Theaters

Dude, I’m getting so jacked about moving church into the theaters!!! Yesterday morning we were in the theaters taking care of some little details and we were standing at the front of where our main services will be and man, the atmosphere is just going to be through the roof. Regal Cinema is going to supply an outrageously sweet environment for doing church the way we do it. Even with all the craziness of this last week, trying to get everything together and moved out of the old buildings, I fell like my kids do looking forward to Christmas. I just can’t wait for the 6th!!!

Sunday after Sunday

Man, I love Sundays!!! It is always awesome to come worship God together and there is always something exciting going on at church. But I got to tell you the last 2 Sundays have been off the chain. 2 Sundays ago we rolled out our C3 Christmas Project. We gave everyone at church cash to go use to help folks in their communities this holiday season. Since then folks have been telling me about what their doing or plan on doing with the cash. The one I really love was I had one of our Crave students call me on the Monday after she had received the cash and was all excited. She told me that she knew a family that was really having a hard time financially so, she and a couple of the other youth put the money they received from the church together and went and bought this family clothes, blankets and some other things. That just awesome!!!

Then yesterday was just one of those Sundays where you stand back and say; dude, God is so awesome. We baptized 21 folks during the service yesterday. I had never seen anything like it. What made it really cool for me is that I got to talk with each individual during the weeks before they were baptized. I got to know them and their stories about coming to Christ. It is so cool, we have so many folks here at C3 who don’t have much of a church background but have now come to Christ and are just so passionate about serving Him. You guys are awesome!!! Congratulations on your decision to follow Christ.

Then that brings us to next Sunday, Dec. 2nd. I don’t want to sound like a broken record or anything but it is going to be another Sunday you don’t want to miss!!! Next Sunday is going to be one of those critical Sundays as we lay out the keys to our future success here at C3. See you then!!!

How You Know Your Not Mom's Favorite

Ever just have one of those days? Check out what mama bird is standing on...

Happy Thanksgiving

Man I love Thanksgiving, all that food and football!!! I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving. Let me also say a big thanks to all our volunteers at C3. You guys truly make C3, C3!!! Have a great weekend and I'll see ya on Sunday - You're not gona want to miss it.

Sunday

On a little more of an upbeat note from yesterday’s blog, what an awesome day we had on Sunday!!! I started the day with Discovering C3. I love these classes, I get to meet so many people who are jacked about what God is doing here at C3 and just want to be a part of it. Then we had the 2nd part of our Great Adventures. This is a class for children who have prayed to receive Christ and want to be baptized. I’m so proud of these kids, they have done a great job learning more about what it means to be a Christ follower and what it means to be baptized. We now have 6 kids scheduled to be baptized on Sunday Dec. 2nd. Then to top all of it off, Pastor Byron started a brand new series called “Barbaric Grace.” This is going to be an awesome series as we take a deeper look at why we do what we do here at C3. I’ve heard some great comments about the message and this past Sunday was just the beginning. There are going to be so many awesome stories and truths to this series and some serious surprises, you won’t want to miss a single Sunday.

Get Real

Ya know I’ve had this stewing in me for a little bit and I really just wanted to get it out. I was thinking about my last blog and the brilliant dude that met me at MGM. The scary part is that I’m not the only one this has happened to. I’ve had 3 good friends tell me about similar experiences that happened to them. Where they were just going about their daily routines (one was at work) when they basically had someone either snub them or vomit their negativity on them, just because they attend C3. What gets me the most is that some of these people who have said things to my friends have been Pastors (or their wives) from different churches here in town. This just boggles my mind. I mean really, what’s the problem dudes? I heard one pastor say; “well that’s just not the way church should be done.” Really, what is it that you don’t like? Do you not like people coming to Christ? – Because that’s happening here. Do you not like those who had completely given up on God and church coming and checking out church again? – Because that’s happening here. Do you not like people who were wrapped up in drugs, alcohol and just the crap of life getting freed from that bondage? – Because that’s happening here. Do you not like that kids and students are actually excited to go to church? – Because that’s happening here. Let’s get real here guys, if God is working and moving then maybe C3 is not what’s wrong here. Instead maybe you should read Luke 11:39-43 and take a good look at you.

