We'll Keep Crawling For Now...

I have to be honest - sometimes the "slow growth" of our church drives me crazy. In this day and age of "the faster, the better," I've been so conditioned to see meteoric growth as "successful" that anything less than that, for me, sometimes can be less than satisfactory.

But, in reality, most church plants grow slowly. The Elevations, Mars Hills, and New Hopes - who all grew to THOUSANDS in a very short period of time - aren't the norm. They're the exceptions to the rule (very good exceptions, though, they are). Most church plants don't grow that way... and some don't even make it.

Really, though... our growth has been somewhat (as compared to the above rockets) slow, but very steady. The excitement's high (always has been), friends are inviting friends, and we're seeing lives change. And we know we won't always be at a "crawl"...

... one day, we'll hit a major growth spurt and begin walking. But that's in God's time. Don't get me wrong, we're not content to crawl... but we know that it's ultimately God's responsibility to get us to the walking stage. And then, soon after that, we'll fly. For right now, though, if He says crawl... we'll keep crawling.

After all, you have to crawl well before you can walk. It's all a part of growing. While you're crawling, you're developing muscles, and coordination... and you're discovering new things.

So, if you're crawling right now, that's okay. Don't settle for that... keep pressing forward... do what you do well... keep developing... keep growing. You'll be walking soon enough.

And then, after that, you'll FLY. ;-)

There's Always Room...

I recently got a couple of messages on Facebook from friends who thought our church had moved to another area of Maryland... not too terribly far away..., in Anne Arundel county (we're in Prince George's county, close to DC). But apparently, they were referring to this church... and, we're not that church. :-) But that's okay! I've found that sometimes pastors get a little touchy about ministries (particularly those with the same name) that "move in" on their territories (okay... so, they're 20 minutes away from us); but the bottom line is - there is room enough for all of us. There are so many people to reach, ONE CHURCH cannot possibly reach everybody!

So, I... for one... am excited to hear about Mosaic Christian Church. They launch on September 14 at the Egyptian Muvico Theaters at Arundel Mills Mall. If you live in that area, be sure to check them out!

I look forward to seeing God reach many people far from Christ through their ministry!

***EDIT***
I had the wrong link to Mosaic Christian above, but it's fixed now... thanks for bringing that to my attention, guys! ;-)

Thursday Three Plus

Okay... so, I'm really liking these "Thursday 3+" posts! Here goes:

* I have been disengaging from an overexcess of ministry for a few days now, and I feel great! I mean, I'm reading a little bit... and blogging some... but, other than that, zippo! I hadn't realized how far gone I was... just unable to detach, and it was draining me... and distancing the ones I love most. So grateful for God's grace and mercy... and for a patient family. ;-)

* We had a guest speaker this past Sunday (and will for the next two)... my good friend, Dave Michener... who spoke on "being shameless, even though we're not blameless." It was a good word... and ministered to me big-time. Rather than me rehash the points from message, though... visit my main man Brandon Havas' site to get the rundown. ;-)

*And let me just say this (although I've said it before): every church planter needs evangelists... people who will regularly invite others to follow Jesus. That goes without saying... and most of us know that. But what we may not know is that we need people who are passionate about our church, as well! Brandon posts every week about the Sunday message... and invites his friends at Univ. of MD to Mosaic. He loves Jesus.. he loves his church... and I'm lovin' it.

* Next up, standing in for me this Sunday is my long-time friend, Larry Paige. I've known Larry for for almost 25 years, and to see how God has grown him over these last several years has been awesome. He's a creative communicator, and I'm glad our people get a chance to hear him!

It's Almost Here!

Last May, when we started Mosaic, I was nervous... kinda stressed out... excited... giddy... and all those things you'd expect for a church planter to feel as he's launching out into the deep. We went through a slow summer wth low attendance (especially on holidays... augh) and pretty frustrating days...

It seems like just yesterday that we were having our Launch Service... and I remember wondering how I'd feel as we approached the one-year mark. Well, one thing's for sure: I'm excited beyond imagination!! The feeling is simply incredible, because I'm reminded that God is faithful... and merciful! It's not a given that a new church makes it even this far, you know. It's been a great year, and everyone is AMPED about what God is doing at Mosaic!

With Sunday being our Celebration Service... we're looking forward to having people out to join in our joy. So, if you're in the area, come on through! But just know that we're celebrating and then we're moving on...

It isn't over yet... we're not stopping for long "to smell the roses."

There's work to do... and much of it.

