The Passing of a Great Man

One of the greatest men of God to live in our time passed away this morning. Dr. Lee Roberson, the founder of my alma mater, Tennessee Temple University and long time pastor of the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN died at the age of 97. I've never met a man so revered and godly as he. He was a Billy Graham type figure but not as renowned. Humble, encouraging, uncondemning, exhorting you to "die daily" to the Lordship of Christ over your life. I last heard him preach at my parents church in Soddy-Daisy, TN when he was 92! I can only hope to have that much fire and longevity. He was a great, great man.

Sunday Recap

We had another great day today. We were up in attendance in spite of several regulars being out of town. We had several visitors. Some came because they saw our signs, others because of our fliers that we mailed the last two months and some because they were invited by one of us. My mom and dad were there and thats always good. Bob and the band did a great job. I love that new song "You've Stolen My Heart." That's from the Leeland cd that is featured at the bookstore on Warehouse Row. I hope everyone is listening to hear the voice of God in thier lives. God speaks, we hear, believe what He says, then move into action. Let's get involved in God's redemptive plan for the world. Invite someone to Axios this week. I will be out of the office most of the day tomorrow. I'm going to get my son, Ben, from college.

Hearing Is Believing

I can't wait to be at Church tomorrow. I love Axios. I love its worship, its people and its Savior. Hearing God is the essential connection in our relationship with God. Tasting and touching were invitations to embrace God and sink your teeth into His goodness. Smelling was about living a sacrificial life for Jesus that is a pleasing aroma to Him. But hearing is imperative to life with Him. We must hear God's voice. Can't wait to bring it!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Had a great day at the Cherokee Co. Childrens Fundraiser. We set up a snowcone machine which was a big hit and raised over 80.00 for this charity and met a ton of people. We should never miss an opportunity to partner with Holly Springs in all that they do. We want to own Holly Springs as our base camp for what God wants us to do in the world. I handed out a ton of the Longhorn coupons too. Only a few days left in this month to take advantage of this great deal.

Axios Students

We had a great time last night with the youth group. They all came over to our house for a campfire. We cut a few trees down a couple of months ago in our back yard and as I was beginning to clean it up on Saturday and thought it would be fun to do the campfire. So Joe dug a fire pit and Pattie, Rayanne, and I cleaned up around it and had the youth over. We have a great bunch of students. They have a desire to make an impact for the Lord and are hungry to help out wherever they can. I can see a genuine love for this gang in Al and Mary, our volunteer youth leaders. I see a desire for them to get to know this group on an individual level. It was a great night. We roasted hot dogs, made s'mores and talked til dark (or until it was time for 24). As a former youth pastor, I can't help but love this gang.

I love Sundays!

Sunday was a great day because you were there, I was there and God was there. It's my hope and prayer that every Sunday we help people connect to God as well as to other people. We all need God and we all need friends. These are the vital connections that make life what it was meant to be. Here are some things that encouraged me this past Sunday:
* Good attendance. Its always good when we all come together and worship.
* Good offering. This is exciting because it reflects a desire to show love and obedience to God in an area very close to our hearts - finances. It also means that you are buying in to the mission and vision of our church. Money is simply a resource that helps us accomplish what God has called us to do.
* The faithfulness of our band (Bob, Monica, Joe, Joseph, and Pattie) and sound crew (Adam, Artie, and Eric and Billy) to get there every Sunday at 8:30 and prepare for our service. That's in addition to the Thursday night practices they put in. Keep up the good work.
* Big Jacob Namynanik and the Axios Kids Ministry.
* Jamey Girl Smith (or is it Jamie?) for getting there early and cleaning and folding bulletins and being our registrar.
* Steve McMullen for getting there early for what ever reason and just finding something to do to help out. Thanks for being our "Street Sweeper", "Window Washer" and Greeter this week.
* Latisha Norton for working in the pre-school who is soon to be Latisha Pitts on May 5.
* For the tremendous response of people who volunteered their time for Saturday to support our community and represent our church at the Trains, Planes, and Automobiles Fund Raiser.

