Category Archives: Sunday ReCap

November 24, 2009 · 11:08 pm

Sunday ReCap Nov 22

It has literally taken me 2 days to recover from Sunday… and what a Sunday it was! Here is the ReCap:

  • We kicked off the annual Big Give emphasis on supporting the Mission of The MET and began a new teaching series: BELIEVE.
  • I have yet to type believe without putting the e before the i… random fact for you.
  • Sunday morning setup was kind of crazy, new set pieces on stage, but Andy and the Tech Team did a great job… kudos yall!

     

    Big Give Stage Look

  • We have two volunteers who do our lighting: Chuck and Art… and they kill it every week, but outdid themselves this week. Great job guys! You wouldn’t believe (did it again) that they havent been doing this for years. We are blessed by all of our Fry Roadies.
  • Loved the “HOPPER HOUND NIGHT CLUB” poster above the stage… Great reminder of the impact we can have on the school, not just using it as a place to meet. Also, I want one of the Husky cutouts for my office wall.
  • Worship Team did a great job with a very complicated service and video/timing integration. If you missed the story of Samuel, I will see if I can get a link… lets just put it this way, it wrecked me. Video ended with this line: Its hard to believe when you go to sleep hungry.
  • The message was ok… I probably made it more complicated than it needed to be… Here is the nickel version if you dont have time to listen to The MET @ Fry Blog: What we believe leads to margin which is the ability to give in our lives. How we give reveals what we believe about what we have. All we have (no matter how much or little) in Gods hands, is all they need.
  • Teardown went great, and we chowed on some pizza before heading to Church Under the Bridge.
  • CUTB was really cool… we got some wires crossed internally and had many more people than we needed down there… its was 2 to 1 MET to homeless people, but it was still a moving experience. So proud that so many from Fry went down there… next time, I promise we will not over populate and everyone will get to put their hands to the work.

     

    Communion Under the Bridge

  • That said, anyone who says they had nothing to do was wrong and missed out on impacting people’s lives. I had some great conversations before the service and during the meal… sometimes serving is simply asking questions and listening. Or looking them in the eye or shaking their hand. You wouldn’t believe what eye contact will do to someone everyone else tries to ignore. Even calling them by name makes a huge difference. I hope you didn’t settle for standing around.
  • I saw somewhere around 10 or so hands of people that said they prayed to receive Christ and become a part of God’s Story and make their Story a part of His Story… I hope to never take life change for granted.
  • We capped Sunday off with the Bi-Annual (that means two times a year, right?) church business meeting… lots of Roberts Rules and voting and it was great to see 180 folks show up to hear what God is doing and make their voice known. I love it when people are passionate about the MISSION… its also really easy to see when people are off mission or on one of their own.
  • Mad props to Fry Road folks at the business meeting thanks for believing that we are one church in two locations! It was fun to tell of what God is doing at Fry.
  • Think that about wraps it up.. I hope you guys were challenged on what God is calling you to put in your Big Give bag and lay on the altar on December 13…
  • The awkward end to the service was designed to leave you uncomfortable as to what is next. My prayer is that you are praying about what you have and what God is calling you to do with it.
  • This Sunday you will get the chance to participate in a CHALLENGE to identify with our mission and check what you believe about what you deserve… Here is a hint: EAT UP on thanksgiving.

Enjoy time with friends and family this week… Looking forward to Lance being back at Fry this Sunday and bringing us week 2 of Believe.

Meet You on Fry Road.

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November 9, 2009 · 8:14 pm

Sunday ReCap -Nov 8

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

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October 19, 2009 · 3:59 pm

Sunday ReCap Oct 18

Destiny BaptismYou can sum up how I feel about last Sunday in 1 word: baptism. How can we not have a great Sunday when someone goes public with their faith in Christ! Here is the ReCap from Sunday:

