Amazing Grace Coming Feb 23

If you haven't heard about the major motion picture based on the creation of the hymn "Amazing Grace," you can check it out here (http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/). First impressions - looks great.

Santa Claus Really DOES Exist

How far are we willing to go to reach "as many as possible" with the message of love and hope that God provides to mankind? We had to ask ourselves that very question two years ago when the idea was brought up to have Santa Claus (referred to as Satan Clause by some believers) in our North Pole waiting area. How could we bring in a secular icon as we try to point people to the real reason for Christmas?!?!? BUT WAIT! St. Nick was a real dude! That's right. He's REAL! It's amazing what Googling Santa provides you with. I had no idea that Satan really existed. For those of you who are skeptics, here is the story that we gave to each child how visited St. Nick at Grace during our walk-thru.

"Saint Nicholas was a real person! The story of Santa Claus began with a little boy named Nicholas. Nicholas was born in a far country called Turkey. Young Nicholas went to church to pray and worship often. He obeyed what Jesus told him to do in the Bible, which was to “sell what you own and give money to the poor.” Nicholas used all his money to help those who were sick and needed help. He tried to do this in secret so that no one would find out it was him who was giving gifts. Saint Nicholas was a real person who gave his life to serving God."

OK, cute story. And, yes, we've twisted St.Nick to be what he "is" today. However, now we have another delema…

What do we do with these two letters that two children brought to St.Nick at our walk-thru North Pole?!

Dear Santa, I want Baby alive, Bath robe, 12 dancing Princesses, talking Dora Set, Princess necklesses. [name withheld]

Dear Santa, I would like a Bbgun and a Star wars Set and a Star wars LAgo II and a eye pod and a Sefon. [name withheld]

My New Ride at 88mph

Yes, that's a DeLorean! Yes, it's the time machine car from Back to the Future. Yes, it's in front of our house in Lititz. No, it's not our new set of wheels...but I couldn't help posting this picture of the DeLorean Time Machine Car in front of our house! How cool is that! We had the car as a part of the kick-off to our current message series on what the Bible says about the future at Grace Church (Lititz, PA).

A personal thank you to the Holler's for bringing the car to our house. Check out their site on their time car. Enjoy the pic!

The Snow Ball Effect

The Snow Ball effect is simply MOMENTUM. Momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It can be an incredible, unstoppable force. Right now there is momentum at Grace Church (Lititz, PA) where I'm on staff as Worship Arts Director. What do I mean by momentum?

Here's what I mean:

There is a lot happening here (mass). There's lots of people coming...just about double over a year ago. There's lots of people taking next steps.

There is addition happening to the existing mass (mass added). These new people are taking next steps toward Christ. As a result, they move deeper into their relationship with God...and in turn invite others to join them. They are investing in, inviting, and including others.

Things are moving faster and faster (increasing velocity). Grass isn't growing under our feet. We are moving quickly to keep up in helping people take their next steps toward Christ. We sett up more chairs. We add staff. We help new people connect to God. We help existing people deepen their faith.

What did we do to create this effect? While I could give you many human answers - like slick promotion, innovative use of technology, creative biblical illustrations, and the like. But the real answer is because God allowed it. We don't generate momentum. It's ultimately God's snow ball effect.

Is the snow ball effect good? It is if you can:

1. Keep up with the momentum, instead of drowing in momentum.
2. Move with the momentum, instead of resisting the momentum.
3. Prepare for future momentum, instead of stopping with present momentum.
   

Once you got it, how do you keep it? Except for what has already been revealed in scripture about the future (see current message series at Grace on this subject), humans can't predict the future. So if only God knows the future, we can only pray for wisdom from God to guide us. Specifically, we can ask God to show us how to best capture the opportunities that will allow us to be the most effective for His kingdom.

How about you? Do you like snow? Or do you prefer the sunny beach weather? It's easier to get a tan than to shovel snow. I don't know about you, but I'm praying for snow!

My Son's Phonetics Lesson

I'm so glad God knows my name. He knew my name even before I was born.

While in Wisconsin...my son recently recieved a lesson in phonetics from me in how to pronouce my brother's wife's name. Her name is Ayuna. Kinda funny.

Check out the video by clicking here.

12 Hour Van Ride with Kids

Here is it! Our 2006 Christmas vacation highlights...

If you are stalking the Nelson's or simply want dirt...here are some of the pictures.

1. The all-nighter van ride from PA to WI (Joshua watched DVDs until midnight, we are terrible parents)
2. Visiting the Apple store with my younger brother (link to pic)
3. Playing Worms World Party with my nephew and brother
4. Going on a date with my wife, we did something for him/her/us (Olive Garden for us, Target for her, Best Buy for me)
5. Christmas get together with entire family
6. Dad reading the Christmas story to the family before we opened gifts
7. Watching my dad and younger brother try to calm Kayla, pure entertainment
8. Making it from PA to KS in less time than Mapquest or Google Maps calculated, even with gas stops and feeding Kayla (probably no traffic thru Chicago on Christmas morning)
9. Making it to WI with having to pee only twice after drinking a 20oz Coke, 20oz Black Cherry Vanilla Coke, and a 20oz Dr. Pepper - it was a Christmas miracle
10. Attempting to read my email on my parent's 26kps dial-up connection, geeesh.

Grace Goes to Vegas (sort of)

What a success! We had 400 less people come through our walk-thru this year than last year. That's right...400 LESS (2,000 last year, 1,600 this year). Why is this a success? Wouldn't MORE people be a success? Not necessarily. Allow me to explain. Let's say you have a bus taking passengers on a special trip. Some say bus trips are a success if all the seats are filled up. Not necessarily!

What if this bus was heading to a hospital in Vegas? The bus has limited seating. If we have a mob of people waiting for the bus trip, not all of them will fit into the bus. Some will be left out. Some of the mob are physically sick and desperately need to get to a hospital in Vegas. But the rest of the mob simply wants to go to Vegas to be entertained. So...if a bus is at max capacity but there's sick people left at the curb, is it a success? Of course not! The name of the game is to make room for the maximum amount of sick people as possible onto the bus to make it to the hospital. Even if you have empty seats on the bus...as long as the max number of sick people are on - that's success.

[Disclaimer and Note to Self: Next time use 'Branson' instead of 'Vegas' when talking to the Christian community.] Am I saying that going to Vegas to be entertained is wrong. No. Well, depending on what you DO when you are in Vegas. Next time we'll talk about association, but that's for another time...

I have to admit I was slightly disappointed when I saw 400 less people at our walk-thru. I shared this with Scott Distler, our Senior Pastor. He immediately said, "You know, I thought it was a huge success because we had 70% first-time guests the first night and 50% first-time guests the second night. Last year we turned people away because we didn't have enough room. I'm guessing it's probably because our own church family wanted to come out to see the walk-thru." I swallowed hard and made a mental 'shame on you' note to myself.

I have to remember that it's all about the sick people. It's OK if the bus isn't completely full - just as long as there's enough seats for the max number of sick people to all make it to the hospital.

I'm so thankful for the team God has brought together to create an opportunity for those who desperately need the know the hope He offers to hear the gospel. Getting people on the bus isn't my job, it's OUR job. There's no way I could pull the walk-thru off. There's no way YOU could pull the walk-thru off. Together we can make an attempt, but will fail. But together (you and me) with God, the bus gets filled with gas.

Thank you, each of you, who filled the bus with gas. Musicians, animal handlers, actors, actresses, parking attendants, cookie bakers, cookie buyers, tour guides, room monitors, dancers, audio tech, video techs, light techs, staging, setup crew, strike crew, chair setter-uppers, chair taker-downers, childcare workers, photo takers, promo distributors, greeter contributors, medical professionals, tour-greeter recessional, dump-truck drivers, choreography writers, hospitality rangler, baby Jesus scheduler, tour announcers, wheelchair pouncers, office supporters, costume sowers, photo taker, runner maker, gaff-tape gaffer, parking-lot trafficker, phone answerers, computer programmers, registration takers, reservation holders, nativity shavers, Sunday turn-around musicians/technicians, and the regional police who searched for the calf that fell out of the back of Carl Myer's truck on the way to the church...

God bless you all, each one...for getting the right people on the right bus and then taking them to the right place!

Include

Once you invest in relationships, take action to invite those you've invested in, a follow-up is essential to INCLUDE people. Our church has some simple and obvious ways for people to connect (Pastor's Class, Bible studies, Sunday classes, etc.). At Grace, Pastor Scott Distler leads the Pastor's Class. It’s low-key, Q & A based time built around lessons in the basics of someone's faith. It's a great on-ramp for someone who is new in their faith. Our church has also recently placed a high priority on connection (listen to recent messages on the need for our church to connect). There should be a place for every believer at church. Even though believers may not get to play the position they may initially want, there should be some time of position for everyone. Just like every great baseball team - there are pitchers, catchers, outfielders, and other positions. Some are first string, some second string, or some may even play multiple positions. It's the responsibility of coaches (staff) to determine the best placement, frequency of play, and equipping for the team to play a dynamite game.

Are you in the game?
If so, what position do you play?
Are you OK with what position God has you playing?

Invite

After you invest in someone, there will be a time when it's right to invite them to church with you. Even if they say no, don't be discouraged. Even if they say yes, then don't show up - don't take it personally. Most important, don't dump them if they don't come as quickly as you'd like. It may take time. Be patient. Pray that God will work it out that they will eventually take you up on your invitation. Remember, different people come to Christ differently. Some respond to public invitations, others in a small group, others yet will accept Christ in an indiviual setting. Keep the options alive and invite!

When was the last time you invited someone to church?

Invest, Invite, Include

The following couple of blog posts are adapted from Andy Stanley and Dan Reiland (The Pastor's Coach). Andy came up with "Invest & Invite" and Dan added "Include." This first post will be on INVEST. The next two will be Invite and Include.

INVEST

Do you have a heart for people? Most people do. If you do, you are probably already investing in people. People matter to God, that's why He invests in them. That's why we should invest in people too. Investing in others should be natural. Simply build relationships with people who fall within your circle. Each person you cross during the week are opportunities to invest. Have people over for dinner. Meet someone for lunch. Revisit a returant again and again to get to know employees.

What is IT you invest? Invest YOURSELF. That means time, care, energy, compassion and other resources you may have. In other words, be a friend. Friendship doesn't happen by acciendent. When two become friends, it's because one of them decided to invest first.

How are you doing? Who are you investing in?