What we’ve been waiting for!!

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We have been looking for a good check-in system as well as Church Management Software.? The other day, Dinwiddie said, “too bad LifeChurch couldn’t just write some software and give it away for free!”? Well, they have done it!? I am really excited about what they are doing over at LifeChurch.? The best thing–it’s totally free, just like their online Bible software called YouVersion.? LifeChurch has been and continues to be a leader in open source church resources! Thank you LifeChurch!!

Welcome Timothy Micheal

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Timothy Campbell and Anna Black had a little baby boy on Wednesday. Here are some pics of the fam. I can’t wait to show him off to everyone at church tomorrow! One of the perks of being a pastor is to hold babies, brag in them, spoil them, and give them back to their parents–isn’t that what grandparents do?

Lifechoices Banquet

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Our church supports this great ministry in Joplin. They help hundreds of (often young) mothers in the clinic and thousands of students through school assemblies and classes. The missions and multisite team had a couple of tables, so we got to go hang out as a team.

I was Mark’s “date” for the evening because neither of our wives could be there tonight. As usual, Mark was a true gentleman. Boy, he sure knows how to “treat a lady!”

On a more serious note, check out Lifechoices on the web at lifechoices4states.org.

Monday Night Reflections

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  • Mythbusters was AWESOME!!! It is really great to be a part of a church that is willing to be creative to share the Gospel with a hurting world.? Yesterday’s message was one of the clearest Gospel presentations I have heard in a long, long time.? I am really excited about this series at Forest Park!
  • We had a really good staff meeting this morning!? Our staff is really coming together as a team and I am pumped about this group of people!
  • We have a new staff member coming on board September 2nd!!? I am TOTALLY pumped about that deal!!? I will save that for a post of its own an announcement of that magnitude!
  • We had over 300 people at church yesterday!!? WOW!? There were a TON of kiddos running around.? I love that!
  • I am praying for some dear friends that lost a baby last weekend.? Jenny and I lost a baby in between Taylor and Tucker.? We really feel for them in this time of grief, anger, helplessness.
  • I am praying for Ronnie Sanders dad.? He is having open heart surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6:00 a.m.
  • Tucker goes to the doctor tomorrow.? Hopefully he will be released completely from the doctor and won’t have to wear that silly brace anymore.
  • I thought I put on the belts correctly on our new (to us) lawn mower on Saturday.? Boy, was I wrong.? I wondered what that smell of burning rubber was on Saturday!
  • The boys finally got to jump into the pool this evening–bugs and nastiness included.? It is really not that bad, mom!? WAY BETTER than the pea green nastiness that I started with!? Just in time to winterize the thing!
  • Wow, Michelle Obama is a great communicator.? That is difficult to do that and pull it off.? Two very talented communicators in that family.? No matter your politics, that was an amazing speech.
  • The Olympics just called–they said I can have my life back until the Winter Games!

Willow Creek Leadership Summit Simulcast

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Just sitting in the first session of the Leadership Summit with the Forest Park family.? I am actually sitting next to an old friend, Billy Grady, the BSU guy at MSU.? I love this conference each year and so I am really excited to be here with my new coworkers.? I will hopefully get you some pics and “big ideas” from the sessions later on.

Friday is for . . . Friends and Family

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A buddy of mine said today, “You know a true friend when they help you move.”? My thoughts exactly!!? We had some of our dear friends and family help us move the “easy” stuff of boxes.? There was nothing “easy” about unloading our storage unit and filling the biggest Penske truck we could get with stuff–lots of it should have been let go of years ago, but you know how hard it is for pack rats to give up their stuff.? It is amazing how much stuff you seem to accumulate over the years.? We had a step smaller Ryder truck when we moved from seminary to Ozark–packed yes, but we made it in one load.? We probably won’t have a totally full truck tomorrow, but full enough to think about cutting out some things.

My friend, Eric Barb wrote a little about this need to have way too much stuff in his “Barb Wire” in the CFC Current. He is a really good writer. I miss the guys.? The were always a lot of fun.

Better get to sleep . . . huge day tomorrow.? Still can’t believe this is our last night in our house.? Tomorrow we will officially be home in Carthage!? WOW.

Sweet Home Carthage, Missouri!

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Go ahead and sing along to the?Lynyrd Skynyrd tune! . . . That was nice!!

We will hopefully have the keys to our new house tomorrow around NOON!!? We are really excited to get moved this weekend!? We have the truck rented for Friday and Saturday.? I am really grateful to the folks who are going to help us on Friday and Saturday!

Will sent some pics tomorrow!!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

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We are continuing our Extreme Makeover series this weekend with a message from the Book of Haggai called “Rebuilding.”? I will be preaching at the Carthage campus and I am REALLY excited about this message!? Pastor John will be joining us at the Carthage campus to help us with our baptisms that we are having in both services!

The baptism service is going to be extra special for me as I am going to have the privilege of baptizing Taylor! We are really proud of him and all of the awesome things that God is going to do in his life!? A whole bunch of our family and friends are going to be down to celebrate this awesome day with us!

Then later on in the evening, Pastor John and I are teaching the 1st Base, Discovering Forest Park Class.? Wow, lots of stuff!? You don’t want to miss this Sunday at Forest Park Carthage!!? See you there!

Buildings, Buildings, Buildings

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We are meeting with an architect on Thursday to talk about our needs and goals at Forest Park Carthage’s new building!!? We are heading to Lifechurch.tv Tulsa here in a bit to check out their facility and talk to their facilities manager about what to look for in a building.

We are starting a building campaign in October and will try to get things going soon.

I’ll post later some pictures, etc. of the visit.

Sunday Night Ramblings & HOUSE CONTRACT!!

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Had an awesome “first Sunday” at Forest Park Carthage.? Actually my second Sunday on staff, but my first being “on my own” doing all of the Campus Pastor elements.

I really felt good doing all of them!? It is great to feel like God has really gifted you and placed you here “for such a time as this!”? Pastor John talked about “Loving Your Enemies.”? In the worship response time, I extended an invitation to Christ–basically, there is no way you can truly love your enemies unless you have the love of God in your heart.? The New Testament also talks about those who are without Christ are “enemies of God.”? We all need to realize that Christ loves all of us unconditionally and therefore we need to love the way He loves us.

John had a great idea of putting Post-It notes in the VISION to write down initials of people we have a hard time loving.? We extended the illustration a step further here and had people leave their Post-Its on the altar.? We will be praying over those Post-Its tomorrow at Carthage staff meeting!! It was really cool seeing people at the altar placing their Post-Its, praying, and taking communion.? I love it when we can give someone a “takeaway” to hang the idea on as people leave!? I am working on my “takeaway” for July 27th when I preach!? It is going to be pretty cool!!

We had a Life Group “huddle” tonight and had a great time of prayer, encouragement and dreaming about the future of groups here at Forest Park Carthage.? I can’t tell you how excited I am about groups this year!!? They are going to be AWESOME.? You will definately want to be here AUGUST 17th for the GROUPLINK and jump into Life Groups!!? We had so many great stories of life change that happened because of Life Groups.? I love that stuff!!

Oh yeah!!? We have a CONTRACT on our HOUSE IN OZARK!!! It was on the market 20 days!!? That is stinking awesome!!? What a God thing!!? We close on the 12th of August!!? Yeah God!!? Thank you, LORD!!