In case you haven’t heard yet… there is something HUGE coming to Next Level Church by way of announcement. We are building a day around it so don’t you dare miss it. On Sunday, January 29th you will be a part of what will be the biggest day in the history of our church as I will be unfolding the GOD SIZED DREAM that He has given us.

We will also be blessed to have recording artist & black gospel singer Jonathan Fraze to partner with Mark & the NLC worship team to bring the house down [and I do mean bring the house down] in praise. Efforts are being made now to invite as many people as we can from the community so they can be a part of this epic day, too. So go ahead and invite your peeps to join us.

DREAM BIG!

I couldn’t be more excited about the new series we begin this Sunday at NLC. And the reason I can’t wait is because we are about to change the world. How… you ask? By creating a place where people’s dreams become a reality. Two weeks ago God made it very clear to me that this was going to be the year of dreams and miracles for our church. But not only for our church; for the people of our church and community as well. I believe that there is something burning on the inside of many of you that given the right opportunity you could change the world. You are a creator, a visionary and an innovator. You have ideas and concepts that need to be heard. And that’s exactly what we plan to do at NLC… This is your year! The year of the DREAMER.

Are you planning to attend LEVEL TWO? I sure hope so. I absolutely can’t wait for what you are going to learn about yourself. Have you wondered why God has you here? Are you aware of what your spiritual gifts & talents may be? By the end of this class you will know the answer to these questions and more.

LEVEL TWO will meet immediately following the morning service. There will be escorts to direct you to “the spot”. We will be providing lunch for you so don’t worry about that. And you can also bring your kids in with you. We’re looking forward to what you’re going to discover about yourself and also how God is going to use to advance His kingdom because of it.

I’m pretty pumped about Sunday, November 20th. We are going to have an incredible day. Here’s why:

• Outdoor service on the football field, under a giant tent
• Live and exciting worship from our very talented worship team
• Everyone together [nursery will be provided for babies]
• Conversation on how we can change the world with gratitude
• Baptism as a part of the morning worship [it will be heated]

I’m so pumped I can hardly stand it. Two things I need from you:

1: Invite one person in your life that you are thankful for to be your guest on that day

2: If you are free on Saturday, we will need your help in the afternoon setting up tent and getting things ready for the service. Be paying attention to details for set up time and preparation time.

It’s going to be a blast!

Today I had to have the “talk” with the wife about making the decision to remove life support. WOW! Talk about brutal. A wife and 2 very young and beautiful children are now filled with a myriad of questions. Questions that any of us would be asking if we were in the same position as they are at this very moment. Every time I’m in these types of situations it causes me to be reflective of my own life. Here are some thoughts that I’ve mediated on over the last 48 hours.

1: Live in and enjoy every moment you are given: American culture is bombarded with business and stress. As a result we miss so much of the little moments in life. A conversation with our children. A walk on the beach with our spouse. Or lunch with a friend. At the end of the day those moments are what create memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. So live in and enjoy every moment with which you are blessed.

2: Cherish your relationships: I’m amazed how often I take the relationships in my life for granted. An alarming and surreal reality is that those relationships that we take for granted won’t be there forever. I don’t ever what to have to say “I wish I had.” I want to be able to say “I’m glad I did.”

3: Most of the things that seem like a big deal today won’t matter tomorrow: 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months or 5 years from now…. it probably won’t matter. All of us have the uncanny ability to focus so much attention on things today that probably won’t matter tomorrow. As a result relationships are ended, hurtful things are said, mistakes are made and hearts are broken. All because we made a big deal out of something that we probably could have just let go. Proverbs 15:1 says that a soft answer turns wrath away but grievous words stir up strife. We should learn to pick our battles and choose the hills upon which we will die… and then everything else we should just let roll off our back.

4: Death is always a necessary ending: There is absolutely no escaping it. And I don’t care what your belief system is – we all die. We can agree on that. But what many won’t agree to is that there is some form of life after death. I happen to embrace a reality of an after life that is rooted in eternity. My finite mind can’t comprehend eternity but I’m pretty certain it’s longer than the average life span of 75 years of age. What’s amazing is how many of us give every minute of our day to this short span of life we are given here on this earth. In the grand scheme of things we probably should be giving more attention to  eternity than we do to earthly… after all, eternity will be…. well, forever.

Life is short. Say “I love you” a lot. Kiss and hug your kids. Enjoy your spouse. Play with your friends. Live life to it’s fullest. Embrace eternity. And in everything, give thanks…. for this is the will of God.

Why the term GEARS? Because GEARS are the internal entities of a machine that keep it functioning properly and doing the job it was created to do. Those who come through this program will be the GEARS of the church and ministry.

GEARS will be open to anyone 18 and older who are interested in finding out where they “fit” in the ministry and who are interested in being properly equipped for the job. From this we are believing that God will raise up life group leaders, worship leaders, campus pastors, future church planters and more. We are looking forward to this opportunity and we are looking forward to what God is about to do because of it.

So what do you do when the unexpected happens? How do you behave when life takes a drastic turn? Here are a couple thoughts that may help:

1: Act: Take a step back and evaluate the situation. Stepping back gives you the opportunity to develop a plan that you can put into action. The tendency is to emotionally respond or react to the setback. And sometimes there are moments in life when a quick and instant decision must be made…. I call these dynamite decisions. But these type of decisions are rare for most of us. Action is always better than re-action and typically brings better results.

2: Learn: Every situation or circumstance that comes into your life is an opportunity to learn and grow. This setback may have been your fault or it may not have. But I don’t think that’s ever the point. We never get any where casting blame. The most important question is “what have I learned and where have I grown?”. Some of the most healthy change that comes to businesses or churches or relationships come because of an unexpected turn in events.

3: Trust: This is a great opportunity for your faith to take over. Regardless of what your belief system may be you put your faith in something or someone everyday. Only those who are intellectually dishonest deny faith. I choose to put my faith in God. I believe that God is omniscient and not bound by transitory time as we know it on this earth. He knows the future like we know the present and therefore He has the ability to provide us the wisdom and the discernment and the strength to press forward with a cognitive plan. All we have to do is ask [James 1:5-7]

The question really isn’t “will the unexpected occur in my life?”, we all know that it will and does. The question is how will I respond when it does and will I be better for it or become bitter by it.

1: LEVEL ONE CLASS: If you’ve come to NLC in the last 6 months you are invited to join Pastor C for a few minutes to find out how you can change the community. You will learn a little about our history and how NLC was planted. You will also find out how you can partner with NLC in an effort to continue bringing life change to the hundreds of thousands that God has called us to reach.

2: THE NEXT 3 YEARS: That’s the title of this weekends conversation. On October 2 we said hello to our third year of existence as a church and it’s time for an old fashion chat and some vision casting for the next 3 years. Pastor C wants everyone to join us for this conversation – the future of our church depends on it.

The original intent of Facebook was to connect college kids with one another on the campus of Harvard University but it quickly became so much more than that. There is no doubt that Mark ever thought it would grow as quickly as it did into the giant corporation that it is today. And although I love success stories such as this one and all though I am a fan of Facebook and use it regularly I have a LOVE / HATE relationship with her. Let me explain [this is probably going to piss some people off]…

Facebook has become the dumping ground for people’s personal garbage. It has become another venue for drama to unfold in the lives of her users. Like anything else that has the potential to be helpful and productive it also possesses the same potential to be hurtful & counterproductive. And as the saying goes – strengths unharnessed become weaknesses unleashed. Here are 3 unwritten rules that I’ve come up with for Facebook users – do with them what you will:

1: Personal problems are labeled as “personal” for a reason: Your friend list doesn’t need to know about your marriage failures. We don’t need to know about the fight that you are having with your boy friend / girl friend / lover / friend / spouse. Keep personal issues where they belong and off the public forum for the world to read.

2: Roller coasters are made for our entertainment and enjoyment: One hour your high on life and the next hour you’re ready to jump off a bridge…. and the facebook world is forced to ride the emotional roller coaster with you. The difference is that the roller coasters at the amusement park are actually enjoyable and fun – the roller coasters on Facebook are depressing and unnerving. Stop making the cyber world ride your emotional roller coaster.

3: You only have a few REAL friends that you can trust in this life: Facebook is Cyberspace. It isn’t “real” life. I’ve only actually met a small percentage of the “friends” that I have on my facebook page. Why in God’s dear name would I seek validation or advice on things of a personal nature from hundreds of “friends” who don’t even really know me. I’m pretty sure Facebook wasn’t what God had in mind when He said “there is safety in the multitude of counselors.” Be careful who you share your stuff with and remember that “real” friends are far and few between.

At the end of the day Facebook can be a great tool. It can be a place to connect, share and update. And me reading your “status update” is a privilege just like it is when you read mine. That’s why I think it’s important that we exercise some Facebook responsibility and use this as a tool for bettering the lives of those with whom we connect.

Some of the first words that I heard from my mentor and church plant coach Dr. Stephen Gray was “Not everyone who starts with you is going to finish with you.” In fact, he told us that 70% of the people who started with us wouldn’t be with us after 2 years. Of course I didn’t believe him. And like I have done often before I just figured we would beat that statistic.

Well… we didn’t. In fact, at our 3 year mark I think we were actually over that 70% margin by quite a bit. I’ll never forget what Dr. Gray referred to this group as. He said these group of starters should be compared to “scaffolding.” They are along side of you to help you get your ministry going and then, like a building that is being built, eventually that scaffolding is taken down and the beauty of the architectural design is seen. But without that scaffolding you’d never be able to build your building. So always be grateful for it.

To all you church planters: Whenever someone who started with you leaves you go ahead and take it personally. And anyone who tells you not to just flip the proverbial finger and ignore ‘em. Because it’s impossible for someone you’ve invested in, loved and watched grow in ministry walk away from you without it affecting you personally. But get over it quickly. I mean get over it in 48 to 72 hours MAX. You’re mission and vision is never attached to one person or one group of people. God gave you that vision before you had a crowd and he will sustain that vision after they’re gone. Not only that – there are hundreds of others in your community who need your attention. As quick as you can turn your focus to them. After all, isn’t that why God called you to do what you’re doing?