Saturday, February 09, 2008

Some weird Internet searches that brought people to my site:

  • boobies (man... I love my son!)
  • drop it like its hot church vision (ha)
  • chris reeder (duh...)
  • andy stanley republican (is he?)
  • church norris approved (sure am glad!)
  • teens in pink tutus (sick people!!!)
  • susanne reeder (man, I love that woman!)
  • check e cheese ride (someone must have been looking for sermon material on Hell)
  • No Sacrifice, No victory quote (what a great movie)
  • churches with singles groups in Florence, SC (wow... ministry opportunity)
  • Youth Aren't Sticking with the Church (hum...)
  • guitar hero florence, sc (now that is what I am talking about!)

It is neat to take a look at how people end up at your site... And these are just since January 1st, 2008!



2/9/2008 10:30 AM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [2]  |  Trackback
 Friday, February 08, 2008
  • 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...



2/8/2008 8:58 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback
 Wednesday, February 06, 2008

IBecameAChristian I started reading unChristian the other day... It really is a great book and has done an excellent job to keep my attention and is full of enlightening  information...

But, sometimes we have to change.

Thanks to Vince Antonucci, I have re-prioritized my reading list:

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion has now moved into the top spot.

Vince was gracious enough to send me a copy of his book which arrived in the mail today. (Thanks Vince!!!) I am putting the kids to bed in just a few minutes and then plan to get started reading it.

I am sure I will be sharing more on it soon...

 

Please keep me and Susanne in your prayers tomorrow (Feb 7th) around 2:00 PM. We have a very important meeting in Columbia. Thanks for those that have already emailed us to let us know they have and will be praying for us.

 

FYI: If you read my blog, live close to Florence SC, and would like to borrow any book I have mentioned on my blog, just let me know. You are more than welcome to borrow any of them. To see a list of the books we own, you can visit our online store. Once you are there, you can click on the link for 5Reeder's Book Collection. That will show you books we own. I am still trying to get them all entered.

2/6/2008 8:53 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [3]  |  Trackback
 Tuesday, February 05, 2008

opasniystul99 Do you hear the old George Michael's song... "Ya gotta have faith.. faith.. faith..."

Some of you are to young to remember that... so never mind...

When God called me to plant Revolution Church, I was scared out of my mind! Really...

I know what you are thinking right now:

"You gotta have faith Chris, God is always faithful."

For the record, I agree. For all of you that have been in my shoes and are currently traveling down a similar path of planting a church... You can feel me when I say this...

I am sure you have probably heard this before...

The analogy goes... You have a chair, and you tell people it will hold you if you stand on it. But until YOU actually stand on it, they are not going to believe you because you are not putting feet to your faith.

As a church planter, sometimes our chair that we are standing in is much like the chair in the picture to the right. God himself has called us to stand in the chair telling us all the time to trust Him. We look at it and think... "God, there are so many missing pieces, are you sure it will hold? ...God, part of the foundation is missing, and the backing is not too strong either".

God assures us that His Vision will not fall nor fail. We, like Peter, sometimes get distracted by the natural. Peter was WALKING ON WATER!!! (Matt. 14:29) He was totally focused on Jesus! It never dawned on him that he was doing something supernatural. It wasn't until he began to realize that what he was doing was not humanly possible that he started to sink. 

We may not have all the answers, pieces may be missing, but we have to trust in the Carpenter that constructed the vision. We have to have the faith to step on the chair and focus on The One that planted that Vision for Florence, SC.  In His way, and in His time, the pieces will come together.  He is calling us to step out on FAITH!



2/5/2008 9:46 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Saturday, February 02, 2008

As I am typing this... I am trying come to grips with the fact that I may, indeed be a blasphemer. I have really been struggling for quite some time now...

It all started when Susanne and I went to Greenville for our get away to work on our church planter's application. I had an experience like I had never had before. Since then, I have had similar experiences... each time... there was a wow factor!

This can not be so... I realize that I am breaking ranks with the majority of church planters and other pastors out there! I might need to talk with someone about it... I am seriously getting worried about this!

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee is better than Starbucks!!!

There!!! ...I said it!!!

I love their coffee. I am a plain-jane, "give it to me black", coffee drinker (get it honest from my dad!). I don't typically get fru-fru drinks nor do I spend much time in a Starbucks to get the full atmospheric experience... So...

Coffee vs Coffee...

Dunkin' Donuts is da' bomb!!!

 

Go ahead, call me a blasphemer if you must... Be sure to take a sip of your fru-fru before and after!!!



2/2/2008 7:11 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [3]  |  Trackback
 Friday, February 01, 2008

church_members_only

  • 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.)



2/1/2008 9:57 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback
 Monday, January 28, 2008

We have been praying for months now for God to bless us with a name for our church plant. He has answered our prayers!

Revolution Church
Changing Hearts, Changing Lives, Changing the World

Revolution literally means: A total or radical change; as, a revolution in one's circumstances or way of living.

