chazzdaddy

Archive for April, 2009

is it God or satan?

In Church Leadership, church planting journey, the sticks conference on April 29, 2009 at 4:32 pm

This is such a great question I get so often. Is it God’s plan/will/growth or Satan’s attack in my life/ministry/family?

I don’t know if anyone can precisely answer that question except God Himself.
Couples things to chew on:
1. God does not WILL EVIL. There is NO EVIL in HIM.
2. But God does ALLOW EVIL. [Book of Job, et al.]
3. And when HE ALLOWS it He promises to WORK IT TOGETHER FOR GOOD. [Rom. 8.28]
So, when we face trials, testing and temptations, what are we to do? PRAY MORE? ACCEPT IT? CAST OUT DEMONS?

How about this:
1. PRAY. It’s commanded. [1 Thes. 3.17]
2. RESIST the enemy. It’s available [1 Peter 5]
3. LOOK for growth and refinement. [Job 23.10]
Too easy? How about this:
So…when we have a VISION or a MISSION or a CALL from GOD as a Leader…who is it from?
GOD/SATAN/US? [can we know?] and if we know, why aren’t we RECKLESS ABOUT IT?
Love it.
THE DIVINE MYSTERY. I will be talking about this at THE STICKS conference in 2 weeks.
I want to help us all understand how to clarify our call and define our mission. I also want to look at how quickly that our perceived mission can turn GOOD and BAD.

What messes up the GOD-POWERED VISION that we feel we have received, especially in a smaller town setting? [75-100K or less]

How do we look at this in the smaller towns that God has CALLED us to?
Or was it HIS call?

leading from where GOD has called YOU.

In Church Leadership on April 27, 2009 at 3:26 pm

Check out this post that I wrote for the NOC about LEADERSHIP RIGHT WHERE GOD HAS CALLED YOU.

Are we passionate about our calling or always longing for something more?

whose dream am i fulfilling?

In Church Leadership on April 25, 2009 at 3:06 pm

During some leadership conversation yesterday centered around John Maxwell’s: “Developing the Leaders Around You” an interesting question was raised from the book.

When someone works for you, or is on your team: Are you helping to fulfill their dream or your dream?
I would hope their is some buy-in and overlap, but that is a great question to wrestle with. I pray that it’s both, but at times I have hire only for the latter.
I think this is the difference between a long time, trusted person on the team, and someone who comes and goes and is not very effective.
Their dream should also be their “calling,” and when the two collide…watch out!

those i lead.

In Church Leadership on April 24, 2009 at 2:40 am

i will never go any farther than where they help take me. it is my job to choose, pour into and love those who are serving with me. how are you doing as a leader in this?

 it is our most important task outside of loving God and our family.
thank you to those who are following my leadership. i wouldn’t be here without your strong leadership with me and to THOSE YOU ARE LEADING. i love you all. really, i do.

One more MUST SEE Graphic on UTAH.

In church planting journey on April 21, 2009 at 1:41 pm

If you weren’t blown away yesterday…here is 1 more quick graphic page from the Salt Lake City Newspaper that you MUST SEE.

12 churches by 2012…who will be the first person to step up online and help make this possible financially? I am looking for 50 on-line friends and strangers to believe that GOD IS ON THE MOVE and we have to do something about this.

With the lack of churches and as this graphic shows…a large decline in the Mormon church…the fields are WHITE big time, and it’s not just the mountain snows.

check it HERE. [shout out to my friend TOM HYDER for the scoop].

e-mail: charles@newhopewired.tv

Is GOD calling?

In church planting journey on April 17, 2009 at 8:28 pm

Maybe this post will help you hear something that you did not expect to hear. I know I didn’t when He called our name last fall while things were going so well at our home church [new hope].

Let me start here: I can’t believe some of the statistics that I just received from my church planting friends in Utah.

First, the number of churched people in Utah is less than 2%! That qualifies that Utah is the only “unreached people group” in the United States. That is insane.

