jimmycarroll.org

Weekend recap

In week two of "Lost" we focused on the difference between the omni-presence of God and the manifestation of His presence. Positionally, He is here but practically, do you sense His presence at your job, in your home or in your relationships. We discovered that it is not only possible but you were actually created to experience Him at all times and in every place. I encourage you to check out week two online and then make sure you are here this coming weekend for week three. This was the second week of the 12:30 service and attendance was up from the previous week. You should check it out. I also announced that we are finally ready for video teaching at NE. This means that both campuses are now ready for video and I will begin to teach live at NW more than I have to this point. We are trying to figure out what this balance should look like but it is an important move towards maintaining the philosophy of one church in two locations. Sunday night was week four of MM1 and Paul taught us about the reliability of scripture. This class has been amazing and there continues to be such a hunger from so many people, to know God. I love being a part of this movement of God in this city.

Weekend Recap

It was a great kick-off to our new "Lost" series.  Before you can recognize and experience God in your daily life, you have to know who He is.  We began by answering the question, "who is God"?  I chose to focus on God as our father - He loves and cares for His children - His character does not change - He is always here - He has all power.  We could have focused onmany aspects of His nature or work but I felt that talking about Him as our father would give us the best chance of relating with Him.  This was a difficult week for many people who grew up in a home that left them with scars and disappointments.  In every way that your earthly father was imperfect, your Heavenly Father is perfect - In every way that your earthly father hurt you, your Heavenly Father will heal you.  I am excited about week two as we continue this series and learn to experience God in the mundane.  The weekend ended with MM1.  With the threat of snow, we did not know how many would show up to learn about the depravity of man and the Holy Spirit.  Once again I was blown away as over 125 people showed up hungry to learn and grow as a follower of Jesus.  I love being a part of what God is doing through Journey. 

Weekend Preview

This weekend begins a brand new focus on learning to recognize and experience the presence of God in your daily life.  We are going to discover who God is and how to clarify what He is saying and doing in the world.  Many have felt His presence in a church service but never at their job, in their home or through their relationships. We are calling this series "Lost" because it best describes how people feel when it comes to relating with God on a daily basis.  I am so fired up to teach you how to cultivate an awareness and receptivity to the presence of God - to experience God in the mundane.  Also, don't forget that we are adding a 12:30 service at the NE campus beginning this Sunday.  

Preaching Jesus

Mile Marker 1 was great this past Sunday but the topic was offensive.  You can talk about church and people don't mind that.  You can talk about God - everyone talks about God.  You can even talk about faith or prayer but whatever you do, don't talk about Jesus.  If you really want to be offensive, tell people that Jesus is God and that Jesus is the only way to God.  Paul tells us in I Cor 1 that preaching the gospel and is folly or foolishness to most people.  The gospel is Jesus - it is the good news of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides full and free deliverance from the power and penalty of sin according to the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus alone.  John Calvin said "the whole gospel is contained in Christ".  Many would say that it is arrogant of us to claim that Jesus is the only way to God and yet we only say about Him what He said about Himself.  Everyone has opinions but we base ours upon the inspired Word of God.  Many would say that others have great intentions and passionately believe in other ways to God.  Sincerity is not a substitute for truth.  We must realize that preaching Jesus is all that matters.  Everything else is a waste of time.  It is all about preaching Jesus - It is all about preaching the gospel.  

weekend recap

I took a break this weekend and Cally preached at the NE and Smooth at NW.  They actually worked together ahead of time and preached the same message so both campuses would be united.  Their message was on gratitude and they both did an amazing job challenging us from God's Word.  I was personally excited to get to hang out at NW.  Normally, when I have been there, it is just to preach and I don't get to meet people.  Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting a lot of people who call Journey home and I love what is happening at NW.  Last night was week 2 of MM1.  I got to talk about Jesus for and hour and fifteen minutes.  What is better than that?  From the past two weeks, it has become obvious that there are a lot of questions so we are adding an optional Q&A segment beginning this week at 5:30.  If you have a question that you would like for us to answer, email it to growup@takeajourney.org and then we will spend 30 minutes each week trying to bring some clarity to some of these issues.  I love the hunger that I sense from the people who are at MM1, to know and follow Jesus.  On a final note, pray for my dad - he is having open heart surgery on Tuesday.  We will send an email out after the surgery to keep everyone updated but our family would appreciate your prayers.

weekend recap

This weekend, we finished up our "Leaving Neverland" series.  In this series, we learned that growing up begins with Desire - then I make the decision to grow - I then Assess where I currently am - then this week we talked about taking action.  I know where I am and where I want to go so now it is time to move.  We learned that we have a common enemy and we face common obstacles.  While our journeys may be a little different, there are at least four essentials for all of us as we leave Neverland - Surrender, God's Word, Prayer and Community.  The weekend ended with our first Mile Marker 1 class - nearly 200 people showed up and committed to seven weeks at study and growing together.  If you have not taken the online assessment - go to www.takeajourney.org and check it out

weekend preview

This weekend concludes the "Leaving Neverland" series but it is the beginning of many peoples journey towards spiritual growth and development.  We are about to introduce our new online assessment tool and we have been blown away with the sign up for Mile Marker 1.  If you have not signed up yet, it begins this Sunday night at 6pm and will last for the next seven weeks.  I am so encouraged and challenged by the heart felt desire that I see in so many lives, to truly follow Jesus - to get to know Him in relational intimacy and respond.  I love being on this journey with you guys.

