Jerry's Blog

Amazed

2010-09-29T21:23:00.003-04:00

Job 13:15
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.

This verse amazes me. Job is talking about God in the midst of heartbreak. He first recognizes that he is experiencing the pain partly because God is not stopping it. God could stop the pain but he wasn't so Job says, "Though he slay me." That is a hard thing to ponder, that God could do something about our painful circumstances and chooses not to. That choice is what is right, but still hard to think.

He goes on to say that despite this he is not going to stop trusting Him. He goes on to say that he is going to speak honestly before God, but not stop trusting him.

I know what he is feeling. There have been times in my life when I yell out to God. I knew that my God could change things and yet they were not changing. I couldn't understand that, and it left me with a choice...to continue to trust Him, or go my own way.

I refer to this verse a lot. I hope that I will never lose hope to trust in Christ even when my heart is screaming, "Dont trust Him, He's the one that won't change things."

Like Job I desire to trust Him, and I still argue with him occasion.

Belief or a Journey

2010-09-28T11:06:00.002-04:00

My heart is heavy these days because of what I see. It seems that the world, not to mention churches, is filled with people who have made the decision to follow Christ, to believe in Him, but why then is the world is not filled, not to mention churches, with people who are growing disciples of Jesus Christ? Why then do we not see churches and the world filled with people who's lives are taking on the character of God?

I think that somewhere along the way we were taught that being a follower of Jesus Christ is about having the right beliefs. That we must "believe in Him," and that is true, Jesus did call us to believe that He is the only God and died for our life. But belief it the starting line, not the destination. Being a Christ follower is more about a on-going journey than a set of beliefs. It is about seeing each day as a day gifted by God to seek Him in all things. It is a journey that has a lot of twists and turns, sunny and rainy days, laughter and crying, but it is a journey most of all to be enjoyed.

I think that we get so distracted in thinking life is about believing the right things about Jesus, and then going and doing life, making a paycheck, establishing a lifestyle, living comfortably, that we end up as people who never grow beyond just having the right beliefs about Jesus.

There is so much more that God has for you today...today, right now. Hold on to your beliefs and then enjoy the journey. Get into scripture, look for Him at work, listen for Him to speak in a conversation with a friend, hear Him speak through the worship at Piedmont. See each day as another leg in this incredible journey that God has created for you called life.

So go...enjoy the journey.

Are you Magic Rocks or a Guitar?

2010-04-13T11:17:00.004-04:00

Sunday I was speaking about how we often get into an identity crisis because we lose an understanding of who we are. In Christ we are not only a product of the explosive creative power of God, but a masterpiece in His eyes that he claims as a part of his private collection. That will never change, I will never lose that.

Though I never lose who I am in Christ, there is a battle going on for my understanding of who I am. When that understanding is stolen from me...I get into an identity crisis and instead of having a life of courage and confidence I have one of fear and discouragement. It doesn't have to be this way.

It is the difference between magic rocks and a guitar. Magic rocks are a toy product that you place in a container and in a matter of hours they grow into small stalagmites. They are colorful, but meaningless. Most of the time they are given as gifts and after a few days they are thrown away...meaningless product.

Oh the other hand, a guitar, when placed in the hands of someone with the skill to play it, can create music that moves, inspires, and challenges people. People can point to a song that impacted them, but no one ever says that their life was changed by magic rocks.

Do you think of your life as more like magic rocks (there is movement, color, busy happenings but it all seems a little meaningless) or a guitar (something that when I place myself in the hands of God can create something that is powerful for me and others.) As long as you let the words of others, the culture, and your circumstances shape your understanding of who you are, you will always feel more like meaningless magic rocks than a guitar that God can use.

Today commit to renew your personal pursuit of God so he can give clarity as to who you are, and help you see you like he sees you.

Who Am I?

2010-04-08T11:40:00.002-04:00

I have not been blogging lately, it is amazing how often things will get in the way of things that you love.

Today I am pondering how I am called in Ephesians 2:10 that I am God's "workmanship." That word in the the original language carries with it the idea of a fine piece of art, or poetry. I literally means that my existence is a sonnet penned by God himself. That sounds impressive. Poetry is an art form in which the author pours his heart into every word, it is intentional, it is passionate, it is personal. I am told that is my identity from God's perspective. That is reality.

That may be reality, but so often i do not feel that is my reality. I often feel average, tired, and and maybe even forgotten. What I am and how I view myself are often two different things...Why is that?

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Here is what I think as I read the stories of the scripture:

1. I don't choose to believe God. God tells me how valuable I am to him, that I am His sonnet, but I often choose to embrace my emotions more than choose to believe. Every moment we have an opportunity to decide what will lead us. We will either choose to be led by a choice or by an emotion. I can choose to believe that I am prized by God and today is a day to live as such, or I will let my life be led by the current emotions. What is leading your life today? Sometimes you just have to tell your emotions to SHUT-UP.

2. Lifestyle gets in the way - This goes to the question, "Is Christianity a set of beliefs or a lifestyle to embrace (and I am not talking about just a moral code)?" I think we get tired and frustrated when we strive to live by the perceived "Christian Code" more than we strive just to constantly ask, "Jesus, where/how can I submit my life to you right now? What is not under your leadership, and how do I get it there?" So often I think we reduce a life with Christ to a set of norms--is that ever powerful?

3. I need to enjoy what I have. So often I lose the joy of a moment because of instead of enjoying what I have, I am more consumed with what I don't.

Your thoughts?

Speaking at Tattnall Square Academy

2010-03-04T10:43:00.004-05:00

I am speaking at the Tattnall Square Academy's Spring Refuge (March 23rd-March 25th). Tattnall is a large private school in Middle Georgia and Refuge is their three day "revival" type event.

I have a real passion to challenge this student generation to live all out for Jesus Christ. I believe that they are the searching generation, and if they look to Christ, they could accomplish great things for the Kingdom. I want to challenge them in that, awaken their hearts to what could be.

We need this generation to remind us that following Jesus is not about adding Jesus to our life...it's about always seeking his desire in all things in our life, and altering our life to that desire. In my view, my generation and the ones before me have largely forgotten that. We need to be awaken.

So pray for my time with them, begin now to pray for the students, pray for God's Spirit to fill that place. Partner with me and pray for this everyday from now until March 25th.

Why I do what I do

2010-03-03T13:24:00.002-05:00

I am back into blog land. Today I am reminded why I do what I do, and why Piedmont is so important. The following is what someone "Facebooked" me who lives too far from Macon to attend Piedmont...but he attends by podcast.

What a GREAT message, I've listened via the web the last 2 weeks.
As a Christian, I know that He's in that "dark room" and sadly I usually
have my hands in my pockets, until I run into something that trips me
up, it's only then that I reach out to Him to break my "fall". My prayer
this week is that that my hands not be in my pockets, but they will be
constant in the "gropping" for Him and His guidance in the "dark room"
as well as His leadership in the "well lighted" areas in my life!
God Bless You my Friend, and may God continue to use you in great ways!!

That fires me up!!! Big announcement this Sunday, do not forget.

Still getting unleashed

2010-01-04T12:44:00.002-05:00

Wow, I love Sunday. I love showing people that God wants is to blow our minds if we would take the risk and get unleashed with Him.

Now getting unleashed is not usually an overnight event. To truly live unleashed for Christ is a big change that is the result of a focused commitment to some small steps. Its like when Nehemiah saw that the walls of Jerusalem were down and that the city was in ruins. He didn't just wait for God to show up and make a big change. No, he challenge all the people to pick up a brick, not to throw it at someone, but to put is down on top of another brick, and keep taking the small bricks and stacking them on one another.

Over time each small brick built a big wall. Small steps can lead to big changes. Big changes in our lives usually happen when we commit ourselves to taking small step that we know that God desires for us to take. That small step, along with other small steps, leads to big changes.

The reason that many people never get unleashed for Christ is because they give-up on daily taking small steps. They want instant big change or they will give up trying, and the the "desolate city" in their life is never rebuilt.

Have you asked God, "What are my small step that I can commit to today and tomorrow that will one day lead to some big changes?" He is waiting to talk with you.

Unleashed

2009-12-30T16:14:00.002-05:00

I am spending a lot of time thinking about a statement I am making this Sunday in the first of the Unleashed series. Here is what I say:

"why is it that in today's brand of Christianity we want to risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, and lose nothing when the very one we claim to follow risked everything, sarificed everything, and lost everything for us."

I wonder if we have lost what it means when Jesus said that to find life...WE MUST LOSE IT. I am not saying we can't live large lives, but I am saying that living a life for us first has to be left behind. How is it possible to follow Jesus when we spend all our prayers asking him to join and bless our lives and mission. Who is following who?

Ok, I know I am sounding closely like the old Southern Baptist preacher, however, my words here are for those who know Jesus and not those who do not. Following Jesus is about always adjusting your life and family to his mission, and not just adding Jesus, morality, church, and a few bible verses to your life.

I want to scream from the highest building...It is time to unleash our lives to Jesus Christ. It is time to feed and heal the poor, challenge the rich to give and serve, and invest in those whom God has placed in our lives, it is time to get active in our communities so that our influence for Jesus can increase. It is time to stop just attending church on Sunday, and start being the church everyday of our lives.

MORE TO COME.

I am so pumped about this!!!

2009-12-16T14:28:00.002-05:00

I am so very excited to announce The Journey 2010. One day I realized that there were 260 weekdays (mon-fri) in a year, and there were 260 chapters in the New Testament. If we all read just one chapter a day, Monday through Friday, for a year, we would read through the entire New Testament. Seeing that the scripture is the primary place that God communicates to us, just imagine what could happen if we expose our heart and minds to it all week, every week. I know that this could be life- changing!

In addition, I have gathered 26 authors to write devotions that will go along with the chapter for the day and that devotion will be sent to everyone who is registered with The Journey. Imagine reading a chapter of the New Testament and reading a short devotion along with it written by someone who is right here in Middle Georgia, someone who knows what life around here is like - how encouraging will that be!

If you register to participate with The Journey 2010 here is what will happen:
1. You will get an email sent to you Monday through Friday each week that will contain the chapter for the day, and a short devotion related to something within that chapter.

2. In those emails you will have the opportunity to click on a button and go to The Journey website and join in a discussion with others about what they have read.

With The Journey, you will move through the entire New Testament in a year. Some bible reading plans have you read several chapters a day, and that can be intimidating, but this plan is not difficult, even for those new to Bible reading.

In all my years of ministry, this just might be the thing that I am most excited about.

Register for the Journey today by clicking here and email us your name and email address, and you will be registered and on your way to a changed life.

What do you think about when...

2009-12-08T15:30:00.002-05:00

What is the most important thing about you? Name the one most important thing about you?

Can't narrow it down to one?
I can.

The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God. Above everything else, that is the most important thing about you. The reason is simple, everything else in your life is shaped and influence by what you think about when you think about God. Everything!

For instance, if your view of God is too small then you will not follow God's principles when it is risky to do so, and giving regularly financially to your church...not going to happen. The reason is because if your God is too small then you can only trust him with the small things in your life. If your view of God is one that sees him as angry then you will live with a lot of fear and guilt. Everything about you from how you work, to how you raise your children, to your sexuality, to your marriage is all shaped by your view of God. Even if you do not believe in a God, that view of God shapes you.

My point is simple. The reason Jesus went to the cross is to offer us forgiveness so that we could get to know God, and get a more accurate view of him, because everything about us is shaped by that view.

