How Cool! Just found it!

http://heroeswiki.com

Complete with...

• Did You Know
• Article of the Week
• And Character Information

Susanne and I watched a movie yesterday that inspired this post. Thanks David for allowing us to borrow it.

The name of the movie is Joshua.

In the movie, Joshua was a leader by example! He took a small town and radically changed it for the better. The town learned to care for one another through seeing Joshua do it. It was contagious! If you are a Christian, God has called you to be just like Jesus. To show love!

When you see hurt, reach out the best way you can.

When you see devastation, figure out how you can help.

When you see kids playing and smiling, smile with them.

When you see someone a dollar short at the cash register, give them a dollar.

When you see someone that needs a friend, be that friend.

You may be the only person able to minister to that person for Jesus.

Two thousand years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, what Joshua said in this movie is still true.

The message is still the same. Tell My people I love them!

God's love is for everyone and we have been called to tell the world.

My Pastor, Howard Allen, has shown me how to love everyone. I have seen him show it in so man ways when he didn't even notice I was watching. He and Mrs. Nancy has shown love to me, Susanne, and the kids too. They have become like second parents for us. Thanks Howard and Nancy for loving us just like Jesus!

I leave you with this challenge: Love one another! It really can impact someone's life!

Thanks to Josh Griffin!!!

Now I know what Jeffery Allen does all week!!! hehe...

Howard, are you in on this stuff too? If so, can I get in on the fun???

Which Hero are you? In case you have been in a closet or under a bed for the past year... There is a great show on TV called Heroes. Monday night... 9:00 PM... NBC... Thanks Dean, James, and Daniel for getting me introduced to Heroes.

If you have been following it... find out which Hero you are here.

And for the record... The site reports that I am Suresh.

Your "power" is in your leadership and your ability to organize those around you. You may not be able to fly or have incredible strength, but your great knowledge makes you a real superhero.

If you take the test, drop me a comment and let me know which Hero you are...

Thanks Kem for the link.

For those  who do not know, I love the United States of America. I pray that God puts people in power that can lead the way He wants us to be lead.

SO.... Who do you like for the 2008 Presidential Race?

Here are two sites to help you decide:

First is a Silverlight driven website that allows the user (you) to see how candidates stand on issues.

MSN Election Guide

Microsoft Silverlight will need to be installed on your computer if not already installed. (Download link on the site) For all you techy people (or if you're just curious about my techy side)... you can learn more about Silverlight here.

The next site asks several questions about you and will show you the candidate that matches closest to your stances on certain issues. (Thanks, Susanne, for the link!)

WQAD News Pole

Something unexpected happened when I took that poll... For some reason... All the Democrats were at the bottom!! (hehe)... However, the top candidate was not who I expected.

It was not Mike Huckabee. I still like Mike though!!! He is the man!!!

Some people say that religion and politics should not be mixed. I say... How can they not???

WOW!!! What a great past couple of days! Jesus has been rockin' my world...

Friday I was reading my blogs that I read every day...and boy, this one hit me!!!

"What Would You Be Willing To Attempt For God If You Knew You Could Not Fail?"

In this post, Perry Noble was confronted on why this "attempt for God" was not being pursued.

“You are a coward if you don’t!”

"However, there are MANY reading this right now that know exactly what you would do…you just lack the courage to take a dive of faith. You say you are waiting on God…when, in actuality God is waiting on you! You say you are praying about it…but you really aren’t because every time you do God prompts you to take action–BUT because you don’t have all your questions answered you are SCARED and refuse to move."

Then this morning, Howard Allen (our preacher), preached on having a vision and dreaming dreams. He cast his vision for South Florence: salvations, tithing, staff, membership, and impact on Florence, SC. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18; "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Howard know's where God is taking us... He challenged the entire church to get on board and make a difference in God's Kingdom!

Then on the way home from church... Susanne says... "Chris, I've got a song for you to hear." Here is the chorus...

"Whatever I gotta be
I'll be for you
I'm for you
If you never knew
If you never knew
I'm for you
You know it’s true"

Jesus, I am yours! All I have is yours! All that I am is yours! My service is yours!

Make it clear ...the next step... and I will step!

Happy 29th Birthday Susanne!

Hehe... 29th Birthday... "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!"

