pastor and church life

Video For the Next Series at Journey Church!

Together from Dre Fillmore on Vimeo.

an open letter to pastors...reposted Geoff Suratt

This weekend Gary Lamb, one of the more popular pastors in the social networking world, admitted that he has been in an ongoing affair with his assistant. Following the direction of his church Overseers he resigned from the church he planted five years ago effective immediately. The damage his actions caused will continue for many years in the lives of hundreds of people. I do not know Gary personally but I have followed him on Twitter for the past year and have read his blog occasionally. I have no comment on his specific situation other than to say I am praying for his family, his church, the woman he has been involved with and for Gary.

    I do, however, want to comment on pastors shipwrecking their lives and the lives of their families. I have been involved in ministry all of my life, the past 27 as a staff member or pastor at three different churches, and I have seen stories like Gary's over and over. The details vary, but the end result is the same; total devastation. The key question is not what happened, but rather how can we avoid the same fate. Here are some random thoughts:

1. If you think you aren't vulnerable, you are already toast
   I had a counseling professor in college who said that the pastors who are in the most danger of a moral shipwreck are the ones who think it will never happen to them. If you think you are too honest, too faithful, or too transparent to ever be involved in an affair you are skating on very thin ice. David never thought he'd sleep with Bathsheba until he saw her naked; then he couldn't think of anything else. You can steal money, you can get involved in pornography, you can cheat on your spouse, and you can lie to your family. Every day of our lives we have to remind ourselves we are vulnerable to complete moral failure.
   
2. If you think you can burn the candle at both ends, you are already toast
   There are no super humans in ministry. When I read twitters of pastors who get up at 4:00 a.m. every day, who work seven days a week, who counsel people at night and on their "day off", I know that they are headed for a fall. God took a day off when he was creating the world, Jesus took a beach trip to Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24) during his ministry. Unless you know something God doesn't know you are headed for a major fall without regular downtime.
   
3. If you think you can do ministry without accountability, you are already toast
   The only "conversation" I ever had with Gary Lamb was a Twitter exchange over the importance of an accountability group. Gary felt that the Overseers of his church provided all the accountability he needed. My contention is that we need people who are face-to-face with us on a regular basis, who know our wives and our assistants, who can ask us the really tough questions. I don't know if the Overseers provided that for Gary or if a local group would have prevented his fall, but I do know that I need that kind of scrutiny in my life.

    

4. If you think you don't need safeguards, you are already toast
   Filters on internet access, never handling cash for the church, never meeting with someone of the opposite sex alone, letting others have access to your email; these are such a pain and to be honest I don't always have all of them active in my life. The reality is that safeguards will not keep you from doing what you have already decided to do, but they can give you enough margin to change your mind before you act.
   
5. If you think it's about you, you are already toast
   Failure begins with ego. When you begin to think that success is because you are smart, funny, talented, cool or a 100 other adjectives and not simply because God is God and has chosen to bless you; you are headed down a very dangerous path. When you being to think the ministry will crumble without you and that you have to work 24/7 to make it happen you are headed toward destruction. When you think the rules stop applying to you and you can cut corners and you are above it you are on a crash course for disaster.
   

As ministers we are in a marathon. If you do not pay attention to the danger signs along the way you will crash before the finish line. Your crash may be a spectacular moral failure like Gary's, it may be the slow destruction of your marriage, or it may be the rotting of your soul; but Satan will use ministry to destroy you. And God will not say to you in Heaven, "Too bad about your family, but awesome job building a great big church. Fist bump, dude."

Three things every pastor needs to do:

1. Slow down
   You will not change the world today and tomorrow isn't looking good either. There is plenty of time to hang with your wife, play with your kids, play golf, relax. God was at work long before you showed up and He will be at work long after you are gone. You cannot live on adrenaline all of the time. You cannot be pumped up about every weekend. If you live that way for an extended time you will crash.
2. Open up

   You need someone in your life who knows you inside and out; someone who will ask the hard questions and know when you are ducking the answers. It is difficult as a pastor to find someone you can be truly honest with, but it is essential that you find that person. Another pastor who does not attend your church might be ideal.

3. Count the cost

   Every time you are tempted to break a rule, to cut a corner, togo somewhere you shouldn't go consider what it will cost you when it all comes to light. What is going to happen when your wife finds out? How will she feel? What will it do to your children? What will this do to your church? How will it feel to write a letter like Gary had to write?

