GOD ON FILM: WANTED!!

Hey... THIS SUNDAY... the movie we're highlighting at MOSAIC DC is Wanted... and we'll be talking about becoming people of PURPOSE! I know, I know... we've heard countless messages on purpose before, haven't we? But, you know what? For all the talking people have done on that topic, it must not really be getting through... because there are still countless people who live purposeless lives every day. But the good news is: that's not what God wants for us... He wants us to be crystal clear about our purpose... He wants us to live with meaning, to exist for something larger than ourselves!

So, if you've got some time Sunday evening... drop by and pay us a visit at Mosaic. Our service is just a little over an hour, so you'll still be able to get home in time to relax and get ready for another work week. Check out our GOD ON FILM message this Sunday... and let's learn together about what God has to say about making our lives count! :-)

Catalyst on the Road

Had a chance to chill with the Catalyst Road Crew tonight at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse in downtown DC... great guys! And it was great hanging out with some other pastor friends, as well: Matt Morgan, Pastor of Reston Community Church; Jumaine Jones, Lead pastor of The Bridge; and Atiba de Souza, Pastor of Vision Runners Int'l.

LV Hanson was a great host, and Mack and Tripp were incredible, too... I can't believe these guys get to drive around the country and talk to cats like us! The cool thing is that they weren't asking us for anything (not that we would've minded) - they weren't like, "Hey, we'd really like you guys to get the word out about Catalyst, and help us get some more people to our conference!" No! They were there to hear our stories, and to encourage us!

Left a big impact on me: that these guys would be willing to drive to who-knows-where to meet with... who knows? But what a way to connect with people and make new friends! Hey, if I had to give up my day job to switch places with them, I'd do it! ;-)

LV... you are the dude of dudes! Thanks for hooking this up! It was great meeting you, man... and I'll get a God-story over to you soon! ;-)

Mack... you're name's ALREADY cool, dude! BIG MACK!!! D-PLUM can't even beat that!! ;-)

Tripp... is that FREAKIN' CRAZY?? That we probably met each other back in 1997 during my VERY BRIEF INTERN STINT at your home church?? Good NIGHT, that's insane!! That is just TOO crazy, my man! PLEASE tell Buddy that I miss him and would love to connect with him!!

Also, shout-outs to one of my "Mosaic Mentees", Xavier, for hangin' with me tonight... love you, bro! JT and Patrice... great seeing you again! Kelli Wise... great meeting you, and hope to see you out at Mosaic soon! ;-) Drew, would love to hear more about Common Ground, and Chris - blessings on the new venture, man... may God richly bless your calling and endeavor!

Do We Take Repentance Too Lightly?

Wayne Cordeiro wrote an excellent post on "repentance" and why it's too important to take lightly.

Check it out HERE.

Living Wisely...

This past Sunday evening at our gathering, we talked about wisdom... and how it's SO IMPORTANT to move beyond the question "Is this wrong?" to "Is this wise?" And it is of the utmost importance to learn to ask that on the front end of our decisions, because at the back end... we're there, wondering why in the world did we do what we did. Prov. 4:7 says that "getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do." It's foundational for life. You can save yourself years of heartache and turmoil... or death.

When I was a college freshman at the Univ. of MD, we had one of the greatest basketball players in the country on our campus... his name was Len Bias. His future was set, having just been drafted #1 overall by the Boston Celtics. At the age of 22, he had already achieved stardom... and more was sure to come.

Except it didn't come. One night, while partying with his friends, Len used some cocaine. He wasn't an addict... wasn't even a frequent user. But this one, unwise, seemingly unharmful decision... was fatal. He overdosed... and all that could've been was now gone.

Some decisions embarrass us... some leave us scarred for life... and some decisions take our lives. And it's not just obvious things like drugs... it is our financial decisions, relational decisions, decisions we face on our job... every part of our lives. Learn to ask, and then act rightly upon, the question, "Is this wise?" It might save you loads of heartache... and it might just save your life.

(You can view a trailer of the upcoming movie that chronicles Len's life HERE)

Sunday Nite Speak: God On Film, 2nd Week!

* Tonight, we kicked our 2nd week in the God On Film message series... highlighting the movie, Get Smart! We had an AWESOME TIME... Brian created a little "crime scene" look in the foyer... we had the theme song going and everything... GREAT STUFF TONIGHT! Hope somebody took pics!!!
* The message was "Don't 'Get Smart', GET WISE!", looking at Eph. 5:15-17 and why it's so important to pursue wisdom in our decision-making. It's easy to ask, "Is this wrong?", but a little more difficult (and motive-revealing) to ask, "Is this wise?" Hmmm....
* We had three clips from the movie tonight... that always helps creativity. Last week, we only had the trailer for The Incredible Hulk. Running into the same problem for next week with Wanted... not sure we'll have more than the trailer, so we'll have to substitute other forms of fun and creativity... ;-)
* Had a handful of visitors this evening... two of whom found out about Mosaic thru our Facebook page! That always trips me the heck out, because it's awesome how God does that! I'd never even HEARD of Facebook before a couple of years ago, and to see how God uses that type of venue is always amazing to me! By the way, if you're on Facebook, drop by and join our group... we've got 250+ members in the group, and we're always looking for more. The more people, I'm convinced, the more prayer on our behalf!
^ I'm looking forward to hanging out with LV & the Catalyst Road Trip crew this coming Wednesday evening at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse in downtown DC... should be a great time! I'm hoping Ju will roll with me (if he's adjusted back to reality by then, having just gotten back from the Caribbean. The nerve of that guy!). The Movie Pastor might be hanging with me, too, since he's working in MD this week with his full-time gig. Those two guys are two of my biggest encouragers, and I love hangin' with them!
* BIG PROPS TO KEDA, who freed me up bigtime so I could finish up my message this week... thanks, babe! She's great to have as a wife... I think I'm keeping her around, man! ;-)
* SARAH & MICHAEL: way to go with the media tonight!! You guys did an awesome job! Chris, thanks for setting up everything! You guys rock, man!
* Just a reminder to keep inviting people to our worship gatherings! :-)
* I always am glad to see my little nephew, Nix, running around after the gatherings! You'd never know he just had major open-heart surgery at the end of April! Look at Jesus!!
* Tomorrow (Monday) is gonna be a serious reading day! I have fallen WAY BEHIND on my schedule of book reviews! I was gonna try to keep up with this guy, but he's a FREAK when it comes to reading! I think he reads at least 60 books a year... sheesh! ;-)
* Well, next week we're preaching on a theme from the movie WANTED... not sure of the message title yet, but it'll be on "purpose!" Invite a friend or two... or five... and come join us next week for God On Film!!