Getting Ready

I've been working with Glenn Grossman on our mail out - we'll print in June and have several thousand pieces to hand out and put in downtown shops and then mail in September. The folks at the Capitol gave us the Marquee this morning for some photos. Leslie is leaving up 1 side of the Marquee for a concert tonight. I thought I'd share one of the pics I took.

Little Richard - Another Piece of Macon History

I'm a little tired - been in ATL all day - having trouble with real thought. Soooooo here's a little more Macon history - Little Richard. He claims to be “the architect of rock and roll,” and history would seem to bear out Little Richard’s boast. More than any other performer - save, perhaps, Elvis Presley, Little Richard blew the lid off the Fifties, laying the foundation for rock and roll with his explosive music and charismatic persona. On record, he made spine-tingling rock and roll. His frantically charged piano playing and raspy, shouted vocals on such classics as “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly” defined the dynamic sound of rock and roll. Onstage, he’d deliver wild, piano-pounding epistles while costumed in sequined vests, mascara, lipstick, and a pompadour that shook with every thundering beat. His road band, the Upsetters, has been credited by James Brown and others with first putting the funk in the rock and roll beat.

Below is Long Tall Sally by Little Richard - another Macon musician. Enjoy!

The Myth that God is Safe

I was reading a blog from Bob Practico today entitled He's Not Safe, But He is Good. Bob's summarizes his basic idea when he writes, I’m convinced the prevailing view of Jesus as primarily a “safe” friend is due largely to the false contemporary perspective of sin. I believe Bob is quite right when it comes to those who are not Christ followers, but there is also a great misunderstanding by Christ followers who believe that God is a "safe" God. The "health and wealth," "name it claim it" believers fuel the fires of this misunderstanding, yet its roots go deep into mainline theological thinking. I have heard it said basically that when we come to Christ everything gets better - better marriage, better kids, better jobs, better lives. I have heard and looked for the "open door god." You know the thought here - don't move until God opens up a door. Presumably this open door will be free of dangers and difficulties and will present a way of relative ease, and if the door doesn't open then God isn't in it.
Is this true? Is this the God of the Bible? Come on! I don't think so.
Read Hebrews 10 and 11 - followers of Christ lost everything, even their lives. Consider the life of Paul - it was filled with danger and uncertainty rather than open doors and safety. The same is true for all of the God followers, and Christ followers of Scripture - Gideon and his mighty men of 300 verses an army that numbered like the sands of the sea - Jonathan and his armor bearer verses an entire army - Daniel and the lions - Shadrach Meshach and Abednego... and on and on we could go. Every single one of them faced great danger and uncertainty even as they walked closely with God. The danger was of death and great pain. The uncertainty was that they had no idea what their future in this world held.
I think that the biblical picture presented over and over again is that of a God who is anything but safe! In fact, I think that the safest place to be in this world is ANYWHERE BUT THE CENTER OF GOD'S WILL. Christ followers - lose the myth - the unbiblical idea that Christianity and God is safe! It isn't! Life is filled with risks and with uncertainty. Perhaps a door will open, perhaps not. When it doesn't then we knock and keep knocking, we seek and keep seeking. Life is filled with danger and even with failure. God does not guarantee success according to the world's standard - neither does he promise temporal safety. READ THE WORD - its clear! A life of faith is a life of risks, and without faith its is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
What risk is He calling you to take?
Maybe its time you got up and took a chance.

Incarnational Life

Being incarnational is not something that we do first and foremost - it is who we are. I am crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer but Christ who lives within me (Gal 2:20). What we do should then follow who we are. When we are dead to self and Christ is alive in us - we will look like Him - being transformed from glory to glory (II Cor. 3:18). Our lives should then, look more and more like His. And evangelism and ministry are not programs, they are a way of living. They are the natural outworking of Christ who lives within us. That is in part what the incarnational life is all about. Below is a portion of a blog from Timothy Cowin - well worth the read.

Incarnational Ministry: The Way of Jesus
The gospels tell us that Christ Jesus was a “friend of sinners,” (Matthew 11.19). He associated with tax collectors, prostitutes, the diseased, and the down and outers of society. The religious leaders despised him for it and called him a glutton and a winebibber, because he attended the parties of the sinners, (Luke 7.33-35). Socializing with these kinds of people ruined Christ’s testimony before the religious leaders of His day. The missional church is also often misunderstood and maligned as it attempts to reach out to people in the same manner of our Lord.