Time To Let It Go

Some people can never let go. Today my family decided to go to MGM studios. While we were still in the parking lot a guy, who looks familiar, walks up to our car to tell me that he doesn’t like how I parked (I guess he has something against parking straight between the white lines) and says, “Aren’t you from Parkway?” After all the crap that we have walked through during our transition as a church I’m never sure how conversations that start that way are going to go. Anyway, I said, “Yes, I’m from C3.” Well, evidently this dude had some pent up anger toward our church and from the school closing. Somehow we get out of the parking lot without too much of an incident. But then this dude, with his kids in tow, maneuvers his way through the crowd to get to me again after we got off the tram. He just had to start pestering me again. He starts telling me how much he gave to the church and to the school; right there I knew this was going to get ugly. To make a long (really long) story short, I ended up telling the guy to take a hike (maybe not that nicely) and to just leave us alone. Ya know, God is awesome and I love what He is doing here at C3. But I know the reality is that there are a lot of people who can’t stand when God works in different or unique ways. I also know that there are a ton of people out there who absolutely hate that we transitioned our church. But seriously, I think it’s time to put on your big boy pants and get over it!!! The church has transitioned, we ain’t goin’ back, and surprise, surprise, surprise the lost are being found. Instead of being mad about how you just didn’t get your way, how about just thanking God that He’s moving and working. Seriously, I don’t like ties and organ music and all that stuff, but I don’t go around picking fights with people, especially when their trying to have a family day at a theme park. Dude, I think it’s time to let it go. Of course who I really feel bad for is the Disney workers, they had to put up with this guy all day.

Make'n C3, C3

Dude, I’m so jacked about what God’s doing here at C3!!! With all the stuff that’s been happening this past month I’ve been in a lot of different church’s and I got to say; man, I love what we do here! I love thinking how a couple years ago God began to put this vision of C3 into the hearts of our management team and there has been no turning back ever since. The guys I serve with are awesome. Each one brings amazing skills and talents to the table, but what gets me pumped is that in each one there is a relentless desire to do whatever it takes to see the unchurched connected with Christ. What I also love is these guys are so real. I’ve seen so many pastors who put on a suit Sunday after Sunday and put on this religious front. There’s no pretending or puffed up egos here, we all know we’re not perfect but we take what God has given us and we do our absolute best with it. I think Josh, our newest addition to the team, put it best when he said; “I’ve never been a part of a church where I could just be myself.” It’s hard to explain but there is a freedom in being able to be yourself here at church and it’s one of the things that makes C3, C3.

Back to Posting

Man, it’s been about 2 and half weeks since I last got on here. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Literally hours after my last blog we got a call that Sandi’s dad had taken another turn for the worse. We flew Sandi up to PA the very next morning and the boys and I started an 18 hour drive up. You could see God’s hand all over that trip. Sandi was able to get to her dad while he was still coherent and spend some time talking with him. And, even though I was alone in a car with the boys for 18 hours we had a great time ridding up together and we made it to PA just in time for the boys to see their grandpa one last time. It was a long hard week following Sandi’s dad’s death, but her family really pulled together and helped each other through. However, just a few days after we got back to Orlando, tragedy struck again. Sandi’s closest friend lost her mom to a very short battle with cancer last Monday. She was diagnosed just 3 weeks prior to her passing and even though she was in the hospital she seemed to be doing better. In fact they were getting ready to send her home when all of a sudden her body just gave out. It’s amazing how fragile life can be. But, it is a lesson I keep thinking about over and over again. How we need to never let the day “get away from us.” In life there are so many important things to do, but we can not neglect the most important things; our relationships. God has created us for relationships. Relationships with Him, our family our friends, just remember as you go through your day to guard and treasure the time you have with the ones you love. Let me also say thank you to all those who called, sent cards and prayed for us over these last couple of weeks. Your love means a lot!

Stuff

Man it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the blog world, but there has just been a ton of stuff going on. Some stuff has been really good, like Power House. Over the last couple of weeks Don and his crew have been transforming Power House into the deep dark jungles for our new 8 week series on “Treasure Quest.” If you have kids that are elementary age they will not want to miss the next 8 weeks!!! Then Crave for our middle and high school students has been running at full steam. Our students have really gotten into investing and inviting. Over the last several weeks we have had a ton of guests come check Crave out simply because their friends invited them. Great job dudes!!! Then this coming weekend Crave is heading to Boardwalk Bowl for a little fun and of course to discover the awesome sport of “Cravebowl.” Parents, students will need to be dropped off at Boardwalk Bowl at 5:30pm and then plan on picking them up by 8pm.
Other stuff this week, however, has not been so good. Over the weekend Sandi’s dad took a turn for the worse. Her dad has pulmonary fibrosis from a job where he use to work with chemicals. Basically, what that means is that he is losing the function of his lungs and his body is unable to get enough oxygen. Over the weekend it got extremely hard for him to breath and he was hospitalized. As of right now the doctors are unsure of what is going to happen; if his lungs will begin to function enough to go home or if they will just stop functioning all together. If you think about it, please pray for him and Sandi this week.

