Day one @ Collegiate Grill

So, today i got to jump in to "dressing" burgers and dogs at the USA Today's best burger joint in GA. From 11am-2pm, i was trained and turned loose to put all the fixins on made-to-order burgers and hot dogs...and let me tell you, we didnt slow down at all. It was FULL on.

Jeff and Donna Worley, the owner/operators of the Collegiate Grill in downtown Gainseville, have created an amazing environment that not only has good food, but is a fun place to work.

As Jeff was giving me the rundown, he let me know that when he started this business it would be built on three pillars. Consistency, Quality and Experience. Their attention to detail and customer service is unreal, and I stood in awe of how his entire team works together as a fluid machine accomplishing their vision for having the best burgers and dogs around...everyone doing their part to create an amazing experience for every customer that walked through the doors. It was natural, fluid, intentional and smooth.

Tomorrow, it will be more of the same from 11am-2pm.

If you missed church on Sunday

So, if you missed church this past Sunday, you missed me letting everyone know that I will be taking a one month Sabbatical (extended time off for renewal). This was a difficult decision but the timing could not be better for me and for my family. This is also not unsual for the leader to take an extended break to rest and re-charge.

The Why behind the What?

• It has been an amazing 3.5 year run here at NC and we have seen God start a church with 11 families in February 2007 and now over 700 people call New Community their church home.
• During the past 3.5 years, we have run wide open and we are at the point where we need to step back to rest, refuel and realign. Quite frankly, i'm exhausted and as a family we need to re-establish some healthy rhythms as a family as we prepare for baby #5.
• We are strong as a Church so now is a good time to take an extended break. Our Staff and Leadership Teams will not only carry NC forward, but i expect God to show up in big ways as his scriptures promise and we will see spiritual, relational, numerical and financial growth throughout November.
• The next 3-5 year run at NC is going to be exciting and intense, so before we roll that out in January, my family and I need to get re-charged and ready for God to do amazing things.

Starting today, I will be unavailable (i know, crazy). My email will be forwarded to my administrator and I will not be returning voicemail unless it is of a personal matter. If you have an emergency, Stephen our staff pastor, is available to you along with our staff. The month of November will be an exciting month for New Community so I encourage each of you to show up and see what God is up with with our Christmas Offering and with our Thanksgiving Series: Grattitude.

I will be back in the office on December 1st and back on the stage teaching on December 5th to launch our Christmas Series. Until then, you can follow me on Facebook as I update everyone on how things are going and what I am learning.

I love each of you dearly and I look forward to seeing you in one month.

Grace and Peace...

Chris and Dawn.

perspective

So, Stephen kicked off our James teaching series on May 2nd. It was a great start to a series that invites all of us to align the way we live, with our faith. He taught on James 1:5-7 and basically zeroed in on asking God for wisdom and how if we do that, God will give it to us. Everyone in the room was invited to pray for God's perspective for two weeks in regard to someone in our life.

Today, two weeks later, i am beginning this process. This morning was my first moring to pray specifically for wisdom around several things. I am excited about what God is going to share with me and i look forward to his perspective.

peace...

Making Every Effort-Knowledge

2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness and to goodness, KNOWLEDGE.

Knowledge: acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation

So, how do we add knowledge to our faith? Making every effort to add knowledge to our faith does require us to bend our normal rhythm of the day to attain knowledge of God. I would love knowledge to just transfer by osmosis but unfortunately, that is not how it works. Here are the things that i do on a weekly basis to add knowledge and i would invite you to join me in these things.

1. Read the bible. If you dont know where to start, read a chapter out of Proverbs and a chapter out of John beginning with chapter 1.
2. Podcast biblical based teachers: My ipod has these teachers: Frances Chan, Rob Bell, Andy Stanley. I am also about to start listening to Matt Chandler.
3. Memorize scritpure: one verse a week.

These are good places to start when it comes to adding Knowledge to our Faith. As we make this effort, know that God will honor your effort as you depend on him to give you knowledge through these sources.

Have a great day...see you soon.

Making Every Effort

Hello Everyone...what a day at New Community yesterday. We wrapped up "the Exchange" teaching series and as promised, I wanted to give some more insight to our teaching text each day this week.

