Ramblings from a Hoodlum Pastor

The Sending Church Campaign

Here at LifePoint, we're trying to raise $1,500,000 for missions through "The Sending Church Campaign."  God has called us to send teams of missionaries around the world to plant churches that will identify & raise up indigenous people to start language churches where there is no church.  That's why we're saying that God has called us to send the church to be the church where there is no church. 

Team Bangkok will move to Atlanta in about seven weeks for five months of training before heading out to Bangkok in June.  Team Belgium will head out for a few months of training next fall before they move to Brussels in January of 2011.  We also have plans to send a team to China in the next 2-3 years.  In the meantime, our plan is to open our third local campus, somewhere in the Middle Tennessee area, in the next 2-3 years.  So, buckle your seat-belt because the next three years are going to be fast & furious.  That's why we're trying to raise $1,500,000... to help make this vision a reality. 

The Sending Church Campaign is different that any financial campaign I've ever been a part of because it's all about missions.  Raising money for buildings isn't bad.  I'm grateful for the people who sacrificed to buy the land & build the buildings we have at LifePoint  Countless souls & marriages have been & will be saved because of their sacrifice.  So, a financial campaign to build buildings is a good thing.  But, this campaign isn't about buildings; it's about missions & nobody can argue with this or pull themselves out of the game because they don't agree with the style or size of the building or any other excuse they can manufacture to not participate.  This is all about missions.  So, there is no option & no backing up. 

We're asking all who call LifePoint home to make one of two commitments.  We're asking those who do not tithe to make a commitment to begin tithing because this a mandate from God's Word.  So, it's not debatable or optional for a believer.  Because it's commanded by God, not tithing is just as much a sin as adultery or drunkenness o any other sin because it's disobedience and all disobedience is sin.  Yet, stats tells us that less than 5% of church members tithe.  This is sad.  How we can we say we appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross but not honor Him with our money?  How can we say we trust Jesus with our eternal destiny, but not with our money.  So, if you don't tithe, we're asking you to make a commitment to walk in obedience to the Word of God by tithing.  

Commitment #2 is for those who tithe; we're asking you to make a commitment to give generously, over & above your tithe, for a two year period, so we can raise $1,500,000 for missions.  We'll be handing our commitment cards this Sunday.  We're asking you to take these commitment cards home & pray over them to see what God leads you to do.  Then, fill in the amount & bring them back & turn them in the next Sunday, November 22, which is our commitment Sunday. 

I hope you're as excited about The Sending Church Campaign as I am.  Remember, we're called to GO & we can't go without the dough.  What will you commit?   

TAFT vs. LCA

My son, Zac, plays football at Lancaster Christian here in Smyrna.  They play Taft Youth Center this Friday night at 7:30 PM at Smyrna Middle School.  Taft is a correctional institute for juvenile offenders.  They are fortunate enough to be allowed to field a football team that plays local schools on Friday night.  Obviously, they have no home games because they have no home field.  Because of their situation, they have no fans to watch them play and cheer them on.  But, the saddest thing for me is that they don't even get to experience playing in front of their moms & dads.  So, I know it's late in the game, but this brings up an incredible ministry opportunity.

Watch the video below of what Grapevine Faith Christian School did when they played Gainesville State School to get an idea of the powerful effect that some time, attention & love can have on these young men.   

If you're free on Friday night & would like to make an impact on these young men, you can get in the game at Smyrna Middle School for $3.00 if you will sit on Taft's side of the field & cheer for both teams.  If you can't be at the game, you can still be involved in this ministry by donating socks, candy & Christian books for these young men to enjoy.  Just bring them by the church anytime today, tomorrow or Friday before lunch & we'll get these items to LCA to distribute to these young men. 

Lancaster has invited the Taft team to join them in a pre-game meal & devotion.  They are also feeding them after the game because they aren't allowed to stop anywhere, obviously, or even to bring a sack lunch with them.  If you own a restaurant or would like to donate food to this ministry opportunity, please let us know in the church office & we'll coordinate with LCA.

Thank you for you passion to serve this community. 

