.:Tally Wilgis:. Captivate The City

Community Fall Festival

2009-10-31T17:08:00.002-04:00

Captivate was invited to join local organizations and businesses like Target and McDonalds in putting on a Halloween event called "Fall Fest". It's an honor that businesses approached us about participating and we were excited to be there. We got to have many great conversations and many invitations were given. Volunteers from the church came out and a great time was had by all. We're pumped to see how God uses these events in the community to bring people to himself. Here's a quick peek at what we had goin' at the Fall Fest.

A Sorry excuse for Sorry

2009-10-21T10:36:00.002-04:00

Today I came across an article on ESPN where Jeff Fisher, coach of the Tennessee Titans (who have as many wins in the NFL as I do right now) apparently upset some people by wearing a Colts jersey while introducing former Colts coach, Tony Dungy during a charity event.

Understandably, some fans and radio personalities have raised a fuss about a coach who lost last week by 59 points wearing the jersey of another team.
Let me first say that I don't particularly care about either side to this trivial story. Football is a game. Nothing that I'm about to say should be taken to indicate I care very deeply about this situation. I care more for the principle at play and how I see this reflected in society as a whole.

According to the article, Fischer did something that I believe reflects a very poor use and understanding of an apology. This is Coach Fisher's direct quote from the article: "I'm sorry if I offended anybody but if I had to do it again, I would do it again."

Coach Fisher is not unique in his definition of an apology. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this type of apology between people. I can't tell you how many people I've met who believe this is an acceptable approach to their relationship with God.

Apologies to People:
"My bad, but I'd do it again."

When you give an apology you are admitting fault. At the very least you are admitting regret that your ignorance caused harm. What an apology is not is what Coach Fisher expressed. If a person is sorry it means they genuinely repent. They wish they could go back and do things completely different.

We can't have healthy relationships without healthy repentance. If we believe a healthy repentance is to say "I apologize but I'd cause the same harm again." A true apology is admitting fault and expressing a sincere desire that things would have been done completely differently.

Apologies to God:
"My bad, but I'd do it again."

The scripture is full of examples where God encourages us to live with integrity. God's word goes as far to say that even our thought life should be lived above reproach. We are called to a higher standard under the grace of Christ, not a lower one. Fortunately for us, in Christ we are forgiven of much. Our knowledge of how short we fall is no longer simply a reflection of how far off the mark we are but rather it is now used as a springboard to giving God more praise, honor and loyalty with our lives.

We are called as His children to present ourselves as living sacrifices because He first sacrificed himself for us. So when we sin our response can't be "My bad God, but I'd do it again."

If you want to see a genuine apology check out Psalm 51.

Psalm 51

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

⁶ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ^a]">[a] ;
you teach ^b]">[b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁴ Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are ^c]">[c] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸ In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Simply Captivating

2009-10-21T01:07:00.009-04:00

To date: 23 professions of faith and 9 baptisms in 3 weeks. We're pumped at what God is doing!

Check out a few shots from this Sunday, October 18th.

Daddy and Son Fun!

2009-10-15T21:42:00.004-04:00

This evening Caleb and I created a monster. A pumpkin monster!

Captivate Week 2 In Pictures

2009-10-11T18:02:00.024-04:00

Worship Leader Danny Hallis (Danny got engaged just 3 weeks ago!)

Visiting us today was one of our interns from this summer named Zack. Zack has led a life that until a few years ago would have gotten him not much more than a ticket to prison or a morgue. God got to him in such a huge way that Zack is now a freshman at my Alma Mater Liberty University! I'm so proud of him. I wanted to show the crowd that God gets joy out of making broken people whole. Zack is a testimony to that!

See more below from this video which can be seen with others at CaptivateChurch.com

Drugs from Stories on Vimeo.

The point of the sermon today was that God goes on offense to save the most broken and busted among us. He used even Paul (self described persecutor and violent man) to plant churches and go on to write 2/3 of the NT... he can save and use you! Our scripture came from 1 Timothy 1:12-17. We also talked about the fact that the scoreboard is the Lamb's book of life. The place where the names of those who trust Christ for new life are found. Christ is on offense to get the score up! God doesn't want to just win, he wants us to run up the score. As a result, this church exists to reach people far from God.

3, 4
A set of friends from Stevenson University. Both received salvation in Christ today!

5, 6
Another set of friends who came together, both giving Christ their life!

This will never get old!

