Weary Wednesday

It’s just after 5pm on a Wednesday evening.  Ordinarily, I would be trying to shut down my computer to begin the treck back to Auburn from Montgomery.  BUT, today I am already in Auburn.

I like to work from home . . . but today’s reasons make it much less exciting.  I don’t usually have allergies and related issues to deal with.  BUT, my sinuses are majorly messed up . . . So instead of going to Montgomery after Journey Staff meeting, I came home to work for a little while so I could go to the doctor and get some drugs.

I’m worn out.  I hope I start feeling a little better tomorrow.

Whine complete.

Tuesday Night

It’s after 5pm on a Tuesday night . . .

That means I’m winding down at the office and looking forward to Growth Group tonight!

We’re probably gonna have a full house tonight.

I’m pumped.

Pithy Perceptions

Here’s a quick recap for Sunday night:

• The band rocked this morning.
• We had a pile of stuff in the seats.
• I had to talk through all the stuff during the welcome.
• Was glad to see a few people back for 2nd & 3rd time.
• Pumped to see some relationships growing — makes us “sticky.”
• I almost went “MAD” this morning.
• I think I should have.  It would have fit the series.
• I don’t think I should have.  It wouldn’t really fit me.
• “Relating” to our money got me thinking about some stuff.
• My wife is the cutest pregnant lady ever.
• Katie is the cutest fetus ever.
• Vince’s T-Shirt book has me thinking about some stuff.
• I’m wondering if my theology has created excuses for my complacency at times.
• If it has, my theology is way wrong.
• I think I’ve dropped the ball on a few things lately.
• I need to regroup a little this week.
• I managed to run 3 days last week.
• My knee is hurting a little, and I think I need new shoes.
• I’m gonna try to get up and run tomorrow anyway.
• Emily and I are starting to research baby stuff.
• We started a Target registry.
• Several Growth Groups are really starting to do well.
• I’m going to be real sad when Growth Groups wind down for the semester.
• I really look forward to our Growth Group each week.
• I’m about to challenge some folks to step up to the plate and lead our Growth Groups for a week or two.
• We need some more Growth Group Leaders and Host Homes for the fall.
• If it doesn’t happen, it’s my fault.
• I’m going to be a daddy.
• I’m going to be a daddy?!?!?!?!?!?
• I’m thinking I should spend the next 16 years at the shooting range getting ready for that first boy to ring our doorbell asking to see Katie. . .
• If Katie is as cute as her mother, it probably won’t take 16 years, which is even scarier.
• I had a great conversation about Baltimore and Church Planting with one of our newer couples this morning.  I hope it challenges them as much as it is me.
• Crazy week ahead of me this week.
• Hopefully some important decisions on some major projects will be made soon.
• “Pithy Perceptions” is a really brainy way to say, “I’m having an ADD night and my brain is all over the place.”

It’s a GIRL!!!

Hey folks!

I went with Emily to have a sonogram done yesterday.  WE’RE HAVING A LITTLE GIRL!

I am SOOOOO excited.  I woulda been cool with a boy or a girl, but deep down I really wanted a girl first.

SOOOOOOO . . .

Say hello to Katie Kulp!

If you want to see more photos, look for the album on my facebook.

Auburn CityFest 2008

Hey folks!  You may have noticed in yesterday’s Worship Guide at Journey Church that there are still some needs for volunteers at Auburn CityFest this Saturday, April 26.

If you or your Growth Group would like to volunteer, you need to get on it fast, because the deadline for applications is TODAY!

Go to: http://www.auburncityfest.com/frmVolunteerInfo.aspx

You can download the application and find more info there.

This is a great Get-Off-The-Couch opportunity!

Thanks!

Not-so-late night . . .

Well, for most people, almost midnight may still be a late night . . . But for me, Saturdays have become after midnight work nights most weeks, as I wait until Emily dozes off before I dive full-force into putting together the Growth Groups material for the week.

Thanks to our friends at Mountain Lake Church for sending Casey Graham to teach us tomorrow, and for providing some supporting material.  It made my Saturday Evening workload much lighter this week.  With the material they sent, I discovered some other discipleship tools they are providing their people.  Eric and I have been talking about raising the bar for discipleship.  I emailed their folks for more help.  This may be a bridge for a new tool is transforming people in Auburn into passionate followers of Jesus Christ.  Let’s move past just knowing God into GROWING into a relationship with Him and his people!

I’m pumped about this series!  I know that lives and lifestyles could change dramatically.  I think we might just make a mark on this town through the impact our lives experience as we change our perspective on our finances.

Bible Reading update

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’ve been reading through the New Testament.  It began with “getting reacquainted with Jesus” as I read through John, then Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  I read Luke last so it would springboard directly into Luke’s follow-up, the book of Acts.

