Random Thoughts...Randomly Listed

Random thoughts....

1. Heather found out this week that she is 9 weeks along in her pregnancy, that puts the due date at around January 3...life is going to be crazy having 2 babies!!
2. There are going to have to be a whole bunch of volunteers in order to pull off what we want to do at Freedom Church....I can't wait to see people step up.
3. I am pretty sure that Zaxby's sauce will be found in abundance in heaven...anything taste good dipped in Zaxby's sauce
4. I can't wait for college football to get back around...i hope the Bulldogs kick some booty this year!
5. For some reason I am extremely burdened about where in the heck I am going to live 6 months from now...I think its because I am going to have 2 kids now (that's crazy)
6. Noah is such a cool kid...I love to see him smile!
7. I hope the new baby is a girl...my mom and dad will probably turn back flips if the baby is...I will be happy either way....but sure would love to have a girl
8. It has officially been 9 days since I had an iced coffee....for no other reason except I have not gone to a Starbucks or any other coffee shop lately
9. I cannot wait to serve as the Connections Pastor of Freedom Church
10. I am glad that Todd and Joni are here, I am also glad that moving all their stuff is behind me now....we moved it twice...I love Todd, but I ain't moving it again
11. I need more songs on my iPod...but I don't want to pay for them....anyone who has some good CD's I can borrow to put into my iTunes let me know
12. I am so blessed to be able to be Pastor Johnny's intern this year...I wish he would hurry and get back from vacation though....I have a lot of questions
13. I am looking forward to going to camp at the beach with the student ministry next week....even though I have to be at the church at 5am Monday morning...what's up with that?
14. Acworth, GA....get ready!!!!

Mark The Mover

That is who I have felt like this week. I have been helping people move all week long. I hope that what goes around comes all the way back around like Justin Timberlake says it does because I am going to need some help moving at the end of this year. I am a pretty experienced mover so its all good. In the Louisville journey that my wife and I went on to finish my undergrad we moved 3 times in a 2 1/2 year period. As a matter of fact in the almost 5 years that my wife and I have been married we have moved a total of 6 times....at the end of the year it will be number 7. What is wrong with us? Oh well....maybe soon will find a permanent address....but what fun is that? By the way...this is not an advertisement. I am not trying to offer my services...so please no phone calls or emails.....

Todd Is Officially Here!!

Todd is officially here in GA!! Going today to help move his stuff which is in 50 different storage facilities at the Uhaul place on 41. This thing is really happening! J.R. will be here soon, then Jon, then Freedom Church baby!! I hope my finger does not fall off while I am helping Todd since I injured it yesterday playing ball...

Ouchies!!

I played some more basketball yesterday. It didn't go so well. About 10 minutes into the first game I went for a steal, but at the same time the person I was going to steal from did some twisting and maneuvering. When he did my finger collided with his knee and well.....it hurt...bad. I jammed it pretty good. It was on my shooting hand, so I played terrible the rest of the game. It is a little swollen today and hurts pretty bad. A little difficult to type actually. But its all part the game....no hard feelings....

My Memorial Day

Memorial Day has been good. These are just a few things I did today....

• Got up early with my little Noah man...then we took a little nap together on the couch
• Had breakfast at the house with my wife....she makes some killer French Toast
• Went to the pool in some friends of ours neighborhood
• Played some basketball for several hours with the boys....we cleaned house!! (still wish I could dunk)
• Jumped in the pool after some ball to cool off and played with Noah...he loves the water!
• Now we are gonna have a little cook-out and eat some steaks with the fam....

Good day today....back to business tomorrow!

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts

Just had some thoughts today...these are a few.

1. How much different is it going to be waking up on Sunday mornings in a few months?
2. I wonder where I am going to live when Freedom starts.
3. Teaching Sunday School was awkward this morning.
4. Parking is crazy at my church.
5. The cheesy rice stuff I had for lunch today was delicious.
6. Why in the world do they call them "pews"?
7. Speaking in front of a crowd of thousands is way better than speaking to a crowd of 10.
8. It is really smokey outside today and it reeks of burntness.
9. I have not had an iced coffee (and they are my favorite) in 4 days.
10. I learned yesterday that watching a baby is hard work...my wife is AWESOME!
11. I wish I could dunk.
12. Will they have choir lofts in heaven?
13. Who thought that wearing crazy robes to sing in was cool?
14. I can not wait to see what happens at Freedom Church...even though it is so scary.
15. Why in the world is it called Sunday School?

A Pretty Cool Friday...