Get ready. It gets worse.

There are 727,000 people in the central area between Provo (south) and Ogden (north). 180,000 are in Salt Lake City proper, the rest in smaller suburbs and towns outside of Salt Lake.

Are you ready for this? 727,000 people and there are 91 churches! That is not a typo.

Most of these towns are lucky to have 1-5 churches in the ENTIRE CITY! And many of the churches are 50-80 in attendance! Check out just the CENTRAL REGION and their stats:

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Cottonwood Heights

12,500 2
Daybreak 29,000 2
Draper 31,000 6
Holladay 22,000 9
Kearns 27,000 3
Midvale 27,000 2
Murray 32,000 4
North Salt Lake 9,300 1
Riverton 11,000 5
Salt Lake 180,000 27
Sandy 90,000 10
South Jordan 34,000 2
South Salt Lake City 22,000 1
Taylorsville 17,000 5
Tooele 28,000 1
West Jordan 68,000 4
West Valley City 87,000 7

In one of my home area of Ashland, OH, there are 22,000 people. Get ready again for this: There are probably 100 churches in the general area.

That’s not the worst part.

If you drive up and down the main corridor of Utah [I-15] and go only 5 miles to the east and west of the interstate, there within that small 5 mile swath are 13 communities that do not have 1 church at ALL!

If you add in Herriman, Utah which has 20,000 people but is outside of 5 miles off the freeway, which also DOES NOT HAVE 1 CHRISTIAN CHURCH, that would be 100,000+ people without 1 Christian church reaching them at all.

I don’t know what that does to you…but it BREAKS MY HEART.

This is why it is our desire to start 5 churches in the same weekend, and to start 12 churches by 2012. Yes…you know that is not a typo. It’s the real deal. Called, set, delivered.

We are actively recruiting other church planters, because my team that we are putting together is planting 1 and helping to coach and resource the other 4. Then within each church we will have a “church planter in residence” who will work on staff for 1 year and then launch their own work, giving us 12 churches by 2012!

This is simple…Is God calling you to partner with us as a planter? Maybe as a potential “church planter in residence?” Maybe as a person to move to Utah and join the team to make this happen? How about as a staff person on our team? [we will be looking for an Executive Pastor and a Spiritual Development/Assimilation Pastor]?

Maybe you could help reach this area as a FINANCIAL SUPPORTER? [you can give right now tax-deductible to our paypal account: charles@newhopewired.tv is the account].

We will also be making on-line giving possible and are willing to send self-addressed stamped envelopes for those who might want those to make it very simple. Just let us know and watch for the on-line giving to start as well.

Maybe you are being called to the PRAYER TEAM…let us know. Nothing will be accomplished without the POWER OF PRAYER!

We also need MONTHLY SUPPORT beginning this month. Our team is ready to roll in ONLY 12 WEEKS, and we are beginning to move out of our towns and will be in Utah in what will be a few short weeks this summer. Don’t skip over that part and not think that you can make a difference or someone else will do this. WE NEED EVERYONE to make 12 churches happen by 2012. Be a part of making history!

I am blown away at the lack of a Christian witness so much that myself and our team have uprooted our lives to make this call a reality...and we ask YOU to join US!

Will you consider the CALL that God is placing on your life to make this a reality? I would be glad to send you more information or to call you. Feel free to contact me anytime: charles@newhopewired.tv

Let’s make this thing happen TOGETHER in HIS power.

This yankee almost got booed off the stage in my first teaching opportunity…

In Sermon Series, Watch This on April 9, 2009 at 4:01 am

Here is the teaching that explains how 4 different people or groups of people helped changed eternity…and I bet you haven’t heard of most of them. They are the “Un-Sung Heroes” who don’t get the headlines in Scripture.

Find out how this yankee survived my first southern exposure. It was actually a ton of fun…these people are crazy and remind me of the crazies @ New Hope!

Ordinary people like you who choose to do the extraordinary!

