Rearview Mirror

• I have attended at least a staff meeting a week for 13 years now for NStar….I have never seen the fire & passion for excellence that I am seeing right now with our team!   I love it!
• Another incredible weekend in our “Accelerate” series as we talked about “accelerating” our mission by sharing the news of who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives!
• I was blown away when I asked the question, “How many of you are in a better place in your journey with God than you were 5 years ago” and well over 80% of hands went up in ever service!!  WOW!!!  Never gets old watching people exchange “ordinary living for an extraordinary life” through the transforming power of Jesus!  Last year we ended up baptizing 175 people….there has never been a year of NStar under 100 people showing their faith in Christ!!!
• The campus is maxing out on Sundays….yesterday – there were a grand total of 6 parking spots at 11:30am between all of our lots and even with our overflow parking at Croft & Associates Architects across the street!  Unreal!!  
• Need more NStar folks to switch to 9:30 to open up seats at 11 in True North & Compass…..would you step & make the switch??
• Served breakfast this AM with our management team at MUST ministries.  Had a blast serving with these awesome leaders!
• Got to work concessions with some of my executive bible study guys at the Harrison vs. KMHS game last week.  Allowed some deserving parents to watch their kids play in their games!!  
• Was able to celebrate with a family whose little girl was dedicated a few years ago, as she has now accepted Christ and they got to read her dedication letter with her!! It is a blast being in one place long enough to watch kids grow up!
• I was blown away at the prayer vigil for little Anna Weir last week at Bentwater!  Over a hundred Bentwater neighbors gathered in field by the clubhouse to pray for this beautiful little girl.  If you are not familiar with the story – visit her page on facebook.
• Praying right now for a life-changing weekend for our students at Thrive this coming weekend!  My good buddy, Dave Edwards, will be in to share with them!!  Dave is one of the premier communicators in the country and I am so pumped my kids will be in there to hear him!!  Dave & I go back to 1989, when we worked at SuperWow camp together and roomed together for 2 summers!!  So proud of what God has done with his life!
• Allatoona baseball tryouts are this week – so praying for Casey & all of the boys trying out at not only Allatoona but all of the local high schools!  Anxious week for all!

I am so blessed and thankful for the amazing life God has given me!!!

So proud of NStar!!

Hey Mike:
I just wanted to share this with you because I think it is wonderful what your fellow NorthStarions are doing in the community.

I bought a car from ………… last weekend. This is the second car I’ve bought off the same sales person, same finance guy. Each time the conversation has lent to me talking with them about NorthStar, Church, God.

This past time, the Finance Manager, said “you know ……., I’m just going to have to check NorthStar out. My wife and I are Catholic and love our church but everybody that comes in here from NorthStar just has the most awesome energy! They really let their lights shine and make you want to talk about God with them. I am telling her today that we have to go and see what it is all about.”

I told him I would see him at church on Sunday, offered the service times and said I’d keep an eye out for him.

I think this is the highest compliment for our church and you (and ultimately our God). Your message is truly reaching us and we DO feel compelled to go out and gather others to experience church the way NS offers it. God is truly working in this place and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.

Just thought I’d share.

This weekend @ NStar…….

We will continue our series “Accelerate”!  We will be talking about how in our faith this coming year we can “Go Deeper” than we have ever been!  So many times in our lives, we are happy with “just enough” of God but to truly experience “His Best” in our lives, we have to “accelerate” and “go deeper” than we have ever been!

Arrive a few minutes to secure your seat either in True North or in Compass.  We would love to have you help us by making the switch to the 9:30 service, there are a few more seats there than at 11!  Can’t wait to see you & a friend on Sunday!

