You ever have just one of those weeks?

The past seven days have been muy frustrating. That's "very" for all you gringos. Last week I took a side job laying a raw stone sidewalk. That should have taken 3 days to finish, but my truck broke down, I got sick one day, got rained out two days, had a meeting on another day so I only got a few hours in.

The mechanic took my truck a part in the Home Depot parking lot where it broke down and then didn't come back to finish the job. He wouldn't return my calls so on Saturday I took a few hours and fixed it myself "well at least that felt good".

Now Sunday was great with church and all and we got to hang out with an emc-er and her husband and met a couple of her friends, but Monday came and my lousy string of days continued. I felt like I was edgy at staff meeting (sorry guys) and then cause I was frustrated that I was frustrated I continued to remain edgy. "edgy" is a nice way of saying Amie was having to put up with me cause I was being a jerk.

Today seemed like I was going to get the stone job done, but NNOOOO it had to start raining so boom back into the mood. At least I got to go to the coffee shop, see some friends and work on Sunday's sermon (that was nice) then as I am getting the kids ready for bed and we're reading the Bible, Grant just wasn't listenening so I whooped him right there. Oh that's really great Ross....."hey Grant what comes to mind when you think about Daddy reading the Bible to you? If I don't listen he spanks me....(Good job Ross) now I'm Parenthetically talking about myself in the third person...I guess all I'm saying is I am really having one of those weeks.

Look on the bright side the truck is running, the job should be done tomorrow by 2:00, I don't think I've done irrepairable psychological damage to Grant, and now I can sit back and experience a fresh dose of God's grace.

excited about our new series!

Easter is over we had a few days to breathe and now we have our eyes set on what's next. I am really looking forward to our next series.

As far as the institutional "church" goes we do a pretty good job of complicating what really is a very beautiful and simple faith. When I say simple I mean "simple" in a good way....you know minus the fluff and extremes that so often characterize and malign the essence of Christianity.

Jesus Christ is the core of our faith and His teachings should be the rule or order of our lives. Over the next few weeks we will be digging into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-Matthew 7) and in it we will find the true beauty and force of the Christian faith as we look at some of the greatest teachings of Jesus regarding life, relationships, spirituality, and a plethera of other things. (I love the word plethera not quite as much as I love saying rutabaga, but what does a swedish turnip have to do with anything?) Speaking of that, what does Godzilla and t-shirt slogans have to do with the Sermon on the Mount?

Post Easter Update

I can't believe I haven't sat long enough to blog since Sunday. After service we had some friends over, that night we had some much needed family time, and then we crashed. Yesterday I got to hang with one of my closest new friends here in GA. We took an adventurous canoe/fishing trek up the Little River. More canoing than fishin', but it was incredible. I didn't know that our county had such amazing sites! Thanks Bill for the invite. Maybe next time the wind will be at our backs.

We've been asked by a lot of friends, fellow church planters, and family how Sunday went. As far as our "experience easter at the embassy" things went great! We kicked the morning off with "when love comes to town" by Bono and B.B. King. Great song-great vibe, and it just started rollin' from there. We had 121 people, not that we focus on numbers, but numbers are people and I'd rather have more than less. Why? because several of those people defined their relationship with God on Sunday! And many others who have been coming to the embassy since our launched jumped in and served. That's what it's all about. As always the emc crew stepped up to the plate and I feel you guys hit a definite home run. Thanks for all you did.

Sunday just made me so proud to be a part of the embassy. It also made me realize that God is with us. Yes... I know he is, but sometimes you just need to know He is, you know. This weekend for me was just a gigantic confirmation that God has and is going to use the emc family to significantly impact our communities.

Well thanks again emc-ers for all you do. And thanks to everyone who was at the embassy for the first time on Sunday. I appreciate that you included us in your weekend plans. It was great getting to meet so many of you after the service.

Well I can't wait until next week. See ya then.

Reach Out and Do Crew

This Wednesday the Road Crew will be meeting at the Serene Bean on Main Street in Woodstock at 7pm.


If you want to help us "get the word out" about "experiencing easter at the embassy" be there.