I'm begging God to make this only the beginning of what happens here in Baltimore through Captivate Church and many others who preach Christ and draw people to Him.

Video Clips from Concord

2009-10-09T10:28:00.003-04:00

We couldn't do what we are doing without the support of some amazing churches. One of those churches is Concord. We have been having a wonderful week getting to know the people of this great church. Sometimes people don't think about how new churches ever get started. For us most of the reason we even exist are because of amazing people sending us.

This morning some of Concord Christian's students came over to our booth and made up a cheer with us. I got into the act. We had so much fun one of the teachers invited me to stop in on their chapel service and say hello. Over at TheBaltimoreProject.com I've had several groups do the wave so I thought it'd be appropriate for this occasion!

This is a simple way for us to connect and have fun. Sometimes we relegate missions to something that happens far away. Visits like this let us interact with all age groups so they know who exactly they are praying for and supporting through their contributions. When we're on the front lines every day it's great to know people like this have our back! Check out some fun we've had this morning!

Larry Brey visit Recap

2009-10-07T11:00:00.005-04:00

It's Wednesday and I'm on a plane to Knoxville, TN via ATL to see one of our great partner churches. This past week has been a whirlwind week! God has been more than gracious to us.

On Friday and Saturday we were beyond blessed to have with us Mr. Larry Brey of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. I've been around the church world for over 10 years since time as a volunteer at TRBC. There are very few churches like Elevation. There are very few leaders like Pastor Steven Furtick and there are next to no church cultures like the team assembled at Elevation. God is doing a very unique work in Charlotte through this group of men and women.

Last year I had the honor of visiting Elevation's office during my south east road trip with TheBaltimoreProject.com. My time with Elevation was of the highlights of my year. Pastor Furtick was generous enough to take a few minutes with me, Chunks Corbett, their Executive Pastor took a few hours over lunch and Mr. Larry Brey, their Connections Pastor spent several hours pouring into me. Prior to my visit this team knew next to nothing about me. I understand they made a call or two to some friends to verify who I was but I was not given nearly a day of their attention because of anything about me. I was given time because they are a gracious church who wants to share what God did through them.

During the visit with all of the leaders I was able to spend time with I did not ask about pipe and drape or where they buy their projectors or how they make their stage look cool. I spent my time trying to understand the "why" behind the "how". My philosophy is that anyone can make a stage 'cool' but not everyone can see a move of God on their watch. I wanted the wisdom that comes with a move of God. Not man's wisdom, but that piece of knowledge that spurs everything else.

That day I observed a team like I hadn't seen before. There was a cultural difference about the place. That cultural difference in my opinion comes from a culture of honor. Elevation has a few spices that make the flavor of what they do very unique among the church planting culture of today. One of those spices is honor.

Honor at Elevation is honor up/down/left/right... they bleed honor.

Bringing Larry Brey in was huge for our team. He doesn't do this every weekend. Again, he did not join us because we gave him a ton of cash (we didn't) or because we are so special (we're not), Mr. Brey came because Pastor Steven Furtick has encouraged his team to share freely with others. They remember when they were just getting started. Again, I am humbled and honored that Elevation has open hands with the blessing God is pouring out and it is such a privilege to have them invest in us.

I'm not going to get into the details of what Larry shared with us. Many of these principles can be learned by attending an Elevation event such as IMPART. I had the privilege of attending THR3E in April and it was like drinking from a fire hose. As an aside: To be honest I'm not a fan of guys whining about the cost of training events like this. Sell your TV if you believe God has called you and you believe what they have to say is a great investment. Too many people want a steak dinner for the price of a happy meal. Okay, that's off my chest.

What I will say about Mr. Brey's visit is that he is an encourager beyond belief. He teaches to the heart and he digs deep to make certain our team - all of us - are counting and have counted the cost. He asked challenging questions and he affirmed often. During our time with him we literally laughed, some cried and all of us hurt our hands trying to scribble enough down to keep up with the powerful lessons he shared.

I'd imagine we could catch more of the Niagra Falls with our open mouth than what could be crammed into our brains over the two days from the wisdom Larry shared. Another aspect of Larry's visit that was unique is the speed and repetition with which he reminded us that he was not the author of the wisdom. He gave so much credit to Pastor Furtick and said "I have the easy job, I just hit 'record' when I'm with Pastor and I hit 'play' when I'm with you."

Pastor Furtick thank you again for blessing us by affirming your team as they share with others. Thank you for believing in us and thank you for imparting wisdom to people like Larry Brey so they can bring it to the far reaches of the nation. Baltimore will be blessed because of your investment.