You don't wake up one day and decide to shipwreck your life. You do it one stupid decision at a time. As someone who has seen this happen again and again and again I am begging you to take action today because it will happen to you.

See the New Offices for Journey Church!

Journey Church: Office Renovation Update from Dre Fillmore on Vimeo.

Great News!

Yesterday we were able to acquire some much needed office space for Journey Church. It is 1200 sq. ft. located right next door to City Hall in downtown Acworth, GA. This is such a strategic location for us as it places us in the very heart of the Business, and political Kingdom of our City, When you understand that as a church we are always praying for favor, and for more influence in our city, well....I think you get the picture.

The owners of the property have chosen to favor us and give us several months of free rent so that we can renovate/build-out the inside as to suit our purposes as a church/ministry office.

This renovation/build-out will cost $18,100 to do. This includes bringing everything up to code, and to the firemarshall's specs as well. In this price we are replacing everything in the restroom so that it is handicap accessible, all of the inside doors have to be replaces with 36" ones for the same reason. We are adding new walls, carpet, paint, lighting, electrical work, and a new HVAC system. Normally with everything that we need o have done this kind of renovation would cost close to $30,000 or in some cases even more.

I have some even better news...

Because of favor, some donated things, and friends in the construction industry, we have managed to reduce the $18,100 down to $11,100. Not much money when you think about all that we are able to do with it.

So, here is the reason for this email.

I am asking all of you to prayerfully consider sowing into this project.

There are two ways you can give.

1. Mail a check to:

Journey Church
3330 Cobb Parkway, Ste 17, PMB 320
Acworth, Georgia 30101

2. Go to my Blog site at www.douglascrumbly.org and give your donation through paypal.

Either way 100% of your donation will go towards this project, and of course, is a tax deductible gift.

Thank you as you help us make it hard for people to go to a place called Hell from the Atlanta GA area.

Blessings!

Journey Church

SUPERNATURAL by (Perry Noble) So good, I had to repost this......

“Why is it that the church in America seems to fear the supernatural?

According to the Scriptures…the church OWNS the market when it comes to the supernatural!

Consider this–we worship Jesus..who was born of a virgin (uh…supernatural), lived a perfect sinless life (supernatural), performed miracles (supernatural) and rose from the dead (once again…supernatural!)

Then there is the book of Acts…we have the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 (supernatural), thousands of people repenting of sin (supernatural), the church exploding (supernatural), people being healed (supernatural), dead people being raised back to life (supernatural) and the Gospel being preached to the world without the internet, cell phones or Twitter (supernatural.)

Why is it that we read the Bible as Christians and think, “I believe THAT happened.” BUT in today’s world we don’t believe “THAT” can happen? Isn’t He the same God? (Hebrews 13:8) Has He lost His power? Has His desire to see the world transformed decreased…OR…

Have we gotten more obsessed with the normal rather than the supernatural?

Let me be clear…I don’t believe the “supernatural” is freaky! I am not talking about what some in the church world would refer to as “supernatural.”

What I am talking about is church leaders who will completely sell out to Jesus and seek to surrender to His Spirit on a daily basis…because when we submit to His Spirit the supernatural happens (it is NOT something we have to force!)

Look at the book of Acts…in Acts 2 the disciples were led by the Spirit…and BAM…the supernatural. They didn’t plan that event! They didn’t have ANYTHING except for an intense desire to listen to God through His Spirit and do what He said.

Unfortunately in today’s church our main desires are “nice services” rather than times of repentance and salvation…which happens WHEN the Spirit of the living God is active!!!

MAYBE God is calling us back to surrender to His Spirit. MAYBE the church has been normal and average for too long. MAYBE it would be awesome to see what HE can do rather than what WE can do. MAYBE if we, as leaders, would get on our faces daily and beg Him for His leadership through HIS Holy Spirit that already indwells us…we would see a move of God unlike the world has ever seen!!!

Spirit Led = Supernatural! I am begging for this…HIS power is NOT the issue…our obedience is!“

Why Captialism Doesn't Always Work in Church.... Shaun in the City

Why Capitalism Doesn’t Always Work in Church

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Dave Ramsey says.....

I usually do not post on the things that I am about to in this one. Actually, I never have, till now... So here goes....

We all know who Dave Ramsey is, (unless we just moved here from the moon) and know that he is a strong advocate of becoming a debt free America, of which by the way I am too and is the reason for this post.

According to some of the most recent polls and surveys and information gathered by some really smart people our country is in severe trouble financially. I am not just talking about our government either. That is a whole other story for another day. I am talking about the average American who is strapped with more unsecured debt (credit card) that they could pay off. The average American has $12,000 unsecured debt and is paying close to 18% interest on that debt. Let's do the math........

If the minimal payment is made faithfully every month, let's see, 3 times 19, carry the 9, add 670, take away.....yep, if we pay almost $300 a month for little over 5 years.....and most of you know that very few people are paying even close to the $300 a month. If the minimal payment is made, (and this is what most are doing), it will take 15 years and another $7200 in interest paid. So, for that $12,000 that was borrowed, you will pay back over $19,000 dollars.

That means that the television you bought on credit while on sale for $699, really cost you about $1299. It just isn't smart financially.

People, we have to take charge of our lives, our money and our future and stop allowing a false hope that the government will take care of us delude our perspective. They cannot even take care of themselves! According to the most recent studies the average American not only has $12,000 in unsecured debt, but a mortgage, two cars, and only keeps and average of $640 in the bank. This means that most of us are living from one paycheck to the next and all it would take for financial ruin would be to lose about 1-2 months of work, and for many just 2 or 3 weeks.

It's no wonder so many are scared right now....

Let me give you some hope, and maybe some practical things to do right away to protect yourself.

ONE. Surround yourself with positive news and positive people. This is so important right now. Find a good church that teaches the Word concerning finances and prosperity from a balanced approach. There is nothing worse than hearing some preacher shout at you that God is doing all these bad things to you. Where is the hope then? No, poor planning and not seizing divine opportunities is what got most of us to where we are. Be sure to get involved in a small group which will exemplify that same thought and message.

TWO. Start cutting back and saving more. I understand we all want a certain quality of life, but, every family needs at least 6 mos of savings for emergencies. Many, Many are wishing they had done this years ago. Let's learn from this.

THREE. Do not be afraid to look for other money making opportunities. Many allow fear to literally freeze them from doing anything while it is in the bad times when many fortunes are made. There are many ways to make money out there, as well as many legitimate start ups and new stay at home businesses that may be right for you. I have just recently gotten involved with a Brand new business offering ground floor opportunities for significant wealth for any who want to work a few hours a week. Very, very minimal start up, ($499) and the most aggressive pay structure of any businesses yet. Maybe this one is right for you.

Go here for more information if you like. DEBT FREE AMERICA.

The thing is, do allow fear to govern you. There are ways to make more money during these times and literally become debt free and have money in your bank account at the same time. You just will have to remain calm, keep an open mind and work smart.

10 Important Keys to Leadership Success

By Jonas Clark

The world is famishing for leaders. Jesus said we are to be salt and light to the world around us. Can there be any better place than the Christian Church for leadership development?

A few years ago the Spirit of God spoke to us about the need to create a leadership culture within our local church. With that in mind we set out to teach leadership to those with a desire to improve their lives and make the world a better place. What we learned is the skills of leadership are both taught and cultivated. As one learns the language of leadership and applies its traits they can expect to achieve positive results. We have learned at least 10 important keys to leadership success:

1. How You Think Affects Everything: All of us are products of the decisions we have made in our lives. How you think controls what decisions you will make with your life. Right decisions equal right outcomes.

2. Set Goals: Without goals you can never move forward in your life. Goals, short-term and long-term help you identify your progress. Without them you wander endlessly and waste years of life being ineffective. Write your goals down today. What do you want to carry out this year? Be specific.

3. Take Action: Faith without works is dead. Goals are nothing without action. Do something today. Act on your beliefs.

4. Never Stop Learning: Every successful person throughout history maintained a lifestyle of learning. Read books, attend seminars, watch training videos.

5. Work Hard And Be Persistent: Success doesn’t happen overnight. Success is a marathon and requires fortitude and persistence.

6. Stay On Top of Your Game: Don’t ignore what’s happening in your life. Analyze details. Learn from your mistakes.

7. Stay Focused: Benjamin Franklin once said, “He who follows two hares is sure to catch neither.” It’s easy to get distracted from your goals and lose focus. Make a “to do” list and finish something every day.

