Daytona Beach, Florida

We arrived at the beach just after Noon. My training sessions do not begin until tomorrow morning (7 a.m. sharp!). This meant Andrea and I had one day to spend together. We laid on the beach, enjoyed a quiet dinner, and walked the beach as the sun was setting. It was awesome!

The door of our room is open and I can see/hear the crashing waves. I am confident I will sleep well tonight.

More updates tomorrow on the coaches training. I have very high expectations.

Atlanta Airport

Several months ago, I mentioned that I had been invited to coach other pastors in my tribe. Part of that invitation was the opportunity to get several days of training over the next year. I never dreamed the first part of the training would be in such a great location--Daytona Beach!

When I found out I was headed to the beach, I couldn't resist the temptation to bring Andrea along. We figured it would give her a couple days to just kick back and relax. She'll be working on her tan and I'll be just "working." I am glad we are traveling together this week. We'll miss the kids deeply, but it will be nice to be away. We'll be back late Wednesday evening.

I'll try to post some updates if I can get a solid WiFi signal at the hotel.

Preaching Clinic Takeaways

In many ways, the preaching clinic was a refresher on some things I already knew. Sometimes we simply need to be reminded of some core ideas. Here are three of those core ideas presenters shared that really hit home with me as it relates to preaching.

"If you are full-time and do not have the time then you do not deserve the time." This statement was made in the context of making time for study and preparation. Even though I am a full-time pastor, it is so easy to packed the calendar so full that preparation time gets pushed too far down the priority list. It never gets old being challenged to be fully prepared for the preaching task.

A similar statement was made that was a powerful idea to connect to the statement above. Another presenter said, "Expecting your personality to cover a lack of preparation is a sin." There is no need to expound on that. Needless to say, I walked away challenged to protect my study and sermon preparation time. Again, it never gets old being challenged to protect and grow in that way as a communicator.

As a preacher, I am big on communicating. I do not simply want to talk to people. I want to connect with people. Another presenter made this statement that also provided a great reminder that needs to be kept in view, "We must understand the thought patterns of our time in order to preach to the people of our time."

There were certainly more takeaways, but these three continue to ring in my mind and heart. Again, I am glad I made the trip.

Luke's Learnings

Luke is in Orlando this week. He's blogging from what looks like a tremendous learning opportunity. You can follow his play by play here.

I wish I could be there!

Glad To Be Home

I did make it back from California. I arrived early Friday evening just in time to play in the Journey men's softball game and a flurry of weekend activity. BTW, the Journey men did finally put one in the "W" column!

The conference was a solid experience. I'll try to post a couple of my big takeaways later this evening. We were also able to grab a few hours to see the sites on Thursday afternoon--AT & T Park for a Giants game, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Lombard Street. It was awesome. I was, however, glad to finally arrive back in West Chester. I missed Andrea and the kids big time! There truly is no place like home.

I think the most interesting conversations that took place were two that challenged me to write a book. They said the Journey Church story is begging to be told. They both went on to say that there are many pastors/church planters out there that would really benefit from reading our story and hearing about some lessons we have learned along the way. The same thread of conversation surfaced today over lunch with another pastor/church planter friend of mine.

I wondered aloud if my blog might be the kind of place to push some of that content public. I am wondering also if any pastors/church planters reading this blog might be interested in a few post along those lines. Blogging some of that content would serve a two-fold purpose. First, it would force me to a disciplined approach to writing (blogging). Second, I could test the content to see if anyone finds it helpful. If you are a faithful reader of this blog and would like to see some of that content come to life here leave me a comment.

Conference Update (Part 1)

I arrived at the conference today not really knowing what to expect. I had nothing to match the experience up against so I rolled in with mixed emotions and low expectations. It became apparent rather quickly that this was going to be a very good experience.

I was a bit surprised to find out I will have to preach a 10 minute sermon that will be video taped and evaluated by a panel of distinguished communicators. Yikes!

I am really glad I decided to make the trip. I am now fully engaged in allowing God to use the next few days to shape me and help me develop as a preacher.

I need some sleep. More tomorrow.

Preaching Conference

In a few hours, I'll be boarding an airplane headed for the San Francisco area. I am going out there for a couple days to attend a conference on preaching. I have attended many conferences over the years, but never one on preaching specifically. One of Journey's sponsoring organizations strongly encouraged all lead pastors to attend and are paying for most of the trip. It was a no brainer. It should be a great learning opportunity.

The conference ends Thursday afternoon and my flight doesn't leave until early Friday morning so that will provide some time to cruise the town. I have a list of places I want to see since it will be my first trip to the bay area.

