Hilton Head, SC

We're on a much needed vacation. I'll be back in action after the July 4th holiday.

Until then, I'll be resting...

Quick Update

YAC was great! I am still wishing the rain had stayed away Saturday.

Sr. High campers have been registered (one of my primary SWOA camp responsibilities) and are having an awesome week! We plan to be out there Thursday evening to help bring the week to a close and make some preparations for Jr. High Camp on June 26th.

I am pumped about finishing the iBod series Sunday. I cannot wait to talk about the topic "We Are Family." We are yet to open this topic to our community.

I am ready for vacation. Hilton Head here we come (leaving June 25th immediately following Journey's gathering)! I see some white ball chasing in my near future. I think I'll get a head start this weekend.

The summer is upon us and I need take a breath...

Really?

It is June 8th and my beloved Cincinnati Reds are ALONE in first place!

Someone pinch me. I must be dreaming...

Camp Mode

Today was the half way point of a very busy week. I am now in full camp mode. This weekend we will be kicking off the 2006 camping season at Camp Lebanon. Our district camping program serves the 55 Church of God (Anderson, IN) congregations in southwest Ohio (Journey Church is one of those fifty-five churches). We hope to have 400+ students at our five camps this summer.

For more than a decade, I have spent much of June and part of July in (or running back and forth to) Lebanon, Ohio. I am really looking forward to getting another camping season going Friday evening with our young adult camp (for 18 to 20-somethings). I am pumped about spending the weekend with some of Southwest Ohio's best and brightest young adults!

This will be my final go around as the district coordinator for SWOA Camps. The time has come for me to pass the baton. I will remain connected to the district camping program for sure and I will continue to champion the cause in our community, but I will be officially retiring from my leadership role in late August.

It has been a great run. I have been privileged to work with a great team. The future of SWOA Camps is very bright.

Memorial Day Parade

We spent the morning passing out bottles of water (770) and popsicles (500) at the West Chester Memorial Day parade. We could not have asked for better weather. We didn't have to ask anyone twice. With what we were charging (NOTHING!) and the early morning heat, we couldn't pass the goods along fast enough. No one was refusing our practical expression of God's love.

It was awesome to watch 60+ Journey team members serving big by sharing God's love. I was so proud of the passion and enthusiasm I saw in our team.

My favorite comment of the day was a young lady who said the following as she took a bottle of water, "I see you all everywhere!" She made my day with those words.

I plan to make sure that continues to be the case for Journey Church. I never want our community to be hidden. We will continue to challenge the "holy huddle" mentality that shapes so many churches today.

Stories

During the past year, I have become increasingly aware of the stories God is authoring around me. When I zoom out for just a moment to view what God is up to, I am amazed at the work of His masterful pen. I am going to begin to capture some of those stories in my personal offline journal (sure wish I had taken a more disciplined approach there). I am not totally sure how or if God might use them, but I do not want them to be lost.

As I prepare to close the lid on my Apple 12 inch old school Powerbook, I am overwhelmed by the story God is authoring in me. When I think about the "small" decisions that I have made over the past two years, a different choice at several junctures could have changed the whole path of my story. The decisions we make, small or big, shape our story. God, I pray you will continue to give me/us the wisdom to choose well.

Practicing Greatness

Recently, I have had this nagging sense that I need to quickly restore some discipline in a few areas of my life. With the frantic pace of life in the past year, I have allowed a few areas to simply lose the traction required to sustain a long-term run. All I needed was a push in the right direction.

That push came in the form of an email almost two weeks ago to the day. I received a leadership email that lands in my inbox a couple times a month. This particular email was advertising a new book. I do not typically respond to product purchasing opportunities in emails. However, that personal tendency gave away to a quick book purchase several days ago. I followed a few links about the book and quickly decided to pull the trigger. I am glad I did.

Practicing Greatness unpacks seven disciplines of extraordinary spiritual leaders. I am only a few pages in, but I am really digging the direction the author is taking me.

I was stunned by the opening line. The author began with an Elton Trueblood statement he heard while attending seminary, "Deliberate mediocrity is a sin." WOW. In some areas of my life, I am "guilty." I will change that.

Weekend Preparation

I spent the day like I do most Thursdays, preparing to teach at Journey on Sunday. I really enjoy the study and writing process I go through each week to prepare. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that some talks come together easier than others. This week it came together "easy."

