Haircut day...Mackinley's first

August Pics

New pics for August.  Click here to view.

Great resource :: Trombone Player Wanted

Marcus Buckingham has made the first 2 chapters of his short film series, Trombone Player Wanted, available for free via iTunes. 

Click here to download

I highly recommend these films and his books.  If you don't know, Buckingham advocates identifying your strengths and then playing to them.  There are several online tests you can take to assist--you buy one of his books and then receive an access code.

Oversight :: Gospel neglect

I recently started reading The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter, first published in 1656.  Crazy old.  It is hard to read at times because of the "old English" but it has been very thought provoking.  It's more than thought provoking, it's more like a verbal beating (in a good way) for young pastors.  Here's a few quotes from the opening pages...talk about setting the tone...

• Take heed to yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim to the world the necessity of a Saviour, our own hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits.  Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish, while you call upon others to take heed of perishing; and lest you famish yourselves while you prepare food for them.

• ...many a preacher is now in hell, who hath a hundred times called upon his hearers to use the utmost care and diligence to escape it.

• Believe it, brethren, God never saved any man for being a preacher, nor because he was an able preacher; but because he was a justified, sanctified man, and consequently faithful in his Master's work.  Take heed, therefore, to yourselves first, that you be that which you persuade your hearers to be, and believe that which you persuade them to believe, and heartily entertain that Saviour whom you offer to them.

• Oh what aggravated misery is this, to perish in the midst of plenty! -- to famish with the bread of life in our hands, while we offer it to others, and urge it on them!

I feel like God is wanting me to rediscover the personal nature of the Gospel.  I think I may have had "kingdom on the brain" for so long, that I have lost some of the personal aspect.  Does that make sense?  I still believe the Gospel is more than just saving individual souls, but I better not lose that component. 

Free Album Download :: Robbie Seay Band :: Give Yourself Away

Link: RELEVANT MAGAZINE.

Dad date

Triads on the brain and vision planning

As I am working through the initial assignments of putting the church plant vision down on paper, the "triads" or triperspectival approach learned in seminary has been of great help.  Other than being a cool word (triperspectival), it is really quite practical.

The idea is that we should not view things solely from one vantage point.  There exists a "normative" (God's word), a situational (your particular context or community) and an existential (your own personal experience).  Obviously we are not ever to violate God's Word (normative), even if our situational and existential pull is in a certain direction.  However, if something is not violating God's Word, we need to make sure we examine our context and ourselves when making decisions.

Put another way...I have to pay attention and heed the directives given by Scripture pertaining to what a church is called to be.  However, I am not given all the particulars of what this will actually look like.  That is where I need to understand my context or target area (situational) and my own unique personality, strengths, weaknesses, etc. (existential).  It has been fun and challenging to try and align all of these things. 

Ultimately what it is convincing me of is that the church collectively and members individually need to engage  in WORSHIP (normative), engage in COMMUNITY/sharing life (existential) and engage in mission (situational).  I am not sure yet what all of this will look like in our area, but I think this is where we need to head.  My hope is that as people engage in these three environments (worship, community & mission) disciples will be made and the church will be more and more expanding the Kingdom of God. 

Much work left to do, but I am getting excited about where things are heading.  More to come. 

Fiddlers with Nate

Great service

Snapshot from this mornings worship gathering.

What is Art?

Interesting documentary. I've often wondered about this. Check out the trailer.

Dad Date

It's been a good day.  I got a date with my daughter Sydnie this morning.  Nothing like a little Dunkin' Donuts.  This is a good discipline...I mean, the date, not necessarily the donut.

Why to Plant Churches

In case you haven't seen these before, here are two great resources from Tim Keller.  They both cover the same content.  One is the audio of a teaching on this topic, the other is a recap in written form.  Both are worth downloading.  The reasons may surprise you.  I am finding I need to do a better job of articulating these very things.  There are many misconceptions of why to plant a church.  Hope you find it helpful.

Download 01_why_to_plant_churches.mp3

Why to Plant Churches (article)

Soul Spa Recap

Last weekend, Heather and I had the privilege of participating in CrossPointe's annual Soul Spa retreat in Daytona Beach.  It was so good to connect with a core group of the church.  It's like every event/meeting we have only further confirms that God has us in the right place for this season in our life.  There are so many things I'd like to comment on, but I will limit it to one...

