Wow, what an awesome day for our church and the Glades community! Our first ever Easter Egg Drop was a HUGE success!
We had several hundred kids come through and EGGchange their plastic eggs for a big bag of candy at The Great EGGchange! (Get it, EGGchange?! Pretty pun-y, huh?) Our children’s pastor, Tim, says that by his best count, we gave out 1153 bags of candy! (That’s a LOT of candy!)
We think we had close to a thousand kiddos who attended the event for sure. (There may have been a few that made a couple of “EGGchanges,” if you know what I mean.)
A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us pull off this massive event!
A HUGE thank you to Phil and Sugar Cane Golf Club hosting us.
A HUGE thank you to John Kandel and his piloting skills.
A HUGE thank you to our church staff who served for weeks in planning and implementing the vision for this community event.
A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers who gave up their time and energy to show the love of God to our community!
YOU ALL are the BEST!!
Here are some pictures and a very short video taken by Chuck from the helicopter as they were dropping eggs.
[tentblogger-vimeo 63014700]
https://pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/egg-hunt-web-930x360.png360930David Stonehttp://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.pngDavid Stone2013-03-31 00:20:442013-04-01 12:56:06Egg Drop 2013
“One of the greatest expressions of love is simply to notice people and to pay attention to them. If you really want to know God, go to his people….. Rather than read twenty books on servanthood, get the idea, and then serve people. Some of us have experimented with this little prayer: “Lord, lead me today to someone whom I can serve.” – Richard Foster
Saw this quote as a friend’s FB status. ?Good stuff.
Wonder what would happen if I would “experiment” with that prayer today?
http://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.png00David Stonehttp://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.pngDavid Stone2010-05-24 15:20:572010-05-24 15:20:57Pay Attention to People
You need to check out these clips from sermons by Ed Stetzer. ?He is a missiologist that works for Lifeway. ?Came through on my RSS reader yesterday and I thought I would share. ?Make sure you watch both segments…they are both great! ?Painful though. ?Good preaching often does that, doesn’t it…sometimes the truth of God hurts!
He starts off with an amazing rant about people with a lack of the idea that they need to be on mission for Jesus…
If we [church leaders] disciple people through knowledge without action we’re training people to be puffed up gnostics.. . .Listen, I’m worn out–I am sick of?knowledgeable,?religious people not living on mission and then criticizing those who are. . . . I just think that what we need to have happen is that this knowledge-based needs to lead to an action life and they need to get off their “Blessed Assurance” and do something for Jesus!
and ends the first segment with this gem…
“The greatest sin in most churches is that we [pastors] have made it o.k. to sit there week after week and do nothing and call yourself a follower of Jesus.”
He does a little Ross Perot imitation and says this afterward in the second segment…good stuff…
The reality is, I don’t care if you have 5 purposes, if you rename yourself ‘missional,’ if you move into a house, or you ’emerge’ into something else! I care that you have a Biblically driven church that is challenging people to be changed by the Gospel and then in doing so, they follow Jesus on His mission in the world! ?I care less about the label and more about the lifestyle. Maybe we need to fight a little less about that and focus more on the calling that we have.
The?irreducible minimum…
Disciples see what Jesus in doing and they join Him in doing it. ?Is your church leading your people to join Jesus in His mission?…[Pastors] Go home and say “what am I going to say differently about my message so they’ll join Jesus on His mission.”
This message sure does go along with the message that I am preaching tomorrow @FPCarthage in our Outflow series. ?We are going to be talking about the idea that Christ wants us to reach out to those people in our community.
http://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.png00David Stonehttp://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.pngDavid Stone2010-03-20 15:01:132010-03-20 15:18:37Making Disciples by Ed Stetzer
Great post by Vince Antonucci, planter of VERVE, a church on the strip in Las Vegas. ?He talks of a High School football coach in Arkansas that has punted only one time in the past two seasons…and is the coach of a state championship this year! There has been LOTS of talk about high profile coaches “going for it” on 4th down and it not working. ?This coach thinks the “numbers” lean toward “going for it” on 4th and “whatever” equals success!
Interesting concept. ?Much like The Dip by Seth Godin. ?The secondary title is “A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick).”
There are times in our lives when we simply need to “go for it” no matter what! ?I think the most difficult time to continue on is when you feel like giving up.
I love what the back cover of The Dip says:
what is the dip?
It’s the fifth job interview where they never even call you back.
It’s the garage band playing to an empty club in the middle of nowhere.
It’s the seventh time you fall on your butt while learning to snowboard.
It’s the middle of the marathon, when the excitement of the starting gun is a dim memory, and the joy of the finish line is a distant dream.
It’s any rough patch you have to get through before achieving your big goal . . . if in fact you’re chasing the right goal.
What else?
Oh yeah, it’s also the key to your career, your company’s future, and maybe your ultimate happiness.
We are at that place (possibly) at FP Carthage. ?We have been here in Carthage for a couple of years and some of our team is tired and feels like needing a rest. ?Things just aren’t like it was “in the beginning.”
It reminds me of the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 when the USA Hockey Team beat the Russians in the semifinals of the Olympics to eventually win the gold medal. ?Part of the backstory of the 1980 Olympics is the coach, Herb Brooks, was cut from the USA hockey team that eventually won a gold medal. ?He came back 20 years later and led a group of college players to beat the best hockey team in the world. I love these kinds of movies that bring a group of people together to do amazing things that were though never possible!
I pray that we would “go for it” and “dig deep” and all of those other sports cliches and see amazing things happen in all of our lives. ?Paul said it this way ?in Philippians 3:12-14“12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Here’s the trailer for the great movie “Miracle.” ?Enjoy!
We are studying The DNA of Relationships by Smalley in our LifeGroup on Sunday nights.? It has been a whole lot of fun learning that we are driven by our fears.? It is totally freeing to understand that the fight is often not about the thing we are fighting about. It is actually about a “fear button” that was pushed by the other person and we reacted to that button being pushed (Smalley’s concepts).? I am really excited about the positive things that we all are learning from this study in our group.
I ran across this post from Mark Batterson about fearlessness.? He says that there are only two fears we are born with as a baby…the rest are “learned.”? Man there is some freedom to know that we can learn, through Christ, how to be free from those fears!
I know for a fact that this nugget of truth and promise from God’s word can save us from a whole lot of heartache and pain when we allow the enemy to continue to scare us to death with our fears. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15 ESV)
According to psychologists we’re only born with two fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That means that every other fear is learned. Which means that every other fear can be unlearned. Here’s a definition of faith: the process of unlearning ungodly fears.
The enemy is a fear monger. He wants to scare the heaven out of you. But I John 4:18 says: “Perfect love casts out all fear.” In other words, as we grow in a love relationship with God we unlearn our fears until the only fear we have is the only healthy and holy fear: the fear of God. And when you fear God you don’t have to fear anything else! Perfect love results in fearlessness.
I found this on one of my best friend’s Facebook profile and thought is was definitely “blog worthy.”? Daniel McKenzie is a student pastor in Johnson City, TN.? He and I went to seminary together, have done some ministry things together, and have kicked around some “what not to do in youth ministry” books.? As you can see in the body of the Facebook note, Daniel is hilarious!? Enjoy!
In the literary realm of facebook stati, there are many acceptable practices for composing a quality facebook status. Here are some of the more common quality practices?
Hidden Meaning ? Any good Facebook status should have hidden meaning, causing readers to assume a depth of insight for the composer. Simple phrases can have such duality. For example, ??is tired.? This simple statement has multiple layers. One might think the person is simply physically tired, but such a statement begs for further examination. Maybe the person is mentally, emotionally, or spiritually tired. Perhaps it?s a cry for help, masking years of pain and addiction. Whatever the case ? the status laden with hidden meaning portrays depth and poetic insight that will inspire and win friends.
An Inside Joke ? Inside jokes tell many positive things about the composer. First, of all it says that this person has people around them that they consider to be on the inside with socially. Popular phrases for this occurrence are ?has friends? or ?has a life.? Another positive sign from an inside joke is that the person often jokes about with said friends or friend. This indicates a jovial quality about the person signaling to readers ? ?hey, that person likes to have fun with at least one other person who gets the joke.?
Song Lyric ? A quality fall back for a Facebook status is the song lyric. The song lyric can accomplish several things for its composer. First it lets people know of the composer?s musical tastes. For example, from, ??is stop collaborate and listen.? readers might be able to quickly identify ?wow that person also enjoys Vanilla Ice.? But for those readers who may not recognize the lyrical jaunt by Rob Van Winkle this status also has positive implications. They might assume the same poetic insight for the composer that a ?hidden meaning? invokes, not realizing the phrase has been lifted from the lyrical giants of our time. It might also cause a reader to ?google? the phrase and be exposed to finely crafted song. Either way you really can?t lose with a song lyric status.
