I remember that every launch had thousands of people there to watch it live.  There is something about a launch that draws people.  The raw power of it.  The accomplishment of something remarkable.  The journey that lies ahead.  The sense of celebration.  The possibilities.  The sheer adventure of it all.

I’m pretty sure that I will never blast off from Canaveral at this point.  I’m pretty sure most of my friends here in Peoria never will either.  But we have a launch that is every bit as exciting before us now.  We have entered the last 60 days before we blast off on a fantastic journey with Jesus that will take us to places we have never been.  It will take us on adventures we don’t even fully understand right now.  It will be exciting as we consider and then experience the possibilities that are before us.  But this is not purely a joy ride.  It has taken us three years of preparation to reach this point.  We have made mistakes, but we have learned those lessons.  We have worked hard and tried to understand how to build what God will honor.

And now…..      THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Watch out world… Second Chance Church is getting ready to blast off!

Yet another article addressing the lack of men attending church appeared in the USA Today last week. Our church has been a living, breathing experiment for the last couple of years now on how do we build a church that reaches and energizes men to walk in the fullness of the Christian faith. How do we create an environment that compels men to follow Jesus. When Jesus began his ministry, he looked at other men and invited them to follow him. Some of the roughest men in the area agreed to do so. Some of the most reviled men agreed to do so. Somehow over the course of the last two centuries, we have taken a faith that drove men to sacrifice anything and turned it into a faith that asks little and attracts few.

Here are some of the interesting notes from the article (click here to read full article)…

• Although every soul matters, many pastors say they need to power up on reaching men if the next generation of believers, the children, will find the way to faith. So hundreds of churches are going for a “guy church” vibe, programming for a stereotypical man’s man.

• “If the mom comes (to faith in Christ), there’s a 15% chance the family will. But if the man comes to church, 90% of the time the family will come along behind.”

• Decades of traditional men’s ministries and fellowship groups within most churches, even the stadium-packing 1990s all-male rallies run by the Promise Keepers, haven’t made a dent.

• “Men are driven by activity, by events, by doing. That’s our nature,” says Mark Estep, senior pastor at Spring Baptist Church near Houston. “Beast Feasts. Fishing. Hunting. Golf. … They build bonds with each other. That’s the open door into their heart. Then you can begin to talk about their spiritual condition.

• “A man is far more apt to come to a church event if another man asks him. If his wife asks him, he’ll interpret that as nagging.”

• Women aren’t forgotten, Murray says. “But I don’t know what woman wouldn’t be excited if her husband showed more interest in coming to church. When a man’s life is changed, he becomes a more effective father and loving husband. We choose to invest and go after the higher returns.”

So, I have a question for my readers… any new insights on the need for men in church and the need for a church to reach them?  What do you think is the driver for the raised awareness of churches across the spectrum to do something in order to reach more men?

These are the words from 1 Corinthians 13

These are the same words, but I typed in faith, hope and love a few extra times to make the words grow larger.

These are the most frequently used words on the blog recently.  Of course when you’re writing, you don’t know how often you are using any particular word.  I really dig the value of the words that stand out here.

Same words, different layout, color and font.

Hopefully, you can take some time to go enjoy creating word art.  If you do, you will need to take a “screenshot” of your screen, paste the “screenshot” into a progam like Microsoft Paint, crop the screenshot, and then save it as a .jpg if you want to keep it for yourself.  If you don’t want to do that, you can simply give it a title and save it into the Wordle public gallery.  It would be fun to come back to this post and share a link to your creations in the comment section.

In fact, let’s just have a contest for fun.  Who can create the most interesting piece of word art.  I’ve thrown the gauntlet down, so have at it.  Click here to start creating.

I began blogging at the start of the year. Shortly after that, I discovered a website/service called Twitter. My initial understanding of Twitter was to use it as a sort of “mini-blog” to give short thoughts and updates on the blog about things I didn’t really want to write about. It took me a few more months to realize that it can be so much more than that. I have been encouraging people in our church for a couple of months now to join Twitter. The initial reaction was sort of like I had lost my mind. “Why in the world would I want to do that?” was kind of the unspoken thought process that invitation generated in people’s minds. But more and more, our folks are discovering that there is great value in “twittering”. Here are a few of the benefits we have discovered –

• We feel more connected with our friends
• We have been able to generate immediate prayer support for needs
• We have been able to encourage & challenge each other
• We have shared “out loud” laughs
• We have been able to create almost instant unplanned gatherings.

