Pastors Tim Blevins (Life Community Church) & Jeff Kapusta (Lifepoint Church)

For the last Sunday in October my good friend, Pastor Tim Blevins, and the crew at Life Community Church did a most unusual thing. They canceled their weekend service in order to take the church outside of their four walls and serve the community. Teams from Life Community served local churches, schools, parks, grocery stores, gas stations and more. Pastor Tim took a team to join the set-up and tear down crews at Lifepoint Church.

Life Community began their service this past Sunday with a video recapping what God did through their day of serving. My eyes were very sweaty as I watched what took place. Take about 15 minutes and celebrate with them.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I want to publicly say how excited I am about what God is doing through Tim Blevins and Life Community Church. I once heard it said that many churches could close their doors and nobody would even know the difference. That is definitely not the case for Life Community. The ROCK Church family and I are honored to serve our city alongside you guys.

That’s right! Tonight

The "operating room" of the Nigerian hospital where doctors set my leg

Just realized I had not updated everyone since surgery. This past Friday, doctors put 6 screws and a metal plate in my ankle. After general anesthesia AND a nerve block for post-operative pain, we decided I should stay overnight. I am VERY glad we did. The pain was… not fun. It was through lots of prayer and medication that I made it through the night.

I have been recovering at home while going stir crazy. Today, I escaped for a couple of hours to the office. Let me say again that our ministry team is INCREDIBLE! I miss working alongside them everyday.

We return to the orthopedist on Thursday to get a new cast and have the surgical staples removed. I will find out more about my limitations then. For now, they are saying 4-6 weeks of no pressure at all on the leg followed by intensive physical torture… I mean therapy.

It’s been a long 7 weeks since I was in the pulpit and I miss it. I’ll be back preaching a week from this Sunday. Hang on because it is going to be a life changing message for many as I bring a message series entitled “everything.”

Thank you everyone for all the prayers and support during this adventure.

I love you.

It may be the way the pain killers are affecting my ability to think clearly. But, it may also be how dramatically God changed my way of thinking.

This is Pastor Ezekiel Oyewole. We stayed in his home in Ijebu-Igbo, Nigeria. Pastor Ezekiel left a very large church in Lagos, Nigeria to minister to indigenous, tribal people in the bush. His family left comfort, safety and financial security to preach the Gospel where no one else dares to go. His home has been held up by gunpoint twice by thieves who stole everything inside including food, clothes, ministry tools, books, everything.

Mayode Oyewole (bottom center) with his family

Earlier this year, Pastor Ezekiel received a phone call that his 8 year old son, Mayode, had been kidnapped and was being held for $2 Million Naira (about $14,000 US). If the ransom was not paid, they would kill his son. Instead of panicking, Pastor Ezekiel said,

“My son will be like the Ark of the Covenant when brought into the enemies’ camp. He will bring nothing but trouble and pain to you. You will not kill my son! You will return him unharmed!”

After 10 excruciating days of prayer, fasting and declaring the promises of God, Mayode was returned!

In the last year, Pastor Ezekiel has suffered from attackers wielding machetes and guns. His son has been kidnapped. He found himself in a hospital with critical injuries. He has lost everything several times. And every day, he gets up and thanks God for the opportunity to serve Him by going to remote village (on foot if necessary) to preach the Gospel, dig wells, provide free medical clinics and see lives changed.

God, thank you for exposing me to the ministry of Pastor Ezekiel Oyewole.  I will return to see this through.

I know you are supposed to end blog posts in a way that promotes a healthy dialogue. But, I can’t…

Because I am undone.

4 Days in Nigeria from Bryan McGee on Vimeo.

Clint and Christie are some of our amazing volunteers in Kids ROCK. Every week, they are saying “YES!” to the vision God has given ROCK Church.

Yesterday, Clint sent an encouraging email about how God used Pastor Jackson’s ministry in their lives and how they are putting it into action. I asked Clint if I could share it with the world and he immediately said, “YES!”

So, I present to you this week’s Guest Blog from Clint and Christie Berry.

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Today was absolutely amazing! I am so excited about it. The fire inside of me that I wondered how I was going to get back is burning wild. Today was life changing. I can talk to you more later if we get time. But, I wanted to let you know that I have helped support the ministry of James Robinson in the past to help little children receive water, food, clothing and the gospel.

