T-shirts

This is late notice but I thought I would put it out there just in case someone stopped by and wanted to order a t-shirt. I will be placing an order tomorrow morning for t-shirts. The shirts will be navy blue with the following logo on the front:
The back will have our website listed in white letters. The shirts are 100% cotton. Short sleeve shirts will cost $10. Long sleeve shirts will cost $15. If you want to guarantee that I have a shirt for you, email your preference (long or short sleeve) and your size to jamieb@fbcrockhill.org by 11:00pm tonight.

-- Peace, Jamie

Thoughts from the Spa

Thanks for allowing Lori and I to get away last weekend. I heard that Tommy did a great job leading worship.

So one of the things that Lori and I did on our vacation was to go to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. On our honeymoon, my parents gave us a gift of a massage at the Spa. We enjoyed it so much that we scheduled one for this trip.

Friday was a great day to just lounge around. And being at the Spa was awesome. I really enjoyed being in the outdoor hot tub with it raining. It was great for me because usually I get overheated in hot tubs and I end up sitting on the edge and just putting my feet in, but this time because of the cool air and the rain, I was very comfortable.

So as I was sitting there, I had this thought. How many times do we allow ourselves to get comfortable in our sin? We sit there enjoying the pleasurable side of sin and the cool refreshing grace/forgiveness of God at the same time and we try to live on the fence. We think that we have it made. We can get the good of both. But you know what happens when you spend too much time in the water? Your skin starts to get wrinkly. In other words it starts to show.

The same thing happens to us when we spend too much time trying to ride the fence of sin/grace. It starts to show on us as well. We become short with the ones we love. We spend less time with God. We begin find excuses to why we are not praying, worshiping, reading the Bible. We may not think that it shows, but it does.

Is there something in your life where you are trying to ride the fence? Take it to God, He can handle it. Repent, turn back to Him. His mercies are new every morning and the joy that He gives is better than the quick enjoyment of sin.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Set List 03.29.09

Here is the music that we used for 3.29.09.



[Welcome]

[Worship Set]
This Is Who I Am - Third Day
Holy Is The Lord - Chris Tomlin
Everlasting God - Brenton Brown
Keep On Shinin' - Third Day

[Sermon]

[Closing Song]
Born Again - Third Day

I was out of town on vacation this week. Our keyboard player, Tommy, stepped in and led the band in my place.

Check out other set lists at Fred McKinnon's Sunday Setlists.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Set List 03.22.09

Here is the music that we used for 3.22.09 (God's Purpose...Right Now - Week 7 (Saul)):

[Opening Song]
Glorious One - Steve Fee

[Welcome]

[Worship Set]
Better Is One Day - Matt Redman (Kutless version)
King of Glory - Third Day
Your Love Is Extravagant - Darrell Evans

[Sermon]

[Closing Song]
Come Ye Sinners - Robbie Seay Band

Today was weird. Everything was going well in practice, but then we had a crazy buzzing in the monitors. We tried to find it but couldn't. During the opening song, the monitor mixes went crazy and I had to take out my in-ears. During the worship set, I had to rely on the house mix and it was hard to hear. We tried to figure out what it was during the sermon, and we must have tweaked it somewhat because it was better on the closing song. Overall not our best day as a sound team or band.

Now I don't know how bad the sound was in the house mix. I hope not too bad.

This week we tried a new arrangement on "Better Is One Day". I took the bridge part from the Passion version:

Better is one day
Better is one day
Better is one day than thousands elsewhere

And we put that in the front. Just guitar and piano. It gave it a nice feel and a cool way to open the set. We transitioned into the chorus and brought in the rest of the band real light. We then went into the Kutless version with the drum intro.

On "King of Glory" I played acoustic with a cut-capo on 2. I love the cut-capo it gives such a great open sound.

We had a down week as far as attendance. Only about 55. But next week we are doing lunch again and the past two times we have done that (even with it raining) we have had our biggest crowds yet.

Next week Jamie B. is preaching and I am on vacation celebrating my 7-year anniversary with my wonderful wife. Tommy S. will be leading in worship.

Remember that on the 5th we are only having one joint service at 10 am in the upstairs worship center. Make sure you are there on time because seating will be at a premium. Also, the Reveal Band will be playing to open the service. The 10:30 band/orchestra/choir have been working hard on some really great music and it sounds awesome. Looking forward to what God is going to do in that service.

Check out other worship sets here at Fred McKinnon's Sunday Set Lists.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Received

I was listening to this song today and it really struck me.

Received
by shane barnard

[Verse 1]
You can only go so far, until the bottom falls out

All my singing, smiling, pleasure finds me, I'm all right

Pretty melody, dedicated to God

To be called by one Almighty God and take it for granted

Heard a rumor i guess, but i wanna know who told me so

Told me serving You replaced me knowing You!



[Chorus]
Can i be received? Unclean oh Lord am I find me in my shame

You are all I need 
please don't pass me by I call upon Your name

[Verse 2]


You whispered to Your child today

But I haven't got a minute to listen

Your child is busy with the work of God
And taking Him for granted
A lot of things do today, kingdom work's the game I play

Lord my serving You replaced me knowing You



Psalm 26:2-3

 - "Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and mind; for Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in Your truth."

So, the thing that struck me is how many times do I think that my serving God is all that I need or all that He desires. I think that there are times that I fall into the trap of replacing my knowing with serving. I haven't really worked all of this out in my mind - I am still thinking on it. Curious what y'all think on this issue. Post a comment and let me know.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Set List 03.15.09

Here is the music that we used for 03.15.09 (God's Purpose...Right Now - Week 6 (Joshua)):

[Opening Song]
Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down) (Robbie Seay Band)

Welcome

[Worship Set]
Let God Arise - (Chris Tomlin)
You're Worthy of My Praise (David Ruis as performed by Jeremy Camp)
All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown as performed by Kutless)

[Sermon]
Steve Hogg - God's Purpose...Right Now (Week 6 - Joshua)

[Closing Song]
Abba Father (Shaun Groves)

This week we had a great crowd. 83 in worship and about 7 in child-care. "Let God Arise" was awesome. It was the first time we had done it, but man did it go over great. Tons of energy for worship this morning.

Steve preached on the story of Joshua. He continued the idea of serving God now opens doors for serving God later. We finished off the day with lunch (subs from Wal-Mart). Most everyone stayed and ate lunch. It was great to eat and chat with everybody.

We are continuing to take part in Fred McKinnon's Sunday Setlists. Check out other worship sets from around the world.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

The Stands vs. The Field

As far as sports are concerned, there is a big difference between those in the stands and those on the field. Here are just a few.

Stands:
You can watch, but you can't play
You can complain about the referees, the coaches, the players
You stay comfortable
You probably won't get hurt
You don't have to be in shape
You don't have to know or understand the plays
You personally can't fail - or win

Field:
You are in the game
You are alongside the referees, the coaches, the players
You get wet, dirty, sweaty
You might get hurt
You have to be in shape
You have to know and understand the plays
You may fail - but you also get a chance to win

As far as the spiritual game is concerned it is much the same. There are some people who prefer to sit in the stands and watch the game. They may cheer, they may jeer, but they can only enjoy victories through those the see. They are not quite part of the game. They can never feel the true excitement that comes in a win that you participated in.

So, my question for you is this...Are you in the stands or in the game?

Want to get in the game? Let me (willb@fbcrockhill.org) or Jamie (jamieb@fbcrockhill.org) know and we'll be more than happy to get you connected.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Why Small Groups?

I've been reading Church Is A Team Sport by Jim Putman. Putman is the head pastor of Real Life Ministries - the church whose small group strategy we are using. In it he gives a great description of why we need to be involved in small groups.

Imagine that you had a child whom you loved more than life. Like all parents, you wanted this child to be a positive influence on the human race. Let's say that you child has to pass geometry with at least a C to get into college. If he doesn't get a degree from a college, he cannot get a job, and without a job, he cannot support a family. In the high school that your child attends, they have chosen to teach geometry in a classroom that holds five hundred kids. The teacher stands in front of the crowd and does geometry problems on the board

The teacher tries her best to explain how to answer the problems for thirty-five minutes one time a week and then dismisses the class. She does not have time to meet in private tutoring sessions, and she does not have a method to help students who are struggling. She tells you when you question her that the students have the book - they should just read it. How would you feel about the school your child goes to, especially since so much is riding on this grade?