weekend recap

Week two of Leaving Neverland was about trying to figure out where you are.  You can know your destination but before you take off, you have to know your current location.  We know that our destination is to grow up/follow Jesus/intimacy with Him but before you start moving, you have to examine yourself to see where you are.  We learned that the way we do that is by looking at fruit (Gal 5:22) and deeds (James 2:14-17).  What is the demonstration of your decision - Is the Holy Spirit living His life through you. Jesus said that we would recognize people by their fruit.  Now as we learned, fruit and deeds are not the requirement to be a follower but rather the response of one who is following.  The result of being a follower is that you will live out your faith and there will be evidence of the fact that you are a Christian.  You don't do good things to make God happy and find favor in His sight - You already have favor with God but not because of you - It is only because of Jesus.  I am fired up about week three because we will begin to talk about the pathway to following - what does your spiritual journey look like.  Don't forget to sign up for Mile Marker 1 - it begins this Sunday night at 6pm and will last for seven weeks.

End Times - pt 1

In my sermon last weekend, I spent some time talking about II Timothy 2:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.  This really got me thinking about end times and I have had several people ask me questions about prophecy (do i sense a new series coming?) Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to write out a few thoughts about the future.  First of all, anyone who says that they know the order of end times events are usually like the person who is "often wrong but never in doubt".  The Bible has a lot to say about end times but it does not lay it out neatly so we have to do our best to interpret scripture and from there begin to develop a possible timeline.  I believe that the next event that we are waiting for is the rapture of the Church/Bride/Believers - I Thess 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.  Most people confuse the rapture with the second coming of Jesus.  I personally believe that these are two different events.  I believe that the church will be raptured out and that will be the beginning of a seven year tribulation period.  At the end of this tribulation period, I believe that Jesus will return to earth and we will return with Him.  I will write more about these events later but regardless of the order of these events, we do know that we will be raptured and He is coming again.  This is something to get fired up about.  The early church lived with this in mind.  They anticipated the coming of their King.  It seems that we have lost this sense of awareness and anticipation about our future.  How would it change our lives if we really believed that we could see Jesus face to face today?  

Weekend recap

Saturday was a little rushed...we flew in from Atlanta and got home around 2:30...pre-service mtg at 5:15 and service began at 5:45.  Sunday was just as crazy because I got to preach live at all three services at both campuses.  Fortunately, I was on time for each service and everything worked out great.  I thought it was an amazing kick-off to our new "Leaving Neverland" series.  We introduced "mile marker 1" - the new first steps class that will begin on February 15th.  If you have not signed up yet, you need to take care of that asap - email us at growup@takeajourney.org  This is going to be a church altering month.  I sense a true hunger for people to know God.  I have never felt a stronger desire from people wanting to know how to follow Jesus, than I do right now at Journey.  It is such a privilege to get to be a part of this movement of God.  Next week, we will introduce a key component of your spiritual journey - whatever you do, don't miss next weekend.  

Leaving Neverland Preview

I am pumped up (no big surprise) about our new series that begins this weekend.  Since the beginning of Journey, we have worked hard to not just talk about what we care about but to actually live it out.  We say that our vision is to "reach out - grow up"...in short - our mission is to "help people follow Jesus".  While I think that we have done a pretty good job with some of this, one of our concerns is that we not just build a crowd but that we actually connect people with Jesus.  Attendance has grown but are you growing?  That is the question that has promoted this series.  Neverland is a place where you don't have to grow up but we are calling you out of Neverland.  This will not just be a series that will inspire you to grow but we also have a plan and strategy to facilitate your journey.  I have not been this excited since we started the church.  Whatever you do, don't miss any of these three weeks.  It is time to grow up!!!

weekend recap

All I can say is "Wow"!!!  This weekend was almost too much to handle.  The presence and power of God was so amazing and I am so full.  We closed out our "1thing" series and learned that the trials we face are actually for our good and God is using everything in our life to make us look more like Jesus - Never Quit!!!  If you missed any of the weeks, you can check them out online.  We closed out the weekend with a night of worship.  It was out of control - It is so weird that we can have that much fun while while praising our King.  The room was packed and the energy was contagious.  I think Jesus was pleased.  You can check out the pic below - don't blame the iphone for the poor quality. 

How is your 1 thing?

