Shannon C - Blah Blah Blah justa jackin my jaws

Consumerism and the local church

2009-10-27T15:17:00.003-04:00

In many respects we really can't help it. We live in a time and place where nearly every institution is competing for our time, attention, money, adoration, dedication, and promotion. It turns out that marketing people are very smart...they know how to get us to do just about anything they want. Quite simply they strive to appeal to our basest of qualities, a quality derived straight from the Garden of Eden; that is....the elevation of "self" to a level that makes our own desires outweigh anything else. Marketeers are constantly telling us all the things we deserve, how we should treat ourselves, pamper ourselves, lookout for number one, etc. And we have bought in to it "hook, line, and sinker!" Why wouldn't we....we love getting what we want! I personally love a good thick steak.....and when some guy with a thick aussie accent tells me that I deserve it and I should "treat myself" to some Outback tonight....well, how can I argue with that?

Unfortunately, alot of us bring that "it's all about me" attitude to church. We want to sit in our chair every Sunday and "consume." Afterall, that's what we do at Outback Steakhouse, or Starbucks, or Chick-fil-a, or Bell's! We choose what we want, what sounds good to us, how we want it cooked and then we wait on someone to serve us so we can "consume." The difference is.....now listen closely.....this is the good part..... "Church isn't about what you want, it's about what God wants." The local church serves 3 purposes....1) to worship and give GOD glory, 2) to equip believers to reach others, 3) to provide an environment for those who don't know Jesus to hear the gospel. I believe that the local church is God's primary tool for reaching the "lost." So, (this may sting a little) if you are a believer...it's not about you! I have heard Pastor Greg say that the difference between the church and a country club is that a country club exists to serve it's members....in the church, the members exist to serve the church.

Remember Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

So how are you serving your church today. Are you doing more than just taking up a seat on Sunday morning? Do you see the bigger picture....that there are people that will only be reached by the local church....and it is our job to put our desires aside and to prepare an environment that is welcoming, safe, engaging, and "real" so that someone we don't even know yet can come to a relationship with Jesus. Consumer church is NEVER satisfying. True satisfaction comes through serving others. Don't miss out. Find a place of meaningful service today.

This Sunday @Foothills Toccoa

2009-09-26T17:21:00.002-04:00

I haven't been this excited about a Sunday morning in a long time! As we finish the What If... series with a message entitled "What if today was your last day", tomorrow has the potential to be HUGE! This is a service that you seriously need to invite your friends, co-workers, neighbors,....anyone who needs a relationship with Jesus. It's going to be amazing!

See you tomorrow...and don't be late....you don't want to miss a single minute!

workdays at the new bldg this week

2009-09-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! We are making great progress in the new bldg, however, we have a tons more work left to do. We need as many people to come help as possible. This week we will be working wed during the day...9-3 and then Wed night 6-8. We will be working then again on Sat from 9-3. Please make plans to be there...its always a lot of fun!

workday aug 29

2009-08-28T19:15:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! The demolition inside the building is finished! Tomorrow we will be beginning to frame up walls in the children's side. There won't be as many opportunities for youth workers this week except to be runners between the saws and the carpenters. Also there will be a little painting on the outside if the rain holds off. Bring saws, nail guns, etc used for framing. Can't wait to see you there!

Workdays this week

2009-08-11T12:54:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone....the workday this past Saturday was amazing! Got a lot done.

This week we are going to be at the building working Wednesday night from 6-8 doing some clean-up of demolition that was done on Saturday and probably starting a little demolition on the children's side of the building.

Then Saturday we will be there from 9am - 2 or 3pm. It will be a lot of the same as last weekend. Painting of the outside of the building and demolition of the childrens side interior.

Can't wait to see everyone there!

Shannon

First workday!

2009-08-06T12:46:00.002-04:00

We are going to have our first workday at the new building this Saturday. One of the first things we want to do is paint the exterior. We will be doing at least a coat of primer this weekend....maybe paint if I can get the color sample in time. We will also start some demolition of existing walls inside. We will be starting @ about 9:00am. Please bring paint brushes, rollers, ladders, and any other painting tools we might need.

For the demolition bring sledgehammers, saws, pry bars, etc.

It is going to be a hot one on Saturday so if someone could volunteer to bring water, etc to keep the workers hydrated that would be awesome!

If you have any questions call Sam McMillan @ 864-903-5137. Sam and Jody have agree to be the point person for organizing and directing all the remodeling activities! Please give them your support.

Shannon

Building Dedication and what's next

2009-08-03T11:51:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone! The building dedication last night was awesome! I really enjoyed getting to worship for the first time in our new building.....and you guys sang your hearts out! This building is going to be an incredible place of healing and life change for people we haven't even met yet....that is exciting for me. I hope it is for you too.

As far as what are we doing next...here is where we are.

We are waiting for the thrift store to empty (we anticipate them being out by Tuesday) and we are waiting for a layout drawing from our architect. As soon as those things happen we will begin demolition of the walls that currently exist that we are not going to use.....and from there we will begin framing.

Just check here everyday for updates as to what and when we will be doing work.

Thanks,
Shannon

Video message format

2009-07-07T11:25:00.004-04:00

Some of you may have noticed that we have been trying a couple different formats for the video message at the Toccoa campus over the last few weeks. I am wanting to get some feedback from ya'll about the different formats...what you like best.

Basically there are 3 formats that we are looking at......

1. Lock-down center screen shot of full size speaker with magnified images with lower-third notes and scriptures on the side screens. (This is the original format that we have done 99% of the time since we launched the campus last September)

2. Magnified waist up image of the speaker on the center screen with full-size notes and scriptures on the side screens. This is the format that we used this past week with the message by Daniel Lucas. We ar e going to do this format again this coming week in case you missed it.....

3. Same magnified waist up image on all three screens with lower-third notes and scriptures.

Just comment back on this blog or email me at shannonchiles@foothills.cc and let me know what you think.

Shannon

What a GREAT day!

2009-07-06T21:16:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was just a phenomonal day at Foothills Toccoa Campus! The message yesterday was incredible.....if you missed it be sure to watch it at www.foothills.cc

And then yesterday afternoon we had a baptism party out at the lake.....it was awesome! We had great food....ribs, chicken, sausage, hotdogs, and then a slew of side dishes and desserts. But the best part was that we saw 6 people follow through in baptism......awesome day!

If you want to see the pictures.....check out this link or this one on facebook.

I love you guys! I love being your pastor! I love being able to serve with you...passionately reaching those in Stephens County who are far from God and helping them to know Jesus.

Baptism Parrrrrtayyyyy!

2009-06-26T14:03:00.004-04:00

We are having a big baptism party Sunday, July 5th starting @ 3:30pm. It is going to be at Josh Schaeffers lakehouse. Come ready to eat, swim, boat....bring tailgate games.....etc....it's going to be a blast!!!

Here are the details:

Location: 538 Imperial, Martin, GA (map to follow)
Time: 3:30pm - ?
Food: Grilled chicken, ribs, sausage, and hotdogs will be provided. Bring a side dish or a dessert to share.
Drinks: Drinks will be provided.
What else: Bring lawnchairs, swimming stuff, boat, tailgate games.

If you don't feel confident that you can find the location....we will have groups leaving from Toccoa Campus and the Walmart parking lot @ about 3:15.

Also...if you want to be baptized, please let me know!

See you there!
Shannon

CLICK IMAGE TO SEE LARGER

When "date night" goes terribly wrong....

2009-06-16T20:39:00.002-04:00

If you were at FCC Toccoa Campus this past Sunday, you realize that I WASN'T! It was the first Sunday that I have missed since we launched the campus last September......and I hated not being there. I heard that Jonathan did a fantastic job of making sure stuff happened....I love that guy! I am truly blessed to have him on my team. Also heard that Brian Rhodes came down and lended a hand....it really is cool to be part of a family of staff members who got each others backs.

So this is what happened...

Saturday night, Amy and I were in Seneca. We did not have any kids for the night and were planning on having a nice date night alone. Maybe some dinner and a movie....something like that probably. I have a small hernia on my bellybutton that I had had for about a year. I noticed the night before that the hernia had become hard and tender to the touch....so while I was waiting for Amy to finish up some business before we headed out to date night, I called my brother, Jon, who is a doctor and asked him about the hernia. From what I described to him, he said that it might be strangulated and cutting off blood to whatever was poking out the hernia. He said that it was fairly serious and he would not wait until the coming week to take care of it because if it were bowel or intestine poking out and it was strangulated, that tissue would die and leave me with a hole in the bowel. So, Amy and I went and grabbed a bite, and headed to the ER (very reluctantly). Both of us thought for sure that this would turn out to be nothing and they would send us home........WRONG! Jon pretty much nailed it! They admitted me to the hospital right then and there and did surgery to repair the hernia Sunday morning. Crazy huh?

Can't wait to be back at church this Sunday....I missed everyone so much! Love you all, and thanks for the thoughts, prayers and calls.

So much good stuff going on!

2009-05-18T13:15:00.003-04:00

Just wanted everyone to know of some of the exciting things that are going on.....

First - This weekend FCC had a weekend students event at the Seneca Campus called Ignite. From all accounts the weekend was incredible! We had 5 students from the Toccoa Campus attend.....1 of which who was baptized! WOW! That is what it is all about people....life change is happening all around us....even with our middle schoolers and high schoolers!!!

Second - We are seeing spiritual decisions weekly at Toccoa Campus. It is incredible....God is working! The awesome thing is that it is we are just being true to the VISION that God has given us! People are inviting their friends....their friends are getting plugged in and inviting their friends....and peoples lives are being changed. I am blown away at all the new young families that are coming! Everyone at Toccoa Campus is doing a great job of keeping their focus off of themselves and on the people we are trying to reach. We are doing the most important job in the world! Thank you so much for bringing your A+ game every week!!

Finally - SAVE THE DATE! We are scheduling a party at the lake on June 14th. Where on the lake? The place is TBD...but the party is going to start about 3:30pm. It's going to be a covered dish dinner so plan on bringing enough of something yummy to feed your family plus 2-3 others. We are also going to be doing baptisms......so, if you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior but have not followed through in baptism, or you were baptized before you accepted Christ....please let me know...this baptism party is going to be a huge spiritual marker in our campus' life. Email me at shannonchiles@foothills.cc if you want to be baptized.

Student Ministry - What, When, How?