I cruised through the book of Acts, energized by the stories of life change as the church exploded across the known-world at the time. At the same time, it depressed me as we find ourselves today just complaining about our circumstances and coming up with excuse after excuse as to why we aren’t seeing God power at work in transforming lives like we read in the book of Acts.  I haven’t figured it out yet, but I keep asking myself, “What do I need to do to open up the conduit for God’s work and power in the world around me like I read in the New Testament?” 

How about you?  What do you need to do?  Do you have any suggestions for me?

As a side note, there’s something at the end of Acts that has often puzzled me.  In Acts 25, Paul appears before Festus.  During this appearance, Paul pulls his “Roman Citizen” card an appeals to Caesar.  Festus replies, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

But, as the story plays out, at the end of Acts 26, you find this statement, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

What if Paul hadn’t made that appeal?  Would he have been killed in Jerusalem (probably.)  Would he have gone about more missionary Journeys to Italy, Spain, Africa, and beyond?  Would he have never made it to Rome, where he longed to go so bad?  Was appealing to Caesar a “free ticket” way for him to finally get to Rome?  Did Paul’s appeal to Caesar force him to live the rest of his life in chains or under house arrest, when it might not have been necessary?

All these are intesting questions to ask . . . But the best part is this:  God used the circumstances to advance the Gospel (See the rest of Acts).  In all honesty, it didn’t matter if Paul’s appeal to Caesar was really the best course of action.  We serve a BIG God, and He has the ability to use any situation we are in to His advantage.  I don’t have to worry so darn much about whether I need to go this way or that way.  I need to pray, draw near to God, and take a leap of faith.  He’ll lead me in the right way, and He will use it to make His name famous.

New Series

I’m pumped about the new series at Journey Church: MAD MONEY

Some people hate when churches talk about money.  Well, if all they are doing is asking for money, I can understand why.  BUT, this series is about helping you deal with money.  The Bible has a lot to say about money.  God knows we all struggle with finances sometimes.

Emily and I have been working hard over the past couple of years to rework our finances and to put ourselves in a position where our debt is really beginning to disappear.  However, it hasn’t always been that way.  Our first year of marriage was not pretty.  We had some expenses we couldn’t control that put us into some debt.  We also made some purchases we probably could have done without.  BUT, we got ourselves on track and have been working hard to do it right.

If you want some REAL practical help in moving toward financial freedom in your family . . .

Come join us for the next three Sundays as we talk about MAD MONEY.  We’re also having a special seminary called “ReThink Money” by the President of ReThink Money, Casey Graham.

If you want more info, email the church.  They’d be glad to get you signed up!

 

I love to preach.

Yeah.  I got to teach this morning at Journey.  Eric has been trying to let me teach every 6-8 weeks.  This time, I got a freebie.  We finished one series last week, and will start a new series next week . . . so I got to pray though, select a scripture, and develop a totally stand-alone message.

The hardest part was definitely seeking God on what message He had for Journey this weekend.  It kinda scares me to think that I will be responsible to come up with it every week when we step out into our own church . . .

But man, I got my preach on this morning.  I was pumped.  The band ROCKED, which got me even more pumped.  Eric gave me some illustration ideas, and I came up with another good one followed right in line . . . Several people gave me positive feedback after the message, which is probably the most encouraging part.  Especially when some of them were first-time guests!

I’m sure Eric and I will sit down and discuss it a little more later . . . But I really think I’m starting to settle in to the new perspective on preaching that I’ve developed since coming to Journey.  I’m also starting to feel like I’m taking that perspective and tailoring it for my own gifts and communication style.  I really appreciate Eric for the opportunities . . . When Baltimore is TRANSFORMED, they will appreciate it, too!

Attention Church Planters!!

Montgomery, Alabama needs a new church that can rock the house.

Just today, I had 4 hits on my blog from people searching for a church plant in Montgomery.  (One was for “montgomery alabama, church perry noble”, as nutty as thay may be.)

Emily and I have prayed about moving to Montgomery countless times.  I commute to Montgomery most days. We almost moved there once.  God has confirmed in our spirits that we just don’t fit in Montgomery long-term.

Don’t get me wrong.  There’s hundreds of churches in Montgomery.  However, a vast majority of them are carbon copies of the same basic church (traditional or old-school contemporary).  There’s only a couple churches doing things different.  There seems to be lack of churches reaching segments of the population that “hate church.”

If you’re in the Montgomery area and are looking for a young, rocking, crazy church . . . I personally suggest taking a short drive up to Millbrook and check out Journey Church of Millbrook.  Or, we’d be glad to have you at Journey Church, Auburn, too.

If you have a little more church background, but are looking for something a little more contemporary, you may want to check out Vaughn Forest Church or Landmark Church of Christ.

If you want to talk to me more about this, leave a comment.  If you’re in Montgomery, feel free to contact me at Godwin-Jones Architecture and Interior Design, Inc. (My current employer.)

** Disclaimer — there are churches in Montgomery that I don’t know about, but this post is based on my perceptions of the churches I have at least some level of familiarity with.