• Went to my first concert at the amphitheater to see Tim McGraw.  Nice venue.  There’s something about just being around lots of people while sitting in an extremely comfortable lawn chair that creates an enjoyable atmosphere.  I always think about staging and presentation at concerts.  I couldn’t help but think about how similar Tim McGraw’s setup was a similar look to Essential’s.  Nice to know we did the same effect for about a million dollars less.
• Saying goodbye to people when due to a military transfer always stirs up mixed emotions.  Saying goodbye to Lisa was no different.  She found Essential and joined our praise team two months after the church started.  In the 2 years she was here she went on 4 overseas deployments and became essential to the work God was doing though the local church.  Her story is a testament to how God can use you to make a big impact even when you’re only living in an area for a short time.
• Beach Sunday was incredible.  I love the ambiance created by being at the beach.  It really is the perfect time to invite someone to church with you.  Our next trip to the beach is just a few weeks away on August 7.
• It is a humbling experience to be a part of someone’s spiritual journey.  To the 21 people who got baptized at the beach last week, thank you for letting me be a part of your journey.
• This week I will be in Florida for a Wor-cation (work+vacation).  I am going to be the camp pastor at the camp that I went to from age 8-14.  I then went back to be on staff there in ’95 and ’99.  My relationship with God began there at the alter in the main chapel when the camp director gave an invitation.  I am really looking forward to going back to a place that is so special to me and my own spiritual journey.  I’m also excited to watch my kids get to go as campers and experience the same camp I went to.
• I will also have the opportunity to be a guest speaker at the church I was ordained at in 1999.  They just finished building a 2,000 seat auditorium.  When I was there they had a building that looks very similar to the one we have at Essential.  I am excited about going back to see all the changes and reconnect with old friends.
• At Essential this Sunday, Pastor Joe will be interviewing a friend of his that has found “hope in the storm” of his life.  He has been living with what the doctors have said is a terminal condition.  I am bummed that I will miss hearing from him live, but I’ll be checking out the podcast.  We had hoped he could come a few weeks ago, but the timing worked out really well.  I have learned more from Pastor Joe about finding ‘hope in the storm’ than from anyone else.
• This round of major rennovations are complete.  If you missed the opportunity to come up and help, you missed out.  It was a lot of fun and I’ve gotten to know several people better.  I love seeing people be an essential part of what God is doing in our community though his church.  That never gets old.
• Loved seeing the new kid’s church room in action on Sunday.  Just seeing my own son’s face when he asked, “Are you making this room for me?”  The answer is of course yes.  We are making it for you and everyone else just like you.  We want you to have the perfect space to learn more about God and how you can get to know him better.

• Summer is finally here and I’m looking forward to it.  Speaking of which, Beach Sunday is only 3 weeks away!
• I’ve had some questions about the Impact Driver I used this past Sunday to screw in that 3″ screw with little effort as an illustration.  I have the Mikita, but I was at Home Depot this week and saw that Ryobi makes one for $69.
• I just finished reading Radical by David Platt.  David and I went to the same seminary and were mentored by the same professor, but we missed each other by a year.  I graduated the semester before he started there.  When I lived in Birmingham I was at the Church at Brook Hills  and the year after we left Birmingham, he went to Brook Hills.  So you could say that he and I are almost friends.
• Radical is a great book to get you thinking about missional involvement and what it means to follow Jesus.  In August we will be doing a series on missional involvement so I’ve been reading some stuff to prep for that as well as help me grow in that area.  So far I’ve read The Hole in Our Gospel and When Helping Hurts.
• This past week Pastor Bobby, Pastor Joe and I met with the leaders of ORPHANetwork. To be honest, ignorance is bliss. Knowing that there are people who are happy to have one meal a day of beans and rice makes it hard to want for anything.  I’ll share more on this later.
• Our ‘Guys Night Out’ group finished up for the semester this past week with back to back weeks of Pork BBQ (one of my favorites).  We finished up our study of Stu Webber’s Tender Warrior.  There’s a great three part section in there on A Man and His Children.The section on learning how to progressively release your children so they can one day be a healthy independent adult is one I think every parent needs to read.  The concept is that at each stage of life there is a level of independence you need to give to your kids so that one day they are prepared to be an adult.  It’s tough to do as a parent, but necessary.