2009-05-18T10:53:00.003-04:00

Okay.....last week we had our first ever youth event. We did what we called "Staff on a Stick". It was a blast.....for pictures be sure to check out my facebook.

This week we are launching our weekly student get together. It is going to be at my house.....if you need directions email me. Planning on getting started at about 6:30...we will have snacks, games and a video from our Student Pastor Brian Rhodes. It is going to be a good time making new friends, and learning from God's Word and how it all applies to our lives as middle school students and high school students. I can't wait!

Still looking for a name for the group.....if you have any ideas post them here as comments! Looking forward to seeing everyone and seeing what God does through this new ministry area for FCC Toccoa.

Tweeting the Word

2009-05-14T23:09:00.001-04:00

Team Leader Meeting

2009-05-14T21:46:00.001-04:00

Staff on a stick

2009-05-14T14:09:00.005-04:00

Last night we had our very first student activity in Toccoa! We did a staff on a stick scavenger hunt around town and it was a blast! We had 7 students show up and I believe they all had a great time. Starting this coming Wed we will be having weekly student meetings...! Until we nail down a host home, it will be at my house. Anyone who is interested in hosting the students once a week....please let me know. Also if you would like to be a volunteer leader let me know....

If you want to see pictures from "staff on a stick" you need to checkout my facebook at www.facebook.com/playdemkeys. Facebook is a great way to keep up with me and Jonathan and all the staff at Foothills....plus it is a great tool to get the word out about our campus! Join today!

Shine 09

2009-05-11T16:44:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone....if you missed this Sunday at FCC Toccoa....you missed a GREAT one! Greg spoke on serving others inorder to show them Christ. It was awesome. Remember you can always view past messages online at www.foothills.cc After church, people had opportunity to sign up for 1 of 3 SHINE09 projects that we are doing in Toccoa. There is a landscaping project at Big A Elementary, Pressure washing and cleaning at a homeless shelter, and painting at another homeless shelter. If you missed sign-ups and want to participate in this incredible event where we get to reach out to our community, email me at shannonchiles@foothillscc.org and I will get you hooked up!

Failblog.org

2009-05-05T20:07:00.002-04:00

Found a new site to me....... www.failblog.org It is hilarious, but be sure to select G-rated pictures and movies only!

here is a funny sample

This is an amazing interview....full of grace and truth

2009-05-05T19:23:00.001-04:00

http://www.elevationchurch.org/mediaPlayer.php?sermon=170

Monday Morning Thoughts

2009-05-04T08:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a great day at Foothills Toccoa! The band flat out rocked and the peoples energy was great. Brian Rhodes message on undeserved love really touched me and many others I believe. One of the best parts of yesterday was that I got to play the keyboard for the feature song "This Kind of Love." I hadn't played since before we launched the Toccoa Campus...so I felt a little rusty, but it was a blast being able to play again. I didn't realize until after the service how many people had no idea that I played keyboard or was musically gifted at all.... which is kind of strange for me because most of my life people have known that and associated me with music. But there are so many new people at Foothills Toccoa that had not been in Seneca that it really shouldn't have surprised me. Anyway, I appreciate Jonathan letting an old guy up on stage to play a song this week!

The second highlight of the day was that the Toccoa Softball team won our first game! It was awesome! Some highlights of the game were Aaron Krumenacker playing third base. This dude can flat out play third! It was amazing to watch. Also, we had two in the park homeruns yesterday. The first was Tom Ross....amazing shot out center field. And the second was a grand slam by Jonathan Wright. I think everyone had a good time.....

Today we have an off-site creative planning meeting to plan series' for the next 6 months. I love these meetings where we just brainstorm and come up with creative ways to engage people in church! Creative planning is definitely one of my favorite parts of my job.

Saturday morning setup

2009-04-23T11:06:00.003-04:00

We have an amazing group of volunteers that setup and breakdown Foothills Toccoa Campus every week! The are rockstars in my mind! It is really incredible to see them go at it.... It is hard to imagine, but they have the entire gym transformed into an auditorium most times in less than 1 hour! The importance of this team of people can never be underestimated. They are literally creating God's house for us to worship in come Sunday morning. Week after week I am told by first time guests how impressive it is what we do to the inside of that gym....it is warm, welcoming, and looks like it is left up week after week. This is because our volunteers take such great care in what they do.....knowing that lives WILL be changed inside that room!

This week we have several people that will be out of town or unavailable to do setup as they usually do on Saturday morning. If you could spare an hour from 8am til 9am on Saturday morning to help setup our campus for Sunday....please email me at shannonchiles@foothillscc.org or just show up! This may be the second best hour of your week....second only to the Sunday morning experience at FCC Toccoa! We always have a good time setting up...you will do something extremely important, make some new friends, and probably laugh a whole lot!

Hope to see you there.

Shannon

Things coming up.....

2009-04-22T14:42:00.003-04:00

It seems to be a very hectic time right now for some reason. It may be because we are starting so many new things in the coming weeks. Here is a list of important things and dates to remember.

Sunday, April 26 - Foothills Toccoa plays their first softball game! The game starts at 4:00pm and is at Shaver Rec Center in Seneca. Come cheer on the Toccoa team in "blue". Any team name ideas?

Sunday, April 26 - Praise Night/Lord's Supper/Baptism 6:00pm at the Seneca Campus! This is a entire church event combining both campuses! This is the first time we have done this! It is going to be exciting...plan to be there!! And if you are interested in being baptized and you haven't let me know......do so soon!

Monday, April 27 - Student Pastor Brian Rhodes will be having an informational meeting for those interested in volunteering in student ministries in Toccoa. Time and Place TBD....stay tuned.

Sunday, May 3 - Belong class at Toccoa Campus, 9:00am. If you are interested in what Foothills is all about and what we believe, plan to attend this class. This is a great class! It is offered monthly....but only occasionally is it offered on Sunday morning, usually they are Thursday nights.

Sunday, May 10 - Parent/Child Dedications. We do child dedications once a year. If you are interested in having you child dedicated, please email me the parents names, child's name, and a picture of the child.

Saturday, May 16 - Shine09. This is a day when the entire church goes out and does service projects to give back to our community! There will be a variety of projects to choose from, each lasting 3-4 hours. Last year we had 1000 people participate in Seneca.... I am expecting a turnout of at least 100 people from Toccoa for Shine!

Thats the next month in a nutshell.......mark your calendars. You don't want to miss any of this!

The mail system - lessons learned

2009-04-16T19:32:00.002-04:00

I found out from several people in Toccoa, that they received their Easter letter from me with invite cards AFTER Easter! Obviously that was not planned. So, I went to Seneca today to talk with the administrative support staff to find out how this could have happened. It turns out that the letter and envelopes were printed on April 2 and taken to the Seneca post office to be mailed that same day. We have a bulk rate permit for mailing out of Seneca and that is how we have always mailed stuff. People in Seneca, Westminster, etc that have a 297xx zip code received their letters within a day or two from what I understand.... However, people with a 305xx zip code obviously did not.

When we talked to the post office to try to figure out why this happened we found out something interesting. Here is the travel itinerary that your letter took......if you live in Toccoa. Seneca, SC to Greenville, SC to Greensboro, NC to Columbia, SC to Toccoa, GA. Wow....that letter is more well travelled than some people I know! On top of that, because it is Bulk Rate mail....each of those locations have up to 3 days to process it! I had no idea. The office staff had no idea. So......chalk it up to a lesson learned. But rest assured, the letters weren't sent last minute, they didn't get left behind when the others got mailed..... The USPS just got us!

Multi-site church changes everything....... so many things change when you go multi-site that I can't begin to list them all....and there are some that I probably still don't know. It is interesting to look at other churches who are multi-site and realize that although most of the campuses are with in 30 minutes of the live campus....most are in the same state! Crossing statelines makes it extra interesting.....

Anyway....I am sorry everyone got their letters late....we will try not to repeat that mistake.

Shannon

Vision, vision, vision

2009-04-15T13:10:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to give a HUGE shout out and thanks to all the volunteers at Foothills Toccoa! We have so many dedicated people who work tirelessly week in and week out so that the gospel can be accessible to the unchurched people of Stephens County. What is so impressive is that when you assemble any group of people from many different backgrounds, you will have just as many (if not more) different opinions of how things should be done. However, we have seen time and time again people swallow pride, put aside personal agendas, and continue on with one goal. To reach those who are not in church. This means grabbing PASSIONATELY onto the vision and standing by the leadership even when they don't necessarily agree. Craig Groeschel says "If you want to reach those who no one else is reaching, you have to do what no one else is doing." You know what we are comfortable with? What we have already done....that's what we know and what we are comfortable with. Doing something different causes discomfort.....so, doing what no one else is doing is going to be uncomfortable! That is all there is to it! Our desire should ALWAYS be to be willing to sacrifice MY comfort for the benefit of someone elses eternity....if you don't get that, you don't get the VISION of Foothills Community Church.

Vision works....selflessness works.....FCC Toccoa had it's most incredible week EVER this past Easter Sunday. If spiritual decisions are the measuring stick by which we measure if what we are doing is on track (and I believe it should be)...then this Sunday told us we hit the mark. This past week we had more spiritual decisions than in any other Sunday since we launched the campus last September. 3 first time salvations! 7 recommittments to Christ! 6 baptism requests! That is almost as many in one Sunday as we have had cummulative since we launched!

We are just starting to hit our stride....I think God is getting ready to open the flood gates and we are just beginning to see what God is going to do.

Hang in there. Stay focused on the vision. Give God ALL the glory.

Shannon

This will make you cry!

2009-02-04T13:34:00.004-05:00

This is 12stone in Lawrenceville, GA! How come I can see Eric, Odom, and Jonathan B doing this!??????

The Roadie Song

2009-02-04T12:16:00.003-05:00

I go through phases where I will listen to different types of music for a period of time...then move on to a different genre. I have had country phases, pop phases, christian phases, r&b phases, hip-hop phases, alternative phases....you name it I have probably listened to it for some period of time. Here lately I have found myself drawn to "classic rock." "Classic rock" is actually a politically correct way to say "old rock." The thing is....it's now the music I grew up listening to....so what does that make me? Old? Once again, I will yield to the politically correct term and refer to myself as "classic." Hmmmmm, whatever!