Yesterday was cool. Went with J.R., the pastor of Freedom Church, to Blue Ridge yesterday to talk with a pastor who is interested in supporting and partnering with Freedom. It was the first time I got to hear J.R. cast the vision of Freedom to a potential partner. It was cool. I learned a lot from that meeting. Also, very excited about how this church in Blue Ridge will partner with us crazy dudes at Freedom.

We also cruised the city of Acworth looking for office space. Bottom line is....its gonna cost us some jack in order to get some office space. However, we did find some good potential spots. It's exciting to think of how incredible it is going to be to reach the people of Acworth, GA with the truth of Jesus!!

Todd and his wife Joni arrived yesterday after a long day traveling in a Uhaul Truck with no A/C. I am pretty sure that Todd was ready to beat some people in the face with a stick....those people being the ones at the Uhaul place. We managed to get all his stuff into about 20 different units.

Not that anyone really cares but....I recommend that if you moving and need to rent a moving truck not to ever use Uhaul, and after what happened to Todd yesterday I bet he would concur with that statement. I have moved twice from one state to another and have had good success avoiding Uhaul and getting a Penske Truck. All their trucks are less than 2 years old and work perfectly....that's just my 2 cents....

The Realm Of Impossibility

Recently I have been challenged in my personal time with God, and by other leaders to live inside the realm of impossibilities. That is live inside the realm of the Ephesians 3:20. The realm of the impossibility is where God shows up and demonstrates His glory, and that is where I want to be. The challenge of living inside the realm impossibility is that it requires living life on the edge. It means living life with uncertainty. It means living a risk taking life of adventure. It means living life outside the realm of comfort...but it in this realm where God is experienced in a way that He can't be experienced elsewhere.

With that in mind I have turned my prayer life into a prayer life of asking God for the impossible. I am praying for things that I have no possible way of accomplishing on my own. I am asking God to do things that will go undone unless He acts in a supernatural way.

One of those prayers is for a substantial amount of volunteers and leaders to rise up before the launch date of Freedom Church. The amount of volunteers I am praying for is, by all human standards, utterly ridiculous. But you know, Noah probably looked pretty ridiculous when he was building a gigantic boat. Moses probably looked pretty ridiculous holding a stick in the water before it parted the Red Sea. And David probably looked pretty ridiculous walking up to a man twice his height with only a sling shot and a few stones. But when it is all said done God demonstrates His power and His splendor in the most unlikely, ridiculous, and unpromising situations.

God shows up in the realm of the impossible....that is why I am praying for the impossible...I desire for God to show up!! I don't merely want to see what I can do....I want to see what God can do!!

My Freedom Announcement

Freedom Church. This is the dream. Now it is the reality. Freedom IS coming. I am going to join. I have joined. I have committed to join the staff of Freedom Church as the Connections Pastor. I will be on the team with some of the most gifted and talented people I know, J.R., Todd, Jon, and Stevie. Our desire is that God will use Freedom Church to reach Acworth, GA and the World. We are in a time of stategizing, fundraising (show me the money), moving (some of us...trying), praying, creating, dreaming, networking, learning, fearing, believing, and trusting. God has called, we have answered. Join us as we seek the mission of God to take the Gospel to the world. Partner with us as we dare to dream and live the impossible. Go to freedomlive.net and learn more about Freedom Church, and see how you can partner with us in spreading the hope of Jesus.

I could not be more excited about what God is doing. I am pumped to see what God is going to do. I cannot wait to do life with the guys of Freedom Church. Let's dream huge, let's live in the realm of the impossible (Ephesians 3:20)!!!

Drinkin', Smokin', Boozin', Snortin'

I do none of those things, but my desire is to reach those who do. I am not interested in reaching those who go to other churches and are disgruntle because so and so ticked them off, or they got voted off the personnel committee. I want to reach those people who think that church is dumb, Christians are idiots, and God is just the figment of the imagination of the weak minded and simple. I want to reach those people who would rather be skiing on some lake, grilling out cheeseburgers, and doing some fishing at the cabin on Sundays rather than go to some church and be religious.

I want to reach those people who spend their spare time on the golf course, and flirting with other men's wives, those people who sell their bodies for money, those people whose living depends on how much they sell of what is cooking or growing in the basement, those people who feel like living another moment is worthless and whose minds are filled continually with thoughts of ending it themselves, those people who have been told they are useless and good for nothing, those men who sleep with other men, those women who sleep with other women, those people who share each others marriage beds, those people who live with someone they are not married to, those knocked up teenage girls who everyone deems a slut, those people whose every night ends with empty bottles and faint memories, those people who have gained the whole world, yet still feel something is missing, those people who think life is great yet go to bed wondering "is this all there is?"....these are the people Christ died for! These are the people I want to attend our church.

