived in Atlanta on July 21^st, nineteen days after we had departed.

This was the longest vacation that we have ever been on. It was memorable. When you have two kids in college and one in high school, you learn to treasure the moments that you have all of them together. We treasured these moments and are very thankful that they love one another and enjoy hanging out with their parents. Like I said, we arrived in Atlanta, but our luggage did not. It was still in Dallas. Oh well. It made getting through the airport a little easier. American Airlines flew our luggage to Columbia where Stuart picked it up later that day.

For those of you that have taken the time to read this blog, you have a little snap shot of our lives. We have been blessed by the Lord and consider it an honor to have each other and to have a wonderful church family at Stevens Creek.

California Vacation ... fifth stop...almost done.

2009-08-11T08:36:00.002-04:00

We arrived at the San Jose Airport for a mid-morning flight to Long Beach. It was my first time to ever fly JetBlue Airlines. We had been packed into a Buick Enclave for 10 days so this flight was a welcomed ride. It was great for me because the flight from San Jose to Long Beach was $39.00 plus tax so all five of us flew for less than $250 total. When we boarded the plane, one of the first things all of us noticed was that JetBlue offers DirectTV at each seat. How cool is that? Catching up on ESPN made the trip pass quickly. We landed in the Long Beach airport and discovered that it was about the size of Bush Field in Augusta. We rented a van and headed to Anaheim.

Once in Anaheim, we stopped at a local Mexican Restaurant for lunch. This place had been in business for nearly 50 years. It was clean and very nice, but the food had a similar taste as the Mexican Restaurant in Oakhurst. So, it dawned on me that California Mexican food tastes different than Tex-Mex or good old Pablano’s or Veracruz back home. I prefer Tex-Mex. After lunch we made an agreement that said, “No more Mexican food on this trip.”

When we checked into the Embassy Suites, the boys rushed to find out if the television had input capabilities. It did … whew. Input capabilities provided Stuart and Samuel the ability to connect the X-Box and play NCAA College Football 2010. Yes, we took the X-Box from Augusta to California. I know a lot of parents complain about X-Box and so forth but not us.

It was neat that the boys could play MLB game with San Francisco Giants verses the San Diego Padres on X-Box and then go to ATT park and see it live. MLB is great, but nothing is better than NCAA College Football. One reason that we live this game is that Samuel has mastered the game much to Stuart’s chagrin.

What does it mean for Samuel to have mastered the game? It means that the University of South Carolina typically wins the National Championship every season. The graphics in this game are amazing and also with a little ingenuity you can download the actual rosters, so when South Carolina plays UGA, the quarterback is Stephen Garcia. We know that the game is fictional but when you are lost in the moment, you get that championship feeling.

While the boys were playing Xbox, I took the girls to have their nails done. We found a salon in Anaheim where the stylists declared that Patty was Sarah’s sister and not the mother. I think that they walked out with mixed emotions. Patty left thinking, “All that money that I have invested in high dollar skin cream must be working.” Sarah left thinking, “What? Are they blind? Can they not see? So, that’s what happens when you sniff nail polish for extended periods of time?”

While the girls were in the salon, I made my way over to the neighborhood Wal-Mart. It was here that I decided that over all Californians are friendly. I think that I went to California thinking that it would be like New York, but I was wrong. The managers in this store were helpful, the cashiers were talkative and the customers were considerate. Seriously, I thought that Southerners were the friendliest people in America. Well, that may be true, but those folks on the West Coast are close behind.

As I think back over my shopping excursions, the week before this nail salon experience, we were in Wal-Mart in Arcadia, CA and a lady asked me to help her reach some Vanilla Wafers on the top shelf. I was glad to help and I said, “You are not making banana pudding with those wafers, are you?” Of course, when I say the words, “banana pudding” my Southern accent kicks in. She said, “Yes.” I responded, “I did not think that people in California knew how to make banana pudding.” She said, “I’ve got Southern roots.” We both laughed and went on. Later that evening, we had dinner that evening in Downtown Disney at the Rain Forest Café. It was a great evening and got us mentally prepared for the next day at Disneyland.

On Wednesday, we got up early and ate breakfast and headed to Disneyland. It was the perfect time to visit a theme park. By this time, we had seen a lot natural beauty and had experienced a little sports and some culture. Now, it was time for a roller coaster. We bought a park hopper ticket and started the day at California Adventure. Our first ride was a simulated ride that made you think that you were flying over the state of California. Patty, Samuel and I had ridden this ride two years ago when we vacationed in Southern California and loved it. We wanted Stuart and Sarah to experience this ride too. It’s phenomenal especially since we had just visited Yosemite, San Francisco and the like. As you flew over the orange groves a scent of oranges was released in the room. It made the flight seem so real. We left there and hit the Ferris wheels and the roller coasters. We had lunch and then headed across the way to Disney. Disney was great. The Disney Corporation is a notch above most companies in America. They play at the top of their game. They know how to create experiences that allow people to make lasting memories. We enjoyed our day at Disney. Thanks Micky, Minnie and all the gang!

We made it back to the hotel exhausted and ready for a good night’s rest. We were all in one room that night which meant that we got to go to sleep with the sounds of X-box or ESPN Sports Center playing in the background. At the Baker household, we don’t need many channels, only a few ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN NEWS and ESPN Classic.

On Thursday, we traveled down to Artesia where we toured the Olea Kiosk and Exhibit Company. This company provides Patty and SecureGive most of the units that they market. The owner, Frank Olea, gave us a personal tour and showed us their process. They were in the middle of producing 1200 units for one deployment, but in the middle of that deployment we noticed two units that had church names on them and that meant that they were headed to SecureGive churches. It was funny because the IT guy heard that I was there and came down and said, “Since you are here, I am having a problem with a Pin Pad on a church kiosk. Can you take a look at it.” I agreed. As I was going through the software setup and so forth, this thought hit me, “I am working on a computer on an assembly line in a warehouse in Southern California.” I never thought that I would be doing that. Well, long story short, after twenty minutes or so, I could not figure it out. I said to myself, “No, I am on vacation.” I agreed to remote back in later if a solution came to my mind. I later found out that it was not our fault, nor was it Olea’s fault, but the bank did not set up the account for PIN debit. Oh, the details.

We left Olea and drove to Long Beach where we checked into the Hyatt Regency. If you have never been to Long Beach, you are missing out. It was one of the nicest places on the trip. The hotel was on the small harbor there. The shore was lined with a beautiful walkway and several restaurants. It was great, but when we arrived there, it was a reminder that our vacation was coming to a close and that we had to change gears.

We were staying at Long Beach because that is where the National Association of Church Business Administrators Annual Conference was being held. The NACBA is the grand-daddy of all church business conferences. Patty had a booth for SecureGive at the conference and she, Stuart and Sarah worked that booth. I, on the other hand, hung out at the Bank of the West booth. This bank, who holds the mortgages for Stevens Creek Church, is the leader in church lending. They stepped in two years ago and provided us with funding that local banks could not touch. We are deeply appreciative of their kindness and their willingness to fund our expansion. So, once or twice a year (maybe three times this year) I am a non-paid representative for Bank of the West at trade shows.

Well, there’s a little more to the story. Bank of the West is a Business partner with SecureGive. They sell giving kiosks with the Bank of the West branding on it, but the machinery and the software is powered by SecureGive. It’s nice to have them on your side. Here’s a side note. Two years ago, the President of Church Lending for Bank of the West, Dan Mikes, submitted the giving kiosk in their parent company’s most innovative products contest. Bank of the West is owned by a French Bank that is one of the top five banks in the world. They flew Dan to Paris to receive a second place award for the most innovative product of the year. It would have been nice to have the inventor of the giving kiosk on that trip, wouldn’t it? Oh well. That’s life. We are almost done. Stay tuned for one more round.

California Vacation ... fourth leg.

2009-08-10T10:45:00.001-04:00

The trip to San Francisco featured a swing in temperatures. We were in the lower 70s in the mountains and as we drove toward the bay, it quickly went into the 80s and then upper 90s. Then as we checked into the Hyatt Regency in downtown San Francisco it was in the upper 60s. Californian truly has it all …especially when it comes to the weather. One of the first things I noticed as we cruised into downtown is that it has a similar feel of New York City. In fact, I told the kids that this was the New York of the West. We stayed near Union Square close to the financial district and within walking distance to Chinatown. Sarah, the only experienced Chinatown shopper, said that New York’s Chinatown is far superior to San Francisco’s.

For dinner we walked to Little Italy and had a tremendous meal at a family-owned, small Italian Eatery. On the way back, I was sensitive to my surroundings for safety reasons, but over-all we felt very safe as we walked the streets of the city. San Francisco has a reputation for being tolerate of alternate lifestyles. We, however, did not see an unusual amount of homosexuals. I was expecting it and bracing myself for it, but it did not happen. It was no different than walking the streets of Atlanta. Well, there were some differences. San Francisco and San Jose has a large Asian population. I guess it makes sense. They are closer to Asia than Georgia. Also, stereo-typical Asian is very smart and the Silicon Valley is the home of some of the brightest people in the world outside of Augusta.

On Friday, we took the double-decker bus for a tour of the city. I know that some folks consider this cheesy, but it was really cool … I mean freezing. We were in the upper deck of this bus with a temperature of 67 degrees with a 35 – 55 mile per hour wind. I quickly decided that I could see the city from the lower deck where it was comfortable. Stuart followed me, but Patty, Sarah and Samuel braved the cold weather. As the bus drove over the Golden Gate Bridge the temperature / wind-chill dropped significantly. Instead of running down the stairs proclaiming that Stuart and I were the wiser folks in the group, they stayed on top and froze. Sometimes stubbornness can be painful. Well, after they crossed the bridge, they brought their nearly frost-bitten bodies down to the lower deck to thaw.

We got off the bus at Fisherman’s Wharf and had lunch there looking over the bay. It was incredible; truly a memory that we will have with us for a long time. My goal that day was to end up at Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Store and get ice cream. I have had their ice cream in downtown Chicago before. It’s almost worth the price of an airline ticket for a taste. So, their headquarters is in San Francisco and there is a retail store just steps away from where we were. I could taste it, but it did not happen. We were stuffed from lunch and had to give up on the ice cream idea.

After the city tour, we ended up at Orpheum Theater around 5:30 PM for their nightly lottery for the show Wicked. You see, tickets for Wicked are around $100.00. If you multiply that by five family members , then you get a little indigestion. The concierge at the hotel told us that every evening at 5:30 PM they have a lottery for unsold tickets. You can put your name in the hat for a chance to win an opportunity to buy tickets for $25.00. Thankfully, we won the right to by four tickets and then the winners could buy an additional ticket for $40.00. So, we bought five tickets to see the show Wicked for $140.00. That’s a good deal but my conservative nature said that we need to take it easy at dinner so we grabbed a sandwich at the local Subway Restaurant and then headed to the show. That evening was truly a highlight. In most of the conversations that we have had after coming home from California, the night at the Orpheum Theater comes up.

On Saturday, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and shopped in Union Square. We also stopped by the local Best Buy and replaced Sarah’s digital camera (under warranty thankfully). Then we went to ATT Park to see the San Francisco Giants play the San Diego Padres. Everything about that night was cool…the stadium looking over the waterfront, the players, the people, the atmosphere and so forth. After the game, we loaded up and headed to San Jose. We had dinner at Marie Calendars and then checked into the Embassy Suites.

It was Saturday night and it was my job to find a place to worship on Sunday. First of all, I looked for a Church of God congregation to attend. I am a loyalist. I found several COGs, but none of them had websites or if they did have a website, they did not have a compelling site. In today’s market place, if a church does not have a website, then go at your own risk.

I landed on Jubilee Christian Center with Pastor Dick Bernal (http://www.jubilee.org/). We arrived at their 11:00 AM service and sat down. People were very friendly and the church was large but welcoming. The female worship leader stepped on to the stage and started to sing. She was a female version of Israel Houghton. Wow! As she sung, I knew that I was in the right place. She was anointed and the singers were passionate. It was a great experience. Pastor Bernal did a great job too. I had heard of his ministry through the years and I appreciated the opportunity to hear one of the prominent voices of the charismatic renewal of days gone by. He has stood the test of time and transitioned that church through various seasons. My hat is off to Pastor Bernal. Your integrity is evident. May God continue to bless your work.

After service, we had lunch at Longhorns and hit the mall. What an experience. I felt as though I was in a mall in Southeast Asia. Seriously, I looked at these people and wondered what Silicon Valley company did they work for. I saw a man pick up an Ipod Dock at Marshalls and the thought hit me, “Does he work in Cupertino? Does he write code for Apple?” I know that you think I am crazy, but if you drive down the streets of San Jose, Mountain View, Cupertino, etc, you see all of the major internet players. I was amazed at the number of buildings that had the name Cisco on it. Whew. They have some serious real estate. Then, Google has building after building, then Yahoo, then Verisign, then EBAY, then AOL, then Salesforce and on and on and on. If you have seen it on the web, then they probably have a presence in the Silicon Valley. I loved it. I was getting rush just being in the epicenter of so many brainiacs. Okay, I am a little weird.

Later that night we went to see the movie, “My Sisters Keeper.” If you have not seen that movie and you are looking for a good cry, then go. It’s a tear-jerker. The next day, we visited a East Valley Pentecostal Church. This congregation was one of SecureGive’s first churches on the West Coast. We walked in and talked to Cheri. She said, “Since you are here, one of our units is not working.” I smiled and started working on a kiosk for a few minutes. I realized that I could not fix it there so I sent word to Brennen, our trusty technical support guru, and between the two of us, we had them up and running within a day.

After that stop, we ventured over to Macaroni Grill and then to the outlet malls in Gilroy. While in Gilroy, we stopped by another SecureGive church, South Valley Community Church, but there offices were closed on Mondays. San Francisco was cold; Gilroy was hot. It’s just about an hour and a half from San Francisco. The temperature was in the upper 90s; it felt like home.

Later that evening we checked into the Crowne Plaza near the San Jose Airport so we could be ready for our flight to Long Beach on Tuesday morning. Stay tuned.

California Vacation ... third leg.

2009-07-28T11:03:00.001-04:00

Yes, I left off last time at The Claim Jumper. We arrived in Fresno around 3:00 PM and had not had lunch. We Google texted the Claim Jumper, keyed the address into the GPS and before we knew it, we were pulling into the Claim Jumper restaurant. When you walk into the restaurant, there is a counter loaded with their deserts. There deserts are huge. This was one of those days that I just wanted to start with the desert first and then work backwards, but I restrained myself. As I am writing this note, I don’t remember what I ordered that day for lunch, but I know at the conclusion of our meal, we ordered one piece of chocolate cake. This cake had six large layers. It was a massive piece of cake. We all grabbed a fork and dove in. It was a wonderful way to break up the day’s trip.

