Hey New Passion Friends!

We’ve been talking over the last three weeks about our move to Patriots Park on Sunday, September 12. I can’t wait! Many of you have expressed to me your excitement for this opportunity we have as a church. To make it even more exciting, we are also celebrating our 1 year birthday as a church on this same Sunday!

To be honest, I was worried at first because typically when a church makes a big decision that God is leading them to, there are those detractors who let their displeasure of the decision be known to the world, and since we didn’t have any detractors within the church, I was a little worried whether or not this may be the opportunity from God that I thought it was. But then I was encouraged by Joshua 1. (vs 1-9) God gives specific instructions to Joshua (vs 10-15) Joshua passes those instructions on to the people and then in verse 16 the Scripture says this, “They [the people] answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us.” I now believe that you, our New Passion family, are like those Israelites, and are simply in-tune to what God is leading us to as a church!

Here’s Some of the Important Stuff You Need to Know:

1. We are throwing a Birthday Bash for our people and the Community after service on the 12th to celebrate what God has done in and though New Passion in our first year. We want to highlight the memories while looking to the future of what God’s going to do next!
2. We need you to sign-up to help with the Birthday Bash! This is one opportunity that we have to represent Jesus to our community. Go Here to sign-up as a volunteer, to loan us equipment, or to send us a birthday gift to help with the expenses.
3. Our promo door hangers will be in very last minute as I said in our previous emails due to confirmations we had to wait on. When they arrive I am sending out a Red Alert Email with the various opportunities where you can meet us and hit the neighborhoods between their arrival and the 12th. It is vital, if you can help, to come and help us get the word out.
4. Just-in case anyone else is wondering: We are not moving due to problems (a) in attendance (b) financially or (c) Fill in the Blank.
5. In fact, we’ve grown 260% since our launch on September 13, 2009 and 13% over the last 5-weeks. If anything, that made the decision to move a little tougher!

The Pros

• We can set-up some Saturday evenings (if we need to) and we can set-up earlier on Sunday mornings for one set price. At the school we had to pay for each hour and for every room.
• Patriots Park is going to allow us to utilize some of their storage space and leave one of our trailers on the property, this will eliminate the need to carry two trailers on Sunday, everything will be at the location.
• All of our PassionKidz areas will have A/C and heat. The Grove, our worship environment for birth - PreK, had to utilize the hallways at the school where there  is no A/C or Heat.
• Cheaper. Yes, we’ve grown, but we were still limited on what we could do as a church. The rent at the school was extremely expensive and due to our limited start-up funds, we’ve used everything extra to get where we are today in equipment and supplies (Praise God we have been able to pay the rent and do the missions we’ve done throughout our first year - it’s been amazing!) - This will free us up to start saving towards a building (down the road), adding staff (down the road), and increase our missions involvement (Right Away!).
• We believe the change in location will help open new opportunities to lead more people to a passionate relationship with Jesus!
• The larger meeting space allows us to grow without having to add a second service too soon.
• The contract with the school had one more year, which means we would have had to have a new location picked out within about 6-9 months, now we are set longer term if we need it until we can find a more permanent location in the future.
• Padded Chairs

The Cons

• Our worship service will be held approximately 6 miles outside of where we desire to minister long-term, in the city of Grovetown (we’re still in G-town, just on the outskirts now), however, God is bigger than 6 miles and one small overpass. Our local missions focus will still be in the city, so our team is not concerned with the short distance (God’s brought us this far, and if you asked a lot of the people who knew we were starting a church 12 months ago, if we’d survive, if they were honest, they would probably tell you they didn’t. We’re cool with that. And that is why we keep trusting God and not the opinions of man!).
• That’s all….

So, there it is! If you have not done so already go ahead and subscribe to this blog via email so you can get any additional updates on our move directly in your inbox, as well, any additional thoughts on life, leadership, and ministry from Nick!

Year 2, here we come!

We are in-between sermon series at New Passion, so yesterday I did a solo message on the Attitude of Gratitude. Generic, I know.

However, the title is all telling. I believe when we are grateful, it changes our attitude towards God and towards other people. I shared at the end of the message a list of people I am grateful for at New Passion, I also shared a video that convicted me in areas I had been ungrateful (It’s definitely a must see video by Pete Wilson: Watch  HERE - *Correction from the message: It was not India, it was a house in the Dominican Republic).

Think about it:

• How would our attitude about the job we hate change if you realized there are millions of people without a job and became grateful that we at least have a job?
• How would our attitude about our difficult children change if we realized that some people can’t have kids or have lost their child at an early age and were grateful that we’ve been blessed with the children we have?
• How would our attitude about what God’s not given us change if we became grateful that he’s already given us everything we need?
• How would our attitude about…Change?

So, if you were at New Passion this past Sunday or if you weren’t, continue the conversation and share a little of what you are grateful for:

North Point Community Church Circa 1996

North Point Today:

Oh how things change!

I wonder where I’ll be in 14 years….what New Passion will look like?

Could You Sign This?

Saturday I went to the Fight Club X Conference put on by the Acts 29 Network. The opening speaker was Dr. Samuel Thomas, President of Hopegivers International, an organization that rescues orphans and at-risk children in India and provides food, shelter, education and training to share the Gospel throughout the country. Dr. Thomas shared how when a new missionary is trained, before sending them out into the field to share the Gospel, the missionary must sign a Martyrs Oath.

In America we are very familiar with signing “Membership Covenants” and the like within the church. We often make shallow commitments and then when that which we committed to interferes with our schedules or our comfort we face new struggles of how to back out of that which we have committed to. When I hear the stories shared by Dr. Thomas, it makes me realize that we rarely have to live out Scripture to its fullest, therefore we put our own idea or context to it’s meaning (usually tainted by American ideals).

Check out the Martyr’s Oath below, you can download your own PDF copy as well:

• I stand with the Apostle Paul in stating that “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my hands to serve all mankind.
• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my feet to spread the gospel to all the ends of the earth no matter what the cost.
• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my lips by proclaiming the Good News to all who hear and by edifying the body of Christ.
• I take a stand to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with my mind as I meditate upon His Word and His promises to me.
• I give my earthly treasures and all that I possess to follow the way of the cross. ➵ I commit to love my family, orphans, widows, lepers, the wealthy and the poor the way that Christ loved the Church.
• I surrender my will and life to His will and life.
• I commit to the service of the Lord by being a good steward of my time.
• I surrender this body on earth to the perfect will of Jesus and should my blood be spilled may it bring forth a mighty harvest of souls.
• I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. I will seek to honor His command. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.
• Lord Jesus, Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ➵ I love my nation and my fellow citizens and I claim my nation for Christ.

I have read this pledge and understood it completely. Being of sound mind and body, I do solemnly declare this martyr’s pledge without any persuasion of enticement.

I, _____________________, from ______________________ (Place of Birth)  do hereby make the following covenant on this __________ day of _________ in the year ___________.

So, could you sign it? Would you mean it?

We probably wouldn’t know unless we actually lived in a place like India, where our lives were truly threatened.

P.S. Dr. Samuel Thomas has had 19 Assassination attempts on his life (perspective)!

UPDATE: After T-Mobile read the details of my blog, they contacted me within a couple of days and offered to replace my Samsung Behold 2 that was having the problems with the new Samsung Vibrant. The phone (so far) works great, it is an amazing phone, T-Mobile made the appropriate adjustments to the bill for the new phone, and covered the shipping cost with an adjustment to our bill. In addition the customer representative was very kind and helpful.

I don’t remember ever using my blog to write a negative report about a company, however, I have never dealt with an issue as extreme or as messed up as the one I am about to share from T-Mobile.

Let me say up front, my wife and I have been with T-Mobile since they purchased SunCom and up until this past March (2010) we did not have any issues with them. I was with SunCom since 2002 and other than some coverage issues when we first switched from Alltel, we were 100% satisfied. Oh, how things change….

The Nightmare Begins:

My wife and I discovered that we were eligible for an upgrade on our phone because we were out of contract with T-Mobile (basically we were free to find a new company if we wanted to). We went to the T-Mobile Limited in Evans, Georgia to see what kind of deals they had on phones. Nicki and I were excited to finally be able to get a good deal on new phones. At times my phone would simply not receive calls, while Nicki was looking for one that had a keyboard to make texting easier.

I think what bothers me the most is the fact that Nicki and I had a sweet deal on our mobile plans and now due to deception and outright lies, we’ve lost that plan, can never get it back, and we are stuck for two years completely unsatisfied, while problems still persist.

More Headaches for Life?

We were told by the T-Mobile representative that we had to change our SunCom plan over to a T-Mobile plan in order to get one of the new android phones. This was a huge jump for us because I had been with SunCom for so long, they were giving me loyalty discounts on top of my already Un-Plan that gave Nicki and I an Unlimited family plan for less than $70 a month (before taxes & fees). Now I was going to have to upgrade to a more expensive T-Mobile unlimited plan and add unlimited data for an extra $30 per month. When we asked what our monthly bill would look like, we balked at the price. I asked if this was the best that T-Mobile could do since we had been with the company for so long. The representative said, I can get you an additional 15% off your monthly bill, so he figured up what our new monthly total would be. With this 15% discount, it was still a decent increase in our bill, but I knew the increase in technology would be worth it.

Knowing that we were out of contract, we wanted to do ourselves justice and check to see if there were better deals with other companies, so we left T-Mobile and went shopping. The only problem is, we went shopping based on the 15% discount we were promised, so when comparing with other companies, we were still getting a better deal by staying with T-Mobile. The next day we upgraded our plan with T-Mobile (under the assumption of an additional 15% discount).

The Lies, Deceptions and Headaches:

As I signed the contract, I asked the representative where the 15% discount was listed. He told me that it would not show up on the paper he was giving me because it was a loyalty discount and that it would show up on the first bill. The fees listed were just those of the normal rate plans.

Month #1: When the first bill came, no discount! I called T-Mobile. The representative on the phone told me that he can see any and all discounts that should have posted or that are waiting to post on the next billing cycle. He said there was no discounts waiting to post. I asked him what I should do and he told me that he personally would go to the store and stay there until the situation was corrected. He also informed me that the location that sold me my phone was not a T-Mobile store, that they were a dealer.

*Note: Nicki and I had no idea that this was a dealer. The store is located in a retail strip so we assumed that it was a smaller T-Mobile store. Nowhere did we see that it said they were an authorized dealer. The representatives even wore the T-Mobile pink shirts*

I went to the store and told them about the situation. Now the salesperson said that the discount wouldn’t post for two months. I took the phone representatives advice and told them I wanted the situation resolved now. The store rep said that he would check into it. What did he find? The discount had been rejected the first time. He said, “It must have been an error in the submission.” So he got on the phone to “correct” it. He was even going to call “someone” else to get us a little bit of a credit on our next bill for the troubles. When he was on the phone with T-Mobile Corporate to fix the discount, I remember him saying, “Ok” and hanging up. I asked him, “So, is everything cool?“  He responded that everything was taken care of and the discount would appear on our bill.

Month #2: The second bill arrived. Guess what! No discount. I called T-Mobile and explained the situation again. This time the gentleman said that he saw the discount and it was ready to apply to the third months bill. He issued us a credit and we ended the call.

Month #3: The third bill arrived. Guess what! No discount. Since it was a busy month I was not able to get with the local salesperson and it slipped my mind every time Nicki asked me to call them.

Month #4: The fourth bill arrived. Guess what! No discount. This time I called immediately (Saturday, July 3, 2010). I spent at least a couple of hours on the phone with T-Mobile, demanding something be done that day, and here is what I found out:

1. The “discount” I was promised was only good for “Features” not the monthly plan. So what would have been over a $20 per month discount was going to be $6 or $7
2. I wasn’t eligible for this “discount” promised to me. It was a corporate discount for Wells Fargo/Wachovia.
3. The reason it was rejected the first time is because the store rep did not submit employment verification. Why? Because I do not work for Wells Fargo/Wachovia, he knew that, and was trying to be deceptive. I found this out 4 months later from the T-Mobile phone rep.
4. The reason the discount did not post afterward and was in limbo (and this is where the situation gets frustrating and messed up) is because T-Mobile Corporate asked the salesperson for my employment verification back when I went into the store to get the discount fixed. He said “Ok” and hung-up on the lady. She fortunately marked this on my account, one of the many phone reps I talked to on Saturday, July 3, informed me about this. The salesperson boldfaced lied to me, knowing that I was not eligible for this discount, that it was not for the total monthly bill, and that the discount would never post to our bill due to his not submitting the proper forms and hanging up on the corporate rep. His final lie was when he told me everything was fixed.

T-Mobile, No Help At All:

I spoke with at least five people on Saturday, July 3, 2010. After several hours on the phone I had a migraine. One of the men who I talked to (he was supposed to be a supervisor) told me straight up after I told him the above story (for the fourth time that day). “I’m just trying to figure out what the truth is here!” The audacity! Two representatives before him pointed out that it looked like the salesperson lied to me and now this supervisor is insinuating that I am lying. What was his grand plan?

He would credit back one month of the data plan and remove the plan for the rest of our contract. I just had to go back to using my old phone. I told him I did not like his solution, but would have to talk to my wife. In my migraine induced state, she reminded me that we upgraded the phone because I had problems with it and agreed with my assessment to the man that we would be losing money (the upgrade credit we got, the additional $75 we paid for my phone, and we would not be eligible for another upgrade for two years). This supervisor seemed pleased with our losing money.

When I called back, I rejected the deal and told the representative that I was talking to at the time that we have lost interest in staying with T-Mobile. I have a friend who is a upper manager and I believe he talks up T-Mobile because he works there and he has to. They transferred me to the “Retention” department. Where the lady offered me $10 off our data plan and to upgrade our text plans to unlimited for the $5 monthly plan we were already paying. I accepted. Why? Because this was the best plan? No! I had a migraine and my family was waiting on me to go see How to Train Your Dragon at the theater, and after being on the phone with T-Mobile for several hours I had come to realize that they are perfectly okay with allowing their representatives (even if it is a dealer) to screw you, outright lie to you, and you (the customer) are supposed to be perfectly content and okay with that deal. They want you to honor a two-year contract, but they themselves do not honor their word or provide good service.

They seem satisfied that we are locked into a two-year contract that was formed from the basis of a lie. In addition if we wanted to pay what we are paying we could have done so through another company that we turned down due to the false 15% discount.

The Nightmare Continues:

In addition to dealing with all of that, my nightmare with T-Mobile now continues. My phone, the Samsung Behold 2, has a well documented problem (Noted on Phandroid too). Its so notorious that T-Mobile themselves admit that they have had several users complain about it. I have now lost all of my personal data on my memory card four times! The phone keeps saying that the external memory card is not inserted or that the external memory card is damaged. So, I have to continually reformat the disc.

I called Samsung because the phone is four months old and still under warranty. They told me there is an over-the-air update that T-Mobile needs to send me. So, I called T-Mobile. They say there is no over-the-air update ready at this time. Oh, its ready, they just aren’t releasing it yet. They claim I have two choices for a solution: #1 Pay around $40 to buy a new 4 GB memory card to replace the 2 GB card that comes with the phone or #2 Wait an unspecified amount of time until T-Mobile sends out the software update that fixes the phone.

So once again, T-Mobile is okay with me spending more money, especially on a phone that is under warranty, that I just bought, but they are unwilling to send me the needed update that makes my service and my phone work properly. They say they need to test it a little longer. How much longer? Until my phone is out of warranty? T-Mobile also claims that it would be pointless to replace my phone because they all use that software at the time.

So they can’t send me a memory card that works? Another type phone that works? Really?

So from T-Mobile being perfectly okay with their representatives lying to customers and then giving the customer the run around for hours, only to give a portion of what was promised in the first place, to now refusing to provide service that is functional or fixing a phone that is not working properly and is under warranty. I would say, do your homework and beware of what you may be getting yourself into with T-Mobile.

…From personal experience!

Nick

I saw the video this morning for ESPN’s My Wish series (embedded below). It featured a wish by 15 year old Jeffrey Buzzell, Jr., who is suffering from Alport’s Syndrome.

In ESPN fashion the story is very touching and very good. Jeffrey’s wish was to race go-karts with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; he got more than his wish. You can check the video out below to watch the entire story and see the royal treatment he received from Dale Jr. and several other Nascar drivers.

That’s really cool to see, but the point of this post is to point out the extremely difficult situation this teenager is in. Who knows, maybe someone will run across this post and be moved to see if they are a matching kidney donor? Jeffrey is suffering from Alport’s Syndrome. It is a disease that attacks his kidneys. As you will see in the video, Jeffrey’s kidneys are operating at approximately 18% and without a transplant he will only be functioning on approximately 10% by February of 2011. Jeffrey’s uncle died with this same disease when he was 15 years old, the same age Jeffrey is right now. Both of Jeffrey’s parents have been ruled out as potential donors. I hope Jeffrey’s wish turns into more than just a couple of days with a famous Nascar driver, I know he too wishes for a transplant. Check the video out:

Oswald Chambers’ Devotion for July 14…

Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile

But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. - Matthew 5:39

This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus- it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . .” ( Colossians 1:24 ). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.

Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is- Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

I was happy when the Lebron James decision came last night. I couldn’t even turn on the news without seeing a report about it or being told to go to their website to answer their poll on where I thought he would go. Now, here I am diving into the conversation. Just to get it out there, I didn’t think LeBron would stay in Cleveland, I was leaning towards New York, after all, that’s what everyone has been talking about for two years now. After all, that’s what was going to be the best for Lebron’s brand, his bank account, and his ego.

Okay, great, that’s out of the way….

With every athlete there is an ego. I personally didn’t think Lebron’s television “Decision” on ESPN was the best decision. In fact, I thought it was quite egotistical, a little self-centered. I had a slight change of heart when I found out proceeds from the television performance was going to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

I also had a change of heart in Lebron’s choice from last night to this morning. When Lebron mentioned that he was going to South Beach in Miami, I at first wanted to tweet that he would never be seen in the same light at Michael Jordan, even if he did win multiple championships, I still believe that, but that’s the point of my change of heart.

I read an article on ESPN from Bill Simmons about a pact that Lebron James, Dewayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Chris Paul made two years ago. In the article Bill reports that the four players made a pact that they would all play with each other in a single city one day. It has been widely reported all over the media that Wade, James, and Bosh are all good friends and in the end, I have no doubt that is what made the final decision for Lebron.

I find it interesting that most of the outrage surrounds the decision by Lebron to go to Miami, however, the fact is, it is requiring a huge sacrifice on his part to attempt to win a championship. After all, that’s what professional sports are all about, winning championships. Lebron hurts his brand, he sacrifices his ego, and he sacrificed a lot of money (although Florida’s no state income tax may have helped there too). Chris Bosh and Dewayne Wade are also sacrificing many of the same things that Lebron is sacrificing, all to play with each other and to win a championship. That’s truly unheard of with All-Star athletes.

The media questions why things are progressing the way they are with the ego and selfishness of professional athletes, yet, we feed it. I think a majority of people who followed the Lebron situation wanted him to make a choice that would “benefit” him the most. Even his entourage advised him not to go to Miami because of the things he would be sacrificing. Instead of celebrating an athlete that would give his television proceeds to the Boys and Girls Club, sacrifice at least 30 million dollars in salary, sacrifice his legacy as a player that could win a championship in a “cursed” city and be the “leader” of the team; we make him the black sheep. We would rather celebrate greed and self-centeredness over sacrifice and selflessness.

I am sure there are plenty of things that we can fault Lebron on and I can definitely understand Cleveland’s hurt and pain with Lebron leaving, however, the fact is, this is a business and Lebron has to make the best decision as someone who is employeed in the industry. I am sure his decision was tough, but in the end, I think relationships trumped ego and that is at least one lesson that should be taught to our kids and at least one thing that should be praised throughout this situation.

I loved today’s entry from Oswald Chambers. I find myself too often wanting God to hurry up and fulfill the vision he’s given me, whether it be for my family, for my church, or for myself personally. I’ve had a new hunger and longing lately, one that I’ve never had before and today, I think I see that it is God getting me into shape for the goal he has for me. I’ve heard similar things from some of our New Passion team. They are longing for God to show up in a fresh and powerful way; first personally then corporately. I’m excited that God has us on the same page and I cannot wait (although he wants me to wait) to see God continue to unfold his plan in us and through us.

Check out the devotional from today:

Visions Become Reality

The parched ground shall become a pool . . . Isaiah 35:7

We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.

Life is not as idle ore,
But iron dug from central gloom,
And battered by the shocks of doom
To shape and use.

God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.

The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.

“Everyone has hurts, habits, and hang-ups.” - Rick Warren

If the above statement is true (and it is), it means that every church is messy. I’ve heard the above statement used and abused. For some its a convenient cliche and used as false self-deprivation to give an appearance  that one relates to people in their struggles when the true motivation is to create a personal empire versus the Kingdom of God. For others, this is a part of their church’s DNA. Whether the principle is presented word for word (Everyone has hurts, habits, and hang-ups) or in like meaning but using other terminology like Cross Point Church does with their view that Everyone is Welcome, Nobody is Perfect, and Anything is Possible. I want this principle to be a core principle of our DNA at New Passion, not just words.

Sunday, we showed our last One Prayer message for 2010. It was on the Unstoppable Church by Scott Hodge. Scott focuses on the fact that if we are going to be an unstoppable church we must be willing to embrace the mess. Check the video out if you have 26 minutes and then think on the questions I presented on Sunday to our congregation:

How would you answer these questions?

1. What do we (you) do with the messy and broken people that God leads our (your) way?
   1 (a). Are we afraid of the mess?
2. Are you being honest about your messiness & brokenness?
   2 (a). Are you hiding behind a mask pretending like everything is okay, when it’s not?
3. Are we a church of prayer?
   3 (a). Are we as individuals and as a church praying for each other? For the church & its leaders? For miracles

Join the Conversation…I’d love to know your thoughts!