Happy New Year at the Ebeling's

Hi there everybody. You're usually used to seeing Jason's random musings from this page, but today I, Randy, step in to fill in. Most of you who know me know I'm a pretty "play by the rules" kind of guy and never one to really "stir the pot" (yeah right), but I saw that Jason left his blog site up and I couldn't resist the opportunity!! (Don't worry Jason, I'll behave . . . mostly)

Tonight is New Year's Eve and a lot of us are gathered at the Ebeling's house. It's been a really awesome night so far. The Coyle's came through big time tonight and brought over their karaoke machine. Between people singing Billy Ray Cyrus and Lynard Skynyrd (spelling?), it's pretty fun being a spectator! (see awesome video, be sure to turn on your sound) We'v been playing a lot of games tonight too. Scattegories, Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples. Good times had by all!

It's been really cool getting to know everybody at Discovery. For those of you that know Laci and myself, I hope this doesn't seem worn out or over mushy, but I can't say enough about the Discovery family. We've met so many people that have taken us in like we were their own and loved us, without even really knowing who we were. I'm just amazed at God's love that He's shown us through the people here. Yesterday's message was extra special for us because it reminded us of what God has been able to do here through these same awesome people, just because they were willing to be used. And as the New Year approaches (only 8 minutes away at this point) I just pray that we don't ever get bored or content with what "we" have done. I hope that we'll always want to see more. I hope that we continue to love on people the way God wants us to. I pray that we can continue to be used and that we're willing to accept and be obedient to what God wants us to do.

2008 is going to be an amazing year, I can feel it!! (and I don't think it's just the cheese sauce I had earlier) Hope I haven't rambled too much. I love you guys and thank you so much for loving on us. Have a great 08!!

Merry Christmas

Merry

Christmas

Last Minute

Hmmmm, it's Christmas Eve day....time for me to go shopping (or should I say, "hunting"?)

Good thing I know what I'm looking for. I'm a man on a mission.

Wish me luck, I'm goin in.

The Shepherd and Uncle Jesse

Last night we "watched" It's a Wonderful Life for the first time this year. Lora and I will have to watch it again because we tried to do it with all five kids and some just aren't as engrossed and impressed with a black and white 1946 film as I am. But I got to thinking....Christmas can be a real stressful time and it's all too easy to forget about the good stuff. I needed that reminder and almost heard Clarence say to me, "Jason, you've really had a wonderful life" Can't wait to watch it again, just me and the Mrs.

And for some reason, unknown to me, I started thinking about the Dukes of Hazzard. Seriously. I used to watch them all the time. Used to pretend my bike was the General Lee. Anyhow, I was thinking about their CB handles. For those of you who don't know what a CB is it's like a cell phone with a cord to your car so it only works when you're in it and anybody else can listen in. But have you ever picked up your phone just to call someone for help? Ever emailed or IM'd or texted someone hoping they'd answer right away? I do it, and that's what the Duke family did a lot.

What's this got to do with Christmas? Well, with all the crush of Christmas going on for me, I feel like one of the Duke boys calling out on the CB to Uncle Jesse....."Lost Sheep to Shepherd, Lost Sheep to Shepherd, come in Shepherd" and I'm just hoping, praying that Uncle Jesse will hear me and come and help sort out the mess I'm in. Of course, in the show, they always got out of the mess they were in. Don't call me blasphemous or anything, but isn't that just like us, we get in a mess or lost and only need to call out for Jesus to come and help us (not that Uncle Jesse is Jesus or anything)?

So this "good ol' boy, never meanin' no harm" is doing what comes natural for all of us, I'm calling for help and for somebody to come and save me from this mess I'm in. Thank God Jesus answers when I call. He'll answer you too. Just find a quiet spot and call out, "Lost Sheep to Shepherd, Lost Sheep to Shepherd, come in Shepherd" (you know you want to)

Oh Me Oh My

It's getting closer to Christmas and I can't hardly sleep at night - but it's not because I'm so excited about certain gifts I might be getting or seeing someone's reaction to what I'm giving them.  No, it's because I've got a list a mile long that I'm not through yet, some technical difficulties that aren't solved yet, and house guests that aren't sure when they're coming, how long they're staying or when they're leaving yet.  All this makes planning and preparing a little more difficult.  I'm really wanting to just take a little break, hang with the family and celebrate the season.  Should happen soon, just not today.

Did I mention I still haven't written our Christmas letter yet?  Argghh (but not "bah humbug" - I still love this season)

Time's Running Out

Just one week until Christmas.  

"That's all I got to say about that!"

I Could Be In Trouble

All I can say is "Uh Oh, I could be in trouble." Why? Because I love wrestling and after taking Tyler to his first wrestling tournament, I think he might like it too. There were only a couple kids in his weight class and he beat them both...didn't just beat them, pinned them both....in the first period. The boy's a stud! Good job Tyler. We'll see if and how his brothers do next time.

Tyler's first match (looks like he knows what he's doing even)

Tyler's second match (ever) Great position!

Like Father Like Son

Tyler, my oldest, is following in my footsteps....at least today. He's entering his first wrestling tournament. I grew up wrestling in Minnesota and coached for a couple years when we lived in DC. I love it. All three of my boys are trying it out right now, but Tyler might be ready for some live competition. We'll see today. Gotta get to weigh-ins.

