Next Level Church | Blog

New Original Song

2012-01-26T09:45:00.004-05:00

This weekend we decided to try something different. We are singing a new song that ties directly into the teaching, all about new life in Jesus, and we wanted to let you hear the song EARLY so that you'll know it when we sing it together!

So check out this video for a sneak peek of a BRAND new original song!

God is Here

V1:

There’s a love… That covers all

Our sinfulness… And shameful hearts

Oh rejoice, my soul rejoice, The Savior’s come

V2:

Your holiness… Is like the dawn

Casting light… On hopeless hearts

Oh rejoice, my soul rejoice, The day has come

Pre:

The old is gone... The new has come

Ch:

In the name of Jesus there is life and freedom

When creation starts again, the old is gone, our God is here

V3:

For the glory of Your name, You took our cross, You bore our shame

Oh rejoice, our hearts rejoice, Your love is true

Br:

The old is gone, the new has come, Lord You have come

Nothing to lose, nothing to fear, our God is here

WinterCamp Thank You's!

2012-01-25T16:49:00.003-05:00

Just wanted do a quick post celebrating what God did at WinterCampTwenty12, and the people He used to make it happen! Major kudos to ALL the volunteers who gave up time, and energy to make this incredible event possible.

We had nearly 100 ppl take over Black Mountain for a few days. And when I say take over, I mean TAKE OVER!

Special thanks to Kevin Kennedy and Samuel Donahue who literally pulled off an incredible weekend at the Blakeney Campus all while leading an entire crew of band members, setup team, and tech crew for WinterCampTwenty12. These guys absolutely freed me up to prepare to teach all 4 sessions and connect with our kids and small group leaders. THEY MADE THIS THING HAPPEN! The sessions ROCKED. They were a ton of fun with some insane games. Special thanks to Kirsten Kennedy for making things very engaging. The staff at Blue Ridge literally said "we've never seen a production like this here before!"

Also, special shout out to my wife, and her team of student volunteers who COMPLETELY handled all of registration, and those guys had the system down to a science. I have already heard from 2 different parents that said they really appreciated the organization when they dropped their kids off, made them feel much more secure.

We had Ron Alexander over all of transportation and had literally NO issues! Thanks man. Kay Pearn and a couple others completely took care of all the food for the ENTIRE weekend. She did a great job and the meal times went great.

Because so many volunteers were willing to go, we were able to have a 5 to 1 student to leader ratio which was perfect. Could not have been better.

We did a lot more this year than before as well. We not only had incredible sessions, but we also had a campfire and prayer time by the lake on the last night, plus we took the entire group to Linville Caverns!

Finally, and most important. We had 9 students come forward and make decisions for Christ for the very first time, we had 39 students recommit their lives to the Lord, and we even had 1 girl who absolutely was not leaving until she was baptized. No negotiations :) I'm a pastor, so obviously, I wasnt going to try and talk her out of it. So, in 36 degree pond water, we had a first time camp baptism on the final morning. She was crying, I was freezing, and God was glorified.

Other than the kids spending all their money on junk food and monster energy drinks and having little to none left for the ride back for a meal, the camp was a complete success.

Lives were forever changed for three reasons...

1.) God showed up and did His thing!

2.) Volunteers like these invested their time and energy into the work God was doing.

3.) Faithful people of NLC give generously on a regular basis to ensure camps like these are possible and affordable for every student who wants to go!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Video Blog Post From Pastor Todd

2012-01-24T10:52:00.001-05:00

Song Story: Set Me Free

2012-01-23T17:31:00.002-05:00

This weekend, we'll be playing one of the songs from our Next Level Worship CD. We showed this video the night of the release concert, but for those who missed it, here is the story behind the song "Set Me Free". Enjoy!

Set Lists For This Weekend (Sneak Peek!)

2012-01-20T19:40:00.003-05:00

So we thought it would be cool to give you guys a sneak peek at what's coming this weekend at both campuses. Sometimes our set lists are identical, sometimes they differ a good deal, but no matter what campus you are at, I think the music is gonna rock this weekend!

Blakeney:

Let God Arise (Chris Tomlin)

Alive in Us (Hillsong)

God is Able (Hillsong)

No One Higher/The Stand (Steve Fee)

Waiting On The World To Change (John Mayer)

Matthews:

You Are Good (Next Level Worship)

The First and The Last (Hillsong)

Marvelous Light (Charlie Hall)

The Lost Are Found (Hillsong)

Waiting On The World To Change (John Mayer)

This weekend is all about having a new impact. We are doing the John Mayer song to prove an interesting point: that many of us can be lulled into complacency, not worrying about trying to make an impact on the world around us and simply hoping and waiting for things to change on their own.

But God isn't content to let us sit back and wait on the world to change. He wants to use us to change the world around us, and we hope you can figure out where you fit into it all this weekend.

Enjoy the music!

Worth the Risk?

2012-01-19T10:33:00.002-05:00

It's WAY too risky...isn't it? Sharing our faith. Actually opening up about the love Jesus shows us...with a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor...Sharing that could mess things up way too much...right?

Or even inviting someone you know to come to church with you, to HEAR the life-changing message of Jesus from a pastor, a professional religious person. Is it really worth the risk, or the ramifications that could possibly ensue, to bring up your faith to those in your sphere of influence?

At the end of the day...GOD LOVES US, AND IT'S UP TO US TO TELL OTHERS THAT GOD LOVES THEM. But at what cost? Is sharing that message really worth the price.

Well let's take a second and look at the reasons why so many of us don't...why we feel it's too risky Then maybe we can figure out if it's truly worth it...or not.

REASON #1: WHAT WILL THEY THINK ABOUT ME IF I BRING IT UP?

Ok sure, this is a valid concern. Who doesn't care about others opinions of themselves. NOBODY! Everyone wants to be thought highly of and nobody wants to be labeled negatively for any reason. But let's think ahead for a moment. What if one day, down the road, the person that God has placed in your life now discovers the truth of God's love. What if one day, they come to realize that through Jesus, God gives us the life we were always meant to have. And then one day, they think back on your relationship, and realize, you knew. You knew the whole time, and you never told them. You never gave them the chance. You never went out on a limb on their behalf...

See, the real question is not what they will think about you if you do bring it up. The real question is what will they think about you...if you don't.

REASON #2: I DON'T KNOW THEM ALL THAT WELL.

It's tough to bring up things of a serious nature with those you are nothing more than an acquaintance with. Maybe it's that co-worker you see in the break room, or maybe the neighbor, you wave to while walking your dog. Talking about "faith" with someone like this just seems a little awkward, doesn't it?

But let's consider this. If we have accepted what Jesus did on the cross on our behalf, we are granted a life in an eternal relationship with God. But we also know that those who don't, will be eternally separated from Him. What could be more terrible...

Now think about it, if you were standing on a street corner, and a stranger unknowingly starts to step out in front of a bus, would you honestly say "well, I would say something, but I don't know them all that well so..." NO! It doesn't matter how well you know a person, when they are headed down a road of destruction, you have a moral obligation to say or do something!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not advocating preaching the entirety of orthodoxy to someone you barely know, but as Christ followers, no one is too obscure to throw a simple invite their way. NOBODY.

REASON #3: IT MIGHT RUIN OUR FRIENDSHIP.

Some people get very concerned, especially when things are good, that bringing up a topic like faith might take a negative toll on a friendship.

But here's a life lesson on friendship to keep in mind: A SELFISH friend is concerned about the well being of the friendship, a TRUE friend is concerned about the well being of the friend.

Nothing could be better for your friend than for them to find the hope, and peace that knowing Christ can bring. And honestly, if you care more about the friendship than you do about what's best for them, it it really a friendship worth having?

REASON #4: BUT THEY ARE OF A DIFFERENT FAITH, SO THEY MAY NOT BE THE BEST CANDIDATE.

In western culture, we've become far too concerned with offenses regarding faith. Look, here's something we have to keep in mind. EVERYBODY who becomes a follower of Christ comes from a DIFFERENT faith, even if it's a faith in a non-faith, like science.

Even the 12 guys who hung out with Jesus personally, and started THE CHURCH were from a different faith. People who are of different faiths are the BEST candidates for the truth of the Gospel. I mean, before I became a Christ-follower, I was a Baptist! (that was a joke...funny only for a small few I know.)

REASON #5: I MIGHT GET REJECTED, AND I DON'T DEAL WITH THAT WELL.

This is understandable. But we must keep things in perspective. Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, the only perfect man to have ever lived...was rejected. Rejected by his friends, his religious leaders, his family, even his own heavenly father...for OUR sake, so that we might have the life we were always meant to have. If Jesus himself was willing to be rejected on our behalf, surely we could be willing to face rejection, on behalf of those we know and love.

So...it it really worth the risk? Well, yeah, I guess it is. I guess there's really nothing else on the planet more worth our risk, than furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by sharing it with those God has brought closest to us.

Is it risky? YES. Could we lose friends? YES? Could we get labeled? YES? It is worth it? ABSOLUTELY YES...

God Is For God

2012-01-17T05:51:00.002-05:00

There is a great church in our city called Elevation Church. They are our "partners in crime" in both Matthews and Blakeney and we are thrilled to see the impact they are having in our city.

We pray for them regularly and especially in this stretch of days as they are hosting an eleven night series of meetings featuring some amazing speakers.

Several nights ago, they hosted a pastor from Dallas named Matt Chandler. He preached a message that was nothing less than stellar, and you can (and should) watch it here.

His point was simple: God's goal in everything he does is for his glory, his fame, his renown.

It's not about us.

Which means it's not about me as an individual - my happiness (which is fleeting and dependent on circumstances), my wants, my desires, my car, my wardrobe, my preferences, my influence, even my needs.

Which means it's not about us as a church - our reputation, our resources, our size, our Pastor.

It's about God - knowing him, making him known, seeing HIS reputation enhanced and honored.

The only one who ultimately deserves honor is Him.

Take my eyes off that and my life becomes frivolous.

Take our eyes off that and church becomes a production.

Keep our eyes on that and we get the thing greater than happiness - joy.

SOAP and A Great Online Tool

2012-01-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

One of the coolest apps ever invented is YouVersion, which brings together dozens of Bible versions and some other really cool features. Best of all it is all free.

One of the things I like the most is that it has a number of Bible reading plans which it will text or email right to your phone every day. Click and you can be reading no matter where you are! This year I am doing the Chronological Plan which takes you thru the whole Bible in the order the events actually happened. Kind of cool and quirky - so far in the first two weeks I have gone from the first part of Genesis to Job.

I'm telling you this because there is a cool tie-in between YouVersion and the SOAP Life Journal reading plan we use to help you grow in both Bible reading and prayer. You can get a Life Journal at both the Matthews and Blakeney campuses each weel.

One of YouVersion's reading plans is tied to the SOAP process - it will take you thru the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice this year. And since it is only mid-January, there's still time to get going!

Check it all out here. Click on "Bible" and follow to Reading Plans.

To Sing, Or Not To Sing?

2012-01-12T16:39:00.003-05:00

Church music has always been a interesting topic for me. One thing has always been for sure: ITS ALWAYS DIFFERENT!

Hi, guys - I am Samuel Donahue - the Creative Arts Pastor at the Next Level Blakeney Campus.

From church to church you can always expect a totally different style of music. The great thing about Next Level is how much variety you hear in one place, each week.

In a single week you could very likely hear a Next level Worship song, a old time revised hymn, a Chris Tomlin song, or a Coldplay song! If there is one thing that is true about our music it's that there will always be a song that you love and can sing along with.
So no matter which campus you attend this week - Matthews or Blakeney - , know this...There will be great music for you to sing, and to Sing LOUD!

Shine On In and Give These Dead Bones Life

2012-01-12T14:31:00.003-05:00

Warning: this post, written by the worship pastor, is about music.

Cliché, I know.

It's just that music speaks to me, connects me to ideas that otherwise have a harder time getting through. I have no doubt that God created music because there are times when music becomes more than the sum of its parts.

You have the drums and the guitars and the keyboards and the vocals and the lyrics, and these are all great things, but there are songs that combine them to become something more.

Here is a new song that hit me hard this week, by the David Crowder Band. Maybe it won't do much for you, but I still thought it was worth passing on. It's all about new beginnings. It's about asking for God to do something new.

"Shine on in and give these dead bones life..."

Check it out, and read the lyrics while you listen, and maybe this song will speak to you too. Maybe this song can help you talk to God like it did for me.

And a helpful hint: stick with it at least until the 1:45 mark. It might start slow, but it hits hard at the end. Worth the wait.

Taking My Own Advice...

2012-01-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning thinking about work. I have a pretty big project that has a Friday deadline and I couldn't take my mind off of it. I know that Christians are supposed to limit the amount of worry in their lives, so I'll call what I was doing "strategic ruminating."

Then I sat down for my morning SOAP Bible study and prayer time and this morning's reading was from Revelation chapters 3 and 4. It was all about God's future for his people.

It was such a vivid reminder that the end is already worked out. We have to be obedient in the present, but we can and should leave the results to God. He is working to build his church (that's us!) and we're just along for the ride. It was as though God were shouting to me:

What Are Your Goals (For Fun)?

2012-01-09T19:15:00.002-05:00

True confession time:

1. I am a rabid goal setter. Marathons (at least until a few years ago), Bible reading, intellectual pursuits, finances, writing...I love me a goal. I am motivated by goals, driven (at times) by goals, altogether fond of goals.

2. I stink at fun. I am not very fun. Largely because I spend so much time pursuing goals relentlessly and don't allow much margin for stuff outside of the pursuit of the goals.

3. I am cheap. Yep, the prototypical cheap guy. Cheap, cheap, cheap. I wear clothes for ten years, eat leftovers for lunch most days, clip coupons, drive cars till the doors fall off (nearly literally).

Therefore, it comes as somewhat of a shock to me that this year one of our goals is to have fun by spending a little bit of money.

We don't spend money in our house. Miranda is maybe the greatest bargain shopper of all time. She re-did our bedroom with all new furnishings for (I am not making this up) $250..... by going to junk sales and pawn shops.

And me? I don't spend money (remember?). So we economize with the best of them.

But this is the goal Miranda and I have established: Over the next two years, we are going to eat at each of the restaurants Charlotte magazine names as the best twenty-five in our city, the illustrious 704.

Why?

Because it is fun and it will enhance our relationship.

That's it.

It doesn't fit with either of us.

I don't spend money (remember?).

And she is taking us on a no-refined-sugar, no-flour diet excursion the thought of which makes me weep, gnash my teeth, and pound the table in despair......which I am on board with solely because I love her.

And I have no idea if the food critics at Charlotte magazine know what they are talking about, although our online study of said twenty-five restaurant menus has been mouth-watering so far.

But we need a goal that is fun and that enhances our relationship.

Because there are few things more important in a relationship than fun.

What are you doing for fun right now in the relationships that matter most to you?

I DO Believe The World Will End In 2012!

2012-01-05T22:23:00.000-05:00

Yep, I said it, and I meant it! I believe that the world will end in 2012! I know what you're thinking and yes, I probably have lost my mind. But my sanity is another topic for another day. Today, we're talking about the end of the world.

Now, do I actually believe that the earth that you and I live on will cease to exist in the Mayan calendar year of 2012? Mmmmmm, probably not. At least I hope not. If it does, where the flip did Marty McFly travel to in Back to Future when he went to 2015?

No, the world in which I am speaking of is a much more figurative world, but one that feels EXTREMELY real to so many. I'm talking about whatever world you lived in 2011. Whatever struggles, whatever doubts, whatever fears you may have faced in 2011. Guess what...they DO NOT have to carry over into 2012. That world CAN AND SHOULD end.

Whatever your family world looked like in 2011 doesn't have to be your family world in 2012. Whatever your financial world looked like in 2011, it doesn't have to look the same in 2012. Whatever the state of your relationships were last year, they don't have to be the same this year.

See here's the thing. For the rest of humanity, a new year simply means new goals, new resolutions, and new...well, wishes. But for Christ-followers, we have the privilege of ACTUALLY being able to hit the reset button. New Year's is just as good a time as any, but we ALWAYS have that available to us. When Jesus died on the cross, he died to forgive us of our past, present, and future mistakes. He died to restore brokenness, heal heartaches, mend relationships, bring wholeness, fill voids and so much more. When Jesus died, he brought forgiveness to the world and with that, the opportunity to hit the reset button and begin NEW!

As a matter of fact, Jesus himself actually says, "behold, I make ALL things NEW." -rev 21:5

So yea, I do believe a LOT of worlds are going to end in 2012. At least I'm praying they do. Whatever world of pain, bitterness, brokenness, emptiness or whatever it was you faced in 2011, can end, AND SHOULD end. This can be a year of NEW beginnings. That's the great thing about New Year's. It marks the end of one thing, and the beginning of something new. And as a Christ follower, you are granted that freedom, the freedom to begin again. You are granted the freedom to claim a fresh start, a clean slate, and to live in the wholeness Christ died to give you.

The world of 2011 has ended. What does YOUR world look like in 2012.

New Song

2012-01-04T16:48:00.007-05:00

Sing a new song to the LORD!

Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!

Sing to the LORD; praise his name.

Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. - Psalm 96

I love all types of songs. There is something awesome about a familiar song, one that you've heard so many times you could sing it in your sleep, one that's meaning has sunk all the way into your bones, one that when you hear those first few notes, your brain hums with perfect recognition.

But it is also a great feeling to hear a new song and think to yourself, "How have I not heard this before? It's amazing!" When I hear a really good new song, I am equal parts excited (that I've found it) and disappointed (that I've gone this long without it.) Maybe I am the only one who thinks like this, I don't know. Obviously I like music a lot.

All that to say I'm never content sticking with the tried-and-true songs that I know like the back of my hand. One of my great joys as a worship leader is teaching NEW songs, whether they are songs that I have written or someone else has written. And what's more, God wants us to sing Him new songs. There is a freshness to it, and it lets us express our worship in new and different ways.

This weekend, we are singing a new song, one by Hillsong Worship in Australia (good songs come from EVERYWHERE...)

It's called "Alive in Us". You should check it out, give it a few listens, and when we sing it together Sunday morning, you can join in and worship God in a NEW way.

A NEW Thing

2012-01-03T10:12:00.001-05:00

It fits that we launch the NEW year with a NEW teaching series called, appropriately enough, NEW!

We'll be looking at what the Bible says about how we can get a fresh, new start in key areas of our lives.

This past Sunday I was at our NEW Blakeney Campus - a NEW thing for NLC! Even without any publicity (we are still very much in "soft launch" mode) and on NEW Year's Day - a day when some other churches actually cancelled services there were 120 people there. I was pumped.

I am beyond excited about the NEW things God is going to do there.

And I have to say how much I appreciate the people of Crosspoint, the church we merged with to make NLC Blakeney happen. This is all obviously NEW for them but they have jumped in with incredible spirit, kindness, a welcoming heart, and high level commitment. So grateful for these NEW friends and partners in ministry.

Lots of folks are open to checking out church in a NEW year. This is a great series and a great week to invite everyone you know to check out NEW at either the Matthews or Blakeney campus!

Gear Up

2012-01-03T00:22:00.003-05:00

Gear Up…If January 1st is any sign of what 2012 is going to be then get ready. I have never had a more exciting New Years Day than January 1, 2012. What a great day. Next Level Blakeney experienced a 32% growth. Yes you read right a 32% growth on New Years Day. 32% more people chose to get out of bed on a day they typically had much less sleep and came to Next Level Blakeney. Why? Because Next Level Blakeney has it going on. And this past Sunday was no different. We have amazing volunteers who get up each Sunday, early, I mean really early, to set up and prepare the Ardrey Kell High School into a place of worship. Not one grumble or gripe but, simply unselfish attitudes serving God. And this past Sunday we saw a glimpse of what 2012 is going to look like at Next Level Blakeney…unprecedented growth, engaging worship, and even the teaching was pretty good. Are you ready Next Level? Get your goggles on, your gloves, your running shoes or whatever you need to keep up because we are taking off. God has amazing things planned for Next Level Blakeney. I can’t wait to see what happens next week.

Christmas Day Devotional

2011-12-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

We won't be having worship at either the Matthews or Blakeney Campus on Sunday and one reason is to give families and friends a chance to spend some time together after all the craziness of Christmas that will culminate in our three Christmas Eve services.

Here's an idea - why not take some time with your family, friends, or roommate on Sunday morning and reflect on the Christmas story together. In case you'd like an idea of how to start, here's one example:

Read together Luke 2: 8-12 and ask each other the following questions:

-Why do you think the angels had to tell the shepherds to not be afraid? (Hint: Angels were VERY bright beings - I mean dazzling light - and every time in Scripture an angel as a messenger from God appears people get freaked out!)

-What are the things that make you the most afraid?

-What was the reason the angels gave for why the shepherds did not have to be afraid? (Hint: Jesus had come to fix the broken relationship between God and people and if our relationship with God is right then nothing else in the world can scare us because he will love, protect, and take care of us no matter what we have to go through)

-Pray a prayer something like this one: "Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of Jesus that we celebrate this Christmas. Thank you that his coming to die for our sins and be raised from the dead means we have nothing in life or in eternity to fear. When we are tempted to be frightened of things, remind us of this great truth and this great gift".

-

That's It?

2011-12-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

This is honestly a question I get asked more often than not. When people ask me about what programs we have for them and their families throughout the week at our church, they are usually shocked by the answer. Every time, I respond with: Sunday Morning Services (Including those for our kids & students)...and LifeGroups...that's it. And they almost always respond with that question...THAT'S IT? That's it!

No, we don't have Sunday Night Prayer Services, or Monday Night night Jamboree. We don't do Tuesday night door-to-door visitation, or midweek devotional. We don't have Friday Night Bible School or Saturday Morning Pancake Breakfasts. We don't do ANY of that stuff! Legitimately, outside of special events, we ONLY do Sunday Morning Environments, and LifeGroups. But why?

Why not do more? Why not spend as much time as possible with the Church? Well I'm glad you asked!

At Next Level Church, we have ONE evangelism strategy...YOU! That's it. We don't go knock on doors, or stand on street corners with megaphones. Our one strategy for sharing the Gospel is you. It's called invest, and invite. We want YOU to invest in relationships with your friends, family, neighbors, & coworkers. Once you have developed the credibility with those people to do so, we want you then to invite them to church with you. Sometimes it's immediate, and sometimes, it takes a while. Either way, once they show up, they can hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

But here's the problem. If we decided to keep a busy church calendar, and ineveitably caused you to spend all your free time at church, you wouldn't have time to invest in the lives of your friends, and you certainly wouldn't have the opportunity to make new ones. Your lives are busy already, so you would end up only having time to invest into relationships with the people you are always around, people who's eternal homes are already secure...people already here. And as a result, nobody new would ever get invited to hear about the love God has for them, and the plans He has for their lives.

So as a church, we have committed to a "simple church" model, which keeps our calendar VERY lean. Because honestly, we don't want you at a midweek bible study. We'de rather you be at a BBQ with your neighbor. Because then, and only then will you be granted those super cool opportunities to invite people to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

BTW, Christmas Eve is coming up. Among your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family...WHO ARE YOU INVITING? Don't come alone...It would be a shame if you did.

Pastor Todd's Book of the Year Award

2011-12-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

Recently I was asked to write about my favorite book of 2011. So, I decided to make it an award. The winner gets...well....nothing. Anyway, here is what I wrote:

"Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs tops my list. He was a man who literally changed six and possibly seven industries and merged technology and the humanities in a way that is (I don't think this is too much to say) culture-altering. He is also such a fascinating character - full of raging flaws and yet capable of incredible generosity. As the product of a closed adoption myself, I found his own adoption's impact on his adult psyche to be fascinating.

The book is also interesting for its spiritual dimensions. When a kid, Jobs took a picture of starving kids in Africa to his Lutheran Sunday School teacher and asked "If God knows everything, why can't he stop this?" or something to that effect. The teacher had no good answer (or even a good non-answer, which is probably best in this instance) and Jobs abandoned the Christian faith from that moment.

What is sad is that when he talks about Christianity, his objections are easy ones, ones that can be handled with easy by a reasonably well-informed Christian. The point is that because a seeking kid got a bad non-answer at an early age he gave up the search and a brilliant mind settled for secular banalities. The book reminded me what a responsibility I have as a pastor (and all Christ-followers have because they are Christ-followers!) to articulate both the truth and the beauty of the Gospel in a way that warms hearts and draws people to follow the Designer of the ultimate app - Creation."

Why I am Throwing a Mini-Party at My Desk

2011-12-19T16:16:00.002-05:00

Sometimes churches have an over reliance on numbers. How many nickels? How many noses?

And sometimes churches don't care enough about the numbers. Us Four and No More!

But there is one number that has me almost singing at my desk.

Two is the number of people who checked off the connection card and told us that they were starting a relationship with God by accepting his Son Jesus Christ at the Blakeney Campus.

That's right. The second week that NLC Blakeney met there were two people who chose to follow Christ in such a way that it would radically reshape their identity, their security, and their source of significance.

This is what people have been working toward for a long time. And this is what people have been praying about for a long time. But this is not the culmination of the work, it is the beginning of it.

In the words of the Bible, this is the "firstfruits" or that first basket of fruit, vegetables, and grain brought in from the harvest. And if you are a farmer who lives off of what you grow, then when the firstfruits come in you party like a rock star.

So I'm throwing a mini-party at my desk. And for everyone that reads this post go ahead and toast the person in the cube next to you with your styrofoam coffee cup (they don't have to know why) and celebrate at your desk, too. What God has done and also what it represents for the future.

Next Level Blakeney Campus Meeting!

2011-12-14T21:27:00.004-05:00

Few things have excited me more in the short history of Next Level than the launch of our Blakeney Campus.

Our merger with Crosspoint Church was approved two Sundays ago and we have had our first joint meeting in the amazing facility at Ardrey Kell High School.

This is momentous on so many levels.

We get to partner with a great church.

We get what to my mind is the best facility possible in Charlotte for church planting and multi-site campusing.

We have an incredible leadership and staff team in place, ready to go as we debut on January 1.

All of this has come together in very short order - less than three weeks.

So, we want to provide an opportunity for folks at the Matthews Campus to hear the details.

This coming Sunday, ten minutes after the conclusion of the 11 AM service, I will be hosting a meeting to describe the vision of the Next Level Blakeney Campus, answer your questions, and provide an onramp for people to get involved.

Whether or not you live in the Ballantyne/Blakeney area or just want to know what God is up to, I look forward to seeing you there.

Seeking God

2011-12-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

When you are seeking to do what God wants you to do (obedience), and you are seeking to be who he wants you to be (holiness), and you are loving others as yourself (the greatest commandment), then regardless of what you gain or lose in life you can be assured that God is bringing you through it because of your obedience, for your holiness, to free you up to love well.

There are all sorts of things in life that you can pursue but never attain. God desires to be found.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7

God is there to be found by those who seek. But. When we seek him on our own terms for our own purposes what we will find will not be God. It will be a god we have made who makes us happy and always agrees with us.

So when you look for God, look for one who is different than you. Expect that he will contradict you. Expect that he will shock you with his otherness, yet surprise you with his closeness. And if you humble yourself enough to actually find him, you might discover that he gives freedom on his own terms.

We can't find freedom because we want to play around with the things which have enslaved us. We just want slightly less of our slave master so that life is not so uncomfortable. But God rips those things out of our life which we have asked and allowed to control us, and he replaces them with himself.

What Burger King Taught Me About Worship Music

2011-12-08T07:50:00.005-05:00

I know that life lessons can be found in some very odd places (for example, my back yard, where I learned that you shouldn't burn an entire dried out Christmas tree at once because your neighbors will think you own a flamethrower and get extremely nervous), but I was still surprised when I learned a major life lesson about worship music at Burger King.

Let me start by saying I love Burger King, especially for breakfast. I literally got hungry typing that sentence. If you are a Burger King manager reading this, I will quickly change the following opinion with a simple bribe of lifetime sausage, egg, and cheese Croissan'wiches.

But there is something I have noticed about Burger King restaurants that I haven't seen from most other places; it seems like you'll go to the best Burger King ever, with awesome food and service and a great dining area, and then drive like a mile down the road and find the worst Burger King ever. The food isn't hot, everything moves in slow motion, and there is toilet paper on the floor.

It's like you hold your breath when you walk into a new Burger King because you don't know what you are going to get. (In fairness, this definitely can apply to McDonalds and Taco Bell as well, but I had my revelation at Burger King for whatever reason. I partially blame Pastor Jared for taking me to that awful Burger King.)

Here is what it made me realize: I want people to be able to trust that when they walk into Next Level Church, the music is going to be awesome- every time. And by awesome I mean something that not only rocks and is played technically well, but something that helps connect people to God, no matter where they are.

As we prepare to open a new campus, I want people to be able to go to Next Level Church, no matter where it's located, in Matthews or Blakeney or anywhere else, and know they are going to get something really really good. I want to be Starbucks, not Burger King.

That's part of why I am so excited for the Blakeney campus- I feel like the worship music there is going to be awesome. I really do. The way we are designing the worship experience is for it to be just like what we do so well at Matthews. You can go to Next Level Church with confidence. It's gonna be the real deal.

No hair in the cheeseburgers, no toilet paper on the floors.

Thanks, Burger King.

The Radical Benefits of Service

2011-12-07T12:09:00.001-05:00

Often local churches can get in the bad habit of telling you what they want FROM you. Please give. Please serve. Please, please, please... So to everyone who is involved in serving or volunteering whether at Next Level Church's Matthews Campus or Blakeney Campus, here is what I want FOR you...

I want you to see God at work in other people's lives through your service
I want your faith to be increased when you pray that God will come through and he does
I want you to experience God serving you even as you serve others
I want you to gain friends that pray with you and for you to accomplish God-sized goals
I want your joy to increase when you see God's faithfulness
I want you to know that you have a place in God's plan to save the world
I want you to know that you belong to your church and that it's your home
I want you to feel like the church's mission is your own
I want you to want to serve with passion knowing that you're salvation doesn't depend on it, but when you are faithful and obedient to God, it radically changes your relationship with God. And although he used to seem distant and cold, you can now see Him working in the tiniest details of life. Because no job is too mundane to bring glory to God if it is done with passionate obedience and excellence to the King who has already served us so well.

That's what I want for you.

Big News... (The Results Are In!)

2011-12-06T10:24:00.001-05:00

[by Pastor Todd Hahn]

Those of you who were with us Sunday morning heard me make one of the most important and exciting announcements in our church's history. I do have some news to report but I want to bring everyone who was not there Sunday morning up to speed first.

When Next Level was planted just over six years ago, we sensed our calling was to reach the Ballantyne/Blakeney area and so our first home was Community House Middle School, right in the heart of Ballantyne. Through no fault of our own, we had to relocate and so we went on the incredible journey that resulted in our merger with TriCounty Community Church and the acquisition of our property in Union County. However, we knew that God still had a plan and purpose for us in Ballantyne/Blakeney.

Shortly after we launched, another church with a vision for Ballantyne/Blakeney began as well. Crosspoint Church began meeting in Ardrey Kell High School which is, to my mind, the single best location for church planting in South Charlotte, maybe all of Charlotte.

We were friends with the Crosspoint leaders and encouraged each other on our ministry journeys.

Several months ago, Crosspoint's Lead Pastor resigned. Since that time, most of the remaining pastoral staff have left as well. Sadly, this vibrant church has declined in numbers and has had a difficult transition period. They still have an incredible heart for God, core values and philosophy of ministry that mirror Next Level's, willing volunteers, and ample resources. We reached out to Crosspoint and asked how we could help or encourage them - they are too great of a people and Ballantyne/Blakeney is too spiritually strategic to let a church struggle and perhaps cease to exist.

Well, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind. They culminated in the Lead Team and Pastoral Search Team of Crosspoint making a unanimous recommendation to their people that they enfold into Next Level Church and the Ardrey Kell location become Next Level Blakeney, a campus that helps to fulfill our church's vision of "One Church in Multiple Locations". Next Level's staff leadership and Board also believe this is God's direction.

This morning, the people of Crosspoint voted 45-1 to join with Next Level. We again have a ministry center in Ballantyne/Blakeney and some amazing partners and teammates.

What will this mean? Only good things.

We have a team of teaching pastors who will rotate between Blakeney and Matthews to provide LIVE teaching at each location. We also have a deep bench of musicians and vocalists who will form one worship team serving both campuses. Many of you who live closer to Ballantyne/Blakeney will be drawn to the closer location. This is very fresh news and there are a ton of details to work out, but we sense that God is in this, calling our two churches together, and expanding - by His grace - our opportunity and influence to Connect People to God, Live Life Together, and Give Ourselves Away.

Many more details will come in the days ahead and you will have opportunities to serve and get involved at Next Level Blakeney if the Lord leads you that way. At a minimum we need you to pray: pray with thanksgiving for God's plans which are bigger and better than ours; pray for wisdom and patience as the two groups merge; pray for wisdom as we select and deploy leaders; pray for the hearts of the people in the Ballantyne/Blakeney area whom God is going to reach through this new adventure.

I am excited beyond measure by this opportunity and grateful to our God who always calls us onward and upward as we take the next right step in our relationship with Him - as individuals and as a church!

Is Your Halo Broken? (Or, Theology Lessons From Keith Richards)

2011-12-05T18:55:00.002-05:00

I like to read books about theology, so I am reading the autobiography of the Rolling Stones' guitarist, Keith Richards.

As you would expect from the guy Johnny Depp based his Jack Sparrow character on, it is rated M for mature. Language and stories from touring and stuff.

But it has moments of real clarity, even insight.

At one point Keef is talking about how all of his best friends have been in jail and how he's not sure he could be close to anyone who has not messed up.

Here's what he says:

"If you can't [bleep] up, where's your halo? My life is full of broken halos".

It's a great image, a broken halo. It's what it means to be human.

Created beautiful and whole, made for connection with the Creator and his creation.

Twisted by rebellion and the desire to worship something, anything other than God.

Halo bent, cracked, limp, broken.

A beautiful mess.

But not for always and all time.

The Son of the Creator came to be broken in my place, so that I could be put back together.

So, why would I ever pretend to have a whole, pristine halo?

My broken halo is my trophy because it is my token of how much God loves me, how much he hates my condition opposed to him, the extent he will go to bring me back home, and how much he wantes and is waiting to change me.

How Do You Pray?

2011-12-01T09:43:00.001-05:00

How do you pray?

When was the last time you asked someone this? A friend, a mentor, a pastor?

Oftentimes spiritual envy creeps into our lives. We want to be like them. Deep down we know that they didn't just wake up like that one morning. Their relationship with God is likely the result of a day-by-day struggle of self-control and discipline. And if you really wanted to know how they got that way, the questions most likely to yield you an answer are "What have you suffered?" and "How do you pray?"

I was taught in High School to CHAT:

Confess
Honor
Ask
Thank

And that was fine for a child. There are days when I'm feeling like enough of a child to pray like that still.

These days I have been taught to sit quietly, listen, fast, and pray through the Psalms. I'm not saying that will be what works for you, but something will. So why not ask?

Naming Chicken or Inventing Toilet Paper

2011-11-30T15:35:00.001-05:00

The following is a brief tale of two men. One you know, one you don't. One's existence changed how we each live our lives every single day. One's existence didn't really change anything. Allow me to introduce you.

The first man's name was General Tso Tsungtang, or as his name is spelled in modern Pinyin, Zuo Zongtang, and he was born on Nov. 10, 1812, and died on Sept. 5, 1885. He was a frighteningly gifted military leader during the waning of the Qing dynasty, a figure perhaps the Chinese equivalent of the American Civil War commander William Tecumseh Sherman. He served with brilliant distinction during China's greatest civil war, the 14-year-long Taiping Rebellion, which claimed millions of lives. He didn't cook, and didn't necessarily even like spicy food. However...

Today, he is exclusively remembered as the namesake for the popular Chinese dish General Tso's chicken.

The second man's name was Joseph C. Gayetty. He invented the first packaged toilet paper in the United States in 1857. Joseph C. Gayetty is credited as the inventor of modern commercially available toilet paper. "Gayetty’s Medicated Paper" was sold in packages of flat sheets, medicated with aloe and watermarked with his name. Gayety’s toilet paper was available as late as the 1920's.

Today, nobody knows his name, but everyone pays homage to him...every...single...day. (Sometimes twice a day!)

Here's the question. Do you want people to remember your name...or your legacy?

Everyone knows General Tso's name. But nobody knows who he was, what he stood for, or why he existed. And to be honest, most people don't really care whether he existed at all.

Nobody knows Gayetty. But everyone is glad he existed. Everyone appreciates what he has done for the world, and his legacy affects all of us today. He had a lasting impact on the world.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in trying to tell our own story, that we forget that most of our great grand children won't even know anything about us. So many live day to day desperately spending time on futile efforts to build their own kingdom, by the relationships they value, the decisions they make, the places they go, and how they spend their money.

But some understand, that their name and their kingdom are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. So rather than trying to make their name famous, they spend their time trying to play a lasting role in a story that is much bigger than themselves.

100 years from now, it won;t matter if people know your name. What matters is leaving a lasting impact here on the earth, for the sake of of God's kingdom...a kingdom much bigger than you and me, that will matter so much more to people than we ever could.

Are your decisions, relationships, investments, and time utilized to build your kingdom...or the Kingdom that will outlast the world?

For me, I want to invent toilet paper, not name Chinese food. Because even those who love General Tso's chicken...will need toilet paper.

Automate The Important

2011-11-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

In addition to being the pastor of Next Level Church, I’m also a financially contributing member. I give at least 10% of my pre-tax income to my church, and I wanted to share some of the reasons why.

First, I believe in our mission - to help every person we have the chance to influence take the next step in their relationship with God. I’m proud to be a part of a church that cares about reaching people far from God. I’m proud to be a part of a place where the mission is to reach people for Christ and help them follow one day at a time. People’s lives are being changed and this church is a part of that. Jesus said that our treasure would follow our heart, so because my heart is with this church, I want to financially support it.

Secondly, I care about the next generations - the ones in Kid City, Studio 45, and the Student Center. We spend a lot of time and energy and money caring for them and they are worth every minute and every penny. I want NLC to be a church where kids bring their parents, not just the other way around.

Thirdly, I give because God commands me to give. In the Old Testament, God commanded his people to tithe, and obedience wasn’t an option. In the New Testament, Jesus talks a lot about giving and money. Paul writes about money. He tells Christians this: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Every month, we automatically give to our church because that honors God. We want to honor God, even when it’s difficult, even when things are tight.

I have no qualms about encouraging you to join me on this journey of generosity. One great way to make sure it happens is to give regularly and automatically online - thus automating the important

I want to encourage you to automate the important by setting up your online giving profile today!

Do Whatever it Takes

2011-11-17T22:11:00.001-05:00

What I've run into a lot over the past couple weeks as we have taught from the stage about financial principles is that people would love to put these principles into place, but their finances are so far out of whack that they can't even begin to do that.

I understand that. One of my friends took out her calculator as Pastor Robbie was teaching and was actually calculating how much she would have left to live on if she gave 10%, saved 10%, and paid her debtors including some student loans. She showed me the number and we both kind of laughed.

If that feels like you, this is what I want you to hear. Stewardship is not about giving money to the church. Stewardship is about managing well everything God blesses you with because you believe that you are managing God's resources for Him. And if you've gotten yourself into a hole, (and who hasn't at some point or another) then good stewardship means tackling that debt head-on AND the spending that put you in that hole. If you don't know how to do that, don't be embarrassed. We have a Financial Peace life group you can join that will break it all down. Whether you make a little, or more than you ever dreamed you would, the life group will help you manage it well.

Ultimately, I want this for you whether you give to Next Level Church or not. That's probably because of the huge blessing it has been in my family. I've experienced financial freedom firsthand and I want that for you, too. So even if you were to leave NLC tomorrow and never give one dollar I would say, "Do whatever it takes to get to the point where you can give first, save second, and live on the rest."

What a Night!

2011-11-16T17:45:00.002-05:00

So the Love Revolution cd is out into the world, finally, after months and months of work, and there was no better way to send it off than with the release concert we had on Sunday night.

It was a night of celebration, a night of worship, and a night of loud, rockin' music.

I want to let you know that even if you weren't able to make it to the concert, you can still get your hands on the Love Revolution cd in a few different ways.

1) You can buy it this weekend at Next Level Church. The bundle deal is done, but there are some some great deals to be found in the resource center!

2) You can get a copy on iTunes:

Either way, or goal remains the same: to give this record to our friends and families and to use it as a tool to show people the love of Jesus.

We, the band, have done our part. The rest is up to you!

Joe Paterno's Keeping Me Awake

2011-11-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

So, it's 1:40 in the morning and I can't sleep. I've laid in bed for nearly 3 hours now, eyes wide shut, hoping for rest, longing for relief, but one prayer continues to burn through my mind and won't stop echoing through the chambers of my heart..."my God in Heaven, please, please, above all else, help me to...finish...well."

I cant seem to get the apostle Paul's words to stop ringing in my ears like crashing symbols where he writes in 2 Timothy 4: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Over and over again tonight, I find myself begging God to let me have the honor of speaking those words over my life.

I'm finding more and more that it doesn't matter how you start, but how you finish that ultimately counts. Paul himself is the perfect example. Here is a man who not only had a bad start, but anevil, vile, wicked, & reprehensible period in his life. He not only condemned early believers, but was literally responsible for the viscous murders of entire family's whom uttered the claims of Christ. But those days became irrelevant in light of the cross. The apostle Paul was remembered not for how he started (as bad as it was)...but how he finished; as one who fought hard for, ran strong with, and lived out the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like tonight, I sometimes find myself haunted by the fear of missing out on this legacy...

Tonight, I, like so many, can't get the name Joe Paterno out of my head. Isn't it sad, that the name Joe Paterno is headlining more news magazines in recent days that the name Jerry Sandusky. Why is that? I have a theory, and it's that theory that haunts me tonight. It's that instinctively, humanity is more drawn to a fall from grace, the further that fall tends to be. Think about it, if someone who has no public platform or reputation, or no accolades to their name, and they fail morally, or socially, how often does it make the headlines? RARELY. If a plumber gets caught buying crack from a male prostitute, you'd be lucky to see it on an episode of COPS. If a pastor gets caught doing the same, it's national headlines for weeks. Why? Because, intuitively, we are drawn to watch people fail, when they have more to lose.

All of your accomplishments and impacts on the world are forgotten when you finish poorly, especially if you've accomplished much. After reading all of the articles, and seeing all of the reports, I'm more convinced than ever, that Joe Paterno's legacy will be one of tolerance to evil, rather than one of legendary coaching, or leadership. And it's sad, because here's a guy who in 45 years of coaching has seen over 400 wins, two national championships, five undefeated, untied teams, 5 AFCA coach of the year plaques, and more than 350 former players who have been signed to the NFL. He was a legend...but now, all of that will be overshadowed by the scandal in his program. When his final chapter is written, it will be titled "The Fall of a Legend."

And here is why this leaves me sleepless...I pray more than anything else that that would not be me. Not for my own sake or reputation, but for the reputation of the one whose name I bear, Jesus Christ. I say this not because I feel like I am even remotely as accomplished as Joe Paterno, but because I represent one whose accomplishments can't even begin to be measured, and whose message is one the world desperately needs to here.

This is why, as someone who is responsible for the care of teenagers, I take my responsibility seriously, and scandal likes this always makes me check and recheck my operating procedures for myself and those leaders I serve with. It's the very reason we have background checked leaders in place, and why we keep our leaders in groups of three when they are with our students. It's why we have a zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse allegations and will ALWAYS involve authorities. These kinds of things are IMPORTANT to me, not only for the sake of our kids, but for the sake of the Gospel.

So, my commitment has been, and will continue to be...that I will take EVERY measure possible to ensure that as an ambassador of the King, I finish well, and that my legacy glorifies my father in Heaven, rather than being plagued by my sin on the earth. So, here I sit...awake, reminded by the tragedy of Penn State, with a resounding prayer beating the drum of my soul... "my God in Heaven, please, please, above all else, help me to...finish...well."

Tribute to a Worship Leader (Who Doesn't Have Swoopy Hair or Wear Skinny Jeans)

2011-11-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

This post is a tribute to Harrison Gillming, NLC's Pastor of Creative Arts.

Harrison would kill me if he knew I was posting this, which is why I did it without telling him and while I was out of town!

A dirty little secret of ChurchWorld is that Lead Pastors and Worship Pastors often don't get along.

The Worship Pastor thinks: "The Lead guy is a soulless, heartless, bottom-line focused automaton who only cares about his preaching moment in the spotlight. He doesn't understand artists, and he has really bad hair".

The Lead Pastor thinks: "That Worship punk is a temperamental diva who refuses to color in the lines and instead of thinking about the big picture of the church's strategy spends his time obsessing about the kind of product he puts in his swoopy hair and how he is going to squeeze himself into his $200 designer skinny jeans, and match all of that with his Vneck t-shirt with rivets".

Obviously, Harrison doesn't have swoopy hair and I have never seen him in skinny jeans.

Which is good.

But far beyond the surface things, there are a few characteristics about Harrison I want you to know.

He loves God and his family.

He has integrity - as a man and as an artist.

He is an incredible team player.

He is crazy talented, but I have never seen him have a diva moment in almost half a decade of working together.

He is genuinely humble.

He is always willing to go the extra mile, in areas that have nothing to do with the stage or performing.

He cares about the mission and vision of Next Level, not just the worship and arts area.

He absolutely loves and cares about the band, our vocalists, and our tech and production teams.

This Sunday night at the LOVE REVOLUTION CD release concert you will see the fruit of his creativity - a set of amazing songs he wrote and our musicians will perform. It will be God-honoring and inspiring and amazing.

But the most important thing to know about Harrison is that the guy off of the stage is the same as the guy on the stage.

And that is why I am so honored and grateful to get to work with him.

Only a Few Days...

2011-11-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

I admit it.

I'm excited. Like crazy excited.

The Love Revolution CD releases in just a few short days, and I can't wait for everyone to hear it. It's something that this band has really poured themselves into, and I think it shows on every track.

It's a worship album through and through, every track designed to give praise and glory to the only one who is worthy.

A few notes on the concert: 1) It's TOTALLY free to get in. No cover charge, so just bring yourself and your friends. 2) Again, it's the FIRST place you can get a CD. Your next chance to get a copy in your hand will be a week from Sunday. 3) There will be almost twenty NLC musicians involved, just like on the record. They are all ready to go and sounding AWESOME.

You've gotta be there. And you'll probably want to be there early, cause we are expecting a TON on people. Will you be one of them?

See ya there, this Sunday night at 6pm!

Common Ground

2011-11-09T16:18:00.001-05:00

One of the questions I get asked a lot, not necessarily from regular joes, but primarily from other church leaders is: "What's the deal with your music?" And even though most of them don't come right out and say it, I know EXACTLY what they mean...

They want to know why every time they see a youtube video from our church, or see footage from one of our student ministry services, they see us unapologetically doing what they would call "secular" music. With all the AMAZING (hear the sarcasm?) "Christian" music available today, why do you do so many songs that aren't "Christian?" So I'd like to address their line of questioning...

First things first, you have to understand why we do what we do on Sunday mornings. Top to bottom, in every environment, our NUMBER ONE goal is to see EVERYONE take the next step in their relationship with God. But to get skeptics and saints alike to dial in, and focus on what that next step might be, we are required to find some common ground for everyone right out of the gate. That common ground can't be theology, belief systems, or facts. It has to be something that taps into everyone's human emotion.

Now don't get me wrong, I want people to understand theology, build a faith on truth, and develop a sound belief system. But if their not tuned in to learn about how to have those things, we might as well be talking to a wall. So we try in almost every service to do a song, play a game, play a video...whatever, that has NO OTHER PURPOSE but to make people happy that they came. We literally do things that serve the single purpose of making people have fun. Why? BECAUSE EVERYBODY ENJOYS HAVING FUN! It's common ground for everybody in the room. As humans, we are always DRAWN to people and environments that make us feel good, and we always RESIST people and environments that make us feel uncomfortable. That's why we do what we do.

Jesus did the same thing. In Luke 15, we find Jesus teaching to a very mixed crowd, tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and religious leaders. How could you possibly relevantly teach to such a diverse group. Rather than diving right in to the teaching, Jesus starts by finding common ground. He starts out by talking about how it feels when someone loses a sheep. A sheep! Not about the Heavenly Kingdom, or about faith, or about the Father's will...but SHEEP! (What a secular topic!) He knew that everyone in His audience could relate to what it would feel like to lose a sheep. Then, once he had their attention, He went on to teach them about the love of His Father in Heaven. But first, he found common ground, and had them dial in through human emotion.

When we do "secular" songs at our church. It's not just to be cool. It's so that we can get people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds on common ground, dialed in. I mean, everybody loves a good Beatles tune, or the latest from Coldplay, right? We will continue do whatever it takes to ENGAGE the people God has sent our direction, so that we can successfully CHALLENGE them with the truth of God's word.

On Heavenly Citizenship

2011-11-08T16:58:00.000-05:00

We live in a country whose government has very distinct origins. The Founding Fathers were colonials of Britain. We were colonists. So think through with me for a moment the logic of colonies. The Founding Fathers' citizenship was British. They were fully and completely British citizens. But that did not mean that they were planning on returning to Britain from the colonies one day. It meant that they were to bring British culture-values, government, education, military-to a new place. And what would happen if the colonials got into huge trouble with the indigenous population? Britain would send soldiers to rescue them.

Now think about this. In Roman times it was no different. After the civil wars of the mid-to-late first century they didn't want all those retired soldiers hanging around Rome so they sent them off with a mission to colonize the world. The city of Philippi was one such colony. The former soldiers, whose citizenship was in Rome, were to bring Roman culture to the new city-values, government, education, transportation, military, etc. And what would happen if there was an uprising. Rome would send soldier to rescue them and in the extreme the Caesar would come himself. Caesar was also given the titles of Savior, Son of God, and King.

Now read this:

But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

- Letter to the Christians in Philippi aka. Philippians 3:20

That's right. The logic of our citizenship being in heaven is not that we need to get this little bit of life on earth over so we can go be in heaven some day. The logic of citizenship is that we are to colonize this world with the culture of heaven. We are to bring the values of God's Kingdom into our worldly kingdoms. And kingdom values are forgiveness, service, humility, obedience, and love.

That's not to say that if we work extremely hard then we can bring about God's Kingdom here on earth-the 20th Century should have put a nail in the coffin of that pipe dream. But that is to say that our heavenly citizenship is actually a calling to work in the here and now. So that when in a dramatic moment God's new Heaven and new Earth (that is to say, New Creation) are revealed, while it will be dramatically different, there will also be a strange, fitting, just, continuity with the kingdom building work that God's people have done in the present.

In conclusion,

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

I Made A Mistake Yesterday

2011-11-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

So, at the 9:30 service I was talking about all that God is up to these days at NLC and how our church is a GREAT investment.

I wanted to brag on God for how many people he has brought to first time faith in Christ in the six years of our church but my brain froze. I said something like "600 or maybe even 800 men, women, and children have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the first time at Next Level Church".

Um...wrong.

I was immediately assailed after the service by all manner of knowledgable colleagues who said "Um, dude, it is more than 1,000".

I may be the only pastor in history to UNDERstate a church statistic.

I say that with a wink.

It is a mind-boggling number. And here's what you need to know about how we count.

I never, ever, ever, ever want to exaggerate the faith commitment number.

A person placing their faith in Christ is a spiritual miracle - someone coming from death to life - and I never want to cheapen that by exaggerating. Plus, exaggerating is lying which is, you know, one of the Ten Commandments.

We never count a person as having made a first time commitment unless they have filled out a card or talked personally to a leader and given us contact information.

The big reason - we are responsible to follow up, providing them with information and resources to help them grow in their new faith.

God has been incredibly gracious in allowing us to see new life at Next Level Church and we want to be good managers of that gift by always telling the truth and always following up promptly with new believers.

Girls Nite Out

2011-11-04T14:58:00.000-04:00

Not a typical blog post title for me, I know.

Hey, one of the best parts of NLC is Girls Nite Out, our event devoted to getting women connected to each other and into Life Groups. It's been a smash hit in its brief life.

(P.S. there's still time to make it to tonight's GNO!)

Girls Nite Out is founded on several premises:

-Women are relational beings and offering them the chance to relate is a really good idea.
-Life is hard for everyone and the life of a woman has its own unique challenges. So LAUGHTER is important and GNO majors on fun.
-Traditional "womens' ministry" can quickly become insiderish. GNO is for ALL women, whether they have been at NLC all six years of our life or whether their first visit was last week.
-Life can be lonely and GNO is committed to the belief that no woman should have to go through life without the support and care of other women.

GNO has seen hundreds of women get involved in Life Groups and grow spiritually and it all begins with a fun, inspirational, highly relational gathering, with the strong leadership of some godly, gifted women who have a heart for other women.

What can beat that?!

The Art of Rest

2011-11-03T10:38:00.001-04:00

When does a new day start?

According to our clocks and calendars a new day starts at midnight. Why is this the system? Who actually starts their day at midnight? My friend Shawn works third shift and he doesn't even start his day at midnight; he starts it at 10pm. So I'm lobbying for a new "start-of-day" time. I've got two possibilities.

1.) Sunrise

This seems like a pretty natural option. When the sun comes up, off you go with your day. Plus, if we could all agree on this it might put an end to those people who get up at like 4am to workout and do an hour of bible reading and prayer just to make me look bad when I roll into the office just-on-time with my hair all askew. These are the same people who spew venomous non-truths like, "I'm a morning person." No your not. You're an overachiever and you're making the rest of us look lazy. This is the primary reason to vote for Sunrise as the official start of the day. I know my night-owl, creative people feel me.

2.) Sundown
This one is counter intuitive, but did you know that for Jews the day starts at sundown the day before. That's why Sabbath starts at sundown on Friday and carries through Saturday. How about this for a thought: when the sun goes down you stop working. This goes against most of what we have been taught. You start with a bang! You jump in and get going! But starting with rest makes all the sense in the world. It forces us to recognize that while we are not active, God still is. So when we work we are not "making things happen" as much as we are joining into the work God has already been doing. This is also why a Sabbath day is so important. When we stop working we recognize that the world doesn't revolve around us. It revolves around God. And when we do work, it is by God's invitation to join him.

Just Dance

2011-11-02T11:31:00.000-04:00

So this past Monday night, I was introduced to the ridiculously bizarre, masochistic world of JUST DANCE for the Nintendo Wii. Now don't get me wrong, I can completely validate the level of fun most people experience when playing this game. I am just NOT one of those people. Why? I am a terrible dancer! I am TERRIBLE at it. If there were ever a reason to keep the lights dim in a club, it's me. It's not only that people around me would be inhibited from dancing themselves due to their laughter. It would also be their sheer terror at the apparent exorcism that was occuring in my body. But anyways...

For those of you not fully aware of the concept of this game, let me explain. You are holding the controller which acts as a sensor to your movement during the round. Then, when the song comes on, out of the shadows appears the silhouette of a phenomenal dancer, pulling off move after move, some of which you only wish you could pull off. The object of the game is, during the song, to mimic identically (and on time) the same dance moves as the shadowy figure on the screen. The more you nail the moves, the more points you get. The person with the highest number of points wins.

But I got to thinking; to anyone watching, not only me, which is bad enough, but even the best dancer attempting to play this game, without the context of knowing what was going on, you would look like a complete and utter idiot to them. But in the heat of the moment, I realized, YOU DON'T CARE. You have one goal. It's obviously not to impress the people around you, but rather, to follow your leader to the absolute best of your ability, because you are on a mission. That mission: MOST POINTS. No matter how idioitic the moves and steps may look to the outside world, you continue to try and follow the directions of the one in which you are focused.

This is EXACTLY how we are to operate as Christ followers. Some of our life's choices and steps may seem weird to the outside world. But as FOLLOWERS of Jesus, we shouldn't care. Our goal should be simply to FOLLOW the calling, instructions, and lifestyle that Jesus Christ has set before us.

But living this way is hard to do. When I play just dance, I'm not just bad because I'm a bad dancer, it's because I care too much what other people around me are thinking as they watch me play. I'm not solely focused on the only one who matters, my leader. Rather my focuses are on others thoughts, and opinions of me. For many of us, that's the very way we live life. We have a desire to do well, and finish well and please God with the life he's given us. But many of us can't focus on living that way because we are distracted by our need to fit in and be normal. Life Principal: We can never see who God is CALLING us to be, when all we are looking at is who everyone else EXPECTS us to be.

So my challenge is simple: Stay focused on God, and his direction for your life. Don't worry about how ridiculous it makes you look to everybody else. Remember this verse: This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. 1 Corinithians 1:25

CD Release Concert

2011-11-01T15:23:00.003-04:00

For all those curious, here are all the details you'd want or need for the CD Release Concert.

-It's happening at 6pm on Sunday night, November 13th. (And I would suggest getting there kinda early because we're expecting a ton of people!)

-It's going to feature ALL original songs from the CD "Love Revolution", some of which we sing all the time and a few of which are completely new. It's going to be a big rockin' worship concert, a time to celebrate what God has done and is continuing to do.

-It's going to feature our ENTIRE band, minus a few guys who wish they were in town to be there. There will be two drummers, six guitar players, three bass players, two keyboard players, and six vocalists participating on various songs throughout the night! Just as we use our awesome volunteer musicians every Sunday and for the CD, so it will be for the release concert.

-It's going to be the FIRST place you can pick up a copy of the CD. If you don't come on the 13th, you'll have to wait until the following Sunday to get a physical copy, or until Tuesday the 15th to get a copy on iTunes.

-It's going to feature the best prices you will ever see for the CD. On that night only, a single CD will cost you 8 dollars, OR a bundle of 5 CDs and a t-shirt will cost you only 25 dollars. It's a crazy good deal. (We want it to be possible for anyone to buy multiple copies to give to their friends and family!)

-We want EVERYONE to be there. It will be one of the most exciting and fun and worshipful nights in the history of Next Level Church. It will be packed, hundreds of people gathering to celebrate an amazing God! We don't want you to miss it. We'll see you there!

What Are You Thinking?

2011-10-31T11:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we wrapped up our series SUPERNATURAL by looking at Romans 8 and what it says about the battle for our mind - -will our mind be controlled by our sinful nature or by the Holy Spirit. It is, quite literally, a matter of life and death.

There's a quick way to get at where your mind is focused. A simple question:

What do you think about when you can think about anything?

When your mind is free to focus anywhere it wants to where does it focus?

What do you dream about? Long for? Fantasize about? Worry about?

A healthy mind focused on Jesus Christ as he is revealed in Scripture - crucified and risen.

An unhealthy mind focused on anything else.

Where is your mind focused?

What I Learned From Anthony Bourdain

2011-10-28T12:04:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night, my oldest son Justin and I went to hear TV celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain speak along with famous chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and 'Top Chef' fame.

If you don't know Bourdain, he is a swashbuckling, profane, perceptive, and opinionated guy who will eat anything and who travels around the world proving it.

At one point Wednesday night he was talking about his show 'No Reservations', in which he travels around the globe in search of great global cuisine.

Normally, the shows reflect his brash and abrasive personality. But there was an episode in one season where his family was traveling with him and the show illustrated his tender side, playing with his young daughter in the fountains of Rome. This totally violated the normal formula of the show, which is Bourdain living large and talking big.

Here's how he explained it: "My deal is that if something is not broken, I am going to break it - to surprise people and myself and see if I can't make it better". He was willing to tinker with a successful formula in order to try to achieve a creative result.

I'm not arguing for change for change's sake (though I am often a fan of that, to be honest)...

But is there an area in your life that may be "okay", but is growing a bit stale?

Your exercise habits, your spiritual devotions, your diet, your work patterns, your way of relating to your spouse and kids or friends?

What could you "break" to see if you could make it better?

Love Revolution (Now With Sound!)

2011-10-27T07:34:00.005-04:00

Months ago, we began to dream as a church what it would look like if we started a Love Revolution in our neighborhoods, communities, cities, and even in our world.

We wanted to see what would happen if we showed everyone just what Jesus' love looks like when it's lived out well. We wanted everyone to see His love and every heart to sing His praises.

So far, we've changed the life of a family in Spring Hill through an extreme home makeover.

550 kids have been given shoes at Rock Rest Elementary.

39 moms and babies are being taken care of in Lima, Peru.

And on November 13th, this movement will get a soundtrack.

Our amazing and talented volunteer band, Next Level Worship, is releasing their debut album, "Love Revolution", in just a few short weeks. The record is filled with songs of hope and joy and the truth of Jesus shines through every track.

It's going to be an amazing tool for the people of Next Level Church to be able to give to their friends and families and show them just what Jesus' love is all about, in a way that everyone can understand. And as a side note, this record will ROCK.

It's also filled with 100% original music. These songs were written out of the heart of Next Level Church, written to inspire and teach and lead God's church in worship of Him.

We couldn't be more excited to share this album with you, and it's all coming your way soon.

In fact, this weekend, we'll be letting you know what you can do to get the first song sent to your email weeks before the cd release... you don't want to miss it.

One last thing you've gotta know.

Mark this date. 11-13-11: the release concert, the first place you can get your copy, the next step in a Love Revolution.

Defying Gravity

2011-10-26T15:40:00.001-04:00

FROM THE STUDENT GUY:

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Acts 15. Let me set the stage for you. At this time, there is a pretty sharp dispute brewing between the leaders of the early church, specifically regarding Gentile believers. Gentile believers were those people who were brought to faith in Christ but were not raised Jewish. This meant they were not circumcised, nor had they memorized and chosen to practice the laws of the Old Testament.

Some church leaders believed that before these men could join the Christian Church, they must first fulfill the requirements of the O.T. laws (i.e, circumcision, and embracing O.T. laws.) While others sharply disagreed, and believed Judaism had NOTHING to do with salvation.

You can imagine the tension being felt by Gentile men. I mean, the decision the church leaders came to on this issue DIRECTLY affected these guys, not only spiritually, but PHYSICALLY...LITERALLY...ouch!

Anyways, I digress...so, in Acts 15, we find these church leaders gathered together trying to come to a consensus on this issue. While some believed these acts were necessary, others held to the fact that it is through GRACE alone that we are saved. Not through O.T. acts. Some apostles even went so far as to remind the council that God KNOWS the heart, and the heart is what matters to Him.

One of my favorite moments in the story, is when Peter sarcastically asks the men; "How can we put on the necks of these men a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear!?" Basically he's saying, "WE couldn't even keep all of the O.T. laws, how can we expect these new Gentile believers to!"

Then James, the BROTHER of Jesus, stands up and comes to this conclusion in verse 9: "It is my judgement, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God."

So, what does this have to do with us? ALOT!

See, most churches across America naturally gravitate towards insiders instead of outsiders. It's just the natural gravitational pull. Why? Because think about it...outsiders never complain! The people we want to keep happy are the one who are already attending, already tithing, already leading. So naturally, we tend to gravitate towards meeting the need of insiders rather than outsiders. Sometimes we are more about PRESERVING rather than ADVANCING.

We also gravitate more naturally to Law instead of Grace. Why? Because it's easier. It's easier to tell someone they are living in sin and they need to stop, rather than tell them that God loves them just as they are, right where they are at. The earlier is much more defined, black and white, and concrete.

But here is what I love about being a part of Next Level Church and a part of our student ministry here. We DEFY GRAVITY! We believe that what James said in Acts 15 is more applicable to us than ever. We have to remove barriers, and make it as SIMPLE, and as EASY as possible for outsiders to come to faith in Christ. The Gospel is already intimidating enough. We don't need to make it more difficult for people who are trying to come to grips with it.

In our student ministry, we have made three commitments, to ensure that this happens.

1. Every quarter, we identify and remove any OBSTACLES we might have created that get in the way of disconnected people coming to faith in Christ.

2. Second, we always err on the side of Grace rather than law. We want students to know that while there may be nobody else who loves them because of who they are or what they've done, there is a God who does! And his grace is MORE than enough for them. Now, you gotta know, we want people to change. We just don't expect them to change on their own. We believe that true change comes from the heart, and as they grow in their relationship with God through personal time with God, and corporate worship, they will begin to change...because has created them a new person, not because someones harping the rules at them.

3. Finally, we focus on our unique calling. What is that one thing that we are distinctly called to do? For us, it's connecting students to God. For our church, it's helping people take the next step in their relationship with God. We don't do ANYTHING that gets in the way of that calling. But more importantly, we keep our eyes focused on that calling and use it as our gauge for defining success.

Are you defying gravity in your area of ministry???

Why Doesn't God Help Me?

2011-10-24T14:19:00.001-04:00

If we know that God will help us because he went all the way to the cross.

And we know that God can help us because he rose from the dead.

Then why doesn't he help us?

Someone asked me this after church yesterday. What a fantastic question! I think the answer has to do with timing and faith.

First: Timing

When you are in a period of life where God is able and willing to help you, yet he is not helping you, then you are in the wilderness. The wilderness is where God accomplishes his purposes for you and in you by trial and by testing. This will never be either enjoyable or fun. Sometimes we are in self-imposed exile through our own sin and refusal to repent. Sometimes we are blindsided into the wilderness by unforeseen events. And sometimes we run directly for the wilderness because it is the only alternative to the raging army behind us. But however we got there, God has a plan for us there. Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and Jesus all spent time in the wilderness. And Moses spent 40 years there. This is actually the whole point of looking back to the cross and the resurrection. We know that God can help us and will help us, but we also know that he has purposes for us that are beyond our comprehension. In fact, if you have a God who is big enough and powerful enough to be mad at for not rescuing you, then you also have a God who is wise enough to have reasons for your suffering that you know nothing about. It is the cross and the resurrection that assures us that God is working all things together for our good.

Second: Faith
Because of that American Worldview that we possess, we often think of faith as belief in things that you can't prove. But this has nothing to do with the biblical definition of faith. In the Bible faith is an active trust in someone: God as revealed in Christ. And the more you know someone and the more you know their character the easier and more natural it is to trust that person and act accordingly. This is why the cross and the resurrection feature so prominently in biblical faith. When you see the cross you see the clearest ever demonstration of God's heart and God's character. So when he is not doing what you want him to do you don't have to doubt his goodness. You can simply say, "I know because of the cross and the resurrection that God is both good and powerful. I have no idea why he has left me in the wilderness, but I can trust in the end that it will work out for my good." That is the essence of faith.

Hope that is helpful!

Now, You Listen

2011-10-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

The opening scene of the movie The Social Network is like a car crash you can't help but look at.

It portrays Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as a college student chatting with his girlfriend in a bar. Or, more accurately, inflicting conversation on his girlfriend.

In rapid fire patter, he talks about one thing after another, all having to do with him. He doesn't listen to a thing she says, barely responding to her and then dismissing her concerns. At the end of the conversation, she breaks up with him but he is not even paying enough attention for that to sink in at first.

It's painful to watch, because we can all relate. We've all had conversations where we weren't listened to or, worse, have had encounters where we were inflicting conversation on someone else.

That's why it is so remarkable that God says this:

"Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here', he will quickly reply'" - Isaiah 58:9a

The God who created and now rules the universe will respond to us, quickly, as soon as we call on Him. He'll listen to our pleas, confessions, requests, complaint.

Instant access.

Amazing.

So, do you take enough advantage of that extraordinary fact?

And, as importantly, do you listen back?

Night of Worship

2011-10-20T10:08:00.009-04:00

Sometimes on Sunday mornings, I get so caught up in what's going on with Student Ministry, that I totally miss out on some of the cool moments that happen in the main auditorium. Then afterwards, I always try and catch up with someone who experienced it firsthand and get the scoop on how it went. Just a habit I guess. But it got me thinking...

For many of you, it's the exact opposite. Maybe you serve in Kid City, or in First Impressions, or in the auditorium, and you never get the chance to see what's going on Student Ministry. Well, this post is for you!

This past Sunday night, the student ministry of NLC had one of those "cool moments," and I wanted to make sure you got a glimpse of what took place. It was the student ministry "NIGHT OF WORSHIP."

The night started off with a huge anthemic chorus of the song

How He Loves Us, and I'm telling you, with well over 100 students in the room our kids were singing louder than I have EVER HEARD! To get the night started right, we had a cross set up at the front. We encouraged students to think of areas of their lives they had not yet fully surrendered to God. We had them write those areas down and place them on the cross. At this point students had laid it all down, in wreckless abandon, and were truly ready to worship with everything that they had. GOD WAS IN THE ROOM. Not because we "let the spirit move," or any other churchy cliche that we tend to say when get goosebumps in a worship service, but because individual students had postured themselves in such a way that they were ready to meet with God, and experience His presence personally, not just corporately.