New Christ Follower

Everything we do at C3 works toward the goal of connecting people to Christ. Last night God brought that home for our family as my youngest son Luke prayed to receive Christ. It was just an awesome, tinder time. Sandi and I have talked with him a ton about Christ and what it means to become a Christ follower, but we’ve never pushed him to make the decision to accept Christ. We wanted to make sure he fully understood the decision he made. Last night Luke told me; "dad I really want to accept Christ" so I talked with Luke and asked him question after question. He really impressed me with his understanding of; what sin is, how sin separates us from God and that our punishment for our sins is hell. He understood that Christ came and died on the cross so that we can be forgiven for our sins and to take our punishment away and by accepting Him, Christ comes to live in our lives and secures us a home in heaven someday. Jesus’ words in Matthew when he said that we must have faith like a little child became alive to me during this time. I saw in a 6 year old boy an extremely deep faith and passion to know God. After we had talked for a good 45 minutes I lead Luke in a prayer and through his tears he started a personal relationship with our living God. As a dad I could never be more proud of him than I am today. For both my boys I know the promise of Romans 10:9 is true in their lives and they are safe and secure in God’s hands. Let me also just say a huge thank you to everyone who invests in the lives of children and youth here at C3. You may wonder some times if you are really making a difference, but trust me when I say you are making an eternal difference.

Tirelessly Devoted

Last night we went to the Colonial High vs. University High football game to hang with some of our Crave students. It was awesome to see Jen rock’n with the Colonial High band and #56 big Vail leading Colonial as the starting center. I’m so proud of all our Crave students; they have such passion and drive to succeed at all that they try. I remember playing in high school and really loving the game yet missing the drive to really succeed. It really became frustrating. I wanted to play but at the same time I didn’t want to spend all that time training and going the extra mile to play well. As I sit here thinking, I really believe this is where so many who work in churches get hung up. They love God and they love serving him, but they’re lazy. If you know me, the one thing I cannot stand (probably comes a lot from being this way in high school) is laziness. That is one of the reasons why I am so thankful to be a part of the staff at C3. It still amazes me to think about how over the past 2 years God has orchestrated bringing together a church staff that has a deep, relentless passion to become the relevant church tirelessly devoted to changing lives. It hasn’t always been easy, but I am so thankful for a Pastor who isn’t afraid to make the hard calls and a staff team that is so willing to do whatever it takes to see Gods vision through to completion.

Good'er and good'er

What a great weekend! On Saturday we had some friends get us tickets to the UCF - Texas game. It was an awesome game, UCF hung right in there with #6 and the atmosphere was outrageous. During the middle of the 3rd quarter when we were standing and cheering in the poring rain, Caleb turned to me and said; “Dad, this is the best game ever!” That really made my day. Then yesterday… the only way I can describe it was just a day from God. Church was through the roof!!! We had 16 people get baptized that morning, the new Play House ministry for the First Look kids kicked off and I continue to hear one great comment after another about the music and message on Sunday morning. Then that evening we had one seriously sweet fish fry with our Home Team Leaders. I got to tell you, I love our Home Team Leaders! Last night there just seemed to be an overwhelmingly positive atmosphere as everyone seemed excited to get home teams started again. To top everything off we had Crave right after the home team meeting and man did God show up in a powerful way. We are continuing on through our “Life’s Toughest Questions” series and last night we dealt with; how do I handle the three big Ds; Difficult people, Difficult situations, and Depression. Everything started with Barry O. sharing some seriously personal experiences that he has had with the three big Ds. God used his story in amazing ways as student after student began to bring up and confront the big Ds in their lives. What a weekend! I love what God is doing here at C3 or as Pastor Byron would say, it just gets gooder and gooder.

Another Thought

I was thinking about yesterday’s blog and I started to think about how thankful I am for those that came along with us on the “search party.” In fact, this Sunday night we have a Home Team Leaders meeting that will be full of folks like that. They saw the vision of C3 church and have been faithful in living that vision out every step of the way. Guys; thank you for allowing God to use you to make C3 such a success!!! And, I got to tell ya, I am so jacked about what God has planned for C3. We have some jammed packed exciting days ahead of us as where we will be able to impact the community of East Orange County like it has never been before. Or as Darrell put it “hold on to your seats” because the ride is about to kick into overdrive.

Just a Thought

So I was thinking about this church that I heard about here locally that is starting to become much more progressive in reaching the unchurched. They have started to go through some of the same transitions that we have gone through here at C3. They are becoming more creative and innovative. Instead of running away from the culture they are using it to tell people about Christ. Well evidently, just like what we experienced here at C3, some of the current membership is all up in arms and very upset about this transition. They’ve started blogs calling the pastor names and saying how ungodly their church is now. Ya know, I just don’t understand that. It seems the folks that do this stuff only care about being heard and being “right” and in the process they tear down and destroy what God is doing at that church. Why? Because they believe church should be done a certain way? It almost seems like they think that because they disagree with the church style then God has somehow appointed them to absolutely make life miserable for anyone who sees things differently. I’m sick of it and these people need to grow up. I think the real problem is they don’t fully understand God’s heart. They don’t seem to understand that God wants us to engage and be relevant in society; why do you think the Bible says over and over again that Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors. It’s why Paul said, “I become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” God never said to go out and create little convents where traditions rule and people like you can go. Instead, He said to head out into the highways and hedges; in other words, get out to where the people are. They seem to miss that absolute desire to do whatever it takes to “save some.” Or maybe it’s just that these folks feel jealous. Maybe they feel like, “my pastor and my church no longer revolve around me so I no longer feel like a big fish in the sea.” You remember the story in Luke 15 when Jesus tells the parable of the sheep? In this story Jesus shows us how serious He is about going out and finding the lost. He tells the parable of leaving 99 safe sheep to find one that was lost. Now some of the 99 might get excited when they see their shepherd heading out to find the 1, but I wonder how many others probably felt like they got left in the dust. So instead of heading out to become part of the search party, I think sometimes the 99 can feel jealous or left out. Then, because they have nothing better to do, they set out to make the pastors’ lives miserable. I wish these folks would be honest and say that the 1 doesn’t really matter all that much to them. What truly matters to them is what environment the 99 are meeting in. Well anyway, just a thought. If by some chance you are reading this and you are a pastor who is starting to make this transition, man I know things are probably getting rough right now. However, let me just encourage you and say, “Stay true to the vision that God gave you.” I can honestly say I am more excited about ministry today more than I have ever been.

Fun on the Weekends

Man, it has been one jam packed weekend. Starting Friday morning Sandi and I were out test driving cars. We haven’t bought a new car in forever. However, this time around we decided to do the 21st century thing and hit the internet. It’s absolutely amazing. We were able to do a ton of research, figure out financing, get quotes from all the local dealers and then even haggle the price right on line. Anyway, by Friday we had narrowed it down to two main vehicles and to a couple of dealers who still had '07s on the lot. By that evening we had our new car. Oh, the internet also helped find a dealership with a minimum trade-in allowance, which really came in handy with our old beat up trade-in. This morning we were back out running around as the boys had a British soccer clinic. The guys sure didn’t look like they were from Britain, but I’m not saying anything. Tomorrow, we start the day off with Discovering C3, which is an awesome way to start a Sunday. This is a class where I get to meet with new families to C3 who are looking to join the church. I love this time to spend with these folks, usually everyone is so excited and really interested in what we are doing at C3. Then tomorrow night we start our normal fall schedule for our student ministry; Crave. I’m so jacked to get things rolling with Crave again and starting tomorrow night we begin a brand new hang-out time called Club Crave at 5:30. Needless to say this weekend is moving, but as always, I’m loving it! Don’t forget to check out C3 Sunday as we continue to make some Waves.

Guys Weekend Comes To An End

Sandi is back home (Thank you Lord!) and the boys and I are starting to get vegetables in our diet once again. Actually, it wasn’t that bad; thanks to the Bledsoe’s and Jacobson’s the boys and I got some veggies in over the weekend:). Really, the weekend wasn’t that bad, we just tried to stay as busy as possible. Of course by Monday morning I was completely wiped out, but we made it through none the less. Sandi had a great visit with her dad. She was able to spend a lot of quality time playing games and talking with him. Please keep praying for him as he is not doing well physically at all and that makes it really hard on the family. God Bless Today!!!

Guys Weekend

Man it’s been a long day. We got Sandi to the airport at 6:20 this morning. She is off to see her dad in Pennsylvania. If you get a chance please pray for her dad. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness and at this point there is nothing the doctors can do for him. So, we want to take as many opportunities as we can for her to get up and see him. As for me and the boys, we have an all guys weekend ahead of us. We started out tonight with a highly nutritious meal; the all you can eat CiCis pizza buffet, man those boys can eat. Then it was back home for some highly educational activities; couple hours on the Wii. And now I’m beat. Just a couple of minutes ago I got the boys to bed, but I can still hear them talking away in their bedrooms. For tomorrow morning I think I’ll start them off with another nutritious meal like Krispy Kream or leftover pizza. Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend and I’ll C U at C3.

I'm Loven It

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you were just exhausted, but things keep happening that get you more and more excited about the week? That’s been my week this week. Sunday morning driving to Church I could barely see straight, but once the day got started, man was it an awesome day. Darrell and the band were awesome as usual. Then we had a special time where all of the pastors got to reflect on this past year. It got me so pumped up! I just keep thinking about how many people have shared with me over the past year about how God has changed their lives. I am so thankful to just be a part of what God is doing here at C3. Then so far the rest of the week has been about the same as Sunday. There has just been so much that we’ve been working on this week that has me absolutely jacked-up. On Sept. 9th we start a brand new series in Crave called Life’s Toughest Questions. With this series we will take 7 Sunday evenings and answer questions that the students themselves said were things that they have difficulty understanding or dealing with in life. Also this week, we’ve been working on our Home Teams kick-off for Sept. 16th. I’m so excited to get Home Teams up and rolling again. There really is no better way for adults to connect with each other than through the Home Teams. Then, if that weren’t enough, tomorrow we begin putting together the room for our brand new puppets environment in First Look called Play House. Man, what a week so far, I love C3!

