New Series: The Gospel
Posted: February 2, 2012 Filed under: North Rock Hill Church Leave a comment »The Gospel. Is it religious advice to follow? A prayer to pray? The diving board we launch from or the ocean we swim in?
This foundational series will explore the depths of the Gospel, and find it to be more than just the beginning. It is the power that makes Christianity revolutionary every day.
I am really excited about this series and can’t wait to see what God will do! I am praying for many to trust Jesus as Savior, for many to be freed from the superficiality of religion, and for all of us to be compelled to take this gospel to the nations.
Invite friends and make plans to join us Sunday as we launch “The Gospel.”
Hello, North Rock Hill!
Posted: January 9, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »As Lara Beth and I wrestled through God’s call away from Columbia and to Rock Hill, one of my mentors said, “When you surrender to God’s call, there are lots of ‘goodbyes.’ But behind the goodbyes, there are a lot of new ‘hellos.’” That statement served as a great encouragement to us.
This week, we get to officially say, “Hello, North Rock Hill!” We’re excited to get started with this new season and new adventure with our new faith family.
As we get started, I want to ask you to pray with us and for us in these five areas:
1. Pray for our house in Columbia to sell. We’ve had several showings and all have been very positive, but no offers have been made. Pray that it will sell and sell soon!
2. Pray for us to find the right house in Rock Hill. We will likely rent at first so that we can go ahead and move to Rock Hill without having to wait on our Columbia house to sell. If you know of good houses for rent, let us know. Pray for wisdom as we search and decide.
3. Pray for our girls as they prepare to leave their friends, school, and activities in Columbia to embrace new friends, a new school, a new neighborhood, etc. in Rock Hill. Pray they will transition well and feel at home in Rock Hill. In fact, you can pray the same for Lara Beth and me. 
4. Pray for me as I begin leading/working with the staff and Advisory Team. I’ll have my first meetings with Executive Staff, Ministry Staff, and Advisory Team today. Pray for fast friendships and team unity. I am very impressed with the capacity of the NRHC staff and leaders and can’t wait to do life and ministry with them.
5. Pray for me as I begin preaching this Sunday. It’s been 4 weeks since I last preached and I am chomping at the bit to get going again! I’m excited about our first 2 sermon series – pray that God will use them to set the course and pace for what He wants to do NEXT in and through NRHC. The potential in this church is off the charts – I can’t wait to see what God does!
North Rock Hill, we’re thrilled to be with you and excited about what God has ahead of us. Let’s get after it!
Why I’m Excited About Awaken: Strong Leaders
Posted: December 9, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Church Planting, Leadership Leave a comment »Last night, I had the privilege of meeting with a group of men who are living, breathing answers to prayer. And I couldn’t be more proud of or thankful for them.
While this is my last week serving as Lead Pastor of Awaken Church before I transition to serve as Lead Pastor of North Rock Hill Church, I am excited and confident about her future. Earlier this week, I shared 2 reasons why I feel this way (you can read those posts here and here).
When Awaken launched a little over 2 years ago, God gave us the opportunity to reach many people who were far from Him, many who had been away from church for a long time, and many who had never really been a part of a church. While we were very thankful for what God was doing, it wasn’t long before a major deficiency in our new church was exposed.
We desperately needed leaders. And lots of them! There was just so much to do between running the day to day and week to week operations of the church, handling finances, discipling new believers, following up with guests, training teams and leaders, counseling, etc etc.
For a while, it was euphoric because the dream we had for so long and the prayer we prayed for so long was being answered – God was using our church. But after a few months of the euphoric activity, I added a new prayer…”God raise up leaders! Or send us leaders! Or do both!”
God in His grace did both. Over the last year, God has raised up leaders in our church as those who were once brand new to Christianity, brand new to church, or had been away for a while grew and matured in Christ. And, God has sent us leaders as couples and families have moved to Columbia from other places and have looked for a faith family to be on mission with.
