Football

Ok, so today, I'm not going to go into something deep. I'm going to talk about something that is very dear to my heart.... FOOTBALL! But first... I want to say thanks to everyone who has helped to get the new "Sex" series ready at The Journey. Yesterday was the first week, and WOW! It was really awesome. We had a lot of new guests there. I hope that they will find a home with us, but more importantly, I hope that they encountered the Living God.

I can't remember when I've been so excited for football season to be here. It's been a long time. After living in nashville since '91, it's been up and down for me during football season. I moved here from just outside of Pittsburgh in a little town in West Virginia, just on the state line. Interestingly enough... I'm not a huge Steeler fan. I know... blasphemy! So, shoot me! But I am a WVU fan. And well, it's just been up and down. Because of that... I was bent on not giving into the pressure and donning the Big Orange. Last year, though, my boy Erik conned me into going to a game. We went to the Florida game. If you follow football, you know how that went. It was one of the most electric environments that I've ever been in. It was really exciting... for about the first three minutes of the game. LOL Anyway, I began to give in and realized that I have become a huge UT fan. With Kiffin taking over, I'm excited to see what happens. So Go UT!

But here's why I'm REALLLY excited. I told y'all that I'm not a huge Steeler fan. Long story that I won't go into, but as a kid, there were two teams to watch... the Niners and the Cowboys. If you know me, you know how badly I HATE the Cowboys! So, I'm a Niner fan. This year, I've TVO'd their pre-season games and I got to tell you.... not since the late 80's early 90's have they looked like this. They have (talking starters here) something like 8 takeaways on defense, they're killing QB's, they got a rookie RB (who I hate to admit is from Alabama), who is running up and down the field like he's playing against high school teams, and Alex Smith actually looks like an NFL quarter back. Shaun Hill is right behind him (looking as good or better) trying to win the starter job. It's the second year as head coach for Mike Singletary and this guy is coaching these guys like they just came off of a Superbowl win and they're trying to repeat. Could this be the year that the greatest team in NFL history begins a new dynasty?

Living in Tennessee, I'm still a big Titans fan too. So don't think I've given up on them. But they're in the AFC, so it's ok. You all know what they did last year. I'm hoping that they won't fall apart either. Who knows? Things could get absolutely retarded in the NFL and NCAA and we could see a Niner/Titans Superbowl, with UT winning the National Championship!........ It could happen!

Here's the songs from yesterday's Catalyst service:

Jesus Is Alive (Fee), Everybody Praise the Lord (Lincoln Brewster), Filled With Your Glory (Starfield), Help Me To Find You (Todd Fields), Word Of God Speak (Mercy Me), Everlasting God (Todd Fields)

Another Busy Week

Yesterday was an incredible day at The Journey. Once again, we had seven or eight people scheduled to be baptized, and God moved in a mighty way. I think we had something like Fourteen total. It was incredible.

Anyway, I'm constantly blown away by this church and the people that are involved in it. I've never been a part of a church where everyone in the church is crazy for what we're doing. I mean, if I had to guess, I'd say that over 70% of the people who come here, are involved in something. The servant to consumer ratio is astoundingly low! It just goes to show you: you don't have to be in ministry full time to do ministry! If you are someone who calls yourself a Christ follower, you are a minister! The bible says that... not me. Check it out. It's there... I promise!

So, next week starts a new series that Erik, Shawn, Todd and I have been putting together for quite awhile. It will probably be the most controversial series we've ever done at this church. It's called "Sex". And that's exactly what it's going to be about. We're not pulling punches, and we're not softening it to be "Churchy". This is going to be a hard-hitting, straight to the point series about sex in our culture and what the Bible says about it. If you don't have a home church, and you live in the Nashville area, you DO NOT want to miss this. I promise you... you've never heard anything like this in any church you've ever been to. Just FYI, though, this series is rated "MA", for mature audiences. If you have a young child or a young teen, there will be age appropriate teaching in the Navigators area for the next four weeks. (That's our kid's church). Parents, it will be up to you, whether or not you feel your child is old enough, and mature enough, to listen to the content. Don't panic! You won't see or hear anything pornographic. I don't want to scare anyone, but you will hear real life issues and very direct teaching. If you're not ready to have that "Talk" with your child yet, you may want to send them to the Navigators! Otherwise, your Sunday afternoon "Nascar Nap" is going to be replaced with, "Mommy, what did he mean when he said.... (fill in the blank)"!

If you are not someone who lives in the Nashville area, you will be able to watch the teachings online at our website. Or you can go to itunes and subscribe to our podcast. Just search Pastor Erik Reed, or The Journey Church-Lebanon Tn.

Look Forward to seeing you all there!

Robbie

Here's the songs from yesterday's Catalyst service:

"Happy Day" Tim Hughes, "Reign In Us" Starfield, "With Everything" and "Lead Me To the Cross" Hillsong, "Lift High" Eddie Kirkland, "All Because of Jesus" Fee

Are You A Sheep?