Mr. Larry Brey, thank you. Thank you for believing in our team and for teaching us the many valuable lessons we will need in moments, days and weeks to come. For our opening service our team implemented several of your suggestions immediately and we saw a big payoff. One example is that Drew gathered more parking team members and gave a speech to our parking guys that Vince Lombardi would be proud of. Our team was on fire for our opening day because of the investment you made. We are carrying those lessons forward as we prepare for week 2.

Again, thank you!

Night Before Launch

2009-10-04T08:18:00.002-04:00

God has brought this church a long way. We want Baltimore to know Christ through us.

When it tastes like vomit

2009-09-29T23:56:00.004-04:00

You can thank me for the title later.

As a Pastor I'm constantly in contact with amazing people who are thirsty for someone to call out the potential that sits dormant in their lives. Everyone has some level of it and like all things, God has given people unique areas. For some their potential is obvious and for others it takes a little digging but everyone has it.

I'm not one of these people who believes everyone can be anything they put their mind to. Not everyone will be able to swim like Michael Phelps and win 8 gold medals in one Olympics for instance. I can barely swim a lap without holding the side for a rest. While I have played football, baseball and basketball you're not going to find any articles written about my skills in any of those sports being very noteworthy.

Potential isn't about everyone winning gold or everyone holding a microphone or everyone being the PTA president. Potential is becoming the man or woman that God created when He brought you into being. It is fulfilling every ounce of opportunity with what God gave. I've often read that the human mind only fulfills 10% of it's capacity. In my unscientific estimation I'd say that's about what the average person uses in their total potential.

What keeps us from reaching our potential? The lure of the lackluster.

Lackluster is the word I use for the life not challenged. A lackluster life is one that returns to the same behavior as the day before. Usually the lackluster life is one that becomes routine and predictable. The lackluster life does not challenge assumptions, does not work through difficult circumstances, it worships comfortable and often wakes up fighting the same battles and noticing little change over long periods of time. That's a lackluster life.

YAWN! What a waste of potential.

The book of proverbs speaks to this life:
As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11

I really believe that many people live the lackluster life because they have accepted returning to the old ways of life just like a dog returning to eat their own vomit. The very low expectations they have continue to ruin them time and time again. Sin is not viewed for what it is - the reason for Christ's execution (2 Corinthians 5:21) - but rather the lackluster Christian sees sin as nothing more than an acceptable alternative to momentary boredom.

What will it take for some to finally put an end to the wasted life? What will it take for some people to wake up and realize that they are created in the image of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit they can overcome their lackluster approach to living? I believe for many people they have to see their current existence for what it is. Vomit.

Once a person can view their current situation and begin to taste status quo as vomit then they will have enough. So long as you continue to spray Cool Whip on your problems you'll continue to eat the meal of mediocrity and never fully realize the abundant life that is found in obedience to Christ.

I'm not interested in people achieving material success and using the cross as a means to an end. Quite the contrary. I'm interested in people getting so frustrated with the status quo that they get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit move them into communion with the Father through the sacrifice of the Son. I believe God does not create junk and every person has been wired to fulfill their potential to the glory of God.

When we don't fulfill our potential, God gets his glory reflected into fewer places where people need to know Him. Christian man or woman, God put you right where you are to shine for Him and to make his name famous. Part of achieving our potential is to leverage all of our influence for his Glory. When we live the lackluster life then we miss out on one of the most powerful parts of our existence... to have God use us to touch the eternal destiny of another soul.

So when will people finally let go? When will Christians who know better quit "falling" (read: mistake, slip, accident, oops, screwed up, mess up) repeatedly? When they trust in Christ not only as fire-insurance but as Lord of their lives and begin to notice that sin tastes like vomit. Then and only then will they see their life as Jesus sees them. They will see that they are eating a meal not befitting for a child of the living God.

If you're living a lackluster life because you continue to return to your vomit I pray today is the day you see it for what it is. See that temporary gratification you run to as the very wall separating you from the fullness of Christ living in you.

Don't waste another day on excuses and lackluster living. Fulfill your potential, give God glory and change the world by living out the reason for which God created you.

Why We Need New Life

2009-09-28T19:35:00.006-04:00

The human condition is not that we 'do bad things'.

The human condition is that we are all sinful beings. We are "b-b-b-b-ba-ba bad to the bone."

