Ok... Missed another Friday Five... So Here ya have it... Saturday Seven!

• This video about Cross Point Community Church is an example of what Revolution Church is going to be about! It is a great example of The Church at it's best!  Way to go Pete!!  It's so great to see what God is doing in your church and your life!!
• I was listening to a sermon this week by Steven Furtick, when he dropped this quote about how us parents look at our children. WOW!

What if we saw our children as more than a storm to survive.
What if we saw them as a mountain that God wanted to give you.
What if instead of your cross to bear, they became your destiny to share.

• Enjoying Twitting! I am now able to see what is going on in the lives of Susanne, Priscilla, Diana, Page, Chris, Dean, Chris, Pete, J.R., Adam, Tadd, Jay, & Boyd!
• Geek Alert: I got a free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008 last Tuesday at a Microsoft Launch Event.
• I know I have said this numerous times... but this will probably not be the last time. I so enjoy going to the baseball & softball fields. Pouring the love of Christ into those kids... Watching my own kids smile and enjoy themselves... Meeting new people... Hearing their stories of life... Celebrating their kids with them... Having great parents on my team to cheer us on... I think I will continue to coach even when my kids are out of it...
• Susanne & I have a friendly competition with Charles & Priscilla Russell (by the way... Charles, ya gotta get a blog!). What is the competition??? BIGGEST LOSER! We are on a mission to not only get spiritually fit... but physically fit too! After the first four weeks... I have lost 2.59% of my body weight! I am on my way. Thanks Shawn Lovejoy for your message on personal discipline.
• I celebrated loosing 4 pounds last week with a huge helping of homemade peach cobbler (yes... I make a mean cobbler) with two scoops of ice cream... yum yum good! It's my Grandma Reeder's recipe. And yes Priscilla... it was "low fat" cobbler!

Finally... our family is over the sickness! For those who don't know... My family has been sick since March 19th. Susanne started it! It has not been fun... Today, we appear to be over it. Praise the Lord... Hallelujah!!!

So, in the spirit of celebration... we went out on the town for family night.

1. Went to the Waffle & Grill for some pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, waffles, and water... Yes Priscilla, that is on the diet and it is good for ya. It was low fat bacon. hehe
2. Went across town to Books-A-Million. (yup... you guessed it.. to get my Bible) It was a hard choice between two ESV Bibles.

   ESV, Personal Size Reference Bible (TruTone, Chestnut, Crest)
   vs.
   ESV Thinline Bible, TruTone, Charcoal, Celtic Cross Design, Red Letter Text

   The ESV was my choice... hehe... I took the advice of a wise young man.
3. While at Books-A-Million, Susanne got a new Bible too! A pretty pink one.
4. For what I am about to say here... you might better sit down. It will be HARD TO BELIEVE!
   I have been coffee free since March 13th! I am a serious coffee drinker... I even give coffee to my house plants. It makes them GROW like crazy.(see here & here) The picture is one of me TONIGHT getting a Caramel Macchiato from Joe Muggs. It was da' bomb! I think that was the longest span I have gone without coffee in 10+ years! What was I thinking?!?! Every time I would think about coffee, I would go get a cup of water. I think water is the only thing that makes you pee more than coffee!
5. Well, my wife decided to wear one of my gray T-Shirts to sleep in tonight. She is way hotter than that coffee ever thought about being. Man, after that sentence, my mind is not thinking about blogging anymore... gotta go!

• It was great to be able to go back to Unleash Conference at NewSpring last week, the place God put His calling on my life. It was 53 weeks ago that God called me and Susanne to plant Revolution Church in Florence, SC. It was very emotional and a moving time in my life to have my wife and 2 dear friends pray over me at Unleash this year. One of the best memories of my life! It was also great to have my pastor there with us. It was also cool to see Clayton King's face while talking with him and his wife Nancy. I, like Clayton, have a lot of love for Howard Allen.
  
• My friend Jay Hardwick spoke to me through his Move On post. Last week as many of you know, I took the weekend off to Be Still. I think my being still was out of desperation to hear from God. I was second guessing myself. I am sure that Jay and I are the only two church planters to EVER do that... I am sure!
  