God has multiplied our leadership and that is one of the biggest reasons why I have confidence about Awaken’s future. As I met with our Advisory Team for the final time last night, I looked at men who are the fulfillment of 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
They are men who are above reproach. They are pastoring themselves well. They are pastoring their families well. They are pastoring outsiders well. And, they have already been helping to pastor our church well. As I gave them a charge and prayed over them, I did so in awe of how God had moved to answer our prayer for more leaders.
And the best part is they’re not all the leaders we have. The men I met with last night made a list of others in our church that they feel are ready to take the next step in leadership. Not only did they make a list, but the guys developed a plan to begin meeting with and pouring into the next group of leaders for Awaken. Yes!
I drove home last night an encouraged, thankful, and proud Pastor. Awaken, God has answered our prayer! He has raised up leaders and He has sent us leaders. And they have developed a pipeline to raise up even more leaders!
Get behind these guys…trust them, follow them, and encourage them…they will lead you well!
Why I’m Excited About Awaken: Lives Changed
Posted: December 6, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission, Personal 2 Comments »I’m an addict. I’m addicted to Lara Beth…have been since I met her in the 5th grade. Cheesy I know, but true. I’m addicted to the Gamecocks…have been since 1984, the first football season I remember tracking game for game and play for play. I’m addicted to Starbucks coffee…have been since college when I had my first latte and first cup of dark roasted coffee.
And, I’m addicted to life change…have been since the grace of God radically changed my own life in 1995. My addiction went to hyper-addiction my freshman year in college as I shared the gospel with a friend and watched the same grace of God change his life. As he called on Jesus as Savior and God, my heart exploded with a passion to see God do that again and again. I was hooked!
When we moved to Columbia in 2007 to begin the process of planting Awaken Church, we were broken over the number of people in our city who did not know this life-changing grace of God. Our number one prayer was to plant a church that God would use to reach many people who were far from Him.
In this my last week serving as Lead Pastor at Awaken, it thrills my soul and brings tears to my eyes to see how God has answered that prayer. He’s answered it over and over and over again. As God has used Awaken to share the gospel of His grace, many who were far from God have been transformed by His grace. And now, like me, they’re addicts.
One of our first conversions was Brian. Brian trusted Jesus as Savior in one of our launch team meetings. He was so fired up about God’s grace to him that he was baptized on the spot…in his clothes! Now, Brian is one of Awaken’s most faithful partners and a true giver of his time, talent, and resources. Why? So that others will experience what he has experienced. He’s an addict!
This year, we’ve seen God do the miraculous in several marriages that were on the brink of ending before finding Awaken. Enter God’s grace and God’s people. The grace of God has brought salvation, forgiveness, renewal, and restoration to husbands, wives, and their kids. Now, these couples and families are sharing their stories of restoration and renewal with others who are where they were a few months ago. Why? They’re addicts!
Just recently, a hurting man named Billy showed up at Awaken with his family. He had lots of good reasons to stay away from God and from church. But the grace of God was at work drawing Billy. At the invitation of a friend, Billy and his family came to Awaken, heard the gospel, and were transformed by God’s grace! Now, Billy is leading his family, they are serving, they are in community, and they are passionate about sharing with others. Why? They’re addicts!
I could keep going and going. We’ve seen God do the miraculous as over 110 men, women, students, and children have been changed by the gospel in the 2 years since Awaken’s launch. Because the gospel is so fresh and new life in Christ is so real, these who have been radically transformed have become passionate missionaries of the gospel. They are addicts!
Praise God, Awaken is full of addicts…people addicted to God’s grace and addicted to seeing lives changed by God’s grace! I know these addicts will continue to make bold moves to love, serve, share, give, and go so that others will hear the gospel and be transformed by God’s grace like they have been. And as they do, God will continue to answer the prayer that got this whole thing started four years ago.
That’s an addiction I hope is never broken!
Why I’m Excited About Awaken :: It’s God’s Church
Posted: December 5, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Church Planting, Mission, Personal 1 Comment »As you may already know, I announced my resignation from Awaken Church on November 13 to accept the call to serve as Lead Pastor of North Rock Hill Church in Rock Hill, SC. You can read my post about that decision here.
