Sunday Reflections

Here are some Sunday thoughts:

• It was week two in our HOPE series. We talked about going from Hopeless to Hopeful.
• It was a great day and the first time in a while we didn't have any major issues with the sound or something else.
• We used the story of Joesph in Genesis 37 - 45 as a picture of going from hopeless to hopeful.
  
• A few points from the message:
• 1) Never let where you are define who you are.
  
• 2) Be faithful "here" before you get "there."
• 3) Don't put a period where God puts a comma.
• Your circumstances can make you better or bitter the only difference is the letter "I." I choose how I will respond!
• Your suffering is a megaphone for whatever is in your heart. For better or worse it will eventually come out.
• Lots of people who indicated they wanted prayer to see what they are going through to go from hopeless to hopeful.
  
• Romans 15:13. Memorize is it and live it!
• We have 20 boxes to provide Christmas gifts for soldiers overseas for someone who goes to Elevate and his crew.
• A bunch of things I am excited about:
  
• Baptisms next week!
• The HOPE Encounter on December 13th. It is going to be a special and unique service at Elevate.
• Our Christmas service on December 20th called Out of This World Christmas!
• Our series that starts on January 3rd called Unstoppable that includes our One Year Anniversary on January 10th.
  

Random Friday

Here is a bit of randomness coming your way:

• It is week two in our HOPE series this Sunday. This week's message is called Going From Hopeless to Hopeful.
• At the time we planned this series, I didn't know just how timely this series would be. A lot of people need this right now!
• We started our own family Thanksgiving tradition yesterday at the Campbell house.
  
• It started with my wife making an amazing Thanksgiving meal. I am proud of her and all she did. Seriously, it was unbelievable.
  
• We followed the dinner with family night at the movies. Let's just say Ava wasn't the happiest camper about that decision. It was a little too much for her.
• Today we start decorating for Christmas with our kids. I love these times together as a family.
• We celebrated my 31st birthday on Tuesday. My mom mailed me a frozen red velvet cake. I have to say I wasn't sure it would be all that good but I was wrong! The cake was so good!
• "The key to thanks-giving is giving. Without giving you cannot have thanksgiving. The more you give the more thankful you will be." - Mark Batterson
• I am incredibly thankful for Jesus, my wife and kids, family and friends, and Elevate Church!
  
• This week I saw my first deer crossing the street since we moved to San Diego. It made me feel like I was back in Georgia. :-)
• I'm very excited about the next few weeks at Elevate! We have some great things planned.
  

Family Pictures

We had some family pictures taken a few weeks ago. Simeon Rodgers took the pictures and did an incredible job. If you are looking to get some awesome pictures done for your family, check out his website. Family pictures are always interesting when you have four kids but they did a great job. Here are a few pictures from the day. Thanks Simeon for capturing some photos of our family this year!




My Beautiful Bride!





I love these kids so much!





She is so sweet I want to bite her! :-)





Ava and her mommy!


I am so thankful for my precious wife and kids!

Thankful

We all have so much to be thankful for! I turned 31 years old today. A few BIG changes in about a year was starting a church and of course having our fourth child!

As Thanksgiving approaches and as I was given another year to live, I am so thankful for Jesus and his amazing grace. He has a great sense of humor too. I would have never in a million years guess that I would be a pastor and would move 2,000 miles across the country to start a church.

By God's grace I am what I am. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

My wife and kids have treated me much better than I deserve too.

Thank you Jesus for my wife, my kids, my church, and all the people I get to do life with.

I am blessed!

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from Sunday:

• It was the first week of our new series called HOPE and it was an awesome day!
• We watched a video message by Louie Giglio called the Anchor of Hope. Yes, video messages work!
  
• This is probably for another post but those who say video messages won't work have a small view of God. Read Ephesians 3:20.
  
• It was an incredibly powerful message filled with Hope for so many people.
• Four powerful truths from the message:
• 1) At the cross, we see God loves us.
• 2) At the cross, we realize God allows freedom but maintains control.
• 3) The cross demonstrates that God can use the worst for eternal good.
• 4) At the cross, we understand that God paints on a canvas bigger than we can see or understand.
  
