WE'VE BEEN SPOTTED!

This morning an email from Geoff Surratt was waiting for me. In it was a link to a blog entitled "Reason for Optimism" from Jerry Gray of Columbia, SC. He heard the message I gave at Seacoast a while back and had some very wonderful and kind words for The Net. You can read it by clicking over to his BLOG.

YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE

You’ve probably seen this picture. Look at it one way and you see a young lady with her head turned away. Look at it another way and you see the profile of an older lady. Well, it kind of reminds me of the team God is putting around us!

We are now being contacted by families interested in The Net at a rate of one to two per week. And we are becoming a great blend of young and old (or young and “not quite as young, but young just the same” I should say, if I expect to keep them around!). We also have every age in between. This gives us a unique blend of energy and maturity, vision and wisdom.

And apparently, we are a good fit for Chattanooga! In recent articles from the Chattanooga Times Free Press these two diverse age groups found Chattanooga to be a great place to live!

A survey done among 20-40 year olds living in Chattanooga showed an overwhelmingly high satisfaction rate with the city. Many of the respondents said they even recommend Chattanooga to others who do not live in the area.

A separate article revealed that retirees from Chattanooga, who once considered moving to Florida are now rethinking the idea on the premise: “Why in the world would we want to live anywhere else… We think this is a great place…”

The second article also references an MSN Money story naming Chattanooga as one of the top destinations for retirees looking to settle down but not ready for “a sedentary lifestyle of retirement communities and shuffleboard”.

So there you have it! To a city for the young and… “young at heart”, we bring a church for the young and… well, you know. [Disclaimer: If you are on The Net Launch Team and wondering if I am referring to you when I say old… the answer is no. I’m actually referring to someone else on the team. That goes for all of you.]

Links to related articles:

Most Young Professionals Like Chattanooga Life, Study Finds...

Chattanooga Named Top Destination For Retirees...

The New Hot Retirement Spots...

DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE

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's been 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 accountablility 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!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE...

Don't let the preciousness of this picture fool you... Last night was our third home with our new baby and each night's been like stepping into a cage match.

Round 1 went to Gannon. By morning I felt like a Mack truck had run over me. To be expected after a night of intermittent piercing screams.

Round 2 was closer, but still went to Gannon. Personally, I did better, but he got a best of Selina. Despite the fact that he screamed less, she still couldn't rest well.

Round 3 went to... Ryan and Selina! We got more sleep last night and heard less crying. But, I cannot boast. We owe the success of this round to my wife's mother and two sisters. They gave up their sleep to take the midnight blows for us, allowing us to get some much needed z's.

And so, as the saying goes - It takes a village to raise a child. When our backs were against the wall, the support of loved ones came to our aid. Thank you Dianne, Tina, and Kimberly.

And isn't this the way it's supposed to be? God's design for each one of us is to embrace the support of others and be the support for others. Yet, pride can keep us from the former and selfishness from the latter.

My prayer for all who read this is that you would allow the people God is putting around you to help you walk through life. And that God would open your eyes to the needs of others, so you may be the village on which they can lean.

GANNON MILES MAY

He is here. Yesterday, Selina and I went in early to have a precautionary ultrasound done before the weekend hit to monitor a low level of amniotic fluid surrounding Gannon. The results led our doctor to suggest a same-day induction. We were caught a bit off-guard and quickly placed calls to our parents so they could get to Charleston ASAP!

After a quick trip home to pack, we were admitted at approximately 10:30am. However, due to an over-abundance of deliveries (turned out to be 7 boys in all) we were forced to wait until 3:15pm to start inducing. From that point it was a slow progression into the evening hours, allowing Selina's parents (Wallace and Dianne) and my mom (Roni) enough time to get to the hospital.

At late evening Selina began dilating quickly. She pushed for approximately 40 minutes and we delivered at 11:03pm. Gannon Miles May: 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 19.75" long. We even managed to make a couple East Cooper Hospital firsts...

• We were the first to video record a delivery from 2 different camera angles.
• We were the first to broadcast the delivery via Skype (to Selina's sisters in Atlanta).

Words cannot describe the moment of having my child come into this world. It was A-MAY-ZING! It was quite surreal and I couldn't help but feel like I was looking at myself - starting life all over again. We are looking forward to watching our son grow into the man God has created him to be.

Thank you for your prayers!

If You Hate Church!

One of the marketing strategies we are developing for The Net is the website: ifyouhatechurch.com. We will use it to survey people in the Chattanooga area who do not attend church. The site is still "under construction", so there's no need to visit it yet. However, we have recently produced 3 short videos that will be a part of it when it is complete.

You can view them on youtube.com by clicking HERE.

EAT UP!

I should have done this a long time ago... In April we attended the ARC All Access Conference in Birmingham, AL. We heard some amazing talks and listened to the ones we missed via podcast. I wanted to give you the link to the audio/video content of the conference sessions. These are the people we are partnering with to start The Net, so download a few and feed your spirit!

http://www.allaccessconference.com/