I am really excited about the new weekend teaching series that kicks off at Journey on Sunday (series card: front/back). We’ll be talking about the new identity that comes when we make the decision to follow Christ.

The music that plays in our head and heart matters because it not only shape us, but also the life we live. I hope this new series will challenge our community’s thinking on the source of our identity and how that impacts of lives we build.

Celebration Sunday (Review)

As I mentioned last Thursday, Sunday was a day we had marked to celebrate what God has been up to the past several months. There are simply no words to describe what happen at Journey Church on Sunday. If you weren't there you missed it! The moment cannot be fully recaptured by a blog post or video. They wouldn't even begin to do it justice. The moment was truly electric!

Our kids from KidMo shared a couple of their songs. It was fun to hear Stephanie talk about the work God has been doing through this ministry area. The kids were awesome and it added to the energy of the moment.

I took a few moments to share the story behind the church. The story was interrupted with several unprovoked cheers from the congregation. It was fun to experience the energy, enthusiasm, and ownership in our new community. If you missed the moment you can listen to that piece of Celebration Sunday here.

We baptized 13 people Sunday. It was truly a powerful moment for our community. It was the perfect memorial for our Spring ministry season. After the gathering, I had several in the lobby say they would have gone forward to be baptized if I had extended the offer. What was I thinking? I suppose I was too caught up in the moment. Upside is, we already have a list of candidates for round two!

I am not totally sure how the rest of the Journey story will be written, but I do know that God is positioning Journey Church to make a huge difference in West Chester and beyond. I am glad to be on the team!

It is even more apparent now...God isn't finished with us yet!

Nike + Apple

Two of my favorites are teaming up!

I am not surprised that Apple has once again created another cutting edge product that puts them ahead of their competitors. Steve and his team are brillant!

This might just get me back in the fitness groove. It is painfully obvious I need to do something.

{Comments about Celebration Sunday will be posted soon!}

Celebration Sunday

This weekend Journey Church will bring its spring ministry season to a close with what we are calling Celebration Sunday. It will be a moment for our community to celebrate what God has been up to the past several months.

As we head into the weekend, I keep thinking of the moment the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promise Land. When they did, God asked them to build a memorial as a reminder of the work of His hand and a promise fulfilled. They carried large boulders out of the river to build a reminder of the occasion.

This Sunday we'll be doing the same. We won't be building a memorial with large stones, but the occasion will be marked by 13 people being baptized! It is going to be a powerful moment! When I look back over my shoulder, I am overwhelmed by what God has done! I have been celebrating for weeks. Sunday will be a continuation. How great is our God!

More Sleep?

This article is worth reading.

Our time in Louisville went very well. I am very hopeful about what can happen in and through them. It will be fun to watch God continue to author their story.

On a less important note, this was tragic!

Sharing The Journey Church Story

Andrea and I will be making a day trip to Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow. We have been invited to share the Journey Church story with a launch team that is preparing to start a new church in Louisville. We are excited about sharing what God is up to in West Chester.

Here is the big idea for our talk: God not only wants to do a work through you, He wants to do a work in you. I made this statement at the first launch team gathering we held as we prepared to launch Journey Church. At the time, I didn't realize how prophetic those words were. As I look back on the short Journey Church launch story, God did a big work in our launch team. The fruit of this work was and is Journey Church. I am praying for the same kind of stirring in Louisville.

We would appreciate your prayers.

Yes, I Received The Message

On Wednesday afternoons each week, I have a conference call with several other church planting pastors from around the country. The call is meant to serve as a place of both encouragement and learning. Each call includes some time when the different church planting pastors share some stories of what is happening in their new church starts. I love to hear what God is doing in new churches around the country. I also enjoy the learning time. This time always includes some thoughts meant to challenge us to think about the different aspects of planting a new church.

Today the topic was prayer. As I held the phone to my ear, I was convicted as the conversation leader talked about the value and importance of prayer. The material being shared certainly wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. It didn't need to be. The familiar reminder served its purpose.

In the past several weeks, my prayer life has been more like a conversation in an iChat window than a personal conversation with Andrea or a friend. I know which way is more productive and which way provides fuel for my soul. I have some changes to make. I am making them as I type.

Happy Birthday To Me!

