Jan

I am really fired up about our first series of 2010!  This coming Sunday, we start “One Month To Live” which is based, in part, on the book by Chris and Kerry Shook.

Phillip will kick this series off with an overview talk of what it looks like to live a “No Regrets” life.   Over the next several weeks we will walk through and dig into God’s word and discover four principles of intentional living.  Our hope and prayer is that we will all learn what it means to:

Live Passionately

Love Completely

Learn Humbly  and

Leave Boldly

Our “theme” verse for this series is “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”  Psalms 90:12 (LB)

If you live in the Aiken County area you can join us Sunday mornings for this series at one of our three campuses of Cedar Creek Church.  Click here for more information, service times or directions to a campus near you or to join us for the messages online.

One Month To Live Challenge

• Ask everyday – What would I do if I had one month to live?
• Get connected with a H.O.M.E. Group to fully experience this series!

Jan

This is the “Holbrook paraphrase:”

The Law of Requisite Variety states that for a system to thrive and sustain, it must generate and encourage variety within it’s internal structures.  Clear?

Ok.  A little more simplified and cliche’…routine is the enemy!

Basically, this is why your body plateaus every two weeks of doing the exact same exercise and you see no further improvement.  Your body will find the most efficient way to do whatever you ask it to do and, without variety of exercises, you fail to experience increased strength or endurance.  That’s why mixing up workouts, increasing load or duration always produces positive results.

Spiritually, we do the same thing without even realizing it.  Sing the same song week in and week out, pray the same exact prayer everytime you eat a meal, structure a service the exact same way every week and, soon enough, it becomes routine…rote…ritual.  Growth stops.  Interaction ceases.  You check out.  The words no longer mean anything, you don’t actually think about what you’re thanking God for and you do not experience worship anymore.  You plateau.  You slump.

The sacred becomes routine.

What is the sacred or special in your life that has become routine?

Maybe it’s in your relationship with your spouse…

Maybe it’s in the way you interact with God’s word…

Maybe it’s you talking AT God and not listening TO God…

Maybe it’s in the way you serve…or don’t serve…

Most of the time, to break out of the slump, it requires just a simple change.  Often a little variety helps break the stagnation.

Always do your quiet time in the same place?  Move.

Always read the NIV translation?  Try KJV or NLT or The Message paraphrase.

Always pray the exact same prayer?  Talk to God and LISTEN.  Don’t just demand whatever it is you think you need without ever spending time being still…and quiet.

Not connected in a HOME group and part of a Sunday morning team?  Take a step.  Visit a group (or two) and volunteer.

It’s a new year and time to get out of the rut!

Jan

There is something about a cow.  I’m not really sure what IT is but they are…cute…in an ugly sort of way.  They are big, even the young ones, and they are curious.  So are kids…curious, that is.

Outdoors, you can’t help but see God’s handiwork displayed in all of His creation.  Even…in the face of a cow.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  Romans 1:20(NIV)

Jan

Alright…the question is, “What is your plan for reading through God’s word this year?”

Do you have a plan?  If not, let me make a recommendation…YOUVERSION.  The folks at Lifechurch.tv have put together a great, free resource.

www.youversion.com is an online Bible in different languages and different translations.  They also have 20 suggested reading plans that you can personalize and use this coming year.  It syncs up to Iphone and Blackberry or other “smart” phones and has an online journal to keep up with your writings and notes as you read.

I have picked mine and started reading.  What say you?  Do you have a plan?  Comment back here and let me know which one you go with!

Jan

Happy New Year everyone.

I have finally put together my list of books “to read” for this coming year.  If you’re interested, you can check them out here.  Not sure which one I’m most excited about getting to, however, I think “Last Child in the Woods” is high on my list.  Given the theme, and my heart for the woods, I am very interested to see what the author has to say.  I have long believed that much of our ills as a society stem from kids with nothing to do and a general lack of interest / opportunity to explore the great outdoors.

Peace to you and yours this year.

May 2010 be our best yet!

Dec

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family.  This past year has been an incredible start to this new adventure that God has for our family.  We are so thankful for all of you who are walking with us.  Your love, prayers, friendship and partnership has encouraged and strengthened us more than you will ever know.

May God bless each of you and keep you growing closer to Him and closer to one another in 2010!

Much love from our house to yours,

Wes, Keli, Will and Hannah

Dec

Spend a little time around Cedar Creek Church and you will hear somebody say, “The bigger we get, the smaller we  have to get.”  It is a core value and the heart of all that we do.  To maintain that intimacy and authentic sense of community, we must multiply our HOME groups and our campuses as we grow.  This has never been more true than this past year.  After seventeen years, Cedar Creek went from one church in one location to one church in three locations.  Over this past year we’ve learned many new things and have been reminded of many things that we knew but had gotten away from.