Now, my insistence or people joining has been validated by USA Today.  I just discovered that the newspaper has created a feature article on Twitter in the ”Money/Tech” section.  It is sweeping the country.  The incredible variety of uses has created a frequent problem on twitter, which is that it keeps going down.  But this article addresses that.  There is also a pretty helpful video in the left hand column of the article on their website.  Make sure you watch that.

If you’re not signed up for Twitter yet… you’re missing out on the fun.  AND….. it’s FREE!  You don’t have to use text messaging to enjoy Twitter (although it makes it more mobile and immediate).  You can simply check it out when you’re online and catch up with what your friends are doing.  Don’t wait…. do it now…

• Sign Up for Twitter - Click here
• Follow me on Twitter - Click here (or click on a “tweet” in the right hand column of this blog)

Now go… what are you hanging around here for? Fly Away!

1. Brett Favre - That’s right… it’s Brett Favre in the lead.  A post that I wrote about him when he retired is still getting lots and lots of readership.  Maybe the rumors that he’s coming back have something to do with it.  I love Favre, but I really hope he stays retired.  If not, he’ll mess up my blog and we can’t have that.
2. Manhood (Part 11), A Man and His Family - Not sure why this one in particular is still one of the highest, but this does touch on the issue of authority.  If you missed it, don’t be the one left out.  There’s also a whole series on this one.
3. Second Chance Church - This is the post that drops the big news about our name change.
4. The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian - This one has gotten tons of reads from all around the world as people search google for spiritual applications from the movie.
5. Shoes for Orphans - Lots of looks on this one as we entered the homestretch of our shoe drive.
6. You’ve Got Mail, Galatians - Not only is this being read by our church, it’s being picked up online as well.
7. Dancing Machine - What can you say about this other than it’s just fun
8. Manhood Part 6 - More great reading for men, and a real google draw
9. Emasculated Men & Church - This has drawn a steady stream from Google ever since it was posted.  It references a really hard-hitting article that cuts to the quick.
10. Oprah, New Age & You - This article, along with Uh-Oh Oprah have been read over 1000 times combined since they were first posted.  If you know anyone who has a high degree of faith in Oprah, please share these links with them.

There you have it… June’s Top 10.  Thanks for you participation here, and please invite others into the pool.

IT’S OFFICIAL!

The Grove Church will be changing it’s name to Second Chance Church.

There are many developments and sources of input that have contributed to this change.  When taken in total, it seems abundantly clear that God has been urging us to follow this path. Here’s a brief overview of how this came to pass:

• We began in a living room 4 years ago and named ourselves The Grove.  There was some very intentional imagery and symbolism in that name.  The word grove is defined as something that is “planted to bear fruit“.  That’s exactly what we intended to do.
• As we met and sought God’s direction for our church, we discerned that God was challenging us to become a church that accomplished the Great Commision and the Great Commandment while also connecting to men and raising them up in their faith.
• Shortly after our grand opening, we realized we needed more space than the location we were meeting in provided.  Some of our men were aware of a building that was currently up for sale.
• Those men went to check out the building after hours and discovered it to be unlocked… it was if they were being invited in.
• I was informed of this the next day and went to check out the building myself.  Upon walking in the lobby, I spotted a piece of stained glass with the initials SC standing out.  I learned that the building had once been a nightclub called Second Chance.
• The building had fallen on some hard times and was actually slated for destruction.  Our discussions to purchase the building gave the building a second chance for survival.
• After our purchase, several ministry leaders, including Dave Murrow and Bill Perkins, strongly suggested we change the name to Second Chance Church.  Their thinking was that it was a name that immediately implied some real meaning for those considering attending.  Who doesn’t need a second chance in life?  How many people need to give faith and God a second chance?  How many of us need to give others a second chance?  Someone even offered that if the Bible had a subtitle it would probably be, The Holy Bible, A Book of Second Chances!
• Since this began gathering some momentum of it’s own, I have conferred with numerous people in ministry circles about the name.  Every one of them… AND I MEAN EVERY ONE… has immediately responded enthusiastically about the name and what it means.
• Our advisory team of men began contemplating the name change about 6 weeks ago and we advised our congregation about the possibility two weeks ago.  Yesterday, after giving a few more thoughts about the possibility of a change, our people agreed enthusiastically to change the name.