If you are just now joining in, our series has been about how we can exchange death for life through Jesus and also experience the "full" life he says is possible even though we live in a broken world.

Yesterday we jumped in to 2 Peter 1:3-9, spending time understanding how verses 5-7 shake out in our life.

2 Peter 1:3-9
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Add to your faith...goodness. Yesterday we discussed how goodness basically means moral excellence, in other words doing the right thing. The New American Commentary by Thomas R. Schreiner says this about adding Goodness and this verse:
"Believers are to "add too" or supply with (epichoregesate) their faith "goodness" (arete). In Greek culture a benefactor (choregos) funished what was necessary for choruses. Those who did such were known as generous and lavish benefactors. The word (arete), probably translated "moral excellence," was used in 1:3 to designate by what God has called believers. God's call, we argued, is effective. He creates the moral excellence he demands. Hence, it follows that the moral excellence of believers can only be attributed to God's grace. And yet New Testament writters never polarize divine sovereignty and human responsibilty. Those whom God has effectively called to virtue are also to practice virtue with energy and intensity."

We see here that God, who calls us and saves us, is the one who suppliess the goodness. At the end of the day, our role is to simply bend our effort toward letting this goodness reign in our life. Taking the time to acknowledge that it comes from God and giving him permission to unleash this in our lives.

We all know when we are in a situation or circumstance where temptation to live outside of God's will and way's is pressing in on us. In that moment, with every bit of energy you have, yeild to the power of God within you and allow him to allow goodness to come rushing forth.

Adding goodness to our faith, will allow us to experience life the way God intends.

Let's make every effort today.

Prayer Devotion Day 4

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New International Version)
16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

The last couple of days, we have been specifically talking about intentionaly focused prayer or conversation with God. I hope that you have been connecting with God this week.

The above verse weaves a new concept in to our prayer life. Be joyful always and pray continually. Now does this mean that we neglect everthing in our life so that we can be in constant meditative prayer? No. This verse is more about awareness and intentionality. Here is what i mean.

I work for New Community. It is what God has called me to do, we believe he is doing a great thing through this local church. However, just as you go to work, i go to work as well. I serve NC, but also work on NC to make her better.

On my desk are files. Files that have to do with what makes NC unique and helps the church carry out the vision. Everyday, i work out of these files and everyday I am diligent in working hard. Here's the dilema, in my "work" it is very possible to not pray or think about God. I know, crazy talk coming from a pastor. But when i am thinking through leadership development, systems or financial processes, it is possible to not think about God because i am in a file.

Where are you going with this Chris? Be joyful, pray continually.

I literally open up a file and say God, be with me today as i work. thanks for this job. Speak to me as i am diligent in working hard. This happens multiple times a day with each thing i do.

So, whether or not i spend 20-30 minutes in focused prayer with God each day, i am weaving this "pray continually" into my workday so that i am intentionally staying connected to God.

Be joyfull, pray continually.

peace...

Prayer Devotion Day 3

Wednesday is always a hard day for me. Monday's are follow up day's for everyone who attended NC on Sunday and Tuesdays are our team meeting days where we get stuff accomplished as a staff. So, Wednesday gets here and my temptation is to just get cracking on work, and not take time to connect with God.

It's hard for me to focus some quiet time to talk with God. My mind is racing with all the things i need to do because my work week will be over in 48 hours from now. Even if i wanted to be quiet and pray to God, it will be difficult to focus.

Anyone been there?

Here is my solution for this obsticle. I journal my prayer.

I have a journal, it sits on my desk. And when I can not focus my mind to pray, i have found that if i write my prayer down...my mind doesn't wander.

Maybe today or tomorrow, you can read Matthew 6:9-13 a couple of times and then rewrite it in your own words. Literally, get a pen and paper and write down how you would pray it in your own unique way. This accomplishes two things.

1. You are reading the scriptures.
2. You are focusing your prayer through the discipline of writting it down.

This helps me when i feel like i have too much to do. And when i am finished, i am always thankful that i took the time to engage with my heavenly Father.

Here's the scripture: read it, write it in your own words.
Matthew 6:9-13 (New International Version)
9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.[a]'

grace and peace...