Prediction for January 1, 2007

WVU 24 - Georgia Tech 17

What Do You Want To Hear?

I asked our people today to write down three personal goals, three spiritual goals and at the bottom of the communication card to write down some topics of interest for 2007. Here is what our people would like to hear from their pastors.

• Evangelism (8 people)


• Doctrine (6 people)


• Spiritual Disciplines (6 people)


• Prophecy (5 people)


• People of the Bible (4 people)


• Church Planting (3 people)


• Giving (3 people)


• Marriage/Relationships (3 people)


• Leadership (2 people)


• Servant hood (2 people)


• Breaking Free (1 person)


• Creation (1 person)


• Fellowship (1 person)


• Joy (1 person)


• Life of Christ (1 person)


• Meditation (1 person)


• Ministry Questions (1 person)


• Misc. Topics (1 person)


• Parables (1 person)


• Parenting (1 person)


• Spiritual Gifts (1 person)


• Trials of Life (1 person)

Eleven Sweet Years

Today is my Anniversary! I am thankful for my beautiful, godly woman. She is a great daughter, wife, and (let me say) an awesome mother.

We celebrate our 11th Anniversary today! We are going to celebrate tonight with dinner and a movie. My mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece are in from Ohio. So, we are going to enjoy the night out (thanks, Mom!)

Kristie and I have not had a true date in a long time. I am looking forward to our evening out. Also, one of my personal goals for the up-coming year is to have a date night every other week. I believe it is important that we make time for our spouses. I am thankful that God sent her to me. She has been a blessing in my life and ministry. I am thankful that she was willing to follow me to West Virginia to help plant a new church. Without her, I would not be where I am today. Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you very much!

Larger Than Life

Ed Young teams up with Hulk Hogan for a Sermon Series entitled Larger Than Life. Click here for the series trailer.

Seventh Is Better Than Last

I finished the Fantasy Football Season in seventh place. My brother (Sheff's Bengals and LT), finished in first place. Maybe I'll do a better job next year!

Happy Birthday Corben!

My oldest nephew turns 15 today. Happy Birthday Corb!

Happy Birthday Mac!

Happy Birthday to my good friend Chris Mac! Today's his 34th Birthday!

Mac is the first guy pictured from left to right.

State Of The Church Address

Thanks to the people of Wikipedia: The State of the Union Address is an annual event in which the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). The address is also used to outline the President's legislative proposals for the upcoming year. It has occurred in January except for six occasions in February since 1934. The 2006 address took place on January 31.

This coming Sunday I have entitled my message: The State of the Church Address. I want to report on the status of StoneBridge and give a brief overview of where we are going in 2007. It is my prayer that God would direct my thoughts this week as I prepare for this message and try to relay to our people the vision God has given to our church. We have had a great year. God has blessed our numbers. We have averaged in the fifties and sixties since July, and have been breaking monthly financial averages. God is good!

One thing I envision for 2007 is for our church to make more and better disciples. I am burdened about the number of people who have not been baptized and discipled through our efforts at StoneBridge. I believe we have done a decent job of getting people to come and see, but making disciples has been a weak point for us. I pray for God to multiply our Small Groups, LTGs, and Baptisms. I have even been thinking about the possibility of starting another service in August 2007. With these dreams comes laborers. We will need our people to take more responsibility in 2007. They are awesome people, and I know they are up for the challenge.

Top 5 Christmas Presents For 2006

1. IPod Nano.

2. Portable Fire Pit.

3. Cologne (Euphoria and Obession).

4. ISnug for the IPod Nano.

5. Green. =)

Playing In The Snow

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are in from Texas. Their kids have never seen snow (to my knowledge). So, we took a 45 minute trip to Wisp Ski Resort to play in the snow. Here is a picture of Josiah dodging a snowball, and Brelyn in the background on all fours (I guess he wiped out). =)

Hope your Holidays have been blessed!

Merry Christmas

To all my friends in the blogosphere: Merry Christmas!

Exciting Things For 2007

This week I have been working on personal goals, church goals, and my sermon series for the up-coming year. I am excited!

I have encouraged Russell and David to write some personal and church goals for 2007, as well. I am looking forward to seeing God bring our thoughts together as we strive to reach this city for Christ.

Morgantown continues to be an exciting city to live in. Since 2003, we have seen exponential growth. We have been placed here "for such a time as this."

Our Vision verse for StoneBridge has been 1 Thessalonians 1:8, "For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing."

It is our desire that StoneBridge Baptist Church sounds out the Word of the Lord not only in Morgantown, and the I-79 Corridor, but also in every place where people need to hear the Word of God.

One of the things I would like to see accomplished in 2007 is our Small Groups Ministry to multiply from 5 to 8. To accomplish this goal we will need more leaders to emerge and more people to open their homes to host these groups. I have the utmost confidence in our people, in God, and our vision to accomplish this goal. It is one thing to have dreams, it is another to see your dreams come to fruition.

The Top 20 Web Sites For Church Communicators' 2007

Outreach Magazine created the Top 20 Web Sites for 2007. Click here for more information.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve in Morgantown should be interesting. StoneBridge is reenacting the Christmas Story (the real one) with toddlers as the characters! I'm lovin' it!

One Thing I Love About Christmas

Family, Popcorn, Cold Drinks, Rudolph, and A Charlie Brown Christmas!

Put Me In Coach

Last night after playing some round ball, I received opportunity to pray with three other men. It was refreshing!

One of the men (who attends StoneBridge) is a new Christian. God has been working in his life for the past several months. In his prayer last night, he related life to playing Basketball. It was an awesome prayer! He started out by saying, "Dear God, you know I'm not very good at this, but I want to try to make an analogy in my prayer." He continued, "Life is a lot like playing basketball. The first quarter, I didn't do to well. The second quarter, I did a little bit better, but I was still struggling. Now, it's half time, God, and you are the Coach. Help me to listen to your instructions, and help me run the plays which You have designed for me. I hope I can have a better 3rd and 4th Quarter. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

When I think about that prayer, I am stand amazed at what God can do with people. You know, I have had some pretty rough quarters myself. It is only when I listen to my Coach (Jesus) that I have an outstanding game. It is my prayer that we will all finish strong. Whatever struggles you may be facing, Coach has the answers.

No More Technology, Please

OUS

Well, thanks to Ous I have my desktop back up and crawling, I mean running. After about 6 hours of work we finally rescued my computer.

Today, in the process of recovery, my IPOD has been froze on "Do not disconnect." To be honest, I am tired of things that freeze, break, or crash! =)

One More Reason I Love Officing AT Panera

Today (feeling a little Spiritually down), I met an elderly couple named Bob and Herod. Yes, her name is Herod. Isn't that amazing? After speaking with them for a little while, I found out that they attend a Baptist Church in Reedsville, WV. They are a sweet couple! They asked where I Pastor, and I told them StoneBridge Baptist Church. They said, "Oh yeah, your church washed our vehicle (during CityReach)." She continued, "We've been talking about attending your church during the wintry months." I told them that would be great!

Then, I normally talk with a Mail Carrier each time he is in Panera. His name is Dave. He is a Sunday School teacher at a Baptist Church in Reedsville, WV. The encouragement I received today from these folks was amazing. I am thankful for the Family of God!

Some Random Pics

Farewell To Great Friends

Living in a college town has its pros and cons. The pros are: a young, vibrant, excited church. The cons are: this young, vibrant, excited church sometimes moves away.

Chris and Veda B. have been attending our church since March of 2004.

Recently, Chris accepted a job in Roanoke, Virginia. I will miss their warm smiles, laid back attitudes, genuine hospitality and love for Christ. These two folks will be deeply missed!

As a matter of fact, I haven't been too sentimental over their move until I started this blog entry. Kristie and I had a great time visiting with them today. I went to Ethan's (their oldest son) Christmas Program, then, we went to the Olive Garden for lunch.

I know that we will never replace them, but, I do pray for God to send us more willing workers like Chris and Veda. Guys, I love you, and I am thankful for the eternal friendship we have developed over the past (almost) three years. God bless you!

Someone Brought A 12 Gauge Shotgun And An IPOD To Church!

Can you believe it? Someone brought a 12 Gauge Shotgun and an Ipod to our church yesterday!

David opened up the service by saying, "This is going to be a little different service than usual. Today, we want to honor our pastors." He continued, "Two years ago, I received a call from a guy with an East Texas accent who wanted me to transfer schools. I thought, who does this guy think he is! Well, it has been almost a year now since I moved from Fairmount, Indiana to Morgantown, West Virginia. We are all here today, because the Sheffstalls and the Knights were willing to move from Texas to West Virgina."

After David's comments, several people in our church stood up and graced us with kind words. I love this place! After everyone was finished speaking, they encouraged us to come forward to receive gifts. I received an IPOD (Yahoo, Yipee...hooray) and Russell received a 12 Gauge Shotgun.

It only gets better. Not only did they grace us with words, give gifts to men, but they gathered around us to pray.

I thank God for the privilege of pastoring this church! Thank you Lord for all of your blessings!!!

Quick Trip To Inwood, WV

Russell and I made a quick trip to our sending church yesterday. We were blessed with warm hospitality, good fellowship, and some of the best Pizza Hut pizza that I have eaten in a long time.

I appreciate Dan and Pat D. from Inwood for hosting Russell, the Johnson's, and myself in their home. We had a great time visiting the church, then just hanging out after church. I am so thankful for First Baptist Church of Inwood. Their willingness to help us start a church planting movement in the I-79 Corridor is awesome. I am so appreciative of their generosity, prayers, and financial support.