  "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring today...the Lord will fight for you; you need only be still." Exodus 14:13-14
  
• "Some people pray like they know how to pray.  He prayed like he knew the One he was praying to"
  That is what I want people to say about me. God challenged me to talk to Him and to never doubt Him through Steven Furtick's post about Cliff Barrows.
  
  "David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished." 1 Chronicles 28:20
  
• One of my new friends J.R. Lee challenged me to never say "that’s just who I am" and to always look for ways improve myself with this post.
  
  My prayer is that, "this is just who I am" never get’s in the way of "this is who God wants me to become".  --J.R. Lee
  
• I so enjoy Easter. It is a time to dye Easter eggs with the kids, spend time with family learning about Jesus' Resurrection (we use Resurrection Eggs, great for 3-8 year olds), and to remember & celebrate that Jesus is alive and the tomb is empty!! ...It is also a  great time to amaze the kids by blowing eggs (no, that is not me)!
  

• Emilee Reeder: Susanne and the boys went "out on the town" tonight and left me and Emilee to have a father daughter night. We started it out right... ICE CREAM!!! Then we snuggled up and watch Freaky Friday. She said "dad, what if we woke up and had changed places" I told her... girl... that would not be good!
  
• Vince Antonucci: He shared his thoughts on homosexuality. Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). The more I read by Vince, the more I wanna read.
  
• Dave Anderson: He reminded me to look in the mirror and celebrate the person God created me to be.
  
  "But I am fearfully and wonderfully made and even though I think I suck at most everything - God doesn't think that at all and believes that I can make a difference in the world"
  
• Chris Elrod: I am so glad I met him at Evolve! Earlier this week, he shared a story about Pete on his blog. Who is Pete? A man with a tattoo that reads "Hell Bound"... One problem... he wont be going there!
  
• Tammi (AKA: ValleyGirl): She got my attention with her PG-13... maybe even R Rated Love Letter! Brace yourself...

Dear ValleyGirl,

I will seek and I will find you.
I shall take you to bed and have my way with you.
I will make you ache, shake & sweat until you moan & groan.
I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop.
I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I'm finished with you.


And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.

All my love,
The Flu

Man what a week... the next 4 will be like drinking water from a fire hose... so, please forgive me if my blogging declines... I will try and share what God is doing as much as I can...

Without further a' do,

• Evolve: That is the conference Susanne and I get to attend Monday & Tuesday! I get to hopefully meet Shawn, Paul, J.R., & Mark. If you are reading this blog and planning on being there, please leave me a comment and then memorize the pretty face to the right so you can say hey in Cumming, GA.
• Inadequate: Jeff Kapusta shared a little challenge with his comments about Moses. Moses wonders who will go with him... God says... "I'll go with you" Isn't that awesome. Then Moses states "For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.” So to steal Jeff's words... What sets you apart? Thanks Jeff!
• SEX: Pastor Paul Wirth of The Relevant Church put a challenge to his congregation... (here are a few quotes about the challenge)
  "Single men and women can't have sex for 30 days, and married couples are urged to have it every day."
  "If you look at studies, studies say in 30 days you can develop a habit"
  "Our married people are far more fearful than our single people"
• MEN: Men really make a difference. So many guys fall short when it comes to being the MAN God intended them to be. Am I perfect?... NO, but I strive to be the best I can. As Rindy & Paul point out, men can truly impact others, especially children, if they will simply step up to the plate. Don't be afraid to spend time with the children in your life... whether they are yours, or not... Children are our now!!!
• WOMAN: I would have to agree with Steven's thoughts... Susanne (my wife) is my Chief Advisor. She is my best friend, guidance councilor, sounding board, reality check, grammar teacher, and has agreed to the 30 day challenge (ok... I made that one up). She truly is my #2 (Jesus is my #1) and the best thing to ever happen to me! I could not imagine doing life with anyone else! I love you, Susanne!!!