• We had many people seeking prayer for some pretty heavy stuff.
  
• This is why we started Elevate: To offer hope!
• Romans 15:13 is the verse we have this series centered upon. Memorize it. Internalize it. Live it out!
• I am so excited about what God is doing in our church right now.
• The overall service went great especially considering that less than five minutes before the service the power went out!
• It was the longest service we have had since we started. Our volunteers are amazing! They busted it to tear down quickly.
• Tons of people were there for the New Moon movie. Sorry, I don't get all the hype around that movie.
  
• I heard people attending movies talking about all the stuff we provided for our children's ministry. Also, We had someone ask if we provided childcare during movies. Uh, no. Maybe we should. :-)
  
• Our baptism bash is Sunday, December 6th following the service. Email me if you want to take the plunge.
• I can't stop thinking about our one year anniversary on January 10th. It is going to be an awesome day as we celebrate what God has done and look to what He is going to do this upcoming year!
• We continue our HOPE series next week. Who do you know looking for hope? Be sure to invite them!
  

Random Friday

Here are some random Friday thoughts:

• Week One of our new series called HOPE starts this Sunday! It is going to be an awesome day. I can't wait!
• I am very excited about our Baptism Bash on Sunday, December 6th. If you are interested in being baptized, send me an email.
• We had our family pictures last Saturday. I hope to put some up on the blog soon.
• Elijah's last soccer game is Saturday. I've had a great time coaching his team. Next up is Basketball in January!
• Christmas is four weeks away! That is so hard to believe.
• January 10th: Go ahead and mark your calendar for that day! It will be Elevate's one year anniversary. We will be celebrating all God has done this past year and looking forward to the even greater things He wants to do in 2010.
  
• My mom mailed me a Red Velvet Cake for my birthday! Yes, it is my favorite cake. It is frozen and Susan says I need to wait until my birthday on Tuesday to eat it. :-(
• We got plane tickets to go back to SC for Christmas! We are so excited about visiting family and friends.
• I finished up my 2010 personal calendar this week. I am learning more and more that if you don't control your calendar it will control you. It is so easy to let the urgent dominate what is most important.
• We also got through our 2010 preaching calendar. I am looking forward to some of the great series we have planned!
  

HOPE

We start a new series called HOPE this Sunday. I am really excited about this series and the potential it has to help so many people.

HOPE. We all need it but few truly find it. We look for it in many places but there is really only One provider of it.

HOPE. Where does it come from? How can we find it?

Join us for our new series called HOPE as we seek to find real hope in the midst of the hardest times of life.

Who do you know that needs HOPE? Invite them this Sunday! Trust me, it is going to be an awesome service.

Live With Purpose

I had a meeting the other day at Saddleback Church. It is simply amazing what God has done there over the last 30 years. It was my first visit to Saddleback and I was blown away.

The thing that stood out the most was actually a framed picture in their main office with the "purpose driven covenant" on it. Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to read this. It is an awesome challenge!

Purpose Driven Covenant:

Today I am stepping across the line. I'm tired of waffling, and I'm finished with wavering. I've made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I'm going God's way. There's no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God's purposes with God's people on God's planet for God's glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, "we" over "me," character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I'll give it all I've got. I'll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won't be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I'll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough, and I get tired, I won't back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I'll just keep moving forward by God's grace. I'm Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I'm a trophy of God's amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I'm ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I'll hear you say, "Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!"

Dream Big Then DO Something

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." - Michelangelo

That's a great quote! Can you accomplish by yourself everything you dream about doing? Then you are definitely dreaming too small!

Dream so big that it is destined to fail without God's intervention. Dream so big that others want to join you in your pursuit. Don't stop there though! Go DO something today to work toward that dream. It may not seem like much but it is one step closer in making that dream a reality.

It truly is the only life worth living.

Success doesn't happen in a day but it does occur as a result of what you do on a daily basis.

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from Sunday:

• It was the last week in our You Asked For It series.
• The topic was What is Baptism and why does it matter?
• We saw several people sign up to take their next step in obedience to Christ to be baptized. That is awesome!
• We are having a baptism bash on Sunday, December 6th after church to celebrate. It is going to be so much fun!
• We had someone who has been attending Elevate for several weeks make a decision to follow Christ! That is what makes everything we do worth it.
  
• I am thankful that we can provide a place for people to belong before they believe but continually give them opportunities to take their next step.
• As you recognize who Jesus really is, there is really only one response: submit to Him as Lord!
  
• Baptism is really all about obedience.
  
• Jesus said to be baptized (Matthew 28:19-20) and every instance of baptism was AFTER someone received Christ.
• We have had several people step up in the children's ministry to help out and it is a huge blessing. We could still use some more volunteers to serve about once a month. If you are interested, send me an email.
• I am excited about our new series called HOPE that starts this Sunday. Next week is going to be very powerful. Don't miss it!
• Who do you know that needs Hope? Trust me, you need to invite them!
  

Random Friday

Here is a bit of randomness:

• The last week of our You Asked For It series is this Sunday. I can't wait to share this week's message! Don't miss it!
• Looking forward to our next series called HOPE: Where to go when life hurts.
  
• We have family pictures this Saturday. It will be interesting getting four kids to take pictures.
• "Becoming obsessed with what people think about you is the fastest way to forget what God thinks about you." - Craig Groeschel//Wow, that is good and true!
• I had coffee the other week with a guy whose family was on Extreme Home Makeover a few years ago. He has an amazing story. He is giving me a copy of the show they were on. Looking forward to watching it.
• My wife and I started watching the 18 Kids and Counting show. It makes me glad that Susan and I stopped at four kids. :-)
• I do not like the time change. I can see the stars in the sky at 5:30pm!
• Susan and I had a great time getting away last weekend. I think we need that about once a month. :-)
• Two soccer games left in coaching Elijah's team. Next up is basketball which starts in January. Elijah said he wants me to coach his team for basketball too. Sounds good!

"Deep" is About What You DO

"Deep" is not defined by how much you know but by what you DO.

James 2:26 says "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

I don't want to know if you prayed the "sinner's prayer." I want to SEE you live a radically changed life because you were transformed from the inside out by Jesus. Some people are hanging on to a prayer they prayed or their perfect attendance in church but have never had a transformed life.

Whatever is on the inside will eventually come out! (Luke 6:45)

Every week my primary concern in preaching is not that you would merely know something but that what you hear would lead you to doing something about what you heard.

James 1:22 says it best: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

Joy Costs Pain

Our small group started going through the book of James on Sunday evenings. Sunday night we tackled James 1 and had some great conversation.

A few verses that we talked about were James 1:2-4 and verse 12. God attaches the level of our pain and trials with a deepening of our faith. He even says to Consider it pure JOY! Doesn't that seem odd?

I read a quote by Donald Miller that said "People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain."

It is exactly what Jesus went through as Hebrews 12:2 says: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

It isn't ironic that the One (Jesus) who experienced the most horrific type of death now is experiencing the highest honor and joy. Obviously, Jesus is perfect but it was through the pain of the cross that now He is exalted to the highest place (Philippians 2:5-11).

I have heard it said "that for someone to be used greatly they must be broken greatly first."

No matter what you are going through remember that joy costs pain. God may be preparing you for something you can't even begin to fathom yet.

James 1:12 - "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from this weekend:

• It was week three in our You Asked For It series. Chris preached on the question What is God's Purpose for My Life?
• Susan and I went out of town to the mountains this weekend for a much needed getaway. We had an amazing time and I love my wife so much!
  
• I am grateful for someone like Chris who I can leave and know everything is going to be taken care of.
  
• We had some technical problems with the sound and the first week of some changes in our children's ministry. I know he had his plate full with preaching too. I am proud of him!
• By the way, Pastors you can always find an excuse not to take a break like the above problems.
  
• Since we started on January 11th, I missed one Sunday and that Sunday I was preaching at one of our partner churches. I am not bragging. That is stupid.
• One of the hardest things for me to do is to "turn off" everything related with the church. It is a calling on our lives and my wife and I are trying to find the balance of pouring our lives into the ministry of Elevate and consistently find times to "unplug."
• God would call this a Sabbath. It is one of the ten commandments.
  
