Thanksgiving in the Psalms...

While history may indicate the first Thanksgiving to have taken place in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, scripture records a long legacy of expressing thankfulness. Consider these passages from the book of Psalms.

Psalm 42:4
These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

Psalm 69:30
I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.

Psalm 100:4
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.

Psalm 147:7
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.

I pray you find yourself gripped with thanksgiving this week and throughout the year. Happy Thanksgiving - I hope to see you Sunday for a special Thanksgiving Celebration as we worship God and express our thanks!

Mellow Monday

➢ I have been so mellow today. Been chillin with Jim Brickman and Enya - nice for a dreary mellow Monday. ☺
➢ About this time of every year, I realize the year is about history and regardless of how hard I try to slow it all down, the year is passing and the Holiday season is upon us. This year seems to have flown by extra fast.
➢ I am thankful for Thanksgiving. This is by far my favorite holiday of the year. No crass commercialism or cheesy versions of the original. Just family and friends and Thanksgiving. I like it like that.
➢ Yesterday was a hard day for me. I don’t know why but it just felt like I was going up hill all morning. I was utterly wasted in the afternoon and still struggling today.
➢ The drama was hilarious and so relevant for Christians and our bibles. Way to go drama team!
➢ I told the church yesterday that I have never sensed such energy and momentum as I feel at newhope these days. It is absolutely palpable and explosive.
➢ The txt series is over. I am praying it yields fruit as we read and apply the Word of the Lord.
➢ We are planning our Christmas Eve Worship at the Southpoint campus! WOW! Mark your calendars for 4:30 pm and bring your favorite verse/passage to write on the floors of the new building.
➢ Our team REALLY needs this Thanksgiving break. We have been so slammed and are looking forward to some R & R with family and loved ones. Will you please pray for refreshment?
➢ Gotta go – lots to do before that break! ☺

Notice the man on the roof!

Check out this picture that will "run" with an article tomorrow in the News and Observer! There were multiple reporters covering the big day. Ted Richardson, a writer in the N & O, sent me this picture today and informed me of the article.

I love this shot NOT because of the newhope crowd. I love this shot NOT because I am in it. I love this shot NOT even because you can see a part of the building and our cross. I love this shot because of the man working on the roof. Do you see him? Notice his hand is raised and it appears that he is worshipping the Lord!

The reason we are building on this 36 acre post in central North Carolina is to help people worship the Lord Jesus Christ - period! How cool is it that people we do not even know are already worshipping God as a result of this building and we have not even moved yet!

Revelation 7:9 – 12 says this:

“After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne and in front of the lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands, and they cried out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.’ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four-legged creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God saying, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever.’ Amen.”


Lord God, I pray the Cross Raising celebration we experienced a few weeks ago would be a clear indication of the things to come. I pray we see many many more traffic jams on Fayetteville Road! I pray we see many many people raise their hands in worship of You - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! I pray for this worker and the hundreds of others who are building this building for You.

I ask, Lord God, that your anoint us for ministry in this unique day and time. I pray you use us and other churches to reach this generation, teach the Word of the Lord, and release God lovers throughout central, NC and to the four corners of the earth!

Keep us faithful, Father God. Keep us humble. Keep us willing to give you the credit and glory every step of the way. Give us power to walk up-right before you. Give us wisdom to lead your church in these difficult times. Forgive us of our sin and keep us passionately pursuing you with all that we have within.

I also ask that you unite churches all over the world. May we understand and embody the unity you desire amid and among the different parts of Your body. And when you come, Father God, may we be those Your Word refers to in Revelation 7 who worship and sing, "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Tuesday's Thoughts...

* Strong and I mean really strong day on Sunday! Worship was awesome, engagement and the numbers of people who brought their Bibles were encouraging. The numbers from Sunday show us growing at a 54 % growth rate from a year ago to date. Say what? Unbelievable.

* Multiple newspapers are covering the Cross Raising Celebration. Check out the News and Observer THIS Thursday.

* I loved the feature by Mercy Me and sung by Jennifer Rice this past Sunday. I know Mercy Me feels a little dated at times but their music and lyrics are still powerful.

* I can't believe the number of guests showing up these days. We keep hearing something very similar to this, "We knew the moment we walked in this was the church we have been looking for..." One person who came two weeks ago and joined last week at Abundant Life said, "We knew when we pulled into the parking lot that we found our church home!" That is incredible. Take note Pathfinders - you continue to knock it out of the park.

* I love baptisms and baby dedications. They wreck me deep in the core of my being. That is exactly why we do what we do! "Congrats" to those who took the plunge and for the parents who committed to raising children in the way of the Lord. (Proverbs 22)

* I love the racial diversity in our church!

* I am not ready for cold weather.

* I am so ready to move into our new building.

* I have an appointment starting NOW...