What he is describing is what church looks like when you are not involved in some sort of small group or Sunday school class. It becomes very hard to soak it all in. This is why we need to be involved in something other than just the Sunday morning service.

Looking to get plugged in? Let me (willb@fbcrockhill.org) or Jamie (jamieb@fbcrockhill.org) know and we will be more than happy to get you connected.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

He delights in me...

After writing my post yesterday, I felt that I needed to follow it up with a post that was perhaps a bit more positive. I quickly spoke about the concept of "It's not about me...it's about Him" and I wanted to continue along those lines somewhat.

As a church, we have been working the last 5 weeks on "God's Purpose...Right Now". The key figure in this sermon series is David. And as we have seen:

"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation.." - Acts 13:36

This past week I spent my quiet time in Psalms. I have been thinking a lot about how (or even if) I'm "[serving] the purpose of God in [my] own generation." And my thoughts have run time and time again to David's life. You know he was not perfect. He murdered, he conspired, he committed adultery. Sometimes we place David up on a pedestal and thus it seems almost impossible to achieve the status of "being a man after God's own heart" ( 1 Sam 13:13-14, Acts 13:22). But then I came across this passage and it changed my whole thought process.

"He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me." - Psalm 18:19

Wow! He delights in me? Really? Does He not know the things I've done? The things I've thought? - Well, of course He does, and in fact he knows the things that you are going to do in the future and He STILL loves you. Just the way you are right now.

Now this is a thought-process "in progress". I by no means have my mind wrapped around this concept yet. But, at least right now, the way that I seem to understand it is this: David was not perfect, but he was also not willing to stay where he was. He was constantly working to become more and more like God.

Where are you? Have you become stagnant in your relationship with God? Or are you fighting with everything in you to become more and more like Him? Remember that you can't do it on your own - you have to allow the Holy Spirit to conform you to His likeness and will.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Unworthy? Incapable?

Today I heard a story of someone who was volunteering 20 hours a week at a hospital but, even though they were a Christian they were not volunteering at their church. They went on to explain that it wasn't because they were not asked and it wasn't that they didn't want to. It was that they felt unworthy and incapable.

This person's story reminds me of the parable of "The Sower and The Seed" (Matthew 13:3-9)? In this parable, Jesus describes 4 kinds of ground (road, rock, thorns, good). In the first of these, Satan came in and stole the "seeds". In the second one, Satan cast some sort of affliction on the "seeds". In the third one, Satan casted worry and doubt on the "seeds'.

I think that this principle is what causes many of us to either (1) not chase after something at all or (2) chase after it half-heartedly. Personally, I really struggle with feeling worthy or capable of leading y'all in worship each week. But one thing that God has continually worked on in my life is that "It's not about me...it's about Him!"

As Reveal continues to grow, there is going to be a greater need for people to step up and volunteer to serve. The following are some areas where you can serve:

• parking
• greeting
• child-care
• ushering
• 11:29 Project
• band
• sound
• video
• set-up/tear-down
• small-group leaders
• follow-up
• creative planning
  

As we continue to grow, there are going to be some things that we do that will seem easy and fun, others are going to be hard work and then there are going to be things that we try and fail at. If you want to get connected in a deeper way in Reveal, let me (willb@fbcrockhill.org) or Jamie (jamieb@fbcrockhill.org) know and we'll get you plugged in.

And to those that are already volunteering. Thank You, Thank You, THANK YOU! You guys make Reveal possible each week. We couldn't do it without you. Thanks for all that you do.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger!

Will

Set List 03.08.09

Here is the music that we used for 03.01.09 (Week 5 of God's Purpose...Right Now - The Spies)

The Solid One (Jeff Zabel)
Everyday (Joel Houston as performed by Lincoln Brewster)
Beautiful One (Tim Hughes as performed by Jeremy Camp)
A Love Song (Stellar Kart)
Rescue (Jared Anderson)

Steve talked about "The Spies" this week and how it applies to faith. A couple of the main points were: Faith does not ignore the facts. Faith remembers what God has done in the past. Good sermon. Good worship. "The Solid One" went really well (esp since this was only the second time we have done it in worship.

Small Groups kicked off this week and went really well - we had 11 in small group.