Well, after lunch we pointed the GPS toward Mariposa, CA. We drove another two hours and arrived at the Best Western of Mariposa. It was a clean hotel located near Yosemite. By this time, my kids were a little spoiled. We walked into the room (we had two that night) that we had booked for two days and within two minutes all three of them were in our room complaining about the accommodations. Sarah could not believe that we were staying at a hotel where the door to the room opened to the outside. When I was a kid, that’s all I knew. Hotel (ie. motel) doors opened to the outside. The boys, (Stuart and Samuel) were upset because the television was old and did not have inputs that allowed an X-Box to be played on it. We were in crisis.

I convinced them to go on a walk with Patty and me and let’s scout out Mariposa. It was a small town with little or no activity. When I booked the room, I thought that I was booking a room that had views to the river, but I was wrong. Mariposa had a creek that looked over-grown and had limited accessibility. We did a walking tour and covered the town in fifteen to twenty minutes and then, I made the decision to check-out in the morning and move on. The owner of the establishment was kind. He was Indian and reminded me of the many, many days working with off-shore software developers as we launched SecureGive. He tried to change my mind, but could not. When we woke up the next morning, I took a quick look at the hotel’s complimentary breakfast and decided that we needed to eat somewhere else.

We pulled out of the Best Western and drove through town. We drove a restaurant called The Happy Diner and noticed that the parking lot had a lot of cars. It was not fancy at all. It was probably built in the 1950s or 60s. The folks were nice and the food was terrific. Now, I don’t want this blog to be all about restaurants and eating establishments but the Happy Diner was a bright spot in the town of Mariposa, CA.

We drove that day around forty-five minutes and arrived at the entry way of Yosemite National park. We paid the $20 entrance fee and within a few miles had our first stop at Bridal Veil Falls. The first thing noticed was that Yosemite had a lot more people than Sequoia or Kings Canyon. The parking lot was packed with people. The restrooms had long lines and it seemed like a theme park instead of a national park. We followed the crowd up to the falls. It was beautiful. The power of the water was strong and the force of it hitting the rocks at the bottom created a mist that covered the viewing stations. There were people from all over America and many foreign countries gazing at this natural wonder. We left there and drove to the center of Yosemite Village and marveled at the post card-like scenery. It was amazing. Just the day before we are over-whelmed by the size of sequoia trees and now we are mesmerized by the size of the granite mountain in the front of us. The scientists tell you how these were formed thousands of years ago, but I know that God spoke and the worlds were formed. God spoke and Yosemite came into being. Today the hills declare the glory of God and the mountains speak of His power.

We parked the car at the visitor’s center and got on a tour bus and drove toward Nevada falls. We climbed nearly a mile up the mountain to see these falls. When I say, “up the mountain” I mean it. It was a trek. We are in good shape over-all, but this walk made us huff and puff. Like I said, you see the falls after nearly a mile. The trail continued another a mile or so for those who wanted to feel the waters as it hit the bottom of the falls, but we chose to gaze at it’s beauty and then walked down the path that we had just climbed. It was a lot faster going down then climbing up. Once we made it down, Patty, Sarah and Samuel went over put their feet into the ice cold waters of river that formed from the falls. I can appreciate the river without having to put my feet into the cold water. I like it when the ocean is around 82 degrees; these waters were probably around 50 degrees. Too cold for me. We left the falls, pulled out the peanut butter and jelly and had a picnic. Now, my family all loves creamy, but I am a crunchy peanut butter man. I have always been adamant about JIF, but recently I tried the Wal Mart brand and to my surprise, it’s pretty good. On this particular day, it was the WalMart brand.

We headed toward the south entrance of Yosemite after lunch. If you have never been to a national park, you need to realize that going from one place to another may take you an hour or two. We saw great views and scenic valleys as we drove. At the south entrance of Yosemite is a town called Fish Camp, CA. It was there we found the Tenaya Lodge. The Tenaya Lodge is a four diamond AAA Resort and was just what the doctor ordered. All five of us checked into one room because one room at the Tenaya Lodge costs more than two rooms at the Best Western. The property was amazing. We were worn out and quickly discovered the hot tub. After an hour or so at the hot tub, we turned in for the night.

When the sun rose the next morning, Stuart, Samuel and I were walking mountainous trails in hopes of finding that perfect fishing spot. We had purchased a California fishing license the day before and just knew that we were going to land some trout. It was 48 degrees again that morning. It felt more like fall than it did the first week in July. As we walked down into the woods toward the stream, I kept one eye on the trail and another one looking for bears. I did not see any. We found a picture-perfect spot and started to fish. The water looked as though it flowed from the faucet out of our house. It was clear. We had a can of corn and we shared that for bait. We moved up and down that stream with no luck. It really did not matter. We were in the midst of beauty and I had both of my boys with me on an adventure.

After a couple of hours, we decided to drive to another spot. We had wandered down the stream quite a ways and the journey back to the car was longer than we expected. At one point, we were concerned that we were headed the right way. We kept going and eventually found the car. We stopped by the general store in Fish Camp, CA and I talked to the proprietor. He told me that it was illegal to fish with corn in California. What? That’s what we use in Georgia’s trout streams. He sold me some trout bait (whew it stunk) and we went to another stream. This one was off the main road and had rushing waters. This looked like a legitimate stream. I had high hopes. After an hour of casting, I decided not to cast for fish, but to open my eyes and look for them. As I said the water was clear and all you had to do was look to find fish. Well, we did not find any. Stuart went on up the stream and Samuel and I worked the lower part. Neither one of us had any luck fishing, but we made great memories.

We packed up and headed back to the Tenaya Lodge where we found the girls laying out at the pool. We had negotiated a late check-out and it was time to leave. We hated leaving this spot, but our budget knew that it was best. We made a quick stop in Oakhurst for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant. California Mexican food is not like Tex-Mex (we love that) or like Augusta-Mex. The sauces are different. I am not a fan. In fact, we tried one other Mexican restaurant on the trip and then made an official ban, no more Mexican food until we land in Georgia. After lunch, we programmed the GPS for downtown San Francisco. Here we go.

California Vacation ... second stop.

2009-07-25T09:55:00.004-04:00

We arrived in Visalia a little tired and hungry. We checked into the Marriot and had two rooms. As you know, five people in a room for the two previous nights were fine, but it’s good to have a little privacy. The Marriott was awesome. It was the best of the thirteen hotels that we stayed at. We drove through the streets of downtown Visalia that evening. It was neat. Visalia has a renovated downtown with several restaurants, unique shops and a movie theater. We ended up at the Brewery (for food only). The food was good and the wait staff was kind.

I knew about Visalia because Jack Bauer on 24 had gone to Visalia during one of the seasons and secondly, Patty serves two churches in Visalia through SecureGive. On Monday, we stopped by Gateway Church to say hello. The church was much larger than I envisioned. We said hello to the office staff and then drove over to Visalia’s First Assembly of God. The moment that we walked in we felt like family. The receptionists, the assistants, the executive pastor and the youth pastor all made us feel welcomed. Their facility was very impressive. They have over 2000 on a typical Sunday. It was funny that during our conversation Phil Luna, the Executive Pastor, said, “Oh by the way, our Pin Pad is not working.” So, I had an opportunity to help them out. I replaced their Pin Pad and added a driver that they were missing. It took me about an hour to diagnose the problems. As I was working on this unit with a Phillips head screwdriver in my hand, I laughed at myself. As that moment I was three thousand miles away working on a computer. Does it ever stop? You know, I did not sign up for that kind of work when I entered the seminary, but for whatever reason the Lord has allowed me to use a geeky part of my brain to help people. They were very appreciative of a fully functioning Pin pad and I left feeling glad that I could help in a small way.

We left First Assembly and had lunch down the street at Tahoe Joes. It had incredible architecture! We loved the design of the restaurant, but did not enjoy the food. It was so-so. You know when you see a great place, you expect great food. Tahoe Joes did not live up to our expectations. After lunch we headed to Sequoia National Park.

The temperature in Visalia was hot and in the mid to upper 90s. As we drove toward Sequoia, the temperature started to drop. We arrived at the entrance of the National Park, paid the $20 entrance fee and headed into the park. A few miles into the park, I had an ah-hah moment that will always be with me. In fact, in retrospect it was the most significant moment of the trips. We were driving around curvy roads and then we saw it or saw them. Giant Sequoia trees! WOW! I have never seen one. They are incredible. Seriously now, I felt like I was a part of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and I was the one who was shrunk. Looking at these massive trees reminded me that God is so much bigger than we imagine. I have seen pictures of Sequoias, but pictures do not do justice. They are huge.

Our car was loaded down as we drove into the mountains. With each turn, I watched the gas hand go down faster and faster. I quietly started to fret. I asked Patty to look for a gas station on the map and there was one about 30 miles away or so. No problem. Well, I think that must have been thirty miles as the crow flies, but around mountainous roads, it seemed a lot longer. I got real stressed. I tried to remain calm and in my mind I was thinking that I could hitch-hike to the station and back to the SUV. I thought that if they did not have a gas can, I would buy gallons of milk and use those containers. I had a plan. The fuel light was blazing and I was praying for God to have mercy on my stupidity. I reasoned with God saying, “God, I had a 1/3 of a tank left. I thought that I had enough.” In some ways, it was like the parable of the 5 foolish virgins and the 5 wise virgins in the New Testament. (You will hear a sermon on that passage on November 15, 2009). Five of these folks were prepared. They had enough oil. Five were foolish … they ran out. At that moment, I did not know which category I would land in … those with enough gas or those out of gas. The Lord had mercy and we made it to the station and I was glad to pay $3.39 a gallon.

I did have a few minutes of awe and wonder during my low-gas stress episode. We stopped and walked down to see the Sherman Tree. It’s the largest tree in the world. This Sequoia was massive. I was admiring this wonderful tree and then I got a little mad. This is the largest tree in the world and they named it, “The Sherman Tree.” As a Southerner, I was offended. Do you remember General Sherman? From September 2 until the second week in November 1864, he occupied the city of Atlanta. During this time, he ordered the destruction of Railroad yards, workshops and warehouses, culminating in the destruction of 35% of the city. He marched through the South torching everything in his path. As I looked at this tree, I thought about Sherman and realized that winning has its privileges and maybe I am a sore loser, but maybe they should have named this tree something else. I knew that I had to come to terms with this quickly because we were scheduled to see the second largest tree in the world the next day. Do you know the name of that tree? The Grant tree. Yes, another Yankee General. Where’s Robert E. Lee’s tree?

After seeing the Sherman tree, we drove to Moro Rock. Totally awesome! We climbed up the 400 plus steps of this rock to see an incredible view. They say that on a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean four hours away. They say that but we could not see it, but regardless, the view was impressive.

After climbing Moro Rock, we headed to the camp site. This was very interesting. We rented a tent cabin in the Grant Grove section of Sequoia National Park. This cabin did not have electricity, but it did offer community restrooms. It was very different than the Marriott that we stayed at the night before. The rooms had plywood floors with lapboard sides. The roof was made of canvas. It did not have any insulation. It did have beds but again the sheets were not 400 thread count … maybe 100 thread count.

When the sun went down, the temperature dropped. By sunrise the next morning, it was 48 degrees. Brrrrr! I know that Ecclesiastes 4:11 says,” Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?” I was appreciative of Patty’s attempt to keep me warm during the night, but in all honesty, I could have used another blanket.

We got up early, had breakfast, went to see the Grant Tree and then headed to Kings Canyon National Park. This National Park joins Sequoia National Park. One would think that it would be similar, but it’s totally different. I have not see the Grand Canyon, but I would imagine that it would be like Kings Canyon but of course “grander”. We took a tour inside a cave a Kings Canyon. It was neat to hear the story. The tour guide was a great example of a person operating out of his giftedness. He said everything that needed to be said, but he did not have the ability to connect with people. He was young and very mono-toned. It was painful.

We left Kings Canyon and headed toward Yosemite. I knew that we had to go through Fresno, CA. Do you know what Fresno has? A Claim Jumper Restaurant. Stay tuned for further details.

California Vacation ... first stop.

2009-07-24T11:14:00.002-04:00

The Family Vacation

Several months ago, Patty and I started dreaming about our summer vacation. Over the years, we have worked to have time away with our three children. These special trips have produced great memories that will go with us throughout our lifetime. We have had some unique experiences like climbing Dunn River Falls in Jamaica, snorkeling in Burmuda, salmon fishing in Alaska and the traditional beach vacation in Hilton Head. In the spring of this year, I started the hunt. Where should we go? What could we do? I dreamed about a quiet week in St. John or St. Thomas sitting by the beach doing nothing. Patty, on the other hand, kept saying that she had to be in California for a business trip and that we should take the kids along and have a West Coast vacation. I fought that thought for weeks, but I eventually gave in and began searching out experiences in California. We knew that the conference was the third week in July so we looked for a place to rent leading up to the conference. Traveling to California can be a major expense, but we had collected enough frequent flier miles for all five of us to fly to California. That sounded great, but then I was reminded that you could not fly when you wanted to. In fact, the only dates that were available were July 3^rd through July 21^st. Whoa … you mean that we will be on the road for nearly three weeks. Whew. That’s a long time.

Oh well, we got the tickets and began planning the trip. I started looking for places to stay on VacationRentals.com. We used this site early this year and it was great, but this time I could not land on a specific place. I searched and searched all up and down the state but nothing felt right for us. Either we could not afford it or it just was not the location that we needed. So, we decided to go the hotel route. We mixed it up from AAA.com, HiltonHonors.com, to Hotwire.com and Priceline.com.

We left Augusta on the evening of July 2, 2009. Our first stop was about five miles from our house. Yes, we stopped at Zaxby’s and had dinner. Then, we traveled on to the Sheraton Gateway near the Atlanta airport. If I remember correctly, we used Hotwire.com for this room and it was $65.00 per room. That night we had two rooms. Throughout the trip, we mixed it up from one to two rooms according to the price and features of the hotel.

Our flight left Atanta at 6:00 AM on Friday, July 3^rd. I love flying American Airlines out of Atlanta because their terminal is to the left of the ticketing counter. In other words, you don’t have to get on a tram to go to a concourse. It makes life a little easier. We stopped briefly in Dallas and then on to Orange County. When we stepped off of the plane, it was 9:00 AM Pacific time and a beautiful 72 degrees. WOW. This is why people live in California.

We made it to the car rental place and they did not have the van available that we rented. They upgraded us to a brand new Buick Enclave. It did not have as much room as a van, but overall it was very nice. The first thing that we did was to pull out the trusted GPS. We typed in Hollywood and followed the directions to tinsel town. We drove through the well known streets like Rodeo Drive, Wilshire Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Melrose Place and so forth. We had lunch at Houston’s and had a nice server named Michelle. Our kids will tell you that her name was Melissa, but that’s another story.

During lunch I kindly asked her if Los Angeles had a China Town and did it compare to China Town in New York or San Francisco. It was a innocent question, but my kids have not let me forget it. You see, the server was Asian. They felt like that I assumed that she would know about China Town because of her accent. No, I felt like she would know about it because she lived there. They declare that her name was Melissa and believe that I called her Michelle because of Michelle Kwan. Now, who do you believe?

We drove through the streets of Hollywood and then made our way to Venice Beach. This is the place where all of the people with unique personalities hang out. It was crowded and very interesting. Tattoos, body piercing, skate boards and open air weight lifting areas lined the shore. They even had a place where you could get a prescription for medical marijuana. There must be an epidemic of glaucoma in Los Angeles because there were a number of people using well-medicated.

We left Venice Beach and headed to Aracadia, CA. We checked into the Embassy Suites and had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant down the street. In retrospect, this was one of the best hotels of the trip. We loaded up and went to the Rose Bowl for Amerifest 2009. It was a DCI / Fourth of July event. If you don’t know what DCI means … Drum Corp International. I love DCI (little know fact).

One Sunday, we went to Mosaic Church’s 11:00AM service in Pasadena. A former Stevens Creeker, Steve Saccone spoke. We are very, very, very proud of Stephen and his work in Los Angeles. By the way, Stephen has a new book coming out in the fall, Relational Intelligence. We spent the afternoon at his house with his wife, Cheri and son Hudson and another former Creeker, Tyfanni Chaney. Tyfanni was on staff for several years before moving west.

We loaded up the car and headed north to Visalia and to Sequoia National Park. Stay tuned.

Kokomo, IN Paper spotlights The Creek

2009-07-10T13:40:00.001-04:00

I have been laughing at the mis-print on this week's story on The Creek. Did you know that we had 200,000 in attendance? Really it's supposed to be 2,000.

A new way to offer at church

n New electronic kiosks work like ATM machines.

By K.O. Jackson
Tribune business writer

Pastor Marty Baker is the lead pastor of the Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Ga. The church was founded in 1987 in a living room.

He realizes in difficult economic times, after people pay their bills, they often have very little money to give to a church.

He also realizes — from personal experiences — people don’t like carrying cash or check books: They’ve grown accustomed to paying for items by swiping an ATM card.

But there were no ATMs in churches.

In a way, there are now.

Four years ago, Baker created the for-profit SecureGive LLC. The kiosk company partners with churches, schools and charities across the nation to provide easy-to-use software that assists in collecting donations online or on site through a giving kiosk.

Baker said using the machine is like using an ATM. Since installing it in their Evangelical church, they have seen a double-digit increase in giving.

Last year, the church electronically collected almost a $500,000. Baker’s church offers four Sunday services and has more than 200,000 parishioners.

“I knew there had to be people out there like me who don’t like carrying cash and checks but would like to give but can’t. This makes it easier for them to donate and it’s really caught on across America,” said Baker, adding the mechanism is in place in more than 100 locations.

The machine has a touch screen and the user enters their telephone number. They then have a choice of eight categories in which to donate and the bank card is swiped.

“In terms of giving, the economy has really hurt some churches and non-profits. But we’ve seen with SecureGive, some of them have had their income go up,” said Baker. “I think when people see the need to give and help other people in tough times, they are very generous. SecureGive gives them an easier way to give.”

• K.O. Jackson is the Tribune’s business writer. He can be reached at (765) 854-6739 or via e-mail kirven.jackson@kokomotribune.com

Sandlapper Sadness

2009-06-25T06:41:00.005-04:00

If you know me, then you know that I have a special place in my heart for South Carolina and her people. I was saddened yesterday to hear the news of Governor Mark Sanford. I have met him one time, but I really don't know him so these comments are from a distant observer. As I watched the news on Wednesday, I was disappointed that another one of our leaders has fallen into the trap of sexual misconduct. I was saddened for his wife and kids, for his staff, and for the people that he leads. I was also saddened for our nation. We don't need another sex scandal hitting the air waves.

Governor Sanford ... how could you do it? Well, here's how. A person falls into sexual misconduct when he or she listens to the little voice in the back of their mind that says, "You are not getting your needs met. You deserve better than this. No one will know. She really appreciates you. He really appreciates you. She wants you and so on."

I am sure that he has heard that little voice many, many times. Then, one day when he was tired or angry or hurt or bored, he entertained that voice. In fact, he played it out in his mind. He dreamed what it would be like. He convinced himself that it was going to be better. It became such a prominent thought that he convinced himself that it was okay and that God wanted him to be happy. I mean why would have God allowed this person to come into his life if he did not approve of this relationship. There's no doubt that he rationalized his behavior long before he took the plunge. When you allow your emotions to control your mind, you can come up with some crazy thoughts. You can justify behavior that is not right. You can hurt a lot of people.

Here's the problem. Mark Sanford failed to play the next scene of this mind game. He failed to examine the consequences, public and private. Or, if he considered the repercussions, then it is evident that he blazened forward with prideful arrogance which eventually led to his fall.

Governor Sanford, how could you? What happened? Govenor Sanford fell into the trap that many people who have gone before him tripped over. He fell to the same struggle that you have and I have...the struggle to consider ourselves more than others. When we allow pride to enter our hearts, we are increasing the chances for a fall.

The underlying problem in this case is that Governor Sanford was sorry for his indiscretion. He asked his wife to forgive him months ago. What's the problem then? He failed to repent. You see many of us when we are caught in a lie or some sort of sin, we feel bad. Then, we ask for God to forgive us and hopefully the person that we have offended. That's a good first step, but Jesus calls us to repent. Repentance means that we turn around and walk a different way. Governor Sanford asked for forgiveness and even sought out counsel from spiritual leaders, but in the end, he did not turn around and walk away from the sin.

If he had truly repented after his first trip out of bounds, he would probably still be the President of the Republican Governors Association. He still be respected in the state and nation and he would still have a home to go home to. But, instead of repenting he justified his actions and manipulated the circumstances to try to cover his tracks. That seldom works because the Bible teaches that those things done in the darkness will eventually be brought out into the light.

Now, before we join together on the state house grounds with rocks in our hands to stone him, let's be honest, how are we doing with our own issues? Are there any areas in our lives in which we have allowed compromise? Have we listened to that sweet voice in the back of our minds that is laced with evil? Have spent hours trying to justify and rationalize the reasons why we do what we do?

There is no person reading this post that is perfect. We all have temptations. We all must be on our guard because we have an enemy that seeks to destroy everything that God holds dear.

It is my prayer today that God will turn this very negative situation in Mark Sanford's life and bring something good out of it for him, for his wife, for his kids and for all of the sandlappers in the Palmetto State.

