Vegas Pastor

Sunday Props

2009-07-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Today was week one of our sermon series called "Just Did It". We hit some hard issues such as health care reform and socialism. We looked at generations of past Americans and talked some about their challenges and struggles and how that in those difficult times, a demand was made for pure leadership. We also opened our bibles and looked at a woman of great faith that stepped out beyond the bounds of fear and "Just Did It" for God. Her name was Esther! If you have never read the book, read it! If it's been a while, re-read it. I think we are living in times where the church in America is facing a wonderful opportunity to make a stand and do something great for God that future generations will benefit from! What will we do??? I think that we were all born for such a time as this.
I also want to say a BIG "WAY TO GO" to Dindy Roa!!!! She lead worship today for the very first time in her life and did a fantastic job!!! I am so proud of her and Jolene as well as our entire worship team. They are gettin' it done!!

Check out my Facebook page to see the video's for "Just Did IT"

Blast From the Past

2009-07-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

We have been moving into a new house this week and I found something of mine, well sort of mine, that I had packed away for years. It is a 1989 Topps baseball card complete set. This set has some great cards in it. Bo Jackson is in there as well as some of the great Atlanta Braves pitchers rookie cards. The problem is that I stole that set from a grocery store that I worked at when I was 16. Food Fair to be exact in Trussville, Al. I told my kids what I had done and then I picked up the phone and called the Bruno's head offices in Birmingham and told the girl that answered what I had done and that I wanted to make it right. I told her that I was not a Christian when I stole it but I have since given my life to following Jesus. She was quite for a second and didn't know what to say after asking me to repeat my story. She typed everything up and said that she would send it to upper management and let them decide. At the end she told me that she too was a Christian and thanked me for doing this. She said it inspired her. I am awaiting the phone call or email to see what they say. I will let you all know!

Sunday Props

2009-07-07T11:29:00.001-07:00

What a great day we had at Destiny Church this Sunday! There were so many guests in the house and it was great to meet them and hear so many stories of their lives. I was proud of all of the hard work that went into pulling off the cook out. The place was packed!!!! It just goes to show that preaching and music do not build great churches. Its all about relationships. Connecting people to a real, active and personal relationship with Jesus and then connecting them to people that will serve them and love them into their destiny. It was such a hit, we are really thinking about doing it once a quarter. I think its a great idea! Give me your thoughts Destiny Church!

Next Series

2009-06-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce the next series at Destiny Church. It's titled, "Just Did It"!
We are gonna be looking at the lives of men and women in the bible who pushed past their circumstances and got rid of the excuses and limitations and "just did it" for God. There will also be something that I am gonna be doing so I can become a member of the "just did it" club. You don't wanna miss this one beginning July 11th!

Sunday Props

2009-06-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today was another stand out day at Destiny Church!
Here are a few props:
Jolene Phillips and our worship team did an outstanding job today. They rocked the house and brought the presence.
Marcus Badgett brought it today!! I was challenged and inspired by his talk today. I will never forget, "The quality of the father determines the quality of the next several generations".
Steven and Tracy DeLong were in total control of the first impressions team! They looked like seasoned vets.
Our guys on the set up team, what can I say??? It was fathers day and you guys were more concerned about others holiday than your own. I love you guys and
your commitment to serve!!!
Of course a BIG thanks to everyone who ministered today to our kids! The gifts were great and VERY creative. You guys "ROCK".

Just Watch 'em!

2009-06-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

In the past 10 years or so there has been an explosion of material on the subject of leadership. You can go to most bookstores and they will have an entire section devoted to it. Not to mention the hours you can spend online researching leadership. You can discover tons of different leadership models, styles and practices.
I enjoy reading leadership books and listening to CD's that will help me grow personally as a leader but at times it can be overwhelming! Often I have to take a step back and ask myself, "Am I applying what I am learning?" That is the key. Not information but application.
I have studied lots of material and gone over the question of what to look for in a potential leader. At the end of the day it is becoming crystal clear. You put your fingers in your ears so you can't hear what people are saying and take it real slow and watch what they do! I am discovering that the closer people are to Jesus the more they tend to behave like Him and lead like Him which is nothing more than good old fashioned serving. People that get close to Jesus become addicted to improving the quality of someone else's life. I love being around those kind of people. They do not need a title or recognition or a platform. They just need a place to serve. Sometimes it's on the stage but other times its sweeping the floor or taking care of peoples kids or cleaning the church bathroom. Other times it's taking food to a neighbor or covering for a co-worker. Serving is not what these people do.......it's who they are.
Lord, give me a hand full of people determined to serve others out of the overflow of their relationship with you!

It's Been a While

2009-06-15T13:09:00.001-07:00

Well I am back! I haven't blogged since Easter and I know it's been a while. But I just got back from a vacation with the family and had a some time to think and talk and reflect. My take away from this vacation can be summed up in one word. Stewardship. I know thats a big word and it's one that in the church world is usually associated with money. I am not just talking about money. Much bigger. Things like, life, relationships, time, opportunities, commitments, teams, time, family and on and on. I am asking myself the tough questions. Am I stewarding the time that God has given me well? What about my family? Have I been a good steward with the lives that look to me for leadership every single day in my home? Have I been a faithful steward with the lives of people that call Destiny Church home? What about my money, my friends, my opportunities and on and on. I enjoy allowing God to do some prodding and digging in my life like this because it will always lead to a better tomorrow! (As long as I respond to Him correctly) How about you? Have you pondered the subject of stewardship and what it means to you and your life?

Easter Egg Hunt weekend!!

2009-03-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

I want to invite everyone to our annual Easter egg hunt at Reis Elementary School on April the 11th at 12:00. We will have 6,000 eggs stuffed with candy and tons of giveaways that include bikes, Nintendo DS, HUGE easter baskets full of prizes and much, much more!!! Be sure to invite your friends.
Also this Easter will be a GREAT one at Destiny. If you do not have plans we would love to see you and your family at church! 10:00am at Reis Elementary.

