Velocity Church

Velocity Church had another good day yesterday. Our worship was inspirational. It is exciting to see many participating in worship who in times past were far more sedate in expressing their love of Jesus. And having our house lights up during the sermon allows me to see and read faces while I am preaching. It appears, at least to me, that many are engaged and listening. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit is leading them to make life commitments to follow Jesus in all they do.

We continue for another two weeks looking at a “A Church Like Jesus”.  We are sharing our mission; seeing new people in our services; finding several who want to know more, not just about serving, but about their faith and trust in Jesus. Prayer circles are forming in the gym after services. God’s Spirit is seen in everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult.

Are we perfect in presentation–no. But God will bless us if we stay true to the path we have chosen to follow. In coming weeks we want to examine how Jesus models for us the example of living.  I want to introduce Jesus to you in a different and rather bold fashion. Jesus was a rebel and went totally against the religious society of His time. I want you to see Jesus as the model for a serving church or a Church Like Jesus.

I look forward to another weekend upcoming to challenge all to be a true Jesus follower to learn how to walk with Him in all ways.

“I Promise” Marriage Seminar in our area soon

This seminar lead by Gary and Greg Smalley will be in our area next month. See some details below and check the link for more information.  “I Promise”

Dates are October 24-25, 2008

In just one seminar, you will learn:

• 5 Core Promises that double your security and marriage satisfaction in one week!
• 3 Powerful ways to improve your relationship with God.
• Learn the biggest marriage mistake that most couples make.
• Why marital trials and irritations are the secret to intimacy.
• 6 Levels of communication (most couples only get the the second or third level).
• 3 ways to help your spouse win every argument . . . while you win.
• A new way to serve your spouse by identifying their key needs.

Friday Night

6:00PM-7:00PM Registration Check-In (Doors & Book Table Open)

7:00PM-9:45PM Sessions 1-2 & break

Saturday Morning

7:30AM-8:30AM Doors & Book Table Open

8:30AM-12:30PM Sessions 3-6 & breaks

1. The Secret to a Great Marriage

2. I Promise to Conform my beliefs to God’s Truths

3. I Promise to be filled with God.

4. I Promise to Find God’s Best in Every Trial

5. I Promise to Listen and Communicate with Love.

6. I Promise to Serve you All the Days of My Life.

Trinity Chapel
4665 Macland Rd.
Powder Springs, GA 30127

This Week at Velocity

This week at Velocity Church, we continue our series on “A Church Like Jesus”. We will discover this week that if we remove the walls of obstruction which surround us, we can live like Jesus. He tore down walls and if we are His church, we must tear down some walls in our life.

Velocity’s Gathering begins at 10:00 AM at Baggett Elementary School on Williams Lake Rd. Invite a friend and join us this week.

Serving on the Edge

Brandt Russo is living the life of a Christ follower–living on the edge. Read his story, or follow his Twitter.

The Great Sigh of Relief

The last several months have probably been tougher on me than I wanted to admit. I really appreciated all the kind thoughts, remarks and prayers offered on my behalf. My church family was there when I needed them and held their distance when it was called for. My wife, Carol, has supported and encouraged me over the years and continued to do so in recent months. 

I even checked the scales this week, certain I had lost several pounds. But, no, that’s not the case. I even feel a little bit guilty for “enjoying” a very real sense of relief. We have pushed the Velocity Church project forward for many months. And I know I was not alone and that I had many talented people every step of the way. And too, I realize we are far from done. But…there is that sense of relief that we are now official–we are now doing those things needed to keep going. I suppose its like pushing a great weight, like a car. You try like crazy, staining, pushing and sweating to just get the thing rolling. But once it begins to roll, even just a little bit–you suddenly find things going easier. Of course, not to run the illustration in the ground, but speaking of ground–that rolling car will struggle, even when rolling, if it has to go up hills and over potholes. 

