Closing Out "It Starts With One"

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!!

A Weekend to Remember

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!

The Most Important Message of the Year

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.

A Change of Pace

Well, we mixed it up a little at The Net this weekend. A lot more music, a little less talk, and one powerful response time!

We took the weekend to reflect on Thanksgiving and talked about how sometimes the holidays aren't "the most wonderful time of the year!" I shared my personal experience from this past week and hope if nothing else - it helped a few people get re-focused.

In addition, Selina and I decided to serve everyone communion this weekend. The response was overwhelming... We nearly ran out of bread and had only a few drops of juice left. As for the worship - amazing. Thanks to MJ and the band for leading us into God's presence today!

It was a honor spending the morning with all who made it out. I love this church and enjoy being your pastor! Thanks for coming along for the ride!

If you've got 20 minutes and would like to catch the brief message from today, click here or watch below... hope it blesses you.

One Prayer Update

This weekend we gave an update on One Prayer - a movement started 2 years ago by lifechurch.tv combining the efforts of over 2K churches in giving, outreach, and the teaching of God's word.

If you were a part of One Prayer or a part of The Net and you missed this past weekend's experience - check out the clip below and hear a brief update on the difference you are making around the world!

Trick #6... Kiss the Devil Goodbye!

Today we closed out the series 6 Tricks - shifting gears away from taking action and looking at the Devil's last and most dangerous trick - Just keep going! The big idea: If he can't stop you, he'll push you... to the brink of destruction!

If you're up for learning more about the Sabbath, check out the message. And when you get to the 24:07 mark, what you can't hear that we did live is the music kicking on prior to the 11:20 showing of My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure! Ah, the joys of having church in a movie complex!! :)

Enjoy the trick and take yourself a Sabbath this week!

Trick #6 (Just Keep Going!) from The Net Church on Vimeo.

Trick #5

Our series is quickly coming to a close. But, not before we squeeze in a couple more tricks from our downtown devil. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Trick #5! Enjoy...