Mark Beeson

Everything The Lord Does....

 

Psalm 111:3a

Everything the LORD does

   is glorious and majestic.

First Light

 

In photography, first light is often best light.  

In life, first light just gets better and better, as it shines brighter and brighter, until the full light of God's love is revealed.  

So, let your little light shine...

Proverbs 4:18  -  The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 

Refuge

 

 

I was somewhere on the Gibson Ranch when the sun came up this morning. I was following Wyman Meinzer (photo-phenom) on our quest to photograph Texas Whitetails.  

This buck noticed we were approaching and as I watched him head for shelter, I thought, "Hmmm, that's prudent."  A scripture passage popped into my head, and I remembered the Bible says it's OK to take refuge from time to time.  In fact, sometimes it's the wise thing to do.

Proverbs 22:3  -  The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

A New Spectacle Is Coming

 

Photo by Dustin Maust,
a guy so talented the Pope would have asked him to hang pictures in the Sistine Chapel
(rather than asking Michelangelo for paintings)
if that option would have been available.

"Once Upon A Midnight Clear" will be offered to your family and friends on Thursday, December 9th @ 7:00 PM or Friday, December 10th @ 7:00 & 9:00 PM.

Two weeks before Christmas you can rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. You'll be transported to another place, another world, where the clowns and Carnies of no ordinary circus (with no ordinary Ringmaster) face the extra-ordinary challenges of disillusionment and temptation.  They don't realize a new spectacle is coming...

It's easy to get all your tickets right here.

The spectacle is for you too.

John 20:29  -  Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

A Reminder: God Watches Over Your Life.

 

Psalm 121

 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— 
   where does my help come from? 
My help comes from the LORD, 
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip— 
   he who watches over you will not slumber; 
indeed, he who watches over Israel 
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The LORD watches over you— 
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 
the sun will not harm you by day, 
   nor the moon by night.

 The LORD will keep you from all harm— 
   he will watch over your life; 
the LORD will watch over your coming and going 
   both now and forevermore.

 

A Feeble Assertion

 

We build a fragile and tenuous life, hanging our hopes and dreams on a most unreliable premise and suspending our lives from a feeble assertion, when we live as if there is no God.

Let's pause today and remember God. 
It's right that we pause for Thanksgiving.

Job 8:13-15

That's what happens to all who forget God— 
   all their hopes come to nothing.
They hang their life from one thin thread, 
   they hitch their fate to a spider web.
One jiggle and the thread breaks, 
   one jab and the web collapses.

An Old Tale Springing To New Life

 

 Photo by Dustin Maust,
the photographer about whom Ansel Adams is rumored to have said,
"It's a good thing Dustin doesn't focus on landscapes. If he did, I'd give up photography for good."

I guess you can take comfort in this; you're not the only one feeling the pressure of the holidays. Anyone can easily feel a little lost in the circus of the season, spinning in the carousel of shopping, parties, visits, and the search for a perfect gift. It's easy for the pressure to displace the peace we're supposed to experience at Christmas. 

I asked Kristin Baker (GCC's amazing Creative Arts Project Manager) about our December "Once Upon A Midnight Clear" production. "What are we doing with this? What's it all about?"

She struck a cord with me when she said, "Sometimes the best stories can be lost in the familiar, like a song overplayed, or someone you love taken for granted. But what if that old tale we’ve all heard every winter for years was suddenly new again, springing to life with a new twist, a new setting, and a new hope?" 

Yeah. That's exactly what we need. A fresh telling of the intervention God does on humanity's spiraling decline could shift our Christmas experience into a whole new gear. So we're going to gather with our neighbors and friends on December 9th and 10th at the Granger Campus.

We'll let the congregation know the whole story of how dependable God is. And we'll get lost in the fantastical story where some things have to be believed to be seen.

Get your tickets and be there.

You'll see what I mean.