Sabbath Rest Bass Fishing

Pastor Curtis Mulder and I spent our Sabbath day this week bass fishing on Jordan Lake. We only fished about four hours and as you can tell from the picture, it was pure fun.

How are you doing with weekly rest? Where is the RPM gauge on the dash board of your life? Today, mine is pegged in the red as it has been one of those days.

Which is why I am sitting here reflecting on the great day I had yesterday. That is the power of rest? Like a bowl of chili or hot soup, it kind of "sticks to your ribs." :-) That is why God told us:

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8)

When do you enjoy a Sabbath day of rest? For some of you, that day is Sunday. Sunday is anything but rest for me so I have to find it elsewhere. What is most important is that we find that one day each and every week to fully disengage from work life and fully engage rest and whatever refuels your energy tank.

So, here is the question - "Has Sabbath rest become a weekly rhythm of your life?" If not, I highly recommend it. The truth is I have not always been good at Sabbath rest, but I am getting better. :-) I used to take Mondays off but because of a weekly and a "Holy Hangover," Mondays were anything but restful and refreshing. Other words come to mind when I try to take Mondays off - words like spent, pain, and exhaustion.

As a result, our pastoral team recently changed our day off from Mondays to Wednesdays. It has been a beautiful thing. I now work on Mondays, get a great start on the the week, and then completely disconnect for Sabbath rest on Wednesdays. As such, I have never been more keenly aware of God's wisdom in commanding us to take one day a week to simply rest.

So, I encourage you to "Go for it!" Trust me, it will be hard at first, but in time, the rhythm of work six days, rest one - work six days, rest one will become a brilliant blessing straight from the heart of of a loving God!

I look forward to work tomorrow and this weekend but I also look forward to sabbath rest next Wednesday. If the weather permits, you will find me on Jordan lake catching more bass in the name of the One who said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men/women." (Matthew 4:19)

The Cross Raising Celebration

To say yesterday was one of the most powerful days in the life of our church is an understatement. I am worn out but in awe of how many people came out and how moving the day was for everyone.

I will never forget pulling up to our post for the first "congregational" event and seeing traffic backed up a 1/4 of a mile. Get ready, newhope, this is only a preview of what is to come.

After the crane lifted high the cross, I shared a brief homily about "WHY?" That is, why would hang a cross when many contemporary churches are steering away from buildings looking like anything traditional. Why would we raise a cross when many people find it unnecessary? Here are just a few answers to the big WHY question:

(BTW - this is straight from my homily notes. Truthfully, I don't have the energy or need to tighten them up or make them cutesy for the Internet. :-))

Why? In a day when more and more contemporary churches are looking like business buildings, warehouses and movie theaters, why did we stay with putting a cross on the building? Because the church is not a building, there is nothing wrong with a church deciding to not put the cross, or looking like a secular business building or warehouse or strip mall for that matter. In case you don't know, I told the Lord years ago, “I will never pastor a church in a strip mall...” And God said, "Oh yea..." Wouldn't you know the Garret Road location was our next stop on the journey of newhope. :-)

But WHY that cross on top of this building?

This Cross, 60 feet off the ground, is a:

1. Visual reminder of God’s incredible love…
a. He has spread wide His arms and put on display incredible love!
b. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave...” How did He give, by sending His Son to die on a sin scarred and blood stained cross!
c. We sing a song, "Amazing Love..." It goes like this, Amazing love, how can it be, that you my King would die for me!”
d. Every Sunday, every day you ride by, every day you think of this church and that cross, be reminded of God’s incredible love poured out for us.




2. Visual reminder of God’s amazing grace!
a. I pray this cross will serve to remind you and this community of God’s amazing grace!
b. The Bible says this, “Let anyone who calls on the name of the LORD be saved!” (Romans 10:13) WHO? ANYONE! That’s grace!
c. This cross reminds us every time we see it, this church is for who? ANYONE. Who? ANYONE! It’s an invitation to amazing grace! The old hymn out it like this, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see." May this cross always serve to remind ANY AND EVERYONE that grace and forgiveness are available in this community because God has shed His blood on an old rugged cross! Amen church!
d. Let anyone - that means Asian, Latino, Black, White, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, found, lost, content, empty – let anyone who calls on the name of the Lord be saved! Since day one we have always said, “Come as you are…”



3. Visual Reminder of Discipleship!
a. This cross reminds me of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, a DISCIPLE!
b. This cross reminds me that my life no longer belongs to me. It is not mine anymore. I am a claimed, forgiven, and now called Christian to live for Him and Him alone. This cross reminds us that we are called to a life of discipleship. This faith impacts how I treat others, how I interact with the world, what kind of music I listen to, what kind of movies I attend, how I raise my kids, how I treat my spouse, how I spend my money - EVERYTHING.
c. Our Vision is to REACH, TEACH, RELEASE! On the front end, that Vision is all about God's love and grace. On the back end, that Vision is all about RELEASING fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Sold out, radical and reckless followers of the crucified Lord of life! That means following Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 weeks a year! No room for half-hearted dedication.
d. Some might ask, "How many people do we want to REACH, TEACH, RELEASE? Here is the simple answer - our task of reaching people for Jesus, teaching them the Word, and releasing fully devoted followers shall not end until there is NOT ONE person in central North Carolina left to Reach, Teach, and Release! The Bible says this:

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8 – 10)

Notice there is no timeline or cap on that task! Check this out:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Say it with me...“I have been crucified with Christ / I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." We see this cross every Sunday and we pull out this lot, knowing that we have been crucified with Christ and He now lives in me. Friends, that is discipleship. At my best, I am a dead man walking! Dead to self and alive to Christ!
f. That’s powerful, newhope!

Review - while looking at that awesome cross on top of our new church home, tell me what this cross visually reminds us of?
➢ Visual reminder of God’s incredible love…
➢ Visual reminder of God’s amazing grace…
➢ Visual reminder of discipleship


ILLUSTRATION: The Charing Cross
One of the reference points of London is the Charing Cross. It is near the geographical center of the city and serves as a navigational tool for those confused by the streets.
A little girl was lost in the great city. A policeman found her. Between sobs and tears, she explained she didn’t know her way home. He asked her if she knew her address. She didn’t. He asked her phone number; she didn’t know that either. But when he asked her what she knew, suddenly her face lit up. “I know the Cross,” she said, “Show me the Cross and I can find my way home from there.”

So can you. Keep a clear vision of the cross on your horizon and you can find your way home. May this cross always be God's way of showing people His way home.

A Historic and God Honoring Day...

It's 5 am and I can't sleep because I can't believe I get to go teach the Word of the Lord, travel to our post of 36 acres by the Streets of Soutpoint Mall with tons of newhopers and a few newspaper reporters, raise a huge cross 60 feet off the ground and place it on top of our new home, sing and teach the Word some more.

I can't believe I get to do this with my one and only life. Thanks be to God!

Cross Raising Celebration THIS Sunday!

This Sunday will be a historic day in the life of our church and the beginning of our new series titled “txt – the Bible and why we believe it.” November 9th will be historic because we will gather together at 1:30 pm on our land near the Streets of Southpoint Mall to celebrate the raising a of a twenty foot cross on top of our new church home. There will be music, a short message, refreshments, and a gift to commemorate this sacred day! Everyone of all ages is welcome! Directions to our new land are as follows:


· From the I-40, take exit #276 south onto Fayetteville Road
· Drive 3/4 miles past the Streets At Southpoint Mall
· Our new church home is on the left-hand side of the road.

(You can also see a map and more info on directions here)

Invite your friends and pray for the beginning of this series and the lifting of the cross! And yes, I AM "STINKIN STOKED!" :-)

Peace...

The Church Being the Church...

Last Sunday we brought closure to the series, "The Church and the Politics of Caesar." Honestly, I have never seen our church so dialed in and engaged in a series.

I have been blown away by your comments on the connect cards, your emails, phone calls, and comments in person. Blown away at the extent to which this understanding of the church and politics connected with many of you on a very deep level. In fact, I kept hearing comments like, "I've never thought of it that way, but I always had a discontent with the status quo or the current understanding of religion and politics as presented by the right or the left." Or some of you said, "It helps me understand why I get so frustrated with religious groups and/or politics as presented to the American people." And still others of you spoke my mind and heart exactly, when you stated, "This is a refreshing understanding of what it means to be the church!"

When we get a hold of it, or better put, when it gets a hold of us, we start to see anew the power and potential of the local church like we have never seen before. Christ, through the local church is THE HOPE OF THE WORLD!

One of my comments throughout this series has been, "The primary political task of the church is to be the church!" Just last week, A PERFECT EXAMPLE of that came to my attention in a very personal and church related way.

My own Benjamin Cole Kelley and Megan Miller (Pictured above) won the "Character Award! They were voted on by their classmates in the 4th grade at McDougal Elementary School in Chapel Hill, NC! What thrills me, of course, is that one is my son and the other is a faithful child in the hopetown ministry of newhope church! They both attend every week, at the same Worship Celebration, and they both do life with others in a Small Group under the leadership of a caring and compassionate leader in our church.

As baptized believers, these two 4th graders are following Christ in the public school system and people are taking note of their character, which of course is grounded in their love for Jesus. Friends, that is the church being the church and I love it!

The Word says,

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:1 - 5)

I am fired up that the hopetown ministry of our church is impacting children to walk with Christ and influence the world for God's Kingdom. In doing so, we are raising a generation of children who, though they might suffer from time to time, that suffering is producing perseverance, and perseverance is producing character, and character WILL produce hope. And that hope will NOT disappoint us.

Way to go, Benjamin Kelley and Megan Miller!