• Easter Sunday… all I can say is WOW!!! I’ve been asked by several people what the attendance figures were. The final count was 630!!! Last year it was 315. For those of you who are mathematically challenged, that’s exactly double in one year’s time. I am overwhelmed and amazed.
• I can’t say enough about our essential volunteers. The nursery was packed, but they were prepared. The parking lot was overflowing, but they were prepared. The coffee and snacks was over the top… and we all came prepared to enjoy them. If you see someone who served on Easter Sunday, thank them for being essential!
• I’ve also been asked a few times, “who’s Jenny?” after this past week’s message.  My answer is, “you are.”  If this doesn’t make any sense, listen to this past week’s message here.
• I saw that our own Justin Harris is rising up the IndieHaven music charts with his song I’m on Fire.  If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it and vote, click on the link and check it out and give him 5 stars.  You can also check out his own site that has samples of his recordings.
• Softball season starts next week.  I’m bummed that my shoulder injury will keep me out this season, but excited to go out and cheer on our teams.  We’ve got a men’s team playing on Monday nights and a co-ed team on Friday nights.  Pastor Bobby says we’re looking good.  Check out the softball schedule here and plan to come out and catch a game.
• Great article by CNN opinion writer LZ Granderson: Parents, Don’t Dress Your Girls Like Tramps.  If you have a daughter, you must read this article.  (Read the article before you watch follow-up video on the link)
• Good blog post by Vince Antonucci, on the Time Magazine article I cited this past week on Hell.  Some of you may know Vince who was the founding pastor of ForeFront Church here in Virginia Beach.  He’s now out in Vegas planting another church.
• If you haven’t downloaded YouVersion for your portable device… do it now!!!  It’s a free app in your smartphone’s app-store and it’s available for just about every kind of smartphone.  Once you download the app, you can either access the Bible via internet connection or just download the version of your choice to your phone for free!!!  There’s nothing like having the ability to read what your creator has to say no matter where you are.
• I would hope that if the Westboro group ever comes to protest a military funeral here in Virginia Beach, our community will respond like the folks in Brandon, Mississippi did.  Read about it here.
• That’s all for now…keep striving through the narrow gate (Luke 13).

• This week, a friend of mine will be preaching at the 9:30 service.  I’ll be speaking at the 10:45.  We’re both sharing the same message.  He’s interviewing at another church in Virginia and this will give them a chance to hear him. He and I served as missionaries together to the Super Bowl back in 1999. Show him love if you come to the early service.
• Childcare is being provided for Date Night with Brock Gill!!! Now there’s no reason not to get tickets and invite someone you know.
• Sermon note: “There is a difference between unconfessed sin and unconqured sin.” Unconfessed sin seperates us from God (Psalm 66:18).  Unconqured sin is something we continue to work on until we go to heaven. (Philippians 3:12-21) Because some sin is so difficult to conquer, we are tempted to give up trying.  Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.  Fight the good fight, finish the race.
• Love this story from Blue Like Jazz: “He asked Bill Bright what Jesus meant to him.  He said that Dr. Bright could not answer the question.  He just started to cry. He sat there in his big chair behind his big desk and wept.  I knew then that I wanted to know Jesus like that, with my heart, not just my head.  I felt like that would be the key to something.”
• Here’s the article about the pastor who has banned Facebook due to the number of people in his church who ended up committing adultery with a Facebook friend.  Husbands and wives need to be 100% transparent about what they’re doing with Facebook and other things like the internet surfing, email, cell phones, and so on.  God’s plan is that the two would become one flesh.  Knowing that secrecy is the breeding ground for sin, get real with each other and be honest.
• Several people have asked me about Rob Bell and his new book Love Wins. This morning he was on Good Morning America talking about it.  The controversy surrounding the book is that Rob Bell, who is a well known pastor of a large church in Michigan, is teaching that there is no such thing as hell.  I have always enjoyed listening to Rob Bell teach because he is always challenging the status quo when it comes to church, ministry, and our understanding of Scripture. He has forced me to rethink many traditional interpretations of Scripture… however on this issue and many others, he’s out in left field.  The Bible is all too clear about the reality of hell.  Most would at least agree that Satan and his demons end up there, (Matthew 25:41).  Further, it’s awful hard to explain the most famous verse in the Bible (John 3:16) if there is no hell. What’s the shall not perish line all about if there is no hell? Why would Jesus say whoever believes? Should he have just said, it doesn’t matter?  This kind of thing happen a lot when people develop an entire theological thought based on a few verses from the Bible without looking at the rest of Scripture.  If you want to read a review of the book that summarizes the book and offers a critique check this out.

