Even When No One is Listening

How To Invite Your Friends to Church

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:33:00 +0000

Here is the new instructional video from Wellspring Church. If you go to church, you can learn something. Also, if you work at a church, feel free to download it from vimeo.com (search Wellspring Church) and use it (you probably want to cut off the wellspring logo part though.

Fun With Healthcare Reform

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:15:00 +0000

Just a quick note and I haven't blogged in months so sorry about that.

A famous Republican President whom you may have heard of, Abraham Lincoln, used to get angry a lot, about a lot of things. His trick was to write a letter, put it in an envelope, and then put it in his desk. If he still thought he should send it the next day he would. Unfortunately I think Twitter/Facebook may have made this harder. I think a lot of people will regret some of their postings down the line about the passing of healthcare reform. I know of some people who, if they don't, then their relationship with Christ may not be where they thought it was. Not because they were for or against it, but how they were for or against it. Just because things don't go your way doesn't give you the right to be an idiot. People who quote scripture one day can't go on a profanity laced rant the next and expect people to respect what they have to say. Just my opinion...but its right.

Gas For Groceries

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:47:00 +0000

Wellspring is hosting a Gas Buy Down this weekend. Check out the commercial running on the local ABC affiliate.

Watch This Video

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:52:00 +0000

This is a video that a pastor here in South Carolina who is suffering with cancer made for the student ministry at his church. Watch it, allow it to give you perspective, and put God's truths from the video into practice.

Guest Blogger: Beth Goff

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:54:00 +0000

This is a post from our Wellspring Partners Blog that my wife wrote. I thought I would share it with you and give you an opportunity to make an impact in Myrtle Beach.

Monday, July 20, 2009
We're Expecting!!!

We are opening our doors and launching on September 13th! There are a LOT of things that we will need before the BIG DAY and we need items for our nursery and childrens' ministry! So we thought we would register and that it would be a great way to get the word out and let everyone know of our needs.

We know times are hard for everyone financially so if you have not been able to donate to Wellspring maybe this would be a way that you can. Even if you want to get 4 of your friends to go in together to buy a gift that would be great! Anything you can give will help us provide a fun place to minister to the children that attend Wellspring Church!

Also, please don't feel like you are limited to these lists. If you find something at a discount store or a yard sale that is in good shape please know that would be wonderful too! If you live out of state and need to mail the items, email Beth at bethgoff@ymail.com for the shipping address.

We desire to have a very child friendly, home-like feel to our childrens' area and want it to the a place babies, toddler, and kids will want to come back to week after week... YOU can make that happen!!

I really hope that you will take a look at our Target or Babies R Us registry and choose and item or two that you can donate to Wellspring Church! Gift cards to Target and Babies R Us would be wonderful too if you don't want to pay for shipping of an item.

**When searching the LAST NAME and FIRST NAME are "Wellspring".**

Also, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!

Tell those close to you about our church and what we are doing and see if they might want to donate as well! I cannot tell you how many times we have received support from people we don't even know BUT someone told them about us and God led them to give. So PLEASE tell those you know!!! You could send them a link to this blog by email, on twitter, post it on Facebook or do a blog post on YOUR BLOG.

We hope to have all items gathered by August 28th if possible.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Can a Pastor Mow the Grass With His Shirt Off?

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:27:00 +0000

So yesterday Beth, the kids, and I went to the beach in the morning. After that we went to the pool to rinse the salt off. We got home in the afternoon and my grass was seriously in need of mowing. So, I put on my shoes and mowed the grass. I had been swimming all day and I didn't want to get another shirt dirty so I just mowed in the old swim trunks. The whole time I was thinking though, can a pastor mow the grass with his shirt off?

First of all, I would like to apologize for the mental picture of me mowing the grass without a shirt on. Secondly, I would like to state that I am not typically a shirt off mower and I am vehemently opposed to the old fat guys in my neighborhood with their shirts off and their pants in need of a draw-string or belt. However, I am a utilitarian type and I don't want to add to my wife's (or occasionally my) laundry load.

So, can a pastor mow the grass with his shirt off? I don't know why I felt weird doing this. I was at the beach with my shirt off and even ran into some people from church and I didn't feel weird. I go to the pool 3 or 4 times a week and see people from church and don't feel weird. But when mowing my grass...

I think I get a bit of a pass most of the time for things I do. Why? Because a lot of time people don't think of me as a pastor (which I'm okay with). I've never been Pastor Goff or Pastor TJ. While other younger and even less experienced people I have worked with have been Pastor (fill in the blank) I've always just been TJ or Earring Boy. I've been the Music Guy not the Worship Pastor. You get the picture.