Put It In Writing

Had one of those days today where conversations seemed to revolve around the same topic somehow. I met with people starting at 8 until after 3 and more than a couple times I was forced to think about how much time I spend "doing my job" and away from my family.

I wouldn't say I'm the busiest guy in the world - I don't know how some of these other guys do it when they're speaking here or there, pastoring a large growing church, organizing conferences or hanging with other "players in planting" - but I do spend a good amount of time trying to move Discovery and it's people closer to God and to reaching our county and thank God for guys who can do that and more.

That said, I was challenged today as to what my job is. Is it planning, vision casting, preaching, counseling? Or is it knowing the heart of God and leading others there? Am I spending enough time seeking God and hearing from him or am I content just to figure out what topics we're talking about and how to connect first time guests? It's all important but hearing from God is most important - that's my job as the leader of this church! I need to be more intentional about making time to get away and just wait and listen for God - like Moses. So I'm putting it in writing...I will schedule more time in 2008 to separate myself and just listen for God.

And when it comes to my family - I think all my wife wants for Christmas is some regular scheduled dates with me and planned camping/vacation times with the family. So again, I put it in writing...I will schedule more time in 2008 to date my wife and relax with my family. That means some people may not get as much of my time (this means everyone not married to me, conceived by me, or responsible for my eternal salvation). And I'm not doing this alone. I'm making sure the whole staff (Claude? Davey?) plans and schedules more time with God and with family in 2008

There. It's in writing. I guess I gotta do it now huh?

One of the things that I totally love about church-planting in general and Discovery is no exception, is the commitment of the people who "get it."  Those people who understand why we are a church that tries to be involved in the community, in building relational bridges with people who aren't in church and are sometimes far from God, and aren't content to stay in our "holy huddle." 

Of course not everybody gets it, and even those who do don't always get it right away, but just like growth, understanding doesn't happen all at once.  It's a process and as best I can tell, here are some of things we do to help people "get it."

Give people a chance - too often people are prejudged

Give people an opportunity - we'll never know if they get it and neither will they if we don't give them opportunities to demonstrate it (like serving or even leading something)

Give people time - it takes some people longer than others, so we don't write people off if they don't buy into our vision right off the bat

Celebrate successes - we make a big deal over the "little" things and recognize people for their contributions that help us impact people (no matter how "small" they might seem)

Encourage - we encourage every attempt, every step in the right direction

Great Sunday

I don't know what the numbers were, but we were full....great to see so many college students today - especially during finals week. But that's not why today was a great Sunday. Sometimes, a pastor feels like he's "in the zone" or just "on." Today was one of those days for me. Actually I think it was one of those days for us.

The atmosphere was great, music was rocking, songs totally amplified the message, videos worked great, Christmas lights all stayed on....it was great. I'm just hoping that the people who were at Discovery today will actually either connect for the first time to the source of light (Jesus) or "reflect and radiate" the love of Christ. We'll see as we sort through the cards. I don't usually do this, but I'd encourage you to download the podcast and listen to it....I'd love to hear what you think.

Feels Like December

It absolutely is feeling like December.  It was in the 20's this morning.  I'm in the house now and you can see that I'm not quite used to the cold...in the house!  Glad it's supposed to be back to 70 next week (in December!).

Where Have All The Parents Gone?

I'm seeing a disturbing trend in the news (at least what's being reported) and it seems that parents are losing their minds, their kids and their lives because they lost one or both.  Before you read any further, don't think I'm saying that as long as your a good parent, you won't have problems...I'm not that naive.  I am saying that I think people are too disconnected or superficial in their relationships whether with friends or family and if we don't learn how to love and care for others, things will only continue and probably get worse.

Just look at some of the headlines from the past few months or so...

Kid shoots people at Nebraska mall

Mom kills her 5 kids

Man kills his mom, brother then...

Brother kills brother over video game (while mom's home)

Dad shoots daughters, wife and self

Teen shoots four and self at school

Mother, daughter, granddaughter help kill girl

and in case you think I'm saying that home-schooling Christian pastor families are immune from problems, this one's for you

Is there a trend?  Seems like it.  Kids aren't learning how to cope with life or not getting their way.  Many parents never learned it so they can't cope either and end up losing it themselves.  It all seems to come down to hopelessness.  Maybe if believers in Christ lived like they actually had hope (and joy, contentment and love) we'd be able to see that others need it and we'd offer it to them.  I find great hope in knowing that there's a God who wants me, loves me, wants me to be with him, and made that possible.  I find hope in Jesus.  I see people who need hope, who need someone to care, to notice, just to smile.  Who have you noticed that could use that hope?

So You Wanna Be A Teacher?

I'm probably stating the obvious when I say that things are getting worse in education.  Maybe it's because teachers can't just teach anymore.  Just today a report came out that our county (Pitt, NC) has the third highest crime rate in schools of all counties in North Carolina, and three of the top five are practically neighbors here in Eastern NC.   You can see the full report by individual county HERE. 

Just here in Pitt county there were 10 assaults that resulted in serious injury and 62 assaults on school personnel.  Both those numbers are more then in the Charlotte area (Mecklenburg county) which has more than 5 times the number of students!  I'd say we've got a problem.

But I'd also say that's our calling.  It's an opportunity.  It's causing me to think about how Discovery Church can be a part of the solution instead of just another whiner complaining about how bad things are.  I don't know what the solution is, don't know what part we'll play, but I sure think we can do something.  I think we need to do something.