We'll hang out at the Bean until 7:30 and then go place invitation cards around Woodstock until 9:00. It suprises me how large the percentage of people that have come to the embassy because of a simple invitation card.

T- minus 123 Hours and 20 minutes

Only five more days until our first "Experience Easter at the Embassy." I am so amped I can't wait. Last night we had our final meeting to go over the details and to make our final tweaks on the experience. The next five days will be crazy as we continue to "get the word out" and create the finishing touches on the service.

I love days like this. Days where it really shows what a team of people working together can do for Christ. Days when people who may have never had a relevant presentation of God's love presented to them will begin to see and connect with their creator at a deeper level. A-team days...."I love it when a plan comes together"-John "Hannibal" Smith.


I know the emc team will "go large" this weekend and I want to tell them thanks in advance. You guys are awesome and what you do is making a difference. Since our launch 14 weeks ago we have seen 6 adults express a desire to begin a relationship with Christ. That is so cool! I can't wait to see what God is going to do in people's lives this Sunday and over our next 14 weeks.

emc's first easter!

I can't believe we are just a week and 2 days away from our first "experience easter @ the embassy." People are inviting their friends and family. The Road crew (Reach out and do crew) are putting invitation cards out everywhere, and we are working on all the multi-media elements, music, and various things to make our first easter service an experience that will impact lives in a deep way. This easter We would love for you to show up and get a fresh look at God's passion for you and for your life.

I've been asked, "what's up with the photo?" The photo of the bald guy looking at the egg on his shoulder to be honest was used just because I liked it (don't blame anyone else if it's a stupid Idea). No really I used it without a clear idea of what story the photo could tell, but you know me I love to find meaning in everything. So as I think about it today for me this photo says that God is always near....so near that at times you feel him speaking to you. Your not sure if it's Him or not and it seems very familiar like the loony tune cartoons when the angel is on one shoulder and the devil (mandatory pitchfork included) is on the other.

The egg a symbol of life is resting on this guys shoulder and as the dude gives it the "what are you doing there" kind of look it makes me think about God the author of life's place in our lives. God is close, always speaking and for many an awareness of this is second nature, but there are others that when faced with the reality of God they say, "hey what are you doing there?" In a sense that's what easter sunday is all about. People getting up close and personal with the reality of God and finding out for themselves in a clearer way, "what's God up to when he shows up in their life."

I pray that as we load the last container into our trailer on easter sunday we will be able to do so knowing that we helped people begin to answer the question of "what's God up to in their lives?" Please keep this day in your prayers as we finish our preparations.

April Fools!

It's the first day of April and I guess the jokes on me. Why you may ask? It's 4am and I can't sleep. What gives? So after laying in bed for a few hours not really thinking about anything in particular just pestering Amie to stay up too, I decided to go outside. So here I am sitting on my porch with a cup of coffee and enjoying the sounds of frogs and I think what would be crickets or may be katydids or swarming locust. How many years has it been since the 17 year locust have done their thing? As a kid I remember gathering them into piles and torching them with gasoline. As I listened to the crackle I thought to myself how gross it would have been to be John the Baptist. You know with the whole honey and locust diet and all, but since then I have had chocolate covered grasshoppers and they weren't so bad.

I wonder if John ever sat outside at 4 in the morning? If he did, did the sound of bugs make him want to run for the border for a late night snack. That's the last thing I need right now. For sure a #1 at the old taco bell would keep me up until dawn. So I'll just sit here and caffienate myself a little more (a cup-o-joe always relaxes me at night).

Now John, that was a preacher.....man he sure could challenge people to life change and then point them to the one who could make it possible. I would have liked to have been John; minus the whole camel hair leisure suit and all. Oh, and the loosin' his head thing. You know to be honest what have I really sacrificed to be given the privilege of challenging people to life change and pointing them to Christ. I think most of us would say, "not that much." Anyhoo, there's no other life I would rather have so I think I'll just sit here a little longer and allow God to speak to my heart. You know what's great about God, whatever He shares with you He's not going to say, "April fools"

Disclaimer: These have been the words of a man half alseep and hopped up on java. Good night and Good luck. By the way did anyone see that movie? it did well at the oscars......what am I doing?......go to sleep already.......It was amazing how many awards Clooney got.......enough already log out and crash....now I am talking to myself. I must be more tired than I realize. G-night....really.

