And You're Upset About What??

Each year,

about 1 billion people,

around the world,

are living on less than $1 a day.

AND YOU'RE UPSET ABOUT WHAT??

Every week,

there are children,

in the City of Callaway,

being sexually molested.

AND YOU'RE UPSET ABOUT WHAT??

The other day,

I spoke to a lady,

in our church,

whose marriage is falling apart.

AND YOU'RE UPSET ABOUT WHAT??

Food for thought...

Old Message, New Method

"There are ways of doing church that no one has even thought of yet."

Mark Batterson

"To reach people no one is reaching, you have to do things no one is doing."

Craig Groschel

"...create a church where unchurched people would love to attend."

Andy Stanley

These 3 pastors are from 3 different denominations who all lead churches of thousands. We could probably learn a thing or two from them. We must share the old message by new methods.

HERE ARE A FEW GUYS LEADING THE WAY:

+ Craig Gross @ xxxchurch.com (reaching the adult entertainment community and Vegas).

+ Mark Driscoll @ marshillchurch.org (preaches to 7 different campuses via video).

+ Ray Comfort @ wayofthemaster.com (resurrecting street witnessing).

+ Mike Bickle @ ihop.org (establishing 24/7/365 prayer centers).

+ Craig Groschel @ lifechurch.tv (recently launched "church online").

+ Matthew Barrnett @ dreamcenter.org (offering rehab and Christ for addicts in L.A.).

Some of these methods make me nervous. But we live in drastic times; these are drastic measures. If they stay faithful to the bible and the cross, they've got a friend in me.

Whether you like how it's being done, the Kingdom is growing. And it will continue to grow...with or without your approval.

Twitter Challenge

A few weeks ago, I challenged myself. I determined to update my Twitter/Facebook every 15 minutes. After missing my first deadline, I decided to back that up to every 30 minutes. Here was my life on that day (July 23, 2009). :) I'd love to see YOU do the same!!

8:03am
SELF CHALLENGE OF THE DAY: tweet every 15 mins. If it gets annoying, you have my permission to stop following me. :)

8:24am
Working thru Mark. Love my ESV journal/bible. http://twitpic.com/bbmvx

8:35am
We see DEAD people, Jesus sees DORMANT people.

8:56am
EPIC FAIL: Failed twice to meet my deadline already. It seems I do have things to do. I'm backing this time up to once every 30 mins.

9:27am
Breakfast wit'dem Interns. They deserve it! http://twitpic.com/bbsf1

9:57am
I heard that Louie Giglio's dad created the Chic Fil A logo. http://twitpic.com/bbve7

10:27am
God isn't looking for PERFECTION, but PROGRESSION.

11:07am
We drove back from breakfast like this. Only Brent! http://twitpic.com/bc2xe

11:49am
Callaway Sweatshop. http://twitpic.com/bc8bq

12:17pm
SELF CHALLENGE OF THE DAY: tweet something every 30 mins. If it gets annoying, pls feel free to stop following me. :)

12:49pm
Pastor Donald is poopy pants today. :(

1:43pm
Jon Locke just vomited in Old Mexico. Sorry, no photo.

2:26pm
Wall Ball with Interns. Pray+Work+Plays keeps unity any day. :)

3:00pm
Found these in my wife's truck. Gank!! http://twitpic.com/bczpj

3:33pm
Already planning for LAGUNA BEACH! So stoked!! Possibly even a new worship team coming...shhh....

4:48pm
What's the hottest location on planet earth right now? My living room!! http://twitpic.com/bdfdp

5:21pm
These videos are short, but hilarious! Whoever made them is a genius!! http://youtube.com/renewstudentministry

5:57pm

"God isn't out to HURT your pride...He's out to KILL it!" I love some @jeannemayo.

6:35pm

All my girls got thrown in. :( http://twitpic.com/bduf1

7:06pm

Spicy tuna roll, FTW!! 2nd day in a row!

8:04pm

Autumn just said she wishes she was from Japan. :)

8:44pm

Remember, it was the Holy Spirit that sent Jesus into the wilderness. There was a reason for Him; there is a reason for you.

9:20pm

Truck broke down with my ladies inside. Daddy and Mancub to the rescue!!

9:50pm

Ah, the truck just needed my magic touch. All is well.

10:04pm

SELF CHALLENGE OF THE DAY: Complete! I tried to tweet every 30 mins today. NEVER AGAIN!!

Parents, Stop Living Through Your Kids

I thought about filling this post with a load of illustrations. I think I'll let scripture speak for itself. Here's the short version:


Again...Herod respected and protected John the Baptist.
Herodias hated John.

Her daugther danced at Herod's birthday party.
He liked it...a lot.
And he promised her anything she wanted, even up to half the kingdom.

She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?"
Her advice?
"The head of John the Baptist," she answered.

Mom wasn't thinking of what would benefit her kid, but what would benefit herself.
She was trying to fulfill her dreams through her daugther.

Sound familiar? I hope not.

Oaths

Herod respected and protected John the Baptist.

Herodias hated John.

Her daugther danced at Herod's birthday party.
He liked it...a lot.
And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."

What did she ask for?
John's head on a platter.
The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.


TWO THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM HEROD:
01) He made a rash promise. Do you?
Ecclesiastes 5:4-7
02) He wasn't a believer, yet kept his word. Do you?
Matthew 5:34

One Year, One Interest

I would love to learn Kung Fu.  Or to paint.  Even rock climbing.  Scuba diving sounds cool too.  

This got me thinking.  If I live to see 70, that means I have approximately 41 years left.  If I took one year to focus on one interest, I could learn/do a lot in my lifetime!  

Just a thought.

14,437

The 2005 U.S. Census showed there are approximately 14,437 people living in the City of Callaway.  Now, that's just Callaway.  This doesn't include the rest of Bay County (Panama City, Springfield, Lynn Haven, or Cedar Grove).  

Here are my questions:

1) How many of those 14,437 people are Christians?

Let's say 10,000 are Christians.  I'm sure this is a far cry from the truth, but for the sake of argument, let's just say 10,000.  That means within Callaway alone, about 4,500 people will spend eternity in the reality of Hell.

2) What are we going to do about it?

I don't know.  But at some point, someone's got to take this seriously.  Let's stop worrying if the church in another city is growing.  Let's focus on own city.  There are plenty of lost souls to go around!  Jesus doesn't want ANY to perish.

Craig Groschel says, "To reach people that no one is reaching you have to do things that no one is doing."  I don't know what that means to you.  I honestly don't know what that means to me.  Is it a church problem?  Maybe.  Is it a people problem?  I don't know.  What I do know is that I am deeply, deeply disturbed with the realization that 4,500 people in my city will probably spend eternity in Hell.  Are you?