I watched an interesting show this past week, called "The Shark Tank". If you don't know what that is, it is a show where young entrepreneurs, who have great ideas, or even small operational businesses, come into a room with 5 business tycoons worth a combined net worth of over a billion dollars. These young entrepreneurs try to pitch their idea or their business to these moguls in hopes of a partnership or an investment into their small start-up company.

In a nutshell, I loved this show. These poor people were getting sleighed by these business giants. They'd go in and offer them 10% of the company for a $500k investment, and the tycoons would come back with a counter of 51% for an investment of $1 million. Most people would say... wow! That's stupid. Why not just give them the $500 k and take 30 or 40% of the company? The answer is because these people didn't become billionaires by taking the safe route. Nor do they like to be pushed around. If they are going to invest the money into something that they believe in, they are going to make sure they have the controlling interest in the company, and they're going to make sure that the company has more than enough to float it until it can turn a profit.

I say all of that to say this. Leaders often times don't want to believe that they are lead-able, if that's even a real word. (If not it should be) These young entrepreneurs didn't want to hear from someone more powerful than them, that they had a great idea, but in order to make it what they wanted to make it, they would have to give up control over it. WOW! How many times have we had to face that. It hurts sometimes doesn't it?

Peter didn't want to allow Jesus to wash his feet, because he thought that it was beneath Jesus to have to do that. In another instance, Jesus was having dinner at a Pharisee's house, where there was an incident that took place involving some spilled perfume and a woman. The Pharisee quickly rebuked Jesus for his actions, thinking he knew far more, but Jesus quickly put him in his place. All throughout scripture we see that Jesus taught his disciples that in order to truly lead, you must first be a servant, but then, you must also allow yourself to be led or taught, when necessary. These young business minds, most of them, turned down the offer of a 51% controlled interest of their company out of selfishness and not wanting to be led. But they were standing in the presence of greatness, people who have done what it is that they sought to do. People who have made billions of dollars. Did you hear that.....? BILLIONS.

So why then are we selfish? Why do we fight against being led? Why do we think our way is the best way, when there are people who do what we are trying to do at a higher level than us. They've been successful in their area, but yet, we know it all... "Can't tell ME anything!"

This is something that as I grow as a leader, I'm wrestling with daily. I know that I have to surround myself with people who do what I do.... and do it at a higher level than I'm doing it right now. Cause they have knowledge that I probably don't have! I'm a sheep. Whether I want to admit it or not, I'm a sheep. Sometimes I get to be the lead sheep, but nevertheless, I'm still a sheep and I need people to lead me, so I can effectively lead people. What are you doing to allow yourself to be influenced, or led? Me.... I'm reading some good books, trying to build relationships with some guys who are doing what I do, and I'm trying to listen to the people that I do lead (WHOA! That's heresy!) so that I can become a better leader to them.

C-y'all.

Robbie

God Appiontments

Ever have a meeting set up and when you get there, it's like pulling teeth to get through it? I have. Hate them! But what about the meetings that are just kinda organic? They just happen... no one really set a specific time or day, you just run into someone and decide to have lunch? Or something like that? Yeah! Those are the best. Especially when they were directed by God.

I had one of those the other day. I call them God appointments. They are appointments that you may not have been aware you had, but God already put them on your calendar, so you gotta be there, whether you intended to be, or not! LOL.

Anyway, sunday at the Journey, Erik was talking about discipleship. Now, I know that everyone says......UGHHHH! and big flashing signs go off that say, "CHURCH WORD.... CHURCH WORD"! Yeah, discipleship is a church word, but it's not specific to church! As Erik talked about, we have been being discipled since we were born. I won't go into it. You can click here and watch for yourself.

In a nutshell, we cannot become more intimate with God until we decide to try and live our lives in an effort to mirror Christ. You have to continuously be on a journey, moving down the path. What I've come to understand is this: When you decide to move in the direction of being more like Him, He will set appointments for you, in order to grow you. Unfortunately, for some, they will dismiss those God appointments and remain standing still. My prayer for you is that you would move. That you would see your life as the testament of what Christ has done for you, and that you would live a life worthy of the Gospel that saved you in the first place! That you would recognize your God appointments and take advantage of them.

Love you all,

Robbie.

P.S. I know I didn't get to post last week. My family and I were out of town. So here are the songs from this and last week's catalyst service.

"Rain Down" Delirious, "He Reigns" Newsboys, "Reign In Us" Starfield, "Praise" me (sorry y'all. this is another original. I promise I'm trying to get them recorded), "Breathe On Me" Todd Fields, "Let The Praises Ring" Lincoln Brewster, "Behold" me again!, "O Praise Him" Crowder, "Every Body Praise the Lord" Lincoln Brewster.