Anyway, today I was listening to the local "classic rock" station when I heard one of my favorite songs of all time. "The Roadie Song / Stay" by Jackson Browne. I love that song....always have. It has to do with a lot of things I think....the piano (which is my instrument of choice) is very cool, the variety of instrumentation in extremely interesting, but the lyrics are what really gets me. From the surface, it seems like a song about the life of a traveling artist and what it is like going from town to town and performing, life on the road, etc. But it's not! It is a song about conviction and connection and that is what draws me in everytime I hear it. The singer, the band, the roadies all are doing a very difficult job, a job that is physically and emotionally draining. They sleep on buses and hotel rooms away from their families and friends. They lose track of where they are and where they are going next. But they love what they do so much because of the connection that they make with their audience. I love the line "We pass the time in hotel rooms and wandering 'round backstage. But when the lights come up and we hear the crowd, we remember why we came." That is exactly the way I feel about Sunday mornings. The way we do church at Foothills Community Church is a lot of work. It is physically and emotionally draining....but I wouldn't want to do anything else in the world. Because when we open the doors on Sunday morning and the people pour in, and the music begins to play, and God is glorified, and people experience life change....."I REMEMBER WHY WE CAME!" In Toccoa, we set up and breakdown our church every week. And many people have heard me say "It is kind of sad when it all gets taken down and the space is back to being a gym." I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS want to stay a little bit longer.

Enjoy this video

Sunday was awesome!

2009-01-26T11:18:00.004-05:00

This Sunday at the Toccoa Campus was amazing. Our new worship pastor, Jonathan Bryant did an outstanding job as did all the guys in the band. It was really and incredible time of worship.

The lifegroup signups were off the chart.....I am going to need to add one or two more groups to accommodate all the people who want to get connected to a group!

We have so many great people at the Toccoa Campus....it really blows my mind! Every week people are stepping up and asking what they can do to help....wanting to serve.....get connected.

Next Week we are doing a big SERVE push.....the message will be on getting connect through serving and then we are going to have a volunteer appreciation party to let our volunteers know just how much they mean to us. We will watch the Superbowl on the big screen, have food, and drinks....everything will be provided by staff and team leaders. If you are a volunteer or you are interested in finding a place to serve at the Toccoa Campus......please come out and have a good time....eat some great food....and just have a fantastic time with our church family. Festivities start at 5:00pm.

My knee and Jessica Simpson

2009-01-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

So out of the blue my right knee starts hurting on Tuesday. The pain increases throughout the day to the point that by the time I am ready to go to bed I cannot bend it without experiencing EXCRUTIATING pain! Wed it was a little better....but today it is still very painful. The thing about it is that I don't remember doing anything to injure it. What does this mean.....can you just have spontateous knee injuries that bring you to tears. I may have to write this up for a medical journal, or 48hours Mysteries, or maybe an episode of "Fringe"! Weird!

Tonight I am taking my wife to a concert at the Bilo Center. Her favorite band by far is Rascal Flatts so we are going to see them! She is going to love it! The problem is that we have to put up with the opening act......JESSICA SIMPSON! Baaarrrrffffola. Maybe we should bring cans of Chicken of the Sea to throw up on stage!

BTW - Awesome night last night in Toccoa. We had our first ever GROW class and had 13 people attend!

New Year's Resolution....my only one

2009-01-14T14:15:00.003-05:00

I have been a "slablogger!" What in the world is a "slablogger" you ask? It is a slacker-blogger. I have rarely blogged in the last couple of months....and when I have, there hasn't been much to it. So....as much as I hate New Years resolutions I am going to make just one...and that is to blog at least twice a week. I don't want to say everyday or everyother day or on days that end with the letter y or anything like that......just two days a week. And I expect my faithful blog readers (or at this point it may be just one reader.....) to hold me to it! So that is my part of the deal....I will provide more blog posts. Your part of the deal is to leave COMMENTS! I love comments.....so leave lots of them.....it makes it so much more fun and interactive!

Totally different subject......I have very exciting news!
We have hired a Worship Pastor for Foothills Toccoa! Whooooooooo Hoooooooo! Many of you will remember Jonathan Bryant. Jonathan lead worship the week that Pastor Greg was in Toccoa and spoke live! I am totally jacked up about this! Jonathan and I have been able to spend some time together and he is an awesome guy who, besides being a great worship leader, has a incredible heart for connecting with people and connecting them with Jesus. Jonathan will be starting next Monday and leading worship in Toccoa starting Jan 25.

When you see him....be sure to give him a big Foothills welcome.

Intro Video

2009-01-02T15:23:00.002-05:00

Alot of people have asked to see the intro video again from last weeks service. The premise of the video is that I am mysteriously missing from Church and have gone back to Seneca to get a new copy of this weeks service video.....and the video picks up from there....

It's a tight race!

2008-12-02T17:21:00.003-05:00

If you haven't voted for your favorite Christmas movies....time is running out. First place looks to be wrapped up by "Polar Express." But second place is neck and neck between "The Grinch" and "Home Alone". We will be watching the 3rd place movie this Saturday night, so your vote could make a huge difference in the dramatic outcome for the first weeks movie. To be quite honest, the movie choices have completely surprised me! Regardless of what movie we watch.....it is going to be a lot of fun. Bring your friends!

FCC Toccoa Christmas Movie Night

2008-11-22T21:35:00.003-05:00

On the 3 Saturdays in December prior to Christmas (Dec 6, 13, 20) at 7:00pm, Foothills Toccoa will be hosting a "Christmas Movie Night" on the big screen. It will be a great time to bring the family out, what a good movie, get into the Christmas spirit and just have a good time! The fun part is that the movie selection is up to you! Place your vote here on my blog and the top three movies will be shown.

Because People Matter Conference - BPM08

2008-10-30T13:08:00.005-04:00

If you haven't signed up to go to BPM08 on Saturday, Nov 8 at the Seneca Campus......you need to do it!!! This is going to be an awesome day that you do not want to miss! If you are a volunteer or thinking of becoming a volunteer at Foothills....this conference is just for you. The will be food, fun, giveaways, and an incredible speaker Mark Waltz, from Granger Community Church.

I would love to have a whole crowd of hootin and hollerin, Jesus lovin, Toccoa volunteers show up that Saturday! It is going to be an amazing day........don't miss it! You can sign up this Sunday at the Welcome Desk or you can RSVP with the church office at 864-888-8008 or 706-886-0996.

For more info visit www.FCCconference.blogspot.com

Life Friends & Lake Hartwell

2008-10-30T12:25:00.007-04:00

I have a group of friends that I would consider my best friends in the world. This is a group of guys that I KNOW have my back on any occasion. Not just because they say it, but because they have lived it out. Let me introduce them to you.... their names are Kyle, Allen, Dave, Dave, and Texas (yes that is his real name.....we actually call him T-money.) 4 out of 5 of these guys I have known for over 20 years! The 6 of us have a unique bond.....kind of hard to explain, but it is awesome. We have all scattered and lived in different places over the years, but we still try to maintain contact and do a "guys night out" every couple of months. But once a year we plan a weekend away together. Last year the plans didn't work out, but the year before we went to Chicago for the weekend, ate some great pizza, went to a Notre Dame football game....and just had an all around great time that we won't ever forget.

This year we are doing something more local (mostly because I have Sunday morning committments with the Toccoa Campus!!! Whooo Hooo!!! So we have booked a waterfront cabin at Tugaloo State Park in Lavonia, GA for the weekend of Nov 14. The plan was pretty simple....hangout, watch some football, go hiking, borrow a boat and go out and do a little fishing, cookout, etc. The problem is that when we planned this weekend....it was expected that Lake Hartwell would have some water! I went out and checked out the cabin yesterday and it is awesome....but the water is down about 30 ft from the dock (each cabin has it's own dock). The beach is soft and sandy so we could beach a boat and tie it to the dock....but here is my problem. I know a couple of people with boats that I could probably borrow....but all the boat ramps on the lake are closed! So.....is there anyone out there that has a boat that is actually floating in Hartwell that would let me and my friends borrow it for the weekend for some tooling around and fishing? We really only need it for Saturday....if you do, just email me at shannonchiles@foothillscc.org or leave me a comment here. It would be awesome if someone could help me out.....

Tell me about your Life Friends and kinds of things that you do to maintain contact and a meaningful relationship.

At the movies.....

2008-10-28T16:15:00.003-04:00

Okay. So I decided to take my daughters out to the movie this past Saturday night. It is fun to do daddy/daughter nights every once in a while. So, Kayla, Lyric, Lily and myself went out. Jasmine already had plans so it was just the 4 of us. We started the night out at Los Amigos for some killer mexican. I had chicken fajitas as usual....and they were slammin'. The only time I get to have mexican anymore seems to be when my wife Amy is not with me. She has this thing lately that she claims that she smells like beans when she leaves a mexican restaurant.......I don't get it, but it keeps us from eating mexican most of the time. So Los Amigos was a treat for me. I could eat it 5 days a week!

Then we went to the movie. Being with 3 girls....14, 10, and 10.....I will give you one guess what we HAD to go see......... You guessed it "High School Musical 3". I didn't see the first two.....I skillfully avoided all opportunities. But tonight my avoidance techniques were not up to par.....and I joined several dozen other "tweeners" for two hours that I will never get back. Of course if you are into overacting and cheesy plots....you probably would like it!

The funniest thing of the whole night for me was that I ran into Josh Gregory (Foothills Assoc Pastor of Connections) and his wife Rachel......who were there to see the movie....but don't have any children yet! What's up with that!!!?!???. Sorry Josh...I just had to call you out. LOL

All in all...it was a great night with my girls!

I've don't remember ever seeing anything quite this bad!

2008-09-16T22:33:00.001-04:00

glumbert - Jesus Is My Friend

Toccoa Falls College

2008-09-11T21:11:00.003-04:00

I am so jacked up about what I am doing tomorrow! I am going to meet with a class at Toccoa Falls College. The class is a church planting class taught by Jarvis Crosby. I am going have the opportunity to tell the class about the Foothills Toccoa Campus and hopefully recruit some students that would be interested in helping out! This is so incredible I can't wait! I really think that what we are doing at Foothills will really be interesting for TFC students and I am hoping that lots of students connect with us. If you are a TFC student reading this blog leave me a comment....I would love to hear from you!

