Live... Without a Net!!!

This Sunday… Troy & Kristen Josey!

All right, all you ‘Gaters… Just wanted to give you another heads-up about this weekend. You already know about Thanksgiving in a Bag, and I’m pretty sure you guys are clearing out the frozen turkey aisles here in G’boro! (BTW – did you know that the turkey President Obama will “pardon” next week was raised just up the road from here?).

But enough about turkeys! We have so much to be thankful for, and that includes being able to get in on what God is doing around the world. This Sunday, Troy Josey (a guy I’ve been friends with nearly all my life) and his wife Kristen are gonna be with us at Gateway to share what Christ is doing in their lives. They’re headed overseas, sent by the International Mission Board, to help reach people with the amazing, incomparable, and life-transforming power of the gospel. They have an AWESOME story to tell, and I know you’re gonna want to hear it first-hand! They’ll be at both services… 9:30 and 11 AM, so, if you haven’t already done so, make your plans to be at Gateway this Sunday!

Later!

Thayer

The Most Awesome Pic in the World!!!

View Full Album

Of course.. beautiful pictures always have beautiful subjects, don’t you think? This pic is nearly 15 years old, but it’s one of my absolute faves!!! Doesn’t she rock?!!!

BTW – Ignore the “View Full Album” link… It’s just one picture!

More Reasons to Be Excited (Thanksgiving in a Bag, Special Guests, & NEW STAFF!!!)

Happy Monday everyone!!! Some of you are throwing things at me through your computer screens right now, but that if you think that’s gonna hit me, you’ve watched “The Ring” too many times…

I’m glad to be able to write today… Normally I take Mondays off, but because it’s such a busy week, I’m gonna take Friday instead. Our girls are in Stagestruck’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street” at the Paramount Theatre this weekend (click here for more information), and all of our family’s coming into town. Since they are all gonna be here, we’re gonna celebrate Thanksgiving a few days early at lunch on Saturday. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this weekend!

There are a few things I wanted to mention to all of our Gateway “Gaters.” Things that I’m tremendously excited about… Things I hope you’re excited about, too!

First, we continue to receive names for “Thanksgiving in a Bag,” and I’m looking for us to be able to take care of them ALL!! Get your shopping done now, then go back and do some more later this week! If you know of anyone who has a need for food this Thanksgiving, or if you’d like to help us with “Thanksgiving in a Bag” click here!!!

Second, this coming Sunday (as part of both our morning services), we’ll be having a good friend of mine and his wife share what God’s doing in their lives. They’re headed to the mission field overseas, folks, early in 2010. I know you’re gonna want to hear their story!

Finally, it’s our privilege at Gateway to welcome our new student pastor! Tim Whitman is back in Wayne County, and we’re happy to have him as part of our ministry team here at Gateway Community Church!!! I’m anxious to see the way God’s gonna use Tim to do some awesome things here at GCC!

Have a good one!!!

Thayer

Weekend Impressions

Yeah, I know. This is my first blog post in like… forever! But what better thing to write about than this weekend. What a great few days!

Yesterday, I got to go to my nephew’s third birthday party in Florence. Matthan, I hope you have many more, and know that you’re an awesome nephew to “Uncle Air!”

A good friend of mine came to church today… eight days after brain surgery. Brad, you know that blows me away!!!

Every song worth singing has a story behind it. This morning we sang “It Is Well.” Now, the next time you believe you’re having a tough day, remember that you read this story, and that in Christ we can sing that song… and mean it!

“Thanksgiving in a Bag” Update: We’ve received 13 turkeys and fixins’ thus far… I’m expecting us to fill the freezer next weekend with three times that many this week! If you know of anyone you know who cannot afford a Thanksgiving Meal this year, but will be home for the holiday, please let us know! And/or, if you’d like to help us bag up and make deliveries next week, please let us know!

Speaking of next week, we’re looking forward to having a special guest share in our services at Gateway… It’s gonna be great! (and BTW – it’s not gonna be her!)

This morning, we spoke about how that many people who consider themselves Christ Followers never put themselves in a place where they can hear Christ’s voice (AKA – Read the Bible!). I can’t do much about your willingness to encounter the God of the Bible, but I can do something to help you get started. If you’re into using your smart phones for everything, you’ll love this site… it’s a great resource for not only numerous versions of the Scriptures, but also for giving you a plan to follow. If you’re into more traditional ways of encountering Scripture, check out this site for a multitude of reading plans that might work for you! And don’t forget, having no plan when you encounter the Scripture can be nearly as devastating as never encountering the Scriptures at all!

When you read the Bible, remember that you’re not it’s subject. God is! Too many Christ Followers encounter the Scriptures with themselves in mind asking, “What can this Scripture do for me today?” Instead, let’s read asking ourselves, “What does this Scripture tell me about the God of heaven? What specifically does this passage lead me to trust Him with today? In light of this Scripture, what specific area of my life needs to look more like Christ and less like me today?” When you encounter Scripture that way, YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!