Great Job Tracy!

2009-03-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great day at Destiny. Not because we had to grab extra chairs because so many people were coming in, not because we ran out of chairs in pastors lunch but because my wife smashed it out of the park with her talk. It was her first time to preach at Destiny and it was gooooood!! I learned, I sensed God's presence and I was challenged not to complain when I am facing tough times but to look for God to reveal Himself to me in a new and powerful way!
Tracy is an amazing woman. A mom of 4, home school teacher, pastors wife, minister, team builder, on and on........and STILL walks in the door looking HOT!!

2009-03-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

I Just Don't Get It

2009-02-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

I just read an article about some Hollywood stars going to Iran on a cultural exchange mission with "no political" agenda. Riiiiight. This kind of stuff bewilders me. I don't understand how someone who acts in movies becomes an expert in politics. They go to college and get a degree and play pretend professionally and get paid millions of dollars to do it. I love movies. My wife and I enjoy a good war movie or a suspense movie but when it comes to shaping my opinion of politics or how to vote, Hollywood is the last place I am looking. People seem to be easily swayed by popularity and will often lay down their convictions to follow the starstruck masses. What makes us think that someone who is a successful actor or actress knows whats best for our country or government? I wouldn't call an actor to come over when my car won't start or when my roof is leaking or if my kid is sick and I for sure wouldn't call one if I needed marriage counseling or financial advice. So why is our country impressed with a politician who surrounds themselves with them? Here is what I do: If someone in Washington is continually using celebrities to gain popular support, it's a good sign to me that I need to head in the other direction. Let's face it, most of Hollywood's elite are so far out of touch with reality they have no idea what it's like in the real world. To me the big problem is that we have strayed so far from the Truth that we can't even recognize a dangerous, destructive lie when we hear one anymore. Thought????

Off Days

2009-02-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

Off days. Every pastor reading this knows exactly what I am talking about. Nobody knocks it out of the park every single Sunday, week in and week out. They can be caused by a number of things. Not connecting with the sermon, low attendance, worship being a little "off", sound issues, etc. There are several other reasons why we experience these days. We hate them, do our bests to avoid them and even blame them on the devil!!! I am the worlds worst at complaining about those "off days". My wife is the best at helping me focus on the positives of the day at not on all of the small things that didn't quite go as expected in my mind. This week I was thinking about "off days" and I have begun a practice that will help me get over it. I measure an "off day" to another "off day". Let me explain. I try to journal things that happen in my life whether good or bad. (Things that the Lord has spoken to me, a random thought, things that the kids did that day, the good and BAD things that happened at church) When i have an "off day", I get the journal out and I ask myself two simple questions, "Was today's off day better than last years off day? Better than last months off day?" Most of the time the answer is yes! That is a great way for me to measure progress, not just all of the good stuff we pastors like to celebrate. Anyone care to share some thoughts about "off days"?

Experiencing God

2009-02-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

This week our church started an old familiar devotional called "Experiencing God". It is a 13 week study on how to know and do the will of God for your life. We will do the daily devotions and then on Sunday's we will unpack some of the major themes of the week. I really believe that God spoke to me during a fast that we were to do this as a church after a 21 day fast. I know that we are going to see some incredible growth in peoples lives as we take this journey together. I know that there are several out there who have done this study before. Can you share some personal stories about how it impacted your life or church?

reading last years journal notes

2009-01-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

I got my journal out today and read some notes from just after our launch service. Man was it depressing!!! I can just hear the suffering oozing from the pages. I listed everything that went wrong. I wrote how i was standing in the parking lot waiting for cars to come and they didn't and then i didn't want to go inside and when i finally got the courage to go in the count down timer had hit zero and the worship leader said over the mic, "Oh there he is, Pastor T". Every head turned to look at me and it was silent as i walked up to the stage to greet everyone. I was devastated!!! Maybe these stories (and there are more) can encourage some church planter somewhere because we are still here and growing and doing great. Lives have been changed incredibly and we are effecting a community. I think the big lesson in this is that God wanted this church here and I said yes to the call to join Him. It's not about me or my expectations or my plan. It's all about His vision, His plans and His work. It was before i got to Vegas and it will be long after i am gone from this earth. So if you are seeking to do ministry, I would ask myself one very important question first. is this His idea or mine.

One year weekend

2009-01-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in my office and thinking about the very first service that we had at Destiny Church. MAN WHAT A DAY!!! I will never forget it as long as i live. (although most of it is a blur) I was a nervous wreck and all of my expectations were blown out of the water. Meaning.....i did not see the results that i expected. Leaving that day, I am thinking about this year and how we "found" our place as a church. I can see now that God didn't want us to have 300 people on day one. I know it sounds crazy but had that happened we would have gone into a mode of doing average church. not to mention the fact that we were no where ready to hold that kind of harvest. It has taken us a year to get a clear picture of how our vision would be practically walked out. This will be a great weekend. I believe that it marks a new season for our church. Pastor Duane White will be here and will deliver the prophetic word for the church and later that evening we will have a special leaders meeting that is open for anyone to attend. I am very excited to see what '09 holds for us.

impact players

2009-01-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

We are finalizing plans for our one year anniversary service and i am so fired up. It's going to be a great day. There are lots of friends that will be attending. One of those couples is Tom and Tina Piche. Tina was my administrative assistant in Alabama and she was the BEST. Her husband Tom is in the Air Force and is moving up the ranks. I did everything i could to get them to move with us from Alabama but the United States Government kinda' over ruled me!! I have to say that i have really felt the impact of not having Tina on my team. i am not sure that i will ever find another assistant that had the attitude that she had. She was fast, competent, knew the next move and, most of all, put her family above ministry. She is now in California and has helped soooo much with things like series graphics, web design, calendar planning and on and on. I know that we live in a day and time where most admin stuff can be done out of an office setting but I know that our team would be GREATLY impacted by just having this family around. I am sure of it because of how my life was changed by having them as friends. Who knows what the future holds.........i am still working my magic to get them to Vegas!!!

A New Favorite Term

2009-01-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago a lady that attends our church dropped a term on me that i had never heard before. She was inviting an unchurched friend of hers to service and her friend asked a question. She said, "There not a bunch of religitards are they?" I almost fell out of my chair laughing so hard. One thing I love about doing church in Las Vegas is that there is this authenticity to people that call themselves Christ followers. They don't attend church on Sunday's because grandma told them to. They are here because they are genuinely seeking God. I LOVE the excitement that comes with seeing God answer prayers, save friends, bless financially FOR THE FIRST TIME in the lives of new believers. We are in the first week of a Daniel fast and for most of our church this is the first time they have every fasted in their lives. I am hearing reports already (almost daily) of how couples are spending time reading the Bible together and how husbands and dads are leading there families in prayer every morning! This is just the beginning of a God filled journey. I want to let everyone at Destiny Church know that I Love you and I am grateful to be called your pastor!

A Year

2008-12-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that we are planning for our one year anniversary service. It seems like it has gone by so fast but at the same time when i think about all that has happened.......it seems like 5 years! It has been the hardest thing that I have EVER done in my life by far but it has been the MOST rewarding at the same time! There is no way that I could have prepared myself for this. I read books, attended conferences, spent hours interviewing church planters, and even interviewed pastors from Vegas.........nothing I "heard" made any impact on me until i got my feet wet. I know now what they meant by things like, "It's like ridding a roller coaster" and "If you have any quit in you at all don't do this"! Church planters are my hero's. They are doing it on the front lines. If you know one, make it a point this year to pray for them, call them and encourage them or find some way to bless them.

plan for Jan!

2008-12-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

I am back online from having no internet at the house. I was switching carriers and there were some technical difficulties.
I am very pumped up about December. We were going to do a sermon series tied around the holidays but i believe i have heard some instructions from the Lord. He said that as a church we are to fast the first 21 days of January, increase prayer from one night to two nights a week which will lead us up to Bishop Miller and Duane White being here for our one year anniversary. At the end of this time, we will all go through the 13 week study called "Experiencing God". I am looking forward to what God will do with us. I believe we are coming up on a "Kiros" moment in the life of our church.
We have lots of people graduating from 4th gear (leadership development) and will be leading several ministries. This will allow us to reach more people and make more disciples. I am very grateful God leading us through this patient approach to church growth. We have seen INCREDIBLE change in the lives of people as we do our best to make them followers of Christ! He is building a "dream team" and i have had the great benefit of watching it happen!

voices

2008-11-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

One thing that I am convinced of is that the great things in my life are nothing more than a result of the awesome people that God has placed in my life. I have been incredible blessed to have some of the best minds in the Body of Christ pour into my life. I really believe that we are created for connection. There are few people that we will ever have relationship with that truly are committed to our success and do not expect anything in return. A real mentor will see the best in you and not how they can benefit from you or your gift. They also are not so impressed with you that they are afraid to tell you the truth about yourself! I have a couple just like that in my life and Tracy and I are so blessed because of their ministry. Bishop Tony and Kathy Miller. I am excited to be taking a few guys from the church here to Texas to be in his meetings along with some other great friends. Next week will be incredible!

Intimacy

2008-11-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been very good for me and my relationship with Jesus. Studying praise and worship has just opened a new level of relationship between us. I am sensing His presence all throughout the day and His voice is soooo clear. I am hearing Him talk to me all day everyday. Simple things. Not really a "thus saith the Lord" moment but a small voice that is instructing me and guiding me in the little details of my life. My worship time is almost unbearable. At times His presence is so strong that I cannot say a word. The only appropriate thing to do it seems is just get on my face in the floor! The question for me now is this, "Is there more?" I already know the answer and I am on a journey to get it. I can feel Him smile as i pursue Him. It is pleasing to Him for me to crave His presence like this. That was His original intent for man anyway. To be with Him! I am working to push out distractions and thoughts that so easily steal our time together. I am working to discipline my mind to allow my spirit to pray as often and as long as i can without being pulled back from Him. Where will this go? Who cares. All I know is that it is getting me closer to the Lover of My Soul and that is worth any price.

Getting it Right

2008-11-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

I do not know where to start. There have been so many things happen since my last post. I have been very busy doing some great things. I spent a few days in October with Bishop Miller in Oklahoma and it was awesome. He (and others) prophesied over me and Tracy for about 15 minutes and we began to see those exact things happening in less than a week upon our return.
We began our resource center at Destiny about 3 weeks ago and we started with just the books that we have had in our system and we have sold almost every book that we have! People are getting a hold of the vision we have for renewing the mind. If you stop and listen to our future leaders talking you can hear them comment on their personality type and their spiritual gifts!
Last weekend was incredible for our team as well. Not because we had some people standing in the back because it was crowded on Sunday morning, but because my living room was crowded for Saturday night prayer and because it was even more crowded for 4th gear which is the leadership class in our system!
I cannot tell you how excited I am to have this first "class" shift into overdrive and begin leading ministries. We will reach so many more people this spring as a result of a patient approach to growth. We are not building a big church here. We are building big people. Watch out America, HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!

Braggin' on my team.

2008-10-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

I just got home from this mornings service. I want to capture my thoughts and thank some folks.

Brian Green hit it out of the park today in our last installment in our series "So What's the Difference?" 1776/2008. I was challenged and motivated like never before to chase the dream God has put in our hearts for America!

Reese and Mary Jones brought the Spirit of God today in worship. As a result, the manifestation gifts were in operation. Our church went to a whole new level today. Way to go guys!!!

Jamie Bowen did the meet and greet and it was his first time on a mic in front of people. You couldn't tell. Smooth as butter. He did a fantastic job, had a great scripture picked out and explained it very clearly. Keep your eyes on him, you'll being seeing more!

Shane and Cami Lewis did another great job taking up the offering. This couple has great potential. As always they connected, communicated the heart of God and related to people.

