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The 300TH!!! Sunday That Was

2012-01-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

Service #001

This past Sunday was the 300th service at Church of the Suncoast. Go God!!! He has not let us down in 300 tries. When I stop and think that all this started from literally nothing more than a dream and some faith it is pretty amazing. We literally had no people, no money, and no building and in a matter of months we pulled off service #001. And, since that Sunday in 2006 there has always been a location to meet in, enough people to get it all done, enough money to pay the bills, enough people in the seats to celebrate, and enough life change to keep us going one more Sunday. We have had a lot of ups and downs, had a ton of change to deal with, but our church is a survivor. For 300 services we have never wavered from one thing:

The church is not about us, we are here for this community, for those that don't yet know Jesus!

If you missed our 300th celebration (shame on you) but here were a few of the highlights:

The band came out with water pistols in honor of one of my favorite sayings, "We are going to charge hell with a water pistol."
We had a special video where some people shared thoughts about their memories from the past 3 to 300 services:

We asked people to bring some kind of handout, t-shirt, program, picture... something they kept that was memorable and we had a few seconds to share what it was, and why it was meaningful, a little audience "show and tell".
I shared my top 10 favorite services:

My number 1 favorite service was NEXT Sunday! Because our best days are still to come! When our little bit of faithfulness intersects with God's faithfulness, things happen, movements begin, things explode. It will happen guys!
We then sang "We Unite" as a rallying cry and it was on to "Balanced" part 4.

The message video should be up Tuesday!

PUMPED about what the next 300 will look like. Let's do this!!!

Don't forget we have Baptism and Child Dedications on Feb 12th. To get info or sign up please e-mail us at:

info@canthisbechurch.com

Bump in the Blogging

2012-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

I had planned on continuing the "Nside the Suncoast" series today, well actually yesterday, but Cheryl got sick again. Since we brought little Sophie home from the hospital she has not been sick once, but Cheryl has now been sick THREE TIMES! I think her fever finally broke today, but still has a really bad infection. Would love your prayers church! Pray for Cheryl! Also, did not plan on taking two days off from work this week... so "Pastor" Brian needs some prayers too.

I love my church!

DON'T MISS THIS SUNDAY'S message in the "Balanced" series. AND:

DON'T MISS THIS SUNDAY because it is our:

300th

Service @ the Suncoast

Search through your house and bring something memorable from one of our 300 services, a fav invite card or program, some handout, a message CD, some pictures, t-shirts... anything! It should be a lot of fun celebrating all that God has done week after week!

The Sunday That Was (January 22)

2012-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Sunday began really early for me! We had a few people out so I got to the school early to help get a head start. I wish you guys could see the school and what it looks like when we get there. It is such a BIG undertaking every week to make church happen. I have said this before, but the set up guys and gals are my heroes! They get there early, in the cold, in the damp, in the humidity of a Florida July morning! AND, I can honestly say I have never heard them complain once! I love all you guys, thank you! We also had a few people from the other team help out this week so thank you for covering the holes!

This Sunday was also an awesome set by the band! DANG, you guys nailed it this week. If you missed it here was the set list:

Happy Day

Revelation Song

Mighty to Save

When you have an ALL VOLUNTEER band, with limited practice time, it is a lot to see what they pull off each Sunday. Thank you guys for using your talents in helping us connect with God through these songs.

AND, let me just say, if you don't get to church ON TIME then you miss a lot! We always try to start our services off strong and this week you missed a hilarious video showing the struggle we have with debt and those "plastic people eaters" known as credit cards.

I shared in the message some of Cheryl and mine's story of how we saw money and debt going into marriage then challenged everyone with 3 verses of Scripture that pretty much cover the Biblical view of debt (Deuteronomy 28:12, Proverbs 22:7, and Proverbs 25:28). My big thought was this:

To be "Balanced," you have to address your debt! You drift in, BUT you claw your way out!

We also gave everyone a couple web resources on the way out:

www.IWasBrokeNowImNot.com

www.MyTotalMoneyMakeover.com

The problem is not finding out HOW to get out of debt. The problem is having the DISCIPLINE to actually do it! BUT, if you do the promise I made everyone was, peace, freedom, a better marriage (yes, a better marriage) and the ability to be generous actually. You can't be generous even if you want to if everyone is trying to get a piece of your income!

Check out the message tomorrow when it goes online.

Don't forget:

On February 12th we will be having our next Baptism and Child Dedication celebration! If you have never taken this next step as a Christ-Follower then don't let anything keep you from obeying and following Jesus in this important step on your faith journey. You can e-mail: info@canthisbechurch.com if you have any questions or to sign up.

We will also be doing child dedications for children up to 5th grade. For more info e-mail Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

Have a great week guys, more from me on Wednesday here on the blog.

Nside the Suncoast (Part 2)

2012-01-18T06:34:00.000-08:00

Back BS (before Sophie) I started a series of posts talking about some of the internal workings of your church Suncoast. It has been a while so if you missed the first part check it out HERE.

Today, I will let you "Nside" a "typical" week around the church.

Monday: Both Rita and I are in the office on Mondays. Rita updates the website, does the message video and podcast for the website, does all of our assimilation like prayer cards, first time guest notes, second time letters and one month out letters. I 90% of the time have also given her my message for that week by then so she also does the PowerPoint which we then put into Media Shout. I am usually doing administrative type things on Monday's. Attendance, offering reports, checking in with our book keeper about bills coming up this week, checking in how Sunday went with staff and volunteers live or through e-mail... Steve and I usually touch base on Monday's about songs for this coming Sunday and any "special" songs we might want to do for the current series coming up.

Tuesday: Crystal and I are both in the office on Tuesdays. Crystal only works "in the office" one day a week so she tries to get everything lined up for that Sunday's children's ministry on Tuesdays. Printing, planning, scheduling, buying supplies, checking in with volunteers and all that. We also have our staff meetings on Tuesday's twice a month from 12:30 - 2pm. I am usually starting to get ideas and line things up for creating the Sunday service. Videos, illustrations, hand outs, graphics, all the "creative elements" that go into a Sunday at the Suncoast all have to be found, bought, or created from scratch... and I still do most of them for now.

Wednesday: is my quiet day. No one usually comes in the office on Wednesdays so it has become my message day for the following week. It takes me about 6 - 8 hours to do each message on average. I also seem to have more lunch appointments on Wednesdays??? Steve also sends out the music and mp3's of that Sunday's songs to the band and by that time has also worked to see who we have and who we need for the music. Rita also sends the Need to Know (NTK) e-mail on Wednesdays and picks up programs from the printer if we are in a new series.

Thursday: Rita is back in the office with me and gives me the finished PowerPoint and the NTK video for the Communication Card time in the service. By closing time on Thursday our goal is to have the service put to bed, everything that has been created put into Media Shout (the software we use on Sundays), service scripts created and printed, all our volunteers line up, bags and trailer packed and ready to roll for Sunday. Rita also has some volunteers come in and fold programs on Thursdays.

Friday: I am doing my mind map (kind of like notes for my message that I use to preach it) and that takes about 2 -3 hours on average. Anything that didn't get wrapped up from Thursday gets done for Sunday, and during our NEXT Group semesters I am writing curriculum and posting it online for our leaders.

Sunday: We (the staff) arrive from 7:00am - 7:30am with the volunteer set up crews and start unloading the trailer and setting up the school into what you experience each Sunday. It takes about 9 - 10 people about 2 hours to get everything 100% ready to go for the service. Band practice happens at 9:15am. Team meetings happen at 10am. Doors open, church happens, and then we tear it all down and put it back into the trailer by 1pm. We usually eat some lunch and I am on the couch by 2:30pm to unwind and get ready to do it all over again.

Not listed are all the "ministry" type things that happen at the Suncoast with all the staff. Those "interruptions" are where the real life of the church happens to me.

I usually put in about a 45 to 50 hour work week and that is kind of what goes on from one Sunday to the next.

The Sunday That Was (January 15)

2012-01-16T07:27:00.001-08:00

Getting back in the groove here. Here is what "hopefully" will be going on this year.

Monday - I will post a recap of the previous Sunday and talk about what is coming up.

Tuesday - The message video from the previous Sunday will be up on the message player at the top right of my blog.

Wednesday / Thursday - I will post some big vision deal or something else I really want you guys to know as your pastor.

So, since it is Monday here are some random thoughts from my view yesterday:

It was stinkin' cold! I don't know how people up north, meaning Georgia up, do it! When I got there for set up it was 37 outside!
As usual for Floridian's both native and naturalized when it gets this cold the attendance also drops with the thermometer. SO, I am thankful for all of you that got up, got the family ready, and made the effort. I hope you were blessed.
We did the hit song from last year, "Billionaire" and I always get a kick out of seeing how people respond. As always the reason we do stuff like this is two-fold. One the next time you are listening to the radio and hear that song, which you will, you will forever associate it with church and what we are talking about in this, "Balanced" series. The second reason is because if you are not someone who goes to church, maybe you are not even a Christian, and you hear something in church that connects "our world" to "your world" it is a win. It breaks down barriers is what I am saying. We will do anything short of sin at the Suncoast to reach people who might not be reached any other way with the good news that God loves them and gave His Son Jesus for them so that if they believe, they receive new life in Christ! Come on!!!
I saw new faces which is why we do church. We expect to have guests every week. Thank you to the greeters who stood out in the cold to welcome all our guests! You warmed them up before they ever got in the building!
We had some issues with the video so there will only be audio this week. Sorry!
The part of the message where I really felt like it hit home what we were talking about was the illustration with my car. I was talking about how our CLEAR OBJECTIVE when it comes to being balanced financially is to HONOR GOD not just with a percentage, but with EVERYTHING we have. All our income, our saving, our spending, all of our financial pie. So, I shared this analogy to understand things better:

"I have a 1969 Buick GS 400. It is a classic American Muscle car if that doesn’t mean anything to you. It has been in my family since the day it was purchased from Ron Norris Buick. It is worth a lot. So, one day you ask me if you can borrow my GS to go cruising to the drive-in theater in Dade City. I say, “Sure, here’s the keys, here’s how to drive it, have fun.” Now, here’s my question, what percentage of my car do you think I expect you to take care of? Am I thinking, well, you know, it will probably come back and be trashed, but they will probably clean the windshield and vacuum one of the floor mats and the rest will be trashed? But, hey you know, they took care of 10 percent of my car! NO! If I loaned you my car I expect you to take care of 100% of it! I don’t want you thinking in terms of what percentage you have to worry about! If you want to honor me you take care of ALL of it!

God says that is how I view your stuff, your money, your income, your investments whatever it is. It is not about “pay me off with a percentage”; I’m all for a percentage of giving because wherever your treasure is your heart is going to follow like we said last week, but this isn’t about that. The driving force in terms of staying balanced is to learn how to honor God with everything!"

Again, there is only audio this week, but if you missed the message please get the podcast from our website and give it a listen before next Sunday.

We closed out the service with a song called, "In You" and it was a time for all of us to ask God one question, "God, show me how to honor you with everything I have." If you will do that this week and DO WHAT GOD SAYS there is a peace, a liberation, and even an enjoyment of money that doesn't come any other way than to be BALANCED.

One big announcement before I wrap this up:

On February 12th we will be having our next Baptism and Child Dedication celebration! If you have never taken this next step as a Christ-Follower then don't let anything keep you from obeying and following Jesus in this important step on your faith journey. You can e-mail:

info@canthisbechurch.com if you have any questions or to sign up.

We will also be doing child dedications for children up to 5th grade. For more info e-mail Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

Don't miss this Sunday guys! Who are you inviting? Don't discount the POWER of the personal invite.

2012 - The Best is Yet to Come!

2012-01-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012!!! It has been a while since I updated my blog as you might have noticed. Call it a newborn, Christmas, sick wife break for the past few weeks.

We had little Sophie (who is now like 9lbs) on December 5th. I didn't work that week she came home, then worked the next week to get ready for Christmas Eve at the Suncoast. Cheryl got sick the first time somewhere in there. We had 16 people and 3 dogs at our house on Christmas day!!! I didn't work the week after Christmas, went back the week of Jan 1st, and Cheryl got sick again. She is doing better today and little Sophie is doing great too! But, that is where I have been, I think, the days all run together.

But, back to 2012. Here are a few reasons I think 2012 will be the best year our church has ever known and why I think you are in for one incredible ride as you partner with what God is doing.

God is not done with our church and He is not through with you! If you think God doesn't have anything left for your life then think again. You can't reach the mountain top without going through the valley. Our church has survived 2011 and that means He has something more planned for us in 2012! You are still here, why? God has something more for you too!!! Let's find out what together!

I am in a better spot to lead. I have talked about this here on my blog and even opened up one Sunday in December, but I feel like God has done a lot in my life over the past 12 months and I am better able to navigate the ups and downs of leading and growing a church. It is hard to have a healthy church without a healthy pastor! I believe that!

You have not given up! The fact that you are still here, still plugged in, still contributing and still wanting to see this church grow and thrive and change this community means a lot. It means you are doing all you can to be found faithful and when our faith intersects with God's faithfulness at some point this year it will be absolutely amazing to be a part of. I think about the scene in the first Transformers movie where they first discover Bumble Bee is a robot and he throws the door open for them to get in. Sam says to Mikaela who is skeptical, "Don't you want to get it, 50 years from now don't you want to be able to tell your grand kids you went for the ride!"

Life change is REALLY happening here! People who were not going to church, not really sure about the whole God thing, are still meeting Jesus and He is still changing their lives at our church. AND, we get to be a part of that? OMG!!! That pumps me up just thinking about it guys! I think it honors God when we do all we can to be a church for the unchurched. We have not turned our backs on that calling even when it would have been easy over the past 12 - 18 months, the best is yet to come!

I am excited about this next year of ministry and I hope you are too. God has a lot He wants to do in your life and in the life of our church. This is my prayer for you in 2012:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20

It's Christmas Time Baby!

2011-12-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the time is here Suncoast family! The stores are packed, the streets are nuts, and the time to get your invite into full gear is on!

This Saturday night, 6pm at Rushe we will have the chance to partner with the angels in not only celebrating the birth of Jesus, but partner with God's redemptive work in our world. That means God is moving in people's hearts even now. He will bring new people into His eternal kingdom at our church this Saturday. AND you could be a part of that!!!

How? By investing your remaining minutes into some people around you and then inviting them to the Suncoast for Christmas Eve. The service is going to be different from anything you have ever seen at the Suncoast. We have put a lot of effort into this time, this moment, this opportunity. Will you join me in honoring God and His Son by doing all we can to pack the house? It is the best gift you can give Him these last few days before Christmas!

Will you bring someone?
Will you make sure you are there at least 5-minutes early?
Will you consider what gift God would have you give to this years Christmas Offering?

I am praying for you! I am praying for the people you will be asking! Will you pray for the staff and for the service and for the souls HE WILL SAVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT?

I love my church!

Christmas Offering 2011

2011-12-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome Sophie Marie!

2011-12-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

As we sit here in awe of our beautiful, little girl, and all of the wonderful people who have showered her already with love and gifts, together we wanted to update you all on the past week of our life.

Monday, December 5th
2AM Cheryl wakes to some new pains
2:30AM Cheryl wakes Brian and tells him of these new pain, and the timing of the contractions begins
3:30AM Contractions are five minutes apart, so we shower and pack the car
4:30AM Leave for the hospital, with a pit stop at McDonald's (don't judge)
5AM Arrive at Mease Countryside Hospital, where Cheryl's water breaks while filling out paperwork we already filled out (not happy)
5:10AM Undressed and in bed waiting for the doctor
5:11AM Brian throws up (really)
6:30AM Contractions are one minute apart, still waiting for the doctor
7AM Cheryl begins to push
7:07AM Meet Sophie:

18.5 inches long, and 6 pounds 14 ounces, and unbelievably long toes

First family photo, after Brian was done crying:

Nothing could have prepared us for this day, despite the books, classes, and advice. After several days in the hospital healing, learning how to care for our baby, and lots and lots of diapers, we were both exhausted.

On Wednesday, December 7th, we finally got to bring our little girl home!

Sophie in her new home:

Sophie's first doctor appointment:

Doctor says Sophie is doing well, and maintaining her weight of 6 pounds 5 ounces. She was a little bit jaundice, so we go back on Monday for a follow up. But she has been eating, pooping, and peeing like crazy, so we're thinking she is just fine. :)

Sophie's photo shoot with Daddy in the backyard (not too bad for amateurs):

Thank you to all of our family, friends, and neighbors who have prayed for Sophie for months, and were a part of welcoming her into this world. We are very grateful for the people God has placed in our families life!

Nside the Suncoast (Part 1)

2011-11-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

For the next few weeks I will be posting an "Nside the Suncoast" series of posts that I hope let you get to know your church a little better. Today, we will look at the staff of the Suncoast.

We call our current staff the, "Management Team" and they are the ones that make the decisions around here. We are a staff led church as compared to an elder led (think Presbyterian) or congregation led (think Baptist) church. The current staff members of the Suncoast are Rita Wilson, Crystal Michehl, Steve McCauley and myself.

