Robert Pooley

Wisdom from Mother Theresa

2009-12-23T18:13:19-06:00

Here's a little Mother Teresa to get you thinking...

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. (That one has me thinking)

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

Good works are links that form a chain of love.

I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I don't know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will NOT ask, How many good things have you done in your life?, rather he will ask, How much LOVE did you put into what you did?

I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.

I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God.

I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives.

It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.

It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy.

It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God - the rest will be given.

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home.

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.

Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.

Peace begins with a smile.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.

The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.

The success of love is in the loving - it is not in the result of loving. Of course it is natural in love to want the best for the other person, but whether it turns out that way or not does not determine the value of what we have done.

There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.

There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.

Make a Difference this Christmas

2009-12-12T13:14:19-06:00

Want to make a huge difference this Christmas?

Take a look at this... www.helpchallengefarm.info

2009-11-05T11:29:31-06:00

Here's a question for you... it may be a little deep... I don't know when you are reading this. Maybe you just came in from work. Maybe you are surfing the web, or checking facebook, or twitter just before bed. Maybe you have just been at that meeting for that thing with those people... or maybe you have been sitting around waiting and wondering... is Robert ever going to update his blog?

Whatever the situation is... here's the question. What would you do if you were really going to change the world? Ok, before you get all excited to see what I'm going to say next... remember, I can't answer this one for you. The question is, "What would YOU do if YOU were really going to change the world?"

A couple of years ago I watched a piece of an interview with rock star Madonna (ugh... insert personal groan here) and she was asked a question... it went something like this. When you were younger you wanted to take over the world... do you still? Her reply, No, but now I want to help to change the world. Good answer.

But that also provokes another question. Is world changing simply for the Madonna's, the Brad Pitt's, The Bono's, and if we want the church involved, let's send Rick Warren.   Is it simply for those folks?

I think, if that question were posed to us, we would say, "No, everyone can change the world."   And I would say, "I think you are absolutely right."   So now, my next question is this... What's your plan?   "My what?" you ask.    What's your plan? How are you going to do it?   What would you do if you were really going to change the world?

Listen, I understand, you are still reading on with that slight hope that I'm going to answer this somehow for you.   Wrong. The question is yours. "What would YOU do if YOU were really going to change the world?"

Here's my challenge this week... Wrestle with that one and drop me a line and let me know what you think...   Again, I understand... you will probably close this post and forget about this... its cool... its really what most people will do.   I mean, we are much too busy to try to think about changing the world.   I mean, really, there are people for that, isn't there?

Isn't there?

Isn't there?

Someone?

Let's rock the world together!

Oriole Beach Elementary Blessing

2009-09-23T13:09:05-05:00

Every year at Coast we reach out to help Oriole Beach Elementary School, with whom we share a property border. In the early days we filled back packs with school supplies. But several years ago, we learned from the Principal that there are lots of kids who come to OBE, whose families struggle to make ends meet financially and the kids are the ones who are suffering. So about 4 years we began to receive a special offering that we called, "The OBE Blessing."
This year was no exception, and today we presented a check to the Principal and Assistant Principal. See the picture below with Scott Welch, my administrative assistant presenting the check.
Dawn Alt, the Principal, told me how they have been able to use the checks to buy clothes, shoes, glasses for a girl who could not see, bunk beds for a family with six kids who were sleeping on the floor, and food for kids who would have nothing to eat during the break times like Spring and Christmas break, because they would not be able to get the free food offered by the schools.
I want to say thank you to all the people of Coast who gave unselfishly to make this happen... You guys rock!! And thanks to Oriole Beach Elementary for a commitment to children that goes beyond just education. I think we make a great team!

Time to Update the blog

2009-08-11T18:59:09-05:00

Ok... I get it... I need to update my blog a little more often.... So here is something that inspires me everytime I think of it.

