No Room for Egos

I've noticed a trend at Rock Bridge ... people with big egos don't usually stick around at our church.  We've had lots of people come through our doors hungry for God, for hope, for purpose, for truth, and for a way to serve ... and by God's grace many have found those things through RBCC.  However, some people have come to Rock Bridge looking for a way to feed their own ego and they see our church as a way to achieve that goal.

By that I mean they do not want to submit to what God is doing in and through Rock Bridge, but rather they want the church to submit to their particular idea, issue, or pet project as a condition of their membership, service, involvement, or approval.  Not that new ideas and initiatives are not welcome (they are), but they first must be filtered through our vision and core values. If it passes the "vision" test, then it must also be the right time in our church's history, which we discover through prayer and obtaining wise counsel.

So how do you spot an "ego"?

• The person who introduces themselves by giving their extensive resume.


• The person who is quick to point out what they think your church lacks (usually it is something they could provide, but not something God requires).


• The person who wants to jump into leadership right away (or sing a solo) without taking the time to submit, serve, and learn.


• The person who will not listen or take the time to learn what God is uniquely up to in your church ... because they believe they are the "magic bullet" for your church's needs.


• The person who think it should be "one way" (i.e. "their way") and gets upset, threatens to quit, or leaves when it is done another way.

"Ego" has been checked and left behind when ...

• Their attitude and actions are defined by the question, "How can I help?"


• Told "No" or "Not now", they submit and exhibit a positive attitude.


• They quietly serve and seek direction from God BEFORE seeking influence, leadership positions, or the "spotlight".

Seven plus years ago we realized the danger of our "ego" and coined the phrase, "Leave your ego at the door ... because ego equals "Edging God Out". I'm thankful we did so we could hear God speak and submit to His voice, not our fleshly preferences, not-found-in-the-Bible traditions, or causes motivated by our pride.  This means we sometimes have to say "No" to people whose ideas and suggestions are not born through prayer and are not motivated by God's glory.  This means they usually don't stay around for long.

Weekly Rundown (10.25.09)

• Student Hayride was awesome tonight!!


• Calhoun Fall Festival rocked on Saturday ... Dalton is Wednesday night, starting at 6:30 pm!!


• Praying hard for God's Word to bear fruit from today's services at Dalton & Calhoun.


• We got the Certificates of Occupancy for the new ministry center buildings this past week ... yes!


• Excited about new opportunities for our church to engage in "missions" both locally and globally!  We're looking at targeting specific work in Haiti and/or parts of Africa ... exciting stuff ... pray for God's direction & wisdom!


• Georgia did not lose this weekend :)
  
  
  
  • Next weekend could be a different story ...
  
  
  
  


• Navy is having a great season!!


• I've got to pack for an early flight and get to bed ... have a great week!!!

Random Mid-Week Stuff

Some random things:

Coming Up:

• They moved the Dalton-Rome football game to Thursday night (10.22) because of the bad weather.  Don't know what that means for Football Friday ...?


• Calhoun Fall Festival is Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm


• Student Ministry Hayride is Sunday afternoon/evening ... GREAT event!!


• Dalton Fall Festival is next Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm


• Next Connect Dinner for Dalton Campus is November 3rd.  Sign-up here.

Cool Stuff:

• Great video of Stage 123's design and construction.


• We had a great celebration on Tuesday night ... we just passed the $2 million mark in our Next Step giving efforts ... pretty amazing considering +12% unemployment in Whitfield County during the past year!!

Weekly Rundown (10.18.09)

• We seemed to have skipped Fall this weekend and headed straight to Winter.  For the first time this season I was cold on Friday night watching the Southeast Raiders play football!


• The increase in prayer going on right now all over RBCC is AWESOME!!!
  
  
  
  • I especially need to thank the group of folks who pray with/for me before our services ... you bless me greatly!!
  
  
  
  


• Had a great meal-meeting with volunteers representing all of our ministry areas.  Great to hear everyone's feedback, exciting, and answer questions about what is happening @ RBCC!!  We're going to keep doing these every month so if you'd like to come let me know!


• I'm thinking through some "staff" core values that should define and guide our staff's actions.


• No news on the adoption front.


• Dawgs won but looked iffy.


• Navy won!!!


• Don't forget Fall Festival!
  
  
  
  • Next Saturday in Calhoun (Oct. 24th)
  
  
  • Wednesday, Oct. 28th in Dalton
  
  
  
  


• I just cleaned out our garage ... I'm filthy and tired but hopefully Beth will be proud of me ... she can now park her car in the garage!!


• Here's some ways to pray this week:
  
  
  
  • Alfred's traveling up to Indiana to meet with other Associate Pastors from across the country ... safe traveling and the increase of wisdom.
  
  
  • For RB Chatsworth and building finalization.
  
  
  • Elders' meeting: wisdom and anointing on our leadership.
  
  
  • I'm speaking up in Charlotte, NC at this event on Tuesday, Oct. 27th to church leaders who are about to enter into building/campus expansion efforts.  Pray for me ... I'm kind of nervous/intimidated to be speaking but God will be with me that I know! Pray more that the leaders present are encouraged and uplifted!!
  
  
  • For our local economy and those searching for jobs.
  
  
  • For God to be glorified through Rock Bridge!!
  