One of the most striking aspects of the church is the way the men lead and I'm not just talking about those that get their paycheck from the church (though they are certainly included in this).  I was greatly encouraged and challenged as I watched them worship God exuberantly, pray compassionately over people, embrace people, cry with people, speak the truth in love to people, and all around just love Jesus passionately.  This is not to say the women don't do this (because they do), but it is increasingly rare to find men who aren't embarrassed about their faith.  The men at CrossPointe really seem to be leading the charge.  They don't abdicate their responsibility to lead and shepherd their families.  I have much to learn from these men. 

August Update | Newsletter

Just FYI...here is a copy of our August newsletter.  It's been really cool to see God provide through His people.

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you can attest, Central Florida + Summer = huge, afternoon thunderstorms.  So the other day I found myself attempting to get out to run some errands when one of these storms rolled in.  There I was in the car, stuck in traffic, as things had come to a screeching halt.  Honestly, I was quite annoyed.  Frustrated that the only thing doing any driving was the rain.  Then, for whatever reason, my perspective shifted.  God brought to mind that rain was not something to be annoyed at, but was a sign of His sustenance and blessing.  In fact, the Scriptures are full of this reality.  In a culture that relied heavily on rain in order to survive, people would make a point of stopping to give thanks  for the rain.  And so, as we start this apprenticeship, we want to thank you whole-heartedly for BEING RAIN FOR US!  In that moment, stuck in traffic, it was as if God said “this is what I am doing for you through your friends and family.” 

Thank you for partnering with us in both prayer and financial support.  It is our intention to keep you all informed at least monthly through these newsletters.  Many of you have asked what exactly I will be doing, so let me take a moment to explain...

August 1st brought the official start of the church planting apprenticeship.  I have spent much of the past couple weeks connecting with other leaders and beginning the work of developing our church planting plan.  The next year is broken into trimesters, with monthly goals.  This first month will be focused on the following areas:

• Develop Vision



• Define Values



• Define Doctrinal Statement



• Timeline and plan for gathering a Core Group

Though this initial work is highly conceptual, it is critical for the success of the plant.  These things will define and shape the church for years to come.  Please pray that the vision and values would be rooted in Scripture.  Please pray that God would grant wisdom as we try to plan for a church that is both faithful and relevant to our context.  Ultimately pray that we would plan and plant the church Jesus wants and not what we want.  We truly feel blessed and are excited about the journey God has us on...thanks for joining us in the journey ahead!

May the Peace of Christ Be With You,

Jamie & Heather

Download august_newsletter.pdf

A good start

Well just finished week #1 of the Church Planting Apprenticeship.  We had a very encouraging week.  Services were great yesterday.  Great energy around the mission of the church.  You could just feel and sense it from people.  Highlight was the Leadership Community gathering last night.  We felt so welcomed and encouraged.  They laid hands on Heather and me and prayed for us.  We felt like we belonged, like we were right where God wants us to be.  He has a way of doing that. 

So this morning I have been hanging out at a coffee shop, tunes playing, laptop out pouring over my church planting notes from the past couple years.  Trying to get the ideas out of my brain and onto paper.  It was one thing to capture any cool anecdote or phrase related to planting, but far more challenging to narrow down what we will actually be about.  I want to make sure I am planning for the church Jesus wants to plant and not the church I want to plant--but the cool thing is that I think there will be some overlap there.  I  need to be faithful to Him and not try and copy someone else's ideas.  I will try and keep the blog updated with different versions of the church plant vision, etc. 

Peace.

Happy Birthday Mackinley

Birthday pics have been posted. Click here to view

I am blessed

Well today is 10 years of marriage for Heather and me!  So cool and so surreal that it has been that long.  I definitely got the better end of this deal.  I remember people telling us soon after we got married that "you think you're in love now, just give it time and the love will increase beyond what you can imagine"--I wasn't really sure I understood what they were saying.  Now I know.  I love Heather even more deeply today than I did back when we said "I do" that hot August day.  She has been a true gift from God.  I know I don't appreciate her as much as I should.  She loves me so well and faithfully.  She is a fantastic mom to our two little girls.  She is beautiful and talented.  I love that we love so many of the same things.  We love spending time together and I am looking forward to what the next 10 years will be like.  She has also exhibited tremendous faith as she agreed to marry a guy who was going into youth ministry and now is heading into the realm of church planting.  There is no way I would have been able to do any of this without her strength.  I am grateful that the past few months have stretched and grown us together even further as we have wrestled through God's plans for my future vocation. 

Heather, thank you for a wonderful first ten years and I look forward to many more!

Also on this date, 1 year ago today, God blessed us with Mackinley!  Happy birthday Mackie!