Rearview Mirror

• Got to see my nephew Nick compete at the Special Olympic weightlifting trials on Saturday…..I was so proud of him!!  He knocked it out and put up some big weight!!  He relished every moment on the stage and it was so fun to cheer for him!  Great way to start our weekend!
• Sunday AM was CRAZY again around NStar!  Standing room only at 11am and super crowded at 9:30am…..started our Accelerate series through Colossians 1!  Challenged our people to PRAY like never before for each other!   Who knows what would happen if we really began to pray and grab the heart of God……
• Got the opportunity to see a young man baptized after the 11am service who accepted Christ that AM….He got to be baptized by the gentleman, Thomas Rainey, who led him to Christ!  First one of 2010….one I won’t forget!  Praying for more baptisms this year than ever before!
• Went and hung out with an old college friend and his family on Sunday PM….so fun to be with friends!
• Capped off the awesome weekend with some “24″!!!!!  SO glad that Jack is back!  Ready for a new season!  He makes my life feel so simple!

On a sad note…….

• Was a part of a funeral on Saturday PM for Randy Southard.   Randy was the president of Acworth Baseball for many years and touched a ton of lives on the diamond.  I had the privilege of knowing Randy through the game of baseball and was honored to be a part of the service honoring his life!  Hundreds of young men, that he had coached, showed up in their uniforms for the service….it was pretty awesome!  Randy leaves behind his 9th grade son Logan, please be in prayer for this family..I pray that we all invest into lives as much as Randy did!

Things I am……..

Things I am excited for:

• New Series “Accelerate” beginning this Sunday at NorthStar!!   Our faith can’t stay where it as at……It has to:  ”Go Higher”, “Go Deeper” & “Go Farther”!!  Services at 9:30 & 11:00am in Compass & True North!  Get there early – seats are usually gone by the first song & then it is standing room only!  Can’t wait for the weekend!
• Going Saturday to see my nephew Nick compete in weightlifting in the Special Olympics trials!  Nick is absolutely one of favorite people in the world!  We will be cheering him on!
• Excited the kids are out of school again on Monday….good for them!  Last break for awhile!
• Baseball season is just around the corner…….Ready to freeze watching some good baseball!  My alma-mater, Liberty University opens up at KSU!  Can’t wait!  
• Working on some exciting projects @NStar…not ready to talk about yet – but good stuff coming!
• So proud of our NStar Staff team – held tight on their spending at the end of 2009 and we were able to keep our expenses below our income!  Toughest year yet at NStar but we made it through!
• Congrats to Nick Person, our middle school pastor, on celebrating his 5 year anniversary on our team and congrats to Robert Covington, our director of facilities, on celebrating his 10 year anniversary at NStar this week!  Love the guys!

Lesson: “Great coaches see something in players no one else sees”

It is amazing to watch how many coaches have the uncanny ability to see something in players that no one else may see!  Maybe they see a player that has been in the wrong position or they have the ability to help the player see “who they could be” if a little effort was added!  Watch these coaches, no matter where they go, they take the players from someone else and begin to get more out of them!  They do not accept mediocrity but challenge everyone (including themselves) to play up!  These coaches fascinate me, most of them cannot even tell you how they do it….it is almost instinctive!  The ones that have that ability never speak about it – they just get it done where-ever they go!  Don’t think these guys do not also accumulate talent, but they add that talent to a group they inherited and make something of it!

This morning I just left about 30 men in an executive bible study that I teach.  We are studying the 12 disciples that Jesus called.  The team that He gathered was super average & ordinary but He saw something in them that they did not see in themselves!  God prides Himself on taking what the world may cast-off and doing something great with them!  It is easy to think He only wants the “perfect” or “the professional” when in reality, He took the “ordinary” society members and did the greatest work in them!  If they could see what He saw, everything could really change!  My prayer for the guys this morning – is that they see how God use them – if they would let Him!

Lesson: “Can’t play scared”

As we begin 2010, there is an old thought from sports that I think applies to all aspects of our lives…..”You can’t play scared”.  If you play scared you find yourself:  making stupid mistakes, not taking advantage of opportunities, causing your team to slow down to play at your level, etc… I watched the Boise State vs. TCU (Fiesta Bowl) last night, both teams started the game playing “scared”.  You don’t end a season, in any conference, undefeated if you are not a great team.  Both of these teams, on a huge national stage, started slow making lots of costly errors and not playing like themselves!  Once the game got going and they calmed down, they both played great.