We had 54 in worship this morning, with 7 in child care. Remember that next week we are going to have our second "Lunch" sunday next week (15th). Looking forward to seeing you there.

For more "Set-Lists" click here.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger.

Will

Discipleship

In preparation for the small groups that we are starting, I am reading a book by the pastor of Real Life Ministries, Jim Putman, entitled Church Is A Team Sport. In it, he describes discipleship this way:

What the new believer doesn't understand, and what we don't tell them, is that they are only starting a race, not finishing one...We forget that the devil sees the one we just baptized as an enemy...We often don't understand that we just got this new believer into a war they are not equipped to fight. They don't know the rules, or the weapons available, or even how to use them. (pg. 96-97)

If REVEAL is going to be effective, we have to make sure that we equip, train and support those in our care. If we don't we are no better than a movie or a TV program - just entertainment.

I don't want to just sit in the stands and watch others play the game. I want to be in the game. How about you?

Dream Big...Pray Bigger.

Will

Small Groups (Part 2)

Yesterday I told you that our small groups will probably look different than any that you have been in before. Today, I'm going to expand a little more on that.

We are modeling our groups after Real Life Ministries (RLM )in Post Falls, ID. They have grown from four families in 1998 to about 10,000 members. They have done this in large part to their commitment to small groups (about 8,000 people are involved in small groups each week). Their groups have several unique characteristics.

1. Storying
Did you know that approximately 50% of Americans are audible learners. That means that they learn better through hearing than through reading. RLM uses bible stories that are told by a leader. Then they answer several questions as a group to spark discussion.

2. Intentional Discipleship
Each small group leader will have an "apprentice" that they will be intentionally discipling and training to become a future small group leader. If you look at The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, you will see that there are three (3) parts.
a. Go
b. Baptize
c. Teach
We are not done if we only do the first two. We must also teach. A true disciple is one who has "grown" to the point that they can continue the process.

3. Coaching
We are going to set up networks of support for the small group leaders. This is for help and accountability. Coaches will be responsible for several small group leaders and the leaders will be responsible for the people in their small group.

4. Growing new Small Groups
We do not want our small groups to grow stagnant. Also, Jamie and I cannot "care" for all of the needs of Reveal now at 75 people much less as we grow. Thus we will be using our "grown" leaders to start small groups and reach more people and be able to care for more people.

5. Relationship over Content
The focus on these small groups is relationship and growth. If someone is sick, in the hospital, or there is a need - the needs take precedence over the content of the lesson.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger.

Will

Small Groups are coming...

What: Small Groups (more catchy name to follow)

When: Mar 8th (this Sunday) @ 10:20-ish

Where: Church office

Who: You, Your Neighbor, Your friends, anyone who needs to grow closer to God

Why: Life is hard and we all need some help.

Ok, so now that you each have an invitation to small groups let me tell you a little more about them. We are starting small groups because we believe that relationships are important. We believe that meeting corporately is essential to a Christian's growth in Christ, but it is equally important to build relationships where you can feel connected, supported, loved and cared for. And it is very hard to build those relationships in a big group.

Now you might be saying, "Will, Reveal is only having about 65-75 people each week and that is not a very big group." I would say you're right, but we know that eventually we will be bigger and we want to build the foundations now and not as a reaction to needs later.

Just one note however...these small groups will probably not look like any small group that you have been in before. More on that tomorrow.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger.

Will

Set List 03.01.09

Here is the music that we used for 03.01.09 (Week 4 of God's Purpose...Right Now):

God of This City (Bluetree)
Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) (Brenton Brown)
We Fall Down (Chris Tomlin as performed by Kutless)
I Don't Want To Be (Gavin DeGraw)
Worship You Forever (Todd Fields)

This week in REVEAL we had about 75 in worship. Which was a great number especially considering the monsoon that we were experiencing (followed of course by the blizzard last night). The vast majority of people stayed and ate Fuel Pizza with us after the service. Thanks to all those who helped make that happen. It was really nice to get to talk to a couple of people that I have seen in REVEAL for several weeks but have not been able to talk to. I hope that the rest of you also had good conversation opportunities.

We are now participating in Fred McKinnon's "Sunday Setlists". Click here to see all the set-lists.

Dream Big...Pray Bigger.

Will