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.
How a Cancellation Becomes a Win
Posted: May 16, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission 1 Comment »Friday night was an amazing night for Awaken Church! That’s weird to say when we had to cancel Movies in the Park, the biggest community outreach event we do all year.
All week, we knew there was a chance for rain and thunderstorms on Friday night. But, that’s pretty much every night in the Spring and Summer in Columbia, so everything went forward as planned.
Our crew began setting up for the event at 3:30pm. The weather was perfect, we had a ton of volunteers, and everything was rolling along very well. By the time the gates officially opened, we already had 600 people at the park for the event. 30 minutes later when I welcomed everyone and introduced our sponsors, 2100 people were at the park. Awesome!
It was incredible to see how well our teams served those in attendance. Red shirts were everywhere and doing everything from serving drinks and popcorn, to welcoming, to parking…even spraying bug spray for those who needed it. The best part was to see how much fun our teams were having while they served.
Then, 5 minutes before we started the movie, I get a weather statement on my phone saying a Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for our area. We check the radar and sure enough, a massive storm is on its way with high winds, large hail, heavy rain, and lots of lightning. We could see the clouds and lightning in the distance, the wind was picking up, and the temperature was dropping. Not good!
I had no choice but to call off the event. As I stood to make the announcement, a gust of wind blew through the park that almost turned our movie screen into a kite! Thankfully, it fell gracefully, and no one was hurt. I announced the event was cancelled and asked everyone to leave calmly. What happened next blew me away.
Those same teams in those same red shirts went to work like I have never seen a group of people work. What took 4 hours to set up was safely packed up in about 30 minutes. I saw our team helping families gather their belongings, holding little kids hands, walking with people to their cars…doing whatever it took to help people. No one asked them to do it…they just did it.
With that many people leaving all at once and exiting onto the busiest road in our part of the city, 5 of our men ran out to the street with vests and parking flashlights and started directing traffic. No one asked them to do it…they just did it.
A team went around picking up trash that the wind was blowing everywhere. Another team was driving around the field gathering the trash out of trash cans. No one asked them to do it…they just did it.
Did I mention that it was pouring rain the whole time most of this was going on?
So, we didn’t get to show the movie. But, we did get to serve and love on people, we did get to bless our city and our sponsors, and we did get to have those divine appointment type conversations with people. And hopefully, God used our teams to demonstrate the gospel through their selfless service.
And that’s how a cancellation becomes a win. Awaken Church, I’m so proud of you!
Why We Do Movies in the Park
Posted: May 9, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission Leave a comment »
Heading into the Summer of 2009, our Launch Team was looking for a way to connect with the community in a big way prior to launching Awaken. After much discussion amongst ourselves, meetings with community leaders, and learning from other churches, we landed on Movies in the Park. What has happened since, has been nothing short of mind-blowing!
That first summer, with about 20-25 people on our launch team, we put on this outdoor movie event hoping that a couple hundred people would show up. Much to our surprise, over 1000 people came to both events! Last summer, we saw an average of 2000 people come to each event. Now, Movies in the Park has become an anticipated event in our part of the city.
Our goals for Movies in the Park are much more and much deeper than just drawing a big crowd of people. Here are the big reasons why we do this event:
- To bless our city :: We constantly reinforce the DNA in our church that we are here to make a difference in our city. We want to be so involved in the city that if we vanished, the city would weep and miss us. The idea for this event really started out of conversations with community leaders and asking, “What does the community need?”
- To involve people :: Movies in the Park has become a great first step for people who have been attending Awaken, but have yet to get involved. It’s fun to serve at the event and new people get connected with our Partners and volunteers.
- To connect with people & invite them to Awaken :: While we do not turn Movies in the Park into a preaching crusade, we do want to leverage the opportunity to serve and connect with the people that come. There are many people who are connected and involved at Awaken now who first came to Movies in the Park.
- To build partnerships :: Movies in the Park could not happen without sponsors and partners from the community. This year, Verizon Wireless, Chick-fil-a, EdVenture Children’s Museum, Coca-Cola, Richland County Recreation Commission, and Gary Patterson State Farm Insurance are stepping up big time to make the event happen. We value these partnerships not just for Movies in the Park, but for other opportunities to serve our city.
We thank God for the platform and favor He has given us in the city through Movies in the Park! We’re excited about this years events on May 13 and June 17. If you haven’t signed up to serve, email our event director Misti Bailey (misti@awakencolumbia.com) and join the team putting on this great event! And of course, invite everyone you know to join us on Friday night. It could very well lead to them taking that next step to follow Jesus!
Easter Highlights
Posted: April 27, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission Leave a comment »We had an incredible Easter Sunday at Awaken as we celebrated our Triumphant King Jesus! God graced us with beautiful weather, record attendance, and a powerful move of His spirit as we saw lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ!
I’m so proud of our partners and volunteers. Easter was our first Sunday doing two services and they pulled it off like they’ve been doing it for years! Everything from set-up to tear-down ran smoothly. And, all that with a record number of adults and children in attendance and baptism after both services. Awesome job!
Over 30 people indicated they trusted Jesus as Savior! 5 of those immediately took the next step and were baptized on the spot. There were a couple of incredible stories:
- During the first service, a mom and her two kids all trusted Jesus as Savior and were baptized following the service. The family was invited by one of our Partners who stayed with them the entire time and was absolutely overjoyed at what God did in their lives!
- In the second service, a lady trusted Jesus as Savior and took the step to be baptized. Her husband and parents were with her and all were totally overjoyed. After the baptism, her parents told me with tears in their eyes how they have prayed for years for their daughter to trust Jesus as Savior and God answered their prayer on Sunday!
- Between services, a man told me he trusted Jesus as Savior and wanted to be baptized after the second service. The cool thing about that is on Monday, he and his wife had their second child! A new Christian, baptized, and a dad again all in the span of a few hours – amazing!
- Later on Easter afternoon, I talked with one of our AwakenKids elementary students and her parents. She trusted Jesus as Savior and after talking with her parents, she wanted to let me know. She kept saying over and over how the gospel became real to her on Sunday! Way to go parents and AwakenKids team!
All this week, we have heard story after story of people who were at Awaken on Sunday who have not been to church in years, if at all. With almost all of them, we’re hearing those same people say they can’t wait to come back this week. And, thanks to the initiative of some of our Community Group leaders, some of those who were with us for the first time on Easter have been invited to and are attending various Community Group gatherings over the next week or so. Win, win, win win!
I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that Easter was a game-changing day for Awaken Church. We saw our mission to make God’s name great through lives changed by the gospel of Jesus come to life. I can’t wait to see what’s next. I know this much already – the best is yet to come!
Somebody Invite Somebody
Posted: April 19, 2011 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission 2 Comments »Anticipating is building for Easter at Awaken Church! I absolutely cannot wait to see how God moves as we gather to celebrate the Risen Jesus.
If studies are correct, then over 80% of your friends who are not Christians or do not attend church are at least open to and likely to respond favorably to your invitation to church for Easter Sunday. In anticipation of what God is going to do and to create more room to invite more people, Awaken will have two identical Easter services at 9:30 am and 11:00 am. It’s going to be a huge day!
A lot of you grabbed a stack of invite cards on Sunday and by the time you got home, the fear had already begun to set-in. What if they say no, what is they punch me in the face, what if they cuss me out, what if inviting them hurts our friendship…all these thoughts may have run through your head.
Let me encourage you to push out of your comfort zones and fight through the doubts to invite your friends to hear the gospel and worship Jesus on Sunday.
If you had free tickets for choice seats to see your favorite sports team, you would have no problem inviting people to join you. This is really no different…but it is because what Jesus has done for us is WAY more important than anything teenagers or grown men/women have ever done with a ball or a puck!
Here are some practical ways you can invite friends to Easter at Awaken:
- Pray for people by name each day. Trust that God is already at work in their lives. Ask Him to soften their heart.
- Share a meal with your friend and invite them over the meal. Pick up the tab and invite them to church. Or, you could invite their family over for a meal in your home. Serve them well.
- If you go out for a meal, ask how you can pray for your server before you bless your food, tip them well, and hand them an invite card before you leave.
- Offer to eat lunch together after church on Sunday. Offer to pick them up or caravan with them on Sunday morning.
- Talk about Easter at Awaken on Facebook and Twitter. Aim for at least one status update per day that would include an invite to Easter at Awaken.
- Point people to our website. They can listen to previous sermons, get all the info they need for AwakenKids, etc.
- Prayerwalk through your neighborhood and invite people who are out working in the yard, playing outside, out for a walk, etc.
- Put some invite cards on your desk, your coffee table, your car console, etc. where people will see them and ask you about them.
- Keep invite cards with you all the time and be ready to step up when the opportunity pops up!
- There are literally a zillion ways to invite people…these are just a few.
The point is this – God can use your invitation to radically transform a life. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to invite your friends to hear and respond to the gospel on Easter Sunday.
AC’ers…I’m praying for you as you invite your friends and people you cross paths with this week. I am praying for and expecting a move of God on Sunday – that God would make His name great through lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ!
For the City
Posted: April 11, 2011 Filed under: Mission 1 Comment »A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those epiphany moments that leaves a lasting impact on you and those around you.
In church leadership circles, we talk a lot about being kingdom-focused. Although we rarely know what it means or how to actually apply that to our ministries, we talk about it and want to embody it. Admittedly, I’m in that camp of talking about it, but not really knowing what to do with it to make it happen.
When God called us to Columbia to start Awaken, it was as much a call to our city as it was a call to start a church. God truly gave me a burden for our city. That meant that regardless of how long or hard it was to launch the church and lead it to growth and maturity, we would be committed to the task.
In the process of planting, we learned that over 80% of the population that lives within 5 miles of our meeting location is not connected to a church community. That translates into about 80,000 people. 80,000 people disconnected from God and His people. That reality drives everything we do.
Here’s the epiphany: Awaken could grow to 5,000 people in attendance in the next 2 years and be a hugely celebrated success among churches and church planters. Honestly, I hope that happens. I pray that it happens. I want to dream and pray big and I want our leaders to do the same. But get this…
If that happened, that would still leave 75,000 people in our immediate community disconnected from God and His people. We could grow to 5,000 and there would still be 75,000 disconnected people.
In other words, we need other gospel-centered churches in our city to do well. In fact, we need them to do really well! If we care about the kingdom of God in our city and if we care about making God’s name great in our city, then we need to dream, pray, and work big for our church…and for other churches, too.
One immediate application point is that we are taking time in our service each week to pray by name for another church in our city and their Lead Pastor. We are asking God to empower and use them to make His name great. We are thanking God for the chance to partner with them in our city. We are asking God to give them success in reaching people with the gospel.
My hope is that this will help everyone in Awaken, including me, to realize we are a part of a bigger story. We’re not just asking for God to do a great work in and for our church, but also in and for our city. And that means that we pray for God to do a great work in and for other churches in our community.
It’s a small step, but hopefully it’s a good step forward.
Do We Really Believe What We Are Saying?
Posted: March 23, 2011 Filed under: Christianity, Mission Leave a comment »As I thought through a blog post compiling my thoughts and links to others’ thoughts on the gospel, universalism, heaven, hell, & Rob Bell, I saw this video from David Platt. Talk about putting it all in perspective. Man, this video and his thoughts messed me up in a very good way.
Stop whatever you are doing and take 5 minutes to watch this. Then, let’s get to work!
Let’s fight against intellectual AND practical universalism by risking it all to take the gospel to all people in all nations…starting on our street, in our workplace, in our school, and in our families.
The Heart of Jesus
Posted: March 16, 2011 Filed under: Mission Leave a comment »Last Sunday, Pastor Steve Burnette, our Community & Admin Pastor at Awaken, challenged us to not just have Jesus in our hearts, but to have the heart of Jesus. This week, we have the perfect chance to live out and apply what we heard on Sunday.
We’re starting a new series this coming Sunday called Christ Alone. We are praying that lots of people will trust Jesus as Savior as they hear what Jesus has accomplished on their behalf by dying on the Cross.
In order for people to hear the Word and trust Jesus, they have to be in the auditorium. And in order for people to be in the auditorium, you and I need to do some inviting. Here’s how we can have the heart of Jesus for those around us who do not know Jesus:
In Matthew 9:36, Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion for them. Who has God given you a special burden or compassion for in your relational network?
In Luke 10:2, Jesus called the disciples to pray for laborers for the harvest. Begin praying for that person’s salvation by name and commit yourself to Jesus as a worker. You can even ask God to send and use others in addition to you to draw them to salvation.
In Luke 10:3-9, Jesus gave the disciples specific instructions for how to engage in the harvest. Ask God to show you how to engage your friend(s) with the gospel. Maybe there is a book or sermon recording you could share with them. Maybe there is an opportunity for you to serve them in a special way. Maybe you have a common interest in a sport or activity. Maybe you could simply go to lunch and talk. Use a Christ Alone invite card to invite them to join you at Awaken.
In Luke 10:10-11, Jesus told the disciples to expect to be rejected. Don’t get frustrated if your first attempts to invest don’t get anywhere. Salvation is ultimately a heart issue and only God can change a heart. Keep praying and investing and trust God to continue to work in their lives.
In Luke 10:1, Jesus called the disciples to go to every town and place “where he himself was about to go.” Get this…I love this…Jesus is already at work in your friend/co-worker/neighbor/family member! He’s given you a burden for them because He is already there and at work and now He is inviting you to join Him!
Ask God to give you a broken heart for someone…Pray for their salvation…Do what God calls you to do to invest in them, serve them, share the gospel with them, and invite them to church…Don’t get discouraged…Trust God to change their hearts…Know that while you are going, He is already there and already at work.
That’s living with the heart of Jesus for those who are far from Him. AC’ers, let’s live this out and ask God to change lives over the next few weeks. I pray that He will find us willing, faithful, obedient, and courageous workers for the harvest.
Passion is Not Enough
Posted: December 1, 2010 Filed under: Mission 1 Comment »I’m really proud of my good friend Greg Darley as his first book, Passion is Not Enough, has officially released. Greg is deeply committed to using the gifts and opportunities God has given him to live out the gospel in a way that honors Jesus and changes the world.
I asked Greg to write a “guest post” to share here on my blog so you can hear his heart and hopefully, take advantage of a special discount to buy the book.
While we’ve most likely never met, I already know you.
You are either a person that is chasing a dream or you’re suppressing one.
The dream could be anything. It could be a book you want to write or a trip you want to take. It could be a business you want to start or maybe even a non-profit. Maybe the dream is to finish that painting or go full time with that part-time hobby.
Dreams come in all shapes and sizes and either you are chasing it or suppressing it. There is no other option.
Suppressing dreams feels safe. After all, no one can laugh at your book or painting if you never finish it right? There’s no financial risk if you don’t start that company right? You’ll be safer without rejection if you just keep it inside. You’ll never fail. No pain. No regret. Suppressing is safe. Right?
Chasing the dream is dangerous. When you finish the book, people might not like it. When you show off the painting, people may not understand it. If you start the business, it may make things tight for a while. If only you would have suppressed it, you’d be safer right?
I think we’ve mixed these two up. In reality, chasing the dream is safe and suppressing the dream is dangerous. There is a reason that you have the dream in the first place. As a quick aside, I’m assuming this is a God-honoring dream that you’ve prayed about and know if you pulled it off would be a good thing.
The problem is we rely way to much on our emotion to guide us. When the opportunity comes to either chase or suppress, most of the time we suppress. But, this is dangerous because you have no idea of what hangs in the balance of your decision to chase that dream.
When Peter was called to follow Jesus, he had a choice—chase or suppress. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t have all the answers. Jesus told him to drop his nets in deep water during the day, with everyone watching. That was not how you fished and Peter knew it. He probably thought, what if they laugh at me? What if I don’t catch anything? He was staring at empty nets and Jesus knew that soon the nets would be breaking with so many fish. Peter had no idea of what hung in the balance of his decision to trust Jesus and go for it. If Peter would have said no, the future of the Christian Church may look completely different. He had no idea of what hung in the balance of his decision to go for it.
And neither will you.
Today is the day to begin the chase. Stop suppressing. Start chasing.
If you’re ready to stop suppressing and start chasing, then you should read Greg’s book. Greg has graciously offered a 20% discount to all of my readers. Simply enter the code “Columbia20″ when you checkout and the discount will be applied.
