Staying Healthy

Trust me. I'm not real worried about keeping myself healthy. Just ask Desi. I eat all sorts of terrible food. As I am writing this I am eating some cream cheese and chives crackers and washing them down with some pink lemonade. So like I said, I'm not worried about being healthy right now.

What I am going to talk about is trying to keep the church healthy. Yesterday, I talked about the things that are happening at Sojourn. And I said that I would explain why we are making these changes in our plans. I'm going to give you the first two now. The last two will come later; they require a lot more exlanation. So here you go...

There are four key areas in which a church must be strong in order to be healthy. And yes, these are in a particular order. And it's because of a lack of a couple of these things that we are not launching weekly services at Sojourn.

First is relational. You must be relationally strong. Well, what does that mean? For Sojourn, it means that relationships are at the center of everything we do. Our relationships with the people we work with, the people we meet on the streets. And especially our relationship with Christ. And every relationship matters. We have a saying here that "we are all about people". We are in the business of people. We want to love people. We want to welcome people. We want to help people fall in love with their God, who is madly in love with them. So for us to be relationally strong we have to love people well. To be honest, we lost a little of that when we started the preview services. We went from meeting in Toby's living room, having coffee and bagels, to having church services. At that point we became, as one person so well put it, "all business". We lost the focus on relationships and became focused on pulling off a good service. Obviously that's the opposite of what we are here for.

The second aspect of a healthy church is being spiritually strong. Now, this one is a little tricky. The reason why is because it's a process. Being spiritually strong isn't a statute you achieve and then move on to part three. This is something you have to keep in front of you and keep working on. Being spiritually strong is sort of like growing spiritually. What makes this one difficult to measure is that on any given Sunday you have people there who are all at different place in their spiritual journey. You have some people who gave their life to Christ a long, long time ago. And there are others who are hearing Jesus' name for the very first time. At least, there should be people like that in you service. The easy way out of this one is to simply ask the question, "Are people in the church growing?" Yes, that's a great question, but you can't stop there. Why are they growing? Are they growing because of the leadership of the church, or are they growing despite the leadership of the church? We feel that we are doing the right things now, and have future plans to keep people growing in their spiritual journey. Right now we have our weekly gatherings. Starting the end of October, we are beginning community groups(small groups). So we are putting these things in place to be sure we are constantly growing.

So that's it for now. Again, we feel that we are strong, and getting stronger is these two areas. Tomorrow I will finish this up, and that's when we'll get into the real meat and potatoes of the changes that are happening at Sojourn.

TTFN. Ta ta for now..

Smooth Changes

So here's the deal. I haven't blogged in quite a while. At least a while for me. I know other people who haven't posted a thing on their blog in over a month. But for me, a week is a very long time. Let me tell you why it's been a while for me.

We have made some big changes at Sojourn.

And am I excited about it! But these aren't changes we are making to the church. Just some changes to our strategy for our launch. And let me tell you. I'm excited about it! Bet you didn't see that coming.

Let me give you a little background...

We just finished having our official "Preview Services" at Sojourn. What these "Preview Services" provided were a great chance for us as a staff and a core/launch team to get a feel for our weekend gatherings. We got a feel for how to best set up the audio/visual elements, as well as how long that whole process would take. We got a chance to try out a bunch of different things for the space in the theater. Basically, it was a chance for us to feel out the theater. And boy did we need it! Fortunately, we learned a whole lot during our preview services. And God did some amazing things.

First off, we nearly doubled our core team! In just one and a half months we went from 12 people on our team to nearly 30! That's stinking awesome! And, best of all, 5 people gave their lives to Christ during those preview services! YES! I can't tell you how awesome that is. And what's great is that a couple of those people are now part of our core team. So it's been great to see God work in people's lives and draw them towards Sojourn.

But like I said, we learned a lot of stuff during the preview services. The biggest thing we realized is what is bringing on these changes I started talking about...

We aren't ready to launch weekly services.

At least not in the theater. We just aren't. We realized that we have a lot of missing pieces before we can start running in that direction. So that being said, what are we going to do?

