One Prayer Begins at The Creek

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...

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

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

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

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"

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 !

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

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

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

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