I'm Alive therefore I Dance

I've been studying all day and I am pumped up! I can't wait for Sunday! We're going to be talking about what it means to be alive and to have a church that is alive. I said last week that Jesus did not come to make bad people good, He came to make dead people alive! The greatest words ever spoken are "He is not here; He is risen!" The whole theme of the New Testament is life and being alive. The Father told the elder son upon the return of the prodigal "We had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again!" The Father said "We HAD to celebrate!" So it all just fired me up and I went out in the worship center and cranked up the sound system and put on Steve Fee's album and danced and sang his song "All Because of Jesus, I'm Alive!" It slap wore me out and my shirt is soaked but there is nothing that sets you free like praising Jesus and nothing says your free like dancing. I wish I could have videoed it. You would laugh and that's one of the first steps to being free. Take time with Jesus to praise, laugh, dance, and sing. It will free you up!

Insane Generosity

What's the biggest gift that you have ever given to Jesus? This thought has been on my mind lately. I immediately think that I have given Him everything - my life, heart, mind, soul, body and spirit. But thats a cop out. It didn't cost me anything to give those things to God. They were given to me freely by my Creator God and I surrendered them freely to my Savior God. What's the greatest sacrifice that you've made or the biggest monetary gift that you've given since becoming a child of God? Have you ever given something that you couldn't afford to give or sacrificed something that you couldn't afford to lose? Have you ever done something crazy, radical, borderline insane for the cause of Christ? Have you ever done anything for God that made others (even "christian" others) think you were foolish, irresponsible, or stupid? (By the way, most of us have made purchases on our own behalf that could be labeled crazy, insane or stupid. They may even be worse because they promise no return.) Have you ever surprised God with overwhelming generosity? Have you ever made God say, "That's my boy!" or "That's my girl!" Jesus has given me a new heart, His own mind, the indwelling Holy Spirit, a bright future, and present abundance. He has blessed me with a home that has a refrigerator full of food, clothes in every closet, and a car in the driveway. I even have some money in my checking account. This makes me richer than 90% of the world. He has given me so much that I can't ignore it. I don't owe Him anything and it could never be repaid. He has given it all freely and desires the same from us - to give freely, not under compulsion, with joy and gratitude. So what is the biggest gift that you have ever given to Him? This Sunday is the 5 year mark in the life of Axios. This would be the time to unleash generosity, do the insane, be radical, think big and give the biggest gift you have ever given to the cause of Christ.

Sunday recap

It's really hard to know what to expect on Memorial Day weekend because school is out and everyone is off on Monday but I was pleasantly surprised at our attendance today. We had visitors and many returning as repeat customers. Bob and the band were excellent. I thought the song selection was great. I love "Glorious One". That song is on the CD we are featuring at the Bookstore by Steve Fee. It is a great CD and we are already using several songs from it. It would be worth your money to purchase it. It was the last sermon in the series, "Momma Didn't Raise No Wimp!" We talked about being a true Christ Follower that has transformed and changed our lives. A Christ Follower trusts God completely and follows Christ wherever He leads. We don't do church to make us feel better but to revolutionize, radicalize (I'm making words up now) and transform us into a force for the kingdom of God. Can't wait until next Sunday.

More blogging

This weekend, at the wedding and at church, more people made comments about my blogsite. You never know how many people are reading it and checking it. But it was exciting that more people than I realized are looking in on it. So I will be more purposeful and current with my new posts. I will post more often to keep everyone up to speed.

The little girl who saved my life

Several years ago I went through a pretty hard time in my life. It was a time when I felt unloved, unwanted, and unneeded. It was a time when I thought my ministry goals were well out of reach. But God used my precious sweet niece, Kathryn, to begin a healing process in my soul. She was only one or two at the time but she loved me. When ever I came around she would light up and hug me and want me to hold her. She would proudly wear a shirt I bought her that said "If you think i"m cute you should see my uncle!" When every thing looked dark, I knew that there was one person who loved me unconditionally, who didn't care what was wrong, who just loved being with me. I've always thought that she saved my life. She gave me enough love that allowed me not to quit. This weekend, some 20 years later, I officiated her wedding. She was a beautiful bride and married a wonderful, godly man. We have both come along way in those 20 years. God bless you Kathryn and Ben! May His favor follow you all the days of your lives.

PT Cruiser, You Get a Bruiser!

I had to rent a car this weekend to go to TN for my niece's wedding because both of our cars are down. They told me I would be getting some small compact car like a Prius but when I went to get it they gave me the Cruiser. It was actually pretty fun driving around in the little gangster car. First time I've driven a brand new car in a long time. I let Pattie do most of the driving. She said that she could get use to this. I told her, "Please don't." She keeps saying "I like our new car." Hope she will be alright when I return it Tuesday.

Sunday Recap

Another good day. We were down a little in attendance but that's okay. The praise was great although I missed my wife, Pattie, up there. Her and Rayanne went to see our grandson, Jacob, get baptized at our daughter, Jenny's, church. We had a lot of new faces in the crowd that are becoming familiar faces. We had a few first timers here today but it was great to see alot of second and third time attenders in the service. The offering was good and I'm always grateful for that. Keep up the good work. We can't let up now. We must break this growth barrier that we are up against. To do that we must pray, pray, pray, give, give, give, and invite, invite, invite. Already I'm looking forward to next Sunday. See you there!

Is it warfare or just bad luck?

Our family has been experiencing a series of events, a wave of little (and some not so little) annoying circumstances and an unusual amount of junk from loosing keys to major car troubles, that by themselves could be put in the "That's Life" category but the sheer number seems to be saying more than that. I am not one who sees the enemy behind every rock or the devil in every hardship but I believe God has opened my eyes to the subtle attack of the enemy. The enemy has tried to shake my confidence in God, to doubt His presence in my life (how could God be with me when so many things are going wrong), and to distract me from doing what God has called me to do. So now I'm on to that old serpent and I am both excited and alert. Is the devil really afraid of me and our Church? Have we begun to draw his attention? If he isn't afraid, he should be! And if he isn't aware of us yet, he will be! Come on, Axios, let's not let anything stand in our way! We are overcomers, triumphant children of God, partners in minsitry and ambassadors of Christ! Never give up! Never surrender!

Sunday's almost here

I love Sundays! We get to see each other, worship together, and get a word from God. What could be better. Bob and our band does an awesome job every Sunday. Seeing the place fill up every Sunday has been awesome too. Don't take for granted what we have here. God wants to do great things in our midst and in the community.

Rayanne knocks a Homerun

Rayanne sang "Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance" (a song requested by Amber) at the funeral in front of 400 plus people and knocked a home run. I couldn't believe the sound that came from my little girls voice. She was awesome. She was poised, confident, and fearless. Get ready American Idol, here comes Rayanne.

Amber is a Hero!

The funeral on Wednesday was a wonderful celebration of Amber's life. She was greatly loved, she impacted lives, and her faith in God was showcased in her love for others and her tremendous courage while facing cancer and death. Amber was never defeated by cancer but lived a rich, full life. It was said at the funeral that when she looked at Logan, her courageous fireman husband, she always saw a hero. I believe that Amber was a hero to many of us. She will be missed but we will join her soon for eternity.

Amber is with the Lord!

Our beloved Amber is alive and well in heaven today. She is seeing what we can only try to imagine. She is smelling and tasting and touching and hearing everything that heaven has to offer. Pattie and I got to the house just a couple of minutes after she took her last breath. There was definitely sadness but also a real sweetness to the whole scene. Pray for Logan (husband). Pray for Ann (mother). Two things I know. 1) Amber has not been cheated, robbed, or shortchanged because her life ended so young. She lived a full life, filled her world with love, and accomplished many goals that she had set for herself. She was dear to me. I loved her story. I am grateful for the day that Amber and Logan walked into our warehouse. 2) There is nothing unloving about a Father who brings His child home. The first thing she felt when she entered heaven was the embrace of her Savior. God was always for her and never against her. God is not to be blamed but praised.
She wanted her funeral to be a celebration. She wanted our band to play and gave us her song choices. She doesn't want us to wear black but bright happy colors. She was prepared for this day and we will honor all of her requests. So weep and rejoice. Both are appropriate. Mourn and dance. Its possible to do both.
I'll post as soon as I hear the definite plans but right now it looks like viewing on Tuesday and funeral Wednesday afternoon.

Great Sunday!

I loved today. It was awesome to have all of my kids with us in church, my wife got to sit back and watch her kids lead in worship and then my mom surprised me by showing up for church. It was awesome. Rayanne sang "Breakaway" and I think she is the next American Idol. Jenny and Rachele are always good and I love to hear them sing. Joe sang a great song and played his acoustic. Ben rocked on the bass. It was thrilling as a father to see my kids rock and worship the way they did today.
We had another great attendance. Bigger than last week. Several visitors came, one specifically from our mailer. I haven't heard about the offering yet but I'm praying that everyone is being faithful and generous toward the Lord.
I loved our Momma Didn't Raise No Wimp! gift bag for the mothers today. They were colorful and pretty and included a tin of Altoids (because moms are "curiously strong"), Smart Pop microwave popcorn (because moms have uncanny wisdom), and Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (because moms are naturally sweet). I love when the kids hand them out to the moms. They always seem excited to be a part of the service.
The Axios Kids started a new Kid-mo series. The kids are loving this Kid-mo stuff. Jacob does a great job with the kids.
We kicked off our new series Momma Didn't Raise No Wimp!: Raising Strong Kids in a Weak World. Its based on the story of Samson. We as parents need to fight for the freedom of our kids. We must win our personal battles, pass life's tests, and develop a strong faith in God. When we do this, it teaches our kids how to victorious people and allows them to be free to pursue the life God intended for them to live.
Can't wait til next week. Invite someone to church this week.

Our Mother's Day Mailer

I really like this flier that we mailed out. Pray that God will use it to bring new people to our church. And pray that God will show up in a big way. I am excited about the message and can't wait to see you all again this Sunday.

Sunday Rewind

Another good crowd with many new faces today. God has been moving ever since we made a serious commitment back in Feb and March to reach out to the people of Holly Springs especially that 70% of the people who are not attending church. Today was our third largest crowd since launching out on March 18. Easter was our largest, March 18 (our launch date) was next and with no big push or special event, today came in third. We have made our push through direct mail pieces, new signs in the community and full page ads in Around Canton magazine but the most important and most effective and most efficient way is through personal invitation. Who can you invite this Sunday to Axios? Do you have a friend, neighbor, co-worker, family member that you can personally invite this Sunday? Sunday is going to be awesome. They will not be disappointed or let down if they choose to visit. They will not leave here untouched by the music, the message, the atmosphere, and the friendliness of our people. Are you bold enough to invite the waiter, or cashier, or the bag boy, or your mechanic, or any one of the many that you come in contact with each day? God is doing something here and we can all take part in it.

Our offering was good today but I must continue to ask you to think generously when it comes to giving to Axios. God designed the church to operate through the generous giving of His people. Be thinking of a special gift you may give this month as we approach the Summer months.

In regards to the message today, I hope that your eyes will be opened and that you will have an Aha! moment with God this week. That you will see God in the beauty of creation, in the pages of Scripture, in the intimacy of knowing Christ, and in the forgiveness found through the cross. Open your eyes. Take time to really look at the wonderful world that we live in. Spend some quiet time alone with Jesus and His Word. Marvel at the sacrifice God made for you. I pray that you will all see God in a special way. That you will see His footprints to guide you and His fingerprints to remind you that you are not alone and that He is not distant but that He is active in your life today.

Momma Didn't Raise No Wimp

Mother's Day is only two weeks away and I can't wait. We have some special things happening on that day at Axios. We will be starting a new series called Momma Didn't Raise No Wimp! It's about family and parenting and most of all about being strong people in a weak world. We'll be looking at the life of Samson. It's going to be good so bring a friend. Also my kids are all going to be there and leading our worship. My two oldest daughters, Jenny and Rachele, will be there with their families including my newest granddaughter. I can't wait for you to meet them. They have great voices and a real love for worship so it will be good. If you haven't heard them, make sure you don't miss this day. My son, Ben, is also home from college for the summer. He will be playing the bass guitar and adding some vocals. He will be singing this Sunday, too. Joe will stay on the drums because he is an awesome drummer. Then we are going to add Rayanne to the mix. She has a great voice for her age and a real desire to sing for the Lord. They will bring it and I can't wait. I know I'm their dad but they really are awesome people and a talented group. Thank God for their Mother because they didn't get it from me.

TV Update

Lost was crazy good last night. I love that show. They truly are a bunch of lost souls who don't have a clue of whats really going on. Reminds of a lot of people. I hated seeing Phil go last night on Idol. I thought he was getting better every week. I wish Lakisha was out. I liked Chris too but I think it was his time. Earlier this week 24 was good. I knew that blonde was the spy. The Amazing Race is down to the final three. The finale is this Sunday. I hope the loud obnoxious blonde and her midget cousin win. They're annoying but they have overcome a ton to get where they are. We could learn alot from their persistence and steady plodding.

Great Quote

My daughter, Jenny, sent me a great story from Beth Moore. I wish I could link you to it but it was in an e-mail. She ended with this statement:

Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, "Wow! What a
ride! Thank you, Lord!"

That's a man sized quote from a woman of God. Are we playing it safe or really living? Are you taking calculated risks or following Jesus with reckless abandon? It's time to be all in!