Some basic info:

Rita - came on staff part time, first as our children's director, and now as an administrator back in late 2006 I think. She does all kinds of office stuff, manages the website and other communications, helps me a ton, and leads our Sunday first impression teams. Rita really does anything I ask and has become a trusted go to person for me on almost any project. Even if she has no idea how to do it! Rita works on Monday's and Thursday's at the Warehouse.

rita@canthisbechurch.com

Crystal - started attending our church in 2009 from a postcard and quickly jumped into volunteering and we hired her in late 2009 part time as our Children's Director. She runs the Coastal Kids scene at the church and has done an amazing job growing leaders and creating a real "Wow" experience for our kids. It is a HUGE job and she works a lot more than part time on it!!! But, she is at the Warehouse on Tuesdays.

crystal@canthisbechurch.com

Steve - jumped in back in 2006 when we had a hole in our band and needed a guitar and some vocals. What started as a favor turned into 5 years of being our music guy! Being portable the only practice Steve gets in leading our band is before church on Sunday's, but week after week he gets out music and provides direction under a lot of pressure! Steve can take a crazy idea I have for a song or service element and give it life in a short amount of time. He can also play everything up there, so the flexibility has been such a huge blessing! AND, he is the only staff member we have never had to pay a dime! He volunteers for all this!!! Steve works remotely from his house through a ton of e-mails.

steve@canthisbechurch.com

Then there is me - I have been here since the beginning and for the first few months was the only staff member. I folded programs, did powerpoint, called volunteers, and even led the band!!! Yikes, I would not want to go back to those days. These days I spend my time working on messages, creating a chunk of the Sunday service, and leading the church overall. Well, I do a lot more than that, but that is the 30,000 ft view anyway. Right now I am the only full time staff member at the Suncoast.

The staff meets twice a month on Tuesday's for about 2 hours over lunch and we evaluate the Sunday services, plan, talk about current needs and issues, and we usually are digesting some ministry or hip new leadership book. If you think of it, we would love your prayers!!! We need them as we listen to God and guide this church.

Next time I will share about how a Sunday comes together. Tune in next Wednesday... unless baby Sophie is here!!!

The Sunday That Was (November 27)

2011-11-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

The Sunday AFTER Thanksgiving, AKA turkey hangover weekend, was upon us yesterday. You guys crack me up, I ask if you are thankful and everyone is so groggy no one responds, ha! We got through it though. Thank you to the awesome volunteers who showed up and made Sunday happen. You guys ROCK!

I went to bed Saturday night about 90% sure Cheryl would make it through the next 24 hours without going into labor. Little Sophie is due on December 11th, but we are thinking it might be a week early, or anytime really! So, I was glad we made it through Sunday since I had no back up plan for this week, thanks Sophie! We will keep you guys posted as we get closer to the big day.

I thought the service yesterday was really good. We opened with a MuteMath song called, "Chaos" appropriately. I liked the third screen touch for it. Glad Rushe has that sitting up there in the ceiling! The band did some of my fav songs too. Love hearing Stephanie sing Revelation Song! You guys rocked! Thanks for volunteering your time and talents even though everything is different week to week. One day we will have our own place with sound we can depend on! Oh, the thought! Finally, I wrapped up the, "Chaos" series talking about one of my fav Bible dudes named Joseph.

I love Joseph's story because there is nothing supernatural going on. No angels busting onto the scene, no burning bushes, no voices from the heavens. I guess I am saying I can relate. God has yet to use any of those things in my life when things are chaotic. The tension we addressed was this:

How do you follow a good God when times are not? We want to believe God is with us and for us but how do we do that in times of chaos? Why should we be faithful to God when it seems He is not being faithful to us? Good questions right? And, I am not going to really get into all that we talked about because you can listen to the message, but the take home was this...

"It’s easy to follow God in the good times. It’s easy to follow when our prayers all seem to be answered. But, in times of extreme chaos when God seems distant it is hard to follow. It is easy to look around and think we are the victim. BUT, do you know what we learn from Joseph’s story. You are not a victim. I am not a victim. We are players in God’s amazing plan for this world. The chaos in your life and around you right now is just a tool for God’s greater good.

So how do you follow God in the chaos? How do you follow a good God when times are not? You do what Joseph did:

You live your life like someone who is confident God is with you.

That’s it. You just follow! You keep on keeping on keeping on, living your life like someone who knew that they knew that they knew God was with them. How do you deal with the chaos of your job, your marriage, your finances, your dating world, your future? You live with the confidence, that even in your circumstances, you know God is with you and will never leave you or forsake you. You know that God has been leveraging, and using, and bringing good out of chaos, out of the ashes throughout human existence and you are no exception. You know that God is with you.

You pray, you remember, you seek first, and you follow. You pray, you remember, you seek, and you follow. And on the other side God will have done more in and through you than you could ever imagine. Your faith will have thrived in the chaos and you will know your Heavenly Father deeper than you did before."

I hope this series helped you! I think it has been one of my favorites. It was the 77th message series in the 5 year history of our church, by the way, in case you were keeping count. Would love to hear what your favorite has been over your run here at the Suncoast!

Two things before I wrap this up:

Christmas @ the Suncoast will be here before you know it! Our service will be at 6pm and we will have a shorter volunteer service after for all the volunteers that served during the 6pm regular service. Let's pack the house guys! This is about Jesus!!! IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH MOTIVATION THEN WHAT IS? Really?

Finally, our Volunteer Christmas Party is THIS Saturday night, 7pm here at the Warehouse. If you are a volunteer (or the spouse of a volunteer) then please join us as we celebrate... YOU!!! This is the one time we ask middle school and older only because it is a special night and we want you to have a blast!!! I promise this will be the best Christmas party you go to all year!!! Really!!! For more info e-mail Rita at:

rita@canthisbechurch.com

The Sunday That Was (November 20)

2011-11-21T06:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving week Suncoast!!!

After church on Sunday I got in my truck and someone had left me a gas gift card! So, I am thankful for the person that put it there!!! (This is another reason why I don't lock my truck... the first being I don't want the guy stealing it to break my window and the second being I hate having to unlock my doors when my hands are full) But, enough about that... Here are some random thoughts and a few of my message notes from yesterday at the Suncoast:

The band sounded awesome yesterday. It was a tough range of songs from rock to more mellow, and a lot of high notes, but you guys sounded great. The closing song after I sat down really ministered to people I think. Thanks for showing up and using your talents to help people take their next steps with God.

Set up went by really fast! Dang! You guys were on your game. Thank you for setting up God's house each week.

I was thankful for the people that actually show up on time every week! You guys give God and His church honor and He will reward you for that by honoring you! Really!!!

As, I was walking around from my "green room" (Basically, a storage closet at the school that I change in) I saw the Coastal Kids team members having a blast with the kids and checking everyone in with a smile. Thank you guys for taking care of what is most important to people so they can take their next steps with God and not worry about their kids!

I then walked down the breezeway and saw the greeters talking and shaking hands. Thank you guys for making such a great first impression for our guests! People will remember your hospitality long after they forget my message.

I grabbed a seat for the opening song with my wife Cheryl and that takes us back to the band... then an amazing video about being thankful even in the chaos of life... and then it was my turn.

Some of my notes:

Whenever you have chaos in your life there will be pain. Pain is a byproduct of chaos because it forces us out of our comfort zones. AND, whenever we have pain in our lives we become very self-focused. But, if we let that back us into a corner where all we can think about is me, myself, and I then we will miss God!

So, Jesus offers this exchange in Matthew 6:

"I tell you, do not worry. Don't worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don't worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than eating? Aren't there more important things for the body than clothes? 26 "Look at the birds of the air. They don't plant or gather crops. They don't put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than they are? 27 "Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don't work or make clothing. 29 But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in all of his glory was dressed like one of those flowers. 30 "If that is how God dresses the wild grass, won't he dress you even better? After all, the grass is here only today. Tomorrow it is thrown into the fire. Your faith is so small! 31 "So don't worry. Don't say, 'What will we eat?' Or, 'What will we drink?' Or, 'What will we wear?' 32 People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them. 33 "But put God's kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you." Matthew 6:25-33

So, this is where we landed:

In times of chaos God tells us to SEEK His priorities, His agenda for the world, His Kingdom AND if we do that, if we make that the top priority of our lives over all the self-centered worry, THEN God promises He will take care of the rest. He will give us, "all these other things".

Ask: What can I do to further God's kingdom in this chaos, not mine?

If you are going through a time of chaos right now don't let yourself get backed into a corner where all you think about is yourself. Put God's agenda in this chaos first and you will see Him work in your life in undeniable ways!

If you missed Sunday please at least listen to my prayer for you at the end of the message. It will be up later on Monday in both podcast and video form on our website, www.CanThisBeChurch.com

Have a great Thanksgiving and DON'T MISS THE FINAL WEEK OF CHAOS this Sunday!

The TUESDAY That Was

2011-11-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

Normally, I give a quick update about, "The Sunday That Was" but, this week I wanted to share about the final week of my NEXT Group. If you have never tried a NEXT Group at the Suncoast I hope this inspires you to jump in next year when we roll them out again!

For the past 10-weeks a group of about 11 - 12 people have "invaded" our house each Tuesday night for a lot of fun, a lot of food, and the chance to take our next steps of faith and friendship with each other. Is that enough "F" words??? Every week one person is in charge of bringing dinner for the group and we have had taco's, baked ziti, pulled pork, sloppy joes, subs, pizza... more I can't remember but last night was the mother of all meals:

We had Thanksgiving dinner a week early!!! Not sure why Dale is looking at me like he wants to kill me? But we had Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, corn casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and chocolate layer cake... AND, we all ate until we were stuffed! I was thankful! I even had to use my big fork! It was a great finish to a great semester of groups.

BUT, we do more than just eat! Really, even though that seems to be all I have talked about. Each week we study a little deeper into the past Sunday's message. It is a chance to have a dialogue about the message instead of just one way communication. You get to hear the opinions of others and learn from the experiences of others. My faith is always built up when I hear other's stories of how God has worked in their life.

Then we pray for each other, and each 10-week semester we serve as a group once, and then we give to a cause once. My group is buying gifts that we are going to shower on a soon to be mom from the West Pasco Pregnancy Center.

And, that was the Tuesday that was... for the past 10-weeks! I loved getting to meet some new friends and re-connecting with some old ones that have not been in my group for a while. Again, if you have never tried a group, or have not been plugged in one for a while, WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? Groups start back up in the New Year and I hope you will try one.

The Sunday That Was (November 6)

2011-11-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

We always try to keep our stage fresh and Rita had the idea for this one. It looked really cool once we got the lights on it! I can't wait for the day we can have our own stage and I can turn you guys loose!

We also had some new help for set up which was awesome AND Karl walks in and makes pancakes and sausage for everyone! Holy cow! Set up never smelled so good. So thank you Mike, Kris, Patti and Karl.

We started a new series yesterday called, "CHAOS" and I have been amazed at how timely and relevant this is to so many people's lives. Of course the world is full of chaos these days, but so many people came up to me and commented on how yesterday hit them right in the middle of their own chaos. Go God! I know He will use this series if we let Him. The message will be up later today if you missed it or want to give it a second watch or listen.

The room was fuller too Sunday which was good to see from the stage. I hope you will join me this week in making sure it is even fuller this Sunday. I know a bunch of people in my life that need to hear this series, even just a week of it! So, who do you know that needs to be here? If you e-mail me I will pray for them this week, pray that God opens their hearts for your ask, and gives you the boldness to actually do it!

As we closed out the service I was pumped because you guys were actually excited about worshipping God through the offering! That is cool. If we can make that shift that this isn't about dollars and cents, this is about obedience, about worship, about honor to God then look out! The Bible says God LOVES a cheerful giver and I think He is just looking for a church to bless that He knows will be generous in return!

I also mentioned a couple things I am also excited about:

Each Sunday from now until the end of the year I am asking you to get in the habit of bringing some can / box food items each week and dropping them off in the back of the room. We will be taking them to Christian Social Services in Land O' Lakes and even one can a week they tell me makes a difference! So, let's "wow" them with our generosity and help make sure no one goes hungry this holiday season!

The second thing is our annual Volunteer Christmas Party on December 3rd. If you are one of our amazing volunteers at the Suncoast then don't forget to save the date for this always over-the-top event. (If you don't serve yet, you might want to start now just so you can come!!!)

It was a great Sunday Suncoast. Let's do it again this week for, "CHAOS" part 2. If you want to do some reading ahead of time read 1 Kings 17 - 19. ILMC!!!

CHAOS Begins on Sunday!

2011-11-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I am really jacked up about the new series we are doing for the month of November called, "CHAOS." Basically here is the tease:

Chaos! It seems to be the word that best describes what is going on in our personal lives and in the world today. The cast of Bible characters were no strangers to change and unrest either. They spoke and wrote as men and women who knew firsthand the difficulty of trusting a good God when life was not good. Find out what we can learn from them Sunday's in November at the Suncoast!

So, will you treat THIS Sunday kind of like a mini-re-fall launch? Will you invite like crazy this week? Will you not just invite, but will you BRING people with you Sunday? Will you do whatever it takes to BE THERE this Sunday and BE ON TIME? Will you PRAY for God to move in powerful ways in the lives of those dealing with their own chaos? Will you pray God shows up Sunday and rocks YOUR WORLD? Will you treat this Sunday like some one's life depended on it?

We are putting a lot of effort into this Sunday, and this series, because I am so passionate about the content and timing of these talks. I really do believe lives will be changed. I want to be obedient to what God wants us to talk about, I want you guys to be obedient to His Word, and if we are God will bless us even though it seems like the world is falling a part around us.

Again will you:

INVITE
BRING
ATTEND
PARTICIPATE
PRAY

Let's do ALL we can to take advantage of this opportunity Suncoast!

Love you guys!!!

Georgia Photo Essay

2011-11-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Backroads through Donaldsonville, Columbus, Callaway Gardens, Dahlonega, Brasstown Bald, Blue Ridge, and Brown's Bridge from October 26th - 29th, 2011. Enjoy!

The Sunday That Was (October 30)

2011-10-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I got to do something I have never done in 5 years as pastor of the Suncoast... I got to go to church like "everyone" else!!!

Cheryl and I were gone for a long weekend trip up to Georgia to see some fall foliage and we got back in town Saturday night. So, Sunday morning I slept in to about 7:30am or so. Actually had breakfast WITH Cheryl on a Sunday. Got ready and waited for her to finish getting ready... this is why we never fight on Sunday's, we never ride together! It was strange!!! We pulled in the parking lot and were greated by Henry and Christopher. Then greated by Rita and Marge. Then greated by Angel at the door. Got my program, checked out the coffee and donuts, found a seat in time for the countdown clock. "Worshiped" with Cheryl, actually filled out a Communication Card during the Need to Know, my first time. Watched the cool "Lord's Prayer" video which was awesome with the three screens. Then took some notes listening to the final message in the prayer series. When the service was over, I talked with some people, finally got the donut, and then we just left... THAT WAS HARD! Seeing everyone doing tear down and just walking out was the hardest part of the day for me.

SO, thank you staff and thank you volunteers for keeping the church going even when the pastor is just a spectator! I love my church!

DON'T FORGET HALLOWEENIE IS TONIGHT!
It is not too late to do Halloweenie at your house tonight. Take the grill out front and give out some free hot dogs and invite cards for the new series, "CHAOS" that begins this Sunday! E-mail me if you need some invite cards, brian@canthisbechurch.com

Take a look at the new series:

CHAOS from Church of the Suncoast on Vimeo.

The Sunday That Was (October 23)

2011-10-24T18:11:00.001-07:00

I never know how to start these weekly Sunday recap posts since I changed up my blog's direction this year. There is, "Yesterday..." or, "This past Sunday at the Suncoast..." I don't know?

On Sunday, October 23rd at Church of the Suncoast :-) we talked about the mystery of unanswered prayer in our, "Prayer" series. You can watch the message here on my blog to the right OR head to the church website and get the podcast. OR!!! Get the church of the Suncoast App for your Driod, my fav!

We started the service with a really honest video about what it feels like when God is silent and we have been desperately seeking Him. I know I could relate to it! There have been many times in my life when God seemed deaf to my request. Have you ever felt like that?

The band did a great job on Sunday I thought. We were missing a few peeps but you guys stepped up. We had one of our high school students, Josh step up and play electric, and he rocked it. Great job guys. Steve led us in a time of prayer after the set and I loved the honesty of his prayer. He said there are things he has been praying about for 20 years and still it doesn't seem like God has answered his request. Thanks for sharing man!

The message had a lot of content and really looking back I should have broken this talk up into two seperate messages, but I just had so much I wanted to share about what I have learned when God says, "No" or "Wait" or just seems to say nothing at all! And, when I say the things I have learned I should really say learnING because I still don't have all the answers to why God doesn't answer some request for healing, or for a marriage, or for our kids. The bottom line, where we landed yesterday, was can you still trust God? Fill in the blank with the thing you have been praying about and still nothing... Got it? Now, can you trust God despite what you feel and see right now? Can you trust that He is still writing your story and the last chapter has not been written yet? Can you trust Him and His plan even when you think yours is better? Can you trust your Heavenly Father BECAUSE maybe, just maybe, that is the point to prayer in the first place. That is what part 3 will be about this Sunday.

After the service a handful of Suncoasters joined Cheryl and I out at the Villiage Lakes plaza in Land O' Lakes off SR54. For a couple years we have been trying to get this plaza to lease to us and every time we meet with them they say, "NO" because we are a church. There were some issues with Wal-Mart and Sweetbay but now both of them are gone, the plaza is sitting empty, I called one more time and they took it before their "big cheese" and they said no once again. BUT, every time I drive by there I can't get it out of my mind. It might be God, it might just be me, BUT either way a group of us went out there and prayed for God to open doors at that plaza or clearly show us what is next for the Suncoast. If it is to stay portable for the next 5-years, fine. If it is a storefront, fine. If it is some other building, great... we just want to make sure we have the faith to ask and trust and not just lean on our own understanding. SO, the next time you drive by the Villiage Lakes Plaza just past 41 on 54 say a quick prayer for God to open doors or show us what is next as we wrap up this year and start looking to 2012, crazy, where has this year gone!

One last thing, THANK YOU to the crowd we had help out at the West Pasco Pregnancy Center on Saturday! Huge blessing to them!

