Southland Blog

With divorce rates soaring, sex and drug addiction running rampant and children surviving in broken families -- our kids could use a safe haven.

We're excited to announce that we've launched Celebrate Recovery's companion ministries: 
Celebration Station for kids ages 5-13; and 
The Landing for middle and high school students.

In each of these groups, the focus is an age-appropriate study of the Beatitudes, just like Celebrate Recovery for adults. These are great resources for kids and teens coming from homes with recovery issues, or even to help them deal with their own issues in a safe place. 

Celebrate Recovery is a proven program using Biblical principles to help adults deal with their hurts, habits and hang-ups.

If you're curious if these ministries are right for you, feel free to contact me. 

Greg Chandler
Care Pastor
Harrodsburg Road Campus

During our DNA of a Dangerous Church series, you’ve probably heard Jon talking about the “Expressions” that will define our church—every Jesus follower at every campus. And Expression #2 says that “We will sacrificially serve our families.” For a lot of us, “sacrificially serving our families” will start with a healthy marriage. That’s why we’re offering our Wellspring Marriage experience again! We’ve hosted this experience four times in the past two years and watched Southland couples grow tremendously, whether they were already in a great place or needed a little relational CPR.

Here’s a glimpse at the kind of things you’ll learn at Wellspring:

• Everyone is wired to think and act a certain way. That’s called personality. We’ll take a look at how understanding individual personalities can make your marriage stronger. 
• You’ll learn about conflict resolution...including who should always win in an argument!
• We’ll speak frankly on sexual intimacy and on the importance of “dating” even after you’re married.
• You’ll be able to ask our teachers any questions you want about marriage and get honest answers. We’re an open book!
• You’ll get to hang out with other married couples, make some a new friends, and enjoy some good food together.

We know you want to come. And we want you to come! Tell you what, we’ll even watch your kids for you. That’s right—childcare is provided (up to 12 years old). We'll just need a heads up that they’ll be coming! So, if you’re interested in attending Wellspring, please complete the online registration. The cost is $30 per couple, which will cover materials and breakfast/lunch (please be prepared to pay online when you begin the registration form). The class will be held on Saturday, April 28th 2012 from 8:30am-3:30pm in Building B. If you have any questions, contact Stephanie.

Rebecca Hatton
Couples Ministry Leader
Harrodsburg Road Campus

Want to know how to have almost perfect kids?

Do you long for your little ones to excel in school, be influential for good with friends, follow Jesus with a pureheart and maintain joy at all times?

How would it be if you and your family experienced evenings and weekends of peace, rest and balance in the midst ofproductivity and fruitfulness as a family?

Well that family doesn't exist. However, we would love to equip you with tools to help ensure your kids get a foundation of faith...FROM YOU! Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn what it means to parent your children, Biblically. 

Join us for Strategic Parenting that starts this week on Sunday mornings. For more information or to register, go here.

What comes to mind when you hear the words “Holy Spirit"?

My wife and I just returned from a few days at Walt Disney World experiencing the Christmas season at one of our favorite places.  As expected the decorations were beautiful, each themed to the park, restaurant, or resort.  The colors were vibrant, the smells subtle, and the atmosphere electric.  Christmas was evident everywhere.

On Monday evening we participated in the candlelight procession, along with over 2000 others.  Neil Patrick Harris was the guest narrator for the program.  A fifty piece orchestra accompanied a mass choir as well as Disney musicians.  The program was a celebration of the birth of Christ.  Luke 2 and Matthew 1 were directly quoted and the musicians sang and played traditional carols as well as contemporary Christmas music.  We sang along with Silent Night and the harmonies around us told of people how knew these songs well.  Following the Hallelujah Chorus Neil Patrick Harris thanked the people for attending, honored the performers, and then off script said if this program did not turn your hearts to the birth of Jesus you were cold hearted.

This program is presented three times per evening for 36 days.  This means nearly 215,000 people gather to hear the Christmas story each year at this program.  When you consider this has been running now for 15 years at the present location you begin to realize how many people come to hear the birth of Christ celebrated while they are at Disney.  Though they enjoy a fantasy world, they also know the reality of Jesus and what his birth and life means to life today.

Reading through the Old Testament about the coming Messiah and then reading in the New Testament about his actual birth and life is a privilege.  When our children were at home we celebrated Advent, lighting the candles each week along with reading the Scriptures and singing carols.  This became a ritual we loved.  We always remembered the birth story of Jesus as well as the births of each of our children.  We wanted them to know their story was part of a greater story. The same is true for each of us.  Our individual lives are really a part of a great story written by God’s hand.