Mark Batterson wrote a great book In a pit with a lion on a snowy day, and it he states the lion chaser manifesto... here it is... let it inspire you today.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Wrestling

2009-07-29T15:17:04-05:00

Had a great opportunity to have some intriguing conversations with a couple of ministry leaders today... and figured I would just ramble some of my thoughts, in no particular order.

(Talking about the church at large, not Coast, but the entire body) Wondering if in our effort to throw off the shackles of religion, that we have somehow lost the concept of our lives intersecting with the cross?

Galatians 2:20

As Christians, we can not make God love us any more or any less because of the things we do. And we are under grace. But are we living lives that show that we have been crucified by Christ?

One of my friends mentioned the term "Salad bar Christianity." Meaning that we approach Christianity like a giant buffet and we just choose the things that seem to interest our appetites... and we avoid any thing that seems unpleasant.

Crucifixion of self... is painful... but necessary.

Jesus is not my homeboy. He is sovereign Lord.

Do we approach our day to lives with the thought that our old self is gone, and we have given our life to Christ... which means that we live sacrificially, putting others ahead of ourselves?

Do we realize that our lives are to reflect Christ to the outside world?

We may be the only view of Christ that some people ever see... if that is true, does Christ in us make us different than the world around us... not just in the way we love and accept... but also in our attitude towards sin? Oh, and not the sins of others, I'm talking the attitude toward our sins.

Just some interesting thoughts... If you know me at all, I am not a fan of religion, and I have such a high view of grace. But that has to be tempered by the idea that when we say yes to God our lives no longer belong to us... We have said to Jesus, "I give you my life. Be the Lord of my life." In that case we should be about doing the work of Jesus in whatever place we find ourself. School, work, neighborhood, etc. We should not be concerned with our convenience, and our comfort, but with our character and with becoming who Christ made us to be.

This is some of the stuff rattling around in my head after a couple of interesting conversations. There is more, but this is probably enough for now... Do you wrestle with this kind of stuff?

Family Fun Day

2009-07-16T10:22:17-05:00

Our family fun day was a tremendous blast last Sunday. The crowd was amazing... the food was great... the Band "Wildwood" did an awesome job. We baptized 5 people... Lots of folks had fun going for rides on the boat. It was a definite home run! Below are a few baptism pics.

Serve Magazine

2009-07-08T08:18:22-05:00

I had an opportunity to contribute an article to Serve Magazine this month. Serve is an online Ezine put out by Steve Sjogren and Ken Glassmeyer. It was a huge honor to be asked to be a part... you can read the article here.

Blank page

2009-07-01T11:52:10-05:00

My blogging has been a little slow these days... Seems most of my blogging has become micro-blogging, twitter, facebook, etc. So it actually seems a little odd sitting down at my blog and looking at a blank page.

I like the idea of a blank page... It means that anything is possible. I could sit down and have an amazing profound thought... it could be the genesis of a book idea... it could be something that might be silly that could make me or someone else smile... it could be an encouraging word at the right season.

The thing about a blank page though, is that it will stay blank until you begin to write something.   Until you begin to team up with the Holy Spirit and put your thoughts down on paper... nothing happens.

I think our lives are very similar. God presents us each day with a blank page and says, "Ok, put pen to paper. Write the story of your life. I will guide and you lead you in every stroke of the pen, if you let me... let's get started."

And what an adventure it is to follow after God's plan... and to live the story He has written for our life. I want to encourage you today... don't go to sleep with your page still blank. Live the story. Follow God. Live passionately. Be a life that someone would enjoy reading about. Its all in your hands. What will you do with your blank page?

Rambles on a day off

2009-06-08T16:56:15-05:00

Vicki is at a hair convention in Orlando... so Leanna and I have been kicking around with no one to keep track of us....    :-)

Actually we have had fun, but we miss Vicki. Today we split a McGuire's cheeseburger... wow, I almost can't imagine not splitting one of those. They are huge.... and really good. And the Senate bean soup... mmmmm!

