Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Big Mo Is Spreading

Man what a great first two weeks on the new ministry journey.  I am in awe everyday I wake up thinking about how God is already moving in the hearts of the Skyline Church family and in mine as well.  I have been overwhelmed on a personal level at the outpouring of both love and excitement from our people.  It seems as though everyone is pointed in the same direction and that can only mean one thing....MO.....not Missouri, but MOMENTUM.

On our first Sunday at Skyline there were a total of 175 people who came to worship.  No doubt that included a few people just coming in to check out the new guy in town, but MAN was the place hoppin with energy.  Week 2 was a little scary.  When I received word that the O'fallon area was blasted with 8-10 inches of snow...I started freakin out, but God as he always does brought calm to my heart.  Even with that much snow on the ground and the snow continuing to fall outside there were 138 people there.

Granted it's not all about numbers, but numbers are evidence of excitement and momentum.  As I have issued the challenge to dream God sized dreams and press on toward a common vision to impact our community, God has already started speaking to the hearts of our people.  I have heard story after story of people's hearts breaking for their friends and family who don't know the love of Christ.  I have already heard of people taking steps of faith in sharing Christ's love with those around them.  I have even heard stories of people who are being led to take GIANT leaps of faith for the cause of Christ.

I can't even begin to describe how that makes me feel...to know that God is already doing a great work inside of all of us and already doing some great works through us.  I believe with all of my heart that the best is yet to come...so hold on tight!!!

Another sign of great momentum that I have seen is in our Connection Group ministry.  After only two weeks of sign-ups, there are already 60 people registered to be part of a local Connection Group (the most ever to my understanding).  Let me say this....Connection Groups are where IT happens.  That is where we learn to "Do Life Together From God's Perspective".  That is where true koinōnia happens...true fellowship and spiritual intimacy.


Here is the challenge for our Skyline Family...let's not stop at 60...let's move to 80, 90, even 100.  My hope is that 100 percent of our church family will get plugged into one of our groups.  Even more so...my prayer is that each of you will set a goal for yourself to get one person who is not a part of our church family to be part of your group as well.


The small group experience is part of the foundation of our church's DNA and it should be part of your own spiritual foundation's DNA.  Let's make it happen....Grow the Groups....Grow the Groups.


Again, as I see and hear stories of life transformation, I get more and more excited.  I want to hear your story.  I you have the opportunity....don't hesitate to share.  The stories...our stories...are the beginning of God sized momentum and the beginnings of God sized dreams.....GO GOD!!!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

5 Things I Want Every Skyliner To Know This Week

1.)  I don't know about you, but I left our worship experience together this past weekend even more excited than when I arrived.  To see the response from all of our Skyline family was and still is amazing to me.  I can't tell you how much I appreciated the comments and dreams that were mentioned to me as people left the service.  I heard everything from, "We can't wait!" to "I've got chills!"  Trust me, I can echo those same sentiments.  My whole family is chomping at the bit (if I may use an old country term....I suppose you may have to get used to that with this southern boy) to see all of these God sized dreams become reality.  Part of us owning the vision together is sharing this excitement together and we are certainly off to a great start.

2.)  This excitement we are all feeling is the beginnings of the "BIG MO".  It is the beginning of momentum that will carry us forward in Loving God, Loving Others, and Making a Difference.  Momentum is something that can gain in intensity as we all continue to push forward in the same direction and I have no doubt in my mind, that is exactly what we will be doing.  There is a lot of work ahead of us as we create an atmosphere of excellence in and around the church.  There will be lots of opportunities for you to take a physical part in making vision happen.  From ministry opportunities during weekend services to outreach opportunities that are just around the corner, it will certainly take all of us rolling up our sleeves to impact the eternity of those in our community.

3.)  Speaking of impacting eternity...one of the first ways you can make an impact is in being intentional about inviting people who do not have a church family to be part of ours.  Make that happen beginning in this series.  One of the most time consuming parts of my job should be writing hand written notes and emails to first time guests and your challenge is to make that part of my role in the ministry of Skyline Church even tougher on me.  I dare ya....no I triple dog dare ya...see if I can handle it...lol.

In all seriousness, nearly 80% of people who attend a church for the first time do so not in receiving something in the mail or seeing a commercial, but through a personal invitation from who else...you.  This weekend is an especially important weekend as we look at The Greatest Story Ever Told.  Be sure to bring all of your "unchurched" friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.  It could very well change their life.

4.)  One of the things that will be the largest part of our vision's foundation is prayer.  My heart is to see the people of our church become warriors who fight on their knees.  Begin praying intently for those people you would like to see cross the line of faith and become part of our church family.  Begin praying for your leadership as we make decisions that affect not only the immediate future, but things way down the road.  Begin praying for me as I look into who will take the helm of the children's ministry, as I look to fill the spots for the Elder team, and as we begin looking for the next location for Skyline Church.

On a personal note, begin praying for my family's transition to O'fallon.  We still have to find a new home in the area and are actively on the search, but we also have to sell our home in Portland, TN.  We are trusting in God's timing for all of this, but would certainly like all of these things to happen yesterday.  In any case, it will be very soon that we will be up there on a daily basis and can really make some things happen.

5.)  Again, let me say how thankful we are to be part of the Skyline family.  This opportunity has been a matter of prayer for such a long, long time.  It is awesome to see how God answered those prayers.  I am humbled and honored to be your pastor and I look forward to the great harvest that lies before us in O'fallon and beyond.  Let me encourage you to keep that enthusiasm burning in your heart.  It is that enthusiasm that is the spark which will set our community on fire.

Live Radically,

Pastor Lance

Saturday, January 15, 2011

A Journey Of Epic Proportions

Something that is epic could be described as something of great extent or length, something that is heroic or has great achievement.

I love epic movies, you know those movies that last for hours or take several theatrical presentations to complete the story.  In many of these films there is a character that from the onset has no clue that they are destined for great things and in many of those cases are even resistant to embark on the incredible journey that is set before them.  From these humble beginnings, the character in questions rises to the occasion, defeats the odds, and emerges victorious to make a real difference or change the world.

That is the journey that God calls all of us to take as we trust in the sacrifice made by His one and only Son.  It is a journey of epic proportions that He and He alone has set before each of us.  Certainly, we are insignificant in and of ourselves, but we are made conquerors through His power and might.  I am constantly reminded of this fact as I daily hear the scripture in my mind that tells me His strength is made perfect through our weakness.

The idea of an epic journey has been playing out in my mind and my heart over several months as God has set into motion my life's next chapter.  I look back over my life and I am humbled at where He has brought me from and the things He has allowed me to do.  There have certainly been times when I have felt insignificant.  There have certainly been times when I have felt as if I were just spinning my wheels, but then He affirms everything I have ever experienced as a servant of the Most High.

The next leg of my journey has begun and we are so excited.  Over the last few months I have dreamed more dreams than I have ever dreamed before.  I have dreamed dreams of greatness for the glory of God.  Not dreams of greatness for my own self, but God sized dreams for a church that He has so graciously given me the opportunity to pastor.

We are so excited to serve along side of the people of Skyline Church in O'fallon, Illinois and as we have grown to both know and love them, I can't help but think of the awesome things God has in store for all of us.

It is difficult to put everything into words because I have so many wonderful thoughts running through my mind.  In fact, it is almost scary to dream these kinds of dreams because I know that the road that leads to their reality is not an easy one.  No doubt there will be tough spots along the way.  I am certain there will be plenty of people who may scoff, casting these dreams off as wishful thinking, but I believe with all of my heart that the vision God has for His church (any one of His local church bodies) is a vision that is so vast that we are incapable of making it come to fruition of our own strength and wisdom.  If our dreams are not God sized dreams, they are not God's dreams at all.

As I think about an epic journey and I think about the extent to which the journey is heroic encompassing great achievement, I see myself as none of those things.  I am, after all, a broken man who struggles daily to walk as closely to the Lord as I can.  I do, however, see how God has worked through me over the span of my lifetime.  Despite my imperfection, He has given me the opportunity to make even small differences in the lives of those He has called me to serve.  My prayer is that He will continue to do even greater things through my brokenness to see the journey of Skyline Church become a journey of epic proportions for His glory and for the expanse of His Kingdom.