Monday Musings!

* Last night's service went well... we're in the middle of our Connections message series... last night we looked at "The Connected Church," and how it's so important to take next steps in our "connection commitments"... from attender to partner, from being uninvolved to joining a connection group and/or ministry team. I think it resonated with our people...

* Got a chance to talk to some first-time guests, who had heard of Mosaic through receiving a breakfast bar and impact card at the metro station! They seemed genuinely excited about the ministry and said they'd be back!

* A couple of weeks ago, I had to rush from church, right after I'd preached... and I was a litte saddened by the fact that I didnt get a chance to greet any of the guests that day. I had prayed they would return... and last night one of the couples came back! YAY, GOD!!! They're enjoying what they've experienced so far... it's awesome to see God moving in the hearts of people... and it's a good sign when guests return!

* The racial mixture of our worship gatherings are so cool! Blacks, Whites, Asians, Latinos... awesome beyond belief! That may not be a huge thing to some of you, but it's incredible to us because it's a God-thing. We're being intentional with some things, true... but not nearly as much as others who've gone before us and have been our example. When people of different races, cultures, upbringings, economic situations, etc., can come together and worship Jesus, that gets people's attention... and it gives God glory!

* I'm pushing off more and more admin stuff to others... YAY, GOD!!! ;-)

* It felt mighty strange not having football to watch yesterday afternoon. :-/

* One of our attenders... who will be going through our Mosaic Partnership class soon with his wife... will be finished seminary next year, and he's not even 21 yet! Gracious! Looking forward to seeing how God is going to use them in our ministry! :-)

* Pulling for the Giants this coming weekend... NEVER thought I'd hear myself saying that! But the thought of the Pats going 19-0 is killing me... because it kills the parity (in my opinion) of NFL football. That's my story... and I'm stickin' with it. ;-)

* Just as I'm ending this post, I received an email from a first-time guest, who visited last night with his girlfriend. The "first base" of our assimilation strategy is simple... get the guests to come back! This was in response to a welcome email that I sent last night... hope this hits you like it did me:

"Thank you so much for writing such a thoughtful message to us. We are extremely excited about our new adventure... We enjoyed the service from the beginning to the end and we both think we have found the right place to worship and connect with the Lord..."

"Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!" - Psalm 126:3