Needing Your Prayers

We have two families going through major physical ordeals with their babies.  Please pray for them.

One that I feel free to discuss is baby Jaylee at Miami Children’s Hospital.  She had a heart bypass shortly after she was born.  We’re in week two and this has been a tough week for her.  Tomorrow’s a big day…a critical day.

She’s beautiful.  It was a wonderful feeling to have her little fingers holding my hand.  Adriana said she opened her eyes today.  But, things are really touchy right now.  This has been tough for them I know…can’t even begin to imagine my kids in that situation.  When I think about it, my heart hurts for Jason, Adriana, and Jaylee

Really, it’s kind of difficult for me to wrap my mind around the hows or whys of the situation.  I know God knows all that much better than I can ever understand.  I’m going to keep trusting Him to take care of Jaylee, Jason, and Adriana.  Would you pray with me?

Change

Mix it up. Do something different. Take a risk. Alter the monotony. Change of attitude = change of altitude. Build something. Tear something down. If it ain’t broken, break it.

If you want to go where you’ve never gone, you have to do what you’ve never done. Your habits determine your destination. If you want to change your destiny, change your habits because your present condition is no indication of your future potential in Jesus Christ IF you are willing to change and to allow Him to change you.

BUT, it isn’t easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Break out of the pack. Don’t let your environment or your past determine who you will be. Change your environment. Change your attitude. Change your crowd. Rise above your circumstance. Don’t take the easy way out. There isn’t one.

Being great requires hard work, commitment to discipline, commitment to the future, involvement in the present, reliance on Jesus, and service to man. Don’t wait for the right moment. The right moment never comes because the right moment is always now. There will always be hardship and challenge. There is no better time to begin than now. No excuses. No delay. No apologies. No hesitation. Just begin. And, don’t look back.

If you get tired, take another step. If you get discouraged, encourage yourself. If you get lonely, know you are never alone. If you get beaten up, know that you will heal. If you strike out, get back in the batter’s box. Life is too short to be stuck. Being stuck is easy. Take the difficult path and make your efforts count.

The Ride

2007 was the year of the fat Travis. After three kids and the most physically lethargic period of time in my life, I’ve had enough of sucking it in and playing the role of the emerging big man.

Well, Travis 2.0 is giving the fat boy a beat down like Sgt. Snorkel on Beetle Bailey. Since 1/1/08, I’ve dropped 17 lbs and I’m prepared to keep moving forward.I decided to ditch my car for transportation to and from the office. So, last night I picked up a bike and huffed it into the office this morning.

I used to roll on a Raleigh Technium (top left) like this one on Craigslist. Now, I’ve got a bit of a hybrid in a Diamondback Edgewood (top right). I thought about nothing, felt a slight burn, and enjoyed the crisp morning air. After this cold front goes through and we return to our 80 degree mornings, it may not be quite as invigorating. But, unless I have to have my car, it is going to stay on garage duty, I’m going to drop my last 15 lbs, and still beat everyone into the office.

The Great Commission in Miami

Two Sundays. Two new churches. Last week, Nathan and his crew launched InDependence Church. Yesterday, Matt had the grand opening of The Pursuit Christian Church. Enjoy the picture of the first Sunday of the Pursuit in Pembroke Pines.

Travesty!

Say it ain’t so!