Artist in Residence

This week we finished our series entitled Rennaissance: An Awakening. We spent the last few weeks looking at how God desires to bring us out of the dark ages, give us a new life, and how we can creatively express that new life .

No matter how dark your past present or future may seem you can awake to a new day. Arise shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. God desire to give you the kind of life that only He can give and when we experience that life we should creatively express it through worship.

We discovered that worship isn't just singing a song at a sunday service, but its doing all that we do for the glory of God. You may not be able to paint like Da Vinci or sculpt like Michelangelo, but you are an artist in residence and your greatest purpose in life is to creatively express what God has done for you in a way that is consistent with your gifts, skills, and talents. To me that's worship.

Trying Something New

A few weeks ago I blogged about Ed Young's new book on creative leadership. One thing that he pointed out is that he is a very visual person. Since he is visual, he uses a mind mapping process while preparing for his sermons. After a few revisions this becomes his final draft and the notes he uses to prepare for his delivery. This helps with memorization, flow, and continuity for the overall message.

I have known for a long time that I am a visual learner. I have also known for a long time that I hate the typical outline form of linear sermon preparation we all learned in college and have tried to forget in order to be more effective preachers. This week I jumped in and used a mind map to prepare for my sermon. The mind map I used I'm sure is nowhere as effective as the one's produced using mind map software, but hey it was free. I designed a template on power point and it seemed to work fine. If anyone would want this template just e-mail me and I'll send you the file.

Speaking of just sending a file free of charge; one of my all time favorite church planters is now allowing pastors to download everything he has fo free, that's right I said fo free! Craig Groeschel from Life Church in Oklahoma is freakin' awesome and now another reason to appreciate him. If you need some help jump starting your creativity you can't go wrong checking out Craig's stuff: www.lifechurch.tv

Anyhoo, I think I like the mind map thing and plan to continue using it. If anyone has any tips with mind maps let me know.

a little poetic flava tonight

God of awesome power and might you move me

not with force like a wave moves rock from a sea side cliff,

but like a song that moves feet to dance or a sonnet a heart to sing.

You move me, and as I dance, the tide of time ebbs away from me,

You move me, and as I sing the waves go back to the sea.

With the waves the rocks that make my heart heavy and my feet stumble

are drawn into a sea that conceals and a river that does not remember.

God of awesome power and might you move me.


-God thanks for moving me.

great day at the embassy!

Emc Team you ROCK!!! As I reflect on yesterday's gathering at the embassy my heart grows warmer than the cafe au lait with hazelnut that sits on the table beside me. Why? I knew you would ask. Let me list a few things.

1. we had several new emc-ers that have linked up with the team to help make Sundays possible. You know who your are and thanks!

(People hooking up with the vision of creating an environnment where unchurched, or dechurched people can connect with God and each other gets me jazzed. If you are new to the embassy what are you waiting for, jump in and lets make a huge impact together on woodstock and our surrounding communities!)

2. the media team. Thanks for yesterday. i threw a lot at you and you kept up with a crazy morning of cues for visuals, clips, and lighting. (we're always in need of more techno-freaks)

3. the teaching had a different flavor then usual with nearly 11 minutes of clips interwoven into the teaching. To be honest I worried it would crash and burn, but all I have heard has been great responses. Again thanks tech guys for keeping it fluid.

4. Pastor Jared, Charla, & Katie continue to do an incredible job with leading us into worship and great reports are coming out of our embassy kids ministry. Thanks Amie for all you and your team do to make the kids excited about God and church.

(we are in bad need of a drummer, bassist, & lead guitarist...oh and a kazoo player! If interested e-mail jared@embassymetro.org) "I need more cowbell... I have a fever and the only cure for my fever, is more cow bell."

5. saving the best for last, we had one guy express an interest in begining a relationship with Christ! That's what I'm talking about!


I feel like we have a long way to go to become one of the great churches that God will use to impact our community in a real and significant way, but Sundays like yesterday let me know that we are right on track. Thanks to all who have sacrificed so much to make emc a reality. Proud to be your pastor.