I am not telling how many 29th birthdays she has had... BUTTTTTTTT if someone else wants to count the candles and leave a comment for all to see... well, at least it is not me that told everyone!!!

Happy Birthday Susanne!!! You Truly Are Captivating!!!
(Did I just put something in Pink on my blog? Man, I must really love that girl!!!)

BTW: Isn't that a Beautiful Cake her KISA made for her!!!

Talk about a spit your coffee out moment. I just read this post from Mark Driscoll. He spoke about his trip to see some UFC fights in Vegas (Jeffery, right up your alley).

But here was the awesome part. He was witnessing and well... here is the part I loved...

Our cab ride was particularly curious. Our Kenyan Muslim/Voodoo driver and I argued over whether Jesus or voodoo was more powerful. He admitted that voodoo was "kind of satanic," which I told him was like "kind of having herpes" but he was not dissuaded. He said he prayed as a Muslim but also used voodoo to seek revenge on people who sinned against him. When I asked him why he would not simply pray to Jesus for justice, he said, "Yeah, you can do that too, but Jesus takes too long." When I told him I was a Christian preacher he said I should not be in Vegas because it was a place filled with bad people who do bad things . . . such as Muslim cab drivers who do voodoo, I presumed.

I really like the in your face approach of Mark. When people speak AROUND what they are really saying... correct them! Call it for what it is!

Every day at work, school, or even in a taxi cab... we hear people making light of sin... such as that "little white lie", or "I really am a 'good' person", or "I took these towels from a Vegas Hotel". Mark, you didn't take a towel from the hotel did ya? Just kidding!

We as Christians need to take a stand against sin. Always confront in love... but DO confront!!!

Also: Here are some quotes from Mark Driscoll in this video.
(be sure to watch it... definitely worth 2 minutes of your time)

• "People who have a low view of Scripture, have a low view of Preaching"
• "It is through the preaching of God's Word that people are called to repentance"

Today will not focus on a group as much as the lyrics from a group.

I have been really struggling with some decisions for my life lately (Please be in prayer for me). On the way to work this morning... I heard this song at a much needed time!

This Could Be The Song That Will Change Your Heart

There’s a burning in my heart everyday
I come to you, I look to you and say
When will I become everything that you’ve intended me to be

I’m beating at my chest everyday
I run to you, I come to you and say
When will I become everything that you’ve intended me to be

I am so tired, I am so beaten
From walking down this road of shattered dreams [They are not shattered... just unsure]
I am so lonely, I am so broken
Won’t you come, won’t you rescue me

I am so tired, I am so tired, I am so tired, I am so tired
(I’ll be the light inside of you and won’t let go of you)  [Reassurance that God is and will always be there]
Come rescue me, won’t you come, won’t you come
I’m calling out your name

Today was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever witnessed at a church service! We had the entire South Florence High School Football Team visit our church!

Through affiliations with our local FCA chapter, our church has decided to sponsor the team.  Each team member has been assigned to a family in our church to sponsor/mentor . We are so proud to have Brandon Mack (Senior -Wide Receiver) as our player (see picture on right). People all over the church are talking about their players now! How awesome! A chance to make a difference in the lives of 60 of today's youth.

It was great to see the team swaying and rocking back and forth to the rhythm of Psalm 150 (our praise band). With their coaches and parents there... it was PACKED HOUSE!!! Jeffery's message on Gideon and his sharing of Bobby Martin's story was da' bomb.

We as a family have now officially added Brandon to our nightly prayers.

"... and Grandma, and Grandpa, and Mammy, and Brandon."

Jeffery I am proud of you man. The work you are doing (Jeffery is the team chaplain - see picture below) with the team was noticed today. Players were talking and joking around with you! They could tell that you love them!!!

Jesus has called us all to love each other. I am so glad we have the opportunity to express through this ministry.

Brandon, if you see and read this... Please know, we love you and are praying for you and your family!