8. Innovate: Successful people do things differently. Innovation is the key to improvement and breakthrough. Innovation is doing something new and different.

9. Learn to Communicate Effectively: Effective communication enables you to be understood. All successful people are masters at clear conversation.

10. Work On Your Character: Character development takes time and is forged in the trials of life. Character includes resolve, honesty, responsibility, trustworthiness and discipline. Without right character all the other traits don’t mean much.

had to share this....

Robert Welch's 1958 Predictions Against American Liberties

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Post Easter Mind Dump......

• Our Easter Service was over the top...Great worship, great teaching, great volunteers, great attendance (our highest yet), great inner communication among all, and a great spiritual experience...All in just 75 minutes.
• We're intentionally designing our Sunday experiences to fit into 75 minutes max.
• With our growth as it has been we WILL have to go to TWO services soon.
• Mark Hilliard continues to amaze us all. He is the BEST worship leader I have ever worked with. Our band is simply put, stinkin awesome! (Debbie will want me to take that last part out). We may have another lead guitarist and a key board player soon.
• I keep sensing there is a great opportunity for us coming up soon....Pray that I keep my eyes and ears open!
• This coming Wed morning at 6:30am I'm meeting with a few of our men at Vito's Cafe for prayer and sharpening.
• It's great to see all the dedicated people we have at Journey give so much each week.
• I love having the Gym and the inflatables each week for the kids. I'm sure that they love it even more.
• We have got to locate an office for us to work out of.
• New designed yard signs are on the way.
• The Atlanta Braves are off to a great start. I predict a they will be World Champions this year.
• I am really enjoying the new motorcycle. I know, I know, Honda's, BMW's, and even a few Yamaha's run better, longer, faster, and smoother.......but, let's keep it real, Harley's are COOL.
• We (some of the guys) are planning a bike trip to California in 2010. Wish it was tomorrow!
• Peace out!

 

the questions we ask....

I have determined that in 2009 I will be asking bigger and better questions than ever. It is just a fact that the size of the answer is determined by the size of the question. (PERIOD)

Every week I ask the same questions concerning my church.

1. How can we improve? Weekly this questions is asked. We ask this question concerning every area of our church. Nothing is sacred not even my messages.

2. How can we reach more people? This is always a great question because if it is really asked with an understanding of what we are called to do, the answer will keep us culturally relevant, culturally decisive, culturally focused, and help us to be cultural pace-setters as well.

3. How do we increase our Influence? This is always a great question churches should be asking simply due to the fact that she has lost so much influence the past few years.

4. How can we be more creative and innovative? I believe creativity is as much a reflection of God's presence and involvement in something as peace is. After all, He is our Creator...

5. How can we help other churches? We believe that every local church has a unique purpose in helping the corporate vision Jesus gave us. Working together all of us can make it hard for people to go to hell from our cities.

Journey Church exists to help people through life's Journey connect to God, one another, and the world.

Oh yea, to see some great pictures of my daughter's wedding (Danielle and Josh) go here. http://tinyurl.com/d94cyq

sunday evening mind dump

This morning's service at the Journey Church was over the top. Every week it is getting better as more and more people are signing up to volunteer as one of our ministry partners. Some of the things that everyone needs to be aware of are:

1. Next Sunday March 22nd is our 1 year anniversary. HUGE changes are in store as we signed a contract with the school for the gymnasium. This area will be used primarily for our elementary children, and there will be huge inflatables, as well as many other things to take the children's ministry to the next level.
2. A  new series begins next Sunday as we articulate the Vision for Journey and take the whole church to another level. Here's the graphic @drefillmore created for us.
3. Journey's congregation and our city will all be moving forward after this one! It's going to be a great year for all of us.
4. We need some camera equipment worth about $6K in order to put our services on the internet, and to enable us in the creative realm for video production and message presentation.
5. The video our band and @me_b put together for this morning rocked! I did not know @markhilliard could move and grove like he did! Great work guys! I'll post it later. It's hilarious!
6. I LOVED teaching on the Believer's Authority the past three weeks. I wish that I had another three weeks to do more, but didn't I say that our 1 year anniversary is next Sunday?
   
