LIFESONG CHURCH, jeff hickman

Why Should I Come To LifeSong Church?

2011-03-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

If I were a person who had never been to church, not been to church in a while or had become disillusioned with going to church I would want to know, "Why should I come to LifeSong Church?"
First let me tell you why you shouldn't come:

- Don't come if you got mad at your former church and left disgruntled
If you found something you didn't like there then you will find something you don't like here. If you were a trouble maker there then you will surely get your feelings hurt here. Our mission is to important than to put up with petty nonsense.
- Don't come if you think that we are going to tell you it is OK to live in sin
People are not our enemy, but sin is. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." Our goal is to help you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and live in that relationship with purpose and passion. Telling people that it is OK to have pet sins as long as they are not big one destroys our mission as a church to reconcile you to Christ.
- Don't come because you like the causal dress and cool music
The newness of all of that will wear off pretty quick and you will have to look for something else to keep you here. However, if you come for the right reasons, the vision and mission of the church will keep you here.

Here are some very good reasons to COME to LifeSong Church:

1. Help You Start A Relationship With Jesus Christ
Regardless of what kind of life you have lived up to this point Jesus is desperate to start a new relationship with you. We can help introduce you to Him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to any of us. Our church wouldn't exist if it weren't for Him and we are excited for you to meet Him!

2. Help Restore How You Feel About Church
The Bible describes the church as the "bride of Christ". A bride prepares herself for the groom. Every action and every thought focuses on that day when she gives herself totally and completely to Him. With that in mind, their is no place in the church for selfishness, personal agendas, politics, division, and worthless pursuits. Everything is done for the purpose of One, Jesus. Our passion is create an atmosphere of love, preparation, expectation and intimacy.

3. Introduce You To People You Can Share Life With
Everything in life is about relationships. The quality of our relationship with Jesus Christ determines the quality of all other relationships in life. We want you to share life with people who are passionate about their relationship with Jesus Christ. It is true that we become like the people we hang out with.

4. Empower You To Invest Your Life For A Greater Purpose
God has a calling and plan for your life. He created you to be unique. There is no one who has your personality, life story, sense of humor and giftedness. He wants all of us to use our lives to glorify Him. Our desire is to empower you to leave your mark on history by investing your life for the cause of Christ.
5. Make Loving God and Loving People The Greatest Priority In Your Life
This statement sums up the passion and heartbeat of the church and what God's Word tells us is the most important thing that we can do.

3 Reasons To Take Another Look At Your VOLUNTEERS

2011-03-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

Your Volunteers Will Grow Your Church
I posed the question to our pastors at the beginning of the year, "How many families do you think we could get to connect with LifeSong Church if we put our time, energy and resources into developing our Weekend Volunteers? " Weekend volunteers focusing specifically on our First Touch greeters team as well as our childrens ministry team. On average we will have anywhere from 20-50 first time guest each week. If we averaged just capturing one family a week(which I believe is a low number) that is 52 families in a year. When you start adding up the value of 52 families in in a congregation it doesn't take long to understand why it needs to be a HUGE area of focus.

Your Volunteers Will Reveal The Heartbeat of the Church
There are several factors that dictate the culture of the church, but it is revealed when volunteers are serving. If they are excited and passionate about what is happening then they will communicate that in their body language, tone of voice, and the words they use with people. It is hard to fake genuine excitement. The only thing that can mask it is poor communication with your volunteers about what their roles, responsibilities and the impact they are making. If we spend time making volunteering a true team effort with clear training and expectations then we can expect to celebrate a lot of wins.

It is About More Than What Is Happening On The Stage
Relationships play a huge role in capturing people and keeping them. Pastors have a tendency to focus on what is happening in the services rather than what is happening before and after. That is a HUGE mistake. It is equally important to consider what kind of experience people are having out in the parking lot, what is happening when they drop their children off and when they there is opportunity for them to socialize. If people feel like they are important and welcomed, even if the music and preaching are bad, they are more likely to return.

Our GOAL should be to make PEOPLE feel like a MILLION bucks every time they come on our campus.

Words

2011-02-25T15:05:00.004-05:00

WORDS from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

Staying Energized

2011-02-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

In the ebb and flow of life we can feel flat, without energy and struggling with creativity.

Here are a few things that can keep you energized:

- Stay in God's Word
When we hit a downturn one of the first temptations is to abandon spiritual disciplines. God's Word by nature is energizing. It speaks Words of Life into our heart. God wants to speak to us and encourage us in this journey. If God isn't speaking life into our hearts we are in trouble at the heart of our Christianity.

- Change Up Your Prayer Routine
Any relationship can get boring and routine if you do the same old things all the time. God is not intent on us simply existing. He wants to share life with us. Breathe fresh life into your relationship with Christ and energize your heart by finding new ways to have conversations with the Father. It is important you are not praying to a statue, but to a real person.

- Surround Yourself With Encouraging People
There is nothing that will deflate us faster than discouragement and negativity. As people we need to be encouragers and in turn we need to be encouraged. Discouragement will sap the life out of you faster an anything. Make an intentional effort find people who are encouraging and will speak words of life to you.

- Take Up A Hobby
This is an extreme weakness for me. I will have to take my own advice on this one. We need to find something that we enjoy outside of work and other responsibilities to help re-energize your life.

- Don't Let Sin Rule You
If you are allowing sin to hang around when you are trying to pursue Christ it is like oil and water. They don't mix. Remove the sin and you automatically become 10 times healthier. When the Holy Spirit is grieved we cut off the life giving power of the Holy Spirit.

We need to recognize that we don't have to live our lives on a spiritual roller coaster. We need to do whatever it takes to stay energized and healthy. We are all just a few decisions and lifestyle changes away.

Don't Shy Away From The Hard Stuff

2011-02-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

As the years continue to pile up in my life situations, circumstances, hardships and trials that I have experienced begin to make more sense. I didn't say that the hardships and trials are fun,but I have realized is I wouldn't be where I am today without them. It is like a friend who you can't live with them and you can't live without them. Trials by nature bring a testing that touches us at the core of our sinful nature. Trials destroy our pride and self reliance, we are brought to the reality that we are not in control and our faith is stretched beyond mere words and concepts. Trials can make us feel so helpless that we feel like giving up, soaking our pillow in tears and shrinking away from joy.

During trials we can live one day at a time, trusting that it will not be this way forever or have a rebellious heart. As Christ followers, the Word of God encourages us to trust God's heart even though we may not be able to see what He is doing. We can find comfort that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.

As I took time to reflect yesterday it became clear that I need to let go of the hurt and pain from trials of the past to embrace the hope and promise of the present and future. If our arms are full of everything from our past then you have no room left to hold anything else.

I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without the forceful nudges of the trials that we have been through in the past. The closer we want to be to God the more work He needs to do on us.

James 1:2-4 "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Powerful

2011-02-16T10:57:00.001-05:00

It never gets old!!

FLY HIGH

2011-02-15T11:47:00.002-05:00

There have been times in my life that I have felt constrained to really go after the desires of my heart. I have let people control me. I have let circumstances suppress my passion. Keep in mind that I am not talking about sin, such as satisfying my fleshy desires or being a jerk. I am talking about those things that are meaningful to life. Things that in the end will make a difference to me or someone else. We need to be reminded and encouraged by the fact that we are free to soar in Christ. John 8:36,"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." This past Sunday at Lifesong was such an incredible day of freedom. People freely worshiped Jesus. People came to church just as they were. They were free to dress as they pleased. (Modestly of course.) The Word of God spoke powerfully. There was joy in our church that quit frankly is what we long for as Christians. God has made a way for us to live life to the fullest. We must embrace it. We must make our minds up that there is nothing that is going to stand in the way of our pursuit of Christ. Fly as high as God can take you. He wants you to soar!!

Darkness Within

2011-02-08T18:15:00.003-05:00

Untitled from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

In this blog I said it was Jan. 8th. Believe me, I don't want it to be Jan. 8th. I can't take another month of cold weather.

The Shark In Us

2011-02-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

Several years ago as I stood on the pier at Myrtle Beach a man dumped a bucket of fish heads and guts in the water. Without warning the water beneath us began to boil and became violent with several sharks thrashing in the blood filled water. Sharks are very stealthy creatures who are careful to keep their dorsal fin just below the surface so as not to reveal its location to a potentially gratifying meal. Just as a hungry shark will eventually break the surface in an explosion of fins, blood and boiling water, so selfishness will ultimately result in chaos in our lives and will end in our own disaster.

We are born with this natural bend toward self gratification. It begins in our infancy and is very difficult to break as we grow older. We all know that selfishness is an unseen guest in many of our choices. It is not easy for us to admit it and is something that we work hard at trying to conceal. James 3:14, 16 says, "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth... For where there jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing." These are very powerful words that cut us down to the core. It is easier to conceal, make excuses and blame other people than to reveal our sinful flesh.

Philippians 2:3-4 encourages us, "Do nothing out from selfish ambition and empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than ourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others."

Don't live your life at the expense of others. Don't let your selfishness destroy your relationships, your marriage, your future and even your own life. The only cure for selfishness is humility.

My Sun Stand Still Prayer Today

2011-02-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

During my high school football career I remember standing in my linebacker position with adrenaline surging through my body waiting for the center to snap the ball to the quarterback. I #1 goal was to hit whoever had the ball so hard that snot flew out of their nose. There was no room for half stepping or indecision. Everything happened at a break neck pace and the game hung in the balance with the players on the field. Nobody from the stands was going to come down and win the game. We were given a huge responsibility for our team.

As a pastor I approach leadership and the gravity of the mission with the same passion. There is to much at stake to not play every play with passion and everything I got. The mission, calling and responsibility that Jesus has entrusted me with makes me focused and intense. I cannot back up, let up or shut up. My Sun Stand Still prayer today is that God will use this weekend in the life of His bride, LifeSong Church to strike fear in the heart of the enemy and rob hell of the precious. Pray this prayer with me and let's trust God will use us this weekend to rescue many who are perishing.

UNLEASHED STORIES

2011-01-31T08:03:00.000-05:00

OUR plan for Unleashed didn't fall into place but soon became very apparent that it was indeed HIS plan all along....
We made 12 baskets, filling them with assorted snacks, bottled water, notepad and pen, various candies, and an encouraging card. It was our plan to give them to family members that were in the ICU waiting room. Turned out after waiting over 20 minutes, not a single person came in. We then went to the ER waiting room and distributed 3 of the baskets. No real sense of God's presence but left them with smiles on their faces.
It was my (wrong) understanding that Chemo patients were on the 3rd floor so up we went. Once there, we had to have looked like lost children (remember OUR plan had now fallen apart). We asked one of the nurses who could use a basket in which she told us 2 room numbers. The gentleman in one of the rooms could not have been more appreciative, saying that no one had ever done anything like that for him before. This man was so moved by this SIMPLE act of kindness, he continued fighting his tears back. We did the same thing on the 2nd and 4th floors. Again, everyone told us how much they appreciated it. To be honest, though, those people could have cared less about those baskets. They were so glad to have visitors...someone to talk to....someone that cared. We learned so much about those people in just 5-10 minutes- they were starving for people!!! Each room Kevin and I visited, they wanted us to pray which is exactly what we did. I will probably never forget the way these people reacted to us today. My heart is overjoyed, knowing how happy those people were today.
A few points that I also want to include are...
The cart we found fit our 12 baskets perfectly.
Kevin was friends with the hospital's receptionist's grandson in HS. She and Kevin chatted for quite some time @ LifeSong with him inviting them to come.
One patient that we visited had been moved today from ICU to the regular room (remember OUR plan).
One man of 91 years only has 1 daughter who left today to go back to Conneticut this am (Kevin went to CT on mission trip last July).
I think the points above are more than just coincidental. I believe it was God's way of letting us know we were where He wanted us.
I thank you, Jeff, for leading us to love others today. I thank God for allowing us to love others, to be able to feel compassion for them and see what effect it truly has on them. No doubt, He led us today. My prayer is that I never forget the smiles I saw tonight and that I constantly be reminded of what a difference ONE person can make in the lives of others. You may have to go where you're unexpected and completely uncomfortable, but He will see you through!
Laura Miller

I wanted to let you know about the Havens, Moore, & Crist group experience for Unleased Sunday. We made lunch and care bags for about 70-75 people at the Haven's and went to the Greater Spartanburg Ministries with about 30 group members. It was closed for Sunday, so Danny drove the area and identified several areas to go to nearby to reach out to people in need. We broke into 3 groups. Our group went to a Breakers gas station and ABC Liquor store off Howard street and within 5 minutes the bags had were given out. The other two groups after visiting different places nearby, then came over to our location and their supplies also lasted about 5 minutes. We gave out all we had and looked for anything else we could give people there. Yoohoos to water until nothing was left. There is such a need in this area and we were like a drop in the bucket. Danny found several homeless shelters and potential ministry opportunities. We were truly humbled by the need, but also amazed by the thankfulness of the people there. We left wishing we could do more for the people and the community there. We went back to the Great Spartanburg Ministries and Ervin Nelson met us there and gave us a tour of the facility. There are pictures on Kim's Facebook. They have a clothing store and food pantry. They give out food once every 6 months to people in the city and still have 60-100 families a DAY visiting to obtain food for their families. He asked if anyone had been involved or were aware of the ministry and no one raised their hands. They have churches assist in packing food boxes, and stocking shelves. Great is the need there. As any ministry opportunity. Today ministered to us just as much and we tried to minister to those we reached out to.

All the best!

Jon Adam

The Blackwell and Coggins groups worked at the Middle Tyger Community Center on Saturday. That was the only day they could have a representative on site with us.

We did the following:
Restocked the food pantry with food that had been donated. The food had to be moved from an outside storage building into the kitchen area where it was stocked on shelfs.
Installed a new lock and dead bolt on the outside storage building.
Cleaned and straightened the outside building.
Transported prepackaged food boxes into the Community Center from the storage building.
Painted walls in two offices, as well as part of a wall in the main lobby, and a column in one office.
We worked on a van, jumped it off, charged the battery, pumped up the tires.
Cleaned up leaves and debris around the rear entrance.
Repaired a loose threshold in a door way.
Prayed on site for the staff and all those that they touch.

We also had left over money because of a change in needs, so we have purchased socks to be taken to Miracle Hill Ministries.

Thanks
Josh and Tiffany
Deanna and Joey

Stories From Unleashed Story #1

2011-01-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

Hey, Had to tell you what happened today. As you know my husband has been out of work for 6 weeks. We have a credit line at our bank but, we never use it. I payed our bills last week so they would not be late & the credit line kicked in to cover the checks. I got paid & paid the credit line back $300 yesterday & it left me with $9. This morning when I wrote our tithe check & building fund out I prayed God would provide so it wouldn't go into the credit line. After the you told the story about the CVS I prayed again God would cover those 2 checks. During the greeting time a man we didn't know asked my husband to meet him after the service. We met & their Life Group blessed us with $280. They said God laid us on their heart. That was God providing for us!

Unleashed This Weekend At LifeSong Church

2011-01-27T15:04:00.004-05:00

Every 5th Sunday we have committed to model community investment. We have put a lot of time, energy and preaching into changing our mentality from a "me" centered world to practicing Luke 10:27 "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself."
One of the things that we discovered early on in this church plant is that people really connect with our churches motto of "Missionaries Where We Live, Work and Play", however it is not something that comes naturally for most people. We can't just say it we have to teach and model it as a church.
We want you to begin to have God eyes all of the time. God is at work all around us, but most of the time we are to busy to stop and invest. This weekend during our 4 services each of our Lifegroups will be announcing outreach projects that you can get involved with. Everything from handing out blankets and food in downtown Greenville to having a cookout for a local boys home. We are not looking to promote and event, but a lifestyle. We hope you are prepared to engage. LifeSong Unleashed! You don't want to miss it!

5 Things LifeSong Church Can Do For You

2011-01-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

LifeSong Church is not a consumer driven church. We are not here to provide a recreational program for your kids, entertain you for an hour on Sunday morning, or give you a place to be buried when you die. As a matter of fact when people come to me and ask, "What kind of programs do you have at your church?" They are surprised when we say, "none". Ok, maybe one. No, really it is an agenda. Yes, we have a clear agenda. We want to advance the mission of Jesus Christ by encouraging, equipping, motivating, teaching, loving, and challenging people to use their life to be a missionary where they live, work and play. Although, here are 5 things that LifeSong Church can do for you.

