Sunday @ LibertyHill

* Great response on vision sermon: engaging people in the life and mission of Jesus
* Altar full of folks praying for God to give us clarity on the direction of the church
* We are not going to just be "comfortable"
* Tyler takes his small group to Starbucks to share testimonies
* Hanging w/ the family on a rainy day
* UGA football next Saturday.

SafeHouse

Tonightmy family joined a group of about thirty folks on a journey to experience the face of homelessness. We journeyed with an organization in Atlanta called SafeHouse (http://www.safehouseoutreach.org/). Here are some of my thoughts:
* Homelessness has a face: Christian, four years old. Him and his mom sleep on the street every night and if they are lucky they can get into a shelter. He ran up to Jaden started hugging him and said we are going to be "cousins."
* I am proud to serve a church where a challenge to go to downtown Atlanta and walk among the homeless can be given on Sunday morning during a sermon and thirty people show up ready to go.
* I am proud to serve a church where students and elderly are ready to serve
* I am proud to serve a church where the staff understand that ministry happens on the streets and what we do in the office is preparation. When it comes to walking the streets the division of church staff and church member is stripped away and we just become brothers and sisters.
* The truth is my children learned more about Jesus and missions through their experience tonight and the conversations leading up to and after the experience then they would sitting in five years worth of Sunday School lessons. We learn through experience. The stories of Jesus are real and not something we just find cute and cuddly in a classroom.

God revealed a powerful truth to me as I walked the streets of Atlanta tonight. God said, "There is a difference between "sheltering" and protecting your children. A lot of parents don't get the difference. I never want to shelter my children from the hurts and pains of the world because that is where God is. We are not protecting our children if we shelter them from the experience of life. As a parent I am to protect. We have had our children pray for kids who don't have homes, food, or a mommy or daddy. Because tonight we chose not to shelter our children, the prayer was real.

"Dear God give Christian, my new cousin, a home, a daddy, food, and help Christian know Jesus" - Jaden Prickett, 6 yrs old.

You only get this kind of good stuff when the church hits the road!

Still Believing,

Jamey

Unchurching the Church

I am more convinced that the call to make disciples includes "unchurching" the church. We have created a church culture that insists on "come and see"instead on the words of Jesus "go and make." There must be a conversion within the walls of the church. We have become settlers when we were called to be pilgrims. Pilgrims are on a journey. Pilgrims travel on the Way. The early church used the image of a boat. The safest place for a boat is at sea and not tied to the dock.

Sunday @ LibertyHill

* The worship rocked!
* Lesson: the Holy Spirit and technology is unpredictable
* 9:45 small group great discussion. the discussion and perspectives are amazing.
* good response to people who are tired of playing it safe and ready to get out of the lazy-boy lifestyle and risk it for Jesus!
* Met a new person.
* Jaden got a haircut. He wanted it "spiked."
* cut grass - is it ok to cut grass on the Sabbath if you enjoy it?
* spend the rest of the evening with my honey eating my favorite dessert - chocolate ice cream.

Walkin w/ Jesus

"In that new way of living and new form of society which is called the Kingdom of Heaven, there are no nations, there are only individuals." (Quote from Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago).
As followers of Jesus we are called to reach individuals. It means we cannot distinguish from going across the ocean or going across the street. We go where we are sent to reach people. Another way I like to define missions is simply taking a walk with Jesus. If you decide to talk a way with Jesus today don't be surprised by the places he may take you.

Building or People

Jim Peterson in The Church Without Walls writes: "The First Century churches did not invent many new forms. They used this existing social structure, the household, as its basic vechicle. This is where ekklesia/church happened. The message tended to flow within a household, adn from household to household, following natural networks of relationships. There were almost no church buildings for the first 300 years of Christian history. Homes were used. Usually the nucleus of a church would be a household. In terms of forms, the church was almost invisible."
Today we feel that church cannot be done without a building. The day that being church is removed from the homes is the day that church is removed from everyday life. We turn guest into visitors and participants into spectators. Want my definition of church: Where two or more believers are living out the Kingdom of God as it is taught by Jesus.

Still Believing,

Jamey

Moved By The Spirit

This past week I have heard stories about people being "moved by the Spirit" to do certain things or say certain things. Last night in our bible reading Sharon and I read how Simeon was "moved by the Spirit" to enter the Temple at the same time that Jesus' parents were bringing him to be presented before God. The Holy Spirit moved Simeon to be where Jesus was.
The same happens today. The Holy Spirit leads us toward the presence of Christ which is usually in the hurts, scars, and pains of our world. Its like two magnets that are attracted to each other. If we will be lead by the Spirit it will always be in the direction of Jesus.
I had to confess last night that if I was "moved by the Spirit" I probably wouldn't notice because I am moving so fast at my own pace. Its time for me to slooooooooow down and listen!

Still Believing,

Jamey

Job Description

On Saturday I was having a conversation with my youngest son, Cohen who is three years old. We drove by a factory that had a large tower. He said, "Can we climb the tower?" I said, "No, maybe if we worked there." He then informed me that he wanted me to get a job at the factory so we could climb the tower. I told him I already had a job. He asked what was my job. I started trying to figure out how do I communicate my job description to a three-year-old? I said, "I tell people about Jesus." He replied, "You tell people about Jesus?" "Yeah," I said. In a way that only a three-year-old can he said, "Fun."
As a follower of Jesus that should be the first item on our resume. We tell people about Jesus and it is fun!

Still Believing,

Jamey

Sunday @ LibertyHill

* Sunday Small Group discussion made me hungry for more. Great questions.
* Worship was powerful
* Excited about small group potential
* Never been in a worship service that included a rap - until today. Thanks Will aka "Willie-G"
* Sharon thought her car was breaking down - it was just out of windshield wiper fluid.
* Jaden taught us how to dance
* Cohen beats me at soccer
* Married to an amazing woman

Today

Here is my struggle: one of my strengths is being a futurist. I think about the future. I envision the future. I cast visions for others to see their future. This also happens to be my weakness. I think so much about what is coming next that I forget to live in the moment. I am so caught up in the next big thing that I lose touch with reality. Always thinking about what is next that I forget to live in the moment.
What keeps you focused? How do you live day by day? How do you live in the tension of having a vision and yet still take it day by day?

Still Believing,

jamey

GPS

My wife decided she needed a GPS. So we purchassed a TomTom. Why name the thing Tom and give it a girly voice? Anyway, I was using it the other day and in an area that I have become familiar - at least thought so. Ms. TomTom was telling me to turn down a particular road but being the guy that I am I knew a different direction. So what resulted was a battle for direction. I thought I would give TomTom the benefit of the doubt. And guess what? She was right. I was wrong.

There is another voice guiding our way- the Holy Spirit. Like TomTom, the familiar can also be a hinderance to relying on the leading of the Spirit. Comfort, tradition, and ruts can keep us from following the direction of the Spirit. That is of course until it becomes so blatant obvious and we hear "turn around at the next street." I just don't want to spend my life in "turn around" mode. I desire to listen and obey the leading of the Spirit. When it comes to direction it is better to trust the experts.

Sunday Update

* Set-up team is awesome
* Jason and gang rocked.
* Brent and Jason kept it from falling apart.
* My kids loved their class and worship
* Met some new folks
* Great to see my family
* Looking foward to next Sunday
* "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." "Praise the Lord."

Knock Out

Some people believe that following Jesus is for the weak. Contrary to what some believe it takes courage to walk with Jesus. It takes faith. It takes commitment. It takes discipline. I find a constant battle at work in me. A struggle to go further than just being a "good" Christian. I don't want to just be a good Christian when I know there is explosive power available. God desires us to experience a taste of heaven. But first he must knock the hell out of us. This is exactly what happens when we "take up our cross" and follow him.

Words

The words we use will dictate the health and quality of our relationships. Words are powerful. In the story of Job we have a man who has lost everything – his children, his home, and his health. He has three friends who come and try to convince Job that it is his fault that he is in this horrible state. Finally Job has enough of this negative bashing, he says, “"How long are you going to keep battering away at me, pounding me with these harangues? Time after time after time you jump all over me. Do you have no conscience, abusing me like this? Even if I have, somehow or other, gotten off the track, what business is that of yours? Why do you insist on putting me down, using my troubles as a stick to beat me” (Job 19 The Message)? The writer of Proverbs says, “Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose” (Proverbs 18:21, The Message). We have a choice. Will we use words to give life or kill? When it comes to your most intimate relationships with spouse, children, and friends how careful are you with your words?