Psalm 40:9-10
I've preached you to the whole congregation, 
      I've kept back nothing, God—you know that. 
   I didn't keep the news of your ways 
      a secret, didn't keep it to myself. 
   I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough. 
      I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth 
   For myself alone. I told it all, 
      let the congregation know the whole story.

 

Traveling Companions

 

When Sheila and I went to Italy for the "re-connect with the ancient Church" portion of our sabbatical, we enjoyed the company of the best traveling companions we could have imagined. My brother Matt and his wife Linda went with us. My sister Becky and her husband Joel went too. 

These are among the finest people I know.

We walked, and laughed, and talked, and ate, and prayed. We looked up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and down into the Colosseum. We stood awestruck before Michelangelo's "Pietà" and "David," and stood reverently in St. Peter's Square. We built wonderful memories together.

I'll never forget the time we shared in the place where the Church found its form. And I'll never forget the love of my family.

Philippians 4:1  -  My brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

Only Time For One Shot

I took this picture yesterday in the low light of dusk.

You may know, I'm finishing my sabbatical "reconnecting with God" with time in the woods and wilderness. 

You may also know this...

When a buck like this shows up, he doesn't stick around. You've got time for one shot.  That's it.  So, you must decide quickly, "Do I shoot this buck with my gun, or my camera?"

The choice I made is obvious.

Philippians 1:22  -   If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. Hard choice! 

How Many Seamstresses Does It Take To Dress A Clown?

 

Photo by Dustin Maust, heroic inspiration to:
Seb Janiak, Peter Lindbergh, David LaChappelle, Annie Leibovitz and Joel Grimes.

It may not look like it, but this is my dear friend Butch Whitmire. He's not only one of the sharpest business guys I know, he's a faithful husband, trusted comrade and great dad. He's a creative guy and he's invested greatly in the GCC's original musical production: "Once Upon A Midnight Clear."

Get your tickets for any of these three presentations: 

• Thursday, December 9th @ 7:00 PM
• Friday, December 10th @ 7:00 PM
• Friday, December 10th @ 9:00 PM.

Butch (who plays "Benny") won't be the only one sporting such dapper attire. The actors have original outfits and it required a devoted team of ten seamstresses to create all of the costumes for the 50 cast members.

Exodus 35:25  -  All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen cloth.

Who's Been Working On This?

 

 Photo by Dustin Maust,
such a great photographer I sometimes call him by the initial "D,"
a moniker usually reserved for rock starts (a'la "JZ") Hollywood types (as in "Mr. T") and singers (like "The Divine Miss M").

Sometimes babies think their reality is the only reality. If they don't see it happening, it isn't happening. If they can't watch you doing what you're doing, they don't imagine you're doing anything at all. (Occasionally bosses and supervisors are like that. They don't trust that you're doing your job unless they can actually see you doing it. Those bad bosses have serious trust issues, but that's a topic for another post.)

We are not babies (and we're not un-trusting bad bosses). We're all grown up so we know things have been happening "behind the scenes" in preparation for our upcoming original musical production, "Once Upon A Midnight Clear."

Kristin Baker (she's the envy of the Muse when the Muse herself looks for inspiration) prayed for months about a way to bring the greatest story ever told to life in a new unexpected way that re-awakens our childlike wonder in The Story once again. God answered her prayers and Kristin found a phenomenal team or willing writers to help her with the original script: Dalene Stuteville, Greg Teghtmeyer, Tim Prugh, Sarah Rulli, and Meagan Church.

Even when we weren't looking, they were working.

Even when we weren't watching, they were writing.

And we'll see the fruit of their inspired effort on December 9th and 10th. 

Get your tickets here.

Colossians 3:22-23  -   Don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. 

The Love Of My Life

Back in June (the year was 1976), I married the most wonderful woman I've ever known. I gave her my life. Everything I had, and everything I would ever have, was offered: my hopes and dreams, my strengths and weaknesses, my past, my future and my complete devotion.