I bought myself a birthday present this evening. It was the new album by Marty Casey. Marty was the guy that didn't win. I was disappointed by the choice INXS made, but I knew Marty would end up with a record deal out of it. I am enjoying those tunes as I type.

My favoritie track is Trees. I don't know what it is about that tune, but I dig its vibe. I refuse to admit how many times I have listened to this one track since I pulled the album into iTunes. Don't even ask!

I still think Marty was the right choice.

Sorry!

I apologize that I haven't kept pace with this blog. I could offer a list of excuses, but that would not be good enough. If I am going to have a blog then I need a more disciplined approach to add content to its pages. I offer my sincere apology and make the commitment to do a more faithful job. Cool?

With the Easter season behind, May promises to be a busy month on both the home and ministry front. I didn't realize how crazy the evenings would be with two kids involved in sports (Tytus in baseball/Hannah in soccer). There are days when even two parents do not seem to be enough. Juggling schedules has been a circus act the past few weeks. However, I am loving watching the kids enjoy their chosen sports and teams.

May will be a fun month around Journey Church. We are planning a baby dedication on Mother's Day (May 14th) and a baptism on what we are calling Celebration Sunday (May 21st). Celebration Sunday is a day at Journey Church where we'll be celebrating the birth of a new church in West Chester. God has authored some amazing stories in the past 15 weeks and we felt a day to celebrate was in order! It is going to be a blast to throw a party over what God has been up to!

A moment of honest confession: I am still amazed at the way God is moving at Journey Church. A few months ago, I stood before a faithful group of 40 adults (our launch team) and painted a picture of what I sensed God might be up to as Journey launched on Sunday January 15th. It has been a blast to watch God author a story beyond the one I painted.

In eleven plus years of church planting, there were so many times when I wanted to pack the car and drive away. I am so glad I didn't. I simply never felt that release. Now I see why. God wasn't finished with us yet!

Easter At Journey Church

Easter at Journey Church was a huge win for the kingdom and our community. I know I have written this way too many times on this blog, but I continue to be amazed with the story God is authoring in our community. I am completely overwhelmed (in a good way) every weekend when the lobby fills with people. I love to watch the buzz develop on Sunday mornings at Journey Church.

We finalized the summer schedule today. I am pumped about what is on the horizon. I am especially looking forward to May 21st. We have marked that as the day where we plan to fully celebrate what God has done in the launch of Journey Church. We'll be extending the opportunity for baptism on that day. If you are interested in being baptized please send me an email (tom[@]cicnyjourney[.]org).

This Sunday we'll be finishing our Easter season series by looking at "Focusing the Possibility of our Legacy." I cannot wait to unpack this topic and pull the entire series together.

You're Invited!

If you are in the Cincinnati metro area and reading this blog I want to personally invite you to Journey Church this Sunday.

No church experience is required. You do not have to dress up. The coffee will be hot and waiting for you in the lobby of Lakota East High School. The Journey House Band will share a few songs, we'll show a powerful piece of media, and I'll be sharing a message entitled "Awakening Our Passion For Life." It is going to be a great moment.

I hope to see you there!

Gearing Up!

I am so pumped about the Easter celebration at Journey. I fully expect Lakota East High School to be buzzing with energy on Sunday. I just dropped 80 personal invitations in the mail to some people/households I sure hope take me up on the invite!

Week thirteen (Sunday April 9th) surprised me a bit. I was expecting to see us take a hit in our weekend attendance because of the way spring break fell in West Chester. Instead, we enjoyed our third highest attended Sunday since launch day. We had two more people make commitments! We have seen at least 31 commitments in the first 13 weeks! We have experienced some big wins in the past few weeks. We have seen many first time guests return for second and third visits. I think most of them are going to make a church connection with Journey! It is beyond fun to watch new people connect each week.

Our co-ed softball team took it on the chin Sunday evening. However, I hear much fun was had by all! Our men's team kicks off the season Friday night (8:10 p.m. at Queen City). It is so exciting to see these new sticking places forming in our community. I love how softball teams can cement relationships and help people feel connected.

I am pumped about the warmer weather and getting outside. I am taking a day off on Friday so I scheduled my first tee time for Friday afternoon. I am looking forward to chasing the little white ball around one of Southwest Ohio's finest courses. I am sure I'll be a little less pumped around 4:30 p.m. on Friday since I haven't hit a golf ball yet.