• Very good day on Sunday.  For the first time in a while - we actually switched a lot of things up between the 9:30 and 11:00.  Transition went flawlessly.
• Supposedly, the gas shortage is getting a little better - sooner than they thought.
• I wish I had $100,000 to invest in mutual funds today.  Everything is on sale right now.
• I am going to sign up for a few 5K races over the next few months.  If you want in let me know.  Way more fun to run with people than by yourself.
• FreedomGroups is going very well.  I am excited about that.
• Baptism on Sunday.  If you still need to be baptized - take the next stop now!  Sign up here.
• NEXT is going to be a great series during the month of October!  The preparation process alone has challenged me in a major way.
• Don’t forget to keep Saturday, November 8th from 9-11:30 AM open on your Calendar.  DebtFreeAcworth is going to help you do more with your finances than you ever thought possible!
• Good to see Josh and his crew on Sunday.  I believe in that guy and think God has big plans for him in Rome.
• My dog ate a bunch of grease yesterday out of something called a FryDaddy.  His stomach is not happy with him and we made him sleep in the garage.
• Let’s go Phillies!

On Sunday, October 5th we will be having our 2nd Baptism Celebration at both Worship experiences.  We have seen 60+ people accept Christ in the past several months and it is time to throw a party!

If you want to be baptized - you can get more information here.  It’s going to be a ton of fun. See you Sunday!

Guest Blog:  Shane Chattin (Life Change Story from Freedom Church)

I’m the father of two boys (ages 2 and 4) and haven’t ever been married.  I used this to drive a wedge between God and I. I told myself that no Church would ever except me or my boys because of the choices I had made. For me, church was always about getting dressed up and trying not to let out any of our secrets, trying to one-up another “member”, or just getting caught up on all the latest gossip.  

Since coming to Freedom all that has changed!  Pastor JR and everyone else at Freedom has helped me realize that God doesn’t care what I wear, what I do for a living, how much money I make, what bad decisions I have made. God will forgive my sin - no matter how bad I thought they were. 

Since partnering with Freedom Church - Sunday’s are now my Friday!  I wish we had 2 every week. I have this enthusiasm that I can’t explain for every day that goes by because that means I am getting closer to Sunday. From the time you step out of your car until the close of the service, I have never met so many genuine people with a passion to be part of what Christ is doing in Acworth GA. 

The purpose of Freedom Church is to reach those far from God so that they can experience life in Christ.  That’s what keeps me coming back week after week. To know what Church is all about is one of the greatest blessings that God has allowed me and my family.  Freedom is awesome and we are proud to be associated with this Church and will never be ashamed to invite all of our friends and family to be part of it as well! 

I have received so many blessings since coming to Freedom Church so it was hard to pick just a few. My personal relationship with Christ, being excited about Sunday’s for something other than Nascar, and to truly understand what Church is all about.  If not for Freedom Church this would not have ever happened.  

I have some extremely strange habits.  I try to hide them as best I can, but some things just need to be out in the open

So here goes…  When I think I am about to enter an awkward social situation - I pretend to be on my cell phone.  It allows me a chance to analyze the situation and develop a plan of action.  This is a habit I have had for a long time.

As weird as that sounds - I am sure that there are some other quirky people out there.  What habit do you have - that most people don’t know about?  Go ahead. Share it on the blog - and you will be set free!  Not to mention - it will help me realize that there are probably people out there a little stranger than me.

• Great day on Sunday.  Actually, our best yet.
• I am pumped about FreedomGeneration.  We had a good start on Sunday - can’t wait til next month.
• Devin and I were invited to lunch yesterday with Brian and Amy as well as Mike and Anne.  I was honored to be sitting at that table.  We had a blast and can’t wait to do it again.
• Hanging out with a bunch of guys and learning from Perry Noble last week was intense.  I love Perry and all the things going on at Newspring.  He has invested a ton in my life and the life of Freedom.
• We have already had a bunch of people sign up for Baptism in a few weeks.  If you want in - sign up here.
• I love to hear the stories every week of people accepting Christ at Freedom Church because one of their friends wouldn’t stop begging them to come.  Keep it up!
• Don’t forget to keep the morning of November 8th open on the Calendar!  Your financial future depends on it!
• I need 3-4 more Catalyst tickets.  Who wants to get rid of some?
• I am pumped about what God is doing right now!  I am pumped about what He is going to do in the next 2-3 months!

Every single day, I realize how much there is that I still need to learn.  As a result, I always seem to have a lot of questions. Actually, since moving to Acworth, GA last year, I have asked more questions than I had in my entire life combined.

I will say that I have made a small shift in the way that I ask this list of endless questions.  Now, instead of concentrating exclusively on the what, I tend to concentrate on the why.  For example, if this is “what” you would do in a given situation - “why” is it that you would choose this course of action?

By asking “what”, I was just getting a particular leaders opinion.  By asking “why”, I am learning their thought process.  To me, that has been more valuable than the answer to the question itself.

The kickoff of FreedomGeneration (Student Ministry) was last night and we had a blast!  We had no clue what to expect - but 78 on your first night is something to celebrate.

I believe in this generation!  Teenagers are not the future of the church and they are not the “church of tomorrow”.  God can and will use them (you) in an incredible way - beginning right now.  It’s going to be a wild ride!

Tyler and the crew did a great job getting this thing off the ground - I am already looking forward to next month!

Guest Blog:  Ty and Katie Tyson (Life Change Story from Freedom Church in Acworth)

Before Freedom, Katie and I would show up at church every once in a while, hoping that it was enough to have our sin taken care of.  Little did we know how far from God we really were.

One night after dinner we heard a knock on our door.  A blond girl was there handing out cake and a card for a church that was starting in a couple of weeks. We had no idea that she was the Pastors’ wife.  I was very skeptical, but Katie was really excited about this church called Freedom and was going to drag me kicking and screaming if she had to.  I am a firefighter and I had to work the week they launched so we didn’t make it till week two.

I really don’t know how to describe the feeling that came over me that day, but I was hooked.  God grabbed a hold of me that day and I don’t ever want him to let go.  A couple of weeks later my wife and I both accepted Christ at Freedom and were baptized together as well.  What a journey we have been on for the first year of our marriage!  God has not only given us each other, but the greatest thing is that He has changed us so we could give our lives to him!

I guess all I can say is thank you Jesus for all that you have done for us and all that is to come in our future!

Thank you Jesus, for Freedom Church!

This is what it’s all about!  I want to hear your story as well!  Send it in!

If either of my girls did this it would either make me laugh or give me nighmares.  Not sure which.

At Freedom Church, we constantly try and increase our capacity in the area of systems, leadership, and any number of other things.  This is something we must consistently do in order to continue moving in the right direction.

All those are vital, but there is another area that tends to be overlooked.  I’ve heard people say my whole life that “sometimes your talent can take you further than your character can sustain you.”  With that in mind, our staff has been praying fervently for God to continue increasing our “integrity capacity”.

Admitting we aren’t above temptation, adding safeguards to our lives, and allowing other people access to the real us will propel us in the right direction.  This isn’t always the easiest thing to do - but it’s worth the fight!