She accepted my offer and I've traveled the road of life with her ever since.

We were on sabbatical, riding a big yellow park bus through Yellowstone, when I held my camera at arm's length and snapped this picture. It captured a wonderful moment of our life-long journey. 

If you ever wonder where I am you can count on this; for the rest of my days, I'm with Sheila. And I'm grateful; my wife is God's blessing.

 

Proverbs 5:18-20 
Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose— 
   don't ever quit taking delight in her body. 
   Never take her love for granted!
Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore? 
   for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

The "Who" Matters

 

With my sabbatical journey winding down (I've only got two weeks left) I've been thinking. I know it's easy to focus on "what you're doing," but I'm convinced "who you're with" matters as much, or more, than "what you're doing."  

You can put up with some pretty tough circumstances when you're with the people you love, and the best circumstances are turned sour by contentious and wicked people.  "Who you're with" makes all the difference.

So, I'm thanking my kids for being who they are. They're fantastic people and when Sheila and I are with them it's wonderful, no matter where we are. They prepared this feast for us when we were in Tahoe two months ago, but the good food paled in comparison to the love we shared.  

Our next gathering?  Christmas, and I can't wait.

Proverbs 21:9  -  It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

 

GCC's Original Musical Production / December 9th and 10th

 

 - Photo by Dustin Maust....and he is AWESOME! -

Of course we're holding our Christmas Eve services again this year, but this is something wonderful and different.  

This is new.

"Once Upon A Midnight Clear" is the original musical production we're offering everyone in Michiana a couple of weeks before Christmas.  It's for you, your family, your neighbors and friends.  

We're delivering this fantastical tale three times: Thursday the 9th @ 7:00PM and Friday the 10th @ 7:00 and 9:00 PM. You can get tickets for your family and friends here.

You'll never forget the wonderful story because some things have to be believed to be seen.

John 20:29  -  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

Ask For The Ancient Paths.

Sabbatical time in the woods, funded by a Lilly Endowment Grant for "re-connecting with God," has afforded me time to recognize myself in context. (And, yes, it is entirely possible for any of us to find ourselves in a state of untenable confusion - brought on by pace, unforeseen circumstance, relational disruption, emotional fatigue or moral turpitude - where we look at ourselves and wonder, "Who's that?")  

The clarity of my wilderness reflection makes two things plain:  

First, I can't do everything, so every path I take means I've abandoned all other paths. I can't be two places at once, so wherever I am, I should be there  -  really be there, engaged, invested and attentive or I'll not only miss the paths I didn't walk, I'll miss the one I'm on too!

Second, the local church God has ordained me to lead can do many things but not all things, so we'd be wise to chart our future along the ancient paths, where the good way is, so the people who join us on the journey will find rest for their souls.

A perspicuous poem we all memorized as kids says it this way:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

 -  Poem by Robert Frost  - 

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Jeremiah 6:16  -  This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,  and you will find rest for your souls."  

Clean Sweep

 

 

Some things we can sweep clean; some things we can't.  If you've ever tried to clean up your mind, organize your purposes and priorities or sweep away your guilt and shame, you know what I mean.

John the Baptist once said we can depend on Jesus Christ to do for us what we can't do for ourselves. He's the one who can put our house in order. He gives us the power we need to put the trash out of our lives. John said it this way, "He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned."

Open the door to Jesus, and He'll clean you up....from the inside out. How great is that?

Revelation 3:20a  -  Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in...

How's It Gonna End?

 

I took this picture on the last night I was with Wyman Meinzer for his Predator Photo Safari. (Wyman showed me how to "paint" the old jailhouse with light while holding my tripod-mounted-camera shutter open in the pitch-black-dark. Amazing.) I didn't know when I'd get back to Texas, but I left looking forward to a return trip to "The Big Empty."