I wanted something more personal. Christie and I have talked about it but I never could seem to get her on the same page with me. She seems to think in the natural about our finances and I like to leap out there and let it ride.

Today I watched that video and I knew today was the day. When I saw it was $60 a month to sponsor a child I knew she was thinking “Oh no he wants to do it!” Christie is an amazing woman and I know if I feel it is from God she will not contest it.

So after service we went out to the lobby and I was led to one packet. I opened it and when I turned to the child’s picture Christie had tears in her eyes. We took it with us and I knew it was going to happen. I just wanted to make it easier on Christie to financially support this child.

As we drove down the highway it hit me. I quit smoking awhile back but picked up dipping tobacco to cope with the cravings. As we drove it hit me, I grabbed the last can of dip I had, looked at Christie and said “I got it!” I rolled the window down and dumped it out and said “That’s it, I will quit dipping and we can use that money to support this child.” So its a win-win. I keep my lip from falling off and we can support a child that is in need.

Bryan, I am so incredibly humbled to be a part of Rock Church. Thank you for your obedience and wisdom. We love you and all of your family. You know that I want to go on mission trips in my life and love on these lost sick children. You bringing Pastor Jackson to our church helped spark that fire back into my spirit.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Clint & Christie Berry

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Who wants to share your story? What is God doing in your life right now? Just leave a comment below for the world to see.

Another incredible day at ROCK Church!

• The band killed it today! You guys ROCK!
• Carolyn served up our announcements via live video from the tech booth. Talk about multi-tasking! Our tech teams are crazy awesome, talented, servant hearted, digerati tech ninjas for Jesus and I love them!
• Attendance was strong again! Thank you for bringing your friends every week.
• Fifteen more people gave their lives to Christ today!
• We have written names all across the front of our stage with the names of people in our lives who need to know how much Jesus loves them. Before first service today, I saw someone kneeling in front of the stage with her friend whose name she had printed on the wall. A few weeks ago, her friend gave her life to Christ and today she drew a heart next to her own name! YEEEEEESSSSS! Whose name have you written on the wall? Do they know Christ yet? Don’t give up!
• Pastor Jackson Senyonga from Christian Life Ministries in Kampala, Uganda was with us and he brought it! His message was “Achieving The Impossible”. If you missed it, you can download the podcast by the end of the day on Tuesday.
• I love technology! Gabriel Twittered his notes live during the message. Check it out.
  
• My favorite quote of the day was “If you never collide with the devil, maybe you are both headed in the same direction!” That’ll preach… actually, it did!
• Pastor Jackson shared a need for sponsoring orphan homes throughout Uganda. They don’t just house kids in dorm style homes. Instead, they build homes to house 12 children and place a widow in each home to raise them. This not only blesses the children, it blesses the widows!
• ROCK Church, you were extravagantly generous. How generous? Watch this video from Pastor Jackson and then we’ll continue…

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Yes, that’s right. We were able to sponsor eighteen children! Also, through the generosity of our ROCK Church family, two homes will be able to be completely built for the children ($25,000 for each home) with a commitment for another three once those are completed! That represents $125,000 to build homes for sixty orphans with another $1,080 per month sponsorship for children. Once again, I am amazed at the generosity of you ROCKERS.
• Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for believing in the work of God’s Kingdom and backing it up with your time and money! You are an extravagantly generous church!
• Have I mentioned lately how much I love ROCK Church?

What was your favorite part about ROCK Church today? Go on, share with us by leaving a comment…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anything exciting happening in your life? Leave a comment and share with the world so we can celebrate with you.

I’m thinking it’s time to begin rethinking the way we reach people. How can the church better leverage social media to reach our world?

Thoughts?