Watch it…then be a hero and ENGAGE!

Heroes – Week 5 – Unsung Heroes from Crosspoint Community Church on Vimeo.

Want to learn more about Mormon history, doctrine and practice?

In church planting journey on April 8, 2009 at 4:01 am

we just watched it on this amazing PBS Frontline documentary…you should too. there are 2 parts to the documentary…check them both out at the above link.

and remember to pray for us!

the most un-noticed heroes in the Bible…

In Sermon Series on April 7, 2009 at 2:25 pm

sorry, the link is up now from my last post on this teaching. if you want to watch the teaching about “UN-SUNG HEROES” of the Bible that CHANGED ETERNITY, catch it HERE.

i look at 4 heroes that you have probably never heard of, that without them stepping up, everything would have been different for eternity.

HEROES ENGAGE.

5 sentences in my life right now.

In church planting journey on April 6, 2009 at 2:57 pm

1. Hang-over as usual from preaching yesterday @ CROSSPOINT, and yes…only around 35 minutes o ye of little faith…watch it HERE.

2. If you are in ministry [or contextualize it to your career or calling], THIS POST will mess you up, so print it out and if you want to talk about this place where I too have been…hit me and let’s talk.

3. Still looking and praying for some CRAZIES to have the faith to join us in this GOD-SIZED ENDEAVOR .

4. I shared THIS PASSION yesterday that is a part of our MISSION, but it should not get in the way of loving our GOD FIRST, our FAMILY second and all else dead LAST.

5. It’s finally CHILLY here…high of 45 today, down from the 70′s that we are used too…makes me miss all of my friends and loved ones who are loving the 30′s and snow, wind and cold back home…love ya’ll [new word].

looking for a few good peeps! how bout it?

In church planting journey on April 2, 2009 at 9:53 pm

* We are in HARTSELLE, AL for 4 months working at THIS CRAZY CHURCH in DECATUR, AL.
They are an amazing group of people. But of course we still miss our NH peeps really bad.

* The call of God is an amazing ride, but it doesn’t mean it is without pain.

* The kids are adjusting just fine…Tiffany still has her moments and we are working through them. Excited about visits by her Mom and @mandztime3 soon!

* I am working hard on Spiritual Development/Assimilation and also on their weekend programming as well as teaching. Didn’t remember how much work that stuff was :) Ton of assimilation and lighting going in for Easter…

* Also cranking out work for THE STICKS. Can’t believe the line-up we landed to help those in small to medium sized towns. Crosspoint and New Hope peeps are FREE…let me know if you are coming and I will get you the free code. 200 of you just asked to join one of those churches to get free tix…yes, it is going to be better than the hype.

* I will also be working on raising funds for THE MISSION WEST PROJECT. Like the name? Help us decide…send suggestions. We are helping to plant in more than just Utah…and the name fits that. Thanks to @patricksprague for the branding help. Anyone else want to contribute ideas? All ears! Website will be up in the next 30 days.

* Non candy-coated ask coming: We will be sending those lovely WE NEED SOME $$ to fund this thing cards sometime after EASTER to those we love! And also setting up a paypal auto draft…thanks in advance. We need the support to start flowing in May at the latest if we are to make by Fall to Utah. THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY GIVEN and those who will continue to make monthly contributions. Every gift is needed. How bout it?

* Also looking for prayer team warriors…one of the most important roles without a doubt.

* GOAL? We are seeking to help plant 11 new churches by 2011…come on! Dream with us and watch GOD make it happen. Fastest growing state and the most un-churched? We need to ACT and not just TALK. Towns of 40K without 1 Christian church? Are you kidding me?

* Interested in being a planter in the west? Interested in joining the team? Hit me: charles@newhopewired.tv [next launch team meeting in Loudonville: 04.14.09 @ 6pm]

* Miss everyone back home…love the weather here though…love the hospitality down here as well.

pray and obey...wherever you are engaged in mission for the KING!