Wii Church

Received a question about “if it’s not broke, break it” from my blog on Change. I have to admit the first time I heard the idea, I didn’t really get it either. But, the truth is it’s a very simple idea where one is never satisfied with the status quo and always looking for ways to do things better. Take the Nintendo Wii for example. The guys over at Nintendo could have said, “Man, we love the Game Cube, it’s selling millions of units each year and kids love playing our games, it’s a system that works and we can’t mess with a system that works.” The natural tendency is to think that if something works once, then it will always work. But the truth is that if the guys over at Nintendo would have never changed their current system, the Game Cube, then eventually it would go the way of Atari which people think is old, boring and has nothing for them so everyone stopped buying it. Instead, the Nintendo guys said, “Hey, even though Game Cube is working we should “break” it and see what else we can come up with. Of course, they came up with the Wii and now stores can’t keep them on the shelves. The exact same holds true in church. Over 80% of Orlando doesn’t go to church on Sunday and many of those folks will tell you church has nothing for me, it’s irrelevant and boring. It’s an Atari. And then there are the Game Cube churches; they work fine, but could they be better? So, it’s time to start breaking some things in church. Of course, when I say that some folks get freaked out and think you can’t change church; that’s sacrilegious. No, understand Truth is still Truth. The Wii still plays “video games,” just in a different way. We in Church still need to share Truth, just in a more relevant way. At C3 we decided a year ago we’ve had enough of being a Game Cube church, we’re going to break a few things and become a Wii church. Also, check out Darrell’s blog on Innovation or Death.

C3 Kids Rock

Last night we had our beginning of the school year kickoff/training meeting with our Children’s ministry volunteers and I got to tell ya, I’m just jacked about where our Children’s ministry is heading. We have the world’s greatest volunteers for First Look and Power House. These are folks who are passionate, loving, will do whatever it takes to make Children’s Ministry relevant and exciting for the kids and even kept their energy up after going through policies and procedures last night:). You guys truly are making C3 THE place for kids!!! Our youth have really stepped up to the plate as well. We had a bunch of youth come volunteer yesterday. You guys rock! Last night we also rolled out our plans for a brand new element to First Look called Play House. Play House will bring in some awesome singing and dancing and best of all: puppets for our 2s, 3s, and 4 year olds. Big thanks to Marlene and Ryan for all your hard work on getting Play House together!!! Also, if you haven’t stopped by Power House lately (we seem to like the House theme) you got to check out Heroes of Mega City. We’ve started a brand new curriculum that helps us completely redo the theme to Power House every 8 weeks and the kids are loving it. It is going to be an awesome fall with C3 Kids, I’m really looking forward to all God has in store.

Change

I was catching up with reading blogs after vacation and if you haven’t read it already you have to check out Pastor Byron’s blog on change called Ahh… Freak Out from Aug. 7th. I remember being in the UCF Business School and them pounding the philosophy in us that if it’s not broken then break it. That’s a philosophy that can really freak a lot of people out. But their point was that in business just like so many parts of life you have to be imaginative, on the cutting edge and always looking for ways to become more effective at what you do. We had major corporations like Motorola, Darden and AT&T come into to our classes and always tell us the same thing: you have to embrace change and never be afraid to fail. In many ways church life is not so different. We always need to be looking for ways to improve and become the relevant church that strongly impacts our culture. That’s not always the easiest thing to do, especially when you have to change something that you’ve poured a ton of time and energy into. But the truth is if we want good things to become great and if we want to make sure we are advancing then, we have to be willing to change. I’m so thankful for a church staff that is willing to ask the difficult questions of why do we do things the way we do and then embrace change to make sure we are always on THE EDGE.

Crave N Wild

I had a great day yesterday with our student ministry “Crave” at Wet N’ Wild. Our students really seemed to enjoy themselves as we turned the lazy river into wrestle mania and rode every ride we could. I love our Crave students. They are a great group of middle and high school students who have really gelled together over the last couple of months. I’ve never seen a group of students who cared so much for each other and really are out to help each other in every area of their lives. Good job guys! The Crave staff and I are very proud of you. Remember our next Crave event is on August 26th as we kick off the new school year with some crazy Crave games, food and prizes. We’ll see ya there.

Keys Part 2 - Lobster

Well, we’re back from the Keys and in full swing of things again. But, it seems like I’ve been getting several questions about lobstering. If you’ve never tried it, you need to put it on your “to do” list. Lobstering is one of those activities that can really get into your blood. My dad and I would go down to the Keys every summer since I was about 10 through my freshman year in college. My dad is now 70 years old and still makes it a priority to get down to the Keys to go lobstering every year. I myself look for every opportunity I can find to get back down there. This year was really cool because I had two good friends come lobstering with me and it was my boys first time. Jeff is an old pro at lobstering and as soon as we got near the water you could see the excitement in his eyes. Don had never been lobstering before but now he is already planning next summers trip to do it again:). Our normal method of catching lobster or “bugs” as we affectionately call them is to drag on planes behind a boat. Once we spot a lobster or holes or something that lobsters like to hide under we drop off, dive down tickle them out of their holes with a tickle stick and scoop them up with a net. It really is a lot of fun, here are some pictures of Caleb and Luke on their first lobster outing.