Any ideas out there from our Discoverers (or anyone else)?

Season For Fighting?

Get to speak out at Barton College over in Wilson tonight at their Campus Crusade meeting. Jonathan and Nicole Combs head that up and helped us start Discovery. Jonathan played and sang and made us laugh and Nicole did a great job helping us setup and run the nursery...all "back in the day". They moved to Wilson which is about 40 minutes from here and help out at Jonathan's dad's church - Wilson Community Church. But enough about them...

Let me just ask for prayer. Even though it might seem like this time of year should be the best (and it often is) it's also very much a battle. I see it at church, at home and in my personal life. There's a lot of talk about Jesus during this season. People are open to discussing him and considering faith and all that, and it's a good thing. But someone doesn't like it and that's Satan, and there seem to be some serious spiritual struggles going on because of it.

Every night during Advent (weeks before Christmas) our family reads a story. We're only 4 days in and every night we've been interrupted by kids, phones, attitudes or something to turn our attention away. We're planning our very first Christmas eve service and while I'm excited, I feel like we're behind on the details and my attitude toward the whole thing sometimes seems ready to sour.

But when I think about what's going on, I don't get discouraged, I get energized. I realize that I'm in a battle. A battle for the hearts of my kids and for the hearts of our church and this community. Of course there's going to be opposition. I don't like it, but it makes sense. And I can honestly say that I'll take this kind of opposition instead of what some believers in other parts of the world must overcome.

Christmas Is Coming

Things have been a little bit more exciting lately.  I guess I thought that after a couple years, the work of starting a church would slow down or mellow out.  I was wrong....so wrong.  But that's just fine.  There's still thousands of people right here in Pitt County that haven't met Jesus in a life-changing way, and thousands of others who aren't growing and aren't connected to any kind of church.  We're working to change that.

That said, we start a new series this weekend and it should be great.  I'm excited about it and excited to get back to speaking after a couple weeks off (and I think Dusty did a great job).  If you like Christmas lights, you'll like this week.  If you like presents you'll love next week and if you don't like all the "holiday" and "X-mas" stuff replacing CHRISTmas, then you won't want to miss the 23rd.  We'll pack everything up on the 30th and look back over what God has done this last year.  All while trying to answer the question "So This Is Christmas?"  

And have I mentioned that this year we get to do a Christmas Eve service?  I'm stoked about that, not to mention that we get to leave our stuff set up for the whole week of Christmas which means a lot less stress and work (at least the physical labor kind).  We're only doing one service and I don't know if we'll be able to fit everyone, but we're gonna try.  Service will be at 7PM and last an hour.  If we can get everything we've talked about, this will be one service you won't want to miss!

Why I Love College Football

Unranked Pitt 13

#2 West Virginia 9

#9 Oklahoma 38

#1 Missouri 17

West Virginia is the 13th top five team to lose to an unranked opponent (and 7th #2 to lose).  Missouri is simply the latest #1 to take a tumble.  So Ohio State is gonna play 2 loss Georgia (not even the SEC champs) in the national championship game?  I could live with Ohio State and LSU but Georgia?

Yeah BCS.....who needs a playoff?

The Life Of My Wife

Anybody who thinks a stay-at-home-mom's life is easy is just an idiot. There's really no nice way to say that so I didn't try. Seriously, my wife is the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman. You know how the Army used to have a recruiting commercial saying "we get more done before 8AM than most people do all day" or something like that? Well I guess that makes my wife more effective than the US Army! In fact, if I didn't need her here, I'm sure I could send her over to Iraq and Afghanistan and the issues would be solved in a matter of days. But alas, her family needs her more right now (selfish I know, but true)

Anyhow, while I've been working on transferring media files and getting ready to go all Mac, working on the next series and 2008 stuff, my wife has been doing the following (just this morning mind you).

First, she teaches school - yep, that's the classroom.

Then she starts the laundry... which the kids can finish folding when they're done with school.

After that, she heads to the kitchen and cooks a bunch of stuff - some for now, some for later (gotta be prepared right)

And then she'll get to make sure the house is picked up before the kids nap, have quiet time and she.....passes out? NO! Before she starts another project I'm sure.

She tells me all the time that it would be easier to go to work than to stay home. I don't argue. I don't fuss. I just agree, fall on my knees and ask her why she chose me! So if your wife stays home with the kids, don't be an idiot...don't ask her "what she does all day?"...don't make stupid comments. Thank her and shut up.

Any Mac Users Out There?

Alright, about 3 weeks ago, we started making the switch to Mac. Let's just say it hasn't been a seemless one, but I'm still optimistic. So here's what I'd like. If you use a Mac for personal or church work, would you share one or two of your favorite tips? I'd be especially interested in tips from people who've moved their church presentation software from Media Shout to Pro Presenter. I can say I'm really digging the whole "spaces" thing with Leopard.

So what can you share?

Too Fast

Ever feel like things are moving too fast? Like it was yesterday when your kid couldn't even walk and now they're beating you in a race? Or you thought 2008 was a ways a way and now it's only 4 weeks out? I'm feeling like that right now.

Most of the time I love the tension that the speed of things brings....I like having to make decisions quick and figure stuff out on the fly, which is good when you do church in a portable space and have to set up each week. But for some reason, today it seems like things are going too fast. I made breakfast with my kids this morning and dang...they're getting old. I'm working on church stuff for 2008 and dang....it's only a month away. We've got another PARTnership class coming up and dang...it's in 4 days.

