Perry Noble | Senior Pastor, NewSpring Church

Every Number Has A Name…

2013-04-22T13:00:27+00:00

One of the things we say around here at NewSpring Church is that "Every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God."

And this past Thursday I was reminded how true this is as I was given a card to read that had been sent in to our care team at the church. After reading it I thanked Jesus that He has allowed me to be a part of a church that cares about people far from God. I have included the note from the card below...

"Dear NewSpring,

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for our family in the recent loss of our father, Wilson. The grilled chicken was delicious and provided a lovely reception after the funeral for our large family.

I have always been amazed at how your church impacted our father. Wilson was in his 80's and had been in church all of his life, even taught Sunday school.

It was only during one of your pastors sermons, however, that Wilson finally understood what grace and salvation truly meant and was therefore truly saved that day! The light came on that day and he couldn't quit talking about it. He loved your church and it saved his life. We are forever grateful."

Stories like these NEVER get old!

I love my church!

Conference Information Update

2013-04-11T18:52:38+00:00

Back in November I did this post about us hosting an "Unleash Your Volunteers" conference... and several of you have been asking about it, so I thought I had better put out an update.

Due to our church being laser focused on our Summer and Fall schedule we were unable to have this conference in May; however, there are plans to do it in the future!

However, we DO have an "Unleash Your Student & Children's Ministry" coming up this fall that is going to be AWESOME!!! We do not have the dates for this yet; however, we will make them known ASAP as well as registration/information about the conference.

For information about conferences and FREE resources check out www.unleash.cc

Hey NewSpring Church, Let’s CELEBRATE!

2013-04-01T18:26:00+00:00

I wanted to take the time to say "thank you" to everyone at NewSpring Church and to celebrate...

Because you understand that Found People Find People (and dug ditches/tore holes in roofs!)
Because you demonstrate that Saved People Serve People
Because you embrace that Growing People Change
Because you believe that We Can't Do Life Alone
Because you model that We Can't Out Give God

We were able to see 1,334 people receive Christ into their lives this weekend!!!

And we had 49,335 people in attendance!!! (We're halfway to 100K!!!)

To put that into perspective...

Past Easter attendance...

2009 = 14,662
2010 = 16,456
2011 = 24,286
2012 = 29,163
2013 = 49,335

Jesus Christ died on the cross, paid for our sin, rose from the grave and then commanded His followers to reach the world with the GOOD NEWS (see Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8!) He said that He WOULD build HIS CHURCH (Matthew 16:18) and we are seeing Him do it right in front of our eyes!

If the world can celebrate temporary things such as academy awards, Super Bowl trophies and buzzer beaters during March Madness then the CHURCH should NOT BE ASHAMED or HOLD BACK when it comes to celebrating what GOD IS DOING!!!

My prayer is that what we saw happen this weekend will cause our hearts to overflow with thankfulness... and also fill us with a sense of anticipation as we look forward towards what's next!!!

So, let's celebrate...and then let's GO REACH THE OTHER 50,000!!!

Don’t Say “No” For Them

2013-03-27T12:33:00+00:00

Well NewSpring Church, here we are...the week of our Easter services. The ANTICIPATION level around all of our campuses is at an all time high and the buzz in regards to bringing someone to an Easter service is more exciting than it has ever been.

I wanted to share two things in regards to bringing someone with you to a service...

#1 - If you have someone on your mind, a person that you cannot stop thinking about ANYTIME someone mentions inviting someone to church--then that is God speaking to your heart! (The devil is NOT leading you to share Christ with them and/or invite them to church!) If God is calling you to it then He WILL LEAD YOU THROUGH IT!

Which leads to...

#2 - DO NOT SAY "NO" FOR THEM! All too often when I really did feel the Lord pressing into me to invite someone to church, whether it was a server in a restaurant or someone I have had a relationship with, I say "no" for them in my mind. Seriously, I battle thoughts like...

"They would not be interested in coming to church."
"They will think I'm crazy if I talk to them about this."
"Maybe I will just pray that someone else will invite them."

However, what I've discovered is that SOOOOOOOO many people are just one more invite away from attending a service.

We all know that FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE! With that in mind...let's not say "no" for people when God is saying "yes" in regards to us inviting them to a service!!!

This Easter the Gospel is going to be presented clearly AND creatively...and I believe HUNDREDS of lives are going to be changed!!!

(For a GREAT passage of Scripture to help us get our minds around this mandate to reach the world check out II Corinthians 5:11-21...AND, there is still time to register for a free trip to Israel next year along with seeing some videos that we recorded over there that have just been released this week--go here to check it out!)

Bringing versus Inviting

2013-03-25T15:38:17+00:00

Last night after church Clayton and I went to grab some pizza and catch up since we haven't been able to spend a ton of time together lately...

And that's when it hit me all over again...

Stay with me for a sec...

This "Get Ready" series has been INCREDIBLE, the messages that have been brought to us from Pastor Steven Furtick, Brad Cooper and Clayton King have been some of the BEST our church has ever heard in regards to doing whatever it takes to reach people far from God. (BTW...we have new videos all week long that we did in Israel at www.getready.cc)!

One of the things I've ALWAYS loved about our church is that we've always responded to the challenge to do whatever it takes to invite people to come to church, even when it means having an uncomfortable conversation.

However, something that has been taught to us throughout this series really hit home last night in the conversation that Clayton and I had with our waitress.

We asked her did she go to church anywhere and she said no.

We then told her that we would love for her to come to NewSpring and she lit up and said, "oh wow, someone else invited me there too!"

Clayton then pointed to me and said, "that's the pastor."

She replied, "Oh yeah, I remember you, I came one time about six years ago and you were wearing a T-shirt that said, 'God is watching you download that porn!"

I laughed and told her that I remember wearing that shirt and asked her did she not come back because the shirt offended her, to which she replied, "oh no, the shirt didn't bother me at all; in fact, I thought it was funny. The reason I did not come back is that I didn't have anyone who would come with me."

I was reminded on the spot that SO MANY PEOPLE in this world feel all alone...and that they would come to church if we really did make the effort to not just INVITE them...but BRING them (just like the guys did in Mark 2:1-12, just like Andrew did for Peter and Phillip did for Nathaniel in John 1:35-51!)

NewSpring, I can promise you that these are going to be the most amazing Easter services we've EVER had, and I have NEVER felt the anticipation levels like they are right now!!! However, it is my prayer that we will not just INVITE people, but offer to BRING them. I can promise you it WILL make a huge difference - instead of saying, "Why don't you visit my church this Sunday" to say, "I would love for you to join me for church and afterwards we could go out and grab a bite."

I'm pumped, SOOOOOOO pumped...and I know Easter is going to be special!! MAYBE "that person" has told you "no" dozens of times!!! They are worth one more ask!!! And, don't just INVITE them, BRING THEM.

Let's do this!!!

Want To Help Reach/Change The World?

2013-02-18T13:45:16+00:00

We currently have around 40 job openings at NewSpring Church (here is the page where they are all posted.)

I'm looking for people to come on staff who don't just want a job...but rather to make a difference by using their gifts/talents in the context of the local church to IMPACT this world for Christ.

Don't have ministry experience? Not a problem...most of our current staff actually come from what is often called "the marketplace!"

We're not looking for a particular religious pedigree but rather people who genuinely feel God's call on their life to full time vocational ministry.

One more thing...I wanted everyone to know and understand that ministry IS hard work, a job on a church staff isn't a cake walk by any means. We're looking for people who are FIRED UP and MOTIVATED, people who are willing to learn the things they do not know...and will work as hard as possible to reach over 100,000 people for Jesus.

Once again, here is the jobs page if you are interested.

Let us know if you're interested!

A Forgiveness Story

2013-02-14T13:13:45+00:00

I received this email yesterday that absolutely BLEW my mind and caused me to CELEBRATE...stories like these never get old!!!

I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you a story. I was molested as a child by my sister. I had suppressed that memory for years and when it came back to me I have had problems dealing with it, both mental and physical. Forgiveness was not an option. Anger and hatred were all I had for my sister.

Last week Perry talked about forgiveness. He said that I can't have Gods forgiveness unless I was also willing to forgive. I wrote both the name of my sister and my mom who I also blamed for years for not keeping me safe from this attack. I was sure as soon as I wrote it that Perry was going to ask us to break the stick, symbolizing the forgiveness and ask us to give it to Christ. I was not sure I could break the stick. My eyes welled up with tears as I asked God what to do.

When Perry counted to 3 I snapped that stick and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I sent a text to my sister consisting if 3 words. I Forgive You. I posted on Facebook from outside the Florence campus how I felt that the sermon was just for me. I had no idea how right I was.

A week later, after today's sermon actually, I spoke to my other sister. We talked about other things and then I asked her if she heard what I had done. She paused and said yes. She then told me that our sister was crying later that day and confessed she had written a suicide note and was about to take her life when she got my text. She threw it away and is still alive. Things are still strained, it is a long road from hatred and anger to laughing and smiling, but I think we will get there.

God used me to save her. GOD IS AWESOME!!!

Three Questions For You To Consider

2013-02-06T19:24:08+00:00

#1 - Do you believe God has a purpose for your life...but have NO idea what it is?

#2 - Do you find yourself bored often and wishing that life had more to offer?

#3 - Are you doing anything right now that is actually going to matter in 100 years?

This coming Sunday we begin a brand new series entitled, "Don't Waste Your Life" and will be diving into issues such as...

Does God really want to bless me?
What is a spiritual gift and do I have one?
If God has called me to do something then that means I am going to hate it, right?
I don't really feel like I'm good at anything...so could I really make a difference?

I'm telling you...it's going to be THE BEST EVER and I can't WAIT for it to get started!

An Update On Jordan From Gary & Heather

2013-01-28T21:39:56+00:00

Back in October I shared this prayer request on this site about Jordan Snowzell and the operation he was going to have to undergo...

His father, Gary, has written an update for us so that we can celebrate all the Lord has done...and continue to pray for the miraculous!

Newspring Family!

It was October 16th when Jordan our son had major brain surgery in which you stood with us in expecting a miracle so we wanted to give you an update of that journey.

The pioneering 10hr surgery held many risks with a list of possible complications along with probable side affects of which one being permanent loss of taste & smell, this would be a challenging journey for our son & ourselves but when faith & the family of God are involved everything changes!

Incredibly due to Jordan's miraculous recovery he was discharged after 7 days with an expected 6 week recovery at home, however we witnessed an astounding recovery in just 2 wks!!
In addition our Christmas miracle was that his taste & smell was also restored against all the odds which meant he had the best Christmas dinner ever!!

We visited the consultants in December for his post op scan results in which doctors were completely amazed at the success of the operation & healing, however we were told that part of the dermoid growth still remained which will need to be monitored to ensure it doesn't become threatening so please believe with us that this will not be of any significance, that it will shrivel up & that we see complete healing.

Jordan was then miraculously signed off by doctors for the next 6 months!
The result is that within 12 weeks of the operation Jordan is no longer at home but is currently now living in Cambodia as part of the pioneering team launching Freedom Church's first ever Asian campus in Siem Reap!

Freedom Siem Reap Promo from Freedom Church on Vimeo.

Heather & I are so grateful to see pictures of him looking so healthy on the streets of Asia sharing the gospel as he pioneers Church in such a challenging culture whilst witnessing our son fulfil that which he was born to do & enjoying him savour afresh the gift of life!

We know our children are a gift from God & as arrows in the hand of a warrior we want to prepare & release them towards Gods bullseye trusting Him with their lives!!

So THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!

Every single prayer counts, every person matters, every day is a gift & the result will be that people shall be saved in Asia because God is faithful! Jordan chose not to see this as a set back or an excuse for his life to be on hold but used it to fuel him with an even greater urgency to launch him into the destiny God has prepared for him!!

Thank you Newspring for loving us & being part of this miracle!

We love y'all

Gary & Heather Snowzell

Is It Ok For A Church Leader To Be Excited About Their Church?

2013-01-25T17:59:11+00:00

One of the things that a few church leaders have questioned me about recently is my repetitiveness in regards to saying "the best is yet to come," or that the next Sunday or event is going to be "the best ever!"

Honestly, I'm glad people have talked with me about it because it has allowed me to reflect on why I am always saying those things. There are several reasons...

#1 - Enthusiasm and the belief that things were going to get better is one of THE MAJOR things that pulled me out of my depression! From 2008 - 2011 I was in the darkest period of my life and yet nearly every single day I woke up thinking and believing that "this is the day that I could get better, this is the day that I could break out of this!" If I had began to believe that I needed to just accept the way things were then it is highly likely that I would not be here today!!! Optimism is a powerful weapon against depression!

#2 - Some have asked me if what I am doing is "hype?" My response is that it is only hype if you don't believe it!!! At the end of the day I am smoking what I'm selling. I really do believe that the best series is going to be "the best ever!" I really do believe that the next conference is going to be "the best ever." And, what I've noticed is that belief has impacted my staff in a positive way. Staff members would much rather follow leadership who has way more dreams for the future than memories of the past.

#3 - I believe that if I do not believe in greater things then I will not put forth a greater effort. I believe one of the reasons that churches grow cold, apathetic and hit a wall is because leaders all too often choose to be lazy and fall in love with personal comfort instead of progress...because progress always has a price. Followers of JESUS should NEVER just accept status quo!!! (The leader who always says "that's just the way things are" is basically saying, "I'm too lazy or fearful to actually solve that problem!")

#4 - I believe the church has seen some incredible movements of God over the past 2,000 years...and that every single one of those movements were not led by people whose biggest desire was to maintain status quo but rather who dared to dream for bigger things and chose to take God at His Word in regards to what He said in Ephesians 3:20-21!

#5 - When a church leader tells me that my enthusiasm bothers him I have simply began to reply that their LACK of enthusiasm bothers me!!! We are THE CHURCH...THE TOMB IS EMPTY...JESUS IS ALIVE...HE'S COMING BACK ONE DAY TO TAKE EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG AND MAKE IT RIGHT...AND HE HAS INVITED US TO BE A PART OF THAT JOURNEY WITH HIM!!! Church leaders should be the most positive, hopeful and encouraging people on the planet!!!

If you are a church leader don't you EVER apologize for being excited about your church. Don't ever apologize because you have big dreams of seeing people rescued from darkness and brought into light. Don't you EVER apologize for having a vision so huge that you know you can only get there if God gets involved. Don't you EVER allow those who have no enthusiasm make you feel bad for your excitement and belief that greater things are coming.

Contrary to beliefs on the internet it is NOT A SIN for a church leader to be excited, hopeful and positive about their church and/or ministry. (In fact, I would actually argue that it's a sin for a leader to NOT be excited about it!)

Church leaders, my prayer for all of us is that 2013 would be THE BEST YEAR EVER for THE CHURCH! I honestly believe that the church has more potential for a worldwide revival than it EVER HAS. AND...Jesus (who is always true to His Word) said in Matthew 16:18 that HE will build HIS church!!! That is a promise!!!

SO...let's dream big, let's be excited about it...and let's believe that God has way more in store!!!

WOO-HOO...I'm pumped about THIS SUNDAY at NewSpring Church, it's going to be THE BEST EVER!!!

This Is Why We Do What We Do!

2013-01-16T20:34:18+00:00

Hey NewSpring Church, below is an email I just received from David Nasim, our campus pastor in Greenville...things like this absolutely fire me up!!! CELEBRATE!

A man got saved at our campus on the Sunday we did Highway to Hell. The same man heard you challenge him to step up and be the spiritual leader during Adam and Eve. This prompted him for the first time ever to begin praying with his kids. A few months later, during their prayer time, his kids asked him how to have a relationship with Jesus. He led his two children to the Lord. Those two children both got baptized this past Sunday!

That's why we do what we do!

Five Questions For Leaders

2013-01-14T21:08:42+00:00

#1 - Are you healthy? (If you haven't check out this article about how to see whether or not you are near or at burnout.) If a church is going to continue to grow the leader (leaders) MUST be healthy--period.

#2 - Are you having a hard time trying to figure out how to lead the people above you? (This is considered to be one of the toughest things about leadership--when, in actuality, it's not that difficult at all!)

#3 - Is there anything in your church/organization that you are doing that is draining energy and resources that simply needs to stop?

#4 - What do you do when your vision seems to be bigger than your resources?

#5 - How in the world do you hire and keep great staff members?

If you want to REALLY dive into these questions--plus a whole lot more--then join me on February 18-20 for "Unleash Your Leadership," a two day INTENSE time of leadership development complete with numerous Q & A sessions.

Seats are going FAST (less than 10 left) so if you want to sign up then do so ASAP!!! (Here is the link with more info!)

Four Really Quick Things For Everyone At NewSpring Church!

2013-01-14T14:27:45+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, I hope that EVERYONE is having an AWESOME Monday! I'm still so excited (and overwhelmed) in regards to all that Jesus is doing in our church that I wanted to write all of you and say a couple of things...

#1 - Thank you for your AMAZING amount of patience yesterday as traffic was a MAJOR issue on nearly every single one of our campuses. Just so you know...we have NEVER had the number of people we had at church yesterday--EVER! (We have had larger attendance numbers for Christmas and Easter services; however, those services are spread out across multiple days, yesterday was our largest Sunday attendance in our history!) AND...while we were all excited by this we know it presented an intense traffic challenge. Two things about this in particular...

One - I promise you we are working on it as aggressively as possible to make things as smooth as possible.

Two - The next time you are caught in traffic (at any campus for any service) just remind yourself that THIS IS CHURCH! Not a football game, not a Beiber concert...CHURCH! How awesome is it that there are lines of traffic of people trying to get to church? The "experts" are saying that the church in America is dying...but if you sat in traffic yesterday you know the opposite is true!

#2 - Thank you for your willingness to do whatever it takes to get people far from God to church!!! Every single time I've asked our church to step up and invite people you have all responded and we are seeing the fruit of that every single week as more and more people are surrendering their lives to Christ. Even a casual read through the Bible will cause us all to realize that Jesus wants EVERYONE to know about His love, grace, mercy and His offer of forgiveness. It was a foreign idea to the writers of the Scriptures that the church should be an inwardly focused, self centered group of people who referred to their activity as "discipleship" and in so doing allowed them an "out" for not sharing message of Christ. (AND...show me one example of a disciple in the Bible that was not an evangelist!) Found people find people...and all of you are OWNING that!!! We are going to reach 100,000 for JESUS!!! (We're already 25% of the way there!)

#3 - Thank you for your generosity! Because you give we were able to open up three campuses last year (Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach and Greenwood)...and ALL three of them had record breaking attendance yesterday! Also because of your generosity we are continuing to support churches in Estonia, Jerusalem, the UK and in Kenya!!! People that we will never meet on this side of heaven are being impacted because of your willingness to give!!!

#4 - Our Spartanburg campus is beginning a 6pm service THIS Sunday to try to provide more space as our campus there is EXPLODING. Keep that campus in your prayers as they have literally outgrown a facility (in less than a year) that we were thinking would be about a two year solution.

THIS COMING SUNDAY is going to be part two of "Love Revolution" as we continue our story about Joseph and talk about THE ONE PHRASE that can/will absolutely CHANGE your life!!! Cannot wait!

Top 10 Sermons of 2012

2013-01-02T13:30:15+00:00

As we start off 2013 I wanted to take a minute to look back on the 10 most popular sermons of 2012. They are listed below with a quick description of the message. If you click on any of the links it will take you to the sermon page where you can watch the entire message on your computer or download the audio or video file. Also, if you want to view an entire series from last year you can see them all right here.

And don't forget to make plans to be at one of our NewSpring locations THIS SUNDAY as we dive into "How to Have the Best Year of Your Life".

The best is yet to come!!!

10. With All My Heart - All In Series

A growing relationship with Jesus is intentional, not accidental. What does it mean to intentionally love Jesus with all my heart?

9. Win the Battle With Depression - Overwhelmed Series

When you stop trying to change the things around you and begin asking God to fix what is broken in you, your life will be transformed forever. As Pastor Perry shares honestly about some dark times in his own life, we’ll see how only God can use pain for progress.

8. Relentless - Fully Alive Series

When we connect to the purpose and person of Jesus we become relentless in pursuing the lost. Only then will we become fully alive!

7. Five Questions Every Single Should Be Asking - Eve and Adam Series

When you know your identity in Christ and examine your relationships in light of who He is, you will experience God’s best for your life.

6. Four Things Every Man Must Know About A Women - Adam and Eve Series

Men must love, lead and pursue women intentionally, knowing that women are God’s daughters and that their primary relationship must be with Him.

5. Two Lies that Women Believe Part 2 - Eve and Adam Series

When you understand your identity in Christ, you won’t compromise for companionship. Jesus is proof that you are worth the pursuit!

4. Mirror Mirror - Easter

When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape yourself. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Join us as we look at the only way to find change that lasts.

3. The One Question Every Man Must Answer- Adam and Eve Series

The one question that every man must answer is: will Jesus be primary or secondary in my life? A man owns his mistakes, trusts God for forgiveness, and focuses on the future instead of the past. Will you step up to the challenge and become the man that you need to be?

2. Two Lies that Women Believe Part 1 - Eve and Adam Series

When you realize that you’re priceless and complete, you’ll overcome the lie that you’re not good enough.

1. How to Overcome Being Overwhelmed - Overwhelmed Series

When you focus on Jesus, you will understand that God is greater than your circumstances and He is able to pull you through.

My Favorite Posts of 2012

2012-12-31T12:10:25+00:00

As 2012 comes to a close I wanted to take a minute and share a couple of my favorite posts from this past year.

