One of the Best Things About Being A Dad

This is one of the best things about being a dad. We had a great dinner at a place in Palm Valley called Barbara Jean's. The water in the background is the Intercoastal Waterway. Throughout dinner we could see boat and jet skis going up and down the Intercoastal. I was getting a little envious.

Girls at Klye Petty Charity Ride

Here is a picture of Elizabeth and Sarah with Kyle Petty behind them. This was the Klye Petty Charity Ride stop in St. Augustine, FL.

You Want To Change The World?

Want to change the world - move your feet and cross the road. Watch this short video. Just clink on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Sr_dVf_TI

New Podcast

Here are the links to 2 podcast. They are messages that I gave at Christ the Deliverer in St. Augustine, FL

I Want My Name Back - Ways we misrepresent the name of Jesus.

The Church as a Field vs. The Church as a Force - 2 different philosophies of the Church

Theology of Laughter by Mark Batterson

I have posted this from Mark Batterson's blog evotional.com . This is something we all need to remember.

With our Variety Show coming up this weekend, I thought I'd post a theology of laughter.I believe that the happiest and healthiest people in the world are the people who laugh at themselves the most. You've got to take God seriously. But you can't take yourself seriously.We laugh during prayer all the time at NCC because I like joking and I think God enjoys it too! There are moments to intercede with tearful intensity. But can you imagine a relationship with someone you never laugh with? Can you imagine your conversation never being sprinkled with a little humor? How boring! I think it's ok to bust out in gut-wrenching laughter during prayer every once in a while! God loves laughing with His children!Honestly, I think we grossly underestimate God's sense of humor! Just look at the baboon's butt. Why did God create it that way? I have a theory: God never stops laughing. I have three kids and they crack me up all the time! What with six billion of us running around doing and saying funny and silly things, there must be something absolutely hilarious happening somewhere all the time!I'm not suggesting that God isn't crying as well. But I think we've missed the sacredness of humor. I think it's part of the image of God. It is one of the capacities that sets us apart from the rest of creation. Hyennas cackle. But humans have the unique ability to laugh. Certainly loving God with all of your mind includes the medial ventral prefrontal cortex--the seat of humor!I believe the chief end of man is to glorify God and ENJOY Him forever! We tend to ignore the second-half. Maybe we need to take fun more seriously? For what it's worth, when we're hiring staff, a sense of humor tops the list of what we're looking for! If we can't laugh together we can't work together!Honestly, if our church services were a little more fun and a little more enjoyable we might have a few more people come back! I know I might take it on the chin for saying that church ought to be fun. I'm certainly not saying that it shouldn't be convicting as well. But what is one of the primary reason people don't go to church? It's boring!I don't think we stoop to the level of having fun because it's fun. I'm simply challenging us as spiritual leaders to cultivate the God-given ability to laugh. And it starts with the ability to laugh at yourself.

Reflections From Ezra

I read the book of Ezra today and have compiled my reflections from this book.

1. There is a phrase that stands out in Ezra - "Because the gracious hand of the Lord was upon him." God's favor rested upon Ezra to do the work that he was called to do. We must remember that God's favor will be with us if we are doing what He has called us to do.


2. At every point in their faith journey, God met their needs. Even when things look really bad we need to remember that God will provide. Believe it - even when it is hard to.


3. Your enemies will arise as the work of God gets under way. They will lie and do whatever it takes to stop the plans of God. Keep on doing what God said. Never stop until He says stop.


4. God will have the final say not your enemies.

Raising Money

We are now in the process of raising money for the church plant here in St. Augustine. In this whole process of planting I am having to change my mindset. Thank God for all the guys who have gone before and done it. We are trying to raise $100,000 for the first years budget. This may not sound like a lot to some but it is something that I know is stretching me. This past Monday I had a veteran church planter encourage me that we could make it. To have Steve Sjogren speak into my life some very simple words was life to me. After all, we all know that small things done with great love changes the world. Thanks Steve - you will never know what your words did for me.

We already have in place our Worship Arts Director, our assistant music person, and myself. We are holding a weekly service for encouragement, laying the foundational DNA, and Holy Communion-Eucharist.

If you would like to invest in the "Nation's Oldest City" and help us see 'not yet believers' and Christ-followers change St. Augustine, then e-mail me at frjoe@ctdchurch.com or call us at 904-794-5808. We would love to talk with you about your investment opportunities.

