A New Adventure

"Well, that didn't take long."

Those were my wife's words when I accepted a position at The Church at the Triangle heading up their Creative Arts Team. And really, who can blame her for saying it? It's only been 3 1/2 months since Freedom River closed its doors.

But when God gets involved, I guess it's really not surprising at all. Looking back at the sequence of events at both the final days of FRCC and what the Lord's been up to at CATT, His fingerprints are all over this situation.

Probably the most surprising thing is that I actually stopped to talk to the two people who had veto power: Jesus and my wife. It would have been VERY easy to blurt out a "YES!" before Lead Pastor Lee Towns ever finished making his offer. But I took the time to pray over the decision and also make sure Debbie was on board.

One reason for the amazing ease of the decision is my growing friendship with Lee. He and I have hit it off from almost our first conversation. We have a very similar view of church and ministry. We read a lot of the same authors. We listen to many of the same podcasts. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Lord will deepen our relationship. And I'm very excited to serve under someone who has such a clear vision for the months and years ahead.

I'm looking forward to leading worship for the first time at CATT this week. Jesus is up to something. Come check us out some Sunday morning.

In Christ,
Jay

Home Again

Looks like our church search is over.

Since Freedom River's last meeting on October 5, 2008, my wife and I have been on the lookout for a new church home. We've visited some great places. We've met some wonderful people. We've seen God at work in a variety of cool churches.

But something special happened when we visited the Church at the Triangle for the first time on November 16th. The atmosphere was like no place I've ever visited. More like a cool coffee house. Ever sit at round tables during a worship service before? Well, you do at CATT.

The people were warm and friendly. The band was tight and rockin'. The sermon was biblical and applicable. For all of the other neat places we visited, this just clicked. It was like putting on your most comfortable pair of old jeans. Most importantly, God is clearly at work.

Lee and Carla Towns began laying the ground work for CATT more than a year ago. They launched August 24th of 2008. I mean this thing is brand-spankin' new and fresh out of the box. It still has that "new church" smell!

One thing that has made this even more special is the fact that several Freedom River refugees are also attending CATT.

Deb & I are looking forward to serving Christ's Kingdom at CATT in the coming weeks. What will do? Wherever the Lord wants us.

Join us sometime. Check us out at http://www.churchatthetriangle.org/.

It's good to be home again.

In Christ,
Jay

Job Insecurity

The headlines and evening news are chock full of downturns, bailouts and layoffs. Seems everyone is concerned about job security. 

But let's talk about "Job insecurity."   Not job, but Job.  You know...the guy in the Old Testament.  Yeah, THAT Job.  You see, Job had lost it all.  Not just his job, but also his health, his wealth and most of his family.

I sat down and read through this amazing book in one reading the other day.  What an incredible reminder to me about reading the Bible.  So often, I'll check out a verse or two here or a chapter there, but never see the B-I-G picture of an entire book.  Not this time.  Read Job in one sitting.

For 37 chapters, we read about this once proud man whose life is now nuked.  We hear the loving "advice and encouragement" of the three stooges: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.  We are right there when Elihu lovingly and firmly speaks some sense to this broken man.  We read Job demanding a hearing with Almighty God.     

And then God shows up.  Oh, does He ever show up!

God hits Job with an unending barrage of challenges that start with phrases like, "Have you ever..?" and "Can you..?" and "Do you know..?"  The Creator questions him on such topics as geology, astronomy, zoology, biology and philosophy.  Imagine the hardest blue book exam times a gazillion.  And Job had no idea this would be on the final.

Job is left there...stuttering and stammering.  "I am nothing--how could I ever find the answers?" (Job 40:3a NLT).  

"Job insecurity."

Interestingly, God never tells Job why he lost it all.  And Job is fine with that.  After experiencing first hand the awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping power of God, it just doesn't seem to matter.  And God drenches Job in His amazing grace by restoring him.  "So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning" (Job 42:12 NLT).

If you ever doubt the power, the majesty, the holiness or the knowledge of God, crack open your Bible to the book of Job.  Read it all the way through.  I think you'll experience "Job insecurity."  And that's a good thing.

In Christ,

Jay

A Heart away from Home

Ever go some place far away yet it feels just like home? Well, that's how I feel about "The Heart," a wonderfully funky church in Boone, NC.

Over the past few years, my wife and I have dropped in on the folks at "The Heart" on some of our little weekend getaways to the North Carolina mountains. Our first visit just felt right. Do you know what I mean? Even though we didn't know a soul in the place, we felt right at home. We love the people. We love their band. We love the sermons. But most of all, we love the way they love Jesus.

My relationship with the folks at "The Heart" took a couple of giant steps forward in December. Pastor Richard Miller graciously asked me if I would preach while he was out of town. So, I humbly took him up on the opportunity, continuing his series "The Grinch: Enlarging Your Heart."