We are excited about the depth of meaning that this name implies.  I have needed numerous second chances in different areas of my own life.  And it is the amazing grace and love of Jesus Christ that has granted those chances.  I didn’t deserve them, but I desparately needed them.  Every one of us speak to that truth in our own experience.  God is in the work of redeeming things.  He illustrated that in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  But he doesn’t just stop with people.  He redeems things that were once used for other purposes but are now used for his glory.  The very building we are in has been saved and redeemed from destruction.  What a powerful picture for us all.  To say that we go to Second Chance Church immediately offers an opportunity to share the story of how God has given us a second chance.  It’s an open door to share the good news of Jesus.

There will be details to be worked out.  There will be existing things that will go through some change.  But we are now and will always be a church that celebrates Second Chances.

June is absolutely going to ROCK!!! I am so excited about our participation in a major emphasis that is being joined by over 1200 churches across America and even around the world.

ONE PRAYER is a month-long journey together that was catalyzed by the guys over at lifechurch.  The focus will be on the idea that if you could have only one prayer to pray for the church, what would it be?  And the prayer goes beyond individual churches and elevates our awareness that the body of Christ is larger than our individual congregations because we share one faith, one baptism, and one Lord.  Some of the greatest pastors in America will be participating right alongside The Grove during this month.  In addition, we will be hearing from several of them during the course of the month.  If you don’t get excited about what this signifies as churches unite in prayer and focus, you need to check your pulse.  And if you’re not sure yet, wait until you hear some of the other pastors you will hear from.  IT’S GOING TO BE OFF THE HOOK AWESOME!

In addition, we will be working hard to collect new pairs of shoes for orphans around the world in partnership with the ONE PRAYER month and Buckner International.  Buckner has been in the mission of reaching orphaned children for nearly 130 years.  They provide a service that brings hope, health, and a message of love to children around the world.  To investigate more about Buckner, click here.  You can also follow along the progress we are making by visiting the blog we set up to discuss preparation and arrangements for the shoe drive.  Click here to visit the shoe blog. 

One last thing, we have a really interesting proposition to announce this Sunday, June 8.  So, if you’re a Grover, you don’t want to miss.  If you’re in the area, we invite you to be with us this Sunday at 10:00 am.

Since we’ve covered the “playing” gifts for the team, we wrapped up with the “coaching” roles for the team today. Jesus said that the our opponent “the gates of hell” would not beat his team “the church”. But as you survey the landscape, the numbers don’t look good for the team of Jesus Christ. Nearly 3500 churches close for good each year. Many others probably should because they have zero expectation that God will show up and no hope of winning at all. So either Jesus got this one wrong or something else is going on.

Well… we know it’s not Jesus that missed it here, so there must be a problem either at the team level, the coaching level, or both. There are many things that can go wrong with the team. Paul addressed many in 1 Corinthians (a team with great talent, but that was highly dysfunctional). Here are some probs at the team level

1. Picking sides, Chapter 3 -  We’re all playing for the same owner. We can’t start picking sides on the team.
2. Infighting, Chapter 6 - These guys were dragging each other into Judge Wopner’s People’s Court….. suing fellow Christians to protect their rights. When we care more about our rights than the cause of Christ, we’re rolling off track.
3. Selfish Preferences, Chapter 9 - Paul said he would do anything short of compromising the gospel or God’s principles to win people to the team of Jesus. When the players on Jesus’ team, the church, start demanding their preferences over a willingness to adapt to reach others, they have missed the heart of God.

PROBLEMS AT THE COACHING LEVEL

In Ephesians 4, we see the job description for the coaches on Jesus’ team. Good coaches are critical to the success of any team. The team of Jesus is no exception. In fact, there is no higher or more important position in coaching than coaching one of Jesus’ teams. But these coaches are subject to some of the same shortcomings we often see in the sports world.