So my sense of relief will be short lived. Our eyes are still on the goal–but now its just a little farther down the road. We have launched. We have wiped our brow and sighed. But little rest is ours, for now the task which lies ahead is to continue to build God’s church, to enable lost souls a chance to cling to the solid rock, to open opportunities for people to love God with all their hearts, their souls, their minds and their strength. Its time to walk on the bad side of the road. (The title of my sermon on the Good Samaritan–”Walking on the Bad Side of the Road for Good”, coming up in 3 weeks. Shameless plug!). 

So, my thoughts have wondered. I am glad we are past launch and ready to live as a force in our community. The gates of Hell will not prevail–so Velocity Church–are you ready to kick some…gates down.

Staff Debrief

Sounds rather clinical, but each Monday our Velocity staff meets for prayer and debriefing of the past Sunday service. During our practice weeks, the idea was to try different arrangements or ideas to see which ones were comfortable or which ideas really worked. This past Sunday was the culmination of all our “tries” at worship in August and early September. And God blessed us. It all came together well. Oh there were some very tiny issues to be found in presentation, but for the most part it went very smooth. Our staff works very hard to keep our pursuit of excellence in the forefront, but keeping a willingness to allow God’s Spirit to work as well. A big thanks goes out to Brian Brunke (not just for remembering to grab the information cards and not allow them to live on our truck for the week!) and to Chase Gentes. Both are doing far more than just Leadership and Worship. They are involved from the first moment the truck arrives for unloading to seeing that the last bit of equipment is out of the building on Sunday. They make my job easier. And as soon as I figure out exactly what my job is, I just know it will be easier. Seriously, they are doing everything necessary to bring about our worship on Sunday, both in a physical way and a spiritual way too.

Our entire team of servants deserve a great thanks as well. Many hours are being dedicated to the time necessary to ready the school for our worship and children’s ministry each week. Everyone works hard to achieve the standard of excellence so that those who attend on Sunday will have the best opportunity to see Jesus in all that we do.

So, because of all the sacrifice, I can take the time necessary to deliver God’s message to open hearts. I can hope to challenge all of us to live our lives at the door or on the edge–in places where others have feared to walk. When Jesus said to GO, He did not mean–wait in the pew–they will come. No, Jesus expects us to live for Him, meeting the needs we encounter every day. Can we meet every need–no. Can we meet that one need that’s right in front of us–YES. We make a difference in one life at a time–and we are making a difference for eternity for that particular soul.

What? Me Worry!

Launch Sunday

It was about 9:50, with only 10 minutes till worship would begin. I gazed over our 135 seats, seeing only a handful of people present. All of the plant team was busy at stations. Some were greeting, others were in the parking area, more were in the children area at standby, and the band was secluded in prayer. I began to consider–what happened? Did we not pray enough, work hard enough, talk enough?

I prayed, “Lord, this is your day. This is your endeavor. We have done all that we felt necessary to prepare and even if no one darkens the doors, we will give you praise.”

When I opened my eyes and looked around a family enters the gym, followed by another. I sneak a peek at the children area and see several families checking in their children. I see new faces, new souls seeking to encounter God. I begin to get charged. I say a silent prayer of thanks and also a plea for forgiveness, as I did have my doubts about 5 minutes earlier.

Soon the gym was nearly full. We had room for more, but God will deliver. Chase began our service and the atmosphere was electric. I realized that as the people worshiped, it was comprised of new faces as our plant team remained momentarily at their posts. I witnessed worshipers of all kinds, all races, and all physical abilities give God praise in worship. It was tremendous. It was the best worship I have experienced in years. I sang, I prayed, I thanked God for each one who came; I thanked God for all the effort that was now seeing a result.

Soon it was time for the sermon. I remember getting out my notes and putting them on my table. The next time I touched my notes was as I finished and was clearing the stuff off of the table. God’s Spirit overwhelmed me I recalled everything I wanted to say and what God had delivered to my heart.

After our gathering finished, I saw many remain in their chairs, filling out information forms. I saw several people linger at our service table, checking out this months projects. I saw people linger at our connection table, seeking more information about Velocity Church. The simple message of creating a church like Jesus, with worship, connection and service was well received. I saw people respond to seek a way to live their life in Jesus in real tangible ways of serving.