Big Church Kid's Ministry on a New Church Budget

When we were preparing to launch the Embassy we new that a large part of our demographic included young married's with children from birth to 6th grade. We wanted to create a fun and planned environment where children could learn character development, Biblical understanding and grow up loving God, themselves, others and church. I refuse to have children grow up hating church or feeling like God isn't relevant to them on my watch.

Well this put us into a great dilemma seeing how we began this endeavor with only eight people including our children. Through our development stage we tried to figure ways we could provide quality children's ministry, but it always came down to our lack of resources; both finances, and personnel.

This fall we came across and incredible find at the Drive Conference. A ministry named Kidmo was in the ministry resource area. Lil' K (pre-school) and Kidmo (K-6th) provide a video base presentation for kids that includes pre-service music, worship, games, and weekly lessons. This looked like something we could do. So long story short when we launched on January 8th with an emcee (my wife, Amie) and a few helpers we were able to offer an amazing and engaging ministry for kids.

We have gained several families already because their children love the kid's ministry. It's so cool to see the kids get to the theater and run ahead of their parents on the way to embassy kids. Kidmo we love you!!!!!!!! If your looking for a great environment for your children I think you'll be pleased with embassy kids. If you are a church planter or in a ministry that doesn't have the resources to provide the quality of ministry children need than check out Kidmo. I know you will be pleased. www.kidmo.com

what'll ya have!

That's the famous line you'll hear when you go to eat at the world's largest drive-in. The Varsity is in downtown Atlanta on more than two acres and can accommodate 600 cars and over 800 people inside. "On days when the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets are playing a home game, over 30,000 people visit The Varsity." www.thevarsity.com

Last night we took our team to the Varsity just to get out of the house. Every Monday night we have our team meeting and since we don't have offices yet there isn't much separation between work and family life. That's the same reason I'm at the Serene Bean this morning instead of locked in my office at the house. Well anyhoo, the Varsity is amazing and we had a great time. My favorite Varsity greasy fix starts with a small order of wings, a chili dog with mustard (don't say coney or they'll know you're a "d--n yankee") a coke to wash it down (don't say pop or they'll really know you're a "d--n yankee") and finally a frosted orange which is a chunk of heaven frozen with citrus and served with a straw. Oh how I love Atlanta. Let me count the ways.....1.the Varsity.....2.Chic-fil-A....3.Waffle House....mmmm good.

What can you learn by going to the Varsity. They do a few things well. There products are few, but their presentations vary enough to meet the needs of those who come through their doors (except maybe non-grease loving vegitarians). Because of that the Varsity has become the World's Largest drive-in.

Often churches try to do too much and because of it they fail to become the great movements that they could have become. I hope our team can continue to discern between what's good and what's best, and from what's just busy from what's beneficial. I'm not a big numbers guy and those of you who know me know that, but is it possible that someday 30,000 people could come through the many campuses of embassy metro church on a given Sunday? I don't know, but the future looks good! Oh, did I mention the Varisty has onion rings? This Sunday there will be onion rings instead of doughnuts in the cafe' at the embassy! See ya then. I keed.

I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler

O.K. so I'm not so much a rambler, nor am I a gambler, but over the past 6 months I have become quite the Dylan fan. It started with my rather ecletic taste for music. Last October I came across the audio book of Dylan's autobiography Chronicles: Volume 1. In this amazing set Bob Dylan shares his thoughts on hundreds of songs, artists, poets, and philosphers. To hear about the experiences, artists, and everyday joes that made Dylan who he is, was a great discovery.

