Sunday, Jason shared three reasons to “jump” into the vision at LIFE Church or “jump ship”:

1. God deserves it.

2. Our city depends on it.

3. The next generation benefits from it.

Jason also shared a vision God gave him one night:

I see a city where prisons are empty, the homeless have careers, divorce attorneys are out of work and the name of Jesus Christ is made famous.

I see a city where yesterday’s drug dealers are now mentors, prostitutes are now school teachers, alcoholics are now counselors and the name of Jesus is made famous.

I see a city where those who are far from God find healing from their past, feel loved in the present, and are given a new start for the future.

I see a city where parents are once again role-models for their children.

I see an army of 20,000 Christ-followers who give, pray, serve, and lead as though tomorrow is their last day on earth.

I see a mighty outpouring of God’s favor on Rome, Georgia that is evidenced all around the world.

I see a city where every night of the week, in every neighborhood, and every street there are families meeting together to find healing from their past, help for the present, and hope for the future.

I see a city where divorce is not a problem, abortion is not an option, and child abuse is not an issue.

I see a church full of different races, statuses, creeds, worldviews, who assemble for the purpose of making God look good.

I see a city that is better for my kids, and grandkids, because they, unlike myself, never have to be afraid of standing up for Jesus.

I see a city where the hungry have food, the naked are clothed, the underprivileged have stability, the handicapped are accepted, and the unlovable feel loved.

I believe LIFE Church is the pioneer of this vision, and I am willing to work, pray, lead, serve, sweat, cry, and if necessary die, to see this vision fulfilled.

Today was an incredible day at LIFE Church. It was one of those “don’t miss” Sundays.

We began our worship with “Shine”, which is an incredible up-beat rocking song.

The video we showed “Our Church” really set the tempo for my new series–”Close Encounters: Has Church Left You In The Dark?”

The band once again led us straight to the throne of God in worship this morning. Worship was powerful this morning!!!

I love this new series–”Close Encounters”. The creative team has done a great job the last few weeks preparing for this morning. Today, I shared that Jesus spent time with sinners, by using a familiar story about Jesus and Zaccheus.

We had LFC after our morning worship gathering. Several new families attended in order to hear more about LIFE Church. I want to share with you what one young man, Joshua who is 14 years old, said about LIFE Church. When I asked the question, if you were to start a church, what would  your church look like. This was Josh’s response: “I don’t think I’m responsible enought to start my own church. But, if I were to start my own church it would be exactly the same as LIFE Church because this the ONLY church that has taught God’s word in a way that I can understand. Every other church that I’ve been to has been directed toward adults. I really, really, love this church. I’m 14 and I understand every word. I can’t explain how excited I am to find a church that can teach youth while also teaching adults”

That pretty much sums it up!!!

Jason

As many of you know, I spent the last week at the beach–resting, and relaxing. But, I was back in the saddle today, and it was great to be back. Here are a few random thoughts from today.

Set-up went very well this morning. I want to thank Russ, David, Robert, Vince, Mike, and Danny for being so faithful each week to go above and beyond the call of duty. You guys are awesome, and I appreciate you more than you know!!!

The band was tight musically this morning. That’s a compliment by the way! Trent was our new drummer this morning, and did a great job. They began worship with “Drifter”, one of my all-time favorites. Also, Josh once again did a great job leading our people to the throne of God this morning.

I shared about one of my passions this morning–Keep It Simple. In short, Life is all about spending time with the people you love. It’s relationships that matter, not money, fame, career, or power.

I met a family this morning who has been visiting LIFE Church for the last two weeks. They have visited several churches over the last several months. But they are really excited about taking the next step at LIFE.

After church, I went to eat at Las Palmas, and one of our families paid for our meal. That was such a blessing!!

This afternoon, I spent some time with a man dying of cancer. I got an opportunity to share Christ with him, and he indicated that he had already made a decision to follow Christ.

This evening, we had an awesome time in LIFE Group. I know that many of you are in LIFE Groups, but in my humble but accurate opinion, my LIFE Group is the best.

Til Next Time,

Jason

Today was an awesome day at LIFE Church. I have heard from so many folks about how the worship was incredible. Here are a few random thoughts from this morning:

We had several visiting families. I was able to speak with 3 new families, and each of them went on and on about LIFE Church.

It was evident that summer has come to a close. Our attendance was great!!! Several families back in town.

The band set the standard this morning. They really led us to the throne of God. Great job guys!!!

Matt Conway, our drummer, has been clean from drugs for 100 days today. Matt-I’m proud of you buddy. Hang in there and stay the course.

I finished my series of talks called “Games of Life”. This morning I shared that some times you have to move on and part ways.

We had quite a few new volunteers helping with tear down. That was such a huge blessing. Thanks guys for doing whatever it takes and then some to make things happen.

Last, but not least, thank you to all of you who represented Jesus this morning. It is because you do what God wants  you to do that I am able to do what God wants me to do–we’re in this thing together, and it takes all of us.

Jason

Do you ever have days when it seems like everything bothers you. I had one yesterday, so I thought I would share the top ten things that bother me on a regular basis. Starting with number 10…

• #10–Cup Sweat–you know what I’m talking about. When your cup sweats on your table and leaves a ring…I HATE IT!!!
• #9–The Toilet Seat–I hate leaving the toilet seat down. Before getting married, I could leave the toilet seat anyway I wanted. Now if I leave it up, my wife falls in…that ain’t good!!!
• #8–Ants–Now is the time of year that ants are in full mass. I see one right now on my table–squish–he’s dead!!!
• #7–Bad Service–When I go out to eat, which isn’t much these days, I want to be pampered. I want my glass of sweet tea to always be at least half full. If I’m paying, I want great service!
• #6–UGA Losing–Please don’t ask me on Sunday morning what I thought about UGA if they just lost. I may come unglued!
• #5–Thiefs–Not only did our business get robbed three weeks ago, but this past week our “For Sale” sign was stolen out of our yard. Can you believe that, someone didn’t want to buy a $15 “For Sale” sign, so they took ours.
• #4–The Hanna Montana song–my daughter loves Hannah Montana. She watches it everyday. But I can’t get the song out of my head. Don’t you hate it when you can’t get a song out of your head???
• #3–Gatorade–I refuse to drink it!!! I drink Powerade!!! Why??? Because Gatorade was invented at the University of Florida, and I won’t support the University of Florida with 1 penny. I’m a Bulldog to the core!!! AMEN!!!
• #2–Misplacing My Wallet–This really bothers me because I misplaced it this past week (the 2nd time in two weeks). But I found it!
• #1–Lazy Christians–The word “lazy” and “Christian” are polar opposites. Jesus said that he came to serve and not to be served. I don’t understand how someone who is in love with Jesus could be lazy!

Jason

What is your top ten???

I was reading this morning in Matthew 4, and God revealed something that I had never seen before. In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus calls his first disciples (Simon & Andrew) (James & John)–two sets of brothers. In the midst of that awesome story, one word continued to stare me in the face–IMMEDIATELY ! Actually, this word is used twice in this passage. When Jesus called Simon & Andrew they IMMEDIATELY left their nets and followed Jesus. When Jesus called James & John, they IMMEDIATELY left their boats and followed Jesus.

The point is that windows of opportunity close quickly. Therefore, when Jesus calls I must IMMEDIATELY follow him. Delayed obedience is always Disobedience!

Jason

Today was a great day at LIFE Church. Here are a few random thoughts from our worship gathering this morning:

The Band set the tempo this morning by starting our worship with “Shine”…I love that song!!

The worship was incredible this morning…I can honestly say that today was the best worship time I’ve experienced over the last 4 months at LIFE Church. Josh was anointed by God this morning!

I shared a message about how to handle conflict and the main point was “Agree to Disagree Agreeably”.

We had a number of new faces with us the morning…thank you Jesus for bringing new faces each week!

We had LFC after our worship gathering and 4 families were present. A couple of those families are ready to take the next step at LIFE Church.

Attendance was down, but God’s Spirit showed up!!!

Jason

Tonight we had our creative thinktank…and it was awesome, God gave us some great ideas for the next series. But what happened when I got home, blew my mind. We had asked Katie to watch Eli and Alli while we were at the creative thinktank, and she jumped at the opportunity. She called a couple of her friends (from her LIFE Group) Vince and Anna to come over and hang out with her and the kids.

When Amy and I got home, the first thing we noticed was that our kitchen was spotless, Anna was washing our cabinets, and Vince was cleaning Alli’s booster seat–it was absolutely nasty!!! THAT BLEW MY  MIND!!! Katie, Anna, and Vince went out of their way to not only watch our children, but to literally clean our house. Which brings me to my point! Servant Leadership–serving others without being asked!

This is the way Jesus led people…He served them. As a matter of fact, Jesus said, “I’ve not come to be served, but to serve” Jesus was known in his day for washing feet, touching the blind, and casting out demons. Jesus was a servant!!!! 

Who have you served lately??? If you want to lead people, begin with a basin and towel. Leadership is not all about abilities, personality, or passion. Although each of these are important, they can never replace a servants heart. 

Thank you Katie, Vince, and Anna for serving our family tonight…It really encouraged me!!!

Jason

It’s worth it to talk to total strangers. This evening I went and got a bite to eat at the Huddle House. There is nothing like a good hamburger from Huddle House after a long day. I noticed a guy sitting behind me eating alone. So, I struck up a conversation with him. His name is Jimmy. We talked for a few minutes and then I invited Jimmy to eat with me and offered to buy his meal, which he refused. For 45 minutes Jimmy and I talked about life, Jesus, church, and everything else imaginable. Jimmy is a Christ-follower who is out of church because he was hurt by another pastor. But one thing was very clear to me: Jimmy is looking for a church with real people who are passionate about serving Jesus Christ. He is not looking for fake people or a fake church. He is looking for an environment where he can be himself! So I invited Jimmy to hang out with us on Sunday am at LIFE Church. Jimmy will be there Sunday!!!

There are Jimmy’s everywhere if we just take the time to talk to them. Was it worth it to talk with Jimmy???Absolutely

Jason

There were a ton of new faces yesterday at LIFE Church . I spoke with a lady who was visiting with us for the first time. She and her husband minister on the streets two Sundays mornings a month, but they attend church the other two Sundays. When I asked her what she thought about LIFE Church, she went on and on. She said she would be back next Sunday with her husband. I thought that was pretty cool!!! I spoke with another family, and they were going to visit several churches. LIFE Church was the first church they have visited. She told me that there isn’t really a need to visit anywhere else. Wow!!

Here are few things that happened yesterday morning:

I shared with our partners what God is teaching me lately: “Sinners are our mission, not our enemy”. This lesson has been pretty hard to learn because someone robbed our business this past weekend. Whatever God teaches us, He always tests us with those lessons.

Our attendance was up from the last few weeks.

The band was anointed this morning!!! God really blessed me in worship! Thanks to our band for your faithfulness in leading us to the throne.

I shared a message about handling confrontation in a way that honors God. Confrontation is difficult! It is risky! But it is necessary!

I put Josh Perry on the spot by asking him about “bungee jumping”. Thanks Josh for being a team player.

Also, and most importantly, I want to thank all of our LIFE Church partners for being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I realize that many of you aren’t able to be in our worship gathering every week, but your committment and sacrifice will be rewarded in heaven–THAT I CAN PROMISE YOU!!!

Jason