Sunday Wrap-up

• After being out for one week at InDependence, it was great to be back.
• Speaking of InDependence, the video that Casey shot of InDependence looked like JJ Abram’s Cloverfield…or maybe Blair Witch. Still, it was great to show what you guys helped make happen. Very proud of your generosity.
• As usual Chris, has a good wrap-up from a different perspective…good stuff.
• Thank you for praying for Jaylee. At 1 week old, she’s a miracle. She has a long way to go…so, don’t stop praying.
• We got a little extra space this week.
• Next week, we should have our audio/video setup on the main floor which will open up a little over 100 more seats between the two services.
• So, with two services, evenly distributed, we can facilitate 510 people before having to find a new place or before figuring out how we can do three services in the theater.
• It looks like we got approval on Campbell Middle from the School Board. We can do multiple services there without the urgency to exit by noon. The auditorium is also larger by about 100 people. We’ll see how things work out this week when we renegotiate with the theater.
• The vibe in the theater was great this morning.
• I loved the trail to Kids Life and their lobby setup…great job, Annie!
• The auditorium setup was nice…the new rugs and lamps on stage were perfect and the candles at the communion tables were beautiful.
• I met a couple that visited last week for the first time and was back today. After service, they were both on auditorium tear-down. Awesome way to kick-off being a part of the church! They drive from the middle of the Everglades…over 50 miles. They have the biggest backyard in Florida and a heck of a drive.
• A couple trends I’ve been noticing: 1. 20-30 year olds bringing their parents to church and 2. neighbors bringing neighbors. We’ve had about 15 families (out of about 60 homes) from my neighborhood visit…with most of us sticking around. The Gospel is contagious.
• Jesse cracks me up with his videos. Today was no exception.
• Today, we talked about the Macedonian Call and about living cross-culturally.
• Next week, this guy will be talking about living counter-culturally as we wrap up our State of the Church series.
• Grant McClung was my Missions professor in Seminary and is a leading missiologist and thinker.
• He’s got his thumb on the pulse of the Church worldwide.  We’ll be challenged by him…can’t wait.
• We very rarely have guest speakers. That should tell you something about my opinion of his ministry.
• He’ll have a message for us…really want you to grab everyone that you can to be at Life Pointe this coming Sunday.
• In the meantime, keep doing your thing, loving Jesus and loving your neighbors!

Check me out on the Potential Podcast

I got an invite to sit in as the “special guest” on the Potential Podcast with Troy Gramling and Heredes Ribeiro over at Flamingo Road Church.  That’s special!  These are some awesome guys that I respect and enjoy being around.  I’m thankful that guys like Troy take time out from their local ministry focus to pour into other leaders like myself.  I’m looking forward to sharing some of our experiences in church planting, including some what-not-to-do kind of stuff.

I’ll give you a heads up when the episode is out.  In the meantime, you can check out the Potential Blog or subscribe to the Potential Podcast here.

Fed Cut, Property Tax Cut, 2nd Population Boom?

2005 and 2006 were booms for Homestead.  2007 with a falling real estate market, the wind came out of the sails of the residential market and we felt it in our wallets.  I know I did.  Still the commercial backfill is almost breath taking even now.

I’m curious about what’s next.  With today’s 3/4 point Fed rate cut and a likely property tax cut, I have to wonder if Homestead is about to experience another surge of new residents buying up the over built residential inventory and a piling on of commercial development.

Do what you have to do…

In the Great Debaters, James Farmer Sr. says to his son, “Do what you have to so you can do what you want to do.”  That statement drove his son to become a great voice for racial equality.  Without shaping words like that, I wonder if James Farmer Jr. would have overcome such great odds like he did.

The concept of delayed gratification is largely missing from our society.  We want everything now.  What are the things you want to do?  What are the things that withhold you from building those foundational elements in your life that determine your destiny?

Is it your personal debt?  78% of Americans think this is the biggest problem facing the nation. We are limited in what we do to enlarge the Kingdom of Jesus Christ if we are enslaved to debt.

Is it time?  Are you so wrapped up in work, business, and activities that you have no time to spend with your family and friends and no real influence with people personally, especially people who are not personally committed to Jesus?

Keep the list going and ask yourself what are the things you should be doing.  Then, do something about it…now.

InDependence Church Launch Pics

This year, we helped sponsor two churches, Free Chapel in Austin, TX and InDependence Church in Weston, FL. Today, was InDependence Church’s launch service. You can see a few other pics we took here (coffee, info, playground, entrance, worship set).