• As of right now, almost half of the available tickets to the Date Night with Brock Gill on March 24th have been sold.  When it sells out, it’s sold out.  Even if you can’t make it, buy two tickets for a friend who doesn’t go to church.  I can’t think of an easier way to invite someone to your church.
• I just finished reading (which means I listened to the audiobook) The Holiness of God by Jerry Bridges.  Great book.  The first half made me feel like an absolute heathen.  The second half is full of ideas to help you take steps toward living a holier life.  Needless to say I liked the second half better than the first, but I think all of us need the first part from time to time.  The book goes well with the last line of Jabez’s prayer: Keep me from evil that I may not cause pain.
• At our Guys Night Out group we started doing dinner together before our discussion of Blue Like Jazz.  This past week was Malbon’s BBQ.  It’s the perfect small group for guys who don’t like the thought of going to a small group.
• Sunday night I am going to the Financial Peace University (FPU) group with Melissa.  I’ve read Dave Ramey’s books, heard him speak numerous times, listened to my father-in-law talk about money, and taken the similar course offered by Crown Financial.  Being good with money is 50% knowledge and 50% application. The refresher course is a great reminder to keep applying the principles.  I strongly recommend taking FPU the next time it’s offered.  No matter where you are at financially, you need to take it.
• Several of you have asked about the story I shared on Sunday.  Here’s a link to the Des Moines Register’s series of articles on the Eric Jacobs story.  Here’s the video I showed on Sunday with Eric’s Story.
• Every week I prepare stuff that never gets said in the message.  Here’s one from this past week’s message: “God is everywhere, but we’re just not aware of it.  When God answers someone’s prayer, I often hear people say, ‘God showed up.’ As if he hasn’t been around until that moment.  The truth is that God has been there the whole time and it was at that moment that they realized his presence in their midst.”
• I like the way the Amplified Bible translates Romans 7:6 -  So now we serve not under (obedience to) the old code of written regulations, but (under obedience to the promptings) of the Spirit in newness (of life).
• Below is the Family Guy video that I think of when I read Luke 11:5-8.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted, but there’s so much going on I just couldn’t help but post this week.

• First off, YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS SUNDAY!!! Got a great story to share with you about someone who was willing to listen to God’s voice and act on it.  It was a story God kind of dropped in my lap that was an example of what I was going to be talking about this Sunday.  Love it when that happens.  Amazing story.
• Really excited about Date Night with Brock Gill.  This is the perfect opportunity for you to invite someone who doesn’t go to church to Essential.  We’re not doing this event to provide entertainment for all the Christians in Virginia Beach.  The goal is to give you an opportunity to invite someone who might not come to church to an event they would enjoy, would introduce them to the church, and might open a path of healing in their marriage.  Perhaps you have someone you have done business with (carpenter, doctor, florist, etc.) and wanted to say thank you to them.  Buy them two tickets to the show and invite them.
• I was asked a few weeks ago how many people have made Essential their church and I didn’t know the exact number.  I’ve seen the growth, but never was one for counting.  I think I’m scared after reading about David’s desire to count the people in 1 Chronicles 21:1. Anyway, Sherry was working on some database stuff this past week and mentioned that there were over 550 people in the active database.  I was blown away.  Most Sundays about 325-375 people are at church. I wonder what we’d do if everyone showed up on the same day.  Thinking of which, you might want to come early for Easter to get a seat.
• Have you “made” time for prayer this week?  If not, the week’s not over.
• In our Thursday morning Exodus study somehow we got off on the topic of Jesus.  (Wow, that last sentence sounds bad when you look back at it)  Anyway, the issue relates to prayer and this past week’s sermon about Jesus’ prayer life.  Every indication from Scripture is that Jesus didn’t cheat.  What I mean by that is he was fully human.  Philippians 2:7 says that he emptied himself.  Luke 2:52 says that Jesus kept increasing in wisdom. Bottom line, he lived under the same constraints we do, but he was so different.  Why? I have to conclude it was prayer. He prayed like we know we ought to pray. We always say there’s power in prayer, but we don’t pray and yet marvel at the power that Jesus had.  Could Ephesians 1:18-21 be right in that the same power that was available to Jesus is available to us? I guess we’ll never know unless we pray.
• I love what Justin is doing with worship.  I love his humility.  I loved hearing Becky lead worship during communion.  I also love that I don’t think about Justin or the band members during worship. He does such a good job of letting the spotlight fall on Jesus instead of himself.  You don’t see many people with his talent level (as well as that of the rest of the praise team/band) that able to use their talent to it’s fullest potential and not have you focus on their gifting.
• I’m excited, maybe even a bit nervous about Bobby.  His motor runs a mile a minute.  He’s not even here yet and he’s already all over facebook making connections, working on summer youth activities, and chompin’ at the bit to get started.  He’s either going to wear me out if I try to keep up with him or I’m going to enjoy sitting back and watching him go.