Standing with the crowd at Disney the other night reminded us both of the days when we celebrated the Advent season leading up to Christmas.  The old, old story continues today as we reread the Scriptures.  Jesus came, lived and died as the human image ofGod, then rose from the grave so we can now celebrate life through him.  The whole story begins with God in Genesis and will end when Jesus comes again.  In the mean time celebrate Christmas with us as we read through the Scriptures this year and hear the story one more time. If you'd like a reading plan to help you navigate through the Christmas story, click here. YouVersion has put together a great plan for you to work through scripture this season.

Myron, Adult Ministry Pastor

“This…has been a great opportunity to connect with other men and receive some needed teaching and encouragement.”

“I’m blessed to have found this…while in college. It has really changed my view on life.”

“This has made me really want to improve myself as a man/husband/father…”

“(Momentum) has lifted my voice and confidence in my workplace.”

“This is the first men’s group I’ve ever attended. This time has shown me how invaluable it is to have Godly male fellowship in order to grow strong as a man and in God.”

The first ever Momentum gathering ran for 6 weeks and ended in November. Listed above are just a few of the many comments of the type of life-changes experienced by the men who attended. God was glorified as men came at 7 am on Saturdays to experience Biblical fellowship with other men. “Something amazing happens when men (of God) gather together,” one attender said. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully and we expect Him to do so again and again.

Plans are being made for the next (6-week) Momentum gathering, to begin on Saturday, January 14. In order to launch successfully, we need a volunteer team. The following volunteer position openings are: 

• 1. Food Team – set up/clean-up.
• 2. Greeters –ensure every man is greeted and seated.
• 3. Hosts – up-front announcements, etc.
• 4. Technicians – basic sound & videos are set up.

No experience is necessary for the positions, we just need a team to faithfully and successfully launch and sustain the next Momentum. You can help! The deadline for volunteer team sign-ups is Tuesday, December 13, 2011. If you are interested in serving, please contact Adaryll. Until next time, please keep the spiritual growth and fellowship of men at Southland in your prayers.

“If it ain’t one thing…it’s two or three.” If you’re a man reading this, you likely know about and agree with that expression. Have you ever felt you could use direction in life? Are your friendships helping or hurting you? Has the area of sexual purity been a challenge, a strength or a weakness? How is your family life, whether you are single or married? In today’s financial economy, is the handling of your finances leading you into light or into darkness? The journey that is manhood is not for the faint at heart. There are so many areas of life that add complexity to our endeavors.

My name is Adaryll Jordan and I am pleased to lead men’s disciple-making here at Southland. More than anything, men need the wisdom of the Lord to help us navigate all of the curves, bumps, and stalls life may bring. There is no better time than the present for men of Southland to come together and strengthen our efforts in being men who honor and glorify God. He has given us all of the instruction we will ever need to live life as men, not boys. To succeed in life as men, we need Momentum!

Momentum is the name of our new movement of men here at Southland. At Momentum we will travel together in Biblical fellowship toward the wisdom we all need to navigate our manhood journey. Do not miss Momentum.

Our first Momentum gathering will begin with an 8 week gathering on Saturday mornings, 7– 8:15 am, beginning October 1, in the Atrium. We will cover Andy Stanley’s “Guardrails” curriculum and grow in our relationships with God and one another. 

If you’re interested in volunteering to help with the logistics of this study (set-up, tear-down, table leaders), have questions, or feel led to help with Momentum in any other way, contact me.

THIS TWO DAY SEMINAR HAS BEEN CANCELLED EFFECTIVE at 10:25am, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011.

What does it take to raise children who truly love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind? The reality is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” plan for raising spiritually strong children. But imagine if there were some common denominators that would help define parenting success. Good news! There are! Strategic Parenting is a revolutionary seminar geared toward aiding parents in raising a generation of spiritual champions.

This is a two day seminar:
6–9pm, Friday, September 30 and 9am–4pm, Saturday, October 1 at the Harrodsburg Road campus, Building B.
Cost is $35/individual or $40/couple. Childcare is not provided.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to get together with other parents and learn how to do parenting the right way. Biblically. 

Marriage is one of the best things you’ll ever do; but at times it can also be one of the hardest. If you are recently engaged or thinking about becoming engaged, we encourage you to participate in the next Pre-Marriage Class here at Southland.

We will meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30pm beginning September 14 and continue meeting through October 5.

If you and your future spouse are interested in attending, please download the registration form and return the completed form, along with a class fee of $75 per couple, to:

Belinda Thacker
Southland Christian Church
PO Box 23338
Lexington, KY 40523

The deadline for registration is August 31. If you have question or for more information, please contact Belinda.