We want Christ's name to be FAMOUS where we are... and we want to make it difficult to go to hell from here! So, we've gotta make disciples... who make disciples, who plant churches... and raise up others, who plant churches... and so on... and so on.

Mosaic for Jesus, baby! ;-)

A Sage's Wisdom

The longer I pastor, the more I realize the need for wisdom from older pastors... sages, as I like to call them. They've been through the fire, and have often made the same mistakes I do... but they learned from them, and God has used them.

I had a very awesome opportunity to meet with an old friend today at Washington Bible College. It was a relatively impromptu meeting, but it was extremely powerful. It was with Pastor Lynwood Davis, 63-yr old pastor of the Northeast Baptist Temple in Clinton, MD, who also serves as WBC's Facilities Director (the students affectionately call him "Rev"). We've known each other for a very long time (he said to a friend of mine, "I remember when Darren was the Choir Director at New Song! NOW look at him!"). He sat me down and gave me some really practical and pastoral advice..., and it was so rich. I'm extremely indebted for these sages who've paved the way, who understand that ministry is not the same as it was 20-30 years ago, and who are excited about the young men that God is raising up to lead His Church! Here are a few "snippets from a wise sage":

1) "Remember when you first got married... how excited you were? The honeymoon stage? ?Well, you're in the honeymoon stage of church planting right now!"

2) "I should've changed some things alot sooner than I did. I had good theology, but my methodology was horrible! Don't be afraid to change when change is needed. "

3) "As church planters, we have a way of... after awhile... beginning to maintain our ministries. Then we plateau... because we stop doing the things that caused the church to grow. So, take a little of what you're doing now... put it in a bottle... then, 5-10 years from now, when you start to plateau... take that bottle and sprinkle what's in it on your church!"

4) "When you learn who you are... you'll do that best!"

Doc, I've always appreciated your ministry and insight into the Scriptures... that appreciation has grown TEN-FOLD! Thanks so much for pouring into a young pastor. I'll never forget today.

Prattville, AL - Day One

10:53 - I'm here in Prattville at an On Mission Celebration, representing the North American Mission Board as a Missionary Church Planter... headed to lunch now at Camellia Baptist Church. Hungry... :-)

1:00 - Just got back to the hotel room from lunch, where I ate a grilled cheese sandwich w/vegetable soup... reminded me of summer camp when I was a kid. :-) Found out our schedule for the weekend: at 4pm today, the Missionary Fair will begin, in the fellowship hall at Camellia. Of course, this is my first OMC., so I didn't know what to expect and wasn't given much instruction... everybody's got their display tables all jazzed up... man! But I brought some pictures with me and picked up a display board from Target this morning... so, I'll have to work with that. Tonight at 6:30 is the actual celebration... Then, tomorrow morning, I'll be preaching at Cornerstone Baptist Church, a small African-American church (wonder why they picked me for that... haha!), and at 6pm tomorrow, I'll be preaching at Glynwood Baptist Church, to a larger mainly-white congregation.

I might try get my "hoop" on tomorrow morning... haha! And I'm sure Keda is crackin' up at even the thought of that! :-)

Busting Through Barriers, Pt. 2

"But Moses protested, 'If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, "The God of your ancesters has sent me to you," they will ask me, "What is his name?" Then what should I tell them?' God replied to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'"

Moses first barrier to embracing the "crazy call" of God was the identity barrier... but God busted that right up. Now, he faces another barrier: the INTELLECT BARRIER. The intellect barrier says, "If I go for you, what will I say? I'm new at this... I don't know enough." What ol' Mo was essentially saying was, "Hold up, hold up... now, I just saw the bush! I don't know enough about this whole thing to speak on it, God... I mean, I don't even know you like that!"

This is a struggle that we all go through. There's so much to know about God, His Word, and the Christian life, isn't there? And we never know enough! Yet, we can't allow the fear of what we don't know hold us back in being on mission for God. He already knows we don't know it all... and He doesn't expect us to. He simply expects us to depend on Him, because He alone is our sufficiency. In fact, God's response to Moses is, "Tell them I AM WHO I AM has sent you." Can you imagine what that scenario would look like??

Moses: "The time of your slavery is over... I'm here to help you get out of Dodge!"
Chief Elder of Israel: "Really. And how do we know that? You've got an army or something? Who's with you?"
Moses: "I AM."
Elder: "Come again?"
Moses: "I AM."
Elder: "Okay, funny man! This isn't joke time... who sent you down here???"
Moses: "I AM!!"
Elder: "You are what?!?!"