GREEK WEEK AT LIFEPOINT

This is GREEK WEEK at LifePoint.  No!  I'm not going to be preaching in Greek.  It's Greek Week as in Men's Fraternity begins tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM and I'm calling all men to "man up" and join this fraternity.  But, before you get any ideas of what we're going to be doing, let me guarantee that this isn't going to be like any other frat you've ever been a part of.  This Men's fraternity is about coming together to learn what masculinity is all about.

Here's a weird fact for you to know.  It's physically impossible to like your elbow....See, I told you.  I know you tried it.  Here's another really weird fact, even though there are over 3 billion men on this speck of dust called earth, most can't tell you what a real man is.  Think about it, there's no compelling vision or definition of manhood. 

In most all cultures on earth, there has been a clearly defined time when a boy passes into manhood, but not in America.  Here, our culture teaches that manhood is about age, or the ability to buy & drink alcohol or the conquest of women.  This has left most men in a total state of confusion and confused men create major problems in life.  For example, not all, but most marriage problems are men's problems.  Not all, but most kid's who have problems have truant or absent dads.  90% of major crimes are committed by men.  100% of all rapes are committed by men.  94% of all drunk drivers are men.  Obviously, the state of manhood is in bad shape.

That's what Men's Fraternity is all about, helping men understand their masculinity.  That's why I'm calling all guys to "man up" and get up and be in "The Hub" at 6:00 AM to begin this journey to masculinity. 

Dads, it would be incredible to bring your sons.  There's problem nothing better you can do with them than go through this journey together.  So, if you have a middle school or older son, roll him out of the bed & bring him with you. 

Ladies, I warn you, if you don't want your husband to be a better dad or a better husband or start being the spiritual leader of your home, then keep them away from Men's Fraternity.  But, if you desire for your husband to learn how to be these things and more, then (not so) subtly suggest that he join Men's Frat.  Ladies, it might even help if you make a few promises...if you know what I mean.  I promise, you won't regret it.     

Adoption Ignorance

Obviously, I've been on a blog break.  I've been so busy with church, my girls, coaching football, my girls, Zac's football...did I mention my girls...that I had to take a break from something.  My farm on Farm Town has went to the dogs & my blog was on break.  I'm not getting back on the tractor for a while, but the blog break is over. 

Last week, Bob Smietana, a reporter from the Tennessean, contacted me.  He was writing an article on international adoption, specifically Ethiopian adoption, and asked if he could meet with Amy, Aly Kate, Jadyn & me along with Chris & Dawn Hollomon and their new son Myles, who was also adopted from Ethiopia.  I've done several interviews with Bob, who always does a great job.  So, we met with Bob on Tuesday for about an hour while he did the typical reporter gig, asking questions & writing on his pad while recording the interview.  The article, printed in today's edition of the Tennessean, was my motivation to come out of blog hibernation.  Actually, it wasn't the article; it was the comments to the article.  The article was written to help educate people on adoption, while many of the comments reveal complete ignorance; adoption ignorance, social ignorance & even biblical ignorance.    

One of the critical threads running through many of the comments deals with "taking care of home," rather than adopting internationally.  Listen to this quote;

    "We concern ourselves with too many things overseas. We adopt kids overseas, send aide and         medical care overseas, send missionaries overseas, and try to encourage immigration so people     can flee their country to live here, and then we wonder why there are problems here.

    If your house is crowded, your brother is sick, your cousin unemployed, and your niece is an         orphan do you go to another city to help a total stranger while leaving your family unattended?     This is what we are doing, leaving our family unattended while concerning ourselves with other     people’s problem. Yes we should care, but if we have to choose to help family or strangers, and     we can only direct our assistance one way, then we should pick family."

Seriously?  Well, my house is crowded... my brother is sick (Transverse Myelitis)... I'm sure I have an unemployed cousin... at least I don't have a niece that's an orphan.  If I did, I'd adopt her AND go to another city, state or country to help a total stranger if I could because that's my responsibility as a Christ Follower. 

James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this; to visit orphans & widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."  Wonder why God didn't say, visit orphans & windows in the USA or near your house?  Because orphans are orphans no matter where they are.  It's totally outlandish & elitist to believe that US orphans are more important or should garner more care & concern that orphans in any other country.  Could we be more ignorant of God's passion for the nations?  Do we really believe God loves America more than other countries & peoples of the world?  Are we really that arrogant? 

Amy & I didn't have a choice.  We adopted internationally because that's what God called us to do.  So, I guess those who feel we should have adopted from the USA rather than another country must have a god complex because they obviously feel their opinion trumps God's Word or God's call.  By the way, I wonder how many people who feel so strongly that we need to "take care of our own" have  actually adopted an orphan in the USA?  I'd love to know the answer to that question.   

Another quote that saddened me came from a lady who has also adopted from China.  It was in reference to the quote in the article about "rescuing orphans," something that we didn't say, by the way, but have absolutely no problem with.  Listen to her quote:

    "I have a slight problem with the word "rescue." Is this their primary reason for adopting a child     from overseas, or anywhere? To "rescue" that child? I think a person should adopt a child,             domestically or internationally, because they truly want to be a parent.  They truly want to love     a child. All children deserve a loving home. They should not have to feel grateful for that loving     home. Adopting in order to rescue seems a little ethnocentric to me. Is this how they will              explain it to their child when the child gets older? "We adopted you because we wanted to             rescue you from your birth country." I hope not. Kids aren't stupid. They will figure it out             eventually."

I know tons of people who've adopted from all over the world & the USA and everyone I know in the adoption community would ask this lady to please, do us a favor and don't speak for the adoption community. 

First of all, as I said, we didn't use the term "rescue" but it is completely appropriate.  The Psalmist said is Psalm 18:19, "He brought me out into a broad place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."  This lady made a huge assumption that we only adopted our daughters to "rescue" them & not because we wanted to be a parent or because we loved them.  In fact, as Psalm 18:19 alludes, we did indeed "rescue" them because we delight in them.    

Also, in Psalm 82:4, the Psalmist commands us to "rescue the weak and needy..."  Proverbs 24:11 says, "Rescue those who are being taken away to death."  I'm sorry she doesn't like the word rescue, but God clearly commands us to rescue those who are weak & in need.  So, even though she might not like the term rescue when referring to orphans, it's clearly a biblical concept & I'm more interested in God's heart on the matter than someone's opinion.

Oh, and make no mistake, we didn't "rescue" either of our daughters from their "birth country;" we "rescued" them from poverty, starvation, neglect, abuse, loneliness, etc.  But, I'm sure of one thing, I will tell my daughters that I adopted them to rescue them from these realities because I delight in them enough to sacrifice everything for them.  But, if she thinks it's better to tell her daughters that their adoption was more about meeting her need to be a parent than their needs, she's free to do so.  I just want my daughters to know their adoption was about them & not us.

Sorry if this was too much of a rant.  I guess I've been in hibernation too long.

 

  

Monday Morning Quarterback

I know it's Sunday night, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down at my computer for more than 2 minutes today.  Anyway, looking back over the weekend...

Our new Stewarts Creek Campus came out of the gate yesterday with a loud bang.  We had over 500 in attendance.  I know a few of these were there to check things out from the Smyrna Campus, but this was amazing.  We're already planning how & when we'll add a third worship service at SC.  Looks like it's going to be a lot sooner than we anticipated. 

If you were at the pre-;launch service last week, then you may have noticed that the video was a little fuzzier yesterday than last week.  We had a power surge at the Smyrna Campus that knocked out the power momentarily.  When the power went down, the camera reset to its default focus settings.  Since this is so new to us, no one thought to reset the focus.  WE KNOW NOW.  So, next week, barring some other unforeseen glitch, the video should be perfect & totally life-like.

We had around 30 new small groups begin going through the Centered curriculum last night.  If you're not in a small group, please go by the centered table in the lobby this Sunday & ask about jumping in.  If you really want to live a Christ Centered life, then small group isn't an option.  We're having what we call a super group that begins this week.  So, no one has an excuse to be on an island or not be involved.     

Finally, as I think back over the weekend, it was obviously really brainless to start TO in my fantasy football league.  Oh well, play & learn. 

Just Suff

STEWARTS CREEK CAMPUS
The pre-launch service for the Stewart Creek Campus went phenomenal.  The video is absolutely amazing.  It's life-sized & such high quality resolution that it almost looks 3-D...sort of scary, really. 

We're really pumped about this week's Grand Opening service.  Remember, if you live in one of the neighborhoods off of Almaville Road, you need to invite all your neighbors to be a part of this exciting new launch.  You can either go to our website & send an e-invite or pick up some invite cards & hand them out.  Don't miss this great opportunity to tell everyone in the community about what's going on at LifePoint.

GODOLOGY...
...kicks back off this week.  This class is designed more like what you might get at a seminary theology class.  I'll kick it off this Wednesday night at 6:30 by talking about Salvation.  If we can understand the theology of our salvation, our view & praise of God will sky rocket.  So, be there or be square.   

CENTERED
Don't forget our brand new series that kicks of this week called "CENTERED."  LifePoint Church exists to lead people to a Christ CENTERED life.  Through this series, we're going to be talking about what the CENTERED in Christ CENTERED is all about.  We'll talk about five spiritual disciplines that we hold up as expectations for all members of LifePoint.  So, it's gonna be fun series.   

Stewarts Creek Campus

I went to the new Stewart Creek Campus open house this morning and all I can say is WOW!  The place looks amazing...our kids are going to rock it out in Soul Station...the World Cup Cafe area is incredible...the preschool area is bright & hoppin'...and the auditorium blew my mind.  The video is so incredibly life-like, most people who walked in the back actually thought I was on stage speaking.  One woman even asked if the flash on her camera would distract me if she took a shot. 

Our first service in this new campus is tomorrow.  This service will be for all Lifer's who committed to going over to our SC Campus as missionaries to reach the neighborhoods in the Stewart Creek area.  Then, next Sunday, September 13, will be our official Grand Opening.  I'm so pumped about all the people who'll be reached for God's Kingdom through this new campus. If you live in the area or are going to serve in the SC Campus, please invite all your friends to be a part of this new & exciting opportunity to build God's Kingdom.  Thank you to the many people who've spent many hours working hard over the last two months to make this happen.  It's mind boggling.

A Picture of Discipleship

You've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words.  If that's true, then this picture is worth millions.  It's a picture of the number of people that LifePoint is sending out over the next 18 months to be missionaries in Belgium & Bangkok.  It doesn't even capture them all; we have one family in Team bangkok not in the picture because they're in India.

This is visible evidence that Lifepoint isn't just about making converts; we're passionate about "making disciples."  These people were willing to sell out, literally, and move to another country to make God famous.  Thank you, Jesus, for allowing us to see you grow people to the point of total surrender.  Thank you, LifePoint, for your passion for the kingdom. 

By the way, I hijacked this pic from Kyle & I think he hijacked it from a member of Team Belgium. 

Alarming Stats & the Excuses We Make

Yesterday, I tweeted two very alarming stats that created some good discussion.  I came across these stats in the news letter of the staff evangelist of the president of the Southern baptist convention.  Here's the stats as I received them:

- 80% of churches are in decline.

- 10,000 Southern Baptist Churches failed to baptize one person last year.

- 11,000 SBC churches baptized less than six persons last year.

- 98%  SBC churches baptized less than 29 people last year.

- Southern Baptist baptized a many in the 1950's as we do today.

- Approximately 60% of SBC failed to baptize at least one teenager last year.

- 75% - 85% of all conversions occur prior to the age of 16.

- 88% of our teenagers will drop out of church after high school.

- America is the fourth largest unreached country in the world.

- only 1 in 20 churches is growing by conversion growth.

- 3,000,000 people are leaving the church every year.

- The most credible evidence reveals that Americans attend church on any given weekend.

If these stats don't alarm you as a Christ follower, then you might not have a spiritual pulse.  Anytime you bring up stats like these, some people get defensive & start barking out excuses about people being too interested in numbers. 

Last time I checked, numbers are extremely important.  Would you ignore the numbers of your blood pressure or your sugar levels or your pulse?  Not if you want to be healthy!  Do you ignore the numbers in your bank account or your 401K?  Not if you want to be financially healthy & responsible.  Then, why would anyone not be interested in numbers of people being baptized?  There are only a few reasons; you either don't care or you're making an excuse as to why it's not happening. 

Last time I checked, the Bible talks a lot about numbers, even telling us the number of people who embraced Christ & got baptized.  Last time I checked, numbers represented souls & I want to see heaven populated with large numbers of people from every tribe & language & culture. 

In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, "For the Son of Man came to seek & to save the lost."  Right before He ascended back to heaven to be with the Father, He said in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  He made clear His life's mission statement for invading our planet & then He empowered & challenged His followers to be about His task of bringing people to the Father.  He told us why He put on a human body and came to this planet; then He established the church to be His body on this planet.  So, if anyone thinks it's OK for a church to exist & not baptize people year of year or for us to baptize the same number of people we did in the 1950's as a denomination, then you don't know the heart of God or the mission of the church.

Another ridiculous excuse is the whole debate of quality versus quantity.  This argument goes something like this, you talk about the number of baptisms, but it's really about the number of growing disciples.  You get no argument from me about true discipleship.  But, bottom line, true disciples are passionate about the heart of God for lost people.  True spiritual maturity isn't measured in how many Bible verses you know or how many times a week you go to church.  True spiritual maturity is revealed in the extent that what breaks God's heart breaks your heart, to the extent that you love what God loves & hate what God hates & God hates sin & loves lost people.  So, please, don't use this lousy excuse.  It's not either or folks; it's both and.  Remember, the Great Commission commands us to make disciples & baptize.  

Probably, one of the most ridiculous excuses I've heard through the years goes like this, "So & so church is only growing because they're compromising."  Yeah, man that's mature.  Most of the time, they have absolutely no clue what that church is really doing because they've never been & never sat down & talked to the pastor.  It's just pure gossip & childlike jealousy & immaturity.  Are there churches that compromise?  Obviously.  But to say that a church is compromising because they're baptizing a lot of people reveals more about the person doing the criticizing than the church being criticized.

Now, please understand, these stats aren't necessarily an indictment on any particular church.  There are many reasons churches go through season with fewer baptism.  Sometimes, it a season of planting or watering & sometimes it's a season of harvesting.  Some churches are in communities with fewer people.  Sometimes, there are just issues in the church that effect everything the church does for a while, including baptisms.  A church is a family & like any family, there are great years & there are not so great years.  So, please don't read these stats & conclude that every church that doesn't baptize a lot of people has flat lined or doesn't have people who love Jesus or want to see people come into His kingdom.  That's just not true.  Just like it's true that all church who are baptizing people are only interested in numbers for numbers sake. 

Also, the number of baptisms in a church needs to be interpreted in light of the number of active members they have.  If First Baptist Church, any town, baptized 10 people last year & Second Baptist church any town baptized 100, that doesn't tell the whole story.  If First Baptist has 100 active members & Second Baptist has 2000 active members, then First Baptist baptized a lot more people per person than Second Baptist.  So, this isn't about any individual church; this is about a much larger issue.

As I said at the beginning, if these stats don't alarm you or if they cause you to immediately begin to think of excuses or get critical of churches who are baptizing, you might need to spend more time on your heart than the heart of the people your criticizing. 

The stats reveal the SBC has major problems and, sadly, we're still doing better than most.  These stats reveal that America is becoming more & more like Western Europe in the fact that fewer & fewer people are interested in church or the God most churches talk about.  If we don't wake up & do something different, we're going to go down like a sinking ship.  I hope not because I love my denomination, but if we do, I know the Word promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.  So, if there aren't major changes in the near future in the churches that make up the SBC, the denomination may die; but be confident that the church will be strong & thrive into the future. 

So, pray for churches all over the world to be more passionate about God's mission than their agenda.  Pray that church are more interested in being outward rather than inward.  Pray that more churches care more about their kids than their traditions or styles.  Pray that more churches go to the people rather than expecting people to come to them.  Pray that more churches rally in unity around the gospel & mission of of Jesus than divide over preferences & opinions.  Pray than more churches teach pure doctrine & more people receive pure doctrine that changes how they think because how we think determines how we live.  Pray that people become true disciples & not just religious church members. 

"The Prodigal's Suspicion and the Global Orphan Crisis"

Take a look at this blog post by Dan Cruver, one of my friends at Together for Adoption.  Great post.  Obviously, adoption is very important to Amy & me & the ministry at Together for Adoption is amazing.  Hope this helps educate people on the orphan crisis in our world.