7. I know some will not appreciate this, but I give God all of the glory for this one. Last week a friend of mine called me and said he wanted to buy me something nice. He did this because he believed the Lord was telling him too. Well, sorry, but I just couldn't refuse. Here is what I picked up today at the dealer. http://twitpic.com/23hft
8. SWEET!
9. I went to an ARC round-table last week and was totally amazed at the level these guys have taken church planting. Billy Hornsby and Michael W. Smith of the ARC. No, not the same Michael. I also met Chris Hodges, lead pastor of Church of the Highlands. This church is the fastest growing church in America with 14,000 members in 8 years. You know God wants to use Journey church like that here in the Atlanta area!
10. Just got word the video from this morning is online. So, here it is and I'll post more later. Don't want to have Blog over-kill!

It is definitly about time....

Sorry that it's been so long since I posted something but, we have been unbelievably busy with the upcoming wedding and all. Yes, Danielle, our middle daughter ties the knot to josh Mullen on March 28th. He gets a wonderful wife and I get a wonderful raise!

Some of the things that have happened the last three weeks are:

1. Debbie and I spent two weeks in Tulsa with our RHEMA friends @ Winter Bible Seminar. It was fantastic and each evening the 4000 seat auditorium was packed. A couple of the evenings they had to bring out several hundred chairs. It was great to connect with new friends, and re-connect with old ones.

2. The second week there I taught in the Bible School to the 2nd and 3rd year pastors. I have to say that I literally had the time of my life. Yes, people, I DID ride in the New HaginMobile.

3. We started a new Ministry Intern program for Journey Churches. PATHWAYS, (see our Blog at www.lifegivingchurches.org, or join our group on FaceBook) Several ministers look to join our intern program this Summer. Glory to God!

4. Our creative team and I got all the sermon series worked out through August.

5. We are all working VERY hard to have a successful day on March 22nd, Journeys 1 Year Anniversay. Here's a sample picture of our Pre-Anniversary practice Sunday on Yesterday. Naah that's not @markhilliard!

6. Following some of the church planters has been very frustrating at times. It seems so many of the guys are trying to out-do one another with their coolness, hipster dude, shock therapy with very little substance. It was SO good to connect with some mature guys who are planting true life-giving churches that are some of the fastest growing churches in our country. More later....

7. March 22nd will be a defining moment for Journey Acworth. We are here to stay and are making it HARD for people to leave Atlanta and go to a place called HELL! join us this day and bring some lost folks with you!

8. Met Kirk Bowman from the Rock Church in Ashville. Great guy that is quickly becoming a great friend. http://tinyurl.com/bt22br Yea, he's a huge U2 fan.

9. Can you tell I am passionate about being a church planter?

10. I asked @me_b to be my assistant. Geezzz I sure hope she can keep up with me! Lord, help me to not run her off!

11. Got all our signs here and had an extra 18 Ministry Partners sign up to be @journeyga at 8am for set-up. Glory to God! The volunteers at Journey Church are the best in the world.

12. Meeting with a group of guys this Thursday in Birmingham who have a vision to have 2000 churches by 2010. I believe they will do it. Great group of folks, I look forward to meeting with them.

13. Did I mention that our 1 year annivrsary is March 22nd?

14. Sometimes I wonder where I'd be if Debbie (wife) were not in my life. She really does keep me straight.

can't believe I am actually posting this, but....just saying....

why not go to church....

Recently I polled a few folks on the "why's" and "why not's" of church attendance. I have to say that I really was not surprised at any of the answers save one. But first, let me address the ones that did not shock me.

Many wrote in the same old things; church is boring, pastors don't preach the truth anymore, many ministers are trying to be celebrities more than pastors, church people are hypocrites, politics, drama, and blah, blah, blah....blah, blah, and double blah....YAWWWWNNNNNNN!

I know that attending a church can be disheartening, depressing, and downright, disgusting at times. But the reason is because it's full of people....people just like everyone reading, and the one WRITING this post. People are still people, saved or not and still have a flesh that loves to rise from the dead no matter how many times it's crucified. At times we have all probably resembled a born-again Bela Lugosi. This is one of the reasons we desperately need one another.

But, to address some of the things people wrote in I wanted to do it through a series of thought provoking questions. I'm going to leave it up to the reader to answer these for his or her self. So, hear we go.

