It's back! The most anticipated series of the year. And this year we've got an amazing line up of films to show and teach around.
This week our crew traveled to Gatlinburg and began shooting scenes for weeks 1 & 2. Of course ALL our shots were outside in the blistering 104 heat indexed day! If you notice my face a little redder than usual this Sunday... that would be why!
Looking forward to August 15th! Hope to see you there!!
Gary Coleman passed away this week. Though his life was filled with some not-so-great moments over the years, I'll always remember him for the roll he tried so desperately to get out from under: Arnold Jackson!
In fact, 2 months ago I preached a message, using his popular catch phrase from the show Diff'rent Strokes as the spring board for the talk. It was a message about how God's ways don't always make sense. I think its a message that might have helped Gary Coleman. Maybe it could help you, too...
Been 10 days since my last full update on dad. A lot of you have been asking for one... sorry for the delay. I'll tell you what the doctors and nurses told us: No news is good news!
But, I know you're still wondering... so, here it goes:
Until today dad has been pretty unresponsive. Since coming thru the surgeries, he's mostly been tired and seemingly out of it. Honestly, that was hard to take. When all you have to connect with someone are blinking eyes, it's killer when they stop. Thankfully, today was a different story. He's bright-eyed once again and attempting to spell words... "attempt" means we got TROOP, LWC, CLATH TOWEL and LENTR out of him. We're working with the Pentagon to break the code! :)
Selina helped some with deciphering things, suggesting that maybe the LEN in LENTR could stand for G-LEN BECK. So, I asked dad if he wanted us to just shut up and turn up the volume on Fox News to which he blinked a definitive "YES"! We took the hint and considered it a break through...
As for his medical condition... he's on blood thinners now for the clotting that formed yesterday, is relying less and less on the wall C-PAP, and seems to be overcoming a second bout with pneumonia. He is opening and closing his mouth on command and "attempts" to smile when asked (although it more closely resembles an Elvis impersonation than any smile I've ever seen).
The hospital plans to keep him for a few more days to monitor his clots before discharging him to a longer term hospital nearby, still in Chattanooga. As we know more, we'll let you know more.
As always, thanks for the prayers, comments, and concern. We love you all and are ever-grateful for your support! God bless!! For those of you in Chattanooga, FYI... I'll be back in the pulpit on Sunday. Looking forward to it!
The day we've all been avoiding finally came: We brought dad into the discussion on how he would like to proceed. As a family we always hope our loved one will choose to fight no matter what may come, but you never fully know until you ask.
We knew we had to ask dad what he wanted to do, as we are facing the need to trache him today at 2pm and looking at two separate surgeries this coming week. So, this morning mom, Scott, and I approached him. Scott eloquently laid out what was going on to him and then asked dad if he was wanting to fight no matter what. Before Scott could finish the question dad was strongly responding "yes"! We confirmed his response and all breathed a sigh of relief.
Dad admitted he was scared, but is believing for a miracle. As for progress... today he had both eyes opened and was able to follow left to right to see us on both sides of his bed (this is a first and the latest miracle in a string of unbelievable moments as we begin Week 2).
If you do not live in the Chattanooga area and unable to attend the Prayer Meeting scheduled for 4pm today at Oakwood Baptist, please take time during that hour to lift dad up in prayer. We love you all and are looking forward to the future!!
Hello my beloved family and friends. So many of you are asking for the latest on my dad's condition... Here it is: Our initial conclusion was that the accident was a result of falling asleep at the wheel. It appears my dad had a stroke and that caused the accident. The stroke left irreparable damage to the main arteries going from his brain stem to his body. This means all information the brain is sending out is not being received. This is permanent and will affect his quality of life, ultimately resulting in his death. The term they gave us is "locked in"... this means he has full cognitive ability and can think, hear, and respond with blinks. But, that's the extent. His brain is "locked in" his body.
As you can imagine, this is shocking and terrible news. We ask you to pray for a miracle. That my dad’s body will be restored in the land of the living... We are believing for such. Yet, we also pray the words of Christ: "Not my will, but yours Father." As followers of Christ we know there is only one way... the way of the cross. As I said in my sermon on Sunday, if His will lines up with our way, praise God! If it does not... we must still go the way of the cross! For we are not merely called to live as disciples of Christ... we are also called to die along side Him. May God get the glory in whatever He chooses to do! Pray for all you are worth and together let us release this to the Lord. Thank you for your ongoing love and support!
This coming weekend we will be finishing up our first mini-series on the book of Acts. It's been a great ride attempting to cover everything from speaking in tongues to a husband and wife who were struck dead for skimping on their offering to the church (see video below)! Safe to say, we've avoided some landmines...
One of my favorite moments of the series though was the weekend of our Net Group Kickoff. Great to see people (some for the very first time) connecting beyond the weekend. Can't wait to see the growth that comes as our groups move forward in the coming months.
As we close the series this Sunday, I encourage you to attend. It's a message about growing pains! And as always with this series, it speaks to where we are as a church.
Look forward to every week! And I love this church!!
On Friday afternoon, I tucked away into my office to put the final touches on my weekend message. Two hours later when I emerged from my cave, the ground outside was covered in snow. As much as I love the snow... this isn't what you want to see going into the weekend when your pastoring a young church!
Throughout Saturday we watched the news closely and gave up keeping count of all the churches canceling their Sunday services. We also fielded many calls, texts, and emails from members of our church wondering when we would follow suit.
Early on we decided to reschedule our NetGroup Kickoff, knowing we'd be facing a small crowd even if we did proceed with caution. But, to cancel service was something I couldn't bring myself to do. I'm a Yankee - born and raised. And I knew if we canceled services up north for weekend's like this, the church doors would have been closed four months out of the year!
I understand things are different here. There are mountains. There are inexperienced drivers. There's not near enough equipment to clear the roads. I get all that. And so, I kept telling the team, "Come if you can, but if you're not comfortable making the trek, stay at home." Some came, some didn't. No big deal.
We assessed who we had to work with once we arrived and as always, God provided. I can honestly say, the experience didn't miss a beat. The crowd was strong. God's presence was felt. And the weather wasn't so bad after all.
To those who came out, it was great spending the morning with you. To those who didn't, we look forward to seeing you next week. To all... we love you! We love this city and we love this church! I can't imagine doing anything else.
This coming weekend, we'll continue our series on the book of Acts. And I'll deliver what I've been calling: The Most Important Message of the Year! See you there!
I'm loving our series on the book of Acts. We've gotten great feedback from the church and God is doing some amazing things. This weekend we are covering Acts 4. And I truly believe this message is the most important one of the year.
It's part visionary, part explanatory. It's all about why we do things the way we do things at The Net. At it's core - it's all about the church. My hope and prayer is that people get it... that this weekend moves us to the next phase of growth God has for us. That we become closer to the image He has destined for us. That Acts 4:32 would become more real to us than ever before: "All the believers were of one heart and one mind..."
For those who have missed any of the 3 weeks leading up this Sunday, below you'll find video clips from Acts 1-3. To watch any of our messages in their entirety, click here.
After spending 8 years traveling North America as a sales and training supervisor in the steel industry and 4 years on staff at one of the most influential churches in America, my wife and I now live in the city where we went on our first date - Chattanooga, Tennessee. This time we have come to start a non-denominational church called The Net. If you're ever in town... you ought to visit!