Smoking Section

If you are going to reach the world, you have to sit in the smoking section.

"Give Birth To It"

"Give birth to it and nourish it.

Produce it but don't posses it.

Act without expectation.

Excel, but don't take charge."

Lao Tzu

July 4th - Crazy Week

What a day and a week. Things have been really crazy. This past Monday my wife was admitted to the hospital. At about the same time, our new Bishop flew in from Texas. We were supposed to meet with him and his wife, but instead Bishop Ken and Shirley came to the hospital to pray for us. For dinner on Tuesday we had a great time of fellowship at a friends house with Bishop and his wife. Thank God for the friends who stepped up and helped with my 4 and 5 year old girls. Eileen was really bummed about not being able to be there but was thankful she was doing better.

We had planed to meet friends for the fireworks tonight but instead we went to the hospital and the girls, Eileen, and I were able to watch them from the 8th floor. They were great! St. Augustine always does a good job on their fireworks display. We were really happy we could still be together as a family and keep our tradition alive.

Tomorrow I'm planning to meet with Bishop Ken for a few hours before he and Shirley fly back to Texas. This trip was really crazy with everything that has happened because of Eileen being in the hospital. But I can tell you one thing. I was considering giving up and throwing in the towel. I had had enough of church work and all the junk that can go along with it. But when a true spiritual father comes upon the scene things can change. There is a renewed sense of destiny and purpose. I know what I am called to do and I will see the vision for our community -St. Augustine - fulfilled.

I'll BePerfect...

Check out this bumper sticker. I think it says it all without any explanation.

Ancient-Future Worship?

These are pictures from a ministry in Boston called LIFT. It is called "catholic worship for a new generation." It is taking the ancient practices of the faith and joining them with the cultural relevant methods.

Ancient-Future Worship?

Church Signs?

"Going to Church" VS. "Being the Church-Scott Hodge

This is from Scott Hodge's blog. Scott is the Pastor of The Orchard.

"Going to Church" VS. "Being the Church"

I can't seem to get enough of this conversation...
Is church supposed to be a place that you GO TO or BELONG TO? Or...............is it more about BEING something or someone?


It seems to me that the early church was more about people than it was about buildings and programs. (Not that I’m anti-building, we have a pretty nice one that has proven to be a tremendous TOOL – but that’s all it really is - a "tool.")


Think about this - if you take away the people, what do you have? A building! Some sound equipment. Perhaps a nice place to have a piano recital. That's it!


We discussed this in our staff meeting last week and about how we need to intentionally build this kind of thinking into our church community - all the way from the little kids to the adults - because the more I see church as something "I AM", the less I will see it as "all about me and my needs." And the less I see it as being all about ME - the less consumeristic I will be in my thinking and the more I will be able to contribute towards making it about those who don't know God.


My dad used to always say - "When you realize that it's not all about you, you will find that your needs will be taken care of." Simple, yet so true. Yet, this thinking slaps the living daylights out of the consumeristic mentality that so many American churches are full of. It's the mentality that says, "Feed me, give me this program, give me this, give me, me, me, me, me..."
I'm really praying that God would help us to be the kind of church community that realizes that we are not here for ourselves - but for others. The kind of church community that realizes that church isn't something we "go to" - but something we ARE on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc...


That means that I need to be focused on BEING the church - loving and accepting people, reaching out in care to others within our church community, focused on being the hands and feet of Jesus right here in our local community and then even further out in our global community.
So let me throw this one out there... What do you see as the purpose of church? How do we help people stay focused on BEING the church VS. seeing church as something you ATTEND or GO TO?

Leadership Development-Tony Morgan

This is a blog entry from Tony Morgan. Check out his blog from the sidebar link.

Leadership Development

Several of us had a great conversation the other day related to the launch of our Greenville campus. We were talking about the importance of leadership development. After our conversation, these realities have been challenging my thinking:

Leaders can't be recruited from the platform. We have to challenge them one-on-one.

Leaders won't be fulfilled performing tasks. We need to give them responsibility.

Leaders don't follow doers. We need to make sure they're connected to another strong leader.

Leaders don't want to be micromanaged. We have to eliminate the tendency to control the process and, instead, hold people accountable for the outcomes.

Leaders won't commit to ambiguity. We need to offer a clear vision. (And, it better be big.)
Leaders don't just show up. We have to be intentional about leadership development.

John Maxwell challenged us in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership with this statement:
"When a leader can't or won't empower others, he creates barriers within the organization that people cannot overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up, or they move on to another organization where they can maximize their potential."
He went on to explain, "Only secure leaders give power to others." In other words, failure to empower other leaders is a sign of insecurity.

This stuff is smacking me in the face. Where are my insecurities limiting the leaders around me? What changes do I need to make to empower new leaders? How does our ministry need to change in order to improve leadership development?

A Good Read

Couple of Sundays ago one of the men in the church gave me a book, The Creek by J.T. Glisson, to read. He knew that I needed a book to help me escape for a while. This is a true story about life in Cross Creek, Florida during the 1930's and 1940's. It is about the way of life for a Florida Cracker. Good read! I laughed and at times was sad. It made me think of the stories of my father and grandfather in South Georgia.

New Season - New Day

Last night my wife encouraged me to go to the Sunday night service at a fellow pastor's church (They were having a special speaker - Bishop Ken McNatt). She said she thought I just needed to get out and maybe God had something for me to hear or experience. Well, she was right. Bishop McNatt spoke about Joash being hidden in the Temple for years and at the right time he was brought out and crowned King.


Man did it hit home. That is just how we have felt. Like we were hiding out just biding our time for whatever was going to happen. Bishop McNatt said that there were some there in the service that God has had to hold back to prepare you for what is ahead. Now the appointed season was here. Now was the time to be released. I sat and cried because God was using this Pentecostal/Charismatic Bishop to speak the Word of the Lord to me. Things that I had been sensing and writing in my journal were being said by the Bishop.


We have now entered a new season and a new day. The work in St. Augustine is being taken out of the cave to impact people's lives. It's not about us - it's about the Kingdom!

What to do when you are in prison.

Today's appointed reading was about Paul and Silas when they were thrown into jail. These guys were doing the right thing in preaching the Good News and there was a demon possessed girl that was following them. She was yelling and telling everyone that they were from God with the message of salvation. Paul finally got tired of it and commanded the demon to leave her. At his command the demon left and she received deliverance from the torments of this demon. She was a slave and her master was really upset because he was not going to be able to make money off of her any longer. The slave owner stirred the people up and Paul and Silas were beaten with wooden rods and thrown into jail and had their feet put in stocks.

As I looked at this passage from Acts 16, here is what I discovered for you today:

1. Sometimes bad things happen when we are doing the right thing. This is just reality. We have to accept it because we live in an imperfect world.

2. The problem is not that something bad happens, but what we do when it happens.

There is an improper response. That is to try to get even and take your revenge. This never works. It just keeps us bound to the stuff.

Then there is an proper response.

3. The proper response is to praise and worship God in the midst of the bad.

What did Paul and Silas do in the midst of the jail? They sang hymns and worshipped God. Now, this is not the natural reaction for us. We would much rather fight, cuss, or get revenge. But as you look throughout the Bible, we see people who were in a really bad situation that God told to worship in the midst of it and victory came. Look at Joshua 6 - the children of Israel were at Jericho. What did God tell them to do? Shout against the walls of Jericho . Crazy right! Well, when they did, the walls fell down. In 2nd Chronicles 20 what happened when the King put the singers in front of the army? The enemies of the people of God fought among themselves and killed each other! Then they went into the enemies camp and took up the rewards.

It's not easy to praise and worship during hard times. It takes a choice of your will to just do it. You need to remind yourself of all the times that God has come through before. You need to remind yourself that God is good for His word. So, in the midst of the struggle and the junk of life, stop complaining and begin to be thankful and worship God the best you can. It may just start as a thank you God or God I love you. Wherever you are - just start!

New Beginnings

So much has happened lately. My wife has been in the hospital and then the recovery process has been hard. She is not a person that is sick often but to have pneumonia and possible blood clots in her lungs has really been hard. But God is really good even in the midst of all this.

Well, after 11 years of pastoring a church in St. Augustine, Fl, we get to start all over again. We have left the denomination we were a part of for the last 14 years. After much prayer and investigating the evidence we could no longer stand in integrity before the people and before God. So, we have begun a new work in St. Augustine called Christ the Deliverer. We are going to be an outward focused church-reaching out to the lost and serving St. Augustine. It is our desire to not just come to church but truly be the church. We want to change people's view about Christians and the church. We want to truly raise up "Christ Followers" who are impacting the society one person at a time.

Over the next months I will tell of our journey as we reach out.