We are closing out our "1thing" series this weekend and I have been thinking about how effective it has been.  Obviously, the goal was to help you make and keep the change.  As we have said many times, God's goal for you is to conform you to the image of Jesus.  This is great news for you because that automatically means you will be a better father, mother, person, etc - It does not get better than that.  As you surrender to Him, He changes your heart and then helps you change your life.  My question is how is it going?  Are you surrendering to Him daily?  Have you given Him your heart and life?  Are you letting Him have His way?  Are you letting Him sit on the throne that He put in your life "by HIm and for Him"?  Are you doing your part to decide what is important and then bring your life into alignment?  Do you see what I am asking? How are you doing with this series?  For us, this was not just some cute series that we thought would be good to kick off the new year with - It was a series designed to help you follow Jesus and become more like Him.  For those who have already given up - this coming weekend is for you - don't miss it.  We would love to hear your stories of change - email us with your updates to info@takeajourney.org

weekend recap

Have I ever said how much I love our Church and what God is doing here?  I know...all the time but it is true.  I am overwhelmed with the presence and power of God and continued to be blown away by what He has chosen to allow us to be a part of.  This weekend was week 3 of our 1thing series and the focus was on community.  From the beginning of time and throughout, God has clearly said, "it is not good for man to be alone".  We need each other...we need the right people to influence us and we should be looking for those we can invest our lives in.  We will experience real change and true growth, only in the context of community.  That is another great thing about the local church - this is a place where you can find community with the right people.  I finished out the weekend by attending our new youth service, "uprising".  If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I called it "fusion".  Smooth promptly corrected me and I apologize for everyone who lost sleep about it.  Fusion is what we call our kids/parents combined worship experience.  We have another one of these coming up soon.  Anyway, "uprising" was awesome.  Smooth ate a leaf - students led some amazing worship - great energy and excitement - Smooth brought a strong message - I loved the whole night.  Thank you Jesus for letting me be a part of your work.

weekend reflection

Sorry for the delay in sending out the weekend recap - it has been a crazy day.  Today, I met with some local pastors who care about Kingdom things and God is putting some things together that are going to be amazing.  I am so thankful for the relationships that God is giving me with men that are passionate about the gospel and I believe that a movement has begun in our city.  Anyway, this past weekend was week two of our 1thingineedtochange.com series and we discovered how to not just make the change but how to keep the change.  We had some technical challenges at both campuses.  At NW, I heard the video quality was not great - that is unacceptable and is a top priority this week to correct.  At NE, we had two power surges that caused everything to go off for a few minutes.  The first one was before the 9:15 am service but the second was during my sermon.  I was in the groove, right in the middle of my talk and POP!!! It was so loud that I almost had a heart attack.  Lights, sound and video went off and after a few seconds of gathering myself, we just continued.  Fortunately, everything came back on and it did not happen again.  Satan hates what God is doing and he will fight us at every turn - He did not win this weekend and he is still a defeated scum - I despise him.  I will tell you what was really fun - Starting point.  We had it at NE Sunday morning and at NW on Sunday night.  Both sessions were awesome and I loved hanging with people who are hungry to know Jesus better.  All in all it was, once again, an amazing weekend and I thank Jesus everyday for letting me be a part of this.

Weekend Preview

I am ready for a huge weekend - we have had great response to week one our 1thingineedtochange.com series and week two is going to be extremely practical and helpful.  Bring a friend and choose a campus and service.  If you call Journey home, I once again want to ask you to try our NW campus at 10 or Saturday night at NE at 5:45, to create more room for those who are checking us out on Sunday's at NE 9:15 and 11.  Regardless of which service you choose, I can't wait to share with you what God has given me to share.  I started the day right by grabbing a biscuit at Bojangles and watching the Canes and Bruins.  I am about to get a quick work-out in and then get my head together for tonight's service.  

An inside look

It is scary thought and probably a short trip but I want to let you know what is in my head.  I spend a lot of time praying and processing but I don't always process out loud so that is what I am going to do here.  The subject is space, services and dealing with the amazing growth that we are experiencing.  For those that don't know, we are once again running out of space on Sundays at the warehouse, especially at the 11 am service.  Beyond the obvious things like asking any and all of you that call Journey home to move to a different service or to the NW campus, we are looking at other options.  The next move is to probably add a third Sunday service at NE and it will probably be around 12:30 or 12:45.  I know that this is not ideal for some but many have actually said that they are looking forward to it.  Sleep in, grab and early lunch and then show up.  Anyway, we also are looking at changing the look and feel of Saturday night.  Once the NW grows another fifty to seventy people, we will be looking at adding a second service there also.  Beyond some of these immediate but temporary solutions, we are considering several next step, longer term solutions.  They include but are not limited to: 1) starting another campus 2) expanding the NE campus at its present location 3) moving the NE campus to a bigger space 4) finding land and building and then moving the NE campus  5) finding space for the NW campus and moving out of the theater.  This is not an all-inclusive list but these are some of the things that I am seeking wisdom from God for.  All of them have their pros and cons...all of them have various cost associated with them.  At this point, I tell you all of this so you will know how to pray because I believe in praying specific prayers.  I love what God is doing at Journey and I am so excited about the future as we impact this city for the glory of our King.

Weekend Reflection

What a great kick-off to our 1thingineedtochange.com series.  I spoke live at all four services and had a blast getting to see all of our people.  This was one of the highest attendance weekends ever at Journey.  The best part was seeing almost thirty people give their lives to Jesus.  We learned that real and lasting change happens from the inside out - God changes our heart and then He helps us change our life - He changes us then He helps us change.  If you missed it, check it out on line.  This is going to be a great month at Journey - in addition to the new series, new groups are forming and our financial peace class is starting back up.  

back from the blogging break

Well, I took a break during the holidays from blogging but I am back. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years break. Other than battling some family sickness, everything was great for us. We even went to see the acorn drop on New Years Eve. It was not Times Square but it was still fun. I am excited to begin our brand new series, "1thingineedtochange.com this weekend.  I will be live at both campuses and preaching at all four services.  I can't wait to see you then.

weekend reflection

WOW!!!  If you missed this weekend at Journey – I don’t even know what to tell you.  It was one of the most powerful and anointed services that we have had in our short three year history.  The presence of God as so strong and I felt like I could stay there all day.  We focused on the revelation of God – I know what else would you talk about at Christmas but I felt that it was a fresh reminder of how great He is and how blessed we are.  Perhaps the highlight was responding to Him after the message with an amazing time of worship.  Yahweh and Jesus Messiah were the two songs that we ended with and our band did a great job leading us.  Obviously, you can check the sermon out online but we don’t put the music there.  Yahweh is from New Life Worship and Jesus Messiah is from Chris Tomlin.  I can’t wait until Christmas Eve Refuel this Wednesday at 4:30 – It is going to be unbelievable. 

what's your "one thing"

If you have not checked it out yet, go to 1thingineedtochange.com and post your “one thing”.  Usually, we make a list of everything we want to change but this year we are asking you to focus on just “one thing”.  Go to the website – post your “one thing” – check out what others have posted – check out the helpful resources on the site - spread the word.  In January, I will spend four weeks preaching through this series and providing practical, Biblical principles to help you make and keep your “one thing”. 

saying something vs. having something to say

My heart and mind are focused on this coming weekend - I can’t wait to share what God has given me.  It is going to sound weird but I normally don’t like preaching at Christmas…What?  I know – I need to explain.  As I shared in a recent post, the sermons that I preach are things that God is teaching me, truths that I have learned and have to share – buckets that are full - I have something to say.  These are series that I have to do or I will explode.  Obviously, I love talking about the birth of Jesus but every year I wait on a word from God.  What does He want to me to say?  What does His church need to hear or be reminded about concerning His birth?  I don’t want to just pull out some old sermon that I preached three Christmas’s ago - I don't want to just say something...I want to have something to say.  This year, He has given me a clear word and I could not be more excited about preaching this weekend.  It probably will not be some huge surprise topic but my prayer is that God will illuminate your mind like He has mine…that He would take this story that we all know and love and use it to change us forever…that this weekend would not be obligatory but transformational.  I can truly say that I am more excited to preach this weekend than I have been in a long time (that is saying a lot).  Come with an expectant heart – Get there early and engage – We are coming together to worship our King.

weekend reflection

This weekend was so much fun.  I got to preach four times and I got to talk about one of my favorite subjects, the local church.  We finished our “House” series and talked about how we have the privilege of serving and getting involved in something eternal – something bigger than us – the hope of the world – the bride of Christ – the church.  It was my first time preaching live at the NW campus – that was amazing.  There was such great energy in that theater and today was our highest attendance yet at the NW campus.  I believe that this campus is about to blow up and it will not be long before we have to add a second service.  I also want to thank our tech team.  They spent the entire day on Saturday working at the warehouse – moving and installing projectors, lights and cables.  These guys are awesome – you never see them or notice them unless something goes wrong but I don’t take them for granted.  Thanks guys for your service and sacrifice.  It was a great weekend and I thank Jesus for the opportunity to be a part of what He is doing – Praise our King!!!

Weekend preview

I have just finished preparing my message for the weekend.  We are finishing week 2 of “House” – a series about the church.  Paul tells us in Ephesians the church is the house of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets and Jesus himself is the most important part of the foundation – the cornerstone.  Every time someone accepts Christ as lord and savior, the house gets larger – the kingdom of God expands.  There is nothing better than the House.  I am especially excited about this weekend because I am speaking live at both campuses and at all four services.  This will be my first live teaching at the NW campus so I am really fired up about that.  It is such an amazing time to be a part of what God is doing at and through Journey. 

Distracted?

I try to mix it up between updating you and sharing deeper with you – You know “hey here is what is going on and what I am doing” and “hey, let me challenge you or give you something to think about”…most of the feedback that I have gotten has been divided so I continue to try to do both.  Today, is going to be a little be longer and I just want to share what God is dealing with me about…you will probably hear this in a series at some point in the future…I am still praying and processing through this.

Someone recently ask me, “what is your greatest challenge as a leader”?  Without hesitating or having to think about it, I said “leading through distractions”.  After I said that, I began to process what I had just said.  Distraction is defined as “drawing apart” “diverting attention” “detachment” “an obstacle to attention”.   There is a built in assumption that before you can be distracted, you first have to have a direction or a destination.  Without a direction or destination, your life is so random that you would not even know if you were distracted because there is no focus.  So if you don’t experience distractions, you actually have a bigger problem – you need clarity about direction and focus.  For me, I have not struggled with direction or clarity about my calling but rather things, people or circumstances that come into my life to “draw me apart” – “divert attention” “distract” me from who God has called me to be and what He has called me to do.  Some people are more easily distracted than others.  I know some people who struggle with Attention Deficit Disorder…at least that is what they blame it on when they zone out in a meeting or conversation…maybe they are just not interested…anyway, the point is that their condition is reflective of what happens to most of us in life.  We know who we are supposed to be or what we are supposed to do but “stuff” happens that cause us to operate with “sideways energy”…this is energy that should be spent on the direction or destination but is having to be spent on this distraction.  I don’t have it all figured out yet but it seems that the first step is to recognize and identify the distraction.  Evaluate what can be done to remove it.  Strategize specific steps to stay focused even if the distraction is not going to go away immediately.  What I do know is that leading through distraction is a discipline…refusing to get side-tracked or stuck is a decision that you must recommit to on a daily basis. 

In the future, I will talk about Detours and Disruptions which are a little different than Distractions…For now – Keep your eyes of the author and finisher of your faith and refuse to be “drawn apart” “detached” or “distracted”.

A great time away

What an amazing couple of days!!!  This retreat was one of the best that I have ever had.  I have more sermon series ideas for next year than we have weeks.  There is so much that God has been teaching me recently and I really wanted Him to give me clarity and direction for this next year and beyond.  Many people ask me how I develop sermons.  First of all, most of the series are just one sermon but I stretch them out to several weeks because it is too much content for just one week.  Normally, the process is that God will deal with me about something, give me a thought, illuminate my mind about a passage of scripture, etc - then I will put it in what I heard Rob Bell call "a bucket".  In other words, I will write it down or file it away...then when that bucket gets full, I know that it is time to talk about it.  Most of the time, by the time I ever preach a sermon, I have been praying and processing through it for months or sometimes even years.  By the time I ever teach on it, I am about to explode with passion and excitement...I can't wait to teach you what God has taught me.  This time away has been a lot of sorting out or filling up buckets.  I map out series at least one year ahead of time...many times, I end up changing direction or the order of series as the year goes on and as I feel led but eventually, most of what I planned the last couple of days, will get done.  Needless to say, I am fired up for this weekend and I can't wait to share what God has burned in my heart.

Planning

I am out of town for a few days praying and planning.  I try to do this throughout the year but don't do it enough.  Every time I make time to do this, I remember how much I need to make it a priority in my life.  There is so much value to stepping out of the flow periodically to evaluate, gain perspective, be quiet, hear from God, plan, dream and write until my hands are numb.  God is giving me so many awesome thoughts and ideas.  He is freaking me out a little bit with the vision He is planting in my heart.  It is going to get crazy.  I can truthfully say that I have never been more obsessed with helping people follow Jesus.  I hope you are ready to go another level personally and as a church - we will not settle for less as a church and I will not let you settle for less personally. 

weekend reflection

This weekend was the end of our "Bailout" series...Smooth spoke at NE and Paul spoke at NW...both guys did amazing - it was actually the same talk at both campuses...I am so thankful for the team that God has assembled at Journey...These guys were anointed this weekend and the message was right on target...in order to increase my level of gratitude, I must re-direct my focus from what I need to what I already have...The music was great at both campuses (Karen back on the guitar-I would have not believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes)...This was my first time being able to worship at NW...I loved it!!!  I can't wait until the next time - by the way, the next time will be in a couple of weeks when I speak live at both campuses and at all four services...I am so fired up about it...the next series begins next week...it is a two week series called "House"...as you might guess it is about the church...after not preaching this weekend and getting to talk about the church for the next two weeks...are you kidding me?  I am about the explode with what God has been giving me...I can't wait to share it with you

Weekend Recap

Weekend preview

This is going to be a big weekend at Journey.  We have the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than us by meeting the needs of orphans in Uganda.  In all four services, at both campuses, we will take a special love offering and I am asking you to give above your normal tithes and offerings to make this vision a reality.  $15,000 will enable Godfrey and Arise Africa to complete phase 1 which will house at least fifty children.  Ask God what He would have you give and then step out by faith to sacrifice.  I am thankful for this opportunity and I think we are going to be amazed by the result.  I am fired up to see you this weekend and I can't wait to share what God has burned in my heart. 