Then my interest was peaked in December when I came across a podcast of the Martin Scorsese documentary of Dylan's early musical career. I must have listened to the whole thing five times. Dude this guy influenced everybody from the Beatles to CCR, to Johnny Cash. A couple of days ago I purchased the soundtrack to the documentary, "No Direction Home." Man I have loved every phrase that has been turned and every note that has been bent by his famous vocal style. Notes that slide around the melody over and under, but always into your heart. All I've got to say, if you are looking for a good 2 CD collection of Dylan's early never before released recordings then the answer my friend is blowing in the wind the answer is blowing in the wind. You can't go wrong with this set.

being creative is hard.....gosh

Last week I picked up a copy of Ed Young's lastest book - The Creative Leader: Unleashing the Power of Your Creative Potential. Throughout my ministry the past 14 years I have always pushed to be creative. With each creative attempt to connect modern earth dwellers to ancient truths I find myself hitting a wall that compels me to quit trying so hard. You know it would be easier to just write a nice neat little sermon with three points and a poem, and we'll all just grin and bear it and get on to the next week with more of the same. Heck, I can't do that so I strive everytime to push the wall down and on the other side I find the creativity necessary to relate God's Word to the bi-peds in my pews (I mean theater seating).
For years I thought maybe I am not that creative because it rarely comes without effort, but reading the first few chapters of Ed's book I've found that this is part of the normal process. If you are like me and you can't stand for mediocre presentations of the greatest message ever told, but also you find yourself hitting the wall, know this we're normal. Ed says the push to be creative is the hardest thing he has experienced in his life. What's the alternative? Do we back down and fail to express the creativity of our creative God. No, for people's sakes no! We face the wall and through prayer, teamwork, and intense effort we find new ways to help people grasp all that God is and all that God has for them.



Below you'll find the Publisher's Book Synopsis:

Unleashing the power of your creative potential

Why should we implement creativity in leadership?

God invented creativity.
Jesus modeled it.
The Holy Spirit empowers it.
And people desperately need it.
Creativity is not an option for the church; it is a biblical mandate that flows from the very character of the Creator. If church leaders are going to live out the challenging mission that God has laid out for the local church, we must unleash the creative potential available to us.
This book is the definitive answer for the question Ed Young hears over and over again…What have you done at Fellowship Church to remain creative and continue growing? Think of it as a field manual for doing church differently. Packed with details, this book covers the full spectrum of church leadership all in one place, including:


Things they didn’t teach me in seminary
A step-by-step look at message development
Crafting effective illustrations
Implementing team creativity
How to keep your audience engaged
Building a creative staff
Overcoming obstacles to innovation
Integrating multiple senses into your service
Tips to keep the ideas flowing and avoid burnout
A big-picture rundown for your weekend service
With practical case studies of proven creative leaders and candid Q&A sessions at the end of each section, this book offers concrete help and hope to those who need a jump-start in their creative planning.

If you’re looking for a resource to help you maintain the status quo, this is not it. But if you’re looking for a book that can help bring a sense of vitality and excitement to both your life and your organization, this book is for you.

life is good

Amie and I are sitting on the porch over looking the lake while our kids are playing in the dirt (sand)...dirty sand. The church is growing every week and I actually like the people God is sending our way. If you would have told me 9 months ago that we would have the staff that we have I wouldn't have believed you, oh and my wife is finer than a frog's hair split three ways. Life is good! God is good.

a new friend

This morning I got to spend a little time with a church planter from Canton. Gary Lamb launched Ridge Stone Church almost two years ago. The church is currently meeting in a theater about 14 miles from Cherokee 16 Theatre where we recently launched. It was great spending time with a guy that has journeyed down the same path that we are now heading. I love how God is raising up leadership that is real. Like Gary said "what you see is what you get." I really enjoyed the time spent and felt like Gary was open to helping a new guy out with ideas and warnings. If you are reading this Gary....you are falling into my trap as I befriend you and then steal all your ideas.....Ha! Ha! Ha!

No really, it was such a good time getting to know Gary. I am proud to be reaching people through church plants in the same county as guys like Gary Lamb, Eddie Johnson, & Chuck Angel. I trust we'll all be faithful to what God has called each of us to and collectively reach many for Christ in Cherokee County.

One other thought....I was told that my blog sucks because I wait to long between entries I'm not going to say who told me that, but.....Gary you're right. Thanks for breakfast my new friend (that sounds so corny)

Free Buzz

We are a few weeks past our launch and things have been going well. each week we have had new people and I am loving hearing their stories. Last week I received a phone call from Candice Hannigan. She writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She had seen our signs and decided to follow up with us. I had a great conversation with Candice, whom you can tell is passionate about what she does, and now today our church has a write up about it in the AJC Cherokee County section.