On December 14th, we looked at enlarging our heart to be more passionate. Using Mark 12:33 as the basic text, we learned that Jesus wants to change our hearts so we would have...
-A Passion for His Presence
-A Passion for His People
-A Passion for His Plan

It was great to be back preaching again. First time since September 28th at Freedom River.

Then two weeks later, the worship pastor at "The Heart," John Hawkins, asked me if I could fill in on guitar. Wow, did that feel good! Again, the first time to play in a praise band since October 5th, our last service at FRCC.

If you're ever in Boone over a weekend, I highly recommend a visit to "The Heart." They meet at Watauga High School and the service starts at 10:30am each Sunday. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check'em out at http://theheart.us/.

I want to thank Richard Miller, his wife Terri and John Hawkins for graciously inviting me to be a part of God's work at their church. But most of all, I want to thank Jesus for opening the door and making this happen.

Can't wait to see what He's up to next!

In Christ,
Jay

Church Search Part Seven

As we close out a VERY eventful 2008, some of us are still searching for a new church while others are settling in somewhere. As we wrap up our "Church Search" series, we need to remember one very important fact...

Plug in and get your serve on!

A couple of thousand years ago, Paul wrote about the importance of each believer not only being connected to other believers in a church, but totally plugged in and serving. He compared the church body with the human body and said, "God has put each part just where He wants it" (1 Corinthians 12:18b NLT).

Kinda reassuring, isn't it? God's going to make sure that He has you right where He wants you. The next part is up to you. Find out what your spiritual gift is and then find out how you can use that gift in helping folks at your new church.

Plug in and get your serve on!

Let's take a quick back look at our checklist in finding a new church home...
1-Do they worship the Jesus of the Bible?
2-Do they preach and teach from the Bible?
3-Do they have a passion for reaching people for Jesus?
4-Do they have a passion for discipleship?
5-Do they preach a Christ-centered, biblical Gospel?

We also looked at four books that can help us in the search...
"Church: Why Bother?" by Philip Yancey
"Who Moved My Church?" by Mike Nappa
"More Jesus, Less Religion" by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton
"Nine Marks of a Healthy Church" by Mark Dever

I want you to know that it has been an honor to serve as your interim pastor...even in the past couple of months after we didn't have a church. I hope that I've been able to provide you with some encouragement and instruction during this time of transition. I pray for you and your search daily.

And when Jesus does place you where He wants you...

Plug in and get your serve on!

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Six

Is their Good News really THE Good News?

As we continue our search for a new church, we really need to make sure that our new church preaches the Gospel.

But pump your brakes, Jay! Doesn't EVERY church that talks about the Gospel, preach the Gospel? Sadly, no. There are a lot of churches out there that preach the Gospel, but it's probably better called "a gospel." Not the great news of salvation in Jesus, but something much less.

Some proclaim a health and wealth gospel, that Jesus died so that you will never get sick and be rich as Rockefeller. Some preach a law of attraction gospel, that if you simply believe something strong enough, you can make it happen. Others teach a do better gospel, that Jesus may have died for your sins to the point of your conversion, but it's all up to you now. That's just a handful of the heresies out there today. Be very, VERY careful.

It would be a good idea for us to listen closely to Paul's warning to the church at Corinth some 2,000 years ago.

"You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed" (2Corinthians 11:4 NLT).

In his book "9 Marks of a Healthy Church," Pastor Mark Dever warns...
-The Good News is not simply that we are okay.
-The Good News is not simply that God is love.
-The Good News is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend.
-The Good News is not simply that we should live right.

The Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God who left the comforts of heaven to live the life we couldn't live and die the death we should have died. We must admit that we have fallen short of God's perfect standard, that we have sinned and turn to Jesus for His forgiveness. When we accept Christ's death on the Cross in our place, He not only forgives us, but graciously adopts us into His family forever.

Now THAT'S GOOD NEWS!!

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Five

You need them. They need you.

As we continue the search for a new church home, we need to check out what sort of opportunities there are for discipleship. Let's face it. You need them to help you grow. They need you to help them grow.

-Is the church committed to your growth?
-What's their vision for your discipleship?
-Are you on your own or will they provide you a place to develop?

The best place this happens is in some sort of small group community. That might be a home group Bible Study. Or it could be a Sunday School class. Great preaching is important. But true growth, real growth happens best in small groups. That's where the rubber really meets the road.

How important is community? Well, in the middle of His perfect creation, God took a look at Adam. The first human was the peak of His handiwork. But there was just one problem.

"It is not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18 NLT).

The Lord was talking about so much more than female companionship for a lonely man. It was obvious that God created Adam for community.

All throughout the Bible, God provides examples of small groups that create greenhouses of discipleship and spiritual growth. David and his mighty men. Paul, Silas, Titus and Timothy. Jesus and His disciples.

The writer of Proverbs made the point. "As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend" (Proverbs 27:17 NLT).

As we examine the various churches, let's take a hard look at discipleship. And when we joined, let's get plugged in. Don't forget.

You need them. They need you.

In Christ,
Jay