Then we went to see the Juan Sebatian De Elcano, a tall mast sailing ship... it was amazing. I can't even fathom climbing up to the crow's nest. Jack Sparrow I am not.

Yesterday at Coast was a great day. I kicked off One Prayer with the message that God is our Father and I busted up some of the myths that people have about God. The band was kicking! The crowd was down just a little bit, but not the normal dip we experience the first week after school is out.

This week for One Prayer we will hear from Steven Furtick... And the message is God is great! Steven is a wonderful communicator... I am really looking forward to Sunday.

We have started the renovations to our Children's area... Going to be a massive improvement. The entire process should take about 3 to 4 weeks.

I found out today about a pastor friend of mine who experienced a moral failure. My heart goes out to him and to his family and church. He is broken, and repentant, but understands the consequences of his action will be stepping down from pastoring the church he planted. I will be praying for all of them. I am really grienving for them. I know that God will be with him and help him as we begins the healing process. And my friend, if you read this... please know that I am here for you if you ever need an ear.

All of this is very sobering... and a reminder to me about how quickly the devil can take you out if you let your guard down. Thanks to my accountability partners... to my elders... and the wonderful intercessory prayer team who continually keep me covered in prayer.

There is much work to do at Coast... it will be a busy summer... with lots of amazing things happening. I am looking forward to our upcoming connecting events... a cook out and baptism... a fish fry... and more... Going to be a great opportunity to build some friendships.

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the week... Staff meeting day. I love our team... They are incredible... Great hearts... powerful ministries.

Going to relax tonight and watch an old James Dean movie with Leanna... "Rebel without a cause."    By the way, this doesn't describe me... I am not without a cause. There is no greater cause that you can give your life to than the cause of Jesus Christ.

Good Stuff

2009-06-05T18:39:11-05:00

Ask the Lord your God for a sign whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights. Is. 7:11

We must continue to pray and wait for the Lord until we hear the sound of His mighty rain. There is no reason why we should not ask for great things. Without a doubt, we will receive them if we ask in faith, having the courage to wait with patient perseverance for Him and meanwhile doing those things that are within our power to do.

It is not within our power to create the wind or to change its direction, but we can raise our sails to catch it when it comes. We do not create electricity, yet we can tap into it with a will that will conduct it, allowing it to work. We do not control God's Spirit, but we can place ourselves before the Lord out of obedience to what He has called us to do and we will come under the influence and power of his mighty breath.

Can’t the same great wonders be done today that were done many years ago? Where is the God of Elijah? He is waiting for today’s Elijah to call on Him.

The greatest old or new testament saints who ever lived were on a level that is quite within our reach. The same spiritual force that was available to them and the energy that enabled them to become our spiritual heroes are also available to us. If we exhibit the same faith, hope and love they exhibited, we will achieve miracles as great as theirs. A simple prayer from our mouths will be powerful enough to call down from heaven God’s gracious dew or the melting fire of His spirit, just as the words from Elijah’s mouth called down literal rain and fire. All that is required is to speak the words with the same complete assurance of faith with which he spoke.

Attributed to Dr. Goulburn, Dean of Norwich.

Top Ten List For Ministry and Life Management

2009-05-21T18:12:28-05:00

I don't remember my source for where this came from originally, but it is good stuff. I have made a couple of small changes. Enjoy!

10. Account for your time

How did you spend your day? Write it as you go and evaluate how you did at the and of the day. Now look for ways to improve and ask yourself, "What am i going to do about this tomorrow?" Always be looking for ways to improve.

9. Plan your time offensively

Act like your time belongs to you! Learn to say no to things you don't need to do. This is so important.

8. Keep your priorities in order

Remember, if you don't have priorities you can't keep them.

7. Delegate to the faithful

What are you doing that someone else can be doing? What is it that only you can do? Learn to recruit and recruit and recruit. Share the joy of serving with others.