We are going to keep meeting in the theater. But only on the first Sunday of the month from now until January. Part of this is so that we can just keep our contract on the theater. But also, we want people to be able to come into a larger gathering so that they can see what the vision is. Remember, let vision be vision. On the other 3 or 4 weekends a month, we will be meeting in a smaller area, like a conference room at a hotel. We are doing this because we have simply outgrown Toby's house, where we have been meeting on our off weekends during the preview services. I mean there's no way we can fit 30 people in one living room. So we are going to rent something like a conference room to fit 50 or so people to meet in other than the 1st Sunday of every month. This way, we get out of Toby's living room, which we can't fit in any more, and also, that's a bit of a high pressure environment for new people to come to. So the conference room will be much more confortable for them. And then the theater will again be a time to sort of cast the vision.

So this will happen until January 11th. That is our new tentative date for our official launch. So that is what is happening. I will write tomorrow about why we have decided to do this. Mainly because this is already way too long. I'm tired of typing so I know you're tired of reading.

So just know that this is what is happening, and every single one of those 30 people on our team is just as excited as I am about this. So tomorrow I will explain why we are doing this, and hopefully I can better explain. Till then...

Letting Vision be Vision

So things have been a little rough around here lately. I can't really explain it all, it's just been tough. Some things just aren't going according to plan. Other just aren't going at all.

One of the biggest things has been trying to figure out which direction is the right one for the worship at Sojourn. It's been a real struggle. I think the hardest thing for me is having a vision for the worship and trying to be patient with the vision. Here's what I mean...

I have the vision. I know God has given me the vision. I'm certainly not doubting the vision. The problem, for me, is realizing that it's just that... a vision. It's what I want to see happen. It's a vision of what I want it to be. It wouldn't be a vision if it were already that way. It would be the way things are. But things are the way that they are in my vision.

Basically, I'm having to learn to let the vision, be a vision. It's really hard. It's hard not to force the vision into realization, which is what I've been doing for the past 2 months. I've been trying to make things happen when, in reality, we don't have the people to make them happen right now. I've been trying to fit people into the right place. It's like I'm trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

Instead of using what God has given us, I've been trying to use whatever I can get. And honestly, I've been suffering because of it. Trying to fit people into the places I think they should fit into has been a huge area of stress for me. It's really caused me a lot of pain and heartache. It's been a constant worry. It's really what I spend literally half my day trying to do, and to no avail.

So instead of forcing people, I have to learn to let people. I have to stop forcing them into an area, and let them move themselves into an area. Now, I'm saying that I'm not going to recruit anyone or anything like that. Otherwise no one would ever get involved. Basically, I just want to give them a gentle nudge to see how they respond. Instead of pushing them, because I've seen what response that gets, and I don't like it. So I have to learn to give people that gentle nudge, and then let them decide for themselves. It's seriously going to be hard for me. The last time I worked in a church, part of my job was recruiting volunteers, and helping people get involved, specifically in the area that I was leading. So I have to unlearn that I guess.

So the past couple of months have been hard. And I know the next couple aren't going to be any easier. In fact, they might be harder. Harder because I have to learn to let go and unlearn some things, which is usually a very painful process. We'll just have to wait and see where God takes us.

Hot Dogs, Bloody Volleyball, and Church

Yes, it's true. Today at Sojourn there was hot dogs, a bloody game of volleyball, and best of all, church happened. But first let's start at the beginning of the day.

To start it all off, Toby and I sat at the AMC for about 30 minutes in case anyone showed up there for a service. What's great is 4 people showed up looking for Sojourn! That's 4 people who were coming for the first time! Exciting stuff! And lot's of exclamation points!!!

