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Archive for July, 2008|Monthly archive page

don’t miss this.

In catalyst road trip, New Hope News, one prayer, the sticks conference on July 10, 2008 at 9:59 pm

Remember when we won that CATALYST CONTEST?

Well, the national traveling CATALYST team will be here SATURDAY ONLY during and before the Saturday night service @ the Loudonville Campus.

5pm…CORNHOLE, FREE FOOD, MUSIC and CATALYST…what more could you ask for?

Come on out, even if you don’t stay for the service and come back on Sunday…let’s connect! We don’t get to do that very often.

Not from NEW HOPE…YOU’RE INVITED TOO! Come meet the team and network with us!

I am jacked about teaching this weekend for ONE PRAYER. Have you ever wanted to learn to hear the voice of GOD in your life? That and more will be mulled over this weekend as I teach the ONE PRAYER that God is laying on my heart.

Get over the summer slump and reconnect with the FATHER. And if you live elsewhere…catch it on the web…they post on Monday’s usually.

And THE STICKS website should be up in the next 2 days. I recorded my intro in a tree (for 20 minutes with creatures crawling on me and wedged in between 2 branches…not cool)…I can’t wait to gather for that this fall! Come let’s learn and reason together!

blessings and peace.

only God could do this.

In one service on July 9, 2008 at 2:21 pm

We are kicking something pretty unique here in LOUDONVILLE and ASHLAND (and Lord-willing next year in WOOSTER.)

A dream that was birthed by a few pastors is now becoming a reality. Several other pastors have caught the dream this year, and several more are considering joining us as we UNITE as ONE as CHRIST desired through a gathering called ONE SERVICE. On 7.27.08 (yes SUNDAY) @ 11 am (yes MOST are canceling services @ their regular times…) to JOIN AS ONE in WORSHIP.

We believe we can send a huge message to our community that we are more concerned with the name of JESUS, rather than the name of our CHURCHES. We are more concerned about the church being the CHURCH and not just a building for gathering!

We care about the POOR, the NEEDY, the OUTCAST, the BROKEN, and those who just need a little LOVE. We also care about those who seem to have it ALL, and life is GREAT! Wherever you are…whatever you have done, we invite you to join us!

We are a gathering of churches uniting as ONE to take HIS NAME to the COMMUNITY and the WORLD. No matter where you are in your SPIRITUAL JOURNEY from “I don’t believe in God” to “I have walked with God since my youth” and everywhere in between…would you consider joining us in this time together where we will not only WORSHIP our GOD, but join our COMMUNITIES and raise awareness that the CHURCH OF CHRIST is serious about being a positive agent of CHANGE!

We pray ultimately that God would be honored and glorified and that people would come to know CHRIST through this day. We also pray new bonds of fellowship and unity would prevail across the body of CHRIST.

And by the way, this is not a service where we will pray to the GREAT PIE IN THE SKY…but the WARRIOR CHRIST who paid to take away our sins that we might have LIFE EVERLASTING through FAITH in HIM ALONE (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, etc.). All other divisive doctrines will not be admitted that day, and for one weekend laid aside…but this one CENTRAL DOCTRINE will reign SUPREME.

The crazy DREAM…has now become a REALITY. Would you dream with us?

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23.NIV)

blessings and peace. ONLY GOD!

Check out the ONE SERVICE BLOG HERE. Many of the Pastors will be posting there who are participating in ONE SERVICE. Way too cool if you ask me.

Where is GOD?

In Devotional, theology on July 8, 2008 at 5:24 pm

Have you ever wondered that same question? Have you ever had a really heavy burden on your heart and you needed HIM to SHOW? Have you ever had a time that you had to make some big decisions and you waited on God to hear from HIM only to have Him be SILENT?

But what about those days where you wait on HIM and He speaks LOUDLY and CONFIRMS your path and direction?

Today we are meeting with the WHITE BOARD that is blank to think about our paths and direction…well, HIS paths and DIRECTION of course.

