We have an intense schedule coming up over the next 8-10 weeks!

There are some incredible things planned for the launch team meetings and I am excited about the opportunity to build momentum leading into January.

Big announcemenet coming Sunday!

1. Had a blast hanging out with 17 people from our launch team all weekend in Charlotte!
2. I got about 30 compliments on how hard they were working at Elevation today at 5AM!
3. After waking up at 4AM, setting things up, attending church at two campuses, driving back to the ATL and having our launch team meeting…J.R. is tired!
4. The Freedom blog network is growing rapidly! Links posted very soon!
5. Just one more torturous week of college football left for the Canes. Next year…it is on!
6. Podcasting coming soon, but only for launch team people and those involved with Freedom Kids, parking, etc.
7. Did I mention that I am tired?

I was asked a question the other day about whether I had gotten to the place where I was comfortable as a church planter. I thought about it for a minute, and realized that the answer is NO.

Here is the logic behind my answer.

I am learning to be comfortable IN Christ. I am who He says that I am. Period. That’s a very good thing because God speaks very highly of His kids!

I am comforted BY Christ. No matter what’s up - God’s there to walk us through.

I am UNcomfortable FOR Christ. I never want to be comfortable. I always want to be pressing forward, risking everything, and moving far beyond my comfort level for the cause of Christ.

Not sure if that’s the answer they were looking for…but that’s the answer they got.

I am sitting in my living room looking at a Christmas tree. Not on TV, on the living room floor.

I am not quite sure what to think about that because I ALWAYS make fun of “that guy” who puts up their Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving.

Now, apparantly, I am that guy. Or, maybe, I am the guy that is married to that girl.

But, it’s all good. For the first time since we have been married, we do not have to travel several hundred miles for every holiday. So, for this year (and this year only), I can handle being “that guy”.

One of the things I’ve come to understand is that we are all on a journey. My goal is that even when we make wrong turns, stall out, or get off track - that we will not give up!

With that in mind, I am not the same person today that I was 4 years ago. I am not the same person today that I was 4 months ago. I am always changing, growing, and learning how to become the person God created me to be! I hope you are as well!

Since we are all on a journey - let’s do whatever it takes to consistently move in the right direction!

Quotatious

“The work we do is a reflection of who we are. If we’re sloppy at it, it’s because we’re sloppy inside. If we’re late at it, it’s because we’re late inside. If we’re bored by it, it’s because we’re bored inside, with ourselves, not with the work. The most menial work can be a piece of art when done by an artist. So the job here is not outside of ourselves, but inside of ourselves. How we do our work becomes a mirror of how we are inside.”

The E-Myth Revisited

I have been guilty of this in the past, but I don’t want to be guilty of it in the future…

Just because one church is “edgier” than another does not mean that they have compromised and/or love Jesus any less. On the flip side, just because a church is a lot more “traditional” than another - does not mean they have their “head in the sand”, are “unwilling to change”, etc. Legalism works both ways!

Let’s join together, realizing that there HAS to be different kinds of churches to reach different kinds of people. Let’s celebrate our stylistic differences, partner together, and make a greater difference together than we ever could alone!

One question I get asked at every single meeting we have is…”What church is Freedom most going to be like”?

Here is the best way that I can answer that…

Are you going to be like Elevation?
Are you going to be like North Point?
Are you going to be like FBC Woodstock?
Are you going to be like MLC?
Are you going to be like Newspring?

The answer is YES! Elements from all these churches (and many others) have made their way into the DNA of Freedom Church. We have learned from MANY great churches. The key is learning from others while seeking God and His specific plan for you. Freedom Church is growing and developing every day. I pray that we continue to do so!

1. I am hating football season right about now….college and pro.
2. E-Myth Revisited. Buy it and read it NOW!
3. Several people from our launch team are headed off to Charlotte next week to hang out here.
4. You should install this on your computers. Use the free trial, wait about a week after the tiral is over, and they will drop the price $10. Don’t pay more than $39. It’s worth it!
5. I just realized that I sound a lot like a commercial today!

College Basketball is underway! Duke is now officially 1-0 after beating NC Central. NC Central is irrelevant. What is important is that we won 121 - 56.

We haven’t had enough firepower to score over 100 points in a game since December 31, 2005. Good start to what should be a fun season. Let’s Go Duke!