Tag Archives: The MET

December 9, 2009 · 11:14 pm

Before & After

For anyone who believes they do not have enough to make a difference… Let me introduce you to Samuel, a boy in Uganda who told his story to our church a couple of weeks ago and said something to this effect: The church people are nice, but its hard to believe when you go to sleep hungry. Our team heard Samuels story and responded… sending our workers on the ground the funding to feed, clothe and educate him. The pictures above reveal the difference that going to bed with food in your stomach makes… the difference in having clothes to change into, the difference in eating two meals of rice and beans, and the difference of leaving the masses of the uneducated.

The cost of the change in spirit that you see in Samuel before and after?

This difference cost $150.

For the year.

It’s time to believe we have more than enough to make all the difference.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:40

(make a difference here)

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November 26, 2009 · 1:43 am

Thanksgiving Eve

While I am looking forward to dinner with friends tomorrow, I will admit that I am missing hanging out with family right now… I remember Thanksgivings past in Greenville, SC with a house full of people, Alabama/Auburn fever, and building tent forts in my cousins’ playroom. Kind of sad that my kids are not experiencing that family bonding…

Wow, that sure was melancholy… On a lighter note, here are just a few of the things I am thankful for this year:

  • A God who loves me even when I act like… me and not Him… who is big enough to be small enough and gives me hope beyond all limits.
  • A wife who loves me even when I act like… me! 14-1/2 years fly fast when you love your life!
  • Beautiful kids who love with abandon (n. Unbounded enthusiasm; exuberance. A complete surrender of inhibitions.) and challenge me to be better.
  • Family all over the Southeast who love God and are fun to be around… looking forward to Christmas!
  • Friends spread all over the US (all the way up to Canada!!) who are real people and are great to hang out with and do life together.
  • A home (even if I am not the mortgagee….)- a place to rest and refresh my batteries- and the 50″plasma that sits in the living room.
  • The opportunity to connect people to the real Jesus and have it be my job… So undeserving and consider it an honor, not a right, to serve Christ vocationally.
  • A vision for seeing lives all over Cypress changed… marriages healed, families grown, and hearts powered by God’s Holy Spirit.
  • A band of assertive, humble, intelligent, hard-working, passionate, sold-out for Jesus, crack of dawn waking servants to live that vision with.
  • A staff who loves God, loves people, and puts up with me… challenges me to be better and leads people to greatness.
  • Whataburger… and I am calling your bluff on the A1 Thick and Hearty thing… I can already hear “due to overwhelming response its back…”
  • SEC Football and the ESPN Gameplan withwhich to watch said conference… Stuck in the land of BIG 1 football out here.
  • Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide… an oxidizing agent- it accepts electrons from other molecules and becomes reduced. However, it is also used in other cellular processes, notably as a substrate of enzymes that add or remove chemical groups from proteins, in posttranslational modifications.
  • Wikipedia.
  • Everyone who has taken time out of their life to read my ramblings… You guys need some hobbies or something.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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August 24, 2009 · 4:37 pm

Sunday ReCap: August 23

First Sunday back from Summer, and Fry Road was hoppin! It looked and felt great… quite a few guests. Here is the ReCap:

  • I showed up at Buck-ees at 5:15 to pray with the drivers… Love those guys (and gal) that start early and finish last!
  • Setup seemed to run well, I love the new Adventure Outpost and Exploration Island signs!
  • Look for some continuing development in both our Children and Preschool environments… Things just keep getting better.
  • If you want to be on the Adventure Outpost Children’s Team or Exploration Island Preschool team, now is the time… email kguadalupe@TheMETonline.org for more information!
  • I got more out of the message yesterday than anyone hearing it, my faithfulness grew. If you missed it, here is the podcast.
  • I love the new look of the lighting down the curtains… The REAL McCoy is doing a great job with the lights!
  • Teacher’s Lounge yesterday was pretty cool… saw a bunch of teachers with their mug and Round Top swag!
  • Heard that the Student Lounge went over well.. Look forward to seeing some more visibility and communication from Truth Student Ministry over the next few weeks… working on some cool ways to connect with the Jones Campus on Wednesday nights.
  • As we round the corner from Summer into Fall, I look forward to the days cooling off some… and appreciate our Power Team more and more… mad props to the sign crew: Scott, Nate, and Nathan- those guys give it all each week!
  • Looking forward to God doing BIG HUGE things this Fall… Are you?
  • Working on My 5- its gonna be a great day when they are all praising God with us at Hopper.
  • The LT is headed to interview with a Master Planner tomorrow to begin discussing what God wants us to do with our 100 acres. Pray for wisdom!