By our very nature we are people who are predisposed for things that do not line up with love. Christianity points out that we're all on the same playing field at the cross of Christ. All of us have fallen short of God's standard. All of us are in need of grace from God.

Today I came across a story on CNN about a 16 year old who was beaten to death in Chicago. To get the full passion with which I write the following words, read that story before you continue.

Having grown up and now ministering in Baltimore I can assure you that this identical story can be written with the city of Baltimore as the backdrop just as easily.

What this story points out is that there is an evil in this world so brutal and so deranged that it's unspeakable to most people. This evil however does exist.

As a society we have allowed a vocal minority of people rise up to tell us that our children should not hear of God. We are told that we must depend on government regulation and intervention for our society to work. We are told that a family is no longer the necessary cornerstone to society but rather 'it takes a village'. In the meantime our society suffers. Our children are brainwashed to think their great great great grandparents were monkeys and their greatest of ancestors was a tadpole created from electrocuted snot soup.

The reason people need to learn of the love of the Gospel of Jesus is that we are not people simply who do bad things. We are naturally (when left to our own) people with a rebellious nature. Certainly not everyone is out to kill but we all at the very least consider ourselves above others. We have lost the common courtesy to hold a door in most cases. We are a self indulgent people.

Many of us have the capability to help and love our neighbor but we walk on by instead. After years of social media, the One Campaign, Kiva, Blood Water Mission and other fine organizations alerting us of needs around the world we continue to let people die for no reason. We are all broken people. Lets just admit it already. As a society lets stop trying to pretend we're all naturally good. We're not. We're all screwed up. Some just mask it better than others.

The typical reaction to a murder is that our politicians come out and talk about creating new gun laws. We blame inanimate objects for the problem. Our politicians blame metal. I wonder if after reading this story will our politicians lobby for tougher 2x4 laws? I'm not making a joke here. I'm making a point that this is the 'leadership' we receive because this is the leadership we choose. At the very least we allow a void that gets filled by people who have yet to acknowledge their own frailty and brokenness. In short we follow leaders who consider themselves a god. They believe they have all of the answers and faith is a fairy tale. The problem is not with the tools used for violence or hate, the problem is found in the heart that hates in the first place.

We must take off our rose colored glasses.

We are fooling ourselves if we believe that our societal issues can be repaired by government, 'villages' or highway signs. What we are dealing with are conditions of the heart. Whether you like faith or hate it you must acknowledge that the more Christianity is pushed to the sidelines and the more that Christians sit silent in the public square, the more common these incidents become.

Today America has more children born into families without both mother and father married than ever before. We are right now seeing the results of fatherless homes in our inner cities. We are handicapping authorities in every way possible by allowing groups to get publicity out of attacking the public servants who protect us as a society. Ultimately we as Christians are to take the blame for remaining silent and on the bench.

Every school in this country would love to have us volunteer and love on young people but we don't. We leave it to 'someone else, something else, somewhere else'.
People need to know of the new life they can find in Jesus Christ. People need to know that their life is not an accident. People need to know that their life is ETERNAL and not simply a 70 year sprint with no meaning. People need to know that love wins. People need to know that there is a God who knows them, loves them and expects no magic tricks. He simply wants to be allowed to take up residence in their lives so HE can do his thing. People need to be loved.

People need to know that their life matters, their existence matters and they have a Heavenly Father who believes they matter!

People need the love that leads to new life in Christ.
------------------
This is why we're here!
This past Sunday at Captivate Church 4 people crossed the line of faith and trusted Jesus Christ for new life in Him. Ephesians 2:8-10 promises that they have an eternal life in Christ not because of their inherent 'goodness' but rather because of grace through faith. If you are interested in learning more about a new life in Christ please contact me or visit CaptivateChurch.com for our grand opening this Sunday at 10 a.m. - 10626 York Rd, 21030!

We're also starting a new church in East Baltimore at the corner of Orleans and Luzerne Avenue near McEldery Park. Pray for us as we attempt to bring people new life in Christ.

Vote for Me!

2009-09-28T11:31:00.003-04:00

This blog has been entered in a blog contest put on by the Baltimore Sun. I'd love to drive some traffic here as we prepare to open. If you would be so kind to help our cause, please take a moment to vote for this blog in three places.

1. Misc. - Defies a category.
2. Personal- Blogs about people.
3. Best Overall- You know what that is.

We're Better Together

2009-09-25T14:52:00.012-04:00

(Some of our staff with Ben Arment. We work better together.)

I'm constantly reminded that we're better off together rather than alone.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

(These are men we baptized this summer. As a church we're better together.)

This past week I was invited to spend some time down at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. Sherwood is the church home to the movies "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof". In a previous post I shared with you some of the impact this church made on my life.

Dr. Michael Catt invited me to a conference he hosts each year called "ReFRESH". The church paid for myself and an associate to fly in, gave us a rental car and great accommodations at a nice hotel by the water. Their church greeted us with a standing ovation which made me speechless at their love for us. What you need to know is that it wasn't corporate either, we were truly impressed with the love we received from every single person we encountered at Sherwood. Whether it be staff, volunteers or an elderly lady who grabbed me and smiled as I walked by in the worship center. A spirit of love rests all over the people of Sherwood.

From the Executive Pastor Jim McBride giving us a personal tour of their 100+ acre sports park to various staff members like Pastors John Spencer and Jim Jewell taking us out to eat, we were treated with a great deal of love and appreciation. We also had a great time hanging with Tracy Goode in the technical production room. Everyone and I mean everyone went over the top to love on us and we appreciated every bit of it. We only were able to spend 3 days on th e ground but I walked away feeling like honorary members of this great church. What Sherwood doesn't know is that God used their pledge of support to nudge me into taking a step of faith with our facility selection. Once we signed on the dotted line I had no idea how generous they would be. As a missionary on the front lines it is great to know that myself or m y team are not left alone. This church will reach many people far from God because we've got friends and our ministry is better together!

(Our marriage is stronger when spiritually, emotionally and physically we're together. We're better together.)

Upon my return from Sherwood it felt that the weight of the ministry was landing on my chest. I went from being in a place of peace and comfort and rest in God's word communicated by great preachers of the gospel to being thrust back into the day to day grind of getting our two locations off of the ground. With bills beginning to come in and systems not quite in place to even some heated moments within our team I quickly longed to be back on a plane to Sherwood. As you may suppose, God have any of that though.

What God does have are brothers in Christ going through the same thing here in Ba ltimore. This morning (Friday) I hustled around to get things in order to take the time to drive and pray with some fellow church starters. We ended up over in O'Donnell Heights, the housing project in which I was raised through my elementary years. I had the opportunity to pray for the people and beg God for him to pull more boys and girls out of that environme nt and place them into the Kingdom of God so they too can rise up to lead others. As I walked the streets it became clear to me as well that many of my concerns are petty compared to the streets on which I walked as a child. God has brought me far.

(Our summer college bible study found strength in numbers. They found that they grow better together.)

During that time this morning I was able to speak with several other church starters a bout their efforts in and around Baltimore. I spoke spanish (poorly) for a while with a hispanic Pastor. I spoke with my Kenyan brother who is working in the Odonell Heights area and I spent time with friends who are in Bolton Hill and Fells Point. For lunch I spent time with my partner in crime- Aaron Pankey who is an African American friend starting a great church near Morgan State University. As I wrapped up lunch today I thought to myself that my ministry is blessed because of these men. Each time we meet and pray with one another I can go back into my mission field with the knowledge that we are not alone and our ministry is better tog ether! I want to encourage you today. If you are alone and isolated in your work for God you must reach out and find people with whom to have fellowship. Fellowship is not stuffing your face and laughing about trivial things. Fellowship is time spent with Christ at the center of the relationship. I dare say that most Christian leaders do not have a genuine understanding of fellowship in their own everyday lives. It breaks my heart because we are better together.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter and took time to pray this morning, thank you. I felt your prayers and God spoke to me when I needed it most. As I received your many text messages, emails and facebook comments I was able to thank God for you and return the favor because we truly are ... that's right... better together. God bless.

(No such thing as a 1-man-band here. Our band plays sweet tunes better together.)

Evening at Sherwood

2009-09-23T03:54:00.000-04:00

Sherwood's ReFRESH Conference, Albany, GA from The Baltimore Project on Vimeo.

Sherwood: More than a Movie Church

2009-09-22T08:11:00.004-04:00

Sherwood Baptist Church is known as the church that put out the movies "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof". Both movies are known for their powerful story lines and life-giving messages. What I am left with during my visit is the overwhelming sense that this church is NOT a movie church. This church is FIRST a life-giving church in their community and then a church that does movies to spread that spirit to the rest of the world.