In no particular order.....

8 Reason Some Churches Do Not Grow

"Nice" Christian Boys & Girls Make Me Sick

15 Signs That A Church Is In Trouble

Something I Wish Every Mother Knew & Understood

Ben & Jerry's, Chick-fil-a & Political Correctness

Perry Noble Leadership Podcast Recap Part 2

2012-12-28T12:30:14+00:00

Here are the August through December episodes of the Perry Noble Leadership Podcast. Incase you missed it yesterday you can go here to see the first half of 2012's podcasts.

August: 9 Leadership Struggles

Pride, people pleasing, delegation, confrontation, confidence, failure, insecurity and jealousy are all struggles common to leadership.

September: Bonus Audio: Saving Faith

We gathered as a church for two evenings of prayer, teaching and corporate worship. This message examines the question “will Jesus save someone because of our faith?”

September: Unleash! Breaking Free From Normalcy

In Unleash!, Pastor Perry Noble challenges all followers of Christ to make a bold move by fully embracing the exciting adventure God has called us to.

October: Vision & Volunteers

How do you know when you're doing God's will? How do you recognize or celebrate volunteers? How do you direct without delegating? Do you ever set outlandish goals? What do you do with a staff member/volunteer who always seems...

November: Surprised at Disney

We must lead with conviction, learn from our mistakes and honestly identify opportunities for improvement throughout the organization. Don't let past momentum prevent you from stepping into the future God has for your church.

December: Hype or Hope?

When you lead with hope because you know and believe that the Gospel is true, every Sunday is the best one ever!

Bonus Unleash & NLC Messages

Unleash Message #1 - Four Phrases That Need To Be In Every Leader's Vocabulary

Unleash Message #2 - Four Questions Every Leadership Team Needs To Ask

NLC - Two Things That I Am Desperately Asking Jesus For

Perry Noble Leadership Podcast Recap Part 1

2012-12-27T12:00:44+00:00

Every month Shane Duffey and I record the Perry Noble Leadership Podcast for people who are ready to be challenged in their faith, stretched as leaders and willing to do whatever it takes to be more like Jesus. Here are the first 6 episodes of 2012.

January: There is a Price to Pay

The Bible tells us to “Get wisdom, get understanding though it cost all you have.” If you want to lead successfully, you must always be learning. If you want to learn, you must pay the price and invest in your own future....

February: 10 Signs You Are An Insecure Leader

Listen through this podcast and pray that the Lord would reveal your insecurities. Repent and remember the calling of God on your life.

March: What Makes A Great Team?

Building a great team is your responsibility and lays the foundation for your success as a leader. A great team is built of different personalities with various opinions rallied around a singular vision to accomplish a...

April: Four Problems the Church Has to Deal With

Is your church answering questions that no one else is asking? Calling laziness “authenticity”? Using “discipleship” to excuse evangelism? Becoming more political than prophetic?

May: 3 Key Ways to Maintain Unity on Your Team

Unity doesn't just happen, it takes work. You must lead your team and encourage them to assume the best, communicate clearly and cultivate an environment where they are equipped to ask questions and pursue clarity.

June: We Are In The People Business

If you focus on the masses and are driven by a task, you may miss key interactions with people that God has placed in your path. Without people we have no church.

Bonus Podcast Messages: Unleash & NLC

2012-12-26T12:00:44+00:00

Today on the Perry Noble Leadership Podcast you can find three bonus messages from our 2012 Unleash & NLC Conferences. These are the three messages I preached during the conferences and they are found EXCLUSIVELY on the podcast. Click here to listen.

Unleash Message #1 - Four Phrases That Needs To Be In Every Leaders Vocabulary
Unleash Message #2 - Four Questions Every Leadership Team Needs To Ask
NLC - Two Things That I Am Desperately Asking Jesus For

My Thoughts On The Tragedy In Newtown, Connecticut

2012-12-21T11:25:39+00:00

A week ago from today I heard that there had been a school shooting. I listened to the news report about some place I had never heard of in Connecticut and some very limited details about a shooter in a school and how it was believed that there had been casualties. As the specific details of the day began rolling in and I became aware that most of the victims of the massacre were around the age of my daughter I literally wanted to throw up...I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of complete vulnerability I felt and how I immediately wanted to see and hug my little girl.

There were so many godly, wise Christian leaders that wrote about the tragedy within hours of it taking place...and I was SO thankful for them doing so as I must confess it caused me to wrestle with some of the deep issues of my own faith. However, I decided not to write about it until I had taken some time to reflect on it so that I could write down what I had personally taken away from the unthinkable situation that took place.

Here are three things...

#1 - We Live In A Fallen World Where Evil Is Not Just A Mere Concept But Rather A Harsh Reality

From time to time there will be a debate on whether or not "absolute truth" exists or not. Self professed intellectual giants have tried to assert that there is no such thing, saying that we cannot say something is flat out "wrong;" after all, what might be wrong for one person isn't necessarily wrong for another. However, I found it to be quite peculiar as this group of people were quite silent after this event as I am sure that no one with a three digit IQ would not agree that this event was one of the most obvious manifestations of evil that this generation has ever seen.

We live in a fallen world--Newtown is evidence of that. AND...I hate, hate, hate to say this...but we are going to see tragedies such as these again and again.

I can vividly remember sitting in front of my television in 1999 watching the story of Columbine High School unfold before my eyes and for weeks after hearing the politicians and experts say that we need to come up with ways to make sure that something like that never happened again. If that was their goal then they failed pretty miserably because "mass massacres" have continued to increase since that time.

As long as we live we are going to have to live with the reality that our world is fallen...and not just through seeing things such as the Newtown shooting but earthquakes, floods, famines and tsunami's. If the world (according to the evolutionary argument) is supposed to be moving towards perfection then something terrible has happened because we are way off course.

Political people on both sides of the argument regarding legislation of guns and such were all over this incident within hours of it taking place (which I found to be pathetic!) AND...I am NOT trying to make a political statement here and so you can save your email...but I would love to simply say something that I have said for years, we cannot legislate morality. Sin/evil is an issue of the heart. The very first murder recorded in the Bible is found in Genesis 4:6-8. We see in verse seven of this text that God tells Cain that he must master sin...but Cain chooses to submit to evil and murders his brother at a time when there were no weapons.

We can point fingers and try to find someone/something to blame all day long. Yes, sin exists and we will always deal with the consequences of it until Jesus comes back. Yes, there are way more violent video games and tv shows and movies than there were 20 years ago...and anyone who is intellectually honest would have to agree that there is some sort of correlation. And yes, the media has a hand in this as well and they often take the killer and put their picture on TV and talk about them so much that they definitely get way more than their 15 minutes of fame. (And even in the case of the Newtown shooting where the killer killed himself--others see it and we have to agree that it effects decisions.) AND...in my opinion, when we combine all of these things with the fact that evil exists in this world then the potential for a human being to do atrocious things to other people is unlimited.

#2 - This World Needs Jesus More Than Ever Before.

People have asked me after seeing this tragedy take place, "why doesn't God just wipe out all evil and suffering in this world?" And my response has been, "He's going to! One day He's going to return and change it all. There will be no more suffering, no more tragic school shootings, no more sex slave trade and human trafficking, no more political corruption...one day!"

BUT...until that time comes it is up to those of us who know Christ to do whatever it takes to get the message of the Gospel out to this world...because while the government can change laws only JESUS can change a heart...and a heart change is what is needed in the lives of people if we are to see events such as these decrease in the future.

I've got to admit that when this took place my faith was shaken! Maybe I'm just not as godly as people who didn't struggle...but in my heart I asked the question, "why God?"

And when I did I automatically got a picture in my mind of the cross and was reminded that if ANYONE understands tragedy, pain, suffering and the innocent dying it's Jesus!

I was reminded by the cross that even when things seem to be completely chaotic and out of control that God is still in control!!!

I was reminded by the cross that God can take the more horrible, tragic event and in His time turn it into something more amazing than we could ever understand. After all, He took a blood stained cross and turned it into an empty tomb...and Hebrews 13:8 says He is always the same and so I must believe He can do it again.

And I was reminded that my circumstances should not dictate my belief in God but rather my belief in God should dictate how I respond to circumstances.

ONLY JESUS can bring about the change that this world desperately needs and longs for!! Which leads to my last point...

#3 - People Are Still Interested In The Local Church--And The Church Has More Work To Do Than Ever Before.

When this tragedy took place people did not flock to the local chapter of skeptics and atheists but rather local churches!!! And while many of them came confused, hurt and with questions...they STILL came to the church!!

The church has been commanded by God to take the message of the GOSPEL to a world that is desperate, hurting and confused when it comes to events such as these. And during times like this the church should not back down but should rise up and be the hands and feet of Jesus.

And...we should not feel the pressure to immediately provide the correct theological explanations for this tragedy, but rather should allow people to grieve and ask questions. One of the biggest mistakes that well meaning Christ followers make is to try to explain everything that happens in the world instead of just being with people while they grieve and admitting that things such as these rock us to the core at times as well.

This world needs HOPE!!! This world needs to know that in the middle of complete chaos that PEACE is possible. This world needs to know that there is a God who understands PAIN better than we realize and does not run FROM people in pain but rather runs to them.

AND THE CHURCH HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED WITH THAT MESSAGE!!!

We've not been asked to keep it to a certain group of people who mostly look how we look and believe what we believe. We've not been asked to tell the world that this is what it deserves because they kicked God out of the schools! We've not been asked to try to withdraw to safe places where bad things never happen!!!

We don't run from PAIN and SUFFERING, we should run towards it!!!

I am not sure if this particular post has helped anyone, but it was extremely helpful for me to write my thoughts down and get out what I felt has been in my heart all week long. I believe in Jesus and His church more than ever before...and believe that the churches calling has NEVER been more obvious and important!

The Best Christmas Gift

2012-12-20T13:23:46+00:00

Perry Noble: "The Best Christmas Gift" from NewSpring Church on Vimeo.

A Video From Pastor P

2012-12-19T12:11:38+00:00

Perry Noble: "Embracing the Uncomfortable" from NewSpring Church on Vimeo.

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-12-18T11:22:15+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I want to share with you today...

#1 - I absolutely LOVE our church and EVERYTHING that Jesus has been doing at every single campus. Sunday we talked about religious people repenting of religion...and I am quite sure that after that message that none of us will ever look at "angry birds" quite the same. Some things I hope we remember from the series are...

Jesus liked people who were nothing like Him...and people who were nothing like Him liked Him (ripped that off from Andy Stanley!) If the church is supposed to be the body of Christ then shouldn't the same be said for us!
The church has been marginalized in our culture because we get angry at lost people acting like lost people...when instead we should engage them like Christ did!
We are fully alive when we are connected to the purpose and person of Jesus...and it is a spiritual impossibility to say that we really do love and care for what Jesus loves and cares for while at the same time ignoring lost people. Lost people REALLY do matter to God!
Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories in a row about something or someone that was lost...it's the only time that He spoke about a subject anywhere in the Scriptures three times in a row, He was obviously making a point...that LOST PEOPLE really do matter to God!
The Father's House (the church) should be the safest place for a rebellious person to come home to!
The church does an incredible job of asking sinners to repent of sin...but we often neglect to ask religious people to repent of their religion. (Ripped that off from Mark Driscoll!)
Self righteousness is more ungodly than unrighteousness!!!
A church that is fully alive is a church that is more obsessed with who they are reaching than who they are keeping!
I LOVE MY CHURCH!
AND...if you didn't read THIS POST I POSTED YESTERDAY about some reminders for our church I would encourage you to check it out ASAP!

#2 - I'm asking everyone in our church to take about 30 seconds or so and read I Timothy 2:3-6...and, as you read it if the Lord puts someone on your heart then do WHATEVER it takes to BRING them to a Christmas service (here is the website with the service times for every campus!) I can promise you that this will be the most black and white Christmas service we've ever had at NewSpring Church!

#3 - PLEASE continue to pray for Lucretia...she is getting better; however, it is very slow progress and some things that we've seen in researching what she has is that it could take up to a month for her to have a full recovery.

#4 - On Sunday, December 30 we will be having our annual "Year In Review Sunday" and we're ALL pretty excited about it. Many people have told us that it is literally their favorite Sunday of the year as we take time to CELEBRATE what God has done in 2012 and ANTICIPATE what He is going to do in 2013. AND...it's going to be done a little differently this year than in years past!!!

#5 - On Sunday, January 6 we are going to talk about, "How To Have The Best Year Of Your Life!" I honestly believe that 2013 could/should be our best year EVER (as individuals and as a church!) Make plans to be with us on this day as we dive into how!!!

That's it for today...once again, make plans to be with us for a Christmas service...I LOVE MY CHURCH!

Five Important Reminders For Everyone At NewSpring

2012-12-17T11:21:04+00:00

#1 - Found People Find People - (check out John 1:35-51 & Luke 19:10)

#2 - Every Number Has A Name, Every Name Has A Story And Every Story Matters To God

#3 - Soooooo Many People Are Just One More Invitation Away From Coming To Church And Meeting Jesus.

#4 - God Was Patient (II Peter 3:9) And Kind (Romans 2:4) When Pursuing Us, May Our Attitudes Be The Same Towards Others.

#5 - In The Bible God Rewarded The Effort Of People Who Did Whatever It Took To Bring People To Jesus (Mark 2:1-12)...And He Still Does The Same Thing Today (Hebrews 13:8!)

Let's do this NewSpring Church...Christmas services begin THURSDAY NIGHT (here are the times)...I AM PUMPED!!!

The Post I Want Every Church Leader To Read

2012-12-13T11:04:44+00:00

If Hebrews 11:1 & Hebrews 11:6 are true then we are going to be constantly called by God to take steps of faith (in other words, there will NEVER be a time to put the church on cruise control!)

There isn't an example in Scripture of God asking someone to do something easy or that made sense.

With that in mind all of us have 2012 just about in our rear view mirror...and 2013 is quickly becoming a reality.

So...what steps of faith will you and your church take in 2013? What dreams will you dream? What prayers will you pray? And what vision will you cast that produces so much passion in people that your church becomes fully alive because it rallies around a cause that matters?

God has NEVER called the church to play defense...the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive, we are on the winning team, Jesus has promised to build His church and has raised you up "for such a time as this" to open up the offense and run up the score.

So, church leaders...let's spend some time in APPRECIATION for 2012...but also in ANTICIPATION for 2013!!!

There is NOTHING but OPPORTUNITY in front of us, the world has never been more desperate for what Jesus has to offer...and we are God's church, so...let's DO THIS!!!

10 Things Leaders Need To Know About Effectively Leading People

2012-12-12T11:01:59+00:00

#1 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not love.

#2 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not listen to.

#3 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not always assume the best about.

#4 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he secretly hopes that they fear him.

#5 - A leader cannot effectively lead people that he does not take the time to explain things to.

#6 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he assumes that he is the smartest person in the room.

#7 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when his goal is to use people rather than help them.

#8 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he secretly wishes he wasn't a part of the organization he is leading!

#9 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he is not dedicated to increasing his own capacity.

#10 - A leader cannot effectively lead people when he isn't willing to be honest about his own limitations and struggles.

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-12-11T11:31:11+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I would LOVE to share with you today...

#1 - This Sunday was special...seeing (and hearing about) hundreds of people standing to their feet at the end of every message at every campus and saying, "I have sinned, make me into who You want me to be" WAS SO AWESOME!!! I am so thankful that our church is a place where the rebellious can come home...and when they do we respond with compassion and celebration rather than condemnation! (The message recap in 10 tweets is right here if you want to check it out.)

#2 - I'm celebrating like crazy what the Lord is doing in our church right now...this past Sunday we had over 20,000 people (in December) attend a NewSpring service somewhere in the state of SC (and an additional 4,333 people joined us online from literally all over the world.) AND...every single number has a name...and every name has a story...and every story matters to God!!!

#3 - This coming Sunday (December 16) we will talk about the third thing that has to happen for a person/church to be FULLY ALIVE...and it is quite honestly THE message in the series that I am personally the most excited about!!! Cannot WAIT!!!

#4 - Here is the website with our Christmas service times (listed by campus!) One of the things I LOVE about our church is that we have ALWAYS taken the challenge to do whatever it takes to get people to a Christmas service...and I know that this year will be NO exception!! When you get a chance check out Mark 2:1-12, these guys didn't invite their friend...they BROUGHT him, and Jesus totally honored their effort!! With that in mind...go ahead and begin (or continue) praying about WHO Jesus wants you to bring, and when you feel Him place a name on your heart GO FOR IT, knowing that HE has gone before you!!

(Here is a post from the past on WHY EVANGELISM MATTERS SO MUCH TO ME!)

#5 - A huge thank you to everyone who has been praying for Lucretia (my wife.) At this point she is still really sick, this case of vertigo has hit her hard. Honestly, I've never seen her this sick since we've known each other. I talked about it in this post last week...but December always seems to be the time the enemy comes the hardest after me and my family. However, I know that we are fighting from & not fighting for victory! I know that greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world (I John 4:4.) I know that no weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17!) And I know that Jesus is with us, will never leave us and will bring us through this!! I am so thankful for my church family and the unbelievable amount of prayers and encouragement we have received during this time!

That's it for today...I LOVE MY CHURCH, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-12-04T11:27:33+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share with you today...

#1 - CELEBRATE with me NewSpring that this past Sunday we launched our Greenwood campus...and had 1,526 people in attendance!!! (And every single one of those people have a name, and every name has a story...and every story matters to God!)

#2 - CELEBRATE with me that we had 20,682 people attend a service somewhere in the state at one of our eight locations (and that doesn't even include our online attendance!) Just to put it in perspective...that's over a 60% increase in regards to where we were on this same Sunday last year!!! AND...also keep in mind that we are one fifth of the way towards reaching 100,000!!!

#3 - CELEBRATE with me that NewSpring Church is a place where we will not be obsessed with the behavior of those who do not know Christ but rather their hearts...and that we will walk towards the mess and do all that we can to reach/impact them with the Gospel!!! (Seriously...I can't say it enough, Sunday was one of the top five best services we've EVER had here in the history of our church...and, if you want to check out the message in 10 tweets or less you can do so right here!)

#4 - CELEBRATE that we got to see three testimonies of people who someone invited to church, they received Christ and were baptized on stage during the service!!! I cried all three times...seeing that happen NEVER GETS OLD!!!

#5 - CELEBRATE with me that we have 44 Christmas services across eight different locations all across the state (the service times for every campus are listed right here!)

#6 - CELEBRATE with me that THIS COMING SUNDAY is going to be amazing as we gather together to CELEBRATE COMMUNION!!! (It's a GREAT service to invite someone too...we always see people meet Christ when we do communion!!!)

#7 - CELEBRATE with me that a couple of years ago I stood in front of the church and asked someone to give two million dollars so we could open a campus in Greenwood...and SOMEONE DID!!! Because of radical generosity we were able to not just DREAM about something but actually do it!! Our Christmas offering this year is going to pave the way for us to be able to do some incredible things...which include giving shoes away to 9 different schools in our state to kids who would NOT get a new pair of shoes this year if it were not for our church stepping up and being the church. It will also allow us to partner with churches both here in the US and overseas and pour into them financially so they can do what they need to do. And the Christmas offering will also help us get things ready to begin to move some of our portable campuses into permanent facilities as well as begin one or two more!!

You can give without loving...but you can't love without giving!! With that in mind...I would ask that you take some time to check out this website having to do with our Christmas offering and ask the Lord what He might have you do in regards to this effort.

I AM ABSOLUTELY PUMPED about what is happening in/around/through our church right now!! I LOVE MY CHURCH...THE BEST IS YET TO COME...see you on SUNDAY!

A Special Prayer Request

2012-12-03T13:44:16+00:00

Dear NewSpring family...I'm writing this article on this site to ask you for your prayers over this next month or so. Let me set it up like this...

Last night I walked off of the stage after one of THE BEST DAYS in the history of our church (more on that tomorrow!) I sat down in my car, checked my phone and had a text message from Lucretia (my wife) that said the following...

"FYI, Charisse is feeling tired & sick. So far so good but watching her. She just wants to lay on the couch with a blanket and rest."

When I walked in Charisse was laying down on the coach, her little cheeks were red and there was a bucket next to her in case she started throwing up.

I've got to be honest...I was mad, really mad...upset!!! Let me explain...

Every single December for the past four years (without exception) something in regards to us being extremely physically sick happens at the Noble house. Just to list some example...three years ago I had my very first panic attack in December (which I would not wish upon anyone), the next year Lucretia had strep throat...and just when we thought she was getting over it we discovered she had mono, which took her around six months to fully recover from. (Charisse also had a really bad case of strep as well...keeping in mind that all of this was in December.) THEN...last December Charisse had a REALLY bad stomach virus, then I got it, then Lucretia got it and then Charisse got it again!!!

Please understand...I am not the guy who believes that EVERYTHING bad that happens is the devil and/or his demons. (For example...your car probably did not stop running because a demon got it the engine but rather because you never changed the oil!) However, I really do believe that the enemy has launched an all out assault on my family over the past several years, specifically in December.

Why? It's simple...it's our Christmas services!!! This is THE time of year when people are most likely to visit a church. And...since 2002 we've always gone all out to do all that we can to present the Gospel in a clear & relevant way and encouraged everyone in our church to bring as many people as possible to a service. We've always seen record crowds and literally thousands of people have given their lives to Christ during those services.