A HUGE thanks to Rob Jett today! He had the difficult role of playing God in the little skit we did this morning. Not only is that role one of the most difficult in the world to play (duh?!!), but he also had to work with me! He did an amazing job!!! For those of you at first service, you also know that there are some amazingly funny things that happen at GCC! Thanks GCC worship team for putting up with me! I’ll leave it at that!!!

For those of you who think we pulled that skit directly out of the air, you couldn’t be more right wrong! Here’s an awesome version of it…

All right, it’s bedtime… But I get to go have some time with God first!!

Talk to you later,

Thayer

No, Really… I Do Like Mondays!

This may be the anti-post of the day in the entire Western World, but Monday is not a bad word in my vocabulary. It’s my day off! Actually, Monday for me is like Saturday minus the college football!

But it’s not that I just lay around and do nothing all day. I GET to carry Julia to school just like every other day (I love that!)! I do a few things around the house and yard, decompress from yesterday, spend some time planning out the week, read, and hang out with all my girls. Hey… it’s always better to spend your time doing something you love with people you love than doing nothing at all by yourself!

So… Amy and Avery are about to be home, and unless I miss my guess, there’s a few pieces of bread and some peanut butter with my name on it that I’ll get to enjoy with them! Just another part of another GREAT day!

So goodbye for now… Until tomorrow!

Thayer

Weekend Impressions

Hello ya’ll,

Whew!!! What a great weekend… Here’s a few things that grabbed my attention!

We live in a great neighborhood… with so many good friends. We had a fairly impromptu neighborhood cookout on Friday evening, with lots of great food, plenty of games, and God’s gift to outdoor cuisine – s’mores! BTW – This man was a GENIUS!!

Saturday night, Rob and April took us to Rocky Mount for some Never Ending Pasta Bowl action. It was also great to see some great friends from our Rocky Mount days.

Bartimaeus is an amazing guy, but guess what… Jesus is more amazing. Unstoppable faith…Make the most of your opportunities, persist through the distractions, be clear about what you need, and use what you’ve been given to point people to Jesus.

We are excited to roll out a brand new ministry to our military families here in Goldsboro. We’re calling it Home Front! Check out the flyer below, and click here for more info on Home Front…

Communion, Baptism, Baby Dedication, and an incredible time of worship are coming as we re-launch First Sunday on Sunday evening, October 4 @ 6 PM! Check out Gateway’s website for more info on First Sunday…

Some people asked me today, why I changed clothes between services. It’s pretty simple, really. I’m wearing a suit for the messages in `Traditions series. It’s a way to honor those who’ve come before us, and I’m glad to be able to do it. But at the same time I want people to not be caught off guard when they come for our next series, and I’m preaching in my jeans and a knit shirt.

Speaking of our next series at Gateway… We’ll begin something brand new on the very real danger of temptation on the morning of October 11. We’re calling it

Later, ya’ll!

Thayer

20 Things I Wish I had Known about Ministry 13 Years Ago…

It was about 13 years ago that I took my first ministry position in small church here in NC. It’s been a great ride so far, however, there are a few things I wish that I had known from the very beginning. I suppose we all enter ministry with a dose of naiveté and evaluated experience is ALWAYS the best teacher, but here’s twenty lessons that they don’t necessarily teach in seminary…

1. Church people can be some of the most gracious, humble, and sweet-spirited people in the world. Church people can also be some of the cruelest and most spiteful people in the world.
2. Arrogance ≠ Conviction
3. Pastors communicate in EVERYTHING they do.
4. Hire your own staff. If you are considering a church ministry position, insist that you have final say about the support staff who will report to you. If the church will not give that responsibility, no matter whatever else they promise you, DO NOT GO!
5. Not everyone who agrees with you is your friend… not everyone who disagrees with you is your enemy.
6. Solid relationships will matter much more to the long-term health of your congregation than any single message you preach.
7. Your relationship with your wife is the most important of those solid relationships. I’ve seen it too many times, guys, if you ignore your wife to build your ministry, you will one day lose both.
8. Sermon preparation ≠ Your time alone with God
9. Maintain an accountability relationship with someone unassociated with your ministry… someone you can trust who has no personal stake in either your success or failure in ministry.
10. Be an active part of your church’s small group ministry.
11. Understand that everyone you give your mobile phone number to just might be the person that calls you twenty times a day. Unless you really enjoy those calls from those people, only give your mobile number to your family, your staff, and those you trust to not give it away.
12. There is no substitute for excellence in every area of your ministry.
13. ITD (Identify Leaders, Train them for Ministry, Delegate Responsibility to Them). One of my greatest flaws is that I still struggle with this.
14. You, your talent, your passion, and your charisma are not the greatest thing to happen to Christianity since Jesus. That’s only what Satan wants you to believe.
15. If you are unwilling to love people, you have not been called to ministry… it doesn’t matter what you feel, believe, or have been told.
16. When putting together a ministry team, a person’s past success in ministry is not as important as his/her passion to do ministry in the present and future.
17. Given your position, people will look for any potential fault in your life, especially in your morality. Perception is reality to the world around us. Therefore, guard your heart, and live your life above reproach.
18. The heart of the gospel will always be 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
19. When you make a mistake, ask for forgiveness.
20. Take care of the body you’ve been given. Do not feel compelled to eat the entire lemon meringue pie just because you’re the pastor. You will find it absolutely impossible to effectively challenge people for their lack of self-control when you have none yourself.

Thoughts on a man who got everything EXCEPT the thing he wanted most…

Mark 10:17-27

17. The question of a lifetime… From what we find out later, Jesus was “good” enough to ask, but not “good” enough to listen to…

18. Jesus used “good” to set this guy up. If this man rejected Jesus’ answer, he wasn’t rejecting a mere mortal, he was rejecting God.

19. Jesus runs through the commandments. He mentions those that relate to our relationships with others… “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie (even reinforces that one with “do not defraud”), and honor your parents.” There’s one that’s conspicuously absent, however, “do not covet.” It’s left out for a reason… stay tuned!

20. Who is this guy?! He’s either extremely ignorant or extremely arrogant. Both are deadly.

21. Mark says that Jesus loved this guy… And Jesus’ instruction would force him to come to terms with how much he loved Jesus in return.

22. Fifteen of the saddest words in all the Bible. If anyone is serious about following Jesus, he can let nothing get in the way. The man’s material wealth kept him from real wealth. Where his heart was, there was his treasure also… His covetous nature won in the end.

23-26. Whoa!!! This statement rocked the disciples’ world. To them, material wealth was a sign of God’s blessing. The more God loved you, the more money he gave you. Jesus turns this around completely. Having stuff was not God’s guarantee that you were right with Him; stuff was often an insurmountable barrier, because we’re tempted to love the “stuff” more than we love the God who gave us the stuff. In the end, it’s not a stuff problem; it’s a heart problem. This man was Exhibit A for that tendency.

Now, has stuff (or any other thing—good or bad) so captured your heart that it’s become a barrier you can’t overcome on your own? Then verse 27 is for you!

27. Enough said!

The Power of Story

“… in his public ministry he never taught without using parables” – Mark 4:34 (NLT)

Over the past few days, I’ve been consumed by the book of Mark. Our current message series at Gateway, Traditions, is all from the book of Mark, but trust me… I’m getting much more out of my personal study of Mark than ever before…

The passage above, Mark 4:34, really captured me this AM. In fact, I’ve spent a great deal of the day simply thinking about those ten words. Why would Jesus tell stories? I believe that it was more than just a way to convey spiritual truth to his hearers. It was more than that. Jesus knew it was the BEST way to convey spiritual truth to his hearers! I also believe that we fail miserably in our preaching when we ignore Jesus’ example and neglect to take full advantage of the power of story!

A few years ago, Robert McKee wrote a book entitled, Story, which attempts to explain the phenomena of story and its unique power to transform human existence. Read these words… “Day after day we seek an answer to the ageless question Aristotle posed in Ethics: How should a human being lead his life?… Traditionally humankind has sought the answer to Aristotle’s question from the four wisdoms—philosophy, science, religion, art—taking insight from each to blot together a livable meaning. But today who reads Hegel or Kant without an exam to pass? Science, once the great explicator, garbles life with complexity and perplexity. Religion, for many, has become an empty ritual that masks hypocrisy. As our faith in the traditional ideology diminishes, we turn to the source we still believe in: the art of story.”

McKee is not writing something that is completely new. There’s an old saying that goes, “If it’s true, it’s not new!” The power of story may have been forgotten for a while, but it’s certainly not new. Jesus understood it (after all he created us with our love of story in the first place) and he employed it better than anyone before or since. Stories were the heart and soul of Jesus’ public ministry.

What happened? Why aren’t stories more a part of the church’s public ministry today…?

Weekend Impressions

Hey ya’ll… Very long, but VERY GOOD day. Here are a few thoughts!

We began our Traditions series this morning… Here are a few pics of the platform…

View Full Album

Remember… Jesus loves you more than you’ll ever know, he has a part for you in his plan, and he will change your life forever.

You will never REALLY follow Jesus until you “get up” from your old attitudes and then “follow” him. (Mark 2:14)

If you’re content to merely follow Jesus at a distance, are you really following him at all?

If you cannot follow Jesus now, you will continue to find excuses for why you cannot follow him in the future!

Don’t you love how Jesus accepted the invitation to eat with sinners for his disciples! When we follow Jesus he leads us into uncomfortable places to meet the people that he loves(Mark 2:15)!

Don’t fool yourself! Before we know Jesus, we are “sick.” Apart from Jesus, we would still be “sick.” No one has the ability to be “well” on his/her own! (Mark 2:17)

We had our first official Life Group Meeting this evening!! It’s my second time to personally go through the “LO$T” series, but wow… those messages are really rockin’ my world! And BTW, I love our new group!

I’m really lookin’ forward to some time off tomorrow… One word, four letters… R-E-S-T!

G’night, all!

Thayer