Getting Excited...

Much to be excited about these days, I just need to share:

• LifePoint Church got to celebrate 13 baptisms this past weekend, including three from one family that just started coming in the past few months. So honored to share these milestones with everyone! And Pastor Jeremy got to do three of them, so bonus!!
• Week two of the Restructure series had more people in attendance than week one, which has me fired up! Folks didn't run away from hearing God's wisdom on finances, they came back and brought friends!!
• Speaking of finances, more people buzzing about the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class, can't wait to see what happens when some of THAT wisdom drops on people.
• Children's ministry is bursting at the seams! If you are a family with kids and you attend the 10:45 service, and you can AT ALL jump to 9 am or Saturday night, it would help a bunch if you would, we are getting too full in our kids ministry at that hour.
• Read that last one again... WHAT A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE!!!!
• Hearing buzz about fresh ministry for Senior Adults... stay tuned!!!
• Pastor Mark is telling me we've got 46 small groups in our system, plus a few more that are not yet in the system - look at what God is doing there!!
• Tuesday Nights started up again, and over 80 people were there for worship, groups, classes and recovery. Pastor Roy was fired up, and word is, more folks are coming!
• Cool stuff getting planned for the run up to Easter this spring... you won't want to miss this, trust me!
• Birthday weekend is coming February 19-20, celebrating the 13th birthday of LifePoint, and our founding pastor, Dr. John Jackson is coming back to teach that weekend!! Don't miss it!

And there's more yet to come, because God is stirring things up around here. So thanks again to all who are praying for LifePoint, serving as volunteers, and giving to see God's Kingdom move ahead in this area. It's WORKING!! Keep GOING!!!

Exciting Developments!!

Last night Karl and I had a great meeting with Coop and Penny Cooper, our coordinators for the Financial Peace University classes. They were excited about a Dave Ramsey Simulcast coming up in September, and we spent an hour looking at the details to see if we could host the event at FBC. Looking at this event, it will require some faith, yet it's very doable, so we said we were going to say a 'prayerful yes.' It would be a live webcast of Dave doing his Total Money Makeover, and it gives us as a church the opportunity to introduce more people in our community to all things Dave Ramsey, including the FPU class. Pray with us, there's an upfront cost, and we would be required to sell tickets, but I'm jacked about the potential of this becoming reality. Could you imagine our Worship Center full of people being set free from financial bondage on a Saturday in September? Pray early, pray often, and let us know if you'd be interested in being a part of this opportunity!

After that exciting conversation, talk turned to New Orleans. Penny and Coop went in March and worked with some friends from Indiana on a mission project. The folks in Indiana have invited us to go along when they send a team this fall, probably the last week of October (maybe the first week of November?). I've been praying for the chance to go, and now, it's becoming a reality. If you're interested in going, we want to send a team. We'll get the details out as soon as we have them, but save some vacation time (a week), some money (about $900-1000), and pray a bunch. I'm going, and I'd love for you to come on this adventure with me, or maybe help someone else to go if you can't make it yourself. The need is still great after Hurricane Katrina, and we'd be helping share the light of Jesus, one act of service at a time.

I love hearing people bubble up vision and watching as it starts to take shape in God's hands!! These are two of the pieces of what God wants next in the life of FBC, and I'm glad for leaders like Penny and Coop who see what's not there yet, then pray and work until it starts to happen.