York Relay for Life

We're going public! That's right, our first "public display of actionchurch" will take place June 15th-16th as we participate in the York Relay for Life. This is a great opportunity to not only help our community by raising money for the American Cancer Society, but also a great way to connect with people. This is a 24 hour event. 24 hours to show that we mean business in caring for others. 24 hours to connect with people we do not know. 24 hours to "be" the good news!

I know you may be thinking that "this seems too 'big' to do right now"! I agree. "Too Soon"! I agree. I especially agreed when I accepted this opportunity to lead a relay team late last year! At that time our "launch team" consisted of my wife, myself, our three year old daughter, and three cats. Here's the deal. God wants actionchurch to be a church that does things for others that are too big, too extravagant, too much! Whether we are 10 or 10,000 there is never going to be an convenient time to do good. If we want to be the church that: "cares more about doing good in the community, than looking good to the community." We must start being "that kind of church" now!

Thanks to those of you who have agreed to walk and donate to "team actionchurch". We need more walkers and more financial sponsors. If this sounds like an adventure you would like to be part of...contact me at info@actionchurch.com

Ya did Good Chris.

Michele and I were sorry to see Chris Sligh leave American Idol last night. (Note to guys, always blame girly-show-watching on your wife or girlfriend.) We were rooting for Chris because he was funny, very talented, had hair like Sideshow Bob, and was a worship leader at Seacoast Church. Although he didn't make the final ,I think Chris did a great job of showing that a follower of Jesus can be witty, fun, and very sharp. Way to Go!

"Musical nerd" note: I wonder if Chris had trouble with tempo in his songs because he normally plays guitar while he sings. A lot of "worship leader types" actually cue the band and keep their tempo on their guitar. Just a thought.

The Girl Scouts are out to get me

Don't be fooled by their cuteness or snappy uniforms, this is a very sinister organization. Here's the "Facts".

1. Their little "agents" have obviously had our home under surveillance so that their "cookie pushers" could strike when either my wife Michele or I are home. (Never both.) This tactic has allowed them to double their sales to approximately 90 boxes of cookies this year!

2. Their "collectors" only accept cash or check, no cards. Sound suspicious? I think so! Since I haven't had a checkbook in 10 years, (I suck at writing down amounts) and don't carry a lot of cash, I have to resort to rummaging our house for cash like a cookie junkie desperate for a fix.

3. Their crispity, crunchety, cookies are far too addictive to be "legal". Especially the thin mints.

I'm glad "cookie season" is almost over or I would need a mortgage lender and an intervention by Richard Simmons.

Bang for your buck!

One part of getting a new Church ready to launch is buying stuff. (Just 320 days until actionchurch launches if you're counting) I am really jacked up about the vision God has given us even for something as seemingly trivial as purchasing equipment and supplies. We have already begun partnering with two kinds of companies and we will not settle for less. 1. Companies that are also involved in building the kingdom. 2. Companies/individuals we feel compelled to influence by being extremely generous and profitable customers.

Please notice that I did not say God has given us a vision to whine-for-absolutely-the-lowest-prices-because-we-are-a-church-and-then-pay-late-and-ask-for-special-treatment! (I think "cheap" churches are an embarrasment if you couldn't already tell.) We will strategically "leverage" every purchase, every expense into something that helps spread the good news. We will never use "being a church" as an excuse to be anything less than a great customer. In the future I'll tell the stories of the great companies we have already partnered with, and how we believe they offer the most "bang for your buck".

What is going on with 24?

I tuned in to 24 last night to find Jack Baur tenderly caring for a disabled guy. Ricky Schroder (Silver Spoons) being seriously dark and scary. To top it off Milo is making out with Nadia after he throws her under the bus for being a spy... Maybe next week we will see the "charming people person" side of Chloe.

Fat, Lazy, and Constipated...

... nope, that's not my new screen name. It's just that I've been thinking lately about how there will be absolutely no need for scripture or doctrine in heaven. (1 Corinthians 13:12) "Preacher types" please feel free to jump in if I'm wrong here, but I don't think there is going to be a Bible survey/doctrine 101 exam as part of the final judgement. Instead, my understanding is that we will be rewarded based on how we advanced the kingdom and served "the least of these".

The religious way to say this is- Knowledge of scripture is like Manna, anything we don't use during our time on earth is wasted. I prefer to think of it like this-If church goers are constantly "fed" (wow am I sick of that expression) without digesting scripture and turning it into energy and motion-doesn't it stand to reason that we would wind up with churches full of "Christians" who are spiritually fat, lazy, and constipated??? As Glenn Beck would say. "I'm not a theologian, but I am a thinker".

Awesome morning at church!

One of the tough decisions of a church planter is where to attend church before launch. (actionchurch has it's first preview service in November and launches weekly meetings on 2.10.08) We have been really fortunate to attend a great church like LCBC It's a 40 minute drive every Sunday but so worth it. LCBC is a "mega-church" in all the right ways. Mega-vision, Mega-outwardly focused, Mega-effective!

Today was a baptism service and as always it rocked... Seeing so many "ordinary" people going public with their faith totally reminds me of what this whole following Jesus thing is all about. I end up weeping like the little girl on American Idol the other night, but it is simply the best!

Steven Furtick nailed it!

I definitely think Pastor Steven Furtick from elevation church in Charlotte N.C. "nailed" this whole movement of missional churches that is happening...

He wrote:
There are thousands of other pastors and churches all across this country who are rejecting meaningless methodologies and refusing to back down in the face of a changing culture. We embrace, harness, and ultimately shape culture. And we are building the Kingdom of God together.Our message, the message of forgiveness and grace in Jesus Christ, is the most relevant message in the history of the world, and we won’t be silent about it.
Read the whole post. http://www.stevenfurtick.com/?p=211

Even as the "least of these" new churches, actionchurch is in great company!

Our "new" home

As we began this grand experiment of starting a new church. Both my wife Michele and I, were reminded of the time that we bought our first new home. After several years of rentals, fixer-uppers, and "projects" we decided we must build a brand spankin' new home. We were willing to pay whatever price, suffer whatever discomfort, cut any red tape needed to make it happen. We were told it wasn't the right time (I had just started a business), we didn't have enough money, and we were not prepared...but we were still able to purchase exactly the home we had dreamed of.

Today we both feel the same way about our new "church home". As Mark Batterson often quotes Michelangelo: "It's time to criticize by creating". http://www.evotional.com/2006/04/why-we-go-to-movies.html So here goes... No more Fixer-upper churches. No more broken-down project churches. No more trying to fit into someone else's vision. (Or even more often, someone else's lack of vision) We are ready to pay the price, face the discomfort, endure the journey...we feel like it's worth it.

Please don't bother writing that "it's the 'Lord's house'-not yours"! I am aware of that fact and I still think it's a perfect analogy for us. Besides, after nearly 11 years in our "new" home we have increased it's size, made improvements, and constantly worked to maintain it. We still consider it to be the only place in the world we would want to live. Someday, I believe we will say the same about actionchurch.