After sitting at the theater, we moved on to Ramsey Park. Here is Toby more worried about posing for the picture than cooking the hot dogs. And we all wondered why the hot dogs were crunchy.
And this is where it all went down. This is where the wound happened. It was Jason, and it was a itsy-bitsy cut, but it sure did bleed! He actually didn't know he had cut it until he notices blood all over his shirt and shorts. I say all over, there were a couple drops of blood here and there.
And like I said, best of all, we had church right there around those picnic tables. And it wasn't church like we had a whole band up there and Toby gave a 30 minute message. There was music, like 2 or 3 songs, and it was just me by myself. And Toby didn't give a sermon. He talked real with everyone. He talked about how exciting it was that people were genuinely interested in Sojourn and wanted to be a part of it. He almost cried. He almost made me cry.One of the coolest parts of the whole thing was Chris. Chris was a guy that had never been to our church before. He hadn't been to a single one of our services. And he didn't know a single person there at all. He heard about us from his step daughter who was at our service last weekend, and she told him that he absolutely had to come. So he showed up! All by himself, well other than the 2 small boys he had with him. He actually showed up at the theater at 9 in the morning thinking we had service at that time. Drove around the parking lot of the theater, then went home, got on his computer, looked at our website and saw that we were meeting at the park, and drove back out to the park! That's just super encouraging. And it's great to know that his step daughter liked it enough that she told that he "had to go check out that new church" as he put it.

So it was a great day. There was some real relationships being built this morning. And I'm so glad that I was able to be a part of it and build some relationships myself. It's going to be great to see everyone again next weekend.

Good Morning World #3

Good morning World.

I hope you slept well last night. I know I did. And boy did I need it. My neck kind of hurts right now. I think I slept with my neck turned to the right all night long, so it's kind of stiff. But other than that I feel very well rested.

Well, the first thing I did when I woke up was got on the computer and see a headline for Hurricane Ike on the Yahoo news. Sure I don't want anyone to get hurt during these things, but seriously, how stupid can you be? Honestly, what are these people who stay behind thinking? They want to stay because they say, "Oh, it's never as bad as they say it is." Ok, sure, not all the time. But let's think about Hurricane Katrina. It was a lot worse than they said it was going to be. They though it was going to be bad, and it turned about to be terrible. So why would you sit around waiting for a hurricane that can literally do anything it wants to? I just don't understand what goes through people's mind when they decide they can survive a hurricane and it's aftereffects despite watching the weather channel and local news? I don't know.

Well, on a lighter note, Desi is in Georgia with her friends and family this weekend. Sure I miss her. But she needs to see them. She really misses all of them. It's been hard for her moving up here and not knowing anyone, and not really having a chance to know anyone. Heck, I don't really know anyone either. The good thing is that we are finally starting to meet people. We've met Gil, who is a great guy. And then there Jordan and his girlfriend Natalie. Jordan played bass at Sojourn last weekend, and Natalie came with him. And Mindi has a couple of people our age she wants us to meet. So hopefully we can start hanging out with all these guys, and Desi can start forming some friendships.

And hopefully Desi will be able to find a new job soon. It's not that her job she has now is so bad. It's that she always has to work on Sundays. Which really sucks because she' not able to be a part of Sojourn, which is the whole reason we moved here in the first place. And with the Christmas season coming up, she's going to be working 6 days a week, 10 hour days. We went through that together last year, and it was not fun. I hardly ever see her when that time comes. It's very wearing on Desi. And to be completely honest, it's absolutely ridiculous that the company makes them work like that. Sure the money's good. But the money isn't that good. Unfortunately, there's not really anything I can do. I've said I could take on a THIRD job, but who could really do that. I could do it for maybe a month, but then it would start to take it's toll. I want to do everything I can for Desi, but there's nothing I can do about this one. That really sucks too.

Wow, so every time I start talking about something it starts taking a negative turn. I don't know why. I feel great. I'm ecxited about today, not doing a thing, and tomorrow, "Sojourn at the Park." So I'm just gonna stop and go enjoy some Captain Crunch Berries cereal until College Gameday starts, then I will enjoy a football filled day. Peace.

Stop Running

I have a confession to make. I run. Not like I physically go on a jog, trust me that never happens, seen my getting close to man boobs lately? But I like to run things. I like to help things operate. Specifically, I like to run the worship ministry at Sojourn. I guess it's a good thing that it's my job. But it's a little bit of a problem. Let me explain.