Well, Wyman has allowed me to join his next photo safari so I'm going to spend the last days of my sabbatical with him and his wonderful wife Sylinda, photographing Whitetails in Texas.  I'll sleep in Wyman's old Jailhouse during my last few days of sabbatical renewal, and I can't wait!

My sabbatical grant is funding my efforts to "re-connect with God," and since one of my sacred pathways is through the wilderness, my time with Wyman in the wilds of Texas ranch country will move me in the right direction. 

What a wonderful way for me to end my sabbatical journey - bunking in the old jailhouse each night, and photographing Whitetails each day as Wyman "rattles 'em in." 

Jeremiah 2:2  -  This is what the LORD says: "I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown."

Journey Bible Class Worship With Trace

 

Before heading to our choice of the three great Bible studies offered, we gathered tonight for worship in the center auditorium.

I've always said the artists who lead me in worship help me express my joy more exuberantly, confess my sins more thoroughly and offer my praise more appropriately.

Trace Rorie did all that for me tonight. For that, I thank him. He is a great man.

Nehemiah 12:44-45a  -  Everyone was pleased with the work of the priests and Levites, when they performed the ceremonies to make people acceptable to worship God. And the singers and the temple guards did their jobs...

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

 

It felt a little odd. 

But setting my little mini-tripod at the back of the church facing straight up the center aisle - during the service - was the least intrusive behavior I observed. I think I counted more tourists roaming around the great basilica than congregants seated for worship.  

I thought about it for a long time, whether to grab a photograph of this remarkable moment in such an historic place. I suppose the freedom I feel to take pictures at GCC made me feel OK about grabbing a shot. I finally decided, since my camera wouldn't flash and I was behind the worshippers at the back of the church, that I would quietly kneel down, secure my camera on the floor and take the picture.  

It turned out to be a pretty stunning image, but the whole scene made me wonder (since my mind wanders all over the place and the only reason I'm not diagnosed A.D.D. is because I'm too old to go in for testing) if the Church in the west is often a simulation of the scene I was witnessing in Rome.  

Church sociologists are suggesting 40% of the population can be reached with our current ministry strategies. If so, that's fantastic....for the 40%. But that means 60% of the population may need further interpretation, and better translation of the Gospel.

It's almost like we're enjoying our current ministry programs, focused on the services that mean so much to us, while more and more unnoticed people look in on the Church with mild curiosity.  Like tourists swinging through to check us out between their visits to the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, they glance our way then dismiss us with a "that's nice for you, but it's just not for me."  They see what we're doing, but what we're doing isn't impacting them enough to transform their lives with God's love.

It's as if they're unfazed and untouched. They're fascinated by what they see, but they don't understand what we're doing, why we're doing it or how it matters.

So they snap a few photos and move along, hoping their tour through life will eventually show them something so captivating, so engaging and so important that they'll be unwilling to move along to the "next thing" because they've discovered the "best thing."

I'd like for that to happen. So, I'm working on ways we can better translate the Gospel for the 60%, while serving well the 40%. 

I think the task is most worthwhile.

Romans 10:13-17  -  

     "Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help." But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?
     That's why Scripture exclaims, "A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!"
     But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.

The Sobering Challenge of Alan's Closing Session

 

Alan Hirsch was quietly prophetic with his sober challenge to the gathered crowd. During the final session of the AND Conference Alan said: 

"My passion is for the Church in the west. In Europe the lights are going out on the Church. Unless something miraculous happens, you'll see the light of the Church in Europe go out. So it will either happen in America, or it is not going to happen. The battle is won or lost here. I've bet my life on that. I've bet my movement on it. I trust the Americans will get it, shrink rap it, and deliver it to the rest of the world."

Anyone up for the challenge?  The world is waiting...

Romans 8:18  -  I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next.

Dan Vukmirovich / Creative Genius

 

One of the saddest things about this being the last day of the AND Conference comes with the awareness that Dan won't be able to greet us tomorrow morning with a dramatic review of everything we experienced today. 