We are underway with Velocity Church. I am looking ahead of impacting our area in a positive Christian way. And I am very grateful that God is blessing us with so many interested people and many, many more whom we have not met as of yet. That’s what next week is for! Thank you Lord.

Giving it All

Luke 6:38 (NLT)
³⁸ Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
These past few months have provided opportunity after opportunity to give to God our time, our efforts, our prayers and of course our money. These sacrifices will be blessed by God as we have our Launch Sunday for Velocity Church. I am excited about all that God is going to give back to us, in relation to what we have given to Him.

I am already months down the road in my mind. I am seeking to remind you today, so that when that time comes, we will look back to today–and remember the lesson.

“Our efforts must never stop.”

The tendency will be to just take a time out, to rest, to imagine that once the church has started, we can coast and it will continue to grow. No, no, no and no again. Actually our work is just beginning. We will certainly have more workers in the field. We will have new friends to share the load, but in a relationship to our previous efforts, the tast needed is still 100%.  Remember, we are the hands, the feet, the heart of Jesus to this world. If Jesus did not give up, but walked to Calvary to die for us, we can not give up either.

So, in about 6 months, maybe a year, we will revisit this blog–and once again call to our attention that our efforts as disciples, must never, ever slack.

Here is a copy of the mailers sent out to the South Paulding area.

Twinkle Twinke Little–PDA

Here I come into the world of Twitter and Twinkle (my phone’s version). Twitter is like blogging on a very micro scale, with almost hour by hour updates of what’s happening in my life.  I am not certain you are that interested, but if you are on Facebook or Twitter and want to connect with my stuff, go right ahead. Don’t expect the greatest theological statements or lengthy diatribes of wit and wisdom. Twitter or Twinkle is just a snapshot of what I am doing and where I am, and some pleas for help with frustrations and calls for rejoicing over the victories.

God has been Twittering since time began.

2 Chronicles 16:9a (NIV)
⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. “

He knows about us, even before we were in existence. He lays out for us expectations to live for Him and serve Him and others in His name. When we run–He will either find us or wait on us to come back. I was reading recently someone tell about the eyes of the father who waited on the prodigal son to return. The son was a long ways off, when his father saw him. I picture that father working in the field, with his eyes constantly longing, looking and lovingly searching for the return of his son. God cares about us. We don’t have to give Him an hourly update on our life. He already knows. He looks, He longs, and He lovingly searches the horizon for us to return to Him if we have strayed.

Each of us have sinned. Each of us must keep an appointment with Him to make things right. Don’t forsake your personal relationship with the Father.

See you in cyber space, fellow Twitters–Twinkle on little star–twinkle on.

Closer and Closer

Our launch date is just around the corner. We have put in a lot of work. A great thanks goes out to our plant team, which incidentally has nearly doubled over the summer. We have plugged everyone into a place for Sunday. Last week at the close of the service we dedicated the school where we meet to God and to His glory. And with that, the plant team was disolved. There is now no separation between a former plant team member and anyone and everyone who walks into our services this week. Our plant team sold out to Jesus and we are on a equal footing with all who choose to partner with Velocity Church. The only special person on Sunday will be Jesus. The rest of us are simply Jesus followers or seekers. We stand side by side with each other looking to worship Jesus. Homosexuals, drug addicts, rich and famous, poor and lonely, old and young, families and singles, teens and adults, liars, cheats, business moguls, the working Joes and Janes–name them and you might be standing next to just about anyone. We won’t force people to check their life style at the door.  But we will encourage them to leave their negative lifestyles behind when they leave–if convicted to walk closer to the example of Jesus. Velocity is not about judging. We are about transformations.

God will bring together those who need to hear how Jesus can transform and save us. We must be ready to welcome and love on each one whom God leads to worship at Velocity.

Mark 12:30-31 (MSG)
³⁰ so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’
³¹ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”