• Attendance was very strong. It’s awesome to watch ROCK Church growing every week. Thank you ROCKERS for inviting your friends.
• We had 7 people in first service and 8 people in second service raise their hands to give their lives to Christ! I also heard that 3 kids in rem!x (ages 10-12) gave their lives to Christ too! YES! YES! YES! That’s what it is all about. Life change never gets old.
• We had a disruption while I was preaching during the second service that was very un-nerving. But, our usher team was on it quickly. I hear there will be at least one usher assigned to me in every service from now on.
• When I poured the 200+ marbles all over the stage today, it made a huge impression on everyone there. I don’t want to waste one day that I have with our boys. What am I talking about? You’ll have to download the podcast on Tuesday to find out. Let’s just say it will be hard to wipe that image out of every parent’s mind after today.
• The band killed it today! Thank you guys for bringing it every single week. It is never acceptable to say, “I didn’t bring my ‘A’ game.” Guess what? You guys brought it today! Thank you for leading with such passion and excellence.
• I am still reeling from the Coaching Network last week. Perry is kicking my rear and I am realizing that it’s time to take more risk for the Kingdom. I’ll be talking with our Senior Leadership Team this week about setting some new goals for ROCK Church very soon. Stay tuned.
• We’re partnering with Lifepoint this week for See You At The Pole. Teenagers, do whatever it takes to be there this Tuesday night. It’s going to be crazy and you do not want to miss it.
• Next Sunday, Pastor Jackson Senyonga will be with us. Do whatever it takes to get here. I have personally been to Uganda twice and seen the huge impact Christian Life Ministries is making in that nation. You will leave next Sunday pumped up to do more for the Kingdom. I guarantee it!
• Jennifer and I are headed to U2 in two weeks! I am getting pumped about this. I’ve been practicing for my duet with Bono. I hope he’s been rehearsing as well.
• Double services have been kicking my rear. But, I would not change it for anything in the world. Volunteers are now able to be in every service. The church is growing. Lives are being changed, people are receiving salvation, marriages are being healed, families are being restored and Jesus is being proclaimed more than ever before. I’ll take that over comfort any day of the week.
• I love you ROCK Church! Thank you for the honor of being your pastor!
• I’m out of here. Stay tuned tomorrow for a post that will challenge the way you think about our culture today.

What an overwhelmingly incredible day!

• Seven people gave their lives to Christ yesterday!
• We baptized another seven people during our services!
• Anthony and Rachel shared their story of how pornography almost destroyed their marriage. Thank you guys for being so transparent. You have an incredible story of God’s faithfulness and your incredible commitment to each other.
• The band nailed “24 Hours” by Muddy Waters
• Nothing like singing the blues to launch into a message about doing whatever it takes to not lose your marriage.
• Jennifer and I shared some very painful parts of our past with the hope of helping people.
• We shared about the many challenges we have faced in our marriage. Numerous surgeries. Two miscarriages. Three troubled pregnancies. Financial mistakes. My near nervous breakdown. Jennifer’s 8 year battle with depression. And more…
• The over-riding theme was that God’s love, hope and faithfulness can be magnified through our failures, mistakes, challenges and weakness. If we let Him.
• What Satan has used to try and drive a wedge between Jennifer and me has actually drawn us closer together. But, only because we have an intense commitment to serve and love each other… no matter what.
• I love Twitter! I actually quoted a line from Jeff Kapusta’s sermon in their first service today during our second.
• Jennifer and I had the privilege of praying for many marriages in both services. What an honor. I believe we are about to hear incredible stories of relationships coming back from the brink of destruction.
• Whatever you do, don’t lose your marriage!
• Yesterday, our friends at Lifepoint Church launched their Midtown Campus and saw 188 people in the very first service. 115 were first time guests and 6 people raised their hands to give their lives to Christ! WOW! GO GOD! I am honored to serve our city alongside Pastor Jeff and the Lifepoint crew.
• I’m headed to Newspring on Wednesday to spend time with Perry and a group of incredible pastors from all over the country. I read that 276 people prayed to accept Christ and had 906 people baptized yesterday at Newspring! WOW!
• I believe this week is going to be HUGE for ROCK Church. Stay tuned…

Life as a leader is a lot like living in a fishbowl. Knowing that people look to you for an example can be overwhelming. It can take a toll trying to live up to unspoken expectations. In fact, it is impossible to live up to everyone’s idea of how we should live.

Early on, Jennifer and I decided that we would live our lives first for God’s glory and second to honor each other and our family. We are not perfect. We mess up. We have bad days. We forgive each other… a lot. And we let our lives be an example of the good and bad. Yet, whenever Jennifer and I minister on marriage and family, some come away with the perception that our example is an unattainable one.

