Southland Blog

At Southland our desire is to help you create a customized plan for connection. Welcome to Southland is an interactive, conversational experience designed to help us get to know you and your connection needs. We’ll share more about our mission and help you discover how you might uniquely connect with God and others at Southland. In this comfortable environment, we’ll also talk about Southland’s mission and how it is expressed in our lives, as well as opportunities for you to get involved in living out the mission.

Welcome to Southland will help you connect to the step you’re seeking, with numerous opportunities including classes, service opportunities, Life Groups, and more. Welcome to Southland is also a great place to talk with us about connecting with Christ, find answers to your questions about baptism, and discover what it means to partner with Southland in membership.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or want to know more about Welcome to Southland.

Harrodsburg Road: Meets Weekly, 10 a.m., Building F, Room 112

Danville: Meets Monthly.

Mike Jacobs
Adult Connection Leader
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

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

“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. 

Last night we had an incredible time together at A Night of Worship. We focused on prayer and took the opportunity to call out to our Father together. We asked God for hope. We asked God for healing. And, we asked God to change our hearts! 

It was a powerful opportunity to ask God to do things that only God can do. The line from many of the songs “I will wait upon the Lord” was so appropriate. “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33:20-21

We continue to pray for the rest of our church family. Throughout the evening we offered our prayer requests on the prayer wall. Then as the night concluded, we took a prayer request with us as we left. Over the next month we have the opportunity to pray for someone else.

We know that it’s obedient to pray. And, we’re so excited to see how God will answer!

People don't have time to kiss their spouses according to a recent report from Headline News. Busyness is a major factor in why 19% percent of couples admit to no longer engaging in passionate kissing, which could be a factor in the divorce rate of couples being around the 50% mark. The quality of kisses that couples share can be an indicator of their marriage. As the intimacy fades so does the engagement of the couple's hearts in their marriage.

All couples experience busyness in the ebb and flow of life. It is challenging to enjoy a strong, intimate marriage when life is coming at us quickly. The demands of work, activities, children and basic responsibilities make days seem shorter and to-do lists longer. It would be nice to simplify, but the reality for most of us is that we need to figure out ways to strengthen our relationships in the midst of busy lives.

To help rekindle the passion in your marriage, Refuge for Women will be hosting a conference from Dr. Michael Systma called "Passionate Intimacy" at Centennary Church on Tates Creek Road on August 26–27. For more information and to sign up, please visit the Refuge for Women website.

I’m not exactly what you would call mechanically inclined. I’ve literally spent hours trying to put new wiper blades on my car. Hours. When mechanics see me walk into their shop, they start high-fiving each other and calling their wives. “Hey, babe, looks like we’re going to put in that pool.”

It’s not like my dad didn’t try to help me. I think from a very early age, he could tell I had mechanical issues. Fortunately, the cars we owned kept breaking down, so he had plenty of opportunities to take me under the hood and try to teach me some automotive survival skills. Dad would always invite me to come and “help” him when he worked on the car. Step-by-step he would patiently explain to me what he was doing and why. Then he would name each part and show me how they worked together. I swear I tried to pay attention. I really did. I can remember telling myself, “Listen! You’re going to remember it this time.” But no matter how hard I would concentrate, within minutes my mind would drift off to Star Wars or GI Joe.

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There it stood. The unlikeliest of signs in – what seemed to me to be – the unlikeliest of places.

New Orleans is not a place that may quickly come to mind if someone was asked for a landmark of Christian theology. But there it stood, towering above a gas station off of the highway near the Superdome: a sign that read “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.” It was a sign that reminded me and all of its readers that, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in the midst of, we must all “Move Along.”

To move along physically is a concept we can understand. We may even have heard the old proverb “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” It's a concept that fresh, creative types of people in the world understand.

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There are lots of different relationships in life that we choose. We pursue them. Then, there are just a couple that are given to us.

We don’t pick them; God just matches us up with them.

Parents. Brothers and Sisters. Children. We can’t choose who our parents, brothers, sisters, or who our children are. It makes me think that God has done that for a reason. It makes me think that He has intentionally placed us together in family. It’s not a coincidence; and it makes me think I would be wise to prioritize those relationships.

How are you doing making time for and investing in those relationships?

Mike Jacobs, Adult Connection Leader

If you missed Adaryll's blog entry about Fatherhood Stories, make sure you go back and read it.

If I’m a good dad (my wife says I am and I actually believe her most days), it’s because I had a great dad. Incidentally my dad is a great dad in spite of the fact he had no dad. Actually, he had five different “dads” before he graduated high school.

To be a great dad my dad had to figure it out on his own. When I reflect on my dad’s life and how he raised my brother and me to love our mom, our current wives and the Lord with all of our hearts, I’m very impressed. He didn’t have a man in his life to tell him he loved him, he was proud of him and that he needed to get to bed on time because he had a big day tomorrow.He never had a grown man sit down at the breakfast table with him, Bible open, giving him encouragement and direction from Heaven for the day. My dad needed that and never received it.

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Last week I had the unique opportunity to be at my house by myself for an entire evening. After making a delicious pasta dinner and watching Sports Center for about 45 minutes, I decided to make my way outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

I walked around my backyard, watered my flowers and then decided to just sit on a bench next to my fire pit. I stayed on that bench without moving for more than an hour - reflecting on seemingly innumerable blessings God has placed in my life and thanking Him for each one as they came to mind.

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I’ve lived in Lexington for 9 months now and have noticed at least two things about my new home. First, I’ve found Lexington to be perhaps the friendliest city in the United States of America. I am usually greeted with a tremendous amount of smiles, warm hellos, or friendly conversations wherever I go. One unexpected conversation even resulted in an older gentleman giving me his business card and telling me “Welcome to Lexington. If you need anything, here’s my information. So glad you’re here!” I don’t recall having many encounters like that in other cities. Lexington is a very friendly place.

However, I've been somewhat surprised by the second thing I've noticed - Lexingtonians seem to have a lack of friends. To be fair with my assumption, I began intentionally asking people several months ago, “Who are your friends?” The answer was almost always the same. “I don’t really have [true friends].” Another common answer was, “Well, I do have some, but they live [far away].” I've been surprised that, in a place that is so friendly, so many people seem to have a lack of true, deep friendships.

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When I meet new people at Southland, one of the first things I love to ask them is how they ended up here. Almost always they tell me about a friend of theirs who was already attending and invited them to come join them one weekend.

I believe there are so many people in our lives just waiting for an invitation.

But if we’re honest, sometimes crossing that line and inviting others to church can be a little intimidating.

That’s why in Children’s Ministry we love to offer experiences that not only allow our Southland families to connect and grow, but also provide an easy opportunity to invite other families to take a step closer to church. An invitation before the invitation.

Next Monday night we’re hosting our first Southland Family Skate Night at Champs for families with preschool and elementary age children. Not only will it be a fantastic place to come and hang out with other Southland families, but it is an easy way to invite your unchurched friends to come and experience a little taste of community.

Who are the families you can invite this weekend to join us at Champs on Monday night? Go ahead, pick up the phone and make that call. You never know. This invitation to skate may be the story they’ll be telling to someone years later when asked about how they came to know Jesus.

See you out there next Monday night with all of your friends!

The cost for skating is $6. Laser tag and concessions are extra.

Jason Byerly, Children’s Pastor