I have nothing against happy people. In fact it is refreshing to see happy people. It is just a little jarring when someone is just so over the top happy at 7am. This morning I got up to work out with my beautiful amazing wife (I promised I would go the Y with her). The girl at the counter was just so over the top happy. Kind of like that girl on the Progressive Insurance commercial. You know the one that shouts into the loud speaker that the customer has just saved 310 dollars and then she says “wow”. It was kind of like that this morning but at least it made me smile in a kind of irritable sort of way. It really is because I’m just not a morning person and never have been. So I worked out today, I guess that is what is important. Will this be a trend or a one time deal? I don’t know. I’m thinking about it. Maybe I need to talk to a happy person.
We had a great night. We had the best sushi in Orlando at Amura in downtown O-Town and had great company with awesome friends. All in all it makes for a great Tuesday evening. Eating out with friends is one of my favorite things to do in the world. I think that just having a good time with friends and eating good food just makes me happy. Is it the food or the friends? I think it’s a combo of both. When you think about it though, you can get good food anywhere but it’s a lot harder to have good friends. So after putting my little mind to the subject I think that it’s 90% friends and 10% food. So thank you God for the good food but I thank You even more for great friends. Sushi and great friends, yes I am very happy!
I must say I am proud of myself this evening. I try to cook. You noticed I said, “I try to cook”. Usually when I cook it is ok. Chef Ramsey I am sure would shout a whole string of obscenities if he tasted my cooking. It’s not bad it’s just not great sometimes. Usually it’s because I experiment when I cook. So tonight I did a little experimenting. We had some frozen shrimp in the freezer so I thawed them and then put some olive oil, white cooking wine, garlic, parsley and a stick of butter in a pan and proceeded to scampi the shrimp. Once I knew the shrimp were thoroughly scampi-ed I then added the pasta sauce and mixed it all together and then put it over vermicelli. It was my favorite thing I have cooked in a while. Andrea and Mom loved it too. Although I wouldn’t even make the first cut for “Top Chef” or even darken the door of the “Iron Chef” studio I was proud of what I fixed tonight. My cat even liked the shrimp. Eat your heart out Chef Ramsey!
It’s Sunday evening and it has been a great day. It was great to be at church today and be part of fantastic worship. Josh and the band did an amazing song by Jars of Clay called “Work”. This song spoke specifically about fear that sometimes grips us of being alone. They did this song along with a whole bank of other worship songs like “Jesus Paid It All”. It was just a great worship set this morning.
Next came a great message to intro the “Phobia” series that we are in. Fears are something we all face in life but faith & love cast out fear. It will be such an encouraging series for Pastor to preach. A series filled with the hope that we don’t have to be paralyzed by fear but filled with faith & love.
And what service would be complete without our new friend “Lucky”. We had Lucky on the stage today as part of the “Phobia” stage set. Of course Lucky made the point that there are many different phobias we as people have, one being a phobia of snakes. Lucky is a 6ft Burmese Albino Python who felt right at home, stage center, doing his part to reach people (no pun intended 🙂 ).
All in all a great day at C3. Hey it’s not everyday you get good worship a good message and a snake called Lucky!
Filed under: Family, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Family, Fridays, LOVE, Mom, Time Off
Fridays are my day off. I, like others on the Management Team at C3 like to spend Fridays with family. Sundays are usually very busy days for us, so Fridays are pretty important days. Andrea has to work most Fridays and so I take her to work sometimes on Fridays to spend a little more time with her. Family is only second to God when it comes to our priorities in life.
Most of you probably know this, but my mom lives with Andrea & me. Right after mom moved in with us she had to give up driving because her response times and reflexes were just not where they needed to be to be safe. In fact she was in four automobile accidents within one year. Only one was her fault but her reaction times were not quick enough to avoid the others so we made the decision that she should not drive.
Because of her inability to drive she goes a little stir crazy just staying at home. During the week I have less flexibility to take her out and provide some entertainment for her, so Fridays are kind of her designated day for me to take her out so she can have some time out of the house. If Andrea is off on a Friday then that of course changes things, but for the most part Fridays are mom’s day.
As I think about Fridays and I am honest about them, sometimes it’s hard. I would love sometimes just to do whatever I wanted to do but I know that the times I spend with mom are something special that I will never get a chance to redo and I want no regrets someday when mom passes away. My parents are why I am the person that I am today. My dad went to be with Jesus eight years ago and I have no regrets. My mom is not the same person she used to be. She forgets a lot, tells the same stories over & over, can no longer cook and generally is almost totally dependent on me.
So I thank God that I still have a mom and that I am able to be a part of her life, even if it is a kind of “parental” role. I thank God for a loving wife that understands and loves my mom as much as I do. Are my Fridays as carefree as they once were? No, but I would not trade “my Fridays” for anything.
Filed under: Church | Tags: C3 Church, Church, Exponential Conference, Reaching Others
Ok, I know I haven’t blogged all week but I’ve been kind of busy you know. Sometimes it’s good to just give people a break from all of my ramblings as well.
Yesterday was a busy day. After running around accomplishing some things that needed to be done I made my way over to the Portable Church Industries/National Cinemedia portion of the Exponential Conference held at Cinemark Movie Theater over at Festival Bay Mall. C3 Church was asked by PCI to set up our church at Cinemark for all the conventioneers to see as an example of how a portable church could be done in a theater environment.