Prayer in MY Life

2011-10-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at the Suncoast we started a new series on prayer simply called, "Prayer". So, today I thought I would share a little of my own prayer life with you guys. Again, my disclaimer on Sunday... I don't think I am that great at it and I have so much more to learn, but here is what I have found along the way:

Write them down...
For about the past 7 or 8 years I have been writing down my prayers. The first go around I created a Word document and just kept adding to it for an entire year, then I would print it out and start a new one for the new year. That was good because it kept me focused, but I got bored with it. I am, dare I say it... a bit "artsy" so I got a journal and started writing down my prayers for an entire month at a time and then some daily ones as well. I also write down thoughts and impressions I get, AND any ways God has answered those prayers. Yes, and I can doodle!!!

Pray the "P's"...
Somewhere along the line I was studying the, "Lord's Prayer" that Jesus taught His disciples to pray and I found a way to remember the basic ingredients of what Jesus teaches. This is not the "right" way to pray. This is just what works for me and keeps me from always praying about myself!!!

Praise - start out by praising God for who He is and what He has done. The longer you spend here the bigger God gets and the smaller your problems get.

Purpose - this is where you surrender your will to God's will. Before you even get to your laundry list of request, you submit to His will. If you cannot get past this point then don't! Wrestling through this part of prayer is more important than anything else!!!

Pardon - this is where you confess your sins and ask God to create in you a clean heart and you declare your dependency on Him and Him alone for your salvation.

People - who do you know that needs some prayer, needs God to move in their life, this is where you bring them before God and pray on their behalf.

Notice we have been praying for a while now and still no mention of all the things we want from God... exactly!!! The FINAL part of prayer for me is:

Petition - what are your concerns, what do you need, what are your wants... ask your Heavenly Father here. You don't have to hide them or not pray for them, most of us just need to pray for them less! Praying the "P's" helps you do that.

Pray for someone now...
The final thing I want to share from my personal prayer life is when someone asks you to pray for them, or you tell someone you will be praying for them, do it then! It might only be a one line, simple prayer, but do it then OR ELSE YOU WON'T. Trust me!

Hope that helps. Hope Sunday's message gave you some hope and freedom. Don't miss this Sunday as we talk about the mystery of unanswered prayer.

What can I pray for you? Let me know! Hit me up with a comment, facebook, twitter or e-mail.

The Sunday That Was (October 16)

2011-10-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we opened up our new series called, "Prayer" with what else but Bon Jovi's 80's hit, "Livin' on a Prayer". We even gave the band some 80's rocker hair to jam with... they had just a little fun with it! This was my view from off stage looking at Josh, Meredith and Rayzor. You never know what might happen next at the Suncoast.

Here are some random thoughts from the first talk in this 3-week series:

Prayer is an interesting, confusing, even at times offensive subject. It is also powerful, many people rely on it for a sense of peace, and studies have even shown it has many health benefits. It is at least a topic we are interested in and curious about no matter where you are on the spiritual spectrum.

A lot of people don't pray more because they just don't know how!

We also don't pray more because we get bored or distracted when we pray. The office next to ours at the Warehouse has a guy that cusses like a sailor almost every day when I pray... it is a little distracting!

Many of us don't pray more because we think our request are too small to bother God with.

Others of us don't because we are not sure our prayers make a difference!

The bottom line is prayer is simply communication with God. David asked God in Psalm 5 to consider his SIGHING! David felt like he was so close to God that even a sign could be a prayer. It is a lot different than we think!

IF you let yourself break out of your preconceived ideas of what prayer is you can find a lot more creativity and effectiveness and meaning!

Try: Talking to God with gut level honesty, about everything that matters to you, continually (don’t pray for long periods of time, but never go long periods of time without praying) and finally we must learn how to listen for God's response.

Five years from now, your life should look radically different because God wants to say something to you TODAY that could change the course of your life, the life of your family, maybe the course of generations to come. Will you learn to listen for His response?

This Sunday we will dive into the mystery of unanswered prayer. I hope if you are reading this then you will be there this Sunday. I hope you will pray about someone to bring too!!!

I wanted to let you know two vision pieces of what is going on right now at our church. One is THIS SATURDAY at 9am a bunch of people will be showing up at the West Pasco Pregnancy Center for our NEXT Serves project. We want to make Pasco County a better place! We want to serve our community. Service is a big part of the Suncoast from Sunday mornings to service opportunities like this. This Saturday we will help do some landscaping and building maintenance so wear some old stuff and meet at the center at 9am. Marge is leading the event and her e-mail is margie7444@aol.com Everyone is welcome to help make a difference and here is the address and map:

West Pasco Pregnancy Center

***NOTE: There are no NEXT Groups this week so we can serve on Saturday!

The second vision piece I want to mention is this week our church is giving back thousands of dollars to local ministries that help people in need from Land O' Lakes to Ybor City. We are also setting aside some money to help those in need at our own church! As a church we believe the Bible teaches to live on 90% of what God has blessed us with and give back to Him 10% called the tithe. From day one of the Suncoast we also believed if God asks us as Christ-Followers to follow this command then we as a church, as an organization, need to follow it as well. So we "give back" 10% of everything that comes in each year. To date we have given back over $75,000 in the past 5 years!!! As this money goes out this week pray that God blesses and multiplies it and that it is used to bring even more people to Jesus. Stay tuned for updates.

Don't miss part two of "Prayer" this Sunday guys... it will be good stuff and I will try to have my "A" game back. Felt like I only brought a "B-" this week.

:-)

Neglect... [why you might need this Sunday]

2011-10-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading in Hebrews chapter 2 and the Apostle Paul warns us with this:

"This is why it’s necessary for us to pay more attention to what we have heard, or else we may drift away..."

In my years as a pastor, and as a follower of Christ, I can say without a doubt the number one cause of spiritual problems and issues is NOT failure or sin, it is neglect. We neglect our faith and when we do it suffers, we drift, we fall into temptation, we feel empty. Paul warns us we need to pay more attention so that we don't drift away. Meaning, we need to read the Bible, pray, worship, serve, give, and spend time enjoying other Christ-Followers. All the personal things we do to keep our faith fresh and alive.

As your pastor as I take the temperature of our church I think many of us would say our faith is a bit flat right now... could it be because we have neglected it like a pound puppy!

So, this Sunday we are starting a new message series on prayer. For the next three weeks we will talk about what prayer is, some of the common frustrations, and we will look at how Jesus taught His followers to pray (which might shock you how much we miss the point of prayer). If your prayer life, and faith, could use a boost then please be here this Sunday. I have been praying for exactly that!

For more info click here:
http://www.canthisbechurch.com/current-series

Ye Ole Book

2011-10-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

When I got home from church on Sunday I found a really thoughtful gift in my mailbox... no it wasn't a bomb! Marlene gave me this REALLY old book:

The book is an Episcopal Church book or prayers from get this 1898!!!

It was regifted to Lois for "Faithful Sunday School Attendance"

AND, inside were these newspaper clippings from the 1940's where you could get a car for $10 down and $7 a week!

Thanks for the great gift! Had to share about it.

The Sunday That Was (October 9)

2011-10-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

It rained... A LOT!!! Thanks to our unnamed tropic low that spun up over us this weekend we got soaked. The set up people got soaked. The amazing greeters who helped people inside with the umbrellas got soaked. I saw tons of kids walking in soaked. The tear down peeps got soaked. And, yes... I got SOAKED on multiple occasions Sunday. Thank you guys for being a, "Whatever it takes" kind of church. Summer sun OR tropical storm, God's house gets set up and church happens, lives are changed! I love my church.

Saw some of our students sitting up on the front row again, you guys rock! Keep it up! Show us "old" people how it's done. The band rolled out a tough new song called "Magnify" and with not a lot of practice you guys pulled it off. Thanks for giving new things a try. We never grow if we don't! You guys are hard workers, thank you!

We celebrated communion and dropped our F-bombs too... We do communion different ways at the Suncoast. Sometimes the ushers pass out little waffers and cups, and sometimes we have everyone come up front and rip and dip the bread and juice. This past Sunday we ripped and dipped and asked everyone to come forward. Then as they were making their way back to their seats we had a basket where everyone could drop their "F-Bomb." My message ended with me asking everyone to write down the biggest offense they had to forgive someone for right now in their lives. After communion they dropped them in a basket and this week we will burn them as a visual tool for the process of forgiveness many of us are on now because of this series. Powerful stuff! I would love to hear your stories!

I HIGHLY reccomend watching or listening to the past two weeks if you were not at the Suncoast! Look, I am not dumb. I know no one wanted to talk about the topic of forgiveness. No one ever does! I didn't want to, that is why this series sat on the back burner for months... BUT, I am telling you as a church WE NEEDED THIS SERIES! So much freedom and liberation when you can swallow your pride and wrestle with the pain and work the process of forgiveness. So on your own, at your pace, watch or listen. You will be blessed because if, "you got it, then you give it."

This Sunday we start a new series on prayer called... "Prayer." We got creative with the title. Don't miss it if your prayer life could use a boost!

Don't Miss This Chance!

2011-10-06T15:14:00.001-07:00

To all my friends at the Suncoast... DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE! As this week has gone by I get a stronger and stronger sense God wants to move in BIG ways this Sunday at the Suncoast. What does that mean?

I think marriages will start down a path of healing. I think students will find freedom from some past hurts. I think those of us with a low grade fever, an anger, a frustration that lies just below the surface will be released to new joy! I think many people will finally forgive themselves and those who have held them in a prison of emotional captivity...

BUT, MOST OF ALL I BELIEVE DOZENS OF PEOPLE WILL FIND THE FORGIVENESS OF JESUS FOR THE FIRST TIME! Don't miss the chance to be a part of this, and what God wants to do in the lives of the people all around you at work, in your family, and in your neighborhood. Invite like a person possessed by the forgiveness of God and can't wait to share that with others!

E-mail me, tweet me, or facebook who you are inviting so I can be praying.

I love my church!

The Sunday That Was (October 2)

2011-10-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

It was a struggle... the portable church demons were out in full force yesterday! We had our monitors go out so the band could not hear themselves for the most part, not to mention they all had sinus infections! We had two of our VGA cables that take the signal to the projectors short out or something so we were down one video screen. Half of the video and media files got corrupted somehow when we transferred them off the portable hard drive. So, with less than an hour before church started I made a mad dash for my laptop while the guys finished set up and fought all these other issues. We got everything going at about 10:15am just in time to open the doors so we didn't get to rehearse the service before going "live" and had a few hiccups. Like I said the portable church, wear and tear, nothing is the same week to week demons were out doing all they could to keep us from experiencing this new series on forgiveness.

BUT, God won! He pulled it all together and the service was really powerful I thought! It might not have been perfect, but it was powerful. I got to pray for our band before they went out on stage, something I get to do every once in a while when I walk in on them backstage, but I prayed the only thing I knew to pray... "God if you show up and your presence fills this place then all this stuff doesn't matter."

I was also jacked up when I came out because a bunch of our middle and high school students were filling up the front row! Awesome to see you guys sitting together and being the church! Loved it!!! Keep it up, show us adults how it is done!

We started a new series called "F-Bomb" that I have been wanting to bring to you guys for a long time. I felt over a year ago that forgiveness was going to be something our church needed to wrestle with in 2011 and the only thing I am bummed about was the number of people who missed out one of the most powerful talks I have ever been able to preach. I didn't feel like I brought my "A-game" but the content and what God did made up for it! Guys I hope you will do everything within your power to help pack the house this Sunday! If there has ever been a time our church and our community needed to hear something it is this series! I actually wrote a handwritten letter to some friends inviting them to this series, I have never invited someone like that, but I just felt I needed to put into words why I was so passionate about this. So no excuses, be there this week and bring some friends.

Normally, I would leave you with some thoughts from the message, but I want you to watch or listen to the message if you missed it. It is worth the time investment, again not because of anything I said, but because forgiveness is that powerful and most of us don't really know why, or have been misinformed about it. So watch or listen and let me know what you think. I would love to hear your stories about how God is using this series. In fact you can share them here:

stories@canthisbechurch.com

A couple "announcements" to leave you with that I am also excited about from Sunday:

For the past 4 years we have done something as a church that has become a favorite for Cheryl and I each year. Halloweenie is where we take our grills from around back and put them in the drive way. We put signs (that the church provides) out the week before, and we grill hot dogs for all the people out trick or treating. We give out from 100 - 125 plus each year and then we give them an invite card for the new series we usually start that Sunday. The past couple of years we have had our NEXT Group help us and it is always so much fun! The signs will be available the next few weeks at church and from there it is up to you how big you want to make it!

On Saturday, October 22nd at 9am we are also meeting at the West Pasco Pregnancy Center to help them with some basic maintenance and clean up. Our NEXT Groups will be helping and EVERYONE is invited to help us make a difference in Pasco County. E-mail Marge to let us know who is coming:

Margie7444@aol.com

I love my church!

The Sunday That Was (September 25)

2011-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the Suncoast was the chance for a lot of people to step up, which was really cool to see. We had two staff members and a couple key volunteers out of town so some new faces got to step up and lead the Suncoast! We had a new vocalist, a new person leading worship, a new tech person running video, new people doing set up and tear down... good stuff.

I can remember days 4 or 5 years ago when we were just getting this church started that this would have been a Sunday I would have dreaded because we would have had some huge holes that would NOT have been filled OR I would have had to fill them and totally killed myself before I even preached a word!

I am so thankful for our staff, for our volunteers, and for the new people who stepped up and made it happen this week. Virtual HIGH FIVE!

Sunday we also wrapped up a quick little series that packed so much punch called "Catalyst." We continued talking about the things God uses to grow our faith and how we can either intentionally involve ourselves in these things, and put ourselves in environments where this happens, OR at least be aware of how these things work in our lives when we experience them so we can work with God and not against Him. Here are a few of my notes... catch the message here on my blog later today:

The reason Jesus was so revolutionary was because He invited us to KNOW God through faith. Not just know about God (religion), but actually KNOW and relate to God as a Father.

The first two ways God uses over and over to grow that relationship from last week were Practical Teaching and Providential Relationships.

Private Disciplines is the third way He does this. Things like prayer, reflection, reading your Bible, giving, even fasting.

In Matthew 6:6 Jesus tells us there is a reward for doing these private things on our own.

Pivotal Circumstances is the next thing God uses to grow our faith and usually it is the negative ones!

The difference between your faith growing and your faith being devastated in a crisis is who you surround yourself with! THIS is why we want you in a NEXT Group this week!

Personal Ministry is the final thing people talk about in their faith journey as something God used as a catalyst for bigger faith. There is something about being put in a stretching situation that forces you to depend on God and your faith grows. This is why we want you to serve!

At the end of the day the thing I want Church of the Suncoast to be known for is our big faith. This isn't about building a church it is about building people. And when you have a big church, filled with people of big faith, you can make a big difference! How much fun would that be???

I said this on Sunday but let's "Go Fish" this week! We are starting a new series on forgiveness THIS Sunday called "F-Bomb" and I know God wants to do some incredible things in our lives over the next couple of weeks through this series. We will be talking about the things you never knew about forgiveness and why it matters so much. I wrote in my journal this morning that God would make ME a bold "fisher" this week. I want my unchurched friends and neighbors to hear this series! I want them to be changed by the power of Jesus forgiveness!

Cheryl shared this with me on Sunday afternoon as we were chillin' on the couch. If someone gave you free luxury box tickets to the Buc's Monday Night Football game next week how jacked up would you be? You would walk around with a spring in your step, you would be so excited, you would anticipate the day! Well, news flash... we have been given forgiveness in Jesus and the gift of eternal life and NOW we get to share that with other people and we can't even muster a little enthusiasm... ouch!

I want my neighbors to hear this series and I want yours to hear it, but they won't unless we invite them. Let's get a little jacked up about what we get to do this week Suncoast! Let's tweet it up, post it up, talk it up, share it up, txt it up! Feel free to use our website, twitter feed, any of my stuff to help get the conversation going.

A Glimpse Into the Pastors Life (Part 2)

2011-09-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

As promised last Friday in THIS POST I will share some stuff that I have been going through, and learning from the amazing conference Cheryl and I went to in South Carolina recently. If you want her take you can read:

THIS and THIS from her blog.

By the way... I know this might not be about our church and your life, but it is about my life and my leadership and that does affect you so I hope you find this interesting. If not then check this out :-)

My life is not defined by the success of my church.

I wish I could go into all the in's and out's of how this feels, but maybe those of you who are parents can relate. You dream about giving birth to this baby, you work so hard for the first couple of years, it grows up a little and it is easy to let your life be defined by your "baby". But, it isn't!

I am still wrestling with how this plays out in week to week life, but I am like most church planters. We live and die by the weekend numbers. If the numbers and offering were good, then we are good. If they sucked then we suck! But, in the end it all kind of feels the same in its affects, it robs you of your joy and even your intimacy with God.

SO... the size of my church does not define me! What my fellow pastors think of me does not define my worth. What the people that get mad and leave our church think of me does not define me. God and God alone defines my worth and He said I was worth sending Jesus for... wow!

If I really want to make a difference then I need a selfless passion.

There are three levels most pastors and church leaders live at. The first level is make a name for yourself, make a living, you are good if the numbers are good and the enemy to all that is EVERYONE. The weather, the football game being a 1pm start, the church down the street that talks bad about you.

The second level is make a name for OUR church. You shift from ME to WE. We / our church can make a difference. We are good if the numbers are good. And, the enemy is the competition, or other churches, and the critics who take shots at our ministry.

The third level is the place where God wants me! A selfless passion where GOD is GOOD and the enemy is Satan! My life is worth nothing to me so I keep preaching the Good News about Jesus NO MATTER WHAT!

I needed to do a gut check!

I had to stand up with hundreds of other pastors at the conference and confess I was at level one or two depending on the day or the week. Get this, if I take credit for the down times then I will also take credit for the good times instead of giving God the glory! DANG, that still stings!