I'm reminded of this verse and realize that I'm not in control. There, I feel better already.

Just wanted to share this too. Tadd is a church planter about 2.5 hours from here and somehow got hooked up with NBC nightly news and Tom Brokaw. Amazing story and free publicity for a 12 week old church. You can read about it HERE.

Still Stuffed

So now that the pre-Christmas holiday of Thanksgiving is over, I'm ready for Christmas!

Probably noticed that I took the last few days off for Thanksgiving. My brother and his family were here and so were my parents. Had a great time with them all and really enjoyed eating...way too much and a little too often. Oh well, finished up the leftovers last night so no more turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes for a while.

Do want to mention a few things and people that I'm thankful for (even though it's after Thanksgiving, it's never too late to say thanks!)

• Jesus - he loves me and encourages me when I feel like a failure (and have)
• My wife - I definitely married up....again, thank you Jesus
• My kids - how bored would I be if I didn't have 5 great kids?
• My family - when I look around at all the dysfunction, I realize how blessed I was to grow up with two parents, married to each other, and a brother to fight with over stupid things like who has to haul wood or mow the lawn this week
• Discovery Church - I never knew planting a church could be this good
• Claude and Sheila - don't know if Lora and I would have survived the first year without them
• Davey and Randy - I love the worship atmosphere they create each week
• Todd Wallace and his family - this dude works until 4AM and still comes to church AND stays after with his family EVERY WEEK to help tear down.
• KABC - this is the church I came from and they supported me leaving to start Discovery
• bloglines - I'm constantly challenged by reading blogs about how other pastors are reaching their communities
• Christmas - I look forward to this time more than any other
• A million other little and big things (like more work to do)

Over The River And Through The Woods...

My brother and his wife are driving down here from New Jersey and my parents are up from Florida for Thanksgiving at our house this year.  Lora's parents are still in Florida and her sister is in Ohio (her husband is in Korea) and we'll try and get together with them during Christmas.

Just curious to find out how far people travel for Thanksgiving this year.  Even though we're not going anywhere, we've got family coming from 500 and 700 miles away.  How about you?  How far are you going or how far are people traveling to come to you? 

Off My Chest

Gotta get a few things off my chest before I go to bed...

• Too focused on church today and not focused enough on Jesus
• Hurt my son's feelings by my bad attitude
• Got to play golf after church and started off with a 12 foot drive...it did get better
• Things are definitely more chaotic when Claude and Sheila are gone
• Lora's taking a neonatal resuscitation test for her job tomorrow - she hates tests
• I've got two weeks off of speaking - Dusty is finishing out this series
• Tear down today was awful...had to get to golf and left the place a mess
• Davey might just be my new hero...I think he finished packing up everything after church
• Collected about 60 boxes for Operation Christmas Child
• Our snack at our small group tonight was Dominoes Pizza!
• Had fun playing golf with my dad
• Almost fell asleep praying with Lora when she went to bed
• I'm tired
• Don't know if it was a good idea to watch UFC last night, but it was for Tyler's birthday so who cares?
• I love coming home to my house, my wife and my kids
• I'm excited about how we're kicking off 2008
• The lights in the service this morning looked great (good job Brad)
  
• Really liked going old-school with the hymns this week, next week should be fun...90's worship music
• My new water heater's working great
• It's almost Thanksgiving (and it was mid-70's today in NC)
• Looking forward to seeing my brother and his family in a few days
• I'm tired, gotta go to bed

Tyler's Birthday

Got a quick appointment with someone this morning and then it's Tyler's day all day. Can't believe he's already 11. Time's going way too fast. We'll have our traditional birthday breakfast, give him his gifts and then he wants to go fishing so we'll do that most of the day. He's got a few folks coming over later tonight then for games and a movie and then (he doesn't know this yet) but I think I'll take him to the UFC pay-per-view and we'll watch it at Claude's (he's out of town anyway so he won't mind). Man if I were a boy turning 11, that'd be close to my dream day (that and a puppy, but that's not happening so keep dreaming). Gotta jet.

Happy Birthday Tyler! Guess what? Your Daddy loves you.

Free Food

In about an hour Lora and I and Davey and Janelle are going to be treated to dinner by some folks from Discovery as their way of appreciating their pastors. It's the first time we've been able to match schedules since before Oct. Claude and Sheila were invited too, but Claude had to go to FL with his job so....more food for me!

I'm quite confident I speak for most if not all pastors...we love being asked over or out for dinner. And it's doubly cool when you plan for someone to watch and feed our kids so we can actually engage and enjoy dinner and a conversation without one of our offspring pulling on our legs or chewing on our fingers. So invite your pastor and his wife to dinner sometime. SOON.

Happy Feet

Don't know if the video from my phone can convey the cuteness of a 16 month old "dancing" (moving her feet really fast) but I'm posting it anyway. It's my little happy-footed Hannah.

It's Worth It

One of the things I love about church planting is watching people who used to be far from God, grow. It's an amazing thing to see. People who used to be self-centered are now all about things like Second Saturday Service or filling up shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. People who didn't own a Bible now reading it regularly and asking questions because they want to understand deeper truths. People who wouldn't be seen in church now inviting some of their very same friends who "wouldn't be seen in church." It's great.

