Family Night Friday

Getting ready to leave to go see Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. My kids have been bugging me since opening night.

An Amazing Act of Kingdom Mindedness

A friend of mine at a local church relaized how much stuff they had just sitting in storage. He sent out the invite to come see if we could use anything. It was amazing how many things we recently said we needed were in that storage unit.

Brantley has a lot of ideas that will take our "Kid's Live" environment to the next level. Many of the things needed were in that storage unit.

Some things we needed for the office...were in that storage unit. Other things for our main auditorium and cafe...were in that storage unit.

What an amazing act of kingdom mindedness as one local church blessed another local church with so much. That's what it's all about. We are on the same team with the same coach. It's awesome when the church acts like that. During our "One Prayer" series we will be embracing this truth even more. I can't wait!

Great Memorial Day Weekend

-Trailer hitch lost the cotter pin and the hitch fell out of the receiver. This all happened 40 yards from the front of the theater.

-The Load Control Team was amazing. We lost 20 minutes because of the trailer fiasco, but we still started church on time. Great job team!

-Worship rocked Sunday. God definitely visited the hearts of those gathered.

-I preached to our singles today. I felt a little out of my element realizing that I've been married 14 years and "off the market" for 17. I think I was still able to relate God's word to the teaching target audience, but I never got feeling comfortable in the course of the teaching.

-Early Sunday evening I got to get coffee with a man who "gets it". He has risen the corporate ladder, and is in demand within his industry. What was so refreshing about him was what caused his eyes to gleam over with excitement. It wasn't his business that takes him all over the world, but rather the joy that he has to see his family grow in God. Also it was his passion to see new communities of faith reaching those far from God.

-On Monday we had mass amounts of meat and cold pasta salads...Nuff said.

-It was great having a bunch of friends over yesterday. The kids had a blast and no one went to the hospital...Nuff said.

Tornado in Cherokee County

Yesterday I was at the Serene Bean having a meeting with someone when the Tornado Alarm went off. We looked outside and it was a bright and beautiful early Georgia evening. It didn't take long for all that to change. Soon inch round hail began to fall and the winds began to blow. We made our way to the back room to talk and avoid the possible imploding glass front of the cafe'.

There was a college student who was freaking out. She said she was from Seattle and wondered how we would know if a tornado was close. I told her the "it will sound like a train" line and she said, "OK". It wasn't 3 minutes later and the sound of a train filled the Coffee shop. The young lady dove under the table and prepared for the worst. The funny thing....who would have thought right at that moment a train would come down the tracks that run directly beside the Serene Bean. The train whistled and assured us that it was not the tornado. I tried not to laugh to hard at what fate had dealt the student. On the way home, after the tornado had hit just a couple miles from us, I had a good laugh at the timing of it all. Poor girl she'll be happy to get back to Seattle where she has to face the rain, but the roar of the "train" rarely comes.

If anyone needs post storm help just email me and we'll see what we can do.

Get Ready for our June Series

In the month of June Embassy Metro Church will join over 800 churches and 500,000 people in the nation for a series called "One Prayer".

Each pastor will begin the four week series with the statement: "Father make us..." at the end of those three words the pastor will put in his hearts cry for the church. Some of the pastors that have joined this campaign are:

LifeChurch.tv (Craig Groeschel)will teach "Make Us One."
Healing Place Church Dinno Rizzo will teach "Make Us Generous."
Fellowship Church (Ed Young) will teach "Make Us Creative."
NewSpring Church (Perry Noble) will teach "Make Us Dangerous."
Free Chapel (Jentezen Franklin) will teach "Make Us Passionate."


We will have the opportunity to hear from some of the greatest communicators in our nation.

I can't wait to unleash my prayer on June 8th for our church and the church at large. Don't miss June 8th for anything! I am so excited about this series. God is going to use it to stir our hearts like never before for what stirs His heart.

