Southland Christian Church

Some of you worship the iPhone. But how many of you worship because of the iPhone?

…especially in the church. We keep marks on our laundry room wall charting the growth of our two children and my son and daughter are both growing like weeds. To grow more, I could go the route of some major league baseball players and slip a little “juice” into their food. They would grow, but that kind of growth isn’t healthy or natural. It’s forced and dangerous to their long term vitality. Maybe I should clarify the premise of this entry by saying, “Numeric growth without spiritual health is dangerous…especially in an era of cookie cutter churches.”  To all my friends in church leadership, you know this, but let me remind all of us that this labor of love we refer to as Kingdom building cannot be explained in algebraic equations. Personally, I’m thrilled by the growth of many churches today, but let’s not get swept up in the trendy euphoria of plugging in a formula to get people to come through the doors.  Big screens, theatre seating, edgy music, jeans and shirts untucked, movie clips, intelligent lighting and dramas…yada, yada, yada! Overall, the church in the U.S. isn’t growing. It’s declining steadily and will continue if we don’t address what really needs to change, which is us…those of us who lead and those of us who participate…and not only method but more importantly mission. I’m reading the same books you are on church growth and attending the same conferences you attend.  And there are principles we can all apply and practices we can all learn from.  But remember, one of the beauties of the church is autonomy and thank goodness no two churches or two church leaders are the same!  So if you are feeling pressured to keep up with the mega-church Jones’ of the world, don’t be! And I’m leading one of them! Remember there is only one church and it is global which makes it ‘mega!’ Ask God what he wants the church you are in to be and do, then obey that calling.  Let the Spirit of God partner with your faithfulness to His Word and I promise you people will fight over pew space like kids scrambling for the last seat in musical chairs.  And you won’t have to inject any “juice” or contrived man-made programs to expand it. It seems, too many leaders today are interested in building crowds and not communities.  The two are interrelated, but not interchangeable. There is something to be said for passionate patience; praying and actually following the leading of God as a movement of believers and doing it with great vigor, even though God may respond with “wait.” I hope this paragraph doesn’t sound cynical, because I’m one of the most optimistic people you will ever meet, but I do fear we are franchising the church…again. And we seem to be doing it under the alias of “relevance.” In light of an eternal, never changing God and book, there is something about that word that seems slick to me…relevant…almost faddish and trendy, instead of holy and set apart…which is what Jesus, our leader, was. Was he in touch with the needs of those he was loving? Yes, but he didn’t lose his message or mission in the limited scope of methodology. And if the church is to be the body of Jesus on earth, I’m not so sure I want to be associated with anything that smacks of “cool”. The opposite is just as dangerous…legalism! Somewhere in the middle, where the church serves the poor (relationally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially) of this world is where I want to be and lead from. So if big screens and movie clips and edgy music helps you accomplish the mission of Jesus to take as many people to heaven as possible, then great! Go for it! But if you are in a church where that won’t work, then take the road less traveled.  At the end of the day, be faithful. Ask Noah and Paul, there’s a lot to be said for simple obedience.

I’ll continue to measure my kids as they grow, but I’m rethinking the metric system we use in the church—one of numeric size—and I want to exchange it for one that measures health. It’s late at night on this one and I’ll probably need to re-visit some of these lines in the morning...

Romans 8:1 says: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The words “now” and “no” have always been like a cold drink on a hot day for me—refreshing!

Some friends of mine launched a web site that I visit from time to time to remind myself of the radical grace that has been extended to me through the never failing love of Jesus. The site is called “People of the Second Chance” and the link is www.potsc.com

With the end of school behind us, families have an incredible opportunity to spend a “quantity of quality” time together. I want to suggest a few of fun activities that we do as a family to encourage you to invest in your children this summer:

1. Play in the fountains downtown in front of the courthouse and afterwards eat at Sam’s Hot Dog right across the street. Or, walk a few more blocks and eat one of the best Cheeseburgers in the city at Sawyer’s!
2. Go on a camping trip. Head to Red River Gorge or one of the many incredible State Parks here in Kentucky and enjoy some time away from the noise of modern convenience. If you’re afraid of sleeping in the woods, pitch your tent in the back yard and make smores in the microwave!
3. Go to a drive in theatre and experience the fun of watching a movie outdoors. You can find one in nearby towns like Paris, Winchester, Mount Sterling, Stanford, and Somerset.
4. Our Life Group hosted a kickball tournament last week and invited 5 other families to join us. We cooked out, made our own ice cream sundaes, played the game, and gave away prizes to the best teams! The next night, we followed it up with a Wiffle Ball game that was just as fun.
5. Make it a point to swim in as many different swimming pools as possible this summer. Take your kids to a different pool in the city each week and rate them from best to worst. Invite friends to join you.
6. Do the same with the ice cream vendors in the city. Try Baskin Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery, Graeters, Dairy Queen, Sonic, and all the others. Try to find the local dives that few people know about because their shakes are usually the best in town.
7. Catch the High School Baseball Tournament next week at Applebee’s park. Buy a stadium “dog” and some popcorn and enjoy the game the way it was meant to be played. Or, catch a Legend’s game or drive to Cincy to see the Reds play. Baseball provides a great outdoor environment with which to create a lasting memory.
8. If you haven’t taken your family to Friday Night Flicks, then you’re missing out on a great Lexington tradition. Take some food and a blanket and a bunch of friends to Jacobson Park.
9. Run/Walk the Bluegrass 10,000. You’ve still got time to get in shape! And once you finish the race, plan on staying for the rest of the day to enjoy the festivities and fireworks right in the heart of the downtown.
10. Go fishing. There are a hundred “honey holes” in the area just waiting to have a line dropped in. Take a camera and a cooler and enjoy being outdoors together.
11. Take a picnic basket to Gratz Park or the Henry Clay Estate or the Horse Park or any of the hundreds of beautiful locations Lexington has to offer.
12. Create a scavenger hunt and invite several friends to join you as you scour the city for clues. And then go to Joe B’s or Gatti Town or Sir Pizza and enjoy a slice of Americana together.
13. Come to ‘Heroes in the House’! June 23 & 24 at 7:00 PM in Building E. It is fun family experience designed to create a spiritual conversation for families of all ages. The creativity and production value is the best you’ll find in the city and it is a great way to get friends and family members interested in church.
14. Plant a garden and give the food to our Backpack initiative. If you don’t have the land, then jump in and join the rest of us preparing a garden on the back part of the church property. For more information, contact Karen Bowman (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address))
15. Serve a neighbor. Do something for someone else this summer, as a family. Parents, the summer is a great time to instill the value of giving to others without expecting anything in return. Your kids will have so much fun, especially if you do something really fun to surprise your neighbors! We have all kinds of people and places to serve, from widows, to nursing homes and hospitals and our very own Handi-camp which meets the needs of physically and mentally challenged kids in our community.
16. Build a free lemonade stand and invite people to give to a local charity or mission project.