Dan's creativity astounds me.  Zow. He's a genius.

Galatians 6:5  -  Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

 

Jason Miller says, "Imagination Gets a Bum Rap."

 

 

 

I love to hear my friend Jason teach.  He's smart, well read, diligent and passionate. The AND Conference went to a new level during his talk this morning.  Here are a few of the remarkable things he said: 

• Every minute of your life is a sacred moment, meant to be lived under God, with God and for God.
• Have you ever seen someone who is completely blind to the damage sin is doing to their lives, their relationships and their world? In the ancient Temple, you see that "sin" costs you something; you see what's really real. You see what's really true in the world. You see that your sin is destroying you. The Temple gave people a vision of a different reality, a vision of what's really real in the world.
• Yesterday Alan said, "If you can't see it, you can't do it."  That's true. But I want to add something to that. "If they can't see it, they can't join it."
•  You and I carry the burden of manifesting God's dream in the world. This is why beauty is a mandate for us. It wakes us up. It invigorates our dreams. You've got a mandate for beauty in your church! Do something beautiful, and let people see it! 
• Imagination gets a bum-rap. Imagination is a powerful tool to engage reality and transform life. Imagination allows us to interact with reality and transform it.
• Style is not the same thing as beauty. Beauty wakes us up and makes alive in us that which resonates with the heart of God. Beauty changes us. Style doesn't change anything.
• Be aware. Your reality might awaken, or deaden, the imagination of others to the reality of God's reality.

If you'd like to reference the books Jason mentioned, go here for the titles and authors.

Ecclesiastes 3:11  -  God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

 

Tim Stevens / GCC's Executive Pastor

Tim has been my friend and comrade for two decades. Today he pushed the envelope of the AND Conference, launching his talk with, "Missional Schmissional, and Attractional Schmactional." He went on from there, saying the following things and more...

• I came to GCC because it was missional.
• Every church in America could be described with three words: Come To Us. That model of "church" works for about 40% of the population. 
• We have 62,000 people within 5 miles of our GCC campuses who could be reached our current model.
• We have 93,000 people within 5 miles of our GCC campuses who could be reached with different models.
• We must begin reaching the 60%.
• We must reach more of the 40%.
• We must help the 40% reach "their" 60%.
  
  
• We'll address these issues in the future:

1.     Get the church into the community.
2.     Church defined by "where you are."
3.     Infuse a decentralized, organic structure for quick growth.
4.     Begin tracking community impact.
5.     Provide lots of ways to give to your passion.
6.     Ministry isn't confined to a building. It happens wherever you are.
7.     Buildings serve the community; the congregation also meets there.

• Tension is the new order of the day.

Titus 2:10  -  They should show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

 

ARTS MASH-UP / GCC

 

GCC joined the fun with the ARTS Mash-up this year. One aspect of their set brought Seth Bible (yes, that's his real name) to the microphone.  I love Seth and his work as an artist packs a powerful punch. He delivered this morning....as he always does.

Psalm 68:25a  -  In front are the singers, after them the musicians.

ARTS MASH-UP / Relevant Church

 

The team from Relevant Church blew us away. Paul Wirth is on mission and his team from Tampa took us to a great place of missional awareness.  Relevant's musicians helped us. Seriously. These guys are going for it...

(By the way, Paul and his wife Susie wrote a book titled, "30 Day Sex Challenge: A Journey to Intimacy."  You can buy it here, and "yes," Sheila and I read it.)

Acts 22:21  -  The Lord told me, "Go! I’ll send you on a mission."

AND Conference / ARTS MASH-UP

 

 

We started our sessions with the "Arts Mash-up." It included one of the most amazing "flannel-graph" presentations I've seen (and I've seen some serious "flannel-graph" in my day).