And I believe our upcoming Christmas services are going to be NO EXCEPTION! We are expecting/anticipating the largest crowd we've EVER had at NewSpring Church (there are a total of 44 services all across the state being offered!) AND...once again, we're going all out to present the Gospel (in a way that is really unique and we've never done before!!)

And I believe the enemy is po'd!!!

As a result I really do believe that he (once again) will try to come after me and my family physically...and I can't help but feeling he fired his first shot last night.

Please understand that I'm not scared...God's Word says in Isaiah 54:17 that no weapon formed against us will prevail, Romans 8:31 says if God is for us then who can be against us...and I John 4:4 says the One who is in us is GREATER than the one who is in the world!

But I also understand the power of prayer...that when a church commits to praying together around a common purpose that unbelievable and undeniable things happen! And so, as your pastor I'm asking for your prayers for myself, Lucretia and Charisse during this month, that we would be focused on the Lord and protected from anything that the enemy wants to throw at us. Every single person knows how distracting it can be when you, your spouse and/or your child is sick. I really want us to walk into this Christmas season with a laser like focus...because I believe this will be our best Christmas EVER!!!

I would also ask you to please pray for our staff as well...our musicians, our campus pastors, Fuse staff, KidSpring staff...that we can all remain healthy and focused!! We're all PUMPED...and want to be healthy! :-)

Thanks so much for taking the time to read through this...I love you guys, I love my church...the best is yet to come!!!

11 Books I Would Recommend For Christmas Gifts

2012-11-28T11:32:28+00:00

For those looking for Christmas gift ideas...here are a few books that I've read this year that I have LOVED!!! (In no particular order)

#1 - I personally think one of the best books you can get for someone this Christmas is UNLEASH (right here!) OR...you can purchase one at your campus on any Sunday! :-)

#2 - Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley is a MUST READ for ANY & EVERY church leader!! Trust me, you won't want to put it down!

#3 - The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni is one of the most BRILLIANT things he has ever written. a MUST READ for anyone in leadership!

#4 - Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - This book should come with a warning label that says "highly addictive!!!" It is the story of Louie Zamperini and how he survived an airplane crash in WWII. I cannot begin to tell you how unbelievably awesome this book is...and there is a "twist" at the end that I didn't see coming but blew me away!!

#5 - Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne is a book that should be read by every person in America that is in a church...seriously!

#6 - Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris - one of THE BEST BOOKS on theology I have ever read...because I actually understood it (and if I can then you can too!) :-)

#7 - Love Does by Bob Goff - You have GOT to get this book, I just finished reading it last week and my mind is on fire in regards to the fact that love is not passive, it's active!! You will laugh, you will cry and you will definitely be motivated to live for someone or something greater than yourself!

#8 - Real Marriage by Mark Driscoll - hands down one of the BEST books on marriage I've ever read!!

#9 - Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning - I had heard about this book for years but had not ever taken the time to read it...and now I am SO GLAD I DID!! If there is one thing I need to come to a better understanding of in my life it is GRACE...and this book does the best job of explaining the concept of grace than any book I've EVER read on the subject.

#10 - Greater by Steven Furtick - anything that he writes will challenge AND inspire you!!!

#11 - The Hunger Games - this trilogy is a VERY easy read (read them all in four days!)

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-11-27T11:05:06+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share with you today...

#1 - Cookie Cawthon did an AMAZING job this past Sunday by bringing an unbelievably challenging message in the final week of our Eve & Adam series. As I said when I introduced her...the guys are going to REALLY like the message but the women are going to LOVE IT! It was one of the BEST series we've ever done here at NewSpring Church!

#2 - Here is the message in 10 tweets if you want a summary/recap!

#3 - THIS SUNDAY we open our eighth campus in GREENWOOD with two services, one at 9:15 & the other at 11:15!!! I'm more excited than a worship leader who discovered a sale on skinny jeans! If you know someone in/near Greenwood who dos not go to church then GET THEM to our Greenwood campus this Sunday, it's going to be ELECTRIC!!! (And you can connect with our Greenwood location on Facebook right here!)

#4 - THIS SUNDAY we begin our FULLY ALIVE series! I've noticed an increasing fascination with zombies over the past year or so...there are TV shows/movies about them and such; however, I've seen zombies for over 20 years--THEY COME TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY!! AND...if we will be honest, many times we feel zombie-like when it comes to our walk with God. So...how do we get past that and embrace the fact that as individuals AND as a church God has called us to be FULLY ALIVE? We DIVE into that THIS SUNDAY!!!

#5 - GO RIGHT HERE and check out our service times for our Christmas services...and then go ahead and begin to PRAY about who God would want you to invite. AND...when the Lord places a person (or people) on your heart then GO FOR IT!! (Remember...it's not satan leading you to invite someone to church and/or share the gospel!) Take a second to read James 5:19-20! That passage of Scripture hit me hard this past week and I wrote in my journal, "Lord, please allow us to be the church that refuses to give up on people!" I am reminded that His patience and kindness along with His persistent pursuit of me (through circumstances AND people) eventually won my heart...may we do the same for others who God has intentionally placed in our lives!!! (Remember, EVERY relationship we have in our lives is intentional, not accidental!)

#6 - I'm REALLY, REALLY, REALLY excited about the release of our band's Christmas CD this coming Sunday!!!

#7 - AND...I'm REALLY, REALLY, REALLY excited about our upcoming Christmas offering!!! Check out the details here!

That's it for this week...I LOVE MY CHURCH!

Some VERY Important Info About Unleash

2012-11-26T16:52:02+00:00

As far as Unleash goes I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The bad news first…we’re not going to do our annual “Unleash” conference this March. It’s bittersweet really…we began this event back in 2007 and had around 800 or so people attend (we were originally planning for 100!) The next year the conference completely sold out and has done so every year since. (You can visit our Unleash site and see past conference videos and notes right here!)

The original idea behind the conference was to provide a one-day conference for church leaders that was low cost and packed with information in an exciting environment. We’ve literally had church leaders travel from all over the world to be with us…and the popularity of the conference has blown us away.

So why are we changing it?

Great question!

The first reason (and most important) is that we really do feel the Lord wants us to continue to serve churches and church leaders…but the way that He has led us to do so is a little different than the approach we’ve taken over the past few years.

Our Unleash Conference has had the same format every year…a main session followed by a break out session before lunch, then a breakout session after lunch and then we conclude with a main session.

People are inspired by the main sessions; however, we’ve seen over and over again that people are extremely interested in the breakouts because those are what seem to be answering the questions that people really are asking!

So, with that in mind we are taking the most popular breakouts and the most common questions and doing several smaller conferences throughout the year in 2013 to better serve the church while we really focus on/answer the questions church leaders are asking.

Some of the conferences we have coming up next year are…

Unleash Your Leadership – I blogged about this here…but basically this is a two and a half day leadership intensive that is limited to between 50-60 people that the main focus in becoming a healthy leader personally and then creating a healthy church culture. Spots are filling up FAST…so you had better get registered if you want to attend. (Dates = February 18-20, 2013)

Unleash Your Volunteers – Thursday, May 23 – Registration for this will be open soon, but basically this will be a one day conference in the style we have done Unleash in the past…but the emphasis will be on volunteers. We will answer questions such as…why volunteer? Why do volunteers quit? How do we train & equip volunteers? And…a few other things as well. TRUST ME…you do not want to miss this event…AND BRING VOLUNTEERS!!!

Unleash Your Church – Once again, stay tuned for details…but this will be a half day conference that will completely take place ONLINE and will focus on THE ONE THING that will Unleash your church in your community unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Unleash Your Youth And Children’s Ministry – Fall of 2013!!

AND finally…about our NLC conference!! I honestly think it’s the best one day leadership conference in the country! We’ve had it for three years in a row and have seen tremendous success! However, we’ve decided to move the conference to the Spring…and so we will skip 2013 and begin having it in March of 2014.

That’s about it as far as the changes. One more thought for leaders though…one of the things we’ve always tried to do here at NewSpring Church is not WAIT until we need to make a change…but rather to see what changes need to be made and then go ahead and embrace the uncomfortable in making those changes. (Most churches/organizations wait until it’s too late!)

Like I said…we believe this change will enable us to serve the Church and church leaders more effectively! So…watch this site for updates and details!!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-11-20T11:12:17+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, EIGHT things I want to share with you today...

#1 - In my opinion Clayton King preached THE BEST message I've EVER heard him preach this past Sunday at NewSpring (and we've been friends for over 20 years!) If you (or someone you know) is the victim of sexual abuse and you missed the message on Sunday then you have GOT TO WATCH it online or download the podcast on Itunes sometime after 12:00 today. I can honestly say as someone who experienced being sexually abused as a child that it was THE most powerful and liberating message I've EVER heard on the subject...and I believe the fruit from this message will be seen in our church for decades as both women and men stepped out of the shadows and shamefulness and came forward to ask for help!! I thank JESUS that we have a church that will deal with the tough issues that people are facing...even when it means embracing the uncomfortable!!! I LOVE MY CHURCH!

#2 - Here is the sermon recap in 10 tweets.

#3 - You have got to watch THIS VIDEO that we played at the end of Clayton's message about Charie, a lady who was sexually abused as a child but now lives in the freedom that only Christ can provide. What makes this video incredibly powerful is that Charie is Clayton's wife!!! WOW, just wow!!

#4 - We wrap up the Eve & Adam series THIS SUNDAY...trust me, we've got something REALLY special for this last service, believe it's going to be the BEST ONE YET (especially if you are a lady!) BRING SOMEBODY!

#5 - On Sunday, December 2nd we are going to dive into a brand new series entitled "Fully Alive" as we deal with why so many people (and churches) seem to be merely existing but not living!!! Jesus did not promise us a boring, predictable and stale life (or church) but rather one that is FULL and COMPLETE!! If you (or someone you know) are not experiencing this then this series will answer why...and show you what you can do to step into what Jesus has promised. I believe that you (and our church) will never be the same as a result of this series!!!

#6 - AND...on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2nd we launch our 8th campus in Greenwood!!! 9:15 & 11:15!!! (Here is our G'Wood Campus on Facebook!!!)

#7 - Insanity = NOT BRINGING SOMEONE TO OUR CHRISTMAS SERVICES THIS YEAR!!! (Here are service dates and times by campus) Like I've said so often, statistics show that people are more willing to "try church out" at Christmas more so than just about any other time of the year. Don't assume that someone won't come...invite them, even if you've invited them before. AND...it's not to early to let them know to get it on their schedule.

#8 - AND...I adamantly deny that I am a "Scrooge" because I have a "no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving lunch" rule! Folks, seriously...don't 'dis the Pilgrims!!! We gloss right over them!! It needs to stop!!! Everyone knows how important Thanksgiving is...and we need to celebrate it by eating and then watching the Detroit Lions lose in football...THEN it's time to celebrate Christmas! :-)

That's it for today...I LOVE MY CHURCH!

10 Things I Want For EVERYONE At NewSpring Church

2012-11-16T11:51:59+00:00

At the end of 2010 I began to pray/think through what I really wanted for everyone who came to NewSpring Church and called it their church home. As a church leader I feel like I should have a general idea of the direction I feel the Lord wants me to lead people in...and after a lot of time praying through and discussing these things here is the list that we came up with.

#1 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to understand salvation in a Biblical context, knowing that they have been made right with God through Jesus Christ.

#2 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to truly learn how to find their identity in Christ.

#3 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to have a right relationship with others.

#4 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to love God’s Church and be fully bought in to her potential.

#5 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to know about and discover their spiritual gift and use it to impact God's Kingdom.

#6 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to know how to lead someone to Christ and feel the calling/responsibility to do so.

#7 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to learn how to recognize and follow the voice of God by reading the Bible on a daily basis.

#8 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to have godly dating relationships, godly marriages and strive to raise children who have a heart for Jesus.

#9 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to steward their money in a Biblical way, putting God first, living within their means and embracing generosity as a core value in their life!

#10 - I want every owner of NewSpring Church to feel the freedom to admit their weaknesses and confess AND repent of sin without feeling judged and condemned.

HERE is our "10 Things" website that has teachings on each one!!!

Can't WAIT FOR THIS SUNDAY!!!

I LOVE MY CHURCH!

Christmas Video Contest

2012-11-14T20:59:43+00:00

Want to make an extra $500 for Christmas shopping?

We are having a contest to see who can make THE BEST Christmas promotional video. AND this contest is open to ANYONE... you do not have to attend NewSpring Church.

Here’s the deal…

- Make a one minute video telling people why they should come to the NewSpring Christmas services.

- Upload it to our website.

- Find out on November 25th who won $500.

All the details plus resources to help make your video are right here. Hurry because submissions are due by November 18th.

My Daughter Wants To Meet Taylor Swift! :-)

2012-11-13T14:00:27+00:00

So, my five year old daughter is CrAzY about Taylor Swift (I think she knows all of her songs.)

This past Sunday she was with me on stage and I was asking her questions and this happened. :-) (Pretty sure this is what she wants for Christmas.)

So, was wondering if the blog community might help me get the word out to Taylor via twitter by tweeting, retweeting this. (Here she is on twitter...just in case you did not know!) Pretty sure it probably won't happen as she has over 20 million followers...but hey, we do not have because we do not ask, right? (Just trying to be a great dad!)

NewSpring Church on Vimeo.

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-11-13T11:27:49+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I would love to share with you today...

#1 - I honestly believe that we will see fruit from this past Sunday for a LONG time as we dealt with "Five Questions Every Single Girl Should Be Asking." AND...I also believe every single guy who was in attendance walked away with a challenge and an encouragement to "work for her before you meet her!" Charisse had an absolute blast appearing on stage and is already asking me when she can do it again (watch out Joyce Meyer & Beth Moore!) :-) For those who were not able to attend the five questions were...

Am I Who He Is Looking For?
Am I Desperate?
Why Am I Attracted To Him?
Are There Issues With Him That I Am Avoiding? (Remember, they don't "go away" when you get married...they get magnified!)
Is He God's Best? (Do NOT Settle For Crumbs!!!)
AND...in case you missed it yesterday HERE IS THE QUESTION that Lucretia came up with that should be asked in regards to "Is This God's Best?"

#2 - Here is the message in 10 tweets if you want to check it out!

#3 - Trust me when I say that I honestly believe that THIS SUNDAY will be one of the top five most impacting weekends we've EVER had in the history of our church. If you are a woman and have carried the weight of sexual abuse with you and chosen to remain silent about it then you do NOT want to miss this weekend as you discover how you can literally break FREE from something that you have maybe fought all of your life and just can't seem to get past!!! AND...if you know someone who has dealt with this then THIS is the weekend to get them to church!!! Statistics say that 1 out of 3 women are sexually abused at some point...and 1 out of 6 boys are as well. AND...I know firsthand the guilt, anger hurt and confusion that comes from this as I was sexually abused as a young man. I can tell you that there IS healing...there is HOPE...and what happened to you does not have to DEFEAT and DEFINE you for the rest of your life!!! There IS victory!!

#4 - I love teaching on healthy, biblical relationships. In fact, one of the ten things I want for everyone who comes to NewSpring Church is, "I want every owner of NewSpring Church to have godly dating relationships, godly marriages and strive to raise godly children who have a heart for Jesus." You can check out the 10 Things I want for everyone who comes to NewSpring right here.

#5 - GREENWOOD CAMPUS IS LAUNCHING ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 with two services, 9:15 & 11:15!!! (More info here!) We had a "vision night" last week where Matt Alley (our Greenwood campus pastor) shared his story and what he believes the Lord wants to do in Greenwood...and over 400 people attended and FIVE PEOPLE GAVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST!!! If this was the VISION NIGHT I can't wait to see what happens the first Sunday we have church there!!!

#6 - CHRISTMAS SERVICES are going to be AWESOME this year...and, statistically people are more likely to visit a church at Christmas & Easter than any other time of the year!!! With that in mind here is a link to our Christmas service times for every campus...there are 44 services across eight campuses...which means 44 opportunities to reach out to someone who NEEDS a relationship with Christ and do whatever it takes to get them here!

#7 - Our next series, "Fully Alive" begins on Sunday, December 2nd...it's going to be a party unlike anything you've EVER seen in church!!! And...I believe it will be OUR BEST SERIES EVER!!!

That's it for this week...I LOVE MY CHURCH!

One of THE BEST questions that can be asked BEFORE you get married

2012-11-12T19:51:13+00:00

For those who were at NewSpring yesterday and wanted a copy of the question that Lucretia came up with in regards to what to ask before you get married here it is...

"Is this the kind of love God meant when He created Adam & Eve, the kind between two people that truly reflects His love for us (the I Corinthians 13 kind,) or are you settling for less than God’s immeasurably more than anything you can ask or imagine?"

AND...if you were not at NewSpring yesterday you can catch the message tomorrow (Tuesday) anytime after 12:00 at our website or on Itunes.

Taking Your Leadership To The Next Level

2012-11-12T11:57:10+00:00

Are you a church leader who wants to take your leadership to the next level? If so...then you need to come to a leadership intensive I will be hosting at NewSpring Church on February 18-20, 2013. (Here is the website where you can register.)

At this leadership intensive we will be diving into subjects such as...

How To Avoid Ministry Burnout (it is IMPOSSIBLE for a church to be healthy if the leader is unhealthy! We literally take half a day and dive into what are the top causes of ministry burnout and what are the solutions!)
The Fact That Every Church (Or Ministry) Is Around Three Or Four Changes Away From Doubling In Size (and what holds them back from implementing them!)
The Three Assumptions That No Church Or Church Leader Should Ever Make (but often do!)
How To Lead And Influence When You Are Not Technically "The Leader."
How To Overcome Financial Barriers In Your Church.
Sunday Sermon & Service Preparation.
A question & answer time period at the end of every session

Like I said earlier, here is the website where you can check out more information and register...but, for those who want to know a bit more right now and/or read the back story on why we are doing this here we go...

Several years ago I began a coaching network for senior pastors that met for around four months in a row here at NewSpring Church where we would meet for an entire day for leadership coaching. It was always an awesome time; however, there were a couple of problems with this approach...

#1 - The network was for senior pastors only...and while I have a huge heart for these guys we began getting more and more requests from staff members from churches and organizations who wanted to participate in this type of event.

#2 - The time commitment was pretty intense. Being that we met for around four months in a row that meant (for those who were flying in from all over the US) four airplane tickets, four nights in a hotel, four times at a rental car desk...and four (or more days) away from family and church.

So, about a year and a half ago we switched it up and made it a two and a half day "leadership intensive" and opened it up to everyone...not just senior pastors, we limited it to between 50-60 people and priced the event at $850...and were BLOWN AWAY at the response (we have had a waiting list of at least 35 people each time!)

AND...so...we're doing it again & here are a few of the details...

It will begin on Monday, February 18 with a dinner and a time of introduction.
Beginning on Tuesday morning we will serve breakfast around 8:30 and then DIVE INTO some intense leadership teaching and discussions until around 4 or 5.
Tuesday evening each person who attends will have the option to attend our FUSE worship service. (Fuse is our INCREDIBLE student ministry!)
Wednesday morning will begin with breakfast around 8:30 and then, again, dive into intense leadership teaching and discussions until around 4:00.

A few other facts that you may want to know...

The event is limited to between 50-60 people (we have already sold 12 seats...and are expecting them to FILL UP FAST!)
There is NOT an application for admission this time around...the first to register and pay are the ones who get in.
The cost of the event is $850 which includes dinner on Monday evening, breakfast & lunch on Tuesday & Wednesday and snacks. Transportation, other meals and lodging will be your responsibility.
It will most likely stretch you like NEVER before!

Like I said earlier, there are limited seats and once they're gone...they're gone!!! I hope you will consider this event...it WILL impact your leadership...which WILL impact your church! (One more time, right here is where you can register.)

Nine Signs You May Be Addicted To Social Media

2012-11-08T11:47:13+00:00

Some are funny...some are serious...

#1 - You introduce yourself as your twitter name rather than your real name ("hey, I'm @rockandrollboy247!")

#2 - You speak in sentences that have 140 characters or less.

#3 - Your biggest desire in life is to get retweeted or @ replied to by someone who you perceive to be important!

#4 - You know more about the people you say you love the most because of what you read on social media rather than because you have actually had real, live conversations with them.

#5 - You are at a table with friends and EVERYONE is engaged with their smartphones rather than actually talking to and enjoying time with one another. (If you have not read the confessional post I did entitled "Breaking An Online Addiction" then I would invite you to do it...I think it will seriously help some people that MAY be struggling with this!)

#6 - You cannot go for more than five minutes without checking twitter/facebook to see what is being said to or about you.

#7 - When you get an alert on your phone it controls/consumes you and you feel like you must automatically respond (even if it means stopping something extremely important) or all will not be right in the world.

#8 - Your spouse and your children are merely background noise and are somewhat annoying when they disrupt what you are trying to do online. (If you have not seen the video I did about this last week then you can check it out here.)

#9 - You text/tweet people who are in the room with you in order to communicate with them!!!

Seven Things I Wish I Could Say To Every Single Male

2012-11-07T11:10:46+00:00

Last week the post I did entitled "11 Things I Wish I Could Say To Every Single Female" caught a lot of traction...this week I want to take some time to challenge the men and cover seven things I wish I could say to them.

#1 - If you are going to be like Jesus in the life of a woman then you will bring more order and peace to her life rather than confusion and chaos. The best way you can do this is to have your own life in order!!! (And...PLEASE...if you didn't read this post by Lee McDerment about what he learned when he was single and how the Lord prepared him to be a husband one day then DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!)