I feel the best form of getting "the word out" is through the personal stories of people as God begins to be real in their lives. As you begin a new church obviously those you have spreading the news about what's going on is going to be a small number. I am very thankful to Candice for contacting us and giving us this opportunity for exposure. I hope that we can be a place for those who are searching out matters of faith and spirituality, those who are searching for a church family to call home, or those who have just felt like church is the last place they want to go to connect with God. When these people begin to experience a relationship with Jesus in an environment that is real, the stories won't stop.

Thanks AJC for helping us get the word out as we are still gaining our voice. Keep your ears open though, cause I know God has great plans for the many who will connect to Him through Embassy Metro Church. Looking forward to the ongoing buzz of God at work in people's lives!!! I can't wait to hear your story.

God Knows

The phrase "God knows" holds great power. There have been times in my life that this thought had the power to make me feel uncomfortable. Other times this phrase evoked more questions like, "If He knows, then why?",but today as I ponder this thought it fills me with confidence and hope. It has been nearly 18 months since Amie and I chose to follow God's leading to come to Woodstock and eight months since our family finally arrived. Somedays we felt like we were right on track. Other days we felt as lost and as out of control of our futures as possible.

Today as I look back to the past 8 months I can see how God has led us at every turn, but in those moments the uncertainty of the future clouded my view. The compass at times seemed to spin in all directions and thoughts like, "am I going the right way?" were often, but God knows! Looking back and seeing that my feelings of uncertainty did not negate the fact that God was leading brings the confidence that the next step of our journey is already planned by God. That gives me such hope because even though I may feel like, "am I on the right track?" or I may question what's around the bend...God knows.

I guess what I am trying to say is that even if right now you don't feel like you have everything figured out in life and your future is uncertain God knows. As you pursue Him and the path He has for you you can be confident that He is more able to keep you going in the right direction than you are able to get yourself lost. God knows....stay close to Him....you'll get there...I'm confident of that.

Embassy Metro Church has Officially Launched!

This has been the busiest two months of my life as we have worked toward launching emc. Right now all of us staffers have full-time jobs so this has been draining, but we have seen God provide the resources and strength to make it happen!

Sunday was a great success. The emc team blew my mind and made me the proudest pastor ever. You all we're amazing and gave 110% all weekend. Your labor of love made the difference seeing how we had many people who had checked out of church say that this is just what they've been looking for. The most exciting thing is that we had two people make decisions to begin a relationship with Christ. Rock on!!!

The weekend was not without its mishaps. It started on Saturday when we were suppose to all meet at the theater to practice set-up. All of the staff and a bunch of the team worked late on the final touches. Everybody left our house by mid-night or so and Jared and I had a couple other things to finish up. Long story short I fell a sleep making soemthing on the computer and Jared sat on the couch to take a break. I think you know where I am going with this. Yes your faithful and fearless leaders slept the sleep of the sleep deprived and we didn't make it to the theater until 9:00am (one hour late). Thanks to the emc team for understanding and not ripping on us too much. On launch day we had a breaker pop a few minutes before service and a few other small things, but for the most part it went really smooth. Oh, I fell off the stage....no I'm kidding, although I do anticipate that happening someday.

I'd like to finish today by saying thank you to all who have made the launching of EMC possible. First, thank you to everyone who has been calling EMC their home during our pre-launch stages. Your patience, giving, and labor of love are amazing! Thanks for all the support we have received from family and friends. You know who you are. We also want to give a shout out to Pastor Blair and the Mansfield First Assembly of God family in Ohio who helped with finances, leadership and encouragement. Another big thanks goes to the Georgia Ministries and Resource Center of the Assemblies of God for partnering with us financially helping us with our equipment. Finally, we want to say thanks to Bill & Lara Randall at the Serene Bean Coffee house and Dr. Lisa Chrismer at the Chrismer Center for being friends and offering us space to use while we were preparing to launch. And finally, the biggest thanks goes to God for giving us this vision, equipping us for this vision, and leading us at every turn. This is for you Jesus. I love you and trust you will use our efforts to affect our region, bringing many to a life lived with you and for you.