One other thing that's cool is watching people pitch in and help without being asked. At the Lord's Supper Wednesday we had people come early to set up, even more to help break everything down and one who snapped off a few pictures and already gave them to me. It might seem like a little thing, but I don't take it for granted. I'm so thankful that I don't have to beg people to help.

Lord's Supper

You can call me Jas or you can call me Bill or you can even call me Alice, but whatever you do don't call me Late For Supper! Lord's Supper tonight at the BCM on the campus of ECU (next to Wendy's on 10th St). We seat and serve at 6:30 and are expecting a packed house. Even if you didn't RSVP, you can still come, just be sure to bring a side dish or dessert of some kind. See you there.

One Reason We Homeschool

I've been asked many times why we choose to homeschool our 5 kids. The long and short of it is we just like our kids and want to spend as much time with them before they're gone as possible. Sure there are other reasons, but for us that's honestly the main one right now. We just don't want to miss out on stuff and want to be there when they need correction (not somebody else who may not see things the same way)

Case in point. Found this on an actual homework assignment (although Lora already filed away the assignment so I had to have Tanner recreate it). Since Lora is still orientating to the hospital, she's been working at least 2 days a week and I'm not prepared or good enough to get my stuff done and teach 4 out of five kids. That's why we have a couple different people help out on the days Lora works. There's a sweet 20 year old neighbor girl who was homeschooled her whole life who helps out...that's the "alien" my little buddy is referring to on his homework.

If I sent my kids to school, I'd miss out on opportunities like this where I get to laugh and correct but ultimately connect with what is going on in my kid's brain. It's just one more reason we choose to homeschool. (btw - he was just amusing himself and forgot he put it where everyone could see it. He wasn't trying to be mean since he actually likes her)

Before I Forget

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was reminded of a dream I had right before I woke up so I just finished reading (I'll journal in a little bit) and wanted to share it before I forgot.  Now before I say what it is, I want to say I find it interesting, but I don't necessarily find it prophetic.

I dreamt that I was walking through Discovery Church's new building!  It was pretty vivid actually, but since a picture (or dream) is worth 1,000s of words, I'll never do it justice.  It seemed like it was in a business area with a lot of foot traffic.  There was a huge welcoming all glass front where you could see inside the entire lobby area - seemed like that alone was 5,000 square feet with 30 foot ceilings, stairs leading to another level, lots of color and images of people and different ministry areas.

I was actually giving someone a tour of the place as it was being renovated/built and explaining how we were going to use the space.  The only mini-bummer was that Lora woke me before she left for work and I never got to any of the rooms or the worship area so I don't know what it looked like!  But still, when I remembered what I was dreaming about a bit ago, I was encouraged to say the least.

Who knows if it will come to anything, but I don't really care about that.  What encourages me more than anything is 1.) I remembered a dream (that rarely happens for me) and 2.) I dreamt about us, what God might do through us, Discovery Church.  And when I read in Ezekiel 39:27 that God plans to show himself holy through his people, people he's brought back from their enemies, that's what made me smile.

Keep praying Discovery.  Keep loving people.  Keep making friends and inviting them.  We can't do much more than that, but God will show himself holy through his people!

Water Heater Update

I called a few places this morning asking about recommendation for a tankless system, did a little more internet research, called Greenville Utilities to see if they had any "special offers (never know), and then couldn't take it so went to Home Depot, Lowes and Sears to look at regular old water heaters. Guess what? There is only 1 water heater available to me (for LP gas). Yep, one.

Nothings gonna get fixed until Monday now (that's what it looks like) and I found out that this is one of those things that's gonna cost $250 - $350 just for install. And I'm not messing with gas by myself so I guess I need to pay the going rate. Merry Christmas to me.

Not What I Needed

Our family of 7 used to have an extra freezer. It allowed my amazing wife to cook in bulk and store stuff for later (quicker) use and had us always prepared for the ever-present additional guests. Well, months ago it pooped out and we hadn't done anything to replace it. Until now.

My parents graciously offered to front us a little Christmas gift so we could get a freezer before Thanksgiving (since we're hosting my parents, my bro and his family, and who knows who else). Anyhow, freezer came yesterday and when I open up our nice little storage room on the side of the house to move it in, I notice there is water all over the floor. Odd, except for the fact that our water heater is in there.

Long story short, I discovered I have a 16 year old leaking water heater and need to replace it ASAP. So I have a choice to make. Do we spend more and install a on-demand tankless water heater or just go with the conventional tank (but spend more in energy in the long run having to keep the tank heated)? Arrgghhh, this is not what I needed today.

And somethings up with Lora and me and I don't like that either. Haven't gotten to the bottom of it, but I'm guessing I've probably messed up somewhere and don't even realize it. Don't need that right now either. I hate it when we have an argument (thank God it doesn't happen often or last long)

I could use your prayers (and for those living around here, if I don't get this water stuff solved soon, I may need to use your shower!)

Christmas Time

Last year as a new church, we were able to collect over 100 shoeboxes filled with everything from toothbrushes to toys for kids who have next to nothing. It's part of Operation Christmas Child and one of our PARTners actually got to help hand out the gifts in Africa while she was on a mission trip there. If you don't know what it is, just click the link above.