God did not call Cheryl and I to start Church of the Suncoast because our area was supposed to explode with growth. So now that it hasn't why would I take my hand off the plow now!

'Nuf said.

Focus on friendship with your wife!

Cheryl and I have been very blessed in the fact that we married our best friend. Before we got romantic we became best friends. The challenge is to stay that way once you are married and the pressures of life and ministry come into play. Thankfully this part of the conference was a reminder and not a wake up call. I am so glad I get to do this life and church thing with my best friend, love you babe!

When is Jesus not enough?

When the promises of God about this church and my ministry seem half fulfilled AT BEST... what do you do with that? Hey preacher!!! When is Jesus not enough. God has not promised you success, He promised you Jesus and gave Jesus for you. When is that not enough for you? See "gut check" and repeat.

Walk towards the messes.

Oh my gosh!!! This past year has been one ministry mess after another for Cheryl and I. But, guess what Jesus did? He walked towards the messes not away from them. Word!

These things also apply to your life and my guess is you can relate more than I lead on. But, I hope these two post give you some insight into my life and how you can pray for your pastor.

:-)

God is not done with us yet Suncoast!

The Sunday That Was (September 18)

2011-09-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

As a church we shined this past Sunday! Literally! It was not just the song we walked out singing. If you miss Sunday here is what I mean. We started a new message series for 2-weeks called Catalyst and as we looked at the graphic and message intro, and thought about the idea for the series... "Why not buy a bunch of glow sticks and glow gear for the band and not just "sing" on Sunday but let our worship and gratitude for Jesus be visible?" So we did!

We bought a ton of glow sticks and all kinds of glow gear, the service opened with a cool video explaining what was going on, then the band came out with the lights off and we sang, "It's All Because of Jesus" and we showed our gratitude to Jesus by waving and raising our glowing hands. I loved it!

We are always looking for ways to engage everyone during our songs we sing to God each Sunday, and ways to make a service memorable. This was a simple way to do both. Here is a snapshot I took while they guys were setting up and one of the glow sticks in action. Thank you Rita for making it happen!!!

Like I said we also started a new series called Catalyst about the things God uses to grow our faith. Life is too messy for us to believe that there's a simple formula for faith. So, then the question is how does our faith grow? How do we get to the point of completely trusting God with every area of our lives?

As people share their stories you hear some common things over and over again. In fact you hear about five things over and over again. That is what we are looking at and here are my notes from the first two:

There are only two times Jesus was ever "amazed" in the Bible. Both times had to do with faith. One was some one's big faith, one was a group of people's lack of faith.

By faith we mean: What would someone who was you do if they were absolutely confident God was with them?

As a church we realize we can't make your faith grow. All we can do is create relevant environments in which GOD can work. Specifically, around five faith catalysts God uses over and over again.

#1 Practical Teaching - Having the Bible taught so that you know what you need to know and what you need to do. The "doing" is what makes the difference to your faith though. Unapplied truth is like unapplied paint! The value is in the application. (See James 1:22-24)

#2 Providential Relationships - God always uses other people to build our faith. And, while we can't create a "providential relationship" for you as a church we can create environments that are conducive for this to happen. This is why we want EVERYONE in a NEXT Group.

I closed the message by saying this... About 5 out of 6 painful situations I get a front row seat for as a pastor are all self-inflicted wounds. People didn't apply the truth of the practical teaching and they didn't have anyone around them to point them back to Jesus. Just because you punch yourself in the head doesn't make you Job! When you jump into a NEXT Group THIS WEEK you will take two big steps in God doing something big in your faith and heart.

To find out more about NEXT Groups check out these two links:
About Groups
This Week's Groups

We seriously want YOU in a group this week. AND, I want you back on Sunday for the final part of Catalyst! Bring someone with you and let's pack the house. Love you guys!

A Glimpse Into the Pastors Life

2011-09-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Over the past 5 or 6 months God has had me on a journey as a pastor and as a person. Let me set the stage for you:

Spring of 2010 the Suncoast is having Sundays with 150 plus or minus people and that Easter we had 237 people, which was our highest attended service to date. This was still not the explosive growth I thought we would have 4 years into church planting, but it was moving in the right direction even if it was slow.

Spring to summer of 2010 we start to drop almost weekly until in June we went to one Sunday service. No big issues, no church split, just poof...

Summer to fall we bottom out and despite praying, a church wide fast, and working harder than ever we can't get any momentum going back in the right direction. Financially, we almost had to shut the doors because of people who had left, the economy, and many couples who were having major marriage issues one after another.

2011 I begin to ask God if I am missing something, what was I doing wrong and if this is still what He wanted me to be doing with my life. Shared it with the staff, we prayed some more, we worked some more, and at least the financial picture started to turn a corner!

Easter of 2011 we saw our first signs of new life, 175 people. The summer was back lower, and then for the big fall launch we worked and prayed for so hard we had 131 which was about 25 more than last year, so some more new life.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was to a point where I was letting my self-worth and my relationship with God be dictated by how many people were showing up or not showing up AND, what my peers thought of me and our church (our brand you could even say).This wasn't something that happened all of a sudden but over time, with some wrong expectations, some wrong advice, wrong focus, and even some wrong motives I have had to repent of.

Now, personally Cheryl and I got pregnant and our worlds are about to change forever, I was emotionally spent from church life I think, and I just decided I was by God's grace not going to be one of these guys that flames out of the ministry, or jumps into some immoral stuff that would disqualify me from leading. So, I decided to get some "preventive counseling" as I coined the phrase with my counselor. No, real agenda, and he said this was a first, but just felt I needed to get in a better place before the stress of a baby enters the mix!

Through this I will share some of the things I am learning, and some of the things that went along with it from the NewSpring Leadership Conference last week, all in some upcoming post... mainly because I have already written too much for one post and it is a really nice day out and I want to go enjoy it. Sorry to leave you hanging, but stay tuned.

The Sunday That Was (September 11)

2011-09-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a busy few days for Cheryl and I. We left last Wednesday morning for a church leadership conference in South Carolina and it was, dare I say, life changing! Cheryl did a great post on her blog here:

CherylMoon.com

I will be sharing some personal things that happened in my life later this week, but first here are my Monday morning random thoughts from the weekend that was at Church of the Suncoast:

We started the service with a 9/11 countdown and video that was pretty emotional I think. I didn't want to really make a point so the opening time was more about letting yourself remember those emotions from 10-years ago. The only "point" I made when I came out was what Paul told the Corinthians, faith, hope and love. And, the greatest of these is love. That should be our response. We prayed for those still hurting and for our nation to seek Jesus like they did in the days after 9/11 ten years ago.

The band helped us get transitioned and then I came out to wrap up our "Life at the Redline" series. We talked about margin in our morals and the notes looked like this:

Will we let the culture push us to its moral redline, or will we step back from the line and create some moral margin?

1 Corinthians 6:18 - "Run from sexual sin! All other sins people commit are outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies."

There is a personal significance with sexual sin that is different than anything else.

For students, you need to pre-decide how far you are going to go sexually. You need some artificial boundaries to cover you in a moment of weakness. For singles, the more things you have experienced, the further from the redline you need to place your self-imposed limits. For married couples, 1) Don't have lengthy online conversations. 2) Don't eat alone with the opposite sex. 3) Don't ride alone with someone of the opposite sex. 4) Don't be alone in your office with the opposite sex. 5) Talk about questionable relationships. 6) Porn and strip clubs are not neutral entertainment. 7) Don't let the opposite sex confide in you.

The point being we need to take extreme measures to create some moral margin for those times of weakness in our lives because no one PLANS on blowing up their life!

If you missed any of the series check out the message videos on the player at the upper right of my blog. It is worth your time!!!

On the announcement front we talked about two things:

Volunteer Community for all volunteers THIS Saturday night, 7pm at the Warehouse. We will feed you some Carrabbas and celebrate the volunteer of the quarter! Don't miss it, bring the family. Help us plan with a RSVP to rita@canthisbechurch.com

NEXT Groups start THIS week! Our small groups run for the next 10-weeks and you can get all the info on the news page of our website:

http://www.canthisbechurch.com/news

And... that is the Sunday that was. Can't wait to share some of the personal stuff from the conference later this week, check back for that.

Love you guys and I love my church!!!

The Sunday That Was (September 4)

2011-09-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day... yes some of us have to work on Labor Day. And, you thought I only worked one day a week! Here are some random thoughts from the Sunday that was:

The band TOTALLY slayed AC/DC's "Money Talks" dang!

I never knew just how funny Dave Ramsey was.

The 5 Steps to Create Financial Margin were: 1) Have a written game plan... AKA a budget 2) Act your wage... live on less than you make 3) Save money 4) Get out of debt 5) Give... the tithe is just the starting point!

Even though we had a TON of people out for the holiday weekend we still had a good crowd and we have been up 15% since the fall launch over this time one year a go! Go God!!!

Thank you to the volunteers who helped set it up and tear it down, even without all the help you got it done quick!

Still seeing lots of new people, win! Keep inviting guys!

This week Cheryl and I are heading to a church leadership conference in South Carolina. Be praying for us if you think of it. Pray God equips and encourages us. Check my twitter feed for some updates. We will be back on Saturday and ready to go for Life at the Redline Part 4!

Keep "fishing" Suncoast! With this being 9.11 people may be looking to reconnect with a church on this day as we all remember and reflect on the last 10 years. We have a few things planned to start the service so BE ON TIME and bring some people. Dare I say it... it will be EPIC!

10-Minutes a Day

2011-08-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Two Sundays ago I gave you guys the homework of sitting still for 5-minutes a day, 5-minutes where you unplugged and did NOTHING. For most of us that was the hardest homework I have ever given from the stage! This past Sunday the homework was to give God your first minutes. To stop long enough each day and show Him you are making Him your priority. AND, we were supposed to double the time to 10-minutes a day (at least 5 days this week). In "Christian circles" this is commonly called a quiet time. So, today here is a recap of how you get started:

> Get an easy to read Bible like the New Living Translation (NLT).

You can get them at any Christian book store, online, or even at Wal-Mart. I like having online tools like www.YouVersion.com BUT to me there is nothing like my old red Bible full of my notes and highlights over the years. So get an easy to read Bible like the NLT.

> Read a chapter a day from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

You can even read less than that, but a chapter a day is a good idea of what to read. Have a pen or some different highlighters with you and mark whatever jumps out at you. YES YOU CAN WRITE IN YOUR BIBLE! I have no idea if my family will leave me any inheritance but what I most want is their Bibles. For years they have marked and made notes in them from before I was even born. Do the same thing. As you read just mark what seems to speak to you. Some days you will get a lot, some days you won't mark anything. But, mark it so you can come back to it and see how God has moved in your life.

> Journal your prayers and thoughts.

I don't claim to be great at this, but I have a couple journals filled up over the last 11 or 12 years of what God showed me as I read the Bible, what I was praying for and how He answered some of those prayers. Writing it out just helps you stay focused. So, write out your prayers, write them like you are writing a letter to God. Write down what you read about today. And, be still long enough to see if God doesn't impress upon you a thought or reminder of His love or peace.

That is how you have a basic quiet time. This is the number one secret to gaining margin in your schedule. Can't tell you why, but it does. Give God your first minutes and see how He blesses the rest.

I would love to hear what God is showing you as you do this! Leave a comment to e-mail me at stories@canthisbechurch.com

The Sunday That Was (August 28)

2011-08-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Wow! Go God! Sunday was the second week in a row where some BIG things happened at the Suncoast. We were in the second part of this new series called "Life at the Redline" and while we might be talking about slowing down, as a church, I think we are speeding up. We have seen our attendance bounce back from the summer and some huge wins have been going on all over in individuals lives. I have heard so many stories from the past couple of weeks. Our faith and God's faithfulness seem to be intersecting during this season and I am praying for more and can't wait for the rest of the ride this fall.

On Sunday we baptized 3 people and dedicated 3 awesome kids. We also had 3 people accept Christ and we continue to have lots of guests. Keep serving to create those environments for God to work Suncoast! Keep inviting because YOU NEVER KNOW when those invites will pay off. I love my church!

One story that I just have to share... Our band was praying before they went out and as they prayed for that time, and the rest of the service, someone said, "And God help us to just have a kick-ass service!" As your pastor Suncoast I love that for several reasons. It was honest! It wasn't fake! It was passionate! It was bold. I would much rather have someone step up and pray that kind of prayer in front of their friends and fellow band members that some canned, flowery, nice little prayer that wasn't from the heart. I'm glad we have created a church where people can be the same when they pray as they are when they are hanging out during the week.

If you missed the message Sunday it will be up Monday afternoon and you have to watch it! We played a little trick on everyone at the beginning of it. Good times. Here are a few notes, talking about margin in our schedules:

1. Your time is limited
2. All your time will be spent doing something
3. Someone will choose how you spend your time

"The urgent things will always push aside the important things"

So how do we do something about it?

1. Recognize your days are numbered
2. Prioritize accordingly "Is this the wise thing to do?"
3. Make time alone with God number one
4. Schedule intentional times of rest

This Sunday we will hit week 3 of "Life at the Redline" and we will be talking about creating financial margin. I am telling you if you really "get" what we are talking about this coming Sunday it will change your life. Not hype! Financial issues are ultimately not about dollars and cents. It is about the man or the woman in the mirror. Change that person and your money will take care of itself. Don't miss it. I know it is Labor Day weekend, but DON'T MISS THIS SUNDAY!

2011-08-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I am asking everyone to do one of two things.

The first thing is, if you have never been baptized as an adult, meaning you were old enough to know what you were doing and meant it, if you have never been baptized then bring a towel and a change of clothes and tell everyone you have DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS! I know it might seem a little scary, and what will people think, and I don't know, and what about my hair, and I am not sure I am ready and... Look, YOU WILL NEVER BE "READY". If you have accepted / trusted / believed in Jesus to be your Savior in your heart then you are as ready as you will ever be! You might still have some questions, you might still have some doubts, you might not understand it all. Fine. In the Bible, someone made a decision to follow Jesus and they were baptized that day!!! No waiting. Have you decided to trust in Jesus, then you need to follow in obedience this Sunday. This Sunday is YOUR TIME. Don't let fear keep you from obeying Jesus. The step of faith will be rewarded and you will experience what it is like to go public with your faith. No turning back! THIS IS YOUR SUNDAY! I believe that will all my heart and I have been praying for you!

If you are a parent of a birth - 5th grader then I would also challenge you to dedicate your child THIS SUNDAY! This is a simple act with profound implications. You are publicly telling everyone that you are wanting to raise this child in a Jesus-centered environment so that one day they will make the decision to follow Jesus as well. You are publicly saying you need God's help and the church gets to commit to YOU in helping with that process. Read Deuteronomy 6:6-9 That is your goal and commitment as a godly parent. That is what this Sunday's dedication is all about, creating that kind of environment.

The second thing I am asking you to do is pray for this Sunday. If you have already been baptized then pray for those that will be taking that step this Sunday. Pray for courage and boldness. Pray God's blessings over them as they obey and follow Jesus. Pray this Sunday is even more epic than last Sunday!

If you are getting baptized, during the final song at the end of the service on Sunday, I will ask you to slip back to the restrooms and change. If you are dedicating your kids go and get them from the Coastal Kids area during that time too. THEN, we will all meet at the Guest Services Kiosk in the back for some final instructions and prayer before we head out to the baptismal kiddie pool.

IT IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!
Praying for you.

The Sunday That Was (Fall Launch)

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Epic! I told you it would be :-) Here are some pics first from the Fall Launch this past Sunday @ the Suncoast, and the start to our new series Life at the Redline...

It was an awesome day at the Suncoast and a great way to kick off the fall around here. The day started out with a lot of hard and really hot set up work. I have said this before, but the set up guys and gals are my church hero's. By 9:30am when things were getting close to being done I think we all were soaked, gross! The local Corvette Club showed up a little before 10am and we pretty much lost all the men from that point on :-) Thanks to those guys for bringing over a dozen cars! If this means anything to you we had several Z06's and Grand Sports, way cool.

As people started to arrive there was a huge "Wow" factor with the Vettes out front, the R/C car track for the kids and the new stage design. The countdown clock ended and the band rolled out some old school Alabama "I'm in a Hurry". We had two more songs that got everyone focused on uniting around Jesus, what this is all about, and we rolled a hilarious video showing people freaking out with stress. Then, I got up and preached my guts out (more sweat) on the insanity of our "Life at the Redline." Here are a couple main thoughts:

We are living at an unsustainable pace!

We don't have any margin in the major areas of our life.

Margin: the amount available beyond what is necessary.

The best things in life happen in the margins!

If Satan cannot make us really bad, he will be happy to make us really, really busy.

When margin decreases, stress INCREASES.

When margin decreases, relational intimacy decreases!

AND, then I gave everyone your homework... for 5-minutes a day, each day this week, unplug 100% from EVERYTHING and just be, just sit, don't think or produce anything, be a human-being not a human-doing. Why? Because we don't know how to do this verse:

"Be STILL and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

We ended the service with a prayer time and two people accepted Christ, go God! That is what our church is all about. That is why we try to be creative, that is why we sweat the details (literally). That is why we have fall launches!

I saw huge wins all over the place Sunday. We had a great crowd (highest since Easter... and our highest non-holiday service since last May), we had tons of guests, a TON of kids... OMG! During the prayer most of you said you would try the homework, most committed to come back for the rest of the series, and I can't wait to see what happens this Sunday with baptism's and child dedication. New people were exposed to Jesus, you guys "went fishing" and our volunteers did a great job creating a relevant environment for God to work, and He did! Win!