Have a great week Fry Road people!

Meet you on Fry Road

B

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August 18, 2009 · 4:28 pm

On Change…

I am in mourning at Starbucks right now.

For the last year, I have used this quaint neighborhood coffee shop (let me pretend) as my unofficial office in Cypress while launching our second campus on Fry Road. From meeting with core team leaders, to crafting congregational communications, to dreaming of seeing Christ impact thousands, most of my time has been spent in one particular chair: Ratty Orange Chair. Let me tell you about Roc.

Roc was missing one armrest, kind of dirty looking, and would not make it past the threshold of our front door, but we spent many hours together. Roc gracefully enveloped the contours of my butt, and never complained about when I had eaten at Alicias the night before (although one time the manager had to say something to me… how am I supposed to know it was that loud? My headphones were in…). Roc got me in trouble with one crazy lady who didn’t think my feet should be on the coffee table, and Roc and I would pretend to be doing other things while really eavesdropping on other people. We easily logged over 150 hours together… good times.

Today Roc is gone.

In his place is some sassy little new orange chair… Lets call her Not Roc. And she has both armrests, is free of communicable diseases, and no mites or bugs are evident. And my butt hurts. She is all – “look how firm my cushion is” and “you need to sit up straighter when you type.” Plain and simple, things are different.

Its not really the chair though, its the change.

Change stinks, but when we are pursing God, change is exactly what moves us closer to who He is calling us to be. The last 7 days have been all about change for me…change in my health. change in my diet. change in my parenting. change in my husbandry. change in my friends. change in our staff. You name it, and just about any area of life in which I have been controlling, or comfortable, or disobedient is experiencing change.

So when change happens, I guess we can do a couple of things…

Most often we resist change. When Will The Barista told me that Roc was out by the dumpster, I dropped my backpack and went outside to go put him in my truck. Alas – to my dismay, and Kelly’s relief- He was gone. What I actually would have done with that chair, who knows really. Nothing good would have come from getting that chair back… I just wanted things to be how they were, and was grasping at whatever I could get that would take me there.

That feels like a pretty dangerous attitude to take when things are not how they were and are not feeling how they should, but its what we do. People and organizations tend to grasp at the past when the present isn’t what it should be. Most often though, God knows that what got us to where we are, will not take us to where we need to be, and reaching back keeps us from moving forward.

Proverbs 3:5-6 has been rattling in my head for the last week or so… I even taught from it last Sunday…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight (NIV)

What we really need to do is trust. If we know we are pursuing Christ, then change can be embraced and managed. It will not feel right, might even be painful, but God promises to show us the way, right? What He has ahead for us is far greater than we could ever imagine- not to mention so much more than what was.

So as I twist and wiggle and search for the comfort that I once knew in ratty orange chair, I know that this discomfort is actually exactly what will make this chair eventually feel right. Farewell old friend, and hello pretty orange chair… I look forward to the things we will dream of, lives that will be changed, and Cole’s Crossing gossip that we will overhear.

Meet You on Fry Road

B

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August 10, 2009 · 5:54 pm

Sunday ReCap

Cheering on the cyclists.

Cheering on the cyclists.

Wow… I just looked back and realized that I have not posted a blog entry since July 20… and I am okay with that. I spent some much needed time away, and yesterday was the first Sunday back in the saddle. It was a fun day at Fry Road, and really marked our last “normal” Sunday of the Summer. Here is the rundown:

  • Experience Fry Road wrapped up with the last of our Jones Road Life Group visits. It has been awesome getting to talk to the people that have been praying, giving, and supporting the Fry Road Campus, long before we were on the ground…
  • And by the way- to a person they have been blown away at what God is doing through our incredible team of Unselfish Servants.
  • One of the most fun parts of Sunday was taking advantage of the 600 or so triathletes who rode past Hopper Middle School on their bikes between 7:15-and 8:30 AM. Much thanks to the sign guys for making our presence known… And to the great sports from Jones Road who went out to cheer them on.
  • I don’t know if any of the bicyclists will ever attend The MET @ Fry Road, but all of them knew we were there! Maybe they will tell a friend.
  • I think I will race in it next year… IF I do, I expect our whole campus to be out there cheering me on… And I promise I will not be the one biking in just a Speedo… That guy was hard core.
  • Robbie and Nicolas did a great job leading us, and it was great to see both services packed. Funny enough, when I had the Jones people raise their hands, it was no more than 20 or so each service. I cannot wait to see what God does this Fall.
  • I am too excited about the next couple of weeks to be able to even type about it right now… all I can say is Next Sunday: Family Style Services- they will be short and sweet. I am also fired up about inflating the Swimming Pool… and celebrating those folks going public with their faith!
  • If you know, are connected with, or related to a teacher, administrator, counselor, or employee of the local School District, make sure you invite them Sunday August 23… We usually wait until the end of the year to recognize and say thanks to our teachers, but this year, lets KICKOFF the school year that way.
  • Send an evite for August 23 KICKOFF Sunday right here.
  • There are some great local missions opportunities coming up soon… I will be sending more specific info later, but we have a Missions Saturday event this Saturday, as well as the next Church Under the Bridge on Sunday the 23rd. If you need more info asap, email the missions team: missions@TheMETonline.org
  • Load out on Sunday was an adventure… Wouldn’t you know that as soon as I was telling one of the Jones Road folks that we have never loaded out in the rain… It came a flood. Teaches me to open my big mouth.

    image009

    Rainy Load Out

That’s about all for this week… Its great to be back and blogging. I have some thoughts that I will try and share very soon.

Meet You on Fry Road,

B

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July 20, 2009 · 4:47 am

A Few of my Favorite Tweets…

Picture 18I just recently passed the 1500 Tweet point on Twitter, been on since December… Here are a couple of the stats I got from TweetStats: January all time high month. Monday gets the least amount of Tweets, Friday gets the most. I Twitter the most during the 10 AM hour… weird. I have never sent a Twitter during the 3AM hour. I tweet the Most on Sundays during the 5AM hour.

What can I say, Twitter works perfect for my brain… I am always thinking these little bursts of thoughts, and wishing that other people could see what I see and hear what I think. Well, with and iPhone and Twitter, for better or for worse, it can happen. I usually have a pretty high filter on, cannot open the mental vault, all the way- that would be way to scary.

All of that said, here are a few of my favorite tweets, to date:

It’s on! The MET is on Fry Road!           11:17 AM Jan 18th from txt

I send a tweet just about every Sunday as I drive down Fry Road at 5:45 AM… I just get so fired up about the potential of that day, and expectation of what God is going to do. This tweet was from our first ever service at Hopper… I am guessing I was standing at the back getting ready to challenge our Pioneer team to reach great heights.

wegotababyitsaboy… Matthew Grant Rose          4:50 PM Mar 10th from web

Literally the nurse had just left the hospital room and said “Congratulations” as we just stood there dumbfounded holding this precious little boy. It was an emotional day, and I tweeted a reference to one of my favorite commercials. FYI- March 10 is also the day we got Macy- “Gotcha Day” -for sure!

He’s not jaundice, he’s part Hispanic…          10:36 AM Mar 13th from Twitterrific

Hilarious moment at the pediatrician in Huntsville, and the beginnings of what is sure to be many years of confusion over the ethic makeup of our family. We love that God is using us to paint a picture of His love, acceptance, and kingdom.

@zachking thinks he is at strategic planning retreat but we are hazing him. 2 day long episode of punkd. Today ashton jumps out with camera          5:00 AM Apr 15th from Twitterrific

Sometimes all you can do is laugh. Given the trauma of these “strategic” 3 days, it is a wonder Zach does not have a nervous tic. Loved waking up and looking at him in his bed at the hotel, pillows piled on his head to muffle my snoring.

Arguing theology of Heaven and new body with my 5 year old. I actually played the seminary card. Masters degrees don’t impress preschoolers            8:26 PM Apr 15th from Twitterrific

This was after Macy had opened the passenger door of my F123 as we were rolling down Huffmeister… I told her how dangerous it was to do that and how she could get hurt badly or even fall out under the tire and die. She told me it was ok because in Heaven she gets a new body… what can you say to that?

How I am spending my mothers day: http://twitpic.com/4xmx2 My wife is awesome!           2:05 PM May 10th from Twitterrific

The Rockets poured it on the Lakers, if only for one game… it was awesome to get to go hang out there, in a suite, with my best friend Crull, and jump and yell and scream. Kept saying… “That’s Kobe Bryant…” And it was Mother’s Day… beautiful.

About to have breakfast with an new Fry Pioneer and then come home and smoke all afternoon…          7:14 AM May 25th from web

A few folks had questions about this one… Ribs and Brisket people, Ribs and Brisket!

In a meeting trying to give a coherent interview… but distracted by Carl over there on Robbie’s nose.          2:10 PM Jun 9th from TweetDeck

Have to give credit to Zach for naming this huge pimple on Robbie’s nose… It was awesome when I sent this in the meeting and Robbies phone buzzed… he looked at the message and thankfully smiled.12093849

OK.. so i get 2/3 through a BIG bowl of #RaisinBran cereal from #Post and find that my milk is swimming with worms.. pictures coming.          10:18 AM Jun 12th from web

This picture says it all two scoops in every box.

Downside of having music cranked up in my ears at the Gym: when on the leg press and straining to lift- no clue how loud accidental gas is            4:12 PM Jun 17th from TweetDeck

I can confirm that it was loud enough for the lady three machines over to turn and look at me.

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· 3:43 am

Sunday ReCap 7.19

IMG_0515There was a buzz around Fry Road today that reminded me a lot of those first few weeks of launch… lots of people walking in, looking around, excited about being at Hopper Middle School and anticipating God doing big things. The Heart of Worship, Serving Hearts, Truthseekers, and Growing Covenant Life Groups from Jones Road were amazing today- participating and experiencing Fry. What a day… here is a rundown:

  • Goose bumps this morning when I was standing outside of Hopper with 10-12 men from Jones and the  trailers rolled up. The looks on their faces when I said “here comes our church” was priceless.
  • I never get tired of the energy of the Power Team at load-in, and the extra dozen or so people kicked it to the next level this morning… we had about 45 extra minutes to rearrange some of our First Touch setup.
  • Speaking of FT setup, we did a few things differently today, what were your thoughts on the coffee location and flow of traffic today? Email me at brose@TheMETonline.org or post a comment to this blog.
  • It was great having Pastor Robbie speaking at Fry today- he did a great job and challenged me on my surrender- not afraid to say that I have trouble letting go some times.
  • Worship in Second Service was a blast- great double time clapping to the 11AM worshippers!
  • It was great to see new Fry faces serving for the first time this week- God is adding people to the team and Summer is truly a time of growth for us.
  • Had some first time guests from last week come back this week, excited to see what God is doing.
  • August 16 is going to great, had a couple more people tell me they were ready to be dunked in the pool… The 16th is going to be fun in every way as families worship together and we celebrate two of the core practices of the church: communion and baptism.
  • I was dragging a little bit towards the end of the 11 AM service, missed my Red Bull this morning, one of the Jones Road guys drank his right in front of me- not cool man, not how we roll at Fry.
  • As I toured some of those Experiencing Fry Road, it was great to hear them marvel at how much goes into a Sunday at Hopper, one person even said: “It feels like a church…” – uhh yeah. That works for me.
  • Our signs on Fry and in the parking lots also got a lot of attention, even inspired some jealousy.
  • As summer winds down, I am getting really pumped about this Fall. There has never been a better time to invite someone to life change at Fry Road. August 23 will “KickOFF” 2009/2010 and will be a great day of prayer and praise, filled with a bunch of “Next Level” improvements all over.
  • To the Fry Road Team, thanks for all you do- just got yet ANOTHER email about your Unselfish Service and amazing hearts for people to connect with the real Jesus in a real way.
  • Oh yeah- we were loaded and locked at 1:05… so close to the 1PM Holy Grail of load out. One day we will make it by one, and I am not sure what I will do… could be scary.

Another great week at Fry Road! I am blessed to get to lead this team, and follow our God!

Meet You on Fry Road

B

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June 26, 2009 · 3:11 pm

Learnings of a Multi-Site Campus Pastor

10 Learnings of a Multi-Site Mega-Church Campus Pastor.. In Twitter form.

1.    Everyone going finds a place to serve, or stays. Mission is contagious- so is consumption.

2.    Develop an identity within the core team. Walk the divisiveness line carefully, but call pioneers to bigger and better things.