• Looking forward to hanging out at Joe’s place in Pungo Saturday night. Invite a friend to join you. If you’ve never had a roasted oyster, you have to give it a try. It’s nothing like the slimy raw stuff your used to seeing. If you’re only stationed in Virginia for a short time, it’s something you have to do before you move, kind of like eating craw-fish in New Orleans or sourdough bread in San Francisco. Of course, there will also be some chili which is always good on a cold night.
• I’m excited to be threw a grueling series on the nature and consequences of sin. It’s not a fun topic to teach on and study. As a pastor, you immerse yourself in the topic all week long before you teach on it. So for over three weeks now I’ve been immersed in the painful consequences of our choices. I’m excited to be talking about grace this weekend. It’s put me in a great mood all week.
• I was at a missions conference this past week. Did you realize that together with other churches we have sent out 10,000 missionaries around the world and been a part of planting 66 churches in Virginia. As a part of our involvement in Haiti, over 135,000 Haitians have begun following Jesus.
• Our staff is busy working on Christmas plans for this year. My first thought was, what did we do last year in this building? Then it hit me, last year at Christmas we were still meeting in a school. Can you believe this will be our first Christmas in our building??? We’ve only been meeting here since January of this year!!! So much has happened in the past year. So much to be thankful for.
• Big thank you to all those who helped with our building renovation last week. Whether you knocked down walls, cooked meals, watched kids, or cleaned up… it was all a huge contribution. My kids loved their new rooms. The sound on Sunday from the new drum booth was an incredible change. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving of your time.
• Loved Justin’s version of Hootie’s song about the consequences of moral failure. He’s got mad talent. As a church we are so blessed that someone with his talent has the opportunity to sit in the room and not even be on stage while others lead worship. I love Joe’s energy and passion. Adam on electric guitar is a great addition. It seems like there’s a different set of singers and musicians up there every week. I know they work hard to make it look so easy. Thanks.
• The video below was one I could have used Sunday, but opted to go for a more introspective path with the “Fine Line” song. It’s a hilarious song about Samson and Delilah.

• Had a great day last weekend at Beach Sunday. Check out the slide show of pics taken by our resident photographer Debbie Cormier took.
• If you missed the message we looked at 1 Samuel 25-30. This section of the Bible records a time in David’s life where he went through an extended period of making bad choices. It all started with one bad choice. Once he started in that direction, every decision he made was a bad one. You can’t make a good decision when you’re always choosing the lesser of two evils.
• I finally got some of the summer sermons uploaded. The rest should be up there within the next week. You can listen or download them here.
• Looking forward to our new four week series Practical Atheist. This series came out of my own devotional time. I was so convicted by the question: “If you believe in God then why do you _________ ?” You can fill in just about anything in that blank.
• Here’s some highlights from this past week’s message: “I believe in God, but I also believe life ought to be fair….since life isn’t fair, God must not be doing his part….fairness as you understand it, is not a biblical value….the problem with fairness is perspective….we are not sitting in a vantage point to make final decisions concerning the fairness of things in life….our belief in fairness leads us to conclusions that result in bad decisions….believing in fairness will lead you to conclude that God is evil….Life isn’t fair, but God is Good….I’m thankful that God chose grace over fairness for me.” Want to hear more, you can go to the audio page or listen here:

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• I got to see a sneak preview of a video featuring Chrystal’s story and how she found Essential. It’s a video that will be shown in churches all over the state later this month.  It is amazing! I’ll let you know when it will be shown.
• I love reading the comments on EssentialLove.tv.  Keep them coming!!!
• Here’s the video from this past weekend that illustrates how our perspective messes up our judgment.