--- Marty Baker

PS: For you out-of-state readers, Sandlapper is a nickname for South Carolinians. It original was used as a description of people who live in the midlands or the sand hills section of the state. In the early 1970s, a music teacher, Nellie McMaster Sprott, from Winnsboro wrote a song called Sandlappers. Students across the state learned that song in school and the term sandlapper moved from the midlands and covered the entire state. Just thought you wanted to know. How do I know that? My dad is from Winnsboro and yes I was one of those students who sang that song.

How to Stay on Top of Your Game

2009-06-24T07:33:00.005-04:00

Everyone needs motivation in order to stay at the top of their game. It's the responsibility of the leader of the organization to motivate his or her team members to do their best and to be their best. But, what if you are the leader, who motivates you?

As a leader you have learn the art of self-leadership. You have to know those things that replenish your vision and re-ignite your passion. You have to take the responsibility to not only know those things, but to do them.

The most important activity that I do to stay on top of my game is solitude. I need time alone with God, the Bible and my own thoughts. Practically speaking, I get this mainly on my back porch or my office at home, at times on the treadmill or walking in the neighborhood, or driving on long distances with no one in the car and the radio turned off. God uses these times to recalibrate me so that I can stay focused on what I am created to do and called to do. When I lose focus, I often find myself doing busy work but not really accomplishing any thing.

In addition to leading myself through solitude, I find motivation in seeing the progress of other people. I get excited when I see people break through barriers and proverbial glass ceilings. I get motivated when I see people do things that are unique and unprecedented. For instance, a few weeks ago, I had lunch with Greg Surratt. He is a visionary leader that has pioneered the multi-site church strategy that is sweeping the world. He speaks to over 4000 people from his Long Point Road campus in Mount Pleasant, SC and then over 5000 through video venues. People will tell you that video venues don't work, but Greg will say that for Seacoast and his classic South audience, they do.

What motivates you? Maybe it's time to take a few minutes and find the answer to that question. When you discover the source of your motivation, then trying to figure out what to do today will not be a problem. Your motivation will evolve into motion and before you know it you will be putting points on the score board. So, it's time to get in the game, but not only get in the game, but play in a way that says that you are at the top of your game.

Update from The Creek ... Lee University's 2nd Edtion

2009-06-14T14:46:00.002-04:00

Sunday, June 14, 2009 was a great day at Stevens Creek. The small group out of the Lee Singers, 2nd Edition, led in worship. They did a great job. I was very proud of them and felt that they connected with our congregation. Lee is a premier university with an incredible music department. Over the years this university has had several of their students to become household names in the music industry. People like Jay DeMarcus of the country group Raschal Flatts, Scott Stapp of Creed, Janna Potter of Avalon, Phil Stacey - American Idol Finalist, Steve Fee of the Passion Movement and the world renown Todd and April Stugell. So, who knows, the students on the Creek Stage today may be the stars of tomorrow.

May God continue to bless Lee University.

I Love the Local Church...

2009-06-08T15:13:00.006-04:00

I love local churches. Over the last few weeks, I have visited several churches. When I go in another church, I scope it out. I look at things that most people don't notice. I try to put myself in that congregation and see the good and at times I see some things that need a little work.

Well, today I attended a funeral service at West Acres Baptist Church in Evans, GA. One of the first people I ran into was the pastor, Larry Harmon. He is the real deal. Larry has been leading that church for 23 years and has grown a tremendous congregation in Columbia County. Not only has the membership increased, but the buildings are very well done.

So, what did I see? When I sat down, my first instinct was to count the ceiling tiles to see how large the room is? Well, they don't have ceiling tiles, so I counted the columns and the sound panels. In my non-professional estimate, the room was about 120 ft by 120 ft. I concluded that the seating capacity was around 1,400.

Soon after I sat down, the organist began to play. I enjoyed it. I have not heard an organ in a very, very long time. In fact, I thought: "My parents would love this church." You see, The Creek is a little much for my parents. They had close to 200 seats in the choir loft. I bet when those seats are full, they can "bring down the house". I thought of all of the joy that would be released in that room when the full choir hits their highest note. The organist moved to the piano and started to sing. He's good. Again, my Mom and Dad would love the "Bill Gaither-kind-of-style" he has.

As I listened to Pastor Harmon speak, I could hear the love for people coming out of his voice. So many times, I attend funerals and the preacher is awful, but not this time. Larry did a great job. He was honoring, he was Biblical, and he was encouraging to those grieving.

I noticed the flat screens scrolling announcements in the hallway. One slide mentioned that in the Spring of 2008, they owed 1.8 million dollars and the graph revealed that in the Spring of 2009, they owed 895K. How cool. In a recessionary economy, the members and friends of West Acres have been very generous.

So, here's what I have to say about West Acres Baptist: AMEN Pastor Harmon! You are a great leader.

One Prayer Begins at The Creek

2009-06-07T20:56:00.003-04:00

Today we started the new series "One Prayer". As you may know (see www.oneprayer.com), this is a series that over 1700 churches across America are joining together to experience. This represents nearly 1 million people. Now, that's pretty cool. Today at The Creek we saw Chris Hodges message, "God is More." Needless to say, I loved it. It was right down my alley. When he began with Ephesians 3:20: Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine...", I knew that this message was going to speak to folks in our audience. Chris reminded us that God is bigger than we think. We need to put our faith and trust in him. AMEN ... Pastor Chris. You did a great job.

One a side note, it was cool for Pastor Chris to do a personalized opening for our congregation. I appreciated that ... it made me feel a little more connected to what I was hearing.

Next week, Dave Willis will be continuing the series with the message: God is Faithful. Say a prayer for Dave this week and get ready for an inspiring talk.

A Heart-felt Thank You...

2009-05-21T09:39:00.003-04:00

Last night (5/20/2009), we completed a remarkable ministry season. At Stevens Creek, we have discovered that organizing the church's calendar and schedule in seasons helps us to celebrate victories and maintain focus. Our service times change with the school semesters. For instance, we offer Wednesday worship from January 14th through May 20th and August 12th through November 18th. This gives us a natural time to re-launch which provides the infusion of momentum for the church. We also use this as a time to review our Sunday morning times too. We do not change Sunday morning unless we are forced to because of growth (we have changed Sunday times every year for last three years).

Now, for the purpose of this post. Like I said, we just finished an incredible ministry season. We do water baptisms four times a year. Two of the baptism correspond to the final Wednesday Worship experience of the spring and fall semesters. One is in February to provide those individuals who received Christ during the holiday season and new year push. The other one is in August to celebrate the lives that came to Christ during the summer months. Last night we baptized in water around 50 new converts. So, for the first five months of 2009, we have seen around 75 new converts baptized in water.

Last night was a record for us. Our previous record was around 35 at the conclusion of 40 Days of Purpose several years back. I grew up in a mill village church that constantly prayed for revival and had extended meetings in hopes that the lost would come and get saved. It just did not work. My home church is smaller today than it was when I was a part of their fellowship. As I said, we prayed for revival, but we never saw it come to pass, so I never really knew what it looked like. Well, that's not the case now. today I know what revival looks like.

Stevens Creek is in the middle of a "move of God." When lost people are found and they bring their friends, revival happens. For the last several days leading up to this semester's baptism, I had a sense that this was going to be a big one. I have carried a deep sense of appreciation for the Lord allowing us to be a part of what He is doing. I am awed at what we have seen.