Luke heading out to look for Lobster:

Caleb and Luke on the planes behind the boat with Grandpa and dad, looking for lobster:

We credited this as Caleb's first lobster. He spotted it and daddy went and got it:

Keys, Family, Friends

Well, we are just about to wrap up our family vacation to the Florida Keys. I love the Keys. If you have never been, you have to plan on going one day. There is so much to do down here; fishing, swimming, boating, and my favorite of coarse; lobstering. This year was extra cool because we got to experience it with some of our really close friends. We spent 3 jammed packed days with the Newcombs and Jacobsons. We started out Monday with swimming in the hotel’s salt water pool, fresh water pool and snorkeling in the lagoon. Then, that night came Sandi’s favorite part of the trip: the all you can eat seafood buffet at Whale Harbor. Tuesday was an all out lobstering day, more on the lobstering later, but let’s just say that night was awesome as we all got together for a lobster dinner in our room. Then Wednesday was more fun in the sun as we rented aqua bikes and had more fun in the water. Check out a few pictures from our trip.

Good Company

So, I was really feeling like I needed to write about some comments that were recently published on certain folks’ blog sites. Evidently, there are a couple of people who like to say that the work we are doing here at C3 is from the devil and have compared staff members to satan. At first I was pretty mad at these comments, but then I realized we are in good company. You see, in Mark 3:22 Jesus was called the devil too. And what I find extremely interesting is who was doing the name calling; it was the religious elite, the “teachers of the law”. These were the guys who were supposed to be the closest to God yet they were calling God’s very own Son, the devil. Of course the question is why would they do that? Well, in part because the teachers of the law cared so much more about their rules, traditions and establishing a religion more than they cared about people. Jesus on the other hand came and turned those ideas upside down and it ticked the religious elite off. Jesus actually cared about those that didn’t spend all their time at the synagogue. In fact, He spent a ton of His time eating and hanging out with the vilest sinners around (Luke 15:1-2). In Mark 2 it even records Jesus going to a party with “notorious sinners”. But, why would He do that? Why would the most holy person who ever walked the earth hang out with those that are the farthest from Holiness? Jesus tells us in Mark 2:17 when He says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.” Jesus came not for the religious elite but for those that were the farthest from Him. To put it frankly, Jesus was a garbage picker. He came to this earth to the people who were considered the garbage of society and pulled them out. Personally, I think we at C3 have ticked the religious elite of Orlando off because we have decided to no longer be a social club or religious elite kind of church. Instead, we decided to “go out into the world” and pick out the garbage. I am sorry if you feel like your precious Southern Baptist Church was taken away from you. However, last time I checked it’s not your church, nor is it the Southern Baptist’s. Personally, I’m very thankful for Pastor Byron, our church and staff that clearly sees that God’s heart is not in creating a social order or massive colony. Instead His heart is getting out of the church building and going through the garbage cans of life.

Hats Off to Verna

What a great week for Children’s Ministry here at C3! This week Verna started as our new Children’s Ministry Director. Verna brings a wealth of practical children’s ministry experience to our team. She also brings a great deal of excitement (which I love as a dad) and a great deal of professionalism (which I love as the Children’s Pastor). She has been hard at work this week going over every last detail of our ministries and formulating plans for the future. Part of our planning for the future includes several new initiatives in the children’s ministry department that we will be launching this fall. We are also in the process of overhauling the Kids Zone for the premier of Heroes of Mega City which starts next Sunday. It’s going to be a blast for our K – 5^th graders. Then for First Look we have just started the planning stages for bringing a whole new way for our youngest kids to learn about God and have a blast while doing it. Sorry, I can’t go into too much detail about this one right now, but as we start to work out the details I’ll keep you posted. Lastly, for our Children’s Ministry volunteers we’ve started working on a brand new training program that will give each volunteer the tools that they need to be successful in all they do in Power House and First Look. So, like I said, it has been a huge week and we’re just getting started. Over the next few weeks and months we’re going to see some exciting advances in our Children’s Ministry!!! Welcome aboard Verna!!!