What are you doing about your view God? Are you truly seeking him or are you just performing Christianity? Just remember that the more you seek him, the more you will really know him, and an accurate view of God will shape your life into a strong one.

650

2009-11-06T14:00:00.002-05:00

We started 650 today. It is a guy things that is meeting every Friday at 6:50 at the PC offices. We get together to eat, talk, joke, and I am teaching through the Book of James. I really had fun with it today. I love it when a group of guys really begin to pursue Christ. There is just something powerful about that. I am not real sure why...maybe it is because so many do not. Whatever the reason it is just plain cool and I loved it.

See you next Friday guys. Join us if you would like (4619 Sheraton drive at the south end of the AT&T building).

The danger of Southern Christanity

2009-10-19T15:13:00.010-04:00

We have a lot of great things in the South. Southern Fried Chicken, Southern Rock, and Southern Hospitality to name a few. But there is something that we have perfected in the South that I am so tired of...Southern Christianity.

It is a real good imitation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, in the South we think we are all Christians. Mainly because we all went to church at some point in our life...VBS, Sunday School, confirmation class. We were told about Jesus and we liked the story of God becoming man to die for us on the cross. We were told to pray a prayer, or go to a class and to believe. We choose to believe. So we decided to add Jesus to our life to make life better. That is Southern Christianity. It is about believing the story of Jesus and trying to live good. The tragedy is that you might have embraced Southern Christianity and missed the Gospel.

Southern Christianity is about adding Jesus to your life to make your life better, but the Gospel is about giving up your life to live for the pleasure and glory of Him. Southern Christianity is about looking like a Christian, and the Gospel is about living for Him with a fearlessness of what others think. Southern Christianity is about living the rest of your life with the right belief about Jesus, the Gospel is about a life long journey of being constantly changed. Southern Christianity is powerless, and the Gospel is transformational.

Southern Christianity just may be the best imitation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some may read this and think that I am a little fanatical, need to calm down, and don't be so extreme...maybe I am...but am I wrong?

21Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven -Matthew 7:21

brokeness

2009-10-05T14:38:00.002-04:00

There is something so inviting and repelling about brokenness. On the one hand, we run from it. Maybe because we see brokenness as weakness and no one wants to be weak, or maybe because brokenness is acknowledging that we are out of answers. I don't know, but it is rarely people's favorite place to be.

However, there is also something inviting about brokenness. I think that there is something in us that knows that God is attracted to the brokenhearted. That he empowers those who he knows are powerless. The art of giving up can be the first step to being blown away by something awesome that God does. Brokenness is not a place of total defeat, but the first step to success.

I have been through a lot of things in my life...good and bad. The mix has been such that I live as a man broken before God. I struggle to believe that God can and will ever use me to impact others lives, I struggle accepting it when people indicate that God used something I said to impact them, I am blown away by what God has done at Piedmont, and I am convinced that my skills to screw things up is far greater than my skill to do it right.

I at times would like to shed this sense of brokenness, but at the same time I know that I am in the best place I can be. I think that greatness, real greatness, can not come without passing down the highway of brokenness.

Choose Life

2009-10-01T09:13:00.003-04:00

Check out this verse;

"I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him (Deu. 30:19b)."

When I read this verse an application shot to my mind. I sensed that in my life right now the most important arena that I could apply this to is my attitude. My attitude at any given moment is the result of my choice. I choose my attitude.
God challenges me to "Choose life." Several times today I will have the opportunity to choose life or death in my attitude.

When I arrive at work am I going to embrace a negative attitude, or tell myself that today is a day that God gave me and I will look for Him in it? When the gossip begins around me will I join in, or tell myself that that is not what I am to be about today?

Your attitude that you choose today will effect every word, decision, emotion, and behavior. When you choose life in your attitude, the rippling effect is amazing.

So, right now, choose life.

Setting the Mood

2009-09-16T21:20:00.003-04:00

Think about this question. In the relationships and arenas of your life do you tend to be a thermometer or a thermostat? A thermometer just reflects the temperature of the room, while a thermostat determines the temperature of a room. That is a powerful illustration if you think about it.

It is soooo easy to be a thermometer in life. Allowing circumstances or someone else to determine our mood, attitude, and actions. Yet when you look in scripture, God challenges us to be thermostat by first asking in every situation what God and His Word has to say about the situation? What attitude, response, or actions should I project here that would bring on the applause of God? When we do this, we begin to be a influencer on the "temperature" in the relationship, the group, or the people under us, and can help move them/it in the direction that God desires.

Which will you be today?

Organic verses Programed

2009-09-09T21:58:00.003-04:00

I on occasion will get someone encouraging me to get more programs started to get people studying about God. To set up class after class on knowing God. They tend to think that discipleship is programed. I don't agree. Well really I do and I don't.

I am writing this because I am about to institute some programs that will help people to learn to pursue Christ. So I am not an "anti-church program" guy. However, I do believe that spiritual maturity is far more organic than programed. I believe that most of the time it comes from our own pursuit of God, and not poured into us in a classroom. Now it is hard to grow without knowledge and classroom settings are a good place to get knowledge, but additional knowledge does not automatically produce growth. If fact going to bible study after bible study can actually hinder growth. It can leave you feeling mature, but you might just be informed about God and not mature in a relationship with God.

Growth is more organic. It comes as we invite into our lives those things needed to grow us (see previous blog entries on this). It comes as we look for God in every facet of our lives. Growth is ongoing and constant.

You can also be a catalyst for growth in others, It is simple, pursue Christ and look around for people along the way that you can invest in. You don't have to take a mentoring class or be sanctioned by the church, just invest in them. I am sure that as you do you will be long remember as the guy who made a difference.

Make a job change www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-31T08:54:00.004-04:00

Let me breakdown Col 3:23-24 so that it can impact your today at work.

Colossians 3:23-24

23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Whatever you do - What is about to be written applies to your "right now," and not your future. It is not something you begin to do when you have the dream job, when you get a new boss, when you start your own business. It applies to your "right now."

work at it with all your heart - You are to put your heart in it. What is important to God in your work is not the task but the effort. He is not consumed with your title, but is aware of the effort that you are putting into whatever you are doing. You may have great Christian character, but that is not a substitute for poor workmanship. How you do whatever you do is a concern of God.

as working for the Lord, not for men - Stop working for the visible boss and begin to work for the invisible boss. If you work for man the pressure will be to try to look good and that means sacrificing a little integrity occasionally, only working hard when the boss is around, looking out for #1. When you work as if Christ is in the office with "Boss" on the door; you work with high integrity because you know He is watching and loves integrity, you give credit away sometimes because that impresses the one you are working for, you refuse to get in the office politics but instead you look for ways to serve your co-workers. Change boss today without changing your job.

since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - To God your job title and task is not all that significant, but your effort and behavior will be remembered.

If you hate your job ask God to change your heart or change your job to a new one, but until he does put Colossians 3:23-24 to work at your work.

Growth continues www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-27T14:06:00.004-04:00

3. Challenging Circumstances - Growth is not all intellectual, it also is experiential. You have to experience some things to spiritually grow. Growth is not imparted just by attending a class. Though teaching is a part, so is putting that teaching into action. I have no doubt that Peter learned as much about trusting Christ when Jesus asked him to get out of the boat and walk on the water, as he did sitting and listening to him teach. There is not doubt that if you pursue Christ that he is going to allow to experience circumstance that will challenge everything you have learned. Circumstance that cause you to have nothing to hold on to but your faith.

4. Relationships - Fact:you become like who you hang around the most. As much as you may want to deny this...you can't. If you hang around people who play church but are not really pursuing Christ, chances are you will too. If you hang around people who are consumed with what other people think about them, I promise you that you will be at least somewhat consumed with what people think about you. If you hang around with people who are striving to live in a way that honors God in everything they do, you will think more about honoring God with your life. You will not grow without healthy relationships with people who are growing. This is why I love community groups.

5. Live beyond yourself - I heard a statement recently that I love; "You are most like Jesus when you are serving someone else." In today's culture are encouraged to first live for ourselves, and that keeps many of us locked out of spiritual growth. When serving others becomes not just something that you do, but a part of your understanding of what you were created to do, you are on the path of spiritual growth.

None of these 5 things are optional for growth. They are what will grow you.

Growth www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-25T15:05:00.002-04:00

Growth is something that is natural for us. It is something that we long for. We look for and even expect growth in our physical bodies, relationships, income, intelligence, wisdom, marriage, parenting skills...we are always looking to grow.

It is only natural that most of us would want to grow spiritually. After all, we were created in His image and He (God) is spiritual. What does it take to grow spiritually? My first answer is that it takes more than one thing. Some people expect the preacher or church to grow them, others look for it in books or bible studies, other try to show that they are growing by criticizing other churches that they believe are not doing God right, and the list goes on. Over the next few blogs I am going to share what I have observed are the needed components to grow a healthy spiritual life. This list if for those who have accepted God's gift of forgiveness, for without it there is nothing to truly grow.

Here are two:

1. Anointed Teaching-To grow you have to learn from someone who inspires you to continue to follow Christ. Someone that you sense that God speaks though when you listen to them. If you find a pastor/teacher whom God's spirit seem to speak through, you have found something powerful. Make sure what he's teaching lines up with all of scripture.

2. Personal Pursuit-God never intended for us to give over our spiritual growth to the church. I laugh a little when I hear someone complain that their church does not grow them spiritually. It is not their job. A big component of your growth is a personal pursuit of Christ. Get into your bible, memorize some of it, value personal prayer time, have time alone to speak with God, create space to pursue Him.

Sin www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-21T07:18:00.002-04:00

There is a three letter word that is being over communicated. It is kind of like the word love, an important word but in many ways the meaning of it is lost. Some use this word as a club to verbally beat on people, and others never mention it. The word that I am talking about is "sin." Culture wants to replace the word sin with mistake.

It sounds much better when you say, "I have made a mistake" than "I have sinned." If it is just a mistake then I just have to do better, if it is sin then I need a savior.

If it is a mistake then its between me and the other person. If it is a sin then it is between me and God.

I wonder, when was that last time you really confessed your sin to God. Been a while? Maybe that is because you have reclassified your sin as a mistake...and that would be a mistake.

Reality is that we all have sinned and are in need of a Savior. However, we will never see our need for him until we honestly admit that we have sinned, and without a savior we are without hope for now and for eternity.

So I challenge you to not dismiss your sin as a mistake that you just have try harder not to do, but instead call it sin, confess it to a savior, and let him lavish grace up your life.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

My daughter www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-20T21:41:00.002-04:00

My daughter has this Yorkie named Addie that she loves but I can not stand. Seriously, I can not stand this dog. Well the other night I get home from Football practice where it came a huge rain. Colton and I were soaking wet. My daughter met me at the driveway with her dog and asked if I could continue to walk it because she had to go to the bathroom.

Well, being the nice father that I am, I said sure. When she went inside Jana asked, "Where is the wet rat?" Jana was talking about the dog, but my daughter answered, "He is outside walking Addie." She went off to the bathroom thinking that Jana was truly asking where I was and that was calling me a wet rat. Thanks Kenzie.

I tell you guys all the time, I am so mistreated.

Sunday after thougths-www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-17T09:52:00.002-04:00

Things from Sunday that stuck with me...
-The Band did great as always. Greg, Amanda, and Katie sounded good together. I wish you all could go to the production meeting each Sunday morning. Our Band and production crew know what they are doing...impressive.