I am also looking forward to connecting and hanging with some of my church planting buddies. I am expecting a great week! I hope to find some time to blog about my adventure.

Fitness Update

It's been a while since I provided an update on my recent fitness journey. It all began when I opened my mouth in a small group that was discussing one of my talks from late November. I said something like, "Well, I need to be more committed to how I am taking care of myself physically." Since those words left my mouth, I have made an intentional effort to get back into shape. I am finally approaching that place I would describe as "back in shape." It feels good.

I am really enjoying my lifting sessions again. After almost 250 miles logged since early December, running is longer painful. It is actually a place where I can think, dream, learn, and pray.

There are times when I open my mouth and wish I hadn't. This time I am glad those words left my lips. They created the accountability I needed.

Both Journey softball teams took it on the chin last night. We had fun anyway!

I am pumped about Journey's gathering tomorrow. I love talking about relationships and marriage. I fully expect it will be a life changing moment for all involved. If you miss a Sunday you miss a lot.

I hope to see you in the morning...

Opening Day

The co-ed (6:10 p.m.) and men's (8:10 p.m.) softball teams from Journey Church kick off the season tonight. If you are in the Cincinnati area and want to see some mad softball skillz displayed then come join the party. Here's a link to the fields.

I Love Baseball!

It's been a while since I confessed that publicly. It's feels good to get that out into the open.

Speaking of baseball, I smiled as I read this report from the farm. My beloved Cincinnati Reds are getting ready to go on a run. I see the whole organization gaining traction. I hope they are playing games that matter when September comes.

By the way, is there a better story in sports right now compared to Josh Hamilton's? I think not!

GO REDS!

Journey Church Easter 2007

This past weekend was the second Easter celebration in the brief history of Journey Church. It was truly an amazing day as 391 rolled into LEHS for our morning gathering. Each of our ministry areas were clicking on all cylinders and it was truly fun to watch. In the adult environment, we may have experienced one of our best services in 15 months. Most importantly, we had 4 people make decisions for Christ!

I want to thank everyone who served on Easter Sunday. Each of you play such a valuable role and continue to do a tremendous job where you serve! God could not do what He is doing at Journey Church without you and all your hard work. You guys rock!

This Easter season will be forever marked by a conversation that took place yesterday afternoon. A good friend of mine called as he often does. He said that he wanted to meet with me and it was really important. We have had dozens of spiritual conversations in the past year and I knew he was getting close to crossing the line of faith.

Long story short, my friend gave his heart to Christ yesterday! How cool is that? It was one of the greatest moments I have experienced in fifteen years of ministry.

God is so good...

Weekend Update

Easter Sunday at Journey Church was awesome!

I'll update more later. I am in a meeting in Columbus today. I'll be back home later this evening, but I didn't want my blog to go untouched until tomorrow.

There Is No "I" In Team

During our staff meeting this morning, I sat back in awe of the wonderful people God has put in place to bring leadership to Journey Church. I consider it a great honor to be working along side each of them. You guys are awesome!

As we celebrated some recent ministry wins, we talked about the incredible volunteer based God has gathered. You all rock!

With the empowerment of God's Spirit, it is scary what the next few years can and will hold. What a ride...

Journey Church E-Invite

If you have a few more invitations to extend for Easter Sunday and/or the Exposed teaching series you can now do that via email from the Journey Church site.

Click here and fill out the form. You simply need to provide your name and email address and the name and email of the person you want to invite and click 'send.' Feel free to add a personal message in the field provided. When you click Send an email message is sent to that person that briefly describes Journey Church, including directions and times to our weekend gathering.

I am really looking forward to Sunday. I was at band practice last night and the set is going to be awesome! Let's continue to pray for all our invitations that have and will be extended. Pray people will be drawn to Christ and Journey Church.

Come expecting....

Madness Recap

March Madness was a real win for Journey Church. We touched 2,500+ people last week. Due to the weather on Saturday, we had to postpone the soccer ball giveaway. When that event is complete, we'll surpass the 3,000 mark! I am thrilled that over 200+ Journey people participated in the madness. I love what this kind of an effort does to those who serve. It is fun to watch people turn outward! (You can view the Channel 9 live Chipotle feed here).

I am pumped about the weekend. I fully anticipate dozens of new faces. I am really looking forward to kicking off the Exposed series. I firmly believe we are going to hit some major nerves with this series. You will not want to miss it!

I hope you and a dozen of your friends will be at Journey Church on Sunday!

Monday--Day Off

Today was "invested" in a much needed day off.

I'll blog more tomorrow on Journey's March Madness effort, the weekend, and Easter.