This Sunday, Jennifer and I are going to Windex our fishbowl as we share some of the most difficult, challenging, painful and controversial parts of our past. How far are we going?

We’re going to talk with our own parents before Sunday what we’re talking about. (Go ahead and expect the call.)

We’ll also pray for marriages at the end of both services. Our prayer is that God will use our transparency to bring freedom and healing to many marriages. It’s going to be a day of hope for many, many people.

If you know someone who needs healing in their marriage, do everything you can to get them here this Sunday. In fact, invite everyone you know that is currently married, previously married or ever wants to get married.

It’s going to be an incredible day.

Shannan Bowen (@shanbow) wrote a great article over on the StarNewsOnline Blog about our TXT series last month. Some people get nervous when the media start writing about the church. I want to say “THANK YOU!” to the Star News and your reporting staff for the great job you are doing.

If you get a minute, cruise over to Shannan’s article and leave a comment.

Also, don’t miss this Sunday. We’ll be talking about keeping the love alive in your marriages. It’s going to be rated PG-13. Don’t worry. We have incredible ministry to children through age 12.

We have two service times to suit your needs. Join us at 9:00 or 11:00 this Sunday as we heat it up.

This Sunday, we take a huge leap as a church. We are doubling the worship experience every weekend! We are no longer a church with only one service. What excites me the most about this move is that all of our volunteers will now be able to serve and attend a service every week.

It’s hard to stay in tune to the vision and heartbeat of a church if you miss over half of the services every year. This change will also make it easier to invite your friends. ALL OF THEM! Fill up a row next to you. I believe we are about to see many people come to Christ. Who do you know that needs salvation? Do you love them enough to get them here this Sunday?

This week we go double. You can choose to come at 9:00am or 11:00am.

This Sunday, we also kick off a new series called ALL THE MARBLES. Jennifer and I will team teach this series focusing on finding a spouse, keeping the love alive, strengthening our marriages and raising great kids in an unstable world… all without losing our marbles.

We getting the word out several ways. We sent out a 5000 piece postcard to our area. We are blitzing Facebook beginning tomorrow. But, the most important promotion that can take place is YOU!

With so many marriages and families in trouble, now is the perfect time to invite, invite, invite. Do you know someone whose family is in chaos? Ask them to join you this Sunday! We are bringing a message of hope and healing!

Who will you bring?

The only constant? CHANGE

Today, I participated in a coaching network with Perry Noble and a group of incredible senior pastors from all over the country. It was expensive. It required a lot of my time. It was painful. But I have a burning desire to become everything God created me to be so that I can do what He called me to do.

I am learning that my way of thinking and leading must change for ROCK Church to go where God is leading. It is painful for me. But, I am committed to fulfilling the Call of God. Nothing is off limits in my life.

The passion, fire and excitement in me is growing by the hour.

Get ready! Change is coming.

• Yesterday, we continued our TXT series talking about Morality. Wow!
• Yes, I said “breastesess” in church.
• Yes, I stepped on a lot of toes… including mine.
• I may have upset a few parents talking about appropriate dress for teenagers. But, I was overwhelmed by the number of teenagers that went out of their way to thank me for the message.
• I apologize for the podcast not being current for the TXT series. They should all be caught up before the day is over tomorrow.
• I have been trying to answer the responses from the message. From praise to concern to practical application… it has all been incredible. The dialogue we have opened up through this series is VERY healthy.
• I have not seen the final count from yesterday. But, seeing all of the hands in the air from people wanting to give their lives to Christ was incredible! Forgiveness is THE single greatest gift ever given to mankind.
• It is all about Jesus!
• We are only 13 days away from double services. I can’t wait! We are cooking up some amazing surprises for that day. You do not want to miss what God is going to do.
• Jennifer and I will be teaching the next series together. It is going to be life changing for every family who hears. If you know someone who wants to get married, is married, was married, wants kids, loves kids or hates kids… GET THEM HERE! There is an attack on the family that is very real. If someone you love is in a family or wants a family… do whatever it takes to bring them.
• Please pray for our staff. I know God is up to something big, because the opposition has been fierce. The spiritual attack against our families has been very real. I must say, the commitment and resolve from our team to stand as a united force is unparalleled. We will not be moved, distracted, divided or defeated.
• On Wednesday, I’ll head down to Anderson, SC again to be a part of a Coaching Network with Perry Noble. There are fifteen incredible pastors participating so I should stick out like a mule at the Kentucky Derby. It’s going to be awesome.
• Seriously, pray for me as I participate in this Coaching Network. I have a strong desire to lead this ministry well. I want to grow as a leader so ROCK Church can be who God called us to be.
• Don’t forget to bring your cellphone again this Sunday as we wrap up TXT. This week, we will try to answer any question you bring about God, the Bible, faith, etc. It will either be a huge success or an epic failure. Either way, you do not want to miss it!
• I love our church!