-I was very passionate about the message. I do believe that it was the most important thing I have ever taught on marriage. Now we will see if people "got it" I appreciate all the great words about the message, very encouraging.

-I was afraid that I was going to get a call this morning from Stratford about M&Ms everywhere. But I think we got them all off the stage. If you were not there, i can't explain it.

-Overall we had a great number of people total. Our All Star kids are busting 100 and our middle school began their new time and had about double what they were running. Very Cool.

-Volunteers are great! We have the best! Really. Our first volunteers gets to Stratford at 5:00 am...he has even gotten their around 4:00 am before to begin to setup. Oh yea, I challenge any church to compete with that! Sorry, my comptetive spirit got the best of me. I have to admit, I am not getting up there are 4:00 am.

-I love seeing people realize they are passionately loved by Jesus Christ.

Christ is centrality -www.jerrydingmore.com

2009-08-14T14:03:00.003-04:00

I love communicating the scripture, because I love to see people thrive and you thrive when you put scriptural principles into practice.

This is why we deal with biblical principles to improve your parenting, marriage, priorities, how to get a grip on everything from your money to your anger, to name a few. It is awesome when people began to make steps to living a better life.

That is all good and important stuff, but at the center of it all is not a self-help program, but Christ himself. I will tell you that you will fail at all that I speak about each Sunday without the help of something more powerful than you. You simply will not have the strength/courage/will power you need to constantly live the principles we communicate.

This week I was reading Colossians 1:17, and it reminded me that at the center of all is Christ.
Colossians 1:17
17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Read that verse again. It is telling us that at the center of all that is good, and strong, and right, is Christ himself. It is through a real relationship with Christ that we become connected with the one who is capable to carry us in life. We invite into our lives the one who has the power to move us forward when we invite him in. This relationship is possible because of what Christ did on the cross.

I guess you can say that is all comes back to Christ. We will talk and challenge you at Piedmont in so many areas of your life, but in the end we will constantly point you to the beginning and ending line of a great life...Jesus Christ.

If you are ready to transfer your trust from yourself to Christ. I encourage you to talk with God. No magic formula, just say something like:

Jesus, I realize that I am not perfect. I know that I have disobeyed you. I also realize that you died on the cross to pay for my disobedience. I ask that you forgive me and to come live in my life. I do not want more religion but a real relationship with you. Jesus, help me to learn what following you means in these days. I accept your forgiveness and look forward to living the rest of my days by your strength.

Welcome to the rest of your life.

Cash

2009-08-12T21:41:00.002-04:00

I really like Cash. Not the kind with president's faces on it, I am talking the about the new addition to the Blasche family. Cash is the son of Greg and Amanda who are Piedmont's Worship Leaders. He is only a few months old and has had to stay in the hospital over the last several days for test. He has not been gaining weight over the past several months and the Docs want to find out why.

Please pray for Cash, Greg, and Amanda as they labor through these days. It is worrisome and exhausting and so your prays are needed. We have every confidence that Cash will be fine, it is just hard to walk that road.

sober reality

2009-08-12T14:13:00.001-04:00

This appeared on the Fox News Website today...it weighs heavily on my heart.

"Four Christians working for an NGO that helps orphans in Somalia have been beheaded by al-Shabaab, according to the human rights watchdog International Christian Concern.

The Christian orphanage workers were reportedly kidnapped on July 27 in the coastal Somali town Marka, some 56 miles from Mogadishu.

The reported executions come as residents of Mogadishu say the extremist group has been forcibly removing their gold and silver teeth using rough tools — or even just their hands."

Expectations

2009-08-04T22:46:00.002-04:00

I have issues with expectations. I love and hate them. I know that people expect to have a meaningful experience when they go to church, and that expectation motivates me and others at PC to do our best each Sunday. So there are some expectations that are good for me.

On the other hand, I have a profession in which everyone has an expectations of who you are suppose to be, do, act, how you spend your time, what your children are suppose to be , what you are suppose to wear, what your wife is suppose to do, to name only a few. Do you ever wonder why many pastors' kids are so bad? My experience is that most are bitter because Dad was never around. He was too busy trying to live up to everyone's expectations.

I gave that up a long time ago. I can not live up to all that some people expect me to be, I just can't. So I choose to be me, put my relationship with my wife, kids, and Christ ahead of my ministry (I still am a borderline workaholic). I strive to create systems in the church that can meet as many needs as possible, but I don't try to meet every need. I would rather disappoint a few and enjoy my wife, my kids, and God than try to satisfy those who are going to always want a little more.

My point in this post is just to acknowledge that you, like me, are always going to have more expectations put on you than you can live up to. So I encourage you to rank the expectations. Strive to live as Christ would expect, try to live and love your spouse and children, be productive at work, and if there is any time and emotional energy left, then look to fulfilling a few of the expectations that people around you have. However, always remember that you cannot not live up to everyone's expectation, and as a result, everyone is not going to love you.

Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Thougths about Sunday

2009-08-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

--Great start to the STAY series. I hope you were capture by how Jesus turned how we love in marriage upside down by simply changing from a noun to a verb. AWESOME!

--Music was great. Sorry to all the people who said if they knew we were going to do the Journey song "Faithfully," they would have brought their lighters to hold up. They were kidding, I think.

--Our All Star Kids had their end of the summer bash during All Star Kids times. I hear it was a big success. Jana, along with Shannon Durden, and all the other amazing volunteers do an awesome job. The hours that are put into that ministry each week is huge. Mind-boggling to be honest.

--I hear that Val and our Peewee All Star Ministry had a larger number of little children. I love to see all the children. I hope that we will become a partner with their parents to teach them our three "bottom lines" in this ministry; (1) God made me, (2) God loves Me, and (3) Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

--Student Ministry is making some changes and I really look forward to what is happening in that ministry. They had a great time at Camp, and Curt is ready to do some good work with that group. Several parents have mentioned great things about Curt, and he is great, but the real power in that family is Amber...sorry Curt, just keepin' it real.

--We announced www.piedmontverge.com this past Sunday to keep everyone informed on what is happening in our Verge Building Emphasis. I am excited about that opportunity to keep everyone informed on the "fluid" happenings of Verge. Keep praying and giving, I have a sense of excitement about it all.

Disconnect

2009-07-30T08:45:00.004-04:00

Last Sunday I spoke of Jonah. The part of that story that I can not get out of my head this week is how after Jonah ran from God, bought a ride on a boat, got the heck out of Dodge, then God sent a storm, and then in the midst of all that Jonah begin to talk of how he worships God. By saying he "worships God," he is proclaiming that he honors, believes, and follows God (Jonah 1:9).

It is mind boggling that he speaks that he follows God while he is running from God. What he is saying doesn't match what he is doing. I do believe that Jonah is being sincere, but there is a disconnect between what he wants for his life, and what he is living.

Man, Jonah's story is like my story so often. It is easy to really want to follow the desire of God, and yet not realize that in our everyday we are heading away for what God desires for us.

You see, we tend to be convinced that we are doing good based more on what I want than what I am doing. In other words, as long as my heart wants to do good, to do the right thing, and has the right beliefs...I am doing good. All the while we have aspects of our life where we are heading in the opposite direction that God desires for us. We don't even acknowledge these areas of our life because we are convinced we are good because our heart wants and believes the right things.

Get it? Think today not about what you believe, but how you live when it comes to managing your finances, putting others first, the words that come out of your mouth, your sexuality, and all the other stuff that makes up what you do everyday.

Lets reconnect what is often disconnected.

You are the only one in the world right now

2009-07-29T09:49:00.005-04:00

In Texas there was this old pastor that seemed to live forever, and was known by just about everyone in the state. His name was W. A. Criswell. I remember hearing that one day he was asked how he grew such a large church. He gave an unexpected answer as one of his key elements for his success. This answer works not only well in church growth but in business growth as well.

He said one of the essential keys is whenever he was talking with someone, he focused on them and to him, no one else in the world existed except them. In other words, he didn't look around, he tried to make sure that he did not give off a vibe or body language that communicated that he was ready to move on.

That is hard for me on Sundays when a ton of people are trying to get my attention, but I work hard on implementing this principle.

Imagine if business owners worked this principle into the way they interact with customers/clients. Imagine if doctors made this a value in the way they handled their patients. Imagine if husbands adopted this attitude when they communicate with their wives. Just imagine what could be if we all took on this attitude in our encounters with people today.

Philippians 2:3 (New Living Translation)

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

What did you do June 16th?

2009-07-25T15:32:00.003-04:00

Can you remember what you did last month? I remember last month as the month I spent several days eating lunches with people, watched my kids in the pool several times, went to several baseball and softball practices and games, amongst several other things. How about Tuesday, June 16th? I can't remember...I know we did staff meeting on that day, but other than that I do not know.

Well on June 16th a 33 year old lady named Ri Hyon Ok, mother of 3, living in North Korea, lived her last day. She was executed by the North Korean Government in a public execution. What was her crime? She was caught giving people bibles. Really? Wow!

I saw it on the AP Wire yesterday. It did appear on the Fox News website for a brief moment. No major story, no look into her life, no mention of it at all in most of the world. With no real protest, she was killed.

To me, that is so sobering and disturbing.

Big Sky

2009-07-24T08:02:00.003-04:00

I may freak you out with this because I admit it sounds a little strange, but the sky amazes me. To me the sky constantly gives me reasons to stop, thank, praise, and remember the awe of God.

From the beauty of the rising sun, to the bright sea of blue all day, to the power of a thunderstorm, to the fun feeling of snow, to the breathtaking volume of stars and planets that come out at night. To me the sky is an ever changing picture of the glory and power of God.

Again this may sound strange, but many times during the day I will look up and worship God in a word of thanks or praise because the sky reminds me how worthy he is of it. During the morning when I jog, sitting in a deer stand watching the sunrise, taking out the garbage on a bright blue day, or sitting in my office watching the flashes of lighting...all these thing give me opportunities to worship him briefly in that moment.

For me, worship is not just an hour on Sunday.

STAY

2009-07-23T15:52:00.002-04:00

A week from this coming Sunday I am starting a series called STAY-it is easy to fall in love, but its hard to stay in love. It is a series about how to go long-haul in a relationship. I am very pumped about it--I am ready to BRING IT.

This subject is very timely to me because lately I have heard of so many marriages falling apart. Some because of affairs and others just because. Maybe I have been sheltered over the last year, but for some reason I have had a slew of stories of break-ups come my way.

Jana and I have had our own share of troubles. We have had our seasons of not really being on the same page, and it is not easy. However, we have made the commitment and done the work to STAY and I could not imagine not being with her.

So, I am ready to share my heart and the scripture on this issue. And to those who are struggling let me say, you are not alone, it is cool to go get help, and never give up for unless abuse is involved it can get better.

I pray that when I start this series on August 2nd that PC is filled with people who are struggling in marriage, singles who want to know how to maintain a great relationship/marriage, and couples doing well who want to keep doing it well.

What I want most

2009-07-21T20:58:00.002-04:00

Have you ever just sat down and thought about what you want most in life. What is it? If you could achieve a few things what would it be? At this moment this is my list:

1. I want to make God proud of who I am becoming.

2. I want to make it easy for Jana to be proud to be my wife.

3. I want my children to know that their daddy is crazy in love with God, their mother, and them.

4. I want to provide the encouragement and sometime the challenge that will cause my staff to become their best. I succeed with their success.

5. I want to help people discover who God is and how to know him.

6. And a long the way, I want to have fun doing it.

If I can accomplish these things, I lived well. What's on your list?

Married Life Live

2009-07-18T11:15:00.002-04:00

I want to challenge everyone to go to Married Life Live on August 13th at the Cox Capitol Theater in Downtown Macon. The music, videos, laughter, desserts, and the challenge will be worth it.

Think about it, isn't your marriage worth investing one night? MML is organized with men in mind, so guys you are going to love it. Husbands, get the tickets, get the babysitter, and plan the night. She will love you for it.

Tickets go on sail this week at Piedmont for 25 a couple. If you want to order tickets on-line, email us at info@piedmontchurch.net and we will get you the info.

diversity

2009-07-17T22:38:00.002-04:00

I finally got home tonight, 24 hours after I was suppose to arrive. My flight got delayed, delayed, canceled, overnight stay, delayed, and then finally I got home. I spent a lot of time in the airport and saw a lot of different people...some cool, some young, some old, and some very strange.

I walked away with an appreciation for the creative genius of God. So many people who were so very different. Yet in all that diversity we all have something in common. We all want to matter, we all want to make a difference, we all want to connect with something bigger than we are. I believe that is the fingerprint of God that God leaves in each of us...calling us back to him.

We are all sooooo different and soooo diverse (spend 24 hours in an airport and you will be amazed), but we all have these same desires. Random chance? I don't think so.

life is a journey

2009-07-17T13:10:00.002-04:00

One thing that I am learning is that God is more focused on our journey and we are all too focused on our destination. We always want answers to all our questions, we want to know what the purpose of life is right now, and where it is going. I am not saying those are not valid questions, but we have to understand God's priorities for us or we will be frustrated with his response.

As you read the scripture you get the sense that God is more focused on getting his creation (us) to look for him, experience him, and follow him in whatever life brings. He constantly encouraged us to trust him whatever comes. The thought is that our job is not to always know the destination of life, but to view life as a journey with God, and seek to please him in the daily journey.

So today I am going to do my best to move forward, but to also look for God in all the good and bad that life throws at me.

I never thought I would ever say this, but Miley Cyrus may be right with the song The Climb:

"Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!"

Matthew 6:34
34"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Ever been bragged on?

2009-07-16T16:59:00.004-04:00

As I got out of the car here at the Shreveport airport, my sister grabbed me and said, "I just wanted to say that your children were great this weekend. They were great to have around and always had manners." Now, I know my children and I know that they have their moments when I wonder if they are human. Any good things in them I attribute to my wife, Jana is an awesome mom.

It was good, however, to have someone else see something in them to brag about. My sister wanted me to know that she saw in them something that would make me proud as a dad. I sat here thinking that if someone was in conversation with God and said "God, let me tell you about Jerry..," what would they say? Is there anything in my character, values, speech, lifestyle that they would think that God would need to know because it would make him smile. Would they talk about how I loved like he loved, gave liked he gave, served like he served...or would they find it hard to find something good to say? Or maybe, all they could say is that I was a "good" guy.

Think for a minute, in the way you live the one life that God has given you, what in it would make Him smile?

A blog for pastors from a pastor

2009-07-15T00:30:00.003-04:00

Hey Pastor,
If you know or have heard me you know that I am in no way conventional. I have a passion to take the timeless truth in the scripture and communicate in a way that captures people's attention. I love that fact that people who question if there is a God come to Piedmont because we make them think. We have done some things that traditional church people would think is outrageous. I think that Piedmont is the "coolest" church in Middle Georgia.

However, there is a new thing that many pastors are doing. They are using words like damn, hell, and crap in their message. They are doing it in the name of being cool, relevant, and hip. My response is to say shut-up. If your content is so shallow that you have to use that kind of language, then you have nothing to say.

I love creativity, but that is not creativity...that is stupidity. So stop trying to be cool, start just being you, fall in love with Christ, and be more concerned with having something to say then how you say it.

Ok, all those who are not pastors can begin reading now

Be different

2009-07-13T20:39:00.002-04:00

Ok, I have been all into facebook and faded from the blogging scene. However, I have been missing it, and so I am back.

I was reading an article while sitting in the airport today and a statement caught my eye. A young teen was quoted about his small town and he said, "They may be Christian people but when they get out of church it makes no difference." What a sad statement, but I would bet that most of you can understand this statement...maybe even agree with the kid.

Somewhere along the way Christianity became a belief system and no longer a movement. It became something you did, and not something that invaded everything about you. It became more about keeping God happy, and less about following His lead. It turned more academic, and less kinetic.

I think a big part of the shift centers around a change in church. Today we expect the church to grow us spiritually. In many people's mind, it is the church's responsibility to "grow me," the result is I do not have to take ownership of my own relationship with God. So I just go to church, leave, and do life with little difference from those who were not at church.

Reality is, I am responsible for my spiritual health. Church is a part, but so is reading the scripture on my own, fighting to forgive those I do not want to forgive, stepping out in faith with a lot of fear, watching my words, giving a percentage of my income even in these kinds of times, seeking God's leadership, etc. That is what will make me different.

need

2009-05-04T13:47:00.004-04:00

Have you ever had something that seemed so basic and simple trouble you. Today I was thinking about all the potential that we are seeing realized at Piedmont Church, and all that we could do. In all that I found myself saying, "If only we could get..., If only we could develop..., if only we could...." I then got up from my desk to get a refill of Diet Coke and I said out loud, "God you know our need."

I said it half as a prayer and half in frustration. All of a sudden that simple phrase hit me like a ton of bricks...He DOES know our needs. He really does. He knows what we are capable of and what we need to take
PC (Piedmont Church) to the next level. He knows PC's needs better than we do. I am to work hard to cast vision, challenge everyone through scripture to never remain the same, to create systems that result in momentum, and to push everyone to live beyond themselves by serving and inviting people to come to PC with them. But our needs, our real needs, he knows them and I will ask in confidence that he will supply them.

I walk back into my office with a great sense of confidence in my walk.

He knows your need...he really does.

Passion and Wisdom

2009-04-08T10:45:00.002-04:00

Today I listen to someone and afterwards I found myself thinking that passion without wisdom is very dangerous. Passion is a good thing and it causes people to want to follow you, it causes you to be committed to a plan or cause, and keeps you moving forward. However, passion alone is not healthy. Passion without wisdom is like a race car with the throttle wide open but without a steering wheel. It can create havoc.

Also, having a "good heart" is not a substitute for wisdom. I will hear people talk about a decision someone made and say that their heart was right, good, pure, or sincere. As if that means that anything they do or decide is right and good. I know a lot of people that have done the wrong thing fully believing it was the right thing. What they lacked was not passion or a "right heart," what they lacked was wisdom.

I guess this is why God challenges us to pray for wisdom. He tells us to ask for it and he will give it liberally.

So today ask God to give you wisdom and I believe he will begin to take you through things that will do just that.

Sunday Evening Reflections

2009-04-05T18:23:00.004-04:00

Thoughts about Sunday at PC:
-We did communion today and to be humbly honest...it was awesome. I have no doubt that we took people back to the cross. I had one tell me that she was so impacted that she did the "ungly cry."
-I really think that today we reclaimed communion from the meaningless religious activity that it has become in many churches. Sorry, I never like to criticize other churches but I am passionate about this, maybe a little angry too.
-Band rocked and the songs selection was very good
-Chuck, who drives the All-star Kids Long Trailer, is incredible. We could not do it without you.
-We challenged the a lot of volunteers today with changes to our regular procedures in several things and they, like always, adapted like a champ.
-I needed to be at PC today because I needed to be reminded that God is madly in love with me, and that is what we did.

Next week is Easter and I am looking forward to it.

AWOL

2009-04-03T21:43:00.004-04:00

I know, i have been so AWOL with my blogs. I just got out of the habit and keep wanting to post but never did. The result is nothing got done, even though my heart had good intentions.

I wonder how many of us have great intentions in our heart but are AWOL on action. We want to be a better husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc, but we don't put action behind that "good heart." We want to be a better employee, boss...we want to lead our family to know Christ better...we want to have have a better whatever...and the list goes on.

The problem is that nothing gets done because, though we have the right heart, we lack initiative. Scripture tells us that "those who don't work, don't eat." Isn't it time to not allow the "my heart is good" thinking stop us from acting. Ask yourself right now, "What is the one thing you really need to do that you have put off, and off, and off from doing?" Go now and make one step in that direction and ask God to guide you. You just might find that a new chapter in your life begins now.

a fish

2009-02-02T10:15:00.002-05:00

This morning while I was praying and reading I went to a verse that a friend mentioned to me last week. It centers around the story of Jonah. Remember how God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh to be God's man there for a season, but Jonah hated the people of Nineveh and said no and took off? God wasn't going to let Jonah get way that easy.

So in Jonah 1:17 it says, "But the Lord provided a great fish." It didn't say that God sent, caused, or even ordered a great fish to go swallow Jonah. It said that God provided. I love that.

Even when Jonah was walking away from God, God was not going to walk way from providing for Jonah exactly what he needed. God is committed to being the provider of those who are his, to those who have said yes to his grace.

I am sure that what Jonah wanted in this case was a piece of wood floating by so that he could grab it, float to shore, and continue with life as he planned it. God was committed to helping Jonah, but was committed to provide Jonah what he needed and not what he may have wanted. Sometimes what we need is not in line with want we want, and in those times God will still provided. He will, however, provide what we need and hope it will soon become what we want.

So I am encouraged because I need God to provide some big things this week, and today I was reminded of His relentless commitment to do just that. Now I hope that what I want is in line with what I need.

First Sunday 2009

2009-01-05T07:30:00.002-05:00

Being off for the holidays I wasn't sure what to expect for the first Sunday of 2009. To be honest I was wondering if me and the everyone else would be a little off their game. Well that didn't happen.

It was a great day and here are some of my reflections:

1. The Band did a great job, really nailed it this past Sunday.

2. We did have a computer glitch with a program but the production folks handled it with speed.

3. We had a great crowd and there was a great excitement in the air.

4. I was really pumped about the response to the message. It seemed that everyone was really grasping the encouraging truth of where we all stand with God.

5. I really can not think of a better way we could have started 2009.

Thanks to everyone who make each week happen!!!!!!

Sunday's Thoughts

2008-12-08T10:18:00.002-05:00

Here are some things about yesterday:
-I love kicking off the new series, The Great Unknown. It will be a awesome Christmas series.

-The stage look incredible. Good job Greg, Brad, and to all the production team. Heard lots of great comments.

-Amanda was unable to make and I hope she is better today. Because of Amanda being out the band had to make some serious changes to the morning and did a great job. Amanda you were missed, but my hats off to the band for making some worship great with all the changes.

-We collected a mountain of coats for the needy in Macon. I was blown away by the number of coats we had on the first Sunday of the drive.

-Had about 200+ yard signs about the Christmas Eve Service taken yesterday to be put up. Good job eveyone!!! Thanks to the Parking lot greeters for handling the distribution.

-The All-Star Kids leadership is raising up new leaders. Jana, All-Star Kids Original Host, was in the service yesterday..a first in a long time.

I serve along side the most incredible people on the planet...you guys are awesome.

Passion part 2

2008-12-04T17:51:00.002-05:00

Ok, now what does Passion look like? First, passion always focuses energy. When we have a passion for something we focus our mental, intellectual, and spiritual energy in that direction. It is like going from a shotgun that sprays in many directions to a rifle that is focused in hitting a small area with a big punch.

