Easter is Coming! Help us get ready.
I am SO looking forward to the Easter Celebration we have planned & for an amazing kick-off to our “F-Bomb” message series this Sunday! As we are working our tails off getting ready for you & the people you bring with you on this BIG day – here are four specific things that YOU can do as we prepare to celebrate Easter at Eagle Pointe:
1. Invite your friends!
It’s always amazed me that although we know many of our friends are LOOKING for a church to attend on Easter, we still feel nervous when inviting them. Maybe it’s the fact that we all feel a bit nervous when talking about things that are important to us. The truth is, when you invite a friend to join you for church on Easter they very often will come, and even if they cannot, they’ll appreciate the fact that you thought of them.
We will have invite cards available at church for you to hand out or send to your friends. Check out my Facebook page & our Eagle Pointe Facebook page for videos, etc that you can share. We’ll have Easter road signs everywhere in our community you can use as a discussion starter (“Hey, have you seen…). Also, I will be sending out an e-mail invitation that you can easily send to all of your friends. Our Eagle Pointe website also has information & the times of our Easter services.
Again, more people will attend church on Easter than any other day of the year. Studies show that 3 out of 4 people would attend an Easter church service if they were invited by someone they know. Let me encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and really make an effort to bring as many people as you possibly can this Easter. Don’t forget our “U + 2 Easter Challenge“. Offer to pick them up and drive them here. (In fact, carpooling will help with parking!!!)
2. Come to worship and serve this Sunday!
If your friends are meeting you here rather than riding with you, make plans to worship in either the 8:30, 10:00, or 11:30am hour & then serve in another hour. We will need lots of help in the children’s ministry and host team – if you are able to help out please contact Tim Roman @ timroman53@hotmail.com for Host team – or Jonathan Napier @ jonathan@eaglepointe.org for Children’s ministry A.S.A.P.
3. Help us free up some parking spaces.
Parking WILL be an issue this Easter weekend! Please help us by carpooling if at all possible (your family doesn’t need to arrive in 2 or 3 cars separately). Volunteers – let’s pack our back gravel lot behind the church. People not being able to find a parking spot does not make for a very good 1st impression.
***AND – we need many of you to come to the 8:30AM service to make room for Easter guests – who will most likely come to the later services.
4. Help out in any way that you can.
If you see ANYTHING that needs to be done – a piece of paper that needs to be picked up, a person who needs a question answered, a restroom that needs to be cleaned – I encourage you to “just do it.” One of the great things about Eagle Pointe is the way that we all pull together to meet whatever is needed.
Let’s make every effort to see that everyone has the best possible experience here at Eagle Pointe this Easter. Let’s see to it that not one person walks through our doors without being greeted by several people and introduced around. Let’s make everyone feel welcomed, loved, and appreciated. Hopefully, they will leave thinking, “That is the friendliest place I’ve ever been to.” Everyone is on the Host Team this Easter! (Actually, that is the case every Sunday!)
***Remember: Studies show that most visitors to a church will make up their mind within the first eight minutes as to whether they are ever coming back again. Let’s do absolutely everything we can to get them to come back again.
5. Personally celebrate the Good News of Easter starting today.
Just think of it: because of Easter our past is forgiven, our life is worth living and we have a future in heaven! Romans 3:22 says, “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” Start praising God & celebrating today & every day!
I look forward to seeing you this weekend!
Can You Say “Date Night”???
This Saturday April 16th we are doing our next “Great Date Night Experience” here at Eagle Pointe Church.
Most couples want to have a date night – but don’t! Well, we’re going to help you by providing fun & creative ideas for your date night & “parent’s night out” childcare is available here at Eagle Pointe.
I’ve got to tell you – Gina & I have been doing these Great Date Night Experiences the last few months & we’ve been having a blast! They are A LOT of fun, they are crazy, we talk about a lot of stuff, & these Date Nights make for some great memories!
Trust me – YOU NEED TO DO THIS! Drop off the kids here at the church at 5PM, pick up your “assignment”, & have a GREAT Date Night! You & your spouse will be glad you did!
PS. Care enough about your friends, neighbors, co-workers & their relationships to get them to take part in this as well.
BTW: In addition to “dating” your spouse – Dads, read this blog post I did a while back about how… “Dads – You Need to Date Your Daughters“
Evidently We’re Not A “Real Church” – Part 2
WOW! Yesterday was a lot of fun! Thank you to SO MANY of you who commented, emailed me, called, etc. Today should be no exception. (If you missed “Evidently We’re Not A “Real” Church – part 1” go back & read it before reading this)
Here are a few more things we do at Eagle Pointe, tricks/gimmicks, & how we “water down” the Gospel… 
#4 – We Care About Excellence
We believe that if it is done in God’s name — then it deserves our best effort. Please know that excellence is what we’re shooting for – NOT PERFECTION! We literally screw something up every Sunday — but it is NOT because we are not trying hard — it’s because we’re human.
From our adult worship services, to our Kid’s & Student ministries, to our local & global mission work we strive to do it all with excellence. BTW: If it is worth doing — then it is worth doing right!
I encourage you to read more about this idea @ “3 Things Church Leaders MUST Remember“
#5 – We Plan Ahead
Yep, another “gimmick” we use at Eagle Pointe is that we plan ahead — we do not just “WING IT.” For example, I have our message/teaching series’ planned out through the end of the year. It is a flexible plan allowing for God to change things up – but it’s planned out nonetheless. For those who say I’m not allowing the Holy Spirit to lead & direct – Guess what? God’s Holy Spirit IS actually capable of speaking to us a week, a month, a year, and even a few years in advance. I know – I know – that’s crazy talk!
We plan out Kid’s & Student events months in advance. You know why? Because these kids matter!!! We plan out local & global mission work for an entire year in advance.
Some people say that you can plan so much that you plan God right out of it — REALLY??? God is a planner — He is organized — He is detailed — & He NEVER just “wings it”! God has a plan & we should as well.
#6 – We Challenge People To Commit
Let me be very clear on this Eagle Pointe church has THE BEST volunteers on the planet!
Listen closely — a church is NOT effective when a pastor ministers to the people. A church is only truly effective when the body ministers to the body!
Too many churches are killing their pastor by expecting the poor guy to do everything — while they sit on their rear end & watch the show. Ummm…where exactly is THAT in the Bible???
Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that pastors are to teach the people HOW to minister – NOT to do it all. And we are truly blessed to have a group of people that EMBRACE that concept – who are committed to God’s vision for this church – and God is using their skills every weekend to IMPACT lives for Jesus Christ.
BTW: This commitment is of our time, talents/abilities, & resources. You are not “ALL IN” with what God is doing unless your checkbook is all in!
#7 – We Have An Atmosphere Where People WANT To Bring Their Unchurched Friends
When I was growing up the LAST place I wanted to take a person who didn’t know Christ was to church! I dreaded going to church & I was not going to subject my friends to that kind of torture!
We have taken a different approach — we have told people that we are going to PRAY like crazy & work our tails off to create a fun, exciting, powerful, & meaningful environment which inspires & encourages people to take their next step towards Jesus! And we want you to partner with us in getting your friends, neighbors, co-workers who are disconnected from Jesus & His church HERE! And guess what? IT WORKS!
I make no apologies for how we DO church & if some don’t consider us to be a “REAL” church that’s fine by me — I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Evidently We’re Not A “Real Church” – Part 1
Yet again — I was stopped by a pastor in our area who wanted to let me know how he felt about our church — how we weren’t a “real” church, how we let ANYONE come through our doors, & about what he called – “gimmicks” – that we use to “put butts in the seats”. He was appalled & said “I was leading people astray with a false doctrine”. I asked if he had ever been to 1 of our services, listened online, etc??? He said “No” but that he had heard & “knew” enough about us.
It’s a sad truth – but I get this fairly regularly from the MANY more traditional churches in our area. About 2 years ago I had another local pastor corner me at a nearby Publix. He said, “I’ve heard HORRIBLE things about your church…” I tried to correct him & let him know that it wasn’t my church – it was Jesus’ church – but he was on a roll! He said, “I’ve heard that you’ll let anyone in there, that you’ve got divorced people, alcoholics, drug addicts, just a bunch of screw-ups. You all collect the ‘dregs of our society’.” He went on to say, “We don’t have many people coming to our church – but the ones we have are ‘gettin’ there’.” (Whatever that means!)
As I usually do when I’m being admonished by 1 of these pastors - I respectfully listened & waited until he was finished. THEN I responded — I said, “Mr. ________ (name withheld), you & I are NEVER going to see eye-to-eye on our ministry approach & philosophy. But let me tell you something — I WANT THE SCREW-UPS! I want the people who are wounded, hurting, & beaten up by the hardships of life! I want the people who have been wounded & turned off to Jesus – by Christians & churches. I want to yank people back from the gates of hell with smoke still coming off of them! And I make no apologies for that!” This pastor stormed away huffing & puffing!
Pastors/Church Leaders – if you have a passion to reach people who are disconnected from God & His church — AND you begin to do that very thing with ANY amount of success then believe me — other pastors (who are not reaching ANYONE) are going to accuse you & your church of using gimmicks & “watering down” the Gospel. If people’s lives are being changed then you MUST NOT BE PREACHING the Gospel, right?
(By the way – the pastors in your community that ARE reaching people for Christ will not criticize or condemn you — because they are so stinkin’ busy that they do not have the time to do so!!!)
SO — let me share with you today some things we do at Eagle Pointe & how we “water down” the Gospel …
#1 – We Talk About Jesus All Of The Time!
HE is the reason for the church; in fact, He said in Matthew 16:18 that it is HIS CHURCH! So we decided since the beginning that in our church — He would be THE MAIN FOCUS! He is alive & IS changing lives!
Let me be clear – we talk about Jesus A LOT. We do not talk about the lottery, politics, how all Christians should watch FOX news, etc. We DO acknowledge that we live in a messed up world – however we do not think that the world is messed up because bad people keep making bad decisions — but rather the world is messed up because people don’t know JESUS!
Churches can choose their soapboxes and issues all day long – our issue is & always will be Jesus — He changes lives!
#2 – We Use The Bible
Some people think that if you preach from the Bible then people will not come – NOTHING could be further from the truth. In each & every service we teach the Bible in an unapologetic way.
Sometimes people say, “They don’t use the Bible at Eagle Pointe. That’s why people are going to that church.” When a person makes that statement they are simply showing their stupidity — because there has never been a service in the history of this church where the Bible wasn’t taught.
#3 – We Teach The Bible In A Way People Can Understand
Once in a while I hear from people who say, “Howard, I wish at times we could ‘go deeper’.” Let me translate that for you – what this person is usually saying is, “I wish at times you would confuse the heck out of me, give me a new idea/concept that I can WOW other people with, & that there would be no application point/action step — that way I can walk away feeling smarter – better than others – puffed up – & also not feeling like I need to DO ANYTHING with what I’ve just learned.”
My goal when putting messages together is — What does God want them to know or be reminded of? AND What does God want us TO DO in response? Umm – look at Jesus’ teachings — that’s the example He gave us! I truly believe that God is not impressed by how much knowledge we have – but by how much knowledge we put into action! People don’t need another history/theology/philosophy lesson – they need practical help with their lives & they need to learn how to follow Jesus with reckless abandon!
I love to study theology – Piper, Spurgeon, & many others but I do that on my own time – & I’m not so insecure that I feel the need to impress others. I’d rather teach people about God & His owners manual for our lives (aka. the Bible) in a way they can understand & that helps them on Monday thru Saturday – not just on Sunday.
That’s enough for now – BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 2 OF THIS POST…
MOMENTUM – Mexican Fiesta – Olé!!!
This Sunday March 27th @ 6PM we’re pulling out all the stops for our next “MOMENTUM” gathering! We’re having a Mexican Fiesta! Starting at 6PM sharp, we’ll have a potluck Mexican social – bring a yummy Mexican dish or dessert. Trust me – this will be an event you will not want to be late to!!! We have got some serious surprises in store for you – that you’ll be talking about for a longtime!
MOMENTUM is a gathering we do about every 6 – 8 weeks with all of our church’s volunteers & those who are interested in volunteering. The heart behind this is to meet with the core of our church family, those who make things happen, & share the behind the scenes stuff regarding what we’re dreaming about, working on, & where God is leading. I seriously cannot encourage you enough to BE THERE! (and yes there will be childcare)
We also want MOMENTUM to truly be an EVENT that people do not want to miss. We want to go overboard with this event to let our volunteer army know just how much we love, value, & appreciate them.
So again, seriously, BE THERE!!! BE EARLY!!! Oh and did I mention? We have got some serious surprises in store for you – that you’ll be talking about for a longtime!
I can’t wait to see you there!
Dads – You Need To “Date” Your Daughters
The feedback & response we have been getting from our “Happily Ever After” teaching series at Eagle Pointe church has been off the charts! It has been amazing & humbling to see God working in SO MANY lives & families. So, for the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a series of blog postings about marriage & relationships to help all of us even further than just a 30 minute message on Sundays
Dads – You Need To “Date” Your Daughters
Many of you know that I am a HUGE proponents of “date nights”. As I will talk about next Sunday at Eagle Pointe Church, as we continue our “Happily Ever After”series, date nights are the only way Gina & I “get on the same page” in our lives, marriage, kids, home, ministry, etc. They are invaluable to the health of our marriage relationship! But I’ll save that idea for next Sunday & for another blog posting.
Today I want to talk about the importance of Dads “dating” their daughters. Dads – you have a tremendous God-given opportunity in the life of your family – & especially your daughters.
I’ve taken Brianna (now 12 yrs old) on a date once a week since she was an infant. It used to be Wendy’s for a frosty, then when we moved to ATL it became Bruster’s for an ice cream cone – somehow ice cream is usually involved. For the last 2 years it has been Chik-Fil-a every Friday morning before school. (There are VERY few exceptions to this – except for REAL emergencies I don’t schedule anything that will conflict) Again, I’ve been doing this since she was an infant and, if she will let me, I plan on doing it until Jesus takes me off of this planet! (BTW: I now do this with Emma & A.J. sometimes it’s out to eat, running errands, etc – but for today’s purpose I’ll focus mostly on Brianna)
Two main reasons why I do this…
#1 Reason– Besides Jesus, I want to be the number one influencer in my daughter’s life. I want her to feel like she can talk with me about ANYTHING (even though I know there are times she will choose not to)! And believe me, because of the openness of our relationship we have talked about things that I NEVER would have dreamed I would be discussing with my little girl! As awkward & uncomfortable as some of those discussions have been – THANK YOU GOD – that she felt comfortable enough to come to me rather than a friend or kid at school.
I want for her to feel connected, loved and special to me… and the ONLY way I can do that is by investing as much time into her as I can RIGHT NOW! I want her to reach her teenage years and be able to look back and see that I’ve always been there & desired to spend quality time with her… and no matter how crazy/hectic our lives were I always MADE time to spend with just her.
Here’s another thought – having done marriage/family counseling & having been a youth pastor for many years, I know how fragile the female, especially young female psyche is. Young girls NEED a strong male figure in their life who is providing unconditional love & acceptance, who is building up their self-esteem & confidence, & who is giving them physical attention & appropriate affection. They need it! They yearn for it! They crave it!
Listen – there is not a woman or young woman on the planet who does not battle daily with insecurity – because of the crap our society has been feeding them since they were little. And the God-given opportunity & responsibility we have as dads is – we can build up their self-esteem & their self-worth like no one else can. We can help them see themselves as the wonderful original masterpiece that God created them to be. That way when our world – our society – our media – & their peers tell them that they’re not good enough – talented enough – smart enough – or pretty enough – they won’t be as prone to listen.(Please re-read that last paragraph & let it soak in)
And guess what? If we as dads are not meeting those needs & providing that in their lives – they’ll go find another male figure who will – & trust me – you WILL NOT like who they find!
#2 Reason – I want to serve my wife. Listen – being a full time mom is exhausting!!! I personally do not understand how single moms do it! Being full-time mom is exhausting! They are always tired… ALWAYS! Their job never ends, they don’t get to punch a clock and go home! They hardly ever have time to themselves. They hardly ever get to sleep in. They hardly ever have any time to relax. SO…early on I decided that I would do “date day/night” with Brianna not only for my daughter… but also for my Gina. I want her to have time to sleep in… take a nap… relax… read… scrapbook… go to the gym… WHATEVER she wants to do!
Gina has told me many times that me making Brianna & now our other 2 kids a priority – communicates to her that I love her AND our family. (Now, me taking our 3 yr old wild man A.J. out gives Gina time to relax & restore her sanity) And guess what guys??? A happy, relaxed, & sane wife is a good thing for everybody!
Some helpful tips for Daddy Date Time:
#1 – You have to intentionally MAKE time to do this… Dads – we don’t “accidentally spends time with our kids!” Schedule it on your calendar like you would any other very important meeting.
#2 – Be patient! It may be awkward at first. Whether they’re 3, 8, 12, 16 – if you’re not used to really “talking” with each other it will take a while to open up the lines of communication & find your groove. Invest the time now to figure out how to communicate with them, rather than when they’re older & are facing a crisis.
#3 – Don’t allow interruptions! When Brianna, Emma, or A.J. and I are out spending time together I do not allow myself to be pulled into a conversation with other people – EVER! Let me be very clear… I work hard to protect this time with my kids. I do not EVER want them to feel second place to the church (that is how most pastor’s kids wind up resenting the church!) Now, I’m always polite & say “Hi” to people – but I do not allow others to take time away that I’ve dedicated to my kids!
#4 – The Cell phone is off-limits! Unless I KNOW that it is an emergency I won’t answer the phone. (BTW: How did humanity survive all those years without cell phones?) It kills me to see parents sitting in a restaurant with their kid & talking on a cell phone with someone else. That is NOT spending time with your kid! Guess what? Whoever calls you can actually survive a couple of hours until you call back.
That’s just some of the things I’ve learned after 12 yrs of trial & error figuring out how to do this. I’ve also had some great coaches like Dan Southerland, & Terry & Brenda Mashburn. I am nowhere near the perfect dad. Most days I’m just trying not to screw up. And as I said in this past Sunday’s message – there is a hierarchy of priorities God wants each of us to have in our lives. For me it is #1 – God, #2 – Gina’s husband, #3 – dad to my 3 kids, #4 – lead pastor of Eagle Pointe Church, & #5 – everything else… IN THAT ORDER. It is a fight to keep those things in order… but one I am willing to fight so that when I leave this planet one day – those who knew me the best would love (and miss) me the most.
Dads… don’t waste those early years with your kids… Carpe Diem!!!
*** Some parts/ideas borrowed from Bob Barnes, Dan Southerland, & Perry Noble
Happily Ever After – Trust God
1st collector for Happily Ever After – Trust God
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Important Message for Eagle Pointe’rs
I Normally Don’t Do This
It’s the end of the year and I’m writing you because we need to share a few things with you! As a church we have seen a TON of amazing things happen this year. We have had SO many people commit their lives to Christ & get baptized – marriages restored – families put back together – people growing in their relationship with Jesus – and on and on.
While there has been SO MUCH good, I have to inform you about something that is a challenge. We are ending our financial year and we are not where we need to be yet.
Our financial goal for the month of December was $60,000. This would cover operating expenses & our Serve the World Campaign (the amount needed to fund our work in Haiti, the Philippines, and other local & global mission work)
At this moment we are at $50,800!
While I’m sure we ALL greatly enjoyed a white Christmas – having to cancel our church services this past Sunday did not help our cause. As well, many of you have been out of town over the Christmas holiday & may not have had the opportunity to generously give towards this.
We are $9,200 from finishing strong! We are asking you and every person that loves this church to make a year-end donation that will bridge the gap from where we are to where we need to be.
We do not want to start another year hoping we do well financially! We want to finish strong so we can start ministering strong in 2011!
So I’m asking you to:
1. Ask God, “What do you want me to do financially this year?”
2. Give a year-end gift to help our cause — Drop it by or mail to our church office, Give online – http://eaglepointe.org/#/give-online, or drop it in the offering basket this Sunday & note “year end” in the memo section. * To count towards 2010 taxes it must be postmarked by Dec. 31st.
3. Ask God to bless the gift so many lives will be touched
Your Friend, Pastor, & Partner
Howard J. Koepka
Eagle Pointe Christmas Eve 2010
I LOVE that video!!!
Can you believe it? Christmas Eve is only 3 days away! I am SO looking forward to the Christmas Eve Celebration we have planned for you and the 20 friends you’ll bring with you this year. We have 3 amazing Christmas Eve services (3:00, 4:30, & 6:00PM) planned for you & all the people you bring with you! The music, message, videos, communion, candlelight singing, & more will BLOW YOU AWAY! Trust me!!
Here are four specific things that you can do as we prepare to celebrate Christmas Eve at Eagle Pointe:
1. Invite your friends!
It’s always amazed me that although we know many of our friends are LOOKING for a church to attend on Christmas Eve, we still feel nervous when inviting them. Maybe it’s the fact that we all feel a bit nervous when talking about things that are important to us. The truth is, when you invite a friend to join you for church on Christmas Eve they very often will come, and even if they cannot, they’ll appreciate the fact that you thought of them. Remember: Christmas Eve & Easter are the 2 times a year when more people are willing to “give church a try” than any other. Use that! Take advantage of that!
Call your friends & invite them! Share the video & info about our services on your Facebook & Twitter. We will be sending out an e-mail invitation that you can easily send to all of your friends. Step out of your comfort zone and really make an effort to bring as many people as you possibly can this Christmas Eve. Offer to pick them up and drive them here. (In fact, carpooling will help with parking – Seriously!!!) Let’s do OUR part & then step back & watch as God does His part!
2. Come to worship AND SERVE this Christmas Eve!
If your friends are meeting you here rather than riding with you, make plans to worship in either the 3:00, 4:30, or 6:00pm service and then serve during another service. We will need lots of help in the children’s ministry and host team – if you are able to help out please contact Jonathan Napier – jonathan@eaglepointe.org (children’s) or Tim Roman - timroman53@hotmail.com (host team) a.s.a.p.
3. Help out in any way that you can.
If you see ANYTHING that needs to be done – a piece of paper that needs to be picked up, a person who needs a question answered, a restroom that needs to be cleaned – I encourage you to “just do it.” One of the great things about Eagle Pointe is the way that we all pull together to meet whatever is needed.
Let’s make every effort to see that everyone has the best possible experience here at Eagle Pointe. Let’s see to it that not one person walks through our doors without being greeted by several people and introduced around. Let’s make everyone feel welcomed, loved, and appreciated. Hopefully, they will leave thinking, “That is the friendliest place I’ve ever been to.” EVERYONE is on the Host Team this Christmas Eve! (Actually, that is the case every Sunday as well!)
Studies show that most visitors to a church will make up their mind within the first eight minutes as to whether they are ever coming back again. Let’s do absolutely everything we can to get them to come back again.
4. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
Join us in praying that after we do our part – that God shows up in a HUGE way & does what only He can do! Pray for your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, & our community! Listen: It’s NOT TOO LATE to do whatever it takes to bring someone with you to a service. I am asking everyone to stop for a few seconds and ask God if there is anyone else that you need to invite… and if He places someone in your heart and mind then don’t just pray for them… GO GET THEM!!! Also, Pray that our lives will be changed this Christmas & that the lives & eternities of 100′s of people will be changed this Christmas Eve.
5. Personally celebrate the Good (GREAT) News of Christmas starting today.
Matthew 1:23 says, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call Him Emmanuel which means God with us.” God is with me & God is with YOU – THAT’S what Christmas is ALL about! Start praising God and celebrating today and every day the GREAT news of Jesus!
I look forward to seeing you on Friday!
Nobody Likes “CHANGE”!
As I’ve said for many years “Nobody likes change except a baby with a dirty diaper – & even they cry about it!” I was reminded about this last week when the wife & I went to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert here in ATL. We had seen the show a few times before & each time it has blown me away! Well, on Friday night we were waiting for the show to start, suddenly the house lights came down, the band & orchestra launched into their 1st number, the stage lights & special effects fired up ——– but something was different ——— & I wasn’t happy!
Oh, the music was great, the lighting & effects were amazing, but something just didn’t “FEEL” right! For the 1st 10 minutes of the show I was annoyed, I wasn’t into it, & I wasn’t “feeling it”. As I sat there trying to figure out “what was wrong” – I realized that they had changed the show. They didn’t start the show in the same way as previous years. The narrator & first 2 vocalists were different than last year (initially I didn’t think they were as good). They had changed up the arrangements of some of the songs & I was MAD! I wanted my old Trans-Siberian Orchestra back! DANG IT!
Once I realized what was going on in my own psyche – I literally smacked myself in the face (which I’m prone to do to make myself “snap out of it”). Then I sat back & tried to objectively remove my personal preferences & evaluate the show. And guess what? It was pretty darn good! The band & orchestra were “killing it” (in a great way), the vocalists were actually better than before, the staging & lights were the best yet for T.S.O. In fact, this was the best T.S.O. show I had seen yet!
Funny – how much our personal preference, what we like, how we like things, & our “comfort zone” can affect our perception of things & our willingness to try new things. Funny – how as you read through the Bible you see God continually shaking things up. He is constantly changing circumstances & situations – & constantly pushing people out of their comfort zones. He does this to stretch us & grow us. He does this to teach us things about ourselves & about Him. He does this to force us to rely on & trust Him. When things are “safe”, smooth, & “comfortable” for too long – we tend not to stretch, grow, learn, & trust God. Have you figured that out yet?
Last Friday night was a great reminder for me as our church is heading into a season of a lot of changes! We’re teaming up with a local church to help them re-launch their church. In addition to resources, we’re sending one of our key staff members to help lead this other church. (CLICK HERE for more info about this) Our part-time worship leader is taking a full-time position in South Carolina. We have several new volunteer staff people stepping up to lead different ministries of Eagle Pointe.
God changes things so often around here at Eagle Pointe that you’d think we would be used to it by now. BUT – for a lot of people things may not ”FEEL” the same for a little while. And that’s okay! In fact, that’s GREAT!
I’ve been following Jesus long enough on this wild & crazy adventure to know that when God starts shaking things up – yeah it may be uncomfortable & challenging for a while – but in the long run God ALWAYS turns it into something SO much better than before!
As a leader, while I have learned to embrace & get excited about change (my wife Gina & I joke that God has had us out of our comfort zone for so long – we don’t even remember what our comfort zone was)- but I also have to be understanding & empathetic of those who aren’t to that point yet. I have to slow down & help those who are sitting there watching the start of the show thinking “something doesn’t ‘feel’ right, this is not what I’m used to, this is a little uncomfortable, this is different & I’m not sure if I like it yet.” We as leaders need to help & encourage those people along the journey.
So, the challenge for us in our personal lives & our churches is to embrace change. We have to step back and make sure it is God who is shaking things up & then once we figure out that it is God – jump on board & enjoy the ride. Change & discomfort should become a sign & an indicator for us that God is about to do something really, REALLY cool!
Serve the World – Gift Certificates
We have had quite a few requests for us to put something together along the lines of a “Serve the World – Gift Certificate“. A lot of people are jumping onboard with our “Serve the World Campaign” & rather than buying a bunch of presents for people, we have folks who want to donate money to “Serve the World” in someone else’s name. Basically, “here’s this certificate, I’m thinking about you this Christmas – but rather than buy you something you really don’t need – I’ve donated money in your name to help kids & families in the Philippines & Haiti”.
These “Serve the World – Gift Certificate’s” will be available at our Connections table in the Cafe’/lobby starting this Sunday @ Eagle Pointe church. * NOTE: We will not be collecting money at the Connections table. Simply take however many certificates you need & we’ll trust you to make your donation in our offering boxes during service, online, or drop it by the church office. ***PLEASE note “Serve the World” in the memo section of your check or your online payment.
BTW: This Sunday during our “I Hate the Holidays” message I’ll be sharing a lot more about our Serve the World Campaign. Trust me — you NEED to be there this Sunday & invite, coerce, drag everyone you know!
I’ll see you on Sunday!
MOMENTUM CHRISTMAS BASH/ ANNIVERSARY PARTY
This Sunday evening December 5th @ 6PM we will have our “Momentum Christmas Bash”. This will be part Christmas Party & part Anniversary Party. This weekend is the 7th anniversary of us re-starting Eagle Pointe Church. 7 years ago this weekend we re-started Eagle Pointe Church with 40 committed people who believed in what God wanted to do here.
I hope ALL of our Eagle Pointe family will come out & celebrate with us! Put on your Holiday best & craziest, bring some good holiday food (Potluck), & join us for a fun & crazy time Eagle Pointe style! (Childcare is provided) BTW: Don’t be late! We’ll be showing a lot of great pictures from the past 7 years during our social time.
***NOTE: In addition to having a blast – I have some BIG – exciting – God-sized NEWS to share with our church family about 2011.
Help us spread the word & I hope to see ALL of you there!
Serve the World: Christmas Offering – Pt. 2
Be sure to watch the above video & if you missed “Serve the World: Christmas Offering – Pt. 1” go back & read it 1st – so that you’ll get this part 2 in context.
Listen – if we as Christians don’t step up and address these issues – people starving – parents burying their kids – kids being orphaned by diseases all over the planet… I think years from now people will look back at the 21st century Christian church and ask – “What were they thinking?” “How could they not do something?” It’s like the way we look back at the church – who for 300 years read their Bibles – and kept their black brothers & sisters in slavery. Tell me how that works? How do you justify that? The problem is that we don’t have enough people who will take action!
I also had a conversation a couple of Christmas’ ago with a pastor friend. We were kind of making fun of the people who boycott stores that do not say “Merry Christmas” – during the month of December. I don’t think I’ll ever forget – my friend said – “I want to boycott those stores that invoke the name of my Savior – in the name of the almighty dollar. I had another conversation with my daughter Brianna – who asked me – “Daddy, why is it Jesus’ birthday and everybody buys all kinds of gifts for everybody else – but Jesus doesn’t get anything?” She said – “If it was my birthday – and everybody except me got gifts except me I’d be pretty upset.”
Then I did a little research and found that the average family in America spends $900 buying Christmas gifts – that’s just the average… Some spend a lot more – & too many go into debt pulling off Christmas. We spend a ridiculous amount of money on gifts for everyone we know – on video games, iPods, clothes, and all kinds of stuff that our kids can’t begin to be grateful for or appreciate. Question – does this in any way sound like a celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – of God’s love coming to earth in flesh? To me – it is more of one giant orgy of materialism – and it’s sickening!
I am challenging all of us – and everyone who will listen – to drastically cut back on Christmas gifts this year! I’ll give you a moment to catch your breath ——- But guess what? Christmas is not my birthday – & I don’t need anything! It’s not your birthday – and you really don’t need anything! Now, I know this is a hard pill, especially for our teens and kids, to swallow – but compared to 99% of the other kids in the world – our’s live like stinkin’ royalty! 99% of the kids in the world would trade places with them in a heartbeat!
So, in our family we’re calculating the maximum amount we can afford to spend on Christmas, without going into debt – which isn’t a whole lot on a pastor’s salary, 2 adoptions, etc… We’re cutting that in 1/2 and using 1/2 to buy gifts & taking the other 1/2 and giving it Jesus for His birthday. Now, how do you give the Jesus – who is not here in the flesh? You could give to His work – the local church! And we should definitely be doing that. But Jesus also said that when you do this for the least of these – people who are suffering – starving – dying from diseases – you are doing it for Me. It’s easy to get overwhelmed – when you look at the incredible needs all over the globe – and think what could I do about all of that? Well, you can’t fix it all – but we can each do our part. Our Eagle Pointe family could come together and address a small portion of it.
During the month of December we’re doing a “Serve the World: Christmas Offering“. This offering will help fund our church’s mission work in the Philippines, Haiti, as well as other local & global mission work we do for 2011. Please help us provide food, immunizations, medical care, mosquito nets, Bibles, & the love of Jesus Christ in parts of the world where the average family lives on less than $2 a day.
We’re encouraging people to go above and beyond their normal, ongoing support of all the ministries & mission work we do here at Eagle Pointe Church – & give to support our Serve the World: Christmas Offering. Please pray about it & see what God leads you & your family to do.
Serve the World: Christmas Offering – Pt. 1
I think that video is all too indicative of our world today! (If you didn’t watch it – invest 5 minutes & do so) There’s something very wrong with us as a people and as a society! What do you think God is thinking when He sees us acting like that? About 3 years ago God began to really open my eyes and breaking my heart to the conditions that so many people in our world live in. Not just their physical needs – but also their spiritual needs. But reality is – that it’s very hard for people to focus on their spiritual needs when they’re starving to death – when their children are dying of diseases.
2 years ago I was at the gym working out – when a guy who knew I was a pastor approached me… The cyclone in the Myanmar had just happened – 50,000 people died… And another 50 to 100,000 people were expected to die – because they lacked the basic necessities of life – to survive the aftermath of the storm. And as so many people do – this guy was blaming God. He comes to me & says – “How could you believe in a God who would allow that to happen? If God is real – why doesn’t he do something about that?”
He went on and on – I listened for a while – and finally I put down the weights – I turned to him – and said – “God did do something about it!” He looked at me very perplexed and I said – “God created you and me and the other 7 billion people on this planet – and instead of sitting around and complaining and blaming God – God created each of us to get off of our fat happy lazy butts & go do something about it!” And with that – he lowered his head – and walked away.
In America alone – we spend more on entertainment each year – than it would cost to eradicate Malaria & other diseases throughout the world. In America alone – we spend more on hair products & make up each year – than it would cost to than it would cost to feed every man, woman, & child on the planet. But it’s because of our own human greed – selfishness – & irresponsibility that people are starving and dying of diseases all around the world. We won’t get off of our butts & go do something about it!
In Part 2 I’ll dive a lot more into this idea… But let me share with you something our church is doing this year. During the month of December we’re doing a “Serve the World: Christmas Offering“. This offering will help fund our church’s mission work in the Philippines, Haiti, as well as other local & global mission work we do for 2011. Please help us provide food, immunizations, medical care, mosquito nets, Bibles, & the love of Jesus Christ in parts of the world where the average family lives on less than $2 a day.
Our Eagle Pointe Preschool will be doing an “Angel Tree” this year, to help provide Christmas gifts for a bunch of kids at a Children’s Home we work with for battered & neglected kids, as well as, helping several families both inside & outside of our church pull off Christmas/meals/gifts this year. I’ll blog more about our “Angel Tree” real soon.
So, let me encourage you – before you dive head first into the Christmas shopping madness. Just say “NO!” to the greed, selfishness, extravagance, excesses, and debt this Christmas. Step back, take a deep breath, and ask yourself —– “Is this what Christmas should really be about?”, “Do my kids & others really need 20 new things this Christmas?”, “Does the way our society celebrates Christmas – even remotely resemble what a celebration of God’s Love coming to Earth 2000 yrs ago should look like?”
I’ll let you chew on that for a while – stay tuned for tomorrow’s ”Serve the World: Christmas Offering – Pt. 2” – don’t miss it!
What Is “FX”?
Our guest blogger today is Jonathan Napier, our Family Ministries Pastor here at Eagle Pointe Church. Jonathan does a great job overseeing our high school, middle school, elementary, preschool, & weekday preschool ministries (basically, diapers to diplomas). I asked him to share about the exciting “FX” program happening this Saturday & Sunday @ Eagle Pointe.
As many of you know, our FX production is about to rock the Eagle Pointe stage this coming Saturday and Sunday nights at 5PM. I’m sure that plenty of you are wondering, “What the heck is FX?” Glad you asked.
FX is our “Family Experience” designed for both adults and kids, to illustrate faith and character virtues. The idea of FX is to not only experience the virtue, but to continue the conversation at home in their everyday lives.
If you were here for our Jingle Jam last December, you know how much fun an FX is. There will be music that both you and your kids will love, drama and videos that will illustrate the monthly virtue, and bible story that ties it all together.
The fun begins at 5PM on both September 11th & 12th. Grab some tickets in the café this Sunday and get them into the hands of your friends and neighbors. For many of them, this might be the perfect thing to expose them to church for the first time.
Jonathan Napier – jonathan@eaglepointe.org
PS. I’ll tell you that my kids are pumped & inviting their friends to “FX”. If you don’t have tickets – just show up & we’ll let you in! (Tell them you’re on Pastor Howard’s guest list 
Please help us by inviting a bunch of families to join you for “FX”.
4 Questions Wives NEED To Ask Their Husbands
This week my wife Gina & I are celebrating 14 years of marriage. While we have had the usual ups & downs of any marriage relationship, I can honestly say that the ups have far surpassed the downs. We get irritated with each other from time to time; there are short periods of time where we didn’t “like” each other a whole lot; but we have made the CHOICE to ALWAYS love each other & that divorce was not/is not/will never be an option. And as a result, we have had a great marriage!
We were also blessed to have another couple (30 yrs older than us & both family/marriage counselors) pour into/teach us in the 1st couple years of our marriage. As a result, I believe we learned more in those 1st two years of marriage than most couples struggle for 10 years to figure out. “Thank you God!” I have always had a heart for helping people develop great, satisfying, God-honoring marriages & families. That is a big part of why I’m doing this mini-series of blogs on marriage…
Last week ago I did a post called “5 Questions Husbands NEED To Ask Their Wives” (Do yourself a favor & go back & read it). Today I want to share some ideas as to, “what should wives ask their husbands?”
#1 – Do You Feel Admired?
Ladies, your huband wants to know that YOU think he looks good – period! AND… you should NEVER allow someone at work to tell him “that looks good on you,” or, “you look good in that shirt.” He’s YOUR husband… and YOU should do all that you can to make sure he knows that you admire him!
Trust me… there isn’t a man on this planet that doesn’t want to hear “I think you are hot/sexy/all that and a bag of chips” from the lady he most admires and desires! And ladies… you cannot take this for granted – HE WANTS and NEEDS to hear this from you!
Trust me…NO ONE’S opinion matters to me more than Gina’s…and if she says I look good–then DANG IT…I do! What is SO dangerous is that often times men will have someone in their lives that makes them feel admired – satan will make sure of that!!! BUT… if he is getting the attention/admiration from his wife then it makes it SO much easier to lead with confidence and resist temptation that comes his way.
SO… ask him… does he feel admired by you? It DOES matter to him!
#2 – Do You Feel Respected?
EVERY man wants respect! AND… every man wants to be respected by his wife. (Ladies–STOP IT…I know some of you are saying right now, “well, when he begins to be respectable then I will…”) That isn’t the point here… the question is from YOU to HIM… sometimes you have to treat people in the way you want them to act.
Let me give you a few insights…
- His answer is going to be “no” – if you are always telling your children what a loser their father is and that you wish he were a better dad to them.
- His answer is going to be “no” – if you are always telling your girlfriends (usually in the form of a prayer request) what a low life he is and how he drives you crazy.
- His answer is going to be “no” – if he has shared vulnerable thoughts and emotions with you… and you take that information and use it as a “conversation piece” with your lunch buddies!
- His answer is going to be “no” – if you have never taught your children to thank him for the way he provides and such.
- His answer is going to be “no” – if you are NEVER interested in what he is doing. (I am amazed at how many women don’t even know what their husband does at work… or what his favorite hobby is.)
One of his BIGGEST NEEDS is to feel respected… and the person he needs it from the most is his wife!
So…ask him.
(BTW: Guys – before you jump on a soapbox saying “Yeah – that’s right!” – make sure you are already doing what I shared in “5 Questions Husbands NEED To Ask Their Wives“ )
#3 – Do You Feel Taken Care Of?
Every man, from time to time, wants to be able to come home and relax for a few minutes… to take off his shoes and just sit down. BUT… when a wife stands at the door and barks out orders before the garage door closes… a man feels pressured and pressed down… and honestly begins to think, “I should have stayed at work… at least there I get treated like I am somebody!”
This does not negate the fact he needs to show up and serve… but from time to time… give him a break when he hits the door and let him catch his breath. Trust me… this is HUGE!
I am truly blessed to have a wife who can tell when I have had a very draining day. She gives me a little time to just sit & relax, she asks the kids to keep it down for a while, but then I have to make sure that after I have had my 15 – 30 minutes of downtime that I get up & be there for my wife & kids.
#4 – Is Our Sex Life Fulfilling To You?
Anytime “men” are discussed in marriage you just KNOW that SEX is going to be a topic of discussion!
BTW… if you don’t want to ask this question… you probably already know the answer!
In every survey that I’ve ever read sex is ranked #1 by men in regards to what they need (I think breathing is #2!)
Men want to know that their wife wants them… sexually. Believe me… it DOES matter to him. And ladies… just the fact that you take the time to ask this question will mean more to him than you could ever imagine.
AND… the ONLY way this area of a marriage will get better is if couples are willing to talk about it.
If their has been pain and disappointment in the past – that needs to be talked about. If their have been unmet expectations on your part… then that needs to be talked about. YES, I know it “takes two to tango…” BUT…
The purpose of this question is for you to ask does he feel taken care of in this area. I KNOW this can be SO uncomfortable for so many couples… but you can either deal with it now… OR you WILL deal with it later.
Uncomfortable conversations must take place at times in order for a marriage to achieve its maximum potential!
Let me also add another piece of brutal honesty here – as a guy I cannot tell you how much it means to me when my wife Gina is the one who initiates sex. When momma starts hitting on me, telling me that she wants me – MAN… there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her! I hear from too many husbands who are just tired of asking their wives or trying to initiate – only to hear “not tonight” – as a guy you hear that enough eventually you quit asking. Then satan will make sure your husband crosses paths with someone who is interested.
So…ladies…there you go.
Schedule some time alone with your husband this week & start asking some questions & open up the lines of communication.