Krystal Lawrence showed up to minister to our kids in preschool when she was tired and not feeling good. What a great example of commitment! That's the kind of stuff that is contagious. I am grateful for people like her that understand that it's not babysitting but a ministry!!

My amazing wife as always walked in looking like a model (totally hot) and then worked like crazy behind the scenes to pull it all together. Incredible........

There are lots more people who worked hard today to make it a great day but theses few stood out. i am very proud to serve on this team of champions!!!!!!

Barrett-Jackson

2008-10-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today after a morning packed full of meetings i spent the afternoon at the Barrett-Jackson auto auction at the Mandalay Bay. It was awesome. I got 5 free tickets from a friend and i took the 3 oldest kids. We had a blast. Every kind of muscle car you could think of and then some. Not to mention the fire breathing, robot dinosaur.
What a day. I love Vegas!!

What I am Learning

2008-10-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

Three things to remember:

God loves me no matter what!

I am saved by grace and grace keeps me saved!

I am free to say no to sin!

This walk with God reminds me a lot of when my kids were real little. We would walk along the sidewalk and they would hold onto my finger. When we crossed the street or came across something hard for them, I would wrap my hand around their tiny hand and hold them. It's the same way with God. We hold onto Him, but when life gets a little rough, He wraps His hand around ours and holds us! IT doesn't get any better than this.

Walking the Line

2008-10-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

The more i am studying the difficult topics we are taking about in this sermon series the more i see that they are not difficult at all. We are living in a society where truth has become something that cannot be defined and is left to the interpretation of the individual. The difficulty is not found in preaching on Mormonism, homosexuality or holiness. It is defining the line of God's standard for those who are being blinded by humanistic agenda's. I know that i risk sounding like a crazy bible thumper who is not politically correct. I understand that and i am proud of it. America is starving for the church to take a stance, a hard stance, on truth. The media at large is backed, pressured and funded by those who would like to see the bible removed from anything public AND PRIVATE in America. There is so much confusion in our young people. What to believe. What to stand for. What to accept and where to draw the line. And why not? The average teenager spends countless hours plugged into some form of mass media that is pushing an anti-God standard. America needs leadership. Not really from a person or a political party but from the church. The called out ones. Those who are willing and ready to lay it all down for righteousness. I am not talking about anything new. No new formula of church growth. I am talking about His people getting back to following Him. Knowing what they believe and why and being prepared and ready to defend it. Churches being sold out on making disciples not just counting numbers. The fact is the truth offends. It has. It always will. i am convinced that people will flock to the churches that raise the bar of living. The question is this:
Are we willing to define the line of God's standard to a culture that is rejecting it?

Getting Ready

2008-09-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend will be a great weekend. First, we will have our very first "Encounter". (Third gear in our system) I am so excited to see what God will do in the lives of those who are signed up to come. It has been great so far to watch our "system" begin to change the lives of people and change how we think.
Next, we are starting a new series called "So Whats the Difference?"
This week we are talking about the difference in Mormonism and Christianity.
In this series we will tackle issues like homosexuality, holiness and our country's founding fathers. It's going to be exciting. We will also be having Saturday night prayer at my place which has been incredible so far.
To top it all off, Alabama gets to beat up on Georgia. Number three against number eight. Not to mention i have a date scheduled with my awesome wife.
Make sure you do not miss this Sunday!!
BRING A FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!

Change

2008-09-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

There is so much talk of change right now in our country. Everybody is talking about the need for change. Change our gas prices, change the housing market, change the economy, change the White House and on and on. John McCain and Barack Obama both say that they are the answer.
It's interesting to me to see that most people want change but are looking in all the wrong places for it. We want someone else to come in and fix our problems for us. It's easier that way. If I can point a finger of blame, I am not responsible for my situation. It's either the government's fault, big oil company's fault, my boss's fault, even God's fault.
The big question is this. At what point do i accept responsibility for my own life? My own actions? My own decisions? I am persuaded that we will see real, lasting change in America when we, as a nation, take responsibility for our lives. This is the greatest country on Earth. We are blessed with more opportunities than any other country of the world.
Change. We all want it. Do we want to pay the price for it? The truth is, we can't stop it. The only thing that doesn't change is the fact that things are going to change!! We will fall into 3 categories of people. Those who make things happen. Those whom things happen to, and those who ask, "What just happened?".

Still amazed

2008-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday, after 2nd gear, a couple stayed over to share with us a testimony of what God is doing in their lives. I listened as one of them talked about how their marriage and ability to communicate is changing drastically and how they could "see" God moving in their lives drawing them closer together. (The story is miraculous)
This was coming from a person who, 6 months ago wasn't sure there was a God and absolutely didn't want anything to do with church, the Bible or Christians at all. While he was talking it was if i could hear a voice saying to me, "This is why you do what you do". All of the hard work. All of the sacrifice. All of the set backs and disappointments. Standing right in front of me was some fruit. A life changed!!! His family has been changed for generations to come. Who knows what God has in store for this family!
So if you are feeling tired.........just take some time to look around at the fruit. For me, that was better than any conference i could attend.

Feeling it

2008-09-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

I love momentum. Just the very mention of the word gets my blood pumping. When you have it, you can accomplish the unconceivable and without it, the simplest tasks seem to drain you. I know that momentum can be created and generated and great leaders are the ones who know just how to do that and what's even better, maintain it. But the greatest time is when momentum is generated by God. Thats exactly what is happening all around me. Things are "falling" into place. The right people are getting in the right seats on the bus and I know that I had nothing to do with it. It's like the feeling you get when something miraculous happens right in front of your eyes. Your eyes get BIG and you take a step back and...."Did that just happen?" I am doing that everyday it seems. When Jesus said he would build His church, He meant it. To quote a friend of mine, pastor Vance Pitman, "Fancy campaigns and slick slogans don't plant churches. God does." I couldn't agree more.
Momentum is oozing from even the little things. People giving me prophetic words that are almost word for word in two days time. A kids pastor???? A youth praise team that is the seed for a youth group? An amazing answer to a wife's prayer in just hours time. All in one week........"Did that just happen??" It's getting incredible around here. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