I don't want to reach the pissed off Sunday School teacher who is mad at their church because they got a new pastor, or the Christian who wants to go to another church because they don't like the music at theirs, or because some pastor didn't visit them in the hospital....I want those who never think twice about darkening the doors of a church, those who are desperately searching to CONNECT with their Creator by any means possible...that is who I want to reach...that is who Freedom Church will reach!!!!

My Trip To The "Holy Land": Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Philippi is the farthest north Jesus ever traveled as recorded in Scripture. This photo is of an ancient Roman Temple built for the god Pan. The cut out arches in the rock are where the Romans placed statues of their gods. This was the back drop in which Jesus questioned the disciples about who they thought He was. It is here were He told the disciples that upon "this rock I will build my church." He told them that "the gates of Hell will not prevail against" the rock that was Him. These rocks lie in ruins, and the rock statues of the false gods are no longer standing. But the Church of Christ remains steadfast built upon the Rock that not even Hell will ever overcome!!

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:13-20)

Miscellaneous Day

Today was a cool day. Picked up furniture that was donated to Freedom Church by Northstar Church. Can't believe how generous they have been. They gave us more furniture than we could actually take. Much thanks goes out the guys at Northstar!!

In addition to picking up furniture I played a little tennis with J.R. That did not go so well for me. It has been an incredibly long time since I played tennis so I pretty much looked like a complete and total idiot running around the court with a tennis racket swatting at flies. Maybe next time will be a better experience.

After the tennis we went for a little run. I pretty much suck at that too, but I definitely need to get better at it. A lot less eating and a lot more running is what I need.

Got pulled over on the way home from running. Nothing is more horrifying than those blue lights flashing in the rear view. I knew why they pulled me over. I wasn't speeding or anything, my tag is expired. I paid for the new ones, but we did it through the mail for the first time and for some reason they have never sent them. The officer told me they came back good, which I was pretty sure they would because they already cashed the check. So fortunately I did not get a ticket. The irony of it all is that I just told J.R. today I have not gotten a ticket in 5 years....the streak continues...hopefully for a lot longer.

Talked a lot about the future and Freedom Church. So very pumped about this endeavor. Tomorrow I will share all about this and what it has to do with me.

Road Trip

Headed out today on a road trip with pastor....it has been a while since we have been on the old tour bus traveling the country. Our last trip was almost a month ago, which is off the pace of about 2 or 3 times a week for the past 4 months. Looking forward to the trip, but it is going to be a long drive. We are headed up to Greensboro, NC. It's about 6 hours from here. The good thing is that we get to ride in the luxury of Newsong's tour bus. They allow pastor to use it when they are not. It is complete with a well stocked fridge, plenty of snacks, satelite T.V., XBOX, bunk beds...so it won't be that bad of a 6 hour trip. It's always fun to hang with pastor J...you always learn something...still can't believe I get to do this!

I Love Church Planters

The call on my life to plant a church is so clear. Over the past year or so I have dove in to the "realm" of church planting and church planters. It has been awesome. Today I went to check out Ridgestone Church where Gary is doing some amazing things. It was awesome and they are about to do the impossible...but that is a good thing because that is where God is good at showing Himself. I am pumped and excited about what they are doing and will look forward to watching God work!

Just a few minutes ago I read a blog by my friend Shawn. Shawn was talking about multi-site churches. They are about to go multi-site...which is something that seems to be really effective in today's church. What most pastors are doing though is broadcasting themselves via video into other campuses. Shawn does not want to do this. It is the first time I have heard of someone wanting to train up and empower others to communicate the gospel in this endeavor of being multi-site. I have been thinking about multi-site and the idea of piping yourself in....I never was comfortable with that idea, so when Shawn said they were going to do multi-site I was watching to see how they were going to do it. I love what he is doing. This is what it is all about....equipping others....go read this blog. Shawn never ceases to amaze me.

Numero Dos!!! Unbelievable!!

Yep....that is what it says....we are pregnant again!! Honestly...it wasn't really part of our plan, but very obviously apart of God's plan. We wanted more children...we just did not realize it would be this soon after the first one. Noah is just under 6 months old...so his little brother/sister won't be far behind him. We could not be more excited about having another baby though. Nothing has brought us more joy than our little Noah man, so now we just get double the joy and double the fun!!