One part of the StoneBridge vision is to see a multiplicity of churches in the I-79 Corridor. Our prayer is for God to raise up church planters (within our church), and throughout our Association of Churches. God is working in a great way!

Four More Sundays

We have four more Sundays in 2006 to impact lives. What will we say to influence people to move from the stands to the playing field? How will God use His message to convict, convince, and encourage us to do more for Him in 2007?

What will God do through His churches in order for our communities to take notice? Mark Batterson said, "The Good news ought to make the news."

I talked with a friend of mine today who is a pastor in Arkansas. One of the things his church is doing to make the news is an Absolutely Free Gift Wrapping Service at the local Mall. I thought that was a great way for his church to serve their community and honor Christ. I truly believe that if our churches are going to make a difference we must show Christ through our actions, and then, we'll be blessed with opportunities to share Christ.

Happy Sharing!

Coach Rod Stays In Morgantown

Click here for the complete story.

This Sunday

I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle on Sunday. I will finish the Y Series with a message on Y-Church. Y Church will deal with the benefits of connecting with a local church. The Biblical text comes from Acts 2:41-47.

I can not speak for my readers, but I am thankful for the Lord's churches. When we connect to the local church, we are not just connecting to an organization, we are connecting to a family of like-minded believers who desire to sincerely worship the Lord and carry out His work!

Joining this family of believers is a privilege and honor. It is important for the leaders of the churches to challenge people to take their position in the family seriously. I have been listening to Nelson Searcy's seminar on Assimilation. One of the things he encouraged leaders to implement was the power of mobilization. He called it, "The Power of the Big Ask!" In other words, if we don't ask people to get involved in ministry, they probably will not.

I hope you all have a great Sunday!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today, my mother celebrates her 63rd Birthday! What can I say about mom? She is a Coal Miner's Daughter, a disabled Paper Mill Worker, and, an all around awesome mother.

Her REAL NAME is Kentucky! She doesn't like chicken, and her favorite meat is Pork chops. She is a giver, lover, and servant.

She loves her kids and grand kids, and has recently lost 13 lbs doing Weight Watchers.

Click here for fun facts about December 6.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you very much!

What A Hero!

Many of you have probably been following the story of the Kim's. What a tragedy! Click here for more information.

Blue Moosin'

I usually do not office at the Blue Moose, but since I was already downtown, I decided to place my $1.50 in the parking meter, and sip on a cup of Java while I worked.

The Moose was Russell's Hot Spot, but he has been working at Panera for the past couple of months. Honestly, I do not fit in at the Moose. The majority of the people who visit the Moose are college students, artists, and middle aged men wearing Kangol Hats. Now, I am not against these people (I actually like the look of the Kangol), but the main reason for my boycott is the, the,...are you ready for this? Well, it's because I can't stand paying for downtown parking! OK, I said it! :)

When it comes to giving money away, I would much rather my $1.50 go toward a cup of Joe, than a hungry parking meter screaming, "Feed Me, Seymour!" As a matter of fact, my time is about up...I guess I'll go feed it another quarter.

Do We Care?

Monday nights are usually filled with a little Round Ball at Morgantown Bible Church. I always have a great time exercising and hoopn' with the guys. We have a good group of men who are always Christian, but yet, very competitive.

We had a total of sixteen people present tonight. Each week (before we play), I take the opportunity to pray and share the gospel with these men. Most of these men have professed Christ as Savior, and attend Chestnut Ridge Church.

There are times when we have new players who attend, who have no meaningful relationship with a church, or Christ.

I met a man tonight who shared with me that he is not a believer. He told me that he has a hard time believing that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He seemed like a good guy, but my heart broke as I listened to him. I did not get to finish the conversation because the next game was about to start, but my mind has been on this fella tonight. My prayer is for God to be real to this man so that he would submit himself to the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

On Leadership

In his book The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, Hans Finzel said, "Leadership is dangerous. World history can best be written by studying the lives of great and terrible leaders and what they accomplished through others. We who are in leadership can on the one hand move men, women, and mountains for tremendous good. At the same time, we hold in our hands the power to do irreparable damage to our followers by the mistakes we make."

Prediction For December 2, 2006

WVU 24 - Rutgers 17

When It Rains It Floods

We have had our share of problems as of late. I know, I know, we haven't been thrown in prison, stoned, or left for dead, but we have had our share of misfortunes. My Explorer has been in the shop since November 17th. I finally got it back today with a new transmission, and the rear differential repaired. After $_ _ _ _._ _ we are back in business.

Now, that's not all. This afternoon Kristie was washing some clothes...when our entire laundry room was filled with water. Guess what? We are about to purchase a new Washing Machine. Thank God, and Lowes for no payments and no interest until January 2008!

Now, it may sound as if I am moping or complaining, but I am really not. I am thankful to have a car, and I am thankful to have clothes that need to be washed. I do rejoice in God for His blessings.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."