The MONEY Talk

Last weekend The Net celebrated it's 6-Month Anniversary. In that time we've never passed an offering plate or mentioned money - other than to tell people if they want to give they can drop their gift in an offering box on their way out. And in that same time - we've never lacked for anything.

But, we're in a series called Q. And we're answering questions people have about the church, so we spent today talking about money and the church.

And yet, our approach was unusual - as most things at The Net are. And when it was all said and done, we did pass our first offering plate... but, we didn't collect anything - rather, we gave money away.

Our text for the message was from Matthew 25. It's a story Jesus tells about 3 servants who are called upon to invest wisely their master's money. And so, we put it out to the attenders of The Net today to reinvest and multiply the funds they were given to reach out into the community. Over the next couple of weeks, we hope their stories will come in for you to follow at 10BuckChallenge.com.

If you would like to hear the message on money from this weekend, you can do so by clicking here. We promise its painless and guilt-free... and you might just be a little surprised at how we are managing our funds at the church.

Enjoy and thanks for checking us out!

Bigger Than Seacoast!

Had a little fun during a money talk at The Net this weekend by showing the fallacy of counting heads at church! To listen to the entire 28-minute message, go to http://vimeo.com/5771703.

IS IT SUNDAY, YET?

Remember the old family vacation line every kid repeated incessantly from the back seat... "Are we there, yet?" We couldn't help it - we were just so stinking excited about what was to come.

That pretty much sums up my life this week. I find myself saying over and over again... "Is it Sunday, yet?"

You see, we're taking a few weeks as summer winds down to answer questions people have about the church... the series is called "Q" and this weekend 4 questions await us. And with them... 1 memorable challenge!

Is it Sunday, yet?

Skyping with a Soldier in Iraq

This past Sunday we began our Q Series - answering questions people have about the church. The gist of our talk this weekend centered around the idea that when bad things happen, God relies on us to be His Goodness!

To reinforce this point we used the wonderful world of technology to video chat with a member of our church, Sean Bulow, who is currently serving our country in Iraq. As a church, we have decided to be God's goodness by sending some much needed supplies to Sean and his fellow troop mates. If you would like to contribute to this effort, you can get more info by clicking here.

Below is the message excerpt of the call to Iraq (or you can watch it directly from youtube). You can click here if you would like to watch the weekend message in its entirety.

GAMBLING IN CHURCH?

Yes, we did. This weekend we stuffed 10 scratch-off lottery tickets in random weekend guides as people were walking into Theater 11. And to our surprise, we had a couple winners - albeit, merely $3 and $5 winners - but, winners nonetheless. I'm told the $3 ticket actually found its way into the offering box. Can't blame someone for not wanting to walk out of church with tainted money! :)

And for those of you who are already on your knees praying for the souls of all the gambling sinners who attended The Net this weekend - know it was all in good fun and simply part of a greater illustration. It segued us into a video from 1999 - where I had received a $10,000 winning lottery ticket as a gift from my uncle.

There's a chance you've seen the video before... on America's Funniest Home Videos. Below is the clip. If you like to watch the weekend message - God is My Contentment - in its entirety, you can click here.

Back in the Saddle Again...

One Prayer comes to a close this weekend - and well worth the ride! Some of the best speakers of our time graced our silver screen at The Net. We were able to contribute over $1000 toward needs oversees. And we joined with other area churches to do a couple outreach projects that have now spurred an ongoing outreach group called NetReach. I've heard nothing but good feedback from our attenders and I'm looking forward to next year!

And now... it's time for me to settle back into my role as teaching pastor once again. I'm looking forward to delivering this coming Sunday's message and excited about the prospects of giving away $10,000 in cold, hard cash.

That's right... $10,000... talk about ONE PRAYER! If I were you, I wouldn't miss it... after all, you've got just as much shot at the cash as anyone else, right?

See you Sunday!

The 4th of July

A brief recap of my family's first 4th of July in Tennessee, as told at The Net Church this past Sunday. And the telling of a curious little move my son has started making...

Declaration of Dependence (Re-post)

Last year I posted a blog entry on the 4th of July. Since that was prior to our launching of The Net, and our readership has grown substantially in the interim, I figured I'd re-post it this weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

From July 4th, 2008: Independence is overrated. Is anyone REALLY independent? And even if it is attainable, should that be our highest goal?

Relax. I'm still an All-American Guy. But, the older I get, the more I realize that true strength and true freedom is found in Dependence, not Independence. I used to be a "Free Man" - single and able to do whatever I wanted to do. Then, six-and-a-half years ago, I got married to a beautiful girl. Things changed. Someone else was relying on my ability to make wise choices. A certain dependency was created. Now, last week my son was born. Talk about dependence! This little guy can hardly do anything without us... I'm reminded of it every time I smell a dirty diaper.

The funny thing is... I like dependence. I'm happier now than I was when I was single. I like the accountability of it. I like that, when I allow it to, I become more responsible and mature. As a pastor, I've counseled couples who get this and couples who don't. And the ones who embrace dependence survive.

On a spiritual level, God wants this same dependence present in our relationship with Him. Because when we are seeking "spiritual Independence", trying to acquire and obtain our "unalienable rights" away from Him, we fall short. We miss the mark. But, when dependence is present we become more responsible and mature. In essence, we become more like Him.

And so, today on July 4th, our nation's Day of Independence, I ask you to join me in a prayer I pray almost every morning. It was born out of my studies one day in James 4. Verse 10 says, "When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor." (NLT)

Today, call out to God and admit your dependence on Him. Let Him know that without Him nothing of consequence gets done in your life. But, with Him all things are possible and freedom from the weights of this world can be reached!