• A couple years ago someone told me that healthy churches are led by healthy pastors.
• We are not in a sprint but a marathon. We are planning to be here over the long haul and need to plan accordingly to see that happen.
• I am so excited about what is coming up at Elevate! Here are a few things: Our upcoming series called HOPE, our baptism party in a few weeks, our one year anniversary on Sunday, January 10th, and our series in January called Unstoppable.
• I am already fired up about the message for our one year anniversary. I can't wait to share what God has put on my heart. It is going to be an awesome day!
  
• That is just a few of the things I am pumped about at Elevate!
• Get ready church. Let's do this!
  

Stop Doing List

Many of us live by a to do list. I feel like mine is usually a mile long. I am in the process of changing that right now. Too often we have a to do list but I think we need to also add a stop doing list.

One of the things I feel God is pressing on my heart lately is Psalm 46:10:

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Here are three questions that can help:

1) What are you doing that someone else can do?

2) What are you doing that no one, including you, should be doing?

3) What is it that only you can do?

It is easy in ministry to get so focused on doing things for God that you don't adequately spend time with God.

The whole idea of a Sabbath is that you stop doing and truly let God be God.

Maybe it's time you stop trying to run the universe and let God do it since He is much better at it. :-)

What do you need to stop doing?

Sticky Church

I recently completed reading Sticky Church by Larry Osborne. It is about small groups and how to create a stickiness factor by closing the "back door" of your church. There were some really great insights. Here are a few:

• "We often become so focused on reaching people that we've forgotten the importance of keeping people."
• "The ultimate goal of a sermon based small group is simply to velcro people to the two things they will need most when faced with a need-to-know or need-to-grow situation: the Bible and other Christians."
• "Empowerment without a platform is like responsibility without authority."
• "Rather than ask healthy groups to divide, we not only allow them to stay together as long as they like; we encourage it."
• Starting new groups: 1) Starting new groups for new people, and 2) hiving off leaders rather than dividing entire groups.
• Finding small group leaders look for: Spiritual warmth and Relational warmth
• "Best place to look for leaders is in a healthy small group."
• "Best way to find new leaders is to ask for recommendations. The worst way is to ask for volunteers."
• "In developing leaders, what matters most is the process of staying connected. Keep leaders growing and stay close enough relationally that when they face a problem, they'll feel free to quickly call for help or advice."
• "Aiming at everyone guarantees that you will have targeted no one."
• "Most important thing to understand about any potential misalignment is that what we do will always trump who we want to reach. It's what draws or repels people."
  

Sunday Reflections

Here are some thoughts from Sunday:

• It was week two in our You Asked For It series and the topic was To Avoid Sin must I avoid sinners?
• We must be in the world to reach the world. (1 John 4:4)
• The goal is not that everyone knows your name but that everyone knows Jesus!
• We must love the world to reach the world.
  
• Religion = sees your sins and short comings but denies my own.
• Christian boycotts don't change the world. People whose lives have been changed by Jesus do!
  
• You can not be an enemy of those in the world and ever expect to reach them. (John 3:16-17)
• It shouldn't make you mad when non-Christians act like non-Christians. It should make you mad when people who claim to know Jesus don't act like Christians.
• We must be different than the world to reach the world. (Romans 12:1-2)
• The truth is to avoid sin stick close to Jesus.
  
• I walked on a balance beam during the message. No, I didn't fall but I did a few times while practicing for it.
• I am amazed at the commitment level of our volunteers. We had a volunteer who had to work yesterday. He helped set up before the service and then went straight to work.
• I got a battle scar from church planting. Really, I just gashed my knee unloading speakers from the truck. A battle scar sounds better. :-)
• We missed Chris and Kelly. They both help in huge ways to make Sundays happen. They are suffering for Jesus in Hawaii!
  
• We are kicking off a new set of small groups this week!
  
• Continuing our You Asked For It series next Sunday talking about "How do I know God's purpose for my life?"