God On The Move Across The Country

One of the things I want to do on this blog is share some stories of what God is doing across the country with churches. Churches that are making a difference.

God really is up to something. How is it a church that is twelve weeks old gets featured with Tom Brokow on the NBC Nightly News? Let me spell it out for you. G.O.D.

A cyber-friend of mine, who is giving me some great advice in our church plant, was featured Friday night, on NBC. Tadd Grandstaff, pastor of Pine Ridge Church, in Burlington, North Carolina, recently was contacted about doing a feature on young evangelical preachers and their churches. NBC even came in and recorded their whole Sunday morning meeting.

You can read his account of tonights story on his blog in a post called "In Case You Missed It..."

Tadd did want everyone to know in the interview that "the word “emergent” was never even asked or mentioned in any of the interviews that were taken. I DO NOT consider us an emerging church."

Check out the video HERE.

Make sure that you read his take on it and watch the video. I think it is awesome. Way to go Tadd and Pine Ridge. God is on the move.

Tadd and Pine Ridge Church are DIFFERENCE MAKERS.

Lessons Learned From The 21 Day Journal Challenge

For the past 21 days I have been on a journal challenge. I have consistently read one chapter in the book of John each day and journaled on it. I would pick out one scripture I felt God was speaking to me and write a reflection and a prayer.

After 21 days I have learned some things about myself. I have also heard from God through His Word on a more consistent basis.

Journaling for me is here to stay. It is one reason I created a personal blog not to bog Making Difference Makers down. I encourage you to take the challenge. Challenge yourself by reading and journaling through John or any book of the Bible. For December, I am going to be on a 28-day Challenge on my personal blog. Anyone willing to take that challenge with me?

Here are my top takeaways from this experience:

1. HEARING FROM GOD DAILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DISCIPLINE

As a church planter/pastor this has become a reality to me lately. For many years I had a hit and miss approach. Often I was on the read through the bible in a year plan and because I was busy I would just read and not reflect on what I read. Through journaling though I felt God leading me on a journey. I could tell see how He would speak to me on a theme that would recur. He also led me to some Scriptures that reflected some personal struggles.

Our walk with Christ is a two-way street. God does want to speak to us and He does so through His Word. Journaling made me slow down so I could hear Him.

2. CONSISTENT FEEDING PROGRAM

Journaling, especially on a challenge like this, forced me to be consistent. To often Christians over rely on Church to "feed" them. What that has created is a bunch of Christians or a modern day "church" that is weak.

Yes, church can be a time where we can gather together and hear a message that challenges us on a personal level, but as a Christian it is your responsibility to build in the consistent daily spiritual disciplines for your life.

3. JOURNALING UNITES MANY DISCIPLINES

Journaling, for me, united many spiritual disciplines. It combines reading God's Word, meditation, reflection, prayer, and hearing God speak. I can find no other thing that can challenge us to that level.

Journey Through John Day #21 (John 21)

Read - John 21

My Key Verse - John 21:24 This is the same disciple who was eyewitness to all these things and wrote them down. And we all know that his eyewitness account is reliable and accurate.

My Reflection - This scripture is probably a great way to sum up journaling. If it wasn't for four men who had decided to journal we wouldn't have the gospels. Each of them had their unique way of how they filtered the events of Jesus' life.

It is important that we take up this challenge to journal. It can be hard sometimes to put the time in. It is, though, imperative that we hear from God.

Dave Ferguson wrote about three things he has learned from journaling:

1. WE ALL NEED TO HEAR FROM GOD EVERYDAY.
2. JOURNALING IS A GREAT MULTI-FACETED SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE.
3. WE NEED TO GROW FROM "BEING FED" TO "FEEDING OURSELVES" TO "FEEDING OTHERS".

I would have to concur with those three things.

My Prayer - Father help me to stay strong in hearing from you and making it consistent.

Links

Just trying to get some stuff straight out there in blog land.

If you happen to link to this page on your blog or site could you do me a favor. Make sure you put the link title to "Making Difference Makers". The site link is jaycurlee.blogspot.com Since the content and format of this blog is changing I want to make sure that there is a distinction from my personal site.

If you, by chance, want to put a personal link up on your site for me, Jason Curlee, do so using jasoncurlee.blogspot.com

Thanks to all you guys and gals support by reading.

Journey Through John Day #20 (John 20)

Read - John 20

My Key Verse - John 20:23 "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

My Reflection - This is something I've been dealing with for the past six months. I had a conversation with God about this the other day. In a nut shell He said forgiving them doesn't admit they are right.

That has been my sticking point in forgiving. I felt that forgiving them would be admitting that I was wrong. Part of me is tired of people hurting people and then sticking their hand out and saying "I'm so sorry I hurt you." Sometimes I'm really good about doing that with my wife.

Forgiveness doesn't mean they are off the hook with God and it doesn't mean that what they did is not wrong. Forgiveness is a state of walking in the freedom that God grants us.

I so liked though how Jesus put it there at the end of the verse. "If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?" Come on Jesus preach it to me. Am I going to keep them on my trophy shelf of wounds? My wall of hurt? Am I going to walk around with this cloud of gloom over my head so proud of all the unforgiveness I have?

Really what are we going to do with them? Me...I'm going to let them go and give them to God.

My Prayer - Lord help me to let go of the hurts of the past. Help me to not hold my life back by holding on to these issues. Thank you for forgiving me.

Leadership DNA

Next week, I will be going through 6 leadership principles every pastor or department head could implement that would help them be more more successful in the areas they lead.

I blogged a little on them before, I believe, but thought they would be great with the new direction we are now headed in.

Leadership sometimes takes a knock in todays church world because it is associated with "business". Only problem that you can't get around is that a pastor is a shepard which is a person who "leads" sheep.

Journey Through John Day #19 (John 19)

Read - John 19

My Key Verse - John 19:16 Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified. The Crucifixion They took Jesus away.

My Reflection - Look at what happened to poor Pilate. The decision he made wasn't the one that he wanted to make. What happened is that he caved. He caved to the pressure of the people around him.

As a leader it is important that we don't cave. We are going to be surrounded by people who are going to want to do church their way. They will want to change the vision to fit their wants. They will pressure you to go from what God has laid on your heart.

We must stay the course and run the race God has called us to. The vision God has laid on your heart must not change. We must not steer from that vision. Sometimes those around you must go but not the vision.

My Prayer - Lord help me always stay to the vision you have called me to. Don't let circumstances or people let me cave to the desires of your heart for my life and this area.

Completing The Feel

I have been busy updating and tweaking and creating a new look and feel to this blog. I also have my new personal blog up and going.

I'm not totally sure on the look and feel of this one just yet, but it is a lot better. The main thing is that in December it is going to take a complete turn as far as it's total content. Gone will be the random a.d.d.ness and the content will focus on helping you make a difference in your life.

Whether it is in ministry, business or life it is my goal to help others make a difference in their world.

Make sure you check out my personal blog and add it to your RSS reader. Go to jasoncurlee.blogspot.com

Also if you subscribed and reading this via RSS go to jasoncurlee.com and see some of the changes.

New Personal Blog

Ok, after 808 posts, the randomness has a place to go. I created a new blog for my own random pastor/church planter/whatever else runs through this mind.

That blog will be a place where you can go to see what is going on in my world. It will be a place where you can read random to personal thoughts, what's going on in our church, my bible journal, etc, etc, etc....

Don't worry. This blog will stay where it's at but the content will take a more refined, rather defined approach beginning in the month of December.

• There will be less posts, at the most one per day.
• It will only be written on during the weekdays.
• It will follow along the theme Making Difference Makers with a leadership flavor.
• It will mainly be written for ministry and/or business leaders but anyone may be able to graft the contents for your personal life.
• It will contain some weekly series like the Keep Moving Forward series.
• It will feature web technology resources to help simplify your world.
• You may even find that I have more guest bloggers.

Hit any of the following to add my new personal blog to your blog reader. They are the subscription link feeds to my new personal blog http://jasoncurlee.blogspot.com

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Sunday Remix

It's been a while since I did a Sunday remix. So is what is randomly floating through this head of mine.

• Pumped about our first Launch Gathering this Friday. Don't know how many will come but I'm pumped to be doing what God has put on our heart.
• I really want to write a book. I've been tossing around several ideas and I'm liking them. I even have one started. My passion is to write for me. Putting down some ideas that have been successful in what we have done and maybe can be successful for someone.
• I think I'm moving my time line up on creating two different blogs. One is going to be more personal, about my journey, and this blog I think will take a more serious thread.
• I have an idea for a post or a post series called, "The Curse of Charismata". Don't know if I want to let you in on it but it will be pretty hard hitting.
• The fried turkey I cooked on Thursday sure was good even as left overs today.
• If you are in the Coastal Bend Area and want to be a part of a movement that is going to make the Coastal Bend the hardest place to go to hell, hit me up. This Friday will be our first meeting. Check out more info at our Journey Community Church Myspace.
• I got a couple of projects that have been on the stall due to the holidays but hope to get them cranking...one of those is the pastor internet round table.
• I am fixing to do a myspace/facebook presence for a local area church. This is something I'd like to do on my spare time for others churches.
• Did I tell you I'm pumped about Friday???