When you are passionate about improving your marriage you focus energy in direction. On the other hand, if you are passionate about YOUR desires then you will focus your energy on making you happy, comfortable, and satisfied...often at the expense of those around you.

So what are you passionate about? Don't know? Ask yourself, where is your energy focused? Ask God to create and/or direct your passion to the things that really matter, the those things that will last, to pursuing Him, and to the things that will better the lives of those around you. Passion is a key part of living and not just existing.

Passion part 1

2008-12-01T13:32:00.003-05:00

I was in Atlanta recently sitting at a read light. Standing on the corner in front of me was a guy holding a sign telling me of a sale at a local store. I am sure that you have seen those guys. He was actually sitting on a stool talking on a cell phone. It was obvious that is was just a job to him.

I then drove down to the next light and there was another guy. He was having a blast. He had a rectangle shaped sign and could throw it up and catch it. He was flipping it many different directions and caught it 90% of the time. I was captivated. I can tell you exactly what was on his sign. I wanted to get out and join him. It was very cool.

The difference between these two guys is one had a job, and the other had passion for his job. It is amazing that when you can near someone who has passion for something how that captivates us, how it draws us in, and makes what that person is passionate about more believable.

I challenge you to ask God to fire up your passion to know him, serve him, and pursue him. That alone will get people's attention. And what does it look like when we serve him with passion? We will answer that question in the next blog.

We own it

2008-11-12T10:56:00.002-05:00

I keep being blown away but what God has done through this thing called Piedmont Church over the past year. To think that this 1-year old church just bought a shopping center is a pretty amazing compliment to the power of God and the work of our people.

It is awesome what can happen when you harness the power of a people all moving in the same direction. It is hard to keep it focused, but when you do, it is powerful. Leadership is so much more about keeping people focused, passionate, and chasing after Jesus, than it is about keeping people happy, making a decisions, or holding a positions. Many church leaders would do well to understand this.

Having said that...so much of Piedmont's present success is simply because God chose this time, this community of people, this leadership team, and this pastor to use for something that is bigger than we are. We have done a lot of things right, but what we have accomplish so far is more about the blessing of God that we do not deserve, than what we have done right.

This is why I am passionate and yet very humbled about leading Piedmont Church.

Thinking about Sunday

2008-10-20T09:05:00.002-04:00

Here are some of my musings about yesterday:

1. The Band and vocals did great! After that Johnny Cash song I am now calling Greg Blasche-Johnny Blash. I don't get to hear real well backstage, but right before I came out, Amanda challenged everyone to sing "you are glorious" and the band and on-stage vocals toned down, it was AWESOME to hear the audience sing.

2. Raising now $660,000 in commitments to finish out our building is pretty dang awesome for a church a little over 1 year old!

3. We have a lot of kids in All Stars and I love it!

4. So many new faces ready to discover Christ and not play church

5. Big response to the Prison Break intro message, I feel this is going to be a good one.

6. I work with the best and most awesome staff and volunteers on the face of the planet!

Can it get any better!

My View

2008-10-10T09:36:00.002-04:00

The view from my desk chair one morning this week. I love it!

You Move Me

2008-10-08T21:41:00.003-04:00

Yes I know that I have not posted in a while. To be honest, the VERGE EFFORT was incredible but draining. I have to say I was blown away on Sunday when the commitment time came, to be honest I was wondering if I and the staff (I made them commit) would be the only ones putting a commitment card in the jars. Then when we could see all the people coming to help us cross the line...I WAS BLOWN AWAY.

Piedmont Church is incredible...I mean incredible. You guys get it and want to see Christ create life change in you and others. That is what church is all about. Not committees, not keeping someone happy, not performing for others, it is about helping people to have their life changed in a real and radical way.

Thank you to each of you. Thank you for your commitment, for renewing my passion for church, for loving this city, and for putting Christ ahead of everything in your life. You move me.

Making a decision

2008-09-18T15:19:00.002-04:00

Jana and I are in the process of deciding what we will commit to Piedmont's Verge Campaign. I am so excited about what God is going to do in Piedmont and in our new facility.

We do have to raise some serious resources (money) to make it all happen. I believe that our people are up to the challenge. I just pray that they will seek God and give him their best. I believe with everything in me that people's eternity hang in the balance.

I do have people in other places support Piedmont on occasions and I am so thankful. If you live away from Macon and feel compelled to support Piedmont's effort to dominate Middle Georgia with the love and grace of Jesus Christ, please email me (pastorjerry@piedmontchurch.net). Your cash or non-cash gift would mean a lot

I am just very pumped about what God is going to do and is already doing!!!

The Fight is On!

2008-09-10T10:42:00.003-04:00

Okay, this week has been a battle; seriously, I have been in a huge internal battle.

We had our one year anniversary, and it was awesome. Big, excited crowd. Gave away money to challenge people to be givers not just consumers. The response has been so cool. I encourage you to go to www.blessbackmacon.com and read the comments.

Also this week we have had one of our Piedmont trucks broken into and about $8000 dollars worth of our sound equipment stolen. We also had a large bill come in that relates to the purchase of our Northside property.

A battle of emotions has been my week. In the end I am oddly excited and a little frightened. I fully believe that events of the week are evidence that Hell is frightened that Piedmont Church is in Macon. I am convinced that Satan is very fearful that Piedmont Church is a new move of God in Middle Georgia. I also know he will not sit by and do nothing.

Satan is a general of an army, and an army only attacks an enemy what is seen as a threat. Yes, we are putting hell on notice that Piedmont Church is in town not to connect people to the same old Christian religion, but to a movement of Christ in their lives.

We will not back down, backup, sit down, or shut-up. We are here to stay, and we move forward in confidence for greater is He that is in us than he that is in this world!

Piedmont is 1 year old

2008-09-07T22:12:00.002-04:00

I may have to update this blog tomorrow, I am exhausted and not sure my mind is fresh.

Today was an incredible day. The spirit, the band, all our volunteers, the work of our staff, the response, the party at the Northside property...everything was awesome. I am so grateful and humbled that I get to be the Lead Pastor of this amazing church.

For those who were not there, let me tell you what we did. As a part of the launch of the verge series we didn't take up an offering, instead we gave out thousands upon thousands of dollars. I guess you can say we did a reverse offering. Seriously, we had envelopes in the offering buckets and asked people to take one out of the offering bucket. In those envelopes were different amounts of money from 5 to 500 dollars.

There was one catch, you can't spend the money on yourself or your family. You have to give it away to someone who needs it. We did it to show that life is not just about the consumption of all you have, but God challenges us to become people who use our time, energy, and money to invest into the lives of others. I thought that if we "prime the pump" that we could get people fired up about investing into others as a way of living.

We will see what happens. It was a one-of-a-kind day, and now I am going to sleep.

Verge

2008-09-03T09:04:00.002-04:00

Ok, I am pumped!!

This Sunday is a double home run Sunday. I will be celebrating the one year anniversary of Piedmont Church and the kick-off of the Verge series and effort.

I am caught up with a conviction that God has brought us to the verge of something even bigger than what we have experienced right now. BUT, the ball is in our court.

Let me say that I am a terrible fundraiser...I hate it. But this time I am unusually excited!!! I am not intimidated in asking you to pray and give. I am so convinced in what can be. I so believe that we are positioned to be used of God to create some serious life change in people. I want you to have the joy and the privilege to participate in changing lives, and so I proudly ask you to give.

Without shame I tell you to seriously seek God, ask for His direction, and make a commitment to give to the Verge effort. It may be a one time gift, it may be a 3-year commitment to give "an extra" to your regular giving, or it may be a non-cash gift, but I call you to be a part in some way.

If you are not still convinced...come listen to the Verge Series. This will be a guilt-free, challenge-filled series that will change your heart and you will be encouraged. I am FIRED up!

House

2008-08-25T21:15:00.002-04:00

Our response to this House series has been great. I found it odd yet encouraging yesterday when Curt Montgomery mentioned in the "welcome" that this series has been great, a lot of people started clapping.

I am not sure if I have ever had applause for just mentioning a series. I think that us talking about parenting hits a cord with many people. Parenting is a tough job.

Here are some highlights from the series:

--Every child from birth is heading to the same unstoppable destination called independence.

--Our greatest job is not to get them through school, into marriage, a job, or leave them a wad of money. Our job is to help nurture and shape their character so that they are ready to live independence well.

--Character shaping does not just happen, you have to be intentional.

--The average parent has 3000 unscheduled hours a year with their child and the average child attends church 40 hours a year. Who has the greater impact? Whatever you want in your children, work on it being real in you.

--When it comes to guidelines, guardrails, and discipline remember the two Cs-consistency and clarity. Give both when you give expectations and discipline.

--One of the unique characteristics of the American family is how well the parents obey the children. Who has the greatest influence in your house? Ok, really think about this before you answer.

We finish the series this weekend, see you there.

last night

2008-08-21T08:48:00.003-04:00

I met with several of the leaders of Piedmont Church last night. The leaders of Piedmont are not a group of men on a board making decisions...that is the staff's job. No, the leaders of Piedmont are the men and women who serve others on Sunday. To be a leader it is simple...serve somebody.

I had them together to talk about the Verge effort. It is very important to understand that the Verge effort is not simply a campaign to raise money to get into our building. We do hope that we raise money, but it is so much more than that.

We did not set a dollar goal for the Verge effort, instead made our goal getting everyone at PC that we can to seek God earnestly during the campaign. I believe that we will see some people's lives changed and we will get to raise some money.

I challenge all who attend PC to seek God over the next several weeks and ask two things:

1. God what is the one things you desire out of me at this stage of my life? What ever it is God I will do it.

2. God what would you have me do to help Piedmont take this next step for we are on the Verge of something even greater than what we have seen you do?

Pray those things everyday and lets see what God does.

Sunday Evening Thoughts

2008-08-17T23:11:00.003-04:00

I go to bed a blessed man tonight because
*I am loved by a God who shouldn't
*I am married to most amazing and beautiful girl
*I am loved by 3 little faces
*I work with a great staff-Thanks Curt, Greg, Val, Brad, Tori, and Jana. You are awesome and I am glad that God has you on the PC Team. You guys move me.
*I get to lead a church that is more about the movement of Christ than being another "Christian Club" church.
*I serve along side some of the most incredible volunteers. You are the engine that moves PC forward.
*Next week I begin to help coach several little guys (1st and 2nd graders) in the game of football. An opportunity to invest into future young men.
*I get to help people discover that God has so much more than they are living right now. I love helping people find that peace, security, and hope that God has for each of us.

I will sleep well tonight.

Verge

2008-08-06T23:35:00.003-04:00

Well I am ending a week with the family and have had a great time. I have been thinking about our Verge effort coming up. What an opportunity we have.

Piedmont Church has lifted off the ground with great success. For a new church start we are doing great. I am so proud of the volunteers and staff that have gotten us to this place. I really get overwhelmed when I think about it.

Verge is what we are calling our next step. I define the word Verge as that point beyond which something new breaks out. I think that is where PC is, we are at that point in which we are about to launch into a new level of ministry. We have accomplish so much without a facility but it has also limited us. I have no doubt that our potential is sky high in helping people get connected to Jesus Christ in a real and meaningful way, but we need the resources to get there and our building is a huge needed resource.

