No Resolution...But Resolved

Last November I finally went for a physical exam.  JOY.  The doc checked me...pretty thoroughly and then gave me the news... "everything looks pretty good for someone your age (WHAT?), but your blood pressure is high and you need to lose weight" (the truth is I already knew that I was overweight and that my blood pressure was high).  "Start eating better and get some exercise," is what he left me with.
So I did.
I finally gave in to a friend's persistence and joined North Macon Crossfit.  I started eating a little less and cut out a lot of sugar and carbs.  I lost weight.  My blood pressure went down, and I feel pretty good most days (which is probably good for someone my age).  I even convinced Amy to start working out with me - one of the best ideas I have ever had.
I am blogging this as a shout out to all of the North Macon Crossfit crew - thanks for not laughing too loud at my early work outs... heck, my current work outs!  And as a shout out to Amy - thanks for joining me, and keeping me going.  This is no resolution, but I am resolved in staying in shape for a long, long time!

A New Year... A New Start

Every January 1, we get to start over.  2012 proved to be a difficult year on many levels and a year filled with major changes - staff changes at New City, adding 2 children to the family through foster care, losing some terrific families from New City because of moves...  While not all of the changes were bad, this year, maybe more than any year I can remember, I feel happy, glad, joyful to leave 2012 and enter a new year.  

It feels like a fresh start.

Maybe today has helped the start of 2013 feel fresh - our new web site is up and running, a beautiful new series of photographs fills the art gallery, I just met with Ryan and Andy to outline the new sermon series - Freedom, a study of Galatians, Charlie Colgan our newest New City team member is here, he joined us for the sermon series outline this morning, we are one step closer to a new New City Church site, and I am blogging.  

A fresh start.

Truthfully, and thankfully, grace allows us to start over every day...every minute of every day... so I welcome the New Year, a new start and I join with the Apostle Paul and declare, one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I (will) press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3) 

My Girl and A Picture of Leadership

That's my daughter Ivey at a recent event - she's jumping like a champ... and giving a great picture of leadership.

I don't ride horses, but from what I understand from Ivey there is definitely a right way to jump and a wrong way.  

The Right Way - As rider and horse begin to approach the jump the rider makes sure that they are lined up for the jump.  Then the rider makes certain that the horse's stride is right for the obstacle.
As the horse begins its jump, the rider has a firm grip on the horse and is already looking ahead to the next jump.  Looking ahead to the next jump gives direction to the horse upon landing.  Notice Ivey in the photo - the horse is just taking off and already she is looking ahead for the next obstacle.

Once the horse and rider have landed, the rider leads to the next obstacle, lines up the obstacle, sets the stride, and at take off is looking ahead for the next obstacle.

The Wrong Way - 
Ivey had to learn to trust her self and her horse when they took off on a jump.  That trust allows her to not focus all of her attention on the landing but to look ahead for the next obstacle.  If all of her attention were focused on the landing, the horse upon landing would lack direction.  Without a specific desired and communicated direction the horse could veer almost anywhere and would likely slow down.  This causes the rider and horse to have to work harder to get back on track and in stride.  This is all terrible for a smooth and consistent ride that yields a good score.

What does that have to do with leadership?

Leadership is similar in many ways.
Think of the event, or project as the jump or obstacle.  The event or project doesn't just happen on the due date, there is a lot of planning and work that goes into making it happen - lining up the jump, setting the stride.  As a the LEADER you give the team direction.  You set the pace and establish the stride.  How quickly will this need to happen?  When do we speed up?  When do we slow down?  What are the capabilities of the team?  Who can do what?
Then there is the event or project itself.  When all the work has gone in and the project or event is ready to go you jump.  A LEADER doesn't let go of the reins during the jump.  That would be disastrous!  Like the rider, you must maintain a firm grip on what is happening.

With trust in the work that has taken place before the "jump" and the team that is launching,  a LEADER must look past the landing to visualize what happens next.  What is the next obstacle?  Where do we go next?  How do we best get there?  A good LEADER maintains direction and pace for the whole team.

Take a look at the picture again.  Is that how you are leading?

The Missionary and The Medicine Man

Frederick Remington captured more than a scene from the 'wild west' in his painting The Missionary and The Medicine Man. It is the collision of cultures and beliefs and in the midst of the collision stands The Missionary.

The Missionary is not one of them, yet he is liked. He is trusted. He is welcomed into their midst - even into their suffering.

Crucifix in hand, in love and with great faith he intercedes.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

I admit... I enjoy a full flavored heavy, bitter beer. I remember now, as I write, the way I once celebrated St. Patrick's day... with no idea of who he was or what he did, my celebration centered on beer.
(that last part was more of a confession!)

Today is much different. I know a bit more of who St. Patrick was and what he did... and I am humbled. Patrick was an amazing missionary called to people far from God. Against the wishes and traditional methods of the established church he took his love for the Celts and the message of the Gospel to people considered "unreachable". Through him the Gospel went forth and Jesus changed a nation!

So here are a few quotes and an encouragement to celebrate St. Patrick's day and not beer. God's transforming grace is amazing!

I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God, and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every nation under heaven.

I am Patrick, yes a sinner and indeed untaught; yet I am established here in Ireland where I profess myself bishop. I am certain in my heart that "all that I am," I have received from God. So I live among barbarous tribes, a stranger and exile for the love of God. He himself testifies that this is so. I never would have wanted these harsh words to spill from my mouth; I am not in the habit of speaking so sharply. Yet now I am driven by the zeal of God, Christ's truth has aroused me. I speak out too for love of my neighbors who are my only sons; for them I gave up my home country, my parents and even pushing my own life to the brink of death.If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me.

Did I come to Ireland without God, or according to the flesh? Who compelled me? I am bound by the Spirit not to see any of my kinsfolk. Is it of my own doing that I have holy mercy on the people who once took me captive and made away with the servants and maids of my father’s house? I was freeborn according to the flesh. I am the son of a decurion. But I sold my noble rank. I am neither ashamed nor sorry for the good of others. Thus I am a servant in Christ to a foreign nation for the unspeakable glory of life everlasting which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I testify before God and His angels that it will be so as He indicated to my ignorance. It is not my words that I have set forth in Latin, but those of God and the apostles and prophets, who have never lied. "He that believes shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be condemned," God hath spoken.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left

Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Things I Do as A Planter

Some days end in exhaustion - today might. Most days, when I am done I can't figure out why I didn't get more done and often wonder - "What did I do today?" So I thought I would jot down a few things that I did besides the normal pastor a church stuff... whatever that is.

Today's list:

• Change 3 light bulbs – I have a special eye for noticing they are out AND the “spiritual gift” of changing them!
• Clean old show/event posters (and their tape) from the 567 display windows out front
• Ran an existing cable through pipe and attached it to the wall (like it was supposed to be months ago)
• Searched 3 storage rooms for a can of stain
• Met with an elder to discuss hiring
• Met with an attorney to sign IRS paperwork
• Emails back and forth with an attorney re immigration paperwork for a possible hire
• Phone calls back and forth with an attorney regarding an alley easement
• Phone call with local artist regarding art at the 567 and developing as an Art Center

10 results from the first 10 Experiment

In order of how they came to mind:

1. A check for $100 was given to The Macon Rescue Mission from Killian's Cafe. (That's a picture of the official check giving!)

2. Around $750 was given out to participants who met their matches in the Macon Money game during the 3 hour period. This was a great addition to a great day.

3. Almost $150 of that Macon Money was spent right there in Killian's that morning.

4. The day presented a great introduction opportunity - A really high percentage of the day's participants had NEVER been in Killian's.

5. The owner of Killian's told me that the numbers generated in three hours were equivalent to sometimes three days.

6. Greg, the owner of Killian's says that he seeing repeat business from the 10 Experiment's patrons.

7. Fox 24's Michelle Apon is working on a story that covers the day of the event, the day of the check to the Salvation Army, and the next event, giving great coverage of not only the event but downtown as well.

8. We had a great number of Mercer University students who turned out to support 10 and Killian's. For years people have been working to help mercer students connect with downtown for more than a night of drinking.

9. New social connections were made. Props to Macon Money's contribution here. Matching up game pieces meant matching up people - often people who had never met before! New faces, new conversations, new friendships.

10. A lot of fun happened. People waited in line for 30 minutes sometimes just to get a cup of coffee - and they did so happily! People talked, people laughed, people played Macon Money and were genuinely excited to take part in the day.

11. And a bonus - I think Greg, the owner of Killian's lost 10 pounds from working such a fast and furious pace! this was a benefit that we had not anticipated.

Coming Back To Life

2010 was a tough year... maybe one of the toughest so far, and I have had some tough years. I never imagined how hard the renovations to the new building would be. Even now, I have searched for weeks to find the right words to describe things and just cannot find them - but I will try...

In January 2010 we negotiated the deal that would move New City Church and The 567 to a 12,000 square foot building in the heart of downtown. The building had been vacant for 12 years and would require a total renovation - gutting the interior completely and starting new with everything.

Neither New City nor The 567 had very much money, nor was it possible to borrow money for the project. This meant that I would largely act as the general contractor - being here everyday to line up contractors and oversee the work. It also meant that as much could be done by New City or 567 volunteers would have to be. This also made me chief laborer.

Work began in late January. For 5 months I tore down, cut out, put up, hauled off, pushed, pulled, and dragged - in by the end of June New City was able to hold services in the main venue of the new 567.

It then took us a couple of months to finish up minor details and settle in a bit... then we started upstairs.

Nothing was different financially - except that we now had less money! The upstairs of the new building houses a music studio, an art gallery and music venue, 8 offices, restrooms, and 5 large multi-use rooms... quite a bit more work than the main floor. We are mostly finished with the second floor and should have a full Certificate of Occupancy this week.

As general contractor and chief laborer as well as pastor, President of the 567, husband, and father I worked, perhaps sinfully in 2010. The vast majority of the year I worked 7 days a week, night and day, putting in more hours than I could possibly count.

I want to say that God has been incredibly good during this stretch - to me, my family, the church, and the 567. We have fought, as a family, for time and for sanity. The church has continued to grow in number and in influence in our city. The 567 is truly becoming a core part of the downtown community and a great catalyst for transformation.

I also want to say thanks - to Kevin Welsh who has worked about as many hours on the building as I have and who has sacrificed to see us get in. And thanks - to all of the volunteers that I haven't thanked enough for all of their incredible and free labor. And thanks - to all of the contractors who, for the advancement of the kingdom cut prices for us to see this through. Thanks to my family.

I should also apologize - and ask the forgiveness of a whole lot of people - when I am tired I am not the easiest guy to be around - I am sorry.

This year has hurt me more than I could possibly explain - physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

but

I feel like I am finally beginning - BEGINNING - to breathe again - to live again... I'm coming back to life.

Welcome to Macon

A new, New City family is on the way... the moving truck hopefully arrives tomorrow and Jaclyn and Elijah will be picked up from the airport. Zack has been here since Monday after an 18+ hour drive from Boston. Yes, BOSTON.

Why are they moving to Macon? To be a part of New City Church - crazy.

Six years ago I met Zack when I moved from Birmingham to Eastman, GA. He was the youth pastor at the church I was coming to as pastor. After a year or so, Zack left us for school in Birmingham, where he met his wife Jaclyn. After graduation, Zack, Jaclyn, and their new baby Elijah headed to Boston Mass for Gordon Conwell Seminary. Recently Zack and Jaclyn began talking about where they could serve the kingdom - they wanted to be in a theologically conservative church who was striving to advance the gospel and the kingdom in their city and ultimately through all the world. After looking at other churches and other cities, they agreed that Macon would be their home, and New City would be their church. Zack is looking for a job - has his second interview with a local company next week. They have risked much to invest much... and we're glad.

Welcome to Macon Zack, Jaclyn, and Elijah Williams.

A New Home

We have been in negotiations for several weeks with the owners of the Thorpes building, 533 Cherry Street. Yesterday we found out that the building's sprinkler system was operational and passed inspection. We also received approval from Planning and Zoning for a place of gathering - Art and Music Venue. With that, the 567 has a new home!

The new space will allow us some great opportunities in the city. Downstairs will likely host an Art Gallery that will also serve as a lobby. Beyond the lobby we hope to finish out a large gathering area with stage, lighting, and seating for 300. Upstairs we will finish out a more intimate gathering space for smaller shows like we have at our current location. We will also have enough space upstairs for class rooms, studios, and offices. We hope to be able to offer 'incubator' office space for a couple of new businesses willing to locate downtown.

We are excited as well to work with the Refuge here in Macon as they continue bringing music from all over the country to Macon. This automatically doubles the number of shows that the 567 has been doing on a monthly basis and more than doubles the number of people coming downtown to enjoy great music and hopefully dine in our great restaurants. The additional space will allow guys like Sean Pritchard, the Blue Indian, and our own Heather Kemp to bring bigger shows to Macon as well. Upstairs will allow space for our local artists and musicians to teach others their art through art and music classes and summer camps. The possibilities are almost endless...

Oh yeah, and New City Church will have an opportunity to lease Sunday morning space from the 567 - that means our New City kids will have their own designated class space and we won't have to tear down and set up week after week, we should save some $, and I'll have my own quiet office! Stay tuned, we'll post some video soon.

Droided

I fought it for years - not wanting to be connected - I was already waaaaayyyyy to connected - computer at work, laptop at home, laptop on vacation, laptop at conferences...

Then I got a semi-smart phone. It could get and send e-mail, do important mobile stuff like twitter and facebook. With that I could get and receive e-mail from anywhere (yes anywhere - because unlike AT&T Verizon has real nationwide coverage). But - I couldn't do much online and I couldn't open documents - and a few other things that just 10 years ago no one could do from anywhere - except a cold room with walls lined with giant computers (OK maybe 20 years ago).

Well - today I purchased a SMART phone - I think. It seems smart. Smarter than my first 3 computers - able to do 100 times as much as my 1st laptop. Now I can be connected, surf the web, do research, shoot and upload video, take 5 mega pixel pics (with a flash), call you, receive your call, get driving instructions, shop e-bay and more - all at the same time - from ANYWHERE.

wondering if this was really a good purchase.

Ambition Highlights

Last week was a cRaZy busy week as Amy and I headed to Louisville, KY and Sojourn Church for Acts 29's Ambition Boot Camp. Boot Camps are exhausting: there is travel, nightly events, early mornings (8:30 am meetings), afternoon activities, dinners, hang out (late night) and back at it early in the morning, followed by Thursday assessments of potential church planters, then return travel! It is honestly non-stop. Add to that maddening pace the incredible amount of teaching that pours out of one amazing leader after another and - well - it can take days to recover - but who has days to recover?!?!?

So, while it was fresh on the mind, I thought I would share some of the highlights for me from last week, in no particular order...

# Boot Camps and other A-29 events provide me with the opportunity to connect with other planters in the network - much needed.

# The teaching line up at these events is INCREDIBLE - Ed Stetzer, Darrin Patrick, Steve Timmis, Russ Moore, Matt Chandler, Kevin Cawley, Dave Harvey, and Bob Thune all rocked the main sessions.

# Boot Camps are getting better and better at addressing a wide range of issues and need through breakout sessions - Ambition was the best I have attended.

# Sojourn and A29 did a great job of taking care of the A 29 guys there to help with the Boot Camp and assessments - great meals together, great hang out time that included a couple of awesome Louisville pubs and some cigars (love the smell of a cigar though I do not smoke them)

# Wives are encouraged to help in the assessments - that means Amy makes the trip with me - nice.

# Daniel Montgomery invited me to help by teaching one of the breakout sessions - Vision and Values - Great Church or Great City? It gave me the opportunity to share with people from all over the country the cool stuff going on in New City and in our city

# Kevin Cawley's talk was the best session I have had the honor of being in (and I have been in some good ones). Kevin is planting in KC, Mo - but what he talked about described what New City is doing. Really Good! I got to follow his talk with a brief testimony about New City - cool.

# Josh and Meghan Maloy made the trip as well as Patrick and Jennifer McConnell - hang out time with them was really good. Josh and Meghan made their first A-29 event and walked away with a renewed heart for our mission and vision.

# Meeting men from all over the country who have a passion and drive to reach people with the gospel by starting new churches - exciting.

Audio should be up in a week or so as well as video interviews with numerous planters and worship leaders.

A great week! Now to catch up here...

Tis the Season - to ReThink the Season

Earlier this week I was checking out the Advent Conspiracy after hearing much about it and knowing almost nothing. The concept was nothing new, but some of the numbers were incredible... a solemn reminder of the consumerism of my culture - and of my own consumerism.

The Advent Conspiracy is about Christmas - and Christmas spending, but we are actually in the midst of a pre-Christmas holiday right now - Halloween. While Halloween numbers fall far short of Christmas numbers, a Time Magazine article estimates Halloween spending to be 6 BILLION dollars this year. Add to that the dollars spent on enormous Fall Festivals sponsored by churches and quite frankly the numbers are sickening.

Watch this video from the Advent Conspiracy and tell me what you think...

So, as you enjoy a Fall Festival or purchase Christmas gifts,

remember that just $10 Billion could potentially change the world.

in the beginning...

I was asked to contribute to a piece that is being written for the FPD Alumni News. The article will feature comments from several FPD grads who are very involved in downtown and will describe why we love downtown and are so involved. Thinking about what to write reminded me of those first days downtown - and how we got here. Below is one of my first posts on this blog:

so as I was dreaming of

WHERE I might plant a church - downtown kept

coming to mind. A lot

of work and $ is going into rehabbingdowntown Macon. New facades on old buildings, a new Sports Hall of Fame and Music Hall of fame, new stores, pubs, and sandwich shops. Caleb, our student minister and I went to lunch. I decided I would take a look around downtown and introduce Caleb to some areas of Macon he might not know. We had lunch at the Rookery - great burgers and walked around downtown.

It made my heart BEAT.

There was LIFE.

People walking and talking, having lunch at tables along the street.

There was the occasional homeless/street person, the hospital worker, the starched-shirted businessmen, and the whole spectrum of human colors.

That was the place.

That is the place.

In, For, On - a Changing Season

Fall is in the air... at least hints of Fall. Fall is probably my favorite season - football, cool mornings, the bright colors of changing leaves... good stuff!

This Fall brings another change for me. I have been hard at work for 2 years IN New City Church and FOR New City Church - now I have to shift and work more ON New City Church. Let me explain:

IN - Working IN New City Church means I spend time IN the church and IN the activities of the church. Working IN the church includes things like counseling, set up and tear down, study and sermon prep, even concessions and sound at the 567 - the in-house things that you would think of most when you think of a pastor.

FOR - Working FOR the church means that I am working on behalf of the church. This would include attending local meetings outside of the church, working with a group talking and considering a 'Day Shelter' for the homeless, working with New Town Macon and others downtown. These are things that I often do for the good of New City Church. I represent you (New City) in our community and beyond.

Both of these I am very accustomed to as a pastor. All pastors work IN and FOR their churches to some degree, though I will admit that New City's commitment to our city has caused much more work FOR than I ever anticipated. What is very new to me, at least to the sizable degree that we face as a church plant, is working ON New City Church.

ON - Working ON New City means that I will be focussing on things like SYSTEMS (ex. how do we evaluate and train future church planters, elders, deacons..., membership?), PROGRAMS (ex. what do we need in place to ensure that our current and future leadership is well trained, what needs exist for children...), POLICIES (in writing), HIRING, FIRING, BUDGETING... and the list goes on!

The truth is that for the most part, things have been so busy since we started that I haven't had time or energy to work ON while also working IN and doing so much work FOR. I believe that now we have established ourselves well downtown, so I can ease off on some of the FOR work. And hopefully some of our people will take up my slack and continue a lot of the great work that remains to be done. I also believe that getting a bit more work done ON the church will free me up to continue to be more involved IN the church - especially in developing the leadership IN the church.

So it is a season of change. Coming soon in 2010 we should see New City's version of church membership - something we are choosing to call PARTNERSHIP. With that we will add a 5 or 6 week class that I am writing now. We are also looking at training that we would open up to the entire church but that is aimed at developing current and future leadership - classes like How to Study Your Bible, An Old Testament Overview with the Gospel in mind, New Testament Overview, Theology Basics, Biblical Counseling, and more (remember, we are a worshipping community of missional THEOLOGIANS)

On top of that I and other church leadership continue to ponder the possibilities of a move and a more permanent 7 day a week home for New City. We are looking for a strong finish to 2009 as God continues to do amazing things in and through New City - and already the season is changing and 2010 is looking amazing!

Baptists, Gays, and A-29 - What a Day!

Yesterday was quite the full day! I had two major appointments - The Georgia Baptist Convention North of Atlanta for what turned out to be a round table discussion with 8 church planters from the state and several leaders from the GBC, followed by a panel discussion at Mercer University on the subject of Gays and Religion. Thanks for all of the prayers and questions about how things went - for those who want to know - here's the rundown...

GBC and A-29

GBC will continue to welcome churches who desire to be both A-29 and Georgia Baptists.

Churches who desire to receive funding from the GBC or SBC (Southern Bapt Convention) will sign a statement saying that they do not drink alcohol and hold a position of abstinence. The possibility exists that an A-29 church plant who agrees with the abstinence policy of the GBC/SBC and agrees with the ecclesiology statement of the GBC/SBC and who desires to be Southern Baptist MAY (as in - maybe, might, possibly) be eligible for GBC/SBC funding as any other GBC/SBC church plant would be.

Also

I had a great discussion with Butch Butcher the GBC head of church planting about the fact that each Acts 29 church is independent and not all Acts 29 churches are the same. So each church should not be judged based on Mars Hill or Mark Driscoll. Likewise just because some Acts 29 churches take a moderation approach to alcohol, doesn't mean that all do - many take an abstinence approach. Therefore churches should be considered individually when partnering with the GBC and should not be automatically viewed in a negative light because they are Acts 29.

There seems to have been good, honest dialog and there is a mutual respect for one another even though there are differences on secondary issues (though alcohol remains a primary issue for most in the SBC/GBC).

J Robert White, the GBC Executive Director stated that he would like very much to meet again and continue the dialogs. A couple of guys from the GBC church planting team said they would like to come and visit me and New City soon.

Gays and God

(I think that is what the evening was called)

I was a late invite to the table, but gladly accepted the invitation. The panel was made of 8 - 4 Conservative / 4 Liberal

Conservatives: Myself, Eric Ashley (Associate Pastor at First Pres Macon), Chris Fuller (Bapt College Ministry leader at Mercer), Dominique Johnson (local word of faith preacher/minister)

Liberals: Camile Hegg (Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church), Dennis Meredith (Pastor of Tabernacle Bapt in ATL), Chris (Prof of History at Mercer), a Mercer student who is gay

questions:

What is your church's faith tradition and how has it historically viewed homosexuality?

How does your church view membership of homosexuals and their full participation in the church?

How will your church address / respond to the growing acceptance of gay marriage - especially if Gay marriage were to become legalized in GA?

Each panelist answered the question and then other panelists may add to, comment, or question those responses.

I am very thankful to have had an opportunity to participate in the discussion - I learned a great deal. There were a couple of tense moments, but all remained civil and no one yelled - a good night on such a difficult subject. So here are a few observations:

1) The 4 conservatives relied on Scripture - because Scripture holds such a high value to us. We all quoted Scripture and repeatedly expressed that our opinions were not based on feelings, or fears, but on what the Bible says.

All 4 liberals relied on feelings, psychology, and opinion. They gave no Scriptural references and stated that the Bible is important but should not be taken as literal. It is best to take the teachings of the Bible along with modern psychology and a good understanding of culture. Rector Hegg said that we should understand that the Bible is really just stories of people from long ago trying to make sense of life and understand how God was a loving God. (What the #@!!% are you talking about!!!!!?????? - sorry, mental flashback on my part)

2) The most humble people speaking were the conservatives (maybe excluding myself - I wasn't always humble). The liberals in the room were at times arrogant making statements like: the conservative reactions come from fear - homophobia. That statement was made multiple times - I reacted on the 1st occasion by raising my hand and stating - I am NOT a homophobe. I am not afraid of those of you who are gay. The second time I said that the Rector was making gross misstatements of me and other conservatives by saying that we react in fear. The truth is that our position is held based on our theology and based on the teachings of Scripture. Another statement - the problem with them (looking at the conservatives on the panel) is that they are unwilling to look at the findings of doctors, sociologists, and psychologists. There were other statements as well. The conservatives over and over and over presented themselves as broken and dependent on Jesus.

3) I never heard the gospel - in any form - from the liberals. Every answer and discussion by conservatives went back to the gospel - our common need for a redeemer - and Jesus being that redeemer.

4) Without a common view of Scripture - there will never be agreement between liberals and conservatives.

Most outrageous statements of the night:

1) You are not broken or sinful - you are good, just like you are - you are the image of God.

(Who needs to know what the Bible says about you???? Just ask Prof. Chris!)

2) God created me in his image. I am gay. Therefore a part of God must be gay as well.

3) The statement above by the Rector - that the Bible is really just stories of people from long ago trying to make sense of life and understand how God was a loving God.

All in all, a great night - much learned - Jesus was highly exalted. I probably don't have many new gay friends - but that wasn't the hope of the night - sharing the gospel with boldness in love and kindness was... I think that happened.

Broken

Tomorrow night I will participate as a member of a panel at Mercer University. The Homosexuality & Religion panel discussion is comprised of Mercer religious gay students and local religious leaders. The discussion will address the individual's religious tradition and how they have personally or traditionally placed/viewed gays and lesbians. Also to be discussed: what will your tradition do to address homosexuality in light of the six states that currently legalize gay marriage.

I am excited and maybe a little nervous about the opportunity.

Nervous because I am a theologically conservative Christian who believes the Bible - which teaches homosexuality to be a sin.

Excited because this is a Gospel issue. In Jesus we have Redemption and Restoration. Sin has rendered us Broken - but Jesus has come to fix all that is broken! I'll leave it there for now and post more after the discussion.

Pray that I will boldly proclaim the gospel - with all kindness, compassion, and love... pray that it would be heard.

On a side note - My shoulder is also Broken! I just found out today 10 days after my motocross crash. The shoulder bone is broken where the rotator cuff is connected. Moving my arm causes the bone to be pulled away and makes the break worse. I am in a sling that keeps me from moving it. The doc will x-ray it again in 2 weeks to see if it is healing... if so, I will avoid surgery. Pray for that!

Need Prayer

For whatever reason, it seems that God is providing some pretty cool opportunities to speak to different groups. In light of that I ask that you remember me when you pray... as Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:19 pray for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel...

Sept 28th - I spoke at Mulberry Methodist's business luncheon - it was a joy and a great opportunity to share New City's vision for reaching the city and to challenge others in joining God's mission of redemption and restoration

October 4 - This Sunday - I will preach at Macon Community Bible Church's 14th Anniversary

October 7 - I am joining Jason Martin at the Georgia Baptist Convention to talk with GBC leadership (including J. Robert White) about Acts 29 and being Southern Baptist.

November 10-12 - Amy and I will head to Acts 29 Boot Camp in Louisville. The line up for this Boot Camp is incredible! I am humbled to have been asked to lead a break out session for church planters on Mission and Vision - Great Church, Great City. I will also have the opportunity to share a brief testimony in one of the main sessions on Decoding Your City.

January 22-23 - New City Church will host an Acts 29 Regional Event - Plant and RePlant. We are anticipating church planters and re-planters from all over the Southeast. We will have Tyler Jones and Jonathan McIntosh as our main speakers with myself and others, like Matt Adair, Jason Martin, and Jeremy Carr leading break outs.

Almost Every Sunday - It is a great privilege to proclaim Christ week in and week out at New City Church downtown!

Please pray for me, that in every opportunity I will with boldness proclaim the truth and beauty of the gospel!

UPDATE on a New Location

I just returned from a "Pre-development Meeting" with Planning and Zoning concerning our potential use of the old Burgess Carpet Building on Spring Street. The meeting went great! The questions raised were the questions that I anticipated - limited parking, fire safety with no sprinklers in the building. What was amazing to me was the overall support from a room filled with city officials (Macon Water Authority, Fire Department, P&Z, Inspection and Fees, and more!). There was agreement from everyone present that the plans would be a compliment to the city and to the immediate neighbors. And on the question of parking and safety, both departments offered alternative solutions and said that they would help us work through those issues. That is the GOOD NEWS.

Now for the OTHER NEWS. I intentionally said "OTHER NEWS" because I really do not see this as BAD News. I received a call yesterday from the Real Estate agent who has the property listed. The property is now under contract with someone attempting to purchase. That means that if they continue and are able to close, the building will not be available to us.

Bummed? Not in the least! We are currently meeting in a great spot - the Capitol Theater and we have another great spot in the 567. We have no immediate need for another space.

If we have no immediate need and we have 2 great spots, why even look?

Great question! Thanks for asking.

Here are some of the reasons why we are looking - in no particular order:

1) Stewardship - We lease the theater on Sunday mornings for only a few hours, and we lease the cafe 24/7. Initially we had no income and certainly not a 'steady' and 'stable' income from giving. We also had no money in the bank. So, leasing the theater made a lot of sense. We used their chairs, tables, sound equipment, projector...

Now, we have many of those items and our giving is somewhat stable and steady. So, it may be that we would be better stewards if we invested God's money in a building that we could use more than a few hours once a week.

2) Roots - It seems (intuitively) that it is time for us to begin sinking our roots a little deeper into the city. It is difficult to establish those roots without a true home. A home of our own on a more permanent basis communicates that we are here and we are here to stay!

3) God's Leading - Yes that is very subjective, I know. But there is something stirring deep inside that says it is time. I believe that is God stirring - pray with me that it isn't just the Buffalo Chicken sandwich I had for lunch! Pray for wisdom and clarity.

One of the great side notes on this potential move is that several in our city have expressed a great, great concern with our potential move. They fear that we will leave - not be a presence in the city-center. They are trying to help us find a location that will keep us right in the middle of things. It is rare that a church have such favor from non-church people.

The adventure continues!

Amy's Perspective on our Crazy Life

From Amy's Blog

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

okay...update on this never dull household. Did I mention that I visited the ER about 2 weeks ago on a Sunday morning for a VERY swollen lip and a staph infection...got a tetanus shot, 2 antibiotics and some pain med. before that...

I think I mentioned Robby hurt his ankle (possible growth plate fracture) in the fracture boot for 2 weeks, and now he is in an ankle brace and back to playing football with a limp. ahem..

Well, on Friday the boys went to ride dirtbikes and I am at home ALONE with a sleeping baby and I check facebook and find a picture of my hubby's face a little scratched up and bloody. He said something like " nothing broke, shoulder hurt, so they return home after loading the bikes and he cannot raise his arm at all. So, I talked him into letting me take him to the ortho urgent care and he is scheduled for an MRI day after tomorrow. He doesn't have anything broken and this is the same shoulder that he had surgery on when we lived in Eastman. So, they think it may berotator cuff or some tendon tear. we will see...

Then I went to pick up Ivey from her trainers barn and the horse had stepped on her foot and it is swollen, black, purple and a nice shade of blue. Ouch!

Saturday we loaded up early and left at 6am for a horse show in Tyrone GA. Ivey took a spill when Cassie refused a jump during thewarmup, she was okay except for a scraped elbow and a stomach filled with nervous butterflies. She returned to the class for the competition and ended up with a 3rd and 5th place. It was not the best show she has had, but she learned to persevere and hang in there...give it a try and be okay with the outcome. I love her trainer and how she handles Ivey, she was so encouraging after the fall and the difficult times during the jumping class. God is good and after a bad start, she was surprised to hear her name called out for 3rd place! You should have seen the smile on her face, it was beautiful!

We returned home exhausted about 9pm, soaking wet from the rain that held off until we started unloading horses and all of the tack.

Robby did play in his game Sat., but not as hard as he would have liked, since he hobbled around most of the time. They did get a win and so he was thrilled. Keith was hurting pretty bad after coaching the game and taking care of the boys...or they had to take care of him I think...Elijah helped put on deoderant and socks! LOL

Well, that's about the extent of our excitement. And dont even ask if Keith Watson is giving up riding his dirtbike, cause that ain't happenin'! he has TOO much fun on it when he doesn't get hurt. crazy boys...I guess we all just play too hard around here!