Summer Fun

We’ve been talking about getting “Unplugged” on Sunday mornings and I truly hope that you have had some opportunities to rest and spend some time with your families. Personally, I love the summer time. I love when the kids aren’t bogged down with homework and we can do things at night or on the weekends and every now and then I can take a day off and just spend it with them. I have noticed a little trend lately in our summer activities though. In the last week and a half the boys and I have gone to the Aquatic Center once, the beach twice and are hopefully going to get to go to a water park this weekend. Then in a couple of weeks we head down to the Keys for some RNR and some lobstering. Notice the trend? Our family loves the water. To me there is nothing more relaxing than going out and spending time with my family doing something that we all love. Not to sound too Dr. Phil’ish or anything but you really can strengthen your family and connect with your kids when you go out and have fun together.

iMac Part 2

Well, we’ve made it back from 9 jammed packed days of rebuilding houses, participating in camp activities and worshiping our God - oh, and don’t forget a 21 hour bus ride home. These past 9 days have been absolutely nothing short of amazing. I am so proud of each and every one of our Crave students and what they personally accomplished over this past week. Last night, as we were on our way back to Orlando, we took a moment to reflect on what God had been doing this past week. I asked the students, if they were willing to, to share about something God had taught them through camp or some experience that really stuck out in their mind. Let me tell you, I had tears in my eyes as students shared their experiences (Matt you caused different kinds of tears – thanks for always making us laugh). Students talked about pouring out their passions and their desire to be used by God. They talked about how they were able to put away differences and come together to use their skills and talents for God. Some talked about how they have formed friendships that will encourage and challenge them for years to come. And still others talked about how they gave their lives to Christ. But ya know; it wasn’t just the students who walked away challenged and closer to God. In my own life this week I’ve experienced God in a fresh way and more than ever before I am so excited about ministry and what God is doing through our students. Parents, I want to thank you for the awesome privilege of entrusting your students to us this week, for they have taught me a ton. Students, thank you for being so open to what God wanted and wants to do through you. You are the next generation of church leaders. I really believe from the heart that you showed this week that the future of God’s church will be powerful and exciting. I am proud of you all!!!

Check It Out

We've been having an awesome time at camp iMac this week and the fun isn't over yet. If you want to take a look at what we've been up to, check out http://fbcbeviloaks.com/ and click on the links for the C3 mission trip. You'll find a ton of pictures that will give you a glimpse of what the students have been experiencing this week. Now we're heading off to Dallas where we'll be worshiping God at Fellowship Church this Sunday.

Camp iMac

We're out in Beaumont, Texas with our student ministry for camp iMac all this week. This year we decided to combine our summer youth camp activities with a mission trip to Texas and it has been a blast so far. The students have experienced awesome worship every morning and every night with a kickin' youth band called Riverdale. They've also had a blast with some crazy summer camp games. But, best of all, is how God is working and moving in all the student's lives. He has challenged them to get out of their comfort zone and step out of the boat just like Peter did to experience Him in new ways. Each student has been giving of themselves and working hard to repair hurricane damaged homes. The kids have also been reaching out to the community by adopting a family in need from one of the houses we're repairing. Last night the students gave over $100 to by toys for the kids and food for the family. Each student was deeply touched as we were able to give the family these gifts this morning. God is also challenging the students in their spiritual walk. Many have drawn closer to God and have been challenged to minister for Him wherever they go. But the most exciting event so far was definitely our evening service last night when 4 students prayed to receive Christ and started a brand new relationship with Him. If you're a parent of one of any of the students here at iMac, please know that they are safe, challenged, and each on will be coming back much closer to God.

Independance Day

I hope you had a great day celebrating the 4th of July. We had an awesome time today with our home team. We brought out the super-sized slip n' slide, the kiddie pool, some great food, and, of course, Sandi's new snow cone maker. It was just a great time to relax and enjoy the company of the people we're developing deep friendships with. Not to sound like a public service message, but...if you're not already part of a home team, you are really missing out on an opportunity to develop deep, meaningful relationships.
I was just thinking about how we celebrated the 4th of July last year. We had a cookout at our house and there were a ton of people. When I compare that event to today the most obvious difference is the level of comfort and acceptance in the atmosphere. Today, everyone...the men, the children and yes, even ALL the ladies were in their bathing suits diving down the slip n' slide. WOW... that was so awesome to see everyone indulging themselves in a great time, not holding back. That's exactly what home teams are designed to do...bring us into a small group that allows everyone to feel comfortable and safe and be themselves as we grow in Christ together. Thank you to everyone in our home team for an awesome day!
Happy 4th!

God Loves Volunteers

I don’t know if you grew up going to church, but I remember when I went to church as a kid; I was always bored out of my mind. I remember playing with my Hot Wheels in the pew, or when we made it to Sunday School just being lectured at by the teachers and having a craft or two thrown at us. To say the least, it was not a favorable memory. However, at C3 we’ve embraced the philosophy that church for kids should be relevant and exciting. Today I started filming in our children’s department for a training DVD. It was a great way for me to become a “fly on the wall” in several of our First Look classes. All I can say is that children’s ministry here at C3 is definitely NOT boring. Our children’s volunteers do an awesome job of creating exciting, interactive environments where Bible stories and virtues come to life and are easily understood and applied in kid’s lives. Every Sunday I overhear at least 1 child telling his or her parents about what they did that morning and how they can’t wait to come back. In fact, at pick-up time this morning I heard a little boy who was visiting for the first time asking his parents when he would be able to come back again. To me, there is nothing more rewarding. So I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all our directors and volunteers who make First Look and Power House happen every Sunday. You are truly making a difference in the hearts and lives of so many children and parents. God Bless you for He has truly blessed through you!!!