Through singing, experiencing communion together, and spoken word, the next hour was an hour many of us never wanted to end, and won't soon forget. I challenged our students to be the kind of student ministry that is ALL ABOUT connecting friends, neighbors and coworkers to God...not because you feel obligated to, but because you desperately want them to experience the same relationship you are experiencing. You want them to be able to worship they same way you worship. You want them to HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE! I challenged them to use their worship as fuel to go out and change the world.

This will be a milestone in the spiritual life of Wi-Fi Student Ministry. It was an amazing night, and I personally want to thank every volunteer that came out that afternoon early and stayed late to make this night a reality. Your investment is one that will continue to pay out dividends in the months and years to come.

New

2011-10-18T16:08:00.003-04:00

I was thinking about a fact that, to me, seems to show that God really is a God of love and redemption. The fact is this: every person, no matter what they have been through, no matter where they are in life, no matter if they follow God or go their own way, every person has a chance for a new beginning at any moment.

A chance for a new thing.

I remember a quote from a movie I saw a few years ago: "Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around."

It was Jesus' main message too. He said that anyone could come to Him and find a new life, a new beginning.

It just seems such a beautiful thing to me that all of a sudden, the whole world can change because of the truth and power and love of Jesus. Anyone can start again. I guess that is what a love revolution is all about.

Monday Recap

2011-10-17T20:25:00.002-04:00

Huge day for us as we finished ONE THING, our four week series focusing on the essence of the Gospel, the Good News at the heart of the Christian faith.

We looked at Mark 1:14-15 as we examined the question - how do we take the knowledge about the Gospel we have learned and apply it to our lives every day.

According to Jesus, there are twin pistons to the Christian life - repentance and belief (faith).

Repentance is when I change my mind and my direction, based on my understanding that I am living in a way contrary to God's purposes.

Belief is when I stake my life on the promises of God as revealed in Scripture, particularly the promises related to Jesus.

When my life alternates between repentance (based not on guilt or shame but rather on the fact that I see what Jesus has done for me on the Cross and this compels my loving obedience) and belief (applying my absolute trust in Christ for every area of my life) I am living in the light of the ONE THING that is of ultimate importance!

Don't Be A Late Adopter

2011-10-14T16:36:00.002-04:00

My wife says I act like an old man. I deny this, emphatically.

I mean, sure, I am a jerky driver, get lost on the way to work, and actually said once "Those kids need to pipe down outside". But, old man?

Anyway, one of the pieces of evidence she cites is that I am a late adopter when it comes to technology. I cannot deny this.

I like tech, I really do. I just never feel the need to be one of the first to get the new thing. There is no virtue involved in this, particularly. It's just how I am wired. Like last year, I said "Why would I want to give up my eight track tape collection for these new-fangled cassette tapes?".

But I digress.

In May of this year, I published on this blog that I would be one of the last people to get a Kindle or a Nook, because I love actual paper and cloth books so much. But then my wife Miranda went and got me one for my birthday - a Kindle.

I love it. Couldn't be without it.

I love its ease of use, how it allows me to travel light and, most of all, how the books, magazines, and newspapers are just THERE when I want them. It's crazy to imagine, but ereaders make old school Amazon one click ordering as slow as the Pony Express.

I wish I had gotten a Kindle sooner. This was one case where being a late adopter was not the best thing.

But it's not the only case...

-When you know you need to get in better physical shape so you will be in better spiritual and emotional shape.
-When you know you need to forgive a slight or let go of a grudge.
-When you know you need to say "I'm sorry".
-When you know you need to tackle a nasty habit or start a beneficial spiritual practice like intensifying your prayer life or committing to regular Bible reading.
-When you know you need to share your faith with that friend or coworker.

Any time you KNOW you need to do something that may feel scary or risky or time-consuming or may involve sacrifice and the potential of loss.

But that KNOWING is not going to go away. And the benefit of doing what you need to do isn't going to come until you ACT on your knowing.

So, don't be a late adopter.

Adopt, and act, early and often.

No Apologies

2011-10-13T13:00:00.005-04:00

If there is one thing I can honestly say that I HATE, it's emails, memo's, txt msg's, and BLOG posts for that matter that begin with an apology. If you're apologizing, you probably shouldn't be writing it in the first place.

If you know that another blog post on a topic that's not of interest to your readers will annoy them, don't post it. If you're sorry to bother me with that spam, don't send it. If you are apologizing for sticking your nose into something that's none of your business anyways, just stay out of it! If you're the boss at work, and you know that no one in the office is going to read your office-wide spam about yet another inane meeting, save yourself the trouble and just leave us alone.

HOWEVER, if it's important, if it needs to be said, if it benefits not just you but the recipient, then just send it. DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR IT!!! There are a few things I am proud to say at Next level Church, we DON'T apologize for. We know it's truth, and although it may be offensive to some, we are proud to stand on it and make no qualms about it. THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH!

Now, we don't beat people up with it, or abuse our positions as leaders. I mean, You don’t have to be a jerk to be honest, and you don’t have to be crass to be authentic. But, If your motives are pure and you are preaching God’s Word, then you don’t have to apologize for teaching the Bible. Whether it’s sin, faith, Jesus or money, we shoot straight with people. Ultimately, we believe they will appreciate it in the long run.

Having said that, here are some examples of things we don't apologize for:

"In every sermon, there always comes a turn, where we make a b-line for the cross of Jesus Christ. Because we believe that understanding THAT message is the only way ANYTHING else makes sense. You can't figure out how to make ANY LASTING DIFFERENCE in your family, your marriage, your finances, your ANYTHING...apart from understanding the GOSPEL."

-Todd Hahn

WE DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!

"A lot of people want to live their life for themselves, on their own, apart from God. Then somewhere way down the line, they want to accept Jesus as their savior, simply to ensure Heaven as their eternal home. But here's the question: Why would you want to spend all of eternity in the presence of someone you're not even willing to spend a few years in relationship with and following in this life.THE REASON FOR THE CROSS WAS SO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD COULD BE RESTORED NOW, NOT SOMEDAY! Heaven is just a fringe benefit! Eternal LIFE can begin now, not when you die "

-Robbie McLaughlin

WE DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!

"A truly beautiful thing is worthy of being admired simply for what it is, not what it can do for you. The cross and the whole gospel brings you to the place where you can worship God because of WHO HE IS, not what He can do for you."

-Jared Kirk

WE DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!

Some things are just the truth, and they require no apology. If you have to apologize for it, is it really worth saying?

-Thanks to Seth Godin for getting my thought process going in this direction.

On Spiritual Ups and Downs

2011-10-12T16:40:00.001-04:00

One of my top ten days of all time was a trip to John Pennycamp State Park in Florida with my wife Heather. We were just dating then. We were both in college in South Florida, but we took the day to drive down to the keys. At the state park they rent snorkel gear and give boat rides out to the coral reef there. They day we went was warm and clear which meant that we could go to the very best snorkeling spot, an underwater statue of Jesus that was dropped there by a ship. If you take a huge breath you can swim down and touch the outstretched hand of Jesus. It's really pretty surreal.

The sea was pretty calm that day just 0-2ft. So when you're on a boat you don't notice the gentle roll of the ocean at all, but when you jump into the water even a calm sea seems to move you quite a bit with the waves. Even being in the ocean a ton, here is what I know... When you are on the top of the wave and you can clearly see all the people around you the ocean really doesn't seem that scary. But when you are at the bottom of a swell and you can't see anyone, all of the sudden you feel isolated and alone and the barracuda which looked so beautiful now seems pretty menacing.

We all ride along on the sea of our life circumstances. There will be times when you are at the top of your wave and you can clearly see God's presence and intervention in your life. It seems as though he has surrounded you with friends and family. You feel secure and safe. There will also be times when you are at the bottom of the wave. God's does not seem as present to you as he once did. You feel isolated and alone. Left here long enough, you start to freak out.

This is a normal part of Christian experience that we all experience in varying degrees. Most of us float along on a sea of 0-2ft. swell, but every once in a while we are blindsided by a rogue wave. And each of us can choose whether to keep on swimming or freak out and head for the boat; get out of the water altogether. The interesting this is that it has nothing to do with the size of the peaks or troughs. Some people stick it out no matter what and some people bail as soon as things get mildly uncomfortable. Although I am passionate about looking for the work of God's Spirit in the bottoms of life, what I would like to call your attention to today is why some people continue swimming no matter what the conditions are and some people completely leave the water when times become trying.

The number one reason that a person follows God cyclically is that they didn't get what they wanted or expected from God. You are looking for a certain kind of continued emotional experience and don't get it. You are looking for material blessing and it dries up. You are looking for God to fix your broken family or bring your prodigal child home and he doesn't. You were expecting to have a constant awareness and God didn't make it happen. You were expecting life to get better and it just didn't.

The number one reason that a person follows God faithfully is that they have learned to want God himself. We tend to want God so that he can fulfill our selfish desires. But how would accepting Jesus on those terms change anything about the fundamental self-centeredness of our hearts? The cross demonstrates that God accepts us because God himself is good. He forgives us because he himself is faithful. And when you grasp that you begin to grasp the beauty of God. The beauty of Jesus. The beauty of his Holy Spirit. And a beautiful thing is magnificent in and of itself. Or to say it another way, a truly beautiful thing is worthy of being admired simply for what it is, not what it can do for you. The cross and the whole gospel brings you to the place where you can worship God because of who he is not what he can do for you.

When that penny drops you can swim through any peak or any trough. You can swim whether you are surrounded by friends or isolated and alone. You can swim knowing that God has not and never will abandon you. He remembered you all the way to the cross, he won't forget you now. God is faithful, beautiful, magnificent, regal, trustworthy, good, longsuffering, patient, kind, just, loyal, true, light, love, faithful, faithful, faithful. God is faithful. And he is worthy of being worshiped no matter the circumstances of your life. There will be peaks and there will be troughs, but you know that he has gone to the cross for you. He won't leave you now, don't leave him.

You Should Get Baptized (A Great Day)

2011-10-11T15:23:00.005-04:00

There are awesome days and there are REALLY awesome days.

I've had some awesome days in my life. I got to go to a Miami Hurricanes road game while I was in college and Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 104 yards for a TD. That was a good day.

Once I went with my entire family to Cedar Point, a roller coaster park in Ohio. I love riding crazy roller coasters, and that was an awesome day.

Then there are days that go way past awesome. These are REALLY awesome days, or "Best Days Ever".

The day I found out I was chosen to be a part of this band I really wanted to be in was a Best Day Ever.

The day I got married to my amazing (and really beautiful) wife was a Best Day Ever.

The day that I became a dad, and the day I became a dad AGAIN... those were Best Days Ever.

Last fall at Next Level Church, I had a Best Day Ever, and it all centered around Baptism. If you haven't heard it explained out before, Baptism is an outward sign of an inner life change. It's basically a way to tell the world, "I belong to God."

I was blessed enough to be able to baptize my wife Emily, my son Jake, my two nieces and my nephew, all on one sunny afternoon at Next Level. It was one of those landmark days for all of us... Emily had been baptized when she was really little but didn't really remember it, and she had always wanted to be baptized as an adult now that she knew what it all meant. For the kids, they had never been baptized before and they wanted everyone to know that they were a part of God's family. I was glad they wanted me to be a part of it!

It was a day we will all remember for the rest of our lives.

If you've a follower of Christ and you've never been baptized before, or if it's something you feel like God is calling you to do again, I've got good news for you. Baptism is THIS WEEKEND at Next Level Church. You should get baptized if you never have... you really should.

To get signed up to be a part of it, just send an email to jared.kirk@gmail.com

Monday Recap, ONE THING Week 3

2011-10-10T10:39:00.000-04:00

Well, first, welcome to the newly minted NLC Blog, now called Access Next Level!

We'll be posting here five times a week, giving you information about NLC that you can't get anywhere else. The standard Monday post recaps the teaching from the day before, so that you can dig deeper into God's words.

Yesterday was week three of ONE THING and it was one of the most incredible days in our history. Dozens and dozens of people came forward, knelt at the altar and invited Christ into their lives. The same thing happened in the Student Center and Kid City as well - we had people trusting Christ for the first time in each of our buildings yesterday. How incredible is that?!?!

In a nutshell, we learned that Jesus had to die on the cross so that the broken relationship we have with God could be mended and so that the penalty for our rebellion against God's authority in our lives could be paid.

Jesus HAD to die, because:

Forgiveness always involves suffering, and
Love always involves substitution.

On the cross, where Jesus suffered as our substitute, God's mercy and justice met perfectly.

And this compels us to trust him with the totality of our lives.

I am praying that as our Life Groups interact with this teaching this week that even more people will pray to receive Christ - will you pray for that with me?

A Huge Weekend and an Announcement

2011-10-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

Hey, guys - two things for you today.

1. NO, we have not forgotten about this blog. At Next Level, we are always tinkering and changing things, striving for continuous improvement. This goes for the blog as well. We are relaunching this blog next week with a new look and fresh content five days a week! Very excited about this, as it will offer you the chance to get insider information about what's going on at NLC, on a more frequent basis. Make sure you stop by next Monday and check the new look out!

2. I can't overemphasize how huge this coming Sunday is, as we round into week three of ONE THING. We're pulling out all the stops to put a crystal clear summary of the Gospel message out and to give people a concrete chance to respond and commit their lives to Christ. If you have anyone in your life you have been investing in, THIS WEEK is the time to get them here. It is going to be an eternity-altering deal. So, be praying, investing, and INVITING!

Weekend Recap (Guest Blogger: Robbie McLaughlin)

2011-08-29T15:30:00.002-04:00

I hope you had as great of a weekend as I did! It started off with a wedding for two great peeps from NLC, then we kicked off round two of TRUE GRIT yesterday morning, and topped it all off with a little FUEL last night where we enjoyed a great word from Pastor Todd and took communion together! Plus afterwards, I got the privilege of hangin with some great middle school volunteers at the house. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better (or more packed) weekend!

Campus was boomin Sunday morning! It was a packed house for week two of TRUE GRIT. Now, I'm still convinced people are only showing up for the peanuts, but i digress... The band opened with BACKWARDS by Rascal Flatts and NAILED it! They also covered the country hit, "What Was I Thinkin" and it was an absolute blast. I had the honor of being able to teach part two of our series where we dove into the second half of the second chapter of the second letter Paul wrote to Timothy. (Seconds anyone?) In the letter, Paul talks to Timothy about leading a life that will be pleasing to the Lord, so that when all is said and done, He can say "well done." Through the tone of the chapter he reiterates repeatedly that the best way to show yourself as one approved by the Lord is by avoiding careless speech, and being careful with our words. Why? Because, and this was the big idea for the morning, "OUR WORDS GIVE TESTIMONY TO WHO WE REALLY ARE."

But our words aren't produced by our mouth, do they? Jesus said, that our words come from our HEART. So to fix our speech, we must examine our heart, and remove anything that festers there that may not bring honor to the name of Jesus. When carefully guard our heart, our speech will follow suit, and when our speech follows suit, people will know WHOSE we really are. If you want to dive a little deeper in to this topic, take some time, and read through Matthew 12:33-37.

I hope you are looking forward to week 3 of TRUE GRIT! I know I am!

Top 3 Reasons Why I Love FUEL

2011-08-26T10:06:00.004-04:00

FUEL is this coming Sunday night at Next Level Church at 6pm. I have to admit that I really, really enjoy going, and that's not a pastor thing, that's a Jared thing. So, here are the top three reasons why.

1. Communion - There is something about participating in communion, about following Jesus' words to the letter, about standing in a line of tradition 2,000 years old, that I simply love. The longer I'm alive the more the gospel bowls be over, and communion brings the gospel to you in a way that you can taste, smell, and touch. When communion is done right, every time you smell wine or taste plain bread you think, just for an instant, about God's crazy, reckless grace.

2. The Music - FUEL has an extended time of worship. And I think of myself as a music freak. I was greatly humbled by my friend Cory Wing in East 74 diner the other day with his encyclopedic knowledge of 80's music, but it doesn't matter I still love music. Music brings emotion together with the mind in a way that is utterly unique.

3. Todd's Heart - Confession time, I love working for Pastor Todd. And I say that knowing full well that there's not a chance that saying that will get me a raise. And part of the reason why I love working for him is that his passion never, ever waivers. And at FUEL it's a chance to hear from Todd, straight from his heart and his passion. And despite what Samuel Donahue said on the Need to Know video last Sunday there is not an "extended time of teaching." There is actually a shortened time of teaching. So bonus there, too.

Sunday night at 6pm. I'll be there. Hope to see you there.

Sunday Teaching Recap

2011-08-16T14:22:00.000-04:00

In week two of MOMENTUM we looked at this Big Idea: We have the opportunity to partner with God to help create and sustain spiritual momentum in the lives of others.

Texts were Luke 19:10 and 1 Peter 3:13-16.

Luke revealed that Jesus' mission statement was nothing other than connecting disconnected people to himself. Peter made it clear that we honor and worship Jesus by having this same preoccupation.

NLC's strategy for doing this is:

INVEST: Christ-followers invest in the lives of disconnected people by loving and spending time with them.
INVITE: We invite our friends to events such as Sunday morning at NLC where they can hear about Jesus in a way that makes sense to them.
INVOLVE: We get our disconnected friends involved in activities where other Christ-followers are present, so that the life of faith is appealing to them and they can see that Christians are not crazy judgmental people!

Our new country music-themed series True Grit which begins this week is an AWESOME place to invite your friends. Whom are you bringing?

Can I Please See Your ID?

2011-08-11T14:49:00.001-04:00

I am a husband.
I am a father.
I am a son.
I am a brother.
I am an uncle.
I am a pastor.
I am a consultant.
I am a writer.
I am a big Tar Heel fan.
I am a neighbor.
I am a friend.
I am a man.
I am a southerner.
I am a lover of good food.

I am done writing about myself. This may sound like the most self-referential blog post of all time (Enough about me; what do you think about me?"). But I post for a reason.

Because you have a lot of "identities" as well. Some are good and life-giving. Others are painful and life-sucking. Some are vitally important. Some are trivial. Some just are.

But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have one fundamental identity. Here it is:

"But to all who believed and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" - John 1:12

Get this right - know that "child of God" is your fundamental identity, the identity that minimizes all the others - and you can't go far wrong.

Spiritual Momentum Diagnostic Questions

2011-08-08T09:30:00.002-04:00

Where do you need to invest in creating and sustaining positive spiritual momentum, based on Hebrews 12:1-2

Remember those who have gone before
-Am I regularly and systematically reading and studying the Bible?
-Is the Bible getting from my head to my heart?
-What steps can I take to insure that I am absorbing the Bible and its true stories?

Eliminate the things holding you back
-Am I hanging on to sinful patterns, attitudes, and behaviors? Why?
-Is there clutter in my life that I can simplify?
-Is there something I know I need to do that I am hesitating to pull the trigger on?
-What steps can I take to strip off the weights that are holding back my spiritual momentum?

Commit to persevere no matter what
-Am I discouraged? Do I need a fresh vision of hope?
-Do I default to "I can't" instead of "He can"?
-What can I do today to remind myself that the race is worth running?

Stay focused on Christ above all else
-Is there anything in my life I am trusting more than Jesus?
-Are my eyes fixed primarily on something other than his person and his work on the Cross?
-What steps can I take to keep Jesus as my most cherished prize?

My Second-Ever Post About Circumcision

2011-08-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

So, it occurred to me that many of the younger guys at Next Level may be wondering about the LOOK I mentioned in my previous post - that unique LOOK that women give their men when their men done done wrong.

It hit me that these guys may be wondering "Do I ever get the LOOK?", "Have I ever done anything to deserve the LOOK?", "How would I know the LOOK if I saw it?".

In order, yes, absolutely yes, and let me tell you...

The LOOK i always accompanied by three things:
1. Slightly pursed lips.
2. An ever-so-subtle shaking of the head.
3. The slight narrowing of the eyes.

Now, you see, yes?

One more thing to remember. When you get the LOOK there is approximately a 99.8743% chance that you deserve it.

Respond accordingly, lads.

So, anyway, circumcision.

It was a big deal in the Old Testament. In addition to the cleanliness value in a pre-daily-shower culture, circumcision served to uniquely identify the Jewish people as set apart, as God's chosen people. Both the ritual and the result served as a lifelong reminder that the people of Israel had been given a unique blessing and a unique responsibility to honor God in the world and to be the people from whom God's own Son would come.

Circumcision became a major point of contention in the New Testament. As the new Christian movement dealt with its inextricably Jewish roots there was a pitched battle over whether or not non-Jewish Christians must be circumcised. Paul spilled a lot of ink on this topic, arguing with passion that as important as physical circumcision WAS, now the only dividing line is a relationship with Christ himself. Circumcision has moved from a physical to a spiritual significance.

That's what he is saying in Colossians 2:11, when he makes this incredible statement:

"When you came to Christ, you were 'circumcised', but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision -the cutting away of your sinful nature".

Amazing thought. Just as physical circumcision involves a cutting - let's not dwell on that - spiritual circumcision involves cutting too. Christ's sacrifice for sin - his self-giving, his allowing himself to be battered and bloodied for us - was so potent that we are cut off from our "sinful nature", our capacity to put other things in the place of God.

Christ's death on the Cross did not make it possible for us to live lives pleasing to God - it did way more than that. It actually accomplished the task of renewing our hearts and minds. It cut us off from our sinful nature.

So, that's my position. And it remains so. Unless I choose to take up my sinful nature and nurture it.

Now, why would I want to do that?

That thing you are struggling with. That attitude, habit, pattern of behaving or thinking that you know displeases God and clouds your vision of him. That thing.

Remind yourself today that its power has been cut off in your life. It's dead.

Lean into and live out of that reality!

My First-Ever Post About Circumcision

2011-08-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

One of the "discussions" Miranda and I had before Beckett's birth a couple of months ago was about circumcision. Because she is kind of a granola-making (literally) hippie (kind of) from Vermont (literally) AND because she is incredibly tender-hearted, she was reluctant for a while to have the deed done on Beckett.

Because I am anything but a hippie, can be a bit cold-blooded, and because I know what male locker rooms are like, I was in favor. And both of my other sons had it done and are all good. We did some research and decided to get the procedure done, though we certainly see both sides of the issue. In other words, don't email me if you have strong opinions about circumcision, as that is not the point of this post.

Well, Beckett had a relatively traumatic few days in the neo-natal intensive care unit so Miranda's maternal instincts were on hyper-drive by the time he was doing better and it was time for the procedure. I have to admit, even I was hesitating a bit. It didn't help that the doctor doing the procedure looked and talked like a smarmy used car salesman (Don't email me if you are a used car salesman, because you are the non-smarmy one who is the exception to the rule. I know this.) and couldn't look you in the eye.

As they wheeled Beckett out Miranda gave me the LOOK. All married guys or guys in long term relationships know what I mean. The one that says "everything that is happening, is about to happen or ever will happen connected with this issue about which we disagree was, is, and forever will be entirely and absolutely your fault." Truth be told, the LOOK usually has some grounding in reality.

When he came back to the room screaming bloody murder, Miranda gave me the LOOK with teary eyes. I wanted to crawl under a rock. Did I mention how tremendously tender-hearted she is? It is a seriously great complement in a marriage partner for a guy who can be an insensitive jackwagon.

Well, our little circumcised guy is all fine now and I think doesn't hate me for having the procedure done (though there are times when he has a strange look in his eye like he's thinking 'wait till I am a teenager, dude'). Come to think of it, if he ever reads this blog post he'll probably say, "Seriously, Dad, writing about my CIRCUMCISION on the world-wide interwebs?!".

So, the whole deal got me thinking about circumcision and the Bible. Circumcision is a BIG deal in the Bible and it has always been shrouded in emotion and controversy. But understanding the concept of circumcision - literally and spiritually - is a big deal.

So, do me a favor - go read Colossians 2:11-15 and come back here tomorrow...

My Wife Drives Like A Yankee

2011-08-02T14:22:00.001-04:00

I am a Southern boy who married a Yankee woman.

When I say "Yankee", I mean it. She's not from some generic state above the Mason-Dixon line like Ohio. She is from Vermont.

Which is way up there, is very cold, and whose only representative in Congress is a Socialist.

As in, self-titled Socialist.

So, our backgrounds are quite different and this shows up in a lot of ways. Such as the way we drive.

I drive fairly cautiously. Truth be told, I am a little bit of a jumpy driver. I'm not proud of this. But jumpiness aside, the way I look at it, I drive like the non-NASCAR faction of the South - courteously, defensively, graciously, kindly.

Miranda drives like the NASCAR faction of the North. She's fast, changes lanes quickly, is aggressive and she tailgates. Down here in the South, we don't reckon tailgating is polite, ya'll.

And here is my confession: she is a far better driver than me.

It's true. She is more fluid, more decisive, and less reactive. And recent studies have suggested that the "defensive driving" in which we are trained here in the U.S. is actually more dangerous than the more aggressive driving favored in foreign nations like Germany, France, and Los Angeles.

What's the lesson in this? (Probably one lesson is gonna be 'check with your wife before you post a blog entry calling her a Yankee', but I'll have to see about that.)

-Just because you have always done something one way doesn't mean that one way is best.
-Just because someone does something differently than you doesn't mean they are wrong.
-Always challenge your assumptions.
-Never quit learning.

Where can you apply those four lessons in your spiritual life?

Monday Teaching Recap

2011-08-01T08:16:00.000-04:00

Had a blast yesterday wrapping up SUMMER AT THE MOVIES. We riffed on this summer's Transformers movie to talk about spiritual transformation, looking at Romans 12:2.

Transformation is what we need in those key areas of our life where we have habits, hangups, and shortcomings that are out of alignment with God's purposes.

The key to spiritual transformation is cooperating with the Holy Spirit as he changes our thinking and brings it into alignment with God's will.

We talked about God's will and how the Bible describes three aspects of that:

1. God's SOVEREIGN will, which will always happen.
2. God's REVEALED will, how he wants us to live as described in the Bible, which will not always happen.
3. God's ACTIVE will, which happens when we apply his revealed will to our day to day lives.

According to Romans 12:2 and Titus 3:5, spiritual transformation begins with our thinking, which then determines our behavior.

So, how do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the process of spiritual transformation?

We PURSUE transformation by getting to know the Bible (which shapes our thinking) better and by examining our thinking to see where we are conforming to the behavior and customs of the world rather than being transformed by God's will.

We PRAY asking the Holy Spirit to transform us in general and in the toughest areas of our life where we need change the most.

Finally we saw Jesus' own transformation in two ways. In Matthew 17:2 we saw him literally transformed into bright light, which revealed what he is really like. And in the prophecy of Isaiah 53 we saw how he was transformed into a thing of ugliness when he died for us on the Cross.

Jesus was transformed from something beautiful to something broken so we could be transformed from something broken to something beautiful.

Friday SOAP: All I Need

2011-07-29T13:42:00.000-04:00

Scripture
"For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority" - Colossians 2:9-10

Observation
Our identification - our union - with Christ means we are complete in every way. We are made to be united to God and are incomplete without him.

Application
Everything I strive for outside of God - acceptance, security, love, ambition, relationship - is useless because I am already complete in Christ. Those things are actually worse than useless because the have the potential to anesthesize me to both my need for Christ and all the ways he provides for me.

Prayer
Lord, thank you for joining me to you, in Christ. Help me to rest in and rely on that for everything. Help me never to forget that you really are all I need, forever. Amen.

Weekend Recap (Guest Blogger: Robbie McLaughlin)

2011-07-25T13:19:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys! What a great weekend at NLC! Campus was buzzin', popcorn was in the air, and the music was OFF THE CHARTS! Thanks to everybody who made it out.

Yesterday, we took a look at the movie CAPTAIN AMERICA for week 3 of Summer at the Movies. We narrowed our focus into that one scene that EVERYONE wishes they were starring in, where Capt. Steve Rogers steps into the machine, and 10 seconds later, emerges as the huge, powerful Captain America. We ALL wish we could become the person we want to be instantly. But life doesn't work that way does it.

No, to become the person we want to be, it ALWAYS takes work. That is never more true than in the life of a Christ follower. The big idea we focused on was this: BECOMING A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST IS SIMPLE, HOWEVER ACTUALLY FOLLOWING CHRIST TAKES WORK.

To become a fully devoted follower of Jesus, it takes a lot more than just a one-Sunday experience. We looked at the three major disciplines necessary to every person who wants to truly follow Jesus. These are found in Acts 2:42. They are:

-Studying God's Word Daily (Getting to know the Character of God and what he wants for our lives.)

-Praying Daily (Involving God in the ins and outs of your life, and actually trusting Him to to take care of them and walk you through them.)

-Biblical Community (Actually sharing life with a small group of people like a LIFEgroup.)

These things are necessary to actually following Jesus. So the question we left everyone was this:

"Are you JUST a Christian, or are you actually FOLLOWING Jesus?" God's call to us is to put feet to our faith, and work to become more like Him everyday."

I Got An Anonymous Letter

2011-07-19T10:16:00.001-04:00

...well not really, because I don't read anonymous letters.

But today's guest blogger is going to remain anonymous.

Now this guest blogger wrote me one of the more encouraging letters I have gotten in a long time.

You see, something extraordinary happened at Next Level Church during our LOVE REVOLUTION campaign. We were trying to raise as much money as possible to give away on March 27 and in the ninety days after. Now times are tough, and we were told to expect at best - at the very best - a pledge fulfillment rate of maybe 60%. More than likely a lot lower. A large church in our area which had received an enormously large pledge total received 30% of what had been promised.

So, what was our rate?

104%.

You read that right. ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR PERCENT.

The people of Next Level gave MORE than they promised.

Folks, this is absolutely unheard of and I am so proud and humbled.

So, I got this letter from a NLC volunteer with their take on why this happened. I couldn't agree more, so I am going to let that letter take over this blog post:

I have been thinking about NLC's 104% response to the "Love Revolution" fund drive challenge. I am thrilled that we have caught the attention of other churches and charitable organizations nation-wide! We ROCK!!! I also see it as an opportunity to spread the word about our church culture around, simple or profound as it may be. As a member of the congregation, these are some thoughts about what I would say to the curious people about how this happened: three BIG themes that seem to thrive and empower our church family = 1) humility, 2) faithfulness, and 3) integrity.

Humility - Truly, truly, truly, no one of our Pastors or church leaders or any one of the flock is any better or treated differently than any other. We all stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our legion to God. The volunteer staff at NLC loves their jobs and takes it as seriously (but probably more lovingly!) than their "regular" jobs. Our members come from all different backgrounds and you may be served coffee or seated by a construction worker, a millionaire, or a single mom. We are all here because we want to serve and LOVE it!

Faithfulness - God is BIG at Next Level Church. He shows up big during our worship via our awesome worship band - you can feel Him with us! God shows up big in sharing the Good News and having hundreds of people commit their lives to Christ just last year alone!!! He also shows up big by filling our hearts with passion for charity and amazing works of selfless giving. We Witness to God's glory every time we step out in an act of Christian charity and faith.

Integrity - Our church community is made up of regular people. We come from all walks of life, and none of us judge one another. BUT - one thing we have in common is that if we have a goal and we personally make a commitment, then by God, we will do it! *** 104% Giving to our Love Revolution commitment = Yeah, we DID it!! ***

So, I think the reason that Next Level Church is doing some amazing, out-the-box, crazy great things boils down to Love, Humility, Faithfulness and Integrity.

Monday Teaching Recap

2011-07-18T09:53:00.000-04:00

Week two of SUMMER AT THE MOVIES focused on one of the big themes in "Cars 2" - the 'names' we all have and the difference they make in our lives.

I'm not talking about our given names, like Todd or Susan or Bob or Kathy. There is another name we all have and we usually got it in childhood. It may be a good name - Beloved Son or Cherished Daughter. Or it may be a painful name - Stupid, Ugly, Not Good Enough, Fat, Unwanted, Always Coming Up Short.

The names become a sort of script for our lives and determine to a great extent our attitudes and actions.

Fortunately, God is in the business of REnaming all of us! In the Bible. names mattered a lot - to name someone implied a permanent relationship with that person and names said a lot about character, destiny, and calling.

In Isaiah 43:1 God says to his people - "I have called you by name; you are mine". And in Revelation 2:17, Jesus promises to give everyone in a relationship with him a white stone with a name on it that he has given them- a name known only to them.

But this naming comes with a price, a "ransom" as Isaiah describes it. To be able to give us a new name, Jesus had to lose his own name and the name of his Father. Mark 15:33 depicts Jesus dying on the cross and calling out the name "Eloi" (Elohim) to his Father. This is the most formal name, the least personal name for God in the Bible - not at all like the "Father" by which Jesus normally addressed his Father. And the Father does not answer in return with "my beloved son". Heaven is silent, for in those moments Jesus is paying the penalty for our sins and his Father must turn his back.

This is the incredible love God has for us - the incredible sacrifice our Tender Warrior made for us.

And as a result he wipes out our bad names and gives us a new name that speaks to the kind of man or woman he wants us to be and to become.

What's your old name?

What's your new name?

Thursday SOAP: Thinking as a Spiritual Battle

2011-07-14T15:31:00.000-04:00

Scripture
"Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world rather than from Christ" - Colossians 2:8

Observation
There is real danger in letting our thinking and as a result of our thinking our worldview be shaped by forces in opposition to Christ. The word "capture" is really strong - Paul is saying that thinking driven by values rooted in something other than Christ and his word are actively dangerous. This doesn't mean - can't mean (Paul liked to quote nonChristian philosophers himself) - that we isolate ourselves from our culture and enter into a "Christian ghetto". But it does mean that we need to be incredibly careful about our intake.

Application
Are the sources of info I am letting into my head - from Internet, TV, radio, books, magazines, etc - likely to strengthen my rooting in Christ or to weaken it?

Prayer
Lord, thank you that the source of all wisdom and truth is found in Christ and his word. Even as I seek to understand my culture so that I can speak to it, help me to be very discriminating about what I allow my mind to think, my ears to hear, my eyes to see. I know that there is a spiritual battle going on for my mind. I pray that my thoughts will be increasingly captured by Christ!

Behind the Sermon - Summer at the Movies

2011-07-12T15:44:00.004-04:00

The message this week in church was about purpose. About how our purpose is to [spoiler alert] know God and make him known. There were four basic points to the message which was based mostly on Romans 5:6-11.

1. The starting point of purpose is God's Grace.

2. Our New Standing frees us to pursue God's Purpose.

3. Our purpose is to know God...

4. ...and make him known.

The message was based on a concept from the Bible that we didn't have time to explore together, so I thought I would share it with you here:

One of the things that I've come to realize through my own experiences and reading the Bible is that everyone has a God-shaped hole in their life. Or to put it another way, people will worship something. Even atheism, in its own way, becomes an evangelistically oriented religion. People simply cannot help but to worship. Perhaps they worship cars, or a job, or a relationship, or a god, or an inclusive viewpoint on the world, or their own moral performance, or a religious lifestyle, but everyone worships.

This goes for Christians as well as for persons of other faiths or secular persons. In the Christian this is the reason we need to continue to be sanctified and continue to be made holy. If our worship of God were perfect, in what way would we need to grow? Christian, what do you tend to worship when you don't worship God? Your own comfort? Other's approval? Expanding Influence? Ultimately these things are gods of our own making. In the beginning we use them to get what we want, but in the end we become slaves to them.

If you'd like to read more from the Bible on this matter, I would recommend: Isaiah 44:6-23. Which is a passage both humorous and sad. The thing to remember as you read it, is that it is not fundamentally about something other people do. It is what we have all done.

Summer at the Movies

2011-07-06T16:06:00.001-04:00

This week we will launch Summer at the Movies, a look at the key spiritual themes in this summer's hottest flicks.

It will be a blast - we'll have free fresh popcorn and theatre style candy will also be available.

But it's not all just for fun.

Movies are one of the key ways our culture expresses what is important to our people - our hopes, desires, idols, fears. This plays into our hands as we are showing how the Gospel is relevant to our lives.

In other words, this is the PERFECT series to invite a friend who may have given up on church or think church is not for them. we'll show then each week just how relevant Jesus is and how the Gospel is THE answer to all of our questions, failings, hopes, doubts, and dreams.

As a matter of fact, if you bring a friend this week and they let us know they are a first time guest on the Connection Card, we'll give them a free movie ticket!

Who can say no to that?!?!

Sunday Teaching Recap

2011-07-06T16:03:00.000-04:00

As we wrapped up The Bigger Picture, our series through the book of Daniel, we looked at Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9 as a model of repentance.

Repentance is changing my mind and changing my direction when I realize that I am doing, saying, or thinking something that does not please God.

But it is possible to repent in a way that is shallow.

Shallow repentance is sorry for the consequences, not the sin.
Shallow repentance is being sorry in order to get something I want - a restored relationship, to be off the hook, etc.
Shallow repentance is self-justifying - I think that if I am sorry enough God will be forced to forgive me.

Daniel shows us a better way - Gospel Repentance

-Gospel repentance is from true humility - I understand that my sin is primarily against God, to whom I am accountable.
-Gospel repentance comes from deep love - I realize that the opposite of love is not hatred but rather indifference, and this is why I hurt others. When I realize how much Jesus demonstrated his love for me on the Cross, I am free to love others.
-Gospel repentance leads to absolute focus - I am free to do the two things I was meant to do; love God and love others, with a pure heart!

Friday SOAP: Just Like At The Start

2011-07-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

Scripture
"And, now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots go down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness" - Colossians 2:6-7

Observation
When we first come to Christ it is with tons of gratitude and excitement and whole-hearted devotion. And according to Paul that should never wane. That doesn't just happen. We have to stoke the fires of our heart continually. But if we are diligent about that then our hearts will be full of thankfulness - "overflow" is a strong word. The reward for building our lives on Christ is a deeply thankful heart.

Application
What am I doing TODAY to recapture the fullness of devotion that I had as a new follower of Christ, the gratitude of a freshly redeemed person? The stakes are nothing less than the condition of my heart. What parts of my life are built on a shaky foundation?

Prayer
Lord, thank you for redeeming me all of those years ago. I remember the gratitude I felt, the excitement of a new start. I pray that today - many years later - you will sink the roots of my heart deeper and deeper in you, that you will shore up the foundations of my life so that every bit is rooted in you, and that you will give me a thankful heart. Amen.

Friday SOAP: What I Want For YOU

2011-06-24T11:06:00.000-04:00

Scripture
"For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong" - Colossians 2:5

Observation
This reveals much about the heart of a pastor - that he rejoices when people grow strong in their faith and live lives that honor Christ.

Application
A pastor's people have his heart. Pastoring is not just about running an "organization". I must LONG for our people to grow stronger in their faith and out of that overflow live lives that please God, bring honor to Him, and advance His mission in the world.

Prayer
Lord, I am learning much about the heart of a pastor in this slow study of Colossians. I am grateful for that. Even with all of the leading, organizing, meeting, and teaching prep to do, never let me forget that the end goal is that people far from God will come home to him and once they have that their faith will be strengthened and their lives honor you. Help me not just to want that, but to long for it! Amen.

Monday Recap

2011-06-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

Had an awesome time celebrating Dads yesterday at NLC! Thanks for all the folks who served food, manned the games, and helped out in tons of ways. My assessment - our church knows how to have fun but we need to work on our three-point shooting!

It was week three of The Bigger Picture and we focused on the famous Daniel 3 story of the fiery furnace.

Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the king's statue - a false god - they were thrown into an insanely hot, blazing furnace by the King. Rather than being killed, however, they were joined by a fourth man in the furnace and were unscathed. We saw that the entire chapter turns on the identity of the fourth man in the furnace.

This fourth man is the person known in the Old Testament as the "angel of the Lord". He is unlike any other angel in the Bible in that he allows himself to be worshipped. This means his identity must be God himself. In fact, the angel of the Lord - the fourth man in the furnace - is the Son of God, who took human form as Jesus Christ.

The Christian faith is the only one in which God meets us in the furnace of our lives - those times when something we value greatly is being taken away. Jesus himself endured the ultimate fiery furnace (Matthew 13), which was God's wrath at human sin poured out on him on the Cross.

Because of this, we can say that Jesus was thrown into the furnace FOR you so that he can walk through the furnace WITH you.

If you are suffering this means that God will never leave you, because he himself has suffered the ultimate pain - out of love for you. He may not save you from your suffering - even Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not know if God would spare their lives - but he will meet you there and walk with you in the fire.

There is no other God like this one - even the most powerful king on earth had to acknowledge that!

Some Of Our Partners

2011-06-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

Today, I am thinking about how many people and organizations Next Level partners with to live out our mission of helping everyone we influence take the next right step in their relationship with God.

Like Conbraco Industries, who makes office space available to us.

Like the Growing Healthy Churches Network, who we partner with to train church planters and campus pastors throughout the Americas.

Like the Missionary Church Foundation, who we partner with for growing churches and equipping pastors.

Like Ridge Church, with whom we do Student Camp.

Like Team Church, with whom we are doing Children's Camp this summer.

Like Iglesia Camino, who leads the way in Charlotte ministry to the Latino community and whom we are privileged to call friends.

Like Christian Associates International, with whom we partner to plant churches in Europe.

Like 24/7, with whom we partner to see a spirit of prayer and service in urban Charlotte.

That's just a fraction of the list of our partners but it's good to know we are not in this alone!

Praying When You Are Distracted

2011-06-10T11:12:00.001-04:00

Do you ever get distracted when you are trying to pray?

Yeah, me too.

You know the drill...you have some important stuff to talk to God about so you settle in to pray and then...

-A text message beeps in.
-A child needs something.
-The doorbell rings.
-You think about what to make for dinner.
-You remember you forget to get the oil changed.

But you really want and need to pray, so you combat the distraction.

You try to swat it away like a fly. Or apologize to God for getting distracted. Or get frustrated, sigh and give up.

But what if there were another response?

The best way to deal with distractions in prayer is to make them the very subject of your prayer. Give into the distractions!

Check the text message and pray for the person sending it.

Meet your child's need and as you are so doing pray for their character to be shaped and molded into the character of Christ, all the while thanking God for the gift of parenthood.

Answer the doorbell and pray for the UPS guy and his family.

Revel in the joy of being able to prepare a meal for your family and thank God for the opportunity.

Ask God why the oil change popped into your head NOW of all moments. And then wait to hear him answer.

Sometimes it is good to insure we'll face no distractions by going away, being alone, telling the kids you need fifteen minutes uninterrupted.

But when distractions do come, surrender to the process and make the distractions part of your prayer itself.

Wednesday SOAP: Mission Comes From Love

2011-06-08T11:16:00.002-04:00

Scripture
"I want them to be encouraged and knitted together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself" - Colossians 2:2

Observation
Paul burned with a passion for mission - that people far from God would find their way home to him. But at the same time he had an incredible passion that the church would be a place of love and health and biblical community. Strong mission comes from strong relationships.

Application
Next Level Church exists for mission like a fire exists for burning. Our great and consuming passion is that people who are disconnected from Christ and from his church will find their ways home. We'll go to great lengths to see this happen. But if it is to happen it will be in part because we are a place of health, where people can connect in real relationships and where there is real love - "strong ties" of love.

Prayer
Lord, make NLC a place that never loses its sight of mission but that is rooted in generous, loving, forgiving, grace-oriented relationships. We know that we are flawed humans and that if this is to happen it will be solely because of your Spirit working in us. Keep us from gossip, disunity, resentment, lack of forgiveness, and selfishness. Thank you that for more than five years you have made us that kind of church. Please may that always be the case, so that those far from you can find their way home. Amen.

Monday Recap: THE BIGGER PICTURE, Week One

2011-06-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

So great to begin our new series on the book of Daniel yesterday. And so great to welcome The Barstool Pastor, Jeff Hathcock as he talked about his ministry to the "BARbarians" who are nowhere near a church. If you missed him, check out the video which will be posted later today on the front page of our website.

The Big Idea for the whole series is: GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL.

Yesterday we looked at Daniel 1 and saw that the key tension in the passage is "How should someone who is following God interact with their culture"?

There are really three options for us:

1. We can create an alternative culture ("Christian" everything).
2. We can fight against the culture.
3. We can ignore the fact that we live in a culture that at some points comes into conflict with the Kingdom of God.

Daniel showed us the way:

He UNDERSTOOD his culture.
He IDENTIFIED with his culture at every point he could, in every way that does not violate Gods values.
He allowed God to use him to TRANSFORM his culture.

The rest of the book of Daniel describes how that transformation took shape.

We can do the same thing in our own culture, because Jesus did those three things for us.

The key takeaway was this: all of us belong to some sort of subculture, some sort of "tribe".
Maybe it is motorcycle riders, or young moms, or football fans, or guys who like to work on cars.

You are not in that tribe by accident - God has placed you there so that lives can be transformed!

Where's the most urgent growth area for you - understanding your tribe, identifying with the people in it, or allowing God to use you - daring to risk what might come - to transform the lives of the people in your tribe?

Where's Your Fourth and Walnut?

2011-06-03T16:42:00.000-04:00

One of the writers who has had a significant influence on me is Thomas Merton. Merton left a promising career as a writer and university lecturer to take vows as a monk - to literally disappear from a world that was soon to be his oyster.

The fruit of that decision was great books written from within the monastery walls and an incredible impact on people of all faiths.

The turning point in Merton's life, however, was not in the monastery, but rather in Louisville, Kentucky in 1958. Standing at the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets (today Fourth and Muhammad Ali Streets) he was overcome with a vision from God. This is how he described it:

"I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers".

This experience transformed Merton's life and shaped his career. In a real sense it defined his calling.

What happened in those moments in the middle of an unexceptional shopping district in a nondescript mid-sized city was that one man made his heart and mind available to his God. And God spoke.

I believe God is wanting to speak to us like that and that there are moments in our lives when he wants to speak words of destiny and calling. This communication from God isn't limited to monks or pastors - God longs to speak to teachers and carpenters and bankers and stay at home dads and insurance salespeople and unemployed folks.

But we have to be willing to listen, and to respond.

Do you have a Fourth and Walnut in your life? Can you remember? Do you need to re-freshen the sense of calling you heard then?

Are you waiting for your Fourth and Walnut moment?

Maybe it's as simple as praying "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening".

And then listening!

The Bigger Picture (New Series)

2011-06-02T10:11:00.000-04:00

Sunday, we are launching a new series that I am seriously excited about - The Bigger Picture.

I'm excited because it is a study of Daniel, a book we've never delved into at Next Level.

And I am also excited because the Big Idea of the series (which I will reveal on Sunday) has the absolute potential to be a game-changer in every single one of our lives.

This series is focused and tight and I promise you that if you are there every week (or watch online or subscribe to the podcast if you can't be there) you will never look at your life and our world the same way again.

This week I will interview a very special guest, a guy who spends a lot of time drinking beer in bars and in so doing is having a tremendous impact for the Kingdom of God.

I'm dead serious.

Here's how you can get ready for this week: Read Daniel 1 several times, prayerfully.

And INVITE everyone you know, especially people who have a thing against church.

Monday Teaching Recap

2011-05-30T11:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day, Next Level!

Had a blast at Volunteer Sunday yesterday, all wrapped around a NASCAR theme. And, unlike Dale Jr, our great volunteer leaders didn't run out of gas!

We looked at the topic of spiritual gifts, those supernatural talents and strengths God gives to every Christ follower. We worked through 1 Corinthians 12 and saw three things:

There is one Giver of spiritual gifts - God (1 Cor 12:4-6)
-This means that I get no credit for my gifts and it also means that I am accountable to God to use them well and in His service.

There is one purpose for the spiritual gifts - helping, building up and encouraging each other (1 Cor 12:7).
-This is because the mission of the church is so challenging we have to be healthy people to accomplish it.

There is one body - the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-18)
-Now that Jesus Christ is no longer physically present, WE as the church are his physical representation on earth until he returns. And just as a human body needs all its parts to be fully functional, so every single person and every single spiritual gift is vital.

Next Level can't be all God has called us to be unless you are plugged in serving and exercising your spiritual gift.

YOU can't be all God means for you to be unless you are plugged in serving and exercising your spiritual gift.

Are you in the stands or on pit road. Pit road is WAY more fun!

Friday SOAP: Effort or Dependence?

2011-05-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

Scripture
"That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me" - Colossians 1:29

Observation
Amazing crystal-clear balance between our striving all out yet depending utterly on Christ's power within us, which must be the source of our strength.

Application
It is hard to imagine where this does NOT apply! The context is spiritual leadership - Paul serving his people with all he has while never forgetting that any power that he has comes solely from Christ. But it applies to every area of life: battling sin, confronting challenges, raising children, maintaining integrity and purity. We are to go all out but realize that our power does not come from us.

Prayer
Lord, this is a great, completely clear reminder that any power we have to accomplish anything in life is only the result of your power working in us. So, first - thank you for working in me, thank you for your power. But it is also a reminder that life and leadership is a battle and requires the very best of me. Help me to go all out, but to do so while being energized by your power, relying on you and not me!

When God Surprises

2011-05-25T15:50:00.000-04:00

It's good to be back to the blog after a week off.

I had a good reason - our son Beckett Graham was born on May 19th! He and Miranda are both doing great.

You may remember that Beckett was a complete and utter surprise to us. Miranda had to take two at home pregnancy tests before she began to believe it. And she had to take off early from work and drive around for a few hours before she could figure out the words to tell me!

Her doctor said there was about a two percent chance he could have been conceived, based on the precautions we were taking.

Well, we are now holding and waking up in the night with that two percent chance!

God disrupted our plans, our assumptions, even our vision of life. We weren't planning on conceiving ever - much less three months into our marriage!

But God had other ideas. A surprise in store. He does that in all of our lives. Sometimes the surprises are good ones - an unexpected financial windfall, a new job, a relational breakthrough, a child conceived when you had given up!

Sometimes the surprise feels like a bad one - a loss of income or a job, the death of a dream, the discovery of a painful secret, a relationship you had counted on irretrievably broken.

But none of those things are surprises to God. Good or bad, he surprises us for a lot of reasons, more than I can list here:

-Just because he loves us.
-Because he wants to take us to new levels of knowing him.
-Because he wants to take us to new levels of trusting him.
-Because he wants to take us to new levels of depending on him.
-Because he wants to disrupt a pattern of sin or complacency in our lives.

Sometimes there is not obvious or even non-obvious reason.

It's all in how we respond to the surprise:

-I can receive it and accept it and trust God with it; or I can fight against it, deny it and turn away from God.
-I can remind myself that I am totally dependent on God; or I can fight my way through depending on my own resources.
-I can dive in to trusting and loving God more deeply, even in the dark; or I can become embittered at God, others, the universe.

In each of those cases, the first approach leads to wholeness and strength. The second approach leads to disconnection from God and weakness.

It's no surprise that the first approach is better!

What are the surprises you are facing in your life right now?

How are you responding?