1. When did the church of the Lord Jesus become a spectator sport?
2. When did going to church become all about meeting my needs?
3. What happened to the life-giving force that EVERY believer is equipped with?
4. Here's a great question. Why is there more talk about becoming relevant than there is about the power of the Holy Spirit to break every yoke and bondage?
5. What in the world has happened to personal holiness?
6. When did trendy and cool replace power and sacrifice?
7. Why with 4000 new churches planted every year are we still losing the battle for our country and in danger of becoming just like Europe has become?
8. Why is it, (from one of our comments sent in) that Satan seems to work together with his demons, yet the church is so divided? Please, save yourself some embarrassment by not rebuking me on this one. Do you really believe the church in this nation is "one" as Jesus prayed we would be? 
9. Okay, hard one, Why do so many of the leaders of our churches feel it has to be a one man show? What happened to teamwork, collaboration, and shared responsibility? Sorry, but I believe it's time we leaders traded in that much sought after TITLE, reached over and picked up a TOWEL. Just sayin....
10. What happened to pastors EQUIPPING the believers to do the work of the ministry, instead of marketing to the world so that the only ministry that is taking place is inside the walls of a church building?

Okay, enough of that. We definitely have issues that need to be addressed in every church. The truth is that we are becoming more and more like Europe each passing day as for many, resentment of the church turns into apathy.

Now for the comment that I did not expect. It came in from a gentleman who is pro-church and I absolutely loved what he wrote. I have to be honest here, I was sitting speaking with my wife at the exact time his comment came in and we were discussing the exact same thing. Paraphrasing, one of the reasons we need churches to grow, thrive and be planted is because of world missions and the tide of evil that is held back. Here is what he wrote.

"It's just way too easy to criticize. Yet without the church, it's local and global missions support, millions would starve, be without medical care, or never hear the gospel. We have work to do, sure. I believe that if it's important enough, you'll make the time to prioritize."

well said....

Someone very smart once said, "all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."

Find you a church, not to attend, but to get involved with so that you can help make a difference in our world.

randomness...(lack of predictability)....church planters of life giving churches...

I am thinking about starting a new Blog just for church planters from the charismatic/pentecostal persuasion. I have got to ask, and answer the right questions that need to be asked, and answered. Maybe call it lifegivingchurches.com.

Any suggestions?

My thoughts on the subject are this:

Nearly 4000 new churches are started in the US each year alone. Even at this rate according to some really neat research from the folks at lifeway, we are only at 25% of what is actually needed. Sorry, but this is just not good enough....

Recently I posted to my facebook page about the importance of ALL leaders of life-giving churches getting into the church planting game. I was stupefied by some of the remarks left by ministry leaders. I still cannot figure out the whole thing about waiting on a call from God to do what He has already told us to do. Hello! Read the Bible. You'll find this kind of stuff in the Gospels, and the book of Acts. Just sayin....

I have a meeting with Ed Stetzer this week to discuss how to get more Charismatics involved in planting churches. Then, I'm off to Tulsarusalem for some serious meeting time with some amazing church planters. We are also recruiting interns for all three of the churches we oversee. If you are in Tulsa during the week of WBS, we will be at the RHEMA campus in room 201 at noon on the 19th and 24th of February. Come see us if your interested in partnering up with a life-giving church in Atlanta or Adairsville GA, or Knoxville TN.

Only the brave, risk-taking, bold, world changing, love a challenge, history makers need apply. No wimpy, whiny, people. just sayin...

Maybe I'll do a post someday on why wimpy, whiny people will never do anything great for God, will never be at the forefront of a revolution, will never experience the stoked up adrenaline rush that comes with taking huge risks, and why others do not like to be around them. Hmmmmm....is this a good place to say, "just sayin"?

Quote of the day, "Man who says that it cannot be done, should not stand in the way of the man who is doing it."

Dr. Mark Rutland

I want to congratulate the leadership at ORU for doing an outstanding job and bringing Mark Rutland on as the University president. I believe that both the school and the city of Tulsa are in for a great and pleasant surprise with him at the helm of this great ship. Mark, congratulations, and I for one am very proud of and for you! I believe that with the Holy Spirit's assistance, ORU will once again become one of the top Christian Universities in our nation.

For more on this story go to Charisma Magazine.

post sunday mind dump....

1. Alright, it's a done deal...more take down and set up every week is on the way. 
2. We need about 30 brand new ministry partners to volunteer just so we can catch up with the growth
3. Had several step forward today! Yes!
4. Wondering how to get those Harleys in the school auditorium without the custodian knowing anyhow?
5. Pumped abut the new signs, when will they be here?
6. @journeyga our new twitter. Sign up to follow at twitter.com
7. @douglascrumbly is mine.
8. New things on the horizon for Journey Church, gonna be awesome
9. Wondering just who are we going to get to climb up and down those walls each week any how? Maybe Josh will. After all he does want to marry my daughter.
10. Loving the series on Stewardship...it's not what you think
11. I love teaching the Bible drinking Perrier, and wearing jeans
12. Going for a new look, any suggestions?
13. Loves ministering to everyone with Deb right there with me, how else will I keep straight?
14. Sometimes, I think my 7 year old knows more about church planting than most pastors do...Yep, I'm sure of it.
15. Got to say that I love what I am doing... Thank you Jesus for caling me to plant churches...

the state of church planting in the U.S.

I love the new research that was put together by @edstetzer and the folks @ Leadership Network. It is so encouraging, yet shows us the importance of church planting, and working together in our communities to further the cause of Christ and His Kingdom.

You can download and view the report for free along with much more information about church planting by going to this site. Ed Stetzer

a look at some of the new signs about to be used at the Journey

tired of george barna....

well maybe not him personally. I am sure he is a nice man and loves the Lord. But, I am tired of every time that he comes out with a new study that it never seems to change. His stats usually prove that;

• The church is failing
• Dwindling
• Irrelevant
• Unrealistic
• Divided
• Messed up
• And so on, and on and on and on, blah, blah, blah....

I have news for Mr. Barna, and all of the followers that can't wait to quote his statistics every time they are released.

God has NOT given up on America!

We are still, I said still the greatest nation on earth. Millions try to make this their home every year from all over the earth. America was founded on godly principles, and every family in this nation has the right to teach those principles to their children regardless of what the ACLU does.

We still can pray anywhere, at any time, for any length of time, WITHOUT being arrested.
We can plant churches in ANY city, in ANY state that HE leads us too.
There are literally thousands of new churches started within our borders every single year.
We can print and distribute christian literature freely.
We can attend one of thousands of christian events in one of thousands of cities throughout the entire year.
We can OWN as many bibles, and christian books as we could possibly desire.
We can witness to anyone at anytime without fear of arrest.
We are still the PRIMARY missions sending nation in the world.
We give more aid and relief to hurting nations than any other country in the world. Thanks mainly to the benevolence of churches.
We can worship with hands raised in the White House, the School House, the Jail House, and in our house, freely.
We can wake up on any Sunday morning and worship the Lord freely, at the house of worship of our choosing.

ALL this because God STILL has His hands on our country.

Sure, the church has had, and still has problems, but she is not dead. There are thousands, literally thousands of great churches throughout our land. Churches that add value to our lives, bring life to the hurting, and healing to the bruised, and oppressed. They are starting new schools, and homeless shelters. They feed and clothe thousands of children from lower income families. The church is doing more to teach financial principles of debt freedom, and money management than any other organization on earth. Churches simply have and still make life better for millions of Americans.

So George, I say to you and to all those who diligently follow your lead, God is not through with America, and the church in our country is still alive, and well.

Journey Church this Sunday!

time for a shout... Rome Ga's newest church....

Here's a shout to the newest and most exciting church launch in Rome Ga! Congratulations connectrome on your new church! Joshua, you and your leadership team have done a great job starting this church and will make it so hard for people in Rome GA to go to a place called hell. We are so happy for you, and excited about all of the people you will reach in this community.

Who ever heard of a church in a bar? CONNECTROME God is so breaking the mold with these folks.

if you live in Rome or the surrounding area be sure to pay them a visit.

success in a lot of ways....

depends on our attitude with the things that God has blessed us with. In the book of Proverbs the bible teaches us that we are to, honor the Lord with our possessions, and the first fruits of all our increase. This doesn't just mean money either.

Every one of us is responsible, and accountable to the Lord for the care of, nurture and yes even growth of the things He has entrusted unto us. This includes our talents, money, investments, time, family, friends, church, and also a very important thing He has given to us all, the vision for our life.

Living a life without vision or purpose is like going to the beach where their is no sand. It just isn't right.

Join us on the Journey to a better life as we dive into learning how to be better stewards of all that we have, and the future He has for us.

Journey Church
Russom Elementary
10 am
Dallas/Acworth Hwy
JOURNEY CHURCH