Here's what I'd love to see. I'd love to see Discovery (not even 2 years old yet) collect 200 boxes this year. I also know that is a tall order. We're late getting the word out and we don't have our Christmas Box "Champion" (Tara Dixon) here to help cheer everyone on. But still, let's do all we can to make a difference in the lives of 200 kids this year. All it takes is a little time, effort and investment. Just follow these instructions, print off this label and bring back your box by Nov 19th.

Sexual Thoughts

Still hearing a lot of comments about the message this week.  I'm always encouraged when I can stir up a bunch of discussion, especially when it's centered around what the Bible has to say about it.  That's been the case this week.

For those that don't know, this past week in our Will It Blend? series we were looking at sex, nudity, adultery, casual sex and the like.  It's not often I push the podcast here on my blog, but when I hear a dad tell his son (who missed the message because he was helping somewhere else) that it's mandatory listening for him, I get excited and think others might like it too, so check it out over at the website.

I have a confession to make.  I don't know about other speakers, but I speak from more of an outline than a manuscript, which means I don't always know what I'm going to say or how I'm going to say it, I just know what point I want to make or what story I might want to tell.  Well this week, the best illustration was just given to me AFTER I started speaking.  

Again, you'll have to listen to the message to really appreciate it, but I know it worked because I was with a family earlier and one of the kids was in "big church" and the parent got tied up for most of the service and was a bit concerned that her kid heard all about sex.  So I asked the kid to share what they heard and they nailed it...."the best place for sex is "on the playground" (in marriage) and if you play before you get to the playground, you miss out on all the good stuff and end up feeling less than satisfied (sex before marriage) and if you're on the playground and leave to play somewhere else you ruin it for everybody (adultery)"  Like I said, check out the podcast.  I'm going to bed....think I'll make a trip to the playground tomorrow!  

I don't mean to embarrass you Lora, but we have 5 kids!  People can tell we've already been to the playground quite a few times.

Pictures Are In

I said I'd post a few pictures from our PARTnership Party last week and finally got a few. Like I said, we had a great time. There are more pictures in the gallery online and if you'd like to see them you can by clicking HERE.

Forced to Be Creative

In a few hours, I'll sit down with about 8 other people to pray through and plan a lot of 2008 speaking series. I'm feeling an enormous amount of tension and pressure right now because this is happening so late this year. It's November already. And as Claude pointed out yesterday, even 2010 doesn't seem so far away anymore.

I'm a little concerned that we only have tonight and tomorrow set aside for planning, but I'm excited that we've got some new blood and faces that are going to be part of the process. I'm confident that the people coming are tuned into the community we live in and I'm sure that this whole process will be beneficial. I'm just asking you guys to pray for us and ask God to make sure we're seeking to please him and not men (especially when we have a 'time limit') Thanks.

Brain Dump

I really intended (and still do) to put a few pictures on here from the PARTnership party, but I've come to the realization that I have some other things that NEED to get done first.

First, I need to learn how to prioritize better. I admit, I still have a problem with that whole "prioritization" thing. I took Wednesday off (like I planned) and took the boys fishing (after changing a flat tire and forgetting to teach them how to do it...missed opportunity). Still, I've got a huge list of things that need to be done around the house, piles of things to go through and then there's the whole ministry part because I'm a pastor.

Some days I love the leadership part of being a pastor and other days I wish I could just be a pastor and not think about leadership stuff. It's a tough thing to balance, at least for me. Lora's working today which has me needing to be home because the sitter could only stick around until 1:30. I've got tons to do but 5 awesome kids that in about an hour will be begging for me to play with them. How do you pass that up? Seriously. My oldest is almost 11 - over half way to leaving. They're here for such a short time. I try to err on the family side whenever I can. I don't always, but man I love my kids and once they leave home I want to be sure they still love me and more importantly, they love the Lord and don't resent him for "taking their dad away."

Almost Forgot....

I still haven't recovered from the "Shock and Awe" pastor appreciation deal that people pulled off on Sunday. Yep, we're at the end of the service, I'm coming back to answer questions that people wrote and there's other people on the stage - uninvited people. Now I know them and know they wouldn't try to mess things up, but it threw off my thoughts. So they get up there, call Claude and Sheila and Davey and Janelle up and proceed to give us all gifts. Hot dog! They gave Lora and me a gift certificate to hit a bed and breakfast of our choice for a weekend and they remembered to provide babysitting!!!! Claude and Sheila got the same thing (and a few other things) and Davey and Janelle got cold hard cash (since their not married yet and figured that a weekend away at a bed and breakfast wouldn't be much fun for Davey to do by himself).

All I can say is that I love these people. I love Discovery Church. I love this job. Thanks

Catch Up

Just to start, it's gotten colder and I'm sitting here eating a grilled cheese sandwich. Something about cold weather and warm food makes me happy. Anyhow, enough of the random thoughts.

I'm way behind in posting and feel a bit bad about it (but I'm over it now). So much going on the past few days. PARTnership party on Saturday (pictures coming later), great service on Sunday, a trip to Raleigh yesterday to get a couple MacBooks because we're making the switch and then we've got a big planning meeting for stuff next year that's coming up this weekend. Whew!

