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)