What I Have Learned So Far

2008-09-04T11:08:00.001-07:00

I had a great lunch yesterday with a friend of mine, Pastor Chuck Angel from Georgia. (bridgepointechurch.org) He was the member of the ARC assessment team that was assigned to me and Tracy. We sat and chatted about all kinds of great stuff and then we began to talk about church planters and expectations. I shared with him how almost every expectation I had about starting this church has gone unmet while at the same time great things that i could have never expected or planned for have happened. I read the books, went to the seminars and interviewed several planters so i THOUGHT i was pretty prepared for starting this church. After all, i was coming from a fairly large church. I had it all figured out in my head like a mathematical equation. Enough mailers and advertising would cause the right amount of people to show up for week one and then 50% would return for week two and we would be at the 200 barrier (or close to it) and..............there you go. Instant church. I tell you after that first Sunday when 99 people showed up i was totally messed up. That was with 28 adults on our launch team, 11 adults from another church to help and every kid we could count!!! I want to share some things that i have learned so far being 7 months into this:

So far it has been more about what God is doing in me than in the church.
There have been so many things that God has built in me and knocked out of me during this time. I am understanding that I was not ready to lead this church and the worse thing that could have happened to me would have been huge numbers. And it would have caused me to loose focus of the assignment of this church.

Jesus really does build His church.
Do everything you can as a planter to pull off a great launch but at the end of the day, God is the one that will get the people there or see to it that they don't show up! I am not saying that God doesn't want people to come to Christ or doesn't want your church to be a success. I am saying that in my case having a big crowd there would have hindered what He wanted to do in me and it would have caused us to miss His purpose for being in Vegas. Everything that has been successful so far has been a direct result of God's work. Bringing the right person, the $$ showing up right on time, opening a door that we didn't even know to knock on!!

If there is any quit in you at all, don't plant a church!
Our first 3 months of doing church, there were 3 Sunday's total that i left there thinking to myself, "If i were a guest, i would go back". The rest of the time i left aggravated, deflated, depressed and disgusted! (I am not kidding!) If i was a quitter I would have packed up and headed back to Alabama several times. This has been the hardest thing i have ever attempted in my life but at the same time it has been, by far, the most rewarding and fullfilling thing I have ever been a part of.

These are the big 3 lessons that I have learned so far on this journey and i know there are sooooo many more to come. I am at the place as a follower of Christ, a husband, father and pastor where i welcome the lessons because I know that God is at work here in Las Vegas and He is teaching me to be the man that can join Him!

It's TIME!!!

2008-08-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have to say that i love this time of the year. College football is kicking off tonight with some SEC action. Vanderbilt and South Carolina both open up their seasons with what should be easy wins for both schools. I love all of the hype and talk (thank the Lord for the internet) about who will end up on top in January and who is favored in what games. All of it is great fun but at the end of the day, it means nothing. Predictions from the top analysts and the pre-season polls are just opinions. There is no real way of knowing what will happen until the teams take the field. In other words, talking is great but we have to wait and see what each team will do. There are some great teams who have recruited well and have great coaches and are ranked very high nationally in the pre-season but have a mediocre or loosing seasons. Why? It can be for tons of reasons. Team leadership, morale, injuries, unity and on and on.

It's a lot like people. Listening to people say what they are going to do is great. Hearing a person tell me how great their past has been (last years season)is wonderful. But just like a football game, we have to wait and see what they do. What we say and what we do are sometimes worlds apart.
That's why i think there should be no pre-season polls. I think they should wait for one month of play and then release the polls. We can't argue with that. It's all about what each team has done up to that point. It's also a great way of measuring a persons leadership ability. All the hype is great and it makes for some good conversation to pass the time but i love to be around people who perform. Even if what they are doing isn't exactly right. At least they are in the game getting knocked around. Sooooo Roll Tide Roll!!

Thoughts from my devotion

2008-08-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

This morning (i couldn't sleep past 3:30 AGAIN!) i had a great time reading the book of Esther. I could really sense God's presence as i was reading this awesome book.
Here are some things that spoke to me this morning:

Pride
I could see parts of myself in Haman. All of his actions came from a heart full of pride. To the point that he ordered an entire race of people in his land murdered. All because Mordecai wouldn't bow to him. At times their have been instances in my life where i felt like i wasn't "treated" right. After all, i have PASTOR in front of my name!!! It's so easy for this to creep in when left unchecked.

Patience
I just love the fact that Mordecai displayed patience and allowed God to work His plan. So many times i try to figure things out and get ahead of what God wants to do. I am learning to take my time and watch what God is doing and then follow Him. It always works out better that way!!!!

Purpose
Imagine what Esther was feeling when she began to realize that God had set the stage for deliverance and she was a main player!!! You know, i believe that it's Gods desire that we live everyday with that same sense of Destiny over our lives. The truth is, we are someone's deliverance. We are the answer to someones problem. Someone in your life needs the gift that is in you. Think about it........who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this!

Can't wait

2008-08-23T22:07:00.001-07:00

It is Saturday night and i cannot wait to get to church. I know it sounds corny but i REALLY can't wait to worship with the people of Destiny Church. Why???

I know God will show up!
Each week is a great experience that i have with God's people that i cannot get alone.

Someone will come to Christ!
There is no greater feeling when someone hears the gospel for the first time and accepts Christ. That NEVER gets old.

I get to meet our first time guests!
It is always a pleasure to watch our first time guests experience the welcoming love from Destiny!

I get to hear how God has touched the life of a friend.......again!
Every week i have someone walk up to me before or after service and share an AMAZING testimony of how God has shown up in their lives in some very real ways. I LOVE it!!!

