Monday, August 31, 2009

Single Mom's Oil Change Blessing


Operation Blessing rolls on! We changed the oil for about 16 single mom's in the area this past Saturday a.m. It was great! It was neat to meet these ladies and to encourage them through this act of service.

One of the mom's blessed me more than I blessed her: I left my phone in her car while bringing it around from the garage...30 minutes later she brought it back. What a blessing to me!!

Next up - Guys nite out - this thursday at "The Pointe". I hear little "carolina" is playing...we'll see!

Monday, August 24, 2009

FOR SALE: 2007 White Jeep Wrangler


I am not real big into cars. Matter of fact, my first car was a 1972 olds with a 455 engine. We nicknamed it "The Bomb". It was a classic! From there I upgraded my senior year of high school to a 1985 Nissan Pulsar 2-dr with a sunroof. It had a stick shift and was my baby. By the time we had our first real baby 9 years later, it had about 225,000 miles and was no longer very practical with a baby seat. Being the family man and all, I then drove a 1998 white ford taurus. Nothing flashy at all, but it got the job done. Then finally, I moved up to a toyota 4-runner. Great vehicle and has been a blessing even now just crossing the 100,000 mile threshold.

That leads to Sunday night.... I was at the student center and there drove up a 4-door jeep wrangler with a for sale sign on it. Boy, it was nice and it even had a stick shift. I fell in love right then and there. My friend Dan Wooten saw my admiration and took a quick snap-shot. I already could see myself driving around with the top down, music playing in my new jeep.

Then of course, Dave Ramsey pops up in my head. "Live like no else, so later you can live no one else." So true - my toyota 4-runner was just fine and best of all, it is paid for. You know, they say when you get close to age 40, you start making some weird decisions, especially with cars. Maybe that's it? It was nice for a minute and I appreciate Matt from Keffer Dodge in Charlotte allowing me to indulge for a time. Who knows maybe one day, I can own one. If and when I do, I stick to paying cash for it. No loans - being debt free is worth it!!

By the way, through our Operation Blessing series, if you find yourself in a pinch and need a little financial counseling, give us a call at the church office at 843-672-2761. We are giving away free, "Total Money Makeover" books by Dave Ramsey to each person or family that attends a session. Just a thought....

BTW, the jeep shown above was a 2007 with 33,000 miles and was being priced at $23,000.00. Jeep is pretty proud of their product, huh! :)

Monday, August 17, 2009

"The Team"


In ministry, the value of a strong team can not be under-estimated! It has been a privilege to work with this team of folks at South Pointe. Each is uniquely gifted and has made a significant impact upon the kingdom of God in the Pageland community.

Thanks to Joni for her second straight summer pouring herself and Jesus into our kids! Her love for children is obvious and she will be missed as she goes back to North Greenville University to begin her junior year. Pray for her that God will continue to direct her path and be a shining light for Him on the college scene.

Gary and I had the privilege of working together for 18 months in the ministry. If you know Gary - you learn quickly that his passion is music and leading people to worship God. I have admired and respected how he has stretched himself in the area of student ministry. Having no prior experience in this area, he learned quickly that a strong student ministry is built on relationships. If kids know you care, they will come back. I don't even think Gary realizes the impact he has had on our students during this time. Gary will be missed greatly, especially by me. I appreciate his friendship, prayers, and support! I thank him also for teaching this "old pastor" a thing or two about worship. It has been a blessing my brother - and I wish you the best at East Taylorsville!

Dan Wooten - You survived your first year as principal/administrator of the school ministry! Dan is just a great all around guy and is one of the most level-headed, even-keeled persons I know. It takes a lot to rattle Dan and I appreciate his passion for Christian education. His desire is to see kids come to know Christ and for our school ministry to make a difference in families lives. Thanks Dan for all you do brother for the kingdom! Your friendship and constant feedback of encouragement to me is a blessing!

Well - you have all heard the statement there is no "I" in team". The South Pointe team is now down to "2". It's you me and Dan!!! What we are experiencing is what happens in ministry and is a constant reminder to all of us that the ministry is bigger than us. We are simply servants to the King of kings and trust Him to guide and lead us everyday. I can't wait to see who God adds to our picture soon. Stay tuned!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Will the real church step forward please?


When you think of church, what do you think of? Most of us tend to think of a building, a sanctuary, etc. You see - if you study the Bible - more specifically the New Testament book of Acts - this is not the case. Thus the $1,000,000.00 question; how much are we like the 1st century church today in 2009?

I struggle with this...having grown up a pastor's kid, basically "going to church" all of my life, and having served on staff at 4 churches; have we missed something in our endeavor to have a deeper relationship with God?