Khalilah has a desire to see souls saved and lives transformed. This Fall, she will serve as a Small Group Leader at ROCK Church.

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What others use to shame you,
God will use to save you….
And bring you out!

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How many times have we faced challenges in life that can label us with a name that we’re not proud of? A name that others cringe at the thought of but one we have earned by our actions and lifestyle! Names like Liar, Thief, Adulterer and the list goes on.

In Joshua 2, we find the story of Rahab, who hid two men Joshua sent to spy the land. These two men, like many of us who have been caught in unfamiliar territory, faced an “Uh Oh” moment. The help they needed came from someone whose lifestyle labeled her as Rahab, “the harlot!” In exchange for her help, they made an oath to Rahab. But, in order for them to fulfill the oath she had to tie a scarlet thread to the window. This would be the sign to spare her house.

In New York, I often saw the scarlet thread used in the red light district. Women would place this scarlet thread in their window as a “sign” that a prostitute dwelled within the confines of the establishment.

The spies were led by the providence of God to Rahab’s house because it was her time to be reclassified! God is leading people into the land for you too because He has an appointed time to flip the script and change your story. For both Rahab “the harlot” and us, coming out means redemption, repentance, salvation and promise. But, we must activate our faith by exposing ourselves one last time. Just maybe, God will use that object of shame to save you and bring you out.

People will talk and point fingers. Just remember that Rahab went from being labeled “the harlot” to “the mother of Boaz,” a direct descendant to Christ.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This Sunday, we’ll tackle morality. Bring your cellphone and get ready. See you Sunday!

We continued our TXT series today talking about Spiritual Maturity. I was more nervous this week because we were tackling spiritual authority. That’s a serious topic to take questions on the spur of the moment. But, I felt like it went very well.

I must say that I am loving the dialogue this series has opened up with our audience. I believe people have real questions about the topics. It’s not enough to just have information if we do not know how to apply it to our own world.

Today, we fielded questions about the authority of unbelievers, abusive authority, tyrants, teenagers, knowing when you have authority and more. I found out after service that I unknowingly asked Pastor Ron to answer one of the questions he sent in. He was gracious and did not even flinch when I asked him to jump in. He is the man!

We had more questions today than we could answer during the service. So, we’ll answer the rest via video to post both here and at rockwilmington.com tomorrow.

I want to thank our tech teams for jumping in with the new technology from Jarbyco and making this series happen. Thank you for serving with excellence every week. I love you guys!

In all, it has been an amazing day. Attendance was strong. Worship was incredible. Kid’s ROCK brought their A game. And guess what? THREE PEOPLE GAVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST TODAY! That never gets old.

Next week we tackle… Morality. Get ready, it just may change your mind about what morality is really all about.

Next week, I am headed to Newspring Church with Pastor Matthew and Helen for the “One” Conversation. Why are we taking the time to drive to Anderson, SC for just one day? Great question.

I want our student ministries to make a difference and impact a generation. I want to reach every child and teenager in the Wilmington area with the Gospel. We do not have time to waste. We need wisdom. We need clarity. We need mentoring.

“One” has been limited to 100 people and senior pastors must attend. The three of us are going to learn how to be an even better team. We are going to see, hear, experience and learn from incredible leaders. We are going because we know there is more… and we want it.

What would you do to gain more wisdom?

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. ~ Proverbs 4:7