Church

2008-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

It happened again. I was out of the house on some business a few days ago when i had the opportunity to talk with a lady that attends Destiny. She is a new, growing Christian and has a friend that isn't saved. She began to tell me how her friend was involved in Kaballah and gave it up a few years ago. They began to talk about God and her friend's point of view was that any path could lead to God and that each person didn't need someone else to "channel" them to God. Well, the woman from Destiny got pretty confused because she didn't know what to say or how to defend her faith.
I had the opportunity to simply explain to her how sin entered the race of humans and how big of a gap that created between us and God because He is Holy and Righteous and Just. Being good can't do it. We are all born sinners. I then told her how that Jesus was born and his mom was a virgin and His Dad..........wasn't a earthly man........and His Blood was not corrupt with sin. At that point, her eyes got so big i thought they were going to jump out of her head! She GOT IT!!! She understood then why Jesus is the only qualified path to God and that just being good can't do it.
Those moments for me are "church". That's why i live. Her walk is strengthened and her faith is sure. I LOVE VEGAS!

Lids

2008-08-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

Often times in my life I have come to places in my personal growth where I hit "lids". You know, those blind spots that you have that everybody else can see but you?? We all have them. I have them right now and am unaware of them. I HATE them. Even when i am reading books and listening to CD's and am spending time in God's word they are still there. I have been so blind to some of them that i didn't even have a clue that what i was reading or listening to could remotely apply to me! Thats when i have had a person in my life pull me off and point them out to me. I have to admit it is painful. Partly because we are so in love with ourselves we can take things like that personal and partly because we are so blind to them it kinda is like getting hit and not seeing it coming. Looking back over those times in my life where a friend or mentor pointed something out, they have been right 100% of the time. Most of the time i didn't believe them at first and even argued with some. I left thinking "They just don't understand the whole situation" or even worse i began to look at their flaws.
I am grateful that God placed people in my life that were not afraid to risk hurting my feelings to tell me a truth that will save me years of pain and potentially cause me not to reach my potential. Do you have someone like that in your life? Have you ever been told about a blind spot that you just didn't see? I would love to hear about it.

And then it happened.

2008-08-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at my desk going over my sermon and playing out the day in my mind. How it will look, the service transitions, worship and so on. I am talking to God and listening to some worship and getting in His presence. I am wondering who will be there and how the sermon will go........and then it happened. I got a phone call from a family in our church. Their story is absolutely awesome. I do not have time to share all of it but for the last few weeks there have been some issues and today it kind of came to a head. He told me that he picked up the phone to "deal with this" by screaming and going off and giving them a piece of his mind and then he said that he stopped at the phone and said out loud to his wife, "You know we have been going to church. And everything we have been hearing is about forgiveness and we are trying to be a better religous family." He then picked up the phone and was calm and reached out in love.
For me......that was church. Not a Sunday service or a sermon or a worship set. This guy who, six months ago wouldn't set foot in a church, was now adjusting his decisions to God's word. That's church for me. That's the real life of a Christ follower.
I love what i get to do.

Church Planters

2008-08-15T15:01:00.001-07:00

This week I had a meeting with a church planter new to the valley. He has started a home bible study in the Spring Valley area. We met at Starbucks and when i walked in, there sat Shane Phillips (The pastor of The Crossings) with another church planter that will be doing something near the strip. Over the past few months i have had a lot of contact with guys that are planting here and all over the country. It is really awesome to hear their stories and see how God is doing miracles and opening doors for them. It really gives me a look into what God is doing all over the place. God is active and moving right here in our church and all over the world. Sometimes its easy to get all caught up in our little worlds that we miss the big picture. We are not doing "our" thing. We are apart of a much bigger picture that God wants to accomplish in our generation. Its very exciting to think in terms of purpose and destiny. To KNOW that i am where i am supposed to be, doing what i am supposed to be doing, when i am supposed to be doing it!! I love it and couldn't dream of doing anything else.

Close to Jesus

2008-07-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

I have often times thought of what it must of been like for the disciples to talk to Jesus face to face. To see the compassion in His eyes and hear the authority in His voice. How about those kids? They got to sit on His lap while He put His hand on them and blessed them. It had to have been a blast the day he fed 5000. I imagine what it would have been like the day the woman was caught in adultery and was about to be stoned. Wonder what He drew in the sand that day? I would love to have heard Him deliver the sermon on the mount or watch a blind person see for the very first time.
I was talking to Jesus a few years ago about this and how i was really jealous of those who knew Him in this capacity and the Holy Spirit quickly spoke to me and said that those folks would trade all of those days for the opportunity to be alive in your time for just ONE day! I never thought about that until then. They were looking at the fulfillment of the promise and we get to walk in it everyday! My prayer today is that I would live my life in such a way that i would be found worthy of such a great gift.

Sunday reflections

2008-07-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give everybody a HUGE thank you for a great Sunday. I look forward to services at Destiny every week because i get to hear what God is doing in the lives of so many people. Look for some great things in the very near future: Saturday evening prayer, monthly communion services and Sunday prayer partners. God is really up to some awesome stuff right now. The best is yet to come!!!
Have a great week!!

Spiritual Warfare

2008-07-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this week with the kids from Texas! They really worked hard and got a good idea of what life is like in Vegas. The party in the park was awesome. We had over 500 in attendance and several families said they wanted more information about Destiny. The team spent a day and a half volunteering at Ries Elementary and the teachers had nothing but GREAT things to say about the kids. All of this is great but for me the most exciting and even life changing thing that happened was when we hiked up the trail at Exploration Peak Park for a short devotion, prayer and worship time. We faced west and stretched our hands over the Mtns. Edge community and asked God to send a church planter there. A community of thousands with no church. No pastors, no body reaching out to them. For all we know, we were the very first believers to pray that specifically for them. I LOVE it. That is doing some serious warfare on their behalf. I must admit my mind was reeling with ways for us to do church there. Who knows......maybe the church we were praying to be planted there is an extension of Destiny!!!