You get the picture. :-) It may sound funny, but what God was telling Moses was that HE is our suffiency. Whatever we need, HE IS! He told Moses to relay that to the people of Israel... but it was meant to be a barrier-buster for Moses, as well. Fear of the unknown can paralyze us and keep us from being all that God's called us to be... but when we realize that He is our everything... all that we need Him to be... the intellect barrier comes crashing down. We don't fear stepping out because we don't have all the answers... HE is the answer!

So far, Moses has thrown up two barriers to responding to the call of God... and both have been obliterated by God. Moses can't hear it... but somewhere someone is singing... "And another one's gone, another one's gone... another one bites the dust!" ;-)

Busting Through Barriers, Pt. 1

"But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'" (Exod. 3:11)

We started a new message series on Sunday, called "CRAZY!" and we talked about how God calls us to do SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE (and sometimes illogical) things. Well, of course, the first thing we usually do is panic, and say, "No way, Jose... I didn't even submit a job application for that!" The task is huge, and it overwhelms us... and creates barriers that must be busted through in order to fully embrace God's call on our lives. And the first barrier we must make it through is the IDENTITY barrier.

What is the Identity barrier? It is simply thinking - FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD - that doing what God calls me to do is dependent on who I am.

But if we're going to embrace the "crazy impossible", our perspective must be right. Moses' perspective was all wrong... God never put the onus of responsibility on him to deliver Israel. In fact, He had already said (vs. 7-8), "I have seen... I have heard... I am concerned... So, I have come down to rescue My people." It's GOD that does the fighting; we simply roll with Him! Moses' problem was that he thought God was calling him to be the deliverer, when God was only saying, "You go... be my representative... and I'll be with you as you go!"

See, many of us can't bust through the identity barrier, because we haven't accepted the fact that - although God calls us - the call is an invitation to join Him. So, it's not about who I am, but about who He is! And I don't know about you, but that's freeing to me... to know that accomplishing this humongous task - the crazy impossible - that God has called us to, is not dependent on who we are...

Not our strengths...
Not our weaknesses...
Not our past...
Not our present...

He USES us to accomplish His purpose... but don't get it twisted - we are simply the instrument... the tool... in His hand.

Monday Ramblings

* Had an awesome time away this weekend with my bride... we need to get away more often! 12 years... can't even put into words the significance of that. A few years ago, we weren't even sure we'd see YEAR TEN, but God is gracious... and powerful. I'll share that story in it's own post at a later time! ;-)

* It is a TREMENDOUS BLESSING to be able to go away (in a new church plant, at that) and know that things will be taken care of on Sunday. We don't have any preachers in-house other than myself, so we have to bring in guests whenever I need to be away (which is not often at all)... but, other than that, my "peeps" at Mosaic had everything under control! I heard that PASTOR JU did a tremendous job... but I didn't expect anything less!! He's a great speaker, and an even greater friend!

* I had my first MASSAGE this weekend... WOW! Keda is currently making reservations for me to partake of that awesome experience again next month! Can't wait!

* I think I have one of the most talented and gifted worship leaders around town! Stay tuned... because he'll be the highlight of one of D-PLUM'S posts later this week!

* John Maxwell says that leadership is "influence... nothing more, nothing less." That's pretty simplistic... but it's true. And when I hear the folks at Mosaic speaking the vision... having caught it, buying into it, getting excited about it and passing that onto others... I don't take lightly that the vision was simply a spark that God placed in my heart, and through obedience is fanning into a flame that is touching the lives of many! It's both awesome and awe-inspiring... and I love it.

* The multicultural mix at Mosaic still wows me! We're small... but what a seed to experience growth from!! A friend of mine, who pastors a large, multicultural church, once told me, "If your core is homogenous... that's how you'll grow. But if you start off visibly multicultural... keep doing what you're doing, and that's how you'll grow!" Well, we love what God is doing at Mosaic College Park... and He's growing us... I love it!!!

* The Cowboys fended off the Vikings yesterday, 24-14... but I'm SO GLAD we have a bye week this coming Sunday! Definitely some things to tune up...

* THE SOX ARE HEADED BACK TO THE WORLD SERIES... YAY, GOD!!! ;-) Seriously... somehow, I knew when we were down 3-1 headed into Game 5... but going back to Boston... that we'd pull it out, and we did!! Hopefully, we can sweep the Rockies like we did the Cards in 2004... that would be sweet!!