The overarching question of this post is how human can your pastor be? Do you want to see them in real life? Really? Do you want to know that they argue with their wives and cuss at people while driving? Or, do you prefer that they maintain a "Holy Distance." Some pastors work very hard to project themselves as having it all together. Others may be a little too open. My filter works this way. I'm a regular dude. If you want to be my friend you get to know a lot; if you want to hang out, a little less; if you don't know me well...

I will never pretend to have it all together. I struggle as a husband, a father, a son, a "Pastor," a man, just like everyone else. Any pastor who says he doesn't struggles with lying. So, I will probably continue to parade around topless when the mood hits me so be warned. I usually mow the grass on Friday afternoons.

My New Favorite Thing

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:23:00 +0000

This is hilarious. However, I do not support drugs. Just say "No."

Wellspring Launch is Coming

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:10:00 +0000

Good morning everyone. We are only a couple of months away from launching Wellspring Church here in Myrtle Beach. We want to let you know that you can be a part of what God is doing here. We have seen 19 people make decisions to follow Christ since January with a launch team of about 25 and meeting mostly in homes. Imagine what God will do when we open our doors to the public! Here's a video we showed our launch team yesterday and want to share with you as well. Pray about what God wants you to do as we all work to make Him known on the Grand Strand.

Just Ask

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:35:00 +0000

One of the best things I learned while I was on staff at Bay Hills Community Church was also probably the most embarrassing things I had to endure when Dave and I would go to conferences, meetings, restaurants, etc. He would always ask for something free.

Dave is probably one of the cheapest people in the world. That's not a exaggeration. He will admit it and I think he actually takes pride in it. Don't get me wrong, when it came to being able to get what we needed to reach people in the Bay Area, he would spare no expense (at least for me), but personally he's super cheap. I was always embarrassed when he would say "can I get it for free" but always happy if he got me something for free.

I've learned in the past few years that it never hurts to ask. I've always thought that I would look like a freak if I walked up to someone and asked them for something. It took a while for me to realize that the worst thing that could have happened would be that they said "no" and you'd be in the same boat you were before. You have to forget about appearing to be cool.

The night before I got married, my groomsmen and I were staying at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead (a nice hotel in Atlanta). When we were walking back from the ESPN Zone where we spent my "Bachelor Party" we saw P-Diddy, or whatever we're calling him now, outside of the hotel probably getting ready to go out as we got ready to sleep. My instinct was to play it cool and act like we didn't care he was there. That's what we did and guess what, I don't get to tell the story about how I met and partied with P-Diddy the night before my wedding.

You never know what will happen when you ask a question. You always know what will happen if you don't: nothing. Don't waste great opportunities to meet people, get free stuff, or have experiences you never thought possible. Just ask.

God On Tap

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:51:00 +0000

In case you were wondering, we had our first God On Tap meeting this past Sunday and it was great. For those of you who don't know, God on Tap is our new gathering for those with questions about God, the Church, Life, or anything else. We meet in a local bar every other Sunday evening. Basically the format is, people ask questions and Trey answers them. Sometimes there is follow up discussion, sometimes there isn't. For more info check out our God On Tap webpage.

Our biggest fear was that no one would ask any questions. Man were we wrong. We talked about science, Moses, and why Jesus is the only way. Before we knew it, time was up. Everyone seemed to enjoy the discussion and as far as I know, no one was uncomfortable. We hope that people feel like they can come to Wellspring and know that they don't have to fit a certain mold, or believe certain things to be there. We are here for those who are seeking God. We know that as long as we follow His leadership, the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of those her in Myrtle Beach. I can't wait until the next God On Tap.

I Got A Little Bored

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:02:00 +0000

I got a little bored today so I got Beth to shoot some video of me. Check it out.

Okay so that wasn't me but it was awesome. He really looked like me when his shirt was off though.

A Post that Everyone Should Read

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Well, I'm back. If you must know I've pretty much been cutting grass for the last month or so and because of the ridiculous hours I was working (at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club) I just haven't had the "want to" to blog. But thank Jesus that short season is over. After figuring out that I wasn't able to do what I came to Myrtle Beach to do and really was only being compensated in free golf and a nominal paycheck, Beth and I (along with her mom who basically became a full-time babysitter) decided to re-prioritize. So, no more cutting grass for now.

Anyway, on to the reason I am posting today. Leadership has pretty much been on my mind for all of 2009. Not sure why but it has. This morning I read a really insightful post on Big Is The New Small Blog. Its entitled Why leaders Fail. Check it out, this is for everyone, not just churchies.

