Great devotional

Misty, a girl in my new small group, recently sent me this short devotional. I really enjoyed it and thought I'd pass it along.

“I have called you friends.” John 15:15 NKJV

Become God's friend

Another step in developing your friendship with God is: Choosing to be honest with Him! God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but He does expect you to be honest. If perfection was a requirement not one of us would qualify. In the Bible God’s friends were honest about their feelings, sometimes even complaining and arguing with Him, yet He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, He encouraged it. God listened patiently to David’s accusations of unfairness, betrayal and abandonment. He didn’t zap Jeremiah for claiming God had tricked him. Job was allowed to vent his bitterness and God actually defended him for being honest. On the other hand, He rebuked Job’s friends for faking it: “You haven’t been honest either with me or about me - not the way my friend Job has…My friend Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer” (Job 42:7 TM). To be God’s friend you must share your true feelings with Him, not what you think you ought to feel or say. Until you understand that God uses everything for good in our lives, you’ll harbor resentment towards Him over your looks, your nationality, your economic background, your unanswered prayers, your past hurts, and the things you’d change if you were God. Actually, revealing your feelings and releasing your resentments to Him are the first steps to becoming spiritually whole. Isn’t it encouraging to know that God’s closest friends felt just like we do, but instead of masking their feelings in pious clichés they voiced them openly. Why? Because expressing them leads to healing and a deeper level of intimacy with Him.

Corn Maze

After my weekend in Tuscaloosa I drove straight back to Canton, GA for Buckhead Church singles night at Cagle's Dairy Farm. It was a crisp fall night. We had BBQ under a tent, jumped on an inflatable blob, got lost in a corn maze, took a hayride, made smores and danced to an awesome folk band.

Nashville Flood Trip

On Saturday I joined a group of friends and other Buckhead Church attendees on a one day work trip to Nashville. We met bright in early around 6:30a and left for a long day. We joined a group in a Bellevue neighborhood called Beech Bend. The area was hit hard by the flood. Many homes had over 6 feet of water in them. We helped rip out sheet rock, shovel gravel, pick up trash and remnants left in yards and bag items to be hauled away.

Read more about the trip on the Buckhead Church Blog.

Check It Out TONIGHT!!!!

Click on the picture to experience ONLINE church - 6p EST

I LOVE my church

This morning I literally had tears streaming down my face before church even started...it was really amazing. We connected all 3 of our campuses for a live song experience. There were 5 bands and they alternated performing a part of a song seamlessly as the next campus picked up where the previous one started. I feel so blessed to be able to attend a place with so many creative people who aren't afraid to try new things! Our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to be a church where unchurched people want to attend. It is such an amazing place and if you are in the Atlanta area I encourage you to check out what we are doing at North Point, Buckhead or Browns Bridge Churches. It's exciting and contagious...

For those of you NOT in Atlanta...good news. You can soon check it out too! Starting Sunday, August 16th at 6pET we will be live streaming the 6p service at Buckhead Church to EVERYONE via the wonderful WORLD WIDE WEB! Watch these videos & get more information here. It isn't supposed to replace your local church but create an online community for people who want to be a part of our church's mission and aren't local to Atlanta.

Check out the promotional videos below!

North Point Online - Promo 1 from North Point Media on Vimeo.

North Point Online - Promo 2 from North Point Media on Vimeo.

NorthPoint Live

Exciting news from Buckhead Church...beginning August 16th you will be able to watch the music and sermon from Buckhead's 6p service LIVE on the internet - from anywhere!

North Point Online Promo from John on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Buckhead Church!

Read about our last 8 years....HERE!

Good Friday

I know I'm a few hours early but wanted to make sure I posted this.
Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross and making the most perfect sacrifice...for me!

It's A Girl!!

I'm officially the sponsor of this beautiful little girl...Jhoselin. I adopted her through Compassion International this week. As part of my Balanced class I have decided to get more organized and consistent in my giving. I have considered sponsoring a child through Compassion for over a year and this was the nudge I needed.

I chose Jhoselin from Bolivia because my friend Taylor went to Bolivia last year on a GlobalX trip through Buckhead Church. While there they visited and helped spruce up a Compassion School. I'm not sure it is the same one that Jhoselin goes to but I figured that was a good connection. Also, I know Spanish so I thought that communicating with her would be easier.

Jhoselin is 6 years old. She is one of three children and attends Kindergarten and church activities through Compassion. The neat thing about this organization is that I am Jhoselin's only sponsor. She will know me and I will know her. She will pray for me and I will pray for her.

I'm so excited to be a part of her life and see how she grows/blossoms with my support.

Check out Compassion International here: http://www.compassion.com/default.htm

Balanced

I'm halfway through a course about $$ that Buckhead Church is putting on. So far I've learned a lot and gained confidence that I'm on the right track. The course has offered practical applications and organization to get "Balanced" and understand what the Bible says about money.

At the start of the course I asked that God change my heart and help decrease my constant want for more or newer clothes, furnishings, electronics, etc... Perhaps the greatest lesson came three weeks ago when my grandmother lost her entire home in a house fire. The house was full of her possessions and memories for over 40 years. As I helped her make an inventory of the items she had, the last thing on her mind was that "cute new spring dress" or those "fun pink shoes." The Lord really shook me up that those things are just that...things.

This verse has resonated in my heart ever since:
"...a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." - Luke 12:15

I hope that as I finish the course I am able to apply the lessons I've learned and remember that "Wealth and honor come from You. You are the ruler of all things." - 1 Chronicles 29:12

Check out http://www.balancedonline.org/ for more information.