Would Jesus Wear Jeans

So yesterday I had a meeting with a 63-year-old grandma. She was interested in joining C3 and she wanted to come by and talk to me about the vision and direction of the church. She started out by telling me about the first time she visited one of our services, she said she couldn’t believe her eyes, when the pastor came out to preach in jeans (I hear that a lot). Her exact words were “I didn’t know what to think, then he started talking and I heard the Holy Spirit of God talking through this man in jeans.” She then proceeded to tell about how she has been drawn back week after week to experience this “different kind of church.” By the end of our conversation we were both saying how it’s so amazing what people will allow to get in their way of experiencing God. She was saying for her she almost missed the experience of C3 because of jeans. The problem comes when we as people start to put our religious traditions and rituals (like pastors in suites) over and above truth. Jesus experienced this throughout the Bible from the Pharisees and the religious elite. In fact, this morning I was reading Mark 2 where the Pharisees where arguing with Jesus about his disciples picking grain on the Sabbath. They cared so much more about their customs than they did God or the well being of others. So after our meeting I laid out the question; if Jesus were walking on earth today would He wear jeans to church? Our answer; yes. It’s not very hard to believe that if you truly believe that Jesus cared more about connecting with people than He ever did about religious rituals or traditions. That His heart was to love people no matter what they look like and to reach them where they are at.

New Church Smell

I don’t consider myself much of a car guy. I like cars and all that but, I’m not like my buddy Darrell who knows what every make and model of every car looks like since he was born. Since he was born somewhere in the 50’s that’s really impressive. Right now we have a 10-year-old Honda that seems to be missing some paint and that creaks and moans around every corner but, it has never had any major repairs. We also have a 7 year old minivan that looks (has more paint on it) and sounds a lot better than the Honda but, in the last 6 months it seems to like visiting the mechanic’s garage more than it likes ours. So, naturally Sandi and I started talking about possibly getting a new car. We hadn’t gotten really serious about it until all of a sudden 3 of our friends got brand new cars in about a 1 month period. So I looked in them, sat in them, and sucked in that new car smell and guess what? Yep, I started to get excited about the idea of getting a new car. Literally, every day for like the last 2 or 3 weeks we’ve started to talk about getting a new car; what we should get, when we should get it, how much we should put down. And, of course, the kids are all excited about this too. So last night I started thinking….what if this same phenomenon; you know, me not being much of a car guy getting all excited about a car, was true with church. What if church was as exciting as a new car? What if church could have that new church smell to it and people who are not necessarily church people would get excited about coming every Sunday morning and they talked about it throughout the week? What’s so cool to me is that this is the kind of church we are creating at C3. We are not creating a church that some day will be an antique that everybody just looks at. Instead, we are putting all our energy into creating a church that is dynamic, creative and embraces change. We are creating a church where week after week people tell me their stories about how they had given up on church and God but now they love coming. I love the way one dear lady put it, she said “I feel born again.” That’s exactly right! What I love too is that folks seem to have a great anticipation of – “what they will do next” and that makes it a blast to come to church. I absolutely love being part of a church that doesn’t creak and moan around every corner, but instead looks for ways to be new and fresh.

Does This Thing Work

So this is the blogging world. I’ve been thinking about getting this blog up and running for some time now. However, if you know me you know I’m one of those guys who can never sit still. I always have to be doing something. And while I think that’s great, I know the down side to that is I tend to over-commit myself. Hence, a month after my first thought of having a blog; here it is. Anyway, my friends who are much more accomplished bloggers have told me that I should do a little introduction to start things off. So let’s see if this blog thing really works. I’m married to the most gorgeous woman on the planet and I know for a fact she is the most patient person I’ve ever met as well. As you now know, I always have to be moving or talking or doing something and she puts up with me every day. But, not only does Sandi put up with a hyperactive husband, we have 2 awesome boys that have just about as much energy as I do – pray for her. I also have the coolest job on the planet. I’m one of the pastors at C3 Church in Orlando. So, every day I have the awesome opportunity to lead our Crave (youth), Children’s and Home Team ministries. I consider it an absolute honor to serve in a church that actually does whatever it takes to reach people for Christ; that’s not afraid to step out into the unknown and try something new. And I absolutely love the fact that we have a Senior Pastor and staff who stay focused on what God has called us to do and are determined to not let anything stand in the way of accomplishing that task. Well, this has been fun…talk to ya’ll soon