A word from a fellow pastor...

Perry Noble, the pastor of Newspring Church, wrote this in his blog. His blog is www.perrynoble.com. As I came across this blog I spent some time and truly wrestled with what he said. I think all pastors should take a minute and think about this blog. What do you all think?


Four Questions Every Church Should Wrestle With - Part Three

Last post on this from Romans 10:14-15,

#4 - “And how can they preach unless they are sent?”
Pardon me while I go “Rick Warren” and use an acrostic on this one! S-E-N-T stands for…


S = Set On Fire!!! Personal evangelism and inviting people to church MUST be regularly taught from the stage! People have GOT to know that lost people matter to God (Luke 19:10); therefore they MUST matter to the church!

E = Encouraged!!! Anytime you ask someone to invite people to church there is some excitement…but also discouragement because they begin thinking, “I’ve already asked them a hundred times and they won’t come!!!”

Encourage them…I always tell them that I am so glad that a guy named David didn’t give up on me! Ever more specifically…I am glad GOD didn’t give up one me!!!

For those of you at NewSpring getting “no’s” for this weekend–don’t give up!!! Sometimes it takes a while! It did for me!


N = Necessary!!! It is so necessary for a church to be obsessed with personal evangelism! Heck, if the early church had been a bunch of guys who loves theology more than Jesus and had decided to get in a room with people who only thought just like them and solely focused on the “finer points of theology…” Well, we’d have all gone to hell!!!

T = Tense!!! Christians must understand that when we step out into the world and begin to invite people to church…there are going to be tense conversations! AND…that’s OK! We must remember that it should not be our goal to win arguments and distance people…but to work through the tension and allow God to use us to break down walls that people have built up.

Tennessee Mission Trip

What an ABSOLUTELY fantastic mission trip! 13 men from my church traveled to Hancock County, Tennessee, which is the poorest county in the state. We worked with New Freedom Baptist Church and built a porch, stairs, and a bathroom.

I would estimate from driving around the countryside that the majority of the churches and homes we saw outside of town are using outhouses! Let me stop there and say that I DID NOT use it! Haha...of course many of our men did and we even "accidentally" left one guy in the outhouse in the dark! The rest of us left for the cabin. We didn't know till later that "hey anybody see Joel"....haha I am just glad he forgave me. I have never left a person behind before and that includes taking children on trips, youth on trips, and adults to Ecuador, England, and Romania.

You could have not put a better group of guys together! The guys are already talking about a doing another trip. I am so PUMPED about what God did through our men on this trip. Because of their efforts a sister church can better meet the needs of their members and visitors and provide a better atmosphere for growth.

Here are some pictures of before and after. I can't wait till the next trip!

Team Effort 2007

I was gone last week on a mission trip with my youth group. Our youth pastor, Shane Clardy, carried us to Team Effort, an organization set up to help student ministries with mission experiences. It was GREAT to get away and focus on Christ and focus on the youth. The youth did a wonderful job of working together and growing closer to the youth.

We had a lot of fun in our free time! We went whitewater rafting down the Occoee River and wow could I share some stories! We also swung on 100ft high swing, and participated in a high ropes course. We laughed a lot, shared a lot, and loved Christ through it all.

Can't wait till next year!!

.....key an eye out on some photos of the trip!