I tricked Heather a little bit on this one. You see we have this pact. Whenever she gets the hunch that she might be pregnant she gets the pregnancy test, but I am the one that goes in to check the answer. We bought one of those bargain Wal-Mart ones (we did this the first time too), you know the ones with the lines. Well the plus sign was there but the vertical line was light....makes it a little confusing. So I sent Heather back out for the ones that just say it. Well, when I went in to check it I came back out and told her it said not pregnant. Her immediate action was "That's Cool"...which translates..."that really sucks!". So I hugged her and told her it was okay because we have plenty of time for more kids. Then she told me she was fine, but I could see it in her eyes...I asked her if she was about to cry, and she said no. Then I said...."that's good because your pregnant!" Then she started crying...tears of joy. I know I am mean...but it made it really fun!! We are so pumped about having a second one on the way!! Thank you Jesus for Babies!!

My Trip To The "Holy Land": The Sea Of Galilee

In Israel there are a lot of what they call "traditional sites" and "authentic sites". Traditional sites are those sites which are possible sites where certain events in biblical history took place, while the authentic sites are those that scholars know are the actual sites where events took place. The Sea of Galilee is an authentic site. This is the actual sea that Jesus walked on. This is the actual sea where Jesus calmed the storm. This is the actual sea where Jesus came after his resurrection from the dead to get His disciples who had gone back to their day job. This is the sea where Jesus told Peter to throw down his net on the other side and he caught more fish than his boat hold. This is the sea Jesus crossed when He went and cast the demon out of the Gerasene man. The Sea of Galilee is the sight of numerous events in Jesus ministry. It was an unbelievable experience to ride on a boat where the Lord Jesus Himself once walked...He walked upon that sea!! What a moment!

Starbucks Chats

I had a couple of good "Starbucks Chats" yesterday. I love Starbucks. It is such a cool place. You can go there and just hang out, meet friends, read a book, have a business meeting, drink delightfully delicious coffee, and if you hang out there long enough....you will get free samples.

I had 2 meetings at Starbucks yesterday....so needless to say I was on a pretty good caffeine buzz all day...which is good because I have started this new thing at my house to help out my wife. I have been getting up with Noah in the mornings so she can get a little more sleep before taking care of him all day....he has been getting up early this week so the caffeine was good.

I met with my friend Drew for a little while and we just hung out and talked. We go way back. He is a cool guy. Our friendship has changed over the past couple of months....the past year actually, but it is cool. Drew is a really gifted individual and very down to earth guy...it was good to hang with him.

I also met with Louie Lovoy. Louie is the Pastor of Guest Services/Volunteers at MLC. Louie is extremely cool guy who gave me lots of practical advice and tools. He supplied me with some resources and was so open to helping me out. What a cool guy. It is just another reason I love MLC. I think they have the most helpful and generous and gifted leaders over there...so grateful for all they have done for me and the rest of our team.

Thanks to Starbucks for letting us meet in your facilities and allowing us to partake in the Divine beverages that are offered is various forms.

My Trip To The "Holy Land": The Wailing Wall

The most holy place in the world for the Jew is the Wailing Wall, or the Kotel. It is such because it is the remains of the Western wall of the 2nd Temple. It was built for the Jewish people by Herod the Great and stood from around 516 B.C. to 70 A.D. when it was destroyed, as prophesied by Jesus. The Western wall of the Temple would have been the closest in proximity to where the Holy of Holies was located in the time which it stood. Because of this the Jewish people come from all over the world to pray at the Wailing Wall deeming it a Holy place. It was an incredible sight to see. It is crazy that at one time the presence of God dwelt right there near that very spot, furthermore, it is crazy that the Word of God in flesh walked upon those very grounds. I am glad though that because God did come and dwell among us that I do not need a wall to visit to get into His presence, but that His Holy Spirit dwells within me. I am glad that the curtain that once hung in that Temple separating man from the Holy of Holies was torn into (Luke 23:45), and now all can come into the presence of God through the Person of Jesus!

Funny Things I've Read In The Bible This Week

Here are some funny things that I read in the Bible this week. I know those who are super spiritual will think I am blasphemous because I am saying that there are things in the Bible that are funny, but I don't care because I thought these were funny...get over it.

• "When Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes (Judges 1:6)." -big toes....that is funny
• "...Eglon king of Moab, who was an extremely fat man (Judges 3:17)." -what a way to be remembered and described to others....that is funny
• "Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly (Judges 3:22)." -get in my belly!! Poor guy....but it's funny

I am sure that these are not meant to be funny, but let's face it to the modern day reader of these passages...they're funny!