Sunday Wrap-up

• I left on a cold, wet morning to go to the Launch service for InDependence Church in Weston, FL…skipping service at Life Pointe.
• I’ll post some pics soon.
• We had a great day.  Nathan had a great turnout…loved the vibe.
• At the middle of the service, they took a break for probably 7 minutes to refill coffee, grab donuts, and chat.  All the anxiety from all of the new people checking out a new church seemed to melt out of the room as people huddled around and got to know one another.
• Weston is perfectly manicured.  But, people need Jesus in a big way.  Breaking through a mindset of self sufficiency is the challenge for the Church there.
• We shot some video and will show it Sunday.  You can see what you helped make happen.  I cannot begin to say how proud I am of your generosity to our neighbors north of us and your responsiveness to the mission of Jesus.
• Being away from Life Pointe always feels weird, kind of like I’m cheating.
• With each time I leave, I hardly think twice about how things are going to go.  I know it will be smooth because our leaders and volunteers have developed so well.
• While I was gone, we had our biggest day ever with 382 people!  That’s not bad for a 3 day weekend.
• There is definitely a lot of Momentum.  People are bringing their friends.  Lives are being changed.
• And, we’re asking a lot from everyone…unapologetically. Serve. Give. Pray.  Love God and man recklessly.  These are normal attributes of someone who is following Jesus.
• We are only going to see God’s Kingdom come in a big way in this community if we are emptying ourselves into the lives of others.
• You guys are definitely doing just that!
• We need some more people to make the switch over to the 9 AM to free up space in the 10:30.
• We begin a new series that is going to be a HUGE in our community on February 10th.  It may be slightly offensive or controversial to some people.  Others will love the short films we created and the openness we will do our best to display.  But, it is an issue we need to talk to our community and our church about.  Some repairs need to be made to people’s hearts from damage caused by Christians.  I am looking forward to it.  Sneak peak some of the content here and here.
• On February 17th, we’re opening a new worship venue for youth during the 10:30.  With 300+ coming to our concerts during the week, we are expecting a full venue on day one.
• Between those two things, we will need a big move to the 9 AM to make room.  So, be a man and help your wife put diapers on the kids so you can get to church a little earlier!
• I don’t know much about what happened at Life Pointe.  So, if you want to hear more about that, check out what my man, Chris had to say.

American Christians Tend To Be Incredibly Self Indulgent

Erwin McManus on the Church in America:

“My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them…there is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ.”

I’m nodding my head so hard in agreement that I’m getting a head ache. Read the rest here. Thanks to Todd for the heads up.

Coming Soon – Video 2

Watch Video 1 first. Then hang in there to see what’s next. I don’t know that you can guess exactly what it is. I will say it is going to be the most original thing we’ve done…can’t wait. I think the production value of these vids are also better than anything we’ve done. The likeus.tv videos were excellent. So, that’s saying a lot.

Coming Soon – Video 1

I can’t say much. But, its almost here.  I finished a chunk of creative work today.  It was a lot of fun and I love it.  Most importantly, is the message behind this stuff.  I hope it shakes us to our core.

Defining Moments

I’ve had some bizarre experiences in my life as it pertains to criminal acts against me. They’ve shaped who I am. Check it out:

• When I was 15, I got mugged in front of Homestead Police Department while on my bike. I kept my bike, took a beating that wasn’t worth keeping the bike, and the cops arrested the guy.
• When I was 16, I had a gun put to my head and my car window busted out while I was in the car.
• When I was 17, my car was stolen twice. The second time 2 gross of bottle rockets were shot off inside the car.
• As a junior in college while doing children’s ministry in a really rough Florida City neighborhood, someone tried to car jack me. It happened so fast, I didn’t realize what was going on. I calmly drove away momentarily oblivious to what was happening.
• As a senior in college and College and Career Pastor at this church, I was driving my roommate’s car (with Indiana plates) in the middle of nowhere Tennessee on a first date. I was chased for miles and run off the road for no reason other than I guess they thought I was from up north. After being run off the road and unable to reverse the car, two guys physically attacked me. I fought for my life and beat the crap out of one of them with a steel pipe I found on the ground probably breaking his ribs and his arm. I went from trying to escape to trying to spare my life. Then, a rifle came out. Out of no where, I told the guy, “In the name of Jesus, give me that rifle.” He did. We got in the car and drove off. Without a doubt, that was the most bizarre and surreal moment of my life.
• I caught someone breaking into my house once, chased him down, and got my stuff back.
• Innumerable incidents during the summer of 1993 following hurricane Andrew.
• Two nights ago, I bought 3 laptops for the church at the Apple store in the Falls. Apparently, someone followed me out, watched me put them in my trunk, and followed me for 25 minutes to a restaurant. When I walked in, they busted out my window, popped the trunk, and took only the laptops. They did it in front of three Washington Mutual ATM cameras. According to the office, these same people have been targeting people coming out of the Apple store. So, hopefully they’ll catch those guys after pulling the tape from the ATM.

From that, I’ve learned:

• it really sucks to be a victim of crime.
• your stuff is just stuff. Let it go. Walk away every time if you possibly can.
• you should never stand by unwilling to involve yourself when someone is being taken advantage of.
• to be aware of your surroundings.
• if someone backs you into a corner and you have to fight, do whatever you have to do to win. Never fight nice. There are no rules to defending yourself or your family.
• Don’t put yourself foolishly into situations that compromise your safety.

Amazingly, I am not paranoid. I don’t let it affect who I am. I don’t shrink back from the world. In fact, I have a sense of destiny and justice for the abused that emerges from a lot of that. God has protected me through it all. I have also been able to have an amazing amount of peace as I’ve gone through other less significant difficulties since I have developed a real perspective on life and eternity. So, while I wish those things would not have happened, I’m thankful that God has shaped me through those experiences.

What experiences have shaped you? What are the things in your life that the Satan has meant for evil but, that God is using for good in your life? Have you dwelt on the evil against you? Or have you embraced the pain as a part of God’s greater plan for your life? Feel free to share it here…should be an interesting read as we open up and talk about our past and defining moments in our lives.

It’s official – our re-launch is over

We just closed on our contract to sell this property. This has been a two year process. We’ve had some excellent people put themselves on the line to strategize, work through issues, and bring about the best result possible, especially our elders who have worked with me through this entire process and our realtor, Sim Wilson. I’ve worked with a lot of professionals. None were more exceptional than Sim, especially in this long, complicated sales cycle. At the end of the day, not only did this transaction close but, I’ve gained an excellent friend.

It has also been a privilege to work with the great people at Hope Academy who have purchased the property.  They will be an excellent addition to our community…serving and developing our children.  These people are excellent with a passion for education.  I couldn’t be happier with how and to whom the property is changing hands.

We’ve come through some large hurdles to get to this place. There is really no other way to explain it other than God’s faithfulness and grace working in us…often times in spite of us.  At times, I simply had no clue how things were going to work from week to week even though we have experienced steady growth over the last 3 years since we relaunched. But, God always provided a way and we never quit pushing and believing.  God will continue to bless and we will continue to push like people’s lives depend on it…because they do.

So with that said, this effectively ends our re-launch phase and opens up a new set of opportunities and challenges as a growing, vibrant, aggressive church on mission.  Without a doubt, this is no time to let up in our pursuit of the mission of Jesus here in south Miami-Dade.  We’ve seen a ton of gains.

But, 2008 is a year of opportunity in a bigger way than any of us can imagine. More than ever, we have work to do. We have to keep depending on Jesus as our source, serving and loving our community and one another… keeping a fire in our belly to see our city transformed with the power of a revolutionary Jesus.

To those of you that have worked like devils doing the work of Jesus: I’m humbled to serve with you!

Life Group Spring 2008 Registration Catalogue

Download the Spring 2008 Life Groups Catalogue here.  Our big change this semester is that we are increasing group sizes from 8-12 to 12-15 people.  That means we have a total capacity of 210 people in groups.  If we exceed that number of registrants, we probably won’t be adding new groups until Easter (March 23) and those will be 6 week mini-groups.

MacWorld 2008 San Francisco Keynote

I’m following the live coverage of the MacWorld 2008 San Francisco Keynote Address at MacRumorsLive.com.  Can’t wait to see what’s next.UPDATE: Check out the new MacBookAir:

   

Knowing When To Tick People Off

Todd Rhodes writes a great entry on knowing when to tick people off citing The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell.  It’s a great read for the leader who wants to avoid mediocrity.