So, take a minute today (not one of your 5 from the homework) and thank God for what He did. Take a few more minutes and keep inviting people for THIS Sunday, and I hope you will take a next step and get baptized THIS Sunday the 28th! To get more info let us know: info@canthisbechurch.com

Be BOLD

2011-08-17T11:59:00.001-07:00

It is Wednesday... Sunday is coming! Our big fall launch is this week. We have talked about "Go Fish" for the past 6-weeks... AND, I am praying you are BOLD these next few days. I am praying you are bold in your invites, bold in your conversations, bold in your asking, bold with your friends and family, bold with your neighbors, bold with your co-workers, bold with the girl at Starbucks, bold with the guy that cuts your hair, bold with your baby-sitter... Bold enough to say, "You have to come and see. Just come and see. This Sunday come with me to church and see what I am talking about."

Be BOLD guys! Sunday is coming.

On Tuesday I walked into our landlord's office here at the Warehouse to drop off the rent check and I just laid it out there. "What are you guys doing on Sunday... Come to church! We are talking about how we don't have any time and money and sanity these days. Not that you guys deal with any of that as small business owners... Here is a card. Come to church this week!"

Last week I was e-mailing with the printer who does all our printing for the church. We have talked about church before and I know she is not a Christ-Follower. Went bold on her! Asked her if she can come this week. And, she said she could. Praying she does.

Also, praying for the people you are going bold on! Sunday is coming!!!

The Sunday That Was (August 14)

2011-08-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we wrapped up our summer "Go Fish" series. If you missed the message you can watch it on the upper right video player here on my blog. We also gave away the deep sea fishing trip you have been entering to win during this series and CONGRATS to Angel on the "big catch". You can also see him win on the message video, great reaction!!! Enjoy it bro! Angel is one of our loyal set up guys and he and his wife Stephanie are stepping up to be our middle and high school directors (more on this later this week).

A few highlights from Sunday:

The story in 2 Kings 7:3-16 is not one you heard in Sunday school but it put a period on our series because the 4 guys HAD TO GO BACK and tell the others about the GOOD NEWS.

With great discovery comes great responsibility!

BE CAREFUL: The longer you are a Christian the easier it is to allow our time and lives to be so absorbed with what God is doing in and for us that we forget to go back to those we left behind.

We have a tension... will we go back to some of the people and places we used to know?

I also shared 10 questions if we really buy into anything we have talked about over the past 6-weeks, if we really thought we had to fish:

Who would you make time for to invite to lunch?

Who would you buy your next random gift for?

Would you do anything different financially?

Who would you have over for dinner?

Who do you need to invite to church THIS WEEK?

Would you change where you workout / shop / get your hair cut?

Would you change where your kids play sports?

Would you change your golfing / shopping partner?

How would you pray different?

Who would you adaciously pray for until they accept Jesus?

I hope this series has challenged you to rethink your faith and even how you live out your life with Christ. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE COULD DO now is get out there this week and make sure people come on Sunday because of us! We have a great fall launch planned and a new series called "Life at the Redline." It will be the perfect environment for someone to just "Come and see" like we talked about. I know you are busy and have all kinds of things to do this week. But, lets not miss this opportunity to "Go Fish" and introduce people to the God in this song...

This was our communion song from Sunday:

It Is Time To Take Your Next Step!

2011-08-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

Our purpose for our church is:
Helping people take their next steps with God

And, specifically what we are trying to do is:
Create relevant environments in which God can work

Over the next month everyone will have the chance to take at least one BIG next step at the Suncoast. Here are a few of them:

> Bring someone for the Fall Launch (Aug 21)
Every year we hit the reset button and launch into the fall with hopefully lots of momentum. It is back to school time, and back to a routine time for most people, and that means getting back into the church groove. We start a big new message series about a highly practical topic for believers and non-believers. And, I am personally asking you to make sure there is another person there because of you on August 21st. We have been talking about "Go Fish" for 5-weeks now, let's do it!

> Sign up for a NEXT Group
Starting this Sunday the 14th we will be signing up for our fall NEXT Groups. NEXT Groups are smaller groups of people that meet for 10-weeks in homes on various nights of the week. During that time you will be diving deeper into Sunday's message, talking, sharing, praying for each other, eating, having fun, serving the community and giving to a cause your group chooses. Pick a group with some friends or make some new ones. Group sign ups will go until September 11th. I know this is a BIG next step for some, but don't let your fear keep you from something amazing!

> Baptism and Child Dedication (Aug 28)
When a person became a Christ-Follower in the Bible their next step was to "go public" with their faith and be baptized. On Sunday the 28th you will have the chance to follow Jesus in obedience. If you were baptized as a child I think this is for you too because there is nothing like letting people know you are one of His followers! To sign up e-mail us at info@canthisbechurch.com If you are a parent of a birth - 5th grader and would like to have them dedicated then we will also be celebrating that on the 28th. For more info e-mail Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

> Step up and serve
Right now we have a chance for you to serve God, and His people, and those who are coming to experience Him for the first time this fall! We have 2 - 4 spots in our Coastal Kids Ministry in the Beach (elementary age). We have 2 spots on our set up team. We have 2 spots on the greeting and usher team. AND, we can ALWAYS use more hands tearing down the school after church is over each Sunday. Investing in Wall Street is a crap shoot right now, investing in God's kingdom ALWAYS PAYS DIVIDENDS!

So, no excuses Suncoast. Now, is the time to take your next step. Sometimes the biggest things in life come from taking small steps of obedience. Again for more info on any of this, e-mail us at info@canthisbechurch.com

The Sunday That Was (August 7)

2011-08-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

OMG! Was it hot on Sunday. When I got there with the set up guys the A/C at the school had been kicked off and it was dang hot in there. Thank you to the set up guys and gals. You guys are my hero's! I am not sure if it was the lack of A/C or what but you guys got it done quick this week!

I thought the service was really good Sunday. I saw a lot of wins and it spilled over into our Coastal Kids Ministry where Crystal told me a whole list of REALLY cool things that happened back there this Sunday. Speaking of our kids ministry. We have been busting at the seams all summer I think. AND, we need two more Beach volunteers. The Beach is our environment for the elementary age kids and is a lot of fun. It is a once a month commitment and we will train you and make sure you are comfortable before we turn you loose. For more info e-mail Crystal (our kids director) at crystal@canthisbechurch.com By the way, you work as a team so you are not in there solo, FYI because that would be nuts!

This week we got one step closer to wrapping up our "Go Fish" series, and I said this before we started this journey, I think this has been the most important series we have ever done at the Suncoast in our brief 5-year history! There is so much in this that changes the way we see life, prayer, even how we see God! If you have missed a week or two PLEASE watch the messages here on my blog at the upper right. Here are a few thoughts from part 5:

Fishing is simple (watch the video and message to the end)

Fishing for people should also be simple because the message is so simple.

We have made the message complicated as pastors and Christians.

A lot of people have rejected Jesus not because of the real message of salvation, but because of a distortion we have made out of it!

The two things a person needs to KNOW to become a Christian is: God loved and God gave. God loved, and God gave, that is it!!! Really!

The two things a person needs to DO to become a Christian is: Believe and receive.

We said it like this (all from John 3:16): GOD LOVED. GOD GAVE. and if we BELIEVE we RECEIVE. That is it. You don't have to know about creation vs evolution, you don't have to know Old Testament Law, you might have objections with Paul and some of the things he wrote, you might not buy into the Book of Revelation. Fine. The issue, the Gospel, is God loved, God gave. We believe, we receive.

So as fishers of people let's make sure if someone accepts or rejects Christianity they are accepting or rejecting the true message of salvation.

Our job is to live it out, and lay it out when the fish are biting!

After church was over a bunch of the faithful people that help us teardown all went out to eat and had a good time, which is another reason you should stick around and load the trailer with us...

Make sure you are inviting everyone you can for our fall launch on August 21st! I will share more on that later this week.

Looking for Wins!

2011-08-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

So, real quick today I wanted to share with all my Suncoast family something that I was thinking and praying about this past week.

Everyone likes to be on a winning team. When the Rays and Bucs win, the stadium fills. When they don't, it is empty. Everyone likes a winner. In the church world the same thing applies but how you measure a win is much different, AND if left unspoken you guys will fill in the blanks for yourself and often that is butt's in seats. Which is an important measurement for wins because numbers are people, BUT they are also so fickle! So here is a quick list of some things to look for to know if we are "winning".

If you see even one face you don't recognize then that Sunday was a win. We are here for those not here yet and even one guest means we won.

If you see someone new serving, greeting, cafe, band, kids... if you have not seem them doing that role before then it was a win because they are helping to create a relevant environment for God to work. AND taking a next step by getting outside of themselves!

Any Sunday (since we are portable) it all gets done and the video, lights and sound are right on it was a win because those guys and gals try really hard!

Any Sunday you have a moment in the music/prayer/communion when you forget, even for a few seconds, that you are in a school cafeteria and all you are focused on is our God and His amazing love for us... WIN!

When you see someone take out their program and take some notes during the message... WIN! When you do it... BIG WIN!

When we have a baptism and child dedication Sunday like we do coming up on August 28th and even one person takes their next step of faith and gets baptized then that Sunday was a win and the angels throw a party in heaven! When even one family dedicates their child and says, "God help us and do something amazing in this kids life"... WIN!

When you see people hanging out after the service and talking and laughing and enjoying being in the house of God then that Sunday was a win! When you head straight to the car and bolt, we lose...

When your kids can't wait to get to church and don't want to leave, win! When they get you out of bed and they are the reason you came that week, yep WIN!!!

AND, when people get their on time (that would be in the cafeteria by 10:30), when the seats are all full, and you see the ushers taking out more chairs, yes that is a win, and we should celebrate it!

Hope this list helps, obviously when someone accepts Jesus that is the ultimate win and it doesn't matter what else happened that day, but you don't always know when that happens like I do. Just know every month we have people do just that and we should be excited about that.

See you all Sunday, will we win?

The Sunday That Was (July 31)

2011-08-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was just one of those Sunday's as a portable church where you are glad next week will be here in just a few more days. Set up went well and everything was fine until about 9am. One of our band members called in sick, and we already had several out for various reasons. So... some last minute tweaks, some frantic txt and Tom shows up with his keyboard and pulls off playing the bass off it for the service. When he woke up Sunday he had no idea what he was getting into. Great job being flexible guys! I know it is hard, but you pulled it off. Thanks band guys and gals for all you do!

Sunday was (what I thought) going to be the most important message in our "Go Fish" series. I was pumped, I was excited, then I walked out to do the welcome and OMG! Can anyone say July vacation? Thank you guys for showing up and being such good sports, but dang! I was not ready for the empty seats. It filled in some as the service went on and I know God used the message and He knew who would be there and was not shocked. One of these days I will be able to better express the dynamic I go through personally when the room is full vs when the room is not. But, it does dramatically (in my mind at least) change my mood, my preaching, and even my recovery time post service. Again, today is Tuesday and I know it was July and I am fine. Just letting you into my head and my passion and the church behind the curtain.

If you missed the message... check it out here on my blog to the upper right. It is well worth the time investment! I know it is not urgent, but it is IMPORTANT! We talked about having a "fishing partner" in the church. That one of the best things we can do as we "Go Fish" is to just get people into a Sunday service to come and see, come and see, come and experience Jesus in this place. AND, the week I am asking you to pack the house is our fall launch on August 21st.

We are planning a lot of fun and creative stuff to "Wow" the people you bring and we are starting a new series called "Life at the Redline" all about the lack of margin in our lives these days. It will be the perfect introduction to the Suncoast and to what this place is all about. So grab lots of invite cards and "Go Fish" over the next few weeks.

Bottom line: some good things happened on Sunday, some small wins, so don't mistake this post for something it is not. Just sharing the real life stuff with my church friends and family. Don't miss this Sunday as we hit part 5 in "Go Fish".

New Direction for the Suncoast

2011-07-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

July 10th and 11th I took the staff at the church and their families over to the JW Marriott in Orlando for our staff retreat. First of all it was an awesome time to just hang out as friends and people and refresh... not as staff and all the business talk. Suncoast you are blessed with some awesome people leading! BUT, Monday we huddled up and spent the day seeking God's direction for the church and learning some new things about momentum and about how to close the back door of our church. We had some really hard conversations, honest ones, and I wanted to share with you some of what came out of that retreat.

The first thing, which we have talked about already this year a couple of times and made public, was the need for a new location/building. There are a lot of reasons why, but the bottom line is we are actively looking for a new place to call home. Ideally, this would be something much more permanent where we didn't have to set up and tear down and do church in a trailer. A few doors have opened and others have shut, but we are looking! The area we are looking for is from Collier Parkway to Gunn Highway along SR 54 just to give you an idea.

Another thing that came out of it was about me, specifically that I do too much. I know some of you wonder what a pastor does all week, but I spend my time split between planning the weekend service, doing the daily operations of the church, preparing messages, being the "shepherd" and the thing that gets pushed to the side is being the leader. AND, to be honest someone can do everything I do except lead and preach. That is where I am most effective. So, I need to hand off a lot of what I do. Right now we are looking to bring on staff a programming director who would plan and prepare and execute the Sunday service. Rita and Crystal do a great job with their areas and Steve leads the band, but all of the other elements of the service itself would fall under this persons responsibilities. This would allow me to spend my time preparing my message and actually lead. You can't work on your church if you are too busy working in your church! If we are going to get better as a church then I need to stop being the bottle neck!

The last thing was I need to stop doing set up. So, we need two more guys to jump in and be on the team. It is an every other week commitment and we get going at 7:30am at the school. E-mail me at brian@canthisbechurch.com if you are interested.

There were other "tweaks" that came out of the retreat that we will be talking about soon, but wanted to share these three with you. I think it could be an exciting fall at the Suncoast :-)

Church of the Suncoast APP

2011-07-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

If you have an Andriod phone you can now get the Church of the Suncoast APP and it is FREE :-) Check it out here:

The Suncoast APP

FOR iPHONE PEEPS: you can get the same content here as a mobile site:

http://m.canthisbechurch.com/ - Save as a fav

Here is what you get from the APP and the mobile site:

Send prayer request

Give online

Watch video messages

Listen to podcast

Check it out today! Thank you Josh for putting all this together! Way cool!

The Sunday That Was (July 24)

2011-07-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

The weekend got off to a great start Friday night at "Hot Summer Nights". Well, it was great until Mike nailed me in the head with the giant jousting deal. My neck is still stiff! BUT, it was a BLAST! I don't know what the total count was but people were all over the place! It was a great event to make some of those "outside of Sunday" connections. (Our fall run of NEXT Groups is another chance so be ready to sign up in August) Thank you to Rita, Henry, Crystal and Keith for all your help.

Sunday at the Suncoast was part 3 of our "Go Fish" series. I am still convinced this is the best series of messages we have ever done. This is so huge, so focus shifting for Christ-Followers! AND, we have had 7 people accept Christ over the past few weeks!!! Go God! Leave it to God to bring people to Him during a series about His followers "fishing". The main points from Sunday were:

Most of us don't fish because we are afraid, "What if they ask a hard question, what if they freak out, what if they fire me, what if things get awkward?"

BUT, drawing from Acts 4... God is Sovereign and in control, He has also invited us to be a part of His story in our generation, so why be afraid?

We should ask God to make us BOLDER! (and in fact that was the homework. Start praying for one week, "God, enable me to speak your word with great boldness.")

We also had an amazing video to set the message up, take a look:

A big thanks to the greeters for standing out in the July heat! I hope you guys get how important you are to the mission of our church. You are the first impression a guest has! You let them know this is a safe, welcoming place. Keep your eyes on the vision this summer :-) You guys rock.

Well, that was Sunday. Check back later in the week for some news from the staff retreat a couple weeks ago. Do your homework! Throw this in at the end of your prayers, "God, enable me to speak your word with GREAT BOLDNESS."

PS - Be "fishing" for the fall launch on August 21st! Grab some of the new invite cards!

Invite Cards for the Fall Launch

2011-07-21T14:54:00.001-07:00

Every year we have a big fall kick off once school gets back into the groove. This year we will kick off the day before school starts on August 21st. We are starting a new series called "Life at the Redline" and there will be lots of fun pre and post service like we did on Father's Day and other big Sundays. Grab some of these great looking invite cards starting THIS Sunday at the Suncoast!

Hot Summer Nights, Friday 7pm

2011-07-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

This Friday night, 7pm at the Warehouse (14426 Black Lake Rd. Odessa, FL 33556) we are having something called "Hot Summer Nights". We got real creative with the name being that is is July in the Tampa Bay Area! Right now here is the line up for the whole family:

Giant 20ft tall water slide

Giant inflatable jousting

Cornhole contest

Putting green

Basketball

FREE hotdogs, burgers and drinks

I think that is the big stuff... it is going to be a lot of fun. DO ME A FAVOR SUNCOAST! Bring someone with you.

Don't miss "Go Fish" part 3 on Sunday and next week I am going to be sharing some of the things that came out of our staff retreat last week. Stay tuned for that!

The Sunday That Was (July 17)

2011-07-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

The set up guys and staff were stoked this Sunday because we got to leave everything set up from the week before! This used to be a month long treat in past years but it seems to be getting harder and harder to find weeks when we can leave our stuff set up at the school. I love the set up guys and gals though. We all owe them a lot of thanks and appreciation during these HOT summer months.

We were in the second part of the new series "Go Fish" and the message was all about why we have to "fish" as followers. If you missed the message, it will be up on our website www.CanThisBeChurch.com or here on my blog by Monday late afternoon. The big idea was we have to "fish" because the message of Jesus, salvation and forgiveness, is not intuitive. The message of Christianity is not based in experience, it is based in history, the resurrection of Jesus. AND, you don't know history until someone tells you! So, we have to fish! We have to tell, we have to open our mouths and talk about Jesus for people to know.

We are giving away a free fishing trip for two to go along with the "Go Fish" series and the only way to get signed up is by attending on Sundays. The more you come, the more chances you have to win! (Yes this is how we get people to come to church in the summer)

The band did a great job with a new song called "Awakening." We will be doing it again this week if you missed it. Great song, catchy, you will be singing it later in the week.

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT at the Warehouse we are having a big event called "Hot Summer Nights". We will have a giant 20-foot tall water slide, food, cornhole contest, and a bunch of other stuff. Bring the fam at 7pm and plan on having a great time cooling off!

Finally, some big vision stuff going on right now, so please be praying for the staff and I as we seek God's direction about what is next for the Suncoast. You guys rock! See you for Hot Summer Nights!

A Suncoaster's Letter (The Homework)

2011-07-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for providing me with a strong foundation of faith. My pastor this week was talking about the moment you discovered faith and I couldn’t think of a day I didn’t have faith. So I thank you for all the things you taught me as a child! Even though we didn’t attend church much, you always taught us to pray at bed time, you tried to teach us Bible stories in the living room, you always showed us Gods love. Yes, I attended church classes when I was older, but they did not make me who I am today. So I thank you for the greatest gift a mother can give… the gift of Faith in Jesus!

I am so blessed, I know God has been with me my whole life, I remember praying to him on so many nights as a child and every step of my life. I have had many people help me develop my faith and lead me to take steps of faith that I never thought I would do. I know God placed _____ and _____ in my life for a reason, they also helped me grow and see God and Faith in a different light. I so miss them, but I know they are with me. My church has of course, helped me soar. I know God has perfect timing and I believe the day I received the flyer that lead me to attend to the Suncoast for the first time was part of his plan. It’s the perfect fit! I count my blessing each and every day! So I thank you with all my heart for planting the seeds and helping them grow!

I love you MOM!
Your Daughter

Homework from Sunday

2011-07-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we started a new series that I honestly believe will be the most important thing we talk about all year! That doesn't mean you can skip the rest of the year after this series... The series is called "Go Fish" and if you missed it you can watch it here on my blog at the upper right corner.

At the end of the message I gave everyone some homework. The homework was to write a quick letter to the person or group of people that God used to strategically bring you to faith, or back to faith. The person or group of people that told you the message of Jesus and it "stuck". We said most of us have heard the message of Jesus so there was something unique about the messenger God used, and this letter reminds us:

We were all "fish" once!

We are so glad this person took a chance, got up the courage, and invited us, gave us a book, told us about their faith. We are glad they told us, not mad about it.

If it was not for this person (don't get all theological on me) we might still be a "fish" wandering in the depths trying to make sense out of life.

So, have you written your letter yet? I wrote mine to my parents. I have not sent it to them yet, but I plan on doing so. You can give it to the person, but you don't have to! The point is for us to remember what it is like to do for someone else what someone did for us.

If you have a letter you would like me to post on my blog e-mail me at brian@canthisbechurch.com

See you Sunday for part two of "Go Fish"

New Direction for This Blog

2011-07-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a few months since I last blogged. At first I did a social media fast to spend more time focused on my relationship with God. Since then I have slowly started to twitter more and even an occasional facebook post or comment. AND, after some thought I have decided to go in a new direction with my blog.

Starting this week I will focus on things mainly for my church, Church of the Suncoast. I will be doing re-caps from the following Sunday, talking about upcoming events, sharing thoughts for our people, and casting the vision for the Suncoast. In the past I have shared ministry insights and creative resources hoping to share with others what I have been blessed with, usually by someone else, but for now, for this season, my goal will be to build up and equip the people that call the Suncoast home.

Look for a couple, maybe even three, post a week from here on out. It will likely be on Monday's and Wednesday's, or Thursday's.

Thanks for reading my blog and if you are a pastor or church leader please feel free to ask for anything, my e-mail is brian@canthisbechurch.com

Social Media Break

2011-05-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

This past week as I have been praying about our church, God kind of hit me over the head and said, "Don't work on the church, work on yourself!" Wow! One of those 2x4 moments. I have been so busy doing church work, well one I have not been blogging so if I am too busy to blog then I am also too busy for two, my relationship with Jesus. I only had a quiet time once last week, that sucks! I can't lead a church if I am too busy working on the church and I can't grow in my relationship with my Savior if I am too busy working on the church. Working for the church is not a substitute for working on my relationship with God.

SO... I am going to work on myself. AND, part of that is no social media until June. No twitter, facebook or blogging. If you need me here is my e-mail:

brian@canthisbechurch.com

My guess is I am not the only one God might be saying this to. Has God ever told you you were too busy for Him? What did you do about it?

New Category: Baby Moon

2011-05-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right, "Baby Moon". I am going to be a dad. Wow... that is strange to type. It has been sitting on my screen for a few minutes now. My wife Cheryl is about 8-weeks along and we made a big announcement to our church on Easter which was really cool. Here is her blog post since she is really the one you want to hear about:

http://www.cherylmoon.com/

You can also follow Baby Moon on twitter:
http://twitter.com/BabyMoonLive

So be looking for lots of new posts about the new category,
Baby Moon :-)

Easter @ the Suncoast 2011

2011-04-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! All I can say is wow! GO GOD! Yesterday was an amazing day at Church of the Suncoast. Obviously, it was Easter so we expected to have a bigger crowd, last Sunday I cast some vision about what if we could double the size of our church in just one week if we all brought someone, and for the first time in our five year history we actually did just that! We came within 5 people of DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE we had the week before, close enough to call it double right!

Every person had a story. Every person was someone we tried to honor and serve. Every person heard the Gospel of Jesus preached and acted out by our amazing volunteers who served. OMG! We had 52 kids yesterday and I counted at least 4 more on the way :-)

Here are a few other numbers to thank God for:

34 first, second or third time guests (and there are always more who don't fill out a card)

4 people accepted God's Easter gift and invited Jesus into their lives, THAT NEVER GETS OLD and that is what this is all about Suncoast.

175 the number of people at the Suncoast.

If you have followed my blog, or our church, then you know it has been a hard year for us. Just a lot of stuff going on in the area we do church. A lot of economic stuff that has led to a lot of relational stuff and so on. We were doing two services last year and had 237 and then the bottom fell out. We struggled, went back to one service. Really fought and prayed our way through this and Sunday really felt like we turned a corner. God is faithful Suncoast! Our best days are still to come.

Thank you to all the amazing people who made Easter happen. It was great to see the people stick around for Sno Cones and the bounce houses and just enjoy the day. I hope you were as pumped up as I was!

I love my church!

Egging the City

2011-04-22T04:59:00.001-07:00

Hey Suncoast today is Good Friday, the day we mark as the death of Jesus. But, we know the rest of the story, Sunday is coming! All this week you have been egging the city. I was thinking back over all the stuff we have used this week to get the word out about the amazing Easter celebration this Sunday at the Suncoast:

Also we gave out Easter invite baskets:

AND, tomorrow... There will be a group of people from the Suncoast handing out some cold water and invite cards along one of the big intersections in our area. You can contact Mike Drescher for all the info mcdrescher@msn.com Basically, meet at the Starbucks in front of Super Target on SR 54 at 10:30am and you will go from there.

Here is what I really wanted to share though. This Sunday is going to be amazing! You would not believe the amount of work that has been going into making this service a "WOW" experience for the people you are asking and bringing (remember to go for the ask... see last Sunday's message). I will be praying for all the people you are inviting and be praying for mine and Cheryl's. How cool would it be to increase the size of heaven as God meets us Sunday and does what only He can do, change a heart and a life.

I CAN'T WAIT!!! I love my church!

5th Birthday (Recap)

2011-04-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Church of the Suncoast turned 5. It seems like my wife Cheryl and I have been doing this church planting thing forever, but in other ways our time is a blip on the map. Here are some of the highlights:

We started a new series called "DNA" that will take us up to Easter and it is all about the vision of the Suncoast. Normally, when a vision series and our birthday line up I get up and talk about the past and how we started with no building, no people, and no money because you can't know where you are going unless you know where you have been. But, instead of that we shot a documentary on the handful of people who got this thing off the ground and let them tell the story in their own words. You can watch it here:

It is about 10 minutes too long but we really wanted to show the amazing stories, in fact there was so much to share that about 2 hours worth of film is sitting on the cutting room floor. Thanks to my parents, the Drescher's, Wilson's, McCauley's and my wife for sharing and being willing to have their faces plastered all over a 20 ft screen!

We also had the scrap books my mom has made for about the first 3 years out for people to look through. As I flipped through them I was struck by how young I looked... only 27 when we started AND I was struck by the excitement on every one's faces as they set up or did some task to transform the location.

The band did a song by "The Afters" called "We Won't Give Up" and we are going to use that as our rallying cry for the rest of the series. Great job guys! It really set the mood.

We also took up a special offering for a couple Japanese churches that were wiped out last month. We will be sending just over $3,000 to help them continue to do ministry and rebuild. Way to go Suncoast! Stay tuned for updates.

Then we wrapped the service up with baptism and child dedication (congratulations guys) and CAKE! Each year Publix makes us a cool cake to celebrate our birthday and this years was awesome. We went through it in less than 10 minutes.

Then we packed the trailer up and put another service in the can. BUT, what a birthday. I am thankful God has allowed me to go along for this ride. He has done an amazing work in my life through this and I know He has changed many of your lives as well. That was the first five years, can't wait to see what happens in the next five!

NEXT Coaching Network (Afternoon Session)

2011-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Supportive Feedback…

Be specific
Timely
Explain the effects; state your appreciation (so they feel it)
Method (one on one, in writing, public, voicemail)
Touch

Corrective Feedback…

Specific (describe it behaviorally)
Timely (close to the event as possible, must see it)
Focus on actions, behaviors
Be honest (don’t minimize it or overstate it)
Eliminate the word “BUT”
Method (one on one, no e-mail)
Suggest alternatives, not feedback until suggest an alternative
Leave the person whole

Motivators…

Meaning
Dignity
Community
Influence (your voice has meaning)
Growth (role or personal)

NEXT Coaching Network (Morning Session)

2011-03-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

Getting them started...
enlisting a leader (after they are already serving, leadership emerges):

Vision (Great Commission)
Goals (Outcomes)
Expectations (No more than three things)

Helping them along the way...

Positive recognition
Coaching (D.E.L.U.M.P) - Divide every large undertaking into managable pieces.
Feedback (1. Well, 2. Stuck, 3. Do different)

Letting Go...

Delegate (The authority and responsibility) BUT, don't start here!
Feedback (Ask questions tied to the vision)

Spring Forward Fun

2011-03-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

See you bright and early for the second part of our series "One Generation Away". Do not miss this important message, especially if you have kids!!!

10:30am @ Rushe Middle School

A Must Read

2011-03-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine from the Suncoast sent me this post from the blog "Stuff Christians Like" and it is a must read:

Saying you’re having a hard time “connecting” at church.
This church isn’t very friendly. Have you noticed that? We might need to change to a new church, because we’re having a really hard time connecting at this one. We’ve been coming here for six months, sitting in service, not talking to anyone, then immediately sprinting out of the building and going home. And no one has connected with us. Rude!

We haven’t met anyone in small group either. We didn’t sign up for one, but still, it would be nice if a small group kind of magically happened in our living room, on a night that was convenient for us and someone brought banana pudding. Not box banana pudding, but like the kind your grandmother used to make. Is that so much to ask for?

Probably, considering that this church doesn’t really seem to reach out to people who have spent six months attending Sunday morning service and not participating in any other activities.

No one even called us and asked why we weren’t at the fall festival. Sure, we’ve never given them our number, but google it. And then help us connect.
I thought this church was going to be different. I thought it wouldn’t be like the last three churches we attended. Remember those three? Always saying, “Please stay for lunch and learn about the church. Please let us know if you have any questions. Please come to our first time visitor’s luncheon.” So annoying.

What’s that you say? Where are we serving at the church? Serving is a great way to get connected and plug into a place that is ultimately a two way street of people loving and giving and growing together? Even something as simple as handing out bulletins can jump start new relationships with new people? Ugh, that sounds like a lot of work. Quit judging us.

And start connecting us. We’re having a hard time connecting at this church.

For ways you can connect at Church of the Suncoast click here:
http://www.canthisbechurch.com/next-steps

One Generation Away

2011-03-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

If you are someone under the age of 25, or you are the parent of anyone under the age of 25, or you one day will be, or you have grandchildren under 25... basically everyone with a pulse, DO NOT MISS THIS SUNDAY at the Suncoast.

We are starting a new series called "One Generation Away" and I can look back to this POST and see why we had to do this series. Take a look at the trailer below and bring people with you this Sunday, 10:30am at Rushe Middle School. It is going to be a LIFE CHANGING service and I am not just saying that, this is not hype, I really believe God is going to open eyes this week!

If You Really Want to Know Me...

2011-02-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

... Read my wife's blog!

Here is a post about our weekend:

Cheryl Moon . com

3 Things I Want to Tell the Suncoast

2011-02-23T06:24:00.000-08:00

1. Bring someone for the last part of Plan B
Today is Wednesday and it is the final day of the challenge I laid out back in week one of the Plan B series... take a look HERE. Basically, at 6:02pm this evening say a prayer for someone you want to bring to the Suncoast and then send them a txt message inviting them, no make that ASKING THEM if they can come. The final message in the Plan B series is all about the cross and if we don't pack the house this Sunday we have missed out on a great opportunity to expose people to the live saving message of the Gospel.

2. Here we grow again
Our Coastal Kids ministry is growing and we have some awesome spots open in our Mangroves room (nursery). If you are the kind of person that drops to a knee when a child talks to you so you can be on their level then you are the kind of person God wants to use to shape the next generation. Obviously, we background check all our kids volunteers for safety, but the only real requirement is that you serve once a month and show a child the love of God. I make no bones about it, this is the most important thing you can do with your life, help to build up the local church. For more info e-mail our children's director Crystal at crystal@canthisbechurch.com

3. One Generation Away (3.6)
The next series at the Suncoast is for every generation, BUT if you know someone under the age of 25 do WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO to get them to church on March 6th! Why? Well, have you ever tried to make a photocopy of a photocopy? Maintaining the quality is always a problem. And it's happening in us the same way with every generation today. We're losing quality. We're losing faith. We might be a generation away from losing it entirely. So how do we take back this generation? That is what we will be talking about for the first two weeks in March at the Suncoast.

4. I know I said three, but one more... I Love My Church! See you all Sunday at 10:30am for the final part of Plan B.

NEXT Groups

2011-02-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Suncoast,

I wanted to take just a minute of your time and ask you to check out a NEXT Group this week! We have two groups to choose from. One is on Tuesday night in Land O’ Lakes and the other is on Thursday night in Odessa, both just off of SR 54. A NEXT Group is a smaller group of people from the Suncoast that will meet together for the next 10-weeks. In those 10-weeks you will have a conversation about the past Sunday’s message, be given some homework in the Bible for that week, serve the community twice, and give once to a cause your group is passionate about. I know it is a little scary thinking about just showing up at someone’s home and being circled up to talk, but I want to challenge you to push beyond your fear for the amazing benefits of doing life with a group of people. I also know you are busy! We all are. But, we make time for what is important to us. Your spiritual growth is the greatest investment you can make, so I hope you will take about an hour and half of your life and invest it in a NEXT Group starting this week.

Here is the info on the two groups and all you need to do is just show up this week, we will be expecting you. We encourage you to find childcare, but realize you may have to bring the little ones along.

Tuesday Night, 7pm
Leaders: Brian and Cheryl Moon
Location: 2938 Mingo Dr. Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

Thursday Night, 7pm
Leaders: Ray & Rennae Revell & Luis Gonzalez
Location: 13924 Jacobson Drive, Odessa, FL 33556

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

If you have any questions e-mail: info@canthisbechurch.com

Policies V. Conversations

2011-02-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

From the start of Church of the Suncoast I have prayed, strived, and cast vision for a church that ANYONE could go to and feel "safe" as they investigate the Gospel. We don't need more churches in most parts of the country, what we need are safe environments for people to experience the grace Jesus has to offer them.

For the most part, we are not perfect, but for the most part we have that kind of church today. BUT, that also causes a lot of conflict from a leadership standpoint. What do you do about the girl whose boobs are hanging out each week? Do you let non-believers in the band? When someone is dealing with a moral issue do you pull them? What "lifestyles" are accepted as Christian? What do you do when it doesn't seem like a believers behavior is matching what they are telling others they believe? What about divorce? The list could go on but you get the idea.

The natural tendency of any organization is to meet and craft a bunch of policies so that the issue is settled and you don't have to have the conflict when it comes up. You just point to a policy and say, "Sorry, this is OUR policy." BUT, here is something I heard Andy Stanley talk about recently and it was so right on! Don't have policies, have conversations. This is how Jesus did things. From tax-collectors to adulterers He would have conversations not policies and categories. Maybe if we could learn from that we could not just strike a balance between grace and truth, but a powerful merger of the two that Jesus seemed to embody.

New Invite Cards

2011-02-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a look at our new invite cards at the Suncoast. We leave a stack of 10 in a card holder with instructions on it in every seat. We also try to not put too much info on them. Take a look. We get them printed here.

An Open Letter to Students at the Suncoast

2011-02-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Student,

Be careful who your friends are!!! This morning I woke up to sirens and flashing lights and a mother and father screaming in the middle of the damp road. I got ready for the day and made my way out there. I met Frank. Frank is a dad. Frank had an 18 year old son who goes to a local high school. Frank's son had been staying with a girl and her family for the past few nights in my neighborhood, not sure why? Frank's son apparently got into some bad drugs or O.D. and died in my neighbors home last night. Did I mention he was just 18 years old? I sat there and watched a dad beat his body saying "I should have done something, I should have saved him!" all the while his son's body lay cold just a few feet away inside a strangers house. As I learned bits and pieces of the story it all came down to this... Be careful who your friends are!!!

Show me your friends and I will show you who you are going to be.

We will talk more about this tonight at Revolution, 7pm at the Warehouse.

Let's Do It TOGETHER Suncoast

2011-01-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

To all my friends at the Suncoast. I have a mission for all of us to do together! This Sunday we begin a brand new series called "Plan B" that I believe will be a defining moment in your life. And, because I think this series is going to be so powerful I know we all have friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who need to hear this message too. So, here is our mission... in 2 Corinthians it says this:
God says, "At the right time I heard you. On the day of salvation I helped you.” Listen, now is God’s acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! 2 Cor. 6:2

I believe God is saying this to us right now! Now is God's time, now is the day of salvation and this new series is a tool I think He wants to use. So, starting tonight AND for the rest of this series will you do something with me? Here it is:

Every Wednesday at 6:02pm will you stop what you are doing and pray for someone you can bring to the Suncoast. Also, pray for the people others are inviting! (See 2 Cor. 6:2 above)
After you pray TXT SOMEONE with something like this:

Hey, how's it going? I was thinking today and was wondering if you can come with me to my church this Sunday for this series we are doing called "Plan B". The service is at 10:30am. Txt me and we can sit together or do lunch after.

Finally, BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU each Sunday of this series.

Now is the time for us to reach out into our communities and revolutionize lives with the power and hope of Jesus. I am praying for you and the many lives that will be changed as you invite them to "Plan B" at the Suncoast!

You can also direct them to the promo video on our website.

Back to Blogging 2011

2011-01-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Well, you might have noticed I have not been blogging much over the past month and I would like to say something real spiritual like, "I was fasting from blogging" but really things just got busy, didn't make it a priority, and thus the silence. Hopefully we staying in touch through twitter or facebook. But, now it is back to blogging in 2011.

Here is what I want to say first in a nutshell... it has been a dry couple of months for me. Have you ever had a time like that in your life? When you don't really have anything to say, don't really have any big ideas, just kind of feel... dry. That is where I have been for most of December and January. Another reason not much blogging has been going on.

A lot of it had to do with church stuff. As a church planter with a young church and a small staff you wear a lot of hats and that wears you slap out. I know you know how that feels no matter what you do for a living. You give and give and give and then you just are done. There was not a real break between Christmas and the first Sunday of the New Year this year, so combined with some poor planning on my part, it just added to the drain. Working on that. One of my goals for 2011, to get better at planning.

You also get hurt a lot as a pastor. You carry a lot. You wrestle with a lot and if you don't deal with that it starts to stink up your life and I had some unforgiveness issues I needed to work on which also added to the dry season.

AND, as always I was not really getting alone and with my Heavenly Father to hear His voice and meditate on His Word. That will dry you out quick.

So are you in a dry season? Here is my encouragement for you today:

1) Take Time to Plan Ahead
2) Forgive Others
3) Get Alone with God Daily

As the rain begins to beat down on the church office here I can begin to feel my own soul being re-hydrated. How about you? Drop the mask and let me know about your dry season.

Things That Have Been Keeping Me Busy

2010-12-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

You might have noticed, or might not :-) That I have been gone from the blogging world. I wish I could tell you some kind of big fancy "I was taking a blogging and twitter break" because that seems to be in vogue these days, but really I have just been stinkin' busy. So here are a few of the things keeping me busy:

Volunteer Christmas Dinner

Rita and Crystal did all the work here so I can't really blame this, but dang I had to share about it. Every year we throw our awesome volunteers a "Thank You" Christmas dinner and this year Rita and Crystal knocked it out of the park! The room looked amazing! They transformed out warehouse into an amazing environment and I know every one's first impression was a "Wow!" I am so thankful for them and all our awesome volunteers that make this place go week in and week out.

Christmas Eve, 5pm @ Rushe Middle

Getting ready for Christmas Eve is always a busy time. With video to shoot, stages to build, a service to plan, volunteers to organize it is a lot. Plus we always take the Sunday after Christmas off, like the church doesn't meet off, so planning for this Sunday, Christmas Eve, then being gone, and having the first Sunday in January in the can takes its toll on my blogging.

So that is where I have been... here is a sneak at what you AND ALL THE PEOPLE YOU ARE BRINGING can expect on Christmas Eve, 5pm @ Rushe Middle:

This Is Our God (New Series)

2010-11-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

How we perceive someone impacts the way we relate to them. If we think someone is angry or out to get us then we will never trust them. If we see someone as loving and caring then we will naturally be drawn to them. So how do you view God? What are your perceptions of Him? Could you have some misconceptions about who God really is? Discover again, or for the first time, who God is Sundays in December at the Suncoast. Bring someone who is kicking the tires on faith for this series as we lead up to Christmas Eve guys!

See ya Sunday, 10:30am :-)

This Is Our God (Promo) from Church of the Suncoast on Vimeo.

Praying for those that came forward...

2010-11-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

On Sunday at the Suncoast we had an old fashioned invitation where I invited people who were ready to stop running / resisting God to come forward and pray at the front of the stage. It was incredible to see the people respond and take such a step of vulnerability and humility. To step out and say, "God I am not going to run anymore, I surrender."

For all of you who obeyed like Jonah did I have been praying for you this week that God would make himself real to you in tangible ways. That He would make His presence felt and His love known. I was proud of you on Sunday and you gained the respect of your friends and family and your pastor!

God is smiling :-) See you Sunday as we wrap up the story of Jonah and the "White Flag" series.

Perspective in Leading

2010-11-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

Our staff at the Suncoast is reading the book "Leading on Empty" by Wayne Cordeiro right now. At our last staff meeting I shared a quote that jumped out at me,

"The way we view our problem oftentimes is our problem"

You could apply that to almost anything in life and leadership but here was my realization for our staff. I am by nature a negative person. I have the painful gift of being able to walk into a room and tell you everything that is wrong in a matter of seconds. I see the problems. AND, many times at our staff meetings and conversations I spend all my time talking about the problems and not enough time talking about all the amazing things God is doing in the life of our church. Instead of celebrating with them I drag up any and every problem and talk about what we are going to do about it.

Here is what I realized. Obviously, the staff at the Suncoast thinks for themselves, but as the leader I have to walk that line in how I present things. Yes, I want to be real and when something bad happens it hurts, and I get frustrated, and it is OK for people to see that and for us to walk through the bad things together. We are all in this as a team. Stuff is not always going to go right at the church and that needs to be addressed. But, on the flip side if I don't do a better job at showing off the positive then I run the risk of ruining the perspective of the people around me. Because it is so easy for me to point out all the problems I have to be intentional about this!

So, that is where I am at right now. Trying to do a better job at walking that line. I would be curious to know your perspective and what you have learned as a church planter / leader / pastor on walking the line between dealing with the problems but not letting that ruin your perspective on the church...

White Flag Starts Sunday!

2010-11-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect series to bring someone to!!! Check out the promo:

Did you ever run away from home as a kid? It all seems silly now, but at the time you had plans. But your plans always fell apart, didn't they? You were so focused on what you were running from, not what you were running to, that you found yourself faced with the question, "Now what?" You had to raise the white flag and give up. In this three-part series, we'll explore the lessons we can all learn when the only option left is to surrender.

Join us at Rushe Middle from 10:15-10:30 at the NEW Coastal Cafe for breakfast under a $1.

"I Love My Church" Wrap Up

2010-11-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

From October 17th - 31st the Suncoast embarked on what we hope and pray is the beginning of a movement where God takes us from where we are to where He wants us to be. We talked about having a church that we love for 3 weeks and how to do that. We also took things to a level of commitment we have never gone to in our 4 year history by doing the Daniel Fast for two weeks, asking everyone to tithe on the 31st, and signing our first church covenant. The reason we did all this was because we wanted to put our faith where our mouth is. Faith is action. So, we trusted God enough to stop eating the things we wanted to, focused our time on Him, took a step of faith financially, and put our names and honor on the line saying we will do the following:

“Because God so loved me and gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for me, I love my church; His church! I will not shy away or let other things keep me from investing my life into the people around me; I will invite them to church to hear about Jesus. I will use my time and talents to make a lasting investment into my church because my church will outlast me. I will be generous with my church because I know I can’t out-give God. I will take ownership of my spiritual growth and next steps so that my church can be built up. I will not put up, shut up, or give up until my church, this movement of God, dominates this community. I will give my church the passion it deserves. I love my church!”

This past Sunday we celebrated all of this by breaking the fast, doing baptism & child dedication, and we brought the tithe, signed the covenant, and took communion. It was an awesome day of looking back, taking note of where we had just been and looking forward to all that God has in store for us personally and as a church. I was so proud to be your pastor on Sunday!!!

As we head into this weekend we will be starting a new series called "White Flag" and I am asking everyone who signed the covenant to get out there and invite, and ask, and bring whoever you can. I don't know what God has in store for us. The goal of all this was not to force God's hand. It was more about showing God we are serious and we are available to whatever He wants to do in and through our church.

I can't wait! I love my church!
Send your "I love my church" stories to stories@canthisbechurch.com

Daniel Fast Day 12 - 14

2010-10-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

See you Sunday morning to break the fast at the Suncoast.

*One word of caution... take it easy on Sunday. Don't jump back into meat and sugar all at once or you will get sick!!!

Day 12

Read: Acts 23 & 24

Pray: that God would show you anything in your life that is keeping you from going to the next level with Him. Confess that and receive God’s forgiveness. Tell God you are open and available to what He wants for you!

Day 13

Read: Acts 25 & 26

Pray: for a passion for God’s church. Pray for a passion to worship Him, to serve Him, to give to Him. Pray for a passion for those far from God in your life and this community. Pray for a passion that is contagious!

Day 14!!!

Read: Acts 27 & 28

Pray: …you have done this for 13 days now. You have read the Book of Acts! Pray according to what you feel God leading you to pray. See you at church to break the fast.

e-mail your stories to stories@canthisbechurch.com

Daniel Fast Day Eleven

2010-10-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

Read: Acts 21 & 22

Pray: that God would give you audacious faith. Pray that God would make you more dangerous for Him not safer. Pray that God would use you to make a difference in our church and beyond!

Daniel Fast Day Ten

2010-10-27T15:43:00.001-07:00

The Warehouse will be open for prayer until 9pm! Turn the light on though :-)

14426 Black Lake RD Odessa, FL. 33556

Here is today's reading and prayer:

Read: Acts 19 & 20

Pray: for the resources our church needs to fuel the vision God has given us. Pray for God to move in your heart until it matches His heart. Pray that God would allow you to be more generous with His church. Pray about your giving.

Awesome Video from Sunday

2010-10-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

Daniel Fast Day Nine

2010-10-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

*Open Warehouse TOMORROW, Wed 7am - 7pm for prayer.

Today's reading and prayer guide:

Read: Acts 17 & 18

Pray: for those hurting and in need of a miracle at our church. Pray for marriages to be strengthened. Pray for children to turn back. Pray for those who are lonely. Pray for those who are battling illness.

Daniel Fast Day Eight

2010-10-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

*Wednesday Night: The Warehouse will be open for prayer from 7am - 7pm. Drop in as you can. 14426 Black Lake Rd. Odessa, FL. 33556

Here is today's reading and prayer guide:

Read: Acts 15 & 16

Pray: for our community. Pray for the thousands of people that do not know Jesus. Pray that God would start something at our church that could only be explained as a “God-thing,” that hundreds and hundreds of people would begin to discover Jesus in the coming months.

Stir Fry Brown Rice with Vegetables

box of instant brown rice (or bag brown rice)

Vegetables to stir fry (either fresh or frozen)

Olive Oil

Soy Sauce

Peanuts

Cook your rice according to package (I season my rice as well when I cook). Heat Wok on Med. High heat add 1/4 cup of Olive Oil (more or less) Give a minute for oil to get hot. Place raw onions in now if you are adding to recipe, also garlic for taste. Pour the cooked rice into Wok and stir for 4 mins add Soy Sauce to taste. Pour rice back into container it was cooked in and set aside. Now add 1/4 cup Olive Oil to hot Wok again. Then add the vegetables and lots of whatever seasonings you like. Stir until done add peanuts right before serving. This recipe is very good reheated for lunch the next day.

Daniel Fast Day 5 - 7

2010-10-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

For Friday - Sunday here is your Bible reading and Prayer Guide:

Day 5

Read: Acts 9 & 10

Pray: for a friend you know need to be at the Suncoast. Pray God would move in their hearts and give you the opportunity to invite them. Ask God to give you the courage to go for the ask.

Day 6

Read: Acts 11 & 12

Pray: for all the volunteers that make the Suncoast go each week. Pray God would bless them for the time they give up. Pray they would be encouraged. Pray about how you can encourage one volunteer tomorrow and do it!

Day 7

Read: Acts 13 & 14

Pray: for Brian today as he brings God’s message to the church. Pray for him and Cheryl and their marriage to be strong and healthy. Pray that God gives him wisdom and audacious faith and courage.

Daniel Fast Day Four

2010-10-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Here is today's reading and prayer guide:

Read: Acts 7 & 8

Pray: for your heart and attitude when it comes to the church. Pray God would increase the size of your love for His church and its people. Pray for the proper attitude and outlook, the see the church as Jesus does.

Here is another recipe:

Tortilla Soup Here's the Daniel version...

Ingredients:
1 carrot chopped

1 celery stick chopped

1 medium onion chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tbsp olive oil

8 c vegetable broth (the expensive kind has 2x the flavor- I found that out by accident)

4 c water1 can of black beans

16 oz frozen corn

1 red tomato chopped

1 yellow tomato chopped

1/4 c chopped cilantro

2-3 tsp sea salt

1 lime

6 corn tortillas

Directions:Heat oil in the bottom of the pot and saute the first 4 ingredients until soft. Add everything else except the tortillas. Low boil for about 30 minutes. Add tortillas. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Daniel Fast Day Three

2010-10-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

So today I had to fast from my fast. I had to get some blood work done this morning and had to fast for that. Usually, since there is a Burger King right there on the corner and since I feel like I should be rewarded for fasting I get some b-fast from there as a pick me up. But, not today. I came home and had Ezekiel bread and strawberries. I can't imagine how Jesus must have felt when He was being tempted during His 40 day fast! Jesus truly knows what temptation is all about, even when you are at your weakest. So, when you feel weak today, call on Him!

Also, got to share with my Doctor about the fast and why we were doing it. Maybe she will come to church one day soon?

Here is today's reading and prayer guide:

Read Acts 5 & 6

Pray: that God would give our church favor in this community. Pray that God would open doors for us. Pray that we would know greater opportunities to reach out to more people.

Here is another recipe:

Basic Grilled Portobello (For the steak lovers!)

Brush mushrooms on both sides with olive oil and season with garlic and your choice(s) of seasoning to taste. (We used Montréal steak seasoning) Grill over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side until just cooked through. We then topped with grilled onion and mushroom.

Daniel Fast Day Two

2010-10-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today's reading and prayer guide: Read Acts Chapter 3 & 4

Pray: for your church staff today by name, Steve, Rita, Crystal and Brian. Pray God’s protection over them and their families. Pray for God to bless them and give them wisdom as they lead.

Here is another recipe:

Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta

1-1/2 cups chopped roma tomatoes

2 TBSP. diced red onion1 large clove garlic, minced

2 TBSP. chopped fresh basil

2 TBSP. olive oil

1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

dash black pepper

toasted Ezekiel bread

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

2-3 sprigs italian parsley

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil. Add 1/2 TBSP. of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour (longer is better to me). Put on top of toasted ezekiel bread.

Daniel Fast Day One

2010-10-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here is today's reading and prayer:

Read Acts Chapter 1 & 2

Pray: for God to unify our church. Pray that we will have such a strong community of faith that thousands of people will be attracted to it.

Some other food ideas. I made some fresh salsa last night and you can eat 100% corn chips with it. Since I am a native Floridian I also made some boiled peanuts with sea salt for seasoning.

Would love to hear how you guys are doing. stories@canthisbechurch.com

The message video will be up later today, we had some audio issues so not great audio, but it should be good enough.

I Love My Church (Starts Sunday)

2010-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Not just a new message series but the start of a movement. That is what we will begin next week at the Suncoast because in order to have a church we love, we must understand the problem, the people and the potential. Only then will we assume responsibility and take ownership of God’s church. Don't miss the most important three weeks of our brief history!

Real Stories from "@work"

2010-10-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Brian,

So I missed my sales goal last month and qtr by $1,000. This means I missed my bonus. It was so hard to close out so close knowing how hard my team had worked, and that if I would have just held $1,000 dollars from August's extra I would have made September’s bonus too. But I wanted to be real and honest with how the sales fell. But, I was disappointed knowing I just missed out on $500. So I had to give it to God and said he had a reason that we didn't make it. Maybe we didn't take care of all the clients he had sent us? I was good and I told my team to be proud of what we had accomplished.

So today... I get a call from my boss and she went to her boss and they are issuing me my Qtr bonus check, because I was so close and had made such progress! That is a go GOD! You just have to trust and he will provide!

Brutally Honest Offering Video

2010-10-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we played this very honest video during the offering. Not sure if it was right or wrong, but it was honest and it was from my heart.

Our church, like many, has been trying to navigate this economy as best we can for the past year to two years. Fortunately, we had some savings we had kept from the good times that helped us get to this point. But, by this past Sunday that was almost gone. Our church has also committed to tithe no matter what! We send back out 10% of everything we take in. We believe God will honor us for our faithfulness. Our church is blessed to be a blessing!

So with the tithe looming and the money gone, here is where faith is built. Welcome to church planting :-)

BUT, the principle here applies to every aspect of life. Take a look and tell me what you think. Leave a comment.