It’s a surreal season as we close out our time in Columbia and our time at Awaken. It’s bittersweet…like sending your kid off to college. You’re excited to see what’s going to happen next, but sad you won’t have a front row seat for it.
I believe in Awaken Church and love her dearly. I believe strongly that God has greater things ahead for her. So, I want to use this week, my last as Lead Pastor at Awaken, to share a few of the reasons I am excited about what is ahead for Awaken.
Literary great Charles Dickens penned the words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” to serve as the opening words of his classic, A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens must have known something about church planting because that’s it in a nutshell – the best and the worst. Sometimes at different times. Sometimes at the same time.
I can honestly say we have never felt the intensity of spiritual warfare, the physical exhaustion, the emotional anguish, or the spiritual depletion we have experienced at times over the last four years. You hear the wisdom of those who have gone before you, but there’s always that, “It won’t be like that for us,” mentality that I guess goes with being crazy enough to plant a church. But then it all does happen. And it happens often. And it hurts…a lot.
But then, I can honestly say we have never felt the joy of serving, the elation over lives changed and prayers answered, the love of God’s people, and the power of the gospel like we have in the last four years. We have seen God do the miraculous in saving souls, restoring families, providing for needs, making disciples, and sending missionaries. We’ve had a front row seat for a miraculous move of God. And, we’ve seen God do amazing things in our own lives to encourage, provide, teach, and strengthen us.
So, how do you press through the roller coaster of hardship and joy? The answer is the same as the answer to the question of how Awaken will continue on. Awaken Church was God’s idea. He is obsessed over that which is lost in Columbia, SC. He is on a mission to seek and save that which is lost.
This is God’s church. And that is the number one reason why I am excited and confident about Awaken’s future. He is the One who sovereignly worked to call us, to sustain us, to provide for us, and to use us. He is also the One who has called us elsewhere. Which means He has another leader for Awaken to take her forward into the future.
We are His vessels and we are grateful to have served as catalysts for what He wants to do in Columbia through Awaken Church. He gave us His heart, passion, and vision, and now that has spread to dozens and dozens. Through it all, God has built a church. And He’s just getting started!
God is working right now to prepare a new Lead Pastor for Awaken. In the meantime, He is going to use this season to strengthen His church and prepare her for what’s next and for her new Lead Pastor. All the while, He will continue to use Awaken to make His name great through lives changed by the gospel.
What God starts, He finishes (Philippians 1:6). What God promises to build, He builds (Matthew 16:18). When God promises abundantly more, He does abundantly more (Ephesians 3:20-21). In the best of times and the worst of times…He is there, He is at work, and He is able!
Awaken Church is God’s Church. It was four years ago when we moved to Columbia. It was two years ago when we launched. It is now. It will be for all eternity.
A Special Announcement
Posted: November 15, 2011 Filed under: Personal 8 Comments »Dear Friends & Family Near & Far,
Four years ago, God called our family back to Columbia, our hometown, to plant a new church. While so much about moving to Columbia did not make sense, one thing was certain – God’s clear call on our lives.
Columbia had grown and changed so much since we graduated high school. The diversity and population growth alone were staggering. But the statistic that impacted us the most was the fact that 80% of the people in Northeast Columbia are not connected to a church and likely do not have a relationship with Jesus.
God called us here to plant a church that would not compete with other churches, but rather partner with other churches to reach that 80%. As we met people who did not know Jesus and Christians who wanted to be missionaries in our city, we began to pray and consider what this church might look like.
We had to press pause on our plans in early 2009 when my Dad’s cancer returned and he passed away. This was an evidence of God’s grace in calling us to Columbia as I was able to spend some special time with my Dad in the closing months of his life. I even had the honor of preaching his funeral.
We re-grouped in summer 2009 and began building our launch team. That small, but deeply committed team, learned, served, planned, and prayed together and on September 13, 2009, Awaken Church finally launched.
In the two years since our launch, we’ve experienced lots of highs and lows together. Through it all, we’ve seen God do some amazing things.
We’ve seen over 100 people trust Jesus as Savior. We’ve celebrated with over 60 people who have been baptized. We’ve served thousands through Movies in the Park, serving projects, community groups, and partnerships. We’ve seen marriages restored, addictions broken, disciples made, leaders developed, prayers answered, families mended, and missionaries sent. God has used and is using Awaken Church to make a difference in our city.
Our mission is being accomplished right before our eyes. God is using Awaken Church to make His name great through lives changed by the gospel!
Which is why it is with mixed emotions that I share with you what God is doing in our family.
In May of this year, I was approached about an opportunity at a new church in a new city. Initially, our answer was, “No.” Even after ensuing conversations, our answer was still, “No.” But as much as we tried to deny it, the door never really closed.
At the end of the summer and beginning of the school year, it was clear that God was stirring and that we needed to be fully open to whatever He wanted. As we continued to pray and fast, it became increasingly clear that God was in fact calling us to a new ministry assignment.
In response to God’s call after weeks of seeking Him through His Word, prayer, and fasting, I am resigning as Lead Pastor of Awaken Church to accept the call to serve as Lead Pastor of North Rock Hill Church in Rock Hill, SC. My last Sunday at Awaken will be December 11, 2011.
I want to assure you that this is not the end of Awaken Church. God’s vision for Awaken Church has not changed and I believe it will go to the next level during this transition season and under a new Lead Pastor’s leadership.
I am even more convinced of this after sharing with our staff weeks ago, meeting with our leaders two Sundays ago, and sharing with the entire church this past Sunday night. The commitment to Awaken’s vision and future is remarkable.
We covet your prayers for Awaken and our family as we make final plans for transition. Please know we have not taken this decision lightly. Just as when God called us to Columbia, our aim has been to please Him. We trust His leadership over Awaken, our lives, and our new ministry assignment in Rock Hill.
In the days ahead, I’ll share more about Awaken’s transition, our family’s transition, and our new ministry assignment at North Rock Hill Church. We are sad to leave Columbia and Awaken, but we are excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve in Rock Hill.
Thank you for your friendship and partnership in the gospel!
Prayers for the Week of September 5
Posted: September 6, 2011 Filed under: Personal Leave a comment »Hope you had a fantastic Labor Day holiday! We enjoyed a low-key family day that included games, a trip to the zoo, and I even snuck in an afternoon nap.
This past Sunday at Awaken was electric – standing room only, baptisms, salvations, and BBQ all in the same day! I’m praying for and expecting God to do even greater things this Sunday.
Thanks to all who prayed for me last week – I loved hearing from so many at Awaken who saw my post last week and prayed through the week. Keep it up – this is a big week for us as we roll towards Fall Launch on Sunday.
Here’s how you can pray for me this week…
Tuesday :: Staff Meeting Day. I’ll spend the morning with Steve and James finalizing some major objectives for Awaken for the Fall/Winter. Our full staff will meet in the afternoon to go over all things related to Fall Launch. Pray that in all of our meetings we would have a deep awareness of God’s presence and that we would follow Him with faith and obedience.
Wednesday :: Wednesday morning, Steve and I are meeting with the principal and admin staff at Polo Road Elementary to explore ways Awaken can be intentionally involved in serving at the school. Pray for God to make these ways clear. I’ll follow that with a very important lunch meeting that could have big impact for the immediate future of Awaken. Pray that I will have a clear sense of what God wants. In the afternoon, I need to hunker down to get some study and writing done. Pray that God will give clarity to the texts and just the right words to say.
Thursday :: Our staff and I will be attending the NewSpring Leadership Conference at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. We’ll get to hear from great pastors such as Mark Driscoll, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Steven Furtick, and several others. Pray that God will use this time to refresh and strengthen us for the season that is ahead for Awaken.
Friday :: Since Monday was a holiday, I’ll need to do some study and writing in the morning and unplug around lunch. Pray for God to maximize my time in the Word and for me to clearly hear from Him. Pray also that I will truly be able to rest Friday afternoon and evening.
Saturday :: We have a family wedding that I am participating in and our girls will be the flower girls. Pray for safety in travel, that the service will honor Jesus, and that my cousin and his fiance will experience God’s blessing on their marriage.
Sunday :: FALL LAUNCH! It’s going to be a HUGE day as we launch 2 services (9:30 & 11:15am) and launch the Sun Stand Still series. Pray for God to make His name great through MANY lives changed by the gospel! Pray for my stamina in preaching twice and pray for our staff and volunteers as they serve and lead.
I value you and your partnership in the gospel. Your prayers mean the world to me. Can’t wait to see how God moves this week!
Prayers for the Week of August 29
Posted: August 30, 2011 Filed under: Personal 1 Comment »Every week, numerous people from Awaken and friends from all over ask how they can pray for me. I’m honored by each request and by each person who commits to pray for me and our church. I need every one of those prayers!
For the next few weeks, I’m going share with you a loose version of my schedule as a means of asking you to pray for me as I go through my week. I got this idea from Matt Chandler, a pastor that I love and respect. I hope it will help you pray specifically and have a little window into what’s going on each week.
Monday :: Study Day. After I take our girls to school, I’ll knock out a few tasks and then dive into some focused study time. Specifically, I am working on our Sun Stand Still series and beginning work on our Christmas series. Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring clarity to the texts He’s called me to preach and that He will give just the right words, insights, illustrations, and action steps for each sermon.
Tuesday :: Staff Meeting Day. After I get the girls to school, I’ll meet up with Steve Burnette and James Bare for our weekly Pastors Meeting. Then, I have a meeting with an Awaken partner about a ministry opportunity for our church and then will have lunch with one of my mentors. In the afternoon, I’ll have one-on-one meetings with a couple of staff members and then our full staff meeting is at 4:45. Tuesdays are long days – pray for stamina and focus. Also, pray for the Holy Spirit to direct our meetings and for us to follow Him courageously.
Wednesday :: I’ll spend the morning studying, specifically going over and finalizing my sermon for Sunday’s Baptism & BBQ service as well as pretty much finalizing my sermon for the launch of Sun Stand Still next Sunday. Again, pray for the Holy Spirit to give clarity to the texts and to give me just the right words. I’ll have lunch with a pastor friend and spend the afternoon in various conversations/meetings with AC’ers and other pastors/friends.
Thursday :: This will be a huge day for Awaken Church! All day, I will be in a meeting for what could wind up being Awaken’s first hands-on international missions partnership. Later in the evening, we will have another very important meeting about opportunities for Awaken in Columbia. Pray for us to be keenly aware of God’s presence and His desire for our church!
Friday :: Sabbath Day. Friday’s are the days that I re-charge. Pray that I will be able to unplug and let my soul rest in the goodness and grace of God. That is very hard for me…yet I desperately need it if I am going to lead my family and lead our church well.
Saturday :: Family Day. Pray for sweet time with Lara Beth and the girls.
Sunday :: Sunday’s start at 5:00am for me as I prepare my heart and mind to preach. Pray for God to speak clearly during the worship service and for many to make decisions to follow Him through baptism. After our BBQ lunch at Polo Road, I’ll spend the afternoon at home recovering and then spend some time Sunday night getting ready for the week ahead.
Thank you so much for your prayers! I thank God for you and your partnership in the Gospel.
Why We’re Excited About Moving
Posted: August 16, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Church Planting Leave a comment »The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have…Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 (HCSB)
I shared a little of the behind the scenes story with you yesterday on why Awaken is moving again. Today, I wanted to share the biggest reason we’re excited about the move back to Polo Road Elementary.