Sunday Wrap-up

• Chris gives a good picture of today here.  Check it out.
• The biggest highlight of the day for me was having my son dedicated.  I’ll post pictures of everyone when the church camera is downloaded.  In the meantime, you’ll have to deal with me showing off my boy
• It was also special to have my dad do the baby dedications.
• By the way, I’m glad the stage didn’t collapse…lots of babies and news of babies to come.
• We’ll finish the dedication up with a party at Jesse and Reina’s house where we’ll be celebrating Blake and Diego’s big day.
• Alex spent his first day on the job last night doing setup and this morning with production.
• His position is youth pastor.  But, having a guy that is tight with production from playing with Salvador is a great plus.
• All the guys that packaged everything for Children’s Cup/Swaziland Project were awesome.  Some of them worked Friday night and all day Saturday into the night and were in church…serving this morning.  These guys are something else!
• We showed a video teasing something really awesome coming down the pike.  I’ll make sure we post it up soon so you can share it with your friends.  Keep watching for the next clue.
• This project is definitely the highest production value of anything we’ve done.
• All in all, today was enjoyable as we challenged fear leveraging the words of FDR and chose to take risks by loving God and people recklessly, a marker of the Church that Jesus spoke of.

Exchange Students coming to Life Pointe

I’m really excited about a couple students coming to our church community and two of our families that have opened their homes. Gustavo, Heather, Vaughn and Dee, you guys are terrific! That demonstrates amazing hospitality…awesome. In a few days, we will have Duong Kim from Seoul, South Korean and Ange from Hamburg, Germany joining us. Get to know them. Shower them with gifts and lets give them a fantastic experience!

You ask the question. You get the loot.

What are some questions that keep you up at night?  Whoever has the most enjoyable, thought provoking, mind twisting question will get a free Life Pointe “connection tree-shirt” mailed to you.  Here’s one super deep perplexing questions of all time to start things off:

• How DO they get the vanilla inside an orange creamsicle?

Alex Santoyo Joins the Life Pointe team

I’m rolling out the welcome mat for a new team member at Life Pointe, Alex Santoyo.

Alex is leaving the band, Salvador where he was the percussionist to lead our youth ministry.  I’m expecting big things…can’t wait for him to get here this Sunday.  We selected Alex because he brings a hunger, tenacity, a lot of potential, and a demonstration that he isn’t afraid to put it all on the line for the cause of Jesus and the youth of our city.

I’m really glad to welcome him and to let you guys know about the new guy on the team.  There will be a “Welcome to Homestead Party” for him at my house next Wednesday from 7-8:30.  Bring a gift if you like.  But, most of all come ready to have a blast.  To get directions and to get in, you have to RSVP to Paul Hollifield.  Give him your info and the number in your party and you can get in if there is room left.

Great Article about Why We Do Church in a Theater

Check it out here.

Can’t Win the Game? Change the Rules.

India auto manufacturer, Tata Motors (love that name) has changed the car game. They’re producing a 4 seat all weather vehicle with a $2,500 price point. Amazing. I’d buy it. It’s almost disposable.

I Killed a Lion

Last night, I dreamt that I killed a lion. It was in a public place and we had to do it. It was a fight we had to face. I was with a couple other guys that were very familiar. But, I was so focused on this lion, I don’t remember looking at them. I had tunnel vision just like I’ve had in other incredibly tense moments where everything was on the line.

The cool thing (and frightening at the moment) is that we only had the tools from my garage. I actually killed him with a garden hoe. One of the other guys was slinging a rake…don’t think that worked out to well since the only rake I have in my garage is plastic.

It was incredible. My pulse was throbbing. I was sweating. There was no time to think.

After it was over, I realized it was just a dream. I closed my eyes to go back to sleep so I could get back in the dream. It started over again. This time I had better weapons. I shot him up with a 9 mm. I couldn’t sleep past 5:30…pretty stoked about facing some lions. I’m taking my garden hoe to the office.