Great Conference Opportunity in Woodstock, GA

We have the opportunity to be a part of a great one day conference called The White Board Sessions, right here in Woodstock, Ga this Thursday May 22nd. Ok, actually the conference is in Reston, VA. Through a new format the conference will be offered through the ConferenceChannel online.

If you would like to experience this great one day event with us we will be hosting the online event at our Embassy Metro Church office in Woodstock. I'll post more about this later. If you are interested in coming, learning from eight great speakers and having a great day in Woodstock, GA leave a comment or email me at: ross@embassymetro.org

What a great way for some of us to get to know each other and experience what promises to be an incredible line up of speakers.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Last Sunday was so frustrating. It was Mother's Day and we started church 26 minutes late. The latest we have ever started church.

This is not acceptable so this week Jared worked diligently to remedy the situation. Great job Jared! On Tuesday he made a mind map of what is causing us to consistently start late since Easter Sunday. His mind mapping ran everywhere and was a great tool to discover our main problems. Jared set out to work on those problems and this week we saw the fruit of his hard work.

Load out was done in 35 minutes.By the one hour mark there was sound and video in the foyer. Also by the one hour mark I was hearing sound in the main theater. I sound checked my mike at the 65th minute and the band was doing sound checks by the 75th minute mark. The Cafe and kid's areas were ready by the 85th minute. We had a team prayer and were then ready to receive people an hour and a half after we pulled the trailer in front of the theater.

Great job isolating our problems Jared, and great job team for your star performance in getting the place ready for God to touch lives!!! You all are a bunch of freaks and I love you!!!

BTW: this is my 300th blog since I started blogging in April of 2005

Great Lunch Today

I went to Canyon's today for lunch. I met with andy Jones, the student pastor of Watermarke Church (a Northpoint strategic partner). Andy was one of the competitors that Jared and I ran against in the D-fat pastor's weight loss challenge.

We met so that he could pay up his team's $100.00. Actually we met because we have been trying to hook up for some time. Andy is the real deal. His love for God and for people was evident with every sentence that came out of his mouth. I look forward to having Andy as a friend and to seeing all that God desires to do through this humble, but powerful servant of God.

Next time Andy let's hit the trails for a little mountain biking. Maybe I'll give you a chance to win back your money :)

First Time on a Mountain Bike

Yesterday I got the call from Mitch asking if I wanted to go try out mountain biking. After work we headed over to Blanket's Creek Trail System. On a borrowed bike I hit the trail and loved every minute of it.

I felt good out there and realized that my cardio regime has me in pretty good shape. We did about 7 miles. After wards I went to my Journey Group. I told Mitch when we finished that I feel like such a schlepp. To have a place like that, as close as that, and I got as fat as that...that's ridiculous. I'm so glad I have gotten back into shape. I can't wait to get my own bike and start hitting the trail frequently.

Mountain biking felt a lot like dirt biking...just slower. There was some things I liked better. Without a full helmet you get a better view of nature. You have less clothes on so you're not as hot. You can hear the person your with talking. NO GAS TO BUY!

I think if I get a bike I'll just ride it the three miles to the office and save on gas money plus get my cardio all in at the same time. Can't wait for my next trip out.

God Answer's Prayer Fast

This morning I was on my way to Macon to speak with three GA church planters. On the way there I was praying and God began to place in my heart a desire. This is not a new desire. It's a desire that was birthed in my heart and acted upon in Ohio in various ways.

When we first came to Woodstock, from an outsiders point of view, there didn't seem to be a lot of need for food distribution or ministry to the impoverished. In the past two years as I have driven every street around our community praying I have seen areas of great need. With the economy the way it is many of our city's residents have found themselves to be "stuff" poor. This is when you have great vehicles and nice homes, but not enough to keep up with rising gas and food prices. Many budgets are being stretched to the limit.