Understand that a getting a building is not our goal. No, our goal is life change in people, the building is just a tool to help us accomplish this. I ask you that if you read this blog, even if you do not go to PC, pray and see if God has you to help us dominate this city with the love and grace of Jesus Christ. I am excited for Piedmont Church and for Middle Georgia as PC with your help moves to a new level.

going home

2008-08-02T13:27:00.006-04:00

I have had a great time in CA. The people are great and right now I stopped on my way to the airport in a park right under the Golden Gate Bridge.

If I look out the opposite way of the bridge I see Alcatraz. Cool spot!

As cool as this place is there is nothing like going home. Home to see all the faces that I love to see. My partner in life, Jana, and those three crazy kids God has blessed us with.

I look out to Alcatraz and wonder what Al Capone thought as he was confined there, unable to go home. I think of all the homeless who have no home to go to, and to those who's home has fallen apart and they wish so much they could put it back together. My heart hurts for them and because I know that I have a home and I can't wait to get there.

Have Fun in CA

2008-08-01T00:38:00.002-04:00

The last two night at Family Camp have been great. The people have been responsive and I have really enjoyed the discussions. Good people.

I took one afternoon and drove to Santa Cruz and went to Steamer Lane. It is a famous surfing spot in California. I enjoyed standing on the cliffs and watching the surfers below. Something you do not get to see on the East Coast.

I have also been blown away by the Redwoods. These things are huge! It is hard to describe how tall they are...God is one creative dude. Only a fool in his heart can stand where I am, look at all this, and say that there is not God. The complexity of the creation screams that there is a designer.

Missing my Family big time.

Tomorrow I will write and tell you of someone I want to you pray for.

Later

In San Fransico

2008-07-28T13:42:00.003-04:00

I am about an hour south of San Fransisco in the Redwood forest speaking this week at a Family Camp. Wow, this is some kind of beautiful weather. I left 90+ degree weather for 50s in the morning and 70s for the high here. The people at the Redwood Christian Camp are really great.

If you think about it pray that God anoints my speaking this week. I want God to move.

I am currently sitting in a coffee House and the 40 year old guy near me just told the owner that he may need to smoke a joint tonight to go to sleep. Welcome to the Redwood Forest area of California.

Reports to come.

Our Volunteers Rock

2008-07-24T19:56:00.002-04:00

PC has the best volunteers. Every church has volunteers but not every church has volunteers that get it. At PC we do!

Last night we had our first volunteer appreciation event called Full Throttle. It was a night to party with and love on our volunteers. It was cool!

Here is how the night went for all you church planters who read blogs like this for ideas
--we had the "Pit Party" from 6-6:30. Chips and salsa
--Dinner started at 6:30
--We had a wii and a xbox360 set up among racing decorations.
--the program started at 7:00
--I welcomed and expressed appreciation
--Greg (worship dude) came and did a version of "don't forget the lyrics" very funny
--then slide/video of where we have come from over the past year -ended with the song God of this City -very moving
--Each staff gave out full throttle awards like the grammys. The award was the energy drink Full Throttle.
--I came up and gave a short vision talk
--We ended by having a drawing for an ipod touch. At the beginning of the night we gave everyone a slip of paper and wrote their name at the top and asked them to write down the name of everyone they talked to. At the end of the night the 20 who had the most names put their slip in a jar and we drew for the ipod. It got people talking to each other. Very cool.

Thanks to my amazing staff for getting it all together.

brudened but grateful

2008-07-22T09:35:00.000-04:00

I often hear of a young pastor being frustrated, hounded, and criticized by a few people of their church. Many of these men were young men in my previous college ministry. They all gave up a lot to lead their church, sacrificed for the church, and worked harder than anyone could imagine. These churches have put an expectation on these men that no one but Christ could live up to, and then sliced them with whispering tongues.

I have seen first hand how people who claim the name of Christ can ignore so much of scripture in how they respond and treat others, especially pastors. It gets me fired up and gets me angry. I am very proud of these men, instead of fighting they resigned so as not to hurt the church. They are left to trust God to take care of them and their family, that is very cool to me. I would love to bring them to Macon to work with me at PC.

I have to say that I don't have this issue at Piedmont. I work along some of the greatest people on the planet. The staff is great, and to my amazement they understand the need to protect the pastor. They are truly the wind beneath my wings and I am so grateful. Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

Changed lives is the goal

2008-07-18T09:34:00.002-04:00

I am getting so excited about our new building and how this fall we are going to call on all who attend PC to commit to make it happen. Our building and the campaign we will have is not about bricks and mortar, it is not buying a building. It is about changing lives.

The building is just a tool to make life change happen. A very big tool, but the building is not the goal...life change is. We must never lose sight of that. We must never become a church that builds or purchases buildings just for our pleasure. Time is too short and our window of opportunity to change lives of those far from God is what is most important.

Yes, I want you to pray about your role in making this building a reality in both your serving and your giving. You guys are the most awesome people who are making PC the most awesome church.

Holy and Hip

2008-07-11T09:56:00.002-04:00

I have a new friend. She is a teenage girl named Kennedy Bruce. She is the daughter of a friend and coach on Colton's All-star team. She told her dad recently that I am "Holy and Hip." I love that. I would hope that by "holy" she means that she sees some of the character of Christ in the way I live (I have so far to go in that) and by "hip" I hope she means relevant.

I think that should be the definition of the church today -Holy and Hip, or said another way...publicly living the character God in a way that seems relevant to those around. It is my passion that Piedmont is passionate about helping people pursue the character of God in a way that is relevant to their everyday life. That is what Jesus did when he was on earth. I guess you can say that Piedmont Church is striving to be like Jesus Christ, to be holy and hip.

this bothered me

2008-07-09T09:45:00.002-04:00

I read something today that bothered me and it should bother you as well.

I read that 50,000 people die each day without a relationship with Jesus.

Read that line again.

Now just think on that a little. Every single day the Kingdom loses 50,000 people.

Imagine if you lost 50,000 dollars a day in your business...What would you do?

I bet you would change some things. I believe that it is time that we change some things.

In Hebrews 9:27 it tell us that we are destine to die and then we face judgment. That is it, Game Over. 50,000 people a day face that judgment without forgiveness.

So what are you going to do about it? You may ask, "I am one person, what can I do?" You help change things one life at a time. It starts with you focusing on the people around you who would be a part of that 50,000 if they died today. Invest in them, serve them, forgive them, and invite them to come with you to Piedmont Church. God wants to use you in their life.

Christianity must not become a self-focused group of people, but a burden people who hurt for the 50,000 everyday and work hard to shrink that number.

It is time for you and me to do our part.

Things that hit me

2008-07-08T09:19:00.002-04:00

--I loved Sunday. I had someone tell me that they had never had the Lord Supper come so alive and mean so much to them. That was our goal.

--The acoustic set Greg and the band did was awesome.

--I met some really cool people

--We did some planning last week and we are making plans to help people in need around the city amongst several other things.

--Greg and Curt are going to be a much needed addition to our team.

--In the last 9 months we have together -given $6,000 to a orphanage in China, twice gathered several hundred pounds of food for the hungry, sent out two teams to help tornado victims, and have more projects in the making. Not Bad for a church that is less than a year old.

--I still can not believe that we are buying a Shopping Center. God is awesome!

--You guys are so cool in your serving, your giving, and you inviting. KEEP INVITING is is our lifeblood.

Dominate Defined

2008-07-02T22:40:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months you have heard me say, "I want to dominate this city with the love and grace of Jesus Christ." But what does that mean? Let me explain.

I remember walking through the ruins of an old city in Israel. We can upon a huge rock formation that looked like the old city gates of Christ's days. During the time of Christ this formation was the hotbed of pagan worship. Thousands of people would come to worship in pagan temples. I remember standing there at the very place where Jesus walked amongst a lot of people who were far from God. Jesus didn't run away from the pagans, prostitutes, murderers, thieves, and irreligious...no, he ran to them. Imagine the disciples standing there looking at all the idol worship, all the prostitution, all the ungodly behavior that was so popular and accepted. They must have been so overwhelmed. It was in this environment that Jesus says, "The gates of Hell will not prevail" against the church.

Now think about that phrase, "Gates of Hell." Gates are a defensive not an offensive weapon. Gates were used to keep a city from being overwhelmed. Jesus tells us that Hell is to be on the defense...his church should be on the offensive. We are not to retreat but to DOMINATE. We are to believe that God longs to do some God-size things in and through us. We are to work hard to find ways to love people, grow people, feed people, heal people, and dominate this city with the best weapons we have...love, grace, and encouragement.

It is my passion for all of us who attend Piedmont to not give up on our families, our office, our friends, and this city. We will "dominate" when we all love like there is no tomorrow, invest in those who are around us, give of ourselves to better someone else, and when we never stop inviting others to come with us to Piedmont. That is what it means to "dominate." It is not about becoming the cool church or the "better" church but it is beating hell in this city and becoming a church where constant life change is a reality.

Dude

2008-07-01T23:01:00.002-04:00

I am at Saint Simons on a staff advance (because we never retreat), and some of the things that people wear...it is amazing. I am assuming that most condo must not have mirrors because there is no way they saw themselves before they made all of us see them. I do not know if I should feel sorry for them of admire their self confidence.

They punched the lock

2008-06-30T22:42:00.004-04:00

We came out to the Expedition after Colton's All-star game only to find that someone had punched the lock and stole Jana's purse and the GPS that I borrowed (great, now I have to buy a new one that I didn't want to do...that is the reason I borrowed one.) and I was ticked. By the time we got home they had charged over $500 to our credit cards.

You know, if they would have broken into any other vehicle it would not have bothered me as much. The minute they broke into MY vehicle it became personal. The reason was because it was MINE! I wanted to kicked some buttie...in Jesus name of course.

This all reminds me that the scripture tells us that all who follow Christ are considered by God as His "very own possession." That means that because I am HIS, he takes everything that happens to me very personal. He celebrates my greatest days, cries at my worst moments, and will one day repay those who hurt me without remorse. That knowledge creates something within me that is needed to thrive...HOPE!

In Christ you are His and that draws His focused, loving, and passionate attention to your every moment. Be encouraged.

Braves Game

2008-06-24T23:27:00.003-04:00

I went to the Braves game tonight. I sat on the second row behind the Brave's dugout. I could have almost reached out and smack Chipper Jones on the head if I had wanted to. The first base ump made a terrible call and boy did he get heckled for about 15 minutes by one guy.

The guy went on, and on, and on, and on. We were all so close so there is no doubt that the ump heard this guy. The guy finally stopped and announced to all who could hear, "I have waited all my life to yell at an ump who could actually hear me." I laughed, no doubt his first time to sit that close.

There is something powerful that happens when you believe that you are being heard. Maybe that is why we don't pray like we should. Maybe in our minds we are still waiting to get close enough to God to believe that we are close enough for Him to finally hear us.

The scripture is clear, God hears. He hears every beat of your heart, every word on your lips, and every thought in your head. He is listening. Ask God to help you to get to a place where you are emotionally convinced that He hears. When you get to that place you just might be amazed at the resulting passion for prayer that is created within you.

Sunday Thoughts

2008-06-23T09:16:00.002-04:00

Here are some thoughts from yesterday;

--The PC volunteers are so incredible. Seriously, they do an amazing job in getting our environments ready each Sunday and I am blown away.

--I believe that if we believed that God is going to do a God-size thing through PC that we would dominate the city with the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

--I am thankful that the people of PC are willing to be audacious for Jesus Christ.

--It takes more work to be focused on outsiders than insiders. You PC folks understand that and I an grateful.

--Satan hates Piedmont Church

--My batteries are recharged when people tell me that God is using PC to inspire and/or change them. If PC has impacted your life email your story to mystory@piedmontchurch.net

Outlaws

2008-06-17T06:47:00.003-04:00

I have a relative whom I have never met that robbed a bank recently...no kidding. Oddly, I want to fly out to meet him and discover his story. His mother has died and no one is really able to be there with him. He is near my age and I feel for him in a way.

I find myself curious to have a relative who has robbed a bank, but I am also angry. This relative is from my father's side of the family and carries the Dingmore name. I get angry that in at least one town he has tarnished my last name. I feel that he had a responsibility to wear our family name well, but he chose not to. That, honestly, make me mad.

This whole strange event has caused me to ask myself, "How am I wearing my God's name?" As a Christ follower I wear the name of Christ in a public way, and though I am not perfect I still have the responsibility of wearing it well. I now realize that the questions that I should ask myself before acting or speaking are, "How does what I am about to do reflect on His name? Is this the behavior of someone who is wearing the name of Christ well?" I bet if I ask these questions often I would have parts of my lifestyle radically changed...how about you?

My volunteers rock!

2008-06-05T22:08:00.003-04:00

The following is a blog entry I ran across of Casey Graham who spoke last week:

Okay, I had a BLAST at Piedmont Church in Macon, GA. Jerry Dingmoreis a GREAT leader and pastor. They are 8 months old averaging 350 in attendance. Today was the last week of their Big and Rich series. He had me down to do an on stage interview. I can't believe how well received it was. It doesn't matter if I am in Cumming, Ga or Macon, Ga or anywhere else — EVERYONE DEALS WITH FINANCES! FYI if you are church planter or leader, YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT THIS CHURCH. They had some of the BEST volunteers I have ever been around in my life. They really did have it together.

Your One Prayer

2008-06-03T15:04:00.004-04:00

This Sunday We will be kicking off the ONE PRAYER series in which we are partnering with over 1200 church worldwide.

This Sunday I will be talking about my one prayer for Piedmont Church. In getting ready I want you to give me your one prayer for your church, whatever church you attend. Leave your prayer by clicking on the comments button below.

I have an odd relationship with my blog

2008-06-03T11:43:00.002-04:00

I have this love-hate relationship with my blog. I love writing in it at times and at other times it I hate it and I get off habit. I have been off habit for a while but have returned.

Tornado Cleanup

2008-05-13T12:48:00.006-04:00

Wow! That is my response to both the destruction of the tornado and the response of Piedmont Church. We made a call for PC to help with the debris cleanup and within a few hours we had around 30 people to help remove branches. We had about the same number of residents of the so called "rough" neighborhoods that we were in to come out and help. We had an army of people. White and Black working next to each other, laughing, helping, and doing what needed to be done. It was an amazing scene.

To see a slide show go to our family blog at http://dingmore.blogspot.com

In the end we did what the church should always do and that is help people. We ended up clearing 5 major street blockings, a driveway for an elder couple, and removed a tree laying on a car. The people we helped were amazed and shocked.

I can not thank enough the people who came to help. I know that God is going to honor you for it. It was incredible and we dominated the area with the grace of Jesus Christ.

What a day

2008-05-11T20:43:00.002-04:00

Well we had some type of weather today. It appears that no one was killed in the tornado that hit Macon, I am glad for that.

We did not have church at PC because of the power outage, and I get really bummed when I am unable to connect with the people of PC and preach.

I was amazed with the number of our leaders who showed up and helped to get set up just in case the power came on, and when we made the call to cancel the service they stayed to help pack up. We have the coolest volunteers at PC. I love you guys.

Oh, and I have to tell ya...my mother's day message was awesome. Oh well.

See you next week.

My Thoughts on Leadership

2008-05-05T08:48:00.002-04:00

A lot of talk has surfaced about leadership. From the candidates for president to the blogs of well known church leaders, everyone is trying bring clarity to what leadership looks like. I will throw in my thoughts.

I think that the best definition of leadership is found in one word...influence. Leadership is influence. Leadership is not a position, not a responsibility, nor is it a job title. Anyone can become a leader when they become someone who influences others.

I have often seen situations in workplaces where someone other than the one with the "boss" title is getting people to get things done. That person may not have the title of leader but because they are influencing people they ARE a leader.

You can be a leader in your work, your home, your friendships when you begin to become an influence. Great leaders in all these arenas understand that leadership is influence and strive to become a positive influence to all whom God places in their path.

Go, be a leader today!

Five on Friday

2008-05-02T09:41:00.003-04:00

Here are five things that I am thinking about today:

1. I am running for president in four years. If the three that are current contenders are the best that America has to offer...I have a chance. Who should be my VP?

2. I can't wait for Sunday. I love seeing people, I love challenging people, and I love what is happening in our kids and students, and I love seeing God do his thing.

3. I have a baseball (Colton) and a softball (Kenzie) game tomorrow and I get fired up at those things. I am pretty sure that I will not get ejected from the game, but I get intense as the season goes on. I hope the "Blues" (umpires) are ready. I hope you know that I am kidding about the getting ejected...well kinda kidding.

4. I was reminded this morning that the best response to many things in life is laughter.

5. I live believing that "life is terminal, live strong."

People say strange things

2008-04-29T14:39:00.003-04:00

The following is a blog written by Perry Noble who is a church planter who's church has become a beacon for many church plants. I recently starting reading his blog and laughed at this one and knew you had to read it. I think that it applies to Piedmont for I hear things like this being said about us. I will give you my thoughts after you read this blog entry.

Apparently I Pulled My Pants Down!!!
Posted: 23 Apr 2008 06:10 AM CDT
OK…so the rumor mill has stirred up another one.

I've heard tons of them…that there is a statue of me in the building, that I preach with my shirt off, that people have to show their tax returns to join our church and that we have a secret parking garage underneath the building. (The last one WOULD be really cool…but no, it’s not true!)

But this last one…when I heard it…I was speechless.

A gentleman in our church knew that God wanted him to join…but before doing so he wanted to have lunch with his soon to be former pastor to thank him for his ministry and share with him that he really felt that God was leading him and his family to begin attending NewSpring Church.

His pastor, upon finding out that the church he was going to be attending was NewSpring, said, “Well Bob (fake name!), you need to be very careful because I know for a fact from a very reliable source that the pastor over there pulled his pants down one Sunday to try to illustrate a point–and I think that is ungodly!”

OK…I know I drink lots of coffee…and that I often say & do crazy things…but I am around 110% sure that I’ve never pulled my pants down–ever! WOW…oh my dang!!!

I thought about that other pastor a lot last weekend. To my knowledge we’ve never met; however, I found it very interesting that he was very willing to assume the worse about me just because he had “a very reliable source.”

Confession–I’ve done the same thing before…all pastors have. We hear something about someone who we perceive to be some sort of threat…and instead of doing our homework we assume it’s true because we want to believe it.

This encounter REALLY taught me a few lessons…

I have found that when you have vision and are trying to impact an area for Christ that many will try to derail you from that vision. If you have no vision people will leave you alone.

I have found that...
If you are not being told that it can't be done...your vision is probably not from God.
If you are not being talked about in good and bad ways...your vision is probably not from God.
If you are not a threat to "professional" Christians...your vision is probably not from God.
If you are not being told to calm down...your vision is probably not from God.
If you do not feel like you will explode unless you do it...your vision is probably not from God.

If you hear any wacky accusation said about Piedmont Church that you know is not true. Don't get mad, just wear is as a badge of honor knowing that it simply means we have a God size vision. Don't play the same game, lets live above it.

One Prayer

2008-04-24T08:40:00.002-04:00

I am really excited about something that Piedmont Church is going to be a part of in June. We are going to join 100s of churches around the world and become one for the month of June. We are going to be a part of the One Prayer event beginning June 8th.

This is how it works. On June 8th I will preach a message that expresses my One Prayer for us at Piedmont. All the churches that are a part of One Prayer will have their Lead/Senior Pastor do the same. The the following three week every church will have other Pastor's preach to their churches through video. At Piedmont we will have three of the very best communicators speak to us through video personally selected by me. I will have many communicators to choose from and will select those who have a message for us to hear. Every church will be doing this. It will be a awesome time of unified focus.

Jesus prayed that the Father would make us, as Christians, one so that people will see Christ in the midst of that unity. One Prayer I believe will be an answer to that prayer.

I am so excited, and I hope you are as well.

For more information go to www.oneprayer.com and begin to pray that God will use this in a awesome way in our lives at Piedmont.

If you don't read this God is going to hurt you

2008-04-23T12:38:00.003-04:00

OK, the title of this blog is over the top, but so are many of the emails that I get. I seem to be a magnetic for the "if you forward this email to 5 friends then God is going to bless you" emails. Though they differ from each other a little, the message is basically the same. It tells me that if I forward an email then that is the key that opens the door to getting God to bless my life.

Come on, I know that those who forward those emails really can't believe that. Surely you do not believe that God is setting up there with a big Mac computer (God would use Apple over a Windows based computer because Apple is cool and so is God) watching who forwards these emails, and his blessing is based on if you forward an email that really doesn't have any content in it other than to tell you to forward?

Please tell me that you really are not going to make knowing God about forwarding an email. Listen, God wants to bless you. He wants you to know him, to learn from him, obey him, trust him, follow him...and when this becomes a part of your everyday way to live...he will bless you.

If you want to use email to attract God's blessing, then do the following:
1. Hit "New message" button on your email program.
2. Put in the address of a someone you know or have met.
3. Write an email encouraging them, thanking them, supporting them, etc.
4. Hit the "Send" button.

Do that often and you will attract the blessing of God and of a lot of other people.

Stirred

2008-04-15T16:38:00.004-04:00

Remember when Popeye got so fed up that he would say, "I can't stanz it, I can't stanz it no more." It was then that he had to do something, he just couldn't sit by and not act.

I am often asked how does one know when God is leading them in something or to do something. I believe that God will bring you to something much more that a "feeling" that you need to do something. He will create a Popeye moment in your heart. There will be something inside of you that demands a response in you. In your heart you will say that "I can't stanz it, I can't stanz it no more." One well known pastor calls it a holy discontent.

This is why we started Piedmont Church. It wasn't because we just wanted to, we simply couldn't stand by and do nothing...we had to act.

I convinced that as you seriously follow Christ he will stir you and bring you to Popeye moments. It is a process and often you will see it coming if your looking. Are you looking?

Oprah

2008-04-11T09:10:00.004-04:00

I know that I am running a risk talking about Oprah. So don't be hate'n. I know that she is promoting a new way of thinking about God and life these days...another name for that is Theology. She is promoting a new Theology. Actually, it is not new because much of it dates back to the time of the scripture. It has several elements of what was called gnosticism, but that is a whole other story.

What I find interesting is that she is viewed by many as a expert on relationships like marriage, parenting, and the like. I am sure she has views on these topics and her views could have some redeeming value. But the woman has chosen to bypass the marriage commitment, and she is not a parent. That is like me teaching you how to become great at soccer, oh and by the way, I don't play the game. Doesn't make much sense to me.

You would do better to DVR American Idol instead, then when you want advice on marriage, family, or relationships, find someone whom you have observed who has built a great marriage and who has raised kids who you want yours to be like. Get to know her, ask her for advice, and seek the input from someone who has walked well where you want to walk.

Oprah, I am thankful for the refrigerator that I have from you, but a relationship mentor you are not.

What do I think about God?