• Mike Thompson challenged me with this:
  "Ask yourself some questions, "Who created you?" "Who offers you salvation?" "What did it cost God to provide you with freedom?" "Who has the right to run your life?"
  As you moved through those questions did you get the idea that God created you, redeemed you, and knows what is best for you? If that is the case then why do we have such a hard time trusting in His plan for our lives? "
• Rindy Walton and Habakkuk encouraged me with this:
  In the NLT: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” (Hab 3:19)
  "Faith in God is the rock on which we stand. God will give us strength and an underlying sense of peace regardless of circumstances. "
• Chris Elrod provided guidance with this:
  (Marks of Success)
• Was I a Godly husband?
• Was the Word of God preached without compromise every time I stepped into the pulpit?
• Did I get to experience someone come to Christ for the first time?
• Did I get to baptize someone?
• Did I see total life change in someone?
• Did I help someone start the discipleship process?
• Did I watch someone develop into a Christian leader?
• Did I see more people commit to the calling of Compass Point Revolution Church than the year before?
• Jonathan Everette shows how to have true success with this:
  "I just had a thought... If we plant a church and it grows big and is the envy of every church planter around, but it's not what God had in mind then I have not been successful. The same could be said of whatever you do with your life. I want to be successful because I was obedient to what God has called me to do. "
• Perry Noble shared what it would be like to take the church backwards (way backwards) with this:
  “What is it about the first three hundred years of the church that made it so powerful?”
• Passion for Jesus
• They were non-religious
• Strong Community
• Urgency
• Anticipation
• A Recognition and respect of leadership
• Involvement
• Willingness to be persecuted
• They saw things happen
• They taught truth
• Todd Miller hit a home run with this:
  "One cannot be a leader for Christ unless you are actively, regularly, and consistently learning and engaging yourself with God. Unless you are seeking the Holy Spirit to fill you and guide your every word and action, you cannot be a leader for Christ. Because, unless you are doing those things, you are working and trying to lead from your own personal agenda, and not from God's agenda. You can't be a Christ-centered leader unless you have totally surrendered your own agenda in favor of His."

I know... I know... I can count! I know that was six...

• Not that I need another book, but I really want I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion by Vince Antonucci. What an awesome book title! It's not like I don't already have tons of books that are just waiting to be read... Let's see... 332 Days till my birthday...
• Found a great quote over at Pudge Huckaby's blog:
  “The product of ONE person’s talent, ideas & ability will NEVER be as great as the product of one person who rallies & pools together the talents, ideas & abilities of MANY.”
• Did you know that only 21% of church goers actually read the church bulletin. That means almost 4 in 5 people will not!!! (thanks to ChurchMarketingSucks.com for the tid-bit) Here are a few other thoughts for church printing needs.
• I sure do love my wife! She took care of her baby (me) on Monday while sick! Being sick was most definitely not the highlight of my week. That was for the BIRDS!!!
• You would not believe the peace that has come over me about us naming Revolution Church. J. D. Greear had a great blog title that spoke volumes to me this week (adapted for us):

Is Hell afraid of what Revolution Church is going to do in Florence, SC?

BTW: Can you actually believe that picture? Reserved Parking for Church Members? Appears they are a little inward focused!!! (Thanks Shawn for the pic.)

I will fall in with Jay and Michael for this week's Friday Five.

Here are Five Pastors I'd love to meet:

1. Craig Groeschel would have to be my #1. He has challenged me with sermons and these two quotes that totally changed my life! We should all ask ourselves these questions.
1. If money were no object, and I could do anything I wanted for the rest of my life, what would I do?
2. Besides loving, caring for, and ministering to those most important to me, what is the number one thing that I believe God wants to accomplish through me?
2. Perry Noble: He is a must meet. I must confess though... I did meet him at Unleashed for about 30 seconds (that does not count). My boss asked him how he was doing before his first session to which he replied... "I am fixin' to throw UP!" As much as I talk about him and share how he challenged me with these two quotes, he is definitely on my list...
1. What is the one thing you know God wants you to do–but you constantly refuse because, in order to be obedient you would have to be willing to get uncomfortable?
2. What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew you could not fail?
3. Michael Lukaszewski: His blog has challenged me and continues to do so. I shared about Michael last week in my Friday Five. (Man Michael, I must be your Tony Morgan or something!)
   
4. Mark Batterson: He appears so humble and so in love with his family. I can so relate with that. Be sure to check out his Lion Chasers Manifesto! And if you have not read In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars you are missing out! That is a MUST READ!!!
   
5. Andy Stanley: He is also one of those humble leaders that get the job done. What would be really neat would be to sit and talk with both he and his dad about how their methodologies are so different but the message is the same.

Maybe I will meet a few of them at either ChurchPlanters.com The Conference or Unleashed 2008!

1. Great Quote from Erwin McManus, from ChristianToday.com, on why churches are declining in America... because they are self-centered.:
   “My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them... there is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ."
2. The Chart on the right is very eye opening. The SBC is losing the younger evangelicals (18-39 years old). More details and graphs here. I will leave it up to you for the reasons... (credit: Ed Stetzer)
3. http://www.dumpyourjunk.net
   What a great idea from Steven Gibbs & Staff @ StoneCreek Church!!!
4. I am really diggin this guy (Michael Lukaszewski) and Oak Leaf Church. I gotta plan a trip down to Cartersville, Georgia. Here's a few reasons why...
• Current series... "Google". How awesome is that... they are addressing fame, sex, politics, and money.
• Last weeks message was titled "Great Sex". Oh no! He talked about SEX in church!!!
• They share their resources at their church blog: http://behindtheleaf.wordpress.com
• And where they get "stuff" to make ministry excellent.
• Involve the youth (Student Ministry @ Oak Leaf Church)
  "the main reason that teenagers leave the church after high school is because they were never part of the church in the first place."
5. It is an awesome site to see how God has taken willing servants of God and grow His Church... Check out this site for a great testimony of what God is capable of doing...

If you are in South Carolina: Don't forget to vote in the Republican Primary this Saturday, January 19th (a special day... for special someone... more on that later). Or, if I must, the 民主党主要 on January 26th. (hint... that is Chinese!)

I know... it is Thursday night... Close enough... tomorrow will be busy...

Thursday nights are Family Night. Nothing but family on Thursday nights. (Schedule is clear)

I have to share the top 5 items that happened during our family night devotion (They have been about God's Promises all week).

1. When asked, How does this make you feel: "God watches over people who do what's right? (Psalm 1:6)
   Jake responded with a mouth full of garlic bread... "That don't make me feel so good because sometimes I am BAD!"
2. When asked, How does this make you feel: "God will help you." (Isaiah 41:13)
   Jake responded... "That's not always true, because when I am cleaning up my room.. God doesn't even pick up one toy!"
3. When asked, How does this promise make you feel: "You will live with Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:11)
   Jake said, "That makes me feel fantastic... because I'm going to be real surprised when I get up to that Heaven!!"
4. After I prayed... Sam said he wanted to pray too... "Dear Jesus, please help... " and he went down the list... then again... then again... Needless to say... Our family is prayed up!!  Mrs. Russell (his teacher) took home the trophy... he prayed for her EIGHT times!!
5. After our time of devotion was over, and Sam finally finished his marathon of a prayer, Emilee exclaimed..."YES!!! Now we can play the Wii!!".

If you and your family do not have a family night... I encourage you to set aside a single night (more if you want), to spend time to study God's word and pray as a family. If you do not already have a devotion book... Day by Day Devotions: A year of character building devotions for kids by Karyn Henley is a great one!

1. Can you say Jacob "Snaggletooth" Reeder? Yesterday when I got home... Jake had something to show me he has never shown me before. His momma pulled his first tooth. I tried my best to get him to let me put it under my pillow, but he would not give in. He even threatened to "bust me up" (hurt me) if I tried to take it.
2. I am officially 32 years old now. My family and I had a wonderful day last Saturday celebrating me turning into an old man! Several co-workers took me out to get ice-cream to celebrate, too... (Yum!) While on that trip, one found out I was "ONLY 32". What I want to know is... Does the gray hair really make me look THAT old?
3. Yet another addiction: I am going to have to sign up for addictions anonymous. (for all you "serious" people out there... I am not really addicted!) But I do enjoy it. Facebook!  Finally, a social network site that is actually pretty well done. Check out the new Facebook addition to my website and view  my profile here. Feel free to add me as a friend!
4. TONIGHT IS A DATE NIGHT!!! Susanne and I are going on a triple date tonight to The Railway Restaurant in the huge metropolis of Lake City, SC. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with everyone!
5. As I am finishing this post... Jake comes  in here to show me what the tooth fairy left under his pillow. FIVE BUCKS!!! Man, I should have snuck in his room and took that TOOTH!