I'm a hard worker. I'm not trying to brag, I just like to take a task as my own and see it to completion. I enjoy that. It's a good feeling to know that you were a part of making something happen. But for the past 2 months I've been so busy trying to run the worship ministry at Sojourn that I've forgotten to lead it. I've been running instead of leading.

I know what you're thinking, because I thought it too. As the leader, your job is to make sure that it runs smoothly, right? Oh yea, absolutely correct. Part of my job is definitely to be sure that the worship ministry runs and runs smoothly. But I've been getting the order of stuff mixed up.

Usually we think, "Part of running an organization is leading it."

WRONG!!!

Part of leading an organization is running it.

See the difference? Most of the time I get so focused on the task in front of me, I forget why that task is even there. Why am I even doing this? I know this is part of what I'm supposed to do, but why am I doing it again? I try so hard to make sure that the gas pedal is pushed so the tires turn. But I often forget that I have to grab the steering wheel to be sure we're heading in the right direction. I push the pedal harder and harder to go faster and faster and keep checking the speedometer but never look at the map.

So I have this big challenge for myself. The challenge is this...

Stop running the worship ministry entirely. And start leading it only.

I am no longer going to be running the worship ministry at Sojourn. That is not even going to be a thought for me. My total and complete focus is on leading the worship ministry.I know what you're thinking now, because I thought about it too. But if you're not running it, then who is? Great question, and it took me a while, but I realized the answer.

The key to the worship ministry running smoothly is making sure that it is lead strongly. Strength in the leadership will equal smoothness in the operation.

And I totally serious about this. I've got more that I want to say, but I'll say it later. You've read this much and you need a break. Plus it's time for me to go wreck up Toby and Clay's strategic planning meeting. I have no idea what goes on in these things, but Toby invited me so I'm going. More about leading and not running later.

Relaxed

So this afternoon has been really nice. Desi has had today off so we've spent the entire afternoon and evening together. We've watched some TV, took Riley for a walk, ate dinner, we watched a little football(meaning I watched a little football and Desi messed around on Facebook), we are watching One Tree Hill(meaning Desi is watching One Tree Hill and I am typing this) and later we're going to watch more football and eat popcorn.

We also messed around around a little with some t-shirt designs for Sojourn. Desi had the original idea, and I just helped push her to go further. She loves that stuff, and I love watching her do it. She's so creative and talented at graphic design. If only she could do it for Sojourn more often. Then I wouldn't have to do it, not that I don't want to. I enjoy doing it. She's just a whole lot better than me at it.

So today has been nice. And there's no telling what else may happen.

From Today

So I already talked about what happened today. So know I want to show you what it looked like. Here's some pictures from today.

Our truck and trailer that was given to us.

Me, Brad, and Chris unloading the giant trailer.

The stage that was also given to us, courtesy of Journey Church.

The band practicing while I was doing other stuff.

Sweet Sunday

Today was awesome! I had a sweet Sunday. Sojourn was awesome. I am so excited about what happened today. It was definitely hectic and crazy, but way worth all of it.

First off, we had some great volunteers today. I can't even imagine what would have happened had they not been there this morning. The band showed up and got right to work. Chris was awesome too. I asked him to do something and he did it. And everyone did a great job at what they did. What was really exciting for me is that I didn't have to check on anyone. If I asked someone to do something they did it, and they did it right! I only had to go back and fiz one persons work, and it was my own! I plugged something in the wrong spot and messed it all up! And I'm the one with a degree in audio engineering! The people who never do this stuff did it perfect. That's really exciting for someone in my position.

Second, the band was smokin! I mean we were on fire. Rob, our drummer, did a great job keeping the tempo perfect on every song. Brad nailed every guitar part, even the big lead that he only had a couple of days to practice. Jordan rocked the bass hard! And he's not even a bass player, he's a guitar player. Kristen did a great job singing back-up. Plus she makes all of us ugly dudes look better.

Third, people worshiped this morning! That's what got me pumpin this morning. It was great seeing people worship God and be streached in their worship. I even saw the oldest person in thee room clapping his hands during EVERY song! It was awesome. And Natalie, Jordan's girlfriend, was there, and she is a worshipper for sure. She sang loud and hard to God. I heard her above everything else that was going on on that stage. And what's even better is that she wasn't the only one.

