Sunday Props

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!!

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!

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!!

I Just Don't Get It

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!