4 Reasons Leaders FAIL
Posted by Scott Williams on June 8th 2009

There are many reasons that leaders fail; however I thought I would condense the list to 4 memorable reasons in the acronym FAIL. Here are the 4 Reasons Leaders FAIL:

1. Fake- A leader who try’s to be someone they are not instead of simply being themselves has a difficult time succeeding, at some point it just catches up to them. This also applies to the leader that has a different face, different persona, different tone, different everything… when certain people are around. In other-words when the big boss comes around they put their fake-face on. Not to say a leader might not make some adjustments when company comes around; however the super-fake-face comes from insecurity of how they act normally. Remember: Don’t be fake, be yourself… “Do You! It’s A Statement… Not A Question!” Fake Leaders Fail!

To read more CLICK HERE.

Don't Get in That Limo!

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

If you don't think music is very important maybe you should watch this video. Its amazing how much music does to set the tone to the things we see. This is the opener to Diff'rent Strokes without the peppy music (written, I believe by one multi-talented Alan Thicke). Turns out, Alan Thicke is much more important than we thought.

Don't get in that limo Gary! Protect your brother Todd!

Wellspringchurch.tv On TV

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:32:00 +0000

We finally got the video of Trey on the news. We actually made it on the 4, 5, and 6 o'clock news today. Pretty cool. I like the handsome guy with the earrings the best. He's hawt. I don't know about everyone else who was there but it wasn't my first brush with the law if you know what I'm saying. Just the first time I didn't run when the law got there.

Next stop, Oprah.

Easter Sunday, the Police, and The News

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Wow, what a week. We have had a lot going on here in Myrtle Beach in the last couple of days. As many of you know, our band was shut down on Sunday morning by the police and we had to do an acoustic worship set for Easter. It turned out to be great although I really wanted to play with the awesome band that had been assembled. The police were nice and didn't want to shut us down but they had jobs to do. Well, today Trey did an interview with a reporter from WMBF News (our local NBC affiliate) about Sunday. Its going to air tonight at 4pm and possibly later depending on how slow the news day is. When I can, I hope to post a video of the interview. I'll keep you posted.

The Decline and Fall of Christian America

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:24:00 +0000

This morning I read an incredible article in the latest issue of Newsweek by John Meacham entitled The Decline and Fall of Christian America. Click Here to read the entire article. In it, he outlines the decreasing number of Americans who claim religious affiliation and namely Christianity. While, two thirds of Americans still claim to be "born again" (a number the cynic in me considers dubious), we have definitely been witness to an increasingly secular culture in the past decade. Christianity isn't disappearing but its political influence is. Meacham proposes that "the Christian God isn't dead. But he's less of a force in U.S. politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory." Now we know that God has as much influence on politics as he wants. Contrary to what a lot of Christians think, if God had wanted John McCain or Mike Huckabee to win, he would have made it so. He's ALL POWERFUL! (This also means if he wanted any or all countries to have Christian governments, they would). But what Meacham means is that the influence of those who follow God is less in politics than any other time. To me, this may not be such a bad thing.

I have always been very suspicious of those who focus their religious fervor toward legislating their beliefs. You see, I believe that its not our job to remove all temptation and to force people into obedience. True belief comes from a change of heart not a change of circumstances. I actually read about this last night in a completely unrelated booklet by Mark Driscol called Porn Again Christian about resisting the temptation of sexual sins. When speaking of whether or not to discontinue you Internet, cable TV, etc., he says,

the problem is in your heart and not in your Internet provider. Paul is clear in Colossians 2:20–23 that legalistic man-made rules may sound helpful but in the end are worthless in restraining sin because they only address outward behaviors while neglecting inward causes. It may be wise for some men to not have cable television or an unfiltered Internet provider, but unless their heart changes, they will simply rearrange the flesh and stop one sin to begin another, such as being proud of their morality once they have stopped looking at porno. Whatever you do, begin with your heart.

I believe the same thing applies to making religious principles into law. We've not addressed the real problem. The real problem is that we live among people who have no clue what a relationship with Jesus looks like and so they live in perpetual sin. Trying to go the political route is LAZY. People who do this and similar things are too afraid to have a real conversation about Jesus Christ with a person, so they try to force it on them through legislation. This is similar to people who hand you a tract and walk away. Where does the tract go? In the trash. Being a Christ-follower is about loving people enough to have face to face conversations about how Jesus changed your life, not about trying to "rebuild" a "Christian Nation" that in all honesty never existed in the first place.