Friday Night Lights

2008-08-30T20:13:00.003-04:00

Last night my family and I attended our first Stephens County High School football game. First off.....I cannot believe how many people came out for this game...it was amazing. We planned on getting there about 7:00 for the 7:30 game. Surely that would have been fine....right? WRONG!!!! We hit a line about a half mile long out on Big A road going to "The Reservation." I ended up having to drop off everyone while I searched for parking. There were cars and people EVERYWHERE! I had been told that Toccoa was crazy about their football, but I totally underestimated the enthusiasm for this event. Amy, myself, our girls and my sister-inlaw and her husband hung out with Bryan, Kelda, Lisa, Doug, Stacy, Jason, Jennifer and Kel. I also saw Brown and Jo Evelyn while we were there. The first half was a little scary as SCHS got off to a slow start....but the second half rocked! Stephens County ended up winning and all was good. We all reconvened at Sonic afterwards for some ice cream, slushes, sweet tea (with refills) and a lot of fun. The whole night was great.....except that some redneck kept yelling "make 'em bleed!" at the top of his lungs during the game......

the Journey....

2008-08-18T21:40:00.004-04:00

I don't know anyone who thinks that they have enough faith. I know that I always feel like I could use a little more. Maybe it's because I have a mind that seems naturally directed by logic, numbers and formulas. Maybe it's because I am a male... convinced that I can figure out just about anything on my own. Or maybe it is just because I choose to be in control even when I know that I should let go.

This journey of going into fulltime ministry as the Campus Pastor for the Toccoa Campus has been an amazing ride so far (and we haven't even had our first service yet!). I remember so clearly that one day as I was praying trying to figure out whether to take this step when God taught me something huge. I was trying to figure out how to make this job change, move from Seneca to Toccoa, etc "work." There were alot more questions than answers. For instance...Do we buy a house and move right away? Do we wait until the house sells to move? Alot of big questions that I didn't know the answer to. What God taught me that day was that He was not going to ALLOW me to know the answers to all the questions. For me to make the move in to this job, God was going to REQUIRE my faith....not just ask for it. So, Amy and I decided that we were going to make a huge step in faith and buy a house in Toccoa and move as soon as we could.

Now for the rest of the story....
We bought our house in Toccoa without selling our house in Seneca. Following my last day at my former job and before my first day at Foothills, Amy and I took a short vacation. When we returned, one of our rental houses (that was supposed to be purchased by the renters) was abandoned by the renters leaving us with a large extra house payment. That gave us 2 house payments for the month of July....3 house payments coming Aug 1 when we started paying for the new house in Toccoa. I was FREAKIN OUT! 3 PAYMENTS!!!! AAAAARGGGGH! But God is good. He immediately brought us a renter for the abandoned house in the middle of July....So we only had to make 1/2 a payment on that house. Then last week, we got a sales contract on our house in Seneca with a months worth of rent for Sept until the loan closes. For those keeping score....in this whole process we have only had to make 2 house payments for ONE month (August)! God is amazing! We had no idea how God was going to work this out.....but he did. The move required our faith....God has taken care of the rest....and HE WILL CONTINUE TO.

Friday's Random Rant

2008-08-15T12:50:00.003-04:00

1. I am watching Olympic Women's Water Polo as I blog. Why? I really don't know.

2. I love wearing flipflops. I never worn them when I was a kid because they were uncomfortable to me. But I revisited them several years ago and would rather wear flipflops than any other shoe.

3. I ran track when I was in 7th and 8th grade. I wasn't very good. I was extremely skinny and remember the shorts being extremely baggy. Those shorts were part of one of the most embarrassing moments of my adolesence.

4. Beach or Mountains? Mountains! My wife prefers the beach....guess where my vacations are....

5. I hate snakes! They seriously give me the willys! Bugs are no problem but if I ever have a snake to deal with at my house......I will be calling for help!

Been along time....

2008-08-15T12:39:00.003-04:00

Okay. Bryan Hartzog pointed out to me the other day what a complete blog slacker I have been lately! And to Bryan's accusation I say "YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT SIR!" I could give you all of the reasons why...like I have been busy finding a location, or moving, or learning to live without kitchen cabinets.....but I am not going there.

Here is the latest. We are in our house in Toccoa! Whooo Hooo! Thanks to all who helped...Kyle, Frank, Sabrina, Sam, Jason, Bryan, Dave...you guys rock!

The girls started school yesterday. This has been one of the most frightening parts of the move. But God is faithful. All the girls had a very good first day. All came home saying that they had made friends and that everyone was very nice! Thank you Jesus!

We have a contract on our house in Seneca! God IS in control!

We are very close to having a location for the Toccoa Campus. Please keep this in your prayers.

I have another blog that is dedicated to the Toccoa Campus. It will be a great place for you to catch up on information, what is going on, meetings, get togethers, etc.

Alright....I'm out. Happy now Bryan? LOL

Shannon

Can you say WOW!?

2008-07-20T22:11:00.003-04:00

We had our second informational meeting tonight. This time it was held in Toccoa. We had about 50 people come out! It was incredible....I was totally pumped. Besides it being a little warm....(the AC was off when I got there at 5:00), I thought it went really well. I am totally blown away by what God is doing! There are so many people standing up and saying "Yeah, I believe God is going to do something amazing in Toccoa, and I want to be part of it!" God is moving in the hearts of these people and it is totally humbling to me. My favorite part of these meetings is that I get to share my heart. I get to share what I believe God is calling us to do. And that completely moves me. I am convinced that there are hundreds of people in Stephens County that are far from God that will find their way to Him due to the efforts of the people at Foothills Toccoa Campus! Hold on tight....get ready for the ride of your life!

Stay Focused
Play Hard
Honor God

Shannon

First Toccoa Info Meeting

2008-07-14T23:19:00.003-04:00

We had our first informational meeting about the Toccoa Campus launch in September. I didn't get a count, but I thing there were probably 25-30 people there. I was really pleased with the turn out. I was able to share a lot of the facts about Toccoa. What we are doing. When we are doing it. How we are doing it. And where we are doing it. But the part I really enjoyed the most was why we are doing it. The why is what really moves me. I think the Foothills Toccoa Campus is going to blow peoples minds in Stephens County simply because we are going to be a place where ANYONE can come and be accepted. I can't wait.

Friday's Random Rants

2008-07-11T18:25:00.004-04:00

1. I drive a Dodge Ram Quadcab pickup with a HEMI V8. Love it! I have driven some type of pickup for the last 12 or so years. I love pickups because you have a place to put your stuff...no matter what it is. However, my pickup days may be coming to an end soon. Gas is killing me.

2. My answer to the age old question - Mary Ann or Ginger?

AMY!!! AMY!!! AMY!!!

3. I love spicy food. Mexican, Thai, Cajun....when I bite into my food I want it to smack me back...just a little.

4. Sometimes there is nothing better than cranking up the truck stereo, rolling down the windows, and driving fast.

5. My daily drink of choice is nestle pure-life flavored water. The lemon is my favorite. It rocks!

Sandcastles

2008-07-10T21:43:00.006-04:00

So the other day I posted that my wife, Amy, and I had gone on a little getaway to the beach for our anniversary. One thing Amy was dead set on doing "together" while we were there was building a sandcastle. Though it wasn't really at the top of my "Gotta Do!" list, I agreed to help out. So we started building. It didn't take long to realize we were not equal in our sandcastle building skills. Although I have great computer hacking skills, nunchuck skills and I am pretty good with a bowstaff, it was obvious that Amy was the superior sandcastle builder. She did a great job! It was beautful...but I did figure out what I was good at....I got like 3 feet of air!

Toccoa Campus Information Meetings

2008-07-09T16:44:00.002-04:00

I have kind of been a blog slacker over the last week or so. But to quickly catch you up....

Last week I was able to take my lovely bride Amy on a getaway to the beach for our anniversary. It was great! I love getting away, just the two of us. It always reminds me of what a truly blessed man I am to have such a wonderful wife!

I am officially working at the church now....my time as an engineer at Square D is finished. I spent 16 years with Square D and it was a great company to work for and I am very thankful for having had that experience. But my new job ROCKS!

I wanted everyone to mark their calendars. We are having two informational meetings for the Toccoa Campus launch. The times and places are as follows:

Monday, July 14th, 6:30pm @ Seneca Campus Main Auditorium

Sunday, July 20th, 6:00pm @ Days Inn Toccoa, 1101 S. Big A Rd, Toccoa, GA

We are going to have a great time talking about the vision, launch plans, and serving opportunities. If you have any questions, email me at shannonchiles@foothillscc.org or call the church office at 864-888-8008 and ask for me.

I hope you plan on attending...and tell your friends!

Friday's Random Rant

2008-06-27T08:27:00.003-04:00

I'm going to start a new thing. Every Friday I am going to share with you some random facts about myself. Then as Toccoa Campus staff is added....they will be joining in on this new found fun we call FRIDAY'S RANDOM RANT!

1. I don't particularly like the color red. I especially dislike red cars. I know that hurts the UGA fans feelings, but I just don't like the color. I do however, love to write with red roller ball pens.

2. When I was very young I had to wear corrective shoes. They were incredibly ugly and other kids made fun of me.

3. I was a HUGE HUGE Evil Knievel fan! I spent countless hours setting up and jumping my bike over homemade ramps. I found out that he had died on the day of his funeral. If I had found out earlier, I would have made the trek across the country to attend it.

4. The first restaurant that my parents took me to as a baby was Shakey's Pizza. To this day, pizza is hands down my favorite food.

5. In high school I was a Chorus Geek. I was Chorus President my senior year and an All-State 1st Tenor.

Troutville, Wifi, and Prayer

2008-06-23T12:01:00.002-04:00

I had to drive to meet my parents halfway between their house and mine to swap back my children. My parents currently live outside of Philly and my daughters all went up there this past week to, among other things, go watch the Olympic Trials for the women's Olympic gymnastics team.

I arrived a little ahead of schedule at the designated Cracker Barrel in Troutville, Virginia. Yep...Troutville! Sounds like a cool place....? Anyway with a little bit of time to kill I decided to drive around and find some free Wi-Fi! I am still not cool enough to have an iphone. (Actually not light enough to have an iphone. My wife told me I can get one when I lose 20lbs!) So, I drove around until I found some free Wi-Fi outside the local Red Roof Inn. I love this....pull up and have free instant access, internet connection! Woooo Hoooo!

Still there is an even better, free, instant access connect that we can get anywhere.... and that is prayer. Prayer is such a cool gift from God. A way to connect with him....converse....tell him our joys our sorrow, what we are feeling, what we are dealing with, and most importantly to let him know how much we love him! Have you made that connection today? If not, make sure you put aside some time to link-up, upload your praise, and download God's endless grace.

Stay Focused
Play Hard
Honor God

Let's go!

2008-06-20T08:44:00.002-04:00

I just wanted everyone to know that I have officially given my notice at Square D Company, my employer for the last 16 years and will officially start my new career as the Toccoa Campus Pastor on July 1!

We closed on our new home in Toccoa this past Tuesday (huge God thing!) and will be doing a lot of work there before we move in.

I am so humbled that God has chosen to use me this way. I have spent a lot of time over the last couple months in Toccoa looking for houses and church locations and just driving around and the more I am there, the more excited I get. There is a feeling about Toccoa that feels like people are really searching for something to give them purpose and I am convinced that Foothills will be a place that people will come, find that purpose through a devoted life in Jesus Christ, and their lives will flourish. I can't wait! Peoples lives are going to change...eternities are going to change...and God is going to be glorified!

Things to pray for -
1. Location, location, location! - God already knows where he wants us....pray that God will lead us to it soon.

2. Worship Leader - We are still looking for a person to lead our Worship in Toccoa. This position is HUGE because this person will set the tone weekly for how our Sunday morning experience is received. Again....God already knows who....pray that we find him soon.

3. Childrens Director - We are looking for a part-time childrens director to be over our childrens ministry and Planet Kids. This person has got to be totally soldout to providing an incredible environment and experience for our children on Sunday mornings! Once again, God already knows who.....

4. Personal committment. Pray and ask God what He wants you to do as part of the Toccoa Campus. There are so many volunteer needs that are going to need to be met...First Impressions (greeting, hospitality, parking), Technical (sound, lighting, video), childrens ministry (infants - K5), Planet Kids (grades 1-5), facilities (set-up and tear down if we decide on a portable location), Lifegroup leaders.

5. Me. Please pray for me. I want to be the absolute best Pastor that I can be. I also knows that Satan wants the exact opposite. People matter to God and they matter to me and I am totally sold-out and committed to reaching those people for Christ simply because I KNOW that Jesus changes lives. I expect to be attacked and discouraged from all sides. Pray that I stay focused on our vision at Foothills and the reason we do church the way we do church...and that is simply this "to take people who are far from God, and turn them into fully devoted followers of Christ."

Stay Focused
Play Hard
Honor God

Closing.....finally!

2008-06-17T12:51:00.002-04:00

Today, we are closing on our new home in Toccoa! It has been a long long process of looking and looking and looking. Then we had the challenge of obtaining financing for the new home......that has been a big job in and of itself. But today we will own a home in Toccoa. We don't plan on moving for another month or month and a half because there are some things we need to do to the house prior to moving in.

We will be doing flooring, kitchen cabinets, and painting. Anyone who would like to lend a hand...that would be awesome!

I have got to stop and give God glory for all of this! In our eyes, there were times when this whole thing looked impossible. We spent so many days looking for a house....and some days we would return to Seneca, honestly wondering if this move could really be God's will because we just couldn't find THE house. Then obtaining the financing appeared, from all angles, to be impossible...then we found a guy who was certain he could help us....still, daily there were obstacles. But in the end God revealed that he is bigger than any real estate agent, bigger than any mortgage company. What is impossible for God? Nothing! God has called us to live a life that is totally reliant on Him....I intend to continue to do just that.

Here we come Toccoa!

Link Love

2008-06-16T15:49:00.004-04:00

I was talking to one of my best friends, Scott Chatfield the other day. He was complaining how nobody linked to his blog.....

Well Scott had a great post the other day that every husband should read....and be sure to check back often....Scott is a great guy with a lot of great insight and talent.

Read his blog right here!

I've been on the road....

2008-06-10T08:10:00.002-04:00

For the last 3 Sundays, I have been visiting other churches in the area. Don't freak out! No need to get your FOTLs in a knot....I am not looking to go any where new..... I mean I LOVE this place. But I have been visiting other churches who do multi-site video venues (like what we are going to be doing in Toccoa)to see how they do it and maybe get some ideas, advice, encouragement, and lots of free coffee and donuts!

May 25th-
Visited Seacoast Greenville Campus. Seacoast is a pioneer in the multi-site movement. Got to meet this guy, Chris Surratt. He is the Campus Pastor there and very cool guy.

June 1st-
Greg hooked me up with an article from the Anderson-Daily News a couple of weeks ago. In the article it talked about several 'multi-site' churches in the area. The one that really peaked my interest was this one, Real Life Fellowship. This church is our of Corpus Christi, Tx and has a site in Hartwell Ga.......this I had to see. I contacted the Campus Pastor, Bill Davidson and set up a visit. Bill was super cool....made me feel very welcome and the people were very eager to show me what they do!

June 8th-
This past week I visited 12stone in Lawerenceville, GA. They have a huge campus near the Mall of Ga...but I was interested in their video venue site on Hamilton Mill. I had emailed with the Campus Pastor, Kevin Queen several weeks ago but going there this week was a last minute decision, so he didn't know that I was coming. Let me tell you this..... they do a GREAT job at Hamilton Mill. The facility is awesome, the people, were great and they had an awesome guest worship leader!

Next week I am tentatively planning on going to North Point Browns Bridge in Cumming GA. I am preparing myself now to be totally blown away..... If anyone would like to go with me just comment back or email me at shannonchiles@foothillscc.org.

Also, June 29th, Amy and I will be going to North Point Buckhead. We will be on our way out of town for some R&R, but Sunday morning we are going to visit Buckhead. This multi-site venue of North Point is the pinnacle, the mac-daddy, the benchmark for how multi-site video venues can be done. I can't wait! We are going to go to the 9:00 service and would love to have anybody who wants to meet us there do so. Just let me know and we will hook up.

Stay Focused
Play Hard
Honor God

Shannon

Facing the Giants

2008-06-05T08:52:00.003-04:00

I finally watched 'Facing the Giants.' Yes....I am way behind. The movie came out in 2006 I think! But God's timing is perfect...always. I really needed this movie last night.

If you haven't seen the movie....you need to! I am not going to spoil it for you.

What I got out of the movie was that when we live a life that honors God in all we do, God shows up. Nothing is impossible for God. I have felt like Satan has been throwing roadblock after roadblock in my way as I try to move into ministry....roadblocks that in my human-ness seem impossible to overcome. But I want to put Satan on notice here and now.... "I am going to praise God when I win...and praise God when I lose. Your roadblocks will NEVER stop that! I serve a BIG God....and NOTHING is impossible for Him!" I completely, 100% believe that God wants to use me in a big way to reach people who have yet to know Him. God will take care of the roadblocks....big things are going to happen.....and God will get ALL of the glory!

My favorite quote from the movie is one that is easily missed. The coach is huddling with the team before a game and says to them "Stay focused, Play hard, Honor God." That is my new personal vision statement!

Stay Focused
Play Hard
Honor God

I'm probably going to get in trouble for this.....

2008-05-28T14:40:00.004-04:00

I had no idea that Greg, Brian, Eric, and Scott were part of an 80's Glam Band!

Wanna see it bigger? Click here.

Bait and Switch

2008-05-23T12:57:00.001-04:00

This video is hillarious! The Bible certainly has it's share of soap opera style drama.....this story is a good example.

Cafe Java

2008-05-21T15:05:00.002-04:00

I am in Toccoa today. I spent the morning with a home inspector checking out our new digs. The inspection went pretty good. Then I went by here to see some friends. The rest of the afternoon, I have been sitting in Cafe Java, sipping a cinnamon carmel latte (delish!), eating a piece of homemade chocolate cheesecake (incredible deslish!), and working (engineering work). I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favorite hangouts. It is very cool....easy going.....great music.....very cool vibe. I am meeting this guy in about 45 minutes to check out some locations in Toccoa for our new site.

Geekin' ain't easy....

2008-05-20T09:08:00.004-04:00

I admit.....deep down I am a geek, nerd, brainiac.....choose your term. I mean really....you don't become an electrical engineer because you think it's sexy! So when I saw this Dilbert comic, I realized "That was me once upon a time!" Luckily I found Amy who has a strange attraction to my geeky side!

Toccoa Life Group

2008-05-19T10:20:00.003-04:00

I finally got to make it to Toccoa to meet with one of the life groups that we have there. It was awesome! I met Bryan and Kelda at Bryan's office and followed them to Stacy's house.....which turned out to be a very good idea. If I had tried to make it there on my own, they probably would have had to send out a search party for me 'cause I would have gotten lost for sure! Bryan gave me a respectable amount of crap because I was late which I graciously accepted but was quick to push off onto some Sunday afternoon drivers on Hwy 123.

Anyway, the people in this group were so cool! It wasn't long that we were chatting away, joking, laughing and really having a good time together. I love meeting new people and these folks made me feel totally welcome. Besides Bryan and Kelda (whom I already knew), there was Stacy (he was the host home), Robin, Doug & Lisa, and Jason & Jennifer. We had a great time....and I can't wait to get back together!

I think I was the only GA TECH fan in a room full of GA BULLDAWGS.....and they still accepted me! Need I say more?

"No, how about $Y?"

2008-05-17T17:23:00.003-04:00

Wooooo Hoooooo! We have a contract on a new house! God is good! The counter offer took awhile....but it was a very good counter and we took it.

Once again....God had it all under control!

STILL waiting!!!!

2008-05-16T13:02:00.003-04:00

Can you believe it......we made an offer on a house nearly 48 hours ago and still have not heard anything! I just don't get it.... When you are selling something and someone offers you X dollars, you have one of two responses. "Sure...I'll take it." or "No, but how about Y dollars." It really is that simple. It certainly isn't 48 hours tough.

So here I am....waiting.

Waiting

2008-05-15T12:40:00.002-04:00

I hate waiting! Whether I am waiting for an answer to an email, or waiting in line or waiting for my kids to get their stuff and into the car to go to school....I hate waiting. (Notice I never made reference to waiting on my wife.....I am getting a lot smarter in my old age!) But here I am today, waiting. We made an offer on a house yesterday afternoon and as of now, Thurs @ 12:45 we have not gotten a response. Aaaaaaghhh! I don't do this well do I? I have been praying all day that God will step in an make this happen....and I am confident that he has a plan here....but in the mean time he wants me to wait. God knows my tendency to take control and "work it" all on my own. I think making me wait is God's way of saying "Back off Jack! I've got this one....take second to chill, relax, and refresh. It's under control." I think this is what he is trying to teach me.