* Looking forward to hooking up with some of my church planting buddies this coming Thursday: Daniel Floyd, Dave and Aaron Proffitt, Paul Chipman, Jumaine Jones, Ben Arment, Tally Wilgis... to name a few. We have our Church Planters' Network meeting every 4th Thursday, so this is our week to get together. More than anything, I like hearing the guys' stories of what God is doing in their ministries... it's definitely worth the 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive!

Update on Alexander

Remembered that I never gave an update on Nelson Searcy's son, Alexander...

Last Friday's surgery went well, and Alexander was able to go home with Nelson and Kelley on Sunday evening. He'll still be recovering over the next couple of weeks, so please continue to keep him and his parents lifted in prayer.

For those of you unfamiliar with Nelson, he's a church planter in New York City... and has become a huge advocate of and catalyst/coach for church planting and church planters all over the country.

Today Was a Good Day

Every month, our state convention (SBC of VA/DC) has a Church Planters Network (CPN) meeting... and, let's face it: any time you have any kind of regularly-scheduled meeting/event, there will be some days that are better than others. Well, for the statewide CPN we had today, today was a good day.

If for no other reason, it was a good day because we got to hear from the Executive Director of our convention, Dr. Doyle Chauncey... whom I hadn't heard speak many times. The more I get to know Doyle, the more I like the guy... he's one of the most humble men you'd ever meet. And I learned something new about him today that I never knew...

He's a former church planter!!

No wonder the guy has such a heart for the planters in his convention! He was very transparent with his experience as a planter, and it meant ALOT to hear him share from his heart. He shared 3 primary things on what every church planter needs. He needs:

*Disciplined Thinking - thinking the right things
*Disciplined Emotions - thinking the right way
*Disciplined Actions - doing the right things in the right way

But the main thing that Doyle emphasized today is what really struck home with me:

Seize the day... every day. Don't waste time! Don't miss the opportunities that God provides for us! DON'T EVER LET UP!!!

Today was definitely a good day... thanks, Doyle!

Still Get Chills...

Almost 7 1/2 years ago, Keda and I went to a Church Planters' Bootcamp with a guy named Aaron Pankey and his wife, Malita. Together, we were starting Infinity Church... where I would serve as Worship Leader and Director of Small Groups.

The boot camp was a life changing event for me: It was there that I realized that planting strong churches is non-negotiable, if we're really going to reach unchurched people for Christ... and God began to birth in me a desire to see a movement of church planting begin in the MD/DC area... and to see countless lives transformed by the power of the Good News of Jesus Christ!

The leaders of the boot camp gave each of us a rock, with Matthew 16:18 written on it. You know the verse; it's where Jesus said, "...upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." Honestly, I got chills when they handed that rock to me... they definitely made their point. But the significance of the moment wouldn't stand out for many years...

This past May, while driving to our launch service, Pastor Aaron sent me a text message that simply said, "Matthew 16:18." And I got those chills again.

And, when the going gets tough... and I want to throw in the towel (as well as throw the rock through my window!)... I often hold that Matthew 16:18 rock in my hand... as a reminder that it's not my job to build the church... JESUS WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH!!

And hell won't prevail.

He never said it wouldn't be tough... He just said hell will not prevail.

He never said we wouldn't run into obstacles... He just said hell will not prevail.

He never said we wouldn't "take our licks"... He just said...

You guessed it: HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL!! No matter what Satan says or tries to do... He will never conquer Christ's church... Jesus WILL build His church...

... and hell WILL NOT prevail!

AND I STILL GET CHILLS WHEN I THINK ABOUT THAT!!!!

Innovate 07

A growing leader is a learning leader... I believe that with all my heart. That's why I try to hit at least two conferences a year. Of course, I end up hitting a few more than that, because of the ones I have to attend as part of my state convention. But I'm talking about the conferences that inspire me, that spur on creativity, that challenge me to push beyond the status quo, that cast vision to reach as many unchurched people as possible... THOSE are the conferences that I like to attend...

... and this one seems like it's gonna be GREAT! I'm still undecided, though... what do you think?!

Sometimes God Doesn't Move Fast...

One of the things I've had to understand in this church planting journey is that sometimes God doesn't move fast... yet His timing is always perfect. It's easy to see other ministries moving forward at breakneck speed, and expect the same thing to happen in our context. But it doesn't always happen that way for us.... for whatever reason. And God is still God.

However, I'm convinced that every healthy church will grow! The pattern and principles for growth come straight out of the New Testament, and we shouldn't have to to be embarrassed or defend ourselves because of growth. And we shouldn't feel pressure to manipulate or manufacture growth in order to "try to keep pace" with other churches. Only God gives growth.