This raises several questions for New City Church: How would Jesus manifest Himself in our city? Who would Jesus minister to? Where would Jesus be? When we answer those questions honestly, then we have to say - THAT is what New City should look like, who we should minister to, where we should be. Anything short of that fails to be Christ in our culture, our city.

Some pretty cool stuff in the making...

It has been quite a week! There are some pretty cool things that seem to be coming together.

Scott Park is working on the website. I'll let you know when its up, but it is really looking good. Scott is a pro - and he's helping out for $0, nada, nothing (I love that part). I just paid the server fee for a year and hopefully we'll be up some time next week.
Scott and I have also been working on the logo - doing a little refining - again, the cost has been $0, zip, zilch...you get the picture. The logo is going to be great.

I met with Glenn Grossman - he is going to do out mailer in September. We had a great conversation and he provided me with a ton of demographic info. Glenn is going to put together the mail out and we were talking about how we could communicate the new church in pictures. Glenn had some GREAT ideas. Did I mention he is also a professional photographer and loves downtown Macon - he's the official photographer for Macon's huge Cherry Blossom festival. I can't wait to see ho this one comes together.
AND
As I was typing this Scott called me. He had just been with his little brother - he's 26. Scott wanted me to know that his brother volunteered for service at New City. He said that his brother loved the idea of what we were trying to do - said he had had enough of institutional Christianity. He's unchurched, has been for years - but won't be for long!

What's next?

That's a question I have been getting a lot - so what's next?
May 30th I will be at the Ga Baptist Convention (GBC) in Atlanta for church planter orientation and "pre-assessment." This is a 1 dayer and if I pass this step as a church planter I will attend GBC church plant training July 9-12.
The GBC and North American Mission Board (NAMB) work together to help planters. Financially it could mean as much as $5,000 toward start up costs and as much as $9,600 per year for 2 years to help with the pastor's salary. There are also other grants available for land and building purchases.
I am also working on paperwork for the Acts 29 church planting network. If I make it thru the 1st phases here, I will attend Acts 29 Boot Camp Sept 19-20. Acts 29 financial help is on a case by case basis.
Both networks offer more than just financial help - there is coaching help as well as other resources and accountability.

On the Mabel White front, I am pushing that this be made public ASAP! I hope that an announcement can come the 1st Sunday in June as Pastor David is away this Sunday. This will allow me to speak freely about the plant in the downtown community and begin working with a printer and mailer on fliers. It would also allow me to seek support from entities like New Town Macon and the Downtown Council.

So - WE'RE OFF - yes I am still a little nervous, but ready to see what God is going to do!

Finally SOMETHING...

The elders officially voted to support the church plant - the details are unclear but here are the basics:
June 1 - Aug 31 My duties and benefits are unchanged as I prepare for the new church.
Sept 1 - Dec 31 My family and I will have full health benefits but my pay will be reduced depending on time spent or duties performed for Mabel White. (I have no idea what that will ultimately be - yet to be determined I guess)
Pastor David also said today that Mabel White could set up a designated account for the church for any donations.

So, that's what I know.

Here we go!

A day in the life...

Tonight is the night the elders meet to discuss the church's involvement in New City's future. I really have no clear idea as to how the discussion will go. It is natural to have some degree of fear when it comes to the unknown - let's look at this practically -

We don't have a savings account to fall back on,

My wife stays home with our children and home schools - there is no other income

We have bills

We eat food

Our vehicles run on gas (a growing cost!)

Our children are growing and require clothes

We need to go to the doctor and dentist occasionally

Ivey is getting ready for braces to make her smile even prettier

LIFE COSTS MONEY

There is the very real possibility that I won't be receiving it from here for much longer and have no idea from whence it will come.

(I do better when I just don't think about it)

And yet, I know - deep down inside -

I know that He is faithful.

I know that He will provide.