Last night I baptized the daughter of the General Contractor for our three building projects. I have worked with this person since 1996. In fact, we were his first project back then. He was in his twenties and last year our new addition was his 92nd project. We have lived the life of Christ in front of him for over ten years. Last fall, he came on a non-dedicatory event. Then, he came back. Today, he is a regular attender and last night his daughter stood before our congregation and confessed Christ as her savior. It was very special.

In addition to that, I baptized at least two twenty-somethings who earlier this year were strung out on drugs, but today they are free from their sin and free from their addiction. I am humbled by this move of God's spirit. Over and over last night, I heard similar stories like: "I was invited by my friend to come to The Creek." God uses people to carry his message.

The members of Stevens Creek have been God's hands extended to our community. I am honored to serve them in the Lord's harvest field. It's an honor to serve along side of the wonderful volunteers, the leadership team, the contributors, the staff and elders. In addition to that, it was an honor to have the support of our Administrative Bishop, Dr. Don Walker. Last night when I shared with him the news of the baptisms. His reply was: FANTASTIC!

Today I want to offer a heart-felt "thank you" as we celebrate God's grace on all of us.

Mouth in Motion ...Mind not in gear

2009-05-18T07:11:00.007-04:00

Have you ever said something and the moment that you said it you wished that you could rewind the tape? Ugh. I hate it when that happens. One of the marks of a seasoned leader is to know when to speak and know when to keep silent. I consider myself a seasoned leader, but there are times when I revert back to putting my mouth in motion before I put my mind in gear. Yes, there are times when I give a quick reply before the person has a chance to finish their sentence.

Instead of allowing patience to rule, I allowed my impatience to take the microphone. Whew, it happened again yesterday. I was in a conversation with a incredible group of leaders when a comment was made about a situation that I have long since deleted from my conversation logs. I quickly moved to squelched it.

As soon as I spoke up, I knew that I had just made a leadership faux paux. I tried to patch it up, but the damage had been done. I wanted to rewind the tape, but I could not.

So, what's the take-away? Well, I will once again work at respecting the comments of other people. I will allow them to finish their sentences before I speak. I will pause and allow their words to sink in. I will try to listen with an open mind so I can gain wisdom from another's experience. When I am right, I will try not to make people feel that they should not have spoken. When I am wrong, I will admit it and humbly accept a better way.

How did the situation turn out? Well, after I realized my mistake, I attempted to build a solution that satisfies both parties. Hopefully, this compromise will build consensus.

In restrospect, I regretted expressing my opinion so quickly, but I still hold to my original thoughts. However, I should have listened and then shared why I see things differently. Next time, I will think twice before put my mouth in motion.

Pace and Passion

2009-05-09T08:16:00.003-04:00

If you are going to have a passionate life and be who you want to be, you must pace yourself for the long haul. Life is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash. The Apostle Paul wrote:Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

A passionate life requires a lot of energy. It's important to plan times to be quiet. You need alone time. For some of you, the best thing that you could do this week is spend some time by yourself with no cell phone, no PDA, no Internet and no music. Take with you a Bible and a note pad. Allow God to speak to you. Write whatever comes to your mind. Allow God to replenish your soul. .

You will never experience true passion if you are constantly running here and there. You must pace yourself. Let go of the things that are holding you back. Be realistic about your schedule. Establish some priorities and reorder your life. You will find what you've been looking for and you will become the person you want to be.

Calvin Miller wrote in his book The Table of Inwardness about an antique wooden dynamite box in his home. The box was made in the nineteenth century and it was carefully constructed to withstand shock so that so the explosive contents could be transported from the manufacturer to a place of use.On the lid were large red and black letters that said, DANGER DYNAMITE! He said that the last time he saw the box it was filled with common paraphernalia.

The box is like a lot of us today. We are created to be spiritually passionate people, filled with the energy of God, but instead of having spiritual dynamite inside, we are filled with common everyday stuff.

If we are going to be who we want to be and be the people God wants us to be, then we have to empty ourselves of the junk that has cluttered our lives and ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit.

Update from the American Idol Series

2009-04-26T21:07:00.008-04:00

The American Idol series is creating buzzzzz around The Creek.Today's service was packed with 2,041 people (unofficial count). The remarkable thing for me was the response time at the conclusion of the service.There were between 10 - 15 people in each of the three services to raise their hand to make a decision for Christ. That's special. I was raised in a church where we went seven years and only saw one decision for Christ.I love it that Stevens Creekers are passionate about inviting their friends and family members to come to faith.

About Phil Stacey. A lot of times you may see performers on stage and you may wonder what they are like when the stage lights are turned off. Phil and his wife Kendra are the "real deal". They were genuine, sincere, and very humble. He said several times that it was an honor to sing at The Creek. I was not expecting him to say anything like that and for him to say it two or three times let me know that he really meant it. He and Kendra were very kind. I also found out that our own Melissa Lloyd (Kevin's wife) was in a musical group with Phil and Kendra while they were in college. It's a small world.

I asked them about their kids and they said that there kids hated to miss their home church, Hendersonville Church of God, Hendersonville, Tennessee. Phil's dad is the pastor. His kids were at their grandparents today.

Trivia side note: The Hendersonville Church of God was the home church for what country star? Johnny Cash. Thirty years ago, the pastor of that church was John Colbaugh. Pastor John led Johnny Cash to the Lord and baptized him in the Jordan River. You know that you are six steps from knowing everybody.Well, when Pastor Colbaugh left Tennessee, he moved to Louisiana where he was my wife's pastor growing up. Pastor John married Patty and me back in the 1980s. Patty's dad was the treasurer of the Monroe Church of God and I can remember him showing me checks to the Monroe Church from Johnny Cash. Where your name typically goes on the check, his checks read "House of Cash".

Pastor Colbaugh passed away a few months back. He was the nicest guy that you would ever meet. At 62, we thought that he had many more years, but God had another plan.

Six Steps again. Do you know who Pastor Colbaugh's Children's Pastor was? Our own Bob Wilson. Yes, a few weeks after Pastor Colbaugh died, Bob joined our staff. Okay... it's a small world.

Do you want to hear another small world story? Right after the third service today, I met a guy that sang in Phil and Kendra Stacey's wedding. He just moved to Augusta a few weeks ago and has been attending The Creek.

I hope you have a great week. Pastor Dave and I are headed to a conference featuring some of the greatest churches in America. It will be held outside of Raleigh, NC. So, if I am pumped up when you see me on Wednesday, you will know why.

Be blessed.

American Idol Series Begins with "An Opportunity for a Lifetime"

2009-04-16T07:59:00.003-04:00

This Sunday, April 19, 2009, Stevens Creek will be introducing the new series, American Idol. We are very excited about this series because we believe that it is an perfect opportunity to invite your friends to attend church with you. There will be some hilarious moments in the day's program including some "auditions" to sing on stage at The Creek.

As I have been preparing for this week's message: "The Opportunity for a Lifetime," I ran across a Steven Furtick blog post that made me think. Hmmm... I wonder if I will use this Sunday? Come and find out.
The lifetime of the opportunity
“The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.”Leonard Ravenhill
Every opportunity has an expiration date. Exceptional people, churches, and businesses possess the agility to move at the speed of God. This usually means merging into oncoming traffic at breakneck speed.
A lot of people I know are more fearful of making a wrong move than making no move at all. Not me. I’ve been alive long enough to know that if I just sit at the intersection after God has given a green light, He’ll only honk a few times before He passes me by in the other lane. Doesn’t mean He’ll stop loving me or stop using me. It just means that that opportunity is gone. Forever.
If you are currently considering an great, godly, risky opportunity, consider this:The cost of missing out can be greater than the cost of messing up.The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.