One thing that came back to us was the need to appreciate our volunteers in smaller gatherings and throughout the year in simple, yet effective, ways.

Keli and I had the privilege of serving dinner, along side of our HOME group coaches, to our HOME group leaders at Jay and Anita Judy’s house.  We gathered together to show our appreciation to our leaders for shepherding God’s people day in and day out.  What a great time together!  The evening was reminiscent of the days when the entire church staff could meet in one living room.  Now, there will be many small group gatherings of this kind as God continues to bless the work He began at Cedar Creek in 1992.

As we constantly look for new and creative ways to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, some things must not change.  Life…happens in small groups, not in the large group gatherings.  We continue to gather in the big settings to worship and celebrate all that He is doing in us and through us.  We also must never give up meeting “from house to house.”  Thank you Lord for the reminder to “go back the way we came.”

Dec

 

So, I am woefully deficient when it comes to correspondence and communications. And everyone said, “Amen!”

Especially when it comes to this blog.

So…I am employing or deploying some systems, people and tools to help me do a better job.

This is just one step…my I phone. Yes, I know I am way behind on this technology but I am here. Better late than never!

We shall see if it works…

Oct

About a month ago I sold my truck.  I loved my truck but I realized that I did not love the monthly payment I was making on it.

A good friend loaned me his Jeep and I’ve been driving it for the past month while I’m looking for another truck.  One that is a little older and cheaper.  While I’ve been driving around town in this jeep, a 1988 YJ model, I have discovered an interesting phenomena that I’ve called “Jeep Love.”

Every Jeep that I pass on the road, whether it’s a Wrangler, CJ or YJ model, the driver will throw up a wave, peace sign or some type of signal to greet me.  It’s as if they’re saying “Peace Jeep brother, ” or something like that.  My kids and I have really gotten a kick out of this.  We have wondered aloud why, when driving my wife’s car, other Ford Focus drivers don’t do the same.  Come to think of it, while driving my former F-150, other Ford truck drivers did not offer a sign of friendship or brotherhood like my new Jeep friends do.

I’m not sure if it’s a secret Jeep thing or just some recognition and celebration of a uniqueness that Jeep owners have.  Some are off-road enthusiasts while some would never let their Jeep touch the mud.  Either way, they seem to be a friendlier lot than any other group of car owners that I’ve encountered.

Any thoughts?

Sep

There I was…minding my own business.  I was actually looking for something to eat when my wife says, “Hey honey, look what came in the mail today.”  “Stimulus check?”  I asked.  “No.  Just read it.” She said.  “Wow…unbelievable,” is all I could say out loud because my kids were nearby.

Some company…we’ll call it “Christian Kids, Inc.” sent us a postcard mailer advertising their products.  I won’t go into my rant about how we didn’t request this solicitation from them…just sayin’.  The flyer said, “Kids love church…when there’s something there for them.”  They were not selling children’s Bibles or the latest Sunday school curriculum or this summer’s coolest Vacation Bible School package.  No…they were selling coloring sheets.  COLORING SHEETS!

My first thought was…are you kidding me?  Coloring sheets?  For kids while they are at church?  Really?  This is what keeps bringing kids back to church?  Coloring sheets for them to do while their parents sit and listen to the truth of God’s word.

My wife explained that in many churches that is the extent of the discipleship or teaching about Jesus and the Bible that kids get.  They go into adult worship with their parents and, while the pastor is teaching, they…get to color.  Really.  I’m not making this up.  I did not grow up in the church so this is completely new to me.  Apparently, there are so many churches who employ this type of “children’s church activity” that there’s a company (possibly many companies) that make and sell coloring sheets so kids can be kept quiet and occupied during the message.

The funny thing about that is a few days earlier I had been watching a message by a pastor that I highly respect and actually saw, on the video, a young girl sitting between her parents coloring.  While she was coloring she was happily talking to her father who was talking to her and being completely distracted from some great teaching that his pastor was sharing.  I don’t fault the girl or her father.  They are merely doing what their church has decided is the best thing for kids to learn more about Jesus.  Coloring pictures of Jesus…and lambs or doves, I suppose.

This is one of the symptoms of what is wrong in many churches today.  We believe that children can’t possibly understand the deep and mysterious teachings that are found in God’s word.  We think that children, because they don’t tithe or because they can’t become deacons that it’s easier to occupy their time with some useless activity than to spend some money, recruit some folks who have a heart for God and for kids and develop an age appropriate worship experience that focuses on Jesus and the Bible.