Marketing Conference Call

2010-09-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

Last week I did a conference call with Michael at Oak Leaf Church in GA. Here are my notes from that call. Some good stuff to chew on:

Marketing Conference Call
FOUR PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING

1. Don’t do what you can’t measure.
Don’t spend a lot of money on something you can’t measure. Measure your marketing. Ask people what got you here, survey twice a year. Doesn’t have to be fancy. Connection card for guests. SurveyMonkey.com

2. Don’t do what everyone else is doing.
Meaning people in your area. Find what no one else is doing.

3. Do something worth talking about.
You can’t market something that is not marketable. Is your service good? Will people stay, will they stick? If it is good people will talk about it. Build up a loyalty.

4. Create buzz.
You want people to talk about your stuff. The things that get noticed… taboo, unusual, outrages, hilarious, remarkable, secrets.

IDEAS:

1. Show up at things that are already happening in the community.
2. Do a traditional advertising campaigns. “Jay-Z loves your church”
3. Sponsor high school rivalry game… create a trophy and scholarship.
4. Get your people involved in activities, ways to serve the community.
5. Take out facebook adds! Can be targeted.
6. Invite cards all the time! Different styles each week.
7. Series planning. Big days like Easter, Fall, Christmas… have weeks leading up to it all about the big day.

If this was helpful give Michael some love on his blog:
www.HereToLead.com

Verse Card from @work Part 1

2010-09-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

I had some people asking if we had more of the verse cards from "@work" part one so here is the file. Just click on it and print! If you missed the message you can watch it here with the media player to the right of this page.

I hope to see you Sunday for @work part two! Bring your boss and co-workers!

Random Thoughts (This Past Week)

2010-09-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Some random thoughts on what has been going on at the Suncoast over the past week:

We kicked off 10-weeks of small groups called NEXT Groups. You can read about them one post down. We took about 10 - months off from doing groups to think about why we do them and how we do them. And, from what I hear we had some great groups last week.
This week our NEXT Groups all have a party on tap so if you have not jumped in there are 9-weeks left and this week would be a great week to jump in. The groups will be expecting you! For more info head HERE.
On Sunday we started a new message series called @work.

If you missed it then you can watch the message HERE.
We talked about Colossians 3:23 and found out that the purpose of your life @ work is to show that God is @ work in your life!
Don't miss part 2 of @work this Sunday! Bring your co-workers for this one! REALLY! Bring some people you work with. This is a great message for them!
Last week we also mailed out a giving letter to everyone that literally buys into the vision of what God is doing here. I shared my optimism for the future and the reality of where we are at as a church from a financial standpoint. If you would like a copy of the letter please e-mail info@canthisbechurch.com
On Sunday I also learned that the video church that meets in the school next to ours has shut their doors. Not sure all the details but I know this summer was a struggle to get butts in seats. Met with their pastor at the main campus a few weeks ago and he has a big heart and passion to see THE church succeed in this area. I know God will bless that!

Well, got to run for now. For more on the Suncoast head to:

www.CanThisBeChurch.com

NEXT Groups (Start This Week)

2010-09-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

If you have been reading my blog for the past 8 months or you have been at Church of the Suncoast for the past 8 months then you know we have been wrestling with the small groups question. Our church is just over 4 years old and we have had groups for 3 of those 4 years. We have not cracked the code and have had a lot of false starts and mixed results. We have also seen some amazing life-change which is why we wrestle with how do we do groups, are they still working in our community, and what does discipleship look like at the Suncoast.

In the spring we rolled out a medium sized gathering once a month called NEXT. We talked about some spiritual growth topics and 2 out of the 4 gatherings were well attended and 2 fell flat, one due to weather. So, this summer we talked some more as a staff and I had my familiar conversation with God about groups and what to do.

Here is what we are rolling out THIS WEEK:

We are calling them NEXT Groups because our purpose is to help people take their next steps with God, so the name fit, we used to call them Community Groups but community didn't always happen. This fits the goal of taking a next step on your faith journey.

The fall semester of groups will run for just 10-weeks. We don't want groups to turn into a burden for people and I think giving people a break from them is great too. It gives people a light at the end of the tunnel.

We also wanted our groups to reflect our church and who we are, not some other church. So our groups will be open, meaning anyone can jump in at any time, and we will be asking people to invite someone to group for the second weeks big party. Take a look:

We will also be asking the groups to serve two out of the 10-weeks and every group will be asked to find a cause and give towards it. Again, stressing some of who we are as a church. The other six weeks will be deeper study from that Sunday's message. Again, to focus the whole church on who we are and what is going on with our church at that time, not some canned small group book.

Finally, we have taken all the expectations and "rules" off the groups. The problem with expectations and "rules" is someone has to police those and no one wants to be the small group ministry rules police. The only thing we ask is that the groups take a Next STEP:

Study the Bible Together. Each week we’ll come together, share some snacks or maybe a meal, and then circle up to talk about Sunday’s message. Bring a Bible! Each week we’ll be challenged take a next step on our journey with Jesus.

Take Care of Each Other. We all need someone to lean on. We were not designed by God to be lone rangers. Our group will be there for each other in good times and bad.

Embrace Serving Together. This fall we’ll get the opportunity to serve together in the community. We’re going to come up with a place to serve twice by the end of the 10-weeks.

Practice Generosity Together. We will also get the opportunity to be generous with our finances together. In the next 10-weeks we will pick a cause (personal, local or global) and combine our money to make a difference.

So hope that helps someone else out there wrestling with the groups question and if you are at the Suncoast click HERE to find out where and when groups meet this first week. We have one Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Daily Surrender (Practical Steps from "Joyride")

2010-09-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

For the past 3-weeks we have been in an amazing series called "Joyride". You can watch the first 3 messages HERE.

Each week I have been giving us homework like: Finding out what surrendering the next 10% of your life would look like and do it, writing out all the things that make you anxious and what you are so afraid of and then giving those to Jesus, and then this past Sunday I gave everyone a diagram to plot the influences in our lives from green light (let it into your heart) to red (cut it out of your life).

See, I am convinced that just sitting and listening to a message doesn't change anyone. God might use it to convict, correct, challenge, or encourage us but that doesn't do anything for us unless we take a next step and apply it! YOU and ONLY YOU can take responsibility for your spiritual growth.

So, as I was thinking about this series and all the practical things we have been talking about to increase our joy one more thing came to mind. I need to blog about how to have a quiet time. No, that is not like a punishment from when you were a kid. This is a regular time where you get still, and get alone, and learn how to surrender your life to our Heavenly Father.

Here are some quick basics from my own quiet time:

I start off by reading a chapter OR LESS of the Bible, God's Word, His love letter to you and me. If you don't have any idea where to start choose a reading plane from HERE. This will take you to our next steps page on our church website. Look about 1/2 way down the page for "Reading Your Bible".
Have a pen and highlighter with you as you read and mark up your Bible (yes that is OK) with anything that jumps out at you or a thought or prayer you might have.
Then go back and pick one of those things you marked (a verse or line) as something to journal. Get a journal and ask 3 questions of what you read and marked: (1) What is the main thought, (2) What is God saying to me, (3) How can I apply this?
Now it is time to spend a few minutes praying. You want to make sure you have a balanced prayer life so use a tool like this: Praise (thank God for who He is and what He has done) Purpose (pray that His will be done) Pardon (confess your sins and thank Him for His forgiveness) People (pray for others, friends, family, leaders in your life) Petition (here is where you bring your list of things you want and need).
AND MOST IMPORTANT... stop long enough now to let Him speak to you. God wants to speak to us if we are willing to be still and wait on Him.

So, if you want more joy in your life then it means you will have to surrender more of your life to God. A daily quiet time is the best way I know how to do that!

I would love to hear your stories... e-mail them to stories@canthisbechurch.com

Random Thoughts on the Past 3-months

2010-09-01T18:24:00.001-07:00

It is kind of late to be posting for me... so hope this is the right thing to do.

Over the past 3-4 months at Church of the Suncoast we have seen the biggest drop in numbers in our 4 year history. Why? Can't tell ya! Really, we have beat our heads against the wall trying to figure that out and have come up with very little. We have had some people move, like out of the state or country move! We have had just a handful of people move on to other churches which happens. BUT, the bulk of the peeps MIA we just don't know.

This past Tuesday I shared some random thoughts with our staff about where I was at and what I had been able to process over the past few weeks and I think I should share them with you, someone who believes in the Suncoast, or maybe you are a church planter or leader that is in the same boat. So here goes:

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE LAST 3-4 MONTHS

We are NOT the only ones that are down significantly.
I have talked to people from NC to FL and we are not alone in the timing or depth of this dip. A local church near us has had almost an identical trend since Easter.

God IS moving in some locations.
NewSpring and Elevation (two churches who have been influential to us) had over 500+ each accept Christ this past weekend. I also talked to a lead pastor of a local mega-church and they are up 15% at their main location this summer.

I think the economy of our area has been a coming tidal wave that broke on our shores.
It has been building for a while and we knew it was coming but I think the full force hit about Easter to early summer. The community here is largely lower middle class and many leveraged all they had to get into a house here and now they are drowning, or have been swept away to some other place (left and moved). I would guess our community has lost 30% of its population since the peak in 2008.

Our church has been a survivor!
One of the things we have been able to do by God’s help and grace is survive! The senior pastor of local church I talked to said something has to change or they might not be doing this much longer. Other churches that have started near us since we started have closed in the past year. We have survived in what seems to be a really tough area to plant a church. One of the reasons I believe we have survived is because we have committed to tithe back everything that comes in as a church, no matter what, even with things the way they are.

We need to do all we can to build into our current people as the new foundation for the future.
We have been through a few generations of people and have built on that foundation. We also have lost some of those people so I think we need to rally the troops we have and build into them all we can. We are all stretched thin but together lets go the extra mile and love our people, pray for our people, share our knowledge, cast big vision, AND THEN hold them to higher standards as we make the turn out of this season and back into one of growth.

I am more thankful for you guys than ever!
I would not have made it through the past 3 or 4 months without you guys, your hard work, friendship and prayers. Thank you!

Another thing I think God has been leading me to is we as a church need to start a fast for this community... stay tuned for more on that. But, for now hope this helps :-)

Volunteer Community

2010-08-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

THIS Saturday night we have our next Volunteer Community, 7pm at the Warehouse. Volunteer Community is something we did for the first year or so of our church in 2006 - 2007 then we took a break for a while and tried some other stuff, but this year we rolled it out again with one purpose. To show our volunteers a good time! We are not trying to attract people and hopefully get them to volunteer. We are not trying to cast big vision and bore them with church stuff. We simply want to throw them a party, feed them some awesome food, have some crazy fun together, give away some stuff, and get to know each other better.

We have the gatherings catered, we play some kind of game to get people going, we eat, and then we break up into our teams for about 10 minutes. This is a time volunteers can bring things up and feel like we are listening to them.

This quater we are doing just one more thing and that is giving everyone a copy of our new Sunday playbook. We have been working on this for 6-months and it contains everything in words and pictures that needs to be done for Sunday to work and work well. It has step by step parts and expectation parts all in one document.

So that is Volunteer Community. If you are a volunteer at the Suncoast right now don't miss it, bring the kids if you want! RSVP, just so we know how much food, with Rita rita@canthisbechurch.com

If you are a church leader and want more info just shoot me an e-mail: brian@canthisbechurch.com

Fall Kick Off [RE-CAP]

2010-08-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at the Suncoast we had our annual fall kick off. This year we took a chance and did this before Labor Day, for the past 4 years we have done this after Labor Day by a week or two. School starts way early in Pasco County so we thought we could grab some of that natural momentum. Here are some random thoughts on the day and some pics:

First of all thanks to Rita for helping with the stage idea and for making it happen. Here is what it looked like as people walked in. Notice the lights on the jeep under the screen light up!!! It was a cool stage design!

Our Coastal Kids ministry rolled out a new bounce house, how cool! We had the one bounce house as you walked in near the check in kiosk, BUT the shark was awesome! Thank you Crystal for doing so much with our kids!

We also started the service with the band doing "Life is a Highway" and I am always impressed by how they can learn and pull off new songs with only getting to practice for 45 minutes on a Sunday. Thank you Steve for making all my crazy song ideas a reality! The song helped to set the mood.
We also started a new message series called "Joyride". I talked about how chasing happiness is like chasing the wind. Happiness is based on happenings and those always change. So, what if there was something more foundational that was independent of our circumstances we could count on for the ups and downs on this ride through life. You can watch the message here on my blog at the upper right.

After the service we had sno cones! We found out it slows people down and makes them stick around for a minute since no one wants a car full of kids with sno cones. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We also had popcorn AND...

My favorite part was we had R/C trucks with a track set up for the kids to race on. You will also notice the bright red jeep parked on the walk way! That was the first thing people saw as they walked up Sunday. It was a little bit of a "Wow" factor and thanks to Hal Mayer for letting me borrow it.

Then it was time for tear down... took a bit longer this week with all we had going on, but thanks to the peeps who got drenched as we loaded the trailer!

I thought Sunday was a good day at the Suncoast. We did what we do best I think. Everyone had fun!!! Yes, fun in church!
I am always blown away when someone takes the time to e-mail me and say something from Sunday changed/challenged them! Go God!
I'm not going to lie, I was a little bummed by the total attendance at the end of the day, but we had a good number of first time guests and the room felt full. Not sure if the timing was off by doing it before Labor Day, but we tried something new?
I am stoked about this series and what I think God is going to do in people's lives!
If you invited some people like I did, and they didn't show, keep asking them to come. This week is a great week for them to jump in. Keep in mind why we do this. Our church is not here for us, it is here for them! Be the Gospel this week Suncoast!
I can't wait for this Sunday... so I can drive the R/C trucks again :-)

Fall Kick Off "Joyride"

2010-08-19T16:32:00.001-07:00

This Sunday at the Suncoast we are having our big fall kick off. Each year around this time (actually we have been waiting until after Labor Day, but school starts back so early here in Pasco County so we are doing it now) we make a big push for everyone to bring some people with them as we get the fall ministry season started.

We try to make the build up for this a lot like Easter or Christmas Eve. We start a month to 6-weeks out talking about it and teasing about it. We want everyone to bring someone on August 22nd and that is not just a nice suggestion, we REALLY want everyone to bring someone with them. It is a natural time for people to check church out and we want to capture that momentum.

We plan a lot of fun and creativity into this date and I wish I could tell you about all the stuff, but you will just have to come and find out Sunday at 10:30am at Rushe Middle School. We also will be starting a new message series called, "Joyride". Since we know people are bringing guests, it will be something everyone can relate to no matter where they are on the spiritual spectrum.

The bottom line is I know there are thousands of people living within a few miles of where we meet that don't go to church. Our mission is to be a church for those people. The saved don't need a doctor, the sick do... think Jesus said that!!! This Sunday we will do anything short of sin to get those people to the Suncoast and make sure they have a great experience.

So:

1. Pray for this Sunday
2. Bring someone with you
3. Come EARLY!!! Trust me!
4. Hang out and mingle, let's be the friendliest church around!

The Next Two Weeks @ the Suncoast!

2010-08-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Suncoast we are doing a talk called "You Asked For It". Over the past two weeks on twitter and on the communication cards on Sundays we have been asking people what is a question they have always wanted answered in church. This Sunday we roll out the answers or at least the best I could do with them. It should be fun and don't miss the first 5 minutes of the service as the band rolls out the "You Asked For It" song... hint: It is also the redneck national anthem. For more info click HERE.

ALSO: be asking people to join us for the fall kick off on the 22nd! We are starting a new series called "Joyride" and the 22nd is going to be off the chain. We have so many creative things planned from the walk up on that you will be blown away. So BRING PEOPLE! And, together we will pack God's house.

Can't wait... :-)

Favor and Followship by Jeff Kapusta

2010-08-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Recently, I got to talk with a church planter in North Carolina who has been at this about the same length of time I have (4 years). We had met back in South Carolina at a friends house a year ago but got to really chat for about 30 minutes the other day and it was refreshing to hear his heart behind this blog post. I can relate to the journey of church planting and the challenge when things are not up and to the right. If you are a church planter I hope this will bless you like it blessed me:

We’ve all got a unique journey
by Jeff Kapusta

This past year has been a challenging one on many fronts. It has been a roller coaster ride of joy and frustration. God has been teaching me many things and someday I’ll pass them along. However, one of the things I’m learning is that God really does see things differently than we do. I read this today and it literally stopped me in my tracks.

“There is always the temptation to look at someone and judge the amount of God’s blessing upon his life based upon the number of people who have chosen to follow him. But if numbers tell the whole story, we would have to assume that God removed His blessing from Jesus toward the end of His ministry! In the weeks prior to His crucifixion the crowds began to wane. In the end there were only a handful of faithful men and women who dared to be associated with Him. Followship is not an accurate indicator of one’s worthiness to be followed.” Andy Stanley–The Next Generation Leader.

Too often I’ve judged the favor of God based upon whether or not all the numbers were up and to the right. How wrong I was. Next time you are tempted to think that you are any less blessed because the numbers are down and nobody is asking you to speak at conferences just remember that Jesus’ numbers dropped too and He never spoke at a conference either. Your journey is unique! Enjoy it!

Singing Bee

2010-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago at the Suncoast we had a little fun and did our version of the "Singing Bee". The band was teaching us a new song called "Rise and Sing" by Fee and we had the idea that we could get a bunch of copies of the Northpoint Awake CD that the song is on and give those out as prizes if people would sing along into a mic. We really had no idea how it would go over but it was a hit. We even had some people do it for free. Here is what we did:

Opened the song as usual.
Then at the end of the chorus Steve gave everyone some heads up while the band played in the background.
Then he went out into the audience with a mic and as the band did the "Whoa, oh, o whoa oh o" the person would do the echo part and get a free CD as everyone clapped for them.
That was it, they finished up the rest of the song and it rocked.

If you have not tried a "Singing Bee" to intro a new song, try it! People will remember that song the next time we do it I guarantee you.