theCityChurch Vodcast/Podcast #1: Making Disciples...it's what Jesus said to do

Here is the launch of theCityChurch Podcast and Vodcast!

It's Ryan, Sam and me in the enormous office shared by theCityChurch and Paul's business, Laundry World.  This was an unrehearsed conversation, and it shows how God is growing these men to follow Jesus!

Here is our caption for Episode 1 of theCityChurch Podcast/Vodcast:

When we take hold of God's dream for our lives, for our city...who can stop us?  Watch these two young leaders share about the culture of a movement to make disciples and live for what matters most!
#RockOn 

Production Note: This is a quick-n-dirty video processing - it was the first time we used the new yeti microphone, and the gain was too hot, so there is some clipping in the first part of the video.  Buy Ryan and Sam's voices are too good not to publish!

• To subscribe to the AUDIO Podcast in iTunes, click here.
• To find the RSS feed of the podcast, click here.  
• We will have the Video Podcast up sometime soon, so check back.  

ReSchedule for Today - Worship Gathering at 5:30

There is no water at Stellar-Beans this morning - they are doing construction along with the cool streetscape work on Ryan St.  

So...we're going to do something really fun and move our time to gather together to 5:30 PM, tonight.

Our Lead Worshipper, Sam Turner, will be speaking about what it's like to apply the Gospel of Jesus to how we use our tongue.  

It's going to be rockin!

See you then,

paul

P.S. Here is sneak preview of our next post, the introduction of theCityChurch Podcast/Vodcast, starring Sam Turner and Ryan Nugent.  Oh Yeah!

in the flow of the city...

Tonight, I rolled of the board of directors of the Community Foundation of SWLA.  I started when it was an advisory committee of the United Way, and idea and a willingness to take a risk and make a start.    

I was the City President of MidSouth Bank at the time, and so it was a natural part of my life to volunteer and get involved in things that serve the city.  I'm glad Tom Morris asked me to serve.  Thanks, Tom!

I'm so proud to be a part of that group of leaders, and people of integrity!

What is the Community Foundation of SWLA...find out here.

The Community Foundation's Mission: 

To unite human and financial resources to effect permanent, positive culture change.  

Sound's like a plan to me!

#RockOn

paul

Verge Conference #Verge12

I'm at Verge 2012. It's three days for me of the Gospel, and living it out as the Movement of Jesus through being on mission together as a community. I am awestruck by Jesus! 
I'll post notes when I type them.
Till then, watch live with me! 
http://live.mediasocial.tv/verge/mobile

Voices of Children - showing us the way!

Thursday night, we and some great friends put on the Celebration of Children Banquet.  The theme was Voices of Children.  It was Awesome!  Hannah Pettefer's Keynote address is above, and Jamarlan, a 5th Grader from Kennedy Elementary is below.  The full post of pictures and videos is on http://www.homeworknight.com/2012/02/voices-of-children-banquet-was.html

The city should be different.  Children are showing us how!

theCityShouldBeDifferent

Today I was at the Connections Count conference of www.fyca.org here in Lake Charles.  The keynote speaker, Jody Levinson-Johnson, shared a great presentation about the power of collaboration and partnerships in her field of coordinated care.

I thought about that very same thing in my field, city changing through the power of a Risen Lord.

She ended with this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

#theCityShouldBeDifferent

 

Stuff to leave behind...Fear

Fear.

In my book, that is a 4 letter word.

I got some insight from God while at Passion2012, and I'm so grateful.  Fear was keeping me from being able to make decisions.  And from growing and moving forward in several areas.

Don't confuse fear with being careful.  Careful is good, it keeps up from wasting valuable resources and discouraging people who follow us.  Careful can be used as an excuse to do what we should, but carelessness is not good, and people won't follow you if you are flippant and careless.

You don't overcome fear by waiting for the feeling of fear to go away.  It's by taking courage and doing the thing you fear.

How can you do that?

Fear looks so imposing, an obstacle that cannot be overcome.  When you see it in real proportion, however, things change.  The Truth is that, if Jesus Is Alive, then my fears aren't the rulers of the universe.

I get the courage to do the things I fear by seeing God, in His real size, Lord of All, Lover of my soul, and acting on what I know is true, rather than obeying the voice of fear says such deceptive, depressing, small-living things to me.

Thanks to God that Jesus has overcome the World!  Fear is no longer in charge.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

"you changed the city in one day..."

Last year some friends, including us, launched HomeworkNight.com, starting with a Walk for Education on MLK Day.  Willie King, one of my best friends, is one of the key leaders, and we had not planned on doing the walk, because a couple of reasons.  A leader in the city found out about this and told Willie, "You have to the walk, you guys changed the city in one day!"

I'm given to hyperbole too, so I don't know that everything changed because of the Walk and HomeworkNight, but something changed, for sure!  So, this Monday, we are Walking for Education!

Read about it and get in the game, here, http://www.homeworknight.com/2012/01/we-are-walking-for-education-next.html

#theCityShouldBeDifferent!
 

#Passion2012 and connecting Hearts 2 God

We just got back from a gathering of 18-25 year olds in Atlanta called #Passion2012.  45,000 young adults in half of the Georgia Dome, singing, reading Scripture, and pointing hearts and trajectories to Jesus!

God at work!

I'll post a few pic's first and come back when I'm slightly more rested, lol.

CNN: College Kids Vow to End Slavery

CNN Summary of the Passion DoSomethingNow movement

God moved into the neighborhood (No Church Service for theCityChurch on Christmas)

God knew we we in a spot.  Stuck in the destruction caused by sin, and unable to get ourselves out of it.  So, in His love, He moved...

He actually moved into our neighborhood.  He told us he was coming.  For over a thousand years, (about 1,400 to 400 b.c.) God send messages telling us that He was sending One to rescue people from their sin.  Here is what God told a guy named Isaiah about it:

John was a follower of Jesus, and here is how he put it (John 1:14, The Message):

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

     We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. There will be no weekend services for theCityChurch on Christmas Day.  Some of us will be going to the Christmas gathering that another great church in our city, the Waters Edge, is holding at the Rosa Hart Theater on Friday night.