So, praise God for the awesome new churches who, like rockets, are taking off from the start. You're setting the pace, and clearing the way for us who will follow in your paths. But for those of us who are growing not quite as fast, keep expecting huge things from God... we must keep being faithful... keep taking risks... keep reaching people who are far from Christ... because one day, maybe soon, we'll unexpectedly hit our "tipping point" - where our faith and God's faithfulness intersect - and our ministries will never, ever be the same again.

Shout Out!

I had a great talk with fellow blogger and church planter, Jay Hardwick, today... great guy with a great vision and great insight. He shared his church planting journey, which really helped me to think through some things that we're presently facing at Mosaic. Thanks, Jay, for being open and transparent about your journey! Glad we're connected!

We had an awesome meeting tonight... and we've got a great group of folks! This was a very important meeting, and just about everybody was out in full force. We've got some stuff to pray about over the next couple of weeks... and it was awesome to see everybody out. I don't know if I've mentioned on the blog, but we've got to find a new meeting space in... uh... 23 days! We've had a couple of months to find something... we've just been unable to locate anything. But we've got a couple of sticks in the fire... God's got it all worked out already, and I'm just bustin' waiting to see what He's got planned!

The iPologetics of Innovation

This month's WILLOW magazine is off the chain, man!! This issue is entitled The iPologetics of Innovation, and there's an excellent article in it called "15 Innovations the Church Should Embrace Now!" Thought I'd share the wealth with you guys... so, here goes! I've listed the innovations, followed by a brief thought from the writer.

1. Podcasting - circuit riding at the speed of light. Any church of any size can exponentially increase its impact via MP3 technology.

2. Blogging - digital discipleship. Blogging increases your bandwith and allows you to digitally disciple just about anybody, anywhere, anytime.

3. Video Technologies - postmodern stained glass. Jesus isn't just the Word of God. He's the Image of God. The Church needs to communicate in images!

4. Viral video - get contagious quickly. There's a reason why YouTube is one of the top visual communication sites on the Web.

5. Multi-Purpose Church Buildings -doing ministry in the marketplace. Jesus didn't just hang out at synagogues. He hung out at wells. Wells were natural gathering places in ancient culture. Coffeehouses are postmodern wells. That's why National Community Church in DC built a coffeehouse instead of a church building (and they annually aren't ranked one of the best coffeehouses in the city, serving 600+ customers weekly).

6. Multi-site Churches - one church, multiple locations. This is one of the most effective ways to plant strategic, intentional churches.

7. Website - your church portal. Most people will visit yor website LONG before they visit a service.

8. Email - word of mouse. An e-letter is an easy and affordable way to keep the church connected... and it's another form of evangelism

9. Branding - the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. The opposite of brand is bland. The most important truths ought to be communicated in the most unforgettable ways.

10. Social Networking - church as a tag-team sport. Create a MySpace (or Facebook) page and create an online congregation.

11. Get a [Second] Life - "go into all the [virtual] nations..." Check out LifeChurch.tv's campus at SecondLife. com... it may be more real world than this world.

12. Get Joost - the magic of television meets the power of the internet. Imagine watching your service (or other content) online and chatting with viewers at the same time on the same screen.

13. Text Message - get instant feedback. Instant audience polls. Text to vote during the service for immediate results posted live on the sidescreens. Or text to donate to a cause, building campaign, etc.

14. RSS - the feeds that matter most. Use RSS to get your info fed fast (weekly bulletin, small group announcements, daily devotionals, blog entries, etc.)

15. LIVE! Missionaries - bridging the geographic distance. Link up (live) around the world with missionaries your church sends and/or supports.

Where It All Began...

Tomorrow morning, I'll be speaking at Infinity Church in Laurel, MD... this is where it all began for me, as far as church planting goes. I had been involved in ministry for years, but Infinity is where I had my first full-time church ministry opportunity (7 years ago)... as well as my first opportunity to help start a church. It's been over five years since I've been on staff there, but I've been back a few times to speak... and it's always a great time. So, needless to say, I'm looking forward to it!

Of course, we've got our Mosaic service in the evening, so I'll be wiped out again tomorrow night. This will be the second of three weeks in a row of ministry engagements in the mornings. I love it... but it's tiring! :-)

Actually, tomorrow is communion... so I don't speak as long, because we spend a little more time in worship and reflection. Communion Sundays are always great Sundays at Mosaic!