Dream Big

Recently, I had the privilege of going to Lynchburg and while I was there, I visited Dr. Falwells grave.  Dr. Falwell meant so much to me – he was an inspiration to everyone who knew him.  It was in May of 2007 that he passed away and when he died, God used it as a turning point in my life.  We were about 1 ½ years old as a church and it was obvious that we were probably going to make it.  50% of church plants fail and fold in the first two years.  By this time we were averaging about 340 people in attendance and things were going pretty good.  When we first started, we had to live be faith – desperate for God in every way.  It only took 1 ½ years for us to start to get complacent and soft.  When I went to pay respects in May 2007, God used Dr. Falwell’s legacy and his death to convict me and he said “your dreams are too small”.  I made a commitment then and there that I would never again attempt something that I could do – meaning that we would only do what we could not do – so that when it happens, everyone would know that God did it.  I got clarity from God about what He wanted us to do – I came back and the next week announced it to the church.  We had said that we thought we should average around 1000 people before launching our next campus but God gave the direction to launch it next September…again, we were averaging 340 at the time – I also told the church that I believed that God was going to grow Journey to 800 by the end of 2008.  On September 14, 2008 we launched our next campus – last weekend we had 844 people in attendance.  I continue to be amazed at what God has allowed me to be a part of.  The people that I get to serve with and the people that I get to serve…I am truly blessed.  I have never been more excited and fired than I am right now.  We are in way over our head and that is exactly where I want to stay.  The safest place to live is the place of faith and desperation.  “God, we dare to dream big and risk it all for your glory – Amen”

weekend reflection

We continued our “Bailout” series this past weekend and learned that it is generosity that controls discontentment.  Attendance was crazy at both campuses – over 800 people – tons of first time guest and recent guest who came back.  The third service at the warehouse is getting out of control.  I want to encourage those of you who call Journey home, to come on Saturday night or better yet, check out the NW campus.  We don’t want to get to the point where we have to turn people away – while this is a good problem to have, it is still a problem.  I am blown away with what God is doing – I stood in the back of the room this weekend and watched people worship and I was so humbled to get to be a part of what he is doing in this city.  While we are thankful for what He has done through Journey in the past three years, we are about take it to another level – Hang on!!!

New Website

We recently launched our new website.  It is the same address www.takeajourney.org – just a new look.  We are having a few problems with certain parts loading correctly but they are working on it.  What we have discovered is that most people that use our site are new to Journey.  The normal flow is that they hear about Journey – They check out the website – They listen to a few sermons and try to get a feel for who we are – They choose a campus and service - Then they visit.  We designed this new site with these new people in mind.  We changed how you get into the main site and the look and feel is much simpler and clean.  Another change is that the sermon videos are in HD and the quality is much better.  Go check it out.

weekend reflection

This past weekend was a great kickoff to our new series “Bailout”.  We learned that we are all rich – some of you did not know how rich you were.  If you make more than 45k per year – you are in the top 1% wage earners in the world…37k puts you in the top 4%.  We learned how easy it is to allow greed to creep into our lives and what to do about it.  I am so excited about the rest of this series – don’t miss any of it.  It was another great week at both campuses…we had the second highest attendance ever at NW (theater campus) and it once again was an amazing three services at NE (warehouse).  By the way, I love the new song we did – I am going to take a guess that we will do it again this weekend.  Last night was a great time for Beverly and me to just hang out – it was a great way to end a terrific weekend. 

Bailout Preview

I am back from Lynchburg and I am fired up about this weekend.  Tonight, we begin our brand new series, “Bailout”.  I know – I know…people get funny when you talk about money but give me a chance.  This is not your typical money series.  We are going to look at what the Bible has to say about money – how to get it – what to do with it – how to feel about it and what to do if it runs out.  I want to continue to encourage you to give the NW campus (the theater) a try - The service begins at 10am and I think you would love it.  No matter which service or campus you choose, I look forward to worshipping with you and I can’t wait to teach you what God has taught me.

LBF

I am in Lynchburg Virginia at a board meeting for the Liberty Baptist Fellowship.  LBF is a group that Dr. Falwell started in 1981 for the express purpose of helping plant churches.  In the spring of 2005, Beverly and I meet with Dr. Falwell and this group of men and told them about the dream that we had to plant a church.  We were actually at a low point emotionally and had no source of consistent income.  The LBF took a chance on us and supported us for one year.  It was not enough to live on or even pay our mortgage but when you have nothing, it was like winning the lottery each month when that check would arrive.  Beyond the financial blessing, it was amazing to have a group of men, especially Dr. Falwell, believe in me and commit to be a part of what we were attempting.  I will never forget at the end of that meeting, Dr. Falwell put his big hands over us and prayed a prayer of blessing and anointing.  To now get the opportunity to serve on this board and invest in the lives of other men of vision, is indeed an honor.  The LBF is currently supporting 27 church planters and over these two days, we are interviewing four more guys.   It has been a pretty weird experience, taking guys through the process that I went through just three years ago.  It has given me a chance to reflect on all that God has done and I am so fired up about what He is going to do.  Hang on – we are about to go to another level.