#2 - Jesus was always seeking to elevate and value women, not pursue them for His own selfish gain and then throw them away when He was done with them. Pursuing a woman isn't seeing what you can get from her but rather how you can esteem and value her in every circumstance.

#3 - Purity isn't natural...our minds (if left unguarded) will always lead us towards doing things that we know we should not do. With that in mind purity in a relationship MUST be fought for...and you MUST lead that fight. You should NEVER see how far you can take things and then depend on her to tell you to stop when she is uncomfortable! You've GOT to be the one to lead the way in this!

#4 - One of the BEST things you can do as you prepare to pursue a wife is begin asking Jesus to allow you to see women through His eyes!

#5 - PLEASE do not EVER pull the "God told me we were going to get married" card on her!!! ESPECIALLY if she is trying to break up with you!!! When you do this she does not think you are spiritual...she thinks you're weird and she will begin avoiding your calls!!!

#6 - A guy who does not have to pay for a date with money his mother gave him is WAY more attractive than the guy that does!!!

#7 - Watch the way you speak TO & ABOUT women right now!!! If you constantly degrade them and/or raise your voice to them when you don't seem to be getting your way then something is broken inside of you that you really need to deal with. Being harsh with a woman has serious consequences (see I Peter 3:7!)

AND...just for fun, if you looking for some "great" pickup lines...here are 10 of them that you can try out!!!

AND...don't miss THIS SUNDAY as we will be diving into five questions EVERY single girl should be asking!!!!!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-11-06T11:06:38+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I would LOVE to share today...

#1 - ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOUR PEOPLE RECEIVED CHRIST ON SUNDAY!!! WOW! I'm PUMPED!!! That NEVER GETS OLD!!! (We also had our largest attendance in this series so far, and Spartanburg campus actually set a new attendance record with nearly 1,800 people!)

#2 - If you missed the message or want a recap...here it is in 10 tweets!!! And...some additional thoughts I would add are...

When Jesus confronts us He does not do so because He hates WHO we are...but rather because He hates WHERE we are!
The reason Jesus is calling you out of your current story is because He wants something GREATER for your life!

#3 - AND...if you want to see Trish's video from Sunday then here is the link (one of THE MOST powerful stories I've ever seen!)

#4 - If you missed the announcement (and video) in regards to how we are partnering with a church in the NYC area to assist with the hurricane relief efforts then you can go here to find out more info AND to donate and make a difference!

#5 - THIS COMING SUNDAY we are going to be diving into "Five Questions Every Single Girl Should Be Asking!" You should make it a priority to be here if...

You are a single female!
You are a single male (because some of these are the questions they will be asking about YOU!)
You are married (because these questions will help you to be a better spouse!)
You are breathing and/or have a pulse! :-)

#6 - ONCE AGAIN...if you have not checked out our Eve & Adam resource page then you are missing out!!! On it you can watch messages from the series, read articles...and there is even a 30 day devotional written for those who want to read the Bible but do not know where to begin, or maybe are just looking for something new and fresh to do in their quiet times! (Here is the link!)

#7 - 2012 has been an incredible year for NewSpring Church...but...2013 is going to be THE BEST YEAR in our history!!! I always want us to be a church that celebrates the past, but we never need to live there!!! Our dreams for the future should always exceed the memories of the past!!! Hold on to your fork NewSpring, the best is yet to come!!

Hurricane Sandy Relief

2012-11-05T14:46:38+00:00

Hurricane Sandy update - Hillsong NYC from NewSpring Church on Vimeo.

Howdy NewSpring Church, yesterday I shared with everyone about what we're going to do in regards to our effort to reach out to the millions of people that have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Anytime a natural disaster strikes one of the first places we have always sought to partner with is a local church...because when the relief organizations pack up and leave the local church will STILL be there acting as the hands and feet of Jesus.

The church we have the privilege of partnering with in this relief effort is Hillsong Church in New York City. Their pastor, Carl Lentz made the video above that I hope you will take a few minutes to view.

I'm proud of the way our church responded yesterday... I simply announced that we were taking an offering for relief and over $15,000 was given; however, I know that many people could not give because you didn't come to church prepared to do so.

BUT...you can give now!!! I would encourage EVERYONE reading this post to go to Hillsong New York's website. You can click on the "Give To Hurricane Relief" button on the right side of the page or go right here and give what you can to make a difference!!! (AND please don't think that your gift won't make an impact...any gift of any size will be used to reach out to people who are desperate!)

Some may ask, "why are we not sending supplies such as water, blankets, etc" and I believe that is an excellent question. First of all...lots of supplies have been sent into the hurting areas...and more are on the way. However, every time I've ever called pastors and asked them what they need the most in regards to what will help them be most effective in their efforts to reach out I'm always told that any money that can be sent is always most helpful because they are actually on the ground and can see the needs that need to be met instead of purely speculating.

I'm asking EVERYONE at NewSpring Church to step up and do what you can to financially bless Hillsong NYC so that they can help people who are hurting!!!

Six Warning Signs We Are Becoming Accidental Pharisees

2012-11-05T11:01:23+00:00

Larry Osborn has become a great friend over the past few years and he recently wrote this blog post for the Resurgence...after reading it I asked for his permission to repost it on this site and he graciously has allowed me to do so. Reading this will be time well spent...I promise!!!

The Pharisees’ sad transition from God’s most zealous defenders to Jesus’s archenemies is important for every Christian to understand. As long as our only image of a Pharisee is that of a spiritual loser and perennial enemy of Jesus, we’ll never recognize the clear and present danger in our own life.

I’ve found that becoming a modern-day, accidental Pharisee is a lot like eating at Denny’s. No one wants to go there. We just end up there.

The journey usually starts out innocently enough. It begins with a desire to be at the front of the “following Jesus” line. We step out in faith, make some big changes, clean up areas of sin and compromise, and begin to pursue new spiritual disciplines.

So far, so good. But as we press forward, it’s hard not to notice those who lag behind. And it’s at this point that we have an important decision to make: will we keep our eyes glued on Jesus or will we turn our focus onto those who lag behind?

DON’T LOOK DOWN!

I remember once meeting with a group of men who were passionate about their walk with God. Somehow our conversation turned toward those in the church who were not so passionate. Next thing I knew, they were ripping on the way everyone else raised their children, spent their money, read their Bible, and set their priorities.

Now these were quality men. They were doing far better than most raising their kids, spending their money, reading their Bible, and setting priorities. The problem wasn’t that they noticed the difference. The problem was what they did with the information. They used it to justify looking down on everyone else.

HE HATES HAUGHTY EYES

When I called them on it, they were mildly remorseful, sort of like they’d been busted for a speeding ticket. But it was clear to me that no one felt particularly convicted or determined not go there again. So I decided to take them on a little journey through Scripture to see God’s perspective on the conversation we’d just had.

We started with Satan’s prideful fall and moved on from there. But the shocker for most of them was a list of things God hates. It’s found in Proverbs 6:16–19. Right at the top of his I-hate-it-when-you-do-that list is “haughty eyes,” the disgusted and disdainful look of arrogance that parallels the harsh conversation we’d just had.

There are lots of things that can anger God. Few would guess that looking down on others would be at the top of the list. Yet it is.

Now that got their attention!

But it’s true. Their dismissive and judgmental take on others wasn’t minor chitchat—it was major sin. Top-of-the-list sin.

I wrote Accidental Pharisees because I’ve become increasingly concerned that many in our tribe are making the same mistake. We strive to be at the front of the following-Jesus line. Yet the closer we get to the front, the more we’re tempted to compare ourselves with those in the back.

So here’s a brief list of six of the most telling indicators that we may have inadvertently started down the road of an Accidental Pharisee, looking down on others and trusting in our own righteousness.

1. DISDAIN FOR THOSE AT THE BACK OF THE LINE

Instead of a Jesus-like compassion for those who can’t keep up, we view them with a deepening sense of frustration, cynicism, and a cocky arrogance.

2. A SPIRIT OF EXCLUSIVITY

When thinning the herd becomes more important than expanding the kingdom; or raising the bar becomes more important than helping people climb over it, something has gone terribly wrong.

3. EXTRA-BIBLICAL RULES AND EXPECTATIONS

Few of us would see ourselves as legalists. We think we’ve moved on from old-school legalism because we no longer judge people by what’s in their refrigerator. But the spirit of legalism still runs strong. We now judge people by what’s in their driveway and how big their house is.

4. A PATTERN OF IDOLIZING THE PAST

Whether it’s the New Testament church or the scholars of old, we tend to give them a free pass for their failures. But the present-day bride of Christ and the current crop of leaders whom Jesus has put in place are assailed for their blind spots, failures, and feet of clay. Like the Pharisees of old, we rip on the living prophets and then build monuments to them once they die.

5. A QUEST FOR CLONE-LIKE UNIFORMITY

Jesus had room for Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector. Yet sometimes, the more biblically grounded we become, the less room we have for anyone who hasn’t yet learned all that we’ve learned. The result is a circle of fellowship that’s tighter than Jesus’s circle of acceptance.

6. GIFT PROJECTION

“Gift projection” the toxic belief that my calling is everyone else’s calling. It disfigures the body of Christ by insisting that ears become eyes and hands become feet. It looks like passion for the mission, but in reality, it’s candy-coated arrogance.

TWO ROADS DIVERGE
The good news is that even if we’ve inadvertently started down the road of an accidental Pharisee, we don’t have to end up there. We can repent, turn around, and reset our gaze on Jesus. But for that to happen, we have to recognize that we’ve left the path of discipleship. And that’s why I wrote Accidental Pharisees, to highlight the warning signs that we’ve left the path and turned down a dangerous detour that turns well-intentioned zealots into accidental Pharisees.

You can find out more about Larry by following him on twitter (right here)...and you can buy his book "Accidental Pharisees" right here!

One of the biggest sins a leader commits.

2012-11-01T11:30:52+00:00

Perry Noble - Video Blog from NewSpring Church on Vimeo.

11 Things I Wish I Could Say To EVERY Single Female!

2012-10-31T11:30:26+00:00

#1 - A blood stained cross and an empty tomb screams that you ARE worth the pursuit. (See II Corinthians 5:21)

#2 - For those who feel like you once were valuable…but because of sexual sin you have somehow disqualified yourself from having something amazing for a future relationship…remember, Jesus wants the rose!!!

#3 - Singleness is NOT a sickness but rather a gift…and according to Ecclesiastes 3:11 the Lord really does make everything beautiful IN HIS TIME.

#4 - Jesus has asked His followers to do lots of things…but compromise is NOT one of them.

#5 - Remember that success in relationships comes through surrender to Christ.

#6 - Guys will not “hook up” with a woman that they admire, respect and value…if he’s “hooking up” with you it’s not because he’s pursuing you but rather because he is objectifying you. RUN!

(Remember that a Godly man will work for purity in the relationship…which means he will lead you AWAY from tempting situations…not towards them!)

#7 - If you are having sex with someone you are not married to then you are not in a position where you can clearly hear from Jesus…the best thing to do is NOT just to stop having sex, you should end the relationship. (I Thessalonians 4:3-8)

#8 - “I’m lonely” is NEVER a good reason for continuing to date a guy you know you should not be with.

#9 - When a man sees that you are not an object to be conquered but rather a daughter of the King who is a gift then he will treat you with respect, kindness and will do his best to honor you both publicly and privately.

#10 - “I’m getting older” is NEVER a good reason to settle for “the next thing that comes along.”

#11 - If there are “issues” in your life before you are married then they will be magnified after you are married, the BEST thing you can do for yourself and your future husband is to confess sin that you are dealing with, deal with past abuse that has held you in prison and forgive people who have hurt you.

For more articles, devotionals and message about things like this be sure to visit our series page for Eve & Adam…and don’t miss THIS SUNDAY as we talk about, “How Do I Know If I Am With The Right One?”

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-10-30T12:32:15+00:00

Howdy NewSpring, EIGHT things I would LOVE to share with you today…

#1 – This past Sunday we covered the 2nd lie that women are tempted to believe in our Eve & Adam series – “I am not worth the pursuit.” My prayer is that it was completely obvious to every woman (and man) in the room that God is fighting for our hearts…and that He wants good things for us! (According to Matthew 7:7-11 God does not give bad gifts!)

#2 – Here is the message summed up in 10 tweets – if you have never checked these out this is the week to begin!!

#3 – This coming Sunday we are going to dive into the topic “Am I With The Right One?” It will be a Sunday that I don’t think our church will EVER forget. Can’t wait! (And ladies, you might want to bring some Kleenex!)

#4 – If you have not checked out our Eve & Adam resource page then you’ve GOT to take a few minutes and go here. Trust me…there is a WEALTH of information, articles and online devotionals that will help you take your next step in your walk with Christ!!!

#4 – I can’t even believe I am about to type this next line…but Christmas will be here before we know it!!! (And…I stand by my tweet last week that Christmas music should not be played until after lunch on Thanksgiving day…we can’t be dissing the pilgrims!!!) Every campus is going to be having multiple Christmas services…times and dates will be announced soon…and it is one of THE BEST TIMES to invite people to church! And…with that in mind…

#5 – Want to make an extra $500 for Christmas shopping? We are having a contest to see who can make THE BEST Christmas promotional video. Here’s the deal…you make a one minute video telling people why they should come to the NewSpring Christmas services, upload it to our website and then find out on November 25 who was the winner. All the details are right here.

#6 – Like I said last week…the announcement of our first services at our Greenwood campus will be made soon. It’s closer than you might think!

#7 – I’m already EXCITED OUT OF MY MIND about Sunday, January 6th – on that day we are going to be diving into the subject of “How I Can Have The BEST YEAR Of My Life!” No more excuses…no more resolutions…it’s about life change!!!

#8 – I know I say I am “pumped, excited” etc. a lot. Here’s the deal…I REALLY AM!!! I really do believe that every single Sunday is going to be THE BEST SUNDAY EVER!!! I spoke about this at a recent conference and they made this two minute video…if you have time check it out.

That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!

Free Children’s Materials for Christmas

2012-10-29T16:50:00+00:00

It’s almost CHRISTMAS! As part of our desire to help resource other churches, our Children’s Ministry Christmas materials are available today as a FREE DOWNLOAD to anyone interested in using it to teach kids Jesus on their level while sharing the good news of Jesus’ birth!

If you have not had an opportunity to check out these free resources for your church, go to Newspring.cc/resources/kids. There you will find small group lessons, handouts, coloring sheets, large group scripts, worship music videos, Bible story videos, shopping lists, leader training materials, lessons for kids with special needs and much more!

The following series, Reindeer Radio (for birth - age 5) and North Pole News (for Kindergarten - 5th Grade), are now available for this Christmas season.

If you have any questions at all, please email the team at kidscurriculum@newspring.cc.

OK NewSpring, Let’s Do This…

2012-10-26T11:39:32+00:00

OK NewSpring Church…this Sunday is a HUGE opportunity for all of us to BRING SOMEONE to church! Here are THREE things I’m asking all of us to keep in mind…

#1 - I once read a survey which said that 25% of unchurched people would come to church THIS SUNDAY if someone would take the time to invite them. Don’t automatically assume the answer is no…go for the big ask, and when doing so keep Romans 10:14 & Romans 10:17 in mind.

#2 - Just because someone said “no” once doesn’t mean they will keep saying no…remember that it was the Lord’s patience (II Peter 3:9), His kindness (Romans 2:4) and His persistance (Revelation 3:20) that brought us to Him…may we do the same for others.

#3 - In nearly every survey we’ve ever done at NewSpring Church over 95% of the people say that the reason they came to church for the first time is because they were invited by a friend!!! (Just people doing what Matthew 28:18-20 says!)

As we say all of the time…FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE, so…with that in mind let’s do all that we can to reach as many as we can…because this world CAN & WILL be changed as Christ changes people, one person at a time!

What Are You Waiting For?

2012-10-25T11:44:34+00:00

Why in the world would you EVER put off until “later” what you know you are supposed to do right now?

And STOP with the excuses!!! No one has ever done anything significant because they sat around and made excuses.

The person who makes excuses never makes a difference.

And, there is always an excuse, I’ve spoken with so many people who know what they are supposed to be doing…but they are waiting until they graduate, get married, get a job, get another job, have kids, get the kids into school, get the kids to college…you get the picture.

The enemy will always make sure the word “tomorrow” is in our vocabulary…that way we don’t have to embrace today!

People who procrastinate do so because they are either consumed with fear or obsessed with comfort, neither of which are supposed to control us if we are followers of Jesus.

So, what is it that you know you are supposed to do? (Forgive someone, start a new career, change your major, begin to trust God with your money, invite someone to church, confess a particular sin & ask for help to overcome it, stop diving into destructive habits…)

Because, reality is that the Lord will NEVER trust us with what us NEXT if we are not being obedient with what He is revealing NOW!

Is it scary? Of course…which is why it requires faith (where we trust in God way more than we trust in ourselves!) And…Scripture is clear in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God!

So, what is it that your supposed to do…and what are you waiting for?

How To Let A Dream Die

2012-10-24T11:38:23+00:00

#1 – Expect for everyone to understand you. (The quickest way to let the dream inside of you die is to dedicate yourself to everyone else’s dream for your life!)

#2 – Believe that you are going to face zero resistance and that everyone will be excited for you!

#3 – Believe that it is going to be easy (where in the Bible did Jesus ever ask anyone to do anything easy or attainable without His involvement?)

#4 – Fall in love with the way things are rather than how they should be!

#5 – Allow people who have never accomplished anything significant to tell you why you can’t either!

#6 – Procrastinate, always say “later” whenever you want to pursue the passion that the Lord put in your heart! (The snooze button is one of satan’s best friends!)

#7 – Look at failure as confirmation that you should not have done what you are attempting rather than a lesson to be learned.

#8 – For goodness sake, don’t you dare try to work hard…if a dream is going to die you have to sit around and “pray about it” rather than stepping up and using the gifts that Jesus has placed inside of you!

#9 – Don’t trust anyone, you have got to believe that the only way for something to be done right is for you to do it…that way you never believe in others OR ask them to come along side of you.

#10 – Buy into the lie that you are average, ordinary, that OTHERS may be able to do great things but there is no way you could ever accomplish anything significant.

#11 - NEVER ask God to set you on fire with HIS passion and plans for your life.

Do these 11 things on a consistant basis and I will guarantee you will live a life filled with boredom, predictability, frustration and jealousy of others!

BONUS POST: If you REALLY want to dive into what God has for you then you need to begin to try to answer the question that changed my life…more about that right here!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church!

2012-10-23T11:16:54+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I would LOVE to share with you today…(asking for EVERYONE to help me get the word out about all of these!)

#1 - I am STILL excited over the opening of our Eve & Adam series from this past Sunday! Sunday was the first part of a two part message where we dove into the two top lies that women tend to believe…the first of these two lies being, “I’m not good enough!” (Every woman I know has felt the weight of this lie!) My prayer is that the two truths we shared (“In Christ I Am Priceless” & “In Christ I Am Complete”) will be something that every woman will not forget. (Ladies…remember Psalm 139:13-18 & Colossians 1:17!!!)

#2 - Here is where you can see the message summed up in 10 tweets!

#3 - A few GREAT resources for this series…

#4 - As I said earlier, this coming Sunday we are going to be diving into lie #2 that the enemy wants women to believe…I honestly believe it is THE LIE that damages women relationally and spiritually more than any of the lies the enemy throws your way.

#5 - A HUGE SHOUT OUT to our Columbia location!!! We’ve had a campus in Columbia for a little over three years now and in that time have seen over 1,800 people come to Christ there!!! We moved from the facility we were renting for the past three years to a portable location this past Sunday…and our load in/load out team did an AMAZING job! Our Columbia campus will be meeting there through December…and in January will be moving into our permanent location!!!

#6 - Stay tuned…the official Greenwood campus launch date will be announced soon (and it will be sooner rather than later!!!)

#7 - Hey NewSpring Church, one more time…FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE!!! I would ask EVERYONE in our church to read through John 1:35-51 and notice two back to back stories about someone meeting Jesus and then IMMEDIATELY going out and telling someone. AND…after reading spend a minute or so asking the Lord to set your HEART ON FIRE for people who are far from Him. (And…if you want to take it to the next level memorize Luke 19:10!)

That’s it for this week…can’t WAIT until Sunday, I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!

A Letter From Pastor Gary To Our NewSpring Family

2012-10-22T11:38:19+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, last week I shared on this site about us rallying around Pastor Gary Snowzell (who spoke here last month) and his wife Heather as one of their sons Jordan had to have major surgery. (Here is the link if you missed it.)

Well, Pastor Gary has written our church a note letting us know how things are going and asking us to pray for some things specifically and I wanted to share it with you…

Dear Newspring family,

We have been overwhelmed by your love, prayer & support throughout this week. Never in our lives have we witnessed the supernatural power of prayer surrounding every moment. While going through every parents nightmare we have known a touch of heaven as we have experienced God’s Church at work.

On Tuesday Jordan’s birthday the surgeons battled for 10 hrs to remove the dermoid at the front of Jordan’s brain through the nasal cavity, the surgeons said this was more complex than expected as this was the first of its kind in the UK but gave us positive reports.

Jordan is now in recovery which they anticipate to be up to 6wks and here are some prayer points we would so appreciate you to join us in.

1) Jordan is awaiting a scan to ensure all of the dermoid has been removed, pray for this to be clear without complication.