Not By Ourselves

As a church planter, it's easy to get to the point where you feel alone and discouraged... so it's important to connect with other guys who are planting and going through (or have gone through) some of the same things you are.

I was talking this morning to my very good friend, Jumaine Jones (planting ChThe Bridge Church in DC), and it was great to hear that the things we're experiencing in our own situations, the other is, as well. We're not alone.

Some other guys in the area who have been a great encouragement to me are Ben Arment of Reston Community Church in Reston, VA... Dan Cotter of The Church Upcounty in Germantown, MD; and Dave and Aaron Proffitt of Aletheia Church in Harrisonburg and Richmond, VA.

Thanks, guys!

**EDIT**

A couple of you emailed me and asked if I'm okay... haha! YES! Actually, what I meant to say above is that we church planters encourage each other. But thanks for the encouraging emails, and for checking in on me! :-)

People Matter to God

Spent a good part of the day today with Ben, Alan, and Lindsey from the college ministry of Calvary Baptist in Tuscaloosa, AL... and Mark Lydecker, the North American Mission Board Collegiate Ministry Director. AWESOME TIME! Just hearing the vision and passion of Ben, Alan, and Lindsey for college students... what they're doing to reach them... and how they might be able to partner with us to reach students at Univ. of MD, prayerfully starting in January 2008... just got my ministry mojo's going, baby! THIS IS GOING TO WORK!! It seems like a total God-thing, and we're just riding the wave as He provides it!

I asked myself this question: "What would make a college ministry... down in ALABAMA no less... exert their energy to send good people who they've trained... to come over 800 miles to do college ministry alongside of a new church?" BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD!!! And these guys are committed to reaching people fwho are far from Him. SO committed to that end, that even if it means sending quality people... who could no doubt be put to good use there in AL... miles away from home to lead college students in College Park, MD to become growing and passionate followers of Jesus... then that's what they're willing to do!

And that's what it takes... a heart commitment to do whatever is necessary to reach people far from God. And these guys understand that.

People matter to God...

We need to do whatever is necessary to reach them...

... even if it means giving up what's most valuable to us in order to do so.

Sunday Night Ramblings...

* Great service this evening! Still getting newcomers out... of our first 10 Sundays, we've only missed one Sunday of not having any visitors! That's an awesome thing! One of those newcomers works at CNN... and a coworker of his told him about "a guy used to work for CNN, but is now starting a church." He contacted me a while back, but was working the evening shift... he recently switched to days, and was able to make it out tonight. He said he enjoyed it and will definitely be back... awesome!

* We experienced our first media nightmare today! We couldn't get the projector to work, and then when we did, it kept freezing! So, no words for the songs, and no message notes! But it flowed relatively smoothly... could've been worse!

* One of my best friends, Shawn McBride who pastors New Life Community Church in Bowie, MD, dropped by our service tonight... always a pleasure to see him and his bride, Michelle! I was Shawn's Assistant Pastor when he launched New Life... he's an excellent preacher, but an even better friend!

* Received some terrible news tonight: a young guy named James, who used to be a member at New Life, died on early Saturday morning... totally unexpected (heart attack). HUGE loss... the guy couldn't have been any older than 35. I always hate these kind of stories...

* The three little plums returned tonight... my boys were chillin' with Keda's parents overnight. What an awesome thing to not hear any voices of tiny people before 7am! Now, while Keda is reading this, I'm sure she's also laughing because I never hear them before 7am! Haha!

* My three guys got to see Ratatouille before me... rats!

* Keda's telling me about the people who are griping about the new iPhone! Man, there was NO WAY I was paying $500 for a phone. I'll wait 'til those jokers drop in price a WHOLE lot! So, all you early adopters: be sure to test the product thoroughly... let us know all the kinks and bugs... and by the time Apple gets the phone top-notch, us cheapos will be ready to take the plunge!

* Got a crew coming up from a church in Alabama to meet with me on Tuesday and Wednesday... they've got a thriving College ministry and are looking to partner with us to reach the students at University of Maryland. That's going to be awesome beyond belief!! I've had several conversations with Ben Pilgreen, who is the College Pastor there... and they are so freakin' excited it doesn't make sense! So, those who are reading this, pray for clear communication for us on Tues/Wed and for the Lord to make it very clear to all involved as to what this should look like!

* I finished up our Summer Lovin' series tonight, and I'll be casting vision for the next couple of Sundays! SO AMPED ABOUT THAT!!! This will be our first "Invest and Invite" series... much needed for us at this time, and looking forward to it big time!