Confessions of a Church Planter

2008-06-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

I have been corresponding lately with several church planters who are at different phases of planting. Some are building a team, others are fund raising and some are just a few short months away from the BIG DAY! I have been thinking a lot about what to say to these great couples. Here are a few thoughts: I cannot stress the importance of having a great team in place. The team will determine how many people you can hold and how quickly you can connect new ones. Make sure they are "healthy leaders". Next i tell them to start raising money asap. We have some outside monthly partners that have really made the difference. I tell planters to ask big. Big vision needs big money but big money needs a big vision! And lastly i spend time talking about fighting discouragement. This is a big one. Most of us have had our expectations blown away. It usually isn't what we picture in our minds. While God is building a church He is at the same time doing a great work IN us. You must have a no quit attitude. Early on i felt like if we just pulled off a service (even with everything going wrong) it was a win. There were Sunday's that i didn't want to go. But that has all changed because of our consistency and His faithfulness. I am still learning so much about myself, leadership and life! I am loving the journey.

who'da thunk

2008-06-11T20:46:00.001-07:00

Our First Baptism Service

2008-06-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday afternoon and i just got home but i couldn't wait to capture some thoughts from our first baptism service. It was so awesome! Today we baptized 16 people and most of them had accepted Christ at Destiny. I wanted to say a special "thank you" to everyone that helped make Destiny Church a reality in Vegas. There are so many people that gave financially, people that prayed for us, people that served on our launch team, those that coached us along, and everybody that serves week in and week out. Today was fruit of your giving. All of us worked hard to see this day and it is paying off in eternal ways!!! I can't help but think what our baptism service will look like one year from now. We already have people signing up to be baptized next quarter. I LOVE our church. God has done some great things already as we are approaching our 6 month anniversary but get ready............the best is yet to come!
What were your thoughts on today's service?

The Best is Yet to Come

2008-06-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and Tracy and I are each busy with all of the administration that comes with preparing for the week ahead as well as all of the things that have to be completed as a result of another GREAT weekend at Destiny Church. I think it was the biggest crowd we have seen to date for our pastors lunch which is a great sign because it means there are several families interested in becoming fully devoted followers of Christ! There is a lot of stuff going on this summer beginning in the next few weeks. A new sermon series starting, a missions team coming in late June from Texas, 2nd gear discipleship class launches on the 15th, Bert and Sarah will have their first baby tomorrow the 3rd, my sister is moving here from Alabama in 2 weeks...........BUT i cannot help but find myself anticipating this Sunday's service. It will be our first baptism service as a church family. This will always be something special at our church each time we do it but this being the very first one will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We are seeing the baby steps of a dream that God began to birth in our hearts 2 years ago take shape. Stop and think about what God has done in just 20 weekends. It's amazing!!! Just imagine what our baptism service will look like this time next year. The best is yet to come!!!!!!!!!

$1000 Giveaway!

2008-05-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jessie Roa Jr. on winning the $1000 giveaway! Yesterday was so much fun wrapping up our study on the topic of generosity. I personally learned so much about being a generous person not just with my finances but in every area of my life. It helped me better understand the "why" behind what I do in relation to serving others. I can see God at work right now in our church family by creating a heart of service in people. I am so grateful for all of the people that are generous with their gifts and time to make Destiny a great church. Without the "unseen members" at work, there is NO WAY we could pull off what we do on Sunday mornings. From the set up crew to the kids ministries and everything in between you guys are becoming a dream team! Because of you, we saw 5 people accept Christ yesterday, and we were able to bless someone with $1000. God has done amazing things and we are only 19 weeks old!!!! I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve when i think about where we will be one year from now!!! Thanks for allowing me and Tracy to be a part of it.

Pastor Duane White

2008-05-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

This week I had the honor of hosting Pastor Duane White of The Bridge Church in Denton, Tx and founder of Beyond These Shores Ministries in our home for two nights of ministry with some of our leadership team. Pastor Duane opened the Word and hit the nail right on the head with where we are as a team. His strong prophetic gift was in action both nights as some very powerful words were spoken over several members of the team. I am really excited to see what God will do in the coming months. I know that we are sitting at a very strategic and important time in the life of our church. God is doing some things VERY quickly right now. I can see that it was a divine appointment for Pastor Duane to be here at this time. I know that God has changed me within the last month and I also know that He has changed the lives of several people in our fellowship in radical ways!! He is getting us ready for something great! Has there been an increased amount of "God activity" in your life lately? If so please share it.

And Their Off!

2008-05-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's official, my girls made it all the way to Alabama today. They have never flown before and they did it all alone. Tracy cried (no surprise) and Isaac is already asking when are they coming back! We will miss them a lot while they are gone but it will be good for them to get some grandparent time in. They are very excited to see their friends back in Alabama but it was hard leaving the friends they have made here. I am so grateful for what God has done in our family with this transition to a new home. We were kinda worried at first about the girls finding other girls their age. The boys did fine because they played football almost right away. It took about 4 months of me and Tracy just getting outside in our neighborhood playing with our kids and then slowly other kids began coming out to join us. That was the perfect chance for us to go knock on some doors and meet our neighbors. Many of them attend and serve at Destiny! The kids really do not fully understand the very important role they have in building the church. Do you have any stories where God used something unlikely to get His will done in your life?

Blown Away!

2008-05-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

I have to say that this whole RAOK thing is really generating some excitement in so many lives as well as mine. I have heard so many stories of how people are really touching the lives of others in their world. Just take some time and read some of the comments below. In church yesterday we learned that generosity has nothing to do with our money, possessions or our STUFF. It's all about the heart. I am seeing so many "heart's" at work in our church. People are getting there serve on in some amazing ways.
I know that we have all been waiting to hear how Richard is doing with the $50 bucks i entrusted to him to him. To live with it "wide open". I spoke with him yesterday and he handed me a piece of paper with a list of things he had done to show generosity to people around him. The list included: buying lunch for two students in line behind him. Buying a card showing his thanks to a woman of influence in his life. He bought some food for a homeless person. He paid for the food of some people behind him in line at a restaurant. I loved reading his list. Most of all though, the smile on his face as he handed me the paper was worth it all. I saw his "heart" shinning through. He was SO PROUD of himself. I am proud of him as well. What if RAOK was a way of life for us all? What if it wasn't an "event" or a card? We may be on to something here...................
Keep the comments coming. You are encouraging all of us in this SERVALUTION!!!!