  • Setup team was SLIM Sunday morning… Our Power Team needs some recharging. We missed you at 6 AM at Hopper… if you are looking for a quick place to plug in, be a part of the Power Team!
  • That said, we set a new record on Load Out Sunday, because many people stuck around and helped us load out! 1:13 and the trailers were shut! Wooo Hooo… I have always said that getting out by 1PM was the Holy Grail of load out… I think we can do it now more than ever.
  • Worship was great Sunday, I am looking forward to having Adam lead for us 2 out of the next 3 weeks.
  • I thought Scott nailed it with the message Sunday… I could see some holy discomfort in the crowd as I got up to lead in prayer at the end of the service.
  • Also had quite a few people say they thought the message ended too quickly… that they were engaged in the thought of what resilience looks like from God’s perspective…. I totally agree and am looking forward to hearing from Pastor Sal this Sunday.
  • Cannot say that I have ever been told I talked to little… oh well, maybe one day. Maybe not.
  • Our Preschool and Children’s ministry leadership really felt the effects of the flu this past Sunday… I am guessing we can expect this for a few more weeks- I am drinking Lemon Tea as I type this… Please make every effort to fulfill your serve commitment during this crazy time.
  • I did hear that the 1-3 grade worship has been pretty cool lately… I hope to get down there this week.
  • Again, baptism was awesome – loved being soaking wet on stage during second service.
  • If you didnt hear, during the 9:30 hour, I challenged “someone” in the audience who knew that they needed to be baptized to go ahead and do it- in their street clothes. I also said I would baptize in my street clothes as well…. One student who recently gave her life to Christ at Truth Students said it was her. So she did. And so did I. (see picture)
  • We also celebrated new life in Christ with 2 other people who had never gone public with their faith through baptism.
  • Every Sunday, my alarm goes off at 4:14 AM (odd alarm times help me get up) and I don’t usually get home until around 1:30 or 2:00 PM… then our Life Group meets from 5-7 PM… but let me tell you, Sundays are great, and our Life Group has been a needed breath of fresh air for Kelly and I.
  • We are studying “Effective Parenting in a Defective World” in our Life Group, and every week we are challenged and encouraged by the study, but especially by our LG members. There is no way to express how much doing life together matters.
  • I know some of you wanted to be in a group, but couldn’t this semester, even were willing to host or lead… don’t give up! Make sure and be a part during our next session… it’s totally worth the time and resilience!
  • If you are not in a Life Group, already start praying about when and where you will regularly circle up with others passionately pursuing Christ and belonging.

That’s about it for this Sunday ReCap… I have a couple first time guests to email- one heard about The MET @ Fry by driving by, one received an invitation… Don’t forget about Your 5… You never know what God will do with a simple invite.

Have a great week… Meet you on Fry Road!

B

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October 14, 2009 · 2:50 pm

Sunday ReCap: Oct 11

Lately these Sundays are pretty interesting… With rain and rampant flu, a church just getting started can look very different from week to week. Even 8 months into this second campus of The MET, on a rainy flu-ey Sunday morning, I get that quiver of: This can go either way today. But thankfully, our God is good and has us out there in Hopper Middle School for a reason… and this Sunday, He changed lives and drew people to Him! Here is the rundown:

  • We managed to load in and load out without too much inclement weather… although it did rain pretty hard during services.
  • Load out went really quickly back in the Children & Preschool areas… Totally attributable to having 3 extra hands to help. Man, if you are looking to have an impact this week, hang out after the second service and load out!
  • Our First Touch team manned the umbrellas and helped people get in and stay somewhat dry.
  • Worship was great, Will Mitchell led us and we sang one of my favorite songs right now: “How He Loves” as performed by David Crowder. I am overwhelmed by the lyrical content of this song!
  • The overcast weather helped our lighting again this week… every cloud has a silver lining, or in this case bright white spotlight.
  • Discover The MET was awesome- had a family of 4 connect with our church and commit to Worship Belong Serve and Connect each day!
  • Also had a woman give her life to Christ at Discover… she was just there to check a membership box so she could teach- now she will spend eternity with God in heaven!
  • Hoping to get her into the baptism pool this Sunday as we do some dunking… Fry Road style. The pool will be inflated Sunday, do not miss out on this time to celebrate life change!
  • People coming from other faith backgrounds, especially Catholic, struggle with baptism… I love sharing the truth of God’s word about baptism.
  • Not to over-spiritualize it, but I do believe that while Baptism is not a CONDITION of salvation, there is a certain CEMENTING of salvation within the heart and mind of the individual when they stand before others and profess Christ as Lord and Savior and then get dunked.
  • Can you tell I am geeked for baptism this Sunday?
  • I love that people are hanging around and helping with load out each Sunday… who wants to try the 6 AM shift? Come on, all the cool kids are doing it….
  • Did I mention that someone gave their life to Christ Sunday, and didnt even realize their need for salvation… makes me wonder how many people are sitting out in the crowd unaware of what the answer to their greatest needs are.
  • The TOY DRIVE is going to BLOW UP at Fry Road this year… keep your eyes peeled next week for some opportunities to be a part.
  • One thing does concern me that has become a habit at our campus… when these guest worship leaders start the service, there is generally about 7-15 people in the crowd… we need to figure out how to get people in and ready on-time.
  • Oh yeah… Guess who else gets to service on time? Guests. They are actually a little early when they visit. So, for about the first 5 minutes, put yourself in the guest’s mind… what would you be thinking about the church when everyone trickles in for about the first 20 minutes? What can we do about this?

I am looking forward to an incredible Sunday celebrating life change… be there on time… I might just give something away at 9:30 and 11:00 this week.

Meet you on Fry Road

B

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September 28, 2009 · 4:04 pm

Sunday ReCap – Sept 27

Another solid Sunday at Fry, here is the ReCap:

  • David Quinones led worship Sunday, and it was great. God’s Spirit was vibrant and present again in his people as they sang to Him.
  • Pastor Sal threw it DOWN Sunday, what a challenge to love beyond our means! I am including some links below to DO SOMETHING ABOUT what He shared!
  • It was great having the crew from The Gate checking out our worship and gear. We will always be a learning campus… learning from others and encouraging folks to come and learn from us.
  • I believe that there are plenty of lost people in Cypress to go around and God is shaping and forming us to reach a group different from any other church in our area!
  • As I talked to Jason and the Gate crew, I was again struck with the incredible opportunity that we have to change lives all over Houston and the World… What God is doing through The MET as a multi-site church is amazing.
  • I look forward to what is ahead for The MET @ Fry Road, we are planning and budgeting for 2010 and asking God to do great things.
  • The Power Team continually amazes me… the adjustments we made to the Adventure Outpost environments are completely systematized… these guys are machines!
  • I am looking forward to Truth Students making headway on the Fry Campus, life groups have cranked up and the Student Lounge is hopping on Sunday mornings.
  • We had a great Life Group Sunday night… Its fun for me to see how God brings a unique group of people together to grow in Him!
  • Our group will not help me in my journey to be in better shape- them folks can cook!
  • Looking forward to this Sunday, my buddy Ricky is back leading worship again, and I get to bring the “good stuff” from Ruth this week. And we celebrate communion… remembering what Christ did for us on the cross.

So, I was moved by Sal’s challenge this week… Kelly and I are asking what Christmas will look like in the Rose family this year. We know we are called to be involved and there are some great organizations out there making a difference… Here are some links to DO SOMETHING with what God has done for us:

Compassion International – Sponsor a child each month from around the world, feeding, educating, and telling of the love of Christ!

Nothing But Nets – Buy a mosquito net and save a child from dying of Malaria.

World Vision – Tons of opportunities to help the poor and marginalized… every level of support is shown.

Looking forward to big things…

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September 22, 2009 · 12:35 pm

Sunday ReCap: Sept 20

The MET at Fry Road was buzzing this week and we got to do one of my all-time favorite things in church-life: baptisms! And while the HOW of our Fry Road campus still has some development ahead, there is no doubt that the Vision of WHO we are and WHY we do what we do has never been more clear. Here is the ReCap from Sunday:

  • I love the Power Team… the 6am crew is a devoted bunch of doers, who love to see their work produce immediate results.
  • We forgot a major piece of equipment, so I ran back to the Jones campus at about 6:45 AM… there was nobody setting up anything over there! While it may be nice to just walk in and go, I would not trade the spirit and fun we experience before the sun comes up each week at Hopper.
  • Our new Adventure Outpost environments are incredible, nothing beats seeing children learn Biblical truths in an intentionally designed presentation that is relative to their learning stage… love the dueling worship!
  • Exploration Island looks amazing! The huge leaves and jungle vines are an engaging exciting way to set the table for laying Biblical foundations in our preschool children.
  • Bailey’s “baptism shirt” was awesome! I love celebrating life change and publicly declaring the life change of Christ in your life!
  • “Love Story” promises to be a great series in the life of our campus… cannot wait to see what God wants to say to me through this series.
  • Getting to be the 3D Pastor of Fry in moments like baptism and walking with families through life’s junk is humbling and challenging, and most of all rewarding!
  • I tried to comfort Sal and told him that being the 2-dimensional Teaching Pastor is not as cool as being 3-dimensional, but hey- its much better than being 1-dimensional… deep down he thinks I am funny. Right?
  • We have a big week planned and I am excited about what God has in store this Sunday… if you have not joined a Life Group yet, you need to do so asap… here is our group link online access.
  • This past Sunday’s load-out was great, I will admit that for a couple weeks before that it wasn’t so great. We have had some folks out and some who had to leave… Thanks to all of you who stayed this past Sunday and helped us get out before 1:30! Every week many hands will get us all home to watch football faster.
  • It looks like I might call out the Texans each week if it leads to a win… I am thinking that if we stayed every Sunday and had a great load-out, then we might have a SuperBowl in our future!

Have a great week, Meet You on Fry Road!

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September 14, 2009 · 11:12 pm

Sunday ReCap: September 13

Yesterday’s services at Fry Road might be #2 all-time favorite for me at Fry Road… Aside from our public launch Sunday, yesterday was the most emotional spirit-filled services we had! Nothing gets me more fired up than to hear God’s people worship together and then be challenged to go and make a difference in people’s lives! Between our incredible worship team and Lance speaking to the heart of reaching people, it was an awesome day! We definitely have some challenges in a lot of areas, but God is at work! Here is the ReCap:

  • One of the most overlooked and underappreciated teams at the Fry Road campus is our Power Team. The guys that get here at 6 am and setup, not only have to just get out of bed, but lately, our adjustments to the children and preschool setup means that each Sunday brings a new challenge. Big thanks to those guys for allowing us to fine tune what we are doing to reach our children more effectively.
  • Some transparency here: there are not enough people on the Power Team. Our guys are incredible and committed, but everyone has limits. If more people do not step up and join the team, we will not be able to reach our community with near the effectiveness. If you are not serving anywhere, here is your “where”… We need people (not just guys) at 6am and to stay after the 11am service to help load out.
  • You need to be on the Power Team. I will buy you coffee for getting up early. You can use your DVR and not miss the football games after service.
  • Our 4-6 Grade environment and 1-3 Grade environment in Adventure Outpost were rocking this week… There is an open house coming up in a couple weeks for parents to get to see what we have going on… mad props to the AO team for dividing and conquering as we reach the hearts of our grade school children and lay Biblical foundations.
  • I love seeing our First Touch team walking people around… I have had so many people compliment our guest focus.
  • Ricky Jackson led us well this week, I know he is my friend and I am biased, but it was a great time of worship. And the best part is, it really had nothing to do with Ricky or the rest of the team… it was totally God’s Spirit engaging our hearts. Inspired by worship Sunday. Kudos to the whole team for leading us.
  • I love it when people are insistent upon wanting to join the church immediately… kind of works against our strategy to let them Discover The MET, and then become members… but its really cool when people are passionate about wanting to be a part of what we do.
  • This fall has the promise of being an incredible season of ministry… I cannot wait to see what God is going to do through our Life Groups. If you have not signed up, you are a loser. Just kidding, but seriously.
  • Been praying over the names of people who need a “search and rescue” today… also praying for lots of folks in both the Jones and Fry campuses who are looking for jobs. Will figure out a way to share some first names soon.

Just ran out of steam… will holler more later this week. Need more coffee.

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