Sunday Recap - sTudEnT tAkEoVeR

2011-05-23T10:12:00.003-04:00

Ok, so you drive on campus on a Sunday...a teenager waves at you coming in the parking lot. Then, a teenager tells you where to park. Then, a teenager welcomes you and your family as you approach the building. A teenager checks your child in for the best day of their week, where they will spend an hour hanging with another teenager. As you head towards the auditorium, a teenager opens the door for you and says "Good Morning." As you walk over to grab that piping cup of Starbucks coffee, a teenager is behind the counter serving you. As you make your way through the auditorium doors, you are handed a worship guide...by a teenager. As you contemplate where you should sit, a teenager directs you to the best seat in the house. You turn and look, and the entire tech booth is FILLED with teenagers. As the countdown hits zero, you see the lights come up and the band, again, is filled with teenagers. Throughout the service, you see videos and hear stories of life-change from teenagers. And finally, you are challenged with a message of leading this next generation well...why, because there are a lot of TEENAGERS, meaning, we have a big responsibility. You leave thinking, "Man, if that's what it's like, I should plug my teenager into the student ministry!" No, this wasn't a dream...this was STUDENT TAKEOVER, and we hope you enjoyed it!!!

Up All Night - NLC Student Ministry

2011-05-18T17:20:00.000-04:00

So, attention must be paid to the Student All-Nighter this past Friday night.

I grew up in a church that had all nighters as well. I went to one. As a fourteen year old I was a wreck. Especially when my dad got me up at 8 AM the morning after to mow the lawn.

So, my first deal is to say THANK YOU to the amazing adult volunteers who drove vans and loved on kids and stayed up all night. You guys are the best. We have amazing adult volunteers in our student ministry.

I am also impressed with Pastor Robbie McLaughlin who stayed up all night on Friday and then taught for me on Sunday morning!

Bottom line we had seventeen kids trust Jesus Christ for the first time. And we had no physical injuries! Two good stats, those.

Think of that for a minute. Seventeen lives altered for all eternity. Ripple effects because of the relationships and families those lives will touch. The classmates, roommates, cubicle mates they will have. And the ripple effects that go from there.

NLC, you should be proud to have a team of leaders like the ones who lead our student ministry. And you should be proud to know how great our students themselves are. I had the chance to be part of a high school Life Group this past semester. These guys are going to be world-changers.

Let's commit together to praying two things this week:

-Gratitude for our students and their leaders.
-For the Gospel to take deep root in the lives of those kids who trusted the Lord on Friday night.

SUNDAY RECAP (Robbie McLaughlin)

2011-05-16T11:46:00.002-04:00

Man! Yesterday was a fantastic day! The campus was BUZZING! Thanks for being there and being a part of it! In case you couldn't make it, here's a quick recap:

We talked about how BUSY we all seem to be. And how we KNOW the right relationships to invest in, and we KNOW how to do it, but we can't ever seem to find the time. But for most of us, it's because we are trying to fit them in to an already packed schedule, instead of placing them in FIRST, and letting our schedule be built around them. See, for most of us, we don't need MORE capacity, we need better placed PRIORITIES...because PRIORITY DETERMINES CAPACITY!

When we study part of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:31-33, we see Jesus explaining to us that if we really believed that our Heavenly Father knows what we need in our schedules and in our lives, we would have NO PROBLEM putting our relationship with Him in first, along with the relationships that are most important.

When we learn to say YES to God and the relationships he want us to value FIRST in our lives, it will make it much easier to say NO to the irrelevant things that are cluttering up our schedules.

The Best Day of Your Kid's Week

2011-05-11T11:47:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I put out a shameless plug for NLC folks to volunteer in Kid City and Studio 45 as a way of honoring the moms in our church.

As I said, we are a fortunate church in that we are not desperate for volunteers - our Kid City Pastor Rene' and her team do an incredible job of creating a fun, energizing environment.

But with the intense growth path our church is on we always need more volunteers!

Here are three things I want you to know as you considering becoming a volunteer in Kid City or Studio 45:

1. We have an incredible commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for both our kids and our volunteers.

2. We're all about introducing kids to the idea that God wants to be their very best friend.

3. Our goal is nothing less than insuring that Sunday morning is the best part of our kids' week!

So, who could turn down volunteering in our environment like that? Not you, right?

Monday Teaching Recap

2011-05-09T09:03:00.001-04:00

Ultimate MOM Day was a blast! Hope every single one of you moms had a great time on your day and felt honored and loved at NLC.

Week Two of MODERN FAMILY focused on moms as well.

As a reminder, the big idea for this series is: Great families don't happen by luck; they are built on purpose.

We looked at Proverbs 31:28-31, which is part of a mom's words of wisdom to her son King Lemuel.

The description of the "Proverbs 31 woman" is pretty daunting. It's a high bar. But what's interesting about the passage is that the people being called to action are children and husbands, not moms and women!

Children (of any age) get to bless and encourage their moms, meaning the best way to honor their moms is to place God at the very center of their lives.

Husbands get to praise and encourage their wives, meaning their goal should be to build up and encourage, not criticize and discourage.

Practical next steps:
-Take an inventory this week of how much of your speech is praise and how much is criticism.
-Find a single mom you know and do a practical act of service for her.
-Volunteer in Kid City or Studio 45! Some of the most excited volunteers at NLC are those in the high energy, rapidly growing children's ministry.

Giving Away My Library (Well, Most Of It)

2011-05-06T10:50:00.002-04:00

I love books.

In fact, until recently I owned about 5,000 of them.

Note: These are real books - paper and ink and leather and glue. I am sure I will get a Kindle or Nook someday but I will be one of the last resistors. I love the tactile nature of a book, the fact that it gets worn like some sort of Biblio-Velveteen Rabbit, that I can underline in it, even how it smells.

But we're out of room.

At any given moment there are between three and five people living in our townhouse in South Charlotte. Beckett is due any day now, which means three to six. And for some strange reason Miranda thinks the little guy needs his own room. Our townhouse is less than 1,500 square feet and there's just not a place to put all my books.

So I had to pare down, by selling or giving some away.

Human babies are expensive, ya'll - to misquote Britney Spears via Saturday Night Live - so the selling option looked like a good one. Only the Great Recession has hit used bookstores too - they aren't buying. And I didn't have the time or inclination to do it book by book through the mail. So some had to be given away.

Only I didn't want to. Didn't want to like a five year old doesn't want to go to bed. I pouted, whined, kicked and screamed. I acted like Alan Alda in some movie from the 1970's..."but what about MY needs?". My wife was so proud.

But time and Miranda's pregnancy advanced. Something had to be done. So I offered a bunch to the staff here at Next Level and gave box after box to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library book sale, which was a good cause. As my son Justin and I lugged the boxes in, the volunteer ladies at the sale were - I gotta say - impressed. Most of the donations they were seeing were worn paperbacks by such literary luminaries as Danielle Steel and James Patterson.

My stuff was good, though, man - fine volumes of theology and history and biography and sociology and political science and literature.

It hurt. But it was good. Not only because of the practical necessity but because it was good for me spiritually.

Here was my give-away criteria. If I had not read or in some way profited from a book for more than two years it was eligible to go. Not every book that fit that criteria went - there is such a thing as sentimental value. But very many of them did. Books I never before would have considered giving away.

So now my shelves (and I still have a lot of books, mind you) are freshened and more focused. The stuff in there now is all good - but it is a lean offering compared to the recent past.

The process got me wondering about the stuff I keep in my life that should also be given away.

Old habits, grudges, possessions, hurts, assumptions, relationships that have declined in value or are taking up needed space or are no longer serving a purpose. Things that may even be taking up space that could and should be given to something newer and better. Things that may even be crowding out something new God wants to do in my life.

What about you? Are there things in your life you need to give away?

Even if the thought of it makes you feel like a cranky five year old?

Thursday SOAP: Christ's Suffering Continues

2011-05-05T14:31:00.000-04:00

Scripture
"I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church" - Colossians 1:24

Observation
Somehow, Christ's sufferings continue even though Christ himself can no longer suffer. When Christ-followers suffer for his sake, we share in the same suffering he endured. This is a bittersweet gift, but it comes with a huge promise: there is ultimate hope since the Resurrection revealed that suffering and pain will one day be defeated.

Application
In North America, we're not called upon too frequently to suffer directly for Christ. But we are part of the larger body of Christ and so this Scripture should spur my prayer life. I think of folks in places like China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Cuba who are suffering directly for Christ. It's important that I pray the truths of this verse on their behalf on a regular basis.

Prayer
Lord, I do call to mind believers who are suffering directly because they share your name and proclaim their faith in you. Give them this moment courage because you understand their suffering and one day, because of the Resurrection, you will ultimately defeat it. Their suffering is not in vain - I pray they will be renewed this moment with that hope. Amen.

Ultimate MOM Day!!

2011-05-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

Well, last year on Father's Day we made waves and got quite a bit of media attention on Father's Day with Ultimate Man Day. We were committed to honoring moms on Mother's Day this year and so we figured that with the great success of Ultimate Man Day we would do the same thing for moms.

So, we're gonna have chicken wings and turkey legs and classic cars and cigars for all you lovely ladies on Sunday!

Just kidding.

We ARE going to celebrate moms and all ladies in style this Sunday. I won't give it all away, but various forms of chocolate, family pictures, and some incredible giveaways are all featured. Bring your mom, bring your wife, bring friends - it will be a blast!

And we'll have the chance to be encouraged by God's word - a special word for those of you who face the incredible challenge and blessing of motherhood.

Seven Things for Tuesday

2011-05-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

-That's the sickest I have ever been without vomiting! I know, I know, a charming opening to this blog post but I was laid out by some sort of infection thing that literally had me seeing double in the 11 AM service. Just today I am feeling a little better, thanks to pharmaceuticals.

-That meant that in spite of my big talk (my wife reminded me that I said I would get my sick, sorry butt there) I could not make the Home Makeover Reveal, which is always a highlight of the year for me. I can't tell you how much that hurt.

-That said, the Makeover was AMAZING, by all accounts. Whether you gave three days, three hours, or thirty minutes - or were one of the guys who spent the night in their car, a tent, or a cardboard box - THANK YOU! They'll get personal thank you's from me, but to the leadership of the Makeover in particular and the Give:Love Project in general...you folks are off the hook awesome. Thanks for giving yourselves away and making a real difference in the Springhill neighborhood.

-Excited to launch MODERN FAMILY this past weekend and pumped for week two of the series coming up this Sunday - ULTIMATE MOM DAY! My entire post tomorrow will be about this, but I wanted to let you know today that you need to do everything you can to get yourself, your mama, and maybe even your grandmama there on Sunday. We are really going to make it a special day for moms.

-Blown away by the fact that we found out about Usama Bin Laden's death via Facebook and Twitter in our house. Crazy how much our ways of getting content and communicating have changed in the last couple of years.

-Today marks Miranda's 38th week of pregnancy - getting close to a BIG change in our house. Please be praying for her and for Beckett - that she will be well and that he will arrive safely!

-We have a sermon series coming up on the book of Daniel in a few weeks. So excited this week to begin the process of deep study in a section of Scripture that is incredibly relevant to how we live today and the challenges we face!

Monday Recap

2011-05-02T11:07:00.000-04:00

Was so glad to launch our MODERN FAMILY series yesterday! I know lots of you missed the teaching because you were out finishing up the amazing Home Makeover, so I wanted to make sure to get the summary up this morning.

The Big Idea for the series: Great families don't happen by luck; they are built on purpose.

Yesterday, we focused on how to handle conflict, which is good, and keep it from turning into fighting, which is bad.

Marriage is like a construction site. Fighting is a wrecking ball, whose only purpose is to tear down. Conflict is like a toolbox - there are sharp edges and you may get hurt, but you can build something.

Conflict is good because it reveals what is important to us and where we differ on what is important to us.

We looked at Ephesians 5:31-33, which says that the heart of a man is to be to love his wife and the heart of a wife is to be to respect her husband. How do we play that out in conflict?

1. Honor your spouse's story (John 7:24)
Each of us has a life story and different experiences that have made us who we are. Make sure you take your spouse's into account!

2. Agree to rules for conflict
Find principles and practices you can agree to and honor them. And make them up when you are not in conflict!

3. Define shared goals (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Every conflict is about something bigger - figure out what that is and remind yourself how many things you both desire in common.

4. Don't manipulate
Men tend to dominate through manipulation; women through withholding. Figure out your default and commit not to use it!

5. Major on forgiveness (Colossians 3:13)
"Make allowance" for the other's faults rather than beat them over the head with their faults.

The next step was to find some time this week to have a conversation about conflict with your spouse or someone close to you if you are not married.

Can't wait to see you Sunday for week two of MODERN FAMILY and a very special Mother's Day!

Modern Family - Our New Series

2011-04-26T16:09:00.003-04:00

This Sunday, we're starting a new series - Modern Family: 3 Weeks To A Better Home Life.

We're taking a quick look at biblical principles concerning fighting in marriage, womanhood, and setting priorities at home. There's something for everyone, whether or not you are married, single, single again, with kids or without kids or even an empty-nester.

Because we only have three weeks, we've zeroed in on three topics that we think are INCREDIBLY relevant and important.

This, by the way, is a GREAT series for you to invite folks who are disconnected from God and/or church. Modern Family - starting this Sunday!

4 Ways To Get Ready For Easter at NLC

2011-04-21T06:49:00.000-04:00

Easter is just three short days away - one of the most spiritually significant days of the year. Here's how you can get ready:

1. Read and meditate on the passage we will be looking at this week - Mark 16:1-15. Ask God to prepare you spiritually to hear again the message of the Resurrection and let it deepen your relationship with Him.

2. INVITE like crazy!! Seriously, every one you know. Studies reveal that Easter is the ONE day in the year when people who don't go to church are likely to accept an invitation. You're a Christ-follower, so you are investing in people disconnected from God. INVITE them! (Note that I am not talking about your Christ-follower friends who go to other churches - they need to be inviting their friends to those churches!). Your disconnected friends will never have the chance to hear a more clear message of the heart of the Gospel.

3. If you can, come to the 8 AM service. Last year we were at capacity at 9:30 and 11:00 and there are a heck of a lot more people attending than at this time last year. So, do your best to create space for a disconnected person or family.

4. PRAY for me and Pastor Harrison and for all of the volunteers serving on Easter Sunday morning. The stakes are high and the enemy would love to see glitches and mistakes and for us to offer less than our best - pray for spiritual protection and physical health for all of us!

Summer Camp for Kids!

2011-04-19T15:31:00.001-04:00

DEADLINE FOR SIGN-UP IS JUNE 15!

This is a year of firsts at Next Level and I am excited to announce another one - our first-ever Kids Summer Camp!

It's called SURGE, and we will be teaming up with the kids' ministry from Team Church to offer a life-changing week for kids. SURGE will be filled with great food, fun, friends, games, swimming and adventures in faith!

Here's the 411:
Dates: June 26-29
Where: Cedar Grove Retreat in Kannapolis
Who: Kids who have completed grades 2-5
Cost: Only $180, due in three installments
More details: chickefird@nextlevelchurch.org

There's no better time in life than to get connected to God than when you are a kid - if you have a kid, make sure they are a part of SURGE!

Monday Teaching Recap

2011-04-18T14:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we wrapped up No Perfect People Allowed by focusing on the woman caught in adultery. Her story is told in John 8:1-11.

We talked about three kinds of people:
1. Those who struggle to forgive and accept the flaws of others.
2. Those who struggle to forgive and accept their own flaws.
3. Those who are struggling to change an area of their life and are stuck.

The Big Idea: Jesus strategy when it comes to the human heart is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.

The comfortable are those represented by the Pharisees and teachers of religious law who see themselves as righteous and others as sinful. Jesus confronted the Pharisees with their own sin - and left them defenseless. This is a necessary step for us as well. Generally, our prevailing sin is the thing we hate the most in others. And if you can't figure out what your prevailing sin is it is more than likely pride in your own religious achievement!

The disturbed are those represented by the woman - who was both sinner and sinned-against.

Jesus said two things to her: 1) You are not condemned, and 2) Go and sin no more. We have to get the order of those two right - our good actions are the result of our forgiveness, not its cause.

There is a three step process for dealing with being spiritually disturbed:
1) Never blame-shift or adopt a victim mentality. See your stuff for what it is.
2) See Jesus for who he was on the Cross and take your sins and failures there.
3) Do what he says.

The basis for Jesus being able to say "you are guilty but not condemned" is that he took our condemnation for us on the Cross. Knowing this means we have both the power and perspective to forgive others and to forgive ourselves! And it is what church will always be home for less than perfect people.

One thing to remember - as we are reveling in our forgiveness it is always the case that every extension of grace always comes with a challenge to growth and obedience. Where is that challenge for you, right now?

Getting Ready For This Sunday

2011-04-14T09:43:00.000-04:00

Normally on Thursdays I post a recent entry from my SOAP journal, but I am gonna do something different today.

I am getting a sense that this coming Sunday's message is going to be really important for us. We're wrapping up the series No Perfect People Allowed by looking at John 8:1-11, which you can click on here.

This passage is for you if:

-You struggle to forgive or to accept the shortcomings and flaws of others.
-You struggle to forgive or accept your own shortcomings.
-You feel "stuck" in an area of your life where you know you need change, but you can't seem to make it happen.

So, if you fall into one of those three categories, make sure you are here! And make sure you are inviting people!

Spend some time in the passage between now and Sunday so that you are spiritually primed and ready!