Weekend Reflection

We finished up our series “The Fight of My Life” with a look at how to overcome temptation.  This was one of my favorite series that I have done in a while.  I have heard so many comments about how helpful it has been but mostly I have heard how much you enjoyed watch Crothy train and fight (I will post part 3 soon).  We had tons of guest at the warehouse and theater and got great feedback from them about their first experience at Journey.  We did Starting Point at NE and had about 30 people taking this next step.  Sunday afternoon, Crothy and I attended a funeral and then at the last minute, got free tickets to the Canes game so of course, we went.  Canes won 6-4 over the Leafs.  It was a great weekend – Thank you Jesus!!!

Mask

We always say "leave your mask at the door".  This is of course, another way to say that Journey is a place where you can "be real".  You don't have to "fake it until you make it".  We know that everyone is struggling with something and the church should be a safe place to find help and healing.  I believe that healing is only possible when you are able to be authentic with others.  Anyway, yesterday was the one day exception to the rule of no mask.  I love Halloween - seeing all of the kids dressed up in their costumes.  The rule in my house is that I buy all of the candy (Beverly gets the cheap stuff) and every kid gets a hand full of candy (none of this one piece per kid policy).  Last night was so much fun, listening to the kids when I would tell them to get all they could grab.  By the way, how old is too old to go trick or treating?  I had several kids that look like they were 18 years old and they did not spend much time preparing a costume - we still gave them some.  Now that halloween is over, it is time to get back to "being real" and finding a place where you can feel safe to get help.

Refuel Recap

Last night was one of the best Refuel services ever.  Five people went public with their faith and got baptized - worship was awesome (as usual) - we observed communion - the highlight was by far, the guest speaker.  Godfrey (I will not attempt the last name) and his wife Joy, the directors of Arise Africa were our guest.  This is who our team worked with in Uganda recently and Smooth has known them for many years.  The work that is going on in Uganda is powerful and the needs are great.  As Godfrey shared his heart for Africa, God stirred mine.  They are in plans to build an orphanage in Uganda and needed $15,000 more to complete phase I.  At the end of the service, I committed Journey Church to give this 15k by the end of November.  When phase I is complete, they will be able to house 50 orphans.  What a privilege to be partner with them in this mission.  Lord willing, we will be sending another team to Africa in 2009 and hopefully they will be able to see first hand, the fruit of your sacrifice.   We will be giving instructions this weekend of how you can be involved in this effort.  Praise the Lord for a great night.

Fight of my life - week 2 video

weekend reflection

Wow!!! This weekend was so amazing. Because we do four services in two locations, many of you don't get a chance to see what God is doing with the church as a whole. There was nearly 800 people present this weekend and you can just sense the presence and power of God in each service. I am so full and overwhelmed as I sit and think about what God is doing. This weekend, we exposed our enemy for the loser that he is and learned how to appropriate the victory that is already ours through Christ. I want to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work and dedication this past weekend. Your sacrifice and service to our Lord and for His people, does not go unnoticed. I am so honored to serve with you and I could not be more excited to see what God is going to do in the days to come. I am adding something new to my weekly recap - many have asked for a list of verses that I use in the service each week so I will try to provide them here...Thank you God for giving us a great weekend.

1 Peter 5:8…Isaiah 14:12-15...Revelation 20:10…Romans 5:10…Ephesians 4:27…Ephesians 6:10-18…John 15:5…2 Corinthians 10:3-5…Jude 9…James 4:7…2 Corinthians 11:14…2 Corinthians 2:11...2 Corinthians 2:14

I love it

I was reminded again today, just how much I love God and how much I love studying His Word. My favorite thing that I get to do is to tell people what God is telling me. I love to hear from Him, dig in His Word and discover things that I have never seen or learned and then get the chance to teach what I have learned to you. I have never been more excited about getting to do this. You might think that studying, preparing, learning and teaching would get old after all these years of doing it but it actually is the complete opposite. God is pouring so much into me and I feel so full that I am about to explode. Anybody around me is getting a preview of this weekend because I can’t stop talking about it. This weekend, we are going to continue our series “The Fight of My Life” – the focus will be on the fight with our enemy and I will teach you how to walk in victory everyday of your life. Don’t miss it!!!

video from week one

This is the video from week one of "the fight of my life"

weekend reflection

This weekend was the kick-off to our new series "The Fight of My Life". If you missed it, you need to check it out on the website. The short version is that the fight for my past is a fight in my mind because that is where the past lives. It is memories of regrets, scars or successes - The Bible tells us how to renew, refill and refocus our minds in order to become who God has called us to be - We are called to be identified by Him not by our past. The main point is that whatever controls your thoughts, controls your future - I can change my future by changing my thoughts. Maybe the highlight was Crothy in part one of his fight video - I will try to post this video later in the week for those who missed it. Part two is coming this week - you don’t want to miss it - he is training and you will laugh until your side hurts. I finished off the weekend with my first visit to the fair - We spent a couple of hours out there eating and listening to bluegrass and watching people.