When have you had to wait on God?

I'm calling you out CJ!

2008-05-12T11:04:00.002-04:00

I told you I was going to do this CJ!

You see, my friend CJ started blogging a couple of months ago. You can see his blog here. He was writing some pretty cool stuff....good insight....thoughtful....I, at least was enjoying it. But if you go back and look at his blog, you will notice the last post is March 21!

So, I'm calling you out CJ! I dare you to post!

What now?

What to do?

2008-05-09T11:25:00.002-04:00

I love this quote by Craig Groeschel the lead pastor of LifeChurch in Oklahoma.

“To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing”

What does that look like? I want to reach the people that no one else is reaching. It is what fuels me. It is the vision of my church, Foothills Community Church. But what is it that no one else is doing. I am particularly interested in the community of Toccoa, Georgia where we are planning on launching our first multi-site video venue location. So how do I know what others are doing so that I can do something different? Do I just guess? Assume that I know what they are doing? Do I ask people? Do I visit other churches in the community?

I think probably some of all of it....but I think I might like to visit some of the other churches. Every community is different and there may be churches in the area doing things that I already have in my head....but they are ineffective. Our church in Toccoa has GOT to differentiate itself to be successfull!

Is it "spying" or wrong somehow to want to know what other churches in the community are doing so that we can make sure we offer something different?

Please comment with your opinions.....I would love to know what you think.

in Dallas

2008-05-06T00:20:00.002-04:00

I am in Dallas today and tomorrow. I am attending a conference on Multi-site Churches. Today's sessions were awesome! Matt Chandler of The Village Church spoke in the opening session. There was a breakout session. And then there was a session by Larry Osborne of North Coast Church in CA. They were all great...and tomorrow looks to be as good or better than today.

I will blog details of what I am learning later....tonight I am just too tired and tomorrow I have to get up and running early.

Hanger Radio Z

2008-04-30T09:23:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to let anyone who didn't know that there is a cool new radio station in Seneca called Hanger Radio Z. They can be found at 102.1. They play the coolest Christian music around....stuff like Thousand Foot Krutch, Skillet, Flyleaf, P.O.D. If you are looking for the Gaither Vocal Band.....don't go there! This isn't your grandpa's radio station!

There are actually several translators for the station around the upstate....here they are
104.1 FM in Spartanburg SC
97.3 FM in Cowpens SC
104.3 FM in Gaffney SC
97.7 FM in Six Mile SC
95.7 FM in Greer SC
105.7 FM in Easley SC
102.1 FM in Seneca SC
94.1 FM in Wellford SC
94.9 FM in East Greenville SC
and 105.9 FM – Fountain Inn
& Simpsonville

It's about relationships!

2008-04-28T20:14:00.002-04:00

I am currently reading "The Multi-site Church Revolution" by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird. The following is a quote by Craig Cheney, a campus pastor for Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. In talking about how their church's outreach is framed in a relational pattern he says "Without the relationship, we're just bringing them a program. Programs don't produce life change. God uses people in relationship to each other to bring about life change. And life change is what it's all about." That's it! We have got to be relational. Not just listening but being real and transparent ourselves, showing those we come in contact what Christ's love is all about.

New Building

2008-04-28T10:32:00.002-04:00

Foothills offered tours yesterday of the new building. It was awesome! It is so exciting to see the new facility coming together. The thousands of people that are going to come in touch with Jesus within that building really gets my blood pumping. Understand though that the building is just a tool, the people make up the church. It will be the people who step up and say that they want to make a difference in the eternities of people that they don't even know yet that will insure that the new "tool" is used to it's fullest potential.

Being an engineer, I like to think in terms of potential energy. Potential energy is the energy that an object has at rest, not moving. Kinetic energy on the other hand is energy that an object has when it is in motion. Potential energy changes to kinetic energy when the object begins moving and energy produces work.

Right now the potential energy of the new building is huge....and the more of our time and money that we invest into the ministries that will result because of that building...the more potential is created. It is like taking a bowling ball and raising it from the ground to the first floor of a building, it has potential energy. But if I take that same bowling ball to the 20th floor it has MORE potential energy and when I let it drop, the amount of kinetic energy will do far more work than if I had dropped it from the first story.

I guess what I am trying to get at is that the building itself is nothing but a tool. The effectiveness of that tool depends on each of us and the amount that we invest personally into it. If you want to see substantial life change in the people of this county and the surrounding counties invest of yourself, raise the bowling ball as high as possible and see what God can do!

Clogs - (not the shoes)

2008-04-24T21:55:00.003-04:00

I have spent the last two nights dealing with clogs.

Last night our dishwasher decided to relieve itself all over the kitchen floor. I was actually in Easley (30 min away) sitting in the parking lot of the gym that two of my daughters take gymnastics class when Amy called me to tell me that the kitchen, and the basement below the kitchen were flooded from the dishwasher. I was pretty helpless accept to make sure that she had everything turned off that needed to be turned off. When I got home and had a chance to take a look....I determined that for some reason, the dishwasher was not draining correctly....instead it was spewing (is that a word) all over the floor. After much very high tech diagnostics involving blowing in drain tubes, I discovered that the sump drain in the dishwasher was clogged! That's all that was wrong....it was clogged with junk like candy wrappers and plastic....things that certainly didn't belong in a dishwasher. Small things all by themselves, but grouped together caused a whole lot of mess.

Tonight Amy and I faced another type of clog. Amy was experiencing some pain and other symptoms that her doctor (if you are reading this Kelly - thanks for all you do) thought could possibly be blood clots. She was sent to the hospital to get some tests done. After several hour there, they sent her home. Apparently there were not any blood clots....at least nothing serious enough to admit her. Praise God! Once again....a very small thing such as a blood clot sure can cause a big mess.

What is so important about all this clog talk? Here is the deal....sin causes a clog in our relationship with God. God hates sin because it separates us from Him. We tend to want to justify our sin or take it out of context and minimize it as small and "no bid deal"....kind of like a single candy wrapper in the drain of my dishwasher. But eventually unrepented sin will cause a very serious clog and create a serious mess. The only way to fix the mess is to clear the clog....meaning falling on your face, confessing to God your sin, asking for forgiveness, putting your faith in Jesus Christ and strive everyday to stay in God's will.

The American Family

2008-04-22T15:01:00.003-04:00

I had an opportunity to sit down and visit with the Principal of my two oldest daughters school, Oconee Christian Academy. While sitting and talking about ministry and life and family, I shared a little bit about how our (mine and Amy's) blended family came into existence. Two family's, products of divorce, and all that entails came together to make this incredible family that we now have. When Thad had heard the story, his comment was simply "The American Family." My initial comment was "Sadly, that is true." Divorce is so common today....I think that was the commentary, and God hates divorce because divorce hurts people.

As I have thought about that conversation today, I can't help but want to shout at the top of my lungs....."But look what God has done!" Though divorce was not in God's plan for Amy and I, He was able to use that to bring us together and build a strong family that is anchored on the Rock of Jesus Christ! And in doing so...God has put us in a place where we can minister to "The American Family." There are plenty of divorced people and blendend families out there that need to hear that God can heal their lives and I believe that if we remain transparent and "real," God will use us to reach these hurting people...one "American Family" to another "American Family."

Patience...

2008-04-22T11:29:00.003-04:00

I am on the phone as I type. I am on hold, dealing with my health insurance company. Talk about a lesson in patience. My daughter had an emergency room visit last year (that is a whole other story!). Anyway, the insurance paid the hospital, but denied the claim for the emergency room physician. That makes no sense! I don't exactly know how these things happen, but it seems like this kind of "confusion" is common with insurance claims. Do they randomly deny claims during the first go around on the hopes that they won't be challenged?

Good news. I just got off the phone. The claim has been resolved! The doc is getting paid.....wooo hooo!

Dog, Cat, and Rat

2008-04-16T10:14:00.004-04:00

My friend Pamela sent this to me and I thought it was worth passing on.

Disconnected

2008-04-16T08:48:00.004-04:00

My ear is still plugged up! I tried everything I could think of yesterday. Drops, irrigation, heat, allergy medicine, nose spray. My wife suggested baby pee this morning. I have never heard of this but apparently it is an old wives tale to put baby pee in your ear to relieve pain and pressure. I PASSED ON THIS ONE! I may be desperate, but I am not crazy!

My clogged ear has caused some problems. For instance, I didn't hear the alarm this morning. I was laying on my left side when the alarm went off. My good ear was muffled in the pillow while my completely useless ear was left to tend to the listening. I NEVER HEARD IT GO OFF. My wife who is typically deadwood in the morning, who usually relies on me to wake her up, ended up waking me to tell me the alarm was going off.

The second observation that I have made is that my inability to hear has made me feel completely disconnected. Last night I had the opportunity to have dinner with my daughter, Lily, all by ourselves. It was a real struggle to have conversation. I had a terrible time hearing her and she had a hard time hearing me. I had a very hard time gauging my speaking volume. We were in a crowded restaurant and I didn't want to be that "shouting guy" who didn't realize how loud he was talking but I ended up talking too softly most of the time for Lily to hear me. We struggled through it, but for me at least, I felt disconnected from Lily and everyone around me.

This must be the way unchurched people feel when they come to a church that doesn't meet them where they are. I wanted to connect with Lily. But I couldn't understand what she was saying a lot of the time. I wanted to understand it...and I believe that what she was saying was important and that I would have benefitted from hearing it.....but there was a disconnect. I believe that God put in each of us the need and desire to know him. Unchurched people come into churches all over the country every week trying to meet that need. There is something inside of them that tells them that it is important and that they will benifit from hearing....but there is a disconnect. Churches, sometimes knowinging, sometimes not, create the disconnect. They use "churchy" words that the unchurched don't understand. They set requirements of "goodness" that people must meet before being accepted into the church. They design liturgical gauntlets that you must go through to feel like you are participating. Todays church has got to constantly examine EVERYTHING that we do on Sunday morning to eliminate any obstacles that prevent unchurched people from connecting. From the parking lot, to finding out how to get your children to the right place, to an inviting atmosphere that says "I don't care what you have done, or where you have been, I am glad you are here." God is in the business of changing lives....we need to create an environment that makes hearing from God ACCESSIBLE to EVERYONE. Eliminate the disconnects.