Mike Adkins planted Grace Church in Orlando a few years ago and some of his artists traveled all the way to Granger to help us understand the "AND" of missional ministry. I snapped this picture then launched into worship with the AND Conference crowd. 

It's day 2 of our conference. We're off and running.  

2 Chronicles 5:11  -  All the Levites who were musicians were there.

I Love It When DC Laughs

 

DC came alongside me several years ago, back when he was attending GCC as a student athlete and star linebacker at Notre Dame. He's done more to bring the next generation of leaders into the missional work of the church than most can imagine.

When he left GCC to play in the NFL I was sad (for myself and for all the little NFL running backs who would get to know him in such a personal way). When he left the NFL and came on staff at GCC I was happy (for myself and for all the people he'd help me lead on the mission of Christ). He's a good friend.

I caught DC laughing with his workshop participants at the AND Conference this afternoon.  It made me smile. I thought I'd pass it along so you could smile too.

Romans 12:9-10  -  Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply.

Leroy King and MC3

 

Leroy is a monster leader. He's transforming the culture of South Bend's inner-city through the teams he leads in missional ministry at the Monroe Circle Community Center.

He and his good friend Jack Magruder co-led a workshop on GCC's missional strategy today at the AND Conference. Attending that session was the same as drinking from a fire hose, but if you're thirsty that's a good thing. 

When the Director of MC3 speaks, I listen.

Hebrews 13:7  -  Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

Dave Ferguson / Community Christian Church

 

I really like Dave.

I trust him and believe in his vision. I read what he's written and I value his friendship. What he's accomplishing for the mission of Christ is remarkable.

His NewThing Network is an avant-garde movement of reproducing churches.

His recent book (co-authored with Jon Ferguson) is titled EXPONENTIAL: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement. It'll change how you think. It might change how you live.

Dave inspired the crowds at the AND Conference this afternoon. I've copied a few highlights from his talk.

• There is a "missional impulse" permeating the church!  
• Missional People  +  Multiplying Churches  =  Missional Movement
• How do we create a "missional culture" for a "missional movement?"  
  Three ways:
  1.)  Ordain every Christ-follower.  
  2.)  Lead with a "YES!" As leaders. We've got to develop a "YES!" reflex.
  3.)  Make Heroes of Everyday People.
• Generosity is like a muscle; the more you exercise that muscle, the stronger the generosity.

1 Peter 2:9  -  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Matt Carter / Austin Stone Community Church

 

 

Listening to Matt talk about God's activity in his life, his church and his community has sparked new fire in me.  He spoke this afternoon at the AND Conference and spoke of the demands of missional ministry. A few nuggets from his time with us are below. This guy is on mission.  Enjoy.

• There is a growing sense of restlessness in the laity of the church in America.
• I'm not ready to throw out the attractional model.  It works.
• We had to redefine success at Austin Stone. Here's what we did.....  
  (1.) We changed the definition of success for our small groups. Nothing can foster deep authentic biblical community like getting "on mission" together. If we aimed for community, we got neither community, nor mission. But if we aimed for mission, we got mission and community too!
  (2.) We changed how we trained and discipled our leaders. We taught them how to be self-feeders, rather than consumers.
  (3.) We raised the bar, in their minds and in their hearts, about what God is able to do in and through them. The people in our church can do more than we've ever dreamed they can do.  We've got to challenge them to that, call them to that, and give them a chance to do it!
• Every time Jesus drew a crowd he'd run 'em off.

Acts 1:8  -  You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Kem Meyer / Resident Communications Guru

 

 

Kem Meyer is incredible. She's smart, devoted, trained, informed, hungry and helpful. She's wonderfully and remarkably unbalanced, always leaning into marriage, family, clarity, growth and ministry. I love that. I'm so glad she's on our team!

This afternoon she lead a communications workshop titled, "As The Chaos Increases The Clutter Doesn't Have To." It was awesome.  

You can read more of Kem's stuff here.  

