Manger Madness

Passed by a manger scene lately? I know many of them have been outlawed, but maybe you’ve spied them on your neighbor’s lawn next to the inflatable Santa. Whenever I drive by, calming lyrics flit through my head, “Round yon virgin mother and Child. Holy Infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace.”

Coming back from the Black Friday mall madness, manger scenes instill peace. The quaint barn. The kneeling shepherds. The somber light from the star. A little lamb peering over a makeshift bassinet. And dear Mary, a soft glow around her face, cradling her baby in swaddling clothes. Immanuel: God with us. Silent Night, Holy Night. I can already feel my blood pressure plummet.

Until I ponder the real manger scene. Far from quaint, I see a “Scared yon virgin, mother who was a child.” Mary was probably 12-14 years old. She and Joseph left the only town she knew under a cloud of suspicion. From the headlines of Nazareth News: “Carpenter’s Wife To Have God’s Baby!” Remember, it took an act of God to reverse Joseph’s initial desire to divorce his betrothed Mary. I doubt everyone in the blue-collar town got the same memo. In her third trimester, this poor girl traveled 100 miles on a donkey’s back to an unknown village south of Jerusalem. As the labor pains increase, she pulls into overcrowded Bethlehem stifling her screams. Joseph slams on doors trying to find a room.

While our labor and delivery rooms are outfitted with comfortable beds, satellite TVs, adoring family, and trained doctors, Mary plops down on hay, surrounded by nervous livestock, the soothing stench of manure, Joseph as a midwife, and a stick to bite on for the pain. Though Jesus is the Son of God, Mary never had a divine epidural. A teenager’s screams pierced the silent night. Rather than mom running in to hug her close, strange men come from the hills wanting to see her new baby. Any glow from Mary’s head is the sweat from her brow. Her night would pass quickly. Soon mysterious men would bring her first baby shower gifts…nothing you’d probably find at Babies R Us. As the wise men depart, rumors circled about Herod’s secret service coming to kill any babies under two. So does Mary get to return to the safety of her family’s house where sister could hold the new baby and give her a break? No, they must go farther south, to a strange land and foreign country.

That’s Mary’s manger scene. Mary must have pondered Isaiah 7:14 in those harried days. Immanuel: God with us. He was with her. In labor and delivery, he was with her. When news of danger came, he was with her. When her overnight bag needed to stretch from a few days to a couple years, he was with her. He is with us too. When friends and neighbors slander you, God with us. When family is a distant memory, God with us. When pain grips your body, God with us. When strangers surround you, God with us. When bloodthirsty soldiers nip at your heels, God with us.

On that holy night, I doubt much was silent for Mary. Something tells me this scared young virgin felt little tenderness or peace, save maybe a moment when Jesus lay swaddled in her arms; her strange surroundings faded in the background; as the savior of the world caught some sleep, she murmured, “His name will be Immanuel: God with us.”

God asked young Mary to carry the hope for humanity. We at Renaissance carry a similar burden: to release God’s love into our community and world. Obstacles will be many, but like Mary, we rest in this simple truth: Immanuel, God with us.

The Dash - James Metsger

My mom used to go to the cemetery to walk the dog, look at the gravestones, and to let us boys learn how to drive. Although not a happy place, the cemetery was a safe place for a new driver. Recently I went to the cemetery to bury a relative. While I was there I noticed something about the gravestones. Typically there is a name, a date of birth, and the date of death.

The way I see it I have two thirds of my stone completed. James D Metsger. April 28, 1978 - I haven’t had much say about the content of my gravestone. I didn’t choose my name. I had no say in the date of my birth. I won’t have any say in the date of my death. Nevertheless, there is one thing I get to decide. I get to decide what happens during the dash and how I respond to it. The dash is my life, the choices I make, the people and causes I invest in. If I choose I can fill the dash with a lot stuff that doesn’t really matter. Or I can decide to use the dash for something that will last.

Something that I want to fill my dash is a passion for God’s design for community. God has created us for community. Gravestones stand alone, but God doesn’t want me to. Sometimes I want to though. I tell myself it’s easier to avoid criticism, hurt, or heartache if I keep to myself. But that’s a lie. God hasn’t wired me that way. And he hasn’t wired you that way either. This isn’t an extrovert or introvert question. It’s a design question. God wants you and me to live life in the context of community.

The second week of October marked the beginning of 242Groups. These groups are designed for people to experience biblical community, renew our minds, and release our strengths into the community. They will be messy at times. They will stretch our people. They will stretch me. Although it may be hard road I’m excited. I know I won’t be traveling alone.

Blind Leading the Blind - Bobby Girard

Some blind men encountered an elephant roaming through their village. They gathered around the beast of burden in an effort to take a closer “look”. When asked to describe what they “saw”, each offered up a very different answer.

The blind man in front, who had a hold of the trunk, thought the elephant was something like a “a large boa constrictor”. The 2nd man found the ear and thought the elephant was more like the “fronds of a coconut palm”. The 3rd, who was kneeling by the side of the elephant, grabbed its massive leg and compared it to the “base of a mighty oak tree”. The 4th man standing beside it imagined it as a “great wall.” And of course, the last blind man stationed near the “business” end of the animal grabbed the tail and remarked that an elephant was surely like “a rope”.

Though none had the whole view, they all had a correct view. They all described their encounter with the largest land mammal on earth through the filter of their own perspective, and as such they would always remember this elephant in a very personal way.

I see this dynamic when we come together for corporate worship. We have all encountered the living God, but because we are limited by our humanity to only seeing “through a mirror dimly,” we rely heavily on our own perspective. Those experiences are going to be a bit different from anyone else’s and very personal and very precious.

Some kneel to grasp the leg. Some lift their hands to catch the ear. Others stand, arms open as if they are measuring the expanse of the great wall. Some are happy just to smile and “hold hands” with the tail. The beauty of the body of Christ is that all of these expressions are worship, all are valid, and all are born out of our very personal encounters with God, through His Word, His Spirit, His creation, and His church.

We are all free to worship, wholeheartedly, in whatever way best fits our own relationship to our Lord. Whether it be alone in our prayer closet or in a corporate worship service or driving home in the car from work in rush hour traffic, let’s give to God what He deserves. Prayer. Praise. Passion. Respond to Him according to his goodness and his “Godness”. That’s what He created us to do!!

And remember that by sharing our experiences and encounters with God with each other, we will gain a vision and an understanding of Him that is far clearer than any we might have on our own. It was only as the blind men shared their stories of the encounter with the elephant that each of them were able to fully “see”.

Bobby Girard; Worship Arts Pastor

What Do You Say?

No one taught me how to beg, I was self-taught. I aced the exam when it came to begging for the latest X-Wing Fighter or that second Big Mac at McDonalds. However, I never seemed to grasp the subject of gratitude. It was like the Trigonometry of manners. For some reason I needed a tutor to help me remember to say “Thank you” after that wonderful broccoli casserole or send a gushing note of gratitude after the Stetson cologne gift pack.

I think humans were never hard-wired with gratitude. It’s a learned subject. On this study in Colossians, Paul seems to put this church in detention to make sure they get gratitude down. Five times in this short four-chapter epistle he reminds them about saying thanks. He’s like the parent after his kid opens the dress socks in front of his aunt, “What do you say?”

• He prays they would live a lifestyle of “giving thanks” (1:12).
• A person who follows Christ is “abounding in thanksgiving” (2:7).
• Towards the end of his letter he tells them to be steadfast in prayer with “thanksgiving” (4:5).
• To cover all his bases, he tells “whatever you do…do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God…” (3:17).

But my favorite comes at the end of a long diatribe where Paul lists all these things we’re to do. It’s like a Christmas list of qualities he desires to see in Christians: “compassionate, kindness, meekness, patience…forgiving…love…peace…” and a ton more. But at the end he adds this small phrase, “And be thankful” (3:15). I know he’s writing this, but for some reason I picture him talking to a bunch of cut-up Christians on how to act and then he adds with a gruff voice, “and for Pete’s sake, be thankful!” I don’t know if these Colossians never sent him a thank you card for some Stetson cologne, but Paul wanted to convey this idea pretty clearly, “If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard at least five times in this letter, say ‘Thank you!’”

Perhaps we work so hard to get what we want we never quite pause to see what we’ve been given. We worry so much about what we don’t have that we miss what we have. Two weeks ago we talked about replacing “gimmie” prayers with “grateful” prayers. For one week we refrained from asking God for anything and simply thanked Him for all He has done and given us. I received a couple of responses. One woman in the church turned down a job she really wanted because it would hamper her family life. Rather than pray for another job, she tried something new:

I took your advice and only prayed prayers of thanks for the current job I have and that I know I have more than most, after I declined the job offer yesterday. Don’t you know 2 hours later they called me back with a better offer, and then affordable childcare came our way too! Our God is truly a GREAT and giving God.

Now, God isn’t obligated to do that for everyone, but it was a cool story. Another guy told me on the phone, “Man I had to really think about my prayers this week. I realized how programmed I was to simply ask God for stuff without ever thanking Him. When I was left with just saying thanks, I really had to take time and think about what I was saying.”

Mom, if you never heard it from me, thanks for those x-wing fighters.

You're Only Spiritual if you Wake Up at 4:30 am

“I rise up at 4:30 am every morning to meet with my Savior,” that didn’t bother me near as much as the next phrase, “And so do you if you want to have a deep relationship with God.”

This old codger had no clue about college students. If we saw 4:30 am, it was because we were just hitting the sack, not the alarm clock. But my astute, and incredibly old, professor of spiritual life was convinced that God only made appointments with the early risers.

Of course in college we had one luxury I don’t find I have as much now that I am moving unavoidably toward the age of my professor. We had time in spades, even with all those all night card games. We didn’t need the early morning to find a “quiet time” (another phrase I loathe, what guy wants a quiet time?). If we wanted quiet we had from 12:45 until my 3:15 class to go hiking up the mountain or visit the chapel. I could journal just as easily in the morning as I could right after dinner and before we headed out for my cheesy western burger desert at 10:00 pm.

Now I am discovering that it wasn’t just the curmudgeon who knew little about college culture. I knew squat about “adult culture.” Perhaps he wanted to instill a discipline in us because he knew that time sped up dramatically after we doffed cap and gown. He knew we had yet to hear the cacophony of noise awaiting our ears: rush hour traffic, the metronome of endless meetings, and bleating babies. Perhaps he knew, like so many in Scripture, early morning was the calm before our daily storms. Most of us rise up and the alarm clock is a starter’s gun – we’re off the blocks and don’t look back until we set it again. The Psalmist says, “It is vain for you to rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil” (127:2). In other words, it’s useless to toil without giving thought to the Provider.

This morning I read some from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. In a chapter entitled, “The Day with Others.” He made a statement my aged professor would have agreed with, “For Christians, the beginning of the day should not be burdened and oppressed with besetting concerns for the day’s work. At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it. All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of night retreat before the clear light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word.”

If you are like me, early morning is one of the precious few times in the day where distractions don’t lurk behind every ringing phone, email alert, tv show that I just have to watch and then I’ll settle down, or the daily grind of work or parenting. That time of day made for the first sip of coffee. Perhaps that is why throughout Scripture the morning is presented as that moment, bereft of noise, people spent time with God. “O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee…”(Psalm 63:1). It was Jesus in Mark who “rose up early in the morning and went to a desolate place to pray” (1:35). They knew it was far too easy to start the day with, “I’ll get to Him later…”

Intercourse is a funny word. It just made you pause. There’s a town in Pennsylvania with that unfortunate name. But it used to carry the connotation of “conversation.” Conversation with the Lord is like intercourse with a spouse. If you’ve got kids, setting your “conversation time” at 5:30 pm is probably begging for the untimely “walk-in.” If we want to keep the “walk-ins” with God at a minimum, there’s something wise about rising early. Trust me, I still only see 4:30 once a day. And I’m glad God doesn’t define His relationship with me with such a small thing as a 30 minute “quiet time.” But I know I need time with my Provider. He’s fuel for the day. So I guess in a way I’m starting to come around to those words from the old codger. He’s probably in Heaven by now; can’t imagine that guy is still alive…he’s probably waking Jesus up every morning saying, “Hey, it’s time for me to meet with you.”

Costanza Christianity

“Hello my name is George, I am unemployed and living with my parents.” It may be one of the best lines from one of the best sit-coms of all time.

You may not have been a Seinfeld aficionado, but on this episode, George Costanza, known as a “short, stocky, slow-witted bald man,” decides to do the exact opposite of what he naturally thinks. Therefore, when he meets a beautiful woman, instead of pretending to be Art Vandaly the accomplished architect, he risks all by telling the truth.

Bobby Girard, our guest worship leader this past weekend calls it “Costanza Christianity” – where we deliberately go against our natural tendencies.

In my journal I am asking the question: What would I do if I had confidence?

What would I do if I risked it all instead of doing what I naturally do: make excuses, wallow in fear, or simply tune out God’s promptings with a good tv show, like Seinfeld reruns.

Lurking in our church I believe there are artists waiting to be heard, causes waiting to be won, and risky ministries waiting to be started. All that remains is for us to actually believe that God wants to use us. Instead of shrinking back, let’s press forward; instead of finding an excuse, let’s find a reason; instead of fear, let’s try faith.

We know where fear ends.

For the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the whole earth, that He may strongly support those whose hearts are completely His . . .
2 Chronicles 16:9

God’s just waiting for us to risk it all. Take it from George, what do we have to lose?

Boy or Girl?

Jen Right Now


Jen Nine Months From Now


It’s really the unknown that drives you crazy.

The past year has been stressful enough so we thought we’d go ahead and add a new baby onto the anxiety meter. We redlined a long time ago with starting a new church, moving, remodeling a 15 year-old house, and marrying off a sister. When Jen called and told me the news, I just said, “Yep.” And then I gushed with joy!

So February will answer a ton of questions.

Boy or girl?

Brantley wants a girl and Palmer wants a boy. We’re not sure if it’s because they really care about the child or because whatever the sex of the baby determines who gets the bunk bed in their room. You can imagine their anxiety over the next 33 weeks.

Will the baby have Jen’s good looks or my all-star athletic physique?

Will the baby be colicky like Palmer or sleep like a fish under water like Brantley?

Interesting that our journey with the baby feels all too similar with the church.

What will this church look like in February?

Will it grow slowly or quickly? Will we have money spilling out of the coffers or praying someone hits the lottery? When people walk into our midst will they sense a mission or the mundane?

It’s really the unknown that drives you crazy. Glad God already has been forming our baby’s innermost parts.

Take a Swing

When was the last time you swung on a vine?

Last Sunday night after everyone left the Burns' house, a few of us lingered over empty boxes of pizza. Dale noticed a vine hanging from a tree and did what any guy would do, he tried to yank it down. After pulling down on the vine with his (insert best estimate of Dale's weight) frame, he realized it could hold him. Then he did what any guy would do after finding out a vine would carry his weight, he backed up and swung on it.

As Dale careened through the air like a pirate off the yardarm, we did what all guys would do while watching their friend swing on a vine, we sat back waiting for him to hit the tree on the return flight. As he passed the tree and fell to earth safely in a bed of needles, Dave would do what any guy would do after his best friend proved he could swing on a vine, he stepped up for a go.

After Dave landed on his kiester in the needles, I did what any guy would do. I knew I couldn't be the only remaining person with testosterone on the sidelines. Yes, we're still childish at 34.

I pulled down on the vine to make sure their combined weight hadn't loosened it. I stepped back and took a running leap. In the air I realized I had absolutely no control, my legs flailed, the tree loomed and I let go early. I landed on my rump and heard what every guy would hear in that situation: laughter. I failed to trust the flight plan of the vine.

In the upper room, Jesus said to his companions, "I am the true vine...abide in me...for apart from me you can do nothing." While he refered to bearing fruit, he could have easily talked about extreme swinging. He asks us to trust his flight plan. We grip, we cling, and when fear grips us, we tend to let go instead of trusting the vine. And we miss out on the whole adventure.

I had to do it again. This time I landed on my feet.

Tonight the guys prayed about being men who dared to risk something for God. In essence, I heard them pray for an opportunity to swing on a vine - the chance to be out of control, but having the courage to hang on.

I heard one guy pray for a man he's been trying to reach for years.

I heard another petition for boldness to pray with his wife.

I heard another talk about helping pregnant teenagers find adoptive parents.

Jesus is the vine. Hebrews states, "Without faith, it's impossible (not difficult, not hard, but impossible) to please God." Unfortunately many of us just keep testing him to see if he can hold our weight: we crave safety and security. We never back up and take a running leap. Our legs will flail. Our hearts will pound. And he promised to hold us through the arc.

Take a swing. You never know where God may take you.

One other application point - I just found out Dale had a huge fear of heights from childhood. Yet he was the first to go. He set the pace, and others followed. When people risk, it spurs the rest of us to get off the sidelines.

Take a swing. You never know who is watching.

Clinging to the vine,

Brian

More Pics from Easter

The Big Thing about A Small Church

For those of you that missed our Easter Eggstravaganza, we had a blast at the Burns' new home in Winding Walk. You'll see a few pics of our time together. 47 of us filled up the house (and I still think we could have put in another 20 and not felt it! Don't tell that to Dave and Shannon).

As we gathered that afternoon I thought about a few things.

There's something big about being small. In a culture of of email and blogs, packed schedules and buzzing blackberry's, think about the last time you spent a few hours having an eyeball to eyeball conversation, hung out with some guys on the couch watching the Masters, or watched your kids scour a back yard for hidden chocolate.

A couple of things I felt:

1. I didn't feel rushed.
2. I didn't have an agenda.
3. I wanted more.

People desire connection - and it takes time, intentionality, and usually a honey baked ham. The big thing about being small is that we can offer people opportunities to be known and to know others; learn Scripture in a less formal setting; and linger over a meal and discover they aren't alone in something as serious as how to raise a difficult child or something as superficial as finding someone else actually watches "Deadliest Catch."

What a great thing to share with others. Don't feel like you need to wait to invite friends for an "official launch." Let them know where we are as a church. That we are pioneering a new work, that we feel the freedom to be flexible, and that we don't have everything figured out yet. But if you want something that feels a bit like family, don't wait, jump in now. Our smallness may be the most attractive aspect of our church right now. If people are expecting all the programs of a big church, they can wait a little while. But if they want a big opportunity to connect, come while we all still fit in one house for dinner!

Thanks for a great Resurrection Day.

Brian

Don't Know if You've Noticed...

But life ain't easy!

It appears to me that since we all made the decision to go forward with planting a church, while God has blessed us immeasurably, many of us have come up against some pretty stiff winds.

- I think of a father who is battling prostate cancer
- A child suffering from seizures
- Stomach viruses doing their dirty work
- Houses with unforeseen cracks
- A child suffering from pneumonia
- Vehicles on the fritz

And I am sure that's probably not the half of it. Or the end of it.

Not that we shouldn't expect anything less. Jesus and the apostles kept the hard reality of life in the forefront of their minds. That, combined with the truth that we do not battle against flesh and blood, proves anything God orchestrates the Enemy will seek to frustrate.

Pray especially for the Karant family this week. The hits keep coming. As many of the ladies probably heard last night, Heidi has to keep Ava up all night tonight for a sleep test - somehow that doesn't quite make sense to me, but I'm no doctor!

Suffer me just a bit as I quote from that preeminent theologian, Rocky Balboa, "It ain't about how hard you hit; Nuttin' hits harder than life," the Italian Stallion surmises, "It's about how much you can take and keep movin' forward." (If you say it with a hard Philly accent, it works much better.)

The real theologians call that the perseverance of the saints. Peter challenges me, "Brothers, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ sufferings, that you may rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. "

Just think, if we in our small cadre face such a bounty of issues, imagine what our neighbors and our community experiences without the benefit of praying friends.

I read Oswald Chambers this morning:

"The battle is not against sin or difficulties or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in work that we are not ready to face Jesus Christ at every turn."
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest : Selections for the Year (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1993, c1935), March 29.

As we persevere through the hits, as we stand firm against a stiff wind, let's keep our eyes up and out. God desires our devotion and people need our attention. If you know of someone in the church who is struggling, give them a ring, bring them a dinner...and if they're not in our church, do the same thing - they'll be surprised you noticed.

In Him,
Brian

Pics from the Stables

Great Things Start in Stables

That's our new mantra - great things start in stables. Now these aren't just any stables, we never settle here at Renaissance. However, it is a bit surreal walking by a horse on the way to Bible study.

Sewell took some great shots. I'll see if I can upload a few more.

Brian

Do We Just Like the Idea of Serving?

Thought you might like to read a challenging quote or two by David Kinnamen on the reward of serving others in a real way:

David Kinnaman, who directed the study of American lifestyles, commented on the implications of the research. "Americans are a unique blend of contradictions. Mosaics want to be known as activists, but their recycling pales to that of older adults. People think of themselves as engaged in assisting needy people, but the vast majority of Americans merely dabble in helping others. Individuals who have financial means are no more likely than others to assist the poor. Never-married adults envision themselves as independent and self-sufficient, but their levels of substance abuse and sexual behaviors suggest otherwise. Political liberals want to be known for their open minds, but their profanity, cutting remarks, and frequent use of 'payback' undermines their attitudes of acceptance. The respect, patience, self-control and kindness of born again Christians should astound people, but the lifestyles and relationships of born again believers are not much different than others.

“The difficulty," Kinnaman continued, "is that with increasingly personalized and self-oriented behaviors and routines, the contradictions in people’s lives will become even more apparent. Americans will become even less aware of who and what they are. As people become more interested in the latest diversion and more tuned into personal satisfaction, their capacity and energy for connecting with others - or understanding themselves - will diminish."

The president of the California-based firm, Kinnaman suggested the moral challenges facing Americans are tied to how much they help others. "Living morally is not just obeying thou-shall-not commandments, but also actively enriching the lives of those around us. It is easy to criticize Americans' self-indulgences and their moral lapses. It is much more difficult to find creative, customized, and meaningful ways to expose them to the needs of others. By getting the focus off themselves, Americans might experience much-needed transformation within their own lifestyles and perspectives."

Why $37.46 Matters

$37.46 is enough for a family of four at Red Robin, but just barely covers an entree at Mickey and Mooch.

$37.46 spots you a few decent tickets at the Bobcats game, but don't plan on it covering your parking and certainly not 2 hot dogs all the way and a coke.

$37.46 would be enough to handle three of my haircuts, but won't style my wife's curls. (Now to be fair here, she would counter with, "I only get one haircut for your three!" Point taken.)

But for one boy, $37.26 meant far more than a night on the town or a couple of caramel macchiatos with an extra shots of espresso.

While sitting in my office this week (that would be the back table at Cafe Mia) a boy who still loves bionicles and doesn't mind when ice cream slips down his chin approached my "desk." He carried a plastic ziplock bag full of every kind of coin and a wad of bills. Sheepishly he looked up at me, dropped the bag in my hand and said simply, "Pastor Brian, this is for the church."

Let's face it, in surburbia, we sneeze and $37.46 flies out of our pockets. It doesn't go very far. That's one tank of gas, one trip to Target, and one family's movie night.

As I wipe away the tears, I can't help but think of another little boy who brought a bag to the disciples. It was all he had, but they probably thought, "2 loaves and 5 fishes - that's won't go far beyond my stomach." Yet in Jesus' hands a sack lunch fed thousands.

Why does $37.46 matter? Because with it Renaissance Bible Church started her ministry. That little bag was our first tithe. We'll never know the little boy's name back in John 6:9 and we won't make it a practice to list someone's name by their contributions, but I can't wait to see what Jesus' does with Nate's ziplock bag.

So this is a blog!

O Pioneers,

Wow, John Karant set me up on a blog - you know, the trend that has swept across the world that probably none of us do. We'll see if it sticks! It's actually a cool way to communicate and check in on what is happening with the church or just muse on various and sundry items.

For those of you Renaissance folks, here are some updates:

1. We had a great meeting this morning with what we are now calling the "Advance Team." I realized that "Advisory Team" just didn't fit because we will be getting advice from everyone on our launch team. You all have a ton to offer and we will take advantage of it. I'm reading a great book on WWI right now that highlghted General "BlackJack" Pershing's advance team that had to go over to France first to prepare the way for the hundreds of thousands of troops that were on their way. This team was responsible for building the vast infrastructure for the army to come. In the same way, this small team will be heading up all of us as we seek to build the infrastructure of this church. If you haven't already, you will be getting calls or emails about your vital role as we get ready for launch. The team consists of:Brian Goins, Don Meredith, Lee Francis, Jeremy Davidson, Dale Fite, Dave Burns, Todd Knepper, Jan Francis, and John Karant.

2. We will be opening a bank account today or tomorrow and will get the information out to you post haste so those checks can start rolling in. We will set up online banking so you will be able to send it over the internet as well.

3. Cox Mill Elementary is our #1 option as far as a meeting place is concerned. We will update you as soon as we hear the final affirmation, but right now plan on Sunday afternoons at around 4ish. Sunday mornings are booked right now and we thought it would be great to have our Bible Study and then all eat together for dinner - again just following our Acts 2:42 principle.

4. UNC got beat last night by Va Tech at home. I'm bitter, but at least we beat Duke last week.

Love you guys,

Brian

O Pioneers

February 13, 2007

That's also the title of a great book by Willa Cather just in case you are
interested. I wanted to give you all an update on the state of Renaissance
this week.

- The women are going to throw down some power tonight as they gather to pray at Jan and Lee Francis' house at 7 pm.

- The Advance team will be meeting tomorrow to discuss the nuts and bolts of putting the foundation underneath this church. Soon we all will be finding a place to help out, whether it be organizing the kids ministry to preparing our missions program to help with payroll, we'll all be finding our spot on the wall (to borrow a theme from Nehemiah).

- I just talked through the articles of incorporation with Don this afternoon and so we should have our account set up by tomorrow - so we can start sending in those tithe checks!

- Our hope is to start meeting weekly on Sunday, February 25th for a Bible Study. Morning or evening will depend on the place we can meet.

A few things to be praying for:

1. A place to meet on a weekly basis. We are praying for a spot that we can meet on Sunday morning. However we may only have a spot on Sunday nights. For now Cox Mill Road is open, but we are evaluating other options as well. Highland Creek elementary is a no as well as Odel School Rd.

2. Pray that we will all be flexible and maintain a sensitivity to the Spirit in the early days of this church. Our goal is to build a solid foundation, but foundation work is not always easy or comfortable. Pray that we can be gracious towards each other and believe the best when things don't go as expected.

3. If you think about it, pray that our house would sell in the next month. And we have put a bid on a foreclosure that we really like in Highland Creek - we hopefully will hear back in the next day or two whether or not we got it.

4. Pray for Taylor Gibbs (leukemia) and his parents as they go through this trial.

5. Pray for our friends Christian and Susan Werner as they are planning on having a baby this week.

6. Pray for Brent and Nicole Vickers and their daughter, Ashton who is now at home and doing well.

If you haven't already, pull out Acts 2:42-47 sometime this week. Notice
what the early church focused on - and should still be a model for us today.
While the methods might change, our pursuit of teaching, fellowship, eating
together (it's in there!), and praying should be a hallmark of every church.
When you see the words, "Devoted themselves" in 42, that word devoted
connotes "a fierce dedication." They were fiercely dedicated to building the
early church through these means.

Look forward to all that God has done and is about to do.

In Him,
Brian