I know that I am His, and we are His

And we love Him -

And He is working all things together for good

I know that without faith it is impossible to please Him

I know that He is able to do far more than I can begin to imagine

I know that it is in these times of trouble - when we cry out to Him, and He rescues us that He is most glorified

I know that the cost will be well worth the joy set before me

I know that

and yet there remains a nagging fear.

I watched a little of Braveheart this weekend - I love that movie! I have read that armies feared the Celts in battle because they fought naked and rushed into battle screaming at the top of their lungs. I want to do that - maybe not the naked part - I want to run into this battle screaming at the top of my lungs - because God is able and my faith is strong.

I bet they were a little fearful too.

Allman Brothers - A Piece of Macon History

I've had a couple of e-mail exchanges with David Thew recently from Sojourn, Huntsville as well as completing some app paperwork for Acts 29. Both have asked questions about Macon's history and culture...thought I'd share some of that with you. One of the many great music connections to Macon is the Allman Brothers Band. Below is a video with a number of scenes from Macon put to the tune - Come and Go Blues (Pardon the near nudity of one shot).
As we seek to reach our city, we need to know our city - its present, its past - good and bad. So, in the future I'll add other bits and pieces of Macon facts and history.

You gotta admit - that's pretty good music!

Missional Service

This weekend several of our Mabel White Bapt Church crew led by Andy and Angela Soloman will be loading up the tents, coolers, sun screen, bug spray, and bandages and heading to a local softball tournament to be the incarnation of Christ. Last month was the first time we were a presence at one of the tournaments and the response was unreal. We were the talk of the tournament as people from all over the southeast gathered for this huge regional qualifier. Angela and Andy shared more than water and bug spray that weekend - they shared the love of Christ.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, (Matthew 25:35)

Acts 29 Network Application

I just completed step 1 of application to be a part of the Acts 29 Network. These are exciting and uncertain days. The Acts 29 network has a lot of great guys associated with it. In general I am drawn to them theologically, and philosophically. If you aren't familiar with Acts 29 - pay them a visit! Below is a "welcome" from Scott Thomas taken from their website:

Acts 29 Network exists to start churches that plant churches. God is significantly using our network to influence and shape the church planting culture through both rock-solid theology and contextualizing the gospel. We will not waver on either of these commitments. We won’t water down our theology to reach more people and we won’t attack the culture in the name of Christianity. We are planting churches that are missionaries in their respective communities sent by Christ with the gospel (John 20:21). It is our desire to plant 1,000 new churches in the next 20 years. We desire to make your dream of planting a gospel-driven church come true. We count it an honor to partner with you and to serve you.
Scott Thomas
Acts 29
Network Director

SOLD!!!!

Well it is sold and gone! Thats a great praise. It gave lots of hours of fun and excitement (and a few of pain - I have the scars to prove it). Happy and sad all at once.
Maybe there will be another in my future!
Thanks God for all the great fun!

A Simple Missional Process

I recently read a book by Thom Rainer - Simple Church. Like most books there are things you agree with and like and things you don't. I am convinced - and was before reading the book - that we have complicated how we "do" church. I have believed for years that we need to be intentional and simple in our church form and function. Rainer is huge on this, as the title might tell you. My conviction for sometime has been that as churches we have programs - sometimes many, many programs and events - but no real process.
By process I mean gradual steps of change that lead to a certain result. In the context of a missional church process I am thinking of moving people to be missional individuals. The obvious is that when we have a body of missional individuals, we have a missional church. I think of Jesus and the first disciples - He did not gather them together as missional followers - he led them through a process. That process took them from being fishermen, tax collectors... to being missional individuals who were "making disciples" and "teaching them". In turn those who heard the message of the disciples and believed also made disciples and taught them - and on and on until - I heard the gospel and believed.
So, what will New City's process look like?
As I think about this in light of the ministry of Jesus and those first disciples I see many of the elements that Drew Goodmanson's blog - Triperspectival Ecclesiology - Being the Church as Corporate, Intimate & Group talks about. There are the large gatherings where Jesus taught his close disciples as well as the multitudes. There was an attractional element to Jesus - and hopefully there still is! While corporate gatherings will be Christ centered, I hope that because they are also culturally relevant and engaging - they will also have a certain attractiveness to those apart from Christ.
We will develop home gatherings which will be much more intimate. Jesus spent much time with a small group of followers. These were much more intimate times. These were times a deeper instruction and application - this was the place that disciples were truly made. This small group prayed together, ate together, worshipped together, and did life together. They also did mission (situational) together. So our home gatherings will take on the same characteristics. They will be places of disciple making and teaching. They will be intimate gatherings of people living out their faith. And as they do, they will (by intentional implementation) take on local mission/service projects in the downtown area.
We will also encourage/investigate/always put forward culturally engaging situational opportunities for our people - as an example: round table discussion at a local pub.
The forms will serve to fulfill a process - the process is make disciples/teach disciples/send out disciples to do the same.
In this process we will indeed see the gospel transformation of ourselves, our church, our city and our world (thanks for wording that Sojourn Louisville)

Drew Goodmanson post - thought provoking...

I ran across Drew's blog recently and enjoyed his thoughts. As I am preparing for a church plant I am constantly thinking about the forms and functions of the church. The functions seem relatively clear - the forms do not. What I mean is this - we would all agree (I think) that the church should gather together as a body for times of corporate worship - that is a function. The form of worship is largely left open - how many songs do we sing, what year were they written, what instruments, what time do we start and stop, where do we meet...

Check out this article by Drew Goodmanson - it is very thought provoking.
Triperspectival Ecclesiology - Being the Church as Corporate, Intimate & Group

What NOT to expect from a Missional Church

I stumbled onto a great church and thought I would share it with you - its a church plant in Huntsville, AL called Sojourn Church. They have TONS of great stuff on who they are and what they believe. Below is a list of things you should NOT expect from a missional church - I think I may just adopt these!

10 Things You Should Not Expect From Missional Churches
David Fitch posted this list on his blog. None is my original thought. Good stuff.
BobFides Quaerens Intellectum
Extract:
1.) Should not expect to regularly come to church for just one hour, get what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kid’s needs, and then leave til next Sunday. Expect mission to change your life. Expect however a richer life than you could have ever imagined.
2.) Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with every consumerist capitalist assumption, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have adopted before coming here. Expect to be freed from a lot of crap you will find out you never needed.
3.) Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect to be known and loved, supported in a glorious journey.
4.) Should not expect production style excellence all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple and authentic beauty.
5.) Should not expect a raucous “light out” youth program that entertains the teenagers, puts on a show that gets the kids “pumped up,” all without parental involvement. Instead as the years go by, with our children as part of our life, worship and mission (and when the light shows dim and the cool youth pastor with the spiked hair burns out) expect our youth to have an authentic relationship with God thru Christ that carries them through a lifetime of journey with God.
6.) Should not expect to always “feel good,”or ecstatic on Sunday mornings. Expect that there will ALSO be times of confession, lament, self-examination and just plain silence.
7.) Should not expect a lot of sermons that promise you God will prosper you with “the life you’ve always wanted” if you’ll just believe Him and step out on faith and give some more money for a bigger sanctuary. Expect sustenance for the journey.
8.) Should not expect rapid growth whereby we grow this church from 10 to a thousand in three years. Expect slower organic inefficient growth that engages people’s lives where they are at and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvelously saved.
9.) Should not expect all the meetings to happen in a church building. Expect a lot of the gatherings will be in homes, or sites of mission.
10.) Should not expect arguments over style of music, color of carpet, or even doctrinal outlier issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to drive the conversation

That's pretty good stuff!

Missional Communication - are we with and for?

We had a great discussion last night in chapter 5 of George Hunter's The Celtic Way of Evangelism. The main area of interest centered on how Patrick's message to the Celts was received and why. The Celts perceived that Patrick was both FOR (good will)the people and WITH (identification) them. With Patrick it was amazingly clear through his love and involvement with the people that their perception was correct, he was indeed WITH them and FOR them.
The question was asked: How do the unreached people in our area perceive us? Do they believe that we are FOR them - acting for their good? Do they believe that we are WITH them - we identify with their lives and all of its struggles and pains? Could it be that our message - the gospel - is not received (at least when it is given) because of the fact that we are not perceived to be WITH or FOR the unreached?
Overwhelmingly we agreed that the common perception - sometimes rightly so and sometimes wrongly - is that we are not looking out FOR the people around us and that we certainly do not identify WITH them. Therefore, in distrust and uncertainty our message is ineffective at best.
We also agreed that until we are willing to get out of the walls of the building we call a church and engage people where they are, in LOVE, our message will likely continue to fall on deaf ears.
Great discussion!
Much to dwell on.
Lord I know it is you who opens eyes and softens hearts - do so in me.
Open my eyes to see the people around me.
Soften my heart to feel their deepest longings and needs.
Fill my heart with love and compassion
with kindness and patience
more than words, I truly want to be FOR the people of my city
I want to be for their good
to stand for the oppressed
to strengthen the weak
I want to be WITH them
to know what they feel
to understand their needs, desires and fears
I pray that the message of Christ might be heard and received and believed from me
I pray for the transformation of myself - my church - and my city

Intersect Culture / A Good Missional Tool

Just thought I might share another good tool for helping existing church members think missionally. My current church has developed an internal focus through the years. This material is geared toward helping such believers takes steps outside of the church.
I am using the material during our Sunday School hour. While it is designed for small groups, I am leading 2 pretty large groups through it right now. There is a dvd for each of the 6 weeks that has about 11 minutes of testimony/interviews inclusing folks like Tim Keller, Lauren Winner, James Meeks, Brenda Salter McNeil, and Ken Fong. There are discussion questions and some great Bible studies to accompany each weeks testimony.
The discussion this past Sunday was great! I cannot wait to see what happens over the next 5 weeks. I linked the picture to the website where you can get more info and see a trailer for the dvd. If you are in an existing church and looking for a tool to help mooooooove people toward missional church - this might be for you.

What a woman!

I just thought I'd share a post from Amy - she makes me proud - in a not so sinful way...

Well, it has been a while since I have written, mainly because there are 3 of us who blog in this house, so it is hard to get my turn unless I work at midnight!well, the news is out and it is official... Keith and I are starting a church plant in downtown Macon in September. See his blog for all the details and the logo He is working on. I am in shock and wondering "God what are you doing?" "How are you going to do this, and would you show us all the details now???" You know we really don't want to see it all because we might not move forward in these steps of faith. But as of now we are out there, feels like "mid-air" and we are holding our breath as we step out and go with God.Honestly, I am scared to death and at the same time excited about the ride God is going to take us on. We really are not satisfied with "status quo" and even though I like to make my plans ahead of time, I like how God does it in the end. He is so much more fun and adventurous than I am on my own! So, help me... by praying for me to stay calm and not worry about tomorrow. I will not get out the tents and sleeping bags just yet, unless that is what God tells me to do (if we don't have a house this winter)."I really do trust you Lord!! "

Thanks God!!

Logo help...

I met with a friend - Scott Park. Scott and I graduated high school together (a few years ago). Scott has his own business (Spark Digital Media) and I thought he might be able to help us out in some tech areas. Scott also offered to work on a web site for us and a logo. We are still batting some things around, but I thought I might get your opinion on 1 - post a comment and let me know your thoughts...

well now you've gone and done it

There is a certain fear that comes with certain commitments - I would compare it somewhat to the feeling I get as I approach a jump on my motorcycle for the 1st time. There is that moment when you have lined up the jump, nailed the gas, and there's no turning back... and what is before you is uncertain. How will the bike react, what if I don't have enough speed, what if I have too much speed???? You feel it in the pit of your stomach, it causes your heart to race, and usually I hold my breath... But there is no turning back.

That's the way I feel right now.

I met with the elders to let them know what was going on. The questions were good, but none that I had not anticipated - when, where, why, how much, how... The difference, I think, with the elders asking questions is that THEY ARE ELDERS! They are men in a great position of authority... some very wise men. So their questions bore a heavier weight.

I answered their questions as best I could. Sometimes my only answer is that I am convinced that this is what or when or where that God is leading me. I am convinced that downtown is the place, the Capitol Theater is the venue, and September 16 is the date.

We ended with prayer. One of the elders summarized it this way - Keith is going to plant a church - it sounds like he is convinced that he will do it downtown and he will do it starting this September. as elders, what we need to decide is whether or not Mabel White will support it, how, and what will that mean to the church. The elders will meet again, in a couple of weeks I believe, and we'll see what is next.