2008-04-10T16:10:00.003-04:00

I have had several good things happen to me over the last few months. During this time of blessing I also feel like something bad is about to happen. I am kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop...why is that?

I wonder if it is because deep down I do not really believe that God will bless me, or is it because I know that the enemy of God attacks when we are being blessed, or could it be that I just can't accept that I would ever have anything good happen to me. I don't know but this is something that I really need to seek deep within and with God's help, discover the answer.

I would only guess that I am not the only one who feels this way.

Facebook

2008-04-09T09:53:00.002-04:00

I have set up a facebook page. I am connecting with a lot of old friends and some new ones as well, Check it out at

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1220197740

Right Now

2008-04-08T08:55:00.002-04:00

I have been stuck thinking about how we tend to live in the future or the past. That we think that our best days are ahead of us or behind us, but our best day right now is the day that God has given us to live today.

I believe that too many in the younger generation think that their days of impact are in the future and too many in the older generation think that their days of making a difference are in the past. No!!!! You have a day today to live and live for Christ, live strong!!!

So seize today and whatever it brings, good or bad. Today is here now but this evening it will be gone never to be relived. Live it for Christ in all that you do!!

He is watching you!!

2008-03-25T13:12:00.002-04:00

I will let you in on a little secret. I have always had a interest in clandestine activity. Really, I am not kidding. It partly comes from my father's career that included top secret work that he kept with him to his grave. I admire that character trait.

Many years ago I even looked into getting into the clandestine services of this country. One thing that "spies" do is watch. They watch and listen to governments and to people. Looking for information and patterns of behavior that prove to be useful to know. So everyday they are watching and listening to their target. Over time they learn their weakness, their times of vulnerability, their habits, and just when would be the best time to strike them.

Well, I have learned the you and I are targets of the clandestine services of the enemy of God. Yes your life is being studied and the "enemy" knows your weaknesses, when you are most vulnerable, and when to throw a temptation your way.

I find that I am most vulnerable to fear or frustration on Monday mornings. I expend so much energy on Sunday that I am emotionally and spiritually exhausted on Monday. I am vulnerable. It shouldn't surprise me that the day that I usually find a situation before me that is fearful or frustrating is Monday. Because of this I try to monitor my heart and emotions on Monday more than any other day.

I challenge you to get to know YOU like Hell does. Study your life, learn your moments of weakness, your unhealthy habits, and other things about you the Satan already knows and will use against you. Then when those vulnerable moments come you know to be on the look out and protect your heart against the attacks. He is watching and learning...in this ignorance is not bliss.

I am amazed and ready to dominate!

2008-03-24T21:20:00.002-04:00

I work with the greatest people in the world. I really do. The staff and volunteers of Piedmont Church are what makes it the incredible church that it is.

We are about 6 1/2 months old and we had 530 people worship with us on Easter Sunday. If you are not into church planting let me tell you, that number is unheard of. I recently read a study of 2000 churches that are 5 years or less in age. That survey discovered that the average attendance of a church at 4 years old is right at 100 people. We hit 530 at only 6 1/2 months. AWESOME!

I am so pumped! God is moving and we are riding the wave. The interest that we are getting is largely because I have a church full of people who love people and love Christ. They go the extra mile to show the love of Christ to anyone and everyone.

I am so thankful for Christ and the work that he is doing through Piedmont Church.

Lets go DOMINATE this city for Jesus Christ!

Steven Curtis Chapman made me mad

2008-03-19T17:35:00.003-04:00

Ok, I went to a SCC concert recently. My 9 year old daughter found one of his old CDs we had and downloaded it to her ipod. She really liked it, so when I was given an opportunity to go to the concert I jumped at the chance.

I took Kenzie as my date, a little daddy daughter time. Well SCC has a song called Cinderella. It is a song about a dad and his daughter. It tells of how fast the little girl grows up and leaves.

Now I am not an outwardly emotional guy and I am uncomfortable around men who cry a lot, but I struggled with this song. About two minutes into the song I was talking to myself, "Don't cry, Don't cry, think happy thoughts." I made it through the song but just barely. So I am not real happy with that man right now.

I do realize that she is not going to remain my little girl forever and it makes me a little sad. There is something about that one little girl of mine that has a special place in my heart.

To you guys who think my teariness is a little wimpy, just wait till you begin to see your daughter grow up and become more independent...it is exciting and it sucks all at the same time!

I believe in you

2008-03-09T22:13:00.002-04:00

I was thinking today how you rarely hear pastors say that they believe in their people. We tend to tell our people what they should do, get on them about what they are not, and teach them bible knowledge but that is about it.

Well, let me change that. I want you to know that if you are reading this...I believe in you and what is possible in your life. I believe that you are a person of incredible value, and no matter your past, your future potential is amazing. I believe in you so much because you are uniquely created by God with a potential and a future. Just as a Picasso painting is valuable because of who painted it, you have incredible value because of who created you.

I do not want to hear you say, "Not me, I have made so many mistakes." Join the crowd!! God is more consumed with what you can be than what you have done. That is what forgiveness is all about. It is time that you start looking at your tomorrow like God does...it is a bright view.

If your today is dark because of circumstances out of your control, He is aware of that too and is prepared to walk you through to a better place.

I want you to know that there is a little, crazy, out-of-the-box preacher that believes in you, and a huge, eternal, uncontrollable God who does the same.

Have a Great Monday!

A work in progress

2008-03-07T12:48:00.002-05:00

This morning at the Gathering a guy spoke about how he was a work in progress. That he realized that he was something that is not finished and that he was still being built.

I can not agree more. I think that so often we approach life as something in the future, a destination that we are suppose to one day arrive at and enjoy. So we are always thinking that real living is a future event. That is so wrong, life is a journey (or as one of my favorite songs go, "life is a highway") and the destination is death then judgment.

Listen to what it says in Acts 13:36, "36 For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep." What this means is that David sought to live the purpose of God for him in whatever generation he was in at the time, and after that he died. In other words, life is about seeking to live the purpose of God in the teenage years as a teenager, then seek to live God's purpose as a 20 something when you are 20 something, and on and on. To often we live thinking that God's purpose is always something in the future, or we think that when we get to some stage or age in the future that then we will live God's purpose. No, God's purpose is always in the now.

I am convinced that we miss so much of what God has for us today because we are so consumed with trying to arrive to the future. Today you are not too young or too old for God to work in you and through you. Today could be the first day to living God's purpose that he has for you to live today, at this stage, in the generation that you are currently in...after that the only thing left to do is die.

The Power to Dominate

2008-03-05T08:34:00.002-05:00

Ok, lets continue to wrap our minds around this idea of dominating the city for Christ. We must not strive for less or believe any less than that we can have an impact on the lives of people who are disconnected with God beyond what we imagine .

I believe that we have something working for us that is going to empower us to dominate the city. That being unity of vision. I have never worked in a church where there has been so many people with a clear understanding of the vision for the church. We are a church that provides environments that helps people connect with God and others no matter where they are on their spiritual journey. That is our focus. We work hard to communicate that we do not want people to put on masks or pretend they have it all together (we already know you are not perfect so don't try to convince us of anything different.) for we are about being real and relevant.

All our volunteers work hard to accept people, to lower anxiety that comes with going to church for the first time, and to create environments that cause those who are coming to want to bring their friends. There is an unexplainable excitement and power when you have a large number of people who in unity have this vision. It creates momentum.

In Luke 17 Jesus reminds us of the power found in a group of people who are working for one vision, "22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." Our passion to stay true to our vision, to invite those who share it to work with us, and to encourage those who do not to find another fine church is what unites us, and together we are going to dominate the city for the Glory of God.

You rock PC'ers!!!

Dominate continues

2008-02-29T11:10:00.002-05:00

To continue my theme to dominate that I wrote about yesterday, I will let a brand new song by Chris Tomlin speak for our hearts for Macon. This song speaks to why Piedmont is here and why we are doing all that we are.

Dominate

2008-02-28T13:06:00.003-05:00

Jana, my wife, has always been a partner with me. She knows me well and keeps me moving in a great direction. She helps me see things that I may not see and she is my life's 2nd greatest cheerleader...Christ is my life's greatest cheerleader (and your's by the way).

My passion in starting Piedmont was to create something that is bigger than I am, something that would impact not only a group of people, but a city. Jana knows that and lately she has been using the word dominate a lot. She has spoken that word at just the right place and time to remind me that we must do what it takes to dominate the city.

We do not want to be quiet or fall into the mold of being that good little church of good little people down the street. No our desire is to dominate, to do whatever it takes to awaken people that there is a God that is pursing them. That our God is the God of this world and the God of this city...a God who has so much for us and is waiting for us to invite him to invade our everyday.

We are going to dominate. We love too much, long for so much, in need of so much, and want so much for others to encounter this amazing God that we can not do anything but dominate. We will not be quiet!!!!!!!!!!!

Taking the city

2008-02-27T15:18:00.002-05:00

I was at a conference last week and took 16 of our people with me. Being with them for those two days reminded me that I have great people around me. I am bless and God is blessing because of those who are walking with me on this journey that we call Piedmont Church.

I was energized by them. They have caused me to believe that we can impact this city for the glory of God. Now I know that may sound a little too TV evangelist for many, it kind of does to me...but I am serious. I think that it is time to not sit back and let institutional Christianity rule the day. It is time for a community of people to shout out that Jesus died to start a movement and not just another institution.

Think about it, the Church is outlawed in China, but yet the church exist there. They can not stop it. If Christianity was just an institution you could rid the world of it, but you can't stop a movement.

We should believe that God desires to use us to take this amazing movement to every office, household, marriage, friendship in this city. I say we refuse to be quite and start living like Christ and love the unlovable around us, invest in the given up on, believe that God can change the most rebellious heart, and come to Piedmont expecting that to happen.

I am tired of the institutionalize, dead, boring, irrelevant Jesus that is often presented to people on Sundays. That is not my Christ, and it is not what people are looking for...it is time for an Uprising.

More to come....no I have lost my mind, I am just fired up on what can be in your life and mine.

synchronized provisions

2008-02-25T12:22:00.004-05:00

I was reading about the death of Moses(Deuteronomy 34) and the rise of Joshua (Joshua 1) as the new leader of this developing country called Israel. One things I noticed was that Moses and Joshua were very different men. Moses was the prophet, theologian, and leader. Joshua, on the other hand, was a warrior. Different men with different giftedness and talents doing the same job.

I love what it says about Moses at his death, "Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh." When the Hebrews were in Egypt they were a race of people not a nation, and they hadn't heard from God in years. They were a broken people who really didn't know God any more. What they needed was a leader who would get them out of Egypt, remind them of the power of God, refresh them with what God desired, and galvanize them as a nation. That is what Moses did with his personality, his leadership, his teaching, and his miracles.

Years later they had become a nation, still with no land and wondering in the desert, they knew God, and there was a whole new generation of adults who are leading. They do not need to be re-introduced to God like their fathers...no they needed the courage to fight for their land. God replaces Moses with Joshua. Joshua didn't perform all the miracles Moses did. He, instead, led them to fight with courage.

God knew what the Hebrew people needed and when they needed it. If God will do that for a nation he will do it for you. God knows exactly what you need in every season of life and he longs to provide it. He may not change your circumstances (the Hebrews still had to fight for their land.) but with synchronized precision he will provide what you need to conquer it.

We have seen that happen over and over at Piedmont. When a great need arrives God always seems to send a way for us to satisfy that need.

God is not just a provider of good things, but he is a synchronized provider.