2) The main concern now is that the brain doesn’t leak so they have packed the nose to allow healing, they plan to remove this Monday, please pray for stability, healing & success.

3) Jordan can’t smell or taste & has difficulty eating & speaking all of which he enjoys, please pray for healing & that all his senses will be restored.

4) Please pray for Jordan’s short term memory loss to recover along with chemical imbalances in his brain to be restored.

THANK YOU NEWSPRING for standing with us!

Lots of love,
Gary & Heather Snowzell

A HUGE Thank You!

2012-10-22T00:01:32+00:00

Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased Unleash! over the past month. I have had a blast speaking about the book and doing signings at NewSpring, Catalyst and Central Christian Church. I’m so encouraged by the feedback I am hearing from people who have read the book or who have been told that they need to read it and I pray that this book continues to set people free from normalcy.

I would like to take the time to thank each and every blogger below that wrote a review of Unleash!. If you have read the book and reviewed it I would love for you to send that review to unleashbook@newspring.cc. Also, if you don’t have a blog but would like to leave some feedback please visit the book’s Amazon page and leave a review.

A Parched Soul AJ The Wonderdog Blog AK Stafford Ambassador in Exile Austin Whelan Arms Wide Open Beauty From Ashes Because I Said So Between Sermons Brian Buchanan Bryan’s Blog C2 Pictures Carlosddell CBish1971 Charles Wright Chrisedmonson Daily Dose Divine Appointments Dismantle Repair Dwayne Thompson Ellie Keller Empty Jars Engage Youth Group Enough Eric Armonaitis Ethan Kalkwarf From the Outside Looking In Glad to Help Grace and Peace HBM Creations JEP Jim Evans Johnson Party of 5 Just Sayin Kyle Dowden Leading Every Day Lisa Wooten Living a Life of Worship Living Up To My Name Mama Making Changes Matt Sawyer My Life in the Vault Oasis Student Ministry Out of the Cocoon PJ’s Perspective Pruning Me Ruth and Grace Seriously Seth Markwood Stephanie Page Steven Hedgecoth The Diary of a Wannabe Writer The Pro-Guide The Quiet Place The Ramblings of a Sinner Thoughts, Blessings & Lessons Learned Training for the Marathon of Life Tyler Ayers Wild and Precious Life William Smyly Zak White

If you or someone you know wants to purchase a copy of Unleash! you can visit this site or a bookstore near you.

Seven Political Convictions I Believe The Church Should Have!

2012-10-18T11:55:18+00:00

From the tone of my posts yesterday one may assume that I am anti-government and anti-politics. Nothing could be further from the truth, here are some convictions I believe…

#1 – As Christians We Are Commanded To Pray For Our Political Leaders. (See I Timothy 2:1-2.)

It’s sad…but there are people that have spoken out against our current president and how “evil” they perceive him to be but have never gone to their knees and lifted him up in prayer. (BTW…it’s really hard to hate someone you are constantly praying for!)

#2 – As Christians I Believe We Should Vote!

I once had someone tell me that people in the Bible didn’t vote. Uh…it’s BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T!!!

#3 – I Do Not Believe A Persons Spirituality Should Be Determined By Who They Vote For!

This goes for BOTH SIDES!!!

#4 – Just Because You Disagree With Someone Politically Doesn’t Mean That You Have To Be A Rear-End To Them!!

A whole lot more in our nation could be accomplished if we would stop yelling at one another and start talking to one another. (I covered this line of reasoning in my post about the whole Chic Fil A/Homosexual Marriage debate entitled, “Ben & Jerry’s, Chic Fil A & Political Correctness!”)

#5 – I Wish More Godly Men & Women Would Enter Into Politics.

I believe everyone has a calling on their lives…and I believe that people who REALLY do love Jesus CAN make a difference in the political arena (as long as they prioritize serving JESUS and others and not on simply getting reelected!)

(And, for the record, there WERE godly people in the Scripture who were involved in politics…Daniel, David, Esther and Joseph to name a few.)

#6 – When It Comes To Who To Vote For I Believe Christians Should Educate Themselves On The Candidates, Study The Issues & Then Seek The Lord And Ask Him For His Leadership In The Voting Booth.

And, please…when you are educating yourself on the issues listen to both sides of the argument…in other words, don’t get all of your information from one news network.

#7 – If You Are Not Registered To Vote And You Are 18 Years Old You Should DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!

You can go to THIS WEBSITE and begin the process RIGHT NOW!

The Church & Politics = A MESS!

2012-10-17T11:43:36+00:00

It’s never pretty when the church crawls in bed with politics.

EVER!

I’m writing this because there has seemingly been an outpouring of pastors declaring to the people in their church who they should vote for.

It’s sad…but I believe that there would be way more celebration in many mainline churches if Mitt Romney won the election than there would be if one sinner repented of their sins the following Sunday!

I have a question for Republicans and Democrats alike…how is putting your hope in a political savior going for you?

Four years ago the nation was captivated by Barack Obama, a man who promised “hope” and “change.” Here we are four years later, the housing market has not recovered, the unemployment rate is still hovering around 8% and like it or not America is considered weak when it comes to foreign policy.

And…lest you think that I am picking on a particular party…I would ask Republicans if you REALLY think that a Romney victory is going to save the direction of this country.

Because, I can remember when George W. Bush won the election in 2000 after eight years of being under “the anti-christ” that church folk also called Bill Clinton. Bush was in office for eight years…and under his watch we saw a couple of recessions (one of them being INTENSE), an attack ON American soil that we will never forget and the first “bailout” that I can remember seeing that didn’t really bail us out of anything.

And yet pastors are proclaiming to their people to vote for a particular candidate…thus leading them to a false messiah rather than the true One! (AND…what is REALLY sad is the more aligned with a political party a church is the more angry, hateful and un Christ like the people in that church seem to be!)

The more I read Scripture the more it is obvious that when the people of God depend on a political savior rather than a heavenly one the result is always disappointment (and often destruction…anyone remember what happened when the kings in the OT depended on Pharaoh more than God?)

We’ve got to remember that while politics will try to control the world…the Gospel is the only thing that can change it…and yet the church house has seemingly fallen in love with the White House and has sold itself out to the impact that Jesus has called us to have on the world!

All too often churches are seemingly becoming obsessed with our government passing legislation regarding abortion, homosexual marriage and other hot button topics, believing that the passing of a particular law will somehow stop the downward spiral our country is obviously on.

PLEASE understand me when I say that while we should pay attention to what our government is doing…the REAL issue the church has been called to deal with is the condition of the human heart. Yes, our country is in desperate need of change…but the kind brought about when God’s grace collides with our sinfulness.

Reality is that if the heart of a person is not impacted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ then…

Affairs are going to continue to rip families apart.
Bullying is going to be a major problem in schools.
Abortions are still going to happen whether they are legal or not.
Drug abuse is going to continue to dominate some people’s lives.
Men are going to continue to objectify women.
Bitterness and anger are going to drive people to do the unthinkable.
The sex slave trade is going to continue to flourish.

And these things will NOT be changed through an act of congress but rather through Christ! People who are on these paths are not going to change unless something (or someone) changes them…and no law or legislation can do that, only the POWER of the Gospel.

Pastors, as a person meets Jesus and then walks closer with Him they are WAY LESS LIKELY to plunge into the destructive behaviors that hurt them and others…which is why we MUST be obsessed pointing people to Jesus rather than our political preferences!

Politics can change laws…but they cannot touch the human heart…and the church should NEVER sell itself out to a lesser vision of temporary change rather than eternal impact that is brought about through the preaching of the Gospel!!!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-10-16T11:03:24+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SIX things I want to share with you this week…(and, help me get the word out about these things!)

#1 - A HUGE thank you to Clayton King for the message this past Sunday, one that I am positive we will not EVER forget in our church. It’s so awesome to be reminded that all that we are going through can be used by God to accomplish way more than we could ever imagine!!!

#2 - For those who missed the message or just want a recap…here it is in 10 tweets! (I love reading this every week!)

#3 - If you did not read my post from yesterday about Jordan Snowzell (the son of Pastor Gary & Heather who spoke at NewSpring last month) PLEASE take a second and do it now, let’s do all that we can to stand with them in prayer during this extremely difficult time! (Here is a link to the post!)

#4 - THIS SUNDAY we begin our “Eve & Adam” series…and if you are a woman (or you need more insight into women…this would be EVERY man) then you have GOT to be at church every single week as we are going to be talking about…

Two Lies That Women Believe (this will be the first two weeks of the series…and I really do believe that if women could get past these two lies that they would begin to live in freedom unlike anything they ever imagined could happen!)
Are You With The Right One?
Seven Questions Every Single Girl Should Be Asking!
Secrets Women Keep
Four Obstacles To Happily Ever After
HERE IS THE WEBSITE YOU CAN USE TO INVITE OTHERS/CHECK OUT MORE ABOUT THE SERIES!

It’s going to be an amazing six weeks…I can’t wait, which leads to…

#5 - One of our core values at NewSpring Church is “Found People Find People!” And…I can promise that this series is an EXCELLENT time to invite a family member or a friend to church. Don’t give up on them…remember God didn’t give up on you…and it was His patience (II Peter 3:9) and His kindness (Romans 2:4) that brought us to Him!!! My prayer is that we are known for our patience and kindness!!!

#6 - A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has bought my new book, Unleash!, and has taken the time to let me know how much it has impacted you. (Here is the website if you want more info or to order it…or you can pick up a copy at your campus this coming Sunday!)

That’s it for this week…I LOVE MY CHURCH and cannot WAIT for this Sunday!

A Very Important Request For The NewSpring Family!

2012-10-15T19:18:40+00:00

Hey NewSpring, I am writing today to ask for a VERY special favor…that each of us would take some time during the next 24 hours to pray for Pastor Gary Snowzell and Heather (his wife) as their son Jordan will be having a pretty major surgery tomorrow.

Long story short the surgery involves the removal of a cyst that is located at the base of the front of his brain. So, they are going to have to go in and remove it. It’s possible that it can be done through the nasal cavity but one of the major concerns is that they may not be able to do that and will very likely have to go in and get it by removing a section of his forehead which will involve WAY more extensive recovery, some pastic surgery and carries with it far greater risks.

Jordan is a godly young man who is serving Jesus faithfully in their church…and actually already has plans after surgery to join their church plant in Cambodia. (I love his faith!)

I am asking our NewSpring family to…

#1 - Pray for Jordan, for the skill of the surgeons, that they will be able to actually do the surgery through the nasal cavity instead of removing part of his forehead, for a bed to be available when they arrive for the surgery to be done and that there would be a quick recovery and no side effects.

#2 - Pray for Gary & Heather…I can’t even imagine how they must feel as parents, pray that they would be strong and experience the presence of Jesus in a way unlike they have ever experienced Him before.

#3 - Go to twitter and let Gary & Heather know (right here) that we are praying for Him and that our church is standing with him heart and soul!!! (You can also send a shout out to Jordan right here!)

Thank you so much NewSpring…I love my church!

Three Things EVERY Single Guy Needs To Get BEFORE He Gets Married

2012-10-11T11:59:36+00:00

Hey fellas, my name is Lee McDerment and I’m the Worship Director here at NewSpring Church. I’ve served at NewSpring almost from the very beginning, having come on staff right after I graduated college in 2000. I was 22 years old when i began my career in ministry. That was more than 12 years ago.

I just got married last September. that’s right… I was single for the first 11 years of my ministry career. I married my wonderful wife, Ali, just a few months after I turned 34. I don’t know how it is where you live, but around here, that’s OLD for getting married.

Honestly, I didn’t do “single” very well. I am naturally undisciplined, lazy, and insecure… I avoid conflict and responsibility. This is my natural state. And that’s what described my interior life for the greater part of the last decade. It was depressing. I had seen 3 waves of best friends get married. By the time I was 30, I had been a Best Man 3 times. I was lonely, miserable and bitter.

Until one day… in the late winter of 2008, I got fed up. I was 31. I went for a drive. I was going to have it out with God. I had lots of questions. But the main one was, “Why haven’t You let me get married yet?” So I drove up to a mountain, found a picnic table, opened my notebook and scratched that question at the top of the page.

“Why haven’t You let me get married yet?”

And in the quiet of that moment, I sensed the Spirit whisper back to me…

“I love you, kid. And I love my daughter, who I want you to marry. I am her good and loving Father. So, you tell me… will she think I am still a Good Father if I give you to her in your current state? Will she say Thank You, God? or will she not say, Why Me, God?”

Boom. Roasted. That gentle whisper from Jesus was like a slap in the face. I realized that God had already empowered me to be the man that my future wife was praying for, but I was not exercising any faith whatsoever to become that man. I wanted God to do it all for me.

Me: “Ok. What do I need to do?”

The next 2 hours at that picnic table changed my life. I remembered that Proverbs says to call out for insight… detailed and specific wisdom for life. I knew that the Spirit would give me the practical next steps in every area of my life, if i would just ask. And if I truly loved my future wife, and believed that God wanted me to be married, then having faith meant taking those steps with courage and boldness.

These 3 things are what God revealed to me. I hope it is helpful for you.

Before you GET married, you must:

1. GET in the word.

I am not a morning person. The snooze button was my friend. But I realized that my mornings needed to change. So, after crying out for insight, God gave me the idea to put my alarm clock in my bathroom. My instruction from Him was to set it for 2 hours before I had to leave the house. No hard and fast rules about how to read or pray… just an amount of time. 2 hours. Every morning. So, after coming down the mountain, I started that process the next day. I put my clock in my bathroom, 2 hours before i had to leave the house. It was terrible. I was a zombie. But I lived. I got up, showered, made coffee, and God met with me. It was full. It was unhurried. It was amazing. It was revolutionary. It felt like something grown ups did. The simple discipline of getting up early to meet with God and begin my day changed my life. I slept better. I took in more Word every morning. My prayer life deepened. God was speaking to me with greater clarity.

If you’re a single man, you must remember that you are called to lead. And like Perry Noble says, leadership is as simple as listening to Jesus and doing what He says. Get up. Rise Early. Meet with God. And He will lead you. Your future wife is depending on you to lead. If you can’t get out of bed to meet with God, you aren’t ready.

2. GET in shape physically.

This one surprised me. I knew I wasn’t in the best shape in the world, but I was a little surprised when I felt the Spirit prompt me to get in shape quick. I am tall and naturally skinny, so I didn’t see how getting in the gym would somehow get me a wife any faster. But, I was wrong. Getting in the gym for me, wasn’t as much about getting a great looking body as it was about learning how to persevere through pain. I had gone through gym seasons before, but I would always lose interest after a while. So, I had a friend who was just starting a personal training business and asked him if I could sign up for 6 months of sessions. It cost some money, for sure… but I had great peace about making the investment. I knew that I was undisciplined and needed professional help. So, the first day I went… it was terrible. I couldn’t finish the workout. I almost threw up. It was insane. But I was committed. And I began to realize that showing up to workout every day was a concrete way i could exercise faith that God would provide a wife for me. I believe, so I’m going to show up. And I read in 1 Corinthians that my body belongs to my wife… and that just made me workout harder. Knowing I was responsible to give my body to my wife helped me understand that I wasn’t working out for me. I don’t love me enough to workout hard. But I love her, and this would be her body. And I wanted to give her something awesome.

If you’re a single man, you must remember that you’re called to lead. Your future wife is depending on you to protect her, to have energy, to be strong, to be a good lover, to live as long as you can with her. If you can’t persevere through the simple pain of a workout, you aren’t ready.

3. GET out of debt.

I knew this one was coming. I had some credit card debt at the time; I had a car payment. I knew I needed to get out of debt. I was living month to month. I didn’t have much in savings. I wasn’t doing a monthly budget plan. So, I went to Joe Sangl’s website (http://iwasbrokenowimnot.com/) and read everything. I downloaded the monthly budget plan and got to work. I paid off everything. I started saving. I began listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcast. I actually sat down with Joe and got his advice. And it worked. It was tough. I’m bad at math, so I got a few things wrong in the early going. I had to tell myself “NO” so many times that I felt like a parent and a 2 year old at the same time. However, by the time Ali and I were ready to get engaged, I was debt free except for my house, able to pay cash for a ring and a honeymoon as well as being able to have a great emergency fund for our start as a married couple.

If you’re a single man, you must remember that you’re called to lead. Debt = chains. Are you leading your future wife into slavery, or freedom? Your future wife is counting on you to provide, to manage your household finances well. If you can’t say “NO,” who will? If she has to do it, she may start to feel like she is your mom and she’ll resent you for it. You have the power to say “NO” in a way that is full of vision. NO doesn’t have to mean NO ultimately. NO simply means YES to something way better in the future. What woman wouldn’t want a man who will lead like that?

So, in conclusion, single guy… YOU CAN DO THIS. But, listen, don’t bother dating anyone if you don’t have a life worth following. I’m not saying you’re wrong if you’re dating or even married without having it all together. God is gracious and generous to us in whatever state of life we’re in. Start where you are. But if you aren’t dating anyone, put your looking on pause for a season until you get your stuff together.

Doing these three GETs will give you discipline and humble confidence. Trust me, if you believe God has a great woman for you, you will need every ounce of confidence you can find to woo and win a woman like that. Learn to lead yourself before you try to lead anyone else. YOU CAN DO THIS.

Seven Questions I Believe EVERY Church Planter Must Wrestle Through

2012-10-10T11:35:13+00:00

#1 - Am I planting this church because I am angry and/or bitter?

You may know of some exceptions…but on the whole I have not seen the Lord bless too many church splits long term. AND…nothing that is sown in bitterness and resentment can grow into something awesome and life changing.

#2 - Do I have a white hot vision from God in regards to what the church needs to do?

You WILL have people show up when you first begin, you WILL have people say they have been praying for a church like yours to come to the area…and you will also have people who say they are fired up about the vision of the church; however, the vision they are fired up about is theirs and not yours. Which leads to the next question…

#3 - Will I be obsessed with reaching people or keeping people?

If you deeply desire to reach people far from God you will always offend those who think they are His favorite child. (See Matthew 12:1-14!)

#4 - Do I love it when people show up at my church planting meetings and bash their former church/pastor?

BE CAREFUL!!! It will only be a matter of time before they are at another church planting meeting with another pastor saying the same things about you!

#5 - Am I ready to face opposition?

I once heard my friend Craig Groeschel say, “if you are not ready to face opposition then you are not ready to be used by God.” Read through the book of Acts, specifically chapter 13-20 and notice the number of times that Paul planted a church and then faced incredible opposition!

#6 - Do I have another pastor I can confide in, whom I can trust to walk with me through good and bad times?

Pastors, PLEASE listen…this person CANNOT be your wife!!! She does need to be on board (and if she’s not then you really need to examine as to whether or not you should pursue church planting.) BUT…only a pastor can understand a pastor. You will have tough days and every pastor needs a pastor! (If you have not read “The Pastors Pain” yet I would URGE you to do so, this was a lesson the Lord taught me several years ago.)

#7 - Are you willing to take continual steps of faith?

Where in the Bible did the Lord ever ask anyone to do anything that was easy or that made sense? If you are going to plant a church that constantly pursues the Lord and what He wants then I really do believe you are going to have to be willing to take larger and larger steps of faith (Hebrews 11:6).

SOME MORE POSTS FOR CHURCH PLANTERS:

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church…

2012-10-09T11:13:49+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share today…

#1 - Sunday was special! EIGHT PEOPLE crossed over from DEATH to LIFE! (Never gets old!) And I was able to share the ONE THING I want for EVERYONE at NewSpring Church…that we would not just SEE God’s Word but that we would surrender to it!

#2 - Here is the message in 10 tweets if you missed it or if you want a recap!

#3 - On Sunday, October 21 we are going to begin a brand new series entitled “Eve & Adam!” Back in the spring we did a series called “Adam & Eve” where we focused on what the Bible said TO and ABOUT men! In this series we will dive into Scripture and see what the Bible says TO and ABOUT women as we deal with subjects such as…

Two Lies That Women Believe (These are two of the most paralyzing lies EVER!)
Am I With The Right One?
Seven Questions That Every Single Girl Should Be Asking
Secrets Women Keep
Four Barriers To Happily Ever After

I can promise you that if you are a woman OR if you want more insight into how to be a better husband (or future husband) then you have GOT TO BE HERE!!! It is an EXCELLENT SERIES to invite someone to church!!! ASK!

#4 - One of the questions that is often asked of me is, “Pastor P, I know I should read my Bible but I really don’t know where to begin.” If this is you…if you want to read/take your walk with Christ to the next level but do not know where to begin then I believe you should check out our NewSpring Blog right here! Our discipleship team does an amazing job EVERY single week providing devotional material that hundreds of people are finding helpful…and it’s FREE! So, check it out!!

#5 - This coming Sunday is going to be the FINAL message in our Unleash series!!! I want our NewSpring family to throw out some encouragement to Clayton King via twitter and let him know that you are PUMPED about him being with us!!! The Lord ALWAYS uses Clayton to bring HIS WORD!!! I can’t wait to see what happens (especially in the 6pm service…when Clayton has had zero rest and lots of caffeine!)

#6 - A HUGE thank you to everyone who bought the “Unleash” book on Sunday, I understand that we sold out on several campuses…I promise we will have more this week! :-) If you want to know more about the book and/or purchase it online you can do so here! I am BLOWN AWAY at how much feedback we are getting about the book…and I’m discovering more and more that it’s not just a book…it’s a message that is absolutely changing lives!!!

#7 - I LOVE MY CHURCH!!! As I said Sunday, I don’t love it because we are large or we have a large staff or really cool technology! I love it because of the PEOPLE that are here…I loved this church when we had 15 people in a living room, I loved it when we had 115 on our first Sunday and I loved it the next week when we had around 55 people show up! I loved it when we broke 1,000. I loved it when we broke 10,000. AND…I will love it when we reach 100,000!!!!!!!!!

That’s it for today…have a GREAT week!

THE Post EVERY Worship Leader Needs To Read!

2012-10-08T11:52:02+00:00

I’m so thankful for Lee McDerment, he serves as the worship leader over all of the worship leaders at NewSpring Church and has been on staff since May of 2000…THIS is one of THE BEST posts he has ever written!!!

Hey everyone! My name is Lee McDerment, Worship Director at NewSpring
Church.

Worship can be a confusing word. For most people, the word “worship”
means “singing” in a church. And that would certainly be true. In the Old
Testament, the nation of Israel would gather to worship God by offering
sacrifices, singing songs of praise, hearing God’s voice, repenting of sin,
receiving his forgiveness. In our day, we follow a similar pattern when we come
together. Every sunday, we give sacrificially, sing songs of praise, hear his
voice, repent and receive.

But that’s just Sunday.

In the Old testament, we find rule after rule describing exactly how worship is
to be done in the temple of God. In the new testament, this type of detailed
prescription is notably absent.

The temple of God has changed locations. It is no longer in Jerusalem… you
can’t find it on google maps. Where can you go to see God’s new house? Go to
your bathroom and look in the mirror. There it is. (see 1 Corinthians 3:16).

God’s temple is open 24 hours a day. Worship is happening 24 hours a
day. Paul redefines true worship for us in Romans 12:1-2 (verse here). It’s more
than singing. It is a whole life devoted to God. Worship is everything. Every
thought, every word, every action. The hidden motives of your heart are making
music.

The crazy thing is, this has always been God’s desire, even in the Old
Testament. He detested external worship that was not born from an internal fear,
love and reverence. (see Isaiah 29:13).

As a worship leader, part of my job is to craft a setlist… a group of songs that will
help us worship God in church on sundays. But in this New Testament world,
where my body is God’s house, the setlist is much more than a 4 or 5 songs on a
Sunday.

After I finish singing “No Other Name” on Sunday night, I must realize that
the next song in my setlist is “Taking Out the Trash With a Joyful Attitude”
and then the next one is “Praying with Ali Before We Go to Bed” and the next
one is “Waking Up Early to Get in the Word.” Other hits include, “Tithing”
and “Forgiving _______ Again for the 490th Time” and “Taking A Sabbath.”

What’s the next song in your setlist?

How To Be A Female In Leadership

2012-10-04T11:57:07+00:00

Cherie Duffey is over our entire children’s ministry here at NewSpring Church…and is one of the BEST leaders I’ve ever seen in my life. Today she share with us some insights on being a female in leadership.

Being a female leader in ministry has always been so intimidating for me. I never wanted to be in charge of
anything as weighty as the children’s ministry of NewSpring Church! But over the years, I have learned five
things that have helped me step into ministry leadership as a female.

By looking at the life of Deborah in Judges 4-5 (CEB), I have learned that as a female leader I must do the
following…

1. Trust in God’s Calling on My Life- (Judges 4:4-5)
• I am a child of God and my calling is to the Lord first. Deborah was a prophet—she listened to
the voice of God and was ready to be used by Him!
• I am a wife. Deborah was the wife of Lappidoth—I love how scripture points this out, reminding
me that my calling is first to the Lord, then to my husband/family and then to the ministry.
• I am a leader with spiritual authority. Deborah was a leader of Israel who must have also been
a good listener! People came to her with their problems seeking wisdom, grace and justice.

2. Embrace Biblical Authority- (Judges 4:6)
• As a ministry leader, I must respect the man God put in authority over me. Deborah knew that
Barak was her leader. She went to him when there was a problem.
• I must always listen to the voice of God and act on what I have heard. Deborah knew the Lord
had issued Barak a command, and she knew she needed to act on it.
• I should be a leader who asks questions and speaks from my heart rather than giving a direct
order. Deborah asks Barak a question to prompt him to action, rather than telling him what to
do.

3. Be a Servant Leader- (Judges 4:7)
• I should be a leader who asks “What can I do to help?” Deborah tells Barak she will help him.
• I should look for opportunities to go to battle for my team. Deborah was ready to fight with
Barak and for her people.
• I should always be willing to serve no matter the cost. Deborah risked her life for the sake of
her leader and her people.

4. Recognize My Value- (Judges 4:8-9)
• I can be a source of strength to the leaders above me and below me. Barak did not want to go
to battle without Deborah.
• I should speak up when I discern the need to do so. Deborah spoke up knowing that she had
truth Barak needed to hear.
• I can have influence without telling the leaders above me and below me what to do. Deborah
let Barak make the decision to take her to battle, and when she spoke truth to him, Barak
listened. She had influence with him because of the way she led.

5. Be Willing to Fight- (Judges 4:14; Judges 5:31)
• I should be confident in knowing that the Lord is with me. Deborah reminds Barak that the
Lord has gone before them in battle.
• I should fight to uphold the vision of NewSpring Church and the vision of our children’s
ministry. Deborah was fighting for God’s people to be free from the enemy.
• I should fight for unity and peace. Deborah’s leadership brought peace to Israel for 40 years.

Eight Questions That Leaders Should Be Asking Themselves?

2012-10-03T11:02:13+00:00

#1 - Is there ANYTHING that God is really dealing with me about right now that I am trying to deny? (Denial doesn’t make us a great leader…if God’s pressing in on YOU then He wants YOU to do something.)

#2 - Am I known as the person who sits around and complains about a problem or the one who rolls up his sleeves and dives into how to deal with it?

#3 - Would I rather hear about the church down the road having a major win or a major problem? (This reveals our heart!)

#4 - Am I known as the guy who makes promises but does not follow through or can people take me at my word? (For the answer to this question ask those closest to you!)

#5 - What steps am I taking to increase my own leadership capacity? (I recently saw Brian Houston tweet, “Leaders goal: To constantly increase my capacity in order to lift the limits for others.”)

#6 - Do I genuinely care about the people God has called me to lead or am I just using them to enlarge my platform? (For the answer to this question simply ask your direct reports how they honestly feel!)

#7 - Am I honestly and sincerely giving my best effort in what the Lord has called me to lead or am I allowing myself to slip into cruise control and complacency?

#8 - Do I lead my team through encouragement and vision casting or through intimidation and reminders of “how great things used to be?”

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-10-02T11:30:26+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share with you today…

#1 - ONE HUNDRED AND NINTY ONE PEOPLE accepted Christ this past Sunday!!! THAT NEVER GETS OLD, I’m still so excited about that!!! We are seeing more and more than FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE…a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who is willing to embrace the uncomfortable and invite someone to church, it is making a difference!

#2 - Honestly, the “Water Into Wine” story in John 2:1-11 will always mean something special to me after this past Sunday. (PLEASE check out the message in 10 tweets right here in case you missed it OR if you just want a recap!)

#3 - In case you missed it…we handed out a card this Sunday when everyone was leaving that had Seven Promises From God on it and we asked our church to read through a promise per day and the verses that go with that promise. If you were not here and did not get a card you can go here and get it. Take it, get up in the morning (or before you go to bed) read a promise and then look up the Scripture in your Bible (maybe even pick a verse or two to memorize.)

#4 - This entire “Unleash” series has been AWESOME (the BEST EVER!!!) And…this coming Sunday is going to be NO EXCEPTION! I am anticipating a GREAT SUNDAY as I have the opportunity to talk about the ONE THING I want for EVERYONE who attends NewSpring Church!

#5 - I wanted to say a huge “thank you” to everyone who has purchased a copy of “Unleash.” (You can go here and do so if you want a copy…OR you can wait and buy one at your campus this Sunday as we will have them available in the resource area.) We were BLOWN AWAY to find out that it hit #2 on the New York Times Best Seller list (right here)...and we are so excited about all of the people that we feel like are going to be able to BREAK FREE from the things that have held them back for so long.

#6 - I’m asking everyone at NewSpring for your prayers this week as I will be speaking at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta on Wednesday and on Thursday. It is an incredible honor for me to have this opportunity and it really is my heart that the Lord would use me to encourage the church leaders who are going to be in attendance.

#7 - Back in the spring we did our ADAM & EVE series where we challenged the men in our church to step up and be the men that God calls us to be in His Word (I Corinthians 13:11)...well, on Sunday, October 20 we are going to launch our EVE & ADAM series and for six weeks dive into what God’s Word says about being a woman who has her heart set fully on pursuing the Lord…and what that looks like in today’s world where it is seemingly becoming more and more difficult to be a woman who “has it all together!” I can’t wait to walk through this as a church…and…men, trust me, you are going to want to be at EVERY service b/c you will gain insight into your wife (or your future wife) unlike ever before!

That’s it for today!! I LOVE MY CHURCH!

Leadership Thought For The Day

2012-10-01T09:59:47+00:00

Jesus Christ did not come to earth, endure pain and punishment beyond comprehension, die a brutal death on a cross, rise from the dead, ascend to heaven, empower His followers with the Holy Spirit and assure us that He is always with us so that we could offer Him our half-hearted, watered down and passionless efforts!

In Him we’ve been saved, blessed, gifted and empowered…may we live and lead like it!

Ten Signs Of A Healthy Team (A Checklist For Your Team)

2012-09-27T11:52:56+00:00

Want A Great List Of Things To Discuss In Your Next Team Meeting? Take A Look At These…

#1 - You actually enjoy being around one another instead of trying to find ways to avoid one another.

#2 - Truth is spoken IN LOVE and not in a condescending or condemning way.

#3 - There is an atmosphere of freedom where differences of opinion can be shared without the immediate perception that the person who is disagreeing is somehow disloyal.

(BTW…if you are in a meeting and you disagree mentally then you have an obligation to disagree verbally! If you do not feel that freedom then there IS a problem!)

#4 - People are willing to walk into the room and ask for help rather than put off the perception that they have it all together.

#5 - No one is trying to prove themselves.

#6 - Everyone in the room values the opinions of everyone in the room.

#7 - There can be disagreements without the fear of relationships being destroyed.

#8 - The entire group is focused on attacking PROBLEMS in the room and not PEOPLE in the room!

#9 - People embrace responsibility rather than cast blame.

#10 - People work through tension honestly rather than saying nothing is wrong and then walking out of the meeting and tearing apart those with whom they disagreed.

If You Are Single Then PLEASE Read This!!!

2012-09-26T11:09:01+00:00

If I could sit down with single people one on one and just offer them one piece of advice it would be…

Desperation In Dating Always Leads To Destruction!

How do you know you are desperate?

You are compromising! (And…if you are compromising you KNOW you are doing so!)
You are listening to your friends more than you are listening to Jesus.
You have placed your value in whether or not he calls and asks you out for a second date (or whether she says yes to a second date!)
You view yourself as “damaged goods” and believe that you are not worth very much.
You believe the myth that “I am miserable because I am single” and believe that marriage will solve all of your problems.
You are pretending to be someone you are not because you fear if you were who you really are the person you are dating would not like you!
You are with a person who is leading you away from Jesus, not closer to Him.

Desperate people rarely make good decisions and reality is that some singles reading this may be pursuing a relationship that has warning signs all over it…but instead of paying attention to that you believe that if you push through that eventually the other person will become who you want them to be!

But…the book of Proverbs says, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” (Proverbs 22:3) In other words…if we see danger in something (like maybe our dating relationships) and we pursue them anyway then we are clearly told there is a penalty to pay.

Desperate people hardly ever make great decisions. The worse thing that you could do for your future spouse and children is become desperate and grab on to whomever just happens to be in front of you.

Desperation in dating always leads to destruction. My prayer is that if you are wrestling with this that you would turn your desperation for a date into a desperation to hear the voice of the Lord (Jeremiah 29:13) and allow Him to shape your view of dating and marriage more so than the culture we are living in.

The ONE THING I know about the Lord is that HE IS GOOD…and if HE IS GOOD then so are HIS WAYS! AND…whenever HIS WAYS and my ways are not the same it is I who need to adjust my thinking (Isaiah 55:8) because in doing so there is hope, life and freedom! We should NOT be desperate when there is a God in heaven who wants greater things for us than we could ever imagine!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-09-25T12:36:35+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I want to share with everyone today…

#1 - To say that Sunday was incredible would be an understatement. I’m still in awe of what the Lord did in every single one of our services. To see people stand to their feet and admit they were struggling with a tough time and then to see people around them stand beside them and pray for them is one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had in ministry. AND…I’m STILL CELEBRATING the ten people who surrendered their lives to Christ!!! (AND…“It Is Well” and “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” were breathtaking!!!)

#2 - It was a GREAT day for us to focus on Hebrews 13:8 and the fact that Jesus IS GOOD TODAY, no matter what we are going through. My circumstances do not alter His character…and most of the time it’s not our problems that need to change but actually our perspective. You can go right here and check out the message in 10 tweets.

#3 - MANY people (both Christians and non-Christians) struggle intensely with seeing themselves as valuable either because of what has been done to them and/or what they have done to themselves. This coming Sunday we will be taking a look at John 2:1-11 and seeing in this text the value of someone who belongs to Christ. If you have EVER struggled with feeling “not good enough” then I promise you that you do not want to miss this Sunday!!!

#4 - A HUGE “THANK YOU” to everyone who purchased a copy of my brand new book, “Unleash!” If you haven’t been able to purchase a copy yet you can do so by going to this website. OR…if you just want to wait we will have them available at every campus on Sunday, October 7.

#5 - Finally…I want to CELEBRATE with everyone at NewSpring Church about all that God has done over the past year. One of our core values is “Found People Find People” and I want to say thank you to everyone who not only knows this phrase but lives it out and embraces every opportunity to invite people to church. Saying all of that Outreach magazine has published their annual report of the 100 largest and the 100 fastest growing churches in the US…and this year NewSpring Church was listed as the 16th largest church in the United States and the 13th fastest growing.

What does this mean? It’s simple…that we believe the numbers matter because we know that EVERY number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God. We see in the book of Acts that numbers matter because number are people (see Acts 1:15, Acts 2:41, Acts 2:47, Acts 4:4, Acts 5:14, Acts 6:1, Acts 6:7, Acts 9:31, Acts 11:26, Acts 16:5.) Jesus Himself taught that numbers matter in Luke 15:3-7, how did the shepherd know that one was missing if he was not counting them? I am celebrating because we are seeing large numbers of people coming to KNOW Christ and then continuing to GROW in Him.

However, I also want our church to understand what this DOES NOT mean. It does not mean that our church is better than other churches. It does not mean that we are perfect. It does not mean that we have all of this figured out. I am not sharing this to say “look how awesome our church is” but rather to say “look how AWESOME God is and what HE IS DOING!” We are far from perfect (and always will be as long as I am the pastor!) :-) AND…we still have a long way to go and a lot of people to reach! (100,000)

I honestly struggled with whether or not to share this information…but felt compelled to do so as I recently read through the Psalms and saw on MULTIPLE occasions the command to make know what the Lord has done! (Psalm 9:11, Psalm 35:28, Psalm 40:9, Psalm 64:9, Psalm 66:5, Psalm 66:16, Psalm 71:16, Psalm 79:13, Psalm 98:1, Psalm 105:1, Psalm 118:17, Psalm 145:6). Celebration and proclamation are not suggested in the Scriptures…they are commanded. I refuse to raise my hands to signal “touchdown” on Saturday (which indicates I am a fan) and then be silent about what the Lord is doing in our church! I’m pumped…and I am believing that THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!! (I wrote an article about CELEBRATION here if you would like to read it!)

That’s it for this week!!! And may our atmosphere of CELEBRATION lead to a sense of ANTICIPATION as we prepare for this Sunday!!! I love my church!

Unleash! Breaking Free From Normalcy

2012-09-24T14:54:38+00:00

My debut book Unleash! released last week! It has been a long time in the making and I’m pumped to finally be able to share it with everyone.

If you want to know why I wrote the book check out this video!

If you want to read a sample chapter visit this link. If you want to see all the online retailers selling the book visit www.unleashbook.com/buy. The ebook retailers are listed on that site as well.

If you want to watch the official trailer it is posted below!

And, a HUGE “thank you” for everyone who has prayed for me while writing this book, bought this book, told a friend about this book and is already asking about the next book! :-) My prayer is that as you read this book you will be encouraged, challenged…but most of all that your affections for Jesus will be stirred and that as a result you will REFUSE to be “normal” and live is life that really is way more than all we could have ever asked for or imagined.

Are We Faithless Or Faithful?

2012-09-20T11:34:58+00:00

God is faithful…and those who follow Him should be as well.

A part of being faithful to God is being faithful to all that He has given us stewardship over! (Matthew 25:14-30)

In other words…it is impossible to say we are being faithful to the Lord and not be faithful to our spouse (or future spouse in the way you are handling your current dating relationships.)

It is impossible to say we are being faithful to the Lord if we are neglecting to spend quality time with our kids. (Seriously parents, is it necessary to turn on the DVD player in the car EVERY time you get in there?) See Deuteronomy 6:4-7!!!

It is impossible to say we are being faithful to the Lord and yet refusing to honor Him with the money He has blessed us with. (This was me for a LONG TIME…I wrote about it here in “12 Reasons I Was Broke…And How To Fix It!)

It is impossible to say we are being faithful to the Lord and yet continually turn our back on and dis the church, the ONE THING that is going to be left standing when He destroys the world. (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 3:10, Colossians 1:18.)

It is impossible to say we are faithful to the Lord when we are always attacking, tearing down and maligning others who do not believe exactly like we do. (John 13:34-35, Luke 9:49-50)

It is impossible to say we are faithful to the Lord when we condem people who are “sinful & wicked,” not realizing that is who we were before we met Christ. (I Corinthians 6:9-11, emphasis on verse 11…and also Ephesians 2:1-5)

It is impossible to say we are faithful to the Lord when our biggest desire in life is to play it safe instead of trusting Him and taking the steps of faith that He leads us to. (Hebrews 11:6, and…if you have never read it check out the question that changed my life)

All of us fall short of these things at times; however, the Scripture says that even when we are faithless that HE IS FAITHFUL (II Timothy 2:13) and that EVERY SINGLE MORNING HIS MERCIES ARE MADE NEW(Lamentations 3:22-24) because of HIS faithfulness!!!

We have hope because of HIS faithfulness…and, if we are “falling short” in one of the above areas the Lord is revealing this to us NOT to condemn us (Romans 8:1, John 3:17) but rather to correct us (Hebrews 12:4-6!) May we take what He has challenged us with and take our next step by dealing with it so we can step towards Ephesians 3:20 sized things in our future!!!

Seven Things A Wife CANNOT Do

2012-09-19T11:10:03+00:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Eight Things A Husband Cannot Do (you can check it out here.) Today we will flip the coin and talk about the SEVEN things a wife cannot do.

#1 - A wife cannot ever, I MEAN EVER underestimate her influence when it comes to speaking words of encouragement to her husband, ladies, TRUST ME…he needs to be encouraged by you, it means way more than you will EVER know! (Proverbs 18:21) If you want to read more on this I wrote a post last year entitled “What A Wife Should Never Do” that you can check out here!!!

#2 - A wife cannot ever believe that by nagging and picking fights with her husband that she will eventually turn him into to the godly man that he needs to be (see I Peter 3:1-2, Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 21:9, Proverbs 21:19, Proverbs 25:24 & Proverbs 27:15).

#3 - A wife cannot underestimate the value of her character…a husband wants to know he can trust his wife & that when he opens up to her that she will not use what he says to create discussion topics with her friends, thus betraying his confidence in her. Character matters (see Proverbs 12:4 and Proverbs 31:10!)

#4 - A wife cannot begin to engage with her “guys friends” emotionally through an online relationship and somehow believe that “innocent flirting” will not lead to the destruction of her marriage (Proverbs 6:27.)

#5 - A wife should never use crying, yelling or the silent treatment to manipulate her husband. Many ladies call this “just being a girl;” however, I believe the Bible would label that type of behavior wicked and sinful (see Galatians 5:22-23 for how wives AND husbands should act towards each other.)

#6 - A wife should never say “nothing is wrong” when something is wrong. He is NOT a mind reader, truth, in love, must be spoken (Ephesians 4:25-27)

#7 - A wife should not use her kids to “vent” about how worthless she perceives her husband to be…while it may be true that certain husbands have room for improvement, “venting” to the kids teaches them to disrespect their dad and one day when you need him to step up and lead the kids will not respect him because you spent so much time tearing him down.

BONUS: A husband cannot use ANY of these points to verbally assault his wife!!!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-09-18T11:47:15+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I want to share with you today…

#1 - I am STILL celebrating all that the Lord did on Sunday, WOW!!! We saw 1,451 people go public for Christ through baptism…and we also saw 23 people surrender their lives to Jesus, that NEVER GETS OLD!!! Also, I am so pumped about the fact that we, as a church, have embraced that FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE and am celebrating the fact that for two weeks in a row we have seen over 20,000 people attend a NewSpring service somewhere in SC (this does not include the people who have worshipped with us online!)

#2 - Sunday was definitely fun as we walked through what I believe is THE most awkward story in the Bible (Genesis 38!) You can check out the sermon in 10 tweets right here.

#3 - If you know someone who believes that God has given up on them, forgotten about them or maybe doesn’t even care anymore then DO NOT MISS THIS COMING SUNDAY as we continue our UNLEASH series!

#4 - EVANGELISM GROUPS, EVANGELISM GROUPS, EVANGELISM GROUPS!!! Trust me, these are going to be AWESOME!!! If you have ever wanted to talk with someone about your walk with Jesus and/or share with them about how they can know Christ but are afraid or unsure of yourself then you have got to sign up for one of these groups ASAP (more info here!) I PROMISE the six weeks in this group will strengthen your walk with Jesus and will also equip you with the confidence you need to live out Romans 1:16!

#5 - Finally, I would ask for your prayers this week as my book (“Unleash!” Breaking Free From Normalcy”) releases. (Here is the website if you want more info on the book.) This has been a project that we’ve been working on for well over two years…and we’re believing that the Lord will use what is written in this book to help people “get off of the spiritual treadmill” and LIVE THE LIFE that God has called them to live!!! If you’ve ever had a problem with…

Believing God has something AMAZING planned for your life.
Knowing that you need to forgive someone…but find it so hard to do so.
Feeling STUCK in your walk with Jesus, knowing there is MORE but not knowing how to get there.
Getting past your past.
Being completely overwhelmed with life and wondering why in the world if God will never put more on you than you can handle then why are you going through “this.”

Then this book is for you…it’s available today in stores and will be available Thursday for purchase online!!!

That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH…and I really do believe that THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!!

Five Songs I Can’t Quit Listening To

2012-09-17T13:46:40+00:00

#5 - “No Regrets” - LeCrae (POWERFUL!)

#4 - “Fuego” - LeCrae (Put this on your workout mix!!!)

#3 - “Beneath The Waters (I Will Rise)” - Hillsong Live (Can’t stop listening to this!)

#2 - “Alive” - NewSpring Band (Available on iTunes, just look for the Gauntlet Live 2012 EP!!! This song is AWESOME!)

#1 - “Your Presence Is Heaven” -Israel & New Breed (WOW! WOW! WOW!)

Three Types Of Responses To Confrontation

2012-09-13T11:16:51+00:00

Confrontation IS going to happen if a church/organization is going to achieve its maximum potential. I recently heard Craig Groeschel say, “Sometimes the difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the pain you are unwilling to endure.”

Confrontation is NOT easy or enjoyable for anyone (unless they are SICK!) And every leader is going to be on the giving and receiving end of confrontation. I was thinking about confrontation the other day and listed out three types of people when it comes to it…

#1 - The “Yes Sir/Yes Ma’am” Person - This is the type of person receives the correction that comes along with confrontation and allows it to make them better instead of bitter. They have a teachable approach to whatever is being spoken to them about and understand what the Scripture says in Proverbs 27:6, that wounds from a friend can be trusted!!!

(By the way…RELATIONSHIP is SO important in confrontation. The closer you are to a person very often the harder it is to confront them…but the more likely the other person will listen to you because they trust you!)

#2 - The “Yeah, But…” Person - This person cannot receive any sort of correction/confrontation. Nothing is EVER their fault. It’s either the person confronting just doesn’t understand…or, they are very quick to either throw someone under the bus or simply blame circumstances. There often are unforeseen circumstances that happen; however, when a person NEVER accepts responsibility and is always seeking to blame someone or something else then the problem is not with circumstances but rather with their character.

#3 - The “Yeah, Whatever” Person - This person simply does not care about the confrontation, most often because they perceive themselves to be smarter than the one confronting them and/or they are simply working a job and do not actually care about the responsibility they have been given stewardship over. I hate to say this…but this person is impossible to lead because while you can hire head knowledge you cannot hire heart!!! A “yeah, whatever” person cannot be allowed to continue to lead something that everyone else agrees is important, especially in church world!

An Open Letter To Barack Obama & Mitt Romney

2012-09-12T11:55:58+00:00

Both of you are way better than this. I’m not sure if either of you know this or not…but the way you two are attacking each other is making you appear like you are way more interested in tearing your opponent apart rather than leading our country.

Both of you are acknowledging that our country is in trouble; unfortunately, neither one of you are providing solutions because you are way too busy blaming the other guy!

Neither one of you are idiots, although that is what you and your supporters want us to believe about “the other guy.” You didn’t get to the position that you are in because you are reckless, irresponsible and stupid. I believe that both of you are intelligent men who, at your core, want what is best for our country…but that is not obvious to most of us because of the tone you guys are using when speaking about one another.

Both of you acknowledge that we have a jobs problem in America. However, neither one of you are speaking confidently and boldly about your plan, your vision to solve this problem but rather are using all of your platform time to tell me about all the bad things that will happen if “the other team wins.”

Honestly, I’m asking you guys to simply step up and paint a picture of the future that is so compelling that people are deeply moved and actually WANT to follow you! Leaders should lead, both of you are leaders…but I fear that you have surrounded you with “experts” who have told you to attack your opponent rather than attacking the problem.

Our country will not climb out of the hole we are in unless we have bold, fearless leaders who care way more about the people they are leading than they do political polls and keeping their donor base content.

You guys are setting the tone, and you two COULD lead the way in regards to the rhetoric that is ever increasing in volume and hateful accusations. I know that both of you have been bothered by talk show hosts who support the other party that have came out and attacked you and your personal life. All I am saying is that I really do believe you guys should lead our country by example by rising above the rhetoric and simply sharing your ideas that you believe are best for this country.

One more thing, if you are going to do this then both of you should stop taking the words and actions of your opponent and twisting and manipulating the facts that allows them to be placed in the worst light possible. Once again, this is not great leadership, it is slinging mud…and both of you are better men than this. Our country is in financial trouble and it would be awesome if one of you (or both) would acknowledge that fact by refusing to spend millions of dollars on commercials that do nothing but tear down your opponent.

America really is tired of the name calling and fact twisting. Division will not make our country better…but VISION will. Our country is not in trouble because we lack knowledge, innovation or the ability to rise up but rather because it seems that we have political leaders who are way more obsessed with winning the argument and being right than they do being willing to roll up their sleeves and do whatever it takes to solve the problem.

Do you want people to show up to the polls and vote for you? Give us a reason…spell out the specifics that have nothing to do with how bad the other guy is but rather how good your plan is! Both of you are great leaders. Both of you have achieved a place in history already, heck, you are one election away from being elected (or relected) as President of the United States. Will history remember you because of what you were against or what you stood for? You have the power to answer that question right now.

I’m simply asking for one of you to lead…lead in a way that is bold, daring and believes the best is yet to come for our country. I honestly believe if one of you did that you would win this election by a landslide because America doesn’t need any more division from within.

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church…

2012-09-11T11:36:55+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, EIGHT things I want to share with you today…

#1 - This past Sunday was AWESOME as we had the privilege to hear from Gary Snowzell from Freedom Church. He did an amazing job of both encouraging and challenging our church and I can’t quit thinking about the fact that most people never achieve their full potential in Christ because they would rather play it safe than take a risk.

#2 - Gary’s message in 10 tweets can be found right here on our NewSpring Blog! (AND…if you have not checked out the NewSpring Blog yet I would highly recommend it!!! It is an amazing site full of daily devotionals, stories and sermons that will enable you to take your next step in your walk with Christ!)

#3 - THIS COMING SUNDAY we begin a brand new series entitled “Unleash!” I can promise you this, I am more excited about this series than ANYTHING we’ve ever done because I really do feel that if we can grasp what is going to be taught over the next several weeks that our walk with Christ will go to levels unlike anything we’ve ever experienced!!!

#4 - This coming Sunday we will begin the Unleash series by teaching through what I believe is, hands down, the most awkward story in the entire Bible!!!

#5 - My book is going to be officially released next week!!! To say that I am excited would be a HUGE understatement!!! A huge “thank you” to everyone who has already pre-ordered a book…your generosity in this pre-order campaign is enabling us to get this book into the hands of THOUSANDS of church leaders. (If you want to pre order the book or know more about it you can visit this website.)

#6 - BAPTISM THIS SUNDAY!!! If you have prayed to receive Christ and have not been baptized since making that decision then this is your next step! (Acts 22:16) You can go here to sign up and/or find out more information about it!

#7 - EVANGELISM GROUPS ARE GOING TO BE AWESOME!!! Have you ever REALLY wanted to talk to someone about Jesus but just feel like you are inadequate to do so…or you just don’t know how? We’re asking everyone in our church to dive into a home group setting for six weeks that will both equip you to share your faith AND remind you that we really can’t do life alone. I can PROMISE YOU that IF you do this you WILL grow in your walk with Christ!!! (Go here for more info!)

#8 - THIS COMING SUNDAY is a GREAT SUNDAY to BRING SOMEONE with you to church, especially if you know someone who simply does not believe that there is ANY WAY God could ever love them!!! I promise it will be “one of those services” that we never forget!

That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH!

Are You A Church Leader Wrestling With God’s Faithfulness?

2012-09-07T11:51:37+00:00

If you are a church planter/leader then there have been times in your life that you wondered why you do what you do, if you should quit, if you misheard God and/or whether or not the Lord is going to come through…

It doesn’t mean you are a bad person…it just confirms the fact that you are human.

If there is one lesson I’ve learned in the past 12 years of leading NewSpring Church it is that GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! Philippians 1:6 is TRUE, He will complete what He begins…

Today I wanted to simply post an email that I found recently that I sent to our core team at the beginning of February 2000…we had NO IDEA that what was happening then would lead to what is happening now. I can promise you this…whatever you have in mind, GOD’S PLANS ARE GREATER (John 14:12-14), HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER (Isaiah 55:8-13) and HE WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH (Matthew 16:18!)

Sent: Tuesday, February 1, 2000 10:08 AM

Subject: New Spring Update!
Someone asked me the other day how many people we were having on an
average Sunday—I thought that was a funny question considering we have
only had one average Sunday! :-) WOW! This has been a crazy few
weeks—but God has blessed us despite the two ice storms. We saw 60
people come two weeks ago on Sunday morning when we had no power—that is
a hunger for something!!! Last Sunday there were 71 people there for the
AM service and the Sunday night service—well let’s just say I was afraid
we were going to run out of room. I am pumped about this Sunday—I hope
you all will commit to praying for it just as hard as you did for the
first Sunday.

(By the way—I checked the weather channel—no ice storms are predicted
for this week!!!)

About this Sunday…a few of us realized that 8:30 is not early enough
to get everything done. I know that we were able to knock it out the
first Sunday—but that is because some people met the night before and
did a lot of the work. On Sunday morning we have to set out chairs, set
up a sound system, do a sound check, set up refreshments, go over the
program, set up the nursery, and most important—PRAY!!! Needless to say
we need to have all of this done BEFORE 9:30! At 9:30 we need to be
ready to meet people when they walk in. Remember that excellence is one
of our core values and if we are running around trying to get last minute
stuff done—what does that communicate about how we feel about our
ministry?

I said all of that to say this—we need to be @ New Spring by 8:00 on
Sunday mornings. I know that is a sacrifice for some—trust me—it is
hard for me to get up in the mornings as well. But this is a church and
we have all made a commitment to do whatever it takes—even if that means
giving up 30 minutes of sleep. Look at it this way—30 minutes of sleep
is not much to give up when you consider what Jesus gave up for us.

When you pray for New Spring—please pray for our finances. We are
doing pretty good; however, two weeks of ice storms did not do us very
well. If you were unable to give then catch up this Sunday—that will be
awesome.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments about anything that is
going on. This is getting more and more exciting!!! Try TO BRING
SOMEONE WITH YOU TO NEW SPRING THIS WEEK!!!

Eight Things A Husband CANNOT Do!

2012-09-06T11:34:05+00:00

#1 - A husband CANNOT be harsh with his wife (I Peter 3:7)...and if she says you are harsh…then you are!

#2 - A husband CANNOT show up at home after coming home from work, sit in a chair, watch the same episode of Sports Center three times in a row and “zone out” in regards to his wife and children and then expect to be respected as “the spiritual leader” by his family.

#3 - A husband CANNOT expect his wife and/or the church to lead the family spiritually, He’s got to step up (I Corinthians 13:11!)

#4 - A husband CANNOT devote more time to a hobby (golf, hunting, etc.) than he does his own wife and then expect her to always be “in the mood” when he has held a golf club way more than he has held her!

#5 - A husband CANNOT desire to be right more than he actually desires to settle the conflict that is being dealt with…the result if he does will always be fighting IN instead of fighting FOR the marriage.

#6 - A husband CANNOT “innocently flirt” with other women either in person or online and not expect it to bring about significant damage in regards to his marriage (Proverbs 6:27!)

#7 - A husband CANNOT pursue porn and pursue his wife…she will always lose because porn is easy, it requires no commitment!

#8 - A husband CANNOT allow his pride to get in the way by refusing to ask for help when it comes to issues in the marriage (James 5:16)!

BONUS: A wife CANNOT use any of the previous points to beat her husband up!!!

Leadership Lessons From The Toilet Seat

2012-09-05T11:32:45+00:00

Charisse, my five year old little girl, looked up at me with really big eyes just the other day and informed me that I was going to need to start putting the toilet seat down because she had recently went to the bathroom and “fell in!” (Lots of men have had this same conversation with their wife/daughters!) It brought FIVE things to mind…

#1 - When we get in a hurry as leaders we tend to not pay attention to how our decisions might impact others. (If we are going to lead like Jesus we MUST be way more concerned about others than we are ourselves!)

#2 - If a leader will take a little extra time and make sure the details are covered it makes it a lot easier for those who are following him/her. (A person who does not take a little time now will have to take a lot of time later repairing the damage from the “mess”—I can promise you she will not forget “falling in!”)

#3 - Laziness as a leader will often result in unfortunate circumstances for those who follow (I can promise she was not happy about “falling in!”)

#4 - When unfortunate circumstances take place (falling in the toilet) a good leader will always ask “what could I have done differently in that situation” (put the lid down) instead of blaming someone else for the mess. (Sure, I could have told her to make sure the lid was down…but reality is that if I had taken the extra time and did what a good leader/father should have done then she would not have gone for a swim!)

#5 - Two of the MOST POWERFUL WORDS for a leader to say are, “I’m sorry” when they are confronted with a careless mistake that they made rather than trying to rationalize the situation.

BELIEVE ME…from now on I am going to make sure the lid is down!!! (And every woman out there said, “Amen!”)

Do you want to join the Unleash! Book Launch Team?

2012-09-04T14:41:58+00:00

I would LOVE IT if you would consider being a part of the Unleash Book Launch Team! My new book Unleash! is releasing September 18th and I’m looking for a group of social media peeps and leaders to help me get the word out.

As a member of the Unleash! Book Launch Team you will get these exclusive benefits:
- A Sneak Preview PDF Copy of Unleash! on September 11th
- A Free copy of the Unleash! Small Group Resources
- A thank you on my blog w/ a link to your blog
- A signed copy of Unleash!

All you have to do is:
- Have a blog, twitter and/or facebook account.
- Blog about the book during the week of September 18th through 25th
- Tweet or Facebook about the book during the week of September 18th through 25th
- Write a review of the book on Amazon.com

If you are interested in applying to be a member of the Unleash! Book Launch Team all you have to do is send an email to unleashbook@newspring.cc with the following information:

- Full Name
- Blog URL
- Twitter account URL
- Facebook account URL

We will be accepting applications until September 10th and the team will be notified on September 11th.

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church…

2012-09-04T11:07:09+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, SEVEN things I want to share with you today…

#1 - This past Sunday at NewSpring was AWESOME as literally HUNDREDS of people signed up to take their next step through baptism…and we had over a dozen first time decisions for Christ, that NEVER GETS OLD!!! If you have not been baptized since receiving Christ or you want more information about it/want to sign up you can go right here to get started.

#2 - Sunday’s Sermon Recap in Ten Tweets can be found right here.

#3 - DO NOT MISS SUNDAY!!! We have a FIRST, a REALLY special surprise for our church that I am SUPER EXCITED ABOUT!!!

#4 - As I spoke about on Sunday…we cannot do life alone (remember, even Paul had to have someone help him take his next steps)...so, with that in mind we are beginning a new series of home groups beginning in October that will be focused on the subject of why we should share Christ with our friends…and how to do it. Go to our groups site for more info and to get signed up.

#5 - To say that I am excited about my upcoming book release would be an understatement. We launched our pre-order campaign this past Sunday and are asking as many people as possible to go ahead and pre-order your copy of ”Unleash!” (You can do so right here!) You can purchase the book for ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY—however, in this particular “campaign” we would ask that you would consider being as generous as possible when purchasing your copy which will allow us to get this book into as many church leaders hands as possible.

(And, on a personal note, every dime of money earned on this book is going to NewSpring Church. I believe that you cannot out give God…and that God always gets “the first!” With that in mind Lucretia and I decided that since this book is my first published book that it belongs to NewSpring Church. The money that I earn from the second book will go to feed starving children…mine!) :-)

#6- If you believe you are called into ministry and want to work with some of the most amazing people on the planet in order to reach over 100,000 people with the GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL then check out our jobs page right here and see if there is a listing that fits in with what you have feel called and equipped to do!

#7 - That’s it for today…I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!

A Video Celebration

2012-08-31T14:08:12+00:00

Here is a video recap of last weekend at NewSpring Church.

Let’s celebrate what Jesus allowed us to see last weekend. Let’s ask the people we brought last Sunday to come back this Sunday. And don’t give up on the people you asked to come to church who didn’t. Remember, “ASK” is not a one time thing…. it’s a lifestyle!!

08.26.12 from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Eight Reasons Why You Can’t Get A Date/Married!

2012-08-30T12:29:16+00:00

One of the biggest frustrations among singles is NOT being able to get a date, here are EIGHT reasons to consider why you may not be dating…

#1 - It’s not time!!! Proverbs 24:27 says that we should make sure our lives are in order before we build a house!!!

#2 - You want to get married more than you want to walk with Jesus! If this is true then a relationship/dating is an idol in your life, and for the Lord to give it to you would do nothing more than set you up for disappointment in the person you want to be with because they could never fulfill you!!! (See I John 5:21)

#3 - You are bitter! Either at your mother, father or an ex spouse!!! And…one of the WORST things a person can do is carry bitterness from a past relationship (any relationship) into a current relationship (see Ephesians 4:31!)

#4 - You struggle with impurity! I Thessalonians 4:3 says that IT IS GOD’S WILL that we avoid sexual immorality! If you are wrestling with porn…or every relationship you are in moves quickly towards “going too far” then you REALLY need to get those issues worked out…because if that is the case you would not be someone who could strengthen someone else and their walk with Jesus, you would actually weaken them!

#5 - You are trying too hard!!! If you are a dude then PLEASE get this…if you are always asking girls out then I promise you that you have a reputation among them (and not a good one!!!) Yes, I believe the guy should be the one to pursue (Proverbs 18:22) BUT…there is a difference between pursuing and stalking…and no one has EVER fallen in love with a stalker!!!

#6 - You are finding your identity in who you date (or if you can get a date) more than you are in a relationship with Jesus!

#7 - You are willing to compromise in order to go out with someone! If you are a follower of Jesus Christ then compromise can never be a consideration!!!

#8 - Especially if you are a dude…you are not responsible financially!!! If you want to find a wife one of the BEST things you can do TODAY is NOT go on eharmony.com but rather do whatever it takes to GET OUT OF DEBT!!! (Proverbs 22:7)

For Further Reading…

Good Versus Great Leader (10 Things To Consider!)

2012-08-29T12:30:52+00:00

A good leader makes assumptions…A GREAT leader asks questions!

A good leader waits for feedback…A GREAT leader solicits feedback!

A good leader finds reasons for the problem…A GREAT leader finds solutions for the problem!

A good leader takes notes…A GREAT leader creates actions steps!

A good leader works a job…a GREAT leader invests their lives in what they do!

A good leader leads through declarations…a GREAT leader leads through influence!

A good leader makes promises…a GREAT leader keeps their promises!

A good leader is obsessed with gathering information…a GREAT leader is willing to make the tough call after receiving the proper information.

A good leader is supported by those who follow him…a GREAT leader supports those who follow him!

A good leader asks “What Are You Doing”...a GREAT leader asks “How Are You Doing?”

Free Curriculum For Your Children’s Ministry

2012-08-28T15:00:24+00:00

At NewSpring Church we care about resourcing other churches in any way possible! We are currently making our Children’s Ministry curriculum available as a FREE DOWNLOAD to anyone interested using it to teach kids Jesus on their level! If you have not had an opportunity to check out these free resources for your church, go here. There you will find small group lessons, handouts, coloring sheets, large group scripts, worship music videos, Bible story videos, shopping lists, leader training materials, lessons for kids with special needs and much more! There are preschool (birth - age 4) and elementary school (Kindergarten - 5th Grade) materials available for each series.

The following series are available today:

Pirates!- Eight week series teaching kids how to discover the treasure that awaits us when we follow Jesus.
On the Farm- Ten week series teaching kids how to grow the fruit of the Spirit in their hearts. (Includes family production)
Off the Rails- Eight week series teaching kids how to take their relationship with God to a new level.

And coming your way this October…

Reindeer Radio (for preschoolers) & North Pole News (for elementary schoolers) - A fun and exciting way to share the good news of Christmas!

If you have any questions, please email us at kidscurriculum@newspring.cc.

This was a guest post by our Children’s Ministry Director, Cherie Duffey. You can follow her on twitter here.

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-08-28T12:30:17+00:00

Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I want to share today…

#1 - If you didn’t get a chance to read my post from yesterday about 15 things I want our church to celebrate I would encourage you to go here and check it out...my mind is still BLOWN as to all that the Lord did this past weekend in our church, and I am absolutely full of hope and joy as I fully expect and anticipate that GREATER THINGS are on the way, the best really is yet to come!

#2 - Here is the sermon in 10 tweets in case you missed it or just want a good summary.

#3 - Some may be wondering, “we were asking God to save 3,000 and we saw 1,251 people saved, so, are you disappointed?” ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I’m PUMPED, OUT OF MY MIND & MORE EXCITED THAN EVER!!! Why?

Because 3,000 wasn’t a goal…it was a prayer!! If we are going to pray we need to pray BIG!!! If you were hanging with Bill Gates for a day and he told you that he would buy you anything you wanted you would not DARE ask him for a pack of tic-tacs!!! You would ask for something HUGE because he has the resources, right? The same should apply to our prayer lives…why not ask God for BIG things, HUGE things…things so ridiculous that HE would have to do the miraculous for it to take place!!! My prayer is that we need to keep asking BIG!!! (If you want to read an INCREDIBLE book on the power of prayer then you need to order “The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson RIGHT NOW!)
Because…to date we’ve seen 4,015 salvations happen at NewSpring Church this year!!!
Because I feel like the Lord is showing/telling us that there is STILL WORK TO DO!!! (Check out Matthew 9:35-38) Maybe if we had seen 3,000 saved we would have felt like we accomplished something and could sit back and relax…but as I have reflected back on this past Sunday, what we prayed for and what we saw I really do feel like the Lord is showing us THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO!!!

#4 - Have you ever wanted to talk with someone about Jesus and/or share your faith but have felt like you can’t…that you just don’t know enough, that someone may ask you a question that you cannot answer? Have you ever wanted to talk to someone about how to become a Christian either at work or at school but just do not feel equipped to do so? WE ALL HAVE!!! If that is you then NO WORRIES, we will be launching a new initiative in October to equip EVERYONE in our church to be able to share Christ with confidence!!! We’re asking everyone at NewSpring to consider joining a home group for SIX WEEKS (more information here!) It’s not a lifetime commitment…seriously…just six weeks, and during that time you will learn how to share what Christ has done in you with others. More info to follow…but just wanted you to know that THIS is going to be awesome and I’m asking everyone to consider being a part!

#5 - “ASK” is not a one time thing…it’s a lifestyle!! With that in mind let’s ASK the people we brought last Sunday to come back this Sunday!!! We will be DIVING into “what now?” It’s going to be a message that will apply to people who have been a Christian for five minutes or 50 years!!!

That’s it for today…can’t WAIT for Sunday, I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!

15 Things I’m Asking Everyone At NewSpring Church To Celebrate!!!

2012-08-27T14:57:53+00:00

In following with what Scripture commands in I Chronicles 16:8 I’m asking everyone at NewSpring Church to CELEBRATE the following…

#1 - Let’s CELEBRATE 1,251 salvations that took place at our church this weekend!!! And remember that every single one of those numbers have a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God!

#2 - Anderson campus, CELEBRATE 379 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#3 - Charleston campus, CELEBRATE 51 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#4 - Florence campus, CELEBRATE 184 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#5 - Greenville campus, CELEBRATE 149 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#6 - Myrtle Beach, CELEBRATE 28 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#7 - Spartanburg, CELEBRATE 84 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#8 - Columbia, CELEBRATE 167 of those salvations happening on your campus!

#9 - NewSpring Church, CELEBRATE 17 of those salvations happening via people watching online (that we know of!)

#10 - CELEBRATE 192 salvations happening on Friday & Saturday nights at our worship events!

#11 - Clemson and Greenwood, CELEBRATE that THOUSANDS of salvations are coming as we prepare to open campuses there within the next several months!

#12 - CELEBRATE a non-holiday attendance record of 24,507 people at church this past Sunday…

918 of those were at our initial 6pm service in Greenville…which will be ongoing!
1,739 of those were in Spartanburg…which is more than we had at that campus for EASTER!!!
71 of those were at a 1:00 service in Myrtle Beach!!!

#13 - CELEBRATE that God’s not done!!! (John 14:12-14!) THE BEST REALLY IS YET TO COME!!!

#14 - CELEBRATE that we have church again THIS SUNDAY…and we need to ask and bring them again!!!

#15 - One more time, CELEBRATE that 1,251 people CROSSED OVER FROM DEATH TO LIFE!!! The Gospel STILL WORKS, JESUS IS STILL CHANGING LIVES!!! YES!!!!!!!!!

Seven Signs A Leader Might Be Fried…and What To Do About It!

2012-08-23T12:40:03+00:00

Be honest with the following questions…

#1 - Is the pace of life you are currently on sustainable for the long haul? (If you are telling yourself that “things will get better” then I would simply ask you to be honest and ask yourself how long you’ve actually been telling yourself and others that…and, if you are really brave then ask your wife how long you’ve been saying that!)

#2 - Are you more known in the social media world than you are by your own family members and friends?

#3 - Do you feel trapped in your current set of circumstances…and you simply do not see any light at the end of the tunnel?

#4 - Does it seem like the attacks of the enemy have increased lately…either through very condemning thoughts and/or either through attacks from others?

#5 - Do you find yourself having to pretend to be happy when you are in a room full of people…but secretly you wish you were in a place where no one else was around and no one could find you?

#6 - Are you enjoying life…REALLY enjoying life, or do you simply feel like you are merely enduring it?

#7 - Do you feel lonely, isolated and misunderstood?

If you answered “yes” to questions 2,3, 4, 5, and 7 then you have GOT TO pay attention to that!!! One of the BIGGEST problems leaders have is denying things that the Lord is trying to get them to deal with!!! Problems do not go away by us ignoring them!!! We’ve got to hit them head on…especially the ones that seem to try to constantly dominate our own lives!!

And…if you said “enduring” rather than “enjoying” in regards to question six…major problem! In fact, just a follow up to that question, when is the last time you remember having an awesome time, laughing and being overwhelmed with joy that had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with anything in ministry???

And…if, in regards to question one, the pace of your life RIGHT NOW is not sustainable then you need to be willing to alter your pace!!! Change can’t just be “prayed about”...it must be acted upon.

So, in light of all of this what do you need to consider…

#1 - The reason I believe you are dealing with this is because God really wants to do something amazing/awesome/unbelievable in and through you and your ministry…and the enemy is trying to disqualify you before you can be used to your maximum potential (see Ephesians 6:12!) The devil cannot destroy you until he distracts you!

#2 - Some reading this most likely need PROFESSIONAL counseling! Let me be quick to say that I have been/am in counseling…and it was my willingness to swallow my pride and ask for help that most likely saved my life and my ministry!!! In my honest opinion John Walker at the Blessing Ranch in Colorado is the best on the planet at meeting with/understanding pastors. He is a counselor who has also served as a pastor…he gets it. I can promise you that a week with him on the ranch is worth EVERY second!!! (HERE is their link!!! Trust me…go there!)

AND…keep this in mind, John once told me that MOST pastors ask for help way too late!!! If you feel tired, stressed, overwhelmed and you want to get out…then get some help!!! Believe me…you are WAY to valuable to flame out!

#3 - Another thing you might want to read is “10 Signs That You Are Near A Spiritual Burnout/Meltdown”

#4 - I wrote an article on “The Pastor’s Pain” that might be beneficial, it was something that hit me when I was getting angry with my wife and closest friends because they didn’t seem to feel the way I felt…and the Lord used a conversation with my wife to get my attention in this matter.

#5 - GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!!! Do NOT allow the enemy to have ONE MORE SECOND of victory in your mind!!! Do whatever it takes to take care of yourself…and get back on track to run the race and FINISH it well!

10 Reasons Why We Need To \“Get Off Our Ask\” & Invite Others To Church

2012-08-22T11:42:17+00:00

#1 - Because EVERYONE spends ETERNITY somewhere (Hebrews 9:27 is REAL talk!)

#2 - Because it is IMPOSSIBLE to be connected to Christ and not care about the people that He cared about (Luke 19:10).

#3 - Because found people find people (John 1:40-42 & John 1:43-45).

#4 - Because God is patient with people (II Peter 3:9)...and because He is we should be as well, NEVER giving up on them because God never gave up on us!

#5 - Because there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven by which mankind must be saved (Acts 4:12, John 14:6 & I Timothy 2:3-5).

#6 - Because Jesus WILL HONOR our faith when we go all out and do whatever it takes to bring people to a place where they can meet Him (read Mark 2:1-12).

#7 - Because being a follower of Christ is about following His commands rather than merely viewing Scripture as a suggestion (see Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14-17.)

#8 - Because apart from Jesus the world is separated from God (Romans 3:23) and the main calling on our lives as followers of Christ is to be agents of reconciliation (read II Corinthians 5:11-21!)

#9 - Because people do not need to “clean up their act” and change their behavior…but rather they need to meet Christ and allow Him to change them from the inside out!!! THAT is the change that WILL CHANGE the world! (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

#10 - Because God is GREATER than anyone’s skepticism, atheism or any antagonistic attitude toward’s Him (I John 4:4).

For those interested in reading more about evangelism and why/how to lead others to Christ…

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

2012-08-21T11:09:43+00:00

Howdy NewSpring, FIVE things I would love to share with you today…

#1 - First of all, if you did not read my post yesterday to all of our campuses with more information about nights of worship and service times and such on each campus then please take a minute or two and visit this link...I promise it will be worth your time.

#2 - I believe this past Sunday was the most important message I’ve ever preached in the history of our church, one where I am praying we were all challenged to be focused with laser like intensity on ASKING THEM to come to church…and ASKING HIM (Jesus) to save them!!! I believe a church that will focus on going for the big ask by ASKING THEM and ASKING HIM will experience awesome and amazing things!!! I want for us to be that church!!!

#3 - I also believe that a person who is willing to share their faith with someone else and/or invite them to church will grow in their walk with God as well. Paul tells Philemon in Philemon 1:6 that he hopes he will be active in sharing his faith, and Peter challenges us in I Peter 3:15 to always be ready to talk about what we believe with others…but to do so with gentleness and respect. Let me encourage you that even though it is awkward and hard that YOU CAN DO THIS—check out I John 4:4 if you are wrestling with doubt!!!

#4 - Want to check out Sunday’s message summary in 10 tweets…go here!!!

#5 - Who are you asking to come to church Sunday? Found People Find People!

I Love My Church!!!!!!!!!

Hey NewSpring, It’s A Big Ask Week!

2012-08-20T15:07:21+00:00

Here are a few things I want us all to focus on as NewSpringers this week…

#1 - ASK THEM, ASK HIM...that person (or those people) who God placed on your heart yesterday during the service, that wasn’t a fluke…ask them to come with you to church on Sunday and then ask Jesus to save them!!!

#2 - Our Nights Of Worship…we are fully anticipating these events to be two of the most amazing experiences we’ve ever had in the history of our church, with that in mind remember a few things…

One - we are expecting people to meet Christ at these events (because we are asking HIM and them)...so, if people won’t come to church with you on Sunday then bring them to one of these events.
Two - Our event in Columbia is a GREAT way to introduce the ministry of NewSpring Church to people who might not attend church…but would come to a “concert!” AND…for those in Myrtle Beach, Florence and Charleston…a HUGE THANK YOU in advance for your willingness to drive up for this night, it is going to be worth it!!!
Three - For those in the upstate and attending the night of worship in the BILO Center—if you want a seat then you had better get there as early as possible. Keep in mind that if everyone who attends our Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg locations shows up then people will most likely be turned away. So, get there early and be ready…it’s going to be awesome!

#3 - IF YOU ATTEND NEWSPRING IN ANDERSON READ THIS - We are going to be slammed this Sunday…so, we’re asking as many people as possible, if at all possible, to please attend either the 4pm or the 6pm service. I will be preaching every service live this Sunday. It will definitely allow us to reach more people this one week by freeing up as many seats as possible in our prime times.

#4 - IF YOU ATTEND NEWSPRING GREENVILLE READ THIS - We are starting a 6pm service THIS COMING SUNDAY (that will continue every week). And, we are asking as many people as possible to attend this particular service as it will free up more seats in the AM services in order that we may reach more people with the Gospel.

(AND…if you have friends who love to “sleep in” on Sunday’s…tell them you do as well…then bring them to church at one of our locations that has evening services!)

#5 - IF YOU ATTEND NEWSPRING COLUMBIA PLEASE READ THIS - It is INSANE what is happening in Cola! We are working as quickly as possible to get our new facility up and running…in the meantime we need as many people as possible to attend our 4 & 6 pm services so that we as a church can effectively reach as many people as possible. This coming Sunday is going to be CRAZY down there…and it’s going to be INCREDIBLE as well. If you can make it a priority to attend either 4 or 6 this week I will promise that more people will meet Christ at 9:15 and 11:15 because they will have a seat to sit in when they show up!

#6 - IF YOU ATTEND NEWSPRING IN CHARLESTON OR FLORENCE READ THIS - We have plenty of room this Sunday in both service times!!! So, let’s FILL THOSE PLACES UP!!!! Seriously!!!

#7 - IF YOU ATTEND NEWSPRING MYRTLE BEACH PLEASE READ THIS - We are having services this Sunday at 9:15, 11:15 and 1:00pm!!! We are SLAMMED in our current location (Great Problem to have by the way)...and so, if you can make it a priority to do whatever it takes to attend our 1:00 service for this coming Sunday ONLY I can promise we will be able to impact more and more people with the Gospel!!! It’s going to be GREAT!!!

#8 - IF YOU ATTEND NEWSPRING SPARTANBURG PLEASE READ THIS - Sunday is going to be amazing…it will most likely be standing room only!!! :-) It’s so awesome to think that our Spartanburg location is a little over a half a year old and we have just about outgrown the space that we are currently in!

ONE MORE THING FOR EVERY CAMPUS - whatever time you normally arrive at church, make it a priority this week to get to your campus 10-15 minutes earlier this week as we are anticipating longer lines of traffic and longer lines in the children’s check in areas!!! It’s going to be a GREAT week!!!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday are going to be AWESOME!!! Let’s go for the BIG ASK this week!!! I’m PUMPED!!!

Nine Things That Every Leader Struggles With & How To Overcome Them (Part Two)

2012-08-16T11:45:21+00:00

Yesterday we began talking about the top nine things that leaders struggle with (we compiled this list as a result of an informal survey I did via twitter last week.) We covered the first five already…today we will dive into the last four…

BUT…before we go there we must be reminded that…

GOD’S WORD > HOW I FEEL

#6 - Confronting People When Necessary - If you LOVE confrontation then most likely you are a rear end that nobody likes!!! Confrontation is not fun…but is completely necessary if a church is going to maximize it’s potential and reach as many people as possible. Reality is that if you are at a leadership table and you disagree with something mentally then you have an obligation to disagree verbally—PERIOD! Not in a mean spirited or unkind way…but, with a humble and sincere approach.

The Apostle Paul had a pretty tough confrontation at one point…but we see in Galatians 2:11-14 that he did it. If you see something wrong with the church or with someone else and you do not confront them then you do not love them.

#7 - Insecurity - Every leader I know has dealt with insecurity at some point. One of the key verses that I’ve had to rely on during my most insecure moments is Philippians 1:6, that IF HE BROUGHT ME TO IT THEN HE WILL LEAD ME THROUGH IT!!! Insecure moments should not cause us to feel less secure about who we are but rather more secure in who God is!!! If He is with us (Isaiah 41:10) then we should lead and live like it.

#8 - Failure - There isn’t a leader on the planet that rolled out of bed this morning and said, “Dear Lord, I would love to just blow it today, would you please allow me to make a mistake SO HUGE that I never want to show my face again, amen!” No one wants to make a mistake, but, we do…two things to keep in mind regarding this…

If you are going to fail, fail forward (John Maxwell wrote an EXCELLENT book on this, if you have not read it I highly recommend it!) Proverbs 24:16 says that one of the distinguishing marks of a righteous person is that when they fall they get back up!!! In leadership it’s not whether or not we are going to fail…but whether or not we are going to fail forward!
ALSO…fear of failure is what holds most people back from taking a step of faith!!! But…Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God!! I believe what holds most churches back is a leaders lack of faith, we fear looking back more than we desire for the church to move forward…and so we hold back. Most of the time the failure comes NOT as a result of trying and not succeeding…but rather not trying at all!

#9 - Confidence - All of us, every single one of us struggle with confidence in our leadership. Two things here…

The same God who was IN THE BIBLE performing miracles and overcoming obstacles IS WITH US TODAY!!! (Hebrews 13:8!) So many times we get so focused on who God was and what He will be like in heaven that we lose sight of the fact that HE IS AWESOME RIGHT NOW!!!

When it comes to preaching and leading…when we “do it by the book” then it will ALWAYS bring back a harvest (Isaiah 55:8-13).

If you want to dive into these things a little deeper then you can go to itunes and download the August edition of the Perry Noble leadership podcast for free…we took a look at all nine of these and broke them down in more detail.

Nine Things That Every Leader Struggles With…And How To Overcome Them! (Part One)

2012-08-15T11:45:10+00:00

I threw out a tweet last week asking leaders what was the top thing that they struggled with…and received lots and lots of answers; however, we took them and basically categorized them into nine things.

Before I list them and how to overcome them let me share a reality that God has been DRIVING into me over the past three months…

GOD’S WORD > HOW I FEEL!

If you are a leader (especially a church leader) then one of the things we are most guilty of is believing God’s Word for other people but not for our own lives.

I can personally relate to EVERY SINGLE ONE of these things listed…and the way I fight/do battle with them is God’s Word! I believe that by believing God’s Word we can overcome these things…so with that in mind here we go…

#1 - Feeling Adequate - Every single church leader I have ever spoken to wrestles with this, the one thing that I always come back to is II Corinthians 4:1, God’s mercy = my ministry! I am adequate not because of anything I have done, but rather because God had mercy on me and called me to Himself. You are adequate because God called you…period!!!

#2 - Pride - Every single leader I know is going to deal with this one at some point, for me anytime I am prideful I find myself being led to I Corinthians 1:26-31 and I Corinthians 6:9-11! (James 4:6 is a good one too!!!)

#3 - People Pleasing - Galatians 1:10 and Proverbs 29:25, plain and simple!

#4 - Delegation - One of the things that made Paul such a powerful and influential leader is that he delegated not just task…but ministry (see I Corinthians 4:17!) Jesus did the same thing as well (Luke 10:1-24!) If I want to be a leader like Jesus I must learn to trust people—period!

#5 - Jealousy Of Other Leaders - We deal with this because so many times we compare what they are doing to what we are doing, which is DANGEROUS because no one EVER wins the comparison game. The apostle Paul warns in II Corinthians 10:12-13 that we should NOT look at what others are doing but rather whether or not we are being faithful with what God has called us to do!!!

One more thought on this…in the parable of the talents one person received five, another received two and the last guy received one. If the two talent person had spent time complaining and comparing with the five talent guy then he would have been unable to produce any sort of harvest…but because he took stewardship of what he had been given he stepped into a bigger blessing…because he refused to compare!

Perry Noble | Senior Pastor, NewSpring Church

Every Number Has A Name…

Conference Information Update

Hey NewSpring Church, Let’s CELEBRATE!

Don’t Say “No” For Them

Bringing versus Inviting

Want To Help Reach/Change The World?

A Forgiveness Story

Three Questions For You To Consider

An Update On Jordan From Gary & Heather

Is It Ok For A Church Leader To Be Excited About Their Church?

This Is Why We Do What We Do!

Five Questions For Leaders

Four Really Quick Things For Everyone At NewSpring Church!

Top 10 Sermons of 2012

My Favorite Posts of 2012

Perry Noble Leadership Podcast Recap Part 2

Perry Noble Leadership Podcast Recap Part 1

Bonus Podcast Messages: Unleash & NLC

My Thoughts On The Tragedy In Newtown, Connecticut

The Best Christmas Gift

A Video From Pastor P

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

Five Important Reminders For Everyone At NewSpring

The Post I Want Every Church Leader To Read

10 Things Leaders Need To Know About Effectively Leading People

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

Top 10 Blog Posts Of 2012

Top 10 Blog Posts Of 2011

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

A Special Prayer Request

Top 10 Blog Post Of 2010

Top 10 Blog Posts Of 2009

11 Books I Would Recommend For Christmas Gifts

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

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A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

10 Things I Want For EVERYONE At NewSpring Church

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Christmas Video Contest

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My Daughter Wants To Meet Taylor Swift! :-)

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

One of THE BEST questions that can be asked BEFORE you get married

Taking Your Leadership To The Next Level

Nine Signs You May Be Addicted To Social Media

Seven Things I Wish I Could Say To Every Single Male

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

Hurricane Sandy Relief

Six Warning Signs We Are Becoming Accidental Pharisees

One of the biggest sins a leader commits.

11 Things I Wish I Could Say To EVERY Single Female!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

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OK NewSpring, Let’s Do This…

What Are You Waiting For?

How To Let A Dream Die

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church!

A Letter From Pastor Gary To Our NewSpring Family

A HUGE Thank You!

Seven Political Convictions I Believe The Church Should Have!

The Church & Politics = A MESS!

A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

A Very Important Request For The NewSpring Family!

Three Things EVERY Single Guy Needs To Get BEFORE He Gets Married

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A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church…

THE Post EVERY Worship Leader Needs To Read!

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A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church

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