Nickelodeon and Disney spend millions of dollars each year figuring out new and creative things that capture kids attention and their hearts while churches argue about spending a few hundred to do the same.  I would love to know how much money denominations have spent to boycott Disney when they really would be better suited spending it on age appropriate worship experiences for kids.

That’s what I love about our Kidz Creek folks at Cedar Creek Church.  They get it.  Their heart is to help Kidz ‘Love God and Love People.’   They are making disciples by Equipping parents to be the spiritual leaders in their homes, Engaging kidz in an age appropriate worship experience on Sundays and Empowering kidz to share Jesus in their world.  It works!  I hear story after story about families becoming followers of Jesus after coming to Cedar Creek because their child was invited and loved Wee Worship or Kidz Worship or Centerpoint.

Yesterday I had a friend say that they were going to be coming to church because their granddaughter, who is now living with them, did not want to change churches.  She has been coming to the Banks Mill campus for a while….and now so will her unchurched family members!   She is not coming for the coloring sheets.  She, and they, will be coming because the love of God is being taught and shown in very real, age appropriate ways that reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Praise Him!

Sep

We used this video Sunday to give folks a look at all that goes on outside of adult worship on Sunday.  We wanted to let them see what they often hear, our age appropriate worship gatherings from Wee Worship to Kidz Worship to Centerpoint.  Thanks Walter!

Jul

I have purposely stayed out of the debate surrounding the Michael Jackson funeral/worship event of recent days.  A child of the 70’s and 80’s I enjoyed Michael’s music and talent and had respect for him as an entertainer.  In later years, after much personal drama and lackluster attempts to regain the success and quality of his early career, I lost interest.

 

I have been looking for some perspective this week and came across this post from Ed Stetzer.  I believe it reveals what I’ve felt and did not have the words to communicate.

 

Thanks Ed.  I, too, am praying for the Brewer family.

Jul

Today is a good day for an update on where we stand in our partnership with the Aiken Family Y.  So here goes…

 

We are moving full steam ahead in our plans to partner with the Aiken Family Y (and others) in constructing the new facility that will house, among other things, the West Campus of Cedar Creek Church.  This morning, I had the opportunity to participate in a “net” meeting with the architects from McMillan Smith & Partners, developer Bob Deering (Fine Deering), Danny McConnell (president of the Metro Y) and others to discuss and view the proposed footprint plan of the building.  A few minor changes were necessary to make the design flow more effective for YMCA and West Campus use so there will be at least one more meeting in the near future before the “GO” is given on blueprints, etc.

 

The overall facility is a bit smaller than originally conceived due to budgetary issues and such, but, it is really a great plan that will meet the needs of all of our partners.  The proposed timeline for construction goes something like this:

 

Drawings will be completed in the next 6 months with groundbreaking taking place in January of 2010!  The typical Y building takes approximately 14 months to construct but we are  praying for 12 months which would allow us to begin meeting there in January of 2011.  Way cool stuff!

Each age appropriate worship experience will have it’s own space, permanently “setup” with audio and video for large group worship and also breakout space.  We will also have onsite storage and offices located inside the Y.  Some of the space is exclusive to Cedar Creek Church (with the option for our partners to use as needed and available) and some will be shared space that we occupy on Sundays.

 

For those who do not know, the West Campus currently meets at the USCA Convocation Center Sundays at 11:00 am.  It is a great facility and one that has been a blessing to be able to use for our gatherings.

 

All in all things are progressing nicely and we’re getting very close to a plan for “live streaming” our message from Banks Mill.  Pray that we are able to work that out in the very near future (next month or so) so that our folks can “worship one, serve one” and not miss the service on days that they are teaching, leading, etc.

 

Any questions, give me a shout!

Jun

 

This summer the Centerpoint crew from all three Cedar Creek Church campuses will be converging on Myrtle Beach for DEEPER.  A week long retreat / worship experience that encourages students to go DEEPER in their faith.  Check out the video below for more info…

 

May

Sheila’s Story from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

 

Love God, love people.

 

At Cedar Creek Church we say that all the time.  It is a “Reader’s Digest” version of the answer that Jesus gave to the question, “which is the greatest commandment?” (Matthew 22:34-40).

 

It is our mission in a nutshell.

 

But, do we mean it?

 

To say, “love God, love people” is easy.  To live it out is an entirely different thing.

 

Could you love this woman?  Would you be willing to show the love of Jesus to her in simple, practical ways?

 

I pray that, like our friends at Cross Point Church, we would be a church known for HOW we love and WHO we love…especially, crackhead prostitutes.

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