Be Positive ... speak LIFE !

2009-04-14T11:43:00.001-04:00

Imagine that you are stressed, tired, and drained. It’s 5:30 PM and you are on your way home. It has been a busy day and a difficult week. You have been on the phone most of the day working through logistical problems with a recent issue that was completely out of your control, but somebody had to handle and that somebody happened to be you.

When you get home, your spouse has been cooped up with a two year old all day long, new construction down the street cut the cable and telephone lines and your house is disconnected from cyber space. All you want is solitude; all your spouse wants is community. All you get is frustration.

Psychologist tell us that every day a man begins his day with 10,000 words and a woman starts out with 25,000 words. Most men use up their allotment by 2:00 PM; most women, on the other hand, never have a shortage of things to says. So dinner time, there is a long list of questions with corresponding short answers. One spouse feels neglected, the other feels attacked. They both long for sweet community, but their idea of community is vastly different. They long for connection, but end up in conflict. If our conflict is not resolved, over time it intensifies and threatens the bond that holds us together.

Have you ever been in a conversation that focused on a couple splitting up? Of course you have. When you first hear about it, the typical question is: “Is there another person in the equation?” In a recent article published by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the number one cause of relational breakup is not infidelity, nor is it money. They cite the number one problem in troubled relationships is poor communication

How many times have we heard, “communication is the key,” yet we never invest time or energy in learning new communication skills. We are going to spend the next two weeks in our new series called, WordCount. Hopefully, these talks will help us make our words count.

People tend to underestimate the power of their words. We say things that we do not mean and mean things that we fail to say. The Bible provides insight into the power of communication when it says in Proverbs 18:21.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

The Message translates it like this:

Proverbs 18:21
Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit--you choose.

All of us are given over ten thousand words every day, how are we using them. Are we using them to encourage or discourage? Are we speaking life or are we speaking death? It’s time to speak LIFE.

Learning to Lead

2009-03-27T10:27:00.005-04:00

If you are going to be an effective leader, you must develop the skills that it takes to stay on top of the game. You cannot become what you need to be by remaining what you are. This is a tough marketplace. You need to be competent. People don’t care how rocky the ocean is, they just want you to bring the ship in. To bring the ship in, you need to be able to navigate through the rough waters. You need to know what it takes to lead your family, your team, your division or your church.

A leader is a learner. This will require you to be well read, to attend conferences, training sessions, tapping into online opportunities and learning from people at every opportunity. If I am going to hire someone on my staff, they must have a teachable spirit and a willingness to learn. If you are going to influence people, you need competence. Part of this competency, is the ability to communicate in a way that people can understand it and receive it. You may be a leader and have vision, faith and God’s blessing, but if you cannot communicate in a way that people can understand it, it is useless.

1 Corinthians 14:8
Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?

You must sell your vision to your team. If you are a parent, you must communicate your vision to your children. If you are a Sunday School teacher, you must sell your vision to the class. If you are an Office Manager you must sell your vision to the staff.

People want to be led. They want someone to say, “This is the direction that we are going.” The test of leadership is that when you declare that this is the way to go and no one is following you, you are only taking a walk. You may not be the leader. As I said, people want to be led. If someone is not performing in the tasks that they have been given, there are generally four reasons why people do not perform to your expectations.

Four reasons people do not perform
1. They do not know what they are supposed to do.
2. They don’t know how to do it
3. They don’t know why they should do it.
4. There are obstacles beyond their control.

Before you start disrupting every one’s life, take a moment and reflect if you have adequately communicated what you expect. I am in the communication business, yet this is hard for me sometimes. As a result, I’ve made my share of blunders along the way. When you make mistakes, admit them and learn from them.

It's Official ... Stevens Creek is headed west

2009-03-25T15:03:00.003-04:00

Official Announcement: Stevens Creek is expanding to Grovetown!

I know that when some of you may read that official announcement and say, "I already knew that." Well, you knew that we were planning to go to Grovetown, but you did not know where. Today, March 25, 2009, we received a contract from the Columbia County Board of Education that opens the door for Stevens Creek to hold services in the brand new Grovetown High School.

So, today we are extremely excited that this dream is one step closer to becoming a reality. So far we have over 60 families that have joined the team. By our grand opening on September 13th, we will have over 100 families. In fact, on opening day we will have over 300 in attendance in Grovetown.

We have a lot of work to do between now and then. Begin praying that God gives us a great harvest in this new field. Not only will this expand God's work in the western part of our county, but it will free up some seats at the Stevens Creek Road facility. It's time to invite your friends...there's room at The Creek for all of them. Bring them on.

Wrestling with Disappointment

2009-03-17T06:38:00.004-04:00

Have you ever expected something to happen and when the decision was made you were left out in the cold? You know how it is. In your mind you plan for it; you visualize it; you simply know it's going to happen and then it doesn't. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Words cannot express the deep disgust that you have. I mean there is something deep inside that just ticks you off.

Now that it's happened you just don't know what to do with the frustration. You try to ignore it and think you will be better in the morning. Well,the morning is here and I am still ticked, still unsettled, still trying to figure it out. Why? Why? Why?

I tell myself that it is not a big deal ... it's not worth it ... get over it. Okay, I am going to move on. Today, I am not going to stew over this. Today, I am going to think positive, look for the best. I am going to look at what I have left and not what I have lost. Today is a new day. I am going to enjoy it. Whew, I feel better already. Thanks for listening. I hope you have a great day.

Oh, are you wondering what I was ticked-off about? Okay, I will tell you... if you insist. I am furious that the NCAA committee over-looked the South Carolina Gamecocks for the 2009 basketball tournament. The Gamecocks had 21 wins and 8 losses in the regular season. Did you know that they were 10-6 in the conference play and were co-champions in the SEC East. Here's what you may not know ... never before in the history of the Southeastern Conference has a team gone 10-6 in conference play and not been invited to the dance. Give me a break! Maryland got an invitation with a losing conference record. The Terps were 7-9 in conference play. I know ... they play in the ACC and supposedly the SEC is down.

Is the SEC really down or have you been listening to the sport's reporters? You see they started saying that the SEC is down before the season ever started. They decided before the first bucket was made that the SEC would not be good this year. It's just not right.

Okay. Let me breathe ... who, who, who, he .... who, who, who, he. Okay, the good news is that South Carolina was invited to the NIT Tournament. We will join the likes of Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, St. Marys and several other notable teams. As you know, the NIT has a great history. It was once "the" tournament to be in. Let's be honest ... would you rather play in the final four in Detroit or in New York City? Hmmm... I love NEW YORK! That's right. The Big Apple ... that's the goal now.

What if South Carolina won the NIT? Hmmm. Now that I think about it, I am not sure that would be good. That would mean that the Gamecocks would be the NIT Champions three times since the turn of the century. Is that good? I don't know. I am still processing all of this.

Here's how I feel today. I feel like a guy that could not get a date for the prom and ended up going to the dance with his sister. Oh well, let's make the best of it.

-- Marty
3/17/09