1 Corinthians 14:9  -   Unless you speak clearly with your tongue, no one can understand what you are saying. You will be talking into the air!

Rob Wegner, Sturdy Sumo and Nimble Ninja Guy

 

Rob Wegner is taking GCC to the world.  That's his official "job" and he's getting it done.  I'm so proud of him I hardly know what to say.  He's an awesome friend, great leader and brilliant thinker.

You can have the graphic displayed behind him here.  

A few things Rob said this morning at the AND Conference follow: 

• Why not here? Why not now?
• GCC went from a missional "outpost" to a "mega-church."
• The primal expression of the church is "church as movement."
• Last weekend 957 newly planted churches with more than 120,000 people in attendance, partnered with us to engage the mission of the Kingdom in India.
• By 2016 we're dreaming GCC will be: 300 essential churches gathering locally and 1700 essential churches working internationally.
• I thought "mega-church" was the summit, but it's actually base-camp!
• Intercept every virus.
• Are "Attractional" and "Missional" mutually exclusive or can they exist together?
• We want to be the "Sumo/Ninja church" =  both sturdy and swift! 

Philippians 1:11  -  Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

 

Alan Hirsch Will Mess With Your Head

 

Here are a few things Alan said this morning in the opening session of the AND Conference, including this quote from Einstein: "If you can't imagine it, you can't do it." 

 

• We must not be captive to our success.  We must look at the next edge. 
• I see amazing things happening in America.  Without sounding "triumphalistic," I do feel optimistic.
• If I wanted to dig a hole over there, it does me no good to keep digging deeper the hole I'm digging right here.
• Learning takes place...when you ask the right questions.  Be willing to ask the questions, or let the prophetic people in your midst ask them. All programming must be subject to questioning.  "Can we do this better?"
• Ministry in all cultural settings is "EXTRACTIONAL," and it pulls people out of their culture.  Within 3 to 5 years of coming to faith in Christ, people are pulled "extracted" out of their relational context.
• Is a can opener a can opener if it can't open cans anymore?  (It's a "can't opener.) So, on that notion, is a church a church if it doesn't do what churches are meant to do?
• What are churches meant to do?  
• You don't have to ditch what you're doing in order to do what you can do. 
• It's a strategic problem. 
   

1 Kings 18:29  -  They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen...

The AND Conference Begins

 

 

Jeff Myers and J Aquila launched the first session of the AND Conference with a call to "bring it on down to Jesus-ville." It was brilliant. We're off and running!  

Go here to watch the live-streaming-video!

Judges 18:5  -  Inquire of God for us. Find out whether our mission will be a success.

Seasons Of Change Are Upon Us

We've been planning together for our next season of ministry for two years and we're closer than ever to implementing GCC's new VISION. The entire congregation has spoken; thousands have added their voices to shape the new ideal; tens-of-thousands will benefit as it's fulfilled.

This afternoon I had a fantastic conversation about the future with my good friend and comrade Tim Stevens. I'm pumped!  GCC's imminent hope is rewarding, stirring and exigent.

As surely as one season follows another, our time has come for new strategies, new plans and new progress. Sheila and I are honored to share the journey with all of you bringing "up there, down here"  - as God changes the seasons and guides the history of everyone moving into His Light.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Daniel 2:20-22

Blessed be the name of God, 
   forever and ever.
He knows all, does all: 
   He changes the seasons and guides history,
He raises up kings and also brings them down, 
   he provides both intelligence and discernment,
He opens up the depths, tells secrets, 
   sees in the dark—light spills out of him!

Ron's 11-Point Buck

 

My friend Ron is a long-time archer and remarkable hunter. He's probably taken three times more Whitetail bucks than I have. This morning I helped him track this awesome 11-point monster.

Since I had my camera, and his buck made me about as happy as if it was my buck, Ron invited me to put myself in his picture....so I did.

Romans 12:15  -  Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy.