I’m looking for some feedback for a project I’m starting. If you are a current or former resident of Amory, Mississippi, or Monroe County, Mississippi (Aberdeen, Hatley, Smithville, Nettleton, Hamilton, or anywhere else), could you help me out? I’m hoping that you guys will help me out by giving me your feedback on the following questions:

1. The single most urgent need we have in our community is: [fill in the blank]
2. If someone could do just one thing that would most help our community, it would be: [fill in the blank]

Leave your answers below in the comments section. Just number them 1 or 2 for each question. If you want, leave any other comments you might have related to these questions.

Also, please share this page with all your local friends. Email them the link, tweet it, and put it on your Facebook. You can use the “Share This Post” button just below to do that. I really want to get as much input as possible, so helping me share this page will be fantastic.

Thanks! I’m can’t wait to see what you have to say.

We began our new series for March: SENT. I think this will be one of those series where we look back someday and see it’s where God began a new work in our lives. I’ve been anticipating this series since December. God is a sending God and He’s sent us to be missionaries right where we’re at. We’re stretching and challenging our idea of church, community, and kingdom.

I can’t say enough about all our volunteers and teams. They keep stepping it up. I love our people. They are committed to seeing Jesus lifted up. I’m honored to serve alongside these guys. I sat around with the band after the service. These guys are the real deal and they encourage and inspire me. It’s easy to see the where the weakest link is: me.

For you who read this blog, I want to ask you to pray for us at LifePointe. We are seeing God do some fantastic things. Lives and families are being transformed. Life transformation always attracts the negative attention of the enemy. There is enormous spiritual warfare going on around us. Nothing is blowing up or anything, but some of our folks are experiencing spiritual warfare firsthand, some for the first time. We are standing together on the Rock. Pray that we’ll keep our eyes on Jesus. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!”

(via martyduren.com)

Instead of giving you a play by play, I’ll give you a summary of what moved me most. While all sessions and speakers brought something to the table, the two most significant times were the sessions by Alan Hirsch and Rick Warren.

While I had heard of Alan Hirsch, I was not familiar with his focus. But from his session, I see that his heart is for recovering the ways of the early church, or, as stated in one of the title of his books, The Forgotten Ways. Alan most challenged my thinking and gave me much to consider for the future.

Rick Warren used his one hour session just to speak wisdom to the church planters and leaders there. All he said was epic. His heart for church planters really shined. I loved listening to him and wished he had continued for several more hours. Rick takes a lot of heat from all sides but he is the real deal.

The Velocity 2010 conference was well worth the time and travel. Just having some of the LifePointe guys with me and seeing them light up was worth it all. I’m looking forward to the conference in 2011.

We finished up our two month series: Church Revolution. I think I’ve seen more growth in myself and the church than in any other sermon series we’ve done. God has really challenged us through Church Revolution and many have responded and stepped up. I look for our next series: Sent, to take us even deeper into the heart of God.

While the adults were in our worship service, our preteen ministry: TweenPointe, was having their own worship service. Tisha Young and all her helpers really put a lot into their service today. Tisha told me that God was in that room, in all His glory. The result: two new followers of Christ and many recommitting their lives to Jesus. All our children’s and youth ministries are top notch, with all the focus on Jesus. LifePointe, we are all blessed to have such wonderful volunteers serving our children.

About to head back now for our Prayer and Share Small Group experience. We are seeing this part of LifePointe’s ministry start to bear fruit. I love being with all those guys on Sunday nights.

I spent last Monday and Tuesday at the Velocity Conference at Mountain Lake Church in Cumming, Georgia. I hope to have a rundown on that great event posted later this week. Check back for it.

I’m running out of adjectives to describe the services at LifePointe Church. I’ll just use two: powerful, Spirit-filled.

From the moment I got up this morning I felt the Holy Spirit was preparing me for a powerful day. And I was not disappointed. In fact, I would go so far as to say we had the most Spirit-filled service in quite some time. Everything about the service, from the worship to the message to the communion, was blessed by the presence of God. Absolutely everything.

The message centered on Luke 9:23 and the phrase “Take up your cross.” The question was, “What if Jesus is really serious about sacrifice, our sacrifice?” The answer is, “Yes, yes He is.” Jesus gave everything He had on the cross. He expects nothing less from us and our cross.

After the morning service, I piled in the car with a few others from the LifePointe team and we drove to Atlanta. We’re attending the Velocity Conference at Mountain Lake Church in Cumming, GA the next two days. Excited to be here and excited to have some of our team here with me. It’s going to be a good week.

Weeks like this remind me I really don’t have a whole lot of control over the circumstances of life. The storms will always be building just over the horizon, just out of sight. I’m aware they’re coming but when they appear I’m always caught off-guard. The knees buckle. The questions form, “Why? Where are you?”

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NLT)

So I boast. Yes, I am weak. But, with grace, it’s a strong weakness.

Our service went very good. We had a few guys from the band out today but we had some awesome people step in, including a 9 year old. You’ll have to watch the video when we get it online this week.

The Church Revolution series continues. We moved to more practical aspects, more personal aspects, today. I love the tension when God and His Word collide with human hearts. Tension causes movement and I think there was movement. I had a great conversation and prayer at the end of the service with a man that God is moving in and through. The Revolution is rumbling.

All in all, a good day. After all that’s gone on the past week or so, I am totally wiped out. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow.