Jun 18

Quick Hits: June 18, 2008

Posted in: Church Planting, Harmony Church

Here’s some Twitteresque snippets from inside the wacky world of my cerebrum:

  • I loved dinner last night. Good food (thanks Miranda!) and good friends and a great woman. You can’t beat it. On top of that, Boston won the NBA title last night [in case you hadn’t heard]. I’m Irish and on the East Coast. I enjoyed it, no matter how tired I was.
  • If you’re tee-totaling on coming this Sunday: you need to be here. It’s going to be off the chain. That’s right: no leashes this Sunday. It’s all let loose. Everything’s free to roam. No boundaries. Holding nothing back. [[insert idiom on ‘wildness’ here]] If you’re not in Greenville for this weekend….cop the podcast.
  • Got my new Paste magazine in. Pretty sweet stuff.
  • You’ve got to check out the people from Harmony who are blogging. Check my sidebar at the bottom for a full list. They’re all sharp people with a knack for writing. It’s pretty awesome reading what they have on their minds.
  • The podcast for Father’s day will be up soon!
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Jun 16

My Call is Hard

Posted in: General, Teaching, Church Planting

Recently I’ve had to declare the truth to someone who wasn’t willing/ready to accept it. It wasn’t how I said it, it wasn’t who was saying it, and it wasn’t the timing of it: it was what was being said. Sometimes telling the Truth to someone is the hardest thing to do. But it must be done because of love.

Brothers, we are not professionals. But we are Truth-Tellers. Speak the Truth in a gracious and loving manner, but do not be afraid to say what needs to be said. Do not seek to please people in what you say, but seek to please the Three Persons of the Godhead.  On a side note, don’t give them what you think is correct opinion based on your experiences. Speak Scripture into the lives of the people around you. If it is contrary to Scripture, which reveals Jesus, is it really Truth?

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Jun 14

Harmony Church in the News and On Stage

Posted in: Church Planting, Harmony Church, Culture, Greenville

So, the city council article which mentioned us briefly was published here at the Reflector (link here) and in the Triangle’s newspaper, the News and Observer (link here). So our assistance with Dr. Unk’s zoning problem is now available to over 1 million people.

Ok, so what? We get mentioned in a major state newspaper. Who cares?

How about this:

Pablo and I went to Dr. Unk’s today to watch the soccer game (Sweden vs. Spain), and we were making small talk with Lindsey, our waitress, when all of a sudden, she starts talking about our latest flyers we put up at Dr. Unk’s. Let me explain something about our flyers. They are “Jesus fun facts”, complete with Scripture references for each one, including:

  • Jesus has a tattoo.
  • Jesus partied.
  • Jesus served the best wine.
  • Jesus hung out with baby-mommas.
  • Jesus didn’t like religion too much.
  • Jesus loved the outcasts.

And this is what she tells us: the band on Friday night (their name is Ballyhoo) took the flyers down from where we had posted them…..and started reading them out loud to a packed crowd. On a Friday night. At a bar/music venue. She said that they would read a fun fact out loud, and then the crowd would lift their glasses in the air, and cheer. For Jesus. Screw the Observer talking about us at the city council. People screaming for Jesus: that’s what it’s all about.

Satan: go to hell. But you’re not taking Greenville with you.

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Jun 14

We’re Not Homeless

Posted in: Church Planting, Harmony Church, Culture, Greenville

This past Thursday night, there was a city council meeting to determine the fate of all restaurants in Greenville, including the one we meet in, Dr. Unk’s. Here’s the story:

Background

Earlier this year, Dr. Unk’s received a complaint (about food vs. alcohol sales), and they were audited by the city. As it turns out, Dr. Unk’s sales $370,000 in food. That’s a lot of money. But not enough compared to their total sales (the rest comes in alcohol sales). In the city of Greenville, it takes 51% in order to be classified as a restaurant, which presents a problem to Dr. Unk’s because a bar/nightclub cannot exist in their current zoning district. But city law flies in the face of state law (30%) and other similar cities (eg: Chapel Hill, Wilmington). So, Jeremy (the owner of Dr. Unk’s) made an amendment to city law to amend the current law to 30%, compliant with state law. The meeting on Thursday night was to vote on the amendment.

The Meeting

Over 30 people turned out on Dr. Unk’s behalf, including 7 members of our church. We got a mention in the newspaper. I spoke on Dr. Unk’s behalf as well, before the council. The meeting looked to be going to a vote, where it would have been in a 3-3 tie. The mayor would have then voted against the amendment, I think primarily because Dr. Unk’s very openly and avidly supported Chip Little, the current mayor’s recent opponent in a very tight mayoral race. Instead, a substitute amendment was made to gather more information, including why the state law is at 30%, why Greenville law is at 51%, how many restaurants would close if audited, and what other cities do with regard to zoning restaurants. When all was said and done (after 2 hours), the discussion was continued until (at least) August.
The Outlook

I think it looks good for Dr. Unk’s (and therefore, us). Dr. Unk’s has a lot of neighborhood support, including a church :) .  They also have other options besides this amendment being passed. A special use permit could be enacted, or the area could be rezoned as general commercial, among other less desirable, but effective, methods. There are tons of options, legally. Regardless, Jeremy informed me that as it turns out [randomly ;) ] he owns the building that Dr. Unk’s is currently in, and that we would probably have a place to meet no matter what happens. Which is great.

Thanks for the prayers!

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May 26

Quick Hits: Monday Morning Edition

Posted in: Church Planting, Harmony Church, Greenville

Church was awesome yesterday!

  • We had Matthew Lilley and the 6:22 Band in yesterday leading worship (link), and they played an awesome set. Those guys are so talented. Here’s the setlist:
    • Shine by Collective Soul
    • Behold the Lamb by Brandon Willett (a new fav)
    • Salvation is Here by Hillsong United
    • Reward of His Suffering by Jonathan David Helser
    • Mighty to Save by Hillsong
  • Great stuff. I preached on Jonah 2: the prayer of Jonah from the belly of the whale. He moves from the recognition of God into a passion for others, which is where the 2:9 project will hopefully take us as a church.
  • We saw quite a few new people yesterday, which was exciting. Our Echo Group last night reflected that as well. We even had a guy come because of a doorhanger he had received the day before! Awesome.
  • Speaking of Echo Group, last night’s discussion on Mark 10 was incredible: we had great discussions on marriage as a picture of the Gospel, incorporating children into our community, what the real meaning of the “rich young ruler” passage was, and how we can learn from all of that as Christians in today’s society. Great stuff.
  • I get to hang out with a couple of the new guys tonight at Buffalo Wild Wings. We’re headed to watch the hockey game. I’m stoked. Go Penguins.
  • Miranda took the day and took her sister and some friends to the beach. So excited she got to do that. Equally as exciting was the fact that I slept until 1pm. You really don’t understand how tired I was. I’ve been running practically nonstop since last Wednesday. Whew!
  • Praying for lots of things…pray for me and us as a church. I’m so pumped about what God is going to do through us as a church! I can’t believe I get to do this…
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