Friday Thoughts

 Faith, Random Thoughts  No Responses »
Jul 182008
 

I took an unplanned blogging break this past week.  If you are a faithful reader, I sincerely apologize.  I am sure that my mom, Jill and my mother-in-law will understand and since they are my faithful readers, my blog hits should not drop off much. 

I did not blog on Sunday or Monday to simply do some reading and spend some time in prayer.  I have not read any blogs for over a week and I tried to spend any extra time with people and in prayer. 

I am having to trust God for a number of things in my personal life, my ministry and in Church at the Grove.  Good stuff is happening but it is important how I and the church take some steps here in the near future.

Here are some thoughts on the week:

  • I have spent over a month in consistent exercise and I am trying to eat better.  I am feeling much better physically as a result and I seem to have more energy. 
  • I don’t know if anyone else is enjoying our “The Church” videos but I am loving them!  Melissa Willet is doing and excellent job of directing, shooting and editing the videos.  I will post last week’s in another post. 
  • We are seeing a consistent number of people coming to visit and check out Church at the Grove and that should increase substantially in August and September.  I want to be ready for them!
  • This past week’s message was from Acts 6 and was about getting more people involved in the process of reaching this community through Church at the Grove.  Together we can reach more people than we can alone or independent of one another. 
  • This next week is about “Community Groups” and “Encouraging Relationships”. 
  • Don’t miss this Sunday if you are a Grover and invite a friend to join you. 
  • Ric and the band continues to do a great job leading us in worship.
  • Nathan and Sandy did an incredible job with our student retreat at the lake and as a result we had one young lady turn to follow Jesus.  YES!  Thank you to Lance and Cindy Boyd for the use of their house on the lake and all their hard work.  Thank you to the Ellingtons, Erin, and Allison, Katelyn, and so many others that helped make the weekend a great success. 
 Posted by at 10:29 am

Little Things MATTER!

 Church Planting, Culture, Leadership  1 Response »
Jul 102008
 

Nelson Searcy recently shared this post regarding how important little things are.  As we think about gearing up for this NEW fall and the preparation we need to make for guests on Sundays, we need to apply these principles:

I went to McDonalds recently . . . because I got a coupon in an Amazon.com order for a free Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. I ordered my sandwich, a small fry and a small soda. The total came to $3.47 – I was a happy camper. I can’t remember the last time I ate lunch for under $3.50!

About two bites into my ‘Chick-Fil-A-look-a-like’ sandwich I glanced at the receipt. And that’s when I noticed it:

Eat-In Tax….. 0.25

I was a charged a QUARTER for eating my meal in the restaurant where I ordered it. I was no longer a happy camper.

Now, before you think this must be a ‘New York City’ thing, I want you to know that this happened outside NYC . . . in a standard suburban McDonalds.

The issue was not the actual 25 cents . . . The issue was not ‘tax’ as I don’t mind paying any legitimate tax (render under Caesar and all that)… The issue was that McDonald’s was charging me a hidden fee to eat the meal I purchased from them on their premises.

Here’s the point: The issue wasn’t the quarter but the feeling the quarter caused. It left a bad impression on me that I’ve been living with for several days now. Over a mere 25 cents, McDonald’s left me feeling bad about the entire experience (and overall the chicken sandwich was pretty good).

In 1988, I heard bestselling author Harvey Mackay speak and he said:

Little things don’t mean a lot – they mean everything!

I’ve lived with that quote for almost two decades! In this case, one little thing at a fast-food restaurant left a huge negative impression on me.

So here’s a question for you. . .what are the little things you are doing at your church that are leaving negative impressions on your guests or regular attenders?

Here are a few things to prime your thinking:

  • Are you charging for regular coffee on Sunday? Eat the quarter and give it away!
  • Are you being stingy with your printed materials and trying to save a quarter by not printing both sides in color?
  • Are you skipping the ‘little things’ in your worship service and not telling people when you are about to pray or when its time to sit down?
  • Are there funky odors in the bathrooms that a 25-cent deodorizer would solve?
  • Are there lights burned out in the children’s area?
  • Are the labels on the envelopes you mail out more than a little crooked? (couldn’t resist mentioning envelopes since Harvey Mackay is in the envelope biz)
  • Are you settling for regular paper instead of heavy stock for your connection cards in an attempt to save a few cents?

You get the picture. Let me remind you again:

Little things don’t mean a lot, they mean everything!

What changes do you need to make this week that will remove negative impressions and leave people saying ‘Wow!’ when they leave your church on Sunday?

I’m not saying that I won’t ever eat at McDonalds again but I will probably get my future orders ‘to go.’

 Posted by at 9:22 am

Student Retreat

 Church at the Grove, Students  No Responses »
Jul 102008
 

I am leaving this morning on our Student Retreat with Nathan and a group of middle school and High School students. 

It is going to be a great retreat.  Please pray for our students.

 Posted by at 9:15 am

Second Generation

 Church at the Grove, Church Planting, Missional  No Responses »
Jul 092008
 

Probably one of the most satisfying and encouraging aspects of Church at the Grove this summer is seeing some of our “second generation” fruit!

Many of the people that have turned to follow Jesus and become connected to CATGrove in the first year and a half are seeing fruit in their own lives!  This is huge and it is part of the dream we had to be a Disciple Making Church.

 Posted by at 11:14 am
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