1. Help You Start A Relationship With Jesus Christ
Regardless of what kind of life you have lived up to this point Jesus is desperate to start a new relationship with you. We can help introduce you to Him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to any of us. Our church wouldn't exist if it weren't for Him and we are excited for you to meet Him!

2. Help Restore How You Feel About Church
The Bible describes the church as the "bride of Christ". A bride prepares herself for the groom. Every action and every thought focuses on that day when she gives herself totally and completely to Him. With that in mind, their is no place in the church for selfishness, personal agendas, politics, division, and worthless pursuits. Everything is done for the purpose of One, Jesus. Our passion is create an atmosphere of love, preparation, expectation and intimacy.

3. Introduce You To People You Can Share Life With
Everything in life is about relationships. The quality of our relationship with Jesus Christ determines the quality of all other relationships in life. We want you to share life with people who are passionate about their relationship with Jesus Christ. It is true that we become like the people we hang out with.

4. Empower You To Invest Your Life For A Greater Purpose
God has a calling and plan for your life. He created you to be unique. There is no one who has your personality, life story, sense of humor and giftedness. He wants all of us to use our lives to glorify Him. Our desire is to empower you to leave your mark on history by investing your life for the cause of Christ.
5. Make Loving God and Loving People The Greatest Priority In Your Life
This statement sums up the passion and heartbeat of the church and what God's Word tells us is the most important thing that we can do.

Reorganize

2011-01-20T13:11:00.002-05:00

Do you have a junk drawer? It is one of those places where you take the stuff out of your pockets and dump it or the place where you stuff things when you are cleaning up and want to get them out of sight fast. Generally, after a while it gets so stuffed full of stuff that you can't even close it. Then that dreadful day comes when you can't stand it any more and you have to clean it out. In the drawer you realize that there is a mixture of useful items and trash. I almost always find things that I had been looking for, but couldn't find or little treasures that I get excited to rediscover. The dreaded process of reorganization turns out to be a huge blessing.

Have you ever noticed that our lives can become junk drawers? They can become overrun with all kinds of activities and thoughts. It can quickly get really crowded and overwhelming if we don't take the time to reorganize. We have to evaluate what is useful and what needs to be thrown out. It can be a difficult task. The key is you only want to put back into your life those things that are absolutely essential. Thoughts and activities that make you healthy and productive spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. The word "integrity" comes from the word in "integer" which means. "one or whole". We can't have integrity unless our whole life is moving in the same direction. We need reorganize our lives with clear priorities that make our relationship with Jesus the litmus test for what we put in our lives and what goes in the trash.

I hope you will take some time if you haven't already done so, to clean out the junk drawer of life and make a move toward simplicity.

Community Champion Award

2011-01-19T09:26:00.001-05:00

Community Champion Award from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

The Cry Of Our Heart

2011-01-14T11:17:00.004-05:00

1 Chronicles 4:10 "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."

Tucked away in an obscure part of Scripture is one of the most powerful prayers I have ever heard. Jabez lifts his heart's cry to the Lord in a very simple, straight to the point conversation. The first thing that strikes me about this prayer is his very apparent intimacy with God. On New Year's Eve of 1993 I was in Atlanta, Ga. bringing in the New Year with several thousand college students. There was no huge ball that dropped from the sky or fireworks that lit up the horizon, but as the clock struck midnight we were all on our face crying out to God. Very often we can retrace our steps to significant moments in our lives where we drove stakes in the ground that determined the direction we were going to take in life. In those moments 18 years ago I cried out to God just as Jabez did. My hearts cry may not carried the same words as Jabez, but it was just as intense and powerful.

Last Sunday I had a man approach me and look me in the eye and say, "Jeff, I don't know much about you, but one thing I do know is you have touched the heart of God." I really didn't know what to say. I guess I was questioning what that really meant. When I read this prayer of Jabez this morning I realized that this man and this prayer touched the heart of God and God granted him his request. This moment in my life in 1993 was a game changer. I believe that it was in those moments in 1993 that I didn't necessarily touch God's heart as much as He put His hand on my life. I know that God is with me and I am His servant. I don't just believe in God, but I believe Him. There is no task to large or small that I am not willing to undertake. God has been preparing me for what He has prepared me for. I am in the most exciting and powerful time in my life and ministry. Who am I that God has brought me and my household so far. Thank you, Jesus!

Difficulty of Friendships in Ministry

2011-01-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Difficulty of Friendships in Ministry

I want to start this blog today by reposting something written by fellow pastor Pete Wilson.

Majority of Pastors Have NO FriendsBy Pete WilsonFrom Pete Wilson’s blog –
I was reading THIS article the other night and it had a startling quote in there from H.B. London, head of pastoral ministries for Focus on the Family. He disclosed that “at least 70 percent of pastors in the United States claim they have no friends.”
This stat is absolutely heartbreaking and unacceptable to me. No wonder most pastors don’t make it in ministry long. So why don’t they develop friends?
There’s tons of reason but here’s a few that come to my mind.
1) False Expectations: Many want their pastor to be friendly to everyone but close to no one!
2) False Assumptions: Many pastors have been told “You can’t EVER, EVER, trust people because they’ll use things you share with them against you one day.” (Side Note: Didn’t seem to stop Jesus.)
3) False Accusations: Many pastors will be criticized if they have close friends. If a normal person has close friends we call it healthy. If a pastor has close friends we call it a “clique.”
Pastors, don’t fall for it. You’ve been created for deep connectedness like everyone else. Develop and cultivate your close friendships (and encourage your wife to do the same). You’ll need them. Every single one of them!

Wow this is a tough one. There are so many expectations that are placed on pastors. Everyone has their own perspective of what a pastor is suppose to be and what they are suppose to do. Early in ministry none of those things bothered me because I was too 'green' to know any better, but as my perceived failures mounted there was an emotional and social price to pay. My wife and i have had this conversation several times about how much of ourselves can we give away and still be safe. We have firsthand dealt with all three of these relationship sabotaging strongholds.
The truth is I let very few people get close enough to me to hurt me.I am not proud of that. I must say that I hate this article because it makes me stand face to face with an area of my life that I struggle with constantly. I have lots of surface friendships and a few that go a little deeper. It is easy for me to visit to sick, minister to the grieved, greet everyone on Sunday, preach to the crowds, lead a meeting and counsel the broken, but very difficult for me to get close to anyone. I think I have resolved, to some degree, that this is the nature of ministry and I should never expect anymore than that. However, I don't really believe that deep down. Jesus cultivated deep relationships and some of those men failed him, but He knew the reward far outweighed the risk.

One of the first steps in overcoming a life struggle is recognizing the problem. There is hope.

Video Blog: You Don't Want To Miss This

2011-01-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

Untitled from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

How a Church Can Be a Spiritual Hospital for Problem People (That is all of us!)

2011-01-06T08:35:00.003-05:00

The church is not a place for perfect people. It's a hospital for people who know they're ill. We don't claim for a moment that the church is perfect. In fact, we would eagerly claim that it is not. Charles Morrison wrote, "The Christian church is a society of sinners." In fact, he said, "It is the only society in the world membership in which is based upon the single qualification that the candidate shall be unworthy of membership." Most of us are looking for a safe place from a ruthless world, but we must be aware the church is where it can get the dirtiest.
If we're going to have a more powerful church to impact the world, it isn't a question of how clever we are. It's a question of how willing we are to come alongside believers and unbelievers who are wayward and lovingly bring them into line. Then the power of God begins to flow... then the church begins to cut a swath through the world. This is a necessary confrontation. Church isn't coming and sitting and staring at the back of somebody's head. That's not it. Don't commend yourself for being here. Church is being involved in the lives of people - the troublesome people. We have to go alongside... the ones that are on the outside testing the edges, living on the fringe, going day to day in their waywardness... we've got to pull them in. We do it out of love because we understand the consequences.
How do we treat the wicked? God's Word says, "See that no one repays another with evil for evil." You don't retaliate. There's no place for retaliation anywhere in the church. There's no place anywhere for personal vengeance. The only one who has a right to retaliate? God. On the other hand, "If your enemy is hungry, you feed him. And if he is thirsty, you give him drink. And in so doing you will heap burning coals of guilt upon his head. Don't be overcome by the evil he does to you, but overcome that evil with the good you do to him."

If we are a spiritual hospital then we have got to do everything within our power to help the sick get well. Don't sit and listen to gossiper tear down another brother or sister in Christ. Very lovingly ask them, "Have you spoken to them about this problem you are having with them?" Or when someone tells you or you are aware that they are engaging in sin go to them in love, not condemnation. Do whatever is in you're power to help them get out of the pit. It is easy to condemn others, but the truth is everyone needs each other to come alongside to help us avoid the sin that so easily captures us.
LifeSong Church is a spiritual hospital. We need to keep reminding ourselves of what our role is in helping people to become more like Jesus Christ.

Creating Momentum Part 2

2011-01-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

Creating momentum can be a tricky thing. The best advice that I received about this came from a book called"Good to Great" by Jim Collins. One of his principles is called the "Flywheel Principle". In his book, Jim describes the flywheel as a “massive metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle, about 30 feet in diameter, 2 feet thick, and weighing about 5,000 pounds.” He says that it’s your job to turn this wheel and get it going as fast and long as possible. Turning this flywheel is like moving a company in a way that it will begin to produce results.

Translated into church language it means you have got to know what you are trying to accomplish(what your vision is) and understand what you are good at. Keep doing what you are good at over and over until eventually the movement happens.

Cultural Change

At LifeSong we leverage the desire that people have to not just to do church, but to be the church. We designed worship services, events and community impact initiatives that are changing the idea of what people think about what church should be and do.

Communicate Vision

I can never say this enough. Communicate vision in every service, function and event. People don't care if you are a new church or an old church if you have got the right vision and process to accomplish that vision. People will connect, serve and give to vision.

Giving You Permission

This is a term I borrowed from David Putman and Shawn Lovejoy at Churchplanters.com . Every pastor/church planter needs encouragement. They were the guys that gave me permission to soar. Church planting and pastoring is hard work. There are a lot of difficult decisions that have to be made on a daily basis. If you want to create momentum in your own life then find somebody that will give you permission to soar.

Interesting Day

2011-01-04T13:06:00.001-05:00

There is no doubt that today has been quite a interesting day so far. Yesterday one of our partners came to our Lyman campus for a meeting and before he left he handed me a book called, "Sun Stand Still." I told him thank you, but I knew I was already in the middle of reading several books so I promptly laid it aside for a future day.
When I came into the office this morning I picked up a hand full of papers, books, etc that was on my desk and sat down on my couch to begin to leaf through them. On the bottom of the stack was "Sun Stand Still", rather than throw it to the side I decided to read first few pages. I was not prepared for what God was about to do.
As I began to read God's voice came loud and clear to my heart. He spoke words of boldness and faith. He spoke words like I remember when we first started LifeSong Church. He said, "Dream and do not fear. I am with you and whatever you put your hand and foot for the Kingdom of God I will bless you." Hearing those words are very empowering. What I heard was, "I believe in you, not because of you, but because I am with you."
It was very clear that He is leading us to open another campus. At that moment, I got down on my knees and committed it to the Lord. My answer was, "Yes, whatever you ask I will do" So as of right now we are starting this new journey to plant at least one new campus in the surrounding area. That is all I know right now, but none the less, it has already been quite an interesting morning.
I hope you are on board because it is going to be a fun 2011!!!

Creating Momentum In Your Church

2011-01-03T13:32:00.000-05:00

The best momentum builder is your church will be the pastor on his knees staying clean and close to God. It is there on his knees that God will give him the vision to lead Jesus church. There is nothing that can replace this first step. Our desire is to be in the middle of were God is working and if He is in it the fruit of your labor will be powerful and multiplied.

Here are just a few key factors for generating momentum in your churches:

- Exegete Your Community

It is difficult to reach the people in your community unless you understand what makes them tick. Take time to get out in the community and have conversations. Read the history of the cities. Look at the demographic information. Find out what the needs are in your community. Use all of this information to understand how to reach the heart of the people who are living around your church.

- Force Yourself Not to Do Things Like You Always Do Them

In general we are all people of habit but remember that if you keep doing the same old things you will keep getting the same results. Clean the slate of what you always do or have done and ask the question, "If money was no object, what is the biggest dream I could dream in reaching my community, nation and the world?" Then put a plan in place to begin doing it. You will be amazed at what God can do. Resources are not an obstacle for Him. We are the biggest obstacle.

-Create a BUZZ in your Community About Your Church

And NO, don't start a fight with your deacons. That will start a buzz in your community, but it will sound just like the last buzz in the community about the church. People hear about churches fighting so much they expect to hear that. Create a positive buzz. Make the buzz about how you are loving people just like Jesus would love them. DO something HUGE for people, but expect nothing in return. AKA/ Don't ask for a donation. Force your people outside the walls of the church where they are loving on people. BE CREATIVE!

- Communicate Vision Every Week Out Of The Pulpit

People want to know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Pastors are good about beating up on people and telling them to do more and give more, but remember this, people give to vision. They will give themselves and their resources to vision.

Continued tomorrow..

Creating Environment in Your Church

2010-12-22T17:15:00.001-05:00

The first step in any ministry or church has to be vision development. Vision is God given direction in accomplishing the mission He left us, the Great Commission. I believe He uniquely speaks to each pastor/leader vision. Without vision development and the ability to articulate that vision in a compelling way it is difficult to be successful.
Flowing from vision a pastor must develop environment. LifeSong Church is a new church in a old traditional building. It was difficult to change the building but, we started developing environment around some strong convictions that do not cost much money but make a huge difference. Our environment starts with how we interact with people when they arrive at our campus. Almost every Sunday morning you will find me standing out by our driveway entrance greeting people as they arrive. Our "First Touch Team" is also in the parking lot giving direction to our visitors and providing name tags for everyone as they walk in. We have signs that tell people where to go and a small gift that we give to first time guest along with more information about the church. One of our goals for 2011 is to have someone host our first time guest from their first point of contact at our guest services until they arrive at their seat in our worship center. Our goal is to make every person feel important and special. These are just a few simple things that are cost effective and worth the effort.
If you are interested in more ideas about creating environment in your church email me at jeff@lifesongchurchonline.com
Tomorrow I will tell you we created momentum, why momentum is huge and how you can ride the wave of momentum!

Church Planting/Growth: Environment and Momentum

2010-12-16T11:44:00.001-05:00

Over the course of the last 3 years I have learned some valuable lessons about church planting and church life. Having a heart and desire to reach people for Jesus is a huge first step, but the connection that many pastors fail to make is that in order to reach people you have to have to create the right environment and generate momentum.

Environment
If you have ever been to our campus then you realize that I am not talking about the location where you meet, our building is old and traditional. It is very difficult to accommodate the growing swells of people that are attending each week. We have done what we can do to make it clean and appealing, but quite frankly it is what it is. Primarily, when I speak of environment I am talking about what the people experience when they come on our campus. We have gone out of our way to try to make people feel important and loved. Next week I am going to write a blog in depth about this and highlight some simple things we have done that you can do without much cost and immediately create a better environment. I want you to start thinking about this today. It can be a game changer and we can help you.

Momentum
It takes a tremendous amount of effort to create momentum, but if you are smart, forward-thinking and remain on course with your vision you can move from one wave of momentum to the next and not kill yourself. (Let me buffer what I am saying with this, if you are in a movement of God it still requires hard work to build momentum. Sometimes it is hard to to distinguish if something is a move of God from the outside because people get so caught up in numerical growth. You can draw a crowd with or without God in it, but the fruit will be different. You can always judge a tree by the fruit it produces.)
Three years ago we had no idea about what momentum was or how to produce it, but we were quick learners. We made some very key moves to create momentum that we have been riding from one wave to the next with 100's of people beginning new relationships with Jesus Christ. What I am saying is, it is not an accident that we have grown to 600 people in 3 years. As I prepare to share more about this I want to encourage pastors to realize that it is not just going to happen. Momentum is HUGE and you have to work hard to create it. The payoff is your going to reach a lot of people with the Gospel.

Come back next week and we are going to tackle these 2 critical areas.

Seek After God WIth All Your Heart

2010-12-15T16:22:00.002-05:00

Seeking God from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

Do You Need A Miracle?

2010-12-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Do you believe that God still does miracles? We read and learn about the miracles that Jesus performed and sit in awe. Can you imagine seeing a lame man walk, a blind man see or someone raised from the dead. I don't know about you, but when I read these stories I believe that they happened and I believe that God still does miracles today. My problem is that sometimes that I doubt He can do them for me or that He wants to do them for me. I fail to pray believing because I want to hedge my expectations. If I pray for it and it doesn't happen I don't want to get let down. My heart is like the man who brought his demon possessed son to Jesus and said, "If you can help me." "If" is a powerful word of doubt. Jesus then replied, "What do you mean "If"? EVERYTHING is possible for him who believes."
I am standing on that promise today. God knows my heart. My belief in Him and love for Him does not need to be jaded by my own faults and failures. I am simply laying those things down and "Believing". I am believing that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. I need a miracle and I am asking God for it; for His glory, not for mine.
Do you need a miracle in your life? I want to pray that God will bring glory to Himself and grant your request. You can comment, Facebook or email me your request and we will pray. We will pray believing God.

Wrapping My Arms Around

2010-12-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

- I loved being able to wrap my arms around my wife every second of the day while we were on our 16th honeymoon cruise! I love her with all of my heart. She makes my days better and puts a smile on my face. She passionate about living her life of Jesus. She is real and says what she thinks. She is kind and cares for others. I am better because of her!

- I love wrapping my arms around my girls. They are unique and special. I love to laugh and make memories with them. I am proud of who they are and who God is making them to be. I pray for them everyday and put them in the hands of our Savior Jesus Christ. I love them and they love me!

- I love being able to wrap my arms around the people of LifeSong Church. There is no greater feeling in ministry than to hear the stories of how God is working in their life. It makes my heart full to know that I will see them each Sunday and have the opportunity to hug, serve and love everyone who walks through our doors. Everyone of them is important and special!

Gut Check for Christian Leaders Part 2

2010-11-17T17:56:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I began this two part blog hoping it would connect with leaders who may be falling into some dangerous habits, mind sets and faulty expectations. We all can very easily can embrace the pride and fleshly thinking that makes us think of ourselves more highly than we should. I encourage you to stay grounded and always think of yourself as a beggar. Paul said, "I am the chief of sinners." Carrying that kind of belief in our heart will help us stay humble. Here are 3 more things to think about:

ALWAYS BE A HARD WORKER

There is no substitute for hard work. Work hard at church and work just as hard on building your home. Have clear goals and celebrate when goals are accomplished. The worst thing you can do is go and sit in a church office and waste your day.

DON'T THINK YOU CAN COPY WHAT THE GUY IS DOING DOWN THE STREET AND BE SUCCESSFUL

It is true that there is nothing new under the sun, but I have come to learn that the #1 that all churches need is a clear vision from God for their own ministries. A clear vision comes from God to the leader and then the leader leads the people. Changing the music is not a vision. Building a new church is not a vision. Starting a new church is not a vision. Being baptist is not a vision. Vision is about where God is leading people. Vision moves people out of Egypt into the promise land. Vision leads to building the Kingdom of God. Leader you must communicate the vision and lead the people to accomplish the vision. If you don't have a clear vision from God for His church before you do anything else you have got to get one. You will NEVER go beyond where you are now without it. If you have one and you are off track then you better get back on course ASAP. It is better to shut things down that are not apart of the vision than allowing them to continue to take you somewhere that God is not leading.

IF YOU KEEP DOING WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE YOU WILL KEEP GETTING WHAT YOU ALWAYS GOT

This statement is pretty self explanatory.

Gut Check for Christian Leaders

2010-11-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

I am by no means an expert of anything, but I am alarmed by some of the attitudes and trends that I see among Christian leaders. I hope that by reading this that you are encouraged to not get off track and keep the main thing the main thing.

1. THE MAIN THING IS JESUS

No matter what we try to make our ministries about when you abandon Jesus as the main thing you have lost your way. Pastors one of the biggest problems we face in our churches is that we have no spiritual power. We can stand on the platform and preach about Jesus, but if our personal relationship with Jesus is shallow our ministries will be shallow. We don't need to go to a conference to get the next best thing, we need to do some serious soul searching about what we are in ministry for. Acts 4:13 "When they saw Peter and John, they took note that they had been with Jesus."

2. STOP TRYING TO GROW YOUR CHURCH
I stop going to places where the first thing that pastors do when they meet is talk about how many they have in Sunday School and how many people they baptized. LifeSong Church stopped reporting numbers to the denomination because this whole numbers game is stupid and lame. I promise you that if God has anointed you, if you are clean and close and if your people are not grieving the Spirit of God He will send you more influence over peoples lives. Jesus said, "The fields are white unto harvest." He is not the problem. His design for the church is not the problem. WE are the problem!

3. STOP TRYING TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF
If you truly are about the Kingdom of God you will not promote yourself. James and John argued about who was greatest in the kingdom. I don't think I have ever heard two pastors argue about who had the greatest ministry or how many people knew them, however I have noticed a whole lot of butt kissing going on. Who you know and hang out with does not make you a more powerful man of God. Andy Stanley and Rick Warren never promote themselves. These two guys set a great model for us to follow. They pursue Jesus much harder than they pursue networking, promoting their books and exalting themselves. If you are in a church with a few or thousands be careful not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. If Jesus wants to exalt you before men that is His decision. Stop trying to promote yourself!

Check back tomorrow for part two of GUT CHECK...

The Summer of 1991

2010-11-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

In the Summer of 1991 I lived at Edisto Beach with 4 of my closest friends. I learned a lot of things about myself that Summer. I learned that I would never be happy living being a criminal. (I will not elaborate.) I learned that if you swim in the pool after hours the police will chase you. I learned that I am not a very good golfer. I learned that if I had no goals or purpose to my days that I would lose site of everything that is important in life.
We spent our days working at the resort golf course and our nights looking for something to do. Most of the time we ended up doing things that had no value to life. It was a vicious cycle of wasted days that had no clear direction or purpose. I walked away from that Summer recognizing that things needed to change, but I didn't immediately take hold in my heart. I left the beach, went back to college and picked up where I left off partying and searching.
Yesterday, a young guy came in my office with that same look in his eye that I had 19 years ago. He is living the life of just getting by. He goes to work to pay the bills. He uses every dime just to keep up. His girlfriend just left him and took his son with her. The reality of wasted days is setting in with him. He knows that there has got to be a greater purpose to his life, but he doesn't know where to start.
How many of us have walked that road before? How many of us are still on that road and have no idea where to start?
In January of 1992, I found the Way out of wasted time. Over the course of the next few months I will share with this young man how to get out. I would love to share it with you as well. It was the best thing that ever happened to me and will be the best thing that ever happens to you. Send me your name and # and I will be in touch.

And the Winner is...

2010-11-05T11:36:00.002-04:00

And the winner is... from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

We Are Giving Away A Vacation

2010-11-04T12:03:00.003-04:00

Over the next 24 hours you will play a crucial part in deciding which one of these families will enjoy a weeks vacation at a beautiful Hilton Honors Resort. We are giving this vacation away because of a generous gift from one of our LifeSong partners. Here is what I need you to do... Read these two submission and then vote on which one of them you would like to see win this vacation. You can vote by commenting on my Facebook status, sending me a private message or commenting on this blog. The winner will be announced on Friday.

Submission #1

We were married in 2003. We unexpectedly became

 pregnant and missed out on a honeymoon to save

 money to prepare for our newest addition. We

took the news of being  pregnant as a welcome

thing and were ecstatic. During our ultrasound

to find out  the sex of our baby we discovered

 we were being blessed with 2 babies, yes twins!

Not only were we ill prepared for one but now

there were two to prepare for. During this ultrasound

there was an issue...they could not locate the sac

of one of the babies (who by the way were identical

twin boys). I was sent the following day to a

Maternal Fetal specialistto take a look and was

informed I had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

I was accepted for the trial surgery and flew to

Tampa within the week. After meeting with Dr.Quintero

and discussed certain outcomes (lose of one or both babies,

or if they survived, one or both could have brain damage etc.)

the actual sting set in that I could lose one or both

of my babies. Or they could be born with other defects.

Long story short we had the laser surgery (they go in

and sever some blood vessels to hopefully level out

the blood flow) and then flew back home to wait and

see if the babies survived. The first major ultrasound

after the surgery was to hopefully see two heart beats.....

and there were. Tears were flowing. I have two wonderful

healthy boys and I could never imagine life without one

of them. After I had the boys I went into a major

depression due to the stress I underwent. My husband and

I pretty much started letting our marriage fall apart.

Not only did I almost lose my children but I also almost

lost my husband. We started going to church and praying.

I accepted Christ as my Savior and I finally found peace

in everything. My husband too became saved and we were

baptized together in Sep. 2008.I felt it was a strong

statement that we made not only in our faith but also

to each other that we would live from that moment with

the Lord in our hearts to call on when things get rough.

I now go to school for nursing and my husband works to

support us while I go to school. We have a third child now

who is 2 years old. We spend almost no time alone and have

a hard time even getting a date. I feel almost greedy saying

we NEED a vacation together without our beloved children but we still

need time for each other and it has been hard to find that.

If we do not even get the trip let this be a testimony

to the works of the good Lord and how he has his hand on

every inch of our lives and allows for the hard times

in our lives so that we may seek him and learn what

living for Christ really is.

Submission #2

I would like to nominate a special couple who is getting married on November 27th and they are not able to afford a honeymoon vacation. They were high school sweethearts and they are very much in love. He is in the Marines and he has recently returned from a deployment in the middle east. While back home he proposed and she, of course, said, "yes". Soon after they get married he will be deployed again to Japan for 7 months. As of right now he lives in Virgina (on base) and she still lives at home in Georgia.  For their honeymoon I think it will be nice if they could spend a week together alone on a romantic honeymoon.

Ok, People let's get to voting!!

Video blog: Faith Building

2010-10-28T09:16:00.002-04:00

Video Blog :Faith Building from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

Don't Be a Knuckle Head

2010-10-18T15:35:00.001-04:00

I will never forget standing on the shore of Field's Point landing in Wiggins S.C waiting for the fog to lift. It was early in the morning and my brother and I were chomping at the bit ready to launch our boat for an exciting day of fishing. We knew better than trying to navigate through the fog with all the dangers that awaited. It would have been just like us to try it, but this particular morning there were several boats ahead of us so we patiently waited.

We were standing with several others as we waited when one man exclaimed, "I can't wait anymore. I know this river like the back of my hand." With that he jumped in his boat and disappeared into the fog. As he pulled away we could hear the sound of his boat pick up speed. As a few minutes passed our patience was quickly wearing off. We considered taking the same route as this other fisherman. We felt like we knew the river as well. It didn't matter whether we could see or not. We would be OK. As we continued to hash it out, there was a familiar sound that kept buzzing in our ears. It was the sound of the man's boat that had taken off about 15 minutes earlier. At first the noise was loud and then began to fade away, but now it was getting louder and louder. All of a sudden we heard the boat like it was right on top of us. "WHAM!!!" It hit the bank right next to us. We were completely in shock as the man had taken his boat in a giant circle and ran it right into the shore. His expertise had turned into destruction.

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it end is the way of death."

Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds council is wise."

I am surprised that I continually re-live this story with people. It is with different characters and different circumstances, but it always ends the same. Destruction!! I know, I know. You have learned from other peoples' mistakes. They got it wrong, but you know how to do it right. "I am bigger, stronger and more talented. I know what I am doing." I have heard it all before. Heck, I've even said it!

Trust me when I tell you this... There is none of us big enough, good enough and smart enough to do it all on our own. The sooner you stop thinking you've got it all figured out, the quicker you will actually get something accomplished.

People who are full of PRIDE are dangerous! They hurt themselves and a lot of people around them. As a matter of fact I try to stay a safe distance away . I love it when people tell me, "You need me because I am 'good'." I tell them, "No I don't need you because you think way to much of yourself."

New Video Blog "Be Careful!"

2010-10-15T15:55:00.002-04:00

Untitled from Jeff Hickman on Vimeo.

Radical Campaign News

2010-10-12T07:55:00.002-04:00

The last 8 weeks have been an exciting time at LifeSong Church. We introduced a 12 month vision initiative with great expectations that God was going to speak clearly to the hearts of everyone who is committed and invested in the future of this community and church. Here is a brief outline of what our 12 month vision initiatives are:

- Make a Radical investment in our community by building a new worship center.

- Make a Radical gift to LifeSong Las Vegas and plant one new church.

- Make a Radical move to launch our World Care and Community Care ministeries.

We challenged people to pray and fast for 40 days and ask God how each one of us could be involved. We set a goal of raising $200,000 above our normal tithes and offerings through one time gifts and pledges over then next year. Sunday we revealed how God spoke and worked through His people to accomplish this vision.

As of today we have received :

Cash Gifts of : 85,500.00

Pledge Amount: 123,680.00

TOTAL : $209,180.00

That is AWESOME! God is amazing and faithful. He always does more than we can ever dream of.

Thank you to everyone who gave to God in obedience.

Holy Spirit's Power

2010-10-05T15:52:00.003-04:00

The Holy Spirit is with us. John tells us that Jesus speaking said,"He has to come to live with us and in us." We need to turn up the volume and listen to that statement again, "He is living with us and in us." My friends that is one of the most overlooked and underestimate verses in all of Scripture. Jesus was Immanuel, God with us, but, the Holy Spirit is God in us.

His presence is personal. He is the third person of the Trinity; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is a person and not an object. We have a relationship to develop with Him. He wants us to get to know Him like He knows us and trust Him. Our surrender to Him determines how much of our lives look like the life of Jesus Christ. When we trust and relinquish control to Him amazing things happen and the abundant life Jesus promised is realized.

His presence is powerful. Unleashing the power of the Holy Spirit living in us is not a switch we turn on and off. He chooses where and when He will unleash His power. Our job is to be ready, available and in love with Him. If you show me a man or woman who spends time with the Holy Spirit and is surrendered to His will and leading then we will see the life of Jesus Christ come alive before our eyes.

His presence is present. If Jesus is your Savior the Holy Spirit is with you and in you. Take time to foster that relationship right now. Stop and talk to Him. More important listen to Him speak to you. Spiritless Christianity is not a life that we just get, it is a life that we choose by having a had heart toward the Holy Spirit.

Exciting News to Share!

2010-09-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

I was blown away at our Radical Journey Celebration yesterday. As humans we can make the best layed plans in the world, but if we truly believe that it is all Gods and we are doing it for His glory then we work with what He gives us. It was pouring rain so we moved everyone inside. Look at this beautiful picture of the masses of people who God has brought to LifeSong Church over the last 3 years.

We really don't know how many people were here yesterday, but it was upwards of 700 that were packed in the sanctuary and hallways. Why did God do this? Being apart of this day and this atmosphere gave us all perspective. If we had been scattered around outside we could have never felt and grasped the enormity of what God is doing here.
Needless to say, I know that many of you are chomping at the bit to know how much was given during our Radical Journey Offering, but we don't want be premature in sharing what God is up too. We know that there were many of you who were not here for various reasons and have not had the opportunity to give your offering and make your pledges. We want your gifts and sacrifices to be included in these numbers before sharing with everyone. We are going to hold off reporting the final numbers until October 10th. That gives you 2 more weeks to get your gift and pledge card here.
Let me promise you this, you do not want to miss October 10th for this HUGE announcement and more than that you do not want to miss out on God using you to change this community forever!
Here are a few more pictures from yesterday. If you have any questions about how you can be apart of this Radical Vision Initiative please feel free to contact us at 864 439 -2602.

When Fear Overcomes You

2010-09-20T15:33:00.008-04:00

To be quite honest with you I am not scared of very much. If somebody breaks in my house they will have a rude awakening wishing that they had went to my neighbors house. I love the thrill of going fast or doing something dangerous. I love to be up close and personal with alligators when I am fishing down in the Lowcountry. Snakes are no big deal, however I can't stand roaches. OK, so I am scared of roaches a little. However, there is one thing that I am mortally fearful of. I will share it with you only if you promise not to tell or pick on me about it. It strikes fear in me just sitting here behind my desk thinking about it. Ok here it goes...
I am afraid of FAILURE! You don't know how hard it is for me to admit that. I can't stand that I am afraid of FAILURE.

As a lot of you know Saturday morning it kind of punched me in the face when I saw a story about a football player who was the captain of his team and an outstanding student, but took his own life because he was afraid that he was going to fail. I have never thought about taking my own life, but I know exactly the fear this young man was facing. I have ask myself quite a few times why this fear hounds me so much. It is not like I have lived my life without failure. I have failed in many different areas of my life and pursuits, but I have found the courage to pick myself up off the ground and plow ahead.

About this time in 2006 I was ready to throw in the towel in ministry. I had gone through a situation where I had my heart ripped out and I just didn't know if I could do it anymore. Failure had got the best of me, but then there was that still small voice. It was the resounded voice of God pushing me forward and urging me to get up and finish the vision he had put in my heart. Left up to me and my own power I would have quite, but it was the power of the Holy Spirit in my life that was the difference maker. I look back over the last 4 years and realize that if I would have let failure defeat me LifeSong Church would have never happened. Over 300 people would not know Jesus. The community would not be impacted the same and on, on, on and on.

The point I want to make is this. This fear of failure I have is a very humbling feeling. It keeps me seeking the voice of God and depending on Him to do what he says He will do. Jesus removes my fear of failure and gives me a healthy fear of Him. I am not afraid to try anything, do anything or say anything He has directed my heart to do. JESUS is > my fear of failure.

TOOLS

2010-09-14T15:21:00.004-04:00

I know that we have quite of few carpenters at LifeSong so when I share my heart with you today you will fully understand. Several years ago I decided that I was going to build a picnic table. I thought, "Wow, this is going to be no problem because I have watched my dad do it and it seemed pretty easy." I bought the lumber and a box of nails and headed back to the house to get started. I knew exactly how many boards I needed and the sizes and lengths. I got my first board to cut and realized that I didn't have skill saw. As a matter of fact, the only saw I owned was a hand saw. At the time it didn't seem overwhelming because I thought to myself, "I don't have a lot of boards to cut." I spent about an hour cutting the first two boards and decided to call it a day after two nickel-sized blisters sprung up on my hands. Needless to say I never finished the project because I didn't have the proper tool.

Amy and I have been married about 16 years and up until a couple of years ago I owned only one hammer. I thought it was a good hammer. I've driven a few nails in my day and thought I was pretty good. I would take the nail and hammer it a few times to get it started and then over and over again until it went in. Then my dad bought me a new hammer and I discovered that what I was using before was a child's toy and "not" a REAL tool. This baby was the BOMB! I would make one little tap to get a nail started and then with two swings the nail was driven. I mean, who knew that things could be so much better with the proper tools?
Have you ever thought what could be accomplished if you had the proper tools? I have thought a lot about that one question over the last couple of months. I have had to look around and realize that this building that God gave us here at LifeSong Church has served it's purpose, but we will never be able to accomplish what God is calling us to do unless we have the right tools. It has been difficult watching people fan in the sweltering heat during our second and third services this Summer. It has been hard seeing people wrestle trying to get through the hallway because there is so many people. I have been reminded that nobody has to be here but they have chosen to deal with all of the problems of being hot and the building overcrowded because God is doing something great in peoples lives here.
I am excited about the next few months because we are going to be getting the right equipment to do the job. This building that God is blessing us with is not a want, but it is what we need to help reach our community for Christ. I don't think any of us really know how this tool is going to make an impact, but we are expectant that the Upstate of South Carolina and the world will never be the same.

Motivations

2010-09-08T09:20:00.009-04:00

Every action that we do and every word that we speak has a motivation behind it. Most of us never sit down and think about what we truly value. We simply live life by what comes our way and the underlying unconcious motivations that drive our lives heavily influence our decision making.
It is a powerful thing to understand what drives you. You can establish a clear direction in your life and set solid goals. It will help every decision that you make.
If one of your passions is to be the best husband and father that you can be, it will require you to make decisions and lifestyle choices that help you fulfill your motivation. A key point is to understand is that it will not "just happen". Your motivation must be clear and your decisions must be complimentary to see it become a reality. Anybody has the potential to be the best husband and father that they can be. Only those who work at it will actually see it happen.
This same principal applies to churches. Your motivations will define who you become as a congregation. It will be clear what your motivations are to everyone who is influenced by your ministry. That is why it is so important to set clear motivations as a congregation and make decisions that reflect those motivations. If a church says it's motivation is to reach their community for Christ, but their behavior says something different, then what is the real truth? What you want to be true can be communicated with language but is only reality when it is acted upon.
As we evaluate our true motives in life and in our churches this principle will apply; if you discover the real motivation behind our behavior then you can kill it, change it or grow it.

Surround Sound

2010-09-02T10:11:00.003-04:00

What are you listening too? I am not talking about the music on your i-pod or the radio station in you car. I am talking about the voices of influence in your life. As a pastor I know that I have a strong voice of influence in peoples lives. It is important what I communicate and how I communicate it. I have not always understood that or embraced it, but none the less my heart and eyes have been opened.
The Scripture says in Philippians 4:8
"Whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise worthy- mediate on these things." I spent many years of my life dwelling on the negative actions of others or just failing to see anything good going on. I was kind of like Pigpin on Charlie Brown. This cloud just followed me around and negatively affected everyone I spewed out my garbage on. I am thankful that God changed my heart and more importantly I thankful that I am not negatively impacting those around me anymore.
I want to encourage you to dwell on the best in others, not their weaknesses or faults. Look at the best things going on in your life, not the difficult things or the things that you can't control. A positive and happy heart is contagious. Surround yourself with positive people.

My Biggest Problem

2010-08-30T09:07:00.004-04:00

Last week I was brought face to face with my biggest problem. ...ME! When I cut to the core of my thoughts and actions there is always one person who is at the center of my decisions. It is not the Jesus who I claim is my LORD. It is not others who I am called to love and serve. It is ME! The truth is I am all about some ME!

I realized that when I name the name of Christ, and I am motivated by my wants, my likes, dislikes and the plan I have, it speaks loudly to the world around me. It gives people a misrepresentation of what a Holy Spirit controlled life should look like. It reveals a shallowness fitting only for those who value religion, self- righteousness and the applause of men.
My aim is to commit murder this week. I want to do what Colossians 3:5 says, "Kill off everything that is connected with death; doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God." The Message.
Far be it from me that I live my whole life in hypocricy; having only a form of godliness, but not truly knowing the power of the resurrected Savior in my life! What we call radical living is what Jesus says is the way we should live!

Radical Journey Week 1

2010-08-26T11:14:00.001-04:00

Hope you are having a good week. We had a great kickoff to Radical Journey this past Sunday. Many of you who were here had the opportunity to see and hear the exciting opportunities that are in front of us for the next 12 months.
We are challenging everyone to commit to prayer and fasting during this journey and the response has been awesome. People are putting aside things like food and technology. I saw a woman at the church yesterday afternoon prayer walking over our property. She has committed to do it every day for 40 days. This Journey is about drawing close to God and listening for His direction about how He wants you to be involved.
God is already speaking loudly to several people. A young man walked into my office Monday and gave his savings of $2500 to Radical. He said, ”God spoke clearly to me about how I was to be involved. I believe in the vision of LifeSong Church and what God is doing here.” I received a call on Tuesday from another guy who clearly heard God speak to his heart about selling his car and giving to Radical. These stories are awesome examples of how God is moving. It pumps me up!
I realize that there are probably some of you who could not be here this past Sunday. I encourage you to go online and listen to Sunday’s message at http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com/listen.html

Here are a few of the highlights from the Radical Journey launch:

What is Radical?
Radical is a 12-month spiritual initiative flowing through every area of ministry in our church that will express our desire to BE His people and believe He can change the world through us!

Radical Ministry Initiatives
Here are some of our radical ministry goals over the next 12 months:
Radical Goal
- We have set a one day offering goal for “Radical Gift”, on September 26th of $ 75,000 and one year giving commitment over and above our current tithes and offering of $130,000. Our total GOAL for this campaign is $205,000.
- Make a Radical investment in our community by building a new worship center, including 500+ seats, new nursery/preschool space and large lobby for connecting and sharing life (On Brochure put footprint)
- Make a RADICAL gift to our church plant in Las Vegas and plant one new church
- Take a Radical step of advancing God’s kingdom by forming new local community partnerships, where we can release people to be missionaries in our community.
- Make a Radical move to launch our World Care and Community Care ministries

How Can I Get Involved?
01 Pray and Fast
Ask God to lead you through a process where He reveals His will for you and your family. Pray specifically: God, show me what you want me to give and help me do whatever it takes and trust is your provision.

02 Consider Your Sacrifice
What is your concept of radical sacrifice? Have you ever made a true financial sacrifice for God? Plan a few times to sit down as a family and talk about how God has blessed you. Ask the question, “What are we willing to sacrifice for another person to have a personal relationship with Christ?”
“I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God offerings that cost me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24

03 Commit and Trust
There will be a special time in the service on Radical Giving Celebration Day, (September 26,2010), when we will give our one-time radical offering and make a one year faith commitment. As God moves you out of your comfort zone, you must trust that God will provide what He impresses you to give.
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” 2 Cor. 9:8-11

This is the most exciting time in the history of our church. You don’t want to miss being apart of this awesome journey! See you Sunday!

PS. We will be revealing the building plans during the service on September 5th.

I am available if you want to talk about Radical Journey and our 12 month vision initiatives.

Fasting guide for Radical Journey

2010-08-17T11:18:00.002-04:00

Fasting is the most powerful spiritual discipline of all the Christian disciplines. Through fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can transform your life and our church. Our fast will begin Monday Aug. 23rd and end on September 26th, Radical Journey Celebration Day.
According to Scripture, personal experience and observation, I am convinced that when God's people fast with a proper Biblical motive-seeking God's face with a broken, repentant, and contrite spirit, God will speak loudly and our church, community, nation and our world will never be the same.
We want God’s awesome power to be released through you as you fast and seek His face. We are trusting that through this Radical Journey God will help us to understand what it means to take up our cross and follow after Him. We want to learn how to live with a Kingdom mindset and heartbeat. We want to rearrange our lives to lay up treasure in heaven and not on earth. We want to be obeident to the vision that God is putting before Lifesong Church.
I am glad you are apart of this exciting journey. These pages are designed to answer your practical questions about fasting and ease any concerns you might have. You are also welcome to contact me concerning any questions you may have.
• Why you should fast
• How to fast safely
• How long and what type of fast is right for you
• How to prepare yourself spiritually and physically
• How to manage your schedule while fasting
• How to deal with the responses of friends and loved ones
• How to make your spiritual experience the best it can be.
Why Should I Fast…
If you do not already know of the power and importance of fasting, here are some very important facts:
• Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast.
• Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.
• Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."
• Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.
• The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you!
• Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.
• Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others.
• Fasting and prayer are the only disciplines that fulfill the requirements of II Chronicles 7:14:
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled as I did. You will discover more time to pray and seek God's face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience special blessings from God.
Some Physical Considerations
In spite of the absolute safety and benefits of fasting, there are certain persons who should NEVER fast without professional supervision. For example:
• Persons who are physically too thin or emaciated.
• Persons who are prone to anorexia, bulimia, or other behavioral disorders.
• Those who suffer weakness or anemia.
• Persons who have tumors, bleeding ulcers, cancer, blood diseases, or who have heart disease.
• Those who suffer chronic problems with kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, or other important organs.
• Individuals who take insulin for diabetes, or suffer any other blood sugar problem such as hyperglycemia.
• Women who are pregnant or nursing.

Spiritual Preparation
In preparation for this special time with God, I strongly urge you to examine your heart, and detect any unconfessed sin. Scripture records that God always requires His people to repent of their sins before He will hear their prayers. King David said:
Come and hear, all of you who reverence the Lord, and I will tell you what he did for me: For I cried to him for help, with praises ready on my tongue. He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins. But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!
Blessed be God who didn't turn away when I was praying, and didn't refuse me his kindness and love. (Psalm 66:16-20)
In your prayers, confess not only obvious sins, but less obvious ones as well. The sins of omission as well as the sins of commission experiences. These may be experiences leaving your first love for our Lord: worldly-mindedness, self-centeredness, spiritual indifference, and unwillingness to share your faith in Christ with others, not spending sufficient time in God's Word and in prayer, a poor relationship with your spouse, your children, your pastor, or other members of your church.
Another great way to prepare for your fast is to practice what I call "Spiritual Breathing." The concept is simple, but it has changed my own life and that of millions of others.
Like physical breathing, Spiritual Breathing is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure. If you knowingly sin, breathe spiritually to restore the fullness of God's Holy Spirit in your life. You exhale by confessing your sins immediately when you become aware of them, and you inhale by inviting the Holy Spirit to re-take control of your life. As an act of faith, trust Him to empower you. During the fast, spiritual breathing-constant reliance on the Holy Spirit-will enable you to resist temptation, not only to sin but to abandon your fast.
Prepare Your Schedule
Fasting is not just denying yourself food. It is exchanging the needs of the physical body for those of the spiritual. Long times of prayer and reading God's Word will be very essential if you are to enter into a more intimate communion with God to maintain your fast to its completion. While fasting, if you dissipate your energy on numerous errands or busy-work to the neglect of spending special time with God, you will starve both physically and spiritually. You will find yourself becoming discouraged and frustrated with your fast instead of being benefited and uplifted and blessed. I don't want that to happen to you.
The more time you spend with God in fellowship, worship, and adoration of Him, and the more you read and meditate upon His Word, the greater your effectiveness will be in prayer and the more meaningful your fast will be. So I encourage you to arrange your schedule accordingly!
How To Respond To Questions About Your Fast
Many people are reluctant to tell others that they are fasting so they will avoid the sin of the Pharisees: fasting just to gain recognition for themselves. I strongly believe that attitude is a result of a wrong interpretation of our Lord's teaching and that it is a trick of the enemy who does not want us to fast, nor to share with your loved ones, neighbors and friends the benefits of fasting.
By isolating ourselves from the support of other Christians, we will be more susceptible to doubts and negative influences (both human and demonic). We need the prayer shield of our Christian friends and family members to help us continue when we feel alone and when the enemy tempts us to give up Our Lord as he did Jesus Christ. Eventually, people will notice you are not eating.
However, I have found that unless you see them daily, they do not consider your skipped meal much of a concern. If you are asked, nonbelievers may be satisfied by such a brief answer as, "I have other plans for lunch today." Or Christians should be satisfied when you answer that you are fasting today.
Making Your Fasting Experience the Best it Can Be
Receiving God's best blessing from a fast requires solid commitment. Arranging special time each day with God is absolutely crucial in attaining intimate communion with the Father. You must devote yourself to seeking God's face, even (and especially) during those times in which you feel weak, vulnerable, or irritable. Read His Word and pray during what were mealtimes. Meditate on Him when you awake in the night. Sing praises to Him whenever you please. Focus on your Heavenly Father and make every act one of praise and worship. God will enable you to experience His command to "pray without ceasing" as you seek His presence.
As you enter this time of heightened spiritual devotion, be aware that Satan will do everything he can to pull you away from your prayer and Bible reading time. When you feel the enemy trying to discourage you, immediately go to God in prayer and ask Him to strengthen your resolve in the face of difficulties and temptations.
The enemy makes you a target because he knows that fasting is the most powerful of all Christian disciplines and that God may have something very special to show you as you wait upon Him and seek His face. Satan does not want you to grow in your faith, and will do anything from making you hungry and grumpy to bringing up trouble in your family or at work to stop you. Make prayer your shield against such attacks.
A renewed closeness with God and a greater sensitivity to spiritual things are usually the results of a fast. Do not be disappointed if you do not have a "mountaintop experience," as some do. Many people who have successfully completed extended fasts tell of feeling a nearness to God that they have never before known, but others who have honestly sought His face report no particular outward results at all. For others, their fast was physically, emotionally, and spiritually grueling, but they knew they had been called by God to fast, and they completed the fast unto Him as an act of worship; God honored that commitment.
Your motive in fasting must be to glorify God, not to have an emotional experience, and not to attain personal happiness. When your motives are right, God will honor your seeking heart and bless your time with Him in a very special way.

Buckle Up and Hold On

2010-08-11T10:22:00.002-04:00

It has been a busy summer and I don’t know about you, but I am ready to get back to a solid routine. The kids will be starting back to school next week and many people will be returning from vacation. If there is one word to describe these summer months for LifeSong Church it would be “HOT”... both literally and figuratively. The temperature in our worship center for the 3rd service has hovered around 80 degrees, but amazingly we still see our numbers growing and people connecting with the vision God has given us. Last month we had the largest partnership class ever with 34 new partners and already more than 20 people signed up for Discovery Dinner on Aug. 21st. There is no doubt we are poised for the most exciting time in the history of LifeSong Church and I am ready to go! This week David Putman, the author of "Detox for the Overly Religious," will be here to conclude our sermon series, "The Jesus Way". The next Sunday, Aug. 22nd, we will launch "Radical Journey". During this six week vision initiative we are asking you to do several things:

1. Begin 40 Days of Fasting and Praying on Aug. 23rd.

2. Consider what it means to "Take up your cross and follow after Christ".

3. Take a Radical step toward sacrificial living and giving.

On Aug. 22nd we will share the entire vision initiative God has put before us for the next 12 months and beyond. It will take all of us to see this vision become a reality. As a part of this vision we are planning to build a new worship center. During these 6 weeks you will have a chance to see drawings and pictures of what this building will look like and hear all the details about how God can use us to take the ministry of LifeSong Church well into the future.

I want to ask a very special favor from you... If at all possible please don’t miss a Sunday between August 22nd and September 26th. There is so much that we will be sharing and doing as a church during those dates that we don’t want to miss a single opportunity for Jesus to speak to our hearts.

One final note... Make plans to come our Radical Family Fun Night this Sunday evening. There will be FREE pizza, outdoor games, jumping castles and great fellowship. At the end of the night I will be sharing a very special message about our new RADICAL JOURNEY series. Believe me... You do NOT want to miss it!

Pastor Jeff

Working Through My Trip To Haiti

2010-07-29T11:20:00.003-04:00

I have been on mission trips all over South America and Africa, but my recent trip to Haiti has impacted me far greater than all of those trips combined. It has taken me several days to clear my head since arriving back home Saturday night. I have asked my self over and over again why I feel so broken for the people there and hungry to help them. The first thing that I have to admit is, I am in a different place in my life than I have ever been. Over the last year God has been reconstructing Amy and me. We believe that the idea and pursuit of the American Dream is what Satan has given America as a substitute for the real reason God blessed America. God has blessed us to take the Gospel to the world. We want to rearrange our lives to move toward the heart of God. We have put our house up for sale and are excited to simplify.

While in Haiti I truly sensed the opportunity to personally do something for the people there. In the past, I always thought in terms of what Southern Baptist could do or the fact that I knew the churches I was pastoring where not going to change their budgets to spend it on others and not themselves.I feel empowered by God to lead LifeSong Church to embrace the people of Haiti in a new way than what I have experienced before.

I believe God is putting a road map in my heart for leading people away from selfishness to true biblical Christianity. I have to admit there is some real tension in this vision as we have to make critical decisions about our campus here in Lyman, planting new churches, helping LifeSong Las Vegas, developing a community care ministry and taking the Gospel to Haiti and the rest of the world. The cool thing is that God has put us in a position to be faithful to this vision with no constraints except for the opportunity to be disobedient. If we choose the path of disobedience then we will become just like every other church that is useless and dying.

Book Review for "Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World"

2010-07-16T17:33:00.002-04:00

Dr. Jeremiah offers a glimpse into the fears and thoughts of people who are living during this uncertain time in history. "Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World" reminds us that no matter what the circumstances that are unfolding around us God is our strength and our anchor. We have been given an opportunity to live today and make the biggest impact for his Kingdom as possible. We need to approach life with the confidence and strength of the Lord. Dr.Jeremiah does a great job of writing a book that is easy to read and understand for the new christian or the mature believer.

Letter to LifeSong

2010-07-14T13:52:00.001-04:00

Dear Loved Ones,
It is with great joy and anticipation that I write this to you. I announced this past Sunday that we have secured a lender for the building of a new worship center. This worship center will include 500+ seats, new nursery and preschool space, as well as a large lobby for connecting and sharing life with each other. It will be a multi purpose building that can be utilized not only for church functions but for the community as well. I had a conversation with a local fire chief about using it for their banquets, training exercises, etc and he was excited about the possibility of having that opportunity.
All of us are aware that we are at a critical juncture in the life of our church. We will be adding Saturday night services in September to accommodate for immediate new growth Our prayer is that we can be in this new building when school starts back in August of next year. If that is going to happen we must take immediate action. Beginning on August 22nd we will begin a 6 week series called Radical Journey. During this series we will share everything you need to know about the new initiatives that God has led LifeSong Church to for the next 12 months. This will include the building of this new worship center and several other exciting ministry goals. During this Radical Journey we will be asking you to commit to seeing this vision become a reality. Each of you are very important in this process and it will take all of us to make it happen.
I AM PUMPED! We are in exciting days. I can’t believe that God has allowed us to be a part of this awesome work He is doing in our community. Are you ready?

Joy in the Journey,

Pastor Jeff

Video Blog "HOT Stuff"

2010-06-29T13:53:00.000-04:00

Exciting Stuff

2010-06-23T10:16:00.001-04:00

Greetings to Everyone!

I hope this letter finds you doing well and passionately pursuing after our Savior, Jesus Christ. There are some very important things happening in the life of our church and I want to share with you.

There is an unbelieveable excitement that is swirling in the air. Just this past month, we saw Pacific Camps open with over 30 campers. As a result of opening the camps, there have already been several families come on Sunday mornings to worship with us.

This month we have the largest number of people in Starting Point than we have ever had. Tim reported that we have 52 people seeking to become new partners of LifeSong Church. We are excited about everyone that is coming on board to help us fulfill the GREAT vision that God has laid out before us. The next DISCOVERY DINNER and Starting Point class will begin in August. It is not to early to sign up for that. Just drop us a note and we will get your name on the list.

This Sunday is a huge day as we celebrate baptism at Lyman Lake Lodge. I hope you have made plans to come. Directions will be available in our ENEWS this week and hard copies will be available on Sunday. Everything starts at 4PM and don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs. If you have never been baptized as a believer in Jesus Christ, I would love for you to contact me so we can have a discussion about you being a part of this amazing day! jeff@lifesongchurchonline.com
Next Saturday, July 3rd, we will celebrate Fourth of July with a musical tribute, “Rise Up America” and professional fireworks show. The event will begin at 8PM. We need people to help us with serving food, greeting and parking. Last year we had over 2000 people at this event and are expecting a larger crowd this year. We really can use your help getting the word out and coming to serve. Contact Pastor Brian at brian@lifesongchurchonline.com
to volunteer. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs for this event as well.

Finally, in the last few days we have made significant strides in planning to build a new worship center. As soon as everything is finalized we will be able to share with the congregation all the amazing things that are happening. Until then, we need you to pray.
We are in some of the most amazing days of ministry that I have ever seen. I am glad to be on this journey with you. It is my honor to serve you and along beside you in seeing the Kingdom of God advanced.

With Great Affection,

Jeff Hickman

2 Huge Days of Faith Building

2010-06-17T15:05:00.003-04:00

Trusting God and putting our faith into action can be a challenging thing. I have had 2 days of faith building. Take a look at this video and see what is going on.

It Is All About People Who Need Jesus

2010-06-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

I am listening to the web cast of the Southern Baptist Convention as Amy just text me to tell me they found the body of a young girl that has been missing. Many of us saw this young girl every week as we shopped at a grocery store here in the Lyman area. None of us could have foreseen that this young girl would have been murdered and that is precisely my point. How many times have we passed her, spoken to her, engaged in trivial conversation as we bought our groceries? There are hundreds of people who are like that in our lives. Our only interest is to fulfill our task and move on to the next. We buy our gas, groceries, clothes, etc. and there are people to serve us. Maybe our heart needs to move beyond what we perceive our task is to a greater matter.
People need people to care about them and love them in the name of Jesus. That cannot happen from the pulpit but must happen in the world around us.
I am so tired of politics and votes. I cannot stand to hear grown men and women fight about how we are going to reach more people for Jesus. It is a matter of the heart of the people who standing in the pulpits and sitting in the pews. A convention will not change, associations will not change, churches will not change until people change.

Stuff You Need to Know

2010-06-02T08:54:00.003-04:00

- Last week I spent 5 days out in California with Pacific Camps. We are excited to open their first site this week outside of California. There have been several people that have asked me why Pacific Camps? There are several reasons: my connection with Hayden Wengrow, who is one of their directors and their heartbeat to advance the Kingdom of God. Our goal is to use the model of our relationship with Pacific Camps to start camps all over the Southeast. Primarily we want to work with church plants to help them build bridges with families in their communities. We are not looking to partner with just any church, but with churches that really understand community transformation. UPDATE: Hayden and Seana were able to open camp yesterday with 30 campers. A GREAT start!

- Summer is here and are expectations are very high that we will continue to connect with droves of families that are visiting LifeSong Church. Our Starting Point class for the month of June will be our largest to date. Pastor Tim sent out a memo early this week saying he was going to have between 45-48. Last month we had 22 new partners. That is extremely exciting.

- We are working hard to ensure that we don't do anything to stifle the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot take any credit for the way God is changing lives and connecting people here. We want to be faithful to the vision He continues to unfold before us and be aggressive in advancing the Kingdom of God. As apart of that aggressive approach we are working on 2 fronts.

1. Our plans are to start 2 new services on Saturdays beginning when school starts after the Summer. That is a monumental task but I know that we can do it. We are praying for clear direction from the Lord in regard to this. These 2 new services would create enough room for an additional 400 people. Based on our current growth patterns we will need every bit of that space over the next year.

2. We are working toward having a new worship center built by August of next year. Currently we are talking to lenders, architects and builders to determine the best course of action. We feel strongly that God has set an open door of ministry before us. Our plan is a patient, well informed advancement along this front to ensure that we don't sacrifice our vision by building more than we can afford.

- Our new sermon series "East to West" will begin this Sunday. We will have a special guest that will be helping me out. You don't want to miss this powerful 4 week series on "SIN".

Love you guys! Hope you are having a GREAT week!

Staying Connected

2010-05-27T13:27:00.000-04:00

Changed Lives is What it is All About.

2010-05-21T12:27:00.000-04:00

Every week I get emails just like this one from people who God is changing their lives. I hope this encourages you about the great things God is doing at Lifesong Church.

Jeff,
You and Amy has always believed in me, believed that I would come out of the dark place I was in and I want to thank you. It was a hard road and I thank the Lord everyday for keeping me alive and supporting me when I asked for his help. This I believe is my testimony and I need to tell others about it because it is a miracle to look back and see where I was and then to see where I am now. I remember several weeks ago you was talking about being in love with God and I didn\'t have a clue what that meant. I know now I talk to him everyday, I tell him I love him and I mean it from the bottom of my heart, I talk to him like I talk to momma and about stuff that just doesn\'t make since but he understands. :) Do you know when you are in love you have that love look on your face when you are talking or looking at the person you are in love with...well when I talk to Jesus I have that love look and didn\'t realize it til this morning when I saw myself in the mirror. When I don\'t talk to the Lord I get depressed and I just don\'t feel complete and whole inside until I do. I thought I lost that feeling forever when I went down the wrong path but after coming to church, listening to your sermons and reconnecting with the Lord I realized the Lord was never gone. You showed me this Jeff and I thank you more than you can imagine, I thank you.
I love you Jeff and Amy

video blog "Better than Garbage"

2010-05-18T16:29:00.000-04:00

Momentum

2010-05-14T08:28:00.002-04:00

When we began 2010 at LifeSong Church we had great expectations about what would happen this Spring and early Summer, but what we have seen has far exceeded our expectations. God is doing and amazing work in our fellowship highlighted by the numerous changed lives every week. At the beginning of 2010 we were averaging in the high 300's each week in average attendance. In the first 4 months of the year we saw a steady increase in attenders highlighted by our Easter service of 701 in attendance. We are currently averaging well over 500 and had over 600 last week. Every indication from attendance, offerings, decisions for Jesus Christ, Pacific Camps coming on board, and an incredible enthusiasm from our people tell us that we have huge momentum.
Momentum is a key element of success that is often overlooked.

Dave Ramsey writes,
"Winning at anything starts with momentum. But momentum doesn’t just happen. It’s not some sort of random occurrence that miraculously appears. We’ve got to create momentum. We can’t just sit back and wait for God to “bless us” with success without acknowledging that we have a role to play."

St. Augustine said, “You’ve got to pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on you.” James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” There is a balance between works and faith, so you have a role to play in this deal.

Momentum isn’t just some abstract concept. In fact,momentum can be summed up in the Momentum Theorem: Fi/T(G) = M Focused intensity, over time, multiplied by God, equals unstoppable momentum.

Let’s dig into this formula a little deeper:

Focus

Without focus, you’re going to be like the rest of our A.D.D. culture. When you try to do everything at once, you don’t get anything done. Like a wide receiver who has to focus on the football instead of the defender, you’ve got to have tunnel vision to win. And when you actually start to focus, you’ll begin to stand out in a culture that doesn’t have any.

Intensity

The poster boy for intensity is the lunatic fan who’s painted in red, sitting on the front row, and living and dying with every score. Now put that kind of intensity into your marriage, your job, your calling—things that matter. What would that look like? Intensity moves things, makes things happen. Combine intensity with focus, and you are ready to start building momentum.

Time

Yes, intensity moves things. But if you’re only focused and intense for a few days, you aren’t going to move anything. This is the hardest part of the Momentum Theorem. Paul said to “run the race in such a way as to win the prize.” You’re not in a sprint; you’re in a marathon. The tortoise wins the race every single time. He stays the course, keeps his eye on the finish line, and never, ever quits.
God

This is the most important part of the theorem. Sure, you can do all these things by yourself. Staying focused and intense over time will lead to good results. But it will wear you out. That’s when you just have to let things go—take that focused intensity over time and give it to God. When you do that, God steps into your effort and gives you energy and the ability to win.

Unstoppable Momentum

If we’ll stay focused and shed all the distractions, and if we’ll consistently, over a long period of time, stay intense and passionate about our calling, then we’ll sustain unstoppable momentum in our lives and in our church.

Our vision, passion of Jesus Christ, and teamwork at LifeSong Church is creating a sweeping tidal wave in our community. It is an exciting thing to be apart of and I am glad you are along for the journey.

Thursday May 6th

2010-05-06T11:12:00.000-04:00

Monday May 3rd

2010-05-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

Healthy Relationships

2010-04-27T10:05:00.001-04:00

Is the Church Helping People Fail?

2010-04-26T10:07:00.005-04:00

I have been so convicted this morning over this question, "Is the church helping people fail?" The most radical, passionate, and sacrificial people for Christ I have known are those who have recently been saved, but the longer they hang around people from the church they start to normalize.
In reality "normal" should be the passion of the new believer, not what we have come to exist as. As a church, we tend to mellow people out and institutionalize them. The real truth is we deaden them to the work of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures give us evidence that early Christians were bold and courageous in their faith and pursuit of God. We have a tendency to encourage people the other way. We want them to slow down and back off.
We should follow the biblical model we are given of being bold. Instead of being timid and lifeless, let's begin to pray that the Holy Spirit will take control of our lives and lead us to a new normalcy. Let's be a people who step out boldly in faith to love the nations to Jesus Christ. Instead of deadening people to the Spirit's leading with our words and actions let's encourage and affirm them for following the Spirit's voice.

Building Wise Relationships

2010-04-22T11:50:00.005-04:00

WIll You Pray For My Wife Today?

2010-04-21T09:09:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share a recent blog post from another blog that really hit home with me. I pray that this blog will spur you into action. Thank you in advance for praying for my wife and children.

Excerpt from Acidri's Blog....

A 2009 Barna Group pastoral survey highlighted over 1,700 pastors abandoning ministry every month citing stress related crises, inadequate training, loneliness and spiritual disillusionment as some of the catalysts. With many of these pastoral casualties are there spouses who still hold fast to a faith with untold stamina and stoicism?

What training school prepares the preacher’s wife for the life ahead?

It has always been said that the position of pastor’s wife is not only one of rare difficulty but calls for an exercise of unselfishness and self-effacement which is quite contrary to the natural instincts of human nature. She must to a very large extent sink her own individuality and claims and become absorbed in those of her husband.

Did you ever read that story of the boy scouts group and their camp? Well, just because you asked I will tell you. Their truck mistakenly took a fatally infamous detour after an ambiguous sign post read Camp but pointed them to a top military training boot camp just two minutes from being raided by a rebel group. While a summer paint ball camp twelve miles away received a disillusioned band of hard nosed, tough battle hardened marines armed to the teeth.

* 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
* 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.
* 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
* 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
* 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
* 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last months.
* 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
* 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
* 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor’s ministry.
* Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.

The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc. 2009

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Cor 16:13

A pastor’s wife watches from behind closed doors the effects of contentions and defence of the faith on the man of God. She prays and intercedes that God’s grace may soften the hearts of the most ice cold visitors that God may have drawn to attend on Sunday and that God will encourage and strengthen the faith of the back row Christian. She is sometimes privy to a few internal issues but she is not paid for the advice she may give behind these closed doors. She must be prepared to part often with the one she loves best on earth, in order that he may serve others. She must render every assistance in her power and yet not expect to reap the praise from men. She must initiate and carry through new plans of Christian effort and be satisfied that they shall be regarded as nothing more than a legitimate part of her husband’s ministry.

Could you pray that this Saturday night, the preacher’s wife will go to bed whispering stand firm into her husband’s ear. The whole week she fought the temptation to be like the other pastors’ wives who seem to have it easy. One wife advised that the present trials and tough times were due to a hidden sin in their lives- after all aren’t they supposed to be more than conquerors and doesn’t God want every one to be prosperous? Another whispered that probably she had not positively decreed or spoken enough confessions. Another muttered that probably she did not pray in the name of Allah and wasn’t universally relevant enough. The list goes on as many as the channels she flips to on Christian Television. She almost suggests to him that they should read more motivational and self help books and less of the Bible. But she knows to dilute and water down the Gospel may provide instant temporary life enhancement, exponential growth in church numbers but at what spiritual cost and eternal detriment?

” …But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities…” 2 Cor 6:4

The bible says a virtuous woman who can find? She seeks to please God as a workman approved and rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Her speech is always graceful; seasoned with salt that she may know how she ought answer each person. She knows her thoughts and ideas while at home may determine a lot about what direction the church group ultimately takes. A gracious wife knows when to point to the source of all counsel and when to whisper stand firm!

No grander example of the possibilities which the position of a preacher’s wife affords, could be offered to her sisters of the manse or to the world at large than Mrs. C. H. Spurgeon. Then when the storms of abuse, and slander broke on her loved one’s head, she might well have been crushed and broken, but she bore up and by her words of comfort, her strong affection and her piety and faith, helped (Charles Spurgeon) to weather the gale. In every branch of his work she threw her heart and soul, she stinted herself to render financial assistance to the various causes, and to the smallest detail acted with her husband as a faithful steward of the God in whom she trusted. Her life was one long self-sacrifice. She need not have expended the strength she so much required for herself; no one would have blamed the invalid for seeking comfort in rest, but what she did, she did with a will and as “unto the Lord.” Her life is a brilliant example of what can be done by a weak woman who devotes herself to the service: of the Master and not only as the wife of Charles Haddon Spurgeon will Mrs. Spurgeon live green in the memory of all true Christians, but as herself, as the woman who found solace in suffering by ministering to the needs of others, she will stand out through all time.

In memory of Susannah Spurgeon (1832-1903), The Spurgeon Collection

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Prov 3:5

Today as you pray for your pastor, remember his wife. Who prays for the pastor’s wife? Who would whisper to her that therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. Pray that the pastor’s wife will only… stand firm!

SECRET VIDEO SUNDAY

2010-04-20T13:22:00.003-04:00

If you have ever been behind the wheel of a fast car it is very tempting to slam the gas to the floor and let the tire spin against the pavement. It gives you an adrenaline rush to feel the power of the car underneath you. I have to admit that burning rubber in a car pales in comparison the adrenaline rush I get when I see all that God is doing at Lifesong Church. When I see the power of the cross of Jesus Christ change peoples lives it fills me. When I see marriages being restored, drug addicts coming clean, joy return to peoples lives, mouths getting cleaned up, people worshiping freely and laughter in the hearts of people it gives me a feeling like nothing else in the entire world. I want our whole community to experience the love of God like they never have before. I believe more than ever before that WE WILL SEE THAT HAPPEN. We have been praying and asking God for some HUGE things.
I just finished filming a video that we will air 5 minutes before each service Sunday. If you want to know what God is up to then you need to be here Sunday morning to hear this video. Without a doubt it is the most exciting and powerful time in the life of our church. I am glad I am here to get to see it all unfold. WILL YOU?

BREAKING FREE

2010-04-14T14:22:00.005-04:00

There are far to many people who have embraced the message of the cross, but have not found freedom and fruit. Their relationship with Christ feels much more like a job than a relationship. I hear preachers and have preached myself about "commitment". The emphasis is "Do More, Do More". You need to study your bible, memorize Scripture, witness to everyone, pray constantly, go to Sunday School, Sunday night preaching, Monday night visitation, Wednesday night, and other times for innumerable committee meetings. Millions of Christians are racing to do the "right things", but they feel like they are on a spiritual treadmill. They are highly active, but going no where.
In Luke 10:27, Jesus lays out for us what it means to be a Christian, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all of your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." This short sentence takes the life of a Christ follower and breaks it down into an easy to understand picture. If you want to understand what a real Christian is then look no farther than how you love Jesus and other people.
We started from day one at LifeSong Church making Luke 10:27 our church verse and the foundation of how we wanted to teach people about what is important. (Mark this down somewhere. Write it in the flyleaf of your Bible. Put it on a note card and tape it to the mirror in your bathroom.) EVERYTHING IN LIFE FLOWS OUT OF OUR LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. When I say everything, I mean everything from our marriages, how we manage our money, how we handle problems, how we react to people who wrong us, what comes out of our mouth, relationships with other people, what we buy, where we go and what we think. You name it and our relationship with Jesus Christ effects it. The natural outcome of a passionate and intimate love relationship with Christ is fruit. We began to think, talk and behave differently. Jesus passions become our passions and His heart our heart. We are far less concerned with the mechanics( all the things you try to do to be pleasing to God) of Christianity and are much more concerned about your love for Him.

We have forgotten that the Christian life is Christ, and Christ alone. Are you on the spiritual treadmill? Don't you think it is time to get off?

Are You Open?

2010-04-13T11:11:00.003-04:00

What are you open for God to do in your life?

- Are you open to allowing Him to clean up messy relationships in your life? God can take unhealthy, life draining relationship and turn them into the greatest blessings in your life. Don't be under the illusion that it will just magically happen. It will take work, but great things can happen. Your marriage can be restored. You can reconnect with old friends. You can find joy going to work and working with co workers. If you are interested go to messages at http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com and listen to the first week of DIRTY JOBS sermon series.

- Are you open to the Holy Spirit empowering your life? In many peoples lives and in a lot of churches the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected. There are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the last year. The benchmark for success in church services has become more about attendance than a movement of the Holy Spirit. One of my favorite sayings is, "If you keep doing what you have always done you will keep getting what you always got." Don't you think it is time that you made a move to seek after the empowerment of the Holy Spirit? I can already hear some of you questioning that question. Dull, shabby, lifeless Christianity results from no empowerment or anointing of the Holy Spirit. A good resource to read is "Forgotten God" by Frances Chan.

-There are so many things that God wants to do in our lives. Are you open to leave the familiar for the deep waters of faith? If you never leave where you are you will never know what could be. There is never great reward unless there is great risk. Don't be afraid to dream big dreams with God and then step out in faith.

ARE YOU OPEN?

Lots On My Mind

2010-04-08T09:13:00.005-04:00

- This week has been extremely busy. My blogging has been sporadic, at best. Next week my plan is to blog each day Monday - Thursday. I have a lot of vision, theological and personal thoughts to get out of my brain.

- Excited that Hayden, Seana and their girls are here. The start of Pacific Camps in Lyman is just around the corner. You can help us out by telling families where both parents work during the day and use childcare. We truly believe that if they send their children to this ministry it will be one of the best decisions they will ever make. Look at their web page (scroll over)

- What do we want people to say and believe about LifeSong church? We are not in pursuit of being the church that has the best Easter egg hunt, or having the best 4th of July fireworks. When people talk about our church we want them to know us as the people who love and serve others with all of their heart. That is HUGE! Community transformation happens when people TRUST you and are willing to let you into their lives. We don't deserve permission, we have to earn it. We earn permission to be apart of peoples' lives when we invest in them and love them well. If we want to be like Jesus, then we will love and serve people well!

- We want to develop a culture of generosity. That heartbeat must start with me and flow through every facet of our ministry. Generosity in context of a church is a passion to take care of each person like we take care of ourselves. "An open heart with a open hand" is a good way to think about it.

-One final thing that is on my mind. I want to get fired up for a moment. I hate when people are selfish. I hate it when people try to manipulate circumstances. If there is anything I can't stand it is SELFISHNESS. I have been studying for our new sermon series, DIRTY JOBS. This week we will be talking about conflict. James nails it! Conflict arises out of pride. And pride comes from our passionate desire for self gratification, which is SELFISHNESS! OH, it is gonna be fun Sunday. You don't want to miss it!

Good Friday

2010-04-02T07:15:00.003-04:00

We finished Sunday off with a challenge to reflect this week about what Jesus' death means to us. There are some things that it means to all of us - the most horrific death imaginable, a payment of the debt that we owed, the forgiveness of sin, and the death of the Son of God. Take it a step further than that... Instead of viewing it from an outsider's perspective, put yourself in the middle of the story. It isn't just the Son of God , but it is your Savior and friend. Imagine yourself being put through the trial, the beatings and the crucifixion. Grasp in your hearts that Jesus did not have to go to the cross for us. He did it willingly because He loves us. A heart that is humbled by His love is a heart that is sensitive to obey Him and live passionately for Him. "By His stripes we are healed."

Do We Really Love Our City?

2010-03-30T13:42:00.008-04:00

Make no mistake about it, our greatest passion at LifeSong Church is for Jesus Christ. It is His church and we are His people. We are not governed by man, by denomination or our own ideals. LifeSong Church is a theocracy. Our pastors are a part of an elder team that earnestly seek the face of God to lead His church. We know that Jesus loves us, our people, this city and the world. If we are allowing God to lead us then our passion will be His passion. WE love Him because He first loved us and we love our city because He loves our city and this world more than we ever could. As long as LifeSong Church exists and God gives us the ability and influence we will passionately love this city with everything we've got. That means we will do whatever it takes to bring as many people to a personal relationship with Christ as possible.
People come to LifeSong Church for a variety of reasons, but they soon discover this is not a normal church. We know that the real answer to community transformation is people reaching people. We will only be as effective as our people embracing the vision of the church. We give people permission to bring their friends, family and co-workers to a safe place to grow and learn about Jesus Christ. Make no mistake we are very passionate about JESUS CHRIST! WE INTEND TO CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK ABOUT CHURCH! I close with this email I go this morning.

I wanted to email to tell you that I attended your 11:30 service on Sunday.
I was truly touched. I have not been to a church service in 20 years.
I have for my entire adult life,made excuses for why it wasn't for me.
When I left your service Sunday my heart was truly touched, I have
not felt anything similar to that in a long time. After 20 years I am
slowly trying to find my way back. Your sermon helped me realize
that there is even hope for me. Thank You, for your sermon, and passion.
Mostly thank you for your acceptance of all of us, even those
who have lost our way.


I think this Email says it all!

Back in the Saddle

2010-03-25T08:32:00.002-04:00

One of the things that you learn as you get older is your body can't keep up with what your mind tells you to do. It is important to learn how to rest. I was excited to get away with my bride for a few days. We had a blast! We always have fun when we are together. We went to eat at some great restaurants, but our favorite was dessert at The Melting Pot. We spent Tuesday afternoon at all the Ripley's attractions. The aquarium was amazing. It made me want to jump in there and wrestle one of those sharks.
One of the things that we didn't take a break from was P90x. We are in the middle of week 4. We are seeing huge changes in muscle development, energy and weight loss. It is hard for me to believe that I could enjoy working out a solid hour, but it grows on you.
I want to say a big thanks to my mom and dad for keeping our girls while we were gone. Our girls always love spending time with them. Love you, mom and dad.
It is time to get back in the saddle today and prepare for Palm Sunday. Hope you have made plans to be at LifeSong Church. It is going to be another great day!

The Power of Decisions

2010-03-17T11:47:00.000-04:00

In the course of our life we will make millions of decisions. Those decisions frame our lives and effect others around us. Our decisions are so powerful that sometimes they can effect people we don't know, states, countries or even the whole world.( What you decided to eat this morning may not change the world, but you get the point.) Every decision carries with it consequences that are either negative or positive and sometimes both.

We need to be keenly aware of how important our decision making is. It can mean the difference between a good day and a bad day, a good attitude or a bad one, a safe car ride home or a trip to the hospital, more than that, it can mean the difference between a sad existence or a happy one. The final and greatest decision we will make is between eternity in heaven or hell.
Your decisions right now will determine your future. If you are a drug addict or if you will become one is determined by the choice you make to either do the drug or not. If you are headed for a divorce is determined by the choices you make about your marriage today. Your financial future is determined by the choices you make today with your resources. Your relationship and intimacy with God is determined by the decision to either spend time and live for Him or not.

Here is the bottom line on this. No matter if you have made poor decisions in the past and are living in the consequences of poor decisions you don't have to stay there. You can start making the right decisions today that will effect your future. A lot of people say they stay confused at times and don't know how to make good decisions. Here is the good news! When you make a decision to be God's friend and have a personal relationship with Him a lot of those decisions are a lot clearer. We still have to choose to do the right thing, but we are not confused any more about what is the best choice.

Every day more and more people are coming through or doors on Sunday, writing me and stopping by to say I want to live for God and make decisions that will honor Him. That makes me extremely excited! There are others that I meet with and share Truth and they still choose to make detrimental decisions for themselves and the people they say they love. I hate to see them go through the consequences of poor decisions now or maybe in years to come, but I haven't given up on them. All it takes is one decision to get on the right path. Love you guys!

Need Your Help

2010-03-16T08:51:00.005-04:00

In just a few short months school will be out and working parents or those just wanting their kids not to be bored all Summer will be looking for a for place to care for and give their children a great Summer experience. Beginning in June, LifeSong Church will be partnering with Pacific Camps to bring a new dynamic camping ministry to the upstate. These camps are second to none and will be launched and staffed by experienced Christian leaders who love investing in children. Included below is a flyer that shows cost (Only $90 a week including all activities) and some of the activities the kids will be doing all Summer (Carowinds, Hollywild, Shipwreck Cove, Skateland, Hiking, Chuck E Cheese, etc). One of the unique aspects of this camp is that you only pay for the weeks your children attend. That means you can have them there every week or just the weeks you need help. Registration is now open! If you or someone you know needs childcare for the Summer I encourage you to call the number on the flyer (864)838-5988 and talk to the camp directors, Hayden and Seana Wengrow. They will be able to answer your questions and provide all the information that will make this Summer one of the best your children have ever had.
As a side note, if you work somewhere that you can hang this flyer up please print it off or let me know and I can get a copy of it for you. Visit them on the web at www.pacificcamps.com

Preparing for Worship Tomorrow

2010-03-13T11:05:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we view going to church as a way to get our fire re-lit after going through a long week. Sometimes that may be true, there are weeks that we are spiritually depleted and need a new spiritual perspective. Our goal should be that Sundays become a celebration of what God has done all throughout our week. There is a real danger in depending on your pastor, your church or other people to "make" your spiritual life and experience for you. The result is a lack of responsibility to foster your intimacy with Jesus Christ. It gets us in a "do more" attitude; I have got to do more to be spiritually satisfied. If you take that approach you will lose the essence of what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus does not wait on you at church, He comes with you. You bring how you have lived with Him all week long. If there is intimacy, you bring that intimacy and your worship experience is empowering and celebratory.
Don't wait till Sundays to make your relationship with Jesus real. Talk to Him right now and all day long. Share your heart, your fears, your desires, your needs and your passion with Him. Let His Word be a love letter to you that reveals the heart of our awesome God. Bring a healthy intimacy with you to worship and allow Jesus to continue to speak. Can't wait to see you tomorrow.

Thinking Out Loud

2010-03-09T10:05:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday I spent my day at Newspring Church at the "Unleashed" Conference. I was struck by a comment Perry Noble made that was really not the meat of what he was saying, but has caused me to spend a lot of time thinking about it. He was speaking about all the major denominations in North America and said, "You can rearrange the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, but it still sinks." Regardless whether it is a denomination, a church or a person's life that statement is true.
I haven't quite explained it like Perry did, but I have been using a different analogy. If you go to the doctor and tell him your symptoms he can begin to diagnose what is wrong. Let's say you have a cough, a fever, and congestion. If he wanted to treat the symptoms he could tell you to take cough syrup, and a fever reducer. While those may lessen your symptoms it still does not address the root cause of your illness. Somewhere in your body there is an infection that is causing the problems. He needs to prescribe a high powered antibiotic to kill the infection. That will not only kill the infection but also eliminate the symptoms.
So let's look it at this from a few angles:
- Is your life is going down the wrong path? It is not your drug addition, partying, cursing, loneliness, lying, bad marriage or whatever other things may describe a life of misery that is the problem. The root cause of the symptoms is there is a problem in your relationship with Jesus Christ. If you deal with your relationship with Jesus Christ everything else will get better.

- Is your church in decline or have a history of problems? You don't need a better Sunday School, a new pastor, a new program, more money, better music, etc. We have become professionals at trying to evaluate the symptoms of church issues and fix them. That is only rearranging the chairs on deck. The root problem is people. Habits, poor decisions, wickedness, self righteousness, pride, lying, treating your pastors bad, racism, power struggles, gossip, complacency, greed and backbiting have occurred and the Holy Spirit is grieved. You can't grieve the Spirit of God and walk away like nothing happened. If you have grieved the Spirit there is no pastor that can fix it, no program that can cure it, no new slogan that can bring Him back. There must be a wholesale public repentance by the whole congregation. Those who are not willing to repent must be brought under spiritual discipline. The church must beg God for a new day in their congregation. Chances are 99.9% that will never happen. It amazes me the number of people who will stay on a sinking ship because they think they can fix it. Seeing growth is some areas is only treating a symptom, it does not fix the problem.

- Denominations are sinking and they are trying to right the ship, but the problem is the churches won't change. A new strategy, resurgence or whatever you want to call it will not fix the problem. The best chance denominations have is to hope that a radical church planting movement will rise up and that existing churches will stop bashing them because they have different methodologies.

Close Encounters of the Real Kind WEEK 1 "Meet the Real Jesus"

2010-03-03T12:44:00.003-05:00

Listen to the Sermon CLICK HERE
By the way the sermon from last week is up as well. I had some technical issues. You will notice that this week's sermon is actually second and last week's sermon is first on the list. Just a heads up. Love you guys!

Close Encounters of the Real Kind
Introducing Jesus
I. I Had Never Thought of Jesus In His Greatness John 1:1-4
- It was always about me
II. I Had Never Thought About How Jesus Felt
Luke 19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”
III. I Had Never Thought About Jesus Being Tempted
Hebrews 4:15-16 “15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

IV. I Never Thought Jesus Loved Me So Much
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Sharing My Heart

2010-03-02T09:08:00.003-05:00

I am at a different place in my life than I have ever been. I have loved Jesus, but I have never loved Him this deeply. The last time that I can remember feeling this kind of love with Jesus was when I gave my heart to Him in January 1992. When I encountered the living God that day it was free, no strings attached. I had done nothing to earn God's approval, He simply saved me by His grace. It didn't take long after that for my heart to abandon simplicity. I wouldn't say that my relationship with God has been choked out. I would describe it more as being confused about what I was supposed to do to make this relationship with Jesus grow and be alive. It is kind of like men who think that if they tell their wives every now and then that they love them and cover birthday, anniversary and Valentines day with gifts,then they assume that everything should be OK and their wives should know that they are loved.
My confusion began to clear up a few years ago after I left my last pastorate. When I left there I was very hurt. (More hurt than I could ever tell you.) I didn't understand how God was using my experience there and this hurt to change my heart and my ministry. I had always told Him that I wanted Him to do whatever it took to make me more like Him. Most of the time when you pray that prayer pain will come in unexpected ways. Over the last two years I have had to look that pain in the face and learn to forgive. During this process God slowly began to weed my heart. Pride that says you should be #1. Ambition that drives you to be what what every man wants you to be. It has been a move away from the mechanical Christian to a passionate, fully surrendered Christ follower.
Here is the only way I can share how my relationship has changed..
-I want to obey Jesus because I love Him. I have realized that when I face temptation Jesus is with me and when I choose to sin He is still there and it hurts Him. I obey because I desperately love Him.
- I don't live in the mechanics of a stale relationship. Read your Bible, pray and go the church and you have done enough to fulfill your spiritual duty. My relationship with Jesus is free, passionate, spontaneous, filled with conversation, laughter, and expectation of Him living his life through me.
- This deep relationship is moving our family to spend drastically less on ourselves to invest more in the kingdom of God. People are the heartbeat of Jesus Christ. We want to lay up treasure in heaven.
- I am more compassionate toward people.
-My language has changed from gossiping, backbiting and discouragement to words of healing and encouragement.
- God is growing me to be a better leader.
- My preaching is more powerful and anointed.
- I am deeply consumed in this relationship with Jesus.

I write these words today because I what to challenge your heart to find the Jesus Way. I hope you will ask the right questions.

American idols: Idols of Relativsim

2010-02-25T12:32:00.001-05:00

Listen to the audio message Click Here!

American Idols: Idol of Relativism
“Have no other gods, only me.” Exodus 20:3-5
Is there such thing as absolute truth?
Many people have a struggle with the idea of “Truth”
Pilate was a man who believed in flexible morality. In a truth that was… adaptable. John 18:38 “Pilate said, "What is truth?"
-He was in charge and set the rules
-He put to death anyone who he disagreed with
To many of us the only truth we accept is:
-only what we want to hear
-only with the authority they want to obey
-only the truth that “agrees” with them
Reality is, the real authority they want in their lives is themselves. They are the MASTERS of their lives.
Do you think what Jesus says and how He teaches us to live is absolute truth?
Jesus lived to reveal the truth John 18:37 “ Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice."
Moral Absolutes:
-teach us how to live
-teach us what is important
-teach us how to treat people
-teach us how to have our sins forgiven
John 14:6 “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Can Someone belong before They Believe?

2010-02-23T14:35:00.003-05:00

Is LifeSong a Church that someone can belong to before they are a believer? Some of you are shocked that I ask that question. It is easy to believe, think and act like the church should be our club, a safe haven from the wicked world that we fight to live in everyday. We create our own lingo, environments that are deemed sacred and a culture that makes us feel like we are better than the rest of the world. People who walk through our doors, regardless of their church experience or lack there of, should feel an overwhelming sense of their importance to us. Our church culture should mirror the culture that Jesus took with Him wherever He went. His love is extraordinary. His teaching is clear and without compromise. He understands the human condition. Sin is our enemy, not people. If we want to be on the forefront of seeing God bring revolutionary life change then we must understand, we can't change people, but Jesus can. We should not be afraid to allow people who need Jesus to belong at LifeSong, but we should be afraid if we don't.

Exciting News!

2010-02-18T10:53:00.001-05:00

WOW! We are in the midst of some of the most exciting times in the short history of LifeSong Church. Just when I don’t think it can get any better, God blows my mind. This week we have seen 4 people give their life to Christ and numerous other life changing decisions. That is exciting, but I have even more exciting news to share with you.
As all of you know we want our church to have a huge impact on our community. We want to reach inside of every home into every life. As pastors we spend a lot of our time praying and talking about how to do that effectively. A few months ago I was contacted by a friend in California who was sharing his heart about developing Summer camps and after school programs that would be Christ centered and able to connect families to the local church. After extensive conversations, prayer and assessment of his giftedness we have extended a call to him to join our pastoral leadership team as Pastor of Community Development. He will work as a bi-vocational pastor helping us develop strategic community impact events and programs. When he comes on board, shortly after Easter, his first task will be launching a new non-profit camping ministry that will be using LifeSong Church. That means that our building and property will be being used every day to connect children and families to Christ.
You are going to be hearing a lot more information about this in the coming weeks and you will have a chance to meet Seana and Hayden Wengrow on the 1st Sunday in March. This is exciting beyond words!
One more thing, we are doing some huge updates to our church website and I need your help. Could you write a short one to four sentence paragraph about what LifeSong Church means to you and how God has used being here to change your life. We want to post these in a testimony section on our website
There is so much more to share… One final thing, guys don’t forget about “Fight Night” this Saturday night. Hope to see you there and bring a un-churched friend.
Love You Guys,
Pastor Jeff

American Idols: Idol of Affluence

2010-02-15T08:28:00.003-05:00

If you are pulling up this blog today don't leave without listening to this message. It is a message that all of us need to struggle with. Click HERE to listen.

American Idols:Idol of Affluence

Exodus 20:3-5 “Have no other gods, only Me”

The Idol of Affluence will :
Reduce Your Relationship with the One True God to a…
Deut.8:11-20 “Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.”
A. A Forgetful Fellowship vs. 11-14
B. A Faithless Self Absorption vs.16-17
Money, Things and Power make you: Ecclesiates 5:10-20
-feel a false sense of security vs.10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
-the more you have the more you spend vs.11 As goods increase,so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
-the more you have the more you want vs.12-13 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
-spend the best years of your life working for nothing vs. 18-20 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of hear.”
C. Godless Eternity vs. 18-20

What Does Jesus Look Like?

2010-02-09T09:40:00.002-05:00

Last night in our small group I asked our group the question, "What Does Jesus Look Like?" If I were to ask you that question about someone you knew you would begin by telling me what color they were, what their hair and facial features looked like, etc, but if I ask you that question about Jesus, what would you say? The Word of God tells us He was a Jew and in another passage tells us that He was not very becoming. In a physical sense all we could say about Jesus is He probably had olive skin, dark hair and was not all that good looking. UNDERSTAND that His physical description of Jesus is not what I am talking about.
Jesus wants to have a real, intimate relationship with us. You can't have that unless you spend time with Him. I cringe a little at what goes through your mind when you read that because in the American church we have defined spending time with God as how much time we spend in Bible Study, prayer and church. There is a dynamic to that equation that if is missing means that all those things are empty and nothing more than religion.
Spending time with Jesus means He is with you. A friend talking to a friend (prayer). A loving, holy, merciful, gracious God revealing His heart in a love letter to us (God's Word). A corporate gathering whether the object of our worship is Jesus Christ and He is present and center stage (Church). Can you tell me what Jesus looks like, His heart, His likes and dislikes, His passions, His motivations and His plans?
Jesus is not far off. He is inviting you into His presence. Sit down with Him face to face and share your heart and listen to His. Stop striving to be accepted by Him, you already are. Your sin doesn't scare Him off. He loves you and that will never change. He is big enough to handle your fears, doubts, hurts and questions. Let all your religious activity be replaced by intimacy with Jesus.

When you are with Him you will know what Jesus looks like!

American Idols: Idols of Desire

2010-02-08T08:42:00.002-05:00

Listen to the podcast of the sermon by clicking HERE

American Idols: Idol of Desires
“I want it my way”
Exodus 20:3-5 “Have NO other gods, only ME.”
The Idol of Desire:
- Demands our Attention Galations 5:16-18
Galatians 5:19-21” It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community.”

- Wars Against the Spirit
Romans 7:14-25 “I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”
Desires Must be Tamed
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. 25All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. 27I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
1. Self-control requires great strength because the hardest person to say “no” to is your self.

2. Self-control requires great strength because self-control also means doing what must be done.

Thorns

2010-02-04T09:31:00.003-05:00

I love the way Frances Chan starts the fourth chapter of his book,"Crazy Love". Keep in mind I don't love it because it makes me feel high on my spiritual horse. I love it because it challenges me and you right at the core of where we live life in this lukewarm,self-righteous,bible belt culture.
Chan says, "It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity."
I want to summerize in this paragraph another vital point Chan goes on to make. In the parable of the seed and the sower there are 4 different types of soil. We assume that we are "the good soil" however, is that really true? He cautions us to take a deeper look. The thorny soil allows a crop to grow, but the thorns grow as well choking out the good seed. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, additions, or commitments are piled on top of it. David Goetz writes, "Too much of a good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually."
Could it be that our soil is contaminated with thorns and it is hindering us from having a healthy relationship with God?
The thorns are choking us spiritually. It is that sense that you can't catch your spiritual breath. We use church attendance, christian music, bible study and many other things to loosen the choke hold, but this short break is followed by the returning grip of the thorns. In those powerful, life changing moments when the Holy Spirit speaks to us we make radical pledges of our love and obedience to Christ, but there lurking in our lives are the thorns. If we are going to have good soil we have got to clean out the thorns.
I can't do it for you( I am struggling to get the thorns out of my life), your church can't do it for you( as a matter of fact if some of you stay in the church your in you will spend your whole life replacing your intimacy with God with the relationships you have with your "church family"), and your spiritual activity can't do it for you ( doing more for God will not solve your problem). Getting rid of the thorns is going to mean a radical life change. It going to mean evaluation, confession, repentance and simplicity. It is time to simplify life. Move toward centering life on things that have eternal value.

What Does It Take To Please Jesus?

2010-01-30T20:43:00.002-05:00

I guess you could say I feel a little beat up, so to speak. I had a public speaking opportunity this past week and the person speaking before me said, "You can't be a man unless you tuck your shirt in your pants and are clean shaven." Based on that criteria, I didn't qualify. The hardest part was I had to get up and speak right after him. I didn't have my shirt tucked in and neither was I cleaned shaven. I wonder what the audience thought? Either he was wrong or I was immediately discredited.
Culture plays a huge part in what is socially acceptable. Some people equate being honorable with being in the military or how you dress. Some cultures think it is by how going through some type of initiation or when you marry.
I have lived in the world of approval. I had to dress a certain way, act a certain way, and say all the right things. It was a cultural pressure that did not square with what Scripture teaches us that God thinks. As a matter of fact, Jesus wore a beard and a long outfit that definitely would not have been accepted. My point is this, don't get so caught up on the externals. Looking the right way, saying the right things or going to the right places does not make you acceptable to God, therefore it should not make us acceptable to one another.
I have long contended that some of the most dressed up people on Sunday morning are some of the most wicked. When Samuel went to the sons of Jesse to look for the next king of Israel there were many of them that would have appeared to be a better pick, but David was the son that God chose. The Scripture says, "that man looks at the outward appearance and God looks at the heart." In the last few years those verses have profoundly impacted me. I have stopped caring what people think about me as much as I care what God knows about me. This kind of freedom has grown my relationship with God by leaps and bounds Don't get me wrong, I feel a huge responsibility to God to honor Him, but I could care less what anybody else thinks. I live for an audience of One. Trust me when I say this, it is one thing to say that you believe in this kind of freedom, but it is quit a different thing to live in it. I simply live to please Jesus and no one else.

Staging Our Christianity

2010-01-26T09:53:00.003-05:00

One of the fond memories of my childhood was when my brother and oldest sister would bring home friends from college to stay at our house for the weekend. There were these two guys in particular that always had something up their sleeve. Their adventure, mischief or whatever you want to call it was always fun. Just to give you an example, one night they took their hammocks and slept hanging out over the inter coastal waterway in a couple of dead oak trees. That is either adventure or stupidity. You decide? I thought it was pretty cool as a tweenager.
My greatest adventure with them happened on a lazy sunny Saturday afternoon. We were packed in John's car flying down a old dirt road with the windows down and laughter filling the car. We had several other cars that were in our caravan following us down to the river, but somehow we managed to lose them. Then John came up with the bright idea of staging an accident. It is really no funny when you think about it, but his creative juices were at work and we were just along for the ride. He immediately swerved the car in the middle of the road and jacked up one side of the car until we turned it on its side. Then we acted the part, accident victims, as we waited on the other cars that we behind us to come along. (I realize that was not cool or funny, but as a kid with very little life experiences it was pretty cool.)
As the other cars arrived, you can imagine how horrified and relieved they were it was only a joke.
Last night, I was listening to my wife share her heart about the evenings events. Something in our conversation got me thinking of how often people stage their Christianity. We create environments that look like the real thing and we play the part. We go through the motions of doing they real thing, but it is staged. Keep in mind that I am not saying that we do this on purpose necessarily. What I am saying is that staged Christianity has little impact. People go to staged worship services and walk out the same way they came in. They wake up with a bad attitude, have a quiet time and then walk through their day with the same bad attitude.
How often are we doing what we have been taught is necessary, but find it is not changing our lives. A real love relationship with Jesus is based on real encounters with Jesus, not staged,lifeless, ritualistic behaviors or environments.
Are you playing church? Are you playing the part of a Christian in the movie of your life? If you suspect that is where you are living life from I would love to have a conversation with you about finding REAL and abundant life.

American Idols Week 2 Idol of Happiness

2010-01-25T09:45:00.003-05:00

Here are the notes from the sermon yesterday. I encourage you to listen to the podcast. Just click here!

“American Idols: Happiness-It is What I Deserve”

Exodus 20:3 “Have No other gods, only Me.”

Happiness is the quick fix. It is based circumstance of our life.

When we gather around the Idol of Happiness it is based on 3 things:

1. Did I Get What I wanted?

-Control people

-Control God

2. Did it Make Me Feel Good?

-Did I get a fix

3. Can I Make it Happen Again?

-My happiness is more important than what it cost

Colossians 3:5 “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanliness, passion, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

God Designed for Us to find Happiness on a different set of Criteria

Colossians 3:1-4 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Find Your Happiness in:

- Your Forgiveness Romans 4:7 “Happy are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered”

- Doing the Right Thing Psalms 1:1 “Blessed (Happy) is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.”

John 13:17 “Now that you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.”

- Waiting on God Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

- Trusting In God Psalm 84:12” O LORD Almighty, happy is the man who trusts in you.

- Being Consistant James 1:12 “Blessed(Happy) is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”

James 5:11 “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

Prayer Journal

2010-01-21T08:17:00.002-05:00

Instead of writing in my prayer journal this morning I thought I would open my life to you as I share my heart with God this morning. I hope you will find encouragement as you share my prayer time with me this morning.

Jesus,

I wake up on mornings like today when my head is full of snot and it is raining outside and feel like I am a million miles away from you. Not because you are far away, but because I don't feel my best, maybe even a little down. It was hard for me to get awake this morning. As I have gone about my morning routine I have heard the gentle pleadings from your Spirit calling you into this quiet moment reassuring me that you are well aware of my humanity and limitations. I, in return, call out to you, "You are Holy. I humble myself before you. Be the God of my day. Be the God of my family. The God of my church.OF every conversation. Of every thought." In the moment when those things roll through my mind I hear you speaking into my mind. "Surrender" Give them all to me. God you know how easy it is for me to say those words of surrender, but how easily I am distracted. God help me to know how to spend my time today. The conversation I need to have and the ones I don't. The places I need to go. Jesus help me right in the middle of where you are working today.
Jesus, thank you for my wife and girls. They are yours. Help me to be a good steward of their lives. Help me to lead them well. Help me to encourage their faith in You.
I pray for our other pastors and their families. Keep us clean and close. Provide wisdom, intimacy and passion for you in their hearts today. Bless them as they pursue and honor you.
Thank you for the people of LifeSong Church. Cover them today with thoughts of your greatness. Encourage their faith. Move them to a deeper love for you. Protect them from the enemy.
God you know better than us the decisions that are before us and the paths that we must walk. Help me not be careless in my leadership. Let my words and deeds be true to you. Give us what we need to be faithful to this calling and the ministry you have put before us.

Jesus I love you. Thank you for loving me in spite of myself. Amen

BIG 10:27 Announcement

2010-01-19T08:46:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday we hit a new record attendance for LifeSong Church. We had 496! Any of you who were in our 2 morning services recognized we were full. Our Sunday night service has been going well, but has been hampered in it's growth because we are not offering Kidzlife. We were hoping to wait until Easter to make a service change, but it is necessary that we do it now! STARTING FEBRUARY 14th WE WILL GO TO 3 MORNING SERVICES. THE NEW SERVICE TIMES WILL BE 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30. WE WILL BE OFFERING KIDZLIFE AT ALL THREE SERVICES.
For the time being our last Sunday night service will be January 31st. If our current growth pattern holds true we will be full in these 3 morning services by the fall. At that time we will reevaluate adding 2 new Sunday night services.
We are moving forward with our plans to build a new worship center. The greatest obstacle we face is resources. We are committed to do whatever it takes, however realistically there are only so many service options available. But I am reminded of a story I heard following the New Year of Pastor Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. The people of God rose up and met the financial need that was before them. With that being said we are immediately establishing a fund for you to give toward this new worship center. I am convinced that we will not have to forsake who we are as a church to build this new facility. It will take all of us to accomplish this great task. I'm praying like Pastor Warren prayed, that God will send us people who He has already blessed with resources that can meet our needs here at LifeSong.

In starting this new worship service our greatest need is for Pastor Allan to be able to staff the new 8:30 Kidzlife. If you are not currently working in Kidzlife or you feel like you can help us get this up off the ground please send Pastor Allan an email at Allan@lifesongchurchonline.com.

I love you guys. I am so excited about the future of LifeSong Church.

Pastor Jeff
Lead Pastor
LifeSong Church

Part 1 of American Idols

2010-01-19T08:31:00.000-05:00

Podcast is also up at www.jeffhickman.mypodcast.com

American Idols: Name Our Idols Exodus 20:3-5
Have no other gods, only me.
No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don't bow down to them and don't serve them because I am GOD, your God, and I'm a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I'm unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.
An idol is anything that takes the focus off God and puts it on something else.
Idol worship will: Deut 4:15-16 “ For your own good don’t sin by making an idol in any form at all.”
- Disappoint you
Jeremiah 10:14 “Those who make idols are disillusioned because the gods they made are false and lifeless.”
- Dominate you
I Corinthians 12:2 “Paul said, “Before you knew Christ you were controlled by dead idols, who always led you astray.”
- Deform you
Ps. 115:8 “Those who make idols will become like them and so will those who trust in them.”
- Destroy You
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We believe that we control the idols, but reality is the idols control us.
Worship God Alone
We worship whatever we give our highest love and devotion too.
Worshipping God alone:
- Will Fill You
Psalms 37:4 “Seek your happiness in the Lord and he will give you your hearts desire.”
- Will Free You
John 8:32,36 “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” “If the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed.”
- Will Fully Develop You
2 Corinthians 3:18 “We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

American Idol(s) Series

2010-01-16T18:49:00.003-05:00

God tells us in Exodus 20:3, "Have no other gods, only me." All across the world there numerous religions and objects that people worship. You can walk into most Chinese restaurants and see Buddha on display. It is easy for our minds to quickly summarize that "no other gods" means these kind objects of worship or other religions, but it is not as simple as that. As a matter of fact, an idol or god is anything that has captured our affection above our affection for Jesus. Americans have become masters of idol worship. We struggle in our relationship with Jesus because there as so many idols in our hearts closet that are calling for attention. We often lose our passion for God because He does not fit into our current situation, atmosphere or plan. I deal with alot of situations where we have reduced Jesus down to a good luck charm or get me out of this bad circumstance god.
Over the next 5 weeks we are going to challenge you to take a hard look your relationship with God. We want to identify the idols that keep us at an arm lengths distance from passionately pursuing God. We want to learn how to develop sensitivity toward idols that sneak in and stealing our spiritual passion for the One True God.
I am excited about this series. It is going to be a great time of worship and teaching. Tune in Monday for the outline from Sunday and the podcast.

Losing Our Ability to Relate to People Who Need Jesus

2010-01-11T10:09:00.002-05:00

Testimony Sunday was a huge day for a lot of people. It was powerful! It was moving! It was life-changing! Isn't that we are here for - to connect people to our extraordinary God...a God who will love them, accept them, save them and help them to be all that they can be.
The ministry of Jesus showed us how to connect with people. The Scriptures show us that He spent very little time with the religious. He lived among the publicans and sinners. He was with them, but He was not like them. Keep in mind that He also was not like the religious people either. He showed us how to be in the world, but not of the world. I fear that many Christians do not understand what it means to live the Jesus way. They are bound up by living up to a certain standard to be accepted by God. They think that their way is the only way. They do not enjoy their relationship with Jesus. There worship is dry. They believe that the more they do for God the more He loves them. Here is the kicker,they love only those who are like them and are easy to love.
It is so easy to forget what it is like to desperately need Jesus in our life. Why do we talk about and treat people who need Jesus as the enemy?
-We look at their sin as being more grievous than ours.
-We have separated ourselves from them with all this mumbo jumbo God talk.
-We have built buildings that look like our self righteousness, not what God looks like. Have you ever stopped to consider what kind of place Jesus would have worshiped in?
- Our separatist attitude causes us to have mostly only Christians friends and we have very few non-Christian friends.
-We like the way we do things and the way we want things, but very rarely do we consider what it is going to take to reach people who don't think, believe or look like we think they should.
-Our mentality is come be like us or "to Hell with you."
Quite frankly, if we don't change they way we relate, if we don't learn the Jesus way that is exactly where a lot of people in our communities will end up.

We have lost our ability to relate to people who need Jesus. We have forgotten what it is like to be searching for something that will fill this spiritual void. We must retrace our steps, rethink our motivations, and kindle a genuine love for people. We need to stop, erase the tape and start all over again. You can't pour new wine into old wine skins. EMBRACE THE JESUS WAY!

Testimony Sunday

2010-01-08T09:14:00.002-05:00

We have one more week until we are starting our new sermon series "American Idols". I hope you will join me in prayer for this Sunday as we have several people share about their journey to Christ and how God has helped them overcome huge obstacles in their lives. I know that God is going to use these stories to draw people to Himself. Bring your friends and families that need Jesus and bring an open heart for yourself. You never know what God may do in your life this week at LifeSong Church. See you Sunday!

Vision 10/27 Sunday

2010-01-06T10:05:00.003-05:00

Here are the notes from Sunday's sermon for those of you who could not make it. Podcast will be available here.

2010: Advancing the Kingdom

What makes us unique?

Raising people up to be “Missionaries Where They Live, Work and Play”.

What Drives Our Decision Making?

- Authentic Relationships We are moving people to pursue intimacy with God as a top priority and love others with unconditional love.

Luke 10:27 “He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”

- Community Transformation We intentionally reach out to others by serving them in practical ways with the intention of leading them to life in Christ.

John 4:28-30,39-42 “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ²⁹"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ^[^a^]?" ³⁰They came out of the town and made their way toward him.” Vs.39-42 “ ³⁹Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹And because of his words many more became believers.They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

- Compelling Environments We create compelling environments that allow the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of people. Acts 1:8, I Cor.2:13

Acts1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

1 Cor2:13 “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”

- Fearless Initiative We encourage people to believe God will do great things through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”

- Family Focus We communicate that family is the primary vehicle for discipleship.

Deut. 6:5-9 “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

What is our strategy as a church?

LifeSong Strategy- 3G- Gather Grow and Go

- 3G clarifies a simple pathway to involvement.

- 3G limits and stewards time “at church” to release people to “be the church”.

- 3G filters which ideas fit best for our church.

- 3G presents and guides people through a balanced process of discipleship.

- 3G opens the door to being actively involved in our community, nation and the world.

What are the marks of a disciple coming from LifeSong Church?

-Pursuing a healthy love relationship with God

-Investing in people all around them to show them the love of God

-People who are not afraid to admit their sin because we know God has forgiven us, but is also changing us

-Intentionally inviting people to surrender their life to live the Jesus way

Thoughts about church methodology

2010-01-05T10:01:00.006-05:00

Read a couple of articles that got me thinking. Here is the first; Here is the second.
I was reading EM Bounds this morning and he really challenged my heart. Here are a few of the quotes that stuck out to me.

- The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods or anoint plans, but He anoints men. The man makes the preacher, but God makes the man.

- The preacher is more than the sermon.The preacher makes the sermon. Preaching is not the performance of the hour, but the outflow of a life.

- It takes 20 yrs to make a sermon because it takes 20 yrs to make a man.The true sermon is a thing of life.The sermon grows as the man grows.

There seems to be a division in the SBC between embracing new methodology or sticking with traditional methodology. I can say without hesitation that I have lived on both sides of that equation. I pastored churches with a traditional methodology for 10 years. In those 10 years we saw God do some amazing things. The churches grew, but saw limited success with reaching young people. The style of the church fit the middle age to older crowd and the young couples in the churches where those who grew up in traditional churches.
Three years ago we planted a new church with new methodologies about community involvement, music style and power structure. In those 3 years we have gone from 14 in my living room to nearly 500. We are reaching young couples in droves. Our children's ministry grew this year from 50 to 150. It has been amazing and fun to be apart of, but here is the thing.
I am preaching the same sermons with the same passion that I always have. I have not changed my theology. I believe that God has grown me personally to be more like His Son. I am more fired up about ministry than I have ever been. What I am trying to say is I haven't made some significant shift as a pastor or as a Christian. I have continued to pursue after God like I always have. God's anointing is with me.
The truth is... I think what is hindering God from moving in most churches is people. People who stand in the way of pastors who are filled with the Holy Spirit - men to whom God has given a vision, but they are handcuffed by men who want to be in charge. The greatest methodological change that can happen in our churches is to allow the pastor the freedom to lead the people. Why is it that men who have not been called to be a pastor think they should tell the pastor what to do?
Go back again and read about the men in these articles. They are all men who were called by God. Men who are being grown by God. Men who have a clear vision from God to lead the people. Here is the key: They are men who are leading their people without hindrance and the people are following.
I am blessed to be where I am at LifeSong Church. Thank you LifeSongers for giving us the freedom to lead you without hindrance. We take seriously the trust you have put in us. God help us to lead you with His vision, passion and clarity.

2010 Servitude

2009-12-30T15:13:00.003-05:00

Over the next few blogs I will be unpacking extraordinary events from 2009 and looking forward to plans for 2010.
The last Sunday of 2009 was spent how we want to spend the entire year ahead of us. It was a great honor for our pastors to wash the feet of all of our people. It is one thing to encourage you to be a servant like Jesus was, but it is quite another to model for you His act of washing the disciples feet. This symbolic event marks the beginning of a church wide challenge to allow God to develop within us the heart of a bond servant. The Scriptures say it best,
Philippians 2:1-11
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father."

Several things pop out to me here:
- being like minded, being in one spirit and purpose. There is such a power in togetherness. When God's people are on His Kingdom's agenda it makes a huge difference.
- looking out for the interest of others. Not only do we share life together, but we are concerned about what is going on in each others life.
-considering others better than yourself. Each person is valuable. We don't have to agree with sin, but we need to have the heart of a rescuer and not a judge. None of us are exempt from sin and all sin is against God. He paid a cruel price so that we can be forgiven. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
- He took on the form of a bond servant. Jesus became a slave. The greatest became the least. He tells us to have the same heart. We need a heart of humility.

We are devoting 2010 to becoming great slaves. Serving one another and the world around us with joy. Growing in the likeness of Christ. Washing the dirty feet of Christians and the world. It is not I, me and my, it is He and We.

Personal Prayer:
God help me to die to myself. Help me to love you above all else. Help me to put others before myself and love them unconditionally. Help me to lead with passion and clarity.

My Bailey

2009-12-28T10:50:00.003-05:00

My Bailey turned 10 yesterday. It makes me smile to say that because I realize this is not just another birthday. It is a big deal when you turn 10. It means you are growing up. It is an honor to be Bailey's earthly father. I get to enjoy all the wonderful things about this amazing little girl. I love to hear her giggle. I love to see her beauty in those moments when she doesn't know I am looking at her. I love to see her tender heart. She has a genuine concern and love for other people. My heart is full when I think about Bailey because I know Jesus lives in her heart and there is nothing more special than that for a dad.
I am going to build a bonfire tonight for her and some friends so they can continue to celebrate this very special birthday. I love you Bailey! Happy Birthday!

An Investment I Will Never Forget

2009-12-23T10:26:00.004-05:00

I have battled back and forth about sharing this because it is extremely personal to me and my family, but how can I not share the great things that God has done. On Monday night, December 21st 2009, I came out of the bathroom of all places to find my living room filled with men. I had no idea what they were doing there and I didn't have time to go and get my gun so I just had to sit down and listen. What I heard and what they did humbled me and broke me. It will go down as a highlight in my 37 years of existence.
They first presented each one of my precious girls with a rose and gave my wife a treasure box with notes of encouragement. Each man then shared from his heart about what God was doing in their life through LifeSong Church. What happened next is what really blew me away. During my spiritual journey there have been moments and activities that have been critical to where God has led us. The first group of men had traveled to Open Door Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC. (When I was in seminary I realized that I had never been baptized as a Christ follower. Under the ministry of Ken Keathley I made a public profession of faith through baptism. This was a defining moment of obedience for me. I can remember thinking, "What will people think of me? I am in seminary and should far beyond this point. It wasn't a question of public opinion, it was more of a decision to live for an audience of One no matter what anyone else thinks. That decision, I have found out, is not popular, but it defines how I live today.) They presented me with a jar of water from the baptistery there.
The second group of guys traveled Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Dillon, SC. (This was the location of my first pastorate. I can remember walking in those doors with my guns blazing. I thought everybody wanted the same thing I did. I quickly found out that was not the case. I hit that wall that most all pastors face in the typical Southern Baptist Church. You have to decide to settle for mediocrity so you can take care of your family or decide to really pursue what God has put in your heart. That question drove me to, the most unusual of places, the cemetery. I spent alot of time behind the church with a lot of dead people. I would sit out there and pour my heart out to God. It was in those many hours of prayer that God spoke, "Never settle for mediocrity." The vision and heartbeat of LifeSong Church was born there.) These men then presented me with a jar of dirt from the cemetery. I cannot tell you how God is using their investment in my life. It is overwhelming me. I am calling out to God in praise and remembering those fires in my heart. The fire is roaring in my chest right now. There is so much more left to do.
Finally, these men served us the Lord's Supper. All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. You have blessed me and my family.

LIFESONG CHURCH, jeff hickman

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