RAOKing

2008-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

This morning Tracy and I went to Starbucks to perform some RAOK's. It was great. I went first and asked the guy in front of me if I could buy his coffee. He almost jumped back 3 feet because i actually talked to him and then when i offered to buy his coffee he was very confused. I explained to him that i attended Destiny Church and we are doing random acts of kindness. I handed him a RAOK card and he agreed. Still a little taken back, he looked at the card I bet 5 times while waiting for his coffee. Before he left he walked up to me, smiled and said thanks. Tracy was next. She caught two ladies in line and offered to buy their coffee and they couldn't understand why so she handed them a RAOK card and they said they were from North Vegas and were just passing through but told her they had never heard of anything like this before. They wouldn't let her buy their coffee and told her to buy someone's else's that lived down here but kept the card and commented again how bizarre it was and that they had never heard of something like this. So we sat down and we said we would wait for "the" lady to come in. In just a few min. she walked in. Tracy offered to buy her coffee and the lady was very confused until Tracy told her why and gave her a card. Come to find out she works for safe key at the same school we meet in. There is something significant to this for those of you who know the history here. God is awesome!!! How is your RAOKing going???

WOW!

2008-04-27T13:31:00.001-07:00

What an awesome service today! It was great to see so new faces at Destiny today. Our church is a VERY special place. I love it! I couldn't imagine doing life with any other group of people. Today there were 5 people that accepted Christ!!!!! You guys are doing an amazing job of inviting your friends and family to church. We started our series "In God we Trust?" today and it was great. Thanks to the Women's Medical Research Center for allowing us to partner with them in helping minister to families in Vegas! Every single baby bottle was gone after service!!! I told Carlye that we will need MORE bottles for next week. I am so proud of our church. I can't wait to hear about the random acts of kindness that we will be performing this week. I will be blogging this week about mine and Tracy's RAOK moments. Make sure that you leave a comment here and share with our community how God used you to be "generous" in the lives of others this week. Remember, It's all His. He's entrusted some to me. What He's entrusted to me, I am to use for Him! Let's live life WIDE OPEN this week and change our world for Jesus!!!!

Generosity

2008-04-24T10:37:00.001-07:00

I am very excited about the upcoming series on generosity. This series is going to be packed full of of opportunities for all of us at Destiny Church to express generosity to our community. First, we will be handing out RAOK (random acts of kindness) cards each week. The idea is for us to look for ways we can show generosity to someone by doing small acts of kindness and then handing that person a RAOK card telling them that we attend Destiny Church. It could be paying for someone's gas or groceries. It could be washing a neighbors car or helping out a little extra at the office. Whatever we feel the Holy Spirit prompting and giving us the opportunity to do. Next, we are partnering with the Corps of Compassion for a Ravioli drive. The Corps feed several hundred homeless and hungry kids every weekend. Each week we will have the opportunity to bring a can or a case of Ravioli to church. We are also partnering with the Women's Medical Research Center for a baby bottle drive. We will have baby bottles on the back table for each family to take one and fill it up with spare change during the series to help needy ladies with pregnancies and medical issues they may be facing. Both of these organizations are Christian based and are right here in our city! Finally, the last week of the series, we are going to pay $1000 off of someone's credit card debt!!! I can't wait!!! This is going to be a church changing series! Don't miss a single week of it and make sure to bring someone with you!!!!!!!!!

sleep walker

2008-04-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today i want to share a story with you. This morning Tracy told me something. I am not sure that i fully believe her. Let me know what you think!!! She and I are doing this low-carb diet for a while and have been on it now for about 3 weeks and have been doing great. Well this morning she tells me that last night she caught herself sleepwalking 3 times. The first time she said she was standing at the top of the stairs looking down. The second time she said she was downstairs looking in a cabinet. The third and final time she said she woke up with a mouth FULL of pizza!!! She said she spit it out immediately. First of all, i have never known her to sleep walk and secondly she had a mouth full of pizza!!!!! Come on!!!! She denies any malicious behavior and pleads complete innocence. I am not sure i believe that......................Maybe i will take up "sleepeating" tonight. hehe
what do you think? Is she guilty or a victim of a diet gone to far???

Get Your Serve On!

2008-04-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished a great book on servant leadership. I think it will be one of my all time favorite reads. It really re-focused my life mission. I like to think of the Kingdom of God like an upside down kingdom. If I want money to be a blessing, I give some away. If i want to be great, i become the servant of all. If i want a great ministry I have to serve another's. Sometimes it is so easy for me to live life in an "earth" way instead of the Kingdom way. Before i know it, i am fearful about finances and struggling to make my church grow and worrying about how i look in others eyes. If i am not careful and intentional i can easily allow situations and circumstances affect me. I have to remind myself that what is going on inside of me is so much BIGGER than anything going on around me. With God' help I am viewing my life with greater clarity and understanding. Like never before i see that my life isn't at all about me. Who can i serve into greatness to day? Who can i bless with what i have been blessed with? Who can i sow into today? My goal???? Get my serve on!!!!

2008-04-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Great to be home! I spent an amazing week in Alabama and Oklahoma. I attended the ARC conference in Birmingham and then from there I was at Bishop Tony Millers conference in Oklahoma city. I got to hear from some of the best pastors and leaders in the body of Christ. Men like Brian Houston of Hillsong Church, Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands, Kelly Varner and Bishop Miller. God really spoke some great things to my spirit this week. Of the things that impacted me the most was when I heard the Holy Spirit say to me "Get out of the way!" I was praying about our church and our country. I have read the church planting books, interviewed church planters and have had some of the best coaching available but NOTHING can replace the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit. He knows what our city needs better than anybody. My resolve is to pray, listen, and have the guts to obey. Even if it cuts against the grain of church planting normal! Have you ever had a plan that God interrupted? Did you obey or stick to it? What was the outcome?