Church went really well today. We are in the second week of a new series called “Crash”. We’re spending some time in the book of Daniel. It has been great so far. Today we looked at Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Chapter 2. I think it went well. The rain in Miami has been out of control. I’m not used to cloudy days. Days in Miami are usually sunny 90% of the time. But this weekend has been miserably wet. It affected our attendance. It also made me think: I have never purchased an umbrella in my life. Weird. I’m looking forward … Read More
If You’re Thinking about Planting…
If you’re thinking about planting a church, would you consider Miami? Here are the stats: 94% unchurched (I know this means a lot of things to a lot of people, but here it means people with no church background at all). Of that 6% that are churched, it is evenly split, 3% Catholic and 3% Protestant. There are more Santeros in Miami than clergy. (If you don’t know what a Santero is, click here) Most church plants in Miami fail, mostly because all the stuff that’s written in books about how to grow a church don’t work here. Miami is … Read More
It’s Nice to Hear Your Voice…Mail
We have gone over 2 weeks without voicemail at our offices, until yesterday afternoon. We thought the whole voicemail system was fried, but it turned out to be the power supply. Once the people picked it up and replaced it, we were back in business. This means 2 things… #1 – If you called us over the last 2 weeks and didn’t have an opportunity to leave a message after office hours, we’re very sorry. #2 – Feel free to call us when we’re not hear and our friendly auto-attendant will take you to the voicemail box you need to … Read More
Not the Way to Start Today…
I woke up this morning realizing that some people have put some meaning into today’s date (6-6-06). Now, while I don’t think it means anything, i woke up this morning and noticed the book that I’m reading had some pen smudges on the cover (Those that know me, know that I take meticulous care of my books – You’d never know I read them if it weren’t for all the writing in blue pen). Anyway, I noticed the pen marks on the book and then I noticed I had blue ink all over my hand. Then I looked in the … Read More
Book Review: Why Men Hate Going to Church
I finished reading “Why Men Hate Going to Church” by David Murrow. I bought this book because several people recommended it to me. Honestly, it took me about a 100 pages to get into it. But I really enjoyed the book. Funny enough, the emotion I felt while reading the book was freedom! There was always a part of me that thought I wasn’t spiritual because I despise holding hands with people (other than my wife) when I pray. So when Christians want to get into a circle and have men hold hands just creeps me out. I have not … Read More
Crash Video – Brace for Impact!
Here’s the video intro that Carey made for our new “crash” series. It’s compressed to 2.8 MB. This way, you won’t have to wait all day to download it. Also, it’s in Quicktime. If you don’t have Quicktime (which means you don’t have a Mac), get right with God and download it here. Enjoy…Download CRASH-web.mov
The Timing of Change
I had an interesting conversation this week with a Pastor and I was reminded of the importance of how to implement change. I shared some things with him and when I was talking, I was remembering all the dumb mistakes we’ve made over the years in regards to changing things. So before you turn your church upside down because you just got back from the coolest church ever or the best conference in the universe, consider this: #1 – Get your staff on board – I know you’ve heard from God, but your staff needs to hear from you. Give … Read More
Summer is Officially Upon Us…
We had a great service today. It felt great to be back after being out for 2 Sundays in a row. People seemed excited and into our new series “crash”. We spending some time in the book of Daniel. That dude was awesome. “No, I won’t have your non-kosher food, thank you very much.” I love the integrity of that 17 year old kid! Anyway, a bunch of people were out. Some of our staff was out of town. I encourage our staff to take vacation during the low times in the church calendar. The last day of school was … Read More
Book Review: Frequently Avoided Questions
I started reading Frequently Avoided Questions by Chuck Smith Jr. and Matt Whitlock a few months ago. I was so impressed by the first 75 pages that I bought a copy for my entire staff. We started reading a chapter a week and discussing the thoughts that Chuck and Matt brought up. What transpired was some meaningful dialogue that stretched our faith and inspired new ideas. While I didn’t agree with everything that as written, that’s not the point of the book. The point was to start looking at the questions with a new perspective. While I think Chuck and … Read More
Back in the Saddle…
It’s great to be home. I’m still totally exhausted, but when I got off the plane and smelled Cuban bread being toasted in the terminal, I knew I was back in Miami. I loved being in the office today and seeing my staff. I really love these people. We not only work together, but we’re friends. Lots of man-hugs and catching up to say the least! It’s so interesting how things keep rolling with or without you. It shows me that this is God’s church and I’m just a spoke in the wheel. But I’m glad to get rolling again. … Read More