• Hormone Explosion: here
• "You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don’t have that kind of feeling for what it is you’re doing, you’ll stop at the first giant hurdle." -- George Lucas, Director: here
• 10 Question interview with Mark Batterson of National Community Church: here
  "Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you."
  "The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet."
  "Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it."
• Speachless: here... that dude has issues!!!
• Let's all throw footballs at Lee Corso's head: here
  Lee Corso from ESPN does not believe that South Carolina can win a championship.
• MyNakedPastor.com YouTube contest winner: here (awesome video)
• "God can't steer a parked car fellas" -- Tommy Nelson: here
• 562 People Baptized: here (SIX at a time) One BIG tailgate party!!!
• What it's all about: here
• "The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing ... we don't want anybody in the metro DC area to be able to deny our existence!" -- Mark Batterson: here
• I am Iron Man!!!
  

• More facts about teenagers: here
  What defines teens? 44% say music, 39% family. Todays 30 and under crowd is defined more by music than their mom and dads!
• Casting Crowns' new album was the second highest selling CD behind High School Music 2: here
  Their new cd made a Number 2 debut on the Billboard 200!!!
• 10 Question interview with Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv: here
  "It’s not about you! It’s not about marketing. It’s not about buildings. It’s not about sermon series. It’s not about the music, the lights, or the environment. IT IS ONLY… ALWAYS… ABOUT JESUS!"
• 10 Question interview with Perry Noble of NewSpring Community Church: here
• Eight things Senior Pastors wished their Worship Leaders knew: here
• Seven things Worship Leaders wished their Senior Pastors knew: here
• Tony Morgan has a great deal on three GREAT books (I have all three): here
• Check out the 3 Month Tithing Challenge: here
• Hey Jeffery (any youth pastor), I think we need this for the youth building: here
• Top ten sayings of Mark Batterson: here

I just read this and wanted to share it with ya... This is from USA Today...

Protestant churches are losing young adults in "sobering" numbers, a survey finds.

"This is sobering news that the church needs to change the way it does ministry," says Ed Stetzer, director of Nashville-based LifeWay Research, which is affiliated with the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.

"It seems the teen years are like a free trial on a product. By 18, when it's their choice whether to buy in to church life, many don't feel engaged and welcome," says associate director Scott McConnell.

"Unless religious leaders take younger adults more seriously, the future of American religion is in doubt," says Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow

The proportion of young adults identifying with mainline churches, he says, is "about half the size it was a generation ago. Evangelical Protestants have barely held their own."

Read the entire article here. It is worth the read... but beware... you might change your perspective on the importance of change to reach people.

I really enjoy when people (creative people) are set free to dream up cool stuff to impact the church. Check out what the team created over @ Bob Franquiz's Calvary Fellowship Church in Miami Lakes, FL.

Today's generation is SOOOOOOO media driven... I wish SOOOOOOO many churches would understand this fact. People ages 30 and under are able to process videos, send text messages, follow along in a Bible, and listen to the sermon, and tear apart a styrofoam cup (right Daniel???) all at the same time... AND COMPREHEND IT ALL. (And NO, I am not condoning kids sending text messages to other kids during service!)

We as a church have to change our thought on "Traditional Church." --And just FYI... Churches did not always have a Piano and Organ in the church!!! Anyway, I ramble-- The point I was/am trying to make is, to reach today's teens and twenty-somethings, we gotta bring our "A Game". This is the MTV and VH1 generation. You can bet all your money on this fact: MTV and VH1 are spending TONS of money on reaching this generation. Why is it that our churches are not??? We are hesitant to include a cool video, or a secular song here-and-there, or God forbid.... WOW an audience like having the pastor come into the beginning of the service in a coffin while AC/DC's Hells Bells is being played with PYRO!!! (read about it here and see picture here)

I pray our 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and older generations will soon realize it is not all about THEM!!! If we are part of the Church, and are Children of the King... it should not matter what it takes to reach those teens and twenty-somethings, or anyone else for that matter!

I shared this the other night with Susanne and Jeffery... IF it was a proven fact that having the Senior Pastor wear a PINK TUTU would lead people to Christ... I would HIT Howard over the head until I forced him to wear a pink tutu!!! We have got to get over ourselves and realize it is all about JESUS reaching the lost!!!

Here are the cool creative videos mention way up at the top of this post...before I started ranting.

To Promote Small Groups:

To promote their Supernatural Series

Way to go!!!

Mariners Church in Irvine, CA did a sermon series on Star Wars!!!

Now that was an awesome idea!!! Check out the video.