Things that I'm praying about:
1. How to get 200 people to attend Axios.
2. How to get some of the 70% of our Holly Springs community that do not go to church anywhere to come to Axios.
3. That God will be alive and real and personal to the people in our church and that it will spill out of us into the community.
4. That we can help lead people to be 100%, all in, devoted followers of Christ.\

Pray with me about these things.

4 Things that we have in common with Lost

I watched Lost last night and it hit me why I like it so much. It has given me a new perspective on people. Any of us would fit in with the characters on Lost because:
1. We all have a story. The flashbacks to life before the crash give us insight into the characters. All of us have a past that has led us to where we are and who we are.
2. Not everything is black and white. The problem with many christians is that they are quick to judge without trying to understand the story.
3. We all need each other. No one can go it alone in this life.
4. We all need rescued. We all, in some way, shape or form, have made a mess of things or we feel stuck or at a dead end or just beat up. We need an outside source to come and rescue us. And that's the great thing about christianity. Jesus can do what we cannot do for ourselves - rescue us.

Home Teams are on the website

We are in the process of updating and reorganizing our website but you can find out about Home Teams including directions by going to churchinthwarehouse.com click the Axios Church link then go to ministries. I'm still trying to figure out how to make links from this blog. I'm sure it is simple but I'm not the brightest star in cyberspace. If you can help me, let me know. Hey, I think I just did it.

I'm a Lost Pastor

I love Wednesdays because my favorite show comes on - Lost. I have a few shows that are must see TV for me. Here are my top 5.
5. House - because He cracks me up and I wonder if I could pastor with the same attitude
4. American Idol - because I'm curious and I like to keep up with pop culture. Sanjaya has got to go.
3. The Amazing Race - because it really is amazing and I get to see the world.
2. 24 - because Jack Bower is the man.
1. Lost - a great show with great characters and a great mystery.

Runner-ups (or is it runners-up): Numbers, Heroes, Criminal Minds.
My comic relief is Everybody Loves Raymond reruns.

Do you smell that?

I have loved this series "Prime Rib, Aroma Therapy, and an Invisible God." I have studied alot today on this third sermon and it has been challenging and stretching me to my limits. Touch and taste were invitations to experience and explore God. An invitation to grab hold of Jesus and sink your teeth into the goodness of God. But smell is taking us in a whole new direction. It's more about what God wants me to do than what I want God to do. I think God is leading me to do something this Sunday that I've never done before. I can't wait to see what God is going to do.

Jack Bower Power

I love 24. What a great show. Jack has never met an obstacle that he can't overcome. He is the man!

Connecting to God and others

We have a simple plan for the people who come to Axios, Church in the Warehouse. Help them connect to God and others. And give them opportunities to serve the community and the world. Our Sunday Morning Worship and our home Teams are the things that we use to connect people to God and others. Communication is the key to connection and communication is always a two-way street. It requires listening and talking. When you attend Sunday Worship, it is your opportunity to hear great music and challenging sermons but it is at the home team where you get the chance to talk and discuss what was taught on Sunday and to share needs, prayer requests and praises. It's a chance to ask questions and to unload if necessary. Everyone ought to be in a home team. They all start tomorrow.

Easter update!

We had an awesome day Sunday. We had 119 people! Praise God! But this is only a fraction of the people that God has called us to reach. Remember: 70% of the people in the Holly Springs area do not attend church anywhere. That stat has rocked my world and has completely changed the way I think about church. What would happen if you invited everyone you saw to church? It would change everything: our church, the community, and you.

I love this series: Prime Rib, Aroma Therapy, and an Invisible God! What an invitation we have to explore and experience God. Who wouldn't want taste, feel, smell, hear and see God! Who wouldn't want to know Creator God? Who wouldn't want to share a meal or walk a path with Jesus Christ? He is not beyond our experience. He is real and living and wants a relationship with you.

Keep up the good work everyone. Our best days are ahead!

Hello everyone!

This blog is for my family, friends and especially Axios, Church in the Warehouse. Here you will be able to see my heart, vision, and dreams that I have for you, Holly Springs, Canton, the world, and Axios. I believe that this will be a chronicle of an incredible journey together.