I have noticed a pattern… when Saturday feels funky, its because God wants to do great things Sunday… distraction and discouragement are some of the greatest weapons the enemy uses to cause us to miss God’s greatness. Here are some highlights of Gods greatness from yesterday

• 4 people raised their hands to acknowledge their desire to know Christ as Lord and Savior and indicate that they had prayed and asked Him to do so.
• I got to pray with 2 of the 4- one young lady, going through some rough stuff at home, realized that a relationship with Christ wouldn’t take the problems away, but will give her peace and hope in the midst of the storm. She wants to be baptized next week as a public demonstration of this new found faith.
• Another 30-something guy I got to spend some time with, wanted to move from hoping he will measure up to knowing Christ is his only hope. Years of searching for God, and believing He could be found led to a moment on Sunday of being found. He wants to be baptized and take His new-found internal belief and transform it to an long-term external lifestyle.
• Not much else I need to say after those two stories, huh? That’s what it is all about – both of those new believers are connected to families that from day 1 said they would be pioneers at Fry Road. When we talk about family and friends coming to Christ, this is what we mean! Who is in your 5?
• One of our Power Team guys told me, as we were setting up curtains, that he and his family tithed for the first time in a long time last week. And it was a sacrifice. With tears in his eyes, he went on to talk about how God stepped into his world in a real and tangible way this past week, doing more than he ever imagined. And more than the financial benefits of generous giving in obedience, was the faith on display in his words and life as he spoke. More than the new opportunities, was the fresh faith in his life and the way he spoke of God’s leadership in his family and job.
• Great stuff, that obedience. Makes me even more excited about our upcoming BELIEVE series- starting November 22… be there every week and let God challenge what YOU BELIEVE!
• We had a Life Group get together with the leaders and hosts Monday night. We shared stories of what God is doing through Belonging in Life Groups, and it was incredible to hear of people praying for, celebrating with, and mourning alongside others in community. If you don’t BELONG in a Life Group, this Spring, we are shaking a couple things up and tweaking some stuff (based on leader feedback) in an effort to get as many people to experience what it means to BELONG as possible!
• Back to Sunday: Worship with Adam was really uplifting… Love how he leads us toward God and makes worship about Him, not a person, song, or style.
• Had some specific conversations with people who said that Sal’s message from the life of Joseph on being Resilient hit them between the eyes and was exactly what they needed to hear. If you missed it, check here.
• Our 6AM Power Teamers have been awesome the past couple of weeks- praying with some of those guys yesterday morning and hearing them share their joys and needs, was an honor… I love how we can work to set up a church, but really it is all set up for life change!
• I am also fired up about everyone who stays around to help us all get out of Hopper by helping in load out… every week I see new faces.
• This Sunday will be a blast: we will be baptizing toward the end of the 9:30 service… in the pool… in the courtyard… in November. This will probably be the last one for 2009, so don’t miss it! Come early if you hang out at the 11:00 AM service.
• We are also recognizing and consecrating some great guys in Deacon ordination during the 11 o’c service… these guys are leaders and I am honored to serve at a church where Deacons believe they are there to serve the body.
• Awesome stuff is going on all around The MET… I hope you are in the middle of it!
• I am ok with some funkiness on Saturday’s if God’s Spirit shows up like He did yesterday!

Have a great week… Ask yourself who needs to come in contact with the Living God this week, and then… be THAT contact. You never know what an intentional conversation toward a heart’s condition might result in.

Meet You on Fry Road

B