All these things were stinking awesome. But the best part of all. The greatest thing about today...Another person made a first time commitment to Christ! SWEET! I was so excited when I heard that. That's 2 people who have given their life's to Christ in 2 services. It's so awesome to be a part of life change. That's what it's all about any ways. Well, it's all about honoring God, but part of that is life change. So again...SWEET!

It's been so exciting to see God moving through Sojourn. But now I'm even more excited to see what God is going to do. This is not the end of God's work!

Our first practice

So tonight we had our first real band practice. And it was awesome! First off, Lake Forest Church is letting us use their practice room whenever we want it! That's such a huge blessing. We had no where to practice, then the pastor, Mike Moses, tells us to just come use their stuff. They have everything there we need, drums, amps, and a pa system. It was fantastic. All we had to do was bring our guitars and plug them in.

The other awesome thing about tonight is that practice only took us a total of 1 1/2 hours! That's it! A full band practice in less that 2 hours! Kyle Dillard, the worship pastor at Lake Forest Church, told me that they practiced for 2 1/2 hours yesterday, and they still didn't get through everything! I am seriously blessed to have some super talented people around me. Which is great because they make me look really good!

I'm so excited about the music for this weekend. I'm very excited about having a full band to play with. Oh, and Kristen is singing with us. I wasn't really able to hear her a whole lot tonight, but what I did hear sounded really good. So at least the people who are there will have someone who actually sings good to listen to, rather than just me.

So if you're in the Charlotte area, you should really check us out this weekend, especially if you like the Foo Fighters, that's our opening song. And hopefully we'll have some video of this weekend so I can put it up here so you can see. But that's it for now, peace!

Learning from Others

So I've always been told that a big part of becoming a better leader is learning from other great leaders. I've been given a great opportunity to have some great leaders that I can learn from. I've met some awesome worship pastors in the area who have already been a huge help to me.

One of those worship pastors is Nate Davis. Nate is the worship pastor at Mosaic Church here the Huntersville area. He has been a huge help to Sojourn by giving us a lot of equipment. He's also been a huge help to me by just encouraging me.

Today, Nate and I sat down over smoothies and talked for a little while. He gave me some great advice on being a portable church, and how to do what we do with excellence. I'm going to working on some of the ideas he gave me. I am going to posting all of our stuff we have for our set up process and other things. So that hopefully it help some of you who are going to be doing what I do soon.

So you will be able to see my progress as I filter through the ideas and concepts and everything else. So there is more to come here. So get ready. And a big thanks to Nate.

Good Morning World #2

Good morning world.

It was dark inside this morning when I woke up. So I opened the blinds to see nothing but clouds in the sky. I'm supposed to go get coffee later, and I was hoping to sit outside. Oh well.

At least it's labor day. Desi and I are both off work so we get to spend the day together, just like we have the last two. I don't know why, but I don't really feel like doing much of anything today. I am excited about having coffee with Nate today. He's always good to talk to. After going to the service at Mosaic yesterday for the first time, I have a lot of questions I want to ask him. It's pretty cool. I told Desi that I really wanted to meet another worship pastor here who could be someone that I meet with regularly just to talk to and talk worship pastor stuff. I didn't know if Nate would be that guy, but then he tells me that he wants to get together every once in a while so we can sit down and just talk. So I guess that answered that prayer.

But anyways, the Tennessee vs. UCLA game is tonight. I'm excited about that. Hopefully UCLA will come out on top, giving UGA a little less competition in the SEC. Not that the competition would be bad, it's just always nice to see your team dominate everyone else.

But other than coffee and football, I have nothing to do today and don't want to do anything else. yesterday was just really tiring. Desi and I were gone all day it seems like. We went to Mosaic then to Wal-mart then home for lunch, then I had to make cd's for the band, then we had to go up to the office to print the sheet music since we don't have a printer, then to the gas station, then to Target, then hom for not even an hour, then to Toby's for the Sojourn pizza party, then home and in to bed.

I'm tired, but I'm here. So good morning world.