Sherwood is lead by a Pastor in Dr. Michael Catt who loves Jesus, loves people and is a man full of faith that God wants to move on behalf of his people. It shows.

The church sits in Albany, Ga which is a nice town but not exactly as large as Atlanta. It is a small town with some small town charm. Within this 'small' town is a church with a big-time heart. Sherwood has many ministries to reach out to those less fortunate, they have an 82-acre sports park they have built for the public, they give generously to many ministries all over this town.

In addition to what Sherwood does alone here in Albany, they have partnered in a very close way with a neighboring church that is almost exclusively an African-American congregation. Dr. Catt calls his friend, Dr. Daniel Simmons the 'co-pastor' of Sherwood Baptist Church. Dr. Simmons is actually the Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church here in Albany. Both of these men deserve great credit for the friendship they have forged, how closely they work with one another and how their partnership has bridged the racial divide for many in this community. I had a gentleman tell me during a break yesterday that he is thankful for their friendship because there are words that were spoken in his home that his children have never heard spoken in theirs. Powerful testimony to the power of Christ in the lives of these men.
Their friendship has enabled these two congregations who reach different people to often partner together as one in order to reach more people with the gospel of Christ. In a small southern town this is nothing to sneeze at. Their friendship is evident and their ministry is more effective because of their willingness to love one another and minister together.

I'm truly honored to be partnering with Sherwood Baptist Church. They have been an exemplary model for how a church reaches their own town and out to the world. Thank you Dr. Catt and thank you Sherwood.

Get To Know Me & My Personality Pattern

2009-09-17T21:10:00.005-04:00

Taking Tony Morgan's lead I completed the new Personality Pattern test. Mine is pretty accurate. What's your pattern?

(click to enlarge)

1. Poised

You tend to feel at home wherever you find yourself, even in unfamiliar settings, with new people. It takes a lot to rattle you, and when rattled you recover quickly and gracefully.

You are usually not self-conscious or nervous when you're in an unfamiliar environment or with people you don't know.

2. Optimistic
You are a "glass half-full" kind of person, always on the lookout for the silver lining. Your happiness is contagious, which is why others like to be around you.

You do not feel that the world is an intrinsically depressing place; you are not the kind of "realist" who thinks that only fools find joy in life.

3. Innovative
You come up with a lot of ideas; if one doesn't work out, there's always another waiting in the wings. You often have interesting solutions to difficult problems. You're practically a one-person brainstorming session.

You are less interested changing the world than in dealing with things as they are. Unlike those who spend all their time trying to solve problems, you prefer to zero in on things that work and stick with them.

4. Creative
You are good at solving problems, coming up with original ideas, and seeing connections between things, connections that most other people miss. People with a high score on the "creative" trait often are employed in such fields as finance and scientific research, and enjoy avant garde and classical music as well as literary fiction and scholarly non-fiction.

You do not shun abstractions and concepts in favor of the concrete and tangible.

5. Astute
You are a quick study. You generally don't need to have things explained to you more than once. When presented with a problem, you will often have an instant understanding of where to look for the solution.

You do not take your sweet time when presented with a new task to complete or problem to solve. You don't avoid assignments that require you to learn new skills.

6. Intellectual
You are thoughtful, rational, and comfortable in the world of ideas. People find you interesting to talk to. You're the living embodiment of the saying "You learn something new every day." In general, those with a high score on the "intellectual" trait are employed in such fields as teaching and research, and are enthusiastic about reading, foreign films, and classical music.

You do not avoid abstract conversation, experimenting with new ideas, or studying new things. It bores you to stick to the straight and narrow of what you already know.

7. Extroverted
You are ready to talk at the drop of a hat. Whether you're in the office or at a party, you're likely to be found gabbing away in the middle of a group of people. If you have a high score on the "extroverted" trait, you are probably among those who enjoy communicating with their friends (on the phone, on line, texting…), hanging out, and finding the best parties.

You are not shy or unwilling to spend a fair amount of time socializing. People you meet generally do not feel they have a hard time getting to know you.

8. Friendly
You would rather hang out with others than spend time alone, and you'd far rather be doing something with your friends than just sitting around. You're happy in a crowded room, club, stadium, or auditorium.

You're not a private person who is ill at ease in a group; you don't view excessive socializing as a waste of time.

9. Unflappable
You are not a slave to your emotions. It takes a lot to upset or unnerve you. That's why you're a good person to have around in a crisis.

You don't let it all hang out, which means that those around you often don't know the pressures you're under or what you're going through. You're not the kind of person people run from in a crisis.

10. Competent
You strive to master everything you undertake. You tend to learn quickly and do not shy away from challenges.

You are not a "que sera sera" type of person, nor do you go easy on yourself when attempting to master a new skill or get a job done.

Captivate Update

2009-09-14T13:57:00.003-04:00

This weekend was a great weekend in the life of this new church, Captivate Church. We believe God draws people to Himself with an irresistible appeal so we're working to build a church that does exactly that.

During the month of September we're inviting people who are interested in Captivate Church to join our 'launch team' for worship. On Sunday we had a great crowd and we had an amazing time together.

We're just 3 weeks away from public launch on October 4th but we can feel the momentum building. Paint is going up on a bunch of walls, we're unwrapping chairs and electricians were at the facility this morning installing power to the Children's auditorium. It's all coming together.

Our team is pretty amped up and we can't wait to welcome the community to weekend services in our new space. God has blessed and we're honored to create a church that will reach people in the Baltimore area.

Thank you to all of you who sacrifice and give so that this church gets birthed here.

Why We're Here

2009-09-03T16:38:00.003-04:00

This video explains why we're here. It is a thank you to each of our partners so far and it also serves as a clarion call for people in our region to know that we're focused on people far from God finding freedom and life in Jesus Christ.

It pumps me up!

Encouragement: Soak it Up

2009-08-31T19:30:00.005-04:00

As a church starter (or human being) you have to balance out genuine encouragement and people who are overly flattering. You get both. It is important however when you get the genuine to stop and soak it up. You never know the next time you'll receive positive, Holy Spirit induced encouragement. I'm telling ya... soak it up because it just may be the refreshment you need when you're in the desert of life.

Today I spent some time checking on a particular product we may need. What I got in an email this afternoon I just had to stop and soak up. I also emailed this to our team and asked them to soak it in. I believe as the Pastor I tend to get a feel for what God's doing and it's important for me to share these things with our team (who make nearly everything happen anyway).
I'm very thankful for the encouragement God sends our way and this was one example from today. It was kindness about our site- CaptivateChurch.com - The thing is that I didn't ask this person to look at our site. They simply took it upon themselves to look from the domain at the end of the email address I gave.

"Hi Tally, Thank You for your time today, I enjoyed talking with you! Please let me know how I can be of assistance. I just got through looking at your website and praying over your church launch. I spend every work day talking to churches all over the country and looking at thousands of church websites every year. Your site looks very, very good, such an excellent look for such a new church. You did something that I often find churches miss the mark on, and that is the way you broke down videos by topics. When a seeker goes to a church website they are hungry for answers. Your format lays it out in a way that by topic you can get to what you are looking for.

God has impressed it upon my heart to continue to pray for your church launch. I am praying for God’s continued Favor and Blessing for you, your staff, Captivate Church and the many, many people that will be touched by your ministry. "

So if you wrote us today. Thank you. If you think to encourage someone, please do. If you receive encouragement and you have a team around you, share it with them. It's our spiritual responsibility to take a moment and enjoy a win.

Another win was this group from Wake Forest, NC who came to visit us just about a week ago. It was great to have them here to serve. Check out a video they put together of their time with us.

To Pastor the City

2009-08-23T08:59:00.004-04:00

I believe God brought me back to Baltimore to be a Pastor to this city. The entire place. The entire people.

I think in our modern day missiology we may be unintentionally killing fruit on the vine. In my heart of hearts I believe if you are a Pastor with a heart for those far from God you should want every type of person to experience a saving relationship of faith in Jesus Christ. As we look at a culture divided into every conceivable demographic, educational background and native tongue we can rightly aim our focus to take root in the culture in a particular demographic only to wrongly ignore those who are outside of our chosen area of expertise.
Baltimore is an amazing place filled with people from every walk of life you can imagine. There are rich and poor, black and white, Asian and Latino, Italian and German... everyone is here. I can't help but to want to create compelling environments to draw each of these population segments to the King.
I believe in a Captivating God!

I believe in a God who - in his divine nature, power and glory - transcends every imaginable man-made road block.

Now I certainly know that we are finite and we have our own limitations but if we point to HIM and we think with HIS ends in mind we can become cultural caretakers whereby we do not just build churches that take on our own personalities but rather we build churches that take on the personalities of the community in which they rest. Connecting those congregations together at the footstep of fellowship (The genuine definition of fellowship: I digress, I don't have time to talk about that in this post) we can show the community that God indeed is a captivating God and no matter who you are or where you're from, there is a place for you with the King.