There are all kinds of ways to spend the summer together as a family. I hope you will take one or more of the ideas above and invest in each other before school starts again. I love you and I’m so glad to be serving with you in this city!

Hey as the week comes to a close, I want to remind you that we're teaching on Providential Relationships this weekend. And I've posted a video to let you know that we've got our work cut out for us with some people in this life! 

Hey, we’ve been teaching some new worship songs lately and decided to post them for you to listen to while you’re driving to and from work, running, working in the yard, or singing in the shower! Enjoy!

• Our God by Chris Tomlin
• Love Has Come by Todd Fields
• Where the Spirit of the Lord Is by Chris Tomlin/Christy Nockels
• God Is Alive  by Fee
• Bless Your Name by Eddie Kirkland
• Glory to God  by  Fee
• Everything Falls by Fee

This doesn’t just happen. The first domino has to fall and then the next and so on and so on. None of what you watch in this video is accidental. Not at all. You might call it a chain reaction. I call it pivotal circumstances.  Be here this weekend to learn more.

When my daughter was almost 3 years of age it took very little to entertain her curiosity or occupy her attention span.  One night while dining at Fazolis she was given a free balloon and I can’t explain why this particular balloon became a prized possession, but it did.  She named it and wouldn’t allow her younger brother near it.  In a few short days, even with the helium leaking out of it, it was obvious a strong bond had developed between this inflatable wonder and my daughter.  After a long day at work, I came home and was greeted with the usual excitement and pandemonium of a house filled with two small children.  As dinner rolled around, I put my daughter in her chair and asked if I could move the balloon, which she was clutching, from the dining room into the family room.  With her permission, I took hold of the string and gently pulled the balloon away from the kitchen table.  As I did, it rubbed up against the textured ceiling and popped.  In an instant, I went from being a superhero to a scoundrel who had crushed the dreams of his highchair bound daughter!  Her bottom lip came out, a single, solitary tear rolled down her cheek.  She was trying to be strong, but that was her best friend and I was the big jerk who had just destroyed it!  Being the young dad that I was, I quickly scooped her up in my arms and I drove her to Toys R Us.  An hour later, we walked out of kid heaven with a small kitchen and a 19 piece pot and pan ensemble that any gourmet chef would salivate over!  In the end, a free balloon from Fazolis ended up costing me $30!

Jesus once said, “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? You wouldn’t think of such a thing! So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?” (Matthew 7:10 Message)

If you’ve ever had your balloon popped or the wind knocked out of you in this life, remember that Jesus specializes in giving back what we’ve lost or what’s been taken from us. Spend some time today thinking about what you really need from Jesus. Strength, courage, patience, perspective, wisdom, words, a good night’s rest, a friend you can trust, encouragement, peace of mind, freedom from fear or worry, forgiveness, purity…what do you need from Jesus? Identify it, then go to him with confidence and ask him to restore what is missing in your life. He will replace it with something better than what you had before because his grace is not cheap…

Of all the installments in our series, “So You Think You Can Dance?” you won’t want to miss this weekend! From the music, to the message, to the videos that have been created, we are going to have so much fun as we unpack Acts 3!!! And there is a special Dollar Club project to unveil that will blow your doors off! Please bring a one dollar bill and a few friends and tell each of them to bring a dollar bill and I promise you, the Dollar Club project alone is worth your time and attention. I can’t wait to worship and study and hang out with you…26 hours and counting. You are loved and you are in my prayers!

“Delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in him at all times.” (Philippians 4:4 JBPV)

19 Southland members recently returned from Haiti and as I was reading their reports and as I was praying for the people of Haiti, this verse came to mind from Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (NIV)

I’m scheduled to fly into Haiti in a month with another team to assess Southland’s efforts in Port-au-Prince and to assess the opportunities available to us as a church family to continue to meet the needs of the people who have been transported to the Northwest part of the island where our major mission partners live and serve. So please pray that we have wisdom as we seek God’s leading and pray that we have an extra abundance of compassion as we love the beautiful people of Haiti in the name of Jesus.