I Love Mountain Lake Church

I really do. Shawn is awesome and never ceases to amaze me with his kindness and wisdom. Casey is cool and he so desires to help anyway he can. Tomorrow I am going to hang out with Louie. Louie is the Pastor of Volunteers at MLC. He is sure to give me great insight. This past Saturday me and some friends visited MLC and Shawn invited us to sit in on a meeting following the 2nd service on Saturday. It was a meeting with the Lead Staff critiquing the service so that they could make it better for the 3 Sunday Services. They gave open and honest critique of everything from the music all the way down to Shawn's sermon. It was so cool to see the behind the scenes of how MLC makes it work week in and week out. They are so cool and I am so glad that I met Shawn last year. Can't wait to see all the exciting things they are going to do and I can't wait to learn more from them. Great church.....thanks MLC and thanks Shawn and the gang!!

Creating A "Buzz"

When Jesus took his triumphal march into Jerusalem on a Donkey (I guess the modern day equivalent of a convertible) it created quite a buzz (I was just walked down the Mount of Olives last week were this took place...pretty crazy). There were two camps of people following Jesus that day. There were those who were pumped about Jesus and they were shouting and praising God. These people were excited about what God was doing their midst. They were so excited to be a part of what was taking place. They were sold out the cause of Jesus. Then there was another group of people that were not so happy. I bet you can guess who those people were....that's right it was the religious folks, the Pharisees. They told Jesus to rebuke his disciples and tell them to shut their yappers. But Jesus being the leader he was told those religious dudes that even if they did shut up the rocks would scream out in praise (raise your hands if you would like to have seen that!!). Creating a buzz for Jesus is no different now than it was some 2000 years ago. There are people that are pumped about the vision of making the name of Jesus famous. There are people amped up about being apart of something bigger than themselves. There are people that are so jacked up about the mission of taking Jesus to a lost and disconnected people. But where there are these people, there are the religious folks who are going to try and shut you up. You can just bet if you start creating a buzz that you will make some noise in your community, and it will come from both camps. But rest assured in the words that are recorded in Luke 19:47-48

"Every day He was teaching in the temple complex. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were looking for a way to destroy Him, but they could not find a way to do it, because all the people were captivated by what they heard."

Regardless of who might try to destroy you and your vision to proclaim Jesus to the world if it is of Jesus they will not be able to do it and people will be captivated by what they hear.

Dr. Jerry Falwell...We Will Miss You

I could hardly believe the news this afternoon that Dr. Jerry Falwell had gone to be with Jesus. A man with unprecedented passion, vision, leadership...a pastor and a pastor's pastor. I will never forget the night that I had the opportunity to drive to the airport with Dr. Falwell. He simply asked me, "Mark, what can I do for you?" I of course did what any young preacher would do in that moment, I asked him as many questions as possible. I wanted to somehow take brief moment and drink from the wellspring of knowledge and wisdom that was Dr. Falwell. He freely offered me wisdom and advice, and then he did something I never expected. When we arrived at the airport for him to board his private jet Dr. Falwell stayed behind while his entourage went to the plane. He preceded to give me advice and then grabbed the hands of me and my friend Drew, who was with me, and right then and there he prayed for us. That moment impacted my life greatly. Who was I in the presence of the this great leader? But yet, I was somebody, and he made me feel that way. Dr. Falwell is the personification of a dreamer who chased his dreams with relentless passion....all the way down to his last moment. The world will miss you Dr. Falwell.

Noah's Mom Has Got It Going On

That's right...and I am in love with Noah's mom. Noah is my awesome five month old baby boy, and yesterday was his mommy's very first Mother's Day. I already new that Heather made a great wife, but now I have been able to witness how great of a mommy she is too. Nothing gives her more joy than being my wife and the mother of our son. She is so awesome! Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." And Proverbs 12:4 says "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband." I have found a good and excellent thing for sure, and she is definitely my crown. Noah is the luckiest boy on the planet to have Heather as his mommy, and I am the most fortunate man to have such an incredible and beautiful wife as her. I hope she had the best first Mother's Day ever. I love you lady!

God Bless America!

Well it has been a long time since I have been in the blog world...here is why: I have been out of the country. I just returned Thursday from spending 10 days in Israel. My pastor took a team of us on a tour of the "Holy Land." It was pretty awesome seeing the places where Jesus actually walked! However, America is awesome!! I really am proud to be an American! I will definitely be singing "God Bless America" with a lot more enthusiasm this 4th of July! As much as I enjoyed my experience, there is no place like home. Besides missing the States I missed my beautiful wife and my baby boy like you wouldn't believe. I was so happy to kiss their faces when I got off that plane, the plane I was on for 13 hours sitting next to a lady who trashed our whole row with garbage and clothes and toys for her baby (the plane ride home was not such a pleasant experience to say the least). I spent the weekend hanging out with my family and celebrating Mother's Day, but now I am back to the blogging world.