6. Plan for interruptions

When everything is said and done, there is more said than done. Things don't always happen the way you plan them. Keep margin in your life for the unexpected.
5. Respond rather than react in a crisis
There is more than one side to every story. In church work there is usually about 36. Do your homework Its ok to say I'll get back to you, I don't know a smart answer.
4. Don't procrastinate
Do what you can do now... don't put it off till later. Really.
3. Get some help
Make some phone calls, network, read a book, listen to a cd or podcast. Get a mentor. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Learn from others.
2. Plan for growth
Remember people follow people with a plan. Have a plan for spiritual growth, organizational growth, and numerical growth.
1. Pray
Things happen when we pray that just don't happen any other way! Make time to pray

A Question for Dino Rizzo

2009-05-13T17:03:34-05:00

Just finished reading Dino Rizzo's latest book Servolution. I picked it up while at the ARC Conference last month. First of all, let me say I really respect Dino. He's the real deal! When he writes about serving, he's writing about something he understands and does... This isn't theory, he's speaking from experience. The book servolution is filled with amazing stories, but beyond that, it is a practical tool for establishing a culture of serving in your church, and practical ideas for serving. I think everyone involved in ministry should read chapter six.

Dino, has the nickname Father Teresa among the folks at ARC... I like that. At Coast we have a huge heart for serving others... and two people that have influenced us more than anyone else have been Steve Sjogren and Dino Rizzo.    One of the things that I really appreciate about Dino and Healing Place Church is the way they work with other churches in their area to serve their community.

I had the opportunity recently to ask Dino about that. Here is my question to Dino and his response.

How is the best way to begin to network with other churches to make a difference in our community?

Robert, thanks so much for being a part of the tour. Coast has been such a great ally for us at Healing Place Church. You’ve blessed us over and over and I just wanna say thank you again.

Partnership is so huge for churches who want to truly make an impact on their community. It just means doing stuff together, laying down egos and logos and just working together to meet needs.

Often, it seems like there’s some confusion about what to actually do when serving our communities. It think the way to work together to serve your community starts with beginning to see yourselves as part of the community. Join in. Engage. Listen to what’s being said, what people are doing.... Get out in your community, and keep your head on swivel and your ears wide open. It’s likely that you’ll find that it is less mysterious than we may have expected. Needs become obvious when you’re looking for them.

For example, yesterday one of our police officers was injured in the line of duty. We visited him and took a meal to him and just served him. It wasn’t a huge question of discernment - it was just a common sense response to a need.

And while we’re looking for those needs and opportunities to serve our community, we should also keep a continuous radar on how we can partner with others in our communities (churches as well as other organizations) to meet those needs.

I think you’ve found this to be true yourself there at Coast - once you begin to look for needs and ways to partner, you see that they’re all around you.

Thanks Dino for taking the time to share some ideas and strategies for working with other churches in our community to reach out to those in need in our community. If you would like more information on Servolution, you can go to their website here or you can order it here at Amazon.com

I highly recommend this book... It will help start a revolution of serving in your church.

Channnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

2009-05-08T13:03:37-05:00

I thought this was pretty cool Gary and Beth Hodges, our worship leaders, were at the Exponential Conference and told me how they intrdouced Francis Chan when it was his turn to speak... Too funny. Enjoy!

Monday Rambles

2009-05-04T10:10:46-05:00

Great day at Coast yesterday... Talked about "Damaged Emotions" in our "Leaving the House of Blues" series. Have gotten lots of comments telling me how God worked in people's lives yesterday... Yeah God!

We dealt with the three biggies that wreck our emotional stability... Guilt, Grief, and Grudges.

The message should be up on our website within the next day or so.

Hard to get a gauge on the two services yet. Yesterday looked like a pretty even split in numbers between the two... with maybe a little more at the first service... (I haven't seen the numbers yet.)