My hope is that eventually all of this change in our political and cultural landscape will lead to Christians getting back to the basics. Love God, Love others. Jesus repeatedly refused to use the systems of this world to spread the Good News, but many believers devote their lives to it. If Christian means little Christ, what the heck are they thinking?

In all honesty, the "Christian Right Political Activists" make my job harder. They may have great intentions but they are turning more people off to the message of Jesus than the churches with their priorities straight can turn to Jesus. They are unknowingly stifling the efforts of those who wish to see those around them have a real relationship with Jesus Christ.

I believe that the less political Christianity becomes, the more people will turn to Jesus. Just look at what happened when religious dissenters left the oppressive European monarchies that forced religion on their people. Evangelical Christianity flourished where it was separated from the state. We will never be able to separate our Christian beliefs from our politics because true faith in Christ reaches into every aspect of our lives, but we should fight to keep it separate from state because state instituted religion is a two way street and if it becomes a one way street it goes the way of the government (See China). What do you think?

Easter Is Going to Be Crazy Good

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Well I've spent the last few weeks trying to pull together some great musicians for our first sneak preview services at Wellspring this Easter. I'm really excited about it. We will be having church outside under a tent. We will also have a full band of super-talented musicians. I also spent some time putting together our Easter iMix on iTunes so that our launch team can download the songs we'll be singing on Easter, listen to them, and then sing their hearts out on Easter. Click Here to download the Experience Easter iMix on iTunes. Even if you aren't here in Myrtle Beach, you can play the first three songs, then listen to the podcast, and then play the last two songs. It will be just like you were at our Easter Gathering. We're also going to do a really cool special but I kinda want to keep that to myself for now.

All of this Got me thinking, what is the best thing you ever did or saw done in an Easter Service? What made it great? Let's have a little discussion here.

Purpose Driven Blog (Sorry Rick Warren...Beat You to That One)

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:28:00 +0000

I've been thinking a lot about the purpose of my blog lately and I have come up with some ideas about what I want to do with it. Yesterday I installed a new feature called "Intense Debate." This allows those who comment to track other comments and even reply to other people's comments (Ya down with O.P.C., yeah you know me.) Sorry.

My hope is that on this site we can start having more conversations about different topics and create a community. Because of the diversity of readership on this blog and my inclination to make hasty, generalized, and controversial statements, we could really have some good discussion. The blog posts won't change much, I might sometimes write a one sentence question to spark discussion, but I hope you'll participate.

So so come on, I don't expect this to be the RagamuffinSoul Blog but let's have a little interaction.

I Got A Little Bored

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:14:00 +0000

I got a little bored for a few minutes this afternoon. This is the result.

Who Has Your Back?

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:07:00 +0000

In the past few months God has really been teaching me a lot about how to be a good Worship Pastor, Church Planter, Employee, Husband, and Friend. I think when you boil it all down, there is one quality that will ensure you will be successful in a relationship no matter what it is. LOYALTY.

In the end what's really important in a friend, employee, husband, etc. is this: do they have your back? If they do, keep them as close as you can, if not lose them (unless you're married to them in which case GO TO COUNSELING). Loyalty is probably the most important quality you will ever find in a person aside from their relationship with Jesus Christ, and I personally believe that those things go hand in hand.

Allow me to explain what I mean by loyalty. No matter what, if you want to be a good husband, friend, whatever, you have to be loyal. That person has to know that you will do anything for them short of sin to protect them, help them, save them... It is my job to make sure that I do whatever I can to protect my wife from people who may not have her best interest at heart, from those who want to hurt her, from situations that are not safe or will not benefit her in any way. That is what God called us to do as husbands and wives and what most of us promised to do in our vows. As an employee I have a similar charge. God calls us to honor those in positions of authority over us (whether we like it or not). It is my job to protect Trey from the same type of stuff I protect my wife from. Think of David's "Mighty Men" risking their lives, literally, to get him a drink. When you serve under someone in a position of influence, especially when they're a pastor, people are going to attack them and try to bring them down. As an employee, its your job to make sure that doesn't happen. If you have a boss (or a wife for that matter) that you don't necessarily get along with, the quickest way to mend that relationship is to let them know that you have their back.

This brings me to my final example. When I was at my last church I would occasionally get complaints on our commitment cards: the music was too loud, too many guitars, you don't do this song enough. This is pretty much standard for all worship pastors and I'm sure I'll get more in the future. One of the best things I decided to do when these really started to get me down was to have our office manager censor them. She would look through them, check who was saying it (anonymous always went in the trash), and if it was a common complaint or just a random one. Then she would decide what I should see and not see. She had my back. She made sure that I wasn't being overloaded with negative comments unless they were real problems. In your relationships, THIS IS YOUR JOB. If you hear negative things about your friend/boss that you know to be unfounded and/or untrue, you stop it right there. You correct whoever is being negative and you end it. You don't tell your friend/boss "I heard this" or "Joe Blow is saying that." You protect them from the heartache that comes from knowing people are talking behind their back. If its a true problem that you also feel they could work on, you bring it to them but don't put it on others. Take responsibility and say "I've noticed this may be a problem and maybe its something you should think about..." Don't hide behind the fact that others might think the same thing. Real friends can be honest with one another and if its a problem, honesty will always be appreciated.

So, I challenge you to be loyal in all of your relationships. Protect your friends, family, and co-workers. And also take time to evaluate who has your back. Once you figure that out you may have fewer "friends" but you'll have real friends and not be disappointed with those who aren't real friends when they are disloyal.

Hilarious Video

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:12:00 +0000

If you aren't Twittering, you probably won't after watching this video. Its very funny and is a little bit true. I saw it on many other blogs I read but want to make sure everyone sees it. Check it out.

Its Coming

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:23:00 +0000

This video is long and the graphics kinda stink but its pretty amazing to think about what it says. Check it out and then we all better get to work.

Realistic but Disappointed

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Disclaimer: The beginning of this is about NCAA basketball but I promise if you push through you'll get to the good part.

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed last night when the Auburn men's' basketball team didn't make it into the NCAA Tournament. I felt like Auburn was one of the hottest teams in the country and that winning 11 or their last 14 games should have been rewarded. Other teams that got in (Arizona and Michigan to name two) had good early seasons but tanked at the end of the year. I was bolstered by the fact that Bobby Knight agreed with me as did the NIT selection committee who made Auburn a #1 Seed in their tournament.

However, I also will not complain about Auburn's lot. The fact is that they lost games against Xavier, Dayton, Kentucky and Florida that they should have one and had some bad losses (Mercer?! Come ON!). I also am pretty sure had they made it to the tournament, they wouldn't have won the whole thing. In my opinion, if you aren't good enough to win it all, you don't have a reason to complain.

But now its Auburn's job to prove that they belong. If you lose in the NIT, you lose all credibility. You need to prove that you belonged with the big boys by beating all of the little boys.

I try not to do this much but this applies to life also. I get sick of people complaining about where they are in a job, in a relationship, physically, or in life when they are not doing their best in their current situation. Here is a personal example. I really want to be in good shape. I live at the beach and people will be looking at me whether they want to or not. I don't want them to say "that guy needs to hit the gym" but right now, that's what they'll say. My excuse: I don't have time to work out. The reality: I watch a lot of TV, don't wake up particularly early, and don't manage my time as well as I could. I don't have an excuse for not being in shape other than its not that important to me. Auburn doesn't have an excuse for not making it to the tournament other than not doing as well as they can every season. So, no matter where you're at in life, do your best there. God will honor that and eventually move you on to bigger and better things. I promise.

A Note To All Conferences

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Go To Unleash and Take Notes.

This week Trey and I headed over to Anderson (where?), South Carolina and attended the Unleash Conference. I gotta say of the conferences I've been to that are put on by churches, this was probably the best. I'm pretty sure that Catalyst is the best conference I've ever been to but Catalyst is its own entity with its own staff and offices so they better be good.

Unleash is put on by Newspring Church. Many times conferences put on by churches aren't done as well because they are also running a church at the same time. Unleash didn't seem that way at all. I hope church doesn't stink at Newspring this week...I'm sure it won't. The conference was only one day but recharged me like a 3 day conference should.

The best part of Unleash was the large group meetings. Perry Noble did a great job and really challenged us to do what God has put us in Myrtle Beach to do and not play games. The music was also incredible. They did a great job of leading us into the presence of God and not killing the moment with announcements, promotions, or other fluff that generally throw a wet cloth on the whole thing.

For pastors, in my opinion, the most important thing a conference can do is allow them to reconnect with God by being able to engage in worship. We don't get the full effect of our own gatherings very often because of the burden of providing a great "God Experience" for others. We need a conference to allow us to experience Him like our congregations do every week.

So, thanks to the guys and girls at Newspring for providing a great experience for all of the attendees at Unleash. I will be back again next year.

No More Oatmeal?

noreply@blogger.com (TJ) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Some people say that Christian music isn't always top quality. I disagree and here is my proof. Enjoy this video.