1. Total lack of understanding of the game - You’ll often see this in little league sports. Coaches who mean well, but truly do not understand the game. It’s frustrating for everybody involved in one of these situations. Occasionally, there will be a rookie coach that finds his way into the coaching ranks of Jesus team and is totally overmatched against the needs of the job. Grace and a lot of OJT are required here.
2. Player turned coach - This is a frequent challenge for coaches who have played the game. It is really difficult to quit thinking like a player and start thinking like a coach. But if a coach is going to be successful, he must make that transition. This has been one of my personal challenges. I was a team player for 20+ years before moving into the coaching ranks. I’m just now beginning to understand the real difference in the mindset that a coach must embrace versus being a player.

When these challenges exist, the team of Jesus Christ will be less than all it could be. But when a team embraces it’s gifts, and a coaching staff operates by the design of Ephesians 4 — to train and to unify the team —- amazing things happen for the good of the kingdom. That’s the kind of church we desire to be. It’s the kind of church we are praying to be.

We gave a final visual illustration that I think is both a fun and a cool way to demonstrate what happens when a church operates this way… Check out this video

I thought I’d throw in one more pic to show you the good height our guys got on the mento geysers…

The blogging world has been a great adventure for me allowing me to “meet” many wonderful people and to read their thoughts. One such person is “Maggie” over at Magnanimity. Maggie runs a terrific blog and offers many helpful thoughts and tips about blogging. Several weeks ago, Maggie bestowed on me a “thoughtful”  honor…a thinking blogger award for my article on Oprah Winfrey and her involvement in New Age thinking. You can read that post by clicking here. Thank you so much, Maggie. It is deeply appreciated. Unfortunately, it came at a time where I couldn’t participate fully in the purpose of the award which is to point you, my readers, toward blog entries that have made me think.  But happily, I can now participate in that goal.

Here are the rules of the award:

“The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blog posts that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.”

So, with all of that out of the way now, I would really like to encourage all of you to take the time to go and read these wonderful, and thought-provoking entries from around the blog world. Things that make you go hmmmm.

Rules of Vulgarity - This is over on Dave Milam’s blog. Dave is a church planter in Charlotte, NC. They had their church equipment stolen and went to great lengths to establish contact with the thief. They even posted billboards across the Charlotte area. Many thought the billboards crossed the line and contained vulgar language unbecoming to a church. This post addresses the idea of vulgarity. Really interesting stuff.

Why Heaven Isn’t Where We End Up - I found this deeply challenging post on Backyardmissionary.com. The blog is written by a church leader in Australia. This post is an excerpt from a book that he has read. I taught a series of messages at The Grove a couple years ago about this subject, but this post contains some additional thoughts that I have not wrestled with before. It’s a long read, but worth it.

Six Reasons Not to Quit - A powerful post on ministry that is moving slower than our “success” meter is happy with

Biggest Mistakes as a Leader #1 & Part #2 - These two posts are over on Perry Noble’s blog. Perry leads a church in SC that has grown to over 8000, but he comes across as totally real. I have come to deeply appreciate his wisdom and insights on life and church. It is truly helpful to read posts like this from leaders of churches that are making a difference.

I’m Not Connected - I “met” Bill Reichart through the blog post that got this whole “Thinking Blogger” award started for me. We’ve had the opportunity to speak on the phone and I really appreciate Bill’s heart, his ministry, and his talent for blogging/writing. As a “Connections” pastor at his church in Atlanta, he has a front-row seat on the problem of people feeling disconnected with church. I’ve referenced this post before and think it is worth noting again.

Expectations - This is one of the most powerful things I have ever read. It is on Darryl Strickland’s blog, but it is attributed to Mark Beeson, the head pastor of Granger Community Church in Granger, IN. Granger is a church that is seeing amazing results for the kingdom. And Mark Beeson has proven to be a leader worth listening too. Do not miss reading this.

Thanks again to Maggie and all the wonderful bloggers out there who challenge me, and sharpen me and never even know it. I am a better man for your efforts.