I am feeling completely lopsided

2008-04-15T09:26:00.002-04:00

My right ear is COMPLETELY plugged up. When I say completely, I mean I cannot hear ANYTHING outside of my head coming into my right ear. I guess it's allergies or something that has caused this condition, but honestly it feels like I have hotdog stuffed straight up my ear canal! As a result, I feel like I am sitting crooked, my head is constantly tilted, and I am spending an absurd amount of time saying "huh?" This is miserable!

Anyone have any home remedies? I don't know when I will have time to get to the doctor.

My wife so gets it!

2008-04-14T19:52:00.002-04:00

On Sundays after Church, we always go to eat lunch over at my in-laws house. It is a family tradition for them that I have grown to love. My wife, Amy, is the oldest of 4 daughters and when they all get together with their parents and children it is quite an event.

Yesterday, I sat quietly while my wife explained Foothills' vision and strategy for reaching the unchurched to her family. It was AWESOME! At one point, she deferred to me on a question or for a more complete answer or something....but I chose to affirm what she was doing with "You are doing a great job yourself!" because she was...

I continually recommit myself to the vision and feel that I have a firm grasp and passion for it......it was very cool to see Amy get excited about the vision too. I love that!

Humor

2008-04-11T10:43:00.004-04:00

I think I am a pretty funny guy! Whether you think so or not...I don't know, but I can tell you this - SOMEONE always laughs at my jokes.......okay, sometimes it is just me, but man do I crack myself up. A lot of times, Pastor Eric just looks at me, shakes his head, and says something like this "You are one twisted dude!"

Let me give you an example. My smokin hot wife, Amy, recently had a hysterectomy. (If that is TMI, sorry, but it is important to the story!) So yesterday I took her to her follow-up appointment at the OB/GYN office of the doctor who did the surgery. We are sitting in exam room, waiting when the doctor walks in. He greets me first, extending his had to shake mine and says "Hello, how are you doing." To which I replied in my best Seinfeldesque delivery "Fine, thank you. I'm not the patient." To which he dryly responded "I know." and turned to greet my wife. Dude! That was flippin' hilarious! I don't think Doc Sourpants got it....but I was busting on the inside!

Anybody got any stories of when they thought they were completely funny...and no one else did? Feel free to post your story in the comments. I would love to hear some of yours.

Faith, Fear, and Wisdom

2008-04-10T13:57:00.002-04:00

I have had a hard couple of weeks as I have tried to figure out God's direction in my and my family's immediate life. I wish I had the faith of Abraham when God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac on the alter. That was the kind of faith that says "God said to do it, I don't understand it...but I am going to do it anyway." Instead I am probably more like Abraham earlier in life when God had promised him and Sarah a son but they had gotten old, Sarah was barren, and Abraham decided that maybe he should take things into his own hands and conceived a son with Hagar, Sarah's hand-maiden. I guess that Abraham thought God needed a little help...that maybe God had made a mistake when he told him that he and SARAH would concieve a son. That is probably more like me.

That leads me to wonder about the relationship between faith, fear, and wisdom. I am probably going to pose more questions here than answers....and I would welcome anyones insight.

- Fear opposes Faith
- Faith opposes Fear
- There is Wisdom in Faith
However....here is the part that concerns/confuses me.
- Fear can disquise itself as Wisdom!

I think that is what Abraham did. He thought it out too much. Logically it didn't make sense. He must have thought that it was obvious that this was going to have to be up to him because even Sarah laughed at the idea of her giving birth at her age.

I think God wants us to make wise decisions full of Faith. How do I acknowlege Fear for what it is when it may appear as Wisdom?

Senior Citizens that Rock!

2008-04-09T11:01:00.004-04:00

I love this! Can anyone say "Shannon in 40 years!" Better yet.....we need a group like this singing Skillet and Sanctus Real!

Continuing in Exodus

2008-04-07T11:15:00.003-04:00

I continued reading in Exodus today and found a couple of things that really stood out to me today.

First, in Exodus 6, God tells Moses to go to the Isrealite slaves in Egypt and tell them that God has promised to free them from bondage. He wants the Israelites to know that he will claim them as his own and bring them to the Promised Land as he had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then look what happens....

Exodus 6:9 (NLT)
So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.

Everywhere we look, there are people that will not accept the promises of God because they have become "too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery (sin)." My past isn't a picture of perfection. It is filled with a lot of bad choices and selfishness. It is possible that you may be ashamed of your past as well....maybe your present. Satan wants us to believe that we have blown it...he wants to discourage us, through our sin yesterday and today, to the point where we don't believe we are worthy to be freed. Just like the Israelites!

God knows what we have done. God knows where we have been. God knows what we have thought. And he loves us anyway! God says in Him we are new creatures, the old is past away. It is hard to understand that God will take you right where you are....but He will! If we could become "clean" or "perfect" before we came to Him...why Jesus? Jesus was sent to cover all that junk in our lives....we can't do it on our own.....God knows that! Let God have your past sins and mistakes....please don't let the discouragement of your sin keep you from accepting the freedom that God is offering.

Moses had a big BUT!

2008-04-04T09:36:00.005-04:00

I have been reading Exodus and it is almost comical how reluctant Moses is to being used by God. I think that he may have gone to the the same "School of Excuse Making" as my children! In Exodus 4, God is laying out his plan to use Moses to lead the Israelites out of the Egyptian bondage. And it seems that everything God says to direct him, Moses has an excuse why he can't do what God is asking him to do! "But what if they don't believe me?" "But I'm not a good speaker." "But I think it would be better if you sent someone else." Moses sure had a big BUT!! You can almost hear the whine in his voice as you read it!

In verse 2, God answers Moses reluctance with a simple question. God says "What's that in your hand?" God knew what was in Moses' hand....it was not that God needed info....it was rhetorical. God was making a statement to Moses and to you and I that we already have what we need to do the work that God has called us. That staff that was in Moses' hand became a powerful instrument of God. And it was all God! Moses' part was that he was willing to do what God asked.......insecurities and all. I am not saying that we shouldn't continue to learn and grow and develop new tools. But if you are thinking that you have to have it all together, be a Bible scholar, be a great public speaker, and have all the answers before you can make a difference for God......you are dead wrong! God wants to know "What's that in your hand?" because he wants to use it....and he will blow your mind with what he will do with it.

Get rid of your big BUT, and let God use you!

Rock On!

2008-04-02T09:02:00.002-04:00

Last night I got to take a step back in time and spend several hours with my generation rocking out to some of my favorite music from my ill-spent youth! My friend Brandon and I went to the Def Leppard - Styx - REO Speedwagon concert last night at the Bi-Lo Center! It was awesome! Before I get to the music, I must point out something.......my generation, my people, the people who made big hair iconic......have gotten old. But we can still dance! And there were plenty of people willing to show off those classic 80s dance moves! It was awesome! It was like one big high school gymnasium in 1985!

Highlights from the night (in no particular order):

- Tommy Shaw of Styx! What an incredible guitarist/vocalist/performer! In my humble opinion Tommy's vocals were the BEST of the night!

- Chuck Panozzo of Styx. Chuck is the only founding member of Styx still performing. James Young and Tommy Shaw were on stage too....but they were not founding members. They joined the band in the 70's.

- Come Sail Away and The Grand Illusion. These are two of my all time favorite songs! The Grand Illusion was the very first album I ever bought. I think my brother Evan stole it! If you are reading this, Evan, I want it back....I know where you live! As a side note, you could do a great Sunday message on "The Grand Illusion."

- Neil Daughty of REO's Hammond B3 organ solo in "Roll with the Changes". Yep, he had a real Hammond B3 on stage.....very cool!

- Rock On by Def Leppard. This was very cool......an awesome extended Bass solo intro that truly rocked!

- The strange and uncanny resemblance between Mark Medlin (bass player for Foothills) and Rick Savage (bass player for Def Leppard)

- The guitar work by both the Def Leppard guitarists was incredible!

- Rick Allen playing drums with one arm. If you remember, Rick lost his arm in a car accident int he late 80's and now plays a modified set using his left foot in place of his missing arm. They had 3 different camera views of him playing....including one of his feet!

- Def Leppard's accoustic version of Two Steps Behind and Bringin on the Heartbreak. This was so cool.

- And finally, the last song of the Def Leppard set was "Pour Some Sugar On Me." The place came unglued! But they saved the best for last.....their encore song was "Rock Of Ages"!

Overall the concert was a blast! Joe Elliot of Def Leppard struggled some vocally but the show was still awesome.

Remember, in the words of the great theologian Joe Elliot - "It's better to burn out than to fade away!"

Vision, vision, vision!

2008-03-27T22:06:00.005-04:00

Pastor Greg wrote a great blog today! Check it out here http://gregoraham.blogspot.com/2008/03/lessons-ive-learned-over-last-10-years.html

I have been at Foothills for 9 of it's 10 years and Greg's unfailing focus to the vision that God gave to him and Liz has been awesome to observe and to be a part of. At Foothills, as Greg mentioned, the vision is cast over and over again....but for me what is so cool is that the vision of the Church is the measuring stick in the decision making process. There have been many times when there was an idea that felt good to staff or volunteers, but when measured against the vision, just didn't work....and those ideas were scrapped. That is often hard for people to deal with if they have attached themselves to an idea more than they have attached themselves to the vision. But when the vision is your primary focus you realize that your personal feelings are not what is really important. We should each constantly revisit the vision to make sure we "get it" and use it as the measure in everything we do in our area of ministry.

I love my wife!

2008-03-26T13:36:00.002-04:00

I love my wife! She is laid up in the hospital this week after having surgery yesterday and it is my privilege to be able to take care of her. I really don't realize all she does for me and our family and it really shows when she is out of commision.

What it really shows me is how great we work as a team. She counts on me for thing and I count on her for other things and between the two of us we really do accomplish an incredible amount of stuff during any given week. This week I am trying to cover both our halves and honestly I am probably not going to do as good a job as she would have.

In a nutshell, she means so much to me. She is my biggest fan. My best supporter. The one who picks me up when I fall and the one who encourages me to constantly strive to be a better husband, father, and Christ follower.

