sunday before nap report January 25, 2009

Today was a great day and i mean great day at connect rome. Some people learned what a booty box is and others apparently already know. Lips are sealed. But after a conversation over lunch with my wife it brings me to this thought. What is that one thing that keeps you from taking your faith to the next level. You tell me you don’t have anything and i’m gonna call you a lie. Cause if you didnt have something then you would already be at that next level. So what is it? Do you know? Still there? Yep thought so. So what do i do about it David?

Well identify it is the first. So you are getting there already. There’s a scripture in hebrews  and no im not gonna give you the verse i think you should go find it yourself. It talks about throwing off everything that hinders you. Get rid of it say good bye. Is it still there? Well maybe you should quit throwing like a girl. Ok yes i k now some or you are girls. My point is ? It is we all have something that is holding us  back from reaching our full potential.

I think it’s not that we don’t know what it is. It’s more like maybe we just love it more than God. WHOA did i just say that. Why did i say that? You judgemental idiot. No no no i didnt say you DONT love God cause that would just be wrong. I said something is more important at the time. If it wasnt then it wouldnt hinder us now would it. Me i hate to mingle. I hate it. If you have a meet and greet during your service don’t expect me back yes thats right i ain’t coming back. I’m probably the least social person on the face of the earth. Is this good? No not at all it prevents me from loving on people like i should. But i love being in my own little world more than i love.. And that’s not my only one either i could keep going on probably. I have alot of work to do. I need to throw off things that hold me back from reaching my full potential in Christ. Not leading my family like i should holds me back, not praying more, not being in the word like i should hurts me as well. Speaking of the word if you say i dont know what to read let me recommend http://youversion.com/  they will give you a daily reading. We only get one chance at this thing called life so let’s get it right. None of us are perfect but it’s time we take it to the next level. So  what’s holding you back? If you be honest the only thing holding you  back can be found in the mirror.

Nothing Really Changes January 18, 2009

Many churches these days are claiming to “be different”. So what exactly do they mean by this. Well actually what they mean is they aren’t any different than any other church if they were to  be completely honest. Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 says 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.

Think about everyone has music,sermon ,some kind of band probably coffee and they meet in a building. So what makes a particular church different from any other church? umm.. Nothing? Yep sorry to bust your bubble but nothing really changes. We all use the same text. Different than what you grew up in? Possibly but not really if you think about it.

So aren’t we called to be different. Yes different from the world but all churches have the same bible as our refrence point. So what’s my point. Like my http://joshuajroberts.blogspot.com/ pastor pointed out this morning the only thing that really matters is how we model it. To me it’s what are we doing about poverty? Homelessness? Orphans? Widows? How are we impacting our communities. I guarantee you very few if any people will come to know Christ because of how we live or what we do on sunday morning. It’s what we do the rest of the week that will set us apart from the rest of the world. Who’s life are we impacting. In acts 2 :42-47 shows what happens when we act in such a way. So are you seeing the Lord add to you daily? Wait do i really believe that God can still work like that. Ummm actually i do. But first we have to get off our (my) butt and do something about it.

maybe later January 8, 2009

This has been the week from hell. Stomach flu, potential new job opportunity shot down, gave my wife my flu. Long week at work. Connect Rome launches this week too. Maybe i rest next week.

CrossView January 5, 2009

I visited crossview church in Rockmart with my wife this weekend. It was our last chance to attend another church before connectrome launches weekly. Really didn’t plan on attending there it was a last minute decision and i do mean last minute but i am glad we went. Here are some thoughts i have from my visit there.

• Possible the best portable set up in North Georgia
• Danny Echols is one of the most passionate preachers i’ve ever heard
• There band is killer
• Was shocked. Honestly wasn’t expecting this from a church in Rockmart. (sorry rockmart just being honest)
• Their graphics are as good as ANY megachurch.
• First church i’ve ever seen to properly use pipe/drape
• In a day where the message is being watered down you won’t see it there. Danny Preaches Jesus
• I believe this church is going to dominate Rockmart with the gospel
• Gary Lamb was wrong there are actually 40 people who live in Rockmart.
• Clutter free environment
• Signs are well designed
• Like i told Danny, they are the best kept secret in North Georgia. If you know people in polk county tell them about CrossView.

