1. Great college football day. Tons of upsets!
2. My neighborhood had a chili cook off today.
3. Devin made me enter and I came in 3rd. That is funny!
4. Launch team meeting tomorrow and I am excited about an announcement!
5. Just got a health club membership in Acworth to meet more people…Meeting people is expensive, but I did get a great deal!
6. Devin heads off to church tomorrow as a “single mom”. Her guest blog should happen by Monday.
7. We have some GREAT people on our launch team! Love it!

Welcome the newest addition to the team at Freedom.

Blake and Emily Goss!

They are going to do an incredible job helping us reach this city! We are pumped they are on board!

I had lunch today with Mike Linch. I love that guy!

He gets church planting and I love being able to bounce ideas off of him and just listen to his “wiseness” (One of my new up and coming favorite words).

I do not like the fact that he’s a GT fan….they have beaten Miami the past two years and I am looking for revenge. Go Canes!

Thanks Mike for everything!

Had a great time today at a luncheon with a church planter from Las Vegas, Vance Pittman. I have known Vance for several years and they are doing a cool thing out West that is reaching across the globe…

Here are a few takeaways…

Jesus didn’t heal people so they would follow - He healed them because they were broken.

In reference to the role of the church within the community - “most churches are not even at the table, much less being given the keys”.

There is one way to get to God - but a million ways to get to Jesus.

They have started a Non-Profit organization that has the potential to be an integral part of city transformation. You can check it out here. Coming to a city near you. Send them an email letting them know you are interested.

Authenticity is a widely used buzz word right now. So much so, that I don’t think I even need to give you an example…

Everyone wants their church to be a place where people can build an authentic relationship with God and with other people. This can and should happen in the context of the local church, but I think it is going to start with the Lead/Senior Pastor.

Authenticity isn’t a weekly event as much as an everyday lifestyle. It’s more than “being real” from the stage, it’s about being comfortable with who you are. Being comfortable with who God has created you to be. Our identity is not found in what others may think or say about us….our identity is determined by what Christ has already declared us to be. There is a lot of freedom in that. Continuously living in that reality is the hard part

While the whole world was anticipating the season premiere of Heroes and/or Dancing with the Stars, I was watching a show called Chuck.

Strange show. Not sure if it will make the TIVO lineup. I will give it one more week.

On another note, I got the results back from one of the personality profiles I took recently. I am not exactly sure what to say about the results. When operating on my own strength, I am an approval-seeking, punitive person with unrelenting standards. Doesn’t that sound fun!

We are doing an experiment in the next couple of weeks…

Devin and the girls are going to church alone. I want to see what church is like for a “single” mother and this is the only way I know how to make that happen.

Where do you park?
Is it easy to find your way around?
How are you treated once you get there?
What is it like to walk into a crowded auditorium and sit by yourself?

Devin will answer those questions in a guest blog in the upcoming weeks. This could be pretty interesting.

Last night we had our 2nd official launch team experience. It was cool to see several new faces and about 10 more people than we had last week.

Excitement is building and I believe God is positioning us to impact Acworth GA from day one. Not 100% sure what God has in store, but I am pumped about the possibilities.

This is going to be a crazy ride…

I heard something the other day that was simple yet profound…

Most of us have sat in a classroom with a professor that just spouted off information from the moment they walked through the door til the moment they left. Every time class would meet - the same thing would happen. Spout off information - walk out the door.

On the other hand, we have sat in a classroom with a professor that actually seemed excited about what he or she was teaching. The passion coming from the teacher was contagious and some people in the room were actually engaged.

What is the difference? It’s not the material being presented. The problem occurs deep in the heart of the presenter when what was once extraordinary slowly becomes familiar. Familiarity can be negative if it causes us to take things for granted.

Whether in a classroom or in an auditorium….never let the extraordinary become familiar!

1. The conference has been great so far. A couple more morning sessions and we will fly back to the ATL.
2. Hung out with a bunch of people to watch the Miami game last night.
3. I left that restaurant very happy…Canes and the Phillies win. Mets lose.
4. Can’t wait til Sunday night!
5. Million ideas running through my head. That is both good and bad.