Great to see all the teens at Coast last night. Jordy and Kara do an awesome job. I'm very excited about the potential of this group.

What's up with the local youth sports leagues having ball games on Sunday mornings?

There is so much work to be done over the next few months at Coast... Head spinning just thinking about it.

Growth is good... but also challenging... Working on structure to sustain growth.

Just finished reading Geoff Surratt's book "10 Stupid things that keep churches from growing." The Bad news: I have done some of them. The good news: I haven't done them all... and the ones I have done, we have already started to get a good handle on them.

The book was a great read! I thought it might be a repackaging of the same old ideas... but Geoff really has a fresh look at the issues with workable solutions to making a difference. At the close of every chapter he does an interview with a pastor to get their perspective, and then adds questions so that you can work through the issues with your staff. I highly reccommend this book for pastors and church leaders.

Getting ready to start Dino Rizzo's book, "Servolution." Should be awesome. Dino and Geoff both have a wicked sense of humor.

The church looks kind of cool right now... It has guitars hanging all over the stage for the "Leaving the House of Blues" series.

Looking forward to staff meeting tomorrow... lots to work on... We are moving forward with everything in us.

One last reminder... There is no greater cause that you can give your life to than the cause of Christ!

All Access

2009-05-01T15:23:48-05:00

Just got back from the All Access Conference sponsored by ARC. Thought I would share some of my thoughts and highlights.

First off C3 Church in Clayton NC were amazing hosts... out in the middle of the boonies, and running thousands, these folks have a tremendous servant heart. Their pastor Matt Fry kicked off the conference witha bang.
Pastor Rick Bezet said that C3 is so far out of the way, that to get there you drive until you get lost and its on the right.
The worship all week was tremendous. Some times you see bands who are out being rockstars... Not at C3... it was obvious Jesus was the rockstar... and we were there to give him praise. The speakers were amazing all week... but so was the worship.
On Monday night after the meeting I was interviewed on a live internet taping... Was great being able to share my thoughts about ARC with others.
Dino Rizzo kicked off Tuesday with a strong word on longevity. The 3 key words were Honor, Honesty, and Humility. Humerous would have fit in there too... Dino is an amazing communicator. His new book "Servolution" was just released... He has such a servant heart that the ARC guys call him "Father Teresa."
Greg Surratt was next... He and Billy Hornsby are the poppas of ARC. Right now, under their leadership, ARC is planting a church every 3 to 5 days. Amazing.
Greg exhorted us to base our preaching on the simplicity of the gospel. Its the gospel that changes lives.
Chris Hodges spoke next... always powerful... always straight to the point. The ARC guys call him the total package and he is... His church is the fastest growing in America right now.
Ed Young Jr. spoke later that evening. It was like something off of comedy central... except that one minute you were laughing, and the next you were thinking... what a powerful point.
Ed said that ministry is brutiful. Part brutal and part beautiful.
All of the speakers were very transparent about some of the hurts they have experienced while in the ministry... which was good for a lot of these young church planters to hear.
Ed told us that Betrayal happens during defining moments in our lives... and then told his own story of being betrayed. He said that after a betrayal we can choose to break down or break through.
Wednesday started with a great word by Pastor Rick Bezet. He said he used to be Rick Bezet pastor... now he is simply known as "Kris Allen from American Idol's pastor."
Ed young Jr spoke again on creativity. I had heard some of this stuff from the Buzz Conference a few years ago, and from reading Ed's book, the Creative Leader... but it was still good.
His rant on crazy people was worth the expense of the whole conference.
Joe Champion and Stovall Weems rounded off the day...
The day finished with us praying over all the new church plants that are scheduled to start in 2009.    It was extremely moving.
Had a blast twittering throught the conference. If you want to follow me on twitter, you can at www.twitter.com/robertpooley
Again thanks to Matt and Martha Fry, and all the folks at C3 church... and to the ARC for a great time of refreshing.