God has called us to plant a church; that is, to be missionaries to our culture. (video link)

We are called to reach the pre-Christians (to steal Jay's term). This is not going to be a church for the already churched to attend because they are not happy where they currently attend. We are on mission to impact the culture to show Christ to those that do not know Him.

Please add Revolution Church to your prayer list. We will share more in the weeks to come! ...Hang with us!!!



1/28/2008 9:06 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [3]  |  Trackback
 Sunday, January 27, 2008

With all the buzz about our big announcement (and for the last time, Susanne IS NOT PREGNANT)... Susanne and I realized that we had never had a sit down with the two oldest kids to tell them about the church plant.

We feel at age 8 and 6, they are old enough to understand what is going on. It was truly an awesome family time where we explained that God has called our family to be missionaries to Florence, SC... Just like the ones that they learn about in R.A. and G.A. class. They were both so excited about it. (and a hint... they both were SOOOOOO excited about the big announcement...)

Emilee blessed me so much! She said "Dad, does that mean you are going to be a preacher?" I told her yes. She then told me with a gleam in her eyes and smile on her face... "Dad, you are going to be the best preacher in the world!"

Talk about melt your heart!!!

This morning was church (Men's Day). I enjoy hearing the testimony of men where Jesus Christ has ROCKED THEIR WORLD!!! Then Mike Blackmon shared a message on how the Holy Spirit is always there for us... to carry our baggage, just like a Porter does when boarding a train. Wow... Did I need to hear that!

We went to get Sam from Columbia and while there, decided to stop in a check out Dustin over at MidTown. We even participated in the Lord's Supper! Thanks Dustin for such a wonderful message... Even if it was the NyQuil talking! BTW: They have such a cool kid's area!!! My three young'uns did not want to leave! The amazing thing was, the teachers did not want them to leave either. Emilee had to hug several girls she met tonight before leaving!

It is 10:42 and fast approaching bed time... so to wrap up a wonderful weekend, I want to leave you with this...

I PROMISE!!! PROMISE!!! Tomorrow you can find out the big announcement right here at ChrisReeder.com.



1/27/2008 10:44 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback
 Saturday, January 26, 2008

I am reading another great book by Andy Stanley called Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication. I am getting close to completing it and wanted to share a few WOW statements!!!

  • You can learn a lot from a truck driver named Will.
  • ME, WE, GOD, YOU, WE (Read the book to learn what in the world that means...)
  • "An audience has to buy into the messenger before they buy into the message. You know from your own experience that if there is something that bugs you about the communicator it's difficult to engage with their content. This is especially true if they don't seem genuine. A lack of genuineness makes it difficult to trust a speaker."
  • "Before we stand to deliver a message we must OWN it."
  • "I find something very disingenuous about the speaker who says, "This is very, very important," and then reads something from his notes."

I really enjoy reading Andy's books. Trying to decide between one of these books to read next... Any thoughts?

Which book should be my next book for a very early in planning Church Planter? If you have a great list or recommendation, please share. I want to learn and get the most BANG for my time reading!

I really wish there were more good books on CD/Tape!!! ;-)



1/26/2008 8:13 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [4]  |  Trackback
 Friday, January 25, 2008

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!



1/25/2008 7:46 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

I wanted to take a quick sec to address a thought that I know a lot of you are thinking after the post yesterday....

The announcement is...

Susanne is pregnant!!!

Just kidding!!! :-)

Susanne is most definitely NOT PREGNANT!!!

Stay tuned for the real announcement...



1/25/2008 9:54 AM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [2]  |  Trackback
 Thursday, January 24, 2008

caution We have a big announcement to make!

I do want to caution you though!

Hang on tight...

Brace yourselves...

Hold your breath...

Ok... might better not hold your breath...

Now that you are on the edge of your seat...

You will have to wait a while longer...

I just had to do it... could not resist. :-)

Seriously, we will be sharing with the world a big announcement within the next couple of days! Stay tuned!

FYI: If you are not already subscribed to my wife's blog... you need to be! SHE IS DA' BOMB!!!



1/24/2008 7:53 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [4]  |  Trackback
 Wednesday, January 23, 2008

You heard me! He can have his I-V!

I will take one of these!!!

coffee-getter



1/23/2008 9:05 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback
 Saturday, January 19, 2008

Happy Birthday to the most Beautiful EIGHT year old girl in the world! Daddy's very proud of you!

Emilee And Dad



1/19/2008 5:49 PM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback
 Friday, January 18, 2008

Rachel Smiles Jason and Donna Foster, two of our dearest friends, continue to need our/your prayers.

"Please pray that she learns that the bottle is no longer her enemy! I have to praise God for all His faithfulness and all of His blessings. We have been through the fire but Jesus has been that unfailing "fourth Man in the fiery furnace" once again." --Donna Foster

Please visit Rachel's Story for the latest on their journey.

I am sure they would appreciate your encouragement and prayers for Rachel and Samantha (Rachel's big sister) very much.



1/18/2008 10:56 AM Eastern Standard Time  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback