Curious George

We had an incredible time with Rush of Fools last night at the University of Montevallo’s Palmer Auditorium.  We’ve been planning this for nearly a year it was a huge success!  I am so grateful for Lance’s hard work in pulling everything together.  It would not have gotten done without him.  I’m also grateful for the hard working volunteers from Mountain Valley and Baptist Campus Ministries who did everything from selling tickets to tearing down equipment.

We enjoyed nearly two hours of worship and heard songs from ROF’s first album and songs from their upcoming album “Wonder of the World.”  The CD is coming out September 19th.  I highly recommend you pick up a copy.  I really enjoyed “Undo”, “We All”, and “Can’t Get Away”, “All We Ever Needed”, and their new song “Freedom.”

These guys are so talented, but I think I was more impressed with their humble, enthusiastic spirit.  They weren’t concerned with accolades during their introduction, but said they wanted to serve our church and worship God.  We had church at Palmer Auditorium and lives were touched.  We had the privilege of praying with several people about issues they were facing in their life.

I really enjoyed talking to Wes and Kevin about their passion for addressing the terrible problem of pornography and sexual addiction.  They are incredibly bold about a topic that most people shy away from.  Their partnership with Freedom Begins Here is exposing a problem that is rampant inside the church.  Statistics say that 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women are struggling with pornography and sexual addiction.  Please join me in praying that these young men will have a powerful impact on the lives of the many people who listen to their music.

Most importantly, I believe we made many connections with students on campus.  Our church has a huge burden for these young men and women.  I pray that we can impact them in a positive way during one of the most critical times of their life.  Please pray for our church as we follow up with contacts and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m grateful for Wes, JD, Jamie, Kevin, and Jacob and pray that God will continue to bless their ministry.  Keep up the good work guys!

We had a great time putting on our first Fall Festival yesterday.  We had two inflatables, games, pumpkin carving, and marshmallow/hot dog roasting.  It was exciting to see the community turn out and to meet a lot of new people.  We canvassed four apartment complexes around the library on Saturday and got many positive responses.  I’m so thankful for the Upward Bound program who provided 15 or so volunteers.  We couldn’t have done it without them!  I’m so proud of our church!  I pray that God will bless all those who worked very hard to make it happen.

I thought that I’d give you an idea of what’s going through my head after an incredible day at church…  We were blessed to have Dr. Hugh Richardson (Director of Missions for the Shelby Baptist Association) and his family as our guests today.  Dr. Richardson presented a $25,000 grant check from the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions to be used toward the purchase of a piece of land on Highway 22.  God has really worked through the many partnerships that have helped to make our church a reality.  We are thankful for Westwood Baptist Church (our parent church), the Shelby Baptist Association, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, the North American Mission Board, and Developing Churches Network.  All of these entities have helped us one way or another and made so many things possible.  I can’t imagine trying to do things on our own.  We have seen first hand the power of believers working toward the common goal of winning this world for Jesus Christ!

The Mountain Valley Church family surprised me with a pastor appreciation lunch at Myra’s house.  We had a great time of food and fun!  I’m not sure if Myra’s dog, Thelma, will ever be the same after the kids chased her around the yard!  It is such a privilege to work with saints at Mountain Valley!  This core group of people have worked tirelessly over the last year to make the church a reality.  I don’t really know how to process their appreciation for me in light of all they’ve done.  I feel so honored to be working along side men and women who have committed to one of the hardest tasks I have ever undertaken.  I look forward to the days ahead.  I know that God has big things planned for a congregation that is so dedicated to Him.

We kicked off our LifeGroup study on The Peacemaking Church that coincides with the sermon series I’m preaching.  I’ve been so convicted that I need to learn how to properly handle conflict.  I pray that our church will be a haven of peace for a troubled world.

Well, have a great week!