This is my story

Last night at small group, we all went around and told “our story” – that unique story that tells where we have come from, what we have been through and where we are right now. It was awesome to hear each person share their journey with God. One of the things that I love to hear is “this is my life before I met Christ and this is my life since”. Over and over again, person after person shared how Jesus had rescued their marriage, brought freedom from addictions, replaced sorrow with joy and given purpose in life. The fun thing has been to watch some of these changes happen. Someone pointed out that it is like watching children grow – if they are yours and you see them every day, the changes are not obvious – but if they are not yours and you only observe once in a while, the growth and development is amazing. It has been the same way in our group. Some of us have been together for nearly three years and the transformation is so apparent in their lives. I hear some say that their story is “boring – I don’t have one of those testimonies that is exciting”. Any story that includes you being rescued and redeemed is exciting. You don’t have to memorize the Bible in order to share your story with others – You don’t have to have a theology degree in order to tell someone what Jesus has done for you. You may just be like the blind man that Jesus healed and everyone wanted to know “how” or “why” – they wanted the man to explain everything about it – He just simply said “this is what I know – I was blind and now I can see”. You can do that – Go share your story with someone who needs to hear it. There is an old hymn that I used to love to sing – “this is my story, this is my song, praising my savior all the day long”

Fight Preview

I am beginning a new series this weekend called "The Fight of My Life". We are going to look at the battles that each of us face - Our Past - Our Enemy - Our Flesh. This is one of those series that has been on my heart for several months. The more I study and prepare, the more I realize that I could have done six weeks instead of three - there is so much that I want to teach you about how to get victory in these areas. I believe that this could be a life changing series for many of you as God illuminates your mind and directs your heart.

Weekend Reflection

This weekend was bitter-sweet – it was the last week of the “Follow” series (that is the bitter part – this has been one of my favorite series that I have ever done) – The sweet part was everything else. Great energy, tons of people showed up, the worship was amazing (love the new song – go get the new Hillsong cd if you have not done so already) and the presence of God was very evident in every service and in both locations. The NW campus had the highest attendance since opening day and the 3^rd service at NE was out of control. Crothy and his team are doing such an amazing job making Journey happen at the theater. I really miss him on Sunday’s – it is weird not having him at the warehouse – we are trying to figure out how to have him show up at both locations. We have such an amazing staff – I am blessed to get to work with some of most Godly and passionate people in the world. They are gifted and committed to serve God by serving you – don’t take them for granted – I know that I don’t.

Service Time Change

I love Saturday nights at Journey - It is hard to believe that it has been almost one year since we added it.  If you have never attended on Saturday’s, you may not realize that it is identical to what happens on Sunday.  Through the summer we have been meeting at 6:45 pm to give you more time to enjoy the sunshine but now that we are entering the fall season, we have decided to change the service time to 5:45 pm beginning on October 18^th.  This will give you time to come to church and still have time to hang out afterwards with friends or family.  You will hear more about this over the next few weeks but you heard it here first.

Sermons

People often ask me how I prepare for a sermon series.  Most of the sermons that I preach have been stirring in me for months.  Rob Bell calls them “buckets” – God gives me a thought or idea and I put it in the bucket – when the bucket gets full, it is time to talk about it.  For example, this follow series that we are currently in, has been on my heart for several months.  Usually, a series is one message but I divide it into more than one week so that the service does not last for six hours.  Right now, I have sketched out the sermons through February 2009 but this is always subject to change.  I try to sketch out one year in advance – plan out six months in advance – detail out three months in advance.  Obviously, the Holy Spirit trumps everything so if He changes the direction, I am very sensitive that Him.  The bottom line is that I have to tell people what God is telling me.  God stirs and speaks to me and then prompts me to teach others what I am learning.  Sometimes I have people tell me how a certain sermons spoke to them or convicted them – God convicts me long before I can speak about it.  The next series that we are going to deal with is called “the fight of my life” – we are going to look at the battles that each of us fight – the battle with our past, our enemy and ourselves.

Weekend Reflections

A few quick thoughts from this past weekend:  It was our third week with two campuses…I heard that things went great at the theater…Paul and his team have done an amazing job.  We are three weeks into our “follow” series…this past weekend was my favorite talk so far.  The music was unbelievable…Alex (even though he was sick) and Cally have done a great job giving us amazing music in both locations…we are so blessed to have so many gifted people playing and singing each week.  We continue to have large numbers of guest come check out Journey…this past weekend there were several stories – “a friend invited me” – “I saw a card on the credit card machine at BJ’s” – “I saw the commercial or got a card in the mail” – “I overheard people talking about it at the coffee shop”…keep spreading the word.  We had our first Starting Point for the NW campus last night and thanks to Tim and Lisa for hosting us in their home.  I continue to be amazed that I get to be a part of this – Thank you Jesus!!!