Busy Week

This week has been full of events, meetings, and fun.  I had the honor of going to Catalyst One Day (church leadership conference) in Atlanta Thursday and I will write some of my takeaways next week as I begin to process how to apply all that God revealed to me.

On of the fun things was Luke’s first haircut.  I had seen kids in commercials and movies who went to get their first haircut.  So I figured this was going to be a kicking and screaming with some lady I don’t know holding sharp scissors next to my boys ears.  Luke apparently is not a normal first cut customer.  He did great.  He didn’t even squirm.  Here are few pics from Luke’s first haircut.

The Best Yet…

  Seven weeks down – 10,540 more to go.  This morning while tearing down and this evening at community groups we heard several people who have been with us from the beginning who said this week was the best Sunday yet.  We are slowly working out kinks and learning how to make every Sunday better.  

This week was the second week of our Crazy Love Series.  Today’s title was “Crazy Short.”  We discussed how short our life is and that we are as James says in chapter 3 “… but a vapor.”  Yet most of us live as though we are invincible.  We challenged everyone that even though our lives are like a blink in the eyes of eternity – we must live a life with purpose and meaning.  

We ended the message by Chris (executive pastor) telling a story about Johnny Burry.  Johnny was a formed student of Chris’ at Trinity who passed away two years ago after battling Leukemia.  Chris put together an amazing video after he pasted away showing his impact on this world and those in his life.  It was a very powerful and meaningful time where we watched a young man who was truely living everyday pointing others to God.  

Today might of been the best yet for Capstone, but not the best of what is yet to come.  God has even better days ahead of us.

Reaching the NEXT Generation

Today Craig Groshel hit the nail on the head this morning over on the Swerve Blog. He has been doing a series of blogs on how to reach the next generation. Today’s blog was on being a Mission Ministry. He said:

“If you plan to reach the next generation for Christ, don’t ask them to believe what you believe, instead invite them to do what you do.”

The twenty somethings don’t care about what you believe unless you back it up with action. If they grew up in the church they saw a bunch of talk but not much of a walk. If they have never been to church they saw their community, city, and world get worse by the day and the church just watched.

So I agree with Craig – Smoke what you sell! Good leaders are good at telling us what to do, but great leaders are great at showing us what to do. The church is beginning to see a group of leaders who just don’t talk (preach or blog), but they lead the charge in how to really impact those around them. That is very refreshing and the next generation is starting to see this movement.  Crazy idea – but that is EXACTLY what Jesus did.

Craig ends with these two powerful sentences:

As strange as it might sound, if you truly live a missional and Spirit filled life, the young generation might join you and do what you do, then one day believe what you believe.

Valentines Day Marriage Retreat

 This weekend the Capstone pastors (me and Chris Barrineau) are taking our wives to the a Marriage Retreat in Ridgecrest, NC.  We will be hanging out with several young church planter couples in South Carolina: Jay Hardwick, Jay Mitchell, Chris Reeder, Will Browning, Todd Magouyrk and Dustin Willis.

There are several things I am looking forward to: spending time with my awesome wife, hanging out with these guys as fellow planters and Betsy getting to spend times with their wives, an illustionist, Shane and Shane leading worship, and one of my heroes – Erwin McManus and his wife sharing about marriage.  

This will be the first time we leave Luke for the night.  I will be fine – Betsy on the other is not so quick to dump the kid off at the grandparents.  I am excited to see what God does in this short little getting away for VDay.

Dunk’d Highlight Video

Capstone Dunk’d Highlight Video from Capstone on Vimeo.

7+ miles

Today I have crossed a line I have never dared go – 7+ miles. Two years ago I made a goal to run a half marathon. I got up to the 7 mile mark and traded in my running shoes for hiking shoes because I was heading to Israel instead. Last year we started this whole church plant business (because of my trip to Israel) and planted a church instead of a half marathon.

2009 is the year of the half marathon for me. I have no intentions of doing a FULL Marathon. Since I bailed on my 7 miles run on Sunday I did it today. I miss calculated and instead of running only 7 miles – I actually ran 7.5 miles. And yes my legs feel like stone. Fountain Inn is NOT a flat place. When I finished I was very excited that I did 7 miles in 1hr 10 min 56 secs. When I got home and found out I did 7.5 miles I couldn’t believe it.

We will see if I will be able to get out of bed in the am.

Stimulus Bill might limit churches

This is from page 193 of the stimulus bill, that could be voted on by the Senate as early as today.

(3) PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS.—No funds
awarded under this section may be used for—
(A) the maintenance of systems, equipment, or facilities, including maintenance associated with any permissible uses of funds described in paragraph ;
(B) modernization, renovation, or repair of
stadiums or other facilities primarily used for
athletic contests or exhibitions or other events
for which admission is charged to the general public;
(C) modernization, renovation, or repair of
facilities— (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or in which a substantial portion of
the functions of the facilities are subsumed
in a religious mission; or (D) construction of new facilities.

This is a very general line in the Economic Stimulus bill being debated in the Senate. Some have suggested that it might cause schools to lose government grants or funding if there is a church meeting there. Someone mentioned this to me last week but I didn’t really hear much about it. I asked my lawyer wife. She thinks it is more targeted at “christian schools.”

It falls under (C) which says “modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities”. I interpurt that as saying the money giving to a school can’t be used to make a place better or renovated for a religious group. BUT I am sure the ACLU will use it to say NO CHURCHES in schools.

Something to chew on. Might be a small step in limiting churches in America. You decide.

Unfamiliar Territory

This week has been a reality check that I am actually a Lead Pastor. I am still getting used to the idea that people view me as their spiritual leader. And that God has called me to shephard this church called Capstone.

This past week I have been having several conversations with people about spiritual health and decisions to follow Christ. But the really CRAZY part was when I had ten parents asking me to come to the Fountain Inn Elementary “Pastor’s Lunch”. Next Friday the kids will get to have their pastor come eat lunch with them. The first part of having spiritual conversations and leading people in making decisions – nothing new with being in ministry for over 7 years. NOW being introduced as “pastor” when I walk into a room and kids yelling out “Pastor Walt” – that is new.

I will let you know how it goes next Friday with “Pastors Lunch” at the Elementary School. I am sure some teaches will look at the pastor of Capstone Church and say “That can’t be a pastor, he doesn’t tuck his shirt in.”

The World We Live In

Craig Groshel posted this video over on the Swerve Blog. If you think you know the world we live in, this video will rock your world. It shows how mobile, information driven, detached, and what’s next. My brain is still rocking!