  
  
  

Adoption Update #2

• Adoption Update #1

Once again Beth & I thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement as we continue in our adoption journey from Ethiopia.  We are so excited yet praying hard for patience as we must trust God's timing.

However, we did receive some exciting news last week.  Our case worker sent us a personal email (that's a very big deal) telling us that we are now "first in line" to receive the next set of siblings that comes into our agency's care through the Ethiopian government!!  She said that the actual referral could still be "weeks or months" away (praying for weeks) but this is still big news for us.

Here's a rough outline of what will happen:

1. Children (in our case siblings) are made available for adoption through our agency.


2. Our agency contacts us with this information.  We have several days to accept or decline this referral.


3. Once accepted, the children's case is sent to Ethiopian court where a judge will award parental rights to Beth & I.


4. Once this decision is handed down by the court, Beth & I will travel to Ethiopia (after we get several vaccinations) to pick them up!


5. We come home with a bigger family and a blessing from God!

Our minds simply cannot handle how awesome this journey has been.  Just to think that right now, God has children who are orphans that He is sovereignly working to place in our family ... God is so BIG ... I cannot fathom Him or His ways ... but I trust Him and know that He is with us!!

Weekly Rundown (10.11.09)

• Long holiday weekend for many in our area and us Georgia fans sure did need it!!


• Our students enjoyed a great "Survivor"-style Fall Retreat over in north Alabama.
  
  
  
  • I'm always amazed at the level of commitment of our volunteers ... you amaze me!!
  
  
  
  


• I've had several meetings and lunches lately with people who God has called to plant new churches.  I get excited thinking about how God is going to use these guys for His glory!
  
  
  
  • Met with someone who is planting a church in Gainesville, Florida ... that's Gator country ... I know they need Jesus but at least they have Tebow :)
  
  
  
  


• This past week's First Wednesday was absolutely amazing!!  Both campuses were blessed with God's presence.  Below is a quote from a former addict who is now addicted to Jesus:
  
  
  
  • Last night was so great I wondered if it was legal.
  
  
  • I want to thank the amazing job Greg, Stephen, and Jeremy do leading our worship services, bands, praise teams, and choirs.  I appreciate your talent a lot but appreciate your love for Jesus and desire to help people worship Him even more!!
  
  
  • You can check out the church's "Worship Blog" here.
  
  
  
  


• To the UGA faithful ... the Tennessee game is a blessing in disguise.  The coaches and school leadership can no longer ignore the fact that there is a problem with the football program.  The secret is out ... the Vols exposed the 'Dawgs as a very sub-par football team.  The question is how will the players and most especially, Coach Richt respond? (The leadership juices in me are flowing ... I'm very curious to watch and learn from how this gets handled.)


• Church update:
  
  
  
  • Still looking for building possibilities in Calhoun.
  
  
  • Still praying for peace and confirmation about location for Rock Bridge Chatsworth.
  
  
  • New buildings at Dalton campus are close to getting cleared for occupancy.
  
  
  • Lots of work remains to be done on the "North-South" lobby next to the Wink that will connect the campus from Crawford St. to Gordon St.
  
  
  • Fall Festival is coming soon for BOTH campuses ... BRING CANDY to church!!
  
  
  
  


• Have a great week!!

Weekly Rundown (10.4.09)

• I've take a little time off from blogging ... good to be back so here's the rundown ...


• Loving the Fall weather!!


• Praying hard for this "GAP" series ... God doesn't want any gaps in our lives, our relationships, our integrity, or our relationship with Him.  Jesus died on the Cross the close the gap between us and God!!
  
  
  
  • Next Sunday is a GREAT time to invite guests to church!!
    
    
    
    • In Calhoun, we'll talk about how to deal with adversity and bad things in our lives.
    
    
    • In Dalton, we'll be talking sex & purity.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Really excited about launching the Spanish translation services during our 9:30 am Stage 123 service.  Spread the word so more people can hear the Word!!!


• My team won on Saturday -- Navy beat Air Force 16-13 in OT :)


• If our youth apply what they learned tonight, their lives and futures will be better and brighter and God will be glorified.  What did they learn?
  
  
  
  • How to read the Bible on their own and bring it to life in their life.  Good stuff ... thanks Beth, Kurt, Harper, John and all the amazing volunteers!!
  
  
  
  


• Don't forget to bring candy for Fall Festival on Wednesday or Sunday!


• Had a great lunch this week with about 10 church planters from around North Georgia and Chattanooga.  I'm excited to be able to hang out with this guys and hopefully encourage them in their journey to lead Christ-centered churches reaching the unchurched and lost people in their communities!!


• UGA dropped out of the Top 25 ... something is not right in Athens ... ?


• Adoption update:
  
  
  
  • The Ethiopian courts reopen this week (they have been closed since late July due to the rainy season).
  
  
  • Our agency operates a transitional home for children they receive from the Ethiopian government that are eligible for adoption.  The home has room for 35 children and they have room for 26 kids right now.  This means that there will be movement of children from orphanages into their "forever" families soon!!  We're praying we are in this next wave.
  
  
  
  


• Things to remember this week:
  
  
  
  • First Wednesday: Calhoun & Dalton
  
  
  • Student Fall Retreat this weekend (Sat-Sun)
  
  
  • Child Dedication in Dalton on Sunday afternoon.