The Non-Essential Adventures of D'Art
Church Review: Renovatus Church
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This morning our church, Elevation Church, didn’t have services. So instead of staying home, I took advantage of the opportunity and headed to a church I’ve heard a lot about. Renovatus Church. There is a ton of learning opportunities that come from visiting different churches. Kellie stayed home because she didn’t want to fight with the kids and a “new church.”
Lesson 1. Have great children’s stuff. And spell it out very clearly on your website. I can’t speak for Renovatus and their children’s ministry, as my kids stayed home this morning.
Lesson 2. Don’t have a meet and greet time. I’m naturally an introvert, and I was already spending time at a new place all by myself. The only thing that could make me more uncomfortable would be a 5 minute “hug your neighbor” time. Renovatus did this. I stood around and I’m sure looked awkward.
Lesson 3. Incorporate liturgy. Its been a long time since I’ve been to a church who does a responsive reading. This morning Renovatus did an incredible time of this. We recited the Apostles Creed as well as a responsive reading from the New Testament. It was refreshing and renewing.
Lesson 4. Build community. My biggest takeaway this morning was that this church, Renovatus, was all about community. They talked about it. The believed in it. They sang about it. I could tell in the 90 minutes I was there, that community was highly valued.
Lesson 5. Have banners. I wasn’t quite sure where I was headed this morning when I left the house, but my trusty iPhone took me to the doorstep of the Elementary School that Renovatus met in. The picture I saw on the Internet showed about 6 banners outside, clearly marking the entrance. This morning there was only one….and I had to look for it. If I were more introverted, I may have driven on by.
Lesson 6. The leader must be personable. Jonathan Martin is the pastor, and seems to be a down to earth and very personable. I didn’t get to meet him, mainly because of my introvertedness. But if I had, I’m sure I would have liked him. His message was right on. He preached from the Bible and did an excellent job of connecting the audience to what he was preaching.
All in all, I really enjoyed myself. Renovatus Church has it going on. If you’re in Charlotte and are looking for the real deal, Renovatus is an excellent choice.
Passion is Mandatory
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I have spent my most of my life on the move. Growing up in a Navy family, off to college, then to chase after my dreams, I’ve never put down deep roots in any geographical location. But during that time, I’ve come across a ton of people. Nice people, fake people, hairy people, short people, smelly people, etc…. The list goes on and on.
I’ve narrowed my list down to one character trait that the people I surround myself with must possess. That one trait is Passion. If you aren’t a passionate person, find something you are passionate about, then come back and we can talk.
Passion is Mandatory.
A Beautiful Intersection
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I stand at a beautiful intersection. I stand at an intersection of where the safety of life and the danger of the Gospel collide. I stand at an intersection of adventure and boredom. I stand at the intersection where grace meets condemnation. I stand at an intersection of life and death. I stand at a beautiful intersection.
Prepreation + Being Apart of Something Bigger than Yourself = Amazing Things
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I have seen this principle at work in a couple of situations this week. Check it out:
Experience 1: Extreme Makeover Home Edition
So I had the opportunity to check out the house that is under construction this week here in Charlotte. It’s being built by Extreme Makeover for a couple that has sacrificed for the good of others. When watching the show on TV, I understand that it takes a lot of preparation. But I actually got to see their work flow chart. Extreme Preparation: Home Edition is what the show should be called. They had times nailed down to the minute on what needed to be done and when. I was blown away. It had to take months to nail those down. Preparation. I’ve heard it said that a minute of preparation saves an hour of perspiration. Work smart, then hard.
We all know how it works, volunteers give of their time and energy to help this family. The truth is, most of the volunteers had no clue who this family is. But there is something built into us all, that need to be apart of something bigger than ourselves. Extreme Makeover has done a great job of making that possible. When I heard of the possibility of helping out, I jumped on board. I submitted an application to volunteer, I must have gotten the word late. After applying on-line I got a message that thanked me for my application, but they had all the people the needed. After all something like 4,000 people had already signed up! WHAT?!?! People need to be apart of something bigger than themselves.
The preparation on the front end plus the expectancy of being apart of something bigger than ourselves yields incredible results. Yesterday Kellie got the chance to experience “Move The Bus” day with VIP seats. How fun.
Experience 2: Elevation Church Spontaneous Baptisms
This past Sunday our church, Elevation Church, broke down some old school barriers. Spontaneous Baptism was the call of the day. Why go through a 3 week baptism class? The Ethiopian in Acts didn’t, he accepted Christ and, “…he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” So Pastor Furtick preached, and people moved. No class, just the opportunity to show an outward expression of their faith.
Obviously Elevation knew they would be baptising people, the people just didn’t know they had come to church and would leave publicly proclaiming their love for Jesus, through baptism. Elevation went above and beyond to prepare for this week. They had: t-shirts, shorts, bras, boxers, panties, hair dryers, hair bows, hair gel, hair mousse, lotion, make-up, make up-remover, feminine hygiene products, flip-flops, towels, and if that wasn’t enough they were packaged by individual sizes. They were crazy prepared. And it payed off.
Over 600 people were baptised this weeked, because they were given the chance to be apart of something bigger than themselves and the prepreation was off the charts.
Preparation + Being Apart of Something Bigger than Yourself = Amazing Things
Messing Me Up
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Does a Bible verse ever mess you up? I mean, do a couple of words penned a couple millennium ago ever grab you by your soul and jack you up for days? For the past couple weeks that’s been my experience. Here it is:
“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” Ephesians 4:1
What?!? Now I know that Paul wasn’t writing these words for me, but he hits the nail on the head. Here he is sitting in prison, writing to people called by God, to do the incredible. Challenging their thinking and motivating their actions. I find these words, “…Lead a life worthy of your calling…” challenging my routine. It’s changed my prayer life, and even drove me to the gym today. For I know, I’ve been called by Christ, and I’ve got to live a life that is worthy of that calling.
Late Night @ Waffle House
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Last night I met a good friend at Waffle House. Waffle House seems to get better the later it gets, so my friend and I met up at around 11:30 last night. We didn’t leave until almost 1:00. My friend, we’ll call him GB, mainly because that’s what I call him, is more than a friend to me, he’s more of a mentor, a spiritual father of sorts. GB has pastored a couple of different churches and served in many capacities over the years. I’ve never asked GB how old he is, it doesn’t really matter, but if I were to guess, I’d say late 60’s. That’s right, seasoned and still loving some late night Waffle House.
We chat, he tells me what’s going on and I get to share my thoughts with him. Without the fear of rejection or the fear of looking foolish, I shoot my questions off. It’s wisdom I’m seeking the most, and I’ve come to the right place, GB is one of the wisest men I’ve ever met. It’s my privilege to get to hang out with him and pick his brain. I can come to him with any question, because I know he believes in me. You know how I know? He doesn’t just tell me, he shows me. I have never been out with GB and had to pay for a meal. He won’t let me pay, I’ve tried. He just says, “D’Art I’m investing in your ministry.”
Last night as I was leaving, I made the statement, “I’m going to do this, either I’m going to make it, or I’m going to fall flat on my face.” To that GB retorted, “Either you’re going to make it, or God’s a liar. And we both know God’s not a liar.”
Thanks GB for your investment, and for believing in me.
A Spirit of Expectancy
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I have always been a farsighted futurist of sorts, so it’s been relatively easy for me to see the big picture. When I was 17 years old I was asked this question “What do you want out of your life?” I answered with a brazen 17 year old answer, “I want to impact the world for Jesus.” And I meant it. I expected it. I still expect it. I expect for God to use my life to change our world. It’s going to have to be God. Because I’m not capable to do it, but God is.
What are you expecting?
“An expectant heart is a breeding ground for the miraculous.” –Darlene Zschech
Strategy
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Today I’m sitting at Panera Bread putting to paper what has been in my heart for years. Putting dates to goals, visions, and dreams that have for so long been, “someday.” I’m developing a Start-Up strategy of sorts. I’m excited to see what happens, how God moves, how He speaks. I love what the Bible says in Habakkuk 2:2-3:
“And then God answered: “Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”
–Habakkuk 2:2-3 (Message)
Get in, buckle up, and throw your hands up, it’s about to get exciting!