3.    Check your ego at the door. You don’t preach, be okay with that or find a small church to pastor

4.    It’s the Environment stupid. Environmental transformation is a conduit for life transformation- just like in High School, looks matter.

5.    Bring your staff. Doesn’t matter if you pay them, identify leaders in key ministry areas and empower them to own the vision and lead the team.

6.    You get what you pay for. Consultants and outfitters are worth keeping you focused on casting vision and building the core team.

7.    Stay in the loop. Information is influence and your greatest source of power: keep your friends close; keep your senior pastor closer.

8.    Parking, parking, parking. Venue evaluation begins and ends at the parking lot- access and availability drive the plan and the budget.

9.    Settle the chain of command. Figure out vision and implementation: peer relationships inter-campus, direct reporting intra-campus.

10.    Do your homework. Struggle with a business plan, evaluate demographics, and count the cost, God is big enough to speak in spreadsheets.

Over the rest of the Summer, I will expand these thoughts and try to include some of the documents and learnings that we have experienced at The MET. Would love any other learnings from other CP’s out there. I will also continue to try and update and keep these current as our experience deepens and proves or disproves these.

Meet You on Fry Road,

B

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June 13, 2009 · 4:39 am

Flash Mob

In the months leading up to the launching of our campus on Fry Road, one of the most fun and engaging things we did to generate some buzz in our core launch team was to schedule some Flash Mobs over Christmas vacation. If you do not know what a flash mob is, to put it simply its a pre-planned time for a large group of people to appear suddenly in a particular public place- usually to do something funny or crazy. You can read more here.

Although we did not do anything crazy, our core team enjoyed the spontaneous get-togethers during their holiday break, and it helped to keep some momentum rolling during an otherwise slow time. I also stashed a $50 Target gift card in our area of influence, which caused a LOT of people to want to get on our e-mail list. The winners got some added Christmas spending money.

I was reminded of all of this today while watching SportsCenter (while eating worms) and saw this great flash mob that recently occurred in LA along with one of my all time favorite songs… See it on YouTube here.

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June 1, 2009 · 2:43 am

WhataSunday! Sunday ReCap…

A dad leading the way

A dad leading the way

…Wow. I think today was our best Sunday yet at Fry R0ad. Getting to baptize 15 people and see the life change that God is working in our midst, is why we do what we do. Getting up at 4:30, being at the school at 6, staying until 1:30 tearing down. It all matters and makes sense when someone crosses the line of faith and demonstrates the relationship with God in their life!

As if I could pick some highlights from today- but I will try anyway:

  • Not sleeping very well because I was geeked about dunking some peeps.
  • Hanging at Starbucks for a few minutes with the coolest baristas ever… One’s from Georgia/Alabama- my kind of people!
  • Everyone buzzing around during setup in anticipation.
  • Kurt and Kim Cox – completely owning the baptizing at Fry… Kurt couldn’t sleep either! This is what it’s all about!
  • Watching the swimming pool fill up and hoping it would warm up…It did, and it didn’t.
  • Of course baptizing… 4 Dad’s jumped in the water to model for their kids, lead their families, and go public for God.
  • Seeing James come to faith at Fry… He’s been a Pioneer from Day 1, found Jesus as he was serving! Isn’t that what Jesus said would happen?
  • Great message from P Sal- wrapped the Come Clean series well… Seared the freezer full of rotted meat in my brain, can only be truly clean from the inside out!
  • If you are not a part of a Life Group, in the next 3 weeks, we will be signing up! Impossible to sit through the last 3 Come Clean messages and not see the value of a Life Group!
  • I cannot wait for “i am second” to start next week… Jesus sets the standard in Servant Leadership! We have some cool tools to go along with this series to work on together and remember to place God and Others first. Rumor has it, there is a pretty funny video to kick us off!
  • Next week is Discover The MET @ 11:00 AM service at Fry… Gotta fresh, clean baptism list ready to go.
  • If you have not invited one of your 5 again… What are you waiting for?

Its been a great day… I hit Whataburger (shocker!) on my way home and was thinking about the incredible day that was. I declared Sunday, May 31, 2009 WhataSunday @ Fry Road. Looking forward to many many more. What an incredible team of Pioneer Servant Leaders. Thanks for connecting people each day to the real Jesus in a real way- pretty cool to see the fruits of that today.

Meet You on Fry Road

B

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