• Santa Rocks! Christmas was such a blessing. I can say our family is closer now than ever...
• My Wife Rocks MORE! She is so supportive and such an encourager for me. It is so awesome to have a wife that believes in you. It does help that she is cooking up a storm with her new 5-Quart Smart-Pot Crock-Pot. Yum Yum!!! Set it and forget it, Baby!!!
• Finished reading Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger. I want to share a few quotes from it...
• Complexity is often synonymous with mediocrity.
• Perhaps we (the church) are not losing ground despite our overabundance of activity, but because of it.
• Great organizations are focused.
• Focus requires saying "yes" to the best, and "no" to everything else.
• You are a builder, and focus is mandatory. While clarity, movement, and alignment are essential, they are meaningless without focus.
• Hell will not be able to hold back the church.  Jesus says (Matt. 16:18) he is going to unleash a movement that will be so powerful and intense hat it will be unstoppable.  This movement is the church. (AMEN!!)
• The Simple Church revolution has begun (indeed it has!)
• 2008 is going to be a new beginning. The number eight symbolizes resurrection and a new beginning in the Bible. Here are some explanations of the Number 8 in Scripture (from BibleStudy.org)
• As a participle it means "one who abounds in strength," etc. (God, give us that strength we need to do your work!)
• As a noun it is "superabundant fertility" (God, increase our wisdom!)
• It is 7 plus 1. Hence it is the number specially associated with Resurrection and Regeneration, and the beginning of a new era or order. (God, help us to show Florence Jesus in 2008!)
• Starting January 2008... I will be sharing the vision God has given me for our church plant. I will be sharing my testimony, calling, and vision... Stay tuned!!!

Brace yourself... Here is the second installment of Friday Five.

AND NO... The list does not contain or discuss BOOBIES!!!

1. Mark Batterson has inspired a new year resolution with his Chili Bowl post. No... not to eat more food in 2008. He has FSMs (Father/ Son Meetings). I have taken my daughter on dates in the past... but what about my two boys. Thanks Mark!
2. If you enjoy photography, you will enjoy this site(http://interfacelift.com).  You can find some awesome pictures to use for you computer's wallpaper... You can also subscribe to the latest wallpapers here.
3. Tadd Grandstaff and several others had a great idea (I think Gary Lamb put it together). They formed a group of church planters/ pastors to share ideas, concerns, and struggles. It will be a great time for the younger pastors to glen information. Any Mid-State to Eastern South Carolina Church Planters out there that would like to get together to form a group?
4. Brad Martin shared his Live Development Plan (see below). I think this may very well become my new year goals!
   • Spend Daily Time With God by reading & studying His Word
   • Surround myself with GODLY leaders
   • Meet regularly with my Mentors, Accountability Partners & Lead Team
   • Take my wife out on more dates  (Susanne... can I get an AMEN!)
   • Spend quality time with my kids
   • Spend more time with friends
   • Read more books on leadership & pastoring
   • Continue paying off debt
   • Go to at least two conferences every year
   • Take risks as a leader and pastor
   • Start working out (MAN... HE HAD TO SAY THAT ONE DIDN'T HE!)
5. I am almost finished with Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples. I encourage any current or future pastor to read this book. It focuses on a real problem that most churches have; the need for the church to function as one unit and not each group/ committee/ class to be doing their own thing. Keep things SIMPLE! Can't wait to get started reading Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.

Ok... I now have the motivation to start a "Friday Five" list inspired by Jay Hardwick and Susanne.

So, to kick this party off, I wanted to be a little light hearted and not too serious...

Go ahead and forgive me fuddie-dud people! Smile a little!

1. My youngest son (Sam, 3 years old) said "Look Mama!! Ders, rwed (red) boobies,"
2. Sam also said "and dween (green) boobies"
3. Sam also said "and purpuh (purple) boobies"
4. Sam also said "and bweu (blue) boobies"
5. Sam also said "and ders YOUR boobies!!!"

Ya see... That's what you get when you take a three year old to Victoria Secret! Read the entire story here.