OK let me get back to this morning. As I prayed a renewed desire surfaced to do something for those in need. I was talking to the Lord about getting our hands on some food or clothing...anything we could mass distribute. Just something we could give as a way of showing the love of Jesus to our community. I even called Jared to tell him about what I was thinking. I told him a potential name and domain name we could use to put more focus on Jesus than anyone church's benevolence (I'll let you in on the name and webpage soon)

Tonight I got a call from someone who said they have 20 tons of food and would like to give us a trailer full to distribute however we please. I don't even know what that much food looks like. I'm going to check it out in the morning. All I can say is that God answers prayer fast! Too Cool!

If you are interested in helping to get things ready for distribution just let us know.

Sunday Remix 5-11-08

-I can't just post when things are going great. The thought that we will never have rough Sundays is appealing, but not realistic.

-Today we had a tough dose of realism.

-I don't think we have ever started a service later. Do to some technical difficulties we started 26 minutes late. To be honest, that just threw the whole thing off for me.

-We had a gas leak outside the theater that threatened to evacuate the building. I kind of wish I would have pulled the plug after service still hadn't started in 25 minutes .

-OK I'm glad I didn't pull the plug because even though the morning craziness had me worked up to the point I didn't enjoy preaching, Amie said the teaching was great and that this current series is really speaking to her. When your wife tells you that she loves that you are her pastor as well as her husband, that's cool.

-Amie has been an amazing friend, wife, mother, and co-laborer in the vision God gave us. I love you baby girl...Happy Mother's Day!

-I know it's Mother's Day and our attendance always drops, but seriously we had close to 100 people gone. Dude that messes with your head a little.

-To end on a positive note...I love the way the volunteers at emc have all stepped up. You blow me away with your faithfulness. Great job!

EMC Men's Night tonight 5-9pm

In a few hours guys will be making their way to my house. We will be grilling whatever stuff you bring. We have some hot oil to fry whatever you think needs fryin'. There's food, fishing, guitars, and yes poker. So the night should hold a lot in the way of good healthy competition.

If somehow you missed out on getting an invite. It's not too late. Show up with some meat for the grill and a 2 liter of coke. Bring your fishing gear. If you play guitar, bring it too.

See ya'll at 5pm! BTW no offense ladies, but tomorrow is your day. Tonight the only ladies invited are in the picture above. Guys you better remember to go crazy for your wives and mothers tomorrow.

"One Prayer" Video

Jared and I went over to hang out at Gary's place. The video shoot they did for "One Prayer" came off great. Man it was hot up in there! Gary did great. He didn't even start sweating until the last few minutes.

The only thing he needed to make the video taping a true Christian Broadcasting experience was a bad suit and some miracle oil. OK that was just wrong. God forgive me and bless all the children in Africa. Amen.

The River of Grace

One thing I have found to be true is that experiencing God's grace is awesome. It's like a river that refreshes you and carries you away from the place of your sin. We all love to by the recipients of grace and for many of us we come to expect it from God. This doesn't mean we should take it for granted, but we should appreciate the gift of grace extended to us because of Jesus.

Now think about this...we come to expect His grace to flow freely to us, but when someone is in need of grace how are we at allowing grace to flow through us. Oh yeah...We're all about God's forgiveness for the junk we do,but what happens when someone says a cross word to you. Maybe a co-worker got a promotion above you, or one specific person drives you flippen' mad with their idiosyncrasies. How are you about allowing God's grace to flow through you.

A few years ago I was speaking to someone who over a period of three years had grown physically sick, emotionally crippled, and spiritually dead. As we talked we discovered that she held titanic amounts of bitterness towards a few family members. In my mind I pictured a river that was flowing to her, but when it got to her the waters piled up on themselves until they became a dammed up pool. This pool grew stagnant and nasty. It was devoid of life.

I told her that I believe God was giving us a picture of her life. Although the river of God's grace was flowing to her she refused to extend that to those in her life that she held resentment toward. Can you earn God's grace no, but the effects of God's grace on our lives can be diminished if we hold back from extending His grace to others. The Bible even says that "He forgives our trespasses (wrong doings) as we forgive those who trespass against us".