Whenever I tell anyone that I volunteer with middle school ministry at Southland, the response is typically “Wow, that’s a tough age.” Trust me, there are difficult moments, but this past Wednesday night made it all worth it.

It was an evening where I had to just step back in awe of what our students are capable of. We call the evening "8th grade takeover night," which basically means that we let the 8th grade class do everything from planning the night to the worship and speaking. In one word, it was amazing.

Read Full Entry

We had 66 couples attend the Wellspring conference back in April. Great connections were made with both healthy and struggling marriages. But we didn’t just want to have the mentality of it being a “one and done” type of session. So, we launched a facebook group for those couples that attended the conference.

Each week we offer application and discussion points for the subjects discussed during Wellspring: biblical intimacy, conflict resolution, personalities in marriage, healing and restoration and God’s purposes for marriage. It is a great interactive tool which will give Wellspring a lasting impact far beyond the weekend it occurred.  

If you weren't able to attend the Wellspring conference in April, don't worry; we are considering hosting another conference in the fall!

If you attended Wellspring and have questions about the Wellspring Facebook group, contact Adaryll Jordan. 

"Jesus said GO!" is one of four Sunday morning classes that begins this weekend. (If you haven't yet, check out the other classes being offered during May.) This class will look at Christ’s example of ministry in the New Testament and help you see how you can reach out to our local community.  As we hear more and more about the Richmond Road Campus and prepare to develop and expanded local outreach efforts, we want to make sure our approach will be healthy and successful.

Join us on Sunday mornings beginning May 1 from 10-11:00am in Room F116F  for this four week series designed to give us all the information we need to get started in ministry or evaluate a current ministry for health and effectiveness.

Read Full Entry

Growing up in central Florida I got to go to one of the best water parks in the entire world. "Wet N Wild" was awesome! It was thousands of square feet of water, slides and fun. However, there were two scary parts: international tourists in Speedos and Der Stuka. I'm sure that no further explanation is necessary on the tourists, but Der Stuka needs some explaining. It was, at the time, the tallest water slide in the world. I can’t recall its exact height but at the top you found the air thin and the people below were the size of ants.

I’ll never forget those few seconds right before going down the slide. With butterflies churning, I would fearfully take the plunge. This is a bit how it felt to teach week one of our men’s study called Of Good Character. Climbing the heights of character as God sees it and diving in was scary; but it was also rewarding. There is nothing like the vision of living life the way God intended it. Jesus called it "life to the fullest!"

For those not yet on this journey with us, our goal last week was to define character. The definition we’re using is, "Character is the will to do what is right, as defined by God, regardless of personal cost." This definition is very challenging, but I believe it is also significantly rewarding.

A large group of guys and I are committed to exploring those rewards over the next five weeks together. Join us on Wednesday night at 6:30pm in room F116. My friend Jeff Presley is leading the discussion this week (he will not be in a Speedo). I hope to see you there!

Nathan Head, Age Level Pastor

We are in the beginning stages of developing a class that will focus on helping parents of juniors and seniors in high school begin the process of their students applying to colleges. We know how involved the experience can become, and we want to help walk parents through this process. Just the list of exams and forms alone can sometimes be overwhelming!

If you're a parent that has been through the process of sending a student to college in recent years, we would love to hear about your experience. Are there any words of advice you would offer to parents of juniors and seniors in high school that will soon be beginning the process? Do you have any tips you discovered along the way that could help another parent avoid frustration or confusion? Or Maybe you're a student that has recently graduated from college. What did you learn through your experience - from applications to acceptance - that could benefit another student or parent?

The more input we receive from those of you that have been through the process, the more potential this class will have to help other parents. Send us any of words of wisdom you may have - regardless of how small they may seem!

Email your thoughts or experiences to Myron Williams. Or, if you are a parent of a junior or senior in high school, let us know what topics might help you as you venture into this process.

If you have never attended a class at Southland then this is your chance. On April 13, two new Wednesday evening classes will begin meeting - one for men and one for women.

"Of Good Character" is for men and will be taught by a few different staff members here at Southland. The teachers will discuss the importance of living a life of integrity as they walk you through some of the topics in Andy Stanley’s book “Louder Than Words.”

"Discerning the Voice of God" is our spring class for women and will be taught by Debbie Breaux, who's husband Mike you have probably heard teaching on some weekends. This study will help participants learn the language, character and tone of God’s voice that will help them distinguish between what others are saying and what God is saying.  If you are interested in attending this class, you should purchase a copy of  "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer as we will be walking through the book alongside the class.

For more information on either of these classes, check out the Classes page or contact Stephanie Boxx.