We do this all of the time in life!  We live in fear and rather than making the decisions that we know we need to make, we play “scared” and don’t do what we know we need to!  Therefore, our lives are not all they could be and not all God created them to be!

My prayer for me….and for you in 2010…is that we will play the game of life with confidence & boldness and live out what God told Joshua….”Be strong & very courageous, do not fear and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you whereever you may go”!!!!!

2010

There are so many things I am excited about for NStar for this upcoming year!  I can’t wait for this journey!

It is hard to imagine that 18+ years ago I moved to this community and fell in love with the people!  I truly thought it would be just a stop on the “train of success” but God certainly had other plans in mind!  5+ years as a student pastor with some of the most awesome kids in the world – so many of whom are out in minstry now changing lives!  Then the birth of NStar in January of 1997……My passion & vision for what God has in store is hotter & brighter than it has ever been!  Now, after 18 years of marriage…a 15 year old and 12 year old…and turning 40. I can honestly say….I am praying that the vision that God has laid in my heart, I can spend the rest of my life trying to accomplish with all of the awesome people that He has put in our lives @ NStar!

It is a blessing for my family to be here and I can’t wait!!!

Lesson: Down time is needed!

All great teams have learned that a season can be grueling & grinding at times!  There are injuries to overcome, tough parts of the schedule to endure and just the strain of performing day in & day out.  Each player, during that season, is constantly evaluating their performance & play and seeing what they can do to get better and improve.  Coaches are always tweaking their game plans and looking ahead to learn what to do for the awaiting opponent!  It is hard to enjoy a win because there is another game coming just around the corner!  

Life can feel this way at times!  You know that you are making a difference and sometimes you get some huge wins but you have no time to enjoy the victory because there is a new challenge coming!  Therefore, when you are able to get some down time, enjoy it….relish it and use it!  Everyone needs to be “off” at times.  It is not a sign of weakness to get down time, in fact, you can be sharper for the “game” if you know how to “come down” off your edge!  

I admit, it is hard to turn it off and to slow down!  However, after 18 years of full-time ministry, I have learned that I not only need it but my family needs it as well!  I don’t want to be burned out and burned up for the people I love the most!  Schedule your down times….work your best in your “game” times and watch yourself have your best year yet!!  If Jesus needed “solitude” and “getting away” occasionally, I bet you do to!

Rearview Mirror

• Incredible “Couples Night Out” with Tim Hawkins!!  Two sold-out shows and tons of laughs…..So proud of CA & his team (Ludell & Eddie, Sharon, Jill) for pulling off the night!!  Hundreds of couples – praying that they all get connected!!
• Our building guys, Robert & Steve, are amazing!  There is a banquet or event in the building almost every night and these guys work so hard keeping everything looking just right!
• Great week 2 of our “The Journey” series…..we talked about yesterday….the ultimate thing that God really wants from our lives is us….all of us!  If you missed it, make sure and stop by our website and catch up!
• Announced to our 5pm service that we will not resuming it after the new year!  We are slam everyone in to our Sunday morning venues and move all of our sunday PM workers to spots in our prime hours!!  It is going to be a crazy few months!  Hate the Sunday PM experiment did not take – but I so appreciate our awesome NStar people who just roll with the punches and do whatever is best for others!!
• Our NStar family packed out a box truck and 15 passenger van for MUST ministries – helping provide toys for needy families!!  I am so proud of everyone who served and helped to make this day happen!  MUST told one of our team that was the largest single day gathering of toys that  they had ever had!  WOW!!!
• Had a great MGMT team meeting this AM…..love these guys who help us dream & look into the future!  So many exciting things ahead but so much to think about!!  Love serving with these guys!
• I am looking so forward to our kids being out of school – 2 weeks with no homework will be awesome!
• Can’t wait for the week ahead!