On September 11, we will launch TWO Sunday morning worship services at 9:30 am and 11:15 am! Moving to two services has five big benefits for our mission:
- We have more room to reach more people. Our greatest limiting factor at Polo Road is space – everything is smaller because it’s an elementary school. Multiple worship services multiplies the space and will allow us to reach more people.
- No longer will volunteers have to miss the worship service in order to serve. Now, volunteers can attend a service AND serve during a service. That will be a huge encouragement to our current volunteers and will hopefully help new attenders take the next step to serve.
- Involved people can invite people every week. We’ve learned that it’s much more difficult to invite friends to church when you will be serving and unable to sit with them during the service. Now, everyone who is involved will be able to invite friends to the service they attend every week.
- AwakenKids small group leaders will have greater impact and influence. Rather than having so many small group leaders rotating throughout the month, leaders can serve more consistently because they no longer have to miss the service in order to serve. Consistency means leaders will get to know kids and their families much better. Consistency leads to influence and impact!
- Something new creates and sustains momentum. God has given us a healthy shot of momentum – attendance is up by 30%, giving is up, and many have been been saved this summer. We want to see that momentum increase, not flame out. Two services allows that momentum to carry into the school year.
Two services allows us to reach more people…involve more people…invite more people…better influence kids and families. We’re praying for an “Only God” move of God in this move to two services – that He would make His name great through even more lives changed by the gospel!
If you’re not yet involved at Awaken, why not do it now and be a part of what God is doing?! Simply complete this form and we’ll help you find your place.
Why Awaken is Moving…Again
Posted: August 15, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Church Planting 1 Comment »I joked last week that Awaken is becoming a nomadic church. Like Rick Warren said about the early days of Saddleback, “If you can find us, you can come!” Finding and securing meeting space for a new church is one of the most exciting and frustrating parts of the deal.
We built an incredible partnership with Polo Road Elementary School in the 2 years we met there from our launch team meetings in 2009 to May 2011. Heading into the summer, we needed to find a different location because of renovation work scheduled at Polo Road.
By God’s grace, the door opened for us to meet at Spring Valley High School. This was a huge answer to prayer and put us in an incredible location with a beautiful facility. We experienced a great deal of growth over the summer and hoped to be able to stay at Spring Valley.
We made our request to stay and after a couple of conversations, Spring Valley had to say, “No.” The principal shared his reasons with me, all of which I understand and completely support. In fact, in our conversation, he said we were the best outside organization they have ever worked with and graciously allowed us to stay at Spring Valley until we figured out what was next for us.
“What’s next” didn’t take long to figure out. While we examined a couple of other longshot options, we also checked back in at Polo Road. Their immediate response was, “you know you have a home here and we’d love to have you back.” What a gift God has given us – a public school and a local church enjoying that kind of partnership!
So, it was really a no brainer and we’re very excited about the move back to Polo Road. We’re praying bold prayers, attempting great things for God, and expecting great things from Him.
The week before we found out we could not stay at Spring Valley, our staff visited Elevation Church to worship together and meet with some of their staff. Pastor Steven Furtick preached a powerful message from Judges 6 and the verse that grabbed me was Judges 6:14 (HCSB) – “The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have…Am I not sending you?‘” That proved to be a prophetic word for me and our church.
Why are we pumped about moving to Polo Road? Because God is sending us. Because He is sending us, then He is with us. Because He is sending us, He has gone before us.
His plan for Awaken Church was not thwarted by a school, a policy, or a decision. He is ruling, reigning, and rescuing and He is the strength that we have because He is sending us!
:: Important Dates ::
- Sunday, August 28 @ 10:30 am :: Final Worship Service @ Spring Valley
- Sunday, August 28 @ 4:00 pm :: Volunteer Vision Night @ Polo Road
- Sunday, September 4 @ 10:30 am :: First Worship Service @ Polo Road followed by Baptism & BBQ
- Sunday, September 11 :: Fall Launch @ Polo Road
Tomorrow, I’ll share more about what we’re doing for our Fall Launch on September 11. He’s sending us and we’re pumped!