So now I've gone and done it.

I've lined up for the big jump,

I just nailed the throttle,

and there's no turning back!

Do you think that warriors have a little fear as they run into battle?

The Cause Driven Church

Read this article from Ewin McManus this morning. I have found it true in most of the churches that I have known very well - we have lost sight of the mission. We have become a relatively closed community.

The Cause Driven Church
by Erwin Raphael McManus
The early church existed with a dynamic tension: it was both expanding and consolidating - growing and unifying. The Bible tells us that first century believers “shared everything in common” and that “the church was being added to day by day.” We want our church to live in this same tension.
This tension is illustrated by two biblical images - the body of Christ and the army of God. The body of Christ is centered on community; the army of God is centered on cause.
Healthy community flows out of a unified cause - not the other way around. Jesus called his disciples and said, “Follow me. I’ll make you fishers of men.” This was not an offer of community. “Follow me and I will give you something worthy of giving your life to” is a statement of cause. But the neat thing is, when they came to the cause, they found community like they never knew could exist. That’s the power of the church.
One danger of the American church is that we often try to offer people community without cause. Without cause, you’re just another civic organization. You don’t have life transformation.
Jesus said, “I have come to the world to seek and to save that which is lost.” The cause of Christ is accomplished by expanding the kingdom of God.

Here's the full article.

a good read

Wednesday nights are discipleship nights at the church. I love the opportunity to teach and to help shape the way people think. One of my frustrations in my current position has been the inward focus of our church. I have been working some to help change that focus (obviously depending on God to open eyes, ears, and hearts). I thought I might share a great book with you - its a history book of sorts - a look at how Patrick went against the Roman Catholic way of "doing" church and contextualized the gospel to reach "unreachable" people. It is very convicting. I have found that as I read it, most of our churches look more Roman Catholic than I would like to admit. Right now I am leading a small group discussion on the book - its been great! Read it and lead your people to read it. I'd be glad to share my discussion questions with you if you are interested.

could it be...

... that I am about to see another great work of God? That was my thought this morning on the way in to the office. The story of Cornelius in Acts 10 and 11 came to mind as well as testimonies from missionaries and Piper's book Let the Nations Be Glad - the story and testimonies go something like this...
God came to Peter in a dream and began to prepare Peter for a task. The task was great, new, and meant some changes for Peter. Peter had always considered the Gentiles as 2nd rate citizens and unclean. God said, no Peter, "what I have cleansed, no longer consider unholy." The Spirit then said to Peter, 3 men are looking for you, go with them with no misgivings.
Sure enough, Peter went downstairs and there they were - 3 men, looking for him.
The 3 men explain to Peter that Cornelius had been led by the Spirit to send for Peter so that he could hear Peter's message. Peter went with the men to Cornelius' home - there he told Cornelius all about Jesus. While Peter was speaking the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening and Cornelius and his whole household believed and were baptized.

It seems that God was at work in the life of Cornelius - a "God fearer" who had no idea of who Jesus was. Cornelius needed to hear the Gospel.
At the same time, God was preparing Peter's heart for something new, something a little crazy, something that involved some risk (the Jew / Gentile thing).
I have heard and read similar stories from all around the world - of men and women - "God fearers" searching and groping for truth, and of the missionaries God raised up to share the Gospel.

Could it be that my heart is stirred for this plant because God is also stirring in the hearts of those who do not know the Gospel?
Could there be "God fearers" in our midst who do not know the truth of Jesus Christ and now is His time - their time?

so how does this work?

I admit I am not the most up-to-date on tech stuff - that's why hangin out with student pastors is so good! I called Scott Whitaker today (Stone Point planter) - he was having lunch with someone and asked if I could call him later - as we ended our conversation Scott said, hey, Nelson (Nelson Searcy - Church Leader Insights and The Journey Church in NY) told me you included us on your blog, I really appreciate that.
I of course said, Oh great, no problem!

Then I wondered - How Does This Work!?!?!

How did Nelson Searcy come across my Blog? Why did he read it?

O the mysteries of life...