This pastor says yes! You see the Bible teaches that as believers in Christ, we are the church!! If you lived in the 1st century after Pentecost, you wouldn't have ever said, "I am going to church today." It would not have made sense. The 1st century church was not made of bricks and mortar, but of flesh and bone. We are the church!

Matter of fact, as a father of three, I have tried to be very intentional in the words I use with my children as it relates to church. For example, I do not want them to only associate "church" as a place, so I choose not to say the words, "We are going to church." Instead, I might say, "today, we are driving to Pageland to worship the Lord together."

You may say that it really does not matter. I beg to differ. Our view of "church" touches every aspect of our lives and our view of God himself. This is especially true in the volatile ever-changing church movements today. Among the many church movements and the latest fads, a lot of churches try to copy what another church is doing. Several years ago, everyone was trying to duplicate Saddleback Church by doing the "40 days of Purpose". Is it wrong to do some of these campaigns that reach people? Absolutely not! However, we must be careful to understand that what works in California does not always work in the same community in South Carolina. Each community is different and more importantly is the role of the Holy Spirit in blessing our outreach efforts.

Having said that, this 38 year old pastor is making a renewed commitment to not try to mimic the latest church movement, but to be the unique body of Christ we are and to model ourselves after the 1st century church. Go back and read Acts; some awesome things were happening amidst tremendous persecution. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself just like Paul, Silas, Peter, and those guys were. Do you?

May we step forward and be the church Jesus intended us to be!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Sushi Run anybody?


You ever not liked something even though you've never tried it? I have the reputation of being a somewhat picky-eater. I like steak, chicken, hamburgers, seafood, french fries, and most other things that are not healthy for you. However, a few of my buddies kept talking about sushi....I was like no way!!!

Several months ago, I thought, "you know I am getting to close to 40, why not try something new?" My first sushi experience was at Rusan's in Charlotte and it was a positive one. It was a buffet and had no signs up to know what I was eating. I later found out what some of it was and am thankful there were no signs up!

Fast forward to today - I can't get enough of it! Matter of fact I stopped by a sushi place in Spartanburg today to eat lunch and got some more sushi. Most people who know me pretty well are shocked I would eat it, especially my mother who knows what a picky-eater I was growing up. Perhaps you are like me, one that says -"No Way" without trying it. I tell you it is a whole new world to me now and it is actually a lot healthier than the hamburger and fries that many of us eat.

Drinking diet coke and eating sushi - what is this world coming too?

Thursday, August 6, 2009

"Operation Blessing" begins



Have you ever been to Disneyworld? I have been a couple of times and it is a "magical" place. Disney offers an experience that is hard to match. Last year was the "Year of A million dreams" in Disney. It was a year-long campaign where random gifts were given out. Gifts included gift cards, dream fast-passes, one night in Cinderella's Castle, and much more. The dream team were the ones who gave these prizes out at designated times. We happened to be at Hollywood Studios one day and we saw the dream team and were so excited. We received dream fast passes for all of the major rides at the park that day which would allow us to be the first in line for those rides. It was a great feeling! We were in the right place at the right time!

Last night, about 10 of us had the opportunity to go to the local Bi-Lo and help two random families out with their grocery bill. The local newspaper was there taking pictures and doing interviews that will be in print on August 11th in the Pageland area. I have to say it was very humbling to be a part of this type of blessing.

Basically, we spread out all in the store, "spying" on different folks deciding on who to bless. That was very difficult, because there are many in need today. We ended up buying $50 of groceries for two families. One was Donnie and Lori, who had lived in Pageland all of their lives. They seemed shocked and amazed that they were to receive this blessing.

The purpose of this series is not to bring more people to come to South Pointe Fellowship, but to bring hope in people's lives and to know that someone out there cares. Like the Disney dream team, as we bless others it is my hope that "Operation Blessing" will begin a movement in the community where small blessings occur every day. Are you ready to be a blessing?

Monday, August 3, 2009

"The wedding dance"


Kim and I have now been married for 15 years and we had a wonderful wedding. It was a hot day in Charlotte, N.C. and the church was packed. My grandad, Max White was my best man and my dad led the ceremony. We have great pictures and a old video that probably needs to be converted to dvd, but the most memorable event of the day, was seeing my beautiful bride come down the aisle with her dad by her side. Priceless! It was a great day!

I don't remember us dancing at our reception, but there is a wedding video out on youtube that has gone viral in cyberspace. I believe it has like 15 million hits in the last week alone. You have to see this video. Copy this link and turn the speakers up....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8DCt3Lmi28 . Not the most religious song, but you can't say they were not having fun. The couples name are Kevin and Jill and the wedding was in Minnesota. They were on the Today Show a few days ago talking about this with Matt Lauer.