Line in the Sand

2009-04-23T11:45:12-05:00

"What's that?" He asked. "It's a line in the sand. If you cross over it you are on my team, and if you don't then you are on their team."

I was thinking this week about the childhood thing of drawing a line in the sand that someone would have to cross over. We have probably all done it. Here's the line and stepping across means.... whatever... but it was always a commitment.

Commitment is such a weird concept in our culture today. Nowadays commitment simply means that I am committed as long as I am committed. And if truth be known, we are very careful. We've learned a lot since our childhood. So we take great caution to not be around those situations that cause a line to be drawn in the sand.

But there's a problem, isn't there? I mean aren't lines drawn in the sand every day? At your table at the restaurant you overhear, "I don't believe in Christianity. I don't believe that anyone in their right mind could be a Christian." What just happened? A line was drawn in the sand. Are you bold enough to cross it?

Sitting with a group of parents at a basketball game, one makes the comment, "I am sick of churches... they are all the same... none of them have the anything to do with Jesus."   A line has been drawn. What do you do?

In a doctor's office waiting room, a patient emerges, shaken and crying. They walk over to chairs, and sit down with their head in their hands and cry. Do you cross the line in the sand to bring them the comfort of the Holy Spirit who lives in you?

Everyday of His life, Jesus crossed the lines in the sand. It was something He thought about. It was a natural outpouring of who He was. He couldn't stop it. He was who He was.

What about you? Every week opportunities to cross the line come your way. How do you handle them? Do you look the other way? Do you think that it's ok because somebody else will jump up to the plate?

We need volunteers in.... we are looking for worker's in this ministry... we are looking for people with a heart to....

These are all lines in the sand...

Dare to step out....

Let's Rock the World together!

Servolution - Swenson Park Outreach

2009-04-15T14:41:22-05:00

Here are some pics from our last Servolution event. These were from our Easter Egg Hunt at Swenson Park... Over the years we have teamed up with the Swenson Park Homeowners and their ladies Auxillary to provide events like this.

Thanks to everyone who helped in all of our Servolution events... A lot of lives were touched.

Easter Sunday Wrap Up

2009-04-12T16:11:57-05:00

Wow! What a day at Coast today!

The place was packed... first service was full. Second service was beyond packed, we brought in almost all the chairs we could get our hands on... people were packed in.

I don't know the numbers yet, but it was definitely an amazing crowd!!

Again... dont have the final numbers yet... but lots of decisions were made for Christ today!

Have I said Wow?

The band was amazing today... they absolutely rocked the place... and then took us intimately to the cross in worship. I worshipped both services... and could listen to those guys over and over again.

Sherri sang with the band today, the Chris Tomlin song, "I will rise." Now, I will be honest... I had heard the Tomlin version of the song and it just didn't do anything for me. But the Coast band, with Sherri singing made that song work... It was powerful.

Great job Band!!!

Enjoyed preaching the Easter message today... Both services were fun... looking forward to doing more...

Huge buzz of excitement in the church today.

I just want to say this, "Our children's ministry teams are the real deal!" Camp Coast and our preschool ministry rocked the house today. The kids had an absolute blast.

Our new series, "Leaving the House of Blues" starts next week... I can't wait... going to be an incredible series as we talk about dealing with depression in our lives.

Great comments today... I literally feel like it was our best Easter service ever!

Our Coast volunteers are the absolute best... I just can't believe how good they are at what they do... What a team!

Had a great time with friends for Easter lunch... This is one of those days when you just realize how blessed you are...

Ready to chill... I have a little of that post-Easter burn out.... Going to take it easy for a day and then we are going to hit it twice as hard this week.

I love what I do!

Blogging?

2009-04-04T16:45:26-05:00

Not so much... been a little crazy... best place to catch me is on twitter or facebook.... But not giving up my blog just yet... Looking for a fresh wind to blow... and maybe a new blog design... who knows? Anyway, hope to be blogging again soon.