This verse came up in my devotions:

Proverbs 18:13 He who answers before listening—
that is his folly and his shame.

I then listened as the Pastor who was leading the meeting said what was on my heart exactly. The same vision, direction and leading.

Then an unexpected e-mail (very unexpected e-mail) came in and confirmed AGAIN what my answer was that I was listening for. I love it when that happens…it’s those moments where God says…I AM STILL HERE and ACTIVE and LOVE YOU!

How about YOU? How has GOD been working and speaking to you lately? Has HE confirmed anything in your life or showed up unexpectedly? Or maybe HE is SILENT. That’s OK too. Been there, done that.

Hit the COMMENTS and let me know what GOD is up to in YOUR LIFE. Please…ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER BY SHARING.

Blessings and peace.
pic: http://flickr.com/photos/firozeshakir/632977490/

sneak peek @ THE STICKS gathering.

In the sticks conference on July 3, 2008 at 2:28 am

Sorry I can’t release any more yet…I said a sneak peek.

The Sticks gathering is for those crazies who are called to a small or medium sized town, and who despite being in a SMALL TOWN, want to make a BIG IMPACT.

The site should be up and running in a stripped down mode next week…remember, all our guys have a bunch of slashes (////) in their titles. All the basics will be there with some pod casts and you tube intros to follow from our speaking team.

The pricing is crazy low for who we are bringing in and the intimacy of the venue. (Limited to 400 registrations). Hotel rooms are even coming in at an amazing rate…God is good!

Here is one more link that will make most of our guys scream…a mock-up (so don’t count on all this info being accurate as our team is still working on it, and also the pics were ripped from somewhere and most are a little goofy and cropped in unique ways…especially my goofy shot. We are working on that. Of course the big boys (Batterson and Stevens) with their professional studios and touch-ups:)

blessings, peace and don’t get lost finding us!

ps: yes I am not a techy…notice my google search in the pic…learning something new all the time!

a sno cone can change a life.

In community outreach on July 2, 2008 at 2:59 pm

One of my favorite things we do at New Hope is called KINDNESS IN ACTION. We go out and serve our community in ways that will show GOD’S LOVE with no strings attached. It’s not about getting people to church, or exposing New Hope, but exposing GOD and his LOVE to the community.

Last weekend, our ASHLAND LAUNCH TEAM and their NEW CAMPUS PASTOR went to WAL-MART, not to BUY for once, but to GIVE AWAY. They gave away free sno-cones, and popcorn to people heading into shopping Mecca.

Our team is also frantically trying to figure out what else we can do to show God’s love at all of our campuses. It is the the response to the LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF thing. Wow.

I can honestly say that more people have come to New Hope or commented on KIA than anything else we have ever done. A sno-cone can change a life.

I love what NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH is doing for their community and I would love for our campus communities to do the same in the future. If you are AMBITIOUS about radically serving your community, check THIS OUT. Check out the main site for Convoy of Hope HERE.

And BTW…don’t wait for your church to plan something…GO DO IT!

blessings and peace!

How do you think?

In Church Leadership on July 1, 2008 at 8:00 pm

Here are two recent posts that have rocked my LEADERSHIP world. Take some time…I wouldn’t re:gurge something not worth your energy. I pray they will ROCK YOURS as well. If you are HONEST, they WILL.

The first is from my friend DWIGHT MASON who is up the road and will be a featured speaker at THE STICKS Conference. Read his post on the right questions to ASK WHEN LEADING.

The other is from W. DAVID PHILLIPS and he asks us to answer some QUESTIONS THAT DEFINE SUCCESS FOR A CHURCH/MINISTRY.

Wow…chew on those for a minute.

Blessings, peace and here’s to ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS!
ps: if you follow my TWEETS, you will see that the pic proves my driving a PORCHE last weekend (and mack-daddy Christian). The mini-van in the background is really mine too…believe it or not.

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