Sunday Wrap-up

• We had stellar crowds for Christmas and New Year’s services. But, it was great to have everyone back from Christmas and New Year.
• Kicking off the State of the Church message series was fun, blunt, and good.
• The Church is a “shining city on a hill!”
• Had lunch with a new guy…and enjoyable trouble maker.
• I also had lunch with Zech, our sound guy. He’s also going to be interning with us. I can’t believe he’s only 17…bizarre. He looks like Jesus. I bet he shaved when he was 4 years old.
• The hospitality crew has functioned with excellence for two weeks in a row with their director out. These are top notch guys.
• It looks like we may have placed one of our exchange students from Seoul, South Korea.  That’s exciting.  I hope we can do more of this going forward.
• We have another outbreak of pregnancies.  Congrats to all of you waddling and soon to be waddling moms!  You guys are amazing.
• Jesse looks like the 5th member of the Beatles. He also has more hairstyles in the 6 months he’s been here than I’ve had in my life. He’s cooler than the other side of a pillow. BUT…what was up with the sweater vest?!
• At the end of service, I invited people to follow Jesus. Everyone’s eyes were closed. I asked that if they were choosing to follow Jesus that they should open their eyes and look at me. That was an awesome moment!
• We closed by asking people to go find people to share what they were asking God to do in their lives in ‘08 and then take communion together.
• The sound of people talking and praying for one another was beautiful.
• I really love this church. I’m anxious to see how this year is going to develop. It definitely has more promise than any year I’ve stepped into as a pastor.
• Chris has got it going on with his Sunday Morning Tossed Salad. He’s beaten me to the punch several weeks in a row now. I’m diggin’ it.
• 10 year old, Mariah made a sleeping bag for Blake. That’s super sweet!
• Next week, we start Spring Life Group registration…ready to start back up. I love hanging at Life Group.

Living in Extremes

All my life, I’ve had people tell me I need to be more balanced.  I’ve tried it and I don’t like it.  There are some things I’ll never be good at and never enjoy.  So, when spend my life trying to be mediocre at everything when I could be good at a few things?

I’ll also continue loving Christ and my family with incredible intensity.  I’ll obsess over church and family.  I’ll play hard, rest well, and live a life worth living.  I will continue to aggressively fail on the way to distant successes.  To sum it up, I guess you could say that I want to die when I die and not a day sooner.

Precious Mettle, Honesty (HY)

Scarcity always increases the value of a precious metal or a collector’s item.  Its a principle that transcends investment.  Like gold and platinum, honesty (HY) is a scarce, rarely traded commodity.  It is a precious mettle.  People tend to shy away from being honest.  That’s what makes the kind, honest people in your life valuable to you.  That’s the kind of person you should be for others.

When you are honest with people and with yourself, it:

• creates exposes conflict- Don’t think that just because you avoid conflict that it isn’t there.  It is.  Confront it  and get it behind you.  This is the way to a healthy, long term relationship. Conflict avoidance is the way to a short-term, white washed relationship.
• is difficult- It is difficult because you don’t know how it will be received.  There may be push back or a wholesale rejection of your person.  Who wants that? 
  
• opens you up to honesty or defensive reactionism- When we are honest with ourselves and others and the issue is a negative, a human’s first response is defensiveness or blame shifting.  Learning to receive honest, healthy critique is a path to personal development and humility.
• reveals the heart- When people are not directly honest with me, I can usually pick up the vibe anyway through some other passive aggressive attitude.  Being honest removes the pretension and raises the authenticity of a relationship and allows people.
  
• separates the men from the boys- You really only want strong individuals of character and commitment occupying those core, close friendships that shape your life.  Keep your life open to everyone.  But, don’t let people influence, affect, or shape you if they have significant character issues.  If someone is only going to be close to you when you are telling them what they want to hear, you are in a faux relationship.  Kind of like a fake Coach handbag, it looks good but, its only worth about $10.
• improves you and others as humans- Honesty (HY) is a polisher.  Some people don’t do it well.  They are like a coarse sandpaper at all times.  Others are like a polishing cloth at all times.  Use the appropriate grade of direct honesty (HY) for friction and you will appropriately influence and polish the people you care about.  But, be adept enough to know how to use honesty (HY).  You can also destroy people with honesty (HY) by sharing at inappropriate times, tenors, and tones.  In other words, don’t use it as an excuse to blow people away and vent your frustrations.
• breeds excellence- Honest assessments are key to driving innovation.  Wilbur and Orville Wright were not the first in flight because they were timid in their assessments.  They assessed until they got it right.  Not everyone can handle that.  Then again, not everyone has the guts to take the leap that the Wright brothers did.  Expect excellence.  But, first you have to make honest assessments and receive honest assessments from those around you.
• raises the trust factor- I cannot trust someone that is unable to be honest with me.  I can trust someone who will sit down with me and share with great honesty and great love.  Trust is everything.  If you don’t have honesty, you don’t have trust.

What Happens When It Is 33 degrees in Miami?

 

It rains Iguanas.