Microwave Theology December 26, 2008

Thought while reading Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love. God ain’t no microwave so quit feeding him your leftovers. What’s the first thing you think of in the morning? Me it’s straight to make my coffee. God said David is that really what you gonna pick? Not saying this to be legalistic or anything but think about it. We give him or well i do anyways what’s leftover. Here God have my leftovers heat them up for me. But God says he can’t digest our leftovers. You know what good does it do for a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul. Thats what we are doing when we dont give God our best. Our best means our first. Nothing else comes first. If God can’t digest what we offer and he spits it out of his mouth then what is that called. Thats right we are his vomit. I dont want that so time to turn off the microwave and give him nothing but the best. I’m in are u

Bad News December 3, 2008

Today i just got the news that a former coworker of mine had died of a heart attack on thanksgiving day of all days. I had just talked to him a few weeks ago. Last night i was talking to my friend Jodi about evangelism and how we make excuses for not doing it saying things like that’s not our gift but there is really no excuse. Back to my former coworker. How many times have i tried to share with him? I can cound on zero hands how many. That’s right i was more concerned about everything but his eternity. Where will he spend eternity? Well unless he got saved in the  2 weeks since i last spoke to him he is not in a better place. David  you idiot. So now is the time in the post where the light comes on and i share something encouraging right? Well actually no. This is where i ask you the question i’ve been asking myself all day. Why didn’t you tell him about Jesus? They are just waiting on us to share the amazing love of a God who is madly in love with them. If God has placed someone in your path who doesn’t know Jesus he did it on purpose. He wants you to share the love of God with them. Basically if we dont tell them about Jesus we are saying. GO TO HELL. So let’s get up off our butts and go tell the world.  I double dog dare you.

Thanksgiving November 27, 2008

I’m thankful for

• My wife (boy is she blind)
• Job  ( so many people don’t have one so be glad you have one)
• Bobby,Jodi,Jeff,Christy,Bean,ballard and suzanne
• The life i get to live
• Food
• Shelter
• America (go somewhere else if you think we got it bad)
• Coffee (yeah come on)

Big Prayers,Big Movement,Big God November 23, 2008

Your prayers show just how big your God is. What are you praying? I heard Gary Lamb say once something along the lines of i wonder what would happen if a pastor got up and was just real. I’m starting to get a little too real on my blog i guess. Read my story a few post back to learn more. I hate to keep talking about my story well actually i don’t. That is the very thing that God has called me to share. I truly believe that our Story is exactly what God will use to transform a world. I believe God is big enough to use us to transform this world. Recently i have seen God doing some neat things through a study on Philippians i’m facilitating . God brought this to my attention as i was thinking how disappointed i was at how i have done this saying i just haven’t done a good job and he’s like and you are capable of what? Yeah ok so none of us are worthy. My bad and im sure you have never thought you were. What am i praying? Not enough thats what i’m praying. OUCH But God is starting to reveal to me that i need to really really pray more about how he wants to use my story. I will just have to say i’m starting to think God is up to something HUGE here. Something bigger than me. Something i could never do and something that doesn’t invovlve me at all. What are my passions? I have a real passion right now for those who don’t belong, those who seem hopeless the person who right now has a gun to his head. The  girl who is cutting her wrist as i type this. The person who has become thrown a way by the world. I’m gonna call us yes i said us The castaways. By the way i hate that movie so i need a new name. How big is your God? Right now i believe he is bigger than i am acting like he is by the way i’m typing. What do i think he is wanting to do? Huge things thats what. He is using my friend Josh to lead a group of people to transform a city through the movement known as connectrome. He is using my friend Jodi to connect 1 million people to God and each other through small groups. He is going to use me to impact the lives of 100,000 people  in the next 12 months. How? Keep looking as we see how this journey unfolds. God’s huge. He is big enough to raise the dead so sure he can sustain the living. He has called us to a life that impacts the life of others. That includes me and that includes you. What movement are you apart of that is bigger than you?

National Suicide Survivor Day November 22, 2008

Today is national suicide survivor day. I’m sure we all know someone who is a survivor of someone who took their own life. Say a prayer for these survivors today. Nearly half a million people will be treated for self inflicted wounds this year and over 30,000 people will commit suicide with nearly 25,000 of them being males. Over the next month many people who are depressed will go even deeper and this is probably the time of year more people die of suicide than any time of year. If you know anyone who is troubled pray hard for them, love on them. Pray for organazations like to write love on her arms who are attempting to make a dent in this area. Be careful what you say , you never know who might be walking in this right now. Pray for me while you at it i believe God wants to use my story to impact lives.

Chapter 2(The Process ) November 17, 2008

You know Satan gave up on me. He thought he had me and wrote THE END on the page and God just laughed and said sorry dude i’m writing this story and he turned the page over and wrote chapter 2.You can read more about that in my life story.

You think sometimes when you go through  something that’s the end of it. I always heard people talk about past experiences when discovering your purpose or whatever and i’m like well that leaves me out. Well not exactly. Nobody said it would be a positive past experience or in your mind anyways. God uses our struggles to help others with theirs. I have come to discover at the ancient age of 39 (yes im really 39) what i believe to be mine. If you want to know mine look at my previous post. But i believe God wants to work through me to share my story of the things i overcame to transform peoples life. What does that look like? I know it involves those who seem to be without hope, the depressed, the lonely, the suicidal, misfits and rejects (in the worlds eyes). But HOW?  Well that’s where the process will come into play. I know God has BIG plans for me and its going to be cool to see what he does.  So when you gonna share your story? You have a voice use it