At the hospital

2008-03-25T13:04:00.003-04:00

I am blogging today from the hospital. My wife was just delivered from recovery to her room about a half hour ago. The doctor said that the surgery went really well. Praise God! Thanks to all who were praying.

I really don't like hospitals....but having wireless internet helps!

Being at the hospital reminds me of Christ's mission....and ours as well! Jesus was known for hanging out with the "notorious sinners" of his time. The pharisees didn't like this at all or understand it. But in Matthew, Jesus explains it pretty well.

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice. 'For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:11-13NIV

I think it is interesting that the Pharisees asked the disciples why Jesus hung out with these people and didn't ask Jesus directly. I think we would classify this behavior today as "passive aggressive" for sure! But I think that the Pharisees were cowards! Jesus had put them in their place before so I believe they thought they would pick on the weaker disciples....thinking for sure that he would confuse them and cause them to question the authority of their Savior. Of course we don't know what would have happened if the disciples had answered, because Jesus beat them to it.

We have got to remember this passage! This verse for me, really defines my mission and maybe yours too. Churches today are filled with "righteous" people ministering to "righteous" people, calling other "righteous" people. A big holy huddle that is doing nothing to further the Kingdom of God.....it is so inward focused it makes me sick! I am so blessed that I found a Church with a heart for the lost....because it is not healthy people that need a doctor....it is sick people. And it isn't righteous people who need a Savior, it's sinners like me and you!

Busy week ahead

2008-03-24T22:36:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone....tomorrow my beautiful wife is going be having surgery. Unfortunately she will have to be in the hospital until Friday. Please keep her in your prayers that all goes well. She will have 2-3 weeks of bed rest and recovery after she gets home as well. If any of you know Amy, you know that will probably be the most difficult part of the whole experience.....she doesn't sit still well for long periods of time!

Please keep me in your prayers too. The weeks ahead will probably be rather trying at times.

Does anybody see her?

2008-03-19T16:04:00.005-04:00

First of all....let me set the record state, CJ. I have never actually wet my shorts while playing basketball or any other sport! I just looked like I could any moment.

Second.....I still suck at basketball and therefore, don't play. I can lay the smack down on a volleyball court though.

Some of you may know that there is a Casting Crowns concert this Friday night at the Bilo Center. I am not going...but I really like their music. Actually I really like their lyrics, the music is a little on the pop radio side for me, but I love the message.

I love the heart of Casting Crowns. I truly believe that they have an incredible heart for lost people, but also know that the Church is not doing what it should be doing. Please understand that when I say "the Church" I am not talking about an organization or a building or a staff of paid ministers. I am talking about you and I. WE are the Church. Read these lyrics from the chorus of this song.

Does anybody hear her?

Can anybody see?

Or does anybody even knows she's going down today

Under the shadow of our steeple

With all the lost and lonely people

Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me

Does anybody hear her?

Can anybody see?

She is right there! Right under our noses! We pass her everyday in the grocery store, at the soccer field, at work, maybe even in our own churches and we don't even know that she is dying inside. And here is the really hard to swallow part....she's "searching for the HOPE that's tucked away in you and me."

Instead of tucking it away only to pull it out on Sunday mornings to wear as some kind of fashion statement, if we had the hope of Jesus on display in our everyday lives, she wouldn't have to search for it. We would see her and she would see Jesus.

Pee Wee Basketball

2008-03-18T14:34:00.005-04:00

I was in 7th grade, living in a little town in Missouri called Belton, when I decided to play basketball in our local rec league. It was mostly out of peer pressure if I remember right.

I had a few friends that lived a couple of blocks away and on most days after school, I would end up in one friend, John's, driveway playing two on two basketball or horse or pig or around the world. I wasn't particularly good at basketball in any of its forms....but your perceived basketball abilities are somehow skewed if you can occasionally hit a 20 footer with your back to the goal or one-handed granny shot while standing on one foot singing "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. Therefore, when my friend John Blazek told me that his dad was going to coach a basketball team and he was going to make sure I was on his team, I was honored AND petrified at the same time. I mean, I had made some great shots in my day.....but I had never really played a real game on a real court with a real team. I would get so nervous before games that I would get sick! My coach would comment that when I was playing I looked so nervous that he thought I would wet my shorts!

I feel that way today. I am nervous and scared about what is ahead. Perry talked about insecurities during the second session at Unleash last week.....I've got some too! Way too often I think I have gotten off a couple of lucky granny shots and everyone thinks I can play ball...but I am not always so sure.

You saw right...

2008-03-16T21:49:00.005-04:00

Yep....if you were at FCC today and you thought my hair looked different....
Your eyes were not deceiving you! Yes! My hair is now orange!

It wasn't really planned that way, but that is the way it turned out. I actually kind of
like it...but I like to be a little different. I have had long hair (this picture is awesome! Nothing is better than rockin hard and getting all sweaty when you have long hair!), short hair, mullet (in the eighties of course...not like last year), spiked hair, highlights, blonde...you name it, but I have never had orange! This is new for me....and I'm just gonna go with it for a while.

FCC was great today! The message was awesome. Greg talked about coming out of our "caves." The things in our past that we just can't let go of...whether it is guilt, or anger, or jealousy, or hurt, or whatever it is that is closing in on us and not allowing us to to experience the freedom that is in Christ. There are people all over this county dying in their personal caves...I wish they could have all heard this message.

The praise team was rockin' today! It is such an incredible privilege to play music with Eric and the others in the team. Everyone has such a heart for God and a vision for why were do what we do.....and on top of it all, we all get along so well. It's a LOT of work to put in the practice, etc and then play 4 services on Sunday.....but man is it fun!

I had a friend mention how much Pastor Paul's blog touched her and I have to agree that he has some great insights into life and God.....here it is if you would like to check it out.

Find your "bomp."

2008-03-12T09:41:00.000-04:00

Today I am going to pose the age old question.....

Who put the bomp in the bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp?
Who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong?
Who put the bop in the bop sh-bop sh-bop?
Who put the dip in the dip da dip da dip?

If you don't recognize those lyrics, they are from a 50's era song by the Viscounts. Silly lyrics for sure, but for the last week or so there is a new "bomp" in my "bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp!" I know you thinking that "Shannon has really lost it this time." But just stay with me.... I am talking about "Passion." There has got to be something that gets your blood pumping, that gets your juices flowing, that moves you. I am not going to get into any details right now, but I am considering some changes that have me fired up! Amy and I had lunch with Greg and Liz Oraham yesterday and it was awesome. They shared their passions with us about where Foothills Community Church has come and where it is going....and let me tell you, these people are PASSIONATE about reaching people for Christ. They just light up when they start talking about it.

I guess the whole point of todays blog is to find your "bomp." Figure out what your passion is and use that passion to serve God. You see, HE is the one who can put the bomp in your bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp, or the ram in your ram-a-lam-a-ding dong. Serving God passionately changes your life. Everything is better, you love your spouse better, you love your children better, you love your neighbors better, you have a clearer perspective, you look forward to everyday AND you can weather the storms better.

Shannon

Motivation

2008-03-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

Being a Monday morning after the change to daylight savings time, I am faced with the issue of "motivation."

motivation
noun
1.
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

That's a pretty interesting definition I think that leads me to the question of what motivates me and what motivates you. What is it that arouses me towards action? What gives you purpose and direction to your behavior? Advertisers understand this concept perhaps better than anyone. I mean, they live their lives developing campaigns to provoke motivation....and that motivation is to buy the product that they are selling. Advertisers direct our purpose and direction with promises of beauty, or wealth, or power, or prestige, or health, or success. But when I wake up on a Monday morning, press my snooze alarm three or four times, rush my kids to school, arrive late to work only to be assaulted by a ringing phone and a list of emails my motivation better rely in something more than the refreshing scent of my Irish Spring! My motivation has got to come from an unfailing belief that I am where God wants me to be, doing what God wants me to do. Today God has me at a desk, in front of a computer, quoting industrial control equipment for wastewater treatment plants. As glamorous as that sounds....it is sometimes hard to find motivation. But I am certain that God has a purpose and that is motivation enough for me.

Remodeling

2008-03-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

My wife and I recently bought a 4 unit apartment building. One of the units was vacant when we bought it so we decided to take the opportunity to remodel it before trying to find a tenant for it in hopes of getting a higher rent. So I have spent quite a bit of time over at the apartment working over the last couple of weeks. Today I was laying down new vinyl in the bathroom and doing some painting. I actually enjoy this sort of thing...it is really rewarding to see a space get totally transformed with a fresh new look.

The bathroom had some incredibly hideous blue and white adhesive vinyl tiles that didn't appear to have been installed with much care. I installed a new sheet vinyl that did not require adhesive...it "floats." It took a little while but when I was finished I was really pleased with what I saw. It got me thinking about how the Bible says that our sins are "covered" by the blood of Jesus. I had just covered the sins of some extremely offensive vinyl flooring with some much better looking flooring....but is this what God does? I don't think so. I think what God does is more like refinishing wood floors. God sands us down and puts a new finish on with a new layer of laquer. The floors look great...shiny and new, but if you look closely you can still see the dents and the dings and the scars from the hurts and falls and bumps and sin that had happened before. The consequence of sin isn't covered up....it will always be there. But God makes us new nonetheless....giving us a fresh new life so that we can share with others where we have been and what God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Why blog?

2008-03-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

I never actually thought that I would have a blog. I guess that I just don't get it. I really don't know why I would want to read anyone elses thoughts. And even scarier....I can't imagine why anyone would want to read mine. I mean it is a scary place inside this head sometimes! I have a a lot of friends at Foothills Community Church that would probably agree! I love my church and I was heavily involved in creative planning there for several years. During some of our brainstorming sessions the scary stuff would ooze out on occassion.....or rather shoot out all over the place like projectile vomit! Creativity isn't always pretty....but it sure can be fun! There were times during "creative team" meetings that I would be laughing so hard that I would be crying......literally some of the hardest laughing fits I have ever had.

Wow....I am doing it! I am blogging and you are reading it! (I feel like Sally Fields accepting an Oscar....."You like me, you really like me!")

Okay I think I am going to like this. I hope you like it too. I promise to not make it a blahhhg.
I anticipate future blogs talking about how I feel about creativity (especially in church), church growth, my relationship with God, my family, and things that I have learned along the way. I hope to make it interesting enough that you will want to check back often.

In Christ,
Shannon