So check yourself before you wreck yourself. If you feel as if things in life are unhealthy, growing stagnant, and on the verge of dying you may be damming up the river of God's grace in your life.

His grace can't flow to you if you won't let it flow through you! Ride the river baby!

I Need A New Activity

Most of you know that I use to dirt bike. I sold my bike last year, and I miss the woods terribly. Now that I have gotten back in decent physical shape the woods are calling me.

I don't plan to get back into dirt biking right now because it's not cheap, and my insurance package isn't that great. I still need a fix so I would love to try out Mountain Biking. I have never done this, but I think it would satisfy my craving for the woods and running dirt.

Here's the thing...I don't want to throw down cash for a bike that just might sit in the garage. I would like to try the whole mountain bike thing first before I buy a bike. If anybody has sometime and an extra bike I would love to go check out Blankets Creek trails in Woodstock. We can take it easy so I don't break your bike in half. I just want to see if it's something I would like or should I wait a few more years until Grant and I can get a couple of dirt bikes.

OK shoot me an email if you would want to show your pastor/friend the joy of riding.

D-fat Competition is Officially Over

Team EMC has been officially declared the winners! Thanks Jared for going all out. Thanks Debbie for kickin' our butts. Thanks Amie and Charla (the wives) for buying and cooking so healthy. Thanks d-fat competitors for sending your money to: P.O. Box 2086 Woodstock, GA 30188. I promise we won't gloat...ok maybe a little.

Family Life Series

I am really looking forward to this Sunday's teaching. we will be looking at the subject of "discipline" in the home. Everyone of us at times wants to pull our hair out. The kids can bring your greatest joys and deepest frustrations. This Sunday is going to be full of great principles that will help us all be better parents.

If you have a friend who has kids you need to invite them to come with you this Sunday to the Embassy. I promise you they will thank you for asking them to come.

The D-fat Pastor's Weigh down is Over!

10 weeks ago 7 pastor's and their associates stanced off to compete against each other in an epic battle of the bulge. Although it is not official yet, rumor has it from our mediator, this guy, that Team Embassy will be crowned the champions. I'll let you know when it's official.

Most of you know there was a friendly little wager attached to this. Jared and I will be getting $600 to split once everything is official. I need the cash bad. Frankly I don't have any clothes that fit.

Here's the stats on our past ten weeks. Way to roll Jared! Thanks guys (Gary, J.R., Andy, Mark, Michael, and Zach) for the extra motivation we all needed to become much healthier leaders.

I think the next challenge should be an ulimate fight...royal rumble style. "OOO yeah...whatcha going to do when Rossamania runs wild on you?!"


Starting weight: Ross 240
2-22-08 Jared 234
Total 474



Week 1 weight: Ross 234 (-6)
2-29-08 Jared 224.5 (-9.5)
Total 458.5 (-15.5)


Week 2 weight: Ross 226 (-8)
3-7-08 Jared 224 (-.5)
Total 450 (-8.5)


Week 3 weight: No Weigh-ins the Tornadoes took of with the scales


Week 4 weight: Ross 221 (-5)
3-21-08 Jared 216 (-8)
Total 437 (-13)


Week 5 weight: Ross 218 (-3)
Jared 216 (-0)
Total 434 (-3)


Week 6 weight: Ross 218 (-0)
Jared 212 (-4)
Total 430 (-4)


Week 7 weight: Ross 218 (-0)
Jared 208 (-4)
Total 426 (-4)


Week 8 weight: Ross 217 (-1)
Jared 205 (-3)
Total 422 (-4)



Week 9 weight: Ross 213 (-4)
Jared 203 (-2)
Total 416 (-6)



Week 10 weight: Ross 211 (-2) Total -29
5-1-08 Jared 201 (-2) Total -33
Total 412 (-4)


Ross total weight loss: -29
Jared total weight loss: -33

Team Embassy Total loss: 62 pounds

Starting weight: 474
Final weight: 412