Begging for Comments ? A status that begs for comments is similar to a hidden meaning status but is less subtle in its attempt at duality. For example, the status ??is ready to give up,? begs sympathy from all who read. Surely, the composer needs a glimmer of hope that all will want to provide with a comment. Likewise, a status like ??wants a piece of cake,? can induce the same sort of sympathetic leanings. Readers might ponder the issue and respond with ?what kind of cake do you like?? or even ?I have a piece of cake, I will bring it to you.?
Paranoia Inducing ? Many a Facebook status can cause feelings of paranoia from its readers. Initially this might appear as a cruel use of the status, but upon further examination this reveals the true power and value of the Facebook status. One of the best methods of behavior modification is a carefully crafted disparaging comment that invokes guilt and paranoia. For example, the status, ??is sick of EVERYONE!? can cause readers to ask in their mind, ??am I one of those included in everyone??? The sweeping generalization that is chosen with precision can speak to all of your Facebook friends, including those who are in your inner circle of ?inside jokes? and those who you wonder how a friend request was ever requested or confirmed because you really don?t know the person. Either way, this status will cause everyone to step lightly around you resulting in more peaceful interactions with all. If everyone made such broad statements we could all be conformed into a joyous, massive brethren of Facebook friends.
And then a comment on his note that follows has one more “Quality Practice:”
What about the literal status update? Let’s not overlook the obvious, my friend. In this virtual realm of networking, we too often log on with expectation of layers. We dig to find the root. The misplaced gold filling. “He says he’s standing in the rain. Does that mean he is depressed? Overjoyed? Is he attending a figurative boot camp with a figurative drill instructor making him complete 75 figurative pushups?” Sometimes we really are standing in line at the DMV. Conflicted over pillow shams. What’s interesting is that the literal status could fit snugly with all of your other acceptable practices. Round peg, round hole.
What are some of your “Quality Facebook Status Practices?”? Inquiring minds want to know!! (hidden meaning intended!)
http://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.png00David Stonehttp://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.pngDavid Stone2009-02-27 22:17:322009-02-27 22:17:32The Unofficial Guide to Composing a Quality Facebook Status
Mark Dinwiddie has been sending us Multisite/Missions Nuggets of Truth each week for a couple of months now and I am starting a new category of them so you can talk about them and comment.
We have really been talking about that dirty word for perfectionists, DELEGATE.? Enjoy.
You have two choices in your work.? When something has been assigned to you, you can either do it yourself or get someone else to do it.? Your ability to get someone else to do it, to delegate it effectively??? —more than anything else— is going to determine your career track, your position and rate of promotion, your pay, your status, prestige, and success in management.? (The Delights of Delegation)
?I owe whatever success I have attained, by and large, to my ability to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am? Andrew Carnegie
I once had one of my dad’s best friends, “work himself out of a job.”? He had worked for this company back before he retired and hired on with another company doing consulting.? Basically, he delegated all of the work to be done by the company employees that he was no longer needed–and he could go back to traveling in his retirement!
Who do you know that is a good delegator?? What makes them good at it?? What prevents you from delegating the way you ought?
http://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.png00David Stonehttp://www.pastordavidstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo-340x701.pngDavid Stone2008-10-07 06:26:322008-10-06 13:35:35Tuesday is for Training
Just read this post from Sam Shaw. I absolutely love to read his blog. I had a really good friend that was on staff with him at Germantown Baptist Church outside of Memphis, TN and heard him preach on a Sunday night and it was probably one of the best messages I had heard in a long time–and on a Sunday night!! I absolutely love his heart . . . it really comes out in his blog. Enjoy.
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.
I pray this would be our prayer at Finley Crossings as we continue to reach out to an unchurched world the life changing message of the Gospel–especially when it seems we are dangerously close to becoming just like the words of this poem!
I don’t pretend to understand the universe – it’s much bigger than I am. –Albert Einstein
I think that is the way it is for me. The longer I am on this planet, the less I really know anything. I remember a little refrigerator magnet on mom and dad’s fridge growing up that said, “Hire a teenager while they still know everything.” I am finding that is so true. I don’t know near as much as I thought I knew even a few short years ago. Read more