This is my passion, to Pastor the City. Part of that passion means that I do not make every environment compelling to me, it's to make every environment compelling to those we're trying to reach. As I look at what God has done through us in our inner city facility as well as our Timonium location I believe we're seeing this passion come to life. We have worked hard to create environments where the Gospel can be shared in a relevant way to the culture in which those facilities rest.
I cannot wait to share with you all that God does to bring people to Him from every part of this city!

Somethin' for your Friday

2009-08-21T08:23:00.001-04:00

Amazing Story

2009-08-14T08:18:00.003-04:00

At Captivate Church we put a lot of stock into stories. So much so that if you visit our site at CaptivateChurch.com you will be able to scroll down a list of struggles that people go through and find stories that match each one.

Today Tony Morgan shares a link on his blog to a story that you must watch. It's worth an hour of your time but it only lasts 5 minutes.

File Under: Very Cool

2009-08-05T20:28:00.002-04:00

I love the creativity and audience participation used by Bobby McFerrin. Amazing.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

"Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale and audience participation to highlight how our brains expect and anticipate logical progressions. Also, I love him and how joyful he is when he sings." via http://joshuablankenship.com/blog/

My Joy(s)

2009-07-30T18:15:00.002-04:00

I have the greatest joy to be the father of these two!

Why We Must Succeed

2009-07-28T10:27:00.002-04:00

The Baltimore metro region needs the Gospel of Jesus to penetrate hearts now more than ever before. What I'm about to share is not unique because other areas need the gospel less or because of the examples I will provide. What is simply unique is my passion and calling to the people of my city. My prayer is that if you represent Jesus anywhere in this world that you too develop a burning passion to see the gospel of Christ transform lives and therefore communities in your region.

What you may know about what we're doing is that we're attempting the impossible. We're starting a church outside of the beltway that will have a presence inside the beltway to bridge two distinctly unique areas of our region in an unprecedented fashion. I will not go into the many hurdles we will encounter or the interactions I have had with a few doubters along the way. What I will tell you is that Jesus has been proving himself time and time again. I'll also say that we continue to get amazing people to buy-in and partner with us.

Recently we've been faced with obstacles regarding our facility outside of the beltway in an area called Timonium. This location will become the hub for our future work so from my limited human perspective, it MUST succeed. And it will.

This is the backdrop for what I want to share with you.

We must succeed because of what is on the front page of The Baltimore Sun today.

The Sun reports that 18 people were shot in an evening of violence primarily resulting from feuding drug gangs. The most horrific of the shootings happened at a backyard cookout commemorating the passing of a young man last year. In that incident a 2 year old girl was shot as well as a pregnant woman shot 3 times.

In addition to that shooting there were several others in the same evening. All of these shootings happened in East Baltimore just blocks from the site of our inner city East Baltimore Church location. See Map.

What we are doing (we as Christian Pastors) must work. What we as people of God who want to share the love of Jesus with the world must work. Right now all across the city there are people mourning, angry and even moving away because of the violence. Many have lost trust of governing authorities and their ability to handle the situation. People all over this city are searching for answers and meaning and purpose. The gospel of Jesus is needed here as much as any war-torn area of the world.

It is my prayer that the 'Church' at large takes a serious look at their investment over the long-haul into reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus in urban centers around our nation. For too long we've been comfortable ignoring the front page of city papers. We have hundreds of thousands of people who need the gospel and we must give our best effort to bringing that message to them.

Please join us here by supporting TheBaltimoreProject.com. If God is speaking to you I implore you to act. Much depends on our (you and I) commitment to sharing the message of Christ.

As you pray for us please also pray for my friend Ellis Prince who pastors another new church in that area called "Gallery Church". Ellis is a great man of God who is also working to see Jesus made famous in that area.

Matt Willmington Likes Nice Tea

2009-07-18T16:09:00.003-04:00

Matt Willmington from TRBC was in town today checking us out as we launch Captivate Church. We had a great visit together and ended our time with lunch at the Towson Town Center. Matt stopped off after lunch for a nice cup of tea and I pulled out the camera to give him a hard time :)

While I joked with Matt about this high-end treat I must say that he and other leaders like him are what keep me going. I'm honored to know Matt and am thankful for his voice in our work here. Thanks for the visit Matt.