Briefly, the PARtnership party was great. Most of out PARtners were able to attend and did whatever they could to get there considering the traffic, accidents, and other events that tried to keep some away. Some of the costumes were absolutely hilarious (again, check back later for pictures) and we gave out some fun awards as well as out first Outstanding PARTner of the Year award. We had two this year - Randy and Laci Stickland and Kim Kazda. If you know 'em, you know why they got it. A few of the big news items announced were -
1) there are two guys (Aron and Jim) who are in the process of securing funding so they can move up here in the coming months. Aron will work with Students and Families and Jim will help with Outlets and Next Steps. Real excited about that.
2) we're assuming we're going to continue to grow at this pace which means after the first of the year, we'll be moving to two services (most likely 9:09 and 11:11)
3) we've been given the ok to do some permanent install stuff in the children's area which will take it up a huge notch. We've budgeted $3500 for it and will be needing help with some of the install.
4) we'll be renting on Saturday night now to help with making setup more regular and dependable and provide another growth opportunity when we need to start a service on Saturday nights

You'll have to talk to a PARTner to hear about any other announcements and there's one I left out on purpose so you'll do just that. It's in the dream stage, moving into the prayer stage, but it would have to be a God thing for sure.

Sunday was great...I've been encouraged by the questions, comments and conversations that are coming out of this series (Will It Blend?) If you've missed it, check out the podcasts. (one other thing bit of news is that we've saved enough to buy some cameras so hopefully by the first of the year we'll have things in place so you can watch online too!)

Then yesterday, we finally pulled the trigger on a decision we've put off for almost 6 months. We're moving to Macs. Discovery Church is now the owners of a MacBook Pro

and

a couple MacBooks

For those that care, we're changing our presentation software to ProPresenter as well (it's mac only) I've got a bit of learning curve ahead of me, but I think this will help us get to where we want to go.

Like I said, I'll post a few pics later. We had our last flag football game yesterday and all I can say is I'm glad we had more non-Discovery Church people there than church folks. I like that kind of outreach (even if we don't win - but that will change next year!!!)

Guess Who's Speaking

One of the things I really like is having other quality speakers sharing the stage. Not only does it free me up from preparing a message that particular week, but when I'm there, I always get something out of the message. We've been really blessed to have people at Discovery who can speak and do a good job opening up Scripture and we've had a few guests as well. I don't want to give it away, but we've got someone who I think does an excellent job who will be back speaking at Discovery at the end of November for a couple of weeks. Really looking forward to it. I know he'll do a great job - he sounded really excited about it today when I spoke with him, and that makes me excited.

It's Coming

Getting closer to the weekend and I'm looking forward to it. Saturday is our first PARTnership Party where PARTners will hear about some of the bigger things that will be coming in the future of Discovery Church and we'll present a few awards as well. Then on Sunday I'm talking about whether or not religion, the occult and Halloween can/should be blended into the life of people who follow Christ. It looks to be a serious discussion that I'm sure will catch a few people off-guard. Figured I'd just let you know that it's coming/

Only 16 Years?

I looked at Sarah earlier today and just flashed her the sign language signs for "I love you" and she smiled and ran over and whispered in my ear "Daddy, I love you 16 years." Apparently, 16 years is a really long time in her mind....kinda like forever. So rather than think the worst, like she'll love me until she finds out she's 16 and can't date or she's 16 and still has to be home by 10PM, instead of expecting her to rebel and choose to "not" love me at that point, I'm thinking like a three year old and thinking that from here, 16 years looks like forever. I love you too Sarah (for way more than 16 years)

Happy Birthday To Me!

I have to say I had a wonderful weekend and birthday. Had friends come down from Virginia Beach and take Lora and I to a concert, got to go golfing on Saturday AND Sunday (for free no less), got taken out to dinner for all-you-can-eat shrimp at Red Lobster, got a new bike (first time I've had my own bike since my last new bike got stolen in college!), had the church sing "Happy Birthday" to me on Sunday and surprise me with cake, and got great cards from my kids - like this one.

I wasn't the only one who had a birthday though...Champ turned 7 on Thursday and had an army party. All that means is that we gave "violent" weapons to our children and other children who came over to play. And you know what? That makes me a good dad, not some silly, hand-wringing parent who thinks their kid will grow up to be a mass-murderer because they play with guns. Just look at Hannah and the dagger in her mouth - does she look like a killer to you?

Community Service

It was Chandler's birthday yesterday and he turned 7. As a typical boy, he wanted an "army" party. We just had a few kids over and of course the big kids (Cannons and Stricklands). Lora did a great job giving them walkie-talkies and directing them to find some hidden army men while the 'grown-ups' tried to ambush and capture the kids. Cap guns, swords, camo clothing, etc... a blast. Only downer was we had absolutely no way to light Chandler's candles on fire - no lighter, matches, nothing. Oh well, he's still 7, had a good time and didn't care.

Then, afterwards, we really got a blessing when we went to the Carolina Pregnancy Center's annual banquet. Almost 800 people there and that alone blew me away, but to hear the stories of life-change because of the faithful service of the staff at the center, it was wonderful. There have been at least 100 more babies born in the last few years because of them. Heard from a couple post-abortive people sharing their testimonies, a couple people who carried out their unplanned pregnancy, and a bit from the board and some workers. Bill McCartney (former University of Colorado football coach and founder of Promise Keepers) was the keynote and did a very good job. He's had his own experience with unplanned pregnancy that he shared and is somewhat recounted in this recent article.

It's just great to see and hear about other organizations that are Christ-centered and working to serve the community. Thanks Carolina Pregnancy Center.

Worth Your Time

Occasionally I'll "waste" a bit of time on ESPN's website, but today, it was definitely NOT a waste of time. I'll save any commentary for another time and just give you the links to a print story about a kid named Jason Ray. You can find a video for it on ESPN's homepage (10-17) If you check out either, I'd love for you to come back and comment on it.

Read It

I'm Not Too Tired

Have you ever been too tired to.....? I'm sure everyone at one point or another has used the excuse of being "too tired" and I'm sure there are times when it may even be a valid excuse. But this morning when I was meeting with a couple of guys for accountability, I found myself praying for us to stop using "too tired" as an excuse and start trusting God at his word.

It seems that God told Jeremiah the people would find "rest for their souls" if they'd just do what needed to be done - but they decided they were 'too tired'.

Jesus said stop complaining about how tired we are and come to him - only there will you find "rest for your souls"

When Moses was "too tired" he got help

Unfortunately, when Samson got "too tired" he gave up and it cost him his life

The good news in all of this is that God, the Everlasting God, never gets tired. That means he'll still be there waiting for us when we decide to trust him and stop using the excuse of being "too tired" to do whatever it is he's called you to do. For me, that means that even though I'm not feeling well, stuffed up head, coughing stuff up, etc...that's not a good excuse to sleep longer and push back or yes, even skip, my personal time reading the Bible and praying. That's what I've been doing, but I'm feeling convicted about it so I'm going back to my God who gives rest - because he'll "refresh" me - and you too, if you need it.

What A Day

It's been a long, day but man, what a day. To start with, we canceled church services this morning in order to go out and serve people in the community. It was the end to the message series we just did based on the book Outflow (which I'll highly recommend). Wasn't sure what to expect for turnout, but it was great. I'm guessing we had about 110 people who came to serve and that's not counting the 25 people who came from another church in Moorehead City to check us out today! They're going to be planting a church next year (wish they would have called first). They ended up going to another local church this morning and will come back to see how we do it here at this location some other time.

We did three simple projects. We did a $1 car wash at a couple locations where we washed cars and then gave the customers a $1. We picked up trash along the roadside at three different locations, and then we went to an area of government housing and gave away about 80 sets of boxed food and toiletries.

Afterwards, everyone came back and Mark from Cubbies in Winterville was out grilling Cubbieburgers and hotdogs for everyone. So we ate lunch, shared stories of people's reactions to our service, and had a great time. I'm thinking we'll definitely be canceling church again sometime.

Then tonight, the students came back and brought chicken, corn, beans, bread, tea, dessert to a couple of our local fire stations. That was after they had served with us washing cars and picking up trash this morning. These students ROCK!

It's now almost midnight and I'm ready for bed. What a great day. I love this church and these people. I gotta ask... So what'd you learn about in church today?

Claude Wants To Take Over The World

A Milestone

This post is my 300th post so far. Sure, I don't post every day, but I do post pretty regularly and have to say that looking back, I'm glad I've shared some of my thoughts and experiences. Here are a few of my favorite.

Blogging Hannah's Birth (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
When I Got Pooped On
$20k Truck for $3500
Halloween Pictures with Pirate Hannah
Sarah's Birthday
The story of my initiation into the V-club
Picking On Claude (and here and here)
Almost Got a Speeding Ticket

Thanks for reading, commenting, checking in, encouraging, and allowing me to be who I am in the blogosphere. You guys are great...but for this day, this week..... I'm the Freak Of The Week!

Getting Excited

I'm finally feeling better (thanks for the suggestions) and am really looking forward to the upcoming weeks. We got a huge "green light" on a project we'd like to do that will really improve our Children's Ministry and we'll be announcing those plans at our PARTnership Party on Oct. 27th. There's a couple of other big announcements that we'll share then too so if you're a PARtner, you'll want to clear your schedule so you can plan on being there and I'm not kidding about that.

Excited about this weekend too. It's the second Saturday of the month and that means time for Second Saturday Service. This month we're helping out another local ministry put on their first ever 5K run to help bring attention (and solutions) to poverty in our areas. Yes, there are people living in poverty right here in Pitt County! If you didn't sign up, you can just show up anytime between 8 and 3 and I'm sure they'll find something for you to help with. Most everything happens near Moe's off of Red Banks Road. CLICK HERE for a map.

Then I'm really stoked about Sunday because we're not doing church, instead we're going to BE the church. We told people who were there last week what was going on but some might just be finding out about it now. Basically, we're saying that the church has left the building. We'll still meet at 10:10, and once people get there, they'll get a worship CD that they can play in their car while they're driving away to their location. They'll either go to one of our sites where we're doing a $1 carwash (meaning we wash a car and then give people $1) or a beautification project (meaning trash pickup).

People who were there last week picked up a bag that had a list of what to bring in it. If you didn't get one, you can choose. If you want to wash cars for a while, bring brushes, sponges, buckets, hoses, nozzles, towels, squeegeez, etc. and if you plan on picking up trash bring gloves, buckets, garbage bags, vests (or wear bright colors) etc.

We'll tell people to finish up by around 11:45-12:00 and head back to the Boys and Girls Club for lunch - provided by Cubbies in Winterville (burgers and hotdogs). I've heard some great stories of people who've begun to understand what it means to notice people and love them through simple acts of kindness. Sunday's just another opportunity to do that in our community. I'm pretty confident that most people will come and BE the church in the community and not consider it a day off of church. Should be great. Don't miss out.