Obviously we had a skeleton crew to set things up but we got it done and the C3 band went to town playing & singing for the conventioneers as they walked through to see church in a theater. There was then a session of questions & answers in which Pastor Byron was on the stage sharing pertinent information on how to do church in a movie theater. The questions were great and Pastor Byron did a great job of answering them. Just sitting back and watching everything come together from the set up, to Pastor Byron communicating as only he can do, to Barry Leathers fielding questions, to all of us pitching in to help answer questions the church planters had and then to tear it all down made me feel proud to be part of a church that wants to give back.
To be a part of a church that has a vision that is not self centered but others centered makes me proud. All of you C3ers out there can stand and be proud of your church. Be proud that God is moving and working through us. We must also be humbled at the same time because it is totally a God thing. So no matter what you might hear said between people who don’t get what we do at C3 like an example from a friend and a C3er who heard two people criticizing C3 and have not been there to see it for themselves, stand tall and proud of your Church just like my friend. Remember y’all, Satan and his missiles don’t get lobbed at churches that are not getting it done for Christ. We must be doing something right or we would not feel the opposition we do at times. It’s ok to be proud of our church. Let me just say as the Connections Pastor at C3 Church. I am proud of you. You are the ones reaching out to others and you are the ones that are allowing God to do something wonderful and powerful through you. You are Connecting the Community with Christ. Now that is something to be proud of!
Filed under: Church | Tags: C3 Church, Church, leadership, Strategic Planning
The last two days have simply been incredible. The Management Team at C3 has been in strategic planning meetings for the coming year. I must say that I am beyond anticipation of what we have planned for the next year. We are definitely taking everything we do at C3 to a whole other level, to coin my friend Barry Leathers’ phrase he used a few times today (hope I didn’t steal your thunder buddy).
The thing about kickin’ things up a notch is that it forces you out of your comfort zone. We are in a constant state of evaluation as a Management Team at C3 Church. We are always trying to “read the gauges” to get a true picture of the health of our church. What this forces us to do is to continually aim higher and it accentuates the fact that we have not arrived. If you ever think that you have arrived in the way that you do church as a Pastor then you have lost your edge and are in a state of decline, whether you realize it or not. Pastor Byron prides himself in making the Management Team feel uncomfortable. I think being uncomfortable is the best place to be when doing your best for God.
We can and should improve the way we do church. Get ready C3 Church because the best is yet to come. With God leading us and our desire to improve how we function as a church we can not help but reach hundreds, no, thousands for Christ in East Orlando.
Filed under: Personal | Tags: Comfort, Hope, Peace, Psalm 121:1-8, Psalms, Words of God
I look up to the mountains- does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
Just some comforting words found in Psalm 121:1-8. Some of my favorite passages come from the Psalms that David wrote out of fear, anger, exhaustion, doubt and peace. I am glad that God inspired David to write his thoughts and struggles down. It is like reading an ancient blog, but a blog that is divinely inspired from the heart of God. I hope this Psalm gives hope and comfort to you just like it has given me today. Be blessed and comforted. May the peace of God cover your life today!
For those of you that have known me for a while, you know that music is my life. I love all types of genres of music except possibly country. I know all of you country fans out there are shaking your heads right now (you’ll live). I have pretty eclectic tastes when it comes to music but I do have a favorite genre that I love just a little more than all the rest. My favorite type of music is black gospel. I think that God just placed a little more soul in me than most to be honest. I don’t know why but black gospel just resonates with me the most and speaks to my heart over & over. Maybe it’s the way that our African-American brothers and sisters seem to pull praise and worship from deep down inside. All I know is that I love it. One of my newest black gospel artists that I just love is J. Moss. He praises God with everything he has and he’s very talented. One of his newest songs is called “Praise On The Inside”. So here is a live performance he did of the song. I hope you love it like I do! Praise On The Inside!
Filed under: Church, Friends, LOVE | Tags: C3 Church, Church, Community, Feed The Children, Move of God
Yesterday was just another great Sunday at C3. It was great to see all of the people at C3 yesterday, a lot of new people, some long time friends, our new friends but most of all it is just beyond words that God joins us through His Holy Spirit every Sunday in the service. It is incredible that a regular movie theater transforms into a place dedicated to the worship of Almighty God for a few hours every Sunday at Regal Cinemas, Waterford Lakes. The move and blessing of the Holy Spirit is something that the Management team of C3 does not take lightly. We pray on a continual basis for the Lord to touch the hearts of people every week as we worship and hear the Word of God. It is exciting to be a part of such an organic move of Christ in East Orlando.
It is also so unbelievable to be a part of a church that truly wants to impact a community. In May, C3 Church is partnering with an organization called, Feed The Children to do a food drop right here in Orlando. C3 will be purchasing enough food to feed 400 families for an entire week! We also heard yesterday from Pastor Byron about an opportunity we have to make an impact on hundreds of kids in Kenya. C3 is about reaching our community that is close and also reaching out to others far away. C3 is truly about Connecting the Community with Christ.
I am just very privileged to be a part of this movement we call C3. My wife Andrea expresses this even better than I can in her latest blog (check it out). Once again all of this makes Sundays at C3 an exciting and cool thing to be a part of. No wonder Sundays are my favorite days!
loveworshiplovelife 