2 years ago today was Live Oak Church’s first weekly worship service. It was considered a pre-launch because we still didn’t even have our own home yet. First Baptist Church Johns Island graciously allowed us to meet in their youth room on the second floor of their fellowship hall. I went into the day with much excitement, Audra and Eli had a great worship set planned. I had the first sermon series planned and ready to set the tone for our church! I should’ve known to reduce my expectations, that Saturday during our run through the sound board died…I tried to bum one off of some churches but to no avail…I ran to a pawn shop, bought one, ran back to the church plugged everything in and literally the morning of the launch we were finally ready.

I was so proud of our team. The worship team which consisted of Audra (my wife) and Eli a guy we contracted to play keys, they did an amazing job. My youngest was our tech team, she ran the lyrics. My oldest daughter led the kids program and she had it looking great. Our greeters Cindi and Dave were on point (they still serve in that capacity to this day). There was a spirit of expectation.

We had an aggressive social media campaign and were active in the community for 4 months leading up to the pre launch. I had modest expectations…but I did have expectations.

That morning…our team showed up, drank the coffee and ate the donuts (the first impression area was awesome). We were all waiting for those people to wander in…then the countdown for the service began…we looked around…and we were it. That first Sunday…our grand opening…17 people. I had no great pictures to take to celebrate the event…I would’ve been discouraged that no one called to congratulate me except that saved me from having to fane excitement.

That 17 people grew to about 12 when we lost 2 families almost immediately. I looked around and thought OMG what did I do?

Well, we met, we worshipped, we cried, we cried out to God…we made mistakes, we made assumptions, we made more mistakes, we learned, we began to grow, covid came, we adapted, we survived and here we are.

Over the next few weeks I am going to write some things that I have learned in these 2 short but very instructive years as a church planter. I believe it will help pastors of both church planters and established churches as well as possibly help those opening a new business…stepping out into something new.

Prayer…it is one of those things that everybody does, though usually out of desperation. Even mature christians find the spiritual discipline of prayer difficult to master. Funny because at it’s core it is simply talking and listening to God. We do that with our loved ones, we do that with our co-workers…heck we do that with people that we can’t stand. Yet, for some reason developing a consistent prayer life is one of the top struggles for the christian, according to a Barna research study only 69% of people claiming to be christians say that they pray regularly.

Why is it that we find it so difficult to pray? I have a few ideas…

DON’T KNOW HOW – Too often we don’t know how to pray. It was well into the ministry of Jesus before his disciples asked him “Lord, teach us to pray…”. It reminds me of the first time I went into a gym to work out…I wandered aimlessly looking at the machines and intimidated by them…I’d try one a few times and move on. Too often we just stumble through our prayer life…intimidated by the idea of talking with God. Over the next 5 weeks Ill be teaching through Luke 11:1-4 and unpacking what we know of as the Lords Prayer. One way that will keep you focused and in the right spirit is the P.R.A.Y. method.

PRAISE – begin your prayer with about 5 minutes in praise of who God is…his majesty, his glory, his love and presence.

REPENT – take some time to think about ways you have fallen short of God’s glory, drifted from his ways…this is called sin. Take some time to repent, this is simply a church word that means turn away from. With true sorrow turn away from your sin.

ASK – it is in this moment that you ask from God…by now in the prayer your spirit should be closely aligned with his and your asks will be the kind of ask that he would honor…instead of asking for God to smite your boss, you ask that God might soften his spirit.

YIELD – When Jesus was in the garden praying he concluded with “yet not my will but yours be done.” That is important in your prayer life…to end it how you begin…knowing that the prayer isn’t about God aligning with your demands but you aligning with HIS will.

DISTRACTION – Many of us are making the decision on the beginning of a new year to be more consistent with your prayer life…it is January 2nd. Have you messed up yet? Too often you sit down to pray and suddenly you are flooded with a hundred things that you need to be doing, or your cell phone blows up with messages, or your kids need something, or you remember that your favorite show is on, or you forgot to…eat. The best way to deal with that is to find a spot, a chair, a room and remove as many distractions as you can. I keep a pad with me to write down distracting thoughts that I allow myself to get to later. I also keep my phone away from me! If you have kids and laugh at the idea of being alone in the house…take a walk around the block and prayer walk.

DOUBT – When the Roman centurion came to Jesus and asked him to heal his son, his response to Jesus question of his belief was so strong…”help my unbelief” he said. It is amazing when we pray how the enemy will plant seeds of doubt. The reasons of the doubt may be because of your lack of faith in who God is or it could be that you can’t believe that God would care about you enough to listen. Both of those are lies from hell. Jesus loves you, he intercedes for you…so when you pray in Jesus’ name there is power there. Own it. Believe it. Pray it.

DEMANDING – I could probably find a better way to say this but I had to stick with the D words…too often we don’t pray on the regular because we are too demanding of God. We are impatient and we are rigid. We want God to answer our prayers now and we want him to answer our prayers in the way we want them answered. God is not a genie in the bottle. That is not how it works. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying to align ourselves with him…not asking God to align with us.

As heirs of God we have access to the most high God and with that comes incredible peace and power…however too often we see prayer as a cathartic exercise instead of a time to connect with a loving God. I encourage you to truly develop a prayer life worthy of a christian and dwell in his presence this year.

Do you have other struggles or tips on developing a prayer life? Let me know in the comments.

It was 1986 on Christmas eve in Columbus Ga. My entire family including aunts, uncles, cousins and friends crammed into my papaw’s two bedroom apartment for lasagna and gifts. My grandmother, who I named Morning when I was a toddler, came up with the tradition of lasagna on Christmas eve. Morning was an artist and quite honestly a bit of a loon. Thinking outside of the box was a natural thing for her and cooking a traditional turkey or ham was just way too normal. However, it was incredible lasagna and my family cooks the same recipe on Christmas eve to this day. My papaw was a large man both in size and personality and he was literally the center of the room. Kids would take turns snuggling up next to him and he would tell stories about the good ol days. Eventually, the kids would always end up in the front yard…often times with my uncle throwing the football. I still have the crooked pinky from catching the football the wrong way that night. My uncle was just about 10 years older than us, he went to college and drove a trans am. That made him the coolest man alive…and on Christmas eve he hung out with us! At some point the kids would open up our presents, it had no order, it would appear from an outsider like a pack of ravage wolves attacking a single ham. Paper flew everywhere. We would play with our toys and show them off to one another and then things would wind down…because after all Santa was coming. My mamaw, who was my grandmothers mother, would be hiding in the kitchen stowing away all of the leftovers in her purse, a product of the great depression and we would hug the necks and say our thank yous.

When we made it home mom would set out the cookies and the milk, and put my younger sister to bed. My brother and I sat out in the breezeway of our apartment building finishing off the evening. As we drifted off to sleep, though I knew there was no Santa Claus…I would force myself to pretend…holding onto wonder. I awoke and my brother and I would dart to the living room and grab our stocking (it was the only thing we were allowed to open without our parents). It was filled with little chocolates, mints, nuts and inexplicably an orange. However, there was often little toys or trinkets to play with…to tide us over till the folks got up.

As I look back it is amazing what my mom was able to pull off for Christmas considering how poor we were. I didn’t know back then but looking back we were quite poor. My mom was a diner waitress and I guess with the Christmas season tips were more generous and she was able to pull off miracles. It was never elaborate…but me and my brother were always happy after the presents were opened. We both got a record player and an ET cabbage patch type doll (creepy). We both got records, I got Survivors “Eye of the Tiger” and The Fox and the Hound book on record, whenever I watch that movie I can still tell you where the beeps are for you to turn the page.

As a pastor I know the theological reasons for the season. I know that Christmas is over commercialized. I know that we can get too busy. But I can tell you that for a child, even a poor child. Christmas memories can last a lifetime. I encourage you to find ways to make memories. Begin a family tradition. My childhood wasn’t great…actually it was a trainwreck…however, this Christmas memory all these years later stays with me and when I think of Christmas, I think of that crowded little apartment in Columbus Ga.

Merry Christmas.

A group of Rhino’s is called a CRASH…You know why? 

• Rhinoceros can weigh up to 7000 lbs.  
• They can run upwards around 40 mph.
• They can’t see very well 

Too many leaders CRASH into problems like a rhinoceros with an attitude problem. I see a lot of leaders both political and “spiritual” running into the trying times of our country with little poise, patience or perspective.

Whenever I encounter a problem my first reaction is to CRASH…run at it, full bore. However, I usually (I said usually) don’t rely on my first instinct. I try to do 3 things when hit with struggles.

I pray – too often we do this last…we often go to God when we are at the end of our rope, when he was there for us the entire length of the rope. Even if I don’t get a “burning bush” revelation, what it does is puts things into their right place. A 7000 pound problem in relation to the greatness of God begins to shrink to a much manageable situation. So, I pray for wisdom, I pray for strength, I pray for patience…

That is the next step, I am patient – This is a discipline that I struggle with but I don’t charge…I wait…because I know that my first reaction usually isn’t the best one (I’m not even saying it isn’t a right reaction or a good reaction…just not the best reaction). Slow down and take a breath and look around.

That is the last step, you aren’t a blind rhino…so look around. Gain perspective. Things are rarely as bad as they seem and you are hardly the first person to go through them. Look around. One problem I have with all of these “preachers” who are screaming end times because our beloved president wasn’t reelected is that they have no sense of history, theology or perspective. There was probably some shady stuff done in this election, no news here…study your history it has been WAY worse. Study your theology… bad elections, even spiritual persecution isn’t a sign of the end times…Jesus promised as much

18“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Finally gain some perspective…Christianity isn’t an American religion…as much as we should be proud to be Americans we are not the center of the story. Whenever bad things happen to America we start screaming end times…do you know how ignorant that makes us sound to the rest of the world who have been enduring hard times for centuries?!

These are trying days, leaders people are going to come to you to guide them through it…don’t be a Rhino. Pray, Be Patient and Open your eyes.

How many of you struggle with understanding God’s word?  How many of your read the bible daily? It is such an obvious spiritual discipline yet in my experience many believers don’t spend much time in the word…maybe we as pastors have not done a good job teaching others how….here are a few tips. 

Psalms 119:105. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

• Light helps you see ahead of you so you don’t step on something or in something  
• The word of God helps keep you away from the traps of Sin.  

Steps in Reading the Word

• Pick a time in the day
• Pick a place
• Write down the scripture
• Write down your thoughts

Why read?

• It helps us know him (John 1)
• The word is how he speaks to us
• It is your guidebook – (Hebrews 4:12)

Steps in Reading the word

• Have a plan – don’t just blindly pick a verse…find a plan or pick a book to work through
• Set realistic Goals
  • Start small – don’t read an hour – read 5 minutes for now

• Read your bible with someone
  • We at Live Oak Church encourage what we call HUDDLES, 2-3 people getting together to share the word and encourage each other.

The biggest thing is start…start today. 

When you have an extraordinary amount of need and a very limited amount of resources then you can very quickly find yourself feeling trapped. I understand the feeling. I grew up poor…actually I grew up po, I heard it said that I was so poor, we couldn’t afford the O and the R…so we was PO! I remember watching my mom make hard choices. She would wonder what to pay this month so we could still eat. She made incredible food out of virtually nothing and she was the last to eat just in case there wasn’t enough. I remember the days of having our car repossessed. I remember the night I sat in a waiting room in a jail cell because my dad wrote bad checks and my mom got arrested.

So, when I share that I know struggle…I know. However, I never allow myself to feel trapped. When I am up against it…my take on it is that “God just hasn’t revealed his plan yet.” God is warming up for a miracle.

He still does those you know. He still heals when the doctors say it’s time to say goodbye. He still provides when you think there is no way. He still wants to show you that he is still God and this world is hard but it ain’t got nothing on him.

When I feel trapped remember a few things.

1. Don’t panic. It’s never as bad as it seems.
2. Why/How did I get into this situation? I mean is there something I could change in my habits or behavior to keep from getting into this situation?
3. Is God trying to teach me something? Everything is a teachable situation…don’t whine about what you are going through. Endure the journey and allow it to make you stronger and wiser.
4. Anything short of sin is on the table. Think outside the box…what are your resources and be creative. Don’t resort to lies, deception or theft.

Look to the scriptures, over and over we get ourselves into a mess, and God lets us stew and learn and then provides a way out. Before Moses parted the red sea, he thought “uh oh”. Before Daniel was rescued from the lions den, he thought “uh oh. Before…you get the point. Sometimes we need the “uh oh” times to remind us that God is still there and still on our side and still doing great things.

How do you respond to those “uh oh” moments?

I don’t know if we could have expected anything less than chaos for the election cycle. I don’t know who won the presidency and we probably won’t know for several days. However, if I had to guess I would say that Biden won. It just feels that way to me. I don’t think it was rigged, I don’t think that there is a storeroom of ballots somewhere…I think that Trump faced an insurmountable hill and though he overproduced, he didn’t quite cross the finish line.

As a conservative I am not freaking out…why? Well for one thing I do believe in the providence of God and he has used governments who were hostile to the things of God to bring great revival before. Secondly, Trump did give great judges in the circuit and supreme courts and thirdly, it looks like the conservatives held the senate. So, any over reaching by the left will be held at bay by the congress and the courts.

Who knows maybe there WILL be a return to civility…Antifa will not have Trump to cry about so maybe they will return to their mothers basements. The media won’t have to obsess over their hatred of Trump so maybe they can return to being…you know…reporters. Maybe, just maybe…2021 won’t be so bad. I know that it won’t change how I lead, how I preach, how I love my God, my family, my church and my town. Because like everything else this year…this didn’t take God by surprise.

So, what is God trying to show us, teach us? How is he trying to move us or mold us?

Not sure. Praying though.

There was a line that I used in my message yesterday and I truly believe it was from the Lord. Missional Faith lies in that very small place where you have total dependence on the Lord and an unwavering expectance that he will faithfully accomplish the plans he has for you.

I can tell you as a church planter this sweet spot has been at the very heart of why we haven’t folded and why I’m not the next real estate agent in Charleston. There have been countless times where I was at the end of my rope…totally dependent upon the Lord because I had absolutely NOTHING else. My plans were foiled, my talent seemingly useless and my work in vane. At the end of it all I was simply dependent upon the Lord and I had to believe that he really DID call me to plant Live Oak Church.

On the other side of this coin is a total expectancy that the Lord will not only see me through the struggle but to know that he is going to absolutely blow the hinges off the doors of my plans, dreams and strategies. Though there is no reason to expect great things…I do. Though there is no reason to expect revival…I do. Though there is no reason to think that I am able to lead this church…I do. I expect these things because the Lord, through the leading of the holy spirit called me to this…and though there are times I don’t feel faithful…I remain faithful…I hold on to that last string at the end of the rope and know that he will do great things.

I think about Moses and the audacity it took to go to Pharaoh and call for a liberation of his people. I think about how his faith must have been strengthened with each curse that God sent the Egyptians. I think about the sense of joy, wonder and awe when Moses was finally able to realize the calling given to him by God as he led the people out…only to reach the Sea. What was going through his mind? Did he panic? Did he sense the rumbling of the chariots coming for his people? In that moment…is what I am talking about. When we reach a seemingly unsurpassable obstacle and all we have is the Lord. Yet, in that moment a peace and an expectation that something BIG is going to happen. Did Moses know what would happen when he raised the staff. Did he know the sea would part…I don’t know. But I do know that he EXPECTED something to happen.

One regret I have over the last few years is not recognizing the moments where I was in that sweet spot of faith. I was usually in tears, in fear or in panic mode. Yet, God did amazing things. I want to recognize this sweet spot more. I want to live there on purpose, not out of panic. I want to live a life or Desperation and Expectancy.

What do you think?

“These are crazy times.” That phrase is about as played out as it gets these days. With 2020 being such a dumpster fire it doesn’t surprise me that the presidential campaign is as crazy as it is. You have Trump who has so many personal issues I don’t even want to go into it and you have Biden who himself is plagued with creepiness and scandal.

So, as a christian what do you do when you don’t have a candidate that you can get excited about?

Well, for one thing…take out the cult of personality. Take the candidates out of the equation and instead focus on their visions of America. That is why I cannot believe there are actually “undecideds” in this race. Their couldn’t be two different visions represented.

I choose the party that believes the best is yet to come for our country…not ignoring the past but not bound by it either.

I choose the party that still believes in life…understanding that Roe may never get overturned but it just shouldn’t be so easy to kill a baby (even all the way to term). I’d also like that party to choose life on the other side of the spectrum and make it harder to destroy a life instead of rehabilitate (our criminal system needs an overhaul).

I choose the party that acknowledges we need changes in our healthcare, educational and justice system but we don’t have to destroy it to fix it.

I choose the party that will allow me as a pastor to have the freedom to preach the bible…as the true word of God no matter how “out of date” the world says it is.

I choose the party that has experienced peace and prosperity over the last 4 years (until election year came around).

So, like 4 years ago I am not a fan of the man Donald Trump, but his policies have been strong. I believe that if everyone turned off the news and just focused on what has been done and not the spin behind it…we may see it has been mostly positive.

I will vote for Trump. Not the man but for the vision because I am a christian first. My allegiance is not in the republican party, not even for the USA. However, the Lord has blessed me to live here. As a citizen of this country I have a say in who leads it. I want that country to be as close to sharing my values as possible.

He has my vote…Jesus has my heart.

(This is my personal blog…these thoughts represent me and not necessarily the entire leadership or congregation that I lead.)

So, tis the season to begin seeing pumpkins showing up on porches all over America. Pumpkins with scary faces, smily faces, crosses, witches, football team logos and for some reason the prevailing pumpkin face usually has 1-2 good teeth. Carving a pumpkin is a family tradition and it is lots of fun…amazing when you think about how dangerous it is. “Here kids let’s take this massive butcher knife and cut sharp angles into this very dense gourd!” Here is a life hack for ya….I use an electric jigsaw. it cuts through the pumpkin like butter and you can make really sharp turns. You’re welcome.

This is also the season for tons of social media posts…we have the trifecta…holidays, football and this year presidential politics. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are positively giddy at the traffic their sites are getting.

Actually when you think about it, these two things have a lot in common…most people on social media…

1. begin by scooping out their brains
2. have an idea of how it should look or feel but it never quite comes out the way you planned it
3. after a while it doesn’t hold up and it is just a rotten mess

In the social media world nothing is ever gone, so whatever you post you must be careful…

1. Think before you post, comment, retweet or like.
2. Make sure that what you say is something that really needs to be said because their is NO room for nuance in social media. You must assume that people will take the worst version of your comment.
3. If someone were to see a list of your social media posts, what would they think about you.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice.” Philippians 4:8